Author's Notes:
My dear reader-samas! The long wait is over! xD There will be a lot of cursing here so please do excuse that. And to compensate for my 2 year absence, I present to you a 15 page (on MS word) long chapter mehehe :3
So here it is. . .I hope you guys like it :D
Disclaimer: Bleach is sadly not mine.
Acting Naturally
Orihime's heart was going to give out. She was so sure of it. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest, she felt as though it was going to jump out. She had survived through a live nationwide broadcast interview and a photo shoot with an international magazine, but she wasn't quite certain if she was going to live through the inevitable challenge that she was bound to face today.
"K-Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime panted as she tried to keep up with Ichigo's long strides. After his announcement, he called for Momo and marched into their bedroom. "Please stop for a minute!" she pleaded
"We're only staying there for 2 days, pack light Hinamori" he instructed. The maid only nodded before trotting off into the huge walk-in closet to prepare the necessary clothes.
"Look" Ichigo turned to his fretting 'wife', "even though I hate going back to the estate, we have to" he said. Orihime watched as he ran a hand through his orange spikes. "Gramps wants to meet you" he sighed, "and the rest of the clan"
Orihime paled.
So here she was, trembling in her seat as they were bound to arrive at the Kurosaki Estate any minute now. She turned to Ichigo who was staring out the window. He really didn't want to go, Orihime could tell by his deep scowl and the irritated aura he was emanating. She then turned to Rio, who had been relentlessly trying to convince Tessai to let him drive. Astoundingly, seeing the two so relaxed only made the auburn haired woman even more nervous.
She bit onto her bottom lip and clutched her skirt tighter. What if they didn't approve of her? What if they found out that she was just posing as Rio's mother? What if they have her executed for impersonating Ayaka-san? All these thoughts made her skin go cold and clammy. Good Lord! Give me strength! She prayed.
"Relax" Ichigo's deep voice snapped her out of her reverie. He had somehow sensed her distress and when he turned to check on her, she was pale as the white cardigan she was wearing. She was twisting the hem of her maroon dress and Ichigo was beginning to feel sorry for the poor piece of cloth. "You'll ruin your dress" he chuckled as he placed a hand over her sweaty ones.
"But what if they find out?" she asked, worry manifesting in her eyes.
"They won't" he reassured her, "Just act naturally and they won't suspect a thing" he said with one of those boyish grins he seemed to be giving Orihime more often lately.
Act naturally? Orihime screamed mentally. How on earth do you act naturally? "But what if they don't like me" she mumbled.
"I'm sure they'll like you" he smiled to himself as he continued to stare out the window, "it's hard not to" he added softly. But Orihime didn't seem to hear it as she was too focused on staring at the warm hand that squeezed her trembling hand.
"We're here!" Rio announced gleefully.
Orihime snapped up at Rio's declaration. She was so anxious about meeting Ichigo's grandfather that she had failed to notice that they had left the urban premises of Karakura and had been coursing through the peaceful countryside since half an hour ago.
Her ashen gaze widened as they entered the gates of the Kurosaki Estate. Lush green trees surrounded the place, colourful flowers littered the vast gardens, the sound of flowing water and chirping birds filling the fresh air. And at the center of the estate was a large traditional Japanese style mansion.
"Amazing" Orihime gasped
Once the car stopped at the front of the mansion, several servants dressed in kimonos rushed to open the door for them. "Welcome, Ichigo-sama, Aya-sama and Rio-sama" they greeted.
Still not used to being bowed down to, Orihime flushed at the royal treatment. "Hello" she bashfully replied.
"Rio don't run!" Ichigo reprimanded as his son dashed off into the mansion. "Stubborn kid" he muttered, trudging after the little boy, Orihime just a few steps behind him.
As they entered, Orihime could not help but gape at the splendour of the house. It was as though she had entered a whole new dimension, like she had travelled back in time and was now in Edo Japan. Antiques and paintings that attested to the rich Japanese culture decorated the place. Traditional rice paper doors, polished wooden floors and porcelain ornaments that were so purely oriental.
Ichigo, on the other hand, fought hard not to show the smile that was threatening to surface as he watched the auburn haired girl gawk at the place. It amazed him how she was a grown woman and yet her eyes would light up with childlike wonder at the most simple things. Her eyes were definitely one his favourite things about her.
Stop!
A part of Ichigo's mind screamed. You are her employer! You are not allowed to have any kind of favourite thing about her! The thought made Ichigo scowl. He had become so used to her, it was beginning to bother him.
Hearing his son's footsteps, his brows furrowed further as he sighed "Rio I said don't run! You might break something and Gramps is going to break my neck in exchange for it"
Once again ignored, Ichigo proceeded to the courtyard where he believed his loony clan was lounging. But before he opened the door, he turned to Orihime and grabbed her shoulders. "It's going to get crazy when we go out there" he said staring right into her eyes, "whatever you do, stay close to-"
But before he could even finish his warning, a hand clamped down on his shoulders, "Taking our sweet time, are we Ichigo?" came a deep chuckle from behind Ichigo. "I've been waiting for you" he said darkly.
It happened so fast that Orihime could not even comprehend how it was possible. All she knew was that Ichigo had quickly dodged what looked like a katana that the large man with black hair and an eye patch was swinging around.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime panicked as she helplessly watched Ichigo barely dodge another blow. Forgetting how she should call her 'husband' in front of his family.
Immediately, the young woman searched the place for anyone who could aid Ichigo or even stop the heedless man. She spotted the strawberry-blonde haired stylist, sitting at a table nearby, calmly reading a magazine as though the chase that was happening between her nephew and the man was something that happened every day.
"Rangiku-san!" she urgently called, "we have to help Kurosaki-kun!"
Light blue eyes glanced at her and the beautiful woman smiled, "Oh hello Aya-chan! You're finally here!" she said excitedly.
"Rangiku-san we have to help Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime begged
The busty woman turned to the fighting men and shrugged, "Let them be" she waved the dilema off. "Come sit down and have tea with me" she patted the chair beside her.
"But Rangiku-san-" Orihime was about to plead but when she saw that the large man was about to strike her employer, she sprinted to where Ichigo slumped on the floor and wrapped herself around him, covering him from the attack. She was waiting to be pierced by the katana but there was none. No pain. No blood. Nothing. Bewildered, Orihime looked up.
"What the hell is this?" the man said gruffly
Orihime stared up at the frightening man. There was something menacing about the way he looked down at her and the way his katana gleamed only alarmed her even more.
"She" a hand settled on Orihime's shoulder as she was pulled to a warm body, "is my wife" Ichigo announced, holding her to his side.
"Icchi's wife?" a little girl with short pink hair suddenly popped from behind the large man's shoulder. Her pink eyes scanned over Orihime's form and then she beamed, "She's got big boobs!"
Orihime reddened at the child's comment. She knew she was endowed but did the child have to announce it like that? "Yachiru, you don't blurt things out like that!" Ichigo scolded the little girl. Orihime caught Ichigo glance at her chest before he looking away, trying hard to hide the dust of pink that spread through his cheeks.
He cleared his throat. "Aya, this is Kurosaki "Zaraki" Kenpachi, my uncle" he gestured to the tall man. "And his daughter, Yachiru" the little girl waved animatedly at her.
"It's nice to meet you" Orihime bowed, "I'm Kurosa-"
"Your wife?" Kenpachi's booming laugh startled the auburn haired girl, "You have a wife?"
"Of course I do!" Ichigo argued, "How did you think I got Rio?"
"I dunno" the big man shrugged, "the same way I got Yachiru?" he patted his daughter's pink head.
The same way I got Yachiru? Orihime pondered. What does that mean?
From the corner of her eye, she saw her 'son' trotting after an older boy with silver white hair. Following Orihime's ashen gaze, Yachiru spotted her two nephews looking like they were discussing something interesting. " Tou-chan! Rio-Rio!" she called out, jumping down from her father's shoulder. "Come meet boobies!" she invited enthusiastically.
"Don't say vulgar things" the young boy with silver hair frowned.
"Boobies?" Rio's brows met in confusion.
"Don't say that!" the older boy covered Rio's mouth. "Really Yachiru, where do you learn those wor-" he grumbled but was was cut off when a slim yet strong arm grabbed him and shoved him onto what seemed like his aunt's bountiful bosom. He protested but it was in vain for he and Rio were being dragged to where Ichigo and Orihime stood.
"You can't really blame the girl" Rangiku's voice tinkered merrily as she let the struggling boy go. "considering how foul her father's mouth is" she smiled, fixing his silver tresses. She shot a glance at the towering figure of Kenpachi, flashing him a mischievous smirk.
She then turned to her guests and grinned widely. "Aya-chan! This is Toushirou" the busty woman pushed the boy closer to Orihime, "he's under my care for now" she said with delight.
Orhime smiled at the boy and offered a hand to him, "Hello, My name's Kurosaki Aya" she said warmly. But the boy only stared at her then her hand and back at her face, his turquoise eyes showing nothing but indifference and boredom.
Awkwardly retrieving her hand back, Orihime rubbed the back of her neck and averted her attention to Rangiku. "Umm what did you mean by 'he's under my care'?" she probed. Realizing that it was not her business to ask, she immediately apologized "I'm-I'm sorry it wasn't my place to ask".
"Nonesense!" Rangiku chortled, "You're part of the family now" she pulled the bashful girl into a tight embrace, leaving Orihime breathless. She gasped for air when Rangiku finally decided to release her. "Toushirou's parents are somewhere in Europe so I'm taking care of him" she said proudly.
"Poor kid" Kenpachi murmured, earning a glare from the strawberry blonde.
"What are you trying to say?" she glowered.
Kenpachi was about snap at her with a creative retort when a loud crash interrupted the two, followed by a " You bitch?! What the hell was that for?!"
And then "I told you to wake me up when they arrive didn't I? You dipshit!" yelled a course female voice. Followed by another crash and another holler of colourful curses.
Immediately, Ichigo grabbed his son and covered his ears. "This is why we don't come here often" he sighed, blocking the foul language from Rio's hearing.
Orihime almost jumped when a lanky man staggered out into the courtyard with a bleeding nose. He hissed cuss words again but stopped when he noticed everybody staring at him. His brown eyes widened when he spotted the auburn haired woman standing beside Ichigo, a hand clamped on her mouth, her gray orbs wide with shock.
Instantly, he wiped the blood from his nose and straightened his jaw length blond hair. A flirtatious grin replaced his frown as he swaggered towards the woman. In a flash, he was hugging Orihime as though they were old friends who had not seen each other for a long time. "Oh my first love!" he cried, "Where have you been all my life?"
"Eh?"
Brown eyes narrowed. A dark aura loomed over the blond man and a powerful hand dragged him away from the surprised woman
"That's my wife, bastard!" Ichigo growled standing in between Orihime and the assailant.
"Don't touch my mommy!" Rio shouted, standing beside his father, glaring at the man with as much intensity as his father. It was almost comical the way the two looked so much alike. Same hair, same penetrating brown eyes, the same intimidating scowl.
The man's face split into a wide grin, showing two rows of perfect teeth. "Now isn't that cu-" he was about to say when a slipper slammed into his face, knocking him down.
"Scumbag!" a small blond female roared, " Don't turn your back one me when I'm still talking to you!". A small girl with light blond hair styled in two messy ponytails stood over the slim man.
"Hiyori" the bleeding man hissed
"Don't Hiyori me, dickhead!" she yelled, straddling him and attacking him again.
"Go Hiyori baa-san!" Rio cheered, watching the two wrestle on the ground.
"Don't lose Hira-chan!" Yachiru rooted for the blond man.
Ichigo groaned. They never change. His cousins were still as rowdy, boisterous, impulsive and crude as ever. He grew up with them here on this very estate they were on. And coming back was bittersweet to him. It was good to see his whole clan again but he felt heavy being in the place filled with his childhood memories.
He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw his 'wife' who was staring at his cousins' playful brawl, shock still evident in her eyes.
"They're my cousins" he said, earning Orihime's attention "Hirako and Hiyori". He chuckled when Rangiku caught the two by the ear, reprimanding them for knocking her tea over.
"Shouldn't you stop them?" she said anxiously
"Nah" he snorted, "they'll get tired sooner or later"
"But they'll hurt each other" she turned to him, an incredulous expression on her face.
"Yup" Ichigo grinned, sniggering at Orihime's priceless reaction. As his laughter died down, he placed a hand on the small of her back, "Welcome to the Kurosaki Estate, Inoue"
"You don't look like an Aya to me" Hiyori frowned at the auburn haired girl sitting by her left. It took them a while to get the petite blonde off her brother but it took even longer to convince her to sit with them and have tea.
"Y-You think so?" Orihime laughed nervously
"You look more like a princess to me" she huffed
"She looks more like a goddess sitting next to you" Hirako snickered from Hiyori's right. The small girl cast a glare at her brother before elbowing him on the rib, making him sputter his tea.
" You little-" Hirako growled between his gritted teeth. A simple insult flaring up into a full blown argument between the two.
Orihime giggled at the scene before her. Since she got here, she has seen nothing but relatives bantering. But it was funny, she thought. Their skirmishes was their love language, their way of showing each other that they were comfortable around each other.
Peeping through her thick lashes, she peered at her 'husband', his brows furrowed as though he was fighting a migraine. He had sent Hanatarou to take the children out for ice cream but it seems the cause of his headache was not the shrieking children running around but his cousins, uncle and aunt who were relentlessly bombarding him with questions about how the hell he managed to convince Orihime to marry him.
The auburn haired girl smiled to herself. Despite all the quarrelling and violent outbursts, the Kurosaki Estate held a kind of peace that was difficult to get by.
Suddenly, the large doors burst open, a flash of jet black speeding towards them.
"I-"
"CHI-"
"GO!"
Without so much as a glance to his father, Ichigo ducked, making his father fly straight across the room, out the sliding door that led to the garden and skidding towards the bushes.
"Ichigo-kun!" Orihime gasped, "That wasn't very nice" she said in a reprimanding tone.
"What? Would you rather he break my neck?"
Orihime pouted. She didn't want her employer to have a broken neck but the older man could have been seriously injured as well. "Are you okay Kurosaki-san?" she asked, helping the poor man up.
"Oh my darling Aya! You are such an angel!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "What did my idiot of a son ever do to deserve someone like you?"
"Tch. Get off her" the orange haired celebrity scoffed.
"Are you sure you aren't hurt, Kurosaki-san?"
A hearty laugh erupted from the older Kurosaki's chest. "My dear you should stop calling me, 'Kurosaki-san'" he smiled at her tenderly. "You are a Kurosaki now! You can call me 'Papa'"
"Papa?" Orihime repeated, testing it out.
Kurosaki Isshin stared at his 'daughter-in-law', mouth wide open. Unexpectedly, he squealed in delight "Masaki my love, I have gained a lovely new daughter!"
"Yeah yeah quit your theatrics" Ichigo grumbled, "Where's Gramps?"
The dark haired man shrugged, "Dunno" he said, giving his son a blasé look.
"God, you're so useful" Ichigo huffed sarcastically, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Aren't I?" the older man grinned holding his thumbs up, irritating his son further. A vein popped out of Ichigo's head. His father could be so insufferable sometimes.
"I think he went to Tokyo for a business meeting" Rangiku interrupted
"Tokyo?!" Ichigo said in disbelief, "but that's an hour drive from here"
"You think I don't know that?" his voluptuous aunt deadpanned, making Ichigo's scowl even more. He needed to talk to his grandfather alone before he officially introduced Orihime as his wife. He had to know why he was suddenly organizing a clan reunion all for the sake of a woman he had not even met. Ichigo knew his grandfather was calculating and a little bit conniving so he had to be cautious. Finally making up his mind, he stood up "I'm going to Tokyo"
Orihime nearly chocked on her tea. "Wh-what?" she spluttered
"I need to see Gramps"
"And leave your lovely wife alone here? Can't you just wait for him?" Isshin said through the cigarette that he was about to light.
"I need to talk to him now" Ichigo snatched the nicotine stick from his father, flicking it out the window. He turned to his little 'wife', who was giving him a pleading look "I'll be back in a few hours" he said gently, touching her cheek. "Till then" he regarded his father, "don't do anything weird to her" he said before leaving.
"Impatient brat" Isshin droned. He then turned to the fretting auburn haired girl, he could sense that without his son's presence, all the anxiousness had returned to her system. "Hey" he said softly, "would you like a tour?" he offered his arm to her.
Wide ashen eyes stared up at him. She glanced at the arm that was offered to her, then returning the warm smile she replied "That would be wonderful".
An hour had passed since Ichigo left for Tokyo. And hour and Orhime had seen the mansion's library, dining area, guest rooms, tea room, main hall and so on. The place was truly splendid! Oh how she wished she could take her family here. Her father would enjoy the tranquillity and her mother would surely love the eastern design of the place.
Orihime beamed at the man walking beside her. Isshin was a very nice man, not to mention funny. Despite knowing the fact that she was merely his son's employer with a rather complicated job, he treated her like a father would with his daughter. The way he talked to her and smiled at her as though she truly was part of his family, warmed her heart.
"The next room is very special" Isshin said as he opened a door at the far end of the hallway.
Simple. It was the only word to describe the room. There was nothing relatively extravagant about it. White walls, a small beige couch in a corner, books neatly placed in a self, a blue rug , a window with the most breath-taking view of the premises of the Karakura Estate and the most prominent feature of the room, a stool and a canvas stand in the middle.
"This was Masaki's favourite room" Isshin said softly
"Masaki-san? Kurosaki-kun's mother?"
Isshin nodded, a loving light in his eyes as he gazed at the canvas stand, touching it ever so lightly. "She was a model but she loved to paint"
Orihime gazed at the numerous picture frames that lined the shelves, pictures of a beautiful smiling young woman with light orange curly hair. Some of them were shots of a younger Kurosaki Isshin, holding onto a the same lovely woman with so much love. But most of them were pictures of what appears to be Ichigo, Yuzuyu and Karin when they were just kids.
A soft smile graced the auburn haired woman's lips. So this is how Kurosaki-kun was like before. "Kurosaki-kun looked so much like Rio-kun" she giggled.
Orihime looked around once more and spotted a few canvases in a corner. She neared it, "May I?" she asked, hoping to see them.
"Of course" the elder man smiled
Taking the biggest one, she gazed at the oil painting of what seemed like a scene of a family playing on the beach. The father holding a picnic basket with his left hand, his right, on the shoulder of his wife. Three children beamed at her, a tall boy holding a colourful beach ball and two little girls holding hands. "Beautiful" Orihime whispered.
Suddenly, she realized that what she was holding was a portrait of the Kurosaki family and that tall boy smiling at her was in fact her 'husband'.
"That was the last of her works" Isshin suddenly came up behind her, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"She's lovely" Orihime breathed.
"Indeed" Isshin agreed, his voice filled with love. "Would you like to see another place Masaki adored?"
Orihime returned the canvas back to its place. "If it's alright with you" she said politely
"Well then" Isshin held his arm out to her again, "come with me!"
"Oh my God!" Orihime gasped, failing to supress her astonishment.
She had never seen so many flowers in her whole life. Most of the flowers here she had only read about in the books she borrowed from the Karakura public library. And now, to be able to see them in person, touch and smell them, it was a dream come true.
"Masaki called this 'Little Patch of Heaven'" Isshin said from behind her.
"It really is a little patch of heaven!" Orihime exclaimed. Touching every flower she came across. Isshin followed her, content at watching her delight in his wife's flowers.
Walking a little further down the bricked trail, Orihime caught a glimpse of what seemed like a swing bench. She squealed and ran towards it, a girly skip to her steps. Vines wrapped around the old rope that held the swing, making it look like something a fairy would sit upon, at least that was what Orihime thought.
With an elated giggle, she sat on the swing and pushed it a little. "Isshin-san!" she waved vigorously at the older man, "Come sit with me!"
Isshin chuckled as he began to move towards the excited girl. This woman was just too energetic. But as he neared her, he froze. Images of his dear wife sitting on the same swing bench, calling to him, flashed before him.
Isshin look!
Isshin can you believe it!
Isshin!
"Isshin-san?" Orihime's brows furrowed in concern, "Are you alright?"
The older Kurosaki shook off his musing, his dazed expression replaced by an affectionate one. He stared at the girl before him, she was so much like his wife.
"It's no wonder Masaki-san loved this place" Orihime blurted out dreamily, "it's magical!"
Isshin! Isn't it magical?!
Again, memories of his beloved flooded his mind and there was a slight pain his heart. Oh how he missed his Masaki.
"I think there are fairies here" Orhime said with a serious face, interrupting his thoughts. "They live within the flowers and they only come out at night so nobody will see them" she explained She motioned for Isshin to come closer then she whispered "We have to be careful not to scare them off".
Isshin could not help but laugh at the girl's wild imagination. "You think so?" he grinned. Abruptly, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He glanced at it, Ichigo's name appearing on the caller ID. "Excuse me" he told Orihime before answering the phone.
Orihime averted her attention to the beautiful scenery before her. She inhaled, catching the wonderful floral scent. Everything was so peaceful here and she understood why Masaki loved this place so much.
"Good God, you don't need to shout!" Isshin retorted. From where Orihime sat, she could hear the person at the end of the line and she wondered briefly who it was.
"Okay, okay I'll meet you there" Isshin sighed rolling his eyes, probably at what the person on the phone had said. He closed his phone and frowned, "Orihime, I'm afraid I have to leave you for a while, your husband's on a rampage and someone has to knock some sense into him" he chortled.
"Okay but don't hurt him" she pleaded
"I won't" Isshin grinned, "not badly" headded, laughing impishly.
"Can I stay here a little bit longer, Isshin-san?"
"Of course" he replied, "Will you be alright? You won't get lost, will you?"
"I'll be fine, Isshin-san. Thank you very much" she bowed politely. She watched her 'father-in-law's' retreating figure before she stood up and began exploring "Little Patch of Heaven". She would looked at the swing one last time, she would definitely bring Rio here when he comes back from the ice cream parlour.
Chrysanthemums, lavenders, irises, tulips, sunflowers and even forget-me-nots, there were so many flowers here, most of them she did not even know the names. Oh but it thrilled her to be surrounded by them. It had always been her dream to put up a flower shop. Her mother was a frustrated florist and so she made it a point that she would become one for the both of them.
"Mom would love to be here" she sighed quietly. When she was just a little girl, she would watch her mother tend to their small garden, she learned a lot by doing so and Orihime took them all in and put them into heart. It seems her mother's love for flowers was something she had adapted.
As she walked further into the garden, relishing in the beauty of the well maintained flowers, she noticed an old man standing by the bed of roses. He wore a thin white long sleeved shirt, loose brown pants, a pair of sandals and an old worn straw hat on his head. He leaned onto his cane as he slowly bent to reach for something on the ground.
Orihime's heart clenched at the sight of the old man. She assumed he was the gardener and she believed that senior citizens, as old as this man before her, shouldn't be working so hard anymore. God knows how long he's been working and under the blazing sun too!
She neared the old man and when he moved to lift a sack of what appeared to be fertilizers Orihime shrieked. "No!" she rushed to him.
She knelt beside the gardener and took the sack from him "You don't need to lift such a heavy thing. Let me help you" she offered kindly.
The old man turned to her, looking at her with austere slit eyes. "Child" he began in a gruff tone, "do not startle me like that" he chastised. He grabbed the sack from Orihime and grunted "Leave me be and let an old man do his job"
Orihime almost laughed at herself when she realized that the sack was not even heavy, it barely had anything in it. There you go jumping into conclusions again. She scolded herself. Again she scrutinized the old man. He looked as though he had experienced a lot for he looked quite sagacious, it fascinated Orihime.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked coarsely
"I'm Kurosaki Aya" she flashed a smile, "and I would like to help you"
The old man halted from his work, "You're a Kurosaki?" he looked to her, eyes void of emotion, "the more you should leave me be and let me do my work then".
But Orihime did not listen to the old man, instead, she began scoping up the dirt with her hands and filling the whole that was on the ground. "You know, Grandpa" the old gardener's ears irked at being called such by a complete stranger, "I used to do a lot of gardening when I was a little girl. My mother loved flowers and she would let me help her with weeding and stuff like that".
"You will get dirty, Kurosaki jou-sama" the gardener interrupted, a tinge of bitterness in his voice.
"Oh but that's alright" Orihime replied cheerfully, "It can easily be washed off" she said, returning to her work.
"These roses are absolutely beautiful" she exclaimed, "I've never seen so many roses in the 22 years of my life. . .and so many colors" she began to rant, "I didn't even know that there were roses in these colors" she touched a lavender rose. "Oh but I would love to see a blue rose. But there aren't any, right Grandpa?" she stood to get more soil from the cart that was at the gardener's right.
When she returned to where she originally sat, she resumed her prattling. "Have you heard of the story of the blue rose? Well, once upon a time there was a king with a beautiful daughter who was already of marriageable age. He thought about who was worthy enough to marry his daughter and succeed his throne. . ."
"He wanted a clever man to be his daughter's husband so he- Grandpa?" Orihime ceased from her story telling when she noticed that the old gardener was staring at her. Though his eyes only in slits, Orihime could tell that his eyes were deadpan. "Grandpa? Are you alright? Do you want to sit down for a while? Do you want water? I could get you some" she fussed over the old man, fanning him with a leaf she grabbed from somewhere.
"Child" came the old man's voice, "you talk too much"
The auburn haired girl turned red at the gardener's comment, "so I've been told" she laughed sheepishly.
"You remind me of my granddaughter" he said, a softer expression on his face. Slowly, he stood up and gazed at the roses, "Roses were her favourite flowers and she cared for them the most, it almost seemed unfair" he chuckled.
Orihime stood as well and she marvelled at the beautiful flowers as she listened to the old man.
Poke!
"Ouch!" Orihime grabbed the leg where she had been jabbed with a crane, "Grandpa" she whined, "what was that for?"
"You were spacing out" he said simply. "Are you coming with me?"
"Where?"
The old man raised a white brow, "I thought you were going to help me?"
With that, a bright smile spread through her face and she ran to walk beside the gardener.
The two spent hours tending to the garden, plucking weeds and watering the plants. For the majority of those hours, the conversation was one sided, with Oirhime ranting and telling stories but soon enough, the gardener had begun to react to her and tell her stories as well. And when Orihime finally elicited a laugh from the old man, she felt pride swell within her.
"You smile just like my granddaughter" the gardener commented again, "but she was more beautiful"
"Tell me more about your granddaughter" Orihime moved closer to the old man like a child would when about to hear a bedtime story.
"Well" he began, "She isn't really my granddaughter, we aren't related by blood but in my heart she was". A tender look graced his aged face, "She came here so often, she almost lived here. And when she did, she would hold my hand as we walked around this garden. She would listen to my stories and sometimes she came up with her own. We would make tea together and watch the sun set as we drank it"
"You must have loved her very much" Orihime touched the old man's arm.
"Yes I did" he nodded, "very much"
"Your granddaughter is very lucky to have a grandfather like you" she smiled sweetly at him.
"And I am blessed to have had a child like her for a granddaughter" for the first time, the old gardener smiled at Orihime, a small but loving smile.
"I wish you were my grandfather" the auburn haired girl uttered under her breath, a sort of longing lingering in her eyes.
A course yet soft hand touched hers, "But child" he called to her tenderly, "you call me 'Grandpa' already, don't you?"
Author's Notes:
And there you have it! A very long filler it you ask me but these scenes were necessary. Btw, I'm looking for a cover art for this story, if you do have any suggestions I'm just a PM away :)
Again thank you for reading and please do review :D
Ashe
