Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Inoue No Baka ❯ Inoue No Baka ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. They are a work of fiction. I do not make any money out of this.
*Thoughts are in brackets [thoughts]


The scene we all wished had happened at the end of episode 266....


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Ulquiorra could feel Ichigo’s approach, just as the Orange-haired shinigami representative knew he was there with the woman. When the boy arrived in a typically showy entrance through the floor rather than the door, the quatro espada just watched him. There was more power in the boy’s eyes. That pleased him. Perhaps he would be worth fighting now.

The woman showed her nature as well, gasping out Kurosaki’s name, but remaining rooted to her place like an obedient slave. Ulquiorra wondered yet again if studying the nuances of the human heart with Inoue Orihime as a subject was an honest survey. Kurosaki Ichigo was just as human -- originally -- but he was a firebrand compared to the timid girl he was so intent on rescuing.

No one moved for a moment. Orihime held her hands clasped, waiting for -- what? An order? -- from either man. Ulquiorra just watched the human boy, curious as to his first move. Ichigo, however had other plans. He deftly ignored the woman at first, turning to look at Ulquiorra and bowing slightly in greeting. He never lowered his eyes from the espada’s green ones, however. “We’ll get to our fight in a moment, Ulquiorra. Can I take a moment with her first?”

Thinking the boy merely wanted to ascertain that the woman was indeed unharmed he nodded slowly. Ichigo had never shown him anything less than a warrior’s face before. Certainly, the boy had been quite angry at times and had shown battlefield respect to him. But this formal speech was something entirely new. The espada watched Ichigo cross the room easily, wondering just what the boy was planning.

[Ah!] Ulquiorra thought to himself, [perhaps he plans to grab her and run.]

Orihime didn’t wait for Ichigo to reach her. She ran into his arms hugging him tightly and babbled something inane that almost had Ulquiorra’s eyes cross. Ichigo patted her back for a second before pulling her to arms length and looking at her, waiting for her to regain composure.

And then he slapped her upside the head hard enough to make her see stars.

Ulquiorra wasn’t sure he’d seen that correctly, but by the way the woman was yelping and holding her head, it must have happened. He understood when Ichigo started yelling.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU MORON?! THE BATTLE WAS OVER, WE WERE ALL SAFE AND YOU STILL WENT WITH HIM?!”

Ichigo’s tirade and Orihime’s whining response were both frozen in abject wonder when laughing exploded behind them. Ulquiorra, the unflappable quatro espada, was doubled over laughing.... And thinking to himself that he should just let the dumb broad go home.

Kurosaki deserved her...