English isn't my native language. So I;m sorry about any mistakes. I try my best. :)

She remembered the day when she met him. She couldn't forget it. It was a day when her brother was killed in a car accident, and she was sitting beside his body and wept. She didn't know how long already she cried, didn't even know if she still has what to cry with. However she sat there and sobbed uncontrollably, repeating like the mantra, "Don't leave me." Doctor came to her trying to pull away from the corpse, but each time she plucked from him and returned to her former position.

Late at night, when the clinic enveloped with silence she heard footsteps. There wasn't a steps belong to adult, it was still light, without the burden of life. However, she didn't raise the head, squeezing sheet as hard as she could, hoping that her brother is about to wake up and take her home. Suddenly she felt someone touching her, surprised she looked at the boy with chocolate eyes and dishevelled orange hair, on his left cheek was a bandage, but the only thing she remembered was a concern in his eyes. She tried to push him away, to say that she wanted to be alone with her brother, but she couldn't say a word. She looked down, clenched her legs, he sat down next to her without forcing her to the conversation. He just sat next to her, and she in over time succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep leaning on his shoulder.

Their next meeting was held when she started a high school. She sat on her spot talking about their club plans with Tatsuki, when he came to class with a high mulatto. She felt like her stomach is compressed with nerves, she didn't know what she should say, but soon she realized that he didn't even noticed her, or at least he seemed so. It relieved her. That day, she felt a lot better with the idea that for him she doesn't existed.

She watched him every day, admired his fortitude, and that he had around him so many friends. She felt that he is the person to whom it is impossible to not like. She envied him for that, but somewhere deep down her, she knew it that was just a game, the mask, which is assumed to don't worry others about himself. But she couldn't ask him about it, they weren't even a close friends. Sometimes, when she was alone with Tatsuki she was talking about him. Every day, she wanted to know more about him.

And one day, in his life appeared Kuchiki Rukia. She felt that there is something unusual about her, watching their relation, she sat them of relationship, she understand that for some reason Rukia is very important to him. Therefore, she tried to make friends with the brunette, to do anything to made her feel comfortable with people from class. She envied her intimacy with him and her frivolity in the touching. She hadn't have so much courage to make a step towards deepening their relationship. It seemed to her that being class friends was quite simply, at last she was able to see him from afar to admire his strength.

And then things went differently than she ever thought. Her brother was a monster by her selfishness, and he saved her. No. Didn't saved her. He saved her brother from suffering. She was grateful, that way the next day at school, when she ate breakfast, she didn't admit that she remembers, she said the version which gave her Rukia. Knowing her nature, it didn't seems strange. Once again, she wanted to ask him about things that didn't concern her, but she didn't. Repeating like a mantra, that they're only a friends from class. And suddenly Kuchiki Rukia disappeared, everyone forgot about her, as she never existed, and he? He came to class subdued, lost in his own thoughts. Completely lost his power, the mask which he assumed was slowly crumbling. Then she decided that she would talk with him, she'll try to comfort him, though she knew that she has no right to do so.

She opened her eyes and listened like every day to silence. No one walked around the house, no bustling in the kitchen, no washing before leaving the house. She shivered, feeling like always that she want to cry. She hated this apartment, her own prison. But she preferred to live alone than to go back to THEM. She don't remember them almost at all, they're just blurry silhouettes among memories of her brother, but she remembered the story of a family that she would rather never have.

She sat on the bed, breathing deeply and counting to ten, it was her constant habit to shake off the dream to wear her mask. She bit her lip looking at the time, she had to little of it to leave. She grabbed her uniform and walked into the bathroom to get ready for another day at school.

She made at quickly a sandwich and put it in the bag. She ran out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. When she ran down the stairs, she looked around, hoping that she may see Tatsuki, but she wasn't in their designated place. She sighed moving slowly towards the school. Her mind tried to establish schedule of the day, she had a lot to do, and it weren't pleasant duties, she would prefer to spend time as any teenager: on reading magazines and gossip with friends about guys, maybe even she would find the desire to improve her cooking.

"Orihime." A male voice said behind her, grabbing her from depressing thoughts.

" Ichigo…" she said suprised, looking around him to find his other friends. – You're alone?

He raised his eyebrows questioningly, as if he wondered what she might mean. When he caught with her step, he smiled gently almost imperceptibly staring straight ahead.

"I don't have to walk with them every day… It's almost as if I was gay. " He said quietly, his hands in his pockets. "Or maybe you mean somebody else?"

She shook her head not to mention anything else. She only smiled gently, being deep inside thankful to him that he decided to go with her to school. She wanted to ask him if Tatsuki asked him for it, but he looked at his watch with disappointment, that was enough to pick up the pace, but to be a little slower than him.

She liked to run after him, look at his back, he seemed to her then like unrivaled authority, but the distance was enough to reach out and grab him by the hand, to make him a strangely intimate.

They had reached the school punctually on time out of breath, she changed shoes, looking amused at Ichigo, who couldn't cause of rush to put his shoes, in addition Keigo stood before him boasting about his resourcefulness. She greeted him cheerfully and walked forward to the class. When she opened the door she saw Tatsuki talking with the girls, they were strongly excited about something, which give them a slight blush on their cheeks. She walked over to them intrigued, but wasn't able to say even a word when she felt as Chizuru hugs her from behind, her hands reaching for breasts. In amazed, she looked at Tatsuki, who stood with cheeky smile, as she were awaiting for the arrival of deserved punishment.

" Let her go." Cool voice said behind them, forcing Chizuru to withdraw.

"It's not fair Kurosaki! Who give you rights to took my sweet Hime?" Chizuru answered grumpy arms crossed over her chest.

"Change person of your lust." He said gruffly, sitting in his spot.

Everyone looked at him with anxiously, as if they fearing that he'll throw at them a dangerous weapon. Orihime laughed softly, scratching her head. She never knew how she should react in such moments. On the one hand she was happy that Ichigo took over Tatsuki role in calming Chizuru, but in the other she didn't want to everyone to began fear him, even more than they're afraid cause of his face.

She sat up in her place, looking uneasily behind her where the rest of the class was whispering among themselves commenting about what they just saw. She wondered about their opinion on the subject, did they give them a chance? Even she wasn't sure if their relationship is true. During those three years watching him from the shadows, she learned that she's not the equivalent with Rukia. She thought that he would choose her when everything calms down, but then the Soul Society had thank him for his help and take his substitute Shinigami badge. She wanted to ask him why he made this decision? Why he stay? Why he retract tail and agreed to what they said? Is their relationship is just a dummy to forget about Rukia? Every time she bit her lip to not say these questions, she was afraid of the answers, she was afraid that he'll get angry with her uncertainty. After all, she didn't want to be a trouble for him, so she tried to push her thoughts, desires, somewhere inside herself enjoying that he is still with her.

"Orihime." Tatsuki asked her firmly, pulling her from the rush of thoughts.

"Yes?" She raised a eyebrow with questioning, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"This weekend I'm going to train with the club per city. And I thought that you could go with us."

She looked down, trying to remember if she has any specific plans for the weekend. She wanted to turn around to a boyfriend, to ask him about it when the bell rang, forcing everyone to take their seats.

She felt a relief not having to answer Tatsuki immediately. Able to think calmly about offer, but somewhere deep down, she knew that despite all her love to Tatsuki, she doesn't want to go to her judo training. It wasn't her club, not her climate, and sitting and doing nothing, being dependent on their mercy wasn't completely fit with her. She pulled out of the bag her diary, where she wrote the approaching responsibilities, like she thought this weekend she was free, didn't even have a date with Ichigo. She looked down, writing in those days 'camp with Tatsuki'. It was her fault. Finally, Tatsuki endured patiently as she ignored her cause issues of Soul Society.

She looked at the teacher, who with a bored expression on his face told them about the latest results of the various studies. Nobody was really interested in this topic, perhaps except Ishida, who, as usual seemed to be consumed by the desire for knowledge. Orihime was not surprised that every time he was first in the examinations.

~~Flashback~~

It was a few weeks after the war with Quincy since they came back she lay in her apartment, trying to regain her strength. She didn't think that it will be a day, that she would be finished with her own power. But she couldn't ignore the tears of friends mourning about their dead friends. She did what she could, risking with this her own life.

At that time, she didn't contact with anyone, the main reason was that she didn't have any strength to get up from her bed and approaches to the cabinet where was a cell phone, not to mention thought of the exit to the outside. But one day she heard a knock on the door, she tried to focus on the reiatsu to determine who visited her, but she couldn't. She waited in silence until the door opened, and on the threshold of the bedroom stood her classmate, her nakama Ishida. She wondered if he came to apologize or did he wanted to say goodbye forever? She couldn't have foreseen what was about to happen.

The boy sat down next to her, with his usual serious face. He adjusted his glasses, looking at her with eyes full of doubts. She was silent, staring at him through her closed eyelids. She wanted to get over with it, they talk about what happened. She didn't care at all. She was glad that they're all live. That's all that mattered.

"Inoue-san..." He began hesitantly, as if he was searching for the right words in his head.

It surprised her, of their whole package, Ishida was the last person you could accuse about lacking of words, it never gave him any problems, and now he looked like an unprepared student in front of blackboard. - I wanted to tell you something. I know this is probably a pretty bad time by the circumstances, but I cannot ever find the right time for it.

She raised her eyebrows quizzically, turning her head toward him. She felt that his words are not meaning so much in the war, as in the days before it. Her heart strangely trembled with fear. She didn't want to hear it. She definitely didn't want to her friend told what he thought.

"I really like you, Inoue…"

He said it. The words that she wanted to hear from her other friend, but not from Ishida. She closed her eyes, feeling like meet her sobs. She couldn't, she couldn't reciprocate his feelings. No matter how she'll try, she cannot lie to her heart. She tried to control her breath when she heard him rising from his seat and goes out of her room. In amazed, she looked for him, not having the strength to say anything. What can she say? She didn't want to hurt him so much. Therefore, she fear of Ichigo feelings, she has decided that she will never admit that she loves him, she didn't want him to suffer of necessity to reject her.

"I brought some water. You have to feel thirsty."

Typical polite Ishida. She don't durable. She began to cry uncontrollably, burying her face in her hands. How much she can hate herself? How many more nails she nailing into her coffin?

They walked in silence down the hall, hearing how the whispers are rambling around. She learned to ignore them, or she just haven't noticed as she being lost in her own thoughts, but Tatsuki was not patient enough to endure with peace guys comments about her or about Orihime.

" Well, it's good that's last year. I've had enough of this."She growled annoyed, clutching a sandwich.

Orihime didn't respond, she went ahead thoughtfully. She still didn't know what she should do with herself, in spite of all the dreams that she had about her future, in reality she feel in a position that from which there is no exit. She envied Tatsuki, her charisma and confidence about what she wants to do, as to most of her friends, even Ichigo had his own plans for the medical studies.

" Oi, are you listening Orihime?" Girl grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

She looked at her questioningly, she wanted to apologize for ignoring her when Ichigo approached them with Keigo and Mizuiro.

"We going to eat to the roof, and you?"

" Orihime, why are you with him?! See how he is devoid of emotion! I am much better!" With tears chestnut stood in front of the girl, with hands on her shoulders.

" Let her go Keigo." Ichigo snapped, pulling him back. "We don't have to stick to each other, like you would do it."

" We also were going to the roof " Brunette looked at them with impatiently going forward dragging Orihime with her.

Orihime smiled apologetically, trying not to tip over on the stairs. In fact, she wanted to go outside and sit under a tree to stay a little bit alone, without having to listen to other people's plans regarding what they will do after high school. She feel stressed enough with calls from distant family who insisted her to take the study in Tokyo for a cost-effective specialization. She didn't want to go anywhere. She wanted to do what she likes, something that will bring her some pleasure, make her feel alive.

When they stood on the roof, she sighed relieved that the worst is behind and she'll be able to sit down and eat her sandwiches. She looked around the place, seeing a lot more students than at times in previous years. Tatsuki swallowed a curse, taking again her hand and leading to their location. Last school semester was going to be full of tension, which she'll not be able to unload. She knew that her friend wants to talk to her about her relationship with Ichigo and her plans after high school. She will as usual wanted to just help her, but Orihime doesn't really know what she should tell her.

Feet don't fail me now
Take me to the finish line