Just in Time
Inoue Orihime is engaged to Kurosaki Ichigo for two years and tomorrow, they are finally going to tie the knot. The night before the wedding, she went missing. Now, she has to find a way to escape and make it on time but first she must find the will to resist the temptation of ditching the wedding.
She inhaled the thick cold air while she fumbled the locks of hair which managed to fall gracefully down her bare shoulder. Finally, she's getting married. Her breath fogged the glass she was leaning on. She will be marrying the person she had been in love with for years. She can still remember the first time he noticed her. He had knocked her over then and she was too afraid to say anything, she ended up muttering incoherent words.
High School.
It all felt like it happened just yesterday, only that today, she's wearing an engagement ring. It glistened against the afternoon sunlight that slipped through the glass window of the boutique. She busied herself by tilting her hand, watching the half carat diamond refract the light, momentarily entertaining herself while she sat on one of those elegantly crafted chairs. It somewhat distracted her in fact, she briefly fell deaf over the lady attending to her.
"Pardon me?"
"This way, mademoiselle." came a woman who had her black hair clipped behind her with clamp. She shifted her gaze from the passersby outside to the brunette who was pointing her hand to a hallway. She walked into the office and met with the designer Tatsuki recommended.
She was scheduled for a final fitting of her wedding dress. It didn't took long after they instantly became good friends. The designer was born in the same town as she but grew up in Paris where she studied fashion designing. It's just recent that she decided to move back in town to open a boutique named Haineko.
Whenever Orihime visits, their topic revolves on Tatsuki and her other friends and the afternoon was filled with laughter.
After graduating from high school, the gang pretty much split up. Chad worked into a band and is pushing his music career into new horizons. She hears that the band named Beach Parade is climbing up the charts. Ishida Uryuu just graduated from med school and is now the assistant director of Ishida's hospital. Tatsuki is head master in a karate gym where Orihime usually visits to bring lunch. The day care center she works at is located a block away from the dojo. Mizuiro and Keigo decided to live together after confessing what they really felt towards each other.
"No way!" Orihime felt Rangiku's expert hand halt at the last part.
"Tell me more about those two. They would not hit it of, would they?" Rangiku said in a pout while she adjusted the back of the tube-top. Orihime turned about struggling to prevent a snicker escape.
"You naughty girl. You're gonna spread rumors, don't you know?" Rangiku playfully pinched her nose and resumed fixing her dress. Orihime chuckled and pulled her hair in front to spare her friend the trouble.
"Besides, I can't believe that." Rangiku said, reaching for a box where a pearl necklace was kept.
"Why so?"
"I have dated Mizuiro once. He cannot be gay. Besides, he was really good in bed."
"Ms. Rangiku!" Orihime gaped. Rangiku locked the pearl around Orihime's fair neck. It suited her and it matched her gown.
"Are you really sure about this?" Rangiku asked, turning the atmosphere a little serious. For the first time, Inoue was unsure about all of it and she knew she won't be able to hide it from Rangiku. Her shoulders fell in a sigh.
"I don't…" she twirled around, forcing a smile. "-know what I am doing. really." Rangiku placed a hand comfortingly over the girl.
"It's not yet too late to change your mind." She said and gave her a pat.
7:00 PM
Ichigo was at home, reviewing some papers. He pressed his thumb on his temples, feeling nauseous. He regret giving his class an essay type of exam. When he was about to retire and to call it a day, the phone in the kitchen rang.
"Hello?"
7:33 PM
"I am detective Abarai. You may call me Renji." Ichigo wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be happy to finally meet someone who had a more striking hair color. He bet it was artificial.
"ehem. " Too focused on his hair, he didn't notice he had presented his hand in a handshake.
"It's natural." Renji said, as if he read Ichigo's mind.
"I'm sorry, it's just that..." Ichigo apologized.
"It's alright. I get it all the time. I'm not staying long and to cut things short, I have something to tell you and it concerns your fiancee."
"What about her?" Ichigo asked.
"She was reported missing."
Earlier 10:21 AM
"Goodbye, Ms. Rangiku." Orihime waved as she turned to the corner towards the vacant lot where she parked her car. Before she can reach for her keys, a man in black grabbed her arm, abruptly turning her so that her back was against him and his hand easily gripped her lips, silencing her.
"You shall not scream. This is not a negotiation. If you value your life, you should obey everything I say. Your opinions do not matter and thinking of escaping is futile." the man said in a cold merciless tone.
He opened the back door of his car and shoved Orihime inside. Inside, Orihime tried to reach for her phone but before she finished dialing her boyfriend's number, the man had snatched her phone away and threw it hard on the wall, breaking it into million pieces.
Orihime mentally scold herself for not saving a speed dial.
She motioned to kick him, aiming for his abdomen. The man expertly dodged and grabbed her leg, twisting it, paralyzing her but not breaking her leg.
"I don't like repeating myself. Like I said before, thinking of escaping is futile."
Orihime just stared and she was able to get a good look at a set of striking emerald eyes that pierced through her, stoning her. She doesn't understand but her body lay limp under his gaze as if hypnotizing her. She heard him handcuff her to the headrest. It was either his movements were too swift or that she had stilled for a long time. She pulled on her hand but he had secured it, limiting her movement.
He shut the door and got on the driver's seat. She simply stared at his reflection on the rear view mirror.
"Where are you taking me?" she courageously asked.
"I am not answering any of your questions. For the last time, behave yourself, woman."
how's that?