~It would be great if we could wish Ishida in person, ne?

"Happy Ba...Ba..."

*Stares at the gorgeousness that is Ishida*

"Um..."

*Swoons*

What happens next is that Ishida catches me halfway through my fall, and swoops me off to his castle with the rest of his fandom in hot pursuit, but since that bit happens only in my head, why don't you go ahead and enjoy the story? =D~

The pen scratched on, as the dying light of the sun cast its final shadows onto the paper.

…You'll never receive this letter Inoue-san. Because, as much as I want to be with you, your heart is already set on another. I can't take a step forward. If I do, and I stumble, I'll be bringing you even more pain. I can't change my destiny, but I will continue hoping for the day I can stand by you, even if it never comes. Till then I'll smile and pretend that everything is alright, that we'll forever be just friends.

Sealed with love,

Uryuu Ishida.

"Ishida-kun, I totally know why we're meant to be together!" said Inoue, beaming.

Ishida sighed. Inoue had cornered him first thing in the morning behind school, and it was almost time for class.

It was that crazy fortune-teller's fault, he thought irritably. He wondered why they had even bothered to stop by that Mystic-Hut a week ago. The old woman there had "predicted" that Inoue and Ishida were meant to be together, and since then, Inoue had thought it would be fun to prove the mystic right.

"Alright, let's hear it" he said, looking at his watch pointedly.

"Remember the day we went to the Amusement park? The whole lot of us?" she began, giggling. "Chad was scared to go on the roller-coaster, wasn't he? Do you know, the guy operating the roller-coaster reminded me of my grand-father, even though I haven't really seen my-"

Ishida cleared his throat, cutting through her ramblings.

"Let's focus now, shall we, Inoue-san?" he said, fixing his glasses. "I remember the day perfectly well, please continue."

Inoue looked slightly confused, but plunged into her story nevertheless. "This is very significant" she said, seriously. "When we went into the House of Mirrors, I looked into a mirror and I saw you instead of my reflection. Doesn't that mean you're like my other half?"

"Inoue-san, we went to the House of Glass, not Mirrors. Remember how you banged your head so many times?" replied Ishida, suppressing the urge to laugh.

Inoue grinned at the memory. "Ohh…Yeah!…I had a blue bruise the next day, didn't I?" she said, completely sidetracking from the discussion.

She suddenly gave a gasp. "Ishida-kun, we'll be late for class! I can't believe you are so careless about time" she said, running off.

Ishida shook his head as he followed her.

He wasn't going to let this deter his decision. Fortune-tellers always lied anyways. He wasn't going to mistake her determination for anything else…least of all what he was hoping it was.

…Wouldn't you agree that we are perfect halves? You are always in the sky, among the clouds, a puff of happiness. I'm always rooted to the earth, forever looking up at you, the seed of stability. You're the healer, the one who can soothe my pains and comfort my anguish. I'm the defender, the one who'll stand always to shield and protect you. Don't you think we'd be complete if we came together?...

Ishida looked up from his book, as he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

"Ishida-kun! Guess what proof I have this time?" Inoue said, walking towards him, her hands behind her back.

"I don't even want to guess. Knowing you, it might be an apple core I ate or a pebble I dropped into the river." said Ishida, a slight smile on his face.

"Wrong" she announced, nearing him. "I closed my eyes today, and walked around my home, touching things. My aim was to look for an object with a familiar aura. And see what I found?" she said gleefully, "A needle! You like sewing, don't you, Ishida-kun?" she said, pointing it dangerously at him.

He backed off a little, wondering if she was threatening him, before remembering he was dealing with Inoue.

" Inoue-san, let's start with learning the difference between needles and other tools, alright?" he said gently, taking the screw-driver from her hands.

It felt like she had easily pulled out his heart and was tossing it around, oblivious to the sharp twinges and throbs it caused him. Did she go through the same thing? He had watched from afar, helpless, when she realized her feelings for Ichigo weren't going to be returned. How far had her heart recovered?

________________________________________________________________________

…I want to treasure your innocence, Inoue-san. I'm afraid that the world will take it away from you, that spark of yours. Life has been harsh on you, making you face difficulties you should never have seen, making you cry tears you should have never shed. Will you let me hold your hand, just to ease the pain a little?...

________________________________________________________________________

Ishida groaned and opened his eyes. His alarm glared a green 3.00 AM. His mobile was ringing insistently, flashing in the darkness. He reached out and flipped it open.

"Ishida-kun!?" squealed Inoue on the other line.

"Hnn?" he mumbled, too tired to answer properly.

"I found out why we are meant to be together! It's very simple."

Ishida rubbed his eyes, and looked back at his clock.

"My birthday is on the 3rd of Sept, and the time right now is 3am, so 3 plus 3 is 6, which is your birth date. Also, 11 is my favorite number, and November is the 11th month.", said Inoue, a triumphant note in her voice.

Silence ensured.

"Inoue-san, that makes no sense whatsoever."

"Really…? Maybe I should check out star sign compatibility." said Inoue, sounding defeated. "Oh well, Good-night Ishida-kun!"

He switched off his mobile and closed his eyes again.

Did she know how her words and actions continued haunting him, deep into the night?

________________________________________________________________________

…Have you ever wished upon a falling star, Inoue-san? I haven't, because I don't believe in myths. But I think, if you were to ever wish upon one with all your heart, the glorious power of the universe would release itself to grant your little wish, because it would be an honour. Will you ever give me that honour, Inoue-san? I want to be able to give you everything I can, just to see that smile spread on your face every day, like the sun parting the clouds. I can't promise you the moon, or the stars, but I swear on my pride as a Quincy that anything that is within my power, I'll lay at your feet…

_______________________________________________________________________

"Ishida-kun, see this drawing?" said Inoue, shoving a paper in front of his face.

They were on their way home from school, and Inoue was being her bouncy self.

Ishida took the paper and looked at it. It was a picture of his Quincy Cross. Well, that was what it was supposed to be, thought Ishida, it looked more like a blue-ish cross.

"What about it?" he asked, aloud.

Inoue looked at him triumphantly. "I was spacing out in class today, and when I came to, I saw this cross on my sheet. I think I must have doodled it unconsciously"

Ishida wondered if he should have told her that he distinctly remembered Inoue asking for his Quincy Cross that morning.

Did she really want to be with him? Did she ever intertwine his thoughts with hers, the way he spun intricate patterns of their memories in his mind?

Ishida stared at the note on his desk. It was half-way through Maths class, and out of nowhere, the tightly-folded note had landed on his desk. Not that he doubted who it came from. He opened it slowly, hiding it behind his book.

"Both our last names start with "I"." was scribbled across the piece of paper.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ishida wrote.

"My notebook's cover has both our names in a heart" Inoue managed to squeeze into the paper.

"That's ineligible. You made it yourself." Ishida wrote back.

Inoue looked at the now smudged piece of paper, and made a face.

How serious was she? Was it still a silly game to her, another amusement to pass the time? Or was she finally ready to let go of the past?

Dear Inoue-san,

Your name has a nice sound to it. It's like you, always fresh, like a sweet breeze on a warm day. And just like that, you flew away with my heart, didn't you?

I have never met someone so innocent and pure, and yet with an eye that understands the depths of souls. Inoue-san, you're truly a remarkable person. When I'm in your presence, I can hear music that hasn't been composed, I can see colours that haven't been painted, and best of all, I can dream. For myself, for you, and for us. It's like being touched by a spore of magic. I feel like I can rise to unimaginable heights, so long I have you by my side…

________________________________________________________________________

Ishida was surprised to see Inoue standing outside his house. He had just returned from school, later than usual because his club had a meeting. Inoue smiled at him as he neared her.

"Inoue-san?" he asked, "Do you need something?"

She shook her head. On a closer inspection, Ishida noticed that her face looked like it would burst from joy, and she was holding it in behind that smile.

Ishida was unsure of whether to wait or say something. Just when he thought the silence was getting awkward, Inoue spoke up.

"Ishida-kun, I did a search of your house today, to look for more proof" she revealed. "Don't worry" she said reassuringly, as she saw Ishida's startled expression. "I didn't mess it up too badly, and I put all the books back in the shelves. I'm sorry about your clothes though, it's very hard to fold your boxers the way you do, so I left them in a heap outside the drawer…"

She trailed off as Ishida's face turned a bright shade of red.

"M...My…B-B-Boxers???" he whispered, "Why were you even NEAR my bo-…drawer?"

Inoue blinked, and looked at his face in confusion. Waving her hand to show the matter's unimportance, she continued.

"You wouldn't believe what I found at the bottom of the drawer, Ishida-kun. I found a letter. For me.", she said, in a low voice, as she handed the letter to him.

Ishida scanned the paper in disbelief. He had written this almost an year ago, put it in the back of his drawer, and forgotten about it. His unheard confession…

"Inoue-san". He paused, still at a loss for words. "You…You weren't meant to see this. I apologize for-"

"But I DID SEE IT" she cried out. "I was meant to find it Ishida-kun, if not today, then some other day. Because it was written for me. Now do you believe we're destined to be together?"

Ishida didn't reply. What was she trying to do to him? It was already tearing at him…

" Why…? Why are you hesitating?" whispered Inoue, her eyes looking at him beseechingly.

"Inoue-san…I…Kuro…saki" stammered Ishida, averting his eyes.

Her eyes widened slightly at the mention of the name, as the unwanted memories rushed back. She shook her head swiftly, as if to lose them.

"I was chasing a broken dream. The harder I tired, the further it got away. It was never mine. Are you telling me to chain myself to the past?" she asked, looking into Ishida's eyes. "It doesn't matter where this goes, Ishida-kun. I'm ready to take it all, the happiness with the sadness, the thrill with the pain. I want this more than anything I've wanted in a long time. And do you know one big reason why we're meant to be together?" she asked softly.

Her hair glowed in the approaching twilight, the last sunrays dancing off her head, as Ishida looked into her mesmerizing eyes.

They looked so hopeful now, those same eyes that had once been glassed over with hurt. Was she willing to accept him as more than a friend?

"Because I really like you, too, Ishida-kun. I took a lot of time to realize it though… that you've been here waiting the whole time." she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

Ishida gave in. The steel wall he built around himself, to prevent his feelings from reaching her had slowly crumbled away. Reaching out, he pulled her into a hug with a slight aggressiveness that was uncharacteristic of him, and buried his face in her hair.

"Just promise me that you'll never go near my drawer again." he said.

Inoue felt him smile. "So long you promise to hold me like this every single day" she replied, nuzzling her face into his chest.

That was easy, he thought.

Lost in the comfort of the moment, it took a few seconds before he realized his eyes were damp. How long had he waited for this moment, watching time pass into weeks and months? Watching her laugh and cry? Remaining on his guard, always, in case someone tried to steal her away? Wiping his eyes discreetly, he entwined his fingers with hers, relishing her warmth on his hands.

Maybe that senile old lady was right after all.

________________________________________________________________________

The paragraphs from Ishida's letter are posted backwards, in case you didn't notice =)

Also, I apologize to anyone who thinks I made Inoue too much of an idiot, I just feel her imagination is on a whole different scale from ours xD

Also, Also, Happy Birthday Ishida! 3333 Damn, I wish you were mine.

PS. Thanks to shadow-saur for pointing out a big mistake. =)