When you mess with fate

Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters. If I did... Never mind…

I come to a stop at the balcony of the hospital room in time to see two figures separating from their bodies. That has got to be my fastest shunpo in all my shinigami life – Nii-sama would be proud. I am still trying to catch my breath as I shamelessly eavesdrop on their conversation. The right side of my body is pressed tightly against the wall as I peer in enough through the glass sliding door to observe the interaction between my two friends with loud-coloured hair standing there, facing each other.

Orihime's body is lying still under the white blanket of the hospital bed; her greyed hair neatly framing her slightly wrinkled face. Her eyes are shut. She looks peaceful. Ichigo's gigai, who has aged accordingly, is bent over her body, bawling its heart out. Poor Kon, I think to myself.

The woman, whose soul form does not look a day over 18, gazes up at her husband with her tear-filled eyes. I've been told that human souls always keep the same look they had at the prime of their lives. This is the first time I see it happening to someone I'm familiar with. I can see how emotional she is. Just last month when I visited, she told me she was prepared to go. She was only waiting for Kazui to come back from Nagoya where he has a job posting. The cancer has spread to the other parts of her body by then. She said she has led a happy life, married to the man of her dreams, and has seen her son's graduation from the university. She said she was ready to let go of this life, and even if she will not remember it when she crosses over, she is contented with what she has already experienced.

My heart aches so badly for her. She is one of my closest human friends. I want so much to go in there and give her one last goodbye hug for all the times she has fought alongside me, for that one time when she went to Soul Society to help Ichigo rescue me from my execution, for all the times she has healed me, and for all the times she has trusted me with her insecurities. We've been friends for 50 years. It just seems so unfair that I don't get to comfort her one last time before she leaves us for good.

But I know she needs this last moment with Ichigo. She has loved him since they were 15, maybe even earlier than that. So I just watch from the side and give them their moment. Kazui has probably just stepped out of the room when Orihime's human body breathed her last. I remember her telling me how she wanted to see her son for the last time but she didn't want him to witness her go.

"So, this is it," I hear her say, between sniffles. Her arms cross firmly below her breasts.

Ichigo nods as he carefully brushes her tears away with his knuckles. The sight of both of them in their soul form brings back fond memories of when we were comrades so many years ago. I am trying so hard to fight back my own tears. I know I am going to miss her so damn much.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of Kazui," he says, pulling her into an embrace.

She wraps her arms tightly around his torso in return as she squeezes her eyes shut, inhaling his scent for the last time. "I love you, Ichigo," she sobs.

"I know," he sighs.

I can feel the first drops of my tears now and I just...

Wait a minute.

'I know'?

'I KNOW'?

For the love of kami, at least for one last time, arsehole, couldn't you have said it back to her? One freaking last time! I yell in my head at the overgrown berry as I clench my fists. Is this his way of saying goodbye to his wife of 42 years? Kurosaki Ichigo and his fucking pride! He's so going to get it from me. Maybe. Once the whole mourning period is over, that is.

They hold each other like that until we hear the roar of a hollow in the distance. That is my cue to go. I make my presence felt to let them know that I will take care of the hollow. Ichigo glances over his shoulder at me but I am looking at Orihime. She gives me a small and sad smile, her arms wrapped tightly around Ichigo, who has one of his around her shoulders and one hand gripping the hilt of Zangetsu. Orihime and I nod at each other. I mouth a 'goodbye' and send a flying kiss to her, swallowing the lump in my throat and blinking away my tears. I reluctantly turn away before heading towards the direction of the hollow in a shunpo.

After my second landing, I look back in time to see Ichigo pressing the hilt of his zanpakutou to his wife's forehead. I choke back my tears and focus on my duty of purifying the hollow so it doesn't get to Orihime before she completely disappears forever.

Hah… A bit short. But I guess this is kind of a prologue. Hmm… no, it's the first chapter. Just so happens that it's on the short side. Get it? Short side? Okay, sorry. Not that funny.

Anyway, I was working on another fix-it fic when this one came to my mind and the ideas just flowed like water from a broken tap. (I keep telling myself that I need to give it a rest so I would have happy fic ideas but my brain is defying me.) I've even got the whole storyline written out and properly chaptered. Since that part is done and I know where I am headed, I should be able to update this at least once a week. And I still need to update Loosely. Damn… after 686, my muse has been on a roll. Just not doing anything for Loosely, though.

For those who have been following my fics, I don't think I have to tell you my intended pairing for this fic. I will not indicate in the summary until the very last chapter.

Thanks for reading. I sincerely hope you will not review as a guest if you want me to reply, although I would still appreciate your comments, regardless, and try to leave a reply (if I remember) in the author's note of the next chapter update. Any rude and immature reviews from non-fans/shippers will be politely ignored. Don't want to waste precious brain cells on entertaining nonsense.

Jo

29 August 2016