Final Chapter: The Old King is Dead. Long Live the Queen!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

An Hour later…
Soul King's Palace

The ride was bumpy as Ichigo, once again, was tossed around like a leaf in the wind. He and the captains had to endure the ride up to the Soul King's Palace with Ohso's Tenchuren, going through Kukkaku's cannon again. Luckily, they manage to keep Orihime's body on a floating stretcher so thankfully the girl was saved the indignity of being tossed about like on a rollercoaster. In addition, Yoruichi, Chad and Uryu had been brought along, having been told the situation by Kyoraku.

The captains all breathed a sigh of relief when Byakuya achieved with Ichigo. He apologized for his selfishness but the other captains stopped him. They all knew that he didn't want this and they didn't want to see him suffer any more than he had. Hell, even Kenpachi forgave Ichigo for almost killing him, so willing to let things go. Telling Osho to Orihime was ready to become Queen, Ichigo was led to the Tenchuren and blasted up into the Soul King's Palace; or to be more precise, what was left of it.

Yhwach's Wahrwelt had been demolished. The cityscape of the Vandenreich had been all but extinguished, replaced by the familiar site of the five floating cities. The cocoon-shaped royal palace had been rebuild and was floating in the middle of the floating cities.

Ichigo's heart pounded in his chest as they walked down the wooden rampart. He noticed that the other Squad Zero captains weren't around. "Hey, Osho?" he asked the monk, "where's Tenjiro and the others?"

Osho sighed. "Unfortunately the other members of Squad Zero fell in battle against Yhwach's Royal Guard. I was able to revive them in a manner similar to how you revived me. They are alive now but resting. They are weak. We were the vassals of the Soul King and failed to save him. Right now their spirits are as wounded as their bodies. But more than that," he turned his head towards the floating stretcher with Orihime's body. "We are tied to the Spirit King. They, as well as I, are weak from the failing strength of the Soul King."

Ichigo frowned, knowing how dire the situation was. With a glum expression he and the rest of the captains followed Osho into the Palace. They took Orihime's body to the throne room, the very place where Ichigo had cut the original Soul King to pieces, thanks in no small part of Yhwach's machinations. The captains saw that Osho and the soldiers that Squad Zero commanded had set up an elaborate circle in the middle of the room, three floating crystals at the edges of it.

The new Head-Captain watched as Osho removed Orihime's body from the stretcher, laying it on the ground in the middle of the circle. "So how's this supposed to work?" he asked, stating the question they'd all been thinking.

Rubbing his bald head, Osho turned to the boy who was the center of all of this sadness. Ichigo didn't meet his eyes, instead focusing his gaze on the ground. "Ichigo," he addressed. The boy looked up at him, a sad knowing in his eyes. "You know what you have to do."

"I…I don't know if I can…" Ichigo confessed. Even after what he told Byakuya, he didn't know if he had the heart to do what needed to be done.

"You have to," Osho simply stated. "This choice is yours and yours alone."

Ichigo walked over to Orihime dead body, the cadaver wrapped in a soft white sheet, and knelt down in front of it. He gently cradled her and held her in his arms. He couldn't fight back the tears as he remembered doing the exact same thing when he'd learned she'd died. "I'm so sorry, Orihime," he whispered, not caring if the captains heard him. "I wish I could have saved you."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ichigo," Orihime told him, sensing the anguish returning to his heart. "I finally got to fight next to you. I was able to fix your sword when you needed it. I was happy. I still am."

Closing his eyes, Ichigo thought about everything he'd gone through. All the battles he'd faced, all the turmoil he'd suffered, all of it. He thought about Orihime, going to class with her, venturing into the Soul Society to save Rukia, going to Hueco Mundo to save her and the final battle against Yhwach. "I would trade every day of my life…if I could just have one more day with you," he whispered, his tears falling onto her face. "But I can't." He finally said the words that he needed to say, to finally give himself solace. "I have to let you go."

As if a lock on his own heart had been undone, Ichigo glowed bright blue before his spiritual pressure changed. His color turning bright gold, the captains watched in awe as what seemed to be an angel ascended from Ichigo's body. They saw the ghostly figure of Orihime Inoue looming over Ichigo and her body, smiling warmly down at her friend.

Standing next to her brother, Rukia couldn't help but cry herself when she realized this was going to be the last time she'd see her friend again. "Orihime…" she choked. Byakuya put a hand on Rukia's shoulder to steady her. He would have told her to show more dignity but he knew better than most how much Orihime meant to his sister.

Orihime's spirit turned to her friend and gave her a warm smile. "Don't cry, Rukia. I'm happy. I got to see you all one more time." She saw Chad and Uryu also close to tears. "You were the best friends a person could have. I would not change anything." Her spirit neared her body and she turned her full attention to the one who loved her dearly. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo laid her body down and stood up. "Orihime…"

The girl's soul drifted down to her body. The spirit glowed gold before becoming a bright golden orb. The orb floated down to her body and entered it. Orihime's eyes opened up as life was breathed back into her body. Standing up, Orihime looked down at herself before turning to Ichigo.

"Orihime, your eyes," Ichigo noted. Orihime's eyes were back to normal. They were their natural hazel orbs and not the bizarre eyes of the Soul King.

"Orihime's soul has yet to merge with the Soul King's," Osho explained. "It will not be long though. When the merger happens we must stabilize her. Do not worry," Osho added. "We won't be removing her limbs like we did the old king."

The change in Orihime's spiritual pressure made it clear that Ichigo didn't have enough time. "Orihime," he choked, knowing that this was the end. He reached out and caressed Orihime's cheek. "I love you," he said.

Orihime wrapped her arms around her love and hugged him tightly. "I love you too, Ichigo," she whispered back. The others watched with tears in their eyes as they kissed one last time, wishing that the two friends' love could last.

When they pulled away, Ichigo saw Orihime's eyes begin to change. "I promise," he choked. "I will never forget you."

Smiling, Orihime pulled away from Ichigo. She looked at Ichigo but her vision suddenly unfolded into a kaleidoscope. "What is this?" she asked, suddenly becoming afraid.

The voice of the Soul King gave her the answer. "Our power is over all three worlds. As such, you, like me, now have omniscience. It was a power, I'm afraid, that was passed down to Yhwach."

Orihime understood what the king was telling her. Turning her gaze to Ichigo, she instantly saw her friend's future.

It warmed her heart to see that Ichigo would move on with his life, past his grief for his lost love. He would find love in the arms of Tatsuki, who shared his pain for the lost Orihime, and the two would marry and live a happy life. Knowing that Ichigo would be okay made her content.

"It's beginning," Osho started. "She's begun to assimilate the King's consciousness. We need to begin." He and the other soldiers circled Orihime as she floated off the ground. The crystals pulsed and began to circle Orihime, spinning around her.

Orihime felt her feet become encased in bright crystal, the transition to becoming an anchor beginning. Knowing she was running out of time, Orihime turned to her friends. "Chad, thank you for training with me and being there for me."

"Orihime…" Chad mumbled, unable to believe this was happening.

"Uryu, I'm glad that in the end you were my friend," she said with a happy smile.

Pushing his glasses up, Uryu smiled at his friend, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Goodbye, Orihime. Being your friend was an honor."

Her body almost entirely encased in crystal by now, Orihime then turned her gaze to Ichigo. The crying Substitute and the ascending queen smiled at each other. 'Finally, I can say what I wanted to say,' Orihime thought.

"Goodbye, Ichigo."

Giving her his bravest smile, Ichigo nodded. "Goodbye, Orihime."

The heartbroken Substitute watched as Orihime's head became encased in crystal, completing the process. Orihime's body pulsed and the ground shook one more time before a calm stillness filled the air.

Osho dropped to his knees and bowed. The rest of the captains followed suit and knelt before Orihime. "We have a new Queen. Hail to Soul Queen Orihime."

"Hail!" the other captains said.

Dropping to his knees, Ichigo lowered his head for a moment, shedding more tears before he looked up. Standing up, he put a hand on the crystal and gave his friend one last smile. "Goodbye, Orihime." Turning around, he looked at Chad, Uryu and Yoruichi.

"Let's go home."

Ten Years later…
Karakura Cemetery

"Daddy?" a little boy with orange hair squeaked as he walked in between his parents, both mother and father holding his hands. "Are we there yet?"

Tatsuki Kurosaki smiled down at her child. "Almost there, sweetie." The family walked past rows of graves before Tatsuki spotted the one they were looking for. "There she is."

The boy, little Kazui Kurosaki, was the spitting image of his father when he was a child. He looked up as they reached the grave and was confused. This wasn't the day they visited his grandmother's grave. He knew that his parents would come to the graveyard on this day every year but he was too young to understand. This year though, his parents had decided to bring him along to visit an old friend.

Looking at the grave, Kazui read the name out loud. "Ori…hime…Inoue," he read. He looked up at his father with curious eyes. "Who was that, Daddy?"

Now older and mature, Ichigo looked at the grave and thought about his friend, now the Soul Queen. Though she was encased in crystal Orihime was not without power. She granted Ichigo the power of the Oken, making him an unofficial member of Squad Zero so that if the day came when she was in danger, her white knight could come rescue her. Still, it had been years since Ichigo had seen the Queen, deciding to move on with his life.

As Orihime had foreseen, he found love in the arms of his best friend, Tatsuki. The girl was initially angry at Ichigo, having lost the chance to get her best friend back. But soon the anger faded and Ichigo confided his feelings towards her. On a fateful evening the two became lovers. Marriage soon followed and their family became complete when Kazui was born.

Looking down at his son, Ichigo patted his head. "She was someone very dear to your mother and I. She was your mother's best friend…and mine."

"What happened to her?" Kazui asked abruptly.

"She died a hero," he simply said.

Kazui could see the look in both his parent's eyes and knew that this Orihime was special to them. "I wish I could meet her," he said as he turned back to the grave.

"Maybe one day," Ichigo said. Tatsuki laid down a bouquet of flowers in front of the grave. The two agreed to come to Orihime's grave on her birthday to remember her. They knew that she wasn't technically dead anymore but the Orihime Inoue they knew was forever gone now and they had to honor her memory.

Reaching into his pocket, Ichigo pulled something he'd kept with him for the longest time.

"What are those, Daddy?"

Ichigo laid Orihime's hairpins in front of the grave next to the flowers. They no longer held the powers of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka but Ichigo had kept them all the same until now. He felt that he didn't need them anymore to remember her by. "Something that was very precious to her." He looked down at his son and saw confusion written in his face. "I'll tell you when you're older." He gestured to Tatsuki and the mother led Kazui away. Turning back to the grave, Ichigo shed a single tear. "I'll always remember you, Orihime," he softly said. "And I promise, I'll never stop loving you." Turning away he rejoined his family.

Kazui stopped to tie his shoe, letting his parents walk past them. He wondered what kind of person this Orihime was to get his parents so sad and yet, full of memory. He turned back to the grave to look at it one last time and gasped when he saw her.

He saw a woman, wearing a flowing white dress, standing behind the grave. The girl, no older than seventeen, smiled warmly at the little boy and waved. Kazui waved back before rubbing his eyes. When he opened them he saw that the girl was gone. He wondered if it was another ghost like the others he'd seen but knew that it was something else.

Hearing his mother call for him, Kazui stood up and ran back to his parents, never knowing that the woman he saw was the person who was so dear to them.

As the Kurosaki family walked away, the hairpins left on Orihime's grave glowed faintly before disappearing in a burst of golden light.

"I'll never forget you either, Ichigo. And my love for you will never die."

The End