Chapter Nine of 'Finders Keepers'
The first feeling to return to his body was one of unbelievable heaviness. It hovered above him like an ocean over his head, crushing and squeezing his lungs, almost to the point were he could hear the air leaving them. His chest burned from lack of oxygen, a flame licking at the pitiful organ that remained silent and cold. Around him was a nothingness that was neither black nor dark, but rather in shadow - void of life. Yet he felt as if shapes shrouded in the darkness lurked just beyond his perception; mocking him with their eerie, echoing voices that didn't exist, but at the same time were so real he could smell their foul, death scented breath rolling of their tongues.
Was this how he was to spend his afterlife? Alone in a world defined only by pain and nothingness? He supposed so. After all, he had lived a rotten life as a hollow, and his life in the world of the living was probably not that much better. Really, he shouldn't be so surprised. This... this was what he deserved. To 'rot in hell' as the humans put it.
He should really stop that. Referring to them as 'humans', that is. He was a 'human' also.
Why had he done that? Become one of them. The notion in itself was preposterous, and in any normal circumstances he would have much preferred to fade away with his pride intact. So why? Why lower himself to the likes of the Shinigami boy?
An image of a grinning, red-headed woman with a rounded belly flashed across his brain. Ah, the Onna.
The Onna, with her big heart and forgiving eyes. The one whom he had torured and kept prisnor all those years ago in Hueco Mundo. The one who was carrying his children. He did not deserve her; not after what he had put her through. But even so, she had welcomed him into her life, and in the process, redeemed him of his sins.
At the thought of her, something began to happen. The heavy air seemed to lighten, and something in his chest began to stir.
Ba-dump.
He jumped, startled at the unfamiliar feeling.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
Cringing inwardly, he squeezed his eyes shut as the painful throbbing overtook his being.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
Ba-dump. Ba-dump.
The first one of his senses to return was sound. It began to leak into his ears, quiet at first, but soon taking on harsher, louder qualities. A male's voice shouting in the background. Soft, muffled sobbing somewhere close. The buzzing and whirring of a mechanical machine.
Come to think of it... was he even breathing? It certainly didn't feel like it. His lungs still ached and craved the luxury of fresh air. What was going on?
Amongst the darkness, he saw a light. From which direction it came from, he wasn't sure; but the light was always a good sign, right? A small smile stretched his lips. Maybe she would be there? Whenever he imagined her, she was always bathed in a soft glow, her fiery red hair creating a lovely contrast against the plain colour. Of course. She had to be there. So he should go too...?
Outstretching his arm, he began to walk towards it - with only the slightest hesitation marring his calm, calculated steps.
"Clear!" Dr. Uryuu Ishida yelled, slamming the defibrillator into the pale man's chest. His back arched, and he fell limply onto the stretcher.
"We're losing him!" One of the nurses cried, pointing frantically towards the monitor. His heart rate was decreasing rapidly with every second, the high pitched machine growing quieter and quieter, almost to the point where it was silent for a minute at a time.
"Shit...!" He muttered, wiping the sweat of his brow. He glanced towards the hallway for the umpteenth time. Orihime was standing against the wall, her eyes shadowed and shoulders trembling as the small brunette secretary tried desperately to usher the injured woman into the waiting room. Looking back at the man on the stretcher, he allowed himself to study him. His alabaster skin looked clammy and sickly, the dark blood splashed across it making it look even more so. The usually vibrant, sharp eyes that had ridiculed him many a time were dark and unfocused behind half lidded eyelids, and his whole body held a strange stillness about it, quite the opposite to its graceful, dangerous predecessor.
Furrowing his eyebrows together, he loosened up his hands and gripped the defillibrator once more, positioning it just above his heart.
"Ready?" Uryuu asked, his voice sounding much more confident than he was. Only one of them nodded in affirmation.
"Clear!" No response came from the man. The fiery haired woman outside began yelling and screaming his name, banging her fists on the glass as the secretary gripped her arms, shouting for help.
"Clear!" He repeated the action again. The monitor started to issue a flat, high-pitched note as soon as his body crashed onto the stretcher.
"Damn it, Ulquiorra!" He roared, smacking the metal charges into his chest once more. And again. And one more time. Each time they connected with his chest, his body shook and flew up into the air, only to plummet back into the hard bedding beneath him. A feminine hand tentatively tapped his shoulder. He spun around, and came face to face with a nurse who's name he couldn't quite place, her eyes downcast as she mumbled.
"I think you should stop, Doctor Ishida... he's gone..." His eyes narrowed and the room grew silent, save for Orihime's hysterical screaming outside and the flat-lining monitor.
"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?" He growled. Her brown eyes grew wide and scared, and she clutched a fist to her chest.
"N-no I..." She began to stutter,"I...I just..."
Uryuu was about to reply when a little blip on the machine caught his attention. The rooms occupants jumped and looked round in shock, and even Orihime went silent as she stared desperately at the machine. Another upwards movement broke the perfectly straight line, and then down it went. After another moment, it did it again, and then it began to create a rhythm, indicating Ulquiorra's steady heartbeat.
The door at the other side of the room flew open and Orihime sprinted through, shaking off the frantic woman at her side. She ran towards Ulquiorra's bed, holding her bloody stomach tightly with one arm. Pushing past the crowd of doctors, she knelt down beside him and clutched his hand, violent sobs shaking her body as she stared down at his pale face. He left her to cry for a minute before deciding it was time to intervine.
"Orihime..." Uryuu mumbled softly, crouching down to her level and awkwardly patting her shoulder. "I think you should go get treated. Ulquiorra will be fine."
She glanced up at him with red, watery eyes. "But h-he looks so broken. Are you s-sure?" She whispered, her voice thick from the tears.
"Yes. I think you should be more worried about yourself." He smiled at her, and offered her his hand. She took one last look at Ulquiorra and grasped it, gratitude evident in her eyes.
"Okay..." She muttered, limping out of the room much slower than when she had come in. Once she had left, Uryuu made sure Ulquiorra would be fine, and then finally turned his attention to the shadowy figure in the corner.
"Explain." Uryuu growled.
The figure stepped forward and revealed himself, the white and green striped hat atop his head as battered and dusty as ever.
"Of course, Doctor Ishida." He said with a knowing smile.
A/N: Hello everyone! OK, so some people have been expressing concerns over the last chapter/asking questions. I'll answer them here for everyone to see!
"I like this fanfic but hate the fact that u mad him so wear and realli? asthma? i also hate how ichigo just lost it like that. he normally wouldnt and rukia is soo annoying!"
otherwise, i luv it! lol cant wait to see ichigo reaction when they told him orihime's was pregger and he punched her! luv u!" (luversblues)
-Okay so, yes, he is a human. Obviously he will not be anywhere near as powerful as he used to be, but he gave that up for Orihime. And the Asthma thing is actually pretty logical. Remember where his hollow hole was! Also, the rest of the revived Espada (whom of which will be introduced VERY soon) will have problems in accordance with the positioning of theirs. Please remember that Ichigo's mind was not his own when he attacked, it was his hollows. The reasoning behind his actions and sudden hollowfication will be explained next chapter! And I love you too, little reviewer! :')
"Since the fic isn't labeled tragedy, i'm gonna assume this is gonna be fixed next chap, otherwise i'm out. hollow or not, violence against a preggers character isn't my cup of tea (or kids)." (nypsy)
-That was clever, noticing the genre like that. I thought I had you all fooled! And I'm sorry about the violence, but you may also notice that this is labeled 'Romance & Drama' I have to mix things up a little, I hope you understand. As you have probably gathered, Orihime seems fine, but all of this had to happen for the storyline to continue in the way I had intended, and this will all be very significant in the future! Also, this story is rated 'T'. I did that for a reason! I hope you will continue reading, as I promise that very soon this story will be going back to it's usual cheerful self! thank you for your review! :)
"I don't buy it. I think its a dream or something no way your gonna have your otherwise cheery and upbeat story take such a shocking swerve. Still it is interesting to see what had happened. I did not expect Ichigo to actually kill everyone when he showed up. That was not on my things I was expecting to happen list. Well regardless An interesting way to handle things... well we'll see what happens next chapter" (Seproth)
-Hmmm...this story is rated Drama, kukuku...:D
Anyway, thanks to all of you who reviewed! You all make me smile with your kindness!;
Seproth,
nypsy,
sama-chan(a big shout out to you, BETA-buddy!:D)
Bleached-Whale,
Morning Bleach,
luversblues,
Cittyno2.
Please review! I may cry if we get to 50 on this chapter! :')
Till next time,
YukiHimeChaan xxx