Liner notes: Again, another one shot of mine is noticed very little (I'm actually hoping some jackass anti-IchiOri enthusiast flames me). Oh well, it was kinda neat seeing my name on forums for awhile. I found it hilarious. "Bittersweet Symphony" was better than "Under the Bridge", but it still can't compare to "The Great Beyond". I don't expect to get that sort of emotional gravity with a one-shot, so maybe when I do an actual story, then I can display the same raw content I could before.
Alright, this story has a traditional Japanese theme to it: sakura watching. As you know, spring is the time in which the sakura bloom. The pink petals are gorgeous and entrance a person's eyes. I can see why they're used symbolically in manga so much (though I should have posted this ficlet earlier since the blooming was on Tuesday). I'm not exactly sure what Ichigo and Orihime will be doing in this piece, so let's see what happens.
XXXXX
Ichigo awoke to familiar smells in the morning, various aromas drifting through his home. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning while the rays of morning peeked through. He was alone in bed, which wasn't surprised as his partner always woke before him. Ichigo sighed, sliding out of the sheets before opening the door to the outside.
Ichigo's home was modest, not terribly large but adequate. It was enough for him and the other person living with him. Ichigo felt rather tired despite resting for the entire night. Then again, Orihime always had a habit of holding him a bit too tightly during bed.
Ichigo walked down the side of his home, coming to the door of the kitchen which was open. He saw Orihime using a rather large pair or chopsticks to stir something in a pan. Despite having less "unique" things to work with in the Soul Society, she always managed to convince a few squad members of hers to bring back things from the living world. Ichigo swore he could smell onions in the air mixed with something sweet.
"Good morning." Orihime glanced out of the corner of her eye and smiled.
"'Morning."
The same words day after day, but it was enough for either of them. Orihime hummed an anonymous tune under her breath, preparing whatever in the pan. Ichigo grabbed a cup of tea on the counter, sipping it.
"What in the world are you making?" Ichigo asked, trying his best not to be rude.
"Just some stir fry."
"In the morning?" Ichigo had to check the clock to be sure he hadn't slept in.
"No silly, it's for later. We promised to watch the sakura today with Kuchiki-san and Byakuya-san.
Oh yeah, he remembered something along those lines. Byakuya, stone-cold as his disposition relayed, apparently liked watching the sakura bloom in spring. Rukia said it had apparently become a tradition since her sister had passed away and they tried to see it in seclusion.
Orihime had decided she and Ichigo would accompany the brother-sister pair to the viewing. Ichigo agreed to it, but one would think a person with his disposition would avoid such romantic notions. Then again, that had been proven wrong before.
Ichigo took an onigiri off a tray Orihime had next to her and bit into it. He visibly blanched and recognized the taste of it as being wasabi and honey. He forgot that he should always ask before grabbing Orihime's cooking.
"No good?" Orihime asked.
"Er, no, just surprised."
"Li-ar."
Ichigo should have known better than to try and lie to Orihime to not insult her. In all actuality, it was impossible to evade her in knowing the truth as Orihime was far too perceptive.
Ichigo just swallowed some more tea to get the previous taste out of his mouth as Orihime cooked for later. She was actually an excellent cook, but she had a more indiscriminate tongue than most and so a lot of her creations were ignored. Ichigo still remembered that one night Renji nearly gagged on mayonnaise on rice in which Rukia proceeded to kick the redhead through the shouji door.
Just usual stuff nowadays, except for the fact that it was all in Soul Society. He had gotten used to Orihime being around, not feeling particularly embarrassed if he caught her in a state considered odd. Although, most men in the divisions said they'd give a leg or something else to be in those positions. Typical aesthetic things were what those men sought, nothing more.
"Hmm, I think we might even run into Setsu-san." Orihime said out of the blue.
"Who?"
"She's a classmate of mine from the Academy. Apparently her boyfriend likes cherry blossoms."
"Setsu, Setsu…she must live in the moment."
Orihime giggled at Ichigo's poor attempt at humor, even if he didn't know it was. She killed the flame for the pan she was using and kept fiddling with the concoction using her chopsticks. Ichigo just looked at her through half-lidded eyes, sipping his tea.
"Hand me those dishes, would you?" Orihime asked.
"Oh, sure."
Orihime had been referring to several bowls by Ichigo's side which he handed to her. She put the contents of the pans into the bowls, still humming her tune.
"Might I ask what's in that?" Ichigo sipped his tea again.
"Just teriyaki and onions with chicken. Although I think I might've slipped something else in there."
Ichigo half grimaced and half smirked at Orihime's forgetfulness. She always had a tendency to grab whatever was around. However, they still rarely turned out bad.
"I'm thinking about sukiyaki next time." Orihime said while washing her hands.
"Interesting."
"Would you like me to say I want a boy the first time?"
Unsurprisingly, Ichigo spit his tea out in a rather fast stream like a hose. That was out of left field for sure. Then he noticed that Orihime was laughing out loud, the back of her hand hovering in front of her mouth.
"Yoruichi-san was right when she said you were an easy tease."
"Lord, I'm a walking skit."
Ichigo wiped his mouth with the back of his mouth and got a washcloth for the mess he had made. That remark caught him off guard, but he should have seen it coming a mile off.
"So, it sure has warmed up." Orihime had somehow sneaked up on Ichigo, standing in front of him.
"Yeah, but things'll get friggin' hot soon."
"Hmm, you wouldn't get along with Setsu-san with that then."
"Eh?"
Orihime giggled again and went to peel her uniform from the back of a chair, slipping into it. Ichigo watched her, studying her. Orihime always had a sort of odd elegance about her when she was dressing, as though every movement was unusually fluid. He supposed karma saw that she was a klutz.
The sliding of the front door alerted Ichigo to a visitor's presence. It was Rukia for sure. No one else had that same pressure. He turned on his heel to go dress.
Rukia knew that there was no need to knock, as Ichigo didn't care and Orihime was inviting. She knelt down, removing her waraji before entering further. It was strange how Ichigo's change of residence had thrown her off. It used to be that Ichigo would stay in the barracks day in and day out. He'd changed, if only slightly.
"Come to fetch us, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime called from the kitchen.
"You could say that."
"Is Byakuya-san with you?"
"No, he went on ahead."
Rukia slid her waraji away, stepping onto the slightly higher floor and going further into the house. The constant creaks that Orihime made were always a sign where she was. Rukia entered the kitchen just as she saw the girl clipping her hair in the fashion she had chosen since becoming a shinigami.
"Ichigo isn't around?" Rukia noticed the slight vacancy.
"I think he's getting dressed. Tea?"
"Oh, thanks."
Orihime, always the gracious hostess. Every time people were invited, they were stuffed silly and always entertained. Rukia accepted the drink and sipped. Ichigo wasn't slow in dressing, but he had become a bit more lacking in haste since some months back.
Rukia watched through lidded eyes at Orihime. Always such an air of calm radiance, like a sun kept hidden from eyes by a black veil. She had changed since her arrival two decades ago. Rukia had remembered when she was an energetic, ditzy schoolgirl. Her eyes were always so full of bright intrigue, lamps of glory is what they were.
Had she matured? Of course Orihime had matured, people always did. She was once so bright, but in the subtlest way she had calmed. She smiled, but it was actually quite ordinary compared to the one of her younger days. Was it wisdom? Or maybe experience.
"Oi, enjoying yourself?" Ichigo always did have that odd habit of sneaking.
He had also changed. His eyes weren't so tense, more natural perhaps. He still looked scary as hell, but at least now his face didn't appear as a death-glare. That grimace he bore wasn't as deep now, more like a blank expression than anything else.
"Nii-sama went on ahead." Rukia set her cup down, though she hadn't even half-finished the tea inside.
"Bah, typical of him."
Byakuya and Ichigo had at least become civil, even if they gave off an air of discontent. They respected one another on some level or another and acknowledged the other's power. An odd relation at best, but Ichigo hardly had any sort of normal social interaction, even with Orihime.
"Well, we don't want to keep Byakuya-san waiting, now do we?" Orihime had gathered everything in a large bento.
"He can choke on pollen for all I care."
XXXXX
The sakura had just begun blooming some time ago, their petals scattering into the air. The site they created was glorious, mystical even. Deft hands caught a pink petal, trapping it between long, slender fingers.
"Enjoying yourself, Icchan?"
Eyes that looked disinterested glanced at a tall woman, her wolfish bob being her identification. The hand's owner let the petal be caught by a stray breeze, taking it elsewhere. The same hand ran through stray bangs of the deepest green, brushing them aside from a rather interesting face.
"I suppose so." answered a voice, a baritone of male origins.
"Gawd, you sound bored out of your mind."
"My apologies, Setsu-dono."
Setsu frowned, showing her discomfort of the honorific. She sighed, knowing she wasn't getting any other sort of behavior from her companion. She put her hands on her hips, sighing at the man she accompanied.
"For a guy who says he likes the scenery, you sure do look tense as hell."
"Do I?" an angular eyebrow rose.
"Well, duh, you look like your face would crack if you so much as smirked."
Setsu's companion seemed to have focused his attention elsewhere, his eyes glancing towards his left.
"What is it?" Setsu asked.
"Inoue-dono I believe. Are you in the mood to see Kurosaki-taichou as well?"
Setsu's companion swore she took on a face akin to a fox plotting mischief.
XXXXX
Rukia had to take the large bento Orihime had carried since the latter had gotten a little too much into the cherry blossoms. She had suddenly started darting around and tried to catch the numerous petals. Rukia decided to carry the box before their afternoon meal became feed for the birds.
"She's very happy." Rukia said.
"Why wouldn't she be?"
"It just seemed like a mask at times really, as if she put it on to hide from everyone."
"Really?"
Rukia glanced at her captain and friend. His eyes had never once strayed from the girl that hopped as innocently as a child amidst the trees.
"I suppose in that aspect, she's a lot like you."
"Maybe."
Orihime had become ecstatic over seeing the cherry blossoms. The trees stretched as far as the eyes could see. It was so gorgeous, like a scene from a romantic painting.
More of the petals came freely from the trees, a few catching in the strands of Orihime's long hair. She giggled innocently, picking them from her hair and letting them catch the wind again.
"You seem to be enjoying the sakura, Inoue-san."
Orihime's head turned, seeing Byakuya standing under a tree. His expression was as dull as always, and his attire missing the captain's haori he usually wore. His eyes weren't cold like they usually were, bored, but not cold.
"Oh, I didn't notice you, Byakuya-san. Did I disturb you?" Orihime brushed her hair over her shoulder.
"Not at all. I suppose your arrival means Kurosaki and Rukia are coming."
"Couldn't you have sensed them anyway?"
"I was a bit too lost in thought before you came along."
Byakuya stepped forward, brushing aside a stray branch as he did so. More sakura petals fluttered about, almost whirling around Byakuya for a moment. His steps were calm as always and short in length. He hardly even made a sound or even changed the position of the grass or petals he was stepping over.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"The sakura of course."
"Oh, yeah."
Byakuya caught several of the petals in his open hand before the wind took them again.
"Do you like sakura, Byakuya-san?" Orihime asked after watching the man's behavior.
"Yes, though I suppose it's a bittersweet sort of feeling."
"Bittersweet?"
"My wife died before the sakura even had a chance to bloom."
"Oh, I forgot."
Byakuya fiddled with his scarf, throwing one of the loose ends over his shoulder. His eyes fell upon Orihime's, bringing about a nostalgic feeling.
"So, has Kurosaki thought about wedding you yet?" Byakuya asked out of the blue.
"Eh! B-b-b-but we've only been living together for nine months! And, er, uh."
"I knew Hisana for much shorter than that before I took her as my wife." Was that a shadow of a smirk upon Byakuya's face? "You two are over forty, have lived together for nearly a year, and I do believe he's taken you before."
Orihime blushed. Darn that Rangiku-san and her overactive mouth. Yes, she and Ichigo lived together, they ate together, and they even slept in the same bed. And yet…Orihime shook her head, realizing how much of what she had wanted back then was in her hand and still wanting more. Ichigo, how much like a drug he was to her.
"Oi, flower boy!"
Attentions were diverted to Ichigo and Rukia who had just come up the path towards Orihime and Byakuya. The elder man sighed at the younger one's antics, still astonished that he hadn't learned how to respect his elders.
"As volatile as always, Kurosaki." Byakuya remarked in a matter-of-factly way.
"Hey, just be lucky I'm nice enough to decide to come. And you better thank Orihime for lunch too."
"I always try to remain polite."
Ichigo just grunted at Byakuya. Amongst the Gotei Thirteen, he and Byakuya had the most distant personalities in regards to one another. However, they had at least learned to respect each other's power if not the other person.
Rukia smirked at the two men as she reached into the basket that had the picnic lunch Orihime prepared. Byakuya just sighed, his eyes glancing for a moment at the odd-haired couple that accompanied him and Rukia. So much alike, so much alike that it was frightening.
"Nii-sama."
Byakuya glanced at Rukia offering him a pair of chopsticks and a bowl. He nodded graciously and sat on the grass under the tree.
The little meeting was quiet, Rukia and Byakuya on one side and Orihime and Ichigo on the other. Ichigo looked somewhat relaxed, for once, since the creases and furrows on his face were less defined. Orihime on the other hand was gobbling her meal rather sloppily, getting sauce on her cheeks and around her lips.
Byakuya merely raised an eyebrow at the two. On outside appearances they were quite different, save for the strange hair. However, Byakuya could see that Inoue and Ichigo were not a bit different.
"So, how has your squad been?" Byakuya asked Rukia, shocking her with his attempt at small talk.
"Er, it's fine, nii-sama."
"And I presume she's been kept out of harm, Kurosaki?"
"Hey, last thing I need is to beat sense into you." Ichigo responded with a scowl "'Sides, it's not like I'd let a weakling be a seated officer."
"Fair enough."
Orihime smiled at the small exchange between Byakuya and Ichigo. They could at least find common ground in the fact that they were elder brothers. Not so much opposites as antitheses of one another.
"Inoue-san, may I?" Byakuya offered his bowl to her.
"Oh, of course."
Just then, the sakura in the tree the group was under began to fall a bit more rapidly.
"Eh, the hell?" Ichigo wondered.
"What's up?"
Unexpectedly, a falling object suddenly dropped onto Ichigo and sent him rolling across the grass. Rukia and Orihime were wondering what was going on, but Byakuya just responded by raising an eyebrow.
Enraged, Ichigo disentangled himself from the object with a vein rising rapidly to his forehead.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Damn, are you sure you're a captain? You didn't notice me until I was right on top of you."
"What?"
Despite being flustered, Orihime was immediately able to identify Ichigo's assailant.
"Oh, Setsu-san!"
"Yo!"
The cobalt-haired tomboy promptly hopped to her feet again, grinning like she always did. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that Orihime would know such a woman. Then again, he seemed to have forgotten her friendship with Tatsuki.
Setsu grinned again, observing Ichigo from head to toe.
"Sorry about the entrance, but I can't resist a little tease even if you are a captain."
"What's your name?"
"Ryuuhai Chokusetsu, I'm the Sixth Seat in the Eleventh Division."
"Great, I bet that bastard Kenpachi yacks about me all the time."
"Something like that." Setsu couldn't help but grin.
Orihime decided to intervene at this point, standing next to Ichigo.
"Setsu-san, where's your friend?" the auburn beauty asked.
"Eh? I swear he shoulda came down by now…" then a look of discontent rose to her face "he better not have."
Everyone then noticed the woman took on the appearance of a demon with a very nasty aura hanging about her. Angrily she stomped towards the tree and then with a great kick alongside it she yelled:
"ICCHAN YOU MORON!"
The entire tree shook, littering the ground with petals along with a very large black object dropping out of the tree.
"YOU FELL ASLEEP AGAIN?"
The object was then seen to be a person, though Ichigo couldn't quite tell if it was a woman or a man. The person yawned, tresses of deep green sliding along the entire length of their back as they went to stand.
"My apologies, but you know I tend to become too comfortable in trees."
Ichigo and Orihime's eyes then became rather large as they couldn't believe the emerald-haired person in front of them was a man. First of all, the man was too thin and his figure was quite curved. His face was also highly effeminate despite angular features. His hair was also absurd, being down to his knee and having strands randomly braided.
The man obviously opened his eyes, but his wild bangs kept their irises from being seen. He glanced towards Setsu, his expression blank. The woman sighed.
"This is Issou, a friend of mine. And yes, he is a guy."
Ichigo still had a hard time believing that. Well, at least Issou was as tall as he was, so it was somewhat believable. His clothes, like Setsu's, had been modified heavily. He wore boots like Ichigo, though they weren't as slim-fitting. His pants and jacket weren't as wide either, going for a sort of modern look along with a high-neck shirt he wore under the jacket. His hands were also gloved, covering what skin should have been revealed under black leather.
"Kurosaki-taichou-dono, correct?" the man asked.
"Er, yeah," perhaps the hesitation was due to the man's politeness "who are you?"
The man bowed, his green hair dropping like a waterfall.
"Munashii Issou, the Fourth Seat of Zaraki-taichou's Eleventh Division. I'm honored to meet you."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He never had anyone bow to him out of admiration before, least of all someone from Zaraki's division. The effeminate, lean man didn't look like someone who would fit in Zaraki's crowd at all. Hell, the guy didn't even have his zanpakutou with him.
Issou rose from his position, his face coming level with Ichigo's. Despite the introduction, Ichigo felt a chill running up his spine
"I must confess, you're not quite what I expected." Issou commented.
"Meh, everyone says that."
"Well…" Issou's eyes slid over to Orihime "I never imagined a captain of such notoriety would let his heart be so easily decided."
"Eh? What the hell are you blabbering about?"
Everyone but Ichigo seemed to get what the odd man was talking about. Setsu snorted, suppressing a laugh at her superior's. Orihime merely grinned at Ichigo's ignorance.
"Nothing," Issou almost playfully added "well, nothing important at least."
Issou tossed a braid of his hair over his shoulder as he turned his head to Setsu. For the first time, Ichigo saw the man's eyes' color.
"I shall take my leave, farewell."
Issou turned on his heel, Setsu already walking away as he did so. He gave a nod to Byakuya and Rukia, though both seemed a bit indifferent to it.
Ichigo scratched his chin at the exiting youth, pondering him.
"That guy gives me the chills." he commented.
"…Y-yeah." Orihime agreed nervously.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow, surprised at Orihime. Usually she didn't speak badly of people, so saying Issou made her uneasy was not normal.
Byakuya was also still staring as Issou vanished amidst the cherry blossoms with Setsu. His face was blank, but his eyes conveyed deep thought.
"Silver...eyes." he said so low it was barely audible.
"Eh? So what if his eyes are grey? I saw 'em too, but it's not like grey eyes are special."
"Not gray, silver. His eyes were as silver as the moon."
"It's there something weird about silver eyes in Soul Society?" Ichigo placed his hand on his hip, becoming a bit aggravated with Byakuya.
"No, it's just…" Byakuya placed his hand on his chin, thinking "silver is a rare color. And…"
"And?"
Byakuya shook his head.
"No, it's probably nothing." though his voice seemed to imply otherwise.
XXXXX
"What'd you think of him?" Setsu was hopping from branch to branch whilst Issou walked on the path.
"Of Kurosaki-taichou?"
"Yeah."
Issou glanced over his shoulder even though Ichigo was already out of sight.
"Not exactly how I imagined him, but…"
"Oi, get a move on with the explaining." Setsu hung from a tree branch upside-down.
"It seems he's more similar to me than I first thought."
Setsu blinked, unsure of what Issou meant by that statement. The man put his hand over his face, sighing.
"Icchan?"
"They saw my eyes…I know they did."
Unexpectedly, Issou began to dig his gloved fingers into his eye. Blood came forth from the socket as Issou did so. However, Setsu had dropped from the tree and seized Issou's hand to pry it away from his eye.
"Dammit! Do you know how many times you've tried that shit?" she yelled "I'm surprised you ain't blind in that eye yet."
"…Sorry."
Setsu struck Issou across the face, though it was with a closed fist.
"And stop apologizing after you do it! I'm sick of it!"
Issou didn't move his neck one bit. He just stood there, his bloodied eye facing towards an enraged Setsu. The woman gave one last sigh before examining Issou's eye.
"It's not too bad," she said "though I'm still surprised you're not blind in this eye yet."
Issou merely closed his eyes, a slight amount of blood coming from the injured one. Setsu did something rather odd then. Standing tip-toe, she licked the blood on Issou's face, like a cat. She did so until every drop of the blood was off Issou's face.
"You…"
"Hn?" Issou raised a brow.
"I think your eyes are beautiful. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
He had upset her again. Setsu would get angry, but sadness only happened with Issou. One of his long fingers touched her chin and her eyes met his.
"It does."
XXXXX
Rukia and Byakuya had left several minutes earlier, saying they were going to visit Hisana. As such, it was now only Ichigo and Orihime under the tree. Ichigo laid his head on Orihime's lap, relaxing. The woman scratched his hair, sakura petals dropping around him.
Ichigo's eyes had closed almost instantly when he rested on Orihime's lap. She smiled as she looked at him, his brow not so furrowed and the creases on his jaw not as deep either.
She thought about what Byakuya had said earlier. Orihime had thought at least once a day about being married to Ichigo, though most of that had been naïve fantasy until recently. However, the consideration of it had been becoming more and more real as of late.
Orihime wanted that to happen so badly it hurt. However, she knew of Ichigo's emotional state and he had not thought about it as much as she. She just scratched his hair again and sighed.
"Something wrong?" Ichigo asked, his left eye opening and looking at Orihime.
"No, nothing at all."
Ichigo grinned and closed his eye.
"Then I'm glad."
XXXXX
Liner notes: Dammit, why is this so rough? Then again it doesn't help that I've been doing for two months and got off track due to videogames and going to OhayoCon (I was cosplaying a Bleach character there). Plus it doesn't help that Kubo has made some of the hardest characters in history to write, Byakuya especially. I couldn't really find a way for him to sound in character and yet maintain a sort of empathic nature. Oh well, my summer story will end the Lyrics series and then I'll make a short story.
Oh yeah, a thing about Byakuya that came to me as of recent. His sword is named after sakura and I believe there's a legend that the first sakura tree had a corpse buried under it. Its roots sucked up the blood from the corpse and stained its leaves pink. I think that fact that Byakuya has such a sort is symbolism for his late wife. Just something I noticed.
Well, here's some data on Setsu and a little rant of mine about Orihime.
Full Name: Ryuuhai Chokusetsu (Dragon Ash, Straightforward)
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 50 kilo
Measurements: 36-25-28
Birthday: June 22
Blood Type: BO
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Cobalt
Birthplace: District 1 Junrinan
Squad: 11
Rank: 6th seat
Discipline:
Zanjutsu (main): Considers herself to be fourth dan
Hakuda: 4th dan
Hohou: 2nd dan (is rumored to actually be able to use Shunpou for a short amount of time)
Kidou (secondary): Can bypass an incantation for a level 20 spell
Zanpakutou:
Name: Houshi yori Tatsukuchi (Star over the Dragon's Mouth)
Appearance: Twin katana with rings attached to hand-guards. One is completely black, the other pure white
Shikai: Unknown, only Issou has seen it
Likes:
Sake
Hot days
Onsen (hot springs)
Dislikes:
Silence
Fish
Miscellaneous:
Chided for her boyish personality and appearance
Mixes milk with sake
Collects firearms from the human world as well as cowboy accessories
The shade of violet her eyes are is very rare, said to appear in only one of several hundred-million births
Bio: The tomboyish and cheerful 6th seat of the Eleventh Division. She also has the odd honor of being Munashii Issou's only friend, though it is unknown how they met. She has recently added a pair of shooting gloves to her attire and is looking for a pair of cowboy boots.
Theme song: "New Noise" by Refused. Recorded in "The Shape of Punk to Come"
About Orihime: Why is she so hated? It seems whenever I'm on forums, people just bash her left and right for being the way she is. "Boring", "one-dimensional", "stupid". I think the cast of Bleach is one I can empathize with utterly (except the fucker known as Mayuri).
Yeah, Orihime is nice, she's kind, she's innocent. What's so wrong with that? She just cares so much and she bleeds with all her soul whenever something happens that gets others hurt. In chapter 195 when Ichigo couldn't find out what to say, he bled just as deeply and just as painfully as she did. They aren't so different. Whenever they let someone down, they torture their beings to make some sort of repentance.
Yeah, say what you will, Orihime is just who she is and that is nothing less than a truly beautiful and deceptively deep character. You'd think some people would understand, but apparently a lot of self-righteous critics and know-it-alls can't get the emotional depth out of this series and can't see the world through the eyes of the characters. She has depth, she has character, and I doubt Kubo-dono wants her bashed. Insult her, you insult him.