Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Invisible Writing ❯ Chapter 4

Invisible Writing

by debbiechan

Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach, and Incandescens owns the imagination that gave me the scenario for this particular fanfic.

Description: Orihime acquires a slave in Hueco Mundo--Ishida.

Warnings: Although this fic is A/U, this chapter contains specific spoilers for chapter 235. Also, some mild sexual innuendo.

Special thanks to Incandescens and Finnigan Geist

Part Four

By the time Ishida reached the bathroom, Inoue-san had taken off all her clothes and was leaning over the tub’s edge. Her lithe white legs and round pink bottom were directly in his line of vision.

He lost all his resolve and turned to face the opposite direction. "I--I--forgive me, Orihime-sama, but where I’m from, it is disrespectful for a man to look upon a naked woman, even if she is his sister--even if she is his princess--especially if she…."

"Oh Uryuu, it’s okaaaaay!" Ishida heard a gurgling sound as the faucet began to work. "I expected that this would all be strange to you, but don’t worry. I won’t make you do anything you’re uncomfortable doing. I’m perfectly capable of giving myself a bath."

The idea that he had been expected to wipe Inoue-san’s body with a cloth struck Ishida with full force now, and he reached out an arm to steady himself against the wall.

"I just wanted to be alone with you for a little while," Inoue-san said. Ishida could hear gentle ripples as she settled into the water. "Come on, you can turn around. The air gets incredibly steamy and you can’t see my nakedness! Arrancar don’t like their baths hot, but I love them like this."

It was not true that Ishida couldn’t see Inoue-san’s body. His glasses weren’t even fogged up yet, and her large and luminous breasts were floating just above the water-line of the tub. He willed himself to raise his eyes to a place above her head, though. After she recovered her memory, he wanted to be able to say that he did not look. He would not look.

"Uryuu? Earlier it looked like there was something you wanted to tell me, but you didn’t want to speak in front of Almatriste and Lastimada."

Ishida still wasn’t looking, but the memory of a very round posterior bent over the tub… then those two pink nipples touched by the water’s brim…. He had completely forgotten what he had planned to say to Inoue-san.

"Was it something about Ichigo? You seemed to have a very strong reaction when I said he showed up at my breakfast with Aizen-sama."

"Ichigo?" It’s very hot in here. Maybe I should sit down. "Yes, I knew Kurosaki Ichigo in the Living World. Before he was a Hollow, he was a human and … and …"

"Really? You knew him as a human? I was thinking that maybe you fought him as Hollow in the war or something. I bet he was a very nasty human too."

"Actually…."

"Ishida! You’re in the way! This isn’t a competition to see who can rescue Inoue-san first! Stop! You’re going to get yourself killed!"

Picturing the last time he had seen Kurosaki allowed Ishida’s current hormonal challenge to diminish somewhat. "The Kurosaki I remember fought against Hollow, not with them. He was fighting in the battle when …." Ryuuken appearing out of nowhere, Ryuuken’s warm blood spattering on Ishida’s face. "Kurosaki was fighting alongside me some weeks before I was captured. That battle scene was one of total devastation. I assumed he …."

"Was killed?" Inoue’s voice was small and full of sympathy. "I suppose maybe after that…." Water stirred as she adjusted her body in the tub. "Well, that’s so strange that Ichigo was on the other side of the war not long ago. Was he your…friend?"

"Yes," Ishida heard himself say without hesitation. "He was my friend."

Steam clouded Ishida’s glasses, and he reflexively took them off to wipe on his sleeve. He didn’t understand how Kurosaki came to his current incarnation, but the issue here was that Kurosaki posed a threat to Inoue and to the whole universe. A Hollow with the power of getsuga tenshou? Showing up for breakfast with Aizen? Whether or not Kurosaki could be restored to his previous self was irrelevant.

"I’m not clear on something," Ishida said. "Is he an Arrancar or is he a Hollow? You keep calling him a Hollow."

Hollow or Arrancar, dangerous, dangerous. In all probability, Kurosaki can not be saved.

"Oh, he’s not an Arrancar," said the princess. "He showed up here not long ago and killed every single Hollow in the battle trials. He even killed a couple Espada. He might have killed them all except that I came in time to heal them. Ulquiorra-san was cleaved in two. Ichigo is very strong."

Ishida’s mouth dropped open. Why hasn’t he taken on Aizen yet?

"I’m sorry," she said. "This must all be so hard for you. But peacetime is coming soon--Aizen-sama will establish a new kingdom of Heaven and Earth. I’m sure that Aizen-sama will find a way to turn Ichigo into an Arrancar, and once that happens, your friend will stop being so … unpleasant. Hollow are brutal souls. I’m sure you know that."

Anger flooded Ishida’s body. "And what are Arrancar? Aren’t they brutal too?" Besides Almatriste and Lastimada, the only Arrancar Ishida had interacted with had been the one who slew Ryuuken. "Arrancar are trained killers. From what you’ve told me--they kill one another in their own world every day."

The inappropriateness of his words hung in the air. A slave was speaking to his mistress as if he was still the enemy. Ishida had never raised his voice to Inoue-san in the Living World, but here, her enthusiasm for Aizen’s world-view was infuriating.

"Uryuu …." It was such a sweet voice; it sounded almost condescending. "There’s a difference between brutality for its own sake and … a trained army. Warriors fight for principles--or for a leader with principles. I mean, weren’t you a warrior too before coming here? A very powerful warrior?"

How did she know about his power?

"When I took the collar off for a moment," she said, "I could sense that you weren’t an ordinary soldier."

If she knew of his power, then she knew of that power’s threat to Aizen’s army. Why offer to return an exceptional warrior to the Living World?

The water faucet shut off, and time passed while Ishida’s pulse throbbed in his temples. He wasn’t doing a very good job of maintaining his usual poised, cool self here. When at last he asked the question, he could hear the frustration and hope in the words: "Why are you protecting me?"

"I don’t know." Such a vulnerable voice. "I trust you for some reason."

Ishida heard her rise out of the tub.

**

When the Hollow dreamed, he was aware of the Other. The Other’s presence did not annoy him (it was no threat and, in fact, it supported the Hollow’s dominion over the body both shared), but sleeping was not a very warrior-like past-time. The Hollow wanted blood and power. He disliked sleeping. He disliked waiting.

Still, there wasn’t much to do in Las Noches, so the Hollow fell asleep from time to time and saw the face of Kurosaki Ichigo (the Other’s name … not the Hollow’s name … Aizen called the Hollow "Ichigo" and that was annoying, not the presence of the Other).

"Why are you sleeping?" The Other wanted to know. "Why aren’t you fighting?"

The Hollow heaved a long and heavy sigh in his sleep and threw one arm over his head.

Yes, the Inner World belonged to the Other now. Let the Other feel the loneliness. Let the Other feel the impotence.

What a relief it had been to be born into another landscape. The Inner World was boring, and so the Hollow turned away from the Other’s stupid face and willed a dream upon himself. In this dream, landscape of his birth appeared--still torn with battle, black with smoke and red with blood.

"The sun has already set in the palm of our hand." Oh, that Arrancar bastard had been cocky. Next to him, the human girl with big sad eyes. "Stupid woman. You hesitated and now your friends will die. You are coming to Hueco Mundo anyway." The Arrancar bastard (oh the ugly ex-Hollow, just a skinny thing with bleeding eyes and half a mask) grabbing the dumbstruck girl by the upper arm. "Who dies first? That Shinigami there?" The Arrancar gesturing to the fool who the Other had been. A fool in Zangetsu’s clothing, a fool whose hand was impaled by an Arrancar’s blade. "Grimmjow, kill him."

"Inoue!" The Other had cried, and in the blaze of grief that followed, the Hollow had sensed an opportunity.

Blue arrows, slashing zanpakutou, the dense tunnels of Negacion dropping over Aizen’s Chosen Few.

"Ishida! You’re in the way! This isn’t a competition to see who can rescue Inoue-san first! Stop! You’re going to get yourself killed!"

The dream evaporated, and the Hollow stood facing the Other in the Inner World.

"It wasn’t Ishida’s fault," the Other said. "It’s wasn’t Inoue’s fault. It was my fault."

"Stop with your whining. I saw that you tried to perform a soul burial on her right before you lay down your blade to me. Good job. Nothing else to do. It’s all my story from now on."

"Can you tell me something?" The Other wore a child’s expression. Pitiful. "Do you know where a Shinigami’s soul goes after--? "

Still worrying about Shinigami business? No, more likely the Other couldn’t accept that his girl was really dead. The little black-haired Shinigami had been lying in a puddle of blood, and while the Other had been screaming, the Hollow had won control of the body.

"Where’s Rukia?" asked the Other.

"Does it matter? Do you want me to stop Aizen or not?"

The Other bowed his head. "Stop Aizen," he said. "Stop him no matter the cost."

**

When Ishida lowered his eyes, Inoue-san was wearing the embroidered towel wrapped around her body. He had been wondering if recovering her memory would make much difference to her in terms of modesty. In Soul Society, she had started to change clothes right in front of him. She really didn’t think of him that way so--

"The bracelet you wear," she said. "It’s a weapon, right?"

Ishida startled and touched his wrist. The sleeves of the tunic the princess had sewn for him fell to the knuckles and hid his bracelet with the five-pointed star. Odd sleeves. Stylish but impractical--especially for a servant.

"It’s not a weapon," Ishida said. "It’s a Quincy emblem."

"But it has something to do with your power, right?" The princess touched one of the blue hairpins she still wore in her wet hair. That ginger hair seemed a darker shade, hung longer, and tendrils of it stuck to her neck. "I saw when you were taking a bath that your bracelet pendant matched the scar on your chest. The scar didn’t go away when I healed you. Your other wounds healed, so I figured the shape of the scar and the shape of your pendant had some special…" She frowned. "Quincy? Did you say Quincy?"

"Yes." Ishida’s hope skyrocketed. "Quincy. I’m a Quincy. Does the name mean something to you?"

"Um…." Her voice softened. "Maybe?"

When her eyes met Ishida’s, they looked afraid, but he swallowed and went on. "Inoue-san, do you have any idea who I am?"

She blinked. "Inoue-san?"

"That’s your name. Didn’t Aizen tell you that your whole name was Inoue Orihime?"

"No, he told me that my name was Orihime and that’s what he’s always called me. You--you called me Inoue-san. The day in the market…."

"It’s because I know you, Inoue-san. We were--we are friends."

She was staring at him with rapt attention, but he couldn’t read the expression in her eyes. Why was he hesitating? Why did he feel that his next words would be a violation of her innocence? And there was something else--he didn’t want to reveal himself. Saying he cared enough to bring her back to his world would be an awkward confession. Even when he had gone to Soul Society to help rescue Rukia, Ishida had not been upfront about his motives.

I want to show you how strong I’ve become, Kurosaki.

Ishida looked into the large unblinking eyes of the princess of Las Noches and knew that this was a matter of life and death. What good is strength if not to protect your friends?

"Listen to me," Ishida said. "I’m going to tell you what I know because I care about you and not because I want to hurt you or upset you. I don’t want to betray you or bring down Aizen’s army. I just want you to know the truth."

"The truth? Aizen-sama says--"

"Damn it!" Ishida clenched his hands and felt his grip on restraint failing. "Aizen isn’t the only source of the truth. Aizen isn’t--but no, never mind Aizen. I don’t want to talk about Aizen. I just want to tell you that I knew you in the Living World. You are a human."

She hadn’t looked away. Her eyes were still locked with his, and Ishida took this as a good sign.

"You’re a living soul, just like me. You could tell that I was a living soul when you felt my reiatsu. Isn’t there some way you could prove to yourself that you’re a living soul like me?"

"I…" This time her gaze dropped. She looked like she was fighting the truth. "I’m not like other souls. I have special powers, so how can I be human? You’re the first living soul I’ve sensed, but you…."

She started trembling.

"Inoue-san?" Ishida’s hands rose--he was aware of wanting to hold her by the shoulders--but he willed his hands down again.

"Is there something my father is trying to protect me from? If he didn’t create me, then what?" Her eyes watered. "Did he find me somewhere?"

"Inoue-san." Ishida’s voice was composed. "Inoue-san, do you know how to read?"

The question threw her. Her eyes widened, and then she seemed to remember something.
"Beings created by Aizen-sama don’t read? Aizen-sama is the source of all information?"

"That’s what you told me." Ishida looked at the towel Inoue was wearing. As it happened, the lettering he had embroidered was on the inside of the towel, and she was wearing the fluffy part out.

The princess of Las Noches followed Ishida’s gaze. She opened the towel.

"Ah!" Ishida gasped and staggered backwards. Naked girl, naked girl, naked girl. He covered his eyes with his hand, but a strange sound made him look again.

She was crying. Little mewing noises. She was sitting on the edge of the tub with the towel in her lap, and her wet naked shoulders were shaking. Her hand was running over what Ishida assumed was the embroidery--he couldn’t see the letters at this distance and through the steam. The kanji was white on white, so no one would have an easy time reading it…. Was she recognizing writing?

And then he heard her reading.

"Karakura High School," the princess read. "Ochi-san’s class, 1A ... Kurosaki Ichigo, Sado Yasutora, Ishida Uryuu …." Her voice cracked. "Kunieda Ryō, Ogawa Michuru, Honsho Chizuru, Arisawa Tats… Tats…" The tears were in her throat now, and Ishida understood that she was remembering the faces behind the names.

"Arisawa Tatsuki!" Inoue Orihime dropped her face against the bath towel and sobbed.

~TBC~