(Author's Notes:) Urgh… I meant to update much quicker… but whatever… I couldn't even sleep properly lately because of school…
enjoy… there will be some twists and turns in this chapter:) Oh. and cursing in this chapter. mild I think. lol
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For his Love: One girl's quest to find a prince
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Act five: Hollow my prince.
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…
…
I've tried everything I can.
Food? Check.
Oddly enough, Kurosaki-kun hasn't come near me at lunch nowadays…
I really don't understand why… isn't the way to a man's heart his stomach? At least… that's what I've heard… Just yesterday, I tried going near him with my bento in hand, and he turned pale and practically fled! It was saddening…
Alas, my poor heart, quivering with rejection and loneliness!
Romeo, oh Romeo… Where art thou, Romeo?
Maybe Ichigo just isn't cut out to be Romeo.
(Actually, although I know he'd make a great Romeo, maybe another role would fit him better… he's a bit… too … gruff to be called a Romeo…)
Anyways,
If my prowess as a cook didn't impress him, you'd think for sure that he'd like seeing me dressed a bit… more femininely!
A makeover? Double check. Though Kurosaki-kun didn't seem to appreciate the new me… He didn't look at me again for the rest of that day… (Although, strangely, I noticed that everyone else, the people who didn't really matter, kept looking at me with weird expressions… how strange… )
…
Why?
What am I doing wrong?
Is there no hope for me?
Am I destined to go through life without any person to love? It's bad enough that I lost my parents and brother…
(No, Orihime! Think happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! Birds and food and cheese and honey! Think HAPPY!)
…
It doesn't matter!
He's my prince charming, no matter how reluctant he seems!
I WILL be victorious!
I will not give up on Kurosaki-kun!
Never!
NEVER!
Pigs may start flying, and rampant ginger-bread men may roam our world, but nothing will deter me from my love for Kurosaki-kun!
The strength of my love for him is indomitable!
One way or the other, I'll make him notice me!
…
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(3rd person p.o.v.)
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A languid silence filled the classroom.
"A white bird flew by the window…" The teacher read from the book, never once looking up from the English textbook in his hands.
In one corner of the room, the sounds of a pencil scratching on paper accompanied by smothered giggles disrupted the relative quiet. The rest of the students were either staring blankly at the teacher, or staring out the window.
One or two students had actually fallen asleep, their mouths open and snoring with almost reckless abandon.
"Izumo-san, please read the sentence at the bottom of page 276." The English teacher said in a monotone voice. Said student rose hurriedly, hastily turning to the mentioned page.
"A… a… ahnoder bedu p… plu… to joinu the whaitu bedu…" (translation: another bird flew to join the white bird.)
"Pathetic." The teacher remarked, his eyes still focused on the text in his hands. He turned the page, and launched into another lecture. "You must remember to get rid of the extra vowel sound you dolts make at the end when speaking English… it's ridiculous… almost half an year we've been in this class, yet only three students remain who can even read simple second grade level text!" The book in his hands slammed to the desk with a loud thud, startling many out of a drowsy stupor.
… Except one, who continued to snore raucously, quite unaware of the sudden silence that had fallen in the classroom.
"KUROSAKI! " The teacher thundered, the glasses on his face glinting ominously. Just as he was stomping over to the oblivious boy, ruler in hand, three things happened quite simultaneously, causing an instant uproar.
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One: a loud beeping noise issued from Ichigo's pocket, though that was heard only by a select few.
Two: Ichigo tumbled out of his chair, cursing loudly and vilely, turning over his desk onto an innocent bystander's leg in the process. (Said bystander began howling loudly, thus throwing the classroom into further chaos.)
Three: a deafening explosion sounded in the classroom as a sudden plume of smoke became visible outside the windows.
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Several girls screamed, faces pale as another explosion caused their desks to shudder. The teacher stared at the growing mass of smoke evident through the window with bewilderment.
The pillar-like mass of smoke billowed angrily, lapping at the sky with bloody hints of red-orange. A fire had started, somewhere in that vicinity.
"Cl-Class! Settle down!"
A girl hiccupped in the corner, clutching her friend in terror.
Ichigo kicked away the chair tangled with his body angrily, and leapt up from the floor, his face thunderous and hands clenched into fists.
"Chad. Run to my house." He snapped in a low mutter. "Get Kon to guard my family." He ordered tersely, already digging in his pockets frantically for the soul-candy that would forcibly rip his soul from his physical body.
Sado nodded grimly.
Uryuu Ishida, who had hitherto been observing the pandemonium stoically, turned to Ichigo with a dark expression.
"I can feel him." He said darkly. Ichigo spared him hardly a glance as he shoved the pill-like object into his mouth. Mere seconds later, his body folded as the orange-haired shinigami emerged.
Sado quickly took off, holding the limp, soulless body in his arms, and succeeding in escaping the classroom without much notice.
Ichigo ran for the nearest window, paused at the windowsill, and looked back, the barest flickers of anxiety visible in his gaze.
"I can too."
Orihime cleared her throat softly.
"Kurosaki-kun… Come back safely." She said quietly. Ichigo flashed a brief smile, and disappeared from view. Inoue watched him go with a frown evident on her pale face.
Somehow, she had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this particular Hollow wouldn't be as easy as the previous ones.
…
From behind Ishida and Orihime, Tatsuki's mouth thinned as she watched Sado running out of the school's front gates, Ichigo's body tucked under his arm as if it were an inanimate object.
Something was going on.
She could feel it.
…
…
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…
Clawing… tearing….
Shouting in his mind incessantly.
…
Ichigo staggered up from the ground, ferociously wiping the blood from his mouth.
Not one.
Not two.
…
… out…. . . . . . . . .
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Five hollows.
Five fuckin monstrously large Hollows.
What the hell was Soul society doing? Were they planning on letting him handle these monsters by himself?
Sure, he was badass and all, but between having to try to remain sane while battling, and having to do with FIVE of the stupid hollows at once… It was a wonder he was still alive.
…
He leapt aside as one particularly large and ugly Hollow with a head that jutted out like a vulture's barreled towards him, knocking over a couple street poles in the process.
Ichigo gripped his zankapotou, and just as the monster passed him again, he swiftly slashed out, severing the head from the body.
One down.
Four to go.
"Shit!" He yelled in frustration. "Where the hell is anyone useful when I need them!"
…
… Little Ichigo wants to play….
To play
… and he'll be dead…
by the end of today!
…
He could almost see the condescending glee in the other's face.
"SHUT IT!" He roared. "LET ME CONCENTRATE, YOU DAMN FOOL!"
…
… So long…….
So long since freedom…..
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The bright-haired male growled in frustration, gripping his eye as his vision swam for a second. Around him, he could hear noises, see blurry outlines. Inside his own mind, he was being drowned out by the voice of another.
One more powerful than he.
The whites of his eyes blackened slowly, agonizingly, as Ichigo gritted his teeth, hoping, hoping, that the Hollow within would relent and let him finish the stupid fight.
It had dragged on long enough, thanks to the stupid thing.
More glass shattering, more concrete and cement cracking.
And inside his head, the neverending, ever growing screaming and insane laughter.
…
OUT……..
… LET ME OUuut!
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The vision in his other eye slowly blurred.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
A mantra formed in Ichigo's head as he realized that the Hollow-Ichigo's pull was far stronger than it had been last time.
…
Get out of my head…
Leave me alone!
…
A last, brief struggle for control, and suddenly, the world went black for Ichigo.
--------- end of attempt five----
(Author's note:) Whoa! A sudden, dark turn in the story! Where did THAT pop up from? Suddenly, the story's not so humorous anymore! XD
Rest assured, the story will go back to Orihime:) I know what I'm doing, so RELAX folks, ok?
I'm sorry… it's been forever since my last update. I am officially getting 2-6 hours of sleep each day now, cause of school. Usuallly 4.
Pairings will start being revealed come next chapter; next two chapters will be sorta dark, then it'll zoom back on Orihime. Lol.
Enjoy, and thanks for the many reviews people! I was shocked to realize I have.. er. .. what do I have.. lemme check… well.. 70 something views, at my last check:O thanks for the reviews people! You have no idea how happy it makes me:D Wowzers! I'm really looking forward to future chapters. :) Hopefully, my next chapter wont be so long in coming … /