I would like to start off by giving a HUGE thanks to everyone who took the time to read, review, favourite and alert chapter 1 of Love Bites. I really wasn't expecting that many people to read it and the reviews were sooooo lovely thank you!
Ok now down to business, I am hoping this chapter will provide more insight into the Orihime's world. I'm sorry if it feels slow at the moment with regards to action and moving the narrative forward, however I feel that these next few chapters will help to fully understand the characters motives and what has happened to the world they live in.
PS –Sorry for the history lesson!
So here we go… ;)
There was no longer anymore hope of sleep for the redheaded insomniac. Those precious two hours of sleep did not last long, thanks to that dream yet again. 'Why can the past never leave me alone? Not even in my dreams' she thought as she turned her head to the side, gazing sleepily at her alarm clock. The illuminated numbers glowed angrily at her tired eyes, it was now - 5.00am. 'Great…' she sighed, rolling over and reluctantly detangling herself from her warm sheets.
She rose from the bed and stumbled through the darkness to the bathroom and turned on the light. 'Too bright' she moaned as she squinted through tired eyes at her reflection in the mirror. 'Nice' she muttered at her reflection while stretching and yawning loudly.
The bags under her eyes were much darker than they were last week and her hair… there was no easy fix this time. With a loud sigh she removed her pyjamas and stepped into the shower.
The water was scalding hot, just how she liked it. She smiled as the water eased the tension in her muscles, making her feel human again. 'That dream… always stresses me out' she thought as she began to lather up shampoo in her hands. She scrubbed her head thoroughly, wishing she could wash away all the pain and memories.
Thirty minutes later she pulled back the curtain and dried herself off with towel. Her skin was red and blotchy, due to the temperature of the water and the length of time spent in there. She often thought that it probably wasn't healthy to have the water that hot, but she soon forgot about it as her skin returned to its creamy colour. After rubbing lotion into her skin she wrapped a towel around her body and used another smaller one for her hair.
The room had turned into a sauna, the steam was becoming overwhelming. She was beginning to feel too hot and slightly dizzy, so she cracked open the small window and poked her head outside. The cool air was refreshing, she breathed in deeply savouring the cool, cleanliness.
She leaned her head against the window frame and glanced outside at her surroundings, it was still quite dark outside; the sun was just beginning to rise very slowly as it usually does during the winter.
Her apartment was on the second floor which suited her fine as she as high enough to be out of the way of any trouble but not too high. No one was outside; it was dead silent as usual thanks to the curfew. 'Everything has changed…' she thought as she slumped further against the wall.
The steam was beginning to clear and goose bumps were beginning to form on her arms from the freezing winter temperature. So she closed the window and walked over to her sink, after brushing her teeth she attempted to comb her hair.
'Maybe I should just cut it' she thought as the comb snagged on yet another tangle. Her frown deepened as she tried to be as careful as she could not to cause anymore breakages or split ends.
Eventually the comb ran smoothly through her hair, she gave her reflection a small smile and turned to exit the room.
It was lighter in her bedroom now; she was able to see where she was going. And she really needed to, her room was in chaos. She had never been a tidy person but she eventually made the effort to tidy at least one section of her apartment every few weeks. This past month had been stressful though and the dreams were becoming more frequent, so she hadn't bothered with any of it. Smiling she surveyed the build-up of neglect 'Tatsuki would kill me if she saw the state of this place' she thought.
Her smile faded, thinking of Tatsuki she hadn't seen her in over a month. She missed and worried about her constantly, it had been nine months since she signed up to become a soldier. 'This war isn't going to end anytime soon Hime, I want to play my part and help out as much as I can. Please respect my decision.' Their last conversation had ended with these words. It had been tense and upsetting as Orihime couldn't understanding why her best friend would risk her life for a losing cause.
She sighed, walking over to her wardrobe to decide what to wear for the day. It was very cold; snow was predicted to fall over the weekend. So she decided on a black long sleeved jumper and dark blue jeans. Along with her boots, scarf and coat which she would put on before leaving, to provide further protection from the cold.
It was only 6.45am by the time she finished, so she toasted a bagel – as her stomach was groaning wildly, and spread on some margarine. The warmth caused the margarine to melt turning the bagel goldenly yellow in colour.
She then grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge and poured herself a glass, 'Thank god I have a dish washer' she thought as she filled it up with dirty dishes.
With the kitchen counters semi clear, she grabbed her breakfast and settled down on her bed. She ate in silence, from outside she could just begin to hear cars starting and people talking. 'Well it is nearly 7.00, curfews almost over but the soldiers must be out in full force today, it's still so dark' she thought while taking sips of orange juice.
A shrill beeping caused her to jump and spill some of her juice. It was her alarm clock; she always woke up before it went off. But still she set it in the hopes of getting a good night's sleep. 'Time to wake up Orihime' she said while trying to soak up the spilt juice on her sheets with a tissue.
After cleaning up the best she could she stripped her bed and putting her sheets in a laundry bag. She still had 20 minutes to go before she had to leave, so she went back to her bed and reached for the TV remote. She aimed it at the small TV at the end of her bed and turned it on.
She flipped through the channels; there was never really much choice. TV wasn't really used for entertainment purposes. The main reason for having a TV was for the news, for citizens to keep up to date on the war and any emergency situations.
'So how many have died today' she sighed as the news resumed after the advert break. It had been nearly thirteen years now since the war started, the world was at war. Countries were not against each other, nations had united to fight together against a threat to humanity.
Thirteen years ago the world changed forever, creatures thought to be from myths and legends had emerged from the deepest pits of the Earth.
For centuries they had hidden in the darkness, driven to the point of near extension by humans in the Middle Ages. For the few that survived, long arduous years were spent regaining their strength and developing ways to exact their revenge on humans. As their hatred grew for humans grew so did their abilities. They hunted only at night so as not to be seen and eventually humans became their prey once more. Vampires really existed.
Their numbers grew; the vampires began not only to feed from humans but to turn them into their own kind. Once a vampire, always a vampire. The turned humans had no option but to join the vampires, as they had no longer had a place in the world of the humans. They became immortals.
After painful centuries they emerged from the darkness with their numbers and strength returned. Seeking their revenge on the ones who drove them there. Humans.
They had also created a new breed through experimentation and cell mutation; their scientific capabilities far exceeded that of humans. They named them hollows, dark evil creatures that lusted over blood and destruction. They became wild and mentally unstable, the vampires eventually lost control over the hollows and they turned on their masters. They kill anyone in their sight and spare no mercy. The hollows were released from their deep pits into the world of the humans.
The humans were unprepared for the first attack and the shock of seeing such creatures was immense. The death toll continued to rise, but the humans were fighting back developing new armies and weapons to kill the demons.
The Vampires emerged not long after the hollows, they marvelled at the destruction and suffering of the humans. Not wanting to be outdone by their creation they joined in the massacre, their skills and powers far exceeded that of the hollows. Centuries of living in darkness gave them supreme senses at night. Their strength and speed were unrivalled, and so was their hatred for humans.
The humans trained and developed skills to fight the vampires; an elite team was formed known as the Shinigamis or executioners. Their strength and skills with blades began to match that of the vampires, driving them back so the humans could reclaim their land.
It had taken two long years but the humans began to return to normality, forming new cities and towns heavily guarded and protected by the Shinigamis. However, laws and curfews were put in place for the citizens' protection. Some would say that the towns were prisons, as no citizen was allowed to leave its gates. 'Life in the fish bowl' as Orihime would often put it.
So life continued peacefully for a while.
That was until the vampire elite team emerged for the darkness – the Arrancars. The most powerful and ruthless of vampires, some would say they were wilder than the hollows.
Their leader was the worst of all, Aizen. He was an evil, merciless demon that thrived on the fear and pain of others. His sole purpose was to exterminate the human race, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
So the Arrancars continued where the hollows left off, they attacked the fortress cities claiming more lives. However the Shingami grew in numbers and continued to fight back, even entering the vampires territory and slaying them on their lands.
This battle continues, both sides hating the other to the point of pain. Wanting to exterminate the other off the face of the Earth.
Orihime turned the TV off in disgust; she had seen enough reports of killings for the day.
She was one of few people to survive a vampire attack and come out unharmed. She still didn't understand why they had spared her, when the rest of her family weren't.
She shook her head trying to force herself stop thinking of the past; it was time to focus on the present. She got off of her bed and began getting her bag ready for class when her phone rang. Deciding it was best not to ignore it; she ran over to the phone answering it just in time.
'Hello?' she said tiredly while twirling the phone cable around her finger.
'Orihime!' someone screamed at the end of the phone.
She smiled and sank down to sit on the floor; this was going to be a long conversation. He never picked the right time to call her; it was always random times in the morning or evening.
'So much for waking up early' she thought as she began to laugh at one of his many tall tales.
Don't worry this isn't the end! The conversation will be revealed next chapter, and once again I am sorry for the history lesson… I feel that it will help in the long run. I have some time off near Christmas so I will aim to update around then, if you don't hear from me by then Happy Christmas!
Ps – cinema is amazing this year have just seen The Hobbit, loved it! Gandalf!