A/N: Hello, hello! Ah This took a while, but here it is! After the past week of voting for Paul Gbegbaje on Britains Got Talent, almost wetting myself laughing at Michael McIntyre and squeeling over Bleachs new 'Unmasked' fanbook, (Ulquiorra is on the cover! His past as a Vasto Lorde is included! XD) I finally decided to get my butt in gear and type this chapter up. I hope y'all enjoy it! Remember to drop a review! :3

Seeing as my HUGE thanks to all my reviewers will probably ruin the mood of this chapter, I'll do it here!;

nypsy,
Morning Bleach,
Bleached-Whale,
Cittyno2,
sama-chan,
Seprtoth.

And of course, a huge shout out to my Beta, sama-chan! I LOVE YOU LONG TIME! :')

DISCLAIMER: (Okay, okay, I admit it. Disclaimers are never at the top of my to-do list, but I decided for the sake of the story I should include one.) I do not own Bleach! It belongs to Tite Kubo, and this story is for entertainment purposes only!

'Finders Keepers'-Chapter Eight;

Reunion of Blood.

"TATSUKI!"

In an epic explosion of dust and plaster, a huge hole was blown through the kitchen wall of Tatsuki's apartment. Looking back on it, Ulquiorra would've dryly commented that the explosion was most definitely caused by Kurosaki Ichigo's overwhelming stupidity rather than his spiritual pressure, as the door was just two meters away. Orihime, ever the optimist, would argue that it was the suddenness and dramatic nature of the situation that had prompted the Shinigami to smash the hole through Tatsuki's wall (whom of which would probably be too busy to add her opinion, what with the 'beating Ichigo into oblivion' and all). However, this was neither the time nor the place.

The man stood in the new found entrance, his eyes narrowed and mouth set in a thin line as he advanced upon the fuming karate champion; ranting as he went.
"Why the hell didn't you wait for us? We were stuck in that damn airport for three hours looking for you, and then I had to deal with Rukia shouting 'unattended bag!' every 10 seconds, and thenwe had to catch a ride with Urahara, and you know whenever you ask that guy any favours he makes you pay him back in the most ridiculous ways and-" Ichigo faltered as he took notice of the rooms other occupants.

His eyes first registered Orihime, partially hiding behind Tatsuki, mouth agape in shock as she stared at him. They lit up in joy, and a smile began to creep across his face as he took a step towards her. But he paused again, sensing another familiar reiatsu. Turning his head, he saw Ulquiorra standing there amongst the rubble and smoke, his pale face betraying nothing.

The two stood like that for what seemed like forever, anticipating the other's next move. Then Ichigo growled, and in a moment of heart stopping dread, Orihime caught a glimpse of his eyes. No longer were they the warm amber of the past; they were a midnight black, surrounded by a ghastly shade of yellow. This wasn't Ichigo...

"Long time no see, Cifer..." The redhead gasped, hands flying to her mouth as she heard the voice of her long time friend. His usually soft tones were empty and muffled, and it was almost as if his speech was doubled. The underlying sense of madness echoing there scared her to no end. She shivered and drew closer to Tatsuki, seeking comfort in her furious friend.

"What the fuck, Ichigo? Are you fucking serious? I'm going to beat the fucking shit out of you, you ginger haired twat!" The woman next to her cried, shaking her off. Tatsuki strode towards whom she thought was Ichigo Kurosaki. Unfortunately for her, she was wrong.

"No! Tatsuki-chan! That isn't-" But it was too late. Ichigo's hollow turned around, fully facing them now. His face was a mask of deathly white, his eyes cruel and mocking as he advanced upon the brunette, moving forward with slow, meaningful steps. Each step echoed around the small kitchen, like water dropping into a fast flowing waterfall; seemingly unremarkable, yet demanding the attention of the curious onlooker with each drop.

Within seconds he had reached the slim woman, towering over her by a good two feet. Tatsuki glared back up at him, pushing her curiosity to the side and instead swinging her fist at him. The moment seemed to go in slow motion, Tatsuki's hand clenched and inching its way towards the Hollow, who was still grinning fiercely at her. Orihime saw his hand twitch, and before she could scream out to her friend, he had smacked her heavily into the wall. She stayed lodged in the crevice made from her impact momentarily, before falling limply towards the floor, her left arm twisted at an odd angle and a trail of blood leaking from her hairline.

Orihime froze, her eyes wide. Her hands began to tremble, her mind not completely registering what was happening. She felt as if time had frozen. This wasn't...this can't be happening. This...this...

A chill went down her spine. The hollow was walking towards Ulquiorra, its fists clenched and mouth stretched into an eerie grin.

Switching her gaze towards the green-eyed man, she saw his chest rising and falling rather too quickly. His face was pale and clammy, eyes narrowed as he fought to keep his concentration. Something inside her chest throbbed painfully at the sight. He was fightingfor her. Fighting himself. Ichigo lurched towards him, partially invisible as he flash stepped behind Ulquiorra, drawing his hand back as if to grab his throat. Ulquiorra, realising his situation, ducked down quickly and rolled towards the table, snatching a chair and snapping one of the legs off, wielding it like a sword. She noticed his strong, stiff posture, and allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. He knew what he was doing.

Taking her eyes of the fight for a second, she looked for some kind of weapon amongst the mess of a kitchen. Behind her was the breakfast bar, almost unrecognisable under all the dust and debris, and chunks of polished marble lying around it. Ulquiorra and Ichigo were fighting near the kitchen door, away from the sink and table next to it. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a glint of metal. Whisking round, she glanced around the room, searching for what would possibly be of use to her. Nothing but rubble and planks of wood. She let out a frustrated sigh. She had to help Ulquiorra! But she couldn't fend Ichigo off with her bare hands...

And then she saw it again, a sheen of light reflecting off what was most probably steel, in the corner of the room. Quickly, she realised what she had previously believed to be a small chunk of wood was actually a handle, leading into the blade of a chopping knife. She swallowed, the cruel looking instrument striking fear in her.

Come on Orihime, you can do this...

Slowly, she crawled towards the mound it was buried in and grasped the handle with both hands. With a swift pull, she tried to extract it, and failed miserably. Her eyebrows drew together and she tried again. It didn't move an inch. She felt frustrated tears well up in her eyes and wiped them away, smearing grime and dust across her face. Again, she pulled and tugged at the knife, heaving her body upwards in the hope that her weight would shift the stone heap. And again, it didn't move. The tears stung at her eyes now, and she allowed a hopeless whimper to escape her lips. Planting her feet against a section of marble, she grabbed the handle once more and propelled her body backwards with all her strength. For a moment it seemed as if it wouldn't budge, but then a horrible cracking noise issued from it and the wood came away in her hands, leaving the metal behind. She stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, landing heavily on her behind.

A loud crash from behind made her jump, and she spun around, her storm gray eyes wide at the scene before her. The two stood a few metres away, Ichigo grasping a very pale Ulquiorra by the throat. The wall behind him was cracked and splashed with red and the table to the right was mangled beyond recognition. Ulquiorra's hands clawed at Ichigo's, scratching them bloody and raw but Ichigo did not seem bothered, and instead dug his nails into the soft flesh, a trickle of blood sliding from underneath them. She felt bile rising up to her mouth, and fought desperately to keep it down as Ulquiorra's green eyes fluttered closed. His bloody lips remained open and she heard a short, strangled breath escape them. And that was when she broke.

"No...!"

Snatching up a battered looking saucepan, she ran towards the pair and swung the pan at Ichigo's head with all her might. It struck with a sickening crack and his neck snapped to the side, his yellow eyes wide for a fraction of a second. Huffing, she let go and it clattered to the floor. The red head glanced up, her cheeks red and tear stained, and eyes narrowed with hate at the man. Ichigo's reiatsu swirled around him, angry and dangerous, as he clutched his swollen cheek and stared her down. She was forced backwards by the pressure, and before she had even realised it, he had punched her, a deep, burning pain blossomed in her stomach, quickly spreading upwards and outwards like a flower. Her body was momentarily airborne, and then she felt something cold slap her back, something cracked and a familiar dark began creeping across her vision. A voice that sounded like Rukia's screamed hysterically in the background. and she could've sworn she saw Urahara's hat floating about in the mist.

Amongst all the bright lights and frantic voices, the last thing she saw was a limp, blood spattered Ulquiorra staring blankly at her. The darkness quickly took over.