Ren and Orihime entered the red-light district in the evening. Some sleazy guys eyed Orihime upon seeing her blushing face and innocent embarrassment, but they were scared away by Ren's menacing glare.
'Glad I took those glasses off.'
Ren glanced at the nervous Orihime and steeled himself! It was the duty of the leader to be confident and collected in any situation.
Standing beside Orihime, he held out his arm for her to hook politely.
"If I may."
Orihime normally would have been even more embarrassed, especially given the location. That could imply a lot! But she noticed the hesitation and worry for her in his eyes, so she hooked his arm and gave a salute with a crafty smirk.
"You may!"
---
"Uhm, we would like a reading, please!" Orihime said nervously as they approached the small stall.
A young woman with a soft smile gracing her face was shuffling her tarot cards and humming.
"Of course!" she said cheerfully. "My name is Chihaya. Will it be a couples reading?"
Both Ren and Orihime sputtered.
"How cute," Chihaya cooed.
"We're not dating," Ren clarified awkwardly while Orihime pretty much hid behind him.
"I wanna learn how to read the cards!" Orihime said with resolve, her face bright red.
"Classes cost extra, but as an apology for misunderstanding, let me give you both a general reading," Chihaya said awkwardly with a slight blush. "Sorry."
---
Ren and Orihime took a seat, and Chihaya set down her deck. Gone was the cute, soft-spoken woman. She now sat before them with sharp, insightful eyes. Yet there was no judgment. Only compassion, some pity, and some hope.
She drew five cards as Ren watched.
Hm. She was in a bit of a trance, almost. If this was a scam, it was a convincing one.
She looked at the drawn cards and flipped the first one.
The Fool.
Flip.
The Sun.
Flip.
The Star.
Flip.
The Moon.
Flip.
The World.
She paused momentarily and looked at Ren with momentary pity, then a slight smile.
Then came an explosive blush, followed by calm.
"You recently moved to Tokyo. It wasn't planned, right?" Chihaya said.
"But you quickly found people you connected with and are learning to love them—and therefore, yourself."
Ren was slightly embarrassed but gave a nod.
She paused for a second.
"Right now, you're confused. Things feel hopeful, yet shrouded. Revealed, yet hidden."
Ren felt a shiver run down his spine. This was way too accurate.
"You will have a trial. You can go down many different paths, but they all lead to completion."
She cleared her throat.
"What I see is that you're going to do a lot of growing now. And whatever path you choose will shape who you are and what you will be. Your future is shrouded, yet clear. You are aware of your desires and purpose, yet they remain out of grasp. You see things with your own eyes, yet doubt your judgment."
Ren blinked and sat back silently.
He didn't even hear Orihime's reading.
---
Ren walked Orihime home. The buddy system was enforced. Orihime was embarrassed but also quite happy that Ren cared so much. Morgana had been asleep in Ren's bag. He had been extremely tired for the past few days. He felt heavier. Weaker, yet stronger. More dense. More... real, for lack of a better term. It felt like he had settled into his body.
It was his.
But not him.
It didn't matter what shape he had. He knew who he was. Something had changed, and he wanted to rest.
As Ren walked Orihime to the door, he saw a man floating nearby, watching. He blinked, and the man was gone. But he had definitely seen something.
He pushed it aside and said goodnight to Orihime. Then he began to try to wake Morgana as he headed to the station. Maybe he would stop at Yu's if he had time. He had to fill the Investigation Team in about Hollows as well.
---