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"Of all the people I didn't expect to see here, you were at the top of that list!" chirped the cheery young woman standing before Byakuya Kuchiki.
He stared at her for a long, awkward moment. "…Inoue, correct?"
"Yup, that's me!" Orihime replied, grinning. "Did you forget my name for a second there?"
"No," he stated.
Silence fell between them once more.
"So…" Orihime began, setting aside her broom and dusting her hands on her apron. "What brings you to the World of the Living?"
"I have business to attend with Urahara, and he would not condescend to come to the Soul Society. So I made the trip myself."
"Oh!" she gasped, flushing. "Of course you're here to see Urahara. Why else would you be at his shop…? Ehehehe…"
Her laughter was self-deprecating, and it set Byakuya's teeth on edge. Ignoring the unsettling feeling, he inquired, "Is he here?"
"He and Tessai left to meet with a vendor about two hours ago, I'm afraid," she informed him with a rueful smile. "But if you would like to wait, I think he'll be back soon."
Byakuya hid his irritation at Urahara's lack of manners, and simply nodded. "I will wait here for him, then." He had to come back to the shop eventually. He couldn't avoid Byakuya forever. "I'm curious as to what brings you here, Inoue. Do you have business to attend with Urahara as well?"
Orihime shook her head. "No, I got a part-time job here." At Byakuya's ensuing confusion (no doubt due to the loan word), she amended and further explained, "I'm working here for the summer to help with my living expenses. I have enough to get through high school, but… I'll be on my own after that. So I need to start saving! And Urahara was kind enough to let me work here, when I mentioned that I was looking."
"Ah, I see." Byakuya digested the information. "How well does he pay you?" He couldn't imagine a shop such as this supporting it's current inhabitants comfortably, let alone an additional worker.
"Eh?! Uh… um…" she stuttered, taken aback by the direct question. "He… he pays me well enough, I guess? I mean… I don't have any prior experience, so…"
Suspicion arose in the Captain at her uncertain words. Was Urahara exploiting this young woman's labor in exchange for a pittance? He honestly wouldn't put it past the shady man.
"Tell me, what do you think of the Soul Society?" he asked her.
"I liked what I saw of it," replied Orihime. "Though I'm afraid I didn't see too much, what with…"
Byakuya grunted in acknowledgment. Right. Of course. She had been there to rescue Rukia - namely because of his failings. And then again when she trained with Rukia in preparation for the Winter War. "How would you like to see more of it?" Byakuya suddenly asked.
Her brow furrowed in confusion, as Orihime tried to puzzle through where this conversation was heading. "I… I guess I would?"
"Would you be against joining one of my units as an attachment for the summer? You would be compensated accordingly, and it would provide you the opportunity not only to see more of the Soul Society, but also to train."
Byakuya's offer stunned the teenager. "I… that would be amazing!" Orihime exclaimed. "But are you sure that I would be of any use…?" Her failures in Hueco Mundo still haunted her, still filled her with guilt.
"A fighter with healing capabilities is always an asset to a field unit," Byakuya stated bluntly.
A fighter.
His words echoed in her mind. And suddenly, she was filled with determination.
After all… if Captain Kuchiki believed in her abilities, then she should be able to find it within herself to believe in them, too.
"Yes! I'll do it! Thank you very much!" She bowed deeply. "I will not waste this opportunity, Captain Kuchiki!"
"Eh…?" Urahara's voice drifted through the shop. "I leave for one meeting, and I come back to find you poaching my employees, Captain Kuchiki?"
"You took too long," Byakuya stated, a thinly veiled smile on his lips.