Second Beginnings

Chapter 1 - Recognition

On departing from his friend Orihime when he was ten years old; Ichigo spent the next year posting letters to her in his attempt at staying in contact with her. Their correspondence was stable that year but the frequency slowed considerably. And soon enough no letter followed his. He sent another, and another, thinking that the post office must have been stupidly slow on purpose and miss-sent his letters, because there was no way that Orihime would choose not to reply. But no reply ever came and he was forced to cease his efforts for the correspondence. Ichigo's start to teenage-hood had begun thus, without Orihime's letters it had been difficult to remember her, he had placed her treasured lock of hair in the safest part of his bedroom; in a box inside another and another and tucked away inside the deep top corner of his wardrobe. In his anxiety to protect the precious article, Ichigo had forgotten he even had it as the years passed on and his mind and attention took more of a focus on his studies, his future prospects and his current friends. Oh he never forgot her, not even if he tried. However the infantile ardour he held for her had cooled; even if he would never admit to owning such feelings. The presence of Orihime faded from his life and so had his feelings for her, but never did they disappear.

Eight years had passed, he had completed his Middle school and High school education without incident (save a few fights here and there). Now Ichigo walked alongside his friend Suzuki Takou as they took their firsts steps as University students at their new campus. Suzuki had been his friend at elementary school, they separated when they were each sent to different Middle schools but had reunited at High school. At first there had been a wariness between the two boys; mostly due to non-familiarity of the drastic ways in which they had each grown differently since elementary school, when they had slowly become re-acquainted with each other, they had become very good friends and decided to become room-mates upon discovering they were to attend the same university. Though they had this in common their degree choices were far from similar.

Ichigo had chosen to study English literature, a branch of knowledge that did not suit his scowling stony face but one he enjoyed greatly, his room-mate chose the more male dominated Mechanical Engineering as a discipline. At the moment, they were walking through the campus grounds which were packed with fresh first year students such as themselves. All the students were milling around tables and stalls that were promoting a society of some kind, it was so condensed Ichigo wondered how they had managed to move at all. Having entered the university's Halls of residence three days ago, Ichigo had been lucky enough to meet a fellow English lit student, the acquaintance was still tender, and Ichigo was not certain if he even liked the guy, for it was fortunately a guy, but almost Ichigo's polar opposite in character.

This student was called Kouki Hikaru, he was boisterous, loud, charming, romantic and womanising, whereas Ichigo was silent most of the time, only spoke to a girl out of absolute necessity and was as charming as the ancient University Rector. An alliance between the two boys seemed inconceivable but their opposite characters and genuinely good souls formulated the acquaintance.

At the moment Hikaru was walking with Suzuki and Ichigo throughout the stalls, trying to decide on a student club to join and ending up on the mailing list of almost all the clubs they passed. They had now come to the sports division of the clubs, Suzuki had confidently joined the kendo club while Ichigo was still contemplating between Karate and Tai Kwon Do. Hikaru secretly joined the two other boys to the Pilates club. As Hikaru was encouraging Ichigo to join Karate with him, his radar-like eye caught the glinting hair of a beautiful girl.

'Woah… Ichigo! Ichigo! Check out the perfect ten at three o'clock!' Ichigo, not having much patience, wanted to immediately refuse but was instinctually curious and so turned his head in the recommended direction. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock and denial.

'No way' he whispered. By the tennis society's stall stood a girl, or young woman rather, of perhaps slightly taller than average height and glistening auburn hair that was worn up and rolled into a simple but elegant bun held together by a chopstick. She wore a modest polo neck cotton top and loosely fitted denim jeans. Ichigo turned around immediately, feeling the beginning of damnable blush creep onto his face.. It was her, it must be. Ichigo checked to see if Suzuki had noticed too, as it turned out, he had but was managing to control his surprise. The two boys then looked at each other, both comprehending and both remaining quiet.

'No way what?' commented Hikaru, noticing Ichigo's behaviour.

'Nothing.'

'Don't tell me you know her? Introduce me! I'll type out all your essays for the term if you do!'

'No.'

'Then you admit you know her?' a cheeky wide grin was plastered on Hikaru's face, it went wider as he observed his companion blushing faintly.

'She looks like someone I knew… but it's probably not her.' Hikaru continued to pester Ichigo to introduce her to him, but it was obvious from Ichigo's tight lipped negative responses that nothing was going to happen. While Hikaru was demoting his friend's masculinity in a desperate last ditch attempt, Suzuki noticed the auburn haired woman turn her head and glance at the scene, her eyes inevitably caught the orange hair and her eyes widened in response, her mouth open slightly in a gasp, she then quickly turned her head and assumed listening to the tennis team's representative. Suzuki tried to tell himself that it had been 8 years and there was no reason to be remembered, especially when he barely talked to the girl. Still, it stung.

As part of the first week university hype over socialising, unapologetic drinking, and hoping to find a bed partner, Suzuki had heard of a pizza eating event in passing that was being held by his course's department for freshers and friends were welcome. The main motivating factor was the subsidised priced food, and of course where food was involved the decision was made; Ichigo, Hikaru and Suzuki would go.

The moment they stepped into the pizza restaurant Hikaru groaned, he should have known that Mechanical Engineering wouldn't have any female students; at least unlimited pizza would ease his mind over the pain of a purely male crowd. One could say that Suzuki was the more observant of the three for among the boy thronged table he spotted one slighter figure and realising the auburn hair decided to ignore his two companions and made a beeline straight for the seat next to her. Ichigo and Hikaru just shrugged a their friend's strange behaviour, proceeded to get food before sitting down at the table and making short conversation with the students next to them. When no word was heard of Suzuki after 15 minutes Ichigo looked up from his plate to search for his friend, and for the second time that day what he saw shocked him into denial. The auburn haired girl that he had glimpsed at the fair was busy chatting away with Suzuki who looked like he was intently listening to her. How he did not notice her earlier considering she was the only girl was beyond him, but now that he had an unimpeded view of her face there could be no doubt that she was Orihime, the Orihime that he had been out of touch with for years and the Orihime that he had proposed marriage to at the empty headed age of ten. The thought made him simultaneously cringe, blush and turn away. Hikaru, noticing his friend's constipated looking face, turned to stare at the cause.

'Isn't that the perfect 10 from this morning?'

'Stop talking about her like that.'

'Stop preaching Vicar. She's hot, you can't deny that.' Indeed thought Ichigo, as a little girl she was pretty, as a young woman she was beautiful. Not the Megan Fox kind, more the Helen Bonham Carter kind, the kind that spoke wisdom, care and modesty, which was easily encased by her heart shaped face, subtle nose, healthy skin, chopstick held hair and expressive eyes. Her teeth were straight, which made Ichigo reminisce on how crooked they used to be, she must have had teenage braces, he would miss those crooked endearing teeth.

But there was no reason to miss anything, she wasn't talking to him, she wasn't even looking at him, instead she was spending her attentions on his supposed friend. Ichigo scowled down back at his plate, muttering incoherently while Hikaru was egging on another student dared to drink a cocktail of beer and ketchup. But Ichigo was decidedly miserable. His frown deepened, why should he be miserable? What was he expecting? A big hug and a smile? She probably didn't remember him, it had been 7 years since he heard from her. Ichigo pondered with ever darkening eyes that if he were to initiate a communication he wouldn't have many options to start it with, he couldn't very well say 'Remember me? I swore I'd marry you when I was ten.'

He cringed.

No, he could not, would not talk to her. They would just live their separate lives and the whole three years of university will be an awkward, burningly embarrassing era of his life. The end.

Ichigo decided to brave a glance, only to feel a strange drop in his chest as Suzuki and Orihime continued to chat together. But it wasn't just Suzuki, another guy was talking to her, and the one next to him. Orihime was taxed trying to talk to all three men, soon she got tired and just smiled politely as the three competed for her attention by challenging each other to eat five slices of Pizza in under a minute. It was at this moment that she sat back in her chair and looked up, noticing Ichigo, who blushed but couldn't avert his gaze, neither could she, and they were staring at each other, and knew it. After a long moment of indefinable looks, suddenly they glanced away. In the loss of contact Ichigo scraped his chair back, left some money on the table and left. Hikaru took one final slice of Pizza and hurried after him.

'Oi Kurosaki? Why the look of murder?' Called Hikaru, Ichigo ignored him, and likewise Hikaru persisted, Ichigo underestimated how persistent the boy could be because he caved.

'I knew her when I was a kid alright! Can you lay off my case now?'

Hikaru, being confused at the fierce intensity of the reply was confused. 'Then why didn't you just say hi to her? She's not an alien species you know.'

'It's not that simple.'

'Why?'

'It's embarrassing.'

Hikaru's eyebrows rose 'Go on, I'll only spread it on facebook, you can trust me.' Ichigo's lips reluctantly pulled a little at the corners.

'I- I erm… urgh…. I did something stupid when I was a kid.'

'Uh huh. I see where this is going.' Nodded Hikaru in agony uncle fashion.

Ichigo frowned in slight trepidation. 'What?'

'You cheated on her, and she will never forgive you for that.'

'No you idiot! It was nothing like that!'

'Then what was it?'

'It.. it was… look I can't say it, it's too embarrassing. Can we just, go back to the student Halls?' Hikaru just shrugged in feigned resignation but promised himself he'd berate Ichigo about it later.

'Thank you! Thank you! Goodnight.' Said Orihime as she locked the door behind her and sighed in relief; deciding that she had to learn how to say no properly if she wanted to stay at university. There was no way she wanted a repeat of seven chivalrous men escorting her home again. She would also have to set about making female friends, how she was supposed to do that in such a male dominated faculty was beyond her.

Dreary with exhaustion Orihime made her way through her small room, dumping her bag on the bed before collapsing onto it and staring at the white ceiling; finally letting her thoughts run away with her.

It was him. There could be no doubt. That adorable orange hear and those burning brown eyes, they couldn't belong to anyone else, she had not been certain at her first glimpse earlier that day, but at the pizza restaurant she could not doubt it at all. It was definitely Ichigo kun. She blushed. There was no need to call him so familiarly given she hadn't heard of him in 7 years and he had grown all up. It struck her that second time she saw him how grown he had become; far different from her childish image of him. His jaw was more angular, stronger, framing a head held by a firm neck that sat on defined shoulders. He had become so handsome, nothing like his 10 year old self. She blushed again.

Orihime's face changed from a relaxed dreamy state to a visage of anxiety, why had he left so suddenly? There had been a palpable awareness between them when she had caught his eye. She was then decidedly shocked to see him turn and run from her. Had he remembered her? Hadn't he recognised her? But then why had he left so suddenly? Why hadn't he spoken to her? It was clear that Suzuki remembered her because he had stated it openly to her.

Orihime's mind involuntarily brought forth the sadness she felt when a tender ten year old girl, waiting for a letter that never came.

Maybe he didn't want anything to do with her. That would probably explain his dramatic departure. Or maybe it was her teeth, they had been shifted and aligned to become straight, it had changed her facial features significantly, and perhaps he could only recognise her with crooked teeth.

The young woman speculated in this way to answer for all the mysteries the night had brought, until her exhaustion was too much for her to persevere with and she trudged to her bathroom, glad she wasn't sharing her room with anyone, and got ready for bed, hoping her alarm would be persistent enough to wake her in time for lectures the next morning. Perhaps he would be there, perhaps he'll talk to her.

Dessa's Note: I'm back! It feels strange not checking my account anymore and when I realised it had been months and months I thought 'Better get cracking or I'll be forgotten'. I hope you enjoyed this introductory chapter as the sequel to My New Neighbour. I look forward to writing more. Thank you to all of those who read and reviewed Mr New Neighbour, I hope this story delivers.