The sound of Ichigo's waraji as he turned and padded back to the clinic was inexplicably loud over Chappy's fretting.
"Che. Ichigo!" Rukia sighed; she gave Orihime a quick bow before storming off after the moody teen.
Orihime bit her lip and shook her head. Silly Orihime. Don't get down over this! She wasn't even sure what it was that was making her sad and that was no good at all.
"Alright!" she said to herself, getting to her feet and wincing when a fist pump jolted her cast.
"Inoue, you okay?"
Ah! She had forgotten. Abarai-kun was still there. See? Getting down was no good, she missed important details like that!
"Perfectly fine! I'm full of energy!" she beamed, careful to resist the temptation to demonstrate that fineness.
Renji eyed her and shook his head, "Thanks. I mean... for healin' Rukia. I know you've still got your cast an' all..."
Orihime grinned, "No problem. Since I really can't..." Her gentle protest was cut off by a gentle bap on the head.
"You do a lot, don't forget," Renji reassured her, "Look, Rukia won't be back for a while-" he made a face, pretty clear what his opinion on Ichigo's sudden attitude was. "Lemme treat you to somethin'."
The offer was met with a frantic waving of hands, "Oh, no! I couldn't, Abarai-kun! Not when you certainly must not have a lot of funds at hand!"
Renji grinned, "No, really. Think of it as repayment for all you do for us."
The frantic waving of hands increased, "But you do a lot for all of us, too! If you pay, then I'd feel like I had to pay you back and then the mafia would-"
Any important information on the connection between paying for her meal and certain mass criminal organizations(and possibly aliens and a mass-media-influenced government conspiracy, although that was primarily in the interest of furthering the continued existence of Thursdays) was cut off as Renji grabbed one of those flailing hands and gave it a tug.
"C'mon, it won't be much. Just a bento from the convenience store up the street if it bothers ya too much," Renji urged.
Orihime gave a pause, wide eyes catching sight of the serious intensity that traced Renji's eyes, something she used to see matched in Ichigo's eyes. Especially, now that she thought about it, when he worked to save Rukia. But that intensity was gone, more anger and confusion tainting it than before. And she worried, although she knew she shouldn't, that maybe Rukia couldn't help him anymore than Mr. Urahara.
But, her hand slipped free of Renji's grasp and she took his hand. "You don't think they have bentos with Mexican refried beans on them, do you?"
But, now that she thought about it, Ichigo wasn't alone at all. Nor was Rukia in trying to help him.
Renji squeezed her hand a little at the sudden cheer she showed, "I bet they might."
Rukia had her. And Rukia had Renji. And, somewhere out there, they had Chad and Ishida and Urahara and Yoruichi and everyone!
She gave Renji's hand a squeeze back. And with all of them together, she was certain Ichigo would be just fine.