Uryuu hated the rain. To him, the rain was always a sign of bad luck and misfortunes. He would see the joyous people who marveled and basked in the freshness and peaceful calmness of a light shower, but when he went out walking during a rain, he always sighed with discontentment, grudgingly putting up his umbrella, and shrugging off to his destination. Today, he was off to buy sewing supplies from his favourite little shop just a few blocks down the street. They were running out of good needles as well as a couple of blues and greens that some of the students had used to make some hat and mitten sets for this coming winter. What fools, wasting so much thread and string on simply one article of clothing. He remembered nearly feeling beside himself when he saw the amount that the pompous members had thrown in the trash before his very eyes. It was a good enough amount for a whole sweater, he deduced. He remembered wanting to tear his hair out for their thoughtlessness, then, he remembered said members getting a scolding for their actions by none other than the famous orange-haired, big-breasted bundle of kindness herself, Inoue Orihime. She waved a guilty finger to them, which they took with a blow since every member valued Orihime and her talents as the chief representative of the sewing club.
Uryuu smiled. Orihime…she always had something about her that made the rest of the world around her come alive and smile as she passed by. That was on her better days. There were also days when she was strangely serious, usually having to do with Ichigo. At the thought, Uryuu tried hard to not bite through his bottom lip. Ichigo…it was the same story wherever he went. Kurosaki-kun this and Kurosaki-kun that. For some reason he couldn't explain, that name from her lips now angered him. He knew from the start about her feelings for the spiky, orange-haired dumbass, and had come to accept them, wishing for nothing but her happiness, but in these later days, that wish of happiness turned to green envy, pure and simple. Gods, he couldn't for the life of him find the reason for such strong feelings, but he decided it best to keep them from surfacing and potentially hurting his friends. His thoughts quickly reverted back to Orihime.
He found that she was on his mind more and more frequently these days as well. When she was happy, it was though the sun had just parted from the stormy clouds on a glorious spring day, however, when her face took on a look of melancholy and she glided through the streets as a silent ghost in a more dejected state, it was though you could watch time come to a sudden stop all around her. She brought this still life with her whenever she walked around in a troubled state, returning the storm clouds to hover over her head. He wished that he could help her to part those dark, ominous clouds, to make her smile that brilliant smile of hers and keep that silent vow of his that he made to her in the Soul Society. Even if it was Ichigo, please, may she always smile and be happy.
Just as he rounded the corner to come to the shop, a driver that was too fast for his own good drove by and splashed a good-seized puddle right onto Uryuu, drenching him from head to toe. He cursed the driver, grumbling under his breath before picking up his dropped umbrella and walking into the store, soaking wet. See, I knew this rain was a bad omen…he thought. When he stepped in, the kind woman who owned the shop, with whom he was quite familiar since he was her best customer, giggled at his state and offered him a towel to dry off. He gratefully accepted it, drying himself on the soft blanket, and picking out the supplies he needed. He also grabbed some things for himself. After all, you never know when you could suddenly need a certain material, or how often the shelves would be restocked. He also had a discount at this store because he came here so often and had good relations with the shopkeeper. He paid for his merchandise and left the store, waving a thank you to the shopkeeper as he headed back down the street, umbrella in hand, and back to his house.
On the way, he spotted a figure walking down the other road. It was Orihime. He stopped mid-step. There was that feeling again. The feeling that his heart was about to burst free from his chest and run off on him. He could swear that there were permanent sparkles flying around the gentle-natured girl on the other street, enhancing her beauty even further. He also noticed that, while it was partially covered by her own umbrella, she carried a shopping bag of groceries. She was probably on her way home too. He watched as she pressed the button for the streetlight, and walked on her signal, the speeding car coming up, and the fact that the rain was starting to stop…. wait…. a speeding car?! Dropping his small bag of sewing supplies, he ran into the street making a dash for the surprised girl who was oblivious to the oncoming danger. "Inoue-san!!" he cried out.
Everything suddenly became a blur. What had happened? Did the car hit them? Were they dead? Did the car stop? Were they alive? So many questions ran through his head, yet Uryuu was determined to protect her. When he finally had the courage to open his eyes to see what had happened to them, he felt someone in his arms, and saw the gray of the sidewalk below him. Glancing over, he saw Orihime, bewildered, yet safe in his grasp. He released the breath that he had been holding. Thank the gods she was all right. Standing up, he let go of her and looked to her with concern dancing in his eyes. "Inoue-san! Inoue-san, are you all right? Is there anything broken? Are you hurt?"
She shook the dizziness from her head, and then looked to him with awe when she answered. "N-No Ishida-kun…. I'm fine…thank you so much…you saved me."
He felt a slight heat form in his cheeks when she stared into his eyes and shied away. "W-well, I couldn't just let you get hit by a car could I? …I-it was no problem, really, don't mention it."
With renewed enthusiasm, she flailed her arms up and proclaimed "What are you talking about Ishida-kun!? You just saved me, like those knights in the bright armor who run to the dragon's castle to rescue the princess from the tallest tower!! Hey, I rhymed… Only you don't get to fight the fire-breathing dragon and destroy him with the ancient emperor's sword and sweep me away on a pair of golden unicorns with horns of silver and then ride into the sunset and over the rainbow, bringing me back to Kansas!!"
Wait. Stop… What was that she just said? Uryuu tried hard not to make that story seem logical, for he knew it would only lead to a headache and an aspirin. "Well, since I have no jewels or gold to give you, I should at least repay you by letting you come over for dinner tonight!"
When he registered what she had said, Uryuu stiffened, blushing in embarrassment and trying to find his tongue so he could speak. "I-I-Inoue-san!! I-I couldn't possibly intrude on you like that!"
His protests only led to a cute, playful pout from the orange-haired girl. "Please, Ishida-kun…?"
He was hooked like a fish out of water.
When they arrived at her place, Uryuu took a moment to observe her apartment. He had been here only once before, but this was the first time he had the time to actually glance around and have a good look of the place. It was very roomy. It felt like a home. The walls were a welcoming colour and the carpet was very comfortable to walk on, and probably even better to sit on. The kitchen was loaded like a pirate's treasure trove, and everything looked very clean. He smelled the air. It smelled like lemons, licorice and lilies. A strange, yet good combination. Just like the resident of the apartment.
He helped her to unload the groceries, making faces as he did so. What was all this stuff? What was she planning on making with red bean paste, pickles, peanut butter, leaks, eggs, bread, tuna, raspberries, and…miso?! Just the thought of what such a concoction may turn out to be like made his stomach turn and twist painfully inside him. This sort of meal was more likely to defect with some sort of mutation. How was she able to digest such an unfathomable recipe? "Umm…Inoue-san…is this…is this really what you plan on having for dinner tonight?"
She looked to him skeptically. "Well, of course Ishida-kun! That's why I went to the market after all, right?"
She did have a point there, he must admit, but such strange ingredients…it was like stepping into a new world where you breathed out oxygen instead of in. Looking over the different foods in front of him, he turned to her when he heard her hesitate. "Although," she began, "I think I may not really have a good sense of taste. No one has ever eaten what I've cooked accept Rangiku-san, but still, I…. I…"
Uryuu gave her a look of sympathy, because, in all honesty, he really felt for the poor girl. Perhaps she wasn't a complete loss in the culinary field, she just needed a little…tuning up. Yeah, let's call it that. "Oh!" she interrupted his thought, "Maybe you could teach me how to cook properly, Ishida-kun!!"
He did a double take. "W-WHAT?!"
"Yeah!" she smiled at him, "You must know how to cook well if you live on your own and manage to stay as healthy as you are! You could teach me, then maybe people might actually eat my food for once!!" He was at a loss on this one. He truly wanted to help her, he really did, but her senses were so far off the charts, it could take years before she got it right! "Come on!" she urged, "We'll start at square one!"
Reaching in the back of a cupboard, she summoned an old cookbook, slamming it on the table, successfully scaring Uryuu out of his wits, and vigorously flipped through the pages. Turning to him with a smile and a fire burning deep in her dark eyes, she asked, "Well, which one should we make first?"
The passion for the things she loved burned in the flame of her eyes so brightly, making her smile shine, and her disposition sparkle. He truly thought that she was a wonderful person, and a wonderful friend. He felt that he could truly be himself in her presence. He was grateful to have met someone like Orihime, and he knew, even if he tried his hardest, no matter where he looked, there was and would only ever be one Inoue Orihime, and she was a shining jewel all her own. One of a kind.
They spent most of the evening cooking recipes in Orihime's old family cookbook, making anything from appetizers to main courses, to desserts. To soups, salads, and sandwiches too. They even made a giant cake to go as the centerpiece of their glorious meal fit for royalty. This, of course, did not get away without a good food fight, resulting in flower, sugar, eggs, and icing to cake the kitchen as well as the actual pastry itself. They picked up the frosting packs and, together, drew a cute pumpkin face on the cake. As they laughed and shared the glow of the moment, Orihime licked the icing from her fingers, smiling to him. "This is so much fun, Ishida-kun! Tonight was really amazing! I hope we can do this again sometime!"
Uryuu smiled sweetly to her, reassuring her that they would, without a doubt, get together again sometime. As Orihime started to clean her kitchen with no avail, Uryuu swiped a finger of the frosting from the cake, tasting it. He made a face when he realized how much sugar they had put in it. Perhaps it was a little too sweet. However, glancing to the young, pumpkin orange-haired girl cleaning her kitchen with endeavor as she smiled and sang a happy jingle, he realized that there was, indeed, something sweeter than cake.