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+--- Thread: If I Were The Rain (/showthread.php?tid=3479)
If I Were The Rain - Orihime Inoue - 01-03-2016
Ichigo’s body lay still on the ground with a pitch black hole gaping in the middle of his chest. He had just finished a grueling battle with Ulquiorra when Grimmjow had stolen Orihime away, and ordered her to heal all of Ichigo’s wounds. Her first reaction was to be grateful, because more than anything she needed to try to save Ichigo, seeing him like this brought tears to her eyes. However, Orihime couldn't trust this to be a gift from Grimmjow, she knew his motives were evil.
“I won’t” she whispered. Grimmjow’s look turned angry and annoyed, then, before Orihime could blink, his hand was around her throat. Gasping for air, she reiterated, “I won’t. If I do, you’ll just try to hurt him again. I won’t.”
Grimmjow had an intent to kill in his eyes, as he squeezed harder around her neck.
Suddenly Ichigo’s hand swiftly cuffed Grimmjow’s arm tightly. “Let go of her”, he warned.
Orihime was caught in a trance, as she looked upon Ichigo’s face and thought, Oh Ichigo, I never thought that I would ever see you again.
“Oh come on, don't look at me like that. I’ll be alright, trust me. I’ll win.” Ichigo promised and next thing, he and Grimmjow were engaged in battle. Grimmjow continuously provoking Ichigo to use his full strength.
“Be careful Ichigo”, Orihime pleaded, but in her heart she knew that Ichigo would win the battle with Grimmjow. She knew that Ichigo didn't say he wasn't afraid, because of fear and definitely not to try to fool himself, but because his win was a guarantee. Whenever he says something that is important, he swears it like an oath. Like he did when he first appeared to me as a soul reaper, and rescued me from my brother, who had become a hollow. That is who Ichigo is. He makes a promise to himself, and then to make his promise a reality, he recites it. Orihime believed Ichigo would win because if he said it, Ichigo would not lose.
In between the arrancar and substitute soul reaper's dancing swords, Ichigo roared, “What did you do to Orihime?!”
“Why did you come to this place, soul reaper?” quipped the arrancar.
With his zanpakuto looming over him, Ichigo replied, “Are you some kind of idiot, Grimmjow? I came here to rescue Orihime.”
When he said this, a ripple of butterfly wings filled her stomach and she had to look away from Ichigo. She still could not believe that Ichigo had ruthlessly fought his way there to rescue her from wakomundo. This vast wasteland had more dangerous foes than they had ever come across, and upon arrival she did not think she would survive. An unexpected spectral energy came right for Orihime, and it felt like she was seeing it come in slow motion. Orihime gasped, as she heard a muffled cry out from Ichigo and he moved to intercept the blast, shielding her. As the smoke from the impact dissipated, she noticed a change in Ichigo's spiritual pressure to something significantly stronger and menacing.
“Ichigo” she whispered timidly.
The air was stagnant as his head turned around slowly to face her. Orihime’s face was frozen in terror as a hideous mask had covered his face. His eyes where a demon yellow that brought on a sense of fear she had never felt from Ichigo before. He looked just like her brother, eyes threatening like they wanted to devour her.
After the initial shock he turned back away from her and said, “I’m sorry if this frightens you. There is nothing to worry about. I’ll finish this quickly.”
Tenderly, Ichigo whispered to her, “Orihime I need you to use your Santen Kessun to protect yourself for the remainder of the fight, and don’t take it off until I say so, OK?”
Returning to the fight with a new found vengeance, he left Orihime frozen in her own fear with thoughts of her brother’s thirst for blood and of what Ichigo had become. Grimmjow took advantage of the soul reapers back being turned and went in for another cheap shot, however Ichigo blocked the attack from doing any damage to Orihime.
Crying, Orihime wailed, “Ichigo, why?!”
Ichigo breathed heavily, his voice sounded like static while his bright orange hair peeked behind and around his mask, “This is nothing, don’t worry.” She trembled as once again she saw her brother’s face, forcing her to turn away in hesitation.
While the battle between the two began to escalate, she remained with her eyes closed and her arms gripping herself tightly. In the middle of her thought, she heard Nell yell, “Why are you not cheering for him? What, do you think, he is some kind of monster?”
“Cheer for him?” Orihime thought with shame, having not understood what she meant until Nell yelled through tears, “How will he feel when he does not even hear your voice cheering him on?”
Quickly opening her eyes, she saw that the battle was not turning in Ichigo's favor. She thought of them as children, playing together, and his smirk of his whenever he had the upper hand during games. Shame ran through Orihime, as tears glided down her flushed face, “Ichigo!”, she bellowed, “I need you!”
Ichigo stopped and looked up at Orihime, and with her beauty calling out to him, he found new strength. Holding her hands tightly, she whispered sweetly under her breath that she loved him. She remembered all the good about him, and how he made her feel, like time did not exist when they were together. Sniffling, she imagined placing her delicate hand into his and going home where they belonged.
“I’m going to take Orihime and my friend’s home safely!” Ichigo thundered as he plunged his zanpakuto through the arrancar.
“Yes,” she thought, “Ichigo did it.”
---
A bitter silence engulfed her as she stood baffled by what she had just experienced. A man, or rather a being, had just told her that she would never go home again. How is this possible? She did not remember going into another portal or door way into another dimension. Where is Ichigo? This super power had stolen her away, right before she returned with her love back to the world of the living. Incandescent emptiness surrounded her, there was nothing but what appeared to be a fountain off in the distance.
Falling to her knees she wailed, “Ichigo!” and like a dream, she remembered her hand going into his, as she looked up through joyful tears at his actual face. No, I just saw him. I was just with him, this can't be happening. More tears fell to the unnatural, white surface beneath her as her heart shattered. Orihime could not understand why anyone would have an obsession with the powers she possessed.
She thought again of Ichigo's smile and questioned whether or not she imagined that, or if she was really still in wakomundo. Deep down, she knew that was not the case, this was much different. “Oh Ichigo”, she wailed silently.
“I know you came and rescued me once from a strange place. I know you can save me from this one.” Orihime spoke while rising to her feet, and then made the trek to the glittering fountain on the horizon. Her mind was going over the many possibilities to what was happening to her but she could not comprehend any of them. Orihime remembered the being say that there was others in this place, so she nervously felt for her hairpins, but was relieved to find them still there. I hope someone can explain to me what's going on here she thought to herself. She was still wearing the dress that was given to her by Lord Aizen, her capture. The dress brushed against her legs silkily and made a soft whooshing noise as she walked, which was the only sound around her.
Where is everyone? she pondered as she approached the fountain.
There was no concept of time in this place. How long had it been since she started walking. One hour? Two hours? A minute? She didn’t know. Wakomundo had its own time there as well, that she remembered. Her footsteps whispered to her as her feet ached. Orihime made her way to what would appear to be an entrance just south of the fountain. It was coming more and more into sight as she approached. She felt like she was going mad with the deathly stillness and that although she was making her way across this luminescent landscape, the fountain had stayed the same. She thought of Ichigo crossing the desolate terrain of wakomundo and shivered.
At least I have not encountered any beasts, or arrancar she thought to herself with unease. Her mind went to Ichigo again and went to a memory of them at school.
It was picture day, so everyone was to look their best for the school yearbook. Orihime made sure her hair was curled, pinned with the hair clip her brother had given her, and that she was wearing her best uniform. The time for everyone to get together was approaching, but it felt like something was missing. Looking around, she realised that Ichigo was not with them. Orihime turned around, only to find Ichigo was suddenly behind her. As she inspected him, up and down, she saw that his uniform was slightly wrinkled, and his hair was a fiery, tangled mess atop of his head. She loved it. Giggling to herself, she asked him where he had been.
“What? I have been here the whole time. You look nice Orihime.” grinned Ichigo.
Returning to this place with a slight smile across her lips, she saw the gate was almost upon her. Puzzled, Orihime picked up her pace. It looked similar to the entrances to The World of the Living and The Soul Society, but very different at the same time. As she approached the gate she abruptly stopped right in front of it. She thought of what might happen if she got hurt while passing through it. Nervously she reached her delicate hand through the entrance and held her breath. The brilliant colors of the gate parted around her palm like that a waterfall. Fascinated, she pushed further into the gate until she was completely through it.