The Story Of The Former Rabbit Ishida And The Werebear Tatsuki
Title: The Story Of The Former Rabbit Ishida And The Werebear Tatsuki
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime, mentions of Ishida/Tatsuki and Chad/Riruka
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set not quite as far into the time skip as the current arc, about six months earlier.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: She had a surprise for him tonight.
Authors Notes: My first answer to the Winter 2012 Contest at hyouhakuzai_fic. The characters I used were Ichigo and Orihime, and the part of the prompt I used was “I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes.” I’ve decided that not every story I write for them to tell each other will involve just Ichigo and Orihime as the characters, or even have them as the main characters, just to change it up a bit. Hope you guys enjoy it (and the requisite Ichigo/Orihime cuteness that frames the stories).
---
She had curled up next to him on the couch. Or the new couch, he mused with a smile. Ever since he had agreed to stay she had been acting secretive and mysterious. It took a week, but when he got back from dealing with Ikumi’s bratty little boy while his mother was out making a special delivery all he’d wanted was to go back to Orihime’s and eat and sleep. But when he put his key in the door it swung open and he was ordered to close his eyes. He didn’t want to, but this was Orihime, so he humored her.
She lead him out to where he’d spent every night for the last month and a half and she told him to open his eyes. In place of the lumpy secondhand couch he’d been sleeping on was a very nice (and he later found out very comfortable) futon couch. He knew he must have looked confused when she gave him a hug and said everyone pitched in to buy it, because they all knew how much him living with her had brought her spirits back up. Then was the clincher; she’d gone to Ikumi to get it to her place and set up. Suddenly the two hours with her son was okay in his book.
And now, after he’d been fed take-out from his favorite restaurant and topped it off with some fresh cupcakes from the bakery where Orihime worked, he was waiting for her other surprise, the one she had hinted at when he was eating. But he was getting tired, and the good food was causing him to be much more relaxed than he’d expected. So he decided to prod her. “What’s your surprise?” he asked.
She lifted her head up and grinned. “Tonight I’m going to tell you a story,” she said.
He grinned back, then settled into the couch. “Do I get to pick the subject?”
“Nope,” she said, sitting up a little bit more. He had liked her other position more, so he motioned for her to curl up next to him again and she did. “It’s a sequel to your bunny Ishida story. It’s based on something I found out today.”
He didn’t listen to gossip very often, but since it involved at least one of his friends (even if Ishida still denied being friends), he figured it would be interesting. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
“The bunny Ishida had gotten his magic carrots, and turned himself into a human boy. But he was lonely, and none of the other magic animals he knew wanted him to use another magic carrot to turn them into a human. They liked being magic animals. And while he was talking to a deer he heard to most beautiful singing voice.”
“Was she an alto or soprano?” he asked, mimicking her need for detail addition.
“She was a soprano. Like one of those opera singers that my brother liked to listen to. He went to the clearing and saw a girl with blonde hair trapped in a trap meant for one of the bears in the forest. She was in a lot of pain, and he immediately went to help her. She was crying, and he did his best to get the trap off her ankle, but it was no use.”
“Did he have magic carrots with him?” he asked, intrigued by her story.
“He did!” she said with an emphatic nod. “He said if she ate one and wished that she was out of the trap and healed, it would happen. She stopped crying and looked at him weirdly, but he offered her the carrot and she did what he said. When she had the last bite, POOF! She was free and her ankle was all healed.”
“So they talked, right?”
“Well, first she jumped up and down a few times and gave him a big hug. He blushed, really really red, too, and said it was all right. She asked what his name was and he told her it was Ishida. Then she said her name was Tatsuki.”
“Tatsuki is blonde in this story?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, most princesses are blonde,” she said, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say that part yet,” she added, her voice muffled.
He pulled her hands away and kissed the knuckles of her hand. “It’s okay, I’ll forget.”
She gave him a grateful look. “Anyway, she said her name was Tatsuki and she came from a long way away because her friend had been kidnapped by the evil wizard who turned her into a werebear.”
“Werebear?” Ichigo asked.
“Kind of like a werewolf, but she turned into a bear instead,” Orihime said. “She had traveled from the other kingdom over as a bear and got caught in the trap, and when the sun rose she turned back into a girl. Ishida listened, and said that he had killed the evil wizard but remembered seeing a bird there. Tatsuki was overjoyed because she thought it might be her friend. So they went back to the wizard’s fortress and found the bird, but it wasn’t her friend.”
“That’s sad,” he said with a slight frown. He could relate to this story more than he would like, he thought to himself.
“But that bird was magic, and he said if he could nibble on the carrot when he was out of his cage he knew where to find the bird they were looking for. So Ishida gave him the smallest carrot to nibble on, and they waited. Suddenly he turned into a handsome young man named Ichigo. He had become friends with Tatsuki’s friend, and the wizard had noticed, so he went and hid the other bird in a cave.”
“That’s just mean,” he replied.
“Isn’t it?” She lifted her head up and smiled at him, got one in return, and then settled back in again with her head on his shoulder. “But the wizard had taken him to the cave many times, and he guided Ishida and Tatsuki there. It was guarded by a shaggy wolf man who didn’t want to let them in. Ichigo said he was the bird, and the wolf man, named Sado, grew wide eyed and asked how it had happened. But Ichigo didn’t say, just in case Ishida didn’t want anyone to know. But Ishida was kind, and he offered one of his last three carrots to the wolf man, who turned into a talking wolf when he was done.”
“I would have thought he’d turn into a man,” he said, slightly confused.
Her head shot up and she shook it emphatically. Oh, no no no! He had been a magic wolf that the evil wizard kidnapped and made into a human because he bit him, so that way he couldn’t bite him anymore. He was grateful to be a wolf again, and he led the three of them through the treacherous paths inside the cavern to get to the bird. They got to the bird, and Ishida selflessly offered the second to last carrot to Tatsuki’s friend, who ate it and became another beautiful girl, this time with long red hair.”
“And was her name Orihime?” he asked with a smile.
“It was,” she said with a bright smile. “So Tatsuki went to go leave with her friend, but she wanted to stay with Ichigo and take over the wizard’s fortress and do good things for the people in the kingdom. Tatsuki was sad, but Ishida offered the last carrot to her, and said she just needed to wish that she was completely human and he would go back to her kingdom with her. She had grown to like him, so she ate the last carrot and wasn’t a werebear anymore, and then they went back to her home kingdom and lived happily ever after together. The end!”
He grinned and pulled her back to his side. “So what brought that story on?”
“Tatsuki told me Ishida-kun asked her out on a date last week, and it took a week but he actually kissed her cheek last night when it was over.” She sighed contentedly. “I thought for sure she’d be upset that I’ve been spending more time with you than her, but she likes him. And he’s a nice guy, so I hope they’re happy.”
He would never have imagined those two liking each other like that, or even considering them going on a date, but if that was what they wanted then he was happy for them. “It’s good that it worked out.”
“Now we just need to find Sado-kun a girlfriend.”
“He has one,” he replied. “Her name's Riruka, or something like that. She's in Naruki City.”
“Then we should all go out on a group date!” she said with a gasp, sitting up again. “That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”
He wasn’t sure he could handle it, or that the other two guys would go for it, but they all loved Orihime, in different ways, and he knew they would all do their best to make her happy. After all, wasn’t she the reason they had risked their lives in Hueco Mundo? “I’ll bring it up to Sado the next time I talk to him. You bring it up to Arisawa-san and let her bring it up to Ishida. If everyone says okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted and hugged her back, loving the feeling of having her close, safe and sound. When she let go he yawned, and she giggled. “You need some sleep, don’t you?”
“It was worth staying up for the story, though,” he said, suppressing another yawn at the end.
“Then let’s get this set up for you,” she said. They converted the bed into its futon position, and she got him his blankets and pillow so they could make the bed up. Then she gave him one last hug and kiss and turned off the lights as he settled into the bed. His last coherent thought was wondering just what he had done to become so lucky, and then he was out for the night.
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime, mentions of Ishida/Tatsuki and Chad/Riruka
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set not quite as far into the time skip as the current arc, about six months earlier.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: She had a surprise for him tonight.
Authors Notes: My first answer to the Winter 2012 Contest at hyouhakuzai_fic. The characters I used were Ichigo and Orihime, and the part of the prompt I used was “I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes.” I’ve decided that not every story I write for them to tell each other will involve just Ichigo and Orihime as the characters, or even have them as the main characters, just to change it up a bit. Hope you guys enjoy it (and the requisite Ichigo/Orihime cuteness that frames the stories).
---
She had curled up next to him on the couch. Or the new couch, he mused with a smile. Ever since he had agreed to stay she had been acting secretive and mysterious. It took a week, but when he got back from dealing with Ikumi’s bratty little boy while his mother was out making a special delivery all he’d wanted was to go back to Orihime’s and eat and sleep. But when he put his key in the door it swung open and he was ordered to close his eyes. He didn’t want to, but this was Orihime, so he humored her.
She lead him out to where he’d spent every night for the last month and a half and she told him to open his eyes. In place of the lumpy secondhand couch he’d been sleeping on was a very nice (and he later found out very comfortable) futon couch. He knew he must have looked confused when she gave him a hug and said everyone pitched in to buy it, because they all knew how much him living with her had brought her spirits back up. Then was the clincher; she’d gone to Ikumi to get it to her place and set up. Suddenly the two hours with her son was okay in his book.
And now, after he’d been fed take-out from his favorite restaurant and topped it off with some fresh cupcakes from the bakery where Orihime worked, he was waiting for her other surprise, the one she had hinted at when he was eating. But he was getting tired, and the good food was causing him to be much more relaxed than he’d expected. So he decided to prod her. “What’s your surprise?” he asked.
She lifted her head up and grinned. “Tonight I’m going to tell you a story,” she said.
He grinned back, then settled into the couch. “Do I get to pick the subject?”
“Nope,” she said, sitting up a little bit more. He had liked her other position more, so he motioned for her to curl up next to him again and she did. “It’s a sequel to your bunny Ishida story. It’s based on something I found out today.”
He didn’t listen to gossip very often, but since it involved at least one of his friends (even if Ishida still denied being friends), he figured it would be interesting. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
“The bunny Ishida had gotten his magic carrots, and turned himself into a human boy. But he was lonely, and none of the other magic animals he knew wanted him to use another magic carrot to turn them into a human. They liked being magic animals. And while he was talking to a deer he heard to most beautiful singing voice.”
“Was she an alto or soprano?” he asked, mimicking her need for detail addition.
“She was a soprano. Like one of those opera singers that my brother liked to listen to. He went to the clearing and saw a girl with blonde hair trapped in a trap meant for one of the bears in the forest. She was in a lot of pain, and he immediately went to help her. She was crying, and he did his best to get the trap off her ankle, but it was no use.”
“Did he have magic carrots with him?” he asked, intrigued by her story.
“He did!” she said with an emphatic nod. “He said if she ate one and wished that she was out of the trap and healed, it would happen. She stopped crying and looked at him weirdly, but he offered her the carrot and she did what he said. When she had the last bite, POOF! She was free and her ankle was all healed.”
“So they talked, right?”
“Well, first she jumped up and down a few times and gave him a big hug. He blushed, really really red, too, and said it was all right. She asked what his name was and he told her it was Ishida. Then she said her name was Tatsuki.”
“Tatsuki is blonde in this story?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, most princesses are blonde,” she said, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say that part yet,” she added, her voice muffled.
He pulled her hands away and kissed the knuckles of her hand. “It’s okay, I’ll forget.”
She gave him a grateful look. “Anyway, she said her name was Tatsuki and she came from a long way away because her friend had been kidnapped by the evil wizard who turned her into a werebear.”
“Werebear?” Ichigo asked.
“Kind of like a werewolf, but she turned into a bear instead,” Orihime said. “She had traveled from the other kingdom over as a bear and got caught in the trap, and when the sun rose she turned back into a girl. Ishida listened, and said that he had killed the evil wizard but remembered seeing a bird there. Tatsuki was overjoyed because she thought it might be her friend. So they went back to the wizard’s fortress and found the bird, but it wasn’t her friend.”
“That’s sad,” he said with a slight frown. He could relate to this story more than he would like, he thought to himself.
“But that bird was magic, and he said if he could nibble on the carrot when he was out of his cage he knew where to find the bird they were looking for. So Ishida gave him the smallest carrot to nibble on, and they waited. Suddenly he turned into a handsome young man named Ichigo. He had become friends with Tatsuki’s friend, and the wizard had noticed, so he went and hid the other bird in a cave.”
“That’s just mean,” he replied.
“Isn’t it?” She lifted her head up and smiled at him, got one in return, and then settled back in again with her head on his shoulder. “But the wizard had taken him to the cave many times, and he guided Ishida and Tatsuki there. It was guarded by a shaggy wolf man who didn’t want to let them in. Ichigo said he was the bird, and the wolf man, named Sado, grew wide eyed and asked how it had happened. But Ichigo didn’t say, just in case Ishida didn’t want anyone to know. But Ishida was kind, and he offered one of his last three carrots to the wolf man, who turned into a talking wolf when he was done.”
“I would have thought he’d turn into a man,” he said, slightly confused.
Her head shot up and she shook it emphatically. Oh, no no no! He had been a magic wolf that the evil wizard kidnapped and made into a human because he bit him, so that way he couldn’t bite him anymore. He was grateful to be a wolf again, and he led the three of them through the treacherous paths inside the cavern to get to the bird. They got to the bird, and Ishida selflessly offered the second to last carrot to Tatsuki’s friend, who ate it and became another beautiful girl, this time with long red hair.”
“And was her name Orihime?” he asked with a smile.
“It was,” she said with a bright smile. “So Tatsuki went to go leave with her friend, but she wanted to stay with Ichigo and take over the wizard’s fortress and do good things for the people in the kingdom. Tatsuki was sad, but Ishida offered the last carrot to her, and said she just needed to wish that she was completely human and he would go back to her kingdom with her. She had grown to like him, so she ate the last carrot and wasn’t a werebear anymore, and then they went back to her home kingdom and lived happily ever after together. The end!”
He grinned and pulled her back to his side. “So what brought that story on?”
“Tatsuki told me Ishida-kun asked her out on a date last week, and it took a week but he actually kissed her cheek last night when it was over.” She sighed contentedly. “I thought for sure she’d be upset that I’ve been spending more time with you than her, but she likes him. And he’s a nice guy, so I hope they’re happy.”
He would never have imagined those two liking each other like that, or even considering them going on a date, but if that was what they wanted then he was happy for them. “It’s good that it worked out.”
“Now we just need to find Sado-kun a girlfriend.”
“He has one,” he replied. “Her name's Riruka, or something like that. She's in Naruki City.”
“Then we should all go out on a group date!” she said with a gasp, sitting up again. “That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”
He wasn’t sure he could handle it, or that the other two guys would go for it, but they all loved Orihime, in different ways, and he knew they would all do their best to make her happy. After all, wasn’t she the reason they had risked their lives in Hueco Mundo? “I’ll bring it up to Sado the next time I talk to him. You bring it up to Arisawa-san and let her bring it up to Ishida. If everyone says okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted and hugged her back, loving the feeling of having her close, safe and sound. When she let go he yawned, and she giggled. “You need some sleep, don’t you?”
“It was worth staying up for the story, though,” he said, suppressing another yawn at the end.
“Then let’s get this set up for you,” she said. They converted the bed into its futon position, and she got him his blankets and pillow so they could make the bed up. Then she gave him one last hug and kiss and turned off the lights as he settled into the bed. His last coherent thought was wondering just what he had done to become so lucky, and then he was out for the night.