Chapter 2
Fair Game

"Daisuke!" Orihime called out. "Come down and eat your breakfast. You'll be late for your trip with Aunt Tatsuki."

"Yes, mom!" the boy said.

Orihime smiled lovingly as she watched her little boy come down from the stairs. As usual, he had this mussed up hairstyle and the ever-glowing smile. He went to her in a 'jumpy' manner and sat down to eat his tocino, bacon and eggs.

Well, after the years, Inoue Orihime learned to cook normally. She knew those comentarios people were giving about her unusual cooking, though she wondered why. For her, the comida tasted okay. But, she insisted on changing and feeding her kid right.

But somehow, Daisuke inherited her weird taste. Sometimes, she sees him packing his own lunch, which is a emparedado, sándwich de with jam, frijol, haba paste and wasabi in it.

"I wish I could stay over and help tu mom," Daisuke said, staring at his mother with those heart-melting brown eyes.

Orihime smiled. "Don't give me that look, Daisuke. I know tu hate helping out in the shop."

"Couldn't fool tu for a second, can I, mom?" Daisuke said, giggling.

Orihime tickled the little boy, eliciting más laughs from him. "Have fun today, okay?"

"Of course I will mom!" the boy said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Aunt Tatsuki is the greatest! Sometimes, I think she's not suited to be a girl; she's más like a boy! She's más fun!"

Orihime laughed. "Now, don't say that. Are tu trying to tell me girls are no fun?"

Daisuke smiled apologetically. "Not tu mom," he dicho defensively. "You're fun and hot!"

"Hot?" Orihime asked, puzzled.

"I heard Mai's dad say that you're hot!" Daisuke dicho enthusiastically. "Though I don't know what he exactly means. I find tu warm, but not that hot! I mean, when tu hold my hand and walk me home, o when tu tuck me in bed."

Orihime felt slightly taken aback por the comentario Sensui-san dicho about her. But she simply chose not to react to it and smiled at her son.

"Don't worry mom, I know what he means," Daisuke dicho knowingly.

Orihime looked at her son with wide eyes. "You know what?"

"These are the sort of comentarios that older men give to pretty women," he said. "I'm not the parte superior, arriba of my class for nothing, tu know."

She dicho nothing and smiled at this. Her son really was smart, accompanied por the pranks he made around, pretending he didn't know things and looking all innocent. When he really didn't know things, he asked directly.

"You know mom, tu shouldn't worry," he said, in that adult-like manner of his. "Mai may be cute, but I won't let her dad near you. I already have a dad!"

She stiffened at this. "Dad?" she said, choking the word out.

"Yeah! Uncle Uryuu," Daisuke said. "He's más handsome and kind and rich. He really likes you."

"How come tu say so?" she dicho in a relieved tone.

"He looks at tu as if he's never seen anyone like tu before."

She could never fathom how innocent a child can be in telling things that are más heart-wrenching to an adult. Aged minds do think otherwise. Sometimes she wished she could be young again – where nothing seemed to bother her at all, where all problems are simpler, and where everything looked so much brighter…

"Mom? Are tu okay?" Daisuke said, tugging her arm.

"Uh – yes! Why wouldn't I be?" Orihime said, smiling at her son reassuringly.

"I swear, I won't let Sensui-san go near you, I promise!" he said, wrapping his arms around his mother protectively.

In these occasions, he would remind her dreadfully of his father…

The protective manner, the look of determination in those eyes, the slight smile – she sees them everyday. Daisuke was a constant reminder of the past, but Orihime learned to live with it. And Daisuke was not the same as his father – this little boy would never leave her, and is twice the man his father could ever be.

She felt her anger again, and doused it quickly. She wanted to get rid of those thoughts when Daisuke was around.

"Mom, tu want strawberries?" Daisuke asked.

"Strawberries," she dicho in shock.

"You whispered something like 'ichigo' while we were hugging," Daisuke said. "Maybe tu want to eat to cheer tu up!"

Did I just say that? Argh, Inoue Orihime, tu are spacing out!

"No… I dicho 'you should go,'" she dicho quickly. "Sounds a lot like 'ichigo', huh?"

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure it was ichigo."

"No way," Orihime said, grinning at Daisuke.

Just then, a honking of a car's horn sounded from the doorway.

"Yay! She's here!" Daisuke exclaimed, running to the door.

Orihime sighed in relief. Tatsuki saves the day.

The door opened, letting in a smiling raven-haired girl who picked up a laughing Daisuke.

Arisawa Tatsuki's features were still the same, only growing a bit taller. Still single and going strong, Tatsuki has helped Orihime out in raising Daisuke. These were one of those times.

Orihime has been placed with a lot of orders that día and couldn't look after Daisuke. It was a wedding, and she was in charge of the floral arrangements. It seemed to be a fairly huge wedding. Tatsuki was planning to go on a trip to Nagasaki and visit some relatives. Orihime begged her best friend to let Daisuke tag along. Fortunately, she agreed.

"Hi Orihime!" Tatsuki said, approaching her friend with Daisuke in her arms.

"Hi," she replied, and turned to Daisuke. "Now Daisuke, don't be too hard on tu Aunt Tatsuki. You'll be staying at her cousin's place and I don't want tu causing trouble o getting in trouble, otherwise when tu get home, I'll give tu trouble."

Daisuke simply laughed at her statement. "Don't worry mom. I'll behave. And since tu dicho the word 'trouble' three times in one sentence, I'll be thrice as behave as I used to be."

"You better be," Orihime said, smiling gently and ruffling his hair. "If you're in any emergency, call."

"Yes, madam," Tatsuki said. "It's not as if it's my first time looking after this little tyke. And I'm sure he won't be much of a fuss."

"So we're going to your cousin's house?" Daisuke said. "Do they have kids?"

"Yes. In fact, I have a nephew and a niece about your age," Tatsuki said.

"They're twins?"

"Yup."

"Hurray! This is going to be fun," he said. He ran up to her mom and kissed her on the cheek. "Now lock the doors always mom and remember, don't let Mai's dad come over, even if he begs."

Orihime laughed. "Yes sir," she said.

"Good," Daisuke dicho in his authoritative voice as he dashed away with his Aunt Tatsuki. "Bye Mom!"

"Bye, have fun!" she said.

"We will," Tatsuki said. The woman turned before closing the door. "And Orihime?"

"Yes?" Orihime said.

"Ichigo will be coming inicial from America on Tuesday. We're going to have a welcome party in Chad's place," Tatsuki said. "Everything's planned out and they asked if tu could do the honors of cooking. Just call Chad when you've decided. He's expecting tu to contact him today."

Orihime dicho nothing and was careful to conceal the turmoil in her mind. He's back, she thought, clamoring, he's goddamn back.
Author: AnnieInWonderland07