Date written: 18/06/09 – 06/07/09

Posted on FanFiction: 08/07/09

A/N: I had a bad case of fever (around 39 degrees, I think), dry coughs, a runny nose, and slight fatigue; I refuse to call my illness Influenza for personal reasons. Anyway, it got me bedridden for days. My Mom forbade me to write because she didn't want my condition to worsen. And after I recovered, I had to reread some passages of the earlier chapters so I can re-immerse myself and my muse in this exciting AU I've created. But that was easier said than done. My long vacation in the province didn't quiver my wanting to write down some chapters, but my illness downright prevented from even plotting things in my head. Because of that, it was harder for me to jump back into the story because my muse started to look elsewhere for entertainment.

I think this chapter is rushed, but I guess it should be. Tensions arise as Ichigo's self-control lessened from the grief. And in that, it consequently puts a wall between him and other people. Most especially Orihime. I think I made him too much of an ass in this chapter but I feel that Ichigo is more in-tune with his emotions (grief being the most powerful) than other people, and sometimes he speaks his mind before he can restrain his mouth. And I do mean sometimes, but due to the nightmares that diminished his sleeping time, making him more irritable than usual, along with the pent-up grief he feels annually on June 17, sometimes can no longer be considered in the earlier sentence. And we then see how the dark, cynical side of Ichigo leaves no mercy and no sugarcoating.

I'm thinking of making this a 3-chapter sub-arc. This chapter for the introduction; the middle chapter for the battle; the last chapter for the denouement. And like in the 3-chapter 'Her . . .' sub-arc, this 3-part will have a pattern in the title. This time, it's about three songs in an album of a certain rock band. Can anyone guess the band's name and the album? The first one is a good hint; I listen to it while writing, too.

--- CHAPTER 11 ---

6-17: Cemetery Drive

Ichigo didn't sleep easy last night. When he closed his eyes, nightmares plagued him with ill-intent. He got off lucky with having been able to get some bits of sleep before the first rays of dawn shined down his window. His body demanded him to get some proper sleep, but his heart and mind were thinking otherwise. Today was the day. And he'd be damned if he won't get up from his bed and get ready for the trip. This was too important for his family and himself to care about trivial things. He could just sleep anytime after the grave visit; this occasion, however, happens only once a year.

He sat up on his bed and thought for a minute. It wasn't like him to brood like this, but he couldn't help it. The seventeenth of June is a day of grief for the Kurosaki family, but it is also a day of acceptance and perseverance. Ichigo had persevered for the past six years, but he hadn't fully accepted his mother's death. Moreover, he felt responsible in bringing the lasting sadness in his family. Yuzu had to become the light of the family where she'd take most of the chores their mother always did at the start of the day. Karin had changed from an outgoing crybaby to a subdued no-nonsense girl with a reputation of hanging out more with boys than girls of her age. Isshin . . . well, he hadn't changed much as far as Ichigo could remember, but now he couldn't tell whether the man's usual playfulness from the first weeks after Masaki's untimely demise till now were genuine or fake; it could be his way of denial (the giant picture of Masaki in the living room was giant proof) but, truthfully, he was more accepting of her death than Ichigo. Maybe it was his way of trying to keep this family together. Masaki was, after all, the foundation and support of the family. Without her, there had been a chance that the family she had cherished and loved would've fallen apart. But time can heal those emotional wounds.

Sadly, not even time can heal all the wounds.

Ripping off his brooding mood, Ichigo rose from his bed and walked out of his room and towards the bathroom. It was early dawn and the twins were probably still sleeping. Taking a shower was first in his agenda. Next to that was getting ready and head down for breakfast a little while after Yuzu woke up. The day was young and he was in no rush for everything to occur. Rukia might bitch about being left out of the loop and him disregarding a full day of shinigami duty, but he didn't care.

It was already half-past five when he exited the shower.

8:27

Orihime rose from her bed, looking more tired than when she lied down to sleep last night. Nightmares invaded the tranquility of her mind with merciless enmity that getting a peaceful sleep was close to impossible. The longest sleep she could recall was maybe an hour and a half, but when you're nodding on and off between the realms of the conscious and subconscious, you tend to have hazy memories of it. But Orihime cared less about her state than the mission she gave herself.

She prepared some herbal tea in the kitchen to at least banish some of the tiredness out of her mind. Settling for something plain for breakfast, Orihime indulged her stomach with two slices of buttered toast and washed them down with the tea. The herbal drink did wonders for her awareness, waking her fully. Next on the agenda was taking a shower. You see, at the time Orihime woke up for the morning, she found she wasn't wearing the pajama top she wore when she went to bed. Instead, she was wearing one of her plain, white, V-neck T-shirts. Checking the clothesbasket, she found her missing pajama top and another white T-shirt; both were drenched in what could only be her sweat.

The shower was relaxing, and it released some pent-up tensions in her muscles as if they had been in a full body workout while she was asleep. And it was this last bit of discovery that Orihime thought about the possibility of her doing something exerting during the night. The haziness of her sleep was already gone, taking whatever memories she could recall about the nightmares she had with it. But whatever those nightmares were, Orihime found herself thinking unconsciously that it was best not to remember.

Orihime flinched a bit when she eyed her body soap, which was oval-shaped and yellow-brownish . . . almost like the shape and color of a malevolent eye.

Where did that come from? she thought to herself, but couldn't find an answer. Shaking her head, she finished up with her shower. She turned off the showerhead, dried herself off with her cream-colored towel, brushed her teeth, and dressed herself up with the clothes she laid out the night before. She then applied some makeup under her eyes to make the bags there less noticeable. Orihime knew that there could be a chance that she might encounter that strange reiatsu's owner, so she made sure to wear something movable. She chose a red T-shirt with a silhouette of a giant rose printed on the lower left side of the front, a pair of slim-fit denim jeans, and running shoes. Not the most fashionable attire but she wasn't thinking about her looks at the moment.

Before she could exit her home, Orihime found a lone envelope next to the front door. Whoever sent it must've used the crack at the bottom of the door to slip the thin envelope inside. Only two words were written on the face of the envelope, but that was enough for Orihime to pick it up and open it: From Tatsuki.

The contents of the message were a small note from Tatsuki and a map of the Karakura cemetery. Tatsuki's note said that the Kurosaki family will be visiting Masaki's grave, which was highlighted on the map. Orihime guessed that Tatsuki must've thought late that Orihime wouldn't know where Masaki's grave was (Orihime couldn't blame her for forgetting, because she even forgot to ask her where that was), so she made the note and the map and mailed it herself to Orihime before she went to school. Orihime silently thanked her for the help.

Grabbing the keys from the counter, Orihime stepped outside of her apartment and basked into the overwhelming heat of the morning. It was undoubtedly hot for a day close to the summer season, and Orihime was having a thought of changing her top for that white tank in her drawer. And she would've done so, too, if she wasn't in a slight hurry. With a fresh sigh of the morning, Orihime set out for the Karakura cemetery.

It was approximately a quarter before ten.

10:49

The sun was scorching everything in its path. The buildings, the lampposts, the roads, the stone pavements, the gravestones, and even his head, which, with his hair's orange color and spiky-appearance, looked like it had caught on fire. It was quite a morning when the Kurosaki family started out on their outing. The giant star above the clouds was relentless in its desire of shining its accursed heat rays over Karakura, probably taking great pleasure in the suffering of the family, ever since they left home, and Ichigo Kurosaki was not liking it.

He began to wonder how such a day that held so much painful memories could be so different than the June 17th he'd always remember. That day had been raining. This day was the opposite.

But, somehow, Ichigo knew that this sunny day was bound to change for the worse, like the calm before the storm. Well, there he went again, brooding like he had nothing better to do. He thought mildly about trying to think a little more optimistic sometimes, but dismissed it as if it was the dumbest idea he ever came up with. Optimism didn't sit well with his character.

"Here we go! Deadly Daddy Sliding!"

"Get lost to the ends of the Earth!" Karin yelled at their dad as she kicked him in the head, sending him sliding down towards the opposite direction.

Ichigo stepped to the left as his father rolled down the hill like an out-of-control bowling ball. He heard what sounded like a crash of bowling pins when Isshin disappeared at the curve of the street. Ichigo didn't know what kind of thing could've made those noises but he threw his curiosity out of the window. It was best not to know, he decided. And he continued his trek up the hill, following his sisters, who were also ignoring the possibility that their dad might've gotten hurt in that audible crash earlier.

It wasn't until they reached the top of the hill did Ichigo wished he had went back down and checked on Isshin.

"Why are they waving at us?" Karin asked out of the blue, resulting in Ichigo taking his head off the clouds and back to reality. Oh God, he was panicking now.

At the top of a taller hill were Orihime and Rukia, who was waving enthusiastically like a sweet girlfriend greeting her boyfriend. Ichigo was cursing Rukia for the openness in his greeting; it was too insinuating for his sisters to not start questioning him about their relationship. Orihime was subdued, though, and he half-wondered why she was here and not in school.

"Hey, that's Inoue-san," Yuzu said. "Is the other girl her friend?"

"Is she your friend, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked.

Ichigo shook his head vigorously. "No! I don't know her! I have no idea why Inoue is here, too! So don't ask me."

"You know," Karin rubbed her chin, "that girl looks familiar somehow."

To be sure that they wouldn't recover their lost memories, Ichigo had to play along. "Oh wait! Now I remember!" he said, acting a lot like an overexcited Keigo, wishing he were somewhere else entirely, and cursing the Gods for making himself look like a fool. "That's my old middle school classmate. Wow, it has been such a long time since we've seen each other. Now that I've felt so nostalgic I just can't help but go there and talk to her." He jogged hurriedly to the base of the taller hill, and then faced his sisters. "You guys go on ahead! I just need to talk with the middle school friend and Inoue for a while. I'll meet you all at Mom's grave."

"But wait, Onii-chan!"

Yuzu's shout was met with deaf ears as Ichigo dashed up the slope in less than two seconds, grabbed both wrists of the surprised women, and entered the forest via a dirt path, dragging the two girls with him.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ichigo rested his back on a tree and listened to the birds chirp on the branches. Rukia and Orihime were silent; the latter, however, was more nervous than the former. She was also nursing the wrist he had unconsciously grabbed too strongly. Orihime probably wasn't used to being dragged around like a lifeless ragdoll, and Ichigo thought that he should apologize about that later. Right now, he had to question their sudden appearance.

But there was one thing that he couldn't seem to shake out of his head during the time he had been dragging the two girls into the forest in twenty seconds: Orihime's wrist was tiny and soft.

10:30

Orihime arrived at the general area of the cemetery in that time. She was sweating a little, which was inevitable due to the massive heat wave, her lack of proper preparation for a hot day as this like wearing a hat or something, and there weren't that many shades she could nestle into while trying to consult the map Tatsuki had drawn for her. She wiped away the beads of sweat forming on her forehead with a pink handkerchief, and reread the directions of the map. She was still far from the grave but at least she made some progress.

The instructions on the note were not confusing and it wasn't because of her lack of ability in reading the directions in a map that she had been walking in circles for the past twenty minutes, but because she was avoiding one section of the cemetery like it was a quarantined zone. She feared that if she were to see their gravestones she might get sidetracked on her objective, and she didn't want that. And it was due to her avoiding this particular area that she was trying to draw a different and more tedious route than what Tatsuki originally planned out for her. In essence, Orihime wasn't making it easier for herself, but she supposed that this was a small price to pay to keep away from her own troubling grief.

"Inoue-san?"

Her walking was halted by the voice who called out her name. Turning around, Orihime found herself looking at Rukia Kuchiki in a summer dress and bonnet.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked, adjusting the small backpack she had with her.

Orihime answered with the first word her mind came up with: "Visiting."

"On the same day as Ichigo?" The girl raised a brow, her arms crossed. "Why do I feel like that this is not mere coincidence?"

"Well . . . I, uh . . . you see . . ." Caught right-handed. She couldn't think of something to retort.

Rukia raised a hand, gesturing for her to close her mouth. "It doesn't matter. I already figured it out."

Orihime almost winced when she said that. It almost sounded like Rukia knew about the foreboding feeling she had experienced last night, but after thinking about the other insinuations to her appearance in the cemetery on this particular day and hour, Orihime surmised that Rukia must've been talking about her worried over Ichigo. She's probably just as worried as I am, she thought, but I don't really think so. She wouldn't know anything about the presence last night . . .would she? "Do you know where Kurosaki-kun is?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. But I do know that they shall be taking that"—she pointed at the top of a hill—"road towards wherever they are going. If we wait, we can intercept Ichigo from there."

Orihime didn't bother asking Rukia how she'd know where Ichigo would come. Walking alongside her without another word, they stood atop of the hill, waiting for the substitute shinigami to make his appearance. But Orihime found the silence unnerving, while Rukia was more than content of standing in the middle of a hot June day with her arms crossed. It made for a slightly funny sight to see a small girl with her arms crossed and wearing a cute, yellow summer dress with a white bonnet. The seriousness she radiated from her eyes and arms, and the cuteness factor she gave off from her clothes and frame didn't blend well together.

"Why are you here, anyway, Kuchiki-san?"

"Must you ask something so obvious?" She wasn't being mean or anything; her left eyebrow was raised with a lopsided smile on her lips. Orihime guessed Rukia might be teasing her about something. "Ichigo is probably the most stubborn man I have ever met. And in that, I wasn't able to convince him to let me tag along."

"So why—?"

"He does not know I am here."

"You're going to surprise him?"

"As much as you going to surprise him, right?"

Orihime blushed. "Well, I can't just let him go here alone."

That seemed to have garnered Rukia's attention. "What do you mean?" she asked with her eyes narrowed.

"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have." She didn't know how she could explain about the disturbing presence last night. It was at the tip of her tongue but she couldn't find the right words to tell it. And in the end, the only thing she could do was keep her mouth shut about the presence.

"And you're acting out on this feeling . . . why?"

"I'm afraid. Not for me, but for Kurosaki-kun. I just have this feeling that he's going to get hurt today."

"And what brought this feeling of yours up?"

Orihime shook her head. "I don't know. All I can safely say is that whatever this feeling is, it's telling me that something bad is going to happen real soon, and Kurosaki-kun won't be able to handle it alone."

"That's amazing foresight, Inoue-san. Are you sure that there isn't more that you aren't telling me?"

Orihime almost blanched. Almost. It was like Rukia can read her as if she were an open book. "Well . . ."

"We'll talk about it later, though," Rukia interrupted. "There's Ichigo."

And sure enough, Orihime saw Ichigo climbing up the slope with his two sisters in front. She noted the absence of their father and wondered where Mr. Kurosaki could be. When Orihime saw Rukia take off her bonnet and waved it in the air at Ichigo, all while giggling like a heroine being chased by the beach by the hero in a cheap romance movie, she had this sudden urge to mimic her attempt on getting Ichigo's attention. But she thought better of it after seeing the incredulous look Ichigo was openly showing. She saw him exchange some words between his sisters before he jogged up to the base of the hill they were on. He turned back to say some last words at Yuzu and Karin; words she couldn't discern from this distance.

It took a total of five seconds before her mind could comprehend that Ichigo was literally dragging her and Rukia away from the paved road of the cemetery and into the quiet forest. Another two seconds to realize that Ichigo can only drag her via physical contact . . . if the warm grip on her wrist was anything to go by.

Orihime might've wanted to stay being gripped like that for maybe a few minutes longer, but Ichigo seemed to have other ideas as he stopped his sprinting, let go of both hers and Rukia's wrists, turned towards them with a very annoyed look, and demanded answers as to why they were here.

"Shinigami do not take a day off unless properly relieved," Rukia answered monotonously. "If I remember our conversation last night, not once did I say that I would let you take a day off."

Ichigo's scowl deepened, his hands firmly settled inside his jeans' front pockets, probably clenched. "So what? You're going to follow me around all day long?"

"That is my original intention, but there is more to this than just mere shinigami duty."

Ichigo looked at Orihime. "And what's your story?"

Orihime hesitated for a few moments before she answered. "I had a feeling that something bad is going to happen today and it might concern you."

"Oh joy. My guardian angel," Ichigo drawled. Orihime felt offended but not mad. He just wanted a day to grieve over the death of his mother, and then she and Rukia suddenly showed up without warning while he and his family were en route to Masaki's grave. If Orihime were in Ichigo's shoes, she might've reacted the same way. Well, maybe not entirely cynical but she would at least show how disturbing-of-privacy this little intrusion was.

Rukia, however, was oblivious to the information Orihime recently found out about Ichigo's history. So it shouldn't come to a surprise on what she said next. "Were you serious about what you said last night, that you're mother was murdered?"

Ichigo visibly stiffened at the word 'murder,' while Orihime stared at Rukia. What did she mean?

"I didn't say anything like that," Ichigo murmured, though his head was facing the ground, like a convict proven guilty with no chance of pleading his innocence.

"Yes, you did," Rukia insisted. "I've been thinking about this for almost the whole night, and it seemed like the most plausible thing that could happen."

Ichigo was silent; Orihime listened attentively.

Rukia crossed her arms again, and said, "Your mother might have been killed by a Hollow."

"Eh?" That was Orihime's reaction, something which Ichigo lacked at the moment. He only looked at the ground, not even stiffening from the strong statement the shinigami.

"You said that you've been seeing ghosts since you were young, so there may be a possibility that your reiatsu attracted a Hollow."

"Kuchiki-san . . ." Orihime tried to sound reproachful but it came out more as a tone of bewilderment. And it rang true with her emotions because she was bewildered. She knew that what Tatsuki said was the truth, but the events that transpired at the canal were merely speculation and only Ichigo knew the truth. So what Rukia might have theorized could either be true or false, and only Ichigo can answer that. But the way Ichigo's shoulders slumped and his whole posture just seemed to shout out 'Very Tense' worried her immensely. It was like staring at a ticking time bomb and Rukia was hastening the decrements of the timer.

But Rukia didn't listen to her. She continued, "It may or may not be actually true but you cannot remove that small possibility."

"Kuchiki-san . . ."

"I know this will be hard to accept this harsh theory but—"

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled. He punched the tree beside him. His voice was filled with such a . . . foreign emotion to Orihime and the way he exerted almost all of his strength to that one punch like it was a desperate, final attack that she thought that the tree was going to bend and then break like a weak twig. But no such thing happened to the tree; it was still sturdy and unharmed, except for the spot where the bark was dented inward.

Rukia's shoulders rose . . . or twitch might be a better word for it. It seemed she didn't expect the outburst. Orihime didn't either but she predicted that he might have snapped at Rukia sooner or later. He must've been suppressing his irritation until it reached the limit where he couldn't take it any longer. Orihime felt intimidated when he looked at Ichigo's narrowed eyes.

"That's all you ever think about!" Ichigo continued, his voice booming in the relative silence of the forest surrounding them. "It's always Hollow this, and Hollow that. You think that everything involves a Hollow, and I'm sick of it. You really wanna know who murdered my mother, huh?" He said the last word while suddenly leaning his upper body forward like feinting a lunge. His eyes looked murderous. "The one who murdered Masaki Kurosaki . . . is me."

Both girls gasped. Before either could stop him, he turned around and ran away.

"Kurosaki-kun, wait!" Her plea didn't reach him. "Kuchiki-san, how could you have said those things to him?"

"I . . . I didn't expect such a response like that from Ichigo," Rukia replied.

"Whether your Hollow theory is true or not, it doesn't change the fact that you put your statements too bluntly for Kurosaki-kun to handle. He had cherished his mother when she was still alive. He lost her when he was nine, and he cried over her dead body in the rain. Would you have just stood there while someone began spewing out a theory about the death of your mother when you had actually been there to see it first-hand?"

Rukia opened her mouth but no words formed into sound. Orihime didn't wait for a response from her as she bolted towards the direction where Ichigo ran away. She felt bad snapping at Rukia like that. The woman wouldn't have known about Ichigo's past at all, so she didn't mean to do that to him. Orihime knew enough about Rukia that she doesn't like sugarcoating her words and doesn't practice it, either. She might've used it in her high school façade a few times but never with her true personality. But Orihime still felt the need to put her in her place.

It wasn't hard to find Ichigo since Orihime could track him by his scent alone. He stood a few feet away from her, his back facing her. He still looked tense but it was slowly fading. Taking this nice and delicately as she could, Orihime tried to converse with him.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo was not in the mood for talking right now. Because of Rukia, he had to relive all of the nightmares that plagued him the night before. All of them were about him being the cause of his mother's death, how if he hadn't gone towards the canal, his mother wouldn't have chased after him and drowned. Ichigo knew she had saved him but it resulted in her death, in the end. And he can't accept that. He just can't.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

He stayed quiet. His anger and denial were still active and rather wild inside his bottle of emotions. And he hoped that Orihime would get the message that he wanted to be alone. He didn't want to see anybody until his flaring anger burned out.

"Kurosaki-kun, I know you can hear me," she said with more insistence. God, why can't she just leave me the hell alone?! Still, he kept his mouth shut. "Please, talk to me."

Ichigo grunted. It was the only reply he could muster.

He heard Orihime sigh before saying, "Kuchiki-san didn't mean what she said earlier. She couldn't have known what had happened to your mother."

Ichigo wanted to be alone, and he wanted to be alone right now. And the only way he could think of was to end the conversation as quickly as he could and just run to another secluded section of the forest. "Just leave me alone, Inoue. I'm not in the mood to talk about it."

"She drowned in the canal, right?"

His eyes widened. How did she—?

"Tatsuki-chan told me."

That explained it. Only Tatsuki could've known and told Orihime. She was close to his mother, after all. But still, the conversation only dragged depressing memories; ones that Ichigo would love to have nothing to do with as of this moment. Being alone sounded really great right about now.

"I said leave me alone," he replied, his voice gruff enough to be considered a growl.

Even though his back was to Orihime, he saw a mental image of her taking a step back from intimidation. But she didn't seem like she was about to give up. The voice might have scared her a little, but it wasn't enough to warrant her leaving.

"You don't have to go through this alone, Kurosaki-kun," she said to him, sounding empathic, like she really understood what he was going through.

Like hell she is, he thought angrily. All I want is to be left alone and she's so dead-set in wanting to talk this thing over? What the hell does she really want from me?

"Don't act like you know everything, Inoue." He whirled around to face her, his eyes glaring.

"I'm not. I'm just saying that I somehow understand what you're going through and—"

She was interrupted by his humorless laughter. His laugh almost felt as empty as a Hollow's hole. "Understand? Boy, that's rich. Little Ms. Orihime Inoue saying that she understands what I am going through. What a load of bull!"

Orihime flinched, but didn't step back this time. "No, it's not, Kurosaki-kun. I really do understand—"

"Just leave me alone, Inoue," Ichigo said harshly. This will be the end of the discussion. The inner pain was escalating as this conversation kept going to more voluminous ranges of his emotions. He was already starting to lose control over his grief, and showing this to Orihime was like a sign of weakness to Ichigo.

He wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone.

"Kurosaki-kun . . ."

Ichigo didn't want to listen. He turned away from her and walked briskly away.

"Kurosaki-kun, wait . . ."

He looked back over his shoulder and glared at her. It stopped her from following him. Ichigo figure she finally received the clear message. Turning back towards the front, he walked through the dirt path without taking another look back. Even when he heard her say something . . . something he knew was important but he decided not to listen. She pushed him too far. How the hell would she know how he felt? She wasn't there that night to see the glazed eyes of his mother and how cold her hand was when he held onto it as he cried. No, she would never understand.

But no matter how much he tried to deny it with himself, the pain of his grief was small compared to the pain he was feeling in his heart, which started right after he began shouting at Orihime. Choosing to ignore it, he grunted inaudibly and quickened his pace.

"You're wrong . . ." Orihime whispered. Ichigo still walked, ignoring her. "You're wrong . . . I really do understand what you're going through. I honestly do." But all her words died out in the sudden change of the still air. A mild gale picked up from her left. The leaves danced with the wind, the birds chirped, and the cicadas buzzed loudly.

Alone in the forest, Orihime's tears flowed down her cheeks. She sobbed a few times but tried her best not to have a breakdown. Out of all the things she feared, seeing Ichigo push away her attempts in helping him cope with the long ago loss was a great dread. Now that it had come true, she was lost on what to actually do. Approaching him again was suicidal, if she didn't want to be yelled at by him again. So what was left for her to do?

She guessed maybe going back to Rukia and apologize about her attitude towards her earlier. It was a start, anyway. But the pain in her heart was distracting her. She shivered as her right hand clutched her left breast. Her hand's shiver, however, was not momentary and it kept shaking like a vibrating cell phone, as the grip it had on her breast maintained. She closed her eyes and used every ounce of her willpower not to make another sob. The sadness in her heart was killing it slowly, but for her to get through this she needed to be strong.

Once her emotions were partially under control, she looked around her. And her ears perked up at the oddity of the surrounding noise.

Or lack of it.

The wind was still there but the leaves no longer rustled.

She didn't see any birds nor did she hear any of them chirping.

There wasn't even a cicada buzzing or any kind of insect trying to shatter the silence.

Something wasn't right, Orihime could feel it.

And as sudden as Ichigo's yell at her, a deafening roar breached through the trees and bushes. The noise was undoubtedly loud that Orihime instinctively covered her ears, like how she always covered them when lightning struck too close that the booming thunder seemed to have come at the same time as the flash. And that roar was booming unlike any other animal roar she had ever heard. Orihime only thought about it for a second before she reached the connection, accessing her limited ability to sense reiatsu to double-check her conclusion. There was no mistake about it.

What she sensed was the same presence she had felt last night. And it was frighteningly close to Rukia's position.