Disclaimer: Bleach is not my property. I don't even know why it's called Bleach. Can somebody please tell me why?
Warnings: Violence, AU, OOC, Spoilers for Episode 366 of the Anime
A/N: Chapter 7! Aaaah. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following. This story will not let me sleep because you guys inspire me so much. Like I am literally writing 24/7. Yay.
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VII.
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The door in the sky opens, revealing three Captains and two vice-captains. They offer him a brief explanation about the sword and reiatsu transfer, and Ichigo is awed and humbled by the extent that the Gotei 13 has gone for him.
Then Ginjo Kugo makes his move. Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho slashes the building diagonally. "Sorry, I missed," he tells the older man.
The other Fullbringers come out in full force. From the corner of his eye, he watches Rukia nod to Isshin and Urahara, then rise to join the others, the lieutenant badge gleaming on her left arm. He makes another mental note to ask her about it later.
Right now, Ichigo will fight this battle. Now that he has his best friend- his friends back, he can focus on one foe and not worry about the fate of everyone else.
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Orihime is crying, confused. She cannot understand why Ichigo is fighting against Tsukushima and Kugo.
"Aren't they supposed to be friends?" she sobs, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. Chad frowns, scanning the skies as the bright flashes of light mark the skirmish above their heads. "Why is Ichigo-kun doing this? Why aren't the captains stopping him?" Orihime wails.
"I think they are there to stop... Kugo-san," Chad mutters, surprised. Tsukushima appears behind them, placing a warm hand on their shoulders.
"But… Ichigo," Orihime holds her head as a barrage of random memories floods her mind -
Tsukushima rescuing her from her parents in the middle of the night;
Orihime looking up at the moon through iron bars;
a hollow version of her brother dragging her outside;
a cold expressionless voice telling her to eat or else she would be force-fed;
Tsukushima sitting beside her in class;
a hand reaching out to her before crumbling into ash;
Orihime herself pushing through people, spotting Ichigo and feeling determined to kiss him when the clock strikes 12 for the new year. She whimpers as Ichigo's face morphs into Tsukushima's, but there is something wrong, he has a skull fragment on the left side of his face, and black tear streaks appear on his cheeks.
Tsukushima-san.
Dimly she can hear Chad groaning beside her.
'What is going on?' she wonders. She doesn't want Ichigo. She wants Tsuku- no, that name is wrong. Ulq-
Orihime feels her head splitting open, with the force of something that should not be there. Then Urahara-san is beside her, and everything goes black.
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The Captains have defeated their respective Fullbringers and headed back to the Seiritei, leaving Renji and Rukia to witness the final battle between Ichigo and Ginjo Kugo.
It has been a long, difficult battle and both opponents are completely exhausted. Ichigo deflects the last desperate blast from Ginjo in his bankai form, absorbing and diffusing the angry red energy with his hand. He counters it with a diagonal slash across Ginjo's chest. The blood spatters across his face.
There is no triumph in Ichigo's face. He does not want to kill Ginjo, even after everything the man has done to him, but he knows his duty. He knows this man must be stopped. The injured older man plummets out of the skies, leaving a blue streak that other observers would think is a meteor. He lands on his feet, breaking it with his impact.
Their swords meet with a loud clang. Ginjo's moves are getting more and more desperate, his grunts and growls filling the night.
Ichigo has found a strange calm, his eyes ever watchful. He parries each thrust, sparks flying. Finally, Zangetsu breaks off the tip of Kugo's sword in a mighty blow. Kugo falls, almost in slow motion. His red eyes stare up at the heavens, a trail of blood slowly making it's way down his chin.
"Ichigo," He whispers. "If you had been the first, and I the second, would our roles be reversed now? Would you have become like me?" His bankai form melts away, leaving only a broken body and an imminent death.
Ichigo approaches, his features set in stone. But in his eyes, there is only pity for the fallen man. He pays his respects to his enemy at his last moments.
Ginjo Kugo, the first substitute Shinigami, is dead.
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The sound behind him has Ichigo whirling, a millisecond too late. Shukuro Tsukushima, blinded by grief, has drawn his sword, with the intent to kill the boy who murdered his mentor.
Ichigo can only watch as Rukia throws herself between them, to absorb the blow with her body. Then an even stranger thing happens; a green door opens in her chest, and Riruka Dokugamine pops out, taking the blade in her shoulder.
"Are you crazy? That's your killing people for real sword!" the diminutive redhead snaps at the hysterical man. Rukia is propelled backwards, into his arms. Holding her tightly, Ichigo backs them to a safe distance. Tsukushima shakes Riruka off his blade, and sprints towards their fallen leader.
"Open your fucking eyes. We couldn't save Ginjo. Ginjo saved us. and the one who saved Ginjo was Ichigo Kurosaki." Riruka, bloodied and on her knees, fights back tears. Tsukushima lets go of his sword, and it falls to the ground. The fight is over.
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"Ichigo." He looks down to find his arms curled around Rukia protectively. He turns his head to her cheek, overwhelmed by her scent, and resists the urge to nuzzle. But damn, it feels good to be holding her. He is close enough to see the light flush of her cheeks and hear the slight catch of her breath. Urahara's kids and Tessai appear, with stretchers and first aid kits to help the injured.
"Ichigo," Rukia repeats, her eyes straight. He feels her spine stiffen. "Let go." Reluctantly, he loosens his arms. She jerks away and faces him, her trademark scowl in place. "Are you hurt?" Her eyes spot the blood on his cheek but she keeps her distance, averting her eyes.
Ichigo shakes his head, his eyes drinking in the sight of Rukia. "No. How about you?"
She flushes and looks past his shoulder. "I'm fine."
They stand in silence for a second, then Ichigo snaps, "What the hell were you doing, jumping in front of that sword, Rukia?"
The stubborn set of her jaw is so familiar. "Well, you should be thanking me, idiot. If you're going to stand there gawping like a fish while someone tries to kill you...," she snarls, raising her fist. Then she remembers that she dislocated her shoulder while battling Riruka, and bites back a whimper.
Ichigo is on her in an instant. "You're hurt." His hands are gentle on her shoulder and upper arm. "Does it hurt here?"
"Don't- Just back off," Rukia bites out, walking away. "Let's just head over to Urahara's."
Ichigo watches her, confused, but follows her flash step into the night.
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Renji goes ahead to the Soul Society, bearing Ginjo's body (hopefully not for Kurotsuchi) but Rukia stays to wrap things up. The other Fullbringers have disappeared into the night.
Chad recovers quickly, although he does not speak a word. He claps Ichigo on the shoulder, nods, and then leaves the shop almost immediately. He does not know what to make of the jumbled mess of memories inside his head, but he knows that Ichigo is his friend, and he has a lot to make up to the redheaded shinigami.
Orihime drifts in and out of consciousness, plagued by nightmares. Rukia sits by her, holding her hand, as this seems to soothe her.
After all that has happened, she cannot find it in her heart to hate her. They have been friends for too long, and too much has passed between them for Rukia to begrudge her what happiness she may have found with Ichigo.
At some point in the night, Ichigo joins her vigil at Orihime's bedside. He tiptoes in, and settles on the tatami mat in the space between the wall and the bed, a few inches from Rukia.
Rukia does not say anything, her suddenly straight back belying her discomfort at his proximity. She does not look at him.
Ichigo decides to break the ice. "How are you, Rukia?"
She turns her head in his direction without looking him in the eye. "Fine." They settle into a heavy, awkward silence.
"So…," He tries again. "You, um… Congratulations. On the Vice-Captaincy. Nice badge there."
"Thank you."
"How is your shoulder?" Ichigo is quickly running out of topics.
"Fine. Maybe we shouldn't disturb Orihime with our talking," Rukia says curtly.
"I wanted to ask you a favour," Ichigo murmurs, lowering his voice. She tilts her head questioningly. "Can you please request permission for me to enter Soul Society? I need to speak with the Soutaichou."
Her lips tighten at his request but she nods, pulling out her communicator. He watches her type, her slender fingers picking out the buttons one at a time.
Ichigo wonders why he feels so… full, for want of a better term... just being near Rukia. And he wonders why she is even colder now than she used to be.
"Done," she hisses at him, over her shoulder. "We should hear back from them soon."
They lapse into silence again. From his corner, he can see the bottom half of her face in the candlelight, her teeth sinking into her lower lip and chewing on it. Rukia Kuchiki is anxious.
"Hey, Rukia," Ichigo reaches out, placing his hand flat on her back. The lip-chewing stops, and her whole body stills. "It's good to see you again."
She rises to her feet. "I need to go to the bathroom. I mean talk to Ukitake."
At that moment, Orihime whimpers in her sleep. Rukia uses that to flash-step out of the sliding doors. Ichigo sighs and puts his hand back on his knee.
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The next morning, Orihime wakes in the soft light, to see Ichigo curled up on the mats next to her. He is snoring slightly.
Rukia stands at the foot of her bed, watching him like an angel of death. Wait. That's exactly what she is. It makes her giggle.
"What are you smiling at?" Rukia asks her gently.
"You're an angel of death. But you're one of my best friends." Orihime reaches for her hand. "I'm so happy to see you again, Rukia-chan." She tries not to cry. She knows it would make Rukia sad.
A headache blindsides her and then everything comes back in a flood. The nausea rises quickly. Rukia hands her a bucket and holds her hair while her stomach empties itself, tears streaking down her cheeks.
When she is done, Rukia hands her a wet cloth to wipe her mouth, and a glass of water with two pills.
The gentleness in her eyes has Orihime's tears flowing again. "Rukia-chan, you are so good to me."
Rukia gives her a small smile. "You are my friend, too. It is good to see you."
"And Tsukushima-san?" Orihime asks.
Rukia looks her in the eye. She was warned not to push Orihime, because of her fragile state. "He is not dead. But we do not know where he is."
"Oh." The auburn-haired girl looks sad. "I hope he is happy, wherever he is." Her eyes slide over to Ichigo guiltily, and a flush rises to her cheeks. "I'm glad we are all safe though." She curls up on her side, facing Rukia, and pats the bed next to her. "Come, you can lie down here, Rukia-chan. You look exhausted."
Rukia is not quite sure what to do, so she stretches out on the futon next to Orihime. She tries to take up as little space as possible, but her shoulder injury limits her motions.
"Oh, you are hurt." Orihime quickly summons her fairies, enveloping both girls in a golden pod.
Rukia sets her jaw as she feels the tingling sensation of healing in her shoulder.
Orihime snuggles into her other shoulder, hugging her. "I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you, Rukia-chan. I don't know what I would do if- if-"
The healing pod also slowly clears her mind, aside from soothing her headache. Rukia reaches up, awkwardly patting Orihime on the head with her good hand. The enclosure reminds Rukia of her closet bed, and she drifts off soon after.
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Meanwhile, Orihime's memories are coming clearer and clearer, an unexpected side effect of the healing pod.
She remembers New Year's eve again. She remembers being so desperately lonely after Hueco Mundo. How the blaze of colour and noise and people are overwhelming, but do not fill the emptiness inside.
She sees Ichigo standing off to the side, and the look on his face. She can see that he is going through the same panic attack that she is, right now. A noisemaker has him flinching.
'If I go to him maybe we can weather this together,' Orihime thinks. She pushes through people, as fast as she can, hoping to reach him before the count ends because she is afraid of the noise that will ensue.
She sees Rukia appear before him, a ghost in black amidst the blur of light. The black of her shihakusho steadies Orihime for a moment, a calm port in the storm. Rukia is the only thing keeping Orihime from insanity right now.
Ichigo is about to lose it, Orihime can tell. She tries to call to them but there is no hearing her above the cacophony. He won't be able to see Rukia-chan, and she sees his fists start to shake.
Thinking quickly, Orihime steps forward, careful to go around Rukia, planting a kiss onto Kurosaki-kun's cheek to catch his attention. That jolts him out of his state. The world goes crazy. Orihime tries to explain that Rukia is there, but he cannot hear her above the noise. She turns to look at Rukia, but the girl is gone.
Later on, she tries to tell Ichigo, but he refuses to talk about Rukia.
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Eyes wide, Orihime turns to the shinigami sleeping beside her.
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A/N: Bahahaha I am feeling silly.
Ichigo is dreaming right now.
Rukia and Orihime approach him in school.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime greets. "We have decided to be in a relationship with each other. We don't need you anymore."
Rukia nods, holding Orihime's hand.
Chizuru appears. "I will be a flower girl at their wedding."
"Tatsuki is my maid of honour!" The dark haired girl appears in a suit next to Orihime.
"My best man is Renji!" Rukia high-fives the red pineapple.
"I'm officiating." Byakuya appears, in white robes.
"What about me?" Ichigo asks, hurt.
"You can be the strawberry!" Both girls chorus, throwing buckets of chocolate at him.
He wakes up, his back aching from the mat on the floor, then jumps in surprise when he sees both girls asleep on the futon.
A/N II: So... no need to hate Orihime.