A/N: Hey you guys,
This chapter spells trouble.
I hope you enjoy chapter 8 and please review to make my day. 😊
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Chapter 8 – jealousy
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She was standing in front of him in a short black dress and white over-knee socks looking up at him with hooded eyes. He stared at her and she smiled. "Do you like what you see, Kurosaki-sama?" she asked huskily. He nodded slightly, unable to tear his eyes off her. Her smile turned more seductive, as she reached behind her back and unzipped the dress. With a shimmying motion, the dress fell to the floor. His eyes widened as she stepped over the fabric, wearing nothing but lingerie and those dainty white stockings. Fire was running through his body as she stepped towards him.
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Ichigo covered his eyes with his hands and groaned discontentedly. His mind was on Inoue. It seemed that lately, she was the only thing he could think about. And these were not friendly thoughts. He scrunched up his face in frustration. They were dirty thoughts.
He had always prided himself on not being a pervert like his peers. He respected women. And now, here he was, sexualizing one of his dearest female friends. His face heated at the thought of the dream he'd had that night. How had it even come to this? He never used to think of her like that. Something had changed.
He groaned again and dropped his hands back to his sides. He was lying on his bed in his uniform. He'd just come back from school. It was Wednesday, so he'd walked her home. She had been her usual bubbly self but somehow his perverted mind had interpreted some of her innocent actions as very seductive and that was not okay. He wanted to be able to hang out with her without picturing her in various states of undress.
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His mind flashed back to the week before. Carrying her all the way to her apartment had felt… nice. After his anger about the whole situation had cooled, he had started to realize two things:
Firstly, he was being completely overbearing and totally out of line. But there was no way that he would admit that to her because he still did not want her back at that dirty café.
And secondly, her small soft frame felt really really good in his arms. And while he was generally not great at reading people, he was fairly sure that she was not so against it either. In fact, she seemed content.
They had almost reached her apartment, when she had absentmindedly started drawing circles on his chest with her fingers. His throat had tightened.
"So, Kurosaki-kun," she had said softly, as he carried her up the stairs to her apartment. "Would you like to come in?"
His heart had skipped a beat before going into hyperdrive. It had been an innocent question, he was sure, but somehow the whole constellation
of him carrying her home
in that outfit
after dark
had made his mind go to some very inappropriate places.
He had cleared his throat awkwardly and put her down. His body screamed discontentedly at the loss of her touch. "Uhm, no, thank you Inoue, I couldn't impose on you like that. Besides… I want to go back to that café to switch out that costume for your things. I'll get them back to you tomorrow, alright?"
Something had flashed in her eyes. Annoyance? Ichigo had dismissed the thought. Inoue did not get annoyed. She was as patient as a saint.
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Orihime was annoyed.
Despite her best efforts, Kurosaki-kun was still behaving like the perfect gentleman that he was. He hadn't cracked one bit. Despite the fact that he wanted her. Orihime was sure of that by now. And she was thrilled about it. It excited her when his eyes turned dark when she provoked him. She basked in his increasing reiatsu.
And yet, it still wasn't enough. She needed to push him over the brink somehow.
She sighed. There weren't many options left in her original plan. And they were only options she hadn't wanted to resort to. But maybe they were a necessary evil. Maybe they would provide the momentum she needed to make him crack.
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"Good evening, Inoue-san," a warm voice interrupted her plotting. Inoue flushed. She was at her job at the bakery and had totally spaced out! A customer had come in and greeted her before she even noticed him. This was no good! She couldn't let her personal life affect her work performance like that. Her manager would not approve. And he had been nothing but kind to her. Focus, Inoue! She chided herself.
"Good evening and welcome to our bakery, customer-sama. Oh, it's you, Takahashi-san, welcome!" She widened her smile in recognition.
The customer was one of the bakery's regulars. Orihime liked him. He was three years her senior and attended Karakura university. He returned her smile. She blushed lightly. Even though her heart was taken, she had to admit that he was good-looking. He seemed to be popular with women. Once or twice, some giggling and whispering groups of girls had even followed him into the bakery. Orihime had been confused by their behavior. But despite his popularity, he was not conceited at all, in fact he had a kind and warm personality. Whenever he came by, he would make an effort to have a chat with her, even waiting for other guests to leave if the place was busy.
"I told you to call me Akihiko, Inoue-san," he smiled now. Orihime giggled. They went through this every time.
"And I told you, I can't do that. You are our honored customer after all," She replied sweetly. "What can I get you today, Takahashi-san?"
He shook his head at her with a grin but didn't object to her answer. "I'd like four cream puffs and a rye bread."
"Coming right up!" Orihime stated exuberantly and turned to retrieve the baked goods. "So, Takahashi-san, how was that test that you were studying for?"
"It went really well. I guess I was lucky with the questions. I ended up getting a 95 on it!"
"Heee, awesome, as expected Takahashi-san is really smart," Orihime praised happily.
"You make too much of me, Inoue-san." He averted his gaze.
"I think you make too little of you, Takahashi-san. Here you go, cream puffs and a rye bread." When she handed him the ware, he hesitated. He looked like he was battling himself.
"Listen, Inoue-san, I know you like that friend of yours, but would you go out with me sometime? Maybe I can convince your heart of me if we spend some time together. You deserve someone who notices you."
Orihime blushed intensely. She hadn't expected that. Takahashi-san was everything a girl could wish for. Handsome, kind, confident but not arrogant, funny, smart and he had a really nice build, too. She felt flattered that he wanted to go out with her. And then she immediately felt guilty. She loved Kurosaki-kun after all.
"I'm sorry Takahashi-san, you know I think you are a wonderful person, but my heart is already spoken for. It wouldn't be fair to you." He looked at her with a wistful expression.
"So, the way I see it," he said. "You are playing with open cards and that is commendable. But now I know what I am getting myself into, so it is really my own responsibility. How about this? We go out anyway and maybe it will lead somewhere. And if it doesn't, then maybe your friend will at least realize what an idiot he is."
"Are you suggesting that we go out to make Kurosaki-kun jealous?" Orihime was scandalized.
"No, I am suggesting that you give me a chance to woo you," he winked at her. "And as an additional incentive for you, I am just saying that some guys only notice what they want when they are about to lose it. So, you see, it's really win-win for you. Either you realize that I am a great guy," he gave her a lopsided grin at that. "Or he comes around and you get what you wanted from the start."
Orihime was torn. Unbeknown to him, Takahashi-san was suggesting one of her last options: jealousy. It seemed like a sign that he would suggest this today. But she really liked him. She did not want to use him like that. It felt like a cruel thing to do.
He seemed to notice her inner battle.
"Listen, Inoue-san. If you don't want to, that's fine, I will not push you. But if you are still thinking of my well-being, believe me, I would much prefer to get a chance to go out with you than to be rejected out of fairness. That way I at least get a fighting chance."
She looked into his hopeful face. Then she came to a decision.
"Alright, Takahashi-san, let's go out."
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"…so then I thought, maybe the tree is inhabited by a tree sprite that's just really sad. That would explain why the tree is sick. So I figured it might help the sprite if I hugged the tree." Orihime explained earnestly to her best friend.
"Guys!"
They were sitting in the school cafeteria having lunch. The November air had finally turned so cold that they couldn't eat on the roof anymore.
"Guys!"
"So that's why you were hugging that tree this morning." Tatsuki nodded in understanding. Other people might have considered the explanation strange, but she was used to Orihime's way of thinking. For her standards it was actually quite the logical explanation.
"Guys, please listen to me," Keigo cried loudly. Tatsuki and Orihime turned their heads to him. Ichigo and Ishida shot Keigo annoyed looks but paused in their conversation. Mizuiro was texting. Sado was…- well, he was Sado.
"Let's have a movie night on Friday! My parents and my sister are out of town, so we could do it at my place! I have all sorts of movies on DVD! It will be awesome! We haven't hung out outside of school in a while!" Keigo almost tripped over the words in excitement.
Mizuiro glanced up for a second. "I can't, I have a date." This caused Keigo to bawl his eyes out for a good minute.
Orihime hesitated before she spoke. "I am sorry, but I also can't come, I have something planned."
"Oh lala, Friday night plans, do you have a date as well?" Tatsuki teased her.
Orihime felt her face flush.
"Hey, what?" Her best friend yelled excitedly. "I was just teasing you, but the way you are blushing, you totally do! Who are you going out with?"
Orihime fiddled with her fingers awkwardly. Everyone was watching her.
"Uhm, his name is Takahashi Akihiko," she admitted quietly.
Tatsuki whistled. "Takahashi Akihiko, he's a student of Karakura university, right?"
Orihime blinked in surprise. "Yes, how do you know him?"
"He competes in the Karate championship on university level. He's really good, too. And not to mention hot! Seriously, that guy is a smoke show. He has his own fan club. And he's really nice, too, I've talked to him. The guy is a total catch!" Tatsuki looked impressed.
Mizuiro actually looked up from his phone to look Orihime up and down. He smiled. "Going after an older guy. I approve. I didn't think you had it in you."
"You guys, it's not like that, he's just a regular at the bakery and we always chat and now he asked me to go out to dinner with him, but we're only going out as friends, it's really not that big of a deal," Orihime sputtered in panic.
There was a miniscule silence before Keigo started weeping.
"Of course the princess of Karakura high would go out with someone like that. None of us normal guys ever stood a chance after all."
Ishida cleared his throat, ignoring the emotional outburst as usual. "Well to be fair, Inoue-san also has her own fan club, so it's a good match." Orihime wanted to vanish into thin air. Her face had already turned crimson, she was sure it would turn purple soon if she got any more embarrassed. But this was part of the plan, she needed Kurosaki-kun to know.
The orange-haired shinigami hadn't contributed anything to the conversation. Orihime had been too distracted by her embarrassment to notice the slow rise in his spiritual pressure. Now she felt crushed by its sudden intensity. It was darker than usual, too. It almost felt as if his hollow was close to the surface. I'm so sorry Kurosaki-kun. Orihime felt like crying.
"Pull yourself together Kurosaki!" Ishida's voice interrupted the silence angrily.
Without a word, Ichigo got up and left.
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It's wrong. Ichigo was pacing on the roof.
It's wrong!
She can't go out with that guy!
It's just wrong!
He will only take advantage of her. You can't let that happen. You need to protect her.
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The bell rang. Orihime started packing up her desk, lost in thought. She had no idea what the last lesson had been about. Suddenly, a tall figure stepped next to her desk and a voice spoke quietly.
"Inoue-san, you're playing a dangerous game."
Orihime looked up to Ishida-kun.
"I know."
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"So, are you really going to go through with this date thing? What about Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked her with a frown.
"Honestly, I don't know," Orihime flashed her an unhappy smile. "At the time it felt like a good idea, but now I just feel terrible about what I am doing to both of them."
"It might not be too late to fix it. Seriously, Hime, so far, I've just leant back and watched you with this thing you're doing, but now it seems like you're in over your head. Why don't you just confess your feelings to him? I got your reasoning before, but by now it's obvious that he likes you as more than a friend. Please just consider it."
Orihime chewed on her lip as she regarded her friend.
"I don't know, Tatsuki-chan. I'll think about it."
They stepped outside the school building into the cold November air.
"Inoue." Ichigo spoke quietly and pushed himself of the wall he was leaning against. He turned to the raven-haired Karate champ.
"Tatsuki, I'll walk Inoue home again today."
Orihime watched her best friend narrow her eyes at her love.
"I'm not so sure I can trust you with her right now." Ichigo stared at her expressionless.
"You can always trust me with her."
Tatsuki seemed to gauge his sincerity. Then she gave a court nod. "Don't mess it up."
Orihime watched as she walked away. Her heart was going at a mile a minute. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Inoue, I need to talk to you."
Hesitantly, she turned to face her crush. He looked at her with a curious solemnity.
"Please don't go on that date tomorrow."
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A/N: Review to make me happy!