Chapter Four: tragic tale
Disclaimer: Bleach and LadyHawke and other related entities are owned, (TM) and © by Tite Kubo and Paramount respectively.
Ichigo looked up at the old stone walls of what used to be a grand palace built upon a high hill top. He had pushed Suzumebachi to his limits, the poor beast had run for all he was worth and now stood before a wooden gate panting, he had taken the Captain's words to heart and had made sure to get the hawk to the castle well before sunset. Now he sat wondering how he was supposed to get into the castle. While it was run down and many of the walls were falling apart, it was still standing and he couldn't see any holes for him to get through. He looked down at the hawk for some ideas…it just stared back at him then turned to peck at the offending shaft stuck near its shoulder joint.
"Hey don't do that." Ichigo reprimanded while tapping at its beak. The hawk turned back to him and nipped at his finger.
"Ouch! Fine be that way…just don't blame me when you start to bleed all over the place." He huffed and looked back towards the castle gate. He took in a deep breath and bellowed.
"HELLO! Is anyone home!" He waited a few moments for a reply. One that did not come.
"Oh for peace sake!" Ichigo growled and dismounted the stallion. He walked up to the wooded panels and began to bang on them, though still mindful of the hawk in his grasp.
"Please open up! I have a wounded hawk here, I was told to bring it to you!" Ichigo stopped banging and sighed.
"…now what?" He asked looking down at the hawk. It squawked in reply. Ichigo chuckled and turned from the door. He was about to make his way towards Suzumebachi when he heard the creaking of cogs. He turned back to the castle gates and saw that the doors were opening. Once they had opened to their limits a tall man in a strange hat and green coat walked out.
"Alright now what was with all the hubbub kid?" The man, Urahara, Ichigo remembered the captain saying his name was, asked tiredly. Ichigo walked up to the man and gently pushed the hawk out before him. The man's eyes went wide in surprise.
"I was told to bring you this hawk by a woman named Suì-Fēng, she said you'd take care of it." Ichigo watched as the man stepped closer towards the hawk and place a gentle hand over its head. He looked up from the hawk and into Ichigo's eyes.
"Give her to me young man. We have to get her inside before the sun sets." Ichigo hesitated for a second, but gave up the hawk when he saw Urahara's serious expression. She was passed on and the man turned from Ichigo and walked back through the doors of the decaying castle. Ichigo followed close behind.
Urahara walked up a rocky path and paused when he reached a solid looking bridge.
"Stay on the left side of the bridge kid." He then began to walk again over the bridge on the left side. They moved along the castle walls until they reached the doors that would lead into a spacious looking room. Urahara stopped in the opened doorway and looked back at Ichigo.
"You will stay out here." He then walked past the entrance and closed the doors behind him, leaving Ichigo to stand out there with nothing else to do.
Urahara stopped when he reached a large bed at the end of the room. The room was lit with many candles placed on any free surface. There were books and scrolls scattered throughout the room, a desk near the bed carried the brunt of them.
Urahara lowered the hawk onto the bed as gently as possible.
"Suì-Fēng was right to bring you to me. I do know what to do…but we'll have to wait just a bit longer." Urahara said with a affectionate smile.
"I swear this time I won't fail you…either of you." He knelt down next to the bird and examined her wound.
The sun had set an hour ago and still Ichigo was left outside, most likely forgotten, to wait and see what had become of the hawk. He stood up when he heard the door open. He watched as Urahara turned back and closed the wooden door, and lock it behind him, he then watched as the blond man hurriedly walked off in the direction of the main halls.
'Why did he lock it behind him?' Ichigo's curiosity, and the need for warmth, won out and he made his way over to the locked doors. He dug out a hidden lock pick he kept in his mouth under his gums. He quickly worked it into the lock and listen for the tell tale click which didn't take long to hear. He tossed the lock aside and snuck into the room. He closed the door behind him and turned into the room. Ichigo only took a few steps before stopping short at the sight that greeted him on the bed. His mouth opened in shock and his face turned beet red. He turned intending to leave when the voice of the woman, who was laid in bed, naked though thankfully hidden under a blanket, called out to him.
"Suì-Fēng…is she?" Her voice was weak, but Ichigo heard it well enough. He kept his eyes on the door as he answered her question.
"She's well milady… There had been a terrible battle. Suì-Fēng fought like a lioness…the hawk was injured, but you know that, don't you?" Ichigo said and hesitantly turned back to the dark skinned beauty. His mouth felt dry like cotton had been shoved down his throat and no matter how much he swallowed he could not moisten his tongue. He couldn't bring himself to turn away, not until he saw the woman confirm his suspicion.
"Yes." Was all she said, he watched as she laid her head back onto the feather stuffed pillow in bittersweet relief.
"Are..are you flesh, or are you spirit?" He asked then and watched her face closely waiting for a reaction. There was no movement from the woman, but Ichigo saw the lone tear make a trail down her cheek into her hairline. Ichigo's heart gave a strange lurch.
"I am sorrow." She whispered dejectedly. She turned her head away from him, signaling the conversation over. Ichigo stood still trying to form words of comfort, but nothing came. He jumped when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He turned to find Urahara there giving him a solemn look. Urahara nodded towards the door and Ichigo quickly complied by running out to give the two some privacy.
Urahara slowly made his way over to his old friend and sat down on the bed near the edge. He slowly brought his hand up to Yoruichi's forehead and stroked her bangs aside. She didn't respond to the touch.
"Everything will be alright…You'll see." Urahara whispered sadly.
"I am sorry my Lord but Yammy is here." A guard said as he bowed low at the opened door to his lord's room. He hadn't wanted to bother the man, but he knew the punishment for keeping things from Aizen. He also knew the consequences of barging into his Lord's room. He just hoped Aizen was in a good mood.
Aizen sat up on his bed, the drapes surrounding his bed kept his bare chest from view of the guard who had disturbed his sleep. His initial reaction to such an intrusion was to have the boy executed but Yammy's name saved him.
"Good send word to have him brought before the throne room, I will speak to him when I am ready… now leave me!" Aizen snapped off the command and watched the shadow of the man scurry off.
'Cowards all of them...' Aizen thought darkly as he stood from his bed and walked to his wardrobe closet. '…no not all…those three, they were never afraid, just foolish.' He found a decent set of silk finery and put them on. He looked over himself in the floor length mirror and found he was decent. He briskly turned and walked out of the closet past his bed and out the room.
'But it will all end soon, the wolf will be turned into a pelt, my princess will fall into my arms, and that damned scholar will DIE!' Aizen smiled a dark smile at the thought of everything falling into place. He would achieve his goal of immortality and no one would stand in his way.
Another howl broke through the chilly night sky Ichigo was sitting under. He had built a fire and made himself a pot of tea to help warm himself up after the first hour of waiting outside the room for any sort of news. Not even an hour ago he had, had the unfortunate luck of hearing the pained scream of the woman come from those thin pieces of wood. He had almost rushed back into the room, to be by her side and offer her some modicum of comfort. He held himself in check though when he realized that only one person would be able to heal all the pain and anguish that scream had held. He looked up towards the south wall, where the howl of the wolf again broke through the quiet night sky, he turned back to his tea and tried to ignore the poor beast's cries. There was a sound behind him, but Ichigo did not turn to see as the tall blond man ambled over towards the fire.
"It's her isn't it?" He watched as Urahara walked past him and sat down on one of the old fallen tower stones. "The wolf it's her, somehow she's that monstrous beast out there!" Ichigo shouted in frustration. He was tired of all of this, and he was tired of not knowing what the hell was going on. Urahara for his part only gave Ichigo a parting glance before looking away again and staring into the fire. After a long moment's pause the older man spoke.
"I would tell you to drink you tea and forget about all this, but I've tried that for ten years and still I remember." Urahara sighed and leaned back on his seat.
"…Ten years?" Ichigo asked in wonder.
"Aye…that woman in there," Urahara said as he pointed to the closed doors of the room located behind them, "Her name is Yoruichi Shihōin, she is the last heir to the Shihōin royal family. After the tragic deaths of her parents she came to live in the castle of Seireitei with her charge the current King, though he is only king until the rightful heir is atop the throne." He chuckled darkly at the young man's stunned expression.
"…I'll never forget the first time I saw her. It was like looking at…" Urahara began to say with a tender smile.
"The face of love." Ichigo whispered interrupting the other man's thoughts. His face turned red as he realized he spoke out loud, and he adopted a scowl at the devious little grin adorned upon Urahara's face.
"Well, well, well, it looks like even a young kid like you has fallen for our dear princess…but yes it was. Everyone who met Yoruichi fell in love, none harder than our brave Captain out there." Urahara said and waved his hand towards the south wall and the wolf cries.
"Poor Suì-Fēng never knew how to act around Yoruichi. She would trip over herself just to get approval from our dear princess, in the end though it was never needed because Yoruichi had fallen just as much in love as Suì-Fēng." Ichigo watched as the small smile slipped off the blond man's face only to be replaced with a look Ichigo could only describe as between sadness and fury.
"Their happiness did not last long. I had been a scholar for Aizen you see, and I found out the man was dallying in forbidden arts. He wished for immortality, I thought it impossible but Aizen found a way. One that would require him to transfer his soul, foul that it is, into another's body." Ichigo shuddered at the imagery of the thought.
"Yes quiet horrible, what was worst was that the chosen sacrifice would have to be of his blood… that was when he came up with the plan to marry the princess… You see where this is going don't you? To be the legitimate king Aizen would have to sire a child with Yoruichi and then perform the dark arts to transfer his soul into that of the child." Urahara watched as Ichigo's complexion paled.
"I took the information to Suì-Fēng, she gathered the evidence and headed out to arrest Aizen for treason against the crown. I had not known at the time, but Yoruichi had been eavesdropping and followed us as we went to confront the man. It turns out he was more powerful then we had thought. Suì-Fēng and I were brought to our knees, Aizen laughing over us preparing the final blow. Yoruichi came to our rescue then beat him into submission and surprising us all with her prowess. She told him under no circumstance would ever marry him and then proceeded to break his jaw…" Urahara paused and took off his hat to scratch at the top of his head.
"We thought we won, but Aizen had one last trick up his sleeve. He told us that if he could not gain immortality through legitimate means he would gain it in other ways. That's when he activated the curse. Suì-Fēng fell and began to howl in pain as the transformation took hold of her until her screams of pain turned into an animal's whimpers. Aizen told us what he had done, and that Yoruichi had a choice to make. Live a half life never to see her lover again or marry him and give him what he wanted. In return he would remove the curse and have Suì-Fēng banished and I executed… She marched up to him and spat in his face before knocking him off his feet again. She was ready to deliver the killing blow when he again revealed a trump card. Kill him and they would be stuck with the curse forever…we ran away that night, and Aizen was given free reign." Urahara stood up and started to walk away.
"By day Yoruichi is the beautiful hawk you brought to me, and by night, as you have already guessed, the voice of the wolf that we hear is the cry of Suì-Fēng. Poor dumb creatures with no memory of the half-life of their human existence, never touching in the flesh, only the anguish of a split second at sunrise and sunset, when they can almost touch…but not."
"Always together…eternally apart…" Ichigo whispered sadly. Urahara paused in his step to look back at the young man forlornly.
"…As long as the sun rises and sets, as long as there is a day and night, and for as long as they shall live, you have stumbled onto a tragic story young Ichigo. And now, whether you like it or not you are lost in it…with the rest of us…" Urahara resumed walking allowing the shadows to swallow him up in their cold embrace, leaving Ichigo to his thoughts.
"Yammy I have given you permission to hunt and kill every last wolf in my kingdom…and you have yet to snare the right beast." Aizen growled in cold fury as he continued to riffle through the many pelts the large man had on his old wooden cart.
"But sir, I've hunted all I can. My traps are full with these mangy beasts… I can't kill every wolf that lives, it would be impossible." The large man spoke nervously as he rung his hands together praying his answer wouldn't get him killed.
"I don't want you to kill them all!" Aizen snapped and spun on his heel to face the man, "I want only one…" Aizen rubbed at his forehead, "Maybe I've had you going about this all wrong." Aizen turned away from the giant of a man and started back up the path towards the castle gates.
"There is a woman, a beautiful woman, with chocolate colored skin, and the eyes of an angel. She travels by night, only by night." Aizen said sharply, "Her sun is the moon, and her name is…Yoruichi. Find her and you find the wolf…the wolf I want. The wolf who…loves her." He spat out with disgust and said no more as he left the big man to his business.
Yammy scratched at the back of his head and mumbled incoherently as he prepared to once again head out and hunt for this illusive wolf his master wanted.
Thank you for reading…and an even bigger thank you to those who have reviewed.
-K
