Hi dear readers,
I hope that you all are doing well. First of all, thank you for leaving your reviews and showing interest in my story. It does me good to see that there are people who are interested and waiting in excitement to know what will happen next. Second of all, my life is a bit busier than I had plannend which means that I won't be able to upload as often as I want. For now, I am planning to release a chapter every month. This is needed to make sure the development of the story is structured and not too rushed. Also, I want to write to the best of my skills, so please bare with me. As a writer I'll do my best!
Here's chapter 3. Enjoy!
It was near sunrise and Kurosaki Ichigo was sitting on the edge of his balcony, staring at the rising sun. The orange glow reflecting on the land and castle. It was a breathtaking sight that he would never grow tired of. The male was sitting like a statue, starting lifelessly into the sunrise. Heavy bags under his eyes, looking all haggard. It had been a few days since he last saw the petite lover. The female that captured his heart on that one snowy day.
Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the cold air filling his nostrils and lungs, sadness washing over him. After a few seconds, he exhaled and opened his eyes. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, a letter in his hand now.
It said:
To my once beloved.
When I stare into your eyes, I see hopes and dreams of a new future. A bright future with happiness and love. But did you know that with love also comes sacrifice? Love is a complex feeling that I wish could be easily explained, like how a math problem could be clarified. Love is complex, love is cruel. It forces you in between two walls, and it makes you miserable.
How wonderful those eyes of yours are, even though they make me miserable. Every time I stare in them, I despise myself of laughing, kissing and dining with a Kurosaki. I tried to let the past behind me, but I could not live with myself. No matter how many times I keep telling myself that the past is the past, I can never forget or forgive what happened between our families. The bloodshed of my people, the hatred between our families. Every time I see how hardworking my brother is to keep our family safe, to keep the kingdom safe, I feel disgusted with myself.
Then I realize that this feeling will never end, unless I make it end. Ichigo, even though our love was short, I enjoyed it. Thank you for your warmth, your kindness, your love. I will never forget the kindness you have shown me. That, I am grateful for, but now I have to stand before my people. Defending them from yours. It pains me to say, but if we ever meet again, we'll meet as enemies. Please don't search for me, please don't try to change my mind. I am set on my goals, and nothing will stop me. Even if it means destroying you.
— Kuchiki Rukia
When Ichigo read the letter for the first time, the morning after their love making, it felt surreal. He couldn't believe Rukia had turned on him like that. Not after their night of heat and passion. Not after she declared her love for him. He wanted to talk to her, an explanation of some sort, just anything. Ichigo wanted to know for himself what the reason was for her letter and decided to visit the Kuchiki estate until he was stopped by his father, whom he met at the stalls of the horses.
"Ichigo." His father said stern. "Did you forget? You have an appointment with Zangestu." The orange top growled at his dad. "It can wait. There are more serious things at hand than Zangetsu." Isshin didn't like Ichigo's answer and placed his hand on Ichigo's arm, stopping him from what he was doing. "Son. You know things in Capon are a bit unsteady at the moment. You can't just run off. We need you and Zangetsu on one line here. Who knows what goes wrong if you guys are not aligned?" Isshin shivered, a serious look in his eyes.
"Fine." Ichigo sighed. He knew that his dad was right. He hadn't talked or sit with Zangetsu for months, and there was a specific reason. Zangetsu was Ichigo's mentor, but also his sword. Some may not know, but the mightiest warriors in Japon all had a sword, a special sword that came with its own coach or mentor. It is like the sword could speak. Ichigo got his sword Zangestu for his eight birthday. He remembered that when he talked for the first time with the old man, he knew he would be his best friend.
But over the years Ichigo grew and formed his own opinion about situations, incidents and most of all, people. Something that saddened Zangetsu so much that he and Ichigo barely talked in the past years. Because they barely communicated, Ichigo decided to train with other swords. But once a warrior gets its first sword, that sword will be the only weapon with where the fighter can unleash it's full potential with. This frustrated Ichigo, so he scheduled meetings with Zangestsu to strengthen their relationship, but so far without any improvement.
Ichigo went to his training room and took out the huge sword named Zangetsu. He sighed and went into a mediating position, placing the sword on his lap, entering his inner word. Once he closed his eyes, he arrived in a world that was made of water and sideways buildings. It looked nothing like the kingdom he lived in, and wondered where this interior came from. Once Ichigo was standing up, he saw Zangetsu sitting on one of the buildings, waiting for Ichigo to come near.
"Okay, let's get this over with." Ichigo made his way to the old man. The older male was wearing a black cloak, dark sunglasses and had long black hair. "Hey old man." Ichigo said, sitting in front of Zangetsu. "Ichigo. Such a surprise."
"Yeah yeah, let's just skip the formality. I'm just here because of my old man." He said rather grumpy, his head resting on his hand. Zangestu didn't say anything and simply observed his companion. Zangestu knew that Ichigo was having a hard time and how much he wanted to run off to the female he held so dear to his heart. "Oi, old man. Are you going to stare all day again like last time?" Ichigo now growled, impatient and uncomfortable.
"You lost her, didn't you." Two brown eyes widened, adverting their gaze elsewhere. "You want to know whether her heart towards you was true, right?" Ichigo suddenly was all silent, sitting there like a little boy who was silenced by a parent. "You know I can tell, right?" Zangetsu said calm, still observing the male in front of him.
Zangetsu didn't know what love was, but he did know that he wanted to protect Ichigo with all his life. Ever since he met Ichigo, he could feel his strong sense of justice and knew that his heart was on the right place. Zangetsu's dream was to groom Ichigo into the perfect warrior.
"I want you to know that I want the best for you and the kingdom." Ichigo huffed, disagreeing with the statement. "You never liked her. You must be thrilled she's gone." Ichigo's sword usually doesn't show feelings, but it looked like Zangetsu gave him a sad smile. "I never said I disliked her. I just said that she doesn't suit you."
"Whatever." The warrior turned away, crossing his arms. "Remember when I protected you from Grimmjow? I saw his intentions from the start and was able to tell you." "Yeah, thanks to that, Yuzu and Karin were safe that night." Ichigo said softly, the memories returning to him. "Exactly. Ichigo, I just want what is best for you." Ichigo's eyes suddenly softened. His day was already bad, but he couldn't hide his feelings any longer from Zangetsu. All this life his sword protected him from hurt, pain and evil plots. He was just reminded of that fact, and he hated that after their bad relationship, Zangetsu had to see him like this. He knew that Zangetsu could see through people's intentions, but he was afraid to ask about Rukia's. Ever since they were dating, he knew that a Kuchiki could not mean a lot of good.
But he trusted Rukia with his life, at least until now, that was. Ichigo suddenly said, "J-just tell me whether she really hates me." Zangetsu looked up into the sky, rain starting to pour down. "Hate, love. It's on the same spectrum. I would say that she doesn't, nowhere, hate you, or loves you. She loves herself, that is why she made this decision. She couldn't sacrifice herself for you, because of her lack of trust in you."
Ichigo closed his eyes, tears slowly streaming down. "I believe my words have hit a nerve." Ichigo nodded and said. "Thanks old man." Zangetsu gave one last nod before disappearing. Ichigo now started sobbing and screaming in his inner world. Everyone was gone, and now he was alone, dealing with a broken heart.
And that eventually led to him sitting and reflecting a few days later on his balcony. He barely slept or ate in the last few days. It was his part of dealing with a broken heart. A heart that for now felt like it could never be mended, ever again.
Later that day, Kuchiki Byakuya was sitting in his garden, enjoying the company of the birds chirping in the tree. "Isn't this lovely, Rukia?" The pale skinned male turned to his sister who was sitting next to him, wearing a beautiful blue and white kimono. "Y-Yes, it is." She replied, giving her brother a soft smile. "I'm very pleased with how you are looking today, Rukia. You remind me so much of Hisana, it makes me proud." His eyes softening while watching the female beside him. Hearing these words made Rukia's inside swell. She never got to meet her older sister, but to hear from her brother that she looked like her made her even happier. "Y-You're too kind, Nii-sama…"
"You proved your loyalty to me, Rukia. I want you to know I'm very proud." Byakuya carried on the conversation, his tea being poured in his cup by a nearby servant. "I spoke to grandfather, and he agrees with formally making you the next heir and leader of the Kuchiki clan, if something were to happen to me." Rukia nodded as she took a sip of her tea, having mixed feelings about becoming the next heir. "T-Thank you, Nii-Sama, I feel honored." Byakuya watched his sister and was very satisfied by how everything worked out. He knew that Rukia never had the guts to defy his orders, even if it was for love. His relationship with Rukia was too special before to his sister. "The formal ceremony of appointment will take place in four months and two weeks. During that time, I want you to brush up your etiquette skills with Nanao-san. I already made the arrangements. You will also have a fitting in two weeks for your formal kimono." Once again, the petite female nodded. She did not feel comfortable with all this, and she felt as if she needed to get away. Becoming an heir after leaving and betraying her ex lover. She wasn't yet over her heartbreak. She stood up from her chair as she bowed before her brother. "If you would excuse me, Nii-sama." Byakuya nodded and Rukia made her leave. She walked around the garden and stopped next to a cherry blossom tree. The tree was fully in bloom, pink petals filling the sky above her. She looked up to the leaves as tears were forming in her eyes. She grabbed her arm and started hugging herself, whispering softly, "You did well Rukia, you did well. Nii-sama is proud of me. After a little while, it'll be better."
"Ya missing the bastard that much?" A rough, deep voice took Rukia surprised, unlocking herself from her hug and turning around. "Renji…" She said, meeting the eyes of her best friend. "What are you doing here?" A smile appeared on Renji's mug as he extended his hand. "I'm here to take care of you. Captain wants me to watch over you until the ceremony." Because of Rukia's mood, she only nodded and decided not to take his hand, Renji's smile fading. "Rukia, if you need a shoulder to cry on… I'll lend you mine." Renji said softly, his cheeks turning a soft pink. This made Rukia laugh, she hadn't seen her best friend so shy in a long time. "I'll be fine, Renji. I'm a Kuchiki. Hardships are needed to make you stronger." A gentle smile appearing on her lips. She appreciated Renji offering his shoulder as a place of comfort, but now there wasn't time to cry. She needed to get herself together for the appointment ceremony.
Meanwhile, Urahara Kisuke was sitting in the cafeteria of the awful prison where around a hundred and fifty females were held. He was enjoying a good meal of tonkatsu made by the cafeteria staff. "And Szayelaporro said it was bad…" He huffed while continuing his meal. All of a sudden, a firm scream could be heard.
"Please, don't hurt her. She didn't do anything wrong, if you want to be mad at anyone, please be mad at me." Urahara's eyes shifted towards the location where the sound came from, seeing an auburn haired lady standing in front of a thin woman who was now shivering, probably from the shock. Standing across the auburn female was another female with purple hair, glasses and quite fair skin, taller than Orihime and probably stronger as well. "That woman behind you is insane. You wanna defend crazy? I have no problem with hurting you to get to that hag." The woman screamed. "She's not crazy, she's just traumatized by the events that took place here." Orihime turned around and took both hands of the older women, crouching down. "It'll be okay, aunty. We'll get through it together."
Urahara watched the situation unfold and noticed the auburn haired female, mumbling to himself. "Isn't that Inoue-san? She's prettier than I thought." Back at the sight, a foul smirk appeared on the purple haired women face. "You dumb girl, can't you take a hint? I have business with her. How dare you come in between." The female said in a raised voice. "Just leave her alone, she's not in the right state of mind to talk to you." Orihime defended, her head turned to the angry female. "Tsh, you really annoy me. Wanna meddle with other people's business. You're gonna pay for this one." The female said, taking a lunge at Orihime with her bread knife.
Urahara sighed as he decided to join the party, grabbing the hand of the purple haired female, making her stop. "I'm trying to enjoy my lunch, can you please keep it down?" He said in his usual cheerful voice, a goofy expression on his face. Both women were surprised that there was a man standing in between them. "U-Uh…" The purple haired female named Hinima dropped the knife and took back her arm, backing up. "M-My apologies." The fear was now seen all over her face. Orihime looked up at Urahara with a confused look on her face. He was the one who saved her from being dragged out of her room one night by Nnoitra. He was an odd man, friendly but odd. Thanks to Urahara, Hinima went back to her seat and left Orihime and the old lady alone, shooting them one nasty stare before going back to her place. Urahara Kisuke helped Orihime and the old lady off the ground, taking their seats. Before Urahara went back to his seat, Orihime stopped him. "E-Excuse me…" She said quite loudly, which caught Urahara's attention. "Thank you." She said while bowing to him. "No need to thank me. I just like peaceful meals." He watched the female, she was just as he had heard. Kind and respectful. "B-But still, I really want to thank you." A warm smile appearing on her face, which threw Urahara off guard. He did not expect to receive a smile of a woman who had been taken as a prisoner and received bad treatment and meals for almost a month now. Of course, he did not show his surprise, but simply returned her smile with a nod before returning to his seat.
He couldn't help his eyes roam back to the female that just thanked him for his actions. She was seated next to the confused lady, feeding her and making sure she ate enough. Even in a place like this where many only think about their own survival, there was a kind soul that shined through. This made the blonde male sigh and stare at the ceiling. "Something on your mind, Kisuke?" Urahara's eyes remained unto the ceiling, a smile appeared once again. "Yoruichi, nice to see you're back." A dark-skinned female was taking a seat next to him, her golden eyes scanning the male. "Why are you here?" Urahara met Yoruchi's eyes and pointed at Orihime. "I'm observing the test subject."
"I see. What are your findings?" Yoruchi asked, eating a piece of tonkatsu off Kisuke's plate. "She's perfect. Kind, healthy and not afraid of confrontation Yoruchi, with those looks. I like her." Urahara smiled once again, excited from his findings. "Then I have good news for you, Kisuke. Byakuya provided us with a sample. I think we can get started with our project." Urahara's smile turned into a grin as he patted Yoruchi's head. "Seems like everything goes according schedule. Glad you're back, Yoruichi." He pressed his lips against her temple before running off to his office. He was glad he went to the cafeteria today.
That same night, Orihime was in her bed. It was another night of tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Each time she closed her eyes, she would see pictures in her head of her brother, imagining his death. How he could've died. Honestly, she was dead tired of getting the same nightmare over and over again, and she couldn't help to wonder how long she would have to stay in this prison. It had been a little over a month since she had been brought here. Orihme's thoughts were interrupted by the door that opened, Yoruchi standing in the door opening together with Szayelporro. "Inoue Orihime?" Yoruchi said, turning on the flashlight that was in her hands. Because of the flashlight, Orihime couldn't see who was speaking to hear, which made her afraid. "Y-Yes…" She said softly, narrowing her eyes to see.
"Please relax. I'm Yoruichi-san, and I am here to pick you up and move you to another room." Orihime simply nodded as she felt a strong hand grabbing her arm. It was the pink haired male with square glasses. He was tall, skinny but strong. He dragged her with her into the hallways, which were dimmed because of the time of day. It was evening, so all lights in the facility were turned off. They went to another floor by elevator and after 5 minutes Orihime was lying on her bed against her will in a room that looked like a surgery room, her hands and legs cuffed to the table as Yoruichi came and sat beside her, Szayelporro standing on the other side. "I'm now going to blindfold you. Please remain calm and don't worry. As long as you remain calm, it'll be over in a minute." Yoruchi said calmly, the pink haired male smirked at the sight of the girl. "Yoruichi-san, she has the perfect body for my own experiment." The brown female shot him a glare before blindfolding the women. "Don't you dare touch her inappropriately. I will not hesitate to kill you." The male held up his hands before putting on his gloves.
Meanwhile, Orihime felt her heart beating out of her chest, fearing for her life. Why was she tied to a cold table? Why was she blindfolded, and why wasn't she allowed to see what would happen? What are they planning? Is she going to lose her life, or are they going to steal her cells to clone her? The female's thoughts going from the one idea to the other. Suddenly, she felt the hands going under her dress, causing her to tense up. First she yelped, but then started screaming and kicking as she felt the hands sliding off her undergarments. She could Yoruchi's voice, stern and calm, saying: "Inoue-san, I said not to worry. We're only going to examine you down there. Please do not worry." This did not calm down Orihime at all as she kept kicking, feeling horrible as tears started streaming. Never had anyone taken off her undergarments or even seeing her naked. In between her kicking, the person touching her managed to take off her undergarments, shoving a speculum inside her female area as two other hands were spreading her legs. "This will be a bit cold." A male voice said. As soon as the speculum touched her skin, the female started sobbing. She never felt so helpless and humiliated. Because she was so angry and adrenaline was rushing through her veins, she didn't notice that Urahara-san was inserting the tube that held the semen and slowly was placing this inside her. It took a few minutes until the speculum got removed, and the two hands let go of the girl's legs. Yoruchi slowly touched her arm and said, "We'll leave you here for a while. Be right back."
Orihime could little care about her words, she just felt disgusting. Was this what it was like to be violated? She kept sobbing and crying, calling softly her brother's name. "Sora… please come and safe me." She kept calling for him until she felt tired and dozed off.
"Your hair is so special, Hime. Let no one ever tell you otherwise." A dark-haired male around the hundred and eighty centimeters was carrying a small girl on his back, her hands wrapped around his neck. "But why does everyone hate it so much, Nii-chan?" A little girl sobbed softly, wiping her tears. That afternoon, she had been bullied once again by three big boys and one girl in her class. The incident ending with the bullies cutting her hair. "It is because they don't see the value of it. When something is not valued, it is usually tossed aside. But you know what?" Sora said, a smile appearing on his face. "What?" Orihime asked, her voice still shaky. "People usually don't know how valuable someone is until it's gone." Orihime, who was too little to understand, simply stared into nothingness, blinking until she tiled her head. "I don't get it…" Sora laughed at his little sister. "Let's get you home and clean. You must be freezing." Orihime shook her head in disagreement. "No Nii-chan, I like our evening walks back home. You always rumble on about silly things" This surprised Sora, his tone sounding as if he was hurt. "I'm not rumbling, I'm sharing my life lessons with you. One never knows when it comes in handy." He turned his head to Orihime, offering her another smile. "Naaaah, I don't need it because you will always be by my side." They both ended laughing and resumed their way home.
"Inoue-san?" Orihime opened her eyes as she could feel someone nudging her. "W-Where am I?" Both Yoruchi and Urahara were standing in front of her, a concerned look on their face. "How are you feeling?" The female asked. Suddenly Orihime reminded of the events of earlier and her defenses shot up, looking around. She was no longer in the room where the horrible events took place, rather she was in a small bedroom that looked as if it belonged to one of the higher ups in this place. The room had sand colored curtains, a soft queen size bed where she was laying on and there was even a vanity table in this room. She looked rather confused at the two standing in front of her. "W-Where am I?" Urahara noticed this was the second time she answered their question with a question of her own. It probably wouldn't help to ask her another question. "You're in your new room, Inoue-san." Urahara said as he walked to the curtains, opening them up. "It is already passed day time, and you barely woke up. Last night must have drained you." Orihime's legs shot up to her chest, that is when she suddenly felt a soreness between her legs, wincing because of it. "W-What have you done to me? Why did you blindfold me and took off my undergarments? W-What was that for?" The young girl asked, tears forming in her eyes as her voice was shaking.
"My apologies, Inoue-san. I can understand this must not been very pleasant for you." Those words were like fuel for Orihime as she bit her lip, her hand forming a fist. It was beyond 'not pleasant' and the female felt as if she was a joke, until she remembered that she was their prisoner. "This is your new room for the time being. We will be able to monitor you through our camera's." Urahara pointed to the four camera's spreader across the room. "In about two weeks time, Yoruichi-san will come back to check on you and take some additional tests. It won't be yesterday, I assure you that. Until then, please stay put. You'll receive food three times a day, and if you would like to visit the garden, please let one of the guards know." The auburn female listened half as she couldn't stop thinking about last night, her hands now covering her head.
"Kisuke." Yoruchi pointed to the girl on the bed, giving him a nod. "I think it's time to go. She needs some time alone." Urahara's usual smile disappeared as his eyes hardened while watching Orihime. It is for the best, just stay strong, Inoue-san. Was what he thought, leaving the room together with Yoruchi.
I feel so bad for Orihime! I never wanted her to go through this, but I promise that from here onwards only happiness will await her! My favorite part of this chapter was defintely the part where Ichigo reads Rukia's letter and the talk with Zangetsu. I'm a sucker for letters and wise words of wisdom from older people. There's so much to learn from older people, don't you think? If there are things you guys are missing in the story, feel free to leave a review! It's always a pleasure to read your reviews. :)
Until next time!