Chapter 16: The Target is Orihime! The Looming Clutches of an Angry Arrancar

Ulquiorra disappeared from Ichigo's view and appeared behind both Ichigo and Luffy. The duo looked behind them as Ulquiorra was about to strike. Ulquiorra swung his sword at the two but his blade was stopped as it hit an orange barrier, shielding Ichigo and Luffy. A crack was made on the shield and it shattered into pieces. Ichigo and Ulquiorra looked at the one person who could've made that barrier. That person was Orihime.

Elsewhere in the tower, the sound of steps being taken echoes throughout the hallway. Two figures were seen ascending a set of stairs with one of them looking over their shoulder at the other.

"Hey, are you coming or what?" The first figure asked. It was a female arrancar with long black hair tied up into two high ponytails and a piece of a hollow's mask over her left eye (Loly).

"I don't know, Loly." The second figure said. It was a female arrancar with short blond hair and a piece of a hollow's mask over her right eye (Melony). "This feels like a bad idea. I don't want anything to do with them anymore." The one known as Loly slapped Melony hard across the cheek, making her turn to the side.

"You heard what he said, didn't you?" Loly said. "Lord Aizen couldn't have been clearer." Melony watched as Loly started to walk up the stairs. "This is our chance. It's the only shot we got. Just you wait, we are going to find them. And then, we are going to drag them back down from that palace."

Back to Luffy & Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra…

The pieces of the orange barrier continued to fall down the ground like shattered glass.

"What do you think you're doing girl?" Ulquiorra asked in a serious tone. Orihime was silent and Chopper glared at the espada. "Why would you even bother to save them now?"

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked scared. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Ichigo is your friend, is he?" Ulquiorra questioned. "And yet, you didn't protect him from my first attack. Why did you hesitate? Even when the straw hat boy interfered, you would've restored him back to full health but you didn't. Why is that?"

"You don't understand, I…" Orihime said but stopped when Ulquiorra looked at her.

"You actually don't know. Then let me enlighten you." Ulquiorra turned towards Orihime and start walking to her. Chopper stepped in front of her and change to his heavy point. "The truth is…"

"Shut up!" Ichigo growled, making Ulquiorra stop. He looked over his shoulder and saw Ichigo glaring at him. "You sure do like the sound of your own voice. Quit picking apart every little thing she does and said. Nothing of what you're saying matters alright." Then Ichigo looked at Orihime. "Orihime, thanks for stepping in. You and Chopper should find cover. It's going to get too dangerous for you in here."

Orihime looked at Ichigo in worry and said, "Just be careful." She turned around and run somewhere to take cover.

"Hey Chopper!" Luffy called, getting the doctor's attention. "Stay with Orihime, make nothing bad happens to her ok."

Chopper nodded as he changed back to his chibi form and followed Orihime.

Ichigo and Luffy turned their attention back to Ulquiorra. "You know it's funny." Ichigo said. "I didn't peg you to be much of a talker. But you're a regular chatter-box, aren't you?" Then black aura was surrounding Ichigo's blade.

"Whoa, that's cool." Luffy said, looking at Ichigo's blade.

"A Getsuga?" Ulquiorra said. "You still don't get it, do you? That won't have any effect on me." Then Ulquiorra's eyes widen when he saw Ichigo jumping towards. Their swords collide with each other. With all his power, Ichigo was pushing Ulquiorra back several feet until Ulquiorra pushed him to the side. Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo's sword and noticed something was different.

'He wrapped the Getsuga around his blade instead of discharging it so that his sword strike has the strength of a Getsuga.' Ulquiorra thought. Ichigo slashed towards the espada but Ulquiorra disappeared.

"Not good enough." Ulquiorra said, appearing behind Ichigo only to have his attack blocked again. Ichigo released some energy from his blade at Ulquiorra but widen his eyes when the espada stopped it. "I suppose you feel that you're awfully clever yet you've learned nothing. You forgot that even when you had your mask on, you weren't able to defeat me with Getsuga. Wield how you may, it won't matter. Using Getsuga without a mask is useless." Ulquiorra pushed Ichigo back with ease.

"Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra looked up and saw Luffy in the air, stretching his leg back. "…Stamp!" Luffy threw a kick at Ulquiorra but Ulquiorra caught his foot with his free hand.

"The same would be said to you as well." Ulquiorra said to Luffy. "Even though the power of your attacks in your Gear Second state helped you to certain point, it still wasn't enough." Ulquiorra grabbed Luffy's leg and threw him to the ground.

Orihime and Chopper looked at the battle as it was going back and forth with no one gaining any sort of advantage. As the two look on, Chopper felt something off in the air. He turned around saw nothing but a red light that started to glow brighter. Then an explosion was heard near where Orihime was standing. Orihime looked her to see a figure fly out of the smoke and landed in front of her. Her eyes widen in fear when she saw who the figure was. It was Chopper. He was bleeding from the mouth and head, his fur singed, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Chopper!" Orihime shouted in worry, catching Luffy's attention. He looked at the direction of the explosion and Chopper passed out, burnt, and bleeding. He was in bad shape.

"Chopper!" Luffy shouted as he ran towards Chopper. But Ulquiorra appeared in front of him and kicked him back a few feet.

As Orihime was about to check on Chopper's condition, she felt a hand grabbed of her arms, forcing them behind her back, and a hand covering her mouth. She looked to her left and saw Loly with a wicked smile on her face. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Loly said.

Chopper weakly looked up and saw the female arrancar. "No…" he said weakly. "…not her again."

Outside the tower…

Chad and Renji continued to defeat hollow after hollow. Then Chad felt a strange presence and looked up at the tower he saw before. "Orihime?" He said.

Renji looked at Chad and said, "Hey, what's the matter with you? There may not be many of them left but we're in the middle of a battle."

"Yeah, you're right. But Orihime…"

"What about her? Ichigo will take care of her."

"I don't know. He's up against an immense amount of spiritual pressure." The two looked at one of the remaining hollows attacking them but they quickly dodged. "Damn it!"

"We better wrap it up quick then." Renji said. "We don't want to be too late." At that moment, a volley of arrows appeared, hitting and killing every hollow with ease. Renji and Chad looked at where the arrows came from and saw Uryu.

"Sorry it took me so long." Uryu said. "Mayuri's treatments took longer than expected.

"Well, look at you." Renji said. "Looks like you made a complete recovery."

"Uryu, we got to get moving." Chad said.

"Yeah, I figure as much." Uryu said as the three of them looked at the towers.

"Man, what the hell is Ichigo doing up there?" Renji said.

Back in the tower…

Orihime looked at Loly and Melony in fear as Chopper tries to get to back to his feet. Loly smirked and said, "Hey there you two, remember me? Huh, I guess not." Orihime and Chopper remember when the two arrancars bullied them before. "That's alright. I mean I can't say I'm surprised really. I'm so ordinary. Why would two little freaks of nature trouble their minds with the likes of me?"

"Leave her alone!" Chopper shouted. Loly looked the little doctor and kicked him in the chin. Chopper fell to the ground and skidded back. Orihime's eyes widen as Loly turned her attention to Orihime.

"That's about to change though." Loly said. "Say goodbye to our ivory tower, your little reign is over."

Ichigo and Luffy's eyes widen noticing another presence. Ichigo looked behind his shoulder. "Orihime!" He saw Orihime trapped in one of the arrancar's arms. "Who the hell are they?"

Luffy saw Chopper on the ground and Loly putting her foot and his head. "Chopper!" Both he and Luffy turned around and ran towards them.

Loly saw their moments and moved in the hand covering Orihime's mouth to her eye. "Stay back!" She ordered. "Don't you two even think about it, you hear me?! Any closer and I'll gouge her eyes out!"

"Getsuga…" Ichigo's movement was stopped when his sword collided with Ulquiorra's, standing in front of Loly and Orihime. Ulquiorra pushed Ichigo back with ease.

"Gum-Gum…" Luffy stretched both his arms back. "…Bazooka!" Luffy fired his open hand strike at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra used his sword to block Luffy's attack and pushed him back as well.

"Ulquiorra?" Loly said surprised.

"I don't want to get the wrong idea." Ulquiorra said, looking at the two arrancars. "I wasn't acting on the desire to save you."

Ichigo swung his sword at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra blocked the attack without looking at Ichigo. "Out of the way!" Ichigo shouted.

Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

"He said, 'Move'!" Luffy shouted stretching his arm back. His fist connected with Ulquiorra's blade, and blood came out of Luffy's knuckles. Ulquiorra pushed the pirate and the fight between the three continued.

"Ichigo!" Luffy!" Orihime shouted worried.

Loly grinned evilly as she grabs Orihime's arm and starting pulling it back. "Aw, I guess those knights in shining armor don't have what it takes." She looked over to Melony. "Alright then, tear this tramp to pieces Melony. And make it slow. After that, we'll take care of the little reindeer." Orihime looked into Melony's eyes. Chopper made contract with Melony's eyes as well and saw sadness in them.

"I don't want to…" Melony said. "There isn't any point."

"Any point?" Loly questioned. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Think about it. This girl has the ability to heal any wound, remember? There is no telling what reindeer could be able to transform into. We'll be wasting our time. Anyway, it's not like it'll us feel any less empty." Loly let Orihime go and grabbed Melony by the collar.

"Oh so what, you're having a sudden change of heart because these simpering little idiots saved your life, is that it?"

"No, of course not."

"You coward!" Loly pushed Melony away and looked over at Orihime and Chopper. "Forget it then, I'll handle them on my own." She looked at Orihime. "And I'll start with you first."

Melony sensed a presence and saw a dark cloud above Loly's head, and it's getting bigger. "Loly, wait!" She warned.

"Quiet!" Loly barked back, then grabbed Orihime by her hair and pulled her up. "Lord Aizen doesn't give a damn about you or your new best friend. You two are no use to him now. He said it himself." She let go of Orihime's hair and cupped her cheek. "I can do whatever I want with you without fear of Lord Aizen's wrath. You two are dead and you just don't know it yet."

"Leave her alone…" Chopper said weakly, trying to get back up.

"Shut up!" Loly shouted, kicking Chopper away and turned her attention back to Orihime. "And once I'm finished with you, I'll reach inside your corpses and take back what was stolen from ME!" Loly grabbed the top part of Orihime's sleeve and ripped it off, scratching Orihime's arm at the same time.

"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted as he jumped back. "Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo fired a black energy wave at Ulquiorra, who blocked it with his sword. Luffy took the chance and start running past the espada. Ulquiorra, noticing the diversion, pointed his finger to the side where Luffy was and fired his cero, pushing Luffy back. Ichigo charged at the espada and clash swords with him again. "I said get out of the way!"

"If you want a new opponent, you have to kill me first." Ulquiorra said. "Finish me if you think you'll capable."

"SHUT UP AND MOVE!"

Loly grabbed Orihime's other sleeve and ripped off as well, forcing Orihime to her knees. Orihime looked over her shoulder and saw Loly slowly walked towards her.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ichigo shouted.

"Orihime…" Chopper said weakly.

"Thunderbolt…" From out of nowhere yellow was thrown into the dark cloud above Loly. "…Tempo!" Lighting fell from the cloud and electrocuting her. Loly screamed in pain as the lighting went coursed through her body. Orihime and Chopper looked at where the attack from and saw the navigator of the Straw Hats, Nami.

"Nami!" Chopper shouted happily.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Tower of the Great Chaos! The Enraged Loly and a Dangerous Espada!