Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters. They are the property and original creations of Tite Kubo.
Chapter Fourteen: Day for Lovers
Ichigo couldn't keep still. He compensated the lack of sleep by staying under the cold shower the next morning. The sensation of Orihime's lips lingered on his. He touched his bottom lip and remembered Orihime's tongue shoving the strawberry flavored pill in his mouth.
'Her lips are very soft,' he thought. He felt heat in his groin and stopped the thought from corrupting his mind further.
He then remembered Orihime's statements during that time. He couldn't comprehend it himself. What it was that was actually going through his head. "No, I just want her to be safe. To do that, I mustn't fall in love with her…" Ichigo banged his fist on the wall.
*.*.*.*
Christmas was around the corner and the intrepid hero couldn't keep still in his seat as he waited for the class to end. He took a short glance at the beauty that is Orihime. He couldn't help but sigh, somewhat relieved and worried that the girl was avoiding him since the kiss happened. He was also frustrated that Orihime was still keeping her end of the bargain with Grimmjow.
'It'll be fine, tomorrow's the last day anyway,' he thought cupping his chin. Noticing that he had been staring too long he shifted his gaze outside the window. For a moment he thought he saw a silhouette of a woman just by the side of a building. Ichigo shrugged off the feeling as soon as he heard the bell ring. He quickly got up and stride out the classroom.
Orihime tried to call out to him but he was too quick. She sighed and willed herself to get off the slump. 'Christmas is in two days, I have to get my gift ready… then maybe I can finally fix whatever's wrong between us,' Orihime thought as she gloomily looked down on her bag.
*.*.*.*
Ichigo wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck. He stared outside a jewelry store as he held onto his wallet. He remembered the last time he was in front of the sparkling store.
"That one is very pretty don't you think, Kurosaki-kun?" said Orihime pointing over at the glass towards a white gold bracelet. It somewhat had a similar flower design to that of Orihime's hairpins.
"Huh? I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff," replied Ichigo examining the jewelry.
"Well, I only had an interest in it because of Rangiku-san. Whenever Rangiku-san's suitors would deliver her jewelry, she'd try them on which makes her look even more beautiful."
"That's kind of shallow don't you think?"
"No! I think jewelry is precious and giving it to someone would also mean that he/she is just as much as a treasure to that person."
Ichigo puffed out a snicker. He thought of how simple minded and innocent Orihime was. He stared at the jewelry in front of him and thanked the heavens that it was still on stock. He checked his surrounding making sure no one he knows was in sight and quickly entered the store.
"How may I help you sir?" asked the young clerk. She gestured over the counter.
"Ah, yeah… Umm, I'd like to get, that one," replied Ichigo shyly as he pointed to the bracelet on the shelf.
"You're very lucky, that is a limited stock and the only one left in the store," said the clerk. "Is it a gift for someone special? A girlfriend perhaps?"
Ichigo blushed at the comment and tried not to brashly reply, "No, she's not…"
"Should I wrap this up for you sir?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice."
Ichigo watched as the clerk place the jewelry in a fist-sized box and wrap it in a white wrapping paper with pink floral design and finally finished with a red ribbon which she attached a paper rose on.
"Here you go sir."
"Thanks," said Ichigo as he took the gift which the clerk placed in a paper bag. "You're not wrong though," he added.
The clerk looked at him in confusion as he continued, "It is for someone special."
The clerk smiled at him and bid him farewell. As Ichigo left the store he got his wallet out and sighed. "Well, there goes my allowance and errand savings."
"It was still worth it right?" said a voice from behind.
Ichigo jumped in surprise and almost dropped the paper bag. "RUKIA! Wha-What are you doing here?!"
"Me? What about you?"
"Quit changing the subject, you midget!"
Rukia punched Ichigo square in the face. "Oh my, there was this huge fly on your face. I had to kill it."
Ichigo merely mumbled and grunted his annoyance at the petite woman. Rukia glanced at what he was holding and quickly understood what it was.
"Hey Ichigo, how bout we go get something to drink?" she asked pulling the confused Ichigo towards the nearest café.
"Extra yarn, check! Design Template, check! Marker, check! Gift wrap, check!" Orihime happily checked everything she had brought from the tailoring shop. "It looks like I got everything, I better hurry home."
Orihime had just enjoyed her last date with Grimmjow before going to the shop. Although she may seem to be comfortable with him, she had never let her guard down. She continued to comprehend the feeling he had given her the first time he had stared into her eyes. As she thought more about it she cannot come up with anything. "He doesn't seem to have any dark matter within him though he may look evil and malicious."
She then stops at a jewelry store and was somehow disappointed. "It's not here anymore. Someone must have bought it already," she said giving a sad sigh. She continued her walk in a faster pace but suddenly freezes as she sees Ichigo and Rukia settling at a café across the street.
She watched with sad eyes at how the two were so familiar with each other. She held her chest trying to stop jealousy rousing within her. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks. "No! This isn't the time to be thinking about such things."
She then pulls herself together and moves on but just as swiftly as she did she paused to see Renji resting on a metal bar in front of her.
"Yo!" he greeted raising a hand.
"Ho-how long have you been there Abarai-san?" she exclaimed embarrassed as he might've seen her in such a daze.
"Long enough to see you slap yourself," he smirked. "So what's new Inoue?"
"Umm, errr, nothing, I was just about to head home," she replied flustered.
"Aren't you going to wait for Ichigo?"
Orihime raised her head to look at Renji. He nodded over at the café. She took a glance one more time and saw Ichigo's happy face; well, in her point of view at least, since he still had the scowl on his face. She quickly turned back her head and said, "It'd be wrong to bother him. I'll just go on ahead."
"I used to be jealous of Ichigo you know," Renji began stopping Orihime once more.
"Eh?" was her mere reply.
Renji smiled at Orihime as she seemed eager to hear more of his story, so he continued,
"Rukia and I were childhood friends. Rukia is born from a high class family and I was poor back then. We met in a park when some of the boys were beating me up. She was quite a strong girl, a little prissy at first but she wasn't as bad as I thought a rich kid would be. Eventually I tried my best to catch up with her. I got into the same private elementary school as her during fifth grade because of a scholarship. Then due to some family matters, I couldn't get into the private school she was going to enroll in middle school. When I thought we would part ways, she had entered the same middle school as mine. That's when we met Ichigo. He was a sad kid when we first met him; it was disgusting to look at trust me. He'd be all gloomy and lonesome, except once in a while Tatsuki would come by class and talk to him, even give him a beating, which by the way was one of the best entertainments during middle school."
Orihime simply nodded as Renji went on,
"Eventually Rukia and I couldn't take it anymore, we befriended that bothersome guy. Rukia was the one closest to him, always by his side, giving him advice, listening to him. The reason he had been like that was because of his mother's death. So when he and Rukia became close friends I was happy for Ichigo; he started to become more sociable. We'd have fist fights for laughs and go out every weekend. It was then that I noticed he had feelings for Rukia. I was jealous because Rukia gave more attention to him, when clearly we had been together longer. But I didn't want my friendship to end with her or Ichigo. I was always stuck, I didn't know whether to confess or not."
Renji took a glance at Orihime. Her face was brooding, he smiled and continued,
"Rukia had been his light. I didn't want to take that away from him either. But sometimes, there are things that you have to do. There are things that you'd regret more not doing than things you regret doing. 'If I chose to hold back, would I have given away a chance to be with her?' I thought. Too much thinking didn't get me anywhere. I was pushed into a corner and then confessed to her. And you know what she said?"
"What did she say?" asked Orihime eyes glinting in excitement.
"Took you long enough you stupid baboon."
Ichigo took a sip from his strawberry midnight frappe. He was waiting for Rukia to finish her cake.
"Well?" he asked impatiently.
"Ah, right, as I was saying," Rukia began, "When do you plan on confessing to Inoue?"
Ichigo almost choked on his drink. "You invited me here just to ask me that?"
Rukia merely looked at him with a bored expression.
"I… don't have to confess anything," he said avoiding her gaze.
Rukia slapped him in the face which made the customers turn to their direction.
"What was that for?!" he yelled holding onto his red cheek.
"That was for being stupid and lying."
Ichigo scowled at the nosy customers and stared at his half full glass. "It doesn't matter."
"What?"
"I said, it doesn't matter," he repeated. "Even if I confess, what use would it be? She wouldn't like me back."
Rukia tried to hold in her laughter. "What makes, pff, you say, pff, that?"
'That's cause she's an angel, and the reason why she's beside me is because she's only doing her duties, she doesn't especially have that kind of feeling for me… not like I could say that out loud,' thought Ichigo.
"Ichigo," said Rukia her eyes show more seriousness. "If you wait out on an opportunity, how would you know if it held the happy ending that you wanted? If you fail, does it matter? From that you could move on. But haven't you thought about, 'what if she does have the same feeling?' If you let that go, then you just lose the greatest deal you could ever have."
Ichigo clenched his fist. "SO… If I had confessed to you before, would I have the same chance?"
Rukia was speechless. Ichigo felt very irritated that he had no idea that he just confessed in front of his close friend.
"I knew about your feelings then. Your chance is not with me; that was given to Renji. He was the one in your position right now. Right now, who weighs more in your heart, me or Inoue?"
Ichigo stared back into Rukia's deep purple eyes. He knew he cannot escape her perceptiveness. "Inoue," he whispered.
Rukia smiled. "Sometimes you'll realize that the reason why you didn't get the chance is because something else will be laid in front of you. Back then it could've been but like I said, when you take an opportunity it's either a pass or fail."
"If I had taken it then, what would've been your verdict?"
"Fail."
Ichigo smirked and looked at Rukia gently. "Thanks… I needed to hear that."
"Heh, it's all for the sake of this future right?"
The two were silent for a moment. Ichigo had finished his drink. "Hey Rukia… If I took this opportunity, and get a pass, what happens then?"
"You just move forward and not let anything get in the way," she replied.
~end of chapter~
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I'm sorry if Ichigo was an idiot the past few chapters, but I hope you like him now. Anyway, I got this one out early this week, hooray for the achievement! I might put up a one shot about Renji and Rukia's story, but that's for later. I love Ichihime, and I also adore Ichigo and Rukia's relationship. It's a bond that is very unique. Sometimes I wonder why some Ichihime fans hate Rukia. She's awesome and one of Ichigo's strength, the same goes for Ichiruki's who hate on Hime. Just because one character is a threat to the other's ship doesn't mean we have to entirely hate that character. Oh well, we can't all compromise and I'm blabbering here so… I hoped you like this one. :D
Thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following and favoring this story.
R&R~