Hollows Can't Love

White?

Ulquiorra throws Ichigo's body to the side, and I race to catch him, cradling him into my body.

"Please! Ichigo! Don't die on me." Ugly tears are running down my face as we fall through the air. Ichigo's eyes are frozen wide open. I don't feel any spiritual pressure coming from him as my worst fears come to light. All I can do is scream his name as I feel Orihime catch us from the air. She runs towards us only to be cut off by Ulquiorra.

"It's useless. Even if you could reach him, it would be wasted effort on your part. Your powers are not nearly strong enough to keep him alive." Orihime cries his name in shock and fear. "You should save your energy, forget it." Uryu comes up from behind the espada shooting some arrows only for them to be knocked away by his wing. Orihime takes this opportunity to immediately run our way and try to reverse Ichigo's injury. I reluctantly let Ichigo go and let her do her work while I continue to silently cry as I watch her power fail to heal him.

"Why is he not healing?" My voice is quiet. "Come on, heal!" I bang my hand against the shield. "Come on! Wake up! Damnit Ichigo! You have to wake up!" Orihime is in just as much shock as I am as she sits there silently, thoughts probably running through her head. "Ichigo! You have to wake up! You can't do this to me! Don't leave me here all alone! Ichigo!" My pleas are desperate, but they bring nothing to the situation. My attempts change. "White! Please! Heal him! White! You have to help! Are you even listening!? White you have to save him! I can't do this on my own!" My tears continue to fall in my last attempt. "Please help me! Ichigo! Please!" My hands slam against the shield once again as I sob.

A heartbeat?

I raise my head and look to Ichigo. Another heartbeat. I feel an intense pressure coming from his body and I watch his body glow with red and he moves his left hand. His hair shot out in length and the black and red reiatsu forms from underneath him. I slowly back away, unable to comprehend what's happening.

"I will." His voice hits my ears. "I will protect you!" I have to shield my eyes away from the amount of wind that surrounds him, his form changing into something I don't recognize.

Vasto Lorde

"Orihime run!" I manage to scream out at her. This isn't Ichigo. This is his hollow! He's lost control! I look back towards the being who used to be Ichigo. Horns sticking out of his head, a pronounced hole where his heart should be. His soft growls resonate through me as he stares at me.

"This can't be. You can't be alive. What is that form? Who are you?" None of Ulquiorra's questions are answered, all this being does is stare straight at me. He crouches down in front of me and raises his hand and lays one of his fingers against my cheek, wiping a stray tear. I don't flinch away; I didn't feel the need to. He wasn't going to hurt me; I don't know how but I could just tell who this familiar presence is.

"W-white? Is that you?" His thumb rubs across under my eye in an affectionate away. I get no vocal response as well as he raises to a standing position and somehow summons his sword to his hand. He swings his sword to his side and the ground shatters behind him and sends the rocks into the air. I shield myself away from the backlash of the air by wrapping my arms around my head. Orihime is sent flying and an injured Uryu is able to catch her before she slams into a pillar.

"Did you not hear me? I asked you to identify yourself." This hollowed form of Ichigo is surrounded by an aura as he releases a growl that rumbles the ground and his spiritual pressure pushes against my body, dragging it down to the ground more. "It appears to me you can't understand what I'm saying." Ulquiorra points at our vicinity as he starts to release a cero.

"That will kill me..." I say to myself, urging myself to move but I don't; or I feel as if I can't. The hollowed form from behind me bends and creates a cero from his horns that is just as powerful, countering the attack but still having an outrageous blast range. I scream in pain from the heat, but I feel arms surround me and I'm suddenly out of there, safe. I look to my side to see a flash of red and black, but it's gone in an instant. 'He, he protected me?' I can't take my eyes off the fight as this hollowed form of Ichigo is holding his own, if not, outright overpowering the espada. Another combination of a red and green cero explodes, canceling each other out. I gasp in shock as 'Ichigo' is able to grab Ulquiorra's arm and slice it off with ease and kicks him away. This form has no remorse whatsoever. His howl sends shocks through my body, but I'm not scared. Why? I smell blood coming from Ulquiorra but watch as he regrows his arm with ease.