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The Great Beyond	By : Baqir Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 8357 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Liner notes: So far this has been a sad piece of work,
besides the part of Ichigo. I couldn�t really stretch
that scene out any further for some reason so I decided to cut it off there for
the moment. Any complaining about OOC is a load of garbage. We all act OOC when
we�re upset or sad, and that�s a fact. Plus I felt something when I was doing
that scene earlier and that doesn�t happen at all. Anyway, let�s get this
record rolling

XXXXX

Ones pride cast aside,

We beasts take a step closer

One heart killed,

We beasts will fade away

-Kubo Tite, Bleach Volume 13: The Undead

Track Two: In the
Cold, Cold Night

Side A: Go With the
Flow

Ichigo blinked a couple times whilst looking at Orihime. What was she doing here? Why in the world would Orihime be at the Shinigami Academy? Furthermore, why did she still
look like she was in her twenties? Her long hair was partially clipped on the
back of her head with the ends poking above while the rest cascaded down her
torso past her waist. Ichigo had seen Orihime in a Shinigami uniform
before and it was weird looking at her in it.

Orihime was still looking at Ichigo�s
waraji to
keep from looking at his eyes. Ichigo was Ichigo, but seeing someone after an age would make anyone
nervous.

Ichigo wasn�t exactly nervous, though he had that odd
feeling in his gut. Somehow Orihime had slipped in
under his radar and gone into the Soul Society. Damn it, what was happening?

�So, um, how have you been?� Orihime
giggled.

�Forget about me, what are you doing here?�

�Um, I died.�

Needless to
say, Ichigo�s eyes widened far more than what would
be considered normal and sweat dripped down his chin.

��Died?� Ichigo barely said.

�Uh, yeah.�

�When?�

�I dunno,
I lost track of time.�

Ichigo felt angry for some reason but did his best to try
to keep from looking angry. He let a breath out heavily from his nostrils like
a bull and clenched his hand. His brown orbs roamed over to Unohana.

�Inoue.�

�Yes, Kurosaki-kun?�

�You�re dismissed.�

Orihime�s usual smile faded from her face and she replaced
it with a submissive look. She knew Ichigo was angry,
but at what she felt like it was everything. Looking down, she nodded.

�Yes, Kurosaki-kun.�

Orihime walked out of the classroom, sliding the door
closed as she did so. Ichigo waited until the
footsteps faded into the distance before looking at Unohana
once again whose face was expressionless. Ichigo
didn�t lose that intense face he always had.

�Well, you look angry.� Unohana
said plainly.

�What happened to Inoue?�

Unohana gave Ichigo a sideways
glance and then looked at the window.

�What does it matter?�

Unohana saw Ichigo�s hand slam
into the wall next to her face. He did not look happy, but Unohana
didn�t change her expression.

�When someone asks you a question, you answer it.�

Unohana tilted her head slightly and sighed, closing her
eyes, and putting on a slightly hard expression.

�Kurosaki-taichou��

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Unohana
mumbled his name and title. Then he felt a slight sting as Unohana�s
small hand struck Ichigo across the face.

�How dare you?� Unohana said with
a level tone �How dare you ask things of me about that girl? You who never said
good-bye to those he considered friends? You who just vanished and never even
said a word about her? You can ask of me when you show actual concern.�

Unohana left as Ichigo was still
processing the fact that he just got slapped by the Fourth Division Captain.
The sullen man brushed his cheek softly where Unohana
had struck him and then looked at his fingers. His hand closed into a fist, but
not tightly.

�Oi, Kurosaki-taichou.� Kiyone said from
the doorway �What was up with Unohana-taichou?�

Ichigo opened his fist and rested it by his side.

�Let�s go.�

�Oh, okay.�

Ichigo had one last thought as he left: Inoue.

XXXXX

Unohana walked down the hallway of the Academy at a calm
pace. Despite her demeanor, however, she was rather agitated inside.

�That boy, he�s so thick
that it�s surprising that he can even talk to people.�

�Retsu-san.�

The older
woman turned to see Orihime standing in an open
doorway, her texts and such clutched at her chest. Her eyes were forlorn and Unohana had spent enough time with the girl to know what
she was going to say.

�Don�t speak, Orihime-chan, I know
what you�re going to say.�

Unohana continued down the hall as Orihime
half-shut her eyes.

�He�Retsu-san.�

�What?�

�I�m�I�m alright.�

Unohana stopped as Orihime�s
words came from her mouth. Sighing, the older woman glanced back at the younger
one.

�What does he mean to you?�

Orihime blushed and looked down.

�R-Retsu-san.�

�Well?�

Orihime just blushed further and glanced to the side.

�When�� Orihime swallowed �When I
first heard of him, I was a bit intimidated.� she remembered hearing about
Kurosaki all those years back �But, when I saw him, I was a bit interested and
when I looked into his eyes, I knew there was pain behind them. And when he
saved me that one time, I was grateful.�

Unohana fiddled with her sword, adjusting its touju on her
shoulder.

�I�I wanted to protect him, I wanted to repay him, I wanted
to fight alongside him. But, even with all I had gained, I was weak, I was a
burden. I nearly got myself killed and all I could do was watch.�

Unohana
tried to look at Orihime who was hiding her eyes.

�But I understood and I was glad when Kurosaki-kun was
alive. But�I could never help him, I could never say �It�s alright�, I never
heard his problems, and I never heard from him when he left. I cared for him,
back then, but when he left��

Orihime just swallowed.

�Do you love him?�

Orihime merely blushed and looked away from Unohana. The shorter woman leaned forward and then tilted
her head upward to try and look into Orihime�s eyes.
However, Orihime was avoiding eye-contact at all
times. Unohana just sighed.

�You�re an odd one with odd tastes.� Unohana
chided.

�I know he�s rough around the edges, but I can�t help how I
feel.�

�No, I guess you can�t.�

The captain
turned on her heel and began walking out. Thunder sounded over the horizon as
she did so.

�It�s going to rain.� Orihime
informed.

�About time; it�s been boiling for days.�

Orihime followed Unohana out.

XXXXX

Ichigo had dismissed Kiyone and Rukia a few minutes after getting away from the Academy and
headed elsewhere on his own. He was heading towards Head Captain Shunsui�s office.

Ichigo had been planning to visit Shunsui
anyway for personal reasons. Now their meeting was going to be a bit loner due
to the fact that�s Ichigo had Orihime�s
sudden entrance on his mind.

Ichigo scratched his hair and realized his little error in
that previous sentence. It couldn�t have been early if Orihime
looked so young; she couldn�t be a day over twenty-one, if that. How could he
have been so unaware? And�why did Orihime die?

Ichigo finally strolled up to the head office and slid open
the door. The place was heavily unoccupied, except maybe for a Shinigami or two who were unseen. Soft snores were
emanating from somewhere and Ichigo knew that Shunsui had to be in.

Ichigo was met by the smell of sakura
as Shunsui always had a habit of littering the place
with the pink flower petals. Ichigo scowled, not
surprised that his lazy superior was sitting at his desk with his legs propped
up onto it. His straw hat was covering his face and the chair he was on looked
about ready to tip over. Ichigo promptly pushed Shunsui ever-so-slightly with his foot and the Head Captain
noisily slammed right onto the floor.

�Mer, fuh,
m�rning.� he grumbled.

�It�s almost noon, you idiot.�

The Head
Captain chuckled casually and put his chair back up on its feet and readjusted
his hat. Ichigo just stood and crossed his arms in
front of his chest. Shunsui smiled as he always did
and Ichigo scowled.

�So, what�s up?� the older man said casually.

�Inoue.�

�Eh?�

�I saw Inoue at the Academy; how long has she been here?�

Shunsui sighed and rubbed his scruffy face. He knew Ichigo would one day walk through that door to ask that
question, even if this had happened years ago. Shunsui
poured a cup of tea. He slid it over to Ichigo�s side
of the desk.

�You and I may be here awhile so you might as well get
comfortable.�

�Just cut the chatter or any sort of emotional bullshit and
just tell me how long Inoue has been in the Soul Society.�

Shunsui just smirked and took the cup instead while Ichigo refused to sit. The tea was hot and steam wafted in
front of Shunsui�s face.

�One thing before I tell you: why exactly should I tell
you?�

�Don�t pull that same b.s.
Unohana did with me a few minutes ago.�

Shunsui�s eyes shifted to look at Ichigo�s
past his straw hat.

�It�s legitimate though. There�s no need to talk about
someone when the person asking doesn�t really care about them.�

�Just tell me, god damn it.�

Shunsui saw that angry look Ichigo
always did. Stalemate, that�s what this was. Ichigo
wasn�t leaving without some form of an answer and Shunsui
was unwilling to give it. However, Shunsui also knew
that Ichigo was the most stubborn Captain in the
entirety of the Gotei Thirteen and that he was also
the most adamant. Shunsui sipped the tea he held.

�It was two years after you left the living world and came
here.� Shunsui began �It was surprising, to say the
least, even if Unohana had her eye on Inoue when she
was first seen.�

�Two years? So Inoue couldn�t have been over twenty.�

�Yeah, she was going to college when it happened. Anyway, Yama-ji was a bit skeptical and he had Inoue subjected to a
few tests and a bit of training. But, believe me it lasted awhile.�

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the sentence and fiddled with
his jacket�s cuff.

�How long?�

�About ten years, give or take.�

Ichigo widened his eyes ever-so-slightly and fiddled with
his cuff a bit more.

�Ten years?�

�Yeah, it was mostly because we couldn�t find a way to
contain and modify that power of hers. Nemu found out
how and she has the zanpakutou
of it that Inoue�s going to get.�

�So, ten years, ten years and no one told me.�

Shunsui saw how Ichigo�s hand was
clenching slightly.

�Why didn�t anyone tell me?�

�You never asked.�

�That�s a poor excuse and you know it. Sometimes things
still need to be said.�

�Alright, it�s because you never actually showed concern for
the girl.�

Ichigo relaxed a bit, perhaps confused at what Shunsui had said.

�What?�

�I don�t remember you ever asking about anyone while you
were here. All you did was your duties and not even really giving a second
thought to anything. I don�t think anyone, not even a Shinigami,
should do that.�

�You think you have the right to hold that from me on
account of that?!�

Shunsui looked up at Ichigo and
gave the younger man a glare.

�Do you think you have the right to ask me about Inoue when you
haven�t given as much as a passing thought about her?�

Shunsui finished his tea and set the cup down. Ichigo just leaned against the wall, knowing he had been
beaten in the argument. He just looked away from Shunsui.

�What about that thing I told you to look into?�

Shunsui actually began doing something; paperwork.

�What about it?�

�Well?�

Shunsui gave Ichigo a glance.

�I still haven�t found it yet. I�m close though, but��

Suddenly, Ichigo set his hands firmly on the desk and looked Shunsui right in the eyes.

�Please, I need this.�

Ichigo�s eyes had a different look in them, one of
pleading. It wasn�t something seen often, and it wasn�t something Ichigo liked to do. Shunsui
swallowed slightly and sighed.

�Alright, I�ll look.�

�Thanks.�

Ichigo slid open the door and saw that the clouds were
becoming iron-gray with moisture. Thunder sounded and split across the sky.

�Feels like it�s gonna be big.�

XXXXX

Side B: I�m Feeling
This

Orihime sat amongst the trees outside the academy, her
hands resting on her lap. A large tree shaded her and cast a shadow on her. Her
head was sunken, her chin almost touching where her neck met her chest.

She hadn�t
been ready for today, not at all. She screwed up again and made Ichigo mad. She had even made Unohana
mad at Ichigo. The wind blew slightly and made her
hair whip to the side a bit. She swallowed and looked sullen.

Didn�t
anyone understand? She chose this, she wanted this, she�she just wanted to be
by him. It didn�t matter if he thought about her, it
didn�t even matter if he thought of her as a friend. To be by his side, that�s
all she wanted.

Orihime blinked and hugged her legs to her chest, burying
her mouth into her knees. But�what if it wasn�t enough? His memory hadn�t been
enough for the living world and that�s how she had ended up in the Soul
Society. She wanted more than to be liked by Ichigo,
she wanted�

Orihime blushed deeply at those thoughts. Going deep like
that, going that far with someone was always a risk due to how hurt a person
could get. But�if�if�pain of that magnitude was possible, wasn�t joy also
possible? To be by him, to have an argument and make peace afterwards, ups and
downs, blacks and whites and shades of grays, wasn�t that worth it? Even if it
only happened for a brief time, wasn�t a bit of happiness worth all that pain?

Orihime heard thunder sound again and stood, knowing that
she should get back to her dormitory. However, she hesitated when went to reach
for her umbrella. One chance, one moment, one word, that�s all anyone was ever
given. What had she come here for; a consolation, something that wasn�t her
heaven?

�Tatsuki-chan�� a tear trickled
down Orihime�s face.

How many
times had Tatsuki told her? How many times before Ichigo disappeared? Fleeting, passing, temporary, nothing
was for sure. To think that he would have stayed forever was na�ve, an
illusion. Orihime thought.

�I have�I�ve hesitated too long, I�ve always hesitated.
And�that day he left, I had already made up my mind about my future. I want�I
want�I want to tell him. I want this to be something more than one-sided
sympathy. Tatsuki�I�m alright.�

Orihime grabbed her umbrella and felt around, trying to
lock on to something. She could sense Ichigo and knew
that he was quite a distance. But�he was worth it. ggrabbing her things, Orihime
went into a sprint to intercept Ichigo.

XXXXX

Ichigo had wandered since his little talk with Shunsui and really couldn�t care less if he got rained on or
not. Since everyone had a tendency to run into their homes and shelter
themselves from the downpour, then it was a lot easier to think. Everything was
quiet except for the dull roar of raindrops and everything turned to glass.

Thunder
sounded and the atmosphere was rapidly becoming cooler, plummeting like a rock.
Ichigo thought about Orihime,
still shocked that the girl had died twenty years ago. He ruffled his orange
hair and thought a bit more. He hadn�t really understood Shunsui
and Unohana�s answers to his questions. Half the
reason he had left was to keep his friends out of danger. At least here he
couldn�t worry about them being hurt by powerful Hollows.

But, that
was such a lame answer. That was just an excuse to run, an excuse to escape
concern. Anyone could run, anyone could flee. Turning back will turn you old,
cowardice will cause you death. Ichigo remembered
those words, and he still wasn�t listening to him.

Inoue, why
did she come here? Accident-prone as she was, Inoue wouldn�t die of such
things. She had taken worse blows from Hollows, proving she was tougher than
she looked. She also had Chad
and Ishida who were competent. Disease; no way. Something else, something different.

Thoughts
were obliterated as a sheet of rain sprayed across the structures and made
everything wet as a bathhouse. Ichigo was soaked in
an instant and his hair plastered to his forehead. He looked up as the rain
came down and groaned.

�I hate rain.�

�Then get somewhere dry.�

Ichigo tilted his hair down and saw Orihime
standing about ten feet in front of him with an umbrella in her hands. Not a
hair on her head was even the slightest bit wet and the cuffs of her pants were
the same way.

�It�s a long way to your place, right?� she asked.

�I�ll be fine.�

�You hate rain, I know you do. Let me keep you dry.�

Ichigo grunted and then sighed.

�Thanks.�

Orihime raised her umbrella a bit higher to accommodate Ichigo as he ducked under the bamboo implement. Orihime smiled like she always did and Ichigo
nodded his head slightly.

Ichigo walked slowly and Orihime
with him. This was really awkward, really, really awkward. He should have asked
Orihime in the first place, but saying and doing were
two very different things. Ichigo swore he could hear
Orihime humming something slightly above the sound of
the rain.

Ichigo ruffled his hair, thinking what he was doing was
kind of stupid. He was wet anyway, so why the hell did he duck under Inoue�s
umbrella? Maybe it was because he could withstand the rain less. Or maybe, it
was because of Inoue.

�So, how long till you graduate?� he asked casually.

�I just need to take the last exam and I�m done. Retsu-san is trying to push for me to get a seat.�

Ichigo bit his lip, smacking himself internally for not
asking what he wanted to. He breathed outward.

�Inoue��

�What? Kurosaki-kun?�

�How did you die?�

Orihime stopped in her tracks, Ichigo
nearly stepping out from under the umbrella because of it. He raised an eyebrow
and noticed how Orihime was fiddling with her finger.

�If you don�t wanna talk about it,
then you don�t have to.�

�No, no, I�I want to.�

Orihime swallowed and blushed heavily, her throat
clenching. He had asked, so it was okay, right?

�After��

Orihime barely got out the first word, so much that she
wasn�t so sure that Ichigo had heard her. She started
again.

�After you left, I did what most people thought normal. But,
it felt empty, unfulfilling, and fleeting. I was never really happy and one
day, I made a choice.�

�A choice?�

�To choose a life in the living world,
with my friends and lie to myself or to come here.�

�But you haven�t said what you died of.�

�A broken heart, I died for you.�

Ichigo wasn�t sure of what she had said and just stared.

�What did you say?�

Orihime had dropped the umbrella a few moments before and
now her long hair was plastered to her back. Despite the fact that she was
covered in rain, Ichigo could see a tear running down
her face.

�I chose you. I died, because I chose you.�

Ichigo stared even more and blinked. He was the reason Orihime died? He killed her? He�he killed her? Ichigo had never been brought to his knees before because
of a sentence and now that truth was completely false. He�he�

�Kurosaki-kun?�

�I��

He fainted.

XXXXX

In Ichigo�s inner world, white buildings had rain coming down
on them like the clouds were weeping and Ichigo alone
as he sat on the side of a wall. He had never been in his inner world whenever
it was raining and he could see why. It was horrible; it was his picture of
hell. The rain was so thick that light was blocked out and was cold as ice.

Ichigo kept repeating those words in his head over and over
again. Died because of you, died because
of you, died because of you! Those words hurt like hell, like being stabbed
with a zanpakutou
a billion times and never dying. It hurt like hell and did he ever keep
stabbing that torch to his soul.

The rain
came down endlessly, torrents pouring as though they were trying to sink the
world. Ichigo sat numbly on the side of a building
and let the water chill him to the bone. He clenched his hands into fists,
gripping his legs tightly.

Ichigo didn�t hear footsteps behind him due to the severe
shower and hardly felt a sharp blow to the side of his head that sent him
skidding across the wall he sat on. However, Ichigo
made no attempt to get up even when he stopped and just lay to rest against the
cold stone. Zangetsu�s heavy boots clopped against
the wall as he examined Ichigo.

�Why do you lay there?�

��Because I did something awful.�

�You�re such a fool. Instead of going head-on you�re
dwelling here trying to act as though you�re redeeming yourself for a sin.�

Ichigo propped himself up on his elbow and just looked at
the drops rippling the water already on the wall.

�I killed her, me,
I killed Inoue.�

�Her? No, she died, you had no hand
in it.�

�Bullshit! She said it herself, she died because of me!

Zangetsu looked towards the pitch-black sky and sighed. The
avatar ran his hand through his thoroughly soaked hair and sent a wave of drops
to the wall.

�This is what happens when you cry.� he said �This is a
typhoon, not just rain. When you cry, when you torture yourself, it storms.�

�So what?�

Ichigo was brought to his feet by Zangetsu�s
powerful hand and then had his coat grabbed by the same hand.

�This solves nothing. Just moping, killing yourself solves
nothing.�

�But I killed her! I fucking killed her!�

�Fool.�

Zangetsu roughly shoved Ichigo
away.

�If you dare put yourself in pain then that girl will be in
ten times the pain you put yourself in.�

�I deserve this.�

Ichigo sunk to his knees, not even trying to rise again.
His head was lowered in shame and his eyes looked dead. His arms hung limply at
his side and Zangetsu observed him.

Zangetsu had seen Ichigo in a
number of positions. He had seen him angry, determined, confident, sad, but
never completely devastated and just attacking himself at all angles. No matter
what anyone said, it wouldn�t help.

�Coward.�

He was.

�Fool.�

Yeah.

�You didn�t even listen.�

Huh? What
did he say?

Zangetsu walked over to Ichigo
and crouched in front of him. Their eyes met and Ichigo
became attentive.

�Do you honestly think that sitting there and beating
yourself up will solve anything?�

�No.�

Zangetsu slide his wet bangs across his forehead.

�A person who fears what may come is a fool who walks
towards self-destruction.�

�So?�

The
avatar�s hefty hand dealt Ichigo a sharp blow to the
back of his skull.

�Inoue would be sad. And that is by far the worst thing you
could do.�

Zangetsu stood and looked down at his partner. Ichigo began clenching his hands so hard that his nails
began digging in and drawing blood. Zangetsu blinked
his eyes.

�Walk forward and do not stray or else you drop into an
endless hell.�

XXXXX

Ichigo felt warm covers over his body and heard the rain
still going on outside. He blinked his eyes a couple of times in the low light
and groaned. It seemed that Zangetsu had kicked him
out of his inner world and back into the Soul Society.

Ichigo flopped back down onto the floor and just stared at
the ceiling for awhile and listened to the soft patter of the rain on the roof.
God those sounds were annoying. They were like a billion needles tapping on a
tabletop. It was aggravating.

The young
captain thought for a bit with the rain in the background. He turned on his
side and looked at his door. His mind told him so stay, but his legs were still
pushing his body up and then carrying him towards the door. His mind screamed
for him to go back, but still he didn�t listen.

Ichigo slid open his door and saw that it was raining on
his walkway to the Division base. He just leaned the doorjamb and looked at the
horizon that was now as gray as steel. God, how long had he been out?

�Kurosaki-taichou.�

Ichigo gave a sideways glance to Kiyone
who was across the walkway in the Thirteenth Division building. Ichigo sighed.

�Are you alright, sir?� Kiyone
asked.

�Yeah, how long was I out?�

�About seven hours.�

�How�d I get here?�

�Actually, Inoue-san carried you here on her back.�

�Is she alright?�

�Yeah, she�s in the dormitories fast asleep.�

Ichigo walked past Kiyone in a
flash and was already going down the hall to the dormitories. Kiyone raised her eyebrows and then shrugged as she was
already used to her superior�s odd behavior at times.

Ichigo walked at a brisk pace down the hall. Orihime just had to be a fool and drag him home. Why was
she so willing to go to such lengths for people? Why was she so kind? She had
never gotten angry and always had the outward appearance of a ditzy woman just
so others wouldn�t worry. Damn it, always too kind.

Ichigo walked up a set of stairs, getting a couple of nods
from some rookies while he was at it. All the time, he thought of Orihime. He never remembered her thinking about herself and
he never recalled Orihime even once being selfish or
apathetic. She was too pure, too king, too forgiving.

The
familiar sensation of Orihime�s reiatsu
came from room and Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes glanced down the hall and he stood there for awhile. However, Orihime was at the room right next to him which somehow
felt a million miles away. Ichigo�s hand slid to the
door and he hesitated for a bit.

�I�ll walk that path.�

Ichigo
slid the shoji open and saw Orihime�s head poking from under sheets. Ichigo slowly stepped forward and sat next to her, observing
her form. She was turned on her side so he couldn�t see her well.

She looked
happy, seeing that small smile amongst the dark. Ichigo
just scowled since Orihime wouldn�t look depressed no
matter what. He inched next to her ear and swallowed.

�Inoue��

�Yes, Kurosaki-kun?�

Ichigo jumped as he saw Orihime�s
brown eyes open and look at him. The girl didn�t look like she had just woken
up and gave Ichigo a smile.

�How long have you been awake?� he asked.

�About an hour. I was going to
leave, but I knew you�d come here. You always have a habit of apologizing for
nothing.�

Over not�what the hell was Inoue smoking?

�But you said I killed you.�

�No, I said I died for you.�

�What the hell does that mean?�

�I wanted to see you and be next to you.�

Ichigo�s eyes widened and he wasn�t sure of what to say.
Swallowing, he continued.

�But�but you were miserable, you died because of what I did.
What if I did worse? What if I hurt you again?�

The next
sentence that Ichigo heard would be burned into his
mind for as long as he existed.

�Then hurt me.�

�?...?...???????? What?�

Orihime scooted over to Ichigo
and rested her head on his chest.

�Hurt me, beat me, hit me, defile me, kill me, cheat on me,
stab me, burn me, slash me, I don�t care. As long as I�m next to you, as long
as I�m with you, as long as it�s you�I�ll be okay with it.�

God, did
she even have a mind to lose? No sane person would say something like that. Ichigo felt her shift on his chest and meet his eyes.

�Kurosaki-kun, we have a lot to talk about.�

XXXXX

Liner notes: Hectic chapter and one that almost quite
literally made me weep at times because of the dialogue I had to write for Ichigo and Orihime. I was
expecting this to be longer and I feel that the ending was a bit anti-climactic
as well. I also noticed that a few lines Orihime says
to Retsu almost exactly copy Ayanami
Rei�s �hold your hand� speech in the eighth volume of
the Eva manga. Still good in my opinion though. Maybe
I shouldn�t play REM when I�m doing emotionally intense scenes like that.

Orihime�s dialogue is almost completely self-sacrificing in
that last line. That is the epitome of devotion in my eyes. Say what you will,
but any woman who says something like that and means it then they�re
too loving for their own good. She�s willing to give up and sacrifice
that much for someone who means so much to her. Next chapter will be the last.
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The Great Beyond