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Chapter – 4
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'Here.' He said, passing her a goblet of juice.
'Thank you.'
They sat on the carpeted floor once more, continuing their conversation, which had become polite and amicable.
'So, how old are you, Orihime?'
'Twenty-two.'
'Oh. Same as me then.' He hadn't expected that but it was a good thing. 'May I ask why you were unmarried?'
'I didn't find any need to. My people were happy under my rule and I saw no reason to get married and change that.' The topic was getting close to uncomfortable, so she diverted it. 'What about you? Do you, um, have any other wives?'
She didn't like the practice in the least but it wasn't uncommon for a Prince to have more than one wife.
'No. And I don't intend to marry again.'
She blinked and nodded. He'd defied her expectations once again. She hadn't thought that he would be so honorable.
'I see.'
He could see that she was actually skirting around something and it was easy to guess what it was.
'Go on.' He said. 'Ask me what you want to.'
Her eyes shot up to meet his.
'A-Alright. Why are you helping me? And why do you listen to Aizen?'
He sighed and she sensed that it was an uneasy subject.
'Um, you don't have to – '
'No, I'll explain. I want to have no secrets from you, after all.'
And he had surprised her again. He took a deep breath and spoke.
'As you know, Aizen is my Uncle. My father was to be the Emperor but he displeased my grandfather by daring to marry a commoner and that cost him the throne. However, my grandfather bore witness to Aizen's cruel regime before he died and that convinced him to name me the future Emperor when I came of age, despite everything.'
'I see. And when do you come of age?'
'When I turn twenty-five. That is three years from now and until the time comes, I have no choice but to obey Aizen.'
They had unknowingly drawn closer and their voices were hushed whispers, lest anyone was eavesdropping.
He saw the question in her eyes and spoke.
'Yes, I have thought of overthrowing him, but I have no powerful allies. My only friends are soldiers in the army and they are not men who have much standing. Aizen has the court members and important military members in his control and it is impossible to touch him without outside help, which I do not have. There is little chance of meeting anyone who will be on my side since rulers from other countries usually want nothing to do with me when they learn that I am the Prince of Sereitei.'
Orihime couldn't believe that her first impressions could be so wrong. He was as trapped as she was. More so in fact, since he was the one who could do nothing but watch as his country was put into chaos and as his own people conquered and destroyed the homelands of others.
She slowly grasped his right hand between both of hers as she looked into his eyes.
'I have misjudged you.' She said softly and he gave her a small, wry grin.
'It's quite easy, given the rumors that float around. Besides, how do you know I'm not lying to you?'
'I don't. But there is nothing you can hope to gain by deceiving me. I have already lost all that I can.'
'I'm sorry.'
'See. You're not lying. Or else you wouldn't feel bad, let alone apologize. But why did you do it? Why did you save me?'
'I couldn't bear it.' He whispered hoarsely, 'Your life was going to be destroyed on a mere whim. I know it sounds stupid because there are many others who have shared worse fates and I haven't helped them. But I just had to help you.'
She gave his hand a small squeeze.
'I am glad that you did.'
She smiled at him and he was taken aback by her beauty once again. This was the first time that she had let him see her smile. Orihime continued speaking about other things, the rooms in the palace, the gardens, all the while unknowing of his new realization. The two didn't know how long they talked and they soon fell asleep.
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He thought he awoke at some ungodly hour of the night as the stars outside the window showed but he knew, through years of practice and experience that the sun would arise in about an hour, by which time he needed to be ready for the day. He felt an unfamiliar weight on his shoulder and turned his face to see his new bride's auburn-haired head resting there. He knew that he couldn't very well leave her sleeping on the floor, so Ichigo hooked an arm under her knees and another around her back as he gently scooped her up, walked over to the bed and set her down.
Clink.
The bangles on her wrists jingled, reminding him that her heavy jewelry had to be uncomfortable. She had discarded her veil earlier, so there was one less thing for him to remove. Hesitantly, slowly and taking great care not to wake her, he reached for the necklaces about her delicate throat.
Too bad it was all in vain. She had been roused from her slumber when he had shifted her but she chose to feign sleep. And now she had no choice but to continue the charade if she didn't want an awkward situation on her hands. She held her breath as his fingers threaded through the hair above the nape of her neck, lifting her head so that his other hand could reach around to undo the claps of her necklaces. He got them off and deposited them on a nearby table. She sensed movement close to herself again and tried to calm her thundering heartbeat as he bent towards her.
'How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?' he whispered.
Wait. What?
'I don't know!' she whispered helplessly.
A pause.
'How did you know I was pretending?'
'People who are asleep usually don't twiddle their thumbs.'
'F-Force of habit.'
He chuckled.
Orihime opened her eyes to find him shaking in silent laughter. She wondered if he knew how he looked so boyishly handsome when he did that and she couldn't help the giggles that escaped her. His grin was very infectious.
'You're really shy.' He whispered to her and she immediately turned her rapidly reddening face.
'Yes, well, I was hoping to avoid an awkward situation.' She replied as he moved away and she sat up.
'It's only awkward if you make it that way.' He was still smiling and she returned the gesture.
He seemed to remember something and his face turned serious again.
'Stay in today. Say that you are tired if anyone asks.' He said.
'A-Alright.' She replied, her blush deepening as she realized what he meant.
'And know this, everything that happens outside of these doors, anything I say or do to you in front of Aizen or his cronies will be rude, disgusting and untrue. Please keep that in mind.'
He looked like he had been forced to ingest something horrid and he wouldn't meet her eyes. She took his hand, taking care not to hurt his cut and he blinked up at her.
'Yes.'
He let out a sigh and she continued.
'I don't know what we are or what is going to happen, but Ichigo, can we at least be friends?'
His dark brown eyes bore into hers as he intertwined their fingers.
'Of course. Thank you.'
Orihime knew that he was the enemy, or rather he used to be. She didn't know what it was but everything that she had seen and heard so far screamed at her instincts that she could trust him and that he wouldn't hurt her. She also knew that she could be making a mistake but as she had told him before, she had nothing more to lose.
He rose to leave and turned back at the door to look at her once more. She smiled.
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A/N: And so it goes on! Hope you guys liked it! Lemme know your thoughts! Please review!
