Fandom: Bleach
Characters/Pairings: IchiHime, Chad, random OC of minor consequence
Rating: PG-7 for minor foul-mouthery
Warnings: AU future fic, WAFFness, OOCness, blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Papa Kurosaki's past, probably needs edits like whoa
Summary: Sometimes all you need is a nudge.
AN: This little plot-bunny came to me after seeing some random doodles of Ichigo and Orihime dressed as shinigami captains can't remember where I saw them, though. > What can I say, I love this pairing any way I can get it.
Kurosaki-taichou hated these official events. Not only did they bore him to tears, attending one also meant socializing with his fellow captains.
And that meant he would inevitably find himself cornered into a conversation by Inoue-taichou.
Now, it wasn't that Ichigo hated the woman, because he didn't. Far from it, although he would never say that out loud. There was just something about her that bothered him. She reminded him of someone but, no matter how long or hard Ichigo thought about it, all he ended up with was a headache and a waste of his precious time. It pissed him off to no end, so logically at least to himself he took out his frustrations on Inoue-taichou, the poor woman innocent of her role in his troubles.
The bullying and gruff behavior didn't seemed to shake her, nor did it get him to stop attempting the impossible recall. Ichigo never did have a good mind for names or faces. Hell, he couldn't even name half of his own division's seated shinigami and he didn't lose sleep over it. Not like this.
Maybe it was the way Inoue-taichou looked at him, as if she expected him to know something really, really important but was too sweet to say anything about it.
Ichigo hated people who didn't speak up for themselves.
"Kurosaki-taichou! You're looking quite well this evening! Wasn't it a lovely induction ceremony? I think they really out-did themselves this year!"
Ichigo winced at the excessive exclamation-point abuse.
"Inoue-taichou," he greeted, keeping his annoyance in check.
"I can't believe Sado-kun finally made it! Between you and me," Inoue-taichou's voice dropped and she leaned in close, forcing Ichigo to take a step back, "I couldn't believe he even enrolled; as strong as Sado-kun is, he's such a pacifist."
"Sado...-kun?"
"You know, tall, dark and handsome, hanging out awkwardly by the punch over there?" Inoue-taichou pointed and waved; the captains received a small wave back, but the new shinigami didn't seem eager to budge from his spot. Ichigo eyed him for a moment and frowned. That guy was looking at him the same way Inoue-taichou did, and he found it irritating.
"I see he's one of yours. Not a typical Fourth Division member, is he?" he answered, keeping his voice level and disinterested.
"Yup I actually requested to have him placed under you, but Sado-kun insisted against it. Probably because you..." Inoue-taichou trailed off, her smile wavering for a second.
"Probably because I, what?"
"How long have you been here, Kurosaki-taichou?" she asked, changing the topic suddenly.
"Eh... About four, five hundred years, give or take. You lose track after a while."
Inoue-taichou nodded, her face taking on a look of extreme concentration. It was kind of endearing, how you could hear the gears turning. They stood, silent for a few moments, before Ichigo decided he'd best make the rounds. Anything to get away from what turned out to be a more uncomfortable conversation than usual, even it meant shudder making small talk. As he walked away, he heard Inoue-taichou murmur something, causing him to stop.
"What was that?" he asked. Not that he really wanted to know. He just couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Memories are funny things aren't they, Kurosaki-kun. Some people lose them after too long and others just can't let go, can they?"
"I guess..." The -kun threw him, but Ichigo didn't correct her for some reason. Usually he was such a stickler for formalities. At least, ones directed at him.
The smile returned to Inoue-taichou's face and, oddly, he felt relieved.
"Go congratulate your new ranks, Taichou. They've been cowering over there, looking scared to death of you."
Following her pointing finger, Ichigo finally noticed the cluster of shinigami, recently sworn in and nervous to approach their intimidating captain. Turning back to bid Inoue-taichou farewell, Ichigo found she has already disappeared into the crowd.
Standing outside the Fourth Division gate, Ichigo took his usual moment to steel himself for a meeting with Inoue-taichou. He had only stopped by to check on a few of his men who got injured in a particularly nasty hollow hunt, but every time he visited the healing wards it turned into tea with the captain.
He felt like he was fifteen again whenever he came here, unable to say anything intelligent around Inoue-taichou.
They hadn't run into each other since the induction ceremony over a month ago but he couldn't get her odd parting comments out of his head. The damn woman was going to come clean about what exactly she meant over tea but hopefully not snacks, considering how odd Inoue-taichou's tastes were, if he had anything to say about it.
What right did she have to muddle him up and make him all nervous and, well, juvenile? He was a grown man, dammit, and a captain to boot.
"Kurosaki... -taichou."
The quiet, deep greeting drew Ichigo out of his thoughts and he found himself face-to-face with that hulking new recruit that Inoue-taichou pointed out at the ceremony. What was his name again? Thankful that Inoue-taichou had all of her novices wear name badges, he squinted rather obviously at it before responding.
"Hey... Chad."
"Sado."
"Whatever. Is your captain in? I'm here to check on some of my guys."
The shinigami nodded, setting aside his broom that looked three sizes too small for his big frame, and led Ichigo into the building. Remembering something else Inoue-taichou had mentioned at the ceremony, his curiosity got the best of him and Ichigo broke the silence.
"Chad, why didn't you want to be placed in my division?"
"It's Sado..." he trailed off. Ichigo waited for him to continue, frustrated by this guy's slowness. "... and no reason."
"There has to be a reason. You don't go against a captain's recommendation because you just feel like it," Ichigo snarked.
"... Inoue... -taichou's in here."
"Ah, thanks," he started, realizing that they had reached their destination without him noticing it.
That guy was odd, to say the least. He must be fresh from Rukongai, having that much trouble tacking on titles behind his superior's names; Ichigo was the same way when he first joined up. Still, this Chad guy didn't seem to be a bad sort. He looked to be the type to have your back in a fight, no matter what.
Dismissing his odd thoughts, Ichigo stepped into Inoue-taichou's office, waving off Chad's shallow bow and steadying himself for the loud greeting that was sure to come any time now. When it didn't Ichigo relaxed, if only slightly, and looked around, finally noticing that Inoue-taichou wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Ch.. That bastard lied," he grumbled.
Shifting back and forth for a moment, Ichigo realized he had never been in Inoue-taichou's office without her before. Antsy, he wandered about, looking at the bright decorations that covered her walls; he hardly noticed their existence in the past, what with Inoue-taichou monopolizing his attention.
Dozens of crayon drawings hung on one wall, obviously the handy-work of children. He remembered hearing about Inoue-taichou starting a new out-reach program, setting up free clinics in all of the Rukongai districts; somehow she had sweet-talked the heads of Soul Society to up her numbers so that each was constantly manned in rotating shifts, giving care to any who walked in their doors. Every Fourth Division member, from the novices to the seated positions, spent a month at one of the clinics at a time. Ichigo also heard that Inoue-taichou also served clinic duty, despite her status. These drawings, so many of them with a malformed manifestation of the red-headed captain, her big smile and assets prominent in each picture, must have been thank you notes from the younger clinic patients.
Huh... Inoue-taichou really was something, wasn't she?
Despite the woman's absence, Ichigo blushed at the thought.
Knowing he shouldn't but still unable to stop himself, Ichigo continued around the room, passing over all the photos of different division members and other shinigami that filled up much of the remaining space. The ones of handsome men, some of whom he was pretty sure served under him, made him frown. Same with the six or seven ostentatious bouquets that sat on her desk, each one spilling out of their vases and sporting little white cards tucked in amongst the blooms.
He never realized just how many suitors Inoue-taichou had before and it irked him. He wasn't sure what annoyed him most, the fact that he didn't realize that she was so sought-after or that she was so desirable, but it bugged the shit out of him.
Again, he couldn't resist the urge to snoop. Plucking up one of the cards, Ichigo scanned it and growled, his blush deepening. No one should write something like that on something that could so easily be read by someone else! It was scandalous! It was improper! It was...
A noise in the hall made Ichigo jump and he dropped the note. It fluttered underneath the bookshelf behind Inoue-taichou's desk but he didn't move to find it just yet, waiting to see if it was Inoue-taichou or not. Several breathless seconds passed before he realized it wasn't her.
All this time here and he still couldn't sense reiatsu to save his life or his dignity.
Dropping to his hands and knees, he grasped in the dusty darkness, trying to find the escaped piece of paper. At last his fingers found what they sought and he slid it out, moving to stand up and quickly return it to its proper place. Unaware of his position, Ichigo knocked his head on the underside of a shelf on his way up in his haste. To add insult to his throbbing injury and not to mention more injury to injury, a book toppled from its precarious location and landed square on his already aching skull.
Scrambling up and cursing the entire way, he hastily stuck the card back in it's proper place and bent to grab the book to do the same. Apparently a photo album, it had fallen open on the floor. The pictures were old, faded and yellow, brittle in their plastic slips. They were obviously from the living world and an odd thing for a Soul Society captain to keep in her office. Gently, Ichigo picked it up and started at what he saw.
He saw himself.
And Inoue-taichou.
And that Chad guy.
All together with others he didn't recognize, looking so very young and happy. Well, he didn't look too happy, and you really couldn't tell with Chad, but considering the fact that they had him sandwiched between them, Inoue-taichou obviously laughing so hard the camera caught shiny tear-tracks on her cheeks, he could only assume they were happy too.
Flipping through the pages, he watched as the years passed and they all grew up. So much life filled these pages, and more familiar faces appeared: Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hat-and-Sandals Urahara, Yoruichi, and oddly enough, the infamous exile Isshin. Despite his confusion, Ichigo felt the beginning sting of jealousy. He hated his self that had all this. He hated...
Shock stayed his hand, the pages settling open to a large photo of a beautiful woman in a dazzling kimono, her new husband at her side in a Western-style tuxedo who, despite his usual glare, couldn't keep excitement and love from his eyes.
A wedding photo, there was no doubt about it. There was also no doubt about the identities of the bride and groom.
Almost dropping the book, Ichigo forced himself to go on, finding photos of a radiant and extremely pregnant Inoue-taichou with him at her side looking oh so proud, if not a little nervous. Then there Ichigo stood with a young boy on his shoulders, then the boy older with a baby in his small arms, then the brother and sister as they grew up under the adoring eyes of their father and mother.
His eyes.
Inoue-taichou's eyes.
"Kurosaki-taichou What amazing timing I was just... Oh dear."
This time Ichigo did drop the book. Hurrying over from the doorway, Inoue-taichou scooped up the album and shoved it in a desk drawer, her face burning red and tears threatening to poor over her lower lids. She flustered about, trying to distract him with talk of tea and how she apologized for being so late, how she had so much to finish up before she left on clinic rotation, and so on and so on. Ichigo stood silent in the middle of her desperate antics before he had enough and grabbed her arm, trying to get her to stop.
Inoue-taichou winced and he loosened his grip, but she refused to meet his eyes. The tears had broken free, that much he could tell despite her bowed head. He pulled out his handkerchief, his hands shaking, and he handed it too her. She took it and dried her tears, her hand clenching so tight around it that her knuckles turned as white as the cloth.
"You weren't supposed to see that," she murmured around deep breathes, obviously trying to calm herself down.
"Inoue-taichou..."
"I... I think you'd better leave, Kurosaki-taichou. I have much to do before my month on rotation. If you'd like to visit your men, they're in the usual wing."
Frowning but not knowing what to say, Ichigo left.
"Inoue-taichou, we need your help up front, please Some guy just came in here dragging along five badly beaten men!"
"I'll be there in a moment Kana-kun," Orihime answered, not even looking up from her task of setting and healing a little boy's broken arm. Finishing up, she smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Be more careful next time, little one. You can hardly stand against a cart and horse, now can you?" she said with a smile as she ushered him out to his mother. Wiping her brow Orihime paused, realizing just whose handkerchief she had pulled out to soak up her sweat. It was silly that she still had it and even sillier that she had it on her, but it couldn't be helped.
Orihime would be the first to admit that she was quite a silly girl.
Then it struck her. Ichigo was here; she could feel his energy oozing all over the place. The man never did rein himself in. Eyes widening, she whirled to see a bloody but grinning Ichigo in the doorway.
"I went through hell to get here and I don't even get a hello?"
"I'm sorry Inoue-taichou!" exclaimed the little shinigami named Kana as she tried to pull Ichigo back out of the room. "He just pushed his way in here saying he had to see his wife, and I couldn't stop him."
His wife? Oh dear, she could feel the tears coming again.
"It's alright, Kana-kun. It's just the adrenaline talking; he's always a little odd after a fight," she smiled, screwing on her captain face again. Turning to Ichigo, she couldn't help but smile, even if it was a bit empty. "You're the one responsible for those new patients aren't you, Kurosaki-taichou?"
Ichigo laughed and pulled free of Kana's grasped, slumping into a chair with a great oof.
"Those punks tried to mug me. I was just defending myself," he answered, his tone lighter than Orihime had heard in a long time.
"Please see to the men Kurosaki-taichou was so kind to escort here, Kana-kun," she ordered the confused girl. Bowing, Kana eyed the odd pair until she was out of sight.
"Damn," Ichigo hissed, trying to work the kinks out of his shoulder, "those bastards gave me a good work out. It's been a while since I had to fight with my fists; I must be getting rusty in my old age."
"Kurosaki-taichou..."
"Cut that out, Orihime," Ichigo interrupted, switching so quickly to seriousness she felt her head spin. "I remember now, and on my own too. It's been a real shitty couple of weeks for me, but I can only imagine how hard these past few centuries have been for you."
"Ichigo..."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked, staring her dead in the eyes. She couldn't hold his gaze and had to look away.
"I figured if you let the memories of life slip away, then you didn't really want them in the first place," she answered, her voice mouse-tiny and almost too soft for him to hear.
"I was alone for three hundred years in Rukongai, struggling to hold out in this wasteland. That kind of life forces anything but one moment of survival to the next out of your mind. All I needed was a nudge... And after these few weeks I realize how much I needed that nudge."
Ichigo stood, trying to hide his limp as he approached her.
"Orihime..." he began.
"Let me look at your leg," she interrupted. "It looks like its bothering you."
"It's fine," Ichigo snorted, "but... are you?"
"I... I missed you," she answered and then slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing how out of bounds she had wandered. "I'm sorry, its not fair to force my feelings on you. I just..."
Gentle and more than a little awkward, Ichigo reached out and wrapped his large hands around hers, his handkerchief still clutched so tight in her fingers. It felt like the first time he took her hands all those years ago, when he didn't know how to do what he wanted to do so badly.
"Me too," he murmured, his voice cracking slightly. Orihime could have genuinely laughed at the blush and scowl that followed, but she remained quiet. "Have for a long time, I just didn't know what the hell I was missing."
Leaning in close, Orihime reveled in Ichigo's smell, Ichigo's touch. It had been so long that she never thought she'd be in this place again. Orihime tilted her head up and kissed his cheek, the touch so barely-there, so tentative, that even she could barely feel it. Then she pulled away, drawing her hands from his loose grip.
"We have new lives now," she almost-whispered, unable to look at him. "Its not like we can just pick up where we left off. I can't ask you to give up anything that you might have now. I just... I just want you to know that I still love you. And Chad misses you, too."
She tried to smile, wanted to laugh and lighten the mood, but fear kept her from doing either. She was so afraid that even though they were this close, they would still fall away from each other again. Ichigo laughed for her and Orihime found she could meet his eyes.
"My back's been too open without Chad to watch over it," he chuckled, shaking his head, "but besides that, I could say the same to you. What with all those pictures and those flowers with raunchy love notes stuck in them..."
"You read one of my notes?" she asked, scandalized, although not nearly as much as when she saw some of the things men had the gall to write to a lady.
"Well... Er... I... You didn't respond to that dickweed, did you?"
"Didn't I just tell you I love you?" she giggled, amused by his red face and open jealousy.
"Yeah, but it hardly seems likely, you waiting for an idiot like me to come around."
Smiling bright and full, the first time in a long while, Orihime leaned in for another kiss. Ichigo didn't pull away, returning the sweet press of lips to lips.
"For you," she whispered, "I could wait forever."
-fin-