Author's Note: Hello, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for that but I've been busy with school work and college searching. I hope you didn't think I abandoned this story. I can say that is not the case. In fact, we're finally getting into the good stuff with this chapter and I've been dying to write the one after this one. Things are starting to heat up! Please look forward to it. Once again, thank you for your support and patience with this story. I anticipate hearing about it from all of you. Please read, review - and most importantly - enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters belong respectively to Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach.

Chapter 12 - Night Terrors

After the announcement regarding the winner of the event had concluded, the bachelors were escorted to their proper sleeping corridors by assigned guards. Much to Orihime's dismay, she too was forced to go to bed earlier than usual. Unfortunately, she wasn't very tired. When she told Rukia her feelings on the issue, the caretaker suggested she read a book. Once she'd begin to read, her eye lids would start to feel heavy.

In the end, the Princess took her friend's advice. Besides, she couldn't remember the last time she picked up a book. At most, she hadn't read a piece of literature since Rangiku's unexpected arrival three weeks ago. Eventually after a little stargazing out on the balcony, the beautiful maiden could feel sleep begin to creep into her body. Taking one last final glimpse at the sky, Orihime yawned and outstretched her arms above her head. At last, she was tired enough to fall asleep. When the adolescent girl stepped into her bedroom, she closed the balcony doors and drew the curtains. With leisure, she walked to her four-post canopy bed and pulled back the fixed covers. Before she slipped under the sheets, Inoue grabbed a small book off her nightstand for reading.

"Time to recite some Shakespeare," Orihime whispered as she comfortably situated herself in the bed.

The noble by birth was quite fond of Shakespeare's work but also found it to be quite sad. Mostly all of the characters died, and his pieces of writing didn't always have the fairy-tale ending Orihime would have liked.

As the Princess read on into the night, she didn't realize how immersed she had gotten into the book until the clock in her room stroked twelve. By that time, the book was halfway completed and Orihime's eyes were closing for sleep every so often. Setting aside the book, the royal reached for her covers and tossed them over her body for provided warmth. Rukia's suggestion paid off in the end. She had no problem getting straight to sleep after all the reading she had accomplished in two hours.

The seventeen-year-old couldn't remember exactly when she fell into a deep slumber. However, something peculiar occurred in the middle of the night. It had caused the Princess to stir, eventually awakening the resting maiden.

Out of nowhere, a soft tapping noise formed outside of Orihime's room. It didn't only materialize once and then disappear completely for the night. The sound was continuous and was just loud enough for the Princess to hear if she remained silent. Regardless of how relaxed she had been, it required an investigation on her behalf. The noble threw the sheets off and slipped into a white silk robe. She rubbed her sleepy eyes as she made her way to the door.

However, the moment Orihime unlocked the door handle, the noise stopped. The sudden stillness produced chills down her back. Was someone playing a trick on her? Worse, were they trying to break into her room while she was sleeping? The adolescent girl slowly opened the door to peer into the hallway, the entire time holding in her breath for fear of being heard by the potential threat.

The hallway was pitch black, the only source of light was from the moon as it shone through the window. Princess Inoue stuck her head out and checked both directions for any sign of life. In the end, it was only her and the marble statue that sat outside her room.

Just as she was about to turn away and go back to bed, the tapping noise returned. The sound echoed off the walls of the deserted hallway.

"H-hello?" she called out to the unknown.

As expected, there was no response. It only continued and ever so slightly grew softer as if it were traveling farther from her bedroom. Orihime was flabbergasted as to what was making the noise. She couldn't go straight back to sleep, especially if she could still hear it. This required more probing and at heart, the Princess' curiosity was pulling her along for the adventure.

Upon deciding, the maiden closed the bedroom door behind her before she traveled blindly into the night. While she walked, the Princess tightened the rob she wore more firmly around her body as she felt a coolness pass by. Her wing wasn't very far from the main hall but the darkness seemed to make the short journey feel much longer. When she reached the location of her interest, the sleepy aristocrat didn't proceed further to the other end of the corridor. Instead, she stood motionless and mute. She listened intently for the noise again. Nevertheless, it would appear that the sound had gone astray.

Orihime found the entire situation to be odd. Was someone toying with her for his or her own amusement? The kind-hearted girl's attention was clearly caught and she couldn't help but believe someone was trying to communicate with her.

Quietly, Inoue shuffled her heavy feet forward and moved through the main hall on the second floor in the dark. Not far from her position was the grand balcony that faced the entrance to the palace. The metal railing that outlined the staircase and the terrace gleamed under the pale moonlight. The noise that had summoned her remained quiet. Even so, Orihime was persistent. She moved under the moon's luminosity and sauntered up to the wide opening.

For a complete minute, she held her breath in, not wanting to make an unrelated sound. It would be hard to distinguish for herself where the noise was coming from. At first, when she approachedthe balcony she thought maybe there was a possibility that Sado-kun was working in the kitchen late at night preparing some new recipe. There had been instances in the past when he had dropped a few pans and awoke the Princess from her deep slumber. However, as she stood frozen, she didn't find the scenario she was imagining in her head to be as believable.

Someone had been outside of her door.

The mere thought made Orihime's heart start to beat faster than usual.

A short second later, she pulled away from the railing and advanced over to the staircase. As she looked down the flight of stairs, her russet eyes studied the distant bottom.

Once more, the seventeen-year-old called out to the unspecified being, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

She waited for an empty reply.

Unfortunately, it appeared her efforts were in vain. She hadn't concluded as to the source and she was now slightly annoyed at the intruder who had awoken her out of bed.

As she began to veer her body away from the stairs, the fair-skinned girl was jolted from her position. A large hand pushed itself against her back and forcefully gave her a shove. Consequently, the Princess lost her footing and tumbled downwards. She screamed out in terror and tried to brace herself for impact. As she rolled, at one point, her legs went over her head and a sharp pain emerged along her rib cage. By the time the aristocrat arrived at the first floor, Orihime's sprawled body was left limp from the fall. The person who had drawn her out of her bedroom stood at the top of the stairs with a satisfied grin on his face. Before he could be exposed, he left the scene, laughing all the way back to his room.

Someone was calling her. The tone in their voice sounded urgent.

"Inoue-sama? Can you hear me? Please squeeze my hand!"

She soon realized it belonged to Rukia.

"Get Dr. Hachi in here! I think she's starting to wake up!" a different voice interjected. It was Tatsuki.

Slowly, Orihime's eyes fluttered open only to greet several people staring at her with concerned expressions. At first, she didn't recognize her surroundings. Her bedroom looked so different in the light, considering the last time she had been in it was when it was cloaked in total darkness. Immediately, the frightened teenager started kicking at the sheets that were tucked snug underneath her body as her temperature began to rise. However, Rukia's hand suddenly grabbed both her wrists to prevent her from thrashing around in the bed.

"Don't move, Princess. We don't want you to further hurt yourself," Kuchiki asserted kindly to the girl.

As she said this to the maiden, Orihime caught a glimpse of a tall and plump man. He had walked through the bedroom doors with Uryu at his side. The man was dressed in a white lab coat, with olive-toned skin and a pink mustache. He strolled over to Rukia's side and politely requested of her to step away from the bed.

"Dr. Hachi? Is that really you?" Orihime croaked, her throat feeling a little dry.

"In the flesh, sweetie!" he responded cheerfully.

"Why...why are you here?"

The doctor's face suddenly became dreary as he studied his patient's facial features. She seemed generally confused as to his unexpected presence in her palace.

"You don't remember, Orihime?" Tatsuki sullenly asked.

While she lay in bed, the perplexed Princess shook her head.

Hachi sighed, "Oh dear, it appears she has experienced some memory loss."

Immediately, before the opportunity was missed, Rukia spoke up, "Inoue-sama, two days ago you were found at the bottom of the grand staircase - unconscious. You've suffered two fractured ribs, a concussion, and a bruised nose. Do you recall what happened?"

The list of her injuries was indeed serious; so serious that it began to make hot tears form from her eyes. Tatsuki and Rukia flocked to her bedside and held both of her hands. They comforted her and told her she didn't have to answer right away. She could take all the time she needed.

After she caught her breath, she asked her staff if they could leave the room for a bit. She wanted to speak to Dr. Hachi alone since it had been a few years since she had last seen him. Everyone filed out and left the two to catch up with each other.

Uryu, Tatsuki, and Rukia were all clumped together, arguing with each other as Dr. Hachi and Princess Inoue talked in her bedroom. They all agreed to leave but that didn't necessarily mean that they could forget their duties at Orihime's friends. A short while later, the jolly man surfaced from the private corridors. The trio quickly rushed over to him from the other side of the hallway to find out any undisclosed details.

"Did she say anything about the fall?" Tatsuki inquired.

The doctor rubbed his temple before nodding, "She said someone pushed her."

"I knew it!" Uryu shouted out with frustration.

Rukia quickly followed up with another question, "Did she see who did it?"

Dr. Hachi sadly shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

With no new leads and having not received the answer he wanted, the reliable butler broke away from the group.

"Where are you going?" Arisawa hollered at him down the hall.

"I bet you it was one of those scum buckets Matsumoto-sama brought in from the village," Uryu alleged. He didn't stop his trek down the hallway for he would not allow himself to be distracted. He had set out to find the two men he was referring to and wasn't going to let them out of his sight. They should have never been trusted.

The smallest of the staff members condemned Ishida for Ishida's brash reaction, "We don't know that! We don't know anything at this point!"

Not missing a beat, he whirled on his heels to stare back at the women and doctor, "Exactly. That's why I'm going to question them. Of course, I don't expect to get the truth."

The three standing closest to Orihime's room were speechless. As far as their concern went, the Princess was in need of all the support she could possibly receive. If Uryu wanted to run off and get some piece of mind for himself, who were they to stop him? In a similar sense, they desired to follow in his example. The fact that their Highness was on bed rest for something that could have been prevented if she had been watched more carefully made their blood boil. The two women felt responsible for Inoue's injuries.

As he went back to his previous action, the maid lamented, "Don't do something you'll regret in the future."

Uryu waved farewell and went searching for Ichigo and Renji.

When the devoted butler discovered the two men he had set out on a mission to find, he caught them just as they were about to leave and go have lunch with the other bachelors. Before they were able to precede a step further, Uryu shoved the duo back inside their bedroom to discuss the happenings of the past few days.

Upon their capture, Ichigo took a seat on the bed and as did Renji. The adolescents didn't share a pleased expression with Ishida. After all, he was keeping them from their delicious high-quality food.

As they glared, the slender teenagertook a chair from one of the desks and placed it in front of the beds to sit in.

With tensions running high and with infuriation coursing through his body, Uryu simply stated a loaded question, "Do you have any idea as to why I am here?"

The friends both claimed to have no clue, and for a second, Ishida almost believed them.

"It's something very serious," the seventeen-year-old went on.

With his stomach growling for lunch, Ichigo grumbled under his breath, "Come on already. Just tell us."

There really wasn't a reason for the butler to continue to refrain from telling the peasants. However, he personally enjoyed watching Ichigo squirm with impatience. Was there the slight possibility that he could be feeling guilty about something? On the other hand, did he really just not like Uryu?

The butler pushed his glasses up as he presented the secretive information to the duo, "Princess Inoue took a fall two days ago. She is injured and currently on bed rest until the doctor affirms she's cleared."

A brief moment passed as the adolescent let Ichigo and Renji digest the facts before he said anything more.

The bright-haired peasant tilted his head to the side, forming a disgusted face while in thought. In due time, he looked Uryu dead in his eyes and shouted, "Why are you just telling us now? Shouldn't everyone have been notified about the situation?"

From the side, Renji glanced at his friend, seeing the annoyance start to shape into a scowl. Clearly, he couldn't blame Kurosaki for being upset. The palace had withheld information regarding where the Princess had been hiding. The last time they had encountered her was at the cook-off. Afterwards, the men were kept in their rooms until they were told otherwise. The castle was silent on the matter and who were they to ask questions?

"Inoue-sama's health is more important than the inquiring minds of some street rats!" the butler remarked.

As soon as the offensive comment was spoken, Uryu quickly wished to retract his statement.

In a blur, Ichigo did not hesitate from his next move. He rose from the bed, only to be blocked by Renji's body as he placed himself in front of him.

"Move!" Isshin's son barked, attempting to get past the human barricade. His kicked his legs out as he tried to break himself free from Renji.

Orihime's friend calmly moved away from his chair and stood closer to the bedroom door. He had no idea what Ichigo was capable of doing to him. For all he knew, Ichigo was the one to have pushed Karakura's future Queen down a flight of stairs. It was evident the teenager had a short temper with everyone.

Prepared to make a speedy exit, Uryu gathered all of his courage to ask the most important question of all.

"Where were you on that night!?" he demanded.

The hostility that had been present from the very moment Ishida had walked in reached its ultimate climax. For a brief pause, the occupants in the room all stood still. Even Ichigo, for the time being, stopped thrashing around and had temporarily settled. However, the silence did not last long in the least. Renji had eased up on his hold over his friend, secretly praying Ichigo had a firm grip over his emotions. Despite putting his trust into the younger, even Renji was unable to get a solid grasp on the situation. Kurosaki simply wasn't going to let the butler get off easy after his snide comment.

Ichigo shoved his roommate's arm away and sauntered up to Uryu. He closed the distance between them and was at level with his height. He stared into the boy's pale eyes with a feeling of hatred and revulsion. The butler would have probably spit in his face, since the mere sight of any peasant seemed to repulse the teenager. In the end though, Ichigo could sense the Princess' highest-ranking employee wouldn't dare to cross such a boundary.

"Would you like to repeat that question of your's?" Ichigo taunted.

Uryu cleared his voice once more with a stiff attitude, "Where were you?"

"Here. In the room. With Renji. Ask the guard."

With each word spoken, there was a hint of malice.

"Could you please-," the fair-skinned adolescent began to say just before Ichigo grabbed him by his tie and pulled him in closer.

"Enough! How dare you suspect me of hurting someone, least of all Inoue!" the seventeen-year-old shouted with a hurt look in his eyes. It was an unfamiliar gaze. Uryu had never quite previously witnessed an expression from him such as the one he was observing. He had mistakenly thought Ichigo only expressed two similar emotions: anger and stubbornness. However, it would appear as though the callous teenager was deeply troubled from the accusation that had befallen him rather than the usual. The butler felt uneasy with the new expression the adolscent was showing to him. He hated admitting he was wrong - especially to a person such as Ichigo - but something in his gut was suddenly screaming that Ichigo was innocent in the matter.

The two were locked in a stare down with each other. The peasant had refused to lossen his hold on Uryu until an apology was in order. In all earnest, he couldn't believe his ears when he heard the Princess had taken a fall that seriously injured her. In the kingdom, word had always traveled fast when in regards to the nobles. The mere fact that the staff had managed to keep quiet for so long about Orihime's condition was proof of how much they cared about her. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the issue of being kept in the dark about her state. For Ichigo, such was a unexcussable action on their part.

A moment later, Renji had touched Ichigo by the arm and pulled him away from his deep concentration, "Kurosaki, let Ishida go. You're only making it look worse for yourself."

The teenager whirled his head to the side of where his friend stood, "What are you talking about? I had nothing to do with her falling! I was in here the entire time!"

After the brief heated exchange among the companions, Uryu narrowed his eyes, "She fell in the middle of the night. Abarai-san was probably asleep. He can't account for your whereabouts."

The orange-haired boy huffed out an indescribable sound of frustration. Having not released the pale figure from his grasp, Ichigo picked the butler up by his collar and pushed forward with him into the nearest wall. Uryu hit his head consequently from the unexpected jolt.

"Ichigo!" Renji hissed angrily.

"Shut the hell up!" Isshin's son threw back over his shoulder, and then directed his attention onto the butler once more.

Orihime's friend couldn't contain himself, "You're making yourself look more and more suspicious. I'd stop now if I were you."

The peasant clutched his fingers tightly into a ball, prepared to raise his fist and strike Uryu was a powerful blow that he wouldn't be prepared for in the moment. However, he stopped. He paused not because of Renji or because he intended to not go through with it, but merely from the sound of a very frantic voice coming from the hallway.

"Ishida-kun! Where are you?" the feminine voice cried out as the soles of the woman's shoes clacked loudly on the flooring.

Uryu's eyes didn't falter from Ichigo's face as lifted his head high and proclaimed his position, "In here!"

Abruptly, an old woman, looking quite flustered from the running she had been doing all throughout the palace came bursting into the peasants' bedroom. As soon as she stepped into the room, her eyes widen at the intense confrontation that was taking place a few feet in front of her. Ichigo quickly realized how the picture might have seemed to an outsider. He dropped Uryu out of his hand and hastily moved out of the way. When Ishida's feet touched solid ground, he straightened out his ruffled necktie and corrected his crumbled suit jacket. Once the task was out of the way, the butler finally turned to the maid and gave his full attention as if the incident was now in the distant past.

"Has something happened?" he sincerely asked.

The employee shook her head in response to the question, "Nothing, terrible. However, there is...someone I've come in search of other than you."

This particular statement had everyone's ears in the room perk up. Ichigo began to head in the direction of the door, having the sudden urge to leave after the way he reacted towards the butler. He wasn't intending on apologizing, and with the maid having become the perfect distraction, it was his chance to make a speedy departure.

The conversation continued as Renji and Ichigo were exiting the area.

"Who is it that you need?" Uryu inquired further.

A nervous expression formed onto the maid's discolored face. For one, she was assured she could tell Ishida the truth. His honesty and trustfulness were, and had always been, one of Ishida's most admirable traits. However, in this particular circumstance, having just almost witnessed a brawl between the peasant and butler, she wasn't entirely convinced she should divulge the information to the young person.

"Ichigo Kurosaki has been requested," the elder hesitantly revealed, despite knowing the confrontation she wanted to avoid at all costs. A woman her age shouldn't have to be forced to break up a fight. One wrong move and she could severely injure herself.

Uryu's blue eyes lingered on the maid's wrinkled features as he carefully asked a sensitive question, "Who, may I ask, requested his presence?"

The employee nervously wrung her hands together. Shortly after, she closed her eyes tightly as she whispered the name.

"It was a summons from Inoue-sama, sir."

There was an awkward pause. The maid did not dare to speak for she could infer from the silence that Orihime's butler was trying to keep his annoyance from bubbling to the surface.

"No."

"I'm sorry?" the woman unknowingly questioned her superior.

"Tell her she cannot see him. He is still under investigation," he sternly repeated. As much as Uryu disliked going against the Princess' wishes, he knew at that point in time he could not let any one but the immediate staff visit her until he had his own peace of mind. Ichigo Kurosaki may have denied his involvement in the secretive matter, yet Ishida wasn't so convinced about the other bachelors. Admittedly, it was wrong of him to jump to a conclusion and accuse the bachelors of having immediate association. However, in the heat of the moment, he needed to be on his own without Rukia or Tatsuki breathing down his neck, asking what step should be taken next. It was clear his clouded judgment had caused him to act out recklessly.

Overall, the entire day had been rather hectic and very nerve-wracking. The most difficult part of the entire ordeal was waiting for Orihime to awake from the sleeping pills Dr. Hachi had given to her to help ease the pain she had endured. He had only used the medicine on a patient once before and confessed the results may vary for each person. In the end, the Princess had turned into an experiment and Uryu wasn't very open to the idea of her being used as a test subject. Needless to say, the butler didn't want the noble to be in any agony and if it meant having to wait for the questions he desperately wanted to ask, he'd rather wait.

Unfortunately, he was no closer to finding the culprit after his brief interrogation with the peasants. The sensitive matter was well beyond his meager capabilities. The investigation required a large presence of authoritative figures. His position as butler was far too important to him to abandon. Without him, nothing in the palace would ever get finished on time and the Princess' newly obtained reputation would certainly be tarnished in the process.

Regardless, Ishida needed to hire a person with qualified skills in the detective field. If he handed the problem over to the police, there is no doubt in his mind that things could get messy for everyone involved. He needed the situation to be taken care of under the radar. He couldn't chance the news spreading into town. Most of all, he required a person who was not well known in the area. Taking into account these several factors, a few names came to the forefront. He would have to make some phone calls, but he was confident he could entice someone into working not only for him, but privately for Princess Inoue as well.

The composed teenager gently placed his hand on the maid's arm and moved in closer to whisper to her, "Listen carefully for what I am about to tell you, needs to be kept between the two of us. No one else must know."

The aging woman hastily nodded her head, hysterically shaking it, "Absolutely. I will not tell a soul, sir."

Uryu began to guide her out of the bedroom, their arms linked together as they departed, "Very well. I need you to inquire about a few people. If we find the right person, their assistance may be the key into finding out what exactly happened to our dearly beloved Highness."