Hey, people! I am back with another chapter, and I'm glad to say this one is much longer than the previous two! Thanks go to everyone who has reviewed, cuz you made my day!
And... Happy Birthday FLOL!
This chapter is dedicated to copper! Summer's getting near, so I am now her proud ex-temporary beta! ^^ Here's to a great betaship!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Neither do my best friend, who just went ona date with his crush! And SHE asked him on it! Isn't that great? *Realizes he was caught red-handed babbling, and looks away embarrassed* On with the story...
There was dead silence in the room. From what he had gathered over the past years, Ichigo knew as a fact that he had better let Tatsuki give the first statement. The silence was unnerving, and he wondred whether he would be beaten to a pulp.
Tastsuki gave a sigh, and started talking. "Look. Even Orihime said she was the one who had offered, I do NOT approve of this. Had I got my point across?" She glared at Ichigo sending shivers down his spine. Then came a nervous nod.
"But since she had chosen to help you herself, and you most likely really did help her get away from the yakuza... I'll let the matter go for now." Tatsuki continued, slowly and thoughtfully.
"But... IF you ever, ever make her cry, or if she shows me any sign that she's mistreated, God help me, I will make sure that you die a slow, painful death!" She stood up at her full height, slammed her hands onto the table, and spat through gritted teeth.
Tatsuki calmed down, and carried on."Look. I know some of the things she does may set you off, but despite that happy face of hers, she's deeply torn up inside. That girl is made of steel. She wouldn't let you know if something bothers her, or if she's unhappy. Just... Be nice to her, okay?"
Ichigo found what Tatsuki had said to be very difficult to believe. There's no way. He thought. The girl's just air-headed, and has a compulsive-lying problem. But then, he remembered the expression she had held when he had asked her if she had any guilt. No way... She...
"You got it?" Asked Tatsuki. "She rarely lets slip any signs of this sort, only when she's extremely distracted, ill, or totally stressed."
"She lies to keep everyone happy. Everyone except herself, that is. I know that you haven't been that nice to her for her lies, and I will let that pass because I know why you act the way you do, but keep this in mind, okay? You are not the only one with issues. I won't tell you about hers, but they exist, okay!" Tatsuki's voice raised a little, but not to a dangerous level.
That, Ichigo wasn't ready to process. Now that's just ridiculous. That's no way a compulsive-liar like her would be so kind, so selfless, she... She just couldn't put her pride down and ask for help. What a fool.
"You realize how much of a jerk you have been to her now? I suggest you talk those things over with her. She never could stay angry at anyone, or anything, for that matter." Tatsuki advised. "Ichigo, you're a good guy. I know it. Just now, whatever she did, do not assume anything, alright? The girl's extraordinary. Even if you ask, she may not give you the real answer. Keep asking, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo answered. He did not believe Tatsuki's every word, but he knew he had been too harsh last night. Not that I am sorry for her though. He thought stubbornly. A liar is a liar. That's the way the universe works.
"I'm done!" Orihime's vioce came from upstairs. "Tatsuki-chan, we'll go now, or nii-chan will get back! Let's go, Kurosaki-kun!" She stumbled down the staircase, and ran to the door with Ichigo. "Bye Tatsuki-chan!"
They went back into the car, and Ichigo started driving away from Tatsuki's house. Another question was added to his list. Why did she want to avoid her brother? Somehow, that fact made him angry. He must be worried sick! She's so spoilt! "Let's grab some lunch. I'm starving." Stated Ichigo mindlessly, as he drove past a park. Controlling his anger has takena great toll on his emotional expression capabilities. "Where do you want to eat?" He asked, half-expecting an answer of some extravagant fancy restaurant.
Not met with an answer, Ichigo turned to Orihime in the back seat and asked again, "Say, how did you know my aunt used to eat like that? Did Nel told you? Even I didn't know about that!"
"But I really do like eating that way! I have been eating like that ever since I was born!" Answered Orihime in shock.
"Soo... You weren't pretending when you asked for wasabi last night?" Ichigo quickly asked.
"Yeah! It's really yummy! You should try it too, Kurosaki-kun!" She clapped her hands together, and answered cheerfully.
"Oh, really? Fine, I'll take you some place nice. And it isn't far." Ichigo continued driving.
"You don't have to! I mean, it'll be much less expensive if we eat at the hotel, right? And don't you have business to attend to? If it's about the restrictions Isshin-san placed on you, I'll talk to him to have him lift them, there no need to-" Before Orihime could finish her sentence, she was cut off.
"Is it really that much of an annoyance to have lunch with me? I don't have to have lunch with you, you know." Ichigo snapped. He was just trying to be nice to the girl, and she had to be so difficult about it. "Look, I'm not going to ask you to pay later, okay?" He snapped. "Geez, I know you don't have that much money and all, but do you really think I am that much of a jerk?"
"You don't have to go through all the trouble. I'll just ask Isshin-san to lift the restrictions." Orihime replied.
Ichigo was offended by the fact that the girl seemed to think that he only wanted to take her some place nice because he had to. However, he was also shocked by this fact. She... She don't want any more benefits than I am already giving her... "I want to." Ichigo stated firmly. Although he didn't know it, he was trying to make up for being so terrible to her before. But being thick-headed as he was, he only knew he wanted to.
Orihime was shocked by the short answer, but for some reason... she felt warmness spread inside her. "Thank you." She muttered, looking at the car floor. The rest of the ride passed in comfortable silence.
After a while, the car came to a halt, Ichigo opened the car door for Orihime, and extended his hand, offering to help her out of the car. "Thanks." Muttered Orihime, as she took his hand.
Tatsuki turned her head up from her instant noodles when the door was opened. Within seconds, Inoue Sora appeared at the doorway. "Sooo... How was your day?" Ask Tatsuki, a little bit too cheerfully.
"You may be Orihime's best friend, but you need a lot of work on covering up emotions. You're guilty. Spill the beans. What happened?" Asked Sora plainly, without even glancing at Tatsuki.
"I've always hated the two of you's ability to read people like books. Tell me, does that run in the family?" Tatsuki fakely replied.
"Don't try to change the subject, and no, we can't read people like books. We get misconceptions at times. So what happened? You will have to tell me sooner or later." Sora stated. Although he seemed indifferent, that was his strategy to make Tatsuki talk. Inside, the anxiety was burning him up. He knew this had to do with Orihime.
"Okay. Orihime came by today, okay?" Shouted Tatsuki.
"What..." Sora was lost in his thoughts. Why hadn't she seen him then? The, he shook his head, and murmured, "She just might have something urgent to do."
"Yeah, I'm sure she has." Tatsuki reinforced the idea in his head. She could see that he knew he was lying to himself. However, she just had to agree with Orihime on avoiding him. Sometimes, it's better not to know the truth. Tatsuki thought.
They sat at the table, and Ichigo watched in shock and terror as Orihime's steak with wasabi and red bean paste on top arrived.
Orihime was quick to catch onto his thoughts. What if she didn't use to eat like that? Then...I would have placed everything in jeopardy! Orihime stared at the dish. It is because of things like this that I almost destroyed everything. Why can't I think things through before doing anything? I am so stupid! She thought in disgust of herself. I have to apologise. "I'm sorry!" She blurted out, as her head shot down in shame.
"What..." Ichigo was shell-shocked. This girl, this girl he had depicted as selfish, spoilt, and evil, was apologising. He didn't even know what for. He hated to admit it, but he was helpless. He wasn't good with people who are apologizing. Greedy, selfish people he can handle well, but when it came to nice people apologizing... He didn't know a thing.
"Excuse me, young lady, but what are you sorry for?" Came behind Ichigo's seat. There was a positively ancient man with an insanely tall toque. The wrinkles on his face were criss-crossed with each other, but his eyes were bright and sharp, like a falcon's. He had a deep, steady voice, like those sages in movies. His face wasn't blank, yet it was very hard to read.
"Excuse me, but you are..." Inquired Orihime softly.
"Do we know you, gramps?" interjected Ichigo abruptly. His shoulders tensed up, and his voice had gone up an octave. Even his scowl was back in full force. He had gone into protector-mode.
"Excuse me, I'm the Head Chef of this restaurant." Answered the old man. "My name is Yamamoto Genryƫsai." He turned to Orihime. "Your mother used to eat here a lot, you know." He said. And that started a long, long speech."The first time she came here, she complained about the lack of red bean paste and wasabi. I was the Sous Chef back then but she still made me go to the supermarket to buy them for her. She was the loudest, noisiest 10-year-old I have ever met. She came back the next week though. And the next, and the next. Eventually, she started bringing her boyfriend, her brother, her sister-in-law, and everyone she knew along. Even the last meal she had before she left, was eaten here. That was the first meal she had here without wasabi or red bean paste. Apparently, the pregnancy gave her cravings for conventional food products." He chuckled. "Please excuse my babbling. When you get old like me, you will keep going on and on about your past." He chuckled again.
"So, imagine my surprise when I heard that a girl asked for wasabi and red bean paste. One look, and I can tell that you're Rangiku-chan's daughter." The old man carried on. "So... What were you sorry for just now?" He asked curiously.
Red lights lighted up in Orihime's head. "Oh... It's just that... If it hadn't been for the fact that my mother had the same eating habits as mine, I would have made the situation extremely awkward! And, and, they would be disappointed! I was so mindless! I should have-"
"That would be enough." Yamamoto cut her off. "I'll leave the two of you to your own devices now." He began walking back to the kitchen. Despite his semi-harsh words, there was a happy edge to his voice. "You can come see me if you need help, okay?"
Then, he left the two young people sitting dumbfounded at the table. He pushed open one door, two doors. Then, he picked up the telephone, and began dialing. "You wanted to see what I think about her, right?" The ancient man said. "What I think is that she is most definitely Rangiku-chan's girl." Then, he slammed the receiver down.
"So, what did he think?" Asked Kisuke, as he cooked lunch for Yoruichi.
"Well, in his words, 'she is most definitely Rangiku's daughter'."Yoruichi replied dryly.
"He's quite sure, isn't he?" Replied Kisuke.
"But if he's sure... Nobody isn't. He's like the psuedo-grandfather of Rangiku." Came Yoruichi's response.
"We'll just wait and see..." Muttered Kisuke.
Meanwhile, things were not going so well for Orihime and Ichigo's lunch. After Yamamoto's interruption, the meal was finished in haste and in silence. Neither one of them said another word, each too bothered and anxious about the potential threat in the restaurant.
Once they had finished, Ichigo paid the bill, and jumped back into the car with Orihime. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here with you." Ichigo suddenly blurted out. "The one time I had come here, I was told this was the only Western restaurant in Tokyo which supplies wasabi and red bean paste." Said Ichigo, as he gritted his teeth, and balled his hand up into a fist. "I can't believe I couldn't connect the dots... Guess that makes us even." He spat.
"That's not your fault! You couldn't have known." Orihime cried.
"And about last night... I admit that I have problems with lies. And that may have made me act a bit..." Ichigo looked away, and added. I did not apologise. I just admitted my guilt. He told himself.
"And I don't blame you for your eating habits either! I mean they're weird, but they won't blow it! Don't beat yourself up over something so trivial! It makes me guilty, you know!" Ichigo started to get worked up. Only after a minute of silence did he realize what he had said. "I mean... Nevermind." Ichigo groaned. There goes his authority over the girl. Way to go. Show her you have a conscience, and she wouldn't listen to you ever again. He knew it. To keep people in check, you have to keep up a certain image.
"I'm fine! You did nothing wrong! There's no need to be guilty!" Orihime tried to assure him. Not giving Ichigo a chance to further reprimand himself, she faked cheerfulness, and suggested, "Say, let's go to Rainbow Bridge next!" And off they went.
Ichigo was confused. There had been so many chances for her to wrap Ichigo around her fingers today, but why didn't she take them? She's trying to lull me into a false sense of security. Ichigo came to his conclusion. Come to think of it... His eyes snapped open in realization. I'm so stupid! How could I fall for such a poor act? She faked the guilt to get my sympathy! She caught me off guard! Gah! He inwardly screamed at himself. I should have known!
But just now, that look on her face... And how she had looked last night... He recalled, and tried to decipher those looks. After a short while, he gave up. This girl confuses the hell out of me. He shook his head, trying to remove those annoying thoughts.
"We're here!" Yelled the girl happily, as they arrived at the famous bridge. Ichigo had parked at the bank of the river, and they began walking along the bank of the river.
"Walks like this makes you feel better when you're troubled, you know." said Orihime. "Well, visits to places high up are the best, but walks are fine too. So, Kurosaki-kun, are you feeling any better?" She asked suddenly. "Just now, in the car... You're thinking about something. Is it about Kuchiki-san coming to stay at the hotel? I can talk to Isshin-san about it too, you know."
"What?" Ichigo didn't know by which he was shocked more. The fact that she knew he was thinking about something, or the fact that she knew about Rukia.
Orihime seemed to think it was because of the latter. "Well, Renji-kun told me about her. When I overheard you and Isshin-san this morning...I knew it was about her." She looked at the ground, afraid that he would get angry. "You can vent to me about things like these!" Orihime offered. "I promise I won't tell!"
As if I would trust you. Ichigo mentally rolled his eyes. "Guess that can't be helped." He muttered. "But hey, why did you avoid your brother this morning?" he changed the topic to one he wanted to know.
"Well... I didn't want him to worry." She confessed. "We were all each other have, but right from the start... I have always made him worry." Orihime looked at the ground, and carried on, "If he knew about this... He would blame himself for making me work in a job like this... I don't want him to feel so bad about himself anymore..." She whipped her head up, and realized what she had just said. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to come out like that! You don't want to hear any of this, right? And I didn't mean I don't like working like this! It's just that-" She caught sight of something, and stopped halfway in her rant.
"Look, Kurosaki-kun! There's a man selling roasted sweet potatoes!" Orihime pointed to a cart about ten feet away, cried happily, and dashed to it.
"Oi! You've just had lunch!" Hearing no response, Ichigo shouted again, "I'm not going to wait for you!" And he walked off. Either she's just got a big mouth, or she can create alternate realities in a second. He considered. I vote for 'alternate reality'. It's just a complex lie anyway.
"Hey! Wait for me, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime pleaded, hastily paid for her roasted sweet potatoes, and ran after Ichigo.
When she had finally caught up with him, panting and wheezing, Orihime was horrified to see her much-worked-for roasted sweet potato lying on the floor. "Ah! I dropped it!" Fixing her gaze onto the distancing cart, she wheezed, "Wait...! Come back! Please..." But to no avail. The cart continued to grow smaller and smaller.
Letting out a sigh, Orihime muttered, "Guess that can't be helped." Then, she picked up the remains of her treat, and threw it into the bin. "All set!" She said. "Let's go, Kurosaki- Kurosaki-kun?" She exclaimed, as Ichigo ran after the hawker. Then, to her utter surprise, he ran back with another steaming sweet potato in his hand. "What..." She muttered, dumbfounded.
"Here." Ichigo said gruffly, and shoved the food into her hands.
"I'll pay for that..." Orihime murmured, as she reached for her purse.
"Don't. I wanted to." Answered Ichigo, as he firmly pushed the sweet potato into her hands.
"Then... Thank you!" Orihime smiled, a radiant, infective smile that prompted Ichigo's lips to betray its permanent scowl, and turn upward.
"Come on, if you don't start walking, we can't see anything more." Said Ichigo, as he resumed walking. He did not know why he had just bought the sweet potato for her. But seeing that downcast expression... And with her trying to cover it up... Ichigo just couldn't help it.
"Okay!" Orihime walked beside him.
"Me and nii-chan used to sell roasted sweet potatoes in Beijing." Stated Orihime, as she bit down on her treat. "He would roast them, and I would sell them to the tourists. That really was a fun Winter..." She trailed off, as she reminisced.
"I thought you worked in Karakura as an unlicensed guide?" Asked Ichigo, mildly interested in her story.
"Oh, we only settled there three years ago... That was the longest I have ever lived in any town! Except when I was little... But I couldn't remember anything about there..." Orihime replied.
"Why do you have to move so often?" Curious, Ichigo inquired.
"It's mostly my fault. Nii-chan wanted me to have a good upbringing, so... He often borrowed money from loa sharks and such. And then we would need to flee from them... He's always guilty for that, but..." Orihime trailed off again.
Before Ichigo could make a remark of any sort, Orihime suddenly went into story-telling mode. "What I don't get is how the little green men kept following us, and making me trip and fall! I mean, don't they get sea-sick or air sickness? And..." She continued babbling as they continued walking.
A few hours later, Ichigo was driving home. He and Orihime had walked further and further away from their car, and when they realized it... They had to run to be on time. So now, there they sat on his black car, on their way home. At this speed, they would have no problem getting home on time.
A murmur from beside brought him to glance at his right. Orihime was sleeping silently beside him. That's right... She woke up early this morning to make breakfast. He recalled. Along with so many things she didn't have to do, but still did anyway, this fact brought Ichigo to a realization. This girl... Is she really... Before he had time to finish the thought, Orihime stirred in her sleep, and leaned onto Ichigo. "Kurosaki-kun... Thank you." She whispered.
Somehow, the girl had the ability to melt Ichigo's permanent frown.
As is the case now.
End of chapter
There! Four thousand words! (including Author's messages) Not so short this time around, right? I had to re-write a few parts cuz it didn't seem right from the way I wrote it, so it's a bit late! More and more elements not originally from the drama series are appearing! So if you have seen it... Don't think you can predict everything! XD
Please review review review! I update more quickly if I see more reviews!
Blitch! Don't leave me hanging there! If you got the preview up... Then give me the real thing quick! I am waiting here!
