Road to Redemption

Chapter 23: Awaited Disclosure

A/N: I'm baaaack! Hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? 9 months sure is a long time, but I'm glad you've all been patient with me. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I needed to finish Road to Ruin before this chapter, as it contains spoilers for the entire prequel fic. So if you haven't read that and don't want to be spoiled then I suggest checking it out before reading this. That fic is 100% finished so you don't need to worry about updates. If you don't mind spoilers or you're already caught up then feel free to continue.

Thankfully Hurricane Dorian didn't hit Puerto Rico. So I'll be able to update regularly since the power never went out. Unfortunately, the Hurricane did hit The Bahamas so if you're able to help in any way it would be greatly appreciated. I went through Hurricane Maria in 2017 and let me tell ya it's a pretty hellish experience, so keep our fellow neighboring islands in mind. That being said I hope you like the chapter and Thanks for reading! 🤗😋

©Bleach and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump. Only Anna, Jeanne, and the Fujiwara family belong to me.

Chapter 23: Awaited Disclosure

Danger. That was all her mind could feel. Orihime shivered at the cold around her, the floor was also icy and the room was pitch black.

She could sense people around her, but not make out their distinct pressures due to the heavy air of the room.

Finally, a light went on. It was so bright she had to avert her gaze. Beside her Ulquiorra was lying down, seemingly waking up but still covered in blood and wounded. She saw Jeanne and Halibel chained up and out cold, along with a terrified Loly that ran towards her.

When Orihime tried to hug her she realized her hands were also chained. 'Who would do this?'

The answer was in front of her. A tall glass wall was the only thing between her and a group of judges. From the arrangement of the seats, she counted 46 people.

'Central 46...' She couldn't speak, her body was paralyzed with fear and her mind remained burdened with worry.

"Orihime Inoue and Ulquiorra Schiffer you are to be tried for breaking the accords made last November."

"What?! We have done no such thing! Ulquiorra and the other Arrancar have all followed all the rules you've set for them, and I have done my duty as their guardian!"

"You have all kept information secret from the Soul Society, and were in contact with banned material." One of the judges told her.

'Banned material? The books! Maybe even the bond... How did they find out?!'

"In addition, the only one of the Cerberus hollows to be defeated was the one that attacked Hueco Mundo."

Before she could say anything a door was opened. From the other side of the glass, she could see a girl coming into the room.

'Shizuka-san?!' her friend was unrecognizable, her white hair was tied into a traditional style and her usual shorts and t-shirt were replaced by an older style silk kimono.

"I'm sorry for my interruption but I believe the accused were in need of a defendant."

"Lady Fujiwara, the accused are beyond defense. Their actions are to be punishable by execution." Another judge told her.

The scowl and anger and Shizuka's face frightened her, she'd never seen her friend make such an expression. "That which you've told me is highly illegal, your honor, and I have proof to refute every single one of you claims."

They seemed skeptical to believe her but didn't deny anything. "Go on then. Defend them."

Shizuka smirked, not in a mischievous way like she usually did but with arrogant venom. "Thank you. To refute your first accusations the so-called 'banned material' my comrades engaged with is under the jurisdiction of House Fujiwara, so as long as I or any member of my family approves of them reason it the accused are exempt from punishment.'