Yoshi! New chapter!
First, thank you all so much for reading. The majority of the feedback I've gotten has been very positive and I feel very humbled.
I did want to make mention of something, however.
I love languages and culture, particularly Japanese culture. While I don't like Romanizing Japanese very much, I do think that because of the nature of their culture and their language some things are just better said in Japanese. It's like the difference between watching dubbed anime and subbed anime. Once I started watching subbed anime, I could never watch it any other way. Especially with Bleach. I tried watching the dubbed episodes and all I could think, every time Johnny Yong Bosch voiced Ichigo was "OMG! It's the black Power Ranger!" Ah, shit, I think I just dated myself….
Terms:
Chapter 5
The silence between Ichigo and Orihime was deafening. But, no matter how hard he tried to broach it, he found that he just couldn't. He wanted to apologize to her. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't let her get hurt again, but he was beginning to realize how unrealistic that promise was. He was such an asshole, after all the promises he'd made to both her and to himself, he'd failed again.
He had been glad earlier that she was too preoccupied in crying for Anna to notice his hand on her back. It had happened before he'd realized it. As soon as he noticed, he had pulled his hand away as discreetly as he could.
Anna, he had wanted to be angry at her, to blame her for Orihime's injuries. But he couldn't be, it had sounded like she thought she had been out of options. Ichigo would have fought the bastard himself, but it seemed like she didn't think she'd be able to manage a straight out fight. Ichigo could understand that. Before he had learned how to use Mugestu when fighting Aizen, he had felt like the scope of the man's power was entirely beyond him. He had been so afraid to fail, maybe Anna felt the same with her brother. That she would fight him, go all out, and still loose.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime said tentatively, pulling him out of his reverie. He realized that they were already at her apartment. He had been so deep in thought, he'd forgotten all about the awkward silence they'd been in.
"Right behind you, Inoue." He mumbled watching her pass him and go up the stairs in front of him. She wore a light blue skirt with light pink floral print that trailed down just past her knees. On her upper half, she wore a solid pink, sleeveless cowl neck shirt with a light jacket over it. Ichigo found himself slightly annoyed by Rangiku's choice of clothing for her. The entire ensemble was tortuous for him, like the blonde Shinigami had chosen it specifically to bring his attention to her ample breasts. He already felt guilty enough as it was, and here he was leering at her like a pervert.
Orihime's hips swayed to and fro in front of him, her long auburn hair had grown long, cascading around her and curling attractively at the ends. She reached her front door and fumbled for her keys to unlock the door. She was smiling nervously, babbling about taking a bath really quick and getting clothes.
"Y-y-you can c-certainly still come in, K-K-Kurosaki-kun," She stuttered, her cheeks blushing furiously. "Feel f-f-free to w-w-watch whatever you w-want on the television…"
God, what would he ever do if he lost her?
He didn't know, he really didn't know. His dream from a few nights back had made it obvious about his immediate reaction, but what of after that? How would he move on?
It felt more real to him now than ever, he'd come so close to letting her slip from him so many times.
Which one would be the last?
Which one would be the one time he couldn't save her?
Couldn't protect her?
As soon as the door to Orihime's apartment closed behind them, away from the rest of the watching world, his arms reached out and surrounded her, pulling her into him abruptly. She let out a squeak of surprise as she fell into him. He buried his face into her hair, the smell of orange blossoms filling his nose. He never wanted to let her go, hell, he didn't think he could.
"I'm sorry, Orihime." He whispered into her ear, his body shaking. He felt her body stiffen a little in surprise of the use of her first name.
"Kurosaki-kun-"She began.
"Ichigo."
"Eh?"
"My name, Orihime, please," He sighed.
"I-I-Ichigo…" She said haltingly, trying it out. "What's w-wrong? W-why are you apologizing?"
"I failed to protect you….again," He replied, squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he could. He felt her try to escape his grasp, and with much reluctance, he let her go. She turned to face him, her cheeks flaming red. Her hands reached out to him, cupping his face gently. His heart skipped a beat. The look in her eyes was both worried, empathic, and wondrously flustered at the same time.
"No, no, it's my fault," She insisted. "I wasn't cautious enough, please, please, Kuro…Ichigo, please don't blame yourself."
He laid his hand over hers, suddenly tears began to sting the backs of his eyes. At least they weren't lacking for personal guilt…
"I can't lose you," He whispered, stepping closer to her, his own hands finding their way to curl around the back of her neck gently.
He closed the distance between them, his lips meeting her's in a fervent kiss. He felt her momentary shock as his forwardness, then she relaxed into it. Her hands released his face and wrapped around his neck. His free hand dropped to her waist, pulling her into him. He felt her inhale sharply, but not in pain. He didn't know what that gasp was, but it drove him wild. He pulled away, not wanting to, but there was more to be said. He found her eyes, her expression confused, but….eager.
Here goes….He thought.
"I love you, Orihime." He waited with baited breath for her answer. Waiting for her to reject him.
"Oh," She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. He felt his heart crack. "I'm having one of those dreams again." She finished. "There's no way you would tell me that without me dreaming it."
Relief washed over him as he suddenly comprehended what she meant. He laughed lightly, almost giddily.
"You're not dreaming," He kissed her again, harder this time. He felt her hands pushing on his shoulders and he released her, suddenly afraid he had hurt her.
"I'm not dreaming…" She said, her eyes suddenly lucid and clear.
"That's what I just said, Hime." He replied teasingly.
"You just said you love me." She said, almost as a question.
"And I meant it." He responded, now on pins and needles again. A knot twisting in his belly. She looked at him as the realization hit her fully. He didn't think that her face could be any more flushed than it already was, but it did. Her lips parted in a small "o", and then suddenly broke into a smile, her smile. She stood on her tiptoes, kissing him this time with such gusto he stumbled back against the door. When it broke, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her face hot against his cheek, her heart pounding against his chest.
"I love you." She said huskily. "I've always loved you."
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Orihime's heart was pounding in her chest harder and faster than it ever had before. There were so many emotions running rampant in her that she couldn't begin to sort them out. She didn't really want to, though, there wasn't an unpleasant feeling among them. Ichigo's arms slid down, wrapping around her waist as he lifted her up, she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist to hold her balance so she didn't topple both of them over. His hands shifted quickly to support her body by gripping her thighs. Her skirt had hiked up so that his hands grabbed bare skin. They both felt it, more than the kissing, it was like electricity moved through them both as his hands touched her smooth legs. She leaned back, only to rock forward again for another heated and passionate kiss. Her fingers ran through his bright orange hair from the base of his neck.
Still locked in their kiss, Ichigo moved himself from against the door, walking with Orihime towards the pillows on the floor by her kotatsu. He bent, allowing the kiss to break as he set her down, then crawled over top of her. A sudden thought caught her as she held out a hand to stop him. She didn't want to stop, but….
"I-I-I need to take a bath." She stammered.
He stared down at her intently, a flurry of things passing behind his eyes that Orihime had never seen before. Seeing him with that look in his eyes made her heart feel like it was going to implode. It was strange, and unfamiliar. But at the same time, she felt this wild fluttering through her whole body. The closest thing she could describe it to was going on a roller coaster for the first time.
"Ichigo?" Calling him by name was so natural now that he had asked her to.
"I'm thinking."
"Eh?"
He rolled away from her, sitting with one leg straight out, the other bent, his arm resting on it, hand running through his hair. It looked like the wind had been taken out of his sails just a little.
"Go."
"Eh?"
"Go get in the bath before I change my mind!"
She couldn't help but smile at that, but not wanting to find out at the moment what would happen if she didn't go to bathe now, she jumped up and skittered to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Her heart raced like mad, she lay her hand over it, trying to will it to be calm.
Maybe a cool bath instead of a hot one was in order. She turned the water on in the bath, making sure to make it luke warm. She undressed while it filled. Her thoughts were still racing. While it was a simple thing, it felt like too much to take in at once. But, over all the years of loving him, never once did she think he'd love her back. Maybe, in a future lifetime, she thought he would, but never now.
If this really was a dream, she never wanted to wake up.
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Ichigo sat in the same position as he had when Orihime had gone to her bathroom. It had taken a lot of willpower to let her go, but he could see how uncomfortable she'd been.
Images of her nude body in the water kept invading his thoughts. The way the dim light would play off of her clean ivory skin. Her wet hair, dark and clinging slightly to her face and her breasts…
He rubbed his face with his hands hard. He needed to calm down. The last thing he wanted was the embarrassment of a tent showing through his pants when she came back.
Finally, he was able to cool himself a little. He breathed, flopping back onto the sitting pillows in her living room, one arm cast over his eyes.
She'd said that she had always loved him, didn't she? Much like his realization about his feelings for her, he went over all of his memories again.
It made sense, he'd just been too dense and too stupid to notice. Well, the constant fighting had probably played a hand in that, too.
There was no way that he was going to let her help LaRell Anlanah, he would find another way to defeat this Adam person. He would find another solution, maybe Urahara had something up his sleeve. Didn't he mention something about that? It didn't matter, he wouldn't let her get anywhere near that psychopath again.
What the fuck was up with all of this anyway? He knew that they had to do something, the situation was definitely dangerous. Fighting to prevent the end of the world for him was nothing new. And of course, Orihime was getting caught in the middle again. Shit, she'd probably help them anyway, knowing she'd die. His fists clenched, one at his side, the other over his eyes.
No, no, he would remove her from this situation and handle this himself.
Even if it killed him.
"I-Ichigo?" Her voice called softly. "Are you alright?"
He lifted his hand from his face. She was leaning over his body slightly on her knees, her wet hair clinging to her skin just as he had imagined it would. The white fabric of her nightgown pooled at her knees on the carpet. He was sure that she was torturing him. The night wear was made of thin fabric, the waistline puckering just under her breasts. It was obvious that she was a little cold in that get up by the way her perfect nipples protruded gently underneath the fabric. It took all of about a second for him to sweep her body and move back to her face, which he focused on as much as he could.
"Yeah…. yeah, I'm fine, Orihime."
Her lips protruded into a pout and she leaned back folding her arms under her chest, making the cleavage that became exaggerated by it so much harder to ignore.
"Uh uh, not this time," She said as seriously and as firmly as she could. He had to fight every muscle in his body from continuing where they'd left off not 15 minutes ago. She looked painfully innocent and sexy at the same time. "I'm not letting it go this time, what's wrong?"
"I-I was just thinking about what's been going on." He admitted…partially, then averted his eyes.
"You mean you're worrying."
Ichigo looked back up at her, she always knew, didn't she?
"Yeah, I guess." He responded. "I just…I don't want you coming with us, this time. I don't want to put you in harm's way."
"Ichigo," She said, leaning forward, her hand came to grace his chin as she turned his face to meet hers. "I want to help, Anna, and I'm sure that Urahara-san can come up with an alternative. I don't think Anna would ask it of me to reject time around the seal, anyway."
"She was more than willing to force you to!" Ichigo snapped. Orihime huffed back at him, releasing his chin to wag a finger in his face.
"No one else may have noticed, but I did," She said seriously. "Her heart is broken and blind. She's hurting, and I don't think she wants anyone else to feel what she does. She could have just lied to us, and she didn't. Anna's a good person, she just didn't know what to do."
Orihime stopped her scolding, brought the same hand to her mouth and giggled.
"Actually, you two are a little bit alike. I can see her gallantly charging ahead to defeat the bad guy."
Ichigo reached out, unable to contain himself any longer and pulled her over top of him. She made a surprised sound, flailing just a little before coming to rest on him, her face burning red as she looked down at him. He stared back in her soft, empathetic grey eyes.
"If you trust her, I will, too." He said a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Thank you," She replied to his acceptance of her judgment. She leaned down, feeling nervous, to kiss him chastely on the lips.
Ichigo found it far too hard to continue restraining himself at this point. He was a creature of action, not discussion, and he intended to remain as such.
He deepened their chaste kiss, his tongue slipping past her lips and teeth to explore. A thrill washed over him as she accepted the sudden intensity in which he came after her. One hand ran it's fingers through her damp red hair, coming to rest at the back of her head. The other hand left it's position on her back, and trailed down to her hips, where it squeezed her gently. Orihime released a soft and muffled moan.
Something inside Ichigo felt like it snapped.
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The world inverted itself more suddenly than Orihime had time to react to. One minute, she had been lying loosely on top of Ichigo, and the next she was on her back on the carpet, their kiss broken. Being in her thin night gown was bad enough, but their shuffling of positions had hiked her garment up to her hips. She wasn't sure if Ichigo noticed or not, but she definitely felt it happen as he came to settle atop her, between her legs. She felt herself blush again at how inappropriate the two of them looked.
The sound of her heart in her ears made her believe that it could be loud enough for him to hear. She stared up at him, the intensity of his eyes pulling her in. He shifted his body so he could support himself on one hand and one leg, his knee sliding up against her groin. She didn't think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster, but it did.
Now properly balanced above her, he reached out a strong, chiseled hand and started plucking open the buttons that held her night gown shut. She remembered when she had bought it that she couldn't figure out why it had to be buttoned up starting at her empire waistline, now it made sense. Ichigo sunk back down to her once the fourth and final button was off, and her cleavage was completely revealed.
Yet this time he did not kiss her on the lips, instead his lips found her neck just below her ear. It tickled a little and sent chills through her body as his lips gently traced the muscles in her neck. Her arms circled around him, fingers through his hair with one hand, the around his shoulder. He moved down slowly, and Orihime felt like her skin had caught fire. When he reached the point where her shoulders connected to her neck, he opened his mouth over it, and bit down. It wasn't hard enough to break skin, or leave a mark of any kind for that matter, but it was enough to send a mixture of chills and a little pain through her body. Her eyes slid closed.
Her fingers immediately tightened their grip on his hair as he bit her, and a moan escaped her throat. Ichigo's hand slid up to free her breasts completely from the unbuttoned nightgown. A slight tug was all it really took. The same hand now slid across her chest, his rough and calloused palm grazing her nipple, making it stiffen. Orihime gasped, both in surprise and pleasure at the new sensation.
Ichigo made a low growl in his throat, and this time his hand covered her breast completely, lightly kneading it, his forefinger and middle finger trapping her nipple between them. At the same time, he bit down a little harder on her neck, and began to run his tongue over her skin. This elicited a louder, lustier moan from her, her hips arching up to rub against his.
There was this pool of heat and pulsing gathering in her center. She'd never felt anything like this before, it was making it hard to think. When she had arched her hips up, she had felt something hard and unyielding against her pelvis, and when she realized what it was, a wave of thrill shot through her.
Ichigo released her neck and shifted his body down where his hand lifted from her breast, and his mouth covered it instead. It was at the same time, the most exhilarating and embarrassing thing Orihime had ever seen.
Ichigo's now free hand slid up her smooth thigh, his thumb hooking under her panties. She arched her hips, knowing his intention, and let him slide them off of her, down her legs, around her feet, and off somewhere in the apartment. Shaking slightly, Orihime allowed her hands to curl into his hair again. She watched his mouth working at her breast for a moment, another light groan escaping her lips. She saw Ichigo smile with his mouth still at her breast.
A slim, warm finger stroked her lips, just barely grazing her swollen clit. Her breath hitched in her chest as the sudden shock of pleasure. Pressing just a little harder, Ichigo's fingers continued to caress the throbbing nub, spurred on more and more by her moaning.
Her body burned, the area between her legs was on fire, her insides begging for relief. Her hips rocked against his hand, and finally, a slim digit slid into her. There was slight discomfort, and then it was gone, replaced by intense pleasure as Ichigo moved his finger against the front wall of her insides.
She released his hair at that moment, not wanting to rip any of his hair out. Her hands found a couple pillows and she gripped them.
"Oh, God…." She breathed harshly.
Ichigo withdrew his single finger, and Orihime felt disappointment as it left her. But it wasn't long until two fingers now slid into her. The discomfort this time was worse, but it was short replaced with that same pleasurable feeling again. She moaned louder this time, her hips gently rocking in the rhythm that he'd set. She felt something inside of her building, with every stroke of his fingers it rose until she felt like she would break.
His fingers slid from her again, and she felt his weight leave her. Her eyes popped open (when did she close them?) and she looked up at him.
Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle at her, her expression was so easy to read "why did you stop?" it said. He made quick work of unbuttoning his pants, and tugging his boxers down, keeping his eyes on her, wanting her reaction. He wasn't disappointed, her eyes widened when she saw how much he really wanted her, and she averted her eyes quickly.
Just when I didn't think you could be any brighter a shade of red, you prove me wrong…He thought to himself.
She knew exactly what was about to happen, but her body ached for him to be inside of her so badly she didn't care. She looked back up at him as she felt his weight come against her. He was no longer smiling, and his expression was fiercely intense. He paused above her, as if waiting for her to say okay. She arced her hips up again.
"Please…" she moaned.
There was pressure as he entered her, and then that same discomfort as earlier. He moved slowly, and she felt something tear. She winced in pain and Ichigo slid into her halfway and stopped moving completely. He looked a little worried, he had tried very hard not to let this be painful.
Once the pain subsided after a brief moment, Orihime arched her hips again, reaching up to tug him down onto a fervent kiss.
With the first long, and slow stroke he filled her with, he moaned into her mouth. He continued with the slow easy motion for a while, which drove Orihime mad.
Something was building inside her as his thrusts increased in both intensity and frequency, her hips rose to meet him with every inward motion he made. Her hands clutched at him, her fingernails digging into his back, only serving to spur him on more. Her moans came in hitching exhales into his mouth as they continued to kiss.
It was almost more than she could bear. She felt something coming to a breaking point. It was so close, almost tangible to her now. Her hips rocked, her muscles tightened.
Finally, a she felt what had been building in her center snap. Her breath caught in her chest, and then there was a sweeping feeling of release. Her voice rang out Ichigo's name, her hips rocking, body shuddering. She drew in ragged breaths, calling out again as her insides flexed around him. His thrusts became more uneven, and he gave one last hard stroke into her. He shook, a strangled moan escaping him. She felt her insides fill with heat.
The kiss broke as he lay on her, still inside of her, nuzzling his face into her neck, decorating it with gentle kisses.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear between kisses.
Orihime felt the happiest she had ever been.
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Anlanah unlocked her apartment door, slipping into the darkened home with Ryuuken right behind her. She removed her shoes and walked barefoot towards her bedroom. She heard the door close, but didn't bother to look at him. She had never told him about her grief. Hell, they'd never talked about it after it had happened. She had thought that they were both content to let the subject lie. There were other things that she would need to tell him now. Things she would rather leave unsaid, but would regret later if either of them failed to escape the situation they were in alive.
"Anna, where are you going?" Ryuuken demanded.
Without looking at him she replied: "To take a bath and change clothes. I haven't bathed since being injured, I've still got some blood on me, I can smell it even with these pathetic human nostrils. Just make yourself at home, Ryuuken."
She shut the door behind her, turned on the faucet in the bathtub and stripped. Her body was sore, but all traces of her wounds were gone. She inspected her naked form in the mirror. She hadn't been here long enough for the sickness to set in, but she figured being in human form for a few days would probably prevent it from coming on during her venture here.
The true reason her people had fled to a different universe was because of what human technology did to their bodies. As the ages progressed, and science became better and better, their kind became more and more ill. Eventually, they couldn't breed any longer, and facing extinction, they fled. The rapid industrialization of the world was the cause. The Sidhe were particularly susceptible towards it. Her grandfather, the former clan Head, had dubbed it Technositis as a joke. Very funny joke, it was always fatal, and slow to kill, and it was not gentle with the body. She'd been here a short time, and it usually took several months to set in, so she wasn't concerned. She'd either be dead, or back home by then.
Anna climbed into the bath, the hot water stinging her skin, easing the ache out of her muscles.
How would she explain to Ryuuken? He probably thought she held bitterness towards him. Even though he'd never show it, he probably felt guilty.
When she was done washing, she dried herself and then dressed. She threw on a simple, black, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of jeans that hugged her wry body. She gathered some clothes and shoved them into a duffle bag, taking care to bring her cloak and clothes from her own world. When she exited the bedroom, she walked to the door and set the bag down. Ryuuken was reading something on his cellphone, most likely going through his e-mail. She stood over him, not bothering to sit across from him.
He closed his phone and looked up at her from where he sat, posture perfect.
"What would you like to discuss, though I'm sure I can guess." Anna asked. He stood, looking her in the eyes, only a few inches taller than she.
"Anna, how did you know I had been married?" He asked shrewdly. By that, Anlanah was actually taken aback. Her lips parted in surprise, and she downcast her eyes.
"I just deduced it. I saw Uryuu before I saw you, the resemblance is uncanny enough," She responded.
"Anna, don't lie to me, please." He said flatly. Anna sighed. Her bloody human form made it impossible for her to conceal her emotions.
"Six years after I left for home, I came back to check up on you." She paused. "I suppose I had forgotten how long six years actually is for you. I had wanted to surprise you with my return, have a conversation with you that I'd never been able to have. When I arrived, I followed your reiatsu to your residence. I saw you, an infant, and a beautiful woman who couldn't be anything other than your wife. I'd never seen you so happy. So, I left."
"Ryuuken," Anna began. "Did you love her? Your wife I mean."
"Yes, very much so."
"Good, I'm glad. It makes me feel better about letting you go."
"I couldn't wait for you, Anna."
"I know that," She scoffed. "I'm a lot of things, Ryuu, a fool isn't one of them."
Silence stretched between them, Ryuuken was the first to break it.
"About what happened-"
"I don't blame you. I forgave you a long time ago, you know that."
"I don't regret saving your life." He said sternly. "I would do it again if it came to it. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to help you."
"I'm surprised at you, I didn't expect to ever have such a candid conversation."
"Why didn't you ever tell me how much pain you were in?"
Anna stiffened at that question, unsure of how to answer.
"I have never been one to grieve openly. And I had wanted very badly to leave it in the past."
She let a gentle smile color her features. Was that her sorry attempt at an apology? She became serious again. For so long she had wanted to have this conversation. But that didn't mean that it was easy.
"Ryuuken, I'm sorry for saying what I did, then." Her breath hitched. "It was cruel."
"It was, but I've never held it against you." He smiled. "You've never minced words, I've always liked that about you."
"I-I think I still love you," She said hesitantly. His hand came to rest on her neck, his thumb rubbing her cheek.
"Anna-"he cut himself off. "I loved my wife….but that doesn't mean that you never had your place in my heart."
"What will you do about it, then?"
A smile crossed his face. Anna's head tilted to the side in suspicion, her eyes narrowing, she knew that look.
"Nothing, right now," He said smirking. "What with your form being as weak as it is at the present moment, I'd fear breaking you."
Anna's eye twitched, but he was probably right. When a Sidhe transformed from Arsenic poisoning, it wasn't just the lack of power and durability that came with it. Their bones became brittle and their skin easy to tear and puncture. With a small amount of force, he could accidentally break her neck.
"I intend to stay here until I am no longer human, then I will return to Urahara Kisuke's home. I will want to start teaching all of them, as quickly as possible, as to how our bodies work. That and part of me gets the vibe from Urahara-san that he would love to study me while I change back." She shivered.
"Very well, I will be on my way, then." He replied stiffly.
"Wait-"Anna gripped his wrist before he could turn away. "Stay here. I have an extra futon. You wouldn't leave me here defenseless would you?"
Ryuuken seemed to understand that it was not a matter of being unable to defend herself, it was more of an insecurity for her. She felt weak, she wanted personal comfort.
"Very well," He sighed. "But once you are Fae again, we will need to see Kisuke again."
"Thank you, Ryuuken."
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So, you guys finally got your lemons!
I don't know if anyone else keeps up with the Manga: but holy shit was the last chapter a fangirl freakout!
SPOILER ALERT!
So, Kukaku said that "Uncle would be sad." If Ichigo came to harm. So, here's my theory. Isshin must have been related to the Shiba Clan in some way, so Ichigo looks so much like Kaien because Kaien is his Uncle! Masaki Kurosaki was actually Masaki Ishida, meaning that Ichigo and Uryuu are cousins.
Also, totally excited to see parts of Grimmjow too! My husband always said that Grimmjow is a character that could easily flop to the Shinigami side. Also, seeing the dead Fullbringers was pretty sweet, too. I'm finally eager to read Bleach every week again! I really hope they bring the anime back once the Manga story line is finished.
Once again, thanks for reading and feel free to review!
-Third.