.searing intuition.
It occurred to her while she was at Urahara's shop, and slipped out of her mouth before she even realized she was speaking; Orihime mused, "Poor Ishida-kun. He doesn't know Kuchiki-san doesn't return his feelings."
Across the table, Renji choked on his udon. "What," he managed to snap around his mouthful.
"What?" she echoed, blank. Her train of thought had utterly derailed.
Renji slammed his bowl down on the table and gave her his most fearsome glare, which Orihime admired in a vague, intimidated way. It was a very good glare. "You said Ishida-kun doesn't know Kuchiki-san doesn't return his feelings. What feelings."
Orihime scratched her cheek, embarrassed. "Mmm, well, you know, like when... a boy and a girl have just the right chemistry..." Maybe shinigami didn't have these feelings? Oh no, that would be even worse, she thought suddenly, stricken. Then Ishida-kun and Kurosaki-kun would be out of luck!
"That little weasel likes Rukia?" Renji said darkly, making Orihime think of yakuza and sleeping with the fishes and how cool that would be, if you could sleep with fishes.
"Ishida-kun isn't a weasel," she said, in his defense.
"How do you know? What gave you that idea?"
Orihime was momentarily stumped. "Well, weasels are small and furry-- Oh how do I know he likes her." Ahaha. She told the redhead earnestly, because she was not above spreading a little gossip, "The truth is, he made a dress for her from scratch, and it was so cute! And it looked like it was perfectly her size! He has to have been thinking about her all the time to get the fit so perfectly!" It was kind of embarrassing, if she really considered that.
Renji stared at her for a long flat moment, and then muttered something to his udon that sounded threatening.
He was probably worried for Kurosaki-kun, since they were such good friends. A little less enthusiastic, Orihime told him quietly, "But, poor Ishida-kun. She and Kurosaki-kun..."
"Are you serious?"
Orihime frowned at him. "Of course!" Matters of the heart were very serious.
Renji did not seem convinced. "You think Ichigo... and Rukia? And that Ishida has a thing for Rukia?" He was staring at her hard, as if trying to root out the truth, or her feelings on the matter. She wanted to squirm in her seat like a guilty kid.
Renji would think she was silly if he knew that she was jealous of Kuchiki-san. Renji didn't let himself get caught up in things like this.
"Woman's intuition," she told him, with a small smile.
"I think yours is broken," Renji said.