JC: Let's meet the Mad Hatter in this chapter. A lot of people made their guesses and they were right on the mark. I've been thinking of what kind of promotional art for this fic. I've managed to sketch it. Now I just need a working scanner. Sucks that my scanner is going looney on me. I don't know. It seems to have some connection problems. Oh well, it won't stop me from my artwork. Another thing that sucks is my internet connection because of the bad weather we've been having. Still, I'm glad that I was able to update this. Care for a cup of tea? Just sit down, relax, and read.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Bleach. Tite Kubo has that right. Various themes in this story is inspired by fairy tales and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.
Angelice
Chapter 03: Tea, anyone? Meet the Mad Hatter!
It was unusual to find an old, traditional and shady looking candy shop in the middle of the forest. But Orihime could sense that it was not an ordinary shop. The cat led them inside to a tatami room big enough to fit ten people. There was a blonde man clad in green seated across the room presiding over a tea ceremony with three other guests. Orihime had been to countless tea ceremonies before, but she had to admit that it can be pretty boring, not that she hated Japanese tea.
Sitting beside the blonde man was a girl no more than thirteen. She had a pair of sad-looking eyes in a beautiful deep shade of blue and dark hair tied in pigtails. But the odd thing about her was the stray bang between her eyes. She wore a white t-shirt and pink skirt. And there was a red-haired boy wearing a white shirt and blue pants. He seemed to be in a bad mood judging from the grumpy look on his face. A bearded, muscled man sat across the girl. He had his eyes hidden behind sunglasses and he wore a white body shirt, pants, and a dark blue apron.
This blonde man was fair in complexion and seemed like an easy-going person. He was wearing a green-white striped hat, a green kimono and haori. He was fanning himself with a white fan in his hand as Orihime, Ulquiorra and the black cat approached.
At the sight of the cat, he bolted upright with a big smile on his face. "Yorouichi-san, you're back!" Acting like a child who just received a new toy, he moved toward the cat and hugged it in his arms. "Glad you didn't get caught by the Hollow King."
In a split second, the man, who was all giddy and silly, was now crouched down, clamping his face with his hands.
"Who do you think you're talking to, Kisuke?" the cat sternly said. "It'd take him a million years before he could get his hands on me."
Orihime saw how the cat gave the man a mean scratch attack and knew that it hurt a lot. While Ulquiorra remained impassive, she felt kind of sorry for the man. "Umm…Are you all right, sir?" she asked.
The man named Kisuke got back on his feet and reached for her hand. "Oh, it's you!" he said. "The young lady who will save this world. You're a lot beautiful than I've ever imagined." He dragged her across the room and made her sit down on a pillow seat.
"It's nice to meet you," the pigtailed girl greeted politely as she bowed down. "My name is Ururu."
With such courtesy, Orihime bowed down as well and introduced herself. "I am Inoue Orihime. It's very nice to meet you too."
As the two girls straightened up, the bearded man bowed his head and said, "My name is Tsukabishi Tessai. It's quite an honor to meet you."
Orihime fidgeted nervously. "Um...no…The honor is mine," she said.
"I'm Jinta, by the way," the redhead boy roughly said as he picked his nose.
Orihime was not so sure how to respond to this boy, but before she could say anything, Tessai pinned his head down on the floor, forcing him to bow.
"Don't be rude, Jinta-dono!" Tessai scolded.
"Ah, no, it's all right. Please, don't get mad at him," Orihime said, feeling sorry for the poor boy.
"Care for some tea, Orihime-san," the blonde man said, pushing a teacup to her. "It's quite good. Oh, by the way, my name is Urahara Kisuke. I'm so happy that you're here."
Orihime gave him an odd look. "I do not want to be such a disappointment, but how in the world am I the promised one?" she said. "Are you sure that I'm the one?"
"Ulquiorra-san's the one who brought you here, am I right?" Urahara asked.
"Umm…Yes," she replied.
"And were you able to use the Shun Shun Rikka?"
Orihime recalled the little fairy-like creatures in her head. "Yes, and it was quite amazing."
"Then there is no doubt! You are definitely the promised one, the Angelice, the Princess of the Hibiscus Shield."
"Huh?" Nothing but confusion written on her face, Orihime found this man to be more than a little strange. First, she was called 'The Promised One' and now she was being referred to as the 'The Angelice' and 'The Princess of Hibiscus Shield'. It was one surprise after another. Her mind was about to explode with the overload of strange information.
Urahara smiled. "It's definitely you, so don't try to deny it now. This is your fate, Orihime-san. Now that you're here," he said, tapping his fan on his shoulder, "we should get down to business." He seized Ururu's and Jinta's hand and raised their hands into the air. "Down with Sousuke Aizen! Down with the Hollow King!"
"And you expect me to fight this Aizen?" Orihime looked a bit frightened.
Ulquiorra was leaning against the door with his hands inside his pockets. He seemed utterly bored even with the cheery aura Urahara and his gang was giving off. "Time is an element I'd rather not take for granted. I have my orders and I do not plan on disappointing the Divine Queen."
Urahara merely smiled back at him. "Don't be such a stick in the mud there, Ulquiorra-san," he said before looking back at Orihime. "You must be aware by now that this world is falling into ruins."
"And you contributed much to its destruction," Ulquiorra icily said, earning him a thin-veiled hostile look from Urahara. "I am merely stating a fact."
"Kisuke, it's all in the past," the cat calmly said. "No need to get affected by it."
Urahara blinked, composing himself, and picked up his tea. "Thank you," he said. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
Just then, everyone in the room tensed, and Orihime got a bad feeling about it.
The cat narrowed her eyes at the door. "Look likes we have company," she said. "And it's not just anybody."
Ulquiorra marched over to Orihime and seized her hand. "You are to hide your presence immediately," he ordered, forcing her up on her feet. He wasn't the least bit gentle with her. "Aizen's right-hand man is here and he will kill you without any second thoughts." He pulled out a silver bracelet from his pocket and shoved it into Orihime's hands.
"What is this?" Orihime asked, taking note of the lovely shimmer of silver in her hands. It was a simple bracelet yet beautiful.
"Wear it and be silent," Ulquiorra demanded, inserting the bracelet through her right hand. "This will hide your presence from them."
The bracelet was on but she did not feel any different. How would a mere bracelet be able to hide her presence? Before she could even ask, she was dragged to the corner of the room. Orihime stumbled onto her knees on the tatami floor.
"Just sit still," he said, and then he stood in front of her, back facing her.
A silver-haired man arrived with two soldiers in white robes. "Good to see you, Urahara-san," sneered the man, "how goes the tea ceremony?"
"Ichimaru Gin, what a pleasant surprise," Urahara replied, lightly fanning himself in a casual manner.
"Would you like to join us for tea, Captain Ichimaru?" asked Tessai.
"As tempting it may sound, I'm afraid I have to refuse," Gin said, surveying the room fleetingly. "We're looking for the Angelice. I'm sure you've heard of her."
The sly fox-like smile on his face did not go unnoticed. Orihime shuddered. It was her first time seeing the man and she was already frightened by him. Why was everyone here so interested in her? Why would someone even want her dead? She never agreed to be this 'promised one'. She was just a regular girl. She buried her head in her hands as soon as the man looked toward their direction. For a second there, she thought he had noticed her but he didn't, which was a big relief. However, it came as a surprise that he failed to notice Ulquiorra's presence as well. She figured that maybe Ulquiorra was also wearing an accessory that hides his presence as well.
"Nah, we haven't seen her," Urahara said, sipping his tea.
Gin snickered. "Oh, really now? You'll lose your heads, if you're hiding her."
Urahara flapped open his fan and placed it over his lips. "Now that is scary indeed," he said cheerfully.
"You know, you wouldn't be trapped here if it weren't for your carelessness," Gin explained, stalking around the room. "Consider yourself lucky that this is the only punishment you got."
Peering from behind the pale man, Orihime saw Gin approaching their spot. The silver-haired man stared straight into Ulquiorra's eyes, rubbing his chin, with an instinctive yet carefree expression. In reality, Gin was staring nothing but the wall. "Might as well go search in another place," he said, spinning on the heel of his boot. "It was really nice meeting you again, Urahara-san. I'll definitely join you for tea next time we meet."
"I'm looking forward to that, Captain Ichimaru," Urahara said, waving goodbye with his fan.
Gin lingered suspiciously as the two soldiers marched out of the room. Orihime was convinced that he could sense their incredibly faint presence but decided not to get into it. As soon as Gin left the room, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She placed a hand over her chest and felt the racing beat of her heart. She had never been so nervous in her entire life.
Kneeling down to her level, Ulquiorra took hold of her hand and removed the bracelet. "Ichimaru Gin is Aizen's right-hand man and the one in charge of the 3rd Division Army," he told her, as if he knew what she was about to ask him.
"Wait…Ichimaru?" Orihime remembered his borrowed name at school and realized why Loly and the others teased him about the name.
"I will not entertain whatever silly questions you have about the name," Ulquiorra said flatly. "Our main concern now is Ichimaru Gin."
"Don't let the smile fool you," Urahara said. His cheerful demeanor was no more as it was replaced by a serious one. "He's a lecherous snake in the grass and he's no rookie when it comes to swords. He's not top-notch for nothing. Aizen doesn't have to lift a finger with him around to do his dirty work. And he may not look the part, but he was a child prodigy back in the days. God did one hell of a job giving him both the brains and the skills. Well, what can you do about it? Life has never been fair."
Jinta shrugged. "You're the one to talk. Weren't you Ai—" He got immediately cut off by Tessai who pummeled his head into the tatami floor.
Urahara cleared his throat, then put on his cheerful face. "Well, now that the big baddie is gone, let's focus on you, Orihime-san," he said. He gestured them to sit down at the tea table, as Ururu served the biscuits. "Ururu, Jinta, Tessai-san, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with them alone."
The redhead grunted. "Why can't we stay? It's not as if we're—" Another whack on the head by Tessai shut him up. He was then dragged off by the man to the door.
"Excuse us, Urahara-dono," Tessai said, bowing his head, with Ururu doing the same. After that, the three of them left the room.
"All right, then," Urahara said, sipping his tea before staring straight into Orihime's eyes, "let's get on to business, shall we?"
Orihime swallowed hard. "Please…I've been so confused ever since I came into this world. I have a lot of questions and I want answers," she explained.
"With discord reigning upon the land, the great guardians will rise to rid the evil. But alone they shall fail and thus the world will turn to the promised one," he said in a solemn tone. She remembered the cat telling her the same thing. "Almost all of the land in Soul Society had been overshadowed by Sousuke Aizen, the Hollow King, who reigns over Hueco Mundo. The Court of Pure Souls is the only area left in Soul Society that has been untouched. Even though the odds were against her, the Divine Queen managed to keep the Court of Pure Souls safe together with the Thirteen Court Guards."
"The Thirteen Court Guards? Are they the guardians of this world?"
"Yes…Sadly, they no longer serve under the Divine Queen. They're pawns of Aizen now."
It was one surprise after another for Orihime. "What? But how can that be?"
"Aizen is controlling them, like mere puppets tied to a string. They have no other choice. Unless Aizen is defeated, they can never be free and this world will never be at peace."
"Alone the guardians will fail…" Orihime muttered, recalling Urahara's words. "But why am I the promised one? Why am I able to use the Shun Shun Rikka?"
Urahara took another sip of his tea. "First, let Ulquiorra-san here tell you about the Shun Shun Rikka," he said as he set the cup down.
"The Shun Shun Rikka is your power that manifested as these six fairy-like creatures that reside in hair-clips shaped like a flower with six petals. Through various combinations, the Shielding Flowers have the power to reject fate by undoing events. This power can be used for healing, defense, and offense." Ulquiorra explained it so intelligently. It was impressive that he could speak with such fluidity. In addition to that, his voice was simply alluring.
Orihime remembered the triangular shield she conjured and the half-oval barrier she used to heal Ulquiorra. She had already used two of the Shun Shun Rikka's techniques. "I think I'm beginning to understand it a bit…" She grasped her skirt tightly. "But I find it hard to believe that the Shun Shun Rikka is my own power. Okay…err…Next question! Why are you calling me 'The Angelice'? What's that supposed to mean anyway?"
"There are five races in Soul Society." Appearing out of nowhere, the black cat jumped onto the tea table.
"Oh, Yorouichi-san!" Urahara exclaimed, pretending to be shocked. "Where did you run off to when Captain Ichimaru was here?"
After giving the man a mean scratch attack, the cat continued her explanation. "The SOULENCE are the normal inhabitants of this world and, much like the majority of the people in the Real World, they do not possess any spiritual powers. The second race I'm going to bring up is the SOUL REAPER." She gave Urahara a knowing look before going on. "As the name suggests, Soul Reapers are the representative of death responsible for regulating souls between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. They are also capable of cleansing and purifying fallen souls with their Zanpakutou. Some Soulence develop spiritual powers which can enable them to enter the Soul Academy to become a Soul Reaper. A HOLLOW is a creature born from the corrupted souls of a SOULENCE after their death. Once a soul becomes a Hollow, it is driven by an eternal and insatiable hunger to devour souls of the living and the dead. Most Hollows usually become mindless creatures, while there are only a certain few that retain their sanity and reasoning. Now for the QUINCY…"
"Are you still with us, Orihime-san?" Urahara asked who took notice of the girl's confused face.
Orihime let out an awkward chuckle as she scratched the back of her head. "Oh, yes! I'm still keeping up!"
Yorouichi cleared her throat. "All right, where was I?" She rubbed her lower chin. "Ah, yes, about the Quincy. They are spiritually aware warriors able to absorb and manipulate spiritual power into weapons. Unlike the Soul Reapers who use a sword as their primary weapon, the Quincy uses a bow-class weapon constructed from spiritual particles drawn from their surroundings. Sadly, they are what you call an endangered species because of their dwindling numbers. Last but not the least are the supernatural beings called METHERLANCE. They are responsible for the creation and maintenance of the land. In other words, they're the gods, who rarely intervene in governing the society."
"And where do I fit in all of this?" Orihime asked.
"You're a hybrid," Urahara said, pointing at her with his fan. "You're an Angelice, a cross between a Metherlance and a Soulence."
Information overload! Her mind was spinning so much that it was making her dizzy. "W-wait…So, let me get this straight. An Angelice is a Metherlance-Soulence hybrid?" She brought a palm to her temple. "And you're saying that I'm a child of a—No way! This is too unreal!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. It was totally impossible for her to be a child of a god-like being and a normal person of Soul Society. She had lived with her brother in the Real World all her life. She may not remember her abusive parents that clearly, but she knew that they existed in the Real World.
The blonde man opened up his fan, letting out a hearty chuckle. "Well, that's enough explaining now," he said. "Why don't we start training you now, Orihime-san?"
Orihime blinked in confusion. "Wait….Training? Are you serious, Urahara-san?"
"Oh, I'm dead serious, Orihime-san," he replied. Orihime found it difficult to take him seriously because of the goofy smile on his face. "You have to master the Shun Shun Rikka if you wanna have a shot at Aizen."
This was totally unfair. She had just begun to understand the nature of her powers and the basic history of this world, and now Urahara was telling her to master the Shun Shun Rikka so she could fight Aizen? She had no combat experience, and it was against her nature to even harm another human being. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can fight this Aizen," she said glumly, avoiding Urahara's eyes. "I'm not strong enough nor do I have the confidence."
"Stop this whining!" a deep male voice spoke out as a black coat of fur rammed into Orihime's left eye.
She whimpered in pain like a little child as she held her left eye. "Wah…My eye…" She grew more nervous when the black cat growled at her. "Why did you do that?"
"You can't fight? You don't have the confidence? Sounds to me like you're just running away!" the cat scolded her, unsheathing its claws to intimidate her. "You have a responsibility to this world, Orihime. It had always been your destiny."
"Even if you did not choose this, you are the one tasked to carry the burden of this world," Ulquiorra added, speaking in monotone as usual.
Biting her lower lip, Orihime slowly rose to her feet. So, it was her responsibility to save their world, a destiny she could not escape. It upset her to think that she had no choice for the matter. I want to go back home… She wanted to see Uryuu and Tatsuki again, and her adoptive father. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at everyone in the room. I doubt they'll let me go home. But if I agree to help them then… She closed her eyes for an instant and thought about it. After that, she took a breath and announced her decision. "I still do not wish to fight, but I will agree to train in order to hone my powers."
A big smile came upon Urahara's face. "That's great!" With a snap of his fingers, the sad-looking pigtailed girl came in, bringing with her a set of uniform. "This was prepared specially for you, Orihime-san." Ururu then knelt down before her and placed the uniform on the tatami floor.
"What is this?" Orihime questioned, going down on her knees to inspect the clothing.
"It's your uniform," Ururu replied, bowing her head. "I'm sure it will suit you." She stood up, turned on her heels and made her exit.
The hesitant girl held up the uniform in front of her and deeply sighed. Was she really going through with it? Why would destiny put her in such a dilemma? Once again she wished this was all just a big dream.
Silver eyes have feasted upon another wonder once again. A huge secret underground training area was located just below the shady candy shop. It was like a barren wasteland, full of huge rocks and dead trees. Did she really need all this space? Somehow, she had a bad feeling about the training. She couldn't help feeling nervous. Taking a deep breath, she stared up at the artificial sky. It seemed like the real thing. She was told by the black cat that Urahara was the one who made the sky and the training ground. But how did it fit under the shop would remain a mystery to her.
She took a good look at herself. The uniform was something she wasn't used to, but she found it rather nice. She wore a pink shitagi and a black kosode. The black skirt was a shortened version of a hakama and it was easy to move in and a pink obi sash was tied around her slim waist. She also wore a pair of white tabi and a waraji. Her hair was held back into a half ponytail held with a red clip, while some tresses of her hair framed her face.
"That outfit unexpectedly suits you," an emotionless voice spoke out of the blue, "though I would have preferred seeing you in white."
Orihime let out a shriek as she abruptly spun to face the owner's voice. "You scared me there," she said, looking distraught. "When did you get here?"
Ulquiorra sighed. "Just this second. Stop fussing over everything. It's quite annoying."
Scratching the back of her head, Orihime chuckled nervously. "Umm…Sorry about that, Ulquiorra-san," she said. "Are you the one who is going to train me?"
"No," he replied flatly. "I'm not the least bit interested in your training. You are still reluctant to do this, am I correct?" He could see the trouble and sadness in her eyes. She wasn't at all that difficult to read. This woman was more trouble than she's worth. She has yet to fully grasp her responsibilities. Nevertheless, she was the woman he was assigned to protect with his life.
"I am scared, Ulquiorra-san," Orihime said.
He stepped closer to her and took her hand, much to Orihime's surprise. "Fret not, I will not let you die," he said, and her expression immediately softened. "Do not misunderstand, woman. It is simply my duty to keep you alive and well." He pulled his other hand from his pocket and placed something into her palm.
Orihime blinked as she looked at the two small objects in her hand. It was two pieces of flower-shaped hairclips. They have such a lovely shade of blue and a rather fine shimmer to them. However, one of them was missing two petals. "Is this a gift, perhaps?" she asked innocently.
"It's the Shun Shun Rikka," he said.
"What?"
"When inactive, those creatures you refer to as fairies take the form of hairclips," he explained, slipping both hands back into his pockets. "I believe I've already mentioned this before."
"Hair accessories as weapons? This is the first time I've ever heard of it," Orihime said, gently stroking the hairclips.
"You have yet to recall anything from the past," Ulquiorra said. "Such a shame."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"There is no need to rush things," he promptly replied. "Everything will come back slowly."
Such puzzling worlds, she thought silently. Well, this world hardly made any sense to her. Looking back at the hairclips, she recalled her previous encounter with the ferocious panther and her first meeting with the Shun Shun Rikka fairies. They were all such a friendly bunch. It was kind of hard to believe that they could turn into something like hairclips. The world never ceased to amaze her.
To be continued…
JC: I made up the terms SOULENCE and METHERLANCE here just for the heck of it. LOL… I thought it sounded nice. I wanted to call them as PLUS and Gods, but I wanted something different here. If you want to picture Orihime's Shinigami outfit a lot clearly, just visit my DeviantART and look for the artwork entitled "Squad 4 Lt. Orihime Inoue". You can also visit my profile page for the direct link. I wrote a total of ten pages here. Never realized that it gotten so long. I just typed and typed. The next chapter will feature another promotional art and it's an UlquiHime one. Please review, okay? It's always nice to receive feedbacks. Don't waste time just by flaming a story senselessly. ^_^
