"I don't believe it. Explain it to me again."
Scowling over at his friend as he slowly lowered the juice box from his lips, Ichigo asked Keigo in a quiet, incredulous tone, "What's there to explain or believe? I've started dating Orihime. So what?"
"So what?!" exclaimed Keigo as he threw his hands up in the air, "You're dating Orihime! Of course you need to explain because she's not only one of our year's smartest students, but she's also easily the hottest high school student in our school! Heck, maybe even all of Karakura! And you're…you're…"
"I'm what?" Ichigo asked as his scowl became even more pronounced.
Not at all fazed by Ichigo's dark tone, Keigo gestured dramatically as he all but shouted, "You're Ichigo Kurosaki! Infamous delinquent who managed to get into a major fight on your first day of high school!"
"As I recall," interjected Mizuiro as he looked up briefly from his phone, "he arrived just in time to save you from a rather uncomfortable situation with a few far more dangerous delinquents."
Either choosing to ignore or somehow not noticing that Mizuiro was talking, Keigo continued on, saying, "You are so ridiculously strong any number of school clubs were able to offer you money to come and join them long enough to get them out of some sort of jam without even breaking a sweat! You-"
Stopping himself and leaning in closer to whisper conspiratorially, Keigo said, "You took on Aizen and won hands down!"
Clearing his throat from where he was sitting but not looking up from the book he was perusing, Uryu said drily, "Not that we aren't all completely fascinated by your play-by-play explanation of Ichigo's previous exploits, but I for one fail to see how any of that is at all connected to his start of a relationship with Orihime."
Dramatically smacking his hand over his eyes, Keigo groaned, "Am I the only one who sees just how crazy this is?"
Eyebrow twitching dangerously, Ichigo replied slowly, "How crazy what is?"
Gesturing wildly, Keigo exclaimed, "How crazy it is that the moody, might-one-day-be-part-of-the-yakuza guy starts going out with the sweetest, smartest and hottest girl in school! It's like something out of a cheesy romance manga!"
Casually turning the page, Uryu said under his breath, "Guess there is a bit of accuracy in that assessment."
Taking a moment to glare down at Uryu, Ichigo asked, "So let me get this straight. You're saying that a guy like me shouldn't date someone like Orihime?"
Jaw-dropping dramatically, Keigo froze for a beat or two before he waved his arms and all but shouted, "No, no, no! That's not what I was saying at all!" before he turned aside and said in a pleading, appealing tone, "Mizuiro!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Mizuiro continued on with whatever he was doing on his phone, so Keigo went over, shook his arm and said half-desperately, half-peeved, "Stop playing on your phone for half a second here and help me out!"
Expression completely blank, Mizuiro looked over at Keigo and asked mildly, "With what exactly? I can't think of anything relevant to add to your choice of topic."
Taking half a step back, Keigo pointed a finger at his friend and said, "I just know that you dissed me just now, but we'll come back to that later," he then pointed his finger over at Ichigo and repeated, "Would you please help me out here?"
After giving Keigo a long look, Mizuiro closed his phone and said to Ichigo, "I think the point Keigo was trying to make was that while he wasn't surprised that you would fall for Orihime as there are very few males in the vicinity who haven't, he's a bit taken aback by the true to life rendition of the 'good girl falling for the bad boy cliché'."
Turning another page, Uryu said, "There are a couple of misinformed points in your assessment, Keigo."
"What do you mean?" asked Keigo in a disbelieving tone.
Adjusting his glasses, Uryu replied, "For starters, in most of those romantic, dramatic manga or movies, the boy and girl meet and fall in love in a very short amount of time. They also usually fall for each other only after butting heads and releasing sparks of romantic tension from their every explosive argument. Ichigo and Orihime have known each other for the past couple of years and I can't think of a single argument or even disagreement that they've had."
Shifting his grip on the book, Uryu continued, "And if the tension doesn't come from their conflicting emotions about each other personally, the next most common source would be their disapproving families. As far as I'm aware, Ichigo's family couldn't be more thrilled that he has decided to date such a beautiful, sweet and kind girl as Orihime. Since Orihime's brother passed away some time ago, one can't say for sure how he would feel about the match, but I'm fairly certain he'd approve of Orihime choice."
Finally looking up from his book, Uryu made eye contact with Keigo as he said, "And lastly, you've got it all backwards if you think that Ichigo did anything first other than ask Orihime out."
"What do you mean?" asked Keigo with a confused frown.
Returning his attention to his book, Uryu answered, "It's not for me to say."
While Keigo was torn between begging Uryu to explain and railing on Mizuiro for not being more helpful, Chad moved closer to where Ichigo was leaning against the rails and frowning in a thoughtful manner before asking in a low rumble, "What's up?"
For about half a minute, Ichigo kept thinking and then he finally answered, "Not sure."
"Go," said Chad.
Flinching slightly, Ichigo frowned at Chad as he grunted, "Huh?"
Turning and nodding his head behind them, Chad clarified, "Go talk to her."
Again, Ichigo didn't respond for a time until after about a minute he pushed himself away from the railing, shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way downstairs. Noticing his friend going, Keigo stopped ranting and was about to demand to know why Ichigo was abandoning them, but the no-nonsense glares from the two friends he had just been yelling at caused him to sit down quietly and grudgingly resume eating his lunch.
Walking out one of the side doors, Ichigo made his way over to the copse of trees where Orihime and her friends were eating their lunch. As he came closer, Ichigo began questioning exactly what he was doing there. Keigo talked ten times more than he ought and normally Ichigo could filter out all the nonsense, so why were Keigo's thoughtless comments about how cliché his relationship with Orihime was roiling and stirring in the back of his mind?
Before he knew it, Ichigo was standing on the outskirts of the little group with absolutely no idea how to respond to Orihime's outburst of, "Ichigo! What a surprise! Are you joining us for lunch?"
Just as he was about to reach up to rub the back of his neck nervously, Ichigo checked that particular habit of his, shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and tried to sound casual and careless as he said, "No, not really."
Looking down at his hands and eyes widening in understanding, Orihime said without hesitation, "You can share my lunch if you'd like. I have more than enough."
Blinking at her for a moment, Ichigo recovered himself and said quickly, "No, that's not what I wanted. I didn't come down here to eat."
Scooching a little closer to Orihime's side, Chizuru asked suspiciously, "Then what did you come down here for?"
Scowling at Chizuru, Ichigo said in a peeved tone, "I came down to talk with Tatsuki for a minute."
The girl in question frowned at Ichigo in confusion as she asked slowly, "Are you sure it's me you want to talk to? There's not another person here that you might be more interested in spending time with by chance?"
Turning his scowl on his long-time frenemy, Ichigo replied just as slowly, "No, I know exactly who I want to talk with right now and that's you."
Still frowning at him, Tatsuki nevertheless pushed herself up, brushed off her clothes and said to her friends, "Be right back," before following Ichigo a short distance away and leaning against a tree as she asked, "So, what's up?"
This time allowing his hand to reach up and massage the back of his neck, Ichigo let out a long breath before he asked, "Am I cliché?"
Her frown of confusion deepened and took on a bit of irritation as she answered after a moment or two, "No, you're a walking contradiction. Why?"
"I'm being serious here," snapped Ichigo.
"And I get that," replied Tatsuki, "but you need to give me some context here."
"Right," said Ichigo as his hand moved forward to rub between his eyes as he explained about his earlier confrontation from Keigo.
After he had finished, Tatsuki paused for a moment or two before saying, "You know that Keigo has little to no impulse control over what he says. Half of what he says is not based on any realistic fact, just crazy imaginings."
"I suppose," said Ichigo slowly, "but I just can't shake the idea that something about my relationship with Orihime…I don't know."
Eyes flashing, Tatsuki managed to keep her tone even as she asked, "In all seriousness, why did you ask Orihime to go out with you? What about her attracted you?"
When Ichigo's jaw dropped open and he looked like he was completely lost for words, Tatsuki scowled at him and smacked him in the jaw as she whispered furiously, "You know what I meant, stupid! Her personality not her looks or figure!"
Rubbing his jaw ruefully, Ichigo thought for a while before he answered, "I guess because she's been there for me and helped me during and after the fights I've had."
Shaking her head, Tatsuki said firmly, "Nope, because otherwise you could have started going out with Rukia or Yoruichi. What else?"
Giving Tatsuki a quizzical frown, Ichigo then thought a little more before saying, "I don't know. I did it and it just seemed right."
"Be that as it may," replied Tatsuki matter-of-factly, "you need to figure out why you chose to ask Orihime out and not any other girl, otherwise you're going to prove yourself right and really not deserve her. If you're not going to treat her the way she deserves, then you need to let her go and allow her to find happiness elsewhere."
"That's just it," said Ichigo before he could think about what he was saying, "I want to show her that I care about her, but I don't know how. I can't write songs or poetry, I'm terrible at remembering significant dates or events, picking out presents for my sisters is a headache and a half, I don't mind holding hands in public but I can't stand it when couples hang all over each other and use nauseating nicknames."
Quirking an eyebrow at him, Tatsuki asked, "And you think Orihime is the kind of girl who wants all that stuff?"
Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo said rather hesitantly, "I guess so. Isn't that why girls love those flowery romance stories? Because you want a guy who does things like the story?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Tatsuki said, "I guess that's true to a certain extent, however, just like action movies, cars might blow up when a bullet pierces through the gas tank, but that doesn't mean it actually happens in real life. If any of us actually met a guy like we see in those romantic dramas, we'd back away slowly and get ready to punch his lights out if necessary because the things they do in real life are really creepy."
Crossing her arms, Tatsuki said matter-of-factly, "Besides, you don't feel your heart leap out of your chest or your breath stop every time you see Orihime smiling at you, do you?"
"No," answered Ichigo honestly.
"And who said that's the only way to tell if you're in love?" asked Tatsuki, "Orihime doesn't need you to plan a big celebration for your one-month anniversary, she doesn't need you to write a sonnet about how her eyes make your heart melt. What she needs and probably wants from you is your time, attention and a little affection here and there."
Pushing herself away from the tree, Tatsuki finished with, "If you really love and care about her, you'll figure out the best way to do those things."
As Tatsuki walked away, Ichigo remained where he was for a little while longer. It was a lot of information to mull over and an idea came to him that he had to carefully consider before deciding that it was good enough to execute later on that day.
Orihime had work after school as did Ichigo, but since his shift ended about an hour earlier than hers he was able to change and head over to the bakery well before her shift ended. He arrived with twenty minutes to spare and so decided to head inside and maybe get a coffee or something while he waited.
When he pushed open the door and sent the bell jingling, the worker behind the counter beamed at him and said, "Welcome! How may I help you today?"
Scanning the interior and not seeing Orihime, Ichigo turned his attention to the menu board and said, "Um…I'll take a medium coffee and two chinsuko, please."
"Of course," said the girl with a bright smile before asking, "Will that be for here or to take with you?"
Pulling out his wallet, Ichigo said automatically as he checked the price on the monitor, "I'll eat here."
Her smile widening even more, the girl said almost breathlessly, "Very good," took his money and the repeated, "very good."
Handing Ichigo his change, the girl swallowed and then asked half-shyly, half-boldly, "Any idea about how long you'll be here?"
Taking the change and putting it in his wallet before reaching over to take one of the paper coffee cups, Ichigo replied, "About twenty minutes or so."
"Oh, I see," said the girl in a slightly disappointed tone. She placed Ichigo's chinsuko's on a small plate and handed them to him before she asked, "Any plans for the evening?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo took the plate and said, "A few," before turning and finding a small table to sit at.
About ten minutes passed before Orihime appeared and while Ichigo was content to sit quietly and enjoy his treats, the minutes creeped by for the poor girl mostly because she desperately wanted to become better acquainted with this guy who looked like a total bad boy but who was so polite and completely gorgeous and ripped, yet she had no idea how to strike up a good conversation with him that might lead him to ask her if they could exchange numbers or something.
When Orihime emerged from the back room, she was carrying a full tray of melon bread and said cheerily, "All done! That took a little longer than I expected, but I think they turned out really well and I'm sure they taste just fine."
Just as the girl was about to say something to Orihime, she saw Ichigo grin and wave as he said casually, "Hey."
Fortunately, Orihime had successfully placed the entire tray safely in the display case before she popped up from behind the counter and squealed in rapturous surprise, "Ichigo! I thought you had to work today. What are you doing here?"
His grin threatening to widen a little bit more, Ichigo answered, "My shift ended about an hour ago, so I came over here to see if I could walk you home."
Out of sheer force of habit, Orihime started with, "Oh, you don't-" before she stopped herself and said with a slight blush, "Actually, I'd really like that. Just give me a couple minutes."
"Take your time," replied Ichigo as he held up his coffee cup, "I'll get myself a refill."
Beaming, Orihime fairly flew into the back room in her excitement and enthusiasm. Shaking his head with a grin, Ichigo got up to get his refill.
Turning her attention from the doorway, the girl looked back at Ichigo in a resigned yet longing way. She just managed to compose her features into a polite, neutral expression when he turned back around and made eye contact with her.
Licking her lips, the girl asked, "So are you the new boyfriend Orihime mentioned the other day?"
Returning to his seat, Ichigo said, "Yep. That'd be me."
Before she could stop herself, the girl heard herself say, "So, you must like her a lot right, her being so beautiful and nice and all."
Blowing on his coffee, Ichigo took a sip before he said, "I don't like Orihime," and just as the girl's jaw dropped to the floor, Ichigo said matter-of-factly, "I love her."
"Oh," was all the girl could think of to say as she turned back to her work. About two minutes later, Orihime returned from the back in her school uniform and an almost glowing expression.
Finishing off the last of his chinsuko, Ichigo picked up his coffee cup and said, "So, I was thinking that maybe we could take the scenic route back to your place."
"That sounds amazing," said Orihime with a smile before she asked, "Could we maybe go along the river as well? The sunset will look so pretty tonight with all the fluffy clouds."
"Sure," replied Ichigo as he rose to his feet and walked with Orihime to the door.
Before leaving, Orihime turned around and said, "Have a good night, Hana!"
Smiling in spite of herself, Hana said, "You too," before turning around to wipe the counters and wondering which ice cream she felt like eating tonight to go along with her favorite romantic drama.
Once they were outside, Ichigo and Orihime walked along for a little bit in comfortable silence before Ichigo reached over and inquisitively wrapped a few of his fingers around Orihime's. Her response was to smile up at him and completely lace her fingers through Ichigo's.
Looking over at her, Ichigo asked, "So, how was your day?" and enjoyed spending the rest of their walk listening to and talking with his girlfriend. While there were not butterflies in his stomach, had Ichigo been paying attention he might have noticed a warm, soothing feeling emanating from where his hand was joined with hers.
Author's Note:
I'm not even going to try and explain what I did here or even why I started yet another project while I have other stories that I have promised updates for, both to myself and other people. Apparently, I have very poor impulse control, so I suppose that makes me quite a bit like Keigo here and that does not make me very happy...
