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A Deranged Hamlet, a Deranging Play of Delusion.
"Ichigo will come save me." With one of her hand shackled to the exquisite antique chair, Orihime was forced to sit and wait for her doom to come upon her.
"Perhaps," Uryuu said politely. "Perhaps he's on the road to here?"
"Why did it turn out like this, Ishida-san?!" She was angry and scared. "I don't understand! Haven't you been kind and nice to me? You've bought a BB gun for me to practise my marksmanship, you've even given me calls to console me when I was injured! You've brought me to the doujinshi show! Why—"
"Why shackle you? Orihime, dear Orihime…" He shook his head, as if he was reasoning to a child. "You're smart, yet too easily get caught in troubles. If I don't shackle you, you'd really run around out there and even got shot. It's for your own good. Don't worry; it's all going to end very soon, I promise you…"
"End soon? When?" She was not worried about herself, but she was plagued by the thoughts of whether Ichigo was safe or not.
"After the Prince has his revenge." He smiled and pushed his glasses again with that relaxed and childlike expression. "For this day, the Prince's been enduring all the crucifying pain and torment…" A black-clad man came to them hurriedly and whispered something into his ears.
"The stage's ready? Come, let's go to the ballroom. Oh, no, Orihime, you're not moving." He stroked away a lock of her loose hair from her forehead. "I do love you, you know? Your innocence has the power to purify a man's ink-black heart. After I've taken back what's belonged to me, I'll need you to baptise me. Lift her to the ballroom along with the chair." He got a refined smile on his lips, but to Orihime, he was nowhere far from a lunatic. "Be careful. If I find that there's one hair less than she now has, you're accompanying those corpses in the basement!"
She was then lifted to the ample ballroom with a thundering heart. She cried and nearly jumped off the chair when she saw Ichigo, but her hand was shackled tightly.
"I've said not to let my Fairy Princess get hurt." Uryuu glared coldly as he aimed his gun at the man who was lifting the chair. A bang and a cry of pain, the man was on the floor, hugging his thigh. He was immediately dragged out from the room. "However, the Princess's alright, so count your lucky stars that your life's spared."
Orihime stared as she froze in the chair. If her every move could bring injury to anyone, then it was best for her to stay still as a statue. She only dared to roll her eyeballs to look at Ichigo. Other than the small scratch on his handsome face, he looked perfectly fine, and she finally released her held breath. His hands were locked tightly from behind and stood straight.
"Are you alright, Orihime?" His voice was still calm and peaceful.
"I'm fine." She finally noticed that the one who was locking Ichigo was Kon the attendant with a heavily-bruised face! Two superman guards have fallen into a state of being two bundled lumps.
"Kon, how come…" Orihime did not know too much about Kon, but she knew that he was someone that her love trusts. Ichigo told her that when he still lived under this roof, he and the then-teenager butler were close. Because the two of them nearly resembled (1) each other, Kon sometimes let the boy pretend to be him, giving orders to the servants and doing other things which were kept as secrets of their own. They shared some of their own little secrets to each other, and when Ichigo was in trouble, Kon would stand up for him as much as possible. When he left the house, Ichigo asked Kon to play his part in the house to look after Karin and keep things in the right track as much as he could. Yet now…
He avoided Orihime's eyes, but his grip on Ichigo never loosened.
"One's loyalty could falter, Orihime." The icy tone made the butler's eyes brim with tears. He tightened his jaws and said nothing.
"I've got something to say about that." Uryuu said as leisurely as ever. "I couldn't bribe this blockhead Kon. However, I'm fortunate that he's stupid enough for not to discover my intentions. Albeit being an idiot, his loyalty's something that I have to compliment about. If I haven't taken his master into custody, God knows how much more efforts I need to spend."
The curtains of the stage in the ballroom were drawn apart slowly. The stage was like the special ward in the hospital, only smaller in size. The electrocardiogram, the machines, even the special nurse were totally the same!
"The special nurse's your subordinate." It dawned upon Ichigo. "No wonder Kon would listen to you. She's probably threatening with a syringe or something in her hand…"
Uryuu pushed his glasses and widened his smile admiringly. "You're really loveable, Ichigo. Yes, indeed; she's already plunged the syringe into the geezer's chest, and just a few centimetres above the heart. A light push…and game over! Her killing skills are as brilliant as her medical skills!"
"You're Oyaji's closest secretary; such things could be arranged easily." Ichigo blurted out a soft chuckle lightly. "You even arranged the appointments of the guards, didn't you?"
"Of course not," He admitted. "If I had, I won't have to eliminate those who aren't loyal to me. I hate killing."
"Then why did you kill that chief?" Orihime dropped her head and started to sob, as she remembered the scene in the kitchen. "There's nothing about loyal or not for him…"
"He dared not to cook for me! It's just because I'm not his master?!" He spat. "I'm the real master of the Kurosaki House! What's the point in leaving that useless trash alive if he doesn't realize that?! The true ruler of the Kurosaki House is me!" He sat in a throne-like chair with a supreme air of dignity, as if he was the emperor.
"I'm sorry, but Oyaji doesn't have a second wife." Ichigo furrowed his brows a bit. "He's cruel and iron-hearted, yes, but he's faithful to his love for our mother, and I didn't hear from Karin that he's taken in another woman…"
"Was your father truly born into the family of Kurosaki?" Uryuu returned his curtsey to smile. In his eyes were sparks of level-headed craziness. "No, he's not a Kurosaki, just like you three mutts are no Kurosaki. Your father's name ought to be Taniyama (2) Isshin, the adopted son of Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni, who for the sake of keeping his family safe hid his true surname 'Kurosaki'." His smile widened with pride. "I'm truly a Kurosaki, with the blood of Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni flowing in my veins. Am I right, Mother?"
The doors opened and Ichigo stared with surprise at the walking-in Yoruichi, with her face pale as sheet despite her dark skin. Behind her, Urahara-san also walked in with a gun pointed at his back by Uryuu's man.
"I don't have such a son like you." She muttered, shivering all over.
"Am I your son or not?!" Uryuu snapped as his eyes narrowed to a thin line.
"Yes…yes, indeed! You beastly bugger did come out from my womb!" Yoruichi shouted, lowering her head as she avoided having an eye contact with Ichigo.
"Then, I'm the son of you and who? Don't play any tricks; I know that you pretty love your current husband."
The nursemaid kept trembling. "You…please, I beg you! He's nothing to do with all of this…"
"No worries; I respect you a lot, am I not, Urahara-san? I haven't said a thing when you wanted to retire as the butler of the family and marry my mother, right?" The gleam of his glasses sent shivers down Orihime's spine.
"No, you didn't." In contrast to his wife, Urahara-san was cool as a cucumber. "Yes, you're indeed the very son of the Great Master, which is no secret to me. However, you can't behave like what you just did to your own mother. Besides, it's all decided by the Great Master years ago."
"I can't behave like what to her?" Uryuu yanked the collar of Urahara-san's shirt forcefully. "I'm abandoned by her for twenty-four years, so what do you think I should act to her?!"
"It's the Great Master who decided to send you away." Urahara-san was unmoved by the violence. "The Kurosaki House's had Isshin-sama as the successor with a child after him too. He didn't want the ugliness of siblings fighting against each other to appear in the house, and he didn't wish you to take on the Dark Path…Young Master," Despite his life was being threatened, he was still polite and respectful. "On his deathbed, the Great Master's ordered not to let you regain your true surname. He hoped that you'll be loved and happy for the rest of your life, so he sent you to the Ishida, who really love children but didn't have one of their own…"
"Loved and happy?!" Uryuu roared in laughter. "'Getting on their knees' is a better phrase! Do you have any idea what kind of life I'm having?! Everyone's acting all reverent and humble; no one scolded me when I made a huge mistake, and no one's happy for me when I got good grades! It's all sham! I've been living with these counterfeit people for decades, and I couldn't be by my own father's side when he's at his last moments! The entire Kurosaki House ought to be mine! I have my own parents and my own family, but I need to act as an honourable parasitic hanger-on of another family?!"
"Oh, stop it…" Yoruichi sobbed bitterly and hiccupped heavily. "It's the Great Master's orders, child. It's your fate…if you're asking whose fault it was, it's mine…I just…had no idea why I fell in love with the Great Master. I've never thought that despite our advanced age, I could still be pregnant…it's all my fault, child! Leave the Young Master and the Master alone, I beg of you…please…"
"I will for that geezer," Uryuu stuck his thumb at the old unconscious tyranny on the stage. "You know, Kon-san, I like loyal people. This world's too polluted that even dogs are more loyal than any man you can name of. Can you hear me, mutt? I'm bestowing your master back to you. He's used up much of my fortune, and no worries; I'll continue to pay all the needed medical fees and drag out his feeble existence. Go, repent for the rest of your life that you've handed your Young Master right into my palms…"
Kon rubbed his tears away and sprinted towards the stage. He released his grasp so quickly that Ichigo fell heavily on the floor. He wanted to go back and help him stand, but Uryuu's men have already yanked him up.
"Lighter! Don't hurt my belle!" The glassed man reprimanded harshly. "Even though worthless, it saves me lots of trouble that Kurosaki Yuzu's dead. Kurosaki Karin…? Those charges are numerous enough to keep her in jail for decades long…see, Mother? Am I not generous, huh? I've not done in any of those mutts. As for you, just close the restaurant, move back to the house and sit on the throne of the Empress Dowager. However, Urahara-san, it's the best for you to have a divorce with my Mother. A marriage of the Empress Dowager of the Kurosaki House and a lowly butler…it doesn't sound very good. Don't worry, though; I won't do you apart. You can still come back and be the old butler as you had, and tug into the sheets with my Mother…it's no rarity for such things, right?"
The poor lady sobbed harder. "Please, child…I'll promise you anything you say or anything you ask for…but please let Ichigo go…as well as Orihime-chan. Please don't hurt them…he's long driven out by the Master…they've got nothing to do with the Kurosaki House. They won't fight with you over anything…"
"Why would I hurt them?" Uryuu stood up and held Orihime's chin in his fingers. "How I love this babe is something I can't put it in proper words. I'm going to take her as my wife. If only Ichigo's also a woman, then gone to Hell are the laws of monogamy. Pity that he's a man with such shrewd personality and sharp reflexes." He shook his head with slight pity. "That requires loads of serious lessons of discipline. Don't worry, you're the most flawless and perfect piece of jewel in the treasure trove that none can resist your charm. You can meet Orihime at times and even spend nights with her…" He tilted his head to think for a while. "If you're obedient, that is."
"If you don't fear to be killed." Ichigo flashed another of his infamous glacial cold smile. "Very well; it's developed to this point of no return, and I've got nothing else to say. You've long known that I'm the eldest born of the Kurosaki House, and you did all sorts of little tricks in Ginrei Kojaku. Why did you bring me for a visit?"
"I wanted to know if the glamorous, sagacious Prince of the Kurosaki could spot out my little failures, and you did." His eyes gleamed with applause as he pushed his glasses admiringly. "I really regret that it's a necessity for me to lock you up."
"But I don't understand." Ichigo was confused. "We've checked the bills and accounts to half death. Where've the goods gone to?"
"Have you checked on the investment immigration of Ginrei Kojaku?" Uryuu smiled brightly. "Clever indeed, but not enough time. The company got another branch, which is a drug company, specializing in studying all sorts of drugs, as well as those that make people feel happier." He barked out merry laughs. "Ichigo…are you thinking that 'the bad guys always ruin themselves because of their loud mouths'? You're waiting for the men from El Directo? It's useless, for the mutiny's probably ended with a new captain at the helm." He sat elegantly on the arm of Orihime's chair, caressing her cheek despite her disgust. "This year's Hamlet is shown on the silver screen at the same time in both Japan and Mexico."
Suddenly, behind the doors were muffled gunshots, and the sounds drew closer.
"I'm afraid not." Orihime said as she pulled out the G-pen in her hair out of the blue and stabbed it into the back of Uryuu's hand forcefully. He let out a pained yell and pushed her and the chair together onto the floor. As the men drew closer to surround them, with his handcuffs came undone, Ichigo lunged at Uryuu. At such suddenness, the men with guns were stunned, not knowing what was their next step to do.
"No wonder one of your earrings is missing!" Under such situations, the maniac boomed the room with his laughter. "I'm too negligent!"
Struggling with all her might, Orihime could finally sit properly from the fallen chair. Damn it, she was still locked to the stupid heavy chair. As she saw one of Uryuu's men crept towards the two wrestling men, adrenaline exploded in her veins that with a grunt, she lifted up the chair in the air with her thin arms like a professional weight-lifter and yelled, "Just don't you dare underestimate me! I've studied with a team of sculptors that needed us juniors to lift concrete!" In the split of a second when the stunned man was distracted, she flung the thing onto him with a roar. The chair was smashed into pieces with such force. Although her arms and hands were scrapped, it was undeniable that she was now free.
Her outrageous bravery startled all the captives. In the scene of chaos, Urahara-san slipped away from the gun he was pointed at and with a chop on the man's arm, the gun was free from the hand. The old butler sent the weapon flying with a kick. Not giving any attention of that man anymore, he turned around and started to deal with Uryuu's men with martial arts, showing off his stunning agility which contradicted with his age.
Tearfully, Yoruichi-san cursed—if you could call such gentle words as curses—and slammed her handbag at those bastards. Out of the blue, she took out some daggers and threw them at her enemies with ninja-style. All of the projectiles hit their targets as they left different depths of cuts on the men's arms and legs. Since she was the Empress Dowager, no one dared to shoot her down, so they bore with the pain of being beaten by the old lady, whether it was by her heavy handbag or by the punches of her fists which astonishingly could snap bones, only if she wished to.
As if adding spices to the mess, the locked doors of the ballroom were broken off from their hinges. New men, led by a brawny dark-skinned man and a woman with light-brown hair, rushed in with weapons ranging from just sticks and clubs to powerful firearms. Noticing the situation, Uryuu's men disregarded the possibilities of shooting either the Empress Dowager or the Fairy Princess as they took their own firearms. Bullets flew around the room.
"Orihime!" She swirled around and saw Ichigo running towards her. She yelped as they collided, but he immediately gathered her in his chest with an arm around her. He ran over to the two newcomers and greeted them with simple nods.
"Yuzu, take care of her and don't let her out of your reaching range." He ordered the woman. Without another word, Ichigo disappeared into the crowd again with the brawny man, who Orihime recognized as Chad as seen from photos.
"Come with me; we'll get to a safe spot." She said, dragging Orihime along with her. After they get a bit far from the battlefield, she smiled sweetly, "Kurosaki Yuzu, the other younger twin sister of the man whom you love whole-heartedly. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Inoue Orihime-san." Albeit confused, Orihime nodded and they observed the battle.
"Lie down! Lie down!" Chad's majestic voice boomed and echoed in the room. "You're spared if you surrender!"
"KILL HIM!" By Uryuu's yelled order, his loyal subordinate pushed all the poisons in the syringe into the senile man's veins immediately. Kon, unable to reach in time, took the whole scene into his eyes and launched himself at the special nurse with a strained cry.
"Ishida Uryuu!" Ichigo roared as his gorgeous face was distorted by pure rage. His ambers started to turn into the terrifying topazes Orihime has seen before. "You're mine!"
"No, it's the other way round." The glassed man said gently as he raised his gun.
"No, stop!" Orihime struggled, broke free from Yuzu's grasps and sprinted towards them. All happened in matters of only seconds, but to her it was like slow-forwarding…she did not know why she was so slow despite her most desperate efforts to dash. The bullet grazed her arm, but it still made its destined journey right into Ichigo's chest.
"Ichigo!" She wailed. Right before her eyes, as if a broken branch of peach blossoms in their fullest blooming in the tempest, his picturesque silhouette fell onto the carpet in slow motion as those sparkling ambers disappeared behind closing eyelids.
Ishida Uryuu has slipped away from the room without being noticed.
Orihime did not care about it, or give a damn to it. She kept her hands pressing on his bleeding wound as she kept calling his name. Blood poured out and stained her sleeves, showing her efforts to be in vain. Ichigo's eyes never opened again as his breathing slowed down gradually. In seconds, even his heart silenced.
She wobbled and blacked out on Ichigo's motionless body.
Explanations:
(1) Well, not entirely resembling, but imagine Kon to be a around-five-years-older version of Ichigo.
(2) In Kanji, it's 谷山, and somehow a play on the different pronunciations of words. The pronunciation of "Black 黒 (kuro)" can also be koku, which is one of the pronunciations of "Valley 谷 (tani)". As for the second Kanji "Mountain 山 (yama), it's sort of derived from "lit. Cape 崎 (saki)", more correctly to be a rigged ridge or mountain.
2016 Edit: Well, we now do know that Isshin is from the Shiba Family, but I won't change that.
Author Speaking:
...BEFORE YOU COME AT ME WITH WEAPONS, do you see the "Next" button in the bottom right corner? Just click it and see what happens! (Take the time to get into safety…)
Kuroi Kokoro 09