So, right off the bat I feel like I need to apologize a little. I work 40 hours a week, and am also a full time student. Thankfully, because I work nights, my social life is lacking on the weekdays, so I'm able to crack out chapters in a few hours. Now, the reason I'm apologizing is because of the many mistakes I've been making because of my sleep deprived brain. I've gone back and fixed these errors as they've been pointed out. And while I'm grateful that they have been pointed out, I'd like to ask that we remain civil. Please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll either correct those mistakes or elaborate on why I used something the way I used it. However, if your comment is cruel, I'll reserve the right to remove it. Anyway, on to this chapter's list of terms!
Tengu: Wiki Tengu Folklore please! however…and this is gonna sound REALLY GEEKY, Anna is actually descended from the tengu in Pathfinder. If you go to Paizo dot com and search for Tengu, you'll see what I mean. Yeah…I know…at least I don't LARP (Live Action Role-Play).
Fae: Common term for fairy
Fair Folk: Wiki it. They're fairies.
Sidhe: Fair Folk, in this story, it's Anna's clan name. It's pronounced like the Japanese "Shi". Don't ask me why, it's Gaelic…
Demigod: Wiki it
Also...I love Wikipedia...
Demo: But. Soshite can also be used here, but I like demo better.
Baka: Idiot, stupid
Naze?: Why?
Kottchi: Come or come here
Aho: Another word for idiot, though sometimes it's used as asshole.
Sumimasen: I apologize
Nani: What
Ojōsama: My Lady or just Lady
Chapter 4
Anna took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, every eye in the room rapt on her. She wasn't really sure where to begin. Ryuuken cleared his throat behind her, and she felt a vein pop out at her temple.
Yes, I know, you have things to do, people to save, blah, blah, blah…She snapped at him mentally.
"Anlanah, perhaps you could start by telling them what you are." Ryuuken suggested, more than just a hint of impatience in his voice.
"Oh! I already know what she is!" Said Orihime excitedly. "You're an angel, right?!"
Anna turned and looked at the girl, her mouth open just a touch. Ryuuken snorted in amusement behind her. She shot him a deadly glare, and smiled gently at Orihime.
"No, child, I'm not an angel." She advised her softly.
"D-demo…you had wings!" Replied the auburn hair defensively. Anna laughed.
"I'm one of the Fair Folk," She explained. "Your people called our ancestors tengu. After Christianity swept the western world, however, a certain….amount of us saw fit to use our features as a means of manipulation on certain parts of the world. We Fae are not very different in constitution from…."She paused, thinking of the word. "I believe you call them Arrancar. We regenerate almost instantly-"
"If that's so," Interrupted Uryuu. "Then why did Orihime have to heal you?"
Anna's teeth clicked together as she clenched her jaw. And through slightly gritted teeth replied:
"I was getting to that, Ishida-kun," She halted her explanation for a moment, not able to deny the need to embarrass Ryuuken's son a little. "And may I say that you're much like your father, he asked that same question 20 years ago." She was satisfied with the "tch" sound that Uryuu made.
"So, as I was saying, my clan is not able to filter the chemical Arsenic as quickly as we'd like. It doesn't kill us, however, it does make us human for reasons unknown, even to those who have researched it. As far as we know, it's actually the damage that it does when it is being filtered through our system that turns us human. I should also mention, that we are utterly helpless when this happens. I probably couldn't even fight off a grade schooler right now. The time in which it takes effect is also determined of how much we are poisoned with. Its effects can begin anywhere between a few seconds, to several minutes. It takes a few days for us to get back to full power, and it depends on how much of the poison got into us. Judging by how much was on the kunai I got hit with, it should take about four days before we can initiate a counter attack."
Anna jumped, as Ichigo unexpectedly lost the loose control he had on his temper.
"I don't really give a shit about all of this stuff." He hissed. "Who was that guy that attacked Inoue?! What happened to him?! Where is he so I can beat the shit out of him?!"
Anna glared at Ichigo murderously.
"I swear, if one more fucking person interrupts me," She said, the vein popping out on her temple again. "I'll-"
Before she could finish, Rukia had reached across the table and hit Ichigo upside the head.
"Baka! She's getting to that part if you'd just shut up!" She shouted. Ichigo looked like a scolded child. He faced forward silent and brooding. Rukia turned back to look at Anna smiling sweetly. "Please continue, Anna-san."
"Yes, thank you." She replied. "Now where was I? Ah yes, the man who attacked you, Orihime-chan, is my twin brother, Adam. As much as I'd like not to admit it, he is more powerful than I am. The most I could do to stop him was send him home in a weak seal. It'll take him about two weeks or so to work his way out of it, he's not very smart."
Anna took a deep breath.
"He attacked you, Orihime-chan, because he found out that I planned to use you as a way to reseal him permanently. You see, Adam is what my clan calls a Demigod. Meaning that he is unimaginably powerful. Your ability can reverse the seal to its original state before it weakened."
Here comes the big reveal, Anna thought. She turned her body around, facing Ryuuken, bowing deeply, still on her knees. "I am sorry, Ryuuken. I lied to you. I hope you will understand the situation, and forgive me."
She faced the table again to concerned looks.
"I had planned to kidnap you, Orihime-chan, take you back to my world, and force you to help me with the seal." Orihime looked shocked.
"D-demo, naze?" She asked, sadness in her voice. "Why didn't you just ask? I would certainly have helped you, Anna."
"Because the amount of energy you would need to expend to rewind time around it would kill you, my dear." Anna said sadly. "It took every living person in my clan to create that seal, it even killed the weaker ones of the family. Let me explain the extent of what we are dealing with. Ryuuken, I trust you'll have no complaints if I also go through the parts with you in them?"
"No."
"Very well, my clan name is Sidhe, LaRell is my married name. While I may look young, I am approximately 325 in your human years. 22 years ago, when I met Ryuuken, I had just been named the head of the clan…."
Anna stepped through the Blood Gate, a building sized ball of what literally looked like swirling blood. Her body left it as though she were coming from a thick mass of liquid, though not a drop of the stuff stuck to her. Her five most trusted retainers emerged after her. As the last of her men exited the gate into the human world, the large orb shrunk in on itself and into non-existence. She stood in front of six Quincies, all from different clans. Ishida Sōken stepped forward to greet her. They bowed at the same time.
"Anlanah-Ojōsama," He said formally." It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is mine, Ishida Sōken-sama." She replied, likewise respectful. They straightened at the same time, and as she did, she caught eyes with a young man. His face was utterly serious, and his deep blue eyes showed that he was reluctant to be there. Sōken motioned and started introducing her to the Quincies who would be in her service. When at last he got to the blue eyed Quincy, Anna was taken slightly aback. Even with the look of youth on his features, she had been sure that he was much older.
"And, this is Ishida Ryuuken, my son." He said. The boy nodded respectfully, but said nothing. Anna followed suit. When in Rome, she thought. Though she was surprised that such a young man held such a high rank.
"I am most grateful to you, Ishida-sama, for helping us." She said to Sōken.
"From what I understand, this is a matter that concerns all of us." He replied.
"It is, my mad brother intends to merge the worlds," She said scowling. "All of them. He thinks you humans need to be 'subjugated' to be used as our slaves. Bloody fool, he seems to believe that the universe belongs to him."
"How long do we have before he's obtained the proper support to complete his goals?" Asked the boy before her.
"About two months. We have time to prepare counter measures, but not as much as I'd like. We would like for you Quincy to protect us while we pin him down, and seal him. He will have supporters, but only as many as he can gather in two months. Communication in our world is not as advanced as yours. We are only able to communicate through runners and carrier pigeons. My men are working to keep as many of those messages from reaching their intended recipients, but I cannot guarantee this will be easy."
"I understand, Anlanah-Ojōsama." Responded the other clan head.
Two Weeks Later
"No, boy! I already told you," Scolded Anna. "With our kind, you must act quickly. The first strike is imperative. You must not give me the opportunity to think! You must enrage me, force me to lose my concentration! Do whatever you must to achieve that goal. Taunt me, provoke me, shock me!"
She circled around Ryuuken as she drilled him.
"Now get up!"
Ryuuken made no noise of pain as he moved his body. She had probably bruised him badly in half a dozen places. But, he was so damned, stubborn! He would not rethink the training he had received from the other Quincies.
"Joints take longer to heal, you want to aim for those if you cannot aim for their head. Mind the wings, too. If they get airborne it will be that much harder to deal with them."
Anna positioned herself for another round of sparing. Instead of her kodachi, she held two short wooden replicas. She needed to go as full out as she could without killing him.
"Kottchi!" She barked. Ryuuken disappeared using Hirenkyaku. She was able to see flashes of him as he circled her. The arrows he fired at her she easily deflected. She started to get bored with his constant circling and firing.
How unoriginal, she thought, getting frustrated. She was so busy following him in a circle and tracing his movements, that she didn't anticipate him behind her when she moved to strike him. She felt an arrow go clean through her shoulder. She whirled around, but he wasn't behind her any longer, this time, she couldn't see where he'd gone.
Her shoulder slowly knitted itself back together as she spread out her consciousness, looking for him in the large training area at the Ishida family property. She pinpointed him, immediately using Fulmen Coniveo to get to his exact location.
But, he wasn't there. Instead, it was a pentagram of Seel Schneiders around her. And as soon as she landed on the ground, she heard a crunch, looking down, she saw that she had crushed the needed container of reishi used to activate the technique. Anna's eyes almost bugged out of her head. Her wings burst out, folding around her instantly just as the Sprenger went off. They shielded her some, but she still felt the powerful attack burn her arms and legs as her wings dissolved around her from the force. Once the explosion had subsided, she staggered back, drawing in ragged breaths as her burns began to heal.
She felt Ryuuken's reiatsu behind her in a flash, the sharp end of a Seel Schneider too close for comfort to her neck.
"Checkmate, Anlanah-san." He said with a satisfied smirk. "Yield."
She smiled wickedly.
"GOOD!" She shouted, half deaf from the explosion. "You do learn!"
Her burns had healed now, lightning fast, with Fulmen Coniveo, she shifted her wooden practice swords so the right one's blade was positioned perpendicular to her arm the blade facing backwards, and the left sword's blade facing outward. She ducked her head under the Seel Schneider he had at her throat, rotating her body at the same time. Her right leg went straight out and up into the air to balance her out as she spun on one foot, her right sword catching Ryuuken in the ribs, the left in the leg. He grunted, his eyes wide as his body turned sideways and hit the dirt.
Ryuuken lay on his side, hardly able to breathe. Anna had felt his rib break under her sword, maybe she had been a little too rough. But she wouldn't stop until he was unconscious, or until he yielded. That had been their agreement. She kicked him onto his back, strolling up to him, she sat down on his legs, and leaned over him, the point of one wooden sword poking him gently in his armpit, the other at his throat.
"Yield." She said, looking intently into his face. His face was contorted in both pain, and rage. He clenched his jaw.
"I yield." He spat. She moved off of him, setting her swords to the side. She shook her head, smiling slightly. She knelt next to him, holding her hands over his ribs. Her hands began to glow a soft blue. Ryuuken coughed and grunted as his rib healed slowly, and painfully.
"You were really intent on killing me today," She complimented him. "Good work."
"It's pretty easy to want to kill you, with the way you talk to people, you know." He managed a small smile.
When she was done healing his broken rib, she moved to his shattered calf, he sat up slowly, wincing while he watched her.
"That really is amazing. It's not like anything I've ever read about or seen before."
"Thank you. My father called it 'Bone Talking', he was the one who developed the technique. All I'm doing it encouraging your body to heal like mine." She said with pride in her voice. She sat back on her heels when she was done.
"You still need to work on your speed, however, Ryuuken." She chided him gently. "Hirenkyaku can rival Fulmen Coniveo. I can feel there is a potential there to move faster."
"I was moving faster than normal. It's that damn trickster's technique you use that's impossible to keep up with!" Exclaimed the dark haired young man.
Anna leaned forward, shifting her weight back to her knees, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at him.
"So go for my knees! I can't move very fast if I have a leg injury, now can I?" She sighed and dropped her hand. "Enough sparring for today. We'll practice on your reiatsu detection some more next. You need to know how to look for us since our signature is a little different from what you're used to." She went to stand, Ryuuken's hand shot out gripping her wrist. She stopped to look into his overly serious face.
"What?" She said, "What is it?"
"Y-you said yesterday in the drawing room that there's a possibility you might die." He paused. "Is that true?"
Stunned that he had such a concerned, childish look on his face, her mouth moved for a second with no sound. When she found her voice again, all she could say was:
"Yes."
Today was full of surprises from him. Ryuuken yanked Anna abruptly into a tight embrace, practically pulling her on top of him.
"Ryuuken, wha-?" She started.
"Don't die." He said into her ear. "Please, don't die." She pulled her body away from his enough so she could look him in the eyes. Their faces were so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.
She thought about closing the small distance between them with her lips-
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Said Renji, waving his hands in Anna's face. "I really don't think that's relevant to what's going on here. Can you just cut to the chase?"
Anna wasn't upset that she'd been interrupted this time. Seeing both Ichigo's and Uryuu's crimson faces was enough of a reward for her. Orihime was also bright red, looking down into her lap, playing nervously with her hands. However, she could feel Ryuuken's eyes firing angry bolts of electricity into the back of her head.
"I could stand to hear a little more…"Said Rangiku playfully, smiling.
"No, Renji-kun is right," Anna said, then admitting: "I told that little bit mostly just for fun."
"Long story short, about a month and a half later, after I had trained Ryuuken, and he had trained the rest of our Quincy body guards, I lured Adam to a particular spot we had prepared. Now, something you need to understand is that there were my five retainers, and six Quincy as the core unit. The rest of my direct bloodline, the Sidhe, had already prepared the basis of the seal. Included in my retainers was my cousin, Areen, my son, Malcolm, my sister, Aiele, my mother, Anrellie, and my daughter, Tajin."
"W-what happened to them, Anna?" Asked Orihime tentatively. Anna looked directly at her, meeting her eyes, then catching Ichigo's (who was now listening as intently as the rest).
"They died. Adam killed the remaining survivors last month." Anna kept her tone as matter-of-fact as possible. "He and I are all that's left of our bloodline."
Orihime's eyes welled up with tears, and they immediately started streaming down her cheeks. Anlanah was taken aback. Rubbing the tears away, Orihime calmed herself a little. Still crying just a bit as she spoke.
"I'm-hic-so sorry-hic-Anna! That's so-hic-sad!" She said between her tears. Anna smiled sadly, but with a certain fondness for her. She was a little surprised when she saw Ichigo's hand reach out nervously to gently rub her back while she cried.
"There is no need to shed tears for me child. Death is a thing I am accustomed to, even given my long lived nature."
"So," Began Uryuu, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "How did he get out of the seal?"
Anna stiffened, and she heard Ryuuken shift uncomfortably behind her.
"This is a part I will relive to help you understand as much as you can." She said slowly. "I'll warn you, it is not pleasant."
"We had managed to lure Adam to the gigantic cavern in which we had prepared everything, it wasn't hard, all I had to do was tell him I wanted to surrender and where to meet. Like I'd said before, my brother is not very smart. However, he was smart enough to bring a much larger force that we had anticipated. And it wasn't long before we were overwhelmed…"
It was chaos in the large hollowed out cave. Reishi arrows were firing everywhere, enemies dropping like flies. They were faced with almost a thousand men. While it wasn't a lot in terms of military strength, it was impossible for five people to overcome. Anna and her family had not expected Adam to obtain so many, and most of the family was occupied with keeping him tied down, while the elite of the family worked on the incantation for the seal. Amidst the sounds of battle, there was the sounds of voices all reciting different incantations at once. Some were spells used to bind, entangle, or slow. Others were incantations of seals, barriers, and enslavement. Anna's was the final puzzle piece to the many different weavings of words.
Hers was a spell of eternal slumber.
When Ryuuken had heard how powerful Adam was, he had expressed that he could probably break through any seal they put on him. Anna had affirmed this. She had attempted once before to seal him, and he had broken it. Adam had sought her and her husband, Gabriel, out. He'd forced her to watch while he had tortured him to death in front of her. Ryuuken had been the one to suggest putting him to sleep, and making all the other spells that work with it, ones that would prevent him from being disturbed. The only catch was, that a spell of that magnitude would require massive amounts of power. The only one capable of the feat was Anna.
"Oh, dea sopiantur, et custos infernorum, surgere, et percute tibi unguibus contra extinctor mundos. Aperite portas, quod vilissimum dem in iram facit telam contra rationem mundi. Et in tuo venter sitis exhaurire vita sua vis ab eo, RESCRIBO logicam de hoc mundo." She chanted. "Requiem aeternum, qui non erant. Dare tenebrae loco lucis. Dare aliquid non amare, turbandam non habeat in arentibus testam. Venenum in somnum aeterna."
She was on her second round of that little score. She only had one more to go. She watched, unflinching as a sai went through a Quincy's defenses, and through Naheal's (one of Anna's cousins) neck. The woman crumpled, Anna felt her death, her heart twisting at the sight. In the center of the cavern, trapped in a myriad of spells, Adam was screaming in rage.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" He howled, wrenching an arm free as soon as the hold on him loosened. He felled another member of the family with a burst of lightning from his hand. Their body twitched, and then was still. His handsome face twisted with even more fury as his eyes fell on Anna. Areen's husband Tastu stepped in to take Naheal's place. Adam's loose hand was captured again by Tatsu's entanglement spell, roots from nowhere wrapping around his arms and legs, keeping him still.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" He screamed at her. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY! I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!"
Anna started the final repetition of the incantation. An opaque orb started forming around Adam, and started to darken with each word the sealers spoke.
And that's when everything went wrong. A kunai caught Tastu through the ear, killing him instantly. The roots disappeared around Adam. His hand sparked with electricity as he turned to Anna. She was about to say her last word, she would die if she didn't move, but he would be sealed. Just that last word, and the worlds, all of them, would be safe.
Anna braced herself for death.
"Venenum in somnum aeter-"her breath was suddenly knocked out of her before she could finish her last word. She felt the fine hairs all over her body stand on end as though she were about to be struck by lightning. Probably because she basically was. But not a millisecond passed and she was in Ryuuken's arms, away from the main battle, and the attack that Adam had tried to kill her with.
Judging by the force that was needed to take the air out of her lungs like he had when he used Hirenkyaku to save her, she guessed that he had probably broken the sound barrier. She pitched forward to watch the seal's completion.
No, she thought desperately. NO! He's still awake!
"NO!" She screamed aloud as Ryuuken held her firmly. The seal was closing on him fast, but Adam still had enough time to jeer at her, that murderous, insane laughter filled the room.
"I'll come for you, dear little sister!" He shouted to her. "I'll come for you and savor every moment of pain I make you feel!"
The orb around him closed completely, shrinking down rapidly to the size of a small crystal ball. A soft 'tink' sound echoed through the suddenly quiet room as the entire battle halted to watch the spectacle, the black orb bounced once on the stone floor, and then lay still. Suddenly, the one thousand lesser Fae realized that 50 of the most powerful of the Fair Folk were able to fight. Calls of retreat from each small squadron of men sounded, and the cave was empty.
Anna watched in horror as Tajin and Areen both turned to her, smiles still on their faces from their success. Then, almost in unison, both young women collapsed, their reiatsu, and their life energy completely expended. Malcolm caught his little sister, barely able to hold her, and fell to his knees with her in his arms, calling her name over and over again.
Anna felt numb, she could hear someone calling her name.
"Anna….Anna…." Came Ryuuken's voice. "Anlanah….please say something…."
She sunk down to her knees, Ryuuken following her, arms still around her, supporting her. She turned her head, her crystal blue eyes meeting his ocean colored ones.
"You bloody fool," She said without conviction. "You should have let me die."
Ryuuken's face twisted in some emotion Anna didn't have the capacity to fathom at the moment. Her daughter just died, three of her cousins were killed in the battle, Adam had murdered her husband three months before, and God only knew how many more would die tonight from their injuries. And it had all been in vain.
"Let go of me…." She whispered hoarsely.
"Anna-"
"LET GO!" She screamed at him. He released her as if bitten and backed away. She collapsed in on herself almost instantly. It was too much. A low moan escaped from her. She felt like there was no air in the room. She clutched her chest, hardly noticing her own agonized sobs.
All in vain, it was all in vain…Was all that she could think.
The world went black.
The room was silent as Anna finished the pointed part of her story. Orihime was now openly weeping again.
"You must understand, all of you. He is beyond any one person. 22 years in the seal may have weakened him, but this will be a nigh impossible task without Orihime. It took 50 people, all taicho, or fukutaicho level to subdue him." She said severely.
"Anna-san." Came Urahara's voice. "We recently had a similar situation here. There may be a way that we Shinigami can assist you."
"It's quite late, Urahara-san. We may want to talk about this tomorrow." Said Tessai. The other nodded.
Anna stood, and turned to walk out of the sitting room.
"It may be a good idea to stick together, Anna-chan." Said Urahara.
"I need to fetch some things from my home. Don't worry, Adam won't be back for at least a week." She caught the blonde haired man's eye. "However, I'm inclined to agree with you. I'll be back once I've fetched my things."
She felt Ryuuken's eyes on her as she walked away.
As soon as she was halfway down the street, she felt him behind her again.
"Anna, wait." He said.
"I'll not have this conversation here, Ryuuken." She said coldly. "Come to my apartment if you want to discuss this with me. I don't need prying ears on this."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Six Hours Earlier
When Orihime woke up next she guessed a whole day had probably gone by. While her wounds hadn't fully healed yet, she felt energized again. She turned her head to the side to see if Anna was still sleeping. The other woman's face was relaxed, and her eyes closed. Orihime smiled softly at the beautiful woman as she listened to the soft rhythmic sound of her breathing.
Now that she had more energy back, she called Soten Kisshun out to heal the older woman completely. Once her injuries were gone, she used it on herself. Orihime quietly dressed in the clothes that Urahara had left for her. Strange, though, it was actually something from her own wardrobe.
Well that's odd, she thought.
Orihime made her way to the sitting room where she heard some familiar voices. Her heart jumped for joy.
"Aho! What did you think would happen from disturbing his patients?" She heard Rukia scold.
"Yeah, but was it really necessary to slam my head into a doorframe?" She heard Ichigo contest. "I was injured too, you know!"
Orihime slid the door open and poked her head in. She saw Renji, Matsumoto, and Rukia around the table with Ichigo, Sado, and Uryuu opposite of them.
"Perhaps that would have been something you should have considered prior to throwing a fit like a spoiled child, Kurosaki." Uryuu stated flatly. Ichigo was visibly annoyed.
"What did you just say, four-eyes?"
"Did I stutter? I'll say it slower so your small brain can comprehend it." Hissed Uryuu. "You. Are.A. Spoiled. Child." Ichigo opened his mouth to attempt to fire back at his friend when he was interrupted with Orihime's giggle as she entered the room fully. Orihime was confused by the look that suddenly washed over his face. Was….was that relief?
She turned her head away from his intense gaze and sat between Ichigo and Sado. As soon as she did, she felt herself wishing she'd sat between Ichigo and Uryuu, they'd be less likely to fight that way. She greeted her friends, unable to hide her excitement at their presence.
"Orihime, how are you feeling?" Asked Rukia.
"Oh! I'm all better!" She exclaimed, waving her previously injured shoulder about." See! Good as new! I healed it the rest of the way a few minutes ago. Urahara-san did such a good job there wasn't much left to do!"
Orihime paused as she suddenly realized that she shop keep was not there, and neither was Tessai. Her next realization was that Rukia, Renji, and Mastumoto were there when they should have been back in Soul Society.
"By the way, Rangiku-san, Rukia, Renji," she said. "Why are you here?"
"Ukitake-taicho sent us here when he got word from Kurotsuchi-taicho that there was a large flux of unknown reiatsu over Kurakura." Rukia responded. "Since the three of us were the most familiar with the town, they opted to send us here."
"Oh, I'm so glad they did, too!" Piped Rangiku. "I can't wait to go shopping-that is, after we take care of the disturbance of course."
"Ichigo told us some of what happened, but as usual, he wasn't much help in the detail department." Said Renji.
Orihime understood, and agreed, recounting every detail she could recall to her friends. When she spoke about how the strange man had hurt her, she felt herself shaking almost uncontrollably, and she struggled to find the best words to describe how terrifyingly insane and powerful he had been.
"You were very brave, Orihime." Said Rukia, reaching across the table to offer her hand. Orihime took Rukia's hand, her own still trembling. Rukia encased both of Orihime's hand. "It's over now, okay?"
Orihime felt tears roll down her cheeks, surprised to discover that she was crying. She gently pulled away from Rukia and quickly wiped away the evidence of her weakness, apologizing.
Ichigo hadn't said a word to her, let alone looked her in the eye. He blamed himself, she knew he did. She felt a small voice inside of her become upset with him.
It's my fault for being reckless, she thought to herself. It's my fault for being weak.
Tessai peeked in through the door, a tray full of snacks and tea in hand. Orihime felt her stomach growl suddenly at the sight of food. She blushed brightly as the three Shinigami laughed at her.
"Sumimasen…" She mumbled as Tessai set the tray down in front of them.
"It's no problem, Orihime-dono," Said Tessai. "Urahara-san said that you all might be hungry by now."
Tessai took a seat in the corner of the room like he was awaiting someone. At that very moment, the door slid open again, everyone turned to see who it was this time.
Anna took one look at the group and immediately closed the door.
"Eh? Nani?" Inquired Orihime, confused.
"Who was that?" Asked Renji.
"That was LaRell Anlanah, the cause of this whole mess." Uryuu gritted. A few moments later, Anna came back in and sat down between Uryuu and Ichigo. Orihime couldn't help but feel nervous around her. Though Anna seemed like a good enough person, part of her could shake the harsh words that she had said the other night. How she had yelled at her, her voice strained and harsh, even cruel. She had been shocked to see the beautiful foreigner battle so fiercely against that frightening man. And Orihime still felt like she must have dreamt seeing her sprout wings and actually fly.
A short, but candid conversation carried on. All the while, Ichigo remained completely silent. Orihime found herself apologizing again, this time for telling the group what had happened two nights ago. When Urahara and Ryuuken walked into the room and took their own respective places, Orihime found herself very puzzled. Why was Ishida-sensei here?
Anna spoke:
"I hope no one has anywhere to be for a while," She began. Orihime thought her voice sounded like it was full of trepidation. "Because it's a long story."
The blue eyed woman paused for a long moment, as if searching for a good place to start her explanation.
"Anlanah, perhaps you could start by telling them what you are." Ryuuken said impatiently. Orihime felt her heart lift. She was blurting out her conclusion as Anna opened her mouth to speak.
"Oh! I already know what she is!" Said Orihime excitedly. "You're an angel, right?!" Orihime heart a snort of laughter from Uryuu's father behind her. Did she say something funny?
"No, child, I'm not an angel." She advised her softly with a gentle smile.
"D-demo…you had wings!" Replied the auburn hair defensively. Anna laughed.
"I'm one of the Fair Folk," She explained. "Your people called our ancestors tengu. After Christianity swept the western world, however, a certain….amount of us saw fit to use our features as a means of manipulation on certain parts of the world. We Fae are not very different in constitution from…."She paused, thinking of the word. "I believe you call them Arrancar. We regenerate almost instantly-"
"If that's so," Interrupted Uryuu. "Then why did Orihime have to heal you?"
As Anna explained what she was, Orihime's mind started to wrap around it. Yes, something frightening like a Tengu definitely made more sense. But she refused to believe that the woman who had saved her and Ichigo was a bad person, she wanted to believe in her.
And then came the bombshell. Orihime was very confused at first. Why? Why didn't she think she would have helped her?
"D-demo, naze?" She asked, sadness in her voice. "Why didn't you just ask? I would certainly have helped you, Anna."
Then, as Anna explained the situation, understanding dawned on her. Orihime could see the guilt on her face. It had been a hard conclusion for Anna to come to, and Orihime's heart went out to her. She wasn't sure that she would have voluntarily helped her knowing that she would have almost certainly died. She may not have agreed with Anlanah's way of going about things, but she understood.
As Orihime listened to the older woman's story. She found herself completely engrossed in it. It was compelling to say the least, and as she neared the end of her tale, Orihime felt tears stream down her cheeks. It was just so sad. She had lost everything, her home, her family, her life, and yet she still had the strength and the courage to continue. Her heart went out to her, ached for her. Along with her gratefulness to the woman for saving her and Ichigo, she now felt a strong sense of admiration and respect.
Anna left abruptly after finishing her tale, advising of her intentions to fetch some clothes and then return later. A light bulb went off in Orihime's head.
"Oh! Urahara-san, "She said turning to him." I almost forgot to ask you, how did my clothes get here?"
Rangiku waved Orihime's spare apartment key smiling cheerfully.
"That was me! But I only grabbed one outfit because we didn't have much time." She explained. Orihime was glad, she thanked Rangiku and stood from the table.
"I need to go home myself, then," She said standing. Ichigo's head snapped up at her, his brooding spell suddenly broken.
"Not alone, you're not." He snapped.
"But, Anna said that we're safe for now." She ventured timidly.
"Like hell we are. She only said that he wouldn't be able to come here for a while, she never said that he couldn't send someone else." Responded Ichigo.
"Kurosaki-kun is probably right," Urahara chimed in. "And what with four freeloaders that I'll have here, unfortunately I won't be able to let her stay here. Why not stay with her, Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo's face turned the same color as Renji's hair, his mouth worked, but no sound came out. Orihime felt her own face grow hot at the suggestion.
"That is unless you want her to stay at your house." Urahara said, splaying out his fan and hiding his expression.
"N-no, I-I'll go." He stood, pausing. "Urahara-san, did you-?"
"Call your father already? Oh yes, I already called Tatsuki as well to inform them of the current situation. Tatsuki gave her permission to let you watch over Orihime-chan, and your father said that he would make up a reasonable excuse for your sisters." Said Urahara cheerfully. Orihime smiled, that was Urahara-san for you, always on top of things.
Ichigo's expression, however, went completely still. Orihime couldn't tell if he was angry, or frustrated, or anything really. Ichigo walked past her, grabbing her wrist as he passed her, practically dragging her out the door.
"Wait, Kurosaki-kun!" She exclaimed. "I have to get my purse!" Ichigo released her wrist, and cast his eyes downward, mumbling an apology. Orihime went and grabbed her purse from the room she had been sleeping in earlier. This time, they exited Urahara's shop side by side.
And here ends Chapter 4! I have a week break from my classes this week! Yay! So I'll be posting again soon. As I've been writing this, I feel like my pacing is a little too fast. I've always had the problem where I go too fast with the story because I don't want to lose key moments before I can get them down. I'm trying to slow this story down so I can develop the characters' relationships a little more. Originally, I thought that this story was going to be at least 25 chapters, now I'm thinking it might end up shorter. I do draw out plotlines, and for the most part, I've stuck to my original draft. I plan to stick to my plot, but I'll also be writing it until I feel that it's over. So, while it might not be 20 plus chapters, I promise I won't compromise anything of the story for brevity. As always. Thanks so much for reading, and feel free to give feedback!
-Third