Day 36: The Sun Room

[ellectriclights]

For the first time since arriving at Landel's, Elle woke up feeling... almost peaceful. She lay in bed for several minutes, adjusting to certain things. Mostly the fact that her left arm was in a sling. And her shoulder didn't hurt as much as she would have expected it to, which probably meant she was on meds

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[simpleastherain]

Orihime was used to the abrupt changes by now. She was glad she'd stashed her things away the night before, and she had a little time for a quick check before the nurse came in to show her to the sunroom.

Ururu was already surrounded by friends, but she hesitated a moment anyway wondering if she should go over and join them or of that would just cause a lot of unnnecessary crowding. She didn't look like she needed another person fussing over her right away. She'd wait, at least until lunch. Seeing Fai again might help cheer the little girl up if he wasn't in bad shape.

Everyone here hurt so much. Maybe for the thousandth time, she wished she could do more than just heal bodies.

She let her gaze wonder, looking for a place to curl up until lunch. She hadn't seen Oriya for a while, and lazy sunroom days made her want to forget herself combing out his hair. Was he gone too? She shook her head, trying to dislodge the melancholy that had managed to sneak up on her.

It was hard not to be drawn to the girl standing in the middle of the room, just sunbathing. She looks so free. Orihime thought, though free wasn't exactly the word. She moved a little closer, unable to resist the temptation to give it a try for herself. Standing a couple of feet away from the girl, she tipped her head up hesitantly and squinted into the sun. The light hurt, but she didn't want to close her eyes.

[windstwilight]

Senna heard someone walking near her, but didn't open her eyes just yet. "Enjoying the view?" She absorbed the rays for another minute, then opened her eyes with a smile. "I'm Senna, and you...."

For once her memory didn't falter, and she placed the orange-haired girl on the bridge. "I talked to you on the board. Orihime, right?" Her smile turned into a grin. The girl was sorta nice before.

Without waiting for a reply, Senna flopped down in the middle of the floor, laying on her back in the sunlight. She propped herself up on her elbows, and patted the floor next to her.

[simpleastherain]

Orihime turned at the voice, an apology for interrupting already half-formed on her lips--

"Oh, yes! Senna-san, it's good to meet you finally." Orihime replied, smiling back at the other girl. Or down in her vague direction. She was still blinking away the bright spots left by the sunlight.

She really wished she could remember something about Senna, but even seeing her in person didn't jog any memories except...a vague familiarity. She felt like she could trust the other girl. She seemed nice, and she said she was Ichigo's friend so she must be a good person even if Orihime didn't know her.

She rather liked the idea of laying in the sun with Senna, so she flopped down beside the other girl and turned her head a little so she could see her. "This is nice. I've been here a while and I never even tried."

[windstwilight]

"There's different ways to see things." She tilted her head back again, closing her eyes. "But it is nice."

Senna waved her hand at Orihime. "Just 'Senna'. I never liked all that formal stuff." There was so much she wanted to ask... about Ichigo, about this Institute, about... but she didn't know how to start. This wasn't last night; there wasn't any dark to hide in. But still, maybe it was just the sun, but things didn't look so dim today. Even if....

"So," she started in a calm voice. "Rukia's gone now. I wonder if she found her way home."

[simpleastherain]

Orihime's breath hitched audibly. "She - I - are you sure? Are you really, really sure?"

She knew the shinigami knew well enough when one of their own was no longer among the patient population but she needed to hear it again just this once. Maybe Senna would be unsure, or she would change her mind or...or...

Orihime turned away and looked up, finally closing her eyes against the sun. She didn't want Rukia to be gone just like that. She was too smart and too strong to be taken before Orihime. And yet, only a small part of her wouldn't accept accepted it. That was the way here, and no amount of stubborn denial seemed to change it.

It wasn't fair, though, to be upset in front of Senna. "I...hope she found her way back. She belongs there. If not...I'll just have to find her and help her get home again, right?"

[windstwilight]

Senna didn't really care about pride when it came to things like this. She rolled, grabbing Orihime in an awkward but genuine hug. She let go after a minute with a sad look. "Sorry. I should have thought about what I was saying more."

She stayed close to Orihime. "I don't know personally. But Lea--uh, Hitsugaya-taichou said so, and some other people agreed." She played with a piece of fuzz on the floor, watching it. "Rukia was the only one I really knew here. It's sad. She didn't even remember me, and yet... it was okay. Because there was someone here that knew...." That knew I was real, once.

Senna smiled at Orihime, and if her smile was forced it wasn't for lack of belief. "Yes! I'm sure she's home, working on ways to bring all of you back with her."

[simpleastherain]

The hug took her by surprise, but Orihime was grateful for it. Tears stung her eyes, and for a moment she just wanted to snuggle close to anyone and sleep for a long, long while. Why did they have to take Rukia? She shook her head a little at Senna's apology and put on a brave face when the girl pulled away. "Thank you for telling me."

Orihime could only nod at the confirmation of this news, and her own smile matched Senna's for the strain. "Her and Kurosaki-kun," She agreed. "We can get to know each other in the meantime. I feel like..." She didn't remember Senna, that was for sure, but some part of her felt comforted by the girl's presence. "I don't know. You said you knew Kurosaki-kun from back home? Will you tell me about it?"

[windstwilight]

Senna nodded once at Orihime, then looked back up towards the skylights. "Ichigo, huh." She was silent for a little more, a small smile on her face. "That kid is...." Amazing came to mind, but Senna wasn't the type to say it out loud. Instead she laughed, "Stubborn!" She thought a minute, then smiled a little. "Sure. Why not? I'll tell you about me and Ichigo."

She leaned back more on her elbows. "You're not a Shinigami, so I don't think that you'd know anyway. Rukia says... said that I'm from a different time, but I don't know. Maybe everybody just forgot about me." After telling Hitsugaya last night, telling this nice girl was almost easy. "Because the Shinenju is made of memories, and maybe everybody just lost the ones of me."

When Senna laughed again, there was pain in it. "See, I'm a Shinigami. But I'm that, too. And because of that... I'm not supposed to exist. They wanted to destroy me, them and these other guys. But Ichigo...."

Senna's voice was quiet when it came, but sure. "Ichigo saved me. In more ways that I thought. And told me... that I existed, and had a right to exist." She looked down to play with the dust again. "I wasn't real, and he defended me like I was family." When Senna finally looked up at Orihime, her eyes held pain but a sure confidence. "So even if I wasn't supposed to exist, I do now. And anyone that has an issue can just deal with that."

She flopped back on the floor with a loud sigh. "If I had anything to back that up, I'd feel a whole lot better. Leader is pretty scary."

[simpleastherain]

Despite herself Orihime felt a little twinge of jealousy. Senna was someone she didn't really know, and yet she said his name like she was family. But those were old feelings, and she tried to wrap herself in the comfort of having someone who knew him by her side. Just like Rukia. Someone who shared the same kinds of feelings and made them a little less lonely to bear.

Some of the tension left her smile, and she even laughed with Senna at the comment about his stubbornness.

She listened with real intent and interest to Senna's story. She didn't think she understood half of it, but she got the important things. Senna was...made of memories? Orihime thought she might agree with Rukia on Senna being from a different time, but if Senna said everyone had forgotten her then that was what it was. Orihime believed her. She couldn't deny anyone with that much pain in their eyes. "That sounds like him. I be the was really loud about it too. But he's right." Orihime agreed fiercely. "I think...if people really have forgotten you, then we just have to make new memories and hold on tighter. I believe you, if it means anything.

"Um... who's Leader?"

[windstwilight]

"Yep!" She grinned at Orihime. "Said no to captain-class Shinigami, told them they were wrong right to their faces." It sounded cool now, but at the time... at the time, Senna was just confused and scared out of her mind at being handed her death sentence.

Senna listened to Orihime, then smiled again. "You're an optimistic person, aren't you? But that's nice. Making new memories and all. I exist right here and now, anyway, right. Might as well." She sat up suddenly, indian style. "So, let's start over. You never met me, so I'm Senna. I like the color red and ferris wheels and dancing. What about you, Orihime? Er." She scratched her head, looking sheepish. "Or do you like to be called Orihime-san?"

Senna flat out laughed at Orihime's question. "'Leader' is Hitsugaya-taichou. We got off on the wrong foot--I called him by a different name. And 'Hitsugaya-taichou' is too stiff." She stuck out her tongue. "And I teased him by calling him 'fearless leader' last night."

[simpleastherain]

Orihime couldn't help but feel a little proud of him even if she'd seen it a hundred times before...no, maybe especially because she saw it every day. Ichigo was a protector. No matter what, he stood up for his friends and made himself as strong as he needed to be even if he was just like them on the inside.

She only nodded at Senna's words, trying to absorb all of this information at once. She followed the girl when she sat up and folded her legs, reaching down to rearrange a skirt that wasn't there. She barely noticed the gesture and folded her hands in her lap instead. "Orihime is fine, if you want." She replied, smiling. "I like a lot of colours, and roller coasters, and the smell of fresh pickle bread, and...the sky after a storm. I want to be something exciting when I'm older. Maybe a gundam pilot."

Orihime wrinkled her nose a little, in complete agreement with Senna's suggestion. "I think so too, but it seems like he would get mad at being called something else."

[windstwilight]

Senna's eyes lit up at Orihime's words. "The sky after a storm, huh?" She grinned. "I'd probably like the sky before a storm better, but that's almost as good. You have good taste!" Senna for some reason felt more connected to Orihime. How could you not, with someone who appreciated the sky?

"Gundams. Are those those cool robots? I saw them in a store one time--you could put them together. I don't know much about them though."

Senna laughed again. "That's the fun of it! Seeing how far I can take it before he gets mad."

[simpleastherain]

Orihime beamed, glad that her taste didn't seem to weird for Senna. She could understand the other girl liking the opposite - like most of Orihime's friends, she seemed like the type who lived for adventure. Orihime was a little more plain than the rest of them. She thought the light gently breaking through the clouds had its own kind of strength.

"I like the kind you can put together too, but I really want to fly one someday." If she didn't become a pastry chef. Or a rocket scientist. Or a rocket. It was nice to think about dreams again.

"It's no wonder you get along with Kurosaki-kun. Kuchiki-kun does that to him, and I think he secretly likes it. I didn't think Hitsugaya-taichou was like that too...but it fits with the grumpiness."

[windstwilight]

Senna's eyes widened. "There's some you can fly in?!" She never saw those in the human world! Hopefully it wasn't something that was suspicious.

She grinned again. "I don't know if he likes it, but we'll soon see one way or the other!" She blinked and then looked over at her new friend. "Hey, Orihime... would you mind telling me how you know Ichigo?" She wanted to know more about this person that changed her life....

[simpleastherain]

"Well, not yet, but I'm sure there will be soon." Orihime replied, nodding enthusiasticlly. "Don't worry, if I become a Gundam I'll take you for a ride."

Somehow being asked how she knew Ichigo still caught her off guard. Silly things were fun and easy to talk about, but it was only fair to answer after Senna had been nice enough to explain to her. "Oh... Well, I've known him for a long time. It used to be that we just went to the same school. I liked him and I always wanted to talk to him and hang out more, but I was...afraid of screwing everything up, I guess. Then Kuchiki-kun showed up, and we all started hanging out a lot more." She paused, her voice softening a little. "He rescued me too, from a lot of things. But his soul powers sort of..leaked and most of us ended up finding our own strengths, thanks to him."

[windstwilight]

[died, sorry. =/ we can wrap up if you'd like... and oh, the high school lingo. XD;]

Senna nodded back, just as excited, "Okay!" The words took a minute to set in, then, "Wait, become..." And then, by then she was distracted by the next thing Orihime was talking about.

She nodded, more slowly. "Yeah. Ichigo has that kind of personality; wants to rescue everybody. Loudly. Hell, we're all probably more well off for it, but still." She laughed, then looked at Orihime. The leaking powers interested her, but she didn't really know what to ask. She'd think about it and talk to Orihime about it next time, maybe. Senna grinned at the other girl. "So, Orihime... you said you always liked him. Did you like him like him?"

Senna could see it. Orihime was sweet. She'd be good for Ichigo. She would be someone that could be there for him. Because Senna... well. Senna couldn't. But even so, it'd be good to know he wouldn't be alone.