Such a quick update from moi? :) Hope you enjoy it, it's slow but the pace will pick up once the foundation is set, and trust me, there's a LOT more surprises planned, God willing! I love surprises, don't you!
Chapter Three
"The stars are so beautiful, aren't they? It's pretty amazing; to think that the light we see actually left them billions of years ago."
-Orihime Kurosaki
I
"Mexico's a far place, Ichi-kun..." Orihime wondered, as she carried the bowl of warm soup to the table. Her husband hummed in response, completely absorbed in his laptop.
"Ichigo? I made chocolate pudding!" still no response. He loved chocolate pudding like a little boy loved toy cars.
She smirked. If she hadn't known better, she would've screamed the house was on fire or sneak up behind his chair, just to tease him a bit. But she knew better, and she knew that scaring someone out of their wits, even if it's a joke, isn't the right thing to do. So she walked up to him and lifted his chin.
"What's wrong, Hime?" he asked, squinting. She chuckled and smiled wider. "Tonight's the big fireworks show at the park, and we're supposed meet everyone there by six." Patting him on the cheek at his groan, she laughed heartily. "Eat up quickly, I made chocolate pudding."
"Chocolate pudding?" he broke into a wide grin. Now that was more like it.
II
"The Hiraizumi expedition, man! How did it go?" Renji asked excitedly. Ichigo shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Not the way we expected."
"Sure. That's a fancy way of saying it was a total failure!" the man howled, clutching his stomach in amusement as he pointed at the flustered man beside him. Ichigo glowered; ready to cause the man bodily harm, but Orihime stopped his eager fist with a knowing look. He sighed in defeat, removing his hand from his pocket. She didn't like that either.
Renji Abarai was one of Ichigo's closest friends, though neither would admit it. He was Rukia's fiancée, and was as short-tempered and dense as Ichigo. But hey, he was a man. He was tall and strong and had long spiky red hair that at first glance would seem very suspicious. But he was loyal and adamant on his principles. Maybe that was why Rukia loved him, although she was more often seen socking him with a dainty slipper than any actual display of public affection. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress and stood with Orihime and Tatsuki, pitifully shaking her head at the men who claimed to be grownups.
"Would you look at them? They embarrass us…" she scorned.
"Oh but Rukia-chan, Renji's just teasing!" Orihime giggled. Tatsuki sighed. "Where's Uryu anyway? Don't tell me he's making the popcorn."
Uryu Ishida walked upon the group solemnly, his hands full. He glared at the arguing men and raised his chin, mumbling something about Neanderthals.
"Come on you buffoons! All the good seats will be taken!"
It was a lovely night! The air was warm and the weather pleasant and the park was full but not packed. Couples walked hand in hand, children ran about singing wild songs, mothers ran after them, boys cycled the lanes selling cotton candy and peanuts. The little party sat themselves on the soft grass under a large shady tree, giving them a good view of the lake and the open night sky. Renji and Rukia spoke loudly, Tatsuki asked Uryu about his work at the hospital, and Orihime traced the constellations with her smirking husband.
"Look at that, Ichigo! It's the Leo!" she jumped excitedly, and Ichigo had to secure her firmly to himself. He saw it too, fourteen stars that almost looked like a lion pouncing. A spring constellation.
"The stars are so beautiful, aren't they?" she asked quietly, leaning against his arm. "They're pretty amazing; to think that the light we see actually left them billions of years ago."
"It's like looking back into history…" her husband murmured, a particular red book coming to mind.
After a silent moment, she abruptly waved, causing Ichigo to stare at her perplexed. "You never know if there's an alien-chan looking at us from up there!" she laughed.
Before she received a reply, the sky was enlightened as enormous red stars burst high, signifying the beginning of the show. Orihime squealed, and everyone gasped in delight. Another green one exploded soon after, and nobody realized how quickly time passed. But soon, it was time to head home.
"I wonder how Sado is doing?" Rukia wondered as they walked. Sado Yasutora was another member of their closely knit band of friends, and he was transferred back to Karakura about two weeks ago for some special assignment.
"Haven't you heard?" Uryu asked, pushing his spectacles over his nose. "He's gone back to Mexico for a while, said he has to get a nativity certificate of sorts."
Ichigo froze for just a moment as his eyebrows rose high. Mexico? Of all the times for a man to go to Mexico!
"Did you say Mexico?" Ichigo squeaked, and then coughed. Uryu stared at him incredulously, then nodded. "I'm not sure when he'll be back."
Ichigo could only gulp and open his eyes in wonderment. He felt Orihime squeeze his hand. Mexico? Mexico!
III
The next day at the teacher's lounge, Orihime Kurosaki sat silently making quick notes for the upcoming event. To say she was excited would be quite the understatement; honestly she was too enthused to be described by an English, or Japanese word. There she sat; pencil in hand and eyebrows furrowed, whisking through pages, unbeknownst to the clamour about her. She'd be busy for the rest of the day, so she spent her only free period scribbling down ideas on the Egyptian pharoah's exhibit. So absorbed was she that she failed to hear a familiar voice articulate her name repeatedly, until she felt the splitting pain of a fist landing on her head.
"Owie… Tatsuki!" she bawled, rubbing her injured cranium. The spiky haired brunette beside her just shrugged and munched on her bento. "It can't be helped, Hime. I did call your name."
We haven't introduced her to you yet, now have we? Tatsuki Arisawa, the same Tatsuki Arisawa from the previous night, was the feisty young P.E teacher and Orihime's closest friend, a recognized karate champion in Tokyo. After school hours, she was a sensei at the local dojo, and her lively spirit would easily translate into her moves. She was an accomplished woman in her field, much as Orihime was in hers. Having known each other since their school days, the two seemingly opposite individuals grew to be dear friends, and over the years, each one's personality has changed ever so slightly for the better.
"So… it that for the big exhibition thing you have planned?" she asked, pointing her chopsticks to the book in hand. The auburn haired woman beamed and replied it was. "Speaking of books, this week's Library Week, I'd really love it if you could join us!" her gleaming eyes shone. Tatsuki smiled apologetically. "Sorry Hime, there's a tournament coming up and I'm needed at the dojo. You'll do fine without me."
"Oh it's alright; we'll be reading on Arthur Redmund, though. Isn't that lovely?" her eyes were practically sparkling now. Tatsuki was already aware of all the happenings at the Kurosaki household, the mystery of the hidden city having piqued her interest too. But like the over-protective bully she was, she always cautioned Orihime when it came to things like this. More often than not, the poor history teacher cum authoress would have to fend herself off of not one, but two bullies, for her husband was as guilty as Tatsuki where her well-being was concerned.
Before Tatsuki could say anything, a little boy with beautiful black hair and a dimple in one cheek walked up to the woman beside her and handed her a file. They exchanged a few words, and Tatsuki was sure there was a most inconspicuous, and the boy left with a goofy grin after Orihime ruffled his hair. She turned a forlorn gaze back to her best friend, suddenly silent and thoughtful.
"His name was Hajime." She whispered, staring down at her fingers.
Tatsuki smiled sadly and hugged her friend, closing her eyes. They were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the bell.
The day passed without event and soon, the final bell signaled the end of the school. Orihime accompanied her students in a big bus that would take them to the City Library. The big old bus was practically explosive; you would have thought they were going camping or something! There were giggles and songs and jokes echoing all the way to their destination and upon sighting the grey stone walls of the building, the bus literally quaked as the children jumped in glee.
The mood was quickly set up. In no time, the long tables that were once collecting dust were now rapidly occupied, and there were piles of books and magazines and audio cassettes and leaflets and papers and pens strewn across the mahogany, almost reminiscent of days gone by. Hoarse whispers of 'was it Arthur Redbeard or Redhound?' and 'he was an explorer silly, not a pirate!' and many more 'did you find a book?! Where? Show me!' reverberated through the sun-lit halls, even the old librarian, Ibuke-san, was feeling nostalgic. Meanwhile, Orihime heated the hot chocolate and cookies, and went to a nearby shelf for her own look. That is, of course, after having assisted the many questioning eyes and scampering feet with their quest. She settled down comfortably with her own stack, and in an instant, was lost to the world around her. She was reading on the title 'Adventurists that made History', and broke into a smirk when she spotted the name for which she'd been looking. But the smile soon weakened to a straight line, as she found no more information than what they'd already known. Yet she steadily went on, book after heavy book.
"Orihime-sensei, what does this mean?" asked a girl with rosy cheeks and long dark hair. She pointed at the words 'unrelenting fogou'.
"Well Akari, do you know what a fogou is?"
"No… is it a tree?"
"Not quite. See, fogou is the Cornish word for a sort of underground stone structure. It's almost like a cave."
"So an unrelenting fogou would mean a really big and imposing one! Thanks, Orihime-sensei!" she ran back to her seat. Orihime smiled and continued with her reading.
A few hours went by, and soon, there were mugs of hot chocolate being passed round, and hands stretching for cookies and dangos. The students all laughed in merriment and packed their books and papers, readying themselves for home. After cleaning up, they each thanked Ibuke-san on their way out. The sun was just barely setting, so it wasn't very late. After waving her students goodbye and hugging a few of them, Orihime walked back home feeling a bit queasy. She didn't know what had caused it, but as soon as it came, it went. Shivering, she brought up the collars of her coat and quickened her pace for home.
IV
"I couldn't reach Chad today. I'll try again tomorrow." Ichigo frowned, dumbbell in hand. Orihime nodded tiredly and stifled her yawn. "That's good, Ichigo."
"Orihime, what's wrong?"
"I'm just sleepy, I guess. We didn't find anything striking yet at the... library..." her eyelids slowly fell, and she tried to keep her head up.
"Why don't you go to bed then? I'll do the dishes."
"No! It's too early and I-"
"Do you have anything important to do?" she shook her head. Not waiting to hear any more, he picked her up, casually ignoring her protests, and walked to the room, tucking her in for the night. She mumbled something incoherent and he simply chuckled. Orihime usually said a slient prayer before going to bed, tomorrow she would be furious.
"Goodnight, Hime. Sweet dreams." He whispered as he kissed her forehead. Gingerly, he closed the door behind him.
The next day found the teacher and her students back at the library. Her mysterious sickness fully subsided; she threw herself into the tomes with more energy than the previous day. She'd woken up late and realized Ichigo hadn't gone for their regular morning walk, he stayed home and made breakfast. Feeling rather guilty of herself, Orihime fervently decided that she'd have to do her best too, Ichigo always took it upon himself to take care of those around him, shrugging off objections with a casual lifting of his shoulders. He was busy enough himself, and Orihime had to give it her all if she wanted to help him solve this case.
She quickly breezed through the book on her table, having seen nothing of great importance, and just when she was about to shut the book forever and return it to its dusty tomb, something caught her eye. It was a single sentence, merely a few words, but it bore a striking significance. She stared at it, re-read it, even followed her finger under it, but it always said the same thing... a most remarkable thing.
'Redmund was known to have authored a single book, titled 'The Detailed Works of Arthur Redmund', and is believed to have made two copies of it, one for himself and one for his brother...'
One for his... brother?
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..
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Too tired to ramble today, how are you doing? I'm pretty stressed out, so yeah.. :), it's a part of life isn't it?
Well on another note, I do hope you're enjoying this story, otherwise it's pointless! :P I'd love to hear from you, it really is amazing to have such a big family here, know what I mean? And do review, it's motivational and well, it's the best thanks an author could get! That is, if you like it enough. Look at me, I'm rambling again, don't I ever keep quiet? :)
To my most fantabulous reviewers: Alice hc, erica and Ermilus, y'all are the best! See, you're making me all emotional like, your support really makes my day!
Take care sugars! And keep fighting for your dreams! They're totally worth it, and it makes life worth living!
God Bless!
