A Touch of Insanity

Inoue Orihime came close to growling at her boyfriend. It was so out of character for her but no one else was able to thoroughly piss her off like Ulquiorra. The green eyed arrancar hovered over her constantly. She knew and freely admitted she was a bit of a ditz and accident prone but how possessive and protective he was tended to be too much. Then there were those remarks about her friends that he would make, especially about Ichigo.

“Really, just stop this.” Orihime took a deep calming breath and paced across their room. “I am quite safe and after all Aizen-sama will be there. We’ve been here for about eight months now and nothing really bad has happened. I am not so fragile as to be escorted everywhere I go and be looked after every moment of the day. I am only going to dinner.”

“You are quite breakable being human after all and Kurosaki is trash and has always been. I do not know what you and Aizen-sama sees in him.” Ulquiorra said in his dead voice.

“He is my friend. When you died, when you asked me if I feared you, I realized that no matter what I was going to bring you back. I no longer feared you. I found my courage, my resolve and I was going to make you my friend. I was going to show you that there are things and people that are worth caring about. Now let me show you that he is someone that has earned that right. That he has shown his worth.”

“By harming you? Do you not remember the first day he was brought here? Do you not remember that he nearly broke your jaw?” Ulquiorra actually showed some emotion as he brought up the past.

“It was not on purpose! He would never do that on purpose.”

“That is the point, he has no control of himself. He is not worth your care.”

No, he was wrong she knew Ichigo was worth every effort and care. She felt it was her fault anyway for bringing this pain upon him. If he had not followed her to try to save her back then he would not be so broken now and that man, that creature, would not have found out about him. It was all her fault. No, there was no way that she would abandon him now. No matter what Ulquiorra might say, she would not be swayed in her resolve. It was the least she could do to repay Ichigo.

“You just do not understand. It is my fault and I need to fix this.” She just huffed and left their rooms. She knew he followed but was determined to ignore him.

******

Upon reaching Aizen’s private dining room, she knocked and then entered. There, the lord of Los Noches sat regally at the head of the table with Ichigo already seated to his right.

When Orihime made to sit down next to Ichigo, Ulquiorra pulled her around to the other side of the table.

Orihime immediately imagined using her shield to shove him out of the door and then barring him reentry. This made her smile.

“Good evening Aizen-sama. Good evening Kurosaki-kun.” She said with her usual cheer.

Ichigo started at being addressed.

“Inoue-san.” Aizen replied and then gestured to an unknown arrancar to begin serving dinner.

“Um… how have you been Kurosaki-kun?”

“I’m fine.” His tone could have rivaled Ulquiorra’s for blandness.

“Are you sure?” Inoue asked, noting the red and bruised looking skin around his eyes.

“Just some nightmares, it’s nothing.”

Dinner was a strained affair to say the least. Ichigo just picked at his plate while Inoue tried to fill the silence with inane chatter. Ulquiorra was of course his charming self, sending glares at Ichigo every chance he got and Aizen was as unruffled as ever.

Ichigo started to twitch a little, clattering his fork on the plate and drawing everyone’s attention.
Aizen calmly reached out and gently took the fork from his hands.

“Kurosaki-kun?” Inoue reached for her hair pins.

“Calm yourself, it should be over in a minute. He is fine.” Aizen pulled Ichigo into his arms and held him through the fit.

Inoue watched with tears in her eyes. To think that not too long ago, Aizen would have had Ichigo killed in a heartbeat. It was unbelievable that this powerful man was so caring towards his one time enemy. This show of love broke the last piece of hope for her and Ichigo that she had not realized she still carried.

A convulsion caused Ichigo to slip from Aizen’s arms to the floor. Aizen took off his haori, folded it and placed it under the teen’s head. He shook and shuddered while the others waited and watched helplessly.

“In-oue… have to save…. Ru-ki-a don’t die… ugh.” Tears flowed from the corners of eyes clenched shut tight in pain.

Ichigo’s skin started to turn white. His hair also took on the ghostly hue around the roots. What looked like scars littered the skin around his face and neck.

“Bastard! So weak…stupid…fucking stupid. Get away! Aaaaahhhh!” Inoue blinked, that sounded like Ichigo’s hollow.

“Aizen-sama? What is happening to him?” She turned into Ulquiorra’s chest. “I thought you said he was getting better.”

With a small sigh Aizen looked up at the girl.

“This is nothing. He has been worse.” Surprisingly Aizen allowed them to see how tired he seemed. “You need to understand that a part of him broke long before anything happened to him. During his lucid moments, he would talk about his mother and her death. Then when he first became a shinigami, it was because of his reiatsu that the hollows attacked. He felt it was his fault that his family was in danger. One thing after another. One person depending on him after another. All of this began to slowly chip away at his sanity. This break would have been healed if he was given time and support from his friends and family but he was not given the opportunity. You were with the team who rescued him. You know that a person does not come out the same after something like that. Those cracks, those areas chipped away weakened and broke. He suffers from a type of dissociative amnesia and seizures but it is getting better. He remembers more, but as it is he will not be the same again.”

Aizen stood with Ichigo cradled in his arms.

“You may stay and finish dinner if you wish.” With that he left.

(Excerpt from Kurosaki Ichigo’s Journal)

I remember a little now. There was a face. She had the most beautiful violet eyes and short hair that framed
her face.

I don’t remember the name but I saw blood… It tore at my heart to see her all bloody. I do not know her yet I cannot stop thinking about her. I wonder if I loved her.

The bright color of blood also brought a memory of someone with red red hair. I could not see the face but I knew it was a guy. I felt like he was someone close to me. When I think of him I also think of the girl with violet eyes. I wonder why?

…

I had a nightmare. Bodies, there were three. I just could not comprehend why they would be lying in fantastic broken poses over the ruble of a building. One was a man. He was dark haired and scruffy. Looking at him, I felt annoyance and affection and sadness that he was gone. The other two were little girls. They seemed so tiny in that mess. One had black hair and the other had light brown, an almost blonde. I remember screaming for them to wake. I remember begging and pleading but I could not hear the names that I knew I shouted.

I woke to Aizen sitting on the bed next to me. He seemed to know what I needed. I cried for a long time. I think I fell asleep because when I opened my eyes he was gone. Even if it were only for a few moments, I was glad he was there.

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A/N: Confused? Well, these chapters were a sort of long prologue. In the next chapter we travel to the past to see what happened.