title. bright
summary. "If you could wish for anything in this world, what would it be?"
prompt. wish + seven + rain + stars
note. lol. super rushed, please forgive my mistakes and… uh, utter crappiness. ^_^" maybe this won't make sense but…:D but i thoroughly enjoyed writing this one despite the stress of working for 7 days. happy tanabata! :)
disclaimer. applied.
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The stars are bright tonight, she told him.
Her voice was dreamy, firm with consonants, gentle with vowels – how odd. He grunted as a reply, and she hummed. As he listened to her, his eyes scanned the dark sky. She was right.
The stars are bright tonight, he agreed.
"What are you looking for?" She poked her head in the corner of his vision of the dark sky. A lock of caramel hair fell from behind her ear and touched his cheek.
He wrinkled his nose, contemplating. "Nothing," he said instead.
"Oh." She retreated, thin fingers carefully smoothing down the wrinkles of her yellow yukata with russet leaves and scarlet obi. "For a second there, I thought Kurosaki-kun is waiting for a falling star!"
He sat up, bent his knees and rested his elbows on them. She giggled behind her hand. "But of course~ Kurosaki-kun is too cool for that!" she amended, smiling.
He shrugged and stood up. "We should go." He looked down at her. She understood that look, Tatsuki and the others were probably looking for them.
"Hai!" She struggled to stand up due to her restricting yukata. He smirked, amused at her futile efforts, her lips in a pout. Still smirking lightly, he bent down to stop her from stumbling forward and maybe from rolling down the hill; his hand caught her elbow and effortlessly, he lifted her up to her feet.
She looked up to him, beaming gratefully. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun! You're too kind."
It was still odd to be called kind, but this was Inoue so he nodded and retracted his hand when he was sure she was steady. He turned to go, gesturing to her to follow with the toss of his head. Around his fifth step, he glanced over his shoulder to check if she was there. His eyebrows rose when he found out that she hadn't moved from her spot.
"Inoue?" She was not looking at him but at the sky, and her profile was soft, contemplative, and there were sparkles in her eyes, reflecting those bright stars. "Inoue?" he prodded when she stayed quiet. She jolted and looked at him with her wide, honey eyes, surprised. He lifted a brow inquiringly and this made her realize that Kurosaki-kun had the most expressive eyebrows.
She laughed at her realization and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry~ I'm just…" Her lips thinned and she gazed up to the sky, a black dome.
The stars, they were truly bright tonight.
"Ne, Kurosaki-kun…" There – that kind of tone again, dreamy, firm with consonants, gentle with vowels. It sounded like water, tilting, tinkling. "What if one day, the star Vega falls down in front of you and asks…"
Honey eyes met amber.
"If you could wish for anything in this world, what would it be?"
bright
i. 2 minutes and 13 seconds until the next stop.
Blood is a river, flowing darkly amidst the tangled—
7, 6, 5…
The next station came into sight.
4, 3, 2, 1… and the train screeched to a halt.
An orange head covered in black hood snapped up, jolting out of his stupor, out of that memory.
People flowed out, people flowed in. Bumping, shoving, and jostling.
Two more stations before his stop, he realized. He adjusted his headphones, music blaring in an effort to distract him – news from the front, news from the front, we're living in troubled times, so many fighting for their lives!
The train resumed moving.
The clack-clack of its wheels echoed. Outside, it was early morning. It was cloudless, a rosy pink horizon colored the pale sky. However, inside the train, it was already crowded, fluorescent lights and bright ads. People flowed out, people flowed in. Bumping, shoving, and jostling.
Ichigo increased the volume. News from the front, news from the front, we're living in troubled times, so many fighting for their lives!
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ii. She examined her orange fruit, her breakfast. A good fruit, perhaps, a good day, too, she thought. She hoped so. Today, after all, was a special day. She resumed walking, but paused in midstride; she was standing in an empty sidewalk. She looked up; it was still early, a hazy pink horizon dotted with pale yellow clouds greeted her vision. Hmm, she smiled, that was a good sunrise.
Yes, today will be a good day. She will make it.
A small tinkle of bells announced her arrival followed by a dull thump of door closing.
"Ohayooo!"
A chuckle greeted back. "Excited, aren't we, Orihime-chan?"
"Hai!"
Quick staccato of footsteps.
"Well, let's get started, then!"
Orihime smiled and silently chanted, rain, rain come another day.
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iii. The car advanced in a steady pace.
"She's busy?" the driver asked.
"Yeah… The bakery's busy with lots of orders for tonight's Tanabata festival. She wanted to make Tanabata-related sweets." The person in the passenger seat replied. She was occupied with her cell-phone.
"Did you tell her that we're supposed to pick up Kurosaki today?"
"I don't have to tell her, right? We pick up Ichigo every Tanabata for seven years." She was still busy tinkering with her cell-phone. "Crap," she hissed, disgruntled. She looked over her shoulder. "Sado, did you bring your cell-phone? I forgot to charge mine and I have to conserve my battery to call Orihime later."
The man in the back seat wordlessly handed her his mobile phone.
"Thanks."
The car slowed down to a halt as they reached a stop light. The light was red.
"I just find it odd that Inoue-san is not here."
There was a nonchalant shrug, and the silence thickened.
The light flashed green, the car advanced.
The silence continued.
"Thanks, Sado." She handed him back his cell phone casually. "I sent another message that we're going to be slightly," she reiterated the word, "Late."
The car changed lanes.
"Let Kurosaki wait."
"Jeez. You and Ichigo's childishness."
After that, Tatsuki looked outside. She did find it odd that Orihime chose not to accompany them today. But she decided not to comment about it. It was an obsolete topic and yes, she loved Orihime – that girl was more like her child than her friend – but Orihime's timidity was frustrating, painfully so.
She watched the sun rise behind the clouds shyly. It was a good sunrise, maybe a sign of good things to come today, Tatsuki thought. She was a pragmatist but she felt that it would not hurt to hope that maybe, this year will be different. Maybe, today is a good day and later, lives will change.
It was exhausting watching missed opportunities and neglected chances. Ichigo and Orihime were like two ships passing each other in the night every once a year.
It was the seventh year already. It is ridiculous, for god's sake, Tatsuki thought. But maybe this year, maybe today, they will learn to catch up with each other.
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iv. "Welcome back to Karakura, Kurosaki-samaaaa."
"Stop pretending that you've learned to respect me, Tatsuki," Ichigo grunted while placing his headphones around his neck. Tatsuki smirked.
"I can see your revolting hair from a mile here." Ishida pushed up his glasses over his nose.
He grinned fiercely. "Tch. Sorry, Ishida but I didn't miss you, jerk."
"Now, hush. It's so damn early for your childish squabbles. Continue your lover's spat later. Let's go. I'm hungry." Tatsuki snapped.
Ichigo nodded at Sado who flashed him a thumb's up sign. Ichigo looked around, his frown deepening. "Where's Inoue?" An empty space greeted him. It was unusual – in fact, it was almost sacrilegious – not seeing Inoue there smiling back at him. For seven years, for seven July sevens, she was always there to welcome him home. What happened?
Ishida and Sado looked at Tatsuki expectantly. Tatsuki shrugged, already walking off towards the direction of the parking lot.
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v. Ring.
"Ohayo! Orihime speaking~"
"Orihime."
"Ah. Tatsuki-chan~"
"Ichigo's here."
"Oh. Please say hi for me."
"Hey, don't you want to—"
Static.
Background noises.
Orihime-chan, more orders for carrot cake!
Orihime-san, we need more —
"Gomen, Tatsuki-chan. Please excuse me. I have to go~ I'll talk to you later, OK? Don't forget to say hi to Kurosaki-kun for me!"
"Fine, fine. Call you later."
Click.
A sigh, a trembling sigh.
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-i. The story went like this:
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Seven years ago, they were eighteen. Only eighteen, but together, they experienced life, separation, death and more death. But together, they survived, and winter war, Aizen, Royal Key, Hueco Mundo, all of them became a distant memory. It was strange, but they'd admit, if given a chance to be asked, that they did not regret anything. They survived and that was it.
They moved on.
Seven years ago, they were eighteen and they graduated from high school. Kurosaki Ichigo surprised everyone by announcing:
"I'm leaving."
He said he decided to leave Karakura and study in Tokyo. He will be leaving tomorrow.
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-ii. The story went like this:
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He waited for her to react.
He waited for her to say the magic word.
Stay.
Unconsciously, he had given her the power to stop him just by saying that word. But she never did. Like everyone else, she said congratulations and in truth, he felt a gnawing bitterness towards her. Was it really easy for her to let him go?
And then he remembered: he wasn't hers, just like she wasn't his. Was there a point in letting go of someone when they didn't even belong to you in the first place?
Alright, he told himself. Tomorrow, he will board the train, that thing that will take him away from his town, from his friends, his family, from her. Maybe he'll tell her he'll write to her, send her cards and maybe, an e-mail too.
He put on his hard face and forced himself to move on (but secretly nursing a feeble, but insistent hope that maybe, maybe–)
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-iii. The story went like this:
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She will not hold him back. She was not selfish. Maybe she was, but she was eighteen years old now, older, and perhaps, wiser.
So, she refused to be hurt, to be disappointed. She chose to bury her feelings. She chose to move on because clearly, he was moving on. There was an image inside her head – something precious – if they could not be together as boyfriend and girlfriend, they could, at least, be friends for as long as they can here in Karakura-cho. But that image was gone now, a shattered mirror. A small part of her felt betrayed. But she chided herself.
He never made promises to her. Well, he did. He promised her once that he will protect her. And clearly, it was a promise made to a friend.
Okay, she told herself. Tomorrow, he will leave and I will watch his back. I'll promise him that I'll write often, send him greeting cards and even send him e-mails once I learned how to operate a computer.
She put on her smiling face and told herself, I'm his friend and I'm glad. I'll watch him from the afar and I think, as long as we're under the same sky, it will be alright.
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-iv. The story went like this:
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And so, they created a bridge between them, a bridge made of e-mails, letters, postcards and phone calls.
It was enough.
(Not really, not really.)
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-v. The story went like this:
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Unconsciously, they made a tradition. It seemed that their bonds were stronger than their personal feelings.
Once a year, every seventh of July, Kurosaki Ichigo would go back to Karakura.
And every year, Tatsuki would always laugh because why, oh why, did it have to be on Tanabata festival?
Fate is really a bitch.
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vi. Orihime stared at her cellphone with an odd, solemn look on her face. She placed it back on the counter, still watching the device. Then, her gaze shifted to the tray filled with freshly-baked cookies beside the phone. One of the cookies had a scowling face for a frosting design.
Kurosaki-kun.
With a soft smile, she took the scowling cookie and separated it from the rest.
Today is a good day, she thought. I will make it.
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vii. July 7, again.
Ichigo, hands inside his faded jeans, scowled up to the glittering sky.
The stars are bright tonight,a distant voice whispered.
Yeah. They were. In Tokyo, where everything was bright and everything was loud, it was difficult to catch a glimpse of stars. Here, in Karakura, however, it was possible to pinpoint Orion and Vega.
"Did you call Inoue-san?" Ishida's voice brought him back to the present.
"Dozen times," Tatsuki answered who was craning her neck from side to side, looking for Orihime. Unlike the other girls, Tatsuki was wearing Capri pants, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Cell phone in hand, she tapped the ground with her right foot with impatience.
Five minutes previous, Rukia and Renji had arrived. Rukia and Tatsuki, apparently, had become 'buddies' which didn't surprise Ichigo. They shared astonishing similarities. Their only difference, perhaps, was Rukia was dead and Tatsuki was alive.
"And she didn't answer?" Rukia said. Tatsuki shrugged. "Jeez. She's twenty five and still—"
Tatsuki abruptly raised a hand, waving. "There she is! Over here, Orihime!"
They could see a bright-haired girl frantically looking around. Tatsuki waved harder, accompanied by Rukia who had to jump as high as she could. Finally, Orihime turned and saw Tatsuki. Her face brightened; she waved back and skipped over hurriedly. However, a big, loud crowd appeared and walked between Orihime and her friends, forcing Orihime to stop. Flocks of people rushed past her, drowning her in a small sea of people in colorful kimonos.
Ichigo watched Orihime struggle, wincing as people knocked her shoulders back. She lifted her gaze and – fate, oh fate – their eyes met.
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"If you could wish for anything in this world, what would it be?"
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viii. Ichigo blinked.
Orihime blinked.
"Finally, Orihime!"
The auburn-haired girl looked at Tatsuki, startled. "T-Tatsuki-chan," Orihime laughed. "Sorry! I had to help Manager-san~" She turned to their other friends. "Konbanwa, Rukia-chan, Renji-kun, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun." Her eyes met amber. "Welcome home, Kurosaki-kun!" She grinned. "Even if it's just for a day!"
"Thanks, Inoue," he said with a small smile.
"Well, let's go. We have lots of ground to cover. Looks like the mayor outdone himself, spending more taxpayers' money this year," Tatsuki commented, seeing how elaborate and outlandish the decorations were. Orihime laughed and told her friend they were beautiful. They, with more enthusiasm from Orihime, participated in different activities, catching an elusive goldfish, popping balloons, eating dango. Tatsuki and Rukia had to curb Orihime's eagerness; Rukia even commented it was odd to see a twenty five year old woman getting excited over a colorful balloon, but then, she contradicted herself silently that this was Inoue – an odd girl.
Rukia shrugged, and watched Orihime throw darts. For someone so clumsy, Orihime sure had perfect aim.
Orihime's next target was a stall of candies. Orihime took small steps forward, eyes still on the products. She bumped into someone, causing her to lose her balance. Ichigo, who was standing quietly in the background, quickly grabbed her elbow in mid-fall.
"Inoue."
Orihime blushed at the sound of his deep, but gruff voice, and even though he didn't touch her bare skin, she felt her skin flush under his grip. She turned to him as he righted her, beaming shyly. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." She turned to the person she ran into and apologized.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment as he withdrew his hand, still looking at her.
Tatsuki was watching them. "Awkward," she whistled nonchalantly. Ichigo's face darkened as he glared at the dark-haired girl, but he was ignored as Tatsuki walked off, following Rukia and the others, leaving the two alone.
"Wait, T-Tatsuki-chan~" She smiled at Ichigo before turning to follow Tatsuki.
Ichigo watched Orihime run after Tatsuki. He stayed behind, staring at the back of her head as she grasped at Tatsuki's arm.
He sighed deeply. He turned his head to the right. An intricate bamboo display where people can tie and hang their wishes on was being flocked by people. With a neutral expression, he watched the people write and hang wishes.
"What if one day, the star Vega falls down in front of you and asks:"
His jaw muscles clenched at the memory.
"If you could wish for anything in this world
"Kurosaki-kun?"
…what would it be?"
"Kurosaki-kun!"
"Shit!" He jerked in shock. His eyes widened. "I-Inoue!"
Round brown eyes blinked at him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… Where are the others?" he asked, distracted.
"Oh, they went ahead, saying they'd find a good seat for us for the fireworks. I volunteered to look for you."
"Ah." He ruffled his hair roughly. "Thanks, Inoue."
"What are you looking at?" asked Orihime innocently.
His eyebrow twitched. "Noth–"
"A bamboo display?"
A pale blush crept over his cheeks. "No… Not really…" She raised an eyebrow at him, a small, knowing smile on her lips. Ichigo sighed. "Fine. Yeah, I was looking at the bamboo," he confessed grudgingly. Orihime laughed.
"Do you want to write a wish, Kurosaki-kun?" Before he could answer her, she was already walking towards the display. With a sigh, Ichigo followed her, frowning heavily. "Here you go." She gave him a pen and strip of paper.
He wrinkled his nose. "To be honest, I really…"
"Oh, come on, Kurosaki-kun! It's Tanabata festival~ everyone's writing their wishes. You came all the way here to celebrate it with us. To make you feel better, I'll do the same."
Ichigo shook his head. "Come on. Maybe later,"
"But–"
"You don't want to miss the fireworks, do you?"
Orihime pouted. "Okay. Later, then."
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ix. It was silent between them; it wasn't uncomfortable, but Ichigo found it strange that she was quiet. Together, they weaved through the crowd toward the hillside. There were instances when Orihime wanted to stop to admire decorations, but Ichigo looked impatient in finding their friends.
So when he asked her, she was startled.
"Are you hungry?"
She looked up to him. "Um, not really."
He raised a brow. "Are you sure? You keep on glancing around."
So, he noticed? Orihime laughed. "I'm just looking at the decorations. They're very pretty, aren't they?"
"Yeah… I wonder what made this year special…"
"Maybe everyone paid their taxes on time this year."
Ichigo suppressed a snort of laughter. He'd known her for so long, not as well as Tatsuki, but they had their moments. However, she still managed to surprise him sometimes, catching him off guard with her simple phrases. She was odd – intriguing.
"Maybe," he agreed.
She smiled again, and continued onward. "How was Tokyo?"
"Noisy."
Her smile widened at his reply. She wasn't surprised. "I think if ever I'll go there, I'll get lost easily. There are so many people, many lights and sounds. Do people get lonely over there?"
Ichigo shrugged. "People still get lonely even when they're surrounded by other people."
Orihime nodded. "You're right. It's strange, isn't it, to be sad even though you're surrounded with friends." She brushed a stray lock of caramel hair off her face. "Maybe, sometimes, you don't need people to make the world special. Maybe all you need is one special person to make everything worth it."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her strange statement; she was busy looking around, admiring the decorations. He didn't know what to say. So he said, "The fireworks are starting. Let's walk faster."
She smiled at him. "Hai."
But then, a loud rumble rolled and reverberated above them. Ichigo and Orihime paused and looked up curiously.
"You've got to be–" Ichigo began.
And then, the downpour started, as though someone up there poured a bucket of ice-cold water over the land.
"–kidding me."
As though mocking him, the rain poured heavier, easily soaking them. People shrieked, scattered and ran for shelter. How on earth did a storm this big come out of nowhere? For seven years of seven Tanabata celebrations, it never rained. Why now?
"Damn it!" Ichigo groaned and tried to cover himself by lifting his arms over his head. He quickly turned to his side to check on Orihime, worried. "Inoue, are you alright?" The girl was looking up to the pouring sky, stunned.
"Inoue?"
She jerked and looked at him.
"Are you okay?"
She blinked and surprising him, she slowly grinned. Instead of covering herself, Orihime spread her arms to welcome the rain, laughing merrily.
"We should get out of the rain." He reached for her hand, but she playfully skipped back, still laughing.
"Come on, Inoue. You'll get sick."
She hummed, spinning around. Her yukata was soaking, her hair in wet curls. "I love the rain."
"It's cold," he groused, wiping his soaked hair off his eyes.
"I have strong immune system. I don't feel cold. I always…" She smiled at him, "I always have this warm feeling when it rains." Ichigo shook his head and grabbed her hand.
"Come on." Pouting, she let him guide her, but she refused to run, saying she might trip and roll on the mud. Not that she'd mind but still, she was wearing a pretty yukata.
"Look, Kurosaki-kun!" She lifted a finger and pointed. "Isn't it odd? It's raining but the stars…" Ichigo gripped her hand tighter. "The stars are still bright tonight, aren't they?"
He didn't respond.
"I think the magpies are working extra hard this year because even though it is raining, Vega and Altair are still bright tonight."
Slowly, Ichigo ground to a halt, Orihime stopping beside him as well, still gazing at the stars.
"I knew it." She smiled to herself. "Today is really a special day! Vega and her lover reunited despite the rain…"
Ichigo copied her and looked up. The rain was still pouring but it wasn't as hard as before. Assisted by his limited astronomy knowledge, he was able to locate the two stars.
She was right.
Despite the rain, the magpies, it seemed, had made a bridge for the two separated lovers. The stars were bright tonight.
"Hey," he said suddenly,.
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember the night when you asked me about…" His frown deepened, "Vega falling down in front of me?"
Orihime stiffened beside him.
"…And asking if there is anything in this world I could wish for, what would it be?"
Orihime swallowed, suddenly palpitating. "Ah… Yes. I remember," she said quietly, filled with an urge to run away – fast.
A tense silence followed.
"I never gave you an answer."
The girl stiffened. After a few seconds, she laughed nervously.
"I-It's okay! It's just random and–" She tried to withdraw her hand, but Ichigo anticipated the move and held her tighter. Surprising Orihime, Ichigo faced her. Wide-eyed, she stared at the part of the face she could see which was his lips. Rivulet of water rolled over his lips and to his chin.
He… He's so close.
And he moved closer.
"K-Kurosaki-kun…"
She lifted her gaze and met his stare. Her face reddened even more. He drew closer, pressing hard onto her fully. Their body heat spread and mingled.
"W-What would y-you wish for?" she mumbled. His scent was too much, sending her brain and emotions in an overdrive.
"There are many things I'd like to wish for. But…" He paused contemplatively. "For a long time, I've waited. I never tried."
He bent down, his lips brushing her wet cheek. "K-Kurosaki-kun…?"
"But today, I realized I can't wait anymore. So, I'd wish for… for you to choose me."
His other hand went up to cup the back of her neck. "That's what I want, what I would wish for."
She blinked, and a bead of water clinging to her long lashes rolled down her cheek.
"I… I…" She struggled and breathed faster, her heart hurt, beating so much. She could not think straight. "This… is unfair," she mumbled breathlessly. She can feel him scowl.
"What's unfair?"
"This…" she whined softly. "I can't think – You… You're too close."
"Tch. You like it." He grunted.
She smiled. "Yes… I do." She turned her face to meet his lips. It was soft, wet and… a little strange. But overall, it was something beautiful. They were hesitant at first, shy, but eventually, as the rain continued to pour, they gained confidence.
Orihime smiled against his lips. "Mmm, you're a good kisser, Kurosaki-kun." Ichigo smirked smugly but–
"Wait. Who the hell are you comparing me to?"
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x. July 7, again.
Orihime stared at him, stunned.
"You're not going to make me beg, aren't you?"
She blinked. And smiled, and, "Of course, I'll marry you."
Ichigo grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. "I hope you're not marrying me for my body."
"Um, not really. But you have a… um, a very cute–"
He groaned. "I knew it. You're marrying me for my cute ass, aren't you?"
Orihime grinned cheekily. "Well, it's really soft, round and–"
"Damn it."
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extra notes. the smushy, sappy, fluffy monster attacked me. seriously. :)