Chapter 21:

Kisuke took the bottle from Orihime and placed it inside a machine to get rid of the perfume once and for all. Orihime watched him every step of the way to make sure it was really destroyed this time. It was such a huge relief.

"We came back late last night," Kisuke explained when Orihime and Rukia showed up with the perfume. "It was four in the morning and we were all so tired that we just went to bed. Didn't unpack a thing. Don't blame you for thinking we were still out of town. I came in there to open up and that's when Ururu found your note in front of the door. She handed it to me, I read it and then I called Rukia to get over here pronto."

"I'm glad," Orihime said with a sigh. "It might have been last minute, but if she hadn't shown up when she did, it would have been even harder to get things under control. Distracting Ichigo was the best thing for right then."

Rukia gave Kisuke a look. "Instead of calling me, why didn't you just do it yourself?"

"Based on Orihime's message, things were getting out of hand and she felt it needed a woman's touch. I agreed."

Rukia glared at him, not buying it.

"No, really," he insisted. "I thought it'd be best if you go. I'm more behind the scenes anyway. And still a little jetlagged."

"I knew it," said Rukia, putting her hands on her hips. "The only reason I showed up at the last second is because you couldn't get off your ass and handle it yourself. Tack me on, why don't you?"

"But Orihime named you personally in her letter. I was following her instruction," Kisuke claimed with a grin.

"It's true. I did name you in my letter," said Orihime. "I thought it would be best because you know all of us, know the school, are strong and can't be seen by most students. It made sense to call you."

Rukia didn't quibble.

With her job done, she soon left to resume the duties of her Squad.

After she was gone, Orihime spoke with Kisuke privately as the perfume was being destroyed.

"I thought you had gotten rid of it," she told him. "You said you destroyed it."

"I did. Right before we went on vacation."

"Then how did Yua get it? Did you make a second one?"

"Just the one," said Kisuke, pointing to the machine.

Orihime was confused. "Then how did she get it?"

Kisuke saw that this was troubling Orihime and decided to weigh in. "It may interest you to know that the bottle you handed me wasn't the original bottle."

"It wasn't?" Orihime looked from the machine to Kisuke. "Then it wasn't the same perfume?"

"No, it was the perfume, alright. Just not the same bottle. A different bottle."

She didn't understand. Did this mean someone made their own version? Kisuke insisted it was his potion, so did this mean someone merely put it in a different bottle to hide it?

Orihime wasn't sure but was thankful they had it back.

Before leaving after everyone was healed, Rukia used a Kikanshinki on the students just in case. Orihime didn't think it was necessary because a lot of them didn't remember trying to kill each other or hurting Yua, but Uryu pointed out that he remembered and thought it would be a good idea just as a precaution.

This caused Orihime to question why Uryu remembered most of what he did while others either couldn't remember or recalled things differently. She asked Kisuke why this was and he had an estimated answer.

"The potion was experimental. If you're looking for consistency, you might not find it with this. Based on the tests I ran, I deemed it too dangerous and considered it a failure. Because of that, I didn't study it any further than the trials. It could be that because Uryu was aware of what the perfume did, he's able to recall events differently than others who became attracted to Yua for reasons unknown."

"Awareness is a factor?" Orihime asked. "But… we told Ichigo about the perfume and he didn't get it. Is it because we told him after he was hooked?"

"I can't say with certainty," said Kisuke. "It's possible. You said the first time this happened, Ichigo remembered events but thought unaffected student accounts were exaggerations of what he recalls. It could deal with perspective. Lots of people aren't aware of how they look in the heat of the moment. It's equally possible that the exposure to the perfume for that length of time muddied his recollection."

"Meaning he can't remember?"

Kisuke crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Well, a lot of them became borderline psychotic. Temporary insanity could cause lapses in memory. The perfume was screwing with their minds. But you also said that Ichigo hadn't been eating or sleeping lately. That can mess a person up, too. It was probably the same way for those other students, too. Coupled with the perfume's effects and lack of proper nutrition, that could mess with their heads and contribute to their confusion."

Orihime looked down. "I see."

"Don't worry. It shouldn't have any lasting effects. Those boys all got medical treatment and the perfume's gone, so they should be fine."

"Uh-huh."

Kisuke peered at her bowed head. "You think this should be kept quiet like before, huh?"

She looked at him. "You think I should tell Ichigo what really happened?"

"I'm not saying that," said Kisuke. "You had your reasons for not telling him before."

She nodded. "I thought if he knew what he had done to his friends and innocent people, he would beat himself up about it. I've seen him do it before. I don't want to put him through that. Or Chad. I don't see the point in making them feel bad."

Kisuke nodded with approval. "I agree. Ichigo is a sensitive guy. I think he puts on that front to hide it, but I can tell. And I think you're right. What would be accomplished by telling him and making him feel terrible? If it were his Hollow, it'd be different because that is something he would have to fight to control. It's a part of himself, so that would be something to bring to his attention. This was something beyond his control and it's over with now. We took care of the problem, so what would be the point in bringing it up?"

"Yes, exactly." Orihime was pleased Kisuke understood. "And none of the other students know, so why bring it up to him and not everyone, right? Not that they'd believe us in the first place."

"I agree. No sense in making him feel awful for something that wasn't his fault and has already been resolved."

After speaking with Kisuke and making sure the perfume was destroyed, Orihime went to visit Ichigo, knowing he would have made it there by now with Uryu's help. She wasn't sure what she'd find when she got there. The rancid stench covering Yua might have only dulled their senses for that timeframe and he was ready to go find her again. She hoped not.

Relief soon followed when she was welcomed inside by Yuzu and directed to the couch where Ichigo was currently sleeping.

"He came home and had a snack," explained Yuzu. "Then he turned on the TV and fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down. Must've been really tired."

Orihime learned that Ichigo's sisters were aware that something was going on when he didn't come home for hours on end and saw how distracted he became. Yuzu was more worried than her twin sister, but seeing Ichigo home and sleeping peacefully doused the flame of her anxiety.

Orihime couldn't help smiling as she watched him sleep, knowing he was recovering from the ordeal and was confident he would be his old self again shortly.

When the students arrived at school after the weekend, they were shocked to discover the building being repaired by construction workers, pointing at the huge holes and missing windows, wondering aloud what happened.

Class carried on as usual, but one classroom had to relocate to a different room while theirs was being repaired. No one knew what had happened but everyone had a different theory, ranging from earthquake to a prank gone bad. A couple male students claimed to remember a sumo wrestler going to town on the hallway but everyone dismissed this as a possibility.

Ichigo became convinced that they had battled a Hollow and at some point, during the fight, he had hit his head which was why he could only remember bits and pieces of the event. Chad could not recall his fight against Uryu or the other students, leading him to believe the Hollow could alter short-term memories.

Neither of them remembered their attraction to Yua and when Keigo brought it up, Ichigo was appalled by the notion, adamant that he couldn't stand the brat. It seemed even Keigo had forgotten his fixation on Yua but remembered Ichigo's odd behavior leading up to a certain point. He remembered spying on Ichigo, too, and his list of possibilities, however, after hearing them discuss a recent Hollow attack, he concluded that he was way off base and that Mizuiro was right all along about Ichigo being absent due to Soul Reaper business. He quickly dropped the subject after that.

Tatsuki, as well as many other students, had been healed by Orihime, but those who were escorted off the premises or stumbled off on their own arrived at school sporting bandages and casts. Some remembered being in a fight but couldn't remember over what and others weren't sure how they got their injuries. Knowing things could have been worse, Orihime was pleased with how things turned out. Not a single student was killed or expelled.

Those who hadn't been around for the stink bath Orihime had given Yua, found themselves still attracted to her, but after being away from her for the weekend and her no longer wearing the perfume, their feelings quickly subsided. When they became aware of her personality, her beauty seemed duller than they remembered and eventually lost interest.

A few boys wanted to get back together with their girlfriends, no longer finding Yua attractive and some not even knowing why they broke up in the first place. Some were just as eager to get back together but others demanded an explanation for their abandonment to which they had to excuse.

Yua hadn't retaliated but Orihime wasn't sure how much of the events she recalled after Rukia altered her memory of that day. She wondered if Yua was still looking for the perfume, wondering what became of it or if she remembered willingly giving it to Orihime in exchange for help. She wasn't sure and didn't bring it up.

Yua enjoyed the attention she received from a few boys before they grew tired of her and left. She chatted with her friends and seemed cheerful, but without her adoring mob, she seemed a little disappointed.

The question remained how Yua got the perfume in the first place. Orihime still couldn't figure it out and it was doubtful that Yua would tell them. She didn't during the altercation and probably wouldn't now. Since the issue had been resolved, Orihime figured she might never know and was fine with that.

Well, she was a little curious.

If only she had known that a few weeks ago Yua was content with her boyfriend's attention during lunch and making plans for after school. How Yua noticed the new girl from a different class getting all kinds of attention. Even with her boyfriend, Yua was a bit jealous. How a couple days later, her boyfriend told her that he wanted to breakup with her. How he wouldn't give her the explanation she felt she deserved.

She was furious and heartbroken. He said she had done nothing wrong and there was nothing she could do to make him stay. He just wanted to stop dating her. He was bored.

At the same time, she was going through this, that new girl was receiving ample attention. What made her so special? Was it because she was new? A fresh face? It wasn't fair that the new girl got all this love and attention while she was so miserable.

She intended to confront the new girl in the bathroom. She didn't blame her for her breakup, but she had to take her rage out on someone. As far as Yua was concerned, if she couldn't be in a happy relationship, no girl deserved to. That was when she noticed the new girl putting on perfume in the bathroom. Why hide it? Was it because she thought it was against the rules or was it because it was something special and secret?

Yua observed her from the stall. When the new girl left, another girl left a different stall to follow her. That Tatsuki girl.

Yua returned to her classroom to figure out what all this meant. That tomboy seemed to be on a mission when she followed the new girl in and out of the bathroom. Could it be there was something to this? Maybe she was jealous, too. During class, as Yua looked out the window at the rain, spotting two students running outside. The buxom Orihime and that ginger-haired boy. He embraced her lovingly in the rain.

It was a sweet gesture which angered Yua. Yet another girl was being showed love while she was alone, dumped by an aloof boyfriend who couldn't even be bothered to help her understand why he left.

Boredom? Had he outgrown her? Was he just another boy who went through phases?

Yua couldn't stand it. Boys were so much different than she envisioned. She had certain expectations and even her own boyfriend fell short, but she still cared about him. These girls- Orihime, the new girl- why did they get to enjoy the kind of relationship she wanted? Boys treated them like goddesses while she was dumped and given a shrugged shoulder when she wanted to know why.

After school, she followed that new girl to see what all the fuss was about but not too many were following her in the rain. Yua noticed that Orihime and Tatsuki were off by themselves, moving in a hurry, saying something about a perfume. Yua followed them instead.

She saw them go into a dirty little shop partly hidden away from the road as if it were embarrassed to be seen. The girls went in and left soon after, looking relieved. Yua hid around the corner and waited for them to pass. She only heard part of their conversation. Something about perfume, boys and normal and love. Once they were away from the shop, Yua went in to see what was so special about this dingy shop.

Snacks and candy, mostly. Everything was dirt cheap but she preferred to get her snacks from a cleaner, brighter establishment. She spotted the owner by the counter and asked if he had anything to make a girl more pretty and popular. He offered her lip balm which she guessed he did as a joke, judging from his smile. She saw the perfume bottle on the counter and asked for it, but he refused, saying it was a gift for a friend and not for sale. She pretended to lose interest and asked about the magazines he had on display as well. Over time, she wrinkled her nose and criticized his shop and how little the items interested her.

A red-headed boy with a broom got the shopkeeper's attention and he turned. That was when Yua took the perfume bottle, opened it, and poured it into a bottle of bubble soap she emptied. She poured another bottle of bubble soap into the perfume bottle and closed it, putting it back where she found it. She then left the newly emptied bottle open near the spill, calling attention to it when the shopkeeper turned back around. He closed his fist around the perfume bottle as he leaned over to check the spill, thinking that she would try to steal it when he looked at the floor. She then asked to purchase the bottle of bubble soap she had poured the perfume into and left the store.

She then went home replaced the cap on the bubble soap with one of her perfume tops, so it would spray like a normal perfume bottle. She tested it out on herself but nothing seemed to happen. She didn't feel any different and she didn't think she smelled anything. Whatever the perfume was, its fragrance was extremely mild.

It was a week before she tested the perfume out again and just as before, she wasn't impressed.

However, when she got to school the next day, she noticed how many boys looked up from what they were doing, catching a scent on the air and looking her way. The next day, she received complements.

She stopped using the perfume for a couple of days and the attention faded. Then she started using it again. The attention was centered around her once more. She had figured out the pattern.

But it wasn't happening fast enough. She started putting on more every morning before going to school. Then she brought the perfume with her and gave herself a spritz throughout the day. As she did, more and more boys became interested in her. More claimed to love her and were willing to do whatever she wanted.

They listened to her. They gave her gifts. They said such nice things to her. When she told them to do something, they did it without complaint. They treated her like a queen.

This was the way she deserved to be treated. That is what she always believed. They showed her more love a devotion than her previous boyfriend, and it was all thanks to this magic perfume. With this, she could get anything she wanted from a boy. She could have as many suitors as she wanted, all willing to do as she said.

These boys would never hurt her. She would never be disappointed again. With this, she was in control. No one would break her heart again and make her feel worthless. Finally, she would get exactly what she wanted in a relationship.

Maybe what she was doing was wrong, but it wasn't like boys cared about the girl's feelings. They were only in it for themselves. Once they didn't want to date the girl any more, whatever the reason, did they ever consider how the girl might feel? What if she didn't want to break up? Did they care? As far as she was concerned, this evened the score. She was finally going to be treated right.

This was how it started, but it wasn't like Orihime or anyone knew that.

The end! Hope you enjoyed it. Part two was a little darker than the first one, but I hope you liked it anyway.

Thanks for reading and please review! ^-^