Title: Talent Show
Series: Bleach
Pairing: Ichigo x Orihime
Genre: Romance, Humor
A/N: This came to me after listening to the song. Could be seen as OOC or AU-ish. Written for IchiHimeWeek 2016, Day 1 "Acknowledgment". I don't own "Trust" by Keyshia Cole or the Bleach characters.
Summary: In which Orihime becomes fed up with her feelings going unnoticed and decides that the school talent show is the perfect way for her to get her feelings acknowledged by Ichigo.
"Orihime…are you sure you want to do this?" Tatsuki asked her friend.
"Of course! Tatsuki-chan…I'm tired of my feelings going unnoticed by Kurosaki-kun. I just want him to know, that way he can either accept or…reject me." Orihime replied.
"Orihime…"
"Well I, for one, think it's a fabulous idea! And if Orihime-chan wants to go through with it, then who are we to stop her?" Rangiku declared, smiling widely.
"Thank you, Rangiku-san."
Tatsuki looked back and forth between her friend and the blonde haired woman, before sighing.
"Alright fine, I'll help you."
Orihime beamed, hugging her friend.
"Okay, okay." Rangiku interrupted them. "Now that Tatsuki is onboard, it's time to hash out the details! Like what song you're going to sing and, oh! The clothes! And make up too!"
Orihime and Tatsuki shared a look, both grinning with excitement.
.
Tatsuki ran around the school, trying to find the orange haired delinquent, Orihime loved. Finally, she spotted him walking out the front gate with Rukia in tow.
"Oi! Ichigo! Wait up!"
Ichigo obliged, raising an eyebrow upon seeing Tatsuki running towards him.
"Tatsuki? What's up?" he questioned, with Rukia watching them curiously.
"You're…are you going to the talent show?"
"Nah…I'm not interested in that." He replied flippantly.
"You have to!" Tatsuki shouted.
"What? Why would I go—"
"Orihime is performing."
"Inoue? She's performing?"
"Yep."
"Well then, that changes things. Ichigo is definitely going now." Rukia said, grinning.
"Oi, midget! Don't answer for me!"
"So you're not going to support Inoue?"
"Of course I am! Just don't answer for me."
Sensing an argument was about to break out, Tatsuki quickly interrupted them. "Okay, great. I'll see you later." And she took off running, smiling mischievously.
.
Ichigo was feeling irritated. Why? Because all week Inoue had been avoiding him. At first, he had believed her whenever she said she was busy and rushed off. After all, the talent show was on Friday. However, with a whole week of her giving the same excuse, well, he knew that her rushing off anytime he was around or wanted to speak to her wasn't because she was busy, but because she was avoiding him. Tatsuki wasn't any help either. Any time he questioned her about the topic, she'd snicker and wave him off with a vague answer of; "You'll find out after the talent show."
He didn't want to wait till after the talent show to find out what was wrong. He wanted to know now. However, it seemed like the more he tried to confront Inoue about it, the more she seemed to pull away, which only served to irritate him further. It felt…wrong not having Inoue by his side, constantly smiling and shining with happiness. He wasn't a patient person, but he would wait until after the talent show to find out what was wrong with Inoue.
.
"I don't think I can do this..." Orihime whimpered as she peeked around the curtain.
"It's too late to back out now! All the effort you've put into your performance will go to waste!" Rangiku admonished. "Plus, you'll have me up there with you! So it's not like you're doing this alone."
"I know but—"
"Plus, weren't you the one who said you're tired of Ichigo not knowing your feelings?" Tatsuki asked.
"Y-yes, but—"
"So get out there and sing you're heart out!" Tatsuki declared, just as applause erupted, signaling the end of the act.
"I've gotta get to my seat, ok? But trust me, you've got this." Tatsuki said, placing her hands on Orihime's shoulders and squeezing them reassuringly.
Taking a deep breath, Orihime smoothed out her dress and nodded. "Thanks Tatsuki, I'm ready to do this."
The two girls shared a smile before Tatsuki ran off.
"Alright! For our next and last performance, we have a duet! These two women will be singing 'Trust'. Apparently, it's a song dedicated to the guy who 'just won't get that I love him'" the announcer joked as he read the card Rangiku had given him earlier. "Please, give it up for Ran and Hime!"
"Here we go." Rangiku squealed, leading the way on stage.
Orihime kept her head down as she walked to her mic, feeling her nerves rise at the audience's curious stares. Grabbing her mic, she shared a look with Rangiku, before facing forward as the introduction music started, eyes quickly scanning the crowd. She smiled as she locked eyes with Tatsuki, who gave her a thumbs up, and then her smile dropped a little as she noticed Ichigo in the crowd. Squaring her shoulder's, Orihime locked eyes with Ichigo and started to sing.
Italics=Orihime Bold=Rangiku Bold&Italics=Both
Let me be the one who can take you from all the things you've seen
And if you trust in me I can be that through anything you need (anything you need)
And give it all to me baby
Don't you run from me baby
I'll give you every little piece of me
No I won't leave out a thing cause I know...
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
Got you feeling like this can't be right
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby
(I know you've seen a lot of things)
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
Got you feeling like this can't be right
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby (I'm down for you baby)
Now let me show you love can be easy if you just let it be
Nothin is promised but I believe if you give me everything (TRUST)
N I'll give you everything that I got n I won't stop 'til you get it right
All the trust n all the love you know we got a lot baby
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life (your life)
Got you feeling like this can't be right (baby)
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby
(Say I'm down, I'm down, I'm down, I'm down
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life (oooh whoooa)
Got you feeling like this can't be right (no, no, no)
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby (I'm down for you baby, baby, baby)
I trust you, I love you, I want you, I need you
Baby I breathe you, never leave you, life wouldn't be the same without you
I trust you, I love you, I want you, I need you
Baby I breath you, never leave you, life wouldn't be the same without you,
Noooooo, No, No, No, No
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
Got you feeling like this can't be right (can't be)
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby
(I know you've seen a lot of things)
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life
Got you feeling like this can't be right
But I won't hurt you I'm down for you baby (I'm down for you baby)
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.
It got you feeling like this can't be right.
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby.
I know you've seen a lot of things in your life.
It got you feeling like this can't be right.
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby.
Hime won't tell'em again for me, for me, for me
In your life (Your life) In your life (In your life)
I won't hurt you baby, no! In your life
In your life, in your life (In your life..)
I love you baby..(love you baby, yeah..)
Don't care what they say about us! Ooh no, no, no, no, no
Tell 'em, tell 'em... In your life (Life)
In your life, I won't hurt you baby, no. In your life (Your life)
In your life (In your life) I won't hurt you baby, no (No you won't)
In your life (In your life) In your life (In your life)
I love you baby, yeah! (Love You Baby, yeah!)
OOH, OOH, OOH, Gotta let'em know.
Throughout the entire song, Orihime's eyes never strayed from Ichigo's, making sure he got the message, though he wasn't the only one who got it. Ichigo could see all his friends staring at him with varying expressions of mischievous (Tatsuki, Rukia, and Renji), smugness(Ishida), and shock (Keigo). Chad and Mizuiro were just smiling at him, giving him a knowing look. Ichigo turned his attention back towards Orihime, who had just finished her bow. She gave him a nervous smile and a small wave, her face flushing, before she quickly followed Rangiku off stage. Ichigo felt his own face flush redder in return. Burying his red face in his hands, he let out a quiet groan. Well…at least now he knew why she had been avoiding him all week. Now the question was…what exactly was he going to do about it?
Sorry, I suck at writing, but I couldn't get this little plot bunny out of my head. It's been so long since I've actually written a fanfic though, it feels nice to be able to write one for my OTP. I hope you enjoyed!