So, we're getting to the climax of the story here. I was honestly expecting this story to be a bit longer but it started closing rapidly on me and I decided not to fight it. Anyhow, here's your Wednesday update! Only two more after this! Enjoy!
"You can't be serious, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as she stared at the young man in disbelief. "Do you realize what you're asking of me?"
"I know, Rukia." Ichigo said with a nod and a sad smile. "But there is no other way. Inoue needs our help and this is the only way I can help her. We're running out of time to try to figure something else out."
"You're not even certain it will work." Uryū argued. "You said yourself, Inoue-san has to be in control of her body in order for us to help her. He still has a hold of her. It's no longer her will dictating what goes on in her body."
"All I need is one split second." Ichigo said with confidence. "If I'm successful, Inoue can take care of the rest with her Shun Shun Rikka."
"And what if you're unsuccessful?" Uryū said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared hard at Ichigo. "Then what?"
"Then you'll have to find another way to save Inoue." Ichigo replied quietly. "But I'm confident in myself. All I need to do is distract him and weaken him long enough for Inoue to push him out. Once that happens-"
"Ichigo, this is incredibly foolish." Rukia interrupted. She stared up at him as he stared down at her. The look on his face was one of confidence but it was bordering on desperate. She knew that he knew there was a slim chance for success in this situation but she also knew he wouldn't be suggesting it if he hadn't exhausted every other option. "When do you want to do this?"
"Now is as good a time as any." Ichigo replied with a shrug.
"We need to lure him out." Uryū said in thought. "He's not stupid. He'll know we're up to something if either one of us attempts to make contact."
"I'll go." Rukia said calmly. "Ichigo, you go to an area that's fairly uninhabited and prepare yourself."
"Ishida, it would be best if you came with me." Ichigo said, forcing a smile. "Truthfully, it would be best if he believes you all have turned against me."
"Is Sado going to be there as well?" Uryū asked in interest.
Ichigo nodded and continued to smile. "I asked him if he would help. I guess I should call him and let him know it's time." He turned his gaze to Rukia and let his smile falter, if only for a second. "Thank you, Rukia."
"Don't thank me yet." Rukia replied. She watched as Ichigo and Uryū hurried off before turning her sights on Orihime's apartment. Ichigo had given her a brief rundown of what to expect from the soul dwelling within their friend but she knew she wasn't truly prepared. She approached the apartment and rang the doorbell, standing in wait until the door flew open with lightening speed. Standing there staring at her was Orihime, but it wasn't. It was her body of course but there was a look in her eyes that was distinctly different from anything the true Orihime Inoue had. She was deathly thin on top of it and her hands were a mangled mess of torn flesh. She was certainly not prepared for the sight.
"Kuchiki-san." Orihime muttered, eyes narrowing on the Shinigami before her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Is Ichigo here?" Rukia asked. She was wary of the form before her. Despite being in Orihime's body, it had managed to wound both Uryū and Chad so she knew she needed to be on guard.
"Why would he be here?" Orihime replied with a skeptical gaze.
"I've recieved an order to capture him. Kisuke Urahara has sent word to Soul Society that there is something strange occuring with you and as one of the people closest to you, Ichigo Kurosaki is our primary suspect." Rukia answered, trying her best to maintain a sincere face. "Initial reports blamed Ulquiorra Cifer for your predicament but according to our records, he's deceased. That means it has to be someone close to you. Someone living. We've already investigated Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado and found them to be incapable of such actions against you. Furthermore, they have agreed to help us locate Ichigo. He ran when he was confronted and so we have reason to believe he's guilty of whatever is occuring with you. We suspected he would come here."
A smile crawled across Orihime's face at Rukia's words. "It sounds like Kurosaki-kun is in big trouble. I wish I could say he is here but he isn't."
"I see." Rukia replied, discomfort creeping up her spine at the devious smirk spread over Orihime's lips. "Well, I guess I should look elsewhere."
"Kuchiki-san..." Orihime spoke, voice low and lusty. "What's going to happen to Kurosaki-kun when you capture him?"
"If he cooperates he will be arrested and put on trial for his crimes." Rukia said. "If he resists I'll have no choice but to kill him."
Orihime's eyes lit up in interest and she stepped from her apartment. "Let me go with you to search for him."
Rukia glanced down at Orihime's feet, noticing that they were bare and bloody. It was clear to her that the soul in control of Orihime's body was so eager to see Ichigo wounded or worse, it didn't even bother with shoes or appearances. Ichigo's plan was working so far. "Inoue, you should probably wear some shoes. Don't you think? You should also grab your Shun Shun Rikka in case you need to defend yourself."
"Oh! Of course!" Orihime stepped back into the apartment and slipped into some shoes, smiling all the while. The hairpins were sitting on a nearby table so she scooped them up and placed them in her hair before hurrying back to Rukia's side. "Let's go, Kuchiki-san."
...
"What's wrong?" He asked as his gaze fell over her form. She was looking around as though she was searching for something but nothing about their surroundings had changed in the slightest.
"I thought I heard Kuchiki-san's voice." She replied softly. "Shoes. She said something about shoes and my Shun Shun Rikka."
"Shoes?" His brow furrowed as he joined her side. "Your body must be on the move. I wonder where it's going."
"Wherever it is, it's somewhere with Kuchiki-san!" She said happily. "Maybe they did it! Maybe they found a way to get rid of..." Her words trailed off as she turned to face him sadly. "Ulquiorra, I have a question. If Kuchiki-san finds a way to get rid of Murciélago... what will happen to you?"
A scoff fell from his lips and he turned away from her bitterly. "As though you care. All your problems will be solved."
She reached out as he began to walk away from her and grabbed his hand tightly. "I care."
His gaze flew back to her to see her eyes staring up at him and swimming with sincerity. He relented to stay by her side as he let out a heavy sigh. "When I died Murciélago and I had become one. Two souls bound together for eternity. Although he has found a way to move seperately from me we are still technically one. That is why he appears as my Segunda Etapa form. If your friends have found a way to rip his soul from your body, logic only dictates that my soul will be ripped out as well. As it stands, you'll only have to suffer me for a small while longer."
"But that isn't fair!" She protested. She clung to his hand and looked at him sadly. "Can't you speak to him? Can't you get him to stop this all? If your souls are banished from my body they'll disappear and you'll truly be-"
"Dead." He said, finishing the sentence for her. "But we already are dead. Perhaps it would be for the best for us to fade away. That is what should have happened from the start."
"Even still." She said with a shake of her head. "If you reason with him-"
"There is no reasoning with him." He said quietly. "Being here for me was like a second life. Although I was only living through memories it was a mostly pleasant experience. I enjoyed your fond thoughts of me when you looked back on our past. But there was nothing like that for Murciélago here. There were no pleasant memories for him to enjoy. Only the memory of our death replaying over and over. He has been discontent for a long time, likely since the beginning. I didn't care about his discontent, however. I was always able to keep him suppressed for my own selfish desires. I wanted to go on experiencing your life with you and feel alive through your memories of me. But then one day I couldn't suppress him anymore. You stopped remembering and I got flung into your despair where I stayed until Murciélago pulled me out. He had only one condition; that we leave this place forever."
"So that's why you planned to kill me." She said in understanding. "It was the only way for you to be free."
"Killing you was not my initial intention." He replied with a sigh. "My pride was wounded but I had no real interest in harming you. I began interfering with your sleep and giving you dreams to force you to remember. I kept watching, hoping things would change but they never did. Over time I began to grow frustrated and bitter and once I began to truly notice your interactions with Ichigo Kurosaki, I..." His eyes looked to hers in uncertainty of whether or not she would laugh at his next statement. "My frustration turned to jealousy and my bitterness to anger."
Her eyes widened in disbelief at his words. "J-jealousy?"
"I know it seems foolish." He said, averting his gaze from hers. "I am dead. How can the dead feel jealousy? How can the dead feel anything? But the truth is that I have felt more in my death than I ever felt in life. I began to feel this sense of ownership of you, that you were mine and only mine to enjoy until the day your heart stopped beating and our souls were torn asunder. But your feelings for Ichigo Kurosaki are no secret to me. I knew even in Hueco Mundo how you felt for him so I'm not certain why I was so bothered but it came to a point where I could no longer sit idly by and let you obtain the happiness that I was denied when that man killed me. My anger turned to rage and I let that fury get the best of me and my intentions for you. Only now I know that killing you was never what I really wanted. I only wanted to be free from this percieved pain. I should have never let things get to this point."
"Ulquiorra..." She stared up at him, sadness overwhelming her. His eyes were always so sorrowful looking but in that moment he looked the saddest she'd ever seen him. Without a second thought or a moment of hesitation she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry!"
He was caught off guard by her hug. The entire action was unexpected and wonderful. He was apprehensive for a moment but he relented to return her embrace. He allowed his hand to rest on the back of her head as he held her close. He found himself enjoying the moment but it was short lived.
She heard the sound behind her, horrible like it had always been. It was the sound of wings flapping and it stopped just short of them. She dared a glance behind her and he was standing there. Menacing as ever. He reached out with a clawed hand and pulled her against him. His body was cold and terrifying.
"I have something to show you, woman."