Orihime took a glimpse at her watch. She was five minutes late! Orihime then flew like the wind as she hurried to the locker room. She locked up her purse and placed her hat on her head. She gave one quick peek at herself in the mirror and ran out to get her list of patients for today. She finally arrived at the nurse reception desk and searched for her clipboard and folder in her cubby.
"Nurse Inoue, the chief wants to see you," the long dark-haired woman at the desk informed.
"Do you know what it's for Unohana-san?," she asked her captain. She was worried it was because of her lateness.
"Don't worry. I'm sure he just wants to talk to you about business," Unohana reassured her.
Orihime then waved goodbye to her nurse captain and headed up to the 5th floor. The hospital only had five floors. It really was small size fit for a small town like Karakura Town.
She finally reached chief Yamamoto's office and hesitated to enter. She didn't really meet with her chief much, actually never. It was Unohana-san who hired her. Orihime did see him once, but that was when she first joined the hospital years back. She raised her hand to touch the doorknob once again.
"Enter now at once Nurse Inuoe!" he demanded. He was getting slightly irritated at the time she's wasting trying to decide when to open the cursed door.
Orihime flinched and flung open the door.
"Ch..Chief, it's a pleasure to me..meet with you. I..I'm sorry about this ch..childish delay. Wh..what do you need m..me for?" she stuttered. She forced a nervous smile, but never looked up to meet his face.
"Orihime Inuoe. There seems to be a problem with…"
"I'm really sorry for being late this morning!" she interrupted.
Orihime finally looked up into her chief's eyes. The chief gave a piercing gaze as consequence for interrupting him. He had silver white hair, but only on his face, basically a bald man with a lengthy beard. He appeared to be heavily in shape despite his old age. He sat up in a perfect posture as he rested his hands on top is desk.
"It was only ten minutes, but if you really want to fire me then I guess you can. I can't stop my boss from doing that. If I lose this job, will that mean I'll get a reputation? Will I never work at a hospital again? I'll be known as the 'That Always Tardy Nurse!' How would I be able to help my patients if that's what they think of me? Oh no! I'll end up homeless righ…"
"NURSE INUOE! STOP YOUR RAMBLING!" the chief yelled.
Orihime flinched again and nodded apologetically. All the chief did was sigh.
"Listen Ms. Inuoe, I'm not firing you," he sighed a second time.
"Really!?" she hoped.
"Yes. What I was going to say was that there is a problem at Las Noches Hospital. They need more nurses. Have you heard of it?"
"Oh yes I have. That's that infamous hospital for the most outstanding doctors in Japan. Only a few get a job there. They say that only the smartest and most beautiful doctors reside there. They are all prodigies ,"she praised.
"Yes and they are asking for you to join them." Orihime's eyes grew wide in confusion.
"What!? There's no way! Hueco Mundo is far from here though," Orihime argued, reluctant to leave her hometown.
"Yes it is and they will be paying your living expenses. All you have to pay for is your clothes, food, etc. Your new apartment is already furnished to your liking I'm sure," Yamamoto explained.
"This sounds like its already been decided," she questioned defensively.
"It has, Ms. Inuoe. You'll be heading for Hueco Mundo at the end of the week to settle down. You'll report to work at Las Nochas Hospital on Monday," he continued.
'That's two days from now.' It was already Thursday. She would be leaving on Saturday. Sadness overwhelmed her. How is she suppose to say goodbye to her friends and hometown. She was not mentally prepared for this at all.
"Is there a problem Nurse Inuoe?" chief Yamamoto pondered. He looked at the disturbed young woman. He knew she had lived here her whole life, but she needs to understand that this is a great opportunity. Sometimes change is a good thing.
"No, I'm just a bit startled. This is happening so soon."Orihime wiped a tear from her eye.
"I can announce this information to your friends, if you'd like?" he assured.
"No, I'll do it myself," she ended. She wanted to leave this as soon as possible.
"I see. Well thank your time and I wish you well. You may leave now," he ended as well.
The woman nodded and exited the office. Yamamoto crossed his fingers as he sat at his desk. He felt anxious, yet sorry for the poor girl. She was a very cheerful and smart woman, delusional at times, but also creative. He knew she would love the place once she step foot in it then this dump.
"Inu-san!" the little boy exclaimed, happy to see the nice nurse that took care of him the day before. He jumped up out of his bed and gave her a hug. Orihime hugged the cute child back and kissed his forehead.
"How are you Kai-kun?" she gave him a big smile.
"I missed you so much Inu-san. After mommy and daddy left for work this morning, I was by myself. I was so bored. The other kids are still sleeping so I have nobody to play with," he frowned.
"Aww don't worry, I'll play with you. What do you want to play?"
"Can we play 'I spy' pretty pleeeeeeeease?" he sang. His cerulean eyes grew wide with excitement through his long brown curly hair. Orihime giggled at his cuteness.
"Sure, why not? How about you go first," she smiled. Little Kai looked around the room for a while until he spotted something shimmering.
"I spy… something blue," he beamed.
"Is it the sky?" she unconsciously asked.
Nope!" he disagreed. He looked at the puzzled woman and grinned. Orihime thought about what he may be talking about. It couldn't be anything in this hospital room since it was painted bright yellow with red stripes for the kids. The bed sheets were red to match the stripes as well. He couldn't be talking about his eyes since he can't really see them without an reflection. Then she looked down and figured it all out.
"Is it these two clips?" she guessed. Orihime pointed to the blue hair pins attached to the edges of her shirt.
"Yes it is!" he affirmed. "They are so pretty Inu-san! Are they magic?" he pondered as his face shined with curiousity. She nodded.
"Yes, they are from someone very important to me. When I have them on, it's as if they are with me always just like magic" she smiled weakly. She remembered the day her brother gave them to her. Oh how she missed him so much.
"Oh, was it Ichi-san?" Orihime then snapped back into reality. She nearly fell off her chair when she heard what the kid said.
"Huh? Of course not! What makes you say that?" she asked. Orihime gave him a nervous smile.
"Cause Inu-san is always looking at Ichi-san. Do you like Ichi-san? Inu-san is very pretty. I think Ichi-san and Inu-san look happy together. Can Inu-san and Ichi-san be my uncle and auntie?" the little one anticipated. He couldn't stop discussing how he want them to be married.
Orihime couldn't stop the blush rushing to her cheeks. Her face was probably turning as red as a cherry. She placed the palms of her hands onto her face to cover it as if embarrassed. She didn't even notice when the one and only spiky haired doctor actually did enter the room.
"Ichi-san!" Kai screamed in excitement.
Orihime jumped up so fast that eyes probably couldn't even register the sudden movement. She held her clipboard close to her chest, gripping it tightly. Orihime then waved to Ichigo while he returned the gesture. Ichigo then turned his way to the little guy.
"Hey kiddo. What's up?" he smiled.
"I'm just telling Inu-san about how Ichi-san and her should…"
"Hangout more!" Orihime screeched. Ichigo looked over confused. "No he knows that we don't see eachother much because of our different positions. Little Kai is just worried about our fr..friendship!" she reasoned. The word 'friendship' was emphasized purposely.
"NO! I want Ichi-san to be closer with Inu-san!" Kai cried. Orihime face palmed in defeat.
Ichigo laughed. "You know Kai, our names are Ichigo and Inuoe. The way you are pronouncing them makes it sound like you are saying 'One-san' and 'Dog-san,' he chuckled.
"Oops! Sorry!" The boy bowed his head to look apologetic.
Orihime couldn't help, but smile at the adorable polite child. He really was something else though. She bet her face was as bright as a strawberry by now. All of a sudden, Orihime felt a hand on her forehead. This hand was far bigger than her hers. She became as stiff as a rock .
"Inuoe, do you have a fever? How come your face is so red?" He then felt his forehead. "Hmm, should I get you some water?" he asked concerned.
"N..n..no I'm fine…." 'Was she really fine though?' she wondered.
"Alright, whatever rocks your boat then," he shrugged. Getting back to business, he took out his clipboard and started reviewing the charts.
"Guess what Kai? Looks like you'll be able to go home tomorrow," Ichigo stated.
"Yayyy! I can go back! I bet Cocoa-chan misses me!"
"Cocoa-chan?" Orihime questioned.
"My doggie," he smiled.
"Aww what a cute name!" she exclaimed.
"Alrighty, I'm going to go visit some other patients. Inuoe you should stay with Kai until his parents come. I already informed them of his condition so they know," Ichigo explained. "By the way are you coming to the hospital party tonight?"
"Yes I am," Orihime answered.
"Good, I'll see you tonight then," he smiled and then waved goodbye.
Orihime smiled. Her heart sped up a bit at the moment he asked her if she was going to be there. 'Snap out of it Hime! Nothing is between you guys.'
"Inu-san tell Ichi-san that you'll marry him. Tell him I said so," Kai dared.
Orihime couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. This kid was so innocent. Kai stared, confused at her giggling. He was being serious.
'Hmm, but maybe he's right. I am leaving soon so maybe I should tell him how I feel. There's not much I could lose anyway.' Tonight will be the night she confesses this long lasting love. She needed to get over him anyway.
Orihime continued playing with Kai until his parents returned from work. She then left to finish up some things until her shift ended. It was now seven when she left.
She got home at 7:30, took a quick shower, and dressed for the party. She looked in the mirror and admired how she looked. Its been a while since she got to dress really nice. This party did come only once a year, while she worked for the rest of it. She wore a sweet heart neck-lined dress that was all white except the bust, which was gold. The dress had spaghetti straps to support her immense bust and was almost knee length. The skirt of the dress flared from the bust, causing a more princess like effect on the design. Along the end it were small crystals like sequins that made the dress glow in the light. A gold sequined belt- like design was also on the waist of the dress extenuating her curvy waist.
As for her appearance, Orihime had curled hair and tied it up into a high ponytail. She swept her bangs to the side and let some strands fly out at the sides of her head. She placed her signature hairpins on the side of her head that wasn't swept.
Orihime's make up was simple. All she did was put on a little gold eye shadow and some pink gloss on her lips. Orihime was now ready to go. She grabbed her hand bag and left her house to get into a cab. There's no way she getting on a train looking like this.
The party was at a hotel. When she got there, the place was huge. The lobby was extremely nice with a large chandelier in the middle. She walked over to the check-in desk.
"Hi, I'm with Karakura Hospital." She showed the woman her invitation and hospital ID.
"Okay, you are in Ballroom Four." She pointed in the direction of the room the party was in.
"Thank you," Orihime nodded. She headed her way into the party room. The room was large and had two chandeliers. A banner hung above reading 'Karakura Hospital's 50th Anniversary Ball.' The tables were clothed with rose gold spreads while the chairs were covered with white ones. The center pieces were exotic flowers that laid in extravagant glass vases. The gold tiled dance floor was in the center, while all the tables that circled around it. The rose wood colored stage was in front of it. The room was filled with most of workers from the hospital. Some were dancing, while some hung around the bar, while the rest were in line for the buffet or eating. The employees that didn't attend had to take care of the hospital. They got a salary bonus for volunteering though.
"Orihime over here!" a familiar voice called. She turned and was shocked at what she saw. She ran over and hugged the black haired man with glasses.
"Ishida-kun? Is it really you?" she questioned.
"Yes, it's me. I just got back from America this morning. I managed to get enough rest to attend the party though," he explained. Orihime nodded and squeezed out of his tight embrace. She noticed he wore an all white tuxedo along with a blue tie and white dress shoes. His favorite color seemed to not have changed since they last spoke. Orihime sighed and sat down. They talked for some time and reconnect on past events.
Rukia and Ichigo finally enter the ballroom an hour later and found their seats at the table where Orihime and Ishida sat.
"Yo Ishida, nice to see you again!" Ichigo bro-hugged his best friend.
"Kurosaki, you're the same as ever," he grinned.
"Welcome back Ishida," Rukia smiled. She fist bumped him. Ishida then flinched after he felt something. The man then glanced down….
Orihime was glad the others made it finally. She looked up and down at Rukia. She wore a beautiful black laced dress that flowed gracefully down to her knees. The sleeves were sheer flower laced and the collar of the dress, also sheer, laid gently against her collar bone. The rest of the dress was covered by black material underneath the lace. Her tiny waste was emphasized with a black ribbon belt. She also had on black pumps that were 4 inches high. Rukia wore her hair in the high sleek bun. On her face she wore nothing but eyeliner and red lipstick. Orihime swore that Rukia looked like a vintage doll.
"WOW RUKIA YOU LOOK SO HOT!" Orihime declared. She then hugged Rukia.
"Thank you, so do you Orihime. You look like a princess," Rukia blushed in embarrassment at the too honest complement. It was very coincidental that she heard the same comment not more than a hour ago.
"Kurosaki-kun, you look nice a well," Orihime complimented.
"Thank you Inuoe. So do you," he smiled.
"There's something I need to talk to you about later. Is that alright?" she asked.
"Sure. We can talk after we eat," he agreed.
They all sat down and small talked. Orihime glanced at Ichigo. He wore a simple black suit with a white collared shirt and red tie. He did have a red handkerchief in his left chest pocket. He looked stunning in the simple attire. 'Tonight I will tell him.' She blushed. Ishida noticed the stares she gave Ichigo. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to tell what's about to go down or she might…
Orihime had never seen so many captains in one place before. She saw Doctor Zaraki from sports medicine with his pink haired adopted daughter Yachiru chatting up with Nurse Captain Unohana at the bar. Next there was Captain Byakuya Kuchiki from Orthopedics who was talking to Doctor Renji, who works alongside him. Then there were Captain Kurotsuchi and his assistant Nemu from the Lab sitting down at a table. Chief Yamamoto was talking to his ex- students, Captain Ukitake of Neurology and Captain Kyōraku of Cardiology. Captain Sui-Feng from gynecology was at the buffet conversing with the child prodigy Captain Hitsuguya of radiology. Many more were there such as the residents and interns. It was way too much for Orihime to list them all.
Orihime and her friends finally got up to get some food. They returned back to their table and ate, while listening to various speeches being made by the Captains. Everyone is seated by then. Finally the chief finished his speech and announces Doctor Kurosaki and Doctor Kuchiki to come up onto the stage. Ishida knew what was about to happen, so he grabbed Orihime's arm and led her to the exit. Orihime angry and confused, yanked her arm back. She refused to leave the ballroom without an explanation. What the heck had gotten into Ishida-kun? They argued instead of leaving the enchanted room.
The two doctors got up on stage and walked over to the center where the microphone stood. Ichigo was the one who spoke in the microphone while Rukia stood next to him fidgety and uncomfortably.
"Hello everyone. We both have an announcement," he spoke. There was a pause for a whole ten seconds as everyone wondered what he was going to say.
"Rukia and I are actually going to get m…
"Orihime, close your ears!" Ishida screamed. His voice was only loud enough for her to hear. He grabbed her face and held his hands over her ears. He attempted to block out he sound, but she still heard the deafening announcement…
"…married. We're finally engaged!" Ichigo declared with confidence. He then took Rukia's hand into his and raised their arms high. He then turned to wards Captain Kuchiki, her older brother and guardian.
"Please Byakuya, I ask for your blessing," Ichigo pleaded while Rukia blushed even harder than before. Everyone then turned to the captain of orthopedics. A silence occurred for a few moments.
"I'll kill you if you break her heart," Byakuya threatened.
"So is that a yes?" Ichigo acknowledged.
"Hmph…" Byakuya turned his head.
"He said yes Ichigo!" Rukia beamed as he quickly hugged her. She moved away quickly as the sudden public display of affection made her so flushed.
Following their excitement, the whole room got up and clapped. A few cried while some joked about how long it took for Ichigo to 'man up.' The rest were relieved that the annoying bickering couple's uncertainty for each other was finally over. Everyone was excited except one who stood there frozen…
Hi guys! Sorry no Ulquiorra in this chapter. I'm sorry if it was so long. The Kai scene and Ball scenes were so much dialogue and description. I'm really hoping for Ulquiorra to appear in the next chapter. I might do a time lapse after the ball. Alrighty, it's now 1:49 am. I should sleep…