Ulquiorra, the Lightning Spirit Slayer, the last obstacle in defeating Noches Espada. However, he has proven to the most challenging. Four of his own kind wasn't enough to defeat him. Grimmjow, Nel, and Muramasa were battered and beaten with Ichigo being held by his neck. It would seem that he has won in this battle and all Orihime did was stood there and watch with tears flowing down her face.

"This was bound to happen. It was inevitable." Ulquiorra said as he dropped Ichigo and he fell to the floor.

"No." Orihime whispered. She couldn't believe that the man that brought her to Fairy Tail, the man who always won was actually beaten in front of her eyes.

"Fairy Tail was warned of what would happen, but they ignored it." Ulquiorra said. "Perhaps if they would learn to actually listen, they wouldn't have suffered. This proves that all those foolish beliefs of theirs are nonsense."

"How can you say that if this fight isn't even over?" Ulquiorra looked back behind him and saw Ichigo continued to get back up. Despite all his injuries, Ichigo's spirit has still not been broken or slayed.

"Five Spirits"

"How can this be?" Ulquiorra said. "How are you still able to get up?" Ichigo didn't respond, but Ulquiorra payed attention to the rhythm of Ichigo's breathing. He also looked to the outside world and remembered what time of the day it is. "Of course. How could I have been so thoughtless? It's the middle of the night where you draw your power just from the air."

"It's more than that." Ichigo said. "I'm not going to roll over and die. I've got to beat you and I will."

"You don't have the strength." Ulquiorra said.

"That's what you think." Ichigo said as he still had the strength to make a jump and pounded Ulquiorra across the face and Ulquiorra slid back.

"Let me guess. You're doing this because of your emotions." Ulquiorra said. "They are more of a hindrance than a strength. They cause nothing, but pain."

"What don't you understand? They don't cause only pain." Ichigo said.

"No? Look at your friend." Ulquiorra said as they both looked over to Orihime with her tear stained face. "Right now, she's in deep pain. Tears have been running down her face. It probably feels like she has a hole in her chest. So tell me how that is strength?"

"Ever heard of the expression no pain, no gain?" Ichigo said. "Do you ever see the bright side of anything? There are emotions like sadness and anger that can hurt you, but there are others. There's joy and happiness….and any of those can be strength if you harbor them. That's what you're able to do in a guild."

"All you're talking is doing is annoying me." Ulquiorra said.

"Then let's stop talking and start fighting." Ichigo said as he dived right in. Ichigo kept throwing attacks as fast as he could, but Ulquiorra countered and defend just as quickly.

"This does you no good." Ulquiorra said. "Our power difference is too vast and no emotion you feel is going to change that. They serve no purpose so there is no need for them." Ulquiorra attacked, but Ichigo grabbed his arm.

"What a sad man you are." Ichigo said. "You're surrounded in darkness and you've embraced it. I don't know what happened that made you behave like this, but at this point, I couldn't give a damn care. You should know that there is always light." Ichigo drove his spare arm and was able to hit Ulquiorra across the face again. "What a pitiful man you are, Ulquiorra, because you've never seen the light."

"You tell him, Ichigo." Ulquiorra and the others looked around and saw Grimmjow and the others were getting back on their feet.

"Now all of them are back on their feet?" Ulquiorra said.

"We just needed a minute to catch our breath." Grimmjow said.

"Ichigo's still willing to fight. No reason we shouldn't be able to." Nel said.

"You can say whatever you want and hold extreme power, but we'll keep on fighting." Muramasa said.

"No matter how tough the opponent is, we have something to fight for and we won't give up." Ichigo said. "It's okay to feel sorrow, but we won't let that us keep us from fighting. We're taking our friend home and we'll fight for her. If a friend is sad or hurt, they can come to us because that's what it means to be a Fairy Tail wizard."

"Or a wizard from Blue Pegasus." Nel said.

"Or Cherry Sakura." Muramasa said. That's what Orihime remembered as well and she realized the big mistake she made.

'Of course. Fairy Tail never gives up the fight and I could have just ran to Ichigo or any of the others.' Orihime thought. 'Instead, I ran into the enemies demands. I was blinded by my broken heart from learning about my brother. I can't do anything to change that now. I just have to believe that Ichigo and the others can win.' She stood there and watch as the five spirits faced against each other one last time.

"Come." Ulquiorra dared.

"You asked for it!" Grimmjow said as he went to attack. He swung his leg, but Ulquiorra ducked down and drove his fist into Grimmjow's stomach, Nel was next s she launched one attack of light after another at him. Ulquiorra was able to avoid each of her blasts. Nel tried to hit him, but Ulquiorra deflected her attack and drove his elbow into her back. Muramasa attacked again as he got up close and kept throwing one attack after, but Ulquiorra countered all of them. Ulquiorra gave him an uppercut and had him hit the ceiling.

"Night Spirit's Reap Slash!" Ichigo swung his arm, but Ulquiorra bent back and avoided it and grabbed his arm. Ichigo could tell he was going to throw him. "Not this time." He tried using his spare arm to attack, but Ulquiorra grabbed that too.

"Where is this strength you keep talking about?" Ulquiorra said. He raised Ichigo off his feet and slammed him to the floor like a hammer. Ichigo tried to get back up, but Ulquiorra grabbed his head and shoved it back down. "You keep saying that emotions and heart are strength, but I don't see it. Where is it, Ichigo? Where is this strength you keep speaking of?" Even Ichigo didn't understand this.

'I don't get it. I've used everything Fairy Tail ever taught me and it still isn't enough.' Ichigo thought. 'I know Ulquiorra is wrong so how come he's winning?' Ulquiorra lifted him up so he could face him.

"Enough is enough. I'll see to it that you don't get back up ever again." Ulquiorra said. He held up his fingers to his chest and build up some power.

"No! Ulquiorra, please don't!" Orihime begged as she ran to help him.

"Stay back." Ulquiorra said as she shot out some lightning and it pushed her back. He returned his attention to finish Ichigo for good. "Lightning Spirit's Darkened Sky."

"STOP!" Orihime screamed, but it was too late. Ulquiorra unleashed the blast and it blasted right through Ichigo. Ulquiorra blasted Ichigo's chest and left a fresh hole where it was. The other three saw what Ulquiorra did and it felt like they all had one as well. "ICHIGO!"

"It is just as I said." Ulquiorra said and tossed Ichigo near Orihime.

"Ichigo!" Orihime said as she used her magic to try and heal him. If what she was told about her magic was true, perhaps she can save him.

"What good will that do? The result will just be the same." Ulquiorra said.

"You bastard!" Grimmjow shouted as he attacked again, but Uluiorra jumped out back and was outside now. What amazed everyone was that he was floating. "This guy can fly too?!"

"Enough playing around." Nel said as she was powering up a powerful attack.

"Good idea." Muramasa said as he did the same.

"Spirit Slayer Secret Art!"

"Shining Joust Lance!"

"Distortion Trident!" Both of them used their most powerful attacks and aimed for Ulquiorra, but he still seemed unfazed by them.

"Lightning Spirit's Whip!" Ulquiorra used his whip attack and lashed against both attacks to throw them off course and crash into each other to explode before they could reach him for everyone to see and wonder what's happening. "I've had enough." He placed his hands together and gathered magic power.

"Now, what is he doing?" Grimmjow said.

"Spirit Slayer Secret Art!" Ulquiorra pulled his hands apart and formed a lance of green energy that looked like it had flames on the end. "Lance of Lightning!" Ulquiorra tossed the lance right for the opening. It hit the floor and detonated with great devastating power that covered up the top half of the tower. It was like being in the center of a storm with lightning all around. Orihime was blown around by it and hit one of the crystal walls. She brought up her shield to try and protect herself until everything settled. When it did, the crystal structure wasn't damaged.

"You can't be serious. The tower isn't damaged at all. What is it made out of?" Orihime said. She looked around and saw everyone was hurt and unconscious. Not a single one of them was moving.

"It's over." Ulquiorra said as he stood in the air. "The crystal structure bounced the power of the attack around and made it more devastating. None of them will be getting back up after that." Orihime had such hope that they could still win, but it wasn't enough. She looked for Ichigo and saw her healing barrier protected him.

"This can't be happening. How could they lose?" Orihime said as despair worked its way around her again. She tried crawling over to Ichigo to heal him. "Ichigo, please, you need to get up. I need you now more than ever." So far nothing was changing and she couldn't do anything else, but let her tears flow down. "ICHIGO!" Her tears landed on the barrier and it caused some sort of resonation.

…

Ichigo

Ichigo's soul was in some sort of limbo between life and death as he was surrounded by darkness and drifting deeper inside. He couldn't understand how something like this could happen.

"I don't get it." Ichigo said as he wondered how Ulquiorra could have possible bested him. "How could I have been defeated by him?"

"Ichigo!" Ichigo looked up and saw a vision of Orihime crying. He could actually feel her tears, her sadness. It was there that he realized what was wrong.

"Of course." Ichigo said. "That's why I couldn't beat him. I thought that I was fighting to save Orihime and to stop Noches Espada, but I was lying to myself. I was fighting for revenge, to get payback at Ulquiorra from our first fight because he lied to us and didn't think I was worth fighting him in person. I can't fight like that anymore." He saw the truth and gave up fighting like that as he tried to get himself back up with a new resolve. "Ulquiorra, you said that Orihime is in pain because of her emotions. You're the reason for it! You hurt her! You made Orihime cry!"

…..

Orihime

Orihime continued to cry and Ulquiorra believed the fight between the five spirit slayers was over. However, h sensed another change with magic power and it was coming from Ichigo. Ichigo's body moved a little and the next thing anyone knew, bright red energy burst out and shattered Orihime's barrier. Ichigo got back on his feet with the hole closed and had a menacing look on his face.

"Ichigo?!" Orihime said as she wondered how this happened.

"Inconceivable. What does it take to kill him?" Ulquiorra said. Ichigo did want to finish this once and for all. Ulquiorra hurt Orihime. Now, it's Ichigo's turn to hurt Ulquiorra as he shot right out and headed straight for him.

"Ulquiorra!" A new resolve found in his last moments. This will be the final moment of this war.

…

Ichigo: Living for others, caring for others rather than yourself is what life is about. People can say that all they want, but the ultimate test is willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice. If you're willing to give up your life for the ones you love, then that is a true testament of how much they mean to you.

Next Time: Ultimate Sacrifice of Love

Ichigo: May those who have lost their lives for others rest in peace.