Author's Note: Just finished my first year of college, thus explaining my lack of updates for this story. Now that I am on summer break for the next four months, I hope to write more frequently. I don't want to say too much about this chapter because nothing really should be said. Thanks time and time again for your wonderful reviews/favorites! As always, please read, review - and most importantly - enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters belong respectively to Tite Kubo
Chapter 18 – Standing Tall
She sat on the edge of her bed, tears continuously streaming down her face as she wrapped herself in a clean blanket that was handed to her by Tatsuki. The morning was every bit hazy in her head. The only piece she was able to clearly recall was when someone helped her untwine her from the sheets she had become tangled in from last night. Orihime's body was wrecked with pain and she was more than appreciative that it was Tastuki who discovered her in bed and not a stranger.
However, as much as she desired to keep everything private about the matter, Tatsuki refused her wishes. As soon as her friend grabbed a blanket for her to conceal her unclothed body, Arisawa rushed to the main level of the palace and gathered Rukia and Uryu.
Within minutes of her leaving, Tatsuki returned with the pair. Immediately upon entering, Orihime's caretaker bolted to her Majesty's side and fell to her knees in despair.
"W-who did this to you?" was the first question out of Rukia's mouth at the pitiful sight of her beloved friend.
The Princess avoided her lavender colored eyes and said in a whisper, "It was no one".
"Don't be ridiculous!" Uryu snarled from the door.
Despite his understandable anger, the loudness of the butler's voice caused Orihime to cringe. Noticing the obvious reaction, Rukia shot the man a warning from the bedside. Returning her attention back to the Princess, the former aristocrat frowned as she studied Orihime's visibly beaten face. With that being said, she also observed the fact that the maiden was clutching the blanket very tightly over her neck.
"May I?" Rukia asked permission as she rested a hand on Orihime's very own.
Truthfully, Inoue wasn't prepared to expose the external abuse so quickly. Since her awakening, she hadn't even seen herself in a mirror. In spite of that, she remembered Shirosaki's hand choking her as she dangled in the air, her feet barely touching the ground as she attempted to fight him off. As a result of his brashness, the Princess feared he had left behind deep imprints in her skin.
With reluctance, Orihime lowered the sheet to her chest as she looked away in humiliation.
When the cover was brought down, Kuchiki shook her head at the spectacle she was viewing. It was just as Rukia had thought—the person had strangled their close companion and caused bruising around her throat. The hand impression would probably be sufficient enough in identifying their attacker.
"Thank you, Inoue-sama," the caretaker spoke with tenderness, "That will be all, you can cover yourself again".
As Rukia rose to her feet, Uryu and Tatsuki looked on in silence. There were so many things they wanted to know about what unfolded last night, but as her friends, they were conflicted. Both wanted to show their support by giving her space, yet at the same time, they were unsure if they were making the right decision in doing so. Neither of them had been in this predicament before and it was a very delicate situation.
Pushing up his glasses, Ishida was the first one of the two to make a comment, "I know you don't want to listen to what I have to say right now—and that is perfectly reasonable—but it would be in your best interest, Inoue-sama, if we involved Detective Ise in this matter. She is trained in affairs such as this one and I believe she can truly help us out".
As soon as Uryu was finished speaking, Orihime glanced up, her sunken eyes peering through her disheveled hair. At the moment, her crying had come to a crawl and her body shivered from the draft that blew by her from the open windows. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts she couldn't decipher any of them at once.
Just as she was about to make known her opinion, her stomach let out an annoyed growl.
When the sound echoed across the room, the four friends all looked at each other and stifled out laughs.
"Well I guess I know what needs to be done," Rukia light-heartedly remarked.
"We should have figured Orihime would want some food after her experience," Tatsuki cracked a smile.
With a new agenda presented before them, the caretaker and maid took the opportunity to leave the stuffy bedroom to fetch a proper breakfast for their Royal Highness. Consequently, the Princess and her trusted butler were abandoned in the room together, an uncomfortable silence surrounding them.
"I'm sorry, Ishida-kun," Orihime apologized abruptly, her head bowed once more to the young man, "I should have fought back harder".
Uryu folded his arms over his chest as he walked towards her from the door. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing from his friend. She was the victim here, and yet, she was protecting the person who caused physical harm to her.
As he took a place beside her on the bed, the pale-skinned man couldn't control his anger over the fact that the Princess was hurt in more ways than just one.
"Why are you doing this?" Uryu grounded out through his pursed lips, "If you know who attacked you, why are you withholding his name? Don't you trust us?"
His questions were every bit in line, but Orihime didn't have the strength within her to counteract his concerns. Instead, she quickly changed the topic at hand.
"I'll take your advice, Ishida-kun," she stated shakily, "I want Detective Ise to look into my attack. After all, you went through all the trouble of bringing her here in the first place to investigate my first assault. It would be a disservice not to use her".
Letting out a sigh of justification, Uryu responded curtly, "I'm pleased you see it my way. Once the girls return, I'll go notify Ise-san about all of this".
The Princess turned her head to the side, still clutching the blanket tightly within her white-knuckled grasp, "Would it be alright…if I changed into some clothes?"
The sudden request rattled the butler, completely having forgotten the fact that his future Queen was bare underneath the sheet. As a result, his cheeks blushed crimson and he found it difficult to meet Orihime's eyes.
"I've read from somewhere that a crime scene should remain untouched until inspectors are able to analyze it. In this case, you're the scene of the crime so until I get the detectives here, could you hold out a little while longer?" he asked in return.
Although not hearing the answer she wanted, the shaken teenager agreed to comply with Uryu's appeal.
Waking up had never felt like such a chore before. Yet, for some reason, today was especially difficult for him. His head felt as if a ton of bricks had fallen on him over the night. It was an odd sensation. As he threw aside his covers, Ichigo was given quite a disturbing shock so early in the morning.
"What the hell?" he shouted in surprise, "Where are my clothes?"
Underneath the bed sheets, Ichigo lied bare—not even dressed in the underwear he had been wearing. Grabbing his head, the teenager was appalled by his unexplainable nudity. How in the world did his clothes disappear? Was it Renji playing a trick on him to get revenge for abandoning him for going on a date yesterday?
Now infuriated with the idea of his best friend betraying him, he glanced over to the bed across the room from his, only to be disappointed when he realized the bed was empty.
"And where did he go?" Ichigo mumbled in frustration from the lack of answers he was receiving to his inquiries.
Unable to withstand his own nakedness, the peasant rushed to his closet and grabbed some clothes to toss over his body. After putting his shirt on, next was his pants. As he began to put his legs through, an unusual image caught his attention.
Below his navel, Ichigo spotted a fair amount of dried blood caked onto his skin. The sight only continued to baffle Ichigo even more as to what actually unfolded in his sleep. Abandoning his closet, the boy with the uniquely colored hair stepped inside their bathroom to check himself in the mirror for any open wounds or cuts he had unknowingly gotten. However, no matter which way he turned his body, he could not see any visible injuries in his reflection. Consequently, he began to wonder if the blood possibly was grape juice or wine Renji had poured on him while he slept.
As Ichigo began to clean the mysterious stain from off himself, a loud noise from the bedroom sounded in his ears. Slipping into his pants once more, Ichigo left the bathroom and carefully walked back over to his bed. Although the strange noise did not occur again immediately, the boy was interested in knowing whether or not the same sound would reappear. Fortunately, the banging returned shortly after and Ichigo's attention was drawn to the opposing side of the room.
Near Renji's personal items, a chair from the desk had been pulled away and was propped underneath the closet door handle. For some baffling reason, someone was trying to prevent a certain individual from escaping. However, this only posed more questions on Ichigo's behalf. Who exactly was inside the cramped space? In addition, who was the person who put the chair against the door in the first place?
The entire situation did not sit well in Ichigo's mind. Although, he wasn't going to allow the person inside the closet to continue to suffer. It was evident they needed his assistance. Not wanting to waste any more time, the peasant arrived at the foot of the door within a few short steps and paused. Inhaling a breath of oppressive air before proceeding, Ichigo grabbed the chair with both hands and situated it by the side of the closet.
Without second guessing his decision, Ichigo took the handle and opened the door. As soon as he did so, a sweaty body stumbled into him and dropped to the floor.
"R-Renji?!" the adolescent stammered out, immediately kneeling to the ground to untie his friend's hands. Once the first task was completed, Kurosaki then unraveled the piece of cloth tightly bounded inside the redhead's mouth.
"Thanks for that," his best friend breathlessly managed to get out between gasps of air as he rested on the floor, "I thought no one would ever come and rescue me from in there".
After taking a moment to collect himself, Renji pushed himself up and took position on his comfortable bed. He was relieved to be reunited with the piece of furniture after having woken up several hours before without any indication of what had occurred to him in the dead of night. Despite being a light sleeper, the nineteen-year-old did not stir from his sleep when he taken without his permission to a different location than from where his head had hit the pillow.
"Was I drunk?" the older of the two pondered out loud as he attempted to piece together the night in question.
"Does it really matter if you were?" Ichigo retorted, "Something strange happened to the both of us and for some odd reason, we have no memory of it".
Renji glanced up from his long locks of red hair to momentarily look to his roommate, "Care to share?"
However, just as the teenager was about to discuss his unusual morning, the two friends were greeted with ferocious hammering emanating from the front of their door.
"Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai!" a commanding voice shouted at the top of his lungs, "You are hereby instructed to step outside with your hands at your head. Proceed in a slow manner as you exit the room".
After listening to the threatening demands, Ichigo turned to Renji and whispered, "What do we do?"
The redhead quickly moved off the bed and slapped his friend on his back, "We're obviously going to do what they say, you stupid idiot. Besides, for all we know, they've got guns. Do you really want to risk being shot and killed if we try to run from them?"
With a plausible question presented before him, Ichigo silently agreed with Renji's reasoning—although he would never admit it.
Following the lead of his fellow comrade, Ichigo placed his hands behind his head and swallowed the lump in his throat that had unknowingly formed upon hearing the aggressive voice of the foreign intruder outside their bedroom.
"Inoue-sama," the female detective gently spoke the royal aristocrat's name, "Now that I have all of the information regarding last night, I would like to repeat what you've told me in case I missed crucial details—and more importantly—you could very well remember something else along the way".
After Orihime had digested the meal Tatsuki and Rukia had fetched for her, Uryu sought out Nanao and her team from their work corridors. When the butler revealed to the woman what had occurred in the middle of the night without anyone's knowledge, the stern individual dropped what she had been doing and asked for the man to assist her to the Princess' chambers at once.
Upon handling the unfortunate situation and its surrounding circumstances, Ishida had to admit the investigator was extremely caring and patient with Princess Inoue. Despite how much Ishida wanted his friend to reveal her abuser, Detective Nanao only allowed Orihime to tell her what she wanted on her own terms. Consequently, he wasn't going to receive the answers he desperately desired from his future Queen.
Sitting across from Orihime in a chair, Ise began to review the notes she had quickly jotted down for her records, "Alright, according to your account, you had been sleeping soundly in your bed when you heard someone repeatedly knock at your door. Even though you were apprehensive and knew of the guards outside your door, you decided who ever was visiting you in the middle of the night was not a threat. When you opened your door, you were shoved back inside by a forceful hand around your throat".
Before continuing forth with her investigation, Nanao glanced up from her glasses and took notice of the Princess and her emotions. The maiden lowered her head as her she tightened her hands stiffly into fists on the tops of her legs.
"Please, go on," Orihime said barely above a whisper.
Noting the internal struggle the aristocrat was experiencing, Nanao leaned forward in her chair and rested a single hand on the top of Orihime's very own.
"If you start to feel uncomfortable, tell me Inoue-sama," the older woman confided.
Without further delaying the painful process, the well-versed detective cleared her throat and proceeded to go through her notes without foregoing any minor details.
"Right before you lost consciousness, you looked at your attacker straight in the eyes-only to faint a few seconds later. When you came to, you found yourself facing downwards on your bed. However, you weren't alone in the room".
As the Head of Command reiterated the account of the events that occurred the previous night, Orihime was putting together the pieces that were scattered about in her mind. Despite it being a tragic story about herself, she could not stop from listening and imagining every scene as it was repeated back to her. She was reliving the nightmare all over again and her stomach was restless at the thought.
"I apologize for the graphicness of what I am going to say next. In your own words Inoue-sama, you told me you felt rough hands around your naked waist. In addition, you noticed an odd sensation in your backside. When you managed to gather enough strength, you glanced over your shoulder and discovered your attacker entering you without your consent from behind. Not wanting to draw attention, you silenced your cries in the mattress and waited for it to be over".
With the last part of the attack having been made public, the detective swiftly closed her notepad and rose to her feet. Turning on her heel, her focus shifted over to the butler who had been standing quietly in the corner with Rukia and Tatsuki. The women's expressions were very similar in the sense that they both appeared to be unable to comprehend the fact that their Royal Highness encountered such a traumatic experience just weeks before her eighteenth birthday. She would be entering the world of adulthood and responsibility in a matter of less than a month. The little innocence she had left to cherish from her adolescence had now been stripped away from her all at the hands of a disturbed individual.
Ishida, on the other hand, wore a look of pure anguish and disgust at the nature of the events that had unfolded behind closed doors. It was repulsive to envision something so lewd and demeaning occur to anyone, let alone to someone he cared so deeply for. Regardless of his personal feelings towards his future Queen, he understood where he belonged. Consequently, he was going to do everything in his power to seek out justice for Orihime.
Having concluded her interview, Detective Nanao approached the three friends with an authoritative presence encompassing her.
"Kuchiki-san and Arisawa-san", the adult spoke with politeness, "My team and I have gathered all of the evidence we need from the scene as well as from Inoue-sama. It's been a long night for her, so please, take her to the bath and get her cleaned up".
Without speaking a word, the two nodded collectively in harmony and congregated to Orihime's bedside. When the three girls moved inside to the bathroom where the door was shut closed, Nanao and Uryu were able to discuss the next step in the investigation.
"What's going to happen now?" the worried teenager inquired.
"I've got my men gathering the bachelors from their rooms," Nanao informed him, "If Inoue-sama is up to it, I would like to conduct a test".
The words of the detective did not hold any malice, yet Uryu detected an undertone of curiosity.
"What is it that you have in mind?"
Although they were the only two in the room, the woman felt the need to move in closer to where the butler was standing. Naturally, he was alarmed by their sudden close proximity. However, he remained composed and waited to hear her plan.
"It's obvious that the mark on her neck is a handprint and it is only going to disappear in a matter of days. Therefore, we need to act on this now before it's gone for good", the detective explained bluntly.
Before responding, Uryu paused and reflected on her statement. What exactly did the bruise have any connection to the attack? It was an obvious impression on the young woman's skin, but what was left to be said of it? Shouldn't they be looking at the bigger picture? For starters, what color eyes belonged to the rapist? After all, Princess Inoue recalled making contact with the man in the dark.
"I am not following", Uryu admitted.
Stepping back and pushing up her glasses on the bridge of her nose, the lead investigator carefully executed her next choice of words in her head.
"Right now, I am mainly looking towards the bachelors as our prime suspects", she implored in a dry tone, "With Inoue-sama's permission, I want each person to place his hand on her neck and see if we can get a close match. In addition, we might be able to see if she reacts a certain way towards the individual. If she does respond negatively, then we'll have an inkling as to who is most likely our rapist".
The strategy was not elaborate in the slightest, but the tactic was fairly brazen and inconsiderate to Orihime's feelings. He doubted he would be able to convince her to go through with it. In fact, he was unsure himself if he wanted to put her through something incredibly intrusive.
It would be torture for her.
Either way, Uryu determined the decision was not his to make. Ultimately, Orihime had to be the own judge of her level of comfort and how much she was willing to push those boundaries. If she wanted his advice, he would gladly offer his opinion. Otherwise, he was not going to push her to do something she was apprehensive about to begin with.
Not dwelling on the topic any longer, the butler ran his gloved hand through his sleek black hair to wipe away the dampness he sensed on the back of his neck. He was unable to clarify for himself if he was sweating from his own rattled nerves or merely due to the high humidity from outside.
The next issue he had to deal with was Rangiku. She had yet to be told of the unfortunate undoing of her niece. He was not confident in the fact that she would be able to control herself once he divulged the secret to her. Most likely, she could become extremely upset. At least, he hoped she would feel some type of remorse for the situation. After all, it was just as Detective Nanao had said—one of the bachelors was most likely probable of committing the rape. Since it was originally Rangiku's idea to invite strange men into the palace, she consequently subjected Orihime to potential threatening individuals for she did not truly know their character.
In any event, it was his duty to sort everything out and ascertain the truth for his friend.
For the most part, every person who was potentially involved in the attack was gathered together in the same room. Just as Nanao had promised, the aristocrats and peasants had been collected from the separate corridors—all expect one.
"Where's Shinji Hirako?" the top commanding officer demanded.
"W-We apologize Detective Nanao", the man who stood before her quivered, "Currently, at this moment, we are trying to locate him. He was not in his bedroom".
The woman's eyes narrowed at the frightened police cadet, "I see. Did you make any discoveries along the way? Anything suspicious?"
A different individual stepped forward from the line of uniformed men and saluted a hand to the side of his forehead, "Yes, ma'am! When picking up Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai, we came across two dead bodies who were later identified as the palace guards. Neither claim to know how such an occurrence happened without them hearing something in the night".
The news of the unexpected deaths caught the lead investigator by surprise. With this sudden revelation of even more violence having transpired in the middle of the night, the twenty-eight-year-old woman had her hands full. Even though the investigation of the sexual assault on the Princess was in the midst of gathering all the necessary evidence, she would now have to explore the murders of the two innocent men who lives had unjustly been taken from the Earth.
However, the bigger question to be asked was were these two incidents even connected to each other?
Tucking her bangs behind her ears, Nanao inhaled a heavy air into her lungs. She was becoming slightly overwhelmed by the amount of work which needed to be done, but she knew it was essential for her to remain focused at the task at hand. Everything else would fall into place if she allowed it.
"Good morning gentlemen," the stern beauty projected her voice loudly, "I've requested your presence today for a very serious matter".
"What possibly could have happened now?" Grimmjow muttered under his breath as he kicked his foot at the ground.
Ulquiorra nudged his cousin in the side with the tip of his elbow, indicating to the prince he should be on his best behavior.
The blue-haired individual only rolled his eyes in response to the annoying reminder.
Standing with her back upright and pronounced, Nanao began to explain the situation to the inquiring bachelors, "During the early hours of the morning, an intruder made his way into Princess Inoue's bedchambers when she was awoken from her sleep. This person forced their way in and then began to assault the Princess by choking her. When the royal Highness eventually lost consciousness, the attacker brought Inoue-sama to bed and then proceeded to rape her as she lay comatose. When she came to, she briefly looked over her shoulder and caught a small glimpse of the person. However, because she did not wish to get caught, she pretended to be lifeless and endured the pain".
Despite Ichigo's attentive demeanor he was displaying in plain view, the rest of his body succumbed to numbness. He couldn't comprehend the words with which he was hearing from the detective. She was speaking in a calm manner and retelling the events of which unfolded, yet in the same instance, it was going through one ear and out the other for the peasant boy. His eyes naturally refocused over to Orihime, who was silently sitting on her bed with a very somber atmosphere surrounding her. She appeared withdrawn and the color of her skin was paler than usual. However, the most upsetting indication of her attack was the bruise of someone's handprint wrapped around the maiden's delicate neck.
The image only continued to ignite the fury within Ichigo that had been set ablaze as soon as he had been informed of the horrific account as told by the detective.
"As I can see some of you have already made the discovery, there is a single imprint on Her Majesty's neck. From here on out, I am going to ask for your full cooperation," Nanao requested from the bachelors.
Before the woman was able to continue, Ulquiorra raised his hand to speak his mind.
"If you are going to require us to participate in this investigation, shouldn't all of your suspects be present? It is evident we are missing a person, therefore, shouldn't this be put on hold until further notice?" the normally stoic Prince added his unwanted input.
The lead investigator was quick to respond to the man's ludicrous assertion, "I apologize if I am over-stepping my boundaries here Schiffer-sama, but it sounds to me as if you are trying to run away and cover your tracks from me by saying something as outlandish as what you just implied. If I sent you back to your rooms now, you would certainly make an escape while you could. Now I am not saying you have to participate in what I am about to suggest, but it would give everyone a chance to clear their name".
"Looks like you got her panties in a twist Ulquiorra," Grimmjow whispered out the side of his mouth.
With the Prince's comment having been said under his breath, Ichigo was slowly losing his patience with the two royals, "Could you be quiet and listen to what she has to say? You're only making this longer than it needs to be".
Expecting Grimmjow to counter his statement, the adolescent waited for a snide remark to be thrown his way. However, no further action was made and the detective carried on as if nothing had happened.
"I am going to ask each one of you to approach Princess Inoue and gently grasp her neck with your hand. When you do this, my photographer will take a picture and we will look at it when it develops," the intellectual woman explained the process to the bachelors.
Preparing herself mentally for the task ahead, Nanao heaved a sigh and proclaimed, "If there are no further questions, who would like to go first?"
Three of the four men were accounted for and had gotten their picture taken without much of a fuss. Each experience was short and did not particularly give Orihime a scare despite the delicate region they were pressing their hand against. However, with everyone but Ichigo having gone, her heartbeat began to echo in her ears as she self-consciously wet her dry lips as a result of her nerves.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, please step forward," Nanao loudly stated, cutting into the Princess' overwhelming thoughts.
At that moment, Orihime timidly lifted her heavy head and looked straight on towards the single line of men who stood a few feet before her. With all the time to prepare for Ichigo's turn, the shaken individual thought she could easily meet the eyes of her "attacker". However, as soon as she saw him take a step towards her, she directed her attention to the other side of the room where Tatsuki, Rukia, and Uryu were stationed.
The maid's arms were folded across her chest as she stood in a firm stance, hoping to allure a strong demeanor. Although, the second she noticed her friend desperately turn away from the approaching orange haired teenager, something within Tatsuki alerted her to be on guard. With Rukia beside her, the tomboy nudged the woman to transmit her uneasy feeling about Ichigo. The caretaker felt the prod to her arm and nodded her head understandably.
Consequently, in a few short strides, the questionable character was stationed in front of Orihime at her bed. Having sensed his presence, she cautiously moved her head to the forefront of where he stood for him to take his photo.
"Okay, you may proceed Kurosaki as long as Inoue-sama is comfortable," the detective added for affirmative measure.
Knowing that if she refused to go further with the process, it would appear awfully suspicious to Nanao as well as to her friends and staff. As a result, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She didn't want to incriminate Ichigo. It was not her intention in the slightest. At most, she desired to protect the boy with whom she had grown very fond of over the past few weeks. If she made any sort of indication as to who truly was her attacker, she would not be able to forgive herself. The Princess did not want any harm to occur to Ichigo because she was confident that Shirosaki was the one who had taken her from behind last night and assaulted her.
Finally anxiously meeting the peasant's stare, Orihime dipped her head once to indicate he may proceed.
With a shaking hand, Kurosaki guided his arm to the exposed nape of Orihime. As he placed his warm fingers against her skin, he sensed the young woman tense from his touch. Having noted her reaction, Ichigo desired to speak up and calm her nerves but he did not wish to further add to her apprehension.
"Please hold still," the photographer said loudly behind him.
Following his instruction, the flash from the camera went off and the photographic portion of the evidence was concluded.
"You may go back in line, Kurosaki," Nanao indicated to the adolescent immediately after the picture was over.
However, Ichigo did not budge from his position. Rather, his hand was still lightly hovered over Orihime's neck.
The heat from his hand was causing the Princess slight discomfort. The sensation reminded her when Shirosaki grabbed her unexpectedly upon his intrusion into her room.
"Kurosaki-kun," the aristocrat softly called out to him in the lowest whisper.
"Please, go back," the detective said more forcefully this time.
The advisement fell on deaf ears it seemed. Ichigo was perfectly still in place and did not utter a single word. Nanao's heart began to pound against her rib cage as she took a step towards the two adolescents. At that moment, she grew weary of the situation she was blindly entering upon. The boy had not removed his hand and the longer he lingered, the more tension developed among everyone in the bedroom.
"Is everything okay, Kurosaki?" Ise asked, cautiously moving closer.
The inquiry stimulated the bizarre scene even further. Ichigo threw his head backwards and released an unusual chuckle from his body. The action compelled Renji to squirm in place as he tried to make sense of what was happening with his best friend. He had never heard Ichigo emit such a sound before.
When the unusual laughing fit was completed, Ichigo did not look back at Orihime. Instead, he continued to stare at the ceiling in a crazed delusion.
"Everything okay, Kurosaki?" Ichigo mimicked the detective's voice, swaying his head back and forth as he mocked her.
It was now clear to Orihime she was no longer in the presence of the boy named Ichigo Kurosaki. The teenager she had become to understand and connect with over the past few weeks was not the person who stood before her, caressing her neck within his grasp.
Finally, after the outburst, the deranged individual set his discolored eyes upon the Princess' face. The new personality had developed orange pupils that were shrouded in total darkness. As Orihime silently examined these features from afar, she did not immediately begin to notice Ichigo's fingers start to squeeze her throat.
"This is really turning me on," Shirosaki disturbingly confessed as he pressed his other hand to her neck and forcefully wrapped his fingers around the slender body part.
"Do you want to relive last night all over again, Princess?" the alter ego antagonized, cracking a wide smile as he directly stared into the panicked eyes of Orihime.
Within seconds, the Princess felt her supply of oxygen cut off as he clutched her tighter and tighter with his firm hands. She raised her arms to the air and tried to fight him off with all the strength she could muster—the same as last night when he attacked her.
"Someone stop him! He's hurting her!" Tatsuki screamed in the distance.
"He's gone mad!" Rukia screeched fanatically.
With chaos breaking out in the small corridors, the Princess shut her eyes and prayed to her brother. He was the first person to promise his loyalty and dedication to her when she was just a small child. Sora was the perfect sibling and most of all, a positive parental figure in her life. When he was murdered, Orihime felt a part of her had died along with him. Years later, she stumbled upon Ichigo Kurosaki in a village market—a peasant she undeniably began to fall for. It was only yesterday he made a solemn vow to never cause harm to her. In that moment, she was certain she could trust him. He had never given her a reason to believe otherwise. However, regardless if she was aware Shirosaki had inhabited Ichigo's body last night, she did not get the chance to speak to Ichigo alone to defend his actions since she was discovered. She wanted to believe there was an explanation for his behavior. If not, her friends and family would no longer allow her to be by his side.
In the midst of the shouting and pleading, Orihime opened her eyes once again only to feel her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach as she noticed a figure charging Ichigo from behind. The blur of red hair and tattoos that came darting from the front of the room belonged to Renji Abarai—the close friend of Ichigo. In a matter of a few swift motions, Renji had seized Ichigo's mid-section with his buff arms and collapsed to the floor with the individual in his hold.
"Someone get handcuffs on him!" Detective Nanao ordered her men.
A uniformed officer jumped on top of Ichigo as the adolescent attempted to wrestle with Renji beneath him. Quickly, the peasant's hands were securely placed in restraints and was picked up by two awaiting officers who grabbed both of his arms to prevent further escape.
"You just made this investigation a whole lot simpler for me," the older woman remarked as she eyed Ichigo in his attempt to break free from the officers.
Immediately following the peasant's capture, Rukia and Tatsuki hurried to aid Orihime. The Princess was in a daze, not truly noticing her friends come to her side as she continued to look head on. Her concentration was centered on Renji—the man who had saved her from his own friend.
The aristocrat's caretaker turned her attention onto the man as well, as he rubbed his sore shoulder from the scuffle. When he looked up, he spotted the petite woman gazing at him from the bed.
"Thank you," Rukia mouthed to the nineteen-year-old, nodding her head to show her acknowledgement of his courageous actions.
The redhead weakly shrugged, but secretly was elated by the fact that the woman had graciously expressed gratitude towards him.
"Take him to the dungeon," Ishida darkly instructed the men detaining Ichigo for the time being.
The abrupt decision only infuriated the possessed peasant further as the officers started to drag him away from the Princess.
"You're going to regret this!" Shirosaki bellowed out as he struggled against the stern men, "This isn't over until I say it's over! You can't do this to me, I am the one true King!"
When the butler was unable to hear the distorted voice of Ichigo, he let out a huge sigh of relief. At least the current issue at hand had been resolved and the palace could now move forward in executing a plan for the coming days. His job as the butler and friend of the Princess was certainly not over by any means. He was going to make it his life's duty to ensure a severe punishment would be carried out against Ichigo Kurosaki if he had anything to say about it. As far as the peasant should be concerned, he had no future with the Princess of Karakura after how he had acted cruelly against her.
Consequently following the dramatic exit, Uryu swiftly turned on his heel to reassure Orihime he would take care of everything and she could take all the time she needed to recover.
However, before he got the chance to do so, a man he did not recognize came barreling through the bedroom doors.
"Detective Nanao!" the new face breathlessly exclaimed, "We found Hirako-sama!"
"Bring him here," the woman demanded without even glancing in the officer's direction for she was busy collecting her photos from the crime.
"That's impossible".
"Come again?" the Head of Command inquired, her eyes now drawn to the sweaty individual standing a few feet away from her.
"We are unable to bring you, Hirako-sama. While it's true we discovered him, he is no longer able to speak because he has passed on to the other side".
Uryu's eyes widened in horror at the sudden revelation, "Are you saying he's dead?"
"Yes, Shinji Hirako—Prince of Sapporo—is no more".
She had been in bed for most of the day, anxiously going over things in her mind that she never questioned before today. The butler had knocked on her door just as she was about to take a bath and start her morning. Rangiku had tried to shoo him away, insisting that whatever had he to say, could wait until after she was dressed. However, the teenager said the matter needed to be discussed immediately. As much as she wanted to turn him down, her gut was advising her to go against her selfish desires.
When she welcomed Ishida into her room, he informed her of some tragic news.
"Inoue-sama was raped last night"
"Her attacker was identified as being Ichigo Kurosaki"
"Ichigo experienced a psychotic episode during the investigation"
"Shinji Hirako committed suicide"
It was all too much to take in at once. Immediately, she requested to be alone to process the information and sort out her next action. Naturally, she was aware Gin and Aizen had some part in the chaos. But exactly how much were they involved—especially her husband? She never agreed to the raping of her innocent niece. If she had known beforehand that this was in the deck of cards Aizen had in store, she would have opted out of the plan long ago.
The original concept for the tournament was certainly over because it was clear there was no going back after what occurred. Her beautiful niece would never be able to trust her again or anyone else for that matter.
As tears began to well up in her eyes, a soft knock graced her door for the second time during the day.
"Come in," Rangiku hoarsely called from her bed, quickly wiping at her eyes to rid her face of any signs of distress.
A young girl stepped in dressed in a maid uniform with her blonde hair tied in a braid.
"There is a man at the front gate, asking to be let in," the palace worker informed the Princess' blood relative.
"Did he say who he was?" Matsumoto asked, throwing her legs to the side as she prepared to leave the bed.
"He said his name is Isshin Kurosaki and he would like to speak with his son".
The stressed woman rolled her eyes at the name of their unexpected guest and his appropriate fatherly concern for his child who would unknowingly become the most hated man in the country.
"Let him in, but tell Mr. Kurosaki there's already a long line of people waiting to talk with that kid and he certainly isn't going to be the first."