A/N: Yet another request (I honestly think I do more requests than things I actually think of). A songfic set to Everything you Want by Vertical Horizon about Orihime and Uryu. I personally prefer Orihime with Ulquiorra, but I have put my own feelings aside to do this. It was hard to do, but I don't think it was too bad considering I don't care much for the pairing. As for why my OCs make cameos-I like all my stories to tie in with each other.
Enjoy!
Somewhere they're speaking, it's already coming in
Oh, and it's rising at the back of your mind
You never could get it unless you were fed it
And now you're here and you don't know why
Orihime Inoue sighed as sunlight poured though her bedroom window. Well, the window of her bedroom in the house she was staying in. Why was she here? She didn't want them to get married. She felt so guilty thinking that-she knew she was being selfish. She should be happy for Ichigo. He was getting married and Rukia was not only very pretty, but smart, strong, and above all else, kind. Why shouldn't Ichigo like a girl like Rukia?
So why, them, did she feel like crying? Why did she feel jealous every time she was the delicate sapphire ring flash on the black-haired girl's finger? How come she felt sick when Rangiku shoved bridal catalogs in Rukia's face, pointing out gowns that would compliment her petite frame or angry when Ayumu showed Rukia styles that would work with her glossy, shoulder-length hair? Why was she so miserable?
"Orihime?", Rangiku's voice floated through the door. "Are you awake, Honey?"
Orihime curled up on her side. Normally the older girl could cheer her up, but today she just didn't feel like being comforted. Plus Rangiku was pregnant and had enough between the wedding and the baby to worry about without having to deal with her moping, too. She sighed as she remembered how the battle against the Arrancer played out. She herself had been kidnapped and brought to Hueco Mundo and her friends had come to save her. Soul Society had then sent two women disguised as Arrancar to spy and then later dispatched lieutenants and captains to defeat Aizen and his crew.
The battle that had ensued had been long and hard. Two unexpected turns in events, however, had eventually tipped the scales in their favor. The first had been with the man Kaname Tousen, who had been manipulated by Aizen. After realizing Aizen was merely using him for his abilities and getting the facts straight, the level-headed Kaname had re-joined the Shinigami, bringing with him a strange blond-haired child called Wonderweiss. He had vowed to do all in his power to bring Aizen his long-overdue punishment.
Even more astonishing had been Gin Ichimaru, who had proved he still had good in him. After seeing Rangiku in danger, he had thrown himself in front of her, shielding her from a potentially fatal attack and getting badly wounded. Orihime herself had been the one who'd healed him while Rangiku held his hand and cried. After he'd been healed, the silver-haired man had been given an ultimatum by none other than Commander General Yamamoto himself. Since he'd saved Rangiku's life, his previous crimes were erased. Would he continue serving Aizen or go back to Soul Society? Gin had decided he would rather risk death and be with the woman he loved than continue serving Aizen and live without her.
Even with the additions of Kaname and Gin to their team, however, the fight had been long and drawn-out, lasting several days. Aizen proved his skills were truly something to fear. In the end, though, Aizen had died along with most of his Arrancar, and while they'd been fortunate enough to have four healers in their group, preventing any fatalities, the healing process had lasted quite a while before everyone was well enough to walk around-
"Orihime?", Rangiku called, breaking her train of thought. How many times had she called her?
Orihime shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep when she heard Rangiku push the door open. Usually pretending to be asleep got the older girl to leave her alone. Today, however, there was no stopping Rangiku.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead", Rangiku sang cheerfully. She pulled open the curtains.
"Go away", Orihime groaned, pulling her pillow over her face. "Go annoy your husband."
"Can't", Rangiku replied. "Gin's not a woman. We girls have to help Rukia pick out flowers today."
Orihime responded by pulling the blanket over her head as well.
Rangiku laughed.
"Ok...tickle attack!"
Orihime yelped as the older girl pounced on her, tickling her. Laughing and gasping, she rolled out from under Rangiku and crashed to the floor.
"I'm up! I'm up!"
"Good", the older woman said, getting up and stretching. Orihime wondered when her pregnancy would start showing.
Rangiku grinned. "Now go get ready."
But under the skinned knees and the skid marks
Past the places where you used to learn
You howl and you listen, listen and wait for
The echoes of angels who won't return.
"Ohhh...Rukia! How about violets?", Rangiku asked.
Rukia smiled slightly.
"I was thinking something a bit brighter. Like sunflowers."
"What about yellow roses?", Ayumu asked. All eyes turned towards the fifth division's beautiful and overly-enthusiastic third seat. "Ohhh...Can I do your hair and makeup for you on your wedding day? Please, Lieutenant Kuchiki?"
Kaori Machida, the pretty ninth seat of the same squad, frowned and grabbed the back of Ayumu's dress. "It's her wedding. What if she doesn't even want to wear makeup?"
Ayumu looked scandalized and Rukia laughed.
"No need to call me Lieutenant Kuchiki, just Rukia is fine. I'd be honored for you to do my hair and makeup, Ayu. I am sure you'll make me look gorgeous."
"Or she'll make you look like a peacock", Yachiru, squad eleven's young lieutenant, piped up. "Oh, wait. That's Feather Brows. They're so much alike I confuse them." Her eyes lingered on Ayumu's chin-length bob. "They even look alike."
"What!?", Ayumu cried. "I don't look like a man!"
"I think she means Lieutenant Ayasegawa looks like a girl", Kaori said.
Yachiru nodded proudly while the other women laughed.
I don't belong here, Orihime thought. What am I doing here, surrounded by all these Shinigami? I'm a human...
"Oh!", Ayumu gasped. "Rukia! Look at these roses-they match Ichigo's hair!"
"Hey, she's right", Rangiku said. "They do."
Orihime chanced a glance at the roses Ayumu and Rangiku were gushing over. Brilliant orange flowers with just the slightest hint of gold.
She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as the whole ordeal became too much for her to bear.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go..."
She broke into a run. Behind her, she could hear Yachiru calling her-"Where are you going, Apricot Head!?"-but she paid the girl no mind. She ran and ran, not paying any attention at all to where she was going, until she was alerted by the sound of a car's horn honking. It startled her, making her fall to the ground. Pain exploded through her right knee as it was ripped open from the asphalt. The car skid to a stop just inches from striking her.
She struggled to her feet to keep going as the driver opened the door and got out. He was an attractive man in his forties with pale skin and silver hair. The man's blue eyes stared at her from behind square-rimmed glasses. Orihime felt ready to faint-the man in front of her was Ryuuken Ishida, the father of her friend Uryu!
Ryuuken's lips formed a frown. He looked her up and down, his light eyes lingering on her knee. Finally, he spoke.
"Orihime, where were you running to in such a hurry? Get in the car-that knee of yours needs stitches."
"No, Mr. Ishida, I'm fine. Really. I don't want to be a burden, you must be busy, and you look so tired-"
Orihime trailed off as the doctor picked her up and put her in the passenger seat. Ryuuken then got in on the driver's side and started the car.
"This is kidnapping, Mr. Ishida", Orihime said. Not that she minded. Uryu's father acted cold, but she knew he was basically a kind man. He wouldn't hurt her and now she had a chance to get away from the wedding plans for a little while.
Ryuuken responded by pulling a handful of napkins out of the glove box. He handed them to her and instructed her to hold them on her bloody knee until he got her to the clinic.
He's everything you want, he's everything you need
He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you and you don't know why.
"Uryu, you have a patient", Ryuuken said as he supported Orihime into the clinic.
Orihime gasped as though seeing Uryu for the first time. He looked so mature-so handsome-in his blue doctors' scrubs and white lab coat. He looked almost exactly like a younger replica of Ryuuken except his hair was black and his eyes a deeper shade of blue.
Uryu gasped, too.
"Orihime, what did you do?", he cried.
Orihime knew it was childish, but she pointed at Ryuuken, who was watching them, calmly sipping a cup of coffee.
"Your dad's the one who almost ran me over!"
Ryuuken choked on his coffee. He coughed and sputtered while his son patted his back.
Orhime laughed, her first real laugh in weeks.
"Ok, I kind of ran out in front of your dad's car", she admitted as Ryuuken stopped choking. "I wasn't trying to kill myself though, I swear!"
Uryu shook his head.
"Dad, can you help her up onto the table so I can have a look at her knee?"
The older man nodded and helped Orihime onto the table.
"This is so cool that your dad is allowing to you work at the hospital while going to med school!", Orihime babbled. "Do you get to watch surgeries and stuff-Ow! That really hurts, Uryu!"
Uryu laughed.
"Sorry Orihime, but I can't do anything until I clean the wound."
"Maybe next time you'll think twice before running in front of of people's cars", Ryuuken said.
Orihime blushed.
"Sorry, Mr. Ishida", she apologized.
"There-and you didn't even feel a thing."
Orihime looked down in time to see Uryu pulling a needle out of her knee. She glared at him.
"No fair, Uryu! Just because you work here doesn't mean you can stick needles in me without telling me what you're doing!"
Uryu gazed at her and Orihime saw his eyes dance with amusement.
"Next time I'll do stitches without anesthesia."
Orihime stopped complaining and let Uryu stitch up her knee. After he'd finished, he removed his gloves, washed his hands, and helped her off the table.
"Take it easy on that knee for a few days and you'll be fine. Dad, do you need me for anything else?"
Ryuuken shook his head.
"I think you earned the rest of the day off."
Uryu smiled kindly.
"Wait here for a minute, Orihime. I'll bring you home."
You're waiting for someone to put you together
You're waiting for someone to push you away
There's always another wound to discover
There's always something more you wish he'd say
"Orihime", Uryu said once they were seated in his car a little while later. "Why did you run out in front of my father's car?"
Orihime blushed.
"It's silly, really. I was out with Rukia and the other girls and suddenly, I just couldn't take it anymore...", she sighed. She had to get her feelings off her chest. "Uryu, do you think I'm a horrible person? I want Ichigo to be happy, but I don't want him to marry Rukia."
She covered her face with her hands.
"No", Uryu replied softly. "It doesn't make you a horrible person. A horrible person would try to break them up and object to their wedding. You're not doing that. However, don't stay hung up on someone you can't have too long. Sometimes when a door closes, we spend so much time looking at the closed door we don't notice another door has been opened for us."
"Uryu...", she breathed his name.
Uryu stopped the car.
"Well, we're here."
He got out of the car and went around to he passenger side. He opened the door and helped her out. He then walked her up to the door and rang the bell.
"Ehhhh...where the ladies expectin' anyone?" Gin's voice reached their ears from inside the house.
"I don't think so", a second male voice, not as easily recognized as Gin's replied.
"Ah, well. No harm answerin'..."
"I get door!", a child's voice screamed.
"No, Wonderwice-"
The door swung open and a blond-haired child stood, staring at them. Wonderwice grinned.
"It Hime", he declared brightly. Though Tousen was working with the boy on speech, Wonderweiss still could not say "Orihime". She didn't mind the nickname, though. It usually made her smile.
The other men in the house-Gin, of course, as well as Kaname Tousen, Izuru Kira, and Shuuhei Hisagi-all gave Orihime a curious look.
"Why aren't you out shopping with the girls?", Shuuhei asked.
"Uhhh...", Orihime stammered.
Izuru's eyes went to her leg.
"What happened?", he asked, concerned.
"She learned not to run out in front of cars today, didn't you, Orihime?", Uryu answered for her.
Orihime nodded, feeling foolish.
"Uryu, we were just getting' ready to play cards. Would ya like to join us?", Gin asked.
Uryu shook his head.
"No, thanks. I just wanted to make sure Orihime got home alright."
Orihime smiled at him.
"Thank you, Uryu", she said and limped towards her room.
The guys, except Kaname, who couldn't care less about who was dating whom and had gone back to his braille book, stared at Uryu.
"Do ya like her?", Gin asked, leaning in close to Uryu. He was grinning so broadly he looked like he was on something.
Uryu backed away. Even after six years, Gin's smile creeped him out.
An loud crash caught their attention.
"Wonderweiss, NO!", Hisagi screamed. "Izuru, help me..."
There was another loud crash and a howl from Izuru. Uryu guessed Wonderweiss had hit the older blond with something.
"Hisagi, he's heading towards you!", Izuru called.
"Izuru! I got him-crap! The stove's on fire!"
Uryu nodded at Gin.
"I think it's time to take my leave..."
He practically ran out of the house.
Orihime, who had been watching the scene from her doorway, sighed. She closed the door and limped to her bed.
Did Uryu like her?
No, she couldn't imagine he did. Uryu was just nice like that. She was reading too much into his kindness.
Besides, she was in love with Ichigo...wasn't she?
Suddenly, she wasn't so sure.
He's everything you want, he's everything you need
He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you and you don't know why.
Orihime lay down on her bed and shut her eyes, even though she knew the bad dreams would haunt her once more. After six years, the events in Hueco Mundo still haunted her. She'd been changed down there. At first, she'd tried to act like the bright, cheerful girl she'd been before being kidnapped, but after a while, pretending had just stopped working. She'd seen things and heard things in her time there that no one should have to see or hear. Hueco Mundo is where here innocence had finally been stripped away.
She gagged as she recalled Ikkaku Madarame placing the limp form of his lieutenant and best friend, Yumichika Ayasegawa, in front of her. The man's beautiful features had been barely recognizable. A good portion of the skin had been burned from his face, he was bleeding profusely. While Orihime had set to work on him, Ikkaku had explained. Yumichika had tried to drain the energy from Aizen and his decreasing number of followers and had gotten badly hurt. Ikkaku had just been able to get him to her. She'd sat silently and listened and watched the skin on Yumichika's face slowly return to it's normal smooth, pale alabaster.
Yumichika's was not the only such injury she encountered. Blood was one thing, she could handle blood, but this was more than blood. People were brought before her, burned, mutilated, tortured. She remembered the echoes of screams from the lab or a particularly twisted Espada named Szayel...To this day, no one had told her what had happened in that lab and she didn't want to know. Even with Retsu Unohana, Isane Kotetsu, and Kaori able to heal wounds, Orihime was the one who'd treated a good portion of the victims. Juushirou Ukitake had been brought to her gasping for breath and spitting blood from the mouth-the combination of stress and illness finally getting the better of him. She'd also treated Shuuhei, who had come with his arm hanging on by a few flaps of skin, and Uryu, who had been gashed down from his left shoulder straight across his belly.
Tears welled her eyes and she curled up into a ball on her bed. She'd nearly lost Uryu. She'd been so drained from healing everyone else-not that the other healers had been fairing any better-that she almost hadn't been able to save him. In fact, she'd only been able to summon the energy to save Uryu after Yumichika had offered her his as a way of thanking her for saving his life. She'd held Yumichika's hands over Uryu's lifeless form for almost an hour before the badly damaged Quincy showed any signs of recovery. Just as Yumichika's eyes had rolled back and the man, still recovering from his own injuries, had passed out was the healing complete. Orihime had used the last bit of her strength to roll Yumichika off of Uryu. She'd left them sleeping side-by-side as Renji lifted her up and carried her to one of the make-shift beds on the cold stone floor so she could finally get some sleep.
When she'd woken up, she'd been hoping to see Ichigo, but Ichigo was with Rukia, who was being tended to by Kaori. He had not budged since he'd carried the petite girl to Kaori. Uryu, however, was sitting beside her, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Uhhh...Orihime...", he'd said as he blushed.
"Uryu?", she replied.
"Thank you", he said, staring at his feet.
Orihime had smiled at him warmly.
"You can thank Lieutenant Ayasegawa...he helped."
The Quincy lifted an eyebrow.
"Well, ok, so he doesn't have a healing ability, but he gave me his strength so I could heal you."
Uryu had shook his head.
"Always pulling our butts from the fire, those guys."
Orihime wrapped her thin sheet tighter around her body and looked at her clothes-she was still in arrancar attire.
"Uryu...I have a favor to ask you", she said, hanging her head so her hair covered her face. "Can you please see if you can find my clothes...I know it sounds silly, but I really don't want to be dressed as one of them..."
Uryu nodded.
"I'll see what I can do. Ayumu and Gin are making breakfast for everyone. When they bring it to you, make sure you eat it all."
Orihime nodded, even though the thought of eating had made her stomach clench.
Uryu squeezed her hand.
"Everything's going to be OK now. Just focus on regaining your strength."
Orihime opened her eyes and stretched. Uryu had been wrong. Everything wasn't all right. She sighed as the sound of the doorbell ringing again caught her attention.
"Did Orihime come back?", Rangiku asked.
"Yea, Uryu dropped her off'n hour ago", Gin replied.
"Uryu, huh?", Rangiku said, and Orihime heard the mischievous tone of the older woman's voice.
Orihime rolled over on her side and went to sleep.
But you'll just sit tight and watch it unwind
It's only what you're asking for
And you'll be just fine with all of your time
It's only what you're waiting for
She woke up a little later to the sound of someone knocking on the door.
"Orihime?"
Orihime flinched. It was Rukia. None-the-less, she put on a brave smile and opened the door.
"Hi, Rukia!", she chirped in the brightest voice she could manage.
Rukia smiled back and fiddled with the sash around her tiny waist.
"The guys are all coming over and we're going to the store to get food. Do you want anything in particular?"
Orihime knew by "guys", Rukia meant Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, Renji, Toushirou Hitsugaya, Kenpachi Zaraki, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. The guys had been staying together since Ichigo's proposal.
She shook her head.
"No, thank you, Rukia. I can't think of anything. Whatever you get will be fine."
Rukia nodded.
"I'll have my phone if you need anything..." she smiled again. "Orihime, thank you for everything. I really do appreciate all you've been doing for me these past few weeks."
Orihime grinned at the smaller girl, the compliment momentarily making her forget her pain.
"I'm sure you would do the same for me if I was the one getting married."
Rukia nodded.
"I'll see you in a bit"
She left.
Orihime decided to take a shower and change into nice clothes for when the boys came over.
The party was in full-swing by the time Orihime joined in. All around her, people were laughing and joking, having a great time. She put on her brightest smile and made her way to the kitchen to get a juice.
"...But of course, Wonderweiss had to go and set fire to half the stove."
"That's what happens when you leave men in charge of a child."
Orihime giggled and addressed Ayumu and Kaori, who were attempting to cook in the kitchen.
"In defense of Izuru and Shuuhei, Wonderweiss does move very fast", she said.
"Well, no one told Gin to give Wonderweiss pixie stix and soda", Ayumu fumed. She fanned irritably at the flames jumping up from under the pot she was using.
"Where's the honey?", Orihime asked
The two Shinigami exchanged looks with each other.
"Honey?", Ayumu questioned. "This is bean dip..."
"I know", Orihime replied. "Bean dip tastes best with honey in it."
Kaori's face turned green.
"Oh my...", she said. She looked ready to throw up.
Ayumu chuckled nervously.
"Why don't you go see if Uryu wants company?", she suggested. "He seems kind of bored-last I saw, he was sewing lace onto the tablecloths and trying to get Captain Madarame to help him."
Orihime recognized Ayumu's polite way of dismissing her and nodded.
"If you need any help, come get me", she offered, taking her juice and leaving. She knew the Shinigami women wouldn't be calling her back.
She blinked at the sight that met her eyes. Uryu sat cross-legged on the floor with not just Ikkaku, but Kenpachi, Yachiru, and Wonderweiss, showing them how to do different types of stitches on square pieces of cloth.
"Wow, you're pretty good, Captain Madarame!", she said cheerfully.
Ikkaku shrugged.
"When you've done one stitch, you've done them all. Yumichika and I had to stitch each other up all the time before becoming Shinigami. I imagine he's better at this than I am. He cared enough about his appearance that he tried to keep getting cut up to a minimum. I, on the other hand, could care less about a body full of scars."
Orihime smiled and settled down on the floor beside Uryu. She kept her right leg extended while tucking her left neatly under her. Had he always smelled so nice?
"How's your knee doing, Orihime?", he asked kindly.
"Oh, it feels fine. Doesn't hurt at all."
"Apricot Head can run fast when she's in a rush", Yachiru said.
"Apricot Head?", Uryu lifted an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you forgot your nickname, Pencil."
"Why am I Pencil again?"
"You're skinny like a pencil."
"What? Yumichika's thinner than I am."
"Yes, but he's Feather Brows", Yachiru said.
At that moment, Wonderweiss screamed. He'd accidentally put his needle through his hand. Tousen was at his side in a moment, trying to calm him and get the needle out.
Orihime laughed at this bizarre scene before her-Uryu arguing with a small pink-haired child while teaching two Shinigami captains to sew while a blind Shinigami Lieutenant tried to pull the needle out of the hand of a screaming former Arrancar.
"Look, Kenny! Apricot Head can laugh!"
Kenpachi smiled a slight half smile and looked at the tangled mess of string in his cloth. Unlike Ikkaku, Kenpachi was not good at stitching. Then again, she'd ridden on his shoulder before and it had felt like iron. Kenpachi probably didn't get cut much.
"I think", Kenpachi said mischievously. "Pencil is in love with Apricot Head and should be a man about it and tell her how he feels."
Orihime stopped laughing and looked at Uryu, who was beat red in the face.
Her heart starting thumping in her chest. Uryu. Uryu was in love with her...Uryu had always been in love with her. She'd just been too caught up on Ichigo to see it.
The room suddenly grew molten-she couldn't look at Uryu anymore.
For the second time that day, she fled.
Out of the island, into the highway
Past the places where you might have turned
You never did notice, but you still hide away
The anger of angels who won't return
Orihime didn't go far. She went to the park, which was mostly deserted at the hour. She also wasn't alone very long before a black-haired man sat down next to her. She turned her head so she wouldn't have to look at him.
"Orihime...", Uryu said softly.
She didn't answer him.
He reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Orihime, I'm sorry about what happened back there...I didn't think Kenpachi would do that..."
"Why are you apologizing?", Orihime asked. "You didn't do anything wrong, Uryu."
"Maybe not...but I didn't want you put on the spot...Kenpachi's right, though. I did wait too long..."
"Uryu? What are you saying?" She turned and looked him in the eyes.
He took both her hands in his. Was it just the moon on his pale skin, or was he sweating.
"I am saying I love you, Orihime Inoue. I've loved you for a very long time, but I've never had the courage to admit it...especially since..."
"You think I'm still in love with Ichigo?", she finished for him.
"You're not?", he asked.
"I thought I was...", she said. "But I think I am just hung up on the past...besides...you've been the one who's always been there for me...everything I've ever needed, you've been there...I've been such an idiot..."
"You're not an idiot", Uryu replied. "You are a kind, beautiful, amazing woman. You just need to see for yourself the way others see you."
Time stood still as they moved towards each other. Their lips met and they shared a kiss under the moonlight. It didn't last long, however, as they heard the click of a camera.
"Crap! I think they're on to us...", a male's voice said.
Uryu looked behind the bench and saw two heads of short black hair and a head of long red hair.
"Can we help you?"
"Aggghhh!!!!!!! They caught us!!!!"
Orihime and Uryu exchanged glances as Ayumu, Yumichika, and Kaori fled the scene.
"Hey, wait a minute...", Uryu said. "Get back here!"
He swept Orihime into his arms and broke off into a run after the three screaming Shinigami.
Orihime wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled, truly happy for the first time in weeks.
Uryu was, and always had been her knight in shining armor.
And that was the one thing that would never change.
He's everything you want, he's everything you need
He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time...
A/N: THE END!!! I surprised myself with how long this story came out. I thought it would be this short little thing, but it turned out to be the longest thing I've ever written in one shot...amazing.