A/N : I wonder if anyone noticed how I changed the title from Bleach: Reversed to Bleach: Redone ?
I did it a while ago, but nobody noticed. Blah.
It's so late cuz I had my finals. And the rush of a new year got to me. Ah, I wrote a poem for the school yearbook. It got it's own page. I'm so happy~~
Is anyone on goodreads? I posted it there.
I'm really happy you guys reviewed. I couldn't reply to anyone except the first 7-8 people...after that, I lost track.
I got stuck while writing this. I felt completely lost. But then I opened up the reviews you guys gave me, and they made me so happy I finished this chapter and posted it then and there.
Thanks so much...
nypsy, simply-ai, Somerlia, greyearth, smartkid360, DreamStar14, yoyogigi125, KrispyDonuts, Captain Oreo, Aya, ChaosChronicler, Rebirth1995, BoyCrazyOCDAcapellaSinger, broken soul and broken me, Hakkyou no Yami, Dark Vizard447, Mojave.
REVIEW TO READ YOUR NAME HERE!
...oh God, I'm desperate...
Soggyfrenchfries presents
Bleach: Redone
CHAPTER 5:
Bleeding Love
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"Kurosaki-kun!"
Ichigo turned around and raised his eyebrows. School had just ended, and everyone was walking towards the gate. Orihime was running towards him, her cell phone in hand. She came to a stop in front of him, clearly out of breath.
Tatsuki stood way behind her, bewildered. She had been talking to Orihime, before the auburn-haired girl's cell phone had beeped. Orihime had then taken off like the wind, not pausing to offer any explanation.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked her, looking down at the girl who was slowly catching her breath. Lowering his voice -since there were other people around- he said, "A Hollow?"
She nodded violently. After a pause, she added, "A big one."
Ichigo didn't even blink. "Where is it?"
Orihime was now pulling on her blue glove, which Ichigo had come to loathe. He backed away, his eyes wide. "No, don't—hey, wait!"
Flashing an apologetic smile in his direction, she hardened her expression and lunged forward to slap him right on his face.
His Soul Reaper self thrown out, he waited to see how Orihime would explain this one. She had just slapped Ichigo in front of most of his classmates, and they were gathering to look at what the commotion was all about. And to a casual observer, all they could see was a classmate sobbing, her head in her hands, standing in front of the limp body of a teenage boy who appeared unconcious.
Ichigo watched with disbeleif. Just what was she planning to say to numerous people gathering around his body?
Tatsuki pushed through the throng of people and firmly placed her hands on Orihime's shoulders.
"Listen to me, Orihime! What happened?"
Orihime, crying pretty convincingly, had even managed to squeeze out a few tears. She lifted one shaky finger and pointed at Ichigo's body. "K-Kurosaki-k-kun is...WAHHH!" She broke out into another round of fresh sobs. Ichigo's classmates were trying to awake Ichigo. He saw Keigo slap his cheek, the same one Orihime had. He frowned. He would have to talk to her about this whole slap-and-change method...
"Orihime, pull yourself together!" Tatsuki was exasperated. "What did he do?"
"I-I asked him...to meet me at S-Sakura P-P-P-Park, and h-h-he said n-n-n-no!"
The air buzzed with conversation.
Ichigo was horrified. Did she know what she was implying? This wouldn't exactly ruin his reputation, but his friends would chide him forever for making a girl cry. Even Tatsuki had a shocked look on her face even as she tried to comfort a bawling Orihime.
On the other hand- now he knew where the hollow was.
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Ichigo took off then, running as fast as his feet would carry him. His stamina had increased greatly over the past few days; sweat had been shed in large quantities.
When he reached the park, all was silent. It was empty. He let out a breath of relief. At least no humans would get hurt. On alert again, he started to look around more closely.
There really wasn't a single trace of any sort of Hollow. There must be something wrong with Orihime's Tracker. He shrugged to himself and relaxed his grip on his sword.
Ichigo debated whether to go back, and face the scrutiny of his classmates.
His head dropped for a moment. Damn, he got knocked out by a girl. That was something they wouldn't let him forget for a long, long, time. Not that Orihime wasn't capable of knocking down someone his size. How did a girl like her get so strong, anyway? Her slaps hurt for days afterward...
Oh, right. She must have trained herself to death when her brother died. That was something they could both relate to, even they were from- quite literally- entirely different worlds.
He wanted to know more about her, he realized. The Soul Society- she mentioned it briefly from time to time, but had never spoken about it at length.
And he wanted to hear about that Urahara guy.
Orihime mentioned him as the one who had taken care of her since the incident, helped wipe Ichigo's family's memories, and provided her with a Gigai, which she described as a faux-body for use in the Human World.
Ichigo had long suspected him of being a shady character, but Orihime had an undeniable awe in her voice when she talked about him. Her eyes would glaze over and Ichigo saw something that could only be defined as longing. All this bothered him more than he would have cared to admit, but he continuously reminded himself that it was because he barely knew anything about Urahara, except that he was aware of Soul Reapers and could probably see all sorts of spirits himself. And that he was a shopkeeper.
Certainly not enough to trust him.
His largely antagonistic thoughts were interrupted by a loud roar directly behind him. He spun around, his heart beating much faster, the adrenalin pumping through his veins.
His body froze when he saw it.
When it had snuck up behind him, he had no idea. He didn't even know that Hollows were capable of sneaking up on anybody...he must have really been lost in his thoughts.
The Hollow was at least double the size of any he had seen yet. Overwhelmed by something so huge, Ichigo could only stare. His feet wouldn't move; his brain stopped working. He knew he should attack, should destroy it as soon as possible...
When it struck, Ichigo had no time to react. He could see the claw coming at him, and his other lines of vision were rendered blind. All he could see was the giant, black claw, reaching to swipe the life out of him.
"KUROSAKI-KUN!"
He could only watch as Orihime threw herself in front of him. The Black Hand stopped in its path, and something barely recognizable as a smile decorated the white mask of the Hollow. "Pretty, pretty...not as tasty, but pretty!" It said, its voice rough and low as though a thousand needles nested in its throat.
Orihime was panting. She had run as fast as she could, and barely reached in time. She knew there was nothing she could do. She didn't even have enough power to use Kido.
The Hollow's fist closed around her frame and lifted her body up to eye level. Orihime screamed and struggled in its grasp, but it didn't do much good against the Hollow's iron hold.
Ichigo at last reacted when Orihime screamed. The sound of her high-pitched voice woke him up to reality. This was not good. It was going to eat her...and probably strangle her to dead before.
He wasted no more time and ran forward. Slashing at its leg wouldn't defeat it, but it would probably delay lunchtime.
The Hollow roared when Ichigo's sword struck. But its hold on the girl did not loosen one bit. In fact, it got tighter. Orihime screamed, again and again, thrashing her head around, as Ichigo watched in horror.
The Hollow stepped forward, closing in on Ichigo. It's distorted facial features showed it's rage at being cut.
Suddenly, it lifted its arm and tossed Orihime away. Her limp body flew through the air, much too far away for Ichigo to reach.
Her body met with the hard ground with a sickening thud.
"ORIHIME!"
She had landed on her back. Her eyes fluttered and closed; her mouth slightly open, her auburn hair splayed out behind her.
She looked dead.
Fury took over Ichigo. Not really caring, that the Hollow was double, maybe triple the size he had fought before, that he probably had no chance to defeat it, that he had no one to shout at him when he made a wrong move, no one to watch his back...He roared and lunged for it.
The next few minutes were a blur. Ichigo fought, slicing at whatever part of the hollow he could reach. It would roar in pain and then grab at him madly, but Ichigo dodged whenever he could- which wasn't all the time.
He couldn't possibly jump high enough to slash at it's mask, which he knew, was the place he should aim for if he could have any chance at all of defeating it.
No matter how much he cut, slashed and sliced, the hollow wouldn't slow down. Ichigo's breathing was faltering; he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. And he knew that.
The Hollow slashed at him again. He jumped out of the way, but not without a scratch.
For the first time since he had begun fighting, he glanced down to assess his injuries. His arms was bruised and battered. His hands were starting to bleed from gripping his Zanpakuto so hard.
But that wasn't the worst.
On his chest, the material of the Soul Reaper outfit was torn through. Red stained the black cloth. He touched the wound lightly. When he withdrew his fingers, they were soaked with blood.
His head started to spin from the blood loss. He thrust his sword into the ground to support him.
He glanced at where Orihime lay. To his relief, she was moving. She was on her knees, trying to pick herself up.
What had she said? To aim for it's head? He knew that already; and there was no way he could jump that high.
When the Hollow attacked again, a light bulb went off in Ichigo's head. Ignoring the pain searing in his chest, he withdrew his blade from the ground. He jumped onto the hollow's arm.
The Hollow flailed its arm dumbly, and stumbled back, clearly not expecting suck a method of attack. Ichigo ran forward, his feet lightly skipping on the dark arms of the monster as he headed towards its shoulder.
The Hollow roared dumbly, slashing at Ichigo. But he was fast, and the damned soul roared in pain as its claws drew blood from it's own arm.
The bigger, the dumber.
Ichigo's heart beat in his chest, harder than he had ever felt in before as the Hollow began to flail its arms around wildly. Grabbing the momentary opportunity, and avoiding being thrown off, Ichigo gripped his Zanpakuto, bent his knees, and leaped, holding his sword above his head.
Slash.
Ichigo's sword cut right through the Hollow's mask.
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The Substitute Soul Reaper fell to the ground, exhausted. He knew it was gone, he had seen it turn to dust before his very eyes.
Ichigo closed his eyes as the blue sky above him started spinning. Pain rocked through his body as he breathed. He clutched his chest. He didn't want to look at his wound.
Oh, right. He was hurt. Bleeding.
At least that woman was alright.
He could hear her voice now, from so far away. Or maybe it wasn't that far, his head was still spinning. Her voice was pleasant to his ears, like the first note of music after a war.
But something was wrong.
She was sad.
In his semi-conscious state, he frowned. He forced his eyes open.
She wasn't far away. She was right next to him, kneeling, clutching one of his bloody hands. Tears were running down her lightly bruised cheeks, and her uniform was dirtied.
The hand which clutched his was shaking as she cried.
She was blurry, but Ichigo could tell she wasn't very much hurt.
Thank Goodness...
Also, she was saying something. Between sobs, one word, over and over.
"Ichigo..."
His consciousness was rapidly fading, but at that moment when he heard her whisper his name, what he felt the most wasn't the pain from his chest wound.
He had protected her.
If he could have moved his face muscles, he would have smiled.
As his eyelids got heavier, and Ichigo gave in to the well-deserved sleep, he was content.
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"...And, your apartment? Are you settled yet?"
"Ah, that's right! I got everything in order. It almost feels like home..."
"And you chose to ignore my well-meaning advice as well..."
"No! I mean, I'm very grateful that you care, Urahara-san, but I'm not that weak. I could move everything myself, no problem!"
"How is the Gigai?"
"That...I don't feel much difference since that night; really...Will my Spiritual Pressure really come back?"
"Of course! And then you'll be home free...Hime."
"...Please don't call me that, Urahara-san..."
"Err...Sorry! Couldn't resist...I called Yoruichi that once, and she-"
"WAAAAHHHHHH!"
*silence*
"Looks like Kurosaki-san is up!" Urahara said cheerfully, trotting off in another direction, leaving Orihime on her own.
Hesitantly, she slid open the door in which Ichigo had slept for the past few hours.
Tessai stood a little away from the orange-haired boy, who looked like he had just jumped out of bed. He was in a defensive position, one that looked odd on a boy his age, as though he was trying to protect his purity from the tall man standing in front of him.
Tessai pushed his glasses up his nose, satisfied with the accomplishment of the task assigned to him, and strode back to the door, stopping only to give Orihime a friendly pat on her shoulder. "Hang in there," he said, smiling down at the bewildered girl.
He slid the door closed as he left, leaving them alone.
Orihime looked at Ichigo. He seemed to be surprised to see her. She smiled at him, in a way she hoped was reassuring. Perhaps it had the intended effect, as he seemed to relax, just a bit. He sat back down on the mattress. She knelt down next to him.
Ichigo's eyes swept over the girl's form. "You okay?"
She was taken aback. Here he was, his upper body swathed in bandages, and he asked about her?
Guilt washed over her like a Tsunami. She looked down at her clenched fists. "I'm sorry..." Her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding her expression.
Ichigo blinked. "What the fuck are you apologizing for?" She shook her head violently, her auburn hair flying around. She didn't want to face this.
He caught on to her wrist, and pulled at it. "Hey, I need to-"
She looked up suddenly, making the dreaded eye contact. Ichigo paused and took in her demented-looking eyes and wobbly lips.
She took off into banter. "Because, because of me, Kurosaki-kun got hurt...I couldn't help, and . . . .D-Do you know what it's like? To watch them get hurt and not be able to do anything to help?"
Ichigo looked peeved. "Only since my mother died," he said, a bitter note evident in his voice.
Orihime was horrified. "I'm so sorry!" She pulled her wrist away, and started to stand up.
"Wait!" Ichigo half-shouted, regret clearly showing on his face. "Sit down."
Orihime stopped, and hesitantly sat back down, like a child waiting to receive punishment.
"Kurosaki-kun did not get hurt."
Orihime started to protest, but Ichigo interrupted her. Now, he was the one who was avoiding eye contact.
"Ichigo did."
For a moment, all was silent. Ichigo was looking off into another direction, a red tinge on his cheeks, while Orihime stared at him, unable to decipher his words. Yes, he was admitting that he was hurt, but why-
Suddenly, she remembered calling him by his first name in a moment of sheer panic. A fiery shade of red adorned her cheeks as she hid her face in her hands. "I-I'm s-s-so sorry a-about that...Of course, to be so personal with someone I only met...I-I won't do it aga-"
"Oi!"
She was interrupted by him. They were both embarrassed, and Ichigo forced the words out before he had time to back out. "You- you can call me Ichigo, so..." He finally turned to look at her. She met his gaze, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. "I mean, I don't really mind..."
She recovered quickly, her face lighting up like Christmas. Her cheeks still carried a faint tinge of red, but she was smiling.
Ichigo held her gaze, conflicting emotions in his eyes.
She wasn't quite human. She came from somewhere far, far away, a place he had never heard of. She had held power before he took it away. The kind of power he had longed for. The kind of power needed to protect the people he loved.
He had failed once, but he wouldn't again.
He would protect what he had.
And what he had found.
But...a sense of guilt remained.
Maybe he had hurt her. Maybe she was longing to get back her powers. Maybe she cursed her current state. Maybe she hated him.
He wouldn't blame her.
She was now as powerless as he had been.
And because of that undeniable fact, he could finally protect them. All of them. No longer would he be forced into that helpless state again.
And she would stay with him.
In this story, he was the villain.
It was worth it.
Ichigo looked at her again, not realizing the comfort he found in the sight of her safe, in front of him.
Her face was no longer red. Her gaze was hopeful, tentative. She bit her lip and smiled slightly. She spoke.
"Oh! Then, Ichigo-kun, you can call me Orihime!"
Color flooded his cheeks. In his mind, he had always thought of her as Orihime. Now, he felt like a closet pervert.
It disturbed Ichigo that she could affect him so much.
"Uh...N-No, that's all right...
"But, you already did, right?"
Ichigo's head snapped to look at her. Crap, that time she had been thrown across the park. . . . He hadn't really thought about it. He assumed she hadn't heard. "No, I didn't," he lied.
Orihime hid her disappointment.
"I guess it was only my imagination..."
Since she had arrived in the Human World, Ichigo was the first person she had first felt a connection with. "I just got carried away on my own..."
Grasping for something, anything to talk about, Ichigo remembered something he had wanted to talk to her about.
"Inoue...What is Soul Society like?"
A smile graced her lips, but her eyes were nostalgic. She was looking at him, but he could sense that she was seeing something else. Her mind frolicked among the memories of her childhood. She opened her mouth, ready to spill everything. There was so much...so many things she wanted him to know. Things she wanted to share with this boy she had troubled so much.
But there were other things.
Things she didn't want anyone to know.
The words stuck in her throat, but there had never been any in the first place.
Things which Urahara-san, so sharp, had figured out in an instant.
Incidents which had hurt her more than she could have imagined.
Circumstances she had fallen into, and couldn't climb out.
Her mind blanked of happy thoughts when she remembered what her life had been back in Soul Society.
Why she had fought them all- her friends, her Captain, her fellow comrades- to let her, a high-ranked Soul Reaper, an heir of a Royal Household, go to the Human World.
Why her closest friend, Uryu, had left her a note asking her not to die. He hadn't even wished to meet her- still showing his disapproval over her choice, no doubt.
But this guy...He was waiting for an answer. He still carried his trademark scowl with defiance, but she could see the expectancy that loomed under those chocolate-brown eyes.
She couldn't possibly tell him of all people.
Inside, she was crying.
She smiled.
"Ah, that's all boring stuff! Instead, I'll tell you about Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san's love story!"
Ichigo grimaced. He didn't want to hear a sappy love story. But Urahara's name caught his attention. The creepy guy. Him, he would like to hear about. The weird person Orihime probably had a crush on. What was so great about such an old guy, anyway?
The other name was new to him.
"Who the hell is Yoruichi?"
Orihime smiled brightly. "Urahara-san's cat!"
"...Wait, what?" He had to be imagining things.
Orihime faltered. "Um, I'll start from the beginning, so listen closely!"
"A long time ago, much before I was born, Urahara-san was a talented Soul Reaper. He trained hard, and he possessed exceptional skill. One day, he was promoted to be a Lieutenant. It wasn't much of a surprise, everyone said that he had it in him to be a Captain someday in the future.," Orihime paused. "See, Ichigo-kun, Soul Reapers are divided into 13 Divisions. Each division had a Captain, and a Lieutenant under him, and around 30 other members."
Ichigo nodded. In some corner of his mind, he realized he wouldn't mind it if Orihime would drop the -kun from his name. But maybe that was pushing it.
"When he was promoted to Lieutenant, it was in a different Division. His Captain was Yoruichi-san. She was the princess of the Shihoin Clan, one of the Royal Households. She was also the Commander of the Stealth Force, and she was a much respected figure besides."
"Under Yoruichi-san's tutelage, Urahara-san learned many things. But above all, he learned to love."
Ichigo cringed. That sounded way too corny. Orihime giggled. "I'm sorry! I couldn't resist. Urahara-san used the same words when he told me, and I thought it was so romantic."
"So they fell in love, but since Yoruichi-san was the only heir to a Royal Household, and Urahara-san was a commoner, they could never have been together. Their relationship just couldn't have been accepted. Of course, things are more lax now. In fact, one of my friends' sister, though she was a commoner, married a noble. The Elders of the Clan did oppose their marriage, but they eventually accepted it. In Yoruichi-san's case, the Elders would probably have murdered Urahara-san and not thought twice about it. So, they ran away to the Human World."
This evoked a reaction from Ichigo. "Why'd they have to run away? Don't Soul Reapers have the freedom to marry who they want to?"
This surprised Orihime. "Of course, but some people just can't be together, right? Society does lay down certain restrictions," She paused for a moment. "Like for a Soul Reaper and a human."
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END
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"He's dead, isn't he?"
"Did someone call an ambulance?"
"Don't be stupid! It's Ichigo, for God's sake."
"Yeah, and how the hell did he get knocked out by a girl?"
"Speaking of which...where did Orihime go?"
"Tatsuki, I saw her run off with no explanation."
"Really? I wonder why she slapped Ichigo...He must've been a jerk as usual..."
"The ambulance is here!"
"Which hospital is it, anyway?"
"Dunno, does it matter? But, I think it's owned by some guy called Ishida..."
*Elsewhere*
Ichigo, to Orihime: So, let me get this straight. In Soul Society, this Yoruichi was a Princess.
Orihime: Uh-huh!
Ichigo: ...And a Soul Reaper.
Orihime: That's right!
Ichigo:...And a member of some Stealth Force, you said?
Orihime: Yes, but...Ichigo-kun, why are you asking me all this? I already told you.
Ichigo: You bunch of freaks!
Orihime: Eh?
Ichigo: Weirdos! And Urahara's the worst of them all! Loved her, my ass!
Orihime: W-what?
Ichigo: Yeah, you heard me! Who the hell falls in love with a CAT, for God's sake?
Orihime: Eto...That ishard to explain. . . .
END (no, really.)
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A/N:
I'm not gonna threaten you. I'm not even gonna plead.
All I ask is, if you like this story, want to read more, bestow a review upon me, and thy wish shall be granted.
Oh, and you should have figured it out- Orihime's 'friend' in the last chapter was Uryu Ishida.
Next Update: Probably a month. Summer break is ON, and that should mean more time to write. I think.
Tell me in your review if you have an account on ... and want to add me. I read novels as well, The Alchemist and The Catcher in the Rye are two of my favorite books of all time.
Yaaayyy for GIN NO SAJI!