Chapter 12

Five years later…

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo yelled throwing a black bolt of lightning at a horde of creatures in front of him.

Since the invasion three months ago, the monster onslaught happened on almost a daily basis. It took a huge toll on everyone and the resources were running thin. It weren't just maddened hollows anymore, but a new type of hellish creatures that were getting harder and harder to kill and Ichigo was running out of options.

It's been a long fight tonight and there was still no end to the assault. Ichigo wearily stuck Zangetsu into the ground for support. Something needed to be done fast before everyone was completely depleted.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled running up to him, "We got rid of them on the other side, but more keep coming!"

"Damn." he swore under his breath.

There were explosions and wild roar all around them. The sky was filled with such thick smoke that the entire area was covered in darkness even during the day time. Karakura town was in ruins, now serving as a playground to the enemy. But, thankfully most of the citizens were safely put to rest in Soul Society before the destruction, completely oblivious to the hell that was unleashed on their home.

Ichigo looked at Rukia who was breathing hard from running. She was obviously tired but did her best not to show it. "Is everyone alright?" He asked her softly.

Rukia gave a shaky nod. "Inoue is healing the injured. Chad, Renji, and Ishida are still fighting."

Another explosion roared through the air causing them to jump.

"We need to wrap this up quickly!" Ichigo yelled. "Everyone is nearly at their limit and the reinforcements are not coming!"

Rukia nodded again scanning the area, Ichigo followed her gaze.

Reinforcements rarely ever came. Soul Society was pitifully outnumbered by the crushing force of their former captain. His armies were infinitely large and it seemed that the more was defeated, the more monsters came to take their place. And while the ranks of Aizen's army seemed to replenish quickly, the Shinigami were not as fortunate. The losses always outnumbered the new recruits, and Seireitei did not have the time to give them any proper training. Instead, they were expected to train on the battlefield, which left Ichigo completely dumbfounded by the sheer cruelty of it. But there was nothing he could do about it. This was the reality of war.

A loud roar and more distant explosions finally brought him out of his thoughts and he looked at Rukia expectantly. She finally motioned for him to follow her and took off running. Ichigo was right behind her.

Meanwhile…

"Hold on, just a little bit longer." Orihime whispered crouching over an injured Shinigami.

It's been a long night and she already lost count of how many she healed. Orihime felt like she would soon collapse from exhaustion, but the battle was far from over.

There were sporadic surges of riatsu everywhere blocking their communication. But she could still feel the presence of her friends. Ichigo and Rukia were in the distance fighting. Ishida was a few feet away fending off the monsters who were trying to break through her barrier that she put up to protect the injured. And Chad and Renji were lost somewhere in the middle of the chaos. Orihime wasn't sure where they were, but at least she knew that they were alive.

She closed her eyes trying to recollect the last memories of peace before the second war erupted. But her mind was completely blank, she could barely remember anything.

Aizen disappeared several years ago without a trace. Even though everyone was training hard in anticipation of him coming back, nobody ever expected anything like this. Now it suddenly started to make sense why it took him so long to return and why nobody could find him. Aizen disappeared to a place completely uncharted, where even Soul Society had no foothold, the hell dimension. And the army that he brought with him wasn't just a collection of rogue hollows that everyone fought before, but every demonic monstrosity Orihime thought only existed in horror stories.

But it wasn't the extent of their problems. Aizen struck them where it hurt the most – their alliance with Hueco Mundo. After its leader declined to acknowledge Aizen as their superior, he completely sealed it off by unleashing an army so devastating that it made it virtually impossible for the Arrancar to assist with the fight in the material world. Soul Society never anticipated to be outnumbered and outwitted yet again and the implications were demoralizing.

From the corner of her eye Orihime saw a new pack of monsters approaching her barrier. They looked demented and hungry with nothing but murder in their eyes. Then she looked at Ishida who was already struggling to keep one group at bay. He was injured and worn-out; trying to fight more of them would mean suicide. Forcing herself to her feet, Orihime gathered the remains of her strength feeling a surge going through her body. The wounded were not in critical condition anymore. So, she had to concentrate her efforts on helping Ishida now.

Koten Zanshun, I reject! Her mind chanted over and over. And a moment later a small flash of light rammed through the creatures leaving nothing behind but lifeless heaps of flesh. She looked into the distance trying to find her friends again. They were tired but not seriously hurt, and she gave a sigh of relief. The explosions soon stopped, signifying the end of tonight's battle and the monsters finally ceased their assault.

Orihime came up to Ishida giving him her shoulder for support. He smiled faintly in reassurance, she smiled back but her smile did not reach her eyes. It's only been three months, and she was already tired of it all. But seeing her home being completely destroyed was the worst. Her apartment building was gone and in the place of her school there was a giant crater. All of her happy memories and places that she cherished the most were no more. The entire town was leveled to nothing but rubble. When she first saw it like that she could barely contain her tears, and it took some time getting used to the devastation. But still, every time Orihime came back, she felt an invisible force tagging at her heart.

Soon, Chad and Renji came out from a cloud of dust, and then Ichigo and Rukia showed up as well. Everyone was finally reunited, and it was time to go back to the other realm.

When the war started everyone moved to Soul Society because the constant attacks made it impossible to continue living in the material world safely. Orihime barely had enough time to collect her belongings, and the only things she was able to bring were the old photo of Sora and the diary she hasn't updated in years. But there was nothing she wanted to write there. All of her days were the same, filled with nothing but anxiety, stress, and war.

The portal finally opened and in a few minutes the group was standing in the middle of Seireitei.

"Third sit Inoue! Status report!" Isane Kotetsu said, waiting for them on the other side.

Orihime turned her head noticing a group of Shinigami running towards them with medical supplies. Then, she smiled at her lieutenant tiredly.

"All of the enemies have been defeated. We suffered no casualties."

"Good work, everyone." the vice-captain said in a more relaxed tone.

Then, she turned to the wounded giving out orders to transport them to the Fourth Division's medical center. "Alright! Everyone's accounted for. Let's move out."

The friends said their last goodbyes and fifteen minutes later Orihime found herself in the darkness of her room. But despite the overwhelming exhaustion she couldn't bring herself to sleep. Strange thoughts found a way to creep into her head flooding it with distant memories that she wanted to forget.

Five years ago…

"Inoue! Oh, thank goodness, are you alright?" Rukia asked worriedly, getting on her knees in front of her friend. Matsumoto and Yoruichi were right behind her.

Orihime shut her eyes trying to block everyone out. She felt angry, tired, and incredibly hurt. Ulquiorra was gone leaving a gigantic hole in her heart that she did not know how to mend. It's happened to her again, a love that left her devastated. What a cruel twist of fate to do this to her again. She really was a fool after all who never learned from her mistakes.

"Orihime-chan," Matsumoto said gently, "Come with us."

Orihime got up forcing herself not to look back at the last place where she saw him. The women quietly let her away, and she soon found herself at the Kuchiki estate with three sets of eyes worriedly looking her, but Orihime did not care. She was in a limbo with only one thing on her mind – training until her powers were on par with the seated officers of Seireitei. She had to get strong and overcome this by any means necessary, otherwise, the memories would consume her and she would be defeated by despair. I will not forgive myself if I lose. And she meant every word of it.

When she told her friends that she wanted to join the Shinigami academy, they first thought she wasn't thinking straight because of what happened with Ulquiorra. Orihime was not a Shinigami material and neither did she have the type of powers to make her one. But after seeing her untapped potential, Yamamoto decided to make an exception. And it wasn't the first time he did that. Zaraki Kenpachi never learned his Ban Kai, yet he was one of the most feared Captains. And Orihime was only glad she could use him as an example to win Yamamoto's approval. However, she suspected that his easy disposition wasn't a coincidence. Soul Society was still after her powers and she decided to use their greed to her advantage.

At first she thought it would be strange to be part of the organization that tried to kill her not so long ago. But Orihime did not feel any resentment at all. Ulquiorra's and Isshin's influence did not go to waste either. And even though Captain Mayuri's punishment was too mild for the crime against her, watching him scream in defeat as his demotion was officially announced was somewhat satisfying.

The next several years were spent in strict training and meditation. Orihime knew that her healing abilities were extremely valuable and decided to seek Unohana's guidance to join her squad. Little by little her powers grew stronger and she was able to rise in ranks within the fourth division in no time. At first, everyone was apprehensive because of the nature of her powers and the lack of a soul cutter. But Orihime's kindness and efficiency on the battlefield proved her worth again and again.

After the war started, her skills already greatly surpassed most members of her division. And, it wasn't long before she was officially made a seated officer.

She collapsed on her bed trying to shut the memories out. The past five years seemed like a dream. And every time Orihime looked in the mirror, sometimes she wondered if it was a stranger wearing her face who stared back at her. Never in her life did she ever imagine to be where she was right now. The world has changed and so has she. The cheerful silly girl was long gone and replaced by a beautiful young warrior greatly admired by many. The distant words of Hachi went through her mind reminding of the superhuman willpower that dragged her out of her limbo. No, it was her after all. It was always her. And her broken heart and the war only sped up the process of realizing it.

Orihime sighed shutting her eyes. She wanted to believe that her efforts were not in vain, that the last several years closed up the old wounds and put everything to rest. Yet, sometimes she would still wake up in the middle of the night haunted by the images of piercing green eyes that she both hated and adored. Some nights the demon visited her in her dreams looking at her with the same detached expression that she thought was hidden in the darkest recesses of her mind. And sometimes he even talked to her, but she could never understand his words. Her friends thought that everything was history, that her resolve was unshakable. But Orihime knew better. There were some things that were not meant to be completely forgotten.

A few days later…

"You're going to travel back to the material realm and investigate the latest phenomena." Yamamoto eyed the group in front of him.

Everyone was assembled at the Captains' meeting discussing the new events occurring in the ruins of Karakura Town.

"Strange surges of power are erupting at random locations. And we do not know the source."

"That has to be Aizen playing his new tricks." Ichigo said in a solemn voice.

"Perhaps. But since we don't know where it is coming from, you are going to investigate it."

"We will move out as soon as we gather an assault team."

"That won't be necessary." Yamamoto gave a curt reply. "Since there hasn't been another attack, it is going to be just the four of you. Take Abarai, Kuchiki, and Inoue then move out immediately."

Orihime watched Ichigo frown, but he did not say a word. Despite disliking their methods, he knew that Soul Society needed to preserve their resources as much as possible. So arguing was pointless.

And thirty minutes later they were back at the ruins.

"Let's split up and look for clues." Rukia suggested.

"Be careful everyone." Ichigo said. "Let's meet back here in an hour."

"Good luck, guys!"

And a minute later she was alone.

Orihime examined the area looking for the alien riatsu. Then she felt something in the distance which was strangely familiar. It gave her an odd feeling of déjà vu but she still couldn't recognize it. Without wasting another minute she took off running into its direction.

Soon she saw a red glow in the distance. Orihime came closer looking around. There was a red sphere a few feet above the ground with lightning surges sporadically shooting out of it. She still couldn't identify it, yet it felt too familiar which made her uncomfortable.

As if sensing her presence, the sphere moved and a second later started growing larger. Orihime felt a pulse before a sudden realization struck her.

A bomb!

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!"

A few seconds later everything was covered in rubble. Orihime recalled her fairies and opened her eyes scanning her surroundings. Thick dust was everywhere blurring her vision. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Soon the dust started dissolving and Orihime noticed something a short distance away. She slowly got up mentally preparing herself for an attack.

The figure did not move and Orihime took a step closer.

"What are you doing here, Shinigami?"

A cold deep monotone sent a shiver down her spine. That voice…

"Who are you?" she asked recovering her composure.

The figure ignored her question and started to walk away. Orihime impulsively took off after it.

More dust cleared away and the silhouette started looking strangely familiar. But she still couldn't tell who it was.

As if sensing her following it, the figure suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Not another step closer." the voice commanded again.

Orihime knew that she heard it before and she was absolutely determined to find out who it was.

A sudden gust of wind blew the remaining debris away finally revealing the stranger in front of her. They stood in silence looking at each other. And Orihime did not even notice that she was holding her breath. Standing right in front of her was unmistakably the demon that she spent the last five years trying to forget.