A/N: Welcome to Part Four of the IshiHime Songfic Series!
Mire- Yo. I think I remember some of you…
LVT- Yeah, so…
While most parts before this were K-plus, this one is rated T. There's stronger language (Thanks Ichigo. You dropped the F-bomb. TWICE. And it's not even your story. I was tempted to rate it M, but if "Rent" can get away with it, so can I.), mature situations (such as the results of what happened in Part 2 of the IchiRuki), and a semi-graphic make-out scene (no, I didn't say they went there, but it's not just kissing…). -mutters- So it seems a little wimpy, bah. It's not for kids.
Mire- And, it's a Long chapter. Longest ever written for LVT. Note: If you haven't read Brand New Map, the second side story and sequel to Love Destiny, or if you haven't read either, then we suggest that you go back and read those first. There's a MAJOR SPOILER from that story in there. Oh, and if you came to visit because you read BNM, and wanted to see the result, well…you've come to the right place.
Notes: The song is in Italics and center. The translation is from Gendou's Anime Music. Italicized font on the left is a dream sequence.
Disclaimer: I do no own either Bleach or the song Antoinette Blue (by Kitade Nana).
Antoinette Blue
Much time had passed. Graduation from Karakura High had been long since done with, and it was winter again, but this was different. Entrance into Karakura University was no problem for either of the two, but there were other complications…
'I can't believe it. We've been together for almost two years! It's absolutely wonderful!' the reddish-blonde Princess smiled as she thought to herself.
Inoue Orihime was getting ready for school. She missed wearing her school uniform, despite the fact that she graduated in the spring. She didn't have to worry about what she was wearing back then, but now, it was a hassle in the morning!
Like many other girls in love, she wanted to look her best. She finally decided on a white blouse, a knee-length navy skirt, and short white socks. She took a blue ribbon, and tied it into a bow around her collar. Giving one final look in the mirror, she gave a satisfactory nod. Orihime grabbed her bag, changed into her shoes, and left her apartment.
It was her final day in the apartment where Sora had brought her many years ago, and where her relatives have been supporting her so she could stay. However, after finally earning enough money, she and Ishida Uryuu were going to move into an apartment together. They had worked multiple part-time jobs since finishing high school, and, through their hard labor, finally raised enough. It was hard doing approximately three jobs while having schoolwork, but they managed. The rent, fortunately, was going to be lower than the rest of the fees just to even have some ownership to the place.
However, a greater test was coming up for the young couple.
"You've finally decided on what you'd be doing, Uryuu?"
Uryuu looked up at the man seated at the desk. He'd come to a difficult point in his life, and, after keeping a secret all these years…
"Yes, I have. If you'd permit me, I'd like to take over the hospital after I work for as long as I have to after graduating from medical school."
Ishida Ryuuken kept his eyes on his son. It was no surprise to him that Uryuu would take over Karakura Hospital at some point. However, the younger Quincy was hiding something that the older had heard from someone else.
"My sources tell me that you have a girlfriend. A girl named Inoue Orihime."
Uryuu's blue eyes widened at the name, then narrowed at his father, "Who told you?"
"That is no business of yours. You said that you were moving to another apartment, right? Are you and Inoue-san moving in together?"
"So what if we are?! It's no business of yours, Ryuuken!"
"You two are still children. You both may be nineteen, but it's too soon for either of you to be making such great decisions."
"We're not children! We've had this relationship for a long time! We know each other well, and we'll be fine together!"
"Prove it," came Ryuuken's quick answer. "Tomorrow, I have reservations at the new restaurant in town at seven sharp. I want both you and Inoue-san there. Now, go to school, and we'll talk again soon."
Uryuu stood up from the chair in front of the desk, and left the room.
Despite the fact that the university was on winter break, there were classes still running for those who wished to take them. Both Uryuu and Orihime had taken up the offer, while many of their friends decided to have break to themselves.
During their classes together, Uryuu told Orihime about the event.
"Your father…wants to meet me?" Orihime whispered under the teacher's voice.
"Yes. He heard about you somehow, and wants to see if we're mature enough to live together. We may have earned enough money to buy the place, but he wants to test us."
"Oh…" came the worried voice. "So, our two-year anniversary is coming up soon. What do you want to do?"
Uryuu could spot the forced happiness in her voice.
After classes, Uryuu went to Orihime's apartment to start helping her move. To help them, they called as many of their friends together.
Uryuu and Orihime came clean about their relationship at graduation. Many of their friends were a bit surprised: The class valedictorian and one of the hottest girls in the school? The only person who didn't seem surprised was Kurosaki Ichigo. He said that, whenever he was out, he'd see them, and assumed that they were together.
When Uryuu arrived, he noticed that many of their friends were already there. They had started loading things onto the truck.
"Uryuu! Over here!" Orihime waved by the truck. The Quincy smiled, and walked over.
"Did you call everyone, Orihime?"
"Yeah! I thought that it would be more fun if everyone helped out!"
Uryuu looked at the people that had assembled: All of Orihime's friends, Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, the Kurosaki family…
"Where's Kurosaki?"
"His father said that he was coming later. Something happened in Soul Society, and he had to rush there immediately."
"Was it arrancar?" the Quincy asked.
"No. Kurosaki-kun didn't tell anyone why he ran off. He changed into his shinigami form, and ran off to Urahara-san's shop. He'll be back soon," Orihime said, also curious to what happened.
Hours passed. When most of Orihime's things were packed, Ichigo came back, but with Rukia, dressed in an oversized coat. It wasn't that cold, but she seemed extremely bundled, as if she was hiding something.
"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime ran up to the shorter shinigami, and gave her a hug. However, she could feel something pressing against her.
"Hello, Inoue. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Rukia said, returning the hug.
"There're still a few things to be packed. Would you like to help?"
"Rukia won't be helping. I'll be carrying the stuff," Ichigo declared. "Where is it?"
"Follow me, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime grabbed the orange-haired shinigami's hand, and the two ran off to her apartment.
Uryuu walked over to the black-haired shinigami, "Orihime noticed something. I could tell on her face. Also, you weren't supposed to be in the living world until tomorrow. Why are you here so early?"
Rukia looked down, "I've tried to keep it a secret from Ichigo for six months. However, Byakuya-niisama and Renji decided that, because my secret couldn't be kept well anymore, Ichigo should know…that…"
"Kuchiki-san?! What?!" Orihime shouted.
Ichigo brought a finger to his lips, telling the girl to be quieter, "That's what I said. Rukia's pregnant, and it's mine."
"But…when? How? Huh?" Orihime flailed her arms in shock. Ichigo and Rukia?! Since when? She almost could remember something from the party, but it couldn't connect with how her brain worked.
"Six months ago, it was my nineteenth birthday, on the fifteenth. You remember the party that we had? Well, after you guys left and the shinigami were wasted on the floor, we…well…y'know," a flustered expression crossed the orange-haired shinigami's face, "…and I thought that I was being careful. However, something messed up, and now…she's going to have a child in about three months. My child…"
The Princess looked over to the Shinigami: It didn't seem that he was going to cry, but there was too much weight on his shoulders, too much stress that had built up.
"I didn't know about it until I arrived at the Kuchiki place. After Byakuya explained what happened, I didn't know what to do. All he said was that Rukia was pregnant with my child, and that I would have to take care of her from now on. Renji was there too, and threatened that I have to take good care of Rukia or suffer massive consequences. We had a quick wedding, but now we still have to make it official in the living world."
A solitary tear rolled down Ichigo's cheek. Orihime was surprised to see his emotions overflowing.
"Kuro-"
"God dammit!" Ichigo slammed his first against the wall, making the room shake slightly, "I'm only nineteen, I have a pregnant wife, and now, I have to support her, because of something stupid that had happened. This accident, caused by me, has fucked up my life! How the hell am I supposed to take care of her!? I don't know what to fucking do!" Ichigo leaned back against the wall, and slid down, more tears falling down his face. He placed his arms on his knees, and lowered his head, sobs shaking his body, "I don't know…"
The Princess walked over to him, carefully, sat next to him, and wrapped her arms around him.
'No words can console him now. I'll do what I can to at least comfort him, even if only a little,' she thought to herself.
"So, I guess it's 'Kurosaki-san' now, right?"
Rukia nodded. Although she'd have to officially move to the living world, she and Ichigo were technically married in Soul Society, and that would be enough for now.
"Congratulations. However, it must be difficult."
"It is," Rukia paused, as if looking for how to finish, "but, Ishida, promise me one thing: You and Inoue will not make the same mistake that Ichigo and I made. I doubt that either of you would have enough support that we were lucky to have. Neither of you have had family that's close to you as ours are. If you two make this mistake, then…" she trailed off. No words could be found this time.
"I promise," Uryuu took in the words, and a smirk crossed his face, "with my honor as a Quincy."
Rukia smiled, "Typical. I hate to say it, but Kurotsuchi-taichou is right. Every other line out of Quincy mouths is, 'With my honor as a Quincy'."
After Ichigo loaded the remaining things into the truck, Isshin took the wheel, and drove off with Karin and Yuzu, both of who were reluctant to go. The others followed behind, walking a safe distance.
"So, how far are we walking?"
"It's only a few blocks."
"I can't believe that this is actually happening…"
"What do you think, Kuchiki-san?"
"Huh?" The petite shinigami looked over to the girls that she talked to back at the school years ago.
"What do you think about this?"
Rukia thought about it for a second, "They're in love, aren't they? And besides, they are very strong people, and have been working hard to get to their goals. As long as they keep this kind of resolve, they'll be fine."
When the group arrived, the Kurosaki family was already unloading the truck, leaving boxes on the ground. Orihime went up to the apartment to unlock the door. Her hands were shaking as she held the key towards the keyhole.
When she opened the door, she took notice of the boxes that were previously placed here from when they brought Uryuu's stuff in during the weekend. Clearly, neither one of them had had time to stop by and start emptying the boxes. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow, with the unpacking and…
'…Meeting Uryuu's father…I wonder what he'll think of me…'
Her thoughts were interrupted as their friends brought the boxes in. She took them, and placed them in a different place than where the previously placed boxes were.
After all of the stuff was moved, Orihime looked for a teapot, and started up the oven. Fortunately, an oven was provided, so long as they paid the bills to keep it running. She then searched for some cups, and ended up mixing hers and Uryuu's to have enough to serve everyone.
It was a simple green tea, but enough to have a moving-in party with…until the two officially "moved in" in a couple of weeks.
It was ten o'clock when people started to leave, and ten-thirty when everyone had left.
Uryuu locked to door to the new apartment, and turned to face his long-time girlfriend. She had started digging through boxes, looking for her sleepwear. Unfortunately, she was looking in a box clearly labeled, "Kitchenware".
The Quincy walked over, and wrapped his arms around the Princess's waist. She inadvertently blushed at the gesture, and then giggled, "What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm just enjoying this."
"What?"
"We finally moved into an apartment that belongs to us. What isn't there to enjoy?"
"The fact that I'll be meeting your father tomorrow."
Uryuu frowned. He had forgotten that little detail. He removed his arms from around the young woman, and she turned to face him, "Uryuu, I'm scared about meeting him. I've never really met him, and I have no clue on how to act around him, and what if a Chupacabra suddenly comes from inside him like in the Alien movies, and sucks the blood of all of the farm animals in Karakura?"
"If you want my honest opinion, he's much scarier than a Chupacabra."
"Eh?!"
"But you don't have to worry," he said, wrapping his arms around the girl again, "because I'll be there beside you the entire time." He placed a kiss on her temple. She smiled, and draped her arms around his neck.
"Orihime, do you know what tomorrow is?"
"Um…December twenty-fo-" The Princess stopped herself as it dawned on her. Tomorrow was officially their two-year anniversary.
"And what better way to say 'Happy Anniversary' than meeting my father?" Uryuu joked. Orihime gave a small laugh, and sighed. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We need our sleep," the Princess reminded her boyfriend.
She returned to searching for her sleepwear, now looking through the correct box. However, she started to throw stuff out of the box behind her, without looking at what she was throwing and where she was throwing it. When she finally found her pajamas, she turned back to her boyfriend, but blinked confusedly at what happened.
For some reason, much of her clothing had landed on him, not to even mention the fact that one of her bras had landed on his head. A furious blush was across his face. She tried not to laugh, but it was a failed attempt.
"I'm sorry, Uryuu, but could you put all of that back in the box?" she asked as she got up to change in the bathroom.
The Quincy began to move the stuff, but took a quick moment to look at the young woman's bra.
'Wow. I knew they were large, but…wow,' was all that he could think about as he looked at the tag.
The blood had yet to leave his face.
--It was the fight against Ulquiorra. Ichigo had a tough fight ahead of him. He might have been able to take out Grimmjow, but Kenpachi fought against Nnoitra. Heck, Nnoitra's fracción almost killed Ichigo. For him to try to fight against the Cuatro, an even higher rank than both of them…things were in Ulquiorra's favor.
But Ichigo's nakama had faith in him.
Uryuu watched carefully. He arrived at the tower quickly, to provide back up if need be. The others were still fighting the Exequias outside. Soon, they would follow behind, and also help if necessary.
He looked across the room. Orihime stood by the throne, a concerned look on her face. The Quincy knew instantly that look was for the shinigami fighting with the arrancar. He might love the Princess, but she would never love him back.
The blades met in a vicious dance. Sparks came from the contact point, and landed to the ground, cool and safe. The black blade of Tensa Zangetsu and the unreleased blade of the Cuatro Espada parted, and then reconnected, and another glimmer in the clash appeared. As they continued in their fight, some contact points were made: there was a beautiful cut on Ichigo's left arm, and Ulquiorra had a nice slash on his right cheek.
Running steps were heard behind Uryuu. He turned, and saw the black-haired shinigami coming to watch. As she got closer, she slowed down. "Ishida," she started as she regained her breath, "why are you not helping Ichigo?"
"This is not my fight. I have no reason to fight against the arrancar. Where are Abarai-kun and Sado-kun?"
"Still fighting, but they should be here soon," she said, concern in her eyes. Uryuu noticed that they were also looking at Ichigo.
The fight continued. Much to everyone's surprise, Ulquiorra had yet to release his zanpakutou. Ichigo was breathing a little heavily."You…are merely trash. If it's this hard to fight equally with me, even though I have deemed you as a worthy opponent, you are not worth my time," the Cuatro spoke in his cool voice.
"I dare you to say that again, bastard!" Ichigo snarled. He prepared himself to charge at the Espada head on. Across from him, Ulquiorra had started the same. They began to run towards each other.
In an attempt to keep the peace, Orihime had placed herself between Ichigo and Ulquiorra. What she didn't expect was two blades to stab through her. A trickle of blood found it's way out of the corner of Orihime's mouth. As both arrancar and shinigami drew back their swords, Orihime fell to the ground heavily.
"Renji! Get Unohana-taichou!" Rukia shouted as she ran to the Princess. The petite shinigami tried her best to heal what she could, but only a member of the Fourth or Orihime could heal an injury like this. Renji used shunpo to find the Fourth Division captain. "Dammit Inoue, don't you dare give up!" Rukia cursed as Orihime's eyes faded slightly in life.
"Aizen-sama will not be pleased," the inexpressive Espada spoke. "Inoue Orihime was not supposed to be killed unless I received the order to do so."
"You bastard!" Ichigo cursed. The blood on his sword may have been the Princess's, but the next drop would belong to Ulquiorra. The orange-haired shinigami charged, and prepared to stab the arrancar. However, as he did so, a buzz was heard. Ulquiorra was now behind the deputy, his sword again sheathed. Instead he pointed his index finger, preparing a cero against him. In retaliation, Ichigo prepared himself to perform a Getsuga Tenshou. As the moves were taken, a buzz was heard again. The attacks almost negated each other, one being stronger than the other, but that wasn't important. As the dust settled from the cero and Getsuga Tenshou, Ichigo and Ulquiorra were blade to blade again.
The Quincy joined Rukia on the ground as she tried her best to at least stop the bleeding. He grabbed Orihime's hand and watched her eyes as life flickered in them. She turned her head to face him. "Did…Kurosaki-kun…win?" she asked, her breathing ragged and her voice rough.
Blue eyes became wide, but softened "He's still fighting. Believe in him, Inoue-san. We all know that Kurosaki can win."
"I…" she started, but then coughed. Blood splattered onto her white outfit.
"Don't talk anymore, Inoue-san. I know that you", the Quincy looked over to the shinigami, "want to see Kurosaki win."
Blade to blade, sparks continued to fly. No one would know how this fight would end. But, hopefully, the victory would go to Ichigo. Unfortunately, he was clearly exhausted. Despite being in great shape, this fight had been going on too long for his body. The green-eyed Espada before him showed no signs of exhaustion. If this fight was going to end, it was going to have to end quickly. Once again, Ichigo prepared to charge. The only difference was that he reached out for his Hollow mask. Ulquiorra could feel the change in reiatsu too easily. He proceeded to release his zanpakutou…
Only Ichigo was faster. Before he could even say the release, Ulquiorra had been slashed around his waist.
As the blood began to flow, the green-eyed Espada looked down at the blood. He took his fingers, and touched the area, collecting some on his hands. He looked at it. He could feel a trickle come from his mouth. "I have been defeated. The victory is yours, Kurosaki Ichigo. However, you will never be able to win against Aizen-sama."
As brown eyes met green for the last time, Ichigo watched as, unlike the previous arrancar he fought, Ulquiorra didn't just fall over and bleed to death on the ground. Instead, he fell to his knees, and began to dissolve into fine pieces of dust, similar to the sand in the desert outside. The only parts that remained were his outfit and mask remnant.
Ichigo ran over to where three of his nakama were. Rukia had been able to stop the bleeding, fortunately, but any other healing had to be done by someone else. As they were thinking about it, Renji, along with Chad and Unohana, arrived back at the tower. Unohana sat down on the ground, and began to heal the Princess. Rukia stood up and back away, standing between the two brightly colored heads. The Quincy also stood up and went to the near-by the group. After a few minutes, Unohana stopped. She stood up, a dismal expression on her face. She turned to the group, and began:
"Her injury was extremely close to her heart. The two zanpakutous had, somehow, been able to go exactly around the major organ. However, those two had both penetrated, on opposite sides, major arteries and veins. While the bleeding had stopped, the damage is done:
"Inoue Orihime…is dead."--
I saw a dream
A frightening dream
Pouring over that distancing back
I started looking once again
For the warmth that was supposed to be there
Uryuu sat up in the bed. He breathed in sharply, and was covered in a cold sweat.
'It was just a dream. Orihime is safe, and she's right here, next to me,' he looked over to her. She was sleeping peacefully on her side, facing the dark-haired man next to her. Upon feeling the change in weight, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Huh? Uryuu, what's wrong?" she asked with a yawn as she sat up. She looked over to the clock: three-thirty in the morning.
"It's nothing, Orihime," he said, still breathing heavily. He grabbed her shoulders, and brought her close to his chest. She reflexively blushed, but wrapped her arms around him.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" the Princess asked again.
In a night where I am exposed
I couldn't find a place to escape to
I was hesitating and once again
I blamed myself
The Quincy hesitated for a second. He inhaled, and then began, "Do you remember when Kurosaki was fighting Ulquiorra Schiffer in Las Noches?" The Princess nodded against his chest. "It was that dream, starting from just before you were stabbed. It was exactly the same, Kuchi-- I mean, Kurosaki-san going over to make sure that you were okay, Abarai-kun going to get the Fourth Division captain. When Unohana-san finally arrived, she did what she could, but you…" his voice cracked slightly.
Orihime pushed away, and brought Uryuu's head to her chest. "That didn't happen," she said, gently stroking his hair, "because I'm right here. It could have happened, but it didn't, and I'm glad for that. If it did," she blushed, "I might not be here right now, with you."
The dark-haired male brought himself away from the reddish-blonde female's chest, and gently cupped her face in his hands. "I couldn't protect you back then. I'll make it up now, and protect you forever."
So stay by my side
Say you will forever
Until you drown out the devil's voice
So that I won't lose you
I'll softly make sure
A little voice echoed in his ear, Is that a promise you can keep? You and her will be meeting your father later, and he doesn't seem pleased with her.
"As you protect me, I will protect you as well," she whispered. They stared into each other's eyes for a second, leaned into each other, and gently kissed.
They slept in the comfort of each other's arms for a few hours, and then woke up at eight.
Even if important memories become mistakes
Somehow they still seem beautiful
After getting ready for the day, the two decided to go out. It was, after all, Christmas Eve, and what better way to spend the day than going out with the one you love?
Coincidentally, they wore the same coats they did back then. Considering how much they made just to get the apartment, they were a little low on money. Besides, it was two years since they got together, and they wore the same coats last year as well. It was almost like some silly custom: You have the same coat that you wore when we started dating, and are wearing it today.
Since they would have to arrive at the restaurant by six forty-five at the latest, they would go out until five, and then return home to get ready. The restaurant was on the formal side, so suits and dresses would be required.
As they walked around Karakura, they decided to visit the miniature mall. It was crowded, but not as bad as it could have been.
"Oh, Uryuu, come look at this!" Orihime said. She had been looking at a collection of accessories for a while, but the Quincy decided to look at other things not involving frivolous, feminine items. However, he looked over at what she had gotten excited over.
A blue butterfly
It's my favorite hairband
I decorated it on the nape of my neck
As it whirled in the wind,
You laughed that it looked like a specimen
It was a simple, yet still beautiful, hairband. The elastic was brown in color, but that was the least important part. Atop the elastic was a blue butterfly. It wasn't a deep blue or a pale blue, a navy blue or an electric blue. It was the perfect shade of blue. Lining each of the wings was a navy, almost black, line, with matching speckles of color on the inside.
'That would go good with…'
"Uryuu?"
The blue-eyed Quincy turned to look at his girlfriend. She blinked confusedly for a second.
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking to myself." A silence passed between them. "Do you want it?"
"Huh?" Orihime straightened up, still confused.
"Do you want the hairband? I'm sure that it's not too expensive, so I would be willing to buy it."
"Umm…sure."
Without hesitation, the Quincy asked the person behind the counter the price, paid the amount, and received it in a bag, in which he promptly passed it to the Princess, "Merry Christmas, Orihime."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. A blush crossed her face. It was probably one of the best Christmas presents she had ever received.
The rest of the date was uneventful. They returned back to their new apartment just before five, and decided to get ready. While Uryuu knew what he was going to wear, Orihime was another question. "I never really owned anything too formal in my life. Even when Oniichan died, I wore my school uniform to the ceremony."
Uryuu went looking through the boxes containing the items that he brought from his apartment. When he stopped his search, he pulled out something that Orihime didn't expect:
It was a dark blue dress. It had a high neck and long sleeves. From the collarbone up and down the sleeve was lace, a meticulous, floral pattern all over. From the chest down was a fine, almost sheer like material that Orihime could recognize as polyester, with a layer of chiffon on top. On the back, the lace continued down like a waterfall to the floor, flowing freely. Lycra, silver in color, was tied around the waist like a belt.
A whirlpool swallows the light
But being too kind
I was readying to pull the trigger
To stop it
"What…is that?" the Princess whispered softly in amazement.
"Ryuuken used to hold holiday celebrations for employees of the hospital and their families. They were usually formal events, and for adults only, since they went late into the night and typically only served alcohol. I never went to one, but my mother always did. This was her favorite dress to wear during those, and she always looked beautiful in it. After she was gone and I started to live on my own, I took it with me as a keepsake.
"It was my ambition to re-tailor when the time would come. However, I never expected it to be so soon. If you want, Orihime, you can go first to get ready. It'll take a little time to fix up to your proportions."
"Do you need my measurements?" asked the Princess.
"No. I don't think that you've grown too much since high school. Maybe a little, but that should be fine."
The Princess nodded, and went into the bathroom. She washed her hair, and then clipped it up. After making sure that the water was good, she stepped into the tub, and sat down.
As Orihime relaxed in the bathtub, she thought about what could happen tonight. Hopefully, Ryuuken wouldn't be to hard on her, since they were formally meeting for the first time. She brought her knees up under her chin. She had always heard such bitter things about him from Uryuu, but that was only one side. Ryuuken couldn't possibly be as bad as the younger Quincy made him out to be, right?
When some time had passed, she got out, dried off, and put on a comfortable robe. It used to be a yukata, one that her brother wore when he took her to festivals, but she had since changed it into a bathrobe. She stepped out into the main room.
The dress was now lying on the bed, while Uryuu kneeled at the edge of the bed, hemming the ends of the dress. It was no surprise to her that he would still be working on it. Uryuu was passionate about his sewing; what did surprise her was that he didn't plan on becoming a tailor.
Orihime crept up behind him, and placed her hands on his glasses, "Guess who!"
"Orihime…"
She could tell that he was smiling despite his unenthusiastic tone. She removed her hands, "You're right!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, inadvertently pressing herself into him.
"O…Orihime…" he started, trying to calm himself down, "are you able to wear heels?"
"Um…I don't know. I haven't really worn them before, and, whenever I go shopping with Tatsuki-chan, we don't usually go looking at heels, just sneakers," she thought back to all the times she had gone shopping with the tomboy.
"Ah…well, do you think that you'd be able to handle at least three inches?"
"What?!" Orihime pushed away, startled. She had never worn heels before, and he was going to put her in three inches!?
"I know that it'll be your first time, but they're boots. The heel isn't too thin, different than those stilettos that seem to be so popular, yet dangerous," the Quincy explained. He got up, back to the box where the dress was, and reached for the footwear inside. The boots were silver, and about to just above the ankle. He handed them to the Princess.
"I can't wear these inside, can I?"
"Actually, you can, for now. The parties held were in the house, and it was western-style, so shoes were worn inside. However, Mother never worn them at any other time, so they can be worn inside. However, once we leave for dinner, you won't be able to wear them inside any more."
"Oh," Orihime said. She got up, boots in hand, and walked over to the bed. She carefully sat down, paying attention to the dress, and placed the boots on her feet. She stood up, and tried to walk, "They're a little uncomfortable."
"I checked, and they should be your size."
"No, I mean…it's hard to get accustomed to. It feels like a crab pinching a poor helpless bug, but it's not a normal sized bug, it's Mothra! But Mothra would be able to win against a small crab anyways…hmm…" Orihime babbled.
Uryuu chuckled. It had been a while since he heard her imagination get the better of her, but it was interesting nevertheless. "I've finished working on the dress. I readjusted the sleeves, so now the shoulders are now bare. However, they are still attached, so you have to be careful if you lift your arm up." He handed the dress to her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will take my shower and get ready in there afterwards."
Some time later, and both were dressed to leave. Uryuu had chosen to wear a white, three-piece suit with a dark blue shirt underneath and a silver tie. As always, he wore the Quincy cross on his right wrist, but he tucked it under the sleeve. However, while Orihime was dressed, she still needed to do her hair. She wanted to do it in the usual style, but Uryuu fought against that, "What did you do with the hairband that I bought earlier?"
"It's in the bathroom. I didn't think that I was going to wear it tonight," Orihime thought aloud, being honest about it. She walked over in her boots, and came back with the hairband and comb in hand. "What do you want me to do with it?" she asked as she began to comb.
"Hmm…" the Quincy thought to himself. He considered all sorts of possibilities, but most were too complex for the remaining time, "…what about just pulling all the hair back, except your bangs can stay where they are?"
As he said so, Orihime gathered her hair, and pulled it up into a shape. She held it with one hand and she began to tie the band around it. When she was done, the butterfly couldn't be seen. "Did I do it right?"
The Quincy sighed, "Here, let me try."
He carefully removed the elastic, and led the Princess to a chair. She sat down, and he stood behind her, beginning to work with her hair. He combed it out, removing any tangles (which there were minimal of), and then he began to gather her hair into a ponytail. He tied the elastic around, but, this time, the butterfly stayed on top.
"I don't exactly have a mirror on me, so I can't show it to you. Sorry."
"That's okay. I have a good idea of what you did." The Princess got up, walked over to her boyfriend, and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm so jealous; you're good at everything! I didn't know that you could also do hair!"
"Erm…it's not something I usually do…"
Finally, they decided that it was time to leave. They grabbed their coats, went out the door, locked it, and took each other's hand as they left.
So stay by my side
Make sure to hold me
Until I start melting in your hands
The pleasure that makes my breath stop
Towa no Chou was a very interesting name for the restaurant they arrived at, exactly at the time that they were planning to. Meaning 'Eternal Butterfly', it was almost a bad joke for them. However, as they arrived, the man waiting at the stand, taking reservations, looked at the two young adults with a questionable look on his face. "May I help you?"
"Yes, there's a reservation that my father made?' Uryuu asked. "The name is Ishida."
The man looked at his book, "Ah, yes; Ishida, a party of three. Please, remove your coats and leave them with the coat check, and then follow me."
The two did as they were asked to, and then began towards the table. As they got closer, Orihime instantly recognized her boyfriend's father: The immaculate man in the dark blue suit with a matching shirt and white tie. Having never met him before, he seemed like an okay man, aging well.
When they finally arrived, the man stood up. "I am Ishida Ryuuken, Uryuu's father." He bowed slightly.
Orihime bowed as well, "Umm…it's nice to meet you as well, Ishida-san. I'm--"
"Inoue Orihime-san. I already know your name."
The Princess was taken aback, "How…do you…?"
"I have my ways. Please, have a seat." He pulled a chair out, and signaled for her to take a seat. She did so, and he pushed her in a little. To make sure that she wouldn't have to face him head on, Uryuu took the seat immediately next to her. Ryuuken returned to his, facing across the two.
A waiter came over, "Hello. My name is Hirano and I'll be serving you this evening." He handed the three people seated menus. "What would you like to drink?"
"I would like," Ryuuken started, " a nigorizake. Do you serve those?"
"Yes, we do, sir. What brand?"
"Rihaku's 'Dreamy Clouds'."
"Yes sir. And for you two?"
"Just water, please," Uryuu said. Since they were minors, alcohol was out of the question. Besides, he knew what Orihime was like when she was buzzed. That might not have been a good thing at this dinner. (A/N: Read Brand New Map)
"Okay. I'll be right back with your beverages and I'll take your food orders then." Hirano walked away to make to orders.
"Please, feel free to order what you want. Think of it as a Christmas present."
"What game are you playing, Ryuuken?" Uryuu asked cautiously.
"Is there something wrong with me being generous on this day? Besides, it's my first time meeting Inoue-san. It's important," he said, a peculiarly kind tone in his voice, "to make a first impression count."
The Princess became a little flustered, but she softly spoke, "While they may count, impressions may change. Not to sound rude at all, but I'm not a naïve girl anymore. Please, Ishida-san, you may be yourself."
"Ah, but this is being myself. I'm just a little harsher than my son because I have such high expectations for him." The older Quincy got up, walked over to the young woman, lifted her hand up, and brought it to his lips. Protectively, the younger Quincy silently pulled the Princess's chair away from him.
Feeling the tension at the table, Orihime looked between the two bespectacled men. They had heavy glares between each other. She quietly got up and excused herself, and headed for the bathroom.
In the room was a lounge area. She decided that it would be better is she waited for a bit in here. Hopefully, the two Quincies would settle their differences and the three of them could have a peaceful dinner. She set herself down on the couch there, and tried to relax.
"Inoue? Is that you?"
Orihime looked behind her. She saw the black hair and blue-violet eyes of the petite shinigami. Her hair was partially pulled up, the part that was pulled up into a bun with hair sticks. She wore a simple, long-sleeved black dress that easily revealed her slightly enlarged belly.
"Kuchiki-san! What are you doing here?" Orihime got up, and walked up to the woman.
"Ichigo's dad wanted to take us out on a 'welcome to your new home, Rukia-chan' dinner. So, he got a reservation, somehow, and here we are," she sighed, exasperated. "What about you and Ishida?"
"His father wanted to meet me, so we're having dinner with him. It got a little…tense between them, so I'm waiting in here for a bit."
"Would you like some company? It shouldn't be any surprise to them if I take my time in here. Freakin' bladder, I swear…" Rukia muttered.
Orihime giggled, "Sure. Thanks."
The two talked about what had been going on in their lives since before they had their moves. Rukia's mostly involved how she tried to keep her pregnancy a secret from everyone, but ultimately failed. Orihime's was about how she and Uryuu had finally bought the apartment, although it turned into a story about how she hand changed into a unicorn and Uryuu was a leprechaun.
"So you want to go back to your table? I'm sure that they've finished by now," Rukia offered. She stood up carefully, minding her belly.
"Yes. Thank you for keeping me company, Kuchiki-san." Orihime also stood up.
"Although it's not official here yet, I'm Kurosaki Rukia now. But we've known each other for so long that you could just call me 'Rukia', you know."
Orihime thought about it for a second, "It'd take some getting used to. Although, I did stop calling Uryuu 'Ishida-kun', but that was a while ago. I'll try to change it, okay, Rukia-san?"
The black-haired shinigami smiled, "Okay, Orihime-san."
The two women walked out, but then went their separate ways.
When Orihime arrived back at the table, she was surprised to see Uryuu standing up against his father. The beverages had come, but she assumed that they didn't order their meals.
As she got closer, Uryuu turned around to grab her wrist. "Please, excuse us for bothering you this evening," he said in a cross tone.
The Princess flinched in pain as she was pulled out of the restaurant. She was given her coat, and put it on. Uryuu stood outside waiting, his coat on him.
"What was that about?" Orihime asked, worried.
"Nothing," came the quick response. "Let's just grab something to eat and get back. I'm not in the mood to stay here anymore."
They went to their café, got things to go, and went back to their apartment. They ate as they went. Unfortunately, it began to snow very heavily and very, very coldly, so they needed to shower again to warm up.
"Go ahead, Orihime. I'll change out here, and I'll be fine. You're probably freezing."
The dried up promise
Leaves a keloid
Because it is so dear
Orihime came out of the bathroom, drying her still damp hair. She had changed into her pajamas, and looked over to the bed:
The Quincy was sitting fully on the bed, resting his arms upon his knees, his head resting on the arms, also in his pajamas. His facial expression was unknown, but the Princess knew that he was upset with how dinner went. Although she didn't know the exact incident between him and his father, it couldn't have been good, or Uryuu wouldn't be in this state.
"Uryuu, you don't need to be so distraught about it. Your father, he-"
"You don't know what horrible things he called you, Orihime! I had to sit there and listen to them, all while resisting to kill that bastard!" The Quincy's voice was pained, and Orihime could tell that he was trying not to show his true emotions. She sat down next to him, and gently placed a kiss on his temple.
To the gentle motion came something seemingly sweet. The dark-haired one turned his head towards the reddish-blonde one and kissed her. However, this kiss was nothing like their previous ones. Those were chaste; this was passionate. When they finally parted, both were breathless.
So stay by my side
Say you will forever
Until you drown out the devil's voice
So that I won't lose you
I'll softly make sure
Orihime blushed at the position the two ended up in after their kiss: She was lying down on the bed. Her hair had surrounded her, almost like an aura. Both arms were up around her boyfriend's neck, although she brought them down to either side of her head.
Uryuu, on the other hand, was sitting in a different position than before. He sat beside the Princess, both hands on the bed, on both sides of her waist. He looked down at her, an expression on his face that she'd never seen before. Slowly, he moved so that he was straddling her, and his hands went to meets hers.
He leaned down to meet her lips. However, as they met, it became crazy again. Orihime tried to get accustomed to the new sensation, but it was hard to adjust to. He left her lips, and then kissed her cheek. However, he started a path downwards to her neck. She closed her eyes in mild shock, but she got used to it as it went on.
The Quincy could have sworn that he heard the Princess moan, even if only a little. So, she wasn't going to reject him. He had failed her tonight: he promised to protect her. But the things his father said got the better of him, and he had hurt Orihime when he pulled her out of the restaurant. His hands began to wander slightly, remaining at her hips and above.
However, things changed. With her eyes still clenched shut, she placed her hands on Uryuu's back, and gently pressed him towards her. Both made slight sounds that neither minded this situation at all. They continued, see what the other liked, but things were getting adult. Before anything was removed, the Quincy regained control by grabbing the Princess's wrists and bringing them back in level with her head.
"Are you certain?" He whispered, his voice full of lust.
The Princess thought about it for a second. She wanted this, but would she be able to handle this?
"…Y…yes…" she whispered as she closed her eyes.
Even if everything
Someday becomes a mistake
I wouldn't mind, because I'd still have love.
A/N: Erm, so…yeah…you can guess what happened…
Mire- Yeah…
LVT- I don't usually write lemons, so…write your own. Besides, my lemons suck. (Anyone who has read Ore no Megami should know that my Beta wrote the lemon, not me…)
Mire- However, due to this, Part 5 will be coming out!
LVT- Yep! Part 5: Night Light, is the only exception to the Songfic series, because it's based off a poem. Its release date is October Ninth!
The dream sequence is what would almost seem canon. However, if it changes, I will not fix it. I like it like this, only…as mentioned above and, obviously, Orihime didn't die. She might have gotten hurt though, but she's the ever pacifist.
Oh, and the whole size thing… over the time that I skipped over, people grew. Orihime only grew, like, an inch taller, so she's about five-two, and her other measurements haven't changed too much…well, maybe she's a little bustier. Uryuu, on the other hand, grew a bit more and is about five-nine, slightly taller than his father.
Mire- Nigorizake is the kind of sake that, when shaken, becomes cloudy. Rihaku's "Dreamy Clouds" is an actual brand of sake. A 720 ml bottle costs over thirty dollars. LVT's never had it (She's a minor), but there was a bottle lying around her house, so…
LVT- What cruel things did Ryuuken say? I was uncertain what to write, because I would have felt awful writing them, but we all have good imaginations! Let's use them and create possibilities!
LVT (and Mire) out until October Ninth! I promise not to procrastinate this time!