Tite Kubo owns Bleach. I just borrowed the characters.
If you have read Orihime's Groundhog Day (OGD) you will remember it is told from Orihime's point of view.
There were some occasions where Ichigo acted a little strange. This chapter is told from Ichigo's point of view and may provide some explanation. It is darker than OGD.
This story is set just before the Arrancar's are first seen in the human world and immediately after Ichigo left Orihime's apartment in OGD. In future chapters there will be spoilers for anyone who has not read the manga (depending on how fast I write and how the anime progresses).
I decided to keep the name Hollow Charm for the story. Thank you to IchigoMade for her/his suggestion for the story title. I used it for this chapter as it works so well as the title.
Charmed Sanity
Ichigo left Orihime's place and started walking. How long had it been since he was home? At least 32 hours, more if he considered school.
'Seven repeats! Why did she repeat seven times? What was she thinking? I can understand the first time. I sure as hell want to forget the cause for those repeats, maybe. When she kissed me that first time, it was sweet. But seven repeats. And she took me to a Karaoke bar. I sang. My old man heard me. At least no one else will remember.'
Ichigo wandered in the general direction of home. There was no reason to rush home and it was easier to think while he was walking. The night was cool but it was getting late.
He tried to sort through his memories, firmly putting the sensation of the last kiss with from him mind. He'd think about that later, once he could get everything straight. Why it was important for him to order his memories, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was pride. For 32 hours he had not been acting independently. His anger rose again as he imagined himself as a puppet and Orihime as the puppet mistress. She directed, he followed. Damn her. How could she treat him like that? It seemed so contemptuous. Then memories beset him, making it hard to think. He stopped walking and tried to clear his mind.
'It isn't like that,' he rationalised. 'Orihime is not a master manipulator. I know she meant well, or did she? The benefit of using the charm was ultimately for her,' Ichigo bit his lip and looked at the sky. The answers to his questions were not there. Just a few clouds and some stars.
He walked home. As he pushed through the door, he dodged the kick that Isshin tried to land on him.
'I'm not in the mood,' Ichigo said. 'How was the karaoke? Did you sing?'
'Why are you so late? How did you know we went to a Karaoke bar?' Isshin asked full of curiosity.
Ichigo realised his mistake.
' Ur, I think Yuzu must have mentioned it,' Ichigo improvised. 'Or maybe I overheard you mention it. Can't remember.'
'Still doesn't explain why you're so late,' Isshin said dismissing his answer.
'I told you. I was working on a science project with someone from school. We've nearly finished,' Ichigo explained.
'Why didn't you work on it here? No one would interrupt you,' Isshin said slyly.
'Interrupt? Like you didn't interrupt the time Tatsuki came over to work on English? You were in and out of my room every few minutes. First to get something out of the cupboard, then to bring in drinks, then food, then more drinks. Then you kept interrupting to ask all sorts of moronic questions. We got no work done. I remember my favourite question: you asked hold old I was. I had thought of studying here, but remembering all this convinces me it would be a bad idea,' Ichigo said, his voice getting louder as he related his grievances.
Isshin threw a punch at him, which Ichigo blocked.
'I'm going to bed,' Ichigo said sourly.
As he trudged up the stairs he heard Isshin muttering under his breath about the ingratitude of his son.
Ichigo made certain that Kon was snoozing before even thinking of sleep. Once started, Kon would talk all night about the treatment he was receiving, or how much he missed Rukia, or some such drivel.
Ichigo tried to sleep. It was difficult. He still hadn't sorted his memories out. It had been a relief when Orihime finally revealed what she had done. Not trusting his memories, thinking he was going insane had shaken him. It was bad enough living with another voice in his head and fearing the eventual outcome of his ongoing battle with his inner hollow, but losing trust in his memory would make the victory of the hollow more immediate. He pushed these thoughts aside; concerned that thinking about the hollow might bring him from the depths of his mind.
As Ichigo lay there, he remembered hearing Orihime sing. She seemed a different person when she was singing. Confident, not deferential, stronger. He had been surprised by her talent. If only she could be like that when she was fighting. He'd been right in what he said earlier. Orihime was not a fighter. She did not have the desire to kill, or even hurt anyone. If she developed that instinct it would change her into someone else, probably someone less than she was now.
Thinking about Orihime led to the memory of the kisses. Briefly, he allowed himself to remember how she felt when he held her in his arms and kissed her. She had felt so pliable, so soft.
Ichigo stretched. The thoughts weren't helping him sleep.
'Why didn't you have sex with her when she asked? I told you to. When she kissed you, you could have had her then. I told you to lay that girl. It would have been so easy and so sweet. You know you wanted to. She said no strings. She almost begged you,' said the hollow inside.
The sound of the hollow's voice forced Ichigo to remember. When Orihime had kissed him the first time, he'd felt the hollow stir. When she had asked him to have sex with her, the hollow had tried to take over. Only sheer will had enabled Ichigo to maintain control. It had clamoured in his mind, yelling at Ichigo that it wanted this new experience. He realised he had been very abrupt with Orihime, but that was due to the effort of exerting control. Her words awoke more than the hollow. Unwanted emotions were roused by her words. He had refused to look at her knowing that her pleading eyes and the hollows call would overwhelm him. Fearful of the words he might say prevented him from answering her questions.
'It would have just been sex,' Ichigo thought.
'That's the point, dummy. S E X! I want it. You deny it but you want it. She wanted it. Why say no?' the hollow shrieked.
'I respect Orihime. I turned her down so harshly because of you. I wanted to make it clear that there would be no relationship. That I did not love her,' Ichigo mentally replied, drawn into the conversation against his better judgement.
'What's love got to do with sex? Fool! When the bleach spilled on her you even removed some of her clothes. You could have had her when she was naked in the shower. Looking at her got you excited enough. I told you use the situation. You liked looking at her. You wanted to touch her. You should have touched her. She wouldn't have said no. I tried to get you to walk in when you handed her the robe. It would have been fun in the shower. Her wet slippery body wrapping around you. Why didn't you listen to me?' the hollow screeched.
'That's why I ran out. You started screaming at me to do something. If I'd tried anything you would have tried to take over again. Leave me alone,' Ichigo responded.
'I'm getting stronger. Next time I will take over and then you'll have to watch while I finally make your little friend a happy girl,' the hollow gloated. 'Can't wait to get my hands on that body, especially her…'
'There won't be a next time,' Ichigo interrupted the hollow. 'I'll make sure I only see Orihime at school. The charm won't work for her again so the opportunity will never arise.'
'But you were planning on inviting her over tomorrow, inviting her to a party. I heard you. You have feelings for her. You were planning something more,' the hollow reminded him.
'I forgot about you. You were keeping quiet. The extra memories confused me. I realised she must be lonely,' Ichigo said with reluctance.
'I desired to see what you would do if you forgot about me. I wanted to see what would happen. I thought if you forgot about me, you might actually get some action. You fumbled it. You kissed her, you chose to kiss her, but then you didn't follow up,' the hollow taunted.
'I kissed her because I care for her. I thought you only got interested when I fight,' Ichigo observed trying to change the tack of the conversation.
'Any strong emotion interests me,' the hollow replied. 'Lust is a pretty basic but strong emotion. I want to experience it fully. Why don't you go back to the girl's place now? We could both have her. You first, then me. Think of how good it would feel.'
Ichigo squeezed his eyes tightly shut and tensed his whole body. He was trying to shut out the hollow's voice. Quickly he tried to think of something else. Homework. That would work. Thinking about homework made the hollow bored, and it became quiet, but thinking about homework inevitably led Ichigo to think about the science project. The hollow stirred again.
'You nearly told her the truth when you were drunk about me. You even mentioned me. It would have been funny watching that cute little trusting face change when you told her the real reason you refused to have sex with her. I would have loved to hear you explain it. Telling her about me and how scared you were that I would take over. Instead you rambled on about responsibility and how you needed someone you didn't have to protect. You were the cause of her getting hurt. She was trying to prove she could take care of herself. Your fault,' the hollow taunted.
'12 times 3 is 36, 12 times 4 is 48,' Ichigo began to chant. He finished the 12 times table and then started on the 9 times. It usually blocked stray thoughts.
Defeated by the multiplication table the hollow returned to the depths of Ichigo's mind.
Feeling less like sleep now, Ichigo sat up and turned on the light. Instead of his wasted efforts at sleep, he may as well do something useful. He began to write down the memories he had from the repeats, trying to sort them into order. He was careful when he considered a few of the repeats, skirting around the details, suppressing any emotional response, anxious of the hollow stirring again. When he finished over an hour had passed. He was feeling tired and the hollow had been quiet. The list was complete and he could not understand the compulsion he had to try to order his memories.
There was the foundation of the repeats. Then there was the Karaoke bar. That was repeat 3, or was it 4? The one when he fell asleep must have been the first repeat because nothing really happened. Listening to music must have been the second one. That would make sense. The next one was the Karaoke bar. He felt a flush of heat rise in his face. At least no one except Orihime would remember him singing. The next one must have been the experiment. His blush deepened. No point in thinking about that. Then they played Zelda. That had been fun, if a little disturbing when he came back and found her lying next to his body. By that time his memories had begun to return.
When he'd returned from killing the hollow during that repeat, he'd watched for a few minutes wondering if she was hurt. At the time he couldn't admit to himself he wished she was really hugging him. Was it then his feelings started to change, or was it earlier? She had looked so peaceful and content. Her hair had spread around her head and spilled over his chest. Her eyes had been closed and her hands were curled on his upper body. When he remembered how she looked, laying there, he had been intrigued at how she had looked innocent and laden with sexual promise at the same time. He quickly set aside those thoughts, fearful of the hollow's return.
The next repeat was when she offered him alcohol. He knew why he'd agreed. He was a teenager. Teenagers did things they weren't supposed to do. Ichigo thought he knew Orihime's motives, but it just seemed odd. It wasn't something he'd expect her to do. Maybe it was the influence of the charm. Maybe not. He probably would never know. The only way to know the effect of the charm would be to use it and he would never do that.
Then there was the last repeat and the aftermath when he remembered everything. Memories overlaying memories. There must have been many rules that Orihime had broken in order for his memories to return fully. The charm was dangerous. Maybe he should persuade her to destroy the charm, or bury it. It had brought nothing but trouble and made him want to end their friendship. He knew she would remember he'd kissed her.
Laying down again Ichigo considered Orihime's motivations. He lay on his back, eyes open staring. Why had she repeated 7 times? She could have stopped after the first time. They were friends again, everything was back to normal.
Thinking of her explanation he began to understand some of her reasoning. Believing that your actions didn't matter would be liberating. If it went wrong, you could change it. In many ways it was freedom from responsibility. Ichigo could understand wanting to taste that sort of freedom. The lack of consequences to your actions. Not having to worry about hurting another person's feelings or another person. The ability to spend time with someone you cared about.
Ichigo reminded himself that the repeats had changed his feelings toward Orihime. He resented that change. It was not his choice that he now cared for her. Caring was dangerous. He had been honest when he said he didn't want to get involved because it would make someone a target for the hollows. Look what happened when she followed him out while he was fighting. The hollows had immediately sensed and targeted her. Ichigo wasn't sure if it was because they perceived she was weaker, or because they sensed she was important to him.
Seeing her unconscious after he'd killed the second hollow made him feel so helpless and uncertain. He'd feared that she was seriously hurt. If Tsubaki hadn't been there to distract him he didn't know what action he might have taken.
Ichigo resolutely tried to stop thinking. He was determined to go to sleep. He lay there quietly chanting the multiplication table. Maybe he could bore himself to sleep. By the time he reached the seven times table, he slept.
The next day at school, he avoided Orihime as much as possible.
Ichigo brooded over his problems. The hollow's threats, his anger at being used by Orihime, his feelings for Orihime, his anger at those feelings, his fear of the strength of the hollow. These thoughts distracted him from the lessons and the interaction of the other students. It was a relief when the Shinigami Battle licence made him run out of the room.
Following his return from killing the hollow there was a brief stir of interest in the classroom as a new student was introduced who was seated next to Ichigo.
As arranged Orihime and Ichigo met at lunch and completed the science project. Every attempt Orihime made at conversation, not related to their work, Ichigo shrugged off. He tried not to see the increasing hurt on her face as he snubbed all of her conversational gambits.
'What do you think of the new student, Ichigo?' Orihime asked
'I don't want to think of anything except the project at the moment,' he replied, refusing to look at her.
They worked on the project a little longer. Ichigo only spoke when necessary.
'I need to apologise again, Ichigo,' Orihime eventually said painfully. 'I never meant to hurt you. I was very selfish and inconsiderate.'
'I don't want to talk about it,' Ichigo replied coolly, all the time wanting to hold her again, but fearing the consequences.
Orihime tried to smile at Ichigo, but her face twisted with sadness and she dropped her eyes to the work.
'Please forgive me Ichigo,' she murmured so softly, he was not sure if he heard her properly.
'Can we just finish this?' Ichigo said.
Orihime nodded sadly.
After a few more minutes work, the project was complete. Ichigo did not want to witness the pain he was causing Orihime. It made him feel guilty and angry at the same time.
'Okay. See you,' Ichigo said abruptly as he quickly packed and left without a backward glance.
When school finished Ichigo returned home perturbed by his thoughts. He just didn't know how he felt about Orihime. The feelings confused him. He knew he'd hurt her badly at lunchtime, but assured himself that he didn't have much choice. The anger he felt for her actions was still there, but more than that he feared the hollow inside. If he tried to get closer to Orihime, it would ultimately hurt both of them.
Hurting Orihime was something he didn't want to do, but decided it was the only correct action. If he could distance her, make her dislike him that would make her safe.
The emotions he now felt were not his own. He refuted them. The use of the charm had created the emotions. Therefore they were not real emotions, just temporary feelings that would quickly fade. He could not bear the weight of the feelings and the constraints they urged on his behaviour and life. And there was always the hollow ready to step in if he allowed strong emotions to take over.
Going to his room he continued to brood. Kon leapt out as soon as he entered the room.
'Ichigo,' he said in his whiny voice, 'When is Rukia coming back? I miss her. You never let me have any fun. What am I meant to do all day, while you're in school? I'm bored.'
Ichigo picked up Kon and held him above the waste paper bin.
'Shut up Kon. I don't want to hear your puerile problems. Can't you ever consider anyone else? If you don't shut up I'll put you out with the garbage. Leave me alone. I have to study,' Ichigo said, all the time knowing his reasoning would have no impact on Kon.
'You're so selfish, Ichigo. You never think of anyone except yourself. I could have come with you last night when you worked on the science project. I could have been close to my beautiful goddess. I could have roamed through her apartment while you were busy. Looking at her underwear, breathing in her scents. I may have even stayed there. Why are you so selfish, Ichigo? Why don't you let me have your body so I can spend time with Orihime?'
'Idiot, she'd know it wasn't me in seconds. You don't understand,' Ichigo stopped knowing he could not explain the charm to Kon.
If Kon knew about the charm, he would try to use it. Ichigo did not like to think of how Kon would use it. No female would be safe. The consequences would be horrendous. He also hated the idea of Kon being close to Orihime.
'I want you to stay away from Orihime,' Ichigo said firmly.
'You're just jealous. You know she would prefer me to you,' Kon said testily.
'Drop it or I tape you to the toilet again,' Ichigo threatened wearily.
Kon was quiet for a minute. 'Can't I have a little time in your body?' he asked plaintively.
The shinigami battle licence interrupted.
Knowing it was a foolish idea, but driven out of a sense of compassion, Ichigo gave Kon the use of his body.
'Stay away from Orihime,' he warned as he left.
Moving quickly he fought and defeated the hollow only to be confronted by the new guy from school. What was his name? Hirako? How could Hirako have a zanpaku-to and see Ichigo in shinigami form?
Listening to Hirako's explanation placed Ichigo in a quandary. He'd never heard of the Vizards, but then there was much he had not been told. Ignorance was dangerous. Even so, even though he could feel the strength of Hirako, there seemed to be more something he was keeping to himself. Why were the Vizards' interested in him? How long had they been watching him?
Ichigo reminded himself that he was a shinigami, but he was constantly plagued by his hollow side. If he could control it: still the hollow's voice, not taste the terror each time it spoke to him, defeat it, then he could concentrate on other problems. Would the Vizards' help?
Ichigo sensed another hollow. He left but when he arrived in the area he had sensed the hollow, the place was deserted. He went home to find a very quiet Kon. Ichigo did not care why, or feel any desire to find out what had happened. A quiet Kon seemed a blessing to Ichigo. His body seemed uninjured, which was the main thing.
For a brief moment Ichigo considered asking Urahara if he knew anything about the Vizards, but felt uncomfortable. Urahara had helped him recover his shinigami powers and Zangetsu, but that came at the cost of the hollow. That cost now appeared too high. He didn't want to blame Urahara; he knew the man had only tried to help him save Rukia. If anyone was to blame it was Ichigo.
'There seemed to be so many problems that are initially caused by other people, but if I constantly blame them, I will become the type of resentful, hating person I despise. I can't blame Orihime. Nor should I resent her. But I will keep away from her. I don't want to care too much. I want these emotions to fade as they should in time. Thinking about her confuses me. I want to hold her. I want to stay away.'
Ichigo was uncertain he would be able to sleep. Hearing Hirako talk about the hollow reminded him of his problems and the trouble he'd had during the repeats and last night. He tossed restlessly for a while, but eventually succumbed to weariness and slept.
Morning brought no consolation. The hollow had been silent during the night, but he'd dreamt of it. He didn't want to remember those dreams. He left early without breakfast and went to school ignoring Kon.
Hirako was there. Ichigo did not want to trust his memory of their conversation. He tried to persuade himself that it hadn't really happened. Maybe it was all part of the dream he'd had and the confused memories that were a result of the charm.
Ichigo decided to ignore Hirako, Orihime and every one else who seemed to complicate his life. He would concentrate on school work.
Then Hirako touched Orihime, put his arm around her. That was too much for Ichigo to accept. He got up, grabbed Hirako and dragged him outside. He wanted to talk to him. He needed to know more.
The information that Hirako provided this time rocked Ichigo more than their previous conversation.
There was no hope. The hope Ichigo had clung to, was destroyed by Hirako's words. The hollow was gaining strength and would gain control. He would lose everything, his sanity, friends, family…. Orihime. The option of becoming a Vizard did not interest Ichigo. It was too much for him to comprehend.
The rest of school passed in a blur. Ichigo could not concentrate. The enormity of his situation made other thoughts impossible. Who cared who landed on the moon, or when? Why did they have to know the chemical elements? Why was it important to learn these unimportant facts?
As soon as the bell went, Ichigo left, ignoring the other students. He wanted some privacy. Walking to the park he found it crowded with people. He didn't want to be around people. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to be alone with one person. He wanted to see Orihime. The conversation with Hirako made him realise how scared he was of losing her friendship. His anger at Orihime vanished.
The conversation with Hirako finally forced Ichigo to recognize the truth. Even before she used the charm, he had developed an attachment to Orihime. Looking back, he tried to remember if it began when they went to Soul Society or before. It had seemed easier to deny the emotions than accept them. The time spend under the influence of the charm had strengthened his feelings, made it clear that his feelings were not those of friendship alone. There was so little time. If he could see her again, just talk to her. See her smile at him once more.
Ichigo argued with himself. He should go home. He should study. Instead he found his feet were taking him to Orihime's place. Fear of the hollow, fear of being alone made him want to be close to the one person he had hurt the most. The girl he cared about. He wanted to hold her once more, maybe for the last time. He hesitated outside her apartment for a while and then climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. There was no answer. Ichigo knocked again and waited. Still no answer.
'Maybe she went to visit Tatsuki,' he thought as he left. He started to walk home. When he was nearly there, he stopped.
'I have to see her. I have to apologise for being an idiot,' he decided. 'I don't want to hurt her anymore.'
Moving quickly, he almost ran to her apartment. This time when he knocked on the door, Orihime answered. The surprise and pleasure on her face when she saw him made him feel worse.
'Come in Ichigo. I was about to make some tea. Would you like some?' she asked pleasantly.
Ichigo followed her inside. 'Yeah, tea would be nice.'
Watching Orihime make the tea was soothing. Normal actions, a place he felt comfortable and the presence of the person he cared for. Allowing himself to relax he sat at the table and watched her pour the hot water into the teapot. He couldn't think of anything to say.
As she placed the cup of tea in front of him Ichigo could feel the skirts of her uniform brush his arm. Her closeness made him want to touch her. Just once more he wanted to hold her. He waited until she had placed the cups on the table and then stood, quickly moved around the table and embraced her. Momentarily he felt her stiffen as if she was rejecting his embrace, but then he felt her soften and she hugged him in return.
His heart lifted. His actions of the previous days had not hurt her irretrievably. She still cared.
'I'm sorry,' he said.
'I'm the one who should be apologising,' Orihime said quietly.
He looked at her. Unshed tears shone in her eyes.
Without thinking he bent his head and kissed her. The feeling of her soft mouth against his was sweeter than he remembered. His tongue parted her lips and gently invaded her mouth. He was uncertain what her reaction would be. He'd never kissed anyone like this and wasn't sure if he was doing it correctly. He felt her tongue tentatively touch his. The touch of her tongue was like an electric shock. He became aware of her body pressing against his. Instinctively he tightened his arms and began kissing her more passionately. Orihime responded.
Ichigo felt sensations flood his body. His mouth on hers, her body pressed close, their tongues playing with each other. He suddenly found breathing a little difficult. He pulled his mouth from hers.
Looking at the girl he held in his arms he saw her eyes were closed and she was flushed.
'You don't have to stop Ichigo. I like it when you kiss me,' she said faintly.
Ichigo kissed her again, unable to refuse the invitation. This time he found her tongue in his mouth, teasing him, exploring his palate, his tongue. He had not expected Orihime to take the initiative, but it felt so pleasant. He became aware of another problem, but tried to ignore it, hoping Orihime would not notice. He concentrated on the kiss, savouring it, tasting her sweetness. He felt his heart speed up. Kissing her like this was different to the previous kiss. Kissing Orihime was unlike anything he had felt before. It was satisfying of itself, but also made him want to take it further.
He felt Orihime press her body closer to his. He flushed. He was sure she would notice. If she did, she didn't move further away. If anything she moved closer, pressing tightly against him. He broke the kiss and loosened his arms slightly, moving his body away from hers, embarrassed. Orihime opened her eyes. They looked slightly out of focus. Ichigo wondered briefly how he looked.
'Don't be embarrassed, Ichigo,' Orihime said.
Ichigo felt more blood flood his face.
'I understand. I've studied biology. It's normal.'
Ichigo dropped his arms and moved away from Orihime.
'I know it's normal, but I'd hoped you hadn't noticed,' he said looking at the bookshelf.
'It doesn't matter. I care about you, Ichigo.' The sincerity in Orihime's voice touched Ichigo.
She moved close to him and placed her palm on his flushed cheek. He covered her hand with his, moved by the tender gesture and her words. He knew she cared. It was wrong to take advantage of her.
'Orihime, I think I understand about the charm. It just seemed wrong that you used it on me. I found it hard to believe you would do that,' his words were cut off as she placed her finger on his lips. He kissed her finger, then her palm and then kissed her on her mouth again.
He held her close and she pressed herself as close to him as before. The temptation was too great. He wanted to take things further.
As he kissed her, he slyly started to pull her shirt out from her skirt.
'She must notice this,' he thought. 'If she stops me I'll just kiss her again and go.'
Orihime responded by tugging Ichigo's shirt out of his pants. Her action shocked him pleasantly. He felt her palms move on the bare skin of his back. Taking this as an invitation, Ichigo moved his hands inside her shirt, touching her skin, running his hands over her back. She did not object.
They pulled apart, each of them intent on removing the other's shirt. Ichigo's fingers fumbled with the buttons. Orihime seemed to be having more success as she quickly had Ichigo's shirt open. She briefly reached inside her own shirt, unfastened and quickly removed something he couldn't see. It fell from her fingers, to the ground. Then she moved her hands onto his skin straying across his chest. Ichigo tried to concentrate but found he was distracted by Orihime's touch. Her palms were hot and soft. She was exploring his muscles closely with her hands. She touched his waist, ran her fingers over his spine, smoothed her hands over his neck and touched his chest. Ichigo noticed his breathing was becoming heavier.
Summoning his powers of concentration, Ichigo finally managed to get the last button of Orihime's shirt undone. He pulled her shirt apart gazing intently at what was revealed. Tentatively he touched her skin, running his hand from her collarbone downwards. She felt soft and warm and her skin was smooth. He wanted to touch all of her, explore all the mysteries of her body. He cupped his hands under her breasts, groaning as he felt their weight in his palms.
Pulling Orihime near for another kiss, Ichigo let his hands drop, eager to feel her naked flesh against his own. Drawing her even closer, his hands wandered to the fastenings of her skirt as he kissed her tenderly on her mouth.
'That's right. Do it. Take all her clothes off. Lay her. Have her now!' screamed the hollow triumphantly.
Ichigo became very still. How could he have forgotten? What was he doing? He knew the hollow would be affected if he tried to get close to Orihime. He'd let his emotions dictate a stupid course of action. He'd put himself and Orihime in a dangerous situation.
Ichigo dropped his hands, stepping away from Orihime. He concentrated and summoned his strength to resist the hollow. Orihime, startled by the abrupt change, looked at him with a worried frown on her face.
'Is everything all right, Ichigo?' she asked.
He shook his head.
'What are you doing, fool? Come on, get on with it. She's willing, you know she is,' squealed the disappointed hollow.
Ichigo felt a tremor pass through him at the sound of the voice inside.
'I'm sorry Orihime. I've just remembered something important and can't stay. I'll talk to you later,' he said heavily as he hurriedly did his shirt up while biting back his disappointed longing.
The sound of the hollows voice forced Ichigo to realise he could not stay. The hollow was too strong. Without daring to look at Orihime, he grabbed his bag and ran out the door, making his way home. There was nothing he could do. How could he tell Orihime how he felt? He did not want to explain about the hollow, or how it was gaining strength. How could he allow himself to become closer, to be spurred into further action when at any time the hollow could take over? He did not want to think what the hollow might do to Orihime.
Ichigo accepted the truth. He had been right earlier. He could not afford a relationship. It was too dangerous for Orihime. There was no choice. Maybe he could explain later. Maybe it was too late for explanations.
I tried to make this lighter, but it wouldn't work. Hopefully this sequel does not disappoint.
Reviews please.