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Notes: No internet access:(
Warning: Grammatical errors, spelling errors. More errors?
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Genre: Romance, Action.
Chapter 13
Rukia raked a hand through her hair.
With a soft sigh, her head fell. The sand wafted, swirling in small heaps of white, spilling over white shoes and mingling with the white layers of clothing. In distaste, her nose crumpled. There was another howl. This time not by some distant creature but by the mere swept of the wind and again her forehead creased, lips thinning in distaste. With another gentle tug, another heap bundled further along the white stretched of sand. Each time it swirled, stopping only to start again, her face darkened. Already she tired of the scenery. Plain, dull and boring was the only remarkable thing dominating the barren wasteland and she was reminded once again that where this place was lacking severely in civility, Soul Society, however, was adorned with the flourishing walls of superiority.
Violet eyes lowered. Tch. She was doing it again. Comparing Soul Society to this place! A place created without purpose. A place that was horrible! God, she hated this place. Everything about this place she hated! From the heavy stacks of white that conquered her vision, to the roaming hollows that lingered below, seeking, searching with predatory thirst for their next delight. She just hated them! Hated this. Hated…
From her hair, slender fingers slipped, dangling at her side as her face twisted in disgust.
Even though she had become one of them, even though she had done the things they had done, even though this place was now her home, there were times when her heart ached. They were times when she hated everything and everyone inclusive of herself. At times she couldn't help but wish, even if just a little that she had listened to her sister.
Behind the skin of her arms, muscles contracted and slowly, lazily, tightly her hands curled.
Heeding the words of the elderly didn't seem liked a good idea back then but to think the outcome would have resulted to this. To think she would have been punished, forever vanquished to this form!
Back then, she would have given anything to die but because of what had happened. Because of her weakness, because of this curse, the ability to eliminate this life was without grasp and when she had finally attained some sort of control, it was then that he had so prudently barged into her life. Flowing red hair and all and honestly she couldn't help but think how girlish he looked especially with that pony tail but then her eyes had dropped further, traveling along the strong outline of his jaw, reaching for his lips, seeking the lit of those eyes, rummaging across the broad sketch of his shoulders and she realized-good gosh the man was gorgeous! And holy cow, he was in no way girlish. His face was strong, broad and just the right notch of specially seasoned perfection.
A small smile tugged on her lips at the rushed of memories. Softly she sniffed before lulling her eyes shut.
The scent of bushes, various plants, trees and the stench of newly inducted shinigamis, hunting to make their first kill was strong. Through the hole torn within the sky she had exited and when it had closed shortly after she had made for the ground, they had followed. She could still remember the pain that shredded her. Tears, cuts and blood all but massacred her.
It was a time when her desire had almost been answer yet it had come at a time where her devotion to Ichigo, like all others, came first. Those that had done this to her, that had followed her here were traitors. They were enemies of Ichigo. And she knew, no matter what, she had to- should-would stay alive.
Until he returned to Hueco Mundo that is. Tricking and killing the orange bastard was something that didn't quite sit well with her. Following him, calculating the deceit of his fall-
She would never allow them to bring him into the world of the dead. Not when he had finally begun gaining some sentiments of a heart. Not when he had laughed just the other day. The kid was tormented and to see him beginning to act…a bit civil was. Well lets just say that it was a slightly pleasing sight, one specifically that intrigued her. And she had decided that forfeiting this life would not be allowed tonight-that night.
When she had took a step forward, a piece of wood had cracked under the weight of her feet. Along with the dripping of her blood, the noise of the broken was sent hurling into the night and that was enough for the birds to jolt, flinging themselves fearfully into the air as the clouds lunge in faster, shielding the moon and heralding the wind.
After getting over her initial shock at the repercussions of what a single broken twig could attain, she watched, eyes growing wider as a single leaf descend. A blink was all it took to snap her out of her dazed state and she hurriedly entered into the bushes, limping to distance herself as far away as possible from there. Besides those that chased her, newly taught shinigamis lingered within the area, seeking prey, seeking success. With her current state, fending them off nevertheless protecting herself was something she knew that she couldn't achieve and because she knew this, knew this fact she had ran, as fast as she could, as long as she could even if her breath ragged, even if the sweat bristled, coloring her cheeks and mincing her thighs, she just ran, living for the sole sake of survival. For him-Ichigo and then it had happened.
Her breath hitched.
Then he had came, shocked and just standing there, dressed in white and blue. The standard uniform for the newly trained hatchlings and as their eyes met, the image of that single memory disintegrated, being replaced by a time of warmness.
While in his care she had watched his face morphed into this web of inexplicable warmness after he was unable to kill her. The idiot, she could tell, pitied her. He probably didn't even know what she truly was besides the fact that she was evil and yet still that warmness, that kindness, that care that bounced carelessly of off him in such large quantities that it made her awakened heart pulse once again. In alarm.
No one had ever treated her like that. No one had ever pitied her. Nevertheless a shinigami to a hollow. No one had smiled at her, laughed at her inability to defend himself, hid her wounded body, shouted words which betrayed their comrades. And for what. To save an enemy, to lead them away from a hollow that if killed could be the brink of their advancement or failure.
No one, since her arrival into this form had ever treated her like that and for the first time in such a long, long, long time a tear pooled. Finally...Her breath shimmered. Finally, she could feel. Besides this hate and this carnal craving, emotions catering to the positive side were finally at her disposal. And though she had struggled to retain the emotion by treating him cruelly, rebuking him even, ignoring him at times, the man still stayed at her side. Till her wounds had healed even when she had been so deceitfully cruel to him, he had…
He had stayed. At her side. And again, another tear had slid. She had almost forgotten how it felt like...to be alive. To live and she realized that the instinct to not only survived but to live had resurfaced once more. Whereas Ichigo was the light of survival, he-that lieutenant of sixth squad was her purpose to live. It'd be a lie if she didn't say that she didn't want to be with him. And it'd be a lie to say, that being with him for those three days didn't make her crave more of him. So quickly had she fallen in love. Something she thought she'd never be able to feel again but when her heart pumped, cheeks colored if only slightly, her instinct told her otherwise.
She could love and great god did that feel good.
Reaching out, a quick clap was all it took for the dust trampling her clothes to descend. Against her cheek, a vein bulged. Still, despite the sweetness of that memory, there was still something in the present that she had to deal with and no sweet dreams of the past could nullify the fact that a time limit to accomplish that goal existed. The goal- the reason why she was here. In the middle of nowhere. In the middle of nothingness and because of what! A single simpleton! A bloody, retarded simpleton! Rukia gritted her teeth and swung her eyes shut. As she recalled the memory, a brow twitched. This time, however there was nothing pleasant or sweet about this one.
Illuminated by the dim of the light, the tanned skin of Barragon greeted her. The room was dark. His fraccion stood motionlessly at his side and as always the self proclaimed king sat there, on his bone weaven throne, lips thinned, contorted into a deep scowl as was the rest of his face when he regarded her the way a master regarded his slave. That action alone had irked her yet she had held tongue, refusing to retaliate in fear of the consequences for her disobedience. As much as she hated to say it, but without Ichigo, in the presence of this man, she felt flushed. Extremely flushed, nervous and a bit frightened. Being an ex vasto lorde turned arrancar didn't help to sooth the situation either.
The reaitsu crashing helplessly of off him though not as terrible as Ichigo was enough to make her knees quiver. Her legs had tightened, preparing to give way and she would have if not for her defiant nature plus the fact that Ichigo would surely laugh his ass off once he heard of her weakness.
With that thought in mind, mainly the potential humiliation, her determined defiance reignited, refusing to suckle to despair. So she had stood straight, head held high and fully equipped with the attributions of a past shinigami. One of nobility and despite her flawlessly impassive look, for a moment, she couldn't help but wish, even if just a little that Ichigo would kill the bastard and just take over. She chastised herself seconds afterwards. Mainly because the bastard had made his intentions perfectly clear. Ruling was not within his jurisdiction but becoming stronger and participating in something thrilling was and Barragon had offered just the right equipment to sharpen his already dulling blade. Without Barragon, as leader, Hueco Mundo would crumble and when Hueco Mundo crumbled so would the potential for fun and excitement.
However, his reasons alone, weren't what had her worry. It was the additional information he had confided with her pertaining to his. His...
She had swallowed, gawking at him when the words had slipped and as a moment passed, her tongue peeked out, dampening her already cracking lips. His instinct? His instinct! Responsible for his wierd behavior was his instinct. An instinct that so he claimed haunted his every being, urged him, begged him to just stay! To stay? And as preposterous as that had sounded, the woman had realized that despite the audacity of it all he was serious. Kurosaki Ichigo was serious. With good reasons too. Because of Barragon. Her thoughts paused and her face darkened. He had met her
Honestly, she found it in its entirety to be ridiculous but again he had shared with her that small piece of information not too long ago. Again, he spoke from within, ringing her ears with his desires to just seek out the company of the woman. The pull, compulsion towards her and she really did worried for him. Shinigamis and hollows.
Ridiculous! If the two did in fact engage in a relationship, she doubted it would last. In fact it would only end with nothing but pain for the both of them. From her information, that woman was a prodigy; a rare gem among rust, with the ability to reject. Soul Society would never allow it. Never allow them to be. Not when she held that title. Not when she especially had so much responsibilities.
The ass should listen to her every once in a while. After all wasn't she much older than the dweeb, much more experienced, more talented, more cunning whereas he was dumb, illiterate and desperately needing the attention of her guidance; of her wisdom though hardly could she be the one to talk for she also was a fool like him. Falling in love with a shinigami was a sin. One she had committed. Too late could she stop now but Ichigo. The bastard still had a chance. She could still help him before he suffered, forever lost in the realm of heartache, in that place where being with the one you love was virtually impossible.
As she had come to learn, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she thought, shinigamis and hollows will never ever work. Killing a hollow was the duties of a shinigami and she sighed, drifting her mind back to that dark stare thrown dirtily at her from none other than his lord and mighty. She would never forget that stare nor would she ever forget his request.
His request for the location of espada cero.
Being his fraccion, one, no all would assume that she of all people possessed the knowledge on where their comrade lied. Instead all she had to offer as gratuity was a stuttering of excuses. A stuttering of uncertainty and a stuttering that certified her lack of knowledge in the whereabouts of that-that asshole! That asshole! That brat!
Another brow twitched.
Damn it! Damn that bastard! Die, die and die that's what she wanted that carrot top to do. That inconsiderate, retarded, stupid, incredulous, ugly, stupid. Yes stupid and-and vile, yes vile rat! That ugly rat. Oh how she wanted the asshole to just die. Just dieeeee right here in front of her and she nodded her head, smiling happily at the picture plaguing her mind. Ah yes, she could just picture it, taste it, see it. Instead of having to locate that insolent prick, she would then be graced with the fabulous opportunity to report back to Barragon on the death of that hamster.
Rukia chuckled evilly. If only she could just scraped up his dead body or perhaps find a look alike. Yes! If only she could find a look alike then finally she wouldn't have to search for him anymore. Finally she could just leave Hueco Mundo, however short she desired to visit her sister and perhaps even that monkey. But Ichigo! No, even if he weren't here the bastard still continued to haunt her and to cause her nothing but cursed misery! And he wasn't even here! Why? Why?
Swiftly, she aimed a kick to the air and only heaven knows how she did it but somehow, somehow she had twisted her foot. Somehow she had tumbled into the ground. Somehow she had begun rolling, down the sandy hill and somehow, even though she would never know how she did it but somehow she had managed to gain some type of leverage. Through the shelter of the shoes, she could feel her toes curling into the leather, sinking into the white crust as she skidded across the sand. Dust fretted violently behind her and as she managed to avoid collision-
Her eyes widened when she came to a halt. C-Collision.
With an abrupt tilt of the head, she ran her eyes along the object just mere feet away from her. Clothed in black was the figure. Staring was the only thing she could do. Brows knitting was another action she produced, along with a frown of skepticism and her eyes bulged as she saw it. F-Feet!
Feet, tiny, little feet peeked out from the material. Nel?
No, impossible for she had left the little one in the hands of another blue headed asshole.
Who-how.
Rukia started towards the figure. However she came to a halt a few seconds later. Perhaps this could be some type of trap. In alert, her eyes leaped all over the place, gaze flicking through everything, roaming through the abundance of sand, consuming the distant silhouette of dried trees. There was nothing. At least nothing that could be categorized as out of the ordinary that is. No one was here. Rukia took a deep breath before taking a small step forward. No other reiatsu could be sensed and she moved another foot.
Soon, she was at the figure's side. There was a jump of her heart as she stared, startled. What the!
Again, her eyes grew. Again, her heart tattered and then something heavy engulfed her. This…This….was…
A-A-A child….
A child. She swallowed as a bead of sweat slid eerily down her forehead.
A c-child….
W-With o-oran. She couldn't say it and she swallowed. This-this was impossible! Yet there it was. There it was! A face similar to that man! This person. Ichigo! The raven head stared harder, leaning into it-him as she eyed the hair that peered out of the black cloak that clothed him. When his chest rose, signifying that he was in fact still alive, a stream of air exited his tiny mouth, coldly latching onto her face. Death. Momentarily, he smelt of death yet something more, something of perhaps life, of a shinigami. A Quincy perhaps? But the reiatsu…it was weak, no it was nothing. She couldn't feel anything.
Brown eyes snapped open.
Her breath caught within her throat and she realized, in that very moment of despair, that she was staring into the very same eyes of Ichigo! "I-ichigo…"
Brown chocolate eyes swirled with something sinister before hardening and then melting into softness and a fence of innocence. "I-Ichigo?"
The child blinked.
Twice. Thrice and then his lips were pulling back, pushing childish cheeks upwards, shading brightening eyes and he spoke, softly, happily, excitedly, "Um…miss…Have you seen Orihime-chan! I've been looking everywhere for her!"
And her eyes widened.
...
...
...
013
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...
Orhime blinked consecutively, face flushed, body soaking from head to toe. With a tilt of the head, she spoke, softly.
And he fell.
This woman.
His forehead wrinkled. This woman did not just fucking ask him that.
She most definitely did not open those lips, only to stare up at him with larger than normal eyes, drenched hair, wet, slippery skin to ask him something as-as-as
The espada took a deep breath.
She didn't, Ichigo repeated firmly, counting to five.
With a scowling face, he replayed those eight simple words one final time.
"K-Kuro-kun, why am I in a swimming pool?"
His frown deepened.
"K-Kuro-kun, why am I in a swimming pool?"
A vein bulged.
"K-Kuro-kun, why am I in a fucking swimming pool?"
Against his face, the palm of his hand collided. For a split second, the length of her arms, no hand, swept gracelessly into the sky and then it crashed. Brutally. Into the water and she did it again.
And again. And again. Dots of liquid clattered against his-his-his. His brows twitched. Face and to say he was infuriated would be an understatement.
Un-fucking-believable.
"K-Kuro-kun look! Look! Look!" she giggled and with an aggravated sigh, brown eyes flickered towards her face.
That fucking giggly face. That retarded face. A face covered in a multitude of beaded water and his eyes fell, just a bit only to halt at the stretch of those lips. Far too wide were they outlined. Far too bright did they shined and his eyes narrowed darkly as they trailed in distaste along the width of her face to the bones that printed behind the flesh of her cheeks until finally they landed, being murderously cocooned within the wrath of her eyes. Gray eyes shined brightly, glittering colorfully, beautifully with the world of stupendous innocence and he realized that though she had called to him, those big, humongous eyes; her attention was anywhere but on him and he scowled. Annoyed.
In fact, downwards was where she peered and she blinked quickly, lashes thick and wet, long and curled and softly, gently a single bead fell, gliding steadily along the path of her face, cascading across her neck, caressing that chest and mixing with-with. His eyes bulged.
Once again the espada was in a state of shock.
Within the tiny palms of her hands laid the object of every man's desires. At the mounds of her breasts lied her thumbs. Fingers bent, nails pressed, both breasts laid squashed against the other, overflowing with an abundance of water and she stood, grinding vigorously, showcasing the perfectly shaped structure of far too white teeth.
Besides the gaping of his mouth, the man captured everything in front of him within a single glance then shortly, the face of amazement followed. He was-how could one nulify the fact. Perhaps the right word to use was impressed. Yes, he Kurosaki Ichigo was impressed at two things.
One was the sight before him. Now this was what he called appealing and just fucking sexy. Lots and lots of water hurriedly fled from her gripping fingers while they struggled to maintain.
Again his face fell. The additional reason why he stared in amazement was because of the seemingly disturbing intelligence the shinigami seemed to possess. The fact that she was actually using her god-given assets to bucket a handful of water was the disturbing part. However, if she had been squashing them for the sake of his sanity then perhaps he wouldn't have mind but no the chick was doing it to bucket water. Fucking water. Of all fucking things.
Snapping his eyes shut, a perfectly chiseled vein bulged. "Shinigami," he breathed. "What the fuck are you doing?"
Slowly her head tilted and she blinked repetitively before she regarded him as if the answer to such a question was the most obvious thing in the world and he groaned, thoroughly agitated.
"Kuro-kun….what does it look like?" Then she grinned ridiculously. "I'm gonna build a sand castle! So I need to get lots and lots of water but." The smile fell, teeth effectively being sealed behind closed lips. "I don't have any buckets so I'm using my boobs to capture water! I'm not dumb any more see, see!"
All Ichigo could do was to watch as she continued to play with her-her.
With a soft sigh, four strides were all it took to close the distance between the two and he reached for her arms, quickly spreading them apart and leaving her hands to dangle with thick air. Orihime gasped softly, never failing to notice the darkening of that face. "Kuro-kun…Did…I do something wrong?" she asked, confused.
When there was no response, only the tightening of her arms, her lips parted, breath coming out in waves of heaviness. Slowly, her face twisted. Worried. And she continued, this time however with a laugh. "Hahaha. K-kuro-kun looks really pretty up close." He took a deep breath. "Kuro-kun must have lots and lots of girls! I'm so jealous! It's really not fair-"
There it was. He did it. Again. Really, he didn't have a choice. This stupid woman was not only driving him nuts, but with the way she stood, dressed like that honestly how much more could a guy take. Begging to get laid was what the woman silently screamed and though he was slightly to blame for the state he had left her in-mainly drowning her in her own tub, it didn't change the fact that her behavior was…
Turning him on. No, he stood corrected. The language of her body was turning him on so despite all thoughts of rationality he had captured her lips in one fluid movement. The grip around her lips intensified. And he sucked, pulled and teased. Like before, no distance existed between them. Their lips were squashed. Flesh against fleshed. So tight that he could actually feel the hardness of her teeth and he pushed into her further, harder then before he could take it any further, abruptly he pulled away and he growled against her neck, "Now. Shut. The. Fuck. Up."
And he released her.
Unexpectedly, she fell, eyes still the size of a grapefruit, lips separated, frozen, shocked and just plain disturbed. Before the water could splatter onto him, in no time was he gone, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in annoyance. Freed of water and he muttered a stringful of curses. "Stupid woman."
From the water, quickly she resurfaced, coughing lightly before slapping her cheeks. Red colored violently against her face. Squeezing her cheeks tighter, she murmured, no exclaimed, "K-Kuro-kun k-kissed me?"
Ichigo snorted. "Hardly." Then a corner of his mouth twisted in that nonchalant grace and he breathed darkly, coldly, beneath a shade of lust, "You want more. Shinigami."
Instantaneously, she stiffened. Teeth paled into the bottom of her lips and she pouted.
"K-kuro-kun." She paused, inhaling deeply, pinching her cheeks one final time before locking her gaze to beneath. Orihime took another deep breath. With an abrupt clenched of the eyes, a quick chew of the lips, she exclaimed, "C-C-Can I-I-I k-kiss y-you!"
"No."
Orihime gasped. Soon her eyes begun to water and she sniffed, timidly. "W-why…" she whimpered, dabbing with a folded index finger at a tear that slipped and a brow twitched.
"Cuz I said so. You need no other explanation than that."
Another sniff. "B-But…" More colored fled to her cheeks as she puffed her face out and his eyes drifted shut. When she inhaled again, exhaling deeply, she exclaimed,
"K-Kuro-kun…Please, please, please! Please kiss me! Please, please, please!"
Brown eyes snapped opened and he glared. Specifically at her. "No, no and fucking no."
Another pout. "But Kuro-kun…I liked it."
"Well I didn't."
"W-what…"
"You heard me, woman. I didn't like it."
"But Kuro-kun." she moaned and swallowed harshly. "I-I liked it!"
"I don't care."
"Please Kuro-kun!"
"No." "
"Why? I'm…I'm uglyth!" And she cried.
Quickly.
His sanity.
Was going.
"Shinigami if I kiss you again." He took a deep breath. "You won't like what I do next."
"I don't care! Kuro-kun can do whatever he wants."
Ichigo arched a brow, amused. "Really?"
"Yup."
And he grinned. Wickedly. "You promise."
Vigorously, she nodded. "Yes!"
"You'll participate."
Some more she nodded. "Yup."
"You don't break your promises I assume," he inquired innocently. A bit too innocently.
"Never break em!" She punched a fist into the air to exercise her point.
"Good."
Orihime blinked, confused. "H-Huh?"
"We'll continue this tomorrow then."
"What! Why!" she whined, heartbroken. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head wildly. "No! No! No! I want a kiss now Kuro-kun! Please, please kiss me!"
Drops of water clattered against him. Again.
By now, the espada was once again reaching that stage of annoyance fused with that extra blaze of fury.
"Tomorrow I'll kiss you anywhere you want."
"No, I want it now!"
Ichigo sighed, lowering his head. "You're one impatient woman."
"Kuro-kun! I feel really funny, please kiss me!"
"Funny?"
"Yup! Please kiss me again. Please do naughty things to me. I won't tell but." A finger tapped her chin lightly. "Then again Tatsuki-chan may get mad at me and…and Rangiku-chan may. And Gah Aizen-taichou!" Her face burned. At the tone of that single name, his head snapped up, meeting her gaze.
"Aizen-taichou?"
"Yup! He was my captain before." She smiled. Ichigo decided he didn't quite like that smile.
"I haven't met the guy and already I hate him," he muttered.
"Eh why! Aizen-taichou is the nicest person in the world!"
"Your point."
"Why do you hate him Kuro-kun?"
"Don't know."
"Eh, how can you not know!"
He shrugged. "Sounds like a creep to me."
Orihime gasped. "Take that back! Aizen-taichou was who trained me! I like Aizen-taichou that wasn't very nice Kuro-kun."
"I don't give a fuck."
"Stop cursing Kuro-kun! I hate when people curse!"
And he scowled. "Shinigami. Answer me honestly." In curiosity her gaze met his. "O-Okay." Slowly, lazily, his lips spread. Maliciously. "I don't give a fuck what you hate."
Loudly, she gasped. Shock was an understatement. "T-That's it K-Kuro-kun! I'm going to have to punish you! You evil alien!"
And he frowned before clenching his eyes shut. Enough was enough. When his gaze reopened, his eyes widened slightly and every inch within him tightened.
"Shinigami, what are you doing?" he hissed out and she blinked, tossing an article of clothing to the ground. Then another. A white haori met with his face and without a second thought, he flung the thing into the ground before landing a sandal on it. "What the heck are you doing stripping!"He growled, smashing his foot further into the white material.
Viciously were daggers thrown and the woman remained there, standing, in nothing but her undergarments before blinking again. There was a long pause as the water dripped and splattered, dripped and splattered, dripped and trailed, carving along the perfectly tightened skin, roaming, rummaging and caressing everything. Not even the plump flesh of her chest, clothed in the soaked black material shielded what needed to be shield and as far as he was concerned the espada was pretty damn sure that despite the protection the garments had to offer nothing could stop the nosebleed and temptation threatening to erupt.
He gritted his teeth. It was all he could do as he stared, allowing the muscles within his face, once dormant, to coil, contracting with each breath he took, shoulders mimicking in persuit and oddly enough his breath begun to shortened, becoming thick. A growl was needed to calm his blazing thoughts especially when she spoke.
"I'm much faster without clothes! The blue men are really fast and since you're orange you'll probably be faster! So I'm gonna catch you and lock you up with my other collection of Aliens."
Then a light bulp sparked. "Wait a minute! Kuro-kun do you want to see my collection."
"..."
Orihime dipped her hands into the water before thrusting it forward. "See! See! See! I have pink, blue, red and oh white, yes white! I want an orange one next." She giggled. Evilly.
What the fuck?
"Hmm! Oh yeah I need to get an Aizen-alien hahaha! I have an Aizen-chibi, do you want to see it K-Kuro-kun." She blushed. Furiously.
And he lowered his head, uninterested. Just a bit, the arms around his chest slackened as he peered up at her. "This some unrequited love of yours or something."
"U-unrequested?"
"No idiot."
"Hmm! Oh! Oh! Unrequited. Hmmm." Orihime tilted her head. "Unrequited is when your feelings aren't returned right. Then I guess it's probably unrequited. But I really, really, really admire Aizen-taichou! He was the one that saved me before I got killed."
"Killed?"
Sighing softly, Orihime slipped right back into the water, plucking her lips before frowning. "No…K-Kuro-kun I meant when we wereth still in the real world."
"We?"
"Yup! I-Ichi-kun and I! I was saved by shinigamis but they got there too late to save Ichi-kun…" she slurred and rested a single finger into the water, swirling it around lazily.
His gaze remained impassive as he regarded her with a hint of boredom though inside, strangely enough he felt oddly curious, funny even and the bones of his knuckles appeared, veins pulling. "Who killed the kid anyways?"
"I don't l-like to talk about it."
"Well I wanna know. I'll give you a kiss if you tell me who killed the kid."
"Kuro-kun...That's not funny." Her head bowed, hiding the pain that sketched across her face when he walked towards her.
For some reason, unbeknownst to him, his stomach twirled. Churning brutally, viciously, ferociously and he felt his face wrinkling in slight anger as his hands gripped the rim of the tub, leaning in closer to her face. Without giving anything away, he allowed his perfectly masked emotions, hidden beneath that void shell of blankness to run along her neck, meeting with grey eyes. Then he breathed, "Now, tell me. Who killed the kid?"
He didn't see it coming.
After all how could he. How could he have known that she would have reached for his torso, curling those arms around him and pressing both palm and fingers into the width of his back. Abruptly, brown eyes bulged and he stood, rooted, shocked.
When he heard her sniff consecutively followed by a quivering breath, he felt her tightening, pressing her half naked body into him as her cheek burried further into the warmth of his clothing-mainly his chest. A jolt.
A foreign feeling.
"Ichi-kun," she murmured softly, inhaling deeply and for a moment the espada could have sworn that she was referring to… him?
"Ichi-kun," she whispered again, squeezing him tighter.
Some water fell into the ground. Others sunk into the water and her grip, if possible, grew tighter. There was another shook of her body. Tripling, no rocketing sky high was this heaviness.
From where he stood, he could see the soaked hair of auburn, see the shift of her shoulders, feel the breath of her sobs and it was only then, while he was caught within the scent of those tears, the movement of her body, the trembling of her frame that her tiny hands fisted shakily into him, tugging at his clothing hardly.
"Ichi-kun was killed by," she sobbed.
He could feel her fingers curling even more.
"Ichi-kun was k-k-killed." She whimpered, clenching the material.
"B-B-By."
Already his insides were thrashing and she cried harder.
" I-I-Ichi-kun was…"
Again, his heart skipped a beat.
The woman sniffed and took a deep breath yet still he could feel those tears. So salty, so painful. With silence, everything hummed. Then he heard it, the quirk thumping of her chest, the ragged breathing of her throat and the shifting of those fingers, releasing his clothing, just for a moment, only to grasp it yet again. This time much sharper than that of before and she whimpered, shakily, in between rough pants of air, "Ichi-kun was." Sniff. "Ichi-kun was killed." Sniffed. "B-by."
Tighter. "His father."
And his eyes widened, just a little tip. Somewhere, somehow, something within him had jolted.
Excuses time! *cheers* What can I say besides the fact that this is the second rewrite of this particular chapter! That's why the chappie is so late. I did over 6000 words only to decide two-three weeks ago I didn't like it. Weird huh. Would have updated this last week, but zodious-senpai was not feeling so well. Good gracious, pray for your loveable, innocent friend here who is so reluctant to write and is once again going through writer's block.
Again dear readers I love you! And thanks for taking the time to support!