Exhuming the Past

A/N Takes place during the time gap of 18 months when Ichigo has lost his Shinigami powers. Warning: Contains spoilers of the most recent manga chapters. Do not read if you don't want spoilers.

When Ishida Ryuuken answers the door and sees the girl Inoue Orihime, his mind supplies him with a name, he should not have started. Words along the lines of "I've just come to deliver Ishida-kun's assignments, Ishida-san. Pardon the intrusion…" flows in one ear and out the other. He hears them and at the same time, does not. They carry little weight like the background sound the ear reduces the radio news broadcast to.

It wasn't that he never met the girl before. He has. She is Uryuu's classmate a friend and fraternizes with Shinigami, Isshin's son Kurosaki Ichigo. He gathered more data on his son's acquaintances after his reckless foray into Soul Society where he lost all his powers.

She is a Healer. That's the only Type Ryuuken can gather on this strange, whimsical human girl with powers who once had his son retching into the toilet for nearly half an hour after a dinner which was supposed to be innocuous. On that occasion, Ryuuken had derived perhaps a little too much pleasure than was justified at his son's misery. But then again, his relationship with this son - both parties driving stakes deeper into each other, often intentionally but not knowing any other way to act - simply did not fit the typical mould of the common Japanese family.

But the shock Ryuuken experiences is unanticipated. She has cut her hair.

The haircut is more a trimming of forelocks to create bangs, a new hairstyle as opposed to actually reducing the length of those tangerine locks. So like Her. So like Masaki.

It was only the eyes which were different. An unusual grey-amethyst, instead of honey-brown irises.

But everything else… the wide, guileless eyes; the smiles that still curve the lips despite unhappiness and hardship; and the ditzy attitude to cover up awkwardness and uncertainty are almost a parallel to the woman Ryuuken had once been arranged to marry.

Did he love Masaki?

A little. It was almost impossible not to like her, fall in love with her a little given Masaki's gentle, playful nature, which Ryuuken had often found an irritant with others but was never cloying with his original fiancée.

She remains to this day the only one who has truly flirted with him, the only woman to call him "Ryuu-chan".

Suddenly, Ryuuken is glad that Inoue Orihime has kept her hair long. The new styling of her bangs is enough to raise nostalgia within him. Had she cropped her hair to shoulder length, it would have been unbearable.

"…Ishida-san?"

He remembers the current situation at his doorstep, reluctantly dragging his back from the memory of a night of heavy rain and the appearance of Isshin into his, no their lives.

"He's in his room," came the brusque reply. "Third door above to your right."

He watches her bob of thank you, long strands of sunshine almost touching his face as they whipped up then back down, and departing figure up the stairs.

When Uryuu is attacked sixteen months later and she comes to the hospital to check on his son's condition, Ryuuken interrupts Ichigo – "I'll drive her home."

It was only Irony and Nostalgia, which he attributes his temporary bouts of generosity towards her.

As he drives back towards his dark, empty house, half his mind on his troublesome son currently sulking in his hospital room, and half his mind on Inoue Orihime, he wonders if history will repeat itself again.

Or will Uryuu have a chance with this auburn-haired young woman like his father never had.

A/N Does anyone think that young Masaki absolutely looks like a young Orihime? The image of when she is telling 'Ryuu-chan' that caring for herself more means using her powers today so she will not have regrets tomorrow is almost a picture image of Orihime telling Riruka that she will fix Ichigo no matter how hopelessly broken he gets. (And she is just too cute when she starts babbling on about getting extra portions of cabbage at school. XD)

More spoilers… as for Ryuuken's mother, she is truly one temperamental lady. Her obsession, and by extension Ryuuken's obsession, with pure Quincy blood kinda rings a bell about the Malfoys' preoccupation with Purebloods in Harry Potter. Hmmm…

Oh gosh, the history plot thickens. That strange Hollow which looks so much like a Vasto Lorde Shirosaki is also making me so excited for the next chapter to come out.

Anyways, this one-shot is my interpretation on why Ryuuken was being 'nice' (nicer?) to Orihime by offering to drive her home during the Lost Shinigami Arc and any possible ruminations he may have had on Orihime's and Masaki's similarities.

R&R! Read and Review please :)