Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters.
Hurtful Words
"That Orihime girl got the third highest on the exams again?" he heard some random, plain looking girl in the hallway say to her friends next to her as he checked his own score.
Ichigo smirked in pride when he heard them say her name.
He expected everyone to talk about Orihime. She always got very good grades. Everyone would always praised her and tell her that they wish they could be like her. And she would just smile happily, trying to hide the bags that began to form under her eyes from all of the late studying she and he had done. Only he, Rukia, Chad, Ishida, and Tatsuki knew that Orihime was a studying fiend since they were the only ones that studied with her.
That was just her way. She let people believe what they wanted about her. She had told him once that it was easier to pretend to be dumb than to act smart.
"I don't want to be hated, Kurosaki-kun. It's much easier to be silly than to act smart because people tend not to be so jealous of me. They write me off as a ditz and move on." Inoue smiled at his concerned face, "I'm fine with that as long as they don't hate me. I don't like it when people hate me."
"You wouldn't think she's that smart." The second girl said with her mouth open a little in awe as she stared at Inoue's score.
"That's because she isn't." The third one stated, looking away from the scores on the board.
What the hell? Ichigo looked at the three girls who had not noticed him there. They didn't even know Orihime. They weren't even in his and her class.
"Yeah. Just look at her. There's no way she could be smart period." The first girl ridiculed, crossing her arms in front of herself and nodding in agreement with her own statement.
"She's probably sleeping with the teacher," input the third one.
"But isn't her teacher female?" the second, smaller girl asked.
"Your point?" girl number three countered.
Ichigo couldn't take it anymore…
WHAM!!
….so he slammed his fist into the wall right behind them.
The girls all jumped back in fright before turning to face him.
"Ku-Ku-Kurosaki!!" the three girls squeaked in terror. And no one could blame them since the look he was giving them would even scare away hollows.
"What the hell is your problem?!" he nearly shouted at them, but he remembered he was in school, so he lowered his voice. "What the hell did Inoue do to you for you to spread crap like that around? You don't even know her." He got no response but three quivering girls. "Well?!"
The third one bit her lip before mustering up her courage to speak. "So… you're trying to tell me that she is smart even though she acts like a complete ditz?"
Ichigo felt his fist tighten. He wanted to give this girl a black eye, but let it go. "She studies hours on end since she isn't in many clubs."
"Or that she's straight when she lets that girl talk to her like that?" she tried again.
"Chizuru does that to every decent looking girl. Inoue can't take responsibility for that. Trust me, Inoue likes guys." He decided he would take his leave here. If he stayed any longer, he may have done something that he wouldn't regret, but Inoue would.
"Where's your proof?" the first girl called after him.
"Because I'm her boyfriend." He said over his shoulder as he walked down the hall, leaving them speechless. He stopped a few feet away with his back still facing the three girls, "And if you feel the need to spread anymore rumors about Inoue just because you're jealous of her, I'll do more than just scare you." With that he just started walking again.
Later that day, Ichigo found himself walking Orihime home and running into those same three girls. They saw him, hoped he hadn't seen them, and were about to flee, but his simple "Oi!" stopped them.
They turned around to find Ichigo place one of his fingers under the auburn-haired girl's chin, tilt it upward, and plant his lips on those of a very surprised Orihime. He broke the short kiss with a smirk on his face before turning to the other three.
"You wanted proof right?" he asked the stunned girls before semi-dragging his stunned Inoue to her house.
He knew he'd hear about this tomorrow and his bad ass reputation would go flying out the window and all of their secret dating would now be in vain, but no one messed with Inoue and got away with it. Not on his watch.
