In the midst of the night she sat alone looking idly out the window at the houses around her building with a sigh. The full moon was high in the sky and shined down on the small town of Karakura while she sat deep in thought as she lost track of time. Her imagination was vast in fantasy and fairytales that could never be true. Yet lately her mind had been full of another girl that she held a close bond with though she never once questioned why her thoughts had been consumed so easily by her friend.
These things didn't matter to her since she never thought much of it. To her it was just something that caught her interest and nothing more then that since this was a common occurrence for her. At such a young age it was nice to be so caught up in things that nothing else really mattered to her but still made her happy. For her happiness was found in thoughts of her friend and when she saw this person it never failed to bring a warm smile to her face.
In her thoughts the two were spending an average lunch together on the roof of their school in cheerful conversation. The smile on her face warmed as the thought carried on and she became even more lost in it. It wasn't long before these thoughts became a dream as her tire caught up with her and she fell fast asleep at her desk. Her dreams were filled with her thoughts and fantasies and once more they were all improbable.
When she opened her eyes next she found herself lying on her bed all tucked in but still dressed in what she was wearing while she sat at her desk. She looked at her clock curiously as she wondered when she had gone to her bed and why she hadn't changed into something more suitable to sleep in. It was little past six in the morning on a Saturday with nothing planned for the day.
She stretched a little before getting out of bed with a yawn to get a glass of water to ease a dry throat before returning to bed. Her thoughts were in a continuation of her dream as she walked to the kitchen in a slight daze and unaware of her surroundings but navigated her living room with complete ease. Nothing was out of place and everything was as she left it except for the blanket on the couch that she couldn't see on her walk to the kitchen.
With another yawn she filled a cup with cold tap water and drank it quickly before placing the cup on the counter and leaving the kitchen. As she entered the living room she was more focused on her surroundings and noticed the misplaced blanket on her couch as well as the person underneath it. She stood there silently for a moment before going over at a slow pace to find out who was sleeping on her couch.
As the person rolled over though she felt relaxed just at seeing who it was. Though she was curious as to why this person was sleeping on her couch she let them sleep as she went back to bed with yet another yawn. She laid down on her bed with a warm smile and soon fell back to sleep and was once more welcomed with happy thoughts of spending time with the girl that was sleeping on her couch at the moment. In this dream the two were at her apartment, like they currently were, but awake and talking happily over some tea.
It wasn't very long before her alarm went off waking her once more from her pleasant dreams. She turned off her alarm as she sat up and considered what to wear that day. In the end she chose something casual for the day and changed into it before leaving her room. She went back to the kitchen quietly so she wouldn't disturb her guest while they slept. When she passed the couch she glanced over with a smile to find her friend still asleep.
She entered the kitchen and started boiling some water to make some tea for the two of them to have together. A warm smile formed on her face as she got everything ready before she sat down and waited for the water to boil. Her mind was once more consumed with her thoughts and still no question on why they had been so infested with her friend. Every scenario the two could possibly and impossibly be in was thought of. All thoughts however strayed from indecency as she was still far too innocent for those kinds of thoughts.
When the water had boiled she served the tea and brought it into the living room. The cups were placed on the table before she gently placed a hand on her friends shoulder and shook her a little, "Tatsuki, wake up. I made some tea."
She stirred from her sleep a little and glanced over with a sleepy expression, "Sorry for letting myself in last night, Orihime."
"It's alright." Orihime said with a warm smile. "I know things are a little rough for you right now."
"Yeah," Tatsuki said as she sat up and avoided Orihime's eyes. "I'm sorry I keep imposing on you like this but lately they just don't stop."
Orihime sat beside her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, "Tatsuki, you're never imposing here. Any time you need to take a break from things you can come here."
"Thanks, Orihime." Tatsuki said with a warm smile. "I should probably get going soon though. I doubt they noticed I left."
Tatsuki stood up with a bit of a stretch before Orihime said, "You don't want to stay for tea and breakfast?"
They met eyes and Orihime smiled warmly as Tatsuki sat back down, "I suppose I could do that if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't, Tatsuki." Orihime said.
They shared a smile as they each took a cup of tea and drank it quietly while Tatsuki's gaze went back across the room. She sighed deeply and sipped her tea with no clear intention of starting a conversation. Orihime watched her with an increasing worry as Tatsuki continued to avoid her eyes and all questions while she continued to drink her tea. After a while Orihime smiled and said, "Thanks for tucking me in last night."
A slight blush formed on Tatsuki's face as she looked further away and said, "Yeah well, you were asleep at your desk and I couldn't just let you stay like that. It would have been bad for your back."
Orihime's smile warmed a little as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder prompting her to look over. She smiled weakly in return and did little to strengthen it in any way at all. Orihime's smile lessened a little as she tried to change the mood, "So what do you want for breakfast?"
"Anything simple and normal is fine." Tatsuki said.
"Everything I make is normal." Orihime said with a slight pout.
"Yeah, I know." Tatsuki said distantly.
Orihime's smile was replaced by a frown as she pulled Tatsuki into a tight hug, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nah, it's fine, you don't have to worry about it." Tatsuki said as she placed a hand on Orihime's shoulder.
She felt a few tears soak into her sleeve making her tighten her embrace and made it even harder not to press questions on her upset mood. Her frown deepened as she gently stroked Tatsuki's hair and asked, "Are things getting worse?"
Tatsuki nodded and said, "All they seem to do now is argue. I don't know if they'll stay together or not."
"Do you want to spend the weekend here?" Orihime asked.
"I would but if I did then it would cheer me up and I wouldn't be able to go back to the arguing." Tatsuki said. "I can't have two days to relax just to go back and find everything has only gotten worse between them."
Orihime's worry increased with the strength of her embrace while Tatsuki attempted to calm her tears from falling even more. Nothing more was said as they remained unmoving until the final tear fell. As it was absorbed into Orihime's sleeve Tatsuki pulled away to meet her eyes and say, "I'm sorry I keep troubling you with this."
"It's no trouble, Tatsuki." Orihime said kindly.
They shared a small smile before Tatsuki was released and the two went back to their tea with another short silence. In their silence they finished their tea and shared one other warm smile that was short lived before Tatsuki brought her gaze across the room once more as she spoke, "I just don't know anymore."
Orihime gave her a worried look, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Once more there was silence before Tatsuki sighed, "My parent's arguments are just getting worse and worse. Half the time I don't even know what they're arguing about. It always seems to be different but it's always the same. To be honest I'm surprised one of them hasn't just called it quits."
"Maybe they won't and things will work out in time." Orihime suggested.
"That's unlikely." Tatsuki said sadly. "They're too damned stubborn to work things out with each other."
Orihime gave her a concerned look as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder once more but she didn't look over to meet her eyes. The concern grew in the young girl at the sight of her friend in such a sad state making her want to do anything she could to cheer her up. "Do you want to do something today?"
Tatsuki looked over and met her eyes, "Like what?"
Orihime fell silent to think about it before her face brightened up once more, "We'll do whatever you want to do."
A warm smile formed on Tatsuki's face as she said, "Movie?"
"Anything you want, Tatsuki." Orihime said happily.
Their smiles warmed as Orihime took the empty cups and went to the kitchen followed closely by Tatsuki. The cups were placed by the sink before Orihime went about making breakfast for the two of them. This routine wasn't unusual for her but it wasn't often enough that it was common for them. Tatsuki's parents had begun to argue in the past couple of months and shortly after it started Tatsuki started showing up to get away from it all. Orihime had soon gotten used to waking up and finding Tatsuki either on her bedroom floor or on the couch.
Orihime didn't manage to get much done before she found herself in Tatsuki's arms as she gently said, "You're a really great friend to have, Orihime."
A slight blush formed on Orihime's face as she nervously said, "I do what I can."
"Well it means a lot to me." Tatsuki said as she tightened her embrace a little. "Thanks for everything you're doing for me."
"Anytime you need anything just let me know." Orihime said cheerfully.
Despite her cheerfulness she had yet to become accustom to these interactions as they were still fairly new for them and had started slowly but suddenly. They still caught her by surprise but she didn't dislike them at all. She held Tatsuki's arms with a warm smile as she had little doubt that it was being silently returned. Her blush deepened as Tatsuki snuggled her face into her neck.
Orihime's heart picked up a little as her nervousness rose a little and the embrace became more intimate then it ever had before. As it became the longest Orihime almost wanted to find a way to get out of it but she remained still out of fear of making Tatsuki know she was uncomfortable with those interactions. If these interactions made her happy then she wouldn't complain and allow them to continue.
Tatsuki held her for a long time before releasing her with hesitation as if she had to fight just to do it. The blush on Orihime's face was strong now as she turned to face Tatsuki properly to show her a warm smile but as she did so she found that their eyes didn't meet as her friend looked away nervously. This put her at ease in knowing that her blush wouldn't be discovered this time which was relieving as it was much stronger then the normal light blush she got from those interactions.
When Tatsuki was finally able to meet Orihime's eyes any sign of a blush was long gone and there was no awkwardness to be found in her. It was the opposite, however, for Tatsuki as her blush returned the moment their eyes met. Her blush was the usual strength as it was after these interactions but her nervousness had increased. Orihime's smile faded a little as she asked, "Do you need a glass of water?"
"Uh, yeah, that would be good." Tatsuki said nervously.
Orihime led her back to the table so she could sit down before she got her a glass of water. It was handed to her with a bright smile which was returned hesitantly, "Thanks, Orihime."
"Anytime," Orihime said happily.
Their smiles widened before they faded as Tatsuki looked away and drank the water while Orihime went back to the counter to start breakfast for them. She cooked in silence. As she finished she found Tatsuki at the counter as well as she got everything else ready for them with a smile, "It's nice to have a quiet morning for a change."
"You're always welcome here." Orihime said warmly.
"Yeah, thanks, Orihime." Tatsuki said with a smile.
They shared a smile as Orihime served herself and her friend before cleaning up while the plates were brought to the table for them. When Orihime was seated they shared a smile and the traditional phrase before beginning their breakfast together in a warm silence. Soon they had taken up conversation on their usual trivial meaningless matter that took their minds off of any problem they had.
When their conversation ran dry they fell into silence once more and finished the last of their meal with the occasional shared smile. After they finished they remained seated for a while without anything to say. Tatsuki rose first and cleaned up for Orihime before she retook her seat at the table with a smile. They continued their silence with welcoming smiles that refused to fade away.
The two girls knew everything they needed to know about the other so even their silence was filled with a conversation spoken through their smiles. If something was unknown to one it was almost told that there was an unspoken matter by their interactions with one another though it may not be spoken their trust never wavered. One secret escaped them though as they had yet to realize it within themselves and were so lost to its existence that they didn't even seek it.