Auuugh, headache.

Hope it goes away. I rewrote this chapter for about nine times before I was at least satisfied with it. So I'm sorry for the late update. I was battling this Sue Sylvester-like discontent with my work. (If you watch Glee and have watched the Superbowl episode, you would know what I mean.)

And I hope you still leave a review for this chapter. :D

Chapter 29

Tragic Keepsakes

Orihime never realized how long she had been crying. Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? She wasn't sure.

It was really just six minutes. Six minutes – every second of which was palpable, tearing at every fiber of her being.

It really felt like an eternity as she witnessed those fiery red tongues lick at every nook and cranny of the house she once called home. The foundations were crumbling and rotting at her very sight and she was unable to do anything about it.

She was restrained by the loving hands of her husband, who could not even utter a word about this tragedy.

They were both standing on the same ground of helplessness and unbearable sadness. Orihime could only imagine her aunt who was often a deep sleeper. The thought of her trapped inside those flames was unbearable. She felt more tears assault her like an earthquake, shaking her to the very core.

Rukia and Yoruichi.

Two people who were not supposed to be here if they were not fooled. Two people who could have been safely tucked away in their homes in Japan, waiting for the opportune moment to ignite their revolution. This was not the way they were supposed to die.

A freak accident.

Or maybe not.

Ichigo's mind was racing. Rukia, his friend, was somewhere inside that place, burning… dying… dead…

He shook his head, his eyes wide and reluctant. There was something wrong in thinking that someone as lively as Rukia could be dead at this very moment – lifeless. Dying a terrible death.

And it was far from a coincidence that from all the mansions that were burned, the Inoue estate, which stood for centuries in this fertile soil, was the one who perished in flames.

"I-Ichigo," a pale and sobbing Orihime said, looking up at him. "W-what are we - ?"

"We cannot do anything, Hime," Ichigo said, facing the truth. He should be the rock his wife could lean on at this moment of sadness.

But Ichigo was far from convinced that this was just an accident. It was too sudden, too perfect. Some people had only been waiting for the opportune moment to strike at the foreigners. And it seemed as though no one wanted Matsumoto Rangiku here. He could tell from the way people stared at her when she first arrived at the palace. He could tell from what he accidentally ran into the other day – his uncle, Ichimaru Gin, conversing intensely with the countess. This drew him closer to the information that they were once married.

He was not a fool. He knew that there was something going on that he still did not know about. And in a way, it would definitely affect him. Orihime as well.

He would find the answers, somehow.


"How creative," a disheveled Matsumoto Rangiku said, raising her delicately arched eyebrows. "You have really outdone yourself this time, Gin."

The man in question turned, surprised at the voice.

Sky blue clashed with crimson. Dry humor collided with shock.

A few seconds ticked by with them staring into each other's eyes, when suddenly, Gin rushed towards Rangiku, engulfing the woman with a warm and relieved embrace.

Gin felt Rangiku stiffen slightly, then eventually relax as she said, "You never said anything about a fire."

The silver-haired man chuckled. "Yes, but I told you that I would do any means necessary to get you out of there. And I know of your little escape route."

"Good," Rangiku said, almost sardonically. "But you need not go too far. That place is worth a fortune."

"But the fortune does not lie there."

Rangiku laughed knowingly, briefly shaking her head at the extent of knowledge this witty man had about her family. "No. Everything of importance is hidden somewhere safe. Somewhere only I know of."

"How about giving it to the princess?" Gin suggested, looking back at the fiery tempest from below.

"Orihime already has a fortune of her own," Rangiku answered. "I will give it to her when the right time arises. But the fire, really Gin, it was too much. I had not even predicted that you will use it."

"I had to," Gin said, the ever-present grin wiped off from his handsome features. "It needed to be convincing."

"But the servants…" Rangiku said in a hushed tone.

"They have been hidden and silenced somewhere safe," the man answered, "at least, the loyal ones."

Rangiku nodded slowly. She knew that for all those years that she was away there was someone who put people who were untrustworthy inside the Inoue domain. She knew there were spies inside, and she had to get rid of them quickly.

"But really," she continued, "you have outdone yourself."

"Do not sound so surprised. It should be enough," he reiterated, giving the buxom woman a sideways glance.

"For Aizen's taste?"

"For Aizen's taste."

The two stared towards the direction of the mansion, not saying another word. Everything was already in motion and this time of temporary peace should be treasured.

The sudden sound of feet colliding against fallen branches and the crunch of dried leaves alerted the two.

"MATSUMOTO!" a disgruntled Yoruichi said, appearing from the thickets. Behind her was a shocked Rukia.

"Explain," the younger woman said through gritted teeth. "What exactly are you doing with the man who almost killed us?"

"We heard," Yoruichi added, crossing her arms across her chest. "I know that you are one of the princes," this she added with a glare towards a surprised Gin.

Rangiku stepped forward, giggling. The two Japanese women were visibly annoyed by this and started to talk simultaneously with escalating levels of rage when the countess doubled over.

"Stop, you two," Rangiku said, clutching her stomach. "I burned my own house and still saved you. Does that not mean that I really do not intend to kill you?"

Rukia and Yoruichi frowned. "Stop with the riddles, Rangiku," Rukia said. "Explain this to us."

"A man ordered that we should be murdered," Rangiku said, sobering up.

"What? The king? I knew it was about to happen," Yoruichi fired back.

"No. It might come as a shock to you, but my father does not kill at random," Gin said, taking Rangiku's side. "He is a far wiser and more dignified man than what you make him out to be."

"Then who?" Rukia questioned.

"You do not know him. Almost nobody knows of him. He has been the most well-kept secret of the royal family," Rangiku said. "I have a huge inkling that all of what is happening to us is caused by him."

"All that is happening?"

"Yes. Apparently, he has found out that I know a thing or two," Rangiku stated nonchalantly. "So, he has given out an execution order. And he would find any reason for you two to be murdered. He bears a vendetta against Japanese people."

"Who is this man? Stop talking in circles," Rukia pressed on, disturbed by these revelations.

"Did you know that we actually had an heir to the throne before Ichigo?" Gin said, smiling in a painful manner. "Did you know that the king actually had a legitimate heir? A son born to the queen herself?"

Silence followed. It was as if no one even dared to inhale.

"Sousuke," Gin continued. "My elder half-brother. The child born after Masaki. He was supposed to be the next king of England."

"Then what happened?" Rukia asked.

"He fell in love with Masaki," the man stated with such emptiness that it sent shivers through Rukia and Yoruichi.

"M-masaki? Ichigo's – ?"

"Yes. He is also the reason why Masaki died," Gin added, looking at nothing and no one in particular. "He was so enraged that Masaki chose a Japanese man to marry and have a child with that he ordered a person to give her a gradual poisoning, making her ill until she eventually died."

Rukia felt her world come apart. She remembered the times that Ichigo would come to her with his empty eyes, the bags under them showing lack of sleep. He had been crying, she knew, but he never showed any signs of weaknesses around her. He was like an empty shell, moving but without a soul and a heart. The tragedy of his mother's death was unbearable to him and he always blamed himself.

"Naturally, my father found out about this and Sousuke was banished. But he has been plotting ever since. He has found loyalty inside the palace to give him enough information and to lend him a hand. He has amassed a fortune. And he plans to overthrow the entire empire," Gin said.

"Why was he just banished?" Rukia said, the shadows of her hair hiding the wrath in her eyes. "He should have been beheaded."

"Such cruel words from a Japanese," Gin said, cocking his head to the side as if observing an interesting creature. "To demand a fate that has been the dire consequence of every single person who defied the English will…"

"A fate that should be given to someone like him!" Rukia said venomously, shooting her fiery glare at Gin.

"True," Gin conceded, resuming his normal expression. "Only those who have lost their heads should have theirs taken off. They have already lost their rationality in the first place."

Rukia shuddered. This man gave her the chills. There was something about him that she did not trust. Even though he was in on this plan, she knew that she had to be wary of him. He was, after all –

"But what about you?" Yoruichi said sharply. "Are you one of those dogs?"

Just my thoughts, Rukia said with amusement and pride.

"Once," Gin said. "But it was never really my intention to help him. I wanted to see to it that I ended his madness. And I needed to play a convincing role."

"Gin was the one tasked to eliminate us all," Rangiku said, hugging herself. "Aizen has a way of playing with people. He wants to test Gin, if he could kill me. Initially, I believed that Gin was part of this whole scheme, but I was proven wrong."

The man planted a soft kiss on Rangiku's head, confirming the relationship they have to the two onlookers.

"And since they were going to execute you one way or another," the blonde added, "I needed to think of a way to make them believe that you really are dead. So that they won't have to come after you anymore. That is, until we find a way to get back to Japan."

Rukia's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "But if my brother finds out about this… he would never believe that this was just an accident. A war might start!"

"And that is exactly what Sousuke wants," Gin said. "To use Japan, the most unstable colony, to start a rebellion against England."

The youngest member of the group found herself shaking and breathing hard. Yes, it was always Japan's intention to fight until the very end, but not for these false reasons. Also if there is an enemy with the influence and madness to pull the strings in all of their lives, they were in terrible danger of being used.

"And in the process destroying Japan," the archduke said with unnerving finality.

Rukia felt her knees give in, falling to the ground in an ungraceful heap. She knew that Japan, though strong, resilient, and brave, still could not stand a chance against the mighty and advanced forces of England and its allies. There would be no chance to ask for help from other countries, since they all had empires of their own and had treaties with England. They were all under the English spell.

"All of us are pawns in his game," Gin relayed, as if reading Rukia's mind. "Did you know that he was the one who brought the two of you here? He ordered Soi Fong to do it."

"Soi Fong?" Yoruichi said with narrowed eyes. "The general-princess?"

"Yes. She is my dear brother's most loyal royal pet."

"That woman is as twisted as they can get," Rangiku said, smirking. "She was the one who sent you a fake letter, Rukia."

"To bring me here so I would be ripe for the taking?" Rukia said through seething teeth. Boiling anger provoked her to charge in the palace right now and burn said woman off the face of the planet. Better judgment told her to wait for the right time. Make alliances. Find a way to save them all from a terrible fate in the hands of a vengeful megalomaniac. Everything was in a terrible state of chaos in her mind. Processing all of this information and planning the next step was pushing her to her breaking point. She was at the point of her life where she was at the place where she could do the most, but she was not sure what to do.

If only nii-sama were here, she thought. But he was not. He was just about to be another one of the pawns.

Rangiku and Gin nodded solemnly. "But we should not talk here," Gin said. "We must bring you to the safe house. I have already prepared the shelter. Some clothes and food with it. Supplies for safety, as well."

"Clothes?" Rangiku said with wide eyes. "Where did you – ? I mean, you know clothes do not just fit me. They have to be – "

"I was once your husband, Rangiku," Gin said, his back to her. "Naturally I would have some of your clothes left with me. And I promptly stole some from the palace and from your very own home."

The other two women watched in amusement, briefly forgetting their dilemmas, as the noblewoman threw a shoe directly towards the back of the archduke's head. The man yelped and swayed, eventually falling face first on the grassy ground.

"Come on," Rangiku said, not bothering to look back as a helpless and injured Gin sauntered behind her.


Barragan Luisenbarn paced in his study, briefly shooting glances at the orange-haired young man that stood before him.

"So you say that this was no accident?" the old man said in a raspy voice.

Ichigo nodded. "Yes. The fire was too sudden. And it would have taken a lot of time for the entire mansion to be burned down if it were an accident. There would have been survivors. My wife told me that escape routes were made years ago. Matsumoto Rangiku would have been more than aware of those places since she resided there when the Inoues left for Japan. A local villager told us that there was no sign of a fire an hour ago."

"Too quick for an accident," Barragan said, more to himself than to Ichigo. "But who would want to kill Matsumoto Rangiku? She just returned from Japan."

"I suspect," Ichigo said, eyebrows furrowing more in sadness and anger, "that they were after the Japanese representatives."

"I think so too," the king said, watching Ichigo carefully. "This matter could lead to a devastating conflict with the Japanese nobles. This would be enough of a reason for them to start a full-scale uprising."

Ichigo said nothing. He felt nothing. He was still coming to terms with the fact that the woman he just made amends with, the woman who was once his lover and who became his best friend, was now gone. And this was due to some rotten bastard who thought that he was better than people who live in a different country. From people who fought for their freedom. From people who had lived their life in sacrifice and hardship.

"Your father," Barragan said, his voice lacking emotion, "was already informed about this. He is tasked with informing Kuchiki Byakuya about this incident."

"Which is not an incident," Ichigo said vehemently, thinking instantly that his father would be walking into a death sentence by being the one to inform Kuchiki Byakuya of his sister's and friend's deaths. There was a slim chance that the Japanese would not take immediate action and kill Isshin. "Tell them the truth, grandfather. Tell them that there will be an investigation and – "

"Do you truly believe that they will take our word?"

"Then set Japan free."

Barragan stared at his grandson, his eyes piercing and strong. "Not under my rule."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. This was another one of the old man's implications. Implications that he could do as he pleased when he became king. But not yet. He always wondered why Barragan never relinquished his hold of Japan. For some reason, this was the most strictly guarded and treasured 'property' of England in the Orient. He had been intending to set it free when he became the king, which was one of the reasons why he worked hard on gaining his birth right back. But now, it all seemed useless. With Rukia and Yoruichi gone, a princess and a high-ranking official, killed, there would be no other way for England but to have another war with Japan. And knowing that England handled more than its share of colonies, it could no longer afford another war with Japan. Yes, they could still win, but there would be considerable damage.

However, seeing this attitude in the king, Ichigo could only guess that he would do any means necessary to keep Japan. He could only sigh at the sheer madness of the effort, since the old man gave him the freedom to make his own decisions when became the ruler. So to speak, it would just be prolonging Japan's freedom. Reserving it for someone like him…

On the other hand, knowing Barragan Luisenbarn, there was a deeper motive for all of this. Ichigo wanted to question him if he had a hand in these events, but seeing the turmoil deep within those aged eyes, he knew that this man was not the one. Barragan may be stern and cruel at times, but he was fair. Ichigo had seen it more than a few times for him to believe.

"Keep an eye on Orihime," Barragan said, sitting on a high-backed chair.

"No need to tell me that," Ichigo said gruffly.

The old man laughed. "I know. But I also know that she is a brave but naïve soul. She would also think the same thing as you and she would definitely try to find her aunt's killer. Or she might employ the help of an untrustworthy fellow."

What exactly are you saying? Ichigo thought. Orihime once shied away from her problems – running away and taking shelter in Inuzuri to escape the grief of her family's demise. And now, her only living relative was dead. Knowing how much Orihime had matured during the time they stayed together, he knew that she would indeed try to find the murderer. And she would do so without 'burdening' him, as she would always say.

But to ask for others' help?

Ichigo nodded stiffly and walked out of the room. He knew that indirectly, his grandfather would want him to look further into this. And he would do his very best.

For Orihime.

For Rukia, Rangiku, and Yoruichi.


"It has begun," Sousuke said, smiling to himself.

Fumiko's flashing green eyes assessed the man before her. There was a startlingly lustful aura about him. A hungry and predatory anticipation that emanated from his being. Those brown eyes seemed to light up with whatever intricate thoughts formed inside his unfathomable brain. The cold and murderous genius that ignited a fire that would consume all of them, destroying all their enemies.

"We have waited long enough," she said, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. She could not deny to herself that she felt the same sense of avid excitement as her husband. However, it manifested differently from her. Her pale skin had gone chalk white from living within the confines of the dank manor. Her shiny black hair had become pallid; surrounding her face with an ethereally frightening glow that seemed to bring out her wary eyes more. Her lips had diminished to an insipid pink. The exhilaration had turned her into a nervous wreck, waiting for minor failures in a grand plan that they had rehearsed in their minds for many, many years. She wracked her brain for any flaws, any underestimations… she could not find anything, and that was making her more nervous.

"We have waited for just the right amount of time," Sousuke said, not bothering with the trembling of her companion. "Gin has done his part. He has proven his loyalty to me."

"And what about Soi Fong?"

"She will have her part played. Just wait for a few more days."

Even the most well-adorned and adored of royals could be discarded.

Fumiko laughed, reading his thoughts. "Poor woman."

"Not at all," Sousuke said, smiling once again. "She is far from a poor woman. She has proven herself to have a brilliant mind for choosing my side. Unfortunately, like many other things, she is not perfect."

Only Masaki is perfect in your eyes.

"Where is Ulquiorra?" Sousuke asked.

Fumiko glanced at him with a hint of anxiety. "In his room."

He nodded solemnly. "His biggest role in this plan is about to begin."

The woman before him shifted in her seat. She knew for all these years that Ulquiorra would be used in Sousuke's plans. Just as he used her. She was apathetic towards it. The fruits of her failure and the constant reminder of her mistakes could and should be disposed without her batting an eyelid, but there was an unsettling feeling within her. After all these years, since that moment where she finally took the time to speak to her son without saying cruel words or lashing out violently, she saw the man or empty shell she had turned her son to.

It was too late to bear any sort of conscience or kindness. She had always been manipulative and uncaring her whole life. It was part of surviving in this harsh world. You have to be equally, or more, evil.

It was also an entirely different thing to see her son have this inclination towards Inoue Orihime. He had taken an interest towards her and she could see that. She could brush it off and conclude that it could be that it was just from the impact of finding out that this trash of a woman was actually his half-sister, but it was not. As much as she wanted to deny it, there was something stirring within those blank green orbs when he stated, in his usual monotone, that he knew that Inoue Orihime was a blood relative.

For some reason, Fumiko wanted to protect Ulquiorra from the scheming claws of that Inoue wench. Everything that had ever gone wrong in her life was because of the Inoues. She was not about to let her son make the same grievous error.

Kill Inoue Orihime, that was her silent mantra.

"Are you against this plan, Fumiko?" Sousuke suddenly questioned, sensing her disquiet and giving her the full blown power of his cold stare.

"No," Fumiko said as icily as possible. She had learned to steel herself against Aizen Sousuke's probing persona. A feat that she could proudly say only her and her son could do.

The brown-haired ex-royal said nothing. He redirected his gaze, resuming his train of thought.

The usual eerie and lengthy silence before the most turbulent and disastrous of storms…


"What did His Majesty say?" Orihime said, her voice barely above a whisper. She had been crying for hours, coming to terms with the loss of the remaining blood relative that she had. The ghostly and heartbroken look in her eyes made Ichigo stride faster towards her to embrace her, ignoring the question for a while.

Orihime could not bring herself to smile at her husband's display of concern. Her heart was not lightened by a bit. She was at the point of her life where she wondered, again and again, if she did something wrong. She wondered what she could have possibly done to deserve this kind of fate. Her mother and father, who were her caretakers and God's gift to her, were taken away in a freak accident. Her brother too, who was the center of her universe. She watched the tempest of flames consuming the Inoue estate, along with the cheerful and lovable being that was her aunt, Matsumoto Rangiku.

There would be no more of her silly antics and jests. There would be no more life at every celebration and party. There would be no more light-heartedness in her heavy life.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo instinctively let go at the odd way she said his name. There was no emotion in it. He looked into Orihime's eyes. There was nothing as well.

It killed him to see her that way.

"What did the king say?" Orihime repeated. She was being hard on another person for no purpose, she knew that, however, she needed to know that she could at least do something about her aunt's death. Ichigo's conclusion while they were on their way back to the palace was that the fire was not an accident. Orihime had to agree. Everything just happened so fast, as if it had been planned out from the start.

Orihime had wanted to be with Ichigo so that she could also talk to the king but her husband went against her decision. She had wanted to take action to forget the severity of the events. Once she was left alone, the weight of the entire incident pressed down on her like a suffocating and an unforgiving force.

"He has tasked me to investigate on this matter further," Ichigo said, studying her face.

This statement seemed to spark a fire within Orihime's gray eyes. "Let me help," she said.

Disbelief clouded those chocolate orbs. Ichigo stared at Orihime. "Hime…"

"Please," she begged, holding on to his arms. "Please. I cannot simply sit here and wait for something to happen. I want to help."

As predicted, Ichigo found it increasingly hard to say no to those pleading eyes. He sighed in defeat, but remained firm in his countenance. "Alright," he said. "But do not do anything without my help or consent. I will inform you and let you in on every step of my investigation. Please do the same for me."

Orihime nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on Ichigo's.

"And please do not do anything rash."


Hmmm… a hard thing to ask, ne?

Hope y'all liked it! :D I had fun writing it, though it was tiresome and a bit of a chore.

Wish something like this doesn't ever happen again to me! Gaaah!