Hello everyone! I've been at loss for ideas no matter how much i love writing! Do y'all have any idea's for creativity? Please comment any in the review sections and anything of the sort, and thank you!
Story taken place after the fullbringer arc. I'll see where this story goes, although I'm not all that sure ._.
Warning: Language possibly?
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach, nor it's amazing characters!
Innocence
Orihime stood at the entrance of the dojo where her dear friend worked. The bright girl swayed back and forth as the bell of dismissal sounded throughout the area. A flood of dojo students passed her, all clearly bruised and exhausted, a sight Orihime had become accustomed to. The bubbly girl kept to herself, looking around the students in search of one certain person. She caught sight of Tatsuki, a sparkle shining in her eyes, and Orihime's expression immediately brightened with joy, "Tatsuki-chhaann!" Orihime squealed out as she waved her hand back and forth, knowing that her best friend couldn't ignore her even if she tried. Said girl smiled back, walking towards Orihime in long strides and a smirk on her lips.
"Hey there, kiddo," Tatsuki said cooly, standing in front of Orihime with a slight lean, "you got anything planned for today?" She asked, intrigued as to why she was so ecstatic to have seen her. Orihime grabbed a hold of Tatsuki's wrist, looking up to Tatsuki with bright, pleading eyes.
"Actually..." Orihime spoke softly as she averted her eyes, hesitating before she spoke, as though her ideas for today was something she shouldn't mention, "Has it ever come to mind as to what exactly Urahara-san sells?" Orihime questioned with a tilt of her head. Tatsuki took a quick look at her friend, surprised by the question, not expecting it from someone who usually kept her curiosity to herself when dealing with the supernatural world. She shook her head, answering silently after she gave the question a moments thought. Having been to this place so many times before, Tatsuki wondered why Orihime hadn't given the shop a look around. Tatsuki herself had only been there once before, and the reason didn't exactly give invitation to buy anything from it, "well...I'd like to go explore it, would you mind coming with me?" Orihime asked with a mischievous, bright smile, as though knowing that was Tatsuki's weakness. Tatsuki sighed and then gave her a shrug, finding a bit of interest in Orihime's curiosity.
"Sure, why not," She stated with a smile. She had nothing to lose from the adventure, and it wouldn't bring them any harm to just give the place a look around. Orihime jumped with glee, immediately grabbing Tatsuki's wrist and dragging her along as she speed off.
They reached the shop in about a half hour of walking. Tatsuki noticed a slight hesitance from Orihime as they approached the skeptical shack. She narrowed her eyes, had something happen? Or...was she just remembering all of what happened to them just a few months ago due to this one place? The aura of uncertainty quickly faded though, as Orihime's joyful behavior returned to normal. She slid the doors open and poked her head in, "Urahara-ssaaannn?" She asked out loud before stepping into the store. Tatsuki followed behind without second thought, knowing Orihime wouldn't await an answer to come her way. Orihime looked in each corner of the shack, seeing it oddly empty.
As Orihime did so, Tatsuki studied the products in the shelves and in the counters, seeing a vary of things. From normal cooking material to supernatural supplements. She quirked an eyebrow, frowning as she picked up a bottle of... spirit repellent spray?! She put it down, oddly creeped out, 'does anyone actually buy from this lunatic?' She asked herself as she picked up a few packs of tea. She read the names of the packages, a few ordinary teas like green tea, black tea, and barley tea. There was one that caught her eye though.
"Hmm..." She narrowed her eyes, taking a look to the package in her hand, "childhood...memories?" She shook her head. What kind of tea was that? What an odd name for a flavor of tea... She bit her bottom lip, curiosity getting the best of her. Would it be harmful to try it? She glanced over to Orihime, seeing that she was still searching for the hats'n'clogs. She quickly snuck it into her backpack, unsure as to why she was stealing from the suspicious shop in the first place. It was just normal tea, no need to steal it...right? She placed the other packages back, acting calmly as she observed the other products around the store.
"Tatsuki-channnn!" Orihime's sweet voice cried behind Tatsuki. Tatsuki reacted with a jump, grabbing onto her bag from the sudden shock, thinking she had been caught. Orihime stood on the first step of the shop, a pout on her lips and watery eyes. Tatsuki gave her a small smile and a shake of her head, unsure of how a 17 year old girl could still be so adorable. Orihime didn't notice Tatsuki's suspicious actions, she locked her arm through Tatsuki's own, "Urahara-san, nor Jinta-kun seem to be here," She explained, looking back one last time before turning away, "we'll definitely have to come another day," Orihime stated in slight disappointment as she walked towards the entrance of the store. Tatsuki gave her a nod, going along with the bubbly girl. They spoke non-stop about what they saw and how odd it seemed to them to see Urahara openly sell supernatural supplements in such a public sort of place.
They finally arrived to Orihime's apartment after another hour or so of walking. Orihime unlocked her door, and the familiar aroma of Orihime's scent filled Tatsuki's senses. She remembered all those months ago when this apartment was empty, missing it's owner and sweet aroma of the girl. Just the thought alone had Tatsuki near tears, but she hid them well, happy to gotten her dear friend back where she belonged. They both dropped their school bags at the entrance hall, removing their shoes as well, "Oi, Orihime," Tatsuki reached into her bag, grabbing the package of tea, "You want some?" Tatsuki asked with a quirked eyebrow. Orihime looked up to her friend, giving her a nod and a sweet smile, unsuspecting as to why Tatsuki had a random pack of tea in her bag. She offered to help, but Tatsuki waved her away, telling her she should find a good movie or show to watch while she made the tea. Tatsuki wasn't sure but had this odd feeling that she shouldn't show Orihime what the tea was exactly. She shook her head, 'no, there's nothing wrong with it, we just don't need two people to do something so simple.' Tatsuki thought, in an attempt to convince herself that nothing harmful would come from it.
In the kitchen, Tatsuki prepared the tea like she would normally. There didn't seem to be any instructions to it after she skimmed through the writing it had on the back, so she freehanded it without really giving it any thought. She took out the kettle and set it over the stove with hot water in place. As the water boiled, she didn't notice the aroma of the tea slowly becoming stronger. She began to think back to when she was sneaking it into her bag, what a lousy thing to have. She had oddly hoped to find something new, not expecting something so normal to come from a shop like Urahara's.
In the living room though, Orihime seemed to be affected quite heavily by the scent. It had enveloped her and forced her mind to twist and turn. She closed her eyes tight, unsure of what the sudden dizziness came from. She dropped down to the couch, attempting to keep her balance as she shook her head from side to side. Her mind felt cloudy, unable to keep her thoughts focused, or even on the present time. An image of her 5 year old self appeared in her mind, an odd memory as it had no importance to her. In the memory, her own eyes were looking into a mirror, and the reflection showed her mini form before her. Her short, Auburn hair, big grey eyes, and big smile. She held her head with one hand, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion, yet her body slowly began to feel lighter. Small giggles escaped her lips as the feeling grew stronger. More and more memories flashed before her, her memories with her brother, the toys she use to play with, and her imaginary friends. Small things soon became hilarious to the 17 year old, things that would only be funny to a 5 year old.
In the kitchen, Tatsuki heard the laughter become louder, becoming confused and worried. She set her phone in her back pocket as she attempted to listen in to anything that might cause such laughter to erupt from her best friend. She heard nothing from the TV or the radio, not even sounds from Orihime's flip phone. What in the world could she be laughing at? She was about to go and check when the kettel began to whistle, signaling that it was ready. She shrugged off the laughing, as it seemed to die down every couple of seconds, and began preparing the tea. She walked over to the living room, finding a pink faced, laughing Orihime sprawled over the couch. Tatsuki narrowed her eyes, worry filling her mind as she watched her friend with an arched eyebrow. She shrugged, having seen this side of her not to long ago when she was having her fits of laughter. Orihime suddenly sat up and attempted to act proper, back straight with a serious expression, causing Tatsuki to jump at the sudden change of personality.
"Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, flabbergasted by the actions of the girl. Orihime locked eyes with her, her smile suddenly growing large as it became clear she was attempting to hold back her uncontrollable laughter. She smacked her hand across her mouth, just moments before letting out what she was holding back, "Ha...! And- And then he...hahahahha!" Mumbled and uncomprehencibale sentences came out of Orihime's mouth. Tatsuki shook her head, sweat dripping down the side of her temple as she realized the girl was in a world of her own at the moment. She went back to the task she first set out to do and poured out two cups of tea. A ding suddenly sounded in her back pocket and she nearly dropped the tea as Orihime's laughter grew stronger at the sound, "Gah! It sounds, it sounded like-like a fart! Hahahaha!" The rest Tatsuki couldn't quite understand.
She slid her phone out of her pocket and checked out the new notification, a message from her dojo instructor popped up on the screen. She immediately turned away from Orihime, reading through the seemingly important message. Said girl was chugging the tea down as thought it was apple juice, some even dripping down her chin.
"Hey, Orihime," Tatsuki spoke as she closed her phone and slid it back into her back pocket, "I'll be back in a minute, I gotta go do something real quick alright?" Tatsuki glanced back at Orihime for a mere moment as she slid her shoes back on. She gave her a quick wave as she ran out the door unaware of the events about to happen. Orihime raised her head, a drunk like smile on her lips as hiccups began to escape her.
"Bye-bye, Tatsuki-channn~!" Orihime called out, clenching and unclenching her fist as a child would when saying goodbye or hello. Orihime felt a stinging pain in her head, yet a relaxing one throughout the rest of her body. She fell back against the couch in a thud, running her hands over her face as she attempted to get ahold of herself. Orihime's eye sight suddenly became a blur, her 17 year old thoughts would come out suddenly between the thought process of a five year old. 'Something...something is wrong...!' The sound of her older sounding voice made her laugh for a reason that she couldn't quite explain. She squeezed her cheeks together, an angry expression on her face that couldn't be described as anything other than adorable. Without even seeing herself she began to laugh hysterically
Her head turned to the side, the TV screen was different than it was just a second before. She squinted her eyes, swearing the man on the screen was Urahara and Uryuu, "Now now, Orihime-chan!" Urahara's voice sounded throughout the living room, capturing Orihime's attention, "You won't want to fight this now," The blonde man warned, "your friend has placed in you in quite the pickle today!" Urahara laughed and smiled, imitating the actions a clown would. He was even dressed as one, a big painted smile over his face. Uryuu stepped in front of Urahara, giving her small wink. He, on the other hand, was dressed as he always was.
"Tatsuki-chan has seemed to give you tea from Urahara's shop, and because of that, you'll be in quite the mess for the next few days," He gave her small wave, "you see, that tea can be quite dangerous to you if you try and go against it," his caring eyes never seemed to leave hers, even though her 17 year old mind knew this was a dream, her 5 year old thoughts seemed to find this amusing, "It could end up being permanent if you keep it in your system to long, and by the looks of it," He pointed at the area where the tea had originally been, "It'll take quite awhile for it to escape you," he explained with a shake of his head. He began to pick something up, popping right back on the screen, "This," Uryuu held up an odd herb in front of him, "Is the only thing to get you back into your normal form," Orihime narrowed her eyes, her vision becoming blurrier. She could barely make out the herb before the screen began to show static.
"Normal...form?" she spoke allowed as she watched the television, leaning up against her elbow as she watched the screen suddenly shut off after both men waved goodbye. Her eyes became droopy, and she realized how hard it was to keep her eyes open and be aware of her surroundings. She attempted to sit up, reaching over the table to take another sip of the tea that was simply intoxicating to Orihime. It was as though she couldn't get enough. Everything suddenly began to fade to black as one last drop of the odd tea reached her lips. The cup slipped through her hand, and everything went blank.
An hour or so passed as Tatsuki walked back to Orihime's home. Her Sensei had asked for an odd request that had taken her longer than she expected, but she didn't mind. She had become quite worried though, having called Orihime about half an hour ago and with no reply. She jogged up the steps and towards Orihime's apartment which seemed to still be standing, which was a good sign considering how the young girl was acting earlier. She knocked on the door once, hearing a light thud on the other side of the door, "...Orihime?" She called out, concern lacing her words. She jiggled the door knob, finding it to be unlocked. She barged in, worry immediately filling her eyes, "Orihime?!" She called out, panic becoming a part of her usually calm demeanor. She sped into the living room, letting out a sudden gasp to find the place a mess. The pillow's and cushions of Orihime's couch were torn and thrown around the room, the stuffing still flying about in the air. The cords of her TV yanked out, food was splattered against the walls and furniture, and the tea was dripping from the coffee table.
"Oh no...!" She spoke in a hushed tone, unsure of whether or not she should continue with a straight forward confrontation, or keep to the sneaky way. She stepped around quietly, searching for the intruder. She searched behind the couch and the television, no sign of Orihime. 'Had a hollow gotten a hold of her...?!' The thought flashed into her mind as she wandered around the room. She had no one she could call if that was the case. Ichigo was a depressed ex-shinigami, Rukia had gone A-Wall, and Chad showed up when there was free food or stuffed animals in the mix. She had no one to turn to if her friend had been taken once more from one of those monstrosities. She kneeled to search under the coffee table, her back towards the bedroom. She heard a small thump once more from Orihime's bedroom and Tatsuki froze on spot. The image of Aizen appeared in her mind, the man that nearly killed her and her friends. She slowly turned her head back towards the door, the fear of the possibility of a hollow appearing just mere feet from her had her paralyzed on the ground. A small bundle began to crawl out of Orihime's bedroom, a blanket covering the unknown creature beneath it. Tatsuki gulped, unsure of what to suspect as she scooted back, her back hitting the entrance hallway. The creature suddenly stood, its breathing becoming heavier and staggering, lifting its arms all the way up, causing the blanket to slowly fall from its small body. Tatsuki flinched, lifting her hand in front of her out of instinct to protect herself.
"Roarrr!" A squeaky, child-like voice sounded through Tatsuki's ears. Giggles and squeals immediately followed. Tatsuki locked eyes with the child, seeing two big grey eyes looking back at her. Long Auburn hair flowed down the child's shoulders, and a shirt which fit her much to large continued to slide down her shoulder. She focused her eyes on the creature, well, a 5 year old child. Said child waved at Tatsuki with glee, jumping up and down as she reached down for the blanket she had used earlier. The child ran around the living room, making airplane noises as the blanket flew behind her. Tatsuki's eyes widened, recognizing the child before her. She glanced up to the table beside her, a picture of a child Orihime standing next to Sora. Tatsuki's eyes widened.
"Oh...holy shit...!" Tatsuki nearly screamed as she looked back and forth between the child and the photo, "Inoue...?!" The child was no other than Orihime, except for now, she had a few similar features of the adult Orihime. Such as her long hair, and sense of style. The child didn't seem bothered with the presence of Tatsuki, as though she already knew the girl. Tatsuki sat up, her heart beating rapidly as she watched the small girl play on her own. She smiled slightly, she hadn't met Orihime until well into middle school, seeing this form of her was odd, yet comforting. She knew of Orihime's past, always wondering how she could live through all that and still be the bright cheerful girl she is today. Or...well...was just a few hours ago.
"Tatsuki-chan...?" The small girl spoke, startling Tatsuki. Said girl raised her head, focusing more on the child's words than studying her, "That's..." The girl's eyes suddenly grew large, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Tatsuki's eyes widened, she immediately stood and walked towards her, "The tea...!" Orihime cried, her arms between her legs as she jumped up and down, "I want... I want more tea!" She cried as though it was the most important thing to her. Tatsuki paused, suddenly realizing that this was real, and it wasn't just a dream. She looked back at the tea, realizing that Orihime had gulped it down in the time she was gone. It hadn't affected Tatsuki, but then again, she hadn't taken even a sip of it.
She cursed herself. So the damn thing did have an odd effect to it! But why? Why only Orihime? The cries became louder, and Tatsuki immediately returned her attention to the child form of Orihime. The little girl raised her arms, tears falling down her cheeks, begging to be carried and comforted. Tatsuki smiled sweetly picking up her best friend in her arms, caring her towards the kitchen to see the packet where the tea was held. She read through the ingredients. Suddenly, as her eyes scanned the back of the packet, in small font, bold letters read before her:
WARNING:
SPIRITUALLY POWERFUL BEINGS, SHINIGAMI, OR HOLLOWS WILL BE STRONGLY AFFECTED BY THIS PRODUCT. HUMANS ARE IN NO HARM. PERMANENT, UNTIL TREATED PROPERLY. TO REVERT THE EFFECTS, PLEASE REACH THE STORE OWNER OR COMPANY.
Tatsuki's eyes widened, how the fuck did she not see this earlier?! She dropped the packet, the once crying Orihime now leaning her head in the crook of Tatsuki's neck, "Shit, shit, shit, shit," Tatsuki whispered as she took out her phone to call Ichigo. Thoughts began to run through her mind just as she was about to press her finger on Ichigo's contact. Would knowing about this do him any good? Would it put him in a worse state than he was in already? He would beat himself up over the fact he couldn't do anything to help...?
She had no one to turn to...
Just then, a blue haired, obnoxious fellow popped into her mind. Her eyes brightened, having completely forgotten of the jackass that had been there to help ever since Ichigo lost his powers. Uryuu!
Then, regret flowed into her mind. She knew how much Ichigo hated the fact they all treated him like an outsider when it came to the spiritual world. Tatsuki knew Orihime had her secrets that she kept from Ichigo in order to keep him safe. Would she want him to be here now? They were friends, the three of them. Ichigo had 2 or 3 years of experience with these things, while Tatsuki, on the other hand, had none. She always wanted Ichigo to be apart of everything with them, especially when it's something she has no familiarity with. She shook her head, she would call Uryuu later. She was lost, and clueless of how to help the girl she swore to protect. Uryuu would be able to help them if this had to do with some spiritual mumbo jumbo. But, Ichigo would be able to calm Tatsuki's nerves and somehow quell Orihime's tears. This was her fault, she knew that, but she didn't want to be alone during it, "Ichigo," She spoke sternly once the boy on the other line had picked up, "Ichigo, i fucked up." She was near tears as she glanced down to the now asleep Orihime whom still appeared to be sniffling in her sleep. Ichigo had hung up seconds after she spoke the words, not letting her give an explanation other than telling him she was at Orihime's place, "Im sorry, Hime," She repeated over and over as she held Orihime close to her, unsure of how to fix the mess she got her friend into.
Tatsuki sunk into the couch, a scowl replaced Tatsuki's usually kind expression whenever she was with Orihime. As she held the sleeping Orihime close, she couldn't help but curse and hate herself for what she had done. As she closed her eyes, she ran her fingers through Orihime's hair. She thought back to the day Orihime had spoken to her about her past. Although Orihime stated that she barely remembered anything about her parents, her brother had informed her of the type of people they were. She wondered if the same emotions Orihime had been going through when she was really at this age would be going through her mind now. She knew by how she had acted earlier that she had gained the personality she once had as a child. Did she remember all of her present life? Was she able to use her freaky powers? Was she completely different or does she have the same personality? All these questions worried Tatsuki to extreme amounts. 'Holy shit man, what the hell did i get her into?' Tatsuki asked herself as she placed a heavy hand across Orihime's back. Orihime snored quietly on Tatsuki's shoulder, unbothered by the worries Tatsuki held on her mind.
A few minutes passed when a sudden banging startled Tatsuki, but she already knew who it was. Surprisingly, Orihime hadn't awoken, and remained in a deep sleep. She opened the door, seeing an out of breath Ichigo hunched over at the door, "What'd you do?" He asked, clearly worried. He hadn't seemed to notice the sleeping child until moments later. His expression immediately became confused, "...You...had a kid?" He asked with doubtful expression, raising his arms in a 'what the fuck' kind of fashion. Tatsuki let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. How big of an idiot could he be? Hadn't he nearly died a few months ago? Wasn't that be more than enough to force him mature?
"Take a closer look you idiot." Tatsuki spoke firmly as she forced him to walk in, closing the door behind him. Ichigo walked up to Tatsuki and the child, studying the sleeping creature who had slobber dripping down its chin. The child had long Auburn hair, pale skin, and a round face. 'I...Inoue?' the image of his bright haired friend popped into his mind. As idiotic as he might be about women, he took it a step even lower. His face turned bright red and his eyes opened wide when he came to the shocking realization.
"Inoue had a kid?!"
R&R
I hope y'all like it