Author's Note:Most of you don't know me but I actually joined a long time ago - back in 2002. I used to write Hikaru no Go and X fanfiction under the pen name "Ritz" and my account and stories are actually still here! The only reason why I'm under this new name is because it's been so long since I last wrote anything that I can't remember what the password of my old FFnet account is. ^^; So here's to my new account and Bleach, my new inspiration for writing after a long 6 year draught. I have to thank all the wonderful IchiHime writers out there who inspired to start writing again. Your stories are wonderful. I definitely don't think I can do as much justice to the Bleach characters as well as you all can...but I hope you are able to enjoy my little story nonetheless.

Disclaimer:While the story and writing is mine, Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite-sama. I only hold the rights to this story and I am not making any money off of this fanfic. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Story Notes:There is an ancient Chinese legend about a heavenly maiden who comes down to earth as a bird, has her clothes stolen and hidden away from her while she is bathing, and then is forced to become the wife of the man who stole her clothes. The couple have two children together and she seems happy. However, one day, she finds the clothes her husband stole in a chest, dons them and then escapes back to heaven where she belongs. It's a rather disturbing story but oddly beautiful in its own way. Given the fact that Kubo's characters are Japanese, I've set my fic for the Nara period of Japan; and while this story will draw from concepts of that legend, it is VERY loosely based.

White Feathers, Part 1

By: Ritz

"Come on Orihime, let's go!" With a move that was both graceful but jolting, Rangiku wrapped her fingers around Orihime's slim wrist and tugged - causing the girl to stumble slightly while they ran. Behind them was their home, glittering in the sun's rays, and ahead of them was the edge of the cloud they were currently moving on. The fluffy wisps that frayed at the end of the cloud seemed to beckon to them repeatedly as a light breeze ruffled and curled the misty vapours.

Orihime laughed, her enthusiasm just as great as her friend's. This was their small treat to themselves for completing the daily tasks assigned to them - Rangiku's duties being to oversee and nurture the crops budding all over the rich soil of Japan and Orihime's duties being to heal the illnesses of the weak. "We're almost there!" the younger girl cried, enable to keep the slight squeal out of her voice as they drew nearer to the edge. "Are we going to the same place as last time?"

They reached the edge just as she finished asking her question and Rangiku graced her with a dazzling smile. "No, let's go to the hot spring in Karakura this time. The smell of the cedar trees will really be soothing to my weary muscles." She let go of Orihime's hand and put her hands on both sides of her very impressive bosom. Pressing her breasts together, she thrust her chest out to her friend. "It was so hot today that I had to work hard than usual. Look at how sweaty my little valley over here is right now!"

Orihime didn't even flinch at her friend's rather lewd comment, used to her friend's tendency to give too much information. However, she lost her poise when Rangiku bent, drew her face down to Orihime's own very impressive chest and poked - causing the poor girl to yelp, jump back, and quickly cross her arms over her chest. "I bet your little valley must be so sweaty too," Rangiku said, unfazed by Orihime's reaction.

Orihime flushed. "Wh-- what-- no, Rangiku-san! I-- I'm fine! Really!"

Rangiku laughed and pulled away. She loved teasing her modest friend. "Well, shall we go?" she suggested, effectively changing the subject.

Orihime nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Each girl pressed her hands together and whispered an incantation. There was a small flash and then, the colour white slowly began to creep up from the hems of their dresses, bleaching their attire in the same hue. The long sleeves of their dresses extended and pulled backwards, the fabric turning stiff as feathers began to sprout from the material. The neckline of their dresses elongated, covering the women's heads and enveloping their bodies. Their bodies begin to shrink and soon both women were transformed into two graceful white swans. With a quick flick of Rangiku's bill, the two leapt from the clouds, their wings flapping as they flew to one of their many secret retreats - far away from the stiff formality and the rigid customs of the place they called their home. The two soared leisurely before Rangiku gave a triumphant squall. Then, they veered and dove, landing on the solid gray of the rocks surrounding the hot spring of their choice.

Wasting almost no time, their forms shimmered, their dresses growing smaller as they soon transformed back into the two beautiful women they were. With a giggle, Rangiku exclaimed, "Last one in the spring has to run naked through the woods!" She began easing her dress off her body, not caring that she was in a clearing where anyone, should anyone have been in the area, could've seen.

Orihime squeaked, her face turning a rosy red as she paused and tried to decide what to do. Unlike her flambouyant friend, the idea of changing in front of another person - even another female - made her blush to the roots of her hair. Finally, she ran behind a rock, kicked off the light blue slippers that donned her feet and struggled to slip out of her own flowing robes. Just as Orihime was loosening the ties that held her bodice in place, the last of Rangiku's clothes fell to the ground and she jumped into the water with a triumphant splash. "I win!"

"Ran-Rangiku-san!" Orihime cried, her face becoming even redder. Her flustered face made Rangiku throw back her head and laugh at her friend's distress.

"I'm just kidding," Rangiku assured. Her hand fluttered over the spring lightly, patting gently at surface of the naturally heated water. "I won't make you run around naked so come in."

Orihime smiled in relief that Rangiku had relented - as sometimes her blonde friend wasn't that accommodating when it came to acting out her crazy dares - and she undid the remaining ties on her shirt. Dropping her clothes behind the rock, Orihime quickly entered and sank shoulder-deep in the water with a happy sigh.

There was a brief silence as the two women relaxed in the warm water and enjoyed the moment. This place in Karakura was one of their favourites. The spring was not big, just a small circular hole that was only big enough for perhaps four people, but the water that flowed from the crust of the earth was clear - the sulfur smell unusually faint. The surrounding cedar trees not only shrouded the spring from others (something that was important as they were forbidden to come in contact with humans) but also gave off the most delightful aroma that calmed and soothed the senses. Rangiku had spotted this tiny treasure one day when she was watching over the rice paddies of Karakura and had instantly coaxed Orihime into exploring the area with her.

The women were best friends - similar but drastically different at the same time. Both were beautiful women with hourglass figures and long hair but that was where the resemblance ended. While Rangiku, with her wavy strawberry blonde hair and sky blue eyes, was a woman who exuded sex and confidence; Orihime, with her long straight auburn hair and warm gray eyes, was a woman who exuded innocence and gentleness. Indeed, Orihime's duties greatly suited her personality as there wasn't anything she couldn't feel empathetic towards - be it man or beast.

"So did you hear about what happened between Shunsui and Nanao the other day?" Rangiku said suddenly, breaking the silence with a rather gleeful smile. The palace's Head Musician's blatant, and sometimes rather tactless, pursuit of the Crown Prince's Private Tutor was a topic of much amusement to the surrounding heavenly maidens - much to Nanao's personal chagrin.

"No, what?" Orihime asked eagerly, leaning forward with equal glee.

"Well, I heard..."

And so began a lovely hour of much gossip and much laughter.

"Ichi-nii, we're out of wood!" the sweet voice of an equally sweet-looking 13-year old girl called out.

The brother in question, a tall man with unruly short orange hair, looked up from the leeks he was pulling out of the earth. He could only vaguely hear what Yuzu was saying out of the window of their pit house. "What?" he called back.

"She said we're out of wood," the dry tone of his other sister, Karin, floated out of the same window. Then, the girl appeared in person at the back door. "So you have to go get some now, Ichi-nii."

Ichi-nii, or Ichigo as most people knew him, gave an exasperated sigh. He straightened from his work, his mouth turned down in a scowl. "What, now? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Karin didn't flinch at the scowl. "Yeah, but unless you want to eat your meat raw--"

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

After a long and luxurious soak in the water, Rangiku stretched her limbs and gave a great big satisfied sigh. "This is wonderful!"

Orihime grinned, feeling as equally pampered as her dear friend. She leaned against the rock and couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped her mouth. "I agree! I feel like a princess!"

Rangiku gave her friend a look, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Really? That doesn't sound like something a princess should say. Aren't you being just a little too easy to satisfy, Hime-chan?" She deliberately used her nickname for her friend, which coincidentally meant "Princess".

"Of course!" Orihime exclaimed, the light tease going unnoticed. "It's a beautiful day, the water feels so good, and the little blue men haven't attacked me once and caused me to klutz out all day!" Her right fist pumped in the air enthusiastically. "I am completely and utterly satisfied!"

Rangiku chuckled, used to her friend's quirky imagination. "Well, I, for one, will not be satisfied until we get something to eat. How about we head back now? I'm starving!"

As if on cue, Orihime's stomach growled. She blushed reflexively. "Uh...Sounds good."

Rangiku's chuckle turned into a full-fledged laugh. After she caught her breath, she stood up. "Then let's go."

Orihime nodded eagerly but waited until Rangiku had her back turned before she stood up too. No matter what, she was still shy. Wading in the water and drying herself lightly with her powers, she made her way to the rock she had changed behind and slid an arm around it so that she could pick up her clothes. However, oddly enough, she could find nothing in her grasp. "Huh?" She stood on her tiptoes and pressed herself flatter against the rock so that she could reach further around. Patting the ground with her palm, she tried to feel around for her clothes to no avail. "That's strange." She patted again. "That's really strange... Where are they?"

"What's wrong, Hime-chan?" Rangiku asked. She had already dried herself and slipped on her own dress, which truthfully didn't do much of a difference when it came to covering up her cleavage. "Is something the matter?"

Orihime pushed slightly away from the rock and turned to her friend in confusion, her modesty forgotten. "I can't seem to find my clothes."

Rangiku sighed, not in annoyance but more out of habit. Not being able to find things was a very frequent occurrence with Orihime. "Silly girl," she said fondly. "Where did you leave them?"

"Just behind this rock." She pointed for emphasis. "Can you help get them for me?"

"Of course." Rangiku walked lightly to the spot Orihime pointed at, looked around, and then frowned. "Orihime, I don't see anything."

"Eh?" The confusion on Orihime's face began to cloud over with the beginnings of worry. "But...I'm sure I left my clothes there."

Rangiku peered around the rock but saw nothing. "No, there's nothing here."

The worry solidified and the beginnings of panic began to grow. "What? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." The same worry began to materialize on Rangiku's face. "Are you sure you didn't leave it somewhere else, Orihime?" She began to move, circling around the rock and the surrounding area.

"I'm sure..." Orihime replied, her voice choking off as worry left and panic settled in. Without her clothes, she wouldn't have the ability to transform into a swan and return back home. "I'm sure I left it there! What should--" And then her words cut off as a scream left her throat. "RANGIKU!"

After cleaning himself off, Ichigo had just entered the cedar forest near his house not long ago. Axe in hand, he quickly chose a tree that was large enough to provide wood for at least a week but small enough that he wouldn't have to take a long time chopping it down. "This one will do," he muttered to himself.

Raising his axe, he was just about to bring it down on the treee trunk when he heard a woman screaming in the distance. His instincts taking over, he abandoned what he was doing and began running in the direction of the voice. Despite his rather unwelcoming facial expressions, he was a kind person and could never refuse a cry for help. The woman didn't sound like she was too far and Ichigo took heart in that. However, when another female's voice joined the first woman's screams, his heart raced. Quickening his pace, he yelled as loud as he could, "I'm coming! Hold on!"

Entering a clearing, Ichigo found the two women near a spring - one woman, a blonde, was dangling upside down from a tree branch. A rope was wound tightly around one of her ankles, holding her in place. While she was fully clothed, her dress had turned upside down because of her position and both of her hands were busy clutching her dress to the tops of her thighs. Her companion, an auburn-haired girl, stood thigh-deep in the spring and was completely naked. Ichigo reflexively froze at the sight of a naked woman, redness spreading over his face like wildfire. However, all thoughts of embarrassment fled from his mind when the woman turned to him and cried, "Please save my friend!"

Her voice spurring him into action, Ichigo did a running sprint toward the dangling woman. Jumping on a nearby rock, he used the momentum of his movements to propel himself upwards. He had just enough height to be able to slice the rope with the axe in his hands before gravity began pulling him down. Only then, in that split second, did he realize that he couldn't both cut the rope and catch the woman at the same time. "Shit," he swore quickly before glancing over his shoulder and yelling, "Be careful!" just as the other woman screamed, "Rangiku!" He caught just a glimpse of blonde hair and fabric rushing towards the earth before he had to face forward so that he could watch his own landing. Stumbling a little but still managing to land on his feet, Ichigo quickly spun around to check on the formerly trapped woman.

However, the blond woman was gone and only the auburn-haired woman was left. He stilled and glanced around the clearing rapidly, not comprehending what was happening. "Where is she?" he demanded. When the woman in the water said nothing, Ichigo asked again, "Where is she? Where's your friend?"

Orihime merely smiled sadly. "She's gone," she said simply.

In between her fingers, she held a long white feather.

To be continued.