godsend
empress
:
The twins' birthday party was going to be held in a private villa, a favorite location of private celebrations because it was isolated and protected by a small pine forest.
When they arrived, the parking area was already full. The Mercedes curved around the full lot, bypassing it. Farther ahead was a gate. Two guards slid it open, revealing a path. This lane, enclosed by thick hedges and magnolias, led to the back of the villa.
The convoy parked next to the curb. Guards flew out from the sedans and surrounded the area.
A guard opened her door and Orihime climbed out. She extended a hand to take the gifts, and Sado, a tall, quiet man who's always seen with Ichigo, shook his head. Without a word, Ichigo gestured to her and she followed him.
They entered through a backdoor, held open by a guard. The hallway was well-lit, the floor made of dark wood. She followed Ichigo closely, her eyes wandering, appreciating the walls and paintings.
Ichigo looked over his shoulder. "We're close." He reached back and took her hand, and she blushed upon contact.
They arrived in a large drawing room and crossed the length of the polished wood floor until they entered another hallway and exited a door to a veranda.
Stretched out before them was a garden, dotted with trees, small hills, a red bridge, lanterns, and rock arrangements. White lilies floated and gathered in the corner of the pond. Farther ahead of the pond was a pavilion where round tables were laid out, covered in pink tablecloths and topped with pots of pink flowers. White, pink, and lavender flower garlands curled around the pillars. Spherical paper lanterns hung from the arches. Servers shuffled around, carrying food and drinks. A handful of guests milled around, chatting in groups.
"Orihime-nee!"
Several heads turned at Yuzu's call, drawing attention to the couple.
"Happy birthday, Yuzu-chan," Orihime said, smiling warmly when Yuzu arrived. The younger girl was dressed in a turquoise outfit, a perfect match to her fair hair. Orihime took one of the gifts from Sado and she handed it to the girl with a broad smile. "This is for you! I hope you'll like it."
Yuzu beamed at her. "You shouldn't have bothered! But thank you so much, Orihime-nee!" Yuzu took her hand and tugged at it excitedly. "Come, Karin-chan is over there!"
"Yuzu," Ichigo cut off. "You just can't drag my wife away from me."
"Yeah, don't go stealing Ichi-nii's wife, Yuzu." Karin appeared from Yuzu's left, wearing a simpler dress.
"Karin-chan, happy birthday!"
Smiling, Karin took the gift from Orihime. "Thanks, I appreciate it." Karin turned to her sister. "Some guests are looking for you."
"Okay. See you around, Orihime-nee, Onii-chan!" Yuzu waved to them before leaving with her sister.
"Ichigo." A new voice rang out from their left. Ichigo and Orihime turned towards it.
"Rukia."
Beside Ichigo, Orihime was enthralled. This is the first time I've seen her up close.
Rukia had amazing posture. Despite her petite stature, she made a strong impression on Orihime. Her cornflower blue dress complimented her pale skin and dark hair, and her hairstyle suited the shape of her face. When Rukia fixed her with a look, Orihime smiled politely and bowed with a deep nod of her head.
"This is Kuchiki Rukia," Ichigo said with a nod toward the dark-haired woman. "I'm sure you've heard about her family from your lessons."
Orihime smiled. "Yes. I've heard so many things about the Kuchiki family and about her, too."
"Good things, I hope," Rukia said with a small smile.
Orihime nodded. "Oh, yes! You are very well admired, Kuchiki-san."
"You're quite lucky, Ichigo." Rukia's smile was wider and mischievous when she turned to Ichigo. "You got yourself a pretty wife." At the compliment, Orihime blushed deeply. "If not for Imperial Household Agency's great taste, no one that beautiful would marry someone like you."
"Shut up," Ichigo grunted. "Where's Renji? Is he here?"
Rukia lifted her chin. "Of course he is. Nii-sama is here. He doesn't go anywhere without Renji, you fool."
Ichigo scoffed and glanced at his wife. "Are you hungry? We-" He stopped abruptly when Orihime gasped in surprise, gazing somewhere behind him. He followed her stare.
"Tatsuki-chan!" Ichigo and Rukia watched Orihime run and pounce on a dark-haired, lanky girl with a happy squeal.
"Goodness, Orihime, your breasts are suffocating me."
Remembering she was in a sleeveless, pink cocktail dress, Orihime pulled back and grinned at her best friend. "What are you doing here? How did you– Oh, I'm so glad, Tatsuki-chan!" She threw her arms around Tatsuki again to give her another tight hug. "You don't have any idea how much I've missed you!"
"I missed you, too, kiddo." Tatsuki patted her head and looked around, noticing several eyes staring at them. "Uh, Orihime, are you supposed to talk to a commoner like me? They look confused…"
"Oh, don't say that! I'm a commoner, too. And those are bodyguards."
Tatsuki narrowed her eyes, nodding. "Gee, they look tough. They should be, though. Anyway, someone came to my apartment and gave me an invitation."
Orihime blinked in surprise. "Really? Who was it?"
Tatsuki thought for a moment. "I think his name is Ishida."
"Ishida?"
"Yeah, Ishida. Oh, I remember now— Ishida Uryuu."
Orihime's eyes widened. "B-But he's—" She jumped slightly in shock when an arm curved around her waist, pulling her into someone's hard chest. She looked up to her scowling handsome husband, his gaze on Tatsuki.
"Arisawa Tatsuki?" His voice was formal and low.
Tatsuki returned the analyzing gaze with her own, her face forbidding. "Yes."
"Ichigo-kun." Orihime did not notice Tatsuki's eyebrow twitch at the familiar address. "This is Tatsuki-chan, my best friend. Tatsuki-chan—"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I know him. I've seen his mug a couple of times on the television. He looks grumpier in real life." A long tense silence followed. Orihime fidgeted as she stood between two formidable scowling forces. She glanced up at Ichigo nervously, then at Tatsuki.
"Um…"
Ichigo looked down at her. "I'm sure you want to spend time with her," he said quietly. He stepped away from her, putting the hand he had placed around her waist inside his pocket. "Someone will come and get you when it's time for us to leave."
Orihime nodded with a small smile, relieved Tatsuki's comment was ignored. He turned to leave. She watched him go, walking towards Rukia who was waiting for him. Together, the two walked off. A tall redheaded man soon appeared and joined them.
:
"His orange hair looks even more abnormal in real life."
"Tatsuki-chan, that's not nice!" she chided gently as they made their way to the nearest table. They sat next to each other, and they talked. Mostly it was Orihime who talked as Tatsuki listened with a small smile twisting her lips.
"Is he treating you right, Orihime?" Tatsuki interrupted.
Orihime blinked, and then she blushed, looking down. "Yes." Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at her blushing but did not make a comment about it.
"You're okay with this, right?"
She peered up at her best friend, looking bewildered.
Tatsuki sighed. "We both know what I'm talking about. This. Everything."
Orihime said nothing, gazing pensively in the direction of the pond. She looked sad and lost for a moment, like she was recalling a heartbreaking memory, prompting Tatsuki to reach out and take her hand.
"Orihime?"
A bright smile lit up Orihime's face, the one she always wore to soothe Tatsuki whenever she worried. "I'll be fine, Tatsuki-chan. There's a lot of work to be done but I can handle it."
Tatsuki looked uncertain at first, until Orihime squeezed her hand and said, "Don't worry about me."
"I will always worry about you. It's not a bad thing," Tatsuki added. "You're my best friend. I like worrying about you. It's just— I can't believe you're married. To the Crown Prince. It's so out of the blue. Weird, even."
Orihime bit her lip, gazing off to the side.
"It's not because you two are from two different worlds. Hell, your being a commoner is probably the reason why they picked you. You know, to impress the people, for equality and stuff. But really, of all the girls, you were picked." Tatsuki shook her head. "Surreal."
"I know," Orihime murmured.
"Excuse me," a male voice said behind Orihime. She glanced over her shoulder to look up to Hisagi.
"Pardon my intrusion, ma'am. You have a charity event at five and the Crown Prince will meet up with the dignitaries from Vena at four."
Orihime nodded. "Thank you." She faced her best friend. "Tatsuki-chan…" She hugged her friend closely, tightly, like a child clinging to their mother.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, Hime," Tatsuki said comfortingly, patting Orihime on the shoulder. "We'll see each other soon."
"Tatsuki-chan, I miss you already…" Orihime mumbled against Tatsuki's shoulder. "And there are so many things that I want to talk to you about."
The two girls pulled apart, and Tatsuki shook her head with fond exasperation. "You're so cute." Orihime pouted, furrowing her eyebrows. Amused, Tatsuki laughed. "Go on, your husband's waiting for you. I'll miss you, too. But you have duties; you're no longer a common girl. You now have big responsibilities."
"I know…"
"Good. You're smart; I'm sure you'll get on easily. E-mail me or send me a traditional handwritten letter soon, okay?" Tatsuki chuckled lightly, seeing the tears brimming Orihime's eyes. "No crying, okay? I watch TV now, you know, because of you. So smile, all right?"
Orihime nodded determinedly. "Okay. I'll see you soon, Tatsuki-chan. Definitely." Tatsuki nodded.
"This way, Your Highness." Hisagi led her, while two more guards flanked her sides. Orihime kept looking over her shoulder at Tatsuki, waving a small hand. Her friend raised a hand in return.
Ichigo did not look up from the report he was reading when the passenger door from the other side opened and Orihime slid in. Several minutes of silence passed between them before Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, looking at her profile. What he saw made him pause. His eyes narrowed, seeing the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.
"Orihime."
She blinked repeatedly, lifting a hand to brush her eyes. "I'm all right. Thank you…" she whispered. With a bright smile, Orihime turned her head to look at him. "Seeing Tatsuki-chan today made me really happy. Thank you, Ichigo-kun."
He looked away to look outside his window.
"She doesn't approve of me, does she?"
"Oh. What made you say that?"
Ichigo looked at her, incredulous. "Didn't you notice the way she looked at me? She looked like she wanted to kill me."
Orihime leaned closer. "What are you talking about? That's her normal face."
"Her normal face?" he repeated in disbelief.
She nodded, beaming. "She's really something, isn't she?"
Ichigo blew out a breath. "Without a doubt."
:
The May morning light from the open window lit the area of the library where Orihime and Nanao gathered. Hinamori had gone to the kitchens to request tea. A pounding on the door disrupted Nanao's lecture, followed by a creaking sound of the door opening.
Nanao put the book down and without glancing at the door, she said sharply, "The Crown Princess is busy. Return after two hours."
"Mou, I just want to check on my third daughter for a few minutes!"
Recognizing the voice, Nanao stiffened and looked towards the door. There stood a tall man with dark hair and a toothy grin across his face.
Hurriedly, she rose to her feet and bowed graciously. "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor."
Staring dreamily with her mouth open at the space before her, Orihime perked up, the last word registering to her. "The Emperor?"
A booming voice from her right nearly caused Orihime to shriek in shock. "My beautiful third daughter!"
Wide-eyed, Orihime stared at the beaming man for a second before jumping to her feet. "Y-Your M-Majesty!"
The elder Kurosaki pouted. "My dear third daughter, please call me Daddy! You don't have to address me so formally!"
Orihime blushed deeply. "I-I…"
"Aww, don't be shy!" Playfully, he nudged her with his elbow, laughing. "Isshin-papa is here to personally invite you, dear daughter of mine, to our yearly family luncheon on June 17th. It's a family tradition and no one is allowed to be late!" He waggled his index finger and then took her hands and clasped them as he beamed down at her. "It would be a perfect time for us to bond, my most favorite daughter-in-law!"
"But I'm your only daughter-in-law…"
"Oh! Ha! That's right!" he laughed and put an arm around Orihime's small shoulders, causing Orihime to squeak and blush again. "But you're going to join us, right?"
Orihime glanced at Nanao inquiringly and she nodded briskly. Smiling shyly, Orihime nodded. "Y-Yes, sir."
The Emperor pouted and whined, "It's Daddy!"
"Um… D-D-Daddy." It felt odd to say such a foreign word; she had never met her father. Sora never talked about their parents.
The elder man seemed to vibrate with enthusiasm. He scooped her in a bear hug. "Now, that wasn't so bad, right, Orihime-chan?" he cooed, patting her head.
"Acting like a juvenile in front of your daughter-in-law, that's disgraceful."
Orihime traced the source of the new voice to the doorway where a man in a pale grey suit and wearing frameless eye-glasses stood. He looked vaguely familiar to her: the sharp look, erect stature, the eye-glasses; she felt like she had seen them before.
The Emperor pulled back and crossed his arms. "Oh, drop it, Ryuken! Don't make me look bad in front of my precious daughter-in-law!"
The bespectacled man narrowed his eyes but did not say anything. He turned to Orihime and bowed. "My name is Ishida Ryuken. I am His Imperial Majesty's Grand Chamberlain and his aide-de-camp."
"Ishida?"
"Unfortunately," Ryuken began, standoffish, "I am related to Ishida Uryu. I am his father."
"Oh!" Orihime exclaimed in surprise. "Good morning, sir. I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of your relationship with Ishida-kun."
"There is no need for apologies." Ryuken faced to the elder Kurosaki curtly. "We must leave now. The convoy is waiting. We are expected to arrive at 1000 hours." With that, he strode out of the room.
"Amazing Daddy must go, dear daughter of mine! Don't forget our date!"
"I w-won't!" Orihime waved back timidly, giggling behind her hand when she heard the elder Ishida barked at the Emperor to move faster. Smiling, she turned to Nanao, "His Imperial Majesty is such a cheerful man!"
Nanao nodded, sitting down. "He is. But do not let that cheerful façade deceive you. Like the former Emperor, His Imperial Majesty is extremely intelligent and a military expert." Her eyes cleared as though she recalled something important. "I trust you are reading the manuscripts I sent for you two days ago."
Smiling, Orihime sat down. "I'm on the fourth chapter, Nanao-san."
"Very good. I am also pleased with your test scores. 98 percent."
Orihime beamed. "You're an excellent teacher, Nanao-san!"
The older woman looked surprised at the compliment, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she ducked her head to hide her pink face. "Thank you," Nanao said after recovering her composure. "Well then, please carry on with your reading."
After several pages, Orihime looked up from the page. "Nanao-san, may I ask something?" When the other woman nodded, she continued, "I forgot to ask Da—" she flushed, and corrected herself. "His Majesty. What's the yearly family luncheon for? What do they celebrate every June 17th?"
An odd look flitted over Nanao's face. A distant, melancholy look came over her eyes, which caused Orihime's brow to furrow in curiosity: what was yearly family luncheon for?
What is so important about the 17th of June?
"Nanao-san?" Orihime urged softly.
The older woman took a deep breath and wore her polite neutral mask once again. "I am not in the position to answer your question. It is prudent to ask an Imperial Family member."
"I understand." Orihime rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Nanao only shook her head to dismiss her apology.
:
As the 17th of June loomed closer, her husband's demeanor underwent subtle changes. He was quieter, more withdrawn, and the air around him seemed to lack its usual intensity. His eyes were still fiercely intense; however, she noticed something else in his gaze whenever she managed to catch his eye on her. There was something faintly odd in the way he looked at her at times. A different intensity. She was now used to being analyzed by her husband, but this razor-sharp scrutiny felt different.
When Nanao told her it was better to ask a family member on the significance of 17th of June, she had decided to try asking Ichigo. But she had copped out, remembering Nanao's strange reaction to her question. Something extremely important must have happened on that day.
Whenever Ichigo caught her staring at him, he would ask her if there was something wrong.
"N-Nothing, nothing's wrong."
"Are you sure?"
She'd nod quickly, flash a smile and say good night before rolling onto her side, away from her husband's questioning gaze.
The day of the luncheon arrived. 17th of June.
During breakfast, Orihime noticed the somber mood of the palace staff. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and the servants looked as if they wanted to be anywhere but in the same room with the Crown Prince.
At the other end of the table, Ishida started his morning report. Ichigo nodded and asked brief questions. In the middle of Ishida's last report, announcing Ichigo's four o'clock conference, the orange-haired man looked up and gazed at her.
Startled at being caught staring, Orihime jerked back slightly, flushing. There, the strange, intense look she had been receiving from him for the last few days.
His eyes narrowed and, without breaking eye-contact from her, he nodded slowly, showing Ishida that he was listening. After a few minutes that felt like an hour or so, Ichigo averted his gaze, placed the napkin on the table and stood. He walked toward her, his gait slow. Reaching her, he stopped and looked down at her.
Honey-colored eyes nervously looked up to meet his gaze, and her heart raced; bam bam bam bam it went.
The quiet was deafening, a condensed silence bearing down on Orihime like a huge tarp.
"I'll see you later," he finally said, his voice low. Despite herself, Orihime tried to smile. His eyes darkened, as though her smile reminded him of something painful. But the expression was too brief that she thought she merely imagined it. With a final nod, he continued on, followed by Ishida and Sado.
Now alone, she noticed that her hands were shaking.
That look… what does it mean?
:
By eleven A.M., the door swung open and Nanao entered, followed by a tall woman with long dark hair.
Recognizing the tall grinning lady, Orihime gave a huge smile. "Yoruichi-san!" The last time she had seen Yoruichi was on her wedding day. The older woman grinned at her, giving her a teasing salute.
"The Crown Prince will meet you in the Imperial Residence. Ishida-san called, saying the Crown Prince's midday meeting ran late," Nanao told Orihime.
Yoruichi placed a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "I'll be going with you, Princess."
"You will?" The older woman grinned as a reply.
"Yoruichi-san is the head of the Imperial Guard," Nanao elaborated. Yoruichi grinned proudly.
"The Crown Prince wanted me to accompany you," added Yoruichi. "He doesn't trust you with anyone else. I might have to revise your security detail." Yoruichi glanced at her watch. "You ready?" she asked, examining her attire: a modest, gray sheath with collar. Orihime's long hair was held back by a black thin headband.
Orihime nodded.
"Good. Let's go." Yoruichi took out a handheld transceiver and gave out an order. After receiving a reply, she strapped it back to her belt.
The ride did not take long. They passed the Imperial Palace and drove deeper into the gardens behind the Palace. The Imperial Residence was in the northern section of the imperial grounds. It was as old as the Imperial Palace, but unlike the palace, had undergone renovations to incorporate contemporary materials and design.
When they arrived, the Emperor, flanked by Urahara and a tall man with dark glasses, were waiting at the gates. He welcomed his guests enthusiastically, ushering Orihime inside while thanking Yoruichi for bringing his 'precious daughter-in-law' to him safely. The familiarity between Yoruichi, Urahara and the Emperor was obvious, causing Orihime to wonder about their relationship.
Yuzu and Karin were already seated in the dining hall when the Emperor and Orihime entered. The three girls and the Emperor chatted whilst waiting. Fifteen minutes before twelve, Ryuken entered and informed the Emperor that his son will not be able to join them for lunch.
Karin frowned disapprovingly, while Yuzu protested, "But Onii-chan knows how important this lunch is. He has to be here, with Orihime-nee."
Silence stretched on uncomfortably.
"Who cares about that insolent son of mine!" their father sniffed theatrically. "What's more important is that my precious daughter-in-law is here!" He flashed Orihime a wide grin. "I am sure he'll join us later, correct, Ryuken?"
"Yes, sir," answered Ryuken.
"Good! Let's start, shall we? Isshin-papa is very hungry!" He reached out and patted Orihime's wrist. "Don't be shy, Orihime-chan! Eat as much as you want! You have lost weight, haven't you, dear? My poor daughter —"
"Shut up already," Karin grumbled under her breath.
Orihime found herself enjoying the affair. The experience was different from having lunch at Tōgū. She usually ate alone, the sliding doors drawn, providing a view of the gardens. Her only company was the sounds of nature; chirping birds, the passing breeze and the rustling of leaves.
After lunch, the Emperor whisked her away to a drawing room while the twins headed off somewhere. He told her to take a seat and wait for him. Minutes later, he reappeared, arms full with what looked like photo albums. She took one from the Emperor and opened it gingerly, eyes widening when she saw the first page.
Ichigo's father had given her a photo album of Ichigo as a child.
He must have sensed her hesitancy – these were personal photographs, which she doubted her husband would like to share with her – because he encouraged her to flip through the photos.
"Go on! But don't tell him I showed them to you!" He snickered and proceeded to give enthusiastic anecdotes with every picture. Orihime was especially charmed by a picture of a two year old bright-haired child, grinning toothily at the camera while clutching a stuffed lion.
When the twins reappeared and discovered that their father was showing off their brother's baby pictures, Karin rolled her eyes.
"He'll murder you, old man."
"Shh! Don't tell him!"
"Are you insane? He'll find out— eventually."
"I'm ready," chirped Yuzu. "I have everything here." A bag hung from her Yuzu's arm. Bemused, Orihime put the photo album she just finished browsing on the table and followed them. She still did not know what the luncheon was about, and even though she wanted to know and ask, she did not want to pry. They'll tell her when they wanted to.
After crossing several halls and corridors, the four of them arrived at a veranda. As they conversed, Karin and Yuzu led the way, walking down a footpath littered with purple petals. When Orihime looked up, she saw a sea of wisterias hanging down from a latticework surrounding what appeared like a huge tree.
Seeing Orihime's awestruck face, the Emperor chuckled and reminded her to look where she was going otherwise she'll trip. Blushing, Orihime giggled and carefully sidestepped a small crack. The footpath ended and a row of red shinmei torii appeared. They continued walking and emerged into a square garden full of wisterias, cherry blossoms, dogwoods, redbuds, pears, crabapples, and purple leaf plums.
"This… is beautiful," Orihime whispered, wide-eyed with wonder.
"Of course!" The Emperor grinned proudly. "She tended this garden well."
She?
"Let's go, shall we? She's waiting for us. I'm sure she'll love to meet her beautiful daughter-in-law!"
Orihime blinked at the Emperor, puzzled.
They carried on walking, finally emerging into a circular clearing. In the middle was a large, rectangular stone monument. Sunlight poured onto the clearing, the beams focusing on the lone stone, like a giant spotlight. When Yuzu and Karin started to clean the stone, scrubbing and wiping it with cleaning materials they had brought with them, Orihime finally realized what it was.
"Orihime-chan, I'm sorry. I invited you without explaining to you the significance of this day."
In front of the stone, Yuzu and Karin stood together. Orihime looked up to the Emperor and found him gazing at the stone with a serene expression on his face.
He met her questioning gaze with a gentle smile. "This is the late Empress's grave."
The Empress.
The Imperial Majesty the Empress of Dainipponteikoku.