Author's Note : First of all, I love the IchiHime development in recent manga chapters! Being the fangirl I am, I couldn't help but feel inspired to write another story. :D
This story is based on a Chinese film, titled "Missing". It won't be long. I think it will be around 4-5 chapters at most. So, for those reading the story, hope you guys will enjoy it and… review, please?
Disclaimer : I don't own Bleach.
She woke up to find the white nothingness around her. She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the blinding light. A vase of fresh red tulips was placed on the bedside table, and an IV drip was attached to her arm. She winced at the sight of the small needle buried under her skin.
Why am I in a hospital? What happened to me?
The door squeaked open suddenly, startling the auburn-haired beauty on the bed. A dark-haired woman followed by a fair-haired, younger woman emerged through the door; their eyes wide with shock at first, but then the older of the two dashed forward and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Hime…" she whispered, "thank God you're okay..."
Her body went rigid. She was too stunned to say anything. The woman hugging her must have realized that something was wrong. She released loosened her hug and withdrew slowly.
"Hime?"
"Who… are you?"
"What-"
"And… and… who am I?"
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She couldn't remember anything. She had no clue on how she ended up being in the hospital.
She even forgot Tatsuki, but mercifully enough, after a few days of treatment, everything started to come back to her.
She started to remember her own name, her life, and her job. Her name was Inoue Orihime, and she was a psychologist. She even started to remember who the two women visiting her at the hospital were; Arisawa Tatsuki, her best friend, and Kurosaki Yuzu, the younger of the two.
But there were a few things she couldn't remember at all. First, she was supposed to know a man named Kurosaki Ichigo, Karin's brother. She tried as hard as she could, but she had absolutely no memory of that man.
"Do you remember what happened to Ichi-nii?" Karin had asked her on that very day at the hospital, but she could only shake her head helplessly.
Tatsuki put a comforting hand on her shoulder, a sign to tell her that it was okay if she doesn't remember. But she saw the hurt and disappointed look on Yuzu's face. She couldn't help but feel guilty.
Is there something really important I should remember about this Kurosaki Ichigo? Does he have anything to do with me lying here in the hospital?
She tried asking Tatsuki-chan and Yuzu-chan about that Ichigo person, but they remained tight-lipped about it. As to why they did that, she couldn't think of any reason at all.
The other thing she couldn't remember was the accident that caused her to be hospitalized.
"You were involved in a scuba-diving accident," her doctor explained.
"What happened?" she asked him, but he just shook his head; his eyes portraying a small hint of sympathy for her.
"It's a mystery even to us," he told her and she had to settle with that answer.
She'd started to get frustrated; she tried to ask people around her but none seemed willing to tell her anything about those two things that have been bothering her so much. Still, she tried to keep herself together. She believed that one day, her memories will return, and she won't have to live her whole life surrounded by those mysteries.
Exactly two weeks after she was involved in the scuba-diving accident, she was discharged.
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"Will you be okay, staying here all by yourself?" Tatsuki asked.
Orihime looked up at her best friend; concern all over her face. She nodded and forced a weak smile. "I'll be fine. Don't worry, Tatsuki-chan."
Tatsuki stood hesitantly at the door. She'd drove Orihime to her apartment and helped her hauled her large suitcase up. "Are you sure?"
Orihime nodded again, "I'm fine, Tatsuki-chan."
"Okay, then…" Tatsuki said finally. She gave Orihime a long hug before turning away and made her way down the stairs.
Orihime sighed and closed the door. She stared around the apartment; white clothes were draped on the furnitures. It gave away a sense of sadness, of loneliness, and of abandonment. Exactly how long had she been away?
Then something caught her eyes; a framed picture on a display cabinet. For some odd reason, it was the only item remaining exposed, as if it was meant for her to see as soon as she arrived. She stepped forward and lifted it up.
She traced her fingers along the cold glass. It was a picture of her and an orange-haired man with the view of the wide, blue ocean behind them. His arms were wrapped lovingly around her slim waist and they were smiling brightly at the camera. She must have been very happy then, and they must have loved each other very much.
She felt something warm fell on her cheek. She touched it, and was shocked to find herself crying. She let herself sank to the floor as she recalled the event happening earlier that day.
"I think it's time for me to tell you the truth," Tatsuki spoke suddenly in the car, startling Orihime.
They'd arrived at Orihime's apartment building. Tatsuki left the engine running as they sat still inside of the car; both unready to leave the company of the other.
Orihime turned around to face her friend, "What do you mean? Truth about what, Tatsuki-chan?"
Tatsuki breathed in deeply. Orihime noticed her tightening grip on the steering wheel.
"That man you kept asking us about… Kurosaki Ichigo…" Tatsuki began slowly. "He was your boyfriend…"
Shocked by the sudden revelation, Orihime grabbed her seatbelt, curling her trembling fingers tightly around it. "My boyfriend? Then… then… why…?"
'Why he'd never visited me in the hospital?' was what she wanted to ask, but she found herself choking on the words. But Tatsuki seemed to understand what she wanted to say.
"Orihime… He was dead…"
Silence enveloped them for five long, agonizing minutes.
"Wh-what happened?" it was Orihime who spoke first, her voice shaking, a swirl of emotions overwhelming her.
Tatsuki explained to her how Ichigo had planned a rendezvous on the tiny island of Mikomoto. Tatsuki told her that he had been excited, no, elated. He even took careful preparations for a scuba-diving trip, planning to surprise her and propose to her underwater, surrounded by the colorful corals and the wonderful swarms of fish. Ichigo thought it was the perfect combination; proposing to the woman he loved at a location he loved the most.
So they went diving; Ichigo and Orihime, with Yuzu left on the surface manning the boat. Yuzu, who helped her brother doing all the tedious preparations for the romantic proposal.
But something went horribly wrong.
"While she waited for you guys, Yuzu said she'd received Ichigo's frantic call for help, and Yuzu went down to save the both of you. You were already unconscious, and she helped you to the surface. Ichigo was left behind. Yuzu told me, after she got you back safely on the boat, she dove in immediately, but he was nowhere to be found. She tried to search for him but still, there was no sign of Ichigo. She immediately made an emergency call and drove the boat back to the island. A helicopter came and brought you to the hospital. She stayed to continue searching for him. Then, a few days later, a group of local fishermen found his body, miles away from where he disappeared. It was believed that he was carried away by a strong underwater current." Tatsuki explained.
Beside her, Orihime felt a sudden churning in her stomach, and a sharp, painful thud in her chest.
"You remained unconscious for one week, Orihime. Yuzu and I waited for you at the hospital, hoping you'd know something crucial that could help us shed some light on Ichigo's mysterious death."
"What do you mean?"
Tatsuki sighed. "You see, Ichigo was a professional scuba diver. He'd went diving hundreds of times, and had encountered those type of currents many times before, and never had a problem escaping them. We thought it was impossible for him to die of something like that."
Orihime swallowed hard. So I'm the only one who probably knows how he died, yet I can't remember a thing about that accident? How cruel life can be…
Tatsuki turned her gaze away from Orihime, "His family is going to hold a funeral tomorrow…"
"Tomorrow?" Orihime asked, surprised by the fake calmness in her voice. "Why wait for such a long time for a funeral?"
"His family hoped you'd remember something else about the accident, so they could search for one important thing he owned before they bury him."
"What is it?"
Tatsuki hesitated for a moment. Then, without looking at Orihime, she'd said, "It was his head, Hime. The body was decapitated. His family wanted to make sure they bury a perfect corpse, so they prolonged the funeral date. But they couldn't wait any longer. Besides, it's unfair for Ichigo."
At that moment, Orihime threw herself out of the door, vomiting. She felt sick. Her boyfriend, whom she can't seem to remember, was now nothing but a headless corpse. And she'd done nothing, nothing at all, to help him and his family. She thought of how disappointed Yuzu looked on that day, when she told her she'd remember nothing about the accident – and puked again.
Tatsuki had stepped out of the car and was now bending beside her, rubbing her back. Finally, Orihime stood up. Tatsuki offered a box of tissue. Orihime pulled out a bundle and wiped her mouth silently. She went on to take her luggage out of Tatsuki's car without saying a word, and they had remained silent until they walked up to Orihime's apartment.
She had felt sick then, but still couldn't shed a tear on a man she had no memory of. But now, as she collapsed on the floor of her apartment, she couldn't stop her tears from flowing. So she let them be.
And that night, lying crumpled on the cold, hard floor, she'd cried herself to sleep.
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The next day, Orihime woke up and showered. She put on a long white dress and sat down at the dressing table. She stared at her pale face in the mirror and the dark eye bags under her eyes. She reached for the concealer but then decided against it. She was going to a funeral after all, so she just combed her hair and waited for Tatsuki to pick her up.
Fifteen minutes later, Tatsuki called to tell her that she'd arrived. She grabbed her purse and went down. When she reached Tatsuki's car, she smiled and greeted her friend.
"Are you okay?" Tatsuki asked as soon as she got in the car.
Orihime nodded firmly.
"Are you ready?"
"I think so…"
"Cause if you're not, you don't have to go… I'm sure his family would understand."
"No, Tatsuki-chan… I want to see him… for the last time…"
Tatsuki gave her one last lingering look before answering, "Okay…"
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A broad, muscular man greeted them when they reached the Kurosaki's residence. Streaks of gray evident in his hair, and the redness in his eyes showed that he'd been crying, but he smiled when he saw them. Still, it was a familiar and welcoming face.
He hugged Tatsuki first. Then he went to Orihime. "I'm so glad you made it, Orihime-chan…" he whispered and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-san…" she said slowly, her fingers curling on the back of his shirt.
He pulled away and stared into her eyes. "You've got nothing to apologize about," he told her sternly. "And you've always called me Isshin-san."
"I-I'm sorry, Isshin-san…"
Isshin opened his mouth to speak again, but a young woman walking toward them interrupted him.
"Orihime-chan!" the woman exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Orihime, her beautiful black hair flowing behind her.
"Karin-chan…"
"I'm so glad to see you here… And I bet Ichi-nii would too…"
Orihime bit her lips as she felt relief washed through her. She'd dreaded coming here earlier, afraid that they would hate her and pushed her away. But instead, they welcomed her, as if she got nothing to do with Ichigo's death at all.
"Please, come inside…" Isshin spoke finally, disrupting her thoughts.
Led by Isshin and Karin, Tatsuki and Orihime entered the house.
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The strong smell of burning incense was the first thing she noticed when she entered the house. Then, she saw the closed coffin, placed at the corner or the room, surrounded by beautiful flower arrangements. A few people clad in all-white mourning clothing sat by the coffin, crying. Not far from the coffin, a large photo of Ichigo was placed. At the sight of the man in the picture, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia hit her.
Karin grabbed her arm. "It's okay," she said, as if she knew what Orihime was feeling. "Come, sit at the chair. I'm sorry we had to keep the coffin closed. It was quite an unpleasant sight."
Orihime nodded. She gave Karin another brief hug and went to the chairs reserved for guests. She sat down, with Tatsuki following suit beside her. Isshin and Karin went and took their place beside the coffin; a place reserved for only the closest family members.
Orihime watched silently as the ceremony took place. She'd hooked her fingers with Tatsuki's, seeking strength and support, and from time to time, Tatsuki would squeeze her hand, as if assuring her that she was right there beside her.
It was a long and painfully sad ceremony. Ichigo's best friends came and one of his best friends, Yasutora Sado, gave Orihime a light peck on the cheek. "I'm so sorry about what happened to him," he said to her.
"I know…" she replied quietly.
"You were lucky you survived without even a single scratch."
Maybe he meant nothing harmful by that comment, but she couldn't help feeling that stab of pain in her heart. "I know, Chad."
"Just hang on, okay?"
She managed a weak smile at him. Chad proceeded to sit behind Tatuki and her.
Orihime kept her silence throughout the ceremony, right to the moment of cremation. When Ichigo's body was set ablaze, she felt suffocated, and when the last flicker of fire finally died, she felt as if a part of her had died as well. Beside her, Tatsuki was crying helplessly but she couldn't. Just like when she'd first found out Ichigo had died, she couldn't cry at all.
Later, as Isshin and Karin were picking up the remaining bones, placing them carefully inside a beautiful urn, someone barged in through the front door.
"What are you doing?" she shouted angrily at the two.
Orihime stared in disbelief. "Yuzu…" she heard Tatsuki muttered besides her. She glanced at her friend and saw that she mirrored her own shock.
"What are you doing?" Yuzu repeated, her voice louder, shriller this time.
"Yuzu…" Karin whispered. Around them, people started to whisper uneasily.
Isshin stepped forward, hands reaching out for his young daughter. "Yuzu, please calm down…"
"I told you not to hold a funeral until his head was discovered!"
"Yuzu…"
"I said I'd find it! Why can't you wait a little bit longer?"
"Yuzu, we can't wait forever…"
"How can you even be sure that it's Onii-chan? He might still be alive somewhere!"
Karin walked up to her twin sister, "Don't be ridiculous. The DNA test had proven that it was Ichi-nii…"
"And you guys believed that?" Yuzu shrieked. "Just like that?"
"Yuzu…"
"Even if it's truly him, it's imperfect! How could you let him leave the world like that?"
Isshin inched forward and grabbed Yuzu by the shoulders. "Calm down! Stop talking about these nonsense!"
Yuzu slapped away her father's hands. "Nonsense? Is that what you think I've been doing all this time? Nonsense? Don't you even care about finding Onii-chan?"
Frustrated, Yuzu dashed forward and started thrashing the place, smashing down Ichigo's picture and tearing away the flowers. Isshin and Karin tried to strain her, but failed, as the hysterical woman seemed to have gained strength all of the sudden. Luckily, Chad came to the rescue. Being a large guy, he scooped the flailing woman up in his arms and dragged her away from the shocked audience.
The room was filled with stunned silence. Isshin bowed to everyone who came and apologized for what happened. Moments later, the ceremony was carried on again despite the weird disturbance. When it finally ended, Tatsuki looked at Orihime and asked.
"Don't you think Yuzu was acting a bit strange? I wonder if there's anything wrong with her…"
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