Cross-posted from AO3. FFN doesn't let me post images within the text, so if you would like to read this story with the accompanying visuals, here's the AO3 link. Just take out the spaces: archiveofourown (DOT ORG SLASH) works/18090383/chapters/42761684

Chapter Three: Of all the comrades that e'er I had

Morning came all too soon. Orihime woke to the old dinging of her alarm clock, which she turned off with a glare and a quick slap of her hand. She'd barely slept and now she was going to have to brave day two of being thrown eight years into the past. Today was when things really started, if she remembered right. Tonight, Ichigo would be attacked by a hollow, and Rukia would enter his life, changing their destinies forever.

"Maybe this time," she muttered as she rose to begin getting ready, "They'll marry people they actually want to be married to." Bitter? Her, Orihime, ray of sunshine personified? Never! You try being married to a guy who does a double-take every time a short woman with a black bob walks by. Funny, maybe, the first three or four times, in a sour sort of way, but seeing that they lived in Japan, the frequency with which a woman who looked just the slightest bit like Rukia walked by was far too often, and the humor faded fast. She was surprised he hadn't gotten whiplash with how often his head spun around to double-check a face.

She quickly brushed her hair and got dressed, forgoing covering up her dark bags with makeup. She'd given up makeup when she'd turned twenty-two, only putting it on for special events, when she wanted to feel shining. Using it to disguise her humanness wasn't in the cards.

She caught a look at the clock as she secured her hairpins to her lapel and cursed beneath her breath. Not only was she going to have to skip breakfast, she wasn't going to have time to make a lunch, having forgotten to the night before. She didn't have the money to be buying lunch, plain and simple. She'd gone longer without food, but it was going to suck waiting until dinner to eat when she was already hungry and tired. What she wouldn't give for a tall mug of hot coffee.

Orihime burst out of her room and into the living room. "Sorra, I-" whatever she had been about to say, it died on her tongue. She stared at her living room in wonder.

He'd cleaned. Everything was neatly tucked away and cleaned to shine, and across the way, her brother sat at the table, where breakfast was laid out next to a packed lunch. He was smiling wide and eagerly.

"Good morning," he said.

"Sora," she gasped. She moved to the table. "You did this for me?"

"You see anyone else standing around here?" He joked.

She laughed and fell down next to him, giving him a tight hug. "Thank you so much! I thought I was going to have starve all day. Digging in!" She clapped her hands together once before she started in on the eggs and rice with gusto. Admittedly, she had forgotten that he was a good cook. It made her heart swell.

The doorknob jiggled. Orihime turned in time to watch Tatsuki let herself in, key in hand. Tatsuki had a key to her apartment? Wow, she'd forgotten about that. Well, it explained how she'd gotten in the day before.

"Ready to-oh, wow, you cooked. And it… looks… good?" She was clearly baffled.

Orihime looked over at Sora with a wide gesture, about to say that no, she had not cooked, her wonderful brother had. Then she remembered he was a ghost, that Tatsuki couldn't see him, and that if she mentioned him Tatsuki really would think she'd lost it.

"It's delicious," she said, winking at Sora. She turned back to Tatsuki. "I'm almost done. Gimme a second, we can jog to school."

Tatsuki said, "But you hate jogging."

Well that was true no matter what time period you plucked Orihime from. "It's okay, I'm used to it." Or, rather, she had been. Though she never lost her pleasant plumpness, she certainly built muscle beneath it in the future.

"Uh, sure."

Orihime shoveled the rest of her breakfast down while Tatsuki stepped into the apartment, waiting. She looked around in interest before saying, "You cleaned."

Orihime used her stuffed mouth as a reason to not reply. She didn't want to take credit for Sora's hard work. She smiled at him around a huge bite of food and finally finished off her breakfast, rising to put the dish in the sink.

"I've got it," Sora said. "You get to school. I don't have much else to do, after all."

"Thanks, you're the best."

Tatsuki laughed. "What, for noticing you cleaned?"

Oops. "Yep!" She wanted to hug Sora before she left for school, but she knew it would look weird to Tatsuki, so she settled for quickly reaching out and squeezing his hand. She mouthed 'love you' and then turned to the door.

"Have a good day at school!" Sora said behind her.

She truly hated to not reply, so while Tatsuki started for the door, Orihime quickly turned and made a heart at him with her hands.

"Orihime, let's go," Tatsuki said.

"Right." Lunch in hand, she put her shoes on and started out of the apartment, locking it behind her. Just knowing Sora was happy and home, in a way, washed away her sleepless irritation at the morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and her dead brother would be happy to watch TV in her apartment.

They hurried to school in a brisk jog. Orihime felt herself lose her breath almost right away, but she pushed past the feeling. She was used to running breathless, unfortunately, and if she kept it up, she'd stop being breathless right away. After all, she was going to be doing a lot of running in the coming months.

They made it to school just before the bell rang. As usual, Ichigo's protagonist ass was the last to class, just barely making the bell cut. Orihime smiled wide at him and Chad, waving a little before Oochi called class to attention.

Okay. So far, so good. No one suspected a thing about her, and she was going to carry out her plan flawlessly. Who the hell had decided to let Ichigo of all people take the reigns? He'd over-gelled his hair until he was nineteen damn years old.

She opened back up her notebook. There, at the top, was the agenda. KILL AIZEN.

She carried out the rest of her planning thus:

She hesitated on step six for a moment. Finally, she sucked in a breath and wrote it.

Step 6 save Ulquiorra

Step seven was easy enough. Live happily ever after.

Seven steps to happiness. Seemed easy enough. And in the meantime, all she had to do was make sure that no one got killed, somehow get her brother to soul society, stop the world from ending, and get good grades. All while on a budget. You go, Orihime.

The lunch bell finally rang. Orihime grinned and hopped to her feet, rushing past Tatsuki and up to the front of the classroom, where it appeared that that Uryuu was indeed preparing for her to swoop in and scalp him.

"Rooftop lunch time," she told him.

"While I appreciate the gesture, I truly do prefer to eat alone-"

She put her hands on top of his desk and leaned in, so close that she could see the silver of her irises reflected in his glasses. "I will drag you up there, Uryuu. Do not doubt me."

He swallowed. "R-right."

Tatsuki had waited for Orihime at the door. Together, they started up towards the roof, just after Ichigo's posse. Orihime realized, yet again, she was using first names for everyone and reminded herself silently to chill out a little bit. She was supposed to be shy.

Up on the roof, Ichigo had taken up his usual tough guy scowl. Orihime immediately felt the urge to fight with him. A few years of him making that face every time she asked him to please move his clean shirts from off the back of the chair and into the closet where they belonged had installed an instant reaction within her. She soothed herself gently, assuring herself that she would never have to deal with his laundry again.

That sparked a half-memory-half-daydream.

He'd been washing the dishes, in her apartment, while she cleaned off the table. They'd just finished having dinner together. He'd been quiet most of the evening, but she didn't mind. They were good friends, after all, and she understood that sometimes he just didn't have it in him to talk.

And then he'd said, "Inoue," over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"We should get married."

And she'd said, "Um…"

He didn't turn to look at her, concentrating on the dishes.

And then she'd said, "Okay. Yeah. Let's do it."

In her daydream, though, she dropped the rag she'd been using to wipe the table and doubled over laughing. "What?" She cried, hysterically. "What kinda wacko proposes like that? Hell no!" and then she left to treat herself to a milkshake and fries.

"-me. Orihime!"

She jerked back into reality. "What? Yes! I'm here!"

"Daydreaming again," Tatsuki said fondly, laughing. "What was it this time? Robots? Aliens? Vampires?"

The sweet, succulent sound of divorce papers hitting Ichigo in the face? "Oh. Just romance and stuff." Ichigo laughing with relief when I tell him I don't love him after all? Us, happily pawning off our wedding rings and never looking back? "Sweet romance!"

Speaking of her ex-husband to be. He was already arguing with Uryuu over something. Perfect, then, their friendship was right on track. She just had to make sure Uryuu didn't go skulking around at night stalking Ichigo, growing more bitter with every day. That wouldn't be too hard. He had a crush on her, right? Maybe she'd start dating him or something.

Wait. She was trying to avoid an emotionally detached relationship this go-around. No more getting with people just to make them happy, this time was about her. Right. She'd just do some old fashioned espionage or something. If she could take out hollows before Uryuu, he'd have no reason to be suspicious anyway. She'd leave the one that was going to attack Ichigo either that night or some time in the week, of course, and then just… quietly take care of the others. Uryuu was good, but he was eight years too late to beat Orihime to the punch in anything at all.

Speaking of…

"I've got to go to the bathroom!" She declared. She'd already eaten most of her lunch (thank you Sora!) and so she chose to abandon the rest before Uryuu got wind of the hollow closing in on their location. She was lucky she'd been thinking about it-with Ichigo leaking spiritual pressure all over the place all the time, it was impossible to sort through what was him and what was coming from elsewhere.

She hurried down from the roof and out of the school, sneaking past teachers and students alike. It wasn't hard to get out of the schoolyard and out onto the road, where, sure enough, there was a hollow slowly making its way down the road. Uryuu must have taken care of it the first time around. She could understand his distaste for Ichigo; Uryuu had probably thought that he was a huge danger to everyone in the school, and being alone, probably resented him just a little for it. Not that he was wrong, but he didn't know that Ichigo was going to inevitably save the world a few times. She'd accuse him of having a hero-complex, but that would beg the question of what SHE thought she was doing, rewriting time, and she wasn't in the mood for a heavy bout of introspection, thank you very much.

"Okay," she said, and walked up to the hollow. Her fairies were still sleeping, but she'd figured out she could borrow power from them and herself and divest it to one or two of them, so that while the others slept, one could awaken. She did as much for Tsubaki, draining a bit of her energy and borrowing what the others had stored up to call him out of her hairpins.

The hollow never saw it coming. She figured laying low was the best option for the moment, as she didn't want to draw attention from any third parties-hollow or shinigami. As soon as the hollow dissolved into light, she recalled a very sluggish Tsubaki to her hairpins, and feeling absolutely wrung out, she turned back to the school.

She spent the rest of the day in a fog, reminding herself that she was only a few short hours from being able to go home and crawl right back into bed. Tatsuki noticed, as did a few other people, but Orihime didn't really care. She went through the motions until finally, blessedly, they were released.

Tatsuki found her right away. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"I stayed up all night watching Sailor Moon," she lied.

"Again? Orihime, you've got to take better care of yourself!"

"I know, I know. Sorry, Tatsuki."

"Here." Tatsuki pulled Orihime's lunchbox out of her backpack. "You left this up on the roof. I can't be too mad about you not taking care of yourself, your lunch actually looked pretty good today."

Orihime took it back with a hum. "Thank you very much."

"Any time… Orihime, can I ask you something?"

Uh oh. "Always! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Y-yeah. Um, I was wondering… why do you want to sit up with Ichigo all the sudden? And why did you bring Ishida into it, too? All they did was fight all lunch."

"That's good!" She said.

"What?"

"That's how Ichigo makes friends, I think." She wasn't all the way sure. He seemed to just find people who wanted to kill him and then either became their friend, their enemy, or their paramore. She had yet to identify what factors tipped the scales from one side to the other, but she was confident Ishida would come out on the friend side.

"That explains a lot," she huffed. Then, "So, when did you get to know Ichigo? I thought you two had barely talked before."

Oh yeah. Oops. "We haven't really talked," she said. "Um, I just… get a feeling about him."

"You like him, don't you?"

What to say to that? Did she bust up laughing and insist no, no, of course she didn't, or did she play her old self and dreamily begin a story of their future together as the queen and king of robot-ruled Mars?

She looked over at Tatsuki, who was eyeing her carefully.

Option three, then.

"I think I'm bisexual," Orihime blurted. She didn't 'think' she was bisexual, she knew it. But then, her fifteen year old self had only been beginning to suspect it, so it was best not to act too confident. What kind of kid had a stark realization all the sudden and just… stuck with it confidently? Not her.

Tatsuki stopped walking.

Orihime turned around. "Well?"

Tatsuki looked at her for a long time. She chewed on her bottom lip and then said, "Me too." Then she shook her head. "No, I. I'm not bi. I. I think…" She grabbed her arm and looked away, awkwardly. "I think… I think maybe I just like girls."

"You're a lesbian," Orihime said easily.

Tatsuki stared at the pavement, face bright red. She nodded, almost seeming ashamed.

"Cool," Orihime said. "Lesbians are really cool."

Tatsuki looked up, unsure. "You… you think?"

"I know," Orihime laughed. She started walking again. "Every lesbian is cool. Like Haruka and Michiru."

Tatsuki hurried to catch up to her. "So you really don't mind?"

"Why would I, silly? I'm the same way, aren't I?"

"How did you know?"

"Hm?"

"How did you know that you liked girls?"

Orihime smiled, gently. "I don't know. I just…"

"Have you ever." Tatsuki paused, uncomfortably. She leaned in to whisper in Orihime's ear. "Have you ever kissed a girl?"
"Yes," she said.

"What!?" Tatsuki ran around her and started walking backwards, so that they could speak face-to-face. "Who? Do I know her? Tell me!"

Orihime laughed. "You don't know her," she promised. No one did, yet. She'd be along soon enough, if everything went according to plan.

"What was it like?" Tatsuki asked.

"Peachy," Orihime said. "Like the flavor." She didn't know how else to describe it.

"You're so weird," Tatsuki laughed.

Orihime stuck her tongue out.

They reached her apartment then. "Well, this is me."

"Yeah," Tatsuki looked up at her door. "Orihime?"

She paused on the stairs. "Yes?"

"Thanks. For telling me, I mean. It's uh. It's good to know I'm not the only one."

Orihime smiled wide. "You're never alone Tatsuki," she promised. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki said. "Tomorrow."

~(o0o)~

It was the middle of May when it finally happened. Orihime had just showered and changed into her pajamas when she stopped in her tracks, arrested by a sudden sensation. The air about her felt heavy, almost wet, almost sticky. She could feel a pressure in her chest, and the hair on her arms was standing on end.

"So it's here," she whispered.

The beginning of it all. Ichigo was about to become a shinigami.

Quietly, Orihime slipped out of bed and to her window, which she carefully opened and climbed out of. Like the shinigami, she used her spiritual pressure to make platforms to walk on in the air, and began a run towards the clinic. Rukia had arrived, she could feel it.

Kurosaki clinic was not too far from where she lived. She moved quickly, ignoring the burn in her gut and legs and she hurried there. By the time she arrived, Rukia had already engaged the hollow. Orihime hid nearby, watching. She'd already changed the timeline, so she wanted to be sure nothing went awry.

It was odd to feel Ichigo's spiritual pressure before he'd become partially hollow. There was something water-like about it, something almost airy. She'd never felt it before, and most likely, would only get to experience it for a short time before it was changed forever.

"If it's me you want, come and get it!" Ichigo yelled.

She watched with wide eyes as Rukia took the hit intended for Ichigo. That was a lot of blood. Poor, poor Rukia. She'd never wanted anything more than to be a good shinigami, and she was saddled with a destiny far greater than that.

She didn't watch as they decided on the exchange of power. This was a private moment; the exchange of true names. She turned and hunkered down, waiting for everything to be over.

There was a burst of power strong enough to knock the wind out of her chest. Orihime slumped against the back of the car and focused on breathing. Ichigo's spiritual pressure unnerved her with its alienness, despite lacking any trace of hollow energy.

She paused, for a moment, thinking. If she wanted, she could make sure he never had a hollow to begin with. She could carefully ensure he never had to deal with that side of him taking over, or adding a bloodlust to his battles, or consuming him.

She'd never scream at the mindless beast rising from the sands, intent on killing them all.

She shuddered. No. As much as she wanted to, as much good as it might have done, there were just too many battles to come that Ichigo would have very likely lost without his hollow. And as much as she hated that part of him, the hollow was an entity itself, and she would do no harm against him, either.

The ground shuddered as the massive hollow's arm crashed to the ground. Again, as the creature's severed leg fell. Ichigo screamed, "feel the wrath of my blade!" And just like that, it was over. A tiny, seconds long fight. And there was no going back.

She dared a look at Rukia, pale in her white robes, bathed in moonlight, her arm dripping blood. Rukia looked astounded, awed as she stared at Ichigo. And Ichigo.

Well. He was still just a boy.

She left the scene as soon as Ichigo went running back to Rukia. Over and over, he asked her if she was okay, what he could do. Ichigo's genuine care over her had been there, right from the start. She understood, in a way.

Quietly, she made her way back to her apartment, and into her room. She slept well that night, knowing that the week to come would be tenuous.

~(o0o)~

"You're quiet." Tatsuki noticed.

Orihime looked up at her. They were nearly at the school, and admittedly, she'd hardly said a word since they'd left. She'd thanked Sora and hugged him before stepping out onto the porch to wait for Tatsuki, and after saying hello to her friend, had fallen silent.

"Just daydreaming," she said. "Aliens, this time."

"Classic," Tatsuki chuckled. "Hey, watch out. Black cat, bad luck."

Orihime looked up and spotted Yoruichi. She barely resisted the urge to wave. "Not her," she said, to Tatsuki. "That cat's a lucky lady."

"Sure she is."

Orihime watched as Yoruichi slipped into the courtyard, evidently following someone. Up ahead, she spotted her; dressed in their uniform, hands linked neatly behind her back as she walked. Rukia Kuchiki.

"Who's that?" Tatsuki asked, spotting her too.

"She must be a transfer," Orihime said. It took everything in her to remain by Tatsuki's side. She'd missed Rukia like nothing else, and all she wanted to do was run up and hug the woman. She told herself to relax, and continued into the school, watching while Rukia introduced herself to Ichigo and nearly made him faint.

It was hard. She knew these people, but they didn't know her.

She sat through class silently, working ahead on her homework. Her aunt wouldn't send her money if she didn't make good grades, and even though Orihime had started up her house-wife dress sewing and selling like she had been before, it wasn't enough to cover the bills.

She looked over at Rukia from the corner of her eye. Unaging, even Rukia looked younger, somehow. Less harried by the tides of war, she supposed. She reminded herself that she wouldn't always have to keep her distance. Soon, she'd enter into the fold, and she'd have her friends close once again.

All she had to do was keep things on track. She reviewed her notebook again, this time, her neatly put together timeline, updated to include Ichigo's powers.

May 22nd, Ichigo gets powers

May 23rd, meet Rukia at school

June 3rd, Sora hollow (not happening this time!)

June 17th, Grand Fisher

July 18th, Menos (make this happen or no?)

July 19th, Rukia kidnapped :(

July 20th, Last day of school!

August 1st, Fireworks festival

August 8th, go to soul society

Pass through time anomaly

August 1st again, arrive in soul society

2nd, kukaku

3rd, enter gotie 13, got split up last time

4th, ?

5th, aizen fakes his stupid DEATh so fix that before that happens

6th, Rukia's execution

August 13th, go home

It was simple enough. Until around the seventeenth, everything was a waiting game. The one thing she did have to do before then was keep an eye on Rukia and make sure she hadn't gotten the second body yet. She knew she'd never be able to just take the hogyoku from Kisuke, so she had to wait until he had it ready in Rukia's second gigai, and then destroy it before Rukia put the body on.

Otherwise she'd have to let Aizen's plan carry itself out, and she really, really didn't want to let that happen. The sooner Aizen was dead, the sooner she would know peace. Even just knowing he was alive out there, ruining innocent lives, filled her with a benevolent rage.

Soon. Soon things would fall into place, and her plans could finally begin.