Hey folks!Sorry for taking so long to update…Life has been so frantic these past few months. Oh, and I also date my real-life Ishida now, so yeah. More inspiration, but still no time, haha!
As always, all characters except Rebecca and Sunny belong to Kubo-senpai.
The diner was full of life. People coming and going, eating, chatting, laughing. Orihime though, she was completely lost. It took all she had so she wouldn't cry while her two new friends were trying to figure out what to do with her.
"Food comes first!" chirped Sunny, who was tugging Hime's sleeve. "Hey princess, have some pancakes, they're THE-BEST!", she kept on, while the so-called princess wouldn't really listen, until Rebecca put a cup of hot coffee into her hands. Only then did she raise her head and revealed red eyes.
"Listen, Orihime…Please have something to eat. It's not easy, but you really should. And then we'll have a bit of talk, alright?". Rebecca received a simple nod as an answer while Orihime drank a bit of her coffee. It took another cup and one or two bites before she could talk. After Rebecca made sure Sunny would go play at the kid's station of the diner, she sat across Orihime and looked at her.
"So, now…What's the deal? What happened out there?"
Between some barely audible sobs, Orihime started mumbling her thoughts. "He…He was with a pretty girl…She was n-naked. And I…Oh god, what am I doing here?". Tears started streaming down her face and she tried to continue. "I came all the way from J-Japan…And he is with another girl…I-I should have known! She looked so pretty, so…". More tears as she hid her face into her hands.
Rebecca lit a cigarette and took a deep inhale, then looked at the girl who was sobbing louder now, hiccupping because of the sobs. "He's a jerk, darling. Simple as that. I guess it was a long-distance kind of thing?". A nod. "Thought so. Well, it seems that it can't work out. But honey, don't get so sad. You're really young, life is ahead of you, you ca-". Orihime's loud crying interrupted her words, so Rebecca could only reach out and stroke her hair. "There, there…", she said and helped Orihime get to her feet. "Let's take the kid and go home. I'll prepare the guests' room for you and you'll sleep like a baby."
And that's exactly what happened-they picked up an exhausted Sunny and took her home, washed her and put her in her bed to sleep. After that, Rebecca started preparing Orihime's bedroom, while she was sitting in the couch, speechless, motionless, almost broken. The silence was broken only when Rebecca pushed a glass of whiskey into her hand and sat next to her, lighting a cigarette.
"You know, Sunny's father abandoned me. A couple of days before our wedding –I was five months pregnant by then- he left with my best friend. Sunny has never seen him. And yet, look at her. Such a darling little kid."
Orihime looked up and muttered in shock. "Oh gosh, really? I-I'm so sorry…"
"Didn't tell you this so you could be sorry, princess. I told you so, so you can think about it. I was devastated, yet my life went on. I think yours can go on, too."
"Are you serious? You can't just leave the hospital like this! You have obligations here! And where do you think you're going?"
The hospital manager's voice had reached a level much higher than usual, and the staff of the Karakura Clinic could hear him shouting at his son, even behind closed doors.
"I believe I can take a leave, I haven't done so in two years. So, there. I'll be away for a couple of weeks, doing a trip. Give my appointments to the others and I'll make up for them when I come back." Uryuu's voice, firm but barely able to sound calm, echoed in the room. First thing in the morning, he came to inform about a two-week leave and get the next flight to New York. He would try to contact Orihime, and then maybe go and see Ichigo. I'll rip his head off, I swear. If only Hime is alright…
That call from Ichigo in the middle of the night almost drove him crazy. He couldn't stand the thought of Orihime wandering alone in the streets of an unknown place, shattered by the sight of Ichigo with another woman. I can't believe him, how could he do this to her?! The fucking bastard! He spent the rest of the night pacing nervously into his living room, drinking endless cups of coffee and smoking endlessly. By dawn, he had made up his mind-he would travel and go find Orihime, and then take her back to Japan.
"…your patients, what about them? You're being so irresponsible, Uryuu. What kind of rush is this?". Uryuu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, while his father kept on lecturing him.
"Look father, you can live a couple of weeks without me. I'm going, so accept it. See you in two weeks.". He grinned triumphantly at a stunned Ryuuken, took of his doctor's coat and left the room.
A few glasses of whiskey later, Orihime was drifting off to sleep in the couch. She leaned back on the couch, trying to think straight, but she couldn't. Everything's going on so fast…And I'm here, a stranger in a stranger city, cheated and miserable. Well, fuck. She stifled a bitter giggle at the thought and she reached out to her satchel, taking out the book Uryuu had given her. She randomly opened a page and took a deep breath into it. She smelled her own scent, along with Ishida's. That musky smell…Ahh, feels like home. She vaguely thought of Uryuu, and wondered about him. She would call him tomorrow, but for now all that she wanted was sleep. Orihime, her eyes puffy and red from crying, got a tight hold of her book and drifted off to sleep, an almost empty whiskey glass by her side.
