The Karakura group would look back on this night as one of the worst nights of their lives. Ichigo himself knew it would be forever etched into his mind as it happened, waiting for him behind his eyelids at night when he finally had to give in and replay the images and memories that waited for him before he could finally fall to sleep. He knew this fact all too well, and it only made it worse.
There was would be no escape for anyone.
The police had shown up at the door of the Kurosaki clinic, and Isshin had been there to greet them and explain the situation. They had talked to each one of the teenagers, and all gave the same story and explanation, just from different view points. They wanted to speak with Inoue, but after Orihime had tried to find the words and couldn't do so without bursting into tears, Isshin had told them that tonight was not the best time and that maybe tomorrow would be better considering the traumatizing evening she had experienced.
Still, the police pushed to talk to the auburn haired beauty, and Isshin sighed, allowing them in. Ichigo was not pleased.
"What's the fucking difference if you talk to her now or later? She's been through a lot and the last thing she needs is you guys in her face demanding answers! Just give her some time." He growled at the officer, receiving a death glare in response, but a small smile of approval from Tatsuki.
"Listen here, boy, we have a protocol to follow. You my not like it, hell I may not like it, but that's just too damn bad. We're talking to her now. I have a job to do." The officer pushed his way past Ichigo and the group of teenagers, annoyed.
They followed the police into the room so that they would be there with Inoue when the questioning began, but the man turned on his heels.
"I need to talk to her alone, so if you don't mind-,"
"I do mind. I don't see the harm in us being in there to support her." Ichigo snapped at the cop, and all his friends nodded. "We won't say anything or interupt."
"I can only allow the doctor in there with me at the time of questioning. Sorry, kid." The cop said, ignoring the tone in Ichigo's voice. "Even if you were there, her testimony is considered confidential information and I cannot allow you to be present." Ichigo sighed.
Isshin followed the man into the room, nodding at Ichigo as if to say he would make sure everything was okay. Ichigo ran his hand through his hair, and Tatsuki leaned against the wall, allowing herself to slide down until she was sitting on the floor, defeated.
The tears began to sting her eyes before she knew it, and she blinked them away, surprised at how quickly they poured out of her. She rarely cried, but now it seemed like she couldn't stop.
When it rains, it pours.
Soon, more tears followed and flowed down her face freely and Tatsuki stopped brushing them away, uncaring. If she wiped them, more would just replace them so she sat, unstaring, unmoving with tears sitting on her cheeks.
"It's all my fault. I was supposed to be with her." She whispered to no one in particular, swallowing the lump that had formed into her throat. She closed her lids slowly, hoping that when she reopened them she'd find herself in her bed, shaking off a nightmare.
She didn't.
Ichigo, Ishida, and Chad soon joined Tatsuki on the floor against the wall.
"Don't, Tatsuki. Don't. It's not your fault. It's mine." Ichigo murmured, his head leaning against the wall, staring blankly into the distance. He had vowed a long time ago that he would be the one to protect her from harm. He had failed shortly after and he had failed once again.
He was fucking weak and it had cost him a price too high.
"She...she doesn't deserve this…she's the last person on Earth who…should have to go through something like this - she had been through enough!" Tatsuki whispered, ignoring Ichigo. "I should have stopped those slime balls…"
"I think we can all agree that we all feel guilty…Inoue-san is someone worth protecting and we failed her miserably tonight…I don't think I can forgive myself..." Ishida quietly said, adding to the pile of guilt that was building in the room. Chad nodded.
"She's already endured so much...it's going to be a lot harder after tonight. This is just the beginning." Chad's quiet words clung to the air poignantly, causing everyone to swallow in suspense.
This would not go away in the morning. They could not erase it in one swift motion, could not slice it down with a zanpakutou, they could not reject it…it would always be there, following them…
"How do you rid yourself of a shadow? Hide in the darkness? Is that how you live after something like this?" Ichigo wondered to himself. He wondered if he could die from anger.
He couldn't control his temper on the best of days. Tonight, he may explode.
"It's all my fucking fault!" Ichigo exclaimed, anger consuming him. He stood and punched the wall next to him. "Fuck!" He yelled in anger. He hit it again.
It hurt, but it didn't bother him. Nothing could hurt as much as this situation did. All the fights he had ever endured, the stabs and beatings, none of it even measured up. This was an epic failure, a failure that cost something too dear, too precious. It was unspeakable.
"Ichigo, stop! You're just gonna cause a scene. Orihime doesn't need to be worrying about you right now!"
"Don't you think I know that Tatsuki?" Ichigo quipped, turning his venom stare towards the girl. Tatsuki had stood up to look him straight in the eye.
"Then stop being such an idiot! I'm her best friend! The blame is on me alone; I'm the one who let her run off into the crowd and let those stupid jocks get to her! It was all…me…." Tatsuki's voice broke, and she turned away from the orange haired boy so that her back was facing him, her stare directed at the wall and her arms crossed in defiance.
"Ichigo. I know, okay? I know. I understand how this feels; we're all in the same boat as you are." She whispered, and Ichigo swallowed hard. All of his friends were hurting here, not just him.
"And neither will blaming yourself. Both of you need to stop…the blame can easily be shared here." Ishida added, his tone quiet.
Tatsuki sniffled, tired of fighting back the tears and returned to her spot on the floor next to Chad, who awkwardly patted the girl on the shoulder in attempt to comfort her. Ichigo remained standing, restless.
Finally the police man emerged from the room with Isshin right behind him.
"You can go see her now, if you guys wish."
Ichigo did not hesitate. He was through the door in a matter of seconds, followed closely by
"Inoue…how are you?" Ichigo started, stopping at the edge of her cot. Her eyes were distant, as though she were not even on the same planet as the rest of the teenagers. If Ichigo hadn't known any better, he would have thought that she hadn't heard him.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke.
"There….were…two... you didn't tell me that there were two….of them…"she answered quietly, her voice weak and barely audible. Her eyes remained locked on the window, never blinking.
"Oh, Inoue…there was so much happening I almost forgot about the other bastard! He didn't touch you, I promise…I made sure of it…"Ichigo answered, the shame evident on his face. He had completely forgotten to specify that there had been two men in the room. but breaking the first part to her had taken so much strength, he had forgotten the rest.
He took satisfaction in knowing that that Orochi bastard hadn't touched her.
"I…see…well, that's good then, I guess…" Orihime said, her voice dull. Her friends eyed one another unsure of how to handle the situation. Never had they seen the auburn haired girl so lifeless. She looked like a porcelain doll, unmoving and no life behind her eyes. A shell of herself.
"Orihime," Tatsuki murmured, sitting at the edge of the girls bed. She lightly grabbed the girls foot and gave it a squeeze to which Orihime did not react to in the slightest.
"What did they ask you?" Tatsuki tried again, hoping to get some reaction out of the girl.
"They…they wanted to know what I remembered. I didn't have much to tell them…I just told them about Koen…Kurosaki-san stepped in and explained that they were running tests on me…you know, for diseases and …stuff…" Orihime said, her face unmoving. Ichigo stared at her carefully, taking in her expression.
"Orihime…I'm…I'm so so-," Tatsuki began, only to be cut off by Orihime.
"It's fine Tatsuki. I'm not a little girl, you know…I…I don't need you here to protect me from bullies who might cut my hair…it's my fault…not yours…I…should be taking care of myself by now…if I hadn't left the group this wouldn't have happened…," Orihime trailed off, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Or if I was stronger."
A pained expression crossed all of the nakama's faces, unsure of what to do or what to say to the broken auburn haired girl that lay before them.
"Orihime…that's not true…you've never been anything but strong!" Tatsuki exclaimed, tears sparkling in her eyes. Chad had moved closer to the girl in order to offer her moral support. He was a silent type, not saying much, but this made him more observant than the others, and he could tell Tatsuki was getting closer to her breaking point. Uryu and Ichigo noticed the silent comfort that Chad was offering the girl and moved closer as well. They all needed each other.
"That's a lie, Tatsuki…you know better than I that that's not true…just think about every…everything that's happened to me in my life! All of it….all of it's because I couldn't protect myself….it's like I almost deserve this…for being so…weak…" Orihime whimpered, her voice squeaking on the last word. More tears began to flow down her cheeks. Ichigo was standing next to her cot, and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched for a moment, startled by his touch, but then relaxed into it, her eyes still avoiding his. This was not normal for them, but this was not a normal circumstance.
"Inoue…I don't… no one here thinks that. You…don't deserve this…no one does, but…never say that you deserves something like this. It makes me sick that you think that." Ichigo spit out, searching for the right words. He was mad that those bastards made her feel that way. Enraged to the point where he could barely contain himself. He searched her eyes to read her, and though he had been so good at it in the past, he wasn't having as much luck this time around. Her expression change slightly, so subtle Ichigo barely caught it, and it was only enough for him to know she had registered his words, but otherwise she remained blank like a piece of paper. None of her thoughts conveyed across her face, and for someone like Inoue, that worried him.
"I…I'm so tired." Inoue finally said, choosing to change the topic. She didn't want to talk about this anymore, not right now, not ever. She had been exposed in every way, vulnerable physically and mentally with more people than she cared to be, and she just needed time to think about everything and take it all in. Right now, it was too fresh in her mind, too new, too much…
The tears strung her eyes again for what seemed like the millionth time that night. She slowly closed her lids, hoping to herself that she would never have to open them again.
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Many thanks to IchigoxOrihimeKurosaki, energetic, JJ, Wyvernhail, ichihime shaz, nypsy, war 90, and Aiaska! Your reviews mean so much to me!I'm so glad that I still have you as readers, I was kind of worried I lost a bunch of you with my awfully late chapters ): . Hopefully this one makes up for it as it was much faster than the last! It's nice not having to apologize this time around, I started this chapter as soon as I updated the last one!
Also, I will say this: Some of you are right on the money in your reviews, which worries me. Either I am too obvious or you guys are way too smart. Hahahaha. (: Stay tuned, kiddies!
Lastly, this fic will not be going on Hiatus, probably not ever. I actually have ideas for this fic. Though I had originally planned a short 5 chapter story, this will now be a full blown multi-chapter. (:
Review!