Become A Ghost

Become A Ghost, Chapter Twenty-Six

We have to save him, she thought plaintively, sending a mute plea to the universe.  Even if he can't forgive me for refusing him for so long, I can't bear it if he dies.

Nothing happened, of course. The universe continued on as it had been, and the wind continued to whistle past Orihime's ears as Nemu propelled them toward the meeting place. She could sense Ichigo and the rest coming closer, and it wasn't long before they met at one side of the ruin site. 

"Orihime-chan, no offense, but what the fuck is wrong with you?" Renji shouted at her. Iba looked like he wanted to shout too, but was content to let Renji have the honors since he was doing so well at it. Momo was dismayed and confused; Shinji irritated and impatient.

Ichigo said nothing, for once, just stood there staring at her with a vein threatening to explode in his temple as his face turned a hideous red that clashed horribly with his hair. "Inoue," he said, "what are you doing here? How did you escape from the guards? And what is Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou doing here?"

"I'm here to help get Byakuya back," she answered, feeling a bit downtrodden. Why shouldn't she be here? "Nemu-san broke me free from the guards." She paused. "Her reason for being here is private."

He was silent while his hands flexed into fists and back again, clearly restraining his temper with monumental effort, then opened his mouth to speak.

Orihime decided to beat him to the punch. "I know you're angry, but I can help! Nemu-san can, too. She can do amazing things, you don't know the half of what she can do! The telepathic messages from before is just a small part of it!"

She glanced at Nemu and took a deep breath, because she knew that if Ichigo was pissed now, her next words would send his temper soaring into the stratosphere. 

"Anyway, so, we sort of already told Aizen-sama that, if he'll release Byakuya, I'll surrender myself in exchange. That's why we had you come to these ruins," she continued as he turned away, her concern increasing exponentially as his face went from red to purple and he plucked Zangetsu from his back. "Th-- this is where the exchange will take place."

They watched in dismayed silence as Ichigo proceeded to demolish one of the fallen columns nearby by hacking at it with great vigor for a full two minutes. Orihime began to feel kind of inconsiderate and maybe reckless, but what else was she supposed to have done? Placidly accepted imprisonment while the man she loved was in terrible danger? She could no more do that than Ichigo could have left her in Hueco Mundo when Ulquiorra had abducted her, and she told him so.

He deflated, letting out a long slow breath while hanging his head, then peering up at her through his shaggy fringe. "It's just... we almost didn't beat Aizen last time. We won't be able to recreate the way we beat him again. Your being here is just what he needs to recover his power, and if he manages to accomplish that, the result could be catastrophic. Now instead of concentrating on destroying him, we'll have to spend the entire fight trying to get you back, and you could get caught in the crossfire."

Orihime reared back as if struck. "Do you really see me as so passive and useless that all I am is some... some damsel in distress you have to keep saving?"

Ichigo's eyes widened, but he said nothing, probably realizing that any response was going to make things worse. Iba was not that bright, however, and so he piped up with, "From what Kurosaki told us, it's not like you did anything much when Ikkaku died. Were you planning on whipping out something new for this fight?"

Ichigo glared at him as Orihime's eyes filled with angry, frustrated tears, which she dashed from her cheeks as she rounded on Iba. "Yes, actually! I was afraid to use my bankai in case it hurt some shinigami! I've only ever used it in my Inner World so I wasn't sure how it would work in reality!"