Author's Note – I'm really sorry guys, I didn't mean to put this much time in between chapters. Life spiraled out of control for a bit, but I'm hoping things will be okay enough for me to write a little faster.
On a slightly different tangent I finally caught up with the Bleach manga and I'm so glad I did because it gave me lots of awesome ideas.
Before I start the story I just wanted to address one of my reviews because it came up with a couple of really good points and I didn't know if anyone else wondered the same things. So 1) How is Hiko able to move without Gigai? This is something I can't say yet, because if I say it'll give it away. Not just saying that I promise! 2) How did Orihime not notice Rukia's engagement ring? Okay I admit I didn't really think about this, though I had planned to have them talk at one you to nypsy for bringing these up ^_^ I will be replying to reviews as soon as I can!
Thank you to everyone who read, review, followed, or favorited!
Chapter Four – "The End of Everything? The Seal of Dark Desire"
Orihime wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, but she'd hoped they were nearly there. She couldn't bear to lift her eyes from the sidewalk, preferring to watch her feet shuffle on the pavement, brown leather moving in rhythmic sync. She also couldn't remember the last time they'd had such a hot summer- her face was burning up! And curiously, every time she ventured a glance in Ichigo's direction- and really, she was improving, starting to focus on him instead of just looking in his general vicinity- she could swear the sun would burn even more!
Similarly, Ichigo, in front of her, stared straight ahead, stoic and stone-like. Rukia, next to him, was busy beating on her communicator, the Chappy charm attached to it whipping around in the air, while the phone continued to tell her in a sing song mocking voice that no data could be found on her entry.
Orihime's nerves were shaking, her hands wringing the handle of her school bag. Her orange hair glittered in the sun, paneling along her face, magnifying the already bright red blush. She knew she had to ask, but she was too scared. But if she didn't ask, he might forget, or perhaps he'd never wanted to go in the first place and just said it to rescue her. And if she did ask, maybe he'd remember he didn't actually want to go. At least by keeping quiet, it was still kinda like he had agreed and maybe it had the best chance of happening or maybe it could-
"Ahem."
Nerves seizing, Orihime squeaked as she lifted her head to find Rukia looking back at her, winking with a mischievous glance as she turned to face Ichigo. Orihime swallowed hard, she knew this couldn't end well.
"Hey Ichigo-…"
"H-HEY Kuchiki-san! Can't we talk about this later we really should be going to Urahara-san's-…" Orihime trailed off before being cut off by Rukia's stony glare.
Snapping out of his trance, Ichigo stopped and turned to look at both of them, confusion setting in. "Oh… sorry."
"As I was saying.," Rukia continued, louder this time, ignoring Orihime's flailing protests in the background, "I was wondering, since you're taking Inoue to the Tanabata festival, if it would be okay if Renji and I joined you both. You know, kinda like a double date. It'll be fun!" Rukia said in a cheery voice that underlined a not so subtle 'do it or I'll kill you' tone.
"I don't know, I think I'd rather be figuring out where that Hiko guy came from- OW!" Ichigo yelled as Rukia cut him off with a pinch.
"Yes, and he seemed to be an awful big fan of Inoue's. If you don't watch her, he might just steal her away," she growled, fake smile still plastered on her face while yanking her head back in Orihime's direction.
Visibly tensing, Ichigo's face hardened remembering how close Hiko had been to Orihime, the way his lips had nearly been on her, how he had been staring at her… the memory made his blood boil, though he still didn't quite understand why she got to him so much. She was just a friend- his close friend who this… this… whoever the hell he was, was trying to take from him. "Fine," he said shortly, spinning on his heel as he turned down the alleyway. Rukia turned back to Orihime, giving her a wink and a thumbs up.
Orihime could feel the blood draining from her face, red blurring into pale white as the blush was replaced by muted horror. She was grateful for the railing next to her, her legs feeling watery and weak as the world started spinning around her. She was going on a date… a date with Ichigo… Ichigo, the boy she'd loved for years, just agreed to go out with her on the most romantic night of the year. She felt her stomach plunge to her feet as she felt someone grab her by the arm and start shaking her.
"Hey… Inoue? Are you in there?" Rukia asked, waving a hand in front of the strawberry blonde's face and giving her another small shake.
"Uh… huh…" Orihime said quietly and breathlessly, staring straight ahead as everything continued to blur around her, reality still not quite setting in.
"Come on, let's go! Urahara is waiting for us!" Rukia said before grabbing Orihime's hand and pulling her away from the railing. Orihime could do nothing but follow helplessly, being dragged along on jelly legs.
As they turned the corner, they quickly caught up to Ichigo. Upon walking into the open space where Urahara Shoten stood, they could make out a tall man with red hair sweeping the ground, grumbling to himself, wincing as tiny paper balls hit him every few seconds before dropping the broom in rage, shaking a fist towards the roof.
"Hey! Knock it off before I come up there!"
"Ooh scary! You hear that Ururu? The freeloader's gonna come up here and make scary faces at us!"
"You little brat, come down here and say that!"
"Nah, that's okay, I like looking at you from up here. You're like a tiny little puppet with strings!" Jinta yelled down to him with a devilish grin.
"That's it, I'm going to teach you some manners if it's the last thing I ever do!"
Tessai, lurking in the corner, sitting cross-legged and watching the show from afar, stared at the angry Shinigami. "Is there a problem Freeloader-san? Perhaps you're gesturing to the roof because you feel it is the best place to sleep and you wish to move there?"
Growling, Renji inhaled sharply while flashing a glare in Jinta and Ururu's direction before begrudgingly picking up the broom. "Meh… and who'd wanna miss this?" he bit out as another spit ball collided with his face.
"Yo, Renji! I didn't know you went into the maid business," Ichigo called as the trio emerged from the alley.
Whirling on him angrily, Renji grabbed Ichigo by the collar of his uniform and waved the broom at him threateningly. "Shut it idiot, no one asked you!"
"Nice to see you too," Ichigo said flatly while shoving his hands in his pockets, staring Renji straight in the eyes.
Groaning, Rukia stepped between them, unhinging Renji's hands from Ichigo's collar. "Sorry boys, I think you're lost, pre-school's about three blocks down the street."
"Rukia!" Renji said hurriedly, instantly dropping Ichigo, blushing as his hand flew behind his neck nervously.
Grinning at him, Rukia brushed gently at his cheek. "You kinda got something-…"
Eyes widening in horror, Renji's hand flew to his face as he pulled away from her. "Oh, yeah I'm just gonna…" he said hurriedly, before abandoning the broom a second time to run into the shop, picking the little papery clumps out of his ponytail.
"Kurosaki-san! So pleasant to see you again!"
Turning towards the store, Ichigo watched as Urahara exited, fan waving, the usual mysterious smirk hidden under the shadow of his hat, wooden sandals clacking against concrete. "Please, come inside! I'm sure you have a lot to ask," he said, gesturing to the red moon that was rising with the sunset.
…
It was a roaring rage, the sound of shattering glass, bad luck rising times seven years exponentially.
"I ALMOST HAD HER!"
CRASH. Another mirror turned to silvery, jagged dust, blood smearing and dripping on the pieces like watercolor paint.
"He's taken everything from me… he took my crown, my love… he took MY LIFE. He expects me to just be his horse while he rides to his glory! What should be MINE!" he screamed, echoing into the dark void.
"Hmph," came the mocking noise from behind him, followed by a steady, rising laugh, the catlike grin spreading across the other man's face manically. Sky blue hair fell in his face as his body shook with laughter. "Maybe if you weren't so weak, you'd be getting somewhere."
Turning to face him, Hikoboshi withdrew his zanpakutou, stabbing the wall next to the other man's face, coming within mere centimeters as the sky fell to the floor, shards of stray hair being cut by the blade. "I don't need any lectures from the likes of you. He defeated you too, you're pathetic."
Unfazed, Grimmjow turned and grabbed the sword and without skipping a beat, threw it back to its master, nearly driving it into his heart. "And yet here I am, and here you are, still locked away like an animal in a cage. And until you get out, you need my help. So I'd be very cautious about who you choose to piss off, your highness," he finished, his voice tinged with a dangerous edge, even though the Cheshire-like grin had yet to dissolve.
Resheathing his zanpakutou, Hikoboshi only looked back at him in disgust. "And what do you suggest? The only way I can be released from this state is by her power and as long he is around her, she will never give in."
"There is one way she might turn against him…"
…
"And they've told you nothing I assume."
"No, nothing. And I can't get any records when I search the databases, and of course Kurotsuchi-taichou was his usual helpful self," Rukia explained, holding up her phone so it flashed the missing file picture for dramatic effect, a little Chappy dancing around and sticking out its tongue.
Swallowing hard, Orihime could only sip at the tea in front of her, eager to be anywhere but here, not even wanting to think about the strange Hollow.
"Doesn't surprise me," Urahara said with monotone, waving his fan in front of his face absentmindedly. "After all, this particular Hollow may be the biggest threat Soul Society's ever faced. You see, that blood red moon is an omen, a sign of its awakening. It was prophesied that it would happen on the seventh day of the seventh month, exactly two thousand years after it was sealed away, when the stars of Vega and Altair were in perfect alignment with the moon."
"What exactly makes it so dangerous?" Ichigo asked.
"This particular Hollow was the original Arrancar, the only one created before the invention of the Hogyoku spheres. It was rumored to be an abnormally strong Hollow, at the height of Vasto Lorde strength."
"Big deal, we've faced Arrancar of that power level before, why should we be so scared of this one," Renji asked, waving his hand in the air nonchalantly, less than impressed.
Orihime's breathing began to thin and shallow, mouth subconsciously grasping for oxygen as if underwater.
"It's not that simple I'm afraid. Before the Hogyoku spheres were created, it was impossible for a Hollow to become a full Arrancar on its own, even for a Vasto Lorde."
"Meaning he had to get the power from somewhere?" Rukia supplied.
She could feel the blood rushing to her head, her heartbeat rising in the wave…
Higher…
And higher…louder…
"Precisely. But from who and why, we don't know. All we know is that if it is allowed to break free, it will be the end of the world."
She clutched the teacup tighter within her grasp, her hands losing all color from the effort, tea vibrating weakly as it reacted to her distress…
"So what's stopping it from breaking free?" Ichigo asked.
"It's said that when the Hollow reached the height of its power, the Spirit King himself placed a seal on the Hollow and buried it within another soul, and that the seal can only be broken by the King, or the King's daughter, the Princess. The Princess had her own divine power and could reject any reality she wished, transcending his own power, and he feared that this Hollow was only using his daughter for her abilities. It is said that the Princess was deeply in love with this Hollow and that it would be easy for her to break the seal as her love for him was overwhelmingly powerful. Fearful that she would try, the King tore a rift in Heaven, creating a barrier between them in order to keep her from releasing him. In his anger, the Hollow attacked the King and tried to overthrow him for the throne of Heaven, but never succeeded before he was sealed away within the other soul."
The waves crashed over her, dark water pulling her under, caught in the undertow, her heartbeat like a concrete chain holding her down…
"If he is released… is there any way to stop him?" Rukia asked.
"There is one way. You must find the Princess before tomorrow night. She cannot be allowed to break the seal or it will mean the end of everything," Urahara finished.
Shattered.
All turned to look at a breathless Orihime, hands still forming a cupping position, the shards of porcelain scattered around her, her gray skirt damp with the hot tea, eyes blank and empty.
"Inoue, are you okay? You look pale," Ichigo asked worriedly, grasping her by the shoulders and attempting to look her in the eyes.
Smiling weakly, Orihime looked up at him, eyes still expressionless. "I… I just… the tea. It was too hot," she fumbled, moving to pick up the pieces of painted clay. "I'm… gonna go clean up," she said hurriedly, jumping out of her place and running down the hall.
Her panic wasn't lost on Urahara who stared after her with a hardened look. "You need to keep a close eye on her."
"Actually, that's what we came here to ask you about. Inoue's been under attack, and we were hoping you had some answers."
Clamping his fan shut with a sudden snap, Urahara nodded in understanding. "I am already aware of her situation and I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you now."
Ichigo leapt across the table, grabbing Urahara by the robe, anger masking desperation as his voice rose. "What do you mean you can't help? Inoue might die and all you can do is sit there and do nothing?!" he screamed.
"Ichigo, calm down!" Rukia pleaded, trying to pry his arm off of Urahara.
"No I will not calm down! Inoue needs us!" Ichigo yelled, ferocity giving way to anguish. "She almost died, and I couldn't stop it. All of this… my powers, my training, everything and nothing I had could save her… you're telling me, that there's absolutely no way I can protect her?"
"Kurosaki-san," Urahara said quietly, firmly, not once attempting to pull the other man off him. "I know that Inoue-san means a great deal to you. But I'm afraid it isn't that simple. At the moment, there is only one person who can help her and keep her safe."
"Who?! Tell me who!" Ichigo pleaded, voice rising as if he could make all of this stop by sheer force of will alone.
"That will come in time. But right now you need to focus on finding the Princess. If you don't, the consequences will be dire, and not only will Inoue-san's life be lost, but billions of innocent lives as well."
"But where are we even supposed to look, it could be anyone," Rukia said exasperatedly.
"There is one person who will know," Urahara said, folding his arms into his sleeves. "Her royal guardian."
"Yes, because that's so much more helpful and less vague than telling us to go find the mystery Princess," Renji added sarcastically.
"No actually it's quite simple," Urahara said, voice taking on a sudden chipper tone, "In Soul Society, every noble family has a lesser noble family assigned to protect it. The royal family is no different, in addition to Division Zero, they have their own personal bodyguards, in fact you're very familiar with them Kurosaki-san. These royal guardians come from the Arisawa family.
I apologize, I finished writing this at 3:30am and once again it's not really coming out the way I want it, but unfortunately this time of night is usually all the time I have. :(
I'm not sure when Chapter 5 will be around as I have a research paper, 2 projects, and 2 exams on the horizon, however I can at least promise it will be before the end of the year, haha.
I lost everything else I had been planning to say here, oh well. Thank you for reading, please review! :)