A/N
Though it's been a while since I last updated this fic, I have not, by any means, given up on it. I just wasn't inspired, I guess. Or perhaps I was lazy? I don't really know, which, I suppose sounds strange –if I don't know, who does?
Anyways, this is sort of linked to chapter two, and the phone-call from Shinji. It was originally something that I had planned on doing, and doing it in one chapter, but as luck would have it, I was suddenly hit by the desire to flesh this particular event out a little more, which meant two –and a possible three- chapters all focusing on this particular event.
I truly need to plan things better.
Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, and I can only hope that my lack of inspiration/laziness has not turned you away from this fic.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Tite Kubo. Savvy?
Chapter Four: Friends and School
When Inoue Orihime woke up to the sound of her ever faithful alarm clock that Friday morning, she allowed herself to lounge in bed for an additional minute or two, attempting to get her bearings.
She had had the strangest dream, she recalled with a thoughtful frown.
It had had something about bears and blue men.
Oh, and the sushi warriors! Sushi warriors who fought bravely, armed with an array of blades, ranging from kitchen knives to wakizashi.
But she couldn't for the life of her recall what they were fighting for –or against, for that matter-, or what the general gist of the whole dream all had been. Which was a pity, because she was sure that it would've been interesting.
Tatsuki-chan would have enjoyed it for sure, for it had all the ingredients of a good dream.
Sighing at the missed opportunity to find a 'safe' topic to discuss with her friend –seeing how their recent conversations had been a little awkward, what with the rather large amount of secrets that she had been keeping from the martial artist- she hauled herself into a seated position on her bed, reaching out to stop her alarm.
As her eyes began their routine of scanning her small bedroom, the corners of her lips soon tugged downward when she saw nothing different about her surroundings.
Everything that she could see from her cursory glance around the room hadbeen there, in the same place, yesterday.
And the day before that, and the day before that…
And the days and weeks –if not months- before that, too.
Nothing had changed.
The walls were still that same shade of cream; the floorboards still the same old brown; the bookshelves were still full, with the books lined neatly according to their height; her desk was in its previous position against the far wall, although with a previously unheard of layer of dust over it for she rarely used it nowadays, choosing to do her work on the table in the living area outside.
All in all, it was all the same.
Her walk to the school had been quiet and altogether uneventful, although the vibrant haired girl did know that there had been a time –a time in the seemingly distant past- when such an occurrence would have been considered rare. The smile on her lips faltered at the thought, but she quickly, painfully, banished the thought, and forced her smile to remain steady.
After all, she was used to it.
The real test, for her, was when she found herself standing outside the door that led to her classroom; the very same classroom that she would never have imagined she would be so hesitant to enter (Why should she, when everything inside the classroom was, for all intents and purposes, what her world centred around?)
Banishing these thoughts as well, she did a quick check to see if the smile was still bright and present on her lips, before she slid the door open and stepped inside.
"Good morning Tatsuki-chan!"
The dark haired figure turned her gaze from the window, only to stare hard at her for a moment before nodding.
"Morning Orihime."
Forcing her smile to widen, she turned to the others, willing herself not to notice the hesitant and somewhat distant tone that had made up her friend's voice.
"Good morning, Ishida-kun!"
The bespectacled young man had an understanding look in his eyes as she turned to him, having seen the daily exchanges between her and her best friend, although that knowledge did not keep him from giving her a once-over, no doubt to assess what he could of her wellbeing.
"Good morning to you too, Inoue-san."
Feeling a flicker of gratitude somewhere underneath the mists that clouded her inside, she softened her eyes at him, hoping he would understand her meaning, before moving along.
"Good-"
She let out a quiet 'eep' when a figure rammed her side, and she didn't need to wait long for the groping hands that soon followed.
Of course she knew that it was just Chizuru-chan…but she still found herself cringing and almost, almost giving in to the urge to fight, to claw her way out of her grasp.
"Morning, O-ri-hime-chan!" sang Chizuru, withdrawing her hands without their customary groping as had become a habit when her precious 'princess' had first started reacting jerkily to her embraces.
"Good morning Chizuru-chan," replied Orihime, hoping to make amends, as she now did every morning, with a slightly brighter smile. "I- ah, good morning Sado-kun!" She called out, hearing the door open behind her and turning so she could see the much taller male out of the corner of her eye.
Her curly haired friend nodded, eyes lingering on hers for a moment longer than they had ever done, before he ambled past her, pausing only to give her a quick pat on the shoulder. She did not mind the action, for she knew that that was his way of both assuring her that things were alright, and of assuring himself that she was alright.
Keigo-kun and Mizuiro-kun, it seemed, had not yet made it to the classroom, but that was alright with the vibrant haired girl, because they hadn't really changed their perception of her –or at least, she didn't feel that they had- and therefore, greeting them wasn't that much of a challenge.
The smile still plastered on her lips, she made her way over to her usual desk, by the window, mentally congratulating herself over the fact that she had paused just once when she had passed her best friend. Her seemingly unresponsive best friend.
I'm sorry, Tatsuki-chan, she thought ruefully, as she sat down on her seat, staring blankly at her bag for a moment before she started to pull her books and other writing implements out.
Sometimes, it felt as though this was all a dream. It felt as though she was watching through a beaded curtain as someone who looked remarkably like her slept in her room, wore her clothes, ate her food and lived her life for her.
Sometimes, it felt as though she wasn't really there. As though she was somewhere far, far away, and being given only a moment's respite during which she could see what her life had become.
And what she hated the most, what she hated more than anything else, was the fact that she sometimes felt as though she was back in Hueco Mundo; that she was back in her white, white, white room in Las Noches, staring through the gaps of the barred window placed so high that there was no possible way she could reach it…except, instead of seeing the backwards moon through the bars, she could see the stranger who was her but, at the same time, not quite her.
And she hated that feeling, because it didn't just reek of despair and pessimism and everything else that was dark and gloomy and most unwelcome in her world of sunshine and bright colours –it was despair.
It was also a symbol of the death of all hope, and, more importantly, the death of all belief that she had in her friends –her precious, precious friends.
And it was that, it was that, that hurt.
"OW! What the hell was that for, you annoying little midget? I didn't even- OWW!"
"Ohoho, oh, I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, did I hurt you?"
"Did you hurt –stop acting all innocent you little-"
"-Dear me, Kurosaki-kun, you seem to be rather eager to trip over your own feet today…"
"YOU PUSHED ME, YOU FREAKING-" Whatever the rather loud male had been about to stay was stopped abruptly when his companion slid open their classroom door, stepping inside with the slightly scary smile on her face.
"Good morning dear classmates! It is so good to see you again this morning!"
"The hell? As if you really- blech-!"
"Tripping over your own feet again, Kurosaki-kun?"
As the dark curses continued to spill forth from the orange haired teen's mouth, Orihime gathered her previous thoughts in a firm mental grip and shoved them firmly into a chest, which she then attempted to lock, before she found herself getting distracted by the question of whether she really could shove her thoughts into mentally created chests. Would they be enough to hold the thoughts in, even under lock and key? What material would they need to be made out of? Would the chest weigh heavily on her mind, the heavier the thoughts in them?
Now's not a good time for that, she told herself with a wry, inward smile.
"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!" she called out cheerily, waving a hand at the bickering duo to catch her attention, and steadfastly disallowing herself from flinching when two pairs of eyes fell upon her, both staring at her for what seemed to be years.
"Morning, Inoue," called Kuchiki-san, sending a small smile her way, even as her purple eyes unshielded themselves long enough to relay the question of 'are you alright?' to her. "Sleep well?"
Karakura High School's 'princess' nodded vigorously.
"Very well," she said, and it was no lie –except her friend didn't need to know that it was more because she had exhausted herself by studying into the wee hours of the morning, as opposed to actually falling into any restful sleep.
"That's good." 'Tell me if anything's wrong, okay?' was what her purple eyes were now saying, and Orihime nodded at her, before turning her attention to the precious orange haired male as he mumbled something that sounded like 'morning' at her.
She smiled at him despite the reproving gaze that Kuchiki-san sent him, knowing that expecting anything more from him was, really, quite unfair.
He had led the charge to hell and back (even if said hell had started out moonlit and rather white) just so that he could get her away from the hell she had willingly (but apparently foolishly) chosen for herself.
He had witnessed and been the cause of a lot of bloodshed on the way to his goal, and what was worse was that he had the knowledge that those he had been leading (by silent consent) had been severely wounded and mentally scarred by all that had taken place.
And as if all of that hadn't been enough, he had changed into some…thing that had divested him of the smallest shred of humanity –and all that, because of her.
Because. Of. Her.
So, really, how could she ever hope for him to do more than giver her a cursory greeting, without hating herself for her ingratitude? Hadn't he done enough for her? Hadn't he become enough?
"-noue. Inoue."
Snapping out of her none too pleasant musings, she saw, with a start, that the object of her affect… of her thoughts, was now standing considerably closer than he had been before, and that he was looking at her with a strange look in his eyes.
A strange look which she was quick to recognize as one of concern.
"Kurosaki-kun?" she queried, tilting her head to the side. The substitute Shinigami –who, really, should be a hero…no, who would be a hero amongst Shinigami children in the future, should the Goteijusantai decide that it wouldn't hurt their pride to reveal his part in the Winter war that hadn't really taken place in the winter- observed her for a moment longer, just as two others had done before him, before shrugging and turning his eyes away.
"You…zoned out."
"Oh." There was a pause. "Sorry."
Had she really been that obvious? Whatever had happened to her resolution of not giving them the slightest fraction of a millisecond to wonder if she was alright? Was she slipping up? Would she have to reinforce her act of-
"What were you thinking of?"
She blinked, taking a reluctant moment to clear her thoughts and focus on Kuchiki-san, who was looking at her.
"Eh?"
"What were you thinking of?"
She wondered if it was just her, of if her friends seemed to be waiting for something, as though they were anticipating something that would either make their concern dissipate, or –heaven forbid- increase it.
Kurosaki-kun, she mentally answered, I was thinking of Kurosaki-kun, and what I made him do.
But, no, Kuchiki-san was still looking at her, and she was allowing her mind to wander a bit too much.
"Inoue-san?"
Ishida-kun was really good at keeping the concern out of his kind voice…but that really wasn't the best time to think about it.
"I was thinking of…" her voice trailed off as her brows furrowed. What to say, what to say…? "I was thinking of the extra assignments that Ochi-sensei gave me last week," she said at last, cheaply flashing a bright smile across the room while inwardly wondering if she was reducing its worth with each fake attempt she made at it.
Something flickered in Kuchiki-san's purple eyes, something that made Orihime think that she had, somehow, given them the wrong answer –if there was such a thing as a wrong answer. "A-and…I was …I was wondering if the blue men ever decided that they wanted to have children," was what she blurted out when she opened her mouth to say something, anything, in an attempt to dispel the strange mood that had fallen upon her friends.
She must have said the right thing this time though, for the mood –whatever it had been- vanished, and it seemed to her as though her friends were almost relieved. Although there was something in Kuchiki-san's eyes that told her she wasn't quite convinced.
Unnerved by those wise, experienced eyes, Orihime smiled once more before turning her attention to her book bag, continuing her earlier task of unloading what was inside it.
Conversation picked up around her as more students entered the room, and she was relieved at the chatter.
That had certainly been a close call. It looked as though she had to work on being more convincing of the fact that she was alright. It was what her friends needed to believe right now, and she was going to do everything that she could to make them believe that.
"-they say anything about it? Urahara won't say a word, so they're the only ones who can give you answers."
"You think I don't know that? I do! It's just…annoying. It's like they're…like they're trying to kill me."
"Don't be stupid. They're only trying to help."
"Are you sure about that?"
Snippets of her friends' conversation reached her ears, and she unwittingly tilted her head to the side, wondering what was going on. She had heard Kuchiki-san mention Urahara-san's name, and that by itself had her wondering if everything was alright. Although she doubted if they would tell her if something truly was going on.
"-only ones who can! So you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it, you pathetic excuse for a-"
"-You don't understand. The others…well, the others are alright. No, not alright, but they're the same as they were before –I can tell." There was a pause. "But him –there's something off about him. When he finally decided to turn up the other day, he just started to beat the crap out of me, like he had some kinda grudge against me; like I had kicked a puppy or something." There was another pause. "I'm telling you, Rukia, there's something off with him. He's changed."
"Yeah, well, war can do that to you."
"Pfft, like he hasn't seen enough of wars in his-"
Whatever else the orange haired teen had been about to say was stopped when the door was opened once more as Ochi-sensei entered the room, a no-nonsense expression on her face as she slammed her books down on her table, by the whiteboard.
Orihime's brows were furrowed ever so slightly, even as she listened to the teacher describe what exactly she would do to anyone who tried to 'mess with her' today –with a particularly hard stare in the direction of one Kurosaki Ichigo.
Her friends' conversation had made little sense, and though it worried her that something might be going on, something that she knew nothing about, she eventually told herself that it was for the best.
After all, the less she knew of such matters, less was the possibility of her stupidly getting involved.
Taking a quick, deep breath, she forced all other thoughts out of her mind, and concentrated on Ochi-sensei instead.
When the bell signalling the end of school rang, Orihime gave a start. If there was one thing that didn't seem to change, it was her ability to zone out at various times during the day.
Another school day over before she knew it.
As she slid the books into her bag, she wondered about her plans for the rest of the day. If she remembered correctly, it was a Friday, which meant that there were no more classes until Monday.
Two days off, she mused, a thoughtful expression overtaking her face, Two whole days. What should I do?
She supposed that it would do her good to make use of the ample time and go over her schoolwork again –when she had finished completing the last of the make up work that Ochi-sensei had assigned to her, of course. After all, if she wanted to at least try and get back her previous position in the class rankings, she'd have to put in quite a bit of effort.
So, I guess I'll be studying, she thought, making her way towards the classroom door, and I will probably need to do a bit of shopping… And maybe I'll go out and buy myself some of that instant hot chocolate mix. It is getting colder now, so it would be handy to have—
Her eyes widened suddenly. Hot chocolate –why did she get the feeling that there was something about it that she was missing?
"Inoue?"
Stifling a startled gasp at the voice that sounded too close for comfort, she whirled around, only to meet the calm, steady gaze of Kuchiki Rukia.
"Kuchiki-san?" she inquired, once she was sure she had her breathing under control. It wouldn't do to worry them again after all, which they would do if they were to see that she was still uncomfortable and almost always expecting something to happen.
"We're planning on meeting up some time this evening, probably for coffee or something-"
"-Or dinner, even," added Chizuru, coming up behind Rukia. Orihime stared at them for a moment, not fully aware of the four other pairs of eyes that were fixed on her.
Coffee and maybe dinner, huh?
Well, she thought, it would be nice. She frowned inwardly. But I might end up worrying them even more than they are already.
After all, who was to say that she would be able to keep her smiling mask on for so long?
But if she didn't go, they would worry even more.
With a smile on her face, she shook her head at her purple eyed classmate, deciding to hurriedly decline the impossibly kind invitation – especially after everything that they had faced, because of her!- and then to quickly make her way out of the classroom before they could attempt to change her mind.
"Sorry, Kuchiki-san, Chizuru-chan," she said, "I don't think I'll be able to make it."
"Why?"
"Because…" I don't want to worry you, I don't deserve to be your friend, I'm not really that good a person for you to waste your time fussing over, "I'm…well, I'm actually tired." Her smile widened as she scratched the back of her head, "I guess I really should stop studying into the early hours of the morning, you know?"
She didn't want to look closely at her friend's face, not entirely sure that she wanted to correctly decipher the emotion she saw there. "Thank you, though. I hope you…I hope you all have fun." She clutched her bag in a firmer grip, "See you all on Monday!"
With that, she spun on her heel and all but ran out of the classroom, pausing only to slide the door shut behind her.
I'm sorry, everyone.
A/N
For a change, I'm submitting the next chapter at the same time as this one, so...there's more to read!
Siriusgirl1
