Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I'm also kinda glad that I don't, because it wouldn't be nearly as awesome.... ^^;
"Aah...." slipped from Orihime's lips as she glanced downward. She was in Rukia's arms, at least a good thirty feet above ground. Rukia suddenly frowned.
"What did I tell you about looking dow-" Kuchiki's sentence ended when she felt Orihime's arms around her neck tighten. She blushed a little as Inoue's cheek pressed against hers and she heard,
"I'm afraid of heights...." in a small, slightly shaky voice.
"Do you mind a little more speed?" Rukia asked, her frown returning, this time more serious than angry. Orihime clutched the back of Rukia's shihakusho (Soul Reaper's kimono, means "garment of dead souls")
"Go," Orihime gently whispered in her ear.
Rukia held Orihime closer and sped up.
In Orihime's apartment....
Rukia's face was filled with concern and a slight sadness as she carefully sat Orihime on her bed.
"Are you alright?" she asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were afraid of heights...."
Orihime looked up and smiled weakly.
"It's okay," she said, "I couldn't ever be mad at you."
"That's good to know." Rukia copied Orihime's smile and called, "Chappy, where'd you go?"
"I'm under here, pyon!" said a voice from under the bed.
"What are you doing? Come out from there."
"I thought it would be weird if someone walked in and saw Rukia-chan without Orihime-chan, so I hid, pyon!"
"Well, I guess I don't give you enough credit."
"That's right, pyon!" Chappy exclaimed.
"Don't push it." Rukia said, stepping back into her gigai.
"So, will you let me heal your hands now?" Orihime asked.
"Oh, yes." Rukia answered, walking to Orihime and placing her slightly burnt hands on Inoue's lap.
"Soten Kiishun (Two God Restoration Shield)," Orihime said, her hands hovering over Kuchiki's, "I reject."
A small ovular shield enveloped Rukia's hands, and only stayed for about twenty seconds before fading away, revealing them as perfectly clean, and uninjured.
"Thanks, Orihime." Rukia said.
"No problem, Kuchiki-san...." Orihime replied, yawning. Rukia smiled like a mother might smile at a young yawning child.
"Should we call it a night?" Rukia asked, tilting her head.
"N-no! We haven't watch a movie yet, and I haven't made dinner... or do you eat? Maybe I should just skip that...." Orihime slipped away into her own thoughts. Rukia shook her head as she stood and offered a hand to the other girl, quickly snapping her into reality once more. Orihime blushed slightly and looked up at Rukia.
"Are you going to help me pick a movie, or not?" Rukia asked, almost rolling her eyes.
"O-oh! Yes, of course!" Orihime exclaimed, moving to take Rukia's hand, then hesitating.
"It's not that hard." Rukia sighed, waving her hand around a little, "I just want to make sure you can stand by yourself." At this, Orihime frowned.
"Of course I can!" she stood, ignoring Rukia's hand, "See? I'm perfectly... whoa...." Rukia moved to catch Orihime as soon as she swayed a little. Finding herself in Rukia's arms for the second time tonight, Orihime blushed again.
"What did I say?" Rukia asked, smiling weakly. Orihime usually would have responded to this kind of statement with something like, 'Oh, I guess you were right,' but something in Rukia's face made speech impossible.
"Rukia...." Orihime muttered. If you asked her, she wouldn't be able to tell you why she said it. In fact, she might even try to tell you that she didn't really, but it was her subconscious. Whatever the reason, Rukia's smile warmed up at the sound of her first name on Orihime's lips. She turned her head to Orihime, careful to change her expression to one of slight concern.
"Yes, Orihime?" she whispered.
"I...." Orihime tried to answer firmly, "There's actually something I want to talk to you about...."
"Oh, yeah?" Rukia asked, sitting Orihime and herself back on the bed, "What would that be?"
"Well... I guess you've noticed how... strangely I've been acting lately." Orihime said. Rukia nodded, fully concentrated on listening.
"I was hoping... see, I don't even really know why I've been acting that way myself, I just feel... like something's... in the wrong context."
"'In the wrong context?'" Rukia repeated, confused, "How do you mean?"
"I'm not sure." Orihime said, thinking hard, "But I think it's like... some thing's not right, but I don't really want to call it wrong, because it's not, but more like I'm using something wrong, or... like I'm trying to put pickles in a toaster, when the bread's right there."
"Oh, like it's..." Rukia said, scanning the ground for a word, then looked back up "misplaced?" As soon as Rukia said it, she saw Orihime's eyes widen, and a grin spread across her face.
"YES! Rukia, that's exactly it!" she shouted, then suddenly began thinking again, "Even though, I'm still not entirely sure what it is...."
"Have you lost anything recently?" Rukia asked.
"No, why?"
"Well, if that's the case, then it has to be mental. An emotion, perhaps? You used the analogy of pickles in a toaster, when the bread is there, so nothing is really missing... I think you just have to find the bread."
"What?" Orihime didn't quite understand Rukia's solution.
"What I'm saying is that all the elements should be in place. You just have to find what's right."
"Oh, really?" Orihime asked excitedly, her grin returning.
"I think so...." Rukia answered, still thinking. She turned away from Orihime for a moment to ponder the topic, but in the next moment she found herself in an embrace. At first she was surprised, but the feeling quickly faded as she let her chin rest on Inoue's shoulder, and her arms slowly moved to return the embrace.
"Thank you, Kuchiki-san." Orihime whispered in Rukia's ear. The black-haired girl almost shivered, but held it back, and instead said,
"What did I say about calling me 'Kuchiki-san' all the time, Orihime?"
Orihime suddenly jumped back and began apologizing,
"Ahh! I'm sorry, Kuchik-- I mean, Rukia-chan!"
"Not quite what I was looking for," Rukia sighed, shaking her head, then smiling, "but it's a good start."
"So, let's pick a movie!" Orihime shouted, pointing a finger to the ceiling.
"Okay." Rukia said, walking over to the only place Orihime's videos and TV could possibly be. She opened the closet and began looking.
"Let's see..." Orihime said from the bed, thinking, "What should be Rukia's first movie? A comedy? Or a horror movie? Maybe a cartoon? Hmm...."
"Hey, what's this one?" Rukia asked, holding up a DVD case.
"Oh! WALL-E! That's a good one, Rukia-chan! Put it in!"
"Aah... okay, if you say so." Rukia moved to the DVD player and stared at it for a few seconds before turning around and asking, "Hey, Orihime, how does this work?"
"Oops!" Orihime said, easily getting up and crossing the room, "I forgot that you wouldn't know... but at least you knew which one to ask about!"
"Hey, Orihime, you just...."
"Oh!" Orihime yelled, noticing what she did, "I guess I just forgot that I was dizzy."
"....'Just forgot I was dizzy'..." Rukia repeated in disbelief, shaking her head slightly and smiling to herself as Orihime took the DVD from her, "that's Inoue for you...."
"There!" Orihime said, quite proud of herself for putting the DVD in the player. Rukia's cell phone started beeping, and Orihime assumed the worst, judging by her facial expression.
"Relax," Rukia said, pulling her phone out, "It's just a regular call."
"Oh? I didn't know it actually took calls! Who's calling?"
"It's... Captain Soi Fon? She would never have any reason to call me, even if it were actually an emergency... someone from the Thirteenth Squad would call me, not the captain of the Second... hold on Orihime, let me take this." Rukia said, walking to the door.
"Okay. I'll get the movie ready."
Rukia stepped outside and closed the door behind her before answering her phone.
"Hello, Thirteenth Squad Kuchiki Rukia speaking."
"Kuchiki." Soi Fon's voice sounded serious, like the once or twice Rukia had heard it before.
"Captain Soi Fon. Why are you calling me? Is it urgent?" Rukia asked.
"I would say so, but you might not." Soi Fon answered.
"Well, what is it?"
"Your brother tells me you're good at reading people."
"Oh, yeah? Nii-sama doesn't talk much about me, so you must have asked him." Rukia countered, "What is this all about?"
"Such disrespect," Soi Fon said in an amused tone, "I've never heard you talk to any superior in a manner other than proper."
"Are you going to tell me what you want, Captain?" Rukia asked, the smell of popcorn assaulting her nose. Soi Fon's sigh was audible from the other side of the line.
"I-I like someone...." she said, almost whispered out of embrassment. Rukia was shocked.
"YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU WIN OVER YORUICHI!?"
"So you can read people." Rukia could hear Soi Fon's snap back to seriousness in her voice, "Will you do it?"
"What, and become the Soul Society's Date Doctor?" Rukia said smugly, "...."
What could it hurt? You yourself have thought that they'd be cute together. Why not help her? And she's a Captain, you could call a favor later....
"I'll think about it."
"I'm glad to hear it. Call me back when you make up your mind." Soi Fon said, and hung up. Rukia sighed, put away the phone, and went back into the room.
"What did Soi Fon want?" Orihime asked, munching on a large bowl of popcorn.
"Nothing big," Rukia answered, sitting next to Orihime and taking a handful of popcorn, "just an idea she had. I said I'd think about it."
"Ooh, is she starting a band?" Orihime asked, almost jumping up and down. Rukia tried to picture the kind of band Soi Fon would put together, then shook the image from her head.
"No, she's not." she said, "Let's start the movie."
"Okay!" Orihime said, pressing the play button on the remote.
Later....
"So, did you like it, Rukia-chan?" Orihime asked.
"Sniff.... Y-yeah, I liked it.... sniff." Rukia replied.
"Rukia? Rukia, what... are you crying?"
"...." Rukia wouldn't answer. Orihime gently placed her fingertips under Rukia's chin and turned her head so she could see her face.
"Oh, you are! I'm sorry, Rukia-chan, I should have remembered, that scene made me cry too... oh, come here...." Orihime pulled Rukia into a heartfelt hug, and Rukia laughed a little through her tears before letting herself return the gesture.
"Hey, where will I be sleeping?" Rukia asked, the thought suddenly tugging at her mind.
"Oh!" Orihime said, breaking up the embrace, "I think...." she got up and went to the closet. She opened it and found....
"Aah! Oops!" she said.
"What's wrong?" Rukia asked.
"Eeh, I forgot that the spare futon... umm... ran into a little trouble recently and...."
"What? What could have possibly happened to a..." Rukia went to the closet and saw the obviously unusable futon. Her expression deserved a sweat drop as she tried to remind herself that she was still dealing with Inoue here.
But it's worth it....
"See, what happened was...." Orihime tried to explain.
"I don't even want to know." Rukia said.