Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
After Ryou passed on, the camp was chaotic for a long time. The other injured team members had to be taken care of, and the camp had still not been deemed safe. The soldiers had stayed in their cramped hideaway for days, awaiting the arrival of the messenger they had been sent to check out the camp. He came back within the week, and reported that both the camp and the river side was devoid of any alien species, and so the soldiers had begun the trudge back to their cabins, hauling their things with them.
The soldiers were also in shock at the sudden loss of their leader. The other military officers gave strict orders to have his body burned somewhere deep in the woods, so it would no longer be a hassle. And when Hikaru requested to be a part of that team, to be given a chance to stick as close to the young lad as possible until the very last moment, she was refused.
"We don't need emotional attachment weighing down our soldiers," one of the officers grunted before shoving her away. "Now get back to your post, boy."
And so she watched painstakingly as a heavily wrapped corpse, Ryou's body obviously inside, was led away by a team of stoic men, who were following orders to rid of the body quickly and efficiently. They returned by sunset with no change in their facial expressions, no signs at all that they were upset by losing their cherished leader and friend. It was a funeral that Ryou did not deserve.
Hikaru was heartbroken. She had lost her best friend so suddenly, and to make matters worse, he had never even known of her awful secret. She detested herself for this. To the very end, all her most cherished comrade had known about her had been a lie.
"I'm sorry, Ryou," she whispered to herself once, late in the night. "I wish I'd told you; I wish you'd known."
Everywhere she went, there were reminders of him. When the soldiers went to town in groups, she recognized girls not by their faces or names, but by whether Ryou had flirted with them or not. When she sat down for a meal, she noticed how dull everything seemed with Ryou not by her side, building awful food sculptures and belching loudly.
And, oh, how she missed his smile! It had made everything so much more bearable, so much less weighted and overbearing. It had been optimistic and cheerful, always encouraging her and everyone else to do their best. He had known how to inspire his teams, how to get the best results, even when they had been discouraged.
But it seemed like she was the only one who really missed him. No one else took notice of the sudden and strange emptiness, no one else felt the need to mourn. She had thought that his team, at least, would have been upset. After all, after her, they had been the next closest to the young boy. But she had come across one of their discussions one night while on her way to her cabin from the campfire.
"Better him than me," she had heard one mutter, and the rest had murmured in agreement.
Hikaru had turned away in disgust, and had been unable to look at any of them in the eye for a long time after that. But she also refused to be seen as weak or soft, and so she pretended to be the same; she went on with her duties, and her training, and her life, secretly missing her best friend.
That was Hikaru's first loss. When she had first arrived at the camp, she had had an understanding of what awaited her. She had known that there would be heavy losses and injuries, quite possibly her own. But since she knew that what she was doing was for a good cause, she had thought she could handle it. Now, she realized what a fool she had been.
Training began again soon after the small invasion of Leoans. The other military officers each stood by a post, steady and unsmiling, and overlooked the activities. Now that their friendly and caring commander was no longer around, they were finally able to be as harsh as they needed.
On many occasions, Hikaru was asked to run the course countless times, sometimes forced to skip meals in order to comply. Her hands became even more rough and blistered, her feet constantly ached, and her body was not without many scratches. And there were new punishments. Ryou hadn't been dense enough to skip repercussions altogether – his men needed to learn the toughness of battle. But the whippings and the beatings were new and unknown. Cries of pain filled the campsite constantly, the government officials always finding something that a soldier had done wrong. And they were all expected to tough out the pain, to bear it in silence and to carry on as far as possible. She was finally starting to understand what war was like.
.. ღ ..
It is late morning; she can tell that much from a musty and very tiny window on the prison wall. Although she had been kidnapped late in the night, the entire travel, imprisonment, and waiting has been long enough for the sun to rise once again.
She shifts slightly in her little cell, her backside aching from the hardness of the ground and walls, and her body stiff from her position. She is unused to such a condition, never having faced any form of physical discomfort in her luxurious life.
The cell is cold and, although she is very thankful for the coat she had thought to slip on before running out of her estate, it also does not change the fact that she is only wearing a thin robe underneath. She shivers, hunching her shoulders together in an attempt to warm herself with her own body heat. Her hair falls in front of her face in the process, some bangs coming loose from the hair clips that had been a present from her brother and irritating her forehead.
She crosses her eyes in order to glare at the offending strands. Their length causes them to tickle her nose, and she tries to wrinkle it to push them off. The action accidentally makes her brush her tongue against the rag in her mouth, and if she could recoil farther back into the wall in disgust, she would. She can see how dirty it is when she moves her eyes as far down as possible, and she gags as she tastes the sweat.
'Ew, ew, ew...' is the only thought going through her head at the moment, though subconsciously she realizes she is only trying to distract herself from her more pressing dilemma.
She does not know what is going to happen to her now. Aside from the poker-faced soldier who had come in to check on her, she has not had any visitors since she was dumped here unceremoniously, and bound and gagged.
She does hear voices every now and then; quick words and brief laughter from somewhere far away that always disappear as soon as they appear. But after her first attempt to attract help – when one of her captors had so coldly informed her that her next whimper could be her last – she has not tried calling attention to herself again.
It had been smart advice, she bregrudgingly admits. She knows nothing of her enemy except that they are brutal – a fact learned through television broadcasts and proven through her capture and confinement. Her luck has not been good so far and she does not wish to test fate, lest she per chance arouse the curiosity of a psychopath.
And so she sits in silence, occasionally feeling a sting in her eyes as she thinks of home and the warm bed she could be sleeping in had it not been for her nosiness.
How long would it be before anybody noticed her disappearance? Well through the night at least, as she had informed Atsuko-chan that she had every intention of drifting to sleep, and had encouraged her to do the same.
Or perhaps it would be sooner. Would her brother think to check in on her quietly as he had done when she had been a child after returning from his business dinner, and notice the empty covers? Or would he simply be too exhausted upon his return to think of anything but his own sleep, as had been the case so often recently? She feels fresh tears as she accepts that the latter is more probable.
However, her self-pity is soon cut off when she hears heavy footsteps heading her way quickly. Soon, she recognizes the jingling of the prison door being opened, and her heart lurches in fear. Is this it, then? Has her fate been decided, her death assured?
Perhaps the same stoic soldier with the chilling green eyes is here to lead her to the gallows, or however they execute people here. She does not think she could bear the thought of his uncaring eyes being the last thing she would see before the world went dark forever. She closes her eyes, lowering her head in defeat.
"Oh, for goodness sake! What have they done to you?!"
To her complete surprise, she hears an angry but decidedly feminine voice. Her eyes snap wide open, and she turns towards her prison's bars, where she meets another shock.
What she sees is not a cold-blooded soldier, but a petite female – a well-off petite female, if her fine robes are anything to go by. She has her hands on her hips as she peers down at her, a fierce scowl on her face, and a steady and irritated tap to her foot.
"Those imbeciles," she hisses under her breath. "Sorry about this. The Leoan army sure has some very moronic soldiers. I'll have them set straight."
And then, to the young prisoner's bewilderment but happiness, she pushes open the gate to her cell, strides over sudddenly, and begins untying the rag around her mouth. Oh, sweet Kami has sent her a gracious savior!
The minute the disgusting cloth leaves her lips, she begins gulping in clean air and licking her lips in an attempt to clean her tongue of the taste embedded upon it. And then she finally takes a closer look at her visitor.
"You're human."
It's the first thing that leaves her mouth, and she says it completely by accident. She does not even know how she had known, just that she can feel a very different aura emitting from the woman; different from the aliens that had kidnapped her in that it is more welcoming, radiating a kind of assurance and security that comes only from being with one's own kind, especially in foreign lands. She cringes when she sees the woman stiffen, pausing in her welcome task of unbinding her arms. She had not said it as an accusation, simply a statement, but the curious female sighs.
"Yes," she admits, finishing with the binds around her wrists and moving to her ankles. "You are certainly very perceptive."
"B-but, you're not a prisoner..." Orihime notes again. It is obvious with her glowing, healthy skin and extravagant threads. Though the clothing she adorns is simple, it is of a soft – she knows it is soft because it brushes against her skin frequently as the woman continues freeing her – and shiny material that can only be identified as silk. Her hair is tidy and clean, obviously washed and attented to regularly. Having lived the life of a royal for most of her own life, Orihime can notice the sign of luxurious living.
'Like a royal...' Her eyes widen into large, round circles at the sudden realization. "You're the queen," she breathes.
Her savor is very still by this point, her brow puckered in distress and her eyes holding a hint of...fear? Desperation?
"Yes," she whispers in confirmation, looking away from her. Already untied, Orihime watches her curiously, rubbing the red marks on her hands. "I'm the queen."
"B-but, you're human!" Alright, so that has already been established, but the shock of the discovery causes her brain to spiral. How could this woman betray her people this way? "How can you be the queen if...I mean, there were lots of rumors going around for a while about a Leoan king taking a human for a bride, but I thought they were just that – rumors. How would you have even met a -"
The royal cuts off her babbling by clearing her throat loudly.
"Let's not talk about this right now," she says, her voice steady once again, and sounding final. Her eyes then rove over her form, taking in her haggard state, and she looks at her in concern. "We should get you cleaned up."
She grabs her hand, and helps her stand, supporting her as she wobbles from the stiffness and ache in her knees. The orange top nods dumbly. Though still bursting with questions and slight mistrust, the thought of a nice, hot bath and fresh, clean clothes after the ordeal she has gone through shoves all her inquiries to the back of her mind.
.. ღ ..
Anyone could tell that Hikaru had changed in the recent months. The young soldier, after the first few lashings from the officers, always performed his duties well and speedily, but without the zealous that had been present with Ryou as a friend.
She was indeed just a shell now. Somehow, to her, Ryou had always been so dependable, always there. Which is why it hurt more now that he was gone. The thought of his death had never even crossed her mind, not with his flippant attitude about battles.
"If you've seen one, you've seen them all," he used to say, waving an airy hand at her. "And if you've survived one, then you can obviously survive them all. You see my logic, little man?"
No, she hadn't seen the logic. But his confidence had made her trust that he would never be defeated.
'You broke my trust, Ryou,' she had thought to herself while lying in the open field they had always gone to together. 'But I broke yours, too. Surprise, I'm actually a girl! I guess that's what we were – a couple of best friends who were never honest with one another.' The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.
And now that he was gone, she was beginning to realize how dangerous this war would be. If someone as wonderful and skillful in combat as Ryou could be incapacitated, that didn't hold any good news for how she would fare. The Leoans had many secrets and tricks up their sleeves still, and she had to be on guard at all times.
Which is why Hikaru began devoting all of her time with her training. She woke up earlier than the others, ran the farthest during thier morning jogs, repeated the training courses twice, even when she was not asked to do so. She cut down on her food intake, knowing that she would not miraculously find a loaf of bread in the middle of the battlefield. Learning to adjust now was the smartest move.
To the government issued military officials, she was an example. To the other trainees, she was an inspiration. To herslf, she was no longer recognizable. She was hardly the way she had been before her sudden loss; she remained silent whenever possible, ignoring conversations around her unless directly spoken to; she followed all of her orders carefully, no longer questioning her inregrity or dignity as her fiery spirit had made her do so often before.
Each day simply became a hazy memory of battle tactics, plans, shootings, sparrings, saluting, complying, and generally holding her tongue. And through that fog, one memory really stood out the most clearly, because it was the one time she allowed herself the luxury of fighting back.
She was ordered to gather the firewood for the evening campfire, and so she'd been scrounging the woods for twigs and branches. When she stepped back out, small bits of twigs clung to her clothing, but she had a rather large stack of kindling and fuel for the fire. Now all that was left was delivering it, and she was free for the day. Maybe she could squeeze in just one round through the training course...
"Give it back!"
She was snapped out of her musings by a loud, distressed outcry. It was soon followed by jeers.
"Why don't you come up here and get it?"
She recognized the group. The boy jumping up and down was Tsubokura Rin, if she remebered correctly, and the one holding what looked like a strange blinking device high above her head and beyond Rin's reach was Sarugaki Hiyori, a violent woman from the town who liked to hang around the woods near the camp. She had amusement in her eyes as she watched the shorter man's ridiculous ponytail – why it was on the front of his head, she would never understand – flail during his attempts to reach whatever it was the more intimidating woman was holding hostage. Hiyori's strange friends were watching the show from not too far away, not bothering to intervene.
"Please, Sarugaki-san," Rin begged, still standing on the tips of his toes. "That's really important and if it breaks -"
"You sayin' I'm not good enough to hold this?" the blonde woman demanded, though she looked more amused than offended. "Well, you've hurt my feelings, Rin-chan. And I believe in gettin' even."
She tightened her hold on the gizmo, obviously ready to crush it within her grip.
"Stop!"
And to everyone's surprise, even Hikaru's, it was she that had spoken, not Rin. Said boy only looked at her with a helpless expression, the rest of his body frozen in its pose reaching for Hiyori's hand. Hikaru glared, a determination building within her. "He said it's important, so give it back."
"Why don't you make m -"
She didn't even get a chance to finish the taunt when Hikaru dropped all of her firewood and charged at her.
"Ack! What the hell!"
Both women fell to the ground, and began rolling in the dirt, scratching and punching at one another and, in Hikaru's case, pulling at Hiyori's arm to grab the device from her hands. She could hear hooting from Hiyori's friends who were enjoying the show, and wailing from Rin, who was trying to dodge them and save himself from tripping, but she didn't care. She felt great! It had been too long since she had roughhoused like this.
"Crazy bitch -"
"You're one to talk -"
"Get fuckin' off me!"
"Oi, oi! What's happenin' here?!"
Zaraki Kenpachi – pretty much the only likeable military official in the entire camp – stopped them, grabbing both by the scruff of their necks and lifting them off the ground, one in each hand. They simply dangled there, shooting viscious glares at one another and breathing heavily.
"If you wanna fight this goddamn much," he growled, not bothering to look at them closely and check whether Hiyori was a soldier...or even male, "then save it for the sparrin' grounds."
And he dropped them both onto the ground, striding away as quickly as he had come, knowing no one would be idiotic enough to continue fighting after he had intervened. Hiyori glared at both her and Rin before throwing the blinking gadget at their feet and heading back for the woods, her friends close behind. Hikaru glared at her retreating back.
"U-um." She jumped at the sudden sound, and turned to see Rin looking at her shyly, his invention secure in his own grasp once again. "Thank you...for helping me."
She shook her head. "Don't mention it. Really. I did it because I wanted to, and she was in the wrong, anyway." Rin nodded before stumbling away uneasily at her fierce expression, but she had meant every word.
If there was one thing she could not stand, it was someone picking on the weak and defenseless.
.. ღ ..
The two walk briskly down a rather large hallway, passing door after door until she finally stops outside one and holds up a hand to indicate that the orange top do the same. Ruffling through the linings and sleeves of her robe, she finally produces a small, silver key, which she inserts into the door and then turns.
The door unlocks with a click, and once it swings open, it reveals a very grand bedroom, its contents consisting only of a canopy bed covered in white satin bedsheets, white curtains covering the doors to a balcony, and two bedside tables draped in white sheets. It gives a feel of emptiness, as if it has not been occupied in a long time, and the whole thing has always rather reminded Karin of a horror movie.
"Miss..."
"Orihime," the prisoner supplies, jumping slightly at the sudden noise. "Orihime Inoue."
"Miss Orihime," she begins again, "I will leave you here to bathe yourself. That door there leads into the lavatory. All the necessities you might require are inside. I will come check on you in a moment, after I have attended to some...business."
"Oh, of course," the young human sputters, and suddenly begins bowing. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, your Highness."
She grimaces at the behavior and speech, no doubt learned from watching fantasy movies back on Earth. She had felt the same way when she had first come to the planet, and the feeling had only intensified once she had been given a tour of the entire palace for the first time. Of course, with her new husband constantly pushing her up against a wall and ravishing her lips every five minutes, it hadn't taken very long for her to think of the large building as home.
"There is no need to bow," she says, and it sounds more like a command when she says it. "I am not your queen, and you are not my subject. Call me Karin."
Orihime nods, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"I'll lock this door from the outside, so no one gets inside until I come to find you."
And with that and an attempt at a comforting smile, she shuts the girl inside, leaving her to her own devices, locks the door, pockets her key, and resumes her brisk walk, heading for the throne room this time.
.. ღ ..
"Grimmjow," he sighs, rubbing his weary eyes for a second time as he turns towards the soldier awaiting punishment. "You've put me in a difficult position."
The blue haired soldiers grins widely, showing his teeth.
"I knew you didn't wanna punish me," he asserts.
"No, I do not," he confirms, pulling at the strand of white hair hanging over his forhead in slight agitation. Slight murmurs pass though the crowd consisting of the warrior's team, some in approval and some in disbelief. "But what you have done cannot be ignored."
"Only by your wife," he counters. The king glares at this.
"That does not mean I will condone it. Believe me when I say, Grimmjow, that a punishment does await you."
"Oh, come on," the soldier almost whines, "I just picked up a puny little human girl. Just put her back and this'll be done with."
"It's not that simple," Toushiro explains, sighing as he feels a slight migrane coming on from all these new and sudden complications. "We have already sent a request for peace from the countries we have retreated from, with a promise that no Leoan will set foot upon thier land during this time."
"So send her through the gate by herself," Grimmjow suggests, shrugging nonchalantly and folding his arms.
"You know as well as we do, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra surprisingly speaks up from among the team members, "that each gate requires a spell from the traveler to keep it stable during transport. No typical human without any talent for our dark magic can make it through alive."
"Well, then, good riddance." And the blue eyed man smiles menacingly, his teeth flashing. Toushiro growls slightly, rubbing his temples in an effort to soothe himself.
"Enough," he barks, calling attention back to himself. "Grimmjow, you have caused many problems and, therefore, must face the consequences. As your punishment, you must spend the next six months training the new recruits of the army. Your own duties as a soldier must then be made up after this time."
"That's it?" Grimmjow asks incredulously, his arms unfolding slightly in surprise. And then a large smirk covers his face. "Nice to know at least one of you royals is still on the Leoan side."
Toushiro only scowls at him.
"You're all dismissed."
.. ღ ..
"And...?"
"And, that's it."
"What?! That's it? Toushiro, when I told you to take care of the mongrel, I meant dish out the worst punishment you could think of!" She actually throws up her hands in exasperation.
"This is the worst punishment for him," Toushiro explains, hoping against all hope that she falls for this. "With his wild spirit, training new and unexperienced recruits will cause agitation, and with his slacker tendencies, having to catch up on all his work afterwards will cause him great discomfort."
Her glare softens slightly.
"Fine," she grumbles. "If you say so."
She turns back to the files she has acquired from a maid and lain out across one of the tables set up against the wall of the throne room, shuffling through them. He breathes out in relief before twisting his arms around her waist from behind.
"My wife is such a firecracker." There is much amusement in his voice, and she chuckles, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"You wouldn't even know what a firecracker was if I had not told you."
"Mmm, nonetheless, since the moment I first learned of it, I immediately thought it resembled you."
"That's nice to know. Ne, Toushiro, do you think you could spare Rangiku for a few months' time?"
He looks at her in surprise, though mostly because of the abrupt change in topic, before his eyebrows scrunch in contemplation.
"Hmm, I would not mind. Something important?"
She bites her bottom lip as she throws some files aside, narrowing the stack of papers in her hand. "I was wondering whether she would not mind watching after our new guest during her stay."
"Ha, a chance to coddle and play with an actual human that does not bite in return?" They both smirk as they remember Karin's own less than perfect first meeting with the busty maid. "She would be ecstatic for the chance."
"Good, good," she mutters absentmindedly, throwing aside yet another pile of papers. He raises an eyebrow as he catches sight of the name of one of the soldiers he knows was once stationed on Earth.
"May I ask what you are doing?"
"Trying to find a suitable bodyguard for Miss Orihime. I cannot be by her side at all times, after all."
"I should think not; I would get terribly lonely." But his attempt at humor is half-hearted as he allows her to return to her diligent task, though his lips thin slightly and his brow remains arched. Her face suddenly lights up.
"Oh, this one is perfect! It might be slightly strange since he was part of the group of her captors, but he has a good reputation for following orders properly and efficiently, and is knowledgable about humans to a degree."
"Ulquiorra Cifer?" he reads over her shoulder. "The one who gave us the report on last night's events?"
"Mm-hmm. He had a rather detached and unfriendly air, in my opinion, but he shan't be there for company, only security. She'll have Rangiku for chatter, after all."
"Perhaps more than she wanted."
With a little less stress weighing on her, she actually laughs at the joke and twists to kiss his lips gently before breaking out of his grasp and running out.
"Toushi, would you please have a maid send Rangiku and Ulquiorra to guest room number three?" she yells over her shoulder.
And although he yells back a confirmation, his face is set in a deep frown.
Edit: No one pointed out that I introduced Ikkaku as a Leoan in the first chapter ^^' I suddenly remembered, so I changed it to Hiyori, because she can be violent and hot-tempered.
Well, I wasn't planning on updating this one, but I sat down to work on my other stories, and inspiration for this channeled out instead. And I got to use the word shan't! I couldn't believe I hadn't used it yet, and it came to me randomly, so I was excited about that - yeah, you know there's something wrong with you when you're excited about diction and word choice ^^' Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
I'm sorry, guys and gals, but I'm really horrible at writing action, and I don't know much about the inner-workings of armies, so I won't be going into much detail about it. Also, as for the timeline, Orihime was captured at night, imprisoned in the morning at the time when Karin was feeling up Toushiro in his sleep ;), and waited in her cell during the time Hanatarou interrupted the royals in the throne room, and they interrogated Grimmjow. I thought I should clear that up now, just in case.
Also, some of you wondered whether Karin and Orihime would recognize each other, but remember? She's from a Nordic country in this story, not Japan, so they don't know one another. That's why she gave her first name first, when Karin asked. I chose Orihime because natives from Scandinavian countries usually have light hair (usually blonde) and with her light orange hair, I felt she was close enough.