So this is the last chapter. I'll probably be writing an epilogue for this story for what happens at school the next day. But this is the very last one! I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, favs and follows for this story.
At first when I wrote this story, I wasn't sure many people would like it. But once I got those reviews for the first chapter, I realized that this story could have lots of potential. So I tried my very best to make it come out. I'll probably be updating Hollow Aid and Contagious as well. (Hollow Aid only has one more chapter… I'm saddened by that :/) And I'm not sure about Contagious.
Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter C;
It was the last day. Orihime blanched at the thought. It was their last day of being together, just relaxing and actually being normal. Ever since her powers awakened, she didn't feel like a normal kid. With her ability to defy divine law, she was practically a god. Or that's what Aizen told her anyway.
And yet, she didn't use her powers in that way.
She only used them for the good of others, for protecting, healing and defending. Tsubaki always got mad at her because she hardly used him. But she just never had the will to fight.
She's a healer, not a fighter.
Surely, Tsubaki realized this but it only added to his anger. He felt so useless. He wanted to help the other fairies protect their master. But he wasn't like them. He didn't have the ability to heal or the ability to defend.
His ability was to attack and destroy.
He hated feeling so weak, so powerless. He was the exact image of Orihime, only well; he actually fights constantly with her. He hates how his master is so cheery all the time. Don't misunderstand him, he likes seeing her smile, but he hates when she talks about being weak in such a happy matter. When he knows that she's really breaking on the inside. She had gone to the Soul Society to train with Rukia so she wouldn't be weak. However, it turns out; it didn't do much at all.
And then she got herself sick from being depressed! This made him even more mad and frustrated.
Why couldn't his master ever be serious? Why wouldn't she use him in battle more often?
It was then that Tsubaki realized;
It was because she didn't need to fight.
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Ichigo sensed something was wrong with Orihime. Usually she's talking and waving her arms in the air all excitedly. But today, she wouldn't even look at him.
What is because of what I said this morning?
A frown surfaced on his face as he pondered these thoughts. He wasn't lying. Orihime had looked so beautiful this morning, hell, she looked more beautiful every day. Yes, he probably shouldn't have said anything because he wasn't really aware of her feelings. But he felt he had to take that chance.
Not just for his sake, but for hers as well.
She deserved to be happy, and for some reason, a strange feeling crept into his gut, making him almost unable to breathe. Just the thought of her going through all the pain alone, it only ate away at him more. After everything they'd been through, they both deserved to be happy. And he wanted to be with her.
Does she want to be with me?
Shaking his head, he noticed her hand was balled into a fist. His eyes shifted to her face only to see her biting her lip, her eyebrows furrowed into a look of frustration. His attention kept going back to her hand as it clenched and then relaxed a few seconds later.
Lightly laughing, he reached out and grabbed her hand in his, wrapping his fingers between her own. His laughter continued when her expression changed to one of shock and embarrassment, her face turning a light red as she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of holding his hand.
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It had only taken them a few minutes to reach their destination. Although Orihime was getting better, Ichigo didn't want to risk the chance of her getting sick again. Tatsuki would definitely kick his ass because he was supposed to be taking care of her, not helping her get even more sick. Shaking his head of all bad thoughts, he couldn't help but smile. His eyes were a light brown and had actually reached his smile.
For the first time in ages, he had felt genuinely happy. He wondered if Orihime was the reason as to why he felt this way. Realizing his feelings for her, he couldn't help but be nervous at the same time.
Yes, she had shown signs of liking him the same way, but he still couldn't help but have doubts in her actions. He wouldn't blame her for not liking him back. After all, he did treat her like shit these past few months. He knew just a weekend wouldn't make up for that, and he knew that he wanted to be more than friends with her. But, he also knew he'd be putting her in danger all over again. He wanted to protect her, not get her caught up in the drama that was his life. But he also knew one thing;
He didn't have a right to cut her from his life.
He'd be an idiot to do such a thing. Yes, he did protect her and put her in danger countless times. But it was her smile and her voice that brought him to victory. She was there after every fight, ready to heal all his pain and injuries. Her eyes were always filled with worry, but they would vanish into a beaming smile that would make butterflies dance in his stomach. Her reiatsu was always so warm, so gentle. For days, he had wondered where it had gone, not even realizing that he was subconsciously seeking her out when he'd get into fights.
And that was just it. He didn't want her to feel that he was only using her for her healing, or only using her emotions to make himself feel good. Ichigo may be an idiot, but he never took advantage of another person's emotions. He wasn't like Aizen, who only used people until he got what he wanted and then killed him with his bare hands.
When he found out from Rukia that she felt like a burden, it made him so upset and angry. Not at her of course, but at himself for making her feel that way. He was such an idiot to make her believe that she wasn't useful to anyone. He couldn't believe that Kisuke had suggested keeping her out of the war, though it didn't matter for she was taken regardless. It didn't matter what they tried to do, they couldn't protect her because they weren't aware of Aizen's plan; his sick, twisted game.
Before he could delve into his evil thoughts, he looked at Orihime to see her staring at him, a worried look on her face.
He blinked. "What's wrong Orihime?"
"I was just going to ask you that! You seemed so upset all of a sudden…"
He chuckled. "I was just thinkin'. " Her face sported a frown. "It's nothing to worry about, okay Orihime?"
Letting go of his hand, she turned away from him, her frown still on her face, crossing her arms on her chest. "I'm Ichigo-kun. I'm a boy who's too scared to tell a girl what I'm thinking." She mimicked him and he frowned before knocking her into the grass, a squeal came from her lips.
"Tch. You don't have a right to mock me, little miss. This is coming from the person who was thinking and deep in her thoughts not too long ago." Her eyes widened. "Don't think I didn't notice. You were biting your lip and your eyebrows were creased. You have no right to judge me when you were lost in your own thoughts as well."
Her blush increased as she realized she'd been caught right handed. Sensing how uncomfortable she was getting, he let it slide, standing up and helping her get on her own two feet. He dusted her off, not wanting anyone to think they had done something indecent.
Turning away, he began to walk to the restaurant that he had made reservations for. She gasped when she realized where he was taking her. Hearing her gasp, he turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised.
"Something wrong?"
Shaking her head, she replied quickly. "N-No! I just didn't realize we were coming here.."
His eyebrow was still raised, questioning what exactly she meant by that. A small smile graced her lips. "I've always wanted to come here with Tatsuki. But so much has happened and we never got a chance to go. I thought I wouldn't be able to come here."
A smile graced his lips as he understood what she meant. It wasn't a very fancy place, but a lot of people came to this restaurant in the summer time. It was under renovations for quite some time and it had just finally reopened today. He was lucky enough to make the reservations months in advance. He wanted to take her here on their first date. But he wasn't sure if she wanted to go with him, so he never asked.
Seeing how happy she was made him realize it was a good idea he did what he did.
"Well, come on, Orihime! They're not going to keep the reservations forever!"
She gasped as she ran to him, a bit razzled. "H-Hai!"
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When they had got there, they had already ordered what they wanted. Orihime didn't want Ichigo spending too much money, so she only ordered a plate of spaghetti and an iced tea. Ichigo ordered the same thing, not wanting Orihime to feel she wasn't ordering enough.
It was so peaceful. They had requested to sit outside on the patio as it was a very nice day out and he didn't want to waste it being inside. The waiter had understood and led them to a nice table that was empty. He was glad that most people were at the park or out doing errands. It was their last day together and he didn't want to be in a crowded place.
He only wanted to be the two of them today.
Just Ichigo and Orihime; on a normal date.
He was awestruck at how gorgeous she looked, her eyes roaming around the area while she ate. He was surprised she wasn't shoving it down her throat. But then again, they were out in public and surely she wouldn't want to embarrass herself or him.
Not that he cared.
"I guess you missed being here…"
Looking at him with a confused expression, he elaborated. "I mean, Hueco Mundo wasn't as pretty as here was it? I was focused on saving you so I didn't really take the time to view the place. But it looked so barren. It must be nice for you to actually be eating normal food and breathing fresh air."
She smiled. "Un! It feels really nice. The wind here is much kinder… Much calmer than in Hueco Mundo. I don't feel like I'm suffocating here. It just feels nice to see the sun again. I love the moon too, but I missed the sun, the warmth I'm used to. Perhaps I would've liked Hueco Mundo more if there was warmth and more to do. But I was always kept in my room. I didn't really talk to anyone. I just stayed in my room, obeying what they told me. I felt so cornered, not being able to see outside or even going for walks. So yes, it feels really nice being back home. You know it never rained over there. It just stayed the same; which is kind of boring and dull to me. I'm just glad I'm with you… Ichigo-kun. Arigato."
And with that, she gave him the biggest smile he's ever seen her give; and it was directed at him. Looking away to hide the blush, he mumbled before stuffing his face.
"You're welcome…. Orihime."
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After they had their lunch, they had headed home. They would've stayed out longer but apparently, it had decided to rain once again, out of nowhere. While it had put Ichigo in a foul mood, Orihime was laughing happily and dancing. He practically had to run just to keep up, not trusting anyone on the street.
He had ushered into her apartment, where she ran to her window and watched the rain fall down, her eyes lit up in excitement. Taking off his shoes, he braced himself against the wall, not wanting to lose balance, he couldn't help but smile. Her child-like innocence was back, she was back to normal. And he was really happy knowing he was able to patch things up with her.
However, he wanted to talk to her.
He knew there was something else between them. But he wanted to be on the same page as her. Surely everyone would notice the drastic change in her personality. He just wanted everything to be sorted out. He wanted to know how she felt, what was on her mind, everything there was to know about her.
He wanted to be with her.
"Orihime…."
Said girl turned to look at him, her eyes showing curiosity as well as something else he couldn't identify.
"Are you leaving now?"
Something in the way she said that made his heart ache. Her gaze had turned to the window; sadness now enveloped her being as she realized he was going to be gone. Back to being her friend, and only her friend.
"Hime… Why would you think that?"
Not trusting herself, she kept her gaze out the window. She didn't want him to see her crying again; not after what happened this weekend.
"Today's Sunday. Tomorrow, we have school. This means I won't be seeing you as often. You'll be going back to hollow duties and I'll be catching up in school. Even if we're closer now, we still won't have time for each other."
Something in him snapped. Without thinking, he walked up to her, taking long strides, turning her around with such force it knocked the breath out of her, and crushed his lips to her with such force she almost fainted. He kissed her with so much passion, she couldn't breathe. So she did the next best thing.
She clung to him.
Trying to match his speed, she returned it, with as much passion as he gave. His hand grabbed the back of her head keeping their mouths together. Drinking her in, her scent, her taste, everything. He wanted to be bathed in her, and her to be bathed in him. He wanted everyone to know that she was his, and that he was hers, and if anyone tried to tear them apart, he would break their bones.
He had never felt so much passion for any other person. Only her.
Realizing they both couldn't breathe, he pulled away, only slightly, to let them catch their breaths. Their eyes fluttered open, love shining in both their eyes.
"I love you. And if you want me to stay, then just say so. I won't leave you again."
Not trusting her voice, she only nodded before he kissed her again.
Both of them knowing that tomorrow was going to be a new day.
A/N: I edited this chapter after seeing the horrible errors in the story. D: I was tired when I wrote this. Gomen.
The epilogue will be coming soon. I'll explain a lot more. Perhaps, I'll include a flashback of their conversation that apparently didn't want to happen in this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it nonetheless C:
