BITTERSWEET LOVE
Inoue Orihime is late for her first day of school, her last year of high school is about to begin. On her way she meets a young man with a somewhat peculiar hair color, he seems lost and moody, however, upon seeing her he appears peacefully serene; asking her for directions to Karakura High School. What does fate have in store for these two?
Chapter 0
Beautiful Orange
Cherry blossoms descended from the rosewood that led to the most famous institute of Karakura, that row of tall and leafy trees seemed to be an arch of flowers in spring breakthrough; opening the way to an almost narrow, hidden and secret path. A few rays of sunlight slipped through the small spaces between the branches and leaves, casting clarity on the wet earth left over from the sunrise. It also faintly illuminated the hiding places of the animals that lived there. Like insects, birds, or rodents.
On the sides of the path there were two landscapes of different terms, on the left side, and continuously, an immense stone wall figured as a protective wall for those who attended the institute of Karakura, and on the right side, a water channel ran full and peaceful, taking with it some koi fish of bright fire colors. In addition to being visited by dragonflies, herons and aquatic insects that end up being food for these fish. At each 10-meter stretch, a bridge connected to the other side of the canal.
Maiden of the sky, maiden of the sun. Long orange hair, lips like a fallen petal pressed over her mouth, beautiful eyes of the night, grayish tone full of innocence, full of loneliness. Virgin cheekbones, showing life running through her blood, she was an angel. Not so short, not so tall, her figure defying any woman in a beauty contest, her skin as clear as snow and as smooth as porcelain. Fragile and defenseless at the same time, so much so that any blow or wound could mark her for days. She had a noble heart, shy and full of insecurities, she had it hidden within the tall size of her chest, the one that beckons the depraved wretches who only wish to possess her once, once as a bed trophy. And no matter how much they look, she is protected. Her loyal friend has protected her for years, for many years. Ever since her world came crashing down on her, ever since what happened that day she lost a loved one. Her only family member.
Now she was wandering along that path of pink flowers, she was late, yes, late. Her bread alarm clock was ruined, and if it weren’t for the neighbor who loves her very much she would never have gotten up. The neighbor had a young son who attended elementary school at the same address as Karakura High School. The little infant always gave a wild flower to the young orange-haired girl, it was his way of saying “good morning”, of course it was a flower stolen from the many floral bouquets brought by his father to his mother. Not seeing her leave early as he did, he knew immediately that she had fallen asleep, and so it was he, the hero of that young girl named Inoue Orihime.
-Today there are many petals Sakura, maybe there will be a beautiful Hanami this year. - She said with a smile full of hope, wanting to visit the central parks with her best friend Tatsuki. -Maybe I could prepare some Takoyaki with chocolate sauce and wasabi on top. -She expressed her witticism in the most normal way, ignoring the fact that what she was pronouncing was a deadly recipe.
Today was her first day of school, a new stage of her life was about to begin, and she had no idea that this year too many changes would happen for her, and also for everyone around her, her classmates, her friends. It was her last year of high school, the last year before entering college. As she walked towards the high school, she yawned widely, her walk was quietly lonely. After all she was the only one who was running late, and since she knew she couldn’t change that fact, she decided to skip the entrance ceremony. She constantly wondered, would she have the same classmates as always, the same teachers, would the cafeteria have the same lunches as always, yes, she questioned herself too much but it was because she was afraid, afraid of letting go of the most important moments of her life. Next to her friends.
-Tatsuki must be wondering where I am, Hehe -She laughed to herself, knowing that as soon as her friend looks at her, she will end up being lectured severely.
Then in her path someone appeared, through the curtain of flying sakura, amidst the sun’s illumination, intensely, beautiful orange dazzled her. It was a young man, tall, not so stocky, not so thin, faintly Caucasian skin and with a sign on his face telling the world to “Fuck You.” His eyebrows were set in a deep duel with anger, furrowed to no more power, but his jawline bore the expression of tranquility. Then she understood, that was his neutral expression. This young man was standing in the middle of the road, with his eyes raised to the trees, and his hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants, one that appeared to be for gymnastics. In fact, his entire wardrobe seemed to be for gymnastics, could he be a runner or an athlete training early in the morning? Orihime observed him in great detail, as if she had never seen anyone like him, perhaps she was captivated by the simple fact that there were no more people like her, more people with the same shade of hair. Or perhaps, it was his fierce expression that made her stop a few meters away from him.
A minute of silence was between them, and he had not yet noticed the presence of that young girl, not until the sound of a singing bird made him turn his gaze to where she was. His eyes connected immediately, his golden orbs lazed deeply over the grayish ones of that student. He was serious, but not annoyed, he looked at her deeply without flinching at all, just like her, who was simply watching him with some astonishment, more than before, and just when she was about to pronounce a greeting, he interrupted her immediately.
-Do you know… - He didn’t come closer, but spoke loud enough for her to hear him -Where is the Karakura Institute?, I’m lost, and I don’t know where to continue. - He expressed in the calmest way, now observing the path where the young orange-haired girl was advancing. After a few seconds, he looked at her again, waiting for an answer. She blinked for a few moments before falling back to reality, and realizing that she was looking at him with her mouth open and gawking, she immediately blushed like a tomato about to be harvested, that’s why she raised her hand nervously and stuttered in her answer.
-Ah, yes,“ she reacted almost tense and hurried, so much so that she almost bit her tongue, ”Just go straight ahead…you’ll find the entrance to the institute, it’s almost at the end of that wall,“ she pointed, making the stranger follow with his eyes the direction she was pointing in.
-I see, so I wasn’t that lost at all,” he said aloud, but he was talking to himself. Again he looked at her, this time his expression was softer, even a warm smile was visible. -Thank you.
He finished with a pleasant nod of his head, a bow typical of his Asian culture, but being older than her, he only made a slight movement. He walked back down that path towards his destination, leaving the student with the light blue hairpins behind. She stood there, paralyzed with an emotion unknown to her. Her heart was pounding, her stomach was tingling like a light tickle, and her cheeks would not get rid of that intense blush. All this for having seen him smile, that young man with beautiful orange hair.
-By the way...“ He said, without looking at her and without stopping as he walked. -You’d better hurry, the entrance ceremony will probably be over soon.
-Eh? - She mumbled somewhat distractedly, keeping her eyes fixed on the man’s back. It didn’t take her long to process what he had said. -E-E-EEEh?!
Then she ran, following him respectfully in silence. They were both heading towards the same place, both shared the same destination. And neither of them knew, that from now on, their paths were intertwined.