A/N: Welcome back! Because I know you must've missed me so much, I won't make you trudge through some rambling A/N before getting to the good stuff! So: onward, readers!
Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own Bleach, believe it or not. But sporadically occurring OCs? Totally mine.
Second Chance
Chapter Seven: Growing Friendship
Ichigo stared at the ceiling as he waited for sleep to claim him. It had been a long day and he was surprised he wasn't more tired. After they'd checked the perimeter, Orihime – Captain Inoue – had taken him around and introduced him to many of her top officers. And, in true fashion, he'd already forgotten most of their names.
But the long day had revealed to Ichigo the real reason he had volunteered so quickly.
Another image of Orihime floated across his mind's eye and he groaned faintly, squeezing his eyes shut as if to push the thought away. But it was no use. There was no denying the simple fact that he was attracted to her.
Of course, he wasn't alone. The undeniable beauty of the young Captain was already fairly legendary throughout the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Ichigo had even caught several of the new volunteers staring after her as they'd walked past (and each time he'd given them a glare of warning which usually had them turning completely around in a hurry).
The problem was that he was sure being around her, in such close proximity, on a daily basis for the foreseeable future was only going to make him more attracted to her.
On that level, he knew he should be thinking up an excuse (one that wouldn't offend her) to back out of his offer. But before he could even start thinking of who might step in to protect her in his place he would banish the thought. He wanted to protect her, and he had given his word that he would. At the end of the day, nothing else mattered.
Dammit, Ichigo grumbled silently as he rolled onto his side in an attempt to get more comfortable.
In an effort to distract himself from his thoughts, Ichigo opened his eyes and again looked around the room. He wasn't staying in his room back in Squad Thirteen's barracks, so it had none of his personal decorations.
Instead, he was staying in one of the more comfortable rooms reserved for anyone who wanted to stay close to a loved while the loved one was being held overnight for medical reasons. None of the other rooms were currently in use, and so Orihime had insisted that he take one of the nicer ones, as it had three private rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen/sitting room.
It had been his idea to stay overnight, and though Orihime had tried talking him out of it, she had relented easily enough. After all, if he were really supposed to be protecting her, he wouldn't be able to do a very good job from all the way over in Squad Thirteen.
"Well," she had hedged, clearly mulling over his argument before finally releasing a soft sigh and admitting, "I can't really argue with that."
She'd scrunched up her face, then, in a gesture that reminded him that – especially for a Captain – she was actually fairly young, and added, "You're good." She followed the statement with a laugh that had him smiling, just a little, before he'd even realized it.
It wasn't working, he decided. All he was doing was laying there, staring at the wall now, and thinking about her. He had yet to relax enough for sleep, and his mind refused to follow any other train of thought. There's gotta be something else I can think about, he reasoned internally.
For a moment he could have sworn he heard laughter, coming from somewhere in the back of his own mind and echoing through him like an old memory. But when he focused on it, it was gone.
Great, now I'm making fun of myself. He really needed to sleep, especially if he intended to meet Orihime at her door first thing in the morning.
Orihime sighed softly as the final colors of the morning's sunrise faded away. She loved watching the sunrise, and this morning's had especially beautiful. It must mean that today will be a good day, she decided with a light nod and a smile. With a parting glance at the sky she turned, then, and slipped back into her home. Now that the sunrise was over, and the day had officially begun, she had to get herself ready.
I wonder if Ichigo will meet me here, or at the office? she wondered silently as she gathered her clothes for the day and headed for the bathroom. In retrospect she supposed she should have arranged all of that with him before they'd parted for the night. But it's not like I'm used to having a bodyguard! Of course, if you asked her, she still wasn't used to being a Captain, either, and that was certainly no excuse.
Humming a faint, nameless tune, Orihime prepared for her day.
She scrubbed herself clean in her large claw-foot tub, lathering and rinsing her long hair, before pulling on her fresh shihakushou. Then she positioned herself before her vanity mirror and pinned her hair properly, in the same deliberately-messy bun she always wore. Once that was over she stepped from the room and moved to her kitchen.
She made herself a simple breakfast, perching on the countertop as she ate. After her dishes had been properly washed and returned to their stations she moved to her sitting room and pulled her Captain's Haori from the back of the couch – where she had draped it on her way to the bathroom. In moments she was finished getting dressed and, remembering Ichigo's request, she even slipped Shun Rikka through the usually-empty loop at her hip.
Now that she was feeling refreshed and ready for the day, Orihime stepped up to her door and slid it open. She was half-way into the hall before she registered the sight of Ichigo leaning against the wall beside her casually.
Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment (she really should have sensed him) and she exclaimed, "Ichigo! How long have you been waiting for me?"
Ichigo shrugged and pushed from the wall as she collected herself enough to finish securing her door. "Not too long," he replied easily. He'd been there over an hour already, but he was sure she'd feel bad if she knew, so he decided not to be too specific.
Orihime pouted for a moment as she reflected on his answer.
Ichigo tried not to stare, looking away from her lips after a moment and mentally berating himself. His lack of sleep was already obviously affecting him.
"Well, that's good at least," she said finally, her pout vanishing in favor of a smile before she added, "Good morning!"
He blinked at her for a second before his own lips curved up at the corners and he said, "Good morning."
"Are you ready for the most boring protection-detail ever?" she asked with a laugh as she began walking down the hall.
Ichigo fell into step beside her, saying, "Absolutely. And thank you for remembering your zanpakutou."
Patting the hilt of her sword reflexively Orihime replied, "I try not to be too unreasonable."
"I never said you were," Ichigo assured her easily as they rounded another corner.
Orihime's next response died in her throat as they caught sight of two of her lower ranking officers in a conversation with two men from Squad Eleven. The men from Eleventh had been staying overnight for observation, as they had let a 'friendly sparring match' get out of hand and ended up beating each other up. And now, it seemed, they had deemed themselves well enough to leave.
"Please," the female – who shared a Seat with her companion, but was slightly older – pleaded cautiously. "You haven't been cleared yet, you need more rest."
"We don't need more rest!" one of the men exclaimed loudly, causing the two smaller Soul Reapers to flinch. "We're Seated officers of Squad Eleven, we don't even know how to rest! These little scratches ain't nothin'!"
"Um, there's no need to yell," the other member of Squad Four pointed out quietly.
From several paces back, Orihime frowned ever-so-slightly. "Here we go again," she mumbled, more to herself than to the man standing beside her. Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders and started forward briskly.
Ichigo watched her, not actually moving with her. He was curious to see what had garnered such an unexpected reaction from the gentle, friendly woman.
"Is there a problem?" Orihime asked politely as she stepped up to the group.
Both of her subordinates immediately stepped to the side, bowing formally and chorusing, "Oh, good morning, Captain Inoue!"
"There's no problem," the loud man declared firmly. "We were just on our way out is all."
Orihime, who had shifted her gaze to smile at her subordinates, looked back at him and raised an eyebrow curiously. "You've been released?" Her skepticism was obvious, and she cast a pointed look at the bandages still covering the majority of his torso.
His companion stuck out his chest and said, "We released ourselves!"
With a knowing smile Orihime said, "I understand that you want to get home soon, but if you haven't been released there's probably a reason for it. Would you mind please returning to your beds?"
The first man set his jaw stubbornly and insisted, "Listen, Captain, we know what we're doing! These little scrapes won't even slow us down!"
Ichigo took a deep breath as he listened, telling himself to let her handle it. But, whether or not they meant to, they were being incredibly disrespectful and Ichigo could feel the ends of his temper burning.
"If I remember right," Orihime began sweetly, "they were a bit more than 'little scrapes.' Please go back and lie down, I'm sure you'll be good enough to go home later this afternoon."
"Nope, sorry," the man stated, already half-turned to continue down the hall. "We're gonna go now."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed and before he even realized it he had stomped up to them and begun talking. "The only place you're going is back to bed, even if I have to put you there myself!"
Both men froze and turned their gazes back as they recognized Ichigo's voice. The second man stuttered, "L-Lieutenant Kurosaki! What are you doing here?"
"That really doesn't matter," Ichigo said pointedly. Extending his arm toward the open door (where they had obviously come from), he added, "Get your asses back in there or I'll do it for you, am I clear?"
Both men snapped to attention and said, "Yes, sir!" before turning and stumbling back through the door.
When they were mostly inside, Ichigo added, "Oi, and Matsuda?" The man in question – the first one who'd spoken – froze and turned his head toward Ichigo silently. With a threatening glare, Ichigo added, "Apologize."
Matsuda swallowed, turned properly to face Orihime, and bowed at the waist. Eyes on the floor he exclaimed, "I'm very sorry, Captain Inoue! It won't happen again!" Then he stood, spun, and darted the rest of the way inside before Ichigo could yell at him again.
The door slid shut solidly and Ichigo released a breath. He was almost frightened by how much the situation had angered him.
"Thank you for your help, Lieutenant Kurosaki!" the two members of Squad Four chorused, bowing again, before turning and jogging down the hall.
Orihime turned a faint smile to him. "Yes, thank you. But you really didn't have to do that, it's my job to keep the patients in line technically."
Thinking quickly, Ichigo shrugged and said, "It's not a big deal. I was their superior long enough to figure out what a pain-in-the-ass those two could be." Realizing what he'd just said he hurriedly added, "Uh, sorry, I mean-"
Her laughter cut him short and he closed his mouth to prevent any resemblances to a gaping fish as he watched her cover her mouth with one slim hand.
After a moment she lowered her hand, smiled, and said, "It's alright. It doesn't bother me, I promise, so there's no need to try and change your behavior for my account."
A faint lopsided grin eased onto his face and he said, "That's good, 'cause no matter how hard I try, I've never really succeeded."
Her smile brightened, lighting her gray eyes, and after a minute she said softly, "Really, though, I do appreciate your help. I'm not very good at being forceful…."
Grin transforming into a familiar smirk, Ichigo replied, "Don't worry, as long as I'm hanging around, you won't have to be. I've been told I can be intimidating when I want to be."
Orihime laughed again, though she attempted to smother it and it ended up coming out as a choked giggle before she said, "I'd believe it! Now come on, there're still things I need to get done this morning!"
Rangiku Matsumoto burst into Orihime's office shortly after lunch that day, talking before she'd even stepped through the door. "Orihime! Look what I ha-!" She cut herself off when she recognized Ichigo leaning against the wall beside Orihime's desk, Zangetsu resting beside him. "Oh, I didn't know you had company!"
Orihime looked up from the papers she'd been going through and smiled at her friend. "Hi, Rangiku! Oh, you hadn't heard?"
"Heard what?" Rangiku asked curiously as she stepped properly into the office, recovering from the unexpected appearance of the orange-haired Soul Reaper. Back when he'd been with Squad Eleven she'd never had to worry about running into them in the same room – at least not when she went visiting.
Ichigo rolled his eyes at the strange look Rangiku had given him. Sometimes people made no sense – although he frequently found Rangiku was the queen of that category.
"Ichigo's my new bodyguard," Orihime explained, a faint blush staining her cheeks as she said it.
"New bodyguard?" Rangiku repeated, now feeling thoroughly confused. And then she realized what her friend meant, and she couldn't help but smile mischievously. "Oh, I get it!" Turning her attention to the scowling man across from her, she added, "That's very sweet of you, Ichigo."
"Tch," Ichigo grunted, turning his gaze to the window and hoping she didn't notice the strange tint to his cheeks. If she did, he was doomed.
Finally noticing the item in Rangiku's hand, Orihime asked, "What brings you by, Rangiku?"
"Oh!" Rangiku exclaimed, returning her attention to her innocent friend. Then she held out the magazine in her hand and added, "The Soul Reaper Women's Association's Guide to Summer Fun! It came out this morning, so I picked you up a copy!"
Ichigo tried not to cringe as he thought about what could possibly be concealed within the pages of the unassuming magazine. If Rangiku was excited about it, then it was probably something he didn't want to know about.
Orihime, for her part, was suddenly excited as she stood and rounded her desk quickly in order to take the proffered magazine. Her eyes skimmed the cover and she said, "Ooo, look, they have a whole section devoted to new, summer-approved recipes!"
"I know, I saw that, too!" Rangiku assured her eagerly. "You wanna get together sometime and try a few?"
"That would be fun!" Orihime declared, looking up from the magazine in order to smile happily at the older woman.
"Great! Let's save it for one of the nights Toushirou's working late or something, that'll give me something to do!" Rangiku suggested, one fist clenched in anticipation.
"Sure!" Orihime agreed easily. "I'll go through and bookmark a few that look interesting before-hand!"
Rangiku squealed like a child and pulled Orihime into a tight hug. "Oh, I can't wait! Hopefully we can do this soon!"
Orihime returned the hug, at least until she felt her breathing become difficult, and then she gasped, "R-Rangiku…"
"Oh! Sorry!" Rangiku cried, pulling away immediately and laughing. "Well, I'd better be off or I'll get yelled at!" Turning a wink toward Ichigo, she added, "You two have fun!"
She was out the door before Ichigo had decided on the best insult to hurl back at her.
Orihime turned a sheepish smile to him, self-consciously holding the magazine against her chest as she said, "I'm sorry. The summer issue is always one of my favorites, and sometimes I get a little over-excited about things. I hope we didn't make you too uncomfortable."
"Nah," Ichigo assured her. "It takes a lot more than that to make me uncomfortable." Usually, he added silently. He had, in truth, gotten a little uncomfortable. But it had nothing to do with Rangiku or their cooking schemes – although that certainly should have made him uncomfortable.
Orihime's smile brightened and she turned back to her desk, setting the magazine to the side and re-claiming her seat.
And, for whatever reason, something clicked in Ichigo's head as he watched her sit.
Rangiku had called her 'Orihime.' Well, obviously they're friends, he reasoned silently. But then he remembered that, a short while before, Rukia had slipped and almost called her 'Orihime,' too, and he knew for a fact that they weren't that close. Or, rather, they were probably friends, but Rukia was too formal for her own good.
Strangely, he found he was jealous.
He was formal with most of the Captains – even his own – but usually, with them, he referred to them as 'Captain' even in his mind. Never, he realized, had he referred to Orihime as 'Captain Inoue' when he thought about her. And now he found himself wanting to add her to the short list of Captains he was on a first-name basis with. This is ridiculous, he told himself. Why the hell would she let me – or even want me to – call her by her first name?
"Ichigo?" Orihime asked gently, interrupting his silent argument.
He blinked, focusing, and found her watching him with the faintest of frowns curving her lips. Unlike the pout she'd offered him earlier (which, though he'd never admit it, he'd thought was cute), this expression was entirely wrong for her. His own frown deepening, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Her frown vanished, replaced by a small smile, and she said, "I was going to ask you that."
Now thoroughly confused, Ichigo lifted an eyebrow and asked, "…why?"
"You seemed upset," she replied calmly, her eyes studying him. "You were glaring out the window like it had offended you, and since I was pretty sure it hadn't, I thought I'd ask what was bothering you."
"Oh," he replied brilliantly. Well, now how do I get myself out of this? The truth, he decided, was his only option. Not because it was such a hugely important issue, but because he severely disliked the idea of lying to her. "Sorry," he said first, buying himself time to sort out the rest of his words.
"Don't apologize," she said, "just tell me what's going on in your head. Maybe I can help."
Ichigo held her gaze for a long minute before he finally looked away and mumbled, "It's kind of stupid, really…but, uh, I guess I hadn't realized you and Rangiku were so close."
It was Orihime's turn to be confused as she replayed his words in her mind. Her head tilting subconsciously, Orihime asked slowly, "Does…it bother you?"
"What?" Ichigo asked, snapping his gaze back to hers at her question. When he realized why she would ask that, he mentally kicked himself as he added, "No, no, it doesn't. Ah, what I meant was…." Fuck. Swallowing self-consciously, Ichigo forced himself to ask, "Can I, uh, would it be alright if I called you 'Orihime'?"
There was a long stretch of silence, and Ichigo wanted to smack himself. He shouldn't have asked. Or, at least, he shouldn't have asked it the way he had. Now she'll feel obligated to say 'yes' even if she doesn't want to!
And then the room was filled with Orihime's soft, poorly-muffled laughter.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped as she attempted to control herself. After another few seconds she took a deep breath and asked, "Is that what was bothering you? Of course you can call me Orihime! Honestly, I prefer it, but you know we're not supposed to be so informal with everyone, so I have to let people call me 'Captain Inoue' unless I have a reason to let them not."
"You…prefer it?" Ichigo asked slowly. Stupid. Of all the things I could've said there, that's what I choose?
Orihime smiled and nodded. "Yes. I've always been uncomfortable with having a title, which is probably strange, and then suddenly one day I was Captain and then no one forgot my title. It took me forever to convince most of my friends to just call me 'Orihime' when we were visiting."
"I can sort of understand that, actually," Ichigo admitted, his earlier awkwardness finally fading. With a faint grin he added, "Though I've decided I prefer 'Lieutenant' over the other two titles I've held, just 'cause at least it's only one word."
Another faint giggle surrounded him and Orihime nodded. "I hadn't thought of it that way! But that definitely makes sense…still, no title is always better!"
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed.
"Then it's settled," Orihime decided with a nod and a smile. "From now on, unless we're in some silly formal situation where it's more appropriate, you'll call me Orihime. It's only fair, anyway, since I've already been calling you 'Ichigo'…I'm sorry, I should have asked about that."
Ichigo shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I can probably count on one hand the number of Captain-class Soul Reapers who actually address me formally on a regular basis."
For a long minute neither spoke, both simply smiling faintly at the other.
A flush slowly rose to Orihime's cheeks and she finally said, "I should really finish this paperwork…." After another second she dragged in a breath and turned her attention forward once more, tearing her gaze from his.
Ichigo sucked in a deep breath as well when she looked away, and directed his gaze back out the window.
This is getting ridiculous.
"Ah!" Orihime exclaimed as she stretched after she'd finished with her latest round of paperwork. She pushed back from her desk as she stretched her arm muscles and then, remembering that she wasn't alone, she turned a self-conscious smile to Ichigo, who was watching her with one slightly-raised eyebrow. "Heh, it feels like I've been doing paperwork all day, and I always get a little stiff if I sit at the desk too long!"
Ichigo's curiosity was replaced with understanding and he inclined his head. "That's understandable. You have spent a lot of the day at your desk."
"Oh! I'm sorry, you were probably bored silly just watching me sign papers all this time," Orihime apologized, pulling her lower lip between her teeth briefly.
Ichigo shook his head. "I know paperwork is a big part of a Captain's job, so it stands to reason you'd have your fair share. Are you done for the day?"
Orihime smiled now and pushed to her feet. "Yes! Hmm, are you hungry? I'm starved, but I don't feel like cooking…or, I should say, I don't really feel like eating what I have…."
Now Ichigo was grinning, completely understanding what she was saying. "Yeah," he admitted. "I could eat." Despite her declaration, he wasn't expecting her next statement.
"Let's go out somewhere," Orihime decided. "Where do you feel like going?"
Caught off-guard, Ichigo replied, "Uh, I'm not too picky. Wherever you feel like, I'll follow."
Orihime scrunched her face in thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up and she said, "Alright! I know where we're going!"
Ichigo pushed off the wall, re-securing Zangetsu at his back before he followed Orihime out of the office. He had no idea, of course, where she had decided that they were going to go, but that didn't bother him. So he trailed just slightly behind her, content to (quiet literally) follow her to the restaurant.
Orihime, however, paused after they'd rounded the first corner and glanced back at him, asking, "You know you don't have to walk behind me, right?"
Ichigo hesitated before finally saying, "I guess it's just sort of a force of habit."
She smiled and waved her hand in a forward motion. "Well, I consider us friends now, so come walk with me."
He couldn't help but return her smile as he stepped up beside her.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Ah, finally, a light fluffish chapter! It's so strange to be writing them and having to start at the beginning…but that's my own fault, now, isn't it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to review before you go click that 'next' button!