Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
2 Years Ago…
Orihime stared at the stick in her hand. It was impossible. This was impossible. There was no way this was happening.
"What does it say?" The other girl asked her, already guessing her answer from the ashen expression on her face.
She didn't answer, just staring down at the little plus sign on the stick.
"Orihime?" she called softly, getting up from her spot on the couch and walking over to her friend.
Instead of answering, Orihime just sank down slowly to the floor. The other girl was at her side in flash. She glanced at the stick and it confirmed what she had already guessed.
She wrapped her arms around Orihime. "It's okay," she said softly. "Everything is going to be okay."
Orihime stared up at her with a tortured expression. "How? How is this okay? How will this ever be okay?" Her whole body stiffened as a horrible realization hit her. "When… if…"
A hand gently brushed the hair out of her face and she looked up to see that that the other girls eyes were filled with concern. "What is it? What are you thinking, Orihime?"
Tears started to stream down Orihime's face. "When the Soul Society finds out… are they… will they…"
Her friends face fell as she understood Orihime's train of thought. "I don't know."
Their eyes locked. "Don't lie to me." Orihime's voice was firm and her eyes were hardened by an inner strength that hadn't been seen before the incident with Aizen. If anything good had come from that occurrence it was that Orihime had found her backbone.
"Yes, they will probably kill both of you. There's still some dispute over the fact that you were left alive and free to do as you please even though you had been declared a traitor. The Head-Captain did publically announce that you weren't a traitor and that you had in fact been kidnapped by Aizen, but there are many who think that you did betray us and the only reason you got off so easy is because of your relationship with Ichigo."
Orihime sighed. "I can see why people would think that."
They sat in silence for a long moment before Orihime sighed and stood up. She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly walked into the kitchen. Her friend got up to follow her.
"So," she asked Orihime after a long moment. "What do you want to do?"
Orihime continued to stare out the window for a moment before turning back. "The only thing I can do."
She stared at her for a moment. "And that is…" she prodded when Orihime failed to continue.
Orihime looked shocked that she hadn't automatically knew. "Well, I'm not going to just sit around and wait for the Soul Society to find out and decide my fate and that of… this." She gestured wildly with her hands. "So you see, I only have the one option."
"Again, I ask what that option is?"
Orihime smiled. "I have to run away."
The other girl froze. Run away? The more she thought about it the more she realized that Orihime was right. There was no way this situation would end well if she stayed. The only chance she had was if she ran. But she wouldn't last long by herself.
While she waited for the other girls response, Orihime began to plan things out in her head. She knew this was her only option, she knew that she could do this, she just wasn't sure how.
Her head snapped up when she heard her friends response. "Okay then. When do we leave?"
They locked eyes for a moment and then Orihime smiled.
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