Title: Idiots on a Train With Donuts
Characters: Rukia, Orihime, Riruka
Pairing: one-sided RiruHime, one-sided RukiHime, one-sided IchiHime
Summary: Love makes you stupid, and it seems they'll never agree on anything. In which Rukia wishes she hadn't waited so long, Riruka pretends not to care, and Orihime is much wiser than anyone gives her credit for.
She first notices it when she meets the girl. The Fullbringer has her nose in the air and is glaring at everyone, and Rukia thinks that maybe she doesn't like her.
"Kuchiki-san!" Inoue chirps, beaming. She's just as beautiful as she was a year ago, maybe even more so. "This is Riruka-chan!" Ah. Rukia feels the dislike well up inside of her, and now she knows that it's jealousy. Who the hell is this bitch? She's only just met Inoue, and Orihime seems just as comfortable around her as she ever did with Tatsuki.
"Whatever." Riruka grumbles. "I don't care. I thought we were going to get donuts, Orihime." They're on a first name basis, even? Rukia tries to ignore the tight feeling in her chest. She still refers to her friend by her last name, and Inoue talks as though she barely knows her, when, in reality, she's probably the closest friend Rukia has.
That thought hits hard, and she realizes that it's been true for a while. As much as she loves Ichigo and Renji, Orihime is the one person she's always known she could rely on. Most of the important people in her life (all of them, really) had been men, and then Orihime burst into her life and mattered. She likes to think she understands Inoue better than anyone, but Ichigo proves her wrong time and again and it hurts. It hurts because Orihime loved Ichigo for so long, and Rukia could never hurt her by interfering with that, but just as Rukia is beginning to think that maybe she has a chance, this Riruka girl shows up.
"It's nice to meet you," the lieutenant says stiffly. Riruka just sniffs.
"Yeah, sure." she mumbles. "Whatever." Orihime glances back and forth between them.
"Kuchiki-san, would you like a donut?" she asks. "Riruka-chan and I were going to go get some, but I think you two should get to know each other, so I'll go grab them by myself. Okay?" Rukia doesn't get the chance to protest, because Inoue is already bouncing off towards the bakery, leaving her two friends behind.
"Would you stop that?" Riruka growls after a couple minutes.
"Stop what?" Rukia asks, unsure of what she'd done.
"You've been glaring at me for no reason," the magenta haired girl informs her. "I don't like it, so cut it out. The only reason I'm even here is because Orihime said there'd be donuts."
"Don't call her that!" Rukia snaps. "You don't know her, so what makes you think you can just call her by her first name? Inoue deserves more respect than that!" Riruka rolls her eyes.
"Oh please. She's the one who just started calling me 'Riruka-chan' all of a sudden. Besides, it's not your business."
"It is most certainly my business!" Rukia draws herself to her full height. She still has to look up to meet the other girl's eyes, though. "Inoue is my friend!"
"Then why haven't you visited her?" Riruka asks. "When she was dragging me around, she mentioned that she hadn't seen you in over a year, so where were you? Don't tell me you just assumed that she wouldn't want to see you because Ichigo couldn't see you!"
"It's not like that!" Rukia protests. "I was busy!" Riruka snorts.
"Like you couldn't have made time," she sneers. "Besides, Ichigo calls her 'Inoue' as well, but he's never–" she stops, and then grins. "You're jealous."
"Wh-what?" Rukia takes a step back, feeling heat rush into her cheeks.
"You're jealous," Riruka repeats. "You're jealous that Orihime likes me more than you!"
"She does not!" Rukia's lip curls. "And even if she did, she likes Ichigo more than both of us!"
"Actually, I love all my friends equally," Orihime says cheerfully, skipping back with a huge pink box clenched in her hands. "But I don't really want you two to argue, okay?" She smiles cheerfully, thrusting the box forward. "So let's eat!"
"About time!" Riruka leans forward, opens the box, and yanks out a donut.
"Does Kuchiki-san want a donut?" Orihime asks, offering her the box. Rukia hesitates, but the smell is too overwhelming. She takes one, but no one says anything until at least half the box is gone.
"I thought you loved him." Rukia says, watching ants march along a crack in the sidewalk.
"I do," Orihime says. "So in that sense, yes, he is my 'special person'. But until he returns my feelings, even if he never does, he's my friend, and I love him the same way I love Kuchiki-san and Tatsuki-chan and Abarai-kun and Ishida-kun and Rangiku-san and Sado-kun and Riruka-chan and all my other friends." She smiles.
"Not like I care," Riruka says indifferently. But Rukia sees the almost sad look in her eyes, and thinks that maybe they aren't so different after all. Orihime loves everyone, but Ichigo is special – special in a way that Rukia and Riruka will never be.
"Yeah." Rukia agrees. That's all that needs to be said, really. After all, neither one of them has a chance with Orihime, but if Ichigo hurts her, they'll be there to kick his ass. That, at least, they can agree on. And, for now, it's enough.