Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Overpowered and Overwhelmed ❯ Remembrance of Memories Past ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Tite Kubo owns Bleach.  I just borrowed the characters.  I make no money from this work.

The man who entered the room moved with dignity and purpose and it was difficult to ignore his extremely good posture and the folded black fan in his right hand. The fan was quite large and the lacquered wooden sides seemed to be set with mother-of -pearl in an intricate and attractive design of ferns and lotus.  

He bowed deeply to the two Captains and then bowed less deeply to the others occupying the room.  "I believe you requested my assistance with one of the new arrivals.  We seem to have quite an influx of them," he commented politely.  His voice was deep and in some ways familiar and comforting.  Yoruichi followed him and immediately sat in a chair, relaxing as she gazed around the room to see if anything had changed since she left.

"Captain Tessai, thank you for interrupting your busy schedule in order to assist us," Jushiro said, rising and bowing in return.  "Your abilities may be the very thing required to make a breakthrough, which until now has appeared impossible." Jushiro indicated Orihime and continued, "This young lady, whose name is apparently Miss Orihime Inoue, has no reliable memory of her past. When she arrived she didn't know her name and any memories she does have are unverifiable.  Our Eleventh Division Assistant Captain remembers her very clearly but seems to be confused about events which have occurred.  Many of us seem to have overlapping memories which then fade."

Captain Tessai turned to Orihime and looked at her with keen interest.  "I, too, have some memories which seem to take place within the same time period and thus overlap.  They make little sense as one set of memories is set somewhere far from here.  What is it you hope I can achieve?"

Orihime wondered this as well and looked intently at Captain Ukitake.  The frown on his forehead and the slightly bemused look in his eyes made her wonder if he knew what he wanted to find out.  "Who she is?  What she is doing here?" It seemed he was trying to utter statements, but they ended up as questions.  

Captain Tessai looked at Orihime, thoughtfully.  Then he walked around her slowly, stopping every step and staring at her, as if he was trying to sense something he wasn't familiar with.  When he finished he touched his lips with his fan and contemplated the floor, apparently deep in thought.  "Her reiatsu is unusual.  It seems to behave normally but I have noticed some high peaks which should be beyond her power.  In addition, there is something in her reiatsu it is difficult to identify.  The very large person who was sent to the Maggot's Nest today for failing to queue properly seems to also possess the same strange quality.  It is almost like a Hollow's reiatsu but not, if you understand my meaning."

The Captains looked at each other as if trying to communicate without words.  Yachiru came close to Orihime and touched her hand gently, either in comfort or to try to see if she could sense the difference.  Rukia looked from her Captain, back to Orihime and then, went to make tea.  

"There is something more I should mention," Captain Tessa announced.  "Aside from the tinge of Hollow reiatsu, there is something more which I can almost identify but it should not exist.  It is similar to some of our theories which we have chosen not to test, due to the dangers it would present.  You may remember some of the discussions."  Captain Ukitake's eyes widened and he began to cough.  

Almost as if she had expected this outcome, Rukia was at his side, poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.  He took the cup and sipped it automatically.  "I thought... I mean we all agreed not to talk about the possibility," he said.

Shunsui stretched and shrugged.  "We know people do not always follow rules.  Some people think the pursuit of knowledge is worth breaking a few rules."

Orihime wondered why what they were talking about.  She wasn't sure what 'reiatsu' was or why hers was different.  Timidly she asked, "Why am I here?"

The eyes of the Captains turned in her direction.  "Are you asking a philosophical question?" Yoruichi asked with a small grin.  "If so, there are many theories..."

Impetuously Orhime broke in.  "What am I doing here, in this place.  What was the line about and who are you?  People call you Captain.  Captains of what?"

Captain Tessai turned to the two seated men and commented, "It is clear you have told her little."

"We didn't want to obscure any memories she might have," Captain Ukitake explained.  "Isn't there some kido.."

"Yes, there are many varieties of kido, but if you are talking about this particular situation, I may need time," the tall man said.

"We don't have time, Tessai.  Her memory gets cloudier all the time," Yoruichi said, springing to her feet.  "If we don't act now she may forget everything."

"You are always impetuous, Yoruichi.  I could attempt hypnosis and persuade her to retain her memories until we find another means of restoring them," he offered, sounding reluctant.  

Did she want to be hypnotised?  People seemed to be making decisions on her behalf without asking her feelings on the matter and it seemed wrong.  She opened her mouth, preparing to protest and also to ask some of the questions which still hadn't been answered.  Before she could say anything, Captain Tessai was in front of her, his fan extended toward her and open.  

"Look at the patterns," he suggested, though is sounded more like a command.

Involuntarily her eyes began examining the patterns she had briefly observed earlier on the ends of the fan.  The ferns and lotuses intertwined in a complicated design where they crossed each other at various points and seemed to continue onto the opened fan.  The paths appeared to be a maze of some kind leading from one end of the fan to the other and back again.  The sinuous lines seemed to draw her in, making it difficult to look away.  She tried hard to look elsewhere but her eyes seemed fixed on the labyrinth, trying to traverse it with sight. The more she followed the lines, the more they seemed to grow larger and block out her peripheral vision.

A voice seemed to be speaking to her, in a gentle but commanding way.  At first she ignored it, wishing to continue following the intricate labyrinth, but something spurred her to listen.  "Can you hear me Inoue Orihime?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice sounding slow and sleepy.  It was odd as she didn't feel sleepy, simply abstracted.

"I ask that you answer my questions with the first thought you have.  Ignore any later thoughts.  Do you understand?" the voice asked.

"I understand," she replied while wondering why the person asking thought she wouldn't.  It was simple to answer questions with the first thing she thought of as a response.

"Why are you here?"

"I don't know.  I destroyed the Hogyoku.  That is the last thing I remember."  What was she saying?  What was the Hogyoku?  She remembered she believed she had to destroy something, something important which was being misused.  Or was she the person who had misused the thing?  She remembered holding something in her hands and saying some words in order to try to do something.  What was it?  

The voice interrupted her confused thoughts.  "What is the Hogyoku?  Why did you destroy it?"

She tried to focus on the question.  What was the Hogyoku?  She remembered something that was round in a strange place.  The round item, an orb, she thought, was being displayed as an object of importance by someone.  A man?  Woman?  Was it a person?  Someone who had dark hair, which didn't help distinguish them from other people.  "It is an orb and someone plans to use it to take over, or destroy...." she faltered as she tried to remember. Her voice rose as she tried hard to remember.  "I don't know," she stuttered, her voice rising.

"Be calm.  No one will hurt you.  You are safe," the voice assured her and suddenly she felt calm and safe, as if remembering was a important but she wouldn't be harmed, or beaten.  For some reason she raised a hand to her face to see if it was still bruised, but felt no pain from her hands contact with her cheek.  

"How did you destroy it?"

This led to a set of images which made very little sense to her.  Battling with the dark haired Rukia in order to learn how to do something.  A beam of light, bright and warm streaming from her hands as she tried to heal her friend Tatsuki.  Tatsuki?  Where was she?  She couldn't recall seeing her here at all and she knew Tatsuki would worry about her.  She'd had some sort of power.  "My power.  The power to reverse things, restore them to how they were."  Her voice explained as she tried to catch up with the explanation.  The power sounded extraordinary but how had she acquired the power? She wanted to think about it more, try and recall how Tatsuki was hurt and why.  Was it that which had killed her?  Why was she fighting Rukia?

Did she hear a murmur of discussion?  Her eyes returned to the twisting and turning of the design on the fan and the voices seemed further away.  Nothing was important and for now she felt safe.  It was nice to feel safe and not worried about loud, large men who threatened to kill her.  Did she have a vague recollection of him harming people who tried to help him?  When he'd threatened to rip her apart, she believed he would do it.  It was as if she had met him in the past.  How could that be?   That man in the line.  She did know him from somewhere else.  If she wasn't feeling safe she might be very scared now.  His name was something food related.  Potato?  Pumpkin?  Some sort of vegetable.  Onion?

"Did you know what would happen? When you destroyed to Hogyoku?" the voice asked quietly and with a great amount of interest.

"It had to be destroyed," her voice replied.  "Aizen was going to use it to hurt Ichigo and the others.  I didn't care if I died but I unmade the Hogyoku.  It was never meant to exist." She sounded so sure and certain and the name Ichigo made her heart feel odd.  Heavy, excited and sad.  At the same time she wondered why she knew the thing had to be unmade?

The voice, with a great amount of care asked, "Who created it? Did Souske Aizen create it?  Was it someone else?"

She shook her head in response.  "It doesn't matter that Mr Ukitake created one as he was trying to reverse the damage caused by Aizen's Hogyoku.  When I unmade it, both parts were destroyed as if they never existed."  She had some flashes of memory as she spoke but it all seemed far away and something she'd experienced many years ago, or dreamt.

There was a pause and again the background conversation.  "Where were you?" the voice asked.  "Here?  In the Human World?"

The mention of the human world made her wish she could frown.  Where was she if she wasn't in the human world?  If she wasn't there, could she be in the Seireitei?

"In Huenco Mundo.  I was kidnapped on Aizen's orders by Ulquiorra and held prisoner.  I was scared."  She didn't want to have the memory of being a prisoner.  A captive waiting for someone to rescue her.  None of the Arrancar believed she had the ability to escape.  The kidnapping had happened not long after she had been with Ichigo.  That time when she had embarrassed herself almost completely.  If she could close her eyes to shut out the memories, she would, but it wasn't possible.  Why was she being forced to remember all these horrible things? She could feel she was breathing fast.

"Orihime, you are safe.  No one will hurt you." She believed the voice and her breathing returned to normal as her agitation dwindled.

"I request you remember everything you've told me and all the other things you haven't.  These memories will not fade and will only come to the surface if I ask you questions when you are hypnotised.  If anyone asks you questions about these memories you will not be able to answer them until this instruction is removed.  These memories could be dangerous to you and others. When you wake up you will remember what you have said but not be upset by the memories but you will not talk of them.  They will seem like a film you watched."

It seemed a strange request but her anxiety, which was present under the calm feeling, seeped away.  Memories didn't hurt people.  She was safe.  In many ways she was glad she would not be able to talk about them.  Talking about them might make them seem real.

"You will now awake when I count to 3 and remain calm.  What we talk about may sound interesting but you will not find it threatening.  1, 2, 3."

Her gaze slid away from the large fan and she looked at the faces around her. Each face wore an expression which seemed to be a mixture of confusion and concern.

"What is a Hogyoku?" Yachiru asked with interest.  "If Big Boobies destroyed it, and she seems certain she did, why did she?"

Captain Tessai looked stern.  "The Hogyoku, which Miss Inoue spoken of, is a theory, but one which is not to be tested.  Even close examination of the theory is forbidden."

"Closely examining a theory is forbidden? "Captain Ukitake looked surprised for a minute and then seemed to remember something and nodded.  "Ah, yes.  Certain theories have been proposed but acting on those theories could be disastrous."

These was a small silence as the Captains looked at each other.  "You don't think Urahara...," Tessai said.

"I hope not," Yorichu cut him off. "I know he spends time in the human world running that silly shop while experimenting with things he believes will cause an imbalance if done within Soul Society, but even he would not be so foolish.  He knows the penalties for exploring the forbidden."

Tessai looked grim.  "I think I will have a serious talk with our friend.  Don't you monitor him when you visit?"

Yoruichi looked as if the words offended her.  "I visit him when my duties permit and I don't monitor him.  Captain Yammamoto agreed he could spend time in the human world, checking on Hollow outbreaks and as a support to any Shinigami who have been sent to deal with issues.  His research is important and if he chooses to do it in the human world, we still benefit."

Captain Ukitake broke in.  "Captain Urahara appointed someone to replace him, though he does retain the title of Captain.  As such we are meant to trust him and believe he does not need to be checked.  Some of his innovations have made quite a difference to us."

"You're all taking this too seriously.  The Hogyoku no longer exists, if it ever did," the dark haired unshaven man said.  "Yoruichi, you can warn Kitsuke that he is under no circumstance to work on the Hogyoku.  I remember an amulet he created with a former Captain which created a certain amount of controversy until it vanished from the Seireitei so who knows what would happen with his version of a Hogyoku.  It might turn monkey's green or cause wombats to start grunge garage bands."

Tessai shook his head.  "You are missing the point.  Miss Inuoue said two Hogyoku's existed.  One was created by Assistant Captain Aizen who is now confined due to his medical condition.  Why would he create such a thing?"

"He always appeared so polite and caring.  At one time he took an interest in Captain Ichimaru and it was thought he would be appointed Captain when a place became available.  You will remember he failed to demonstrate his bankai.  I was confused at the time as I was certain he had worked hard to gain that particular talent," Captain Urahara said, as though lost in thought.  "I thought Assistant Captain Aizen was the perfect candidate for Captaincy but also recall having an instinct that something was wrong with him.  It was puzzling."

"I cannot remember," Tessai said, a furrow in his brow.  "The whole incident seems confused in my memory.  On one hand I can recall him performing a bankai quite successfully and I also remember a spectacular failure which resulted him becoming unconscious for many days."

There was a small silence as each of those present seemed to try to recall the event.  Orihime watched them as a mix of concentration and confusion clouded their faces.  

"I cannot remember clearly," Captain Urahara said.  "I will consult the records to clarify the reality but it seems Captain Ichimaru gained his captaincy after Assistant Captain Aizen failed.  He was determined to try again and seemed upset that a former protégé had surpassed him. I believe it was a major cause of their friendship ending."

"From the little Miss Inoue has told us, it appears the man wore a mask to hide his true nature," he turned to Orihime and said, "Miss Inoue, we need to know more, but I can see you are both confused and having difficulty comprehending the situation.  I ask that you rest and when you are refreshed, with your permission, I will hypnotise you once more and try to find out more information.."

Until he mentioned it, Orihime had not considered how she felt and his words reminded her how tired and confused she felt.  She longed for some time to herself so she could recall her life and the boy she thought she loved.  Did she really love him if she forgot him?  Did people with amnesia forget about love and friendship?  Why had she forgotten her name?

In answer she simply nodded and Rukia took her hand and led her to a bedroom, taking a futon from the cupboard and laying it on the floor.  "Do you want company, or do you wish to be alone?"

It was a question she decided to answer truthfully.  "I need some time to try to sort through my thoughts," she said slowly.  "Is Ichigo here?"

Rukia shook her head.  "He visits sometimes, but not too often.  As an Assistant Shinigami he has responsibilities that he takes seriously." She walked to the door and slid it open.  "When you wake, I will be waiting nearby."

Washing her face and hands in the water provided, she then prepared for bed.  With all the events and strangely overlapping memories she was certain she would remain awake.  Instead, she fell asleep very quickly.  Her dreams reflected the confusion she felt as she seemed to dream of situations where she was forced to make choices she knew could result in tragedy for someone but a benefit to many.  Each time the dream reached that point she tried to wake up or change the path of the dream but failed and had to live through the suffering that resulted in each choice.

Finally she opened her eyes and noticed the light had changed.  It was now less bright, as if night were falling.  Lying in the bed she felt a reluctance to move.  The dreams had drained her and she felt more exhausted than when she had gone to bed.  That didn't seem right.  Sleep was meant to refresh and provide a chance to work through some of the more confrontational thoughts and confusion of the day but instead she felt more confused and threatened.

Turning onto her side, Orihime closed her eyes, determined to sleep again but not long after she shut them her eyes opened as he brain rejected the idea of more bad dreams.  Wishing her mind would co-operate, she tried again, a number of times, but her eyes and thoughts refused to permit her to retreat into the depths of sleep.  Rolling onto her back she gazed at the ceiling, wondering if she was prepared to undergo hypnosis again.  The ceiling held no answers, no mysterious hand inscribed a message to advise her on her actions.  It was her decision and while she knew she had access to more memories from her earlier hypnotism she was both too scared and worried to try to explore them.  Hueco Mundo was more interesting than memories of school, except where Ichigo was concerned but there were elements in her memory which confused her.  

Especially her need to ignore Ichigo's request to remain with him.  Instead of listening to him she had made a decision to destroy the Hogyoku no matter the consequence.  Everything which had happened in Hueco Mundo had diminished her in her eyes.  Her decisions made her seem weak, easily manipulated and so very fallible.  Trying to do something she perceived as being for the greater good had changed so many lives and she wasn't sure if everyone would benefit from her interference.  

The Captain Aizen she met no longer existed.  That was the only positive thing which was a result of her actions.  And maybe some of the Shinigami who he'd killed or altered hadn't died.  She didn't know.  

How did any of this make sense?  

How could any of this make sense?

Why was Captain Ichimaru a Captain?  

Were the other Shinigami, the ones who had helped Ichigo overcome his Hollow still in the Human World or did they still hold their senior positions in this version of the Seireitei?

She closed her eyes, not to block the view of the ceiling, which hadn't changed markedly while she'd stared at it, but to try and control the flow of her thoughts and the many questions.  Each new question increased her agitation and she found she had risen from her bed without consciously thinking about it.  Stilling her body she noticed she'd also partially dressed.  Shrugging, she finished dressing and opened the door.
 
The room faced a small courtyard which contained a bamboo water feature, the muffled clunk filtering through the cool air.  Gazing at the sky she saw the indications the sun was either just setting or had just set.  The pink and gold which tinged the clouds were pretty and to some measure soothed her thoughts.  She might have memories which contradicted each other and for some reasons weird cards seemed to feature in them, something about a rabbit and a sailor but a sunset could soothe her still.  Each time she tried to explore the card memory, it was like her mind flinched and tried to examine another memory.  She tried once and her thoughts again quickly changed path making her blush as she wondered why she was thinking about a love hotel.

For some reason the comment about a talisman or amulet which Captain Urahara had made seemed important but no real memories were forthcoming.  She tried hard but even the slightest fragment of memory was out of context and very blurry.  The amulet made her think of Ichigo but more memories than that she had trouble recalling.  It seemed she had layers of memory but some of the memories were hidden, concealed and it was hard to work out why.  The only thing she could think of was buried memories, which she understood some people were forced to use to distance themselves from horrid experiences.  Was it worth trying to resurrect the memories and then try to live with the consequences of having additional problems which would require resolution?

Shaking her head did not removed the thoughts.  They remained, trickling through her consciousness while she tried to ignore some of the more dangerous concepts.  

She would find Rukia.  Maybe talking to someone would help.  Maybe if she asked lots of questions about Ichigo, the replies would make her think about him instead of all the unanswered questions and gaps in her memory.  She wanted to think of Ichigo, but at the same time recalled all the time she'd been imprisoned in Hueco Mundo when all she seemed to do was think of escape and Ichigo. Maybe she could make Rukia tell her if she and Renji were more than friends and she could delight in someone else's successful romance rather than the one she may have destroyed.  Did Ichigo remember her?  Did he miss her? Did he care?

Pushing the thoughts aside, she instead concentrated on the clunk of the bamboo water feature.  Counting the minutes between each sound as she slowly walked through the garden and with relief saw Rukia standing under a tree, apparently talking to Renji.  With a lift in her spirits she walked quickly toward them, hoping for the distractions of conversation and the slightly gag inducing sight of  a budding romance.

Authors Note
It is only due to a PM from 'guest' asking when this story was to be updated that an update has occurred.

Thank you to the people who take the time to review.

No promises will be made as to the speed with which this will be updated but hopefully it will not take as long as this chapter.

MS