Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters related to the franchise.
Chapter nine is here. I wanted to do my best to get it out as soon as possible, so I hope you enjoy it.
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Ichigo couldn't believe it: Orihime no longer wanted anything to do with him. At the very least, he was pissed.
Fuck!
The boy rubbed his temples and grunted in frustration.
Snatching the crumpled letter from his nightstand, he read it once again:
Ichigo,
I don't know how to say this but … I don't think we should see each other anymore. Before you scowl - although I think your scowl is adorable - you were amazing.
Actually, scratch that.
You were better than amazing. Still, I know you belong to Rangiku and I can't change that.
I love you, and I always will. Thank you for the time we shared; it was the best ever and you're just the sweetest!
I'm rambling again.
Silly me.
I'm going to go now. Please, be safe and take care of Rangiku.
Love,
Your 'Hime
This. Could. Not. Be. Happening.
Orihime - the girl who always smiled, who always greeted him, who always seemed to put him before everything and everyone else - was gone, and it occurred to him now, more than ever, that she wasn't going to be returning. If someone were to ask him why it seemed as if his world was slowly beginning to deteriorate, he couldn't, for the life of him, answer them with any amount of certainty. He automatically assumed that the healer would merely wait for him, no matter what.
Big mistake.
If only Ichigo was smart enough to comprehend that people came and went, like tampons or condoms (especially if they were underappreciated or devalued).
How misguided of him.
Very seldom did relationships last a lifetime. One would believe that someone like him who'd witnessed Rangiku leave just a year prior, or Rukia, who he still dearly missed but acknowledged her departure was for the best would recognize that reality.
Apparently, he didn't and now that lesson would be reintroduced.
Of course, it must be considered that if there was solace that could be taken from this fiasco, it was that they were able to split off before more damage had been done. After all, despite what others might had felt about him, he did care about Orihime and her feelings. Quite frankly, he just didn't have the balls to let his classmate know how great she was, whilst he yearned for someone else. In his eyes, it was a near-impossible scenario and almost anyone in an identical predicament would've felt trapped. Albeit, his trapping was of his own doing, but still …
… There really was no "but". Ichigo fucked up. He should've been upfront with Orihime about everything. He allocated his hormones to prevail over logic and reason.
And then - and then - there came Rangiku. Lieutenant Matsumoto had an agreement that what they were going through was purely physical pleasure.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Feelings were far too complicated. In fact, they always had been for the twosome. They simply weren't emotional with one another; their actions typically did the talking for them.
The woman herself emphatically declared that she wasn't in love with him on a few occasions where he suspected that she might have been. Whether or not she had been aware of the fact she'd indubitably spent more time with him than she ever had before - even when they were "exclusive" - during their "arrangement", he hadn't known. But, it was due to such an occurrence that made him suspicious. Rangiku was the type who consistently got shit-faced at the bar with her friends and would sleep most of the day. Sure, she could be reliable in the event that a hollow made an appearance or when one of her friends required her assistance, but domestication and being responsible weren't attributes he or anyone else would utilize when asked to describe the buxom lieutenant. Because her drunken nights - and her unconsciousness as a result of her intoxication - had severely dwindled, it was nearly indisputable that he had a great significance to do with it, as he informed her that she was a mess when she got blitzed and that her breath reeked when she drank, hence he wouldn't kiss her.
To say the truth to go along with his actions, or lack thereof, crushed Rangiku would be an understatement. The blonde drank herself into oblivion for over a month in reaction to his harsh words. Naturally, the tipping point came when Rukia knocked some sense into him and instructed the boy to make things right. He did, but Lieutenant Matsumoto had to promise that she would limit her consumption of alcohol or they were finished.
She agreed and honored her word until their break up.
… To be honest, a part of him hoped that she was in love with him, that way it would make the pain of losing the healer easier to bear, despite the fact he toyed with her heart. Assuredly, he recognized that he deserved to burn in hell for it, however.
On the flip side, though, it made sense that she would lie to him about what her feelings had been, as Orihime was one of her best friends. Not to mention, the strawberry-blonde's duty to the Soul Society came first and foremost before any "liaisons". The woman could ill-afford to get ensnared in a relationship that could-never-be. The duo made the miscalculation once before and it would do neither of them any justice to partake in such a silly venture once more. Imagine the implications if they were to be discovered by anyone who wasn't Nanao, Rukia or her captain.
In addition, his feelings for his classmate were beginning to change and grow right before his eyes and he couldn't neglect that truth any longer, either.
With his feelings for both women discombobulated and spiraling out of control, Ichigo hadn't a grasp of the situation. Due to this, sex was his way of blocking out unnecessary emotions and avoiding the pain of hurting two people he genuinely cared about and would give his life to protect. He supposed it never registered in his brain that by fucking them - Orihime, in particular - it would cause much deeper wounds.
How naive and pathetic he was.
Upon finally confronting himself and seeing the truth for what it was and not through rose-colored glasses, it was safe to say that the substitute soul reaper needed to be in solitude. He had a lot to figure out and being away from everything seemed to had been the sole solution in his mind. So, with that, he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair behind the desk he worked at and set off to territory unknown.
He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he ascertained that he wouldn't come back until he found the answers to all of the questions in his mind.
XOXOXOXOXO
The healer came to school the following day in somewhat of a somber mood. That was to be expected, of course, as she'd just broken things off with Ichigo the previous night, so emotions were liable to remain fresh. Orihime's heart pumped one million miles per second and it felt so heavy having to face him again in such a short time. She didn't know if she could take it. But, she realized she had to.
Taking a deep breath, she walked into the school and didn't sense the love of her life anywhere, worrying her. Figuring that she had to be mistaken, Orihime rushed to her classroom, gasping, as she had quickly depleted herself of breath with how fast she ran. Once she got there, she slid the door open and noticed her best friend and a welcome surprise: Rukia Kuchiki.
Smiling brightly (or at least, putting on her best pretend smile), the burnt-orange-haired teen approached the raven-haired soul reaper. "Rukia, hi! I've missed you so much. How are you?" The girl hugged her shorter friend tight, which the Kuchiki heiress reciprocated.
When the two separated from their embrace, the raven-haired woman whispered, "I've missed you, too, Orihime. And, I've been good. But, I can't sense Ichigo's spiritual pressure anywhere, so that's why I'm here in case you were wondering. … I'm starting to get concerned, and that doesn't happen too much when it comes to that idiot. This might be a strange question but, do you know where he is?"
Orihime's greatest fear came to light: Ichigo went missing. Instantly, she started to feel guilty, as if it were her fault he'd gone astray. Perhaps, just maybe, she shouldn't have severed ties with him so abruptly. Had she been keen on his mental and emotional state, she might had stayed with him because losing his presence entirely would destroy her; she realized that. Yes, it might have come at the expense of her internal need to be the only woman in his heart, however, that was a risk she would accept wholeheartedly.
No! No! No~!
In response to the soul reaper's inquiry, the girl merely shook her head, whilst gazing down at the floor.
"That's alright. I'm sure he's okay, I know he is, but …"
The healer understood immediately. With a confident (albeit fake) smile, she murmured, "I know Ichigo's okay. Wherever he is, he'll come back to us in no time. We just have to be patient and wait for him."
If only she could make herself believe her own words.
"You're right. But, I'm going to be here in Karakura Town until that happens. Don't worry about giving me a place to stay. Ichigo's family accepts me as their own, so I'll just stay with them. It's a good thing he won't be there, because I'll get to sleep in his bed. I've always wanted to, to be honest instead of that … closet he makes me take residence in. The bastard," the elder woman gritted her teeth at the circumstance. Admittedly, though, she preferred his closet to a lot of places.
Orihime giggled. "Well, it's good to see you again. We have to hang out sometime while you're here; it's been too long, Rukia."
Nodding, Lieutenant Kuchiki replied, "Yes, it has. And, I promise that we'll grab coffee and donuts soon."
XOXOXOXOXO
The following week, neither Orihime nor Rukia had heard any word from Ichigo. In addition, neither of the duo could sense his spiritual pressure, causing them to lose hope and start to doubt whether he would come back. Even Tatsuki, after being informed of the situation by the former, had begun to become fearful that something had happened to her male best friend. Despite her consistent antagonizing and chastising directed at Ichigo due to his toying with the healer's heart, as well as being a total asshole, she truly had a heart for her classmate.
"Damn it, Ichigo, you're gonna make Orihime cry again, you asshole! And, what's worse, you've gone out on your own without telling me. Why can't you trust me, Ichigo? Huh? Have we become so distant that we're no longer friends?"
The martial artist did her best to comfort her two friends, but it was proving to be difficult as all hell. It didn't matter how much of a jerk he'd been, she wanted him to return just as much as they did. Let it be known she wouldn't state it, though. Of course, Rukia hadn't proclaimed her fear, either, but Tatsuki would have to be the biggest fool in the world to not easily decipher the soul reaper's true feelings on the matter.
"Ichigo, wherever you are, this isn't funny anymore. Come back. I swear, if you don't get back here soon, there will be hell to pay. And, also, you'd better return in the shape you left in, or whoever's responsible - yourself included - will have to answer to me. … We all miss you."
Author's Notes: Chapter nine is done. Thank you to everyone's support of this story; I genuinely appreciate it.
Stay tuned.
