A/N: I'd just like to give a little thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. You're all awesome. Let's hope you continue to enjoy this thing.
Disclaimer: If you are reading this message then you should know that I do not own Bleach.
Orihime Inoue took a large gulp of air as she stood silently, nervously before a door. It was a clear bright day, the sun felt warm at her back; this was the kind of day this girl typically found the most comforting. At this moment, however, Orihime was nervous.
This door was his door. She was standing at his porch, knocking at his door, and waiting to see him. She had taken her good friend Rangiku Matusmoto's advice of the previous night and had made the decision to ask him out today. She was shaking uncontrollably as she waited for him to appear.
The door opened. Orihime's anticipation grew as she expected to see him appear in the doorway. The one who appeared wasn't him. It wasn't even his father or one of his little sisters. It washer.
"Oh, hey, Orihime. Anything to report." Rukia Kuchiki greeted the girl warmly. Orihime hated the fact that Rukia was such a good person, it made this so hard.
"No… I just wanted to see Ichigo…" Orihime sighed, her full disappointment setting in.
"Oh, I'll get him down here for you then." Rukia offered directly. She turned to face into the Kurosaki into which she bellowed, "Hey, Ichigo! Orihime's here to see you!"
A few seconds passed before a response call came to the ears of the girls at the door way; it said, "Orihime?! What's she want?!"
Rukia seemed to think for a moment before yelling back, "I don't know…" She turned briefly to Orihime who had an embarrassed look on her face before turning back and adding, "To see you, Ichigo!"
Rustling sounds could be heard from within the house; around two minutes later Ichigo Kurosaki appeared at the doorway. He had a deep look of exhaustion about him.
"So what, Orihime? Something happen? They show up?" Ichigo asked a series of short questions in a seemingly down tone.
"No, no it's nothing like that, Ichigo. I just wanted to ask you something." Orihime explained trying to contain her nerve. Were her and Ichigo really so distant that the only reason she would be at his doorstep would be to report some dire news?
"Alright. What did you want to ask?" Ichigo showed a complete lack of enthusiasm as he spoke.
"Umm, well… you see… I was kinda wondering if you would, I mean, that is, if you're not too busy… I was kinda wondering if you would… if you would go somewhere with me today." Orihime's courage seemed to falter at the last minute, her proposal coming out about as shyly and awkwardly as possible.
"Wha? So where's it you want to go?" Ichigo asked in relative apathy, his very words seemed tired.
"You know that new amusement park that just opened up in town…? I thought it'd be fun if we went there together…." Orihime said in a meek voice, she looked as if her dreams had already been crushed.
"Amusement park… Ooh that's one of those places that has the tiny little trains that go on the big winding metal tracks with the little loops in them, right? Oh that sounds like fun, Ichigo! Let's go with her!" Rukia exclaimed with a healthy mix of intrigue and excitement. Orihime was stunned to find this woman inviting herself on her and Ichigo's "date".
"I think I'll pass. There isn't any time for amusement parks in everything that's happened." Ichigo rejected Orihime in a despondent, somewhat morose manner, slinking back into his house without a parting word.
"Well he can certainly be a big jerk some times." Rukia remarked coldly. She then smiled as she turned to Orihime, "But I'm still willing to go with you, Orihime, even if someone hasn't finished pouting yet..."
Orihime reminded herself not to get mad at this girl. Even if it was painful, Rukia's remarks were well intentioned. Orihime replied as politely as she was able, her words still held a depressed ring to them, "No thank you. I was only going to go because of Ichigo."
"Oh? And why would that be, Orihime?" Rukia remained oblivious to her friend's pain.
"I thought if he went with me I could help cheer Ichigo up… you know after everything that happened…" Orihime explained in a deep sigh.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, Orihime. He'll get over all this eventually… And if he doesn't, I'll be here to beat it out of him." Rukia said with a degree of fierceness and an undertone of concern. Orihime felt her stomach sink.
"Oh… well, thanks, Rukia." Orihime said forcing the muscles in her mouth to form a grateful smile despite the fact that at the same time she was holding back the urge to cry.
Orihime returned the smile as she took a step back into the house, she said simply as she reached for the handle to the door, "Alright. Let us know if anything happens, Orihime." And with that the door shut in Orihime's face; it wasn't a minute later that Orihime's tears began to flow.
Ichigo had rejected her to her face. Sure, maybe he had a reason. Maybe the pain he was going through at the moment was something too great for Orihime's simple mind to understand. That didn't change the fact that it was Rukia who was helping him through this pain and not her. She was denied even the possibility of helping the one she loved. She hated this sadness.
And thus Orihime cried. She continued to cry as she walked in the direction of her home. When she had initially made the trip to Ichigo's house that morning she had been nervous but excited.
Rangiku had convinced her that Ichigo wouldn't turn her down. As she had walked down the street that morning her thoughts had been alive with imaginative daydreams of how the day would go at the amusement park. She had pictured in her head many things, Ichigo holding her close as they rode the big roller coaster, the two of them eating ice cream (she had a triple scoop with pineapple, green tea, and bubblegum ice cream and chocolate syrup), they would ride the merry-go-round and the Ferris wheel, they would meet the aliens and stop the robot invasion, and then they would stay late and watch the fire works…
None of that could happen now. She wondered how it was that Ichigo could cause her to feel so alone. When her brother had died, Orihime had felt alone, she remembered that loneliness; somehow this pain of rejection felt worse. As she made the return trip back to her apartment Orihime was far from excited, she was now heartbroken.
Orihime struggled to stop her tears as she gave one more disappointed sigh in front of her door. She silently opened it and walked in. She didn't even look around the apartment as she proceeded to it, venturing off in the direction of her bed. A woman stepped before her to stop her in her tracks.
"So I take it if you're back here, that that jerk told you no…" Rangiku gave a short sigh as she looked over Orihime's tired, sad expression.
"Yeah." Orihime affirmed miserably. She then whined at the shinigami woman, "I thought you said that he'd go with me, Rangiku…"
"He would have if he was anything resembling a decent man." Rangiku gave another healthy sigh as she draped an arm over Orihime's shoulder to comfort her.
"It's not his fault. He's just in pain right now… after the fight with the arrancar…" Orihime said at once in an almost defensive way.
"You can't defend him like that, Orihime. Take it from a woman with my experience, you can't give them any credit or form any excuses for them. You have to fight to always be important to them or else they just end up abandoning you in the end." Rangiku gave her advice in a tough, reflective tone.
"I know, Rangiku… it's just so painful." Orihime said somberly, another tear stemming from her eye.
"In that case how about some breakfast, Orihime. I saw that you left this morning without eating anything. I'm sure you'll feel less miserable after a nice meal." Rangiku offered in a kind tone.
Orihime couldn't deny the fact that being around Rangiku was soothing nor could she deny the fact that she was hungry. She acquiesced peacefully, "Okay."
The two proceeded into the kitchen and Orihime took a seat. Normally she would do the cooking; cooking always had been something she enjoyed, but today she wasn't in the mood. Besides she trusted Rangiku's judgment.
"So let's see what we have in here today…" Rangiku said as she opened the refrigerator. She pulled out various odds and ends from inside the appliance and soon had a nice pile of edible things before her. She smiled wickedly as ideas began to course through her brain.
"Oh so what are you making, Rangiku?" Orihime asked finding her mood suddenly lighter.
"It's a surprise!" Rangiku declared in a suspicious tone before going to work. She brought out a toaster and a few pans. It was most likely not so much a surprise as it was that Rangiku had no idea what she was going to throw together yet.
Time passed swiftly as Orihime sat patiently. Her mind wandered into a day dream about a gnome riding a miniature pony through a rainbow colored field of cotton candy. Her nose began to collect a unique assortment of smells. Soon Rangiku set two plates of food on the table.
"Ooh this looks delicious Rangiku! What is it?!" Orihime exclaimed as she excitedly examined her food. It appeared to be a fairly traditional western style breakfast, an omelet and some toast.
"The toast is served with sharp cheddar, raspberry jam and red bean paste. For the omelet I used the grilled octopus from Thursday night, and the leftover mushrooms, some tofu, a few green onions, a spoon of nutmeg, and a whole tomato. Oh and it's served with eggplant curry sauce." Rangiku presented her menu proudly, Orihime's eyes lighting up as she spoke.
"Oh wow it sounds so good. I have to taste it." Orihime was clear in her excitement. She greedily grabbed a fork and shoveled a piece of her octopus, tomato and mushroom omelet onto the corner of a piece of raspberry cheese toast and shoved it into her mouth. Orihime was simply radiant in her smile as she finished the bite.
"It's delicious! I have to remember this combination!" Orihime declare after a few seconds of savoring her first bite. Rangiku had sat down across from her and had begun to enjoy her own meal.
"Well I have been inspired by a chef as brilliant as you." Rangiku said with a smile, her own eyes bright with the (apparently) delicious taste of the meal she had prepared.
Orihime didn't respond directly to this flattering comment. Instead she chose to stuff her face with Rangiku's food. Her worries, her pain, it all seemed so distant now. In only a few minutes Orihime's plate was clean.
"Whoa, you really were hungry, Orihime." Rangiku remarked as she watched the other lick eggplant curry sauce off her fork, she herself was almost finished.
"Yeah. And especially when it's this good!" Orihime exclaimed in a deeply satisfied way. Rangiku extended a hand to wipe a glob of raspberry jam off of Orihime's cheek with her fingers. The shinigami woman then nonchalantly brought those fingers to her own mouth and licked them clean
"It was good, huh?" Rangiku said in a light tone. She added some personal wisdom, "You know, good food is the second best way to forget about your troubles, and the best way you're not old enough for yet."
"Yup. It… you make me able to forget about it all if only for a little while." Orihime sighed, her voice returned to a more down note, as she lay back onto the floor, gently patting her now full stomach.
"So Orihime, what are you planning to do with your day off now that dating Ichigo's not happening?" Rangiku asked in a soft way, offering a smile that prevented the human girl from becoming too depressed.
"I don't know. I really don't have anything to do today." Orihime mumbled in a low voice.
"Well since your date with Ichigo's cancelled how about you go on a date with me instead?" Rangiku asked in a playfully suggestive tone.
Orihime took a step back, she said in an unsteady voice, "I-I thought I-I told you I wasn't like that R-Rangiku…."
"Come now, girl. I didn't mean a romantic date. Just me and you hanging out together, having fun, you know? We could even go to that amusement park together if you're still interested." Rangiku gave a healthy laugh as she explained herself in a calm manner. She paused for a moment, walking back up to Orihime, staring her deep in the eyes as she put a hand on either of the girl's shoulders, before adding once more in a sensual fashion, "Unless of course you actually want to do romantic stuff with me too."
Orihime backed away again almost immediately. She blushed furiously as she tried to find something to say to express her discomfort.
"Oh please, you know I'm only playing with you. You need to lighten up, Orihime. Stop being so serious, it's not like you." Rangiku continued to laugh at the girl's reactions.
"Alright." Orihime said hesitantly walking toward the woman once more. She added with a slight grin, "Let's go to the amusement part together then."
"You got it." Rangiku said with an approving nod. She said with a sigh, "But first we should probably clean up the dishes."
Orihime nodded and soon the tow began to clean the pans and plates as well as the mess from their breakfast meal. They put everything away and in only a few minutes they were finished. The two women were just about to exit the apartment when a voice called out to them fro the shadows of the room.
"Lieutenant Matsumoto. Where do you think you're going?" The darkly serious voice of Toshiro Hitsugaya said in a disapproving fashion.
"Me and Orihime are going out for the day. We're gonna have some fun together. We're going to an amusement park!" Rangiku announced smugly.
"Do you honestly think you are on this mission to have fun, Lt. Matsumoto? I cannot see how the idea that something like this could possibly be appropriate with the danger we face at the moment could have crossed your mind." Toshiro said in a stern manner, a scowl embedded on his face.
"Oh come one Captain. Stuff like this is important to the mission too. If all we do is sit around all day with a grumpy look on our faces we won't be in the best mood when the arrancar show up. Think of this little excursion as a way for me and Orihime to keep our morale up." Rangiku seemed to be talking down to her young captain.
"Hmmph. Well even if that's the case, Lieutenant. It still remains that it is a bad idea for us to become separated." The Tenth Division's Captain replied with an air of finality.
"Who said anything about being separated? I mean you're free to come along if you want Captain. Right, Orihime?" Rangiku said with a short laugh.
"Oh yes. I'd be happy to have Toshiro come with us." Orihime said with an exuberant nod.
Toshiro gave sharp scowl as he corrected Orihime, "It's Captain Hitsugaya."
"Yes sir!" Orihime replied in military fashion. She then added an apology, "I'm sorry."
"So you coming or not, captain?" Rangiku asked indifferently.
"I suppose. But only so that the two of you don't wind up walking right into some terrible danger." The short captain said begrudgingly.
"Well alright then. Let's get going, Orihime." Rangiku said in a warm voice.
"Yeah." Orihime replied simply as the three of them proceeded out the door.
Walking next to Rangiku, Orihime didn't feel nervous, nor did she feel sad. At that moment Orihime's pain was behind her. Ichigo didn't matter. Rukia didn't matter. All that mattered at that moment was her and Rangiku and the warmth between them. Part of Orihime was beginning to wish it could always be like this.
A/N: There's chapter two. This one's pretty cute so far, huh? This chapter was a great deal lighter. I made sure to include Orihime and Rangiku's shared culinary tastes in this chap. I tried to think of the most bizarre combinations I could at the moment and I hoped the scene came out amusing. So the next chapter will cover the adventures of Orihime, Rangiku and Toshiro at the amusement park. Expect more cuteness and probably some subconscious Hitsugaya bashing (entirely beyond my control…), Anyways hope it's keeping you entertained. Oh and, while usually I manage a fairly consistent weekly update schedule, I got exams and stuff up real soon so my schedule's going to become even more fragmented then it already was. I'm not sure how exactly this is going to affect my updates, but if it does change anything it will only make my updates quicker. Oh and I found the results to my sexiest Bleach girl poll amusing. I hadn't realized Rukia was so sexy.Yoruichi I find more deserving of her high percentage of votes. Thanks to everyone who voted.