Of course he would have to work on a holiday. Since he didn't have a girlfriend, he supposed this would be the perfect place for him so as not to suffer through questions or comments from his friends (or worse) and family about the fact that he should have a girlfriend by this point in his life. Listening to them talk incessantly about it, as if it were the only reason for living, really grated on his nerves. It wasn't that he didn't want a girlfriend, it was just that he hadn't found the right girl yet.
Bringing his mind back to the present, he leaned against the railing of the lifeguard tower overlooking a vast and completely empty beach. While he wasn't complaining about the excuse to get away from his oh-so-loving loved ones, he didn't much see the point of his manager telling him that someone needed to be on guard at the beach when clearly everyone was too busy having fun at the fairs and vendors to spend time at the beach. It was Tanabata, after all. People were more attracted to rivers with bridges so that they could imagine what it might be like for Hikoboshi and Orihime when they were finally reunited…at least according to the legend. Tomorrow, people might flock to the beach to play and laze about in the sun, but certainly not tonight.
However, in contradiction to that very thought, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a figure making his way along the beach. The figure looked like a young man around his own age and he was walking very slowly. Too slowly for his liking.
The figure then took a seat just a bit from the waterline and sat there staring out at the water. Heart starting to race, he frantically searched his memory for any sort of training he might have received on dealing with suicidal cases. Why of all nights did he have to be the one on duty and be the one to deal with the extreme crazies?
"Big Bwovver!"
All of a sudden, a child's voice cried out so that both he and the sitting young man turned around. A small toddler was running as fast as her short legs could carry her across the shifting sand towards the young man. Her arms were flung wide and her smile matched the wing span of her arms. From his vantage point, he couldn't see the young man's face, but from the action of holding his arms towards the tiny girl, he realized that this young man did not intend to do away with himself after all. A huge wave of relief swept over him…the sea water and wind chill would have been brutal to deal with otherwise.
Even from his sitting position, when the toddler came within range of the young man's hands, he snatched her off her feet and sent her soaring above his head. Both laughed gleefully for a few moments until the young man gently put the little girl down and started to tickle her. While her laughter naturally grew in pitch and volume, the young man simply chuckled softly to himself as he basked in the little girl's delight.
Eventually, the laughter died away and both figures lay motionless on the beach looking up at the sky. Finally, the little girl broke the silence.
"Big Bwovver?"
"Yes, Orihime?"
He blinked in astonishment. Was that guy serious? Her name was Orihime? Oh, what a crazy world it could be.
"Do we haf'ta go home?"
Typical question, but when the young man responded, it was not a typical answer.
The young man reached out a hand to gently stroke the little girl's hair as he said, "No, Orihime. We're not going back there."
"Why?"
He was grateful that the little girl had asked because he was immensely curious to hear the answer as well.
"Because we're going to buy a house here, in Karakura. What do you think?"
The little girl sat up and stared out at the sea for a bit before she looked back at the young man and asked, "Sowa (apparently, his name was 'Sora'), what about Mommy and Daddy?"
Sora sat up to gently pull Orihime into a protective hug as he said slowly, "Mother and Father…will stay away from you. I promise that I will protect you…always."
She pulled away and stood up to place her tiny hands on either side of Sora's face as she said, rather seriously for a three year old, "I wove you, Sowa."
Brushing a bit of hair from her face, Sora said just as seriously, "I love you too."
Apparently, Orihime thought of something exciting since she began bouncing on the balls of her feet as she asked, "Sowa, can we find a fawwy house?"
Stroking his chin in mock contemplation, Sora answered, "You want to find a fairy house, eh? Hmm, I wonder how we'd go about finding one?"
Flapping her arms up and down as if they were wings, Orihime chattered enthusiastically about the different ways they could go looking for such a house. For his part, Sora was able to sweep Orihime into his arms and make his way away from the beach while intently listening to the little girl's ideas.
As the brother and sister left, he wondered just how it would pan out for them. It seemed as though they had left home to strike out on their own, so he certainly hoped they would make it.
For the next nine years, he volunteered to be the one guarding the beach on Tanabata on the off chance that he would be able to figure out the answer to his own question. While they didn't return every year, both Sora and Orihime would return to that spot on Tanabata, so he was able to see that the two of them seemed to be making it just fine.
The toddler grew into a school age kid, with each year adding more length to her easily recognizable hair. Her personality remained similar to her smile: bright and engaging. While on Sora's part, he grew into a working man. While he couldn't immediately tell what kind of work Sora had been able to find, he was able to see that Sora was immensely pleased that Orihime was doing so well. Whatever had happened in their previous home, it seemed to be receding into distant memory.
The following year, it rained on Tanabata and while his manager said that he didn't have to subject himself to the elements since no one would show up there anyway, something in him said that he had to be there in spite of the rain. When Orihime arrived, it was obvious that something was wrong. First of all, she was alone. Second, she did not have an umbrella or coat or anything so that she was completely soaked. However, lastly, from her posture and the way she seemed to have retreated inside herself, he knew something was wrong.
After seeing this girl grow up, while he had only ever seen her about once a year, he felt somewhat responsible for her and making sure she was all right. At this moment, parts of him wanted to go out in the rain and figure out what was wrong, but the majority of him said not to be such a creeper. He doubted whether Orihime or Sora even knew he existed, so how could he go out there now asking for personal information? When he thought of it in that way, he determined that he would only show himself if Orihime was really desperate enough to do something harmful to herself.
Immediately, he reconsidered that thought when he saw Orihime collapse onto the sand. She lay there with her body not only being battered by the harshly falling rain, but also periodically by the waves crashing onto the shoreline. Then, worst of all, he saw her torso begin to shake and heave as if…as if she were sobbing.
Torn between what he should do and what was proper, his mind was made up when he noticed that Orihime's back had gone still. Not bothering with an umbrella, he raced outside to gently turn the girl over. His breath returned when he saw that she was breathing steadily, but she seemed to have fallen into a state of unconsciousness due to absolute physical and emotional exhaustion.
Next thing he knew, he was walking quickly away from the shoreline with Orihime's limp form nestled in his arms. When he got to the main road, then his mind started kicking in and asking him exactly what his plan was now. He had no idea where Orihime had come from or even where she lived, so where was he going to take her? Taking her to his house wasn't an option and in lieu of anything else, he would have to take her to a hospital.
Just as he was about to start trying to figure out which direction a hospital was, a harsh voice called out, "Hey you!" and he turned to see a girl about Orihime's age come charging at him.
While he was just under six feet tall and fairly well built, he found himself stepping back involuntarily as the tough looking girl glared daggers at him and got into a fighting stance as he growled, "What did you do to her?"
Trying to sound reasonable, he replied, "I saw her come to the beach and then she collapsed. I was just about to take her to a hospital-"
"No, no hospitals," interrupted the girl, "No clinics either," her face softened as she looked at Orihime's face, "That wouldn't be wise right now."
Before he could ask why not, the girl looked back at him and said, "Her place isn't far from here, so you can carry her that far," her eyes narrowed as she said menacingly, "and let me warn you that if you even think of trying to stalk her, I will personally track you down and make you wish you hadn't ever laid eyes on her."
"I understand," he replied as he thought to himself that this girl would be better for Orihime than any guard dog. She was like a dragon protecting its treasure…or princess in this case.
As the girl started walking away and he followed after her, she tossed over her shoulder, "Just ask around at my dojo and anyone will tell you that I'm as tough as they come. Very few people want to mess with Tatsuki Arisawa."
Her name was Tatsuki?! No wonder he had conjured up an image of a dragon. Weird how that happened sometimes. Now the whole dragon/princess relationship made sense. He noticed Tatsuki giving him a scrutinizing look and he realized that he had not yet introduced himself, which he quickly did.
Tatsuki's right eyebrow quirked up half in amusement and half in disbelief as she asked, "Really? That's your name?" and just when he was about to protest, she muttered, "Well, I guess that's fate for you. Anyway, let's get her home quick. I don't want to think about how she'll react when she wakes up and sees you carrying her."
Her voice caught a little as she said, "A person should only have to deal with so many disappointments in one day."
He stopped dead in his tracks. All right, maybe he wasn't the most handsome looking guy around and maybe Orihime didn't know him personally, but really-
"I'm sorry," Tatsuki cut into his thoughts, "I didn't mean it to come out sounding like that. It's just…you see…" she sighed heavily as she tried again, "There's no easy way to say this, but Orihime's older brother died not even three hours ago."
Just in time, he stopped himself from saying Sora's name as he asked in shock, "Sor-I mean, her older brother's dead? What happened?"
Starting to walk again, Tatsuki kept pace with him this time to look at Orihime's still form as she answered, "I don't know many details, but it sounds like he was hit by a car. My friend Ichigo told me that Sora was still barely alive, so Orihime carried him to his father's clinic. There wasn't much Mr. Kurosaki could do and Sora passed away not long after Orihime brought him there."
They walked on in silence until they finally reached what must have been the 'fairy house' Orihime had begged Sora to look for. It was actually a small apartment that was very sparsely furnished. While the two siblings had not lived in abject poverty, it was clear to see that the two of them had been frugal in their spending. However, the home was neat, clean and inviting, exactly how he had thought it would be.
While Tatsuki went about setting up a futon for Orihime, he stood there thinking about what he had just heard. Sora was dead. No wonder Orihime had gone through a kind of mental breakdown. How old was she now? About eleven or twelve, if he was remembering correctly. Yes, next year would be the tenth year at his job, so nine years…so she was twelve. A twelve year old girl had just lost the only father-figure and support system in her life…what was she going to do now?
Once Tatsuki had finished and he had helped as much as he dared, which meant just carrying Orihime over to lay on the futon, he took his leave and automatically allowed his feet to take him back to the beach. As he walked, his mind sifted through what he had just discovered.
Even though part of him said that what Orihime did with herself was absolutely none of his business, the other part of him that had faithfully wanted to check in on her and her brother once a year just wouldn't allow him to quit worrying. When he thought about it, he also considered the fact that there would likely be few people out there who actually would worry about her and what she was going to do now.
Had Sora put away enough money for Orihime to live on or had he just assumed that he would live longer and see Orihime grow up and move out on her own? If the former, just how long would she be able to live off of what Sora had set aside and if the latter, how could anyone expect a twelve year old girl to support herself in the real world? Would she have to go back and live with the parents Sora had taken her away from in the first place? Did she have any other relatives who would take her in or would they just leave her to fend for herself in the foster care system or what?
When those last thoughts crossed his mind, for a few minutes, he entertained the idea of applying to be a foster parent or something and requesting to raise Orihime. However, then the practical side of him said that there was no way that would ever work. Even if he was able to successfully apply to be a foster or adoptive parent, there was no guarantee that they would actually allow a young girl to live with a single man who was only just able to support himself. Also, even if he could, how could he go about explaining why he wanted to take care of Orihime? Just going over the details in his head made him believe that he sounded like a creepy stalker. No way that idea would work.
However, would Orihime then be ripped from her life here in Karakura and moved to some unfamiliar place? While the foundation of Orihime's support system had just been ripped from under her, it seemed as though there was at least one person who wanted to step in and help Orihime put her life back together. That would only happen, though, if Orihime was allowed to stay here.
Not knowing what else to do, he closed his eyes and sent up a prayer pleading that whatever happened, Orihime would be able to bounce back from this tragedy. That while she would mourn for her loss, eventually, she would draw strength from it and move forward. For the next few months, he sent up that prayer more than once until he finally saw her come back to the beach. While he could tell that Orihime was still struggling emotionally, she obviously had not left yet, so she probably wouldn't have to face the loss of leaving her brother behind.
For the next two years, Orihime kept up the tradition of coming to the beach on Tanabata, only now she was accompanied by her friend and protector, Tatsuki. The year Orihime was fifteen, he noticed that she seemed more like her old cheerful self with a bit more of a strength in the way she carried herself. He also saw Tatsuki's arm wrapped in a sling and the two of them having a rather serious conversation. However, once they had finished their conversation, something had been confirmed and yet shifted about their relationship based on how they acted around the other.
The following year, along with Tatsuki, Orihime arrived at the beach with several other friends…all of them male. At first, a brotherly kind of instinct rose up in his chest as he realized just how much Orihime had…matured over the years. Thoughts of what intentions those males might have towards her started to make his blood boil…until he noticed that not only Orihime but Tatsuki was also at ease around them. Knowing just how protective Tatsuki was of her princess, he figured that these guys probably were on the up and up…probably.
Then, he noticed something that gave him a bittersweet feeling. Orihime was in love. Every so often, her gaze would shift towards a tall guy with outrageously orange hair and a rather fierce personality. Obviously, he had heard the idea that good girls almost always seem to fall for the bad boy persona, but this was just silly. Orihime wasn't just a good girl, she was a princess. About the closest to an angel any of those guys would ever meet. However, the more he observed the group and Orihime's borderline longing/winsome glances at this guy, he started to get more than a little irritated over the fact that the punk was too oblivious to notice! How could he not see something so obvious?! There was Orihime all but pulling her heart out of her chest or ripping the soul from her body to show how much she cared about this guy and couldn't even give her the time of day! What was wrong with him?
Even though Orihime was just fifteen, he just knew that this wasn't some run-of-the-mill high school crush. This was full-blown love and respect for a guy who looked as though he'd willingly tussle with a biker gang and give them a run for their money. Then again, the more he observed the teenage boy, the more he saw that whatever his outward appearance, he didn't seem like someone who went looking for a fight…but would when there was no other option open to him.
Also, he just couldn't see Orihime falling for a guy who was bloodthirsty. She might be imaginative and a bit flighty at times, but she also had a pretty sensible head on her shoulders. How else would she have managed to keep living here virtually on her own? So something about this guy had attracted Orihime…then it clicked. If Orihime had made such a close attachment to 'Tatsuki the dragon', this guy might have done something for Orihime as well. She looked at him as if…as if she were a princess waiting for her prince to notice her. Question was, would this guy figure it out anytime soon?
For the next few years, apparently Ichigo (that same night he heard Tatsuki berate the punk about something, so he heard the kid's name loud and clear) didn't. He would return with Orihime and their other friends on Tanabata, with Orihime stealing glances at Ichigo and Ichigo just sitting back to hang with his friends.
Then, the two years after Orihime must have graduated high school, she didn't come to the beach on Tanabata. He was rather disappointed and really hoped that she had not moved away for good, but on the third year, Orihime returned to reunite with her old friends.
They came to the beach, as usual, but this time, he noticed Orihime absorbing herself in conversations with others and interacting with Ichigo only a little. Not that she was rude, she just didn't look at him directly unless he was a part of the discussion and then returned her attention to the others. She wouldn't sneak glances at him and she seemed to enjoy herself immensely.
A little after sunset, most of the group went to walk along the shoreline to collect seashells, while Ichigo sat on the sand with Tatsuki and had a serious conversation with her. At some points, they seemed to be debating a point, but for the most part Ichigo seemed to ask questions and Tatsuki would patiently talk through things with him. Then, they sat in silence for about two minutes before Ichigo got up, brushed the sand from his pants and made his way over to where Orihime was counting out her pile of seashells. Unseen by the pair, Tatsuki stood up and gave a sort of signal to the others to which they all responded by making their way as silently as possible further along down the beach.
For their part, neither Ichigo nor Orihime noticed the retreat of their friends as they were rather occupied with counting shells. This went on for a minute or so before Orihime began chattering away and asking Ichigo questions. He put up with the 'conversation screen' for a while before he finally sat directly in front of Orihime and asked her a point blank question. The two shells in Orihime's hands fell from her nerveless fingers and the sound of them clanking against the others seemed to pull her out of her stupor. She began fiddling with the shells and looked about ready to get up and flee when Ichigo suddenly leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and whisper something in her ear.
Whatever he had said, Orihime's entire face and demeanor clearly showed her emotional progression from utter shock, to tentative questioning and finally to fearful hope. After waiting so long and thinking about how things could be between them, it was no surprise that Orihime was now having difficulty reacting to the situation. Seeming to understand this, Ichigo decided not to say any more, but to simply stand up and pull her along with him. Keeping hold of her hand, he started walking along the beach in the opposite direction from the others and as they walked, even though he could only see her retreating back, he saw Orihime's signature bubbly and cheerful personality return with ten times the amount of usual force. She was a young woman in love…who had just found out that she was loved in return.
In the years to come, the happy couple would return just as faithfully on Tanabata with him just as constantly being there to look over them from his guard house. Sometimes they would return as a pair, while other times they would come back with their same group of friends, but after a time, Ichigo and Orihime started bringing even more precious people.
It began with two small crawling babies who eventually grew into the older sisters of a young boy, another twin set of a boy and a girl and final bundle of energy wrapped up in a tiny boy toddler. Watching them grow was like witnessing Sora bringing Orihime all over again, only this time with more children and each with a very distinct personality.
Then, one year it happened. A month before the allotted time, he had a sudden stroke. For a week or so, the doctors believed that he would not make it, but as often happens in times of sickness, the patient can pull through miraculously. In the time until Tanabata, he made sure to rest up and save his strength for what would be his last watch at the guard house. The day of, he put on some casual clothes, took hold of his walking stick and set out for the beach.
While the stroke had not done much damage and he could still walk, since he did have something of a limp and he was supposed to take it easy, the walk to the beach took longer than it ever had before. However, when he arrived, he saw that his charges were already there and romping around as they always did.
When he arrived at the house and was able to look down from his vantage point better, he noticed something odd. Even though her children and husband and a good number of her old friends were there, Orihime was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that she must have wandered off down the beach or something, he thought nothing of it and proceeded to unlock the guard house when he suddenly heard someone behind him.
"You're here."
Turning around, he saw the young woman he had watched growing up from a toddler standing behind him and giving him one of her biggest and kindest smiles. While he had seen her bestow such a smile on her friends and loved ones, even though it had crossed his mind that he might like to be on the receiving end of one of those smiles, he hadn't really thought that it would ever happen. Now that he was, he completely understood how the others had felt all those years and wanted to do whatever he could to keep her smiling at him.
Then the meaning of those two simple words hit him and he said dumbly, "Yes."
Before he could think of anything else to say, Orihime went on, "I didn't see you up here like you always have been, so I started to worry thinking something had happened to you," looking at his cane, Orihime's eyes became sympathetic as she said, "I hope you didn't tire yourself too much coming all the way here."
Looking down at his cane and then back at Orihime, he replied, "Well, it looks as though this will be the last holiday I'll work here, so I didn't want to miss it," giving Orihime an inquisitive look, he asked, "By the way, you said you didn't see me and so you were worried? How long have you known?"
Giving him another kind smile, Orihime answered, "I've known you were there keeping watch ever since Sora first brought me to Karakura. At the time, I thought you were the guardian angel looking after the people on the beach."
A lump formed in his throat as he asked in a husky voice, "You've known I was here all this time?"
Reaching out to place her hands over his, Orihime said in an equally husky tone, "Of course. I also know how you saved me that day when I lost my brother. There have been times when I've wanted to come and thank you…but I just haven't known how."
After a lengthy silence, Orihime said, "You said earlier that this would be your last holiday."
"Yes," he said, trying to sound cheerful, "I've been here for so long, it seems like it's time to move on."
"Well," replied Orihime, "in some ways, we've known each other for years, but we've never been introduced."
Taking a step back and giving him a formal bow, Orihime said, "My name is Orihime Kurosaki."
Returning the bow, he said, "And my name is Tenshi Hamasaki."
For a few moments, Orihime gave him a searching look as if to determine if he was really joking. He had to admit, after what she had said about thinking of him like the guardian angel of the beach…well, it was quite a crazy coincidence that his name would basically mean that very thing.
An even brighter smile crossed her face as she asked, "Since this is your last day, do you really have to stay up here in the guard house? Would you like to come and meet everyone?"
For many years, Tenshi had considered himself to be an outsider getting brief glimpses into Orihime's life. Then, suddenly, he discovered what many others had already figured out: to Orihime, there were no outsiders. And because Orihime accepted him, the rest of her loved ones did as well.
When it came time for Tenshi to be introduced to Ichigo, Orihime said, "And this is Ichigo Kurosaki, whom I'm sure you know is my husband."
Holding out his hand, Ichigo grasped Tenshi's and said, "Both Orihime and Tatsuki have told me about you," inclining his head, Ichigo said seriously, "Thank you for keeping watch over Orihime all these years. Without you…well, let's just say I'm grateful for everything."
Returning Ichigo's slight bow, Tenshi replied, "And thank you for making Orihime so happy," with a smirk, he went on, "There were a few times I wanted to stomp down the beach and give you a piece of my mind…but I'm glad you eventually came to your senses."
Laughing delightedly, Tatsuki exclaimed, "Hear that, Ichigo? Even from up in his guard house, this guy figured it out!"
Sighing heavily, Ichigo groaned, "You are never gonna let that go, are you?"
"Nope!" crowed Tatsuki.
As he laughed along with the others, Tenshi couldn't help but send up a prayer in that moment. Tanabata was about connections and he was grateful to have lived long enough to make these ones. In the years to come, even though he wouldn't be the 'guardian angel of the beach', Tenshi gladly took on the role of 'uncle' for the young Kurosaki children. Who'd have thought all those years ago when he had first laid eyes on the Inoue siblings that he would one day be accepted into their family as an honorary member? Life is funny that way.