Chapter 27
El Caballero Nuevo ("The New Knight")
"You can open your eyes." Orihime's eyes snapped open, but a blinding light caused her to squint them until they were almost closed. Gradually, the light died down enough for Orihime to open her eyes again. Her surroundings looked like the training grounds beneath the Urahara Shop, but something felt strange. The artificial light that brightened the rocky landscape was more intense, and the fake sky was bluer than Orihime remembered.
"Are you noticing it?" Orihime turned in the direction of the voice. To her surprise, the other Orihime stood behind her, a smirk playing on her lips. She didn't know why she was there. The last thing she remembered was being at the training grounds with Urahara.
"You're unconscious right now," her other self stated, waving her hand dismissively. "You fainted, remember?" Slowly, Orihime's memories filtered back into her mind. She had been training with Urahara again, but she pushed herself past the limit. Orihime recalled the exhaustion she felt moments before arriving at this place.
Peering at her other self, Orihime quickly noticed that the space wasn't the only thing that seemed different. The dream Orihime was different as well. No longer did she wear the white Arrancar outfit from her days in Hueco Mundo. Instead, the girl wore a blue shitagi* and a pair of dark navy-blue hakama*, a white obi* separating the two colors at her waist. The shitagi hugged her body, exposing the voluptuous curves of Orihime's large breasts and tiny waist. The change in clothing contrasted nicely was the long, orange hair that fell over her shoulders and ended mid-way down her thigh.
"You look so different!" Orihime exclaimed, amazed by the transformation. "Are you really me?"
The other Orihime sent her a soft grin as she seated herself on a flat boulder. "Good for you to notice," she retorted, pegging Orihime with an amused gaze. "And, yes, I am you." She waved her hand again, wiggling her fingers playfully. "Or as Urahara would say, I am a projection of you."
Orihime frowned. "I thought you were a power, like Baigon or Hinagiku**," she replied, approaching her double.
The other girl chuckled softly. "But I'm no fairy," she retorted, pushing her orange hair over her bare shoulder. She met Orihime's eyes with steady grey eyes. "Well, do you want to know why you're here? I mean, you've been training for a few days now, and I'm just showing myself to you now. Are you curious?"
"I am curious," Orihime admitted seriously. Though Orihime didn't sense her spiritual energy, she knew that this other side of herself was powerful, carrying the adversities of her life and making them into a formidable strength. A wrong step could lead Orihime to losing a chance to understand the hidden part of her soul. It wasn't a time to be as fidgety and naïve. "Please tell me."
"It's funny, actually," declared the other girl, looking away with a smirk. "After our last conversation, I thought you would never get it. I thought I was talking to a screened-off version of myself who refused to hear me speak." Another chuckle escaped through her lips. "But I do admit, I was pretty desperate to get your attention. No wonder it was such a shock for you to hear me say those things to Ulquiorra."
Her grey eyes pinned Orihime with a piercing gaze. Orihime didn't feel as perturbed by those eyes as she thought she would be. Somehow, the atmosphere surrounding the other Orihime had changed beyond recognition. The defensive aura and bubbling irritation that accompanied her double was gone, allowing Orihime to relax slightly. She hoped that the girl wouldn't go through another transformation and return her to a dangerous state as before.
"First off, let's get the easiest things aside. My name is Seiran**. I am your power, but I'm not like your fairies." She held up her hand, her fingers spreading wide. "You can make a defensive barrier, cut a Hollow in half, heal a friend, or shield yourself with some explosive power." Seiran counted Orihime's abilities off her long fingers. "Overall, you can reject things—make things exist. But do you know how you do that?"
Orihime shook her head. She never thought too much about how her powers worked.
"You can gather the spiritual energy from anyone or anything and reform them."
"So you are that power in physical form?" Orihime inquired.
"You can say that," Seiran answered, lowering her hand. She scratched a spot on her head. "But thanks to the Hougyoku, that power has evolved." A frown appeared on her small lips, her eyes settling on something in the distance. "And Urahara was right, as usual. He's way too smart."
"I'm glad you feel that way." The voice came from above them, and Orihime quickly lifted her gaze towards the ceiling. To her surprise, Urahara floated down towards her, one hand gripping the open umbrella and the other hand holding his green hat steady. He descended to the ground effortlessly, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Urahara! H-how?"
He closed his green umbrella before turning to Seiran. "Long time no see."
She growled at him, obviously not happy to see the Soul Reaper. "How did you get in here?"
"You did say I'm too smart, right? I just let myself in with a little door I created in Orihime's energy bubble." With that, Urahara tapped the tip of his umbrella against the stones at his sandaled feet. "Don't be so mad. I brought something that you might need." He lifted the umbrella, and in a blink of an eye, it exploded in his hands. When the smoke cleared, Urahara held a small, green dragon in his hands. It yawned cutely, stretching its dwarfed arms. "This is Son. He's a little dragon I made just for this purpose. He's made of two things: a lizard and a modified Soul Candy."
Son looked at Orihime with its big, blood-red eyes. She returned its stare. "It's so cute!" Orihime gathered up the little dragon in her arms, relishing the purring sound it made as she stroked its scales. Even his rough body felt warm against her skin.
"It's just as well," Orihime heard Seiran say with reluctance. "I was about to show her how my powers worked anyways."
Urahara simply smiled at her. "That's a good idea. Then my theory will be tested out."
Releasing an exasperated sigh, the other Orihime walked over to Orihime and pulled Son from her shoulders. It squeaked in confusion, but quickly settled itself in Seiran's arms. Orihime watched with awe as the familiar orange light of her powers encompassed the dragon. "Watch closely."
The dragon snugged into Seiran's chest as Orihime felt a growing power intensify from the orange light. Similar to her training, the spiritual energy mounted, layer after layer, until a bubble began to emerge from the barrier. Orihime regarded the new bubble with wonder. What was going on?
While the bubble expanded, another form began to emerge inside of it. It grew, swelling to the same size as Son. Its features began to form, detailing itself as it floated within the confines of the bubble. In moments, Orihime suddenly understood what she was looking at.
Another Son hovered peacefully inside of the bubble. It was identical to the Son that Seiran held. The other girl placed both of the creatures on the ground, dismissing the orange light that encompassed them. "These two guys look the same, but one is different," she announced, standing back to admire her handiwork. The dragons, now uncaged, noticed each other before excited squeals erupted from their reptilian mouths.
"But they seem to be the same," Orihime noted, peering at them curiously.
Without warning, the newly-formed dragon opened its jaws and fired a tiny fireball at the other dragon. Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. The other dragon hid behind Orihime's legs as it tried to escape the fireballs. Just to be safe, Orihime put a small barrier around her legs and the small dragon trying to safeguard its pride.
"Wondering why that little guy isn't firing back?" Seiran asked, smirking. The fire-breathing dragon continued to pummel the barrier with fireballs. The other Orihime pointed at it. "Even though this dragon looks like Son, it's only a physical form of Son's powers."
"Hmm, so my theory is right then." Urahara suddenly snapped his fingers, and a moment later, both dragons exploded into smoke. Orihime looked at the green pill that lied at her feet. "Your new power can manipulate spiritual energy, even separate the spiritual energy from the soul."
Seiran crossed her arms. "That must be some modified Soul Candy," she remarked calmly. "If I did that trick with a regular Soul Candy, only a Soul Candy would come out."
Urahara's grin widened. "It's good to see that you don't doubt my abilities."
Orihime watched Seiran glare dangerously at Urahara. "It's good to see that you don't doubt your abilities," she returned sarcastically before turning to Orihime. The scowl on her face disappeared, and she softened her expression. "Anyways, this is why I brought you here, Orihime. You can say that I'm influenced a little bit by all of the Soul Reapers."
Orihime looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Soul Reapers and their zanpakutou train within their own soul planes," Urahara explained. "Aside from actual battle, Soul Reapers and zanpakutou become stronger by the Soul Reaper entering this soul plane." Urahara indicated towards Seiran, who kicked rocks with disinterest. "Seiran brought you here just like how zanpakutou have to meet their Soul Reapers."
"Oh, I see." Orihime brought her gaze back to Seiran, watching her double tap her foot impatiently.
"See? She gets that part. Now, can I move on?" Seiran gave Urahara a warning look before Urahara quietly tipped his hat towards Seiran and walked away. A scowl settled on Seiran's face as she watched him leave them.
"Is there something else you want to talk to me about?" Orihime inquired curiously.
Seiran faced Orihime. "Well, the easiest part I told you already. Now, we need to talk more seriously." She gave Orihime a look that said her next words would pack a punch. "We need to talk about Ulquiorra."
Orihime felt her skin grow hotter. "About Ulquiorra?"
Seiran nodded. "I can still see you're not comfortable talking about him," she noted. "At least you told him how you felt. That's the only reason you're here now. You get it now."
Without permission, the memory of the other night returned to Orihime's mind. The emotional confessions seemed unreal to Orihime. Even as the days went by, Orihime couldn't shake the reality of the past. They really loved each other. It wasn't so much a love like the love from the girl's manga. After all, Orihime and Ulquiorra went right back into their routine, walking to and from school together, doing their homework at the same little table. Nothing really changed except the atmosphere between them. It wasn't a bad feeling, just a different one than the one from when they first met.
"It can't be helped," Seiran replied as if reading Orihime's thoughts. "You two have only taken the first step in what I would call a loving relationship, so you can't expect things to go so smoothly at first." She crossed her arms as she mulled over her words. "But then, I'm really surprised that Ulquiorra could understand his own feelings before you. I mean, you've lived in the Living World your whole life. Then again, sometimes, you're so dense."
Seiren's honesty made Orihime chuckle under her breath. She never expected to be told by a piece of her soul that she was dense. Then again, Tsubaki used to berate her over the naïve choices she made during battles.
"Orihime," called out Seiran's soft voice. The tone was soft but determined. "I know you want to use me to save Ulquiorra. The power inside of me—inside of you—could pull out Ulquiorra's spiritual energy. But there's a catch. I have to be strong enough to pull out what makes up Ulquiorra's powers."
"What makes up his powers?" Orihime considered Ulquiorra's existence. He was an Espada, but before that, he was something else.
"A Hollow." Seiran gave Orihime a knowing stare. "Even though Ulquiorra was an Espada, he was also a Hollow. So, naturally, his powers are Hollow powers."
"If his powers are removed," Orihime began, "then he'll become a Hollow?"
An irritated eyebrow lifted and Seiran narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Jeez, you're so dense," she commented, annoyed. "Ulquiorra's powers are Hollow powers. If I take out only Ulquiorra's powers, those powers can become a Hollow. Remember Son? I pulled out another Son, only with powers. It's the same thing with Ulquiorra, except I'm not pulling out his soul, only the powers attached to it." Seiran looked away, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "Actually, what you're asking from me is a lot."
Orihime's mind tried to understand Seiran's explanation. "Ulquiorra's spiritual energy comes from his Hollow side," she restated as she absorbed the new information. "If you pull out the spiritual energy, you'll pull out the Hollow too."
"Yes!" Seiran came forward and flicked Orihime on the forehead. Orihime let out a small squeak in protest before touching the flicked spot. A smile lit up Seiran's face. "Now you get it! Ok, so maybe you're not so dense. Anyways, that's why we have to train harder, ok?" Setting both hands on Orihime's shoulders, Seiran peered into Orihime's eyes with resolve. "There's something else I really want to talk to you about."
Orihime stared into her double's eyes, uncertain of what to expect.
"You love Ulquiorra, right?"
Orihime nodded.
"How do you love him?"
Arching an eyebrow, Orihime stared at Seiran in confusion. "How?"
"Do you just love him—which is a blanket statement—or are you in love with him? Or, do you love him like a brother or like a boyfriend?"
Orihime thought back to the moment she said she loved him days before. With all her heart, she loved him. Being around him made her happy. It wasn't hard to love somebody. Not for her. She loved everyone equally—except for Kurosaki. She used to have a major crush on him, and for a short time, she thought she was in love with him. But as she spent more time with Ulquiorra, learning about his rigid persona that unexpectedly gave way to an understanding personality, Orihime realized that she only loved Kurosaki as a person. He was her friend, and there were times when understanding her wasn't something he could do easily.
Ulquiorra could understand her, and in return, he let her inside his frozen heart. She loved him for that. But there was something deeper than acceptance. There was tension between them, one that made her smile when he helped her with her homework or when they ate dinner together. If they were just friends, the tension wouldn't exist in the first place.
"I'm…in love with him," Orihime answered softly, returning Seiran's willful stare.
Seiran's face lightened up with a grin. "Great! Now you know!" As quickly as the smile appeared, it swiftly disappeared. "Then I have something really important to tell you."
Orihime regarded her, silently waiting. She had a bad feeling about it.
"If Ulquiorra's spiritual energy is separated from his body," Seiran began, gripping Orihime's shoulders more tightly, "there's no telling if he'll continue to exist."
Next chapter: La Cena Royal
Ulquiorra and Orihime have one more night together-and the gravity of their situation sets in.
*Shitagi, hakama, and obi are components of the traditional Japanese-inspired clothing used in Bleach. The shitagi is like an undershirt where only a small part of the collar can be seen. The hakama is a pair of long, pleated pants. The obi is a sash tied around the waist. In Bleach, there's an additional part of the Soul Reaper outfit (Shihakushou), called the kosode, or the outer, black layer that matches the hakama. For more information, please check out this detailed explanation with pictures: .com/wiki/Shihakusho
**Baigon and Hinagiku are two of six faeries that make up Orihime's powers.
***Seiran's name (青蘭) means "blue orchid" in Japanese. Though there are many translations for the Japanese word "sei", the kanji specifically means "blue" or "green", which is similar to the commonly used word "ao". I chose the orchid because it's a royal flower named after many duchesses. Seiran combines the play on Orihime's other powers (they all have Japanese names that represent flowers) and the meaning of Orihime's name ("weaver princess").
A/N: This story is drawing to a close, and even the characters know it. It's funny how Seiran isn't like Orihime too much. Then again, she's kind of like the darker side of Orihime, who isn't so patient and a little more straightforward. In my opinion, I prefer this Orihime than the real one, but that's just me.
Please review!