Thank you Guest 1 & 2, LylithB, Nii-Sama97 and HimeUlquiIchiGrim for your reviews, and to the new followers this week. Also, I know lots of people (myself included) are not receiving new chapter alerts for the past couple weeks, so if you haven't already, make sure to go back and read Chapter 26!
Chapter 27: Disarm
Soul Society
"Again!" Ichigo roared at Yoruichi, spinning a dummy sword in an arc around his hand before allowing it to impale the ground.
"Really, Ichigo? We're not getting anywhere with this, and I'm hungry," the dark-skinned woman said irritably. This was day eight of their training; in the same place they had trained him to achieve bankai over a year ago. They had been trying to instigate some kind of reaction from his hollow by pushing Ichigo to his physical, mental, and spiritual limits, but since leaving Karakura there had been 'radio silence' from Ichigo's inner partner.
Ichigo tugged at his hair. He knew what they were doing was useless, but he was frustrated. Despite the physical exertion of the past several days, he still had steam to blow off.
"Yoruichi," Ichigo began, about to launch into a lecture on perseverance, when he paused, groaning in defeat. "Fine."
"Good! Rinse off, boy-o, I'm taking you somewhere we can both blow off some steam."
An hour later, Ichigo followed Yoruichi into a noisy hut somewhere in the 12th district of East Rukongai. As his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior, he realized that it was a pub. Yoruichi nodded to the master, who seemed to recognize her with a smile, and she made her way to a large table in a back corner of the place with the kind of familiarity that one only has after multiple visits. She threw herself onto a plush cushion on the floor next to the wall and Ichigo looked on in disgust as she lifted her legs up to rest her now-bare feet on the edge of the table.
"We're not in Seireitei now, boy-o. You can relax here, right Master?" she called out to the burly man carrying a tray toward their table with a large bottle of sake and two cups.
The man nodded his agreement as he deposited the items onto the table, before asking, "Just your kept bottle, then, Yoruichi-sama?"
"No, Master, we'll need at least one more, and probably some shochu, and a lot more cups. Also bring a load of Tomoe-san's pickles and some snacks; I'm expecting company."
The master nodded and left, leaving Ichigo staring at Yoruichi with raised brows, waiting for her to fill him in on her plans for the evening.
"Sit down," she demanded, patting the cushion next to her. "There are some friends who have been anxious to see you."
Ichigo, despite being in a bad mood to begin with, actually perked up at the idea of having someone else to talk to besides Yoruichi. He began to walk around the table and was just sitting down when he heard a familiar voice.
"Ichigo!" He looked up, but didn't see anything. He squinted and sat up straighter, trying to see over the crowd, until finally he saw the top of a black head and a hand waving from within a group of taller patrons.
"Rukia, is that you?"
Rukia finally burst through the group and smiled. "Long time no see, Ichigo."
Ichigo's heart exhaled and his soul hummed. He was filled with a rush of happiness at seeing his old friend. She came over to take a seat across from him, and it wasn't long before other familiar faces approached the table: Renji, Rangiku, Shuhei, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Shinji.
"Hey, this gathering was supposed to be discreet! Who tattled to a captain?" Yoruichi complained loudly between swigs of sake.
Shinji merely blasted her a too-large grin and slunk down in the seat next to Ichigo, answering, "Like any of you could hide anything? Besides, I have my sources," before winking to Ichigo, which only served to confuse him. Being the ranking officer present, Shinji realized with reluctance that he would have to officially start things off, so after everyone had a full glass, he stood. "Thank you all present for your continued hard work, and let's continue to work together well in the future, blah blah blah, and also, here's to Ichigo, may you not be consumed by your hollow and kill us all in our sleep. Kampai!"
Everyone raised their cups, and took a hesitant sip. All, of course, except for Rangiku and Yoruichi - who couldn't care less about decorum and were only interested in getting the party started - and Ichigo, who was having a moral quandary about being underage and holding a glass of liquor.
Yoruichi noticed and turned her head to face him. "When in Rome, boy-o. There is no 'drinking age' in Rukongai. Drink up!" she said, tipping his cup toward his mouth.
Once the issue of legality was out of the way, Ichigo was more than willing to give it a go, ready to escape the frustrating reality of his present circumstances for one night. He swallowed the contents of the entire cup quickly. Despite the slight burn going down, it was not altogether unpleasant, and when Shinji reached over to fill his cup again, Ichigo held it out obediently.
"There we go. This may be just what you needed, kid. You're always wound up so tightly," Shinji said with a teasing lilt, although his eyes expressed sincere concern to Ichigo. Ichigo took the cup to his lips and only sipped this time, deciding to pace himself. He looked around the table at each of the others present. Each face took a moment to look back at him, and despite the superficial chatter they were engaged in, each person looked back at Ichigo with something his soul had been aching for. On Yoruichi's other side, Rangiku spared him a look of affection. Next, on her left and at the end of the table, he saw Shuhei's smile of camaraderie, then Ikkaku's nod of respect, Yumichika's flash of approval, Rukia's reserved warmth, and from Renji, appreciation. Finally he looked back at Yoruichi and saw a rare softness in her gaze. He felt himself choke up a bit, but blinked quickly and took another sip to distract himself from his own tenderness.
The party quickly fell into gossip and flirting and Ichigo was more than happy to listen quietly and just relax for a while. After about twenty minutes, Yoruichi got up from her place beside Ichigo, and Rangiku sidled over to him, offering him a dried persimmon. He took it and started nibbling on the strangely sweet and astringent fruit, as Rangiku leaned in and whispered, "So, tell me the truth, how are things with Orihime?"
Ichigo sighed through his nostrils. So much for having a good time, he thought, before looking up at Rangiku. He downed the remaining contents of his cup and held it out for her to refill before answering, "Not so great, thanks for asking."
"Kurosaki-kun, sarcasm does not look good on you," Rangiku cooed, "I may be Orihime's friend, but I really only want what's best for both of you."
Rukia had overheard and squeezed in between Shinji and Ichigo to join the conversation. "Ichigo, Matsumoto is right. We care about Orihime a lot, but we care about you just as much. You need someone to talk to about these things."
"Well, I broke up with her, so there's not much to talk about," he answered only slightly less defensively.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo," Rukia said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision."
Ichigo nodded. He really didn't have anything else to say about it, but Rangiku didn't seem like she was satisfied with his answer. As expected, she had more to ask. "Kurosaki-kun, are you sure this is what you want?"
"None of this is what I want," he said as he furrowed his brows deeper and looked down into his cup, before adding more quietly, "I wonder what it is I do want."
Neither of the women commented on his admission, although it gave them each plenty of food for thought. Luckily for Ichigo though, Rangiku was a lot more emotionally mature than she let on, and decided that he needed more time to figure out how he felt, and changed the topic to something more superficial, drawing Shuhei into the conversation to take the pressure off Ichigo.
After another hour of idle banter and a few more drinks, Ichigo was feeling a lot better about life in general. He was smiling and laughing freely, trading friendly insults with Renji , Shinji and Ikkaku, before falling into a conversation about music with Shuhei. They had just gotten into talking about their preferences between electric and acoustic guitars when Yoruichi stood up and announced it was time to move to the 'second party'.
No one present objected, including Ichigo, who had lost most inhibitions a few drinks ago, and they made their way into the street, which was lit entirely by colorful lanterns with the names of the restaurants, pubs, and clubs lining either side. Yoruichi led them to a yakitori place and again appeared to be well-known to the owner. Soon the party was busy stuffing their faces with various chicken parts on skewers and washing it down with yet more alcohol. When Yoruichi announced the third party, Ichigo's head was starting to spin a bit and he was having a hard time walking in a straight line.
Renji never told anyone about it for fear of being challenged, but he had a very strong alcohol tolerance, and was sober enough to recognize that Ichigo should not be drinking anymore that night. When he saw Ichigo weaving through the street behind Yoruichi, he took him by the shoulders and announced, "We'll meet you guys after a few minutes. We're going to stop at the foot bath, right Rukia?"
Rukia was slightly tipsy, but as usual she kept track of her drinks to not overdo it and embarrass her brother. After Renji spoke, it only took a look at Ichigo's face for her to understand why Renji was trying to separate him from the party. "Oh, yes, my feet are killing me. We'll see you in a bit, Yoruichi-san."
Yoruichi leveled a calculating gaze at the trio and quickly came to the conclusion that a private conversation with these two might be just what Ichigo needed. In an instant her jovial mask was back in place, and she waved a hand as she turned her back to them and told them the name of the next bar as she led the rest of the group away.
Ichigo said nothing during the entire exchange, focusing too carefully on not losing his stomach contents.
Renji helped Ichigo walk over to the outdoor footbath, grateful that there was no one else there at the moment. He waited as Rukia rolled up the legs of her pants and carefully dipped her toes into the steaming hot water and slowly lowered her foot to the bottom of the bath to allow them time to adjust to the heat until the water rose to the level of her knees. She helped Renji with his pant legs and sandals as he held a nearly passed out Ichigo up, and then did the same for Ichigo. Rukia helped Renji guide Ichigo to sit on the bench beside the footbath and as his feet hit the scalding water, his mind was brought back to relative clarity.
"I don't feel so good," he mumbled.
"You don't look so good either," Renji replied.
"Thanks for getting me out of there," Ichigo said, trailing off at the end as his eyes fell closed again.
"There he goes again," a rosy-faced Rukia quipped, getting out of the footbath and taking a bamboo ladle of water from the adjacent water fountain. She brought it over and held it to Ichigo's lips. The coolness from the water under his nose revived him again, and he sipped on it carefully, taking care not to upset his stomach.
The three of them sat quietly for a long while, waiting for a modicum of sobriety to return to Ichigo. Luckily for him, he had food in his belly and youth on his side, and after about twenty minutes he was able to balance on his own and hold eye contact without feeling like Soul Society was going to spin off its axis, or whatever physical properties it was subject to.
"Thanks again, guys. I don't know if I would have survived the third party."
"Yeah, we had our doubts," Rukia laughed gently. Ichigo returned a half-grin and looked down at his legs in the water.
"So, we haven't had a chance to talk to you since your intervention. What's happened?" Renji asked.
Ichigo filled them in about being a Quincy, his training with the Ishidas, and his ill-advised meeting with Orihime. When he got to his fight with Ulquiorra, he glossed over the events. He wasn't able to clearly recall the details of the fight anyway; his hollow had nearly taken over and it was so short in duration. What he strongly remembered were his feelings and those of his hollow, which he kept to himself. He ended his explanation saying, "I can't believe that guy is back," shaking his head carefully, "the last thing I ever expected to see at Urahara's door was the guy who killed me, twice, wearing skinny jeans. It was rather, um, unsettling to say the least."
"I imagine," Renji said.
"I was shocked to see him at your intervention too, but I think Orihime had it the worst," Rukia remembered somewhat absently.
"What?" Ichigo asked, genuinely surprised.
"Oh, yeah, she fainted, right?" Renji added.
"Yes. I didn't get a chance to speak with her afterward but she had been upset by what happened to you, Ichigo, and then seeing him alive was just too much for her. She looked terrified, and then she fainted right onto Ishida," Rukia explained.
"That's a surprise," Ichigo said with more resentment than he intended.
"Really? He was her kidnapper. Why would it surprise you?"
"According to Ishida, he's been hanging around her - trying to get close to her - and she's been allowing it."
"Hmm, how do you feel about that?" Renji asked.
Ichigo looked up and made eye contact with both of them for a minute, unable to find an answer. Finally, he said, "Honestly, I don't know."
"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, her eyebrows knotted together in confusion.
"I mean I don't know how I feel. I know how my hollow feels. He recognized Ulquiorra's reiatsu from when I visited Orihime and reacted violently. He's jealous and possessive; I mean, he really wants to own her. But when my hollow is quiet and I think about my own reaction – I don't know. I mean, obviously I broke up with her so I have no right to tell her who she can spend time with. But besides that, I mean, I care about her and I want her to be safe. There is no way I trust Ulquiorra. If I didn't have my hollow to worry about I would be there to protect her from him for sure. But, other than that… I don't know."
Rukia was concerned. "So you mean you don't care if she gets a new boyfriend right away?"
"I don't know, Rukia," Ichigo started, frustrated. "I don't know how much of what I have felt is from me and how much of it was my hollow. I'm so confused. When it comes to Inoue, I don't know where I end and my hollow begins."
The three were quiet for another couple minutes, just thinking about what Ichigo had said. Finally, Rukia broke the silence. "I hope your training helps you get some clarity, Ichigo."
Ichigo nodded and spared her a weary smile. Renji stood then, mentioning they should head back to the party before someone came looking for them.
Karakura town (Tuesday, January 20th)
Orihime had been acting like she was only half alive since reading Ichigo's letter. No one and nothing seemed able to lift her spirits, much to her friends' concern. This afternoon was no different. She decided to skip handicrafts club after school and was currently walking home alone while it was still daylight. Gray, dreary daylight, she noted to herself. She felt it was appropriate, given her mood.
It also felt like the coldest day of the year so far. She shoved her hands deeper into her pockets and tucked her chin into her scarf, picking up her pace a bit. She didn't notice right away when someone started to walk beside her. She gasped and spun a quarter turn to see who it was when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Ulquiorra! You scared me!"
"That was not my intention, woman."
Orihime struggled to catch her breath; the bitter cold of the air felt painful as it clawed its way to her lungs. She readjusted her scarf once more to cover her nose as well as her mouth, and as her frigid trachea warmed up, she finally responded, "Intentional or not, Ulquiorra, you scared me. What do you want?" She cringed slightly at the harshness of what she had just said. What is it about him that always makes me just say whatever I feel without thinking?
Ulquiorra was undeterred. "Come with me, woman," he commanded, beginning to lead the way forward. When he noticed she wasn't following, he stopped, sighing a large cloud of billowy white breath into the air. When she didn't catch up, he turned to face her again, and seeing her standing in her original position, he strode back to her, stopping close enough that she would need to look up to see his face. She continued to look forward, blankly.
"I said, come with me, woman." When she made no response, Ulquiorra relented, adding, "Urahara-san would speak with you."
Orihime's shoulders slumped. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know anything that Urahara could tell her, but she knew she would eventually cave in anyway, so she might as well go now. She nodded and began walking again. The Shoten was close by anyway.
Ulquiorra hadn't heard from Orihime since Ichigo left. Urahara had advised him to leave her alone temporarily, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to stop thinking about her. After learning that Ichigo had written her a letter right after their fight, Ulquiorra began to grow anxious that her avoidance was possibly due to something Ichigo had written. After three days of intense pestering, Urahara finally agreed to summon Orihime to speak.
They arrived at the Shoten several minutes later. Ulquiorra opened the door, allowing Orihime to enter first. Despite her stubbornness to remain as miserable as possible, Orihime found herself grateful to be indoors and away from the cold. She slipped off her shoes, put on house slippers, and allowed Ulquiorra to take her coat, which he did silently, observing her as he always did.
Orihime walked toward Urahara's office, but when she arrived, the door was locked. A note had been taped to it addressed to Orihime. She took it down and read, "Sorry, had to do a thing. Help yourself to tea and Tessai's shortbread. Also, if you have the time and wouldn't mind, please teach Cifer-san how to use the item on the dining table. I'll see you next time!" Urahara didn't sign the note, but rather drew a caricature of himself waving his fan with a thought bubble that said "bye-bye!" in it.
Orihime closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. She did not want to smile. She did not want to feel happy. She thought that do so would mean she wasn't sad about her breakup with Ichigo anymore. She felt guilty that she found some amusement in Urahara's note. After beating herself up mentally for a moment, she looked up and asked Ulquiorra, "Which one is the dining table?"
Ulquiorra led the way to the spot in question. On it was a tea set and a plate of shortbread, which Orihime mentally noted to partake in later. Next to those was a box with a picture of a cell phone one it.
"What is this?" Ulquiorra asked, holding up the box.
"Looks like you got a cell phone. Congratulations," Orihime answered with a small smile that didn't go past her lips. She passed Ulquiorra the note Urahara had written and took the box from him. Opening it and taking out the phone, she found an outlet and set the phone up to charge. It was a similar phone to the one she used, and so she didn't have much difficulty setting it up and showing him the basic functionality. After showing him the call and text functions, she handed it to him, and turned her attention to the refreshments.
Ulquiorra stared down at the black object in his hands and began to feel irritated. "Woman, please explain. Why would I need to call or text someone?"
"I don't know, Ulquiorra. Maybe Urahara-san wanted to be able to contact you when you are apart."
"Can I contact anyone with this device?"
"No, you can only contact people whose numbers you know or have programmed into your phone."
"I know no numbers. Are any numbers 'programmed into' the phone?"
"Not yet. Oh, how about we put Sado-kun's number in? Oh, and I have Urahara-san's number too, we can put that in there."
Ulquiorra didn't answer but handed the phone back to Orihime. When she was finished and tried to give it back, Ulquiorra didn't take it. Instead, a faint rosy tint began to surface on his cheeks, and he asked, "May I have your number also?"
Orihime didn't answer, but her eyes went wide for a moment and the tips of her ears became hot. Then she answered, "Oh, sure, of course," and entered her own number, chiding herself. Her initial reaction when he asked for her number was to feel flattered. Then she remembered it was Ulquiorra she was talking to, and before everything that happened with Ichigo they had decided to be friends, so, she calculated, it was perfectly natural and not at all interesting that he asked for her number. She passed the phone back to him and stuffed a piece of shortbread into her mouth before she could say anything.
"Thank you, woman. If you'd like, I can walk you home after you've had some tea."
Orihime swallowed her bite down quickly and chased it with a sip of tea, before responding, "No, thank you though, that's kind of you, Ulquiorra. I can make it back on my own."
Ulquiorra nodded thoughtfully, and after a moment replied, "I know you can."
Orihime set down her cup and turned toward the door before Ulquiorra could see that she was tearing up. She didn't know why his small affirmation had such an effect on her.
Ulquiorra walked her to the door and handed Orihime her coat. Orihime changed shoes and turned to say goodbye, but before she could speak, Ulquiorra blurted out, "Would it be appropriate to contact you? I understand that you have been… antisocial recently."
Orihime wasn't sure how to take his question/allegation. At first it sounded like a cute request, then possibly an insult? She smiled anyway, for a moment forgetting Ichigo completely, as she considered that Ulquiorra would have no idea how his words might be construed, and was just being completely straightforward. She decided to be straightforward in return. "I have, haven't I? Well, I can't stay this way forever. You may contact me when I am not in school and before 10 pm, unless there is an emergency, in which case you may contact me anytime, although I recommend you contact Urahara-san first. Also, it's better to text than call most times."
Ulquiorra nodded seriously, committing her recommendations to memory, before she said goodbye and left.
I'll end it here, I am exhausted! Thanks for reading, and please drop me a line via PM or review to let me know what you think.