InsaneJournal

Who: Toshiro Hitsugaya, Orihime Inoue
What: Meeting for the first time for coffee. :D
When: Before the kryptonite plot.
Where: some coffee shop in the OC.
Warnings: Low/None.
Status: Complete!




There were more and more Japanese natives popping up in the area. Toshiro wasn’t too surprised that they were coming here, but it meant more work for his father, so Toshiro was going to do whatever he could to help his father out in whatever way that he could. Even if that meant delegating and doing his father’s job, even when he probably wasn’t supposed to do anything of the sort.

He was meeting a girl named Orihime at a random coffee shop that they’d agreed upon to meet. He settled into a chair, ordering one of his favorite iced coffees, waiting for the girl to arrive. All he knew from her picture was that she had red hair and that it looked rather long, which he did have to admit was unusual for a Japanese girl. Still, it was good to be able to speak his native language, since now all he was speaking was English most of the time. Very few people here knew or understood Japanese, so he was going to take his chances whenever he got it.

Red hair was a very unusual attribute, but Orihime was born with it. Even if it had been the cause of much ridicule while she was younger, it also brought her some of the best friends of her life, like Tatsuki, who had beat up everyone who made fun of her or tried to cop a feel, when - horror of horrors - she had developed a bit more than the other girls her age had. Luckily she had been popular for her kind and bubbly personality, and not for those double D's she was sporting.

She walked into the coffee shop with a beaming bright smile on her face, wide eyes looking through the space until she caught sight of the ambassador's son. She didn't even think twice that he was younger than her, only that it was very kind that he would agree to meet with a total noob like her, when she was like a fish out of water in California. Grateful already, her hand shot up into the air and waved around wildly as she quickly made her way over to the table. Once there, she bowed respectfully to him, hands clasped in front of her.

"Hello, Hitsugaya-sama," she said in flawless but sweetly spoken Japanese. "It is a honor to meet you face to face! Thank you so much for having coffee with me, since I'm certain you have a busy schedule."

She waited until he was going to indicate that it was okay to sit down.

When the girl walked in, Toshiro gave her a strange glance at first, but he wasn’t necessarily one to judge by appearances. She looked to be a cheerful, happy young girl, and he was glad to hear the Japanese again. He bowed his head politely in greeting, then motioned to the chair beside him, giving her the chance to sit when she wanted to. He liked the girl already; she used the formal title.

“Hello, Inoue-chan,” Toshiro greeted in response. “I’m glad that you’re here, though as we are now in the United States, it’s not customary to bow before someone in greeting here. Some may not be comfortable with it.” He offered her a gentle smile. “Though, I myself do not mind it. May I buy you something to drink?” He had already purchased his own iced coffee, taking advantage of it the first moment that he could.

"Oh yes, please, and thank you. I'd like to try the coffee drinks they have here, even the sparkling lattes I've heard about." She promptly took a seat and nodded her head, emphatically. "I'm still getting used to things here. It's much less formal, and I miss my friends! But it's a new adventure too, so I'm looking forward to going to school here. Everyone on the network seemed really nice! Well, except for Mister Poo Plushie? He was a little weird, even if he was offering me a job. I don't know if I'll take the offer, but I'm still thinking about it. I really like plushies."

She was smiling the whole time. There was something nice about Toshiro, even if he was younger than she was, she felt strangely safe and comfortable. That was all chalked up to being able to talk to someone else from Japan. Surely that was the reason why!

She folded her hands on her lap and looked around, wide-eyed, like she was soaking in anything and everything about where they were. Not really to memorize it, but simply because it was a new experience.

“One moment, then, and I can get your drinks for you. What flavors do you prefer?” Toshiro questioned softly, and he was about to get up when she mentioned Mister Poo Plushie. He’d recalled seeing the strange man posting on the network and now, thanks to his memories, Toshiro recalled exactly who he was. And Gin Ichimaru, too.

“I’d recommend staying away from him, even if he is offering you a job. He offered one to me, as well, and to many new arrivals on the network. He’s not a very nice scientist, I’m afraid.” Toshiro’s tone was a bit darker as the white-haired teen spoke about Mayuri. He had to admit that he was impressed; so far, Orihime wasn’t afraid of him like many people were back home because of his different hair color. He did recall his conversation with Tessa not that long ago, seeing a real Reaper before his eyes made him certain that the dreams could cross over into this reality. If that were the case...well, he shook his head a moment, bringing himself out of his thoughts.

Almost without having realized he’d done it, Toshiro looked down at his coffee cup and saw that the tiny drops of condensation that had been there moments before were refrozen. His turquoise eyes widened in pure surprise, then narrowed. What was this? Better to not think too much of it, yet.

Being someone who had a very different hair color and teased about it, Orihime didn't think anything of Toshiro's hair. Maybe he was into weird music and bleached it white! No matter what, it would have been rude to ask. It also seemed so normal on him, that she didn't even think to question it.

"Oh?" Having no such dreams either, she was naturally curious about the strange scientist and was wide-eyed and blinking at the tone and warning about Mayuri Kurotsuchi, not to mention she had noticed that Toshiro had fallen quiet all of a sudden. She shivered a little, thinking that they had the air conditioner really cranked up in this coffee shop. It wasn’t an uncomfy cold, since it was still warm outside and the cold air was welcome in comparison.

She also didn't want to interrupt what might be a good daydream in progress, and so waited a moment longer to say in a soft voice, "Well, someone did warn me? So I'll be super careful." Careful enough to bring a friend if she went there for a product survey! "I like pumpkin and yam and sweet bean and chocolate and buttercream and caramel and carrot. That sounds good!"

Toshiro gave the girl a strange look when she finally did speak again and he looked up himself, startled out of his thoughts, and studied her a moment when he finally did hear her strange reply. “Well, I don’t know if we can get all of those flavors together, but they do have pumpkin spice lattes if you don’t mind something warm, and maybe we can get chocolate and caramel added in to it.” Toshiro rose from his feet and went to the clerk, ordering the strange version of the drink for Orihime. He got it together, then returned to her side a moment later.

“So what do you think of this place so far, Inoue-san?” Toshiro asked her politely, curious to hear what she thought of America so far. It was vastly different from what they were used to, after all.

She bowed her head respectfully to him before she clasped her hands loosely around the drink, content to feel the heat from it compared to the chill from before. It was a soothing contrast, and she smiled with ease, her voice light and airy and unfettered.

"I think it is a very fun place and there's so many interesting people," she gushed. "Everyone has been really kind to me on the network. It's just so different that they're laid back about everything and they can be a little louder than I'm used to? But it's nice. I really like where I'm going to school, because it's by the ocean, and some people that worked for Disney and other big entertainment and art things teach there. So I'm looking forward to learning lots about how to make my manga better, and maybe it can someday be a cartoon! Oh. Look at me blabbing and not asking you anything. You aren't in college yet, are you? When you go, what are you going to major in...or do you not know yet?"

Toshiro smiled gently to hear someone so excited, glad to hear that she was so carefree. He almost wished that he could, but he wasn’t interested in doing something like that. “Oh? Where do you go to school?” asked Toshiro curiously. “As for myself, I’m in both, high school and university. I’m planning to study international business, sort of to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

Though, he did tilt his head curiously when she mentioned drawing manga. “You create your own manga?” he questioned, thinking it was pretty amazing that someone so young could already have decided to draw a manga like that.

"Oh yes! I think I mentioned it on the valar net? THE ADVENTURES OF STINKY SQUIRREL vs ROBO-LORD & HIS DREAD TURKEY ARMY!" Somehow managing to not spill her coffee all over the place, Orihime raised one arm up, pointing up to the ceiling, in what was supposed to be a heroic pose. "I'm going to Laguna College of Art and Design, in Laguna Beach. It's not very big but they have an animator who worked for Disney there, and very good teachers. So I'm sure I'll be learning a lot of new things to make Stinky Squirrel even better, when I go back home again to Japan!"

She clasped her hands together and blinked at him, wide eyed.

"You must be very busy doing so much at the same time, Hitsugaya-sama," she said. "That sounds like it's very important types of business, if it's international? Your father must be very proud of you."

Toshiro just blinked at the girl’s decisive comments about her manga. He had to give her credit for going after what she wanted, that much he knew. He just kind of blinked, wondering what her next steps would be. “Well, congratulations are in order, then,” complimented Toshiro with a smile. He inclined his head briefly in recognition.

Toshiro never really was one to get so involved in things like that, at least emotionally. Momo was more than emotional enough for the both of them, and he was her logical half. He smiled fondly, though, glad to see her so easily happy. “I will have to read a copy of it when you’ve finished.” As for comments about his father, Toshiro merely smiled, trying not to do anything that might give too much of his personal life away. “Well, my father is my father. He’ll never change, probably.”

Orihime nodded and said thank you to Toshiro's offer of congratulations, but her smile seemed a little dimmer than before, when she thought about her parents. She never knew them or remembered them, and from what she understood from what little family she did have left and from her brother, Sora, that was a good thing. They didn't seem like very nice people. At all.

Sadness was a fleeting thing when Orihime was around friends, even of the future variety. So as quickly as that smile had dimmed, it seemed like the shadow of the cloud has passed on, and she was just as bright and sunny as before.

"I'll definitely give you a copy!" she chirped, taking a sip of her drink and looking like she was about to jump up out of her chair and start cheering. "This is so good! Here, have a spoonful! It's like all the flavors crashed together into a big yummy mashed up pile of sweet goodness!"

Before he could protest, Orihime had a spoon in her drink and was holding it out toward him.

“Er, thanks.” Toshiro gave the girl a wide-eyed look when she rose to her feet and started to cheer. Either she really was super happy about the drink itself, or she was trying to hide something. However, Toshiro wasn’t really one to share drinks no matter what it was nor whom had bought it. He offered her a light smile of reassurance, shaking his head in polite refusal.

“I think I’ll pass, actually,” remarked Toshiro, rising to his feet with a brief stretch. “And, I think, for now I’ll have to take my leave.” He glanced at his watch as though in a hurry, though really he had nothing but time at the moment. He smiled gently towards her. “I enjoyed meeting you, Inoue-san,” he returned politely, inclining his head politely to her. He was nothing but friendly.

Orihime bowed her head to him in reply, smiling brightly and then waving a hand in the air as she bid him farewell. “It has been an honor and maybe we can do this again, Hitsugaya-sama. Thank you!”