A/N: Wah, the next chapter is up!! I-I'd like to thank my mom, and my dad, and especially... Copper!! She's such a good beta, and she puts up with so much of my crap. T^T LOVE YOU WIFEY. But anywho... I wonder what'll happen in this chapter. D: Hey, maybe if we're lucky, we can get some IchiHime moments in there!! 8D Just think of how exciting that'd be! Wowzerz! But, uh, sorry for the late, late, laaaate update. See, when I posted my last chapter, it was when I was home sick for two weeks, so I clearly had a buttload of makeup work to do(which accomplished successfully now!) and then... Yeah, I can't remember what I did for those other few weeks. Lots of test maybe? I dunno... Sorry, onto the disclaimers!
Edit: There were errors that bugged me. D8 I fixed them now though. (hopefully...)
.chapter title. Connection
.disclaimer. I do not own Bleach and co., and never will. (x2, since I forgot last chapter. XD)
---
The walk back to Orihime's flat was completely silent, and you could cut the tension between the two with a knife.
As Orihime walked along, she lightly swung her plastic bag filled with donuts, as her mind raced from topic to topic. She sighed quietly to herself as she found her brain deciding not giving her a break again. The big thing that ran through her head was the boy walking at her side. She started to wonder if he really didn't mind watching her, or actually found it burdensome to have to watch her for three long days. It was a question that wouldn't go away in her head, and she knew that ultimately, the only way she'd get her answer is if she asked him directly.
But she could never muster the courage to ask. She figured it would just be another troublesome thing for him.
Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed to deduce that all of this that was happening was his fault. He remembered once being told that Orihime and Chad's powers manifested from his intense, "leaking" reiatsu, which lead him to think, if she didn't have her powers, Aizen would've never taken her to Hueco Mundo, where they discovered that she was the Royal Key. He inwardly groaned as rethinking all of his prior knowledge of, well… Everything was giving him a headache.
It was until they were at her door that he realized nothing was said between the two for quite a while. His lips grew into a deep scowl as he cursed himself for not saying anything. 'Crap, she probably thinks I don't want to talk to her… And how did I climb all those stairs without noticing it?'
A soft click of her door brought him out of his submersed thinking once more, as she twisted the familiar key into the keyhole. Ichigo could've sworn he heard a soft sigh come from the healer in front of him as she unlocked the door, but he didn't find a reason why. Well, there were a lot of reasons, he noted, but nothing obvious.
One would assume that everything would be the same, if you left your home and came back. It clearly wasn't the case in this situation, as Orihime felt a flying, female body came leaping at her as soon as she opened the door.
"Orihime-chan!!" Rangiku exclaimed, embracing the small healer in a tight hug.
"R-Rangiku-san!" Orihime squeaked, sounding somewhat pained as she tried to push away from her friend in a nice manner. "W-What are you doing here?"
Hitsugaya was quickly at the front door as well, a calm demeanor about him as he looked at the three. "We told you we'd be here to check up on you two, but more importantly, Orihime Inoue." Rangiku nodded, stilling hugging the bright-haired teen.
"Yup! We'll be here for a while today, for most of the day tomorrow, and then…" She spoke, her tone of voice going from happy, to more serious as she spoke. Ichigo raised his eyebrows in curiosity, as she did not finish her sentence.
"That's only two days… What about the last one?" He asked, feeling a lump in his throat as he spoke. Rangiku only gave him a smile in response, then looked back to Orihime.
"I'll tell her about that later," she said, her voice quieter, which was odd for her personality. Orihime's eyes softened at the shinigami, and she nodded in understanding.
"Okay… But Rangiku-san," she started, "How did you and Toshiro-kun get into my apartment?"
"Inoue, you did actually lock your door, right…?" Ichigo asked hesitantly. He thought he'd seen her lock the door, but with the two soul reapers now inside, he wasn't so sure he'd saw correctly.
Orihime nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously. "I could've sworn I did. Unless…" She paused for a moment, causing his stomach to flip.
"Unless??"
Her gaze went from him, to the ground, and then to the two others watching the issue unfold. One was amused; the other one couldn't care less.
"Unless I started daydreaming again, and thought I locked it, but really didn't."
Slap.
Orihime, who was still in Rangiku's grasp, jumped at his sudden action of bringing his hand to his face. A face palm, she thought it was called?
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, I'm sorry…" She quietly apologized, subconsciously gripping Rangiku's arms tighter. "I didn't mean to…" He partially removed his hand to look at his healer friend, and immediately regretted it.
Her downcast gaze and sudden guilty tension made him want to go crawl in a hole. What was with him and always making her upset?
"Inoue, no…" He started, his tone sounding very unsure. "I mean, don't apologize… Like you said, you didn't mean to." He tried to reassure her, despite feeling like crap for making her feel bad in the first place. That and he had two other pairs of hard, cold eyes boring into him, sending shivers down his spine.
"Now that he's feeling extremely guilty," Rangiku started, promptly inciting a small "Huh?" from Orihime. "What were you daydreaming about?"
Her face flushed up as she muttered, "I-It's not important…"
"Apparently it is if you're blushing, and it caused you to forget to lock your door."
"Oh, that… Well… I-I…" She hesitated.
"Oh! So you were daydreaming about that." 'Or rather, him. Poor girl doesn't know she's so easy to read.'
"…That?" Ichigo asked inquisitively. "Why does that sound suspicious?" His question caused Orihime's face to flush up more.
"A-Ah, I-I was just thinking about…" Orihime started, trying to decide if she wanted to say it or not. 'I was daydreaming about you! Oh yes, definitely not embarrassing…' She mentally chided herself.
"Her favorite strawberry," Rangiku cut in, saying it for Orihime, with a smile on her face. Orihime felt like her face was on fire. He was smart, and she was very worried that he would surely understand what she meant.
"Oh…" Ichigo responded, his face turning red as well. "Didn't know you had a 'favorite' strawberry, Inoue…" She only nodded, wanting to bury herself in Rangiku's arms to hide her embarrassment.
'Not you, you idiot! Why do you keep thinking it's you?!'
'Are you sure there's no hidden meaning?' his inner hollow chuckled, bringing himself out at an 'inopportune' time. 'The broad with the rack seems pretty suspicious about it.'
'Why the hell would there be a hidden meaning? Inoue doesn't mean me when she talks about this, 'favorite' strawberry… She wouldn't talk about me anyway.'
'Wow, disappointed much? You're annoying.'
'Shut up.'
'You know what's also annoying? It's raining again in here. Why the hell is it raining??'
'How should I know, it's not like I'm in there myself!'
'Well, it's pissing me off, so quit being a pansy and man up. I can't stand this rain OR your fucking depression.'
'…Depression?'
A small sneeze from the auburn-haired teenager brought Ichigo out of his inner dispute.
"Ah, we should get you inside, Orihime-chan! No use spending this time outside in the freezing cold," Rangiku spoke, squeezing the young girl tighter with her hug.
"Ah, okay…" She replied quietly, sneezing once more. Rangiku swiftly turned her around and went back in with the blushing teenager, leaving substitute shinigami and captain alone on the steps.
---
"Um, Rangiku-san, I can't really walk with your arms around me…"
"Oh, sorry Orihime-chan!" The busty blonde apologized, letting go of the teen. "It's just so fun to hug you!" She exclaimed, quickly giving her another hug.
"E-Eh, Rangiku-san!"
"So what were you and Ichigo doing outside?" The blonde suddenly asked her, her tone tensing up, becoming more serious. She continued to walk into the flat, and wandered towards the closet. "I thought you were told to stay inside."
Orihime's face flushed up once more and her mouth shifted into a small frown. "Oh, um… Sorry… I'm thinking he just wanted to get out because there's only so much to do inside."
"So he's a punk, breaking the rules," she replied sarcastically.
"Kurosaki-kun's not a punk!" Orihime exclaimed a bit louder than she intended. Rangiku grinned as she offered out her hand, to take her coat. "Er, I mean… He's kind, and gentle, and he has a funny scowl," she started to list off characteristics that she saw, and favored of his, slipping off her coat to give to her friend. "I just think he didn't want to be stuck in here any longer… Thank you."
"Really? Because all I see is a no good, orange-haired teenager with no manners and a weird scowl," Rangiku laughed, vaguely wondering how her friend would react to her opinion of her crush. "You're welcome," she said, hanging up her coat. "And he'd better get used to it, because he'll be in here for another few days." Orihime forced a light laugh at her friend's last attempt at a joke. Even though it was true, she didn't find it very funny.
Orihime sighed lightly and leaned against the wall, pulling at her scarf with her free hand. "You can think that Rangiku-san, but…" she spoke quietly, with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face. "I think Kurosaki-kun is an amazing person. He'd do anything for his friends, and that's what makes him kind." The teen leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes slowly. "There are also a lot of times I wish I could be like him. Strong-willed, courageous, kind-hearted…" Her smile curved into a small frown.
"You're kind-hearted too, Orihime-chan."
"Ah, no not really," she replied in the same tone, putting on a small, awkward smile. "However, I lack resolve." She paused. "I wonder if Kurosaki-kun is unhappy with 'watching over' me…"
'Hm… She's really over thinking this…'
"Ah!" Orihime jumped from her position against the wall, now blushing madly. "Just look at me, talking about Kurosaki-kun so casually. I'm sorry!"
"Don't apologize," Rangiku replied, her smile now faded. "And I don't think…" She hesitated for a moment. "Ichigo's not the type of person to be unhappy with taking care of friends."
"But he doesn't like being around Ishida-kun all that much…"
"That's a different story. You, Orihime-chan," she spoke, pointing at her intently. "You are the woman he would've given his life for, to save from Aizen in Hueco Mundo. You're obviously different from the Quincy." Rangiku gave her a soft smile, accompanied with gentle eyes. "He's not unhappy with watching you. If anything, he's probably just nervous about what's to come."
"You mean…," Orihime asked, but instead of actually saying it, she only put up three fingers. Rangiku nodded.
"Are you afraid?"
Orihime was taken aback by that question. For a brief moment, she remembered Ulquiorra with his outstretched hand, asking her the same question. She had replied that she wasn't, only because she knew things were going to be all right, eventually. But now… She wasn't so sure.
She forced the stinging tears to stay where they were, as she looked towards her friend, feeling her bottom lip quiver a bit. Rangiku saw her downcast expression, and engulfed her into another hug, only more gentle than previously. Orihime dropped her bag, and wrapped her arms around Rangiku's slim waist, returning the hug.
"It's okay to be afraid, Orihime-chan. To know something big is going to happen, but you don't know what, is a scary thing."
"I-It's not that…" Orihime stuttered, still holding back the tears. She lightly pushed away from her friend and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"I'm afraid of never seeing Kurosaki-kun again…" She gave Rangiku a watery smile as she spoke. "I-I understand that the decision is what'll be best for everyone, but to not see Kurosaki-kun's face, and hear his voice," she paused, swallowing thickly. "It's sad, is all…" The shinigami gave her a small smile in return.
"I see…" Rangiku lifted her arm out of the hug, and started to wipe at Orihime's escaped tears with her sleeve. "That's why you just have to make the most of this time, right?" Orihime silently agreed as her eyes were dried with the blonde's sleeve. The arm dropped down, and unexpectedly, Rangiku grabbed at her sides, starting to tickle her fiercely. Orihime was unable to hold in the laugh as her sides were being attacked.
"R-Rangiku-san, s-stop," Orihime pleaded, laughing in-between words. "I-It tickles!"
"And that," Rangiku started, stopping her tickling frenzy, and smiling widely at the girl. "Is what people like to see. Your friends like to see your smile, Orihime-chan." She playfully tapped her on the nose.
"But-"
"And that includes Ichigo, so make sure you smile for him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
The healer was baffled at first, but her agape expression soon turned to a small, but true smile.
'I know I would wish to see smiles from my friends. Rangiku-san's right… Kurosaki-kun would want the same.'
"Thank you, Rangiku-san," Orihime spoke sincerely, now feeling a better about what was happening. She still felt the nervous butterflies in her stomach, but her shoulders felt oddly lighter, like the whole issue at hand really wasn't such a big deal. 'Talking to someone really helps…'
"It's no problem, Orihime-chan, that's what friends are for," Rangiku replied, unwrapping the scarf around the girl's slim neck and hanging it up. "Now let's go back in with Hitsugaya-taichou, and Ichigo, and see what they're up to." Orihime nodded, picking up the dropped bag from the floor.
"And we can eat all these sweets together!" She spoke happily, rummaging through the bag, checking for any damaged sweets. She let out a sigh of relief as none were harmed.
"Sounds good!" A wide smile grew on the older woman's face, as she turned around to head back to the other two.
"W-Wait!" Orihime stopped her friend, her tone suddenly changing from exuberant, to distraught. Rangiku turned back around, facing the small girl with raised eyebrows. "C-Can I ask one more question…?" The blonde noted her now serious expression, and prepared to take on the inquiry with just as much sobriety as needed.
"Of course, Orihime-chan."
"Um… Do you…" She hesitated, her eyes flashing with multiple emotions. Rangiku folded her arms under her generous chest and shifted her weight onto one leg.
"Orihime-chan… Just say it."
"Do you think differently of me now, since I'm the Key?" Orihime asked fervently, then quickly throwing her hands up to her mouth, as if she had just said something very bad.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Rangiku asked, somewhat confused. Orihime shook her head, now refusing to repeat what she said.
"N-No, never mind, it wasn't important," she mumbled through her small hands. "Sorry I stopped you in the first place!" The blonde waited a moment, processing the question the young girl had just asked.
"You're asking me if I think of you differently now?" Another few minutes passed, before the teen nodded slowly, a flash of fear in her eyes. How could she ask such a question? She was afraid her friend would scold her now.
"I don't."
"Huh?"
"You know why?" Rangiku began, now starting to worry about her. She apparently had thought long and hard about this, along with a lot of other things. The poor girl was asking all these serious questions, which were beyond her normal nature. "Because you've always been the Key, ever since the day you were born. Soul Society just never noticed it before."
"But-" Orihime interrupted, but was quickly hushed by her friend, with her finger to her lips, silently telling her to let her finish.
"You've always been Orihime-chan, and you always will be. I'm not going to think differently of you just because I found out you're the source of a great power," she explained, hoping her reasoning would reassure the healer. "I know you, and I'm not going to let a small thing like you being the Key change the fact I'm your friend."
Orihime felt tears well up in her eyes again, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering rapidly. She didn't know if she wanted to feel happy or sad. "R-Rangiku-san…" she stuttered.
"No more crying, okay? Remember the smiling thing?" Rangiku smiled herself as she spoke. "Ichigo will be concerned if he saw that you were crying."
The healer sniffed. "Would he?"
"Well, he's probably no good when it comes to crying girls," she laughed as she talked. "And seeing your tears would probably make him feel even worse."
"Wouldn't he only be concerned because I'm the Key?" She inquired, wiping away stray tears with her sleeve.
"You've been friends with him longer than you and I have been acquainted, right?" Rangiku asked right back, seriously wondering when the small girl would get the point. 'People would still love her for being who she is, no matter what she happens to be.' Orihime nodded.
"Something like that."
"Then he'd feel the same as me," Rangiku spoke sincerely. "It doesn't matter if you're the Key or not. He'd be concerned over you because you're his friend." She sighed lightly, now wrapping an arm around Orihime's small shoulders. "Now quit worrying about everything and dry those tears before I tickle you again." The teen quickly did as she was told.
"Y-Yes!" Orihime laughed lightly, wiping away at her eyes. If the shinigami's tickling didn't hurt so much, she'd be okay with it the options she had. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Sorry Rangiku-san. My brain has been really weird the last few days. I think the aliens have taken over and made it so my brain wouldn't shut off. That's how I come up with those questions."
"Well you need to stop thinking so hard," Rangiku responded, flicking her forehead lightly with her finger. "You're going to give yourself one hell of a headache if you continue to do so." Orihime nodded and gripped the handle of the practically forgotten bag tighter.
"We should definitely go back to Kurosaki-kun and Toshiro-kun soon."
A laugh. "Yes, we should. Goodness knows both of them are tense people, and putting them together for a long time could end really badly," Rangiku snickered, imagining the possibilities. "Oh, one last question for you."
"Yes?" Orihime inquired, tilting her head to the side.
"About your hair…"
---
Ichigo sat on the floor by the small table in her living room, drumming a small tattoo on the floor in restlessness. 'When are they going to be back??' He thought, feeling irritated. He didn't mind that the two girls were most likely talking, but what concerned him was what the elder was talking about. The thoughts she had were scary, and most often put bad ideas into the healer's head.
His other irritation was from sitting next to Hitsugaya Toshiro for over 15 minutes, and not a single word had been spoken. Not like he was doing a bang up job of conversation either.
"Kurosaki," Toshiro finally spoke, breaking the tense silence. Ichigo looked over to the captain, a scowl prominent on his face. "What were you doing outside?"
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" He asked, his tone growing in irritation.
"You were told not to leave this place."
"If I remember correctly, you just told us she couldn't stay at my place, and that she couldn't go to school. Nothing about going outside otherwise." Ichigo inwardly smirked as he spoke, thinking of how he was 'correct' in the fact that they really hadn't mentioned anything about going out.
"Do you even know the definition of house arrest?" Toshiro inquired, trying to keep his cool. He wouldn't let the orangette's attitude get on his nerves. The fact they went outside, on the other hand…
"Of course I do, I'm not stupid!" Ichigo protested, now tapping his fingers on the floor at a more frequent pace. "Plus Inoue's not arrested or going to jail, so your dumb house arrest definition makes no sense." 'Though they treat her like she is…' He swallowed thickly at the memory of Soul Society treating her like shit. He still couldn't get over how they could treat someone like her so harshly. Ichigo involuntarily shuddered as he remembered them calling her a traitor.
Toshiro blew out an irritated sigh. 'So maybe he has me there…' "Regardless, why were you outside?"
"What's it to you?"
"She's the Royal Key, she's at risk of being harmed if she's outdoors."
Ichigo paused, hesitating. He tried to force his anger to subdue. It wouldn't be beneficial to anyone, and if Inoue would see him, she'd be upset. He sunk his hand into his spiky hair, sighing heavily.
"So you're suddenly changing the way you think of her? After all those weeks you spent with her here, getting to know her, have all changed? She's no longer Inoue, but she's just the Royal Key."
He stopped, waiting for a response from the captain. Nothing.
"Dammit, Inoue's still Inoue. Don't go thinking she's not the same, because she's sure as hell is!" Ichigo continued on, unable to keep his emotions calmed down. Toshiro felt a sharp rise in his reiatsu, and vaguely wondered if the other two, not with them, had felt it as well.
"Calm down, Kurosaki, you're not helping anyone," Toshiro spoke in monotone, now pondering what the boy's reiatsu could do to the Key. To Orihime.
"You want me to calm down?" Ichigo asked bitterly, his tone sharp. "You make it so Inoue's not the fucking Key, and then maybe I'll calm down." He stared down to the floor, trailing off on the thought of how she didn't deserve any of this.
"You know very well that could be possible for her in three days," Toshiro spoke solemnly, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, at the risk of dying," Ichigo retorted, suddenly feeling very sick at the words just said.
He silently cursed himself, for thinking of Inoue's fate again. The one thing he wanted to protect her from, and he couldn't do a thing.
"Kurosaki, you need to get one thing straight," the captain started, his voice sharp as he talked. "You're here to watch over her, and watch over her only. You're not helping yourself or her, by putting your emotions into the situation."
"What the hell are you talking about?" The orangette asked, his eyes bugging out at what the ice captain could possibly mean.
"What I'm saying is that you need to stop putting your personal feelings into 'business' reasons," Toshiro told him, scoffing lightly. "And stop getting so attached, you're only going to hurt yourself in the end."
'Get attached to what? Inoue's already my friend, it's a little too late for that!' Ichigo mentally yelled to himself, chewing on the inside of his cheek in frustration.
"I'm serious! It's a sexy move!" A female voice was heard, breaking the tense conversation between the two. Ichigo's eyebrows twitched, recognizing the voice. It was Rangiku's and the only other person she could be talking to was… He swallowed hard. 'Inoue…'
"E-Eh, but Rangiku-san, it was unintentional!" A smaller, more familiar voice followed, causing Ichigo's stomach to drop.
'I'm not even sure I want to know what they were talking about…' He brought his gaze up to the two entering women, a prominent scowl stuck on his face.
"Sure it wasn't," Rangiku slyly told the smaller girl, nudging her playfully.
"What's going on?" Ichigo inquired, still feeling irritated from earlier. He tried to hide it now though. He knew Inoue had enough on her plate, he didn't want her to have to worry about him.
"We're going to eat don-" Orihime started, but Rangiku cut her off and pointed to her hair.
"She put her hair up in a ponytail! Studies show that revealing the neck is sexy, though Orihime-chan said it was unintentional," the blonde spoke gleefully, abruptly trailing her finger up the girl's skin. (Ichigo vaguely wondered what stupid studies she was referring to.) In response, Orihime angled her head to one side, accidentally exposing more of her neck. Her face flushed up as she pleaded to the older woman, asking for her to stop.
"P-Please… Stop!" Orihime stuttered in a lower tone, internally trying to decide if she was so flustered because either tickled, felt too interesting for her tastes, or that her busty friend was doing something so incredulous in front of the person she loved.
Ichigo stared at the two, more or less the flustered girl, completely stunned. His heart was hammering in his ribcage as he watched the elder shinigami invade the healer's personal space and he couldn't help but feel his face heat up severely while his friend made such heady expressions. The orangette swallowed thickly, trying to ignore his hollow's comments about the current scene.
"Matsumoto…" Toshiro spoke out, obviously breaking the unusual tension the busty vice-captain was causing. Rangiku just smirked as she looked over to Ichigo.
"Like what you see?" She asked him, putting on a wide grin while pointing to the auburn-haired healer. Orihime's face was completely red now, and she looked like she was about to pass out. Ichigo also turned a bright color of maroon, the hue clashing terribly with his hair. Rather than saying an answer to her question, which would cause either hurt or embarrassment, he just asked the blonde to let her go.
"Let Inoue sit down…" He barely managed to squeak out, his voice much lower than he expected it to be.
"Why?"
"Because she looks lightheaded! Now let her sit down before you cause her to pass out from your embarrassing comments."
Rangiku waited for a moment, surveying the emotions in Ichigo's expression. The irritation and concern was to be expected, but why was the boy watching Orihime with such avid eyes? She just smiled once more and let go of the flustered girl, letting her stumble a bit before sitting down next to Ichigo.
"You okay…?" He asked, concerned. She took her time putting the bag on the table, but she nodded fiercely. 'Damn… I asked her that stupid question again.'
"Y-Yeah… I think so," Orihime spoke softly, a small smile gracing her features, accompanied with a light laugh. "Rangiku-san's just being herself."
Ichigo was a bit taken aback by her smile. Yes, he had seen some smiles from the girl in the last twenty-four hours, but he saw sincerity and it was a 'normal' smile from her. It wasn't one of her original 'supernova' grins she used to have before the whole Hueco Mundo fiasco, but it was true.
Orihime stuck her hand into the bag and pulled out a baked sweet at random. "You want one, Kurosaki-kun?" She generously offered him the first treat, a smile still directed at him. He nodded taking the snack out of her hands, his fingers accidentally brushing against hers in the process. She blushed again and laughed, shrugging off what had just happened.
"Thanks Inoue," he muttered, his heart beating erratically again, promptly pissing him off once more.
And there it was again: that feeling of being right where he was supposed to be. 'Don't feel like this, dammit… It'll only make things worse.'
Ichigo gave her a small smile, one that was only reserved for her, before taking a bite. In response, she flashed him a big smile; her cheeks still flushed from their previous contact. He ignored his hollow's comments about her being cute, as he thought intently to himself.
'Maybe… Should I accept this feeling…? I mean, Inoue needs someone to be there for her now,' his mind muddled on the thought while chewing on the treat. The teen's gaze kept drifting back to the healer, who was enjoying her own snack, a satisfied look on her face.
'...Why do I feel like I want to be that person?'
---
"Bye bye Rangiku-san! Bye Toshiro-kun!" Orihime waved to the two departing shinigami enthusiastically, forcing back a yawn. They had stayed late, and were only just leaving now. She closed the door softly, letting out a light sigh.
"Are they finally gone?" Ichigo asked sourly, as he stood behind her, a scowl still etched on his face. She nodded, giving him another smile.
"Yup! They'll be back tomorrow, though I'm not sure when," she replied casually, rubbing her hands over her arms, like she was cold. He nodded, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck, kneading it as if uncomfortable.
"… And the last day?" He inquired once more; wondering if the reason he felt tense was because of that dreaded question arising in his head once more. Orihime smiled and shrugged.
"Rangiku-san didn't say, now that I think about it, but I'll be sure to ask her about it tomorrow," she reassured the boy in front of her. He just looked at her with uncertain eyes. 'Something doesn't feel right…' Ichigo noted, though he'd been feeling that 'something isn't right' for quite some time.
Orihime continued to smile for him, despite her nerve-wracking questions flying through her brain. Her friend's previous comment about her smiling really hit it home with the healer, and she made the decision to smile as much as she could, for him, despite how she was actually feeling.
"Inoue," Ichigo muttered, now sticking both hands in his pocket, shifting his weight to one leg. 'I hate myself for asking this question again, but…' She looked at him with curious eyes.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, concerned. Her grin grew wider as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.
"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, for one, you weren't exactly giddy this morning, like you are now." 'It's kinda freaky…'
The curve on her lips flipped, now forming a small frown. "I'm just taking Rangiku-san's advice, is all…" Ichigo inwardly groaned, somewhat curious about what the blonde had told her, but also not wanting to even go there. He sighed, figuring he would regret even asking.
"And what did she tell you this time?" The substitute shinigami asked cautiously, lightly tapping the floor with his foot, a feeling of worry coursing through his body.
"That people like to see me smile," Orihime spoke softly, now fiddling with the hem of her shirt nervously, although she didn't know why she felt so weary. "Including you…"
He stopped, processing what she had just said. Yes, he did feel a lot better when she smiled. Hell, he could probably say he felt like he was completely at ease when she did, but her expressions now made him feel anxious and his intuition told him that it wasn't real, that she was just doing it to please.
Ichigo swallowed thickly, pulling at his suddenly tight collar as he called himself a coward if he didn't continue the conversation.
"I-I do… Your smiles are… are…" He paused, his mind racing furiously for a good word to define her expressions. "Funny…" She looked at him, with big eyes. Big, confused eyes… Ichigo's heart was hammering against his chest as he mentally beat himself up.
'Dammit, why the hell did I say that?? That was so stupid!!'
His gaze quickly shifted to the floor, still cursing himself and starting to feel embarrassed. Of course she wouldn't say anything after he made a stupid comment like that! Hell, he wouldn't say anything if someone else had said that to him.
Orihime, on the other hand, felt her face heat up incredulously. She forced back a huge grin as she replayed the words in her mind. 'Your smiles are… Funny.' And here she had thought he didn't notice her at all. 'At least he notices my smiles, and he even likes them!'
"I… Like Kurosaki-kun's smiles too," she replied nervously, a smile still threatening to show.
"Huh?" Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows, feeling dumbfounded. 'She's not mad?'
"Though your scowls are funny as well!" Orihime finished, clasping her hands behind her back. Her heart played a fast, steady tattoo in her chest.
Ichigo, upon seeing her blush, turned red himself. Clearing his throat, and pulling at his collar once more, he tried to finish what he started saying before.
"Anyway… I was going to say, y-yes, I do like your smiles, but don't force yourself, Inoue," he explained, his voice, once again, lower than he wanted it to be. Her exuberant expression soon changed to a confused one. "You don't have to smile if you don't feel like it… It's okay."
Orihime's eyebrows rose at his suddenly changed tone. It had gone from nervous and forced, to… Calm and gentle. She felt a warmth bloom in her chest at her crush's sudden compassion.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun…" The healer's voice was small as she spoke, but he heard her clearly. "But being sad all the time won't accomplish anything, so that's why I'm smiling." Orihime shrugged, this time, forcing a small smile on her face. She felt the tears stinging her eyes again.
Ichigo sighed heavily, before running a hand through his hair. "Inoue, you can be sad if you want to. Dammit… I mean, don't think I'm telling you that you need to be sad or anything, I just don't want you to force yourself."
Orihime felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest. Those darn aliens must slowly be taking over her body completely! First it was her head, now it was her heart.
Still… She had never experienced him to be so gentle and concerned with her. She knew it was a selfish feeling, to be thinking that he'd only acted this way to her and her only, as far as she's known, but deep down, she knew she liked it.
He gave her an awkward smile as he slid his hands back into his pockets once more. Ichigo felt like his face was on fire, as his minded seemed to repeat the fact that he was so corny sounding right now. He wanted her to understand though; understand that they're friends, and he'd be there for her always.
"And you know," he mumbled, wondering why he was talking so much in the first place. "I'm going to be here for the next few days, so… If you want to talk just let me know. I'm willing to hear about your concerns, because you don't have to endure the pain alone."
The healer's eyes stung with unshed tears more as he was giving her such an open confession. She thought she knew how kind he could be, that he really did have a gentle side. However, she'd never experienced anything like this.
Ichigo turned around, completely flustered, but still determined to get his point across. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, wondering what her reaction to all this sappy stuff of his was. "And…"
Her eyes grew big, as she heard his faint, single word. 'And…?'
"You can share your pain with me, Inoue…"
Orihime had to shut her eyes from the incredible amount of tears built up in the corners of her eyes. She wanted to continue to look at him, even if all she saw was his back, and his suspiciously red neck with shaking fingers scratching it, nervously? But his words made her so happy, for a brief moment, she would be okay with anything happening to her. Leaving to go to the Royal Realm, or to have the possibility of dying from the power of the Key being extracted, it didn't matter.
'If anything happened right now, it'd be okay,' she thought. 'Because I-I feel so happy…'
She let the 'happy' tears fall, not bothering to wipe them away. He couldn't see her anyways. Orihime clutched her arm tightly, her expression changing to a watery smile, and she let out a laugh.
"Thank you Kurosaki-kun," she sobbed, though her tone made it clear she was truly grateful. "Thank you so much…"
He still continued to face away, but he couldn't help but smirk lightly to himself, although his methods were corny by his standards, and his 'speech' didn't turn out exactly the way he wanted it to.
"You're welcome… Inoue."
---
A/N: Oh SNAP, that was so IchiHime!! D8 Who knew Ichigo could be so... Nice. XD *snorts* Sorry. *hearts* I can't say when I'm gonna start the next chapter, but it prolly won't be for a while. I still have to write a fic for the FLOL exchange, for mah exchange buddeh person, and then prolly some fanfic gifts or something... I need to make gifts, but I suck as stuff, so... Yikes and ew, we'll see how that goes. Oh, but if there's any luck, and I'm not rushing for deadline for the exchange, I could possibly kick some butt for the chapter over my winter break(which is the last two weeks in December. :D Two weeks!) Blah, I hope you enjoyed this! R&R, bitte schon~