(Already working on the next updates but yes, must still find the time to say thanks.)
(Thanks to : Kaleeselene, tsukihime4869, lyerlaboys1, Renji4eva, Chuain, nypsy, chibisamasempai20, Kuku3, Hlyn,)
(二度)
Inoue Orihime has long given up trying to stay in tune and sing the chorus. She felt bad for the melodious song for she was just 'air guitaring', albeit with a real instrument and lip-syncing to the words, but her main focus was strictly on the table where her friends sat. She has felt Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu fluctuating like a escaped stallion galloping for its freedom. She really hoped Tatsuki and Uryuu were not giving Ichigo a hard time. Those two made a formidable team when it came to baiting someone for information and unsurprisingly that someone was always Ichigo.
That was why she did not disclose her confession and the subsequent rejection that followed to anyone. Not even her best friend. Orihime knew with Tatsuki, it was going to be blame first, a severe beating and questions only when she was satisfied with the injuries. And then she will inform Uryuu and Chad. You almost expect them to 'interrogate' Ichigo on her behalf. But honestly, it was nobody's business but hers and Kurosaki-kun.
And theirs only.
Kurosaki-kun did not have to answer to anyone about the rejection. You cannot force someone to love anybody. It was enough for her that she got her answer. She went through the brusque rejection on her own, but at least now she knew where she stood with Ichigo in his heart. He will always be her savior, her protector and... her first love, be it unrequited. Nothing will ever change that. Nevertheless, life has to go on and love will come a-calling.
And maybe, it was time to be loved and to love back.
However, what she really wanted to do now was to be at the table where Kurosaki-kun was and be by his side, to stand by him, supporting him against the barrage of questionings fired by Tatsuki and Uryuu.
'Kurosaki-kun,' Orihime thought forlornly. Instinctively, her eyes wandered to her first love. He seemed to be really agitated. Orihime's traitorous heart felt for him and it whispered pitifully what she dared not, 'Ichigo.'
Fuyuumare Hitoshi was disturbed by the hold Kurosaki Ichigo has on Orihime. She has only admitted what she has wanted him to know. And that allowed her to keep him at a distance because of her unresolved issues with the orange-haired bastard. There, he has finally conceded he will never be good friends with someone who Orihime loved and still... loves? He glanced at the woman he has fallen heads over heels in love with at first sight, who was still gazing at Ichigo with what he supposed was the look that mirrored his when his eyes were on her.
And he sighed and continued performing the love song.
Of the three performing on stage, only Sado Yasutaro was the only one totally immersed in giving the audience a perfect rendition the song.
(二度)
"I don't understand. What did you meant by 'took advantage'? It almost sounded like you were raped." Arisawa Tatsuki was puzzled and she found it unbelievable. "But you're a guy, how can a woman has 'taken advantage' of you. You must have been aroused in order to have an erection to have sex." Tatsuki stated plainly.
Kurosaki Ichigo looked at his childhood friend exasperatedly. "That's why I did not mention it to anyone, because I knew for a fact it was going to be mocked."
"I was not trying to disregard what was implied. It's just that it is rather cockamamie. You're a guy." She repeated.
Ichigo and Ishida groaned at the obvious pun.
Ichigo was almost in his fighting mode.
Ishida Uryuu decided to help out his cousin, seeing how difficult this part of his history was for him and Tatsuki was not helping the situation by being so quick as to doubt what had occurred.
And he knew Orihime would be very upset to see her two good friends at each other's throats.
Ishida cleared his thoat and hoped that what he was going to say would sound like a boring scientific explanation. "Tatsuki-san, men can get an erection without any sexual arousal at anytime, anywhere. It's sort of like women and the stiffening of the nipples for no apparent reason or something as innocent as the cold weather." Ishida paused to let any objections be heard.
There was none.
"Added to the fact, Kurosaki had been drinking and who knows, he might even have been drugged."
"Ruffies?" Tatsuki interrupted.
"Yes, but its better known as Rohypnol in the medical trade. One of the effect of the drug could be thought of as being drunk, so that could explain why Kurosaki assumed he was just drunk when he was unwillingly having sex with her. Am I right to deduct she was physically stimulating you before the deed." Ishida asked Ichigo as he pushed his glasses with his finger further up his nose.
Ichigo hated this gesture by his smart-alecky cousin but he was grateful for the help rendered in the form of a little speech. Nevertheless, he would sooner forget what he did in college that was not connected to his education.
"I don't want to talk about it." He frowned.
"I want to talk about it," Tatsuki was looking rather apologetic. She has let the information sank in and she realized she was too quick to have jumped to her own foolish conclusion. "I am sorry, Ichigo." She reached over and gave his hand a tight squeeze.
Ichigo just shrugged his shoulders and acted nonchalantly. "It's nothing. I had placed it as a bad experience and I still don't want to talk about it."
"It's not nothing. But I am thankful that the bitch used a condom. Is that why you slept around? To make up for that one tragic event by having more 'bad experiences'?" Tatsuki wanted to heal her friend with him opening up to them.
"The fucking bitch didn't know it was my first time, so she was probably protecting herself. Whoring slut liked her must be on the pill." Ichigo's tone was full of anger. "And perhaps I did fuck with all those women as a way of proving I was doing it because I wanted to and not being forced to do it."
Tatsuki decided to let the remark about the pill and whoring slut slide. She just wanted him to keep on talking. "And all of those women didn't hold your interest at all? When you decided to stop being a man-whore," She grinned sheepishly at him. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Was it difficult?"
"No, why should it be? As I said, it had gotten almost routine-like and I just didn't feel like doing it anymore without any emotions involved."
"Good for you. But how did the women take your 'retirement' from being a stud? Did you give an explanation or as usual you scowled your way through the pleading women?"
Ichigo gave a sly, sort of smile. "Actually I did give an excuse." He glanced at Ishida, noticing he wasn't consuming anything, he continued almost gleefully. "I confessed to them what people have long been suspecting me of, my roommate was really my soul mate, my partner, my lover,"
"Your roommate? Wasn't your roommate..." Both Ichigo and Tatsuki turned to look at Ishida.
Ishida was livid. He controlled his boiling temper. He will not give Kurosaki the satisfaction of how his words has affected him and make a spectacle of himself. A gentleman always wait for the right moment to strike back at his enemies.
"Uryuu, are you alright? You have gone as white as a sheet." Tatsuki asked in concern.
"Or as white as the Quincy outfit he always wear." Ichigo jeered.
Ishida pushed up his glasses, glared coldly at Ichigo, "I see."
"What!? That's all you going to say. Aren't you going to bray at me for tarnishing your good name?"
"I am not a donkey, so why should I make a sound such as that?"
"Aren't you cute, you two lovebirds?" Tatsuki crooned intentionally. Ignoring the irritated glares directed at her, she continued with her questioning.
"What I don't get, is how you let your defences down with the bitch? Was she so alluring, so irresistible? What did she look like?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Ichigo reiterated and his frown returned full-forced.
Ishida touched his glasses with a vindictive gleam in his blue eyes. "She was nothing to look at."
"And how would you know?" Ichigo questioned him. Was there a slight tremble in the voice?
The gleam was brighter. "Oh, she came by the dorm room a few times looking for you. You must have impressed her with your beginner's skill because she was clearly smitten with you."
"So, what's she like?" Tatsuki definitely wanted to know, seeing how tense Indigo has become.
"That's the thing, when I first saw her, she sort of reminded me of Inoue-san."
"WHAT!?" Tatsuki looked around after her outburst of shock. "Sorry. Sorry." She hastily apologized to the other diners. She turned to the 'stage' and mouthed her apology to a very worried Orihime.
"Uryuu, next time you want to drop a bombshell on me, please make sure there are not so many bloody people around. And what do you mean, she looked like Orihime. Did she really look like Orihime?" Tatsuki wanted confirmation from Ichigo.
"I don't remembered." That was how Ichigo answered. And he was not going to say anymore with the stoic expression hardening.
Ishida took over. "That was my first impression. It was the almost similar hair color and body shape, but when I did a more thorough observation, she was nothing liked Inoue-san. I guessed if one was smashed out of his brain, one could mistaken someone liked her as being Inoue-san though I doubt that was even her true hair color."
Tatsuki ventured to ask Ichigo as to that was her true coloring and she earned for herself a wholly contemptuous look from Ichigo and restrained snickering from Ishida.
"Wait a damn minute! I just thought of something!" Tatsuki startled her two friends by her overly excited sudden flash of genius brainstorm. "Why don't we get Orihime and her amazing ability to reject, to undone what Ichigo has done in those two licentious years and what the bitch forcefully took from him. It can be done, right?"
Ichigo stared dumbly at her. He closed his mouth and mumbled, "Idiot."
"I heard that, you ungrateful gigolo!" Tatsaki shot back.
"Gigolo!? Why you..."
"Enough! The two of you do not want to create a scene to cause Inoue-san any distress, am I correct?"
The two bickering friends nodded obediently.
"Thank you, for Inoue-san's sake. Now Tatsuki, you are referring to Sõten Kisshun, I am afraid it is not possible. She will have to reject his memories and I do not know whether or not the erasing can be done with a specific period of time in mind. You do not want to risk Kurosaki forgetting about everything."
Tatsuki was not giving up so easily. "But I have heard she can restore limbs and such, what if we," She made a cutting motion with her hands and the two males at the table cringed and positioned their legs closer to protect their manhood. "Then Ichigo will be as pure as the day he was born." Tatsuki finished her suggestion in triumph.
"Tatsuki," Ichigo managed to not squeak out her name, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I hated what she did and I fully regretted what I did but what's done is done. I appreciate what you are trying to do and talking about it has helped after bottling it up for so long. Don't worry, I am fine."
"Okay. If that's what you want but are you going to tell the woman you are going to fall in love with, I assume you still believe in love, about that part of your life?"
"Of course. I told the two of you and I don't even like either of you." Ichigo smirked at the offended expression on his friends' faces. Then he remembered what he so desperately wanted to know. "Does Inoue know?"
Tatsuki put him out of his misery by nodding.
Ichigo banged his head on the table. " She must think I am a sex maniac with an insatiable appetite for sex. She is afraid of me. She hates me."
"There's a way to find out if Orihime is afraid of you," Ichigo lifted his head from the table to grasp at the lifetime. "You see the two chairs between you and Chad, if she choose to sit beside Chad then she might be just a little afraid of you." Tatsuki soften the upcoming unpredictable moment of truth for Ichigo.
Ichigo banged his head on the table again and moaned dismally, "I am doomed, I am so fucking doomed."
(二度)
Appreciative clapping heralded the end of the song and hopefully not the beginning to the end of Orihime's friendship with Ichigo.
"Kurosaki-kun, is everything alright?" Getting no response from the man with his head on the table, Orihime turned anxiously to ask Tatsuki if there was anything wrong with Kurosaki-kun.
Tatsuki told her to sit down before she will tell her what was wrong with Ichigo.
There was the sounds of chairs moving and then Ichigo tensed up as he felt the chair next to him being occupied.
"Kurosaki-kun, please look at me." Orihime pleaded gently. "Tatsuki-chan, what did you do to Kurosaki-kun?"
"Nothing." A muffled snort was heard. "Ichigo just saw a mosquito and unlike a normal ordinary human who uses their hands to exterminate the disease-carrying pest, our superhero here has to use his forehead, right, Ichigo?"
A barely audible 'smart ass' was heard.
"A mosquito! I do apologize, Kurosaki-kun. Is there anything I could do?" Hitoshi was being the gracious host.
Ichigo was about to lift his head when he felt a hand on his back. Someone was giving him a smoothing back rub. Good god, he hoped it wasn't Fuyuumare. He liked the soft touch.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
'Inoue sounded so close, please let it be her, Please!' Ichigo prayed desperately.
He lifted his head.
And bravely took a look.
(二度)
(Hmm, not a very good update.)
(I hope to do one or two more updates before I disappear. Mom wants me to decluttter everything and dad wants my undivided attention till the end of the EPL. So, I might not be updating as fast as I would like to, maybe... one update per month. I will try my best to do more for all of my stories. Apologies.)