Author's Note:
Konnichi wa! I'm back with a new chapter ^-^
Sorry for the delay . . .like I said Eve of the 7th is much more difficult to write so you'll have to forgive me for taking so long :) Thank you to all who've left a review. I love it so much when you guys leave really long comments! It just makes my day
So I'm thinking of making a crossover . . .hmm . . .wonder what anime I should cross bleach with?
Anyway, here you go guys . . .enjoy~
Chapter Five:
Alive
"Take me across Amenogawa and I will do whatever you wish me to do"
Ichigo stared wide eyed at the girl who had just offered him the most outrageous pact he has ever heard in all his life and judging by the look in her eyes, she was dead serious.
"A-Are you friggin' crazy?" Ichigo shouted, "Are you trying to get me killed? What makes you think I trust you?"
Again Orihime cocked her head to the side, "I didn't let Grimmjow-kun see you right? Isn't that enough for you to realize that I'm to be trusted?" she asked
Damnit. Ichigo cursed to himself. I hate it when girls always make sense. He had originally planned to take the girl hostage until Aizen surrenders and gives him the elixir. He figured that plan would fail but to take the princess with him? Now that's ridiculous
"Do you know just what kind of hell I've been through just to get here? Do you know what worse hell I'm going to go through if I'm going to escape from this southerner infested pit and take you along with me?" he asked
"I don't" Orihime answered honestly, making Ichigo's jaw drop to the floor
"Look, even if I kidnap you I don't think you'd be much help, what I need is an elixir, not a princess" he sighed plopping himself on the floor.
Orihime stared at him. He still thinks there's an elixir. She sighed. "Kurosaki-kun, if you really need an elixir then you must really be desperate to lengthen you're life. Are you dying?" she asked, sitting on the floor with him.
"Not me. Someone close to me" he answered, not even looking at her
"Then, if you take me across Amenogawa I shall heal your friend"
"How are you going to heal her?" Ichigo asked, suddenly interested in what she was saying
"I have the elixir" she lied, "but I will not give it to you unless you take me across Amenogawa"
Ichigo thought for a while. I knew it! She had the elixir. He told himself.
Amenogawa was a river in the East Land and wasn't too far from the orphanage. It would be easy to get her across Amenogawa but it was going to be life threatening to get her out of Las Noches. He couldn't loose his life trying to get a girl out of a tower, he needed to save Rukia and he needed to do it before Tanabata.
"I can feel it" Orihime suddenly spoke, "I can feel that you want to save this friend of yours so much that you are willing to risk you're life" she said. "Then let me tell you this, Kurosaki-kun" she neared him, so that she could look at him straight in the eye, "I am willing to risk my life just to get to Amenogawa too. I promise that I will do anything and everything I can to save your friend" she said her eyes speaking volumes
"How sure are you that I won't kill you?" Ichigo scrutinized her small being, "I mean I am a stranger and we're alone right now. I can simply kill you and take the elixir".
An ethereal smile graced her seraphic face, "you won't" she said, "I don't think you would do that" Ichigo could not look away from her, his eyes seemed to have been glued to her.
Ichigo shook his head, trying to focus on what he needed to do. His scowl deepened, "What if you just ditch me once I somehow get you out of here?" he asked
"Then" she said holding up her pinky, "Let's make it an official contract"
Ichigo stared at the small protruding finger, "What's this?" he asked
"A finger. A pinky to be exact"
"I know it's a finger but how is that suppose to make an official contract?" Ichigo asked between his gritted teeth.
"Well, we'll pinky swear" Orihime tittered at Ichigo
"A pinky what? And that makes it an official contract?" Ichigo rolled his eyes
"Yes it does" she pouted, "I would never break a pinky swear!"
Ichigo groaned. He didn't have time for this childish nonsense but he needed the elixir nonetheless, so with a heavy sigh he hooked his pinky with hers. "I promise that I will not leave Kurosaki-kun and that I will do everything I can to save his close friend after he has taken me across Amenogawa" she said solemnly
"I'm not satisfied with that" Ichigo griped, "There has to be a consequence if you break the promise"
Orihime pursed her lips in thought then said, "Then if ever I do break my promise, Kurosaki-kun will break my fingers one by one then pull my fingernails off and maybe he can break my legs and arms too"
"That's crazy!" Ichigo objected, "I'll just kill you if you break the promise"
Orihime stared at Ichigo wistfully and said "I don't think you can kill Kurosaki-kun, you have a heart and that's why you cannot kill". She tightened her hold on his pinky, "I swear by the heavens that I will not leave Kurosaki-kun until I have fulfilled my promise to him. If I break my promise, I will forever be condemned and I shall never be able to go back to Lyra" she said her tone becoming more serious, her eyes never leaving his.
"The moon is our witness" she said in conclusion. "Now Kurosaki-kun we only have half an hour to escape before Grimmjow-kun gets back" she said as though it were the most natural thing to do.
"You make it sound like it's so simple" Ichigo grumbled.
Grimmjow walked through the pallid halls of Las Noches, rolling a tray of food for the princess.
"Where are you going Grimmjow?" the Primera Espada asked
"5th tower" Grimmjow answered shortly, he wasn't in the mood to chat with anyone right now
"If the princess was hungry, you should have just instructed the rookie to get the food. It would've saved you the energy of coming to the main building" the older man said
"Rookie? What rookie?" Grimmjow asked, stopping in his tracks
"The new boy who was posted outside the 5th tower, I think he was just a few years younger than you with orange hair" Starkk described sleepily
"There was no new boy there" Grimmjow growled as he let the tray go and dashed back to the tower. That girl! He thought clenching his jaw. She was hiding him.
"You think that's enough?" Orihime asked
"Yeah that's enough" Ichigo answered as he tied the last kimono at the end on the 70 feet long chain of tied sheets and kimonos. He let it drop out of the window and he climbed up. "I'll go first and I'll tug the sheets if it's okay for you to climb down okay?" he said. When Orihime nodded, he jumped down from the window and skillfully slid down the sheets.
As Ichigo climbed down the tower, he pondered on how he was going to flee this place with a girl who has never been outside her tower, a pampered princess who knows nothing of Las Noches. Oh God, what has he gotten himself into?
Once he finally reached the bottom of the tower, he tugged on the sheets and Orihime prepared herself to slide down. Slowly, she climbed on the window, trying not to look down. She gripped the sheets and just when she was about to slide down, the door slammed open.
"Orihime!" Grimmjow shouted
Surprised by the appearance of the enraged Espada, Orihime's grip loosened on the sheets, causing her to loose her balance and fall.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Immediately, Grimmjow rushed to Orihime but he was too late, her small hands slipped from his grip. He saw Orihime's eyes widened followed by her piercing scream.
"ORIHIME!" Grimmjow yelled
"ORIHIME!"
She heard Grimmjow shout her name. She was falling really fast. In fact, so fast that the wind pressure hurt her skin as it hit her falling body.
Everything was moving so fast. Her vision, blurring at the speed of her fall, her ears pounding at harsh gust of wind, her hair whipping at her face. She felt herself gasping for air as she prepared herself to hit the ground. She imagined that she'd hear her bones crack from the impact of her fall.
But what she felt was not agonizing; it was painful but not excruciatingly painful. Instead of pain, she felt her head collide with a broad and warm chest and a pair of arms wrapped around her delicate figure. What she heard was not the cracking of her bones but a groan erupting from the chest her head was laying on.
"Damn that's gonna bruise" Ichigo grunted, groggily sitting up
Quickly Orihime pushed herself up from Ichigo, "I'm terribly sorry! I-" she apologized, concern written all over her face when she was stopped by a hand that gripped her wrist firmly.
"No time for that" Ichigo interrupted, grabbing her and hastily running towards the huge dome.
Meanwhile, Grimmjow had slid down the tied sheets and hurriedly ran after the two. He was not going to let that bastard get away with their princess. God knows what Aizen would do to him, once he found out that he had failed to keep Orihime in the tower.
Ichigo looked back and saw the blue haired soldier rapidly catching up with them.
Shit
Without a moment of thought, he pulled Orihime closer to him, ignoring her shrieks. Swiftly, he swept her legs, effectively hooking them under her knees. He carried her bridal style and dashed away faster.
Orihime clung tightly to his neck. She had never experienced such a rush in her body in all her life. It was the first time she felt so pumped, it filled her body, making her finger tips quiver at the adrenaline rush she was currently coursing through her veins. It made her feel . . .
Alive
Just as Ichigo and Orihime entered the dome. Grimmjow suddenly appeared before them, cutting them off their tracks.
How the hell did he get there? Ichigo wondered as he put Orihime down, gently prompting him to stay behind him
"Where do ya think you're goin' kid?" Grimmjow grinned maniacally at the orange haired boy
"Not tellin' you" Ichigo spat back, pulling his sword from his back
"Oh a zanpakutou eh" the Espada leered, "Let's see what you got" he grinned even wider as he drew his sword. He attacked with utmost brute strength, making Ichigo back away.
Ichigo gripped Zangetsu, advancing towards Grimmjow with equal strength. Grimmjow blocked the attack effortlessly. He bared his teeth to Ichigo before kicking him in the stomach, causing Ichigo to gasp for air. Just as Ichigo was down and clutching his abdomen, Grimmjow moved to hit his head with the hilt of his sword.
"That all you got kid?" he scorned at the boy, looking down upon him with mocking blue eyes. His grin dropped when he heard the intruder chuckle, "Tch I'm just getting started" he said before slashing his sword at Grimmjow.
"Keh, bring it on" Grimmjow smirked
Orihime stared at the two men fighting, the sound of clashing swords filling her ears. The longer they fight, the more chances more soldiers would come and find them. She believed that Ichigo could fight well but right now, she needed him to save his energy so that they could get out of Las Noches, not to fight Grimmjow. She didn't want Ichigo to get hurt nor did she want Grimmjow to be injured. So with a sharp intake of breath she shouted
"ENOUGH!"
The two men stopped what they were doing and stared at the girl. Orihime looked bewildered, shocked at what she had just done. Then shaking off her hesitations, she gathered all of her strength and kicked the sand beneath her feet, making sure it would cloud the two men's vision. Some of the sand went into Grimmjow's eyes, blinding him temporarily but most of the sand had entered Ichigo's mouth when he tried to stop Orihime from doing anything hasty.
As the cloud of sand separated the two men, Orihime immediately grabbed Ichigo and pulled him to get up and run while they had the chance to do so.
"The next time you plan on doing something rash, make sure you give me a sign okay?" he told the girl as he spat the sand out of his mouth.
"No time for that" was her simple reply as she tried harder to catch up with Ichigo's long strides.
Ichigo smirked. To hear your very words said back to you, it sounded ironic. "You have a point" he supposed before picking her up again and running faster.
As the two left the dome, a mob of soldiers blocked their way. "We will not let you pass" Rudobone announced
"I never asked if you would" Ichigo grinned wryly before slashing his sword at the soldiers. He swung his sword, not caring who or how many he would cut. It was as though fighting these soldiers were firing him up. He felt a strong rush surge into his body, making him feel more and more energized. Combating with these soldiers had awakened something in him, something powerful. It made him feel like he was . . .
Alive
He sliced who ever was in front of him. He kicked who ever was in his way. And he laughed when a soldier had somehow cut him
"Kurosaki-kun!"
He heard someone call for him
"Kurosaki-kun!"
There it was again. Who is that?
"Kurosaki-kun!"
The voice was so familiar he wondered why. He turned to the owner of the voice and a pair of ashen gray eyes met came to view.
"Kurosaki-kun look!" she yelled, pointing at the sea of soldiers heading straight at them.
"Crap" Ichigo hissed as he punched a soldier. He was so engrossed with fighting that he had forgotten about the girl and that he was an intruder whom all of Aizen's minions were after. He didn't mind beating a squad up but he couldn't handle a whole legion all at once. That was suicide. So he had no choice but to snatch Orihime and run away from the mob of southerners.
When Ichigo had finally found his way out of the dome, he was faced with another obstacle. "Damn it!" he growled, "why can't this place have normal hallways".
It was the maze again; a labyrinth of hallways. Last time he was here, he spent an hour running around. The Primera had shown him out that time, it was just too bad though that Ichigo had an unbelievably bad sense of direction and an even worse memory when it came to mix-ups such as these.
"Do you know the way out?" Ichigo asked the girl who was hanging on to him
"I'm sorry I don't" she replied
"Damn" Ichigo muttered before turning a corner
"The courtyard" Orihime suddenly remembered
"What?"
"We must find the court yard" she told Ichigo, "The courtyard leads to a garden where the walls are thin and just outside of it is Seireitei. That's the only way we can get out aside from the main gate" she explained
"How do you know all these?" Ichigo questioned, "I thought you've never been outside of your tower"
"Grimmjow-kun told me that once he punched an insubordinate newcomer through that wall, that's why he can say it was the thinnest wall in Las Noches" she explained
Ichigo scoffed. That Grimmjow person must really be one hell of a scoundrel. He thought as he continued running.
An hour passed and Ichigo was still running around. Damn. He thought. My legs hurt. He didn't know where he was going. The walls look the same, the paths look the same. He must be going in circles again.
"Ano, Kurosaki-kun" Orihime mumbled
"What?"
"Y-You can put me down, you know" she tried to hide her blush
"No" was Ichigo's curt answer
"Eh?"
"I said no" Ichigo uttered stubbornly
"But why?"
"Because I said so"
"B-But I'm heavy" Orihime murmured
"You're not. If you were heavy I would have put you down hours ago" he said, his gaze straight at where he was going
"But you're tired and I'm-" Orihime was about to argue when Ichigo shot her a glare, silencing her immediately
"I said no" he hissed, "I'm your captor so you should listen to what I say, got it?" he scowled at her
Orihime stared up at Ichigo. When he scowled, it only accentuated the handsome planes and angles of his face. It's weird. His scowl is funny. Orihime giggled at the thought, making Ichigo's brows knot in confusion.
"Why are you laughing? You're being kidnapped, you shouldn't laugh" Ichigo muttered
"Because you're face is funny and because you're such a kind kidnapper" she laughed even more
Is that an insult or a complement? Ichigo only frowned deeper. Either way, it's not a laughing matter, weirdo.
As Ichigo was about to turn a curve, he saw a bunch of soldiers running towards them, all of them charging with their weapons in hand. Oh no! Ichigo had to turn around but when he did so, more soldiers were coming his way. Crap!
He whipped his head in search for any other pathways. "There", to his left was a corridor that seemed darker than usual. Without moments of delay, he sprinted towards the shady hallway. It was like a dark tunnel in there. A straight path, with no curves or turns, and the only light emitted from the far end of the passage.
The smell of flowers greeted his nose as a cool night breeze hit his skin. The moon glimmered above them, and immediately he knew that this must be at the outer part of Las Noches.
"Is this it?" Ichigo asked
"I think so"
Just as Ichigo was about to set Orihime down, the pack of soldiers came rushing in to the courtyard, cornering them to the wall opposite of Ichigo. He glanced at the river of Arrancars heading his way and back to the tall wall that separated him from Seireitei. He didn't have time to break through the walls and there was no way he was going to go against a hundred southerners all at once so what was he going to do?
He turned to Orihime who stared up at the wall then looked nervously back at the soldiers.
He let out a loud and annoyed growl
He removed his sword from his back and placed it in his mouth, biting onto it to keep it in place. Then without so much as a word Ichigo grabbed the obi that was holding Orihime's robes together and untied it.
"Wh-What are you doing?" Orihime asked, utterly flabbergasted with what the man was doing, "I-If you do that m-my robe w-will-" Orihime stuttered, clutching her robes so that her clothes would stay with her.
Ichigo didn't have time to explain what he had in mind. He grabbed Orihime and forced her wrap her arms around him from the back, then he took the obi tied it securely around him and Orihime. "Hold on tight" he mumbled through his sword before latching onto the stone wall. With all his strength, Ichigo lifted Orihime and himself up onto the wall, scaling the wall with herculean strength and speed. His arms hurt and his legs were throbbing but he was not going to let those friggin' southerners catch up to them, he needed to get out of this place no matter what.
Orihime was in complete awe of Ichigo. She held onto him tighter as he went higher on the wall. She buried her face into his back, afraid that they would fall. She could smell his sweat. She could smell all of him. His scent was not appalling, it did not reek; in fact it smelled quite pleasant. He smelt so manly that it made Orihime blush a deep red. She could feel the muscles on his back moved as he climbed up the wall, she felt all of his abdominal muscles contract as she held onto Ichigo. Orihime shook her head. This was no time to be having such thoughts, not when they were hanging on the wall with a bunch of southerners below them
Orihime looked down, "Oh no!" she gasped, "they're climbing up"
She heard Ichigo hiss after she had informed him, and he climbing faster than before. He snarled when they seem to have reached the top of the wall. "har you hokay?" Ichigo huffed through the wrap on his sword. When he felt the girl nod, he instantly proceeded to climb down the other side of the wall.
Just a little more. Just a little more
Ichigo chanted these words over and over in his mind. His body was extremely sore and his energy was draining. He just needed to hold on just a little longer.
Orihime on the other hand could not do anything but color into a bright red. She could feel that Ichigo was exhausted; she knew that Ichigo's body was aching but he still had the energy to ask her if she was alright.
Ichigo thanked the heavens that they were nearing the ground as moved further down. He turned his head to his left and spat the sword out, "If you can touch the ground, you can let go now" he told the princess.
Orihime looked down and saw green grass covering the ground. The fresh scent of the grass filled her nose. She had read about these small plants in books but this was the first time she was going to actually feel them. Slowly, she let the blades of the grass touch her feet. When she felt how cool they felt on her skin, she jerked and withdrew, making Ichigo choke at how tight she grabbed his neck. Again, she tried settling her feet on the green cushions of the ground and she smiled at the ticklish sensation of grass in between her feet. She giggled in delight when she finally set foot on the grass.
"Don't take your time idiot!" Ichigo shouted as he untied the obi around him to separate Orihime from himself.
Ichigo had forgotten that the only thing keeping Orihime's robes together was his back, which was pressed firmly to her chest. His eyes almost budged out when he saw the robes come apart and about to reveal something very sacred. It was a good thing that Orihime was alert enough to closed her robe just in time before Ichigo could see anything his young heart could not withstand yet.
"I-I'm sorry" Ichigo stuttered, his face flushed at getting a glimpse of Orihime's porcelain skin
"Stop right there!" a soldier ordered from the top of the wall. Shrugging the embarrassing thoughts that ran through his mind, Ichigo grabbed his sword and Orihime and scurried off, hoping the soldiers who were quick to descend from the wall would not catch up to them.
Orihime clasped her robes together tightly. She felt s though she was being dragged by Ichigo. He was running so fast, Orihime was not sure if she could catch up with him. This was the first time she had to run, this is the first time her feet had touched the cool earth, and she was valuing every moment of it.
The guards were now out into Seireitei to search for the orange haired 'kidnapper'. Ichigo knew it was much easier to run away from these southerners now that they were in the crowded streets of Seireitei, he could blend in with the many people walking around the city. He rushed into the assembly of merchants, gathered in the middle of Seireitei and hid within them. He kept his head low and encouraged Orihime to stay down too.
"Um . . .Kurosaki-kun" Orihime called softly, "where are we going?"
But Ichigo did not say anything. He just continued with pushing his way through the packed street of Seireitei.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
"Sshh" Ichigo glanced at Orihme. They needed to move stealthily or else they would be discovered and all his efforts would be put to waste. "Just follow me" he told her as he continued to move through the people.
It was night time but the market was still filled with people. The air was chilly and everything was dark but the people didn't seem to mind, the people even appeared to party even harder. Ichigo knew where he needed to go. His body was about to give up and he needed to rest and he knew just the place to do so.
They reached a place where it was murkier then usual. There, stood an oddly constructed house. It was old and grating but the lights inside were on and the house was filled with loud music and merrymaking.
Ichigo walked towards the building and opened the door.
As the lights from inside hit Orihime's vision, her eyes widened in trepidation and her mouth fell agape.
"Thi-This" she stutter, "th-this i-is-this is"
Author's Note:
Oooooh a clifffie! This chapter is like a filller, a really long filler but I hope you liked it :)
Don't forget to review okay
~Ember~