Postcards from Heaven

I. - The First

It must have been a special day, he thought to himself, as he made his way out of his bed and through his room. It was quiet, peacefully and soothingly quiet, so much so that even he felt the need to tread more carefully than usual, his bare feet lightly tapping against the floor.

The first rays of the morning sunlight were softly dancing on the windowpanes framed by the delicate, white curtains fluttering in the slight breeze. They painted his room in warm colours, playful blotches of orange and pink hitting the creased covers on his bed, creating animated scenery out of the otherwise boring mess.

After a loud, spine-popping stretch, Ichigo flopped down on his bed again, a content sigh leaving his lips. He was praying with all his might that his oaf of a father wouldn't ruin such a nice morning.

A slow, confused frown eased its way on his features, his eyes fluttering open. He felt a weird presence, something out of the ordinary around him. He glanced to the side, spotting a pristine white piece of paper beckoning to him from the edge of his desk. He didn't remember leaving anything on his table the night before.

He reached up unhurriedly, a barely noticeable jolt tickling his finger pads as he let his hand linger on the white card.

It was an envelope, smelling distinctly of some kind of flower, though he couldn't put his finger on its exact type. He was the last person on Earth who would be interested in flowers anyway, let alone recognise them by scent, but... he was positive he knew that fragrance.

He sat up and turned the wrapper around, searching for an address or a name. There was none. The envelope wasn't even sealed, tempting its finder to reach inside and find out what had been hidden in it.

Ichigo looked around, as if expecting someone to show up in his room, claiming the letter to themselves. Who wrote letters these days anyway? They could have just sent a text message or something. Not to mention, who could have delivered it that he hadn't noticed them entering his room while he had been asleep?

He shook his head, ridding his mind of the uprising questions. He unceremoniously flipped the envelope open, his curiosity getting to him as he quickly pulled out a single sheet of folded paper from it. There were no indications regarding the sender's identity on it either, so the orange haired Shinigami merely shrugged, unfolding the paper and taking in the few lines at one glance.

The corners of his lips twitched on the beginnings of a smile and his frown eased up, his features smoothing out somewhat. That handwriting looked familiar. He started reading, savouring each sentence carefully, and trying to fight down the slight embarrassment that rose up within his chest.

Dear Scowl-That-I-Fell-In-Love-With,

He had to stifle a chuckle at the form of address. Was he really supposed to be the recipient of these lines?

I'm afraid I've just spoiled the content of the letter with that address. Please pretend you don't suspect anything until you reach the appropriate part.

Alright then. He didn't suspect anything, he was just a dense teenage boy after all.

I've come to realise a very important truth. It's more important than finding out that working in a bakery is a lot more fun than I'd imagined. It's more important than being admitted to teacher training college. It's more important than if, say, I had the chance to become the first female astronaut landing on the moon.

I've come to realise that I love you, Kurosaki Ichigo, and even if I was reborn five times over, I would fall in love with you in each life.

Inoue Orihime

Ichigo's face was a suspicious shade of light red by the time he finished reading the short letter, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. He wasn't quite sure whether his mind was completely blank or if it was filled with too many chaotic thoughts to differentiate between them. There was only one clear, conscious thought that resounded in his head.

'I got a love letter from Inoue...'

His glance slid lower, just noticing another line at the very bottom of the page, hiding shyly in the right corner. He moved his hold on the paper further up so the last few words wouldn't be covered by his calloused thumb.

P.S.: Happy first anniversary.

"Happy first anniversary."

Ichigo's head snapped up at the soft voice, his eyes rounding as he beheld none other than Orihime herself standing in front of his window. She was smiling happily at him, her gaze gentle.

"I-Inoue."

He was staring dumbfounded at her, his embarrassment growing by the minute. He was desperately searching for something to say.

"So... uh, how did you get in my room?"

'Not the best line ever.' he flinched inwardly.

"I climbed up the drainpipe!" she exclaimed proudly, holding up a finger, and for a moment Ichigo could swear he saw sparkles dancing around her head.

He let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. An unconscious smile crept on his face as he absently fingered the sheet of paper lying in his lap. His eyes were downcast, his gaze roaming over the lines again and again. He wet his dry lips, speaking up on a low tone.

"I got your letter."

Orihime's expression eased back to a gentle, but slightly nervous smile. She clasped her hands behind her back to keep herself from fidgeting.

"Since you've complained about missing my first confession because you were unconscious at the time, I decided to write it down in case you ever want to, you know, re-read it."

Her creamy cheeks turned bright scarlet and she averted her gaze to the side, biting her bottom lip. All of a sudden, she let out a surprised noise, jumping a little as strong arms circled her waist, pulling her forward till she was pressed up against his solid chest.

"I believe that involved an unfinished kiss too."

She stared into Ichigo's mirthful eyes, her gaze slowly sliding lower and lower till it settled on his defined lips.

"Yeah, it really did." she whispered in a slight daze. Her eyelids lowered and she stood on her tiptoes to lean in, her full lips meeting Ichigo's softly, gently caressing them for long moments.

She sighed, pulling back reluctantly. She kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds before blinking them open, her round, doe-like eyes shining brightly as they settled on Ichigo's face and genuine smile.

"Happy first anniversary, Orihime."

.

THE END