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In This Twilight
Chapter Four: Beside You in Time
Ishida/Orihime
By Renegade Raine
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I am all alone this time around…
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One month before…
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"You idiot! If you go alone, even you are going to get killed!" Ishida exclaimed as his orange-haired companion walked ahead of him. "Sado and Tatsuki have already been killed, and if you die, how the hell are we going to save Inoue-san? Do you want her to help those bastards for the rest of her life?!"
Ichigo stopped walking and turned around to face Ishida. His usual, grouchy expression faded off of his face as he replaced it with a more carefree look and a shrug.
"Don't you get it?" Ichigo asked him. "There's a reason why I want to go alone."
"It's some pride issue, isn't it?" Ishida replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Well…yeah." Ichigo replied with a shrug, but quickly turned serious again. "But more importantly, if I die… I want you to save Inoue-san."
"Well, if that's the case, then I'll go now instead of you." Ishida said. "I'll be able to distract them long enough for Inoue-san to escape at least."
"No." Ichigo said with a shake of his head. "Your powers still haven't been fully restored and you just got out of a fight with another. What I want you to do is to return to our world and keep training. If I survive, then I'll come back with Orihime and we can celebrate. However, if I die, then you keep on training until you know you can save her, and complete the task that I couldn't."
"But Ichigo-" Ishida protested.
"Don't argue with me…I've made my mind." Ichigo said. "And besides, I want to be the one to kill that bastard, Noitora."
Knowing there was no way to talk him out of it, Ishida sighed. Accepting his defeat, Ishida looked up at Ichigo and gave him a stern look.
"Fine." Ishida stated. "But whatever you do, you had better live…for Inoue's sake at least."
"I don't know what you're trying to imply there." Ichigo replied. "But I'll try."
With that, Ichigo turned around again and continue to walk through the massive road of sand ahead of him. Ishida just simply watched him walk away as he left a lonely set of footprints in the sand, in which the heavy winds quickly erased. It wasn't until he couldn't seem him any longer before Ishida started to move. With one last sigh, Ishida turned the opposite direction and followed his orders.
"Ichigo…you bastard." Ishida muttered to himself. "You had better live. Not just for her sake…but for all of us."
Not long after he muttered to himself, he reached the portal that Urahara had created for the two and reluctantly walked through it. Little did he know that it was that day which would be the last time he would see Ichigo Kurosaki ever again.
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Sometimes on the side I hear a sound…
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For the first few days, Ishida trained around Karakura Town, hoping that Ichigo would come back with Orihime soon. When he still didn't come back after three days though, Ishida came to the conclusion that Ichigo was never coming back. After a few hours of thinking, Ishida came to the conclusion that he was going to need at least a month of training before he could even hope to compete with the likes of Aizen and the rest of the Espada. Before anything else though, he had to run.
Luckily, before his father had unfortunately fallen in battle with Isshin by Aizen's hands (even if they had managed to take down Tousen in the process), he had taught Ishida to drive. As everyone in town either died or fled for their lives, Ishida had a wide variety of vehicles in town that he could choose from. In the end though, he decided to use something he could conceal easier and pilfered an abandoned motorbike.
For a while, he kept traveling north, as he liked training in the mountains. However, after a week of training, he had run into a member of the Espada. Ishida never caught his name, but as he looked up at the towering, black man, he felt as if he were in a modern day's version of David and Goliath. The Espada did not speak often, but his impressive brute strength more than made up for it. Unfortunately, the strength did not come with intellect, and it startled even Ishida on how easily his battle was won.
After that day, Ishida traveled west, only stopping to train at places where he knew he could conceal his reiatsu. He never really knew why he chose to travel west, but he had some sort of premonition that he would be needed, so he didn't bother questioning it too terribly much.
His premonition rang true as he sensed two large reiatsu energies. One seemed vaguely familiar, but the other he knew all too well…it was Orihime! Shortly afterwards, he sensed another unfamiliar reiatsu form, followed by the reiatsu energies of Renji and Rukia. For a short while, Ishida was relieved…until he sensed several reiatsu forms in the area. Now he knew that it couldn't be good, as he was sure that there was not that many humans or Shinigami left in the world. Storing his bow aside, he mounted his motorbike and rushed toward the scene as quickly as possible.
As he had feared, the area was completely swarming with arrancar. Even with one shot of his bow, he had barely managed to clear himself a path to Renji and Rukia, whom were obviously running on the very last of their energy by the time he had arrived. The two had managed to take out an impressive amount of arrancar together, but by the time Ishida had helped them to completely clear the area of the enemy, both had collapsed to the ground.
"Where did Inoue-san go?" Ishida asked the both of them. "She wasn't abducted again, was she?"
"No…she has gone ahead." Rukia informed him. "Only she can put a stop to this."
"Where did she go? Through that portal?" Ishida inquired.
"Yep, she wanted us to go with, but we decided to try to hold these arrancar bastards back." Renji answered. "We told her that we'd follow her…but it looks like it's the end for both of us."
"So she went by herself?!" Ishida exclaimed. "What are you guys thinking?!"
"No, she was not alone." Rukia replied.
"Then who went with her?" Ishida asked, trying to figure out the answer.
"Grimmjow." She answered simply.
"What?" Ishida exclaimed as he gave both an exaggerated, incredulous look. "That's even worse!"
"I know, it seems…bad, but for some reason, I think he'll protect her with his life." Rukia said with a weak smile.
"He's an Espada!" Ishida exclaimed. "Why the hell would he protect her?"
Rukia looked over at Renji as warmly as she could before she turned her head back to Ishida. "I just know."
"In any case, I best be on my way, even if I would feel more confident if you two could accompany me." Ishida stated.
"Please tell Orihime that we're sorry that we could not come with..." Rukia muttered. "…You will save her, right?"
"Of course, I'll save her no matter what." Ishida said with an intense glare in his eyes.
"Good…she's the world's only hope now." Rukia said after Ishida went through the portal. Shortly afterwards, the sky turned almost completely black as a massive rain fell through the heavens.
"He's claimed his position of God already…perhaps the world really is doomed." Renji stated as the two lied on the ground, looking up at the sky.
"No… Orihime will bring salvation to the world…I know she will." Rukia countered. "We're both about to leave the world…let's leave without any regrets."
"With you by my side…there's no way I could leave without any regret." Renji said as a lopsided grin crept upon his face. Rukia looked over at Renji's bloodied body and reached her hand out to him. With a little effort, Renji reached his own arm out and held onto Rukia's hand. Despite the rain pelting on them from above, neither one of them died with a regret in their mind.
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Places parallel I know it's you…
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As soon as Ishida stepped through the portal, he was almost brought down to his knees with the amount of reiatsu he could feel seeping in whatever world he had just set foot on. If he hadn't trained himself, he probably would have been completely overwhelmed with the spiritual pressure that filled the place. Fortunately though, after a moment of losing his composure, he picked himself up and hastily made his way toward the energy.
As he approached a large alter area, he finally set his eyes upon the form of Aizen, which was leaking so much reiatsu, that light pulsated from his body. Although her back was to him, there was no mistaking that the crouching form nearest to Ishida was Orihime. As she stood up, Aizen made his way toward her, and Ishida knew that if he did not make a move soon, it would be not only the end of her, but the end of the world as well. Forming a bow, he concentrated hard as he tried to figure out exactly where he should aim.
"It's all over for you." Aizen boasted. "I have claimed my position of God and I have effectively killed every last human being and Shinigami in existence. The only person left is you."
Knowing he could not wait any longer, Ishida released his arrow, and as he had expected, it did not hit Aizen directly. However, it did distract him long enough to take Aizen's focus off of Orihime for a couple of seconds at least. That would have to do for the time being. Stepping out of the shadows, Ishida made his presence known.
"You're wrong, you didn't kill everyone." He said with contained malice. "And because of that, I, Uryuu Ishida, the last of the Quincy, swear to kill you for everything you've done."
"Oh?" was the only reply that came from the lips of Aizen as he looked upon him with a calm smirk and a raised eyebrow. "It appears that I indeed did miss one."
Orihime ran up to Ishida, feeling the biggest sense of relief in her life, since she had willingly gone with Ulquiorra to Hueco Mundo. Ishida was so focused on Aizen though, that he could barely give her a glance.
"Ishida-kun! I'm so relieved that you're alive!" Orihime exclaimed, but her face quickly turned into a more melancholy expression. "I'm not sure if coming to save me was the best idea though. Even Grimmjow could only drive him off for a couple of minutes."
"Don't make me laugh, Orihime-san." Aizen finally spoke up. "Grimmjow didn't 'drive' me off at all. I merely waited until he tired himself out, and then I left to claim my power. Unlike you, I'm not naïve enough to believe that all of my enemies will sit nicely and lead me to my powers."
"Don't worry about him, Inoue-san." Ishida said to her. "I'll distract him…you just do whatever you have to do to stop this madness."
"But…I don't know what I have to do!" Orihime explained. "And if you face him, you're going to d-"
"I said don't worry about him." Ishida said with a hint of irritation. "I swore to not only Kurosaki-kun, but to myself that I'd save you. If you don't have faith in me, at least have some faith in Ichigo."
Upon hearing the name of her fallen crush, Orihime looked down and stayed silent for a few seconds. She still blamed herself for Ichigo's death, so it still hurt her to think of him. So if Ichigo had made Ishida promise to save her, she knew she owed him at least that final wish. With a defeated sigh, Orihime walked a few steps away.
"Okay…but please don't die for my sake." Orihime said to him. "If you do…I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"I understand." Ishida responded. "That's why I won't die."
"Are you fools done with your morose banter yet?" Aizen quipped. "I'm afraid I don't have time for this type of thing these days."
"My apologies, it does appear that I got carried away." Ishida said with a slight curve of his lips. He then drew out his bow. "Shall we?"
As the fight begun between Ishida and Aizen, Orihime hurried toward the altar in the back of the room. She still didn't know what she was supposed to do to gain the power she needed to vanquish Aizen, but she knew it had to do with that structure. When she reached it, she looked all around to try to find some sort of clue, but she could not find any.
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Feel the little pieces bleeding through…
And on…
This goes on…
And on…
And on…
And on…
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All Orihime could do was helplessly watch as Ishida and Aizen fought each other. After several arrows had failed to cause any effect to Aizen, Ishida switched his arrow to a sword and attempted to attack Aizen using that. However, he wasn't doing much better with his switch of offense.
Looking away from the battle, Orihime forced herself to think of possible ways to end Aizen's reign as God. After a few moments, Orihime suddenly remembered the words of advice passed onto her by the sole female of the Espada.
"If you are too late…the only thing you can do is give the greatest sacrifice of them all."
"The greatest sacrifice?" Orihime said to herself. What this great sacrifice was, Orihime did not know. However, with nearly all of her friends and allies dead, the only thing Orihime had left in this world was Ishida…and there was no way she would lead him to his death. On the other hand though, she had to save the world, and she was somehow the only person who could do that.
All of the sudden, Orihime felt Aizen's reiatsu as he rushed toward her. Before Orihime could even blink though, Ishida rushed just as fast and blocked Orihime from getting hit with this bow. Craning his neck to look at her, Ishida gave her a look of urgency.
"I can't hold him back much longer, you must hurry!" Ishida exclaimed. "Figure out what you have to do to make all of this stop!"
"I'm trying to!" Orihime cried out. "But the only way I could stop this is if…"
Orihime paused as the epiphany hit her. She then grew eerily quiet as Ishida stared back at her.
"What is it, Inoue-san?" Ishida asked while trying to hold Aizen back.
"…If it didn't exist in the first place." Orihime finished. Ishida gave her one last confused look before Aizen started to break through his bow. Orihime finally looked up from the ground as she gave a serene smile. "If I never existed in this world, then none of this would have ever happened."
In an instant, Aizen ceased his struggle against Ishida and gave Orihime a momentary look of bewilderment before he simply laughed.
"By all means, go for it." Aizen encouraged her. "If you didn't exist, then all of your power would go to me."
Ishida turned around and walked to Orihime's side. Orihime's calm expression did not change as Aizen dared her to go through with her plan with his body language alone. Ishida grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him.
"Orihime, what do you think you're doing?" Ishida nearly yelled at her. "You're the world's only hope right now, and you're going to just give up?"
"No…for once, you don't understand what it is that I have to do." Orihime said to him. "Besides Tatsuki-chan, I always felt that you understood me the most, however, I can only save the world by throwing my existence away."
"Do you realize how moronic that sounds?" Ishida responded. Orihime's smile only faded for a split second before she recovered and managed to call out her Shun Shun Rikka. As the six forms floated in front of her, Orihime gave a long look before talking.
"I know this is a lot to ask…" Orihime started.
"Yeah, yeah…we already know." Tsubaki said nonchalantly. "We can hear ya, y'know?"
"Can you guys help me?" Orihime asked them. "Please help me wipe my existence from the boundaries of this world, so that I can never bring pain to another person again."
"We don't want to be the ones to do it…but if it's your request, we must obey." Shun'o said to her as she turned to look at everyone else. "You heard what she said everyone."
After a moment of hesitation, the six agreed and formed a barrier around Orihime. Powerless to the situation, Ishida could only stare with his mouth agape as he tried to figure out what he was going to do with Aizen, who was looking rather smug at the moment. When the barrier faded, Orihime was nowhere to be found.
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Now that I've decided not to stay…
I can feel me start to fade away…
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"Well now…shall we continue?" Aizen asked with a slight shrug. "Even if it is useless now."
"Even if she isn't here anymore, there's no way I would give up against you!" Ishida said with an intense glare. "I'll defeat you, no matter what it takes!"
"In that case, I'll be merciful, as I'm sure you're feeling a lot of pain for losing everyone close to you…so I'll make your death quick." Aizen said. "However, I can not guarantee that it will be painless."
In a speed impossible to achieve as a mere human, Aizen rushed toward Ishida. However, he was forced to stopped when he felt the whole room vibrate with a new reiatsu that overpowered even his own. He was not able to even look up at the owner of the massive energy, until the power was eased slightly. When he finally looked up, his pupils shrunk out of pure shock of what he saw.
Her hair was a more vibrant color, her eyes shone with a new light, but it was no mistaking who it was…it was Orihime Inoue. The same calm look was upon her face as her hair floated around her face as she looked upon Aizen's face. Orihime then turned her head to give Ishida (who looked every bit as dumbfounded as Aizen did) a maternal-like smile.
"H-how…is this possible?" Aizen raged. "Only one person can obtain the powers of a true god!"
"You're correct." Orihime confirmed in an authoritative voice that was still her own. "Only one person can obtain the powers of a true god."
"But why did it go to you?" Aizen seethed. "You're supposed to be dead!"
"I am?" Orihime asked. "I merely wished to have never existed in this world…but eternity is beyond this world, isn't it?"
"That still doesn't explain how you got that power!" Aizen sneered.
"It's easy, really." Orihime said with a thoughtful look. "All you care about is yourself, so you only claimed the power to hurt everything around you. However, you didn't even think of grabbing the power to create life naturally. And because of that power, I hold the power over everyone's fate"
"Even if that were true, what can you do to me?" Aizen said, as his confidence returned. "I'm now a god too, remember?"
"I guess the power went gone to your head." Orihime responded with a grin, but instantly turned serious again. "Or did you forget that you were once human as well?"
Realizing just how much trouble he was in, Aizen could only give Orihime a hateful glare as she took a couple of steps toward him.
"As the new God, it is my job to judge people on whether or not they are suited to be in this world." Orihime spoke. "Unfortunately, with all the hurt you've caused to every one in the entire world, and even to some of the very own race you created, it would be foolish for anyone to believe that you should continue to exist in any form in any time or place."
"N-no!" Aizen muttered. "I'm not through with this world yet! I haven't created my paradise for my own perfect race!"
"And I regret to tell you that you never will." Orihime responded. Closing her eyes, Orihime created a light so bright, that even Ishida had to turn his head away from the light. The brightness then consumed Aizen's entire form until he was no more. Orihime then briefly flicked a hand as time seemingly stopped around her and Ishida.
"So…you were right after all." Ishida commented. Orihime only slightly shrugged before Ishida turned to look at her. "So what happens next?"
"I must create a new world." Orihime responded. "It'll be kind of like when you're playing a video game, but you make a big mistake. Instead of letting yourself die though, you press the reset button and try everything over again."
"I see." Ishida said. "And what will happen to me now?"
"I'm afraid that when creating the new world, that this world has to cease to be." Orihime answered. "Which is why I've stopped time for now."
"And you?" Ishida asked. "What are you going to do in the new world?"
"Unfortunately, I can only watch." Orihime said. "It won't matter anyways, since nobody will remember who I am."
"That's not true." Ishida said with a shake of his head. "Even if you erase your existence…I'll never forget."
"Ishida-kun…thanks for always believing in me." Orihime said as she looked down at him. "I know that I'll never be able to stop hatred, and I know that I'll never be able to stop war. However…I promise that I'll make the world a better place…for everyone."
Orihime then knelt down and kissed the top of Ishida's head before making a slight wave with her hand to allow time to continue. Orihime gave Ishida one last warm look before she ascended into the heavens. After she disappeared from his sight, Ishida took a few steps before he noticed the entire world crumble before his eyes. As the white light approached him, Ishida only grinned as it engulfed him as well.
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Everything is back where it belongs…
I will be beside you before long…
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Now that the world was a blank slate, the only thing that Orihime had to do was create a new world to replace it. At first, she considered adding some extra things like dragons and unicorns, but then Orihime figured that dragons would probably try to eat humans, and that people would probably hunt the unicorns for their horns. In the end, Orihime finally decided to make the world exactly as it had been without Aizen.
However, she had a few changes she wanted to make.
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This goes on…
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First of all, Chizuru was not a part of this world. Chizuro, however, was a prominent man in the high schools of Karakura Town. At first, people picked on him for having fuchsia colored hair, which fueled the obvious gay comments from the men. Somehow, the gay comments didn't phase the male at all, which even disturbed him a bit. However, every time Chizuro would manage to get to get the girl's number in which whatever guy was bullying was trying to pursue, he would always leave the scene with the smuggest look on his face.
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And on…
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Tatsuki could only put her arms up to block as the offender in front of her attempted a series of punches and kicks to her body. While she blocked, she finally spotted an opening and tore right through that opening with a swift uppercut. Her opponent went flying into the air until they fell unconscious to the ground. Tatsuki panted as she sunk into a corner.
A bell then rang through the area as a referee ran into the ring. He gripped Tatsuki's sweat coated arm as he raised it into the air. The massive crowd in the arena erupted into cheers and several flashes from cameras nearly blinded Tatsuki.
"The winner by knock out and the NEW Vale Tudo champion…Tatsuki Arisawa!" the announcer shouted
Despite her fatigue, she still managed to grin widely. She had just achieved her life dream, so there wasn't any reason for her not to smile. Not to mention that in the very front, she could see her fiancé in the very front row. He didn't cheer and holler like everyone else in the crowd did, but he still gave her the approving smirk she came to love. When he had first proposed to her, it seemed only natural that she should say yes right away, but yet she felt as if she were betraying herself…or someone else by accepting. She got over it though, and the two were now set to wed in just a few months.
She then would become Tatsuki Kurosaki.
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And on…
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Compared to Tatsuki's life, Chad's life was boringly simple. He did fairly well in school, but chose not to attend any renowned college and get a high paying job. Money was never Chad's goal though. He was just happy enough being close to the people in the town, and helping Ichigo fight when the time came necessary.
He eventually moved next door to the Kurosaki Clinic and opened up a pet shop as he always had a weak spot for cute animals, and enjoyed the company of the children who would come in to choose a new pet to join their family. It always saddened him a little, but he knew that they would be happy in their new home.
However, there was one parakeet that he felt so close to, that he wouldn't allow it to be sold. He sometimes felt as if they had met in a previous life, He figured that it was only because he had it in his possession for so long though. After all, it was probably impossible for a bird and a man like him to have met before…right?
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And on…
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Soul Society still pretty much functioned as it did before, but without the threat of Aizen hanging over them, things were a bit less complicated. For instance, Rangiku Matsumoto still struggled on her own for a long while, until she ran into and became acquainted with Gin Ichimaru.
However, without Aizen around, Gin was always by her side. Sometimes they would play their childish games and sometimes they would suffer as they tried to find food to supplement their large spirit energies. However, once they were accepted into Shinigami school, things became easier for the both of them.
Gin became captain of the Third Division soon after he graduated and Rangiku again became the vice-captain of the Tenth Division. One thing that had changed in their previous life though was that soon after they had graduated, they both got married in a pretty big ceremony, attended by several of the friends they had made in school. Neither suffered ever again after that day.
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And on…
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Rukia's life started out exactly as it had before. Her sister abandoned her at an early age to find a better life for the both of them, although she left Rukia to fend for herself because of it. She dealt with it through the years though, before she helped Renji steal some water from some old geezer.
Their friends had still died like before, and they both still went to Shinigami school to try to find a better life for the both of them. Renji did quite well and was about to brag to Rukia about passing another test, when he saw the form of what he assumed was a noble in Rukia's room. However, his reiatsu was not enough to hold his head down in place, so Renji was able to look further in the room to see a woman that looked almost exactly like Rukia, who was embracing the actual Rukia. Rukia looked a little tense at first, but then accepted the hug.
"What is going on here?" Renji finally asked. After a long pause, Rukia finally turned toward Renji.
"This is my older sister, Hisana." Rukia explained. Renji looked at the two sisters again, still shocked by the amount of similarities in appearance between the two.
"Yes…and I'd like to offer you a place to stay with me in my fiancé's manor." Hisana said as she looked at her sister.
Rukia looked down as she thought about her decision. Feeling a little pang in his heart, Renji looked over at Rukia. His first thought was to scream at her not to do it and to stay at the academy with him, but he knew it would be selfish. After all, Rukia often told him her anguish over not knowing what had happened to her sister. He didn't know who the dark haired man was, but he looked pretty well to do. He was sure that if she chose to stay with them, she would probably be the happiest she ever was in her life.
"Thanks for the offer…" Rukia muttered. "But you have already found someone to keep you happy in your life. And I…"
Rukia paused briefly as she looked over at Renji before looking back at her sister.
"I think I've found someone as well." Rukia said with a slight blush as her sister gave her an understanding smile.
"I see." Hisana replied. "In that case, I hope that you and your friend visit us sometime after you graduate."
"Of course we will." Rukia said with a nod of her head. She then looked over to Renji, whose face was completely flushed. "Right?"
"Y…yeah." Renji replied.
Hisana giggled a little before walking a few steps to Byakuya. She grabbed his arm and looked up at him.
"Shall we go?" She asked, which Byakuya answered with a simple nod. The two then left, leaving Renji and Rukia alone in the room. Renji was still blushing as he scratched the back of his head.
"So…Rukia…" he started. Rukia grabbed his arm though as she rushed toward the door.
"You idiot, we're gonna be late for our next class!" Rukia shouted at him. "Quit bumbling around and let's go!"
"Hey, it's not my fault that we're gonna be late!" Renji yelled back as he chased her down the hall. Even if they would be with each other for the rest of their lives, they still had a lot of issues to work out before the two would eventually marry.
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And on…
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Out of everyone that Orihime had known, she made the least changes to Ichigo Kurosaki's life. He could still talk to spirits and he still met with Rukia to eventually become a Shinigami Representative. Nothing big ever happened though, so he never had to travel to Soul Society for any reason, beside to train to fight against the Hollows.
Other than becoming a Shinigami though, his life was relatively simple. He decided to become a doctor, so that he could run the clinic when his father retired. Yuzu also went into the medical field and became a proficient nurse, so that she could always help her brother out. Karin, however, left the house when she was still relatively young to become a world famous soccer prodigy.
Although Ichigo's life seemed perfect, it still bothered him that sometimes it seemed too perfect. He often wondered if his life was real at all, or if it was all just a big dream. Also, when he was with his friends, he often felt that something was missing…but he never knew exactly who or what it was.
He was growing up though and was soon going to get married, so Ichigo knew that he had to get over it. After all, what good was his life if he was going to mope about it?
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And on…
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In his adulthood, Uryuu Ishida became world famous because of his skills. He did not become a doctor, like his father had wanted; instead he became a fashion designer, whose fashions were worn by the wealthy all over the world.
Although his fashions were well received by critics everywhere, Ishida often had trouble trying to find the right model for his designs. Eventually, he became so frustrated in his search for a perfect model, that he held a worldwide search to find the face of his Quincy brand name.
When he was in France, he had just about given up on his search, when he laid his eyes upon a female with light red hair and eyes that were nearly the color of ice. When she came up to the judging booth, she was a little shy, but there was something about her that seemed really familiar. Despite the protests from the other judges, Ishida immediately decided that she would represent the Quincy clothing line.
To everyone's surprise, she was actually a huge hit for his clothing line, which shot her to superstardom. Although Ishida was appreciative for all the hard work she had put forth for his company, he could never see her any more than a co-worker. So when she had suddenly declared her feelings for love for him, he could not return them.
She was perfect in everyway…but that was the problem. She was perfect. Almost as if she were some kind of humanoid robot. It still felt as she reminded him of someone he knew, but he was sure that there wasn't anyone significant in his past that would bring up those assumptions. He went on with his life, continuing to make excellent designs, but no matter what, he always wondered why his model bothered him and whom exactly she reminded him of.
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"You already made so many changes and even added that French hussy to that world…are you done yet?" An impatient Tsubaki asked Orihime, who was very worn out after all the thought she had put into creating the new world. She had remembered Ishida's words that he wouldn't forget her no matter what, so she had created a woman that looked quite a bit like her, but she made a little prettier. She also removed all of her clumsy antics and decided to make her a little less naïve than she was, as she figured that people would like her better if she only had her good qualities, not realizing that it was her idiosyncrasies that made her so endearing in the first place. In any case, her work was still not complete.
"No…there are still a few changes I want to make." Orihime answered as she concentrated deeply to think of what to do with the next few people. "First of all, I should repay that woman. Without her help, I would have never been able to do any of this…"
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We will never die…
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Although the Quincy's model was known throughout the world as the "It" girl, there was no denying the power that another model held throughout the world. Her hair was of a color so yellow, that everyone speculated that she dyed it, when it was actually her natural color. Her turquoise eyes contrasted with her darker skin, which made her a favorite for cosmetic ads. However, her very curvy figure also secured her a spot as the spokes model for HAG lingerie.
Despite her popularity though, not a single person knew her real name. Tabloids paid countless agencies to find the truth behind her name, but not one could turn up any results. However, the tabloids soon put that to rest when she was spotted making appearances with the most notorious playboy of them all, Noitora. Even if he did sport an eye patch, he was still successful in seducing several of the world's most famous models, actresses, and musicians. However, this particular affair took the tabloids by storm as Noitora and his newest flame were often found arguing with each other, because of his flirtatious nature. It always wound up with a physical fight between them, with the woman somehow always managing to be the victor.
Unknown to the tabloids though, after she would drag him out of whatever party she was attending, she would drag him to whatever hotel room she was staying at and proceeded to have her way with him. Although she was a lot rougher than what he was used to, Noitora had to admit that he was so damned turned on. Which was why he never got bored with her. It would be damaging to his pride if he couldn't even get her to be the bitch even one time in their encounters. He was determined to reach the day when finally he would become the dominant one in their relationship.
That day never came.
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"I also want Ulquiorra to finally have a reason to smile." Orihime continued.
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Beside you in time…
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No longer did Ulquiorra ever have to follow another order in his life. Not to mention, he didn't have to worry about his half-helmet that formally covered the left side of his head. His life was actually relatively normal, as he attended school in Karakura Town. His grades were constantly near the top, although he never really gained much recognition in school, as he hardly ever talked to anyone.
He would often get called "emo", because of the style of his hair and the black lines that he would apply to his face with eyeliner, but he would only ignore everyone's accusations. He hated to be following the typical emo stereotype, but he found that he actually liked writing poetry and often wrote during his constant alone time. Also, he regretted the day when he found out that he liked hanging out in coffee houses. Needless to say, Ulquiorra decided that if he listened to the mundane music that the typical emo person listened to and cried over what typically was usually pointless, that perhaps he really was part of that cliché.
One day as he was writing new poetry in his favorite coffee house though, he came across a female with long, orange hair and some of the most intense blue eyes that he had ever seen. A male, which he recognized as Uryuu Ishida from his class followed her inside. As the girl looked at the menu for several minutes, Ulquiorra could tell that Ishida was getting a little impatient. Finally, the girl looked around until she saw Ulquiorra sitting at a nearby table.
"So what would you recommend for a girl like me?" she asked him, with a sheepish grin. "I've never been into one of these places before."
"Uh…mocha frappuccino?" Ulquiorra responded, not really knowing the answer himself.
"Okay, that's what I'll get then!" The girl beamed as she turned to go by Ishida again and ordered Ulquiorra's suggestion. When she got her drink, she plopped her straw into the middle of it and took a big sip of it. Curious to see her reaction, Ulquiorra stopped writing for a few moments. Slowly, the girl's expression turned from curious to overjoyed. "So good!"
Her joy over something so simple was fascinating to Ulquiorra. When she finally got over the initial taste of her drink and thanked him for the suggestion, for the first time in what seemed like ages to Ulquiorra, he was able to smile back at her in return, even if it was a rather weak one.
After that day, the girl would stop by the coffee house frequently to get a mocha frappuccino, and she would usually manage to start up a conversation with Ulquiorra. At first, he had missed the time to write, but eventually found that conversing with the girl was far more interesting, even if it was mostly him listening to her talk. It was Ulquiorra who the girl first told about her feelings for Ishida, and asked him what she should do about it. Ulquiorra had absolutely no relationship experience in his life, but just to try to comfort her, he told her to tell Ishida about her feelings and that he was sure that he would be able to fall in love with a girl like her.
The next day, however, Ulquiorra was troubled by her crestfallen expression. The brightness that emanated from that girl, that usually it even affected Ulquiorra to feel the warmth within himself. That day, however, Ulquiorra could feel nothing from the girl. He had a feeling he knew what happened, but he figured he'd hear it in her own words.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I guess I'm not the one for him after all." She replied, with her eyes downcast.
"Why is that?"
"He said that I was too perfect for him and that we were better off as business partners." She answered. "I guess I'm stupid for thinking that he could ever think of me of any more than that."
"You're wrong." Ulquiorra droned. "He's the fool."
"Wha…what do you mean?" she stuttered. "He's a genius and I'm just a stupid girl."
"Nobody is perfect." Ulquiorra stated, as the girl gave him a confused look. "That's the best part of life. Nobody is perfect, so you have to appreciate all the flaws that come with each person. It's just that your flaws aren't as obvious as everyone else's. So if he is too moronic to realize that, he's the fool, not you."
"Ulquiorra…thanks." The girl said, as her usual warmness returned in her expression. Ulquiorra smiled back in return. It was not long after that day before the two of them started to date. Finally, for the first time in both of their existences, they were both able to lead a happy life.
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"Well…that was unexpected, wasn't it?" Orihime remarked to her Shun Shun Rikka as she watched Ulquiorra on a date with the girl whom she poorly modeled after herself. "I made her to make Ishida-kun happy, but I guess no matter what, life will always be unpredictable. Oh well…at least Ulquiorra is finally happy."
"Indeed." Shun'o replied. "But what about Grimmjow…he…"
"I know." Orihime answered with a sad expression. "All I wanted was for him to have the freedom he so desperately wanted…but because of it, he's miserable in a way that only he could express…"
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We will never die…
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From the day he was born, Grimmjow swore that if there was a god, he obviously had a grudge against him. His parents abandoned him when he was just a child; although he was still old enough to remember that they had decided not to raise him and to just leave him in front of the orphanage.
That orphanage wasn't any better. The kids would constantly tease him, because his natural hair color was a sky blue. He had no idea why that was the case, but he figured it was some curse put on him on his birth. Eventually, he learned that if he sucker punched everyone who made fun of him in the face, they learned to shut their traps real fast.
Once he got into high school, he was pretty much at the peak of his hatred for the whole world. By that time, he had run away from the orphanage and made his home inside an abandoned warehouse he found while wandering around one day. He had tried going to high school for a little bit, but that pissed him off even more. Especially that kid, Ichigo Kurosaki. He himself didn't quite know why he hated him so much, but when he challenged him to a fight, that kid never backed down. That was fine with Grimmjow though, as he didn't feel the least bit guilty when he beat both Ichigo and that tall brown-noser friend of his senseless. Eventually, he got expelled, and Grimmjow didn't care the least bit.
After that, Grimmjow did pretty much whatever the hell he wanted. He slept with a lot of women, but would immediately break their hearts the next day, as it didn't seem quite right with any of them. The days he hated the most though was when it rained. He always felt lonely, and it always bothered him, because he always was alone. When it rained though, he somehow felt as if he were missing something. It was enough to drive him even more insane than at the point he was already at.
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With everyone else happily living their lives, Orihime watched Grimmjow the most; as he was the only person she knew that still was not content. It pained her to see how much he hated his life and how he blamed it on herself (even if there was no way he could know that she was God) for all that he had gone through.
In a sense, it was her fault, so Orihime felt horrible. She knew that she could not contact him directly, but she still knew a way that she could apologize to him: through his dreams.
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It was the same typical, shitty routine, except on a different, shitty day. The only thing left to do was go to bed, have his usual dreamless sleep, and hope to hell that the world would blow up the next day, so that he wouldn't be as bored out of his skull as he was now.
Once he fell asleep though, he found himself in a field of flowers so white, that it made him sick. He didn't know what was going on, but he sure as hell knew that he didn't like it. He looked around, until he saw a vibrant figure whose orange colored hair floated around her. Squinting his eyes in a mixture of confusion and mild annoyance, he made his way toward her.
"I'm sorry for everything." The woman said as she turned around. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow as he approached her. She seemed like she came from another plane of existence, but yet he felt as if he knew her somehow.
"Who are you and what the hell are ye sorry about?" Grimmjow asked.
"Because of me, you have experienced a horrible life." Orihime replied. "I never meant for it to be like that…I just wanted you to have the freedom you always wanted."
"Yeah, freedom is all I have." Grimmjow said with a snort. "But you still didn't answer the first question. Who the hell are you?"
"It's probably better if you don't know." Orihime said. "Beside, there's no way I can be with you. If I were still human though…I do think that I would love you."
"What the hell are you babblin' about?"" Grimmjow asked with a shake of his head. However, memories from the life before were slowly creeping their way back into his head. It disturbed him that the last part of her statement strangely made some sense to him. "All I want to know is your fuckin' name."
"I…I already said too much." Orihime stuttered. "You're about to wake up…I can't stay any longer."
With a jolt, Grimmjow suddenly opened his eyes. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead before sitting up. For the first time in a very long period of time, he finally had a dream. However, that felt way too real to be a dream. The sickeningly sweet scent of flowers was still in his nose, and a whole lot of memories that he knew that he didn't experience in his current life were suddenly rushing through his mind.
"Ori…hime?" Grimmjow sounded out to himself. Was that the name of the female in his dream? He noticed that she kind of looked like that famous model broad that modeled for that wimp kid he went to school with for a while, but knew it definitely wasn't her.
He took a few aspirins, but the images that flashed in his mind continued until he had about half of his memory from his previous life mixed in with his already present memories. If he were any normal person, this would be the time when he would admit himself to a mental institution. However, there was no way that he would even walk near a place like that. However, he had to figure out how to deal with his newfound memories, most of which involved that girl from his dream. Most of which strangely turned him on.
At that moment, his mind suggested that he travel by foot to some European country. He was pretty sure that it was France, but he wasn't quite sure. He immediately thought to himself that it was also the most moronic thought that ever passed through his head ever. However, he knew that somehow he had to find that Orihime chick and figure out what the hell was going on with him and his head.
Deciding that he really didn't have anything better to do, Grimmjow stepped outside of his dilapidated home and walked over to a motorcycle that he had stolen from some tool a while back. He would travel to Europe, as he had a feeling that was where he could meet the girl from his dream, but there was no way in hell that he was going to travel by foot when he knew how to drive.
Grimmjow revved his engine once, before he sped through the roads and out of the town he despised with every fiber of his being. He didn't knew whether or not he would ever find that girl or if he could even begin to understand what was going on with his head, but he wasn't going to sit on his ass and see if the problems would fix themselves. He hated his life up until this point, but by taking this foolish journey, maybe, just maybe he would find a purpose to live.
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Beside you in time.
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Author's Notes
…and that's the end! For those of you thinking "WTF MATE? What happens next?". The answer is simple. Decide for yourself.
Does Grimmjow go on the journey to find nothing at all, go berserk and go on a killing spree? Does he find a way to get into contact with Orihime and rekindle their romance on GOD MODE? Or does Ishida, Ulquiorra, Noitora, and Ichigo just suddenly have flashbacks and decide that they all want a piece of Orihime's ass as well (she IS a god, so I'm sure she could handle all of them . ). Again, you decide.
Now for some notes on the chapter:
First of all, yes, I changed the name of the entire story from "The Downward Spiral" to "In This Twilight. Why? Because the original name was more of a placeholder anyways before I could think of a better title. "In This Twilight" is a song off of the Nine Inch Nails album coming in April, and I instantly fell in love with the song as soon as I heard it. I'll put the lyrics to it at the very end, as I felt they were strangely fitting to the entire story.
I KNOW some of you will go WTF MATE? on the Ichigo/Tatsuki thing I threw in. However, I often wondered if the two had some sort of spark going on when they were younger, as I believe they knew each other longer than anyone else close to Ichigo (aside from his family, but that's a given). Not to mention there WAS a part where Karin said that Ichigo brought Tatsuki to his room. Hmmmmmmmmmm…
In any case, I wondered if Tatsuki did have some feelings for Ichigo, but merely harbored them to respect her friend's crush on him. Probably not, but it was a thought anyways
As far as ChizurO goes…I'm an unoriginal whore. I didn't want to spend time trying to dream up a different name for her…him…it.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this, as originally it was supposed to be a GrimmHime oneshot. However, I couldn't think of a way to make an emotional impact for the couple in just one chapter, so I figured I'd kill three other Orihime pairings with one stone.
As for what I'll write next, I'm not sure. I've been neglecting my Organization Lockdown comics, as I didn't have it in me to write comedy with the dark tone of this story. However, I feel it coming back to me, so I'll make a few of those before moving on to my next project.
I've been developing an original story idea of my own, but I still need to fill a few plot holes and make just a couple more characters before I even think of even starting it. However, people have been begging me to continue "Disenchanted", my Xaldin/Belle fanfic (Kingdom Hearts 2 fandom), and I have been feeling the urge to continue that, so that may be the next big thing I finish.
Anyways, thank you all for reading to the very end. I heart you all!
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In This Twilight
Watch the sun,
As it crawls across a final time
And it feels like,
Like it was a friend.
It is watching us,
And the world we set on fire
Do you wonder,
If it feels the same?
And the sky is filled with light
Can you see it?
All the black is really white
If you believe it
As your time is running out
Let me take away your doubt
You can find a better place
In this twilight
Dust to dust,
Ashes in your hair remind me
What it feels like
And I won't feel again
Night descends
Could I have been a better person
If I could only do it all again
But the sky is filled with light
Can you see it?
All the black is really white
If you believe it
And the longing that you feel
You know none of this real
You will find a better a place
In this twilight
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