A/n: I dedicate this chap to my Bessie Sajni (see? I did update today lyk you wanted!) for being a great mate and nagging me to get this done. Not to forget to mention, going to all those shops with me today.
Disclaimer: Sadly it's not mine.
'Inoue don't!'
She heard the screams but ignored them, pushing her legs harder to move faster towards him. He just stood there. Waiting. Observing. Biding his time. After what felt like an eternity, she stood before him, hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath, eyes never leaving his.
Suddenly, his arm shot out, his long fingers wrapping menacingly around her neck, though he put no pressure behind the hold. That fact didn't stop a few alarmed cries to sound across the clearing. From her peripherals, Orihime glimpsed Renji make a move towards her but she held up a hand to him, stopping him in his tracks. Her eyes never once left Ichigo's. 'Stay,' Orihime said calmly, her voice carrying over to the stunned spectators.
Aizen and the Spirit King continued fighting but at a slower pace, both their interests piqued by what was going on not 20 metres away. An apprehensive expression crossed the Spirit King's face.
Orihime took a deep breath, trying to control her raging emotions. Her pulse quickened and 'Ichigo' could feel it pulse against his fingers. The feel of life rushing beneath his fingers tempted the monster's blood lust and he began to squeeze, wanting to stop the beat against his fingers.
She raised her hand again, feeling rather than seeing, her nakamas come to try to save her. Trying hard to suppress the natural urge to grab at the hand around her neck and try to pull it off, she instead placed her hands on his bare shoulders gently.
'Kurosaki-kun, stop. I know you're in there.' What with her airway being constricted, the words came out half choked but she hoped they were clear enough for him to understand. She squeezed his shoulders lightly, reassuringly, never once breaking eye contact. 'This isn't you Kurosaki-kun.' The grip on her arm loosened a fraction and his whole arm began to shake.
'The Kurosaki-kun I know is strong but merciful, even to his enemies. You can regain control of your body Kurosaki-kun, I know you can. I have faith in you.' The shaking stopped and an audible crack could be seen and heard as half of his mask broke off and feel to the ground. Before her eyes, his hair shortened, the horns disappeared, the hole in his chest closed up and the other half of his mask fell off. Instead of a dark emptiness, warm, fiery eyes stared at her, a million emotions flashing through them and she read each like a page in a book; confused, relieved, astonished, elated, something she couldn't quite understand but made her insides twist with its intensity, before finally horrified, as he realized how his hand was positioned.
He let go off her immediately as if her skin had scorched him.
'Inoue I – what? – I'm so sorry!' he exclaimed clearly anguished. He raised his hands gingerly to her neck, letting his fingers glide across her skin as he examined the red marks he had left, feeling a crippling amount of guilt and self disgust well up inside him. Orihime for her part was trying to discretely provide her lungs with as much air as possible, without letting Ichigo know. She could tell from his look that anything more, would have probably sent him over the edge.
She grabbed his hands from around her neck but held them there, her small hands barely managing to grip round his big ones. 'Stop,' she commanded gently. 'It's not your fault. You're in control now and that's all that matters.'
As she dropped his hands she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. His fleeting, gentle touch had caused a gentle tingling sensation to pattern her skin, wherever he touched it and she longed to feel it again.
He looked like he was going to protest, but was interrupted by a piercing cry.
'Nooooo!' Orihime whipped her head round behind her, to the origin of the anguished cry. It was the Spirit Queen. Following her gaze, Orihime's heart nearly sunk in to a pit. Aizen had finally managed to land serious blow. The Spirit King sank to the ground. Orihime and the Spirit Queen wasted no time and ran straight to him. On closer inspection, Orihime noticed with a sickening lurch of her stomach, that Aizen had pierced straight through his chest, not two centimetres off where his heart was.
By now the Spirit Queen had arrived. She knelt at the Spirit King's side, cradling his head in her lap, whilst stroking his face lovingly. Orihime put her hand to her hairpins, ready to call out her shun shun rikka.
'Oh no you don't,' an all too familiar voice sneered from above her. Aizen's lips parted, to start forming a kidou spell, but a snarling Ichigo rushed up to attack him. Her nakamas, the vizards and the shinigami all rushed to attack Aizen too.
Though worried about her friends' safety, she was grateful for the opportunity it gave her to heal the Spirit King uninterrupted. The Spirit Queen continued to stroke the King's face, smiling down at his wincing face.
'You'll be okay,' Orihime said, trying to reassure the two. The Spirit Queen looked up at her, a warm smile gracing her features.
'We know,' she replied serenely. 'Just like you have faith in that Kurosaki Ichigo, we have faith in you Hime.' A strange warmth spread through Orihime's abdomen at the use of the nickname.
'I can't help but feel like I know you...and that nickname seems so familiar.' She dropped her hands and the orange glow disappeared as the Spirit King's wounds healed completely.
'That's because it is,' the Spirit Queen breathed. Orihime looked her straight in the eyes and was surprised to find that the Queen's eyes were shinning with unshed tears.
'My Hime. My beautiful Hime,' she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Something moved within Orihime's very core, licking at the edges, ready to release a deep, intuitive truth. Before Orihime had a chance to question them or understand what was going on within her, a cold laugh rang in her ears.
Her head twisted up quickly and a strangled gasp of horror escaped her lips. Her allies, 'the goodies'...were fighting among themselves. Shinigami against Vaizard. Human against Shinigami. Vaizard against Vaizard. In the midst of it all stood Aizen, observing his surroundings with great humour evident upon his face. Orihime flinched as Yoruichi dug her sword in to Sado's unarmoured shoulder and Hirako took off both of Rukia's legs from the knees downwards, in one stroke. Orihime had to hold back the bile that rose in her throat.
'Kanzen saimin,' muttered the Spirit King grimly, sitting up. 'A very powerful shikai, indeed.'
Orihime's body shook violently, her fists clenching. There has to be something I can do! I can't just sit here watching helplessly!
'You can help Hime,' the Spirit King told her gently, a supportive look in his eyes. Orihime raised her eyes to look at the pair, confusion and hope fighting for dominance on her face.
'Remember what I told you before in the palace Hime?' The Spirit Queen asked.
Orihime's eyes flashed in recognition, the Spirit Queen's words playing in her mind.
'Don't be scared. You can do this Orihime. I know you can. The only one stopping you from achieving your full potential is you. When you get back, you will be needed, so don't ever forget that.'
Something that had slowly begun to change and grow within her since she had been kidnapped, was suddenly released. It was as if a long lost key had been found to a box within her...one that contained all her power. She could feel it coursing through her veins. She knew what she had to do.
Her resolve was set, stronger than it ever had been before.
Aizen looked over to them then, ready to finish the Spirit King off once and for all. He was taken aback though as Orihime stood and moved towards him with a hard, blazing look in her eyes that he had never seen before. The knowing smile that the rulers of the Spirit Realm shared unsettled him, though he gave no outwards appearance of it.
Something was not right...
Orihime took in a deep breath. Wordlessly, she raised her arm in the direction of her fighting allies. Immediately, her shun shun rikka flew over to them, creating a huge wall like barrier, that pushed all of them back, away from Aizen. Behind her shield, they were away from Aizen's Zanpakto's influence. Gradually, they came to their senses, realizing what had happened.
'Inoue!' Ichigo shouted to her in surprise, as he saw her standing in front of Aizen all alone, unprotected. Inoue's warm reiatsu was all around them, in the very air they breathed, reassuring them. She looked up to him and shook her head gently. He bit his lip in frustration, knowing she wouldn't budge her shield. It didn't stop him from banging against it though, his fists pounding out the rhythm of his speeding heart.
Aizen stared at the girl before him in wide eyed horror. It was the most significant amount of genuine emotion to be displayed on his face, but he was beyond caring.
'How did you do that?' he hissed. 'No one has ever been able to withstand or reverse the effect of my Kanzen saimin.' Orihime glared at him coldly. It was so unlike her to feel such-such hate- for anyone. But everyone has a limit, she mused, her gaze flicking back to her severely wounded nakama. And he's gone way past mine. Almost as if to spite him- to throw the damage he caused back in his face-she raised her hand again towards her shield. It started to glow more brightly.
Before her very eyes, Rukia's legs were regenerating bit by bit. Startled gasps echoed each other as everyone's' wounds were healed; from whole limbs to tiny superficial scratches. All was healed, leaving no evidence that anything had ever happened. They were now observers to a tense stand off.
Aizen laughed humourlessly. 'You can't beat me Orihime. The rise in your power though remarkable, is inconsequential. I know you Orihime. Know exactly how your mind works. You simply haven't got the killing intent to finish me off.' He smiled victoriously.
Orihime shook her head slowly, before staring him straight in the eyes. There was no fear. Only a set, fiery determination. 'You're wrong,' she said, her clear voice loud enough for everyone to hear. The side of her neck began to glow and everyone stared at it transfixed.
Ichigo continued to bang against Orihime's shield, his heart leaping to his throat. He had to get to her! That bastard had better not lay a single finger on her.
The glow vanished from around her neck and left in its place, was the royal crest, clear for everyone to see. Aizen's eyes bulged.
'You're-you're the Spirit King's daughter!' he exclaimed outraged. How could he have overlooked that? But nothing like that was mentioned in any of the old documents he had gone through...
'Yes. I am,' Orihime stated a bright smile directed at the Spirit King and Queen. A sense of rightness filled her and she knew her words to be true. There was complete silence as everyone digested the information. Ichigo momentarily stopped banging on the shield in his shock, but resumed after merely seconds. Spirit princess or not, I'm not leaving her there, unprotected dammit!
Orihime looked up at him once more, smiling gently, her eyes alight. He stopped his pounding, transfixed in her gaze. 'It's a matter of perspective you see' she said, her words aimed at Aizen. . 'My intent may not expressly be to kill but to protect.' The intensity of her gaze intensified then and he knew her next words were solely for him. 'And I will fight to protect all those that are important to me.'
They could have been his words. Because of that he knew what she planned next. His pounding resumed, this time more desperate than before. Orihime raised her hand, straight at Aizen. Aizen's eyes narrowed and he flew at her, his Zanpakto poised ready to rip her heart out of her chest. It wanted her blood.
Without a word, Tsubaki flew at a blinding speed towards Aizen.
Ichigo drew blood as his nails dug in to his palm. He could swear his heart stopped beating. There was a bight spear-like light as Tsubaki cut straight through Aizen's body. Blood seeped out of his wound and mouth, before he keeled over. Unmoving. Lifeless.
Orihime stared at the body at her feet for a full minute. Her shield broke suddenly as sobs began to rake through her body. Her nakama ran towards her, the first of which was Ichigo. Still in a state of shock – and intense relief – he crashed her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her hair.
A/n: so what dyu think!
See-i updated twice this week! Ain't i good? Lol. Big thanks to Copperheadfightingninja for persuading me to read the manga...omg don't you totally think it's proof against ichi/Rukia fans that that ichi/hime will prevail? Right that out of the way
Congratulations to Sherrybaby29 for guessing that Orihime was the Spirit Queens daughter! I've been dropping hints for so many chaps now lol.
Next and final update will probably be next Friday-expect a few explanations and ichi/hime goodness.
Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading and if you could, pretty please review?
Missy
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