Disclaimer : I do not own bleach.
forgive me if there are mistakes. i worked late into the night on this and then just got fed up and posted it without checking for errors.
Chapter 2:
The Fated Encounter:
"Ohyo, my name is Inoue Orihime. And I just transferred here from Tokyo. You all seem like such nice people. I hope I can be friends with all of you."
She finished with a beautiful smile gracing her face. She looked every bit like the girl of his dreams. Her long brownish orange hair, her pale porcelain skin, her voluptuous body, they were all remarkably similar. Ichigo noticed the other boys ogling at her. Hell, he could have sworn Keigo was salivating. For some reason, it made his stomach curl in disapproval.
"Where do I sit, Ochi-sensei?" she asked.
Ochi-sensei looked around for a vacant place. The only place left abandoned without a student was the one next to Ichigo.
"You can sit there Miss Inoue, right next to Kurosaki." The other boys murmured a 'darn' or a 'lucky bastard' under their breadth.
She pointed her index finger at Ichigo and Orihime's eyes followed. They landed on the empty chair and quickly darted to meet Ichigo's amber eyes. Her cheeks flushed considerably. The boy with the bright orange hair was staring at her with such intensity behind his gaze that she couldn't help but flush and appear bashful. He made her warm and uneasy at the same time. Ichigo simply stared still dumbstruck at meeting the girl of his dreams, literally.
Orihime was about to take her seat next to Ichigo when the class room door slammed open. Ochi-Sensei and the students whipped their heads to the entrance and gaped in surprise. A petit young lady with short black hair in a pretty blue frock stepped in. A strand of hair fell between her large violet eyes. Once inside, she did not show the slightest trace of hesitation. She simply rushed in and caught Orihime's upper hand.
"Orihime, you forgot your Bento." She whispered to the startled girl as she handed to her a neatly wrapped lunch box. Ochi-sensei and the other students watched flabbergasted. Orihime blushed again in embarrassment.
"Thank you, Rukia-Chan" she whispered back.
The elfin form of the black haired lady scurried out of the class room just as quickly as it had appeared.
Orihime giggled in awkwardness and explained to the class, "She is my aunt. I forgot my lunch you see,"
she explained waving the Bento in front of the whole class. Orihime lowered her bag from her shoulders and dropped it to the ground. She slowly slid into the seat next to Ichigo, carefully avoiding eye contact with him. Next to her, Ichigo was rigid equally determined not to establish eye contact with her. Ochi-Sensei began teaching. The class was quiet. Ichigo, through the corner of his eyes noticed the new-comer. Her right arm was supporting her chin as she stared out the window, blissfully ignoring class. Ichigo was at a loss for words. To see someone he had dreamt about materialize in front of him was beyond strange. He also felt peculiarly attracted to the girl.
Orihime watched Ichigo from the corner of her eyes. His orange hair made him look like his head was on fire. It made her giggle. She watched the ever-present scowl on his face with amusement. Despite his hostile appearances, he looked kind, she mused. Her chain of thoughts was disrupted when Ichigo caught her looking at him. She blushed wildly and averted her eyes back to the window. Ichigo's scowl deepened.
The classes went on uneventfully. Both the orange headed teens rarely listened. Their thoughts were too preoccupied on their neighbor, namely each other.
The bell rang, signaling end of class. It was lunch. Orihime took out her Bento and began to unwrap it. Ichigo himself was ready to have lunch with his friends. He wondered if the girl will be having her lunch alone and felt pity for her. But then he noticed Tatsuki his childhood friend and Dojo-mate walk up to the russet haired girl and strike a conversation. The new-comer though seemingly shy was quiet talkative he observed as she flayed her arms far and wide in an animated conversation. He watched on as Chizuru, the resident lesbian snuck up on her from behind and groped her breasts making her squeak and drop her lunch. Ichigo's fist clenched instinctively. But Tatsuki hit the pink haired bespectacled girl square on the face and send her flying. Orihime watched in concern as the pervert flew right out the window and hit the ground.
By now, Keigo and Mizuiro had joined Ichigo. Chad walked up to them. They were waiting for Tatsuki to join them. Ever since Chad and Tatsuki had started dating, Tatsuki always joined Ichigo and gang for lunch.
Tatsuki asked Orihime, "Hey Orihime, if you don't mind, would you like to eat lunch with us?"
Orihime's face lit up in excitement.
"With pleasure Arisawa-Chan" she squealed in reply. She never expected to make friends in such short notice in her new school. Tatsuki walked up to Ichigo and the others. Orihime followed. But when she saw that her lunch group consisted of Ichigo she hesitated.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up" Tatsuki yelled after her. Orihime gulped.
"Hey don't worry. These guys are great" she assured Orihime reading her uncertainty. "Well, except maybe Keigo. Come on!" she grabbed Orihime and dragged her to where the gang was.
Ichigo frowned at the new addition. "You are bringing her with us?" he enquired.
"You got a problem with that?" Tatsuki asked, her eyebrows rose, daring him to reply in the affirmative.
Ichigo simply shrugged and walked on ahead. Orihime felt the orange haired boy did not like her so much. But Keigo on the other hand seemed positively enthusiastic. They sat at the roof of the school in a circle with Orihime and Ichigo sitting opposite of each other. The wind was soft and the sky a clear shade of blue. Orihime loved how so in touch she felt with nature under the wide afternoon sky. Orihime opened her Bento to reveal a Red Bean Paste Sandwich. The gang stared at her lunch with unmasked curiosity, Orihime blissfully oblivious to their stares.
"Orihime I think your aunt mixed the red bean paste bottle with the jam bottle." Tatsuki told the teen.
Orihime stared wide eyed at Tatsuki and said, "Oh no, it's red bean paste all right. You should try some Arisawa Chan. It's really good."
Tatsuki gulped. "It's all right Orihime, I am fine, "she replied waving her own sandwich in the air for proof. "By the way, call me Tatsuki. No formalities okay"
Orihime's face split into a wide grin. She nodded enthusiastically. Ichigo watched her hair jump in the wind as she nodded her head.
"Orihime let me officially introduce you to the gang. This gentleman here with the cell phone, is Mizuiro. He is a pretty cool guy though I find it freaky that he is into older woman." Tatsuki said, pointing her hand at Mizuiro, a short brown haired man. Mizuiro waved at Orihime.
"Hello, Orihime Chan. Say, your aunt that walked in earlier, How old is he?" Orihime's eyes bulged. Mizuiro chuckled.
"Just kidding," Mizuiro added.
Orihime laughed. "I would advise you against asking her out Mizuiro Kun, for your own safety, because Rukia-Chan is pretty feisty." She replied giggling at the thought of Rukia.
"Ah a dominatrix! I like that in a girl!" he remarked.
"And so does her boy friend." Orihime added. Mizuiro choked on his juice.
"This," Tatsuki began pointing her finger at a brunette boy, "is Keigo". "He is the male less-overt version of Chizuru."
Keigo looked hurt.
"Ah Tatsuki Chan, that was so rude." He whined dramatically. Tatsuki waved her hand dismissing his accusation.
He beamed at Orihime. Orihime beamed right back. Encouraged, Keigo extended his hand to Orihime and shook it energetically. "Hello Hime-Chan," he greeted his mouth slightly drooling.
"Hello, Keigo Kun it's nice to meet you. And oh you are dripping from the mouth" she told Keigo seriously. Tatsuki muffled a laugh as Keigo, embarrassed, wiped the drool off his mouth.
Orihime's eyes moved to Chad, avoiding Ichigo's.
"This is Yasutora Sado. But we call him Chad." She said pointing at the tall Mexican with wavy brown hair clouding his eyes. The muscular figure did not greet her. He simply raised his hand and gave her a thumbs-up sign. Orihime mimicked his actions, greeting him with her own thumbs-up.
"This," Tatsuki began. Orihime's heart skipped a beat. She would have to not only meet his gaze but talk to him as well. Thought she could not understand why, it made her nervous. Clutching the cloth of her skirt tightly, she raised her head to meet Ichigo's burning gaze. He was staring at her without blinking. She began to sweat. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. Her whole body was heating up.
"This is Ichigo Kurosaki," Orihime blinked. Has she heard wrong? Did Tatsuki just say…? Orihime burst out laughing. Her laughter sounded chime like. Ichigo glared daggers. Noticing his anger, she muffled her laugher unsuccessfully.
"I am sorry Kurosaki Kun. But your name, it's so cute."
She bowed her head numerous times in apology. Ichigo wasn't mad. Under normal circumstances, he would have butchered the one who dared laugh at the name his old man had been dumb enough to give him. But the sight of a laughing Orihime surprised him. For some bizarre reason, he had wanted to laugh with her. But he had an image to protect. So he shunned laughter.
"My name is not cute, damn it."
He mumbled furiously. Orihime shook her head violently, her hair flying in all directions.
"But I think it is Kurosaki Kun."
Ichigo's cheeks grew a light shade of pink. Tatsuki watched Ichigo's reaction and smirked. Ichigo began gobbling down his food faster avoiding Orihime's eye.
The bell rang vehemently concluding their lunch hour. The gang stood up and headed back to class together. As they did, Orihime's hand slightly brushed against Ichigo's. They both looked into each other's eyes. Tatsuki could have sworn she saw sparks fly out. The couple broke the eye contact, blushed furiously and headed to their respective seats. Once again, they deliberately avoided looking at each other. Neither Orihime nor Ichigo had ever harbored anything as mundane as a crush. To suddenly be introduced to someone who made your heart beat fast and stop at the same time was overwhelming. Orihime began her ritual day dreaming gazing out the window. Ichigo watched her hair sway in the breeze. He watched the ever-present smile on her face and felt himself smile unconsciously. He watched her long lashes brush her cheeks. Her cheeks were painted a slight shade of pink. It reminded him of strawberries. He wondered if they tasted like strawberries too. He was caught in his own reverie when suddenly a chalk flew out of nowhere and hit him square on the head. Ichigo cursed under his breath and looked around for the perpetrator. Ochi-Sensei was standing with her hands on her hip, glowering at him.
"Would you please stop gawking at Miss Inoue and listen to the class please, Kurosaki."
The class burst out laughing. Ichigo looked mortified. He glanced at Orihime. She caught his eye. They flustered and looked away instantly.
Classes were finally over. Orihime was packing her bag as the rest of the students scurried out of the class room, eager to exit the school. Orihime stood at the entrance gate, looking left and right, waiting for someone or something. Tatsuki walked up to her.
"Hey Orihime, are you looking for someone?" she asked.
"I am waiting for Rukia Chan. You remember? My aunt, from earlier this morning," She said she would come pick me up but she is late."
Orihime explained. She could walk home without her aunt. Her house was close. But her father would freak out if he came to know. He was very protective about her especially in critical times such as these. Tatsuki pondered. She could willingly walk Orihime home but unfortunately she had Karate practice. But she didn't want to leave Orihime alone either. Orihime was quite so obviously an attractive girl and naive too. She would undoubtedly attract attention to herself principally from the lecherous kind. And that was too dangerous. She looked around for an answer and the answer presented itself in the form of an orange haired punk. Ichigo was on his way home when he heard Tatsuki call out his name.
"Ichigo, hey Ichigo"
Ichigo turned his head around to find Tatsuki standing beside a timid Orihime. His eyes narrowed. He approached them.
"What's up Tatsuki?"
Tatsuki explained it to him. "You see," she began. "Orihime here has to go home,"
"So do the rest of us."
Ichigo wisecracked his voice unintentionally hostile. Orihime began to fidget nervously. Tatsuki tapped her feet in impatience.
"Let me finish, Strawberry head"
Ichigo flinched at the nick-name. Orihime giggled.
"Her aunt forgot to pick her up. So why don't you take her home?" she concluded.
"Why do I have to do it?" he whined like an eight year old refusing to get out of bed.
"Because, I said so. Listen Ichigo she is new, she might get lost."
Tatsuki tried to reason with him. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, his fingers scraping his scalp. Orihime decided that since Ichigo wasn't too eager to take her home, she shouldn't bother him.
"It's alright Kurosaki Kun; I can find my own way back home."
But Ichigo stopped her.
"It's too dangerous for you to go out there alone. Let me walk you home."
Orihime began to flay her arms and protest. But Ichigo stopped her again.
"It's okay, I want to." He said without thinking, and then bit his tongue.
Tatsuki raised her eyebrows. Orihime did not want to burden her friends. But she knew she would be much safer with his company. Ichigo's presence might just discourage them from attacking her. They wouldn't risk exposure like that, she hoped. Tatsuki bid her good bye and left.
The couple began walking silently. The trees rustled in the breeze and sunlight poured in from the scattered clouds. The birds chirped and Orihime couldn't help but admire the beauty of a suburb like Karakura. Having been brought up in the city with traffic everywhere, side-walks crowed and the air polluted, she found the fresh atmosphere of the small town a refreshing change. Ichigo watched her every step. She was beautiful without doubt. She was bright like the sun, radiating beams that spread warmth into his very being. This feeling was so very foreign to him. Orihime broke the silence first.
"Thank you for walking me home Kurosaki Kun."
"It's okay. So why did you and your family move all the way from Tokyo to Karakura?"
He asked making small talk.
Orihime reflected on how to tackle the question. Truth be told, they had moved to Karakura for safety purposes. She and her family have gone into hiding to avoid confrontation with certain characters. She wondered how to lie without arousing suspicion.
"Well back home I got abducted by aliens, little green men. They wanted to drink my blood to see how I taste. Though I could have told them Red Bean Paste tastes much better than I do. Although I managed to escape, my dad got worried. So we decided to move here. You could say we are in hiding."
She elucidated. Orihime congratulated herself on having coming up with a pretty rational lie. She smiled smugly.
Ichigo gawked. He began to question the mental stability of the girl next to him. As Orihime walked by Ichigo's side, she suddenly slipped. Her body was about to hit the road. She closed her eyes expecting cold cement to greet her any moment, but instead a warm pair of hands wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer to a solid chest. As she steadied herself her hands gripping the fabric of Ichigo's uniform, her breast brushed against Ichigo's chest, sending waves of electricity coursing through both their bodies. Her hair fell on his hands which continued to rest on her waist. Ichigo looked down at her and as she looked up at him, their eyes met. They blushed simultaneously. Heat like wild fire spread through their entire being.
"Would you look at that" a voice in the background crackled into laughter.
"Aww the little love birds." Another voice joined.
Ichigo let go of Orihime and looked around. Orihime froze in fear.
A man with a curtain of long black hair traipsed into sight holding what looked like a Podao. He was dressed in a black Sherwani with a dull grey scarf wrapped around his neck. His chiseled face looked handsome. Eerily handsome, Ichigo observed. The guy Ichigo noted was dressed too foreign and too grand to be a common street lecher. Besides him Orihime began to fidget. He pushed her behind him gently, protectively and assured her safety. But she continued to look frightened.
"Sorry to disturb your little rendezvous but we were wondering if we could borrow the little princess for a while," the man said in a silky tone.
His voice made Ichigo's skin erupt into goose bumps.
"No can do buddy, the girl stays with me," he yelled back, shielding Orihime from his view.
"Kurosaki Kun, maybe you should let me go. I don't want them to harm you" she said.
"Nonsense, Inoue. What kind of guy would I be if I ditched a girl at the first sign of trouble" he replied, eying the new comer cautiously.
"You are too kind Kurosaki Kun but I can protect myself. And I don't think you can. You are not strong enough for these guys."
To say that Ichigo felt insulted would be an understatement. He gaped at her statement and wondered if he should abandon her just to punish her for saying so. To his surprise, another guy in a matching outfit with short spiky hair marched out of the darkness. His eyes rested on Orihime. His face adorned a long scar stretching from his forehead to his lips, disfiguring his otherwise handsome features. The guy had a sickle held tightly in his right hand. Orihime became uneasy at the sight of the second man. She dropped her bag and stood erect as if preparing for battle. Ichigo put his hand inside his pocket and dug out a pocket knife. He knew it wasn't much but it felt better next to nothing.
"Remember this scar princess," the spiky hired man said to Orihime. "It's a souvenir from our last battle. I have always wanted to repay you for that."
Ichigo was shocked. "Orihime you know this guy?" He asked her, his sight still focused on the intruder.
"Ah, I see you have a new body guard." The long haired man remarked.
The spiky haired man disappeared and reappeared almost instantly besides Ichigo. Without a warning with the speed of a lightning, he slapped Ichigo forcefully, hurling him 10 feet into the air. Orihime screamed.
"A mere human?" he sneered and burst into pearls of mirthless cold laughter.
Ichigo hit his head on the concrete. His vision was blurry and head heavy. The pain throbbing in his head was overwhelmingly agonizing. He brought a hand to his forehead. Something sticky greeted his fingers. It was blood. Realization dawned on him. Those men were not human. No human could send another man launching into the air with a mere slap. He knew he had to save Orihime.
He stumbled to his feet. The other man, the one with the Podao, materialized behind him. He grabbed Ichigo's hair and yanked it. Ichigo screamed in pain. He could hear the distant echo of Orihime's scream. Something told him she was screaming for him. Despite the pain, he smiled. The man tugged his hair, forcing his head straight.
"Watch her die, human" the man whispered into his ears.
Ichigo watched. Orihime was standing a few feet away from him. Her face reflected horror and repulsion as the man with the short hair, standing behind her, put his coarse hands on her soft mounds. He groped them roughly. She shrieked. He brought his lips to her ears and whispered something inaudible into them. She whimpered. Her beautiful face broke into tears. His lips nibbled on her ears. His hot breath scorched her delicate skin. His mouth trailed down her neck and his burning tongue licked them, enjoying the desperate cries he derived out of her. How he loved to watch women suffer. His hands tore the soft fabric of her school uniform revealing a lacy bra. The cold air caressed her skin, making her nipples stand out like a sore thumb through the material of her bra. He moaned in desire.
"Let her go." Ichigo was in pain. But he didn't care. He wanted to ripe the head off the guy's neck. His entire body was shaking in fury.
The guy continued to molest Orihime as one hand slide up her skirt while the other hand stroked and squeezed her breasts occasionally pinching her tits. His scared face twisted into pleasure. He moaned out aloud while Orihime whimpered.
"Let her go." Ichigo yelled in rage. The man behind him laughed. He brought his Podao to his neck. For a moment the smooth surface of the bluish metal gleamed under the setting sun. The man sliced Ichigo's throat in a heartbeat. He raised his body and tossed it into the air. Orihime screamed once again. Ichigo hit the concrete a second time as blood oozed out of his gullet. Blood spilled abundantly making a puddle of crimson red. He was drifting into unconsciousness.
The two men laughed in unison.
"Take her blood and kill her fast" The long haired man ushered.
"Wait, I want to enjoy this. I want to see the fear in her eyes."
The short haired man replied as he pushed Orihime to the ground and began to straddle her. Positioning himself above her, he massaged her breast relishing the feel of soft skin under his calloused fingers. He began to move his hips in lust.
"Kurosaki Kun," Orihime screamed for help, her voice echoing through the streets.
"Kurosaki?"
The long haired man wondered. Maybe it was a mere coincidence. He shrugged and watched his ally take advantage of the poor girl. Chi, his partner was a pathetic lecher.
"Wake up, King" a coarse voice ordered. Ichigo did not reply. He lacked the strength to make even the slightest of moments.
"Don't make me watch her die yet again."
"Do you think I want any of this? I want to save her, even if it means dying." Ichigo argued. But the voice sneered.
"Then let me help you." The voice started to chuckle. Then the laughter became more pronounced as he roared out aloud.
"Kurosaki Kun, Help me" Orihime sobbed in her desperation.
Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound. The two men startled turned back to find Ichigo, no someone like Ichigo standing in the middle of a cloud of smoke. His hair was white. His skin was marble like. He looked like an albino, even worse, much fairer. His eyes gleamed, a golden shade of yellow. His face broke into a grin.
"And so the seal breaks again" he said mostly to himself in a throaty voice.
"YEEHAW" he yelled as he sprang from the ground.
end of second chapter.
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