A Touch of Insanity

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Chapter 9



Everyone was surprised and on guard when a garganta opened into the underground training area at the shoten. They were even more surprised to find an espada that everyone thought was dead, walk out with Ichigo on his shoulder. Rukia, Renji and Orihime followed out behind him.



Laying the boy on the ground, Ulquiorra turned to Orihime.



“I have repaid my debt to you for my life. I will go now.”



“Oh no! You can’t just leave yet. We haven’t thanked you and …and…well I would like you to stay.” Orihime said.



Ulquiorra was astonished that he was even considering staying. The shinigami gathered looked ready to try to slay him and this girl’s request made him pause. He shook his head mentally and wondered what was happening to him.



“I will stay a day or two.” Her smile at his words made him feel funny inside and he wondered if he was falling ill.



“Inoue-san, I don’t think that is such a good idea.” Ishida said and shoved his glasses up his nose with a finger.



“Why?” She asked in a clueless fashion.



“Well, he may have helped you but he did try to kill us at one point. Another thing, he was supposed to be dead. You brought him back didn’t you?” The last was more of a statement than a question.



“Um, well, yes I did.” She said a bit forcefully. “You would not let me go with you guys to rescue Kurosaki-kun. I was not going to just sit here and wait.”



They all looked to her a bit astonished at her attitude.



“Hey, hey!” a sing-song voice interrupted. “Maybe espada-san would like something to drink?”



“I do not require anything at this time.” Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at Urahara.



“Well we do thank you for helping to rescue our friend. Maybe we should all gather upstairs and talk civilly about all that has happened.” The shopkeeper urged.



Renji lifted Ichigo into his arms and headed into the shop. Everyone followed his lead.



… … …



After Orihime set her healing shield over Ichigo, she joined all those gathered in the main room.



“So now that everyone is gathered, I would like a report of what happened.” Urahara sat in his usual spot, presiding over their impromptu meeting.



“You know what happened to us,” snorted the white haired taicho. “We failed to find and retrieve Kurosaki.”



“We had to knock out a few low level idiots and eventually had to come back.” Ikaku replied and Yumichika just nodded.



“I think it is safe to assume we all have similar stories except for Renji, Rukia, Orihime and Ulquiorra.” Ishida said.



“I can just show you all what happened.” Before anyone realized what he was about to do, Ulquiorra plucked his eye out and crushed it.



They all stiffened as the images played in their minds. Urahara murmured, “Fascinating.”



When the videos of the tortures Ichigo went through played everyone exclaimed in shock. By the end, each and every person in the room was affected in some way.



Everyone was grim, shock and anger reigned. The girls had tears in their eyes and their hands were clenched tight. Rukia, Renji and Orihime who had seen it before clenched their teeth together tightly to keep from crying out their pain and rage.



Urahara just sighed. The pain of guilt and helplessness was etched into every line of his body and in every movement he made.



“This may have just broken the boy.” The shop keeper pulled his hat lower over his eyes. “I don’t know if he will be sane after this.”



… … …



Urahara’s fears were confirmed when Ichigo woke. The screams coming from the back room had Tessai ushering a clinging Ururu and wide eyed Jinta out of the shop. No one could calm Ichigo down. He would cringe away from everyone and was currently curled up in the corner of the room with fear coming off of him in waves. There was no hint of recognition in his honey brown eyes.



“Ichigo…shhh…it’s okay. Please calm down.” Orihime and Rukia both tried to get close to calm him down.



“No! Nononononono….” The boy curled tighter upon himself and his arms came up and curled around his head.



Urahara gestured the girls to back up. Putting down his cane and taking off his hat, the shop keeper slowly approached the quivering teen. When no flailing limbs came his way, the blonde tentatively reached over to the boy.



A whimper escaped the teen as Kisuke’s hands slowly peeled the arms from around Ichigo’s head.



“It’s alright. No one will hurt you here. You’re safe now.” With those murmured words, the orange haired boy was slowly pulled toward the man and held in a tight embrace. The girls approached and gathered around, slowly adding themselves to the hug in an attempt to give comfort.



The blast of black and red reiatsu took them by surprise. The power surge blasted everyone away from Ichigo and into the walls of the room.



Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Renji and Ulquiorra appeared in a flash.



“What the…!” The exclamation from the small taicho was cut off as another blast of power came from the boy. They all watched in horror as orange hair grew longer and a horned white mask formed, covering most of his head.



Before anyone else thought to move, Ulquiorra was there. The espada had a hold of one of the horns and his other arm was wrapped around Ichigo’s neck. A clawed hand dug into the restraining arm and a howl was released from the horned figure.



“No, Kurosaki-kun! Don’t hurt anyone!” Orihime flung herself onto Ichigo.



A garganta opened up behind them, whether Ulquiorra or Hollow Ichigo did it no one knew. The shinigami all reached out in horror as they tried to catch the three from falling into the portal, but it was too late. The almost clang like sound as the gate closed seemed too final to those left behind.





(Ichigo’s Journal – Seven Months)



It has been a little over seven months that I have been here. Aizen … Sousuke, has admitted that my fits are the result of a hollow inside of me. I knew and yet I did not want to acknowledge it. I denied it and ranted and raved at the man, even going so far as to try and hit him. I am surrounded by hollows here yet I do not really see them and even if I do, I rarely remember. They can be brutal and cold and I wanted to never be like that.



In my dreams my hollow calls out to me. Sometimes this white being sounds sad and lost. At other times, he screams at me that all that has happened is my fault, I try to answer and attempt to find him but I am unable. I sometimes see this broken and scarred white copy of myself crying and looking so alone sitting in the distance but I can never reach him. When I wake from these visions there are usually tears that are running down my face and Sousuke is there to comfort me.



I sit and talk with Zangetsu and ask him about my hollow. He tells me that he hears my hollow call but is unable to find him. How do I find a creature that is supposed to be a part of myself? He should be inside my inner world but I cannot find him.



(A couple of weeks later)



The one called Ulquiorra brought a beaten man into Las Noches today. This man wore the clothing of a shinigami captain and he frightened me like no other. I vaguely remember shinigami and Zangetsu tells me that some of my powers are that of one but I have never felt such overwhelming fear of just one being. I know I have feared and still fear losing myself to my hollow but I have never ever felt this sheer crushing force of emotion before. I could hardly breathe and was frozen in the doorway of my room as the man was lugged away barely conscious.



I felt ashamed of myself because I ran back into the room and locked the door, hiding. I know I am not a weakling. I am not useless. I will fight this fear and to do that I need to confront this shinigami.