When David told Ichigo that an angel had said that Tatsuki was the Antichrist, he immediately tried to deny. He wanted to say that it was impossible, that Tatsuki's only special talent was seeing the spirits of the dead. But the scary thing was… it actually made sense. Why else would the sins have gone after her? Why else would they fight to get their hands on her? When the horrifying realization finally set in, he simply sat in his seat at the tea table in the Urahara Shop, looking terrified. The source of all evil had the one key – the one person – that may have been able to stop him. For all they knew, Tatsuki was already corrupted and ready to kill all of them at a moment's notice.

"This is troubling," Kisuke said as he sipped a cup of tea. "Not only do we have the Seven Sins to face, along with Lucifer and who knows what else, but now we may have to fight Miss Arisawa as well."

"We won't have to," Orihime said as she trembled slightly at the very thought of facing her best friend like that. "I know Tatsuki. She's strong. She won't give in, no matter what Lucifer tries."

"We have to prepare for anything," David said with a remorseful expression. "The next time you see Tatsuki… it might not be Tatsuki anymore."

"No," Orihime refused to accept. "She's my best friend! She can't be evil!" The red-haired girl faced Ichigo. Her boyfriend held an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Ichigo, tell them! You've Tatsuki even longer than I have! Tell them that she'd never betray us!"

Ichigo gave his girlfriend a serious look. "As much as I don't like it, Orihime, I need to agree with David on this." At that moment, Orihime's face fell. "I'm sorry, Orihime, but we're dealing with ultimate evil here. Who knows what this guy is capable of?" He stopped for a minute, letting Orihime take in the horrible fact. "I trust Tatsuki as much as you do, but we have to be prepared."

Orihime turned away, suddenly finding the table to be very interesting. It quickly became clear to Ichigo that she was crying. He mentally cursed himself. He hated making her cry. It was a sign of her pain. A pain that he, unfortunately, knew only too well.

"If Tatsuki does end up like that," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "I promise, we'll get her back. It'll be okay. How many end-of-the-world situations have we been in before?"

Orihime rubbed her eyes in a vain attempt to stop her tears. She buried herself in Ichigo's chest. The orange-haired teen could do nothing but hold her and let her sorrow spill onto his shirt.

Kisuke watched the scene with an almost fatherly look. He then decided that now would be a good time to point something out. "I can build a Senkaimon that could take you to Hell."

The non-shopkeepers all stared at him in disbelief. "Y-you can do that?" Orihime asked hopefully.

Kisuke nodded. "It'll take a lot of work. Probably a full day if I work fast. This is a special case though. I've had rush jobs before, but the fate of the world demands instant gratification."

"Well get started," David said. "If you need any help, just ask. Two people get more done than just one person." Kisuke nodded appreciatively. The Grim Reaper then faced the two Japanese teens. "You two should go get some rest. God knows you've earned it, and you'll need it for what's coming."

Ichigo and Orihime nodded. The orange-haired boy helped his girlfriend to her feet, and the two of them left the shop. When they were gone, Kisuke stood. "Well," he said as he walked toward the part of the floor that led to his secret training ground, "I'd better get to work. You coming, Mr. Marshall?"

David stood and nodded. "Let's get this done. The sooner, the better."

-o-

Ichigo stood at the door to his home, clutching the doorknob and gritting his teeth behind his closed mouth. He took a deep breath as everything that had occurred today sank in. He opened the door and headed in. "I'm home," he announced. Almost immediately, his father appeared out of nowhere, his feet aiming for Ichigo's face. At least some things don't change.

Ichigo jumped and roundhouse kicked his father into the wall, then walked off to get something eat. When Isshin managed to pull his head out of the wall, he looked over at his son. He could already tell something was wrong. He followed his son into the kitchen.

"What's up, son?" the former captain asked. "Where's the witty remark about me being a terrible father for attacking you out of nowhere?"

Ichigo was silent for several moments. "I doubt you'd understand, Dad."

"Try me."

The orange-haired teen faced his father. "Tatsuki was kidnapped. And not by common thugs."

Isshin put on a look of surprise. "That's terrible. Arrancars?"

"Something worse," Ichigo replied. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Tell me anyway."

"Demons from Hell took her away." There was an awkward silence between father and son as Isshin took that in, eyes wide. Ichigo scoffed and turned away. "I'm going to bed. I need to get some sleep."

"Ichigo," Isshin said, getting his son's attention. "If you're going to find her, then don't worry. She'll be all right."

Ichigo opened his mouth, as if he were about to say something, but he stopped and nodded. "Right. Goodnight, Dad." He headed to the stairs and went up to his room.

Isshin smiled proudly. "He's going to be one hell of a man someday." He then looked over at his poster of his late wife. "Masaki… I have no doubt that you'd be proud of our son."

-o-

Orihime sat on the edge of her bed, her legs crossed, and her hands on her ankles. She couldn't even think about going to sleep tonight. Her concern for her best friend prevented rest. Her mind played out all kinds of scenarios; none of them good. She sighed helplessly and lay back in her bed.

She stared at the ceiling for what might as well have been an eternity. What if Tatsuki really did become a monster? What if the only way to save the world was to… she didn't want to think about any possible answers to that question. If it came down to a "humanity or friendship" event, she had no idea which one she would choose. She turned over on her side, her gray eyes lost in thought.

"Tatsuki," she muttered. "Please. Be safe." Slowly, almost painfully, sleep found her. She didn't dream.