Done in a day and during homework time, the plot might be a little messy. But this was in my head and I needed to get it out of my system.
Disclaimer: I don't know Bleach. I can't own Bleach.
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She wants so ardently to please him.
If it is one thing Orihime fears, it is the haunting thought that in the span of her entire lifetime, she will never be able to… for lack of a better word, to reach him.
That is the word she engraves in her thoughts when she contemplates her mission in life. Aware of the extraordinary friends Kurosaki-kun already surrounds himself with, she knows it is difficult, awfully awfully difficult, to leave a memorable mark in his life. Because just look at them. While they are beautiful, determined, and powerful figures, Orihime is meek and shy and uncertain with the powers she has. But she so fervently wishes to bury something, anything of hers into Kurosaki-kun's heart. She wants to be necessary, she wants to be valuable, she wants to be that violet-eyed friend of his.
So when he finally says, "Inoue, I need you," Orihime's breath cuts sharply into a hitch and she knows she will never, never forget those wor-
"It's about Rukia."
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…
She smiles at him with much effort as he begins to explain to her what he needs her to do. And as she listens and as she nods, she is thinking that this is not what she was talking about. Orihime wanted to be of help to him in a more noble, romantic way.
But if spying on Kuchiki-san is what he is asking her to do, well then how can she deny him?
The task is simple enough: Ichigo is afraid Rukia is planning something terrible on him. Because after one of their trivial and usual fights, Rukia has threatened him to never be caught off guard again. And although most of Rukia's threats have proven to be empty, she has been acting frighteningly quiet the past few days.
And as horrifying ideas of what could explain Rukia's silence race in his head, Kurosaki-kun is asking you to relieve him of further suspicions.
To put it the way Kurosaki-kun explains it, "Girl talk."
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Orihime knows she can do this. It may not be the heroine epic she has painted in her head, but it is simple and it is what he has asked of her. And as she is in his bedroom, casually "spending time" with her good friend, Rukia, she is formulating a plan to coax some information out for Kurosaki-kun.
This is what he has asked of me. I will do this and I will make him proud.
So she gradually lures Rukia-chan into the subject, and Rukia slowly describes the comment Ichigo made on-
"-Kaien-dono. I told him how my fukutaichou looks a lot like him... I don't know if Ichigo told you this, but we fought a few nights ago. I told him about Kaien-dono."
Rukia's soft expression turns bitter, "And then Ichigo makes a careless remark on why I'm friends with him... You know what he said? He joked and called himself a 'replacement' for Kaien-dono. 'I really am a substitute shinigami, ain't I Rukia?' That's what he said to me!"
Orihime endures Rukia as she's provoked by the memory and realizes this "usual and trivial" fight of theirs has a lot more weight to it than Kurosaki-kun let on. And in a few seconds, Rukia begins to not make sense. She is rapidly spitting out thoughts- raw and unorganized thoughts.
"Don't talk of Kaien-dono like that! He is never replaceable! He is different- THEY are different! Ichigo should KNOW that by now! He should JUST KNOW by now my own feelings fo-"
Rukia's voice drops, and her mouth is agape and her eyes are wide in shock. And all Orihime can think of is,
No. No...
"Orihime."
No. Please, no. Don't say it.
"That... idiot. He should know by now."
And now Orihime knows that this is enough. She's done her job, this is as far as she should go. And she smiles in panic and thanks Rukia before excusing herself. So Orihime fumbles as she gathers her coat and her bag and she opens the door to see Ichigo leaning against the door frame, where she knows he was there all along. His eyes are wide in astonishment, and even when Orihime can hear Rukia's small gasp in embarrassment, he doesn't move. So Orihime gives her last, best smile at Ichigo before she brushes passed him and out of the room.
Because this is not what Orihime was expecting. She was just trying to do him a little favor. She was just trying to please Kurosaki-kun, make his life better.
And she fears that maybe, maybe she has done just that.
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And the next day, when she is sitting in her seat trying so urgently to pay attention to the calculus problem on the board, the door slides open by a late Kurosaki-kun-
And Rukia-chan.
And everything- the teacher, the whispers, the solution to the calculus problem she has just solved- everything melts away.
She watches in caution as the two students meekly step into class. His hand is barely making contact against her back, the type of gesture to kindly guide her along, or to reassure her she is not alone. Her cheeks are burning and his eyes never leave the floor. Kurosaki and Kuchiki, who are known to change the atmosphere by just entering a room, seem to be a little flushed. A little disheveled. A little distraught. And Orihime can swear that he grazes his fingers teasingly and subtly along Rukia's shoulder blade before separating to take their own, individual seats.
And Kuchiki Rukia, the bold and confident Rukia, shyly smiles.
And as Orihime sits there, disregarding the whispers and coy giggles at what the class has figured out, she is silently screaming at herself,
"What have you done?
This could be a chapter story. It was initially a one-shot, but it's possible to go on. Review, please. Let me know how it was. Criticism, praise, flames- they're all good.
I hope you liked it.