Title: 'Tis be the season
Summary: There are times when intangible tokens of care matters more than what could be tangibly obtained. Begins with an intention, and ends with a promise.
Notes: This is written to commemorate the second anniversary for the IchiHime message board, FLOL. This is not any birthday fic, since I couldn't think of anything to do with birthdays. So I figured that since it has something to do with giving, I'll just contribute this for the event to increase the number of entries. Hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!
Special note: Please check the other fanwork entries produced for this special occasion, provided in my profile. I could assure you that you'll be pleased by what you see.
It was the almost end of the winter season – the thick layer of snow on the road began its thinning process, the sun shone for a very slightly longer time than the previous day but definitely significantly longer than the previous month, and the daily wear were slowly disposing the usage of cold-tolerant winterwears.
However, for the third year senior students of the Karakura High School, it's the season of vigorous yet unpleasant indulgences in their personal ordeal of studying all they could manage in preparation for the upcoming battles for the universities of their choices. It's also the season of decisions and indecisions, clearly manifested in the responses towards their after-high school scenario.
"Osaka Uni. Greatest tertiary-level achievement in tae-kwon-do." Tatsuki.
"I don't know? I am planning to apply to just about every university nearby, and see what I'll get." Keigo.
"I would have wanted Tokyo Uni, but Kyoto Uni has the largest female to male ratio, so that's my first." Mizuiro.
"Kobe Women's University. Education institutions like that make me the luckiest person in the world!" Chizuru.
"Obviously Tokyo University. I will revive the Quincy legacy." Ishida.
"…………Tokyo. …….I think." Chad.
Last but not least, it was a season for urban legends. Hushed whispers all over spoke of the legendary Senraku Shrine up north in the Etofuru Island and the potency of the protective charms obtained. How it had been known in the days of the grandmothers as the one with a shrine maiden so powerful in her practice that she had granted wishes of all nature – infertile mothers conceived, disabled men walked, warring generals victorious, unwanted men married; among other marvels. The shrine suffered a misfortune of falling victims to the atrocity of war in the mid-19th century and since, never to be heard again.
Till now.
That was by no doubt, the craziest rumour Ichigo has ever heard. He had no idea who started it, or who spreaded it, or how did it even end up as a remedy to cure all maladies related to the feverish study-mania sweeping all of Karakura; and the last but definitely not least, how did he even end up bottom of the hill, trying to battle the freezing cold weather to get there?
He had told his father that he took a personal expedition to contemplate about his future after high school; which took Isshin by surprise.
"Ichigo, you serious?" He responded while munching the sandwich that Yuzu prepared, spitting breadcrumbs all over his plate.
"Talk later, oya-jii!" snapped Karin, nevertheless ineffective against the father who was clearly bewildered by his normally reclusive son choosing a solitary travel across the country.
Ichigo didn't know what to reply to his father, except that he had been bothered by the pressure his classmates had been exuding, even among the most laid back of them. Thus, he decided on a "walk" to the up north for a week or so to escape the craziness – to which earned him a double thumbs up from Isshin (with a nice-guy pose to boot!).
"My son has finally grown up, wielding the desires of a man, walking the paths of a traveler…"
His dramatic flair, as usual, was cut short by Karin's expression of annoyance.
"Just because you don't clean the house, doesn't mean you have to dirty it!" And there was this kick across his upper abdomen that made him spit all the contents in his mouth.
Family aside, Ichigo was thinking that he was fortunate to possess some tolerance towards the cold weather; he finally understood why no one had actually tried exploring the mythical Etofuru hills to seek the shrine. It was a spine-freezing combination of blizzards and skin-penetrating winds – which made him wonder about the authenticity of such a rumour.
On another fortunate matter, it was uncharacteristically calm for weather up north, and hence he packed his necessities, and left the key with the lady behind the counter at the small inn he was staying, and headed back up to the summit of the hill.
The truth of his expedition probably lay within his girlfriend - no, make that his possible girlfriend, the girl he had been caring for…
He sighed. His own thought process has such remarkable ability to dilute what that girl meant to him.
He had heard how Orihime had been targeting the medical faculty in the most prestigious Tokyo University, but was worried about her chances as compared to the other more elite students from private schools. She didn't show it, in fact, she didn't show to her friends at all that she was incredibly nervous about her admission exam which will happen in about two months. Ichigo only happened to know it one night when he received a late call from a young woman calling the Kurosaki clinic on behalf on her neighbor, one elderly lady suffering from rheumatism, and had been a frequent visitor to the clinic. She had had major cramps this time around, so Ichigo escorted his father to her house, which happened to be 2 houses beside Orihime's apartment.
He took a stealthy glance towards the direction of Orihime's apartment, and to his horror, she still had her room lights on. He asked to be excused for a moment and walked closer to her apartment and he vaguely saw the shadow of her still studying.
He questioned her the next morning, and she answered with a reluctant smile, saying that she had slept a few hours before waking up early to study. He doesn't have to worry, she said, she's confident about her exam, and that she had done some sample test questions, so she'll be fine.
Ichigo had badly wanted to believe her, but he couldn't. All evidences were against her. She had bags under her eyes, constantly yawning in the class, spacing off more than usual, started drinking coffee, and (it's probably just his imagination) she had also lost a great amount of weight. Thus, when he heard of the legend, he decided to kill two stones with one – getting some time alone, away from the insanity that had swept his friends and by some miraculous chance, seek that legendary shrine and request for a charm that hopefully will lift Orihime's spirit, even if it was nothing but a mere placebo.
The sun was beginning to be visible late morning, with the fog clearing up; the air seemed to also have freshened itself. He could then see the bare outlines of a wooden gate of some sort, with a thick layer of snow covering the ground, so it might have been taller than the sight suggested. He made haste, so as to take opportunity of the currently moderate weather.
To his delight he was right in front of the gate before he realized it (must be the power of his speed and strength which were probably enhanced by the spiritual trainings). To his even bigger delight, he discovered that the legendary Senraku shrine was not really legendary. It was just abandoned.
However, abandoned it may seem, it left a marking of a great elegant temple that Ichigo could imagine to be nothing less than ethereal. The multiple halls were still intact, with paper decorations above the hallway still visible even though faded. Ichigo thought that it's fortunate that the temple was located in such a snowy area; it's basically a form natural conservation.
Just when he thought he couldn't be any more pleased, he caught the sight of a person inside the main hall. It was a female, judging from her clothes, but something about her height and aura seemed familiar to him. He walked closer, and she turned around.
"Inoue?"
"Kurosaki-kun?"
He was the last person she ever expected to show up, much so in this place, this weather this situation.
"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" Her lack of skills in choosing the right question to ask was showing.
They looked and pointed at each other with eyes wide open with astonishment, and after a while, she laughed, and he smiled. She then led him inside the main hall to shield from the cold.
She explained to him that it probably had been abandoned by the residents in the crossfire during the war, judging by the newest coin threw in the wishing well. She also showed him what she speculated as the heating mechanism that the shrine might have employed during its flourishing days.
"Looks like I can't get the charm after all, since there is no one to ask from." Ichigo's tone suggested that he was ready to leave.
Orihime caught on that and understood his purpose to be there. "Kurosaki-kun, are you here to test the urban legend?" Even he does worry about his studies, doesn't he? She heard that he wanted to prove the teachers wrong by trying to aim for the Literature department in Tokyo University, which played a large part in her determination to get into the same university.
Ichigo rubbed his gloved hands together, brought them to his face and breathed into them. "You can probably say that, but, most probably I'm just using this as an excuse to run from school. Things are getting too hectic, not sure if I wanted to stay and make myself uncomfortable. Why are you here?"
A little startled by the not-so-sudden shift in focus, she turned to him with a characteristic "Ohh!" exclamation and replied. "I wasn't planning to, but the lady who sold me the strawberries in the market told me that this area produces the best strawberries in Japan, and so I came to the town yesterday. I asked about the shrine, and the local folks told me that there was one here, so I just came to pray."
"Pray?"
"Yup! Everybody looks so stressed up, so I was thinking that I should pray for everyone, so that everyone could get into the university they wanted. For you too, Kurosaki-kun. You looked so worked up the other day, and then you didn't come to school, and Yuzu-chan told me that you went away, so I thought it must have taken a toll on you somewhat."
She saw Ichigo looking at her in a way that was almost as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing, before relaxing and heaved a sigh of relief. "Can't believe we are on the same mission."
It was Orihime's turn to not believe what she was hearing. "Same mission? What do you mean?"
"Nothing. I just thought that it's a crazy thing to come here and coincidentally meet you. Exams are really something crazy, huh?"
Orihime couldn't agree more with him.
"Hey, Inoue?"
She turned to face him.
"Let's pass our exams, and then come here again after that?"
Orihime's face broke into a natural uplifting smile. "Sure, Kurosaki-kun."
'It's a promise."
End of story note: This is one that I wrote after a long hiatus (say, 6 months?) so I was rather afraid to have lost some flair here and there. Due to real life obligations (say, thesis? Being a final year college/university student?) I have been putting writing fanfictions off more than I should have. I would have to get back to completing the ones I put on hold XD
For this fic, I have been contemplating on a second chapter, setting after they got in to their respective universities of choices. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!