"Congratulations, Orihime!" Michiru squealed, crushing her in a hug. For such a small girl, she was unnaturally strong.
Orihime smiled at her friend. "You too, Michiru."
It was mid-March and cherry blossom season was in full swing. Orihime, Tatsuki, and the rest of their group were celebrating with a picnic to look at the beautiful, pink sakura trees. Though it was not a cherry blossom tree, they universally decided to meet under their lunch tree one last time. Now that they had just graduated from high school, this would be the last time they shared a meal together.
Orihime tried not to think about it.
She and her friends had all spend the last few years going to cram school, studying until their eyes felt like bleeding, and pulling their hair out over entrance exams. But they had all passed and were going to college. Tatsuki and Chiziru were going to universities in the area, Michiru was going back to Osaka to study, and Mahana and Ryo were spreading their wings and studying at colleges in Europe.
"I hope I meet a lot of cute boys in France," Mahana announced. "I don't know what I'll do if I come back from college without a hot French boyfriend. I won't be able to show my face in public when I come home."
"Not unless you bring one back for each of us," Tatsuki teased. "Otherwise we'll shun you."
"Tatsuki certainly doesn't need one, but consider it your personal mission to find one for the rest of us," Michiru ordered. Tatsuki had been going steady for months with Kaito, her crush from the karate team. He had graduated the year before was going to a university close by, one that Tatsuki would be attending soon as well.
"I don't have time to worry about you guys," Mahana complained. "A girl's got to take care of herself first."
The argument ended with Tatsuki climbing the tree and throwing nuts at Mahana, everyone gleefully egging the two on. The short-haired girl settled on the lowest branch, grinning, fists full of ammo, Mahana laughing and yelling and trying to dodge.
Orihime felt a pang as she was reminded of a red-haired man she had once seen perching from a tree years ago.
The girls spent what felt like hours under their tree, soaking up the daylight and gazing up dreamily at the deep, blue sky through a web of branches and leaves glowing emerald in the sun's rays. Orihime wished time were a thing she could cup in her hands and never let slip through her fingers.
She at least knew she could hold onto the memories.
Orihime and Tatsuki walked home together after their picnic, reminiscing about their years together in high school. Tatsuki would start college almost immediately, but Orihime had the rest of the spring and summer before she left, though she would be kept busy with her part-time job at the nearby grocery store and preparation for her own college career. It would be late summer before the girls had time to see each other again, and even then Tatsuki had a nationwide karate championship to work around.
Orihime waved goodbye to Tatsuki at her house after the two made plans to meet up at the end of the summer before they started the next stage of their lives.
Orihime sat at her desk that evening. She flipped open her laptop and visited the website of the school she had been accepted to. She had looked at it so many times that her browser was already open to it.
She closed her laptop with a sigh. She had all of the information memorized anyway. The starting date, information about classes she was enrolled in, supplies she would need—she had read this a million times. She looked at little figurine of a cat on her desk. It sat on its haunches, one of its front legs up by its face as if waving at Orihime. Tatsuki had given it to her as a gift a few years ago, after she took a trip to Osaka with her mother.
"Here, Orihime," Tatsuki had grinned, handing Orihime a little wrapped package. "A souvenir. I thought you might like it."
Orihime opened up the little package and a lump formed in her throat. She tried to act excited. "Thanks, Tatsuki."
"I wish you could have come," Tatsuki had said. "It was really fun, and my aunt had plenty of room in her house. Is your grandmother still sick?"
So that was the fake story she had been given. How original.
"No," Orihime said. "She's doing much better."
When Orihime had gotten home from the Soul Society that night, she was only slightly surprised to find her luggage on her bed. She mentally commended Ukitake for how thoroughly he had covered up her tracks.
It wasn't as if she would ever have a chance to thank him in person.
Her grandmother had asked how the trip had been and she gave one word answers, feigning exhaustion. When she was finally excused to go to her room, she wrapped herself up in her bedsheets, cocooning herself from the outside world. There, in her nest of blankets, she was safe.
Orihime began to cry.
She cried for all the things she hadn't been able to say, all the people she hadn't been able to thank. She cried with relief that she would never again be the reason for putting a loved one in danger and for all the horror she would never have to go through. She cried for the friend she would never see again, for the relationship she had been forced to sacrifice for the good of others. She wondered if he was still in her town or if he had already moved on. She would never know.
The rest of spring and summer passed by Orihime in a haze and finally August sauntered in. All of Orihime's bags were packed, her room almost bare. She said goodbye to the bed she slept on for eleven years and to the desk she had cried on over homework for what felt like even longer.
Tatsuki and her grandmother were seeing her off. Orihime had already said goodbye to everyone else. Orihime came downstairs, massive suitcase and carry-on in tow.
"Is that all you're taking, Orihime? I bet with another bag you could keep a small city supplied for a month," Tatsuki teased.
"Shush, Tatsuki," Orihime bantered back. "They say it gets so cold in New York during the winter. I need to bring plenty of warm clothes with me."
"Don't forget the crayons I gave you. You can't be a real art student if you don't have crayons."
Orihime smiled. She had received plenty of art supplies from her grandmother and friends for graduation. Tatsuki's family had been the most generous, giving her expensive paints that she would need. Tatsuki had given her a box of crayons, too, as a joke.
"All packed," she said.
The two women hugged her and Orihime stepped out the door, heading towards the subway station a few blocks away. Orihime had never been able to thank Tatsuki for the conversation in Osaka her friend doubtless didn't remember. It was because of her that Orihime had found the courage to leave Karakura Town and seek out adventures.
She stood at the intersection, waiting to cross. She couldn't wait to tell Tatsuki about all of the places she would visit. She would be so jealous. The light turned green and she stepped out onto the street. She wondered what kind of food they had in New York. She hoped there were plenty of new ingredients to experiment with.
Orihime felt a massive force connect with her side and she was thrown to the ground, falling, falling. She let go of her suitcase and it skidded across the street. Her senses jumbled together. Pain flashed across her vision, she smelled asphalt, heard blood rushing in her ears. She felt people sprinting towards her in distress. It didn't matter anymore.
She was flying.
She was a kite again, this time untethered. She was soaring up, up, no pesky string keeping her tied down. She wondered how high and how fast she could go.
This must have been what it felt like to grow wings.
