Authors Note: I apologize immensely for how long this has taken to get finished and posted. School hit me harder than I thought it would and honestly I had a rough writers block. But here it is, Chapter 2! I have decided to take this story to a new route so it won't follow the movie as much, if at all anymore. So hopefully you guys will still like it! Please read and review!
Disclaimer: Same as always.
Playlist: "Symphonie" by Silbermond, "Krieger des Lichts" by Silbermond, "Hawaii" by Meiko, "Again & Again" by Birds and the Bees.
Chapter 2
"So what's the best thing to get here?" Orihime asked through the open menu. She was pretending to stare intensely at the beverage list, but her true purpose was to hide the blush that continued to creep up her cheeks. She couldn't believe her own nerve. Never would she approach a man she just met and agree to have coffee with him! She could practically hear Uryu's protests in her head.
"Well, personally I favor the different assortment of exotic teas that they serve here, but the coffee is just as good I suppose." He replied, slowly pulling the menu down to where he could her face. Orihime bit her lip and slowly looked up to see he was staring at her. Aizen smiled at her before shifting his gaze down to the menu.
"Hello, miss, what would you like to have this evening?" a waiter interrupted the two. Aizen leaned back and gestured for Orihime to give her order.
"Oh, um, can I have the Passion Tea with lots and lots of sugar?" she asked, pulling out her wallet before Aizen stopped her, placing his hand over hers gently. Orihime's eyes widened, feeling a slight spark from the contact. Her heart fluttered as she tried to mumble some sort of response.
"I've got it Orihime, don't worry." He smiled and handed the waiter a bill. Orihime blushed once more and mumbled a 'thank you' as the waiter left.
"Y-you didn't have to do that, Mr. Aizen, I hope it wasn't too expensive…" she worried, fumbling with her wallet as she placed it back in her purse. Aizen waved his hand and laughed.
"It's really not a problem, you shouldn't worry yourself with a such a trivial matter. And please, call me Sosuke. No need to be so formal." He explained, taking a sip of his own tea.
Once Orihime's tea was served, she blew on it gently before taking a sip. The warm liquid crawled down her throat as if it was warming her soul and she hummed slightly, not realizing she had an audience. She looked up to see Aizen cocking up an eyebrow curiously and she laughed a little before explaining herself.
"I'm sorry. It's been awhile since I've been able to sit down and enjoy a delicious cup of tea...or do anything for that matter." She explained, playing the rim of her tea cup. Aizen leaned back as a gesture for her to go on.
"Does it have to do with your career or is the life of Orihime Inoue that hectic?" he teased slightly, causing her to laugh again. He had a way of making her feel so comfortable that she could talk about anything. Orihime explained her career at the Embassy to him, getting distracted on many side stories along the way, yet it didn't seem to bother Aizen as he looked at her intently with those same entrancing brown eyes that she remembered admiring from the ticket line.
"The Embassy sounds like an interesting place to work for, indeed." He replied at the end of her explanation, finishing his cup of tea. Orihime opened her mouth to ask Aizen what he did for a living when a loud chime grabbed the attention of everyone in the café.
"Ladies and Gentleman, the red-eye flight to Karakura Town is now boarding at Gate 86. Please make your way promptly to the gates with your tickets in hand." A woman's voice blared over the speakers. Orihime tipped her tea cup and finished her drink as she reluctantly picked up her bags. She didn't want to leave, didn't want to stop talking to this very attractive man that she would probably never see again.
"Well Orihime, it was a pleasure spending time with you. I hope you have a safe flight and perhaps we might run into each other in Karakura sometime." Aizen said as he stood up. Orihime smiled and nodded as she held out her hand.
"Yeah, sure! It was great meeting you, Sosuke…good-bye now and safe flight!" she replied as she waved. Aizen smiled once more at her, his gaze lingering on hers what felt like minutes before he left towards the gate. She watched him leave, feeling slightly sad that this was pretty much the end of her encounter with such a nice man, wondering if they really would meet again in Karakura Town. The chances were very unlikely, but she still hoped for the odds. Orihime caught her breath and pulled out her cellphone as she left the café. Rangiku had to hear about this.
"Here's to another amazing resolution draft drawn by the great Kurosaki prodigy!" a tall man with shaggy hair shouted loudly in the private jet. Ichigo rolled his eyes and reminded himself to burn the hideous hat on the man's head later. Kisuke Urahara had taken Ichigo under his wing at the young age of 18, teaching him the ways of a proper ambassador for the United Nations. While he still had a long way to go, Ichigo was quickly learning the rules of game as he had seen firsthand the cutthroat nature of the Security Council, especially with the recent conflicts in eastern Europe.
"Shut up, Urahara, and take that damn hat off. No one likes it, just so you know. It doesn't even match your suit." He quipped, leaning back in the plush leather chair of his seat. His feet were pinched in his dress shoes and the last thing he wanted to do was deal with his mentor.
Closing his eyes, Ichigo attempted to push all thought related to that evenings' meeting out of his mind. Things were getting worse, the threats were getting worse and for once he didn't know what to do. He received another hateful letter this week and it was doing nothing to encourage him for the next conference back home in Karakura town.
"Hey now Kurosaki, don't fall asleep on me. I haven't even opened up the refreshments yet." The older man beamed, whipping out a bottle of champagne.
"I don't feel like drinking right now…"
"Why not? C'mon Ichigo, don't let the threats get to you. You're a political figure, of course people are going to get a bit pissed off at what you do, so what? You can't let those stupid letters get you down! Besides, I have a letter that you'll want. Inoue sent you her monthly letter and I've got it right here." Urahara stated, pulling a letter from his breast pocket and handing it to Ichigo. The younger man cracked open an amber eye and took the letter from Urahara.
Orihime Inoue, his childhood friend always sent him a letter whenever he was away from Karakura. She made sure to send it so he would receive it in a timely manner, no matter where he was. In a way, he almost missed the silly personality and sometimes deep conversations of his best friend. Smiling, he opened the letter to read it.
Dear Ichigo,
I hope the United Nations is treating you well! The Embassy is ready for the Regional Conference so don't you worry. I'll even order those chocolate pastries you love so much…and I promise I won't have red bean paste put on them, although I don't see why you hate them so much, I loved them, they were so delicious and yummy and….well anyway, I can't wait to see you soon! Uryu is driving me crazy! I'm also going to L.A next month to see Rangiku! Do you remember her? I'll tell you all about it when you come back to Karakura! See you.
Orihime I.
Ichigo closed the letter, laughing at her comment about the pastries. She had such a strange taste in food that he never could fathom what was in her lunch box back in grade school. She always knew the right words to say. He wondered if he could tell her about…no, he couldn't. It was best to leave her untainted of what was really going on. For this exact reason, Ichigo was thankful that the manager of the Embassy never got a copy of the conference agendas. Thankfully.
Orihime left a long winded message for Rangiku and hung up the phone as she handed her ticket to the gate keeper. She smiled and made her way onto the plane, looking for 32F in the endless ocean of seats. Her thoughts flashed to Sosuke and she almost looked for him until she laughed at herself. She only met him once, why would he care about seeing her again…and more importantly why does she care so much? As much as she wanted to see him again…she shouldn't expect it to happen. He was probably trying to be nice. Shaking her head, Orihime continued to look for her seat.
Three rows from the back of the plane, the red head finally found her seat, accompanied next to man engrossed in a newspaper. Opening up the compartment above her, Orihime attempted to put her bags away, soon realizing she wasn't tall enough for the task as one of the bags fell, crashing to the floor. Giggling in embarrassment, she bent over to pick it up, hoping the man reading the newspaper didn't get upset at her intrusion. The last thing she needed was to sit next to an asshole the whole ride home.
"Do you need assistance, miss…oh, Orihime?" a familiar deep voice called her to attention as she looked up into the eyes of Sosuke Aizen. Her eyes widened as she stumbled up quickly, brushing her skirt off.
"H-Hi? Sorry, I…wait are you sitting here? Because…because I think that's my seat." She stated sheepishly, pointing to empty seat beside him. Aizen turned to look at the vacant seat and then back at her and smiled.
"This is quite a coincidence, do you agree? Why don't you have a seat and I'll put your bags away." He replied, standing up to make room for her. Orihime giggled nervously as she brushed passed him, breathing in his clean, pristine scent as she practically fell into her seat. Cursing the small spaces in air planes, she tried to gather the rest of her dignity as she buckled her seat belt. Aizen adjusted his glasses and settled down next to her as he turned to her curiously.
"I must say this is interesting. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me." he stated, raising an eyebrow at her. Orihime turned a bright shade of red and sank in her seat a little.
"Er…N-No! I promise that's not the case…I didn't even know you before today!" She clarified with a shocked expression. Aizen laughed at her and leaned back in his seat.
"I'm only teasing. You're quite a peculiar person, Orihime. I must say I'm a bit relieved to be sharing this flight with you."
"I could say the same thing, Sosuke."
Authors Note: I feel like this sucked. Lol. That's all I can say. It's always been hard for me to do 'dinner dialogue', if you will…so hopefully next chapter will have more action to reel you guys back in. I hope it's not too disappointing, it'll get better I promise! Please review and let me know what you think!
