A/N: I didn't even think about a certain question until a review asked about it, lol. It's a PERFECT question to have someone ask, so thank you to ReverIchihime!! I will use their question in this chapter~
Enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 4
Ichigo's POV
"Eh?" Inoue questioned. "How do you play that?" Renji just sighed heavily, pouring some sake into his cup, and passed it on.
"Just take a sip of that stuff after someone asks a question," He pointed to her cup.
"Every time?" She gasped lightly. Renji sighed again, muttering something about stupid humans. Tatsuki tapped Inoue's shoulder.
"No, Orihime. Only if you've done the question they've asked. Like, 'Did you sleep last night?' if you did, you take a sip." Inoue formed an 'O' with her mouth. She kind of did look cute doing that…
Uraharah, who was next to me, shoved the bottle at me. I poured some into my cup, taking it slow. This was my first time handling alcohol. I shouldn't have been so distraught about it though. I acted as if it was going to spontaneously combust in my face. I handed it off to Tatsuki, but she refused. Come to think of it, Yoruichi-san had refused as well…
"Sorry, but I'm the only one who wants to stay sober here because I need to keep an eye on someone." Someone? My guess was Inoue, but Tatsuki was pretty suspicious of me as of lately, so it could have been me as well.
"I'll start, and then we'll go in a circle," Matsumoto-san pointed to herself, grinning almost maniacally. "We'll start easy."
"Have you ever walked into a wall or lamppost or something, and got seriously hurt?" She grinned, looking around the room at the guests.
"Rangiku, that's a terrible one." Renji mumbled. I had to agree with him on that though. It was pretty stupid. There was one person who actually had, and all eyes were on her.
Inoue.
Her face was red, and she held the glass up to her lips, taking a small sip. "Um… Multiple times, actually," she hiccuped lightly. Tatsuki just rolled her eyes, inching a bit closer to Inoue. "I guess I'm just a bit clumsy…" A bit? Try a lot! There always had to be someone constantly watching her.
"Rukia's turn!" Matsumoto shouted.
"Keep your volume down," Rukia stated before asking a question. "Um, this isn't a good one, but have you ever fallen asleep in the bathtub?" Considering most of the people here usually don't physically manifest, that was another bad question. I had to take a sip though. Sometimes it was a bit too relaxing, and I had accidentally dozed off. Matsumoto-san and Inoue both took a sip. Poor Inoue. If anything, she was going to be the one wasted at the end of this, the way it was going. I guess I was still a bit curious as to how she reacts to alcohol.
"Come one, think of some better questions. I haven't even taken a drink yet, and that busty girl on the other side of the room has already taken two!" I looked over at Inoue to see how she was holding up. Her eyelids had drooped a bit, making her look even more tired, and her cheeks had a significant change in color to them.
"Er, are you okay Inoue?" I asked in a slightly worried tone. She just looked down at her cup, then back at me. Her face seemed to turn redder upon looking at me.
"I'm alright…" She mumbled. She didn't sound very good either. "Who's next?" She looked around the room and smiled half-heartedly.
"I'm next!" Renji exclaimed, very amused that it was his turn. "Have you ever had a naughty dream about the person you like, or have previously liked?"
"Ah, what a good question, Renji-kun!" Uraharah-san, smiling lightly. "All the time!" He grabbed onto Yoruichi-san's waist, pulling her close, and taking a sip. I shuddered at his thought. That was just disturbing, the whole Uraharah-Yoruichi thing.
I actually have had an, erm… Embarrassing dream before. What concerned me even more was that it was Inoue in my dreams. I felt my face heat up a bit, and hesitated to take a drink until I saw who else did.
Ishida took a drink, as well as Matsumoto, Rukia, and Renji. Both Rukia and Renji got red on the spot, after taking a sip. Personally, I think Renji asked that question, just so he could drink some alcohol. I was very surprised at Ishida though… Not curious enough to know whom it was about though.
And surprisingly, Inoue took yet another sip from her cup.
Wait… Inoue?! She's the most innocent girl I've ever met! How could she even have such a dream as what Renji was referring to?
What I also wanted to know was who was the person she likes. And even having certain fantasies about that person as well. I felt a tinge of jealousy in my heart, but I tried to put it aside as I took a drink of the alcohol. It tasted quite bitter, but oddly enough, I could see why someone could get addicted to it. I looked over at Inoue to see how she was faring.
Her face was quite flushed now and her eyes appeared that she was completely zoned out. They were glazed over, I suppose you would call it. I looked at Tatsuki, and she just gave me a small smirk.
"Yoruichi-san's turn." Renji spoke, more quietly this time. She looked up and around at the group, and spoke in a quiet voice.
"Have you ever attempted to kiss a person when they didn't know it you were doing it?" I looked around the group to see who was taking a drink. I personally never did such a thing, but then again, I've never even thought about stuff like kissing and what not.
"Orihime?!" Tatsuki exclaimed. All eyes focused in on Inoue, who was taking yet another sip. Matsumoto-san giggled.
"Orihime-chan, you sly girl. Who was the almost lucky guy?" She smirked. Inoue just looked up, and around at everyone, with her eyes half-drooped and her cheeks a rosy color.
"It's…" She started. To be honest, I wanted to know whom it was she tried to kiss. I felt another ping of jealousy tug at my heart. Everyone had gotten a bit closer to Inoue, to hear what she was going to say, including myself.
"It's way too hot in here, isn't it?" She spoke smoothly and kind of out of it. She adjusted her legs into a more… Um, suggestive position. "Why is it so hot in here?" Inoue started to pull her straps down on her dress. Uraharah and Renji, who decided to drink anyway, since the game was going so slowly, had suddenly spit out all their drinks out of their mouths, causing a huge mess.
"Tatsuki-chan, can you help me with the zipper? I'm way too hot to stay in this dress." She asked Tatsuki, raising her arms to point to the zipper. Tatsuki, who was still behind Inoue, exclaimed to her.
"Orihime!" She glared at Matsumoto-san. "She's drunk, you big idiot. Why are you giving alcohol to minors?" Matsumoto-san just shrugged.
"How was I supposed to know that she would take a sip at every question?" Inoue started to unzip her dress herself. All at the same time, Ishida, Chad, Yoruichi-san, Uraharah, and the others, some I couldn't remember their names, had all stood up, and made a hasty exit to the kitchen.
"L-let's get some food!"
"Yes, yes, let's!"
The only ones left in the room where Matsumoto-san, Tatsuki, a partially clad Inoue, and myself. I felt my face heat up immensely, and I set my cup on the floor.
No more alcohol… I don't want to end up like her.
Just think of what we could do to her now! She's so out of it, she wouldn't even notice a thing!
"Ichigo, take her outside! She can cool down out there," Tatsuki exclaimed, shoving the undressing Inoue at me, who just looked at me confused and slightly embarrassed.
"W-why me!?!" I yelled back at her. "Why not one of you two?" The both shook their heads.
"She's had enough of us to last her a lifetime," Matsumoto-san explained, putting her hands in the formation of an X.
"S-shit." I mumbled, picking Inoue up from the floor, by her waist. Her waist seemed so… perfectly curvy… I only wished I could touch it without having the clothing in between.
I shook my head, trying to clear it of those thoughts. I had to get Inoue out of there as quickly as possible; otherwise she would be completely out of her dress. I blushed hard at the thought. I made a hasty retreat to the door that I had previously entered in.
"K-Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue mumbled, still fiddling around with her dress. I tried my best not to look at her, but she looked so…
Seductive? Hot? Sexy? She IS all of the above, King. My inner hollow laughed to himself again, putting in yet another embarrassing remark. I opened the door handle quickly, and a gust of cold air came straight at us. Making sure the door behind me, I looked around for a good spot to put Inoue, who seemed to stop undressing herself. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ahh, it's so much cooler outside." She sighed to herself, plopping herself onto the ground, stretching out her smooth legs… It must have snowed lightly while we were inside and gotten quite dark as well. Personally, I thought it was the surroundings couldn't have been better as I took a seat next to Inoue.
Orihime's POV
"Are you drunk, Inoue?" I heard a low, smooth voice ask me. It sounded low enough to be a guy's voice, but I couldn't figure out whom the voice belonged to.
"Nah, I'm fine," I slurred my words together. I'd only had… 4 sips of alcohol? That's hardly considered a large amount of alcohol to get drunk off.
"How are you feeling?" The voice asked again. My head was started to hurt me a bit, but somehow the voice seemed to sooth that nagging tension currently residing in my brain…
"I'm tired…" I stuttered, accidentally leaning to the side. I slowly fell and landed in the other person's lap. I didn't know who it was, and honestly, I didn't care. It felt so comfortable, I would guess that I could sleep very decently in this spot, as opposed to my sleeping of previous nights.
"Do you not get enough sleep at night?" I shook my head in their lap. I suddenly felt a hot, heavy hand on my head. The hand started to stroke my hair, as a sign of… Possible comfort?
"I haven't been sleeping well for a while… The last week I think… Maybe." I tried to think, but it hurt my head too much, so I didn't try all that hard.
"Why not?" His voice sounding more concerned. I smiled a bit to myself, wishing that this could be the perfect moment if this was Kurosaki-kun…
"N-nightmares," I whispered staggeringly.
"About what?" The hand stroked my hair softly and slowly. I pouted my lips, trying to think again what I was fearing every night.
"The usual…" I murmured. "Uummm… Hueco Mundo… Aizen… Arrancar…" I paused, trying to think of the last one, without trying too hard. "Oh, Kurosaki-kun too…" The hand suddenly froze, and the voice started sounding shaky.
"You have dreams about m- I mean, him?" I just nodded again as a response, staying silent for a few moments. The hand started to caress my hair once again.
"Those eyes…" I mumbled quietly. The hand's grip on my hair suddenly got a bit tenser. "I keep seeing those eyes… And I remember my brother on that night he turned into a Hollow…" I sighed lightly. "I know I shouldn't be afraid of Kurosaki-kun, I have no reason to…" Another hand had found its way to my cold, open shoulder. I shuttered a bit at the sudden contact. The other hand was warm as well. "I just feel like his eyes can't see me… More so when he's um," I paused, "In his hollow form?"
I shifted my head and open my eyes slightly. I couldn't see much, as it was quite blurry, but I thought I saw gentle brown eyes, and vivid orange hair.
If this really were Kurosaki-kun, this would be perfect… Except for the whole, 'Me blurting out all this nonsense in front of him' stuff… That: Not so good.
And then I remembered that this stuff could only happen in my dreams. So it'd be natural to assume that this was a dream, right? I laughed a bit.
"Hm?" The voice questioned. I just smiled to myself.
"This is a dream…" I pulled my shoulders close to my body, with the other hand still on my shoulder, following my movements. A slightly chilly breeze blew past us both, temporarily giving me the shivers.
"What makes you so sure of that?" His voice rang out. Now that I listened to it a bit more carefully, it resembled Kurosaki-kun's voice a bit. I chuckled a bit.
"Because if you're Kurosaki-kun, then this is a dream…" I sighed lightly, starting to feel a bit happy about my current location, and my 'dream'. "Because Kurosaki-kun would never treat me as nice as this in real life, when I'm awake." The hands tightened their grip on me. I just smiled weakly.
"And what if this isn't a dream?" His voice spoke quietly. "And what if this really is 'Kurosaki-kun'?" I just shook my head fiercely.
"Nope… I still wouldn't believe it."
"Why not?" He asked again.
"Because Kurosaki-kun would never love me." I stated simply. It was weird… Normally I wouldn't be able to say something like, that, so easily, just because it hurt me so much, to the point of tears. starting to get up from the person's lap. My head really hurt, so I had to take it slow. The person's hand that was on my shoulder, went to my neck instead, and suddenly pulled me closer to him.
"Hey, what do you think you're doi-" I tried to ask, but got cut off by a soft pressure on my lips. I was confused, but I found it to be really pleasurable, actually. I felt his hot breath on my face, and part of me wanted this moment to last forever.
I couldn't lie to myself anymore…
I love Kurosaki-kun. Always have, always will, and it'll never change. I'll never be able to not love him with my entire being.
My only solution left was to avoid him entirely… I just needed to wake up and actually put my decision into motion.
But part of me didn't want to wake up.
Ichigo's POV
I learned three things about Inoue:
She was a sarcastic, but an honest drunk. She definitely wasn't herself when she was in a drunken state. But oddly, I really liked it; her 'different' personality. It was for sure, very interesting.
Something else was definitely up with her that she wasn't telling me about. When she was talking earlier, she had a worried tone in her voice, but it didn't seem quite normal. My guess was that it had something to do with Hueco Mundo or something.
She possibly has, or had some sort of feelings for me. I, unfortunately, decided to act on it, without even knowing about my own feelings first.
After hearing, "Because Kurosaki-kun would never love me," I felt a huge tug at my heart, and it hurt like hell. I didn't want to let her go, to have her leave. I didn't know why, I just didn't…
She had fallen back onto my lap, and was now snoring softly. It was started to get a bit colder now, but she just curled up into a fetal position, with her head in my lap.
I heard the door creak open, and I slowly turned my head to see who it was. It was Tatsuki.
"How is she now?" She asked quietly. I shrugged a bit, but not trying to move much for fear of waking up Inoue.
"Better, I suppose… She's sleeping now…" Tatsuki nodded, and smirked.
"She didn't take off her dress, did she?" My face heated up a bit.
"N-no, she didn't. She was fine as soon as we stepped outside…" I paused, then continued, trying to change the subject. "How are things in there?" She just sighed heavily.
"Hell… They're making a huge mess, and we've already gotten a few calls from the neighbors about the noise."
""Haven't you asked them to quite down some?!" I fumed quietly at her. I would never forgive myself if Inoue got kicked out of her apartment because of a bunch of other drunks.
"They're all drunk. I can't do much about it." She folded her arms. "Anyway, it's cold, and it's getting late, and you two will freeze if you stay out here any longer." I raised an eyebrow.
"Late?" I asked. She nodded.
"It's almost 11." Have we been out here for more than two hours?! I guess time really did fly past. I nodded as a response. Good thing this winter was warmer than usual. Normally we would've been frozen by now.
"Um… How am I going to pick her up?" I asked, trying to determine what to do with Inoue. I really didn't want to wake her.
"Why not wake her up?" Tatsuki kneeled down, poking Inoue in the cheek. She stirred a bit, but continued sleeping soundly right away.
"I don't want to wake her. She said she hasn't been sleeping well." I moved Tatsuki's finger away from her face.
"Why?" She asked.
"Nightmares…" I replied simply. Though her nightmares didn't sound very simply at all.
"Ah… Then just pick her up." Tatsuki spoke, standing back up, brushing some snow off her dress. I was planning on picking her up, I just didn't know how.
Putting over my shoulder was definitely out of the question. It worked when we were at Hueco Mundo, but she was awake and sober then.
I eventually just picked her up, having one arm under her knees, and the other behind her back.
"Bridal-style?" Tatsuki chuckled, trying to make a joke.
"S-shut up!" I stuttered, still trying to be quiet. Tatsuki opened the door for me, smiling. I was about to go in, but she said something that made me even more embarrassed.
"Nice lip gloss, Ichigo."
A/N: This story is NOT going the direction I wanted it to, lol. It turned out soooo different. Oh well… I suppose if you like it, it's okay.
Please review! I accept good comments or bad, I just want to hear your thoughts!!
