Travelin' Soldier

Disclaimer: I own not Bleach or the song, 'Travelin' Soldier'.

Inspired by: 'Travelin' Soldier' by the Dixie Chicks

A tall, black-haired boy, two days past eighteen, stood at the bus stop. The sun shone down into his eyes and he raised a hand to shield them, squinting down the dusty, dirt road lined with redwoods. He sighed, hoisting his small green duffel over his shoulder and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, knowing the bus wouldn't be here for at least another two hours. After slipping his hat back on, the boy turned around and headed over to the local café, his army greens crinkling as he walked, for a bite to eat while he waited. He pulled the glass door open and stepped inside. The warm scent of fresh baked goods and hamburgers enveloped him along with the musty scent of the café itself. He strode across the dark, wooden floor to an empty booth and slid across the red plastic of the seat and rested his elbow on the table.

All around him the other customers chattered away happily, and he caught a few words from the group behind him. Of course, he thought, they were talking about the war, who wouldn't be? A waitress came over to serve him and he looked up at her. The waitress was young, maybe sixteen, he thought, and had long, shoulder length orange hair that was partly pulled up and tied with a large pink bow behind her head. She was wearing a light pink country dress that complimented the bow in her hair.

The girl smiled at him and her warm grey eyes sparkled. "What can I get for you?" she asked in a southern accent, pulling out a notepad and pencil from her waist-apron, waiting for him to order.

The boy's immediate reaction was that beautiful, but probably had a boyfriend. He blushed slightly, and looked down. "Uh, sorry, but," he said, looking up at her again, "Would you mind sittin' down for a while and talkin' to me, I'm feelin' a little low."

The girl smiled, tucking a lock of orange bangs behind her ear, finding it flattering that the boy was so shy. "I get off in an hour and I know where we can go." She told him, tucking the notepad and pencil back into her waist-apron, "Could you wait around for a bit?"

"Yes ma'am." The boy grinned, his blush still apparent.

The hour passed quickly, and the two teenagers were walking down a slightly treaded path through the forest not far from the café, the girl in the lead. After a few more minutes of walking, the couple stopped at the banks of the town's lake.

She turned and smiled at the boy. "C'mon! Let's go sit." He nodded gratefully and followed her to the pier.

They sat for a few moments in silence, their legs dangling off the end of the pier. The boy took off his hat, holding it in his hands, and took a deep breath.

"I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care, I've got no one to send a letter to," he paused, looking over to the girl sitting next to him. "Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?" he finished, his raven black eyebrows bent slightly in apprehension.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and then she blushed darkly. "Actually, I don't have a boyfriend, but I surely would enjoy it if you did write to me." She smiled shyly, twirling a few strands of her red hair around her index finger.

The boy's face split into a wide grin, the sun glinted off his glasses. "Thank you, ma'am!" he said happily. "My name's Uryuu Ishida, what's yours?" he asked, then added, "So I don't have to call you 'ma'am' all the time."

"Orihime Inoue." She said, grinning, holding out her hand to Ishida. "A pleasure to meet you, Uryuu!"

"A pleasure to meet you, too, Orihime." He smiled, and shook her hand. Ishida bent low, pulling her hand up, and kissed it gently, letting go as he sat up again. Orihime blushed even darker and smiled, appreciative and slightly embarrassed.

They sat, both pink in the face, quiet for a moment, and then began to laugh. The sounds of their laughter echoed out across the shimmering, glassy surface of the lake, and a few ducks looked over curiously to see where the noise had come from. The sun was setting now, and the lake glowed orange. Ishida and Orihime talked about the war, and Orihime had so many questions for him that it was nearly dusk when they stood to leave.

Three days passed, and so came the time when Ishida had to leave with the other men enrolled in the army who had missed the last bus. He stood there, holding Orihime's hands in his, clad fully in his army uniform.

"I promise, Orihime, I'll write to you every chance I get." Ishida promised, his dark blue eyes sad behind his glasses.

Orihime nodded, her pink bow shaking slightly, and bit her lip. "Stay safe, Uryuu." Then added as a stab at humour, "You don't want me to come down there and make you, do you?" she laughed quietly, Ishida did the same.

"Orihime, I…" Ishida was cut off by the bus's engine roaring to life. Both looked quickly over to the large green bus, men in identical green clothing were climbing its steps and seating themselves

"Go, Uryuu!" Orihime said quickly, ushering him towards the line up.

Ishida turned around to face her, opening his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and pulled her face up to his and pressed his lips against Orihime's. The kiss surprised Orihime, but she didn't pull away and placed her hands onto his shoulders. Ishida pulled away and held her face for a moment, a pained expression on his face.

"I have to leave," he said, as though it were an apology, "Orihime, I'll write." Ishida promised again.

With one last look over his shoulder, the raven-haired boy climbed up the stairs and walked through the bus to take a seat at the very back. Ishida set his duffel bag on the seat next to him and twisted to face out the rear-view window. Through the dusty window, he could see Orihime standing on the side of the road. Her red hair shone in the light of the dying sun, she had her hands clasped near her throat and watched him. Ishida felt a lump rise in his throat and he put his hand against the glass, not breaking eye contact with her.

Orihime stood on the overgrown side of the dusty dirt road, biting her lip, watching Ishida. She saw him put his hand up to the window and her heart did a summersault. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and she waved, smiling bravely.

Ishida smiled sadly, his heart breaking, and kept his hand pressed against the window. The bus gave a jolt and began to roll on towards its destination. He kept watching Orihime grow smaller and smaller until she vanished completely as the bus rounded a corner. He let go of the window and slumped in his seat, closing his eyes. Ishida smiled slightly, seeing her smile in his mind, the sadness faltering for a moment. Just wait, Orihime, he thought, opening his eyes again and watched the trees flashing past his window. I'll come back for you.

The wind gusted Orihime's bow and tossed her hair as she watched the bus drive away, becoming smaller and smaller, until it rounded a corner and disappeared. She clapped a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, saying a little prayer for Ishida. Please, Uryuu, come back safely. The redhead thought with her hand still at her mouth, and turned to walk back across the bridge towards the café and town.

The first letter arrived the following Monday, the postal stamp confirming it was from the army base in California. Orihime's heart pounded with anxiety as she took the letter from the mailman. She thanked him and ran back inside her house, shutting the door behind her. Sliding her finger to rip the seal, she eagerly pulled the paper out, unfolding it, and began to read Ishida's neat handwriting.

Dearest Orihime,

It's Friday today, and we've just finished orientation and standard battle/ combat procedures. I haven't told any of the other men in my quadrant, but I'm scared. I'm so scared that I won't make it through the war, but then I think of you and I find the courage to get out of bed in the mornings.

Orihime covered her mouth, slumping against the pale yellow wall. A tear ran down her cheek as she continued reading the letter, chuckling at his jokes and smiling sadly.

I'm sorry this letter is so long, but I just wanted to tell you I miss you, and I'll come home for you, Orihime. Stay well, and I hope my next letter reaches you as well.

Love,

Uryuu.

Orihime's heart leapt at the written word, and she grinned, hanging onto the flicker of hope that he had given her.

"Orihime?" Her mother, in a blue blouse and black skirt, came around the corner from the hallway and stopped in the foyer, putting her hand on her hip. "Is that a letter from that black-haired boy you were spending so much time with?" she asked, raising a brown eyebrow.

Orihime's heart sank a bit. "Yes it is, mother."

Her mother sighed; running her hand through her cropped caramel hair. "You're too young for him," she told her, "Too young to be waiting for the love of a travelin' soldier." She said with a tinge of disapproval and folded her arms. "You shouldn't be too hopeful, not very many young boys make it back." Her mother spoke, turning away, "They're too cocky, they get full of themselves…"

"Is that what you think Sora is, then?" Orihime demanded, clenching the envelope in her hand. "He's the same age as Uryuu, mother! And he's your son! He's out there, fighting with dad and Uryuu, just in case you forgot."Her mother was silent, her arms still crossed over her chest.

Orihime's tears rolled down her cheeks and she stormed off to her room, passing her mother in the hallway, and slammed her door behind her. The quiet darkness of her room surrounded her and she slid down the door, crouching and covering her eyes, sobbing.

Orihime rushed out the door on Thursday morning, a week later, to meet the mailman who had become accustomed for her eagerness to receive the letters. As she approached him, the mailman smiled.

"It's from 'im, lil' miss!" he grinned, nodding enthusiastically with his grey hair poking out from under his cap, and held out the letter to her.

"Thank you!" she beamed and took the letter, opening it as she ran back inside, shutting the door behind her.

Orihime glanced around the foyer and into the living room to see if her mother was around, then ran into her room, shutting the door quietly. She pulled the folded paper from inside and flicked on the light switch. Orihime strode over to her bed and sat down, sinking into the cloud-print comforter.

Dearest Orihime,

We've been fighting in Vietnam for about a week now, I lose track of time sometimes. It's Sunday as I write this, and we've just eaten. My squad is heading back out in an hour or so, so I chose to write this letter now.

On the battlefield is the scariest place in the world. Bombs exploding, comrades dying, the war planes flying overhead. Firing a gun at another man is the most terrifying thing I have ever done. But when it's gettin' kinda rough over here and when we're hiding in the trenches, I close my eyes and think about that day on the pier, I see your pretty little smile, and I can't help but find a little patch of heaven amongst all this hell. Thank you, Orihime.

Being out here and being exposed to all this horror and evil, makes one realize how fragile life is. When I come back, Orihime Inoue, I'm going to make you my wife, if you'll consent, of course. I love you and I miss you each passing day. I have to go in a bit, so I'll write a good-bye.

Don't worry, but I won't be able to write for a while. I'll be okay. Stay safe; I hope I will be able to come home soon.

Love,

Uryuu.

Orihime sat in shock.

"He just… Proposed…" she whispered, re-reading the sentence.

Then a grin spread across her face and she closed her eyes. She laughed joyfully, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and hugged the paper tightly.

"He proposed!" she laughed, flopping down onto her bed. She was as happy as she could ever remember being, and she hugged the letter again. Orihime jumped to her feet and grabbed the large brown teddy bear off her bed and swung him around, dancing across the cream-coloured carpet.

Orihime went down to the football stadium near the center of town Friday evening to watch their state's football team play the qualifying match to get into the semi-finals. She pushed herself through the crowd, clutching her ticket, and managed to get a seat near the bottom of the bleachers. She sat in her little pink dress with a large red bow tied up in her hair. She took in her surroundings, watching the crowd hustle and bustle, talking and laughing happily finding their seats. The people were a sea of swarming colours, blending together because Orihime was too preoccupied to focus on them. I'm going to be married! The thought brought a bright grin to her face.

The anthem was sung, and the Lord's Prayer said. Then a short, portly man in a navy blue suit took the microphone in the middle of the field.

"Folks, would you bow your heads for a list of local Vietnam dead." he said in a gruff voice into the microphone. He began to list the names of the soldiers who had died in combat.

"Uryuu Ishida…" he said, continuing on down the list.

Orihime's body went numb. "No…" she whispered, horrified. Her hands rose to her mouth. She looked around slowly, her ears ringing with the silence of the crowd. Nobody really cared, but a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair.

"No…" she said again, stepping off the bleachers and began to walk towards the exit. Tears welled up in her grey eyes and she wiped them away furiously.

Orihime heard crying behind her, and glanced over her shoulder to see the piccolo player from the marching band sitting in his red uniform underneath the bleachers, his head in his hands, sobbing. He looked up once, and they shared a brief moment of eye contact; they both understood each other's pain.

And then the pretty little girl with a bow in her hair turned and ran out of the stadium, tears blurring her vision.

Ooo

Her mother's words echoed inside her head as she ran. "You shouldn't be too hopeful, not very many young boys make it back."

"No!" she screamed, running through the woods.

"…Not very many young boys make it back."

"No!" Orihime screamed again, heading for the pier on the lake.

"…Make it back."

She stopped at the end of the wooden planks and dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Uryuu…" she sobbed and coughed, her whole body shuddering. "Oh god…Uryuu…" Orihime put her hand on the spot where he had sat next to her and closed her eyes; she hung her head, letting her tears fall onto the planks beneath her. She lay down, covering her face with her hands and sobbed, she cried until the moon shone high above and the crickets sang their chirping.

"Never gonna hold the hand of another guy…" she said, sniffling, making a promise to herself.

The moonlight fell across her trembling form, making her skin glow a deathly white and cast dark shadows across her eyes. They looked hollow and empty, as though they were eyes of a skull. Her bow slipped from her hair and fell into the lake, sinking gracefully to its murky depths. To the night, she looked already dead.

Author's Note: This song is so sad, and I hope I did it justice by writing this fanfic to it. But, I don't think I did. I hope all you readers enjoyed it.