WARNING!

This chapter will include: depictions of blood and injury, somewhat graphic descriptions of major injuries.

Probably nothing too major to warrant a warning, but I feel like I wrote the descriptions and the imagery somewhat graphically, so this is here just in case.

You have been warned!


Tatsuki sighs quietly, scraping her nail against the cheap wood of Orihime's dining table. She can't help, but feel on edge; it gave her a damn headache.

Something was going on with Ichigo... More so than usual.

Tatsuki can't help the silent snarl at the thought of that damned man. She clenches her eyes shut with another sigh.

"Worried about Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asks softly, snapping Tatsuki out of her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh..." Tatsuki rests her chin on her palms with a small frown. "Yeah... he's been out of it this past week..."

"Since the truck ran through that house?" Orihime questions with bright and worried eyes. Tatsuki hums her affirmation, glancing off to the side.

"Something else had happened... I think–I don't know... I'm just–" Tatsuki cuts herself off with a low grumble. She rubs her eyes with a slight wince, despising how sensitive they are and cursing her haywire instincts.

She doesn't really want to think about it just yet, but she's clearly starting to present. It's not a bad thing, but she has a lot more problems to deal with than dealing with a presentation. And that damn bastard... it'd just cause more problems for Ichigo. Especially if all of the signs while she grew point true to her being an Alpha.

She'll wait to tell her parents; pretend she was simply too busy with her upcoming competition to recognize the symptoms. Being Ichigo's childhood friend gave her family the unfortunate perk of having a doctor to help them. Damn fucking bastard...

"He'll be okay!" Orihime states brightly, beaming at her best friend. "You'll just karate chop the meanies that cause Kurosaki-kun any problems!"

Orihime shouts out an exaggerated 'kai' with a hand-chopping motion. Tatsuki smiles with a faint chuckle and a shake of her head.

"If Ichigo doesn't get to them first," Tatsuki points out with a significantly lighter tone. Orihime beams even brighter as her eyes shine in clear determination.

Despite her own immense misfortune in life, Orihime always finds the light in an otherwise completely awful situation. Tatsuki somewhat envies and greatly admires that ability of the bubbly teenager so much. Call her a pessimist or call her biased based on what she has witnessed as Ichigo's childhood friend all you like, she can never find the light in a situation before finding the worst parts of it first.

Tatsuki bolts up with a narrowed gaze and a snarl. Half a beat passes and something loud and inhuman almost seems to scream.

"What was that?!" Orihime whips around with wide eyes, glancing everywhere in her apartment. She glances back at the short haired teenager who continues to growl lowly from the back of her throat.

A teddy bear falls off of a shelf, making Orihime jump and Tatsuki snarl. Orihime gasps and bolts out of her chair.

"Oh no! Enraku fell down!"

"Orihime!" Tatsuki growls, trying to grab the orange haired teenager's arm before she could get any closer. She growls again and rushes after Orihime, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back.

"Tatsuki-chan?!" Orihime turns her head to stare up at her best friend with wide eyes.

Tatsuki looks around the seemingly empty apartment, still fiercely snarling. She doesn't know why her instincts were screaming at her. She doesn't know why her body is screaming at her to fight–to protect Orihime. All she knows is that it isn't safe and they need to get out of here.

"Orihime, we gotta go. Not safe," Tatsuki says as she tugs Orihime's arm and begins to stalk towards the door.

"T-Tatsuki-chan! What–" Orihime crumples to the floor, limp and lifeless. Tatsuki reels back from the sudden pull and whips her head down towards her best friend.

Everything stops, freezes. Tatsuki releases a breath and crouches down.

"Orihime?" Tatsuki grabs Orihime's shoulder and shakes her. She doesn't even twitch; her eyes were completely dull and lifeless. Like she–

"Orihime!" Tatsuki shouts louder, moving to kneel next to the orange haired teenager's body. She's about to place her fingers against Orihime's neck when she's suddenly thrown back.

Tatsuki chokes on a breathless scream as red fills her vision and her chest burns hot with agony. Her back slams against a dresser, one of the handles dig into her spine and stars fill her vision.

She tries to get any amount of air, but her lungs won't work. She can't see anything in front of her, only blood and an unconscious Orihime. She can see only blood.

"O-Ori–" Tatsuki lurches forward with a breathless gasp. She falls onto her front and into the blood splatter across the wooden floors. Her hands scratch into the floor as she writhes in pain.

Someone–something is here. She has to get Orihime out. She has to get Orihime out of here! She can't–she can't breathe... Why can't she breathe?

Tatsuki presses a hand to her chest, trying desperately to any amount of oxygen. She lifts her hand and tries to sit up. Her hand comes back stained completely bright crimson, as if she had placed her hand on wet paint.

"–me. Ori–hime–" Tatsuki chokes on her words, biting her tongue and grabbing her throat. She tries to crawl instead.

Something slams against her back, making her mouth open in a soundless screech. She tries to push against it–tries to get out from under the force, but she can't move. It pushes further and she feels her ribs creak and pop.

What's happening? What's stopping her from moving? Why can't she breathe? Why can't she see it?! She has to get out of this damn hold! She–she–Orihime. She has to get to Orihime. She has to get to Orihime! Let her go... Let her go!

Tatsuki claws into the wooden floor, splitting two of her nails. Her face is purple and her eyes were bloodshot. Stars fill her vision as her struggling slows.

Get off, get off, get off, get off! Get off!

Tatsuki feels her head slam against the ground as whatever had been forcing her against the ground is abruptly thrown off–or it feels like it's thrown off. She still can't breathe, even as she feels something cold wash over her back.

Air enters Tatsuki's lungs as her eyes flutter close. She barely takes notice of soft raven hair and hardened violet eyes hovering above her before she passes out.


𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻.

There's a deep slice across Tatsuki's chest. Ichigo can see her lungs and her rib-cage and the blood that had splattered across the floor. Even as Rukia ever so slowly knits back the skin and the tissue and the organs, Ichigo can see Tatsuki's heart.

𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻.

Ichigo can see Tatsuki's heart.

𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻.

Tatsuki, Ichigo's childhood friend and the only one outside of his family who knows about his presentation. Tatsuki, one of the only people out of three he trusts with the lives of his pups.

𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻.

Ichigo can see Tatsuki's barely beating heart.

"Ichigo! The Hollow!" Rukia barks loudly, barely glancing at the looming figure of the Hollow before focusing all of her attention on the human she was trying her damnedest to save.

"You..." Ichigo releases a shaky breath and slowly looks up. His eyes were gleaming silver and were dark with ice and fury.

"TATSUKI!" Orihime screams in agony, hands covering her mouth. A wail leaves her mouth and makes Rukia's kaidō stutter from the sudden feral panic and need to protect washing over her at the unbearable scent.

The cry of a pup; the wail of a Lone Pup.

Rukia snaps her head up with horror stricken across her face. Ichigo growls loudly gripping the hilt of his zanpakutō.

"You fucking bastard!" Ichigo hisses before he leaps towards the Hollow.

"Kurosaki Ichigo... Stop getting in my way!" The Hollow roars, its tail flicking out and almost slamming Ichigo through a wall. Ichigo slams his sword against the tail, growling like a beast as it barely makes a gash.

Inoue Sora roars and flicks his tail up, slamming Ichigo against the ceiling. "You... you're the bastard! You keep taking Orihime away from me! You... you and that girl! I'll kill you both! Orihime is mine!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia cries out before cursing under her breath and glances back down at the unconscious teenager she is healing.

Ichigo's eyes flutter at the ringing in his ears and the pain that zaps along his spine. His instincts scream at him and he barely maneuvers himself to fall right onto his knee. Ichigo scrambles to jump back, slamming his back into a wall to avoid Sora's tail.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime rushes forward with tears falling like a broken faucet, breaths barely entering her lungs before they leave in sobs, and her entire body shaking her in despair and terror.

"Stay!" Ichigo growls through his pain, tightening his grip around the hilt of his zanpakutō. Orihime releases another cry before she falls to the ground with a sob.

"Inoue... Inoue is not yours!" Ichigo snarls loudly, eyes staying more silver than brown as each second passes. "You died! Inoue is not yours!"

"SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER WHAT SHE ASKED FOR! THIS! THIS IS WHAT SHE ASKED FOR!" Sora roars before charging forward. Ichigo growls and slashes his zanpakutō up, slicing through Sora's chin before his tail to throw Ichigo through the air and crashing through Orihime's bathroom door.

Sora screeches loudly as his dismembered tail flails across the ground. "NO ONE WILL TAKE MY SISTER AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!"


The morning Inoue Sora had died, Orihime did not remember most of what had happened. She remembers the argument‒and the pain. Oh Gods, Onīchan had died with Orihime's horrible words‒and the blood and the heaviness of a man's dead weight. She doesn't remember carrying–dragging‒her brother to the random family clinic she had come across. She doesn't remember her tears or her inconsolable wails or how the paramedics that arrived too late had to sedate her.

She remembers her Onīchan, usually so strong and bright and kind, ashen and limp with his blood covering her entire back and making her clothes stick to her like a second skin. She remembers how she rubbed her hands raw to get rid of the blood‒how she couldn't wipe it off. It can never come off. It never comes off‒and she remembers her own screams and pleas.

"Don't leave me! Onīchan‒Onīchan, don't leave me! Please! Promise me you won't leave! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Onīchan told her years ago that they only had each other in their pack. There was no one else. And there wasn't. No one wanted to take in a lone pup. No one wanted to take in the daughter of a prostitute and an alcoholic. No one wanted to take in the younger sister of a lone Beta that abandoned his own pack to save his sister. No one wanted that kind of bad luck.

Orihime shakily reaches a hand up to cover her mouth. Her eyes grow wide as her skin goes white.

"O-Onīchan...?" Orihime's voice tapers off in horror. Her hand shakes as her stomach twists into a thousand knots. It takes everything in her not to throw up.

Her brother... her brother is this‒this monster? Her brother‒her brother hurt Tatsuki-chan? Her brother... hurt Tatsuki-chan. Her brother hurt Kurosaki-kun.

"No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Orihime weeps loudly falling forward with a hand pressed against the ground. She heaves loudly, choking on her tears.

Onīchan wouldn't‒Onīchan wouldn't do this!Onīchan wouldn't harm her friends... Onīchan...

Orihime releases a loud wail, clawing at her neck. She shakes her head, refusing to believe it. She can't‒she won't!

"Orihime... Orihime, I'm here... like you asked for so long..." The monster‒the wretched monster with Onīchan's eyes speaks cruelly. "Do you remember me now? Orihime... I was so upset when you stopped talking to me... when you only talked about that girl and that damn Kurosaki! Now... now we can be together again."

"You‒you aren't‒monster! You‒you are a monster!" Orihime wails, staring at the monstrosity that has her brother's eyes and her brother's aura.

A scream is ripped from her throat unbidden as the monster swipes at the ground next to her, clawing up wooden panels. Orihime covers her face before the monster grabs her in its clawed hand.

"How dare you speak to me that way! I AM YOUR BROTHER! YOU MADE ME THIS WAY!" The monster roars, pressing his claws against Orihime's throat.

Orihime gasps for breath, scratching at the claws choking her. This wasn't her brother‒this couldn't be her brother! She‒did she really make Onīchan a monster? She‒she didn't want him to be a monster... she didn't want him to feel lonely. She never forgot him‒she‒she‒

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK TO INOUE LIKE THAT!" Orihime gasps for air as she falls. Something warm and safe catches her and holds her protectively before she could even hit the ground.

Ichigo held her to his chest, her head pressed against the crook of his neck. Blood fell from his head and dripped onto Orihime's cheeks. His lips were pulled back into a dark snarl, blood staining his teeth and really pronouncing his sharp incisors and even sharper canines. His eyes glittered like full moons, fully silver and bright with feral fury.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! Get your hands off of her!" The monster roars as it charges forward.

A whine leaves Orihime's mouth instinctively, and if she had recalled this night later when everything is over, she would have felt embarrassed when she pressed her nose against Ichigo's covered scent gland. Another whine leaves her mouth before Ichigo jumps back to avoid a hit from the monster.

A purr leaves Ichigo's throat as he butts his head against his fellow ginger's. He stares into her eyes, wide-eyed and clear, before setting Orihime down next to Rukia and Tatsuki.

"Safe," The word rumbles from Ichigo's chest before he presses his forehead against Orihime's. "Stay with Rukia. Safe."

Orihime whimpers, clenching her hands around the weird garment Ichigo wore. Ichigo huffs and wraps an arm around her. He stays like that for only a second before he raises his sword to parry the monster's next attack.

Orihime whines and releases Ichigo's clothes, only to immediately reach over and wrap her arms around Rukia's arm. A small rumble escapes Rukia's throat before she rapidly blinks and cuts off the sound, as if she didn't mean to try and comfort the teenager.

Orihime stared down at Tatsuki-chan, and where the monster had ripped open her chest with a single attack. Orihime releases a soft cry, staring at the raised and puckered scar stretched across Tatsuki-chan's chest.

"It'll‒it'll be okay. Ichigo will defeat the Hollow‒Ichigo will save us... and your brother," Rukia speaks slowly and confidently. She lets the weird green aura surrounding her hands fall away and grabs Orihime's hand.

Rukia stares at Orihime, confident and reassuring and protecting. "I swear he will."


Ichigo spins on his heel and stalks forward. His hands constantly clench and unclench as he stares down at his feet with wide eyes.

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ.

Ichigo staggers at the sudden stars in his eyes. A choked gasp escapes his mouth before as he tries to stay upright. He swallows the swell of blood in his mouth and starts to pace again.

Rukia stood out of his way, below the flickering streetlight. She watches the blood fall and splatter against the ground with a closed off gaze, yet her tense shoulders and her twitching fingers showcase how worried she really felt. Ichigo doesn't notice. He doesn't pay attention to anything around him.

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ.

Ichigo runs a shaking hand through his hair, ignoring the flakes of blood and the hair clumped together by it drying, and growls. He turns around and starts to walk towards Orihime's apartment. He falters and stares up at the darkened window before growling again.

"I can't‒we need to check if they're safe. I‒" Ichigo huffs and turns around. His hands clench and unclench.

Rukia's weird ass memory alteration device will stop them from remembering everything. But Tatsuki was still injured‒still needed to go to the hospital. And so did Orihime. She had been near inconsolable with grief at the fact that she finally helped her brother pass over–helped turn him back from being a monster.

The apartment is currently blocked off by the police. Ichigo hates it.

He can't stop thinking about Tatsuki's heart and lungs exposed to the world. He can't stop thinking about those claws piercing through Orihime's neck as they choke her. He can't stop thinking about Orihime's wails, calling for a pack that doesn't exist.

Ichigo suddenly crouches with a hand pulling harshly at his own hair. Ichigo shakes his head, banging his other hand against his forehead to push away the images.

Rukia steps forward with wide eyes. "Ichigo‒"

"They could have died. They... Tatsuki... Inoue‒" Ichigo swallows the whine he almost voices and releases a growl instead.

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ.

Protect. He has to protect them. What if the Hollow attacks again? They could get killed! He has to‒he has to go and protect them. He has to‒

"Ichigo." Rukia is crouched next to Ichigo with a hand pressed to Ichigo's hand pulling at his own hair. "Ichigo... they're okay. Everyone's okay... let's go home."

ʀᴜɴʀᴜɴʀᴜɴsᴀғᴇʀᴜɴsᴀғᴇsᴀғᴇsᴀғᴇᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀsᴀғᴇʀᴜɴʀᴜɴ.

A cry partially escapes Ichigo's throat and he's suddenly thrown back to that day. Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies–

Ichigo slaps away Rukia's hand with a snarl. "Don't touch me! And don't you fucking dare call that hellhole my–"

Ichigo snaps his mouth closed. His eyes are wide with shock and small, short breaths leave his nose in quick bursts. He swallows down his panic and his confusion and tries to scramble away from the Shinigami as casually as possible.

His throat burns hot and his eyes start to ache. Ichigo stalks down the street without another glance or word towards Rukia. He stumbles and quickly grabs a streetlight to keep himself from falling.

"Fuck... Fuck!" Ichigo could barely see his own feet. Everything was warped behind the stars filling his vision. There was a ringing in his ears and his stomach churned.

"...Ichigo?" Rukia calls out worriedly, taking a few steps towards the teenager. She doesn't reach out to touch him.

Ichigo slurs out a curse before his body crumbles to the ground. He barely hears the shout of his name and hands pressed against his chest before his eyes roll up into the back of his head.

The Omega is already unconscious when a whisper tugs at the back of his mind, unnoticed and unheard. "...safe, Ichigo... so rest."


Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! Quite a bit of a shorter wait than the last chapter (I am still so sorry about that).

A bit of a darker twist to the fight against Orihime's brother turned Hollow, but definitely a take I enjoy more than the canon fight.

Next chapter will definitely be longer, or at least I plan for it to be longer, but we'll see how it all goes.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.

WhovianWhoudini