Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Inoue
Hello again! Here is chapter two! (I have no idea how long I will make this story. Possibly ten or so chapters.)
This chapter isn't as long as the first, but its still nice n' lengthy. I'm going to try to make each chapter have 2,000-3,000 or so words. (Fair enough?)
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Maybe when all the planets align, hell freezes over, and Kubo decides to finally put Ichigo and Orihime together….
Hollow Ichigo's thoughts.
Regular thoughts.
Chapter 2: The Tutor and the Strawberry Student
"This is going to be a LOOOOOOOONNNG day…," Ichigo muttered to himself as he stared down at the test on his desk. The stack of paper was so thick, Ichigo was surprised that his creaky old wooden desk even supported the weight. Ichigo tried to focus, to no avail; he blanked out before his pencil even touched the paper.
Shit! Growled Ichigo silently. I am SOOOOO not ready for this test…I knew I should have studied…
Right now, he would have rather faced an army of hollows. At least that was less intimidating than the pile of papers in front of him. Ichigo looked up at the clock. The hand seemed to move more and more slowly every time he looked at it.
Sighing, Ichigo mentally slapped himself, picked up his pencil, and started scribbling down answers to the questions. Here goes nothing…
What seemed like an eternity later, Ichigo let his pencil drop out of his hand. Grumbling, he massaged his cramped hand. At least he finished the test. Ichigo glanced back at the clock, but his gaze subconsciously fell on the auburn-haired girl at the other side of the classroom. He caught her sneak a glance at him. Blushing, she quickly looked away, pretending to stare at something else.
Ichigo smiled. He found her habits, well…. cute.
Finally, the bell rang. Ichigo picked up his things and handed in his test. Once again, he made his way towards Orihime's desk.
"Hey, Inoue," Ichigo said casually.
"H-Hi, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime said with a radiant smile. "How did you do one your test?"
Ichigo groaned. Orihime looked up at him with concern. "Not very well…shit, I'm already falling behind in class…"
Orihime said something softly. Ichigo looked at her quizzically. Her face was tomato red.
"Did you say something, Inoue?"
Orihime looked down at her shoes nervously. "I-I s-said that I-if you want, I-I can help you with y-your homework," she said shakily. She started to wave her arms in embarrassment. "O-Of course, if you don't want my help, its okay. It was a silly thing to ask! Its not like I'm a teacher or anything! I don't know wh-"
Ichigo let out a light chuckle, interrupting her rant. "I would appreciate it, Inoue."
After all, Orihime was ranked third in their entire year. She was a smart girl, despite the fact that her imagination tended to run rampant.
"So…," Ichigo said as he shifted his weight, trying to hide the reddish tint on his face. "Should we meet up at my place or yours?"
Orihime opened her mouth to invite him to her apartment, but she instantly remembered her parents. Maybe that wont be such a good idea…..
Ichigo, feeling uncomfortable, broke the silence and shook Orihime out of her thoughts. "If its fine with you, we can meet up at my place."
Orihime continued to stare at her shoes and bobbed her head up and down. "Th-that would be perfect, Kurosaki-kun. First I need to stop at home."
Ichigo nodded his head understandingly. "So five o' clock?"
Orihime tore her gaze away from her shoes and looked into Ichigo's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. She just nodded in reply.
Orihime bounced up the stairs to her apartment. She felt lighter and giddier than usual. She was also nervous.
I'm just going to Kurosaki-kun's house to help him with homework, she thought, trying to calm her beating heart. I'm just going to do that and nothing else.
Orihime opened the door, and before she even had the chance to set her bag down, her bounded out of the kitchen and hugged her tightly.
"Guess what, sweetie?" her mother asked, beaming. "I was looking through your mail and guess what I found?"
Orihime frowned. Why was she going through my mail?
Not even giving Orihime a chance to say anything, her mother answered her own question. "You got a job at the bakery down the street! You'll be starting this weekend!"
As proof, the middle-aged woman waved a piece of paper in the air.
"R-Really?" Orihime asked excitedly, snatching the letter out of her hands. Orihime applied for a job at a bakery down the street to earn a little extra money. It has been a while since she sent in an application, so she didn't think she would get the job.
Orihime hugged her mother tightly. She totally forgot about her earlier suspicion. "I am soooo excited!"
"I am too, honey!" her mother said excitedly. "My little Orihime is growing up!"
"Oh, and I'm going to be out this evening," Orihime said suddenly. "I have to help a classmate with schoolwork." Looking around, she noticed her father was missing. "By the way, where's dad?"
"He's…out," her mother replied quickly. "Well, I hope you have fun, sweetie! Remember, don't stay up too late!"
Orihime ran into her room and shut the door. Her breath was ragged and her eyes started to swell.
This is too…weird, she thought, trying to hold back her tears. All of a sudden, my mother is here…calling me 'sweetie' and 'honey'…what do they want with me?
Orihime wiped her eyes. Maybe she was looking into it too much. Maybe her parents genuinely missed her. Maybe they were finally giving her the maternal affection she needed and craved thirteen years earlier.
Orihime picked up her books, notes, and schoolbag and jogged out the door.
I'm going to Kurosaki-kun's house! He invited me over! She mentally slapped herself. Cut it out! Ichigo just wants me to help him with his homework…he knows that I rank high in our class. That's the only reason.
Ichigo blushed madly as he looked around his plain room. He couldn't believe it. He asked Orihime to come over.
Ichigo shook his head violently, trying to clear his mind from all the thoughts running through it. It's just homework…nothing else…like a teacher!
Maybe she can stay late so you can get some "extra credit."
Blushing madly, Ichigo shook all of the perverted thought running through his head.
Hit the nail right on the head, didn't I?
"N-no!" Ichigo said aloud. The stuttering confirmed it. "I just want to study."
Right,the hollow said sarcastically. It was obvious that he was amused with the situation. And I'm king of the world.
"Just shut up," Ichigo growled. "I never asked you for your remarks."
Ichigo heard the doorbell ring and sprinted down the stairs, nearly jumping to the door. He had to reach the doorknob before anyone else (especially his dad) could. His family seemed to make it their mission to constantly find something to embarrass him about.
Ichigo's gut churned when he saw his father open the door and greet Orihime. D-DAMN! SO CLOSE!
"Hello," Isshin said, greeting the auburn-haired girl with a warm smile. "Welcome to the Kurosaki house! Are you Ichigo's friend?"
"Y-Yes," Orihime replied shyly, taken aback by the man's kindness and hospitality. "I'm Orihime Inoue," she said, giving a slight bow.
"My name is Isshin Kurosaki, the leader of the household!" Isshin said proudly as he led Orihime into the house. Isshin caught Ichigo's "what-the-hell-do-you-think-your-doing?" glare. He just smiled slyly. Ichigo definitely did not like the gleam in his eyes.
"H-Hello, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime said brightly when she saw Ichigo. "Where should we study?"
"Study?" Isshin asked curiously, winking at Ichigo. "How nice! Helping my boy with his schoolwork!"
Ichigo felt his face heat up with embarrassment. Orihime just bowed and thanked Isshin for the compliment.
"We are studying in my room," Ichigo said, grabbing Orihime's hand and leading her up the stairs. Orihime's body shuddered with delight as she felt Ichigo's warm hand envelope hers.
Isshin's eyes gave a perverted glint. He couldn't help himself. "So what are you two going to study? Se-"
Isshin's sentence was cut short when Ichigo's foot met his face in a flying sidekick. Isshin rolled on the floor with a red footprint on the middle of his face.
"Perverted old man," Ichigo grumbled as he stomped back up the stairs with Orihime, leaving his father wailing on the ground next to his Masaki poster.
"What should I do, Masaki?" he wailed. "Ichigo brought a girl home and wont respect his innocent and loving father!"
Ichigo shut the door to his room, scowling and muttering curses. "Ignore that perverted old man."
Orihime smiled. "Kurosaki-san is so nice. I can tell you two love each other very much!"
Ichigo was taken aback by her statement. She got all that from a two minute encounter?
Wow…, Ichigo thought, dumbstruck. I thought the old man would creep her out…
Ichigo cleared his desk, and brought another chair for Orihime to sit in. As Ichigo looked for his notebook, Orihime looked around his room with awe. It was such a plain room, but it was Kurosaki-kun's room.
It even smells like him, she thought, breathing in the atmosphere of his room. Orihime's face heated up when she remembered the last time she was in his room. Even though Ichigo was asleep when she confessed her love for him, the memory made her cheeks flare.
"Inoue?" Ichigo said, bringing the auburn-haired girl back to reality. "Everything's set up. You can sit here," Ichigo politely held out a chair for her to sit in.
"Th-Thank you," Orihime stuttered as she clumsily sat in her chair. "O-Okay, lets begin," she said as she picked up a math textbook, trying to take her mind off of her embarrassing thoughts.
The next two hours went by quickly, and Ichigo thought Orihime made an even better teacher than Misato-Sensei. "Oh! I get it!," "I see," and "So that's how it works," where phrases that were commonly uttered by Ichigo. Orihime blushed every time.
"Wow, Orihime," Ichigo complimented. "You make a great teacher! Better than Misato-Sensei! This crap actually makes sense now!"
Orihime felt her face heat up and she nervously stared down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with the handsome orange-haired Shinigami. "Th-Thank you, Ichigo. I don't think I'm that great of a teacher…"
That is so like Inoue, Ichigo thought, smiling. Always so modest.
This is getting boring, Ichigo's Hollow said with a yawn. Make a move on her already! She is soooo into you.
What? What are you talking about? Ichigo felt his face break into a blush.
Hahahaha! You are so dense! Even IV'E noticed!
You don't know what you're talking about
As time passed, Ichigo found himself paying less and less attention to what Orihime was saying and more and more attention to Orihime herself. He would just occasionally nod his head and say "mkay," and soon enough, he even stopped doing that. He stared at Orihime with adoration. His gaze centered in on her lips. They looked so soft, so moist, so…kissable.
"K-K-Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime said, shaking Ichigo out of his stupor. She tried to hide her embarrassment.
Why was he staring at me like that? Orihime asked herself. He wasn't…checking me out, was he? Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, if that was even humanly possible. Now she was the one who was zoning out. No…that cant be it…
"I-Inoue?" Ichigo asked, lightly tapping Orihime's shoulder.
"Y-YES?" She asked, a little too loudly. She quickly covered her mouth and apologized for the outburst.
A snicker outside of the window interrupted the two flustered high schoolers. Ichigo stomped angrily over to the window and threw it open. It took all of his discipline to keep himself from raising hell on the two Shinigami who had been spying on him. Rukia and Renji, unable to contain their laughter anymore, let out two hearty belly laughs.
"So, Kurosaki-kun," Renji teased, trying to gasp for breath. "Want me to help you with your homework too?"
Ichigo's face exploded with anger and embarrassment. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" he yelled as he slammed his window shut and closed his curtains. Fuming, Ichigo sat back down, muttering curses.
Orihime smiled weakly, trying to cover up her sadness. Kurosaki-kun seems to get mad whenever someone mentions the two of us being together…
"I…I should go," Orihime said, standing up quickly. She ran down the stairs and out the door, trying to hold back her tears.
I knew I shouldn't have come here!
"Hey! Inoue!"
Orihime, despite her efforts to ignore the voice, turned around. Ichigo was running towards her.
"Where the hell do you think your going? Why did you leave so fast? Is it because of those two bastards…," Ichigo said, scowling.
Inoue seems to get so upset whenever someone mentions the two of us being together…
"S-Sorry, Ichigo," Orihime whispered.
I always seem to annoy poor Kurosaki-kun. Why cant I do anything right?
"Its okay," he said gently as his scowl melted into a small smile. "Let me walk you home, at least."
Orihime caught a glimpse of his rare smile and blushed profusely. She just nodded her head up and down and stared downwards.
Noticing Orihime's reaction, Ichigo's smile faded. I always seem to embarrass poor Inoue. Why cant I do anything right?
The walk to Orihime's apartment was filled with uncomfortable silence. Ichigo almost felt relieved when they reached the apartment complex. He walked Orihime up the steps, and suddenly shuddered when he felt two eyes piercing into his back. He turned around slowly, and noticed that Orihime's father was there, sitting on the porch in the exact same spot he was sitting in last time.
"Erm…hello," Ichigo said warmly, giving the man a slight bow.
Orihime's father grunted. "The fuck are you doing here again?" His baggy eyes seemed to scan his body from head to toe.
"I was just walking Orihime home," Ichigo explained, not noticing how Orihime seemed to jump when he called her by her first name. "Is that a problem, sir?"
"Yes, it is a fucking problem, so get your ass outta here," the man spat. Ichigo can only wonder how a human can be so bitter.
"DAD!" Orihime yelled, angry at how he was treating, well, the love of her life. "Why are you being so rude to Kurosaki-kun."
The middle-aged man glared at Orihime, and she instantly fell silent.
"Hello, Hime," the man said after several seconds. "How was your day today?"
Orihime was shocked at how quickly his mood seemed to change. I…I think he's drunk, Orihime thought, suddenly afraid of the unpredictable man who was her father.
As the woman gave Orihime a big bear hug, she seemed to have just noticed Ichigo.
"Hi, I'm Ichigo," he said awkwardly, not really knowing what he should do or say. It was such an odd situation. He can feel a thick, heavy tension between the three Inoues. Swallowing thickly, he decided to give the woman a slight bow as a formality.
"Is he a friend of yours, Hime?" Her mother asked, eyeing Ichigo.
"Y-Yes…," Orihime said hesitantly. She did not know how her mother would react. Ichigo already seemed to be on her father's "dislike list."
"Boyfriend?" The woman asked slyly. This earned Ichigo a death glare from Orihime's father.
"N-NO!" Orihime said (just a bit too loudly) as her face flushed. Ichigo felt crushed when he saw how quickly she reacted to her mother's question.
"Well, Ichigo, it was nice to meet you," the woman said, giving him a sweet smile. "Have a safe walk home!"
Ichigo left after saying goodbye to Orihime and her family. Orihime and her mother went inside of the warm apartment, while her father stayed on the porch. He always seemed to be there. He always seemed to be staring at him. Ichigo shuddered again and buried the lower half of his face in his jacket.
"He was cute!" Orihime's mother said as soon as the apartment door closed. "You sure know how to pick them, dearie!"
Orihime's cheeks turned pink. "Wh-What do you mean?"
"Tsk-tsk!" chided the middle-aged woman. "I saw the way you looked at him. I saw the way you acted. It's a dead give away."
After a couple seconds, Orihime spoke again. "I-Is it that obvious?"
Her mother giggled. "Yes, dearie. I'm afraid it is. You are in head-over-heels with this…Ichigo, was it?"
Orihime nodded.
"Your too damn shy!" the woman suddenly said, making Orihime jump. "You have to use your gifts, Orihime! Get him to notice you! I gave you that lovely rack for a reason!"
Orihime's face flushed.
No! She told herself firmly. Ichigo doesn't like me like that…
"You know what, Orihime?" her mother asked suddenly.
"Hmmm?" Orihime replied, still convincing herself that Ichigo would never love her.
"We should do something this weekend, just the two of us. You know; have a little mother-daughter time."
-Chapter 2 End-
So there's chapter two! I hoped you liked it! (Personally, I like how the story is shaping up!)
Thank you everybody for the feedback! It really made my day!
Blitch: Thank you for pointing out those embarrassing mistakes! I started writing this story from a first person POV, but I scrapped that idea. Unfortunately, I left in a couple of blunders…(damnit!) Again, thank you for pointing those out (I fixed them as soon as I had the chance to. Now it's more readable, and less annoying!)
VirgilTheart: I am too! You won't be disappointed (hopefully)! Thanks for the feedback!
XxLonexLovexX: Awwwe shucks…your being too kind! Thank you for the encouragement!
nypsy: I actually wrote the chapter before reading that far in the manga. I apologize for any plot holes or mistakes that could have stemmed from this. Oh, and Orihime let her parents stay with her because, well, she's too nice for her own good, and she's still confused and shocked from seeing them so suddenly. It's a complicated feeling. Thank you for the tips and advice! Your feedback really helped!
High Prince Gasket: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you liked it. I plan to update weekly, maybe twice a week.
XWildxStrawberryx: Yes, this is my first story! I'm glad you liked it! You made my day! Thanks for the compliments!
Please review! I am still new to this, and I would appreciate a kind word or two!
Constructive criticism is also welcome (key word: constructive. "Fuck you" and "You suck" arent exactly contructive).
Again, I apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling errors. I didn't have a lot of time to proofread this chapter!
Thanks again for reading! I love you all! (Yes, even you! :p)
-Venchi