Title: "A Day in the Life"
Author: King Cobbler
Warnings: Fluffiness abound, some AU considering Rukia's reappearance, faint Ichigo-bashing by Ishida.
Summary: Being close to Orihime is known to cause hallucinations, irritation, and vast lapses in judgment.
Pairing: Tatsuki/Orihime(friendship), Orihime/Ichigo(onesided), Rukia/Ichigo(discussed), Orihime/Ishida(fluffed)
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, promise!
Of Orihime's Admirer
Uryuu Ishida had better things to do then to watch a girl react to a gift left by a secret admirer. He also had better things to do, he was sure, then to leave a gift in Inoue's locker in the first place. He was equally certain that where Orihime was concerned, 'better things' rarely mattered. He might've had better things to do—he probably did—but that hadn't stopped him from breaking into the school to leave a stuffed animal in Orihime's locker. It never did.
"Orihime, what's that?"
"Look, Tatsuki! Secret Admirer left me a bear!" Tatsuki took the bear from Orihime's open hands, examining the perfect stitch job and soft fur with a low whistle.
"Another one? Geez, this guy's gotta be pretty well off. All this stuff's probably costing him a fortune."
Orihime frowned. "You don't think he's going bankrupt, do you? I should leave some yen for him . . ."
"You don't pay your secret admirer," Tatsuki scoffed. "I'm sure he's fine, Orihime. It's just weird . . . Why doesn't he ask you out already? I bet he's a creep."
"Don't say that, Tatsuki! I'm sure he's just shy." Orihime nodded. "This way, we can still be friends!"
"Friends? You don't even know him!"
"He has picks really pretty stuffed animals!"
"You can't judge people by that, Orihime! They'll take advantage of you!"
And so it went, the same back-and-forth that happened every morning after Orihime retrieved her gift. Except, this time, something knew was added:
"Tell the truth, Orihime! Don't you care who this guy is?"
"Of course, Tatsuki! It's just . . . this isn't something Ichigo would've done." Orihime looked strangely uncomfortable as she glanced away.
Tatsuki sighed, her irritation jumping ship. "You can't put your life on hold for some orange-top, you know."
"I know, Tatsuki," Orihime whispered, oddly solemn. She smiled at her friend. "Don't look so worried! Every thing's going to be all right!"
"If you say so . . ." Tatsuki sighed, but returned Orihime's expression with an indulgent grin of her own. Both girls, Orihime now clinging to her newest hand-sewn bear, headed for homeroom in companionable silence.
Uryuu leaned against the wall, feeling drained. Every time those two talked he was afraid they'd somehow piece together his identity. He didn't want that to happen, and for good reason, too. It was one thing to take the risk of rejection, but something entirely different to know it was a surety. With Orihime, it was definitely the latter. Everyone besides Kurosaki himself (idiot soul reaper that he was) knew Inoue was in love with him. The way she talked about him, the way she looked at him, it all spelled out a death sentence for whatever designs Uryuu might've had on her heart.
It still made him feel good to see her smile, though, and it kept his needlepoint sharp, so he continued even when his preoccupation started to spill over into his hollow-hunting time. Orihime . . . was really important. What would she think if her gifts were to suddenly stop coming? She'd be upset. She might even cry. Uryuu wouldn't risk it. Couldn't. It was bad enough that she was feeling guilty about not paying him. He just . . . wanted her to smile.
"Inoue?" Uryuu questioned, scanning the crumpled figure in shock. It was hard to imagine Orihime Inoue skipping school just to spend the whole day crying out in the rain, but that's what it looked like she was doing, and the hair was unmistakable.
He'd been worried when she hadn't shown up today, and so had Tatsuki, but he'd never expected something like this. Why was she so upset? More importantly, who had upset her? She hadn't warned Tatsuki of her absence today, something she'd normally do, so it had to have happened before then. Yesterday night, perhaps? Where had she been? Last he heard, she and Tatsuki had planned to stop by Kurosaki's to—oh . . . Of course, Kurosaki.
"Inoue," Uryuu called again. This time, the Orihime-shaped figure hurriedly swiped at her eyes before sitting up. The smile she gave him was insincere and shaking.
He sat down beside her on the park bench and adjusted his umbrella to shield both of them from the downpour. "Are you alright?" He asked, hating that he already knew the answer.
"I'm okay, Uryuu," she said, flashing him another weak smile. He hated those smiles most of all.
"You know, Inoue, sometimes it's better to talk about your problems with other people." There was a brief silence before:
"Rukia is back," Orihime admitted.
"Kuchiki? Why should it matter?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer to that question too.
"Ichigo looked so happy, and I was glad, but I was also angry too. Rukia is a really nice person, so . . . why does a part of me hate her? How can I say I love Ichigo when I can't be happy for him? I'm a horrible person . . ."
"You're . . . only human, Inoue. It's natural to be jealous of someone like that . . . When you're in love."
"He's never going to look at me the way I look at him, is he?" She questioned sadly. "He can't because . . He already gave that look to Rukia. I wish I could be the one to make him happy.I really . . . want to be that person."
"That's normal too," Uryuu said taking one of her cold hands in his. She looked up then, her eyes wide and pleading.
"How do you know?" She asked and he could only oblige.
"Because that's how I feel . . . about you." He adjusted his glasses nervously, feeling more awkward by the moment. "I'm the one who's been sending you those bears . . ."
Orihime blinked. "You're Secret Admirer?"
"Yes," Uryuu coughed uncomfortably. His cheeks flushed brilliantly.
She smiled then, sincerely and brightly. Her mood change was so sudden that Uryuu barely kept a straight face. "That's good, because . . . I love you, too!" Ishida choked. "This way you, me, and Tatsuki can all be a family! You can be Kaa-san (because you're really good at sewing) and Tatsuki can be Tou-san ('cause she's really strong) and we can all love each other together!"
She was off, way off. So much so that her assumptions were actually physically painful to hear, but he nodded his head anyway. And when she laughed, her sadness gone, he laughed too. It was okay if Inoue never understood what he'd been trying to say, because he'd made her smile and that's all he'd ever really cared about in the first place.