If Ichigo could erase one memory forever from his mind, it would, without a doubt, be the moment Orihime woke up from her unconscious state.
He knew that it wasn't going to be pretty, but he could never have imagined the physical pain the heartbreak was causing both of them.
A few moments after Ichigo had phoned the police, Ishida Ryuuken had appeared at the door with a group of nurse and some supplies in hand. He had let them in quickly, and pointed in the direction that they needed to go.
Ryuuken had explained that it would be easier to leave Orihime where she was, as most of the supplies needed were provided at the Kurosaki Clinic, and that he just brought a few extra supplies for precautionary reasons. Isshin was also happy to see that Ishida had brought a few of his skilled nurses with him, as Yuzu and Karin were too young to be involved with this particular case. He'd eventually have to explain it to them, but that would wait until later.
They began taking samples to run tests with the supplies from the Rape Kit. Ichigo had heard the words "STDs" and pregnancy" thrown around from inside the room and it took all he had not to pass out. The very thought of Orihime carrying that bastard's child made him want to run him through with Zangetsu. Ichigo may have lost his powers, but he almost swore he had just raised his reiatsu in his anger. He could almost see red at the though, clearly imagining what his hollow would say and do about the situation. His blood was boiling.
"Please, don't let her be pregnant…for fuck's sake, enough's enough…"
Ichigo forced himself to take deep breaths in attempt to calm himself down.
Awhile passed and his dad and Ishida finished collecting samples. Blood tests, swab tests, saliva. All were checks for that bastard's DNA and to see what she had been drugged with (which they were all pretty positive she had been.) The nurses had inspected her clothes and removed all evidence they could find. Upon waking, Orihime would give them a urine sample as well.
Ryuuken left the room where Orihime was staying and headed a few rooms down, his nurses closely behind. They had finished collecting data.
Ichigo sighed, not wanting to leave the entry room. He was angry. His long form leaned against the door panel, cell phone still clutched tightly in his hands.
A small voice from the room over caught his attention.
"Kurosaki-kun?" it called and Ichigo's heart stopped. It was time to go back inside.
She needed him, after all, and could not waste time.
He made his way into the room, eyeing the figure on the cot. She had been changed into a hospital gown, and cleaned. She looked considerably better, but he did not take any relief in that.
Confused and disorientated, Orihime surveyed the room around her, her eyes wide and panic evident on her face. Ichigo was the first person there, next to Isshin, which brought her little comfort. Her whole body hurt, sore from prior incidents that she couldn't remember. When she tried to think back to what happened, it all came up blank, like a fog that was too thick to see through.
The only thing she really did remember was her dream, with the pitch black sky and rumbling thunder. When the sky had finally lightened to a gray, little yellow orbs had appeared- which then turned out to be her Shun Shun Rikka. What that had to do with everything else, she had no idea. None of it made any sense, though she wasn't so much as interested in her dreams as she was to why she was laying in a hospital bed to begin with.
She would've been concerned under normal circumstances. Waking up in the hospital and not remembering why would be pretty stress inducing for anyone, but what was sending her over the edge was the look plastered on Ichigo's face. Something terrible had to have happened for him to look the way he did.
She took in her arms and legs, and noticed some bruises lightly speckled her pale flesh. She also noticed she was no longer wearing her floral skirt or favorite ruffled top, but a hospital gown that someone – hopefully not Ichigo – had changed her into.
Orihime hoped it wasn't as bad as it seemed to be; maybe she had fell down the stairs and that's why she couldn't remember – after all, she was very clumsy. Maybe little blue men had zapped her brain away right before she fell and that's why she couldn't remember…
"Wha….what happened?" Her voice came out small and weak, wavering in fear. She could feel her lip quivering, scared of what she would find out… it was all so confusing! She remembered all the pain, being hit, and a bedroom, but trying to piece together all of it seemed impossible. It was like she had the pieces to the wrong puzzle all mixed in a box.
"Inoue….I…ah…." Ichigo sputtered, unsure of where to start. His hand found its way to his hair once again, wishing away this whole mess.
"Orihime-chan, you're in the hospital. Can you tell me if you remember anything?" Isshin's voice came. Orihime frowned.
"I don't remember much of anything…I was at a party with my friends…and I met a nice guy…or no, that's not right…" Orihime trailed off, wrinkling her nose. Ichigo could barely take the suspense. He did not want to tell her what had happened. He briefly wished they could all just lie to her and pretend like nothing happened, if only to protect her from the pain and heartbreak she was going to feel…but he knew that was wrong, and would never do it. This was something he could not protect her from.
"I thought I had met a nice guy, because he saved me from two mean girls in the bathroom…we were talking and then…then that's it really…it's kinda fuzzy after that…why…why am I here? Did I fall down the stairs or something? I've always been really clumsy, you know! It's not that big of a deal because I'm super strong like a superhero! I eat..."
"Orihime-chan," Isshin began, quietly interrupting Orihime. He was nervous about how this was going. He exchanged glances with his son who had a pained expression on his face. He decided to try and jog her memory further. "Did he give you anything to drink?" Isshin pushed, hoping to lead her closer to the conclusion. Orihime thought briefly before she nodded slowly and mumbled, "I think so." Isshin sighed.
"Orihime-chan…I have to tell you what happened, and I know it's going to upset you but you must know. That boy you met drugged you, which is why I imagine you don't remember anything after you drank it, as it was really strong… too strong, almost." Isshin finished. Orihime looked horror struck by this news, and Ichigo could see the questions in her eyes.
"What? I was…drugged? But why?" she asked, and Ichigo had to force himself not to run out of the room right then and there. The innocence and naivety shone bright in her eyes, and Ichigo could not stand that someone had tainted that. She did not deserve it. These would be her last few moments with her innocence fully in tact, once he told her she would no longer be the same…
"Orihime-chan, is there anything else you remember? I'll answer your questions in just a moment, but I need to know if there's anything else you remember. What happened after you sipped the drink he gave you?"
Orihime thought for a moment and looked Isshin square in the eye. "I woke up here in the Kurosaki Clinic. That's all I really remember."
Ichigo stiffened in alarm at what she had just said. Something was wrong here, and did not match up with what happened…
"Inoue, are you sure you don't remember anything after passing out?" Ichigo asked, interrupting his father who had been about to speak.
"I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, but no, I don't." Orihime replied, looking at him worriedly.
"So you don't remember waking up?" Ichigo asked quietly, glancing carefully to gage her reaction. She looked dumbfounded, as did Isshin.
"What do you mean waking up?" Orihime asked, confused. She was growing more frightened by the second. The two men in the room with her seemed to have been hit by some devastation that went beyond her being drugged... what could have happened?
"Inoue, I came…I went to save you. As I was rescuing you…trying to get you away from them…you woke up. You pushed that guy away from you and when I finally got to you, you told me that you were in pain…. I got you out of that bedroom the moment Ishida and Chad arrived. You don't remember any of that?"
Ichigo searched Orihime's eyes and all he could find in her deep, gray orbs was confusion and fear.
"I don't remember that at all."
Ichigo looked to his father who seemed to have a concerned expression on his face. He would have to fill in his father later on that part of the story, but Ichigo knew something was wrong.
"Why wouldn't she remember that? She was drugged before I go there, so she should remember that, even if it was in still in her system... It shouldn't have been completely erased from her mind…"
"Kurosaki-kun…why…why would he do that? I mean, why was I drugged? What did he want from me?" Orihime asked quietly. Ichigo could feel his face turning red. He did not want to tell her that that guy had raped her, and worse still that another guy had almost joined in and participated….Ichigo felt sick and disgusted. It was hard to believe people like that were even human. He had met hollows and Espada with more fucking tact.
How was he expected to say the words that would be responsible for shattering her heart into a million pieces? In what way would Inoue be able to put those little shards back together once he spoke the words that would connect all the dots in her head? He did not want to. This was beyond his strength; this was his limit. This would not only break her, but him too. He had finally met his match…
But with any match Ichigo had ever taken place in, he knew he could not give up. He knew what had to be done.
"Inoue… when he drugged you, he did it for his own selfish reasons…we were too late to stop him from what he did…he, uh, he…took advantage of you, Inoue. I am so sorry." Ichigo said quietly, averting his eyes carefully. His gut hoped she'd understand the meaning behind his words, as naïve as she was. He did not want to elaborate.
"Took advantage of me? What do…wait…you don't mean…oh….oh no…!" Orihime squealed, her eyes widening in horror and despair. Her eyes fell to her lap, tears falling onto her hospital gown, blurring her vision. She began to hiccup uncontrollably, her breathing uneven. Her sobs echoed in the infirmary.
"That explains why I'm so sore….I can't believe someone was down there, that someone touched me that way…I can't believe all this happened…What must everyone think of me!"
In that moment, Ichigo hated himself more than ever before.
"I'm afraid my son told you the truth, Orihime-chan….I am terribly sorry…no woman deserves that, least of all you…"
Tears pooled in her eyes and she couldn't stop the gasps that came from her mouth. The news was just too much to bear. Her body began shaking and she clutched herself, as if hoping to block out anything that might touch her. Ichigo averted his eyes, unsure of what to do. Would it be appropriate to hug her? Pat her on the back? It wouldn't take away what happened, not one bit, but he wanted to do something...
As Ichigo was figuring out what to do, a blur of black and blue streaked in front behind him. It was Tatsuki, and she was on a mission. "Orihime!" She gasped, sliding to a stop in front of the girl's bed. "Orihime, I'm here!" The girl whispered, flinging her arms around her friend. Orihime flinched momentarily, but then quickly relaxed in her best friend's arms, sobbing.
"He….he…raped me Tatsuki!" Orihime squealed between sobs, and Ichigo's heart broke all over again. How many shatters could his heart take before there was nothing left?
Orihime wiped her eyes and looked up. As Ichigo had watched the scene before him, Ishida and Chad had appeared behind him, silently watching in disbelief and regret. Isshin took the opportunity to politely excuse himself, as the police were outside and there was much work to be done.
Minutes ticked by before Orihime said anything. Everything was quiet; the only sound coming from the room was that of Orihime's muffled sobs. Tatsuki was holding her friend in her arms, comforting her like a mother would, trying to whisper words of comfort in Orihime's ear. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Isshin spoke up.
"The police are outside and they're going to want to talk to you, Orihime-chan. I'll talk them first to give you some time, but be prepared, okay?" Isshin said, turning to leave. He gave Ichigo a nod, and Ichigo understood the look in his eyes as "take care of her."
"I've already failed miserably at that…"
"My head is spinning." Orihime said quietly, and clutched her head as though it would stop by doing so. Tatsuki had not left her side.
"Orihime, I'm so sorry I wasn't there! I was trying to get to you…I'll never forgive myself as long as I live!" Tatsuki said, and for the first time in Ichigo's life, he saw Tatsuki cry. Tears ran down her face, and the guilt was evident in her eyes.
"Don't….don't blame yourself, Tatsuki! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have run off…"Orihime whispered, hugging her best friend close. Ichigo moved to sit on the end of her cot, letting her know that he was there for support too.
"Do you remember anything?" Tatsuki asked.
"I don't remember anything that happened to me, no…just…everything right before...Kurosaki-kun says I woke up some time during my rescue but I don't remember that…"
Ishida glanced at Ichigo and Ichigo nodded in acknowledgement. It was bothering him as to why she did not remember that part. It had killed him when she had woken up in the middle of it all, half naked and vulnerable….
Her face then had been one of pure horror, and even now she looked broken beyond prepare.
Would he ever see her smile again?
"Why her?" Ichigo grumbled to himself. Why was it always her?
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Andddddd I'm sorry kiddies, but it's ending there. This chapter was 100% exhausting! It took me so long because I rewrote it multiple times!
Also, sorry for the delay. Just know that none of my stories are on hold except for Rose Colored Glasses, so don't worry. I know, I'm slow…but in my defense, my home town was flooded and it's been fun trying to get readjusted.
Please leave a review!
