Author's Notes:

Damn, this took a lot of research.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Isshin in this story will be unlikable. Be prepared.

His Concubine: The Kingmaker

Orihime

I pushed the noren (walk-through curtain) aside and walked into the Minka (house of the people). Urahara was sitting on the tatami (mat) staring at me with disappointment as he fanned himself. Yoruichi was also staring up at me with the same look laying on the floor with her feet on his lap.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Taking a stroll," I smiled modestly. Their eyes followed me as I made my way to the barrel holding water. Grabbing the scoop, I drank a bit of it. Singing through the night had parched my throat.

"You know you can't be outside, especially without a cover." Urahara snapped his fan closed and frowned at me.

"I'm sorry," I said after gulping. Chad walked in behind me taking the scoop from my hands to have his own thirst quenched.

Urahara glanced at Chad. "Did anyone see you?"

"No," I chimed in before Chad could answer. He glared at me while putting the scoop back into the barrel. My eyes pleaded for him to not say anything, but his loyalty to the married couple along with my own safety superseded my lies.

Turning to the two he spoke up. "We saw the Crowned Prince and his squad. They were on their way back to the castle after another battle."

I glowered at him, then folded my arms over my chest pouting. Yoruichi moved her feet off her husband's lap and sat up. "What?"

"She even kissed him."

"Orihime!" Both Urahara and Yoruichi screeched. The fear on their faces made me falter in my defiant stance. The genuine fear behind their eyes frightened me.

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized. "I thought since it was the dead of night… no one would recognize me." But the damage had already been done. Yoruichi got up and looked me over.

"Did he say anything to you? Do anything?" I shook my head. She then slapped my arm. "How many times have I told you to not go outside without a cover?" She slapped my arm again. I started to feel the burn from her hits. "How many times have I told you not to associate yourself with anyone from the castle?" She slapped me again and squeezed my arm furthering the pain. "I told you they may want you for their own gain, either dead or alive. Why seek them out? Why?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as she pleaded for me to answer. But I couldn't. I didn't know how. How can I tell her that something had pulled me out of my futon to go exploring this very night? How had an unknown song filled my mind and the words left my lips so easily as if I'd known it my entire life? How seeing that man on horseback had drawn me to sing louder to garner his attention? How do I tell her that when I approached him, knowing exactly who he was without ever seeing him before had made me have this strong urge to kiss him? How?

"Dear… scolding her wouldn't make a difference. They met… it was bound to happen whether we intervened or not," Urahara said softly. "All we can do now is prepare for his arrival. Either from him or his soldiers."

Yoruichi whirled around and sulked at him. "We can't do that… too much is on the line." Tears were in her eyes begging for him to understand. Urahara just shook his head already giving up on trying. She loosened her tight grip on my arms before dropping them to her sides.

"Dear… go to bed. I'll be there shortly. You too Chad, you've done well protecting her." Chad nodded and turned to leave for his side of the fusuma (sliding partitions). His eyes glanced at me before giving me a sad expression. I looked away from him, feeling troubled for making Yoruichi cry. She moved to her side of the fusuma and slammed it shut. My body flinched at the sound.

Standing alone in the dimly lit communal space, Urahara placed his fan down, raising his leg and letting his knee rest against his chest. "I think it's time I tell you the truth of your origin, Hime."

~s~

Ichigo

Clank. Clang. Clank. Clang.

I swung my sword down and clashed it with Renji's. My mind swayed in and out of sword practice thinking about the strange woman from last night along with her guard's parting words.

"The council knows who she is…because they tried to kill her once before."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The council keeps records… I mean if it still exists."

It was cryptic what he had said. Since arriving back, I have gone to the library to research any records of deaths or any other strange occurrences. However, my search was pointless. I had no clue what I was looking for specifically. What dates I should investigate? Even who I should be searching for because I didn't know her name. Remembering her looks, I searched through drawings to see any similarities, but that also brought me nothing.

Scowling, I drew back my sword and pivoted to strike again. My mind drifted back to her face and bright eyes staring into my psyche as she told me that I was suffering. Letting out a growl, I struck down. Clank. I must find her again to understand her ambiguous message about my impending death before I have the chance to rule this nation.

Renji propelled me back putting me on the defensive. Rotating my sword, I twisted my body as I advanced. The clash excited me as I thought back to my latest victory on the battlefield. I smiled as I pushed him back, changing his fighting stance this time.

"They will find me when they see that you truly need me."

I paused in my momentum.

Wait. Who are they?

"Pay attention!" I felt the strong pain radiate up my arm as I stumbled back from the impact Renji brought down.

"I am!" I glowered trying to shake off the pain. I twisted around and spun my sword to gather my bearings. Stepping forward, I lunged to deliver an offensive attack.

"Sloppy," Renji clicked his tongue easily blocking my swing. "Thinking about that woman from yesterday?" He spun around and blocked my next attack. "I admit she's beautiful… but nothing else."

I growled and tried to bring my sword down again, only for him to block it while unarming me. The tip of his sword was close to my chin by the time I realized what had just happened. He quickly pulled away and sheathed it. "Apologies your Highness." He extended his hand out for me, but I slapped it away. I was annoyed I had lost so easily but more pissed I was distracted by a woman I might not see again.

"Don't get mad at me for losing an easy training regimen. You should have kept your head on straight."

I rolled my eyes dusting my hands. One of the young aides quickly retrieved my fallen sword and handed it to me. I took it and sheathed it. "Whatever." Unlatching my belt, I handed it to the aide and made my way over to the table with my bow and arrows. The other aides began scurrying to prepare for my next practice.

"What has you all moody today?" Renji asked following me as I prepped my bow.

"What do you mean?" He stared at me as I continued to pull at the string and checked the riser. Feeling his eyes boring into the side of my face, I glanced at him. "What?"

"Was that your first kiss or something?" I almost dropped the bow when those words left his lips.

"I beg your pardon?" I reacted poorly trying to hide the blush growing on my face more so embarrassed at his assumption. "I have you know I have been kissed before. Do you not know how many concubines come into my chambers?"

Renji rolled his eyes. "And somehow they end up dead?"

His statement made me hesitate to respond. In the corner of my eyes a white flag was being waved alerting me the target was prepared. I concentrated on picking up an arrow and putting it in place. Drawing back the string, my eyes focused on the target 20 yards away. Without resistance, I fired my first arrow. A yellow flag waved informing me I had missed my target.

"They end up dead because they do not satisfy me," I said softly reaching for another arrow. "And if they cannot satisfy me…" I pulled back the string aiming for the target. "They die." I released the bow, and the green flag began waving. The aides around me clapped in awe. I turned to see Renji still staring at me. "So, a mere kiss did not distract me… more like enraged me. A mere peasant dared to lay her lips on mine, yet my men who are bound to protect me, did nothing to stop her. Better yet, cut off her head as she sullied your Crown Prince's lips."

He frowned and quickly bowed in apologies. "I am sorry for disregarding your Highness' wellbeing. How should I be punished?"

I looked away and took up another arrow. "Do better next time… if not, this time I will cut off your own head."

Walking along the castle grounds, one of my mother's ladies-in-waiting made her way towards me. One of my men raised her hand stopping her from approaching too closely. Quickly bowing, she spoke up.

"The Empress wishes to see you, your Highness," she said softly with her body still bowing.

"Is she lucid for visitors?" I asked.

With a small glance up, she nodded as her eyes shifted back down. "As soon as she heard about your heroic win and your arrival back into the castle, she begged to see you. Unfortunately, the Emperor denied such a meeting due to her deteriorating health."

I turned my head towards the setting sun, watching the clouds move and a few birds flying back to their nests. "Very well. I believe I can have dinner with her. Have the kitchen deliver my food to the Empress's quarters."

"Yes, your Highness." I began walking and she backtracked to the side to let me pass. My men followed close behind. Seeing her after so much time brought me joy.

Arriving on the other side of the castle, the senior lady-in-waiting Kirio was standing outside the to-fusuma (solid wooden sliding doors). Bowing, she graced me with a warm greeting and an equally warming smile. "Welcome back Crowned Prince. I hope your journey was sustainable to your needs." My eyes looked her over as she bowed. She has been aging gracefully ever since I've known her. Her long purple hair was pulled back in a bun showing off her chubby round face. Not one strand of gray hair or stress was shown ever since she'd been working within the castle. She had raised me alongside my mother - when she was stable enough to – when I no longer needed my wet nurse. Kirio was one of the only people who knew all about my illness and desperately tried to hide it from those around me. Knowing how cunning and tribunal being inside these walls could be, she had kept me safe. I respected her more than she knew.

"It was grueling, but I've been through worse," I said tenderly.

Raising her head, she smiled her cheerful grin and pulled back the to-fusuma. "Please enter. The Empress is waiting."

I nodded and walked in. The to-fusuma slid shut as I made my way further into my mother's quarters. She was sitting up with the kichō (multi-paneled silk partition) blocking my view of her. Another lady-in-waiting was sitting outside of the kichō setting up the dishes for our meal. When she was done, she shuffled to the side and sat in seiza (proper sitting) with her eyes downcast showing us respect. I took my own seat on the cushion provided with my legs crossed.

"Your Majesty," I greeted my mother. She shifted at my voice and cleared her throat. The young lady-in-waiting moved as if on cue and used strings to part the kichō. My eyes widened at the sight of my mother. The last time I had seen her, she was teary-eyed and inconsolable since my father had granted me the chance to enter the battlefield. Her long light brown hair went down her back in waves and her skin was pale due to the lack of sunlight. Her brown eyes were filled with love as they were locked on mine. The sleeve of her jūnihitoe (twelve-layered robe) covered her mouth as she looked at me. Arching an eyebrow, I looked over the food admiring it. "This looks good."

Reaching for my chopsticks resting on the yew wood, I picked up pickled quash and placed it into my mouth. I hummed satisfied with the bursting bitter taste. Masaki dropped her hand and gave me a genuine smile.

"It's good to see you eating. Have you been feeling better since returning from battle?" she asked gently.

I stopped chewing and gazed at her. Masaki's eyes were brimming with questions and concern. I nodded. "Yes. Since arriving back, I haven't had the… urge."

She smiled. "That's good. Hopefully, you will not have any obligation to return to the frontlines again." I picked up another pickled quash. Telling her the likelihood of my return to the trenches was inevitable did not feel right since we were having a pleasant moment. She reached for her own chopsticks and picked at her grilled fish. Taking a small amount, she inserted it and chewed slowly.

I smiled watching her reach for another bite. "I'm glad I was able to see you."

She stopped chewing to look at me. Her cheeks flushed with excitement. "You're my son. See me anytime and as much as you want. Your sisters come to see me more often when you are gone. They must sense my loneliness."

"What about father?" I watched the shining light behind her eyes dim.

"I… I can't see him without hurting him," Masaki's voice cracked. "I love him but seeing him gravely pains me."

Trying to lighten the mood once again, I spoke. "I met this peasant woman on my way back."

She glanced up at me. "Peasant woman?"

I nodded. Placing my chopsticks down, I began to explain to her the mysterious message the woman had told me and her guard's words before coming back to the castle. I even told her about my witch hunt in the library and coming up empty. She looked at me with a solid stare as I finished explaining.

"Hikone, step outside for a moment," Masaki said not breaking eye contact with me.

"Yes, your Majesty." Hikone, the lady-in-waiting, quickly stood up and kept her head bowed as she exited my mother's chambers.

Her serious expression was putting me on edge as I shifted on the cushion under me. As the to-fusuma closed, she spoke again. "She must be from the Inoue clan."

"Inoue… clan?"

Placing her chopsticks down, Masaki rested her hands on her lap with one on top of the other. She was giving off her status as Empress to educate me.

"They are a clan that helped my own clan with our illness," she began. "Dating back periods, the Ishida clan was plagued with plight within our souls. Many historians believed it was because we were damned by the first king Yhwach. Before he became the king, he killed his own father - who was king at the time – to take the throne. Because of the sinful act, it caused a curse to be passed on to every firstborn."

"This illness is a curse?" I asked.

"Curse, bad omen, plight, or whatever its name could be for during the era… the answer is yes. It is all of the above. During the Heian period, an elder found a clan capable of helping the Ishidas with their… curse. That clan was the Inoue clan. Their elders explained we – firstborns - will only suffer unless we are fully cleansed. The first cleansing could last for a few days, but our… illness will flare up again needing us to be purified."

I shifted my eyes and scratched the back of my head. "So, you're telling me I was cleansed by this peasant woman?"

"Watch your mouth," she snapped with anger. I reeled back from her outburst. The fury behind her eyes had frightened me. Not once had she ever raised her voice to me or my sisters. This was a first.

"Sorry," I apologized.

Masaki eased up and raised her sleeve to hide her mouth. "She could be called a shaman, a goddess, an angel, a high-spirited being, or heaven's chosen one. She is no peasant, my dear child." She placed her hand back on her lap. "When she approached you, what did she do?"

I looked down at the table decorated with different dishes left untouched. "She kissed me."

"I see. And how have you been feeling since then?"

Realizing her words, I looked at my mother. Her eyes did not waver while staring at me. Though being back here in the castle, the need to cut down a warm breathing body and to inhale their blood did not consume me. The desire to be back on the battlefield did not rage within my body like before. "I… I haven't been lusting for blood."

She sighed, "That means the first cleansing was provided."

"Your Majesty… this makes no sense. Why wasn't anyone from that clan able to cleanse you from this… plight?" I phrased it cautiously. "The years you have suffered. No one could have gone out and returned with someone from their clan?"

"Because the Inoue clan was banished twenty-three years ago and then killed off five years after their banishment."

"What?"

Masaki raised her hand to her hair pushing back a strand. "When I was chosen as the next Empress and to marry your father, the Inoue clan had purified me before I arrived at the castle. Keeping my illness at bay… I was able to succeed in my right as Empress." I waited for her to continue. "However, after the marriage ceremony… I had a flare up so to say. I immediately sent word back to the clan to arrive at the castle for purification before your father and I's first night together."

I cringed at her words. Waving my hand, I signaled for her to skip over that part. She giggled at my actions. "When the date was set, one of the clan's women arrived in due time. During the ritual… someone…" she trailed off. "I'm not sure who, had seen the practice and told the Emperor right away." I could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Before the ritual could be completed… he… your father killed her." My eyes widened. She rushed her next words. "It was chaos. He thought they were casting some sort of spell against me and proceeded to call the whole clan to the castle. Men, women, the elderly, and children. I desperately tried to explain to him who they were and what they do for my clan… but he wasn't hearing it. It was like the councils were telling him something else."

I felt the anger course through me as I watched her sob. "They had forbidden me from leaving and imprisoned me in these chambers." Her teary eyes wandered around the room before landing back on me. "When I was finally released, I had to watch him behead the elders and their family of the Inoue clan, including their young innocent children. He then banished the rest to the south away from the castle and its people. The majority of the councilmen wanted my head too for inviting them into the castle, but that's where the Emperor finally drew the line." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve while rolling them upwards, showing she was annoyed thinking back on the memory. "I was relieved to be alive… but I could not forgive your father for what he had done. He had taken away my only source of purification. He also had endangered the rest of my clan.

"Once he realized what he had done… he could not forgive himself. He doomed not only me but our firstborn child… you. When he saw my illness firsthand… he took it with a grain of salt. Laughing seemed like a good sign to him. I explained this was only one of the illnesses and the after-effects once you were born could be catastrophic. But he doubled down on the laughter being inherited by you." Her eyes hardened as she said her next words through clenched teeth. "No longer fearing the worst possible outcome… and in agreement with the court… the order for the Inoue clan to be executed was approved. I just gave birth to your sisters, so I didn't know about the order. It wasn't until his soldiers arrived back, did I found out what he had done. The cruel and vindictive method to massacre god's children as if they were lambs to the slaughter," Masaki whispered while clenching her hands tightly.

I tried to understand the Emperor's logic in killing innocent people, but I had no solution. They were already banished, so why?

My mother began laughing. My eyes widened at the sound. She had not laughed since I was born… but this wasn't the usual laugh I heard so much about. This was sinister and with wrath underneath. "Isshin changed his stance when I no longer could stand the sight of him…" she said during her chuckle. "He knew what he had done wrong. And once he found out about you… he completely lost it. Pushing you out of the castle into the battlefield was a punishment he bestowed upon himself for redemption." She slammed her hand on the chabudai (short-legged table) rattling the dishes. "The nerve of our Emperor to do such a thing."

"I needed it, mother…"

She glared at me but quickly eased up. "I know… but to send you, an inexperienced child to the frontlines was irresponsible of him."

"I had Renji by my side," I tried to explain.

"It doesn't matter." She looked away. "He… only made me hate him more."

I was taken aback by her words. She loved my father dearly and her earlier words about hurting him were genuine. Right?

"I love him, but I hate him for putting you in such a position. If he had only listened to me… none… none of this would have had to happen." Looking back at me she leaned up and fixed her brown eyes on me. "Find that woman and either make her your aide, lady-in-waiting, your concubine… or even your imperial empress. Say anything to get her here. Bring her into this castle, that way she can continue cleansing your soul until you are sitting on the throne as this nation's ruler. That is the only way you will survive inside these walls."

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

Until next time!

Thoughts?