"Ishida-kun… Hasn't been doing so well."
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Yes, he's been like that since before we left Soul Society…"
It's not in his blue eyes or in the corner of his mouth, or in his brow or the way he pushes his glasses up on his nose. It's not in his voice, or in his neatly kept clothes, or in his footsteps. It's not in the alignment of his shoulders or the curve of his back, or the angle of his chin.
Or maybe it is. Maybe it's in one of those places, maybe it's in all of them, but she can't tell. She is too close to see clearly; his gestures are all too familiar for scrutiny. Still she knows it's there, knows it as surely as she knows Ishida-kun's hair is black, as she knows he only buys fabrics at Sunflower Seams.
Maybe it's in his scent. Not his physical scent. They've all bathed since they saw the three men rise into the sky – the three shinigami who have replaced the ryoka as the Soul Society's greatest threat. They've washed it off – the sweat. For some of them, the blood. It doesn't smell any more. Orihime can remember the smell clearly if she lets herself, but she chooses to forget.
There's another scent. It's not something everyone who has a nose can smell. But Orihime can. She would be able to smell it even if she stopped being able to smell cookies baking in the oven, or her hibiscus shampoo, or even the tang of a durian. Her theory is that this sense of hers is three-quarters regular intuition and one-quarter spiritual powers. Whatever it is, it's never been wrong before. And this time, she's confirmed its validity by feeling Ishida's spiritual pressure.
She glances at him subtly, a slight ache behind her breastbone. She knows what it is to feel one's powerlessness.
She also knows Ishida Uryuu is not someone who wants pity, and she respects that. If she was in his boots, she would want to talk to someone. But he's not her, even if they are alike in many ways. Besides, he doesn't need pity.
Before her is a dragon who has lost his wings, whose breath has been extinguished. But he is alive, in body and in spirit. The fire burns yet in his eyes.
"I was able to borrow some tailoring equipment…"
She doesn't hear the rest. She just sees him hand Sado a shirt newly emblazoned with a cross – the dragons' emblem.
What did he think of when he made that cross? she wonders. What does he think as he sees it now? Is it a symbol of loss, a reminder of the flames he wishes he can taste once more? Of the sky he embraced not long ago, the sky so far out of reach? His thoughts on that cross cannot be the same as they were before.
Her name is spoken, and Orihime's ears are suddenly functional again. Ishida-kun is giving her a shirt and pants. She remembers his flustered reaction the last time she had to change clothes; this time she finds an empty room beforehand. When she comes out he explains the changes to the shirt. He seems almost apologetic, though it's improved from what it was before.
"It's… kind of cute…" she interrupts, admiring his work.
He is happily surprised to hear that, which makes her smile. Sometimes the littlest things please him. She is glad this is one of those times. When he shows her the dress for Kuchiki-san, her delight grows. The dress is simple, but entirely adorable. She inspects it with wide eyes as Sado implies that Ishida should stick with women's clothes.
"Okay…I'll take this dress to Kuchiki-san right now!" she declares, beaming.
She muses over the dress as she leaves. Kuchiki-san has been sad too; a dress like this is sure to lift her spirits. A dress this cute…
That's when it hits her. The dress is this cute because its maker is in love… with Kuchiki-san! Orihime marvels at the glad discovery. Ishida-kun and Kuchiki-chan have both been sad, but maybe this dress has the power to make both of them happy. The thought fills Orihime's body with energy until she can't help but run.
She can't wait to deliver the letter of love that is the dress.
The dimension gate opens, and Orihime remembers her mission. Ukitake-san is calling Kurosaki-kun over, so this is her chance to speak to Kuchiki-san.
"This is what Ishida-san made for Kuchiki-san!" she says blissfully, setting the dress in Kuchiki-san's hands.
"Ah" is the surprised reply.
"Take good care of it!" Orihime adds in a passionate whisper, so Ishida and Sado won't hear. Then she sees Kuchiki-san turn to Kurosaki-kun.
As the two exchange parting words, Orihime relives the feeling of standing within a precious intimacy that doesn't belong to her. It's as if she's intruding on the orbits of celestial bodies.
She doesn't consciously note that Kuchiki-san says goodbye to Kurosaki-kun individually and personally, after addressing the other ryoka as a group. The fact is perhaps too natural to draw attention. Orihime does, however, wonder why Ishida-kun's goodbye to Kuchiki-san was brief and without much emotion, as if he had no special feelings for her.
Then she and her classmates head for the gate.
Ishida-kun is shy, she thinks. He is quiet about his feelings, so quiet that the one he loves doesn't notice. Maybe he doesn't dare to trespass on the unspoken territory that lies between Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun.
She stops and wonders if she is only projecting her own feelings onto Ishida. But surely someone who is in love with Kuchiki-san would want to show more emotion towards her… She trusts her feeling that Ishida is in love, and who else might he love but Kuchiki-san?
In her heart she makes a wish for Ishida's confidence, as well as her own.
On the floating carpet, Orihime spots Ishida-kun's apartment.
Ishida moves to get off, and Kurosaki suggests they'll be in touch. Ishida replies that he is a Quincy; Kurosaki is a shinigami. He makes it clear. "The next time we meet, we're enemies."
With a goodbye, he vanishes.
Orihime smiles. "He thinks one thing and says the other," she observes with a certain degree of fondness. Privately she wonders whether Ishida's distance is linked to his loss of powers.
Kurosaki curses in annoyance, making a funny face.
"Haha, but that's one of his strong points!"
"Is it!"
"Yeah…"
He remains incredulous, but she means it.
Then it is her turn to get off. From the ground, she waves cheerily back at Kurosaki and Sado. She watches with a soft smile as the carpet leaves. Kurosaki was offended – he must value Ishida's companionship.
Before class, Orihime joins Ishida and Sado, striving to infuse conversation into their quiet atmosphere.
"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" She waves as he enters the classroom. Sado waves as well.
Ishida pushes up his glasses, possibly using his hand to hide his face. He acknowledges the morning and Kurosaki's typically messy hair.
Kurosaki scowls, making a funny face as he often does. He endures Keigo.
Orihime goes back to exclaiming about the wonders of red bean soup, complete with expressive arm gestures. It's restored her to vitality, and do Ishida and Sado know that in Korea, red is a color of positive energy? When she found out that was what red meant, she decided to add even more red things into the soup: tomato sauce, red grapes, crushed red pepper, and strawberries.
Ishida looks sick.
Most people – if they were listening to the conversation – would assume her friend's expression is the result of her food choices, but she can tell it's a greater issue that harrows him.
This must be torture for him... He is powerless, and she saw how much he invested in his powers when she saw him fight. Despite his consistent top placement in school rankings, Quincy powers are much more important to him than his grades. On top of that, Rukia, the one he loves, is in another world and he can't see her. But Ishida doesn't vocalize any frustration.
Dragons don't talk.
To be accurate, they do talk, but what they say is not what they mean. They say "Roar," which generally sounds like a threat, or at the very least a complaint. But they might mean "Hello" or "I'm too embarrassed to say I like you" or "Help me."
Ishida pushes up his glasses and looks at his book as if he dislikes company, but Orihime has always suspected he wants to be close to people. After spending time with him in Soul Society, it's no longer a suspicion, but something she knows to be true. Certainly there are complications, but she wants him to know that they are friends, and that this has nothing to do with whether he can shoot spiritual arrows. She can't say this directly, of course – that's one of the complications. But Ishida-kun's a smart guy. It will get through his head eventually if it hasn't yet.
Suddenly her chest is enveloped by ten unrestrained fingers. Orihime startles, but not for long. With a powerful kick from Tatsuki, Honsho flies across the floor, bleeding from her nose.
They are back in their typical school setting, after spending so much time away. Here they are not ryoka; they are normal, at least on the surface. But in spite of the familiar environment, much has changed while they were on a "trip." Much remains different.
For one, Tatsuki can see Kurosaki's representative shinigami badge.
For two, the badge goes off in the middle of class, shrieking "Hollow! Hollow!" Apparently they will all receive instant notifications of hollow status during the school day. This is a first for Orihime and Sado, who are now more united with Kurosaki in their knowledge. Also, if Tatsuki can see the badge, can she hear it?
"Bathroom!" Kurosaki calls as he runs down the hall, ignoring anything the teacher says.
Orihime and Sado are out the door an instant later, echoing his sentiments.
For three, Ishida sits in his chair like a normal student, despite his knowledge. He was always a loner type, especially before the trip to Soul Society, but this is different. When it comes to hollow hunting, he is isolated without a choice.
Outside the school, Kurosaki informs his partners in delinquency that they didn't need to come; this hollow was the type that's easy to handle. Despite the newly shared information, he prefers to do his job by himself. He's a bit of a loner as well, but not in the same way as Ishida is.
"Yes!" Orihime concedes cheerily. "But I've always wanted to try sneaking out of school using 'bathroom' as an excuse!"
Sado gives his input on the matter: "I think you might have gone overboard with that reason, Inoue…"
"Did something happen to Ishida?" Kurosaki finally makes the realization.
"He's preoccupied with Ishida not showing up when he wants him to. That's Ichigo for you."
Orihime gives a bittersweet smile. "Ishida-kun… Hasn't been doing so well."
"Huh? Seriously?" says the oblivious Kurosaki.
"Yes, he's been like that since before Soul Society…"
Sado hasn't noticed either.
Orihime continues to give voice to her previously hidden thoughts. "I think he probably doesn't want anyone to find out… Ishida-kun probably… Doesn't want anyone to know anything like this…"
"Inoue… In that case, you shouldn't have told us…" Kurosaki says.
"Ah! That's so true!" Orihime panics at what a scatterbrain she is. It felt good to finally say some of what she had been thinking, and she lost her head. "O…oh no…What should I do now?"
"Okay! Don't panic! We'll just pretend that we don't know anything."
"Y…you will!"
Orihime knows that as soon as they feel Ishida's spiritual pressure, they will know the rest of the story.
The next day Orihime notices that Kurosaki-kun is troubled. His hand is on his chin, and he is no longer aware of the classroom. He's felt Ishida's spiritual pressure. He must be blaming himself. She wishes she knew what to say to him. It irritates her to be able to understand other people's problems but not how to solve them.
She, Ishida, Chad and Kurosaki are sitting within speaking distance of each other, in the same classroom. Why must they be so far apart?
Kurosaki leaves again today, for the "bathroom." This time she and Sado stay in their seats. She doesn't want to be told again that her presence isn't needed.
The new student who sits next to Kurosaki smiles a long smile. On Kurosaki's skipping, he says, "He's pretty much how I imagined him to be…"
This new student understands Kurosaki almost as well as those who claim to be his friends.
Orihime is too troubled to tackle her schoolwork today. It's not only Ishida who isn't talking. She, Sado, and Kurosaki are generally isolated from each other.
People don't talk.
To be accurate, they do talk, but they don't say what they want to say. They avoid confrontation. They pretend that today is a normal day. They seek not to inconvenience others, and unintentionally weaken their relationships.
What is needed to make their hearts as one?
Author's note: This fic is dedicated to brickbyboringbrick22, an awesome Youtuber. I planned to dedicate a fanfic to her, then changed my mind and dedicated an mmv to her (which I didn't finish), and now I'm dedicating this fic to her. Sorry for the inconsistency! My mmv style changed a lot, so I don't know if I will finish that mmv. But I love your IshiHime mmvs and I plan to make more IshiHime mmvs as well. Wishing you the best.