Until now, Rukia Kuchiki had been deliberately avoiding any mention of the past. She wasn't sure whether Muten Natsu was willing to talk about those things in front of Orihime Inoue.
It wasn't until Orihime Inoue chose to excuse herself and Muten Natsu spoke up to keep her from leaving that Rukia Kuchiki cautiously steered the conversation toward him.
Once Muten Natsu responded, Rukia Kuchiki realized he had no intention of hiding anything, so she asked her question outright.
"It's nothing serious. Just a fatal injury, that's all," Muten Natsu said with an unconcerned smile. "When I first came to the World of the Living, I'd lost almost all my power. I've only recovered a little recently. If it weren't for your power backing me up, that last move wouldn't have stopped with just killing that Hollow."
Rukia Kuchiki wanted to ask more, but the words caught in her throat.
Too much had happened in the past. She didn't even know where to start.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Orihime Inoue clenched her right hand into a fist and tapped it against her left palm. "So… does that mean we're bound together by life and death now?"
Rukia Kuchiki froze. "Huh?"
"Well, based on what you and Muten said," Orihime Inoue began, trying to untangle the complicated chain of events, "you saved me, I saved you, Muten saved both of us, and then you saved Muten again… It's just a shame I didn't save Muten too. Otherwise, we'd all be people who saved each other's lives."
Muten Natsu shook his head. "Your very existence saved me."
Rukia Kuchiki's breath hitched, her lips pressing tightly together.
Orihime Inoue blinked her wide eyes, staring blankly at Muten Natsu. When he looked back at her, she flustered and quickly averted her gaze. "I… um…"
"If it weren't for you, that Hollow would've come straight for me," Muten Natsu explained calmly. "I would've had no choice but to take it down with me. It was because your Reiryoku awakened and drew the Hollow's attention, allowing Rukia to notice it, that I could borrow her power. That's how we ended up with this outcome."
"What outcome?" Rukia Kuchiki snapped irritably. "I got hurt, and you took my power!"
Muten Natsu coughed lightly. "Borrowed."
"Then give it back."
"I remember you like sweet things," Muten Natsu said, rubbing his earlobe. "Want to try vanilla ice cream with soy sauce ramen?"
Rukia Kuchiki glared at him, furious. "You're not planning on giving it back again, are you?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Muten Natsu replied righteously. "When have I ever returned it?"
"Muten Unohana!"
"It's Muten Natsu!"
Gurgle~~~
As her stomach protested, Orihime Inoue wiped the corner of her mouth in embarrassment. "Vanilla ice cream soy sauce ramen really is delicious, you know."
Muten Natsu paused, his expression softening. "It'll be ready in a moment."
Steaming hot ramen paired with ice-cold ice cream. The salty soy sauce blended with the sweetness of the ice cream, rich dairy flavors mingling with vanilla in a way that made it impossible to stop eating.
Watching Orihime Inoue eat with pure happiness on her face, Muten Natsu couldn't help but admire her talent for food combinations.
Many of her pairings were hard to describe, but every so often, something surprisingly amazing emerged. That sense of novelty always kept people looking forward to the next bite.
"Oh!" Rukia Kuchiki's eyes lit up after her first mouthful. "Is this what food in the World of the Living is like?"
Muten Natsu felt conflicted. "Not all food in the World of the Living is like this…"
Good food deserved full attention. As the three of them ate their ramen, they wordlessly set aside questions about the past and thoughts about the present, focusing instead on enjoying their dinner.
After the meal, Muten Natsu went with Orihime Inoue to help her pack up her things. Rukia Kuchiki, still injured, stayed behind to rest at Muten Natsu's place.
"I didn't have time to really look earlier," Orihime Inoue said as she surveyed the wreckage of her home. "I didn't realize it was this bad."
Muten Natsu swept his gaze around once. "The load-bearing wall's been damaged. Don't stray too far from me. We need to be ready to get out at any time."
"Mhm." Orihime Inoue nodded, glancing outside with worry. "With such a huge commotion, what if the neighbors ask about it…"
"I'll take care of that later." Muten Natsu shook the cylindrical object in his hand. "This is a Kikanshinki, a memory-replacement device. It doesn't do much against people with Reiryoku, but it can still save us a lot of trouble."
"That's amazing!"
"You can admire it later. Let's pack first."
Orihime Inoue's face scrunched up. "Tomorrow I still need to contact the landlord and see what we're supposed to do…"
"Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow. Today's task is moving everything to my place." Muten Natsu's gaze shifted slightly. "Let's take Brother Sora's spirit tablet first."
"Is that really okay?"
Muten Natsu paused, then firmly ruffled Orihime Inoue's hair. "What are you thinking? When I first came to the World of the Living, Brother Sora helped me so much. Why wouldn't it be okay?"
He just hadn't expected that not long after that, Sora Inoue would die in a car accident.
"Muten…" Orihime Inoue touched the hairpin by her ear. "After my brother died, did you ever see him?"
"I did," Muten Natsu answered honestly. "But back then, I couldn't control my body from absorbing Reishi. If I got close, I would've hurt him, so I couldn't talk to him. After that, he disappeared. He was probably sent to Soul Society by the Shinigami stationed here at the time."
"Soul Society…" Orihime Inoue picked up Sora Inoue's spirit tablet. "If I ever get the chance, I'd really like to go there." She hesitated, biting her lower lip. "There are some things I want to say… actually…"
Her lips parted slightly, then pressed together again.
"Muten," Orihime Inoue looked up at him, "there are things I want to share with you, but I don't know where to start."
"I understand."
"So… when the time feels right, would you be willing to listen?"
Meeting her gaze, Muten Natsu replied softly, "Yes."
The corners of Orihime Inoue's lips lifted faintly as her eyes shifted to the teddy bear nearby. "Enraku! I'm so glad you're okay~"
Muten Natsu looked at the hole in the wall. Too much had happened tonight. For Orihime Inoue, who had just entered high school, her worldview had taken a blow, just like this house, left shaking and unsteady.
She needed to deal with the problems of the house, but she also needed to set them aside for now and focus on packing up what was inside.
"This nightgown could go to Rukia Kuchiki," Orihime Inoue said, holding up a sleep dress. "And this… and this…"
Muten Natsu's gaze fell on Orihime Inoue.
Rukia Kuchiki really did need some girls' clothes.
But Orihime Inoue's…
In the bedroom at Muten Natsu's place, Rukia Kuchiki changed into the nightgown under Orihime Inoue's expectant gaze.
It felt strangely empty around the chest.