A/N: I've made minor changes to this chapter since originally posting it.
Chapter 2
Verdict
'Orihime,' came a soft, eerie voice. This voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it at first. 'Orihime! Child, wake up,' the eerie voice commanded, the owner of such a voice placing a warm hand on Orihime's cheek, finally stirring her awake.
Orihime sat up slowly, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, she felt awful but at the same time she felt warm and safe. A feeling she had come to associate with her inner world. Her eyes first scanned the area around her, taking in the beauty of it. Her inner world was a massive island in the sky, the sun shining brightly upon the expanse of grass and wild flowers. The sound of running water and a waterfall was soothing, the river, which cut through the meadow, ran off the edge of the island but on the other end was a large lake which was half hidden within the forest that surrounded the meadow. Off in the distance, within the forest was a large hill and on top rested a grand Japanese temple, the red gates barely visible over the trees. She then noticed something different, there were ominous clouds gathering in the sky. She turned her gaze towards her zanpakutō spirit, her eyes questioning.
"Child, do you remember the second time you visited your inner world?" Ten'nin inquired, her bright blue eyes searching for something within Orihime's gray ones, but when she didn't find what she was looking for she continued, "The second time you came here, I warned you that if you stopped moving forward that clouds would come and blot out the sun. I warned you that I would be very upset should that happen."
Orihime's eyes grew sad, and she looked away from Ten'nin and drew up her knees, resting her chin on them. Ten'nin knelt before Orihime, the layers of her over-sized white kimono billowing around her on the ground, and placed a delicate hand on top of Orihime's head in an attempt to comfort her master. She spoke again, "Because I am you, I know what is bothering you. I fear you're missing something from the night you died. The memories of that night aren't whole."
Orihime's eyes suddenly flashed with stubbornness, she looked up at her zanpakutō spirit, "I know exactly what happened that night. I was murdered by someone who I thought I loved and trusted. If he hadn't actually murdered me, if what I have thought was the truth wasn't actually what happened, why didn't Ichigo tell me otherwise? Why would he leave me to believe that he had killed me for 15 years? Why was he crying earlier? Why did it seem like he wanted me to kill him, that he'd do anything in order for me to finally feel peace?" She covered her face with her hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Ten'nin. I'm so torn. My very being sings with the feeling of deep seeded betrayal and yet my mind no longer thinks the same way. I felt a pang of guilt for blaming Ichigo while I was charging at him with the intent of killing him. I'm so confused, I don't think I can talk to him yet."
Ten'nin gently removed Orihime's hands from her face and tilted her face to make eye contact. "Orihime, you're forgetting that there was another person there that night. Your friend Uryū Ishida. The one who gave you this pretty blue obi you always wear." Ten'nin smiled, brushing her fingers along the fabric of said obi. "Perhaps he also knows exactly what happened that night."
Orihime's eyes lit up with hope, and a small smile graced her lips. Ten'nin was right. She had never thought of asking Uryū about it. "Thank you, Ten'nin."
Ten'nin smiled sweetly before leaning close and pressing her soft pink lips against Orihime's forhead in a gentle kiss. "It is time for you to wake up, Orihime, but remember that if you don't keep the clouds away, the next time you come back to your inner world I won't be so gentle with you."
Orihime slowly opened her eyes, and looked around trying to figure out where she was now. She had been placed in an almost completely white room, laying on a small bed near an open window. She sat up and looked outside, enjoying the light breeze. It was late afternoon, going on evening, the sun low in the sky. She knew where she was now. Someone must have taken me to the 4th division. I wonder why...
"Oh! You're awake, Orihime. How are you feeling?" came the voice of Isane Kotetsu, startling Orihime out of her thoughts. Isane noticed that she had scared the girl and bowed deeply, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"
Orihime relaxed and smiled reassuringly at the Lieutenant, "Oh, no it's alright. I was just deep in thought and I didn't notice you come into the room. I'm completely fine. Lieutenant Kotetsu, how did I end up here? How long was I out?"
Isane relaxed as well, looking at Orihime with slight concern in her eyes, "You've been out for a few hours. Captain Kuchiki showed up here with you unconscious in his arms. He gave me a few details. He told me he was forced to knock you out during your placement test to keep you from losing yourself and going into hysterics, but he couldn't give me anymore information. Are you sure you're alright? No headache or anything?"
Orihime's mood instantly changed and she looked down, wringing her hands. "I-I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine, I swear," she looked back at the Lieutenant and saw she wasn't buying it, but it wasn't like healing kidō could mend the mind or help solve her problems. There wasn't anything Isane could do. "Is Captain Kuchiki still here? I suppose I should thank him for knocking me out and bringing me here."
"Captain Kuchiki had to immediately leave for a captain's meeting. I'm sure you can see him soon though," Isane gave a small smile and then blinked as a jigokuchō flew in front of her face. She held up her hand for it to rest upon and receive its message. A moment passed and the butterfly flew away. Isane looked at Orihime, "Well, Head Captain Kyōraku would like you to go to the meeting room now. Do you know the way?"
Orihime nodded, feeling nervous now. She slid out of bed and fixed her shihakushō and hair before looking at the Lieutenant and bowing, "Thank you for looking after me, Lieutenant Kotetsu."
Orihime stood in front of the door of the meeting room, waiting to be let inside. She was nervous, Orihime knew that she most likely ruined her chances at the spot she wanted. Since the former Captain Unohana's death, the 4th division hasn't had a captain. No one has been able to fill that spot. She had been set on that spot since the war ended, getting training in healing kidō, even begging Yoruichi and Urahara to use the special technique to achieve bankai. She balled her hands into fists at her sides, disappointed in herself. Stupid.
The door opened and the Head Captain called for her to come inside. She did so, her eyes looking at the rows of captains on either side of the room. Her eyes landed on Love Aikawa who had taken over the 8th division with Lisa Yadōmaru as his Lieutenant when Shunsui Kyōraku got promoted. He seemed happy being a captain again. Her eyes shifted and saw something that confused her. Izuru Kira, looking as solemn as ever, stood in the spot designated for the 4th division captain, now wearing a captain's haori over his shihakushō. She had stopped walking forwards and Izuru noticed, he looked at her with an apology in his eyes as if willing her to forgive him.
Shinji, noticing the exchange between Izuru and Orihime, he decided to lighten the mood. "Orihime! My first love!" he sang, and sprang forwards to smother her in a hug, but he was stopped by Love and Rose.
"Now is not the time," the both said in unison, dragging him back to where he was standing.
"Behave or we'll get Hiyori." Rose said in a sing-song voice. This made Shinji cooperate immediately, pouting unhappily.
Orihime blinked almost comically at Shinji's sudden outburst and at how the two captains handled the situation. She moved forwards to stand in the center of the room, looking towards the Head Captain, waiting for the verdict. Though she had a feeling she knew what he was about to say.
"Such a lively bunch," Kyōraku chuckled, and then his demeanor changed and became more serious. He trained his gaze on Orihime before he spoke, "Well then, shall we inform you of our decision?"
Orihime stared at Kyōraku a moment, almost dumbfounded. She never realized how intimidating he could be. She then noticed he was actually waiting for a response and so she numbly nodded.
"As you've probably already guessed, you failed. You are not fit to be a captain. We had been grooming Izuru Kira to succeed as the new captain of the 4th since after the war, just in case this happened. He was the next logical choice since he used to be in that division before he became the Lieutenant of the 3rd division," Kyōraku informed her as kindly as possible, and Orihime had to force herself not to react. She perked up as he continued, "However, this isn't set in stone. We are aware of your potential. For now we would like to place you as the new Lieutenant of the 3rd division. We would also like for you to receive training in the matter of controlling yourself, which Captain Kuchiki has generously agreed to help you with. He and I agree that you are reckless and you let your emotions guide your zanpakutō. This makes you weak, Orihime Inoue."
Orihime flinched at the last comment, she felt a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment in herself. Weak... He was right of course. She felt her eyes sting as tears began to form, but she did her best to keep them from falling. She would not break down in front of everyone. She would stay strong. Orihime knew that Kyōraku was also subtly telling her to fix whatever it was between herself and Ichigo.
Kyōraku's flamboyant attitude returned, smiling he said, "Alright! You're all dismissed." Most left the room, a few lingering behind. As he passed Orihime he placed a hand on her shoulder and said with gravity, "You'll be staying with Captain Kuchiki instead of moving into the 3rd division barracks. I'm sorry, Orihime."
Orihime looked down at the floor, some of her dark orange hair falling to cover her face. A rogue tear escaped, then she felt a gentle hand come under her chin and lift her face to look into the eyes of her new captain.
"Don't look so down, you're in good hands. Shunsui said that this wasn't set in stone. You have all the time in the world to redeem yourself, Orihime." Rose smiled reassuringly, while wiping her tears away gently. He placed the 3rd division lieutenant badge in her hand, "This is yours now, at least for the time being. I'll see you again tomorrow, alright?"
Orihime returned his smile, a faint blush resting upon her cheeks. She was already feeling better. Perhaps this wasn't so bad, at least she was under a very nice captain. "I'll see you tomorrow, Captain Ōtoribashi," she agreed.
Rose frowned for a moment before his smile returned at full force, "You may address me as Rose, if you'd like. You don't need to be so formal with me, Orihime."
She nodded, and her captain walked off. Rose grabbed Shinji by the back of his haori and dragged him out of the room with him while Shinji complained loudly about how Rose was being unfair. Orihime stared after them, confused. She turned and saw Izuru standing there, still looking apologetic. She decided to fix that, so she walked over to him and placed her left hand on his upper arm, putting on a big smile she said, "Congratulations, Captain Kira." He still looked at her with an apologetic expression. Orihime suddenly poked him in the stomach and said, "You better not apologize to me, and you better give it your all. Before you know it I'll swoop in and kick your butt and take over as captain!"
This made Izuru smile. He waved a hand, jokingly dismissing her. "Yeah, yeah. Will do." He ruffled her hair, which made Orihime squeal and flail her arms at him to make him stop. Izuru chuckled as he quickly escaped.
Orihime sighed, running her hands through her long hair in an attempt to fix it. Byakuya flared his reiatsu, trying to get her attention in a subtle manner. He was getting impatient. Orihime noticed and immediately stopped fixing her hair. She looked at Byakuya and sheepishly mumbled an apology.
"Since you're staying with me for the time being, I'll show you the way to the Kuchiki Manor. Please follow me, Lieutenant Inoue," Byakuya said, in his usual stoic manner. He began to leave the room and make his way to the Manor, not waiting for Orihime.
This is going to be fun... Orihime resisted the urge to do any type of defiant gestures and quickly followed after the noble.
Trailing a respectful distance behind Byakuya, she gazed up at the darkening sky and saw ominous clouds in the sky. Rain... It's going to rain. She could feel it, feel a small spark of panic deep within her. She hated the rain ever since the night she died. Orihime quickened her pace and was now walking side by side with Byakuya.
Byakuya briefly glanced at the girl beside him, noticing a change in her demeanor. She seemed in a hurry. He followed her gaze up towards the twilight sky and saw the clouds, "We should beat the rain."
Orihime practically jumped, was she that obvious? She refocused her gaze on the ground ahead of her before responding. "It doesn't matter," she said somberly, worrying her hands.
They were only five minutes away from the Kuchiki Manor. He thought her behavior peculiar, afraid of the rain he supposed. Byakuya wanted to ask her so many questions, but then decided he didn't particularly care.
Rain started to fall just as they were at the gate to the Kuchiki Manor. Byakuya was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand grasp at the sleeve of his shihakushō. He looked down at the offender with annoyance clear on his face, but then he saw the look of panic in Orihime's eyes. She was standing there, looking at nothing, with her free hand balled in a fist and pressed to her chest. Byakuya's expression softened, he thought she looked like a child who was scared of the dark. He decided to be accommodating, gently prying her hand off his sleeve and placed a hand on her back, leading her into the estate where they could escape the rain.
Once under the protection of shelter, he asked a servant to prepare a room and to retrieve a sleeping yukata for Orihime. Byakuya thought that once she was no longer being rained upon that her anxiety about the rain would lessen, but as the rain grew heavy her anxiety grew as well. Orihime was clutching Byakuya tightly, burying her face into his captain's haori. He frowned, at a loss as to what to do about this situation. He wasn't used to having someone so close to him or dealing with peoples fears and anxiety problems. If it got any worse he could always knock her out again, but he didn't like the idea of making a habit of it, he supposed he could just send for someone from the 4th division. Surely they would have a remedy for this sort of thing.
The servant he had sent off returned and lead them to the room they had prepared, letting him know that dinner would be ready in a moment. Byakuya nodded in response as he guided the girl clinging to him into the room where she would stay for an indefinite amount of time. He waited for her to release him, but she seemed unresponsive by this point. He gently pried her from his person and handed her the sleeping yukata. "Change into this, I'll have the servants bring dinner to you tonight. Get some rest, Inoue," he said, hoping his words would reach her in her almost catatonic state. He sighed and then stepped outside the room, sliding the screen shut. He listened for any sign of movement, his ears picked up the sound of shifting fabric. Pleased, he went in search of a servant to have them send dinner to Orihime's room tonight.
Byakuya thought back to what Orihime had said earlier. "It doesn't matter," he supposed that this is what she meant. Whether in the rain or under shelter, her reaction to the rain would be the same. A crippling fear of rain... Strange. Orihime Inoue couldn't get any more confusing to the noble. He pushed her from his thoughts and went to his room to change before dinner.
Later, after Byakuya finished dinner, he decided to check on Orihime since it was still raining hard. He paused outside her room, his hand poised to slide the screen to enter her room. He heard a mixture of gasps and sobs. Byakuya furrowed his brow and quickly entered her room. He saw Orihime in the fetal position, her back to him, laying on the futon that had been put out for her. As his eyes scanned the rest of the room, he noticed her clothes in a pile next to the futon, and she hadn't touched her food. He shut the screen behind him and went to kneel next to the girl, placing a hand on her arm as if to try and comfort her. She had recoiled from his touch at first and then relaxed a little, turning to look at the noble.
Byakuya frowned, this girl in front of him was a mess. He had a feeling that this episode was tied to what ever he had witnessed earlier that day, and that Ichigo had something to do with this. He made a mental note to track down Ichigo Kurosaki and ask him about what ever the hell happened between these two. His job was to help Orihime learn control of her emotions during battle, and solving this would help he figured. Though he knew it would be difficult to find him and get him to cooperate. After the war ended, Ichigo was told he could never return to the world of the living. He ended up taking it pretty hard and disappeared for a long time. Byakuya was aware he resided somewhere outside the Seireitei, but no one knows where. He just shows up every once in a while and then vanishes again, like today.
Byakuya studied Orihime again for a moment before starting to stand up to go find a servant to send to get someone from the 4th, but he stopped when he heard her murmur, "Don't go... please." He complied with her request, watching her intently.
Orihime wiped her face with the sleeve of her yukata and sniffled, she felt a little better. "I'm sorry for troubling you with all this," she murmured, embarrassed over melting down twice in one day in front of Byakuya. "I'm sure you regret agreeing to help me by now," she said, sadness creeping into the tone of her voice.
"Not particularly, though I am confused by your reaction to the rain. May I ask as to why you react this way?" He studied her, he face a stoic mask, but his eyes show concern.
Orihime took a deep, steadying breath before answering, "Well, it's not always this bad. Sometimes I barely react and sometimes it's worse than tonight. I get panic attacks when it rains because it was raining the night I died. It's one of the more prominent parts of that memory. I don't remember much of that night."
"What can you tell me about that night?" he inquired, hoping to get closer to solving this issue.
"As I said, I don't remember much. The first thing I remember is Ichigo, then the feeling of falling, it goes black and then blood, blood everywhere. My body twisted at odd, unnatural angles, laying in front of me. Rain..." she went silent then, new tears forming in her eyes, her breathing quickening again. Orihime suddenly clung to Byakuya again, her face buried against his chest as she sobbed.
Byakuya was surprised by this, and felt awkward again. He really didn't know how to properly handle these sorts of situations. He did the logical thing and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, murmuring, "It's alright, Inoue. You don't need to tell me anything else." Hoping it would calm her down again. Needless to say, they stayed like that late into the night, much to the noble's chagrin.
A/N: Okiedokie! Here is Chapter 2, I hope you enjoy this story so far. Please don't forget to review!
I hope you like what I did with replacing Unohana and 8th division captain/lieutenant. I thought it would be a logical choice!