Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Jealousy ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

A/N: (*Gives a sly grin to the computer*) And you thought I was finished. Hehehehe…

 

Chapter 7

 

“Jealousy would be far less torturous if we understood that love is a passion entirely unrelated to our merits.”

Paul Eldridge

 

He felt the spirit energy the moment before it was too late.

 

Jerking away, Ichigo grasped Rukia in his arms and flung the two of them onto the floor. A sharp sound echoed from his bed as a beam of light shot down and split the metal frame in half.

 

Stark naked except for a blanket and clutching a panicked Rukia to his chest. Ichigo wildly looked around the room.

 

“Tsubaki!”

 

The beam of light came towards them again. Ichigo reacted faster this time, diving to the side of his room. The form in the center stood still, not moving a single muscle.

 

“What the—?” Ichigo gasped, the light shot at him again and this time, Rukia reacted as well, swiftly she disentangled herself from Ichigo and dove over towards his clothes.

 

“Ichigo!” She cried, he turned as she tossed him the Shinigami Representative pendant. Within moments he had it pressed against his chest, his Shinigami form sprang forward and his blanket clad body fell lifelessly to the floor.

 

Rukia had scrambled for one of his shirts, throwing it over her small body. She stood and raised her hands, prepared to use her kido spells.

 

Ichigo came forward and unsheathed Zangetsu, holding it before him and stepping slightly in front of Rukia, prepared for a kill whoever had tried to harm her.

 

“Who's there?” Rukia called, she squinted her eyes and inched her hands up further. The room was dark around them, and despite its size it seemed to open like a vast cavern filled with menace and hatred.

 

“Kuchiki-saaaaaan,” the voice said softly. “Don't you recognize me?”

 

Silence fell upon the room. Rukia frowned and lowered her hands instantaneously. “Orihime?” She murmured, confusion threaded in her voice.

 

There was no moon outside, the stillness in the air created no breeze, the space felt suffocating and tight.

 

The girl came forward in the darkness, her skin seeming to glow in the dark night. Ichigo's eyes widened and he took a small step back. “Orihime, what are you… what are you doing?”

 

“Really now, Kurosaki-kun,” she said conversationally, raising her hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. “Is it that hard to figure out?”

 

Ichigo's face was blank as she moved her hand upward to her hairpins, sighing she conversationally murmured two words, “I reject.”

 

A cry echoed from behind him and blood spouted.

 

“Rukia!” He cried, swinging around to catch her. There was a deep hole in her left shoulder, blood was pouring out of the open wound viciously and staining Ichigo's hands.

 

Wildly he swiveled towards Orihime, “What are you doing?” He screamed, clutching Rukia closer to his chest, she groaned and feebly opened her eyes.

 

Orihime took a step closer and giggled, Tsubaki coming to a hovering halt above her shoulder then disappearing into her hairpin. “I told you, Kurosaki-kun…” she paused and airily brushed back another strand of hair, there was a slight frown on her face now. “Or maybe I didn't… anyway…” she slowly raised her eyes towards him and whispered. “The bird has to go.”

 

“What?” Ichigo whispered, “What bird?”

 

Slowly, ever so slowly, she raised her hand towards him and pointed at Rukia. “That bird.” She whispered.

 

“Rukia?” Ichigo gasped, “You want to—to—get rid of Rukia?” His voice grew louder with each word. “Why?”

 

Orihime's smile grew larger and larger until it looked as if she were cracking at the seams. Her face was stiff, almost…

 

Almost…

 

Mask-like.

 

“Don't you always wonder what it feels like, Ichigo?” She said, her voice hardening and growing louder, “To be second best to the Great and Noble Rukia-fucking-Kuchiki? Everything revolves around her. Everything. I thought I could deal with it, but I can't. I thought I had something she could never take away from me. I thought I had you. But no… no, no, no! She took you too and I had to sit and watch while you took her!” She was screaming now, her fists slamming against the sides of her head, her eyes became a blazing black color and her wicked smile widened beyond human proportions.

 

Ichigo gasped and watched as her fingernails grew longer and longer and her hair burned to a blackened shade. Her face grew to a deathly pale and bone hardened over her features until a large, black and red mask.

 

“Orihime!” Ichigo shouted, his hold on Rukia tightening.

 

There was burst of light from his arms and Ichigo snapped his head downward.

 

“Kido Number One! Restrain!” Rukia cried, her spirit energy pouring out of her hands.

 

The Hollow controlling Orihime screamed as her arms snapped behind her and she bent forward, her knees contracting on the floor.

 

Rukia slipped out of Ichigo's arms and stood on the floor, her right hand clutching her bloodied shoulder. She was panting slightly and there was sweat beaded on her forehead, Ichigo's throat tightened in concern but he turned away, focusing his attention on the possessed girl before him.

 

Chuckling in a sinister way, the Hollow roared in laughter and screamed, “You can't defeat me! I AM Orihime! I am her desires amplified to their maximum potential! You think she doesn't feel this? You think she can just stand by and watch you two consume each other! I AM THE DARKNESS OF HER SOUL!”

 

“You're wrong,” Ichigo snarled, gently, he sidled closer to his lover and they stood, united, to face the Hollow. “Orihime is not like that.”

 

“Au contraire mon ami.” It hissed, its tongue releasing from its mouth and licking the edge of its mouth. “She wants you Kurosaki! She wants all of you! She wants you to lick her breasts, she wants you to bury yourself in her, she wants to make you moan, she wants to hold onto you forever, she needs you! But most of all she wants Kuchiki to die! Only she was too weak to do it herself! So I came to help the poor, helpless, lovesick, Orihime! Me! Who got into her head and conquered her soul!”

 

“Rukia,” murmured Ichigo, his fingers reached for hers and they linked hands. “Do you know a kido for exorcising a Hollow?”

 

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “But it requires a large amount of spirit energy.”

 

He nodded and turned swiftly so his front was pressed to her back, his hands still linked with his. Rukia swiveled her head and pressed a quick kiss to his throat, a silent warning.

 

“Exorcisms are tricky, Ichigo,” she said darkly. “The Hollow might be too far lodged into her soul.”

 

“We have to try.” He whispered, his eyes glaring at the possessed figure on his floor. “Combine my spirit energy with yours,” he said, “And we can beat it.”

 

“I'll have to erase her memory.” She said quietly.

 

He nodded and set his face, raising his spirit energy until the room was shaking.

 

Rukia groaned, the wound in her shoulder throbbing and moved her fingers into the kido positions, shouting the words of the spell. She felt Ichigo's spirit energy pouring furiously into her; with the last syllable she spread her fingers forward and released the spell on the shrieking Hollow.

 

Ichigo and Rukia watched as an inhumanly scream erupted through the creatures mouth, it shook the floor and rammed it way deep into Rukia and Ichigo's ears. He tightened his arms around her and swiftly kissed the top of her head.

 

Ichigo and Rukia watched as the Hollow's claws receded and became Orihime's fingers once again.

 

Ichigo and Rukia watched as the hair slowly returned to its original red-orange luster and the inhuman length of her limbs shrank back to normal.

 

Ichigo and Rukia watched as the bone white mask covering Orihime's face cracked and shattered to the floor.

 

They waited for a few moments before the silence had engulfed them. They knew they would be found soon by the other inhabitants of the house but they still waited until they could hear the gentle hush of Orihime's breathing.

 

“Do you have enough energy?” Ichigo whispered, resting his chin on the top of Rukia's head.

 

“To erase her memory?” She asked him and nodded. “Yes, but then we'll have to heal my shoulder.”

 

Ichigo nodded and kept his hand inside of hers as she bent down, placing her other hand over Orihime's eyes.

 

Murmuring softly she put forth her spirit energy; Ichigo saw a small glow emanate from her fingers, when she was finished she was pulled back towards him.

 

“Come on,” he said softly. “We need to get you to Urahara's shop.” He looked over at Orihime and sighed, “But we need to do something else first.”

 

Rukia nodded and slowly grabbed a pair of Ichigo's boxers; she slid them on using her good arm and turned. She helped Ichigo as he placed Orihime beneath one of his arms. He nodded and Rukia climbed onto his back, holding onto Orihime's shirt.

 

They reached her house in a matter of seconds. Rukia opened the door and held it as Ichigo brought her inside and softly placed her on the futon.

 

They stood over her and made sure her breathing was even, the sound interrupted by Rukia's own harsh breathing.

 

Ichigo stared at Orihime for a few more moments; he saw her pale face and remembered the mask. He saw her thin lips and heard her hateful words. He saw her hair and remembered the blackened threads.

 

A sad look covered his face as he looked at her once more.

 

“Goodbye, Orihime.” He said softly, before running to Rukia, sweeping her into his arms, and pressing a kiss to her lips.

 

She gave a guttural groan and clutched her shoulder.

 

“It's okay,” Ichigo muttered, “It'll all be okay.”

 

And he sped off into the night.

 

 

 

Orihime shrieked and shot up from her futon.

 

Her heart was racing as she swiveled her head around, taking in the familiar surroundings of her apartment.

 

Flashes of memory, a cry echoed from behind him and blood spouted. A horrible dream, “The bird has to go.” Orihime shook violently.

 

“Restrain…”

 

“I AM THE DARKNESS OF HER SOUL…”

 

The roaring, the roaring, the roaring in her head; it was beginning to subside, the sounds of the dream, the horrible dream, they were gone now, her mind was empty.

 

“It's okay…”

 

“It'll all be okay…”

 

Orihime laid back on her futon and fell into a peaceful sleep.