Come Back Alive to This Place – Chap. 7
A/N: Wow, thank you for all your marvelously creative ideas for how to continue this story! I read each of them with great delight and was wonderfully inspired by your comments. Although I'm not going to follow any single one of them exactly, they sparked my imagination and jump-started me on writing this chapter. So thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All characters are 18 or older in this story.
(Originally posted 10/25/11.)
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Orihime stared at the handsome, orange-haired man in front of her, her mind whirling with all the implications hanging upon her answer. He was still scowling, but his gaze on her was both hopeful and determined. What could she do? If she agreed to go with him, Aizen would attack him and would undoubtedly take his revenge on her family as well. On the other hand, if she let Lord Ichigo know about the threat to her family, she had a feeling he would not meekly sneak away, but would feel obligated to continue to try to rescue her, no doubt resulting in further bloodshed. Aizen's ship appeared to be alone on the high seas, but somehow she had a feeling that he had reinforcements lurking just over the horizon. He did not strike her as a foolhardy man in battle.
And what was this news about hundreds of ships attacking Seireitei? Was that Aizen's doing? She remembered the size and power of Aizen's fleet, when she had seen his ships stretching out beyond the horizon that one morning. Could this be another one of his tricks, the "fleet from the western continent" yet another one of his illusions? And why had he deliberately allowed her to see his fleet, and witness the sendoff of his captains on their mission?
She had studied the ancient history of Seireitei, and knew that hundreds of years ago, a race of bloodthirsty barbarians from the west had attacked the coast. At that time, they had possessed only primitive weapons and had been easily defeated. It was generally assumed they were no threat today, especially since they had not been heard of in over a century. Was this perhaps another myth Aizen was twisting to his advantage?
Nevertheless, the attack on Seireitei was real, whether it was perpetrated by Aizen or by the western continent, and Aizen was the only one who had the power to stop it. She knew from the council meeting that Seireitei's fleet was weak and numbered only in the dozens, not hundreds, of ships.
She frowned at the memory of Lord Ichigo's statement of the offer from King Yamamoto. Reading between the lines, it seemed that the king wanted to make a deal with Aizen. There would have been no offer at all, even an insulting one, were not the door open for some type of negotiated settlement. Yamamoto might be weak, but he was not stupid.
If all that mattered were her own life, it was clear that the honorable choice as well as her own personal choice would be to return with the man she had been handfasted to for over a decade. However, as she had begun to realize, there was so much more at stake than her own life. It was not just the lives of her family and her unborn child. Aizen was clearly playing some type of dangerous game with Seireitei, and the fate of her entire country hung in the balance. She was not altogether clear on Aizen's motives, but his plans obviously revolved around taking control of Seireitei, and somehow she figured into those plans, although she was far from certain how. But she had deduced that she held some type of strategic importance for him. If so, perhaps she could use that in her country's service.
It had only taken a few seconds for all these thoughts to whirl through her mind. She gently freed her hand from Ichigo's grasp. "My lord, your generosity floors me," she murmured. "I am most humbly grateful for your willingness to forgive my transgressions and take me as your bride. It is the choice that I would accept with great joy were our country not in crisis." She took a deep breath. "But given the threat to Seireitei, my own concerns must take a back seat." Now, here came the tricky part. She would have to allow both Yamamoto and Aizen to save face. "I am grateful to his majesty for his understanding of my situation. If I may suggest a compromise, I would like to propose the following. I do not wish for my life to become a bargaining chip when so many other lives are at stake. I will stay willingly with Lord Aizen and will raise his child, should he agree to throw his support to King Yamamoto in the upcoming battle against the western continent. In return, Lord Aizen is to be pardoned of his crimes and given a legitimate position as both the lord of the Inoue Domain and his own domain."
Ichigo's face darkened. "This proposal of yours is of benefit to both Yamamoto and Aizen, but at your own personal sacrifice," he growled.
Orihime's eyes dropped. Here was the delicate point. She must make sure he understood. "Lord Ichigo, I am most touched for your concern for my welfare," she began. "But surely you understand that I am an Inoue, and have been raised since birth to place the good of my people ahead of my own. Additionally, since I am carrying Lord Aizen's child, I am now duty bound to stay with him and raise his offspring. I did not choose this path, nor would I have willingly gone with him, but now that a new life exists within me, I am bound to care for that life, and thus, I am bound to Lord Aizen as well."
Reluctantly, Ichigo stepped back. Raising her eyes to his, she could see that he did understand. He had, after all, been raised with the same code.
"I understand, madam." His voice had become more formal as he accepted the new parameters of their relationship. "Do I also understand that you are speaking for Lord Aizen in this?"
Orihime glanced over to the end of the deck, where Aizen stood in his black regalia and boots, his velvet shirt partially unlaced at the throat, his long sword hanging at his belt, as he relaxed against the rail beside Ulquiorra and his other men. He looked every inch the pirate, but his face was serene as always. "I suggest we bring him into the discussion now." She lifted her chin and hoped that she had judged Aizen correctly as well. "I have no standing to speak for him at this moment, but perhaps he will listen to the words of the mother of his child."
Ichigo signaled Aizen, and the man detached himself from his group to approach them. His expression was mildly inquisitive as he neared, looking first at Ichigo and then shooting a brief glance at Orihime.
"Lord Aizen," Ichigo began, as Orihime noted both his formal tone and the return of Aizen's honorific to his words. "The Lady Inoue has a proposal for both of us."
Aizen raised his eyebrows and turned his gaze to Orihime, nothing other than polite attention visible in his eyes.
Orihime took a deep breath and repeated her suggestion, half expecting the brown-haired pirate to refuse with one of his scornful laughs. But instead Aizen looked thoughtful at her words.
His gaze was dark and measuring as it rested on her. "Do you then fully agree, of your own free will, to be my ally, Orihime?"
Why was he placing so much emphasis on whether it was her will or not? Her opinions had never mattered to him before. Orihime frowned inwardly, but outwardly her face was calm. "I agree, Lord Aizen."
Aizen's face expressed satisfaction, shading over into amusement, as he nodded. "As the Lady Inoue has consented to a formal alliance, I acknowledge her words as having the weight of one of my representatives. I will accept the combined rulership of the Inoue and my own domains as my reward for throwing my forces to King Yamamoto's defense against the western continent." His eyes shifted to Ichigo. "I must also insist upon a formal pardon and apology from King Yamamoto."
Ichigo scowled. "I'm not sure if the King will accept those terms. But I will convey your words to him."
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Orihime sighed as she sank onto the bed in Aizen's cabin. She had spent the past hour on the forecastle, first watching the Kurosaki vessel sail away, and then wondering whether Aizen would keep his word and refrain from attacking it. She had no idea if he would consider himself bound by her words or not. As a Lord of the Seireitei, his word should have been his bond. But as a pirate king, he could lie through his teeth whenever it suited him. She did not know which of his identities would guide his behavior in this matter, or how it would play out vis-a-vis his long-term plans.
She heard the creaking of the ship shift in timbre, and sensed the change in course as the shaft of sunlight from the porthole began to move across the trim cabin. So they were changing course as agreed, away from Las Noches and towards the battle in the waters off the capital city of Seireitei. One of Aizen's representatives, once more dressed as the retainer of a noble lord rather than in pirate costume, had gone with Lord Ichigo on his ship to meet with King Yamamoto. The silver-haired man with slitted eyes had bowed farewell to Orihime with an air of mockery, and she had suppressed a shudder. She had to admit she was glad Aizen had chosen him to leave the ship and not Ulquiorra, for she did not think she could have stood having Ichimaru guard her for the remaining time at sea.
The door opened and Aizen entered. He smiled at her, and then began to unbuckle his sword belt. She found her eyes following his fingers as they nimbly worked the fastenings. She bit her lip. Why was she so fascinated by every motion he made, no matter how casual?
He turned and sat with careless grace on the bed quite close to her. "My dear Orihime, I must say I am quite pleased by this turn of events. An alliance with you gladdens my heart." She could feel the warmth of his body pressed up against hers, her eyes were drawn to the muscles of his thighs flexing beneath his tight-fitting black pants, and she found that her heart was thudding at his proximity. She looked up at the man she had just sworn herself to. He was smiling down at her, his dark eyes unfathomable.
She had to ask the question that was uppermost in her mind. "Is it your fleet that is attacking the Seireitei now, under the guise of being from the western continent?"
His smile widened. "What, my newly promised associate doubts my word?" He placed his hand on his half-bare chest mockingly. Gold chains winked at her from between long fingers.
She glared at him. "If I'm going to be your ally and representative, you have to tell me the truth so I can negotiate for your best interest."
He lifted his brows and nodded with approval. "Touché," he murmured. He tilted his head to one side, regarding her. "Very well. The truth then." He paused. "No, that fleet is not mine. It is truly from the western continent." His eyes searched her face. "It is true that I was aware of the planned offensive and deliberately stood aside, in order to obtain maximum leverage with Yamamoto." His lip curled ever so slightly as she frowned at him. "Believe me, had I not done that, the number of deaths would have been far greater. However, as it is, I ordered my captains into position so that they could rapidly engage the enemy as soon as Yamamoto agreed to my terms."
"Wait." Orihime's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "You talked to your captains days ago, before you could even know that Lord Ichigo would arrive here, and certainly before you knew that I would make my proposal."
The brown-haired pirate smirked. "Indeed. And you doubted my ability to plan?" He leaned back and scrutinized her, his eyes lidded. "All of the events and conflicts of these past weeks have been in the palm of my hand." Orihime scowled at this arrogant assertion, but he continued serenely. "I am telling you the truth now; I trust you will not scorn my words."
"So," she asked in disbelief, somewhat scornfully, "will Yamamoto agree to your terms?"
He smiled. "Ah. That is the crux of the matter, is it not?" He stroked her cheek gently. "If he does not, your fate with Seireitei hangs in the balance once again." His eyes were hooded. "But fear not, my dear. As my ally and mother of my child, you have a position at my side no matter what."
Orihime frowned. "No, I'm not asking about myself. What I'm concerned about are the lives of our people. If Yamamoto disagrees, will you continue to stand aside and let these barbarians attack Seireitei unhindered?"
He regarded her levelly. "Do you truly think me so callous as to do so?" There was a pause while she hesitated, her eyes searching his face. Then his eyes darkened and he smiled. "If so, then I have succeeded. It is critical that Yamamoto believe it."
Her mouth dropped open. "Are you bluffing him then?"
His smirk was bland. "Do I bluff? Haven't you seen my forces attack defenseless villages on your own coastline?"
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "All right. What is truly going on?"
He laughed. "Believe me, you will be the first to know as soon as I receive Gin's message regarding Yamamoto's decision. In the meantime, I am positioning my ships for maximum impact." He glanced out the porthole. "Our escort is joining us now."
She looked out the window and saw half a dozen ships on the horizon matching their course. Her suspicions had been correct. It was a good thing she had not chosen to go with Lord Ichigo and do battle with Aizen, assuming he had only a single ship. "They've been there all the time." It was not a question, and he nodded.
"Of course." He stood up, lifted his sword belt and adjusted it onto his waist, checking the fit with a practiced movement.
"Where are we going now?"
He looked down at her, still with a faintly amused expression on his face. "I do regret that you will not be able to see Las Noches on this voyage. We sail to the capital city of Seireitei, where even now the harbor is besieged by the enemy. With fair winds, we should arrive within a handful of days." He moved to the cabin door, where he paused with his hand on the knob. "I additionally regret that you will have to see battle, my lady. Had things gone otherwise, you could have been safe in Las Noches. As it is, you are at risk."
She lifted her chin. "I am an Inoue, and am not afraid."
He smiled at her, what might have been a faint gleam of pride deep in his eyes. "I always knew you were a brave girl. Now I must ask you to be cautious, not only for yourself, but for the life you carry."
Orihime's eyes dropped involuntarily to her still-flat belly. "Yes, about that— how did you know I was pregnant?" she demanded.
His only answer was an enigmatic smile as he stepped out into the corridor.
Orihime stared in frustration at the door as it closed behind him. He had to be the most infuriating man she had ever known. Then she caught herself. When had she started thinking of him as annoying and no longer as despicable? She put a hand on her stomach and thought of the new life within with a sudden lift of her spirits.
Suddenly, she found herself grinning. Why was she inexplicably happy on the eve of a war, where so many people might get killed? She lay back down on the bed and hugged the pillow to her face, taking a deep breath of the characteristic mixture of woodsy and briny scent that still lingered on it.
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Orihime stood on the forecastle, watching the prow cleave smoothly through the foamy bluish-green water, throwing up spray on both sides. The air was tart and brackish after the recent storm, and she drew breath after breath of bracing air into her lungs. It had been several days since their confrontation with Ichigo. They had weathered the storm with no damage and continued to press on. Each morning she had awakened to mild nausea, but somehow it did not dampen her spirits. She realized she was treasuring these few days of peace, the calm before the storm of battle on the horizon. And waking up every morning in the arms of a certain man was proving to be surprisingly pleasant… well, more than pleasant. She hugged her arms around herself and her lips curved in delicious memory of this morning's dalliance in bed.
As she stood looking off into the far distance in the direction they were heading, she saw a tiny speck above the western horizon. As she watched, it slowly grew bigger and resolved itself into a bird. Simultaneously she heard a cry from the lookout, and saw Tousen making his way toward the man's perch.
Not long afterward, Aizen emerged from his office to stand on deck, waiting, as the bird winged its way unerringly towards their ship. The bird circled the ship once, and then entered a smooth glide to land on his handler's arm. The man extracted the tiny scroll of paper tied to its leg and handed it with a bow to Aizen. The brown-haired man unrolled the paper deftly and stood reading for a moment.
He handed it to Tousen, raising his eyebrows and making some remark that Orihime could not hear. The dark-skinned man read the paper silently, then lifted his eyes to Aizen and asked a question.
Orihime had climbed down off the forecastle and was approaching the two men. As she neared, she heard Tousen's question. "Sir, what do you plan to do now?"
Aizen responded, calm as ever, "We continue on course. There will be no change in plans." He turned back towards his office, where Orihime intercepted him.
"What did the message say?" she asked.
He regarded her. "Gin has sent his report." He raised his eyebrows very slightly but showed no other expression. "King Yamamoto has passed away."
She sucked in her breath. "Oh no!" The crusty old monarch had been a fixture of Seireitei life for so long that she could almost not imagine the country without him. Although she had felt no overt fondness for the man, he had ruled Seireitei for many times her own lifetime. "But—" She glanced up at Aizen, who was watching her intently.
"Yes," he said. "He had passed on before Lord Ichigo could give him my message." He rolled the piece of paper between his fingers idly.
"What does that mean, then?" asked Orihime.
"It means," Aizen said, "that anything can happen. Yamamoto's official heir was Lord Ukitake, who is dying of a fatal illness. Ukitake also has no heir." He gazed directly at her and then smiled. She saw something disturbing gleam in his deep brown eyes. "It means the throne is vacant. Perfect."
"You didn't… arrange for his death, did you?" Orihime accused.
A shadow passed over his face and his eyes darkened. "I have no need to stoop to regicide." Then a faint smirk curled his lips. "Although it does suit my plans perfectly."
"So what are you going to do now?"
With a flick of his hand, the tiny coil of paper was spinning out over the railing and into the sea. "Do? I will act in accordance with my plans." His smile was dark. "We go now to war, my lady." He extended a hand to her. "I beg you to excuse me, my dear. There is much work to do before we engage the enemy tomorrow."