Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach…
"Yahoo!! Lunch time!" Orihime shouted as she sprung for her chair.
"Here we go, again," Tatsuki sighed. "It's only lunch, Orihime, not New Years."
"Only lunch, Tatsuki?! Lunch is the reason we girls come to school!"
"Yeah, Yeah. I get it. You can sit down, now."
"What do you have today?!" Orihime asked, placing her own lunch the desk. "I've got sweet bean paste and bread!"
"Lucky you," Tatsuki smiled. "Unfortunately, mine's standard issue slop."
"Orihime!" The pair glanced up from their lunches to see Chizuru standing over them, bento in hand. "Can I eat with you?"
"Okay, sure!" Orihime replied, cheerily. Bread crumbs and jam smears covered the girl's cheeks as she smiled. 'How can anyone be so adorable?' Chizuru wondered with a smile. She couldn't stand it. Dropping her lunch to the side, Chizuru pounced over the desk, nearly bowling Orihime over.
"How cute!" she squealed, locking Orihime in an unyielding embrace. "You've got food all over your face and you don't even care! That's 'power cuteness!' How can I help loving you?!" A faint blush crept over her cheeks as her gaze met the eyes of her perplexed classmate. Slowly, she leaned in, gently taking Orihime's chin in her hand. "I'm hungry," she cooed, "…for more than food…"
"Back off, Chizuru!!" Tatsuki snapped. "It's broad daylight!! Go eat by yourself in the girl's locker room or something! Quit trying to Orihime, you libertine!" Chizuru sighed and slid into the seat adjacent to Orihime.
"You've got a pretty face," she stated, casually, "but you're too butch for me."
"As if! Nobody asked you to like me instead of Orihime!"
"What a waste," the redhead shrugged. "If you were a little more feminine, I'd take you on a "field trip" of amour, awakening you to the pleasures of-" A crushing blow from Tatsuki's fist cut her sentence short.
"You sexist strumpet!" Tatsuki snarled. "I'll awaken you to PAIN!" The room trembled under the magnitude of their struggle, kicking and grabbing at each other on the cold linoleum floor. Orihime watched nervously from the sidelines, unsure of what to do.
"T-Tatsuki? Chizuru? You guys…?"
XXX
"Damn Tatsuki," Chizuru muttered, dabbing her lip with her thumb. Leaning away from the sink, she tilted her head back and examined the cut in the bathroom mirror. It stung a lot less than she thought it would. Maybe she'd finally gotten used to the pain; after all, this wasn't the first time her and Tatsuki had duked it out.
"Here." Chizuru looked up to see Orihime's reflection behind her own. In her outstretched hand, she held a frilly, white handkerchief.
"Oh, thanks!" Chizuru smiled, accepting the tissue. The fabric felt soft and warm in her hand. As she swabbed idly at her bleeding lip, Chizuru's eyes washed subtly over her classmate's body. Orihime had the body every high school girl dreamed of and every high school boy fantasized about. She was of medium high with a slender build, save the ponderous chest that pressed firmly out against her white, starched shirt. Chizuru smiled inwardly.
"I'm sorry Tatsuki was so rough," Orihime offered apologetically. Chizuru snapped from her lustful thoughts to see Orihime gazing over at her with a troublesome frown. "Sometimes she just-"
"Don't worry about it!" Chizuru blurted with an assuring smile. "That's just the way things are between us!" Orihime's face softened with curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's like this, see? Some people have a hard saying what they really feel, so instead of actually saying it, they show it. That's all that was, okay?" A twinge of guilt prodded apprehensively at her heart. She hated lying, especially to Orihime, but she hated seeing her unhappy even more. A few little white lies with good intent never hurt anyone, though, right?
"R-really?"
"Really," Chizuru replied. "When we were in elementary school, Tatsuki and I were practically best friends! So, don't worry, anymore, okay?"
"Okay," Orihime nodded, smiling. It was amazing to see how easy it was to please her. "You can keep the handkerchief if you want; I have more at home!"
'She's so, ridiculously cute!' Chizuru thought to herself. "Thanks." With that, Orihime flashed her patent "Hime Smile," and hurried out of the bathroom. Chizuru glanced down at handkerchief and grinned. 'A busted lip for a handkerchief, huh? Maybe I should get punched in the face more often."
XXX
Chizuru curled her finders through the metal fence that surround the tennis courts. It had been a long day at school, but somehow, she wasn't particularly happy to be going home. Home. What and odd word. Could her house really be called a "home?" A bitter smile spread over face. 'What a boring thing to think about,' she snorted, inwardly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Chizuru spotted a familiar figure heading away from the schoolyard.
"Hime?" Chizuru murmured. Orihime was... alone? The thought itself was hard to conceive. Ever since their days of junior high, Orihime and Tatsuki had been practically inseparable. Wherever one of them was, it was a sure bet that the other was somewhere nearby. Could it even be possible? "Hey, Orihime!" she called, bounding over to her. The long-haired girl glanced back over her shoulder, and smiled.
"Oh, hey Chizuru!"
"Are you going home alone? Where's Tatsuki?"
"She's staying back to help the Karate Club set up for spring try-outs."
"You're not gonna stay and watch?"
"She told me to go on ahead.
"Oh," Chizuru smiled. "In that case, want to walk home together?"
"Sure!"
The two girls made their way down the sidewalk, side by side. As they walked, Orihime rambled continually about the events of the day. Chizuru couldn't help but smile. Though she had no personal interest in the "goings-ons" of their classmates, she was content just listening. She loved the way Orihime talked. Even the most mundane things became spectacle through her whimsical mind. She had a boundless imagination, one which she never failed to make use of.
"…And the Kurosaki-kun said…!"
"You really like that guy, don't you?"
"Well, sure! Don't you?"
"Well, I guess I don't dislike him, so…"
"A lot of people think poorly of Kurosaki-kun because of the way he looks and what others say, but I know him. He's actually really kind and gentle; I just wish people would give him more of chance…" Orihime paused before smiling up at her companion. "I guess I feel the same way about you too…!"
"Me? What do you mean?"
"Oh-!" Orihime's eyes widened in realization. "N-nothing! Nothing at all! Heh heh heh…!" Chizuru stared over at her with questioning eyes, but decided not dig any further. Her gaze shifted to the girl's flowing, chestnut hair, trailing between her shoulder blades, down her back to the top of her shapely buttocks. Her eyes moved back up the length of her torso to Orihime's face; to her smooth, fair skin and soft, pouting lips. Orihime, completely oblivious to her audience, continued skipping along with quiet contentment. 'Orihime is perfect,' Chizuru thought. 'No, she's more than perfect.' Unable to contain herself any longer, Chizuru threw her body into Orihime, snatching her classmate up in a one-armed hug.
"You're just so adorable Hime-chan! I can't stand it! I could just eat you up!"
XXX
After dropping Orihime off, Chizuru continued downtown until she finally reached her own apartment complex. The building was in decent condition, considering it was placed in one of the more unfriendly neighborhoods. The utilities were maintained and the sidewalks and halls stayed clean, so there was little to complain about. Slipping the key from her schoolbag, Chizuru unlocked the front door and stepped into her apartment. Silence.
Chizuru wriggled out of her shoes and placed them by the door. The afternoon sunrays poured in through the window, casting a dim light over the empty kitchen. Though she lived here with her mother, she hadn't had a home-cooked meal for some time. Consequently, the kitchen was poorly equipped. Chizuru opened the fridge and helped herself to a glass of orange juice. As she closed the door, a fluorescent pink post-it caught her attention.
"I WON'T BE HOME UNTIL LATE TONIGHT, SO YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN DINNER. –MOM"
"What else is new?" Chizuru scoffed. She hadn't seen her mother for most of the week, though this had been the case for some time. It didn't even surprise her, anymore. With her bag in one hand and her glass in the other, Chizuru shuffled off to her room. Using a free finger, she flipped on the light switch and glanced fleetingly around her living space. It seemed to be a typical girl's room, the thought. The bed sheets and curtains were pink and white, matching the fuzzy carpet the covered her floor. A mass of assorted stuffed animals stared out, vacantly from the edge of her bed while a completely different group sat perched atop her old toy-box. Since she didn't have any siblings, Chizuru's mother indulged her childhood fixation on plush dolls; an obsession that had lasted well into her teen years.
It had been a long day. Chizuru flopped down onto her bed, savoring the way the springs moved beneath her. Her eyes stared fixedly up at the plain, white ceiling, recounting the hours. Life seemed so mundane and fruitless, and at the end of the day, she always found herself here… alone. Reaching into the front flap of her bag, she retrieved the handkerchief Orihime had given her. The cloth felt so soft and yielding in her hand. She couldn't help but smile at the scant bloodstains that dotted the white fabric. It had been a long day, but at least she had a souvenir to show for it.
XXX
For dinner, Chizuru decided to order from the deli a few blocks down: a large turkey sub with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, black olives, sweet peppers and extra oil, just the way she liked it. The service was efficient, but what little time the delivery boy saved getting there, he wasted flirting with her at the door. Even if she had been interested, his suggestive tone was as sickening as the pock-marks that covered his face.
Once she finally managed to get rid of him, Chizuru took her food to the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the television. There weren't many decent programs playing, so she settled for a game-show and began eating. She wasn't interested, but the noise and flashing screen distracted her from the fact that, once again, she was eating alone.
'Geez, I'm pathetic,' she sighed, inwardly. 'Here I am on a Thursday night, eating alone in front of the TV, again! I feel like one of those crazy, old shut-ins you see on those soap operas. It's not like I'm asking for much, just someone to hold and warm the lonely nights with… Like my Hime-chan…' Orihime had always been at the top of her list, even before she had "rediscovered" herself, but between Tatsuki and Ichigo, she couldn't get anywhere near her. "Ichigo," she muttered. "What does she see in him anyway? He's got funky hair, a bad attitude and he never seems to enjoy anything…! What could she possibly find appealing about that? Even if he did finally realize how she felt about him, Ichigo probably wouldn't even know what to do! Then again, neither would she…"
Chizuru's sandwich stopped a few centimeters from her mouth. 'Wait a second… that's it! That's how I'll get Orihime!' Her parted lips curled back in a devious sneer as the gears in her lecherous mind began to churn. Yes, she had a plan… An ingenious plan…
XXX
"Good morning, Hime-chan!" Chizuru crowed. As always, the bespectacled red-head arrived to class early with a big grin on her face.
"Good morning, Chizuru-chan!" Orihime called back. Her breasts moved from side to side as she waved grandiosely. Chizuru plowed into Orihime, mashing their bodies together in a one-sided embrace.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, Chizuru?!" Tatsuki snapped. "Get off of her!" Chizuru ignored the objection and drew her face even closer, cupping her hand between her lips and Orihime's ear.
"There's something I want to talk to you about," she whispered. "In PRIVATE." Despite the look of bewilderment on her face, Orihime nodded, slowly. Taking her gently by the wrist, Chizuru lead the girl toward the classroom door. "Be right back," Chizuru lilted teasingly over at the raven-haired tomboy, relishing the mix of perplexity and frustration in her expression.
The pair left the classroom and shuffled down the hall to the girls' bathroom. Upon entering, Chizuru promptly checked the surrounding stalls for feet. Satisfied that they were alone, the redhead turned to face Orihime with an unsettling grin.
"What was it that you wanted to talk about, Chizuru-chan?"
"Well," she began, "after I went home, yesterday, I thought about what you said… You know, about Ichigo."
"About… Kurosaki-kun…?"
"Yeah… You like him, right?"
"Well, I… um…" The darkening blush on her cheeks was answer enough.
"Well, I think you should give it a shot!"
"…Shot…?" Chizuru brought her face to within inches of Orihime, her intense eyes staring fixedly though her lenses.
"I think you should date Ichigo!"
"DATE KUROSAKI-KUN?!" she exclaimed. "BUT I COULDN'T POSSIBLY-!" Before she could finish, Chizuru placed a gently finger over her lips, immediately silencing her.
"Now, I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out…! Hime-chan, you've got a lot going for you! You're smart, beautiful, funny, friendly and available; give me one reason why any guy would say no to you." Orihime stared vacantly back at her in silence. "Exactly! You've got just as much of a chance… MORE of a chance than anyone else at landing Ichigo!"
"But I-!"
"How long have you been fawning over him from a distance? Months? Years? You know, as great as you seem to think he is, Ichigo is still a guy, and guys won't wait forever. You have to strike while the iron is hot!" she proclaimed. Her growing enthusiasm confused Orihime, though she couldn't deny that what her friend was saying did have some merit. After all, within two months, Ichigo had managed to form a substantial bond with Rukia Kuchiki; a bond so strong that he was willing to risk life and limb to protect her. Orihime lowered her head and let out a long sigh.
"What's wrong?" Chizuru queried.
"Well," she murmured, "it's just that… I… I wouldn't even know what to… I mean, I've never…"
"Dated?" Chizuru finished. Orihime nodded, abashedly. "Well, that's where I come in! You may or may not know this, but I've had my share of experience with these sorts of things. Why, if you wanted, I would even be willing to take you out on a few experimental dates to show you how it works…"
"Y-you'd do that?" Orihime said, hopefully. Chizuru bit back a sniggle. God, this was so easy, it had to be illegal.
"Of course I would!" she gushed. "Just leave everything to me."
"Thank you, Chizuru-chan!"
"No problem!" Orihime left the bathroom, grinning from ear-to-ear, skipping along the polished tile floor as she made her way back to class. Once the clamor of footsteps faded, Chizuru leaned back against the metal sink and sneered with satisfaction. Everything had gone just as she had planned; not that she expected anything less. Little could compare to a scheme coming to fruition. 'Don't you worry, Hime-chan," she chuckled, inwardly, "I'll teach you EVERYTHING you need to know…"
Author's Note: I think this is the most obvious pairing in the Bleach universe, and since no one has taken advantage of it, I've opted to take the helm. As always, I love feedback (unless it has anything to do with the ethics of homosexuality. Seriously, I don't want to hear it. If you don't approve, find another fanfic, but don't waste space on my review board). Thank you:-D