Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
A/N: A very short OriRuki thing...please review! I'm trying my best to write well, although I was greatly disheartened after I got an F in my writing class at college...
I DID ALL OF MY WORK FOR THAT CLASS, THOUGH, AND I PUT ALL OF MY EFFORT INTO IT!
There were just so many things Rukia loved about Inoue Orihime.
Her infectious laughter, her soft voice, her jewel-like eyes, her silky long hair, her cute button nose, her bubbly personality, her hidden intelligence, her unwavering loyalty to her friends, her caring disposition, her desire to be useful, her selflessness, her bizarre tastes in cooking, her strengths and her weaknesses...everything about the young human girl simply fascinated Rukia.
From the very beginning of their friendship, Rukia felt like she had found a kindred spirit in Orihime. They had both been shunned by the people that were supposed to love and care for them. They had both been forced to go through such painful, tormenting hopelessness. They had both been rescued from this pit of despair by friends who would willingly put their lives at risk for their happiness. They even fought for each other's freedom at these times as well.
At first, Rukia had been unsure of her true feelings and only saw Orihime as a dear friend, especially after the battle against Soul Society itself. As they spent more time together, however, Rukia found herself becoming elated just to converse with the taller, yet far younger, girl. She took notice of everything about the girl, from her body to her personality; she knew it was a little creepy, but it just happened on its own. She was falling desperately in love with Orihime, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Rukia couldn't confess to Orihime as it would have been far too risky, but she was more than happy to at least be in the teen's inner circle of companions.
Rukia's forbidden passion took a turn for the extreme upon being informed of Orihime 'willingly' accompanying an Espada into Hueco Mundo. She had considered the consequences of going against the orders of her superiors, but there was absolutely no way she could idly sit by as the person she loved so much was suffering the same loneliness she had suffered in the past. After convincing Renji to join her (he was not close with Orihime personally, but his feelings for Rukia made him a useful ally), Rukia wasted no further time in opening up a pathway to Hueco Mundo.
In Rukia's mind, the possibilty of her being killed in the battle against the Espada was practically a given, but for the sake of seeing Orihime again, if only to say good-bye to her...then she was more than happy to make such a small sacrifice...
As with Ichigo, Chad and Ishida...she was doing this for Orihime.
