8:00 am
Inoue Orihime stared at the calendar in her room beside the mirror. The calendar had been decorated from top to bottom, much like her room; it was a light shade of pink, with a trail of cherry blossoms on each side, and hearts popping out from each corner. Inoue had just finished washing up after breakfast, and had come back to see what tasks she had to finish for the day.
She stared at it happily, taking in all her hard effort that went into making it so beautiful, and as she crossed out the days that had already passed by in pink marker, her eyes suddenly opened wide, as she caught a glance of today's date.
"November 6th, Ishida Uryuu's birthday" she said. Suddenly remembering that today was his birthday; Orihime nearly fell over in surprise. "Ah, how could I forget such an important date?" she squealed. "I didn't even buy him a gift yet…" Orihime looked up at the ceiling sad, yet in wonderment, thinking about her current situation.
She remembered how kind Ishida was to her all the time, and what great of a friend he was. He was always there to help her when she needed it, always there to lift her spirits – and even when they were in the sewing club together, he taught her how to sew a beautiful blouse all by herself. Though, she did come back with many stitches in her fingers from poking herself with the needle so many times, but the blouse turned out great, and Ishida was more than happy to see that she had completed it on her own – to him, it was "amazing, almost flawless" considering it was her first try. It made her happy that he was so honest, yet so kind and encouraging in his words to her; it motivated her to try and do more on her own.
"And to think, after all he's done; I couldn't remember such an important day…" Orihime spoke. "Well, there's no use sulking about it now. I had just better get to the stores early so I can find Ishida-kun a perfect gift" Inoue balled her hands together in excitement with her new found confidence, and hurriedly cleaned up and got dressed so she could go to the store.
It was now 8:30 am in the morning, Saturday, November 6th, and the 17 year old Ishida Uryuu was finishing up his last hollow for the day. "Really, having to go through so much trouble so early in the morning…and on my birthday too" the boy complained, and he finished killing his last hollow.
The streets were filled with snow, but not too much. It was enough for people to walk in without having to get too soaked, yet enough for the children to play in, that they could make a small snowman or have a snowball fight. Ishida watched them play, as he breathed in this fresh cold air, and smiled a little. He really did enjoy winter and all its quirks. He loved the cool breeze in the air, how soft and wet the snow felt on your hands, and how pretty the snowflakes looked when they fell from the sky; every one of them, unique in their own way and their own design.
Stopping for a little while to take it all in, Ishida suddenly pondered with some serious thought. Despite having a father who was very rich and had a very successful job, as he owned Karakura town's "Ishida Hospital", Ishida was very poor. He lived on his own, due to personal differences and views he had from his father, so he didn't have enough money to spend on himself, much less treat himself on his birthday. He wondered if he really was going to enjoy it after all…but the stubbornness inside of him told him he could enjoy it, even without friends or family. Assuming no one would remember, or care about it anyway, he walked backed home depressed, ready to face the day alone.
9:00 am
Inoue and Tatsuki walked down the street towards Karakura Town Store. They were in a middle of a conversation discussing how wonderful the store truly was, and how many great gifts they could buy in there.
"I think this would be the perfect place to buy Ishida-kun a gift, they have everything from big teddy bears that shoot out candy, to cute little pink candy dispensers, to small boxes of candy, and…"
"Is candy all you really think about..?" Tatsuki asked, amused by her friend's antics.
"Hum, no, but I just find those things really cute." Inoue giggled in embarrassment.
"You should be sure to buy something that you think Ishida would really love, Orihime; as long as it comes from you heart, I'm sure he'll love it" Tatsuki smiled gently and comforting at her friend.
"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan." Orihime smiled gently at her best friend as well, "I'm sure I'll find the perfect gift"
As they reached in front of Karakura Town Store, they noticed as sign on the front door that said:
- Huge sale blowout; everything 50% off, to commemorate Karakura Town Store's 10th anniversary of selling goods to its local customers. First 10 customers receive a free huge teddy bear candy dispenser! –
"Wha, really? That's pretty amazing, even for Karakura Town Store…" Inoue expressed excitedly.
"Well, this is perfect. Now you can definitely afford to buy Ishida something special, with everything being 50% off." Tatsuki stated "We had better go inside now"
"Definitely" and Inoue followed after her friend inside the store.
9:30 am
"Why am I in this store again? All they have is teddy bears and candies, there's no way I could buy a gift that Ishida would like here. This is pretty much a girl's store" Ichigo scowled at this to himself, as he stood in looking at some pink teddy bears in an aisle that seemed almost enveloped in pink items. Some school girls passed by him, and started teasing and making jokes about him standing there, wondering why he was looking at pink teddy bears and it made him twitch.
"Why would he be in the girl's section…?" one said.
"Maybe he's buying something for his girlfriend?" said the other. "I guess that would make more sense, or else I'd be really worried…"
Ichigo finally exploded, startling the girls who were teasing him, "Why don't you guys mind your own business?!" with a vein popping out of his head. "Eeeek" the girls ran off onto the other side of the store, even more scared than before, wondering what his problem was.
"So troublesome; this store is making me feel really uncomfortable…"
"Oi, how can you say that, Ichigo?!" Ichigo turned around to see the petite Rukia yelling at him from across the aisle, looking at some stuffed animals. She pulled one out and ran immediately to him.
"How about this one, isn't it so cute? With its fluffy ears, and beady little eyes, and cute soft fur, I'm sure Ishida would love it" she fangirled excitedly about the huge white bunny she was holding in front of her; in fact, it was so big, all you could see was Rukia's eyes and forehead as she spoke these words to Ichigo.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure that's something only you would appreciate…" and Ichigo got a stuffed animal to the face.
"You just don't know what cuteness is. Maybe if you stopped scowling for a second, you'd be able to find something."
"How can I when all there I see is girly stuff in this store. You really want me to bring something back like this?" Ichigo held out the pink teddy bear he'd been staring at in front of him.
"Hm? Um, you do know that there is a men's section in this store right?" Rukia said knowingly.
Ichigo stared at her with a blank expression for a moment before coming to his senses. "Whaaaat?! Why didn't you just say that before?! And you had me searching in this section for nothing..." he screamed. "What are we even doing in this aisle then and how do you know so much?!"
"I'm a girl and I like cute things?" Rukia said with a smirk. "By the way, do you really have to yell so loud? You're causing a scene, you don't really want anyone else to know you're in this section, do you?" She teased.
Just before Ichigo could protest another word, Inoue and Tatsuki appeared before them, staring in amusement.
"Ichigo…?" Tatsuki asked. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Eh, Tatsuki, Inoue, what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo stared at them in surprise.
"I asked you first" Tatsuki bantered. "Really…why do woman have to make things so troublesome..." Ichigo said blankly.
"Ah, hello Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san" Inoue blushed a little at the sight of them together. She knew they were close, but didn't expect them to go shopping together, much more alone.
"Inoue-san, it's good to see you, how have you been doing?" Rukia smiled kindly.
"Ah, I've been good" Inoue blushed slightly. "Tatsuki-chan and I just came here to look for a present for Ishida-kun, since it's his birthday today and all, but so far we've had no luck..." she mentioned sadly.
"Oh…you too; Ichigo and I were just looking for a present for Ishida as well. We even thought this bunny would be a cute gift for him too, don't you think, Inoue?" Rukia asked with a cute expression, blushing at just how cute the bunny was.
"Don't lump me in with your idea…" Ichigo stated.
"Ah it is very cute" Inoue blushed and beamed at the sight of this huge bunny, and petted its fur. "It's soft too"
"See?" Rukia turned and stared pointedly at Ichigo.
"But…but somehow I just don't feel any of these gifts are the right one for Ishida-kun" Inoue explained. "I wanted to get him something really special, something to show just what a great friend he is...but…well, none of these seem right."
"We've been searching for almost half an hour, but Orihime just wouldn't pick anything here, even the really cute ones. I guess Ishida must be really special, huh?" Tatsuki looked at her friend with a knowing smile.
"Huh? Oh…well, yes, I guess you could say that" Inoue said, embarrassed and caught off guard.
"Well, we can help you then. We'll all look for one together, so you will be able to give Ishida something special" Rukia said encouragingly.
"T-thank you, Kuchiki-san. You're such a big help!" Inoue blushed teary eyed.
"No need to thank me, that's what friends do, right?" and Rukia gave Orihime a gentle pat on the head.
1:00 pm
"So, in the end, we didn't end up finding anything after all" Orihime sighed, as she was exasperated because they had been searching for 3 hours in Karakura Store, and she still hadn't been able to make up her mind on anything.
"I'm sorry, Orihime…" Tatsuki said. "But maybe we could try a different store? But you must be tired after all that work…"
"It really is too bad…" Rukia said sadly. "We can help you keep looking if you want? It's not too late, you can still get to another-"
"No, it's okay." Inoue smiled weakly. "Thank you so much for your help, Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-kun, and Tatsuki-chan. But you all have worked hard, and so I appreciate it; you've done enough for me already…so I think it'll be okay. I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time..." Orihime looked at the ground, gloomily.
"Don't be silly. We know how much this is important to you so you don't have to apologise Inoue." Rukia said bluntly.
"Thank you Kuchiki-san. If you don't mind, I'd like to look for a present on my own now. I don't want to tire you out any longer, so it would be my greatest pleasure if you guys took some rest, please" Orihime said kindly.
"Are you sure…?" Rukia started. "Rukia, I think its best we go too. Inoue has already set her mind on finding a present for Ishida, so if it truly comes from her heart, I'm sure it'll be alright…Inoue, I'm sorry but I hope you find the present you're looking for; don't give up." Ichigo smiled encouragingly at Inoue.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun…"
"Alright, we'll be taking our leave then. Take care Inoue, Arisawa. We'll see you again, good luck" Rukia and Ichigo waved goodbye to their friends and headed on their way to Ishida's house.
"So, what will you really do Orihime? Are you really sure you'll find the right present then?" asked Tatsuki, worried about what her friend would do.
Orihime stood in thought for a moment. She thought about what Tatsuki had said earlier and what Ichigo had said a while ago about the gift coming from her heart, and then it hit her. She finally had the perfect idea for a present.
She grabbed onto Tatsuki's hand and ran down the street to where they would be heading to the Arts and Crafts store. "Wait, Orihime, what is it?!" Tatsuki yelled as Orihime pulled her along.
2:00 pm
Inoue and Tatsuki were on their way home from the Arts and Crafts store.
"Wah, how do you expect to finish such a big task in less than one day, Orihime?"
"Well, I've been thinking about what you said, Tatsuki-chan. All those gifts we saw in Karakura Store were nice, but because I didn't make it, it just didn't feel like it was from my heart. I figured, if I put in at least a little effort in making a gift for Ishida-kun that would probably be the most precious gift of all, and would probably make him happy. Maybe my feelings of gratitude will reach him better, if the gift truly came from me." Inoue smiled.
"That's pretty brave of you, Orihime…I'm really proud you found out a way to give him such a present, but, will you be alright?"
"Geez, it's just sewing Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime squinted her eyes and made a comedic expression at her friend. "It'll be alright, because I made the decision myself, so I'll get it done" Inoue smiled sweetly at Tatsuki.
"Ah…okay, if you say so, then I'll leave the rest to you. Good luck, Orihime" Tatsuki smiled at her friend. I'm off to go meet Chizuru and Keigo, since we planned to play video games this afternoon. I'll tell them why you can't come" Tatsuki waved goodbye to Orihime and walked across the street, until Orihime could no longer see her. She continued on.
2:30 pm
The wind was starting to pick up, as the snow blew around in the air viciously, Orihime found it harder to see where she was going.
As she was trying to keep her belongings from flying away in the wind, and herself along with it, suddenly she bumped into someone in front of her. She fell to the ground. She looked up to see who the person may be, but couldn't figure out more than a shadow of what looked to be a thin man, standing over her.
The young man then stuck out a hand to help her up; Orihime was reluctant to take it at first, but then she heard someone call out "Inoue-san?"
Wait a minute that voice sounded familiar, she thought. "Ishida-kun?" she called out, and took a hold of his hand. Ishida pulled her up immediately. "Inoue-san, I'm sorry, are you okay? What are you doing out here in such a cold weather? You aren't hurt are you?" Ishida exclaimed, surprised to see her.
"Ah, Ishida-kun" Orihime dusted herself off. "It's nothing, I was just…" Inoue paused for a moment when she realized that her bag of sewing material was gone. "Ah, oh no, where did it go?"
Orihime went frantic looking around for a while until Ishida spoke up "Are you looking for this, Inoue-san?" he held up the bag of sewing materials that Inoue had purchased and looked at it quizzically.
"Ah, y-yes, that's mine I'm sorry". Inoue said in shock. Ishida handed her the bag of materials. "Thank you Ishida-kun" she looked down at the ground shyly as she tried to figure out what to say to Ishida without revealing her surprise.
Ishida smiled a loving and gentle smile towards her. "You're welcome" he said softly. As he looked down at Inoue, he couldn't help but appreciate her; she was so kind, gentle and fragile, yet always seemed to get into some kind of trouble; it would break his heart if something ever happened to her. He wondered why he felt this way about her particularly.
"So, you brought some sewing materials, I see. I was just on my way to the store myself, when I bumped into you. I thought I would make some additional items for the sewing club while I still had the time…but…well enough about me. What were you planning to do with those, Inoue?" he motioned towards the bag in her hands.
"Ah?" Inoue looked up and blushed suddenly. "N-no i-it's nothing, nothing really, I was just…buying some new materials…in order to make a gift for someone special to me..." Inoue's voice got really soft as she spoke those last words, and as she looked toward the ground again, smiled sweetly, knowing what real intention she had for the sewing materials in her bag. She clutched her bag tightly.
"I see. Well, I'm sure whoever is receiving that gift will be a very lucky person" Ishida smiled sweetly at her, yet somehow it pained him to know that the gift was probably not for him; in fact, it was definitely not for him, as far as he was concerned.
Inoue looked up to see his expression, and smiled. "Yes, I certainly hope so" she was going to work her hardest to make this a special gift for Ishida.
Ishida scratched the back of his head. "Well I have to be headed off now…are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?"
"N-no, I'm sure I'll make it okay from here. Thank you, Ishida-kun" Inoue smiled brightly and waved as she walked down the sidewalk. "I'll see you soon"
Ishida watched as she walked down and a soft blush couldn't help but creep up on his face, as he saw just how beautiful the Orihime's smile was – and that smile was, indeed, for him. He covered his flustered face with his scarf, turned around, and headed for the Arts and Crafts store. "She really is something special".
8:00 pm
"I can't believe we took so long just to get to Ishida's house. Really, what is it with you and bunnies?"
Ichigo and Rukia were walking down to Ishida's house which was just a few blocks ahead of them now.
"What do you mean? How many times do I have to explain bunnies are cute? C-U-T-E; cuuuute!" Rukia shouted. "Anyway, you didn't have to come inside the store with me I was just looking around…"
"Yea, sure, next time I'll remember that" Ichigo rolled his eyes and Rukia slapped him with the card she was holding in her hand. This card was for Ishida Uryuu.
"Don't ruin the card…we don't want anything broken before we actually give it to Ishida"
"I won't." Rukia frowned. She wondered why Ichigo loved to scowl and worry so much – it's almost as if that scowl was permanently plastered onto his face, she thought. So, just before finally reaching to Ishida's house, Rukia stopped for a moment. She put Ishida's gift down on the ground, looked up at Ichigo, stretched her hands towards his face, and before Ichigo could say anything, started stretching his cheeks in many directions.
"What…in…the world…are…you…doing…Rukia…?" Ichigo asked as she continually pinched away at his cheeks.
Rukia stared intently and Ichigo and said, "Trying to get you to smile" still pinching his cheeks "What's with that scowl of yours anyway?" Rukia pestered.
Ichigo took a hold of Rukia's hands in his own and said "What scowl? This is just how my face is, and there's no need to be pinching it" Ichigo scowled again, pried her hands off his face, looked down seriously at Rukia for a moment, and then started to laugh a little.
"You really are crazy, do you know that?" Ichigo smiled warmly at Rukia. "Why do have to be so troublesome all the time?"
Rukia looked up at Ichigo with a blank expression, eyes wide and round. "So you can smile, then?" Rukia teased. "I was starting to get a bit worried for a little while there."
"Really, you…" Ichigo stopped for a moment to realize that he was still holding onto Rukia's hands.
"Ichigo…you know you can let go of my hands now…" Rukia looked down, slightly embarrassed.
"Ah, I'm sorry..." Ichigo slowly let go of Rukia's hands, and continued to look at her intently, smiling.
"What...what is it, Ichigo?" Rukia stepped back a little, taken aback from Ichigo's intent gaze.
"It's...it's nothing, you know. Just that since you came into my life; I have been…smiling a lot more often." Ichigo scratched the back of his head, turning away from her gaze.
Rukia didn't know what else to say; was Ichigo really telling her that she made him feel happier? She looked down, blushed a little, and out of the blue, punched Ichigo again.
"Ow, what was that for?!" Ichigo asked as he rubbed his shoulder.
Rukia looked up and gazed tenderly at Ichigo "For being so cheesy" then turned around to pick of the gift. "All I asked was for you to smile not give a lousy confession." Rukia picked up the gift and smiled; then turning around back to Ichigo, blushed and said "But, I'm glad" and started to walk towards Ishida Uryuu's house.
Ichigo left standing; bewildered at her response, yet still coming to a conclusion of what she said meant "Sheesh, I'll never understand women…" and continued after Rukia. They walked the rest of the way in silence.
9:00 pm
Ishida Uryuu had just gotten out from his hot, relaxing shower, dressed, and was about ready to head to bed. However, he thought he had heard some voices outside earlier, so he went to check it.
When he went to open the door, he saw that no one was there, but there was a gift and a note along with it left on his front steps.
"Hm? What is this?" Ishida picked up the present and inspected it carefully, examining all its contents.
"Eh, a note from Kurosaki?" he pushed up his glasses a little and took out the note to read it.
- Hey, Ishida, it's Kurosaki; this is a present from me: Happy Birthday! I know this is kind of late, and we would have been here earlier if it weren't for Rukia stopping by each store to check out all the stuffed bunnies they had on sale…seriously, that girl. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this gift; maybe it's not much, but you had better appreciate it! I spent more than 3 hours looking through stores today just for you, so don't be ungrateful!-
"This guy…is he serious?" Ishida said tried to suppress a chuckle, but couldn't help but be heartbroken and touched. To think, he thought that no one would remember his birthday or even care to stop by to give him a card; but here it was; someone who truly cared enough to remember – his birthday, to consider him as their friend, he wasn't alone after all. He was also surprised to how much trouble his friend went through for him…I guess he could consider Ichigo his friend now, seeing as how much they've been through together, and they did have some similarities….Ishida smiled. "Thank you, Kurosaki" and he read the rest of the note.
- PS: Speaking of bunnies, yea, just so you know, it was Rukia's idea to buy that huge stuffed bunny for you.
PSS: Ishida, it's Kuchiki Rukia. Happy birthday! And don't listen to a word Ichigo says, isn't the bunny cute? (^o^) Hope you have a nice one! –
"These…these guys are such weirdos!" Ishida exclaimed, trying to hold back another chuckle. He pushed up his glasses again, smiled at the note, and reminded himself that he had to thank each of them personally tomorrow.
As he was about to close the door behind him, he heard footsteps coming towards to his front porch. When he turned around to see who it was, he saw Inoue Orihime trying hard to catch her breath before she could say anything as she reached his door.
"I-Inoue-san, what are you doing here this time of night?" Ishida said in great surprise.
"I-Ishida-kun, I'm sorry it's so late, but I've finally been able to finish it" she stretched out her hands with the gift bag in front of her that contained the items she'd been working on for him all afternoon and evening.
"T-this is" Ishida said confused. "Take it." Inoue said boldly, "It's for you, Ishida-kun".
"For me?" Ishida took the bag and opened it to see that there were some very well knitted pieces inside – all of which included a sky blue knitted scarf, a light blue knitted hat with a puff on top, and a pair of light pink knitted gloves, each with an engraved flower on their side, and a little line that said "Happy Birthday, Ishida-kun, from Inoue Orihime" beside it.
Ishida was almost brought to tears. Inoue-san of all people remembered his birthday, and brought him this beautiful present in the middle of the night by herself. She even went to the trouble of engraving her name on it. Ishida was overwhelmed with emotion.
Just then he noticed that Inoue's fingers had many stitches on it – like the time she had worked very hard to create a blouse for the sewing club – each and every one of them covered in stitches.
"Could…could Inoue have made all of this herself?"
"Ehehe, yea…it was a lot of work, and took a lot of patience and time but…I'm proud" Orihime blushed slightly and smiled at Ishida.
Ishida looked tenderly and softly at Inoue. "I…I don't know what else to say, Inoue-san…to go through so much trouble for me...thank you." And he blushed as well. "To think that I thought my friends had forgotten my birthday today…much less, wasn't expecting you were making this present for me…I'm sorry"
"Wha-what do you mean, Ishida-kun? You are a very important friend, no an important person to us all…to me, and I just wanted to show you that through something special…" Inoue looked at him, with a hopeful expression. "I would only hope that you like it..."
"No, no, of course, I love it, Inoue-san! Thank you…I really appreciate it, you did this all for me…so thank you"
Inoue blushed happily. "Ah, I'm so glad you like it! I was almost worried I wouldn't finish in time and-!"
Before Inoue could finish her sentence, Ishida took her hands in his and pulled her close towards his body, embracing her into a warm hug.
"Thank you, Inoue-san…"
With Inoue's face resting on his chest, she could feel his warmth against her and the sound if his heart beat getting faster seemed to react to her own.
Inoue was speechless, but somehow felt comfortable in his arms, as they stayed there for a couple of moments before anyone said anything.
"Ah, sorry, I did that so suddenly without saying anything" Ishida pushed Inoue back a little a blushed, staring at her.
"I-Ishida-kun…that's okay" she said flustered by his gaze, and the fact that he was still holding onto her.
Suddenly, looking through his deep, dark blue eyes, she couldn't avert her gaze away from them; as if there was something in there she had never noticed before; could she be falling in love with Ishida-kun? Or was she always…
Ishida then lifted her chin up with his finger, brought his lips down towards hers, and planted a soft kiss.
Ishida didn't regret a moment of this, and with all the emotions and feelings he'd been holding onto for all this time, he was finally able to let it out.
Orihime couldn't believe what was happening. Was she in a dream? Had she really been missing this all along? She kissed him back passionately, and as time passed, she would never forget this moment.
"I love you, Inoue-san" Ishida said as he broke the kiss.
And all Inoue could muster, with eyes still closed was "You were always the one for me…"
The End.