I'm surrounded by darkness. I can feel a presence here with me but I can't see it. That's when I begin to recognize where I am. I've been here before. Seto, the mysterious figure behind the murders of my older brothers, had started to invade my mind over a month ago. I started to calm myself down, knowing that Seto would use anything he could against me to try and take my spiritual pressure.
Soon enough a white cloud started swirling in front of me. A low rumbling sound, much like a chuckle could be heard emanating from within. Seto never stepped out of the white cloud, preferring to keep his identity a secret.
"Well little princess it seems that you have finally been found," he said. "Tell me, are you going to return to the Soul Society or try and escape?"
I didn't answer. I was already slightly worried that he knew I had been found. That meant he had either been watching the entire time I had the interaction with Renji and Urahara, or he had spies that were following me around. Whatever the case I knew that I needed to keep everyone safe. This was my concern not theirs.
"The time is coming closer for when I will finally have you in my grasp and the eradication of the Soul Society will take place. Soon you will be nothing more than a powerless little girl that can do nothing to protect those she loves."
"You're wrong," I said interrupting him, still staying calm.
"Oh? And why's that," he asked, the cloud slowly inching its way towards me.
"To be honest a coward who can't even show his face doesn't deserve an answer from me. You know who I am. All I know is that you call yourself Seto," I answered.
All I got in response from him was a low chuckle from within the white cloud. "You have some nerve little girl. Just remember I'm always watching." The cloud dispersed and with it the impenetrable darkness.
I awoke to find myself laying on a futon in a room that resembled some of the ones in the palace back home. The floor was made of tatami mats. Looking around I noticed a few key features of the room I was in. Moonlight was coming in from my right side where a sliding door was open to reveal a small garden. To my left was a wall that most likely had a door leading into the inside of the building. A few feet away lay my zanpaku-to, along with the special holster I had designed to carry all four of them on my small frame. Across from the futon I was in was a small shelf with a vase containing cherry blossoms. I was still dressed in the clothes I had been wearing when I fought the hollow. I tried sitting up so I could reach my swords. That was when I realized I could hardly move. After having been on the run for two days straight before running into Renji I had over exerted myself to the point that it caused me excruciating pain just to sit up. Then I remembered. I had been found by Renji!
I pushed aside any pain and made myself sit up. I took a moment to catch my breath before grabbing my wakizashi, Flying Spirit and moving to my knees. I slowly stood up doing my best not to make any sound. If I was still under Renji's supervision he would be keeping watch on me nearby to ensure that I couldn't run off again. Even though the pain I felt just standing up made me want to collapse all over again, I fought against it making my way to the open door leading to the garden. Taking a quick look outside I noticed the walkway and the garden to be empty. I then headed towards the opposite wall knowing that somewhere along it would be a door that would lead inside. It took me a couple of minutes to get there since I was in so much pain. It took me almost another five minutes to figure out which part of the wall slid open to reveal a hallway. Looking to my left revealed dark rooms. I carefully headed up the hallway in the other direction. One of the rooms was well lit and I could hear several voices coming from within. I recognized the voice of Renji and Urahara but none of the others. They were laughing and joking around with everyone inside the room. I stood outside the door catching my breath yet again and summoning up the courage to open the door. Just as I was about to make my way into the room, the silhouette of a tall figure appeared at the door. I tried to step back into the shadows but I wasn't quick enough. The door opened, the figure stepped out and tripped over my feet causing both of us to fall to the floor and me to finally cry out in pain.
Instead of trying to get back up I stayed on the floor trying to make myself as small as possible. The person that had caused my fall quickly recovered and noticed me laying in the shadows of the hallway.
"Hey, are you ok," the male voice asked.
I couldn't answer. The amount of pain coursing through my body was keeping me from answering. That's when I heard Renji speak up.
"Hey Ichigo! What happened," he yelled. I could vaguely hear him walking to the door.
"I tripped over some girl," the guy, Ichigo answered.
"What," Renji exclaimed now hurrying towards the door stepping out into the hallway.
Upon reaching the doorway he followed Ichigo's gaze to see me curled up into a ball on my side on the floor.
"Arina," he exclaimed quickly rushing to my side.
He grabbed my arm and tried rolling me onto my back. Only it didn't work the way he wanted it to. The moment he grabbed my arm and shoulder and pulled I cried out in pain again. He quickly let go thinking that he had hurt me. He tried again, this time being much softer and slower, carefully pulling my upper body into his lap.
"What's wrong, Arina," he asked. I still couldn't answer. Apparently the walking I had done just a few short minutes ago was more than enough to send me back over the edge when it came to pushing myself farther.
That was when Urahara spoke up, stepping into the hallway and turning on the light, illuminating the scene. "It seems that our little spirit has over done it, Renji. We need to get her back in bed. Without hurting her."
"What do you mean over done it? And how do you suggest we do that," Renji asked trying to mask his frustration. Even after all I had done to him, he still cared about me.
"First let's get her back into that room. Then I'll explain. In order to do so I'll need to inject her with this," Urahara stated walking to where I was laying on the floor and kneeling down to my level. In his hand was a small needle with a teal colored liquid in it. "It's a concoction that I've been working on specifically for this issue. I haven't been able to test it thoroughly yet so it may not work."
"Just do it," I stated interrupting him.
Urahara looked me straight in my eye to ensure that this was what I wanted. I nodded my head only slightly. Within a matter of a few seconds Urahara had removed the cap from the needle and was jabbing it into my upper arm through my shirt sleeve. The initial contact of the needle going into my skin should not have been as painful as it felt. But in my condition it seemed like Urahara was taking his sword and ramming it through my upper arm. I whimpered doing the best I could not to cry out. The pain from the needle lasted longer than the actual process of the injection.
"It'll probably be best if we wait a little while before moving her," he said to Renji and myself. Then he turned to the small group of people behind him. "Tessai, can you make some fresh lavender tea for the princess? Jinta and Ururu please go fix a small meal for her and find her a change of clothes. She'll need to eat something before she falls back to sleep tonight. And I'm sure some clean clothes will help her to relax."
I watched as the people he spoke to quickly headed off to do their assigned tasks. Urahara headed back into the room everyone had been while Ichigo stood up and walked over to stand near Renji.
"Sorry about that," he said looking down at me. "I keep telling Urahara not to be stingy when it comes to lighting up the hallway when it gets dark out. But he's a stubborn bastard."
I chuckled then hissed in pain. While the amount of pain I was feeling had gone down a little bit in the last few minutes, it still hurt to make even the slightest movements.
"Try not to move," Renji said carefully moving a strand of hair that had fallen in my face out of the way.
Silence settled in. There was much that Renji and I had to discuss. But now wasn't the place nor the time.
"So who are you exactly," the guy named Ichigo asked breaking the silence.
The pain had subsided a little bit more now so I was able to answer his question. "My name is Arina Ametsuchi. I was born in the Soul Society as the sixth child to the Soul King."
"So that's why Urahara called you princess, huh," Ichigo asked.
I nodded in agreement as Urahara walked back into the hallway.
"If that concoction of mine were to work we should be able to move her now, Renji," he said.
"You ready to give it a try, Arina," Renji asked looking down at me.
"Yeah, no offense but this isn't the most comfortable spot," I answered.
Renji carefully repositioned the two of us so that one of his arms was supporting my upper back and the other was behind my knees. He slowly stood up trying not to jostle me too much and headed back towards the room.
"Wait! I forgot to grab Flying Spirit," I said causing Renji to stop and turn back around.
"It's alright. I've got it," Ichigo said as Renji continued down the hallway.
It was a much shorter journey this time since I wasn't the one having to do the walking. We arrived at the room I had woken up in fairly quickly. Renji walked into the room and had Ichigo turn on the light switch that I had missed in my earlier stumble to find my way out. Ichigo set down Flying Spirit next to my other three zanpakuto. Renji carefully set me down on the bed and pulled the covers over my legs, then set up the pillows so that I could sit up without a lot of effort to hold myself up.
"I thought you could only have one zanpakuto," Ichigo stated studying each sword without unsheathing them.
"Normally, yes," I answered watching him. "Just who are you?"
"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm a substitute Soul Reaper," he answered finally leaving my zanpakuto alone.
"Substitute," I asked. The Soul Society was generally pretty strict on who they allowed to become a Soul Reaper. While I had been allowed to attend the academy, if only to learn to control my powers, I had not been allowed to join a squad.
"It's a long story for another day," Renji said interjecting. "A lot has happened in the five years you've been gone."
Just then the man Urahara had addressed as Tessai walked in with a small tray that he set down in front of me on the bed. It contained a steaming cup of the lavender tea that had been requested, a small bowl of rice and a small dish of meat and veggies. The smell alone was enough to make my stomach grumble.
"Ururu is still looking for some clothes for you. You're about Rukia's size but I don't see you as much of a dress person," Urahara said walking into the room.
I nodded no while chuckling a little before blowing on the tea to cool it down. I wasn't much of a tea drinker but I knew that if I complained even a little bit Renji would start an argument with me about why I should just drink it.
"So why is it that you can have four zanpakuto," Ichigo asked again.
I was currently starting to eat so I paused and looked over at Renji and Urahara. I didn't know if I could trust this Ichigo person.
"It's ok, Arina," Urahara said nodding at me.
"Would you mind telling him then so I can continue to eat," I asked taking another sip of the tea to wash down a bite of food.
"Tessai would you mind making some tea for everyone," Urahara asked. "Why don't we all get comfortable in here and then I can tell the story."
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was then that Ururu and Rukia showed up with a set of clothes for me to wear.
"We found a set of pajamas that might work for now. We'll have to go shopping tomorrow to get you more regular clothes," Rukia said heading towards me and handing me the clothes.
I paused and looked at the set of clothes and thought about my current situation. I was still slightly sore from the last two days of using so much spiritual pressure. The outfit I was currently wearing was very form fitting so it would be difficult to get all of it off on my own.
"Kuchiki-san," I asked slightly bowing my head.
"Yes," Rukia responded.
"Would you mind helping me change clothes? I'm not sure I can do it on my own," I asked.
Rukia immediately did a full bow before me. "It would be an honor," she said.
I waved my hand at her to get up. "Please don't do that. I'm not a princess here. I'm just me."
With that I finished eating and everyone left the room, Renji taking the now empty food tray with him.
"You'll have to help me stand up," I said to Rukia. "I'm not sure I can do it on my own."
Over the next ten to fifteen minutes Rukia carefully helped me get into a more comfortable set of clothes, yukata to be exact. I have to admit, Rukia had more patience than I gave her credit for when we had initially met earlier in the street after I had fought with that hollow. She was careful and slow so as not to cause me any slight instance of pain. And I was not easy to work with. I just wanted it done and over quickly but I soon learned that moving fast was going to be more problematic than when we went slower. But soon enough I was completely changed and back in bed.
Rukia left to let the others know and I was left to my thoughts. Seto knew that I had been found. The question now was if he knew where I had been taken. If I could figure that out it would be easier to figure out my next course of action: whether or not to stay or to run.
I must have been deeper in thought than I realized because next thing I knew, Renji was snapping his fingers in front of my face trying to get my attention. No matter what I couldn't tell him that Seto knows where I am.
"Are you okay," he asked sitting on the floor near me.
I nodded in response and gladly accepted the hot cup of tea that Tessai handed me. I really didn't want it but the warmth of the cup was comforting and helped to drive away the fear of Seto from my mind.
"Well, then now that we are all here it is time for introductions to be made," Urahara quickly started getting right to the point. "Arina you already know Renji, Rukia and myself. Tessai used to reside in the Soul Society a long time ago. This is Chad Yasutora, Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, and Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo is the resident substitute soul reaper. Uryu here is a Quincy, Chad and Orihime just so happen to have strong enough spiritual pressure to have special abilities of their own. Friends, this is Arina Ametsuchi, princess of the Soul Society, sxith child of the Soul King, and heir apparent to the throne."
Renji, Rukia, Urahara and Tessai were quiet already knowing who I was. It was the other four that seemed a little stunned, although Ichigo had already found out who I was.
That was when the one I believed to be Uryu spoke up. "If you're a princess then why aren't you residing in the Soul Society?"
I gripped the sheets covering my legs a little tighter. This wasn't a story I felt comfortable telling random people.
However, Renji could apparently still tell when something was bothering me, because he came to my aid. "When Arina was younger she had five older brothers. Those brothers were each killed by someone known as Seto. All we know is that he wants to kill every member of the royal family so that he can eventually take over the Soul Society and destroy it."
"Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that," the girl, Orihime spoke up quietly.
"It's fine. Not much can be done about it now," I responded.
"But that still doesn't explain why you aren't in the Soul Society. Isn't that were you would be the most protected," Ichigo asked.
I sighed. I felt Renji touch my shoulder and I looked over at him. His face was asking me the same question. I could also see it asking me if I wanted to tell everyone that at one point he and I had been set to get married. I knew I needed to tell him why he left. And if he and Urahara trusted these guys, then I suppose I could trust them too. I nodded at Renji and he took his hand off of my arm.
"When I was a young girl I was engaged to a member of the Gotei 13. However, a couple of years after our engagement he was killed during a mission to the World of the Living. At this point four of my brothers were still alive so I didn't have to worry about getting married right away. When I was around 11 or 12, so 7 or 8 years ago, I was engaged to another member of the Gotei 13, a lieutenant to be exact. I was required to spend as much time as possible with to ensure that the match my father had made would work out. We grew really close.
Then when my brother Toshimaki was killed I realized that I couldn't hide from my responsibilities any longer. A couple of weeks after Toshimaki was killed, the lieutenant I was engaged to had been sent to the World of the Living for a mission and came back to the Soul Society almost dead."
I paused, taking a moment to catch my breath, and because I had heard Renji's breath catch in his throat. He knew I was talking about him.
I continued my story. "The possibility of losing the man that I was supposed to marry, the man that I knew and loved, was too much of a risk for me to take since I had already had to bear it once. At this point in my life I had just been named the heir apparent for the throne. I had a feeling in my gut that even if I stayed in the Soul Society I would never be truly safe no matter how may Soul Reapers would be willing to give their lives for mine.
So I ran away. I got help from an old friend that used to be a member of the Royal Guard to leave the Soul Society. I've been here for five years, hiding my spiritual pressure, defeating hollows and doing everything I can to ensure that Seto can't find me."
I paused again. As much as I wanted to protect everyone I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I would have to trust Renji, Urahara and the others to help me.
"He knows doesn't he," Urahara asked.
I gripped the sheets in my hands a little tighter yet again and nodded my head.
Renji stood up and walked over to the wall next to the door that led to the garden. He stood there for a second and then stormed out of the room.
"Then all we have to focus on now is figuring out just who Seto is and stopping him before he can get to you," Urahara said opening up his fan and heading towards the door. "Come on everyone. Let the lady rest. It's been a long day for her."
With that everyone left. Rukia stayed for a few moments to help me lay back down, then she too left the room.
I lay on the futon waiting. I knew that Renji was still outside in the garden. It was only a matter of time until he would decide to come in again. He was hurting, I knew that. But deep down, so was I. Leaving him the way that I had, had killed me inside. But now I had to face the hurt and anger and loss that I had caused head on.
While I waited for Renji to come back inside I started to nod off. There was something in that tea that Urahara had made me drink that was helping me to sleep. It took Renji almost an hour before he came back in. By this point I had almost fallen asleep, but the noise from him opening the door from the garden and closing it again, woke me up. He didn't acknowledge me slowly sitting up, and instead went over to the door that led into the rest of Urahara's house. He opened it, looked around, and closed it again. He stood there for a moment in silence.
"Renji, I…." I started.
"Don't," he answered. "Urahara wanted to ensure you got your rest tonight. He gave you medicine in the tea. We can talk when you wake up. But I'm not leaving you alone either. I can't trust you to not try to run away once you do wake up."
He paused heading over to a closet and getting out another futon, pillow and blankets.
"I'm staying here tonight. Now get some sleep," he said while getting his own bed set up not far from mine.
I laid back down and rolled over onto my side so that my back was to Renji. While I knew that he was right, not being able to talk things out tonight made my heart clench and hurt. This was the just punishment that I deserved.
I waited until I heard Renji's breathing slow and even out. Then I let the tears fall. I tried to keep quiet but eventually I gave in. The pain and loneliness of the last five years finally caught up to me and there was nothing I could do to hold it in any longer.
Renji had learned a lot of tricks over the last five years. One of which was the ability to gain patience and wait an enemy out. With that came the skills of pretending to be asleep. It took less than half an hour for Arina to believe he was asleep. And then his heart was broken a second time when he heard her cry herself to sleep.