Title: Orihime's Boyfriend
Pairing: IchiHime.
Genre: Humor/Romance/Friendship.
Synopsis: Orihime has a secret boyfriend, and Ichigo is determined to confront her about it.
Warning: I'm not a pro at English, so I'm sorry if I write anything wrong. If you don't ship IchiHime, this probably isn't your place, because it's IchiHime 100%. This is only one-shot, but if you guys like it, I can write a continuation. Also, rating T because of Ichigo's language (bad boy!). Also, I'm not saying Ichigo would actually react like this. I'm sure if Orihime got a boyfriend, he would be supportive of her. This is just for fun.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo, though I wouldn't mind if he gave it to me.
-x-
Inoue was acting strange.
At first, Ichigo thought it was just an impression, like when she declined Tatsuki's offer to have ice cream with them after school, and she claimed she would be too busy. Aware of her love for ice cream, and the fact that she liked spending time with Rukia while the small shinigami was around, he got immediately distrusted, wondering what could be so urgent. However, he was 100% sure Inoue wouldn't lie to them. If there was something going on, she would tell her friends.
After all, it was Inoue.
Then he was reminded of the incident in Hueco Mundo.
That immediately got him worried.
However, he decided to let it go, since it was a one-time thing.
Except it wasn't.
She was getting late in class, usually showed up with a tired expression, like she'd been up all night. She constantly left class to use the toilet, at least that's what she said to the teacher. And the declines became more constant in the next 10 days.
And it wasn't until the 11th day that Ichigo finally knew the reason to why she was acting strange.
When she asked to go to the toilet for the 7th time, Ichigo felt a hollow approaching, and decided to go take care of it, running from class as well. After he returned, with only a cut on his cheek, he saw her.
Instead of being in the bathroom, she was resting her back onto a wall, of an empty hallway, with her yellow phone pressed to her ear. He knew he shouldn't, but his worry and curiosity was stronger than him… so he approached her in a silent manner, and hid behind the other wall so she wouldn't see him.
"… school is close to end, so don't worry, I'll be there very soon," he heard her chuckle a bit, in that adorable way. "I miss you too,"
Huh?
Who the hell was she talking to?
He watched as she looked to his opposite side.
"I gotta go. Remember to keep the door closed," She gave out a long sigh. "Huh? Oh, no. Don't worry about me…"
Ichigo took this time to take another look at her and almost gasped in shock as he saw a soft blush taking over her cheeks, as she smiled to the ground.
"I love you too,"
WHAT?!
"Bye-bye,"
And she turned off the phone and started walking towards where he was. Ichigo held his breath and hid further against the wall. Inoue surely wouldn't get mad at him, would she? It's not like he was stalking her or anything, so there was no need for her to be mad. After all, she was the one keeping things from him!
But it's not like I can hold this against her, right?
He felt her approaching and closed his eyes, waiting for the worse. Only to open them and watch and she walked by him, not even noticing his presence. He felt so relieved that his legs nearly gave out. However, he stopped moving when she suddenly stopped in her spot.
Not even breathing, he watched as she yawned and rubbed her shoulders.
"Itai…" She pouted, pressing a finger against her lip. "I've never been this tired before," She began walking again. "Akio-kun doesn't let me sleep anymore,"
Ichigo widened his eyes and watched as she left. A strange feeling took over his body, one very similar to what he felt when Shinji hugged Inoue in the middle of class. His eyes began twitching, and he felt his hands closing into fists, as a vein began to throb into his forehead.
Who the fuck was Akio-kun?!
-x-
"H-hey, Ichigo… are you alright?"
"Yes," Ichigo replied darkly. "Why?"
"Oh… n-nothing,"
All of Ichigo's friends contemplated Ichigo as they ate in the table, a dark aura around him, as he watched Inoue eat her bread with paste bean cheerfully, his eyes blazing, watching her every move. Everyone, except for the auburn haired princess had noticed she was being watched by the strawberry shinigami.
"Kurosaki," Uryuu fixed his glasses, sighing. "If you must discuss something with Inoue-san, I suggest you do it now. We're not all in the mood for your mood,"
"Just let him be, Ishida," Rukia said, calmly, eating her sandwich. "All those months of unresolved sexual tension with Inoue… maybe he finally broke,"
"SEXUAL TENSION?! WITH INOUE-SAN! ICHIGO YOU LUCKY BASTARD!" Keigo moved to embrace the orange-haired punk, but was suddenly stopped by Sado's large hand. Ichigo remained unaware of what his friends were saying, too caught up in his thoughts.
Who could this Akio dude be?
Not only he seemed close to Inoue… he was the guy Inoue had said she lo… lo… well, that thing. If she was attempting to hide her relationship with him from her friends, then this guy surely couldn't be a good thing, right? Maybe she was in an abusive relationship, and was too frightened to tell them. After all, she did say the dude wouldn't let her sleep anymore. CAN YOU SENSE THE UNHEALTHYNESS IN THAT?!
If that was really the case, Ichigo was more than glad to give this guy a beating Full Hollow Mode level. His hand was already twitching just by the thought.
But what if…
Ichigo lowered his gaze at the thought.
What if was someone Inoue genuinely wanted to be with? Someone who treated her well, and made her really happy? And the real reason she was hiding their relationship was because she didn't want him to enter the crazed world of Hollows & Shinigamis she lived in?
I really hadn't thought by that side… Ichigo sighed and felt like sinking further into a deep ocean of shit.
Then a fickle in the head brought him back.
"Itai!" Ichigo yelled out, and looked up to see Rukia with her fingers in his face. "What the hell was that for, you bitch?!"
"You tell me. You're the one who went from 'I'm gonna kill someone' to 'someone just stole my puppy' mood like a whiplash. What's going on with you?" She questioned, lowering her fingers.
"None of your business," Ichigo rubbed his forehead, and looked again at the beautiful auburn haired princess who was now staring at him with a worried look.
"Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked, with a cute pout.
Ichigo sighed, feeling guilty over thinking so many things about her. Inoue didn't belong to him. She wasn't his property and if she wanted to date someone, she didn't need anyone's permission for that. He really was just being a jackass.
"Yeah, Inoue," Ichigo gave her a half-smile. "There's no need to worry about me,"
He would certainly let it go.
-x-
Three hours later…
"I think Inoue has a boyfriend," Ichigo blurted out.
Rukia turned to look at him, with her eyebrows lifted and her eyes as smooth as ever.
"So?"
So?
"So?!" Ichigo repeated. "Are you serious?! Do you have any idea how grave this is?! She could get hurt, you know?! The guy could be an asshole, he could cheat on her!" He yelled, causing for many people in the street to look at him as if he was nuts. "Aren't you even in the least worried?!"
Rukia sighed and kept walking.
"What makes you so sure she has a boyfriend, anyway?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
"I heard her talking on the phone…"
"So, you were spying on her…"
"NO! I simply heard it, it was an accident! Anyway, she said she lo… lo… argh! She said something to him, and then she turned off and said 'Akio-kun' wasn't letting her sleep anymore!" Ichigo crossed his arms and waited for Rukia to say something.
He watched as the raven-haired shinigami blinked her eyes multiple times, and a smile began to grow in her lips.
"Akio-kun, huh?" She chuckled.
"Yes! Why the hell are you laughing?!"
Rukia took control of her giggles, and then stared at Ichigo, her smile showing no traces of disappearing.
"You're right, Ichigo," She tapped his shoulder. "He's definitely someone special to Inoue,"
He knew it!
Wait…
"You knew it?!" Ichigo yelled, his eyes nearly bursting out of orbits.
Rukia pressed her lips together, and nodded.
"She introduced me to him when we did school project at her place, three days ago," She turned her back on him, making it impossible for him to see her expression. "You have nothing to worry about. He's sweet and polite, and adorable… it's impossible to dislike him… he wouldn't harm a bug,"
Ichigo blinked various times at this, and then yelled out again.
"That's even worse! That means he can't protect her from anything!" Ichigo knew he sounded like a brat, but he needed to make her understand his point. "And if he's all the things you say, why is she hiding him from her friends?"
"Because she wishes to protect him," Rukia turned to look at him, and flashed him a shiny smile. "Isn't that the greatest kind of love?"
Before Ichigo could say anything else, she began walking and that made him instantly give up on his argument.
"If Inoue ever wants to be with someone… isn't it your duty as her friend to support her?" Rukia asked him, arching an eyebrow. "I know you wish to protect her from all the harm and evil in the world… but she can't spend the rest of her life hiding behind your shield, you know? She deserves to be happy, with whoever she wants,"
Silence took over as they walked for a moment, and when Rukia turned, she saw Ichigo lowering his glare to the ground, his orange hair mixing with the sunlight.
"You're right…" He whispered.
"As usual," Rukia smirked and then she heard a beep down her shirt pockets. "Look, there's a…"
"Hollow, I know," Ichigo turned his back on her. "I've got this,"
And he put Kon's pill down his mouth, separating himself from his body and running off to find the hollow. Rukia watched him leave and her surprised look was replaced by a beautiful smile, as she shook her head and Kon began moving in the ground.
"Ichigo… you really are an idiot…"
"NEE-SAN!"
Rukia stomped her foot on Kon's face.
-x-
Despite trying very hard, Ichigo wasn't able to sleep well at night. He couldn't get Inoue out of his head. Every time he thought about her and her supposed boyfriend, he got incredibly mad, and felt the need to punch something. Why was he feeling like that? Like Rukia said, Inoue was his friend, his comrade, so he should give her his support… but why couldn't he do that?
Why was his heart aching so much at the thought of her being happy with somebody else?
Everyone in school seemed to notice his low mood, because not even Keigo attempted to hug him today. Instead, he just greeted Ichigo normally, with a worried frown. Ichigo tried to pay attention to class, but those thoughts kept creeping in, never leaving him alone.
What if not only this guy was her boyfriend, but her soulmate? The one who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with?
The image of Inoue walking down the aisle as a blurry-faced man awaited for her took over his head, and he hid his face between his hands. Why couldn't he let this go? Why was it affecting him so much? No matter how many hollows he slayed, the anger and the agony just wouldn't leave him.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts, and looked to see the reason for all this right ahead of him.
Beautiful as always, Inoue Orihime was in front of him, with an innocent smile, bags under her eyes and school uniform. Clutching her purse, she approached a step.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Ichigo sighed and shook his head.
"Not really. Didn't get much sleep," Time to abroad the topic. "You look like you haven't gotten any sleep at all, too. Is there something going on?"
Inoue rubbed her hair, in which he assumed was a nervous action.
"I have been working a lot," She admitted, shrugging. "Just came here to ask Kurosaki-kun if he was okay. We haven't been talking that much lately, have we?"
"No, we haven't," Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "To change that, let me walk you home today,"
Inoue jumped in her spot, a heavy blush taking over her cheeks.
"T-t-there's no need for that, K-Kurosaki-kun!" She choked in her own words, taking a few steps back. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your plans!"
"I have none. And I insist," He approached her again, his feet only 3 centimeters away from hers. Had they ever been this close before? "C'mon. I'll walk you home,"
"O… Okay,"
I need to solve this today. If I don't, I'll surely go crazy.
-x-
The walk to Inoue's house was silent. She constantly brought up topics, to which Ichigo quickly replied. However, despite his cool appearance, inside he was shaking furiously. How would he ask her? Would he start a conversation and suddenly accuse her of lying? Would he just suck it up and ask her? Would he press her against the wall and order her to say whatever she was hiding? Should he really even ask her?
Kurosaki-kun is quiet today, Orihime noted, observing the orange-haired boy.
Too caught up in his thinking, Ichigo only noticed they'd finally arrived to Inoue's house when the girl stood in front of him and waved happily,
"Thanks for bringing me home, Kurosaki-kun!"
Ichigo blinked quickly and watched as she turned her back on him.
"W-wait," He choked out before she opened the door. She turned to look at him, with a confused expression. "There's something I want to ask you,"
Orihime turned her body fully to him and crossed her arms, the same innocent expression she always used.
"What is it?"
Okay, this is it, Ichigo. Ask her quietly. Explain the situation first and then you…
"Why didn't you tell me you were dating?!" Ichigo asked, blushing heavily.
AND THEN YOU DON'T ASK THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU JERK!
The healer looked at him, blinking, processing his words.
"Eh?!"
Was that all she had to say.
Ichigo groaned, his blush intensifying, and looked to the side, so he wouldn't have to face her.
"You know what I'm talking about!" He accused. "Lately, you've been tired and late, and it's all because of this guy, isn't it?" She opened her mouth, but he spoke before she could. "Don't deny it! I heard you talking on the phone with him!"
"On the… phone?"
"Yes!" Ichigo shook his head. "I know I'm not crazy. I know what I heard. I understand why you wouldn't tell Tatsuki, since she's overprotective and all, but… why didn't you tell me?" He looked defeated to the ground. "Am I that unworthy of your trust?"
"Kurosaki-kun, that isn't…"
"I just want to know why you wouldn't tell me, dammit!" Ichigo groaned. "I'm you friend! Friends tell each other these things, don't they?"
"Please, hear me out, Kurosaki-kun…"
"You didn't think I'd get jealous or anything, right? Because I wouldn't! Okay, so it did bother me to think of you going out with someone, but that's only because I worry for your safety! It's not like I want you all to myself, or anything, or whatever Rukia teased me about!"
"Kurosaki-kun…"
"I just… Inoue…"
The sound of the door opening interrupted whatever both were trying to say. Ichigo looked at the door only to see a small human appear behind the opening door, with shining gray eyes.
"Orihime-obachan?"
Eh?
Ichigo watched as the small kid ran to Orihime's right leg, glaring at Ichigo in fear.
"Oba-chan, who is this man?" He cutely asked her.
Orihime smiled and bent down to ruffle his dark brown hair.
"This is my friend, Kurosaki Ichigo," Orihime turned to Ichigo and pointed down to the little kid. "Kurosaki-kun… meet Akio-kun,"
EH?!
Ichigo was sure he would soon be confused with his Hollow, since even his hair was probably turning white. All this time, he thought that… he thought that she…
"But… but…" Ichigo choked on his own words. "W… wasn't he your boyfriend?"
"Eh? Akio-kun, my boyfriend?" Orihime asked, disturbed by the suggestion. "Isn't he a bit too young for these kind of suppositions? He's only 6, you know?"
"But, Rukia, she told me…"
Wait a second, Ichigo stopped to take a look over what Rukia had actually said to him.
In what exact moment had the midget said this Akio was her boyfriend? Now that he thought about it, he didn't really Rukia confirming anything. She just reassured him that Akio was someone special to her. And instead of saying "now that Inoue has a boyfriend," while talking to him, she had actually said:
"If Inoue ever wants to be with someone…"
God, he was such an idiot.
He could feel the same heavy blush taking over him, as he looked to the side, avoiding Orihime's gaze. How embarrassing! He'd made such a fool of himself in front of her. And for what? Nothing!
In the end, even if she had arranged a boyfriend, he would still be wrong to go there and confront her. Hadn't he been the one to say that she was her own person, and she didn't belong to anyone? Because that was truth. She didn't belong to anyone. Not even to him.
"Kurosaki-kun?" She called out, worried.
Ichigo sighed and looked up to her, his blush still burning in his cheeks.
"T… that's nice," He cleaned his throat. "H-hello," He said to the small child.
The dark-brown haired small boy slid away from Orihime's legs, stepping out of her shadow and coming to the light. Despite having such a small body, he had large gray eyes, just like Orihime's, and he gave Ichigo a smile that resembled hers as well.
"Konnichiwa, Kurosaki-san,"
How cute.
Except Ichigo would never say that out loud, of course. It'd been enough embarrassment for one day only.
"Are you friends with auntie Orihime?" The kid asked, blinking his large eyes towards Ichigo.
"Y… yes,"
Wait, auntie?
"Aunt? Is he your family, or something?" Ichigo asked to the auburn-haired princess.
To his surprise, instead of her usual smile, she looked down at the ground sadly. As he was about to ask what happened, she pulled Akio a bit closer to her, as if to make sure he was really there.
"Yes. He's my brother's son," Ichigo gasped at this. "I was surprised too when I heard of him. It turns out my brother had a girlfriend one year before he died and one day she left, because she'd gotten pregnant, and her parents forbid her from seeing him anymore, or telling him about their child," She ruffled Akio's dark-brown hair. "So she left and Onii-chan never heard of her again. However, two weeks ago, his mother got into an accident, and his grandparents have passed from old age. I was his only relative alive," She embraced the little boy tighter. "So they found my address and brought him over to my house,"
"And you've been looking out for him ever since?" Ichigo asked, feeling sad for the girl.
"Yes, I have," Orihime smiled. "I don't know if I'm doing such a good job, but I've been trying my best. He's a bit sick, so lately I haven't been getting much sleep, since he constantly needs to take his medicine. I probably should take him to a doctor, but the money I have only is enough to buy us food,"
"Why didn't you tell any of us? Actually, why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you. My dad owns a clinic, you know," Ichigo softly scolded her. "Hadn't we talked about this already? You promised you wouldn't keep these things from us anymore,"
Orihime looked at the ground, ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun," She said, sincerely. "I just… I didn't want to burden you guys with my problems… Itai!"
Ichigo had pinched her nose.
"I already told you to stop with this. You're not a burden, Inoue. You're my comrade. Remember that," He said, smirking at her, as the sunlight hit his face. He then turned to the younger kid, not noticing Orihime's blushing cheeks at his words. "Hey there, little guy. Hop up," He said, turning his back so the child could climb on him.
"What for?" Akio asked, innocently.
"I'm taking you to the clinic. There's an old man there that will take care of you; he's a bit crazy, but don't worry, he's good with kids," Ichigo said, reassuring the child.
"O… Okay," The little boy let go of Orihime's hand and carefully climbed on Ichigo's back.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said, in his ear, which caused shivers to go down his spine. Why, he didn't know. "I promise I'll try to lean on you guys more from now on,"
"You better," He smiled at her, and fixed Akio on his back. "Now let's get moving. While my dad takes care of him, I can ask Yuzu to make us some tea,"
Orihime blushed deeply at the thought of having tea with her crush.
"Oh… that… that sounds good. Let me just… close the door,"
"Sure,"
And after she died, they headed out talking, as the sunset shone illuminated their way.
Sounds like the perfect ending for a story, don't you think? Except this is Ichigo's life, so obviously something had to happen to ruin it.
"Hey… Kurosaki-kun…"
"Yes?"
"Can you explain me now what was the 'boyfriend' thing you were saying there?"
"Eh…"
Now that's more like it.
-x-
And that's it. My first time writing IchiHime. I'm sorry if the characters seemed OOC, I tried my best to be faithful to their essence, and it's gonna suck if I failed, but what can one do? Oh, well. Thanks to everyone who read it, and please, review, even if just to say you hated it. Just kidding, please be kind with me, hehe.
'Till next time.