The girl walked silently down the beach, the moonlight bathing her in a soft ethereal glow. She was beautiful, with long silky auburn hair. Her eyes were gray but melancholy, filled with a deep sadness that haunts
and hardly ever lets go. Her steps were slow and measured as if she was walking to a practiced beat. She walked with her eyes closed, drinking in the sounds of the waves and the feel of the pleasantly warm
summer night. The scent of the sea wrapped around her and the salty air gently caressed her skin.
She sighed and her trek halted and she looked to the moon, as it lazily made it's way across the inky sky. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She had managed this long, she had held on for this amount of time
without breaking down but…it was becoming a struggle. The nightmares tormented her continuously, there was no reprieve during the dark nights. Oh how she would long for the sun during those long nights. She
would yearn for it's warmth to warm her cold skin and to put the light back into her ashen eyes. She wanted to look up and see the blue sky, bright
and beautiful, reassuring her that they were just nightmares, or someone to understand and pull her out of the large pit that was her despair, to tell her that they were just nightmares as they held her tightly to
reassure her that she wasn't in that hell.
There was one thing she had realized while she was in that cold white room. She had never really lived, never done anything that she had dreamed about. That was mainly the reason she was standing on the
beach. She had never been but had always wanted to. She had convinced her friends that a nice trip to the beach was exactly what they needed after such a cold and hopeless winter.
That's what she had done, she had dreamed her entire life. She had never taken any initiative and spoken what she truly felt. She had always quickly complied with what was asked of her and never asserted herself.
She chuckled bitterly at her thoughts. All that it took to get her to speak her mind was a quick trip to hell with a side of hopelessness. But now she was living her dreams…or at least some of them.
"Inoue?" a deep, gruff voice floated to her.
She looked to her right sharply, where he stood. His orange hair was still even more unruly, if that was possible, and it spiked crazily. The points belied it's softness though, it gently bent to the wind's will.
"Kurosaki-kun! I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry anyone!" she apologized quickly.
"What are you doing out here Inoue? What's wrong?" he asked moving closer to the girl, a worried frown on his face.
"Oh nothing! I just couldn't sleep so I thought I'd take a walk and clear my head! You know me, always crazy and doing silly things! I'm sorry you had to come find me Kuro-"
"What's wrong Inoue?" he asked again, interrupting her rambling.
"Like I said nothing!" she replied cheerily.
"You and I both know that's a lie." he stated crossing his arms while studying her face intently.
She faltered and dropped her gaze to her toes, nestled in the sand. The teenage boy waited patiently for her to speak, understanding that she may need a moment.
She sighed and began to speak barely above a whisper, "When I was in Hueco Mundo there was one window in the room they kept me in. It let me see the moon and the night sky. At first I didn't think it was so
bad…but then the sun never came up. It was never bright and it never got any better… I have nightmares sometimes and when I wake up I panic because it's dark and I feel as if the sun will never return. Like the
light will never shine again to chase away the shadows that haunt me."
Orihime stared at the waves crashing gently against the shore as she waited for her love to speak. She jumped a little when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked sharply into his warm brown eyes. They
were gentle and she felt as though she could get lost in their chocolate depths forever.
"You can depend on me you know. Nights can be long, but you don't have to face them alone." he said quietly with a small smile. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to convey but he was never one with words, so this
was the best he could do.
Orihime's eyes widened and unshed tears gathered, she finally smiled. A true and genuine Orihime smile. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you Kurosaki-kun."
His hand fell lightly on her other shoulder, pulling her from the thoughts whirling around her mind, and she looked at him confused, her cheeks painted a delicate pink.
"Kurosa-?" Orihime began.
"Ichigo." he stated simply.
"What?" she asked confused.
"Call me Ichigo." he replied looking deep into her eyes, as if searching.
She paused then smiled softly, "Of course, Ichigo."
He smiled then, something she had only rarely seen, and this time it was just for her. They walked back to th hotel hand in hand, both smiling happily and finally acting on their dreams. The days ahead looked
brighter already to Orihime, and she believed she wouldn't be troubled by the night anymore.
.
.
.
~ Fin ~