To Dream The Impossible Nightmare

by lanita19

In a futuristic world where a government controls everything, Orihime must decide truth for herself. She loved him in her dreams, but they turned out to be Aizen's nightmares. Can Ichigo persuade her that his feelings are real and there is beauty in the world beyond the walls of Las Noches? AU, IchiHime. Full summary inside.

1. Declare Independence

Author's Note:

So if you hadn't heard about my account going haywire, well it had. I had to start a new account and I posted and completed another story under it (crushonuryu is the screen name FYI) but now I'm back and I'm working on my two fics under this name. Please re-read chapters as I fixed it up a lot and added new material.

Full Description: In a distant future, the city of Las Noches is controlled by two things: fear of the State and its controllers, and fear of the Espada, an illustrious street gang. Orihime longs of going to the Outer World where people are free, but to escape the nightmare she must escape his dream first. Luckily for her, Ichigo Kurosaki is a young rebel leading a group to the Outer World. The last thing he'd thought of finding outside the State's grip is the love of someone who knows nothing of freedom.

In all honesty, this story is The Labyrinth, meets Ender's Game, meets The Matrix. First chapter has no IchiHimi, and it won't have too much IchiHimi until chapter three. Please keep reading anyway.

Chapter 1: Declare Independence

"You're out much too far past your bed time, little girl," spat the lankiest of the group. Orihime knew the curfew alarm had called hours ago, but the distressing phone call from her best friend, Tatsuki, had her roaming the streets. The man before her was at least two feet taller than she but lithe and svelte like a wet cat. Orihime instantly recognized him as a member of the Espada. Maybe it was the pressed white clothing or the menacing blade he kept at his side, he was a member of the Espada. And they never traveled alone.

There was a blonde man to her attacker's left and a blue haired man to his right. The blonde wore an eyepatch over the opposite eye of Orhime's attacker. The blue haired man wore his jacket open, revealing a big black tattoo on his torso. Both men also carried a blade with them.

Orihime reached for her State issued silent alarm badge that she kept pinned to her pocket, but the first man stopped her. "Do you think the cops scare me?" he asked. He pulled out his blade and pointed it at Orihime's neck. "Luckily for you, my pet, we have matters to attend you. So you're getting a free pass. Have you ever seen an Espada 'free pass'?" Orihime shook her head, trembling. "Tesra, mind assisting me?"

The blonde man grinned and quickly came behind Orihime to hold her arms behind her back. Orihime struggled, still wishing she had used her silent alarm when she had the chance. The blue haired man turned away, as if he had been repulsed by something. Orihime continued to kick and scream as the tall man scraped his blade over Orihime's shirt. She could feel the tip pierce the fabric and then her skin. Orihime cried out in agony as blood seeped from her fresh wound. He stepped back when he was finished to assess his work.

"Grimmjow," the tall man began, "that look like a five to you?" He didn't wait for answer from the blue haired man. "If any of us see this number, we'll know you've run out of chances and you will never be this lucky again."

Tesra released her. Orihime immediately ran toward Tatsuki's house, jamming her silent alarm over and over. As she stumbled down the dark streets she heard the rumble of one of the men's voices, "You should have killed her. This shit is getting annoying, Nnoitra."

"Orihime Inoue. Citizen. Female. September Third. New Era. Confirm?"

Orihime pulled her eye away from the scanner to speak into the voice recognition apparatus. "Confirmed," she said happily.

"Access granted. Employer: Arrancar Visuals, Level 3. Please follow the blue line. Any deviation from this path-"

"-Will result in an official inspection and possible termination," Orihime sang along with the computer. The tiles on the floor lit up with a blue glow and she headed toward the elevator. She smiled back at the computer. "Thank you," she said. It was her second year as an employed citizen and she still thanked the front desk computers as if they were people, though she knew actual people were scarce at State buildings.

The sound of her State issued black canvas shoes was a muffled tick along the glass floors of Arrancar Visuals. The rest was silent, the same silence she had endured for the past two years. She was surprised she had a job after her false alarm call to the police and breech in curfew two years ago when she had been caught by the Espada. The cops made it to her but found no trace of the Espada and filed her wound as self-inflicted. Luckily, she had only been fined and sentenced to counseling for her misdemeanors. She didn't question why the State hired her. It was the nature of being a citizen, being quiet and ignorant.

When she stepped onto the elevator, the automated voice called to her again, "Please exit on the third floor and follow the blue line. Any deviation from this path will result in an official inspection and possible termination." Orihime nodded and waited for the lift to take her to her office above. Just as the door was about to close, the voice interrupted, "Please exit on the third floor and follow the blue line. Any deviation from this path…"

Orihime turned to see someone had joined her in the elevator. She recognized him as Uryu Ishida. He worked in the costuming section. She heard he made all the outfits by hand and was in charge of dressing all of the models used in State campaigns and ads. She smiled up at him. Orihime knew she was a bit of an oddball, always seeking human interaction as opposed to staying quiet, but she couldn't help herself. "Good morning," she mumbled. Uryu nudged his black frames back up his nose before shooting her a quick glare. When the elevator door opened, they both followed the blue line. "You must be doing something special today. I mean, I ride this elevator every day at 8 am, and I've never seen you before. When is your employment time? Or do you just follow a different path normally?"

He looked down at her as if she were a child doing something indecent. "If you must know, I used to follow the red path, but they've transferred my division to this corner of the building. We're getting a better office."

"Wonderful. I do all interoffice interface and official coding for this floor and…" Uryu was already paced far ahead of her. "It was nice meeting you!" she called.

Orihime took her spot at the front of the office at her little steel desk. Her job was to accept all office communications, test them for relevancy and make sure it met State Privacy Regulations, and then pass it on to its recipient. So far, there had never been a breech in policies, and it was one of the few jobs one could have in Las Noches where you could talk to a person. Her job usually started up right away as there were many people who had left messages overnight for office employees. She began going over them as soon as she was set up at her desk.

Sender: Kisuke Urahara

Recipient: Yoruichi Shihoin

Date: August 29 NE

Subject: Reminder

Body: Today is my state issued respite. I will be vacationing for the next week. Please see that all orders are filled by Friday.

Orihime checked the date to make sure it was truly Urahara's respite date. It checked out. The next part of her job was to make the document as accurate as possible and check for errors in syntax or spelling. She also had to piece in any missing, pertinent information. It was tedious, but it had to be done, and the file was missing a very important piece of information. Orihime opened up her State Issued Contact Apparatus or SICA that allowed to her to communicate with anyone as long as the State allowed. The State also recorded the call. A SICA rang differently for every call. Personal calls sounded like a standard telephone ring and could be ignored if the receiving party so chose. Business calls beeped and could be ignored if the receiving party was enjoying their State issued Respite or they were off duty. Calls from the state sounded like a furious alarm and could not be ignored. If the receiving party did ignore the call, they would be Investigated. However, Arrancar Visuals was sanctioned by the state, so all calls from the office rang like a State call. Orihime hated to bother Urahara on his week off, but she had no choice.

"Kisuke Urahara," answered the voice on the other end of the line.

"Orihime Inoue," she responded cheerfully.

" Orihime," he began, "please tell me this isn't about an error in my interface. It's my week off!"

"My apologies, Urahara, but there was no time specified on this document. Would you like me to read it to you?" she asked.

"No! I wrote the damn thing. I know what it said. It's the last part, right? I forgot the stupid time on Friday."

"You forgot the date too," she reminded.

"Friday September 2 New Era at closing."

"Closing meaning 8 pm?" she asked.

"Yes! Friday September 2 New Era at 8 pm, city of Las Noches, planet Earth, universe-"

"I'm just doing my job, Urahara. Thank you. Your message now reads 'Sender: Kisuke Urahara…" Click.

Orihime let out a deep sigh and started to retype.

Sender: Kisuke Urahara

Recipient: Yoruichi Shihoin

Edited: Orihime Inoue

Date: August 29 NE

Subject: Reminder

Body: Today, Monday August 29 NE, is my State Issued Respite. I will be vacationing for the next week. Monday August 29 NE to Friday September 2 NE. Please see that all orders are filled by Friday September 2 NE at 8 pm.

She then sent the document.

This was her life. Work from 8am to 6pm with a lunch and two breaks where she could watch news or have a snack. It wasn't glorious, but it was something.

On to the next one.

Sender: Kaname Tosen

Recipient: Gin Ichimaru

Date: August 29 NE

Subject: Coding

Body: Attached is a copy of a letter that is to be coded and forwarded to Sosuke Aizen ASAP.

Orihime but her editing stamp on it and passed it along to the recipient. She knew better than to check the attachment. The State could easily track that the file had been opened from her computer.

The Coding Department was a step above the Office Interface Department. They read certain interfaces and translated them into a strange coded language. The State said it was for extra privacy, that they didn't want enemies of the State reading top secret information. Orihime had seen code before. It read like tangled poetry, igniting her flame of imagination. The most feared piece of code Orihime had learned over the years was, "The sweet flower has been plucked for the king's amusement." It meant that an official Investigation had been underway. It flooded her mind with many questions. Was it a metaphor? Did the State really consider the people sweet flowers? Was the head of the State the king? Did the suffering amuse him?

Just as she was about to work on another interface, her SICA alarmed with a State call. "Orihime Inoue," she answered.

"Sosuke Aizen," it responded.

Orihime gulped. He was the owner, the commander, the head honcho of Arrancar. She had never seen him in person nor had she heard his voice. It was cool and smooth. In two years, he had never spoken to her or approached her. Many interfaces had been sent to him, but none from him. "Good morning, sir, how can I assist you?" she asked.

"Miss Inoue, I would like to speak with you in my office immediately. Please follow the blue path." Click. Before Orihime could say another word, the floor beneath her lit up, casting a blue path from her desk to a room at the back of the office. It didn't take long for the office to take notice. Dozens of little heads poked out of the cubicles to see where the path from Aizen's office was heading. It was rare that he had visitors.

Slowly, she stood from her desk and followed the path. The steel double doors separating the office from Aizen may as well have been a twenty foot thick stone wall, no one went further than the door. To gain entry, Orihime let the door scan her eye. "Orihime Inoue. Citizen. Female. September Third. New Era. Confirm?"

"Confirmed," she responded and waited for the door to recognize her voice.

"Access granted."

She replied, "Thank you."

The doors slid open to allow in Orihime. Inside, there was another set of offices. At the front was a desk that resembled Orihime's own work station. The girl behind it had large eyes and a tight bun in her black hair. Her name tag read Momo. Occasionally, Orihime would receive interfaces that were edited by a Momo; she assumed this was the one. She wanted to introduce herself but could see that the girl was busy.

Orihime looked down and saw that the blue path was still glowing. She carried on past the second set of onlookers toward another set of doors. She went through the regulatory voice and eye recognition until the doors pulled back to reveal a marvelous room. It was rare that the State allowed you décor as it was a vanity, not a necessity.

Since everything was provided by the State, luxuries were only permitted as rewards for good behavior or presents on State holidays or birthdays. Even then, all those items did was prove status. Some clothes told people your work, your age, or your position within the State. House sizes and locations did the same. Orihime noticed there was a purple vase in the corner. She wanted to touch it…a part of her wanted to break it and see if the State would come up and bring him another. She had never seen a real painting, either. She had read about them in history books and seen holographs at the State Museum of Legal History, but never had she seen a portrait like this. The painting was of a fist brandishing a bloodied sword.

"Have you ever seen a sword, Orihime?" a voice asked from behind her.

She turned around to see a towering man with auburn hair. She recognized his voice as Aizen's instantly. She'd like to say that the first thing she really took into consideration about him was his dark beauty, but it came in second to seeing a man wearing a casual dress. He wore a pair of denim jeans and black leather shoes with a white collared shirt and black cotton blazer. His right hand had a silver ring around his middle finger and she could smell his deep cologne.

She shook her head, lying to answer his question, "No, sir." Instead, she took the opportunity to start and stop a different topic. "I have – oh…nevermind."

"You what? Read it in a book? Do not worry, Orihime, I'm not here to have you Investigated. I just wanted to speak with you." He offered her a seat in front of his big glass desk. He sat opposite her at a grand leather chair. "What kind of books do you like, Orihime?" She didn't speak, still unsure of his true intentions. "I, myself prefer a good murder mystery."

"Fairy tales," she sputtered.

"Damsels in distress, dragons, knights, that sort of thing?" She nodded. "You must have a good imagination to like those stories. People with good imaginations are usually trying to escape reality. I can understand that." He paused and studied her face silently before grinning. "I'd like to take myself out of this equation. If I could, I'd live in a castle with paintings and art and servants and grand parties. I'd like to escape this job and this city. What about you, Orihime, what would you like to escape?" She didn't answer. "Maybe you'd like to escape that scar on your chest." She shook her head. "You were attacked by an Espada. Please, don't lie to me. I recruited you because I know you're an honest person. I know you are genuine and you have a sense of integrity. These are all things that I need. I'm trying to gather some people to send outside the city on some business."

Instantly, Orihime's spirits rose. How she longed to see the world and know of things beyond the State. "Is this…a State job?"

"I suppose. I'm offering you a job and I am the State. I mean, we control the propaganda that tells everyone what to think and what to do." Orihime almost gasped, knowing full well to call State labeling and advertisements propaganda was a crime in itself. "Don't worry. There are no cameras here. The State is just people, Orihime, and people can be bought off with things like money and clothes and status. Just like you. I'm offering you something very wonderful."

"Sir, I'm just a secretary…I don't know if I'm right. It's not that I don't appreciate your offer, but what can I do?"

"My associates are hosting a gala beyond the city. I need an escort. That is all you will need to do for now. You can have any dress you'd like, any shoes you'd like, I'll put you in any car you'd like. Your payment will be at the event, and it is something I'm sure you'll like."

"But, sir, what about the State? I could be Investigated for leaving the city."

He smiled, "You will never escape to your fairy tale ending without first escaping the State. Say yes to my offer and all will be revealed." Aizen extended his hand, "Do we have a deal?"

She shyly shook it in almost slow motion and barely any grip. "Yes…I suppose we do."

"Alright. My secretary, Momo, will handle the rest of your work for the day. Please, head home and make your selections for this evening. My driver will be along this evening to receive you."

Orihime stood to exit but noticed something was missing. "Sir…there is no path for my exit."

He again smiled. "Silly girl, when you're with me, the whole world is your path. I'm sure you know the way home."

She nodded and exited without another word, all the while wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

Her walk home had been strange. She figured the police would be on her like a criminal, wondering why she wasn't following any path, but they seemed to ignore her. It wasn't uncommon that a citizen wasn't on a path. A high enough ranking State official could walk anywhere they please, but most police officers had them on file. For her to be able to walk with complete freedom meant the police had been informed of her new position beneath Aizen.

When Orihime made it to her home, she attempted to scan her eyes and voice, but the computer did not acknowledge her presence. It didn't deny her or alert the law, it just remained dormant, like it hadn't been on at all. It was the first time since being issued her home on 54th St. that she had simply used her key to unlock the door. It didn't feel archaic or like a weird manual labor. It felt liberating, as if it were home to own and be charged with allowing people access to it.

Orihime headed immediately to her SICA to see if anyone had left a message regarding the changes, but there was nothing. She then turned on her television to see if anything had been announced in the news. Something had changed with that as well. There weren't any headlines, there weren't addresses from the State. The normal messages had been replaced by cartoons dancing playfully and singing. If she pushed the channel button, it would skip to a different foreign program instead of an address from a different State figure. There were dozens of new programs. Orihime watched for what felt like ages when someone cleared their throat behind her loudly.

She turned to find the man from the elevator that morning staring down at her. "As you can see, the State has already released control of your home and employment."

"How did you get in here?" she all but stuttered, while inching her way away from.

The man walked toward her, "I was brought here by Aizen. What did you think?" He gazed a while at her figure, studying her frame. "I've brought some dresses for you to look at. My name is Uryu Ishida. I'm the head of costuming for all of the propaganda."

"Were you released from the state too? Is that why you can say that word?"

He shrugged. "Released from the state, yes, but still very much under control. You'll soon realize how much effort it takes to work for someone of Aizen's caliber." Uryu began to head into her bedroom where dozens of dresses had been assembled on racks for her choosing. "We haven't got much time. Pick a dress." Orihime paused only for a moment before diving into the dresses like a child in a candy shop. She shuffled through the garments, touching silk and velvet and satin for the first time in her existence. "Orihime…What do you know about the Outer World?"

"You mean outside of Las Noches?" He nodded. "Nothing. I'd like to know more…but…I was just a secretary. Aizen says he will take me beyond Las Noches."

"Yes…but he won't bring you back." Orihime stopped riffling to look Uryu in the eye. His eyes were hidden behind the rims of his glasses, covering a powerful sadness. He pulled a little pill from his pocket. It was plain and white like the State issued medicine she would get for headaches that she got from looking at her computer for too long. "This is called Zanpakto, it's an engineered drug used to…I don't want to scare you…for now, let's just say it makes you hallucinate, and while you're hallucinating, the machinery reprograms your brain." Orihime's eyes were wide with confusion. She remained silent though, hoping to grasp more of the details as he continued. These hallucinations are meant to take you to the life you've always desired. I can't tell you how many of these scenes I've created-"

"-You draw the hallucinations?" Orihime interrupted.

"The drugs are programed to have Aizen in the dreams. Aizen tells me what the world needs to look like and then I create them. I've created Spanish Riviera's and ball rooms and cabins in the woods…so many… The drugs have microchips in them, which is used to take over your nervous system. In your dream, Aizen may have you sit in a wonderful golden throne, but in reality, you may just be sitting in a State issued chair. With that kind of power, he can convince you to kill people in your dream, and murder people in your reality."

"Why are you telling me this, Uryu?"

"I just want you to know…you're going to be safe, Orihime. People are coming to rescue you."

Orihime thought about what life was like twelve hours ago. She remembered having to hide books from the State, but now, what would she have to hide from Aizen. She wanted to imagine a world where there was no control…where she could be free, but the idea faded as quickly as it came. How do you dream of something that no one had told you existed? Her mouth couldn't form rational words. She refused to believe anything he said, but she also felt a sting of truth deep in her core. She had always thought the State was evil, but with how many things there were trying to disprove it, she couldn't say for herself anymore. Were lies taught to be the truth or were truths taught to be lies?

"There is a resistance, Orihime, and I can have them come get you, but I have to act fast. And you have to trust me. There will be danger, but I will lead you through it. I will take you to the resistance in your dream, and in reality, they will wake you up and you will be safe with them. The only problem is, in your dream, Aizen will have you believe I am your enemy, that the resistance is your enemy. That's why I need you to look through this." He handed her a photograph. The man in the photograph was quite handsome to Orihime. He had careless red hair, almost like hers. His skin had been ripened by the sun in a way she had never known possible. With how often she was trapped in doors or behind the high city walls, she couldn't feel the sun enough to tint her skin. His eyes, burning and amber, stared at her from the photo. "Listen to me very carefully, this man is going to take care of you. He will not hurt you. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

Declare independence

Don't let them do that to you

Raise your flag

-Bjork