Chapter 11: Ichigo Back in Action! Orihime's Desperate Resistance!
In the World of the Living, Aizen looked down at the soul reapers led by Head Captain Yamamoto, trying not to look surprised of their arrival.
"Excellent." Yamamoto said. "It seems we made it here in time."
"Made it time?" Aizen questioned. "Now why would you think to say something like that?" Aizen stepped out of the garganta. "I'm well aware that what lies beneath is not the real Karakura Town. This may come as a surprise but that means to me. Starrk, Barragan, Haribel, come here." Then three more garganta opened up and revealed the three espadas with their followers behind them: Starrk with one follower beside him, Barragan with six followers behind him, and Haribel with three behind her. "If Karakura is in the blue sea world, then we'll just kill you here and create the oken within that world. It is that simple. Until then, I shall leave Las Noches…under your care…Ulquiorra."
Back in Las Noches, Chopper and Orihime widen their eyes as they heard a sound that is like grass breaking as a pale hand stuck out of front of the throne and Ulquiorra came out of the crack he made.
"Sir." Ulquiorra said as the portal closes. Orihime and Chopper turned around and looked at the espada in fear.
"It's him." Chopper said scared, remembering what happened in Sabaody. Ulquiorra looked at the two with his emerald eyes, causing Chopper step back.
In the fifth tower in Las Noches, Ulquiorra continues to walk towards Chopper and Orihime.
"Are you two afraid?" the espada asked. "The both of you are useless to Lord Aizen now. There is no one here to protect you. You two are alone. It's over. The both of you will die here. You will die with no one to witness it. So I want to know how frightened the two of you are."
"I am not…at all." Orihime said firmly.
"I'm not scared either." Chopper said firmly as well. Ulquiorra widen his eyes at their answer.
"You see, now we know that our friends came to rescue us." Orihime explained. "So right now, our hearts…our hearts are with them."
Outside of the tower, Ichigo, still in his bankai state, rushed as fast as he could across the sand. Then two hollows rose out of the sand. Ichigo swung his sword at the hollow and easily killed them.
Inside the halls of the tower, Luffy continues to rush through the place, looking for Chopper. Then an army of exequias appeared and blocked his path.
"Out of my way!" He shouted as he immediately went into his Gear Second. "Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!" Luffy fired a fury of fast, rapid-fire punches at the exequias and defeated them easily.
Back to Chopper and Orihime…
"What nonsense." Ulquiorra said. "Neither one of you are scared because your friends have come for you? You two can't be serious. You really they can save you?"
"Absolutely." Orihime responded. "When we were they came to get us, I was happy and it also made me sad. After all, the reason I came here was so I can protect them. I thought why did I have to come? Didn't they realize what was trying to do? But then when I felt Rukia's pain and when I saw Ichigo fighting with all of his might, I finally realized none of that mattered. But still, I can't bare to see Ichigo get hurt. Then when Chopper told me about what his captain and his crew will be willing to do to save any one of their own. It reminds me of something that Ichigo would do."
(Flashback)
Spandam looked the Straw Hats enraged from the Tower of Law after Sniper King shot the government's flag. "You're going to die!" he shouted. "You can't challenge the entire world and aspect to win!"
"BRING IT ON!" Luffy yelled.
(End of Flashback)
"Then it hit me." Orihime said. "If one of my friends went missing, I would do the exact same thing."
Outside, Ichigo stopped in front of the walls of Las Noches. Ichigo quickly jumped up to find an army of exequias led by Rudobon on that wall. "You must be the intruder, Ichigo Kurosaki." Rudobon said as he drew his zanpakuto. Rudobon sonidoed towards Ichigo jabbed his sword at him. Ichigo blocked it his sword but getting pushed back. "I am Rudobin, the captain of the exequias. And I am here to claim your life." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the arrancar and pushed him back. "Your life now belongs to me. You will go no further."
"Sorry pal, but I don't have time to waste on some horny freak, ok." Ichigo said.
"That is fine." Rudobon said. "I don't time to waste on you either." Rudoborn commanded his soldiers to surround Ichigo. Ichigo started to slash the soldiers one at a time. Then he realized that the more soldiers he defeats, the more they would increase in number.
'Damn it!' Ichigo thought. 'How many of them are there?'
Then from out of nowhere, a number of exequias were taken out by one swing from a zanpakuto that Ichigo knows all too well. Ichigo looked down and saw Renji, back in 100%.
"Ha, ha, ha, want some more?!" Renji said before taking down more of exequias.
"What?! Renji!" Ichigo said surprised.
"El Directo!" Ichigo looked and saw Chad destroying a part of the wall and some of the exequias along with it, revealing an entrance into the tower.
"Hey Chad!" Ichigo said, happy to see him, and got a thumbs up from Chad as a response.
Rudobon looked down and saw his soldiers defeated. "You fools, letting a minor obstacle ruin our mission." he said. Then he looked up at Ichigo and sonidoed behind him.
"Tsugi No Mai…" Another familiar voice said. "…Hakuren!" Rudobon watched as the arm he uses to hold his sword gets frozen. Ichigo followed the ice and saw Rukia.
"Rukia!" Ichigo said, happy to see her too.
"Idiot!" Rukia scolded. "Save the heartwarming reunion for later. Now get going, Ichigo!"
Ichigo nodded and said, "I'm on it." He went the opening through the wall Chad made and entered into the tower, out of Rukia's sight.
"That guy…" Rukia said to herself, smiling. "He still needs a babysitter."
Then Rudobon freed his arm from the ice and turned toward Rukia. "You honestly thought you could best me with feeble powers?" Rukia looked at Rudobon with a serious look of her face. "You are nothing more than a small nuisance."
Back to Chopper and Orihime…
"Ridiculous." Ulquiorra said to Orihime and Chopper's deceleration. "No matter what you two think, the fate of you and your friends is already decided. Even if they do manage to find you, it will not change the fact that you are going die. There's no turning back now. Sharing your feeling with someone when you're on the verge of death brings some sort of comfort to you humans. It's an instinct to help minimized your fear and sorrow. But in reality, it is impossible to know other's emotions. Empathy is simply a meaningless human delusion."
Orihime looked down and thought back when she said goodbye to Ichigo. "That may be true." She said. "It might be impossible to feel exactly what someone else is feeling. But when people truly care about each other, their hearts grows so close that you can't tell the difference between them. That's what must mean when they say 'Two people are of one heart.'" Tears threatened to come out of Chopper's eyes to what Orihime said.
"Your heart you say." Ulquiorra said he walked up to Orihime. "You human always toss around that word so casually. It is as if it is something you can hold in the palm of your hand. But my eyes can see everything. Nothing exists that I can't see. So if I can't it, it's not real. That is what I believe." Ulquiorra stopped walking when he was near arms reach of Orihime. "Tell me, what is a heart?" Ulquiorra raised his arm until his hand almost touch Orihime's chest. "If I tore a hole through your chest, would I see it?" Then he raised his hand to Orihime's forehand. "If I split open your skull, would it be there?" Orihime widen her eyes in fear, making Chopper look at the espada in anger.
"Leave her alone!" Chopper shouted as he changed into humanoid form and got in-between Ulquiorra and Orihime. Ulquiorra wasn't intimated by Chopper's transformation but his eyes widen when he felt a sudden rise of spiritual pressure. He looked his shoulder and saw the floor rumbling, creating a huge hole as Ichigo appears.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: An Explosive Situation! Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra!