At the Hands of a Hollow

Chapter 10: Nearing Ends and Beginnings

Previously: I'll come and meet Ichigo.

Ichigo was another one of the baby's favourite topics. He didn't get to hear many people talk around him, but Ichigo was always there. He listened to anything he had to say very contently.

'I'm sure he wants to meet you.'

I'll come and meet him in five days, okay Mama?

'You know when you're going to come?'

Yep, five days.

Orihime smiled down at the bump, "Then I'll see you in five days."

As the next day went by, Orihime only got worse. It became difficult for her to breathe, and everybody had to make sure she was in bed at all times. Although they knew that the baby would be arriving very soon, they were concerned about her than anything else.

Ichigo hated the hollow more and more every time he saw her pale figure, sleeping with pain and suffering invading her once bright and colourful dreams.

He stayed there by her side, where he had been since he came back from school. Today, he wasn't going to go, he was just too worried about her. He'd feel better watching her with his own eyes, even if it hurt him to see her, pale and thin, her life wasting away.

The pair of lunatics, as he'd started calling them, tried to reassure him that they would do, and were currently doing, to keep Orihime alive. But Ichigo knew better. He was sure it couldn't all go perfectly, because what had so far? It had been a crazy few weeks, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

When he showed up in the morning, he found Orihime waiting for him, as always. She smiled as he slid open the door and slipped inside. "How are you today?"

"I feel better actually," she said quietly. Every time she was asked that question, her answer was never fully true. She'd been awake all night. The baby had been draining her energy again, and it hurt her so much that she couldn't sleep, so she waited for him to come for much longer than usual.

"Are you sure? Doesn't look like it," he pulled his face into a frowning sort of scowl. She tried to flash a convincing smile and failed.

"You can tell, huh?" she whispered.

"Yeah."

"Must feel so special, eh lover boy? You offended her."

'Shut the hell up, no I did not.'

"Did too. Maybe we should switch, I'll be nicer to her."

Ichigo sat down and scowled harder, turning his face to the wall. 'I don't care what you want to do.'

"Aww, come on, Kingy. You can let me out for a minute or two, what if I need to tell her something?"

'Well then you can't.'

"Yeah I can, just because you think you're in charge, it doesn't mean I can't get out."

'Oh, so you can? Well go ahead.'

Ichigo waited, and the hollow left him alone. He turned to Orihime, who was giving him a strange look. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, just arguing. He seems to think I should let him talk to you."

Orihime shivered, and looked guiltily down at the ground, or at least what she could see of it past the bump. "I was actually hoping that someday I'd get to speak with him again. I needed to ask him something..."

He sighed, "Well, I'd let you, but I can't tell what he'd do. If only I could somehow make sure he was only out for a minute..."

"I'm willing to go for that," his voice echoed through Ichigo's head again.

"W-wouldn't he do that?"

Ichigo slammed his hand to his face, "Apparently so..."

She shifted on the futon, "...Would you...please...let me talk to him?". Orihime knew that whatever she said to Ichigo, the hollow would hear. For some reason she just wanted to speak to him directly, and find out.

Across from her, Ichigo considered what she had asked. The hollow probably wouldn't try anything dangerous, considering he loved her and all. But, there was still a risk. He didn't really know what Orihime wanted to say to him. But he loved her too, so a part of him wanted to let her. So he did.

He nodded quickly, and relaxed for a moment. The hollow overcame him, as he allowed, and his appearance changed to the pale face of the monster.

"...Hi," Orihime whispered.

The hollow crossed his legs and leaned forwards a little, "Hey. You wanted to say something?"

"I was told that you wanted to talk to me, too."

He smirked, "Well I was just wondering why you let yourself get into that state just because King is a moron and made you worry for a whole week."

Despite the pain in her back as she tried to sit up straight, something was telling her to cower away from his presence. Of course, she'd requested to speak to him, she couldn't change her mind and send him away now.

"I-I was going to ask why you said you were sorry."

A cold silence started to spread around the room as he thought about his answer. After about half a minute, he moved forwards and wrapped his arms around her tiny figure. "Because I am sorry," he breathed.

"Well then...why are you sorry?" she inhaled deeply, waiting for an answer to the question she'd meant in the first place.

"I'm sorry, because there's a sick part of me that's like him, whether I like it or not."

She nodded in understanding and turned her face. He'd hugged her from behind, so there was a glimpse of his white face in the corner of her eye at this new angle. "Why are you being nice to me? Y-you know, I just mean it's a change from...b-before..."

"I'm just looking after what belongs to me. I'm trying not to break you, that's all," he muttered with a sigh. Even though he was embracing her, and saying these things, he didn't know how to show love. It was a mystery to him, why people loved each other, why he loved her.

They stayed silent for a few moments longer, and then the hollow's arms released her. When she turned around, Ichigo had gained control again and was looking at her with a mixture of questioning and concern.

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

Ichigo's eyes slowly fell the the floor. There was nothing he felt that he could say to her, so he offered the best gesture he could as her sudden exhaustion took over. He sat right by her side. After she'd eventually drifted off, his hesitant fingers took hers and both of his hands curled around her cold one.

–

Two average days passed. They were simple, and easy. Orihime stayed in bed at all times, and she persuaded Ichigo to go to school on the first day. It was all going fine, or so they thought.

Orihime was just finishing a blissful dream about a world in which the ground is made of silk with the dangerous yellow eyes of a hollow. She jerked herself awake and found her lungs empty, so she lay back and tried to regain her breathing pace.

After some twenty minutes of her struggling, Ichigo walked in and gave her a slight smile. He sat down. "Good morning," he said.

Her eyes were fixed onto his, and after a couple of seconds she found her respiratory system going at her regular speed. "Good morning," she breathed.

Then she winced and clutched her stomach. It was the same old sharp pain inflicted on her every so often by the baby's movement. Ichigo leaned over her slightly, there wasn't anything he could do. Nobody could do anything to stop this.

Orihime's heavy breathing was the only noise that could be heard now. He could see that she was in a lot of pain, she always was. Even when the baby wasn't moving, she was in pain. It was always there, just sometimes more intensified.

It's your fault, his mind whispered, it's your fault that she's like this.

Thoughts like those haunted him no matter what, but he ignored them for Orihime's sake. If he ended up taking off again she'd probably never forgive him, he was sure.

Nothing could scare him away, he'd sworn to himself that he'd protect her.

He was beginning to doubt that he could help her at all now. The hollow child was a few steps beyond what he could protect her from. She was too attached to it.

Even though it was killing her from the inside.

The pain passed, and Orihime tried to work on her breathing again. It was a lot easier now, to get it going again.

His fingers curled up, "How are you feeling?"

Orihime coughed and lay back down again, relaxing. She sighed, "Not too bad," she forced her mouth into a smile, "...just the breathing, but I'm fine."

Of course you're not fine.

Ichigo gave a nod and closed his eyes, crossing his legs. He slumped over his own legs in a position that was very painful for his back. But he didn't care. He knew that it was only a fraction of what Orihime was feeling. Suffering was written all over her face.

"...Don't you regret anything?"

His question was sudden and forward, and she wasn't sure how to react. What was he implying?

"Huh?"

"I mean, why are you doing this? It's a hollow...it...it shouldn't be alive."

She blinked, and tried to process his words. "He's not just a hollow, he doesn't have to be a monster..."

"We don't know that," Ichigo said, closing his eyes, "just look what it's doing to you now. When it's here, well, I can't even guess what it'll do."

Orihime shuddered, "...I-if he...is going to act like a hollow, then...like I said, you can..."

When Ichigo over at her, she was sitting up. Her arms were wrapped around her torso and though her head was down, he could see the tears pouring down from her eyes.

He wasn't sure what to do then, he simply sat and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily, "I know I said I'd let you...but he's just a baby, h-how much damage can he do?" Her eyes, still producing waterfalls, turned up at him, glistening.

Ichigo's eyes pulled his face into a look of concern, and he decided that he had to do something. He knew that he cared for her, and maybe, yes, he loved her. But how could he take that moment and comfort her?

Then she cried out, and clutched her stomach. Despite his lack of skill, Ichigo could sense it, the intense spiritual pressure radiating from her abdomen. He threw his arms around her and held her tightly.

A minute passed before Orihime stopped screaming. She resurfaced from the pain and realized that his strong arms were wrapped around her with wide eyes. Then she wasn't sure what to do.

When she tilted her head a little, she could feel his head on her shoulder. In the corner of her eye she could see that his were clamped shut. With nothing else to say, she murmured the short words, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he whispered.

Fresh tears fell over the ones that were just starting to dry as Orihime felt his grip of her loosen. She turned around to face him, and his hand touched her face.

There was a moment then. They sat, staring deeply into each others eyes. They spoke to each other, exactly what they were feeling, through their clouded orbs. Misery, hope, worry, depression, hurt and the need for light to break through the clouds hanging over their heads.

And then Ichigo's lips pressed lightly against hers. Suddenly, their world was spinning faster than their hearts were beating.

When they broke away from each other, Ichigo shuffled backwards a little with a look of guilt. Her fingers came up and touched her bottom lip, buzzing with traces of his reiatsu, then she looked at him, trying to figure out what had just happened and the reality of it all.

Then she saw his eyes, wide open, staring down at something.

Her vision followed his gaze, and she pointed her head at the floor. Her still-throbbing stomach was leaking crimson. It escaped from several long marks under her pyjamas.

Then her insides shifted, and her breathing pace sped up. She knew it was coming again.

Ichigo leapt up. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I'm going to get Urahara."

He ran out of the door before he could react to her next shriek of pain.

–

"Well she'll be okay, right?"

Ichigo was pacing outside the room she was staying in. A calm however concerned Yoruichi was leaning against the wall.

"Kisuke is checking it out still, but that's what he said to me. I'm not surprised," she said, "it's been difficult enough so far, it wouldn't be surprising to see the labour long and slow, not to mention painful."

He sunk down to his knees next to her and ran a hand through his hair, "What can I do? There's gotta be something."

She shook her head, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not right now, kid. Just go home, we'll let you know if anything happens."

"Do you really expect me to leave her now?" he raised his voice.

"Yes, go away," she turned away from him, arms folded.

"Hey, I'm gonna stay here and watch over her, I don't care what you-"

Yoruichi turned around, and her golden eyes glowed at him, almost threatening. "Leave. You spend all your time here and you're acting all depressed and it's annoying. I know you want to protect her, but it's a little too late. We just have to wait and see what happens for now. Like I said, I'll let you know when something happens."

"But-"

"Just go, Ichigo. Go and relax somewhere, Orihime will need you when this is all over, you need to stay calm."

He seemed to be agreeing, until his gaze turned to a glare, "What about if when it's over, there is no Orihime to need me?"

"We're doing everything we can for her, and we're not planning to let go of her. It's her safety before it's-" -she stopped herself- "the child's life."

Her words pulled his temporary doubt to a close. Ichigo sighed and stormed out of the shop.

Only a few paces out of the front door, he froze. A scream echoed from the back of the building, and the doubt started to grow back. But he tried to tell himself that it was okay, that it'd be over soon.

In that moment, he only hoped that she would be okay. He wanted to look after her, but he wasn't sure what to do. Yoruichi's orders were all he could bring himself to do now.

Still, it took two minutes before he could continue.

Though his feet were carrying him back home, he was torn between his journey back home and the dying girl in the back of Urahara Shoten.

–

10th chapter, woo!

I've just realized that I left this before I went on holiday, and that was so long ago. And to think, I said that I'd try to update once more before I left... :c

I feel bad now, to anyone who might care. I'm sorry, I got a bit stuck in the middle of this chapter, it was hard to carry on from. But I've taken a few shots at finishing this chapter in this past week and I'm glad it's finished now. It gets exciting from here on out...

Please review! A quicker update is guaranteed, plus I'll love you forever ;)

~HellYus