A/N: Even though I have a lot of this typed out, I am gonna wait for some reviews after this chapter. Just because I could probably use criticism.

Chapter Two: Common Occurrences

Orihime had her arms linked with Tatsuki as they walked to Orihime's bus stop. The high school was built in what was and still is the more upper-class area, so Orihime had to take the bus to the rundown neighborhood she lived for distance and safety reasons.

Tatsuki lived near-by the school and had a car to boot. Since she was often on a time crunch, she didn't park it in the actual school parking lot so she could avoid the hectic sea of slow moving cars that results when 400 or more cars are in a rush to leave at the same time from a parking lot with only two exits to the same street. But it did give Tatsuki the chance to walk Orihime to her bus stop.

"Hey. We should go shopping later this week. My mom said she would go half way on whatever you could manage to scrape up for it," Tatsuki said as a conversation on the dislike of the current class schedules wrapped up, "and you haven't got new clothes since summer started. So all your winter stuff is from last year..."

Orihime looked at the scarf and mittens and subconsciously touched the hat on her head, "I don't see the problem with it. I actually got this stuff two years ago and it all does a fine job."

Tatsuki just sighed and went on, "Yeah, I recognized it. It just seemed weird to me because my mom and dad always took me out for new winter clothes in November ever since I was little."

Orihime tried to lightheartedly hide her envy, "Well not everyone can do that and you're family is loaded!" but she tacked on, "But I'll see what I can manage." Not like I need to save money anyways...

As they arrived at the bus stop Tatsuki disentangled her arm from Orihime's, "Sorry Hime-chan, I can't wait for the bus to arrive with you. I have training today. I'll call you tonight, alright?"

Orihime nodded as Tatsuki ran off than sat on the bench. She glance at the part of her shadow that appeared above that of the bench. The appearing hat clad shadow tilted it's head unnaturally as if making an inquiry to why she was looking. But Orihime didn't say anything. Not that she never talked to it, but she wouldn't choose to just because she was lonely.

Instead, Orihime tilted her head up to look at the heavy gray clouds that cluttered the sky, threatening to blanket the city again now that the first two toppings of snow had melted away. She frowned, curled her toes. Feeling cool air rush in and hit the soles of her feet in random places, she finally said to herself, "I could use some new boots."

She heard the bus approach and pulled her public transport card out of her pocket. She ascended the steps on to the bus and pushed the card into a card reading device by the door, before selecting a window seat. She tormented herself by starting at a couple the bus passed everyday. A tall boy with hair so orange it might be deemed a genetic mutation and a short, petite and pale girl with black hair.

The boy was named Ichigo. Orihime had eyes for him since she entered middle school. She might have fallen in love with him at some point. He was loud at times and tended to loose his temper, but she liked it because he seemed so human and was always worried for all of his friends and family's sake . He was somewhat popular, with a spot on the football team with an assigned title that meant nothing to Orihime since all things sports went all over Orihime's head. But Orihime realized he was nice to everyone. He may have been rambunctious about it, which gave some people the wrong impression, but Orihime saw it.

The girl he walked with was named Rukia. She moved Karakura at the beginning of freshmen year. Orihime didn't know much about Rukia, but while Orihime was beating around the bush and dealing with her variety of anxieties that made it hard for her to talk to people in general, Rukia somehow rushed in and nestled herself right into Ichigo's arms.

As they disappeared from sight, Orihime readjusted to just looking at the side walk as it passed by. No point in entertaining herself with the sights. She had seen it all before.

But she did notice something. Walking down one of the streets that branched off the road the bus was taking, Orihime thought she recognized the ridiculous mane of her lab partner. He might have been there to see everyday, but now that figure wasn't just one of the many people walking home. He was a person that Orihime would have to think about and deal with. So she noticed him.

She wondered why he had to walk home when he lived in such a upper-class neighborhood. If his family lived there, than shouldn't he have a car? Or a taxi? That road wasn't even a great way to get to the area he lived. Where could he be going if he wasn't going home?

Her thoughts trailed off again. She pondered how bad a class with Mr. Kononji would be. Would he harp at her if she missed an assignment?

And then Orihime, imagining ridiculous punishment alternatives remembered that she did have an assignment. She dug through her bag and managed to find the safety contract that was a bit crumpled since she had forgotten to put it in her folder. She managed to fill in the dates and her name where she needed to before she had to get off the bus.

Contract in one hand, she dug through her pockets for her keys. She got in the building and broke routine by heading to apartment 101 instead of her own which was on the third floor and knocked loudly to make sure she was heard.

"Who the-"

Loud mysterious clicks could be heard before a bunch of distinctive footfalls inside the apartment. For a while, the foot steps sounded far away, and stopped periodically to be replaced with the sound of something rattling or shifting around, but then the steps became louder until the point that the door opened.

Margret Willington, a graying brunet in her early 50s, stared at Orihime from the doorway. Margret wasn't necessarily a bad person who would steal all the money of a defenseless orphan, but didn't adopt Orihime for the best reasons. Ms. Wellington didn't have a job, just the building, and demand for living in the part of town it was in wasn't very high. Three more apartments with the same description as the one Orihime and Sora lived in were still vacant. Orihime going into state care would just be a loss of profits. So Margret adopted Orihime, taking the value of half the rent from the interest on Orihime's inheritance on the grounds it was for water, heating and electric and the occasional groceries she stocked Orihime's pantry with while she was too young to go out for her own, and enjoyed the nice tax benefits. But she did do some selfless things like teach Orihime to cook simple dishes and that a lot of food had packaging that told you how to prepare them.

But as Orihime got older, Ms. Willington and her didn't see each other since Orihime became more independent. So when Orihime had to see Margret, they often didn't dwell on anything, preferring to get straight to the point.

"Orihime—honey," Margret was wearing sweatpants with a robe over what ever else she was wearing, "What are you doing here?"

Orihime held up the Safety contract, "Need a Parent or Guardian signature."

After the paper was dealt with, it was tucked away in Orihime's bag and they quickly parted.

She rushed up to her room and crashed on the couch. She laid there face down for a while before her stomach started growling. Seemingly depressed, Orihime ignored it until it became a dull ache.

Then the voice stirred.

"What are you doing princess? I need you healthy."

Orihime pulled a pillow over her head and groaned. Something shifted around in the kitchen for a while before a pleasant aroma filled the air. Orihime almost unwillingly sat up to look into the kitchen. Steam was rising from a saucepan on the stove and the light on the rice cooker indicated it was on.

To tired and hungry to silently protest any longer, Orihime fixed herself a plate of rice and beef stew, sat at the table, and ate.

Ulquiorra dropped off some books in the return box outside the library before entering the library and deciding whether he would venture into the fiction or nonfiction section that day. Normally he didn't have to think about it, but he wasn't particularly interested in anything that day.

He browsed the Young Adult Fantasy section and some of the zoology encyclopedias before deciding he'd rather waste the afternoon getting achievements on a Dreamcast video game he finished the previous week.

So he walked home and barely waved to his mom before ascending the steps and sinking into a huge blue leather recliner that was in front of the TV in his room. He wasted a couple hours there before going back downstairs and grabbing a bit of whatever his mom had made for everyone and going upstairs to work on homework.

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