Karakura Town was glowing, not
just from its usual amalgamation
of building, street, and car lights,
but from the colorful lanterns that
hung on the many stalls along the
streets. The entire town was alight
in a multitude of hues. It gave the
tanzaku stuck on the bamboo poles
and the variegated yukata of
passers-by a beautiful radiance
only seen during Tanabata.
It made her glow, too, or so Ichigo
thought. Those rainbow lights gave
Inoue Orihime an almost ethereal
appearance, and Ichigo couldn't
take his eyes off of her as she
browsed through stalls selling
delicious treats and hand-made
crafts. The smile she wore never
left her face as she chatted with
shop vendors and other customers,
and despite Ichigo's preference for
scowling, the corners of his mouth
would upturn whenever he saw that
infectious grin of Orihime's.
But then, he mused, a lot of things
about her seemed to rub off on him
whenever he was near her, like her
calmness, or even her compassion
she was so known for. Whenever
they touched, he could feel her
unyielding but serene strength
flow through her skin and into his.
He reveled in it, and he'd be a liar if
he said he didn't enjoy it.
Stop it. You know where this train
of thought leads to, and it'll only
make you miserable.
Reminding himself about his
misery did nothing to ease the
painful swelling in his chest. The
entire situation was depressing,
cyclical, and in his mind, pointless.
No matter what he did or said, even
if he found the courage to tell her,
Inoue Orihime was out of his
league and far too good for him.
That belief only worsened his
already glum mood.
This is why I tell myself to stop
thinking about it, he thought
bitterly.
He crossed his arms as the wind
picked up and blew over him,
ruffling his rusty-colored yukata.
In his peripheral vision, he saw
Orihime shudder in the wind,
wrapping her arms about her. If
only I was over there, I could-
He slapped his forehead with his
palm. I really need a distraction.
"Ichigo?"
There is a higher deity that likes
me. Ichigo turned to see Rose
approaching him. To his surprise,
he was also wearing traditional
garb. "Rose. I didn't know you guys
were coming."
He nodded. "Yes. We were bored,
and Mashiro wanted to go
shopping, so we all bought these
robes and decided to enjoy a night
out."
Ichigo's eye twitched, and when
Rose looked at him questioningly,
he explained, "Sorry. I have a hard
time picturing Shinji in a yukata.
Especially with a tweed cap on."
Rose laughed. "He's not wearing it, I
promise. He tried, but Riza made
him leave it behind." He scratched
his head, and smiled. "So, what
were you staring at before?"
To Ichigo's horror, he felt his
cheeks flush a faint pink. "Uh,
nothing really. Just-"
Whether he wanted to see for
himself or just didn't believe
Ichigo, Rose looked around him,
and raised an eyebrow when he laid
eyes on Orihime. "Ahh. She's quite a
sight tonight."
Ichigo whipped his head away to
hide his ever-growing blush, and
shrugged. "Uh, who? Inoue? Y-yeah,
she is pretty." He silently cursed
himself for two reasons, they being
that one, he did a terrible job at
playing dumb; and two, he had the
audacity to describe Orihime as
merely "pretty".
Her hair was tied in a loose bun,
perhaps in an effort to manage its
length and keep the wind from
making it knotty. Her yukata was
light silver, printed with light blue
flowers that swirled on the fabric.
Taking another peek at her, Ichigo
squinted at the pattern, and after a
moment realized that it matched
her hairpins. The outfit fit her
perfectly, displaying her physique
without being too revealing or
distasteful.
He unconsciously tilted his head to
the side as he watched her flush
faintly in response to something a
shopkeeper said.
Ichigo suddenly blinked,
remembering that Rose was still
standing next to him and that he
was staring at her again. His eyes
darted to his fellow Vizard, and he
groaned inwardly at Rose's
knowing smile.
"It's okay," he assured Ichigo, "it's
normal to stare at a pretty girl."
Was it? Ichigo's gaze fell to the
ground. "Yeah, if she wasn't my
friend. Besides-" He paused, and
shook his head. If he continued,
he'd reveal way too much. "Listen,
I'm gonna go talk to her and see if
she's heard from the others. I'll see
you around." He nodded to Rose,
trying to ignore the elder Vizard's
concerned look as he hurried
towards Orihime.
A wave of guilt engulfed him. He
liked Rose, because he was one of
the Vizards that didn't constantly
pick on, nag, or hit him. But Ichigo
couldn't look at his face, with that
worried expression and those eyes
that seemed like they could peer
into his mind and expose the truth.
A truth Ichigo was simply not
willing to share with Rose or
anyone.
"Kurosaki-kun." Orihime's voice
pulled him from his thoughts. He
looked up, and smiled softly as she
approached.
"Inoue." He inclined his head
towards her, still smiling as she
walked up to him. "I didn't know
you were coming alone."
She nodded. "Tatsuki-chan was
delayed at home, and told me to go
on without her. I'm supposed to
find her later, after I meet up with
everyone else. You're the first one I
found, though."
Ichigo frowned, and he lifted his
head to scan the crowd. "I was
hoping you found someone. Have
you tried searching anyone's
reiatsu?" he asked quietly.
Orihime's eyes closed, and she
bowed her head in concentration.
After a few moments, she slowly
opened her eyes. "It's hard. With so
many people and reiatsu, even
those that are small, it's tricky. I
think there's someone close by…"