Inoue Orihime nibbled nervously at her well-bitten, swollen, red bottom lip. Her two small hands clenched onto each other to give her the strength she was so lacking at the moment. She stared at her best friend with her big brown eyes almost on the brink of desperate tears.

"T-Tatsuki-chan, I-I do not think I-I can do it." A single tear, despite her valiant effort, trickled stubbornly down her flushed cheek.

Arisawa Tatsuki wiped the lone tear from her best friend's rose red cheek. Her strong hands covered the princess' trembling hands. She squeezed them reassuringly.

"You have to do it. Your future depends on it. In a sense, you're killing two idiots with one big stone."

"K-Kurosaki-kun is not an idiot." Without any hesitation, the princess defended her protector.

Tatsuki grinned. "He is if he says no to you. But good to see you defending your husband's intellect." She teased.

"K-Kurosaki-kun is not my h-husband." Orihime stammered in embarrassment. Her blushing face was trying to give her friend the most disapproving glare possible.

Tatsuki laughed and patted her lightly on the head. "He is not your husband... yet."

"T-Tatsuki-chan ~ "

"I am not going to apologize. Isn't this what you have always wanted, married to the love of your life?"

Orihime shook her head, wearily.

"What? Don't you want to be married to Ichigo? Isn't he the only one true love of yours for five lifetimes and beyond?" Tatsuki reminded Orihime of her spoken but unheard promise to the one she loved.

"You know I do very well want to be with him. But it is not the same for him. Kurosaki-kun will feel he is being forced to be with me, just for the sake of helping me." Orihime explained sadly.

"Orihime, no one will feel he was forced to marry someone like you. Besides," Tatsuki looked at her slyly, "He might be hesitant in the beginning due to his stupid stuffiness but believe me, once he has gotten used to you, he might never want to let you go."

"He will if he love someone else."

"Are we back to that asexual guy mooning after someone? Whatever. I don't want to waste time arguing what is non-existence. The important thing is are you going to ask him or do we just let Ishida be your husband for as long as you need him to be." Saying this, Tatsuki jerked a finger at the bespectacled friend standing patiently by the princess.

Ishida Uryuu slid his glasses up his nose. "Inoue-san, you know I will do anything to help you, but we all know a chance like this will not if ever present itself again. So, I agreed with Arisawa-san, you should ask Kurosaki." Ishida told her almost reluctantly. He certainly would not mind being married to the gentle healer but he, like all of their friends, expect for the dense idiot himself, knew of her not-so-secret love.

"Even if he says no." Orihime, eyes bright and moist looked at the Quincy in undiguised fear of rejection.

"He will not." Ishida assured her.

"Then Ishida- kun will help me." The princess not seeming having heard the reassurance, whispered her plea.

"Yes, Inoue-san. I will marry you."

(ひそか)

A small stone rolled past, fast on the walkway.

Kurosaki Ichigo wished spitefully that the poor defenseless pebble he has just viciously kicked was a part of his cousin's body.

What the hell has he been thinking?

Maybe, he was thinking too much.

Thinking about her.

That was what he has been doing. His mind was full of her. She, so full of life and... that smile of hers.

That one feature on her beautiful blushing face that has his stomach behaving as if it has a damn mind of its own. Nothing of his belonged to him anymore.

When has she suddenly crept into his conscious?

Into his life.

He secretly missed her when her back was turned to him.

He secretly cherished her when she was next to him.

He secretly held her in his dreams.

He secretly kissed her.

He secretly waited for her in his future.

Their future.

Together.

He kicked another stone in frustration.

What bloody future!

He has always known she was way too good for him.

So pure.

So beautiful.

Both on the outside and especially what was not noticed by mere sight.

No matter how hard he was working to gain even a grain of her affection, he knew deep inside; someone like her will never be with someone like him.

And yet, he did not have the courage to just give her up.

He has secretly fallen for her.

So this pathetic attempt to be with her.

He has planned to casually ask her if she was going home or to work and then he would have coolly suggested they make the trip, together, side by side.

He went in hope, filled with uncontrollable excitement to look for her.

That was when he heard those words.

Words that caused his world to crumple and his heart to shatter. The same heart he would have gift-wrapped and presented to her with a big orange bow.

Now why would anyone would want with a broken heart?

How long will it take to heal a broken heart?

And...

How long will it take...

To forget her?

Of course he will marry her. Who would not? But what kind of a friggin' proposal was that! He knew his cousin was sure of himself. But that was no way to ask of the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

''Yes Inoue-san. I will marry you.''

It sounded so damn cold.

He called her by her family name and addressed her so formally! What did he mean by saying he will marry her? Was she pregnant? By him?

Ichigo shook his head. Inoue was not some free and loose girl and neither was that prim and proper cousin of his. Especially a doctor's son who knew about protection.

A frown appeared on his handsome face.

Did he love her?

Did he ?

Ichigo's tanned hand fisted the front of his shirt, right in front of his heart. The heart that was beating just for the sake of keeping him alive. It no longer has a right to beat for her.

Somebody else loved her.

Who was going to marry her.

Someone better than...

Him.

He has secretly cheished her.

He has secretly loved her.

He has secretly, furiously loved her.

All in vain.

And it will now...

Always...

Be a secret.

Suddenly he looked up and ruefully realized his feet had walked him home, alone.

He entered his home with a heavy heart and his signature scowl.

"Tadaima." He cried out as he went in the living room.

He stopped, dead in his tracks.

But...

His lifeless world came back alive at the sight of her.

Kurosaki Ichigo's dying heart began pounding fast, again.

For there in front of him was his long-held, longing secret; his one and only girl with her small hands covered by...

Their gazes met.

"K-Kurosaki-kun..."