Chapter 4: Sosuke awakens

The ebony clad men stormed through the camp on horseback, whooping and swinging their torches around.

Not one to partake in violence, Uryu leaped out of bed and rushed to one of the other tents, shouting, "Ganju! Wake up!"

Disoriented, Ganju scrambled out of bed and gasped in shock at the Maji as they began firing their rifles and throwing torches into tents. Yumichika, Ikakku, and Ganju snatched up their pistols and began openly firing at the enemy while Ichigo took a more subtle approach by hiding behind a wall and sniping at the Maji.

Orihime raced around awkwardly carrying Ichigo's shotgun and looking for a target, when one appeared, howling and brandishing a gleaming scabbard, she screamed and fired off a shot, luckily hitting her mark.

Renji was hiding behind a short wall, casually drinking his stolen wine as he waited for a challenger. He fired off a few shots just as Grimmjow came up. The blue-haired man grabbed the bottle and took a swig from it, making the mistake of turning around before he swallowed. There was a Maji rushing towards the duo so Grimmjow spat the liquor right in Renji's face before taking off.

Renjiran frantically, the angry enemies of the desert right on his tail.

"Kurosaki!" he shouted upon seeing the soldier, "help!"

From his perch on the fallen pillar, Ichigo tackled the leader of the Maji, Yoruichi right off her horse and the two rolled around on the ground. The brown-eyed adventurer fired a shot but Yoruichi expertly blocked it with his sword, though the impact knocked the blade out of her grasp.

With his opponent weaponless, Ichigo took the chance to gun down a few more enemies before turning back to their leader unfortunately; Yoruichi had recovered her scabbard and used it to knock the gun from the soldier's hands. Ichigo rolled over to the campfire and pulled out a piece of dynamite, sticking the fuse into the flames before holding it threateningly in Yoruichi's direction.

The leader froze, then called out to her men, "Enough! We will shed no more blood, but you must leave. Leave this place or die. You have one day."

She walked back over to her men, mounting another horse and riding back into the desert.

Ichigo tore the burning fuse off the explosive and turned his gaze to the fallen. Among them he saw…"Orihime!" The soldier rushed to the girls side and was relieved to see that she was not wounded, but rather in shock. He took the gun from Orihime's hands and raised her head to look at him, saying, "are you alright?"

"Yes…I-Im fine," she stuttered, placing her gentle hands on his chest.

Ichigo helped the orange red haired woman to her feet, holding her against him.

"You sure?" he murmured, concern tainting his gorgeous brown eyes as he gently traced her delicate face with his fingers.

Grinning triumphantly among his comrades, Ikakku exclaimed. "That proves it! Byakuya's fortunes gotta be under this sand. That's why they're protecting it!"

Still holding Orihime, Ichigo shook his head, "no, these men are desert people. They value water, not gold."

Yumichika approached the soldier, his face half covered in cream due to his shave being interrupted by the Maji.

"You know maybe just at night we could uh, combine forces hmm?"

The brown-haired man rolled his eyes.

Later that night, Renji snored peacefully while his two comrades practiced their fighting skills-Orihime, being a little goofy as her brother had finally convinced her to try his wine.

"Ok, tough stuff," the soldier grinned, "try a right hook. Ball up your fist and put it up…and then hit it right here like you mean it!"

The orange red haired woman nodded eagerly and hauled back. "I…mean it…eek!"

The girl drove her fist into her companions open hand, tripping and spinning around in the process.

Ichigo laughed and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, gently setting her down and saying, "time for another drink."

The brown-eyed beauty laughed groggily and muttered, "unlike my brother, sir. I know when to say no…" In spite of this statement, the girl grabbed the bottle and took a drink.

"Uh-huh…"Ichigo raised his eyebrows in amusement, "…and unlike your brother, miss, YOU I just don't get."

"Ah…I know. You're wondering…what's a place like me doing in a girl like this?" Orihime jumbled up the words, smiling drunkenly.

Ichigo tried not to laugh. "Yeah…SOMETHING like that…"

"Egypt is in my blood." She reached into her dress and pulled out a locket, "you see, my…my father was a very, very famous explorer and he loved Egypt very much…so he married my mother who was an Egyptian and quite an adventurer herself."

"Hmm," the orange-haired man thought for a moment. "I get your father and I get your mother…and uh…" he glanced at the slumbering Renji. "I get HIM, but…what are you doing here?"

Orihime groaned in frustration and exclaimed, "look, I-I may not be an explorer…" she stood up suddenly and Ichigo placed a hand in the small of her back to keep her from falling over. "…or-or an adventurer, or a treasure seeker, or a gun fighter, Mr. Kurosaki…but I am PROUD of what I am!"

"And…what is that?"

The orange red haired woman grinned confidently and announced. "I…am a librarian."

The corners of the young soldiers mouth curled up slightly as the woman stood on her knees.

"I…am going to kiss you…Mr. Kurosaki," She whispered.

Though he knew she was drunk, Ichigo's heart skipped a beat excitedly at the idea as his eyes wandered to her full pink lips.

"Call me…Ichigo." He murmured leaning closer.

The orange red haired woman smiled, her brown eyes sparkling "…Ichigo."

Orihime leaned closer and closer…until she finally passed out. Her head falling in the soldier's lap.

Amused, and more than a little disappointed Ichigo kissed the air where he head had been before carrying her to bed.

The next morning, Grimmjow's team set back to work on their chamber. With the acid trap disarmed, the remaining workers were able to uncover an ancient box buried in the wall. Intrigued, Uryu knelt down and blew the dust off the top to reveal the hieroglyphics.

"There is a curse upon this chest," he announced.

Ganju smirked, "curse my ass! Who cares?"

"Have a care, Ganju." Uryu snapped. "In this hallowed ground that which is set forth in Ancient times is as strong as it is today."

Juugo rolled his eyes impatiently. "What's it say?"

The scholar read the ancient writing once in Ancient Egyptian, then in English.

"Death…will come on swift wings to whomsoever opens this chest."

At the last word , wind began to blow violently through the chamber, scaring the desert workers into running off.

"We should not be here…" Grimmjow muttered nervously "This is not good."

Uryu continued, "it says, 'there is one, the undead, who if brought back to life is bound by sacred law to consummate this curse. He will kill all who open this chest and assimilate there organs and fluids…and in so doing he will regenerate and no longer be the undead, but a plague upon this earth."

"Well we didn't come all this way for nothing!" Ganju snapped.

Grimmjow, however, stepped backwards, read plain on his features. "It's the curse…it's the curse…it's the curse!" he ran down the hall, screaming. "Beware of the curse! Beware!"

Ikakku rolled his eyes. "Stupid superstitious bastard…"

Then the fates of the four men were sealed when Ganju and Yumichika pulled the top off.

Back in their wing of the dig site, the trio was getting ready to open the sarcophagus.

"Oh, I've dreamt about this since I was a little girl!" Orihime squealed.

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow. "You dream about dead guys?"

The orange red haired woman ignored him and pointed at the lower section of the casket." Look all his sacred spells have been chisled off. This man must have been condemned not only in this life but the next."

The brown-eyed guide muttered "tough break."

"Yeah, im all tears." Renji muttered, grunting as he turned the key in the lock. "Now lets see whose inside shall we?"

The boys pulled on the cover of the sarcophagus until it fell away-and a strangely gooey mummy practically fell out.

All three screamed and Orihime hissed. "Oh my God, I HATE it when these things do that!"

Ichigo grimaced, saying, "Is he…supposed to look like that?"

"No…I've never seen a mummy look like that before," the orange red haired woman replied with perplexity. "He's still…still…"

"Juicy." Both men completed.

"Yes…he must be more than three thousand years old and, well, it looks as if hes still…decomposing."

"Hey…" Ichigo muttered studying the inside of the coffin cover. "What do you make of this?"

There were strange scratch marks inside.

Orihime gasped. "These marks were made with…fingernails. This man was buried alive…and it looks like he left a message." She turned her head to read the crudely drawn hieroglyphics. "Death…is only the beginning…"

They all stared at the corpse, wondering what the man could have possibly done to deserve such a terrible fate.

In the cursed chamber, Uryu was unwrapping a cloth-bound object in the chest. When the cloth fell away, he gasped in shock. "Oh my God…it DOES exist…the Book of the Dead."

"A book?" Ikakku scowled. "Who cares about a book? Where's the treasure?"

The black haired professor lifted the ebony book into his arms, cradling it as if it were an infant. "This, gentlemen…this IS the treasure."

Ganju made a disgusted face and kicked the chest growling. "I wouldn't trade you for a brass-"

The front of the chest fell open to reveal several elegant, gold encrusted jars.

"Look at that!" Yumichika exclaimed, grinning both tiredly and greedily.

"There is your treasure gentlemen." Uryu smiled.

That evening, Orihime emerged from the tomb, heading over to the campfire where the boys were seated. She passed Uryu, who was attempting to open the black book. Upon noticing the familiar indented shape on its cover, the orange red haired woman murmured, "I believe you need a key to open that." Before rejoining the others.

"Say Kurosaki." Ganju taunted, waving his golden jar about. "What do you think these babies will fetch back home?"

Yumichika added, "We heard you guys found yourselves a nice, juicy mummy. Congratulations."

"If you dry that fellow out you might be able to sell him for firewood," Ikakku chuckled.

The orange-haired guide gave a mock laugh right as Orihime came up.

"Look what I found," she announced

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow sitting next to him and muttered, "your in her seat."

The blue haired man showed no intention of moving so the soldier hissed, "Now!"

Wisely, Grimmjow took off as Orihime sat down in his place, presenting her finding.

"Scarab skeletons…flesh eaters. I found them in our friends coffin. They say these things can stay alive for years, feasting on the flesh of a corpse. Unfortunately for our friend, he was still alive when they started eating him."

Fingering the petrified insects, Ichigo murmured. "so somebody threw these in with our guy and they ate him alive?"

"Very slowly."

Renji grimaced, "he certainly wasn't a popular guy when they planted him."

Ichigo grinned and teased, "well, he probably got a little too frisky with the pharaoh's daughter."

Orihime giggled and replied, "Well, according to my readings, our friend suffered the Hom Dai, the worst of the Egyptian curses…one reserved for only the most evil of blasphemers. In my research, I've never heard of this ritual actually being performed."

"That bad huh?"

"Yes, well…they never used it because they feared it so much. It's written that if the victim of the Hom Dai, should ever arise…he would bring with him the ten plagues of Egypt."

Once everyone had gone to bed, Orihime snuck over to Uryu who was snoring peacefully, and gently pried the black book from his grasp. She went over to the fire and gently set it down, then went to get the key.

Without opening his eyes Ichigo teasingly muttered, "That's called stealing, you know."

"According to you and my brother, it's called borrowing." The orange red haired woman replied, fingering the ridges on the key to make it open.

The soldier slid over to her and said, "I thought that the Book of Amun-Ra was made of gold."

"It is made out of gold. This isn't the Book of Amun-Ra…this is something else. I think this maybe the Book of the Dead."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "The Book of the Dead? Are you sure you want to be playing around with this thing?"

Orihime turned the key. "It's just a book. No harm ever came from reading a book."

She opened the ebony metal covering and the desert wind shrieked in response.

"That happens a lot around here." Ichigo sweat dropped. "So what's it say?"

The orange red haired woman ran her fingers over the hieroglyphics. "Amun-Ra…Amun-Dei…it speaks of the night and of the day." She continued her reading in ancient Egyptian…until Uryu sat up.

"NO!" he screamed. "YOU MUST NOT READ FROM THE BOOK!"

Everyone who had been sleeping awoke to a deep buzzing sound. They stared off into the distance…and beheld a swarm of hundreds…no, millions of locusts.

Ichigo grabbed Orihime's hand and took off with Renji right beside him. "C'mon, go, go!"

The insects soared into the camp, covering everyone and everything from head to toe in locusts. Uryu closed his eyes and muttered, "what…have we done?"

Meanwhile, Ichigo, Renji, Orihime and the others were running into the temple…to a much worse plague…for the mummy had awakened…and was searching for his first victim.

A/N: Ok that's the end of Chapter 4! Hope you all are enjoying this story. Please read and review. Now on to Chapter 5!