Chapter Ten- Who stole the Tarts?
Reluctantly Ichigo found him self back with the King and Queen. It seemed court was in session. He was sitting down in watching it all. Seemed almost everyone was here. Rukia, too. Even Ikkaku was sitting in the jury. And the familiar faces sitting in the stands watching.
"This should be interesting?"
Ichigo turned to look beside him. "Yoruichi!"
"Silence!" Rukia snapped from her position in the court room.
Yoruichi smiled at the startled orange haired boy. "Shh," she instructed.
"I call The Mad Hatter to the stand!" Rukia stated.
Shunsui appeared from the stands slowly taking his place at the witness stand. He pushed his hat up slightly looking at everyone. "Hope you don't mind, I brought my sake with. Wasn't finished with it when I was called."
"You can't drink in here," insisted Rukia. "And this is a court room, the hat must come off."
The man frowned. "I'm afraid I can't do either of those things." he said simply.
Ichigo sighed. "I'm sorry, what the hell is going on?"
Yoruichi sighed. "Someone stole the Queen's tarts. They believe it was him." she pointed to the man in chains beside the King.
"Kurotsuchi-san?" he asked.
And so it was. The captain of the twelfth division was on trail for stealing the Queen's tarts. This was so crazy. Ichigo shook his head. When could he leave this insanity behind him?
"Where is your evidence, Hatter?" sighed Kenpachi.
"That's right! If you don't show some then it's off with your head!" shouted Queen Yachiru.
"Well," sighed the man at the stand. "I was having tea at six. That's where I always am."
"Liar!" cried Ukitake from the crowd of people watching. He stood up his brown rabbit wars bouncing as he denied his connection to Shunsui. "We never have tea together."
Byakuya mouse nodded in agreement, who was sitting beside him.
"We don't?" asked Shunsui shocked.
"Never," Ukitake insisted.
"Well, then if that's the case then I have no idea what I was doing. I'm afraid don't remember."
Yachiru stomped her feet on the ground in a childish fit. "Not remembering is death!" she cried. "I want to know who stole my tarts! Off with his head! Off with his head!"
Ukitake suddenly leapt into the middle of the court room. "Come Shunsui take my hand and run before you can be executed!"
With a smile he leapt out of the witness stand grabbing the white haired man's hand, the other on his hat to keep it from flying off. The two men flash stepped away Byakuya following their lead.
There was much applause at their dramatic departure. The Queen was not pleased.
"Next witness!" she demanded.
Rukia cleared her throat. "Next we have the Duchesses' is cook. Orihime."
Slightly nervous the strawberry blonde went to the witnesses stand.
"Do you know what happened to the Queen's tarts."
The girl shook her head. "Not at all. But I could make new tarts for the Queen."
"NO!" shouted the Queen.
Orihime crossed her arms. "Fine. I refuse to say anything else."
There was much angry muttering at this.
The King and Rukia exchanged perplexed glances. What to do?
"I don't know why you want tarts anyway," grumbled Orihime. "There mostly made out of pepper anyway."
More muttering.
A dark chuckle rose above the whispering. A puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the courtroom. Aizen Sousuke appeared looking just as stoned as when Ichigo had last seen him. Aizen ran a hand through his dark hair, almost putting it back in it's evil style.
"Actually," he began. "Tarts are made out of treacle."
Many "Ohhhs" and "Ahhs" at this statement.
"That's not true!" Orihime cried. "That's impossible!"
"It is not!" the evil overlord insisted. He held out his hand to her. "Follow me and I will show you."
With a determined nod she reached out and took Aizen's hand, both disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Ichigo rubbed his temples. What the hell was going on in this courtroom?
He looked over at Yoruichi only to not see her.
"Down here, Ichigo."
And so she was. "Bad time to be growing," she said smiling at him.
"I call Kurosaki Ichigo to the stand!" Rukia shouted.
He sighed and made his way to the stand. Careful not to do anything that might get him executed.
Kenpachi began the questioning. "What do you know of the matter at hand?" he asked.
"Nothing. When I got here the tarts were already missing," he said honestly.
The king nods looking up at Ichigo. "There is a rule that those that are a mile high must leave. Rule forty-two."
"I'm not a mile high." grumbled Ichigo. "Plus that's a dumb rule."
"It is not a dumb rule!" snapped Rukia. "It's the oldest rule in the book."
"If it was the oldest rule in the book then it would be rule number one," he said, just out of spite, and because he couldn't stop himself from starting a fight with Rukia.
"He also said that the King is the weakest lookin' thin' he has ever seen. And the Queen, well he said she's off her rocker,"
Ichigo froze. Sitting in front of him, was that guy.
Ichimaru Gin smiling up at him waving his cat gloved hand at him.
"What did he say," hissed Yachiru. Pink flames swirling around her.
"There's only one thing to do, Queen Yachiru." Ichimaru said still looking at Ichigo. "Off wid his head!"
"Off with his head!" cried Yachiru.
Kenpachi's eyes seemed to glow yellow. His sword being drawn, "Let's get him."
The courtroom was suddenly in an uproar.
Gin hopped gracefully on his shoulder. "Oh noes, Ichigo! Ya better run!"
Furious with how this was turning out began to run away from this chaos as fast as he was able.
"Go right I saw him go right!" Yachiru's high pitch voice could be heard.
"Run, run, run, Ichigo or you will lose your head!" sang Ichimaru, on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo was getting taller but everyone was still after him.
"Ya know, the best thin to do is to wake up." The silver haired man said simply.
"What?" asked Ichigo.
"Just wake up." Scarlet eyes peeked out. "Or ya'll die."
"Dontcha hear them callin' for you?"
"Ichigo!"
"I think so," Ichigo tried to concentrate.
With a sigh, Gin pulled on Ichigo's ear as hard as he could. "Wake up!"
Ichigo swatted the assaulting hand away. "Stop it!' he snapped.
"Then wake up, fool!"
He looked around. "What?" he was back in the park. His sisters in the distance. He looked up. "Rukia?" he asked. She was rabbit ear free.
She nodded. "Yeah. Let's go, Hollows are in the area."
He nodded groggily.
"Then lets go,"
He stood up. He was back somehow. Had it all been a dream? It all seemed so real. Yet here he was. He shook his head and followed Rukia.
He never understood what had happened. Perhaps it had been all some crazy dream. Kisuke and Yoruichi, whohad kept their memories never said anything, when he talked to them a day or so after the event.
It just led him to believe that this had all been some kind of crazy dream. He was ready to forget about it at any time.
"Well that was fun." a voice stated.
There was the soft sound of china hitting china. A cup being set on a saucer.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself,"
"Ne? You didn' remember any of it?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Aww. That's too bad. It was fun. You sure paint a pretty picture."
The man smiled picking up his cup again.
"Perhaps we can try again?"
"Not right away."
"O' course."
"It is unlike you to fall under your own illusions, sir."
"Yes. Well, Gin wanted it to be perfect."
"Didn't mean I wanted ya not to forget it all."
"I did say we'd try again, didn't I?"
Three men sat outside at a table at their favorite café. They watched as the Kuchiki girl and the orange haired boy, Kurosaki ran past them to go fight some minor Hollow.
Gin smiled as he watched them go. "What's on the inside of a mirror?"
Aizen sipped his tea thoughtfully. "Perhaps will find out, another day,"
The silver haired man's smile became softer, not as strained as it usually was. More sincere. "That would be nice."
They sat in silence as the sun began to set. Plans of many kinds, turning through each of their minds. Some more sinister then others. Plans for another trip to a true world of illusions very soon was in the recess of all three minds.
A/N
And that sets us up for Through the Looking Glass. A book I have not read, so I will get to that and begin writing again.
Patience, please while I begin work on it. I'll continue chapters here. So as long as you have an alert you will know. Give me a week or two though. Thank you to all the readers and reviewers. I love all of you. *hugs*