Chapter Seven: Last Friday Night, Orihime

"Tatsuki, this way!" I shouted as I led a group of civilians outside of the hotel and away from the fight. I still had my red nightgown on that was four inches above my thighs, so I put on jeans and a black jacket with just my sandals when I started evacuation procedures.

"What the hell is that?!" Tatsuki pointed at the giant warrior clashing with Rokujin's O-Bankai while Mekujin picked off the stragglers. She was still in her pajamas. We left our belongings that we brought earlier in the day since we had no time.

"Mekujin!" I gasped as he flew past me, alerting some of the running civilian population as he began destroying smaller enemies.

"Mekujin? That's the Mekujin you guys have been talking about?!" Tatsuki asked. She was included in the Karakura Special Forces when I helped her develop her spiritual powers. As opposed to my "time reversal" techniques, she was more of a "time eraser."

"Orihime, get your team back up here once you're done getting them to a safe distance! We need to block them here and now!" Mekujin commanded before returning to the fight.

"Right! Okay, let's go, everyone!" I yelled as I ran in front of the group. I started to do parkour since we kept running into obstacles when I ran into Keigo and the others moving another swarm of people to where we're going.

"Tatsuki! Inoue!" Keigo called to us.

"Keep going that way, Keigo! Get these guys to safety!" I ordered as I stood on top of a cab, allowing the people to follow Keigo's group.

"What about you?!" Chizuru asked.

"We'll hold them off!" I ran back to the hotel.

"Hey, wait!" Keigo called out to us.

"Just get them to safety, Asano! I got Inoue covered!" I heard Tatsuki say before she sprinted to where I was heading.

"Tsubaki!" I summoned my Shun Shun Rikka with Tsubaki leading the group. I motioned for them to start making a defensive barrier with the Santen Kesshun.

"Right here, boss!" Tsubaki replied, floating right besides me.

"Leave this to us, Orihime!" Lily said as she began to fly further to expand the barrier with Baigon and Hinagiku.

I nodded. "Let's go, Tsubaki!" We began making our way past the barrier, running to a cliff to try getting a good view of the armored giant in hopes of finding a sensitive spot. I ran along the beach when I heard Tatsuki.

"Orihime, I'm going over to the other side! I think there's some people still trying to get away!" Tatsuki notified me while she was surrounded by eight small spirits herself.

"Okay, but be careful! Good luck, sis!" I called out to her as she took off after giving me a mock salute, two of her spirits forming wings for her to move faster.

"Watch out!" Rokujin shouted to me, crashing on the sand.

"Rokujin! Are you okay?" I ran up to him as he got up, shaking his head.

"I'm good. The back of its neck is armored but I managed to daze it after a good hit to the spine. If you can get behind it and blast a hole in its armor when it's not looking, then you can leave the rest up to us," Rokujin informed. I nodded and he returned to the fight with Mekujin.

"Let's go, Tsubaki!" I made my way to the cliff when I got surrounded by three skeletal warriors. I jumped back and began to channel my resolve, and when I opened my eyes, I felt anger rising through my veins when I thought of how much these demons had caused so much harm. I will not allow it! "Koten Zanshun! I REJECT!"

"OH YEAH!" Tsubaki flew towards them, his body engulfed in a bright light as he accelerated with a killing intent. He destroyed all three but I didn't let him stop there. I remembered all of the troubles caused to us and how much Renji was willing to harm enemies to protect those he loved, and how much work ethic he had when he trained. And how much he is willing to do for me. And now... it became my turn to do more for him. My resolve will not be swayed! I noticed how Tsubaki penetrated the giant's helm, blowing a large hole on it that seemed to force it to stagger from the heavily dealt impact.

"Good job, Orihime!" Rokujin complimented.

"Now let's finish this!" Mekujin commanded, his and Rokujin's body engulfed with their signature colors as they once again entered their O-Bankai form. I nodded.

"KOTEN ZANSHUN! GO, TSUBAKI! I REJECT!" I threw my hands forward as Tsubaki flew behind the Hiryu cousins before going straight to the giant enemy.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" Mekujin cried, directing the blast in a large black arc towards the neck region.

"HIKOTSU TAIHOU!" Rokujin called simultaneously with Mekujin, the surge of energy fusing with the Getsuga Tenshou, combing their colors as it absorbs Tsubaki, the blast becoming larger as it glows a bright gold, taking the form of a Chinese dragon. It hits the giant demon, blowing off the torso before the rest of the pieces fall into the sea.

"Yeah!" I jumped up as I cheered, laughing gleefully. Tsubaki joined me, floating by my side as he folded his arms.

"You got stronger, kid!" Tsubaki complimented. I nodded, smiling at my friend.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Orihime," Mekujin reminded. He and Rokujin descended when Rokujin walked to get a better look of the area. I noticed Tatsuki still rescuing people and there were still swarms of ghouls in the area.

"Let's get to them before they start a massacre." Rokujin took his weapon and began making his way to assist Tatsuki.

"Pick off what you can but your main priority is to get the people to safety. I'll stay near you in case you get overwhelmed," Mekujin stated. I nodded and we both began running to the beach.

Renji... please be safe...

I began running to back to the people when I saw someone dressed in a miko priestess outfit with the sole exception of the hakama being replaced by a red skirt just two inches above her knees and instead of a white top, it was black with red colored diamonds and other elaborate designs. She had magatama beads worn and a naginata on her back; her hair was rather long and I noticed she looked like Yoruichi but her expression was more stern. She had black gloves with red outlines. She wore knee high socks with black sandals that geisha wore. Held on her hand was a nodachi. She turned to face me and I saw hair-clips attached to her left side of her hair, realizing now that these hair-clips were similar to Setsuka's.

"Who... who are you?" I asked. She turned, ignoring me as she withdrew her nodachi.

"Bankai!" she cried out, red light being absorbed into her blade as she raised it, the skies turning as black as smoke and red like fire. I felt the atmosphere getting scorching hot as my lips began to dry up, my breathing become increasingly difficult. I fell to my knees and recognized the same effect Captain Yamamoto had but this was strangely different. I looked up to see the skies opening up and for some reason, it turned into night. I saw meteor showers falling to an enormous enemy I didn't realize Rokujin's forces were engaging, obliterating the target. And then I saw an army of translucent colorful tigers descend that entered the fight where I was going to be heading because Tatsuki was alone. I looked to the woman and her breasts were wrapped with bandages, spiritual energy flowing from her hands and her hair had grown considerably longer, wilder as her mouth was covered by some sort of armored anti-poison mask. Her skirt turned into hakama pants that were jagged as red torrential pillars began to circulate the vicinity. "Kijin no Sairai, Genjutsurugi."

"You..." Mekujin began but was falling close to unconsciousness, mostly because he sustained more otherwise near-fatal injuries than Rokujin.

I can't... breathe...

"Inoue-nii-san?" I heard Asuna call to me. I fell and I felt her catch me, and when I opened my eyes, I realized she begun to cry. She is not affected?

"Asuna..." I called to her weakly, gliding my palm against her cheek. She held on to me and when she looked up, the woman was staring at her. Rokujin arrived in time and even though he seemed to handle the fluctuating overflow of spiritual power, I can see him slightly disturbed by her presence. I looked at Asuna with my last ounces of strength as she tried to recognize the figure. Rokujin took note of her appearance and his eyes widened.

"Asuna! Get back!" Rokujin commanded.

"Are you...?" Asuna asked, her voice trembling.

"Stay away, child," the woman declared. "If you know what's good for you." She turned, walking away as her path burned from her reaching distance. "Roku-san," she greeted.

"Asuka," Rokujin replied. "It has been a long time." I got up. Asuka Juushirou? Jinpachi and Izayoi's daughter?

"Mama?" Asuna whispered.

MOM?!

I blacked out.

One week later, Friday night

I groaned as I woke up. I was in the recovery room with Asuna asleep next to me and who I thought was her mother covering her with a blanket. She was elderly yet she had a regal look. Asuna was cleric for the cathedral, training to be a miko priestess. She was already a senior member and she had enough spiritual power to become the commanding officer of the Kido Corps. The man who I believed to be her father was a paladin, a combination of a priest and a fighter, and he was one of Hidden Temple's council members and chief mentors to the cathedral. I smiled at the lady as she left and I realized how elegant her attire was. Asuna was more simple and then I began to realize the crossing resemblance between Asuka and Asuna. I got up and saw that a bowl of hot soup had been waiting for me. I heard my stomach growl so I sat up right to devour it. I looked at the calendar and realized I had been out for a week. I ate in silence and right when I finished, I heard Asuna yawning. Rubbing her eyes, she beamed a smile at me.

"Good morning, nii-san!" Asuna greeted. "Feeling better?"

"I sure am. This soup is good!"

"Really? I made it for you!"

"It was delicious. Thank you, Asuna!"

"You're welcome!"

"Asuna, can I ask you a question?"

"Eh?" Asuna tilted her head just as she was about to exit.

"You called Asuka mama. Why?" Asuna reacted by looking at the ground sadly. Nevertheless, she mustered a smile.

"I was adopted when I was a baby. I never knew my mother or my father so my father's parents took me in and I lived in the Hidden Temple ever since. I was told both of my parents died when I was small and they weren't married yet. I knew Setsuka all my life so I look up to her a lot like a big sister though she's technically my aunt. She was the one who told me about my mother as I grew and she was the only one I ever really played with. Roku-sama and Meku-sama were too busy with work and training, and I never really had any friends. People used to call me a freak because I wasn't like everybody else so I stayed home and studied a lot," Asuna said with a depressing tone. "I'm glad now because I have you guys!" Her expression quickly changed. How could she smile like that? Her family basically spills tragedy from the cracked jar of happiness.

"So Asuka is your mother?"

"Uh-huh! See!" Asuna gave me a photo of her mother when she was a young adult.

"Do you ever miss her?"

"Everyday... but I grew up with Takeshi and Sango as my parents in the Uchiha clan though I spent more time with the Hiryu family."

"She is so beautiful."

"Yeah! People say I look like her but I don't think so. She was the second most beautiful person in the Hiryu clan. Izayoi was the first and Setsuka comes in third."

"Your family must be exclusive."

"We kind of are." Asuna blushed as she began pressing her two pointer fingers together. "You see, majority of our clan fills up this village and only a small population contains outside families. We're as big as the Rukongai so we never have to worry about marrying close relatives. The main clan still holds some kind of royalty so I was kind of an outcast at school."

"I see. Do you ever venture out of the Hidden Temple?"

"Nah. We have everything here. Some people go outside to explore but nobody leaves here permanently. Plus, it takes a lot of spiritual energy to even leave the Lost City, let alone go past the Hidden Temple's gates."

"It was easy for us, though."

"Yeah, Meku-sama allowed you guys in here. It's guarded by Hospitallers. They're like wizards that have insane reiatsu but not physical fighters. Mekujin is in charge of the Hospitallers while Rokujin is in charge of the Templars."

"Templars?"

"Uh-huh! The exact opposite of Hospitallers!"

"What are Paladins?"

"They make up the Main Council, mostly Hiryu, Uchiha and Juushirou clan members but others get elected into office. They make up the government body and there's sixty-four of them. Takeshi is the chief for law. Sango used to be a Paladin but she left them to become my teacher in the Holy Temple where priests are trained."

"It's like you have your own country in here!"

"Yeah-huh! I never really want to leave but you have to take me to Karakura one day!" Asuna begged with puppy dog eyes.

I smiled at her curiosity. We were welcomed by the first day. Well, they didn't harbor no ill will towards us so I was sort of happy but in time, the people came to appreciate us as one of their own. Everytime we came to the Lost City, we were greeted with enthusiasm, especially if we had Ichigo and Renji with us. They even had no hatred towards Ishida when Setsuka revealed he was a Quincy. It turns out that the population had no vendetta against anyone and the affairs of the past Gotei had were entirely separate matters. I looked outside my window and noticed a statue of Jinpachi holding his weapon up with Izayoi's. It was truly romantic to see...

"I better get going. I hope you get better soon!"

"I will. Wait, Asuna!"

"Yes?"

"Where is everybody?"

"They're around the city. Oh, except Renji and Ichigo."

"Except them? How come?"

"They're dead."

My heart dropped.

Dead?

Asuna left the room and the only thing for me to do was cry.

As time continued to stray...

It had been a few days since I found out Ichigo and Renji's fatalities. We were joined by Hitsugaya Juushirou as he stood over the unconscious Gotei warriors. They engaged the Orochi clones that the Karakura Special Forces assumed was the real deal before he arrived and while he remained distracted by the multitude of clones and Hiruyaga took on Bahamut with Sesshoumaru, Ichigo and Renji decided to fight the real Orochi and it took them no less than a few seconds to fall but nobody saw the attack happen. Hitsugaya distracted the Orochi while Hiruyaga and Sesshoumaru's forces recovered the unconscious team. Ishida and Uryuu were still trying to rescue the remaining inhabitants so they were just as shocked. I walked up to Hitsugaya, noticing the resemblance he had with Ichigo and Renji due the strong DNA structures that held the Hiryu blood by a small margin though he was far more muscular. I looked as several medical personnel continued to heal the heavily injured officers. Renji and Ichigo were transferred to a special department that deals with severe trauma that ordinary, not even the high class Shinigami medics from the prestigious 4th Division, could asses.

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji have no indications of life within them but something is amiss. Your friends from the Gotei gathered data to investigate their condition but they're currently deceased. Hiruyaga and Sesshoumaru will oversee the operation but in the meantime, I suggest you recover and hasten your training. Our schedule has been off so far," Hitsugaya told Urahara and the hospital chief, Hatsume Hiryu. He saw me but said nothing. "Hatsume, as the director of this establishment, you need to get these people back to fighting form as soon as possible. We need to double time our plans before the Ghost King eradicates all worlds."

"On it, Hitsugaya-sama. And it's good to see you again," Hatsume replied with a bow. Hitsugaya held a hand up to tell her it was not necessary.

"Where will you be going?" Urahara asked just as he was about to leave the examination room.

"Asuna and Rokujin ran into my sister. I need to get to Asuka before Izanami does."

"What? Izanami? Why Izanami?" I asked. Hitsugaya glared but that didn't frighten me. I felt a little intimidated but I stood my ground.

"We are dealing with Izanami's demons. The Orochi was the only creation of the Ghost King that appeared. Asuka has more vengeance in her heart than anyone in our clan. She may be powerful to kill Izanami but doing so will have catastrophic results. The Genjutsurugi is a weapon capable of tearing worlds asunder. If she used the Satsui no Meido Zangetsuha, she can unlock the Ghost King's realm and she could demolish our world just by the evil coming out of it."

"And how are you going to stop her?" I heard a familiar voice so I turned around to see Kirio Hikifune from the Royal Guard enter, her body slender. "What are your plans, Hitsugaya?"

"I see the Zero Division sent an emissary!" Urahara stated. Hitsugaya just stared at the former captain.

"The Genjutsurugi gets more powerful as long as its wielder feeds it with the necessary will. If she willed destruction, then hell will rain from the skies. The Zantetsuken was forged to combat evil as long as the wielder recognizes the enemy. Both weapons have unlimited energy and both have power that is only reflected by their determination and how strong their intent is." Hitsugaya stopped just outside of the room. "Your group can do nothing. Asuka needs to absorb the power of the Soul King in order to get to Izanami's palace. And nobody can stop her."

"What makes you think that?" Captain Hikifune asked and I can hear she had taken the insult in her tone.

"Because, Captain Hikifune," Hitsugay began, slowly moving her kimono down to reveal more of her cleavage and a scar that was across her abdomen. "I bested you before, I can best you again." Hitsugaya left and I turned to Hikifune who had her top undone but her breasts were covered. She scoffed as she redid her uniform.

"I hate that man..." she grumbled.

"It seems you know him," Urahara remarked.

"He personally trained me before I entered the Gotei and with his methods, I got promoted to the Zero Division. I was also in love with him but he didn't return it so I took the position to forget about him but... we would observe Soul Society daily and just hearing that there is a Hitsugaya among their current ranks makes old feelings return." Hikifune sighed as she grabbed Captain Kuchiki's hand. He was still out. "I hate that man..." she repeated.

"I remember you, Hikifune-sama. You have been a patient here once," Hatsume spoke, giving the woman a smile.

"Yes, and it was more than once. And before you became head of the hospital. Back then, this place was much smaller."

"Yes, I was the executive director for poison control. It has been a long time." Hatsume bowed, causing Hikifune to start waving her arms in panic.

"That's not necessary! Nobody should have a Hiryu bow to them! Come on, get up!"

"You're so silly, Hikifune!" Hatsume giggled. Hikifune sighed. One of Hatsume's officers came up to her, whispering in her ear. "I have other matters to attend to. Inoue-chan, please do rest."

"I will," I said, bowing to her as she left.

"Let's catch up sometime, Hana-chan!" Hikifune called, earning a wave from Hatsume.

"Hana-chan?" I pondered aloud.

"It was a nickname Hitsugaya and Asuka gave to her," she answered.

"Just how old are you, Kirio?" Urahara asked with his characteristic grin. A minute later, the people outside of the room witness a flying Urahara soar through the window to a fountain.

"Anyway," she said, dusting her hands off. "I was considered part of the fourth generation when the Gotei formed but I didn't become a captain until much later. So I was there before Shunsui and Ukitake but I couldn't afford the fees to enter the Shin'ou Academy so I would train with Hatsume's sister, Kagura, as an auxiliary member. I met Hitsugaya through her and Hatsume through him. Hitsugaya offered to pay for my tuition but I refused so Asuka put in a good word for me," Hikifune recalled, watching birds fly by. "I grew close to the Hiryu family. Hitsugaya took me to the ruins of the Lost City that was once Zangetsugure where he trained me. I owe it to him that I am where I am today."

"Are you glad he's alive?" I asked. She thought about it and when she decided she was, she smiled but didn't answer me directly.

"What does it matter?" Hikifune whispered. "We need to take care of everyone here. I'll assemble a few rooms for them and begin preparing meals to re-calibrate their strength. You should rest, too, child. You look exhausted."

Captain Hikifune left when Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu came in to check up on them. I am exhausted. I don't know what to do anymore. I ended up passing out.

Karakura, back in my room...

I was combing my hair in a trance when I realized how much time had passed by. We've spent almost two years in Soul Society and nearly five in the Hidden Temple, but only a few months passed in our world. It seems that it was up to the citizens and its leaders to control the flow of time in the Hidden Temple, which did explain why Rokujin did not look a day older than Byakuya. Some of our classmates noticed I looked more mature but I hadn't aged. They asked where Renji and Ichigo were but I cried at the mere thought of him. People assumed he and I split so I'd been getting passes from a lot of the students. Captain Ukitake came in, all bandaged up, to let the staff know that the Gotei officers were all in a hiking accident so it could be a time before they returned. Yumichika, Ikkaku and Hinamori were explained to have the flu while Ishida explained Ichigo and Renji were having major stomach problems. We had to explain we went kayaking in Okinawa despite how unbelievable it sounds but Ishida managed to detail that. I spent everyday receiving letters from admirers or text messages from random guys. I ended up putting my phone on silent for the most part and I would delete around one hundred messages per day.

It was around six in the evening and I had packed everything for our little group date. It was Friday, five weeks in Soul Society's time, two and a half months in the Hidden Temple, but a week from the attack set on the hotel. We were headed to one of the swimming holes outside of Karakura. There was a beautiful marble cave you needed to enter before you went to the swimming hole and we decided to go at night time. The rest of the seniors were going to be there but our group was going to travel together. I looked into my bag and found I had everything but when I looked up, I saw this cute little monkey doll that I just had to adore. I picked up and smiled but I remembered who gave it to me as tears fall down my face.

"Renji... how could you..." I sobbed as I stared at the doll he gave me, my tears falling on my lap as I realized mascara running down my face. I felt my phone vibrate as I held on to it and I saw a text from one of my classmates.

6:30PM I'm outside. Ready to go, babe?

6:30PM Yeah, I'm just making some minor adjustments.

6:30PM Don't worry, you won't be needing your clothes to where we're going. ;)

6:30PM When did you get so perverted, Mizuho?

6:31PM Just admit you love it, sweet buns!

6:31PM Oh, hah-hah. I'm going out.

I walked out with my backpack. I was wearing white short shorts and a pink shirt that had strawberries on it. I was wearing sneakers even though we were going to go swimming because the cave had a rocky trail. I tied my hair up when I was in Soul Society the first time. I saw Mizuho, Keigo, Chizuru and Tatsuki waiting for me outside. We were supposed to meet everyone by the cafe Chizuru worked at but I started to drift off into another world as they began to tease Keigo.

Flashback

I sobbed as quietly as I could on the bed Renji and I would share while we stayed here. They gave us rooms to stay in during our visits at a very luxurious and large hotel. It looked like a shinto temple and it was located near an old fashion bathhouse. I looked up, my eyes swollen from the enduring hours learning of Renji's sudden demise. He still had an extra uniform here and it kept his scent. I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink and when I tried to do both, I couldn't fill myself from the lack of appetite. On a desk near the window was a picture, framed by macaroni that the kids gave us with a photo Asuna took of us during the second time I visited the Lost City. We were both sitting on the edge of a cliff and I was on his lap, staring off into the distance. We were bird watching that day and I remember Asuna sneaking up on us. I gripped Renji's uniform, letting it soak from my muffled crying.

"Crying won't bring him back, you know," Setsuka said, startling me.

"I didn't know anyone was here," I replied, still crying a little. My voice felt lumpy. I wiped my tears with his uniform. "Sorry..."

"Don't be. Nobody understands the pain you do. Seems your friends are still having a hard time coping with the loss."

"I don't know what to do without him... how could he do such a thing without thinking..." I began to cry again.

"That's something he and Jinpachi shared. He knew he could potentially die when he faced the Ghost King again. But he still went anyway. It was the matter of his heart and the capacity of love he held for Izayoi and their children." Setsuka walked up to me, sitting on the bed as I kneel towards it, running her fingers through my hair. "Death is not the end of something for Izayoi did her best to raise her children up until the end of her time for she knew death was just the beginning of another adventure." She kissed the top of my head in a maternal fashion. "We love you, child... don't forget that..."

"I need him!" I sobbed into his uniform, my body beginning to shake involuntarily from the overwhelming emotion.

"I know. I'll leave you alone for now." Setsuka got up to give me space to leave the room but before she closed her door, she paused. "Hatsume and your friend, Isane Kotetsu, found something off with their corpses. While they are technically deceased, their bodies remain empty vessels as if they never had any souls in them. Hiruyaga suspected it to be the same kind of effect Jinpachi went through when he first entered the Star Gladiator realm so Rokujin went to Hitsugaya for answers but he was nowhere to be found. He may have went after Asuka. Mekujin and Sesshoumaru are going to the old archives to find out more about the Satsui no Meido Zangetsuha." Boy, this girl does not address her parents formally. Then again, she did have her mother's last name since Sesshoumaru was a mononymous name.

"Thank you, Setsuka-san..."

"You're welcome, Orihime."

She closed the door gently. I looked up and saw that the sun began to set. I got in the shower and had a quick change of clothes into a customized Shinigami uniform Renji made for me. I tied my hair up and began to make my way to Rokujin first to get some answers before I meet Mekujin and Sesshoumaru. I decided to leave Hiruyaga last because she did not seem very receptive of our appearance but she was not belligerent. I think she was more concerned about Hitsugaya's sudden intervention. We were informed that Hitsugaya Juushirou was guardian of the eastern region while Sesshoumaru and Hiruyaga stayed by the south sector of Soul Society. Hitsugaya would rotate between the north and east while Seshoumaru and Hiruyaga would occasionally move to the west. These were the edges of Soul Society, barren wasteland where it would take epochs to reach that not even captain-class Shinigami could make it to the end of the journey. There were four obelisks that once served as defensive weapons during the primordial age when the pantheon would wage war against one another, sending the Ghost King to where he currently resides through the use of this mechanism that ended up separating Seireitei from our world. The end results brought forth Hollows, spirits with no emotion and no conscience but not necessarily evil beings.

I made it to the massive library when I ran into Rokujin. When we entered the hidden archives, Mekujin had him in a sleeper-hold but released his grip when he saw it was Rokujin. Apparently, the entire Hidden Temple was so sacred and so sensitive that they went to use any measures to protect the family's remaining history. We saw Sesshoumaru looking through a mountain of books but from what Mekujin says, nothing was found. Several people were looking through the records but nothing came up. I picked a book near the mythology section (who knew?), and I read an entry about the Legendary Baboon King and the Charming Snake. It told a tale of an arrogant king when an elderly woman came to him seeking food and shelter. The king used her as a slave but his kingdom suffered from famine and war. When the king asked the woman, who became his most trusted adviser, about why this was happening, the once old wretch turned into an enchantress. She cursed him to live for eternity, watching all those he had precious to him left to rot and decay. So the king cursed her back, fusing the two into one. This story made me think of Renji and his zanpakutou spirit. I put the book back and sat down, sighing as I stared at a random book when I noticed the title. Reign of the Star King.

"Interesting..." I said, picking up the book. It was just a fable where the Star King was once a servant known as the Star Gladiator who fought through oppression before he ruled the galaxies. The Star Kingdom.

"This is going to take some time..." Sesshoumaru said to everyone while he read through the abundance of books. Hiruyaga came in and I waved but she just ignored me as well as Rokujin.

"She doesn't like me very much..." I noted as Rokujin sat next to me.

"She's not the talkative type," he assured. "Reign of the Star King? Good book. We kept some of these novels here because they were the last of their kind. It was written during Zangetsu's era, and his wife was the author. Most of these books were written during that era so we may not find anything anytime soon."

I smiled weakly at his unyielding determination but I can tell he was frustrated. Then it hit me.

The Star King...

I spent hours reading stories here and realized the Star Gladiator entered another world before he became its regent.

"Hey-OUCH!" I jumped up, bumping my head on something. I rubbed my head but when I recovered, I saw Sesshoumaru with his head tilted down, his reading glasses lowered as Mekujin began to shake his head. "I think I may have found something!"

"Tell us, girl," Hiruyaga demanded with her commander's tone. "Speak." I gulped and Setsuka entered the room with a basket of fruit.

"Apple?" she offered to me.

End of flashback

"Inoue? Hey, Inoue! Hello!" Tatsuki waved her hand in front of me, snapping me out of my funk. We made it to the cave and I could hear laughter in the distance. "Welcome back to Earth."

"Sorry..." I apologized, punching my head lightly.

"You're so cute!" Chizuru complimented, earning a kick from Mizuho.

"Come on, let's go." Mizuho sighed as Keigo dragged the dazed Chizuru.

"She's so scary!" Keigo whispered, following my friends.

Please be okay... Renji...

To be continued...

Next Chapter: Part Of Me, Renji.

SNEAK PEAK!

"Fuck..." I groaned, holding my abdomen as I started to focus my vision but red liquid blocked most of my view. I had a slight moment of confusion before I remembered I was in the Star King's realm.

"You will meet your end here, you pathetic cur!" Kazujin screamed as he made his descent at us, a giant phoenix forming around his body that nearly enveloped this world.

"Renji!" Ichigo shouted to me. His uniform was charred from the intense heat and his body was severely scarred.

There is no way in hell that we can escape from this man!