Title: Finding Her Heart
Chapter: 1
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Bleach
Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime
Disclaimer: I own neither the characters nor Bleach
Valentine's Day was the most stupid and pointless celebration that humans ever invented to celebrate. That and White Day.
That was what Ichigo said to Rukia, as they walked down their usual sunny-lit path to school.
It was Tuesday 10th of February, four days before the said horrendous festivity was about to happen. Rukia, who had grown most curious over the hype that seemed to have suddenly infected the school, had only managed to catch the word "Valentine" before the girl she had asked collapsed into a fit of giggles and ran away, tomato-faced. Curiosity not quenched, she decided to ask Ichigo about it; after all, she thought, he was a human who grew up here. If anyone could answer, he could.
Now that was a big mistake on her part.
After choking on Yuzu's homemade pancakes that morning, all Rukia got from the orange-headed teen was that one irritated statement above, which really explains nothing except that Ichigo was an idiot, and he refused to say anymore. Rukia would've tortured him to elaborate properly but remembered at the last minute what happened at his mother's death anniversary the last time she did that and thought perhaps there was a deeper reason to this sensitive topic.
That didn't mean she was going to drop it though! As soon as they reached the school gates, Rukia bid Ichigo a hurried goodbye and dashed off to the classroom before he could say "What the..!" To her delight, Orihime was already there sitting quietly behind Tatsuki and Chizuru, mouth open and clearly in a daze. It seemed she was completely unaware of the noisy fight before her.
"I told you to stop molesting her! And lest of all in public!" Tatsuki yelled, throwing a punch at Chizuru.
"It's Valentine's Season," Chizuru shouted back, just as fiercely, "Couples are kissing on the streets everywhere! I was merely admiring Hime-chan's lovely bosoms! What's wrong with that!"
"What's wrong with it! Everything, you lesbo-sex-crazed-pervert! And what Valentine's Season! You do this everyday!"
To everyone's surprise, Chizuru suddenly stopped struggling and actually flushed. "I just can't help it, really. Hime's sensuous beauty just arouses me so. Just the other night in fact, I was simply daydreaming about Hime and suddenly this huge orga-"
"STOP! STOP! Now I'm really going to kill you!"
And with that, Tatsuki leapt onto Chizuru and the scrawl resumed.
Rukia chuckled at the familiar sight and the sound seemed to awaken Orihime. She blinked as her daydream shattered and her eyes landed on Rukia.
"Good morning, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime chirped happily.
"Good morning, Inoue-san." Rukia greeted back as she walked around scuffle effortlessly and stood next to the big-breasted girl. "What's this I hear about Valentine's Season?"
"You don't know, Kuchiki-san? Do you not celebrate it in Soul Society?" Rukia cast a worried glance at Tatsuki and Chizuru but they seemed too engrossed in their own business to notice. Turning back to Orihime, she shook her head.
Orihime smiled broadly.
"Valentine's Day is a tradition dating back centuries." She began, speaking as though she had prepared the speech especially for such an occasion. "It's a day used to celebrate a couple's love for each other. Or, if you single but like someone, it's a day that you can give them something to show you care about them. Here in Japan, this day is specially for women to send a gift to the man they love." She giggled, "It's sweet, isn't it?"
Rukia nodded, taking it all in. Humans sure do strange things here in the real world… She thought back Ichigo's non-helpful explanation and another question suddenly popped up.
"Then what's White Day?"
"Oh that's just like Valentine's Day, except it's when men give something in return to the women to thank them for Valentine's Day. I think it's on the… March 14th, yeah, a month after Valentine's Day."
"Oh I see…"
Rukia smirked. So that was why Ichigo was so annoyed at the topic, it was because he wasn't getting any action. Hah! The loner.
"What about you, Inoue-san? Are you going to give a gift to someone this year?"
The question was really quite simple in nature, just a normal enquiry befitting the conversation. But Chizuru was suddenly alert. She looked up from her position on the floor where Tatsuki was pinning her down, and stared at Orihime through lopsided glasses. Her face was a hybrid of shock and joy. "My Hime… is giving me a gift?"
Tatsuki stomped on Chizuru's head angrily. "Get over yourself. Even if she is giving someone a gift, it wouldn't be you. Orihime has never given a Valentine's present to anyone besides her brother. Right, Hime?"
"Um…" Orihime mumbled, fiddling with her hands nervously. "Actually, Tatsuki-chan, this year I do have something for someone…"
Chizuru shouted her triumphant protests from the floor, and Tatsuki blinked in surprise. "Oh really? Is it who I think it is?" She asked, completely dismissing Chizuru.
Blushing, Orihime merely looked away shyly and tightened the hold on her bag. A beam of sunlight streamed into the room and suddenly, in one glorious stroke of inspiration, Rukia had an idea.
--
"I-Chi-Go!"
Ichigo automatically ducked to one side and Keigo splattered flat onto the wall.
They had just done double Physics and double Maths - during which Ichigo had to leave in the middle due to a hollow warning, and had only just got back in time for lunch - and the last thing he needed now was Keigo's crazy antics. With his vein threatening to pop, Ichigo muttered irritably, "What do you want?"
"Have you got any Valentino cards so far eh, Ichi-Ichigo?" Keigo asked, dancing madly. "I got six. SIX!" He flashed some flowery, pink slash purple cards in front of Ichigo's face. "At last, Mizuiro's reign over women is over and I shall finally claim my rightful place as the most popular male of all! Mwaha-mwahahaha!"
"That's nice, Keigo. But have you looked inside the cards yet?"
Mizuiro stepped up from behind them and greeted Ichigo on the other side. Keigo scoffed at him haughtily and flipped one card over. "You're just jealous that I'm more popular than you. These were all in my locker so obviously they were meant fo…"
Keigo's face froze in horror. No words were issued from his lips and the sentence hung unfinished.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, looking over the shocked boy's shoulder. He had to stuff a fist in his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Asano-kun, can you please please tell Mizuiro-kun that I love him and persuade him to go out with me! Please please! Thank you! Mitsuki-chan.
"No! That was just one, just one card!" Keigo yelled, tearing into the other cards. "I love Mizuiro – no – Mizuiro-kun's best – no! – What does Mizuiro-kun like? – shut up! – Send me a picture of Mi – NOOOOOOOOOOO!"Keigo fell to the floor dramatically, and crunched up the cards in his hands. "Why…"
Mizuiro clapped Keigo embracingly on the back, "If it makes you feel better, I only got twelve cards in my locker. That's two down from last year, but I suppose the three extra yesterday makes up for it, and of course there's still the rest of the week to go…"
"Mizuiro…!" Keigo rose up, and grabbed Mizuiro's collar. He shook him fiercely, screaming in anguish. "It's your fault! All your fault! You goddamn popular no-gooder! Why you always…"
Ichigo balled his hands into fists. Veins popped everywhere as his anger flourished. But just as he was about to knock the idiot unconscious, an unexpected weight bumped into him from behind.
"Oof! … Ouch."
Ichigo turned around, recognising that voice. "Inoue?"
Orihime stopped rubbing her bottom and looked up timidly, her eyes widening as they landed on Ichigo. "Oh Kurosaki-kun, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking to see where I was going." She scrambled up clumsily, and bowed. Before Ichigo could reply, another voice boomed in.
"Inoue-san!" Keigo sprung forward, arms wide. "My sweet goddess of heaven! You have come to save me!" All previous misery was clearly forgotten as stars shimmered brightly in his eyes. Ichigo punched him away.
"Sorry about him. What are you doing running down the corridor?"
"Um…" Orihime stammered nervously, "I, er, I think I lost something. I had it in the morning but – uh – it's not there anymore."
"What? Is it a book? Your purse?"
She shook her head, starting to go red. "It-it doesn't matter. Sorry Kurosaki-kun. Please jus-just ignore it. I'd better be going now!" Orihime bowed deeply once again and braved one last glance towards him before running away as fast as she could, tripping over herself several times in her haste.
Ichigo stared after her absent-mindedly, oblivious to Keigo groaning in the corner, before a voice piped up beside him. "Poor Inoue, it really does seem like she's lost something really important. Hm… She's been looking for it all lunchtime."
"Rukia…" Ichigo said, "When did you show up?"
Rukia ignored him. "Oh I do hope she finds it soon. After all, Saturday isn't that far away."
Saturday…? Ichigo thought, Valentine's Day…? He narrowed his eyes at Rukia, trying to decipher her out. She was acting strange, and by that he meant unusually strange.
"What did she lose?" He asked.
Rukia looked at him quietly for a while.
"Her heart."
Author's Notes:
This'll most likely to be a three or four part story, since I'm too impatient to wait to finish it all and then post it all in one go. I hope you like it so far.