The morning came too soon for Orihime Inoue, who had felt that only moments ago she had just fallen into a numbing slumber. Reality was too harsh for her to register, all of it made her feel like she was a 3rd grader trying to solve extremely complex math problem meant for a college student. She didn't stand a chance.
The first sight she saw when she opened her eyes in the Kurosaki clinic was the bright sunlight that streamed into the window, too happy and positive for her to take pleasure in.
The second was the vision of spiky orange hair.
Orihime sat up slowly, surprised to see Ichigo lying next to her cot, sleeping in the chair in what looked to be an extremely uncomfortable position.
Orihime soon noticed that not only was Ichigo here with her, but Sado-kun, Ishida-kun, and Tatsuki-chan had all fallen to various places on the floor at some point in the night. For the first time in what felt like forever, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She was loved by her friends so much that their warmth managed to bring her the smallest bit of peace this morning.
She was loved.
And for that, at least, she very was thankful.
. .
The rest of the morning passed slowly for Orihime. She had remained in her cot staring at the sleeping forms of her friends. As she did, she thought about the events of the night before.
Fact 1: She had been drugged by a stranger who she thought was a nice man. She had been severely mistaken about that. Maybe I should work on your discernment skills, because I think everyone is kind and many people prove not to be-
Fact 2: This man and one of his friends had taken advantage of her, though only one had actually physically touched her in that way. Thank God for that. At least, if there's one bright side to any of this, it's that it was just one guy...
Fact 3: Apparently at some point during all of this, she had woken up. She didn't remember any of it, though Ichigo had told her she had spoke to him and pushed one of those men away from her.
Fact 4: It was bothering her immensely that she did not remember this. While I am probably better off not remembering any thing that actually happened, hearing about it is hard enough. I'm also concerned how much drugs were in my system that I don't remember that...Orihime shuttered at the scary thought and remembered Isshin's comment about how her dose was too strong for someone her size.
Fact 5: She had spent the night in the Kurosaki clinic. Kurosaki-san had run some more tests on her, and she had peed in a cup (much to her dismay). She would probably be hearing about the results sometime today.
Most of the tests were done to confirm traces of DNA, check for any potential STDs, and much to Oorihime's repulsion, to check for semen. When they told her that her immediate concern was the worst case scenario. I…I don't know what I would do…an innocent baby...I'd be taking care of it all alone! She said a silent prayer to herself that she would not end up pregnant or a disease at the end of all this. She couldn't even fathom it.
Thoughts swirled in Orihime's head, one after another until she was sure she couldn't breathe from the sheer weight of the anxiety coursing through her veins. She had to remain calm. Getting worked up would not help her solve her problems, and Orihime was a problem solver when it came down to it.
Calm down, Orihime, calm down. These are all worst-case scenarios, things that haven't happened and more than likely will not happen. Orihime tried to stop spiraling, anxiety and panic shooting through her core.
In the back of her mind, she was still thinking about those worst case scenarios and she had already decided that if a pregnancy occurred, she would keep the baby. That was without question. She didn't have any other answers, but at least that one decision she found comfort in. She would figure it out. She just hoped ultimately she wouldn't have to.
She eyed her friends yet again and studied their faces. They looked tired, and even after hours of sleep, the events of the night before taking a toll on them. She frowned deeper, matching Ichigo's usual scowling expression.
This will not ruin my life or change me. I…I can't let my friends down. I am…not someone who is strong like them, but I must not be a burden on my friends…they have already done enough for me. I will deal with my problems on my own. I will do my best to be strong through this!
Ichigo stirred in his sleep, making a weird gasping nose as he adjusted in his chair. "…damn old man!" He muttered in his sleep, and Orihime almost smiled for a second time that day. Almost.
He turned on his side until finally, somewhere in the depths of his unconsciousness, he gave up and stirred, slowly wakening from his sleep.
He looked groggy eyed and confused as he sat in his chair, wiping his eyes and yawning.
"Where am –," He began, then quickly stopped himself. It all came flooding back to him in a matter of seconds, and Orihime watched him visibly wince.
"Inoue!" He whispered, his eyes shooting to the girl on the bed. She had not taken her eyes off of the orange haired boy, quietly watching him and gauging his reaction. She did not smile as she greeted him, merely nodded her head shyly.
"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun…," Orihime said quietly, her gaze not quite reaching his eyes.
What must he think of me now? Kurosaki-kun is kind, and cares a lot for his friends…but all my hopes for us one day... I don't think they can happen now," Orihime thought sadly. The realization hit her like a bag of bricks, and she wished she had the ability to turn herself invisible. Another con to add to the list.
She forced herself not to cry.
"Ohayo, Inoue…," Ichigo said gently, standing up from his seat. He looked hesitant to approach the girl, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to upset her, especially in her fragile state. He settled for crossing his arms and sitting at the edge of her bed instead of trying to hug her. Ichigo wasn't good at that, after all.
"How…how are you feeling?" Ichigo asked, his gaze focused on the auburn haired beauty. He was trying to search her eyes, but she was careful to avoid his stare, embarrassed and hurt after everything that happened.
"As good as can be expected, I suppose." Orihime finally answered, after racking her brain for a response. She had a ton of thoughts swirling in her head, so many more negative thoughts than she usually did, but she thought to herself that that had to be normal. After all she endured the night before, it was to be expected. She wondered if the weight she felt would ever lighten, if anything would return to normal. She wanted to laugh again, she did not want this to determine her life; but she also knew she would need time to work through it. She had worked through Hueco Mundo, she would work through this.
A minute passed before Ichigo spoke again, struggling with his words once more.
"Inoue…if you need to talk about it…you know that I'm here…I mean, I'm not good with words or anything but I'm a good listener…same goes for everyone else…you're not alone, you know." Ichigo said, trying to probe her thoughts. She was being distant, so much different from her usual self. It scared him.
Orihime blinked at him in response, surprised at his forwardness. Ichigo was not one for opening up; he often buried his feelings deep inside of him and dealt with his frustrations and problems his own way. It was unusual for him to do other wise, even when his friends would try to force it out of him; so for him to initiate it was definitely rare. Orihime felt a pang of guilt; she was burdening Ichigo once again with her problems.
She sighed.
Why did she always need to be saved? Better yet, why did he always come to save her? After so many times, she wouldn't blame him if he just gave up. What was in it for him? Constantly having to go out of his way.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. That means a lot to me, but I don't really want to talk about it…at least not right now…I have a lot going on up here," Orihime replied, pointing to her head. She leaned her head back against the pillow. She was still tired, after all the sleep she had gotten. She had a feeling she would feel this way for a long time.
Those fucking scum bags. He cursed to himself. It's all he could do. He didn't know if it helped, but he was so angry and he had nowhere to place his anger. So he kept cursing.
The night before, after Inoue had fallen asleep, Tatsuki had filled them all in on what had happened back at the party. Uryu, Tatsuki, and Chad had waited in the room with the Koen and Orochi, so that they would be there when the police arrived.
A huge commotion had started when the police had come and tried to arrest them. All the other party goers had scattered, afraid of being busted for their own personal reasons. Orochi and Koen had thrown a fit at the arrest, shouting out profanities and insults at both the police and the Karakura gang.
They had tried to go down on top by yelling out all the "victories" they had had in the past, which only lead the police and the teens to assume their had been other girls who had been victimized by their evil acts.
Tatsuki had decided in that moment, to deliver the final blow to their ego. She did so by telling the police about the other jocks and the two girls downstairs who had played their part, either by not stopping the two men upstairs or by trying to keep Tatsuki, Chad, Ichigo, and Uryu from helping Orihime. She explained that she knew they were in on it from their comments downstairs, and how they had been cornered and harassed through out the night by them.
So the police had taken everyone from that group into custody, and Tatsuki had grinned at them as they were pushed into the police car, waving happily.
From there, the police escorted Tatsuki, Chad, and Ishida to the Kurosaki clinic as Ichigo had called to let them know where they were.
"Inoue…," Ichigo started, frowning at the girl. He did not like this at all. She would not want to hear any of this, but he had been told the night before about today's agenda, and so he thought it best to get it over with.
"Inoue…you're going to have a long day ahead of you… they apprehended the culprits, which isn't really surprising…I mean, from the way Tatsuki put it, they were sitting there ready for the taking when they called the police." Ichigo started, bearing the bad news. Let's just get this out of the way…
"Not only do we have evidence it was them, but we all saw it and they were half dressed when they were arrested at the party. I mean, it's not hard to figure out...I…I wasn't there for any of that though, I was with you here…so they're going to want you to identify Koen for them, just to make sure they have all corners covered." Ichigo spoke slowly, regretfully. She should not have to see his face again, but unfortunately they had to follow protocol.
If they would just let me murder them instead the problem would be solved-
Orihime's eyes widened, panicked at the thought of seeing anyone from last night. She quickly looked at her legs, hiding her face from Ichigo.
I don't want to see the man that did this to me! I much prefer him as a blurry memory in my head! When I see him it will become so real…it will be set in stone and I'll remember his face so clearly…every time I close my eyes…it will be all I see…
"I…I.." Orihime stuttered, the color draining from her face. Ichigo was startled by her sudden outburst of tears. He knew she would not take this news well, but she seemed to be terrified. He saw her fists clench the blankets beneath her, watched her collapse in on herself, shaking. Her head lay against her knees, her face away from him. He stood up from the bed and moved closer to the girl so that he was by her side.
"Inoue…it'll be okay! I know you don't want to see that bastard again, but I promise that he won't hurt you anymore. I'll be there to protect you…but this needs to be done to assure that he ends up behind bars for good. We already have all the evidence we really need, but your word will seal the deal…plus, the cops are hoping that if you identify him, other girls might come forward and do the same…," Ichigo explained, hoping to console her and also appeal to her side of wanting to help others. He knew that she couldn't pass on a chance to help others. She never did.
"Others? There have been more?" Orihime squeaked. They did this to other girls?
"From what we gathered and what they apparently yelled at the police while being taken away in the cop car, it's safe to assume that, yes." Ichigo's jaw clenched tight, sickened by their behavior.
How do men do something like that to someone, he did not know. Women were to be respect and looked out for, they're not meant to be used and treated this way. It made him sick to his stomach.
Over the last 12 hours, Ichigo had thought a lot about this, more than he had ever in his life and more than he ever cared to again. He realized he would never be able to wrap his brain around it. He was always taught to respect woman, to cherish them, to never lay a hand on them. How could it be that others were not? That others saw it another way, when that way seemed so wrong? He thought about Orihime, Tatsuki, Karin, Yuzu- and knowing there were men in this world who could do things like this shook him to his core.
He was okay with protecting his friends from hollows, but this? These were true monsters. Monsters he had never trained to fight.
Ichigo sighed.
"That's…that's sick! Those men are…so sick…why has no one done anything?" Orihime asked, her voice full of anger.
"They're too afraid to do anything…but you're stronger than them, Orihime. You can make this end. All you have to do is go down there and identify Koen, and I'll identify the other bastard. Then I promise you, you'll never have to see them again."
Orihime thought about this. She had so many emotions swirling around in her head – she did not want to see these men, but at the same time, she would be helping others who may have been hurt by them as well. She did not want these men to roam free ever again! The feeling of being violated was one of the worst she had ever felt, right next to the feeling of Ichigo being killed on top of the dome. Different torments, different heartbreaks, Both unbearable.
She swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. She would do it, if only to help the others, and to assure they never did it again.
"I'll do it…I don't want to see them, but…it needs to be done. Something good should come out of all of this anyway..." Orihime said, and Ichigo's eyes filled with something that could only be read as pride.
Orihime was so much stronger than any of them ever could possibly be. Ichigo knew it in his soul.
Her spirit, her mind, her resolve, her heart- absolutely unbreakable. The Espada couldn't do it, and these bastards wouldn't either.
All she needed was time, and her friends would be there to support her through everything that the future would bring. Ichigo kept that thought at the forefront, clinging to it for comfort. For a tiny bit of peace.
:.:
Ichigo and Orihime remained quiet after their discussion, her falling back on her pillow, him returning to his chair quietly. Neither of them needed to speak, it was a comfortable silence. Ichigo remained amazed by the auburn haired girl in front of him, Orihime remained horrorstruck over everything that was happening to her. It also amazed her that something so horrible could happen and she could still feel embarassed about having to share all these inner thoughts and feelings so openly with everyone.
She wanted to be invisible.
On the floor next to Chad, Tatsuki stirred. Ichigo smiled for a mere second, she would be turning red when she saw where she fell asleep. He could picture the tomboy freaking out and jumping away from the gentle giant who lied innocently next to her on the floor. They had made a bed out of their jackets and looked really uncomfortable down there. Ichigo would have sniggered under normal circumstances.
"Wha-!" A female voice pierced the air, and Orihime opened her eyelids in wonder. Ichigo's brief smile returned as he watched Tatsuki.
She observed her surroundings, her face showing surprise: Chad, who was still asleep, grabbed the girl next to him and turned over, causing Tatsuki to flail at the sudden contact. "Cozy...Teddy..." Chad murmured in his sleep, and Ichigo let out a small snicker at his friend. Chad was definitely a sucker for all this fluffy and cute, so it was no surprised to him he had a stuffed teddy bear at home, nor was it surprising that he thought Tatsuki was it.
Tatsuki looked up at Ichigo, and scowled. "Oi! Stop your snickering and come help me! His grip it ridiculous!" She whined, her head poking out from under his arm and she attempted to pull herself free from the gentle giant. Ichigo got up, and made his way over.
"Oi, Chado!" He said, kicking his friend in the back. Chad groaned at the kick, and Ishida murmured in his sleep from the sudden noise. "So much thread…!" He said excitedly, causing Ichigo and Tatsuki to snicker at the Quincy. What dorks everyone was in their sleep.
The Quincy woke up slowly, eyeing the room wearily. Then, realizing where he was, sprung to his feet, slightly embarrassed.
Ichigo swung another kick at Chad's huge arm, and he moaned again in his sleep, irritated. Ichigo gave him one last kick, a bit harder this time. Chad woke with a start.
"Ichigo! I didn't say be a jerk! I said help me out!" Tatsuki scolded, but Ichigo rolled his eyes, ignoring her.
"What did you do that for?" Chad asked confused, rolling onto his back. Tatsuki was now free and she stood on her feet, dusting herself off. Ichigo smirked at her, and if Ichigo would have been paying attention, he would have noticed Orihime's small smile playing on her lips.
"Chad, you were using Tatsuki-chan as a teddy bear!" Orihime quietly giggled, and Ichigo turned his head to look at the girl. Her laugh! She had laughed, a sound that had seemed to be gone forever. He grinned at her, and she offered a small smile back.
It felt good to hear her laugh and see her smile, even for a brief moment. Tatsuki smiled at her best friend, and Chad looked puzzled for a moment before blushing. "Oh, sorry…,"
"It's fine, Chado. Orihime! How are you, uh, feeling?" Tatsuki asked her beautiful friend. The girl's smile faded for a moment before it returned, offering it to her friend. Tatsuki grinned back.
"I'm okay, considering…I mean, I'm really worried about all the results…but, right now, I'm okay."
"You're always okay, Orihime. I admire that about you." Tatsuki said to her friend, sitting next to her on her bed. She leaned in to hug her friend, who hugged her back.
"I admire you, Tatsuki-chan! Sometimes I feel that if I were more of a fighter I wouldn't get stuck in the situations that I get in." Orihime said quietly in her ear. Tatsuki shook her head, frowning.
"I disagree. I think that because you're not a fighter, it gives you a much different strength from me and Ichigo and everyone else. We just hide behind our tough exteriors, Orihime. You're actually tough, in here." She said, pointing to her heart. "You don't need to hide like we do sometimes. If anyone can handle this and come back from all of this, it's you, you know." Tatsuki said to her friend, and Orihime beamed, her eyes glistening.
"What's wrong, Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, concerned. Ichigo, Chad, and Uryu looked alarmed by her sudden outburst, but Orihime shook her head.
"These are happy tears! I mean, I'm still sad but... After everything that happened…," Orihime sniffled, wiping the tears away with a smile on her face.
"After everything that happened," Orihime continued, "You're all here with me, being so kind…I have the best friends anyone could ask for! And I…think… someday…I'll feel normal again…"
Orihime paused, taking a deep breath.
"Arigatou…Tatsuki-chan, Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, and Sado-kun…for being my family."
They all smiled at the girl, relieved. Her small laughs and giggles had not gone away, though yesterday had stolen them from her. Hearing her talk so confidently, and hearing her small laughs was like a contagious disease that had all of the teens giddy. All of them knew, from somewhere inside them, that though this girl looked like fragile glass, she was unbreakable. If it had been anyone else, they would have their doubts, but because it was Orihime Inoue, they knew.
Everything would be okay.
.
.
That's it for this chapter! 7 and a half pages of pure writing, just for you! The last one was only four, so I think I did pretty damn good this time around, plus it's a super fast update on my part! So points for me! Woo.
Also, thank you for all the lovely reviews! Every time I check a review I'm afraid there's gonna be a flame or something because of the topic of this fic. I mean, going into this, I knew that some people wouldn't want to read due to the content, which is fine, but as a writer I had to take a shot at it. Angst and all, I like how this is turning out! So thank you to all my loyal reviewers and all the ones that favorited this fic!
Next chapter: You will get your answers from the test, some more Ichihime (I'll see how much I can cake on, eh?) A bit more Chad x Tatsuki (since it was requested so nicely!) And we will be seeing Koen in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get to why she doesn't remember (if not next chapter, the one after!) And hopefully some more comic relief! I was happy to prive that after all the dark chapters!
Review!