By far my favorite-est chapter. ;) And I know you all will like it too. So instead of rambling on like normal, just read it fools. :D
.chapter title. Goodbye
.disclaimer. I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
---
Three days… 72 hours… 4,320 minutes…
It wasn't enough time. Kurosaki Ichigo needed more time… But for what? To spend that time by her side, doing the same thing he's been doing those last 72 hours? He inwardly scoffed, because he knew he didn't do shit. He could've done better, he told himself. He could've taken her anywhere and everywhere, to make her happy and carve a smile onto her face.
But he didn't. He let her do whatever it is she wanted to, and that was almost nothing. It wasn't that Ichigo was against her wishes, no. He'd never say no the friend that deserves the most, but gets nothing in the end. He just couldn't say no to her. He refused to tell her no.
Now he sat in her kitchen for the last day, his heart as heavy as lead. Orihime moved about, humming a small tune to herself, somehow managing to smile. How could she smile? She was pretty much dead by the end of the day… His heart grew heavier at his crude, harsh thoughts.
"Fix that stupid wiring in your brain, idiot… And quick... Before you realize what you want is already gone."
But what was it Tatsuki talking about? Ichigo had no idea. Well, he understood the first part was an insult, but he let that slide, mostly because he deserved it, but the second part… He asked himself the same question in his head.
'What do I want?'
Now was one of those times where resolve should've really kicked in. It'd help the redhead a ton.
"Ano… Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime's sweet voice brought him out of his hard thinking. She set down a small plate of food in front of him. Ichigo looked up to her, a tense expression on his face. The healer knew him all too well, and wanted to poke at his brain and figure just what was causing him to be so strained. But she knew it wasn't her place. It was never her place… 'It's Kuchiki-san's… Not mine.'
"What is it Inoue?" Ichigo asked, a small, tense smile creeping up his face. Orihime soon frowned at his expression. 'Oh, how I wish I could make him smile for real or something…'
"I was just wondering if we could do something today, but if you'd rather stay here, I completely understand…" The healer mumbled, accidentally speaking too fast. Orihime folded her arms, her fingers grasping her flesh tightly. She hoped he would agree, but she'd certainly abide by his wishes too, if he chose to stay here.
"No, we can go out…" He grumbled, awkwardly picking up his fork. "Where did you want to go?"
"Um… Can we go to the cemetery? I'd like to see Sora-nii… one last time," Orihime replied quietly, soon taking a seat herself. She found it hard to say the last bit, and choked on her words. Ichigo's shoulders tensed at that last part as well, and his grip on the eating utensil grew tighter.
"We will, Inoue… We'll do whatever you want to do…" The substitute shinigami mumbled, suddenly feeling very sick. 'I'm out of time…'
"Thank you Kurosaki-kun," she beamed, giving him a smile he thought he didn't deserve. 'Don't smile at me, Inoue… I didn't do a thing… Don't smile.' He thought, now feeling more nauseous. Setting down his fork quickly, he earned a questionable gaze from the healer.
"Not hungry?" She questioned. He shook his head shakily.
"No… I'm just not feeling too good, is all…" He choked, finding it hard to say anything. Why was he even talking to her? He didn't deserve it… After that talk with Tatsuki, he found himself with more questions than answers. Mainly, why wasn't he doing anything about Inoue having to go? Why was he sitting on his ass, watching her cry her way to Soul Society?
"If it makes you feel better, I'm sorta feeling the same way, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime spoke softly, gaining Ichigo's full attention. "I don't know what you're thinking, but if I know you, you might be blaming yourself for all this…" His stare softened, but he mentally beat himself up for being so open. He really needed to hide his feelings better…
She extended her hand and lay it bravely on his, inciting a bright flush and vivid smile. "Please don't be blame yourself, because you didn't do anything wrong… Besides, it'll be okay in the end, right?"
He stared at her in disbelief. How could she know if it was going to be okay?? She was being ripped from her life in less than 24 hours! Ichigo flipped his hand, so his was grasping hers tightly. Orihime's eyes soon grew wide in surprise.
"And how the hell do you know it'll be okay?" He scoffed, wanting to grip her hand tighter, but held back for fear of hurting her. "Tell me, Inoue, do you really want to go?"
For a brief moment, her big gray eyes showed confusion. "I want to go… I'm okay with going." She replied with a slight tone of hesitation.
"You're lying."
"N-No, I'm not…"
"Yes, you are. I know you don't want to go…"
Orihime bit her bottom lip hard, and her fingers trembled underneath his large hand. "I… I'm telling the truth…" She spoke quietly, her food now forgotten as well. Ichigo sighed heavily, startling the small girl.
"Look… I'm not trying to scare you. Hell, that's the last thing I'd want to do… Just…" He spoke in broken bits, desperately trying to put into words every thought running in his mind. "I don't know who this guy is that you like so much and I'm not going to force you to tell me who it is, but… I do know you don't want to go. You don't want to be away from him…"
"Kurosaki-kun…"
"So don't lie to me… Please."
"… I don't want to go, Kurosaki-kun…" She finally confessed, those dreadful recurring tears showing up again. "But it's what's best for everyone, and that's why I'm going…" Orihime tried to take her hand back, but Ichigo only held onto it tighter.
"You're always like this, you know…" He spoke, his tone growing harsher. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he wanted her to know she could be happy for herself. He wanted to pound that stupid fact into her head. "You never do what you know will make you happy."
"W-What?" Orihime breathed, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I-I do to…"
"You're lying again, Inoue… Why can't you just try to do something for yourself for once?"
"B-But what position are you in to say something like that?" Her voice was wavering. He sounded mad, like he wanted a verbal battle, but there was absolutely no way she could go against him. This was the boy she'd fallen in love with, and pledged to love for five lifetimes for goodness sakes!
"I'm your friend, and I'm concerned," Ichigo boldly replied, his grip growing even tighter on the girl's small hand. "I'm not stupid Inoue, I know you're hurting. The only way you'll feel better is if you do something that you want to do. Why not confess to that guy you like? What's holding you back?"
Orihime's eyes grew wide and she immediately pulled her hand back, leaving Ichigo with a confused expression. "Everything!!" The healer let go of built up feelings, tears breaking loose. "I can't confess, Kurosaki-kun. It'd ruin everything!"
"How would it ruin everything?" Ichigo inquired, his curiosity quickly replacing his previous angst. Amber eyes flashed with dangerous emotions, causing Orihime to cower slightly to herself. She quietly sobbed for a few moments, noticing the shinigami's expression had not changed at all. He was more curious about the nonsense she was spouting, than her very obvious pain from the deep wound in her heart. And boy, was he really layering on the salt.
"I-I… I'm not selfish… I won't ruin my friendship with him by confessing, just because I'm going to die-"
"Shut up, you don't know that!"
"But it's true!!" Orihime sobbed, bringing her hands up to her wet cheeks, frantically wiping them away. "I know you're thinking it… Everyone is…"
Ichigo didn't respond, more or less because he knew that thought crossed his mind multiple times. It's not like he wanted her to leave or die, but that awful thought definitely showed up whether he wanted it to or not.
"You said to do what I want, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime whimpered, standing up abruptly from her chair. "I'm going to keep it a secret… I'll carry it to the grave if I have to." Ichigo's expression managed to soften a bit. "I'd rather die a thousand times than see him hurt from my selfishness."
Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, finishing with one last statement. "And don't tell me he wouldn't hurt, because he would. I know him well, Kurosaki-kun… His heart would hurt because of my stupid desires…" Orihime took in a deep breath before wiping away her tears a final time with her shirtsleeve. "Now if you don't mind… I-I'm going to go see Sora-nii one last time…" And with that, Inoue Orihime disappeared into the hallway, leaving Ichigo in the kitchen alone, brooding over what just happened.
'What the hell have I done??' He inwardly swore, pounding his fist onto the table hard, causing the dishes and cutlery to shake. Ichigo scrunched his eyes together tightly, deciding whether he wanted to block out the sobs coming from the hall or not. 'Dammit… Fuck… I'm such an asshole!'
The substitute shinigami beat himself up, pounding his fist hard into his leg now. It hurt, but he wouldn't stop… This pain was nothing compared to the shit he'd just put Inoue through.
Ichigo heard clattering and soon a door to slam, quickly making him realize he needed to follow her. He wouldn't follow her because she was a stupid key, but because he hurt her. Badly… And he didn't want her to be in more pain than she already was… Though he really didn't know how bad it was.
Throwing on his coat and shoving on his shoes, he was soon out the door, chasing down that familiar redhead with the calming reiatsu. She wasn't very far ahead, he discovered, as she walked with a slow, trembling pace. Her small, hunched back only made him feel worse. 'What have I done…? She did nothing wrong, and I blew up at her…'
Ichigo walked behind her for a while, remaining silent. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't muster the courage. He wanted to hit himself again for being weak. He couldn't even give this girl the apology she deserves.
Eventually, he took in a deep, shuddering breath, and started to apologize.
"Inoue, I'm sor-"
"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime stopped him again, as well as stopping in her place. Her shoes made a soft crunch on the new snow. Orihime blew on her cold fingers, regret weighing down her heart. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have gotten to upset."
He froze, replaying her words in his head to make sure he heard right. "Wait… Why are you apologizing??" Ichigo asked, his tone harsher than intended. 'Crap.'
The auburn-haired teen turned around slowly, a painful smile on her face. 'Smile for him,' she told herself, remembering her blonde elder's words. "I was wrong to get so mad. I shouldn't have blown up at you because I'm incapable of doing anything."
"Inoue, why are you saying that? You know you can do so much."
"I couldn't contain my feelings… I can't accept my fate… I could never protect you… I guess I fail as a friend, don't I?" Orihime forced a light laugh in hopes to brighten the already dreary mood.
"No, don't say that. You know it's not true… Inoue, you're a good friend," Ichigo murmured, feeling somewhat funny, not able to explain his sudden boldness. "I wouldn't normally say this, but, uh, I really am glad to have you as a friend…"
And suddenly, Orihime did something that surprised Ichigo. It even caused him to jump a little.
She smiled… And not a phony smile, or just her normal grin, but a bright, wide smile, that caused the boy to turn extremely red. 'H-has… she always been this pretty?'
"Thank you Kurosaki-kun…" The healer murmured, her eyes shining with compassion and happiness. "I'm so glad you're my friend too…" 'You have no idea how happy I am to have met you…' Orihime folded her arms behind her back, still smiling at him, giving Ichigo an even hotter face, if possible. The small teen quickly turned around once more and began her trek towards the cemetery her brother was buried in. Ichigo stared at the back of her for a good few minutes, completely dumbfounded. How he of all people managed to get a girl like her as a friend… He'd never know.
Letting his lips curl up into a crooked grin, Ichigo finally managed to move his suddenly heavy legs, along with the weak knees that probably caused the inability to walk. He knew he made a bad move just moments before, but something felt different after the whole thing. He couldn't explain it, and he wouldn't question it either. In fact, he welcomed it… It made him feel closer to Inoue somehow, and secretly, Ichigo kind of liked it.
---
Ichigo was normally surprised by the new things he learned about Inoue, but this was definitely a big one.
"It's the same place…" He mumbled to himself, shoving his large hands into his pockets. Orihime stopped and looked at him confused, her lips puckered into a cute pout.
"Eh? What do you mean?" She inquired, now rubbing her hands together again in an attempt to warm up her hands. Ichigo noticed this, and again, gave her his gloves for her to use. She instantaneously flushed, and quickly stuttered a "thank you…"
"Ah, well… It's just my mom is here too…" The bright haired boy muttered, kneading the back of his neck somewhat nervously. "I didn't think it'd be the same place, is all…"
"Do you mind if I say hello to her?" Orihime asked, a bright smile soon on her face. Ichigo looked at her incredulously, keeping his lips into a tight line. 'Does she really want to talk to mom? I mean… she doesn't know of my family that well… Is she okay with tha-'
"Oh, I'm so sorry Kurosaki-kun! I'm so stupid… Your mother means a lot to you, and of course it's weird for a random friend like me to want to say hello…" She quickly finished, waving her hands around frantically, her eyes full of silent apologies.
"No, it's fine… I'm sure she'd like to meet one of my friends. No one else has ever been here with me before, besides family."
"Not Sado-kun?"
"Nope."
"Not Tatsuki-chan? Kuchiki-san? Or Ishida-kun? Or even Asano-san?"
"No and hell no to the last two. Rukia did come along the one summer… I didn't want her to, but she did anyways."
"Oh…" Orihime pouted again while speaking, her enthusiasm suddenly dropping. 'Of course Kuchiki-san would have seen his mother before. She's a good person, and Kurosaki-kun would've definitely preferred she visit his mother instead of me… I'm stupid.'
"You okay?" Ichigo inquired, asking that taboo question again after noticing her sudden silence. She nodded dully, bringing up the warm gloves to her cold face.
"Just fine…"
Orihime remained quiet until they got to Inoue Sora's grave, causing Ichigo's ever growing concern to expand further. As soon as they were there, she quickly put on a false smile, (which he definitely noticed), and muttered a hello. The healer folded her hands together and prayed for her brother silently, while Ichigo stared at the headstone, guilt out of no where suddenly weighing him down.
'Hey… Uh, it's been a while, hasn't it… Sorry about the whole attacking you thing back then…' Ichigo thought to Sora silently, rubbing the back of his neck nervously again. 'I… couldn't protect Inoue back then… And I'm really sorry… Because I couldn't protect her again.'
The substitute shinigami let his gaze wander to the tiny healer next to him, his tense expression softening just by looking at her. Ichigo cleared his throat before looking back at the carefully carved kanji on the stone. 'I don't know what to do, honestly… I know I can't just let her die, but I can't go after her either… Last time I did, things… didn't turn out good.'
He sighed lightly, shoving his hands back into his pocket once again. 'I wish I knew what you might do… You're her brother, you know what's best for her and what she'd want… Too bad I'm a crappy friend, and can't even figure that much out.' Ichigo let his shoe shuffle some snow off to the side as he gave an apologetic stare to the head stone. 'I'm sorry I failed her… And I'm sorry I failed you…'
"All done, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime chirped, giving the boy a bright smile. He nodded hesitantly, doing his best to hide his guilt. He must have been doing a pretty good job, because she didn't seem to notice. "So off to see your mother?" She asked. He just nodded again.
Ichigo led the way to his mother's grave, his footsteps getting heavier with every step closer to her resting-place. It wasn't long until they got there, and Orihime kept a bright smile on her face. She grinned vividly, and her cheeks flushed ever so slightly. He couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from some embarrassment she had. And her hair framed her face, and a small wind blew a few auburn strands around. His eyes suddenly grew wide, and his fingers began to tremble.
He didn't know what dawned on him, but standing here, just looking at her… His mind finally set into the fact that these were her last hours… She most likely would never see anyone, or him, ever again. Again, he suddenly felt sick, and he kicked loose snow off the ground, all while muttering to her, "I'll be right back…" Ichigo left, leaving Orihime very confused.
He took step after heavy step until he got to a bench under a small covering, so it wasn't covered with snow. Groaning, he let his body collapse onto the seat, and his hand curled into a tight fist. He couldn't tremble, dammit. He couldn't hesitate…
Ichigo finally knew what he wanted.
He wanted her to stay. He wanted her to fucking stay…
Of course he wanted her to stay before, but now… Now he desperately wanted to keep her here. Not have her go to Soul Society, not to the Royal Realm, nowhere… Ichigo wanted her to remain in Karakura, with her neighbors, her friends… with him. "Dammit…" He harshly swore, his heart beating painfully in his chest. Why did it hurt so goddamn much?? She was leaving, and sure they were friends, but it shouldn't ache this much!
His knuckles began turning white, but he didn't care. The fact she would either way never return was finally hammered into his brain, though it was only a small switch that turned on that revelation. If it was so small, why did it hurt…?
Ichigo choked back another groan, leaning forward and propping his arms on his knees. He rested his head in his hands and bit his bottom lip as she often did, truly doing his best to fix his broken feelings.
---
"I'll be right back…" Ichigo muttered, leaving the poor girl very confused. 'Had he gotten sick?' She wondered, holding back the urge to run to his side and assist him. 'No…' Orihime told herself, forcing her body to remain in its spot. She still had to do this.
"Ano, hello Masaki-san… You don't know me, but I'm Kurosaki-kun's friend, Inoue Orihime…" She murmured to his mother, unknowingly giving a conversation to her, just as Ichigo did to her sibling. "I'm sorry for being so sudden, but I just wanted to thank you…" Orihime kneeled down and slowly extending a hand to lightly touch the carved stone.
"You have a wonderful son, Masaki-san… He's kind, caring, and courteous… Despite what others say, he's truly a good person, and no doubt he probably got it from you." She paused for a moment, before suddenly flailing her hands about. "Not that Kurosaki-san isn't nice like him too, but when Kurosaki-kun talks about you, he always has this soft look in his eyes. I've always wanted to ask him more about you, because from what I've heard, you seem amazing, but… I don't want to force him to talk about it if it hurts him somehow."
Orihime paused again and bit her bottom lip again. "Anyways, I wanted to thank you. Maybe you're thinking I'm silly for thanking you for no reason, but I have a very big reason, Masaki-san… I'm very grateful that you brought Kurosaki-kun into this world. You see, I… I'm in love with your son…" She quickly flushed as she spoke, her confession suddenly seeming so bold. "He's a great person, and I'm happy to say that I'm okay with going to the Royal Realm, or even dying… Because I met him, and things were a lot brighter with him around."
Orihime stood back up and gave the headstone a big smile. "So thank you Masaki-san… From the bottom of my heart, I'm truly, truly grateful…"
A gentle wind soon blew around the young healer, causing her to smile wider. She wondered if it was Masaki-san's way of saying something, or maybe she was accepting her as a friend of her son's… She'd never know, but as she turned around and left to find him, very glad she was able to connect with him further, through his mother.
Orihime smiled as she took gentle strides around the cemetery, keeping an eye out for a bright, orange-haired boy that should've clearly been able to distinguish easily due to all the bright snow. Eventually she spotted his bright locks and she picked up her pace, oddly eager to return to his side.
"Hi Kurosaki-kun!" She breathed enthusiastically, quickly at the bench, taking a seat right next to him. She didn't know what had gotten into her, as she purposely sat extra close to him. She could even feel some of his body heat radiating onto her.
He didn't respond, but merely rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. '… Something's wrong…'
"Are you okay, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime inquired, changing her tone to a much more concerned one.
"Yeah… Just fine…" Ichigo shrugged, barely able to spit out the words. Orihime remained silent and continued to watch him. She wondered when his back had gotten so big, as he was very hunched over… She knew he was pretty built for a teenager, but he suddenly seemed so… masculine to her. Like the teenage boy she fell in love with changed into a man.
Though the thing that bothered her was that his back was trembling ever so slightly. Her face fell, and she cautiously placed a light hand on his back, in some random attempt to calm him. "You sure?"
The shinigami hesitated, then shook his head subtly, absolutely doing his best to keep his hands from shaking even more.
"Are you cold…?" Orihime both asked and wondered, making a possibility that he was in fact really cold, not upset.
"No…" Ichigo responded gruffly. This left the healer for a lack of ways to help him. Frowning, she quickly sat up and threw her hands into the air.
"Kurosaki-kun, let's get rid of that gloom!! You should smile!" Orihime exclaimed, turning her frown upside down, into a bright smile. "Instead of being sad, you should be happy!" The healer looked to him, and surprisingly, he watched her with a soft, amused expression. Definitely different than the permanent scowl she was expecting. Much different… It even caused her to flush slightly.
"Yeah…" Was all he could mutter back, his gentle smile still etched onto his face. Orihime turned redder, and an idea popped into her head. It was blasphemy, what she was considering requesting, but maybe he'd say yes…
"Kurosaki-kun, can I ask of one last favor? I promise there'll be nothing else I'll ask for, for the rest of the day."
Ichigo's expression turned into a slightly confused one. "Sure… Anything, Inoue…" '… Anything for you…'
"Um…" She fidgeted a bit, twisting her fingers around nervously, before looking up to him with big gray eyes. "C-Can I hug you?" Amber eyes grew wide, his face sporting a light pink shade from such a request. But he stopped and remembered his thoughts earlier… He couldn't say no to her. He wouldn't refuse her.
Ichigo stood up slowly, but surely, before awkwardly extending his arms out. "Um… I'll warn you now… I've never really hugged anyone before…" His hands curled into fists again, and he cleared his throat again. "So I'm sorry if I suck at it…"
Orihime giggled to herself. 'No one could be bad at hugging, Kurosaki-kun… It's just a natural thing.' She told him silently, before taking a brave stride before slightly extending her own arms to wrap around his midsection.
She felt bad at first, as soon as she hugged him. He seemed so stiff and appeared that he really didn't want to be there, but he soon melted into the hug. He wrapped his lean arms around her small shoulders, his face eventually burying into her silky, auburn hair. Orihime's cheek rested lightly against his jacket, and she sighed in content. Being in his arms, and him actually accepting it… accepting her… It felt like a dream.
"Thank you Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime muttered into the fabric, her cheeks only heating up slightly. He nodded gruffly into her hair, taking in her oddly addictive scent. It made him curious as to what it was, but then again, the whole smell was making his brain fuzzy, his thoughts muddling together. It felt like he couldn't even put two coherent words together. 'Thank you…'
Ichigo remained silent, and even managed to hold the girl closer. What was with him? He was in so much pain earlier, which he still questioned, but now… It was like she was within reach, and he felt so much better. It didn't hurt at all… It didn't hurt. She started to move away.
"Ah, sorry Kurosaki-kun," She breathed, lightly pushing herself away. "You said it yourself, you're not used to it and here I am, hugging you like there's no end." Orihime pulled herself away, only to be pulled back again. Her eyes grew wide and her face turned extremely hot. He… He willing pulled her back into another hug. Not her, him. "Ku-Kurosaki-kun??"
"Inoue, just… stay like this for a little while longer…" He murmured into her hair, grasping the fabric of her coat tightly. "Please…" The small girl shakily nodded and gripped the front of his coat, fingers trembling in anticipation.
"O-Of course…" The healer stuttered, her face turning brighter. "Anything, Kurosaki-kun…" Since Ichigo's face was buried in her hair, she could feel his lips curl into a small smile, causing her to blush even more.
The two stayed like that for what seemed like forever. Not that Orihime minded of course. In fact, she even pretended for a moment, that he was really in love with her too and they hugged like this all the time. Since he couldn't see her face, she let her lips silently mouth out the words, 'I love you…' Tears stung at her eyes and she sniffed.
"W-We should probably start heading back…" She murmured into his coat, her fingers undecided as to hold onto him tighter, or let go. He hesitated for a moment, before reluctantly loosening his hold on her a bit. Ichigo winced slightly as that pain from earlier started to return.
"Yeah… Probably…" He responded in the same tone, pulling them further apart even more. She looked up to him with big eyes and a smile, tears somehow connecting the two. "You're crying?" She waited a moment before nodding shakily.
"Don't worry," Orihime spoke softly, still smiling. "I'm happy. They're happy tears." She explained, earning a questionable look from the boy. He sighed, feeling deflated, as he brought his thumb up to her face. She jumped a bit, as it was somewhat cold finger wiped away the stray tears.
"Well… As long as you're not depressed," Ichigo grumbled, his thumb wiping the wetness from her face. She gave him that bright smile again, in which he was unable to contain his own from showing.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun…"
"You're welcome… Inoue."
---
Ichigo sat at the kitchen table, completely encased in darkness. He only stared at his right hand, the same one she healed back before she left for Hueco Mundo. He never got an answer from her. An answer to the question, "Why did you heal me before you left?" She had gone to him before she left, and he still couldn't figure out why.
The substitute shinigami let go of a sigh as he ran the hand through his orange locks. He couldn't sleep. He'd try to close his eyes, but she would be there. Inoue would be in his thoughts, smiling all the time. Ichigo let his lips curl up into a smile of his own.
He reflected on the last twenty-four hours with her. It started off bad, with him acting like a jerk and making her cry. The smile soon turned back into a scowl as he kicked himself for doing such a thing. Then they went to the cemetery, both with heavy hearts, but managed to leave with a smile. He made her cry again then too, but she said she was happy… He noticed a recurring theme with his lips. He'd remember, then smile, soon changing to a frown, then a smile again.
Ichigo sighed again, slouching in the chair as he gazed at nothing. He was irritated. He and Inoue were friends, but he knew by now it wasn't normal to be thinking about her this much… Not like thinking of her was a bad thing, but he knew this abundance of thoughts was a bit much. He respected her, and didn't want her to think poorly of him because all he could think of was her-
Crash.
Ichigo snapped up from his seat, startled by the loud noise. Slowly letting his hand curl into a tight fist and began to move towards the place he heard the sound. 'Bet it's probably a fucking thief. Thinks he can get in here and steal Inoue's stuff… Boy, he's as wrong as hell, because I'm not going to let him!' Ichigo thought fiercely, his fist clenching tighter.
'The hall… He's in the hall…' He determined, raising his arm, ready to strike. "Take this you thie-" Ichigo started to swing down, but stopped and immediately regretted even bringing up his hand in the first place.
It was Inoue, and she was sitting on the floor. "Inoue…" He breathed, feeling relief that it wasn't anyone else but her. But that relief soon washed away when he noticed her thick tears rolling down her cheeks, and her small form trembled terribly. "I-Inoue, what happened??" Ichigo stuttered, quickly rushing to her side. She bit her bottom lip in attempts to hold back another sob, but it escaped, and more tears rushed down her fragile face.
Ichigo, not thinking of anything else at the time, took her hand in his, holding onto it tightly. Orihime winced and cried harder at his sudden contact, and she pulled her hand away. "Ku-Kur-Kurosaki-kun…" The healer stuttered, clearly in pain. It wasn't long after until he realized the broken picture frame and shards of glass lying next to her were coated with blood. Ichigo's heart dropped and he took her hand again, not holding it this time, but merely looking at it.
Orihime was bleeding, and badly. She somehow cut her palm, probably with the glass. Ichigo quickly pulled her up from her sitting position and dragged her to the bathroom, where he rummaged around her cabinets for gauze or a cloth, or something to help stop the bleeding.
"Fuck…" He grumbled, finding none at the moment. An idea soon popped into the orangette's head, and he snapped his head back to the shaking girl on the floor. "Stay here, Inoue, I'll be right back." She nodded, and he left.
Orihime raised her hand up lightly, completely wanting to ignore the immense shaking. Blood trailed down her palm and onto her arm, ultimately dropping down in small ruby colored drops off her elbow. Her tears were somehow stopping their tirade on her poor eyes, but it still fogged her vision. "I'm so stupid…" She croaked, her voice sore from crying.
Ichigo soon returned with a bundle of something white, his eyes flashing with desperation, frantically wondering what happened to her.
"Inoue… What happened?" The orange-haired boy breathed, applying the white cloth to her still bleeding cut. She eyed the fabric questionably, and Ichigo noticed her continuing gaze. "Oh, uh, one of my shirts…" He replied, answering the question he knew she was thinking.
"The blood stains though…" Orihime murmured quietly, fearing her voice would crack further. Ichigo shrugged and applied some pressure to her wound, causing her to wince again.
"Ah, sorry… And I don't care about stupid stains," he replied, casually wiping away the other dribbling blood on her arm with the other part of the cloth. "I don't want you to be bleeding Inoue."
She continued to watch him slowly and gently take care of her arm, both cleaning and stopping the bleeding.
"You never said what happened."
"… Clumsy, is all."
"And why where you awake?"
"… I couldn't sleep."
Ichigo sighed lightly, feeling somewhat relieved she was actually telling him the truth. At least, from what he could tell. "That makes two of us," he murmured, removing the shirt and assessing the wound. "Still hurt?" Orihime raised her eyebrows in surprise. He had been awake too?
'What? My heart? Or my hand?' She nodded lightly and bit her lip again. His face fell and he lightly blew cool breath onto the cut, hoping it would help relieve the pain.
"Kurosaki-kun… Do you think it's stupid to be scared?" Orihime mumbled, her eyes traveling to his hands. She didn't want to look into his eyes, his beautiful amber eyes, while she felt those darn tears stinging again.
"Of course not, Inoue. It's a natural feeling, fear I mean…" He replied nonchalantly, his thumb lazily moving back and forth against the soft skin on her hand. He stopped, frozen almost, and she noticed his sudden stiffness. "Inoue, you're…"
Nervous gray eyes managed to glide upwards for a moment, catching soft amber ones. "You're scared… aren't you?" Ichigo spoke for her, practically reading her like a book. Orihime's eyes showed more fear, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again.
"I…" She suppressed a sob, and nodded shakily, before feeling hot tears roll down her cheeks again. "I-I'm so sorry Kurosaki-kun, I'm s-so pathetic…" Orihime pulled her hand away and she curled her small form up into a ball, trembling immensely.
Ichigo watched her cry with a heavy heart, secretly damning that returning pain from earlier. She was in his reach again though, maybe, just maybe… He could possibly relieve that hurt again.
"Dammit, come here…" He grumbled, grabbing hold of her tiny arms and pulled her into another hug. "It's okay to be scared, Inoue…" The healer, surprised, tensed up at first from his sudden, compassionate act.
"I'm afraid of never seeing Kurosaki-kun again…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…It's sad, is all…"
She remembered the words she spoke to her busty friend, feeling completely serious. Herself, Inoue Orihime, was still wavering a bit, but accepted her fate. She was not afraid of what was to come, but afraid of being away from him. The boy she had loved so, so much.
"Ku-Kurosaki-kun…" She slurred, her words garbled from heavy crying. Orihime wrapped her arms around his lean frame and took hold of his shirt, bunching up the fabric in her fingers. "I'm s-sorry…"
"Don't apologize for anything. You haven't done anything wrong, Inoue…" He replied in calm tone, hoping to somehow ease her fear. Ichigo managed to smile lightly, as that stupid pain from earlier was going away. He hugged her again, and he was glad he did. It definitely didn't ache as much, his heart.
"I-I don't want to go…"
"I know…"
"K-Kurosaki-kun… I'm scared…"
His grip on her grew tighter, as that pain suspiciously returned with her tender words. "… I know…" It was like her obvious presence wasn't helping at all… What was this stupid feeling??
Orihime sniffed, tears falling onto his shirt, wetting the fabric. She needed to let go. She was taking advantage of the situation, and she knew very well that the two shinigami would be here to pick her up soon. She had to let go, and let him move on…
But she couldn't…
"The only way you'll feel better is if you do something that you want to do."
And that was her logic for hugging him like this. She did feel a bit better after doing what she actually wanted to do. She wanted to hug him, to tell him she loved him, to let him know that her heart would always be his, no matter where she was or what would happen to her.
How Orihime desperately wanted to do all that and more, but she knew she couldn't be that selfish. The boy- no… Man she fell in love with was hugging her on a whim, and she was happy. Yes, wanting more as well, but she kept her lips shut tight about that matter.
Ichigo soon pulled away, leaving Orihime confused and kind of cold.
"You're going to get sick if you're on the floor, Inoue," Ichigo spoke, still sounding calm. He stood up and offered his hand to her, to help her up. She slowly took it with her non-cut hand, and she soon was standing, as he was. The shinigami guided her slowly to the couch, where he made her sit down. He told her he'd be right back, and Orihime was left in the darkness.
She glanced at the illuminated clock on the way, noting the time. 'They said twelve… I'm out of time, Kurosaki-kun…' Orihime dully traced the cut on her hand, ignoring the ache she was causing from the touch.
"You never really said how you got hurt," Ichigo commented, soon returning with hands shoved into his pajama pockets. Orihime puckered her lips into a small pout, shifting her gaze up to him slightly.
"Oh… Um, I was trying to get to the bathroom, but my tears… They clouded my vision, and I ran into the wall. And kinda knocked down the picture hanging there too…" She explained quietly, blushing lightly at the lack of space between the two, as he took a seat next to her on the couch. She heard him chuckle a bit, but then he immediately regretted it.
"So it was an act of clumsiness…" He murmured, pulling at his orange bangs lightly. Orihime nodded, cracking an uncomfortable smile. The two sat in silence, with the occasional sound of the healer whipping her hair as she looked to the clock. For some reason, she didn't want him to see her go when she had to.
Ichigo suddenly cleared his throat, and looked off to the side. "U-Um… So… I, erm, knew you really liked that necklace at that jewelry place…" He stuttered, wondering why the hell he was so nervous all of a sudden.
Orihime looked at him with confused eyes, paying full attention to his red face and sideways glance. At least, until he started to pull a small box out of his pocket. Then her stare was averted towards it.
"And so I, uh, kinda got this for you… Something you can remember me- I mean… all of us, by… You know, Tatsuki, Chad… The whole gang," Ichigo awkwardly mumbled, handing her the small, velvety box. Orihime took it slowly out of his hand, her eyes big with embarrassment, confusion, and so many other emotions she couldn't even comprehend herself. She was truly speechless.
She opened the case cautiously, as if it was on fire. Inside the box was the small glass necklace she fell in love with just days before. Why was her voice failing her at this exact moment??
"Y-You like it… Right?" Ichigo worried, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Orihime opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut almost immediately. Her eyes welled up with those tears again, and she nodded shakily.
"More than like it…" She breathed quietly, idly fumbling with the box in attempt to retrieve the glass strawberry and its adorning chain. Ichigo swallowed thickly, watching her amazed expression. His lips formed into a small smile, and the nervousness he was feeling before was dissipating.
"I'm glad," Ichigo numbly spoke, watching her in an awed state of his own. Orihime continued to stare at it, smiling at it with a goofy grin, but tears stung at her eyes. Her fingers quivered as she tried to undo the clasp to put it on. Long, tan fingers leaned over by hers, and Ichigo took the necklace out of her hands. "Here, I'll do it. Turn around."
She nodded feebly and did as she was told, still shaking lightly. Orihime pulled her hair out of the way, and she soon saw the glass fruit cross in front of her face, as Ichigo casually placed it around her throat, connecting the clasps together at the end. She held back a gasp as his hot breath fanned over her temporarily naked neck.
"T-Thank you…" She whispered, pulling her hair out of the grasp of the chain, letting her auburn tresses fall over her shoulders again. Turning around, Orihime gave the teen a bright smile, tears still remaining unshed. "Thank you so much, Kurosaki-kun…" He nodded back, giving her a smile as well.
The healer stood up suddenly, causing Ichigo to raise his eyebrows in confusion. "I'll be right back, okay?" Once more, he nodded and Orihime left and retreated to the bathroom, her heart hammering erratically in her chest. Letting her heated gaze travel up to the mirror, soon seeing a familiar blonde standing behind her. She jumped slightly in surprise, but she already knew they were in her apartment. They just remained hidden.
"That was nice of him…" Rangiku spoke softly, giving the girl a smile. Orihime nodded and adored the strawberry.
"Sorry I took longer than planned."
"It's fine. I didn't want to ruin the moment anyways."
"So will he see me leave then…?" Orihime asked almost inaudibly, tracing the outline of her fresh wound again. The blonde shook her head.
"He actually fell asleep as soon as you left. Poor boy was probably tired," Rangiku replied, folding her arms under her heavy chest.
"Well it is late…" The healer mumbled, hesitating a bit before resuming. "Can I have a few more minutes? I promise it won't take very long." The busty shinigami nodded a final time before leaving the small room.
Orihime sighed lightly and quickly wrapped some gauze over her cut, along with some tape, before shutting off her bathroom light for the last time. She took quiet strides toward the boy asleep on her couch. The healer contemplated whether to sit down or stand up. Eventually she decided to sit next to him. The slight movement caused the substitute shinigami to stir a bit, rolling his head to the side, ultimately facing her, although sleeping.
"Thank you for everything, Kurosaki-kun… I really did love spending time with you…" The girl spoke softly to his large, slumbering form. A small smile crept up her face as she talked. "I'm not going to leave with a long speech like I did last time, but… I did want to say thank you… And that what you've done for me the last few days made me fall in love with you even more."
She stopped and stared at his expression. His eyebrows furrowed, and his lips lightly smacked together before taking in a shuddering breath. The smile she had before grew a bit bigger.
"So… See you in the next lifetime… Kurosaki-kun."
Orihime drew her body closer to his, her lips barely over his once more, just like that night, hovering over his lips. But she wasn't going to do that again. She brought her lips to his forehead, and planted a small kiss on the skin. The healer remained like that for a few moments before pulling away, exhaling shakily. She'd definitely grown more courageous, she noted. And it was all thanks to him.
Inoue Orihime slipped out into the night with Matsumoto Rangiku and Hitsugaya Toshiro, now completely accepting of her fate. She disappeared entirely, unknowing of how much she'd truly be missed.
And when Ichigo was to wake the next morning, she'd be no where to be found.
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:) R & R, bitte~