Chapter10 of Finders Keepers.
Three days later.
Karakura Hospital, Orihime mused absent mindedly, is pretty big.
The redhead stood amongst a maze of winding corridors and emergency rooms, the sterile white walls making her head hurt. She clutched a cold soda can in her left hand, the little drops of condensation dotting it's surface making it wet and slippery. Mind clouded over with thought, she swapped hands and wiped the water onto her skirt. Honestly, where werethe maps? She had only come out to grab a drink and was already lost! If she was in charge of a place this big, her first priority would have been maps... that is, after re-decorating, of course.
Maybe she should consult Uryuu about it later? Oh! And while she was on the subject, perhaps she should give him a few tips on how to brighten the place up, because, in all honesty, just looking at all the white made her want to retch. White walls, white floors, white clothes...hell, even the secretary's long, manicured nails were white!
An image of the bored looking secretary with white dragon wings in the shape of long, pointed fingernails floated into her head. Her fake-tanned, almost orange skin began peeling off in large sheets, whereas her thick, black lashes(coated with what must have been an entire tube of mascara) seemed to flutter away and join her wings. The skin beneath was a ghastly shade of grey, and she had to admit she had much preferred the tangerine look. Propped up against her ear was a phone which provided a steady stream of unintelligible chatter-it soon became a huge sword- and then Orihime realised shehad a sword too! Now she could complete her mission of slaying the wicked dragon of Hueco Mundo, and saving the entire universe from it's clutches!
Weapon in hand, she advanced towards the evil creature, her footsteps soft and barely within the boundaries of human hearing. However, the dragon had much keener ears and picked up on the sound immediately, swivelling to face the brave heroine. Orihime's grey eyes burned with the utmost hatred and contempt possible as she lunged forward, determined to lop off this monsters head and-
"Oof!" She cried, falling backwards onto her bottom. Glancing up, she saw a very worried looking Uryuu. Complete in his doctors uniform, he seemed so much more grown up than the last time she had seen him. The white material(as was his preference towards all clothes) hung loosely on his lanky frame, and his glasses were perched on his nose, occasionally concealing the dark rims underneath his eyes as the light caught them. His hair, however, still maintained it usual glossy neatness despite the fact that he had so obviously been rushing somewhere just moments ago. Eyes widening, he shouted out in delight.
"Orihime!" He cried. "Where on earth have you been?" Reaching down, he helped her up and she smiled at him.
"Uhhhmm...getting a drink?" She muttered sheepishly, gesturing towards the can in her hand. He nodded once, and smiled back at her.
"God it's been so long-how are you?" He asked.
"I'm great!" Orihime chirped, but then lowered her gaze."But, I am sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances..."
Uryuu looked at her sadly, and hesitantly enveloped her in a hug. She sniffled a bit, then pulled back, holding him at an arms length. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Tatsuki never told me you became a doctor!" She gasped, the information just reaching her head. Uryuu shifted awkwardly and fiddled with the hem of his sleeve.
"Yeah well...I had wanted it to be a surprise... " He mumbled, a bit of pink coloring his cheeks as he fidgeted nervously. Orihime frowned. Since when had he been so shy? Had he really changed that much? She vaguely remembered a text Tatsuki had sent her not so long ago: 'Oh, and Uryuu moved in with that girl (Nema? Noume?), but it's close to Karakura, so they wont be travelling far... '
Orihime gasped and hugged him again.
"Well done!"She cheered. He looked bewildered, so she grinned happily and explained herself.
"You and Nemu-san! I'm so happy for you two!" Uryuu's face turned another three shades darker once she released him. He tilted away from her and a far off look glazed over his dark eyes. A slight smile overcame his lips. Her grin became even wider as she witnessed his obvious love for this woman.
"I'm very happy...for you too, Orihime." He said, looking at her seriously. Orihime blinked owlishly, and then stared at him hard, not quite getting what he meant. After a few moments the cogs inside her head slid into place with a click.
"Oh!"she gasped," Thanks, Uryuu! Actually, seeing as your a doctor and all, would you mind helping me register with this hospital while I'm here? The doctor I had over in London insisted I still go to my scheduled check-ups so..."
Uryuu looked at her, confusion dancing across his sharp features.
"Orihime, why would you need to re-register? Is there something wrong?"
Her eyes widened slightly, and she bit her lip. So he hadn't figured it out? She had assumed that was what he had meant when he said that he was happy for her. Oh dear, she had been quite pleased with his calm reaction too.
"Well, actually I'm kind of..." He nodded, encouraging her to continue. Her grey eyes shifted to the side as she gripped the soft material of her jumper. Perhaps she should keep quiet about the baby? After all, Ulquiorra should have a say in this too, right? He was the baby's father and...
No. This was her decision, she couldn't rely on other people to do everything for her. She inhaled shakily, and then cast her eyes towards the floor as if it deserved her utmost attention.
"...pregnant." She whispered quietly. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Uryuu's direction. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his, only to find them staring dead ahead, mouth agape. Once more, she bowed her head.
"I'm sorry,"She said."I thought you had figured it out..." His mouth moved slightly, as if to form words, but it promptly closed. She gulped. His face looked so serious and...angry. Uryuu had never been angry at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for him to shout, but it never came.
"Where is Ichigo?" He hissed, venom coating his words dangerously.
"Huh?" She asked.
"Ich-i-go. Where is he?"
"Uhmmm, I think he's with Urahara-san...?"
"Stay here." Uryuu growled, storming off with the intent to kill glittering in his eyes.
Special thanks go to~!
Bleached-Whale,
sama-chan,
Andr3w R0b3rts0n,
Morning Bleach,
Lolittawork-Libretto,
nypsy,
Q u e e n V a m p.
BIG THANKYOU'S TO SAMA-CHAN, MY AMAZING BETA/AGE-BUDDY! Can you believe it? She called me pretty~! Uwahhh, my cheeks are still glowing~! :3
nypsy- I'm glad you're sticking with this story~! And she hasn't had her check-up yet, so who knows what kind of havoc Ichigo has caused down there...?
Reviews are greatly appreciated! I know this hasn't been the best chapter, but please spare some time and drop a review(or a flame, if you must!)