SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I HAD A HYSTERICAL MELTDOWN WHERE I WROTE THE CHAPTER (AND IT WAS SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL) THEN IT ERASED. IT ERASED! SO I DIDN'T WANT TO WRITE FOR 2 WEEKS. AND I DIDN'T. SO I FINALLY GOT OVER IT AND STARTED WRITING IT AGAIN... AND IT ERASED AGAIN! I FELT LIKE DYING. SO NOW I REWROTE IT BUT SAVED IT AS I WENT! LOL, YEAH. SO THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS. HOPE YOU LIKE IT! LOVE BLEACHEE!

Btw. And I hope it's not too confusing.

Chapter 7: Ultimatum

Orihime woke up, horrified by her intense nightmare. Her breathing was rough and fast as she tried to calm herself down.

Sweat trickled down her forehead and her hands were trembling. Her gray eyes looked down at her hands as she tried to steady herself. The nightmare was so unimaginably real that fear had struck down to her core.

"It was just a nightmare, Orihime..." She told herself.

But even she couldn't believe that.

'It was so real, though. I can still hear her maniacal laughter ringing in my ears...' Orihime thought to herself.

After pushing those dark thoughts to the back of mind, she finally noticed where she was.

Her bedroom.

Outside, the moon casted a dark glow on the room and silence resonated in the empty air.

Orihime touched her soft bedsheets, her fingers feeling the silky thread. "How did I...?" She spoke softly with a confused look.

Orihime's hair had been brushed and cleaned, her hairclips back in place. And she was no longer naked and dirty, but she had on a small nightgown. Her skin smelled like the strawberry body soap she uses to shower.

She kept trying to remember how she got here. But all she could think about was him. "Ichigo, was it you?"

Orihime sighed and looked at her forearm. A white bandaged wrapped around her arm sparked her curiosity.

She knew he'd cut her, but something told her that it was meant to be more than just torture.

Her fingers spun quickly as her anxiety grew. The scars began to sting as she kept exposing the scars furthur.

What did he do?

...

...

...

Her gray ashen eyes stared at the word etched into her skin.

H O L L O W

The disgusting word. The cruel word. The word she hated most in this world.

But the sad thing was that the person she hated most in this world was also the person she loved most. No, she couldn't... love him after everything. She tried so hard to let go of the love she felt for him.

Orihime gripped her forearm so hard one of the letters began to open again. A drop of blood formed at the edge of a rough written L.

She remembered the agonizing pain of when he penetrated her roughly. Her insides felt like they were going to tear apart.

Orihime touched her face gently and winced when she pressed down on the bruise that was painted on her face, flawing her porcelain skin. All she wanted was for it to be over. For the nightmare to end...

"End... I want this to end..." She whispered silently.

The blood slid down her arm and onto the bedsheets. She just let it bleed as she let a small tear escape her eyes.

'Why am I always crying... why is this happening to me?' She asked herself.

"Orihime..." A voice called out to her.

Outside...

Ichigo Kurosaki inhaled the cold night air. It was getting colder. Winter was right around the corner...

He looked sadly at the moon as he thought of Orihime.

...Flashback...

His eyes focused on her bruised and beaten face. Ichigo pushed himself off of her. He crawled backwards until his back hit the stone cold wall.

His brown eyes stared at her unconcious body, bloody and bruised.

His hands were stained with the blood from her arms and his skin was scratched from when she'd tried to pry him of of her.

Ichigo couldn't breathe... he couldn't live. He'd done this to her. It wasn't his hollow... it was him.

Ichigo looked at the long enticing sword laying at Orihime's feet. Thoughts of suicide began to race through his mind.

'I could end this right now... just kill myself. Then she won't have to suffer-'

'Yeah, King. Go ahead... fucking kill yourself. And let me take over completely. That way, you no longer have to carry this burden. Give me your crown, Ichigo. It's time for you to step down...' His hollow whispered in his head.

'... give y-you the crown...' Ichigo mumbled to himself. He felt numb, Ichigo's eyes moved to look at the sword.

His hands wanted to reach out and grab the sword... and they did. Ichigo watched as his hands moved by themselves to the tempting blade.

"W-wait... no, stop! What're you doing-" Ichigo came back to his senses as he realized that his hollow was trying to kill him again.

Ichigo tried to stop his hands, but it was like they had a mind of their own.

No... it was like they had a different mind altogether. Ichigo's blood went cold as he realized that his hollow was trying to kill him.

Ichigo tried to fight him. He used his legs to press down on his advancing arms but they were no use.

"Fuck..." He cursed as he strained his arms. It was like a paralyzed feeling. No matter how hard you tried to move, you just can't. Ichigo couldn't feel his arms at all, but they still moved. They weren't moving for Ichigo, though. They were moving for him.

Ichigo was being dragged across the stone floor towards the sword.

'Hah, you look so pathetic... once you're out of the way, I'll kill her and leave her soul to hollowify. Or maybe I'll take her to Hueco Mundo, where we'll be the King and Queen...'

'You tricked me. You saw I was thinking about suicide and used that to your advantage. That's when you took control of my arms, and now you're trying yo kill me! Damn, I can't believe I fell for it-'

'Like the idiot you are. You didn't even realize it until I already had your arms. I bet your wondering why I didn't take over comepletely, huh?'

Ichigo stayed silent.

'I didn't take over because if I did, killing you meant killing myself. Once I stab you, I'll let you have complete control of your dying body, then once you do die... I'll be the only Ichigo Kurosaki left.'

'You bitch...' Ichigo cursed at him.

Ichigo clenched his teeth as he tried to push himself back. But his hands were so strong. They kept gripping onto the floor and pulling his body foward.

"D-damn it!" Ichigo yelled when his fingers nudged the sword's hilt.

His hands seized the hilt of the sword and lifted it up. Sweat rolled down Ichigo's face as he pushed to regain control of his arms.

His eyes flitted over to Orihime as she layed unconcious, oblivious to the struggle he faced.

'Orihime, I can't... I'm so sorry I can't protect you. I can't even protect myself...'

Inside his mind, his hollow laughed. His yellow eyes shone with a feverish lust and thirst with blood. His blood, her blood... whatever it take to have his Queen by his side.

Reiatsu flowed out his mind and surrounded Ichigo's body, forcing him to surrender to his hollow.

Ichigo's hands lifted the sword into the air. The moonlight hit the sword, making it gleam and shine.

'I... love you, Orihime.'

Suddenly, his hands fell down to the ground with the sword, making a large clang against the ground.

Ichigo sensed the feeling return to his hands. His curled his fingers just to make sure they were his. Once he reassured himself that he had control of his body, he began to wonder why he regained control at that very moment.

"What the hell... just happened?" Ichigo whispered as he ran his fingers through his hair.

...Flashback End...

Ichigo sighed as he thought back on what happened to him earlier that night.

"Why did he stop... was it because I said I loved her? I thought he knew that already, since he knows my feelings..." Ichigo whispered in the dark.

A sharp breeze blew past Ichigo, making him shiver. He walked inside Orihime's apartment to escape the cold.

Once inside, he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes, trying ot get some sleep. But he couldn't think about sleep.

All he could think about was what he felt for Orihime. Before, he denied his feelings for her comepletely. When he'd see her, his heart would skip a beat. When he'd talk to her, he would always worry about saying the right thing. And when he'd be close to her, close enough to touch, he could've melted.

But Ichigo always though those feelings were just his hormones. He never thought he could be love.

Ichigo smirked.

'I can't believe it took all of this just to realize that I love you, my Hime... maybe because I denied that love, my hollow never knew it. He though it was my hormones. And that's why he probably has so much lust for you, Hime.' He thought to himself.

Ichigo half expected to be ripped apart by his hollow, but he heard nothing.

After Ichigo said he loved Orihime, his hollow suddenly dissapeared. Most people would be relieved to know that thier enemy is gone, but this made Ichigo even more anxious.

Not knowing what might happen, or when he'll strike again. His hollow loved to play with him.

"I'm guessing he's pissed off because I love her... damn, I can't believe I love her. How fucked up can I get?"

Ichigo looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"2:06 am... it's only been 3 hours since he did that you..." Ichigo said.

Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to dream about a different world. A world in which he wouldn't have a hollow. A world in which he could tell Orihime he loves her and kiss her... and make love to her the way she deserves.

But this wasn't that world.

Meanwhile...

"Orihime... come here..." An eerie laugh trailed behind. A chill ran down Orihime's spine. Could it really be him... was he still out? Orihime's fears began to consume her.

"W-who's... there?" Orihime managed to squeak out.

"Hehehe, come here, Orihime... I promise not to hurt you..." The voice said sweetly. It was not his. This voice was lush and smooth. Mezmerizing... no. It was hypnotizing.

It was commanding. Kind of like the way a lover would seductively call her lover. Orihime's fears began to surpress themselves at the sound of the mysterious collection of words.

Orihime wanted to go.

She slid out of bed and let her small toes touch the cold, wooden floor. Orihime walked towards the center of the room, drops of blood falling on thee ground from her scars.

Cautiously, Orihime stood in the middle of the bedroom.

"Tell me who you are..." Orihime asked, with hesitating curiosity.

"Come to me, Orihime..." The voice pulled her towards the bathroom. Orihime aimlessly stumbled to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

The darkness surrounded her, and it felt right to Orihime. For some strange reason, Orihime liked the way she couldn't see anything... to her, being blind was better than having to see her fears.

"Orihime... my beautiful Orihime. Look at me..." The voice was seducing her, Orihime couldn't resist. She needed to find this person, embrace them.

She didn't quite know why... it was asa if Orihime knew this person.

Orihime's hands fumbled in the dark to turn the light on. The lights flickered on but no one was in the room.

"Where are you?" Orihime asked. There was no way that voice was evil...

"I'm in here... in here... in here..." The voice echoed in the small room. It was coming from the bathtub, which was filled with water.

Orihime approached the tub, got down on her knees and looked into the water.

Nothing.

Orihime let out a small breath of disapointment and relief as she realized there was nothing in the tub.

"What did I expect...?" Orihime asked herself. She stood up from the floor and walked over to the sink to wash the blood off of her arm.

Before Orihime could turn the sink on, she heard it again.

"Orihime..." The voice whispered longingly for her. The beautiful girl spun around and faced the tub again.

She inched her way back to the tub and placed her hands on the cold, white marble floor. Orihime kneeled down and looked in the tub again.

"LOOK AT ME!" The voice suddenly screamed.

Instead of Orihime's watery reflection staring back at her, she saw someone else.

Staring back at her with yellow eyes was that face. The one from her dreams. It was... her. She was beautiful... but she was vicious. Her screaming bright eyes and flowing black hair underneath the glass of the water.

Orihime tired to scream but arms shot out from the water and gripped her neck. She smiled sadistically and began to chuckle as she brought Orihime closer to the water's surface.

"NO! Let me go!" Orihime tried to fight her, but it was no use. Slowly, Orihime began to lose strength and the demonic version of herself brought her closer to the cold water.

Orihime stared up at the blank white ceiling and asked why this was happening to her. The demon's face snarled at Orihime as she held onto the bathtub, trying to keep herself from going under.

Her ashen gray eyes stared into the demon's yellow ones.

"Why... are you doing this to me?" Orihime choked out.

"Because... I love him." The demon responded in a hushed voice.

Finally, Orihime lost the strength to keep fighting. Her grip on the tub gave in and Orihime was plunged into the water. She tried to hold her breath, but she could only do that for so long...

Everything seemed to slow down for the few seconds she was in the icy water. Soon the water rushed up over her head. Orihime's gray eyes stared at the distorted light above the water. Her fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and grasp the dancing light, but she settled.

She wished things were different. She could feel herself drift away, past her life, her miserable life. Orihime smiled as she let out her last breaths and felt the icy cold water burn her lungs.

Orihime couldn't scream. She couldn't see. She couldn't breathe. All she could feel was her hands clasping her neck, drowning her in the water.

Her life, her thoughts, herself. Then she felt the strong arms wrapped around her and lifting her out of the water...

Meanwhile...

Ichigo woke up, still sleepy, yawning as he stood up.

'Is she... awake, yet?' He slowly thought to himself. He could've sworn he heard someone speaking, and he heard the bathtub running.

Ichigo leaned in close to her bedroom door. He cracked open the door slightly and peeked in. He looked around but still didn't see her. Ichigo popped his head in the door and called out to her silently.

"Orihime... are you awake?"

When he heard nothing, he decided to walk in the room. He closed the door behind him and looked around the room.

He stopped when he noticed the bathroom light on. He inched his way closer to the bathroom and called out again.

"Orihmie... are you in there?..."

He heard the water running and heard splashing from inside.

'She must be taking a bath... maybe she felt disgusted...' Ichigo said with said eyes.

He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Orihime... I know you probably don't want to be near me. But I need to tell you something..." He bit his lips as he thought about how to say he loved her.

'Was it even the right time? Should I? What if she rejects me? She hates me... she hates us.' Ichigo rambled to himself.

He let out a deep breath and prepared himself. "Just tell her you love her and that no matter what, you won't let him have her..." Ichigo told himself.

He lifted his hands to open the door, but stopped when he saw water leak from underneath the door.

His brown eyes widened as he realized that she might be trying to commit suicide.

"Orihime!" He shouted.

Ichigo kicked the door in and was horrified to see Orihime sunken in the bathtub. The water splashed at his feet as the tiled bathroom floor filled with water. He ran over to the overflowing tub and tried to pull her out.

"Orihime!" He yelled pushing her wet hair off her face.
Her eyes were hazy and she looked disoriented. Orihime looked into blank space.

"N-no! Let me... let m-me go... you... monster..." Orihime mumbled while lifting her hands in protest weakfully.

A knot formed in the middle of Ichigo's chest as she said those words.

His hands gripped around her wrists and Ichigo yanked her out of the bathtub entirely. "Orihime! Stop it already!" He screamed at her.

He held her face with his hands and looked at her fiercely. His brown eyes searched her face for some sort of emotion but the only one he got back was sadness.

Ichigo couldn't tell if she was crying...

Ichigo's hold on Orihime's shoulders relaxed as he fell to his knees in front of her.

She began to regain control and reason. Her body shook as she began to cough up water violently...

Orihime looked around like a scared animal, as she realized that the demon was no longer in the room.

But she noticed someone else was. His strong warm hands held her arms and she looked at him kneeling humbly in front of her.

She watched as he began to break down so easily... she'd never seen Ichigo this way.

"Orihime..." He mumbled softly. His voice was quivering and he held his head low... he felt so ashamed in front of her. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

"The reason for all of your suffereing is me... he is me, Orihime. As long as he's alive, he'll keep doing this to you. All I want for you is to be safe, Orihime... I would do anything for you." He whispered out to her. Orihime's breathing stopped. She bit her lower lip as she recalled the things he'd done to her.

She just couldn't forgive him. No matter if it was Ichigo or his hollow, Orihime never felt safe with him anymore. He used to be her comfort... the one she depended on when she needed protecting. But now... Orihime just needed to be protected from him-

Small teardrops hit the soaked tile floor. Orihime's eyes focused on Ichigo's quivering body. He was crying... for her.

"...Orihime, I need you to do something for me..." He steadily said under hushed breaths.

The next words that escaped Ichigo's mouth were so depressing and determined, she felt like she was pressed against the wall, struggling to breathe.

"I need you to kill me."

I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS LOVED IT. SO YEAH, TO CLARIFY REAL QUICK. ORIHIME HAS A DEMON THAT IS IN LOVE WITH ICHIGO AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO HAVE HIM... EVEN KILL HIME. SO ORIHIME WAS ATTACKED BY HER IN THE TUB. ICHIGO THOUGHT SHE WAS TRYING TO KILL HERSELF AND IS SO UPSET THAT HE ASKS HER TO KILL HIM. (BOTH ICHIGO AND THE HOLLOW... HOW THAT WILL HAPPEN... IDK?) LOL BUT THANKS FOR READING!

and I was listening to the song "hero" as I did the final adjustments to this... lol.