Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Seeds of Destruction ❯ The Sacrifice ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: BDP
Anime/Manga: Bleach Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Hentai / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.09.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 11.1K | Visits: 454 | Status: Completed

7. Path to redemption - The sacrifice
 
Her footsteps echoed in the large empty hall.
“You've returned.”
Orihime looked up at the man sitting in front of her at the bottom of the steps leading up to the higher apartments of Las Noches' Northern Tower.
Hollow Ichigo stood and let his eyes run over her body, looking for signs of struggle. “He was already asleep then?”
“Hai,” she whispered, beginning to walk passed him and up the stairs.
He followed her with his amber gaze and then smirked. “Where did you dump it?”
She halted briefly in her steps and faced to her side before resuming the climb towards her quarters. “That is none of your concern.”
Once arrived inside the room she had made her own to stay in, Orihime took off her red ankle boots and walked to her large bed. She could feel that he was following her and so, wasn't surprised when he sat himself in one of her seats in the living area of her room.
She sat herself down on her bed and crossed her legs as she fixed him silently.
In the three days that she had been made a forced resident of this cold castle, their conversations had quickly worn off against the one-sided feelings of resentment she had towards him, not that he blamed her, it rather amused him to see her harden herself in her shell of bitter contempt. Just the thought of it being useless almost made him break down in uncontrollable laughter.
A chamber maid walked in quietly and sat herself next to her on the bed so she could begin to tie Orihime's hair back into a bun.
He grinned as he saw how she stood and began to undress herself slowly. Her voluptuous body had no secrets for him anymore, but that still didn't keep him from admiring its beauty.
Orihime sat back down on her bed now, clad in nothing but an expensive looking white yukata with black flower patterns and a slight trail. It was loosely tied at her waist with a black obi and revealed the alluring path of white skin from the valley between her breasts to the middle of her abdomen.
“Was there something you wanted me to know?”
The maid now retreated silently with the pile of Orihime's clothes in her hands.
Hollow Ichigo stood and slowly walked up to her. “You seem… how shall I put it... unhappy, dear.”
She turned her face away from his and stood gracefully. “And you're the one surprised,” she whispered sarcastically, her bare feet descending the few steps off the platform her bed rested upon. “Spare me the heartbreak.”
He cocked his head to the side with an evil grin on his face. “It's remarkable how much you still seem to be attached to that two-time loser.”
Orihime turned to him again and chuckled mockingly. “Is mister bad-ass jealous?”
He was suddenly standing in front of her again and one of his hands shot out to her throat. “Don't get witty with me, Hime. I made you, I could easily destroy you.”
She fixed him defiantly with no sign of emotion on her face and whispered; “And what a relief that would be if you actually did it, instead of constantly threatening me about it.”
He slapped her in her face hard, sending her flying back on the bed. He smirked then as he watched her regain her composure, one hand held up against her left cheek as she sat up and fixed him again with that same indifference in her eyes. “Don't go begging for death, or I might get tempted, Hime-chan.”
Orihime lowered her hand from her cheek and shook the strands of hair that had come to cover her face out of her eyes. “You can't scare me anymore with threats,” she whispered. “There's nothing left for me to gain or lose, you've taken everything from me.” She stood up again and walked passed him once more towards the room that neighboured with hers. “Death is the only thing I look forward to.”
Hollow Ichigo chuckled and captured her left hand, holding her back from going onwards. “Do you really think death is the worse thing that I can inflict upon you?”
She sighed and smiled softly. “Not the worst, but the kindest.”
He began to laugh and she looked up at him in silent wonder. “I never thought I'd see this side of you, Hime… do you have any idea how selfish that sounded?”
Orihime fell silent and cast her eyes to the floor in shame. She knew he was right, but if she wasn't around anymore she wouldn't be able to hurt him…
“How broken would Ichigo be if he came to find out that you rushed into death! Is your trust in him that low?” He cackled, “If I kill you, I admit it would speed up my plans, but what would that bring me? Ichigo wouldn't be able to fight me and the fights I've been looking out for will be but a joke! I want him to get mad, I want him to go crazy now that he's lost his most beloved bitch, and I want to see him break down in utter defeat when he'll realise that there's no hope left and when you and I bring destruction upon him!” He then cupped her face with his right hand in a nearly tender gesture. “Now, I will forgive your suicidal rant because that was still the old Orihime speaking, the weak one. The new Orihime will embrace my plans and become a willing partner—”
“You may own my soul now,” she pushed his hand off from her face and blinked back her tears, “but you'll never, ever own my feelings!” She walked off again with that.
“Hime-chan,” Hollow Ichigo whispered in a sing-song voice as he watched her walk towards her private baths. “Next time you go see him again without my permission, I'll kill everyone you held dear in your life. One by one.”
Orihime halted in her footsteps and took a shaky breath.
“And if you try and leave me, I'll slit his throat in his sleep. Am I making myself clear?”
She closed her eyes and bent her head.
“I said, am I making myself fuckin' clear?”
“Yes…” she whispered, balling her hands up in fists. “Crystal clear.”
“Good,” he said with a grin and an acknowledging movement of his head. “Be sure to be rested up for tomorrow, it'll be your big day.”
Orihime opened her eyes and waited for him to get out of her room. She then fell to her knees, trembling violently.
There wasn't much time left and she did not know how much longer she'd be able to control the monster that housed within her. It grew stronger with every passing hour and soon—
She crawled herself into a foetus position on the floor and held on to her stomach, praying for someone to give her a miracle.
 
 
An explosion of white light illuminated the entire underground training area.
Focusing the full of his reiatsu into his sword, Ichigo could feel how Zangetsu vibrated in his hands and how in turn, lend him its strength to complement his own.
A new surge of energy emanated from the young orange haired Shinigami and Renji and Urahara watched with heartfelt astonishment at the clearly renewed power Ichigo had managed to attain.
Ichigo then opened his eyes and they both saw the silver flicker in them and felt the tremendous spirit pressure they were used of feeling whenever he was around.
Urahara cracked an approving smile and nodded.
“BAN-KAI!”
“He's done it,” Rukia whispered from her position on a high rock near the ladder.
“How he's managed to realise that in just two days is pretty amazing.” Uryuu nodded in consent, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“He must really love her,” RinRin whispered, sitting on the picnic blanket with the three other modsouls as well as Tessai, Jinta and Ururu.
Rukia smiled and chuckled softly. “He told me he dreamt about her a couple of days ago and that he realised that even if she's physically far away from him, their hearts are always connected. He's mad about her and she loves him equally as much.”
“If there's someone who can bring Inoue-san back, then it's him,” Chad said, looking into the distance where Urahara and Renji stood with Ichigo.
“I agree,” Rukia whispered with a smile.
 
“Let's go, Renji! I'm ready!”
Ichigo lifted his Tensa Zangetsu up to the other Shinigami and smiled. “Let's see if you can kill me this time!”
Renji smirked in growing excitement and released Zabimaru. “Show me what you got, Strawberry!”
Urahara watched with growing satisfaction how their swords clashed, smiling to himself.
Ichigo had finally managed to unlock his former latent powers, but he could still see that he still let too much of his spirit pressure slip into the air. If his attacks were to be fully effective and perhaps 3 times as strong as they were now, it would certainly be a great asset to his fighting skills. Urahara knew this would ask for more time from the young man, but he also knew that Ichigo would need all the extra advantages when he'd face his adversary in an all-out confrontation.
“Oi Renji!” Ichigo chuckled as he jumped out of the way of an attack. “Send your Bankai on me! What are you waiting for?”
Renji smirked and set in the pursuit, throwing Zabimaru towards Ichigo. “That would be a total waste of energy and you know it! I can beat your ass just fine this way!”
Ichigo laughed and off-handed Zabimaru's attack with a single strike, making a graceful back flip so he could land on his feet on a nearby rock. “What's the matter? You chicken, monkey boy?” he teased with a grin, pointing his black Katana to him. “Give me a frickin' challenge here!”
“Don't go crying after I whoop your sorry ass!” Renji mockingly said, moving himself into a new battle pose.
Ichigo positioned himself as well and returned Renji's smirk with one of his own. “Bring it on.”
A sudden increase in hostile spirit pressure made the entire underground training area quiver on its foundations.
“What the—?”
Urahara turned towards the entrance of the cave and scowled. “They're here.”
“A good Hollow is a dead one,” Ichigo smirked darkly and cast his partner a look. “Let's go.”
“That excited, eh?” Renji chuckled and followed him to the exit. “You could use the practice.”
Rukia jumped off her rock and took out her Soul Phone. “Ichi, ni, san, shi, go— there's 8 of them! Gillians!”
Ichigo laughed in excitement at that and nodded. “Yosh! Minna, let's go!”
Urahara watched how Ichigo and his friends left the training grounds. He calmly walked towards his three employees and yawned and the mod souls. “Well I guess we could also go stretch our legs a little, ne?”
 
 
The lantern post fell right on the spot his feet had been a scant second before.
The blonde haired female Gillian softly smirked her pointed teeth bare and cocked her head to the side mockingly. “Where are you, pretty boy? Let me put my teeth in you, I bet you'll taste great…”Her green eyes flashed from side to side as she searched for her adversary who had suddenly disappeared.
“Up here!”
She looked up and evaded his attack but barely, noticing, once she landed a few meters further that a couple of centimetres of her long hair had been cut off. She laid her angry stare on Ichigo's smirking one. “You bitch!”
Ichigo hauled his shoulders innocently. “Woops, I missed?”
She launched herself at him and made a swirling movement of her head so she could throw her long hair at him, from which bone-white spikes shot out.
Ichigo jumped out of the line of fire and searched for the freedom of movement only an airborne position could procure. “Try this!”
By the time she realised that he had evaded her attack and that he was hovering in the air, she saw a black crescent descent upon her, consequently making it the last thing she ever saw.
“Yo, Ichigo.”
He looked up ahead of him and saw Chad standing a few meters away from where the Arrancar had been, at a crossroad. “Urahara and his group are taking care of the nearest Gillian.”
“How about the rest?” Ichigo asked as he descended from the sky and landed next to him.
“Uryuu defeated the one he battled not too long ago and I saw Renji taking care of another on my way here.”
Ichigo nodded and concentrated on the remaining intruding spirit pressures, picking out the strongest one. “Rukia should be able to handle the one she's battling with ease as well. There are two more left, Chad. If you go take care of the other one I'll finish the last one.”
Chad nodded and sped off in the opposite direction.
Jumping onto the rooftops so he could move more easily towards the place his senses were pointing, Ichigo could feel how the amount of hollow reiatsu decreased all around him, suddenly leaving him in a state of mild confusion when he realised that the Gillian he was headed to seemed to have vanished into thin air.
“`Kuso!” he cursed and stopped on top of a tall building to overlook the city.
“That's odd.”
Ichigo turned and found Rukia standing next to him.
“It vanished?” She whispered and took out her Soul Phone. “Ah! There!”
“Doko?” He asked her impatiently.
“On the 4th bridge that tides over Karasu River!” She informed him and then watched how he sped off without another word.
“He's more determined than I thought he'd be, I must admit.”
Rukia looked to her side and saw Renji landing next to her soundlessly. She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest with a small smirk. “I told you he would be.”
“Still,” Renji whispered, bringing his Zanpakuto back to its initial state, “this doesn't smell right.”
Rukia shot him a confused look. “What?”
“It's like that time they kidnapped Inoue for the first time,” he whispered pensively. “It's a diversion.”
“The shop?” Rukia wondered alarmingly. “You think they've called us out for—?”
Renji turned and began to walk away. “Ichigo can handle that Gillian.”
Rukia nodded in agreement and followed him off the rooftop.
 
 
With a soft grunt Ichigo looked around as he was now arrived at the bridge.
There's no one here!
“Damn it!” he cursed, stepping towards the middle of the bridge. He closed his eyes and tried to feel the Hollow's reiatsu again.
A large concentration of hostile reiatsu made him open his eyes again and he jumped out of the way just in time to avoid a cero blast.
Ichigo turned his eyes to the left and found the Gillian smirking up at him with his right hand still stretched out. “Oh crap. I missed.”
A burning rage grew within Ichigo and he scowled at him. “I won't let you make that mistake again!”
“Then come and get me, Shinigami!” The grey haired Gillian chuckled, jumping off the bridge and landing on the surface of the water before running down the River at an amazing speed.
“Tch, stupid bastard,” Ichigo whispered. “Not even worth wasting my energy on.”
In three flash-steps he was in front of the surprised Gillian and in two movements of his blade he had decapitated him.
Ichigo swung his black blade to the side with a satisfied look on his face and was about to leave when he suddenly heard someone clapping his hands.
There, on the riverbank, sitting in the grass, was—
“You look well, Ichigo-kun.”
He only stared for a full minute and even after that he still wasn't sure of what he was seeing.
“Douka shita no, Ichigo-kun? Have you seen a ghost?”
“Ori… hime?”
No.
Something was off.
 
Terribly off.
 
She gave him a small grin and her long black hair waved in the soft breeze that passed by as she now stood. Her eyes were of a blue-ish grey and she wore a short, black layered skirt with black knee-high boots and a strapless black leather corset. Her lower arms were clad in dark red arm warmers and her long nails were of the same colour as the rest of her gothic ensemble.
“What's wrong?” she asked again, taking a step closer to him and stepping onto the surface of the water without sinking through.
Ichigo felt like someone had just punched him in his stomach and ripped his heart out.
He could feel it with every fibre of his soul: this was a Hollow.
But why? Why had it taken her appearance?
“Ichigo-ku~un?” she sang. “Say something! Aren't you happy to see me? I at least expected a kiss from my boyfr—”
“Shut up!” Ichigo cried, pointing his Zanpakuto at her. “You're not Orihime!”
A powerful reiatsu suddenly emanated from the creature that stood in front of him and he was blown off guard for a brief second from the peaks of sheer hatred that came his way and seemed to pierce through his soul.
She then giggled and spun around happily. “But of course I am, Ichigo-san!” she sweetly said with her hands on her back. “Nani itende yo?”
Ichigo growled in growing rage. “How dare you show yourself to me disguised like that?!” he yelled, feeling an uncontrollable urge to rip this creature apart.
She looked down at her clothes and frowned. “Oh? You don't like?”
“Quit playing those fucking games with me!” Ichigo hollered, his spirit force now swirling around him in fierce anger. “Where is Orihime?!”
Her smile lessened and she gave him a dark look. “Apparently your hearing is beginning to give out on you, Ichigo-kun…”
Ichigo gave an infuriated yell and shook his head. “Tell me or I'm going to fuckin' tear you apart!”
“Eh?” she cried, upset, “That's not very nice, Ichigo-ku—” Her phrase was kept hanging in the air as he suddenly launched himself at her.
Ichigo thrust his sword forward and was sure to pierce her through, but instead, hit a yellow barrier that kept him from approaching her any further.
“Santen Kesshun…?” he whispered in disbelieve and surprise. “But h-how?”
A malignant smirk began to grow on her lips and she jumped away from him. “Who else but Orihime has these powers?” she asked softly with a raised eyebrow.
N-Nani…?! This can't be!
“I am Inoue Orihime,” she whispered, brushing a strand of her hair back. “Or at least the new and improved version…” She placed her right hand on her hip and bit her lower lip innocently. “That wasn't nice, Ichigo-kun.”
Ichigo gritted his teeth and scowled, torn between trusting his eyes and his feelings or believing in his senses that told him that this creature was a Hollow and that if it was a Hollow that it wasn't possible that there was something left of the Orihime he knew…
But maybe—
“I'm not going to repeat myself endlessly, Hollow,” he whispered, calmly lowering his sword and taking in a normal standing position, his eyes burning with the sheer force of his growing reiatsu as he looked at her. “Tell me where she is, or I'll stick Zangetsu through your chest.”
She lifted her head to the side and looked at him from the corner of her eyes, her expression a façade of cold disdain. “Then you and I have the same problem, Ichigo-kun. I'm not planning on repeating myself endlessly either.”
Ichigo silently took in his battling pose once more and lifted his Zanpakuto at shoulder length with the tip pointed at her. “Fine.”
“Why won't you believe it?” she asked softly, showing no sign of eventually counter attacking. “Oh… I know,” her lips curled into a minim smile and she closed her eyes in understanding. “You think I perhaps copied her powers or that I share similar ones like Hachi-san did.”
Ichigo frowned at that. “How would you know about Hachi's—”
“Ok, now,” she tranquilly whispered with a scowl, “You're beginning to piss me off.”
Her hair slowly began to lift into the air around her and Ichigo watched in silent astonishment as her reiatsu reached unseen levels and a new wave of pure hatred shot his way, colliding violently against his surrounding wall of reiatsu.
“You're not Orihime,” he whispered resolutely before launching himself towards her again in an all out attack.
She cracked a smirk and lifted her right arm. “Tsubaki,” she whispered, “Koten Zanshun.”
Ichigo pushed his blade forwards and closed his eyes, feeling Zangetsu cut through a tender substance.
“It's over.”
Blood gushed out of the wound and onto his face, the metallic smell filling his nostrils. With a soft grunt he pulled out and stood.
His eyes then opened and he froze.
“Ok, I'll admit that you looked cool in that pose, but this is far from over, yo!”
Ichigo was staring at nothing but air; she wasn't standing there! But he cut something didn't he? H-How did she manage to get behind him all of a sudden?!
A stinging pain then suddenly took over his right thigh and he watched in horror as blood gushed from his torn up flesh.
W-What?
He fell on his left knee and held back a pained growl. With some difficulty he turned himself around to see her call back the black projectile that had just cut him.
“What's your astonished face for?” she asked with a sinister chuckle. “I've been here all this time.”
His eyes spread wide open.
Genkaku…?
She laughed a little and turned her head to the small projectile floating next to her in the air. “I'm not satisfied after all. He's not bleeding that much. You want to try again, Tsubaki-kun?” Her eyes rested on Ichigo again, a malignant gleam in them. “Though this time make him bleed much, much more.”
Ichigo stood on his feet again, readily pointing his Zanpakuto on her. “You won't fool me this time!”
“Whatever,” she giggled and shrugged. “Tsubaki, Hanshoku!”
Before he even got a chance at lifting his Tensa Zangetsu, his body was already being assaulted from all sides, his clothes and skin tearing apart as if someone was firing an ultra-sonic machine gun on him.
She lifted an arm and the attack suddenly stopped, leaving the orange haired Shinigami trembling on his legs as he was bleeding from every possible part of his body, his shredded clothing barely recognisable.
“That's more like it.”
Ichigo fell on his knees, breathing heavily as he felt his body beginning to give out on him. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing and he stood there, looking to the ground in profound shock.
This isn't happening! How could she beat me this easily?
“Anzuru na, Ichigo-kun.”
He looked up at her and saw her approaching him before she kneeled in front of him with a small smirk. “I'm not going to kill you. That's not why I came here today.”
Ichigo's vision was beginning to blur and his breathing became more laboured from the increasing pain he felt of his injuries. “O-Orihime…” he managed to breathe out, “Doushite…?”
“Why? Why?!” She laughed, lifting his chin up with a finger as his head began to lean forwards. “Why what? Why am I like this?”
Ichigo looked her in the eyes and for a moment he thought he saw his Orihime before him, smiling gently and lovingly at him. “Hime…”
“I'm like this because of you, Ichigo…” she whispered softly, bringing her face closer to his, her lips nearly caressing his. “You let me become like this... Every particle of my Reitai feels this urge,” she let her tongue dart out against his right cheek, licking the blood that trickled down from a cut, “this huge urge to rip you apart with my hands and feed upon you to satisfy the endless emptiness you've created within me, Ichigo.”
“Orihime…” Ichigo whispered as he felt how his heart filled itself with a deep grief.
“If only you listened when I told you to leave me alone…” Her voice was playing sensually against his left earlobe, “If only you listened then, then I wouldn't have become like this.” She chuckled softly at the sound of his hawking and trembling breathing. “Oh yeah… this one is on you, Ichigo…”
Ichigo let his eyes fall closed and winced, feeling what he had secretly dreaded all along.
This creature used to be his Orihime.
Orihime pulled back with an expressionless face and watched how he gritted his teeth and bent his head to hide the tears that fell down his cheeks.
“If only I was strong enough back then…” Ichigo whispered, “if only I had protected you the way I should've...” He raised his head up to hers again and lifted his bloodied right hand, placing it on her left cheek. “Gomen ne, Hime…”
Something broke within her at the sound of those heartfelt words and she gasped with her eyes wide open in confusion. “The…fuck…?”
Ichigo saw how her big depths of coldness suddenly began to water up. The tears overflowed and they rolled down her face, changing into drops of blood as they continued to fall. The icy blue of her eyes then briefly faded into a honey brown colour and she gasped once more before she blinked and lifted a hand over the one he held against her face. “Ori—”
“Get your hands away from me!” She cried, jumping away from him. Her feet landed on the surface of the water again and she raised her hands up to her face in utter incomprehension of what was happening. “Why does it—” she whispered before crying out and clutching to her chest in pain.
Ichigo planted Tensa Zangetsu in the ground and managed to stand on his feet. He knew exactly what was going on; he had experienced it so many times before.
“Orihime! Don't let it gain control!” he called to her, “Fight it!”
She fell down to her knees, trembling uncontrollably and gasping for air. “S-Stay away!”
He only continued his way towards her until he reached her and then fell on his knees in front of her.
The brown colour of her eyes had returned and he smiled in relief, raising one of his hands to cup her face. “You're still fighting it…” he whispered, his lips quivering slightly. “Hime…”
The trembling of her body had subsided a little and she looked up at him with a pained expression. “Ichi…go… anata…”
“It is you…” He softly said, letting Zangetsu fall next to him on the surface. “Orihime…”
Orihime broke down in more tears. “Ichigo… I'm lost…” she whimpered as he moved in to embrace her. “Lost in the dark…”
Ichigo held her to him tightly, despite his wounds and pressed his lips on her head. “I'll find a way to bring you back—”
She shook her head and sniffled, bringing her arms up his back to hold him to her. “Ichigo… It's too late…” she softly whispered. “My Reitai has begun to fuse with the hollow essence he had put in my body…”
Ichigo was shaking his head in response, not wanting to hear it. “There must be a way—”
“Ichigo,” she silenced him again, looking at him now. “It's a part of me, as much as your Hollow is—”
“Don't say things like these, Hime,” Ichigo could feel his eyes stinging again as they prepared for the new wave of tears that threatened to well up.
“It's the truth,” Orihime said with a small trembling smile. “He can't exist without you, as much as you can't exist without him. The same goes for the Hollow in me… A fusion of two spirit entities can and should never be dissolved…”
“W-What are you talking about…?”
Fresh tears rolled out of her eyes as she gave him a pleading look. “Ichigo… you have to find a way to reclaim him, otherwise you'll die!”
Ichigo only stared at her for a few moments, his brain not willing to let the facts sink in.
“It's part of his plan…” she continued calmly, “A soul split in half has a short life span if it's pushed to its limit for too long. Your Bankai-form drains a lot of reiatsu and it shortens your life! Can't you see? He knows that if you die, he'll die too, but a part of him already exists in me! It's a fight you can't win, unless you manage to subdue him for once and for all… and kill me.”
“No…nonono...!” Ichigo held her to him again and closed his eyes. “I must find—”
Orihime chuckled softly despite her tears and shut her eyes, breathing in the soft sandalwood scent of his hair. “Mou ii yo, Ichigo-kun…” she whispered, pressing herself up to him. “Souten Kisshun.”
He could feel how a warm glow spread itself all over his body and how the pain he felt began to disappear. She was healing all of his wounds with the sheer force of her soul.
“I reject.”
Ichigo suddenly found himself in his regular Shinigami form and Zangetsu was strapped against his back. “Orihime…?”
“Forgive me, Ichigo-kun,” she whispered, moving away to face him. “I can't have you drain all of your life force yet.”
“I will save you, Hime. I promise you that I will,” Ichigo whispered back, biting on his lower lip to keep it from trembling.
“I know you'll be the one, Ichigo… It's the path I've chosen and it's how it was meant to be…” she whispered with a small smile. “Please don't feel bad. Know that loving you and being with you was the best thing that happened to me. If I get a chance to return in this World of the Living again, let's fall in love all over again, ne? You've made me so happy, Ichigo-kun.”
Ichigo was crying now as he shook his head violently, refusing what was happening. “Mou yamero, Orihime…!”
A flash of white lightening then hit in between them, barely a second after she had pushed him away from her.
They both looked towards the bridge and found a familiar eying Shinigami standing there with her right middle finger pointed out towards them.
“Rangiku-san!” Ichigo whispered, now lying on his back on the riverbank.
Rangiku then jumped off the bridge before appearing by his side a second later. “Are you alright?”
“What are you doing here?” he asked, still surprised by her presence. “Has Yoruichi-san returned…?”
“That can wait,” the vice-captain of the 10th squad replied, still eying Orihime with a scowl. “I've found him, taichou!” She then spoke into the emitter she kept underneath the left fowl of her kimono. Next she unsheathed her Zanpakuto. “Howl, Haine—”
“Rangiku-san! No!” Ichigo cried out, reaching out to her and grabbing her hands. “Don't!”
The blonde haired woman looked at him in mild confusion. “What are you doing? This is an Arrancar—”
“Look at her,” Ichigo whispered.
Orihime took a shaky step back before falling on one knee and holding on to her wounded right arm. She was trembling feverishly and sweat was trickling down the side of her face. “Ichigo… please, hear me out.”
He let go of Rangiku and rushed to her. “Hime,” he took her in his arms, “I'm here.”
Rangiku tilted her head to the side and took a step closer. “Orihime-chan…?” She whispered, recognising the woman lying in Ichigo's lap.
“H-hey, Rangiku-san…” Orihime shakily whispered with a wavering smile. She then looked up at Ichigo and reached out to touch his face. “Please… get stronger. The Hollow—” her breath caught in her throat as she was trying her best to keep her Demon from coming out for just a little bit longer. “He's taken in Aizen's throne in H-Hueco Mundo… and he's so— so determined to destroy you… and this world…He's formed a new army of left over Arrancars… a-and Menos… Please get stronger, Ichigo, so you can kill me when the time comes.”
“This isn't happening…” Ichigo whispered softly, seeing the flickers of dark blue in her eyes. “Hime…”
“Onegai…” Orihime said with a trembling smile, “I've already died… endless darkness is around me and I'm lost. But I don't blame you, anata…” She pressed her lips against his in a final kiss and tasted the bitterness of their mingled tears. “Be my knight in shining armour and save me again… just this last time…”
“Orihime…!” he sobbed, holding on to her face as he kissed her back desperately. This time there was another form of pain that tore through him like no blade had ever done before.
The pain of a broken heart.
“Forgive me, Ichigo,” Orihime murmured once more against his lips, looking into his eyes a last time before she took a deep breath and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.
“Orihime-chan…” Rangiku whispered with a sorrowful expression on her face. “So Kurotsuchi- taichou was right…”
Ichigo simply sat there on his knees, now blankly staring at the bottom of the river with his arms still held in the same position in which they had been holding Orihime just a couple of moments before.
Rangiku closed her eyes and averted her face. “Kurosaki…I'm sorry…”
Is this how it feels like…?
Orihime was never going to come back.
“Oh God…” he shakily whispered, bending his head. So your agenda is finally becoming clear, you bastard…
Ichigo stood and simply walked away, feeling no urge whatsoever to hear what Rangiku was doing here. He was angry, sad and vengeful. A combination of emotions he knew proved itself to be extremely destructive when he was around people and for now he would deeply appreciate any form of isolation.
“Ichigo-kun…”
He looked up at the sky and could've sworn to have smelled the sweet scent of lavender and vanilla. She was still with him, he could feel it.
“I've left my body in my room, on the bed. Please give me a spot next to my brother on the graveyard…”
A small smile formed on his lips and he closed his eyes again.
“Wait for me, Hime.”
 
 
A cackling laughter sounded through the halls of `Las Noches'.
“Does it please you, my lord?” Hime whispered as she bowed her head from her position next to the large mirror.
Stretching and flexing his fingers in supreme enjoyment, he then turned to the mirror and looked at his reflection in utter satisfaction. “Yes, Hime-chan! This will do just fine.”
Hime bowed her head again in acknowledgement and smirked. “I'm glad you are pleased, master.”
“With this gigai,” the Hollow whispered with growing glee, “I don't need to use Ichigo's body to go to the Living World.” He laughed out loud and admired himself a bit more.
“With this, I'm one step closer to destroying Ichigo for once and for all!” He then moved his new naked body towards her and reached out to her face, cupping it in his right hand. “How do you think I look?”
Hime lifted her eyes up to the face she knew so well and smiled impishly in response.
The gigai, that Urahara had specially developed, had taken the appearance of Ichigo's body, mainly because Hollow Ichigo and he are but one and the same. Still, the Hollow's characteristics dominated the Gigai's appearance, like the amber/black eyes and the pale hair. Other than that, one could say that he was the exact twin of Ichigo Kurosaki.
“I expected for you to like it…” he whispered and drew her closer to him with a grin, pulling her by her hair so her head snapped backwards and he could plant his hungry lips in her throat.
Hime closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a soundless moan as her hands slid up his arms and shoulders.
By the time he had her on the floor gasping his name in undeniable pleasure, she never noticed the dried up traces her scarlet tears had left on her pale skin.
Nor the screams that hopelessly tried to get heard from the depths of her soul.
 
 
 
Japanese Vocabulary List
 
-Anata: You (My love)
-`Anzuru na' : Don't worry
-Doko? : Where?
-`Douka shita no?' : What's wrong?
-Doushite? : Why?
-Gigai : Faux body
-Go : Five
-Hai: Yes
-Ichi : One
-(chi) `Kuso : Damn it
-Minna : Everyone
- Mou ii yo : It's alright
- Mou yamero : That's enough
-Nande: What
- N-Nani : What
- Nani itende (yo)? : What are you talking about?
-Ne : an Interjection that can be loosely translated in English as `So', `Well', `And?', `Hey' or `No?', depending on its position in the phrase
-Ni : two
- Onegai : Please
- Reitai : Spirit Entity/Body
-San : Three
-Shi : Four
-Taichou : Captain
-Yosh : Interjection that can be loosely translated in English as `Alright' or `Okay'
-Yukata : A light version of a Kimono. Used as a bathrobe here
 
 
Yosh! Time for a break everyone! I'll be putting this story on hold for a few weeks, maybe a month, just so I can finish the remaining chapters in peace. I'm a busy person, so please bare with me, ne? Hehehe, thanx for the reviews and the encouraging mails and PM's, you peeps are the best!
Ja ne, minna-san!
 
Upcoming chapter: 8. Resurrection - From the bottom of my little black heart
 
To be continued…
 
-BDP-