Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Inside ❯ Inside ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

*For Debbie*
Sometimes Orihime's mind would wander during class. She would feel her eyes close to half-mast, and she could feel the weight of her chin in her hand.

She often thought about lunchtime. She imagined the things she would talk about with her friends. She had already thought of an ingenious way to goad Rukia-san into spilling about what it was like to live with Kurosaki-kun. She smiled as she wondered what kind of injuries Chizuru would be willing to gain all for a hug from Orihime. Though, she did squeeze a little too hard, and sometimes her hands wandered. But Orihime knows that people show their friendship in many different ways.

Her bento box was often a source of entertainment for her bored mind. Tatsuki would be the only one to try anything, but it made Orihime happy regardless. Today's special was fried eel rice rolls with a blueberry dipping sauce, and of course, her melon and chocolate drink that Ishida-kun had introduced her to. Rukia-san had once suggested that Orihime bring something for indigestion, but Orihime had yet to use the chalky pills she'd bought. She was impressed with her cooking talents this time. Maybe her friends would try it today.

Sometimes during her daydreams her eyes would slide over to Kurosaki-kun. Usually, his orange head was slowly descending upon the desk and drool was forming in the corners of his mouth. She could understand why he was so tired all the time. Hollows every night and homework must be a lot for one boy to deal with. She felt a warmth in her heart as she imagined him in his Shinigami uniform, wielding Zangetsu proudly. He was the protector of Karakura Town, their knight in shining armour, so to speak, and very few people knew. She silently thanked him on behalf of the rest of the town for the thousandth time. She knew there was some pleasure in his life though. A wicked grin crept across her face. She knew the reward of protecting his town was more than knowing his family and friends were safe. She had a sneaking suspicion- if the look on his face whenever Rukia-san was around was anything to go by- that he was plenty happy to skewer Hollows as long as it meant he could go home to the petite Shinigami living in his closet.

When his head finally hit the desk and his mouth gaped open, her thoughts sometimes (more often than not) would drift to Ishida-kun. A warmth would grow in her heart for him as well, but it usually spread to other regions of her body quickly. She would find herself trying to come up with reasons to talk to him, Crafts Club, his Quincy-ness, his thoughts on food, anything. It didn't use to be hard to talk to him until she saw the way he looked at her in Soul Society when she'd come up with the idea to take the uniforms of some Shinigami and go undercover. She'd thought he was looking at her like she was crazy, but thinking back on it, she'd caught him staring at her as they waited for a troop of Shinigami to pass. His eyes wandered over her body and then he'd abruptly blushed and shoved his glasses back up his nose. Back then she passed it off, more worried about finding the others and saving Rukia-san.

Ishida-kun was not afraid anymore though. He met her eyes and held them until she was the one blushing and turning away. The way he stared now, blatantly lustful and unapologetic, caused her many a sleepless night. Images, fantasies, kept her up thinking and playing, and giggling when she'd whisper his given name into the shadows of her room. Her imagination thought up a future where she was married to him and they went to Tanabata with their children, Ryuuyu and Tsuyu (yes, she'd already picked out their names). Mostly, her mind thought of much more naughty scenarios about how they made the children.

“Uryuu...” She would feel the heat creeping up her neck from the word slipping from her lips in so familiar a way.

During one of her more vivid daydreams, she had to excuse herself to the Girl's Room for fear that she might slip and call his name in the middle of class!

Her thoughts of Ishida-kun ranged from wondering about his relationship with his father, to what he was going to do about University, to how he liked his fish cooked. She'd asked him once if he was happy about not having his Quincy powers, if it made him feel more normal. He'd sighed and glanced away, ashamed, and told her it was without them that he felt abnormal. She'd sewn him a Quincy star patch for his bookbag the following week and slipped it in one of the pockets without telling him. He never said anything, but the way he smiled at her from across the school yard during lunch was his quiet way of telling her 'thank you.'

One particularly dull Algebra lesson ended with Orihime's notes turning into a List of Things I Like About Ishida-kun. She'd jotted down his proud silence, his skill with a needle, his glasses, his smartness, and a few other wholesome things before her list grew more adult-rated. She'd torn the page out of her notes with such haste that she'd knocked her math book on the floor and the whole class turned to stare at her. Ishida had leaned over and handed the book to her, smiling warmly. She uncrumpled the list when she got home and stuffed it under her pillow, adding to it occasionally. She even added hearts and signed her name Ishida Orihime.

Every now and then Orihime's mind would wander so far that Tatsuki would have to nudge her back to reality, reminding her that she needed to stay on top of her grades since she'd missed all that time last summer.

Sometimes, as she stared at the vast whiteness of Las Noches, she thanked the gods that she was still able to daydream and prayed to whoever was listening that he was going to be her very own Quincy in shining armour and take her away from this place.