[/huffs] Okay, I think I got it here! Hopefully no more changes! And honestly, I'm not sure how many chapters left... Could be 3, could be 7. I have no idea. (Although I would like to write about her... -trails off- I shouldn't spoil it. XD But if you could see one thing happen in this story, what would you be interested in seeing? (I just like seeing what people think, lol.)
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Grey eyes grew wide, and suddenly her palms felt very sweaty as a shake started to inhabit her body. Her heart skipping a beat, Orihime wondered if she heard right.
"Come to the clinic now and we'll get you to the nearest hospital after that!"
She heard Isshin finish talking and the click of him hanging up, but she made no attempt to move. She couldn't. Hearing this both terrifying and fantastic news gave her a good shock to her system.
'A… A heart…'
Her phone slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor with a loud clack, causing the nearby shinigami to grow alarmed and worried.
"Orihime, what is it??" Ichigo spoke firmly, grabbing a hold of one shoulder to make her look at him. As soon as Orihime locked eyes with his, tears appeared and she shuddered. Weakly falling into his chest, due to her knees being awfully flimsy, she sobbed lightly, but smiled.
"T-They have a heart… I-Ichigo-kun… I-it's…" She whispered, feeling relief, happiness, fear, and so many other emotions. The news had hit her like a train, and she wasn't quite sure how to handle them.
Ichigo felt the same way. He wrapped his arms around her frail shoulders, unsure of whether he was supporting her or himself. Swallowing thickly, he wanted to smile, because she had a heart… She would live longer, and ultimately be with him. At least, he hoped so.
But he knew of the chances of failure. Granted, technology was better now than ever before, but the possibility of error was still existent. Damn, it was just like him to immediately think of death. Though he was still a shinigami…
The two stayed in each other's embrace for quite a while, Ichigo only listening to her crying and his shirt growing quite wet with tears, although it didn't matter too much to him.
"I-Ichigo-kun…" Orihime mumbled, now bringing her head up to look at him. "W-We need to go…" Ichigo held her tighter, if possible, and looked into her fearful eyes. Clearly she knew about the possibility of failure for this transplant as well, but was also proud of her of wanting to go. Nodding grimly, he brought his lips to hers, meeting with a kiss, also noticing she was still shaking quite a bit.
"Go change and we can leave…" He replied in the same quiet tone before reluctantly letting go of the healer, allowing her to change her attire. Orihime left silently and swiftly, letting Ichigo collapse into the nearby kitchen chair. He gave his plate of food half a glance before picking up his fork and taking a quick bite. Though he didn't know if he felt sick or fine over her news. Surely it was good, but the nagging guilt of that stupid possibility made him quite depressed. 'Dammit, it's only a small chance… She'll be fine…'
His eyes glanced back to her door as he wondered just how nervous she was. 'Probably fearing for her life…' The door creaked open and he stood up immediately as Orihime exited the room she was boarding in, dressed in new attire. Very, very attractive attire… Ichigo's jaw dropped as he felt his face growing hotter by the second.
Orihime looked shyly up to him with a sore smile on her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She wore a plain yellow sundress with quite a plunging neckline, but was modest enough to suit her, and clung just the right places. A white cardigan fit neatly over her shoulders with a small matching purse in her hands. He wished he could say his favorite thing about what she was wearing was her smile, but the angst on her face made his heart hurt.
He quickly swept her into his arms and buried his face into the crook of her exposed neck, as she had put it into a ponytail, and placed a tender kiss on the flesh.
"You look good…" he growled, thinking about a change of plans. To keep her here and never see her scared again. She managed to force more of a smile and her cheeks turned crimson at his actions.
"Thank you, Ichigo-kun," she replied, moving her arms to his back, returning the hug. "We… should go…" She pulled away, her heart beating a much faster than normal. The erratic speed worried her, making her wonder if she would pass out any time now from nerves.
She walked out the door herself, leaving Ichigo alone in the apartment for only a brief moment. He wanted to be proud of how brave she was being, but he knew she was far from it.
Taking hearty strides after her, it wasn't long until he caught up and took her hand in his. The grip on her tiny hand was so strong, Orihime wasn't sure he'd ever let go.
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The ride to his father's clinic was deathly silent. Although Ichigo had to shutter at the morbid adjective he just had to place with their quietness.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye to view the woman next to him, he noticed her withdrawn form, keeping herself close to the window. A small shiver coursed through her body and he could most certainly tell she was still upset.
He reached across the median in between the seats while keeping his eyes on the road and took her hand again. Orihime jumped at his action, as it severely startled her. Clearly she was agitated to anything and everything. Looking back at him with big eyes, tears started to sting at her eyes. She was so scared now, and his tenderness only made her sadder.
Tears started to roll down her cheeks and she held his hand as close as she possibly could, but also keeping in mind his driving. She wouldn't want to be too much of a burden by distracting him.
His own heart hurt as her wet drops fell onto his hand and he had half a mind to pull over the car and take her into his arms, whispering words of reassurance into her ear. 'But what could I possibly tell her?' He vaguely wondered as they drove along.
"… It'll be okay…" He spoke quietly to her anyways. Managing to take his eyes off the road for a brief moment, as they were at a stoplight, he looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm here for you, Orihime." The healer could only nod dumbly, wishing all her fears would just disappear in an instant. Ichigo watched her cry and wanted to punch himself for not doing anything further.
Closing her eyes due to the clinging tears, Orihime couldn't see what was in front of her. So it was only a surprise when she felt familiar, warm lips upon her own. "Ichigo-kun…" She quietly sobbed, kissing him in return. He pulled away with a small, weak smirk on his face. Ichigo gave her hand a tight squeeze before giving her one last kiss on the forehead.
"I'm right here," he told her. "I always will be."
A small bubble of confidence started to rise in the healer, but she was still weighed with the fear. She shook her head, auburn locks following her where she went. "It'll be okay…" She told herself to comfort herself more. He took her shoulder before the light turned and pulled her in, allowing her to rest on his shoulder for the remainder of the drive.
"Of course you will be… You're Inoue Orihime," he forced a chuckle, feeling the warmth from her cheek through his shirt. "You're the girl who can reject fate."
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It was hours later where the two waited for Orihime to be admitted into the operation room. Ichigo never left her side, not even when she needed to change into her paper gown. To prevent from her getting flustered, he turned around but stayed in the room with her. He was very surprised when she hugged him from behind before changing, whispering kind words and gentle thanks. Only nodding and letting his cheeks grow hot, Ichigo just heard the sounds of clothes dropping to the floor and the paper gown being used as a replacement.
He held her hand as she waited, the clock seeming to grow louder and louder with each passing minute. They idly chatted to pass the time before, but after a while, it seemed like words were useless. Neither of them knew how to convey their feelings, so they merely let body language talk for them. Smiles and frowns, hugs and small kisses. Every thought and feeling spoke volumes without even having to say a thing.
"Inoue Orihime?" A nurse asked, knocking before entering. Orihime stuttered a quick yes and watched the beautiful blonde nurse walk in. She smiled, although it seemed slightly fake, and held a clipboard at her side. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
Orihime looked to Ichigo first before answering, and he squeezed her hand and gave her a faint smirk. Returning her gaze back to the woman, Orihime's other hand bunched up the fabric of the blanket on top of her. "O-Okay, I guess…" She mumbled. "… Nervous…" She finally confessed. The nurse only nodded in understanding.
"So normal then," she grumbled, moving the clipboard in front of her. 'Yes… Normal… Whatever that may be,' Orihime commented. "The operation will probably take somewhere between 4-5 hours, and you've already been briefed on how this will work, correct?" Again, Orihime nodded, remembering the one time Isshin had explained it all to her. It seemed too vague at the time, but now it seemed too real.
"Good," the woman resumed before attaching the clipboard to the foot of Orihime's bed. "We'll take you to prep in about fifteen minutes." She informed her. Her gaze was only focused on the ill woman next to Ichigo, but once she noticed him by her side, he managed to catch her eye quite easily. "Family?" She asked, hoping it would be so. The two had similar hair colors, and if they were related, she might be able to score with this guy.
"Boyfriend," Ichigo stated simply, cheeks heating up slightly. He turned to the healer next to him. "Right?" Orihime opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped it shut and her face sported a bright red hue. Clearly she had never thought about their 'titles' since they had confessed to each other. With her heart beating faster, she noted, yes, it was definitely different. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Different wasn't so bad.
The nurse's posture immediately fell and Ichigo soon knew what it was she was after. He scowled in disgust before uttering, "Do you mind leaving us alone?" The nurse scoffed and left as requested. 'How in the world she can work in a hospital of all places…' He groaned before turning his attention to the woman beside him, still bright red.
"Or… Am I not?" He asked simply, kneading the back of his neck awkwardly. Orihime shook her head a little too hard and didn't know whether to smile or keep a straight face.
"O-Oh, n-no, you can be if you want to! I-I mean, I-if I can… O-Oh my…" He sneered at her flustered face and innocence. He snaked a hand around her neck and pulled her close, still smiling faintly. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and inhaled her scent deeply.
"It'll be okay…" He whispered, reassuring the both of them.
"… I know." Orihime hesitated for a moment before stringing her lean digits into his bright orange hair. One of her favorite things about him. They stayed together like that until she had to leave, merely keeping in another's presence until the time was up.
"You'll be here when I wake up?" She asked, her voice laced with returning fear. He pulled away and looked at her with honest amber eyes.
"Of course… I plan on being the first person you see after you awake, oh Queen of Slumber," he grinned at her new nickname again.
"Hey, that's mean…" She pouted, accidentally leaving herself open for a surprise kiss on his part. He met her lips in a quick, but affectionate kiss, leaving her even more flustered. Ichigo couldn't help but continue grinning, feeling better about how they were acting now. Before it was pain and tears. Now it was flirting and slight relief. His face felt hot upon thinking just how flirty they were being with each other.
"I'm proud of you, Orihime," he suddenly blurted out, startling her with such words. Orihime looked at him with big, bewildered eyes.
"E-eh? What are you talking about?"
"You've gone through all this, and most of the time alone…" Ichigo's tone was lower now, some shame in his voice. "And now you're going through his big surgery… You're brave." Her cheeks grew very red with embarrassment, but she smiled.
"Well, I don't have to go through it alone anymore, now do I?" She asked, holding his hand like before. He smiled softly and nodded.
"Right…"
"Inoue Orihime, they're ready for you," another nurse popped her head in and a few other bodies entered the room to wheel her away. Orihime looked at Ichigo with big eyes.
"I love you…" She quietly and serenely told him; those three words holding all her feelings built up. Ichigo's face fell and he stood up, bending over the railing on the bed to kiss her on the cheek once more.
"I love you too, Orihime… I'll be waiting for you."
Orihime nodded and gave him the biggest and brightest smile he'd ever seen. This one even topped the grins she gave him in high school. His heart skipped a beat, absolutely disconcerted himself over her innocent act.
Ichigo shoved his hands into his pockets while he watched her being towed down to the operating room. The small box in his pocket reminded him that she would definitely get through this. Her life wasn't over yet; she had too much to live for. And he had too much planned for her to simply let go of it all.
'Good luck… Inoue Orihime.'
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