Yo!!! Ima here to kick romance into gear! I promised you all a whole IchiHime chapter, well here it is at last. It's funny, a multi-pairing story, and one couple has a chapter all to themselves. That seems a little unfair. I know, to make it fair, i'll have the other peoples mentioned somewhere. But when is a secret. Read and see. Tee hee! Let the party begin...
Onsen Trip
Chapter 5
Alone In The Moonlight Part 2
Ichigo lay in the grass outside the onsen, it got to be too noisy in there. He had seen all he wanted to see and had enough drama for the evening. So he decided to see what was outside the onsen.
When he got out, he found a quiet and very small but still cozy meadow. It was outside the garden so there were plenty of trees and plants sprouting around. It was a very beautiful and peaceful sight.
As he lay, he watched the stars above him, they twinkled and sparkled around the moon that's bright glow illuminated everything. He closed his eyes whenever the light breeze brushed over him and sighed.
Now that, is how you relax, he thought.
In truth, it was very calming to just lay there and not worry about someone bothering you. Or so he thought.
He felt a little spirit pressure coming from behind, and scowled, his eyes still closed. He sat up. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was out here!" He heard a small voice squeak.
He turned his head to see Orihime standing at the top of the small mound that hid him from the onsen, if he was laying down. No wonder she didn't see him. "No no, you're fine, i thought you were one of those crazy people." He said calmly. "Oh, i see." She smiled. "May i join you?" She asked. "Sure." He said and scooted over, offering her to sit down.
She walked over and sat down, they were no more than several feet apart. She looked up at the moon. A very popular thing to view tonight, isn't it?
"The onsen is really a beautiful place, very relaxing." She said after a few moments of complete and shy silence. "Yeah, it is." He answered. They weren't exactly leading up to a peaceful conversation. Just embarrassing silence.
"It's too bad Sado-kun and Ishida-kun couldn't come." She said with a little regret in her eyes. "I invited them but they said no. Chad went to Mexico and Uryu wanted to stay at the hospital." Ichigo said with his arms crossed. He remembered that smug look Uryu gave him as he said something funny. However he said it so quiet he barely heard it all.
"Inoue-san shou- be -pany for you." That was all he heard. Ichigo couldn't hear it all because the moron had said it too quietly. When he asked what he said, the quincy merely replied, "I think you'll understand on the trip. Have fun."
The mere thought of the bastard made Ichigo more edgy than he was already. It had something to do with Orihime though he wasn't sure how. What did Inoue have to do with the trip, and how did he know she was going. Unless...
"Did you invite Uryu too?" Ichigo asked suddenly, causing her to jump a little. "I did, but he turned me down, and then i wanted to ask Sado-kun, but then Kuchiki-san told me it was an all females trip, so i had to keep quiet." That explains how he knew she was going.
Then why didn't he tell Ichigo? Obviously the weirdo had something stupid in mind.
"Little creep." Ichigo muttered. "Huh? You say something Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked. "Uh, no." He said and turned his attention to something else.
"Oooh! Look at the flowers Ken-chan! They're so pretty!" They heard Yachiru's high voice shout. "Tch, no big deal, they're just plants." "Kenpachi, how could you say that? Plants are very important to us. Without plants there'd be no air." Unohana's calm voice said.
"Yeah Ken-chan! Listen to Brady-Lady! Hey, isn't that Shorty and Carrot-Top over there in the back?" Yachiru asked. "Shorty and Carrot-Top? Does she mean Renji and Rukia?" Ichigo asked aloud.
"Hey! It is! Hey, why are their faces touching like that? And where's his hand going?" Yachiru asked. At the first sign of realization, both Ichigo's and Orihime's faces went red.
"Eeek! What're you guys doing here?!" Rukia's voice squeaked. "We weren't doing anything i swear!" Renji's panicked voice roared. "That's not how we saw it." Kenpachi said.
"Oh my, if we're interrupting, please forgive us." Unohana said calmly. "What's all the commotion about in here?" Yoruichi's voice asked.
"We just walked in on what should be private." Unohana explained. "Is that all? I've done it three times already. The first was out on the plantation with Momo and that Izuru guy. The second was over in our room with Rangiku and Hitsugaya - and let me tell you that was a very funny encounter - and then the third was in the guys' room with Kyouraku and Nanao, and i'd rather not go into that one..." Yoruichi explained.
Their faces still red, they leaned into the direction of the conversation, curious of where this was going.
"I'm glad to see everyone got together with their significant other." Yumichika stated bluntly. "How so?" Soi Fon asked. "Well, all the girls who said they liked someone here ended up getting together. So it's pretty much all-" "All happy endings for the gossipers and eavesdroppers." Yoruichi finished.
"Right." Yumichika said. Ichigo and Orihime thought of an exception to that statement:
Them.
Now that they were reminded of that little conversation in the hot springs, it made the air more stifling. The silence made them both blush even redder, neither knowing who to break the ice.
In this case it was Orihime who decided to end the uncomfortable silence.
"Umm, Kurosaki-kun?" She said lowly. Ichigo's eyes flashed over to her. "About that talk in the hot springs... I wanted to tell you how i felt myself. Not by having it blurted out over a rock..." She trailed off a little.
Ichigo just sat and listened.
"I'll understand if you're embarrassed or upset to be around me, but I -" "Hold it!" He suddenly stopped her. Causing her to jump a little.
"Now out of all the crazy things i've heard tonight, that's gotta be the craziest!" He said with a scowl. "Just because i'm aware you like me, doesn't mean i'm ashamed to be around you. Did you really think i was that kind of guy? After everything we've been through do you think i'd isolate you because of your feelings for me?!" He nearly shouted, she turned away from me.
He wasn't having that.
He grabbed her shoulder and lightly turned her around to look him in the eye. He could see she might be on the brink of tears so he better make this quick.
"Inoue, did you seriously think i'd be embarrassed or upset with you? Just because you..." He trailed off, red splashed on his cheeks. Hers too.
"I... I didn't really know what to think. i mean, i thought it would be hard for you to cope because you like Kuchiki-san-" "Whoa whoa whoa! You thought i liked Rukia?! Rukia?! The short annoying wonder?!" He asked, shocked.
With her eyes looking away, she nodded. "Inoue, why would you think i liked Rukia? As if i could, she's more annoying than my father when he attacks me!" He exclaimed.
"Well, i guess it was the influence she made on you." She finally said. "Influence?" He questioned.
"Yes. You see, you were always so determined to protect people with your shinigami powers. The powers she gave you. After she came into our lives, everything changed, for better or worse. And i thought that you liked her because you were always protective of her." She explained.
"I'm protective of everyone, Inoue. I protect Rukia, my family, Chad, Uryu, our friends at school. I protect you..." He trailed again.
"You only do because it's what you feel you have to, because no one else will." She said lowly. "You know that's not true, I protect those i care for and those i feel need it. It's just crazy to think that i would do all that just because of Rukia. I mean, i was already doing it before Rukia ever came into our lives." He said.
He remembered beating up those guys for tipping over a flower vase that was left to respect a little girl who died in the area. He was already protecting and helping people and souls long before Rukia ever came to his world.
"I guess that's true." She admitted. "So you see? I'm not mad, or embarrassed by you, not even the slightest. If i was, do you think i would be within ten feet of you right now?" It wasn't exactly the right kind of comparison, but it would work for now.
She nodded. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. "What're you apologizing for? It's not wrong to like someone. And it's not wrong to admit it. Just think, if you hadn't said you liked me in the hot spring, do you think you could've said it in the future? To me and not a group of girls?" He asked.
She fidgeted for a minute to think of her answer. Then shook her head.
"See? If they hadn't blurted it out, then i wouldn't have known, and i wouldn't have realized that i felt the same." He froze.
Did i really just say that?! He shouted in his mind. I think ya did there king, and check out her expression, priceless... His hollow chuckled darkly. Though he did bring the attention back to Orihime who was frozen where she sat, with a very shocked expression.
"Inoue?" He called, and waved a hand in front of her face. She wasn't budging.
Nice going, you made her go into shock! His hollow burst out laughing. "Hey Inoue! Snap out of it!" He said and shook her with the hand that was still grasping her shoulder and had been the whole time.
"What? I'm sorry, i wandered off for a minute. I thought i heard you say..." She stopped herself when she realized she hadn't been daydreaming, the thing telling her she hadn't being Ichigo's serious face.
"You didn't think it, you heard right Inoue." He admitted. Her face went bright red, and her eyes went wide.
"Alright, i'll admit, i wasn't exactly sure how i felt about you when i first heard you liked me. My mind was filled with questions and thoughts that made me question my own feelings toward you. It was sort of a battle with my own heart. I thought maybe i did like you more than a friend, because of all the times you've shown you liked me." She froze again.
"I was such an idiot. All the signs i couldn't see. All the times you've been trying to tell me. All the times Rukia smacked my head." He stared into her wide gray eyes.
"I didn't see what was obviously right in front of me. You've been with me from the start. You were there when i went to save Rukia, you cried for me when you saw i was alive. You were always worried for me even when it was just a hollow, and you've always healed me when i was on the verge of death." She cringed at the last part.
"I suppose i couldn't see it because i always had one thing on my mind; getting stronger so that i could protect everyone and defeat my enemies. But i should've and i'm sorry. I should've seen what a great friend you were and shouldn't have taken your kindness for granted." He said, and he sounded as if he was beating himself up over it now.
"Don't say that." She whispered. "I never felt as if i was ever taken for granted. By anyone. Especially you. I only do what i do because i care. And as you already know, i care for you a lot." She admitted with glowing red cheeks.
"And in case you haven't noticed, i care for you just the same." He admitted. He felt he knew how felt now, why she had such an advantage in his mind.
Because she was important to him.
Not like his family. Not like his friends. Not like Rukia... But like someone he felt he could give his own life to, if it meant keeping them alive. He would do it too.
"I love you Orihime." He heard her sudden intake of breath and saw her eyes go wide. He didn't exactly know what had driven him to say it but it was out in the open now...
It wasn't 'like' as he had put it earlier. No, the correct term he used, was 'love'. And that is what made Orihime go into shock again.
"Orihime?" And then there was the name. She felt shock not only towards the confession but towards the fact that he called her Orihime and not Inoue.
"K-Kurosaki-kun? Do... Do you really mean that, or are you saying it out of pity?" She asked. "Why would i say something that serious out of pity?" He asked, shock crossing his serious expression.
"I don't know, i don't know anything anymore." She said and looked down. Well, maybe she did know one thing.
"I guess all i know is... that i love you too Ichigo." She confessed. Ichigo felt a smile spread over his features.
"Then i guess that's all there really is to know, isn't it?" He asked, causing her eyes to snap up and see the grin on his face. Then she felt a small smile touch her lips. "I guess so." She laughed.
He watched as she giggled a melodic laugh that made his heart flutter for a moment. He watched in awe as the moon's light glittered off her perfect white teeth and glossy lips. Speaking of lips...
He didn't really know why - or when for that matter - he did it, but it was something that had to be done to show his feeling were real.
He grabbed her other shoulder and brought her lips to his. Silencing her beautiful laughter and capturing her in a kiss.
At first her mind was completely blank, and her eyes were so wide she was worried they were gonna pop out of their sockets. Was he really kissing her? Questions ran through her mind and all basically had the same point. Kurosaki Ichigo was really here, kissing her, after telling her he loved her.
After thinking it over a moment, she felt her eyes slide shut and herself leaning into the kiss. She lifted her hand and cupped the side of his face. Ichigo felt a sudden relief because he was worried she would push him away.
After what felt like hours to her, and years to him, they pulled away. Hey, they had to breathe you know...
With red faces, and half shut eyes, they settled themselves into an embrace, with Ichigo's arms around her waist, her head tucked in under his chin, and Orihime cuddled into his chest.
There was nothing to say, no need to speak. They had said it all. They loved one another, and that was that.
They went back to enjoying the silent peaceful surroundings of their little meadow. Gazing up at the moon, and all the little stars that sparkled around it.
Suddenly Uryu's words felt completed. Ichigo pieced together what he heard.
"Inoue-san should be enough company for you."
"Orihime! Your finally back. And it's late, just what exactly were you doing?" Matsumoto asked with a sly smile as Orihime entered the womens' room later that evening.
"Uh, just wandering around looking at the onsen. I guess i lost track of time." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.
"Alright cut the innocent lies, i saw you two outside the door! Didn't you wonder why the door was cracked open?" Matsumoto laughed and pointed to the door.
Orihime blushed. The halls were empty so they shared a quick goodnight kiss. No big thing, right? Wrong! To Matsumoto, every little thing is something big.
"So c'mon! Tell me about your night! If you do, i'll tell you about mine! I think you'll find the part where Yoruichi came in hilarious, i did." She pressed.
Orihime sighed. This was going to be a very long loooooong night.
Well there it is, as promised. Sorry it wasn't as long as i'd liked it to have been, but like i said i haven't written any other pairings before. I'm a HitsuMatsu person you know... Anyway, stick around, there's one last chapter to come. Hey, they gotta leave that onsen some time.
So next time: The Sun Comes After The Moon.
Remember, read and review! Also, next chapter, read it or beat it.
XD Laterz!!! RedPearlVoice.