Thanks everyone for the reviews. The romance between Ishida and Inoue is buffed up in this chapter though I am sorry if it is too mushy at some parts. I guess I got carried away.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters but they belong to their respective owners!
Orihime's POV
I turned towards Uruhara's store; a blush tinged my pale cheeks, a result of that impromptu confession to Ishida-kun. I was really nervous about it just now but the only thing I feel now is misery although my heart is still racing like a horse in the racing tracks and my body still tingling like crazy. I broke into a stride towards the entrance of the store, thinking that perhaps a little distance between Ishida-kun and I would do wonders to calm the nerves. After all, we are running behind schedule due to those little 'incidents' and misunderstandings. Great, to add to the misery, now there is guilt too and that distance deos not help my nerves one bit!
Suddenly I felt a familiar touch on my wrist; someone's hand is holding onto mine, halting my progression. The grip was firm and commanding yet gentle at the same time. Without a flick, I know in my heart who it was. I reluctantly looked over my shoulders at the owner of it, my face flaming up helplessly.
"Chotto, Orihime!" Ishida-kun said softly. His deep blue eyes bore straight into mine, sort of pleading me to comply with his request. A part of me wanted to stay but another part wanted to flee. Flee like the way the wind carries a dry leaf.
'Must get away…no…I have to stay…I want to stay…NO…RUN AWAY NOW…run while you still can…'
The dilemma continued on within me; should I or should I not? Fueling the uncertainty is none other than Ishida-kun's pheromones and my very own hormones channeling through my body; creating chaos inside my brain and sending weird signals to my entire neural system.
Chad's POV
We stood in the huge cavern beneath the store waiting patiently, again, for Inoue and Ishida. I could have sworn they were following us closely behind when we entered the store. What is taking them so long?
The seconds ticked by, slowly turning into minutes and still we waited, and waited. We surreptitiously glanced up the tall ladder leading up to the store, hoping to catch a sign of either one of them appearing anytime soon but not even a shadow shaded the hatch at the very top of the ladder.
After a huge dose of waiting, Ichigo started fidgeting impatiently; unable to keep standing still any longer whereas Uruhara began preoccupying himself with one of those dead looking trees nearby, unbothered about the missing members of the group. Meanwhile, Tessai continued standing in his 'Buckingham soldier' stance, a little distance away from us, except his arms are crossed in front of him (not at the side) and he is missing one of those tall Bobby hats and red uniform with a huge ancient rifle/gun in one hand.
Orihime's POV
I was still pondering about the next appropriate move when the grip on my wrist became a strong tug. I found myself twirling instinctively into Ishida-kun's direction. The same way a dancer knows when to twirl into her partners arm when he jerks her in mid-step. To be frank with myself, I know I have no talent in dancing or ballet. So when that jerk came, the only image that my overloaded mind could conjure up was a motorway accident involving a big cement mixer and a stray chicken defying the cliche punchline of 'why did the chicken cross the road'.
'Oh no…I'm going to crash into him…like the way that cement mixer did...why...why did he do that for?' I thought frantically, for the second time tonight. 'The last thing I want is bodily contact…'
The angel on my right shoulder nodded with approval at my abhorrence while the devil on my left kept urging and egging me on.
"Quit fighting it, you've been craving for this since he saved you a few years ago! You craved for it at your apartment too, don't be shy…get in there and enjoy it!" the devil said punctuating the air with jabs of his pitchfork.
'NOOO….he doesn't love me…he never once had an ounce of feeling for me!' I affirmed my stand, shaking my head to clear away the tempting and juicy thoughts.
'NO, HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!' the sensible part of me took hold and upped the defence. Soon the devil gave way and back off, defeated.
Besides, it is useless running away from reality and lying to myself that the person I love also holds the same feelings for me was the worse mistake I have ever made. I have made that mistake once and I am proud to say that I have learned from it. I would not make the same mistake again. I prepared my body to push myself away and regain my balance independently; no way am I having Ishida-kun pulling me up to my feet again. I resolved to do this, the plan was safe-proof except...somehow I could not muster any energy to carry it out.
I gave up and left my fate into the hands of destiny, in this case, to Ishida-kun. I hope he would let me down gently this time, not as hostile like before. I braced myself for the impact but it never came instead I found myself…in a half-lying position with my body positioned in such a way that I have no choice but to look straight at Ishida-kun's angular face. My cheeks reddened even deeper.
I felt like Scarlet in the arms of Rhett in that 'Gone with the Wind' movie. My breath hastened at the very reminiscences of that particular romantic scene in the parlour. After all, we do look like the Japanese version of Scarlet and Rhett. Moreover, the way Ishida-kun is holding onto me now, with one hand firmly supporting my back while the other clutching my wrist loosely, coupled with the moonlight and the starry night sky as its background; it all creates the same romantic atmosphere of that touching scene. Though, in my opinion, I think this is actually much much more romantic and natural than that Oscar winning scene.
Ichigo's POV
'Where are they? They could not have gotten lost…I mean…they have been here countless of times and the store isn't that big either…' My eyes ran through the 'room' we are in. '…ok…in here it's humungous but the outside looks semai and chiisai…the store itself is downright tiny for goodness sake!'
Orihime's POV
My choice to flee has whittled down to zilch but I realize that I was hardly bothered by that fact now. Ishida-kun's last move, proves that he can be really persistent when he wants to talk to me. I doubt he would take 'no' for an answer if I told him that I have to take a rain check because I ran out of red thread and have to dash to the nearby 24 hours sewing shop to get some before my neighbours teddybear's bleed all its stuffings out! Therefore, that concludes why should not fret about running away from his clutches. That and also because my heart do actually aches badly to be by his side.
"Issshiiiii…daa-kun?" I said, hoping to prompt an explanation about all this from him. Feelings aside, I am still a clueless damsel caught in the middle of the things and to make matters worse, everything is happening too fast.
I felt his hand move from his its position over my hand. He brought the free hand up to my lips and hushed me with a finger. His actions were fluid and emanates an aura of serenity. I relaxed my muscles and the tension in my body melted away. I cast away the foolish thoughts that Ishida-kun would fling me away again. I am in good hands. Ishida-kun is clearly a different man from before; completely different from that man who cold-heartedly sent me airborne into the air minutes ago. Yes, that Ishida-kun and this Ishida-kun is different. This is the same Ishida-kun I have known all these years but this is also definitely a different side of Ishida-kun that I have never seen before!
Next he lifted his hand to my hair and began smoothing out the tangles, letting my hair run through his fingers, before letting it go freely to let gravity pull it down untill it ended in a pool of brown-orangey mass on the ground.
I could only stare hypnotically into his blue eyes, which I must point out, never left my face once in the course of his actions.
"Orihime, I'm sorry about…just now…I promise I would never throw you away!" Ishida-kun said his hand busy brushing my crown of glory, while his eyes looked fixedly at me. I could tell that he really meant every word he said. A shiver went through my spine. The manner of his speaking especially his voice has changed, it sounded different, and for a minute there it actually sounded rather sexy! "…ever…this I promise you…till the day that I die…"
'Stop it! This is insane…'
I was still unraveling from the shock of the change in Ishida-kun, together with all those petting, that husky voice, those innocent blue eyes, not to mention my conscience and the never-ending internal war with a part of me which stubbornly insists I keep my distance lest my heart would suffer from yet another painful rejection!
'What is happening? Why is Ishida-kun doing all this?' my mind screamed.
Either my expression gave nothing away to the chaos that reign within me or I am really gifted in masking my internal conflicts for Ishida-kun paid no attention to my lack of reaction to his new pledge and continued to smoothen and stoke my hair like I was one of those prized cats in the Annual Blue Ribbon Competition. I noticed that he wore the same silly smile he had when he was in my apartment as he pulled back my hair and hooked it neatly behind my ears, before giving it a long run through its lengths and an elaborate pat on the head. Finally he was done with his obsession about my hair.
Our gaze at each other never broke even once during the whole exchange. After that, he proceeded to trace the outline of my face with his fingers.Then it occured to me that Ishida-kun's blue eyes are the bluest blue I have ever seen. Or maybe it is just because I have never ever been given such an opportunity by someone to openly stare at them for such a long period of time.
"Orihime, do you know that you are the loveliest angel I have ever seen?" his fingers continued its careful journey on my skin as he whispered those words to me. My heart raced faster, my palms began to sweat and hyper-ventilation has escalated another fold whereas my cheeks are completely seared to a point of no return.
"You are so….beautiful….your skin so...soft and smooth...your lips..."
Ichigo's POV
My digital watch shows that almost half an hour had passed since we entered the basement. At the way things are turning out, it seems like Ishida and Inoue has dropped off the surface of the Earth.
"Ooi, one of us should go out and find them! They could be lost…or something," I suggested to the other people present.
Though, it seems impossible for them to be lost. Since all they have to do is come in through the front door, follow the corridor to the back of the store and climb down the stairs. It is as simple as that. Furthermore, the two of them are the cream of the crop in our school; they surely should know how the front door of a store looks like moreover this store unless they really got lost while finding the door.
'Yeah right, as if they were that dumb! If they were, I wouldn't be suffering from inferiority complex all these years…'
Even if they were really lost, they could just follow our spiritual trace and it would lead them directly back to the right path again. Although, I hate to admit it but Ishida is way better than I am at sensing spiritual energy.
'What is taking them so long?'
I close my eyes and concentrate, trying to find their current positions. Maybe by noting their positions I could deduce the reason behind their punctuality.
'Whaaaa….they are still standing outside the store! What the hell?'
"Oooi…." I exclaimed, about to suggest that we should seriously consider sending someone out there to find them again.
"Koraa…let's pick straws…the one with the shortest…is the lucky one to climb up and go out there to find them!" geta-boshi said cheerfully, taking out a bunch of white and red stripe straws from his pocket and waving it around to emphasize his point. He went to Chado first and offered the stack to him. After Chado picked a long one, it was Tessai's turn. He too picked a long one.
There were only two straws left in geta-boshi's clutch. He came and offered me one. I instinctively took the one on the right since it looks long. Even the end was sticking out while the other disappeared somewhere in his palm. I pulled it out from his grip triumphantly expecting a long one except…
"Ja, Kurosaki-kuuunnnn! Yorishiku ne…."geta-boshi said waving the last long straw of the batch in my face with a smug plastered on his face.
I spluttered incredulously. I wanted to object and request for a redraw, when it occurred to me that that sounds too childish and unsporting for an ideal healthy seventeen year-old high school male. Wordlessly, I trudged to the ladder and heaved myself up.
"Bye-bye, Kurosaki-kuuunnnn!" geta-boshi's voice echoed irritatingly behind me as I made my slow climb up to the store.
Orihime's POV
"…you are wrong about that part that I don't love you…" Ishida-kun said, his index finger still gently caressing my cheeks. "I do…very….much…." his words trailed away.
Ishida-kun's face is now inching closer to my face. My heart is pounding; I could feel the blood rushing in my ears. Our lips were almost touching when…
Ichigo's POV
"OOOI….ISHIDAAA! WHERE ARE YOU?" I shouted as I approached the front door. I could see two figures up ahead.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness outside, I could make out Ishida calmly pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one hand and waving his other hand at me. I cannot find Inoue anywhere though my senses tells me otherwise.
"Uh…Ichigo…" he said. I ignored him and scanned the area. My eyes feel upon the figure of someone lying on the ground by Ishida's foot. It looks like Inoue!
I arched my eyebrows suspiciously.
"Ishida, what were you doing?" I asked the lanky archer, throwing him a disgusted look.
"Uh…Ori…Inoue…and I were…talking…nothing much really…" he answered glancing nervously at Inoue, his face has a ghostly sheen to it. "…until I accidentally dropped her!"
'Ishida if you took advantage of Inoue, I swear I would…I would…' My big brother protective mode kicked into action as I stared at the motionless figure of Inoue on the ground. 'Wait; did he just say 'drop her'? Oh no…not again!'
Orihime's POV
'Oh yeah, Ishida-kun was about to kiss me…our faces were millimeters apart…until we heard Kurosaki-kun's voice. What happened next? Why can't I remember? '
I cast my memory back as far as back as I could but the only thing I could come up with is the night sky. It looked so pretty tonight. When I blinked, the sky disappeared and Kurosaki-kun's scrunched up face floated by. After that, it was all black and blank. I remember…nothing!
'What happened?'
Ishida's POV
'How stupid of you, Uryuu… you promised her you won't throw her and minutes after that…you dropped her like a sack of potatoes…just because Kurosaki was approaching and you didn't want him making fun of you…'
No; its not Kurosaki's fault Orihime is still unconscious, the trip to Soul Society has to be postponed and we all missed the first paper of our finals. Its my entire fault, all mine.
'Why? Why do the people I care about always get hurt? Why?'
I clenched my fist till my finger nails dug into my flesh creating crescents.
'Sorry Orihime…please be alright! God, from now on I will do anything, even deprive myself of her love…just let her be herself again…I promise I would not get near her again…please make her wake up...that's all I ask of You!'
TRANSLATIONS
Kora – hey
Yoroshiku – over here its something like I'll leave it up to you.
Semai – narrow
Chiisai – small
Geta-boshi – sandals - straw hat
Chotto – wait/ got a minute
AN: I was thinking of leaving out the POV thingy since if you pay attention to the sentences its easy to figure out who's talking and I admit I'm too lazy to type it out but I decided to just put the effort in and include it because this chapter flies from one person to another too frequently, and it does get downright confusing at times. Heck, I even got myself confused too while I was writing it. Who knows what would happen to you innocent readers out there if I hadn't include it, you guys might need to check into an asylum after reading it and I might get sued in the process.Yikes!
Boy, am I glad that I got off my lazy butt and included it.Hehe…well, hope you guys enjoyed it!