Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Pipe Dream
Prompt: Set this house on fire...
A/N: Written for 5_prompts on LJ.
Not once had he imagined such a thing to come to pass. Or rather, he'd always hated the mere idea of her finding solace within another man's arms. Even before they'd grown together as friends, he'd detested those horrid images. He'd see their classmates, many of them who were much more popular than he had been, and he would always wonder if she'd end up with one of them. It wasn't much of a jump, as she was the most ravishing woman he'd ever seen.
All it had taken, that first day at the academy, was a glance. In that instant, Jushiro had believed himself to have found what he'd been looking for
As he'd thought on it, he'd decided to chock it all up to his own youthful stupidity. Far too many times had he seen young love fail and crumble, and he had wanted to avoid it at all costs. Many a night had he stayed up to lecture himself, trying to force himself to realize that there was far more to a woman than just a pretty face and a sincere smile. But she had it all. Beauty, inside and out, and the sweetest demeanor he'd ever beheld. Not once had a harsh word left those lips, and he would often find himself peeking over his book in the middle of class just to watch her. She was elegant, refined, and perfect. Everything he'd ever dreamed of and more.
But there was fear in him. Fear of rejection and embarrassment. Classic enemies of all people his age, and they'd stopped him from so much as looking her in the eye. Instead, he had let time pass without even a word to her. But, somehow, she'd noticed him, probably as the skirt-chaser's level-headed friend. Even if a label had been placed upon his forehead, he hadn't cared. He had just been pleased to be recognized by her at all.
A friendship had developed, making it easier for him to consider telling her of his feelings. But he had decided to wait, reconciling himself to what would be rather than what could. The pieces, he had believed, would fall into place if such a thing was meant to be real
Now, even after all this time, serving together in the Court Guards for so long, he still hadn't the courage to speak. He had stood beside her as nothing more than a friend, despite all the time he'd spent trying to scrounge up the proper words. He still wondered, almost on a daily basis, how she'd react to such a thing. But the time to ask was now long gone. His worst fears had been realized, but they had been taken to an entirely new level. Indeed, she had found someone else, and Jushiro found himself hating the man with each passing day. How she could be happy in such a place, caught in the stranglehold of a madman, was beyond him.
If only he'd said something sooner.