(ありがとうございます)
"Kurosaki-san?"
Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the black-haired individual who has just addressed him so formally. Dark well-groomed black hair, eyes the color of the deepest midnight, dressed immaculately in a, he supposed to be, custom-made-to-order dark suit, a black silk tie and black spit and polish shoes.
'What is it with this guy? Has he some kind of fetish for the color black?' Ichigo thought mockingly. Conveniently forgetting when he was in his shinigami form, he too was almost dressed in black.
All in all, a recent college graduate who already looked the part of the successful upper echelon establishment, like he has a step up towards the corporate ladder.
Except for the shiny twinkling ear stud in his left ear lobe.
That little symbol of rebellion in a conformist grown-up world.
The space between his eyebrows creased up as he furrowed his brows confusingly and maybe a little annoyed at being disturbed, when the main reason he was out of the apartment was to avoid making small talk.
Ichigo stared passively at the streetlights illuminating the roads.
'Inoue's fiancé. What his name?' He pondered. He knew it sounded rather similar to his own name.
Coincidence or what?
Seeing no response from the orange-haired scowling former classmate of his beloved fiancée, he assumed what he has heard about this person to be rather true.
"It's Kanzaki Ichiei, Kurosaki-san." Ichiei reintroduced himself.
"I am sorry. I'm not that good at remembering faces and names. And drop the 'san', you don't have to be so formal with me, Kanzaki. After all, you are a rather close friend of Inoue." Ichigo said friendlily.
But why did it leave a bitter taste in his mouth?
By all accounts, he seemed to be a pretty decent guy. Even Inoue's guardian 'dragon' has given her seal of approval for this soon-to-be husband of the gentle healer.
"So I have heard, Kurosaki-san. Orihime has told me a lot about her friends but you especially. She has mentioned about you more times that I could count and it will be disrespectful of me to address you in such a casual manner."
'Disrespectful? Has Inoue really told her fiancé everything about herself? Did she paint me as her superhero savior of sorts?' All kinds of thoughts ran in his mind. He was going to contradict whatever Inoue has told her fiancé when...
Suddenly Kanzaki bowed very deeply and respectfully at Ichigo.
"What the hell?! What are you doing?!" Ichigo looked around to check if anyone has seen what Kanzaki was doing. Everybody was enjoying the impromptu gathering of friends and classmates inside of Arisawa Tatsuki's apartment. Whilst he has snuck out for a breath of the cool evening air and perhaps to avoid a certain cheery someone and her fiancé.
Now this lunatic of a fiancé was bowing at him for no apparent reason.
He wondered if he should go inside and look for Inoue so she can give her 'man' his medication.
But that would mean talking to her and that was why he was out here in the first place.
He was about to say something when Kanzaki opened his mouth first.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-san. Thank you for not loving Orihime and thank you for not giving her a chance to find a place in your heart." Ichiei continued with his bow as he thanked the man who has given him the love of his life.
The first thing that appeared in his head and which it then escaped from his shocked mouth was,
"Huh?!"
Seeing the absolute shock on Ichigo's face, Ichiei looked almost in pity at him.
"You really did not realize, did you?"
"Realized what?!" Ichigo almost shouted in frustration.
"Orihime loved you."
"What?!"
No. He did not know.
Inoue loved him. Inoue had loved him.
His whole body shook unintentionally. He clenched his hands and shoved them furiously into his pockets. He wanted to grab the person in front of him by the collar and demanded to know why the hell was he telling him this now.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?! What kind of a person are you?!" Ichigo felt like punching the bastard in the face. The problem was the face in front of him was not one of smugness but of pure gratitude.
"No. This is not a joke, Kurosaki-san. This is to thank you for not taking advantage of the love Orihime had for you. Lesser men would have taken the opportunity to do what they wanted with the love showered upon them by one such as beautiful and innocent as my wife-to-be. But you, Kurosaki-san, perhaps you really did not know of the love she had for you or maybe... you really just did not feel anything for her."
Here Ichiei paused to take a look at his former rival. His ever present scowl was more profound. Ah, the scowl. His princess has told him about how funny she had found this facial expression to be. He, on the other hand, certainly did not find it to be remotely amusing. He waited for the sullen fallen hero to say something but when all he has gotten back was a piercing look of disdain. He continued on.
"You might not have the slightest feelings of the romantic kind for Orihime but alas, she loved you with a fiery passion. Do you know how long it took me to make her accept my love for her. Yes, corny as it sounds. I love her at first sight."
"You were just attracted to her beauty." Ichigo finally has to say something and it was a seemingly jealous taunt.
Ichiei arched an elegant trimmed eyebrow. "So, even you have noticed her extraordinary beauty. But no, I was not attracted to her said beauty, per se. It was what was attached to it that had me fell head over heels in love with her.
"Her smoking hot body, I suppose."
"Again, I am astounded that you have noted that about her and once again, I am truly grateful for you of being the gentleman Orihime has praised you to be. Thank you very much, Kurosaki-san." Ichiei bowed again.
"Stop with the bowing. I get your point about you being grateful and such. But it could not have been love. Someone just don't fall in and out of love so easily. It must be a teenage crush for what I have done for her. After all, she is engaged to be married to you." Ichigo reasoned with Ichiei.
And savagely crashed what ever the indirect confession has stirred up in his body.
But not his heart, for he has never felt anything for the gentle healer.
Did he?
"No, Kurosaki-san. I wish it were, but Orihime's love for you was the 'I would do anything and everything for you and I would even die for you' that kind of heartfelt impassioned type. It was definitely not a simple teenage crush. And did you not catch what I said earlier about how long it took me to convince her of my wholehearted love for her. It was not easy, I assure you." Ichiei smiled fondly of how it was all worth it. The dogged perseverance.
All for the love of a princess.
Ichigo, on the other hand, was angry.
Very angry.
But it was not with this person who was so deeply in love with Inoue.
It was with himself.
It was with his own denseness.
Was he so really so clueless as to how she felt about him.
Or...
Maybe, he just really did not like her that way.
He needed to know when she gave up on him.
When she gave up on her love for him.
It was not as if he wanted another chance with her.
She already has someone else to love and who loved her.
Unlike him.
He just wanted to know when it all ended.
The supposedly undying ardent love that has apparently died an early death without he ever knowing about it.
When did it all end?
When had she known?
That he did not love her.
That was the truth.
He did not love her then and he certainly do not and will ever love her, right?
(ありがとうございます黒崎さん)