Before we begin, I must tell you beforehand that this story is a sequel to 'Like a Fire in a bell Jar'. It's not a necessity to read that before you can read this. Both can be handled separately.
But if you were to read that...it would give this story a whole new meaning :)
Since this site doesn't allow links to be inserted, you can simply go to my ffn profile and read it from there :D
Written for Ulquihime week 2021 held in tumblr; Day 05: Promise Day.
Chapter 01
One Fine Autumn Day
'The deadline is in six months. You don't have much time'
'The deadline is in six months. You don't have much time'
'The deadline is in six months. You don't have much time'
Orihime kept chanting this sentence inwardly, in hopes that it might provoke a response from her mind to write something, to type anything.
It did no such thing. The blank page of the word document stared back at her, the typing cursor blinking annoyingly at her.
Frustrated, the red head slammed her laptop screen down, not bothering to shut it properly. What was the point anyway? It's not like she typed anything in it. There was nothing to save. Period.
Pushing her chair backward, Orihime got up and stretched herself, her back procuring a series of cricking sounds.
The aching muscles wouldn't be considered a burden if some progress in the story was being made. After all, to strive for something greater, sacrifices had to be made including lack of sleep and late sittings.
Reality was far from it though. Orihime Inoue was sitting alright, but not to pen down her story but rather to teach. Her job at the public library wasn't paying much and living was hard to come by. In order to meet her expenses, Orihime picked up tutoring jobs. After completing her morning shift, she would have a quick lunch before leaving for coaching. And would teach grade 5 and grade 6 students from late noon till early evening in their homes. Orihime would then traipse back to her apartment and would immerse herself in chores like fixing her dinner, packing her bag and ironing her dress for the next day. By the time she was done, the redhead was too fatigued to do anything. She would then give in to sleep, only to repeat the whole cycle the very next day.
Weekends were better. After cleaning her apartment and doing the laundry, Orihime Inoue would have the entire day to herself. This the woman didn't waste and scrounged it to the fullest extent. Dressed in colorful printed pjs and sipping her chai along with a box of donuts, Orihime would type away in her laptop gleefully all the while enjoying the cool breeze drifting in through the tiny balcony door.
If someone were to see her like this, they would feel sorry for her, thinking that it's such a pity that the girl is working on weekends as well. Meanwhile the girl in question would be over the moon as she pored over the notes she had scribbled in her diary regarding the plot. To Orihime, this was self-care and pampering at its best.
But as of lately, Orihime weekends weren't as free as they were before. First her students' test week arrived. Despite being regular, the parents requested Orihime to teach their kids for more time so that they can excel in their tests. They promised to pay extra. Orihime was never clumsy to begin with when it came to finances. She paid her bills on time and bought groceries within her budget. In spite of this, she was left with little or no amount to save.
There was no harm in receiving extra cash. Besides it was only for two weeks. Orihime couldn't possibly say no.
Then all of sudden, her two colleagues took a leave from work. One fell sick while another one had to travel due to urgent reasons. Orihime had to cover both of their shifts because her boss requested it and also there was no one available to cover. The days that followed were a nightmare.
When the colleagues finally returned, parties barged in. There were birthday parties back to back of two of the kids living in Orihime's apartment block. An invitation to the wedding of her co-worker. Even though they weren't close, Orihime still went, out of politeness and for a promise to delicious food. The woman returned to home somewhere around 1 in the morning, too tired to change out of her dress and just feeling super glad that the next day was Sunday.
It was an email notification that reminded Orihime of her original priorities. An email from Phoenix Publishers (PP) telling their subscribers that the deadline for submitting the manuscript was in precisely six months.
A competition was being held by the said company; submit your manuscript and if the panel of the judges happened to like it, PP would take the entire responsibility of publishing and marketing of it in the form of novel. There was huge cash money involved too, followed by a book tour in major districts where the winner would get to read their work as well as sign the copies.
The deal sounded lucrative enough, Orihime thought as she read the newspaper cutting one more time where the advert was printed. Opportunities like this don't always come. Besides isn't this what Orihime always dreamt of? To get her story published by a renowned publishing house. It's for that very reason she pursued for MFA in creative writing at the first place, so that everyone there is, knows her tale. She would be reckoned among the greats. Money wouldn't be tight anymore. There would be accolades and awards. And who knows? Some great director might want to make a film adaption of her story!
Orihime's life is going to forever change if she won that competition.
With the aforementioned pleasing vision in mind, Orihime applied her name and her details in the contest.
When the redhead finally sat down to write, after free from the daily life obligations and distractions (temporarily), her mind went blank. Nothing would come up. As soon she would type, Orihime would erase it. Words seemed too simple. Lines just wouldn't form. It was agonizing.
Panicked, Inoue scanned through her notes where she had jotted the plotline. The basic outline was there but it wasn't enough.
Orihime Inoue had come down with a terrible writers' block.
The young woman wanted to scream but then she would have ended up waking her neighbors.
So standing in the balcony was it. The night air felt refreshing after sitting inside for so long. Orihime stood still, eyes closed and just letting the breeze awash over her face and hair.
The clock in the kitchen chimed loudly. It was midnight.
Figuring it was getting late now, Orihime got ready for bed. Tomorrow, she's going to find out a way to smash the writers' block. She has to.
Something exciting happened at the National Diet Library. Orihime was skimming through her diary while at the same time, sticking codes on the stock of history books when she heard a shout.
"Guys you got to see this! Come on!"
Curious, Orihime followed suit and went towards the reception desk where a small group of people were gathered. There were excited whispers and loud exclamations. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a parcel, which was now being unwrapped by their manager, Nanao Ise.
Orihime was greatly puzzled. It was just mail. Why were people getting so thrilled?
Orihime turned around and saw Momo standing next to her, her expression reminiscent that of awe.
"What's going on?" Orihime asked.
Momo was more than happy to answer "Someone just returned a book after 73 years!"
Orihime gasped in shock. 73 years?! Who keeps a book that long?!
Her question was soon answered when Nanao started reading the letter which was taped to the package. It was borrowed by late Edmund Cifer who at that time was living in Chiyoda city before moving out. It must have got misplaced in the midst of shifting. It was only after cleaning the attic, was the book found out, the letter explained.
"Whether he simply forgot to return the book or had chosen to keep it…..We would never know. Nevertheless, things where they belong from, should always be returned back to their origins. Regards; U. Cifer"
"Well no arguments there. Things should be returned to their origins" Nanao assented, turning the letter around to see if there was more to it.
"Nanao san! Do you realize how much publicity we can gain from this?" One colleague uttered eagerly "We can put this as a piece of latest attraction to the library!"
"Ryoma is right! We can upload the whole story on our website as well!"
"People are bound to be fascinated by this!..."
While the staff mulled over the possibilities, Orihime inched closer to the table where all the stuff was kept. Even if the letter wasn't there at the first place, the book appearance would have made it clear enough that it was ancient. The leather cover on it was molding from the edges. The pages were decolored, fading from snow white to a subtle shade of fawn.
At the last page of the book, a piece of paper was pasted on it where all the dates were mentioned.
Who was this Edmund Cifer? Orihime wondered as she inspected the returned book, turning it around carefully in her hands due to fragile state it was in. What compelled him to keep the book and not return it at the first place? Was he running away? Was he in hiding? The war got over in 1945 and yet people were still facing the repercussions of it, so it's a possibility that maybe he was. The time when he lived, extraordinary things must have happened frequently. He would be a talking living breathing human book brimming with tales and stories!
Too bad he was dead. Orihime would have loved to talk with him.
'Perhaps his children could tell me what kind of a man he was…..' Orihime mused, her gaze fixated on the name and the signature on the letter.
' …I wonder what does U stands for…..'
There was a position of a gym teacher being offered in the high school of Skytree district. Orihime childhood friend and now best friend, Tatsuki applied for it, already presuming beforehand that they won't probably reply back. Much to her surprise they did. They mentioned in their mail that her credentials matched their eligibility criteria and so they would like to interview her over coming Friday.
Orihime was thrilled when Tatsuki broke the news to her. Tatsuki had been unemployed for more than a year now and was at the moment living with her parents currently. Despite not showing it, Orihime knew well enough that her pixie haircut buddy was going into depression because of stagnancy in her life.
And now a breakthrough finally arrived!
To show her support, Orihime decided to accompany Tatsuki on the day of the interview. Taksuki asked wouldn't that be a problem since it was working day. To which Orihime replied that it was light day and the library could manage on its own. Taksuki didn't say anything but a smile on her lips give it away that she was grateful to Orihime and her kind gesture.
The duo finally arrived at their destination.
"I don't know how long the waiting line is…." Tatsuki said "But let's just presume it must be long. Orihime you can go home. You don't have to wait for me…."
"Nonsense! I won't leave you!" Orihime answered.
"But what are you going to do till then?!"
"I will roam around! It's been a while since I last took an outing"
Tatsuki wasn't so sure. Orihime held her phone out, taking it out from silent mode.
"There! Once you are done with interview, you can call me. Don't worry I won't go far"
After several assurances, Tatsuki finally went inside the building, with Orihime' shouts of good luck echoing in her ears.
Orihime Inoue did keep her word. She didn't go far.
She didn't have to, because just after one crossing, there was a huge plaza, housing all the major eateries and clothing shops. Orihime went there happily, stopping every now and then to do a general survey. She didn't purchase anything except for a notebook and a set of black markers. There was a need for black markers for her white board. The notebook was brought simply because it had a cute cover of baby elephants on it.
Feeling a bit hungry, Orihime decided to eat a donut. There was a café she saw earlier. It was in the front side of the plaza and she was standing at the back of it.
Orihime took one step forward and suddenly froze. A street sign pole was rooted in front of her, holding two steel placards, both pointed in different directions; 14th street and 15th street.
It looked oddly familiar.
Orihime stood there with her shopping, trying to remember.
And then it hit her!
The parcel that returned the book after 73 years, it came from this very place!
'15th street, Skytree district, Tokyo…..' The address floated in front of her.
From where she was standing, the location was just two blocks away. The redhead could barely contain her excitement.
Without skipping a beat, Orihime went toward east.
She won't stay there. She would just look from outside. There's no harm in that, right? Who knows, she might even meet the sender who send the parcel!
'Oh wouldn't that be just great! I will finally get to know about Edmund Cifer!' Orihime thought fondly as she raced ahead.
The Cifer Residence didn't turn out to be a house but rather a huge sized mansion, its stone façade layered in the combo of black and white
Orihime craned her neck, to see how many floors it held. It was so tall!
"Wow" Orihime couldn't help but say this. The size of the structure simply stunned her. And this was just the front view. Who knew how large the backyard was?
There was one way of finding out. Orihime bit her lip and hesitated for a minute.
She was trespassing and Japan didn't take lightly to it.
But the grilled gates were left open and there was no guard in sight. Besides who knows how long Tatsuki interview would take.
'It will be quick' the redhead told herself as she pushed open the gates.
'And If I run into someone, I will say I must have mistaken the place for a museum. It will be no trouble at all'
Orihime was having the time of her life as she strolled in neatly manicured gardens. If one were to dress her in a flowing gown and a crown on her head, she would be a literal depiction of a loyalty.
The roses and tulips were blooming in bushes, their buds opened to the sun. The grass beneath her feet went on for miles, uninterrupted. The Wisteria and Sakura trees created such a gorgeous backdrop to the meadows. There was a gravel path lined with pebbles neatly snaking along the way. Only it led to where, Orihime had no idea.
Just then, Orihime heard an unmistakable growl from behind.
Petrified, Orihime turned around and saw the sight she wasn't expecting. A pair of German shepherds, standing a few yards away. Their stance looked that of attacking one; teeth bared, ears sticking to their side of heads, claws out. One of them started barking viciously.
Orihime gulped.
She did the only thing that came to her instincts. She ran.
Those people weren't kidding when they said the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'. Orihime couldn't help but agree to this as she ran for her life.
Oh just what the hell she was thinking?! Coming here and breaking in like it was her friends' house. Her late brother and her friends always warned her that not to go wandering about or she would get in trouble one day.
Trouble like getting caught? That she expected.
But being chased by dogs? Nope.
There was a wisteria tree just ahead. If only she climbs on it, Orihime knew she would be safe.
But something terrible happened as she neared the tree. Orihime lost her footing.
"Ahhh!"
To save herself from falling straight to the ground, Orihime held her arms out to brace the impact. One hand landing on the bark of the tree while other on the grass. She closed her eyes in sheer fright.
This was it. It was only a matter of seconds before the hounds pounce on her and tear her flesh in minutes.
This is how Orihime Inoue, a young librarian was going to die on this one fine autumn day.
Orihime's heart was beating so loudly that she didn't hear the other sounds. She didn't hear a loud command of the word 'Freeze'. She failed to notice that the dogs were no longer snapping and growling. It had become relatively quiet all of a sudden.
Orihime was cowering on a ground like a leaf threatening to break away from branch. She was scared beyond her wits.
She would have continued trembling if it weren't for someone turning her around and making her sit up.
"Are you alright?"
Orihime wanted to answer, but found out she couldn't. Where her voice went to? And why the heck she was breathing so loudly?! It was embarrassing! Was a panic attack coming through its way? Must be. After all, she was chased around by a pair of mad dogs.
Orihime tried once more, but only gulps came out.
'Help me….please'
"Breathe!"
Orihime without a thought, followed a command. She inhaled.
"Out" She exhaled.
"Breath….Out….Breath….Out!"
It went on like this for five minutes before Orihime's breathing came back to normal.
Orihime finally opened her eyes and saw green. A pair of green eyes staring at her anxiously.
"Are you alright?" The man asked her once more. His voice was so soft.
"I think so….." Orihime replied, curling her fists. She winced. At once, she opened her palm and was horrified to find a cut on it. Blood seeped from it in trails.
"I got hurt!"
The man muttered something at which Orihime asked "Huh?"
"Nothing"
She could have sworn that she heard him whisper "As usual"
The man decided to take the matters from here "That cut is going to go septic if not cleaned up. There's first aid nearby. Come on"
Because the bruise was hurting and she needed a minute or two, Orihime allowed herself to be led.
The stranger led her to the kitchen. Orihime sat on the wooden chair while the man brought the white box, the words 'first aid' labelled on it.
He soon started cleaning the cut, applying the swab carefully.
While the man tended to her injury, Orihime observed him. He must be about his age or a little older. He had black hair and pale skin which contrasted deeply against his set of viridian green eyes. Orihime had never come across such eyes. They were so green. His nose was straight, giving his overall face a regal look.
Orihime grew warm all of a sudden. The man was incredibly handsome.
The man was now talking and Orihime scrambled to focus.
"I apologize for the behavior of our guard dogs. They are usually friendly. I don't know what got over them"
"Oh no no…it's okay. They probably aren't welcoming to strangers. Dogs are trained like that"
"Were you visiting someone here?" The man asked while applying ointment.
Orihime gulped. She had a lie ready, but for some reason she couldn't articulate it.
"I…" The man looked at her and words dried at Orihime's throat. His gaze was so piercing.
There was silence for a minute or two. And then;
"You were trespassing" The man said simply.
"No…I wasn't….." Orihime grabbled to answer. The man raised his eyebrow. He wasn't one bit impressed.
Clearly he could see through it and wasn't buying one bit of her reasoning. What was the point anyway? It was useless.
Defeated, Orihime nodded her head meekly.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to…it's just that I was so keen to find about this place…."
"Are you one of the paparazzi?" The man demanded suddenly, looking at her suspiciously.
"No no…..I am not!" Orihime shook her head. Where that point even came from?!
The man looked at her for a moment before tying the bandage on the dressing. While doing so, he spoke;
"Well a sorry can't fix this"
"What?!" Orihime asked blankly. She didn't like where this was going.
"There's a punishment for trespassing. Either spend three years in jail or give a fine of ¥100,000" The man stated promptly.
Orihime mouth hung open in pure disbelief.
"Why are you telling me this?! What are you?! A police officer?!" Orihime asked, a little indignantly.
"Yes" The man answered, shifting his gaze sideways. Orihime followed it and saw a police badge lying on the countertop, glinting faintly under afternoon sun.
She broke in, in the house of a police officer! Jesus Christ!
This can't be happening. Orihime didn't have that much money to pay a fine. Neither she had any wishes to go to jail. She has a book to finish, for God sake!
"Well…..I am not doing either of it" Orihime said defiantly.
Let's see what he does about that, the redhead thought. This was beyond ridiculous.
The man didn't say anything. He packed the aid box and went to put it away.
However, while washing his hands, he did voice this out;
"This is fine. You first commit an offence. Then seek a favor and now you are denying all of it"
Orihime went beetroot red at this declaration.
Orihime Inoue was many things but she wasn't deceitful. She had integrity.
Getting down from chair, she went toward her healer who was now wiping his hands from the dishtowel.
"Sir…..please….." Orihime began but the man stopped her.
"Ulquiorra"
'Aye? What's that his name?'
"Okay….Hm Ulquiorra. Listen I don't carry that much money with me and neither I have that much"
"So you are suggesting that I should let you off?" Ulquiorra asked.
Orihime shook her head "No that's not it. What am I saying is..."
Just then, Orihime' phone rang. It was Tatsuki.
"Hello?!"
"Orihime! Where are you? I just got done with interview!"
"I am…..I am…." But Tatsuki didn't let her finish.
"Never mind, just reach at the station directly. The train is going to leave in 30 minutes, otherwise we would have to wait 3 hours for another train"
Eep! Orihime can't wait that long!
"I am coming. I am coming" Orihime shut her phone off.
"In a hurry?" Ulquiorra asked nonchalantly.
"Yes"
Orihime looked around and found a notepad and a pen. Grabbing it, she started scribbling on it.
"Here's my number. You can call me on this and then we can decide which punishment is most befitting on me, okay?!"
"What if it's a fake number?"
"It's not fake!"
"Still. What if you ghost me out?"
Orihime was outraged. First he accuses her for taking advantage of the situation and now he's saying that she can't be trusted.
The redhead had this huge urge to smack a frying pan on his handsome face. He was being infuriating on purpose!
But because she was running out of time and she didn't have many options, Orihime did the only thing she knew she had to do.
Tugging her collar, Orihime took out her necklace from the folds of her dress and unlatched it. Latching it again, she dropped it on Ulquiorra's hand who opened his palm right on time.
"My gold necklace as a keepsake"
"With this, I promise you that I will return your call. Do we have a deal now?" Orihime asked grimly.
Ulquiorra didn't say anything. But he nodded.
Orihime let out a sigh of quiet relief. Oh thank Heavens! He gave in!
With that, Orihime grabbed her purse and departed at the speed of a rabbit. She had a train to catch.
It was nighttime. Ulquiorra was lying on his bed and was playing with the necklace. The necklace was simple; long gold chain with a round pendant. However, on pendant there was an engraving of hibiscus flower on it.
Running the pad of his thumb on the engraving, Ulquiorra spoke in dark;
"You haven't changed Orihime. You are still docile and painfully naïve as I remember"
The end
Hope you guys like it! :D
~Noni.