Introduction
Main Characters
Orihime Inoue – Orihime appears to be a simple peasant girl. She was orphaned at a young age and was raised by an older brother named Sora. After he passed away, Orihime found herself living on her own. She works in an orchard in the warm season and as a barmaid in the cold season. Despite her humble background, she's extremely intelligent. She is generous and kind, although this is sometimes superseded by her shy and awkward nature. For some unknown reason, she is strongly favored by the Gods, especially the Goddess of Love and Beauty Rangiku Matsumoto.
Ulquiorra Schiffer – Ulquiorra is one of the Princes of Darkness. Little is known about him except for the fact that he is a part of the Court of Dark Souls.
Prince Ichigo Kurosaki – Ichigo is a half God/half human Prince of the Kurosaki Kingdom. He is known to be favored by the Gods and has been blessed with God-like powers. He rarely smiles and often aloof and grumpy. Despite this, he loves his sisters fiercely and is on good terms with his father. Additionally, he is known to be diligent when it comes to his Princely duties and is loved by his people. Many believe he will become a good king one day.
Rukia Kuchiki – Goddess of Charity
Rukia is the sister of the Goddess of Grace Hisana Kuchiki and the sister-in-law of the God of the Nobility Byakuya Kuchiki. By her very nature, she is generous and incredibly selfless. Her unrequited love for the God of Water Kaien Shiba caused her to exile herself to the human world, where she spends her time bringing generosity to humans and rulers. As a lesser Goddess, she is often mentored by the God of Joy and Peace Jyuushiro Ukitake.
Prince Uryuu Ishida – Uryuu is a human Prince from the neighboring Ishida Kingdom. He is known to usually be quiet, composed, and thoughtful. His natural sensitive and calm demeanor is often at odds with his father's expectations that he become a more aggressive young man and a more ambitious prince. His Kingdom does not acknowledge the power of the Council of Gods, but instead used to practice the old faith of the Quincys. Uryuu is a devout follower of the Quincy way of life and advocates for a complete return to the old ways, despite the fact that the faith is dying in his country.
Tatsuki Arisawa – Tatsuki is the granddaughter of King Kurosaki's former military adviser General Arisawa and the best friend of Orihime. As a child, she would often play in the Kurosaki castle with Prince Ichigo. Her favorite game to play with Ichigo was 'pretend sword fighting,' where she would often end up injuring the prince. Having a general as a grandfather has made Tatsuki a skilled warrior; she is adept with a sword, but most often prefers hand to hand combat. After her grandfather's death, she and her parents moved to the countryside. Her parents own an apple orchard that Orihime works at in the warm seasons.
General Sado 'Chad' Yasutora – General Chad is the best friend and the newly appointed General of the Kurosaki Kingdom. His grandfather was the main military advisor to King Isshin, granting Chad and Ichigo many opportunities to become close friends as children. Chad is known across many kingdoms for his strength, military acumen, and courage. His successes in battle have generated rumors that he is favored by the Gods. He is usually quiet and takes his job very seriously; both traits belie his true optimistic and compassionate nature.
Renji Abarai – God of the Warrior
Renji is a lesser God and agent to the God of War Zaraki Kenpachi. He is the patron of warriors, and works to maintain honor on the battlefield. He is in love with the Goddess of Charity and is constantly working to please her. As the God of Warriors, he is often agent to her brother-in-law, the God of the Nobility.
Chapter 1: When First We Met
"Orrriiihhimmeeee!" Tatsuki called out breathlessly. She slowly walked up one of the steep hills of her parents' apple orchard. It was a brilliantly beautiful day, with blue skies and a bright yellow sun. The apple orchard was dense with trees in their prime. The leaves on the tree were a lush dark green and the apples were red rubies amongst them. The grass was yellow and high and bees buzzed in the air. There were numerous workers out in the orchard picking the apples. Some of them climbed the branches, while others stood on ladders in order to reach the fruits.
"Where are you?" Tatsuki asked as stepped around a particularly large tree.
"I'm up here!" Orihime replied back. The sound of her voice came from directly above Tatsuki.
Tatsuki looked up but saw nothing but green leaves and red apples.
"Where– " Tatsuki began to ask before Orihime suddenly landed in front of her with a loud thump!
"Where did you come from?" Tatsuki blinked with surprise.
"I was up there, silly," Orihime pointed to the branch above them. "I was picking apples." She pointed to the basket of apples sitting at the base of the tree.
"I realize that," Tatsuki responded dryly. "My mother wants to know if you're going to be working tonight at the tavern."
"Where else would I be?" Orihime countered cheerfully as she reached up toward one of the low hanging branches and plucked a bright red apple from its stem. She walked over to the basket of apples and placed the one she had just picked on top of the pile.
"Well…" Tatsuki began carefully. "You've just been working so hard lately. We weren't sure if you needed a tonight to yourself. You could relax somewhere or go see one of the shows at the theater. I hear they have a new play and a traveling minstrel."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't been working too hard," Orihime said calmly. She looked down at her dirtied hands and tried not to wince at the calluses forming on her fingers.
"My mother said you would say that," Tatsuki pursed her lips. "Well, either way, you should come over for dinner tonight. My mother's making mincemeat pie!"
Orihime laugh happily at the thought of one of her favorite dishes.
"Oh Tatsuki, I couldn't…I've relied on your family's kindness for too long," Orihime turned around and faced the trunk of the tree. She reached up and grabbed a branch with both hands. Then she stuck a foot on one of the knobs at the bottom of the tree trunk and hoisted herself up into the arms of the tree. "It was so nice of your parents to let me rent that room above the tavern. And I just ate at your house yesterday!" She began to pick more apples.
"We like having you over," Tatsuki said as she stepped over to the trunk of the tree. "Here let me take those," she said. Orihime handed three apples down to Tatsuki and then continued to pick three more.
"Tatsuki, I told you. I'm trying to save up," Orihime explained. She handed the apples down to her friend.
"You keep saying that, but you won't share what you're saving up for," Tatsuki pushed. Orihime sighed loudly and stared at the tree bark in front of her.
"Well…if you must know…I want to look for the truth behind my parents' death," she admitted. She glanced down at her friend who gaped at her.
"But, I thought you knew what happened to your parents," Tatsuki said.
"I know only what my brother told me," Orihime replied as she jumped down from the tree. "That they were killed coming home from the Ishida Kingdom, but I know nothing of the details. I want to know who killed them."
"But…I thought it was an accident?" Tatsuki shook her head with shock.
"I don't think it was…" Orihime frowned. She leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "I know it's silly but, but I've just got this gut feeling about it. Whenever I would ask my brother about the details, he'd begin to act all strangely."
"So what do you want to do once you've saved up enough?"
"I want to visit the Urahara Temple. My parents were reported near there when they died. Someone there must know something," Orihime said, looking determined.
"The Urahara Temple…that's ten leagues from here!" Tatsuki exclaimed.
"I know, I plan on paying a merchant so I can travel with them. There are plenty going back and forth between here and the Ishida Kingdom," Orihime reasoned.
"Wow…what an adventure that will be…" Tatsuki said with wonder. "When do you plan on going?"
"As soon as I have enough," Orihime said with a smile. "I'm almost there."
Suddenly, an apple flew through the air and landed straight into Tatsuki's chest.
"Oof!" Tatsuki said as the apple hit her. "Owww!"
"Keigo!" A male voice called out. As both ladies turned around, they saw Mizuiro and Keigo running through the trees chasing one another.
"Keigo! I'm going to get you for that!" Mizuiro called out angrily. Another apple went flying and nearly hit Orihime in the face. She ducked, letting the apple fly past her head.
"You guys! Stop that!" Tatsuki scowled. The boys came to a halt once they reached the ladies. "You're wasting apples!"
"We're putting them to good use, I'd say," Keigo said with a grin. He reached up and plucked one from a nearby branch. He rubbed the apple against his shirt before taking a big bite out of it. "They're delicious, Arisawa. Give my regards to your parents!"
"You're bruising them by throwing them around," Tatsuki said through gritted teeth. She grabbed the apple out of Keigo's hand.
"Keigo started it," Mizuiro said bitterly. "I've got at least three bruises to prove it."
"Don't you have better things to do than running around with this fool?" Tatsuki asked Mizuiro. "You're a lesser lord's son."
"Mizuiro's skipping out on his lessons today," Keigo said with a laugh. He reached over and took the apple back from Tatsuki and continued to eat it. "He wanted an excuse to get outside."
"It's just too beautiful of a day to stay cooped up inside," Mizuiro admitted with a blush.
"Well we should do something more fun than bruising each other with apples!" Tatsuki said as a smile formed on her face.
"What do you have in mind?" Keigo said excitedly.
"How about a dip in the lake?" Tatsuki suggested.
"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Keigo eagerly agreed.
"I would love to cool off," Mizuiro nodded.
"Orihime?" Tatsuki said, turning to her friend. "It's the end of the day. I think you could use a bit of fun before you start work this evening."
"I suppose I could," Orihime agreed with a broad smile.
"Last one there's the King's fool!" Keigo called out as he sprinted away from his friends.
"Wait! The only fool around here is you," Tatsuki growled as she raced after him. Orihime laughed cheerfully as she and Mizuiro ran after the two. The friends chased each other through the apple orchard. The sun was beginning to set, and the workers were leaving the orchard for the day. Everything in the orchard turned gold as the sunset painted the sky with ribbons of color. Orihime dodged several workers and trees as she ran freely. With the wind in her hair, the sun on her face, and the scent of apples in the air she was happier than she remembered being. Oh, if only every day were this carefree, she thought to herself.
They broke free of the orchard and came across a large dirt path. Orihime knew this road very well. It was the main road that went through the center of town and up to the Kurosaki castle. She crossed it frequently whenever she and Tatsuki would go swimming in the lake. Keigo excitedly jumped on to road, crossing it without glancing up. The sound of horses neighing loudly and hooves beating against the dirt path startled him.
"Ack!" He cried, jumping back away from the horses.
Orihime, Tatsuki, and Mizuiro stopped at the edge of the road and gasped loudly. Keigo had just jumped right in front of the royal carriage.
"Get out of the way!" Yelled the coachman. He scowled at the young man as he snapped his whip to urge the horses forward.
"Sorry! I wasn't looking," Keigo explained sheepishly as he stepped off the road.
Orihime stood and gaped as the carriage went by. In all her years, she had never seen the royal carriage before. It was ivory-colored with gold trim. The ornate red and gold Kurosaki crest was on the side of the door. The wheels were large and rolled along smoothly. Two footmen sat upfront with the driver. She could see into the large windows. Inside were velvet red seats and golden wallpaper. More important though, she could see the Prince, himself, Ichigo Kurosaki!
"Oh my gods, Tatsuki, look!" Orihime whispered with awe.
Ichigo Kurosaki sat straight as a rod and stared in front him, not noticing the commotion that was going on outside. He seemed lost in thought, his dark chocolate eyes focused. His face held a slight scowl, as if he were displeased with something. Orihime could see that he wore no crown upon his head, instead his yellow-orange hair was slightly mussed.
"What? It's just the Prince," Tatsuki said with a shrug.
"Of course you would say that! You practically grew up in the castle since your grandfather was a military advisor to the King!" Orihime exclaimed.
"I live in the country; my parents own an orchard and a tavern. I'm far from royalty," Tatsuki stuck a tongue out at Orihime.
"But you used to play with him, the Prince, when you guys were little," Orihime pressed. Part of her was swooning at the idea of royalty. She had lived such a simple life that merely seeing the Prince's carriage was exciting.
"I doubt he remembers me," Tatsuki said pursing her lips.
"Look, there's another carriage," Mizuiro pointed out. Behind the white and golden carriage was blue and silver carriage.
"It's the Ishida carriage!" Keigo observed.
"What are the two carriages doing together?" Orihime whispered excitedly. As the blue and silver carriage went by, Orihime saw a dark-haired young man sitting in the seat. He wore spectacles and had dark blue eyes. Unlike Prince Ichigo, however, this young man looked out the window and noticed Orihime. Their eyes met, and held for several seconds. Orihime couldn't help but blush as she finally looked away. He continued to stare at her though as if suddenly fascinated by an ordinary peasant girl.
"Is that Prince Uryuu?" Keigo asked.
"I think it is…" Mizuiro answered.
"What is he doing staring at you, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked with glee.
"I don't know," Orihime said in a hushed tone. For some reason she felt like she had to keep her voice down, despite the fact that the carriages made so much noise that it'd be impossible for the Princes to hear them.
Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK! The friends looked over and saw that the wheel of the Kurosaki carriage had snapped. The carriage was now lopsided and disabled.
"Gods be damned!" The coachman yelled as he hopped off. A yellow head popped out of the window of the carriage.
"What's going on?" The Prince asked.
"A hollow's footprint, my lord. The wheel's broken," the coachman took off his hat and wrung it in his hands. Indeed, it had been a large hollow's footprint that the carriage wheel had gotten stuck in. While the axle seemed intact, the wheel itself seemed damaged beyond repair. "Aye, what are we to do now!" The coachman exclaimed.
The door of the carriage swung open and the Prince jumped out. Orihime could see that he was tall, with broad shoulders. She couldn't help but notice how dashing he seemed in his white and gold military uniform.
"A hollow? So close to the village?" The low timbre of his voice echoed back to them.
The door to the Ishida carriage popped open as well.
"What is it now, Kurosaki?" The dark-haired Prince asked sardonically. The Ishida Prince stepped out of his carriage and walked over to the broken one. Like the Kurosaki Prince, Prince Uryuu wore a blue and white military uniform.
"A broken wheel," the Kurosaki Prince replied. He rubbed his chin and stared at the wheel as if willing it to fix itself. Orihime was shocked at how casual the Princes were in their mannerisms. For some reason, she expected them to behave differently.
"Well what do we do?" The Kurosaki Prince asked, turning to the coachman.
"Ah…" the coachman's face turned red as he fumbled with his hat. "I suppose I could send one of the footmen to the castle. We could have someone from the stable come and fix it."
The yellow-haired prince was about to reply when Keigo stepped forward.
"Actually, my lord, there's a carpenter nearby in the village," Keigo offered. "Er…I mean, your majesty, or your highness…er"
"It's Ichigo," the Prince replied with a tight smile.
"We'd be happy to run and get him," Mizuiro added calmly.
"Would you? Mizuiro, correct?" Ichigo replied. Mizuiro blushed. Even though he was the son of lesser lord, it surprised him that the Prince knew who he was.
"Yes, my lord," Mizuiro answered.
"Alright, if you don't mind, getting that carpenter would be a good idea," Ichigo said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He leaned against the lopsided carriage casually. "We shall wait here for your return. Meanwhile, let us send one of the footmen to the castle to get us another carriage."
"Right away, my lord," the coachman said as he turned to the footmen and began giving them orders.
"We shall be right back then, my lord," Mizuiro gave the Prince a small salute before he grabbed Keigo and turned around. The boys scurried away, cutting through the orchard.
"Great, Kurosaki, you had to stall us," the dark-haired Prince commented lightly. It was easy to interpret the Prince's words as being irritated, but the small smile on the Ishida Prince's face showed that he was merely joking.
"It's a beautiful day, Ishida," Ichigo replied nonchalantly. "It's good to get some fresh air."
"I suppose," the Ishida Prince agreed but started to pace restless.
"Those apples look delicious. I admit I'm a bit hungry," Ichigo commented as his eyes roamed the orchard.
"You are more than welcomed to help yourself, my lord," Tatsuki stepped forward. "This is my family's orchard."
Ichigo blinked, seeing the two girls for the very first time. Orihime took a small step closer to Tatsuki, as if hoping to hide behind her friend.
"Thank you…Tatsuki?" He asked as he stepped forward. "Is that you?"
"Haha…ahhh…yeah, yeah it is," Tatsuki said with a blush.
"My gods! It's been…what? Fifteen years? Last I saw you, you had your hair in braids," the Prince teased.
"Must you remember that?" Tatsuki said dryly. She automatically ran a hand through her short crop of hair and smiled. She stepped onto the dirt path in order to get closer to the Prince. Orihime was left behind by herself. Nervously she followed her friend.
"It's good to see you," Ichigo nodded. His eyes darted to Orihime and then back to Tatsuki. "Where are my manners? Please let me present to you, Prince Uryuu Ishida of the Ishida Kingdom. Ishida, this is my childhood friend Tatsuki and her friend…?"
"Orihime," Tatsuki said. "May I present my friend Orihime Inoue."
"Tatsuki and Orihime," Uryuu said as he gave a formal bow. His eyes focused on Orihime. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"It is also a pleasure," Ichigo said, bowing to Orihime. Orihime could feel her cheeks turn bright red. All the attention from the two Princes was too much for her.
"Oh the honor is all ours, my lord," Orihime scrambled into a small but awkward curtsey.
"Are you from this village?" Uryuu asked. He took a step closer to Orihime but turned his head to look at the beginnings of the village down the road.
"Ah…yes, I've lived here most of my life," Orihime said, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"It's funny there's this deep hollow footprint out here by the village," Ichigo thought aloud to himself. He was completely oblivious to the conversation Uryuu had begun with Orihime. Instead, he walked to the footprint and kneeled down. He reached down and lightly touched the outlines of the footprint with his hand, inspecting its size and shape.
"I have not heard of any hollow attacks," Tatsuki added as she walked over to the footprint as well.
"Why are you so concerned with the footprint if there haven't been any attacks?" Orihime asked, following her friend over to the yellow-haired Prince. Uryuu blinked as Orihime walked away from his conversation without an afterthought.
"If there are footprints, there will inevitably be attacks. Look at this print though, it's large and very deep. That means the hollow must have been huge and very heavy. I can't believe our coachman didn't see the print," Ichigo explained.
"Perhaps he was too busy looking for people who were crossing the road without looking," Uryuu pointed out dryly. He joined the other three in inspecting the footprint.
"I've never seen this type of footprint before. The shape of it is rather unusual," Ichigo commented.
"I've seen similar near the Ishida kingdom," Uryuu said.
"Really? I thought hollows didn't go near your kingdom?" Tatsuki asked. It was well known that since the people of the Ishida people didn't practice or acknowledge the Council of Gods, hollows had a difficult time surviving in their lands.
"Historically they haven't, but most recently there have been sightings of them," Uryuu explained.
Suddenly, a loud screeching noise could be heard. The ground shook as the screeching grew louder and louder. Ichigo, Uryuu, Tatsuki and Orihime looked up and saw a large ogre-like hollow appear amongst the trees. This hollow had a hunched back and was taller than the trees. Its face was obscured by a bone-like mask. It had yellow beady-looking eyes and scraggly long dark hair. The hollow's skin was an olive-green color. It screeched again, calling attention to its presence. In a distance, the orchard workers could all see it approaching. They began yelling for help as they all ran in the opposite direction.
Both Princes drew their swords as the hollow approached.
"Get back!" Uryuu called to the girls as the hollow got near them. The screeching from the hollow was almost deafening. Both girls covered their ears with their hands as they scrambled backward toward the orchard.
"RUN!" Ichigo yelled as he leapt toward the hollow. The yellow-haired Prince bounced once off the dirt path and flew into the air, reaching an abnormal height for a human. His sword swung down, slicing the left side of the hollow's face. Ichigo landed from his jump with a thump! The hollow roared angrily as it reached up and rubbed the bleeding cut. Its blood was an orange color, and it dripped down its face in a gush.
"There's no way we're running!" Tatsuki said stubbornly. She could see all the workers who were still running away from the hollow. It's my responsibility to protect the workers, Tatsuki thought to herself. She couldn't leave the fighting to just the Princes. Her fear had her adrenaline running as she turned from the orchard and ran toward the hollow.
"Tatsuki, no!" Orihime screamed. She stayed near to the orchard, afraid to get any closer. "Gods be damned," Orihime swore. "What does she think she has to prove!"
The hollow's anger was incited as it swung its large hand downward at Ichigo. Ichigo dodged the blow, leaping to the side. The hollow's hand struck the Kurosaki carriage instead, blowing it to pieces. Scraps of wood went flying. One piece flew at Orihime. She ducked as it hit the apple tree behind her instead. Uryuu could see that the hollow now had its attention fixed on Tatsuki. It stomped toward the lean girl as it screeched loudly once more.
"Hey, over here!" Uryuu yelled, waving his sword in the air to get the hollow's attention. The hollow's head swung from looking at Tatsuki to looking at Uryuu. Its hand reached out and tried to whack Uryuu. Uryuu brought his sword up and dragged it down at the hollow's hand, slicing a deep cut into the hollow's hand. Orange blood oozed out of the cut. The hollow roared angrily once more. But then, instead of attacking Uryuu again, it turned around and stomped toward Orihime. The hollow screeched loudly and swung a hand at her.
Orihime screamed as she turned and ran into the orchard. Unfortunately, she had not been looking where she was going and ran straight into the trunk of an apple tree. She stumbled, tripped and fell to the ground. The hollow continued to stomp toward her and was now only a few feet away. Orihime scrambled backward on her hands and knees.
"Orihime!" Tatsuki called fearfully. Both Ichigo and Uryuu ran toward Orihime. It was too late though; the hollow raised its hand and swiped at Orihime. Instead of hitting Orihime though, the hollow's hand struck a glowing glass barrier. The barrier shattered as the hollow's hand collided with it. Orihime gasped with surprise.
"What the…" Uryuu said, freezing in his tracks.
Then, a bright light appeared from the sky. The light was near blinding as a figure appeared before them. When the light disappeared, a woman in gold and white robes floated in the sky. Her face was obscured, blurred by the setting sun, but Orihime could see her flowing blonde hair. The woman glowed with an otherworldly presence.
"That's enough from you!" She called out and raised her hand. "Be gone!" A beam of light shot out from her fingers and zinged at the hollow. The hollow roared loudly with anger. Its hands turned into fists and pounded its chest. Slowly though, the hollow began to disintegrate. The roaring began to fade. And before Orihime knew it, the hollow was no longer there. Suddenly, it was dead silent.
All attention turned to the floating Goddess who hovered neared Orihime.
"Be not afraid, Orihime Inoue," the Goddess called out. Her voice was melodious and echoed. Her face was still darkened with shadows from the sunset. "I am Rangiku Matsumoto, Goddess of Love and Beauty. Today I bestow onto you a gift. I give you the gift of the shield. Use it to protect yourself and the ones you love…" Her voice began to fade as the bright light appeared once more. The light flashed once, and then the Goddess was gone.
Orihime, Tatsuki, Uryuu and Ichigo's jaws were wide open as they stared at each other silently.
"Did…did that just happen?" Tatsuki finally asked.
"I think it did," Uryuu replied as he sheathed his sword. He walked over to Orihime and offered her a hand. She took it and stood up, feeling slightly ashamed of her cowardly behavior. She dusted off her apron and dress and avoided eye contact with her friends. There was so much for her to take in. She barely knew where to begin.
"Are you alright?" He asked her gently. Orihime nodded.
"The Goddess of Love and Beauty?!" Tatsuki said with shock. "Orihime! You've been blessed by the Goddess of Love and Beauty."
"Yes…yes, I realize that," Orihime said shakily.
"Hollow attacks so near the village. Something is definitely wrong," Ichigo frowned. He sheathed his sword and stepped over to where Orihime and Uryuu stood. "I'm glad you're alright," he said kindly.
"Thank you," she said, blushing.
"What are you thinking?" Uryuu asked Ichigo. Ichigo rubbed his chin and looked lost in thought for a moment.
"Hmm…I need to discuss what happened with my father and General Chad. They'll want to know about this. You should tell your father as well. If hollows have been appearing near the Ishida Kingdom like you said, then your defenses will need to be raised."
"I realize that," Uryuu nodded.
"Tatsuki, you will keep me apprised of anything that happens," Ichigo stated. He was a prince and so used to giving orders. It was second nature for him to tell Tatsuki what to do.
"Of course," Tatsuki said. She raised her chin ever so slightly, surprised to be given the order.
"From here on out, you and Orihime are welcomed at the Kurosaki castle. Please come any time if you've heard of any hollow attacks that I should know about," Ichigo continued. "I think it's safe to say, after what happened today, that we are all friends," he added with a small smile.
"Tatsuki! Orihime!" Keigo called out as he ran up to them. "What in the seven hells happened?" Mizuiro ran up to them as well, followed by the carpenter.
"A hollow attack," Tatsuki grimaced. "You won't believe what happened. I shall have to tell you in a moment."
"We brought the carpenter, though it wasn't easy. He was too scared to come right away," Mizuiro explained, shooting a glare at the older man.
"Everyone is talking about the attack," the old man defended himself. "Well, I'm here now and I've got my tools. Show me the…" The old man stared at the remaining rubbles of the carriage. "Well there's not much I can do about that…"
"It's alright, at this point there should be another carriage coming," Ichigo explained.
"This is silly. We should just share my carriage. The other carriage can come get your trunks later," Uryuu said. Suddenly, Uryuu realized he had not thought about his coachman and footmen at all during the attack. He turned and looked at their direction only to see them still cowering behind the carriage.
"Alright, if you must insist," Ichigo agreed.
"I do."
"Well, I'm afraid we must get going," Ichigo stated. "With everything that has happened, I want to go tell my father and General Chad as soon as possible." Tatsuki and Orihime nodded.
"Of course," Tatsuki said.
"We bid you farewell for now," Uryuu said with a bow.
"Farewell, my lords," Tatsuki and Orihime said. They both curtseyed and watched as Ichigo and Uryuu walked over to the silver and blue carriage. The two princes got into the carriage and disappeared.
It was nearly midnight when Orihime finally found herself alone. After everything that happened, she had insisted on working that evening at the tavern despite Tatsuki's objections. It had been an extremely busy night, with so many visitors in town for the fall festival. Now, though, Orihime found herself alone in one of the Arisawa canoes. It floated along on the peaceful lake- the same one that she and her friends had previously wanted to swim in that day. She lay back in it and stared up at the stars and thought about her day. The sky was dark and the stars twinkled with subtle colors. The crescent moon was high and white. It looked crisp and clear enough to cut through the sky. It was a quiet night.
Orihime thought about the Goddess appearing and granting her the blessed gift. Why her? She was nothing special- just a mere peasant girl. What did having the gift mean? Would there be more hollow attacks? Would she need to use it often? And then there was the hollow itself. Orihime wasn't sure why, but for some reason she had felt like the hollow was interested in her specifically. It seemed to have been headed for her instead of her friends. But then why would it be only interested in her? What had she done to garner the wrath of hollows? There were so many questions that spun in Orihime's head that she nearly got dizzy just thinking of all of them. Perhaps she needed to talk to Tatsuki again. It had been such a busy evening that the two friends hadn't had the chance to discuss the events in depth. Yes, that's what she needed to do. She needed to talk to Tatsuki and then she would feel better. Orihime nodded to herself as she closed her eyes. It was so peaceful out here, she could fall asleep. A subtle breeze came along and skimmed her skin pleasantly.
"Ahhh…that's nice," Orihime said aloud to herself. She closed her eyes and began to doze.
The breeze began to pick up. It was no longer a breeze but a strong gust of wind, sweeping across the lake causing ripples to form. Her canoe bobbed back and forth, threatening to tip over. The motion woke Orihime up. She sat up in her canoe quickly.
"Ack!" Orihime cried as she tried to grab one of the canoe's ores. The wind was now blowing in a circular motion over the lake, causing a vortex to form. Before Orihime could even realize it, the wind had turned the lake into a spinning whirlpool. The canoe began to spin in a circle.
"HELP!" Orihime yelled out. She had grabbed one of the ores and was now furiously paddling. Her attempts to get out of the sucking whirlpool were futile though. The canoe was now in the dead center of the whirlpool and spun around swiftly. The sides of the canoe bobbed back and forth and then tipped over.
Orihime fell into the lake. Her head hit the side of the canoe and she saw stars for a moment. Her body began to sink as her head slowly settled itself. Suddenly, Orihime realized what was going on. She was going to die if she didn't start swimming! The lake's strong currents washed over her as she automatically began to kick and flail against the centrifugal motion of the water. Her swimming efforts seemed useless though since she did not seem to go anywhere. Instead she merely kept spinning around in a circle. The strength of the whirlpool kept trying to suck her under. Orihime opened her eyes and looked up long enough to see the canoe flying toward her again. This time when it hit her head, she was knocked out.
When Orihime woke up, she was laying on the shores of a dark beach. Her head ached and her stomach felt nauseous. She lifted her head and opened her eyes. She was no longer on the Arisawa farm anymore. Instead what she saw amazed her. The beach she was on was made up of black sand. The water lapping quietly against the beach was a milky white color. It was nearly pitch black except for the soft glow of pink fireflies. She could barely see anything in the darkness. There were shadowy trees that looked like weeping willows.
"How did you get here?" A low male voice boomed at her. Orihime looked up and saw him.
He stood several feet away from her in simple white clothing. He wore a white collarless shirt and white military-styled pants tucked into knee-high black boots. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his pants. He stared at her with dark green eyes. His handsome face was framed by a pair of dark thick eyebrows. His expression was mainly stoic except for the subtle gleam of surprise in his eyes.
"Ahh…" Orihime began as she scrambled to her feet. Her hands automatically patted herself down, expecting her gown to be wet. Instead she found her clothes were completely dry. She reached up and touched her hair. It too was completely dry. It was as if she had never fallen into the lake.
"How did you get here?" He asked again as he began to approach her. He kept his distance, but instead circled her as if he were evaluating her still.
"How did I get here?" She asked. He continued to circle her like she was prey.
"Precisely the question, how did you get here?" His voice was low and dark, velvety in its tone. He narrowed his eyes.
She shivered.
"I was…I was taking a nap in my canoe. And…and then a whirlpool formed out of nowhere and…and it dragged my canoe in," she gulped loudly. Their eyes remained locked, green clashing against grey.
She didn't add the part about how terrifying it had been drowning in the water. She had swallowed gulp after gulp of water while her legs thrashed underneath her. Her arms had flailed helplessly. Her efforts had been useless against the vortex of water which sucked her under. It had been frightening to know that her struggles were futile. She had truly thought she was going to die.
"I passed out and woke up here," she waved a hand, pointing to where she had woken up along the shore. It was completely silent, except for sound of the milky white water splashing against the black sand. All around them, pink fireflies continued to flitter about. The glowing insects circled them as if they were fascinated with the conversation.
"And you woke up here," he repeated. His voice held no emotion. He stopped pacing and stood before her. They were only a foot apart and Orihime could feel his warm breath on her skin. She held back another urge to shiver again. He was examining her so intensely with his green gaze. She had goosebumps on her arms and her lower lip trembled. She did everything in her power to not cower with fear.
"You're extremely beautiful, Orihime Inoue," he stated plainly. He commented on her looks as if he were commenting on a tree or a rock. It was not a compliment at all- merely a passing observation.
She looked away. She could feel her cheeks getting warm as embarrassment washed over her.
"I…I'm not…"
"Oh, but you are," he interjected. "You do know how dangerous beauty is around here?"
"No…I don't…" she said softly, trying to avoid his green gaze. He leaned in, his lips suddenly inches from hers.
"You had better leave," he whispered heatedly. Finally, she looked up at him and the intensity in his eyes nearly took her breath away. "Before the darkness here eats you alive."