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Orihime cheered, throwing her hands in the air as fireworks lit up the sky. Ichigo kept scowling, fending off Keigo's attempts to be chummy with him.
"Gyaa~ it's so beautiful. It's like the big bang where the universe explodes into pieces!" Orihime said, clasping her hands together as she stared up to the sky with awe. Smiling, she turned to her boyfriend, "Kurosaki-kun—"
"You call you boyfriend by his surname?" interjected Tatsuki.
"I… sometimes! It's difficult to break a habit and—"
Ichigo's eyebrows lowered sardonically, interrupting Orihime. "Yeah, she does." This made Tatsuki laugh.
"What kind of girlfriend are you?" she teased. Tatsuki looked at Ichigo with a smug smirk. "Heh. And here I am thinking that you two have gone far in your ABCs."
Orihime blinked at her goofily grinning best friend innocently. "Ano, what are ABCs?"
Standing beside the auburn-haired girl, Ichigo reddened both in anger and embarrassment. "S-Shut up, Tatsuki! Don't talk trash in front of my girlfriend!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the black-haired martial artist. Tatsuki snorted and shrugged, turning to walk towards the center of the festival. It was the last day of their freedom. Second semester will start on Monday. The rest of them followed Tatsuki's lead; Orihime walked next Tatsuki while Ichigo stayed behind, exchanging verbal jabs with Ishida while Kiego made noises around them. The group was happily chatting in front of a takoyaki stand when Ishida's head perked up. The Quincy turned his head to look behind him. Ichigo and Sado copied him.
Ichigo's eyes widened first before narrowing in angry slits. "Shit."
Orihime lifted her gaze at the sound of Ichigo's voice. She followed his line of sight and her eyes widened. "K-Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo quickly put a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with his dark scowl.
"Don't worry. It's going to be alright." He assured her, looking into her wide eyes. Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo, curious at Orihime's sudden distress, looked around and being spiritually aware themselves, although not as strongly as the four ryoka, saw a wide slit tearing across the sky. It gaped open and several hollows stepped out, roaring.
"Shit…" Tatsuki cursed, immediately tensed. She looked at Orihime; her best friend was also looking at her. "Orihime –"
"Stay with Tatsuki." Ichigo interjected.
Orihime's face fell. "But—"
"Keigo, Mizuiro, look after these two, alright? Don't slack off, got it?" Ichigo gave Orihime a squeeze on the shoulder and a small smile before turning to follow Sado and Ishida.
"Wait, Ku—"
Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's arm. "Orihime, come on!"
"Tatsuki-chan… I'm sorry, but…" Her wide eyes pleaded for her understanding.
"Inoue-san…" murmured Keigo, watching the two girls apprehensively while occasionally stealing glances at the horde of Hollows that slowly approached.
Tatsuki looked at her best friend worriedly before sighing and nodding stiffly. "Fine." Orihime smiled gratefully. Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's sleeve, halting the girl from running after Ichigo. "But be careful. I don't want Ichigo looking for me and have something to say to my face."
Orihime made a fist in front of her face. "Hai!" She looked at Mizuiro and Keigo. "Please, look after Tatsuki-chan. We'll be right back as soon as possible!" With that, the auburn-haired girl turned and ran after her three friends.
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66
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"Kurosaki-kun!"
The substitute shinigami halted from pressing his badge to his chest upon hearing the sound of her voice. "The hell…" Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. And there she was, running towards him, in her yellow and orange yukata. Several caramel locks curled around her face, her long hair in messy bun with several chopsticks to hold it in place.
"Orihime! What the… I told you to stay with Tatsuki!"
As soon as she reached him, she grasped at his sleeve. "I…Ichigo…"
Ichigo gripped her shoulder. "Orihime, stay with Tatsuki."
"No."
His amber eyes hardened. He told himself that no amount of puppy eyes or adorable pouts (even sultry looks) will influence his decision to keep her away from the battle. "It's dangerous! I don't want—"
"I know. But please, let me. I want to be there for you," Orihime whispered, gripping his sleeve tightly. "I want to be sure… that you're safe."
"You… You are going to give me a heart attack!" Ichigo hissed. The Hollows' roar reverberated around them, high and shrill. A burst of wind went past them and the sound of Ishida's arrows being released and piercing the air.
"Please." Orihime locked eyes with him – determined, bright and lovely that Ichigo could not help but curse bitterly under his breath and grab the back of her head. He kissed her hard, and Orihime gripped the front of his shirt with her other hand. "Damn it," he growled against her damp lips, cursing himself. Her lips curved in a smile, her eyes smiling, grateful.
But he wasn't comforted. He clenched his jaw and looked into her eyes. "Be careful."
"I will," promised Orihime.
Frowning heavily, eyes heavy-lidded, he released her head. In the process, his fingers accidentally pulled at her hair, and chopsticks fell from her hair. With a narrowed gaze, he watched her bright hair tumble all over her shoulders and around her lovely face. Her face lit up, eyes flashing as she yelled out.
"Sado-kun!" Orihime ran past him, "Santen Kesshun!" Ichigo cursed and used his badge, his shinigami form jumping out of his material body. A triangular shield formed with great speed between Sado and a Hollow attack.
"Yosh!"
Ichigo shook his head at his girlfriend's cheerful spirit, jumped up and slashed at the Hollow that attacked Sado. "Yo, Chad, watch my back!"
"Hai."
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67
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"Tsubaki!"
"Damn, about time, you woman!" the angry fairy roared and flew around, slicing a Hollow into halves. There were about six to seven Hollows; four of them were massive which required teamwork between the three males. Orihime bit her lip determinedly; a claw aimed at Ishida and without incantation, by the force of her will alone to protect, her golden shield formed itself between Ishida and the attack.
Lily, Baigon and Hinagiku whirled back to her hairpin; Tsubaki spun one more time to provide distraction for Ichigo. She stayed with a reasonable distance away from the three males, knowing her place was to shield and to heal.
"Chad!"
"Sado-kun!"
Yells from her friends perked her up. "Sado-kun!" Worried, she moved forward to aid Sado. In her worry, she failed to notice an approaching danger. A newly arrived Hollow appeared from a slit above her and landed in front of her, between her and her male friends.
"Orihime!" shouted Ichigo.
She raised her arms to her head as Baigon, Lily and Hinagiku materialized in front of her, repelling the attack. The attack wasn't particularly heavy but Orihime heard Lily squeak inside her head, Baigon grunt and Hinagiku yell as the shield broke into shards.
Orihime's eyes widened.
What… Lily! Baigon! Hinagiku!
'Orihime-sama!' Shun'o yelled.
'Shit!' Tsubaki, without a command, burst from her other hairpin and boomeranged forward, slicing the arm that threatened to pummel Orihime. The Hollow howled in pain and thrashed.
"ORIHIME!" It was Ichigo. Blinded with rage and worry, he bellowed, "Getsuga…"
Ishida's eyes widened. "Kurosaki! Stop!"
Sado grunted and forced himself to stand up, running towards Orihime who remained shocked. The girl was startled when she felt strong arms sweeping her off the ground and a weight bearing down on her as though shielding her.
"S-Sado-kun?" Sado originally planned to snatch Orihime in his arms and jump off, but his injury which hurt his right leg prohibited him into moving and jumping out of the way.
"Stop! Kurosaki!" yelled Ishida.
Ichigo did not hear him.
"…TENSHOU!"
Sado-kun!
'Orihime-sama—' Shun'o started but his tiny voice was drowned out by her command.
…I reject!
As soon as she willed her shield to form, Orihime felt a massive and heavy tiredness weighing her down. It felt as though her legs vanished under her. But the shield made by her fairies tightened and held its ground. Ishida, who was watching, noted the differences between the previous shield and the present shield: it was stronger, brighter, and larger that Getsuga Tenshou, after slicing and dissolving the hollow, simply bounced off of the barrier and dissolved.
"Orihime!" yelled Ichigo frantically, realizing his mistake.
"Sado-kun…" murmured Orihime blankly. Her eyesight was blurring.
"I'm fine," Sado grunted, letting her go and falling supine on the ground. Orihime crumpled on the ground with her legs under her. She looked up, blinked several times until her vision cleared and smiled reassuringly at Ichigo who held an anxious expression. Shun'o…
She vaguely heard Shun'o sigh.
A small dome appeared on top of Sado's wound.
Sensing Ichigo's distress, she reassured him. "I'm fine…"
"Damn it! It was fucking careless of me!" Ichigo shouted.
"Kurosaki, now's not the time!" Ishida yelled, stopping Ichigo from gripping Orihime into his arms. The couple exchanged glances; he was scowling in worry, while Orihime was smiling.
"I'm fine, Ichigo-kun! Please, stop the hollows." Ichigo snapped a curse and turned back to slash the new batch of hollows that arrived with renewed vigor, channeling his anger through Zangetsu and to the Hollows.
"Inoue…"
"It's OK, Sado-kun. Just… Shun'o?" This is weird… My healing shield… why is it so… Orihime blinked and the dome vanished. "Sado-kun, are you OK?"
"Yes. Thank you." Sado stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. Swallowing, she took his hand and let Sado pulled her up. Upright and against gravity, Orihime felt her tiredness acutely. Worst, she felt like she was falling asleep and that the ground felt like an ocean, unsteady, waving and she was sinking.
What is wrong with me…?
"Inoue." She looked up at the sound of Sado's voice. "Are you alright?" She blinked and looked down. Orihime flushed upon realizing how tightly she was holding onto his hand.
"I— I'm fine! Thank you!" She slowly let go of his hand, smiling widely. Sado was looking at her with a small frown.
"Inoue… Your reiatsu…"
Orihime stiffened. "I'm fine!" She interrupted. "Just…" She offered a small smile. "I'm fine… Thank you."
Sado kept quiet, but nodded eventually, joining Ichigo and Ishida. Orihime sighed deeply and tried to recollect her thoughts.
'Orihime-sama…'
I'm fine. Just tired…
Her legs were shaking.
'…Hai'
She lifted a hand to flip her heavy hair over her shoulder. Standing in the middle of the clearing, her posture awkward and her hair falling over her shoulders and onto her back, she watched her three friends fight the Hollows. Her eyesight was slowly becoming hazy again, her eyelids heavy. Her small hands curled into fists, her small teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Orihime steadied herself. Kurosaki-kun. She smiled a little, hearing her boyfriend bellow curses while swinging Zangetsu around. Heaving another deep sigh while closing her eyes, she urged herself to stay awake. Her eyes fluttered open, just in time to see a tentacle ready to skewer a very distracted and hot-tempered Ichigo.
"Ichi… Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried out. "I re—"
…!
Her heart pounded, and it echoed loudly inside her head. This time, it was her upper limbs growing weak, heavy like lead.
'Orihime-sama—' It was Lily. 'Stop!'
No.
'But—'
Her shoulders rounded, her body slumping.
"P-P-Please protect Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime croaked out, her will stronger than her voice. Three fairies shot forward like a thunderbolt and a golden triangle twirled around like a boomerang, placing itself in front of Ichigo.
With that, Orihime fell facedown on the ground, eyes dazed and half-lidded.
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Ichigo's head whipped around, eyes wide.
Orihime…
His heart dropped.
WHERE ARE YOU?
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"Ichigo—" Sado started, glancing at his suddenly immobile friend. He repelled an attack from a hollow with his Right Arm of the Giant.
"Orihime!" Ichigo shouted with raw alarm, his eyes wide and frantic. "Damn it!" The orange-haired viciously slashed at their current opponent.
"Kurosaki, what—"
"Orihime!"
Both Ishida and Sado froze in realization.
Orihime's reiatsu was gone.
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70
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Ishida tried to regain a semblance of calmness. "Kurosaki, calm yourself!"
"Bullshit!" Ichigo roared, "Bankai!"
"Ichigo!"
His immense spiritual pressure, powered by his distress and worry, thickened ominously and by its raw heavy pressure, managed to dissolve at least three average Hollows. Ishida gritted his teeth, arms raised to shield his face and eyes. Receiving Kurosaki's reiatsu at this distance was not advisable. It was scorching. He tried to sense Inoue's presence. With Ichigo's spiritual pressure saturating the area, it was difficult.
"Kurosaki!" yelled Ishida. "Stop this instant!"
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Ichigo…kun…?
This scent…
Ichigo…
I… I…
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72
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Honey-brown eyes opened.
'Orihime-sama!'
Shun'o… What's wrong with me? I feel… I feel so… Tired, sleepy… I… I…
'Stay awake, Orihime-sama!'
But… I… I want to—
"ORIHIME!"
Her whole body jerked. She blinked a couple of time, her eyesight clearing a little bit. With immense effort, she lifted her upper body off the ground. Squinting, Orihime was able to see a shape, but it was unrecognizable.
"K…Kurosaki-kun, I'm…"
This scent…
"ORIHIME!"
She felt large hands gripping her shoulders, lifting and turning her body. And then, arms wrapped themselves around her slack body, pressing her against something hard and strong.
"Orihime, damn it! What's wrong?"
"Ku-Kurosaki-kun…" Her voice was too soft that it frightened Ichigo.
"Damn it to hell… I told you to stay with Tatsuki! I… goddamn it." Orihime smiled a little, eyes heavy lidded as Ichigo hugged her closer, almost crushing her to his body.
This scent…
"I'm fine…Ichigo…"
"Fine, my ass! Your reiatsu— it's almost gone!"
"My…" Her lashes dropped to her cheeks. Ichigo frowned deeply, watching her wan face.
"…Orihime?"
"…"
"…Shit. Orihime!"
"Kurosaki, calm yourself! Inoue-san is merely sleeping!"
"Shut up!" His amber eyes were flashing violently, his hair falling over his forehead as he looked up to Ishida. "You felt it, didn't you? Her reiatsu faded. Completely!" His tone was harsh and hysterical.
"I know. But—"
Ichigo was beside himself. "What?"
"Ichigo." Sado laid a hand on Ichigo's shoulders, an attempt to calm the substitute shinigami. "I found your body." Ichigo breathed out sharply, breathing heavily.
"Thanks," he muttered, looking down to the precious bundle in his arms.
"I think… We should go." Sado continued. Ichigo sighed, frowning heavily as he brushed Orihime's long hair with his fingers. Slowly, he felt her spiritual pressure rise. However, it was still significantly low.
"Yeah," he grunted, his gaze fixed on Orihime's pale face. "Sorry,"
Ishida's eyebrow arched, but understanding Kurosaki's cause of anger, he chose not to say anything. Instead, the Quincy sighed sharply. "Let's go." Sado held Orihime for a while as Ichigo went back to his body. Ishida told Ichigo to bring Inoue home while he and Sado stay behind to explain the situation to Tatsuki, Kiego and Mizuiro.
Ichigo was grateful, muttering a low 'thanks' before leaving the two.
Now, as Ichigo carried Orihime in his arms while walking home, he could not shake off the feeling of dread. Unconsciously, he pressed her closer to his body, long locks of hair falling over his arm. He relaxed a little when Orihime cuddled closer with a soft sigh, her small hand fisting on his shirt. Her reiatsu, although had returned, provided little comfort. Episodes of her disappearing reiatsu were fast becoming frequent, and this time, the period of her zero-reiatsu condition was longer.
It was fucking frustrating.
"Damn it…"
This feeling of helplessness and uncertainty… Damn. Worrying makes me sick! All I gotta do is keep a more watchful eye on her. That's all.
Don't panic.
Orihime sighed and her warm breath tickled his neck.
Don't panic.
He stopped walking.
But that feeling, of her fading, flowing and… Ichigo tried to comfort himself by pulling her even tighter in his arms and against his chest. Feeling her breathe against his neck, somehow, comforted him.
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title. she weaves a fairy tale and i am captured
summary. fading, and flowing.
prompt. /
note. three or four chapters to go then this piece will conclude! review, yes, if you have time. comments are love. thank you thank you for your comments/reviews! heart, heart!
disclaimer. disclaimed.
additional notes. hmm, i read somewhere (cannot remember where) that in Japan ABC corresponds to 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases XD D means pregnancy, E means abortion. i am not entirely sure, though, so please do not quote me.