Hey, finally updated! Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed!
Also, do you suggest shorter or longer chapters? And please review! Now, read on! ^_^
Orihime's News and Hollows
"What is it?" Ichigo asked Orihime.
"Um, well, you see, we're…related, and yeah…" Orihime's seemed shyer than usual.
The carrot-head looked at the two girls, confused.
Then Tatsuki sighed. "What she means to say is that her aunt's sister-in-law is your mom."
Slowly, Ichigo began to piece it together. "Oh…" was all he said.
Tatsuki punched him in the gut.
"Ow!" Ichigo yelped.
"You guys are so…slow!" She growled. "This means, since you people are her closest relatives, that Orihime will be living with you and your family for the rest of her life—"
Orihime jumped in front of Tatsuki and waved her arms wildly. "No, no, I can live by myself! I am already used to it and I would just be another mouth to feed in your house! It really isn't necessary Kurosaki-kun…Kurosaki-kun?"
So she's related to Mom, huh. Ichigo thought. She should deserve to know the truth about her then, right? Ichigo looked at Orihime with a serious look.
"If you really are related to my mom, then I need to tell you something."
Orihime followed Ichigo into a corner of the classroom. Tatsuki didn't follow them, but she watched curiously.
"Rangiku is my mom," her crush said shortly.
Orihime was confused. "But, isn't your mom's name Masaki? And…didn't she get…" Orihime trailed off, not wanting to make him remember the painful memories of his past.
So Ichigo told Orihime the story that he himself had learned recently.
"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Ichigo told her. "I don't really want the story to spread that much…I told you because you're…related to her."
Orihime blushed and looked down. Is Kurosaki-kun embarrassed that we're related? I don't want to ruin our relation-ship to be… Orihime blushed even deeper, remembering that she was now related to her crush. Then she remembered something Tatsuki had told her last night.
"You could become the world's closest relatives," Tatsuki had said.
Orihime cheered up a little bit. Even though her friend had been kidding, it still made her want to do just that: Become the world's closest relatives.
"Orihime?"
"What? What happened…oh sorry." Orihime's cheeks reddened again when she realized that she had zoned out a bit on Ichigo.
"So, I guess—" Ichigo was cut off by the bell.
"To your seats!" Their teacher said. "School is about to begin!"
The two said bye to each other and hurried to their seats.
And school began.
*Back to just after Ichigo led Orihime to a corner from Tatsuki's perspective*
As she watched Ichigo tell Orihime something in a corner of the classroom, Tatsuki sighed.
"Now I can't tell Ichigo about Orihime's crush on him…it would sound wrong," She murmured.
"What are those two doing?" Chizuru walked up to Tatsuki furiously. "If that Ichigo manages to steal even more of Orihime's heart, I will personally stab him myself!"
Tatsuki glanced at Chizuru. She really wants to get beaten up by me again, she thought.
"It's not what you think, creep," Tatsuki growled at the red-head. "Go annoy someone else."
Chizuru gasped. "How outrageous! I was trying to defend the sweet girl. She's mine, MINE—"
Tatsuki gave her an unusually evil glare and Chizuru huffed and stomped away. A few minutes later, Tatsuki realized that the two were getting suspicious looks from many people around the room.
"NO! How could Ichigo do this to me?" Kiego cried. "He knows that Orihime is my love! I will never, ever talk to him again! He is a BETRAYER!"
Mizuiro glanced around the room, embarrassed by Keigo's outbursts as usual.
"Um, Kiego, aren't you being a little harsh?" Mizuiro whispered. "He's not really doing anything…" the boy trailed off as Kiego turned to him with his glare.
"Are you a betrayer too, Mizuiro?" Kiego said. "ARE YOU?"
"N-n-no! Of course not!" Mizuiro stuttered. "I would never betray you!"
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. Some people in her class were so annoying. She turned her attention back to the conversation between Ichigo and Orihime as her friends face changed from confused to understanding to embarrassed. What did he say to her? Tatsuki wondered.
Just then the bell rang and their teacher said something about going to your seats. Tatsuki went and sat down at her desk. Orihime didn't seem to notice the tons of eyes on her…
*After school*
"So Ichigo, what is this?" Kiego said loudly. "Everybody noticed so you might as well spill it!"
"What were you doing with Orihime?" Mizuiro asked.
Uryu didn't say anything but he waited for an answer.
Ichigo sighed. Wow, I didn't know that so many people would notice. Gosh, he thought. School was over and the four boys were walking home from school together.
"It was nothing. Seriously!" Ichigo protested as the boys looked at him suspiciously. "I just talked to her. What's with you guys?"
"And what, exactly, did you say?" Kiego said. "HUH?"
"Look, I'm going home," Ichigo said, heading in a different direction. "Bye!" He quickly walked away from the group.
"He's hiding something! I KNOW IT!" Kiego said mysteriously.
Mizuiro nodded. Uryu just glanced at Ichigo.
Ichigo sighed. He had departed from his group of friends because he couldn't tell them the truth. Most of his friends didn't even know about hollows or soul reapers. Then he took out the gift Orihime had given him. Why did she give this to me? Ichigo wondered. He looked at the one word on the sphere: Hope. Why hope? Maybe it was because I had looked so depressed on that particular day… Ichigo sighed again. I am so not good with girl stuff.
*As soon as Tatsuki and Orihime arrived at Orihime's apartment (basically, when Ichigo was walking to his house alone)*
"You do know that now everybody thinks something's going on between you and Ichigo, right?" Tatsuki said to Orihime quietly.
Orihime sighed. "I wish…" She murmured dreamily.
The two friends were in Orihime's apartment at her kitchen table. They were drinking tea and eating cookies (store bought, of course).
"When will Ichigo grow a brain?" Tatsuki said angrily. "How can he not know?"
"I guess I'm just amazing at hiding my feelings," Orihime smiled, but inside she hoped that one day Ichigo would know the truth without it being spelled out for him.
Tatsuki stared at her for a while. "No you're not!" She finally said. "Even know I know that you are wishing Ichigo really wasn't as dense as he is!"
How did she know?, Orihime thought, astonished.
"I've got my ways," her friend smiled mischievously.
"You're a mind reader!" Orihime cried out. "That's what you are!"
Tatsuki laughed. "No, I'm not! Your emotions are just so easy to read and—"
"Run!" Orihime said. "Run for your life! Tatsuki will learn your deepest fears and force you to succumb to them!"
Tatsuki laughed and played along. "That's right! Run!"
The two chased each other around in Orihime's apartment for a few minutes. Then they stopped when a rumble shook the place.
"What's that?" Orihime asked quietly.
"Orihime…we need to go. Now." Tatsuki could feel the Hollows' presence coming nearer to their location. She dragged Orihime towards the door. We have to get out of here before the Hollow can corner us! Tatsuki thought hurriedly.
"Okay," Orihime said as she was dragged towards the door.
Just as the two friends reached the door, a Hollow's scream echoed throughout the apartment.
"Darn, we're too late!" Tatsuki cursed under her breath as she and Orihime backed away from the only exit. Right on cue, a huge arm smashed through the door. Orihime screamed as the Hollow came dangerously close to breaking her brother's portrait.
"No! Stay away from Sora!" She yelled, jumping in front of it. The Hollow turned its attention on her.
"So you want to be my first meal, pretty girl?" It rasped. "I can tell you will be quite tasty!"
Tatsuki gasped. "Orihime, wait!" She called out. "Wait for Ichigo or Ishida or Chad to come!"
Orihime turned to friend with a look of determination. "I don't need them to protect me every second! I can protect myself!" She called out Tsubaki, her offense fairy. He immediately sliced the Hollow in half.
"Mission accomplished," Tsubaki said before he returned to Orihime's hairpin.
Orihime turned to Tatsuki with a triumphant look on her face. "See, I told you I could do it!"
Tatsuki smiled, but she quickly stopped as she looked behind Orihime.
"I'm not so sure," She said.
"What?" Orihime turned around and gasped. So many Hollows had gathered around Orihime's apartment in the quick time it took for Tsubaki to kill the one Hollow, and more were approaching.
"Oh no," She groaned. She couldn't defeat this many Hollows!
Tatsuki walked over to Orihime. "We can do this," She said, "At least until the others arrive."
"They're taking too long," Orihime muttered.
Orihime and Tatsuki had been fighting for what seemed like hours. Orihime kept calling Tsubaki and Tatsuki used her karate. Even though they continuously fought, more Hollows kept coming! Finally, Orihime couldn't take it anymore. She had used up too much of her spiritual pressure and collapsed.
"Orihime!" Tatsuki ran over to help her friend. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Orihime lied weakly.
Tatsuki knew she was lying. She reached over to drag Orihime a little farther away from the Hollows when all of a sudden—
"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo cried out. Zangetsu shot out dark energy and the remainder of the Hollows disintegrated. Wow. That was a lot of Hollows, the orange-haired boy thought. Then he got kicked in the stomach. After that, his face was punched.
"Ow! What was that for?" Ichigo yelled at Tatsuki.
"You came late!" She yelled back.
"I'm sorry!" Ichigo shouted. "I had to—"
"Go help Orihime!" Tatsuki pointed to the place where Orihime was.
For the first time, Ichigo realized Orihime's presence. She was barely conscious! Ichigo ran to picked her up.
"Since her home is pretty much destroyed, I guess she will be living with you, Ichigo," Tatsuki smirked. This is the perfect beginning! She thought.
"Yeah, I am her closest relative," Ichigo said, carrying her to his home.
*While Ichigo is carrying Orihime home*
Orihime was slowly regaining consciousness. As she opened her eyes, just a little bit, she realized that she wasn't at her apartment. Then she saw a flash of spiky orange hair and blushed slightly. That was the last color she saw before she drifted back into unconsciousness. Orange.
I hope you like it so far! This is (obviously) the beginning to an IchiHime future, just like Tatsuki suspected! I will update soon! ^_^
PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!