Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Hollow Charm ❯ Violence Unasked ( Chapter 16 )

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters.

 

Violence Unasked

 

He'd seen her twice by using the charm and he was worried. She had assured him that she would try to escape, but would that even be possible? Her powers, while useful, would be ineffective in trying to break through walls. The whole reason he'd come to this place was to rescue Orihime and possibly to beat up Grimmjow and destroy the Hyogyoku. The fact that he had been forbidden to make this journey by the Captain-General had only encouraged him. He was here for Orihime, the other matters were secondary.

 

“Can you sense her?” he asked Uryu.

 

The Quincy shifted his gaze from Renji who was whispering something is Rukia's ear which was making her smile. “I don't know how much help those two will be. It would have been better if they discovered their love for each other after this mission. Yes, I can sense Orihime. Follow me.”

 

Leading the way he quickly moved in the direction of the large structure.

 

“Itsy, can I come wif you?” Nel asked wistfully.

 

Having met the strange family shortly before Rukia turned up had been interesting, but he wondered would they be helpful or cause more difficulty? The big hopeful eyes of Nel reminded him of Yuzu and Yachiru, in some manner. “Yeah, come with me, Nel, but don't get in the way. If there's a fight, run. Understand?”

 

Nel nodded and happily skipped behind him as the rest of her family straggled in the rear. They had ridden the large creature, Bawabawa, and had made good headway, but now the group had decided to walk.

 

“Orihime said something about Aizen wanting this charm. What should I do with it?” he asked, hoping someone, anyone, would have an idea. He pulled the charm out of his pocket and looked at it, hoping it would turn warm again so he could at least see Orihime for a few seconds. Holding it in his hand was no compensation for holding her in his arms, but it was better than nothing, barely.

 

“What is dat, Itsy? Can I see? Ooohh, pretty. I wonder what it tastes like,” Nel grabbed the charm from Ichigo and promptly swallowed it.

 

“I don't think that's a good idea, don't you know, Nel” Dondochakka exclaimed, trying to catch the small figure. He glanced nervously at Ichigo's infuriated face. “I think you should give it back to the bad man.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It was given to me by the person I've come to rescue,” Ichigo said as calmly as he could, while nearly yelling. It wasn't possible for him to remain cool. He knew that Nel was only a child and did not understand the importance of the charm, but he wanted it back. It was his last gift from Orihime.

 

Pesche started waving his arms around and running back and forth. “Don't worry. It will come out. Nel, you could be sick and get it out that way.”

 

“Don't want to,” said Nel sulkily. Her eyes filled with tears at the anger evident in Ichigo's face. “Itsy's angry with me. I don't like him no more. He's a bad person.”

 

Chad knelt down and looked into Nel's face. “You do not mean that. It might be a good idea if we leave the charm where it is. Aizen would not expect the charm to be inside her. If he wants it, I suggest we should not let him get it.”

 

“Chad is correct. Since Nel swallowed the charm, I cannot feel its influence,” was the support given by Uryu. He looked at Nel with a slight touch of fascination. “I wonder what power it is that you have.”

 

“It can't be harmed that way, Ichigo. I read about it in the book. Let her keep it safe for you, and stop wearing that expression. You're such a grouch. Lighten up or you'll scare everyone with that face,” Rukia finally paid some attention to the other people with her, but her hand remained within Renji's.

 

Ichigo scowled at her and she poked her tongue out at him and then stretched her eyes with her fingers, while waggling her tongue at him further. Reluctantly he smiled at the faces she was pulling at him.

 

“You will come to the wedding, won't you Chad, Uryu?” Renji seemed keen to get an answer.

 

“Why are you asking them and not me?” Ichigo said. It was irritating that this guy seemed more concerned that Chad and Uryu would be present. Why were they more important than him?

 

Renji punched him hard in the shoulder. “I want you to be a page boy, kid. I think you'd look cute in the shorts and long socks. Maybe you could grow you hair long and we could curl it into ringlets.”

 

Outraged, Ichigo drew Zangestu and pointed it at Renji's neck. “No frigging way am I going to be a page boy. That's for children, and I'm not a child.”

 

Laughing raucously, Renji batted Ichigo's blade away from his throat. “You are to me. And you'd look like crap with ringlets. You'll be there. Rukia's going to ask Orihime to be a bridesmaid and if your girlfriend is there you will be, so I don't need to ask.”

 

“As yet she is not his girlfriend. He has not asked her,” Uryu explained to Renji.

 

Renji nudged him in the shoulder, harder than necessary. “Better get a move on `Berry. She won't wait forever.”

 

“She was captured by Aizen,” was the mumbled response. Ichigo knew he should have said something before this. He'd had the opportunity, many times, to tell her how he felt, but each time he'd lost his nerve at the last moment. He'd only told her that he cared about her; that he liked her but that was only a small part of how he felt. This time they had spent apart had made him understand that he didn't wish to waste his life. She loved him, he knew that. She had loved him for so long and he had taken it for granted, depending on that emotion remaining constant. Feelings could change, especially if it seemed they weren't returned.

 

As soon as he saw her, he would ask the question before anything could interfere. Once she knew how he felt, he hoped she'd never leave him again.

 

**********************

 

Running, she moved as fast as she could away from the place that had become her prison. Tired though she was, fear and the possibility of seeing Ichigo made her feet move faster and she wondered if she was even making contact with the ground as she sped toward the cloud of dust.

 

As she ran she noticed that her impressions of the landscape were correct. This place was barren, dark, and cold with the occasional dead tree adding a touch of the macabre to the already ghoulish place. It seemed an appropriate abode for the man who tried to kill Ichigo and Rukia, as cold and cruel as he was. Mr Aizen was not the kindly person he tried to appear when he talked to Orihime. The further she moved from his influence, the more certain she became that he wanted to use her for his own benefit, not to help any one else.

 

Dragging her mind away from the man who had tried to bribe her into joining him, she looked forward to the place she wanted to be. “It has to be Ichigo. It has to be. If it's not Ichigo I may as well go back and let that green eyed Arrancar keep me prisoner, of throw myself on Grimmjow's mercy. I don't think he's very merciful. I remember how much he laughed as he killed that Arrancar after I healed his arm. Please let it be Ichigo. Please, please. I promise, I won't ask anything else if that's Ichigo come to save me. I'll leave here with him and go home. I won't ask for anything else. If I can leave this place with Ichigo I won't expect more from him. I'll be his friend and watch out for him, heal him when he needs it. I'll form other interests, maybe work my way through all the ice cream flavours. That should keep me busy. Or I could see what I need to study to be an astronaut. Please let it be Ichigo. Then it will all be all right and life can go back to normal. I'll give food to the poor; I'll work in a shelter. I'll learn to cook food people like to eat. Anything, if it's Ichigo.” She didn't realise she was speaking aloud until she heard the desperation in her voice and then she paused, wondering who she was trying to bargain with. Was she bargaining with herself, or some unspecified divine being who might listen to her repeated supplications. “Please let it be Ichigo,” she repeated and kept repeating as she ran.

 

Her attention was completely focused on where she was going, not where she had been and it struck her that she should also be considering possible pursuit. If someone was chasing her, with her newly changed powers, would she battle them? There was the other question she was reluctant to answer. If she had to kill anyone, would she be able to do so? So far she had only killed monstrous Hollows. Her one attempt to fight an Arrancar had led to the near destruction of Tsubaki, but that wasn't the only factor that was worrying her. It was that her powers had told her they were tired by the transformation and she feared they might not be able to help if she was attacked.

 

If that were the only problem she could see, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but all the things that had been said to her by Mr Urahara, Ichigo, Hachi, Yoruichi and anyone else who had commented on her ability to fight echoed through her mind. Despite all the assurance from Ayame and the others, she doubted that she could hurt something that was not a Hollow; she didn't feel any change that made her desire to battle anyone. Fighting still seemed like something she left to other people.

 

The ground sloped sharply and she found she was running faster, almost tripping as the sand slid under her feet. It was colder outside than it had been within her prison, but the exercise was warming her. Her heart lightened the further she moved from the place that contained Aizen and closer to where she hoped to find Ichigo. Again her thoughts filled with Ichigo and her legs moved even faster as her desire to see him grew. Her senses told her that she was moving in the right direction. If she could grow wings she would so she could fly to him. As her hair flew out behind her and she found her speed increasing, she noticed the sand appeared less slippery; in fact it did not seem to move under her feet at all. Glancing down she saw they were gliding inches above the sand and she was moving faster than her usual running speed. The fact that she noticed made her stumble and her feet encountered the sand. Moving as fast as she was, her footwear did not grip the surface, so slithering and then stumbling, she fell. Instead of rolling down the hill as she expected, in those few seconds as she anticipated the damage that would result from the fall, she landed heavily on her hands and knees.

 

“So clumsy,” a voice remarked.

 

“Yes, Aizen sama's little human moves like a cow and has the udders to prove it,” another voice added. “What he sees in her, I can't imagine, though she looks different, somehow.”

 

“He won't be happy when he finds she's decided to go for a walk.”

 

“A long walk. A very long walk. Maybe she'll get lost and won't come back.”

 

Slowly Orihime began to rise to her feet her eyes fixed on the two female Arrancar she had instinctively disliked. Loly and Menoly were standing close glaring down on her, derision evident on their faces. Distracted for a moment she looked at what they were wearing. After observing closely and comparing their clothes to hers, she decided that while she still hated her outfit with a passion, it was a model of good taste compared with those worn by these two creatures. Had Aizen designed the uniforms, or was it the creepy Mr Ichimaru?

 

Loly kicked out, striking Orihime's hand, causing her to fall. “Clumsy, clumsy clot. She has trouble walking and now she can't even stand up.”

 

Menoly was giggling. “My turn.”

 

Orihime was scared. These two would injure her, if they could. No amount of pleading or pleasantness would change their minds. She would have to choose: allow them to hurt her or fight back. Ichigo was too far away to protect her.

 

“If you try to hurt me again, I'll retaliate,” she said, her voice quivering as she tried to provide them with a warning.

 

Her two tormentors looked at each other for a moment and then started laughing, loudly and jeeringly.

 

“She'll fight back, Loly. I'm scared.” Menoly hugged herself in exaggerated fear and rolled her eyes.

 

“Protect me Menoly. She's going to hurt me. I wish we had a big strong person to save us from this evil coward. Look at her, she's shaking,” Loly pointed out and began to laugh even harder.

 

Orihime was now on her feet. “I don't know any of the new words except the one to break walls. I can't use that. What will I do?” were the thoughts that rushed through her mind as she worried. “I won't let them hurt me. I could call Tsubaki, but I don't want to.”

 

Out loud she said the first words that she thought of, “Santen Ketsuhun, I reject” hoping that she could at least still shield herself from attacks without hurting the person attacking.

 

Things did not quite go as she expected. Instead of forming a protective shield, the barrier burst outward and hit the two Arrancar, knocking them unconscious in mid giggle.

 

She looked disbelievingly at the unconscious bodies. Even though she didn't wish to, watching their expressions change from malicious amusement to fear did make her feel a little proud, until a fluttering figure drew itself to her attention. “Ooops, sorry Orihime. We don't know our own strength and it went a little out of control,” Lily explained sheepishly.

 

Looking closely she wondered if Baigon was smiling. It was hard to tell but his eyes were creased at the corners. “We all need to work on perfecting this new strength and its effect on our previous abilities. But shouldn't you be moving onward before these creatures again become conscious?”

 

Loly and Menoly looked undamaged from what she could see and she felt a slight pang of guilt. “I hope I didn't hurt them.”

 

“Get over it woman. They would have killed you. Of all the spineless, jelly boned people…”

 

“Yes, Tsubaki?” Hinagiku smiled meaningfully at the infuriated figure. “Would you like to discuss this with all of us sitting on you?”

 

“You're so protective of her,” Tsubaki raged quietly, his wings fluttering fast enough so they were almost invisible.

 

Trying to stop this argument before it started, Orihime appealed to them. “Please, why don't you all rest? You must be tired. I'll be fine now, I think.”

 

“Always thinking of others, our little princess,” Ayame said fondly.

 

The air shimmered and then was empty as her powers returned to her hair pins. After a quick, nervous look at the two fallen figures, she turned to see the cloud of dust. It had vanished.

 

“Where did it go?” was the first frantic thought to cross her mind. “Why can't I see it anymore? But I can still sense Ichigo. I don't need to follow my eyes, I can follow my feelings,” she realised after the first flush of panic died in her chest.

 

With her eyes shut she traced the feeling back to the source and gloried for a moment in feeling Ichigo, breathing, alive and rather annoyed, to tell the truth. That he was in his normal mood made her smile and, her eyes still closed she began to run in the direction her senses told her. The experiment was stopped when she tripped over a small tree root. The root snapped with an audible crack and the root then shattered spraying her with fine shards of the petrified wood. A few cut her skin and tangled in her hair. Exclaiming, she brushed the pieces off and dabbed at the cuts. They were minor and would heal soon. “There's no reason to panic and heal myself. It's nothing, but I will keep my eyes open now when I'm walking. It might be romantic to try to go to Ichigo without looking, but like a lot of those ideas, reality won't play along.”

 

Running slower this time she was still making good progress. As she ran she wondered about the trees. The fact that they were here could mean that this place had once been alive, or the trees had been created like that, never living, but eternally petrified. A cold desert of eternal night seemed to contradict everything she had heard about deserts. The trees should be palms, but they seemed to be ordinary trees, slightly more distorted and tortured than the trees she normally saw and lacking a certain symmetry in their planting and form. Every so often she would stop and turn around to make certain that no one was following her. She knew the Arrancar could move very fast without much effort, but they couldn't catch up with her this quickly, she hoped.

 

After an hour she was tiring, at least she thought it was an hour. It might have been less, or more. Her legs were feeling heavy and her torso felt tight. She was not used to running for long periods over uneven ground. “Maybe I should take up jogging when I get home. Then if I have to run for long stretches I'll be able to manage, but will I need to run this far again? If I get home, the Arrancar won't come and abduct me again, will they? I'll hide somewhere they can't find me. If I ask the Vizards, would they help? The Arrancar don't seem to bother about them for some reason. Hachi was nice to me, even though he didn't believe I could fight and he's got the power that closest to mine. Shinji seemed to like me. I don't want to come back here if, no, when I escape.”

 

Realising she would collapse if she kept running she stopped and knelt on the ground, trying to make her figure as inconspicuous as possible. She knelt beside a dead tree and pretended she was an additional trunk so that it might not be easy to see her, but she knew that if they wanted, the Arrancar would be able to find her. Ulquiorra had found her so easily when he issued the ultimatum.

 

Remembering something she quickly looked at her wrist to see if the locator thing he'd given her was still in place. She was still wearing the bracelet! If only she'd remembered it earlier she could have left it in the room, but now it would make it so much easier for them to locate her. She quickly stripped it off and slid the bracelet onto one of the bare branches of the tree, hoping it was not too late, but accepting that it might be, that all her effort could be wasted because of a stupid oversight.

 

The removal of the bracelet made her feel lighter, like a large number of constraints had been removed all at once. Her energy was restored suddenly and she took advantage of the sudden increase in vigour. Setting her sights firmly on the place she could sense Ichigo she ran again, this time allowing her feet to leave the ground, forgetting her fears about the way she had changed and her new powers. Nothing was as important as meeting with Ichigo and warning him about Aizen and his plans for the charm.

 

Amazingly she felt Ichigo moving closer to her and within minutes she saw his dearly loved figure appearing in her line of sight. There were other people following him, some she didn't recognise, but that didn't matter. He was there, his face turned in her direction, his eyes searching for her face and when she drew close enough she could see the smile stretching his lips and the frown furrowing his brow.

 

Feeling suddenly shy she slowed, but Ichigo kept his speed and racing up to her he grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around once before hugging her close, his face buried in her hair as he whispered, “You're safe. I won't let them do that again.”

 

Her eyes had closed and instinctively her arms were around his shoulders, returning his hug, feeling much of the tension drain out of her within his embrace.

 

“While we are all pleased to see Orihime safe, Ichigo, maybe we should consider getting her out of here and home,” Uryu said dryly. “You can hug her later.”

 

`Shut up. I'm hugging her now because I can. If you have a problem with it too bad,” said Ichigo and then he kissed Orihime.

 

After having been certain she would never see him again, let again hold him, Orihime felt like melting into Ichigo so they would never be apart again. While she knew it was a physical impossibility, the idea seemed so attractive. She fervently returned his kiss, wishing it would never end, while accepting it must.

 

When Ichigo finally finished the kiss she opened her eyes to gaze into his dazedly, not wishing to talk, afraid that her voice would shatter the fragile dream she believed she was having.

 

“Just because Ichigo kissed Orihime is not a valid reason for you two to embrace also,” she heard Uryu scolding Rukia and Renji.

 

Highly delighted at this information, Orihime looked across at her friends to see Rukia in Renji's arms.

 

“Give them a break. They're engaged,” Ichigo said.

 

“What?” Even though she had decided not to speak this news made it essential for Orihime to say something.

 

“Byakuya agreed to let them get married. They'll probably tie the knot as soon as they get back,” Ichigo said.

 

“We have all been invited to the wedding,” Chad added. “I wonder how a wedding in the Seireitei will differ to a wedding in our world.”

 

“I doubt it will vary greatly,” Uryu observed. He was looking back the way Orihime had come, his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to see something a long distance away.

 

Taking advantage of the distraction of the others looking at the engaged couple, Ichigo leant close to Orihime's ear and whispered “Would you like to?”

 

“What you whispering?” a small figure said tugging at Ichigo's clothing.

 

Orihime wondered who the little girl was but was more interested in the question Ichigo had asked. Uncertain what he meant, Orihime looked at him questioningly and whispered back “Would I like to what?”

 

“Get married; to me.”

 

The answer rocked her and she felt her world tilt as she pinched her arm hard. This was a dream, it had to be. She had fallen asleep in her room and all these wonderful things were the product of her wishful thoughts. The pain inflicted by her fingers provided some reassurance that she was awake.

 

“We're only 15,” she squeaked, more loudly than she anticipated.

 

“Yeah, but we'll be 16 soon. I can get my Dad's consent and we can get married as soon as you turn 16, maybe in September,” he said loudly, forgetting there were other people there.

 

“Moving fast, aren't we Shinigami?” Uryu said turning his attention to Ichigo. “Do you think this is the right time to propose?”

 

“No, Itsy,” the little person gasped at the news. “Not marry.”

 

“What's a right time?” Rukia said dreamily. “Renji asked me after he tripped over, fell on top of me and made me hit my head,” she sighed loudly. “It was so romantic.”

 

“Almost as romantic as when you bit my tongue,” Renji said laughing as he hugged her close.

 

“Are you going to give me an answer, Orihime?” said Ichigo impatiently. He was frowning darkly at her, nervous about her response and the possibility of rejection in front of so many witnesses. At least that is how it seemed.

 

Her first reaction was to accept immediately, without waiting another moment, but her conscience woke again. “Why is he asking you to marry him?” asked her Bad Side.

 

“He hasn't even told you he loves you,” her Good Side said mournfully.

 

“That's true, but why are you siding with each other,” she asked. After being no help to her, they were again showing their inability to provide any sort of assistance. Maybe she should stop imagining them, but sometimes they amused her, especially when they were having one of their silly tussles. All the same, what should she say to Ichigo? Why was he asking her to marry him, now?

 

“He's only asking because he feels guilty that he wasn't there to protect you,” Bad Side said slyly, voicing the one thing that Orihime feared above all others.

 

Looking around her friends she could see they were all watching her very carefully, eager for her answer.

 

“I think you moved too soon, Ichigo, or too late.” Chad crossed his arms and looked down at Ichigo. He looked serious, as did all her friends.

 

“How can I answer?” she thought. “Marrying Ichigo is my fantasy, but I want his love more than a wedding. If he told me he loved me I'd agree, but maybe he feels too shy in front of everyone. If he's shy, why did he propose? What should I do?” Her gaze became fixed on Ichigo and without meaning to she frowned a little while considering her answer.

 

“I love you,” Ichigo mouthed at her, facing her directly. He had quickly glanced around to make sure that no one else could see what he was saying.

 

Forgetting her Good Side and Bad Side, forgetting that people were watching, ignoring everything else she nodded and bowed slightly. “Yes! Yes, please.” She didn't care if this was a fantasy or if the Arrancar came and took her back. Ichigo had finally told her he loved her and that was what she had wished to hear for so long.

 

His face relaxed and he kissed her again, a long passionate kiss that made her toes feel like they had been detached from her feet. The feel of his lips on hers made her believe, for the length of the kiss, that things could only get better.

 

 

Author's Note:

 

That was much more fun than trying to stick to canon! My muse is smiling on me over a large bowl of chocolate ice-cream and has suggested I invest in some lemons. I wonder what she means.

 

Please review.

 

MS