6 Mistakes
Rukia slowly woke from her sleep and found Orihime resting with her. A warm smile dawned on her face at the sight of her resting so peacefully once more and it warmed even more as she wrapped her arms around her waist and held her tight. Her heart swelled with her love for this girl, the one girl she didn't want to let go of. She placed a kiss on Orihime's forehead making her cuddle up to her even more. Rukia smiled happily and cuddled up as well before closing her eyes once more.
She laid there and paid complete attention to Orihime's soft breathing on her neck and everything else this girl did while she was in her arms. Rukia had slept enough and held no tire now but she would lay here with Orihime as long as it were possible with no complaints what so ever. When Orihime stirred from her sleep Rukia would be saddened at the fact that she couldn't hold her while she looked so peaceful but she would be overjoyed that they could share conversation with one another.
When Orihime finally began to stir from her sleep hours had passed but Rukia was still happily holding her in her arms without a care for time, hunger, or any other need that she may have had over the time she laid there. As Orihime opened her eyes she glanced up at Rukia and found she still seemed to be sleeping only to be proved wrong as she asked, "How did you sleep, Orihime?"
"I slept great." She replied cheerfully.
"I'm glad to hear that." Rukia said as she opened her eyes and looked over at her with a warm smile.
Orihime returned her smile before claiming her lips for a warm kiss. It was short and unsatisfying for both of them but just being with the other was enough for them to be happy. They held warm smiles for the other as Rukia allowed her hand to run through Orihime's hair causing a blush to spread across the human girl's cheeks. She tried to hide her blush in Rukia's neck only to be denied as her lips were taken in a quick and sneaky manner.
This kiss wasn't as short as the last one had been and was much more satisfying for them but as they parted they each noticed a small crave in the others eyes and went back to satisfy the other. Rukia entered Orihime's mouth without hesitation and the action was accepted as the girl repositioned herself more comfortably and in more of an arousing position for the other. Orihime was over Rukia now as they continued vigorously as if this was the only chance they would ever have to show their lust for the other's body.
They continued with little pause between them and each pause was only a quick intake of air so that they could continue. Their chest ached for a proper intake of air but it was almost forbidden by their lust for the other. As Rukia continued she found it impossible to ignore how aroused she had become in this situation. She let her hands slide from Orihime's back to her waist where they were still for a moment before she began to undo the girl's shirt from the bottom up.
Orihime's shirt was undone with ease and pulled apart for better access as Rukia's hands began their exploration. Their kiss halted as Orihime moaned. Strands of saliva still connected their lips and ran down the side of Rukia's chin as she panted for breath. It wasn't long before she placed kisses on Orihime's neck bringing forth more moans from the girl. Her moans were beautiful to Rukia and she wanted to hear more of them as they drove her lust even more.
They continued for as long as Orihime allowed it before she pulled away. She sat up and Rukia wanted to follow her up immediately and shift positions but instead remained lying down and waiting for Orihime to take off her shirt or do something else to make their intimacy increase. But what happened broke her heart as a tear made its way down her cheek. Rukia's eyes widened as she sat up to take the girl in her arms but she was forced back down. "Orihime?"
She looked away as if completely hurt by what they were just doing. Another tear rolled down Orihime's cheek and Rukia immediately raised her hand to wipe it away but her hand was smacked away before the girl got off the couch and ran into her bedroom. The door was slammed shut as Rukia was getting off the couch to go after her. She got to the door and tried to open it but it only got a few inches before stopping and not going any further.
Rukia pressed her whole weight onto the door as she tried to open it while calling out to Orihime, "What's wrong?"
She was answered by the sound of sobs making her increase her efforts to get into the room but to no avail. All her weight was against the door as she pressed her whole body against it in hopes of getting in. Eventually she gave up trying to force herself in and began banging on the door, "Orihime, let me in or at least tell me what's wrong."
There was no answer but only a continuation of sobs from the other side of the door. Rukia had her hand on the door with a painful sob in her throat but was unable to shed any tears. She closed her eyes in a wince at the pain that was in her throat as it moved down to her chest. The pain she felt worsened as she said, "Orihime, talk to me. What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Was I going to fast for you?"
Once more there was no answer to her questions and she slid to the ground in a complete wreck. All she could hear from the other room was a sob that only got worse as time went by. Both were in equal amounts of pain but only one was able to cry it out as the other didn't feel safe enough to cry. They remained in their pained state without further word between them as it was clearly not welcome to Orihime as she didn't want to say anything at all.
Rukia was faintly aware of someone entering the apartment but did nothing to investigate or greet the person. She didn't even bother to look away from the door even as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She didn't care about the other person even as they tried to get into the room only to find the door wouldn't move. Rukia was lifted up and brought over to the couch where she was sat down. Tatsuki sat beside her with a bit of a sigh, "What happened?"
"I don't know." Rukia replied. "She just ran away in tears and hasn't said anything at all."
"I'll see if I can figure it out alright, just wait here." Tatsuki said.
Tatsuki stood and went back to the door and gently knocked, "Orihime, its Tatsuki. Can you let me in?"
There was a moment of silence before the door opened slowly as Orihime hid behind the door and out of sight. Tatsuki walked in and the door was closed behind her as she glanced over to find Orihime wasn't even facing her. She went over and pulled her into an embrace, "So what happened?"
"We may have gotten a little carried away when we woke up…" Orihime trailed off.
"Why is your shirt undone?" Tatsuki asked with slight irritation but got no answer. She let out a sigh and walked back forcing Orihime to do the same so they were away from the door and their conversation wouldn't be overheard by Rukia if she went back to the door to try and listen. "Is this better?"
Orihime nodded and said, "We got a little carried away but we didn't do much. It was all Rukia actually but I didn't mind."
"Okay, so what led to you locking yourself in here and full of tears?" Tatsuki asked.
"After she undid my shirt and began kissing my neck, she…" Orihime trailed off as more tears fell making Tatsuki hold her tighter. "She saidIchigo's name."
"I see," Tatsuki said slowly. "You shouldn't be so hard on her about it, Orihime. He meant a lot to her and they only broke up yesterday. No matter how much she likes you she'll still have a thing for him whether she notices it or not and no matter how much she cares about you. If you do these things now you're just going to be a rebound even if that's not her intention. Subconsciously he's still really important to her and that won't change until she gets over him. Just give her some time and space to get over him or she'll just use you without realizing it. As much as you like her and want to be with her she needs space right now."
Orihime said nothing in response but it wasn't necessary for Tatsuki to know that she was upset about this as a tear landed on her arm followed by another and another. Tatsuki held her tight for a moment before letting her go and doing up her shirt and said, "It wouldn't be good if Rukia walked in with me holding you like this while your shirts wide open. It's probably not something she could handle right now."
This time she got a nod, "I don't want to be separated from her though."
"You don't have to be but you can't be all over each other like before otherwise it's just going to happen again and she won't move on properly and you two won't have a proper relationship." Tatsuki said. "I'll have a talk with her about the same thing when you're alright but until then I'll be right here."
"Thank you, Tatsuki." Orihime said weakly. "You're a good friend."
"I do what I can." Tatsuki said with a slight smile. "Besides, you're my best friend I can't just let you stay upset. I wouldn't even be able to call myself your friend if I ignored your problems."
Orihime smiled warmly at the care she was getting but she was saddened that Rukia was on her own right now and completely clueless as to what was going on right now and even between them. She didn't want Rukia to be alone right now as she clearly didn't understand what was going on as she had even asked what was wrong. "Tatsuki, I'll be fine on my own so can you talk to Rukia about this?"
Tatsuki let out a slight sigh, "You're really worried about her aren't you?"
"Of course I am." Orihime said but held a hint of pain in her voice.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Tatsuki said but didn't release Orihime just yet as she had another thing to speak to her about. "Before I talk to her though…"
Rukia sat in silence on the couch as she waited for either Tatsuki or Orihime to come out and tell her what was going on. It was a long time before she heard anything from the bedroom so as she heard a noise by the door she stood up quickly. When the door opened however she was filled with disappointment as she found Tatsuki making her way over with her clothes. She threw them over and motioned her to the bathroom, "Get changed, we're leaving."
"She hates me now doesn't she?" Rukia asked sadly as she sank back down to the couch.
"She doesn't hate you." Tatsuki said. "Actually she wants you to stay here but its better that you don't. I called my mom and asked her if you could spend the night. The two of you need to be separated until you get over Ichigo."
Rukia's eyes widened with fear as she looked away from her and to the ground in complete shame. Tatsuki gave her a sympathetic look and sat down next to her to place a hand on her shoulder, "Orihime's my best friend and she really likes you so I'm not about to let you use her for a rebound even if that's not what your intentions are that's what's happening."
"I'm not…" Rukia trailed off as she thought about it more. "Am I?"
"Yeah, you are." Tatsuki said delicately. "You and Ichigo broke up yesterday and look what you were doing with Orihime. She does love you but you're hurt and vulnerable. You need to get over Ichigo and figure out if you really care about Orihime or if this is just a fling to help you get over him. I want you to stay away from her until you figure these things out so you don't lead her on if this does just turn out to be a fling. You've seen how she looks at you, if this is just a fling she'll be just as crushed as you were yesterday. Can you really do that to her?"
"No," Rukia said immediately. "I couldn't do that to her no matter what."
"I'm glad to hear that." Tatsuki said warmly. "Now hurry up and change."
"Yeah," Rukia said distantly and got off the couch and went to go change in the bathroom but she stopped as she came close to Orihime's bedroom door. She hesitated before going over and placing her hand on it, "Orihime, I'm really sorry about what I did and I hope you can forgive me."
She didn't wait for a response as she continued to the bathroom to change as Tatsuki slowly got up from the couch and went back to Orihime's room but stayed in the doorway. Orihime was still in tears but it wasn't as bad now as it had been minutes ago. Tatsuki watched her sadly as she asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"I'm feeling a little better." She replied with a forced smile.
"If you need anything just call me." Tatsuki said kindly.
"I'll be fine on my own." Orihime assured. "You don't have to worry so much."
"I'll worry regardless of if you tell me not to." Tatsuki said with a smile.
Her smile faded a little as she heard Rukia come out of the bathroom. Tatsuki glanced over and found she once more looked completely broken. They held each others gaze for a moment before Rukia looked away in shame for her actions. A slight sigh escaped Tatsuki as she looked back at Orihime and found that she looked no better. This was clearly very painful for both of them. "Orihime, we're going to get going now. Call if you need anything."
Orihime nodded faintly before the door was closed and Tatsuki walked towards the front door and grabbed Rukia by the upper arm to lead her away in case she tried to get back into the bedroom. Things weren't looking good as they only continued to get worse as time went by. They left quickly and Tatsuki locked the door behind them and continued to guide Rukia away from the apartment without a fuss even being made as it seemed dragging her was unnecessary.
They continued on in silence for a few blocks before Tatsuki looked over at Rukia and said, "I didn't tell my mom much of what was going on so if you act really upset she's going to give both of us the third degree and try to involve herself in this."
"I'll act like nothing's going on then." Rukia said distantly.
"You don't really have to act like nothing's wrong, just try to avoid her as much as you can." Tatsuki said. "We'll be in my room most of the time anyways so there won't really be a problem. Just fake a smile when she talks to you. I've noticed that you're pretty good at that."
"Yeah," Rukia said.
"How long has it been since you really smiled from your heart?" Tatsuki asked.
Rukia fell silent as she thought about it for awhile. They got to the next street before Rukia was even able to answer, "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"That long?" Tatsuki asked with a frown.
"There's that and the story that goes along with it." Rukia said sadly. "It's not something to talk about. It's my past and my burden."
"One of the reasons for having friends is so that no burden is carried alone." Tatsuki said as she placed her hand on Rukia's shoulder with a weak reassuring smile. "You don't have to carry things on your own when people care about you because they'd gladly help you carry your burden and if they didn't then they aren't true friends."
"Even still, it's not something I would be able to tell you." Rukia said distantly. "It's not that I don't want to tell you or because I don't want to relive it, you just simply wouldn't understand and ask too many questions then I can answer."
"What If I promised not to ask questions?" Tatsuki asked. "Would you tell me then?"
"I'm dead and this is an artificial body." Rukia said calmly. "I live in a place called Soul Society and my job here is to guide dead souls to the next world while slaying any hollows that may appear."
"You couldn't come up with anything more believable?" Tatsuki asked with a slight smirk.
Rukia didn't respond but gave her a slight irritated look. Tatsuki slowed down for a moment as Rukia continued on without much care. "Don't tell me you were being serious."
"Fine," Rukia said bluntly. "I don't care what you believe in, that's up to you."
She continued on as Tatsuki hurried to catch up but didn't say anything on what had been said or even the way it had been said so bluntly either. They walked side by side once more but now it seemed as though Rukia had thrown away her pain and become emotionless. Tatsuki gave her a worried look but wasn't given a chance to say anything as Rukia spoke, "I should just return home and request a transfer."
"Where would you go?" Tatsuki asked.
"Anywhere but here, it doesn't matter to me." Rukia said sadly. "The further away the better."
"What about Orihime?" Tatsuki asked. "By running from your pain you will only cause pain to others around you that care and Orihime will suffer the most if you leave."
"I know." Rukia said sadly. "Even if it feels right with her what if it really is just a fling with her? I wouldn't be able to face her if it were."
"If it is just a fling for you then I'll sit her down and talk to her about it but if you try to lead her on I'll knock you out." Tatsuki said.
Rukia chuckled a little and said, "That's fair."
Tatsuki looked over at her with a smile that was surprisingly returned. "You seem to be cheering up a bit."
"With what I do I can shut out all emotion when it's necessary." Rukia said. "I only let it out so much before because of my relationship. Now that it's over there's not much reason for me to have so much of it out in the open."
"What about Orihime?" Tatsuki asked.
Rukia let out a sigh, "It would be best to let things go for the time being."
"What if it's not just a fling?" Tatsuki asked.
"Then I'll let her in." Rukia said. "If I don't carry feelings for her then I'll have a talk to her about it properly."
"As long as you don't run from everything I won't complain about how you go about it." Tatsuki said. "You have your own way of dealing with things and that's fine as long as you do it right. Just don't be afraid of going to others when you need to talk about things. Dead or alive you're still a friend and I'll still lend you my shoulder whenever you need it."
A slight smile formed on Rukia's face as she said, "Orihime did say you were a great friend to have."
"I just do what I can for my friends." Tatsuki said with a shrug. "Isn't that what friends are supposed to do when there's any sort of problem and even when there's not?"
"Yeah, but I think you overdo it a bit sometimes." Rukia said.
"How so?" Tatsuki asked.
"This isn't your concern but you're still doing all this." Rukia replied.
"Orihime is my best friend and she cares a lot for you." Tatsuki stated. "I consider you a friend also so this is my business. Also, I swore to protect Orihime from getting hurt when we were in middle school so there's no way I could let you stay there and use her for a rebound no matter if it could go anywhere or not, I don't care. If you hurt her I'll kick your ass."
"You've already stated that." Rukia said.
"Then call me persistent on the matter." Tatsuki said.
"You certainly are." Rukia said with a smirk.
Tatsuki slowed to a stop at a corner despite the lack of cars on the street causing Rukia to look over at her with a questioning look, "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, I was just wondering if we should detour around Ichigo's house to avoid bumping into him." Tatsuki said.
"It's alright, he's not home right now." Rukia said.
"Did he tell you he wouldn't be?" Tatsuki asked.
"No, I just sense his presence on the other side of town." Rukia said calmly. "Even if he were to go home right now he wouldn't see us. From the looks of it he's occupied."
"That's pretty freaky." Tatsuki said.
"You'll be more freaked out by the end of the night." Rukia said calmly as she continued down the street.
"I almost don't want to know." Tatsuki said as she caught up with her.
"Then I won't tell you." Rukia said with a shrug. "Either way it doesn't matter when I leave Karakura."
"How do you figure that?" Tatsuki asked.
"Once I leave Karakura not many people will actually remember me being around, including you." Rukia said calmly. "You may have picked up on my absence in your memory during the summer though you may recall some questions being raised about my absence."
Tatsuki stopped with wide eyes as Rukia looked back at her with a cool gaze, "Are you starting to believe me?"
"Does Orihime know about this?" Tatsuki asked with a shaky voice.
"She's known about me for awhile now and so have a few others but for secrecies sake I won't mention their names or their involvement." Rukia said. "In case you're thinking it, Orihime is not dead or in any immediate danger."
"So what exactly is her involvement then?" Tatsuki asked with a growing worry.
"You should probably speak to her about these things instead of hearing it from me." Rukia said. "I shouldn't speak for her on that matter."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Tatsuki said a little sadly.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have put that out there for you." Rukia said.
"No, it's alright." Tatsuki said. "I knew she had been keeping something from me for awhile now. I'm just glad that I'm starting to get something on it."
"Don't you have secrets as well?" Rukia asked.
Tatsuki's face paled as she looked away to avoid questions on it, "I tell Orihime everything."
"No you don't" Rukia said. "There isn't one person in the human world that knows every single thing about another no matter their relationship. It just isn't possible and sometimes things are kept out of good reason or simply they're too embarrassed to speak of it. Think about it, there are quite a few things that you're keeping from her isn't there? You don't have to tell me if you're nervous about it."
"I don't want to talk about it." Tatsuki said quietly. "I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of it, it just involves another person and I shouldn't talk about it without them present or discussing it with them also."
"I won't pursue the matter." Rukia stated calmly. "If you ever wish to speak of it or have any problems with it then I will listen if you'll let me."
"Yeah, thanks, Rukia." Tatsuki said with a smile. "It would probably be easier to tell you about this then anyone else right now."
"Why's that?" Rukia asked curiously.
"I think you'd be able to understand it a bit more then anyone else." Tatsuki said. "It would be more of your expertise I guess."
Rukia raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you think my 'expertise' are?"
"Death and keeping major secrets for god knows how long." Tatsuki said slowly.
"I'll give you that." Rukia said. "But that's confidential information so you can't talk about it openly."
"Then why did you just come out and say it?" Tatsuki asked.
"I guess I was just tired of the secret." Rukia said with a shrug. "It's nice to talk about it to someone that doesn't have much experience in the matter. But you wouldn't recall your own personal experience with these things at all."
"What?" Tatsuki asked. "I don't remember anything about this ever being mentioned or happening around me."
"Around the time I transferred to school you were attacked twice by hollows." Rukia said. "Both times your memory of this happening was erased, by me. Your memory was replaced by another, random, one. You may recall the time a sumo wrestler tried to blow up Orihime's apartment."
Tatsuki's face had paled completely as she recalled that incident, "So the reason I woke up in pain was because I was attacked?"
"Yes, both you and Orihime were targeted by that hollow." Rukia said. "This situation might not be good to bring up around Orihime since it may still be sensitive for her."
"So only my memory was erased at that time?" Tatsuki asked. "Orihime knew about everything for that long?"
"No, her memory was altered first but she remembered what had happened later on." Rukia said. "I don't know exactly when she found out about everything but it was sometime after my disappearance from the human world."
"What happened when we were attacked?" Tatsuki asked.
"It might be easier to hear it when you're sitting down." Rukia said. "Orihime is your best friend after all. Besides if you start to remember what happened there's no telling how you will react to it and I don't want to find out right out in the open."
"Alright, but you have to tell me when we get to my house." Tatsuki said firmly.
"I will." Rukia confirmed. "For now try not to think about it too much."
"That's going to be hard." Tatsuki said.
"Think of something pleasant." Rukia said. "If that doesn't help then I can start to pry into your secrets."
"Please don't." Tatsuki begged as her face paled even more. "I don't want that brought up right now."
"Then think of something else to talk about." Rukia said. "Or be content with silence for the rest of the walk."
"Silence will be fine." Tatsuki said awkwardly.
The two continued on down the street while Rukia considered getting the few things in her possession from Ichigo's so she wouldn't have to worry about it later on. As they neared his house she decided it would just be easier to do it now while he was still on the other side of town. Rukia glanced at Tatsuki and said, "If you don't mind I'm going to grab my stuff from Ichigo's since we're here."
"Sure, do you want me to go with you?" Tatsuki asked.
"No, it would be easier if I went in on my own." Rukia said. "Just keep going and keep an eye on my gigai for me."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small circular pill before giving Tatsuki a quick glance, "Try not to freak out and just act normal."
Rukia quickly swallowed the pill and fell out of her gigai before using shunpo to go straight to Ichigo's room. She wasted no time in going to his closet and taking most of her things and slipping them into her robes. The clothing would have to be left behind though which wasn't much of a problem since she had money for more and those clothes didn't even belong to her in the first place. When all her things were gathered she used shunpo to leave the house and catch up with Tatsuki and her gigai.
They had only gotten a few houses away before Rukia caught up with them and silently reentered her gigai while Tatsuki became more freaked out with everything. "I'm guessing this is why you always run out of the classroom."
"It's easier if my gigai were close by in case of injury." Rukia said.
"I've never really seen you injured though." Tatsuki said.
"The wounds I get are rarely major." Rukia said. "The hollows that come to this town are far weaker then I am."
"So you're stronger then all the others?" Tatsuki asked.
"No, I just don't rush in foolishly." Rukia said. "I'm also not usually the main focus for our enemies."
"Why not?" Tatsuki asked.
"Because I'm not the strongest and I don't rush in foolishly." Rukia said. "If you're being attacked head on you're not paying much attention to your sides or your back. It's not always necessary for everyone to rush out either for a single hollow but when there's more then one then it becomes necessary."
"So do you get hurt a lot?" Tatsuki asked.
"No and neither does Orihime." Rukia replied. "Her role doesn't exactly put her in danger too often. She's in the least amount of danger when hollows appear but that doesn't mean things don't always go smoothly and she does also get hurt."
"Yeah, I know." Tatsuki said. "I have seen her injured a few times and she never explained it to me."
"I'm sorry for being so vague on the matter but I can't say much else about this." Rukia said.
"It's alright, we're at my house anyways." Tatsuki said distantly.
They fell silent as they walked up to her house with a slight awkwardness and a dread of how her mother would react to their mood or even Rukia's presence there. As they entered Tatsuki's house they were greeted happily before they quickly went upstairs to Tatsuki's room where they sat in a long silence that didn't let up for a long time as they both stared at the wall across from them. Tatsuki was still adjusting to the news about her guests and her best friend's involvement with the afterlife and other various things that she had yet been told about.
