A/N: Very bad language ahead. Please skip this the first part of this chapter in italics if you find cursing/swearing/profanity offensive. The remainder is pretty fluffy and pleasant.
Chapter 14: Response and Counterclaim
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK fuck fuckity-fuck-fuck! This is so fucking frustrating! Of course, King-boy has to wait until he has no spirit-juice left in him to finally get with the Queen, but then, just when he has enough juice to at least let me see what he's doing, he goes and lets her get molested by some goddamn mouthbreathers… Well I'll tell you fucking what, there was no way those shitstains were going to get their dicks anywhere near our Queen, even if I had to destroy that dumbass King-boy's meat suit in order to get the job done.
What's worse is that douche-bucket Zangetsu is nowhere to be found. Last time that dude kind of brought King into his own, but now all he's got is me, good ol' Horse, and horses aren't famous for their ability to provide spiritual guidance.
Anyway, when I heard Queen crying out, I couldn't sit back and wait for King to kick those guys' asses. I mean, I gotta hand it to him, for a sack of flesh, King is pretty awesome. I mean, if it was anyone else, I woulda burnt through their meat suits in seconds. As it was, Tweedledee went down dead as a doornail without much more than a 'how do you do', and Tweedledum didn't take any more effort than that. In fact, if not for Queen's kickassery on her own- slicing through that knuckle-dragger's arm like it was butter- I don't know if King would have survived the ordeal; when I saw that Queen was fine and awesome, I calmed down enough to stop burning through his body tissue so fast, and Queen was able to start rejecting the damage I was doing as I was doing it. King does have a bit of the old spirit-juice back, whether he knows it or not, but not enough for me to manifest properly. He can't even get out of his body yet.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. So after sweetcheeks the Queen had restored King-o's skin and my rage had gone a bit flaccid, you won't fucking believe what she did. Just when I thought she could absolutely do no wrong, she started bringing that dead motherfucker back to life! I mean, what the fuck? What kind of thank you is that? I told her as much, too. She told me some bullshit about how she didn't want crybaby 'Kurosaki-kun' to have to live with being a murderer, even if it was for defense. Well fuck that, I said, and then King's friend, Gigantor, showed up and restrained me. Goddamned bear of a man, that one. Powerful reiatsu too. Stuck as I am inside of the King, there was little nothing I could do but wait while Queen performed her blasphemy. I mean, I guess I get it, but what a bunch of pussies! At least she didn't fix him up or anything – I doubt the dude will ever walk again – but I won't be satisfied knowing that they still breathe after daring to touch OUR queen.
And speaking of touching our queen, I must say I am rather proud of my little protégé, he really went for it up on that mountaintop. Yeah, I made a guest appearance for a moment but that was all him. If not for that piece of shit shinigami's interruption we probably would've been able to claim Queen then and there. A fuckin' shame.
Shit I got sidetracked again, where was I? Oh right, when King collapsed and Gigantor took me and Queen back to his place, I really got a chance to see the damage I did to him. I don't think I'll be able to do anything like this again without killing him until he levels the fuck up, and unfortunately, our fates are tied together, so him dying is not in my best interest. Queen was a beast though, rejecting all the damage I did. She is so fucking magnificent. It took her hours, and when she was done, she healed herself. If more people had needed it, she woulda' healed them too, and she'd still be fresh as a daisy. Motherfucking BEAST, that woman. I am damn proud of her, I'll tell you.
Anyway, I don't know if the royal couple realize it yet, or maybe Queen is doing it on purpose and not telling us, but every time she whips out that little rejection tent of hers, King's reiatsu loss is also being rejected. Little by little, she's filling him back up. Unfortunately, King's reiatsu pool is huge, so her filling it up like she's been doing has been like trying to refill the goddamned ocean with a garden hose. Tonight was a bit better, though, I mean, I really tore him up so she was working on him a long time, plus the closer they get to one another emotionally, the more effective her technique, but there is still a long way to go before we reach the levels of his glory days. He's going to have to pitch in and do some of the work himself, but I guess that will come in time.
The one thing that worries me, though, is, like I said, Zangetsu is M.I.A. I mean, getting out of his human body before was always tied to him taking the form of a shinigami with that battle pass or that midget's dorky glove or that soul candy jazz, but now, all signs point to him being not able to access any shinigami abilities. So what the fuck are we supposed to do now? I can't keep burning through his meat suit every time I want to kick some ass – like I said, he dies, I die. I hope they find an answer soon because I'm coming up empty in here.
September 6th, 8:27 a.m.
Surprisingly, Ichigo woke up first. It took him a few moments to remember where he was when he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. He blinked and looked to the left, recognizing a poster of a rockstar on Chad's wall, before he turned to the right and was met with Orihime's face inches from his.
Ichigo got up on one elbow and looked down at Orihime. She was curled up on her side in Chad's oversized gray T-shirt with her head on the futon that Ichigo laid on, her long auburn hair streaming out behind her like a sail. She slept deeply, still exhausted both from the scuffle the night before and from using so much spirit energy to heal Ichigo. Her face held a trace of anxiety, and her brows drew together as her eyes danced under their closed lids. Her unease pained Ichigo, who reached out and brushed her shoulder with his hand, gently. As soon as he made contact, however, Orihime yelped, jumping up so she sat upright on her left hip, hands flat on the floor, breathing heavily, until her eyes focused on Ichigo. Tears came to her eyes and she whispered an apology as he gathered her into his arms and laid back down on his futon with her. He covered her with his blanket and kissed her nose. "I'm sorry I scared you. Go back to sleep," he whispered. Orihime nodded and was asleep almost instantly. He stroked her back slowly, enjoying the feel of her warm body through the thin fabric of Chad's soft T-shirt, and allowing his mind to quiet.
Chad, who was woken up by Orihime's outburst, walked out to the living room where they slept and, seeing Orihime's still form, asked Ichigo quietly, "Do you want any coffee?"
Ichigo nodded and stayed with Orihime as Chad prepared the coffee. Later when Chad set a mug down on his bar-height eating table, Ichigo carefully extracted his arms from around and underneath Orihime and padded carefully toward Chad. Chad silently offered that they go out onto his small balcony with a nod of his head in that direction. Ichigo nodded in response and they quietly took their beverages outside, sliding the glass door shut behind them.
Once outside, the pair leaned against the railing and Ichigo held his steaming cup to his nose. After a log silence, he asked, "So, my hollow is back, eh?"
Chad nodded thoughtfully, and then added, "It's problematic."
"Yeah, that guy was always kind of a bastard," Ichigo agreed without much thought.
"It isn't that, Ichigo." Chad countered forebodingly, "It's that both of you are stuck in your physical body. Inoue was struggling to keep him from ripping through your skin before your body collapsed. It wasn't damage from the fight that she had to heal when we got you back here, it was the damage your hollow did to you in his attempt to take over your body."
Ichigo sipped his coffee and thought over what Chad had said. He agreed, but he didn't understand. "How is it possible for my hollow to even do that, especially since I don't have any reiatsu?"
"I don't understand that part either, Ichigo."
"And, of course, now would be the time that ol' Hat-n-clogs is busy in Soul Society," Ichigo snarked. As he said it, Orihime opened the door and stood in the doorway. She looked so small as she stood with one arm across her stomach clutching her opposite elbow and curling the toes of one foot over the other, before she looked up at them uncertainly.
"Actually, Kurosaki-kun, Urahara-san said that Yoruichi-san could contact him from his shop, so if you need him, we can ask her to help us," she offered in a small, tired voice.
The boys perked up at the new information. A cool breeze blew at Orihime's exposed legs, causing the appearance of goosebumps on her flesh and perked nipples clearly visible through the T-shirt she was wearing sans bra. Orihime crossed her arms in front of herself out of habit, both for modesty and to warm herself, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid her male companions' interested glances. Chad looked away respectfully after he had caught himself gawking, as Ichigo blushed and suggested they all go inside. As she turned around he was treated to the profile of her buttocks clearly outlined through the thin fabric. He forced his vision up to eye level, after checking to make sure Chad wasn't also enjoying the view. Ever faithful to Ichigo, Chad had found something of great interest to look at in the distance outside.
After Orihime was safely inside and Ichigo suggested she take the blanket to warm herself, the three made a plan to go to Urahara's place to talk to Yoruichi. It was suggested that Orihime repair the damage to the clothes she wore the night before, but she explained that she would rather burn them than have to be reminded about what happened when she had worn them. The boys nodded their understanding and decided to first stop at her place so she could shower and change. They called a cab to protect her dignity; there was no way she was walking or taking public transportation in her current state of dress.
Orihime quickly showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a pink T-shirt with a white hoodie wrapped around her waist. Being in a hurry, she hadn't washed her hair and had it pulled up into a high ponytail. She walked quickly past the guys sitting in her living room, her shoulders back and ponytail swishing behind her as she went, and slipped on a pair of sneakers before calling out, "You two ready?"
Chad and Ichigo staggered up to standing positions. Both had been mesmerized by her sudden poise after witnessing the depth of vulnerability she had offered earlier that morning. They both indicated their agreement and left for Urahara's.
Chad, Orihime, and Ichigo were disappointed on arriving at Urahara's to find that Yoruichi was out. Jinta promised to relay a message to contact them as soon as she returned, and the threesome decided to go get an early lunch at a café near Ichigo's house, which they ate more or less in silence as tired as they were. After lunch, Chad went back home and Ichigo offered Orihime to come over to his house to relax for a bit with whoever was home while he took a quick shower and got changed before taking her home.
Orihime felt dead on her feet, and with her desire to not be alone today, her answer was a very quick yes. Ichigo, relieved, wrapped an arm around her back and escorted her that way for the eight minute walk to his house. When they arrived, only Karin was home. Ichigo needlessly explained that he had spent the night at Chad's and he and Inoue had just run into each other and that he was going to take a shower. Karin wouldn't have cared whether he told her anything or not; she valued privacy.
After Ichigo went up the stairs, Orihime spoke to Karin, "It's been a long time, Karin-chan. How are you doing? Anything new?"
Karin knew immediately that something was wrong. Orihime's voice lacked all of her usual enthusiasm, and it was apparent to Karin that Orihime was forcing herself to socialize. "I'm alright, Orihime-chan, are you?" she asked gently, but to the point.
Orihime suddenly felt torn. Here was a young girl, with no mother or other female role model in her own family, unknowingly asking about her being the victim of an attempted sexual assault. Orihime recognized that this was a teachable moment, but also didn't want to bring Karin down or burden her. She thought it over for a long moment, and decided to go somewhere down the middle with her explanation. "Well, Karin, uh… you know how it's important to always be aware of your surroundings, right?"
"Yes," Karin answered seriously, waiting for Orihime to continue.
"Well, last night, I let myself get distracted, and I, um, encountered some people who wanted to hurt me."
Karin's mouth dropped slightly and her eyes widened with dread, "What happened?" she whispered.
"Well, they tried to push me into a van, but your brother and Sado-kun were nearby, and they helped me fight them off. Those guys were really unlucky we are all so strong!" she said with forced cheer as she flexed her biceps, before she adopted a more serious expression and added, "but, I would have never even been in that situation if I had been paying better attention. I made some stupid mistakes. I was out alone way too late, daydreaming as I went, and when I first felt danger, I didn't run for it or make a lot of noise, I just put my head down and walked a little faster. The reason I'm telling you this, Karin-chan, is because I don't want you or Yuzu-chan to ever have to be in a situation where you are forced to fight for your safety. I want you to learn from my mistakes and always remember to take simple precautions."
Karin nodded solemnly and when she met Orihime's eyes, there were tears lining them. Karin was surprised by her own display of emotion and quickly wiped them away. She felt the need to explain herself, suddenly. "I'm so sorry, Orihime-chan. I don't know why I'm acting this way, I was just so worried when you said that… and I …" she didn't want to continue as her voice started thicken. Instead she looked up to the ceiling to try regaining her composure. After a brief moment, she returned her eyes to Orihime, huffed out a quick breath and smiled. "I'm just really glad you're ok."
Orihime was moved that this girl she had only really spent the past summer getting to know cared about her this much. As she returned Karin's smile, tears came to her own eyes, and she couldn't stop herself from reaching out and hugging the girl. To her surprise and relief, Karin hugged her back.
Ichigo came down the stairs at the same moment, watching quietly. He didn't want to interrupt what looked like a private moment between his stand-offish sister and his girlfriend. The fact that Karin looked up to Orihime as an older sister was not lost on him, and he was pleased that Karin and Orihime were comfortable enough around each other to be in such a situation. He kept silent until they broke their embrace.
"Karin, have you eaten?" he asked casually as the girls stepped away from one another.
"No. I'm going out though, for soccer practice. Yuzu packed a lunch for me," she answered as she pulled the lunch out of the refrigerator. "Actually, I better get going now, or I'll be late. See you later, Ichi-ni. I hope to see you again soon, Orihime-chan," she called as she strode toward the front door. Before she opened it, though, she turned around and addressed Orihime once more, "I won't forget what you said."
Orihime smiled with her mouth closed and nodded, waving Karin off as she left. After the door closed, and before she turned around, she felt a pair of strong arms snake around her waist from behind, followed by Ichigo's chin coming down to rest on her shoulder. "I think she likes you," he said to Orihime softly.
Orihime tilted her head so that it touched Ichigo's and nodded slightly, "I like her, too."
"I'm glad," Ichigo said, squeezing Orihime a bit tighter and putting his lips into the crook of her neck, placing a gentle peck there, before screwing up his eyebrows and yawning through his nose. "I don't know about you, Ori – Inoue, but I'm exhausted," Ichigo wasn't sure what to do with his unintentional use of her given name so he pressed on, "would you be interested in a nap? And before you start worrying, no one is going to be home for a few hours and I'm not some kind of perv who would try to take advantage of you after what happened last night. I mean really sleeping."
Orihime turned her head and kissed his cheek. "That sounds wonderful," she wasn't in the mood to press the issue of his use of her given name either, although the sound of it filled her with joy - joy only suppressed slightly by the memory of the instances surrounding his first use of her name the previous night at Chad's.
Ichigo led her up to his room by the hand and closed the door behind them. Under any other circumstances both of them would be nerve-wracked and anxious, but neither of them had the energy to even stand for much longer. Ichigo held the blanket open for Orihime to climb in. She did and lay on her side facing the window. Ichigo climbed in after her, spooning her from behind, and both of them were fast asleep in minutes.
When Orihime woke up almost five hours later, Ichigo was not in his room and from the sound of things, the entire Kurosaki household was home and getting ready for dinner. Embarrassed, she quietly got out of bed and walked over to the restroom. After using it and checking to make sure she didn't have any drool dried to her face, she made her way down the steps. The noise she heard previously hushed suddenly as she made her way down the hall toward the living/dining room area. When she came in, she was confused to find the room dark. She took another step forward, trying to determine whether everyone was in the kitchen, when the lights went up, and poppers went off on either side of her, as Yuzu, Karin, Ichigo and Isshin called out, "Happy belated birthday!" in unison.
Orihime was shocked. She stared at the Kurosaki family for a moment, before her eyes scanned the room, taking in the pink and yellow streamers and balloons, and even a hand-made sign that read "Happy Birthday Orihime-chan". Her chin started to wobble, her eyebrows knit, and a sob wracked through her body as she fell to her knees. She looked up and attempted to say thank you, but only choked out another sob. Karin, Yuzu, and Ichigo looked on in horror, thinking perhaps they'd made a mistake.
Isshin, on the otherhand, being somewhat of a kindred spirit in terms of emotional outbursts, rushed to Orihime's side. "I'm sorry, Orihime-chan! Did we frighten you?" he asked, placing a reassuring hand on Orihime's shoulder.
Orihime shook her head no, and then looked up into Isshin's concerned face. When she saw the affection in his eyes, she launched herself into his embrace and let her tears flow. "Thank you so, so much. I've never had a family birthday party before," she managed to choke out so that the rest of the family could hear her.
Immediately, Yuzu started to cry and ran to her father and Orihime to join in the hug. Karin, although smiling instead of crying, also came over to put a hand on Orihime's shoulder. Ichigo watched the spectacle with a mix of shock and awe. He could feel something swell in his chest, seeing the girl he cared for and his family share such a strong bond. He watched for a minute until he came over to break it up gently, taking Orihime's hand and extracting her from Isshin and Yuzu's clutches. "Come on, this isn't even the good part yet," he said with a wink as he led her to the dining table.
They had prepared dinner and cake for her, and after eating and singing and blowing out candles, each person brought out a small wrapped gift. Orihime protested politely, but she was over the moon with happiness that they had done all this for her. She took the first gift from Yuzu, who could not wait to have her gift opened.
Orihime carefully unwrapped the package and found a yellow apron with ruffled edges inside. Orihime held it up in front of her and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Yuzu-chan! This is so cute!"
Yuzu blushed deeply, and said, "You're welcome. I hope you don't mind that it's used. It was my mother's, but I thought it would suit you so well, so I asked dad if I could give it to you."
Orihime held back tears as she nodded her approval to Yuzu. Karin, who had had enough emotion for one day, thrust her own gift into Orihime's now empty hands, effectively changing the topic. "Here you go," she said unceremoniously.
Orihime lifted the top off and pulled out a pair of fluffy socks with pink teddy bears that resembled her own stuffed animal. "These are fantastic! They look just like Enraku! I love them!" she effused.
Karin smiled sheepishly and then turned her attention to Isshin. "Your turn, Goatbeard"
"Indeed!" Isshin laughed, presenting Orihime with a package larger than the rest. She opened it carefully and looked inside, where she saw a surprisingly fashionable, military-style green canvas jacket with colorful flowers embroidered on it.
Orihime's eyes grew as she tried it on. The fit was perfect. "Wow, Kurosaki-san, I never knew you had such great taste in clothes!" she said with a blinding smile.
Isshin smiled back and said, "Well, one day, I'll let you see me all dressed up. I'll show you fashion!" The room reacted in guffaws.
Finally, Ichigo gave Orihime his gift. It was a small package with silver wrapping paper and a blue bow. She opened it, and inside the white cardboard box was a simple silver ID bracelet with her name engraved into it. She stared down at it, the first piece of jewelry she'd ever received from a boy that wasn't her brother, and was speechless.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing special or fancy," Ichigo started, before Orihime looked up at him and shook her head with smiling eyes and put the bracelet on, admiring the way it caught the light.
"I love it. Thank you, Kurosaki… family" she said, looking around the room, before looking back at Ichigo and whispering with a blush, "thank you, Ichigo."
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