Birds and Bees and Educated Fleas
Chapter 2 here, reviews are welcome!
All characters of Bleach © Kubo Tite
--
II.
"Orihime!"
"Orihime-san!"
"G-good evening, Karin-chan, Yuzu," Orihime blinked at the Kurosaki family's doorstep.
"We haven't seen you in ages! Did Ichi-nii invite you over for a school project?" Yuzu inquired, her hazelnut eyes wide and pure.
Orihime gave a little sigh. "No, not exactly, Yuzu…" she trailed off, averting her eyes.
"Inoue!" A petite, violet-eyed girl poked her head into the open doorway with a warm expression.
"Oh, hello, Kuchiki-san!"
"How are—"
"—Aah! Inoue!" A relieved-but-flushed-looking Ichigo arrived, panting. "Sorry, I had to take care of a…troublesome toy." The two Kurosaki sisters looked confused while Rukia, Orihime, and Ichigo exchanged an amused knowing glance. No, it wouldn't be good to have a stuffed animal in the room during this chat. Particularly one shaped like a lion that talks.
"Anyway," Ichigo went on, grabbing his backpack, "Inoue's actually here to talk to you guys," he told his two sisters.
"Us?"
He nodded. "Rukia and I have to run over to the library for some books we forgot to pick up. Now, be good and listen to her, alright?"
Yuzu smiled, showing dimples. "Sure, anything for Orihime-san!" Karin gave a nod.
"Later." Ichigo and Rukia left with their backpacks and were soon lost into the night. Orihime gulped in their silence. She was alone, all alone now.
"Orihime? You… look kind of nervous."
"Oh, it's nothing, Karin-chan," she smiled reassuringly and gave a little titter. "Your brother just wanted me to…tell you some things tonight."
"Bah!" Karin rolled her eyes, which were almost the same color as Kuchiki-san's, Orihime noticed. "That's just like our brother to make other people do his dirty work for him!"
"No, no, I don't mind!" Orihime replied, waving her hand. "It's just something that everyone eventually has to know, and I'm not really used to telling people."
This quieted down Karin's imagination, which had been whirling with visions of shinigami, hollows, and other supernatural creepies. She doubted that everyone knew about ghosts.
"Ne, Orihime-san, can you show us how to make those 'super-deluxe' sundaes I hear you make at home?" Yuzu the little chef asked suddenly.
At this Orihime brightened considerably, beaming. "Sure!" The talk could wait just a little bit—there was gourmet cooking to be done. "We'll do this first," she added, breezing past the two girls and into the kitchen. "Now, I hope you have gummy bears and peanuts for this…"
--
"She's going to WHAT?" Rukia spluttered before a culpable-faced Ichigo. They were almost at the library, the sky having faded into a dark indigo wash. Of course it had been inevitable; Rukia knew that they had no library books to retrieve. It was only a matter of time before she would question Ichigo's motives, and the shinigami substitute couldn't bring himself to lie.
"I said she's going to—"
Whap! "Ichigo, you fool!" After smacking Ichigo atop the head Rukia calmed herself a bit, sighed, and began again. "Why are you making Inoue do this?"
"Shouldn't you know by now that my dad's not to be trusted?" Ichigo replied begrudgingly.
The corners of Rukia's mouth turned up and her eyes narrowed foxily. "Or, can it be that you're just afraid of explaining the ways of the female body, Ichigo? Are you shy?"
"Just shut up," he replied, thankful for the darkness of the night that masked his red ears.
--
"…And so the kitty turned into a beautiful princess and married the prince disguised as a candle-shop owner, and the two lived happily ever after. The end."
"Wow, that was great, Orihime-san!"
"I have to admit, Orihime," Karin said through a mouthful of ice cream, "you have some creative stories. Where do you get these ideas from?"
Orihime licked her spoon. "Oh, sometimes they just come to me," she replied offhandedly. She looked at her empty bowl sadly. "Now Yuzu, Karin-chan…Kurosaki-kun wants me to tell you this, so we might as well get it done with."
The two eleven-year olds exchanged a glance, simultaneously rising and placing their dishes in the sink. "Don't worry, Orihime-san," Yuzu reassured the older girl. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad." Orihime gave a wan smile.
One in the girls' bedroom, the copper-haired teenager drew up a chair and regarded the sisters, all fresh and clean in their pajamas. Yuzu tucked a strand of sandy hair behind her ear and cuddled her pillow. Karin lay on her stomach at the foot of her bed. Both eyed Orihime attentively. The girl in question swallowed with an audible click.
"So, you know that you two are going to hit your teens soon," Orihime began, pausing to see if she was going to be interrupted. Silence ensued, so she continued.
"And especially for girls, your bodies change a lot during this time, as well as your minds, because everything's growing. Kurosaki-kun thinks it's about time I give you the talk about—"
"—wait a minute, Orihime." Karin was holding up a hand. She looked sheepish, which was an expression not often seen on the tough tomboy's face. "You don't need to give us The Talk."
"You don't have to be sympathetic, Karin-chan," Orihime smiled and flopped her hand. "I agreed to this, so I might as well do it."
"Karin's right," Yuzu piped up optimistically. "You don't need to do it, actually. We've already gotten the Sex Talk and the other talks from our health teachers this year."
"Yeah," Karin agreed, nodding.
Orihime suddenly felt her chest become a few pounds lighter. "So you guys don't need The Talk?"
"Nope," Karin and Yuzu responded happily, seeing the other girl unclench visibly.
"Oh," Orihime replied. It was all she could say.
"Hey, Orhime?" She turned to Karin, who was holding up a DVD.
"Since Ichi-nii isn't here, do you want to watch Pirates of the Caribbeanwith us?"
--
Rukia shot a sideways glance at her orange-haired partner. "Come on, Ichigo," she chided. "Isn't this mall-place you took me to meant for enjoyment and leisure?"
"Your point?"
"Presumably you're supposed to be having a good time, but I'm not convinced."
"I'm just nervous, that's all," Ichigo muttered darkly. "I hope Inoue is okay with the girls."
Rukia answered, "I'm sure she is."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind checking up on them," Ichigo said. "I have a strange feeling, Rukia."
"Is it like that feeling you had when we left Kon in your body for the first time and he ended up smooching all of the girls in your freshman class?" Rukia inquired.
"…No…" Ichigo struggled. "I…I just want to see how they're doing. They're my sisters."
"Well, since I can't enjoy the carousel when you're like this, would it make you feel better if we secretly checked up on them?"
Ichigo's head snapped up. "I'll take that as a yes," Rukia responded dryly. "Come on, fool, let's head back home."
"Thanks, Rukia," he said, and the two turned around and headed back towards the Kurosaki clinic.
"But you owe me bigtime, Ichigo. Cotton candy this time."
to be continued...