Hearts of Glass, Steel, Fire and Ice
Orihime was drowning.
The whole spring and through most of the summer the citizens of Karakura had been pulling out all the stops to show Orihime just how much they grieved with her and wanted to make sure that she was well taken care of since her brother could no longer take care of her and she obviously was not old enough to do so herself.
Housewives came by with care packages brimming over with home-cooked food, groceries and a plethora of other household items and goods. The men of the town were constantly coming by to make sure she had enough wood for her fire, her house was in good repair and any other number of things she might need a man's help to finish. The children, when they heard about how much she enjoyed sweets, would spend their pocket money to buy something for themselves as well as their friend.
As much as she appreciated their gestures of good will and kindness, with all the people stopping by to make sure she was all right, Orihime was far more exhausted since she always had to try and appear to be getting along just fine even if she was still mourning her brother. While she hadn't cried at all since the day her brother had died, that didn't mean that her heart was by any means healed.
Now she truly understood just how much Ichigo had suffered after his mother's death. How heavy the burden of trying to make sure everyone else didn't worry about him while he secretly carried the weight of guilt he had placed upon his own shoulders. This understanding brought with it heartache since now Orihime could feel the pain Ichigo must have felt and she felt burdened by the guilt of not doing something sooner to help him with his own self-inflicted guilt. That combined with the grief of Sora's death nearly overwhelmed Orihime especially since the constant stream of visitors didn't give her enough time to deal with anything. She always had to plaster on her most cheery face and use her most confident tone.
One day, when she was finally left alone for a few minutes, Orihime decided to slip out her back door before anyone else came knocking and she had to go through the same old routine yet again. Without thinking, Orihime simply put one foot in front of another and before she knew it, her feet had led her right to the door of Urahara's Shop. Reaching out, Orihime opened the door and walked inside automatically.
Looking around, Orihime saw that it was exactly the same as it had always been. Since the death of Masaki, both Ichigo and Orihime had not come by since the place reminded them of what had happened the day they had last gone there. Orihime had missed coming by the store for a time, but after a while she had moved on, so now she was curious as to why her feet would bring her here of all places.
The next moment, the voice of Tessai called out as he made his way to the store front, "Welcome to Urahara's Shop! How may I-Miss Orihime! Why this is a most pleasant surprise!"
As soon as the man rounded the corner and saw Orihime, his eyes lit up and he gave Orihime a wide smile. Before Orihime could say anything, Kisuke Urahara himself came out from the back room as well and Orihime was struck by the thought that neither man had really changed at all, just like the store.
Giving Orihime a small smile, Kisuke said softly, "It's been a while, Orihime. I believe Tessai was just getting ready to serve tea and we would be delighted to have you join us. Just like old times."
At these words, Orihime opened her mouth to reply, but instead felt her throat close firmly so that she was unable to force the words out. Memories flew through her mind and in that moment she would have given anything to turn back the hands of time. Back to a time when life was simple, everyone she loved most were alive, happy and well. Back to when she wasn't all alone in the world.
Kisuke and Tessai both seemed to sense Orihime's distress since they both swiftly walked over to her side just in enough time to catch and support her as the tears came and her knees buckled. With both of them half-carrying, half-guiding her along, they reached the back room in no time and settled her comfortably at her usual place at the table, which was already set for tea.
Just as suddenly as she had started, Orihime forced herself to calm down and said in a shaky yet light tone, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me just then."
Kisuke had taken his seat across from Orihime and looked at her seriously and said slowly, "Don't ever apologize for something like that. To cry so openly in front of us tells me three things. One, that you have not been given time to properly grieve your brother's passing. From what I gather, that would be a fault of your well-meaning and kind neighbors who simply don't quite grasp the concept of 'breathing space'."
Orihime smiled a little at that, to which Kisuke replied in kind before he went on saying, "Two, your crying shows me that your heart is still just as sensitive and strong as it always has been. You have borne a lot of pain in the past few months and still you manage to keep moving on with your life.
"And third, by crying in front of us, you show trust and openness in your heart for us. To openly cry in front of someone is what some would deem weakness since the act shows the person at their most vulnerable and fragile state. A state which most people avoid being caught in at all costs since they refuse to be labeled as weak.
"However, in doing so, that person also cuts themselves off from true companionship and fellowship with others because they can't reveal their true selves. Without trust, you can't really claim to know or even love someone.
"Now there are others who cry far too much and they do so simply because they either wish to gain attention and can't think of any other way to do so, almost like a child, or they pity themselves and wish others to pity them as well.
With a gentle smile, Kisuke finished by saying, "You don't fall under either of those two categories. Your tears are a sign that your heart has been wounded very grievously, but you still have the ability to want to heal yourself. I'm guessing that now you have had your good cry, you feel much better. Am I right?"
In answer to Kisuke's question, Orihime found that the grip on her heart had lessened greatly much to her surprise.
Looking at Kisuke, Orihime asked, "I do feel much better, but what did you mean when you said that I still have the ability to want to heal myself?"
Leaning back and crossing his arms, Kisuke said simply, "Well everyone has different ways to grieving similar losses you have experienced, but most often either someone will cry and mourn for a time before moving on with their life or they will refuse to cry and remain stuck in the past. The rest of their lives will be overshadowed by the inability to let go of what they have lost and will remain locked in the past, giving no thought to their future or even present. I would think it would be quite obvious which the better way to grieve was."
Before Orihime could reply, Tessai said mildly, "I'm guessing you still take your tea with four lumps of sugar and a spoonful of cinnamon plus a dash of ground up cloves, Miss Orihime."
Smiling brightly at Tessai, Orihime said, "You remembered! That sounds positively delicious!"
Tessai expertly made the cup of tea and passed it to Orihime who inhaled the scent slowly. The aroma brought back more memories, but with the knowledge of Kisuke's words and the fact that her crying spell earlier had left her feeling much improved, the thought of times gone by caused a small wistful smile to lift the corners of her mouth. Closing her eyes, Orihime took a sip and her old smile returned along as well as the light in her eyes.
Kisuke accepted his own cup of tea from Tessai as he said lightly, "Isn't it amazing what a cup of tea and a good cry can do for the soul, Tessai?"
Without looking up from his own cup of tea, Tessai replied, "Yes, such remedies do wonders for those who have souls and hearts. I wonder how the soulless and heartless people of the world get along."
Kisuke blinked in surprise for a moment before he slowly pointed a finger at Tessai and dramatically whispered, "You…you're saying that you don't think I have a soul or a heart, aren't you Tessai?"
Giving his employer a wide-eyed, innocent look, Tessai inquired, "Did I say that? Oh dear me. How thoughtless I am to say so out loud."
With an incredulous look, Kisuke retorted, "I think you mean 'How HEARTLESS I am'!"
Shaking his head calmly, Tessai said, "No, I said thoughtless because it was not a very wise thing to say out loud even if it was the truth."
In spite of herself, Orihime couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the look of utter dumbstruck surprise on Kisuke's face while Tessai's expression was unconcerned and nonchalant. When the two men turned their gaze upon her, Orihime clapped a hand over her mouth but all that did was cause her to snort in a most unladylike fashion before she completely lost all composure, throwing her head back and laughing from the very core of her being. The two men seemed surprised at her reaction for a moment before they both grinned.
It was a little while before Orihime managed to calm down and as she was wiping tears away from her eyes, Kisuke said sagely, "I revise my earlier statement. It's amazing how much a good cry, a cup of tea but mostly a really good laugh can do for one's heart and soul. After all 'A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones'."
Taking another sip of tea, Orihime was again struck by the memories of Ichigo up until the time he had left Karakura. His spirit had been broken and his determination had gone with it. Just before her brother's death she had been so determined to go out and search for Ichigo in order to fulfill her own promise of always being there to make him happy, but she had abandoned that idea when the thought of leaving Sora behind occurred to her. However, with Sora gone, maybe, just maybe she could and should go and look for her childhood friend. At the very least, when she found him Orihime could find out if he was all right, why he left and things like that so when she came back to Karakura she could bring news to his family.
Finishing her tea quickly, Orihime stood up and said politely, "Thank you so much Mr. Urahara and Mr. Tessai for the lovely cup of tea. You've both helped me more than you realize."
Bowing and then hastening out of the room, Orihime stopped and turned when she heard Kisuke call after her, "Journeys are like rivers. Once you get started, unless you are very careful to keep your balance and your wits about you, there's no telling where the currents might sweep you off too. Just a little friendly advice for you."
Orihime nodded in acknowledgement and gratitude, even though she didn't entirely understand what Kisuke meant by those words right then. But she would figure the meaning out soon enough.
Walking through the streets of Karakura, Orihime once again allowed her intuition and feet guide the way and before she knew it, she had walked outside the Karakura Wall and was heading in the direction of the Shinigami River. For whatever reason, she had not met anyone as she walked through the streets so she wasn't stopped and inquired about how she was doing or where she was going so close to evening. She probably wouldn't have been able to answer anyways since she really didn't know herself.
Still following her intuition, Orihime made her way right to the river's edge and then stood looking out over the water unsure of what to do next. Then she turned and saw the most curious little boat moored just a little ways away in a patch of reeds. For reasons she would never be able to explain, Orihime made her way over to the boat, climbed in and pulled the rope holding the boat in place inside. As soon as she did that, the boat slowly began to drift away from the shore and into the middle of the river and then the boat began to pick up speed as it hit the stronger currents.
Sitting in the boat and watching the scenery drift by, Orihime was rather surprised at herself for not feeling anything other than mild curiosity about where this boat may be taking her. While she wouldn't say that the boat had a mind of its own, for whatever reason she knew that the boat was taking her somewhere very specific. All she had to do was sit back and wait to arrive at her destination.
When she had begun her journey, the sun had only just began to start its final descent towards sunset. As the sun finished disappearing over the horizon, Orihime felt the boat drifting towards the shore and gradually slowing down as it left the faster-flowing currents.
At this point, Orihime looked up and saw a kind of house coming into view. It was surrounded by a lovely garden and as she drew nearer, Orihime saw a woman exit the house and come towards the shoreline.
The boat stopped next to the woman and Orihime saw that she was rather tall with long, dark hair pulled into a braid, kind blue eyes and a welcoming smile brightening her features.
"Welcome Orihime Inoue. I've been expecting you for quite some time."
Author's Note:
So hopefully from here on out things will get far more interesting and exciting and enjoyable! I don't think it would be giving too much away to say that at this point in time, no other characters are going to die. I won't say that there will be no more deaths at all (I haven't decided in some cases what to do with some characters...), but for the time being everyone is safe. Also, just an fyi, Orihime will most certainly not die. If she died, the whole story would go to the dogs.
Anyway, any guesses on who this newcomer might be?
Hoped you liked it and as always any critiques and/or suggestions for things I could do better or add to the story would be greatly appreciated!