Carve Your Heart- IchiHime Drabbles

I wonder how or why I never noticed before.

Her beauty is captivating. The very sight of her leaves one breathless. A person could think that it’s a goddess walking on Earth.

Orihime Inoue.

We’d been friends for a few years now, but it was only recently that I’ve started to have ‘different’ thoughts about her.

Thoughts about her body, mind, and soul.

I would think about her eyes. Those big, gray eyes that would make one weak in the knees. If she looked up to you, those eyes would sparkle in the light, regardless of how much lighting was in the room. They would just shine.

Her auburn hair that looked like it was as smooth as silk. As embarrassing as it is, I’ve had desires to reach my hand out and touch it. Run my hand through it. I always felt that if I did so, I would feel an overwhelming sense of comfort.

Her cheeks always had a small hint of pink attached to them. More so when I was around her. She could be talking about the most random thing, and her cheeks would become lightly flushed, adding more color to her soft, porcelain face.

Those lips… Those lips could drive a man mad. Always pink and plump, making anyone, regardless of gender, to have an uncontrollable urge to kiss her. My favorite thing about it was when she would be genuinely happy, and her lips would stretch into a smile. A true smile, and those are hard to come by now a days.

Her mind… I was always left both baffled and amused at what was going on in her mind. She could be spouted the most confusing nonsense about blue men.

But then again, that’s what makes her unique.

And then you get to her serious side. The serious part of her personality always seemed to show when she was immensely concerned for the well being of her friends. This was both a good thing, and a bad thing. She would sometime want to stay away, just for fear of being a burden.

Her soul is a pure, innocent being. Never corrupted, or bothered by the harsh surroundings of today’s society. Never caring about a person’s flaws, but rather looking for the most positive things in them.

Her soul holds a deep love for her friends, and particularly one certain person. She’s never spoken about this said person, but whoever he is, he is one amazingly lucky guy. He has a remarkable, young woman who’s compassionate, caring, and full of love. There’s absolutely no way someone can say no to her.

Like I said, it makes me wonder. It makes me wonder how I never noticed this before.

“I’m not afraid…” Orihime Inoue spoke boldly to the Arrancar in front of her, holding out her hand to him, only to have it disintegrate in front of her very eyes.

Silence swept over the three young souls that had been above the Las Noches dome. That is, until Orihime remembered about her severely injured friend.

“I’m so sorry Ishida-kun… I’ll heal you right away,” she mumbled to him, hastily making her way over to his side, calling out her guardians.

“I-It’s find Inoue-san. It was an accident,” he replied back, wincing in pain. He seemed surprised as she managed to heal him so quickly. And it was almost as if he didn’t get hurt at all.

She avoided the hard gaze of Ichigo Kurosaki. Both herself and Ishida had witnessed Ichigo turn into a terrible hollow, injuring a beloved friend and killing an important enemy. The feeling he radiated as his hollow gave out more terror than protection, especially when it came to Orihime.

And it was all for her. Because she was too weak, she wasn’t able to help Ichigo, but rather, be even more of a burden to him. It was almost as if her previous training didn’t matter at all.

“Ishida…” Ichigo spoke harshly, but had the feeling of pain and sadness embedded into it. She still avoided his stare, him in general. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.” He solemnly apologized. As Orihime looked at Ishida, he smirked at the orange-haired teenager.

“I think you’re getting weak. I don’t ever remember you apologizing for such small injuries such as this.” He responded sourly to the substitute Soul Reaper, proceeding to stand up. Doing so only caused Orihime to get even more worried.

“I-Ishida-kun, you mustn’t stand! You’ll get hurt even worse!” She protested to him, flailing her small arms in the air. He smiled gently to her, patting her softly on the shoulder.

“I’m fine Inoue-san. I feel as good as new.” He spoke, brushing off his tunic of dust. “I think I’m going to see how the others are faring down below. I suggest you two stay up here, just for a bit longer, to regain your strength.”

Both bright-haired teenagers could tell he was lying. The Quincy knew they hadn’t had a moment together for quite some time, and he thought they’d need some time to talk, whether they liked it or not. And the other two knew when the Quincy was lying.

It’s not like there was any other way to get out of Hueco Mundo anyway, since Aizen had closed all of the gates.

Within a matter of moments, Ishida had left and gone back down below, leaving behind a nervous, auburn-haired healer, and a partially clad Soul Reaper.

She sat down on the ground, hugging her knees tightly. She had never felt as nervous in her life. Even more nervous than when she confessed her love to Ichigo Kurosaki, while he slept. She just prayed that he wouldn’t talk to her or bring anything up while they were ‘regaining their energy’, as Ishida wanted them to do. She bit her lip in desperation, trying to hold back the threatening tears.

“Inoue…” Hearing his low voice made her jump in surprise. She was even more surprised when he sat down in the spot in front of her. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked again, sounding worried. She nodded fervently, though it was obvious that it was fake.

“I’m fine! Never been better!” She feigned a new mood for him, and pumped a fist into the air. She said one thing, but her emotions and facial expressions said another. While she had said she was fine, her face spoke that it was stressed, worried, and most of all, nervous. Her face had been graced with a light shade of pink, spread across her cheeks. He gave her an awkward smile, which was soon to be accompanied with an awkward silence. Ichigo didn’t like this though, and decided to speak out, only wanting to hear the truth.

“Why did you leave?” He asked, his eyes begging for honesty. Her eyes only showed fear and regret. She swallowed hard, trembling as she forced the tears to stay back.

“T-They threatened to hurt you… And the others.” She spoke quietly, keeping to the truth so far. She pulled her knees even closer, as if they were her last lifeline. “I couldn’t bear to see any of you hurt because I was weak…” She chuckled nervously to herself. “A-Any good that did… In the end, I was only used as bait, trying to lure you all here,” she stuttered, fighting back the tears.

“But why take the burden on yourself?” He asked, the tone in his voice getting slightly louder. “Isn’t that what nakama are for? Sharing the pain?” He sounded frustrated now. She nodded to him in agreement.

“Yes… But I have my own reasons…” She spoke softly, still speaking only of the truth. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

“What were you doing in my room the night before you left?” He asked bluntly. Her face got red very quickly, and she buried her face in her knees. The last thing she wanted was to see her face in its embarrassing state.

“I know you were there…” He continued on, “I could still feel your reiatsu in my hand when I woke up.” She shook her head as it was still in her knees.

“I didn’t heal your hand. I didn’t call on my Sōten Kisshun…” She told him truthfully. She didn’t recall ever healing his hand on her command when she was in his room. Was it possible that she healed it when she was holding his hand? Without ever having to use her powers?

“You were in my room though… Right?” He questioned her again, his voice only sounding angrier. She jumped at the tone, feeling tears roll down her face now. She knew she made her loved one mad, and she hated herself for it.

“Y-Yes…” She spoke out between sobs. She didn’t dare to lift her head up to see his face.

“Why?” He asked yet another question. She secretly wished he would leave her alone and stop asking questions.

“To say goodbye.” She tried to speak somewhat normally, but tears only invaded her eyes and threatened to spill even more. Silence was left in the air once more.

“You said it to me…? But why me?” He asked, now sounding bewildered. He honestly couldn’t think up a good reason as to why Orihime Inoue would pick him of all people, to say her final goodbye to. She lifted her head, tears staining her pale face. Her eyes were dark and sunken from sleep deprivation, and they lacked any emotion.

“I’d rather you figure it out on your own…” She sobbed to him. “It’ll mean more that way.” His eyes went big. He didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. For her, she didn’t think it was the best time to tell him. She wanted to wait, to let things happen on better terms. He decided to continue the conversation.

“You know, I had a nightmare the night you left…” He started off, changing the way he was sitting. “It was raining, really hard.” He looked at her deeply in the eyes. “And for some odd reason, they reminded me of your tears.” She gasped lightly as she remembered herself crying over his face as she had previously attempted to kiss him.

“I don’t want to hear it…” She mumbled, only feeling more embarrassed, and more of a burden. She buried her head back in her knees, until she felt a warm hand grasp hers.

“You were in it, and you were talking about how much you wanted to do, and how many other people you wanted to say goodbye to.” She couldn’t see his face, but she could tell he was tense, as he tightened his hold on her hand. She felt like crying even more, but she knew had to hold them back. He chuckled awkwardly, before continuing.

“You said you wished you had five lifetimes, so you could have five different jobs, be born in five different towns, and…” He paused before finishing. She shook her head again, only more forcefully this time. She didn’t want him to say it.

Yes, she knew she said it to him, and she meant it. But things were different now. She had been the reason he got so hurt, and the reason he turned into a hollow. She felt like her heart couldn’t handle anymore pressure. But part of her wanted to hear what he had to say.

“You said you could fall in love with the same person five times over.” He finished, now holding both her hands in his. She sobbed to herself, wanting him to let go of her hand, but made no attempt to remove it herself.

“And then you said goodbye… And that was the most heartbreaking part of it.” He mumbled, sounding hurt. He used one of his hands to lift up her head. She refused to do so at first, but was finally forced to as he used both of his hands, holding her porcelain face in his callused hold. She opened her clouded eyes to see him give her a smirk. “Crappy dream, huh?” He asked, forcing a laugh. She nodded, biting her lip.

“Sounds terrible…” She mumbled, almost incoherently. He laughed again, and suddenly embraced her lips into a tender kiss.

Neither of them thought their first kiss would be like this.

For Orihime, she thought it would be on a sweet date, with the same person she was kissing now. The evening would just be turning into late night, and they’d embrace underneath the stars. She assumed things would just happen more naturally.

For Ichigo, he didn’t even think about it at all. He honestly didn’t think about Orihime more than a friend, until he found out she had disappeared. Once he did, it made him reconsidering things greatly.

The kiss was nothing like they’d imagined it.

But they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

“Hey, Orihime, pass the chocolate!” Tatsuki called out to her auburn-haired friend, temporarily knocking her out of her daydream. The healer nodded solemnly and proceeded to pass the chocolate syrup.

“Ah, sorry Tatsuki-chan. I was daydreaming again.” Orihime explained, smiling awkwardly as she took a bite out of her ice cream. Tatsuki Arisawa had invited her to go out and snag some food, and personal friend time, together. Orihime had decided on the new ice cream parlor in the mall, and so there they were. Eating ice cream in the mall together.

“It’s fine Orihime… But you’ve been kind of spacey lately. Is everything alright?” Tatsuki asked her worriedly. She secretly wondered when it was possible not to be worried about her friend. She also wondered if it had something to do with a certain orange-haired friend of hers.

“It’s fine… I’ve just been thinking lately, is all…” The healer vaguely explained. She didn’t want to go into too much detail, for some of her thoughts were embarrassing. “You know, it’s probably the little blue men’s fault, making me think such random things! Like this morning, I was making breakfast when I started to wonder about-”

“Ichigo?” The black-haired beauty asked, cutting into her friend’s rambling. Orihime’s eyes got big and she flailed her arms wildly, hoping that her actions would some how deter the conversation somewhere else.

“N-N-No, I wasn’t think about him!” She partially lied. She knew she could be easily read at times, but she definitely did not want her friend to know about her weird thoughts as of late.

“Think about who?” She heard a familiar, deep voice from behind her, causing her to jump up from her seat. She swiftly turned around to find her not so secret crush right behind her.

“K-K-K-Kurosaki-kun! What are you doing here?” The redhead stuttered madly, her face turning bright pink. Ichigo’s facial expression suddenly looked very irritated.

“I was here with my family, but I got away from them as soon as I got my chance.” He explained, sitting down in the seat across from Orihime. “My dad really pisses me off…” He mumbled bitterly.

“He seems nice and funny to me.” Orihime replied to him, still feeling flustered. She grabbed the chocolate sauce from Tatsuki and began pouring more over her ice cream, in an attempt to distract herself.

“What, do you have a crush on him or something? Don’t compliment him so much, he’s a freaking idiot…” He replied very rudely, not thinking about what he was saying.

‘No, I have a crush on his son…’ She thought to herself, feeling her face heat up even more.

“O-Orihime, that’s enough chocolate!” Tatsuki exclaimed, pulling the bottle away from her ditzy friend. Orihime looked down to her plastic cup and saw that she had absolutely drowned her ice cream in chocolate syrup.

“Ehehehe!” She laughed awkwardly. “I-I like this much chocolate on my ice cream though!” She took a big spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth, feeling a brain freeze moments later. “Mmmm, I love chocolate! Kurosaki-kun, do you like chocolate?” She asked him embarrassingly with a mouth full of ice cream.

“Depends on what it’s in, I guess… Like cookies or just plain candy, I suppose.” He responded casually, putting his chin in the palm of his hands. “What about you Tatsuki?” He asked nonchalantly.

“I prefer melted chocolate… Like, the stuff that’s warmed up.” She gave him a small grin. “My favorite is biting into a warm cookie, and the chocolate chips are all melted.”

‘Melted chocolate, huh? I wonder if Kurosaki-kun liked melted chocolate…’

-----

“Inoue! Come here for a minute!” She heard a voice call out to her from around the corner. She could recognize the voice immediately, and she knew it belonged to a certain orange-haired Soul Reaper. She skipped around the corner to find Ichigo Kurosaki in a bathing suit with a bottle of chocolate sauce in one hand.

“Heh, sorry to bother you Inoue, but I was going to go the beach, but I ran out of sunscreen. So instead, I’m using this stuff.” He explained, pointing to the bottle with a gentle smile on his face. “Do you think you could help me put it on?”

“Ehh?? Me?” She exclaimed, sounding very surprised. He nodded happily.

If the love of her life needed help smearing chocolate sauce over his body, she definitely was not going to say no. She put on a smile and walked over to his side. “S-Sure, I’ll help you!” He smiled again in return.

“Work on the front first then.” He spoke, pouring the hot chocolate sauce over his chiseled body. It drizzled down his neck and over his pecs. As soon as he figured he got enough out of the bottle, he grabbed Orihime’s hands and put them on his abdomen. “Go ahead, start rubbing it in!” He told her fiercely. The feeling of his bare, chocolatey skin underneath her fingers made her heart melt.

‘I think I really like melted chocolate.’ She thought to herself, finding her face getting closer and closer to his chocolate covered body. ‘Maybe just one taste…’

“Inoue, hey!” He spoke to her again, this time his large hands were on her small shoulders. “Inoue?” He proceeded to shake her and shake her.

-----

“Inoue?” Hearing his voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Er, are you okay?” He asked wearily. She just looked at him innocently.

“I’m fine… Why do you ask?” She wondered what brought upon his sudden concern. Tatsuki shoved a napkin under her nose and coughed.

“Um, your nose is bleeding…” She mumbled, holding back a laugh. Orihime jumped from her spot, upon hearing she was excreting precious and important body fluids.

“I-I-I-I-I’m so sorry.” She apologized fiercely, her face turning bright red. First she had a bizarre, but oddly pleasant daydream about her crush, and now she was having a nosebleed in front of him.

“So… You sure like chocolate, huh?” Tatsuki asked her blushing friend. She had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking about, so she only smirked, which caused Orihime to turn even redder, and Ichigo to be very confused.

A small, familiar auburn-haired girl lay on a hill next to the river, with an even smaller stuffed animal next to her.

“So let me make sure I have this right… You’re a temporary soul for Kurosaki-kun, made by Urahara-san?” She spoke to him curiously, putting her arms behind her head, acting as a cushion. The stuffed animal nodded in agreement. He had finally been able to meet Orihime without Ichigo getting all huffy about bothering her, though it was only because he escaped from Ichigo’s room, and saw her lying in the grass.

Suddenly having a change in heart, he decided to take things slow with his introduction to the girl. Instead of charging straight to her chest and upsetting her, he would get to know the girl better, and they could be ‘friends’, so to speak. And as a friend, he would have free-access to her hugs and overall body, he figured.

Then he could make his move upon his lovely goddess. It only seemed logical to the stuffed plushie.

“Yeah… Something like that.” He muttered back to her, pacing back and forth by the side of Orihime. He was having trouble keeping his own promise, to not leap at her bust. She was beautiful, and it was so tempting.

“Are you the ‘Kon’ I always hear about?” She giggled quietly to herself, as she remembered all the times her crush had mentioned him, with his usual scowl on his face. Kon’s face lit up.

“Y-You mean someone’s talked about me?” The lion asked in delight. Last time he checked, no one talked ever about him. They only spoke of how perverted he was, and how he was supposed to be kept away from all girls.

“Kurosaki-kun has mentioned you before…” She replied, her voice softening as she said his name. “He makes it seem like you’re a bad person, but you seem nice to me.” She closed her eyes as she spoke.

‘Maybe this new plan of mine is a winner… If I keep this up, I’ll land myself a VIP spot in the Valley of the Gods!’ The perverted plush thought to himself. He was lucky her eyes were closed, otherwise she would have seen his evil scowl.

“Anything else Ichigo has talked about?” He pried, continuing on. He wanted to hear more. It’s not like Ichigo talked much about himself to the stuffed animal. She smiled softly, but one could tell she felt a sudden wave of sadness.

“To be honest, he doesn’t talk to me all that much.” She confessed, opening her eyelids to reveal a sorrowful flash of gray. “I try to talk to him, but that’s Kurosaki-kun. He’s more of an ‘action’ guy, than a ‘thinker’ guy.” She felt her heart drop. Talking about how distanced they were made her feel depressed. Kon suddenly felt very guilty, but he knew what she was talking about. He knew Ichigo was never one to talk about anything, let alone himself in general.

“I sure know what you’re talking about, Orihime-chan!” The plushie spouted, throwing his fist into the air. “That jerk never talks about anything! I feel like I’m the one always doing the talking!” She gave him a half-hearted smile, still feeling down.

“Kurosaki-kun isn’t a jerk… He’s nice…” She spoke softly of him again, her eyes now glancing up at the clouds. “Sorry…” She apologized quietly. “I’m not normally this depressed sounding. I’ve just been thinking, is all.” She paused, moving a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s just such nice weather, it’s nice to just lie down and stare up at the sky, while letting everything go.” She extended a hand towards the sky, as if she was reaching for it. “Though I think it’s mainly the little blue men’s fault for making me think such atrocious things.” She laughed to herself. Her ramblings only made Kon more curious.

“Thinking what kind of things?” He questioned, now looking her seriously. She looked at him, with a pout on her face and scrunched eyebrows.

“Promise not to tell?” He nodded in promise, secretly wondering how long this serious side of Orihime has been around. He always knew her as the ditzy klutz with big boobs.

“I’ve just been feeling weak lately…” She started. “For more reasons than one.” She sat up and pulled her knees close, putting her chin between the small crevasse of her two legs joined together. “I feel like I can’t protect anyone.” She suddenly blurted out. The stuffed animal walked over in front of her, putting on a concerned expression. Now he really wondered how long this girl was harboring such intense feelings.

“I’m sorry to hear that…” He apologized, not knowing what else to say. “But you should cheer up, right?” He tried to make her smile by putting on a lighter air. She smiled weakly to him, nodding.

“I know, I know…” She mumbled back to him, grabbing his sides and pulling him into a hug. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she just desired a hug, and a stuffed animal was available right in front of her.

She gave him one of the hugs Kon had always been dreaming of, only he was now worried about this girl, not the hugs he’d received from her. “It’s just so lonely…” She finished.

“I know I’m just a stuffed animal, but I’m here.” He spoke to her firmly, trying to reassure her that she wasn’t alone. “And Ichigo’s there, despite how dense he is. And you have a bunch of other friends, right?” She nodded, falling back onto her back, still clutching him to her chest.

“Yeah, I do…” She paused. “It’s so hard to explain feelings, isn’t it?” She laughed half-heartedly, trying to make light of the situation. “And it’s even harder to accept them.” She felt a small tear roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and stammered out an apology.

“I-I’m sorry Kon, I’m not normally like this.” She apologized again, wiping away more tears. “It just seems so easy to talk to you… Or at least cry in front you…” She put on a fake smile and tried to change the conversation a bit. “You know, the blue men always say that crying too much will give you wrinkles. And crying alone will only make you look older! It’s a wonder why I don’t look like an old lady right now!” Kon silenced her by putting his stuffed paw on her own hand.

“It’s okay, you know. To cry, to feel sad, to accept feelings. You’re only human, you know.” He explained awkwardly, not used to being so sentimental. She gave him a pure smile now.

“Thank you Kon…” She spoke, hugging him again, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Ichigo! Look what you’ve done! You’ve ruined our alone time!” Kon exclaimed, trying to make the situation look better than what it really was to the Soul Reaper. He scowled in annoyance.

“I leave for five minutes and you escape. Do you know how long it too me to find you? You damn toy…” He muttered angrily, not caring that Orihime was sitting there as well, still clutching the small lion. She smiled to her love, trying to make it seem like she was fine all along.

“Kon is really amazing, you should be nicer, Kurosaki-kun!” She gently scolded him. He couldn’t think of a good response appropriate for the healer’s ears, so he said nothing.

“Inoue… He didn’t do anything, did he?” He asked, his tone now becoming calmer. She stood up, still holding Kon in her grasp.

“We looked at the clouds and talked. Or at least, I did.” She laughed lightly. “Kon’s a good listener, you know!” Ichigo raised his eyebrows.

“Oh? What’d you talk about?” He questioned, now curious. He always remembered Kon to be constantly talking, not just listening for once.

“Why does it matter to you??” The stuffed animal spoke out. Ichigo only got more furious and gave him a death glare. Orihime laughed to try to relieve the tension between the two.

“What Kon’s trying to say is that it was nothing important. You don’t need to worry about it.” She spoke in that soft tone again, the one she spoke with earlier, when she said his name.

“I worry about you, is all…” Ichigo said, sounding forced. “And with Kon, it gives me reason to worry even more.” She felt her heart jump at his statement, but reassured her he meant nothing by it. After all, they were just friends, and she knew about his constant desire to protect his friends.

After feeling another wave of guilt and sadness, Orihime forced another smile on her face, shoving Kon back to Ichigo.

“Well, I should go. I still have to buy ingredients for dinner.” Orihime explained, intertwining her fingers behind her back. She gave a smile to Kon. “Thank you Kon. For listening.” She spoke quietly, and he nodded. The auburn-haired princess waved to them and said her good byes.

She had been thankful to Kon, for letting her talk to him, regardless of how much was actually said.

He understood anyway, nothing really needed to be spoken out loud. The stuffed lion had found out her thoughts and understood them completely. He felt a bit different about the redhead now. She wasn’t just a normal, but bizarre teenager with an overactive imagination. She still had the complications and disturbances like every other person her age.

Kon was very glad he went with his alternative plan on getting Orihime’s hugs.

Things were never the same. With what happened, it was no surprise. I looked at her all the time now, and something about her was different. I couldn’t say what it was, but I could just tell. It was as if she’d gotten broken somewhere along the way. Maybe Grimmjow was right when he told me that maybe something happened to her ‘inside’.

After a while, I started thinking that it was her heart that had taken away. Possibly broken. I knew this all because her smiles weren’t there anymore.

Her eyes shone, but they didn’t show emotion.

Her hair glistened in the sun, but it had a weak, flimsy look to it. It no longer curved around her porcelain cheeks, and flowed down her shoulders and back, like water.

Her skin was untouchable. I was afraid if I reached out to grab her, she’d shatter into a million pieces. Just like her heart.

But, in my eyes, this didn’t make her look any less heavenly.

Broken things are beautiful, I always thought bitterly. I despised myself for thinking such a thing. Instead of just gazing at her shattered form, why wasn’t I trying to fix it? I’d be able to see her radiating smiles all the time, which gave me relief in my heart.

Heart…

“Inoue, where is you heart?” I asked her quietly. She just looked at me with expressionless eyes and a small, forced smile on her face.

“I left it with the one I love…” She explained weakly, her gaze returning to the floor.

“And who’s that?” I inquired. I’d definitely beat up the bastard who took her heart away. All because of him, she never smiled. She never laughed. She never loved the same.

Her face fell once more and her pale cheeks now sported a faint shade of pink. She opened her mouth to speak, and silently spoke her answer.

“You.”

“Ichi-kun, Ichi-kun! It’s terrible! Something terrible has happened!” The auburn-haired healer yelled frantically to her orange-haired boyfriend. His eyebrows rose, questioning her as to what was so ‘terrible’.

“What happened?” He asked; a tone of concern hidden in his voice. Her eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms in front of her voluptuous chest.

“I’ve been robbed! Someone stole something important to me!” She pouted. He now looked at her very concerned. ‘I’m gonna kill whoever did it...’ He thought bitterly. He stood up and got close to her, quickly enveloping her into a tight hug. He wasn't sure if it was to reassure her, or to reassure himself.

“Do you know who did it? What got stolen?” He asked, sounding both worried and angry. Her upset pout quickly turned to a small smile. She stood on her tiptoes, and reached up to give him a light kiss on his lips.

“It was you Ichi-kun! You stole my heart!”

“Say, Tatsuki-chan, I have a question,” Orihime Inoue asked her best friend as they ate lunch on the roof. Her crush, Ichigo Kurosaki, was sitting nearby with his other friends. They ate silently, and the healer’s words could be heard throughout the entire rooftop.

“What’s it taste like?” She pondered, taking a bite out of her bread and red bean paste concoction. Tatsuki tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s what taste like?” Her friend asked, trying not to turn green from the sight of Orihime’s odd lunch.

“Love… What does love taste like?” She inquired, her cheeks turning a light pink. Tatsuki only smirked a bit to the question.

“I guess I haven’t really thought about it before,” She truthfully told her, taking a bite out of her own sandwich. “What do you think it tastes like?” Orihime put on a big, vibrant smile, and boldly answered,

“Strawberries.”

Needless to say, a certain orange-haired teenager couldn’t help but turn red at her innocent reply.

‘Dear Kurosaki-kun,

Do you get the answer to number four? Oh, and by the way, I like you a lot.’

She shook her head and erased her current writing on the already crinkled paper. She sighed lightly and began writing again.

‘Kurosaki-kun, did you know that I’ve been thinking about someone recently. He’s a no good punk with bright orange hair. He’s so sweet and caring, and an amazing friend. Can you think of who he is?’

Her cheeks turned a light pink, and she began to bite her bottom lip.

‘How am I supposed to write this?’ She thought worriedly to herself. Her eyes hovered over to the next row of desks, next to hers, and about 4 seats ahead. ‘He’ sat at his desk, his left arm propping up his head. She just stared at the back of his orange head, and put on a small, but sad smile as she thought about her feelings. The ones she didn’t want to burden him with.

Her gaze returned to the paper and she began to elegantly write out her note.

‘Kurosaki-kun,

Thanks for being a great friend. Please don’t ever change.’

“ACHOO!”

“Say, Orihime, you’re not getting a cold, are you?” Tatsuki asked, raising an eyebrow. The auburn-haired healer shook her head, her cheeks getting redder by the minute.

“I-I’m fine. I never get sick,” she replied, putting on a weak smile. Tatsuki only grew more concerned.

“You know, it’s interesting, really. As soon as Ichigo gets over his cold, you seem to get one too.” Orihime looked over at her boyfriend, and noticed his ears were red.

“R-Really? I think it’s just a coincidence!” She laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. She loved Ichigo, and she wanted to be with him as much as possible, even when he had a cold.

But she decided to listen to him next time when he told her not to kiss him while he was sick.

Ichigo heard a small, familiar giggle come from behind him. He turned around to see who it was, though he had a good guess.

“Oh, hello Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime Inoue spoke boldly to him, putting on a soft smile. He gave her a small smile back to her, but it quickly changed into a scowl when he noticed who was standing right next to her.

“Ishida…” He mumbled with an annoyed tone in his voice.

“Kurosaki.” Ishida replied in the same matter, pushing up his glasses.

“Inoue, what are you doing with this nerd anyway?” Ichigo asked her, his scowl still prominent. Her facial expression turned into a pout, and her eyebrows furrowed a bit.

“Ishida-kun isn’t a nerd, Kurosaki-kun,” she explained, fiddling with a hidden object behind her back. She quickly smiled again. “And we’re coming back from the crafts club! Right, Ishida-kun?” He just pushed up his glasses again and nodded.

“Yes, Inoue-san and I were together at the crafts club. Why does it matter to you? Are you jealous?” Ishida asked, a small smirk gracing his face. Ichigo’s cheeks just got red in response.

“I-I’m not jealous, I could hang out with Inoue whenever I wanted!” He practically yelled, somewhat scaring the healer. Her cheeks flushed up as well to her crush’s response.

“S-Say, Kurosaki-kun, want to see what we’re making in class?” She inquired, trying to change the subject. He just nodded, avoiding saying anything else. She quickly whipped out a small pillow from behind her. It was a small red heart with white wings sewn onto the sides. To Ichigo, it looked suspiciously like a strawberry. Or maybe he was just imagining things.

“We’re making pillows! I wanted to do something else with robots and red bean paste and leeks, but the teacher said I needed to do something possible and handed me the pattern and it turned out like this,” she rambled. “It’s cute, don’t you think? It makes me wish I had wings like these-” The bell rang out, cutting off her story. She just smiled and hugged the pillow close.

“Well, I gotta meet Tatsuki-chan in our next class, so I’ll see you guys later.” She quickly left, with Ishida following close behind.

‘She doesn’t need wings,’ Ichigo thought, a light blush gracing his face, and small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘She’s already an angel.’

“Kurosaki-kun, I’m really sorry,” Orihime muttered to her tall, orange-haired friend that was leaning onto her for support. She tried to hide her slowly creeping blush, but it was to no avail.

“It’s fine Inoue. As long as you’re not hurt, I’m alright,” Ichigo assured her, as he limped. She blushed at his statement, but still felt bad about what had previously happened.

Orihime had been talking to Tatsuki, and hadn’t noticed the upcoming flight of stairs. It had been too late to tell her to watch out, and she missed the top step, resulting in her falling down the entire flight. If it hadn’t been for her Shinigami savior, she would’ve been the one with a bad ankle.

Ichigo had caught her when she fell, but resulted in a questionably swollen ankle. She had been embarrassed, and secretly happy, to be in her crush’s arms, but was quickly horrified that she had hurt him in the process.

Thus leading to the events happening now. Orihime had taken, or rather, forced Ichigo to go to the nurse’s office, despite his protests, and she had offered her small shoulder to help him down there. Again, he protested, but he quickly gave in when he saw her sad face at his rejection.

Silence swept over the two bright-haired teens as they stumbled down the hallway, one step at a time. “Kurosaki-kun… I’m really am sorry…” She quietly apologized again. “I wish I wasn’t so clumsy.” He rolled his eyes and sighed lightly.

“Inoue, I told you, it’s okay. It was an accident,” he tried reassuring her once more. Her small body shifted a bit under his large arm and shoulder, and her hand that clung to his side, the grasp got a bit tighter. His face began to get a bit hot as he noted the sudden squeeze to his side. Sure, he questioned it, but he couldn’t help but feel that he liked the feeling of her small, fragile body next to his. He mentally slapped himself for thinking such a thing.

“Ah, we’re here already, Kurosaki-kun,” Orihime spoke quietly, suddenly giving him a bright smile. He jumped a bit at her sudden change in mood, but he couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Y-Yeah, right,” he responded, for some reason, stuttered as he spoke. He mentally hit himself again for doing that.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” She asked out loud into the seemingly quiet room. No one answered. “Nurse-san must have stepped out for a moment. In the mean time, we should get you sitting down.” Her voice told him sincerely, while she helped him hobble over to the nearest bed.

“Wouldn’t it be better to sit in a chair?” Ichigo asked awkwardly as he noticed the direction they were going. His mind was straying to odd thoughts that involved him, Orihime, and the bed. Now he definitely wanted to crawl into a hole because of those thoughts. Those there things his hollow should be thinking, not him! A dark blush crawled up his face at his indecent ideas.

“You hurt your ankle though! It’s best to put it up!” She pouted lightly as she spoke. He just nodded, not wanting to fight the innocent girl. She helped him gently onto the bed and he propped his foot up, with her help. She pulled the shade around the bed. As his head lay on the pillow, a thought, more decent than his recent ones, arose in his head.

“Why don’t you just heal my ankle with your Shun Shun Rikka? I mean, if you don’t mind, that is,” he inquired, scratching his cheek lightly. Her eyebrows raised, her mouth formed into an ‘O’ shape, and her cheeks started to flush.

“I-I’m sorry Kurosaki-kun, I didn’t even think about it…” She apologized once, and looked at the ground. “Soten Kisshun,” was the incantation she mumbled and two of her guardians flew from their respective hairpins, and formed a shield over his ankle. “I shouldn’t be so stupid…”

Again, he sighed lightly. “Inoue, you’re not stupid. Even I didn’t think about it at first,” he tried explaining to her. He was starting to lose focus. The way her reiatsu was, it made as if he was just lying in the sun, relaxing. He knew he liked the feeling, but he didn’t like how it made him feel too relaxed. Soon, the throbbing pain in his ankle soon vanished.

“Thanks Inoue, I suppose we should get back to clas-” He spoke to her, starting to get back up, but was cut off short by her small hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. She looked at him with determination in her eyes. “Inoue…?” He questioned her once more, but she silently put her finger onto his lips. The creeping blush threatened him once more. He looked at her intently, and found that her eyes no longer holding just determination. They held pain and sadness, and he felt an odd sense of hurt in his heart at the sight.

She slowly climbed on top of him, with a leg on each of his sides. While her legs straddled his waist, her hands were lightly placed on his chiseled shoulders. She felt her heart racing faster and faster with each passing moment, and his did the same.

“Kurosaki-kun,” her voice broke the silence. It was filled with bitter pain, and depression. “W-What am I supposed to do…?” Tears tugged at her eyes, threatening to spill.

“W-What?” Was all he could mutter. His brain was still trying to process what she was physically doing. It was Orihime Inoue, he thought. There’s no way such a gentle, fragile girl would be so bold as to do such an action.

She smiled a small, hurtful smile. “I-I love Kurosaki-kun so much… But it hurts so much as well. I don’t know what to do…” She still tried to smile for him, but now tears fell from her eyes, and dropped onto his face. He felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

“Inoue…” His heart raced faster as he now comprehended her confession. She bit her lip to prevent making any unnecessary sounds from her crying. She cried silent tears, and Ichigo was trying his hardest to figure out what to make of this situation, and to take action appropriately. But time to think wasn’t now. With every passing second, his heart hurt more and more at her teary face, and he just wanted it to stop.

“Ku-Kurosaki-kun, I’m sorry, b-but it just hurts so much,” she barely managed to choke out. “I-I told myself not to bother you with my feelings, but it’s so hard to keep it in-” She squeaked as she got cut off by Ichigo pulling her shoulders down into tight hug.

“Please don’t cry… Don’t cry,” He whispered into her ear, his voice sounding forlorn. Her hair tickled his face as he started to bury his head into her tiny shoulder. She couldn’t help but turn red at his actions, even though hers were bolder than his.

“K-Kurosaki-kun,” she choked out once more, tears now dripping onto the pillow that lay underneath him. She didn’t say any more, as she was unable to. He had rashly captured her lips in a desperate attempt to calm her down. Though Ichigo didn’t just do it because he wanted her to relax. When he looked at her, he didn’t see just sadness and pain. He saw beauty and wonderful hurt, that he had never noticed before.

He pulled her small frame into a tighter hug as their lips were locked. She didn’t resist. She knew that he might act like nothing ever happened after this. He thought she might never speak to him after his actions. But they were focused about what was happening right now, and to them, that’s all that mattered.

Cover my eyes

Cover my ears

Tell me these words are a lie

He remembered those words, the words that made his heart wretch in pain.

“Orihime Inoue is a traitor.”

He refused to believe that, because he knew better. She was his friend, his nakama… And he knew she would never leave them for the enemy. He thought she’d never leave him. He thought she’d always be by his side, shining that radiant smile of hers.

But it was reality. She did leave to go with the enemy. And he beat himself up for letting her out of his sight. He promised he would protect her, but failed. He decided to himself that after trying and trying to find her, he’d apologize, but… He’d promise again to her, he’d protect her for as long as she lives.

It can't be true

That I'm losing you

The sun cannot fall from the sky

He found her. He found her. And despite the hardships she’d been through, she still tried to smile for him, telling him everything was okay, and that he wasn’t at fault. He didn’t know if he wanted to swear at the situation, telling her that is was indeed his fault, or if he just wanted to hug her and never let go.

Eventually he had wished he had done the latter, because he let her out of his sight again, although unintentionally, and she went to finish her important task. She went, regardless of what would happen to her in the end.

Can you hear heaven cry

Tears of an angel

Tears of an aaaangel…

Tears of an angel

Tears of an aaaangel.

She stood over the Hōgyoku, all of her concentration focused on the small orb.

Inoue!

She could have sworn she heard his voice call out to him. ‘No, I only wished I could hear his voice one more time…’ She thought bitterly as a tear escaped from her eyes. The Hōgyoku was almost gone, and her body was paying the price. “I can’t…” she choked out, trying to pour more focus and energy into the reversal process.

Stop every clock

Stars are in shock

The river will run to the sea

“Inoue!” She heard the voice call out to her again. As much as she wanted to turn her head, and match the voice with the face, she willed herself not to. She had to accomplish this task. She continued to pay attention to the Hōgyoku, until a pair of callused hands grabbed onto her wrists from behind, pulling her into a strong embrace.

“Inoue, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ichigo’s sharp voice swore at her, his breath ragged from running, most likely trying to find her. Her eyes went big and she bit her lip, refusing to say anything. She turned her focus back to her main objective, and held back the still threatening tears, tugging at the corner of her eyes. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything that’d make the situation better.

Ichigo felt a spike in her reiatsu, most likely from determination, but he still knew it was decreasing rapidly as well. ‘Any longer and she’ll…’ He thought, but stopped because he didn’t want to say it. No, he couldn’t say it, because just the mere thought of her ending up like that, made his heart rip into pieces.

“Inoue, please…” He whispered into her ear desperately, his hot breath trailing over her skin. He felt her shudder under his grasp. “You’re going to…” He stopped hesitantly, feeling his heart drop before actually saying it. “Die… If you keep this up.” ‘I’m not going to let go of you again… I can’t.’ She just shook her head, and forced back more tears.

I won’t let you fly

I won’t say goodbye

I won’t let you slip away from me

“I-I can’t… I-I’m the only one who can do this…” She replied to him, her voice coming out in short, ragged breaths. “I can’t…” She started to lose focus on the small, precious orb, and was starting to think about her beloved person behind her. “K-Kurosaki-kun, I can’t…” Tears fell freely now, and she stumbled with her words.

“You can’t what, Inoue?” He asked her, trying his best to sound sincere and gentle, despite his current feelings of anger and desperation. He moved his hold from her wrists, and instead, snaked his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair.

“I-I can’t be a burden to you anymore…” She whispered out, her voice getting more faint by the second. His body stiffened up when she said that. No way had she ever been a burden to him! If anything, she helped… But now wasn’t the time to respond about such a small, trivial thing, compared to what was currently happening.

And he could tell she was losing it. And if he didn’t do something about it soon, he’d lose her.

Can you hear heaven cry

Tears of an angel

Tears of an aaaangel...

Tears of an angel

Tears of an aaaangel.

“Just stop, Inoue… Please…” He begged her again. “You aren’t a burden, you never were, but you need to stop reversing the Hōgyoku…” Her knees buckled from the continuous pressure of reversing the orb, and the obvious strain in her body. His arms were the only things holding her up now.

“K-Kurosaki-kun…” Her voice spoke quietly to him, lacking any and all emotion. He felt her reiatsu drop suddenly, and her arms, which were positioned over the Hōgyoku, slowly fell down to her sides. “I-I…”

“Hold on, Inoue, you’re strong, you can get through this…” his voice cracked as he spoke. He wasn’t referring to her continuing to eradicate the Hōgyoku, because he was against it in the first place, but now he just wanted to hold on for her life. “I’ve got you, but you have to hold on too…”

So hold on

Be strong

Everyday on we'll go

I'm here, don't you fear

She was limp in his arms now, all her strength now gone from her body. The Hōgyoku hadn’t even disappeared. It didn’t matter to Ichigo, because he only worried about his important friend dying in his arms.

But… He couldn’t help but think that she was so much more than an important friend… But he couldn’t put his finger on it. All he knew was that if she was gone, he knew he’d never, ever be the same without her.

“Kurosaki-kun…” Her small voice spoke out almost silently into the already quiet room. “I’m sorry…” She forced a small smile onto her pale face. He turned her around so she was now facing him, while still in his arms. His eyebrows furrowed.

“What the hell do you have to be sorry for?” He tried laughing a bit to make light of the situation, but he found it difficult to do. He just tried talking to her as long as possible, trying to keep her awake.

Little one don't let go

Don't let go

Don't let go

A small blush crept up her face, adding more color, and she continued to smile. “Sorry I left… Sorry I was a burden…” She blushed a bit harder and slowly closed her eyes. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” He subconsciously stroked his thumb across her cheek, wiping her tears away.

“Tell me what?” He inquired, now curious. He tightened his grip on her small fragile body. Her smile started to fade, and she started to whisper few words from her lips.

“That for five lifetimes, I’ll love…” He couldn’t help but feel déjà vu with her words of five lifetimes. He looked at her intently, wondering why she stopped talking.

And his heart stopped.

“I-Inoue?…” Ichigo’s voice called out to her, barely above a whisper.

Because her heart stopped.

He shook her small shoulders lightly, as if he was just trying to awake her from sleep. “I-Inoue, w-wake up…” He started sounding more desperate. He forced the lump in his throat to go away as he tried to tell himself that she was okay.

‘This can’t be true… Please tell me that this is a lie…’

Cover my eyes

Cover my ears

Tell me these words are a lie