I hope everybody is having a great holiday! I know I am XD Thanks for all the waiting. I finally managed to publish the second chapter. Hopefully more people will like this story as much I some of you do. Please leave a comment and IF you have any suggestions please send me a message! Thanks!
Chapter 2
Orihime's POV
I opened my eyes to feel the sun's warm rays on my face and heard birds chirping in the morning's embrace. I slowly turned to check the time on my digital clock on the nightstand. The time showed 9:45 am. I steadily got up from underneath the soft, warm covers and wobbled my way to the bathroom. My hair stood up in funny areas due to my bed head and my eyes were still half closed. I lazily took off my clothes and dumped them onto the bathroom floor and took a hot ten minute shower to wake myself up. After I got out and changed into a simple short sleeve shirt and a black, ankle length, wavy skirt and put my hair up into a pony tail and brushed my teeth. I went to the kitchen and made a simple breakfast of eggs and toast and checked the time before getting ready to leave to go shopping.
I hope the store is still selling crab. I woke up a bit late today and so many people go shopping for specials on Sundays. I was about to leave when I paused in front of my apartment door. I—almost forgot. I walked back to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I grabbed an orange little bottle and a class of water. I stood near the sink staring at the bottle clenched into my palm. I opened the bottle. Took one pill from the pack and froze. After a minute I tossed the pill into my mouth and drank some water. I walked back to the front door and threw my purse strap over my shoulder, put one some grey flats and locked the door after leaving the apartment. I took the elevator down to the first floor and stepped outside into the spring air.
As I walked further into town the crowds grew and became busier. I stepped into the nearest store squeezing my way through people to get some vegetables, meat and other goods. I should have come earlier. Jeez it's crowded. After struggling for a few minutes, I finally reached the vegetables and hastily grabbed some cabbages, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and some potatoes for some stew or soup I planned to make. I wrestled my way to the meat section and skimmed through the selection and prices. Expensive as usual. It's not like I can eat most of this stuff anyway.
I bought the remainder of the things I needed and rushed out of the store. It's already 12:10? I better hurry home and start making lunch, do my homework and the laundry for school tomorrow. As I walked back from the market and stores, I saw a huge crowd ahead in the next street, people were gathering and I heard what seemed like a fight.
I wiggled my way through the crowd to see what was going on and froze the moment I saw what was going on. There in the middle of the large crowd was Ichigo, the man I saw the other day, and another man I hadn't recognized. The man fighting Ichigo looked like he was beaten to a bloody pulp. He was bleeding near his head, his right arm, looked almost distorted and was probably broken, his shirt was half ripped and he had huge gashes and bruises all over his chests. Ichigo had a few mild cuts and injuries and looked completely different from the other day. His mild expression had changed into fury and his eyes were murderous. He seemed darker and colder then he did, yet there seemed to be something off about him.
"ENOUGH! You're just a piece of shit." The man bellowed.
"If I'm a piece of shit, then why did you even both starting this fight?" Ichigo gritted through his teeth. The man backed away from Ichigo's threatening voice.
"It's your fucked up hair and eyes! I fucking hate them! And your stupid pompous attitude! You think you're the shit don't you?" The man screamed with fury.
He charged towards Ichigo ready to punch him and Ichigo didn't even dodge and took full force of the impact. Ichigo grunted and coughed while skidding back from the force. For a moment everyone froze and Ichigo was quite, then he raised his head. His eyes were filled with despair and anger.
"You hate me just because of my hair? You're seriously fucked up." Ichigo swiftly grabbed the man's hand, swung him over and threw a heavy punch that knocked him out.
The crowd gasped and started to bustle with talk. Ichigo stood over the man's cold body with his head hung low and his hands still clenched in tight fists. Ichigo smiled with delight from the damage he caused and a few people from the crowd backed away. People began whispering and more people drew back from him in fear. Ichigo suddenly yelled in a deadly voice.
"WHAT?! DO YOU HAVE A FUCKING PROBLEM WITH ME?"He bellowed. The crowd began to scatter while some people still stayed watching him, as if he was a wild animal on exhibit.
I stared at his beaten body and noticed a pained expression on his face and deep sadness is his eyes. Without thinking I stepped from the fearful crowd and grabbed the back of his shirt. He jolted slightly before turning around to see who it was. He froze in shock from seeing me and his facial expression softened a bit.
"What are you doing here?" He mumbled.
"S-shopping. Is this what you do on your weekends? Looking for fights and beating people half to death?" I boldly asked.
A few people in the crowd began talking and asking what relation I had with the wild beast. I blushed at my sudden actions and let go of his shirt. He quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the crowd.
"Let's go before the police show up." He droned.
He pulled me behind him as we walked and I stared at his broad back. It almost seems as if he's in so much pain. After a few minutes of walking he stopped near a park, his back still facing me and his hand still grasping my small wrist. He said nothing and we stood in silence until I spoke quietly.
"You—can l-let my hand go now." His grip on my wrist tightened as I tried to loosen his grasp.
"What—"
"Thank you." He interrupted in a sad tone.
"What?"
"Thank you for before." I stared at him with confusing and he finally turned to face me. His expression changed back to a joking one. "I almost got caught!" He teased.
"Seriously? What's wrong with you? You beat that guy up till he bled and all you have to say was 'I almost got caught?'" I argued. "Do you go around looking for fights or do you just enjoy them so much?" I protested defensively. He stood still for a moment and then spoke softly.
"I don't." I looked at him and saw sorrow and sadness in his brown eyes. I felt like I said something I shouldn't have and felt a tinge of guilt. I instantly turned my head away in shame. He gently let go of my hand and I started walking away from him.
"You—should go to the Hospital and check out those injuries." I recommended coldly.
"Yeah—that's gonna be a problem." He disagreed playfully.
"What? Why?"
"Well—I—don't have any money." He confessed. "Would you mind if I crashed at your place?" He asked innocently.
"WHAT?! I hardly know you. I'm not a charity case." I barked.
"Come on! It'll be only for a few days until I find my own place." He proposed. He leaned in until his face was a few inches from mine and cooed in a sweet tone. "You own me one." He smiled devilishly.
"Since when? If you're talking about helping me the other day, you're wrong. I appreciate what you did, but that doesn't mean that you can walk all over me." I protested.
I glared at him with an angry expression and remembered his pained expression from before and soon gave in. Why am I letting a guy I hardly know to live with me?
"Fine. Just until you find a place." I argued.
"Thank you." He said sincerely. He gave me a pained, sad smile and I felt my heart ache for a moment.
We walked quietly side by side and I glanced over at him and saw his eyes were filled with emptiness. I wonder—if he's like me? After walking in silence the whole way, we finally reached my apartment complex and took the elevator to the fifth floor. We walked down the empty hallway and stopped in front of room 513. I pulled out my keys from inside and turned to him before opening the door.
"If I let you into my place, will you promise to explain what happened and agree to my terms and rules?" I warned.
"What for? You don't trust me?" He taunted in a flirtatious tone.
"I don't trust anyone."
I opened the door and stepped inside turning on the hallway light. He took off his worn shoes at the door.
"This is the kitchen; the family room is connected with the kitchen." We walked further into the hallway and I continued with the mini tour. "This room to your left is the bathroom and the room to your right is my bedroom. You can sleep on the couch and I'll give you some towels and separate things for you to use." I instructed.
"Thanks, would you mind if I took a shower?" He asked.
"Y-yeah that's fine." I croaked. "What about your wounds? I'll get some disinfectant and some bandages and help you with them after." I offered somewhat cautiously.
"Thanks… I guess?" He grinned.
"I'll set some clean clothes, a towel and some blankets and a pillow out for you." I blurted out in attempt to hide my discomfort.
Ichigo stepped inside the bathroom and I quickly set about my tasks. I went to the closet and snatched a clean towel, some alcohol disinfectant and bandages. Then I went into my bedroom and searched in my closet for the biggest most lose shirt I could find and some old PJ bottoms that were loosened from being washed so many times. Uhh all my clothes are… so girly. The only thing in here that he could possibly wear is this old short sleeved shirt and my old lion patterned PJ bottoms.
I set the disinfectant and bandages onto the coffee table in the family room and placed the towel on the handle of the bathroom door and my old clothes underneath the door and waited patiently for Ichigo to finish his shower. As I waited, I tossed my dirty clothes in the washing machine near the closet and folded the rest of my clean clothes. After a few minutes I had finished with the laundry, I started preparing stew with the vegetables that I had bought. After everything was settled and as the stew was boiling, Ichigo stepped out of the bathroom wearing my old PJ bottoms that were a little short for him and reached only till his ankles and was walking with his chest bear.
"Uhh, thanks for the—pants? Although I have to say that you have a cute sense of taste, especially with the embarrassing lion pattern on these pants." He joked.
"If you don't like them, don't wear them." I quivered with humiliation. "What—happened w-with my s-shirt? Does it n-not fit?" I flustered.
"Oh, yeah about the shirt, it doesn't fit. At least the pants worked. Think of it in a positive way, you can stare at my gorgeous body all you want." He tempted suggestively. I felt my face burn and knew I was probably as red as a tomato, so I turned my gaze at the coffee table.
"We—s-should probably—wrap your w-wounds." I whispered bashfully. He chuckled softly and sat down on the sofa beside me.
As I opened the bandages and the bottle of disinfectant, I noticed the many scars that were prominent on Ichigo's chest and arms. His knuckles were red from raw skin being exposed and small cuts, his torso had large diagonal cashes and cuts as well as purple, blue fresh bruises and his shoulder had what seemed like a knife wound.
"Give me your hands." I uttered. He stretched his large, rough hands and I felt his warmth.
I carefully dabbed some cotton balls into the disinfectant and carefully cleaned his knuckles. He winced slightly from the pain then sat quietly letting me clean his wounds. I then started to wrap his hands in bandages.
"As a kid everybody teased me because of my hair colour." He interjected. I glanced up at him and saw a glimpse of despair.
"The fight you had today, did you have fights like that a lot when you were younger?"
"Yeah. So much that I got tired of it. I was teased a lot in middle school. I always thought to myself, 'why is it always me?' Eventually I began pitying myself and ended up hating that part of me." He paused for a brief moment and stared at the floor, then continued.
"It got so bad that one day—I- I almost killed a student. He—was teasing me and started provoking me in front of his friends and I just—snapped. I grabbed him, pushed him against the ground and kept punching him and punching him. Just letting all that rage out on him felt so empowering. Eventually I started punching him with full force until he bled. If—felt so—good having someone else's life in my hands." He trembled. "I was—happy." He confessed with shame.
He gripped his hair and hid his face in shame. I placed the bottle down and put my hand softly on his shoulders. He stopped trembling from fear and grasped my hand with his bandaged one while still staring at the floor. I didn't pull away and let him hold my hand until he calmed down.
"Before—you asked me whether I—liked fighting. It's true. I don't like it, but I—do feel so much anger that sometimes I just—I just—"
"I understand." I interrupted. "You don't need to explain anymore. I'm sorry. It's okay. It's okay." I consoled. I gave Ichigo a sad smile and gripped his hand tighter.
His eye's widened in confusion at my kind actions and he turned his head back again towards the floor still holding my hand.
"Before I could—kill him, someone stopped me. I guess you could say almost saved me from myself. I—want to find that person again. I want to thank them, I want them to be happy and I just want to repay them." He implored.
He stopped rambling and calmly let go of my hand. He sat in silence for a few minutes and then hugged himself, after he turned his attention back towards me and smiled happily.
"Thank you. It looks like you saved me." He chuckled and I saw something I had never seen before. His eyes were alit with warmth and his face calm and handsome.
"Y-you're welcome." My heart skipped at beat and I jumped up from my seat. "There's stew on the stove if you want any. I'm—just gonna be in my room finishing up my homework because I have school tomorrow. I left the blanket and pillow on the floor near the sofa. You can watch TV if you're bored. If you need anything—I'll be in my room." I blurted out.
I dashed towards my room and almost slammed the door. That's was so weird. I never noticed but he is really different from how I imagined him to actually be like. I blushed and crouched on the floor and buried my head as I hugged my knees.
"Sorry sweetie, looks like mommy and daddy have work again. We'll be back soon. It's a small business trip honey." Said the women soothingly, she pat the little girl's head gently and tried to calm the crying girl. "I promise we'll be back soon, maybe next time we can play together? When we get back ok?"
The little girl sobbed and wiped her tears from her eyes and chubby cheeks.
"Do you—promise?" She sniffed.
"I promise." She hugged her and grabbed her suitcase and walked towards the front door.
"Be a good girl."
"Mhmm…" She mumbled. She saw the women walk out the door. Suddenly the house become silent and dull.
The little girl walked down the hall, her footsteps echoing against the hardwood floor. She opened the backyard door and walked into the bright sun.
BEEP,BEEP,BEEP. I jolted awake and shut off my alarm clock in shock.
What—the hell was that? Who were those people?
.
.
.
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Chapter 2 end.
When I was originally writing it, I noticed how bad it sounded so the second half of this chapter actually morphed as I was typing and ended up being WAY better than I thought. I'm actually really happy with this chapter and how well it turned out. =^.^= anyways I was being mean and decided I wanted to torment Ichigo a bit XD I made him so innocent and I felt so mean when I was typing the part where Ichigo was confessing his dark secret. Some people wanted Orihime to be more like she is in the manga so I wanted her to be a little softer than how she was in the first chapter but I still had her have some attitude. Finally I want to point out that I actually gave some REALLY important clues in this chapter so I hope you have some grasp with what's going on because these hints are actually important for the rest of the story! BTW the little part above was a flashback/dream just to clarify people. Anyway please comment and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!