Jasmine Samba: prompt, "A rabbit, not a bunny."
*cackles*
Pea is a bad influence. She encourages my crack! laced thoughts.
*snickers some more*
Rukia stared at Ichigo for a long, long moment.
"You realize they're never gonna go for that, right?" she said.
Ichigo glanced at Nel, and the corner of his mouth rose. "I don't think they can refuse," he said.
She looked between the two of them. "And what about the others?" she said. "I don't think they're going to do this voluntarily."
In response, Nel cracked her knuckles.
"They won't have much of a choice."
Some time later...
"And what about you, Inoue?"
Orihime blinked, then looked at Mahana. "Excuse me?"
Mahana blew out an exasperated breath. "Are you coming with us to the fair after school?"
"The fair?" she said, looking up and away as if thinking.
Then she smiled at her and said, "I'm sorry, I have another appointment."
"You've had a bunch of those lately," Michiru said. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, glancing briefly at Tatsuki. The girl's knuckles were white. "No," she said. "It's just something I need to do."
"Like...a part-time job?"
Orihime nodded. "Something like that."
"Well I hope they're paying you well," Chizuru said sourly. "How am I suppose to seduce my beloved 'Hime if she never comes out with us anymore?"
Inoue could almost hear Tatsuki's teeth grit. But she simply ducked her head a little. "It's worth it," she said, voice soft.
* * * *
"One of these days, I'm going to rearrange her face," Tatsuki said as they walked towards Urahara's.
"Who, Chizuru?" Orihime shook her head. "She's harmless."
"She's annoying."
Orihime smiled. "Can't be helped with some people," she said. The edge of her hand brushed Tatsuki's arm.
"I guess," she mumbled.
They stopped in front of Urahara's.
"Are you coming?" Orihime asked.
Tatsuki shook her head. "Nah. Mom keeps hinting that I've got chores to do."
Orihime nodded. "All right. See you tomorrow, then?"
There was a pinched look to Tatsuki's eyes. "You have your cell?"
Orihime blinked, then pulled it out of her bag.
"Call me when you get back," Tatsuki said.
Orihime blinked again; then, her face softened. "Of course," she said.
Tatsuki gave a brisk nod. "Good. Now go, before they close it."
Orihime went.
* * * *
Urahara had become a little more skilled at opening portals to the Hueco Mundo, and so it dropped her fairly close to Las Noches. She stopped on the sands for a moment just to look at the buildings, white and crisp against a dark sky. Most of them had been destroyed or dismantled in some way, either by Kurosaki's group or Soul Society's. Only a small cluster remained entirely intact, and it was towards those that she walked now.
Sado was waiting for her near the entrance. He said nothing when he saw her, just opened his arms.
She stepped into his embrace. Something untwisted in her chest.
They broke apart. "You weren't expected," Sado said.
"I wanted to surprise them," she said, touching the straps of the backpack she wore.
Sado turned away. "They will be surprised," he said as he walked towards the entrance.
"I..."
He stopped in front of the door.
"I wanted to see them again," she said.
He made a fist, and the second skin of his armor formed over it. He touched it to the wall.
"It's hard to believe," he said. He twisted his fist against the wall, and a large crack appeared. He grabbed it with both hands and heaved, hauling the door over the loose sand.
That's not the reason, she thought, but said nothing.
He turned to her in the entranceway. "You should see Nel before you drop those off," he said. "Make sure they're okay with her."
She nodded and stepped inside.
* * * *
Orihime knocked on the edge of the wooden frame. "Hello?" she said. She took a hesitant step inside.
"Orihime!"
She jumped, then turned to find Nel there, dressed in her usual white jacket and black hakama.
"This is unexpected!" the woman said, moving forward to sweep her into a hug. "I thought you weren't gonna come by for another few weeks!"
"....aaaack...aaair..."
Nel released her unselfconsciously. "So? Why so early?"
Orihime unhooked the backpack from her shoulders. "I got some new things," she said, "and I couldn't wait to bring them."
Nel smirked. "Such a mother," she said, voice airy. "You'd probably do better with these brats than I would."
"Oh, no, I'm sure you do just fine..." Orihime protested.
"I haven't eaten any of them yet," Nel agreed. "Speaking of that...OI! I KNOW YOU CAME WITH ME!"
"Nel?"
"He's so shy," Nel said, then called, "It's only 'Hime! You can come out!"
Small horns poked out from behind the wall.
Orihime instinctively crouched down. "Hello, Ora," she said. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
The horns moved out a little further, and one dark green eye appeared. " 'Hime?"
"Yup!" she smiled.
"Ora, you're being rude," Nel said.
He moved into the doorframe, and once again, Orihime marveled at the change in his appearance. Once he had been as tall as her; now, he barely came up to her hip. He wore a tiny, shapeless robe instead of white trimmed black. His head was still crowned with a helmet of bone, but it had shrunk; his eyes, though as deep and dark a green as before, were much wider and brighter; the streaks under his eyes had become long, dark smudges across chubby cheeks.
Once: Ulquiorra, the fourth Espada.
Now: Ora. No rank. No number. Just Ora.
He moved into the room with deceptive quickness for such short legs and stopped just in front of her. One small hand reached up and touched her temple, her hairpins. " 'Hime," he said. "Welcome back."
Orihime, for no reason she could fathom, blinked hard for a few seconds.
"Thank you, Ora," she said. "It's nice to see you again, too."
She stood. He moved beside her, and his hand hook around hers.
"I see he's found someone else to be attached to," Nel said, her voice soft.
Orihime nodded, a lump in her throat.
Nel nodded at the pack. "If you can take supervisor duties for a bit, I can go through that," she said. She looked at Ora. "You'll make sure 'Hime doesn't get lost, right?"
"Right," Ora said.
Nel grinned at Orihime. "He's all yours."
* * * *
The first rule to dealing with Hollows was to crack their mask. Crack their mask, destroy their shield, and they would have no choice but to be purified. It was reflexive, as instinctive as a Hollow's hunger.
Arrancar were a whole different beast. Especially if they had advanced to Adjuca rank. Especially if they had had enough power to become one of Aizen's Espada. Their masks had already been broken apart by their own will, with only pieces remaining. It was believed that those pieces were purely symbolic remnants of what they had been.
As it turned out, they weren't just symbolic..
Cracking them didn't purify the owner, though.
It did something else entirely.
* * * *
They ran into Grim even before they got to the main chamber.
He was sprawled on the floor, concentrating very hard on a pad of paper. He didn't even look up until Ora said, "You should be in your room."
"I like it out here," he said.
"Nel said you were grounded to your room," Ora said, disapproval in his voice.
Grim raised his head. "And what are you gonna do about that?" he said.
Orihime nearly had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling. She always had that reaction to Grim when he tried to sound, well, bad-ass in his much higher voice.
"What are you doing out here, Grim?" she asked.
He rolled over, eyes wide in surprise. "'Hime!" he said. Then, he frowned. "Man, what are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you guys some things," she said. She moved closer and saw that he'd been drawing on the pad of paper. "What are you drawing?"
Abruptly, he colored. "Just...some stuff," he said, rolling back to hide the sketchpad with his body. "Nothing important!"
"Can I see?" Orihime asked.
"Uh...no. They're...uh..."
"For Rukia," Ora said.
"SHUT UP!" Grim yelled.
"She showed him how to draw bunnies," Ora informed her, voice grave. "He's been practicing all week so he can show her when..."
"SHUT UP!" Grim yelled again, and in the blink of an eye, launched himself at Ora.
He ran face first into a shield.
"Grim," Orihime said gently. "No fighting."
"But he wouldn't shut up!" Grim protested, then pointed at Ora. "And they're rabbits, not bunnies!"
"What's the difference?" Ora asked.
"It's a big difference!" Grim replied. He looked up at Orihime. "Right?"
(1464)
*chortles merrily* Man, this is kinda addictive to write, but I really need to stop and try and figure out the right characterization.
Pea is a bad influence. She encourages my crack! laced thoughts.
*snickers some more*
Rukia stared at Ichigo for a long, long moment.
"You realize they're never gonna go for that, right?" she said.
Ichigo glanced at Nel, and the corner of his mouth rose. "I don't think they can refuse," he said.
She looked between the two of them. "And what about the others?" she said. "I don't think they're going to do this voluntarily."
In response, Nel cracked her knuckles.
"They won't have much of a choice."
Some time later...
"And what about you, Inoue?"
Orihime blinked, then looked at Mahana. "Excuse me?"
Mahana blew out an exasperated breath. "Are you coming with us to the fair after school?"
"The fair?" she said, looking up and away as if thinking.
Then she smiled at her and said, "I'm sorry, I have another appointment."
"You've had a bunch of those lately," Michiru said. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head, glancing briefly at Tatsuki. The girl's knuckles were white. "No," she said. "It's just something I need to do."
"Like...a part-time job?"
Orihime nodded. "Something like that."
"Well I hope they're paying you well," Chizuru said sourly. "How am I suppose to seduce my beloved 'Hime if she never comes out with us anymore?"
Inoue could almost hear Tatsuki's teeth grit. But she simply ducked her head a little. "It's worth it," she said, voice soft.
* * * *
"One of these days, I'm going to rearrange her face," Tatsuki said as they walked towards Urahara's.
"Who, Chizuru?" Orihime shook her head. "She's harmless."
"She's annoying."
Orihime smiled. "Can't be helped with some people," she said. The edge of her hand brushed Tatsuki's arm.
"I guess," she mumbled.
They stopped in front of Urahara's.
"Are you coming?" Orihime asked.
Tatsuki shook her head. "Nah. Mom keeps hinting that I've got chores to do."
Orihime nodded. "All right. See you tomorrow, then?"
There was a pinched look to Tatsuki's eyes. "You have your cell?"
Orihime blinked, then pulled it out of her bag.
"Call me when you get back," Tatsuki said.
Orihime blinked again; then, her face softened. "Of course," she said.
Tatsuki gave a brisk nod. "Good. Now go, before they close it."
Orihime went.
* * * *
Urahara had become a little more skilled at opening portals to the Hueco Mundo, and so it dropped her fairly close to Las Noches. She stopped on the sands for a moment just to look at the buildings, white and crisp against a dark sky. Most of them had been destroyed or dismantled in some way, either by Kurosaki's group or Soul Society's. Only a small cluster remained entirely intact, and it was towards those that she walked now.
Sado was waiting for her near the entrance. He said nothing when he saw her, just opened his arms.
She stepped into his embrace. Something untwisted in her chest.
They broke apart. "You weren't expected," Sado said.
"I wanted to surprise them," she said, touching the straps of the backpack she wore.
Sado turned away. "They will be surprised," he said as he walked towards the entrance.
"I..."
He stopped in front of the door.
"I wanted to see them again," she said.
He made a fist, and the second skin of his armor formed over it. He touched it to the wall.
"It's hard to believe," he said. He twisted his fist against the wall, and a large crack appeared. He grabbed it with both hands and heaved, hauling the door over the loose sand.
That's not the reason, she thought, but said nothing.
He turned to her in the entranceway. "You should see Nel before you drop those off," he said. "Make sure they're okay with her."
She nodded and stepped inside.
* * * *
Orihime knocked on the edge of the wooden frame. "Hello?" she said. She took a hesitant step inside.
"Orihime!"
She jumped, then turned to find Nel there, dressed in her usual white jacket and black hakama.
"This is unexpected!" the woman said, moving forward to sweep her into a hug. "I thought you weren't gonna come by for another few weeks!"
"....aaaack...aaair..."
Nel released her unselfconsciously. "So? Why so early?"
Orihime unhooked the backpack from her shoulders. "I got some new things," she said, "and I couldn't wait to bring them."
Nel smirked. "Such a mother," she said, voice airy. "You'd probably do better with these brats than I would."
"Oh, no, I'm sure you do just fine..." Orihime protested.
"I haven't eaten any of them yet," Nel agreed. "Speaking of that...OI! I KNOW YOU CAME WITH ME!"
"Nel?"
"He's so shy," Nel said, then called, "It's only 'Hime! You can come out!"
Small horns poked out from behind the wall.
Orihime instinctively crouched down. "Hello, Ora," she said. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
The horns moved out a little further, and one dark green eye appeared. " 'Hime?"
"Yup!" she smiled.
"Ora, you're being rude," Nel said.
He moved into the doorframe, and once again, Orihime marveled at the change in his appearance. Once he had been as tall as her; now, he barely came up to her hip. He wore a tiny, shapeless robe instead of white trimmed black. His head was still crowned with a helmet of bone, but it had shrunk; his eyes, though as deep and dark a green as before, were much wider and brighter; the streaks under his eyes had become long, dark smudges across chubby cheeks.
Once: Ulquiorra, the fourth Espada.
Now: Ora. No rank. No number. Just Ora.
He moved into the room with deceptive quickness for such short legs and stopped just in front of her. One small hand reached up and touched her temple, her hairpins. " 'Hime," he said. "Welcome back."
Orihime, for no reason she could fathom, blinked hard for a few seconds.
"Thank you, Ora," she said. "It's nice to see you again, too."
She stood. He moved beside her, and his hand hook around hers.
"I see he's found someone else to be attached to," Nel said, her voice soft.
Orihime nodded, a lump in her throat.
Nel nodded at the pack. "If you can take supervisor duties for a bit, I can go through that," she said. She looked at Ora. "You'll make sure 'Hime doesn't get lost, right?"
"Right," Ora said.
Nel grinned at Orihime. "He's all yours."
* * * *
The first rule to dealing with Hollows was to crack their mask. Crack their mask, destroy their shield, and they would have no choice but to be purified. It was reflexive, as instinctive as a Hollow's hunger.
Arrancar were a whole different beast. Especially if they had advanced to Adjuca rank. Especially if they had had enough power to become one of Aizen's Espada. Their masks had already been broken apart by their own will, with only pieces remaining. It was believed that those pieces were purely symbolic remnants of what they had been.
As it turned out, they weren't just symbolic..
Cracking them didn't purify the owner, though.
It did something else entirely.
* * * *
They ran into Grim even before they got to the main chamber.
He was sprawled on the floor, concentrating very hard on a pad of paper. He didn't even look up until Ora said, "You should be in your room."
"I like it out here," he said.
"Nel said you were grounded to your room," Ora said, disapproval in his voice.
Grim raised his head. "And what are you gonna do about that?" he said.
Orihime nearly had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling. She always had that reaction to Grim when he tried to sound, well, bad-ass in his much higher voice.
"What are you doing out here, Grim?" she asked.
He rolled over, eyes wide in surprise. "'Hime!" he said. Then, he frowned. "Man, what are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you guys some things," she said. She moved closer and saw that he'd been drawing on the pad of paper. "What are you drawing?"
Abruptly, he colored. "Just...some stuff," he said, rolling back to hide the sketchpad with his body. "Nothing important!"
"Can I see?" Orihime asked.
"Uh...no. They're...uh..."
"For Rukia," Ora said.
"SHUT UP!" Grim yelled.
"She showed him how to draw bunnies," Ora informed her, voice grave. "He's been practicing all week so he can show her when..."
"SHUT UP!" Grim yelled again, and in the blink of an eye, launched himself at Ora.
He ran face first into a shield.
"Grim," Orihime said gently. "No fighting."
"But he wouldn't shut up!" Grim protested, then pointed at Ora. "And they're rabbits, not bunnies!"
"What's the difference?" Ora asked.
"It's a big difference!" Grim replied. He looked up at Orihime. "Right?"
(1464)
*chortles merrily* Man, this is kinda addictive to write, but I really need to stop and try and figure out the right characterization.