…
…
He could feel her.
She was like the sun, or maybe the moon, but much brighter. He orbited around her constantly, he began to realize, maybe even more than the supposed bodyguard. He allowed himself to tread after her quietly, watching her hair fall down her head in a red-gold halo. Her hair was interesting; it wasn't completely red – there was blonde, sunset orange, brunette, and auburn mixed all into one. It was long, falling past her waist, and wonderfully thick. Ichigo wished to touch it, run his hands through it to see if the tresses were as soft and silky as he guessed.
"What're you all doing here?"
Ichigo's thoughts broke. He'd failed to notice they'd left the long hallway and were now in an unfamiliar room. It was slick and the walls were steel, just like the rest. The hexagon door slid shut after them and Ichigo finally broke his eyes from Orihime to glance around the room. It was large, a set of four steps of stairs that traveled up to a second platform, which had yellow lines on it, "Caution," it said. Desk-size machines were beeping quietly and shining. They lined every spot of the wall, along with a large screen that held over the entire room. For some reason, years with Yuzu and Karin when they were younger flashed through his head – Saturday mornings when he'd prepare the cereal and watch them stare at the television and drool, as though the superhero shows were the best. There'd always be the giant boss who'd flash onto the giant screen and tell the team of their jobs. This sweeping thought had Ichigo sweat-dropping.
"Ah! Orihime-san. Good afternoon."
Ichigo grimaced, glancing over to see a man. He was fairly tall, and lean, healthy skin tone and dressed in a white lab coat. His dark hair contrasted deeply with his pale complexion. His glasses shined cunningly on his narrow face as he gave a small, welcoming smile to the redhead. Instantly, Ichigo did not like him. The guy appeared as though he was thoroughly ostentatious.
"Konnichiwa, Ishida-kun!" Orihime chirped, raising a thin arm in the air to wave it freely. Ichigo took a step back, for if he hadn't, he would've been struck on the head. He looked back towards the man, and was able to see a woman only a foot away from the group, her hair tied back neatly in a bun, her eyes staring straight ahead, and she was also dressed in a white lab coat, yet smaller and tighter against her curves. She held a clipboard in the curve of her right arm, and flickered her eyes briefly to Kisuke.
"Good day, Urahara-sama." She murmured blankly, her voice quiet.
"Tehee~!" Urahara whistled, and waved his fan towards her playfully, "Hello, hello, Nemu-chan!" He scurried towards her and tackled the girl in a bear hug, thoroughly shocking Ishida. "So soft, Nemu-chan~!"
"Please, sir," Nemu murmured emotionlessly in his chest, quite still, "This is not appropriate for such a time, due to the infinitesimal entities we are researching. It will be very problematic if anything were to happen to the studies." The table filled with glass tubes and different substances rattled behind them as Urahara ignored her words, giggling and clutching her closer.
"Urahara-san, please—" Ishida began, trying to dislodge the girl from his grip. The door slid open the next second, and Ichigo's head snapped around, finding his eyes locked on a woman. She was dressed in a dark suit, greatly contrasting with the white room around her. Her hair was tied up neatly, professionally, and her heels clicked against the ground. She had oval glasses perched on her small nose and papers stacked effortlessly in her slim hands.
"Good afternoon, Kisuke," she said politely, not at all disturbed by his antics.
"Ah!" Urahara whirled around to face her, Nemu staring impassively ahead, "Hello, Ise-san, how are you this fine day~?"
Subtly, her eyebrow twitched, "Not very well. Have you seen Shunsui around?"
Orihime's head jerked up, "Oh! I remember." She giggled. Ichigo's head tilted curiously as the spectacled woman faced her. Orihime's tiny hand clamped over her mouth, "I-I'm not supposed to tell!"
"Orihime-sama, please." The black-haired woman leaned close to her, "He's supposed to finish his paperwork. If he doesn't turn it in by the deadline, who knows what will happen?" Her blue hued gaze was begging the redhead to spill.
Hesitantly, Orihime removed her palm from her mouth, "W-Well, he told me not to tell, but he's…he's…" She struggled, but when she opened her mouth again, there was a loud bang and curse from above. All heads shot upwards and Ise's eyes narrowed viciously.
"He's in the vents?!"
A second later, there was ghostly laughter wafting from the ceiling above them all.
"Dammit! Shunsui! You come here right now and finish this work!" She fumed.
"You'll have to catch me first, Nanao-chan!" A deep, lively voice sang back. He was on the move again, Ichigo could tell. Nanao growled, much like a wild beast, multiple veins popping around her face. She turned on her heel, keenly listening the man above. She slammed her hand against the reader and left before any could stop her.
"Woohoo~ someone's in trouble!" Urahara crooned, arms still fastened around Nemu.
"Urahara-san, please release Nemu. I don't think she can breathe," Ishida said softly.
"My circulation is perfectly satisfactory," Nemu murmured blankly.
A vein throbbed against his temple, "You're not helping!" Ishida crowed.
Is this place always like this? Ichigo thought, frowning deeply now.
Without warning, there was the sound of stomping feet, the whir of a door opening, and then a battle cry. Ichigo moved slightly out of the way instinctively, just as Rukia came flying. Her small foot landed directly on Urahara's jaw, causing him to whirl back, and onto the ground, body limp.
"Oh!" Orihime gasped, "Papa, are you alright?" She rushed to his side. Ichigo kept an intense eye on the girl, making sure she did not stumble or fall. Ikkaku simply watched as Rukia landed on her feet, glower at the fallen man and crossed her slim arms over her chest.
"What did I tell you about getting touchy-feely with my cousin?! I'll kill you!" She raged.
Nemu blinked, but was otherwise silent.
Urahara popped up the next second, somehow unscathed and just as bright as before, "But Nemu-chan is so soft and lovable! A lot like…" He trailed his gaze around and it stopped on his concerned "daughter", "ORIHIME-CHAN~!"
"Eh?" Orihime gasped. She did not have enough time to step back. Urahara's arms wrapped around her firmly and she squeaked. Rukia and Ichigo's fists balled in unison.
"Put her down!" Rukia demanded sharply.
"Stop bouncing her, dammit!" Ichigo's felt his teeth grind together. Orihime was so small in Kisuke's arms, her large eyes peering around innocently, her slim arms flailing, as though to get away. Ichigo felt something in him rise, something powerful and protective of the girl that he did not wish to question. His foot met the left side of Kisuke's face and the blonde released her, spinning in the other direction, but not before Rukia raised her own foot, whirled around, and landed a blow on the man's side. He crashed into Ishida and they both fell to the ground, Ishida hollering out his indignation.
Rukia hurried to Orihime, who was watching this all with her large eyes, "Are you alright, Orihime?" Rukia asked, her eyes concerned, as though she were a mother worrying over her child. Ichigo took a step closer to Orihime, these people were insane. Ikkaku did not seem to be doing his proper job as he poked the unconscious Ishida with his bokken. Urahara was already up again, dusting off his robes.
"I-I'm fine," Orihime chirped. Her gaze hesitantly locked with Ichigo's and he loosened his jaw, finding himself much more calm when she was around.
Rukia followed her gaze and was thoroughly surprised to see Kurosaki Ichigo, orange hair and all. She stood straight and placed her hands on her thin hips, "What the hell are you doing here?"
Ichigo glowered back at her, "Tch. None of your business, small fry."
Instantly, a vein thrashed in her temple, "Excuse me?"
Ichigo nearly growled at her. Almost immediately, he did not like the girl one bit, "You heard me, midget."
"Who the hell are you calling a midget?" fumed Rukia. She suddenly grabbed a hold of Orihime's shoulder, jerking the girl into the conversation. Taking both shoulders in her grip, she held the girl in front of her, "See? She's almost as short as me and no one calls her a midget!"
Urahara's smile widened as Orihime began to sputter. "R-Rukia-chan, please, don't—"
"But look at these things!" Ichigo's mouth nearly fell open when Rukia pointed up Orihime's full breasts. Orihime squeaked as the petite black-haired behind her continued, "And she's super cute, isn't she?" She paused curiously, "Orihime," she continued casually, "you know, you remind me of this girl, you know from that dating online game where you can choose your own future and boy," she suddenly gasped, taking a hold of Orihime's shoulders to whirl her around to face her, "You're my own Haruhi Higurashi!"
Orihime's delicate eyebrows merged, "Ha…ruhi…?"
"Ah~ I played that game before! Did Lisa show it to you?"
Rukia nodded, grinning now.
"OTAKU!" Ichigo hissed in horror. Orihime was visibly shaking from the entire ordeal. Ichigo finally decided that everyone fucking here were lunatics. This time, he reached out and took Orihime's wrist, pulling her back towards him. Orihime gasped sharply, letting out a little, "WAH~!" as Ichigo yanked her to him.
"K-Kuros—"
"I'm outta here!" Ichigo declared as the others continued to fuss, argue, and poke, while Nemu stood in the mist of everything, her eyes staring blankly ahead, as per usual. Pressing his hand against the reader, Ichigo waited until it greeted him and slid open before walking out, keeping Orihime on a tight grip, allowing her to follow him. The doors closed after the two bright haired teens.
"Pardon me." Nemu murmured quietly. Kisuke paused from his laughing and Rukia stopped gushing about her 'otaku' mannerisms. "It seems Kurosaki-san and Orihime-san has left the room. Is this not acceptable?"
Urahara blinked.
"That pervert!" Rukia seethed, akin to a raging bull. She suddenly took off towards the exit, dust flying up in her wake. The door slammed shut after her, but was opened enough time for a slender black cat to slip in.
"Ohoo~!" Urahara suddenly cried, dancing in spot. He rushed towards the feline and scooped it up instantly, "Neko-san, okaerinasai!" He chuckled and bounced the cat up and down in his hands, "Woo! Upsy daisy!" Nemu simply watched, "Woooo! Wanna go one more time? Upsy daisy! Woooo~! YAY!"
Ishida sweat-dropped, "Please stop poking me, Madarame-san."
…
…
Quickly, Ichigo treaded down the hallway, keeping a tight grip on Orihime's wrist. Her wrist was small in his hand, the bone thin, and her skin warm. She was wearing a long, loose, yellow sweater that overlapped her hands, but Ichigo could easily feel her warmth through it.
"This place…" Ichigo grounded out, thoroughly frustrated, "How could my mom fucking stand it?"
"Eep!" Orihime jerked to a stop. Ichigo turned his head, crooking a brow.
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes were large, larger than usual, and she appeared nervous, "Y-You said a bad word."
Ichigo blinked.
Orihime peered up at him innocently.
Face-palming with his free hand, Ichigo scowled, "Fu—Dammit! Okay, I'm sorry." He managed to mutter. His vocabulary was limited today from the amount of stress leaking from his body. She blinked her long lashes at him, but did not say anything as a large, silly smile lit up her pretty face. He blinked, dazed.
"It's okay," she reassured gently, pulling her wrist back to link hands with him. The world, somehow, faded away, and the stress left his body in a heartbeat. She was smiling and he was staring and she was holding his hand with her soft strength as he tried to get his muscles to work.
"ORIHIME!"
Ichigo jerked out of his stupor when he heard the enraged, boisterous call. Orihime's face lit up and she raised a hand, as if to wave it, but Ichigo yanked on her hand, tugging her back down the hallway. The end of the hall was a dead end, besides the door. Ichigo pressed his hand against the reader, and it slid open, only to reveal an elevator. Without wasting any time, Ichigo pulled Orihime inside, who was blinking curiously, and pressed the first button he could. Just then, he was able to see Rukia rushing down the hall towards the two, fully prepared to rip Ichigo apart, only for the door to slide shut in her face.
The elevator moved and Ichigo kept his gaze safely on rolling numbers, three, four, five…Orihime's fingers timidly tightened around his. He risked a glance over to her to see she was smiling softly, her free hand's fingers hovering over her lips, as if to hide the smile, and her cheeks were pink. He felt his own tall-tale of a blush coming on as the air around them thickened and the numbers slowed, stopping on eight.
Ichigo did not wish to know how many floors exactly there were in this underground, weird bullshit. As the door slid open, Orihime skipped out, tugging Ichigo along with her. No words were needed between them, it seemed. Again, there was another long hallway. Orihime seemed familiar with it, stopping on the third door down the row. The doors slid open almost automatically.
Ichigo was thoroughly shocked at the size of the room. Somehow, it reminded him of an airport staff, which landed the planes through headsets. He'd seen enough action movies to know what the rooms looked like. People were at the computers, typing and speaking with all their might, while a few people in lab coats walked around, giving orders and treading briskly. Orihime walked to the light, silver bars that were around the higher platform, which they stood on. A few steps led down to the rows of computers. From what he could tell, the other higher platform on the other side of the large room was for the leader of the group.
Suddenly, Orihime was lifted up. The redhead squealed, surprised, and Ichigo jerked. A large hand was bunched into the back of her bright sweater and hovering her above the floor. Still, Orihime kept a tight grip on Ichigo's hand. A tall man, about Ichigo's size, was holding her, glowering down at the girl. His hair was a peculiar sapphire and his green eyes were narrowed dangerously. He was built pretty impressively, and his tight black shirt didn't appear as though he wanted to hide it.
"G-Grimmjow-san…" Orihime murmured, her voice in slight awe as she met his gaze.
"What the fu—" He face-palmed, obviously remembering something, and then continued, "What the heck are you doing in here?"
Orihime blinked, "I was showing Kurosaki-kun around."
"Kurosaki?" Grimmjow lowered her a bit so he was able to see Ichigo. He was scowling deeply at the blue-haired man. "Well, well, look who's back." The man grinned wickedly, "Last time I saw you, you were running with your tail between your legs."
Ichigo's glare sharpened. He did not know the guy, but he could literally feel the rivalry they held against each other, a silent contest that never went unfinished. "Yeah, right," Ichigo snorted vaguely, "Now put her down."
Grimmjow crooked a brow, his smile vanishing.
"You heard me." Ichigo said, "Put her down. Now." Slowly, Orihime was placed on her small feet and Ichigo yanked her towards him, keeping his grip tight on her hand.
"Do I even desire to know what you are involving yourself with, Grimmjow?" A deep voice said behind the blue-haired man. Instantly, red tics broke across the tall guy's face before he took a step back.
"Get the fu—" Orihime's ears perked up curiously, "Get the heck away from me, Ulquiorra!"
Orihime's face lit up, "Ulquiorra-kun!"
A shorter male with dark black hair stepped into Ichigo's line of view. His hands were behind his back professionally and his pale skin contrasted deeply with his satin hair. Sharp green eyes met Ichigo's briefly before they closed, a sigh tumbling between his lips.
"Woman."
"Good afternoon, Ulquiorra-kun~!"
Grimmjow smirked, "Looks like she's happy to see you, Ulquiorra-kun~"
A silent, deadly glare was aimed at him, "Trash—"
"How was the mission, Ulquiorra-kun?" Orihime continued, her expression turning anxious, "I heard you had to wrestle Yogi Bear!"
Ulquiorra simply stared at her, "There are no bears under water, Woman."
"Right!" Orihime nodded vehemently.
Again, Ulquiorra's gaze switched over to Ichigo, who met his stare head-on, "You must be Kurosaki Ichigo. I have heard so much about your disposition that it is becoming rather an nuisance."
Ichigo did not reply.
Orihime beamed prettily, "I have to show Kurosaki-kun the stations. This is the main quarters, Kurosaki-kun, but you see, I'm not allowed to come in certain places because sometimes I touch things and then heads get blown off and dying is so sad, which people do not listen to me and the big blue men will soon rein over, because I pressed one button. Ulquiorra-kun is the Head of this place, but he usually isn't here since he's battling Yogi Bear and the other people of Strawberrytopia~!" She said this all in one breath, causing Grimmjow to face-palm again and Ulquiorra's eyebrow to twitch subtly. Ichigo, though, was not deterred by this, and instead, he listened keenly.
"You should probably leave before fucki—" Ulquiorra shot Grimmjow another harsh glare, "Before Harribel comes back, making a fuss and shi—" There was the sharp sound of flesh meeting flesh, hard and angry, and Grimmjow sputtered, grasping his stomach, and then fell to the floor. Orihime gasped in surprise as Ulquiorra lowered his hand back to his back.
"Trash," he commented dully before turning around and walked right over Grimmjow's quivering body.
"Bye-bye, Ulquiorra-kun!" Ulquiorra did not pause or turn to wave back at her, but continued down the steps.
"Bas…tard…!" Grimmjow hissed. Wisely, Ichigo clamped his hands over Orihime's ears as Grimmjow let out a list of explicatives to the black-haired man. Taking a hold of Orihime's hand again, he led her back towards the elevator. Pressing a button, the doors slid shut and moved again. Ichigo could've sworn he could feel it moving towards the left, not up or down.
"It's really nice here, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime continued on, "There's really good food from Uohana-san and Yachiru-chan and Renji-kun's smiles are really big~ but Rukia-chan always says it's stupid," She giggled at this, "Kuchiki-san gives me meat buns and Shunsui-san is really nice to me when we play poker on Fridays with Jushiro-chi, but he gives me candy even when I don't win~!" Suddenly, an idea popped into her pretty, little head, "Ah! Candy! We have to go get candy!" She pumped their intertwined hands in the air. "Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun, you like candy, don't you?"
Honestly, he did not. He could tolerate chocolate, but for her – a small smirk lit up his handsome face – he did not mind. "Yeah," he replied.
And he was rewarded with a smile that outdid the sun. Something tugged in his gut as she beamed up at him, so very beautiful and bright with rosy cheeks and long hair that swept around her waist. He did not understand how he was so comfortable with her or how he exactly ended up in this predicament, holding hands and wishing for her to be closer, following her wherever she went. Everyone they ran into did not seem deterred by them together, as though it were natural. That's the way it felt to Ichigo, so very natural that he wished he could stay like this with her for as long as he could. He knew, at some point, life had to catch up to him, he would have to return to school, go back to the pace of things, but right now, he did not wish to leave her side. Not when she was smiling at him, laughing, and clutching his hand as though it were a lifeline. Her large, large eyes sparkled on her face, smiling at him.
The door dinged, breaking his thoughts.
She tugged him along, another long hallway, only this time, she paused on the first door. She walked in without knocking, dragging Ichigo along.
"Orihime-chan~!"
As if instinctively, Ichigo side-stepped, taking Orihime with him. A brunette with a large sakkat on his head landed face-first on the floor. He was wearing weird robes, greatly resembling the getaboshi with the pink, ladies robes and sandals. He groaned deeply against the floor before lifting himself up with a pout.
"Orihime-chan is so cruel~" He cried.
"Shut up!" Ichigo planted his foot directly in his face. For some odd reason, he reminded him greatly of his father. Although he did not know the man, he had a feeling, at some point he'd met him in his life.
"ITAI! Ichigo-kun!" The man stood, "That hurt~!"
"Dammit," Ichigo grunted. So he did know the man, after all. He still needed to question the getaboshi on the memory-thing, "What is wrong with you people and touching her?" Orihime was behind Ichigo's back protectively, watching the entire ordeal with her wide eyes. Averting his eyes away from the brunette, he found his eyes on the room. It wasn't like the others – the floors were wooden and the walls were glass. In the center of the room was a large table, along with a few futons on the floor, in the corner.
"Shunsui-san, isn't Nanao searching for you?" Orihime asked curiously.
Shunsui chuckled, his teal eyes sparkling cunningly, "I'm too fast for her. In fact, in my earlier years, Orihime-chan, I used to be a ninja!" He made a crazy pose, a glistening, green background around him, and the sound of gushing ladies somehow wafting through the air comically.
Orihime's eyes widened, "Really?"
"Don't lie to her, bastard," Ichigo bit out.
"So harsh!" Shunsui complained before returning his attention to Orihime, "How about we have some sake, Orihime-chan? To celebrate your new knowledge of me."
Orihime tilted her head curiously as Ichigo felt a vein about to combust in his temple, "She's too young!"
"You're never too young to partake in festive activities!"
"I'm afraid he's right, Shunsui," another, gentle male voice put in.
"Ah!" Orihime perked up, "Jushiro-chi!" She pulled Ichigo along with her and they stopped at the table together. A man with sharp, yet gentle features sat there. His snow-white hair was long, reaching his waist. He was also dressed in dark robes, though he seemed much more "steady" when dressed. His dark eyes regarded Orihime familiarly, softly, and then gave Ichigo much of the same treatment. Ichigo nearly sighed in relief – finally, someone normal.
"I brought Kurosaki-kun and he says he likes candy, too~!" She chirped happily.
"Wow!" He seemed happy over the fact, "That's perfect because I have much more." He stooped down under the table, only to resurface with an armful of random treats: pockeys, chocolates, kompeito, chips, taiyaki, and many different snacks that Ichigo had probably never tried. Orihime took the brown paper bag full of treats with wide-eyed wonder.
"Oi," Ichigo grimaced, "You're gonna give her a cavity."
"Don't worry, Ichigo-san." Ukitake reassured, "I don't think that's possible."
"SHUNSUI!" The brunette, though, was already climbing into the vent chambers, and it closed after him. Jushiro casually took out a newspaper from below and Ichigo watched as the doors slid open to reveal a panting, wild Nanao. "Where…is…he?"
"He went to the training grounds," Jushiro said easily. Orihime gasped at the lie and Ichigo watched with heavy eyelids as she nodded and took off in the other direction.
"C'mon," Ichigo took the bag out of her hands, "We're going." He tugged on her hand.
"Hai~"
As the door closed behind the two, Jushiro placed down his newspaper and Shunsui slid from his hiding spot.
"Good to see them together again, yeah?" The brunette grunted with a small smirk.
"Yes," Jushiro's smile widened, "I'm sure Masaki-san would be very happy."
…
…
The doors slipped open. This room was also different. The floors were steel and so were the walls, and everything was pale. Cloth-made dummies were attached to the walls at the very end of the room, and Ichigo was able to see Renji and Momo standing there, a line of guns at their feet.
Renji glanced up curiously. The first thing he saw was long hair, bright clothes, and a smile.
"Oh, hey, Orihime," he greeted nonchalantly. And then he saw the person she was beside, "Oh, hey, Ichigo," he reloaded his gun and then whipped back around, "Ichigo?!"
Ichigo fit the bag full of treats in the curve of his arm, "Yo."
Momo turned her head, surprised, "Oh. It's that guy who broke my arm."
Ichigo visibly bristled, "I apologized for that!"
She shrugged, "Whatever. It's fine anyway." Pulling back the trigger on her gun, she shot the dummy straight in the heart, sending it to the ground. Orihime jumped at the noise. "What're you two doing here? You know Byakuya-taichou doesn't like you near guns, Orihime."
Ichigo felt something swirl inside of him. It seemed everyone was fiercely protective of the young girl. Ichigo could see why. She was small, delicate, and her happiness seemed too childish, as though one wrong thing would break it. Orihime seemed like the kind of person you wished to protect, if only for a fleeting moment, whether it be your life or just from someone else. But that also felt wrong.
"Tch," Ichigo scoffed, "She should be able to come in any room she wants. She ain't some animal."
Renji crooked a brow. Orihime started, surprised.
Momo merely inhaled, "I should've known he would say something like that."
Renji shrugged, "What're you two doing, anyway?"
"I'm showing Kurosaki-kun around the S.S.," Orihime said happily, pumping their intertwined hands in the air again. Ichigo felt a small smile twitch on his lips. "And we went to the Head and the lab to see Nemu-san and Ishida-kun and Ulquiorra-kun was back and I was in the air with Grimmjow-san, but then Kurosaki-kun said he liked candy so I brought him to Jushiro-chi and now here we are~!"
"Where's Ikkaku?" Momo asked, frowning now as she sat down, another dummy being round up on the other side of the room. "Shouldn't he be with you today?"
Orihime glanced up at the ceiling, as if to think, "He was poking Ishida-kun so I didn't want to bother him."
Renji sweat-dropped at her choice of words, "Sou ka." Placing the large gun on his shoulder lazily, he returned his attention to Ichigo, "Hey, I forgot to congratulate on beating up those Hollows. I've never seen that kind of stuff in my life." He held a thumbs-up.
Recalling the night, Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, thanks."
Momo reloaded her light machine gun, "Don't be bashful about it. You and Orihime make a hell of a team."
"Momo!" Renji growled when the explicative slipped from her mouth.
"What!" Momo snapped, "She's a grown woman now. She should be able to listen to us swear. I don't even get why Kisuke made that a damned rule."
"Seriously," Renji said loudly, "Good job." He clapped Ichigo on the shoulder, "I've taken a liking to you." He winked slyly.
Ichigo resisted the urge to shudder, "Are you…?" He did not have to finish his sentence, for Renji had turned as red as his hair.
"NO!"
He had failed to notice, but Orihime had gotten quiet. Discreetly, Ichigo glanced at her under his eyelashes, her hand was tight around his, clamping with her soft fingers, but her gaze was staring at the pristine floor, her lips parted, as though a memory was wafting over her head.
"Orihime," he called shortly.
She did not respond.
"Orihime."
Her eyelashes fluttered.
"Hime." He did not know where the name had come from, but it sounded natural coming from his mouth. Orihime seemed to feel something too when it came from his lips. She jerked, surprised, and then turned towards him, her wide eyes earnest and bright. A smile lit up her face, beaming brightly, silly and pretty and enough to squash any of his concerns.
"Sorry, Kurosaki-kun. I was just thinking." She said softly.
His eyes narrowed, but he did not question it.
"ORIHIME!"
Again, that call.
Orihime started in surprise and Ichigo turned in time to see a foot sailing his way. Just in time, he raised the full bag of treats and her tiny foot broke right through it. Ichigo moved out of the way as a waterfall of junk food splattered everywhere. Orihime appeared crestfallen, Ichigo appeared uninterested.
"Dammit," Rukia shook the bag from her foot and shin. Jerking her head up to glare at the orange-haired, she sneered up her lip, "You…!" She averted her gaze to Orihime, who was watching worriedly. Instantly, her expression changed, "Orihime, are you alright?"
"You sure are anxious about Orihime all the time," Renji tossed in.
Rukia's cheeks flushed, "I am not!"
"You know she can't resist cute things," Momo agreed.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
"Remember that time she almost risked her life trying to save her damn Chappy?" Renji said.
"NO!" Rukia howled, flailing about, and her cheeks a fine red, "WRONG!"
"Tsundere." Everyone murmured underneath their breaths, including Ichigo.
Rukia was starting to writhe now. Quickly, she found her target, and before Ichigo knew it, he found himself in a swastika hold. Ichigo hollered in shock, falling to the ground as Rukia yanked his arms at impossible measures.
"S-Stop! Dammit! You're going to break my…OW!"
Orihime squeaked worriedly.
The doors slid open to reveal Ikkaku, Yoruichi, and Urahara, who stared down at the peculiar group, Renji and Momo watching, Orihime trying to diffuse the situation, and Ichigo under Rukia's petite body, shouting and yelling.
"Rukia-chan, please release Ichigo-san. After all, we have to return him just the way he was." Kisuke said.
Ichigo was up before any could notice. Rukia fell off his back, startled as the taller man grimaced, "Return me?"
"Why of course~" Kisuke sang, "School is out for high school students. After all, you have to get home, don't you?"
Something tugged in Ichigo's gut, causing him to stare down at Orihime. Her eyes slowly lowered to the ground, and her shoulders hunched inwards. "Oi, oi, oi!" Her eyes darted up to his and locked, "Gah. Don't get all upset."
"B-But we still have to go to Soifon-san's room and you have to try some of Uohana-san's cooking and you still haven't met Byakuya-senpai and Kenpachi-san would've loved to meet you and after that we could finish the candy Jushiro-chi gave us and maybe…we could…" Tears started to well up and vaguely Ichigo thought that her eyes shined even more.
Obviously, everyone was surprised to see her cry. It appeared as though she never cried, only big, silly smiles and weird thoughts.
Kisuke continued to smile, She cried once before. When you left, Ichigo-san.
A hand touched her head softly and she started under the touch. Her tears paused on her face and Ichigo's eyes flashed and darkened.
"I'll come back tomorrow. And we'll do whatever you want. Alright?"
And Orihime beamed back. "Un!"
Dropping his hand reluctantly, he tucked his hands into his pockets. A small lopsided smile hitched his lips, "Yeah…"
...
...
—Fallen snow—
—Blood under his shoes—
—Large silver eyes—
—"Ichigo!"—
—"If you open your eyes, Hichigo, maybe you'll see what is in front of you."—
…
…
"IIIIIIICHIIII~!
Brown eyes creaked open.
"GOOOOOOOO~!"
The door slammed against the wall.
Vaguely, Karin listened as Yuzu began to worry.
"DAMMIT, OLD MAN! GET THE HELL OUT!"
It seemed the Kurosaki household would never stop shaking.
…
…
"IIIIIIICHIIII~!"
The orange-haired continued to walk.
"GOOOOOOOO~!"
Keigo pounced.
"Sup," Casually, Ichigo wrapped his arm around the neck and they both slammed against the ground. He squeezed tight around Keigo's throat, and the brunette squealed and thrashed, "I give, I give!"
Mizuiro sighed quietly, "See you guys later."
"Yeah. See you at lunch." Ichigo muttered.
Tatsuki walked into the classroom, and spotted the two on the ground, "Idiots, what're you two doing?"
"Please, Ichigo! I can't…breathe…!"
"Oi," Ichigo glanced up to meet Tatsuki's eyes, "I called you yesterday. You didn't come to school. Somethin' happen?"
Ichigo's face remained neutral. Tatsuki waited for his answer, crooking a brow. One, two, three—
"You could say that."
…
…
Cool brown eyes stared at the picture.
A small smile.
Gin's grin widened, "What da'ya say, sir? Time ta get started?"
"I suppose you are right, Gin. After all, we want him to feel welcome in his new environment."
"Aye, aye, captain~!"
"Make sure you send him a little treat. I want to see exactly what he can do."
"No problem." Gin turned and walked out of the room.
A thumb ran over the orange hair, "Welcome back indeed, Hichigo."
...
...
Yay! Finally done with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. There's still a lot to explain, but I love how Ichigo and Orihime already act with each other. Now, it's time for the comedy, romance, and definitely action in the next chapter. And don't worry, Orihime is not as innocent and child-like as most of you have concluded.
Please review. It'll make me happy~!
-Star