Bleach(fan fiction): Secret Love

Chapter 9

  I sit beside Ichigo silently, licking the melted ice cream that fell on my fingertips after it left the cone in my hand. A lot of things had changed since the futal era and everything costs more money now. 

  "Ichigo!" a girl with waist length burnt orange hair calls over to us as she runs across the busy street. I look up to see a car coming towards the unsuspecting girl. I immediately jump up and run as fast as the gigai will let me and fly into the girl at the last moment, sending her flying out of the way and leaving me in the cars path. The car hits me and I am sent flying into a nearby building.

  "Oh my gosh!" the woman driving the vehicle screams. I look down at my lifeless gigai. When I hit the wall, my soul was tossed out of it and it now sits quietly at my feet. People start to crowd around and panic. 

  "Is she ok?" someone yells. Ichigo runs over and pushes through the growing crowd of people. He motioned toward my gigai with his eyes and I finally get the point. I slide back into it and slowly sit up. "Thank god! Are you okay?" the woman asks me.

  I look down at my mangled arm and quickly hide it behind me. "Yes. I'm okay!" I smile and wave everyone away with my good arm. When the crowd finally disintegrates, Ichigo walks over to me. 

  "Are you ok?" he asks.

  I look myself over to make sure nothing else is messed up. "I think the only thing broken is the arm on my gigai," I reply, revealing the mangled arm to him. 

  "Oh my goodness!" the girl with the orange hair cries out as she comes over to stand beside Ichigo. "Are you ok?" she askes me.

  "Oh! Yes I'm fine!" I tell her as I hide my arm back behind me.

  "Don't worry Orhime. Its just her gigai," Ichigo tells the girl.

  "She knows what a gigai is?" I ask Ichigo.

  "Yes. I went to the soul society to help save Rukia. I know all about the soul reapers and the soul society," Orhime replies.

  "Oh! So your one of the Ryoka that entered the soul society!" I say. "I've been meaning to say this to you too Ichigo, but thank you for saving Rukia and bringing Byakuya back to his sense's."

  "No problem. Rukia is our friend too," Ichigo tells me as he helps me to stand.

  "Ouch!" I wince as pain shoots up my leg.

  "What's wrong?" Orihime asks.

  "I thought I wasn't hurt, but it feels as if I've broken my ankle," I tell her, sitting back down.

  "Can you fix it, Orihime?" Ichigo asks.

  "Sure! It's the least I can do since she saved my life," Orhime tells him as she splays her hands out over my ankle. "Sōten Kisshun! I reject!"

  I gasp as a barrier of light envelops my leg. "What's going on?" I whisper in awe.

  "Orihime can heal things," Ichigo explains.

  Everyone sits quiet for a while as Orihime works. After she finishes, she speaks up to break the silence.

  "Maybe you should stop by Urahara's shop to get your gigai repaired," she says as she stands up from kneeling.

  "As much as I would hate to see Kisuke right now, I think your right," I tell her as I stand up again and test my ankle. There is no pain as I put my full wait on the ankle. "Thank you for healing me, Orihime!"

  "Your welcome! Now I have to go. I was supposed to meet Tatsuki thirty minutes ago!" She says as she starts to jog away. "It was nice meeting you!" she yells back at me as she disappears around the corner.

  "Will she be ok by herself?" I ask Ichigo.

  "Yeah. She'll be ok. I guess it's time to go see Urahara," he tells me as he starts walking in the direction of the former soul reapers store.

  "Regretfully I have to agree," I say, following him.