damned_institute | Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

Hitsugaya left the chapel no less frustrated than before. The head doctor once again had chosen not to hide his face, yet promised he would be making an appearance at some time in the near future. He didn't like being patient, but there wasn't much choice. Either the head doctor would show his face, or he wouldn't. Renji had already seen him, and knew how to find him. That was enough.

The thought of eating made him slightly nauseous as usual, but he knew he needed to get his strength up. He could either be weak and try to force his way through brunch without eating anything, or he could be smart and actually give himself something to eat. And there was rice. Rice and fruit. He took a heaping pile of rice, and grabbed as much watermelon as he could fit on his plate, then proceeded to an empty table. He scanned the room, watching for Momo. He wasn't exactly looking forward to their conversation, knowing how she'd acted yesterday; however, he knew he had to speak to her, and there was a good chance that she would show more restraint now that the drugs were out of her system.

Thoughtfully he consumed his rice and waited.

[free at the moment, pester if you wish]

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[Waiting for Orihime]

Well, that had been relaxing. She was almost glad that the Head Doctor hadn't decided to show his face. She'd probably have been compelled to get involved in a fight and she still wasn't feeling entirely up to it. She wanted to sleep . Of course, there was food on offer and she wasn't going to pass it up.

She started with a plate full of the breakfast foods along with a bowl of rice. Rice! Finally! Even she could get a craving for a more familiar food like this.

She found herself a seat where she could see the door easily and waved to her captain as she settled herself down.

Orihime didn't take anything to eat. She'd been extremely reluctant to separate from Ururu on such a sour note. She just knew somehow, somewhere, they were alive and they would come back...but how could that be enough for Ururu? She couldn't prove she wasn't just patronizing the girl. What proof did she have of her claims? Ulquiorra would say she just wanted them to be alive. She didn't know anything.

They could have been maimed to death the night before and she wouldn't know.

She wasn't even in that prison anymore and she still heard echos of his voice. What good was she? From here, she couldn't even destroy the Hougyoku.

Orihime sat at the table the nurse had given her, murmuring something about a nap. She folded her arms and hid her face and let her fingers curl into fists. Something like contempt was brewing in her heart and it scared her.

She was partway through her second plate of mixed randomness when she spotted the girl sitting down nearby. Rangiku frowned at the sight of Orihime, a little shocked, not to mention worried, by how upset she looked. Oh... of course! Ichigo. She'd been reading on the bulletin and she hadn't even thought...

The woman sighed softly, pushing her hair back from her face and cursing her preoccupation. She had been allowing herself to be distracted recently. It was all very well to be meeting new people, but she needed to take care of her own as well. She'd got to know Orihime a little while they'd been in Seireitei and it wasn't difficult to tell that she'd be devastated by the news of Ichigo's disappearance.

Grabbing her plate, she moved up the table to the girl's side, dropping the plate in front of her. "Ne, eat up. We can't have you wasting away."

She knew that voice. It was a lot harder to find a quiet space alone in a place like this, and she should have known that someone would come if she looked upset instead of just tired. She didn't want to worry anyone just because she was in doubt. It really wasn't all that bad. She really wasn't upset.

Orihime lifted her head and rubbed her eyes a little, looking down at the prooffered plate of food. It smelled good. "I'm just sleepy. I'm not really hungry yet, tha.."

And then her stomach rumbled loudly enough to wake the dead. "..Eheh."

Of course, she wasn't going to be able to fool Rangiku by claiming that she was just tired. She hadn't lived this long to not be able to tell when someone was upset.

She laughed softly when Orihime's stomach growled and sat herself down in the seat next to the girl, nudging the plate closer to her. "See. Your stomach knows what it wants and there's so much interesting food that shouldn't be wasted. Eat up." She wasn't going to be taking no for an answer.

To anyone else, Rangiku's mixed plate of who-knew-what would look less than appatizing but the two of them shared a taste for weird food. She was alright. She was just hungry, and that was why she had such a strange feeling in her chest.

Orihime took a spoonful of Mystery Mush. And then another. And five more in nearly the same breath. Soon she was shoveling food fast enough to choke a normal person. Maybe if she finished quickly she really would go lie down. It wasn't really anything. She just wanted to eat and sleep and she would be fine. Then she could make Ururu feel better and everything..everything wasn't falling apart and she wouldn't be worried about Ichigo.

There, that was one thing taken care of at least. Rangiku sat back as Orihime ate, gently stroking the girl's back and hair comfortingly as she did so. The ryoka had it hard. They were young, too young to have done what they did and from what she'd heard, keep being involved in the affairs of Soul Society. They should have been able to live before being forced into that kind of life.

"Would you like any more?" she asked quietly when Orihime had finished.

It was strangely comforting having Rangiku there stroking her back while she ate. Since Sora died, she'd promised to stop burdening others with her problems but she'd forgotten how good it was just to know that they were there. Her nakama were always close to her heart but the truth was...she really missed them all. She missed those days they'd spent together under a warm sun and a bright summer sky. Even if it was never the same, that was the only thing worth fighting for.

She thought she'd gotten stronger just because she had a part in the war. She wondered now how many important things she'd forgotten in that castle.

She tasted salt on her lips and dabbed at her eyes hastily. If she cried now she would lose the sweet taste that still lingered in her mouth. She had to try if she wanted to be stronger. She shook her head when Rangiku offered her more. "It was really good, though." She said, looking up. Her smile was small but genuine before she covered it hastily with her hands. "I ate all of your food!? Do you want me to get you some more? It won't be as good but can make something interesting for us to eat this time..."

Rangiku let the girl dry her eyes and returned Orihime's smile with a soft one of her own. She shook her head. "I ate enough. Maybe tomorrow," she offered. "Your food is always good!" They shared the same tastes in food after all.

"Now..." she began, wrapping her arm around Orihime and pulled her close so that she was resting back against the other woman. "Tell me what's wrong, or do I need to guess? This is about Ichigo isn't it?"

"You think so?" Orihime flushed, delighted at the thought of cooking with Rangiku. Se squirmed a little, caught between Rangiku's arm and her ample chest. It was really warm. She couldn't help but think how soft Rangiku was, and beautiful, and strong. She already felt a little bit better and the woman had barely done anything at all. She wished she could do something like that. She cast her eyes down again, her toes curled in the slippers.

Rangiku already knew how she felt about Ichigo. It should be easier to talk about it, but it wasn't. "It's really not that bad." She insisted. "I know he'll come back. It's just..."

She really wanted to be close to him. She didn't want Ichigo to fight alone again, even if it was for her sake. If he needed to be stronger to get here, he would do whatever it took, and that included using his hollow side to help him. Even if she was afraid, she just wanted to be there.

There were so many other things, too. Ururu's sadness and her betrayal of the shinigami and the horror of those birds the night before. All of the people that seemed to have disappeared or worse... It felt like too much all at once. She didn't even know what to deal with first.

Rangiku nodded enthusiastically. "I think so," she replied, smiling at the younger woman. "It's always more fun with more than one person as well." Mealtimes were boring without company after all.

She sighed softly, resting her chin on the top of Orihime's head as the girl spoke. It was bad, otherwise Orihime wouldn't seem so upset. "He'll be fighting to reach here," she began quietly. It was how Ichigo was. She could see that from just the short time she'd known him. "It isn't a bad thing to be scared, but he trusts you enough to know that you're fighting for him, even if you're here and he isn't."

Orihime closed her eyes. She hadn't really rested after healing Allen and Ururu, so maybe she was more tired than she realized. "Do you want to cook together when we get back home? After..when everything is over we should have a picnic with everyone."

Not the people who would survive this battle or the next. Everyone. Somehow, they always got through it together in the end. She let herself drift for a while, quiet in Rangiku's presence. She was scared and tired and worried but she wasn't lonely. Every time Rangiku's heart beat, she heard an echo of Ichigo's, and Chad's, and all of her friends somewhere. She wanted to hear Ichigo's heart beat for real one day. "I'll always fight for him." Orihime said, smiling slightly. "Do you think he knows?"

"I'd like that," Rangiku replied, content to let Orihime rest there for a while. They all needed rest here, but it came rarely and in short naps. She needed to suggest that Hitsugaya set up a rota so they could get proper sleep at least every few days. "We'll find somewhere nice for it. We should have somen if its summer." And onigiri of course, and mochi. ALl the best foods, and some of their own creation of course. "We'll all have to play games as well."

Ah, the smile was much better to see. "I think he knows," she replied, returning to smile. "He might not realise that he knows yet, but he does know." Because sometimes men were dense like that and didn't realise the blindingly obvious.

"That sounds good." She replied, some of the enthusiasm returning to her voice. "We should go to the beach and have lots of hot ramen too." That way they'd be nice and cool because eating hot food would give their bodies a higher tolerance for the heat. It made perfect sense in her head, maybe Rangiku would understand too.

Some part of her already knew the answer to her question, but her face warmed when Rangiku said it. He'd been so confused the last time they saw each other that she was worried that it might hold him back. She shouldn't have given it a second thought; Ichigo followed his heart first, and if he knew then that would be enough for him.

"...Ne, Matsumoto-san... I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet again, one slipper on top of the other. She opened her eyes again, casting around the room for Gin. "I shouldn't stay with you for very long."

She'd already done a lot. Orihime didn't want a fight to break out because Aizen's henchman was still keeping tabs.

"And yakitori and gyouza too," Rangiku added enthusiastically. Hot food and cool drinks. It sounded like the perfect antidote to this place to her. Even if it didn't seem like things would be restful anytime soon even when she got back.

The older woman blinked in confusion at the apology, taking a moment to tickle the girl lightly to break her out of thinking sad things again. "Silly. What are you apologising for?" she said. "And why shouldn't you stay?" she asked, following the girl's gaze around the room. "Waiting for someone?"

Orihime was too ticklish for her own good, and she had to laugh and squirm away from the older woman's fingers. It felt good to laugh after frowning so long.

When the tickling stopped she curled back under Rangiku's arm and rubbed her cheeks up and down, wondering if maybe they'd forgotten how to smile. "I don't want any unnecessary fighting." She replied, looking up at Rangiku this time. "I don't know if I'm still expected to follow his orders and...Ichimaru-san is here. I don't really want him to get hurt either."

Rangiku grinned as she finally let Orihime go, glad to see her laughing and smiling more brightly now. That was how things were meant to be, even here.

She raised an eyebrow at the 'Ichimaru-san', but that was how Orihime was. Unfailingly polite, even to an enemy. "Gin? We arranged a truce with him, he's helping the rest of the shinigami, even if captain isn't so happy about it. And who's orders?" She wondered if this was one of the future things she hadn't gone through yet. But it was odd to hear Orihime expressin concern for him. "Why would he et hurt?"

A truce? Orihime could barely believe it. If there was anything the shinigami would hold a grudge over, she thought it would be the betrayal of their captains...unless they didn't know yet. If she didn't tell them, they could be in serious danger but if she did she would put a heavy strain on their truce.

Orihime thought for a moment, then she looked up at Rangiku, her expression serious but unclouded. "Can I ask you something personal, Matsumoto-san? I'm not trying to escape an answer, I promise."

It was certainly an odd thing to be discussing with Orihime, but she seemed to be less shocked by the idea that Raniku had anticipated. She nodded in response, smiling down at the girl. "Ask away, Orihime-chan," she replied, a little curious as to what the girl wanted to know

Orihime paused for a moment, stealing her courage. "..Are you close to Ichimaru-san?"

It seemed like the question that would answer all of the new ones. She really had no right to know how Rangiku felt, but it was important. The reasons for forming a truce were all about the head; strategy, resources, the sort of thing she was never very good at. Whether the truce was formed before or after his betrayal, the shinigami must have been sure that Ichimaru wouldn't harm their cause. Even if it was just to keep an eye on him, they must still trust him at least a little bit. They knew about this sort of thing. She knew she could trust them to make sure nobody got hurt.

So her question was personal in every sense of the word. She didn't hate Ichimaru, or even Sousuke Aizen for that matter. It was just that every time she saw them, the threat to her friends safety was at the forefront of her mind. Now that the Arrancar and Aizen weren't around she had room to wonder.

She should have known that that was going to be the question. That or some variation of it. She was quite surprised that none of the other shinigami had been hounding her about it since the two of them hadn't exactly been secretive. She was just glad that her captain knew he had her utmost loyalty. But they did deserve answers, especially since she had been the one to argue for him helping them.

She licked her lips and finally answered. "Yes, I am. I'm still loyal to Captain Hitsugaya, but I... I love him."

Orihime couldn't hide her surprise. She'd expected the older woman to say that they were friends or something even more vague than that but she should have known that Rangiku wasn't one to skirt questions, even personal questions. She said 'I love him' so easily.

Orihime sensed something far more complex about the whole situation but she didn't want to pry any more than she already had.

Still loyal...so she knew, and she still loved him. Orihime smiled. "I'm glad. Maybe...Maybe he can join us when we have that picnic in the summer."

She swallowed. It felt like a strange thing to say about someone who she'd been so afraid of for the past couple of days, and some of her anxiety still remained, but it felt good too, like the shadows she'd been avoiding were just shadows after all.

Perhaps it was foolish of her to admit such a thing so easily, but it wasn't something that she could deny. Lying or skirting the issue would just cause distrust between herself and those she was working with. It was something that she couldn't afford.

Orihime's response still took her by surprise, but it quickly turned into a warm smile at the acceptance from the younger woman. "Maybe he can," she replied. The idea was such a hopeful one, but Orihime's sweet optimism was infectious. "Thankyou."

Orihime shook her head stubbornly. "I'm the one who should be saying that. You listened to me for all that time..." She dipped her head in lieu of a bow. "Thank you, Matsumoto-san!"

An apology almost made it to her lips but Orihime bit it back, remembering what Rangiku would say. She should be her usual self and try to help the others instead of wallowing in doubts. That would be the best way to repay a kindness.

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Day 29: Cafeteria, Brunch

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