[fic] Everlasting || Chapter 2
Fandom: Bleach
Pairing: Inoue Orihime and Kurosaki Ichigo.
Timeline: For this chapter, around a century after the events of the first chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. The GREAT Kubo-sensei does (This girl's still happy for chapter 438)
Author's Note: I think it's practically impossible to think there hadn't been conflicts between HM and SS, so here's some conflict. Also, though it's been an awful long time I still can't get over the fact of the fiasco of the cero espada so here's my take on the previous one. Barragan seems like someone who ruled HM for a looong time and Unohana is said to be the only shinigami to have been in the Gotei 13 since the beginning so that's my reason for them to be here. Thanks so much to everyone who reads, you have no idea how much I enjoy writing this =)
In the second, shall never hold the same form
War was tiring, he had decided one day. The king was still dwelling on the shinigami invasion that had taken place centuries ago. It was time to move on. It was time to understand that if they didn't attack, there was no reason to be attacked. It wasn't for any pacifist ideal that he had changed his mind about the war, but it was really tiring and no fun to have to watch your back since the shinigami had bribed some arrancar into becoming their spies, those bastards! They were really causing him a headache.
…
"If we don't attack, we won't be attacked! Are you serious?" The cero espada shrugged. He thought it was perfectly logic, but logic had never worked with Barragan. He knew that pretty well since he had been told the story of the almost kidnapped princess of Soul Society.
"How much time was Hueco Mundo a peaceful place before you decided to make a declaration of war against Soul Society?"
"It was about time. Why can they kill hollows whenever they please and we can't do the same with them?" asked the spiky haired espada sitting next to him, His eyes were as black as the darkest night, but that didn't intimidate the most powerful espada. If it wasn't for Barragan, he'd be King, his instinct inside him told him he could be King, but he was just fine the way he was for now. If it wasn't for the stupid war.
"No, we won't fall back. We will crush every ant that comes in our way. We will destroy Soul Society from its foundations" the orange haired espada wanted to go back to bed
"Aaroniero, report" Barragan commanded
"Yes" a deep voice replied. "The traitors said Sereitei's protection is the same as last time. So, with any of the prisoner shinigami, we could open a senkaimon and… the cero espada can lend us his power" he said while said espada was yawning "to stop the cleaner and allow us to enter Soul Society. They tell me there are two captains per gate so if we sent our top three espada, it would be a fair fight. And we wouldn't have to go through the protection field surrounding Sereitei"
"Perfect"
…
"Look, I don't appreciate you defying me like that, but I know you'd never do anything against Hueco Mundo or Las Noches. So, to show you I'm not discontent, I'm going to give you a new pet"
"You mean to say, you want me to guard someone"
"She's the most precious prison war we've had so far: A captain level prisoner."
"Who is she?" He asked, not exactly amused
"Lieutenant of the Fourth Division…"
…
There went a lot of his sleeping time. From the moment he heard they had a captain level prisoner, he knew the responsibility to make sure nothing happened to the precious trophy was going to fall on his shoulders. He held her zanpakuto in his hands. The handle wasn't very thick and the blade was short, but it sure felt powerful. This girl must have a hell of a soul
…
It had been… hell, he had never been able to tell time in this place. But it had been quite some time that he had been watching her. Her waist length, auburn hair swaying with the little wind that came from the small window, the only thing that moved. He knew she was a captain level shinigami, but for her to be unaffected by his presence was very interesting to the arrancar.
"Your zapankuto" He said, regarding the sword on his hands "What's its name?"
"Shun-Shun Rikka"
…
"You know, it's weird. I've heard shinigamis have a lot of pride. But you… you just do what you're told, eat your every meal… It's strange" he said after a month, trying to make her to talk. Not to get any info on Sereitei, just to get her to talk. There was this need inside him to find his way through her.
"I have my reasons" she replied coldly.
…
"Why do you that?" she asked a day after
"What?" he asked teasingly. He knew well what she meant
"Staring like that. It's no good. Not to me. Especially not to you"
…
"There must be a reason a skilled shinigami like you got caught"
"There must be a reason you come here every day"
"I'm bored"
"So was I"
…
She was standing in front of the window, like she had been the first time he met her. He was sitting at her right, her zanpakuto on his hands. It felt good to have a part of her soul so close, for some annoying reason, it sure felt good.
"You should stop bringing it here. I might overpower you and take it from you" he chuckled
"I'm the espada cero. You're from the healing division. There's no way you could overpower me"
Espada cero? He's the first one I have to…
…
She was sitting on the couch, him, across the room, zanpakuto still on his hands. He felt the sword held a lot of secrets. Every time he looked at it, he found something new.
"You sure are doing a lot of staring today" he commented. His eyes not leaving the sword.
"What's so interesting about it, anyway?" she asked. After all this time, she wasn't able to find a word more fitting than fascination to the way he looked at the sword.
"It's a part of your soul. That's enough for me."
…
"You should stop coming in here" she said after putting a lot of thought into it. There was something telling her she wasn't going to be able to bring herself to kill this man
"I'm sorry, hime. That's just not for you to decide" there was no malice in his voice when he said that, but she found herself staring at him. He noticed "look," he said, standing up "I know it must suck to be kidnapped, but I have no saying on your current situation. If it were for me…" silence filled the room. "I'm bored of this stupid war" He lowered his head, while she gazed at him.
"What's the name of your resurrección?" She asked. He proceeded to sit down on the floor, in front of her.
"Luna" he replied. She smiled.
"I've always wanted to catch the moon"
…
His head was resting on her lap. Her delicate fingers were going through his messy hair and it felt right. Of all the things in the world, that felt right.
"I have a mission" she said making the orange haired espada get out of his slumber 'to end the war, and it's not good to your side' her voice trembling, her eyes, teary. He saw it coming, so he just stared at those gray eyes, where the world had begun and ended in the last months.
"You have to kill the espada, don't you?" she wept a bit more, one tear reaching his face and it was then when he decided that he didn't want to see that scene repeated. Ever.
"And the king" she said between sobs. He was right. She had one hell of a soul and she was a skilled shinigami
"You could've taken your zanpakuto whenever you wanted, couldn't you?" she sobbed louder
…
It had been a massacre. Five espada and any arrancar who had wanted to oppose them had been killed. If everyone in the healing squad had those kinds of powers, then they really had underestimated the Gotei 13.
"I thought the King would've come at us by now" she said while going through Las Noches warily.
"No" dismissed the cero espada. "He'll be waiting for us at the throne"
…
"There's one espada left" she said when they reached the throne room.
"Aaroniero, that scum. He's nothing to worry about, though. He's not very loyal either, so he won't come to Barragan's rescue. It's his hollows, against us" she nodded shakily and he regarded her "what is it? You've massacred the arrancar, what are you afraid of?" he asked with a smile.
"What happens next?" she asked avoiding his eyes "you're an arrancar, I'm a shinigami. There's no way we could ever… hold the same form" he dropped his smile. He understood, but there was something she was missing, she didn't know Barragan's powers, he did and there was no way he was going to let her fight him.
"I know" he said, reaching her face, his thumb following her jaw line. "Let's make a promise to meet each other, the next life. How about that?" she nodded while tears went down her cheeks. He kissed her, and that was the thing he put the most passion into in his entire life. Power, he would've given up power, kingdoms, everything to spend at least one lifetime with this girl "I want you to know that no matter what: I will protect you…"
"Reject, Shun Shun Rikka!" One more time, it had to work. Only his left arm was gone, he could be saved "Reject, Shun Shun Rikka… Reject! Reject! Re…" she felt over his chest, crying her heart out. Four of the five captains sent to help overthrow to King, who had fled, were watching the scene confused. The fifth, the girl's division captain, understood very well her inconsolable crying. Unohana approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
I'll find you again, it's a promise