"Ohayou, Kurosaki-kun!" greeted an orange haired girl named Orihime Inoue.
"Ohayou, Inoue-san." replied the other orange haired person who is named Ichigo Kurosaki.
"So how have you been, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked.
"Oh, well I've been doing fine, Inoue-san. How about you?" he replied.
"I'm all right, thank you." she said. The rest of the walk to school was silent. The school fence came into view. A few more feet, and they were on school grounds. They were greeted by Chad, Uryu, and Rukia. They started to slowly walk towards the entrance of the school.
"How's Nozomi-chan doing?" asked Uryu.
"She's alright. Kon watches over her. You know, it's weird how it seems like they're strangely connected."
"Yea.'" they all said in unison. The friends found themselves in the hallway that contained their homeroom. Just then, a figure came racing towards Ichigo screaming,"ICHIGOOOOO!" Ichigo easily recognized it as Keigo. Once Keigo was close enough, he jumped in hopes of hugging Ichigo. His plan was thwarted when Ichigo landed a good kick in Keigo's face.
"Bye, Keigo."said Ichigo bluntly. The group entered the classroom and sat down. The usual buzz of chatter filled the room. Then, Sensei called for the class' attention, and everyone went silent.
"Now class, today we will learn…"
It was a rather typical day for some very unusual individuals.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class and start of lunch. Students filed out of the classroom in a noisy manner. Ichigo and the guys went to the roof. Orihime, Rukia, and some other girls went outside under the trees. As usual, Orihime ate her weird food(bean paste, etc.) and chatted amongst her friends.
Orihime knew something bad was going to happen. Well, she didn't know, it was more like a feeling she had. She knew for sure, though, that things were way to normal. There was at least five Hollow appearances everyday, but today, there wasn't even one. She was worried about the feeling and wondered if the others also felt it. Well, their minds may be on the whole Nozomi-Inaba-Severed World ordeal. Orihime thought.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was unusual on a usual day.
Tatsuki noticed Orihime spacing off-something Orihime did when she was worried or just randomly. Orihime noticed Tatsuki watching her. She gave a small wave, signaling that she was fine. The bell rang again, and everyone headed back into their next class.
The first thing Rukia noticed when she got out of school was a Senkai Gate open. She didn't bother to tell anyone, for it was probably just another soul reaper being stationed in Karakura town. She promised herself to check in with the Soul Society later.
Rukia and Ichigo walked home together. When they reached Ichigo's house/Kurosaki Clinic, Rukia raced for Ichigo's room, not wanting to get karate chopped by Ichigo's dad, Isshin. Once by the room and out of breath, she could clearly hear.
Ichigo yelling curses at his dad and random crashes and bangs from Isshin's martial arts. Rukia reached for the handle of Ichigo's bedroom door and opened it. Immediately she called for Ichigo to come quick. And then Kon plunged into his blabbering about Nozomi escaping.
"What?" said Ichigo, barely, for he was out of breath.
"Nozomi has escaped!" Rukia said in an alarmed tone.
"Oh, crap! Get the others together and looking for her."
"Yea
Orihime's intuition proved to be right. Something did happen.
"Nozomi!"
"Nozomi!"
"Nozomi!"
Everybody was busy looking for Nozomi. It was already late into the night. The streets were deserted, except for the group of teenagers searching for Nozomi. The street lights were off. How could they possibly find their green headed friend in this darkness? Orihime was tired and wanted to give up. But no. She had to do this-for Ichigo. Everything she did was for him-that and because she was too nice.
All of a sudden, Ichigo's spiritual pressure flared up, and a battle initiated somewhere in the forest by the park. What could be happening? Orihime thought. I hope Ichigo doesn't get hurt! Orihime rushed to the skirmish, as well as the others.
When she reached the battle site, she saw Nozomi hiding behind a tree. And then she saw Ichigo and Inaba engaged in a deathly battle.
"Are you alright, Nozomi-chan?" Orihime asked Nozomi.
"Uhm, yes." Nozomi replied, hugging Kon tightly.
"Nozomi-chan, you're hugging me too tight!" Kon squeezed out, for he was lacking air.
"Shut up, pervert."Nozomi said worriedly. Seriously? She says that right now? thought Kon, sweat-dropping. Orihime turned toward Ichigo, eyebrows knitting together with worry.
Suddenly, Ichigo is thrown backwards quite roughly."Ichigo-kun!"yelped Orihime.
"I-I'm fine Inoue-san."Ichigo said in pain.
"No, you're not! Here, hold on!"Orihime said. She raced towards Ichigo, but her attention was wavered when she heard Nozomi scream. She turned towards the green head, only to find that Inaba had Nozomi in a secure hold.
"Inaba! Give Nozomi-chan back!" Ichigo demanded.
"Now why would I do that? I need Nozomi to accomplish my wish, to get what I need." Inaba stated.
"What do you want with Nozomi-chan?" Ichigo pressed.
"Why I just told you." Inaba said with a sly smile.
"But!-" Ichigo started but then stopped to think. Maybe something is hidden inside her, like Rukia had the Hogkyoku hidden inside her. "What do you have hidden inside Nozomi-chan?" Ichigo asked.
"Hidden inside her? Nothing. But she is necessary to accomplish what I want. But you're right, there is something hidden inside-" Inaba flashed stepped right next to Orihime. "It's just not inside Nozomi."
At that moment, Inaba drove his hand right through Orihime's heart. Her eyes widened;the pain was unbearable and indescribable. Already, she could feel her life slipping away. When he withdrew it, a geyser of blood spurt out, along with a small bright sphere in his hand. Orihime slipped to her knees and then to the ground. "I was looking for this." Inaba said, showing off his prize.
"You bastard!" screeched Ichigo.
"Son of a b***h!" growled Renji. The others said a couple of more curses. Rukia trembled with anger and loss. Nozomi shook her head in disbelief. Orihime was sprawled on the ground, a pool of blood around her soaking the earth.
"Ishida, Rukia, tend to her wounds. I'm going to kill this bastard!" Ichigo said menacingly. He charged at Inaba, preparing to shoot out a wave of Getsuga Tenshō.
Inaba chuckled and said, "I'll see you later." Before Ichigo could take another step, Inaba disappeared with Nozomi into a Senkai Gate. He was gone. Ichigo roared with rage, and then rushed over to Orihime.
"Inoue-san?! Inoue-san?! Can you hear me?" Ichigo said worriedly. This can't be happening. Out of all the people that could be killed, it had to be Inoue-san. Ichigo thought. He could already see her eyes losing color, her skin turning paler by the second.
"I can hear you , silly." Orihime. said, barely managing a weak smile.
"Orihime-chan, I-I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I really am. Please stay with me! Don't go!"Ichigo pleaded. He had developed feelings for her; they weren't strong but they were there. Sure, Rukia had changed his life forever, she could make him feel better, and he would die for her, but Rukia was the moon and Orihime was the sun. The moon gave all the light it could to light the path for him, but the moon got its light from the sun. The sun kept him warm and safe. Orihime made him warm inside, and she lent him strength. Were it not for her, he would be dead right now, along with the world, though Orihime would've brought him back to life. How many times had Orihime brought him back to life? How many times had he overcome difficult challenges with Orihime by his side helping him the most? He felt this way, but he was a jerk. How many times had he ignored her feelings? Even worse, how many times had he ignored her in general?
"Kurosaki-kun, it's alright! It's not your fault!"Orihime tried to convince him. She put on her best smile."Now I know how it feels to die for someone. I died for you and the others. Who knows what Inaba would have done if he had to go searching for me throughout town. Please don't hate yourself, Kurosaki-kun."
"Orihime-chan, how could you say that?! You are a really close friend, you know. It was my duty to protect you! To protect everyone!" Ichigo said.
"Ichigo-kun, my time is coming to an end. Before I go, I want to tell you that I loved you. I still do, but, well, you know. And no, it's not in a friend way. I like-like you. So promise me something." Orihime said.
"Yea, anything!" Ichigo said , desperate to do anything for her. Rukia and the others had been listening in until now; they decided to back out of earshot. Maybe to give them space, maybe not, but the point is that Ichigo and Orihime were alone.
"Ichigo-kun, promise me that you and Rukia-chan will, eh, get married and have a good life with kids and everything. Please? For my stead-well if i ever had the chance?"Orihime inquired.
"Wha-what…?"Ichigo stuttered. Unbelieveable. But for her…"Okay, alright."
A tear trickled down her already tear and blood stained cheek as she said,"Thank you, Ichigo-kun. I hope to see you in the Soul Society. I'll become a Soul Reaper and wait for you." With her last strength, she reached up and stroked his cheek. "Good-bye, Ichigo."
Her eyes dulled, and her body ceased in functioning.
"Orihime," he whispered."ORIHIME!" Ichigo roared.
The first thing Orihime saw after receiving a ticket was a vast green field with a vibrant yellow sun beating down on her overhead. In the distance, she saw tiny brown squares with smoke billowing out of them. Must be houses, thought Orihime. Wait! This isn't Karakura Town! So, then, where am I? Where's Ichigo-kun, Rukia-chan, Chad-kun, Uryu-kun, and Nozomi-chan? Nozomi-chan...ohhh...Yeah, that's right. I, uh, died. Huh. So I must be in the Rukongai. In the Soul Society. Soul Reapers. Inaba. Nozomi-chan. Souls. Orihime sighed. She looked down and let out a little yelp. She was naked. Going to the village wasn't looking very great right now. What choice do I have?
Orihime started off towards the village.
"Damn it!"growled Ichigo as he banged his fist on the table in Urahara's Shop. Urahara, Yoruichi, Rukia, Uryu, Chad, Renji, and Ichigo with Kon on his shouldersat around the small wooden table discussing the very tragic that just happened. Orihime's body was somewhere in a room in the shop. "I couldn't protect her! I'm not strong enough, not good enough! I couldn't save her!"
"Ichigo!"Rukia scolded with a good slap across Ichigo's head. "You did what you could. It was unexpected that Inaba would want something from Inoue."
"But-"Ichigo started.
"Enough!"Rukia snapped.
"Well, at least let me ask what that yellow sphere thingy that came out of Inoue-san was! Was it her soul?"Ichigo asked.
"Ah! I knew would ask!"said Urahara, plastering a huge, cheery grin on his face."I did some research on this 'bright yellow sphere'. Once every millenium, a soul similar to Orihime's is born. Their powers, obviously, comes from their soul. However strong their soul is, thats how strong their powers are. And, as you know, their powers are very unique and powerful, rejecting anything they want. The power itself is the same, but some are cut short to be only healing powers-no offense or defense whatsoever. They have different forms and names, but they are basically the same. Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka were in the form of hair pins. I remember Yamamoto-san talking about someone similar to Orihime. Anyways, what Inaba took were her source of powers. That little sphere had little veins connected to her soul and heart, so when it was detached, her soul and heart were torn, as well as her flesh. So even if he hadn't pierced her flesh, but extracted the sphere, she still would've died."
"We need to get it back! Maybe Kurotsuchi can heal her up with Unohana-"Ichigo started to suggest.
"Ichigo, a dead person can't be revived."said Yoruichi.
"I was dead and revived! By Inoue-san!"He reasoned.
"Exactly. By Inoue-san. There is no Inoue-san anymore. And let me rephrase: a dead person shouldn't be brought back to life."Yoruichi stated.
"She's somewhere in the Rukon districts, right? Can you at least open a Senkai Gate, and let me go see her?"Ichigo pleaded.
"Ichigo-kun-"Urahara started, but one look at Ichigo's face changed his mind. He really wanted to see the girl. "Oh, ok, fine."
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Urahara-san!"Ichigo thanked enthusiastically.
"Yeah,yeah, just go on."Urahara said, sighing. They all walked down to the underground training room. Urahara made the necessary arrangements. After what seemed like an eternity, the Senkai Gate was opened.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!"Ichigo said again,jumping into the Severed World with a huge smile on his face.
They all hurried along, not being able to wait to see Orihime again.
Orihime was about a mile or two away from the village when she felt it. He must've been really far away because she could only faintly sense his reiatsu. Ichigo's reiatsu, that was. Hmmm, if I can feel Ichigo-kun's-oh, and the others!-reiatsu, then maybe, just maybe… Orihime reached up and touched her hairpins. They were still there. "Soten Kesshun, I reject!"she said. Nothing happened. Oh. She trudged with low spirits towards whatever Rukon district the village was.
Once she reached the outskirts of the village, she sneaked around to the left of it. At one of the cabin-like houses, there were some clothes drying on a laundry line. She didn't want to steal, but what could she really do? Just do it, Inoue! thought Orihime's little devil,popping out on her left shoulder, trying to coax her[self] to take the clothes to hide her naked body. You don't want to be naked your whole after-life, right? Go on, take it. Then the Orihime angel popped out on her right shoulder. Don't do it! It is stealing; do you really want that to be your first impression on the villagers? Why don't you just ask? "You're right, Good me." Orihime muttered to herself. Devil Orihime butted in: Ah, but do you really want to show up at one the villagers houses all naked like that? Apart from embarrassment, you'll also leave an impression of being a prostitute even though they haven't heard what you have to say. It's the way of humans to judge. Orihime gave in and whispered,"Oh, all right, Evil me, but only this time." Orihime took the clothes and put them on while Devil Orihime stuck out her tongue at Angel Orihime in triumph. They then disappeared.
Orihime ran into the village with the dark green rag that could still pass for clothing. What district am I in? Orihime wondered. Oh, the ticket, right. Orihime pulled out the ticket. "Rukon District 10. Hm, not bad." she said aloud.
She ran around the village, looking for the owner of the clothing she stole.
Ichigo leapt out of the Senkai Gate. The others followed. He told Rukia to look for her Reiatsu.
"She's far,"Rukia said after she had located her faint Reiatsu. "I can barely sense her."
"Which direction?" asked Ichigo.
"North."
"Let's go!"Ichigo said ecstatically.
"Aa!"they all cheered. Inoue-san, I'm coming for you! Just stay put! thought Ichigo.
Flash stepping almost all the way-in Uryu's case, Hirenkyaku-ing all the way and Chad, well, Uryu carried him on a Reishi platform-they were able to the Rukon District Orihime was in by nightfall.
"Rukia-"Ichigo started.
"On it."she said.
"Alright." Ichigo said.
"She's not far...she's in that house over there!" Rukia exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's go!" Ichigo exclaimed, a grin adorning his face.
"Hold on, Ichigo." Rukia said. "We've gotta knock, not bash in!"
"Oh, yeah, right, sorry." Ichigo said apologetically. He approached the door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. The doorknob turned, revealing a young woman in about her mid-twenties.
"Hello, how may I help you?"she asked nicely.
"Are you keeping an orange haired girl here?" asked Ichigo.
"Why do you Soul Reapers want to know? What will you do with her?" she asked, quite alarmed.
"Ehhh?!" Ichigo's cheeks colored at what the lady was implying. "What do you mean 'what will you do with her'? We just want our friend back!"
"Oh, you're friends?" she questioned, her anger abating.
"Yes." Ichigo replied.
"Misagi, what is going on?"asked Orihime.
"Orihime!" shouted Ichigo in relief.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime said in disbelief.
"Inoue-san!"greeted everyone else.
"Misagi, these are my friends;the orange haired one is Ichigo Kurosaki, the girl is Rukia Kuchiki, the one with black-bluish hair is Uryu Ishida, the brown haired one is Chad, and the red head is Renji. They're very-" at that moment, Ichigo gave Orihime a hug. "-nice. Missed you too, Kurosaki-kun."
"Jeez, Orihime, I thought I'd never see you again! Well, I knew I would, but I needed to see you-" Ichigo was interrupted by a lot POP and Orihime was no where to be seen.
"What the f**k just happened?"wondered Renji.
"Orihime?! Orihime?!" Misagi cried frantically.
"Guys, let's search the area!" commanded Ichigo.
"Hai!"they all said in unison. They all searched alone except for Rukia and Renji who searched together. They searched the district down to the last pebble.
While walking back to the rendezvous point, Renji suddenly had the urge to confess to Rukia. Seeing Ichigo lose his girl made him place himself in his shoes. What if he had lost Rukia? He wouldn't be able to live with that burden on his shoulders. He would feel distressed and torn-torn because of Byakyua shredding his ass to bits with his Bankai-and all because he let Rukia die on his watch. To add to that, he would have never had the chance to confess. Even if he did confess, it would be way too late for Rukia and him to do anything. Come on, Renji! Don't be a coward and do the damn thing! Renji thought to himself.
"Eh, R-Rukia?" Renji started, a blush already forming on his cheeks.
"What?" Rukia replied quite boredly, her eyes straight ahead the whole time.
"I-I need t-to tell y-you something i-important."he stuttered.
"Well?"she asked, somewhat impatiently.
"I-I, uh, I-I k-k-kinda, s-sorta…"spluttered Renji hopelessly.
"Spit it out!"Rukia said irritatedly.
"I-I...l-love...y-y...YOUR HEIGHT!" Renji ended up saying.
Rukia had veins popping out of her forehead, and she stopped in her tracks. She whirled around to face Renji. "Abarai Renji, is that how you plan to tease me about how short I am?! Right when I thought you were actually confessing to me, you come up with this?! I'm not stupid! It's more like you are the idiot here! Incompetent fool! Stupid, idiot, dumbass, fool, good-for-nothing…And I actually thought you were confessing. Hah!" Rukia scolded Renji.
"I was." Renji muttered, thinking that she didn't hear, but she did hear.
"What did you say?" Rukia said in surprise, a light pink hue coloring her cheeks.
"N-Nothing!" Renji said quickly.
"Don't lie! You said 'I was'. So you were confessing!"she accused.
"I might've."
"Don't be a coward! Suck up your pride and tell me!"
"F-fine. I-I l-love y-y-y...ILOVEYOURUKIA!" Renji squeezed out.
Rukia, clearly blushing a dark red along with Renji, smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it, Renji?"
"Are you serious? That was tough as crap! But, now lets see you confess your feelings to me." Renji said with a sly smile on his face.
"Uh, uh, uh...iloveyourenji." she whispered.
"I couldn't hear you." Renji said playfully while bending down and cupping a hand to his ear.
"You bastard! I know you heard me!" she said, annoyed.
"Nooooo…" Renji denied, still playing.
"Baka!" Rukia yelled at him while pulling his face towards hers. Both of them blushed a darker shade of red than Renji's hair. They took in each other's scent, felt each other's breath coming out in small pants as they closed the gap between them ever so slowly. When their lips finally met, Rukia let out a little sigh. Realization then hit her. She pulled away slowly, and then said," We should get back to the others. We still need to find Orihime-chan."
"Yea, okay." Renji said.
They walked away together, a silent agreement on their newfound relationship.
When they arrived, everyone else was already in front of Misagi's house.
"She's not here…"Uryu said, shifting his glasses up.
"No shit sherlocks, wanna cookie for that?" Ichigo seethed.
"Okay, okay, Kurosaki, calm down." Uryu said.
"The hell I will!"
"Let's go tell Urahara-san. Maybe he knows what happened."suggested Rukia.
"Okay, let's ge. Arigatou, Misagi! We'll find her or tell you news. Take care." said Ichigo.
The friends went off to the human world to find Orihime-again.
The friends reached the inside of the Senkai Gate. they ran and ran. The exit didn't seem any nearer. "Is it just me, or is the exit not getting any nearer?" said Ichigo.
"Hey you're right!" said Rukia.
"Maybe it's like that situation in Hueco Mundo." suggested Uryu.
"Yea, you're right, maybe! Let's try to go faster!" said Ichigo. The group ran faster, their legs aching, their lungs screaming for air but no avail.
"Why isn't the exit nearer, you ask?" inquired Inaba.
"Bastard! You did this?" Ichigo asked.
"Possibly."
"Why?"
"Well, let's just say, I lost a little sphere of mine."
"What? Anybody could-"
"I know you have it."
"Think again! We don't have it! Hmph!"
Inaba paused for a moment, sensing something. "I guess not. Very well, only this time will I let you slide." Inaba disappeared.
They ran for the exit.
"Aaahhh! Human world air!" said Renji.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just go to Urahara's shop." urged Ichigo. They raced through Karakura Town, going straight to Urahara's. when they got there, they barged right through the shop's door.
"Hey, Kurosaki-kun." greeted Orihime with a warm smile and small wave.
"H-hey, Inoue-san." said a dumbfounded Ichigo. "Oi, Inoue-san, how did you get here?"
"You know, I don't really know. One minute I was with you, and the next, I was here. Urahara-san said-"
"-That you should all come inside while I explain what happened." said a smiling Urahara. They all sat around the small round table.
"So what happened, Urahara-san?" asked Ichigo.
"Well what happened was that Orihime-chan's Six Soul fairies weren't ready to be separated from Orihime's soul-they rejected on their own. Plus, they harbored deep feelings for her ,and didn't want her to leave. Thus, Orihime's body was brought back together."
"No wonder Inaba said he had lost her power thingy." said Ichigo.
"Yes, exactly."said Urahara.
"Well, I'm glad Inoue's back."Ichigo said, sighing in relief.
"We all are."said Yorouichi with a smile.
"Bye, guys, I've gotta go home. Thanks for everything." Orihime excused herself.
"Bye,"they all said in unison.
"I'll walk you home!"blurted Ichigo.
"Ehhh?! No, you don't need to. I can take care of myself!"Orihime said hastily, blushing.
"No! We can't risk losing you again, Inoue. I'll walk you home." Ichigo said with a tone of finality. He ushered Orihime out and turned and excused himself. "Bye, guys."
Outside, it was raining hard. "Come on, Inoue, let's run."
"Hai, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime replied. They ran as fast as humanly possible(Ichigo having discarded his Gigai), and reached Orihime's home in no time at all. Out on the porch, they wrung out their clothes and shook water from their hair.
"Arigatou, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime thanked and flashed a warm smile.
"Um, you're welcome. Uh, can I come inside?" Ichigo asked, a light pink hue coloring his cheeks. Orihime assented, turning slightly crimson.
"Thanks." Ichigo said and stepped inside. The house was pretty spacious and clean. It looked slightly new, except for a really thin layer of dust covering the shelf where the picture of Sora was located. All in all, it looked really lonely. It looks so damn lonely. She's here by herself most of the time. I should come here more often. Ichigo thought to himself.
"Would you like a towel-and tea?"Orihime offered.
"Um, yea."
"Ok." She fumbled around the room a little and found a towel. "Here's the towel."
"Thanks."
Orihime started warming some tea. They sat at a little coffee table;they were in silence for a few minutes.
Ichigo was the first to break the silence. "So, um, Orihime, just so you know, we all missed you a lot."
"Nonsense. You shouldn't have. You would have seen me anyway in the Seretei." She poured the tea into a mug and handed him the tea.
"No, but, I couldn't stand you not being here," he said as he blushed and stood up. "I felt so incomplete."
"Ehhh? But I told you to focus on you and Rukia-"
"Orihime, I want you." Ichigo stated. Orihime stumbled. Ichigo rushed to steady her. Orihime looked right up into Ichigo's chocolate eyes. "I can't live without you. I had feelings for you 'died'. I was left devastated."
"Gomenasai, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime whispered.
"Do you remember what you told me before you 'died'? You said that you loved me. Well,now that I know we feel the same way, I can forgive you if…" He leaned forward and connected his lips with hers.
She never thought this day would come. His tongue stroked her bottom lip, demanding entry. Orihime happily obliged, letting Ichigo into her mouth. Ichigo was gentle with his caress; it was so sweet.
They finally parted, gasping for air. Orihime gave a small laugh, and Ichigo cuckled after her.
"You know, you're easy to silence. Now I know what to do when you talk too much." He gave her a goofy smile. "All I have to do is kiss you, right?"
"I do not talk too much!"
"Yea you do."
"Those little green alien men from space have taken over your brain with their wacko guns and I-I-I-I-Ughh, I'm giving you the silent treatment because-because-y-"
Ichigo silenced her with a kiss. "How's that for a silent treatment?"
"I should talk a lot now." Orihime giggled.