I don't even know how to start this. I have no excuse (no excuse I should be seeking pity for anyway) for why this chapter is so damn late. I'm SO SO sorry. Unfortunately I can't promise it won't happen again. Let me just shut up now and let you read. I hope you haven't grown bored with the story after such a long wait. And I have no idea how many typos are in this thing 'cause I've worked on this all night and my eyes are burning (so I'm just too tired to spell and grammar-check it) I'm really sorry. Please let me know of any mistakes and I'll correct'em as soon as I can. Thank you so much.
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5
Most malls are huge. It seems to be the point; the hugeness of it all, the extravagance...the "boom". The architect of Karakura Mall, whoever he was, had taken the concept a bit too personally:
Karakura Mega Mall wasn't huge. It was massive. Sprawling over seven million square feet with seventy percent of it built over the lake, it possessed thirty floors showing off a little over 800 stores: boutiques, restaurants, jewellery stores, salons, arcades, bakeries, bookstores, cafes, appliance stores and a multi-lingual library on the fifth floor.
When Yuzu had said that someone was bound to get lost the other day, it'd been meant as a joke.
"You know, this is why there're so many damned tourists here now." Ichigo complained to no one in general.
"Okay, everybody here?" Yuzu was upfront with Ichigo, a list in her hand. "It's eleven o'clock. We're late. I'm going to mention the pairs you're shopping in this morning okay?"
Earlier that morning, right before the entire group had set off from Ichigo's house, they'd each picked from a hat for who they were shopping for. Then Yuzu had made a list for whom every one was shopping with. Presently, the entire group stood some feet from the grand entrance into Karakura Mall. Passer-by shoppers threw them curious looks, surprised by the sheer number in their group.
"Okay..." Yuzu read as loudly as her small voice would let her, "...we have Isshin-Mizuiro, Byakuya-Chizuru, Yourichi-Uryuu..."
Ichigo let his mind wander as his sister read out the pairs. He gazed up at the cold winter sun; round, glowing, sporting indifferenence to everything that went on below it. Impassivity, detachment, pseudo-fluorescence in place of expected incandescence. Cold air brushed by him. Again. And again. Ichigo wasn't much of a shopper. He had most of his groceries delivered by order after all. But when he did do some shopping, he loved his weather just so. Which was a shame, as this perfect combination of weather conditions occured in only one of the four seasons.
"Rukia-Hitsugaya."
Rukia. Hitsugaya. The names no longer disoriented Ichigo. He had gotten used to having these people...these friends...these very old, very missed friends...around again. That he could share this perfect day with them...that however, still had Ichigo giddy. In deep satisfaction, Ichigo began paying attention to the pairings again. Yuzu was almost done:
"Matsumoto-Renji"
Hmm...strange pairing.
"Urahara-Keigo"
Huh? Who put together these pairings?
"Tatsuki-Inoue"
Okay, now that particular pairing had been rigged! Rigged!
"Chad-Yuzu and Ichigo-Matt"
Ichigo's train of thought came to a screeching halt.
"Huh?" he turned to the girl beside him. "I thought I was supposed to be paired with you."
"Yeah but Matt had me change it so he'd shop with you." Yuzu replied matter-of-factly, folding up her sheet of paper and stuffing it into the back pocket of her pants. Then she froze. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."
"What?!" Ichigo gritted his teeth to muffle his exclamation.
Acting like she hadn't heard him, she continued. "Okay, it's 11:10 everybody." she addressed the group before her. "We meet at the Silver Arc Memorial Foutain at 2 pm. Last couple to make it buys us all lunch! HAVE FUN!!"
With cheers, the crowd fell upon Ichigo like a tidal wave, making for the entrance with Christmas spirit so tangible it reverberated against the concrete and glass that made up Karakura Mega Mall.
"Yuzu!" Ichigo swivelled round on his heels, trying to find his sister. "Yuzu, you're ignoring me again."
"And I love you bro." Yuzu suddenly appeared from amidst the mobile bodies, planting a peck on her brother's cheek. Then just as suddenly, she was gone again.
Ichigo stayed put as his friends shouldered past him.
Byakuya, Yourichi, Keigo. A sudden feeling plunged into Ichigo's gut, a cocktail of happiness, joy....maybe an odd hint of saddness. It spread numbness through his feet. Uryuu, Mamamoto, and a very pregnant Rukia who offered the young host a small smile. Ichigo's reciprocative smile was involuntary. A light punch from Renji. A shoulder pat from his father. A wink from Mizuiro. In all this, Ichigo simply stayed put, waiting for the human flood to dwindle out. Urahara, a babbling Kon on his shoulder, Hitsugaya, Karin, two guys and three ladies Ichigo had no clue who were and...dammit...Party-Naked kid again! And then...
Ichigo could have sworn it happened in slow motion. First a glimpse of a dark gleaming auburn head...a flash of silvery light....then it was her: she was in a black jacket with thick white wooly trimmings. Beneath it, there was a silver coloured blouse. A pair of moderately tight black pants led down to silver streaked Nikes. Ichigo couldn't tell if she was looking at him or not, her eyes remained hidden behind her shades, and as she walked past him, he could just recognise the stirring fragrance: apples and roses...french roses.
She was by him. Then she was not. Ichigo stared ahead, enduring a gut wrenching feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. They had been so frequent in those days...so long ago...so long.
Ichigo suddenly paid attention to his surroundings again and he realised he had been left alone outside. Well, not alone exactly. Someone was a few metres away in a heavy grey jacket and a pair of blue jeans. He had neatly combed locks of blue hair. He smiled.
"Matt." Ichigo groaned.
"Ichigo." Matt greeted walking his way. "We were paired. What a um...coincidence, huh?"
The ex-shinigami resisted the urge to fist the pretentious weasel. "Yeah, sure. Coincidence."
Silence except for the irritating sounds of traffic and the expected distant carol.
"So uh..." Matt stared down on his boots and proceeded to study them like a nervous teenager. "I guess we should get started...unless you don't plan to shop then I guess we'd just stay here and uh..." He shrugged. "...do nothing for the next- I dunno- three hours or so?"
"English or Japanese?"
Ichigo's question was so straightforward, it confused Matt. But only for a moment. "You mean, we could speak English if I wanted?"
"Your choice."
Matt smiled pleasantly. "Why not a mixture? It could be, like, our very own Ichi-Matt thing."
It was Ichigo's turn to be thrown off balance. Ichi-Matt? Why did that sound oh-so scary? And why was Matt trying so hard to fraternize? Was this some kind of scheme to get on Inoue's good side? Inoue's better side? The guy was the woman's fiance, yeesh, how much closer to her did he want?!
"Whatever." Ichigo, without warning, began to walk away. "Let's go."
"See! Mixture! That's the Ichi-Matt spirit! We should get our own theme song! Like: Straw-berry passion! Blue-berry flame! Share one mission, aim da same! I know this recorder guy that would help us record it and everything. For real! I could call him. I could ask him to start on a beat! I could..."
"Shut up, Matt."
"Or I could do that too." Matt's enthusiasm vanished like a snuffed out flame.
They rode the escalator to the second was silence for a moment as they began scouring the floor, peering into stores and eyeing products.
"So..." Matt tried sparking up conversation again. "...Whose name did you pick?"
Ichigo turned to him in surprise. In the bustle of the organizing and what-not, he'd forgotten to check the name on his pick. Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out the creased piece of paper. Unfolding it, he took a look at the name...and folded it with pursed lips.
"So...?" Matt probed.
"My sister, Yuzu." Ichigo lied.
Matt went quiet.
"What?"
"Nothing. It must be a nice coincidence."
"It is." Another lie.
Matt turned his attention to a window exhibiting a fine selection of shiny chrome coloured digital cameras and began talking again, mainly about the wonders of technology, how his dad owned one of the displayed devices and how his dog sure was keen on being taken pictures of. The monotone was no more than a faint baritone distortion in Ichigo's world in those few seconds that he re-opened his slip of paper...just to make sure he had seen right the first time.
He hadn't been mistaken. Written clearly there was, not Yuzu's name though to be fair it was in her handwriting, but Orihime Inoue's. Ichigo had picked Inoue's name. Quickly he put the name aside before Matt could return attention to him.
"Hey Ichigo, look at this." Matt was staring at one of the mall's old-fashioned "You Are Here" maps. "Ichigo, man, we have to go here." He placed a finger on a spot on the map. "This floor has a MeanJeans store!"
"So?"
Matt flashed a look that was full of concern for his friend's mental well-being. "Hello-o?MeanJeans is only the coolest clothing store in the history of, like, eternity! Don't tell me you haven't heard of it?"
Ichigo's eyelids dropped. "You know, you're too old to talk like that. Plus you're a doctor."
"So?" Matt brushed that aside. "Are we going to MeanJeans or not?"
Ichigo sighed. "Lead on." He didn't mind. He'd get a gift for Inoue before they left.
"Oh by the way..." Matt said.
"Uh-huh?"
"I know you're lying." He waved a tiny paper slip as he took the lead, talking over his shoulder. "I got Yuzu."
000
"Who's Higure Takaya?"
Inoue's question snapped Tatsuki out of her musings. The close friends were on the fourth floor, in a store entirely devoted to chocolates. Dark, cream, mint, coffee, cherry...name it. The Kiss had all that and more.
"Higure Takaya?" Tatsuki frowned. "We know a Higure Takaya?"
"Apparently we're supposed to." Inoue said staring down at her slip of paper.
"Reunion free-loader, probably." Tatsuki concluded. "Get'em something befitting. See, this chocolate's in the shape of a blood sucking alien parasite."
"It's an anteater, Tatsuki." Inoue corrected, noticing the chocolate Tatsuki was referring to.
Tatsuki shrugged. "It gets the message across."
They paid for the chocolate, had it wrapped and were soon out of there, window shopping again.
"What are you getting Ichigo?" Inoue asked, stopping infront of a display window and studying the pearl necklace around a mannequin's neck.
"Ichigo..." Tatsuki said the name like she had bitten on a cherry pit. That had been the name she had picked out of the hat, and still, she remained torn between pleasure and a vague annoyance of sorts. "I have no idea what to buy for that sorry whiner. Anything I buy him, he can buy himself anyway." She paused breifly. "Why don't you pick something out for him?"
"Me?" Inoue feigned surprise at Tatsuki's suggestion, but truth be told she had anticipated this. "Why me? You've known him longer than I have."
"You've known him deeper than I have." Tatsuki countered tactfully.
"That was a long time ago." Inoue defended. "Times change and I bet he has too. I've been a no show in the past ten years. You on the other hand have kept touch."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Certainly not mine."
"Tell me something..." Tatsuki said, venturing unto unexplored soil for the first time that holiday. "What's the deal with Matt?"
Inoue's eyes wobbled slightly. Silence. Then she played dumb. "What do you mean?"
"I mean..." Tatsuki said, a little annoyed. "I know you're not in love with him, Orihime."
"You can't prove that." She walked into the jewellery store displaying the necklace. Tatsuki followed after her, arms folded in disapproval.
"I can prove that you still love Ichigo."
Inoue paused over a necklace she'd been admiring. She hesitated. Then she whispered "No, you can't."
"Orihime..."
"Tatsuki!"
Tatsuki flinched. A few shoppers turned to look at them, wondering what the outburst had been for. Tatsuki looked at Inoue to see if her friend was embarassed as she was. All she saw was a glazed pair of eyes, glaring anger back at her.
"Sorry Orihime, I..."
"No, you are not sorry Tatsuki." Inoue's voice wobbled with emotion. "You think I don't know what everyone is thinking? That I'm only engaged to Matt to make Ichigo jealous?" Inoue's fist curled into furious little balls. "Well, you're wrong!! I'm marrying Matt because I know he loves me! Matt has given up so much..."
"More than Ichigo!?!" Now Tatsuki was losing her temper as well. "Orihime, are you listening to yourself? You want me to believe you honestly think Matt's more deserving than Ichigo? Ichigo has fought and bled for you..."
"Ichigo's fought and bled for everybody."
The slap was as sharp as it was lightning fast, sending Inoue's glasses flying off her face and skittering across the tiles. The scene turned quite a number of heads, attracting a mixture of horrified as well as amused looks from its witnesses.
As quickly as the anger had grown, it subsided and Tatsuki suddenly found herself boundlessly horrified at what she'd done.
"Orihime..." Tatsuki's voice was all of a sudden rather hoarse. "Orihime, I'm so sorry. My hand sort of just flew out..." Her sentence trailed off and she looked elsewhere, exceedingly embarassed. So soap opera-ish, Tatsuki thought glumly, when had her life developed into all this?
Inoue turned away, and for a second Tatsuki assumed she was walking out on her. But she suddenly turned around again, her left cheek subtly pink, her eyes betraying no pain.
"What do you think about this one?" Inoue held up a piece of jewellery. "I like the green stone at the centre."
"Orihime..." Tatsuki began, then thought better. She sighed and said dejectedly, "Yeah, I think its beautiful."
"I love the colour green." Inoue continued, trying on the jewellery. "It's so pretty. It reminds me of spring. It reminds me of constancy."
"Constancy?" Tatsuki repeated under her breath.
"I believe that nobody sticks around forever. Everybody eventually leaves you alone. They don't intend to. It just happens. The only thing that remains constant is the fresh greenery of spring. It appears every year. You cannot prevent spring. Even after the rain, green remains unscathed."
Tatsuki somberly tried to decipher the meaning behind her words. Before she could get far however, Inoue interrupted her with "We've never argued like this before have we?"
"You've never acted this way before." Tatsuki stuffed her hands into her the pockets of her jeans and looked away. "Why are you so hesitant to talk about Matt?"
Inoue shrugged. "You know, I deserved that slap. How could I even begin to compare Ichigo to Matt? It's just that..." she hesitated, "...I honestly did feel like I was in love with Matt back in America. Then I came back here..." She laughed, embarassed. "...I took one look at Ichigo and I remembered what exactly being in love felt like."
Tatsuki thought she was begining to understand. "So you're confused because you're in love with Ichigo, but you don't want to break it off with Matt because it wouldn't be fair to him."
Inoue smiled sadly. "Something like that."
Tatsuki turned to look into one of the glass casings in the shop. She gazed at a reflection of herself in a pretty pink stone, trying to think up something comforting to say. Nothing came to mind.
"What're you going to do about it?" Tatsuki finally asked.
"Nothing." was the blunt reply. "I have no excuse to leave Matt for Ichigo. I have no reason to hurt him."
"You're saying if you had a reason, you would?"
"I'm saying..." Inoue dangled her ring finger infront of Tatsuki's face. The rhombic jewel sparkled impressively. Behind it, Inoue offered a brave little smile. "I'm saying I'm engaged to Matt Peterson. The wedding is in April, Tatsuki. I'm marrying Matt Peterson. Nothing can change that."
Tatsuki said nothing. She faked back a smile and pretended to be intrigued by a row of diamond necklaces. But inside, her heart felt, quite suddenly, too heavy for her chest. And she didn't even know why. It wasn't like this was any of her business. Not entirely, anyway. But still...she felt so sorry for Ichigo. And for Inoue. They had brought this upon themselves, you know. Ichigo had let guilt eat at him, and Inoue had made the mistake of thinking what he needed was "space" when what he'd really needed was her.
So now Tatsuki knew it was really over. The problem was, did Ichigo?
000
"Oh look at these shirts!!"
Ichigo cringed in embarassment as his shopping partner gushed over a row of silk flower pattern shirts.
They were in MeanJeans, and for a store name that was basically promising...well...jeans, it had a tantalizing array of other clothing. But, when it came to jeans, Ichigo had to admit, they did have some very attractive choices.
Ichigo scanned a rack of jeans with dragon designs upon their pant legs. His eyes settled on a black pair with a golden dragon applique. Reaching for it, he called to Matt. "Hey, take a look at this one. Not bad, huh?"
Matt zipped over. "Ohh..." More gushing. "This is so cool. Are you getting this?"
Ichigo took a look at the size. A grunt, "This thing's two sizes too small."
"You could ask the store assistant if they have a larger size."
Another grunt from Ichigo. For some reason, it seemed too much of a bother just for a pair of pants he hadn't intended on buying in the first place. "Forget it." Ichigo finally said, about to hang the pants back.
"Ichigo...?"
"Huh?"
Matt was offering what he probably thought was a winning grin. "Ichigo you wouldn't mind if I tried getting that for myself. It's probably my size."
Ichigo shrugged. It's not like he cared. But as Matt rushed off with the clothing to try it on, his mind taunted him with: 'Sure! Let him steal your girl! Then your pants!' Ichigo frowned at the thought. Big deal. A woman and a pair of pants weren't the same thing. Then his mind said rather slyly: 'Really? They both end up on top of the same place...'
Ichigo's pupils dilated. His world froze...creaked...and shattered to pieces. Then the dreaded question hit him with the force of a two ton sledge hammer.
Had Matt and Inoue...had they...done it, yet? If they had, how many times? Did they do it often? Good god, did they do it last night?!! Is that why the guy was so damn happy today?!
Ichigo gritted his teeth so hard his jaws trembled. That son of a bitch! Why he outta...
"Pssst!"
Ichigo stopped. Who had...
"Pssssssst! Ichigo!"
The fierce whisper was coming from behind Ichigo. He turned around to spot Matt's head sticking out from behind a changing room curtain.
Ichigo's eyes were deadly cold as he responded with a not so quiet. "What?"
Matt put a finger to his lips and pleadingly motioned him over. Looking heaven-ward, Ichigo sighed and approached the disconcerted American.
"What d'you...UGH!!" Before the words were even out, Matt had already grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the dressing room with him. Ichigo was against a wall before he could even make out what was going on.
'What the...' Ichigo groaned and opened his eyes. He twitched. 'Oh shit.'
Matt was before him. A helpless look on his face. More importantly (disturbingly), Matt's hands were groping down at his own groin area. Or at least initially it looked like groping.
"What the FUCK are you doing?!?!?" Ichigo was not amused, and the pulsating vein on his temple proved it.
"Can't you see?" Matt looked miserable. "I need you so badly right now!"
A drop of sweat rolled down Ichigo's face. "WHA..?!? Baa-aaka!!! I don't know what you're thinking but I park infront, not in the back."
"Huh?" Matt looked even more confused than Ichigo. Then he got it. And proceeded to look just a bit peeved. "You're not..." He stuttered. "I'm not..." He groaned, then grunted. "Oh screw Japanese! I'm not hitting on you! I'm not coming on to you! I'm not trying to SCREW you! I need you because I got my finger jammed..." He lowered his voice here, hissing: "...in these pants."
"What?"
"My finger is caught between the zipper and fabric of these pants."
Ichigo bent over to take a look. "You got a bit of your jacket sleeve in there too."
"You think you can get it out?" Matt looked hopeful.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "If you think I'm poking my fingers around that warzone, think again!" He turned around. "I'll get the store assistant."
"NO!!" With his free hand, Matt held Ichigo back, practically breathing into his face. "The store assistant is a girl."
Ichigo's eyes grew frighteningly dark. "So?" he asked in his coldest voice.
"So..." Matt said, switching to Japanese as well. "It will be very embarassing."
Ichigo didn't look like he cared.
"Come'on." Matt persisted. He offered pussy cat eyes. "We're IchiMatt, remember?"
"That's not helping."
"Fine." Matt changed strategy. "Help or I'll tell Oh-ree-himey."
Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"That, that is what you guys call her? Right? Orihime? Yeah, just making sure."
"You're a jackass."
Matt was defensive. "Hey, you forced me to play that card."
"Just so you know..." Ichigo muttered getting on his knees. "I'm not doing this because I give a shit about what you 'report' to Inoue. I'm doing this 'cause you're just so pathetic."
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever."
Ichigo began his job.
"How the heck did this happen anyway?" Ichigo wondered.
"I guess I was too excited when I tried to zip it up."
"I think I'm getting it loose."
"You are? Oh...oh, you're good. A little to the left...a little to the left..."
"Shut up..."
"A little harder. Little harder. Oh good!"
Ichigo's fury was instantaneous. "Shut the fuck up! D'you know what your phrases sound like!? Someone could hear us!"
"You're the one shouting right now!"
"Just shut up!"
"Wait! There! That's the spot right..."
Ichigo's fist was immediately in Matt's gut. Matt stifled his scream but he couldn't hold back the groaning.
"Shut up with the groaning!"
"That hurt!"
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." Ichigo gripped Matt's zipper. "Brace yourself."
With all his strength, Ichigo yanked up the zipper. With the zipping sound came Matt's stiffled little yelps of pain.
'Heh-heh, payback.' Ichigo thought with a wry grin. "Sorry about that." Ichigo said as he tried to stand up, "Next time try not to..." Something jerked Ichigo back to his knees. His right sleeve.
"Oh, you've got to be shittin' me." Ichigo peered reluctantly for the second time that morning at Matt's groin area. No, no one was 'shitting' him. His right sleeve was caught between the teeth of Matt's zipper.
"Argh! What is up with these pants!?" Ichigo was near screaming. He began to yank.
"Ichigo! Dude, what're you doing?! Be gentle!!" Matt held on to a balance bar as his lower area was jerked back and forth, back and forth, in the most suggestive manner.
"Dude, quit it!"
"Don't 'dude' me!" Ichigo's eyebrows were so hunched together, they'd formed a continous sine curve. "This is all your stupid fault!!"
"Ichigo, you're doing it too hard! ICHIGO!!"
There was a sudden unwelcome feeling in the room. It settled upon the two like a fog; cold, disorienting, sending chills up their spines. It was the horrifying feeling...that they were being watched.
Simultaneously, they turned heads.
"This universe hates me." Ichigo mumbled tiredly.
Standing behind the curtain, watching for what looked like it had been ages, was a fragile old look on her face was anything but pretty. Her left eyebrow twitched rather violently.
Ichigo tried to stand again. "Look, I can explain..."
Granny's handbag greeted Ichigo from below, knocking his chin upwards, as well as some spittle.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" she croaked. "And you looked like such a nice boy too!"
"Lady..." Matt tried to explain. "...I can uh...personally assure you, we have uh, tried so hard but we can't stop." Pause. He switched to English. "Crap, that didn't come out right..."
The handbag slugged him across the jaw, and he was sent spiralling to the floor.
"What did you say that for?" Ichigo wanted to know.
"I have got to work on my Japanese." was all Matt could mutter under strained breath.
Right outside the store, Tatsuki and Inoue happened to be walking by.
"What on Earth do you think is going on in there?" Inoue asked as they caught a glimpse of an old lady dishing it out to two pairs of legs sticking out from behind a curtain.
"I can probably guess." Tatsuki said, disgusted. "In a store? You think they'd get a room."
"Hey..." Inoue looked up at the store's name. "MeanJeans? I've never heard of this store." she complained.
"It's a horrible store." Tastuki said. "I wouldn't shop here if I was paid to."
"I'll take your word for it."
They left.
*
Ichigo stole a glance at his watch. It was one-thirty, a whole half hour before anyone was expected back at the Silver Arc Memorial Fountain. And yet Ichigo was there. Alone. A purchase swung gently from a plastic bag in his hand.
At about half past noon, Ichigo had ditched the blue-haired over-enthusiast and made his way eleven floors higher to a store called Bling-Panel. It sold comic books and jewelery. An odd combination. But it had been exactly what Ichigo had been looking for.
Now he stood patiently by the frozen fountain, awaiting his friends. Subconsciously, he rubbed at the bruise below his jaw. He flinched. "Shit, that's the last time I help an old lady across the street. Seems to me they have more strength than they're willing to show."
He abandoned his jaw and cast a lazy gaze across the street. He did a double take.
A woman was making her way up the street towards her, a number of shopping bags swinging from both hands. She was in silver in black. She was alone.
"Inoue." Ichigo whispered. He swallowed hard. Did he want this? Did he want this now?
The woman made out Ichigo's face. As expected, she hesitated. Then mustering a courage Ichigo hadn't thought she needed, she continued undeterred towards him. She continued towards him...and stopped. Right infront of him. So close, Ichigo thought he could feel her breath on his face, but that couldn't have been possible because she was at least at elbow's length away. Close, not too close. Just close enough. But not so he got any ideas. This was not a reconciliation.
"Ichigo." Inoue said, sounding like what should have rationally followed was 'Well isn't it a coincidence meeting you here'. She didn't follow with that though. It sounded a bit out of place.
Ichigo bit on his lower lip. This was it. He sighed. "Inoue...since you came back I've been meaning to talk to you." He paused to swallow some more. "Inoue, we need to talk."
"Inoue..." Inoue repeated, a little hurt at the formal use of her surname. He'd done the same at the airport. "Is that what I've been demoted to, Ichigo?"
Ichigo stared, mute. He noticed she'd taken off her glasses. He could see straight into her.
Inoue stared back at him, into eyes she had once been in love with. Then carefully she placed her bags down on the concrete beside her. She would listen to him. She had no reason not to.
Inoue had all the time in the world.
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And that's all folks. I'm gonna begin work on the next chapter as soon as possible. At first I wanted to try to let the rest of this story coincide with the last days of 2008 *laughs nervously* Yeah...that..that sorta doesn't look so possible now. Thanks again. Especially to those who waited so long. Thanks. Peace. I am SO out. *snoring begins*