Tainted Sun

Chapter One: Gift

"Have you ever looked at your friends and know that you're the least important friend in the group…" she mumbled to Enraku "and you felt like it wouldn't make a difference if you were there or not?" The pink bear's shiny button eyes gleamed from the weak light that came off her desk lamp. Orihime puffed her cheeks and let out a long sigh. "I guess not, since I'm your only friend." Her lips curved into a small smile. She crushed the plush toy against herself and closed her eyes. He was right, of course. How could she fight alongside her friends without her powers? She would only get in their way. A liability rather than an asset… that's what she had become. It was so unfair. She'd done everything she could too, hadn't she? Orihime stared at her untouched dinner and unopened workbook. Deciding that she didn't want to eat a cold dinner, Orihime stood up and discarded what would have been her dinner to the waste bin. She flipped off the lamp and pulled her blanket over her head. Tears raced down her cheeks as she curled into a ball.

Someone…save me.

When Orihime came home from school the next day, her landlady came out to meet her. "Orihime-chan, someone left something for you," she reported with a motherly smile. "Eh… really? I wasn't expecting anyone. I'm sorry if my visitor interrupted your busy day, Hatori-san!" Orihime sputtered before bowing. "Oh no, it's quite alright dear, in fact, your visitor left you something," the old woman stepped back inside her apartment while the young girl waited, frowning. Someone had come to visit her? Who could it be? Her aunt? A relative she didn't know? The door reopened and her landlady shuffled out, holding a white paper bag with a neat mint-colored ribbon. "Here you are, Orihime-chan," the woman said as she held it out to Orihime.

She recognized the label at once. It was high-end. It couldn't have been her aunt. "Thank you, Hatori-san," she said as she received the bag, "um, may I ask if the one who gave this to you left their name? Do you remember what that person looked like?" Orihime couldn't help but notice how silky the rope handle of the bag felt. Premium things always feel different, she thought. Her landlady's brows furrowed for a moment before telling her, "Well, I didn't actually get to speak with him. I only saw him through the window. But I do remember that the man was tall, had chin-length brown hair. He was pretty handsome, too! Could he be a relative of yours?" An expectant smile spread across the older woman's face. Orihime shook her head. "I don't know anyone that looks like that, I'm sorry. Are you sure that this is really for me, Hatori-san?" she murmured, gesturing at the bag.

"Your name's written on the card, so it is. The man just left it on the doorstep. Didn't even bother to knock or ring the doorbell."

This was getting stranger and stranger. "Er, alright. Thank you, Hatori-san. I'll go call my aunt and ask if she was the one who sent this. Thank you!" Orihime bolted upstairs, scowling. She fumbled with her keys for a minute as her thoughts ran wild. Who would leave a ridiculously expensive item on somebody's doorstep? Why would anyone give her anything from a famous jewelry store?

Neither of her guests was home. Orihime felt relieved that she wouldn't have to bear with their scrutiny for a while. They were probably patrolling the town. She quickly set down her school bag and groceries on the floor and placed the mysterious paper bag on the tabletop. "Should I really?" she breathed as her fingers lingered over the ribbon. To make sure that she wasn't dreaming, Orihime pinched herself and double checked the card. Her name was written there alright, in very elegant strokes.

Orihime Inoue.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally tugged the ribbon loose. Curiosity and apprehension swirled in her head. There was another card sitting on top of the pristine white box. With trembling fingers, Orihime reached for the card and opened it.

Do not believe the things you tell yourself when you are sad. Wear this and you will never feel alone. I will always be with you.

She read it again.

And again.

One more time.

Another time.

Over and over.

Surely, there was something that she was missing? The card had not been signed. The words written within the tiny card had her mind going crazy. Was someone playing an extremely extravagant and evil joke on her? Was the perpetrator going to jump out now and yell 'Gotcha!'? The stiff white paper fluttered onto the tabletop. Her mind was swimming.

I will always be with you.

Who would say such a thing? Orihime swallowed as her eyes shifted towards the dainty box. She ran her tongue along her upper lip then ground her teeth on her bottom lip as she continued to stare at the stark object resting on her tabletop. It sure didn't belong with her things… didn't deserve to be so carelessly placed in a teenage girl's overcrowded study table. She swallowed and let her hands hover over the lid for moment before finally lifting the elegant cover. Gently, she undid the pastel mint tissue wrapping and saw that there was another sealed box inside. "Luxury companies sure go the extra mile, huh…" she mumbled as she remove the seal and lifted the last layer. She gasped. Resting on a bed of pastel mint colored silk was the most dazzling necklace she had ever laid her eyes upon.

With bated breath, Orihime ran her fingertip along the delicate platinum chain. "Amazing," she breathed as she gingerly lifted the necklace from its silken bed. The elegant slash and the five delicate charms attached to it resembled a stem of lily of the valley. "Is this really mine?" she whispered. The whole thing was paved with tiny, glittering… could they really be? Was she really holding something paved with diamonds? Her heart sank as quickly as it had soared with glee. "There's no way…"

"Wow! That's a nice necklace, Inoue-san!" Rangiku exclaimed from behind Orihime. The young girl nearly toppled off her seat from shock. "Ma – Matsumoto-san! I didn't hear you come in!" Orihime said as she turned to face her guest. Why did she feel like she'd just been caught doing something bad? The voluptuous Shinigami waved aside her apology and made a beeline to examine the jewelry closely. "It's amazing!" she breathed before casting a curious glance at her host. Orihime gave her a tight smile. "How'd you manage to get this? I might be a stranger to human currency and stuff like that but I know that this piece here must have cost a fortune! I mean, look at those diamonds!"

Orihime's brows furrowed as she replaced the necklace on its silk bed. "To be honest, Matsumoto-san, I don't know. My landlady said that it had been left here for me," she explained. Rangiku's jubilant expression dissolved into a thoughtful one. "That's strange, don't you think, Orihime?" Thump, thump. Her eyes found the discarded card. "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards it. The young girl nodded. Rangiku read the note and let out a squeal. Orihime frowned. The auburn-haired Shinigami wrapped the young human girl in a tight hug before screaming, "ORIHIME HAS A RICH SE~CRET ADMIRER! YOU LUCKY BABY!"

Is that it? A secret admirer? Someone… has feelings towards me? Orihime blinked as Rangiku continued to smother her in an excited embrace. She was sure that the lieutenant of the 10th Division was gushing about how romantic the courtship practices of the humans were compared to theirs in Soul Society, but she couldn't bring herself to listen. Questions flooded her mind.

Who?

Who was it?

Why?

Why did he give her such a thing?

Why her?

"Well, come on, come on! Let's see how it looks on you!" Rangiku urged Orihime. She gave her guest a polite smile and struggled to undo the clasp. "Let me do it," the older woman offered. "T-thank you," Orihime mumbled as she gathered her hair onto her shoulder. She felt the pendant's slight weight when it rested against her chest.

"There. Ohh, turn around, quick! I wanna see!"

Orihime obliged.

Rangiku beamed. "It looks wonderful on you! Go on, take a look!"

It was gorgeous. Orihime stared at the glimmering pendant that rested on her chest and failed to find words. Her heart hammered in her chest. After a moment, she whispered, as her mouth curved into a gentle smile, "It's so beautiful." Rangiku placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, whoever gave that to you must really have serious feelings for you! Ah! Human love gestures are just so heartwarming!"

"What's all this commotion about?" an irritated voice called out from the balcony. The two women turned and saw Toshiro standing there, with his arms crossed. "Captain! Someone sent Orihime a LOVE~LY present! Look, look!" Rangiku announced, motioning for her Captain to come closer. The platinum haired Shinigami captain looked at Orihime and nodded. "So she got a necklace. I don't see why you have to make such a fuss about it," he said as he gave his subordinate a stern look. Orihime watched them banter and touched the necklace. She wondered if it was truly alright for her to have such a beautiful thing. What had she done to deserve such a thing? She closed her eyes and smiled.

Thank you.

Later that night, Orihime couldn't stop staring at it. She felt warm and fuzzy just by looking at it. It was as though she had been given stars of her own.

A/N: So I reworked the entire plot of 'Tainted Sun' because I finally figured out how to deal with the loophole. I hope you enjoyed reading! If you're curious about the reference of the jewelry, I used the Chorus Valley necklace from Tasaki.