It was a sunny day of spring. The cherry petals floated in the benevolent air, just a suave breeze interrupting their dance.
A girl with amber hair makes her presence felt when the petals dance stops.
But her gaze was captured by something in the distance, not by the sudden event. Her eyes begin to sparkle when a mysterious thing starts moving again.
Without giving much thought to her shoes, she leaves again in the search of it. Her feet touch the grass gently, despite her rush, fearing that the grass will not break.
It does not take long and she gets to be in a forest. Here she loses its trace. She sighs, but at the same time she is curious.
She lived all her life in this city and she was in this park so often that she already knows every corner, but ... She never heard before that a forest so beautiful to be here.
She continues her journey, trying to memorize the surroundings if there is no other way back. The forest seemed to her more magical as she moved, as if she was not in the city she had left.
The forest was so thick that the sky could not be seen so well, only a few rays played through its thicket. Not knowing how long she had been lost, she decided to go forward just a few minutes before turning back when she ... falls into a hidden pit.
The pit seemed to be narrow and very shallow, but apparently ... Now it had become quite wide and long, like a slide? but very tortuous because her fall was not even smooth.
When she opens her eyes after a sudden journey she sees some kind of sweets shop. Without recognizing anything else, she decides to come in to find out where she is.
The shop was quite typical in the interior, except for the products that had some funny names.
"The wings of the fairy ?"
Without wanting to read out loud, this product was being the only one with a normal name.
"What a wonderful choice! Only the eyes of a refined being are able to observe the quality of this product. Normally, they cost 1 thousand corals each, but for such a beautiful lady, I can offer it for half of its price. "The girl did not know why she was more shocked, by the way the seller was talking or by the strange currency or by his presence. He seemed pretty young. Blond hair, black eyes, a green hat with white stripes, a green kimono with a dark green cape completed the outfit.
He held a cane in his hand, but he did not seem to have any health problems to be forced to use it. Something did not seem all right to the girl.
"I do not want to buy anything, but ..." Her words were suddenly interrupted by the seller's words.
"Miss, I do not do that often ... but for you ... I will leave them to just 200." His reply only made her giggle.
"If you can excuse me, but you misunderstood the situation. I got lost and I hoped you could help me get home. "The seller's brows frowned, then they relaxed again.
"Miss, if you think I'll make another reduction you're wrong."
"No, I just want to get home." The look of the seller was not at all convinced by her words.
"Is this any kind of farce? Here in Olimp, every god can easily find their way home, and if you are a servant just invoking the seal given by your god, you will get home. So can you explain why you did not know how to get there? Are you an Olp? Although I do not remember hearing that a new ship will be coming too soon. "
" Olimp? Gods? Olps? "The girl repeated being in the shock, making the vendor to believe her, to leave the cash register and to head for a nearby couch.
"Who are you really?" The gravity of his question makes his face come back to his senses. He no longer looks as good as before, as if he had undergone a change of personality.
"My name is Inoue Orihime. I'm from Karakura. Today I was at the art university when a giant bear dressed in baby clothes had appeared. I thought it was part of a circus, or it was a salesman, but when I got close to it, it started running. I followed it up into a forest, where I lost its trail, but ... As I walked down, I fell into some kind of pit and I came near this store. "The vendor pulled out a fan and used it all the time during her monologue, sitting in silence and analyzing her every word. After a minute of thought he closes his fan and he shouts a name.
A bear makes its appearance in the shop to the girl's surprise. The seller sighs again, then flips his fingers and the bear becomes a boy.
"How ... How ... How is that possible?" Orihime asks forcing the words to come out of her mouth. The seller smiles, then he takes off his hat and he suddenly shows two fox ears.
"As I told you. You're in Olimp. Here every person has certain powers. Normally, we should not be seen by the mortals, but ... you seem to be an exception. " His expression suddenly frowned upon her, then ..." How can you be so silly ? Did not your parents teach you not to follow a bear dressed in baby clothes? " Her gaze was suddenly perplexed at the hearing of his words.
"I have no parents. They died 7 years ago in an accident. The mother's body was not found, but ... she had no chance of surviving. " The seller loses his compost for a second hearing of her words , then he returns to normal.
"I understand. You are the first human to reach Olimp, so I can not guarantee you a way to get home. You can stay here, considering it's Jinta's fault. For now relax. I 'll be gone for a little while. I advise you not to leave without me. You don't have any god seal and you will become for sure a victim. " Seeing that he will not get any response from her, he puts his hat on to cover his ears. "See you soon, Inoue-san."
Urahara gets out of the scene, coming out on a door behind the counter. A tall, black and muscular man is waiting for him with his hands crossed.
"Why did not you tell her anything about her mother?" The man asks him pulling a grin out of him.
"Patience, patience , Tessai. We can not yet know for sure that SHE is indeed her mother. I will document, and at the right time I will tell her. At the moment you can take care of her, I can not guarantee she will not try to find her way alone, considering that SHE might be her mother. " Urahara grins again. "It 'll be interesting ."
After half an hour Orihime sits on the couch counting the candies in the jar in front of her. She felt locked in store like the candies in the jar.
The smell of a cup with hot tea distracts her. The cup was transparent, and within it could be seen how a flower opened slowly, flavoring it.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this. Urahara is a trusted person. He will solve your problem. I trust him. You can sit still. "Orihime takes a sip of tea and she begins to feel her body begin to relax. Her mind is capable of re- examining the events, and then she looks at him. He did not seem to have any traits of any animal.
"What is Urahara- san? What is a god and what is an Olp? How can you get a seal from a god? " Her questions flow one after another, surprising Tessai.
"Urahara is a god, the god of research. A god is a person with immense powers, able to change the fate of mankind from which you live. An Olp is something like a man as a look, but he can change his appearance in the animal from which he borrowed the powers at birth. An Olp is a being without roots, without parents. From time to time a ship goes to the island from which it comes, but no one knows the exact dates of their appearance. Unlike the gods, their powers are not so great. They are to accomplish the daily things to do, as well as certain specific features to defend their master. As soon as they make the contract, they are only loyal to that god. And the seal is given as proof of their loyalty. An olp without a seal ... does not have a good fate. "
The girl sighs. Things became increasingly more difficult.
" If I could get a seal? Then could I go home? "
"Unfortunately no. No Olp is allowed to travel between Olimp and the Earth. Only Jinta is capable until now, he is under Urahara's seal. To get the seal, an Olp has to donate most of his daily powers to the master, and since you have no powers, I'm afraid this would mean death. "
The flicker of the young woman's eyes disappears as quickly as it appeared. Apparently the solution will not be that easy. It's not like someone's expecting her home, but here is not her place.
The doors of the store open and they greet a new customer.
"Hello, Tessai. I see this place is as quiet as ever. I'd like my usual order. " His attention was on the cake showcase until he realized that Tessai was not there. His face becomes red at the sight of Orihime's beauty.
The girl looked at him. The man had two fluffy wolf ears attached to his hair, his ears moving left-right as they followed her.
"Kawaii." She said when she saw the puppy's look on his face and the redness of his cheeks. The man recovers his compost, then he heads to Tessai.
"Have you got a new Olp?" His answer at his question is going to be more difficult than he had wanted.
"Not yet." Tessai was the kind of talking man , except in situations that demanded maximum discretion. The presence of the girl emanated a faint aura from someone known, otherwise it felt like a .. human ?
"Tell me, please, that Urahara does not want to experiment with humans this time." The girl's eyes grew to the man's words.
"Hisagi, please do not scare my guest. When did you hear of people being able to enter Olimp? " Beeing took by surprise the man decided that's the best to remainsilent, then he moved his eyes on her.
However you look at her, it's no doubt that she is a human, but if she is a human, then how did she manage to reach Olimp. Many questions filled his mind until a noise comes from her stomach.
The girl turns red. She didn't get to eat in the morning because she was late. After her incredible journey, she completely forgot how much time has gone since her last meal. Her body begins to feel increasingly flawless.
"Try this." Hisagi offers her one of the cakes he had bought. It was a muffin with pink cream and a strawberry on top.
Initially she wanted to refuse him by reminding her of a story about the gods that as soon as you eat something on their realm you can not go back to Earth, but ... her stomach made a sound again forcing her to accept his kind gesture.
Her cheeks began to feel hot when she taste it. The cake had a divine taste, making her feel like she floats. She never ate a cake so good and she hoped that this was not the last time.
Hisagi smiles when he sees her expression. She looks like an angel. Without realizing, Orihime almost eaten the entire brioche, drawing a deep thankful sound that made Hisagi rise.
"If you want ... Would you like to eat them together?" Hisagi asks pointing at rest of the cakes. Her eyes began to shine again and she accepted cheerfully.
When he had the opportunity, Hisagi asked her how she got here, just to be even more aware of her innocence.
"The cakes were delicious. I have never eaten something so good. Are you using other ingredients in Olimp? "Tessai was not yet aware that one of Orihime's hobbies was to cook.
"No. Generally everything comes from human's realm, but here they have a special treatment. For example, the black widow (refers to the pink brioche, without the name being related to the product) is a recipe taken from your world, only that the necessary milk had to be mixed with the rest of the ingredients while running 300 km, as well as other small tricks which I can not reveal to you. Not for nothing our shop is the best of all Olympus. " Tessai says proudly.
"But in general the prices are too high and Urahara is not always friendly to customers." Hisagi whispered, making her giggle.
She did not know the reason, but she began to feel good in Olympus.
"Thank you. With your help I'm starting to feel like home. "Her smile is so contagious that she makes the others to smile.
"How's the realm of humans ? It has been more than a century since I last visited it. " Hisagi's question puts her on her thoughts, reminding her of the life she lived, a tear running down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to ..."Hisagi tries to calm her down, but she tells him that everything's okay.
"It's awesome. People are very kind and helpful. There are many schools accessible to everyone. There was invented some kind of new cars and new means of communication. And more. Hehe .. " Her face became slightly sad . "I have not visited the world anywhere further from Karakura, but I'm sure you would like it."
The gentle atmosphere was interrupted by the voice of a man.
"Shuhei, can you explain why aren't you doing your job, and only losing your time?" His voice seems to be affected Hisagi, straining suddenly.
"Kuchiki-san, I was during the lunch break. Somehow did something happened? "
"Ask Murugama. He was the one looking for you in the Olymp. I would not have liked to interfere with your personal affairs, but my Olps can not do theirs job in this mess. I advise you to solve the problem as soon as Genryusai finds out. My order is ready? " From the moment Kuchiki finished what he was going to say, his attention focused on his purpose.
The man was too busy to inspect his order to see Hisagi's anger. Of all the high-ranking gods, Byakuya was most despicable to Hisagi, being the most respected god after Genryusai. He respects him for the meticulousness and other qualities he proves, but he could not bear the way he attracted his attention every time.
"I'm sorry, Inoue, but I have to go. I hope we can talk again someday. "From the moment he said goodbye, he instantly disappeared shocking her.
"If I were you I would stay away from him, it is never good to lose your time with people unable to comply with a program." Orihime turns her gaze on him, only to be shocked that he has no animal trait. He looks like a perfectly normal man. "I'm not sure of your origins , but it's not ethical for a lady to examine a man."
His words made her feel ashamed until she started giggling when she saw the shape of his sweets. They looked different, too different even for her.
"What's so funny?" He asks with the biscuit in his hand. At that moment, a long and black tail comes from under his clothes.
"How is it possible for some Gods to have animal particularities and others not?" Her question brings a jolt on his face.
"Why should I give some explanation to a human about the appearance of the Gods? If this information were public humans would be already informed in your world. "His answer did not demoralized her, only it made her realize that she should not be so curious about everything. "I suppose the appearance of this human is one of Urahara's secret experiments. Tessai take it as an advice. You should not get so involved with Urahara's experiments. I hope you have not forgotten what happened last time. "Tessai did not answer, but his silence convinces Byakuya that he has no reason to enter into Urahara's dirty games.
Byakuya go out without having to say goodbye, wanting to attract as little attention as possible to the shop.
"Tessai-san, is Urahara-san a bad man ?" She asks when the silence floods the room.
"He's not a bad man, he's just hard to be understood. It is a specific reason why we live on the edge of the Olymp. A few centuries ago, in an attempt to help mankind, Urahara tried to create a new kind of human, a kind of demi-god what could have lead the world to progress, but ... the result was disastrous. What he created did exceed the powers of a god. Eventually his creation wanted to force his dominion over the Olymp, forcing Urahara to take his life. That day many gods have lost their lives, that day is known as the The sleep of the gods in our history. For his sins to be paid Genryusai- sama had to take his aura and to isolate him at the edge of Olympus to spend his infinite life to reflect on his mistakes. The really powerful gods, like Urahara, are able to control their shape using their aura, and from the moment their aura is taken, they stay in this intermediate state. " She starts biting her lower lip. Could her presence here cause even more unhappiness?
Feeling her sadness, Tessai touched her shoulder, then he went to prepare another cup of tea. Being the only one left, Orihime decides to leave. Tessai and Urahara were very kind to her as well as Hisagi, even Byakuya. It would be a pity for everyone to have trouble because of her fault, so ... she left.
She remained in the store for a while, not knowing what to do. There was no way she could return to the way she came because she had fallen from the sky and there was no hole similar to the one she first fell. Could it be no way out ?
"Beware!" A voice echoes, and she follows it instinctively. In the next second a giant snake is split at her feet. "That's the 30th, you lost again." A man with amber hair like hers announces floating in the air, while another with the red hair and with the features of a monkey struggled to keep up the flying man jumping from the tree to tree.
"Shit. Do you have any idea how hard it is to jump tree in the tree instead of floating? " The redheaded man exclaims jumping in front of their pray.
"It's not my fault that the animal you've been contracted for millennia ago was a monkey." The other man landed near him. It sounded like they were pretty good friends.
"Not everyone could make a contract with a dragon, so let it go, Ichigo."
"Ichigo?" His name echoes on her lips, causing him to turn his head to her.
"Tsh ... I almost forgot. It's not safe to walk alone in places like this. Did not you hear about the snakes invasion this year ? " The man with similar hair answers, before making eye contact with her. "Have we ever met ?"His question makes her to blush, not understanding why. She had the same impression, but ... it's probably just a feeling.
"Not at all. I just wanted to take a mouth of fresh air. The weather is so beautiful today. " She's trying to change the subject to their surprise.
"Are you new?" The redhead askes when he sees that the young woman did not know that the weather in Olimp never changes.
"Hehehe ..." She starts to laugh, not knowing what she should answer.
"Leave it alone, Renji." Ichigo intervenes, making him to move away from her. It was weird, but he could not escape the feeling he knew her from somewhere, but ... nothing makes him remember where. "Are you lost?" His question came involuntarily, but strangely, it made her jump into his arms.
A strong light caught them. In the following minutes the memory returned to Ichigo. Now he knew who this girl is, why her parents accident occurred and what happened to them.
As soon as the light goes out, Orihime crashes into his arms.
To be continued