Discovering that she was a part of this new universe did not change much, to Orihime's disappointment. She saw Renji infrequently and spoke to him even less. For weeks, life went on much as it had before. Orihime woke up early, walked with Tatsuki to school, cooked dinner for her grandmother (who seemed to be aging faster by the day), and studied late into the night.
That morning she met Tatsuki at her house on the way to school. Tatsuki was complaining about a test in math they were having the next day.
"So, my house tonight?"
Orihime was startled out of her reverie. "Sorry Tatsuki, what was that?"
Tatsuki sighed. "I was talking about our test tomorrow. You're doing so much better than me in math and I could really use your help studying. Want to come over after school? I'll feed you dinner."
Orihime felt her spirits lifting. She loved Tatsuki's mom's cooking, though her food was not as, well… as bold as Orihime's. "That sounds great! I'll call my grandmother after school and let her know. I could use some studying, too." Orihime had been having trouble concentrating on her studying (for reasons that had red hair) and was starting to fall behind.
The day ticked by slowly. It took all of Orihime's energy just to focus on what her teachers were saying. She was glad none of them called on her to give answers, because she would not have remembered if they were discussing the property of imaginary numbers or Shakespeare's Hamlet.
They ate lunch under their favorite tree, the one with wide branches and a canopy of leaves thick enough to protect them from the bulk of the sun's harshest beams during the hot summer months, but fine enough to let in gossamer rays of sunlight during brisk fall days. Orihime sat in the grass beneath it, looking up at its branches fondly. It was this tree that had brought their group of friends together. Orihime had been friends with Tatsuki since elementary school after the short-haired girl had stood up for her when a few of her classmates were making fun of her broken speech. The two began to sit at lunch together every day and Tatsuki did not seem to mind that Orihime could not understand her; she spoke incessantly anyway. She helped her with her schoolwork and invited her to her house frequently (although it felt more like kidnapping in the beginning, since Orihime could not understand the invitation). With her encouragement, Orihime found the patience and tenacity to learn this difficult language and find her place in Japanese society. The two stayed firm friends throughout elementary school all the way to junior high school and spent the summer before high school gossiping about boys and feeling as mature as 15 year-old girls could feel.
The first day of class they brought their lunch and looked for a place to sit. The cafeteria was crowded, since it was hot and everyone wanted to sit inside, so they resigned themselves to sitting outside and finding a way to bear the heat. That was when they found their tree half-hidden behind the school, stretching up towards the sky, promising relief from the roasting temperature. They were sitting underneath it, congratulating themselves on their discovery when two other girls came over and asked if they could join—they were also freshmen and looking for a place to eat where they could escape the heat. Orihime and Tatsuki graciously assented, and the girls introduced themselves as Ryo and Michiru. Orihime recognized Ryo as the captain of the track team the year before: she was tall and had a runner's build. Michiru, a girl with short stature and short hair, explained that she just moved to Karakura town, Orihime guessed from near Osaka by her accent. By unspoken consent, the girls ate together under the tree every day, sweating in the heat under the canopy and shivering in the cold as their beloved tree dropped its leaves, exposing its naked boughs. Tatsuki and Ryo loved climbing and often found themselves halfway up its branches before even ten minutes of lunch had passed, soon to be shouted down by teachers on lunch duty walking by. Months later, Mahana and Chizuru would join them, oddballs that did not fit into any other social circles.
Today the topic of conversation was Michiru and her new crush on Keigo, an awkward, gangly boy in their class. Tatsuki could not handle it.
"Dozens of boys in our class, and you pick Keigo?! Why not pick an upperclassman while you're dreaming? He's not that cute and he's so obnoxious!"
"He is cute!" Michiru protested. "And sweet! And he's come to every one of my soccer matches this season, which is more than I can say of other people," she said pointedly. Orihime remembered seeing him in the stands as she had looked unsuccessfully for a seat.
"Fine, fine," Tatsuki relented. "You're the one that has to live with your bad taste in men."
"And yours is better?" Michiru challenged. "Who do you like, Tatsuki?"
Orihime hid a smile. For the past month, the only thing Tatsuki could talk about was Kaito, an upperclassman on the school's karate team. He was tall, attractive, and the only person Tatsuki couldn't beat to a pulp in less than a minute.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Tatsuki teased.
"Tatsuki! Tell me!" Michiru demanded. "I told you and had to deal with you making fun of me. It's your turn!"
Orihime watched with amusement as the two girls argued. Tatsuki loved baiting Michiru. It was so easy to get her to bite. Mahana turned and looked at the auburn-haired girl. "What about you, Orihime? Any boys you're dreaming about?"
Red hair flashed across her vision and she choked on her apple juice.
"Err, no. Not yet," she spluttered.
Mahana sighed, disappointed. "That's alright, I guess. It's only fall, so there's still plenty of time to crush on boys before the year is over. I myself am still in search of a worthy young man to be the object of my affection," Mahana declared dramatically.
Mahana carried on about the immaturity of 16-year-olds and the unfairness of the meager supply of dateable boys in their school, and Orihime agreed and nodded at the correct points, pretending to listen. Finally, lunch ended and the rest of the trickled by, as slow and deliberate as the constant drip of a leaky faucet.
After school, Tatsuki waited for Orihime to call her grandmother and tell her of her evening plans and assure her that she would be back before her curfew. The two girls walked the five minutes to Tatsuki's house in silence, wrapped in their thoughts.
When they arrived, they both procrastinated studying as long as possible, Orihime teasing Tatsuki's orange and white cat with a string, Tatsuki practicing her punches while admiring her reflection in a mirror. Finally, they pulled out their math books and began to focus. An hour later, Orihime was explaining a difficult to concept to Tatsuki when Tatsuki's mom called them to dinner: sukiyaki, a hot pot of meat and various vegetables dipped in raw egg. After a delicious dinner, Orihime and Tatsuki collapsed on the floor like roly polies and attempted to study more. Brains fried, they finally gave up what felt like hours later.
"That's enough," Tatsuki moaned. "If I have to look at another number, my head will explode.
She rolled onto her stomach and eyed the clock. "Crap! Sorry Orihime, I didn't realize it was already past nine. You should get home before your grandmother starts to worry. Want me to walk you?"
"No, it's alright," Orihime assured her. "It's only a ten minute walk—I'll be fine."
Tatsuki saw her to the entrance and Orihime thanked her mom for dinner again. She stepped outside, heart and stomach full of contentment, and looked back one last time as Tatsuki waved and closed the door, shutting out the world of light and belonging and delicious smells. The cool wind slapped her face as she began her walk home, stirring her from her sluggish daze. She passed by other apartments on her way through the complex. Some of the families had their curtains open and she caught glimpses into their evening lives—cleaning the kitchen or sitting at the table finishing up any last minute work before the morning. She wondered at how each apartment was like a miniature world, each home dealing with its own problems and triumphs, sorrows and joys.
She was startled from her reverie by the familiar shriek of a hollow miles away. Orihime was not frightened, but she picked up her pace. A minute later she heard another, closer this time, perhaps the same one. She walked faster, only a few minutes away from home. She relaxed when she heard it again, this time muted by distance.
She turned onto the last street. Every night before she fell asleep, she wondered at how thin the line was between reality and dreams. It was a line she could never put her finger on; she was never sure of the moment when she stopped thinking and started dreaming. Right here, right now, there was no line, no mark that she had stepped over to signify she was entering one of her dreams, one of her nightmares. Because when Orihime turned the corner onto the last street before home, she found her hollow. Not the same hollow she had seen on television all those years ago, sitting in the comfort of the kitchen with the smell of dishes just cleaned and tea just made. This hollow was at least twice as large, its edges as sharp and clear as the outlines Orihime gave her drawings in black marker. It gave an earsplitting scream that Orihime could feel in every fiber of her being. Melting into a puddle of terror would not help her escape this beast.
Her entire being screamed at her to run, but she was frozen in place. She locked eyes with the creature and they stared at each other motionlessly for what felt like an eternity. Then, it began to move slowly and deliberately towards her. Every particle in her being cried out that it wanted this creature to be as far away from her as possible. Every step it took closer filled her with dread, but still she could not move. Finally, it was close enough that she could see it in detail: its sickly yellow eyes, ivory white mask, mouth split into a horrifying grin, close enough for her to reach out and touch. Its presence was overwhelmingly evil, leaving a repulsive taste in her mouth that made her feel sick. It reached out a long, pale arm and lifted her off the ground, slamming her into the wall behind. Stars exploded in her vision and she fell to the ground, stunned. She heard a voice in the distance, muffled as if she were submerged underwater. Her hearing cleared and she heard the voice again—panicked this time. Then she felt a force collide with her side and she was flying, flying, pain gone, connected by a thread to her body. She was in another world thousands of feet in the air, a kite linked to the earth by a single strand. She heard a man's voice calling her name (Renji?) and she cracked open her eyes to a very bizarre scene. She was on the ground after all, a few feet away from where the hollow first grabbed her and was still standing over a crumpled body that looked exactly like hers. She was flooded with relief to see Renji, the owner of the voice, crouching defensively, sword in both hands and pointed at the hollow.
The hollow curled its hand into a fist and struck, knuckles striking solid ground as Renji dodged, leaping lightly to the side. The soul reaper sprung forward, leaving a deep gash on the hollow's outstretched arm. The creature howled in pain and rage and struck again, this time narrowly missing the soul reaper, slamming its fist into a building.
Orihime tried to lift her head, no longer feeling like flying. In fact, her body felt very heavy and she was having trouble breathing. She raised her hand up to her chest and her fingers collided with cold metal. She grasped it, examining the metal by touch. It was a chain: it protruded from her skin just below her neck, snaking toward the direction where the Orihime-lookalike lay motionless on the ground. She did not have much time to think about what the chain signified—Renji was still fighting.
The battle did not seem to be going well for the hollow. It was becoming increasingly enraged and desperate, swatting at the soul reaper as if he were a fly as Renji dodged with ease, slashing the hollow gash after gash. Finally, Orihime could see that Renji was preparing himself for the final blow. He leapt forward, dodged another swipe by the hollow's massive arm, and left a deep cut from the bottom of its chest up to the side of his neck. The hollow roared in pain and Orihime held her breath as the monster crumpled to the ground and slowly disintegrated into ash and mist. Renji sheathed his sword and walked over to where Orihime was lying on the concrete, still clutching the chain that protruded from her chest in disbelief. She doubted that there were many humans who had borne witness to such a battle and even fewer that had survived.
Renji crouched next to her and looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"
"I—I think so," Orihime managed to reply. "What happened to me? What is this chain? And who is that lying over there?" She could not look away from the motionless form.
Renji followed her gaze. "That's you," he said quietly. "At least, your physical body. Somehow that hollow forced your soul out of its body. The chain is what connects you to your physical form. You're lucky it didn't break—you wouldn't be able to return to your body. And I would be performing a konso right now—a soul funeral that would send you to the Soul Society."
"So you're saying I can get back to my body?" Orihime searched his face for reassurance.
Renji nodded. He motioned for her to wait a moment, straightened up, and walked over to where Orihime's body was. He stooped, placed one hand underneath her back and the other behind her knees, and lifted her up. He carried her over to where Orihime was still lying on the ground.
He placed her body on the ground gently. "Can you move? All you have to do is touch your physical body with both hands and pull yourself in."
Orihime nodded. She pulled herself up on her elbows, reached out, and grabbed her body with both of her hands, pulling herself forward. Re-entering her body was not as difficult as she thought it would be; her physical form seemed to be pulling her spirit forward as if they were attracted to each other like magnets. Her spirit flowed forward, pouring into her body like water. It took only a few moments for her to reconnect, consciousness ebbing and then surging as if she were hundreds of feet underwater and ascending to the surface in an instant.
Eyelids twitched. She could sense an overpowering darkness mottled with the harsh lights of streetlamps overhead. And then, her sense of pain. Her back and side ached fiercely and she remembered being thrown to the wall and kicked aside by the hollow like a rag doll. She gingerly felt her side. No broken ribs. She sighed in relief. She was sure she would have nasty bruises the next morning, but those she could hide. An emergency visit to the hospital would be much more difficult to explain.
"Can you walk?" Renji asked. "We should get you home before another one comes."
"Yes, but I may need help getting—oh." Renji was already pulling her to her feet. He wound one arm around her waist in support. Orihime was secretly glad for the darkness that hid her reddening face.
"I'll help you home, since it looks like you might pass out if I don't," he said lightly, with a grin. He did not seem at all affected by the fight, as if defeating massive hollows and helping high school girls back into their physical body were things he did every day. For all she knew, it was.
The few minute walk to her house seemed to pass by unnaturally quickly. Orihime wondered if Renji had used some of his magic soul reaper powers to transport them instantly to her home.
"Here you are," Renji said. "Your grandmother won't be able to see me, so it's best if you walk in by yourself, if you can manage."
Orihime did not think to ask how Renji knew where she lived or who she lived with. She just nodded and blurted out, "Will I see you again soon? I have so many things to ask you. About that hollow, and the chain thing..."
Renji looked surprised by her outburst. He looked down the darkened street in the direction they had just come from and assured her, "I'll be nearby. There've been a lot of hollows showing up in this area recently, so I'll be close." He smiled and said, "I have a hunch you'll be seeing me again very soon." He let go of her waist and stepped back.
That moment the door swung open and Orihime's grandmother appeared in the entrance, the light from the hallway flooding into the street.
"Orihime? Is that you?" Her grandmother sounded slightly panicked. "I was worried that you weren't here yet, so I called the Arisawas and Tatsuki said you'd left a while ago." She looked Orihime up and down, eying her torn and dirty uniform. "Good heavens, child! What have you been doing? You look like you've been in a fight!"
Orihime's grandmother did not know how right she was. "Sorry, grandmother. I tripped on my way back and hurt my leg, so it took a while for me to walk back. I'll call Tatsuki and let her know I made it home alright." Her grandmother nodded and moved back into the house. Orihime stepped inside and grasped the handle to shut to door. Renji was already gone.
Orihime quickly called Tatsuki and told her not to worry, she made it home safely, she would see her bright and early the next morning. She made her excuses to her grandmother who was still fussing over her and escaped to her room. All she wanted more than anything was to take a long, hot bath and crawl into bed. Twenty minutes later, she was cocooned in her blankets, lights out, staring at the darkened ceiling. Despite the initial terror and shock of the evening and the magnificent bruises she would no doubt be sporting the next day, Orihime was not upset over what had happened. She was delighted that she had seen Renji again and happy that he had come to rescue her (though she did not flatter herself that it was just because it was her—she was sure he would have done the same for anyone else unfortunate enough to be attacked by hollows). She hoped this event would be the catalyst in their relationship—that since she had been the one attacked, he would make a point to stay in contact and answer her questions about this strange new universe (and protect her from future hollows). She lay contemplating the mysteriousness of soul reapers and wondering if she could ever learn to become one.
She fell asleep, blissfully unaware of the figure perched on her rooftop, observing the night attentively.