Hello lovely readers! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out, once I decided to make this a multi-chaptered story I needed to figure out a few details. This is more of an explanation but in the next few chapters the action will hopefully pick up! Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I probably don't own it.
Cheerful singing and delightful warmth pulled Orihime from the deep abyss of her dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly, allowing her duvet to slip from her shoulders. She stretched languidly and gave a small sigh of pleasure. A smile found it's way to her face as memories of last night flooded her. She hopped out of bed and skipped away to ready herself to face the day.
After she deemed herself acceptable, she fluttered down the stairs to the dining room. Her parents where already seated there, her mother glowing warmly as she sipped at her cup of tea and her father looking casually regal while reading the paper. They both looked up as she entered and smiled at their pride and joy.
"Good morning!" she chirped, her smile lighting up the room.
"Good morning dear." her mother replied motioning to the seat to her right.
"How are you this morning, Hime?" her father asked, his blue eyes sparkling and his smile hidden behind his mustache.
"I'm wonderful Papa!" Orihime cheered, she pecked her father's cheek on her way to her chair and embraced her mother before taking her seat.
"Good dreams?" her mother asked, her light blue eyes highlighted by her deep red hair, pulled into a loose and slightly messy bun.
"The best!" Orihime sighed dreamily.
"Tell me about them." her mother smiled, ignoring her tea.
"I was in the most beautiful Meadow, Mother! There were millions of flowers and the stars were shining so bright! Then, the little blue men rode in on these flying machines and started sucking up all of the pollen! I was so afraid for the flowers that I used this flying kick move I saw at the traveling fair one year! I defeated the blue men and everyone was saved! We had a big party, but just before I could eat anything- and Mother it did look delicious- I woke up!" Orihime finished her wild story with a small pout.
"How exciting!" her mother exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Her father chuckled and reopened his newspaper.
"And what do you find so funny, Corin?" her mother snipped, raising an eyebrow, even though the mirth dancing in her eyes gave her away.
"Nothing at all, Hana." he replied quickly, hiding in his newspaper.
The lady laughed and returned her attention to Orihime.
"Tatsuki will be here soon, so eat up!" she said with a smile.
"Tatsuki? Yay!" Orihime cheered, digging into her food.
The morning passed rather quickly, Orihime listened to her parent's playful banter, and it was quite enjoyable. The motherly maid arrived and announced Tatsuki's arrival, causing Orihime to leap excitedly out of her seat and run to find her friend.
The black haired youth was standing in front of the door, peeling off her riding gloves, when Orihime attacked her. Tatsuki teetered dangerously as Orihime's arms enveloped her, but she managed to steady herself as Orihime held her tightly.
"Tatsuki!" she cried happily.
"Hey, Hime." Tatsuki smiled and patted her enthusiastic friend's head.
"Oh, Tatsuki! You'll never believe what happened to me last night!" Orihime cried suddenly, releasing her friend and waving her arms excitedly.
"What happened Hime?" Tatsuki asked skeptically.
"Well first-" Orihime suddenly stopped and glanced around conspiratorially.
She whirled and grabbed Tatsuki's wrist and began to run up the staircase, dragging a protesting Tatsuki behind her.
"He-hey! Orihime! What are you doing?" Tatsuki demanded, trying not to fall over and keep up with her excited friend.
"Too many ears! Not safe!" was all the excited redhead offered as explanation.
Tatsuki sighed and followed helplessly behind until she was thrown into Orihime's room and the door was being slammed shut. She watched as Orihime glanced around, probably checking for the little blue men, before running over to her window. She shut the curtains, after glancing outside, and turned to face her bedroom again. After a few more minutes of running around her room, Tatsuki grabbed her collar and yanked her down onto the bed.
"Orihime! Just tell me what happened!" Tatsuki growled, loosing her patience.
"Alright, alright Tatsuki!" Orihime huffed.
The girls made themselves comfortable and Orihime leaned close, beckoning Tatsuki near. The raven haired woman sighed, but complied with her friend's wishes. Orihime began her tale with a low whisper, and Tatsuki listened dutifully.
"Well, it all started when Sora's picture falling on the floor woke me up…"
Orihime told the story with no embellishments as she struggled to remember every detail of what happened. She told Tatsuki of what the Meadow looked like, what smells were peppering the air, and all about her new friends. When she finished her story Tatsuki was silent.
"Well…?" Orihime asked.
"That was very entertaining, Hime." Tatsuki said gently, afraid of offending Orihime.
"You…don't believe me?" Orihime asked.
"I think you were dreaming Orihime. Those are fairy tales, not real people." Tatsuki said.
"But Tatsuki! It really happened! I promise!" Orihime cried.
"Listen, Hime. We all know you have a wild imagination." Tatsuki pointed out.
"But-"
"How about we go for a ride?" Tatsuki quickly interjected.
"Alright." Orihime sighed, excepting her defeat.
The two rode for the better half of the afternoon and, as the day wore on, Orihime began to loose faith in her story. She began to wonder if it was really a dream, a figment of her wild imagination. The thought was too painful, even the idea that she had dreamed up Rangiku, Rukia, Ichigo, and the others was like a stab in the heart. They had all been so diverse, so alive.
Orihime pushed all thoughts of the Meadow and it's inhabitants from her mind and focused on regaining her happy mood. She was not successful. Her eyes remained downcast during lunch, and Tatsuki could not raise her spirits. The raven haired girl finally gave up, and left feeling very guilty and slightly ashamed of herself for crushing Orihime's good mood.
When she was called down for dinner, Orihime trudged down the staircase slowly. Her mother was waiting at the bottom step, her eyes filled with determination.
"Orihime?" she asked.
"Yes mother?" Orihime sighed.
Hana cupped her daughter's chin and lifted it, so that she was looking into Orihime's eyes. She looked deep into Orihime's ashen orbs before smiling softly. She placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead.
"It will be just fine, dear. Everything happens for a reason and everything works out for the better." Hana cooed, embracing her daughter gently.
"I hope your right, mother." Orihime sighed, returning the hug.
Her mother wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and led her towards the dining room.
"I must warn you dear, your father has company." her mother said.
"Who?" Orihime asked, curiosity making her temporarily forget her sadness.
"Ryukin Ishida and his son, Uryu. I hope you don't mind dear, but it's a business meeting in disguise." her mother groaned slightly.
Orihime laughed and her mother soon joined, the two were smiling broadly when they entered the formal dining room. Seated at the food laden table were three men. Her father sat at the head of the table, where her mother usually sat, and the two other men sat to his left. The older man had snow white hair and the younger, his son Orihime presumed, had black hair. Both wore spectacles. All three men rose as the ladies entered, and the two strangers moved to introduce themselves. The black haired young man approached Orihime first. He bowed politely to her and waited as she curtsied.
"I am Uryu Ishida, it is a pleasure to meet you." his voice was crisp and to the point.
"I am Orihime Inoue, the pleasure is mine." the auburn haired beauty replied with a smile.
Mr. Ryukin introduced himself as well and they were soon seated and preparing for the first course. It was all dreadfully boring in Orihime's eyes, the men talked of business and politics, and Hana kept making faces to Orihime. Her father would glance at the two when the giggles became a tad to obvious, but his eyes also betrayed his boredom. Orihime instantly knew that the dinner was Mr. Ryukin's idea. When the torture turned entertaining dinner finally ended, Orihime rose a tad to quickly. Her mother smiled knowingly at her daughter and rose from the table as well.
"It was wonderful meeting you both, now my daughter and I should retire." Hana said formally.
The three men rose in response.
"It was wonderful meeting you as well, Mrs. Inoue, Miss Orihime." Mr. Ryukin replied.
"Good night, ladies." Uryu said with a stiff bow.
Orihime's father walked around the table and kissed Hana's cheek before kissing Orihime's forehead.
"Goodnight, my sweets. Have wonderful dreams." he rumbled with a smile.
The two women exited the room and Hana pulled Orihime underneath her arm once more.
"Well that was hideously boring." she smirked.
Orihime giggled and wrapped her arm around her mother's waist.
"It was, but the food was good. And your faces were very creative. Much more interesting than that meeting with Mr. Don Kanonji." Orihime said thoughtfully.
Hana laughed and kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Sweet dreams my princess, I'll see you in the morning." she said softly.
"Good night Mother." Orihime replied before heading up the stairs.
She entered her room and slipped out of her dress and petticoats and into her simple white nightgown. She released her hair from it's confines and brushed it quickly before crawling into bed.
She was still a little sad, but her mother and father had managed to cheer her up. Orihime closed her eyes and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
XXxXxXxXxXxXx
Crack!
Orihime sat upright in her bed, her head whipping to face the window. She waited, trying to figure out whether she had imagined the sharp sound or not. Something hit her window, sending another Crack! echoing through the room. Orihime leapt from her bead, her quilts were thrown to the floor in the process, and moved toward her window. As she was nearing, something crashed through the glass and she heard a frustrated sigh/moan/gasp. Orihime stopped to place her shoes on and maneuvered over the glass.
Below her window stood Rangiku, Shunsui, and Nanao. Nanao was beating Shunsui over the head with a mysterious book and Rangiku was trying not to laugh to loudly. Rangiku noticed Orihime first and called up to her.
"Orihime~!" she sang in a hoarse whisper.
"What are you doing here?" the young girl asked, a quizzical smile on her face.
"We came to get you of course! To Party till we're purple!" Rangiku yelled the last part, which turned Nanao's glare on her.
"Will you please be quiet?" Nanao cried in a hoarse whisper.
"Oopsie!" Rangiku giggled.
"I'll be right down!" Orihime called down to them quietly.
Nanao gave her a thankful look and tried to get her two companions to quiet down.
Orihime moved across her floor and down the hall with a grace she had never known before. She flew across the lawn to her friends, where Nanao was trying to pull up Shunsui, who had fallen somewhere along Orihime's journey from the window to the door.
"Here, let me help." she offered quickly and Nanao smiled at her in thanks.
Together they lugged him up and began stumbling toward the forest with Rangiku staggering behind.
"I'll make him fix your window." Nanao grunted as they maneuvered the singing drunk through the trees.
"That would be wonderful, I won't have to make up a story to cover it." Orihime replied, almost falling as Shunsui tried to dance while still being held up by the two women.
"It's the least I can do." Nanao said as she regained her balance, "I should have known better than to let him use his plan to get your attention while he was drunk."
Orihime laughed, a tad breathlessly, and they continued on silently. Rangiku and Shunsui's drunken songs drowning out any possible conversation. Orihime barely heard Nanao when she told Orihime that they had reached the barrier. They passed through without incident, and continued on to the Meadow.
Things were much quieter this night, the Meadow was largely empty of revelers. The bonfire was still burning brightly and a few small groups were scattered here and there, Orihime was less intimidated than she had been the night before and moved across the meadow with confidence. Of course, she had Shunsui draped over her, bawling a song that she was sure was dedicated to Nanao.
When they reached their destination they dumped Shunsui on the ground without much ceremony, they actually just let go and he collapsed forward heavily. They both glanced at each other and giggled. Nanao leaned down to help Shunsui get back up, but he pulled her down on top of himself. Orihime quickly turned when Shunsui began to- well "admire" his "Lovely Nanao."
A clear laugh claimed Orihime's attention and Rukia stood to her right. She smiled at the petite woman and followed her as she beckoned. They seated themselves in a pile of plush cushions and Rukia sighed contently.
"How was your day, Orihime?" Rukia asked after stretching out.
"It was alright…actually…I wasn't sure if any of this was real. Is this real?" Orihime asked.
"Of course it's real! We are real, I promise." Rukia reassured the girl. "If you want, I'll pinch you."
Orihime laughed, "No, no. I believe it now. It's kind of hard not to believe when I had to carry Shunsui the entire way!"
They chatted politely together until a tall man with red hair and tattoos plopped down next to Rukia. Orihime recognized him as the man she had been waltzing with the night before. He offered the two a grin before extending a hand to Orihime.
"We didn't get to meet last night, but I'm Renji Abarai. Barrier Warden extraordinaire." he said as she shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Renji. I'm Orihime Inoue. If you don't mind me asking, what is a Barrier Warden?" she inquired.
"I protect the Barrier that keeps the humans, and other things, out of the Meadow." Renji explained proudly.
"Sounds important." Orihime mused.
"One of the most important jobs in the Meadow." Rukia boasted, patting Renji's arm.
Renji grinned and sipped from a goblet before returning his attention to Orihime.
"So, how much do you know about us?" he asked randomly.
"Renji! You don't have to quiz her!" Rukia scolded him.
"Rukia stop hitting me! I just got off duty and I just wanted some conversation!" the man defended, flinching away from her brutal barrage.
"It's quite alright Rukia! Actually, it makes me curious to learn more about you guys. Your history and such." Orihime said, her eyes brightening with curiosity.
She had always loved history more than any other subject.
"Well I was born on a warm spring night many years ago, and even then they knew I was destined for greatn- OW! Rukia cut that out!" Renji complained, rubbing the back of his head where Rukia had neatly slapped him.
"She means the history of this place you ape." she sighed.
Renji continued to grumble, but did not challenge Rukia. Orihime laughed at the two of them, they reminded her of her parents. Much more outrageous, but still the connection was there.
"Well lets see." Rukia began, tapping her chin in thought.
"There's the Great Banishing. That's always a big one to tell." Renji offered.
"Sure, why not?" Rukia shrugged before clearing her throat to continue.
" The Great Banishing is one of the darker periods in our history. I was very young when it happened, as well as Renji and Ichigo. It began with a woman named Tia. Tia Harribel. She was a strong, yet beautiful being that dealt very heavily in the affairs of the seas. I remember her followers came to the Meadow one day, it was surprising because they usually stayed near the sea. When they arrived they immediately went to the council- idiotic fools the lot of them- and asked for their help in finding their precious mentor. Their request was denied and they went home." Rukia paused, shaking her head sadly.
"The next to disappear was a man named Coyote Starrk. It was a few years after we were old enough to make acquaintances in the Meadow. I remember meeting him, he was very charismatic and a natural born leader. He went missing soon after he began rising to the top. I don't understand why anyone would have it out for him, he was content to stay in the woods where he worked with the animals." Renji picked up before letting Rukia take over once more.
"A man went to the council to plead with them to aid him in his search, but his request was also denied. He swore that day to make things right in our home." Rukia said softly.
"Who? Who was it?" Orihime asked, completely enthralled in the story.
"He's sitting right there." Rukia said with a small smile at Orihime's excitement. She was pointing behind Orihime's shoulder and the girl turned to look.
Sitting behind the girl, next to a small cheery fire, were Shunsui and Nanao.
"Mr. Shunsui?" she asked, slightly unbelieving.
"He may not look like it, but he has an iron will and ambition. It helped that he and Starrk were very close." Renji explained.
"Wow." Orihime sighed, awed. "What happened next?"
"The next to disappear wasn't much of a mystery. A woman named Neliel, often called Nel, went missing a four or five years after Starrk. She actually knew Ichigo relatively well. She was married, probably unwillingly, to a man named Nnoitra Gilga. He was cruel and conniving. Hard to believe he was a Deity of Bravery. Nel was a centaur elder and noble, though she wasn't old at all, and she was much more noble and brave than he ever could dream of being." Rukia spat, her disgust for the man very clear.
Renji patted her knee and continued for her, "He was vain and jealous. When he realized that people were beginning to notice his faults, he took it out on her. He beat her severely- nearly to death- before banishing her. Banishing is what happens when someone is forced and bound to a horrible place. It has no name, it is so horrendous. He admitted to cursing her as well, but we could never find her."
"Others disappeared before and after Nel, but she was something of an eye opener. Nothing really happened when Grimmjow, a Deity of War, was banished for murder, but Nel's unfortunate demise brought about a new council. Unfortunately they didn't have much control and power before a young girl was almost destroyed by the banishing process." Rukia said sadly.
"Her name was Lilynette Gingerback. She was happy, carefree, and very pleasant to be around." Renji said.
"She worked under Unohana, mainly working with the butterflies and helping baby birds learn to fly. She was known as Kapel, "butterfly", in the northwestern parts of Europe." Rukia added to Renji's description.
"A man named Zommari Rureaux, a zealous, disturbed individual, convinced himself that she was a demon in disguise." Renji scoffed.
"He cursed her, believing he was drawing the 'demon' out of her. He almost destroyed her mind in the process." Rukia said, growing sadder with each unfolding of her story.
"When he realized his mistake he banished her to cover it. When Unohana learned what happened, she dealt with him accordingly." Rukia paused and shuddered.
"From that day forward, the Council's power was undisputed, what they say goes." Renji finished.
"How terrible." Orihime said softly, mourning the innocents that had lost everything.
Rukia offered her a small smile in comfort, "It's okay. Things are better now, much more just and fair. It's all thanks to the Council."
"Who is on the Council?" Orihime asked, her curiosity returning, as her sadness began to ebb.
"There are five; Lady Unohana, Ukitake, Shunsui, Lord Yamamoto, and Isshin- Ichigo's father." Rukia listed.
"What is Lord Yamamoto responsible for? He sounds rather distinguished." Orihime asked thoughtfully.
"He is what you call Father Time. He is by far the wisest on the Council- age alone gives him the advantage." Renji explained.
"And Mr. Isshin?" Orihime asked.
"Didn't Ichigo tell you?" Renji asked, shocked.
"Tell me what?" Orihime asked, totally confused.
"That he's-"
"What lies are you spreading about me Renji?" a low voice demanded from behind them.
Orihime turned, and she was greeted by a scowling Ichigo, wearing a black sleeveless robe with his hood drawn up.
"Ichigo!" she greeted him with a wide smile.
"Hey Orihime." he replied with a tiny smile before turning back to the now scowling Renji.
"I wasn't telling any lies! I was telling her that-" Renji wasn't able to finish his sentence as Rukia's elbow slammed into his ribs.
"OW!" he yelled at the small woman.
"Oh stop complaining." she said, her tone condescending.
"Why do you keep hurting me?" he demanded, exasperated.
The two quickly engaged into a shouting match, leaving Ichigo and Orihime to their own devices.
"Having a nice time?" he asked casually, as if their two friends were not screaming obscenities at each other a few feet away.
"Yes actually. They can be very charming when they're civil." Orihime replied, easily blocking the two out.
She was very well rehearsed in the art of blocking out arguments, Tatsuki and the village boy, Keigo, fought often.
"I heard something about the Council while I was walking up. Were they telling you about them?" he conversed.
"Yes, among other things. They told me about The Banishing." she replied softly.
"A dark time. It taught us a lot, in the end. No matter how painful it was, I can't deny that things have improved because of it." Ichigo said blandly, staring into the small fire they were gathered around.
Orihime wanted to ask him what he meant, if he was talking about Nel- Rukia had mentioned Ichigo had known her- or if he meant someone else. But she let the comment lie, in case the memories assaulting him were too painful to talk about.
They were silent until Rukia and Renji's argument wound to a close. The two were now giggling between whispers which caused Orihime to blush for some reason that was beyond her.
"Orihime?" a voice from behind made Orihime turn.
Nanao was standing behind her, a butterfly perched on the woman's slender finger.
"Yes Nanao?" Orihime inquired.
"Lady Unohana would like to speak with you. If you'd like I'll escort you." the young woman reported.
"I'll go as well." Ichigo stated, rising before helping Orihime to her feet.
Nanao nodded and lead them through the considerably larger crowd. They passed through with ease, the party goers seemed to create a path for Ichigo, which made Orihime even more curious to find out what Renji was going to tell her. They soon arrived before the great beauty that was Lady Unohana, and Nanao went dutifully to her side.
"Welcome back Orihime, it's lovely to see you again." Unohana smiled gently with a small nod.
"It's wonderful to be back." Orihime responded politely, accompanied by a small curtsy.
"I called you over here to ask you a question. I would like to know if you would accept a small token, as a symbol of our new friendship. I would be very happy if you would, dear." Unohana explained warmly.
"I would be delighted Lady Unohana." Orihime said quickly, she would never turn down a gift from the woman before her.
Unohana smiled and held out her hand to Nanao. The Nymph deposited a small box, made of woven branches and with a small blue hibiscus flower adorning the top, into Mother Nature's hand. Unohana held the box out to Orihime, and the human girl lifted it from her hand gently.
Orihime was rather happy with the beautiful box, but Unohana motioned for her to lift it. Orihime quickly removed the lid to find a necklace nestled on a bed of flower petals. It's chain was a thin and silver and held two pendants- a pair of blue hibiscus flowers created to match the one resting on the lid.
Orihime felt her eyes widen and her lips form a surprised "O" as she gazed at the beautifully wrought pendants. She gaped for a few more seconds before remembering her manners.
"Thank you so much Milady! They're beautiful!" she smiled brightly.
Unohana returned the smile but motioned to Nanao, "Thank our dear Nymph. She was the one who sang the box into life. She has such a way with the trees."
"It was nothing. I was happy to do it." Nanao said humbly, but a small smile that twisted the corners of her lips, giving away her pleasure at her mentors words.
"Thank you Nanao, it is very beautiful." Orihime curtsied once more.
The auburn haired human slipped the beautiful necklace around her neck and let it rest proudly on the front of her dress. Nanao and Ichigo led Orihime back to the group where Rukia and Renji were conspicuously absent.
"I wonder where they went." Orihime thought aloud, a small pout forming on her lips.
"Trust me. You don't want to know." Ichigo snorted.
Nanao laughed at his comment before floating back to Shunsui's side. Ichigo looked to the moon and sighed. He turned to Orihime, who already knew what was next.
"Time to go?" she supplied.
"Yeah, c'mon lets get going." he said with a small smile.
The two vacated the Meadow after exchanging a short goodbye to those sober enough to receive it. They walked in silence once again, neither feeling the need to fill it with mindless chatter. When they reached Orihime's home they said a quick farewell and Orihime once again fell into her bed with a smile on her face.
She would tell Tatsuki about her magical night once again, but this time she was armed with proof. The thought of the necklace had her reaching up to make sure it was still there, and she fell into a dreamless sleep with it clutched tightly in her fist.
I hope you enjoyed and if you have any thoughts/ideas/suggestions please leave them for me in a review! Until next time!
~Trapped in Wonderland