Orihime hummed happily as she trotted around her apartment. She carefully put up her hair as she walked, being careful not to poke herself with the hair sticks or the clips. Her hairpins sparkled prettily, much like stars. She glanced in a mirror as she finished up; making sure it was all perfect. Once she finished and checked her hair over, she smiled. She walked back to her bedroom to change. She passed by the calendar, and couldn't help but beam larger at the circled date.
It was Tanabata, the festival celebrating the meeting of the stars Vega and Altair. The festival for the star she was named after. She and her brother always went to the festivals in town, and went to as many as they could within the limited time they had during the day. She loved it no matter what age she was, because she loved all the beautiful decorations and yukata.
This year was a special year. Although Sora was dead for several years, and she had been going with Tatsuki within the years afterwards, there was something really special about this year.
She was going with all of her friends. That included Kurosaki Ichigo.
Orihime smiled serenely as she slipped her yukata on. She couldn't wait. Even if it was with all her friends, she was happy to be able to celebrate her festival with the young man she loved. It didn't matter that he didn't seem to share the feelings; being with him was enough.
Gingerly she tied the obi. She was used to tying it herself by now; she had devised a comfortable and efficient way of doing so not long after Sora died. Orihime sighed quietly.
"Sora…I hope you're doing well…" she murmured.
Once she had the obi on, she looked in the full-length mirror.
Orihime wore a suitable yukata. It was orange-ish yellow at the bottom, with occasional black patches rising from the hem. The orange gradually changed to dark blue, with white sparkles dotting here and there. It was like a setting sun changing to a starry night sky; perfect for the occasion. There were two brighter stars on the end of each of her sleeves, representing Altair and Vega; Orihime and Hikoboshi.
She turned around to inspect that everything was on correctly. She smiled brightly when she found everything was perfect.
"All right, now to get a bag and some money…" she said to herself, shuffling off to her bedroom.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ichigo never really cared for festivals. His dad was always over-eccentric about them, therefore getting Yuzu to do so. Karin was impartial to them for the most part, unless Isshin managed to slip something into her food or drink to make her think otherwise. Like that one time Isshin managed to trick Karin and Yuzu into drinking the "accidentally" spiked juice. He'd been through hell and back because of that day. It had become even worse when Keigo and Mizuiro got into it too.
Ichigo never really liked getting formally dressed up for the occasions either. Unlike his Shinigami uniform, the kimono and yukata he'd worn in the past were never really that comfortable to him. He remembered liking festivals a little more before his mother's death. Of course, a lot of things were better before his mother's death.
Mentally shaking the depression that usually accompanied his mother's death, he glanced around at his surroundings. He was standing in front of one of the local shrines with a bunch of his friends (as well as Hitsugaya's team, who had decided to take advantage of the chance to drink and slack off), waiting for everyone to show up. He had been invited by Keigo, but was convinced to go by Orihime and Tatsuki. Well, it had been more like Orihime asked if he was going, and then started babbling on about how much she loved festivals before Tatsuki eventually came and interrupted her to tell Ichigo the point of her ranting. After hearing how special Tanabata was to Orihime, and how she thought it would be nice if he went, he agreed to go.
Of course, he didn't tell Keigo the reason he changed his mind. If the moronic brunette ever found out, he would never let Ichigo live it down. He didn't tell his dad either; he just said that he was going out with friends. The old man wept to the memorial poster about how he was being abandoned by his only son, but Ichigo could have sworn he saw some other glint in his eye. He'd left before he could find out what it was.
He glanced around to see who they had to wait for. Renji, Ikkaku, Matsumoto and Yumichika were already drinking and being rowdy while Hitsugaya scowled and brooded about being dragged there and Rukia stared at her sake glass worryingly. Keigo was just as rowdy, while Mizuiro ignored him and texted someone and Chad silently looked on. Ishida looked like he was wondering why he was there in the first place, pushing his glasses up like the prick he seemed like. Tatsuki and Chizuru argued nearby, while Mahana, Ryo, and Michiru watched with a mix of impassiveness and anxiety. Ichigo blinked, and double-checked the area. A confused look passed over his face.
"Orihime isn't here yet," Tatsuki stated beside him.
He flinched, as in his searching, he hadn't noticed Tatsuki give Chizuru a good kick and then stand beside him. He blinked at her a couple times before relaxing.
"Yeah…" he answered, scratching the back of his head. "Wonder what's taking her so long…"
"Ah, she probably had trouble getting her yukata on and then got lost."
Tatsuki said that a little too casually for his liking, and he looked at her strangely. Tatsuki ignored him.
"Well, better go look for her. She once chased a dragonfly to Yokoyama. We probably want to find her before she ends up in Nagano."
That sounded almost sounded too farfetched to believe, but knowing how Orihime was, he suddenly wasn't surprised.
"Okay, I'll go this way, you go that way."
"Right," Ichigo replied, but then he paused before running off. "Wait, what?"
Too late, Tatsuki had already run off. He blinked a couple times before sighing and walking off in the other direction.
"Might as well," he muttered. "Just hope no one notices I've gone missing…"
Once he was a good distance away, Tatsuki came back smiling evilly. Ishida gave her a suspicious look.
"Arisawa-san, you are quite the evil matchmaker, aren't you?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
Tatsuki snickered smugly.
"Of course I am. Besides, it's not like she's gonna get anywhere on her own. Ichigo's also as dense as a brick, so he needs a good shove in the right direction. The princess needs her cow herder."
Ishida stared at her a while longer before sighing and looking away.
"I guess you may be right. Kurosaki isn't one of the most thoughtful people I've ever met. Let's just hope he doesn't say or do anything stupid. We wouldn't want Vega to be upset at Altair."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Orihime looked up worriedly. It was already dark, but she could see the sun setting through the buildings. The sky was cloudy, and she could hear faint thundering in the distance.
"Oh dear…I hope it stops raining in time…" she muttered, and continued shuffling along at a leisurely pace, despite the fact she was late.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ichigo heard the thunder roll across the sky and grumbled under his breath.
"Oh just perfect; now it's gonna rain. Hope I can find Inoue soon and get to somewhere dry before it rains."
He didn't realize that he'd forgotten Tatsuki was supposedly looking for Orihime too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Orihime squeaked when she felt the first drops of rain and dug out the umbrella she had brought in case of emergencies. Sighing once it was over her head, she looked around solemnly.
"I guess…they won't meet this year…" she murmured sadly.
Despite the rain, she continued on, her reasons being that despite the rain, she should have fun at the festival. Even if the festival decided to cancel, she would hang out with her friends, and that was good enough.
However, something seemed to want to deter her from getting to the shrine. As she came to a bridge, she realized that it was closed for construction.
"Oh dear…" she said.
She looked up and down the river in hopes to find the next bridge over, but the rain was either too heavy or they were too far off. Her eyebrows furrowed worryingly.
"Oh…what should I do…?" she asked herself, looking from one side to the other.
Deciding to try going to her left, she quickly walked over to the next bridge, only to find that it too was closed. Getting desperate, she practically ran to the one on the other side of the first she came to. It too was closed. Disheartened, she walked back to the first one and stood under an awning, staring out sadly as she waited for the rain to let up. She leaned back against the wall and slid down so she was squatting. She hugged her legs.
"I guess…" she sniffed, hiccupping a bit. "I guess I won't be going to the festival this year…"
A couple tears ran down her face as a quiet sob escaped her lips. She suddenly heard footsteps splashing down the street on the other side of the river as they ran, but she ignored them. She assumed it was just a random stranger drying to get to their destination quickly. She sighed quietly, not noticing the fact that they paused.
"Inoue?"
Orihime's breath hitched when she heard the familiar voice and her head whipped up. Surely enough, there was Ichigo, standing soaking wet in a black and navy blue yukata on the other side of the river.
"Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned, confused.
He was drenched from head to toe, orange hair matted down and sticking to his face. He looked surprised to see her standing there. His eyebrows furrowed, and she couldn't help but think no matter what expression he wore, or how wet he was, he always looked handsome. She hoped he couldn't see the faint blush on her cheeks from where he stood.
"Inoue, what are you doing there?" he asked. The tone of his voice wasn't incredulous, gentle, or angry. It was just said in his own little way that couldn't be described. This was another reason Orihime loved him.
"Ah, um, well, I was walking to the shrine to meet everyone, when it started pouring. I had an umbrella, so I stayed mostly dry, but then I came to the bridge and saw that it was closed for construction, even though it looks fine to walk across. I went to the next two bridges, but they were closed to, so I decided instead of getting myself lost or going too far off from the shrine, I'd wait here for the rain to let up. So now here I am, sitting here talking to you, who is standing across the river to where I need to get to. Tatsuki-chan's probably worried about me and looking all over for me and yet here you are! You just randomly came upon me without even looking!" she rambled, taking few pauses for air and making Ichigo wonder if it was all supposed to be one sentence.
A hint of a smile played at his lips. It was good that Orihime was returning to her old self. After the Arrancar attacks and the Hueco Mundo incident, she had gotten quiet and secluded. She always had a sad look in her eyes and her smiles never hid it. The far-off look she had when she daydreamed was pretty much gone for an expression that was more thoughtful, depressed, and regretful. Orihime had rarely said more than she had to, and although all her friends were acting like nothing had happened within the past few months, their silly antics did little to cheer her up.
But as of recently, she was beginning to slowly cheer up and return to the optimistic and imaginative girl she had been before they had gone to the Soul Society. But he also noted that she was more mature and, for lack of a more descriptive word, elegant, not quite as goofy and naïve as she had been before. Ichigo also noticed that, dare he say it, she had become more beautiful. He hoped the little blush he knew had appeared wasn't noticeable through the rain.
"Ah, actually, Tatsuki and I both went looking for you," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
Orihime blinked, registering the information.
"Eh?" she squeaked, realizing what he was saying, and hid her face as she blushed brighter. "But-but-but surely Kurosaki-kun was forced to by Tatsuki-chan! I apologize for the trouble I've caused both you and Tatsuki-chan! It's my fault that you've gotten all soaking wet and ruined your evening!"
Ichigo smirked as he quirked an eyebrow in amusement.
"Inoue, do you really think I'm the type of person to do that? If I didn't want to help, I would have stayed at the shrine," he replied, cocking his head slightly.
Orihime's eyes went wide and she went quiet.
"Kurosaki-kun…wanted to find me…?" she thought, her heart taking a graceful leap. She looked to the ground. "Oh dear, I've got to stop blushing and acting all silly! Surely he wouldn't like me if I'm looking like an idiot!"
Ichigo thought over what he said.
"You know, I actually forgot Tatsuki was looking for Inoue until she mentioned her…" he mentally realized. "Well damn. Better not let Tatsuki or anyone else know that…they'd never let me live it down."
After standing silently for several minutes, Ichigo remembered why he was there in the first place. He shook his head free of all other thoughts and set himself back to his goal.
"So, Inoue," he said, snapping the auburn-haired girl out of her thoughts.
Her warm brown eyes glanced up again, her attention once again on him. Ichigo suddenly felt awkward under her gaze, and scratched the back of his neck again. He looked away, something he rarely did no matter the circumstances.
"Well, you need some way to get over the river right?"
She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes away. He brushed the back of his head this time, spraying the water around him that disappeared into the rain.
"I guess I could change into my Shinigami form and carry you across…" he mumbled, loud enough for her to hear.
Orihime definitely couldn't believe her ears.
"Kurosaki-kun…carrying…me…?" she whispered to herself. Her face erupted into a new shade of red. "Oh my…"
Suddenly she was imagining herself being carried like a princess by Ichigo in his Shinigami form. The thought made her swoon slightly, until Shinigami Ichigo was replaced by Ichigo in a silly-looking price-like outfit. This image made her burst out laughing. Ichigo was startled by her sudden outburst and looked at her strangely. Something in him wondered hurtfully if she was laughing at the thought of him carrying her, but his logical side reminded him that Orihime would never do such a thing and was probably laughing at some other random thought that came to mind. This made him smile a bit again. Another sign she was returning to her old self.
Once she recovered from her laughing attack, Orihime stood up.
"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, a silly image came to mind at the wrong time," she apologized, smiling with a mix of embarrassment and glee. "I appreciate the offer to help me, thank you."
Ichigo smiled with his eyebrow twitched up slightly.
"All right then. Give me a second."
He took out his Shinigami license and held it to his chest. He caught his body before it hit the ground and sat it against a building nearby. He did a few stretches, as there hadn't been any major attacks that he needed to help with in a while. Once he was ready, he took a deep breath, and leapt for the other side where Orihime waited with her umbrella.
And he slammed right into an invisible wall. Swearing loudly, he hit the ground not long after. Orihime gasped at the sudden impact.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she called worryingly, taking a step forward and reaching out to him slightly.
A few more curses ran out of his mouth as he rubbed his head and grumbled, sitting up.
"Ow, what the hell was that?!" he said loudly, glaring at whatever he had hit…if it was visible.
Orihime would have been surprised by his outburst if she wasn't used to them happening so often. She had to suppress a giggle.
"Are you all right, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked, almost failing at masking the amusement in her voice.
Ichigo rubbed his head again, oblivious to the tone of her voice. He also didn't see her repressed smile as he was staring up with a confused glare.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse injuries before I became a Shinigami thanks to my dad."
Orihime knew how excitable Kurosaki Isshin was and how often he randomly attacked Ichigo for the heck of it. It was understandable that Ichigo was used to blows to the head…although a normal person would have thought that it wasn't a good thing. But Orihime never had common sense when it came to Ichigo in an everyday, casual and not-dangerous situation.
"What was that?" she murmured, and held her hand out. Something blocked it from going beyond where the slope to the river met the level pavement. It was as if a wall was set up.
Ichigo stood up and looked around. He did the same as Orihime, finding the same results. He frowned.
"Inoue, I'm gonna try something. Stand back in case."
Orihime nodded and walked back to where she had been sitting. Ichigo drew Zangetsu. After making sure Orihime was a good distance away, he swung the large sword back and sliced through the invisible wall.
Or at least, he thought he did. Hard to say when the wall was invisible.
He reached over and checked if it was still there. Feeling a solid surface, he scowled.
"Okay…" he mumbled, and plopped down onto the wet pavement.
Orihime had walked over again, and was inspecting it curiously.
"It's like something doesn't want me to get across the river…" she murmured, a hint of sadness in her tone.
Ichigo didn't miss it, and a look of sympathy and slight pity flickered over his face. Not wanting Orihime to see it, he looked around.
"I'd like to say that it's some sort of Hollow, but I don't see what the purpose in doing this would be, especially since the two of us have fairly strong reiatsu."
Orihime nodded, half listening. She just noticed that the rain had calmed to a small trickle, and that the clouds were slowly dissipating. She could see some moonlight shining off in the distance. She smiled slightly at the thought of possibly seeing a rainbow at night. She could imagine it being such a pretty sight.
"Ah, the rain's stopping," she heard Ichigo state.
She nodded her head, smiling serenely.
"Maybe they will meet tonight…" she murmured.
Ichigo's head perked up at her words, curious.
"What?" he asked.
Orihime jumped a little, as she had not been expecting him to hear. She blushed lightly, embarrassed that she now had to explain why she said what she did.
"Um, well, you know the legend of Tanabata, right?"
Ichigo nodded, and glanced up in recollection.
"You mean the one where the weaver princess and the cow herder fall in love, and are fated to marry until the princess neglects her weaving and her father becomes angry and refuses to allow the princess to see the herder? And then after she becomes so distraught that he allows her to see him once a year, but only if weather permits, right?"
Orihime smiled and nodded.
"Yes, that's the one. It's the one that is based on the meeting of the stars Vega and Altair. I had been thinking that they wouldn't meet this year because of the rain, but it might clear up in time," she replied, holding her hand out to catch a few raindrops in her hand.
Ichigo looked thoughtful for a second before glancing over at her. It was then he really took notice of her yukata. It was intricate for a yukata, not to mention expensive. He noted that it was a sunset fading into a night sky, and he could just barely make out two brighter stars on the end of each sleeve.
"You really like Tanabata, don't you?"
Orihime was surprised at his question, and she turned to look at him. He had that smirk on his face, with his eyebrow quirked up again. She knew that was one of the closest things that came to a smile from him. She blinked a couple times, before smiling with slight embarrassment.
"Yes, I do love Tanabata. It's such a beautiful time of year, and I love the stories associated with it. I love all the little practices, like tying wishes onto bamboo leaves, and going to the shrines to see the festivities," she said, looking up to the clearing sky. The rain had pretty much stopped, and so she closed her umbrella. "I went to many with Sora before he died, which was another reason why I loved them."
Ichigo noticed her smile fade slightly at her brother's mention.
"But, I guess…"
She turned to him, smiling brightly.
"The biggest reason would have to be it's the festival that celebrates the princess I'm named after."
It was then the clouds cleared enough to show the bright full moon, and Ichigo couldn't help but notice the way Orihime's hair and hairpins shone and the clips and charms in her hair sparkled in the pale light.
"She almost looks…heavenly…" he thought, not really paying attention.
Suddenly there was an odd glow from where the supposed invisible wall was, making Orihime gasp and step back in surprise, and Ichigo jump up and get into a fighting stance. A bright light shone and lit up the area, causing Ichigo and Orihime to cover their eyes.
"Damn it! I'm defenceless if it's a Hollow doing this!" he thought, attempting to keep his eyes open and not go blind. "Inoue at least has her shield."
Within a few moments, the light burst into little bubbles and dissipated. Ichigo dropped his guard a few moments afterwards, and Orihime seemed less frightened. They watched as a few of the shrinking bubbles rose towards the sky before disappearing.
"What…the hell?" Ichigo murmured.
Orihime looked back down, and stepped forward. She held her hand out to where the wall had previously been, and found her hand passing right through.
"It's gone," she said, making Ichigo glance at her.
Ichigo decided to test also, and found the same results.
"So it is."
Orihime's gaze drifted to the nearby bridge. The construction signs were still there, showing that whatever had been stopping them before was not the reason for those.
"How strange…"
There was silence between them. Ichigo couldn't help but feel slightly awkward.
"Well…"
Orihime's attention focused on him curiously. He was smiling again.
"Might as well act on that offer I made earlier."
Orihime blinked, unsure of what he was referring to. She glanced up as she searched her memory of the past few minutes, and then blushed prettily when she remembered. She had to stop herself from giggling at the Prince Ichigo thought.
"Y-yes," she stuttered shyly, the ground suddenly interesting to her. "Might as well, so we can get to the shrine…"
Ichigo nodded, strapping Zangetsu onto his back and taking a few steps back. He took a running start, and then made a huge leap across the large gap. He landed quite gracefully on the other side beside Orihime. She had turned to him, but she was playing shy and nervous, keeping her line of sight to his feet and her face out of direct view. She had her right pointer finger touched to her mouth and her other arm crossed in front of her. Ichigo couldn't help but compare her to a young woman in old Japan, blushing at a comment a young man, possibly a swordsman, had said.
He mentally whacked himself upside the head. Yuzu's old samurai dramas and shoujo anime were getting to him. Ichigo moved to pick her up, putting his left arm behind her knees and the other behind her back. Upon feeling his arms behind her, she squeaked and scooted away, blushing an even brighter red. He blinked confusedly, and stood up straight again. She turned around shyly.
"I-I-I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to do that, Kurosaki-kun…"
Ichigo was still somewhat surprised at her bashfulness.
"All right…then…let's try that again," he replied, and moved to pick her up again.
Orihime yelped as he quickly picked her up princess style. She bowed her head, afraid to show her practically glowing face to Ichigo.
"Kurosaki-kun…is carrying me…like a princess…" she thought. "I must be dreaming…I have to be dreaming…this is too good to be true…"
Ichigo was unsure if it was all right for him to carry Orihime across the river.
"Inoue?" he asked.
She looked up at him upon hearing his voice. He looked concerned.
"You know, if you're not comfortable with this, I could try something else," he said.
Orihime was surprised.
"Eh?" she blurted out. Realization at his words hit her and she became flustered. "Oh, no, no, no! It's quite all right Kurosaki-kun! I was just surprised and I've never really had someone carry me like this! Or at least, not since my brother and not to my knowledge. I've had someone carry me on their back and carry me under their arm, but never like this…"
Ichigo mulled over this information temporarily.
"Ah, so that's it," he eventually stated. "Here I was thinking you were terrified of me or didn't like to be touched."
Ichigo leapt across the river nimbly, and set Orihime down again. She smoothed her yukata out and stood up straight, smiling at Ichigo kindly. There was still a hint of a blush on her face. He went to get back in his body.
"I could never be afraid of you, Kurosaki-kun. I know you're far too kind to hurt anyone on purpose or by choice, especially your friends."
Ichigo, half grumbling about how soaked he was, stared at her. A ghost of a blush flashed across his face and he looked away, scratching the back of his head.
"I…guess that's right…" he mumbled.
Orihime beamed.
"So, shall we go, Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo nodded, and they started off to the shrine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tatsuki, Ishida, Chad and Rukia (the only sober Shinigami) were waiting at the entrance when they arrived. The two of them were grinning and laughing about something, and overall enjoying each other's company.
"Well, your plan worked, Arisawa-san," Ishida said, and headed off to the courtyard. Rukia was suddenly dragged off by Renji back to the drinking party, which had been moved to the trees, as Keigo and Chizuru had joined them (underage drinking was only illegal if they were caught was their reasoning). Chad stalked after Ishida not long after Rukia left. Leaving Tatsuki to watch the orange-haired couple walk towards her. She smiled, and looked up towards the sky. Just barely, she could make out two bright stars side-by-side above her. Grinning, she turned towards the shrine to follow after Ishida and Chad.
"Mission accomplished," she mused, and walked up the stairs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
END
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13...pages...at least a month and a half to write . I thought it would be shorter and take less time, but I kept getting writer's block and I dragged it out too long DX
anyway, this was written for the IchiHime Tanabata Festival contest. and it's due by midnight today Xx glad I finished it.
I'll add an omake later.