A/n: Back once again with What if. This chapter is long, but that's because I combined three chapters into one so I could get this story moving along. I have gotten a review that said this is long and basically reading the manga all over again, and yes I know. But, this first part is important, because the introduction of the characters into this and how they interact with Ichigo is important... Now, yes, some chapters I will skip... Like the Don Kanoji thing and Kon's little escapade in chapter one of the fourth book... And probably a lot of bulk in the soul society arc that I find utterly pointless... For now, I'll put in what needs to be put in... Now, onto the story~!
Warnings: Badgering on Tatsuki's part, Orihime getting thrown around a lot, Ichigo getting thrown around a lot too...
Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach... -.-
"All hollows were once normal people", Rukia said seriously.
"Nor-normal people", Ichigo said as she grabbed onto the front of Rukia's night shirt, "You didn't...! I though they were monsters? I gotta' kill 'em?"
"That's right", Rukia said quickly, "They are monsters now! And we must kill them!"
"So", Ichigo began, "So the ones I whacked used to be...!"
"No time to argue", Rukia ground out as her look turned frightening, "That girl is... going to die!"
"Are you stupid", Tatsuki half yelled at Orihime as they sat in said redhead's apartment. Orihime had explained the whole meeting in the park earlier plus or minus a few details to Tatsuki.
"I'm not stupid", Orihime said with a pout.
"Why did you not take the chance to let him walk you home", Tatsuki asked incredulously.
"I told you, Tatsuki-chan, I don't like Ichigo-kun like that", Orihime said with a sigh, "How many times do I have to say it? We are simply very good friends... There is no undying love hidden underneath the surface... Ichigo-kun is more like a sibling to me than anything else..."
"You say that but I still don't believe it", Tatsuki said rolling her eyes, "Like I still don't believe Ichigo is "nice" as you put it..."
Orihime gave a soft sigh, to which Tatsuki looked at her with a serious look. "Honestly, Orihime", she said tone serious, "What is it you're hiding?"
"Hiding", Orihime said blinking repeatedly, not understanding what Tatsuki meant.
"I've been able to tell for years", Tatsuki said, eyes narrowing slightly, "There's something off about the way you act with Ichigo... You know something... And I want to know what it is..."
"I'm not hiding anything, Tatsuki-chan", Orihime said with a confused look but received a pointed look from Tatsuki, "I couldn't tell you anyways... Ichigo's secrets are his to give away..."
"Orihime", Tatsuki began before she was stopped by sudden thump of noise. Both girls turned, wondering what the sound was and saw the bear from before falling to the ground.
"Oh no", Orihime said as she rushed over to the fallen teddy bear, "Enraku fell down! Enraku!! Speak to me!!"
"Oh, it's just Enraku", Tatsuki said rolling her eyes, "'Enraku', geez.."
"Hey", Orihime said as she noticed the tear down its face, "Oh no! How did you get torn?!"
"Whoa", Tatsuki said as she came up from behind and looked at the bear, "Maybe the fabric's rotting?"
"That can't be ", Orihime started before she noticed something on her hand where she had it by Enraku's head. She pulled her hand away, noticing a red substance as coating her hand. "This... Looks like blood..." Before she got any farther in a sentence, a hollow's claw appeared from the bear and went straight through her, pushing her soul roughly out of her body, her body hitting the floor with a thud.
"Hey", Tatsuki said in alarm as Orihime hit the floor, "Whoa! Orihime! What's wrong?! What happened?!"
"Hollow's attack their own families", Ichigo asked incredulously as she carried Rukia on her back and jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get to Orihime's. Rukia responded with a yes. "How come?! Hollows eat souls because they're hungry, right? I thought they attacked randomly?"
"Hollows attack humans and ghosts randomly", Rukia explained, "After they've eaten their own families... And one more thing... They don't eat souls because they're hungry. They eat souls to ease their pain." Ichigo looked back at her.
"Hollows are fallen souls", Rukia went on, "Souls that were not admitted to the soul society by a soul reaper... Souls that were left behind... Souls that weren't saved from other hollows... These fall, lose their hearts, and become hollows themselves... Then the hollow soul strives to fill the emptiness inside. It stalks the people it loved most in life... You've heard of widows who soon follow their husbands to the grave? Their husbands ate their soul..."
Rukia paused for a moment. "Today, when we say Orihime, she had a large bruise on her leg", she said softly, "Where a hollow grabbed her..." Ichigo looked at her in alarm. "That's why I asked about her", she continued, "You said she had an older brother. If he was her only family... then I'm certain, he will come for Orihime!"
Tatsuki was thrown against a wall in Orihime's apartment, shoulder bleeding from where the hollow had hit her. She was scared and confused by what exactly was going on. The hollow from before was standing over her, unseen by the frightened teen.
Orihime was curled up against the wall in terror, not understanding what was happening. 'Wh...what is happening', she thought, 'That thing... It's a monster? My body... What's it doing over there? What... What's happening to me?... Am I dead? I feel dizzy... A chain... I'm chained up? I can't... Breathe... I don't like this..." She tugged on the chain attached to her chest in confusion.
As the hollow was pushing down on Tatsuki, trying to cut of her breathing, Orihime got up quickly and ran at the hollow, knocking its off balance and off Tatsuki. She then proceeded to kneel beside her friend.
"Tatsuki, are you okay", she asked, "Run for it!" Tatsuki said nothing and gasped for breath, not seeming to hear Orihime. "Tatsuki", Orihime said quickly, "What's wrong! Say something!"
"It's no use Orihime", the hollow said as Orihime turned to face it, "She can't hear us... She can't see us, either."
"How", Orihime began, "Do you know... my name?"
The hollow was silent for a moment. "Have you forgotten my voice", he asked before reaching up to lash out, "That wounds me Orihime!"
Orihime shrunk back closing her eyes, waiting for the strike. When nothing came she slowly opened her eyes to see a figure blocking the attack with a giant sword. A figure with bright orange hair.
"Ichigo", Orihime asked softly.
"Do you think you can stop me", the hollow asked.
"Sorry, captain overbite", Ichigo said with a smirk, "But that is a soul reaper's job! If you want Orihime for dinner, then I'm you're first course!" She sent the hollow a determined look.
The hollow stood still for a minute, leaving Ichigo wondering what it was going to do. She turned and noticed Tatsuki on the ground and winced, knowing that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She then noticed a figure not too far from Tatsuki. She looked closely and noticed in horror it was Orihime.
'But, Orihime's standing right behind me', she thought as she quickly turned to look behind herself.
Orihime smiled as she noticed the figure in front of her was in fact her redheaded friend. "I knew it", she said, "It's you, Ichigo-kun!"
Ichigo drew back in surprise. She thought back to what Rukia said earlier, which was that no human could see shinigami, and only other spiritual entities could see them. "How", Ichigo started in surprise, "Can you see me?"
Orihime titled her head a bit. "Huh", she said, "How?... Err..." While she struggled for words, Ichigo's eyes trailed to the chain attached to her chest leading to her body.
"Isn't it obvious", the hollow asked right beside Ichigo's ear as Ichigo quickly turned her head, "She's a spirit! I'm sorry, but... Orihime is already... DEAD!" The hollow quickly swiped its tail at Ichigo. Ichigo blocked the tail with her blade but soon discovered her blade wouldn't cut through the scales and was then hit and forced through the wall of the apartment.
Ichigo managed to steady herself midair. She glared at the hole in the wall with a fierce look in her eyes as her forehead began to bleed from the last blow from the serpent-like hollow.
"What's wrong", the hollow taunted in a creepy voice from the hole, "You talk tough but... you're far too slow... Is it so shocking that Orihime's soul has been forced from her body? Huh?! Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Ichigo's eyes widened as the hollow spit a liquid from its mouth. She cursed and dropped her sword as the substance landed on her hand, burning the skin. She figured out quickly it was acid spit she was hit with. She was soon hit to the ground by the hollow's tail, Rukia quickly rushing over to the fallen teen.
Orihime looked in shock. "Ichi", she said softly then got up and ran towards the hole, "Ichigo!" She was grabbed up in the hollow's large hand before she made it far. "Let me go! Ichigo could be hurt!" She soon began to chomp down on one of the hollow's fingers.
"Orihime", the hollow said with a slight sadness to the voice, "Have you... really forgotten me? It's me, Orihime." The hollow moved the hair covering the place where his mask came off.
Orihime's eyes widened as a realization struck her. "Sora-nii-san", she said incredulously.
Down below in the street, Rukia was calling Ichigo's name frantically.
"Stop yelling", Ichigo said in annoyance as she sat up.
"That's all you've got to say", Rukia asked in annoyance, "You've shamed soul reapers everywhere today!!"
Ichigo was quiet for a second. "He's not like the others", she said softly breaking her male voice to her female voice for a brief moment, "I hesitated..."
"Alright", Rukia said slightly uncertainly, "But bear in mind... If you lose, he'll eat Orihime's soul..."
Up above, Orihime stared in shock at her brother. "Is it really you, Sora-nii", she asked softly.
"It's me, Orihime", Sora confirmed eyes smiling, "You haven't forgotten."
"But, why", Orihime asked in slight panic, "Why did you hurt Tatsuki and Ichigo?! Why?"
"Why", Sora asked, "You know why! Those two tried to tear us apart!"
Orihime stared at her brother in shock. "What", she asked, not understanding at all.
"After I died, you prayed for me every day", Sora began as Orihime watched him intently, "I watched you always... It made—me happy... I was dead but... your prayers erased my suffering... But soon, a year passed... You spent more time with Kurosaki and became friends with that girl... You began to pray for me less often...Then you entered high school... And you stopped praying for me altogether! At home, you would always talk about Kurosaki or that girl... It hurt me. I saw myself... fading a little more from your heart each day!"
Orihime stopped him abruptly. "No", she said in panic, "No, Sora-nii! That's not-!"
"I was so lonely", Sora began again voice harsh, "It was unbearable! Sometimes, I just wanted to... Kill!"
Ichigo jumped up into the hole at that moment. Sora turned and swiped his tail at Ichigo, causing the teen to be thrown into a wall and trapped against it by his tail.
"Ichigo", Orihime said as she tried to break free to help her friend, but to no avail.
"Come with me, Orihime", Sora said in a sad voice, "Come… back to when it was just us two."
"Why", Orihime asked as she looked down at the ground, "If you were lonely, you should have told me... Why did you have to hurt Ichigo and Tatsuki? Why, Sora-nii?" She looked up at him with tearful eyes. "The brother I loved... Would never do something like this!"
Sora's eyes became filled with rage. "I'll kill you", he screamed as he began to tighten his grip around her, soon beginning to crush her, "How do you think I became this... thing?! It was your fault, little sister! I'll kill you! KILL YOU!"
Sora's eyes widened as both his hands and most of his body was sliced to pieces by Ichigo. She gritted her teeth in fury.
"Big brothers", she said, voice on a borderline between her two voices before breaking into her female voice unintentionally, "You know why they're born first?" Orihime escaped from the hand that had been holding her and stared at Ichigo in shock at having heard the true voice of her best friend for the first time. "To protect the little ones who come after them! My twin never got that chance, so I took his place as the one who would protect the family." She stared at Sora coldly. "What kind of brother says he'll kill his own sister", she screamed in rage, "Even a monster shouldn't say that!"
Orihime stared at her friend in shock of such a powerful speech. "Ichigo", she said softly.
Sora screamed in agony. "Why", he screamed, "Why do you stand in my way, Ichigo Kurosaki?!" He then closed his eyes for a moment before looking over at Ichigo.
"When I was fifteen, my sister was born", he began to explain as Orihime looked on in shock still, "She was more like a daughter to me than a sister. Our parents were truer monsters than I am now. The kind of monsters who would silence a baby's cries with beatings. I hid her... Quieted her cries... where they wouldn't hear. In March, when I was eighteen... I... took my three-year-old sister... and fled that cursed house. After that, it was us against the world! Just the two of us! Forever! I raised Orihime! I protected her! She's mine! Nobody else can have her! Least of all you, Kurosaki Ichigo. You will never... Have her!!" With that, Sora rushed forward mouth open and ready to get rid of Ichigo once and for all.
"Sora-nii", Orihime said in panic.
Ichigo blocked the hollow's teeth with her sword. "As if, Captain Overbite", she growled gritting her teeth, "Orihime... doesn't belong to anyone!"
"She's mine", Sora said voice frantic and slightly insane, "Her soul is mine! I lived for her!! But she... won't live for me!! Very well... Then she will die for me!!" He jerked his head away and headed straight for Orihime.
"NO", Ichigo screamed.
Sora chomped down on Orihime's left shoulder and right below her left breast. Orihime had her arms wrapped around her brother's head as she hugged him to her. Ichigo stared in utter shock at the scene as Orihime's knees hit the ground.
"Ori... hime", Sora asked in a broken voice, "Ori..."
"I'm sorry", Orihime said softly, "Sora-nii... I... wanted to share them... Fin things at school... the happy stuff... the things I liked... the people I liked... At first, all I did was pray every day... But I thought that was wrong. I didn't want you to see my sadness. I didn't want you to feel my pain." She looked up at Sora as he released his bite on her shoulder and stared at her with surprised and pain filled eyes. "So I hid it from you", she said tears in her eyes, "I shared only my happiness with you! So you wouldn't suffer for me!!" She then looked down. "I... didn't realize it made you feel lonely", she said in a broken voice, "I had no idea... Sora-nii... I'm sorry I hurt you... I love you..." She then collapsed to the ground.
"Ori", Sora began.
"Orihime", Ichigo called out in panic.
"It's not too late", Rukia said from behind them as Ichigo turned to look at her, "She can still be saved! The Inga no Kusari—the chain of fate—is still attached! As long as it's connected to her body, she isn't really dead! I can use my Kido to save her!"
"Orihime", Sora said and he hovered above his sister soul, "Sister."
"You're in my way, step back", Rukia said softly as she stood by Orihime's soul.
"Orihime", Sora said in a broken voice staring down at his sister, "I knew... That you stopped praying so you wouldn't worry me... But... I didn't want you to stop. When you were praying... Your heart was all mine..."
Ichigo stared at Sora and followed his line of sight as she rested her sword in her shoulder. "What are you looking at", she asked softly, already knowing it was Orihime's hair pins, "The hairpin... That was a gift from you. She told me... It was the first gift you ever gave her. She still wears it every day."
Sora stared at her in surprised before turning to look at the hairpins Orihime wore as she laid there motionless.
"It's the same", Ichigo said quietly sorrow in her voice, "Those who die and those that get left behind... They all feel alone! You were so caught up in your loneliness... You forgot about hers..."
Sora looked down. "I didn't know", he said softly to himself. He slowly slithered over to Ichigo and behind her.
"Oi, what are you", she began before her eye widened as Sora pressed his face to the tip of her sword, "Why... why did you do it?!"
"It's all right", Sora said softly as the rest of his mask fell to the ground, "If I stayed as I am... I'd lose myself again and attack Orihime. That's why now... in this moment of sanity... I want to pass on..."
"But why", Ichigo said in panic, "You don't-"
"Ichigo", Rukia said sharply from her spot beside Orihime healing her with Kido, "His decision is right. Hollow's can never go back. Let him pass on."
"But Rukia", Ichigo started.
"It's all right", Rukia said with a soft smile as she looked over at Ichigo, "To reap hollows isn't really to kill them. Reaping frees them of sin. The zanpaku-to cleanses them... So they can enter the soul society. That is the reason soul reapers exist."
Sora leaned down over Orihime again. "Then, goodbye Orihime", he said softly.
Orihime's eyes opened slowly and she looked at her brother. She remembered back to the day her brother died and how they had a fight and didn't speak to each other. She then smiled as she looked at her brother. "Sora-nii", she said with a smile as he began to disappear, "Have a nice day..."
Sora stared at her in surprise at the old phrase Orihime used to tell him every day before he went to work. He then smiled fondly at her and disappeared into the night as the three sat in Orihime's apartment and watched.
"He's gone", Ichigo said softly.
"Gone", Orihime replied. She then smiled at Ichigo. "This is the first time", she said softly, "I've ever heard you use your real voice..."
Ichigo stiffened slightly, noticing she had slipped up. She quickly tried to steer away the subject as she once again used her male voice. "You're wounds", she said.
"They're better, mostly", Orihime said as Rukia reached on and held something near her head, "But that's not important! I have tons of questions I want to..." Rukia set off whatever was in her hand. "Ask you." Orihime fell over onto her side.
"What'd you do", Ichigo asked incredulously.
"Kioku-chikan—memory replacement", Rukia replied, "I erased tonight from her memory and gave her substitute memories. We can't let people know about us."
"Kioku-chikan", Ichigo asked in confusion.
"Yes", Rukia replied with a nod as she knelt down beside Tatsuki, "Only we can't choose the new memories, they're random... Hmm, she probably didn't see anything but just in case..."
"Random", Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You'll see what I mean tomorrow", Rukia said with a wave of her hand and then set off another one of those things on Tatsuki. She then straightened and she and Ichigo both left the building.
"Hey Ichigo", Rukia said quietly as Ichigo jumped across rooftops to get back home, "What did you mean earlier?"
"About what", Ichigo asked looking over her shoulder at Rukia.
"When you were yelling at Orihime's brother about older siblings protecting the ones that come after them", she said, "You said, and I quote, 'My twin never got that chance, so I took his place as the one who would protect the family.' What did you mean?"
Ichigo was silent for a moment as she contemplated how to explain. Rukia thought she wasn't going to answer so opened her mouth to question her again but was cut off by Ichigo's answer.
"Back when my mother was still pregnant with me, early on in her pregnancy, there wasn't just me, also my twin brother", she began softly, "But, my brother died before he could start to develop... And it's odd that I say he, but I know I would have had a twin brother... He was just never born... So, that's why I promised to take care of my family... For his sake..."
Rukia stared at the strawberry headed teen in silence. "I must say, Ichigo", she said softly, "You're one of the most complicated people I've ever met... But also one of the strongest people too..."
Ichigo looked back at Rukia with a light smile. "Thanks, I suppose", she said before continuing on.
The next morning, at Karakura High, everyone sat in their respective places in homeroom. Orihime was going on about how a Yakuza gunman had blown a hole in her wall, and everyone else was saying she had a weird imagination. In the background, Ichigo and Rukia watched the group.
"Okay", Ichigo said, "I understand now... And you used that on my family the other day too, didn't you?"
"Yup, I did", Rukia said as Orihime and Tatsuki both cast glances at the two, "It worked well, didn't it?"
Well, there it is... I'm probably going to do this more often since it'll move this along much faster. I would just love to already be at the Arrancar arc already, because it's where all my ideas lie! On one note, in this thing, Orihime called her brother Sora-nii, when in the manga she called him Kakei (Which means big brother). That was one change. Also, I know people were thinking WTH?! at what Ichi said about having a twin, so I explained that at the end so people wouldn't kill me because I didn't. And the idea just really came to me out of the blue when this was in the planning stages. Well, read and Review.