note: surprise, surprise! i'm back from the deadddddddd!
note2: this chapter was originally supposed to be around 3.5k words but oops i accidentally wrote a little over 6k words instead! merry (early) christmas!
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Kurosaki Ichigo was a man of many things, but he was not a coward.
In his lifetime, Ichigo has killed more people than he could possibly count: twisted assholes who sold poor women off as sex slaves, ruthless criminals who stole enough yen to weaken an economy, and conniving dealers who deceived people for their precious, valuable goods. But Ichigo would never consider killing a harmless woman who was just doing her job, regardless whether or not her actions would publically expose the infamous assassin clan.
When his father was the leader, the clan did not own such a sour reputation. The assassins were only hired to kill people who were a threat to society, not innocent people who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.
So, no. Kurosaki Ichigo was definitely not to be considered a coward. When Aizen asked him if he had killed the eminent journalist, Ichigo was more than willing to lie and risk his life than to take hers.
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Orihime decides that the constant ticking of the analog clock sitting above her seemed to have gotten louder and louder as time passed by.
It has been an hour since Ichigo has left, and Orihime hasn't moved a single inch from her spot on the cold, hardwood floor. Orihime was too busy thinking of how she could escape this hotel, sail back to Japan, and act as if none of this had ever happen. Unfortunately for her, every plan she came up with seemed to be too far-fetched.
And to make matters worse, her mind kept carelessly wandering to Kurosaki Ichigo. No matter how hard Orihime tried to think of something else, several questions pertaining to him still managed to emerge in her head: Why did Ichigo cut her hair? What does he want to do with it? Why did he leave the hotel in a hurry?
Why didn't he kill her?
Orihime ponders on the last question. Despite being grateful that her life was still intact, she sighs deeply in mere confusion and slides her body further down the wall to the point she is almost laying on the floor. Her stomach begins to growl as she glances at the clock once more.
Half an hour passed ten, she reads.
Suddenly, she hears loud footsteps lingering outside of the entrance door. In response, Orihime quickly sits up straight and adjusts her dress, making sure it wasn't revealing too much skin. The soft jingle of a key is heard before the door opens and Ichigo enters. He passes Orihime, briefly acknowledging her presence next to the wall, and continues towards the bedroom.
Orihime is a bit relieved that he has ignored her for the time being, but the slight tinge of uneasiness still manages to seep into her stomach. What was she supposed to do now that he's back? Orihime stands up as she hears the sound of clicking in the bedroom, assuming that Ichigo is making a call to someone.
Who is he trying to call? She thinks to herself, frowning, as she slowly walks to the bedroom entrance. She sees him stand there for quite some time before hanging the phone up and cursing under his breath.
"U-um," Orihime starts, but she wisely holds her tongue. At the moment, Orihime couldn't think of what to say to cut through the silence. Does she tell him that she is starving? Or ask what he has done with her hair? Orihime was too nervous to speak, as she knew that it would somehow anger him.
As Ichigo turns to the sound of Orihime's shaky voice, there is a soft knock on the door. To Orihime's interpretation, Ichigo seems relieved of the guest's presence and quickly walks to the entrance in a hurry. When he looks through the peephole, though, Ichigo is suddenly tense, which worries Orihime.
"Shit," he grumbles under his breath before rushing to Orihime's side and grabbing her elbow. Orihime flinches at his sudden touch. "Quickly, follow me."
Ichigo doesn't wait for her response when he swiftly leads her through the bedroom and into the bathroom. He scans the room, as if looking for something—or in this case, somewhere to hide Orihime. When his eyes land on a curtain, Ichigo pulls the curtain aside to reveal a small, iron bathtub.
"This is good enough," he whispers to himself before facing Orihime and pointing towards the tub, "I need you to stay in here."
Orihime doesn't question his intentions and quickly nods her head. Ichigo holds out his hand for her, and she gratefully takes it and carefully steps into the tub. Once she was inside, she sits carefully on her knees.
"Do not make a sound," Ichigo quietly commands.
Orihime nods again, and he closes the curtain. The only sound remaining are his footsteps as he leaves the bathroom. A few seconds pass, and she hears the door open, followed by a deep voice that isn't Ichigo's.
She then hears Ichigo's voice say, "Hello, Gin."
"Gin…," Orihime repeats, frowning. The name doesn't sound familiar, but it still makes her feel tense. Could Gin be one of the men she encountered last night?
"Have you taken care of the woman yet?" she hears the man ask. Orihime suddenly feels her chest sink; the man must be talking about her.
"Yes," is Ichigo's reply, which confuses Orihime. Why would Ichigo lie about killing her? Would that explain why Ichigo hid her in the bathroom?
Orihime slouches in the bathtub in defeat. This entire situation was beginning to be too much for her to handle...
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"Hmm, is that so?" A man named Gin questions Ichigo as he forces his way into the hotel room. Gin begins to scan the area; Ichigo frowns at this. "You haven't been spending much time with the clan lately… Have you become disinterested in us?" Gin then asks, feigning sadness in his voice.
"Tch," Ichigo scoffs, rolling his eyes, and dodges Gin's question, "Is there an actual reason as to why you are here, Gin?"
"I'm just making sure you are doing your job," Gin says, wandering around the room. When he strides towards the bedroom door, Ichigo quickly stands in front of him with a scowl on his face.
"I've already told you, Gin," Ichigo barks, crossing his arms, "she is dead."
"Oh, Kurosaki...," Gin croons in a taunting manner, stepping closer to Ichigo as his smile grows wider. "You and I both know that your words are full of shit," he then says, his eyes glaring into Ichigo's.
The two men continued to stare at each other until there is a sudden, loud banging on the door.
"Ichigo, open up!" a feminine voice shouts from behind the door. "It's urgent!"
Ichigo recognizes the voice, and he is relieved that the wielder has interrupted his intense stare-off with Gin. Ichigo ignores him and opens the door, revealing a short, slightly disheveled woman dressed in a long, dark blue dress.
"Ichigo, I need to talk to—," the woman pauses when she notices another man standing next to Ichigo. "Oh, it's you, Gin…"
"Ah, Rukia," Gin murmurs, "you do not sound too happy to see me~"
It is Rukia's turn to smile, yet hers is more forced and curt, "Well, truth be told, I'm not. I need to speak with Ichigo." When Gin doesn't move, she quickly adds, "Alone."
Gin's eyes narrow as he slowly walks to the entrance of the hotel room. Before he exits, he turns to Ichigo and says in a low, threatening tone, "We are not finished here, Kurosaki."
Ichigo places his hands on his hips, "I know."
With that, Gin slams the door shut, startling both Ichigo and Rukia. Once they hear the sound of Gin's footsteps disappear, Ichigo faces Rukia, "I tried calling your hotel room. You didn't pick up."
"I was at the library all morning," Rukia explains before changing the subject. "I just talked to my brother. Did you know that Aizen is—"
"Yes," Ichigo whispers harshly under his breath, his hands clenched tightly into fists.
Rukia pauses, frowning, "How did you know?"
Ichigo tilts his head in a trivial manner, "Why do you think Gin was here just now?"
Rukia opens her mouth, then closes it. A few seconds pass, and she begins to speak again, "Why is Aizen after you? What have you done this time?"
Ichigo chuckles bitterly, "It's what I didn't do." He glances back at his bedroom door, then back at Rukia, as if contemplating on something. Ichigo shakes off his thoughts and grabs Rukia's wrist, "Follow me."
Rukia follows Ichigo as he leads her into his bedroom. She notices the disheveled mess of white sheets that lie on the floor next to the bed. At this, she grins and makes light of it, "Quite the rough sleeper, aren't you?"
Ichigo scoffs and shakes his head, "It's a long story." He opens the door to the bathroom and enters. Hesitantly, Rukia follows behind.
"I fail to understand why you need me to come to your bathroom," Rukia says exasperatedly, folding her arms.
Ichigo frowns, "Just stay quiet, will you?"
He opens the curtain, revealing Orihime hunched in the bathtub, shivering in fear. Rukia's eyes widen as she steps forward, studying Orihime's appearance. Orihime, startled, leans back from the woman's gaze.
Now that Orihime has seen this mysterious woman closely, she remembers that this is the very same woman she saw talking to Ichigo while eating at Les Ombres. What was she doing here? And what happened to the other man that was there? Would that explain the sound of the loud door she heard earlier?
"What the hell is the head investigator for the Asahi Shimbun doing in your bathtub?" Rukia shouts in anger.
Ichigo quickly clamps a hand over Rukia mouth before she could say anything else. "Why not let the entire damn world know?!" He barks in return.
Rukia shoves his hand away from her mouth, "You still have yet to answer my question, Ichigo!"
"How about you let Little Miss Investigator here tell you how she got herself in this predicament," he suggests, waving his hand towards Orihime, followed by the intense gaze of the raven-haired woman.
Orihime's mouth and throat suddenly feels dry while the hunger in her stomach is immediately replaced with dread. Orihime was already anxious as it is, and to put her in the spotlight was not helping her well-being in the slightest.
"A-ah..." Orihime nervously starts, her voice slightly cracking. Before she can say anything else, Rukia interrupts her, much to Orihime's relief.
"Is this why Aizen is on your ass? Because of her?" Rukia asks, pointing a finger closely towards Orihime's face. Orihime leans back in discomfort. "Are you having an affair with her or some sort?"
"No!" The two shout in unison. Ichigo and Orihime briefly glance at each other before shifting their eyes in different directions. Despite the dreadful situation the two were in, both of them were deeply embarrassed at such an accusation nonetheless.
After a moment of silence, Ichigo finally speaks, leaning his figure against a nearby wall and crossing his arms tightly over his chest, "I was supposed to kill her, but I can't—I won't."
Orihime's eyes widen. So she was the woman Gin was talking about, after all. That would explain why Ichigo had hid her in the bathroom and snipped her hair earlier that day. He must have used it as false evidence. Clever man, she thinks to herself.
Of course, Orihime feels relieved to know that Ichigo has spared her life, but she is still confused as to why he was unable to kill her. Had he not murdered a countless number of people in the past? How was she any different than his past innocent victims?
"Well," Rukia starts, interrupting Orihime's thoughts, "I don't know what she did for her to end up in such a situation, but all I know for sure is that you can't keep her locked up in this hotel forever. We must do something."
"I know," Ichigo murmurs, eyes towards the marbled bathroom floor, lost in thought. "I believe I have an idea though…"
"What is it?" Rukia asks.
Ichigo's eyes shift to Orihime, suddenly making her heart throb, her ears ring, and the tips of her fingers to shake. Just one glance from him, and she was already a mess. I should really be ashamed of myself, Orihime thinks in frustration as she shuts her eyes, shielding her view from the enticing man.
Ichigo's eyes meet back to Rukia, "What was the first thing you noticed that made you realize she was the head investigator of the Asahi Shimbun?"
Rukia raises an eyebrow, confused as to where Ichigo was going with this. "Her hair..."
"Precisely," he says as he grabs a blade from his back pocket, the same blade he used to cut a portion of Orihime's hair off.
Suddenly, Orihime realizes his intentions. No, no, no! She internally screams, grabbing a firm hold onto her long hair. The only other time Orihime's hair was cut short was ten years ago due to a group of harsh bullies in intermediate school. Ever since then, she vowed to never get it drastically cut again for her brother's sake.
"Please don't cut my hair!" Orihime pleads desperately, tears on the edge of her eyes. "There must another option!"
"I'm afraid there isn't," Ichigo says, softly. "This is the only way for Aizen and the clan to not recognize you."
"That, or use hydrogen peroxide to bleach it," Rukia suggests before smirking. "And I highly doubt you want to go with that option."
Orihime vigorously shakes her head, "Of course, not!"
Orihime shudders as her eyes lower to the hands in her lap. She notices that they are still shaking, but this time it was because of sudden realization of the position she was in. Aizen was looking for her; the leader of the assassin clan she had spent months investigating on wants her dead… What truly a nightmare this entire experience at the World Exposition has turned out to be for Orihime.
She wipes her watery eyes and glances up at Ichigo, wielding a face of determination, "Fine, I'll go with the first choice—but there is only one condition."
Ichigo raises a brow wearily, "And what would that be?"
"I shall cut it myself."
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Half an hour later, Orihime is finally satisfied with her work. Sitting in a large, plush chair in the bedroom, she studies her new hairstyle in the extravagant mirror and constantly runs her fingers through the freshly-cut, auburn locks until they reach the ends at chin-length.
Suddenly, she jumps at the loud knock on the bedroom door.
"Little Miss Investigator," says a low, masculine voice, the voice that she was very familiar with. "Are you finished in there yet?"
"Y-yes!" Orihime squeaks, quickly sitting up straight. A few seconds pass before the door creaks open and Ichigo enters. He pauses for a moment, slightly taken aback by Orihime's hair, and slowly treads towards Orihime until he is standing behind her.
The silence is unnerving for Orihime, especially since Ichigo was staring at her through the mirror. She bites her lips and continues to fidget with her hair. Did it not look as good as she had thought?
"What do we do now that I've cut my hair?" Orihime asks, cutting through the silence.
Ichigo sighs and shifts his eyes to the window, "I... don't know."
Orihime studies his demeanor and hesitantly continues, "I may have changed my appearance, but my name and job still remains the same. It won't be long until Aizen puts two and two together and figure out who I am. I need to go back home as soon as possible."
Ichigo frowns, "You expect to go back to Japan?"
Orihime, slightly startled, answers, "Yes. Why?"
Ichigo looks at her wearily, "I don't think it would be advisable to go back. Aizen will just follow you and kill you there."
Orihime's eyes widen in panic. Truth be told, Orihime suspected that not returning to Japan might have been a possible option, but Ichigo's words had struck a thick cord in Orihime's mind. It had finally occurred to her that she couldn't return back to her normal life, that there was a very slim chance that she would never see her coworkers, family, or friends again.
Orihime feels her eyes watering and her ears loudly ring. "Why...," she whispers in frustration, "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't Aizen just leave me be? I promise not to tell the newspaper of the clan's secrets! I'll let the story go and act as if none of this had ever happened! I just want to go home..."
Ichigo solemnly shakes his head, "I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be. Aizen will not stop searching for you until you are dead." Ichigo folds his arms and shifts his eyes in a different direction. Through blurry eyes, Orihime notices that there is a tinge of bitterness in his. "Believe it or not, I'm on the same boat. I've betrayed my clan, and they're most likely going to kill me as well. If you just hadn't snuck into the library last night, all of this could have been avoided..."
Orihime's eyebrows furrow as warm tears falling onto her heated cheeks, "Are you blaming me for this?"
"I'm just stating the truth," he says, evenly. "The least you could have done was be more cautious. Carelessly tripping over that statue in the library pretty much costed you your life—"
Suddenly, Orihime slams the knife down onto the edge of the vanity, interrupting Ichigo from speaking. Orihime's eyes dart to his as tears continuing to fall down her face before she says angrily, "If you are done patronizing me for my actions, I would like to be left alone."
Ichigo stands in shock at her sudden change of tone, as this is the first time he has ever seen her this angry. "As you wish…," he says quietly as he heads to the door. When Ichigo's hand brushes the doorknob, he turns back to Orihime.
"When was the last time you have eaten?" He asks, truly curious of her answer. As he recalled, Orihime hasn't eaten anything since he captur—looked after her.
Orihime turns to face him once again, wiping her wide, damp eyes. "Since yesterday late evening at Les Ombres," she tells him. She sniffles before whispering in a low tone, "I'm terribly hungry…"
Ichigo nods in response, his hand slightly clenching on the doorknob. He reprimands himself for not getting her something to eat much sooner. Ichigo should've known that Orihime would've been hungry before now.
"I will get you something to eat," Ichigo finally tells her as he opens the bedroom door and takes his leave. He enters the main room where Rukia is sitting in a chair nearby.
"I'm going to go get something to eat from one of the vendors nearby," he says, grabbing his leather wallet off of the table to retrieve a few francs from it.
Rukia raises an eyebrow, "You think that's a smart idea with Aizen and Gin on your ass?"
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes," Ichigo assures her in a matter-of-fact tone. "Just watch over the investigator while I'm gone. And no funny business, got it?"
"Yes, of course," Rukia says, waving her hands at him dismissively.
Ichigo rolls his eyes and shuts the door behind him. A few minutes pass before the bedroom door creaks open, grabbing Rukia's attention. Orihime shyly emerges from behind the door.
"Is he gone?" Orihime nervously asks, her eyes still red from crying.
Rukia, shocked of her new appearance, nods her head with wide eyes.
"Good," Orihime says, relieved. She walks through the door and sits in the empty chair next to Rukia. Orihime hugs her knees against her chest, oblivious that her black dress was lifting up high on her legs, completely exposing them. "He is a very intimidating man."
"Have you been crying?" Rukia asks, softly touching Orihime's bare shoulder. "Your eyes are red." Rukia then frowns. "Did Ichigo hurt you?"
Orihime shakes her head as a weak smile forms on her lips, "No, he hasn't. I'm fine now. It's nothing to be concerned about, I promise."
Rukia leans back into her chair, her dress shifting with her movements. She decides to change the subject for Orihime's sake. "I could barely recognize you with that new hairstyle of yours," she says, grinning widely.
Orihime blushes, "R-really? Does it look bad?"
"No, not in the slightest!" Rukia assures, waving her hands in a vigorous manner. Her mind wonders to the redhead's earlier words. "Ichigo isn't all that bad, you know."
"I figured," Orihime admits sheepishly, hugging her legs more tightly than before. Orihime knew she shouldn't be upset about what Ichigo had said earlier. Ichigo was right: his only intentions were to tell the truth. Not to mention, he did spare Orihime her life, and she should be truly grateful for that. If any other member of the clan were given the order to kill her, Orihime might not have been so lucky.
Orihime's mind wonders back to when she first saw Ichigo from the window at the extravagant restaurant the previous day. She would have never guessed that she would have met him, nor assume that he was an assassin working for the clan she was doing an investigation on. Orihime also remembers that Rukia was there at as well, bringing a particular question to Orihime's mind.
"Are you Kurosaki-san's lover?" Orihime blurts before even allowing herself to think. Embarrassed, she immediately clamps her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in horror of what she had just asked. "I sincerely apologize! I didn't mean to be so blunt, i-it's just that…"
Orihime was well aware that it isn't her business for asking such a question, but in her defense, she is already in quite the risky situation as it is; to protrude deeper into the clan's privacy wouldn't penalize her too much.
But Rukia's reaction was entirely different than what Orihime was expecting. Orihime couldn't finish speaking before Rukia is hunched over, laughing robustly with tears on the edge of her tightly shut eyes, threatening to escape at any moment. After a few seconds, Rukia finally sits up and wipes her eyes before turning to Orihime.
"What would ever make you assume that Ichigo and I were lovers?" Rukia playfully asks Orihime. "I'm very curious to hear your explanation."
"U-um," Orihime stutters, shrugging her shoulders, "you two just seem to be very close, that's all. I'm sorry for speaking out of line. I shouldn't have asked."
"Oh, nonsense!" Rukia says, waving her hand. "It's alright." Rukia then leans closer to Orihime, as if to be discreet, before whispering, "What I'm really curious to know is why the head of our clan wants you dead. Tell me, what exactly did you do?"
"Well, you see," Orihime nervously starts. She tells Rukia about how her boss sent her to the World Exposition to do an investigation on an infamous murderer, then of her experience with the clan from yesterday.
"Hmm, I can see why now," Rukia contemplates, a finger resting under her chin. "But all of those innocent people being murdered, and the plan to kill Gustave Eiffel… Ichigo has no part in those. He—and myself—are actually against it."
Orihime is slightly shocked to hear this. She was fully aware that Ichigo was kind enough to betray his own leader to keep her alive, but she feels even more relieved to know that he wasn't the one responsible for the countless deaths of all those people back in Japan.
"Our clan wasn't always like this," Rukia explains, interrupting Orihime's train of thought. "We used to only kill people who are a burden to the society. We took care of tasks that were too shady for the police to get involved in." Rukia adds in a sad tone, "After Ichigo's father, the original leader of the clan, was killed, everything went downhill from there. Our new leader, Aizen, kills whoever he pleases." Rukia then leans closer to Orihime to whisper, "Once, he sent a man named Gin to kill a blue-haired beauty when she refused Aizen of her… business."
Orihime's eyes widen, assuming that the term 'business' was used as a euphemism for something sexual. Orihime then tilts her head upwards, gazing at the ceiling.
"Wow," she murmurs under her breath in sudden disbelief.
Rukia glances at her with a raised eyebrow, "What is it?"
"It's just that all this time, our staff believed that it was just one person doing all of these killings," Orihime states, frowning. "I cannot believe we never considered that more than one person would be involved in this. It all makes sense now…"
Rukia scoffs, "And I cannot believe I'm telling you of all people this type of information..."
Orihime shakes her head. "No, it's okay! I promise not to tell a soul!" She assures her, smiling. The smile gradually disappears when she is lost in thought once more. "It's not like I can return to my job anyways so..."
Rukia frowns in response. "I'm sorry that you got twisted into this chaos. Our clan has gotten so terrible the past few years, it just makes me frustrated."
Orihime tilts her head, slightly bewildered of Rukia's words, "I was wondering, Rukia-san, if you could tell me why you work for the clan even if you do not believe in their actions?"
"Why?" Rukia repeats; Orihime nods her head in confirmation. "Just as Ichigo, I was born into this mess. We didn't ask to be assassins. It was just… an occupation that was forced upon us once we were of age. And it's not like we can't escape either." Rukia then adds with a tone of resentment, "Aizen would have our heads on spikes, for sure."
Now it was Orihime's turn to feel sorry for Rukia and Ichigo. Them being born into the clan would explain why the two seem as though they were very unlikely to be assassins, but there was still one more thing that wasn't adding up to Orihime…
Orihime suddenly turns to Rukia, "If I may ask, why does Aizen want to kill the man who invented the Eiffel Tower? Why is he so willing to travel all the way to France for such a trivial task?"
"It's quite simple, actually," Rukia answers. "Gustave Eiffel is a very wealthy man and an easy target. With all of these frivolous tasks Aizen keeps giving the clan to do, he is in need of the money. Not to mention that our clan resides in Japan, so it will be hard for the French authorities to find out who is responsible for taking Eiffel's life." Rukia then shrugs. "This isn't the first time he pulled something like this off for some cash."
"Oh," is all Orihime could say as her eyes fall to her lap. She couldn't believe that there were actually people like Aizen that existed in this world.
"Ichigo is a good guy, trust me," Rukia assures Orihime once more, placing her hand in the redhead's lap. "He just acts like an ass sometimes, that's all."
At this, Orihime giggles for the first time since she could remember. It couldn't be helped, she guessed.
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"So?" Aizen asks Gin, impatiently. "What of it?"
"Rukia came, sir," Gin explains, his eyes glued to Aizen's desk, not daring to glance into his leader's eyes.
Aizen scoffs at his response, "Of course, she did." Aizen stands from his seat and paces around his desk. "They have always been inseparable, those two… I'm sure he has told her of the situation he's in as well..."
"What do you suggest we do?" Gin asks, placing his hands behind his back.
Aizen turns to face Gin with a taunting grin on his lips, "Since Ichigo refuses my command and still seems to be hellbent over his deceased father, perhaps he should join him."
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Just as Ichigo had promised, he returns back to the hotel room fifteen minutes later with two paper bag in his hands. "I'm back," he announces, closing the door behind him with his foot. He quickly looks around, briefly noticing that Rukia is still sitting in her chair. "Where is the investigator?"
"She fell asleep in the bedroom," Rukia replies. Then, she adds, "She needs some rest. She's had a rough day, I believe."
"Indeed," Ichigo agrees, grimacing about his encounter with Orihime earlier as he places the bags on the table.
Piqued by his actions, Rukia stands from the chair. "What's in the bags?" she asks curiously, leaning over Ichigo's shoulder.
Ichigo turns his head towards Rukia, raising an eyebrow. "Food. I told you I was going to get something to eat," Ichigo tells her. "Oh, and a new dress for the investigator to wear."
The only sound in the room is the loud crumple of the paper bags made by Ichigo as he checks through them. Rukia sighs and decides to speak, "I think I should head back to the library before Aizen gets suspicious."
Ichigo scoffs in response, his attention still to the paper bags as he pulls a long, velvet dress out of one of them. "It's a bit too late for that. Gin has probably already informed Aizen that you visited... which is all the more reason for Aizen to want me dead."
"Shit," Rukia curses under her breath. "I never thought about that. If that's the case, then it isn't safe for you to be here. We need to leave now."
Ichigo nods, "I'll go get the investigator."
As he walks to the bedroom, someone begins to loudly bang on the entrance door. Ichigo and Rukia wearily glance at each before Rukia walks to the door and looks through the peephole to see a tall man with long, red hair standing behind it.
"It's Renji," she says, relieved.
"Let him in."
Rukia opens the door, and the man enters, panting loudly as he rests his hands on knees.
Ichigo frowns at this, "Renji, what's the matter?"
"Aizen has completely lost it this time," he heavily breathes. "He's ordered Gin and a group of men to kill you. They are on their way here as we speak."
"Damn it!" Ichigo shouts in anger, running a frustrated hand through his spiky locks. "How did you come about this information?"
"I was one of the men Aizen instructed to kill you," Renji tells him. "I quickly ran here before he informed the others. Look, I don't knowwhy you didn't kill the woman when you had the chance, but you need to go now before the rest of the group shows up!"
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"Orihime, wake up," says a masculine voice.
Orihime's eyes begin to flutter open. "Onii-chan?" She croaks under her breath. When her eyes are fully wide, she sees dark brown eyes intensely staring at her, and her hearts suddenly weighs heavy in her chest in realization of who the eyes belong to.
"No, it's Ichigo," he says, dryly. "Hurry, get up. We need to leave as quickly as possible."
Orihime is now wide awake, "Why?"
"Questions later," Ichigo replies in a hurried tone, throwing the dress he had earlier on the bed next to her. Orihime inspects the fabric and frowns; she knows the dress must have cost him a fortune.
"Put this dress on. It would be much more appropriate to wear than your current attire," he says, glancing down at Orihime. Orihime, too, looks at her black dress to see it has ridden up to her knees and blushes. She quickly uses the bed sheets to cover herself up.
Orihime continues to watch Ichigo pace around the room, grabbing his belongings from several drawers and placing them into a leather briefcase. Once he is done, Ichigo stands in front of Orihime and scowls.
"What are you waiting for?" he asks, slightly frustrated.
Orihime flinches at his tone and nervously looks down at her fingers, "Could you please give me some time to change?" she asks.
Ichigo's face slightly reddens, "Of course. Excuse me." Ichigo nods his head, takes his briefcase in his hands, and leaves the room.
As soon as the door closes, Orihime quickly stands from the bed and removes the black dress from her body. She discards the flimsy fabric onto the floor and grabs the velvet dress to put it on. The dress stretches tight against her chest and the length is a bit too long for her liking, but other than that, it fits perfectly. Orihime grabs her wallet from the bed stand before leaving the bedroom.
When Orihime enters the main room, she is unexpectedly greeted by a tall man. The man is just as surprised to see her as she him.
"Woah," he murmurs under his breath before whispering slyly to Ichigo, "Now I can see why you didn't kill her." Rukia hears his rather loud comment and thrusts her elbow into his lower abdomen, making the man hunch over in pain. "You bitch!" Renji barks, his eyes clenched closed. "That hurts like hell!"
"Serves you right," Rukia retorts, crossing her arms. "Now quit fooling around. We need to leave."
As all four head to the door, Ichigo picks up a paper bag and hands it to Orihime, much to Orihime's bewilderment.
"This has some food in it," he explains to her as he grabs the doorknob to the entrance door. "You can eat it once we get to where we are going. For the time being, use it to cover your face so no one can recognize you."
Orihime nods her head. "Where are we going?" she then asks.
Ichigo frowns as his grip tightens on the doorknob, "I'm not sure yet."
When Ichigo opens the door, Gin is standing before him, along with a group of men behind him.
"Hello, Kurosaki," Gin greets darkly with a sly grin on his lips.
.
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"We meet again."
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note3: pssst if you wanna know what hime's new hair looks like just google "ichihime snk au by ichihimepr" and it should be the first pic. :-)
note4: review for me, yes?