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Entry tags:
The Price of Homesickness
WHO: Orihime Inoue, OPEN
WHAT: The pangs of homesickness get a little too strong for Orihime to bear, and the temptation of creating an Archway starts to sound really good. But at what cost?
WHEN: November 27, 2013 - Evening
WHERE: Everglade
Orihime pulled her scarf a little higher over her nose and mouth. The chill of the metal bench beneath her was numbing her legs; she'd been sitting there for a long time, her worries and frustrations dwelling hard and cold in her mind. The Archway leading to Soul Society was only a few blocks away. She'd visited just to confirm what she already suspected to be true, that Rukia was no longer in the city. Sure enough, the shinigami had been present within the Archway with no memory of Genessia, and bearing no opal-studded necklace around her delicate throat. Had she gone home, then? Orihime couldn't feel Rukia's reiatsu anymore, so she could only assume...and hope...that was the case.
Time and time again she stole back to the Soul Society archway, hoping to catch a glimpse of her other friends, but of course she didn't. Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, and Toushirou could all be found in the spirit domain, but not the others. Her best friend Tatsuki, she was still in Karakura Town. Uryuu was likely there too. She missed Chad's quiet and reassuring presence. And Ichigo. Ichigo most of all.
In the city of Nautilus, she'd gathered up the courage to let him know her feelings after Orihime's shadow blurted out the secrets of her heart. But rather than give her any affection in return, he'd gone to Sleep, and she knew her feelings were absolutely and unquestionably unrequited. But she still cared for him. He'd fought so hard for her, putting his life on the line time and time again to keep her safe. She wished she could see him again, even if it was only for a few seconds.
If she gave up a sacrifice to the Genessia computer, she knew that was a distinct possibility. She could create the Archway leading to Karakura Town and be surrounded by all the familiar comforts of home. Her old apartment, her old school, her very best friends...even if they weren't the real thing, she was so homesick that she didn't care.
That was the crux of the problem. Orihime knew she hadn't been her usual cheery self for a long while, even before the city forced her to sleep. Newcomers were showing up, and instead of reaching out with a friendly greeting, she'd retreated into herself, clinging instead to the few people left that she did know. That wasn't right.
Closing her eyes, Orihime clutched at her scarf and heaved the heaviest of sighs. But what could she possibly give up? For a time she'd toyed with the idea of giving up her memories of Ichigo. It would heal the heartbreak to be sure, but it just didn't feel right. After all he'd done, and all he'd risked, she would have been profoundly ungrateful to throw all of that away just for the sake of a comforting illusion. Her late brother Sora...it was the same for him. Tatsuki, too. Even her friends in Nautilus weren't something she was willing to surrender, despite the dreadful feeling of never being able to see them again. Sanji, Wheeljack, Dave, V, Michael, Augie, England and his hilarious eyebrows...the list stretched on and on. All of those faces, all of those memories, they were precious to her. She just couldn't give them up.
A dark whisper at the back of her mind urged her to forget them all, that she couldn't miss what she didn't know was there. She ignored it; that little voice seemed to have followed her from Nautilus, much to her chagrin, but she was better at learning to tune it out. Eventually it would give up and go away, she hoped. But if it didn't, so be it. She didn't need to listen to it or heed its influence -- it was too contrary to her nature anyway.
'Tatsuki-chan, what would you tell me to do?' she thought to herself, lifting her eyes to gaze absently at the street in front of her. 'You knew me better than anybody else. Would you hit me on the head and scold me? Would you have a story to tell to help me make up my mind?'
The wind caught her hair, sweeping it across her face, and she pushed it back without a thought.
'I miss them so much. What should I do...?'
WHAT: The pangs of homesickness get a little too strong for Orihime to bear, and the temptation of creating an Archway starts to sound really good. But at what cost?
WHEN: November 27, 2013 - Evening
WHERE: Everglade
Orihime pulled her scarf a little higher over her nose and mouth. The chill of the metal bench beneath her was numbing her legs; she'd been sitting there for a long time, her worries and frustrations dwelling hard and cold in her mind. The Archway leading to Soul Society was only a few blocks away. She'd visited just to confirm what she already suspected to be true, that Rukia was no longer in the city. Sure enough, the shinigami had been present within the Archway with no memory of Genessia, and bearing no opal-studded necklace around her delicate throat. Had she gone home, then? Orihime couldn't feel Rukia's reiatsu anymore, so she could only assume...and hope...that was the case.
Time and time again she stole back to the Soul Society archway, hoping to catch a glimpse of her other friends, but of course she didn't. Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, and Toushirou could all be found in the spirit domain, but not the others. Her best friend Tatsuki, she was still in Karakura Town. Uryuu was likely there too. She missed Chad's quiet and reassuring presence. And Ichigo. Ichigo most of all.
In the city of Nautilus, she'd gathered up the courage to let him know her feelings after Orihime's shadow blurted out the secrets of her heart. But rather than give her any affection in return, he'd gone to Sleep, and she knew her feelings were absolutely and unquestionably unrequited. But she still cared for him. He'd fought so hard for her, putting his life on the line time and time again to keep her safe. She wished she could see him again, even if it was only for a few seconds.
If she gave up a sacrifice to the Genessia computer, she knew that was a distinct possibility. She could create the Archway leading to Karakura Town and be surrounded by all the familiar comforts of home. Her old apartment, her old school, her very best friends...even if they weren't the real thing, she was so homesick that she didn't care.
That was the crux of the problem. Orihime knew she hadn't been her usual cheery self for a long while, even before the city forced her to sleep. Newcomers were showing up, and instead of reaching out with a friendly greeting, she'd retreated into herself, clinging instead to the few people left that she did know. That wasn't right.
Closing her eyes, Orihime clutched at her scarf and heaved the heaviest of sighs. But what could she possibly give up? For a time she'd toyed with the idea of giving up her memories of Ichigo. It would heal the heartbreak to be sure, but it just didn't feel right. After all he'd done, and all he'd risked, she would have been profoundly ungrateful to throw all of that away just for the sake of a comforting illusion. Her late brother Sora...it was the same for him. Tatsuki, too. Even her friends in Nautilus weren't something she was willing to surrender, despite the dreadful feeling of never being able to see them again. Sanji, Wheeljack, Dave, V, Michael, Augie, England and his hilarious eyebrows...the list stretched on and on. All of those faces, all of those memories, they were precious to her. She just couldn't give them up.
A dark whisper at the back of her mind urged her to forget them all, that she couldn't miss what she didn't know was there. She ignored it; that little voice seemed to have followed her from Nautilus, much to her chagrin, but she was better at learning to tune it out. Eventually it would give up and go away, she hoped. But if it didn't, so be it. She didn't need to listen to it or heed its influence -- it was too contrary to her nature anyway.
'Tatsuki-chan, what would you tell me to do?' she thought to herself, lifting her eyes to gaze absently at the street in front of her. 'You knew me better than anybody else. Would you hit me on the head and scold me? Would you have a story to tell to help me make up my mind?'
The wind caught her hair, sweeping it across her face, and she pushed it back without a thought.
'I miss them so much. What should I do...?'