- Chapter 25 -

The Final Battle V: Blurry Sights

Miyori

With those last words, I looked at Ichigo with teary eyes, Ulquiorra's eyes widening a little at my response. He quickly changed to his emotionless composure and his emerald eyes looked sharply at us. "Then, I should show no mercy"

Ichigo raised his hand on the air and motioned it towards Ulquiorra, showing apathy for him, "Because we're leaving right now. Miyori, Nell, let's go". I nodded to the orange head and took Nel's hand, guiding her behind Ichigo and we carried on walking away. But the next words of Ulquiorra made Ichigo drop dead in his tracks: "And what if I told you that I was the one who brought Inoue Orihime in Hueco Mundo?"

It wasn't a second after Ulquiorra said that and Ichigo charged at him, anger boiling at the back of his eyes. The Arrancar blocked it with his single hand, though, like it was nothing for him. I knew that Ichigo's feelings were hurt, so do mine, but I couldn't feel... Rukia's reiatsu... My eyes widened at the realization but as soon as I approached Ichigo to announce that to him, I was blown back from the force of his Tetsuga Tenshou, the abnormal power of his Hollow Mask. My body fell numb on the hard ground, making me roll sometimes away and stopping only when my head got hit very bad on a stone. That was when my nightmare began.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pitch black. Pitch black color was all I could see through my blurry vision. But no, I wasn't imagining it. I was living it. Suddenly, a light pierced through the darkness, sending shivers down my cold body while the dim lighting was forming something, something round like... Was it the exit from out here?

I took some steps front, trying to ignore the sharp pain which was stabbing my stomach, I just continued walking. Soon, I was in front of the portal but before I could do something, it swallowed me down and closed the dark room behind me.

Falling... And falling, falling down... Someone shot me down... 

Falling, falling down... Until I collided with the hard ground. It took me a while before I stood up properly and observed my surroundings. The environment around me reminded me more the Human World; a well-built house, a nice made garden with all kinds of exotic flowers and colourful petals, the sun shining brightly on the morning sky which was bringing a smile to everyone's faces... 

But what was I doing down here? "Hello?" I tried calling out but I got no answer. I tried calling out for help sometimes after but still, no answer was coming. Exhausted and my lungs burning, I decided to wander around the place. It seemed nice, like a paradise that everyone would like to live at. It was like heaven, where the spirits were going when they were dead according the logic of the humans. That meant that I was... dead?

Before I could conclude my theory, I wandered off to find someone else, to confirm that I wasn't dead- or at least alone. Though, it wasn't long before I heard rushing footsteps coming towards the fresh-painted house and I waited for the person to approach closer to me so I could ask for some information about where I was and what was that place.

As the footsteps stopped in front of me, my mouth opened and created an 'o', my eyes resting in their place. In front of me was a young girl with red-blooded hair and yellowish eyes, her skin being smooth and creamy while a small smile was plastered on her young face. I recognized the person immediately; it was me. I tried to tap the shoulder of the girl but she didn't seem to feel anything as it passed through her. "HUH?" I thought out-loud, trying to touch her again but my hand was passing through her all over again.

What the heck is happening?! I thought terrified, the small me sitting on the ground and looking around. Soon, a boy with the same hair color but with deep brown eyes came and sat besides the girl, smiling brightly at her. "===-kun, you're late!" the small me exclaimed at the boy who scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Gomenasai, Cielo-san, I was helping my father to complete some works which were left to be done... But now I'm here and we have the whole day in front of us to play!!" the male bid happily, making the little girl leave some squeaks of joy and happiness.

Their childish play made me grin slightly at the sight; they were reminding me the friends I never had. Ikkaku and Yumichika were my friends too but they were some years older than me so a friend in my age never existed. As the small kids played, I decided to investigate the environment around me. It really looked like Humans' houses and the two kids were proved to be humans... But wait a minute. If that girl is the old me...

"Then it means that what I'm living now is... the time I was still alive"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I coughed up as I felt someone shaking me continuously, my eyes shooting open while the pain I had felt previously in my stomach was still there. In front of my blurry sight I could see a messy mop of green hair while a whining was heard. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and in front of me was placed the most shocking scenery. Ichigo was lying on the ground, no movement could be seen from his unconscious body while Nel was shaking my body and was pleasing me to wake up, hot tears streaming down her scared face.

"N-Nel? What happened?" I tried to ask her but my voice was heard mostly like a groan than a proper question due to my burning lungs.

The small Arrancar sniffed but kept crying, her small balled fists rubbing her eyes. "Ichigo... Bueheeee... Ulquiorra-sama... He killed 'i-im...!!". Her enough loud sobs covered her voice but I could understand what she was saying; my heart ached with pain and my shocked gaze adverted to Ichigo's limp body. And Nell's sayings were right. A small blood pool had began to create around his opened chest and a small glimpse of his empty eyes which were full with life a while before could be seen under his spiky orange hair which had some dirt on them.

I was ready to approach him but a sudden appearance of another dark figure made me freeze. As my yellow eyes looked up, I saw a baby blue haired Arrancar with same colored eyes which were looking straight forward, at Ichigo's fallen body. His foot kicked Ichigo's side, making his body turn around and show us the cause of his death. A hole had opened up his chest, blood still erecting from in there and his empty eyes still showing the previous shock. Getting irritated by the Arrancar's actions, I barely shot up and was ready to kick him right on his face but his hand grabbed my foot harshly and send me back on the hard ground. My blurry vision returned and all I could hear was Nell's screaming and pleads to not hurt Ichigo's body or mine. Soon, reality faded away and I was back at the previous world, the one I was born in and died in.

The scenery seemed to be completely changed. The small garden was completely messed up, a single flower petal being the only color among the destructed cozy nest. Everything seemed so wrong; even the house's door was widely open. A thunder sliced the sky and fat raindrops started falling on the solid ground. "Crap" I muttered and ran inside the house, although I knew that since I was invisible I wouldn't get wet.

 As I entered the house, tragedy stroked me. Everything was totally messed up; the furniture had all been torn away from their positions or having scratches all over them. The previously cream-colored walls were decorated with red blood stains and something was lying right in front of the open balcony. I tip-toed until there and I gasped at the scenery in front of me. A man and a woman were kicked off on the ground, their eyes looking forward with emptiness while their casual clothes were painted red from their wounds in both of their stomachs and necks. For some reason, I felt my heart sinking at the sight in front of me and in less than a minute, I knew the reason. A small frame was standing broken at the wall, four smiling faces could be seen on it. The two of them were the children I had seen previously playing together; they were obviously twins. I have... a twin brother? I thought in shock, my fingers trailing on his frozen figure. Behind them was standing a happy couple and were looking exactly like the man and the woman I had seen in the balcony. Then that means that those people were... my parents.

...

I decided to move on and search for the children; what had happened to them? Was this how I died back in Human World? And why was I seeing this? A bloodshot scream made me snap my head upwards, from where it was heard. I rushed upstairs (my flash-step wasn't working in there for some reason) and followed the strong spiritual pressure which was sensed from one single room. 

I walked slowly towards the door, my footsteps being silent. I opened the door slowly or should I say passed through it, to see a macabre scene in front of me. The red-haired boy from before had grown up since the last time I saw him and he seemed to be in the age of 16 and above. His puffy eyes were showing signs of crying while in his arms was lying the frozen body of the younger me, blood covering all of her opened chest. 

I realized who had screamed. The boy- my brother- had screamed; he must had seen me lying dead on the floor or something. Hot tears began streaming down his face while his grip tightened around my fragile body. "Cielo... Wh-why you... Why?! I knew I wasn't... I wasn't a good brother those days but... I don't want to lose you yet! P-Please... come back to me... Please... I'll do anything to bring you back! Anything!!"

Suddenly, a dim light began appearing behind me, sign that I had to get back. I watched with sadness my dead body been held in my brother's arms and him whispering things to my ear. "Please... don't leave me..."

"I'll do anything to bring you back... I promise"

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Yo, yo , yo, peeps! I updated again~~ B) Just four more chapters to go :/ Nuuuhh, I will miss the times when I was writing this book... D:

But don't worry, this book will have a sequel as well! But that will only begin if you want it!! So please, comment down your opinion about that! 

Arigato gozaimasu!