I. Hate. Finals. Actually, I just generally hate this time of year with school. This chapter is a bit later than I hoped, and the next one will be, too, most likely. So please hang in there.

I'm overloaded with work, so I won't be able to reply to reviews, but thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. We're at over 500 now! I never thought I'd get that many. Extra thanks to le etoile, CrystalDawn, and my extra beta for this super important chapter, ombre nocturne.

I know up until this point there have been more questions raised than answers given. This chapter finally answers a few of them, including one or two extremely important ones. Since we are on the final stretch, that's going to be the trend. So hopefully no more complaints about that :)

Enough of that. Onwards with the chapter!

Chapter 29

Shirosaki surrenders

Renji woke with a groan, and as his vision cleared, wide violet eyes and a relieved face filled the receding darkness. "You're awake."

He managed a stiff nod. "Yeah." As he looked around, he realized that he knew the place he was in. The tall stark walls with only the single window were hauntingly familiar. "Are we imprisoned?"

Rukia didn't have to answer; he could see it in her eyes and the way she stiffened with the mention. "Damn it. I didn't want you to have to come back here."

She shook her head, dismissing his concern. "It's fine. At least I have company." Her tone tried for teasing, but Renji could hear the strain.

As he tried to get up to talk to her more properly, he was surprised with her hand pressing against his chest and pushing him back down. "You're injured," she chided. "Don't push yourself."

"It was just my hand," he retorted grumpily, glancing down at his injured hand. When he lifted it to inspect it further, he found it wrapped in bandages.

"They wouldn't let me use kidou to heal you properly," Rukia said, her eyes hardening as she remembered. "Fortunately, some of the shinigami snuck in supplies from the fourth division and gave them to me. I did the best I could."

Renji supposed that, despite the dire situation, it was probably better for Rukia than the last time she had been in the white tower. At least her own comrades hadn't turned against her, even if it was "justified" at the time. Of course, hehad been one of those comrades, something he still hadn't forgiven himself for. "I hate this place," he muttered. "But thanks for the patch job. Stupid bastards." He let his hand rest on the floor. "Who stabs someone like that, anyway?"

When Rukia didn't say anything, he glanced over at her. He knew how melancholy she could get when she was reminiscing about something painful. However, he wasn't met with melancholy or anything similar. His eyes met hers and he read anger.

His instincts told him this couldn't bode well for him, as history had proven so many times before.

"Why," she said in a low tone, "did you do that?"

He blinked, trying to comprehend what she was implying. "Uh…"

"At the meeting hall!" she snapped. "When you decided to tick off Ryou and fight a bunch of armed Royal Guard! Why the hell did you do that?"

Here Renji would have given her his usual answer: "I didn't want you to come back to this place" or "I wasn't going to let them just drag us here without a fight". Any one of those statements would have sufficed, and Rukia would have believed it. Except this time Renji just couldn't bring himself to lie to her. While both answers were true to an extent, they were not the true underlying reason as to why he risked life and limb for her.

"You owe it to her to try at least."

Renji scowled as Ichigo's words from Christmas Eve popped into his mind, whaling away at his sanity like a demon on steroids. Damn him and his one moment of insight.

"Renji."

He knew she was waiting for an answer, so he'd give it to her. His timing was probably awful, but right now he didn't care. "Lemme ask you: if Inoue had been in your place and Ichigo was in mine, he would have done the same, right?"

"Well, yes." Rukia leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her thighs.

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Besides his usual overprotective streak," This earned a chuckle from Renji, "it's because he loves her. He's done more than take a hit for her. But why would that…"

One of the things about her that amazed him was her cleverness. It didn't fail her now; he could see her put the pieces together. He tried not to show any outward signs of nervousness as he waited for her reaction.

She stared at him in blank shock, her brain shutting down as it overloaded from the information (or so he imagined). Her hands clenched together, then opened, and clenched again. Her cheeks flushed, and then she paled after a minute, something seemingly distressing her, before she seemingly brushed it off and blushed again. Renji surmised she wasn't sure how to react, and that just made him more nervous.

"Look," he said after long minutes of silence, "I know the timing's awful but it's the truth. It's why I put up a fight, even if it was a losing one. It's why I've done a lot of stuff."

His words seemed to spark something in her, for her eyes finally rested on him.

Then she reacted in a way that were nothing like the million and one scenarios he had imagined.

"YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, slamming her hand on the ground. "That doesn't mean you can just fling yourself in front of me like you did!"

"What?" Renji snapped as he shot up into a sitting position. "Ichigo pulls that crap all the time!"

"Ichigo's an idiot!" Rukia fired back. "I expect you to be smarter than him! I don't need both of you being overprotective morons!"

"Well I'm gonna do it anyway!" He pushed his forehead against hers, his glare matching the one she wore. "So deal with it!"

And with that, the heated fervor died as quickly as it began. Rukia's eyes softened, and she sighed, her shoulders dropping. Renji almost blinked in shock, not expecting that from her either.

"We lost Ichigo because he probably let himself be captured to protect us. That's bad enough. I can't lose you, too. I need you here." She let her forehead remain pressed against his as her eyes closed. "Please. Think of what Orihime must be going through. Don't do that to me."

At a loss as to what to say, Renji put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. "It's not like I can go anywhere right now anyway. We're stuck together."

"I much prefer that than you going off to protect me and getting killed or captured. I need you here, like Orihime needs Ichigo with her. Don't forget that, Renji."

He smiled slightly, because he knew there was an answer to his confession in those words. But he couldn't rejoice, not now. Both of them were plagued with thoughts of their mutual friend being held in the Royal Realm and of their other friends who were in hiding. "We can't give up hope. Something might be done. Inoue and the others are free, and Urahara's with them. Hell, I'm sure they're cooking up a plan right now."

In fact there was a plan being concocted beneath them, in the sewers that snaked through the underbelly of the Seireitei.

That night, the vice-captains had crept out from their divisions and met in the sewers. A hidden message urging the meeting had been hidden in a series of "reports" that had been sent out earlier that day. They had been given twelve hours between the time the message was sent and when the meeting was to be held to find a way to sneak past the scrutiny of the Guard, get underground and meet up.

As Hinamori noted, it was a minor miracle they all (save Renji) had made it.

Once Hisagi and Izuru hopped down the manhole and walked over to where the vice-captains had converged, Hinamori nodded in greeting. "We're all here."

"So, it's true about Abarai then?" Isane said, noticing the sixth division vice-captain's absence. "He's in custody?"

"With Kuchiki Rukia, yes," Rangiku answered, sighing as she leaned back against a wall. "They're locked up in the white tower."

After a beat of silence, Oomaeda piped up, "Why are we all here? Who called for this?"

"I did," Momo said, straightening her posture as she stood. "We need to do something about this situation with the Royal Guard."

"And what would you suggest?" said Sasakibe, the first squad's vice-captain. "We're overpowered."

"But we're not outnumbered." Momo turned her gaze to Yachiru. "Did you manage to get a count of the Royal Guard today?"

Yachiru beamed and answered, "Yup! There were fourteen of those guys with the haori. There were a bunch of other ones, but they were those weird dressed guys with the funny crests." Yachiru was referring to the basic foot soldiers that accompanied the Royal Guard, lowly but numerous mooks who did most of the grunt work for the Guard. Several of them had been brought over when the Seireitei was captured.

"Who are those guys anyway?" Iba, Komamura's vice-captain, said, referring to the foot soldiers.

"I think they're the Royal Realm equivalent of the unseated shinigami. They didn't seem to be particularly strong," Izuru said.

"So we can handle them," Rangiku concluded. "It's the Royal Guard themselves I'm worried about."

Suddenly, from her spot in the shadows Nemu quietly said, "I recommend the traps."

Momo's eyes widened. "You mean the booby traps your squad set up?"

Nemu nodded. "We haven't tested them yet, but this may be a good opportunity. There are traps in each division. Going by Yachiru's numbers, there is one Royal Guard per division, plus Ryou. All we must do then is lure the Guard into one of the traps."

"That just might work," Rangiku murmured. "Do you know where those traps are located?"

"Yes. I helped install them personally."

"Then there's just the matter of luring them there," Hisagi said. He crossed his arms as he thought over possible strategies.

Yachiru suggested in her usual chipper voice, "Let's start a riot! That'll make 'em mad!"

Nanao sighed. "Yachiru, I highly doubt-"

"It'll work," Momo said, earning a cheer from Yachiru. "If we do it early enough, when they're half-asleep, and if all the squads start at once, we can catch them off guard. All we have to do is figure out the proper routes to the traps and figure out how to make sure each Guard will get there."

"I hate to put a downer on our plans," Sasakibe said apologetically, "but it may not be that simple. There is that Ryou to contend with, and even if we manage to trap his forces, he may just call for assistance from the Royal Realm."

It brought the conversation to a halt, with the vice-captains glancing at each other, hoping one of them had an answer to the dilemma. The silence hung, growing steadily heavier until a voice from further down the path broke through it and said, "You can leave that to us."

Many of the vice-captains reached for their swords, with the others getting into defensive stances until the bearer of the voice came into view.

"Yoruichi-san," Momo said in surprise as the former captain walked towards them.

She grinned at the vice-captains. "And here I thought I'd be spending the whole night trying to round you all up."

Rangiku spotted something over Yoruichi's shoulder. She stood up on the balls of her feet to get a better look. Hidden in the shadows, almost invisible save for his distinct bone mask was Pesshe, doing his best to keep out of sight. "Isn't that…"

"He's with me," Yoruichi said. "Don't pay him mind or he'll probably have a panic attack. It took enough convincing and reassuring for him to bring me here."

Heeding her words, the shinigami kept their eyes trained on Yoruichi instead. Momo asked, "What did you mean before?"

Another grin was flashed. "We're working on a plan to get Ichigo back. We could use your help."

Momo gasped, half in surprise and half in joy as Rangiku and the other vice-captains started in surprise. "Really?" Momo said.

"How?" Rangiku asked.

Yoruichi waved off their questions. "Save it for when it's over. You're better off not knowing for now anyway. We've got a way in; we just need the path cleared. But from what I overheard from you guys, we already have a plan."

Hisagi rubbed the back of his head. "Something of one. It's not very good."

"Actually," Yoruichi's grin transformed into a smirk, "it's damn near perfect. I think we can help each other out. See, our plan is to invade the Royal Realm," she said before pausing briefly, letting the vice-captains absorb this information. "To do that, we need to sneak our way through the Seireitei. If you guys are gonna riot tomorrow, then that'll give us the distraction we need."

Clever Izuru couldn't contain his smile as he caught on to what she was planning. "Of course. And in turn, help won't come from the Royal Realm if they have their hands full with a home invasion."

"Bingo. If you guys handle Ryou and take care of the Guard here, we'll keep help from coming."

Momo clenched her fists in determination, a triumphant smile lighting her face. This crazy, hare-brained plan of theirs justmightwork."Okay. That just leaves Ryou and our captains."

"That's simple," Yoruichi said, "If you don't plan on actually fighting any of the Guard, have your seated officers lure them into the traps. You guys can focus on Ryou then and freeing the captains."

"B – But he's a Royal Guard!" Oomaeda whined, wringing his fat hands. "There's no way we can beat that guy."

Rangiku rolled her eyes. "Geez, Oomaeda. Give us some credit. Even a Guard like him won't handle eleven vice-captains at once."

Iba nearly gawked. "We're gonna gang up on him?"

Hisagi elbowed him sharply in the side. "Rangiku-san is right. There isn't a better way to do this."

Yachiru jumped up and down excitedly. "We're gonna get Ken-chan and the captains back! Yay!"

Momo nodded to her. "You bet. Now all we have to do is figure out the timing and – wait." Her head snapped up in sudden realization. "What about Abarai-kun? And Kuchiki?"

"Me and a few helpers are gonna break those two out," Yoruichi said, taking a seat on the ground near the vice-captains. "Like I said, you need to focus on Ryou and your captains."

Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "A few helpers? Like who?"

Tatsuki was mimicking the same expression Rangiku was wearing, though for entirely different reasons. "You're actually gonna let us help?" she said to Urahara.

"Well, yes. We can't leave you in Hueco Mundo," he said, glancing at the Arrancar village in the distance. "There's also no way of knowing for sure if it's safe for you to return to your homes either, so to Soul Society you must go. Yoruichi-san is going to free Abarai and Kuchiki, so I'm sure there's something she'll need your help with."

Tatsuki glanced over at her best friend and saw the beginnings of a worried protest. "Don't even say it's dangerous," she said, frowning at her. "What you're doing is way more dangerous. Besides, we get enough of 'I don't want you involved because you'll be in danger' crap from Ichigo. Don't you start, just because he's not here."

That same worry was mirrored in Ishida and Sado. Mizuiro said, "Don't worry, all of you. We'll be with Yoruichi-san, so I'm sure we'll be okay."

"They'll be surrounded by shinigami, whose duty is to protect humanity. They can't be much safer," Urahara said when they still didn't seem convinced.

"Fret about it later," Shinji said, tilting back his cap. "We still gotta make some adjustments to our plans."

Ishida raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the small little detail about not knowing where Kurosaki even is?" he said, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

Kensei shot him a sidelong glare. "Stuff the sarcasm. We know he's probably in the Palace."

"Once we enter through the gate, we'll be taken right into the Palace underground," Urahara said. "So we won't have difficulty getting into the Palace. However, no, we don't know where exactly Kurosaki-san is inside the Palace. And the building is quite large, from what I've been told."

Hiyori's eye twitched. "From what you've been told? Who the hell could have told you anything about the Royal Palace?"

Before Urahara could lie his way out of her question, Orihime came up the sandbank, followed by Nel. "Um, everyone? I might be able to help."

The others turned to her. Shinji cocked his head to the side questioningly. "How so, Orihime-chan?"

"I've been talking to Nel-san…" She glanced over her shoulder at the Arrancar, who nodded in encouragement. "I need to talk to Shirosaki-kun. There are things we need to settle and… well, he might know where Ichigo-kun is inside the Palace."

"Hoo boy." Shinji obviously wasn't fond of the idea; Orihime could see it in his expression. "You sure about this, Orihime-chan? That little fucker hasn't helped us at all since this whole mess started."

Oh, she'd thought of that, but she seemed to have something in mind. Her smile was knowing as she said, "True. But the situation's changed, hasn't it?"

Hiyori's eyes narrowed. "What are you up to?"

"I'll explain later, I promise!" Orihime plopped down on the ground and lifted her fingers to her hairpins. Before she departed to the depths of her soul, she turned to Nel and said, "Would you mind telling them what you told me while I'm unconscious?"

"Yes. I meant to talk to everyone about it when I came to the human world. There just hasn't been much of an opportunity until now."

"Thank you." She turned back around and gave everyone else a confident smile. "Please don't worry. I'll be fine."

Cutting off anyone's chance to stop her, Orihime pressed her fingertips against her pins. "I need to talk to all of you. Please help me."

There was a slight pause, like the world held its breath, and then Orihime could begin to feel herself lose consciousness.

When her eyes opened, she was gazing up at blue sky and white clouds. Beneath her unkempt clothes she could feel the soft grass; it was a nice relief from the sand she'd grown used to the over past several hours.

Six shadows swept over her before the faces of her Shun Shun Rikka filled her line of vision. She smiled up at them and greeted them with, "H-Hey, everyone."

Shun-o held out her hand and helped Orihime get to her feet. Lily stepped behind her and helped Orihime brush off the grass stains she incurred, and Orihime giggled as she tried to turn around to pick out the bits of grass in her hair.

But there was a tangible tension that even Lily's lighthearted attempts couldn't break.

Once the red-headed fairy took a step back, the silence resumed. Withholding a sigh, Orihime said, "I guess you all know why I'm here."

"Do you think now's the time to be doing this?" Shun-o asked, tilting her head to the side as her expression became inquisitive.

Tsubaki elbowed her aside, ignoring her protests as he said, "This is the best time to do this. Right, woman?"

Orihime nodded. "I know it might seem odd, but I think everyone else will understand once we get there and I talk to Shirosaki-kun."

"I guess there's no arguing with the boss," Hinagiku said. He stretched out one of his long, skinny arms and pointed to a spot some ways down. "The path that Hollow has been using begins there. We've managed to kick him back out that way in the past, but as to us actually going in it…"

Tsubaki crossed his arms and made a "peh" sound. "It can't be that difficult. If the Hollow can use it so regularly, then it should be easy for us, too."

Knowing there was little time to waste, Orihime strode past her Rikka and towards the spot Hinagiku pointed to. Temporarily ignoring the Rikka as they followed her, she stood rooted in front of the spot, her eyes narrowed slightly. She could faintly make out a faint tear in the air, almost like a Garganta about to open. "Is this it?"

"Yes." Shun-o stood next to her, examining the tear with her.

Orihime's fingers brushed lightly over sealed opening. It felt like an actual rip, as if she was running her fingers over a scratch on a hardwood table. "I… I need to get to Ichigo-kun. Please."

She pushed against it, and to her satisfaction (and the Rikka's surprise), the tear opened, cutting through the air until an opening tall enough for them to fit through emerged. The seven of them stared into the looming darkness beyond.

"Woman," Tsubaki said, his tone serious as he glanced over at her. "This sudden need to talk to that Hollow… does it have anything to do with what that Arrancar woman told you?"

"There's nothing sudden about it," Orihime reminded him, smiling gently. "I decided on Christmas night that I was going to talk to Shirosaki-kun and convince him to not carry out his plan. I didn't know how, but I knew I had to be the one to do it." She put both her hands on either side of the tear, as if she were about to leap in, but she remained still. "It's because of Nel-san that I know how to stop him now."

Her eyes closed as she recalled that conversation, alongside of the memory of the fateful battle with Ulquiorra on the dome. "I think now," she whispered with conviction, "I know what happened on the dome. It's time to resolve this, at least on my end."

She was answered with blank stares. A part of her felt guilty for leaving them out of the loop, but it would be easier for them to hear it from her and Shirosaki. "You'll know soon. Come on. Let's go."

Years ago, Orihime had read Alice in Wonderland.She had loved all the strange and fantastic things Alice had seen and done in the story. It was the perfect kind of story for her active imagination, and she had wished she could be like Alice and fall into Wonderland.

In a way, her wish had come true. She now understood how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole.

Going through the pathway had been like falling into a kaleidoscope of emotions and memories. Some of them were hers (so it was like going down memory lane, literally) but the further along they went, the more she noticed scenes that she didn't recognize.

It wasn't until the end that she realized they were Ichigo's memories. It was difficult to see and hear as her mind seemed to be thrown into the spin cycle in her skull, unable to make sense of much of anything.

It was still spinning until a cold hard sheet of rain splashed across her face. She gasped as the shock from the cold rattled her system and made her eyes snap open. Shun-o's wings enclosed her, shielding her from the rain.

"We made it," she heard Baigon say over the unexpected downpour.

She looked down at her feet, and the grass from before was replaced with steel and cement. It looked like a rooftop. She pressed the heel of her foot into the material, frowning in consideration when it didn't budge. It definitely was real.

All seven of them paused when they felt a presence suddenly pop up from behind them. Orihime didn't need to see through Shun-o's wings to know who it was.

She motioned at Shun-o to turn around so she could see behind them. Shun-o adjusted her wings and stepped to the side, making sure to still cover Orihime. All around her, Orihime could see (or mostly just sense) the Rikka crowd closer together, forming a solid wall of defense around Orihime.

"Everyone, it's okay." She stepped out into the rain, despite Shun-o's protests. It was freezing and her hands quickly felt like ice, but her resolve warmed her from within. She hardly paid the weather any mind.

As she looked straight ahead, she finally got her first up-close look at her beloved's Hollow.

Ichigo-kun was right,Orihime realized as her gaze met Shirosaki's. They looked exactly alike, just in inverse colors. Instead of the familiar brown eyes she was used to, she was instead staring down black and gold. Weeks ago, she might have felt intimidated, but her experiences with Shirosaki had taught her to feel otherwise. That might not have been his intention (actually, she was almost sure it wasn't), but that's what she had learned.

"So you came," he finally said.

She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. She felt relaxed, almost comfortable, despite the impending conversation and the weather. "Yes. I wanted to talk to you."

He stood a few yards away from her. She closed the distance between them until she was merely feet away. Between his startled look and the cries of objections behind her, she wasn't sure who had been more surprised.

"You sure you ain't here to talk to King?"

Orihime shook her head. "I'll see him soon," she said. Although a large part of her desperately wanted to see him now, she had faith that Urahara's plan would work and she would be reunited with him tomorrow. She refused to believe otherwise. "It's you I need to talk to. We need to discuss a few things."

Shirosaki smirked, amused by her determination. "Well hell. Good luck, Queen. You might be able to sweet talk King, but you're no match for me."

Orihime laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah, I don't want this to feel like it's a battle. Besides," She gave him a smile. "I think I already know what happened. I just hoped you would confirm it."

Now it was the Hollow's turn to look nervous. "What?" he said in disbelief. "There's no fucking way you know."

"Nel-san had thought of something. She told me earlier, and then it just clicked for me." Tucking some of her soaked hair behind her ear, Orihime took a deep breath before beginning, "Back on the dome, when you and Ichigo-kun, though he doesn't remember it, decided to go into that Hollow form for the first time, you must have realized there was an obstacle in doing that."

The pieces had begun to fall together. Now it was up to her to pull them all in and fit them into a cohesive whole. "That Hollow form has a Hollow hole. That signifies a lack of a heart. But Ichigo-kun has a heart. I imagine something had to be done about his heart before you could go into his Hollow form. I don't know much about hearts, but you probably can't just make them disappear, right?"

Shirosaki's eyes widened slightly.

It was all the encouragement she needed. "So you had to move it someplace safe. And I was right there."

Even through the heavy rainfall, she heard Lily gasp and the other Rikka make similar sounds of awareness when they came to the same conclusion that Orihime had drawn. She could see it in Shirosaki's eyes as he stared at her in blank shock.

"People are connected by the bonds they share, the bonds connected by their hearts reaching out to each other in friendship. You used that bond as a pathway and pushed his heart into mine."

Tsubaki spluttered something incomprehensible, waving his arms for a bit before he finally managed, "YOU IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL POSSESSED YOU TO DO SOMETHING THAT – THAT – THAT RECKLESS?"

Shun-o agreed. "That's extremely dangerous. Didn't you think of what could have happened?"

Shirosaki's earlier shock was replaced quickly with irritation. "Don't you fucking stand there and tell me what I should have done! You weren't the ones who had a split second decision to make! What would you have me do, just let King lay there and die?" He gestured to Orihime. "If I had done that, Queen here and that stupid Quincy prick would have been dead!"

Remembering the same trick she used to calm Ichigo, Orihime reached out and took one of Shirosaki's hands in her. "It's okay! I don't blame you for what you did."

His sharp eyes fell on her, but some of the anger was already fading. It seemed her touch had a similar effect on him, as she hoped.

"Thank you," she said, smiling warmly. "For saving my life, and Ichigo-kun's and Ishida-kun's. And I guess that, no, you didn't know there would be… side effects."

"I figured something might happen," he admitted, his hand still clasped in hers. "But not like this."

Something passed through his eyes, an emotion Orihime couldn't pin down right away. Her smile fading, she tried deciphering his look. It wasn't until he bowed his head, his eyes and reiatsu calm and quiet that she realized what it was.

Defeat.

"At first," he began, "the whole thing just pissed me off. He was always fond of you, but I didn't really get it either until you got taken to Hueco Mundo. On the dome, after that winged batty freak blasted a hole in the King's chest, I got the idea to pull out all my power and combine it with the King's. But like ya said," He glanced away from her, his eyes narrowed. "it wasn't that simple. Then it hit me: just dump the King's heart into yours and pull it back out when we were done. It worked, but fuck if it didn't come at a price."

"That's something I still don't quite get," Orihime said, looking down at their joined hands. "I understand our powers crossing, since our hearts came into contact with each other, but what about him hearing my thoughts a bit, or me being able to stop that Hollow form?"

"Simple." Shirosaki pointed at her. "When I booted his heart into yours, he was inside of you technically, so some of your thoughts must have trickled down and he heard 'em. His heart might have been out of him, but there was still some kind of connection to his soul. That's also why," He suddenly growled as his expression darkened, "you had control over him. I didn't realize I handed you the damn control panel. Your emotions swayed his."

Now the battles on the dome and with the Vasto Lorde suddenly made a lot more sense to Orihime. "Oh. So it was his heart I felt during the last battle. That's how I got him to stop."

She felt rather proud that she figured this out, and she reminded herself she needed to thank Nel later for her insight. But that little triumphant smile that wanted to bloom was quashed by the look Shirosaki had earlier, that defeated expression that broke Orihime's heart a little. So instead she took a step towards him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "Why did you decide to tell me all this?"

"You figured it out. What was there to hide?"

She frowned at him. She wasn't buying it.

He suddenly chuckled. "Yeah, that was a pretty shitty lie." His laughter died off, and he was left with a too serious expression, one that Orihime thought didn't suit him. She almost liked it more when he was smirking. "Remember what I said before, about how it pissed me off, at first?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes."

"I hated you – or wanted to – in the beginning. You unknowingly made my plan backfire and left this," He held up his branded hand, "on me. But even at the time I had no fucking idea what I had just started. There was another effect, one you wouldn't have realized." Glaring at the overcast sky, he continued, "Ya see, pushing the King's heart into yours just strengthened the bond you two already had. It would have gotten strong on its own in time, but what I did just accelerated things."

Not saying a word, Orihime continued to listen with wide eyes.

Shirosaki grumbled under his breath, running a pale hand through his equally white hair, spraying water droplets as he did. "Maybe a piece of his heart got lodged in yours, or maybe some of you came here with him. Maybe it's because of the hearts just coming into contact at all… I don't fucking know, but, you started to have a strong influence over the King."

Pieces to the puzzle Orihime hadn't even realized were missing were also beginning to emerge. She recalled a few incidents with Ichigo in the weeks before they began dating that had seemed odd. The overwhelming urges he had to touch her, to keep her close, while welcome, had been very out of character for him. Like Shirosaki had said, it might have happened eventually on its own, but the strengthened bond had exacerbated things and made urges usually suppressed become overwhelming.

Before she could comment on it, Shirosaki pressed on. "It was subtle at first. By the time I realized what was going on, it had already become strong. Then," There was venom in his voice now, potent enough to tempt Orihime to take a step back. "as you two got even closer, it strengthened even more, where it began to influence his basic instincts, with me at the center. The harder he fell for you, the more I was affected."

And even more was beginning to make sense now. "Is that when you started coming into my heart?"

To her relief, his wicked smirk returned. "Yeah. 'Course since the King started likin' you so much, I did too. To the point where I started to wonder why he should have you all to himself. You're hot and you take good care of us. I wanted that for me. And I don't like sharing."

He trailed a slim finger down the side of her neck, where he had licked her days ago. Orihime didn't fight it this time, though it still brought back the uncomfortable memory.

"But you'd get mad, I figured, if I did something too damaging to the King. So I decided, 'Hell, if she likes him so much, she can have him. All the time.'"

When Orihime merely responded with a blank look of confusion, he pointed to her chest, where her physical heart was.

Then she put it together. So did her Rikka, apparently.

"You really don't think things through, do you? And don't even think about yelling at me!" Shun-o said, hands on her hips. "You don't have the life-or-death-situation as an excuse this time! How could you not have considered the consequences in permanently placing Ichigo's heart in Orihime's?"

Shirosaki merely shrugged. "Seemed fine to me. All I had to do was figure out how to sever the connection with his soul and bam, I'd be home free."

Shun-o slapped her forehead as Tsubaki was restrained by Hinagiku and Baigon from lunging at Shirosaki. "Let me at that idiot! LET ME GO! Someone needs to kick his ass and knock sense into him!"

Deciding it was best to ignore her fairies (for now), Orihime turned back to Shirosaki, smiling nervously. "Ahh, I sort of have to agree though. I don't think it would have worked well."

"Would have been worth a shot." He paused, and amended, "No, it is worth a shot. Just because I told you all this doesn't mean shit."

Her lips quirked to the side. It was hard to tell whether Shirosaki was saying that out of stubbornness or to save face, but they both knew better. "Maybe," she said, playing along with him. "but I'm going to ask you not to."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yer gonna ask me not to?"

"Yup." She lifted up his branded hand and gently placed her palm over the brand. "I'm sorry I did that to you. I'm sorry about everything that's happened. I don't want to take advantage of any of it and make you do something against your will. But I need you to help Ichigo-kun."

Snarling in indignation at the suggestion, he ripped his hand away from her and turned his back to her. "Like fuck I'll help him because you asked."

Orihime was taken aback, although she mentally chastised herself that, for all his leniency towards her, Ichigo's Hollow was still a Hollow, and a very selfish one at that.

"And why the heck not?" Tsubaki snapped. "It makes sense! She's asking for your help because we'll need it tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?"

Orihime gave Shirosaki a slow nod. "Yes. We're going to break into the Royal Realm tomorrow to save Ichigo-kun."

He spun back to face her as quickly as he had turned away. "What?" he snapped, his eyes boring into hers. "Are you stupid, Queen? Do you know who you're going up against? Those stupid asswipes are strong, even by my standards, and they have no problem with torture or fighting dirty!" Granted, that was how he was, too, but that was only to his enemies. Orihime was a different story.

For some reason, she found it easier to be more resolved in front of Shirosaki than Ichigo. "I know. But I'm not leaving him there. He was in pain earlier," she said, her voice nearly cracking. "I'm going there to save him, no matter what." She held her head high, almost daring him to challenge her decision. "So please, I'd appreciate your help."

His lips twitched once, then twice. He was scowling severely at her, enough to capture her attention and make her completely unaware of her surroundings so that he was able to lash out and grab her arm without her noticing in time. He pulled her forward and leaned close until his face was just inches from hers. With all the conviction he could muster, he said in a low, dangerous voice, "Don't."

For a moment, Orihime marveled at how much he reminded her of Ichigo. While Ichigo wasn't nearly this intimidating – or forceful – he was just as protective. It was kind of sweet, but she didn't note the observation out loud. He was pissed off enough.

"Let her go!" Tsubaki's voice cut her out of her reverie. "Do it now or we'll-"

"I'm fine," she said to Tsubaki and the rest of the fairies without ever looking over her shoulder. With a shaky inhale, she met Shirosaki's piercing gaze. "I'm not going in alone. But I am going, and I could use your help."

Without warning he let go of her, his anger sizzling out. His earlier resolve still hardened his eyes, but now it was warring with a nameless emotion Orihime could not identify. "If I give in," he said, his voice still low, "if I agree to help you, then I gotta give up my plan," he said. "And that'll be the end of it."

It was his last remaining tendril of control, the last bit of his own free will, uninfluenced by her. Orihime knew that his situation was not of her doing, but she was burdened with guilt, nonetheless. "I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I just want Ichigo-kun – and you – to be safe and at home again. You're right; the Royal Guard are strong. That's why I was hoping you'd help Ichigo-kun. That Hollow form might be the only thing that has any fair chance against them."

When he seemed to falter in giving an answer, Orihime reached for his hand again. This time he let her take it and hold it in between her own. "You used it to save me. Let's save Ichigo-kun with it now."

For a long bated moment, he just stared at her, continuing to battle with whatever internal conflict was waging within him. He didn't pry away his hand from hers, but neither did he give her any encouraging signs. Her Rikka were silent, just like she was, as they waited for his answer.

A second and a flash-step later, Shirosaki was behind her with his arms wrapped around her frame. Orihime made a small "eep!" sound, and she could hear her Rikka shouting (again) in complaint and indignation.

"Ah, shut up," Shirosaki said to him. "I ain't hurting her. I just want this bit of the conversation to be private." He leaned in real close to Orihime's ear. "Right, Queen?"

"S – Sure. Uh, I'm fine everyone. Really! It'll – it'll just be a minute!" She was blushing furiously, knees wobbling like bowling balls as he held her close. It was making her have flashbacks to the night when he visited her in her sleep and it was making her feel a bit… awkward.

He didn't withdraw from his uncomfortably close proximity to her. He chuckled as he commented, "I can feel their glares. Pesky little lot ya got there."

"Th – They're just concerned." Oh, she wished her blush would die down and her earlier confidence would return. How did she let him turn the tables like this?

Smiling slyly, he walked two fingers across her forearm before letting them rest as they cupped her elbow. "I made up my mind. If I can't have that last bit of free will, then I want a few things done my way. I'll do as you ask, but on two conditions."

She nodded, jumping at the chance to think about something else other than the tight (if not comfortable, perhaps too comfortable) hold he had her in. "What are they?"

"One," He held up one of his fingers, "you gotta promise you'll convince King to let me come out once in awhile and let him share you with me." He grinned against her ear. "Think of it this way: if I get to do that, then I've got less incentive for trying to take over the King's body, eh?"

Ichigo was notgoing to like that. Orihime dreaded that conversation, but she had to try. That, and he had a good point... "Okay. I'll do what I can."

"Good." He held up a second finger. "And two, you better swear," His voice suddenly dropped to that dangerous tone he had used before. "that there won't be a scratch on you when the King and I meet up with you tomorrow. If there is, not only will I raze that Palace and its resident asswipes, I'll dismember fucking Shinji and everyone else coming with you for allowing it to happen. Understood?"

Orihime made a mental note to hang back during the fighting and make extra sure they didn't run into Royal Guard. She really didn't want to have to reject all of the grievous bodily harm Shirosaki would do to her friends if she didn't. "Uh-huh."

Because he seemed to like to, or perhaps he was aiming to make it his habit with her, Shirosaki ran his tongue up her neck again. She nearly went into a fit of convulsions as her blush (which had almost faded) returned in full force. "Sh – Sh – Shirosaki- k - kun!"

"What? You like it," he said, ignoring her obvious embarrassment. "You're just weirded out 'cause it's me."

"No. It'd be weird if Ichigo-kun did it, too," she insisted. "He's never licked me."

"Yet." Shirosaki grinned when she squeaked. "Queen, I live in his head. Trust me, your little chaste boyfriend is a dirty-minded bastard at heart."

She decided she was going to forget he ever said that. Orihime hid her face in her hands, willing the memory to go away. "I don't want to know about that!"

"Fine." He pulled away a bit, but not before rubbing his nose in her hair. That little gesture Orihime actually found sweet, though with him she knew it was probably far from that. "I guess I'll let you be innocent for a little while longer. Besides, we got work to do."

She rapidly nodded, pulling away from him so she could get her heart rate down to healthy levels. "Thank you," she said to him, looking up at him with a sincere smile. "Oh, I have to ask you: where is Ichigo-kun inside the Palace? Do you know?

He glanced off to the side, trying to remember. "I don't know room numbers or shit like that, but I know they made us march up five flights of stairs before shoving us into a room with a cot and a tiny window. Got a look outside and there was a view of some flower garden down below. That's all I know."

"That's plenty. We'll find him from there." She paused, considering asking something else, but she wasn't sure how he would take it. When he raised a questioning brow, she relented and said, "You'll take care of him until I get to where he is, okay?"

"If you mean take care of him as in keep him alive, then yeah."

It was all she could really ask of him. After all, he was the one who had surrendered; the least she could do was have it on his terms. That, and she was too happy to care at the moment. She knew he would keep his word and that this long, drawn out battle with him was finally over, with her (and Ichigo, although he didn't know this yet) as the victor. Now one last battle lay before her, which would begin with the breaking of dawn tomorrow.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said to Shirosaki. And she knew she would, and judging by the confident smirk Shirosaki wore, he did, too.

Suddenly, the rain felt a lot warmer.