Chapter 3
Uproar
'Where's Orihime?'
'I don't know...'
'And where is Ichigo?
'I don't know either... he ran off...'
The group of completely baffled friends just stood in the entrance hall long after the pair left it. Nobody spoke. Then they heard hurried footsteps, the knocking of high-heels on stone, coming in their direction.
Rangiku ran down the stairs, hurriedly. She spotted Tatsuki, and started to question her immediately.
'Oh, here you are! Goodness! Have you seen Orihime-chan? I take my eyes of her for one minute, and she just vanishes!'
'Yes... I have seen her all right... ' Tatsuki answered in a distant tone.
'Good! Then tell her to come already... the marriage celebrant has some last minute arrangements to discuss with her, and the photographer just said... '
Rukia also came down the stairs behind Rangiku, and since her mind was not full to the brim with arrangements for the wedding, she noticed the signs of uneasiness in her friends the older woman had missed. She exchanged a quick look with Tatsuki, then promptly punched Rangiku in the chest to silence her blabbering.
'Ouch! Hey! What was that for?' she whined. Rukia didn't mind her, but turned to the black haired girl.
'Arisawa! What's going on?'
Her face tensed up, as though she was in pain.
'I don't know... ' she said, looking lost. But then her features changed, showing rage. 'But I will find out... ICHIGO! Where the hell are you! Come here you worthless piece of bastard, so I can beat some answers out of you!' she screamed, and ran off.
Rukia's eyes widened with shock.
'Would somebody mind explaining what's going on?' asked Rangiku.
This was the point where excited Keigo could take the tension no longer. He simply had to burst the story out, or he would explode! Unfortunately Chizuru, Mahana, Michiru and Mizuiro all had things to say about the events, so all started to talk at once.
'Ichigo! Oh, no! This can't be happening! Maybe I had something bad for breakfast, and now I'm seeing things! That's it! It couldn't have really happened!' cried Keigo.
'… good for nothing Kurosaki! Just what did you do to my sweet Princess? Wait till I get my hands on you!' screamed Chizuru.
'It must be the strain... otherwise Inoue would never... one of my girlfriends said...' theorized Mizuiro.
'Poor Orihime-chan... what will happen now?' asked Michiru.
'… I guess we now know the reason why the groom should never see the bride before the ceremony... What a mess!' added Mahana.
The group was so loud, that others started coming over, to hear what the big commotion was all about. Chad and Uryu came, wearing troubled expressions. The Kurosaki twins came in through a double doors opposite them, because they had noticed the uneasy voices. Yuzu was dancing from her one foot to the other in trepidation, while Karin scowled. The whole Urahara-crew listened in, complete with Yoruichi... A large party of soul reapers arrived, and they also stayed to hear them out. Toushiro, Renji, Hisagi, Izuru, Ikkaku and Yumichika were all there, not to mention the whole Shinigami Woman association. A group of Captains stood near by, with Byakuya, Komamura, Kyoraku and Ukitake, failing to pretend ignorance... The picture was complete when Shinji and his fellow visoreds appeared at the top of the stairs.
'Would all of you just shut up!' Rukia shouted desperately. 'We don't understand a thing! What are you all talking about?'
'The kiss... ' started Mahana breathlessly.
'...and then she...' Mizurito tried to explain.
'Gave him what was coming to him, that's what!' Chizuru chimed in.
'… just slapped him in the face.' Keigo finished somewhat lamely.
Abrupt silence followed his statement. Then...
'WHAT?' Rukia exclaimed. 'Who? Orihime? No! I don't believe it!'
'It's true.' ascertained Mizurito. 'We all saw it... First they were kissing, but then Orihime just slapped him in the face. That's what happened.'
There was a low murmur, as everybody turned to their neighbors, and uttered words of horror and disbelief.
'… no way!' said Karin.
'Can't be fucking true!' whispered Renji.
'This looks like trouble... I bet even you didn't see this one coming!' commented Yoruichi, poking Kisuke's ribs.
'Ay... you're right about that...' the shopkeeper answered scratching his head with his fan.
'Poor Inoue-dono...' Tessai moaned, brushing his face with his handkerchief.
'Hah! Always known berry-head was a big looser!' laughed Jinta.
'Tsk! Is this what we came here all the way from Soul Society for?' said Kenpachi.
'So much for the party, I guess... ' sighed Yumichika.
'… a shame... all that sake Urahara ordered... Trust Ichigo to mess things up!' fumed Ikkaku.
Rangiku looked thunderstruck.
'All the beautiful iced-cakes, the flowers... '
'Keep your cool everybody!' said Captain Hitsugaia. 'This has got to be some misunderstanding... We must find them, and help sort things out!'
'Yeah! That's the spirit, Taichou!' Rangiku returned to her cheery self instantly, hugging her captain, and planting a kiss to his cheek. 'Oh, what would I do without you!' Toushiro blushed under a heavy scowl.
'But what about the wedding... it's about to start in... um... fifteen minutes! Any chance of making everything right by then?' asked Momo.
'With both of them missing? Hardly... And we don't even know what happened...' answered Rukia, desperate. 'I swear I've never seen Orihime slap anybody in the face... she told me herself that she slapped that bastard who kidnapped her once... that I could understand... but what could have possibly make her slap Ichigo?'
Everybody fell silent as they all thought.
'Maybe he changed his mind... you know... about the marriage...' Ururu piped up, reluctantly.
A murmur followed her words.
'That's a quite possible explanation... ' Shinji admitted. 'The dense bastard just never realized how lucky he was... now if she would only have chosen me... ' but he was silenced by Hiyori's slipper beaten into his mouth.
Yuzu was crying in a corner.
'Change his mind?... I can't believe it... where is Onii-chan?' she whined. But than she lifted her tear soaked face up, her eyes flashing, and an uncharacteristic frown pulling her mouth. 'If it's true... I'm personally going to kill him!'
'Doesn't anyone know of anything happening between them? Didn't they act strange before? Was there no former sign of uneasiness or hidden problems between them?' Kyoraku asked.
'No. I know of nothing.' stated Karin firmly. But then she added, looking more uncertain. 'But Ichigo did vanish today morning, and he wouldn't explain it later...'
Everyone looked at each other, expressions lost.
'And Orihime was nervous...' said Rukia. 'She told me she had to speak with him, before the ceremony...'
'Hmm.' said Kisuke. 'Maybe there IS some issue between them after all... all the evidence seem to point that way...'
'Does anybody know further details? Step forward, now!' Yoruichi commanded.
'Well...' said Renji, looking uncomfortable. 'There was that girl we've hired for his bachelor party...'
'What?' Rukia exclaimed. 'You didn't!'
Renji took a step back before her burning eyes. He was looking at the other boys for support. Keigo, Mizuiro, Ikkaku and Yumichika all tried to look innocent.
'It was only supposed to be a laugh...' Renji said stuttering.
'I can see...' said Rukia icily. 'Very funny indeed!'
'But nothing happened, I swear! You know how Ichigo is! He just ran out screaming the moment that girl started unbuttoning her shirt!'
Laughs and giggles shook the watching crowd.
'That's why we did it anyway. It's so funny freaking the hell out of him. And we also had a bet on how far he can take it.' added Ikkaku.
'How coarse...' Byakuya turned a disgusted, superior look in the direction of his lieutenant. 'I'm glad you didn't invite me to this... hm... party.'
Kyorayu laughed. 'Ay! It's not that bad as you think, Captain! As I understand, this kind of thing is common practice in the World of the Living.'
'It's a rather bad practice in my opinion, if it makes such a deserving couple as Kurosaki-san, and Inoue-san lose their heads.' stated Captain Unohana. A murmur of agreement followed her words.
'But as Abarai-san already told you, nothing happened.' said Chad. 'And Inoue-san is not one to get jealous over nothings. She is more sensible.'
'A girl is always more touchy before her wedding day...' Isane told them cautiously.
'I don't care what Sado says! If gentle Orihime slapped him, that must mean there WAS someone else in the picture, party-girl or not!' Chizuru cried. 'All boys are heartless brutes after all, with the single goal of breaking every fine girl's heart! Kurosaki had cheated on her! There is no other possible explanation!'
The crowd started murmuring again.
'… got to admit, it's possible.'
'What a shame...'
'And I thought Kurosaki was decent...'
'Poor Inoue...'
Captain Ukitake turned to his lieutenant, looking grave.
'You know him best, Rukia what's your opinion?'
Rukia looked scared.
'I would say it's not possible... unless...'
'Unless what?'
'His hollow... it might have taken over...'
'What?' Kensei barked. 'You want to blame his miss-step on his hollow? Just who are you kidding, girl? It doesn't even work that way!'
'Maybe not for you...' laughed Shinji amused.
'What Kensei meant to say, is that it would still be his fault, if he lost control...' Lisa said.
'No he didn't!' Mashiro giggled, pouting at the bespectacled cold beauty. 'What he meant was, that not all of us have sexually over-potent hollows, you know!'
Lisa scowled.
'What will happen now? What can we do?' Yumichika asked.
'Easy!' Kenpachi answered with a mad glint in his eyes. 'Hollow or no hollow, Kurosaki offended the girl. I'm gonna get my sword, and castrate him!'
There was a murmur of agreement at this.
Someone even shouted: 'Yeah, and do it painfully!'
'Yay! Go, Kenny, go!' cheered Yachiru. Then her little brows furrowed in a cute frown of confusion '... Wait... what is castrating?'
'Finally there is something on which we agree, Captain Zaraki...' said Byakuya darkly.
'I'm coming too!' shouted several others.
'No! No violence, please!' said Captain Ukitake desperately. 'Maybe we're still missing something... let's not rush things...'
Silence fell, only Kenpachi 'tsk'-ed.
'I've read a book in which the groom tells her bride on the wedding-day that he already has a love-child from someone else...' Mahana suddenly said.
'What? Ichigo has a love-child? Nobody ever tells me anything! I bet you all new and left me out again!' whined Keigo.
'That's not what she said, Idiot!' Renji shouted at him.
Shinji started laughing again.
'Hey! Maybe he decided this would be the appropriate time telling her he was gay!'
Uryu Ishida had been standing in a corner all this time. He remained quiet, so nobody payed him the slightest attention so far. He wore a distasteful frown on his face as he heard the others theories get wilder by the minute... His muscles tensed up, and he flexed his fingers impatiently. Finally he could no longer keep his anger bottled up.
'Uh! Enough is enough!' he cried out to the room at large. Everybody fell silent with surprise. 'Am I the only one who's gonna defend him? Innocent until proven guilty! I personally have trouble believing that Kurosaki could have done either of the dreadful things you've accused him so far! Come on people! Think! It's Inoue and Kurosaki we're talking about! Think about what there love endured so far... It's impossible that it would be over like this! Do you really think Kurosaki would change his mind about marriage? Just when did he ever change his mind about anything? And about cheating on Inoue-san I wouldn't even like to hear! The mere suggestion is an insult to his character! This whole thing must be a misunderstanding! I will at least hear them both out, before I decide my judgment... I swear Kurosaki would never do something to deliberately hurt Inoue-san! And even though I'm a Quincy, I'll stand by his side until I'm proven wrong! '
'That was a touching speech, Ishida-san!'
Everybody turned to the door to see who just spoke. Isshin came in, his face grave, but not worried or anxious. Tatsuki was next to him. She looked sour, but calmed down. Isshin was pulling his son with him by the ears. There was a collective intake of breath...
'… and you are right. It is a misunderstanding.' Isshin continued. He set Ichigo up to stand at the center of the room. The orange haired boy's eyes darted to and forth, like a trapped mouse's...
Seeing him make that face, Rukia was the first to understand the situation. She turned purple with anger as she cried out:
'Kon! Oh NO! You're in Ichigo's body! What ever have you done?'
...
A/N: ...aaaand yes! We have two winners! Congrats to „xobunniehopox", and „shellybee"! You can boast about being more wise than a bunch of soul reapers put together, lol... Of course Orihime would never really slap Ichigo! (I'm not that cruel!)
It was so much fun writing this chapter! Do you want to see the conversation between Orihime and Kon? And are you interested in where Ichigo have disappeared to? I'm considering updating with the incomplete fourth chapter, answering these questions, if you don't mind that it will end with another ciffy that way... Please review!
