A/N: If you do not like the plot or character plot, then don't read the fic.
SUMMARY: Orihime finds Ichigo and Rukia talking and gets the wrong idea of his true intentions behind the friendship of Rukia and Ichigo. She is physically in pain from seeing the obvious display of 'affection' and she runs away.
DISCLAIMER: All is owned by the great Tite Kubo.
RATING: T
One Shot:
Poison.
It was like poison in her heart as she watched Kurosaki Ichigo laugh with Kuchiki Rukia. It wasn't fair, but then nothing was. It wasn't fair when her parents beat her. It wasn't fair that her onii-chan died, leaving her all alone. It wasn't fair that nobody ever knew her other side. Nobody knew just how unfair it was. Day and night, the young healer was alone with nobody but her magical fairies for comfort and her teddy bear Enraku.
Sometimes Tatsuki would sleep over, but even then, she'd leave the next day, leaving her alone. It was pure poison running through her veins, burning the blood, burning through everything she loved, she cared for. Poison is what defeated her.
His hand touched the petite shoulder.
Poison smashed into her stomach and she doubled over in pain, crying out in agony, making her two friends turn, their eyes wide.
No! I can't let them see me!
Ichigo had started to walk over to her, his eyes on hers instantly. "Inoue!" He called out, jogging toward her from the other side of the hall.
Orihime had to get away, she couldn't stand the thought of feeling his hands on her body, because the poison would just spread, staggering away from him, from her.
"INOUE!" Ichigo yelled again and she could hear his footsteps speeding up.
One. Two. One. Two. One. Two.
She can't let him know, can't let him see what's happening to her.
Orihime ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain, ignoring his screams.
"Inoue! Come back!" He yelled, hot on her trail.
"GO AWAY!" She screamed, her voice ripped through an octave that had never been reached in his presence, he faltered, his footsteps catching on each-other, making him stagger. Orihime used that to her advantage, her body unaccustomed to the vigorous workout, her limbs and muscled begged for rest, but her mind closed off all pain.
It was dark out before she fell to her knees in a dark forest, gasping for air, her heart like a drum in her ears.
"No..no..no!" Orihime groaned to herself and she fell to the ground, laying upon it, howling and sobbing. Her broken heart bleeding for the loss of her love: Kurosaki Ichigo.
"ICHIGO~!" Orihime roared, her face tilted to the night-sky and she felt the first droplet of water against her face.
Rain poured.
{B}
Ichigo lay in his bed, listening music while pressing a towel against his eyes. "Make it stop!" He whimpered. His long fingers crushed the cotton material in his hands and tears ran down his face. "Mom. . ." He whispered, trying to hold back the sobs but another face entered his mind's eye. A curvy finger slumped against the ground, her face tilted to the sky as she screams silently, silky hair pressed against her head and body, her entire body shivering as she screams and cries. The only sound he could hear was the fall of the rain.
Her voice came slowly, like turning the volume on the radio, garbled humming turned into talking then her talking turned into agonizing screams as she clutched at her stomach. "Ichigo! Why?! WHY ICHIGO!?" Her voice clawed him back to reality and tossed the towel away and ripped his headphones out.
"Orihime!" Ichigo screamed, he pulled on his jeans and a jacket, slipping on socks and shoes and he flew downstairs and out the door, not bothering to write a note.
"ORIHIME!" Ichigo bellowed, running as fast as he could to her, her soul and her heart calling for him, for his warmth, his kindness, his love.
His long legs ran into a forest, the rain pelting him from every angle, icy fear coated his heart. He ran past every tree, pushed away every shrub, branches scratched at him as he ran, looking for Inoue.
Finally, amongst the falling of the rain, he heard her sobs. "Ichigo. .Ichigo. ."
"Orihime. ." Ichigo whispered and he surged forward, breaking through the last of the shrubbery and he saw her. Curled into a ball like she couldn't let anymore pain in or let any of it out.
Orihime turned and her dull, lifeless eyes stared into his. "Have you come to make fun of me too?" She asked in a raspy voice, so much different from the cheery one he was so accustomed to hearing. The one he liked above all others. It caused him pain to see her so sad, so lifeless, the fear around his heart grew.
Did he cause this?
Ichigo walked toward her and fell to his knees, cradling her fragile body against his strong one, letting his body heat seep into her, creating a sense of safety around her, a lot like her healing ability.
"Kurosaki-kun. ." Orihime whispered, embarrassed to be calling him by his first name, even if he was only a hallucination. . it was still rather embarrassing.
"You've called me by my name, Orihime. I guess it's time you started to do that now." Ichigo whispered, cradling her delicate head against his shoulder.
Orihime's eyes widened and then she slumped in exhaustion, her eyes closed as she whispered. "Santen Kesshun."The triangular shield appeared above them and caught the rain, stopping it from pelting them painfully. Ichigo's arms wrapped around her soft waist even tighter, letting her shivers slowly die down.
It was then that he heard her deep breathing and he realized that she was asleep.
Ichigo smiled as the fear that settled in his heart died away and he lifted Orihime , her Santen Kesshun disappeared and he ran, his long legs carried them both from the forest into his father's clinic and set her down on one of the hospital bed and Kurosaki Isshin took off Orihime's wet clothes, modestly covering her bare body with the hospital sheet and he put warm packs on her hands, her feet and the bed beneath warmed, the electric blanket having the desired effect. He then twisted her damp red hair in a towel and put a hot cloth on the healers head, helping her through the glacier that had settled inside her.
"She'll be fine, Ichigo. . .she's very strong and I don't see any signs of any illness anywhere, but I suppose we'll know when she wakes up. Take off those wet clothes immediately and have a hot shower, son. Then you can come back to her." Isshin said and walked out of the room and Ichigo did as his father said, which was a rarity in the Kurosaki household.
{L}
Ichigo had taken his shower and felt better almost instantly, his shaking had subsided and he went back downstairs to the clinic, in blue pajama pants and a white singlet with the number 15 emblazoned on the front in black lettering.
His feet encased in white socks and he rubbed his spiky hair with the towel he kept around his neck.
Taking a seat on the chair beside Orihime's bed, he watched her as she slept obliviously, her shivering had ceased and her cheeks were rosy again. it was scary to think that half an hour ago, she was in so much pain that she had thought he was a hallucination. His hands clenched.
He would make them pay, whoever hurt her, he would murder them personally.
"Ichigo-kun. ." Orihime whispered in her sleep, her eyes fluttered, even though he knew she was still deep in her slumber, she must be dreaming.
"Inoue. ." Ichigo whispered, touching her hand softly, his fingertips ran along the soft skin of the back of her hand and her slender fingers twitched.
"Why. . . why do you hurt me so?" She whispered, as if she was perfectly awake.
His chocolate eyes widened.
"Why do you hurt me. . . torture me with thoughts of you and Kuchiki-san. . . my heart can't stand it." Her bottom lip trembled and tears slid down her closed eyelids and he grabbed her hand, realizing who hurt her, who caused her so much pain she hadn't been able to physically stand it.
It clicked.
When she clenched her stomach at school. .
When she had screamed at him so desperately, it was as if she just wanted to die. . .
Her calling his name in his dream. . .
Orihime screaming for him in the rain. .
Ichigo. . . Ichigo. . .
It all made perfect sense.
He was the one who caused her all that pain.
He hurt her.
{E}
"Inoue! Wake up!" Ichigo yelled, grabbing her shoulders and he shook her vigorously.
"Ichigo!" Orihime gasped, her voice so much like before, just as desperate and painful.
"Orihime! Please! Wake up!" He begged her, shaking her so desperately, as if it were his mother all over again.
Her eyelids opened and revealed glazed gray irises. "Ichigo?" She whispered, looking up at him in bewilderment.
"Orihime. . . I hurt you didn't I? I caused your suffering. . .your pain. I hurt you, when I promised I wouldn't. . . I didn't protect you at all. I brought harm to you. I can never forgive myself, Orihime. I will never forgive myself, because hurting you breaks my heart. It rips my heart into tiny pieces and I can never fit the pieces together without your help. I can't do it. I won't come near you again, to save you. I'll protect you by leaving you." He whispered and looked at her, with tears overflowing his eyes, running down his cheeks.
Orihime looked at him with wide eyes. 'Why is Kurosaki-kun crying? Is he crying for me? Are those tears because of the pain he indirectly caused? No. I won't let that happen. Kurosaki-kun is strong. Rukia may have given him physical strength, but I give him his heart, I heal the wounds, the physical wounds inflicted and the emotional scars that run deep into his jagged soul. Please don't cry Kurosaki-kun.'
Orihime stared into his eyes and took his handsome face into her palms and her hands glowed as she healed him, letting her hand slide to his chest and rested it over his heart. "Ichigo-kun. . . please don't cry. You'll hurt me more if you cry. Your heart is fragile and it needs healing. Let me heal it for you. I promised I would heal all of your wounds, and that is what I'll do. You may have caused the poison to shoot through me, but it isn't half as bad as when you cry. Kurosaki-kun shouldn't cry. Kurosaki-kun is strong and caring and sensitive and crass and funny and loving. Sometimes you don't know just how lovable you are. I've stayed with you all this time and I don't think I could leave you. No matter what pain I endure, no matter the cost. I will always be here to heal you and to protect your heart. Just as you have protected me." The healing warmth in her palms seeped through his skin and slowly he felt his heart growing, bigger and bigger, the walls crumbling and the ice melting.
Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard her talk and the feeling of a warm heart. Only Orihime could do this.
"Orihime. . ."
"I forgive you Kurosaki-kun. I forgive you and I will always be here. I. . . I. . ." Orihime hesitated and Ichigo looked at her, as if begging her to continue.
"You. . ." He prompted, wanting to hear the words he had been waiting oh-so patiently to hear.
"I love you, Kurosaki Ichigo." She said in one big rush and looked down, a deep blush gracing her full cheeks.
Ichigo smiled. A big smile that showed all of his teeth and the joy evident upon his face. sliding his forefinger underneath her chin, he lifted her gorgeous face.
"I love you too, Inoue Orihime."
{A}
The rain stopped so Ichigo took Orihime home with his father's permission and Ichigo opted to stay with her for the night so Orihime could get her bearings again.
Orihime was in the shower, so Ichigo took it upon himself to make tea for the both of them, putting the water and the tea leaves in the kettle, he set the kettle on the stove and set two cups for himself and Orihime, smiling as he heard her humming over the hiss of the water.
When Orihime came out, a cup of hot, soothing tea and a strawberry flavored biscuit was waiting for her on her coffee table as Ichigo sat on the couch, sipping at his own tea. "Orihime-chan?" He asked in that soft, gentle voice of his. That voice did what a strawberry biscuit and hot tea could do and much more.
Orihime took her cup and set it on a orange coaster and devoured the biscuit as she sat with her love. Her fiery hair damp, her top was ten times bigger than her, a big black jumper and pink leggings with black woolen socks and Orihime rested her head on Ichigo's shoulder.
She felt his soft lips press against her forehead. "Thank you for the tea and biscuits, you didn't have to go through all that trouble." Orihime said, knowing it was fruitless to tell him not to do so much.
"You're my girl. I'll al
ways look after you, and that will never change. I can't believe it took us until we nearly lost our friendship to realize we actually had the same feelings for each other." Ichigo proceeded to say in that soft voice of his. Orihime's ears relished in the angelic tone, savoring it for she knew that he would soon deny any kind of gentleness, which would then result in a fight with Ishida-kun.
"Ichigo-kun.."
"Yes, Orihime-chan?"
"I love you." She whispered, her voice quivered with all of the love and the feelings that she had locked in her heart for so long, she finally opened the gate and everything barreled out, leaving her elated.
Ichigo smiled. A big, clown smile that could be considered innocent and goofy. "I love you too, Seikō" Ichigo whispered and pressed his soft lips against Orihime's and they shared a passionate, loving kiss.
The poison in her system washed away, and her soul was finally clear.
WORD COUNT: 2,575
Hey guys!
This is the start of my one-shots and yes, I finally got to 2000! YES! MWAHAHA!
Tune in for I will be updating my other fics, soon, hopefully. I've been busy because I just finished my exams and next week I'll be on camp for three days and then end of the school term so I have two weeks of dedicating my time to you guys. Excited? I know, I am too :P
Anyway, until the next one-shot!
Seikō- Love (endearment)
Arigatou gozaimas!
RIKOREN xD