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"ORIHIME!"
"…!"
Sado reacted quickly, like a bolt of lightning. In great leaps, he was able to grab Inoue's arm. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly when he felt her arm jerk as though her shoulder will be dislocated out of its socket.
"Ichigo!"
He didn't have to call him, however. When Sado moved, Ichigo had moved as well. His arm, though, was not as long as Sado's. He had grabbed thin air. Ichigo reached down; oh god, his eyes widened: Orihime was hanging off the railing, one arm held up by Sado, legs swinging slightly, skirt swaying around her thighs and she was unconscious. Sado, with a quiet grunt, lifted Inoue up. Behind the two males, Ishida was holding Tatsuki back who was trembling in shock and fear. Ichigo reached forward and scooped Orihime in his arms.
"Orihime!" Ichigo fell on his knees, cradling Orihime's unconscious body in his arms. His hand automatically went down to her skirt to make sure it was covering her legs.
Ichigo shook her. "Orihime!" His voice was more frantic now. "Hey! Wake up!" Her head fell back lifelessly.
Behind him Tatsuki gasped; Uryuu's eyes widened while Sado stiffened.
The right half of Orihime's body became translucent. It was her right hand that had slowly vanished first, followed by her forearm, her arm, shoulder… until the half side of her body became completely transparent. Ishida and Sado's eyes widened— Inoue's reiatsu had vanished as well.
"O-Orihime!" It was Tatsuki's horrified cry that snapped Ichigo out of his stupefied stupor. With a jolt of pure dread, he realized… Orihime's reiatsu had vanished as well.
"D-Damn it… Damn it! Orihime!" He clutched her frantically. "No, no… No! Orihime!"
What's happening? What should I do? What the fuck should I do?
All he was good at was fighting.
What should I do?
Trembling, he clutched Orihime to his body. His heart was clenching so hard that he could not breathe. Fear and despair poisoned his blood and gripped his lungs.
He could not breathe.
He could not breathe.
"Damn… Orihime…" He whispered hoarsely against her temple. Her whole body began to fade away but Ichigo refused to let go. Yes. He, he was good at not letting go. With his other hand, he clutched the side of her head, growling against her temple. Long, bright locks spilled from the spaces between his fingers. Unnoticed, few strands started to dissolve.
He squeezed his eyes shut, his teeth grinding.
"Stay the fuck with me!"
Ichigo moved his head so that he was breathing harshly against her parted lips.
"…Please. Goddamn it, please, Orihime." His voice was thin, brittle and shaking, like a tottering building – he sounded like somebody else. He sounded so weak. There was an earthquake inside him, causing him to crumble.
He took a deep, trembling breath and whispered, "Please."
In front of their eyes, in a blink of an eye, Orihime's body became solid again. It stiffened, went slack, and her reiatsu shot up so forcefully it caused Kiego, Tatsuki and Mizuiro to tremble in their feet before stabilizing.
Ichigo blinked, wide-eyed as he looked down at Orihime. She was breathing softly; he grabbed her right shoulder hard, dragged his fist down her arm before squeezing her tiny-boned hand. He was looking at her with a wild look in his dark amber eyes.
"Ichigo —"
He stiffened and looked up to Sado. His face hardened as though he had woken up from a nightmare. "Thanks, Chad." Easily, he lifted Orihime in his arms and stood up, his face hard. Before they could stop him, Ichigo had turned and left the rooftop.
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When he opened the door, Urahara had to fake a look of surprise.
"Long time, no see, Kurosaki-san!" He said cheerily.
"I need your help!" Ichigo had no time to exchange pleasantries. "Orihime. She's…"
Urahara looked down and saw Orihime's unconscious body. "I'm not a clinic, you know." He said in a light tone.
A vein throbbed in Ichigo's temple. "Damn it! Just help me! There's something wrong with Orihime! She—"
"What's going on?" Yoruichi interrupted, appearing behind Urahara in her cat form.
"Yoruichi-san! Orihime… she's—"
Urahara snapped his fan shut. "Tessai-san," The tall man appeared. "Please prepare a room for our lovely guest."
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"Are you sure?"
Ichigo scowled at Urahara. "Do I look like I am kidding!" snapped the boy. The three of them were seated in the shop's common room. Yoruichi, still in her cat form, scratched the back of her ear.
"I am fucking sure!" Ichigo continued; Urahara did not flinch at the violent curse. "She faded – the right side of her body faded away—" He gestured at his body, "and her reiatsu disappeared. It never happened before – her body fading, I mean –"
"I believe you about Inoue-san's spiritual pressure but her body fading away—"
"I'm not the only one who saw it! Chad, Ishida, my friends were there and they saw it too!" Ichigo interjected heatedly, panic lacing his angry tone.
"Maybe you need your eyes examined—"
Ichigo had had enough.
"Goddamn it! I'm not here to provide you entertainment!" He yelled.
Yoruichi turned her head to look at the teen. "Ichigo, calm yourself."
"I am not going to calm down, goddamn it!" Ichigo roared. Outside, Ururu and Jinta paused in their chores at the sound of the yell and violent surge of reiatsu. Ichigo clenched his trembling fists. "There's something going on, there's something wrong! If you don't want to help me, just say so!"
"Calm down, Ichigo." Yoruichi glanced at the blond. "This is not the perfect time to jest, Kisuke."
"Hai, hai, I apologized, Kurosaki-san. Of course, I'll help! I like Inoue-san, she's so lovable!"
Ichigo glared, not comforted at all. He was still angry, troubled and confused. He itched to see Orihime, to touch her. Seeing the strange phenomenon unnerved him, no matter how hard he tried to conceal his panic. He needed to see her and make sure she was there. He got up to leave but not without warning Urahara,
"Don't do funny business, got it? And don't touch her unless it's absolutely necessary!"
"Even Inoue-san's hair?"
The orange-haired boy gritted his teeth. "Not even a single strand!" He snarled.
"So possessive~" sang Urahara.
Ichigo replied by forcefully sliding the door shut behind him.
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Tatsuki came frequently but as much as she wanted to ask what was going on, as advised by Uryuu, she kept her questions to herself for Ichigo was liable to explode even with slightest, innocent questions.
It was like watching a volcano, a trembling… pulsing volcano.
She sighed and looked at her best friend's face. Orihime had been sleeping for four days straight now. Orihime looked healthy; she looked as though she was having a nap. Perhaps the only odd thing about the sleeping girl was the unusual length of her sleep.
Uryuu brought a doctor to check on the auburn-haired girl without Ichigo's consent (which infuriated the deputy shinigami). The findings were simple: her vital signs were normal, her blood pressure was low, her pulse and respiratory rate were normal as well. It seemed that there was nothing wrong with her, at least physically. The physician suggested Orihime to undergo brain scan, but Ichigo replied it wasn't needed.
There was nothing wrong with her body, he had said.
The doctor frowned at that but didn't further question the scowling boy.
"Look, I know you mean well. If there's something wrong with her, it's inside her, got it?" Ichigo snapped at Ishida after the doctor had left.
"Well," Uryuu began as they sat around Orihime's futon, "Did Urahara-san mention anything?"
Ichigo snorted. "I told him to stay the fuck away from Orihime."
Uryuu frowned, "how do you expect him to examine her?"
Ichigo glared. "I refused to let him touch her." Tatsuki, Sado and Uryuu stared at the orange-haired boy. Uryuu recovered first.
"You are unbelievably moronic, Kurosaki."
"Say what!"
The seventh day, Urahara and Yoruichi sat at the doorway of Orihime's temporary room. Yoruichi was in her human form, staring at the immobile girl under her thick lashes.
"Inoue-chan's so lazy," said Urahara lightly.
Yoruichi rolled her eyes, "Kisuke, she hasn't woken up for seven days." She pointed out. "And I'm not exaggerating. This is not normal."
"To be honest, I don't have any idea why this is happening."
"But you know what's happening," the woman drawled.
Urahara shrugged. "I can only make an intelligent guess. However, I cannot exactly pinpoint the origin of the problem." Yoruichi watched Urahara's face transform. "There's so little reiatsu that her body, as a compensation, chooses to shut down. You see, a body and a soul expend spiritual pressure when it is awake, thus, to avoid running out of 'gasoline', the body chooses to 'sleep'."
"How about her reiatsu, what's wrong with it?"
"That is what I am confused about. We all know her reiatsu reserves aren't as spectacular as Kurosaki-san's but she's not practically weak." Urahara paused, weighing his next words. "I'm not sure, but it if this continues…"
There was a stiff silence.
Yoruichi looked at him blankly, waiting for him to continue.
"Kurosaki-san mentioned that there were several episodes of Inoue-chan losing her reiatsu completely, but she's still here. Her body shuts down instead of fading away. As a matter of fact, I think one of the reasons why she hasn't… died yet is that she has six spirits acting as columns that keep her body and soul upright."
"Her Rikka," Yoruichi said.
"Hai. I also believe that her constant exposure to Kurosaki-san helps. His massive reiatsu must have strengthened the powers of her Rikka, thus prolonging her life."
Yoruichi furrowed her brows. "This is more alarming than I thought."
Urahara stood up, brushing imaginary dusts off his pants, "To get into the heart of the crisis, it's best to ask one of her fairies. I am sure they know what is going on inside their princess' little universe."
"You should inform Ichigo." The woman added.
"And make him worry even more?"
"Make him understand the situation. Prepare him for the worst."
Urahara forced a giggle behind his fan. "Worst? You make it sound like something really bad is going to happen~!"
Yoruichi glared at him. "I have a really bad feeling about this."
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Ichigo was frowning heavily, his knuckles almost white as he clenched his fists.
"That's…"
"What I told you is merely a hypothesis." Urahara chimed, "Inoue-chan's powers are complicated and my knowledge about her 'phenomenon rejection' powers is very limited. I suggest you ask one of her Rikka or maybe Hachi-san. I recalled he was able to help Inoue-chan before."
"Fine," Ichigo rubbed the area between his eyes. "But for the meantime, can Orihime stay here?"
Urahara waved his fan. "No problem, Kurosaki-san! Since you're my most frequent customer, I'll let your princess stay here for free~! A sleeping beauty might bring us good fortune!"
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The fourteenth day, the door behind him slid open. Ichigo didn't lift and turn his head. Footsteps entered and stopped.
"Ichigo,"
Heavy-lidded eyes lifted behind thick orange bangs, "Rukia."
Rukia sat down; Renji settled beside the petite shinigami; Sado laid a large hand on Ichigo's shoulder before sitting down next to him; Uryuu was on the gentle giant's other side. Both Rukia and Renji were in their shinigami forms.
"You look pathetic as usual, Kurosaki."
Ichigo felt his eye twitch. "Shut your trap, Ishida."
Rukia reached forward to put a hand on Orihime's forehead. "Hey, Inoue." She greeted quietly. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You've been very lazy." Orihime responded by breathing deeply. "Ichigo," The boy lifted his gaze from his sleeping girlfriend's serene face. Rukia retracted her hand and fixed him a curious but serious look. "What happened?"
Ichigo's frowning face grew more solemn, more tired. Instead of replying, though, he shrugged.
Rukia twitched. "Ichigo –"
"Fine," he snapped. "She faded."
Shock filled Rukia's eyes. "What?"
Ichigo glared at her ominously. "You heard me."
Rukia opened her mouth to snap back a reply but Renji laid a hand on her small shoulder. She looked at him and Renji shook his head, jerking a sharp nod at Ichigo's direction. Rukia pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Obviously, the idiot was in pain, Rukia thought. He looked sick with pain, but as usual, he chose to mask and bear the pain alone. Painfully, Rukia remembered the vision of Orihime that she had seen four months ago during Ichigo's birthday. She had seen Orihime flicker, distort and in her panic, Rukia had yanked Orihime's arm. Her throat closed up. Orihime… fading? The thought made her stomach twist. She could not even imagine how Ichigo was feeling.
"Has Urahara-san explained anything to you?" asked Ishida.
"He did," Ichigo answered gruffly. "But it doesn't make any sense. He said there's something wrong with her reiatsu, with her body."
Renji frowned, "Yeah? What's the deal with her reiatsu? I can't feel it." Sado looked at the redhead quietly whereas Ishida flashed the lieutenant with a sharp look. Thankfully, Ichigo didn't fly off the handle albeit he was glaring darkly, a muscle clenching in his jaw.
"But Ichigo can feel it, right?" Sado quickly amended, looking at his friend.
"Yeah… She's so easy to feel." The orange-haired replied stiffly, still pissed off at Renji's remark.
Rukia, however, disagreed quietly. Even before, Orihime's presence was one of the hardest to feel. Her reiatsu was so soft and harmless. It was like catching smoke and grasping sunshine with your bare hands.
"Ichigo,"
He didn't look up but Rukia knew he was listening.
"Everything will be alright."
Ichigo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Idiot," he deadpanned.
Rukia twitched.
"Of course, it will. I'll make it alright."
She watched his determined, tired face carefully and nodded slowly. "Yeah…" The corner of her mouth turned up slightly, "Of course. You'll make it alright." The group chatted for a while with little to no inputs from Ichigo who was watching Orihime's face. He stiffened suddenly.
"Orihime," The room became quiet instantly, heads turning to look at the girl on the pink futon. Thick, dark lashes slowly lifted, revealing dazed eyes. She looked disoriented; they could see her try grasp at her surroundings.
"Inoue?" Rukia inched closer to her friend. The auburn-haired girl blinked slowly, gaze focusing.
"A-Ah…" Orihime's voice had always been gentle, but this gentleness now scared Rukia. The corner of Orihime's lips lifted in a small, strained smile. "Ku… Kuchiki-san…" Rukia returned the small smile. She watched Orihime's head turn to her other side, sensing Ichigo's presence. The girl's smile widened slowly, looking less confused and more awake. "Kurosaki-kun," her voice was stronger and louder now. Orihime grinned slowly, teasingly at the scowl she got in return. "I mean… I-Ichigo."
"Hey you," Ichigo squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, smiling brightly at him despite her obvious drowsiness. Her eyes looked around, the corners crinkling at the sight of her friends.
"Ah… Hi everyone," Sado replied with a thumb's up gesture. Orihime's gaze went back to Ichigo. "Ho… How… how are you?" She asked quietly.
Ichigo showed a small smirk. "I'm the one who should ask that question."
"Well… I asked… first…" She paused and closed her eyes. Rukia frowned; Orihime opened her eyes again. "I'm fine. Just sleepy, really… sleepy," She tried to grin.
"Did we wake you, Inoue-san?" Ishida asked.
"Oh, no… Actually, I— I'm glad I woke up. I wanted to see everyone." Her expression became solemn. "I – I just wish Tatsuki-chan is here…" She looked up to Ichigo's intense amber eyes. "Did you tell her that … I'm alright … Ichigo?"
"Yeah, I told her you're just being lazy."
Orihime giggled softly. "Thank you," she paused again to breathe, eyes closing. Ichigo rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "I… I'm sorry…" Her eyelids lifted slowly. "I'm sorry, I made you all worry about me. I… I've become a burden again —"
"Ori—" Ichigo started.
"Don't say that!" Rukia interjected. Orihime's gaze met Rukia's. "You're not a burden! Don't say such stupid things like that! You're our friend and… You're very important." Orihime was smiling up at her gratefully. Rukia sighed. "Look, just get well, OK?"
"Hai… Arigato, Kuchiki-san… Maybe if I sleep more, I'll recover faster." Orihime turned to Ichigo who was wearing his default expression. The only difference was the look in his eyes. He looked tired and agitated. She wanted to reach up and touch his face. When was the last time she saw that scowling, handsome face?
"Ichigo…"
Despite his tired face, to Orihime, the effect he had on her just by looking at her didn't lessen. She smiled gently.
"Don't look at me like that."
His jaw clenched, eyes almost black.
"Have you eaten? How was school…? Are you… doing your assignment?"
Ichigo sighed deeply. "Don't worry about me. I'm eating." Tessai-san had threatened to force-feed him.
"And…?" Ichigo didn't reply. Orihime studied him carefully but she didn't have to try hard to read him. "Are you… skipping school?"
The four looked at Ichigo, daring him to lie.
"Yes."
Worry creased Orihime's forehead. "But… why? Are you sick? Are you hurt? Did… Did something happen?"
Ichigo's face tensed up; Orihime waited patiently. Finally, the orange-haired boy grunted a reply while running a hand over his thick, messy hair. "You're not there."
Orihime blinked, surprised, and then, her expression softened. "Ku… Ichigo-kun, have you…" At this point, Rukia thought it was time for to leave the pair alone. She cleared her throat loudly.
"I think we should go." Orihime looked at her quizzically. Rukia elaborated. "You two need to talk." The smaller woman began to stand up. She gestured to Renji with an arch of her brow. "In private, I believe," she added.
"B-But…"
Ishida followed suit. "Kuichiki-san is right. I have to go as well."
"Oh…" Orihime murmured, lowering her lashes. Ichigo's lips thinned, his scowl not lifting as he looked up to his friends. "See you soon, then, Kuchiki-san…?"
The corner of Rukia's mouth lifted. "Yes. So, get well soon." Orihime beamed at her. Renji waved casually, exchanging nods with Ichigo as he followed Rukia out.
"I wish you fast recovery, Inoue-san." Orihime smiled gratefully while Ichigo's face twitched when Ishida blatantly ignored him, exiting the room, followed by Sado.
"Smartass." He snorted.
"Oh Ichigo… You and Ishida-kun are so funny together."
"You wound me, Orihime." Ichigo deadpanned. "Please do not put our names together in one sentence."
A comfortable silence passed between them. Orihime was smiling up at him, her other hand gently gripped the blanket over her body. Still scowling, albeit softer this time, he put a hand on her head, bright, auburn strands curling around his long fingers.
"…have you… been staying here all this time?" she asked quietly, eyes half-lidded.
Ichigo grunted, still stroking her hair. "So what?"
She pouted, "That's not an answer~"
"It is now."
She watched his face; sometimes, she made him uncomfortable when she watched his face with her direct eyes. When she looked at him like that, he felt exposed, sometimes, he felt vulnerable. Like now.
"I know this… t-this is so selfish of m-me but…" she closed her eyes, breathing softly. After a few heartbeats, Orihime opened her eyes slowly. "I'm glad… you're here." Ichigo grunted, carefully rubbing her scalp with the tip of his fingers. "Ne… Ichigo,"
"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow at her inquiringly.
"May I… may I touch your face?" Ichigo's brows rose at her request.
"Go ahead." He caught a slight hesitation passed her face. Her little teeth bit down on her bottom lip. His frown deepened. "Orihime?"
She blinked owlishly at him. "Um…" She giggled nervously. "S-sorry… But… um," her gaze dropped anxiously, then lifted again to meet his stare, a small sheepish smile on her lips. "I think… the aliens invaded and glued my arms to the floor." She paused, biting her lip and squeezing his hand lightly with her fingers. "I-I… I can't m-move…" Her voice lowered until it became a whisper, but Ichigo still heard her.
I can't move.
Fear trapped him in a choke hold. This fear was poisoning him, making him helpless, so weak. He hated this feeling. But Ichigo put on his brave face – he was the stronger one, the one with a sword – he had to be strong, to be brave for the two of them. So he held her hand tighter, and lifted it to his face. Her cool fingers touched his cheek and Ichigo fought the immense feeling of being engulfed. Her smile widened, eyes bright like pale gray neon lights. In response, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch and lift in a small smile.
"I…" His lips thinned, frown deepening. He still found it difficult to intone his feelings. Nevertheless, he thought she deserved to know – needed to know how he felt. "I miss you."
"Really?" she asked with eagerness.
"Yeah," he answered, slightly amused at her wide-eyed enthusiasm. She beamed.
"I miss you, too… I miss your grumpy face."
"Good," Ichigo watched her face, her eyes diligently studying his face, every curve, line and wrinkle.
"Hmm…" she hummed delicately. "You're so handsome, Ichigo…" A pale blush crept over his cheek.
"Are you making fun of me?" he grunted to conceal his embarrassment at being complimented.
Orihime pouted. "But it's true…" She smiled at his deepening, adorable scowl. Her thumb brushed across his cheekbone. His scowl became alarmed when tears suddenly filled her eyes.
"Ori –"
"Na… Please don't worry. T-These are not sad tears," She assured him while Ichigo brushed her cheeks. "I… I'm just so happy to see you…" She giggled sheepishly. "I'm so emotional, aren't I…?"
Ichigo clenched his jaw. He slid his arm under her and scooped her body off the futon and pressed her against him. He moved her hand on his face to the back of his head as he kissed her fully on the mouth. Orihime melted, eyes squeezed shut as his kiss deepened.
"Ichigo…" She murmured against his lips. In response, Ichigo held her tighter against his body, the hand on her hair tightened its grip. Orihime smiled dreamily; she had missed his body warmth so much. His presence always comforted her, made her feel safe.
However, for Ichigo's part, like a ghost, Urahara's words echoed inside his mind. And worst, like film negatives, the scene of her fading hand flashed before his eyes.
Startling Orihime, Ichigo groaned, almost in pain, and clung to her tighter, as though he was trying to substantiate that she was still present, and very tangible. He found himself muttering, telling her and himself that he will not let her go and if she left, he will go after her and bring her back. This confused Orihime; where will she go? She could not even lift her arm, let alone walk and leave. But she let him embrace her for she liked it very much when they were so close to each other.
"Ichi, I'm not going anywhere." She comforted, snuggling closer to his cheek.
The orange head just grunted and ran his fingers over her hair. This gesture always made her feel loved and more special. Every time he touched her hair, it made her like her hair even more, even though in the past, her hair color caused people to hate her and pick on her. Tenderly, she embraced him back and told him how much she loved him more than her favorite shows and favorite food, how she loved him tenderly but at the same time, fiercely.
"Please, don't forget that, Ichigo."
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title. she sleeps and she's beautiful
summary. Tenderly, she embraced him back and told him how much she loved him more than her favorite shows and favorite food, how she loved him tenderly but at the same time, fiercely.
prompt. /
note. ah! sorry for this late update~ RL's incredibly busy and this, this is a very difficult chapter D: nevertheless, here it is! thank you for reading and for sharing your thoughts! :D
disclaimer. disclaimed ; applied