It had been another ordinary, rainy day for Ichigo and his family. He had got off work and went home right after, not wanting to disappoint Yuzu. He knew she'd have dinner ready and waiting for him. There hadn't been a hollow in the past few days for him to tend to, and he had a few tests coming up that he needed to study for anyway.

Upon walking in the door, his father had tried to kick him in the face, as usual, and Ichigo dodged it, annoyance evident in his features.

"Old man! When will you grow up?!"

"That is no way to talk to your Daddy! Masaki! Our son has such disrespect for me! Where have I failed?" He screamed, crying to the poster of his wife on the wall. Ichigo rolled his eyes. As much as he loved his mother and missed her, even he thought that poster was awkward.

Ichigo sat down to the dinner Yuzu had prepared, saying hello to his sisters as he did. Yuzu beamed happily, Karin nodded in response.

He had been in the middle of his dinner when he had felt it.

His utensils left his hands, clashing onto the porcelain plate. His eyes looked forward, unseeing.

"Inoue!"

A scream pierced his ears, deafening him. He felt a strong spike in reiatsu, and he felt nothing at all. The total absence of it devastated him. Even from his home, he could always feel the presence of his nakama. Orihime's had just vanished as quickly as it had spiked. There were no soft waves of warmth washing over him, it was absolutely gone. He had heard her voice, her scream as though he had been there with her. The spike he had felt had been filled with pain and anguish. He burst from his chair, sprinting out of the door, leaving Yuzu and Karin to stare after him in wonder.

Isshin's face formed into a frown, a knowing look on his face.

.::.

Uryu Ishida had just finished his sewing project for the night. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, fatigue stinging his eyes as he squeezed them shut. It had been a long day. His father had been exceptionally annoying throughout the day, constantly nagging him about what college he planned to go to, what his career outlook was going to be, what his future plans were. Uryu did his best not to roll his eyes and shake his head at his father. He knew in his own sick, twisted way his father just cared, but in all honestly, his caring was wearing on Uryu.

He placed the glasses back on his face, ready to call it a night. That's when he felt Inoue Orihime's reiatsu flare up and then vanish into nothingness.

It took him less than a second to realize she was in danger. He burst through the door, in the direction that the flare had come from, hoping he would get there in time for whatever happened.

.::.

Tatsuki just finished practice for the night, and sweat poured off of her. She felt great. The tournament she had coming up was going to be her best one yet. She had been practicing overtime and she felt stronger than ever. She was excited to tell Orihime about her day. She knew her best friend would be so excited for her.

As she left the gym, she frowned, realizing it was pouring out.

"I wonder if Orihime has left work yet. She'll catch a cold if she didn't bring a jacket or umbrella." Tatsuki wondered aloud. She was thinking about heading to the bakery when she felt it.

Her bags dropped from her hands.

.::.

Chad was walking home to his apartment for the evening, his guitar hanging casually from his back. He and his band had been practicing for the evening, and he felt good about all their hard work. He idly wondered if bread would be hanging on his door today, as Inoue usually left him some after she got off of work. He smiled at the thought of his talkative friend. She was so considerate.

The rain pelted Chad and soaked into his clothes. It had been nice when he left for the day, and he hadn't thought to bring a jacket with. He didn't mind either way. The pellets were refreshing and felt good on his hot skin. He looked up at the sky, noticing how dark the sky was tonight. He was about to continue on his way home when he felt Inoue's reiatsu flare out of control and then evaporate into thin air. The slight warmth that Chad always felt was suddenly gone. He gasped in surprised, then ran off to find her.

The moments that passed afterwards were nothing but a chaotic blur.

.::.

The ambulance arrived quickly to the scene, trying to pull out the passengers from the scene of the car wreck.

Almost simultaneously, a crowd had begun to form out in the rain to witness the incident.

Blood was splattered on the pavement, most of it soaked in the long, auburn hair of the girl whose head laid out the window of the passenger door, eyes closed. Thankfully, her seat belt had kept in from ejecting out of the car, and in her seat. Her arms hung limp on the side of the car. If it wouldn't have been for the blood and scratches, it would've looked like she was sleeping on the window's ledge.

The ambulance rushed to pull her out safely, the gasps of the audience filling their ears.

The girls face was covered in blood and bruises. She had definitely received the worst of the accident.

A moment later, a group of teenagers came running down the street, all from different directions, but all seemed to have the same purpose in mind.

"Inoue!" "Orihime!" "Inoue-san!"

The paramedic tried to work quickly on getting her into the ambulance. She looked a mess, and he honestly didn't know how bad her conditions were. He knew her life was in his hands.

"Inoue!"

The police encircled the teenagers, telling them to stay back.

"What happened?"

"We're not staying back, she's our friend!"

"Let us through!"

"We're going with!"

"Orihime!"

They reached the scene with horror on their faces. There lied Orihime, bloody and broken on a passenger side of an old car. Her hair spilled out over her head grazing the pavement. Small pieces of glass stuck out of her in various places, and her blood had began to pool on the pavement. Her facial expression was serene in it's unconscious state, and her body was limp from head to toe.

It was a sight none of them wanted to see ever again.

Something was very wrong with seeing the Princess's blood spill, tainting the ground red. Hair stood up on the back of Ichigo's neck.

Why did this happen?!

Ichigo, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad shouted at the sight and moved to help their friend, but were held back by police. A few paramedics moved Orihime's side, and began to transfer her body onto a caught.

"You need to stay back from the scene." The Policeman said, holding his hand out. He understood their concern, but they would only get in the way.

Their cries were drowned out as the ambulance door shut closed on them, and the ambulance began to pull away with Orihime inside. The paramedics looked at each other, sadness evident on their faces. This was going to be a tough one.

Back at the scene, a pair of brown orbs reflected pain in their depths, going dark. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes, before determination flashed and his legs began to run after the ambulance that was carrying someone very dear to him.

It took the others a total of two seconds before they followed, panic on their faces.

"Inoue! We're coming."

.::.

"She's stable for now. She should wake up soon. There was slight head trauma, but from what we can tell, she'll be okay." The doctor said, a sad expression on his face. He hated delivering any sort of bad news. The young girl in the other room had been a bloody mess when she had arrived and his team had worked diligently to save her. He hoped it would be enough, but in the meantime they had to wait, which would be the worst part for all.

Waiting to see if her life was over, or if she would pull through for another day was never an easy task.

"Can we see her?" The orange haired boy asked, his voice cracking. The doctor didn't know who these teenagers were to this girl in the hospital bed, but he wondered why her parents or family members weren't there.

"Are you related?"

"We don't need to be, we're her family. Please, can we see her?" The orange haired teen asked again, his features pained. The doctor nodded. Who was he to tell this man in front of him he couldn't see that girl lying so lifelessly on her cot? If no one else was coming to see her, then her friends would need to be there by her side when she woke up.

"Sure. It'll be just a few minutes."

"Thank you."

The doctor turned to leave, and Ichigo returned to his spot against the wall.

"Did you…did you see the car?" Tatsuki asked, her voice barely audible. Ichigo's clenched, his jaw tightening at the thought.

"It was smashed in on the driver's side so bad. I overheard the doctors talking. I guess the driver hit Orihime full force and knocked her halfway….halfway out of the car." Tatsuki whispered, her face stinging with tears.

"She'll be okay, Arisawa." Uryu said, trying to offer his friend comfort. She hiccuped as the tears poured of from her.

"She has to be okay. I…I couldn't face the day if she wasn't in it…oh, Kami!" Tatsuki sobbed, her hands covering her face. Her shoulders shook with the impending tragedy that awaited in the other room. So many years of protecting her, all for nothing…

"Don't think like that, Tatsuki. She'll be okay," Ichigo said confidently, but the look on his face wasn't as brown eyes were filled with pain…and fear – something that Ichigo rarely felt or showed, at least.

He seriously hoped he was right. He was rarely right about anything, but if this could be it, that's all he'd ever ask for.

.::.

"You guys can come in now."

Five hours had passed since they had entered Orihime's room. The man that had been admitted with her had woken long before, and had recapped the story to them. Ichigo had been outraged by the fact he was responsible for not wearing his seat belt, and causing Orihime's condition to be what it was now. Katsu looked remorseful; self-loathing was evident on his face as he told them of the events that happened.

"I awoke not long after my arrival here. I have injuries, but I got off fairly lucky…I'll recover in a matter of weeks. She however…I'm glad she's stable, but this is all my fault. If I would have just put on my seat belt…she wouldn't have been knocked into the window the way she was…" Katsu grimaced at the memory, guilt plagued in his features.

"Why were you giving her a ride home anyway?" Ichigo asked, staring at the man.

"Well, it was raining out and she didn't grab a coat or anything…my mom – she's the owner of the bakery – had me give her a ride. She didn't have anyone coming to walk her home or a ride so I told my mom sure. A cold would've been better than this."

Ichigo's face contorted in pain. A sad looked dawned on his face and he turned away from the man before him, his eyes gazing off into space.

She didn't have anyone to walk her home in this nasty storm? I should have been there to keep her safe. If I had at least checked in on her I would have been able to prevent this! I didn't even think...

Ichigo had gotten up and left Katsu's room, a scowl on his face.

Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad shared a knowing look with each other.

This was all their fault.

.::.

It had been 12 hours since Inoue had been checked into the hospital, and not one of her friends had left her side. They had all passed out in the chairs or on the floor waiting patiently for her to wake up.

Finally, the morning came and Orihime's eyes opened.

Her friends gathered round, anxious.

Her eyes lids lifted open, and gray orbs filled with confusion stared out at the group of friends hovered around her bed.

"Ugh…ah, where…where am I?"

"Inoue, you're in the hospital. You were in an accident." Ichigo replied, his eyes searching her face. She looked so lost.

"Who…who are all these people, Doctor?" Inoue asked, looking at the orange haired man before her. Ichigo's face twisted in confusion, his eyes scanning her face. What did she mean?

"Inoue…what do you mean?"

"Where's Sora? Why..why isn't he here? …Oh my head hurts so bad…"

The nakama looked at each other, realization dawning on their face. The silence rang in their ears as the girl on the cot looked at each of them, holding her head in pain. Ichigo spoke first.

"Inoue… do ... do you know who I am?"

"Aren't…Aren't you my Doctor? You look like a boy I go to school with, but you're too old to be him…I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?"

Ichigo's heart stung with pain. She didn't remember him?

"Orihime…do you not know who I am?" Tatsuki asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"You…all look familiar…but…everyone is different…"

"Orihime, I am Tatsuki Arisawa. I go to school with you…I'm your best friend. Don't you remember me?" Tatsuki asked, her eyes filling with tears. The girl on the bed looked lost at her question, panic evident in her eyes.

"Tatsuki? But…you've got to be at least four years older! That can't be true….That doesn't make sense. None of you look my age at all!"

"Get the doctor in here, right now." Ichigo ordered, his voice murderous. He clenched his fist, his eyes never leaving Inoue. Her bruised and scratched face held a look of confusion and fear. She looked like she was desperately trying to piece together what was happening. She was clearly coming up short.

"Where's my brother? Sora-nii!" She cried, tears pouring from her face. "I want my brother! I…I don't understand why he's not here. What happened to me? Where's my brother?"

Tatsuki began to sob at the girl in front of her, her knees buckling beneath her. Uryu caught her before she hit the ground, her head hanging forward as she cried. "This is all my fault! Oh Kami, why?" She murmured, her tears pelting the ground.

Ichigo's temper was rising, as was his reiatsu. He was going to kill the bastard who was driving the truck, and he was going to beat the shit out of Katsu for being negligent. He gritted his teeth and his eyes flashed with anger and pain.

Inoue didn't remember them. Not Tatsuki, not Uryu, and not him. He tried to picture a world to which Orihime was not a part of, and his heart stopped in his chest, his eyes going dark.

How could they be responsible for breaking her heart? For telling her that her brother was dead and that the world was not the one she remembered?

How could he?

How could he tell her she lived alone, that her accident happened because she had no one to take her home that night?

But worst of all, how would he be able to fix the pieces if she no longer had them?

.::.

R&R, Please! :)