This Could Be the Day
Chapter 2
Bleach; Ichihime
Word Count: 1530
Warnings: mild cursing
Disclaimer: all characters herein belong to Kubo Tite.
Revised -1/27/12
~o0o~
Tatsuki towed a reluctant Orihime behind her. Something was really beginning to concern her about her friend's behavior. Rukia and her had noticed several days ago, little things really, hard to define and not easily expressed. But this, not wanting to go on vacation with them so she could clean her apartment, was nuts.
Stopping at the railing, Tatsuki captured Orihime's attention. "Now would you like to tell me what that was all about? What on earth is wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong." Orihime replied nonchalantly, twisting her fingers together as she attempted to smile reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine on my own for a few days."
"Nothing wrong you say." Scoffing, Tatsuki crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at her friend's obvious lie. "Bull! You're trying to avoid him, aren't you?"
"No, it has nothing to do with him." Orihime protested, her small hands flailing, "It's just that I want some time to myself. I need to figure out just what it is that I want."
"I thought that you wanted him. I believe you said that you loved him. Is that no longer true?" Tatsuki inquired with no little amount of heat in her voice. She watched with foreboding as Orihime sighed deeply and let her head fall back against the building, her eyes screwed tight. "Please don't cry, Orihime. I didn't mean to upset you."
Orihime heaved another sigh and opened her eyes, staring blankly at the blue sky above. "I'm not going to cry, Tatsuki. I don't think I have any tears left. I feel empty."
"But…"
"I do still love him, though; I probably always will." Shading her eyes with her hand, another weary sigh escaped, along with a brittle laugh. "I realize that he doesn't see me as love interest. I'm a friend, nothing more."
Tatsuki shuffled her feet, concern for her best friend evident in her eyes, "You've loved him for years. Are you just going to give up?"
"It's not a matter of giving up. He was never mine to give up in the first place. But I think putting some space between us is the right choice for me right now, Tatsuki." She took a shuddering breath and pinched the bridge of her nose before quietly continuing. "I'm just tired of getting my hopes up, only to get knocked down time and time again."
Tatsuki said softly called her name, wanting desperately to comfort her hurting friend.
"Who is it?"
Both girls froze as an angry voice growled out from behind. Glancing around in surprise, Tatsuki felt her eyes widen, shocked to see Ichigo –of all people-standing there with unmistakable anger radiating off his lean frame. Orihime's eyes meet his for only a moment before letting them drift to the side.
Ichigo was astounded by how enraged he was by the pain Orihime was experiencing. "Who is it?" He asked again and moved to stand in front of her, compelling her to look at him. "Tell me, I'll… I don't know what I'll do, but I will do something!"
He hated to see someone as kind and gentle as her in any type of pain, but emotional suffering had to be the worst. There were no enemies he could defeat for her, no task he could perform. She needed comforting words, but that would never be his strong suit, action was more appropriate coming from him.
"Inoue, you deserve someone that makes you happy." Ichigo mumbled quietly, his hand kneading the back of his neck as he tried to put the thoughts in his head into words. "If this jackass doesn't return your feelings, then you shouldn't waste your time on him."
Tatsuki about laughed aloud at the irony of it all. Trust Ichigo to ride up on his white horse only after the princess decides she can do without the prince. Hell, the prince even told her not to waste her time on him either. This was so messed up, it was almost funny.
Orihime strolled over to the edge of the roof, not replying to Ichigo and –other than a quick peek- barely acknowledging he was even there. She leaned forward, bracing her arms on the railing and stared out over the treetops surrounding the courtyard below. Sighing, Orihime's voice was whisper of sound, hesitant and unsure. "You know what, you're right." She spoke slowly, as if carefully thinking over each word before it escaped her mouth. "Maybe I should go to the beach. I've never been one to shy away from problems and ignoring this simply won't make it go away." The tension gradually left her face and a soft bittersweet smile graced her lips, "I'll go."
"It's good thing, because I wouldn't go without you." Tatsuki glanced over at Ichigo to gauge his reaction and was astounded to see naked pain in his eyes for only a moment before it was masked with his usual indifference.
"Yeah, that's good." Ichigo said in a detached tone before turning his face away. "You should let the others know, they wanted to get this settled quickly.
"Come on then, Orihime. Let's go tell them." Tatsuki replied taking her friend's hand and towing her back to join the group.
Tatsuki glanced back, only to see Ichigo steal a peek at Orihime's profile as she passed by before he turned and walked away, his body tense and his hands clenched at his side.
~o0o~
"You wouldn't happen to know who it is Inoue likes, do you?"
Rukia just about tripped over her feet at the question asked by the sullen redhead beside her. The whole walk home from school Ichigo didn't speak a word, glowering at the world around them, and then clueless as always, drops a bomb. "Why do you ask?"
"Is that a yes or a no?" He responded darkly, cramming his hand into his pocket, uneasy with the question he just asked and not entirely certain why.
"What's it to you?" Rukia retorted and was surprised to see him flinch slightly. Feeling contrite, she modified her tone. "You've never expressed any concern over Orihime's personal life before have you? Why the sudden interest, are you just curious?"
Ichigo was quiet for a moment and continued to shuffle down the sidewalk, reflecting on the problem before him and unaware of his companions racing thoughts. Rukia was just about to ask him again when he responded.
"I overheard her and Tatsuki talking at lunch. She wouldn't tell me who it was, but I could tell that this bastard ignoring her hurt her." Ichigo growled low, pulling his hand from his pocket to rub the back of his neck, massaging at the tension found there. "She wouldn't talk to me about it. Hell, she hardly even looked at me."
"It sounds to me like you really care for her." Rukia replied gently, trying not to sound too gleeful at her dense friend's slowly awakening awareness of the gentle healer. It was about time he started noticing girls, otherwise Rukia was going to start agreeing with Isshin and questioning his sexuality.
Ichigo's head snapped up, his brow deeply furrowed and his mouth pulled down as he turned toward her. "Of course I care. She's a friend, and I hate to see her feelings hurt."
Rukia stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, shaking her head at how obtuse he was. The man was truly hopeless. "No dummy, I mean genuinely care for her."
"I just said I care." Ichigo grumbled as he also came to a stop, glaring at the petite woman next to him. She was talking in riddles again and it was beginning to piss him off.
She made certain that she had his attention before continuing calmly. "I know you care, there was never any doubt that you care for her." Rukia reached out small hand and laid it on his arm. "But did it ever occur to you that maybe what you're feeling is more than friendship. Perhaps, this desire to protect and watch out for Orihime is the beginnings of something else. Maybe even love?" She gently squeezed his forearm before letting him go. "Uncharted waters I'm sure, but a plausible explanation nonetheless. You're different around her, softer, kinder, and much more protective of her than any of your other friends."
Ichigo froze where he stood. Staring unseeing at a gum wrapper on the sidewalk, his eyes wide and his breath shallow, a thousands thoughts ran through his mind. He barely registered that Rukia was speaking again.
"Just think about it. It was obvious to me."
Then, she walked off and left him contemplating emotions he honestly didn't realize he had.
Do I love her?
It just wasn't possible. She was like a princess, the school idol, and he was just a punk. He didn't deserve someone like her. What am I saying? It didn't matter if he thought he deserved her or not, because Orihime was in love with someone else. But, did he love her...
The question kept circling around, unanswered. Ichigo was feeling lost, confused, and definitely swimming in water that was well over his head.
~o0o~
A/N: I had to put this out for Orihime's birthday, I'm such a dork. Thank you to everyone who reads and responds, I am grateful and I appreciate your input. The next chapter is typed and just needs to be cleaned up a bit. I will update as soon as possible. Thank you.