Chapter 4: Uryuu's Diary: Relative Equilibrium
July 1st
It feels like a miracle; I have slept through the night for an entire week. Seven nights in a row of uninterrupted, blissful oblivion. Well, mostly; there are the dreams, but they are not altogether unpleasant.
When I looked at myself in the mirror this morning I was impressed by said sleep's restorative power: I look like I'm sixteen again, not some haggard adult. And though I do enjoy taking down hollows, the wear and tear of constant fighting had taken its toll on me physically, and the stress of being constantly on alert had gotten to me mentally. If Inoue-san hadn't been able to heal my shoulders on the regular, I don't even know if I could raise a bow anymore. And, I know I'm not famous for my patience, but I was really getting snappy with everyone at school - and Ryuuken, but I guess that is nothing new.
Thinking of Inoue-san, it appears she is benefitting from a more balanced lifestyle. Her face glows again, and her body… no no no, I mean, her physical condition, has never been better. The unflattering weight loss she incurred after Hueco Mundo has been rectified and she looks like she has gained an inch or so of height… her legs are so long. Really, her body is a piece of art. I know she can't really afford a new school uniform on her aunt's allowance, but maybe she would let me alter hers to fit her, um, womanly figure, better. As it is her poor summer uniform's buttons can barely contain her ample… Holy hell! It appears the dreams I previously referenced are starting to creep into my waking thoughts. She gets enough unwelcome attention without me adding mine to the mix. Ok, think about anything else - Inoue-san is not an object – oh right, I was thinking about her face.
She smiles more sincerely now, though that might have something to do with that dimwit, Kurosaki, finally acting like he knows us again. His apparent new year's resolution to cut ties with us really hurt her. When the new school year started and Rukia and Renji showed up, I guess it made it difficult for him to pretend the previous year never happened. At first it really bothered me that he just went back to normal with us, as if his whole "you and Inoue don't exist" phase never happened, but it clearly makes Inoue-san happy, so I have decided to accept it. It doesn't hurt that her increase in overall happiness causes her to smile at me more often, either.
The situation beyond Inoue-san and myself has also appeared to have reached some kind of equilibrium. The hollows are still coming out in larger-than-normal numbers, but we've been able to ascertain that they only appear out of four consistent locations. It makes sensing and locating them much more efficient. One shinigami can easily keep a spiritual eye on two locations at once, so Rukia and Renji have been able to take over dealing with them most of the time. It's only when three or more portals open at once that Sado-san or I are required. We try to keep Inoue-san out of it as much as possible except when we need to be healed.
The overall effect of this is that we are all able to act like relatively normal high school students again. Although I take academics seriously, schoolwork has always come easily to me. However, my participation in the handicrafts club had been suffering, so I am glad this new period of peace came just in time for our preparations for Tanabata. The shrine around the corner from the school holds a festival each year and many of our school's extracurricular clubs always have stands there. The handicrafts club, under my leadership, has decided to do a photo booth of sorts in collaboration with the photography club. Our booth will have a Milky Way backdrop and Orihime and Hikoboshi costumes for guests to wear and have souvenir pictures taken. We have completed most of the decorations, and the first-year students can handle the rest, leaving Inoue-san and I free to finish up the costumes. Of course, she is going to be the model for the Orihime kimono and I'll be the model for the Hikoboshi kimono in the example picture.
We are also planning on making a yukata for Inoue-san to wear for the rest of the festival when her shift at the photo booth is over. She had one from when she was younger, but it obviously doesn't fit her anymore. I curated a selection of fabrics I thought would complement her coloring before she came into the clubroom the day we started it. To my great delight she chose the one I had hoped she would; it is lightweight cotton in a traditional indigo color with a white hydrangea pattern that I thought could grow with her for decades. She could make it look older or younger depending on how she accessorized it. It will never look cheap or gaudy; always effortlessly elegant. It will be perfect for her.
Well, now I sound like one of her many admirers. I mean, I do admire her, but not in the basic way her fanboys do. She is, honestly, my closest friend. I am aware I am distant by nature, but nobody knows me better than her, and there are things about her I know that even Arisawa-san doesn't. My second closest friend is probably Kurosaki, unfortunately, and only because he manages to push my buttons hard enough that I let what I am really thinking slip. The difference between the two as friends is that I despise Kurosaki and adore Orihime.
Now if I could only get over this little crush that I seem to have developed on her. I am certain it will pass – we are friends and comrades, after all, and only sixteen, which lends credibility to my belief that much of this is due to normal adolescent hormonal fluctuations, which also explains the dreams. As the last Quincy, it is my duty to focus my passion on mastering my skills. I don't have time for teenage romance. I am worn thin as it is. Maybe one day, when the time is right, the issue of Inoue-san and I can be re-examined, but we'll put that away for now.
I will leave it there tonight. Tomorrow is another busy day.
A/N: The slip with him referring to her as Orihime was intentional on my part and subliminal on Ishida's. The next chapter we're back to third person. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews and thanks for reading!