Thank you to everyone who had reviewed. I hope this is on par with the standard you have set out for this story.
Thank you Ah-choo for pointing out the need for separation of different characters. I will edit the rest of the chpts later to correct the mistake.
I hope this is deep enough for you lems. Sorry for making Orihime sound so stupid in the previous chpts!
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach and its characters but they belong to their respective owners.
Chad's POV
"Wow, that was fast……" said Kurosaki, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Even Chado would have been back by now, if he went instead of you……no offence intended, Chado!"
I grunted understandingly at my friend. I eyed the sleeping figure in Ishida's arms with surprise. From where I stood, she looked mummified with both her arms heavily bandaged and more bandages peeping out of the leggings of her pants.
Ishida ignored Ichigo's words and went straight up to him. He pushed the sleeping body of Inoue-san forcefully into his arms. Kurosaki arched his eyebrows with surprise at this sudden move but instinctively held on to the sleeping girl.
"Wh….wha…what did you do that for?" shouted Ichigo, shoving Inoue back at him. Ishida had no choice but to hold on to her lest she falls to the ground and sustains yet another bruise. "I can see that that Inoue is here now……you don't have to give her to me like some sort of thing….object…tool…"
Glaring at him, Ishida shoved Inoue back into his arms. "After carrying her all the way here…I think she deserves to be held by you for a minute or two! She's been calling your name ever since I picked her up! You should have went to fetch her instead of me…since its obvious it was you she wanted…not me!" Ishida's anger exploded from within and he is practically yelling at Ichigo.
'This is highly unusual, I've never seen Ishida acting like this before. He is usually level-headed all the time.' I thought.
Ichigo stared at Ishida with disbelief. The little gears in his head clicking furiously away trying to decide whether Ishida is playing a sick joke on him or is really traumatized by the incident of just 'fetching' Inoue or what he is saying now is really the truth and nothing but the truth. He finally decided on the former one though it is so unlike the taciturn Ishida to play such a childish prank on him!
"What do you mean…..? Inoue? My name….?" answered Ichigo feigning confusion and shock, with his right hand on his chest. "Hah, you really got me there for a minute, Ishida…but I'm not going to fall for such a lame joke," Ichigo laughed out loud, dropping his façade.
Suddenly, Ichigo's laughter ceased to an abrupt halt. He stared at the girl in his arms with a serious look of concentration on his face. I was wondering what Ichigo is doing when I heard it; the soft calling of Ichigo's name as described by Ishida beforehand. Although it sounded really soft, it was still audible above the chirping of crickets.
Ichigo's face blanched and he pitched Inoue away like a baseball. No doubt, Jinta would have been extremely proud of Ichigo's screwball toss if he was actually present to witness it. Whoever would have known that our orange spiky haired Shinigami actually has a titsy wee bit of baseball talent in him? The only difference between a professional pitcher and Ichigo is that…professionals only throw baseballs while Ichigo…… threw Inoue!
"Shimata! Inoue….."
I quickly stretched my long legs in an effort get over there in time to catch Inoue. Halfway across, I realize that my efforts are useless since I would never reach her in time from this distance. I halted and decided to put my faith into Ishida instead.
'Ishida would catch her in time. Knowing him all too well he would definitely catch Inoue no matter what! He won't let any harm come to her!' I concluded.
As expected, Ishida did manage to catch Inoue in the nick of time before she connected with the ground. I sighed with relief; glad Ishida lived up to my expectations of him.
Ishida peered down at Inoue-san, still sleeping soundly in his arms despite the fact that she had just been thrown like a shot-put into the air by the man she admired/loved the most (as claimed by Ishida a moment ago), demonstrated projectile motion (I always thought that this only happens in math problems we solve at school), and was nanometers away from having her head broken open like 'Humpty Dumpty' when he fell off his wall. He stood there for a moment, with a silly smile on his face, lost in his own little world. Suddenly his expression changed. Flames of anger could be seen leaping from behind his eyes as he tore his gaze away from Inoue and relinquished it onto Ichigo.
Ichigo, having regained his composure now reciprocated Ishida's steely look with guilt.
"Err…sorry? Phew, you caught her in time, eh, Ishida….."
Keeping his voice flat and emotionless, he spoke, "Kurosaki Ichigo…. that was unforgivable….that's why I hate Shinigamis…..and shall do so for the rest of my life! Because they always try to hurt the people I care for and love more than anything else in the world. And to think…Inoue-san actually has feelings for you….and you…you actually threw her away like a piece of garbage! I bet you, you weren't even aware of that fact, right? That she like you and all…even a monkey would have noticed it…..the way she acts when she's around you...the way she always praises you….even when you are just acting dumb. All her actions points to a point…that says…that says…"
Ishida's words broke away. Upon closer inspection of his face, I realized that he is brimming with so much emotion that there are now tears in his eyes. From this distance, I am unsure if those were tears of joy or disappointment in Ichigo. But the fact remains that he is clearly too overwhelmed by it to even finish his own sentence!
"…to tell you the truth…I envy you Kurosaki…." continued Ishida in his flat monotonous voice, a tear rolled down his cheek on cue. "…you have the greatest girl in the world right beside you…and you don't even acknowledge her existence. Oh, how I wish it was me she was cherishing all those attention on….me she was calling out to…me she would one day say those three little words to me…"
"I hate you?" suggested Ichigo helpfully when he noticed his friend pausing again.
Ishida paid no heed to Ichigo's words but instead whispered, "I love you, Orihime!"
There was a momentarily silence after Ishida's sudden proclamation of love for our comrade. Everyone present were too stunt to comment anything about it.
'Honestly speaking, to me, Ishida did not seem to be that kind of person, the kind that would fall head over heels over a girl and start spouting mushy stuff with extra fluff in his words. Truth be told, I always thought he was into men. I thought he like them chunky with broad shoulders and rippling pectorals too.'
"Iii….ssshi…daa…kkk…un"
Everyone's attention is now diverted towards Inoue who is wide awake in Ishida's arms. We did not realize that she has aroused from her slumber and had overheard Ishida's whole touching oration.
Horrified at this turn of event, Ishida threw Inoue away; a reminiscence of Ichigo's earlier action except that Ishida's style of throw is much more artistic compared to Ichigo.
'For a moment there, Ishida looked like a bride throwing her…I mean his…bouquet of flowers to a giggle of expecting bride-to-be's. The only thing missing from this picture is the veil, the giggle of girls and the bouquet of…'
"Shimata! Inoue….."
I snapped out of my reverie and quickly bounded towards my airborne classmate without any hesitation.
'I am her only hope now! There is no one else to rely on to save Inoue. Ichigo? He would most probably throw her away. Ishida? Well, I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for him and to think he actually said he loves her! If this is love, love really hurts!'
Ichigo's POV
'Kuso, Ishida!'
I ran towards the direction Ishida threw Inoue.
'A minute ago he was all High and Mighty giving me a lengthy lecture about discarding Inoue like trash and seconds after that he personally blasted her off to the moon. Yup, he's no better than I am! No, you're wrong, he is worse than me; at least, I don't throw Rukia away like that even though I love her! Hah, Ishida…love….yeah right…' I thought, while pumping my legs faster.
Ishida's POV
'Oh no, why did I do that for…? Must have been inspired by Kurosaki! Hmph…I rather give my soul to Hollows than be inspired by that…that…' I cannot find the right word to describe Kurosaki Ichigo since my jealousy for him is still making its rounds through my blood veins.
I turn my thoughts back to my angel instead. 'In my opinion Inoue-san certainly has a more relaxing aura than that tall, orange headed orang utan dressed in black beggars clothes, with those dull shears strapped to his back and bathroom slippers…come to think of it, he really does reminds me of my ex-gardener who recently drowned in my garden of 'Veronica'. Ah…Orihime! A sight for sore eyes and medicine for my ailing heart! By the way, where is she?'
Lost in my own thoughts, I stood there and pondered on that question for a while. I remember I was cuddling her in my arms a minute ago but she is definitely not there right now. I stared at my hands expecting the answer to pop out of nowhere. Then, the memories came flooding back. I panicked and hunted the sky for her. There she is a tiny speck illuminated by the moonlight about to hit earth's surface any time soon. I gathered and compressed spiritual energy into my legs and sped towards it.
I reached there in just time to hold out my arms to receive her, the only problem was it did not seem to be Orihime I caught but a fiery ball of light.
'Oh no, she must had disintegrated into a ball of fire due to air resistance! Calm down Ishida Uryuu that is impossible! If you count the angle of projection and distance traveled…'I blacked out before I could perform the necessary calculations.
Orihime's POV
I held my breath as I listened intently to Ishida-kun's words. His words spoke volumes of his inner feelings. I could feel the intensity of it emanating from every single word he utters. When he ended his heartfelt confession with 'I love you, Orihime' a part of me sang out with exultation. He never calls me 'Orihime' before, not even once. It sounded perfect on his lips. He should call me that more often. My heart feels set afire just by it. Inspired by his courage to unburden his feelings to me, I felt the urge to scream out my very own feelings too. I opened my mouth.
"Iii….ssshi…daa…kkk…un" the words tumbled out warming up for the big event.
Suddenly, I found myself flying through air.
'I cannot believe this. I am about to confess my feelings to Ishida-kun and he threw me away, before I even started. I really cannot believe this, he actually threw me away!' I thought frantically, my pride deeply wounded.
Impulsively, I brought my hands up to my clips.
'Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Sacred Tri-Link Shield! I reject!' I mentally called forth my powers.
My powers sprang into action and a glowing triangle formed in front of me. The shield buffered my fall but the impact of it created an explosion. Smoky tendrils rose steadily into the air casting its translucent screen around me. Through it, I could make out the outlines of three enormous things lying awkwardly on the ground. I waved the smoke away in exasperation to see what those things were and was very surprised to see a charred Sado-kun, Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun lying unconscious, generously spread out like butter on a slice of bread.
"Wonderful control of your powers…" said Uruhara-san, chuckling softly to himself, walking towards us. "They came to your rescue! It seems the damsel in distress apparently had outwitted her heroes once again…looks like they have under-estimated your powers and abilities, ne..."
He gave the area where the remains of my comrades lay, a sweep with his hands to prove his point. The weight of my action and Uruhara's words sank in. It was because of me they are in this condition. I gulped guiltily.
'Oh no, Ishida-kun. Kurosaki-kun. Sado-kun. I'm sorry…'
I was silent for a minute, cracking my brains for a solution to turn the inevitable around. No use crying over spilt milk, after all, regardless of what everyone thinks, I am not that kind of person, those soft and hopeless kinds who would weep at every single thing and give up when a minor setback presented itself.
"Ahh…I'll fix them up right now…this instant…" I voiced out my final decision cheerfully to Uruhara-san.
He nodded his approval. I brought my hands up to my clips. Concentrating, I summoned my powers once again.
"Shun'ou! Ayame! Sacred Return Shield! I reject!"
The fairy-like creatures appeared and flew to them. They glowed under the influence of my power and soon their bodies returned to their normal unmarred state although they are still unconscious.
I went over and squatted beside them.
"Sado-kun? Kurosaki-kun? Are you alright?" their eyes fluttered open and their chest rise and fall rhythmically to their breathing in reply. Now there is only Ishida-kun left. Unlike Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun, his chest is not moving at all and his eyes are tightly shut.
'Ok, I may have a vendetta against him…..but this is too much…I hope he doesn't die out on me! I'm not done with him yet!'
"Ishida-kun…" I called out softly, crossing my fingers.
I touched his cheek lightly, his alabaster skin felt smooth and warm beneath my fingers. The warmness is a good sign, since it means that he is alive, and if you look at it this way, he could be just tired from our trip and is sort of taking a nap right now. Nothing is more rejuvenating than a nap under the starry night sky with the moon beam awash on your face! Suddenly his eyes snapped open, I snatched my hand away.
"ORIHIME……I'm sorrryyyy!" yelled Ishida-kun, simultaneously sitting up.
"He really loves you a lot, ne…." chuckled the straw head manager annoyingly. My cheeks burned red hot. I forgot that he was still standing there.
Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun who are up and about, wide alert, gaped in astonishment at Ishida-kun.
Kurosaki-kun elbowed Sado-kun and whispered, "He did threw her away didn't he?"
Sado-kun replied with a nod.
"Gomen ne, Sado-kun…Kurosaki-kun….! I didn't know you guys were standing there…but I'm glad you guys are alright!" I told the other two in an effort to make them forget about that embarrassing yet horrendous incident. I definitely do not want them blaming Ishida-kun for the rest of his life. Perhaps it was slightly his fault but maybe Ishida-kun really accidentally threw me away or maybe his fingers slipped (his speech was rather long) so it is not entirely his fault! I turn my attention towards my, guardian/thrower, Ishida-kun, who is still clearly dazed by the impact, determined to tell him my true feelings. The fact that he threw me away is blotched out of my memory.
"Ori…hime…uh…Inoue, you're…"he stammered. I put my finger on his lips to stop him from saying more and gave him a light kiss fully on his lips. When I pulled away, his eyes still have a glazed look on them.
"…Orihime! Inoue…I thought you like…" he stopped and glanced at Kurosaki-kun. I looked from Kurosaki-kun to Ishida-kun, confused, wondering where Ishida-kun got the idea that I like Kurosaki-kun from.
'I just gave my first kiss to him… doesn't that tell him something? Anything? Or did I give him the impression that I go around kissing strangers especially those who just catapulted me into the air?' I thought.
Taking a deep breath, I answered him. "Ishida-kun? Are you trying to say something about…Kurosaki-kun and I?"
"Uh…yeah…you were…" he looked away, blushing furiously. "……on our way here."
"I……what!" clueless of what he is trying to imply.
"…you were in…ecstasy…..calling out to….for…"he threw me a quick look at Kurosaki-kun before turning back to look at me. That maneuver explained several things but I am still confused about the whole thing.
"Ecstasy? Ishida-kun, are you trying to tell me that I was sleep talking and I called out for Kurosaki-kun in ecstasy?"
Ishida-kun kept quiet. Everyone nodded at this statement.
"….I did?" my eyes bulged with horror.
Everyone nodded again in unison.
"But I…I……." I could not say it. Ishida-kun is petulantly staring at a spot on the grass, carefully avoiding any eye-contact with me. I flail my arms haplessly trying to get him to look at me and tell me that he did not think of me that way.
"…I couldn't have done it! Did I call out 'Kurosaki-kun' or did I call out for Kurosaki-kun?"
They nodded again. They look like those spring dolls people put on their dashboards where the doll's heads would bob up and down each time the car bounces over a hump.
"Inoue, …called out…"came Sado-kun's low rumble.
I waited for him to give a more elaborate explanation to his given explanation but unfortunately he said nothing else after that.
"Chado, you are doing it again! This time you left out the most important part of the sentence!" said Kurosaki-kun giving him a slap on his back.
"Ichigo…" shrieked Sado-kun all of a sudden, in a falsetto voice. I jumped.
'That sounded weird coming from a hunk like Sado-kun. Perhaps the collision did caused some serious damage to their brains. Or could it be post-traumatic stress? But…that isn't important now… err….is there something going on between Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun? I seriously thought that Kurosaki-kun is straight with all those things between him and Rukia!' I thought to myself, eying the two of them wearily. 'Strange, Kurosaki-kun isn't responding to Sado-kun. I'm sure he heard that…'
"Ano…Kurosaki-kun? I think Sado-kun is trying to tell you something."
"He is…! I thought he was telling you what 'you called out for' when you were asleep!"
"Huh! You mean…that...wasn't…I did that?"
Everyone present safe for Ishida-kun nodded again with affirmative. Then I remembered the dream! It came rushing back to me like a broken dam; the dream of strawberries and cheese.
'That was wonderful but the aftermath of it is clearly a disaster. The only thing to do now is tell them about it.'
"Ah…sou ka? Now that you mentioned it……I had a dream just now. It was a wonderful dream!" I clapped my hands in delight at the thought of it.
Everyone including Ishida-kun is now staring at me like I had three eyes, four legs and ten arms. A slight tinge of blush coloured Kurosaki-kun's cheeks. I could hear the thoughts running through their minds now, 'Is she going to tell us all the glossy details about her escapade with Kurosaki-kun now?'
"Ahh…its not like that……nothing like that!" I could feel my cheeks and my neck burning red hot at the mere thought of their thoughts. "It was about 'ichigo' and cheese! There were so many of them and they all taste so sweet."
Kurosaki-kun's face turned a deeper shade of red. Sado-kun is staring at Kurosaki-kun with countless wrinkles etched onto his forehead. It then occurred to me that perhaps Sado-kun thinks I am referring to Kurosaki-kun when I said 'ichigo' and is now imagining multiple of Kurosaki-kuns surrounded by cheese being eaten by me. Maybe that's why Kurosaki-kun is so embarrass, Ishida-kun looks like he wants to murder me and Uruhara-san seems to be enjoying the whole drama!
The image was so humourous, I ended up giggling helplessly. This caught their attention and they look fixedly at me, all previous thoughts clearly deleted from their memory bank.
"I didn't mean ichigo as in Kurosaki Ichigo but ichigo as in the fruit itself…"I explained.
A look of relieve swept through all of them and they calmed down.
"Then you don't like Kurosaki?" Ishida asked, suddenly repossessing his ability to speak rather fluently compared to just now.
"I do….but not the way you think!" I smiled mysteriously at him.
"Ossu, shall we get going? We have been out here for a while….with all those excitement…we would still be here till the next century if we don't get moving!" announced Uruhara, walking towards his store with Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun on his heels.
Ishida turned to follow suit. I reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him in mid-stride.
"I love you Ishida-kun…even if what you said just now was a fluke…I will still love you…" the words came out in a rush. "But next time…could you just put me down gently and try telling me that first instead of throwing me away to prove your point…?"
Translations:
Kuso - shit
Shimata - Dammit
Sou ka - is it?
AN: This is the end of it but if any of you guys out there think I should continue, please drop me a line! I hope you guys enjoyed it.
Veronica is a type of herbaceous plant with narrow pointed leaves and spikes of blue or purple by some as public enemy number one to their carpet grass!