A/N: What, I'm actually writing again? xD Actually, I'm on quite a roll today. So, since I frequently receive drabble prompts for Ryuuken/Orihime, I figure I might as well conglomerate them all into a drabble collection much like Every Reason, only (hopefully) better-written. The collection's title is German for somnambulist/sleepwalker, though I believe this term refers to the former specifically, while there's another word for the latter, just like in English. At least, according to Google Translate, this is the case. xD Prompts will usually be drabble titles, but I'll drop a mention of they're not.
She's not listening to him. She doesn't see visiting the Vizards as too scary or dangerous, but in her mind's eye, she can already see Ishida-san's brow furrow over his glasses, just like Ishida-kun's does, can already hear him saying-
"I believe I told you to stay out of danger."
Orihime nearly jumps in shock as she guiltily turns around to face none other than Ishida-san himself, head stuck out of the car window in spite of the rain.
"I am," she says more than a little guiltily. She wonders if this is what it's like to get caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Sora always let her get away with it.
"You define 'safe' as going to visit not just Shinigami, but Shinigami with Hollow sides?"
"They're still good people," she counters, eyes tracing the path of raindrop after raindrop from the wet ends of his hair, down the sharp planes of his face, and off his chin. The last bit looks kind of silly, like he's growing a watery beard, and quite ruins the rest of the scene. "I don't want to be useless anymore."
Ishida-san is quiet, quiet enough to make her think that maybe he just didn't hear her mumbling over the rain.
"Get in," he says quietly, motioning to his car. Orihime hesitates, just for the briefest moment, but still finds herself struggling to shut her umbrella, half-in the passenger seat, half outside. Raindrops are splattering all over his beige leather interior, but if his silence is anything to go by, he doesn't seem to mind. Red-faced, Orihime is still tugging mightily on the umbrella when Ishida-san's arms wrap around her from behind, his hands covering hers and providing the last bit of force needed to abruptly shut the umbrella and send her tumbling backwards practically into his lap. For just a moment, his breath is warm against her ear, and she feels a single stray raindrop fall from his hair and roll down the back of her neck. They sit there like that for just a few seconds longer than is right before Ishida-san pulls away, reaching across her lap to shut the door.
"You'll get my interior wet," is all he says, even though there's a tiny puddle already established around Orihime's feet. Sheepishly, she nods and proceeds to look at something very interesting out the window. In its reflection, she can see Ishida-san turning the car back on and turning back onto the main street, face expressionless. He's certainly no Kurosaki-kun in a suit, she thinks with a mixture of guilt and something warm churning in her stomach. No, he's a very wet and mysterious Quincy doctor. A tired one, to boot, she thinks, noticing just now the deep, bruise-like bags under his eyes.
Maybe she's a little bit surprised when they actually do end up at the Vizards' warehouse- if Ishida-kun hates Shinigami and Hollows as much as he does, she can only imagine the degree of Ishida-san's feelings.
"Thank you," she says, climbing a little awkwardly out of the car.
"Be back within an hour," is all he says in response. "And refrain from mentioning this to Uryuu, if you would. I don't want to put up with a griping son any more than I have to." That's what he says, but what she hears is "I don't want to worry my son, but I don't want to admit it, either". With a smile, she squares her shoulders and slips through Hacchi-san's barrier for some long-overdue answers. She feels his eyes on her long after she leaves his sight, and she can't say she doesn't mind, no matter how traitorous it makes a not-so-tiny part of her feel.