The sound of knocking startled her shortly after Orihime returned home, the meeting with Mayu still hanging over her head like the storm clouds beyond the windows. The angelic woman had come back in a daze, kicking her boots by the door and hanging the dripping coat from the rack.

Everything she did was done mechanically, her movements stiff. All she wanted to do was crawl beneath the covers and never leave. Its warmth was inviting; however, the visitor at the door seemed to think otherwise. Moving swiftly to the entrance, Orihime pulled it open only to stare at a disheveled looking Tatsuki, the usual gang standing behind her.

They all looked as though they had run straight from school, the rain causing their clothes to cling to their skin and hair to droop. It made Orihime automatically become worried.

"What's going on? Is everything okay? Did something happen?" The questions she was asking fired off like gunshots, quick and growing louder with worry.

Ichigo and the others seemed confused by it, each one looking over to the person beside them to shoot inquisitive gazes. Tatsuki was the one to speak up, her brows furrowed as she gauged her childhood friend.

"Everything is fine Hime…at least on our end."

"Huh?" Confusion was clearly etched into her features as the amber eyed girl stared openly at each one. 'What are they talking about?' "Then why is everyone here? I thought-

"Why weren't you in class today?"

It was Ichigo who had interrupted, his baritone voice echoing in the hallway. "Oh…that" She spoke nervously, legs shifting slightly in discomfort. She had forgotten about missing class and tried desperately to recall the excuse she had been prepared to give them.

'What was it? What was it? What…'

"Oh!" "She exclaimed with a nod of her head, her lips widening into a forced smile. "Gomenesai. I didn't mean to worry any of you. I made my special bean paste and salmon flavored casserole topped with pickled artichoke and it didn't fall well in my stomach."

'Liar' her mind whispered but she pushed it away. "I was in bed until a little while ago and I forgot to call. I'm so sorry for troubling you." The looks on their faces were varied but Orihime could tell that Tatsuki did not believe her. They had been friends for too long and she knew that it was rare for Orihime to get sick from something she made. The girl could practically eat nails (And most of her friends preferred that to her cooking).

There was an awkward silence that followed and it made Orihime extremely nervous. She hated lying to her friends but she hated being around them more. She felt suffocated, as though they were waiting for her to break down at any moment. It felt demeaning and made the teen perceive herself as weak. She thought they saw her as more vigorous than that.

Evidently, they did not judging from the way they hurried from school just to come banging on her door with questions of her whereabouts. There had not been any threats after Hueco Mundo, with Aizen dead and the espada defeated, so what had they assumed she were doing?

Anger and frustration boiled beneath her skin and Orihime wanted to cut the visit short before the pot spilled over and she revealed more than she wanted to. The muscles of her cheeks were becoming sore from how hard she was forcing herself to smile but she didn't give a damn. She wanted to be alone. "Thank you again for checking up on me. I appreciate having such great friends."

The words were like acid to her, the flavor of deceit a hard one to swallow. "I don't mean to be rude but I haven't been feeling well today and I really want to get some rest." They all looked surprised at her words, eyes going wide before Ishida cleared his throat, slim fingers pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We'll be heading off then. We hope you regain your health and can attend class."

At his lead, they all began walking off one after the other, shooting small smiles and get wells her way. She regarded each one with a grin then a nod of her head though inside she was growing impatient at the sluggish pace in which they left. Ichigo and Tatsuki were the last ones at her door with Rukia standing a bit behind the orange haired male.

It only made Orihime angrier.

The steely soul reaper constantly trailed Ichigo like his shadow, always by his side or in the same room. There was hardly a time when amber eyes would not catch violet hues in the vicinity. There was a period when Orihime envied the petite warrior and perhaps she still did. She had known Ichigo for years and never saw any females besides his sisters being so close to him.

She had tried to get his attention by taking extra care of her looks and inviting him to have lunch with her. She even went as far as attempting to cook something normal though she almost burned down the kitchen in the process. Everything she had gone through and everything she did, it was done because she wanted him to love her.

But it was all in vain because no matter what she did his eyes would always lock onto violet hues, his attention always occupied by a raven-haired beauty.

Orihime didn't realize she had been grinding her teeth until a throbbing pain had begun to form at the base of her jaw, her face clearly showing her irritation. "Orihime," Tatsuki called out, brown orbs boring into auric hues. The tension was immediately released and Orihime could not tell if she had been glaring holes into Rukia the whole time or not.

From the looks on all three of their faces, she had. Shit.

"Oh! Gomen Rukia-chan. I was just trying really hard to remember this yummy recipe for soup I saw in one of the magazines. I'm just so forgetful." A giggle spewed forth from her lips, one hand raising in a nervous gesture she picked up from the hot-blooded teen.

Tatsuki regarded her friend with a cross of her arms, foot tapping on the floor in an impatient manner. "Hime…what's really going on here?" A pout formed on soft petals as Orihime attempted to look as oblivious as possible. "What do you mean?"

A heavy sigh resounded from her throat, the tomboy's expression scrunched in irritation. "Come on Hime, we've known you for years. Do you really think we're not gonna notice if something's up with you? You never miss school for anything and your stomach is as hard as rocks."

Fuck.

Her bottom lip released, an uncharacteristic frown marring her lovely features. Orihime was tired of having to report to them as though they were her parents. She was not a child anymore. The experiences she had gone through had been more than enough to mature her.

Fingers clenched onto the doorknob as Orihime looked Tatsuki in the eyes and said, "I'm not a child. I don't have to come running to you all to tell you if I want to be alone. If I wanted someone to mother me then I would have put myself up for adoption."

The looks on all three of their faces was priceless, Ichigo's especially. He didn't know that she had an adult mind like anyone else and had the potential to get irritated or pissed off. She was the one that always had to be cheerful, the optimist, the childish breath of fresh air.

Orihime was drained. She tired of being the sun when she craved to be the moon, the celestial beauty adorned in obsidian silk jeweled by the stars. That existence was one she desired more than her old one. Tatsuki was in disbelief, her mouth hanging over and eyes wide.

What the hell was going on there? Hime had never spoken so rashly to the boyish female in all the years they had known each other. No questions were answered for the next second Orihime was closing the door, the lock resounding loudly to the three as their eyes now stared at the closed entrance. "What…" -Tatsuki spoke lowly, body stiff and unmoving.

Ichigo looked to Rukia who seemed just as surprised as he. "What the hell was that?" He asked the petite soul reaper, chocolate brown eyes searching for an answer he knew Rukia did not possess.

Tatsuki's fists were clenched into balls, hands shaking. She wanted to break down that damn door and shake Hime until the amber eyed girl told her what the hell was going on with her lately. There had been a tangible distance that had grown between them ever since she and the others had returned from wherever they had run off to. It was like a wall had been built overnight and there was no climbing or breaking it down.

Orihime refused to speak about her absence, the subject having become taboo between them. Never had they kept secrets from the other. It's just the way their friendship worked. But now Orihime wasn't just shutting her out. She was shoving.

Turning away from the door with a grit of her teeth, Tatsuki regarded both Ichigo and Rukia, "Let's go. She doesn't want us here so…I'm not gonna force her."

Walking away from the apartment had probably been the hardest thing the fiery girl had ever had to do. However, she was fighting a losing battle and it was obvious by the anger on Orihime's face at their presence.

She wanted to be alone? Fine.

But if she thought for one second that Tatsuki was not going to tear down that damn wall she had built up brick by fucking brick then she didn't know the tomboy at all. Oh, she planned on it. Starting with that door to her apartment the next time she thought locking it would keep her best friend out.


A thud was heard as Orihime placed her head non-too gently on the door, the peek hole providing enough sight so she could watch her friends leave. What was wrong with her? They had only come to check up on her to make sure she was alright and she had treated them like garbage.

The guilt was enough to suffocate her. Turning so that her back braced the wall, Orihime slid down until she was met with the floor, legs curling up and chin resting atop her knees as she wrapped her arms around herself.

She didn't belong with them anymore. She didn't belong anywhere. Nothing felt right.

The tears came well before she was prepared and the sadness distorted her vision and left her heaving for breath. The angel had not wept that strongly in quite some time, not since Hueco Mundo. She was a child among friends, an outcast amid the norm. No one would understand the world she had come to fear or the angst she felt. Orihime had no one…

'Call me. I've been looking to hang out with some new people and you look like you could do the same.'

The sobs turned into quiet sniffles, breath evening out as her eyes shifted to the bag she had tossed onto the table. Perhaps Mayu was right. Hime needed a fresh start amongst new people that knew nothing about her. She wouldn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't. She could be anyone she wanted to be.

Hands rose to wipe the tears from her cheeks before bracing against the floor so she could stand, legs wobbling a tad as they walked over to the dinner table. She would send Mayu a message. But saying what exactly?


Orihime didn't know how long she stared at the cell phone in her hands, Mayu's note laying on the bed beside her. After finding the scrap of paper hiding in one of the many pockets within the purse, the amber eyed girl had no idea how to start the conversation. Taking a shower and cooking a little bit of spicy ramen didn't seem to settle the butterflies flittering in her stomach, wings ticking at her insides and making her hands shake.

The silver haired girl seemed very intense in the short time Hime had spoken to her. She resembled the cool and carefree people on album covers with the way she carried herself. And that kiss. Her cheeks heated up at the memory of Mayu's lips on her hand, soft and warm.

Why had she done that? It had sent Orihime's mind into rabid circles, thoughts stampeding over each other. Inoe was not oblivious to the fact it was normal for two women to be engaged romantically, Chizuru being the prime example of that; however, she had never thought that another girl could make her blush in that manner.

'I guess it's the way she speaks to me…she's so much like a gentleman that it's easy to forget her gender.'

Turning over, Orihime groaned into the pillow, the moan muted by the fluffy cushion. It was so frustrating! Why could she not just talk to Mayu normally? Her phone still sat beside her, the light from the screen being the only source of iridescence in the room. How hard could it possibly be? One hand reached out to grab her phone, fingers reaching blindly for the small device before hearing it drop to the ground.

"Shit," she whispered before gasping, the hand from before slapping over her mouth. 'Where had that come from?' She had spent enough time around Ichigo and Tatsuki to know how colorful the language could get; nevertheless, she had never been one to repeat.

'Innocence is not eternal, onna,' Ulquiorra's voice rang in her ears. He had never believed in purity or angels and would berate her for being the way that she was. Inoe wanted to prove him wrong so badly by baring her light for all to see and not allowing it to be extinguished by anyone or anything.

Was she losing her childlike nature or had it already been stolen from her by the time spent in Hueco Mundo?

That she did not know. However, the distinct sound of someone speaking cut her wild imagination short. What was that? Lifting her head from the pillow, her eyes searched for the source and landed on the open cellphone, the screen facing down.

"Moshi moshi?" She could hear from her place above, fingers shakily taking the phone into her hand before raising it up to her ear.

"H-hello?"

"Ah. Good evening Hime-chan."

An audible gasp flew from her lips and Orihime quickly tore the phone from her ear to look at the screen. As predicted, she had accidentally called Mayu. 'Oh no,' she thought nervously before placing it back.

"Ohaiyo. I'm sorry for calling so late…um…" The nerves kicked into overdrive and it drove her to the point of anxiety.

"It's quite alright," Mayu spoke from the other side and Orihime could imagine the smirk dancing at the tips of her lips."I'm usually up at this hour. Old habits die hard." "Oh, I see."

'What do I say? What should I say? Would it be too forward to ask to meet?'

So many questions yet none of them seemed to have an answer. Before she could open her mouth, Mayu's alluring voice interrupted. "You sound troubled princess. Perhaps a night out might cheer you up."

"Night out?" she asked with a tilt of her head, amber locks spilling over her shoulder to reveal bare skin.

A light chuckle resounded from the speaker, the sound soothing yet strange somehow but Inoe could not place why. "Hai, a night out. A night away from your tower and into a place where only dragons dwell. Are you prepared to do that princess?"

By hook or crook, it sounded like Mayu was baiting her, challenging the voluptuous woman to step out of her comfort zone and into a world unknown. It was just what Orihime was looking for. A fire ignited behind her irises, determination oozing from her pores and causing her fingers to clench tighter around the small device.

"Okay, I'll do it."

The answer seemed to please and amuse Mayu at the same time for the now familiar chuckle met her ears at her response. "I'm glad. I'll come to pick you up around six to help you get ready. The place we are going to is, for lack of a better word, interesting." There was a slight paused before the other teen continued, her voice becoming a chilling seriousness. "Whatever you do, don't be afraid."

Orihime tensed up, her hands starting to shake. "W-why would I be afraid?" she inquired slowly, the butterflies in her stomach transforming into bats.

"It's just a forewarning" Mayu added in a lighter tone, "It's not a place for just anyone to walk in. It's a different world entirely. Not everyone can handle that. But…" Inoe braced herself at the slight pause, fingers clenching the phone tightly, "I have a feeling you'll make a perfect fit."

Orihime had no retort to give for her mind was still wrapped around the concept of where they were going. It allowed the silver haired female to cut the conversation short. "The night may be young for me but I guarantee you'll require your rest sleeping beauty. We will be out past midnight. So, remember six on the beat."

Orihime nodded dumbly before realizing the other woman could not see her, "H-hai. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight angel."

The line went dead and the ringing of the dial tone was the solitary noise that registered in Hime's mind.