A/N: Hello Everyone!
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Disclaimer: Bleach = Not mine.
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Chapter – 11
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Present-day, Vizard's Hideout in the Karakura Desert. . .
Orihime woke up alone to find that the chill of the night had given way to the oppressive heat of the day, which is what had roused her. A horse's neigh sounded from outside and the unmistakable grunt of someone mounting the saddle had her running outside. Just as she'd thought, her husband was astride the magnificent black-maned beast and from the looks of it, about to leave.
'No!' she yelled and he turned in surprise.
'Orihime . . . ' he began.
'No. ' she said, more firmly now while he watched as her eyes narrowed in hurt, 'I said I was coming with you.'
'I know.' He replied, 'And I said it was too dangerous.'
'You don't get to decide that for me!'
'Of course I do. I'm your husband.'
She gasped at his unexpectedly high-handed approach and her hurt turned to anger then reproach.
'You're also supposed to be my friend.'
'Maybe I changed my mind.'
'You wouldn't.' she said and her conviction unsettled him.
'You hardly know me.' He said off-handedly.
'You wouldn't.' she repeated.
The next moment, he swung himself off the horse and she was pushed against the outer wall of the small mud brick construction they'd spent the night at as his palms landed beside her head on either side. She swallowed nervously at his outburst and then her eyes met his in a levelled stare.
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Curiosity and unasked questions. That's all Ichigo saw in her clear gaze. No doubt, no fear. He almost groaned in frustration. He'd let her talk him into taking her to Sereitei. But his vivid recollection of past events had alerted him of the mistake he was about to make.
'You can't refuse.' She said carefully, interrupting his thought. Her sure tone only increased his agitation.
'Of course I can. ' he answered, his voice a low growl.
If she noticed his bad temper, she paid no heed to it.
'I'm coming.' She said stubbornly and he grew still.
The princess shrank back against the wall as he slowly took a measured step towards her.
'You don't even begin to realize the danger ahead.' He said silkily, aware of how their proximity was starting to cause her discomfort. He was also aware that she would not relent.
'I do. It's my decision. We've already talked about this.'
Her confident words were betrayed by the hitch in her voice as he moved closer still. Good. The more unsettled she was, the better. She was craning her neck to meet his gaze now. His chest threatened to touch hers with every passing moment and her shallow breaths fanned his face.
Ichigo raised a hand to fit his palm to the side of her waist and felt the shudder that passed through her frame through the cloth that kept him from feeling her skin. Scarlet color burst over her cheeks and she turned her face, no longer able to meet his deliberately intense stare. Her nervous fingers came up to brace against his hard chest and he swallowed reflexively, fighting the heat that rose through him to focus on the task at hand.
'What are you doing?' she asked uncertainly and he felt her try to hold him back as he leaned towards her.
'Right now, ' he whispered into her ear as she shivered again, 'There's no one here, yet this makes you uncomfortable to the point of trembling. If I take you with me, your life depends on how well you can keep up our charade in front of Aizen and his cronies. How long will you be able to make that last?'
He stepped back a little to allow her some space, but halted as her hand clenched in the fabric of his shirt.
'There has to be a way.' She declared, eyes flashing with determination and his hand which had been resting against the wall curled into a fist.
Why did it have to be her?
With a blink of sooty eyelashes over sparkling gray irises, he was immediately back in her throne room, forced to watch as a helpless woman, bound and gagged, was dragged to the center to be his unwilling new toy. Then some brash foot soldier had roughly ripped the brown bag from her head. Brilliant red tresses had swished to momentarily cover the terrified gaze that had met his eyes as the breath was snatched from his lungs.
Not her.
Not her.
Please, God, NOT HER!
His chest had tightened to the point of pain and an incessant screaming in his head was driving him to insanity.
She wasn't supposed to be here. She was part of a different time, a different place, a different world from seven years ago where there had been just the two of them and for the first time in forever, he'd let himself love again.
He couldn't let her suffer the torment Aizen was sure to put her through. She didn't remember or recognize him, which was all for the best but he knew her. He knew her innocent laugh, her wide, curious eyes, and her vivid imagination. Ichigo didn't have it in him to watch her break.
'Please.' The princess said, disrupting his reverie and wrenching him back to the present moment.
He reached up to remove the hand that had twisted in the front of his shirt and exhaled sharply as she grasped his fingers instead.
'Please, ' she repeated, those damned eyes of her glittering now and arresting him in place, 'Please, I'm begging you.'
He swallowed, hard. He couldn't refuse. It was the right thing to do, but leaving her here meant never seeing her again and he knew it. Ichigo had made this decision before but the strength to do it again escaped him. All those years ago, he'd tried to accept that he'd spent his share of happiness with a girl whose name he didn't know, and that was that. But fate had carelessly tossed her into his path again, and he'd realized that he couldn't let her go once more. He could not.
The orange-haired warrior berated himself for being a selfish bastard even as he answered her.
'Alright. Come with me.'
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She blinked. For a moment, she thought she'd seen something in his eyes, eyes that reminded her of those eyes. The warm, intense brown eyes of the man she had – no. There was no point in revisiting the memories again. That had been a different lifetime.
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The royal couple crouched behind a thick grove of trees right outside the city walls. The foliage provided cover from the wandering guards and gave them a few moments to think ever since they had departed from the Vizard's place about three hours ago. The harsh desert wind throwing sand in their faces had forced them to cover their faces and the constant jostling atop the racing horse hadn't really provided an atmosphere for further conversation.
'Now what?' Orihime whispered as Ichigo lightly leaped down from his perch on one of the branches above them.
'It's time.'
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The morning hour right before the midday meal was arguably the busiest time to be out in the marketplace. Street vendors hollering praises of their wares, shopkeepers eyeing customers and drawing them in with promised bounty, the occasional pickpocket racing through the narrow streets and knocking people down – the din was everywhere.
It was at this opportune moment that Prince Ichigo Kurosaki decided to take off his turban, showing off his bright hair in the full glare of the sun overhead and ride his equally ostentatious black steed through the bazaar accompanied by his extremely beautiful – and obviously eye-catching – princess bride. Not that that last fact was known to the general public of the country.
He brought the horse to a slow gallop around a corner and s they entered the main street of the market, the commotion slowly died down until the people turned to statues in their places. They passed by the shops followed by a whisper here and a glance there. The Prince was acutely aware that while he did garner quite a bit of curious looks, most of the attention seemed to be pinpointed at the woman behind him. And she was none too pleased about that, if the way her fingers clenched in the material of his cloak was any indication.
'Any moment now.' He thought.
A voice broke the deafening silence:
'Welcome back, Your Highness.'
As expected a group of guards had appeared from apparently nowhere in the midst of the crowded streets. The men could hardly contain their expressions of shock. Almost as if they hadn't thought that he'd be back. Well.
Ichigo returned the greeting with a curt nod.
'Pardon me, Your Highness,' the guard spoke again, 'but who is your companion?'
This is what he'd been counting on. Of course Aizen hadn't bothered to inform anyone in Sereitei about his marriage. After all, no one is particularly curious about marriages if the prince in question is dead. However, thankfully, that could be remedied immediately.
'This, ' Ichigo announced to the throng gathered in the souk, well aware that every person present was hanging on each word he spoke, 'is Princess Orihime, my wife.'
With that, he urged the horse to a trot and headed towards the palace just as the surprise began to give way to loud cheers and thunderous applause. Which was perfect, of course. The news would be passed from elderly grandmothers to children playing in the streets by sundown.
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'Your Majesty.'
Aizen didn't take kindly to being interrupted. He particularly didn't take kindly to being interrupted when he was about to partake in his usual midday meal.
'What?'
A silky smirk had the guard in question swallowing cautiously before he spoke.
'The Prince has returned . . . with his bride.'
The smirk turned dangerous.
'Is that so?'
'Yes, sir.'
'I believe I had given orders to keep this unfavorable circumstance from taking place.'
'Y-Yes, sir.'
'Remedy the situation immediately.'
'That's not possible, Your Majesty.'
'And why is that?'
'The people have heard about the wedding . . . th-they are calling for a celebration.'
Something glinted in the Emperor's eyes and the guard gulped, no doubt planning his escape route out of the city come nightfall.
'That, ' Aizen began and the other man practically trembled, 'is unfortunate.'
The terrified guard silently agreed.
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A/N: Tada! There it is! Hope you guys liked it. Lemme know your thoughts! Please review!