So I got this idea from reading Bleach vol. 4, when Ichigo reads his horoscope. I wanted to try and write an IH story based on that. (I'm a believer in horoscopes because half the time, they come true.) But I wanted to write Ichigo in this situation.
Enjoy! (And no, I don't own Bleach.)
He wasn't a believer in anything. He didn't believe that fate was the reason things happened. Karma wasn't the reason people were punished. The law didn't fully control what people did in everyday life.
He especially didn't believe in horoscopes.
It's not that he didn't believe in anything per say. Rather, he just didn't pay much attention to that kind of stuff. If it happened, it happened. If it didn't, who cares? That's how Ichigo always thought. He wasn't like Keigo who constantly thought about the consequences of being late.
But just for the sake of doing it, he decided to look up his horoscope for the day. He didn't see the harm in doing such a thing, since he didn't plan on leaving his house.
What he read completely stumped him.
Cancer
(June 22- July 23)
Someone close to you may surprise you with their words today, Cancer. But don't let that alarm you. Perhaps your feelings are the same as theirs and it's time you acknowledged their presence.
Lifting an eyebrow, he threw away the paper in his hands, as though it burned him. Shaking his head, he turned to walk into his living room.
Stupid superstitions. Who comes up with this stuff?
He headed towards the stairs when Yuzu poked her head from the kitchen.
"Onii-chan! Can you go to the supermarket for me? I didn't realize I needed some ingredients for supper."
Sighing, he contemplated what he should say. It's true he didn't have plans to go out this weekend, but then he looked at Yuzu, her eyes silently pleading. A flash of a girl with wide, grey eyes and auburn hair appeared in his mind before he frowned, shaking his head.
Why did I suddenly think of Inoue?
"Onii-chan?"
"Ah? Yeah, I'll go for you Yuzu. What did you need?"
Happily writing out a list, she quickly handed it to him before proceeding to clean the house.
Taking a look at the small list, he sighed once more.
I better not regret this.
.
.
.
Ichigo had started to walk to the supermarket. He knew that his dad would've allowed him to take the car, but he didn't feel like driving. He just wanted to enjoy his stroll in town. Rukia and Renji had taken off to Soul Society for god knows how long, and it made Ichigo a bit sad. He'd never admit it out loud, but he missed being able to talk with them about things. Most of them pertained to a young healer that had been on his mind for a while now.
He wasn't sure when she began to appear in his mind, but he didn't think badly of it. Rukia was teasing him constantly about it, not letting him have a break when it came to her.
"Awe! That's too cute. The punk falls in love with the Princess!"
"Would you shut up? I told you, I'm not sure how I feel about her. I don't think it's love, but I do want to be around her at all times. And I'm constantly thinking about her safety and if she's doing okay. She does live alone after all, and it's not like I can be with her at every moment."
Sighing, he looked down, "besides, I don't think she even feels the same."
A smack was heard in the quiet room, Renji looked up from what he was doing to see Rukia's hand at Ichigo's face. Snorting, he looked back at his book.
"Serves him right."
"What was that for midget?" Ichigo roared.
"Stop talking badly about yourself baka! Yes, you are a punk. But you're a very loyal friend. You care about your friends to the point where you'd sacrifice yourself to save them. Even though you're an idiot most of the time, you really are smart. And people do like you Ichigo, but you're too dense to notice. Stop putting yourself down!"
Eyes wide, he looked at Rukia as though she grew two heads.
Sighing, she looked at him. "Plus, you don't have to worry about how she feels. Just tell her, baka. It would make her really happy."
Shaking his head of the memory, he couldn't help but feel that Rukia was right. Tch, for once in her life. With ear buds in his ears, he didn't realize the girl of his affections was calling his name. His music was blasting and he blocked out the whole world. He didn't realize she was in front of him until he walked into her.
Grabbing her hand, to prevent her from falling, he grabbed his earbud from his ear as his eyes widen. "I-Inoue!"
Giggling nervously, she rubbed the back of her head. "Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun!"
"Are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't see ya there."
"It's okay; I realized you weren't paying attention when I tried calling your name for the past few minutes."
She's been trying to get my attention for that long? Dammit, I really am stupid.
"Ah, gomen, Inoue. Had I known you were calling my name, I would've replied sooner."
Pumping her fists in the air, she smiled. "It's okay! I just happened to see you walking across the street and thought I'd come to say hi!"
Blinking, he looked at anywhere but her smiling face. For some reason, he felt warmer than usual. A light blush spread across his face as he couldn't keep his eyes on her gorgeous face. Ugh. Look at me. I sound like a pansy. Get it together Ichigo!
"Where were you heading, Inoue?"
She looked at him, her eyes shining with some hidden emotion he couldn't name. "Mmm… I was heading to the supermarket. It seems I didn't have much food so I figured today was a nice day to go shopping. Since it's my only day off."
Nodding, he remembered the list in his pocket. "Well, since you're heading that way… Want to come with me? Yuzu needed me to do some shopping too."
Just then, he could've sworn her eyes lit up before they went back to the original smoky grey. "I'd love to!"
.
.
.
It didn't take them long to get to their destination. It was very peaceful, since Orihime would talk to Ichigo about everything she could think of. He couldn't help but notice her rambling was cute, though he kept that part to himself, not wanting to embarrass either one of them. Each of them had a basket, and as they did their shopping, Ichigo couldn't help but notice that her basket wasn't as full as his.
"Why don't you have a lot Inoue?"
"Eto.. It's only me living in the apartment, plus I don't have much money since I paid the rent and school this week. I just have enough to do my grocery shopping."
"Doesn't your aunt cover the rent?"
"Yeah, she does. But there are bills that have to be paid. And mine aren't that high, but there's still a lot I have to pay for, even if they're small amounts."
"You're working full time though right? At that job of yours?"
Nodding she smiled. "The owner does give me free bread when we have too much, and she lets me take leftovers home. But when it comes to other groceries, I have to supply it myself. That's why I usually buy soup, because it tends to last longer. Soba also lasts a while. It's the meats and fruits I have to buy usually every week. I don't buy a lot at once because it goes bad. So I only get how much I can eat without having to waste it."
Gesturing to the small carton of milk, he added. "Is that why you get small quantities of milk too?"
Giggling, she replied. "Kurosaki-kun, I may be growing, but I can't drink a lot of milk. That's why I like to mix it up and get chocolate milk too! Although… This time I can't afford to."
Seeing her sad expression, Ichigo grabbed the one litre of milk and put it in his basket. Orihime, noticing this, gasped.
"K-Kurosaki-kun!"
He looked at her. "Come on, let's head to the checkouts. It's starting to get packed."
The look in his eyes made her stop from overreacting. She knew that look. It was the one he wore when he was fighting. Determination was written on his face and she sighed.
He didn't have to…
.
.
.
"Arigato, Kurosaki-kun."
Both teens were heading back to their homes, though Ichigo had more bags in his hand than he bought. It turns out, before Orihime could even grab her bags, Ichigo grabbed them for her. She flailed her arms and told him she could carry them, but he didn't let her have the final say.
"Ah? Don't mention it Inoue. I wanted to. And you don't owe me for the chocolate milk. My old man wouldn't care anyways. He probably would've beaten me up for not getting it for you."
She giggled. "I like Kurosaki-san. He's really funny."
Snorting, he replied "More like annoying. Seriously, you try having a dad attack you every morning. He says it's for training but I think it's just to piss me off."
"But he was a big help with the war. It wasn't so surprising to see him a shinigami."
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You weren't shocked?"
Shaking her head, "I was able to feel it sometimes. It was only when I was in close range of him. But it made sense to me. How else would you be able to see ghosts or even become a shinigami if he wasn't one? I didn't know much about your mother, so I figured it had to have been him."
Ichigo couldn't even form a response. This girl in front of him continued to shock him every day. He knew she was smart, but to have figured it out, even before he knew, amazed him. Chuckling, he looked at her "You're something else, Inoue."
This caused the girl to blush and go into a silence that didn't go unnoticed by the orange-haired teen. He could tell by her spiritual pressure that she was nervous. She couldn't even look at him for the rest of the walk home.
"A-Ano…"
Ichigo's gaze went from the traffic to the girl beside him. Her face was redder than it was earlier and it only made him confused.
Is she sick?
Placing a hand on her forehead, he could feel the heat roll off her. "Are you okay, Inoue? You're burning up!"
Shaking her head, she mumbled, "I'm fine. It's just…."
Blinking, he gestured for her to continue, "Just what, Inoue?"
Looking up at the man in front of her, she was starting to lose her determination to tell him. But with the hidden look in his eyes, it gave her the confidence she needed to tell him.
"I like you… Ichigo-kun."
His name from her mouth was like heaven to his ears. At that moment, it felt like time froze, like there was no one else there but the two of them and silence enveloped them. She looked away from him, her face almost an impossible shade of red and she had her arms behind her back. Her mind was telling her to run away, but her heart told her to stay and hear what the man she loved had to say.
When she looked up at him, her eyes widened at the warm smile he gave her, his eyes shining with happiness. Before she could even say anything, his soft lips touched hers. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was tender and sweet, like chocolate she mused.
"I like you too, Orihime."
At the sound of her name, he was rewarded with the smile she reserved just for him. And he felt like a huge weight had been lifted. He couldn't help but grin back at her, the warmth just as equal as hers.
Holding out a hand, he couldn't contain his happiness any longer. "Come on, let's go."
Nodding, she grabbed his hand and they continued walking back to her place.
Ichigo wasn't a believer in horoscopes, but he couldn't deny that his was accurate for once.
A/N: I was working on this for a month. I would start, then stop, then start, then stop. I wanted to finish it, so I finally did. Sorry, it's a bit lame.
But I felt that maybe a horoscope could have an influence on his life, and I figured that with Orihime, it would work best. (Though he'll never believe in it)
Hope you enjoyed this one-shot! Send me ideas!