Welcome to chapter 6!
I don't own these characters, Kubo-san does.
Enjoy :)
The sky turned a shade darker while Ichigo was making his way to his final destination. On his horse there was an unconscious woman that he found a couple of hours ago near the roadside where an accident had taken place. Her pulse was stable but for some reason she didn't wake up and this made Ichigo slightly worried. It could never be a good sign if someone hasn't been responding for a couple of hours. He tried not to think too bad of it as she hurried to the Unohana estate.
Finally, at around 6:30 pm, he could see the estate and made his way to the huge gate, where two guards were waiting for him. "Kurosaki-sama, we are expecting you." One of the guards said, noticing the maiden on his horse. "Guard, this woman needs medical help, could you make sure someone can take a look?" The guard nodded and wanted to take the woman off the horse as a sudden voice could be heard. "Oooh, you have some nerve coming here with a new woman." A hysterical laugh could be heard as a busty woman with deep cleavage and auburn, dark hair appeared in front of Ichigo. "Rangiku-san…" Ichigo mumbled, his usual scowl appearing on his face. "T-this woman is hurt. I found her on my way here. She doesn't seem to be well." Ichigo grumbled, the guard now rushing the woman inside as Ichigo was left behind with Rangiku, who was now turning her head around to watch the guard bring the woman inside. "She looks pretty!" Rankgiku exclaimed, chuckling. "You sure you didn't bring her here with different intentions? I'm sure Unohana wouldn't be pleased." The older female said while tending to Ichigo's horse. "It's nothing like that. I don't even know who she is… I just know that she needs help."
"Always taking care of the stray cats. You never change. How's your father doing? And your lovely mother? Did she tell you about that I might be getting married soon?" Ichigo sighed as he rubbed the forehead. He didn't have the time or energy to listen to Rangiku's questions and stories. She was always so noisy and that was really off-putting to him. "I'm heading inside. Is Chad home?" The male said while making his way into the estate, ignoring the woman who was now pouting, following him inside.
"Kurosaki-san." The guard against moments ago returned to give an update about Orihime. "The woman has been brought to the infirmary. Toshiro-sama is checking up on her. When we know more, we will let you know." Ichigo nodded. "Thank you, but I do not need an update. When she wakes up, simply bring her to the city. She can find her own way from there." The orange top replied, giving Rangiku a look. "Whatever happens to her, I do not care. As long as she's alive, then I'm relieved." Ichigo said. "Oooh, those are some tough words, Ichigo. Looks like you really don't know this woman. Too bad, from what I could see in a moment she looked beautiful." Rangiku said with her finger on her lip. "Rangiku, please. I'm not in the mood. I don't have time for women or chit-chat about how pretty someone is. There are things I need to do."
"You are always like this… no fun, Ichigo." She sighed. "Alright, let me bring you to Chad. He's been waiting for you." Rangiku brought Ichigo upstairs to the weights' room on the first floor, where Chad was exercising. "Here you go. If you need anything, please don't bother to call me. I'm too busy doing other stuff." The older woman laughed and went on her way.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, a young teenager was looking at the auburn maiden, who was still unconscious at this point. He softly grabbed her wrist and once again checked her pulse and sighed. "How odd…" He said to himself. "What is odd?" A warm bust surrounded him from the back, causing a vein to twitch on his forehead. "Matsumoto… why are you here? Weren't you supposed to watch Kurosaki." He glared at her as he made his way out of her embrace, walking to the other side of the bed. "Ichigo and Chad are no fun. You know how those two are. I'm more interested in you and this lovely lady here." Rangiku said as her eyes fell on the sleeping beauty on the bed. "How's she doing?"
"She is doing fine. The only odd thing is that it appears she's simply sleeping. It looks like she is not hurt or anything. Didn't Kurosaki say that he found her near an accident?" Rankgiku nodded as she kept looking at the woman. "Captain… haven't you noticed anything about her?" Rangiku said in a more serious tone, pointing at the Orihime's stomach. "Yeah… according to my medical knowledge, this woman is pregnant. She should be around 4 / 5 months along." Toshiro said in his usual tone as Rangkiku gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "But she's so young… Do you know if the baby is fine?" Toshiro nodded. "Both her and the baby doesn't seem to have any injuries, but I'll know for sure when she wakes up. Do you mind staying with her, Rangiku?" The woman shook her head, taking a seat beside the bed. "I'll stay with her. Don't worry captain."
Hours passed by and Rangiku never left Orihime's side. For some reason, the young maiden before her made her think of herself. The times when her own skin was so beautiful, soft and life scars weren't showing on her face. The female couldn't help to wonder as to why such a beautiful person as Orihime was already pregnant. Did she have a family and was she already married? There were no signs of a ring seen on her finger, only two hairpins in her hair. Rankgiku sighed at the sight. So young… and already expecting. "I hope she is in a better relationship than I am currently…" Rangiku said softly, a sad expression on her face.
Suddenly, two gray orbs appeared, hands gripping Orihime's stomach as a loud groan could be heard. Orihime woke up and the first thing that came to her mind was 'my baby!'. She jerked up as she grabbed her stomach, feeling her bump as she looked around, seeing another woman than Yoruichi sitting beside her. "Y-Your baby is fine." Rangiku said quickly, coming closer as she tried to calm Orihime down. "Here, have some water." Orihime simply took the cup of water as she kept cradling her stomach with her other hand. After taking a sip, she once again looked around the room and met Rangiku's stare. "W-Where am I?" The room she was in was so empty but had a softer and gentler atmosphere. The woman looking at her with light blue eyes seemed gentle and warm, which for some odd reason calmed her down. Her breath started to slow down. Orihime still had her guard up, but she felt for some reason at ease.
"Rangiku smiled at the girl and took the cup from her hand. "You might not know me, but I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, and you're currently at my house." She said while taking her hand, shaking it excitedly. "Your house? You wish!" A sharp but firm voice said, Toshiro, appearing from behind the door. "Captain, you startled me!" Rangiku said with a pout, letting go of Orihime's hand. "How do you feel?" Toshiro asked, checking Orihime's pulse again as his eyes roamed over her stomach. "I-I'm fine."
"You don't feel dizzy or any sharp pain in your body?" Orihime shook her head in a no motion, staring at the young man with an intense interest. How could such a young boy be a doctor? Or was he playing doctor and was she just one of his experiments? Was he going to turn her into Frankenstein's bride? "Good." he continued. "What is the last thing you can remember before waking up?" Toshiro now took a seat beside Matsumoto, taking out his little notebook to make notes.
Orihime's finger automatically was placed on her lips as she tried to think about the last thing she could remember. Oh yeah! She was with Uliquorra and driver-kun. Suddenly, memories of that morning came back as she could feel a headache coming up. "W-Well… the last thing I remember was that I… I-I was leaving that place with Uliquorra-kun and our driver. We were on our way to a new house and then suddenly… I fell asleep and woke up here?" She rubbed the back of her head, quite embarrassed of how incomplete her story was.
"Oeh, who is this Ulquiorra? Such an interesting name? Is he your husband? The father of your baby?" Rangiku jumped up with all her question, being all in Orihime's face about the name she had just called. "Matsumoto." Toshiro called the older woman to a halt. "She just woke up. Give her some time to collect her thoughts." Rangiku sighed and nodded. "Fine. Can she at least tell us her name?"
"Orihime. Inoue Orihime is my name…" Orihime said softly, a soft blush creeping up her cheeks accompanied by a light smile. "Inoue… why have I heard that name before?" Toshiro muttered under his breath, soft enough for the others not to hear. "Ahh, so we do have a princes in the house!" Rangiku exclaimed, clasping her hands in excitement as she came closer once again. "I love your name. It's so… suitable and fitted for a beautiful princes like yourself. So tell me, is that Uliquiorra your prince?" Orihime waved her hands as she started blushing. Why did this woman want to know about her personal business? It's been quite a while since she had someone so noisy in her neighborhood. Usually, Chizuru would be the curious and obnoxious type that would always mind her business. She was grateful for Tatsuki always being there. "N-No… He is my guard. Speaking of him, have you seen him?" The girl looked around once more, suddenly feeling nervous as she couldn't sense him.
"No, I don't even have a clue what he looks like." Rangiku said. "You probably don't know, but you were brought here by a good friend of ours." "Speaking of him." Toshiro interrupted. "He asked us to escort you to the city once you are feeling better. Since it's late, why don't you spend the night and let us bring you to the village tomorrow?" Orihime nodded and was still a bit confused as what happened. "Rangiku, bring her something to eat."
"I-I have a request…" Orihime suddenly said, gripping the sheets as if she needed courage to put in her request. "Is there a way I can see this person who had brought me here? I want to show my gratitude, but also they might know more about what happened." A playful smirk appeared on Rangiku's lips as she nodded. "Of course. Stay put my dear. I'll be right back with a bite to eat and your knight in shining armor."
"Didn't I say that once she's awake, you could bring her to the village? Why do you want me to see her?" Ichigo's usual frown was back in place as he was walking behind Rangiku, who was now holding a tray with some soup and a fresh filling of water. "She just said she wants to thank you. Jeez, come on, Ichigo. Can't you accept just a thank you?" The orange top didn't like to be thanked by strangers. He was just doing his job as a protector, was a thank you really needed? Rankgiku entered the infirmary before Ichigo, and he could hear two cheerful voices. "It looks so yummy. Thank you very much, Rangiku-san." The soft, light voice said. "You are soooo cute!"
Ichigo rolled his eyes before going in. He first lightly knocked on the door before making his entrance. The face of the auburn haired beauty turned his way and he was met by two silver gray pairs of eyes that were just as big and innocent as those of a deer. A gentle smile gracing her lips, bangs framing her face. Honestly, Orihime didn't look her best but still, she looked beautiful. Anyone who had a good set of eyes could see that the woman in front of him was gorgeous. Not only did she have a beautiful small, round and pale face, she was also gifted with a good pair of assets that of course no one could miss.
"Ichigo, may I introduce you to Inoue Orihime. The woman you have saved." Ichigo didn't even hear Rangiku's introduction until he saw two pairs of lips move, which brought him back to reality. "T-Thank you so much for saving me and my baby." Orihime said softly, bowing her head as her hands were placed on her stomach. "I didn't know what happened, but Rangiku-san said that you saved me, and I'm thankful for that." Ichigo cleared his throat as he shifted his eyes to the other side of the room, his cold demeanor returning. "It was no big deal. It's good to see you're alive and well." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as his eyes caught her hands on her stomach. Pregnant… she must have a family to return to, Ichigo thought by himself.
"I-I do have some questions to ask you." Orihime turned her attention back to Ichigo as she met his intense dark chocolate brown eyes. "Where did you find me?" Ichigo's brow arched as he was surprised with her question. Of course… she must want to know where the other people she was with are?
"I found you aside the road. I heard an explosion near me, so I decided to take a look what happened. When I arrived there, I only saw you and no one else. The car was in flames and there were no other bodies or people." Orihime's eyes widened as she gripped the sheets, pulling it closer to her chest. Ichigo wanted to tell her about the orange glow that he saw around her, but the woman seemed too puzzled and shocked that he remained silent. Soon Orihime recollected herself as she let go of the sheet, meeting Ichigo's intense gaze, which unexpectedly brought a pink shade to her cheeks.
"Thank you for telling me…" Rankgiku also noticed Orihime's reaction and slowly placed her hand on her back, sitting next to her. "Were you in that car? Was your family with you?" Orihime shook her head as she bit her lip, looking down at her stomach. "I-I… I wasn't with family. Just with a driver and my guard. We were on our way to my new temporary stay." Orihime admitted. For some reason, she felt reassured with Rangiku next to her. The warmth she emitted was like that of a mother or aunt. "Guard…?" Rangiku looked questionably at Orihime, exchanging a look with Ichigo. "Are you from a noble family? You kind of look like one." Rangiku said, rubbing her back.
"N-No.. not at all. I-I… just" Before she could say anything, big warm tears fell down on her dress. It was as if suddenly she realized that her brother was now death and that the one person that she knew in this horrible place could have died in a horrible crash. Besides this, it felt as all the overwhelming feelings of the last couple of months erupted from her as she could feel Rangiku's hand on her back. Her shoulders started shaking.
Ichigo was taken aback from the situation. He could somewhat imagine that the news he brought shook her up. But for some reason, when he saw her break down, he could feel himself become tense. Not because of her crying but because it seemed that there was an underlying reason for her tears. The way she suddenly stopped talking, the way her hand clasped over her mouth and her eyes widening in shock.
Rangiku now hugged the girl and kept on soothing her with the back rubs. "Orihime-chan, it must be quite hard for you to talk right now, but could you please tell me where you are from? I would like to make sure that you can go back to your family safely." Rangiku took Orihime's face in her hands and gently wiped her tears with her fingers. The sight of the auburn hair crying for some reason tugged her heart. Orihime tried to gather her words but instead a sob erupted from her lips as she said almost not understandable "M-My home… my my home.. is no longer h-h-here. It has been d-de-destroyed."
Both Ichigo and Rangiku's eyes widened at the sound of her words. The way Orihime was breaking down brought back memories of the first battlefield Ichigo ever entered. Flashes and images of people who were scarred for life came before him, which caused him to clench his jaw. She then continued, "My b-brother has been k-killed… T-Tatsuki-chan is, is gone. I-I don't k-know what to do… T-They were going to take me to an n-new home. B-But Ulquiorra-chan left me now t-too…"
Rankgiku frowned as she tried to recollect if she heard of a city or village being destroyed. Suddenly, it came to her as she muttered, "The raid of the villages at the south-east side of the kingdom…" Ichigo looked at Rangiku with a puzzled expression on his face, not getting what she is hinting at. "Orihime-chan, are you one of the maidens that were taken from the south-east villages? One of the victims of the raid?"
Hearing Rangiku's question made Orihime's heart drop as she thought back to the day she ran back to the village. Seeing the baker lying dead on the ground, Chizuru being taken violently by the guards. Tatsuki being harassed. All she could do was nod and cry. Rangiku's eyes widened in shock but quickly masked her shock by turning her expression into a worried and kind one. "Orihime-chan, I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through such an awful experience. Please know that you are safe here and that we will not harm you."
Orihime's face now was red from all the crying. She managed to open her swollen eyes to look at Rangiku's warm face and nodded. "You are safe here. So, right now, I want you to eat your soup and get stronger, okay? You also seem a bit hot, so I might ask Toshiro to take your temperature to make sure you do not have a fever. Also, I'll bring you new clothes, so you can get out of your dress. It looks uncomfortable to wear in bed." Orihime nodded once again as she could feel herself calm down. There were many things on her mind right now, but she was too shaken by her sadness to ask Rangiku and Ichigo where she was. She decided to just follow Rangiku's orders and ate her soup quietly as Rangiku singled Ichigo to follow her.
Ichigo was truly puzzled and shocked by what he just heard and witnessed. "Ichigo… can't you believe it? One of the victims of the raid is here, back in the Unohana kingdom. How did she get here all the way?" Rangiku rubbed her head, her expression serious and her brain trying to crack a code. "What raid? She is from the Unohana Kingdom, isn't it normal for her to go from place to place within the kingdom?" The mature woman shook her head as she glared at Ichigo. "Seriously, Ichigo, have you forgotten about what your little relationship with Rukia has brought us? Thanks to your relationship, the Kuchiki's received intel that the south-east villages of our kingdom received little to no security from Unohana. This was because Unohana found out about your relationship with Rukia and broke our alliance with your family. This caused the security of those villages to be less protective than in the capital because those small villages were under Kurosaki's security and surveillance. Because Unohana could not trust your family, she decided to break the alliance and the troops were revoked from that place. Thanks to this, the Kuchiki's saw their chance to infiltrate and raid those villages for their own purposes. How can you not know?!"
Once again Ichigo felt as if he had been kept in the dark about everything. He knew that the Kuchiki raided villages, but he didn't know where and how many. Hearing this from Rangiku did not only make him feel even more guilty but made him want to disappear. He wasn't worthy to show his face to Unohana like this. Heck, even to the woman whom he just saved. He hangs his head as his expression darkened. Regret filling his eyes. "I apologize… I truly do Rankgiku-san. Never in any world had I thought that my actions would have such an impact on anyone's life. Truly, I have failed as the next heir to my family and have not only let down Unohana but also the people from this kingdom."
"I'm glad to see you have reflected on your actions, Kurosaki-san." A gentle, yet a voice with authority joined the conversation. Ichigo's eyes shot up as Unohana was standing in front of him. "Unohana-san… I wasn't aware you were already back." The orange top immediately went down on his knees, showing his remorse. "Please stand to your feet. Your words have already brought me great comfort and showed me that you have thought deeply about your role in the Kurosaki family. It seems that your father has been speaking the truth about your state."
Rankgiku was also surprised by Unohana's appearance and immediately quiet down. Fixing her robe. "I will attend to the maiden. I'll let you two talk things over." And Rangiku made her way to the room, leaving the two.
"Kurosaki-san, there are some things we need to discuss. Please follow me to another place. It is not suitable for us to talk things over here." Unohana said with her signature smile, a smile that no one ever dared to refuse. Ichigo simply nodded and followed the woman.
Done! Finally, Ichigo and Orihime meet each other! I must admit, it was so hard to write their first encounter. My thought process was very long and still, I'm not really satisfied how this played out. This might not have been the kind of encounter you might have hoped, but Orihime is dealing with so much trauma that she probably will need some time to fall for Ichigo's his wonderful charms ;). So please bear with me.
Also, have you guys seen the new Bleach Anime PV? I'm so stoked for the TYBW arc to return in October! Are there scenes or fight you guys can't wait to see? Oh yeah and if there are any specific IchiHime moments you guys would like to see in this story, let me know. I might incorporate them in the upcoming chapters.
Please leave a review and see you guys soon!