Disclaimer: I do not own bleach and its characters but they belong to their respective owners.
"Ne…Orihime…" said Tatsuki-chan all of a sudden. I turned my attention to the girl with short spiky black hair walking beside me. "You said you saw Ichigo over here yesterday with that new transfer student, isn't it? Wonder if they'll be there today too…what were they doing again? …"
Tatsuki-chan jabbed at the nearby park looming up ahead with her index finger to emphasize her question. I nodded my head in reply to her first question.
Looking into her steady gaze directly, I elaborated, "Hmm……he was swinging this baseball bat…she was throwing some weird-round-looking balls…they were both squealing in delight…looks like they were having the time of their lives…it was so lovey-dovey! Maybe they were childhood sweethearts…then they got separated….now they are back together again…ahh….romantic!"
I felt pang of jealousy when what I saw yesterday replayed in my mind as I narrate the events to Tatsuki-chan once again. I averted my eyes from Tatsuki-chan lest she knows about my feelings for our bleach haired friend. We continued on our journey home in silence for a while. My mind still preoccupied on the things I just told Tatsuki-chan.
"Ahh…speaking of the devil…..look…Ichigo!" Tatsuki-chan's sudden outburst shattered through my thoughts. I look around searching for the Kurosaki-kun as Tatsuki-chan has pointed out but the park is empty. I scanned the place again a second time just to be sure that my eyes are not deceiving me. Tatsuki-chan has never lied to me before.
Apparently my first sweep of the area did turn out to be faulty since there is a black haired girl in school uniform sitting on the bench under a big tree. The evening sun filtered through the surrounding trees' foliage, casting its yellowish orange fingers over her. The effects were fabulous, from afar she appears to be glowing and if you add a halo on her head she looks like an angel. There is no denying the fact that Kurosaki-kun is not here since the girl is sitting there all alone.
"Why is Ichigo dressed in a black kimono… and ….he's wearing one of those… those…ancient sandals?" piped Tatsuki-chan in surprise but that did not last long as it gave away to anger. "…that doesn't matter…why that bastard…already getting all friendly with that new transfer student…this is too much! Orihime…let's go and give Ichigo a piece of our mind!"
Without any warning, Tatsuki-chan starts pulling me towards the park. Now I am really confused, Kurosaki-kun is not here at all, no bleached hair, no black kimono, and no ancient sandals; there is only a girl sitting in the park right now. I didn't know Tatsuki-chan suffers from hallucinations!
"Ano…Taaa…tsuki-chan! Kurosaki-kun is …is…is not here!" I managed to stammer.
"Orihime, I know you have a crush on Kurosaki-kun since 6th grade but you dun have to defend him at a time like this! He's not getting away with this…ever…he needs to treat us…your feelings…and…and…" Tatsuki-chan stopped in her tracks. Her words gave way to silence. This silence is rather abnormal; to describe it in words it is more like the calm before a storm.
'What is going on here? Kurosaki-kun is definitely not here! At this distance, that girl sitting at the bench is no doubt Kuchiki-san but…. since Kurosaki-kun is no where in sight…what is Tatsuki-chan so upset about?' I thought.
"NOW… THAT IS…. UNFORGIVABLE! ICHIGOO…….." Tatsuki-chan's anger turns to rage! Her grip on my arm strengthens and soon we are racing off towards the bench under the tree more urgently.
ICHIGOOOO…….
Kuchiki-san's attention is now diverted towards us.
"Oh dear, now she will think we are nuts! Tatsuki-chan, what are you doing? Do you know how insane you look right now" my inner self is screaming silently.
Suddenly, a pain shot through my leg. It feels like a million knives are stabbing into my ligaments and tissues simultaneously.
"Ahh…taa...ta…ta…" I cried out in pain. Tatsuki-chan stops with her pulling and shouting. She lets go of my arm.
"What is it, Orihime?" she asks with concern written all over her face. Her obsession with Kurosaki Ichigo entirely forgotten!
I must have tripped over something. My leg hurts really badly; perhaps its sprained or twisted or possibly broken! I tried to stand up once again but my left leg crumbled beneath me like broken matchsticks, an unbearable pain shot through my body.
"Ahhhhh………"
I soon find myself sprawling towards the ground. I shut my eyes tight, wishing that this is not happening.
A few minutes pass and the impact never came instead someone is holding onto me. This person is supporting all 45 kilograms of my body weight from hitting the hard ground. It must be Tatsuki-chan! I open my eyes and to add to the pain, nearly suffered from a heart attack. My face is now inches away from Kurosaki-kun's face.
"Aaaaaah…."
I quickly scrambled back onto my legs wincing with pain. This is a bad choice of action since I now find myself falling towards the ground once again. Lady luck is definitely not on my side today. Yup, she hates me!
As if history is repeating itself, I did not find myself on the ground this time either. It definitely cannot be the ground because it is too soft and comfortable.
'In fact, it feels like a futon. No, it feels more like the queen size mattress back in my apartment. No, that is not it. It is more like the feeling of poppy floating in the wind. Speaking of poppy, what is this thing on my mouth? Hmmm … it tastes sweet…and its texture…it is …it is…indescribable. Wonder what this is? ...'
Curiosity got the better of me, I took a peek. Directly in front of me is another pair of eyes. I recognize these dark brown eyes instantly. Kurosaki Ichigo!
"Aaaah….."
I pulled myself away in horror when I realize that I am lying on top of Kurosaki-kun and that…that sweet thing is actually his…..lips!
"Sss…ss…sorry…sorry…"I apologize haplessly while scuttling away as fast as I could on my posterior.
'My life is ruined! I just gave Kurosaki-kun a…a…kiss. There goes my chance of ever confessing to him! There is no hope either for our friendship anymore…we are going to drift apart like pieces of trash on a polluted river with this event as the stench coming from the river itself…please God…have some mercy and strike me down now with your hand…for I've sinned….I'm not worthy to be alive…taking advantage of an innocent guy like Kurosaki-kun….'
"I…CCH…CCCHI…GOOO!" screamed Tatsuki-chan.
An angry and fuming Tatsuki-chan now stood beside the downed and exposed Kurosaki-kun since I am now a safe distance away from him. Both her hands are balled up in tight fists.
BAMMMM!
The sound of her fist connecting with Kurosaki-kun's cheek was extremely audible. The blow came so fast that Kurosaki-kun had no time to react.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? ...GRABBING HER LIKE THAT AND…AND… 'KISSING' HER…AND BEFORE THAT…WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO!'….." she raised her fist for another punch and let it flew.
"God, it is me you are suppose to strike down…not Kurosaki-kun! That's the last person on Earth you should ever strike down…the victim…now…please dun miss the next time….…I'm right over here…"I silently repeated my request to the Almighty in Heaven. Then I sat back on my haunches to wait patiently for His strike again.
Meanwhile, Tatsuki-chan has pulled back her fists for another shot. Thankfully Kurosaki-kun has fully recovered from the initial shock and manages to grab Tatsuki-chan fist in mid-air before it hits his cheek again. Unfortunately, Tatsuki-chan was not discouraged by this turn of event and carried on her mission with her turbo kicks.
This came as a surprise to Kurosaki-kun and the kick landed squarely on his jaw. Tatsuki-chan's shouts and punches jolted me back to reality from my patient wait for his strikes.
"Ano….Tatsuki-chan…please stop…it's not Kurosaki-kun's fault…if he wasn't there I would have fallen onto the ground…and hurt myself even more…so….please stop hurting him…..it was only an accident…."I begged my best friend who is in the middle of the process of executing yet another one of her super punches at Kurosaki-kun.
Hearing my words, the fire surrounding Tatsuki-chan shimmered and eventually died down. The killer mode aura surrounding her disappears along with it. She looks down guiltily at the beaten up Kurosaki-kun, who by the way being the gentleman he was; had not raised a hand against his childhood friend except for that block.
"Sorry…Ichigo…" a totally subdued Tatsuki-chan apologize. "I totally lost it...here!"
Tatsuki-chan thrust out her right hand as a sign of truce to Kurosaki-kun.
"Nah…its ok Tatsuki…you were just protecting Inoue!" said Kurosaki-kun, taking the hand. "Just give me the heads up time before you start the next time, I want to be ready for it…by the way… you guys can see me!"
"What are you talking about? Did my punches cause a screw in your head to fall out? ...Of course, we can see you! WE have eyes you know...So why are you dressed up like that? Is there a festival today? ...and what is that katana for!...I didn't know you are into that sorta thing now…." the meek Tatsuki-chan that was groveling for Kurosaki-kun's forgiveness is gone. The sarcastic Tatsuki-chan that we normally know is back! She flashes Kurosaki-kun her toothy smile and the previous tension between them evaporated.
"Uh…err…no…! I just felt like wearing this today…" said Kurosaki-kun shooting Kuchiki-san a look that says 'a little help here'. I did not realize that she had left the bench and is now standing beside Kurosaki-kun. She had been standing there all along, wordlessly, watching the intimate exchange between Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-kun.
"Who the hell are they, Ichigo!" Kuchiki-san asks instead of offering any assistance.
Kurosaki-kun turned towards her and stooped till his mouth is at the same level as her ear. "Stupid! Our class…they are from our class! Our classmates! ... Tatsuki and Inoue…Arisawa Tatsuki and Inoue Orihime!" he whispered fiercely into her ear. They really look so cute together! I can nearly see the sparks flying between them.
After hearing this, the coldness in Kuchiki-san's eyes changed to a softer hue of friendliness. Subsequently, she lifted her skirt slightly simultaneously bending her knees in a rough curtsy.
"Hi, how do you do? I'm Kuchiki Rukia," she greeted us in her rich melodious voice, totally different from just now.
Tatsuki-chan quickly replied her greeting with a bow and an introduction of herself. I felt a little awkward in my current position but manners are just as important.
"Please to meet you, Inoue Orihime!" I returned.
Introductions over; Kurosaki-kun strode over and kneeled down by my side.
"Sorry Inoue…about just now! ...sorry…"Kurosaki-kun apologizes to me. "Are you hurt anywhere?
"No…no…you dun have to apologize…it's all my fault…if you weren't there…I'll most probably fall flat on my face and suffer from internal bleeding…with severe brain damage….then I'll be a vegetable for the rest of my life...bedridden and dependent on everyone.so it is I who should apologize to you…for that…that…that thing…"I said, brushing off his apologies. "See, I'm totally fine…absolutely fine…all thanks to you!"
I stood up to prove my point; careful to put most of my weight on my right foot so that it does not hurt that badly. Slightly wincing, I beamed my most winsome smile to everyone and this put everyone present at back at ease.
"Kurosaki-kun, are we suppose not to see you?Now that you mentioned it, I didn't see you at all…only Tatsuki-chan did…until…until…"I turn beet red at the mere thought of those series of unfortunate events.
With response to my query, Kurosaki-kun threw Kuchiki-san a nervous glance.
"Ara…Kurosaki-kun was just showing me around town…but yesterday he lost a bet so he has to dress like that today…"explained the dark haired girl.
"Wow…you must be really persuasive…to get him to actually dress like that...and leave the house...if it was me he wouldn't even come out of his room!" snickered Tatsuki-chan from where she stood. "By the way...Orihime, we better get going…its going to get dark soon…"
"Hai….."
Forgetting about the pain…I stepped forward to join Tatsuki-chan. Feelings of déjà vu wash over me. I felt myself falling towards the ground for the third time today.
Once again I am saved from the barren ground instead I am in someone's arms. Someone is supporting me and…and… groping my breast at the same time!
"Taa…tsuu…ki-chan!" I called out, unsure.
"I…..CCCCHI………GOOOOO" Tatsuki-chan's yell sounded too far for my comfort.
"No…no….Tatsuki…….its just an accident……accident…ACCIDENT!"came Kurosaki-kun's voice from somewhere nearer.
"I'm glad that's over…no hollows today but I rather tackle 10 of those than Tatsuki!"announced a battered and bandaged Ichigo. "Rukia, let's call it a day."
After fending and dodging Tatsuki's attacks at the park for an hour, Ichigo felt his body aching all over. This has been a crazy day and he still does not understand how Tatsuki and Inoue could see him today?
As if hearing his thoughts, Rukia answered, "Ichigo, didn't we saved Inoue-san from her brother last night…Arisawa-san was there too…maybe this is a side-effect from my memory modifier!"
"Wow Rukia… you actually remembered all this right now… you couldn't even remember who they were at the park just now…" teased Ichigo.