The Princess and the Tiger
Chapter 2
Princess
(A/N Well, this is the second chapter. Think of this as the second act. This is just something a little different than what I usually write. So, yeah…)
SOUNDS/sounds
Thoughts
(Last Time)
"LET GOOOO," Ichigo screamed at the top of his lungs, kicking his legs but the cat instead started to pull him towards the tall grass. "AAAAAGH! LET ME GOOO!"
In a fluid motion the tiger released the flailing leg and landed squarely on Ichigo's chest, slamming the man back to the earth. The wind was forced out of him rapidly, stunning the young man, silencing him. Ichigo wouldn't have been surprised if a couple of his ribs broke from the massive force and weight of the cat. A moment later the large tiger readjusted itself and the dazed Ichigo soon felt sharp dagger long teeth sink deep into his left shoulder. Then with a few quick tugs the tiger pulled him along the ground and into the tall grass where it had come from. A trail of fresh blood was the only thing left of the young man as a lonely car drove by on the hilltop.
(Present)
Orihime arrived at work rather groggy that morning. She had only gotten about two hours of sleep, trying to keep tabs on the news. So far there were no reported sightings of the large cats. She unlocked the doors and went through the regular ritual of getting the store open. She poured the usual cup of coffee for Ichigo and walked to the back of the store. She unlocked the backdoor and opened it but to her dismay she didn't see him on the old bench. She looked around the small area but there was no sign of him. Perhaps, he was late she tried to rationalize. It's happened before but this was a hell of a time to be late with those large cats running around. She set the cup down on the bench along the sandwiches. She had to finish up opening the store.
She closed the door back and finished the last of the little things. She swept the entrance and turned on the open sign. She opted to check the back once more only to find the cup and sandwiches still sitting on the bench. She felt her heart sink as she walked back inside. She really hoped nothing happened to him. She walked behind the counter and turned on the radio. She adjusted the station to the morning news. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that something was very wrong.
He groggily sat up in the tall dewy grass that sat just reached above his head. The sounds of the morning traffic above him echoed down the embankment with a loud roar. His head rolled down, looking at his injured left shoulder and then slowly turning to his right leg. His mind was still in a daze as he stared blankly at his torn limb. He slowly reached up, putting a hand on his shoulder. He mildly took notice of the wrap on his wrist was loose, wet, and covered in mud. He blinked slowly as he looked at his wrist through his heavy daze and tried to fix it. His movements were slow and clunky as though his was not familiar with how his fingers worked.
He managed to get the soiled wrap off his arm but then could not figure out how it went back on. He began to grow aggravated by the damn the thing. He curled back is lips as though snarling at the annoying bandage. A deep guttural growl escaped through his clinched teeth. He then tossed the bandage into the grass that only caught it and sent it back to the ground by his leg. The snarl faded quickly enough as he sat motionless for a bit.
He suddenly jumped hearing something just on the other side of the grass cover. He slowly turned his head, noticing several people headed his way. He heard shouts of panic and a woman crying. He then took notice of a few feet running towards his location. He peered up over the top of the grass to see several men, staring down at him.
"Ich… Ichigo?" the blond in the striped hat choked out, knocking the grass back with his cane to get a better look. "Good Lord, man! What…? What happened to you?"
Ichigo said nothing as he soon found himself surrounded by the small group. They quickly took notice of the large bloodied wounds in his leg and shoulder. Something clearly tried to tear him apart last night or early this morning. Ichigo kept his head down as he looked up at them with his eyes, studying each person carefully.
"This is bad. We need to get him to a hospital!"
"You don't think one of those, uh, big cats we heard on Hamada's radio did this, do ya?"
"Well, something made a meal out of Hayashi's dog. Clearly something tried to take a chunk of Kurosaki too!"
"Hey, Kurosaki? What did this to ya? Kurosaki? Hey, pal, you in there?"
"Oh, man. He don't look so good. He's really out of it."
"He's most likely in some form of shock from the attack. We need to get him some help. A few of us will stay here and watch him. Higuchi, you go call the ambulance for him."
"Right, I'm on it!"
"What about us, though? The police will want to move us again."
"I'd rather move than find a large cat outside my tent in the middle of the night. Tigers and jaguars are drawn to water. Especially tigers. The river is the last place we need to be right now. This tall grass isn't so good either. Daichi, Haku, give me hand. Let's see if we can get him out of this mess."
A second later Ichigo felt hands on him. Every muscle tensed in his body at the unwanted touch. His lips curled back again, exposing his clinched teeth. He swung hard at the two men on his right. They jumped back a little surprised at the fierce reaction.
"Hey, whoa! Ichigo, it's just us! We're trying to get you out of the grass," Urahara said, tilting up his hat a bit. "We're going to get you some help, okay? It'll be easier for emergency to get to you if you're not in this thicket."
"Don't… Touch… Me…" Ichigo forced through his teeth like a growl.
"Ichigo? What's wrong?" Urahara asked, kneeling down to the young man's level. "It's just us. That cat's long gone. Now, come on. We'll help you up to your feet."
He reached out trying to put a hand on Ichigo's good shoulder only to have Ichigo shrink back and get to his feet in a fevered rush. The three men stared at Ichigo in a bit of shock. He was hunched over a bit as he glared at them. His teeth we bared and he breathed heavily. Honestly, he looked like he was about to jump someone and attack them.
"Like wudda ya think's wrong with him?" Daichi asked, taking a step back. "He's not, uh, acting like himself."
"He's got a weird look in his eyes too," Haku added. "I don't like it."
"Ichigo, we want to help you. We're not going to hurt you," Urahara said, getting back to his feet, using his cane to help. "Can you tell us what's bothering you?"
"Leave me… Alone…" he growled out again.
"You're hurt that's the last thing you need is to be left alone," Urahara pointed out. "You're not thinking straight. Just calm down."
"I'm thinking just fine," Ichigo snapped, backing up from them.
"There's something not right about him," Haku said, looking at Urahara. "Urahara, it might be wise to do as he says."
"Yeah, I, uh, got the same vibe," Daichi nodded. "Something's not right."
Urahara brushed them off. Ichigo was just a bundle of nerves at the moment. Perhaps he could coax Ichigo out on his own.
"Well, you can clearly stand, that's a good thing. Can you walk out of the grass so that the people from the ambulance can look at you?" Urahara asked as Ichigo's snarl deepened.
A split second later, to their surprise, Ichigo took off around them along the river bank. They turned to watch him as he moved farther and farther from them. Despite his injured leg he was moving at a pretty good clip. The three men were left standing motionless, just staring at Ichigo's vanishing form.
"What the hell was that?" Daichi asked a little slack jawed.
"Not sure…" Haku drawled, shrugging his shoulders. "Man, something's really wrong here."
"So it would seem," Urahara said, turning back around. Haku's right. Something's really wrong with him. That didn't seem like Ichigo. Not at all.
"So what now? The ambulance will be here any minute and Kurosaki's run off," Haku stated, following Urahara as did Daichi. "The police will be here too. They'll want a report."
"Talk to them when they come," Urahara said, heading back towards the camp. "I'm going to investigate something."
"So, uh, where are you going then?" Daichi asked.
"I have a pretty good idea of where he might be headed. He's rather late arriving there as it is."
Orihime sat on the small stool behind the counter as she counted her drawer. Today had been rather slow, which only made it drag on longer. Her mind was still on Ichigo a how late he was. She hadn't a chance to look out back for a few hours now with the owner hanging around. She closed the drawer and started to straighten the cigarettes behind her.
She heard the bell ring over the door and she turned to see who walked in. It was a thin blond man with raggedy cloths. In his right hand was a cane and weird stripe hat adorned on his head. He looked a little familiar to her but she couldn't quite place him but there were a lot of people coming in and out of the store.
"Good morning," she smiled as he approached the counter.
"Yes, morning. Name's Urahara Kisuke," he said and she nodded slightly, a little unsure of him. "Have you seen Ichigo?"
"No…" her heart dropped into her stomach like a frozen rock. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Sometime last night or early this morning, I'm not sure when, Ichigo left the main camp and got attacked," the man said in a hushed tone as a look of fear took over Orihime's usually smiling face. "We found him a little while ago but he wasn't acting right. He took off away from us like we were going to hurt him. He's got an injured leg and shoulder."
"What? He could be out back," Orihime said, walking around the counter as the owner came out of the office. "I'll go check an see if Kurosaki is—"
"What's this about Kurosaki?" he asked dully, chewing on a piece of gum as he looked at Orihime and the man with the odd hat.
Orihime stopped dead as she turned to look at her boss. This wasn't going to be good if he was out back. Ichigo had an order to stay off the property and they have been ignoring that order for months like it didn't exist. This could mean more than her job if Ichigo was found out behind the store.
"Uhhh…" she breathed as he walked up to her.
"Well? What's going on?" he asked again, crossing his arms.
"I… Please, don't be mad but I've been meeting up with him after he got out of jail and…" her voice fade as her boss' frown deepened quite a bit. "He might have been attacked last night and he may be out back."
"Attacked, huh? By what? Another store owner?" the man scoffed.
"Eh, I'd go more with a large cat," Urahara said, clacking his cane a little on the tile floor.
"Large cat? What?" the owner choked out a little flabbergasted.
"Kurosaki somehow survived a mauling by either the tiger or the jaguar last night but he's not acting right," Urahara stated, walking up to the man. "I deduced that he would either come here or to the café. Those are the two places he frequents most. I came here first thinking Inoue was still on the clock. Now we can continue this needless chatter on or we can tend to a man that might be slowly bleeding out behind your store."
The owner said nothing more as he hurried to the back with Orihime and Urahara behind him. He unlocked the door and swung it open in a hurry. Sure enough Ichigo was on the bench, hunched over with a small trail of blood leading back out toward the street. The coffee she had sat out for him was knocked over and had spilled over onto the pavement. The sandwiches were torn to shreds; the plastic wrappings and bread littered the ground. His leg was bleeding a good bit and his shoulder looked to be doing the same.
"Shit… Keep him here! I'll call someone for him," the owner said, ducking back in as Orihime rushed out.
"Ichigo, what happened?" Orihime asked, kneeling down to get a look at his leg. "Oh, you're bleeding! What attacked you?"
"Attacked?" he asked, looking down at her with half lidded eyes. "A… Tiger…"
"The tiger?" she asked in shock, trying to put her hands on his leg but he moved it away. "Let me look at it."
"Don't… Touch… Me…" Ichigo growled out again.
"He was like this earlier with me and a few others," Urahara spoke, walking up a little closer. "It's best to just follow his orders."
She looked up at Urahara and then back to Ichigo. Worry marring her delicate face.
"Ichigo, what's wrong? You're not acting like yourself," she said, getting to her feet. "We just want to help you. Please, tell us what's wrong."
He just looked at her but remained quiet. This really wasn't like him. What was wrong with him? She wanted to fix it but if he won't say anything there was nothing that anybody could do for him.
"He's not very vocal for some reason," Urahara said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He wouldn't tell any of us either. He could have hit his head or something during the attack. There's no telling."
She went to move a little closer to him but like he had done earlier with Urahara and the group he curled back his lips into a snarl. She stopped and looked at him. This really wasn't like Ichigo. He was really starting to scare her.
"I got an ambulance headed this way," the store owner said, walking out, rubbing his balding head. "I'll tend the store for the time being."
"All right, thank you," Orihime nodded as the owner left again. She then turned back to her beloved. "Ichigo, we're getting you some help. You need to go to this hospital this time. Those bite wounds need to be taken care of. Clearly this is no sprained wrist so you can't talk your way out of it."
He snorted at her and looked away. She sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. A thought struck her as she pulled her fingers from her long locks. She looked at her hand and then Ichigo's head. He seemed to enjoy it earlier as she ran her fingers though his hair. Dare she risk it? She took in a deep breath and reached out. Her painted fingers tips made contact with the top of his head. His wild orange hair tickled a bit as she slowly started stroking his head. The tension in his muscles started to build again with each stroke.
"Ichigo…" she said quietly, lightly caressing his head. "Please, calm down… You're scaring us with the way your acting and you're hurting my feelings."
He slowly looked at her with a sharp stare and she stopped petting, pulling her hand away. She figured he wanted her to stop but to her surprise he reached out and put her hand back on his head. She quickly started stroking him again. Slowly the tension did start to leave his body. She continued stroking and scratching the top his head. He just sat there, unmoving, with his eyes closed, letting her continue. A couple of minutes later the ambulance and police arrived.
The Ichigo quickly went back to defense mode. He didn't want to get in the ambulance and he didn't want to talk to the police about the attack. For 40 minutes there was a large run around. Finally, Ichigo agreed but only if Orihime came with him in the ambulance. At this point they agreed just so he would get the medical attention he so desperately needed.
Orihime climbed in the back of the large vehicle with Ichigo and a couple of medics. She tried to stay out of the way as the medics tended to the large bite wounds. Ichigo didn't like being handled and just barely tolerated it. Once at the hospital he was rolled into emergency and his wounds were better assessed. The staff was warned about his strange temperament and that he remained somewhat compliant as long as Orihime remained close by.
Orihime was questioned about Ichigo if she knew anything of his medical history, where he was living, and so on. She gave all that she knew about him. When they asked her about family they could contact she hesitated, knowing the history between Ichigo and his father. She pondered for a few moments and decided to bite the bullet. She told them what she knew of his family and that Ichigo's father ran a small emergency clinic just a few miles away. She also made sure to mention the volcanic tension between the two.
It was deduced after a few x-rays and scans that Ichigo was in need of some surgery to clean out and patch up the wounds. The doctors were thankful that Ichigo didn't have an artery cut in either his leg or his shoulder. The bite wounds, though deep, were still shallower than they had expected for a mauling by such a large animal. The worst bite was on his leg, most liking caused from his kicking at the animal. They found a couple cracked ribs along with the sternum. They were hairline, thankfully. They also found that the bone breaks also included his wrist that he had so admittedly insisted was just a sprain. Orihime was going to hold that over his head for a while.
After a bit of a fight they got Ichigo sedated and off he went for surgery. Orihime waited in one of the small rooms, thumbing through several old magazines; some even dating back a couple of years. People came and went out of the small interior room. One man that came in was dressed in light blue scrubs, fairly bulky build, short black hair, and his chin hair was a little scruffy. She thought it might be one of the nurses just taking a break for the chaos in the back. She paid no more mind to him as she hunted and pecked through the tattered magazines. A few minutes later a nurse walked in, looking at a clipboard.
"Kurosaki?" she called out, looking up into the room.
Orihime stood up in a hurry as did the male nurse. The two looked at each other for a moment a little confused. The nurse then motioned them to follow her. Orihime followed a little ways behind the burly man and the nurse. They were guided through a large set of locked doors and down a couple of hallways. Soon they were in the recovery department. She guided them around a nurses' station and then stopped at a room. She pulled back light green curtain revealing a rather groggy Ichigo hooked up to several monitors and an IV machine. His leg was bandaged up clear to his knee and hanging up in a sling. His shoulder was also covered in bandages and his wrist was in black cast resting at his side. His chest was in a brace as well.
"What's your relation to the patient?" she asked, looking between Orihime and the man.
"Father," the man replied first.
"G-girlfriend…" Orihime mumbled, looking at the floor as the man turned to look at her slightly.
"Okay. Well, I can tell you he came out of surgery just fine. There weren't any real complications from his injures," she said, looking at the papers in her hands. "Blood work checks out fine—Hey!"
Ichigo's father snatched the clipboard from her fingers and read over it himself, flipping through them. The nurse looked a little out of sorts after having her clipboard yanked from her hand. She crossed her arms as the man continued to read over the results. Orihime took this time to slip past him and walk over to stand beside Ichigo. He really didn't look so good.
He was sleeping still or at least he looked that way. She reached out and rubbed the top of his head again, brushing back a little hair from his face. His eyes open into thin slits for a moment before shutting again. Obviously he was feeling the aftereffects of the anesthesia and the pain meds he was on.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, leaning in a little closer to him.
"Hurting…" he muttered, quietly.
"I bet you are," she replied, trying to put on a smile, looking at his bandaged shoulder. "Your dad's here."
"Hmph," he snorted.
Orihime looked up as Ichigo's father returned the papers and clipboard to the nurse. He walked in and slid the curtain closed behind him, making the small room a good bit darker. Only the light from the hall filtered in through opening at top and bottom of the curtain. Orihime stood up straight as the man walked around to the other side of the bed. Obviously, the tension was still quite thick. She felt a little uneasy being there. She had never met Ichigo's father before and he hardly talked about him other than to complain.
"Girlfriend, huh?" the older Kurosaki asked, looking at the monitor above his head.
"Uh, y-yes. I'm Inoue Orihime," she said, forcing a bit of a smile.
"Kurosaki Isshin," he answered, turning to look down at his son.
There was a very long, heavy pause that filled the air. In fact they didn't even really move or look at each other. Orihime bit her lip a little and Isshin rubbed his stubbly chin. The tension was getting thicker by the second but no one knew how to break it. Who would speak first and what should they say?
"The silence is annoying," Ichigo quietly muttered, slowly lifting his heavy eyelids.
"Oh, sorry," Orihime jumped, looking down at him.
Isshin grunted at little in response, looking at Ichigo and then at Orihime.
"How long?"
"Huh?"
"How long have you two been together?"
"Oh, uh, around three months. We used to be classmates a long time ago."
"Middle? High?"
"Both, actually. We just never really hung out or anything."
"How did you meet back up?"
"Oh… Well, we…"
Orihime had no idea if Isshin knew about Ichigo's no so squeaky clean record. Grant it, it was only that one thing he'd ever gotten in trouble for but breaking and entering never looked good. Ichigo, however, remained quiet. Was that the go ahead or not? If he gets mad he gets mad.
"Well, we actually met at the convenience store I work at. It's a bit of an odd story," she said, gripping the railing of the hospital bed. "H-he had actually broken in through the backdoor to steal some food but I walked in on him to open the store just as he was about to run. He tripped and knocked over a wire shelf of chips and got his foot stuck in it."
"He broke into a store?" Isshin answered in a deep voice, casting his eyes back down at Ichigo with a hard glare.
"Yeah, he… He was only there for food. He was going to be in jail for four months but I felt bad and managed to get it reduced to 2 months in jail and 2 month community service. He just finished that last bit at the end of last month," Orihime said, keeping her eyes off the Kurosaki patriarch.
"Let me get this straight. He breaks into the store you work at to steal food, you somehow get him a lighter sentence because you felt sorry for him, and then you started dating him once he's out of prison?" The man looked very bewildered.
"Yes…" she blushed.
"Have you got a screw loose?"
"Not the first time I've been asked that."
Isshin let out a bit of an aggravated sigh and set his jaw. That was one hell of a way to start a relationship. He stared down at his son who was stuck between dreamland and the waking world. He never heard anything about this. No doubt Ichigo had wanted it that way. Oh, well, it was now out in the open. To say Isshin was disappointed would be an understatement. He was sure Ichigo knew better than that. He shook his head a little thinking over what the young woman had just told him. He really was disappointed in his son's actions.
His mind then switched to how his son actually ended up here. He got the major details that he was mauled by the tiger that's running around town but how? Clearly he was outside last night but why and where was he when the attack happened? That he didn't get. He had gotten the call from the hospital and not the police. No doubt his new girlfriend had answers to those questions.
"Explain what happened last night," Isshin ordered as she let a long breath. "Why was he outside in the first place?"
There really was a large gap between father and son. Orihime rubbed the back of her neck and backed up to take the chair behind her. They had lost more contact with each other than she had thought. She looked up at Isshin with a bit of a sad face.
"Well, you see… Ichigo sort of lives… In a tent by the river…" she mumbled in a low volume.
"In a tent by the river…" Isshin slowly repeated in an icy tone. His jaw clinched as did his hands into tight fists. "You mean to tell me, that he's been… He's been homeless this whole time!"
Ichigo, even half asleep, flinched just a smidgen at the sound of his father's angered voice. Orihime slid back in her chair a bit surprised. Yeah, this was not going over so well. There was no point in hiding anything now. She brushed back a lock of her tawny hair behind her ear and faced Isshin. It all had to come out in the open now and hiding the truth would only make things worse.
Swallowing the hard, heavy knot in her throat she finally started to tell Isshin everything she knew about Ichigo from time when he first stormed out to how he got mauled by the tiger. Isshin just stood and listened, only asking the needed questions. Isshin really had no idea about this whole mess. He figured was still switching between friends, hopefully with a job. That wish was blown clear out of the water. He had no idea about any of this and he hated that this was how he had to find out.
For three years he knew nothing of his son and it ate at every heartstring he had. When Ichigo first left he tried to keep tabs on him but the boy let Isshin know real quickly to back off and leave him alone. Isshin eventually listened and stopped calling. It nearly killed Isshin that day when Ichigo stormed out. The amount of anger his son had scared him. He'd never seen Ichigo so infuriated before. The boy had been in a near blind rage, even turning his anger towards his sisters for no good reason.
An hour or so ticked by and the doctor that did the surgery arrived to talk to them. Information was traded between them and after 15 or so minutes the doctor left, telling them once Ichigo was little more with it and they a room cleared he would be moved to the 5th floor.
Both Isshin and Orihime stayed with Ichigo. It was about 3 hours before he was loaded onto an elevator and moved upstairs. Over those three hours Ichigo started to come a bit more aware of his surroundings. Orihime and even Isshin noticed that he wasn't quite right. His mannerisms had changed and he came off as rather aloof. He had strange tolerance for people and things going on around him.
Orihime explained to Isshin that's how he was when she first saw him today and that when he was discovered by some of his friends by river he acted the same way. That worried Isshin quite a bit not mention Orihime. So far she was the only one really allowed to touch him. The nurses and doctors had to ask permission and explain what they would be doing. It was a really odd behavior for him.
A week went by and Ichigo's wounds were healing well, some might even say too well. They were closing faster than they'd ever believe. That left the nurses and doctors scratching their heads. Even the large bruise he received on his chest was nearly a distant memory. However, his attitude did little improving. He was still ready to take people heads off at the drop of a hat. During that week he had seen a psychiatrist and neurologist to see if they could find something that was trigging his strange mood swings. The neurologist found not damage to his brain and the psychiatrist really couldn't explain it either.
She described Ichigo as almost being a bit animalistic. She could only hypothesize it being a form of mental trauma like some form of PTSD. He was attacked by a vicious creature and in response started to act the same way to a degree. It may even be a coping mechanism she also offered. She really had no answers but said that possibly with therapy and time Ichigo might bounce back to being himself.
Of course it was time for Ichigo to go home. However, which home was the big question. The clear and logical choice would be home with his father. His father was a licensed and practicing MD. He had a secure home, access to medical supplies, and a good income to support Ichigo during recovery. However, Ichigo would rather cut off his arms and legs than go live with his father. That of course left Orihime, who made just enough money to support herself and she lived in a very small apartment. But Ichigo tolerated her above all other people. If he stayed with his father he would get the proper care he needed but would be miserable. If he stayed with Orihime, care would be limited but he would be happy. It was a damn if one does and damn if one doesn't.
In fact Isshin and Orihime even had a heated debate over that, in Ichigo's room no less. What was better for him; the young man's health or his happiness? Ichigo settled that quickly. Needless to say Orihime won the custody battle and Isshin ended up with a lump on the back of his head where Ichigo tossed his large plastic water jug at him. They did, however, come up with a consensus. Ichigo would stay and live with Orihime but Isshin would come over daily to maintain and take care of Ichigo's wounds until they were completely healed. Much to Ichigo's disliking.
Ichigo was finally released from the hospital late in the morning. It was a cloudy day with a chance of storms that evening. The air was hot and muggy as Ichigo was rolled up to a waiting cab. He was helped into the backseat with what little belongings he had with him. Orihime got in on the other side and made sure he was comfortable. The door was closed and the directions were given to the cabby.
The ride was pretty quiet as Ichigo rested his head on her shoulder. Once at the apartment Ichigo needed help out of the cab. Thankfully Orihime lived on the bottom floor and only had to take one step up. She unlocked the door as he hobbled in using the wall for support.
"Well, this is it," she smiled, closing the door behind her as he looked around. "You might notice a couple of changes to the place. Your father was kind enough to supply us with a bigger sofa bed and a role away while you recover. Urahara was nice enough to give me what little belongs you had. I got all your clothes washed and they're hanging up on the left side of the closet. Your dad even gave us that little dining table with the two chairs. He'll bring over a wheelchair for you this evening when he comes to change your bandages."
"Take me to the couch," was all he said as Orihime supported him over to the new couch.
He flopped down on the slate grey couch, putting his injured leg up on the seat. She grabbed a couple new throw pillows and put them under his ankle to give a little more height.
"Want anything to drink or eat?" he inquired as he shook his head. "Want a blanket or another pillow?"
He shook his head again and she sighed. He really wasn't himself. The attack really did mess with him. She opted to turn on the TV to get some sound in the room, considering Ichigo wasn't talking. The first thing that came on was mid-day news.
"Here's the remote," she said, handing him the control to the TV. "Change it to whatever you want."
Ichigo only sat it down on the armrest. He seemed to like the news a lot she noticed. Of course Ichigo made the news this past week a couple of times. He was the first mauling reported and the only person to survive a mauling. The other attacks officials concluded had just been done the jaguar. However, no one had really spotted the jaguar or the tiger since their great escape. In fact Ichigo was the only confirmed attack by the large orange cat. Tiger hair had been found on his shirt and shorts.
Officials believed that the tiger might have just wanted to show Ichigo who was boss and just roughed him good to prove his point. They also feared that the large cat may have decided to swim down the river and out of the city, which would explain why only Ichigo had been attacked. Although it was weird she had concluded. Ichigo was the first person to be attacked, he's the only person to survive an attack, and he was the only one assaulted by the tiger.
It was very odd, even Isshin had picked up on it. Orihime shook her head a bit and turned towards the kitchen. She felt bad giving him that pet name now. In fact she hadn't even called him tiger once since the attack, feeling that would be in bad taste and insensitive to him. She went to the fridge and started to find things to make lunch with.
She looked over at Ichigo to see him staring blankly at the TV. She wanted some real reaction out of him. He was just so dull if he wasn't yelling. She turned to look at the top of the fridge, spotting the board games she had. She closed the fridge and pulled down a deck of cards and the checkerboard with its pieces. She walked over to him and he just continued to stare at the small screen.
"Hey, Ichigo, I've got an idea. Let's play a game, okay?" she said, holding up the items as he turned to look at her. "I've got checkers and some playing cards."
Once again he shook his head and her heart sank. She walked back over to the fridge and put the items back up. She opened the fridge again and started going back to making herself some lunch. A couple minutes later she walked over to the couch, taking the last cushion. She had a small salad in her hands. Ichigo still hadn't really bothered to take his eyes off the TV.
This cold shoulder business of his was getting to her. She didn't like him being so indifferent and disinterested to things he had enjoyed. It really stung her deep down. She wanted her Ichigo back. That tiger might not have taken Ichigo's life but it took his spirit so it seemed. She lost her appetite before she even started eating. She set the bowl down on the table next to the lamp. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them.
She had hoped his temperament would have changed some when he got out of the hospital but he was still just as cold. Something was very wrong with him. He was a completely different person and it was breaking her heart. Her vision started the blur a bit as tears started to build. Soon little droplets fell, making tiny puddles on her hands. The pain in her heart was real and if felt like nothing could alleviate it.
She then stood and went to leave for the bathroom but to her surprise she found a leg blocking her path. She stopped and turned to look at him. His face was blank as he looked up at her. She wasn't sure what this meant. She rubbed her eyes a little trying to dry them.
"I will get better," he said, putting his leg back on the floor again.
What did that mean? She stared at him for a bit, before shaking her head and walked towards the bathroom. She shut the door and walked over to the sink. She turned on the faucet and splashed a little cold water on her burning eyes. She had no idea what that even remotely meant. It was rather cryptic, honestly.
"What did that mean?" she whispered, turning off the faucet and grabbed the hand towel to dry her hands and face. She then put it back on the holder. "I don't get it. I just don't."
She walked out, turning off the light. Ichigo was still sitting motionless for the most part. She walked back over and picked up the salad. She might as well put it away. She covered the bowl and put it back in the fridge. She could only hope that with time he would once again become the man she loved.
Orihime sat up in the dark on her sofa bed. The power had gone out a minute ago. The only sound was that of the rain and wind, assaulting the window and the loud rolls of thunder. She pulled her knees closer to her body as a bright flash of lightning lit up the apartment for half a second. She was due to get up in a couple of hours to go to work. She had already missed too many days with having to deal with Ichigo.
She was lucky enough that she didn't lose her job and that her boss didn't press charges against Ichigo for trespassing. Her boss could be a real jerk but it was nice to know he wasn't a total ass. She sighed as a loud clap of thunder rattled the window and a few other items in the apartment. This was turning out to be a rather bad storm. She hoped it would let up by the time she went to work. She really didn't like walking in the rain. Her shoes weren't too water proof and usually the hem of her pants got soaked. Not to mention—
"Princess."
"EEEEYAAAAGH!"
She scrambled to back up from the sudden voice and she folded into a tight ball. Her heart was pounding in her ears from the sudden scare. She could vaguely make out a figure beside her. When did he…? She unfolded her body and huffed a bit.
"Jeez! Ichigo, don't do that! I didn't even feel you get on the bed," she snapped, holding a hand over her racing heart. "Wh-what is it? Is something wrong?"
He scooted a little closer and to her complete surprise he sat his head down in her lap. He then grabbed her hand and placed it on the top of his head. She blinked. What in the…?
"Pet me," he said as she sat there a little stunned.
"Uh, okay," she muttered and started stroking the top of his orange head.
This was really odd. For the majority of the day he barely gave her the time of the day. Why now? Was it the storm? No way, that would be silly. She shook her head. Right now there was no understanding him. She was just happy that he finally was showing a little interest in her. She continued to pet him for a while until she started feeling groggy again. She readjusted herself so she was lying back down on the bed beside him. She stroked his head little bit more before finally falling asleep again.
Another week crept by very slowly but towards the end of the week Ichigo's showed signs of mentally improving. He was starting to be a little more interested in things once again and was finally starting to talk a bit more. Needless to say it was a huge relief to Orihime and Isshin. With luck and a little more time hopefully Ichigo would be Ichigo again.
Ichigo's wounds, however, were baffling Isshin. They were healing fast. A little too fast, honestly. The kind of wounds his son sustained should take several months to heal up properly but they were already half way closed up in only two weeks. It really left Isshin scratching his head. He was happy that the wounds were closing but he was also a little scared. He had never seen anything like this. He had seen many vicious wounds caused by dogs and a few looked worse than what the tiger had left in Ichigo. Yet none of them healed this fast. So this was really an odd mystery.
Orihime also took notice of a few odd things with Ichigo. She recalled Ichigo having a bit of a toned body but now he had a really toned body. Over the last couple of weeks while hardly doing anything he just built muscle. Not large bulking muscles found in body builders but they were indeed a lot more defined and noticeable. She didn't mind it. Not one bit but it was odd for him to bulk up like that doing nothing.
She also noticed an odd change in his diet. He was still eating stuff he normally ate but his appetite had gotten bigger. He also had been craving a heavier protein diet. He still ate fruits, veggies, starches, and grains but… She often found him just eating sandwich meats or canned meat when she turned from work. It bugged her as to why he started having such an odd craving.
He also liked to have his head petted—a lot. Like he had done the first night, he would put his head on her lap and she would start running her fingers through his shaggy hair. It had become a nightly routine. That also brought up another thing. His hair had grown quite a bit too. Honestly, he could do with a haircut and sometime soon.
Despite the odd things Ichigo was indeed slowly coming back to normal. Orihime was happy about that. In fact, since he was in a better mood she had decided to have a friend come over for a day. She hadn't talked to Tatsuki in a good while. She, however, sort of neglected to tell Tatsuki about her new roommate. Needless to say the tomboy was taken aback by the sight of a man in a wheelchair occupying Orihime's apartment.
"Who the hell are you?" the woman snapped, pointing at Ichigo. He didn't seem to keen to have a finger pointed at him.
"Tatsuki, that's Kurosaki Ichigo! We went to school with him, remember?" Orihime said, pushing Tatsuki's hand down. "He was the moody guy that sat in the back of the class."
"Huh?" Tatsuki blinked, inching a little closer to study him. "Hey, wait... Is this the homeless man you mentioned taking care of a while ago; the one that broke into the store?"
Orihime sheepishly nodded.
"Why's he in your apartment?" Tatsuki inquired, sharply.
Ichigo's face soured more and Orihime tried to avoid a fight by getting between them. Ichigo was still rather ill-tempered and she didn't need a fight on her hands. Hopefully, she could defuse the bomb before it went off.
"Tatsuki, don't you watch the news? He was the man attacked by the tiger down by the river," Orihime said quickly. "I offered to take care of him while he heals up!"
The dark haired woman looked flabbergasted at her friend. Was Orihime serious? Wait… Hold on. Tatsuki crossed her arms and looked between the two people before her. A sly, knowing grin pulled on the corners of her mouth. Uh-huh. Okay, she got it.
"You're dating each other, aren't you?" Tatsuki blurted out as Orihime's cheeks lit up pink. "Ha! You are! You didn't tell me you were actually seeing him like that. I thought you just sort of befriended the guy."
"Well… It started off that way," Orihime sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Started off that way, huh? Should have known better," Tatsuki said, unfolding her arms and put her hands on her hips. "So, Kurosaki, right?"
Ichigo nodded once and Tatsuki looked at him rather puzzled. He hadn't said anything since she walked in the door. She found it odd even for a quiet person. She started to recall him a little more now that she really looked at him.
"Tell me something. You are treating her well, right?" Tatsuki chided and put a hand on Orihime's head. "Orihime's a bit of delicate flower and don't want her to wither away because you're not tending to her properly."
"Tatsuki," Orihime whined.
"You've got quite a mouth," Ichigo drawled, his glare narrowing.
"So you can talk, glad to know it," she said, taking a step forward. "Well, you never answered me. You are taking good care of her, right?"
"I am."
"Yeah? Okay… You are going to help her out when you get better, right? You know get a job and all that."
"I plan to do so."
"Good, good. She's really given you a lot. I want to make sure it's not a one-way street between you two."
"I will get better and I will protect her."
"Now that's what I want to hear," Tatsuki gave Ichigo a wide grin. "I'll hold you to that, Kurosaki. She's a delicate flower, remember? Never forget that."
He nodded. Orihime sighed, looking between them. Hopefully, things will continue to go smoothly this evening. Grant it tension was there between them but hopefully that would ebb away soon enough. She wanted Tatsuki and Ichigo to get along and be friends too. She didn't want her boyfriend and her best friend to be enemies because she would be stuck between them. If that happened she knew she could never pick a side. She crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.
Another week went by and Ichigo's attitude started to improve even more. He wasn't nearly as ill-tempered and he was clearly staring to enjoy things and talking a lot more. His wounds were nearly closed to everyone surprise. This just floored and stumped Isshin to no end. He had no way to explain it. Even the doctor that performed the surgery was just in awe at the condition Ichigo was in. He had never seen anything or anyone like Ichigo before.
They took x-rays of Ichigo's chest and found no broken bones. On a hunch the plaster cast on his wrist was sawed off and an x-ray was taken. That too had healed up nicely. Needless to say Ichigo was a medical marvel. They concluded that in another week his wounds would be gone all together. Ichigo welcomed that because that would mean getting out and start hunting for a job.
He was really looking forward to that as was Orihime. She was really struggling to keep everything a float with Ichigo living with her. Once Ichigo secured a job she knew things would be a lot easier on the both of them. They could afford more food, which was something Ichigo was still digging into a lot.
Another week flew by and Ichigo's wounds were closed, only leaving pink marks were the new skin sat. No doubt there would still be a lot of scarring but everything seemed fine. In fact he didn't even need physical therapy, which they figured he would need. But his muscles and ligaments were all intact and completely healed. It was almost like the mauling never happened.
Ichigo started job hunting the moment his doctor gave him a clean bill of health. Ichigo had a new vigor to him that Orihime had never seen before. He was really searching this time and trying different options. That made her happy to see him out and about. Given what he was like just a month earlier, she was just tickled pink with the change.
Ichigo had bounced back just fine it seemed. He started doing his usual routine of meeting up with her at the café when she got off work. He would tell her about where he applied for a job and what the job entailed should he get it. He really was like a whole new person even from before the attack. She really liked this new Ichigo.
But despite how things were going between them something just seemed off. She couldn't put her finger on it. Everything was the same but yet different. He still had this thing for wanting her to stroke the top of his head, which she didn't mind really but it was still odd. He also did this thing where he would hug her from behind and rub his head on her shoulders. Sometime she'd feel his teeth lightly slide long her skin and she loved it. Apparently, it was his way of reciprocating.
Even his personality she also noticed wasn't quite right. She took notice that Ichigo suddenly wasn't overly fond of animals. Before he would pet a dog and play with someone's cat. Now he didn't like them and the feeling was mutual. Dogs would start barking at him for no reason ready for a fight, playing a fierce tug-of-war with their owners'. Or sometimes the dogs would cower in absolute fear as Ichigo walked by them. The owners could not explain it and would apologize for their pets' strange behavior.
He also had this strange habit of disappearing in the middle of the night every so often when she was asleep. He would return a little dishevel from his strange walks, that usually lasted an hour or so. His hands and feet would be rather dirty when he got back. When she would catch him she would ask him where he had been and how he got so dirty. He would merely say that he went out walking and would stop to see his old friends from the camp. He explained that the new area that they relocated to wasn't very clean. Orihime wasn't too sure of the excuse but took it anyway. She just couldn't figure out why he had to go visit them in the dead of night.
The big cats were still at large in the small town. The tiger showed up again recently after being gone for a month or so. The tiger, however, was more or less going after tray cats and dogs. There were only a couple of people that he actually attacked. The jaguar was the problem cat. He had raked in a body count of 23 and counting. Police and zoo officials were trying to come up with traps for these cats but for some odd reason none of them worked. The only things they ever caught were the usual stray cats, dogs, and other city scavengers. Apparently, the big cats were smart. Really smart. Perhaps, too smart.
A curfew had been placed on the city for people to not be out after dark and to not make any unneeded trips. Basically, if there was no reason to be out don't go out. The city's officials spent some money to install new cameras around town to see if they could find where the cats were hiding. They had made the video feeds live so that the residents could watch on the city's webpage. That still brought no luck in locating or even spotting one of them.
An odd trend picked up around town too. As a way to safe guard themselves people took to wearing masks on the backs of their heads especially those that had to be out after curfew. It was a known fact that tigers were least likely to go after prey once it's been spotted. The idea was to basically have eyes on the back of one's head. However, people were still being attacked regardless.
A small group from the military eventually came out to the city to see if they could locate the large cats. They brought all manner of gadgets to see in the dark and they even had several dogs trained to trace the scent of the cats. However, the large cats remained elusive. In fact one of them had even somehow crept into the camp and found its way into the dog pen no less. However, by the time the men rushed over to see what the ruckus had been, they just caught a glimpse of the white jaguar jumping out of the pen. They fired at the animal but it ran off. The hunting dogs were decimated and more than half of them were already dead or bleeding out. It was at this time that the cats even had the military spooked. They were smart, too smart.
Another month ticked by and Ichigo had managed to get hired at a newspaper plant. He wasn't overly fond of the job in fact he down right hated it. He was already looking for another job to get out of it. He couldn't stand the smell of the ink and the machines. Not to mention the noise really got to him too. By the time he got home in the early morning hours he was covered in a thin layer of ink and he was usually in a rather ill mood.
Orihime didn't like him working a night job but it was a job that made money. Ichigo, however, liked working nights; it was just the job he didn't like. She tried to convince him to take a day job instead, do to the animal attacks that were still going on. She worried about him but he told her every night as he went to work that he would be fine. She couldn't understand how he was so calm about it. After all he had already been attacked by the tiger and he should know better than anyone what those monsters were capable of.
One night, however, she was particularly worried and for good reason. There had been an attack near the newspaper plant Ichigo worked at. She was nothing but a bundle of nerves after she heard the news. A lot of times he couldn't hear his cellphone over the roar of the presses. She opted to stay up that night until he got home. As it was she wasn't working that morning so there wouldn't be any repercussions.
The hours ticked by and in an effort to calm her nerves she opted to take a bath. She washed herself off and then hoped in the warm tub of water. She tried to take her mind off the attack. If it had been Ichigo again she would have already gotten a call. So that was a little encouraging. She leaned back and slid down to where the water's suffice covered her rosy lips. She blew a couple small bubbles that quickly popped under her nose.
Hopefully Ichigo will be home soon. This is about the time he gets back assuming his not working over. I hope he's not working over, she mused, folding her hands over her creamy stomach. I don't like this waiting around. I thought taking a bath would help but—hm?
Click
Orihime sat up with a splash as she saw the bathroom door open. Ash blue eyes quickly met chocolate. He was home and he safe. She quickly leaned over the side of the tub as he walked into the small room. His skin, hair, and work uniform stained with black ink. He was a total mess. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him.
"Sorry to intrude on you," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I can wait outside."
"N-no! Uh…" she said, reaching out to him and flush a good bit. "I-I don't mind if you…"
"No, it's fine! You can fin—" he reached for the door handle.
"I don't mind! I want you to stay!"
"Orihime? A-are you okay?"
"No, I'm not! Ichigo, there was an attack near your job earlier this evening! I tried calling you a few times but you… I… I so worried about you. I just… Please, don't go."
"Orihime…"
She cast her eyes down, looking at the wet tile floor. She didn't want him to leave right now. She was just so happy to know he was fine. She didn't want to lose sight of him. She bit her bottom lip as she felt him approach her. She raised her head to look at him, gripping the smooth edge of the tub. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She calmed a bit, feeling his warm touch on her.
"Princess, if you let me leave long enough to get a towel and I'll join you," he grinned with a wink.
Her blush intensified and sent a heatwave through her whole body. Ichigo was going to join her? In the bath? Come to think of it… Other than the night of the mugging they had never really—messed around. He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving the door partially cracked. Her heart started to quicken as she watched the door like a hawk. It finally flung open and Ichigo walked in with a fresh towel and he hung it up on hers. He undid the buttons on his blackened blue shirt and then took it off.
Orihime watched him undress, hiding her red face a little behind the tub wall. He really was a fine specimen of a man. His physique really had changed now that she looking at him with a lot less cover. He was still very lean but was very well chiseled. His scares were still very visible on his shoulder and lower right leg. Her heart was just going a mile a minute as he pulled off the last of his clothes and dropped them onto the rest of the pile. He smiled at her as she just stared at everything he had.
"You know…" he breathed as she titled her head up little to look at his face. "If you help me wash up I'll be in the tub faster."
She pushed off the wall a bit as he took a couple step towards the stool by the drain and showerhead. What a tease! She pulled her legs under her body and stood with a quick splash. She stepped onto the cool floor and closed the gap between them. He smiled at her.
"Ha! I left a bit of ink on your forehead," he pointed out as he sat down.
She reached up and rubbed her forehead. The tips of her fingers were a pale black. He turned on the faucet and the shower turned on. She walked over and grabbed a washcloth. She handed it to him and he started to scrub the black ink from his hands.
"You want to wash my body or my hair?" he teased, looking up at her.
"You're loving this, aren't you?" she asked, putting his hands on her hips.
"And you're not?" he grinned, rinsing out the washcloth. "What's your choice, Princess?"
She sighed. So she had two options. Well, she knew one thing for sure. She was tired of petting. She grabbed the cloth adding more soap and leathered it. She started on his shoulders slowly working her way down his lean chest. He started to wash his hair. As she scrubbed his skin the more anxious she became. This was almost cruel. Almost. She continued scrubbing every one of his muscles, studying how the water cascaded off him. This was just eating at her. She wanted his touch on her. She wanted his hands to slide over her curves and hold her.
She then felt his hand under her chin. He tilted her head up and kissed her deeply on the lips. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt him pick her up by her thighs to sit on his lap. The warm water from the shower rained down on them completely ignored. They exchanged many different fevered kisses as their hands slid smoothly over each other's wet skin.
It wasn't long before Orihime found herself on her back with Ichigo hoovering over her. Both of them where breathing heavy. His bright orange hair dripped water onto her flushed faced. She swallowed a heavy knot and pushed a bit of her long hair from her face.
"Princess…" he breathed heavily, bringing his face closer to hers. Their noses lightly touching. "I need to…"
"Yes?" she asked, squirming under him.
"There's…" his voice locked in his throat. "There's something you need to…"
There was a look of apprehension on his face. Was there something wrong? She wrapped her arms around his middle, pulling him closer to her so that stomachs touched. Whatever it was it could wait. She licked her lips and kissed him again pushing her tongue into his mouth. He played with the offered muscle for a moment before pulling back.
"Princess, please…" he gasped for a bit of air. "I just… I'm not what you think…"
"Ichigoooo," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist. "If you can't say it—don't. Just please… I want it! Stop teasing me!"
"D-do you accept me as I am?" he choked out, grabbing her head with his hands. She blinked a bit, looking into worried chocolate brown eyes.
"What are you…?"
"Do you accept me completely?"
"I'm on the bathroom floor, soaking wet. What do you think, silly?"
"I need to hear you say it. Will you accept me as I truly am and not just what you see?"
"Ichigo, you're killing the mood… Fine! Yes, I accept everything that you are! Every little fault and mistake you have! And, yes, I mean it from the very bottom of my heart! Now before you open your mouth again…"
She kissed him and wriggled her hips against him. She wasn't going to let this moment pass her by. He teased her, damn it. She was going to get something out of him as compensation. He adjusted himself as she braced herself for his love.
Two wet naked forms heaved on the white tile floor on the small bathroom. The water from the shower was now running cold and no doubt the water in the tub was barely lukewarm. They rested parallel to each other, catching their breath from their previous euphoria. They had gone two rounds practically back to back.
Orihime was shocked. He wasn't this passionate the first time and it was nice to know he could be. She walked her fingers along the floor and took his strong hand into hers. In returned he picked up her hand and brought to his lips. He then sat up and crawled over to the faucet and turned off the icy water.
"Water bill's going to be a bit high this month," he joked, pushing his wet locks from his face. "But worth the price."
"Hmhmhm!" Orihime chuckled, pushing herself up onto her elbows. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders and back. "Ichigo…"
He turned to face her again as she sat up completely on her rump and patted her lap. He crawled back over to her putting his head down as she started to comb through his hair with her fingers. She had been so worried about him last night and it was nice to have him here with her. He was safe right here with her. She honestly didn't want this moment to end.
"Princess…" he said, rolling his head over to look up at her.
"Yes?" she hummed with a smile.
"Will you…? I mean…" his face was a bright pink as he reached up and stopped her petting. "Will be my princess?"
"I already am."
"No… I mean my real princess," he choked out, sitting up so their faces were level.
"I-Ichigo…" she flushed. "What?"
He grabbed her hands into his as her flush grew brighter. Even he was a bright red. His hands were shaking something terrible. Was he actually asking…? Her heart was just beating a mile a minute and clearly his was too.
"I want you to be my princess! I want you to rule me! To love me!"
"I-I-Ichigo! I don't…"
"Please! In return I'll be your guardian tiger! I'll protect and serve you and only you. Please, Inoue Orihime, will you be my princess?"
Orihime stared at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed. They had barely known each half a year and he was already asking her this question? Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. Was this just from the heat of the moment or did really mean it? Here he was on the bathroom floor of all places, proposing to her. She looked hard into his eyes. He meant it. He really loved her that much. She looked down at his quivering hands that held hers. She knew her answer. She quickly cast her eyes back to his face and a wide smile stretched across her face.
"Yes, I will be your princess!"
(A/N Now that was a long chapter! Over 11,000 words. Wow! I'm glad that's out of the way. So, tell me what you think! Please leave a review! Thank you!)
Millie M. Banshee