Hey guys, enjoy the one-shot!

I sat in class, more alone than I've ever felt. I scribbled notes onto a piece of paper, trying not to listen to the sick whispers and murmurs around me. The topic of the whispers, me. I didn't do anything to them, so why me? Why now, why in high school, when I have more ahead of me than any of them ever will? I didn't want to look this way, it's not like I chose the way I was, or how I looked. I didn't choose my orange hair…

"Kurosaki, can you answer the question on the board?" called the teacher from the front of the room. I stood up, hearing all of the whispers stop as I turn around to glance at the clock. I stumble past desks and backpacks, pretending that the snickering people aren't really there. As I put my foot down for the next step, I tripped on someone's outstretched leg. I grabbed the object nearest to me. Unfortunately, it wasn't just an object, it was Orihime Inoue. I grabbed her shoulder tight. She let out a quiet squeak as I regained my balance.

I cast my eyes downwards. "Sorry." I said quietly. Inoue didn't say anything. I continued to the front of the room and stopped at the black board. The equation was difficult, but for my mind, it looked like 2+2. I answered the equation with ease, waited while the teacher praised me and the other kids in class called me crude names, and then retreated back to my seat. I spent the next part of math class doodling. I doodled myself without orange hair. I doodled myself standing up for how I look. I knew that none of this would happen though. Every time I dye my hair, it turns out a nasty green color in the end. I don't know why, but it just happens that way, even if we were to bleach my hair. So, after trying a few times, I never did it again.

The end of the day bell rang through the school yard. We all packed up our bags and left the classroom, except for me. "Kurosaki, could you wait a minute? I need to talk to you." Said the teacher.

I wandered up to her desk. "I've been thinking about your incredible skills in almost every class you take. You get all A's in your semester grades, and you rarely ever get any other grade underneath an A-. I think that you should go up a grade, but that's just my opinion. If you want to consider it, I'll give you a few days to think about it, and then I'll talk to you and your parents. Okay?"

"I don't want to move up a grade." I said bluntly. The teacher frowned.

"Okay, just… think about it, alright? I think that this would be an amazing opportunity for you." I nodded, but didn't smile. I wasn't going to move up a grade, and that was final. I slid out the door of the classroom, and walked down the hallways, ignoring ever rude comment that seemed to just waterfall out of people's mouths. I walked out the door of the school and began walking home.

"Um, Kurosaki-kun!" I heard a shrill voice say behind me. I didn't bother to turn around. It was probably just another person trying to make fun of me. "Kurosaki-kun! Wait up!" Someone grabbed my shoulder. I could handle someone making comments about me, but when they raised a hand against me, that was when I defended myself. I grabbed the person's wrist and turned around threateningly.

"Inoue-san!" I said, dropping her wrist. I bowed my head. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else." I mumbled.

"It's, um, okay." She said, holding her wrist. "In class, what happened… Are you okay?" I took a step back and my eyes widened.

"Um, sure." I said. No one ever asked me this, except for the members of my family. Inoue smiled.

"I'm glad." I began to turn around when she grabbed my shoulder again. "Um, well… you've seemed lonely, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming over and having dinner or something with me at my house?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.

"I-I don't know. It's probably not-"

"Please Kurosaki-kun? It would be fun, I promise." She smiled again. I blinked. Was this really happening?

"Well, it's just that, I've got homework…"

"But Kurosaki-kun, I didn't tell you when we were having dinner." She giggled. This girl was being awfully strange.

"Did someone put you up this?" I whispered. Inoue frowned and raised her eyebrows.

"N-no. Why would they?" she asked quietly.

"Because. Don't you notice the crude remarks, the rude comments, the stupid pranks and the idiotic mimicking that people to do me?"

"I-I do, but why do they make fun of you?" I sighed.

"My hair, inoue-san, my hair. It's orange. That's why." This girl was awfully clueless.

"Oh, well… I like your hair. It's cool like an, ummmm… an orange! Oranges are good, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." I said warily. "Look, I've got to get home, thanks for talking, but-"

"I'll see you on Friday night for dinner at my apartment, okay?" I groaned inwardly. Inoue never knew when to stop, did she? But, at least she was trying.

"Fine." I said, turning around. "Thank you, Inoue-san."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I threw my book bag onto the kitchen table. No one was home, again. I didn't care. I was always left home alone after school. Karin had soccer practice, my dad was in the clinic next door, and Yuzu was tutoring an elementary school kid. It wasn't unusual that I didn't do much during the week. On the weekends, I might take Karin and Yuzu to lunch or something, and on the weekdays, I studied and did homework. I didn't hang out with the minimal friends I had. Even they teased me about my hair, so I tried to avoid going on outings with them.

I ran my hands through my curse of orange hair and plopped onto the couch. It was a Wednesday, and I didn't have any homework. I had finished it all in class during personal time. Personal time was when we could get done anything we needed before going to each class. I didn't talk with fellow classmates, I just sat back and did assignments so I wouldn't have to do them at home.

I didn't want to watch TV. I just wanted to sit and relax. I laid my head on the armrest and stretched my body out across the couch so I was laying on my back. I closed my eyes and began to drift off into sleep when, 'ding' 'dong'.

I jumped up, groaning. I went to get the door and when I opened it, I almost fell backwards. It was Inoue, and she looked just as beautiful as ever.

"I-Inoue,"

"Hi Kurosaki-kun! I just wanted to swing by and give you this!" She held out a package to me.

"Um, thanks?" I said. The 'thanks' part came out more of a question but it was only because of the mere surprise and awe I was in. One of the most popular girls came to visit me, and give me a package? Why? I suddenly became guarded.

"Well, don't just look at me! Open it!" she smiled.

"Okay…" I pulled back a corner of the package. Nothing happened. I pulled back another corner, nothing. Another corner was flipped, and nothing happened. I pulled back the fourth corner, and the wrapping came off of the object completely. It was a surprise to see what it was. It wasn't a lame prank, and it wasn't an insult.

"Wow Inoue, I don't know what to say." I said, holding the object in my hand.

"I saw it and thought of you! Isn't it adorable?" it was a stuffed animal. It looked to be an orange kitten.

"It's great." I said, examining it. "Thank you Inoue, no one has ever gotten me a present as… thoughtful as this." I said, trying to sound happy. Inoue clasped her hands together.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't like it! I wanted to get you something nice. I hope it doesn't offend you. It's just so adorable, and it's the awesome color of your hair, so…"

"Inoue, I love it. It doesn't offend me, but I have to say, the orange looks better on him than on me." I chuckled. Stupid! You idiot, what's your problem? 'It looks better on him." Now she's going to hate me!

"No, I think it looks good on both of you!" she said. "I never knew you were so funny!" She said, laughing. I smiled. Inoue didn't know the half of it. I was the butt of everyone's jokes at school.

"Thanks," suddenly, I did the unexpected. "Do you maybe want to come in and have a soda, or something? It's hot outside, so, you know…" I said awkwardly.

Inoue thought about it. "Sure! Thanks." She walked in, and I moved out of her path to let her by. I closed the door behind her. I led her to the kitchen, where I sat her down in a chair at the bar.

"What kind of soda do you drink?" I asked, trying to be a good host. I didn't really ever have guests over, so it was sort of new to me.

"I drink anything but grape soda." I smiled.

"Okay, anything but grape soda coming up." I didn't know why I was being so natural around Inoue. I just hoped that she didn't think I was being stupid. She giggled. Never mind… she seemed to be even more outgoing than me. I wouldn't even laugh at the joke I just made. Maybe she was just being nice… I crouched into the fridge and pulled out two cans of Cola. I shut the fridge door and turned around to find Inoue smiling intently at me.

"Um, Inoue?" I said, snapping her out of her daze.

"Sorry, was I staring? I'm awfully tired today." She said, blushing.

"No, It's just… here's your Cola." I said, sliding it to her. She took it gratefully and opened the top, the can making a satisfying snap and fizz. She took a big long drink and then set it down carefully, sighing contently.

"Thank you Kurosaki-kun. It's very kind of you to let me drink your soda."

"Yeah… no problem." I said sheepishly. I was beginning to feel self-conscious. I took a sip of my Cola and leaned over the counter.

"Kurosaki, I'm sorry for earlier, I didn't mean to force you into coming to dinner with me. It just gets kind of lonely at my apartment." She said, frowning down at her Cola.

"No, I don't mind. It might be a change to get out of the house sometimes." There was a silence. "Why does it get lonely at your apartment if you so popular?" I asked, my throat tightening. I knew that was a stupid thing to ask.

"Well, because I don't like to be popular. It isn't as fun as it sounds. People only like you because of how you look or how you dress. They aren't your real friends."

"Oh. One more thing, why are you being so nice to me?" I slapped myself inwardly. Another stupid question to ask.

"Because, you seem so nice a-and, I-I, well… I think you're really cool. We almost have the same hair color, but people pick on you, but not me, and well-"I smiled and chuckled.

"I get it Inoue. It's really kind of you to think of me. I think you're cool too."

"I'm glad." She glanced at the time. "Oh! Sorry Kurosaki-kun, I've stayed too long. Thank you for the soda." She said, nodding her head and standing up. She left the soda on the counter and rushed to the door.

"bye." I said, waving. When the door closed, I slouched over, sighing in relief. I thought she would never leave. She was fun to talk to, but I had already been so stupid, I didn't want to say anything else. I resumed my spot on the couch, and drifted off to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Friday….

"Kurosaki, have you thought about my offer to move you up to another class?" the teacher asked.

"Yeah, and I decline." I said, casting my eyes downwards. The teacher sighed.

"Okay, Ichigo. It's your choice, but you'll see. You just don't fit in with these other kids." My heart fell.

"Oh, I get it. Thank you." I said, and with that, I retreated to lunch.

"Kurosaki-kuuunnn!" called Inoue behind me. Usually, I sat alone at the lunch table, but the past few days Inoue had been following me around everywhere. She even stayed at my house for a few hours watching a movie with me. It wasn't really the type of girl I had seen her as, but I didn't object to her attention to me. It was nice. People were giving me more respect, although the still did whisper around me.

"Hi, Inoue." I said, waving her over. Inoue sat down next to me.

'Kurosaki-kun, I was thinking that maybe because it's such a nice day, you might want to sit in the grass at the front of the school today?" She asked, turning towards me.

"Sure." I said. I had grown attached to Inoue. She had some kind of aura around her that attracted me to her in a strange way. She was so nice to me, and we seemed to become best friends almost overnight, so I didn't have a problem with hanging out with her for a while every day.

Inoue stood up and led me to the grass by the wrist. She plopped us down in the middle of the grass, where we could see the small town of Karakura the best. I dumped out my lunch bag and opened a bag of chips.

Inoue's mouth opened into an 'O' shape. "You have those kind!? Ilove those!" She cried, smiling.

"Do you want one?" I asked, holding the bag out to her. She smiled a toothy grin.

"Of course!" she grabbed one and put it into her mouth. "Mmmm, that's good!" she said through a full mouth.

"Yeah, they're pretty great." We sat in silence for a few minutes, eating and listening to the noises around us when Inoue spoke up.

"What did you name that orange cat?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I had to name it?" I asked, raising my eyebrows as well.

"Of course! You can't not name a stuffed animal!" she cried, frowning.

"Okay, well, how about you help me name him." I said, hoping that she would name it instead of me. She seemed like the type of girl that liked to be creative, and she was creative. I figured she would have an easier time figuring out a name than me.

"Okay…" she thought for a moment. "Oh! How about his? Hansamu!"

"Sure." I said. I didn't care about what to name the stuffed animal. It didn't matter what the name was.

"Great!" She said, taking a bite of her bean curd and banana sandwich. She had the most interesting taste I had ever seen.

"I think lunch time is almost over." I said, picking up my things.

"Oh, that's too bad. What do we have next again?" Inoue was also the most clueless girl I've ever met.

"Chemistry." I said, sighing.

"Oh, I hate chemistry. It's too hard." She said, throwing her hands to the ground.

"Yeah, it is a bit difficult, I know."

"Don't say that! You've the smartest kid in class! You get A's in every class, no matter what!" she cried, standing up.

"Okay," I turned around to leave. "Are you coming?"

"Wait up!" she said, gathering her lunch.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I gazed at my closet. What am I going to wear to Inoue's? I asked myself, going through my clothing. Nothing seemed to jump out at me. Inoue had become important to me in such a short time. We were becoming best friends. I didn't want to ruin it by wearing something stupid.

I pulled out some denim jeans, a red and white baseball Tee, and a blue jacket.

"Yuzu!" I called. Yuzu came walking down the hall into my room.

"What Ichi-nii?" she asked, poking her head through the door.

"I'm going on a date with a friend tonight, what do you think of this?" I asked, holding the ensemble up to me.

"No, it's not good enough. Here, let me help you." She said, throwing the clothing aside. She rustled through my closet until she came out with a pair of denim skinny jeans, a tight white T-shirt, and a sea green jacket.

"Skinny jeans, are you sure?" I asked, eyeing the pants.

"I'm sure. Your friend will love them." She said, throwing the clothes at me.

"Thanks Yuzu." I said, shutting the door behind her. I pulled on the clothes that Yuzu had picked out for me and examined myself in the mirror. I took a deep breath and slipped on some shoes. I walked out of the room and walked downstairs. I glanced around the kitchen for Inoue's gift. It was a stuffed kitten with grey eyes and sweet auburn fur. I grabbed Hansamu and Inoue's gift and ran out the door.

"Kurosaki-kun! I'm glad to see you!" Inoue said, opening the door. I stepped inside. The smell of beef stew wafted around me.

"It's good to see you too." I said, smiling. "Here, I have something for you." I pulled out the little auburn kitten from my pocket and handed it to her.

She gasped and took the kitten out of my hand. "Thank you kurosaki-kun! It's so nice of you! It looks just like me!" I laughed.

"I'm glad you like it. I just figured that since you got me Hansamu, you might want one too." I pulled Hansamu out of my pocket.

"Here, they can sit right here while we eat." She said, setting down the two kittens onto a shelf next to each other.

Inoue led me to a small table with a few pillows around it. I sat down on the pillow closest to the left corner of the table, and Inoue sat across from me. "I made this specially for you, Kurosaki-kun." She said, dishing me out some of the hearty stew. It smelled amazing.

She set the bowl in front of me and scooped herself some. I dipped my spoon into the stew and brought it up to my mouth. The aroma made my mouth water. I put the spoon into my mouth and swallowed.

"Inoue, did you make this all by yourself? It's amazing!" I said, taking another spoonful and putting it into my mouth.

"I'm glad it's alright. It's my mom's recipe, she was a good cook." She said, smiling sadly. "It's really the only thing I have left of her."

"That's too bad." I said, hanging my head. "You know, my mom died too," I said, bringing my head up to face her.

"Really? I'm sorry. It's hard, isn't it?" I nodded.

"Yeah, it was pretty crushing. Everyone in our family suffered for a while, but we're okay now." I said, sipping more stew.

"Yeah, it was hard for me and my brother too. He was such a big help to me."

"Was?" asked.

"Yeah, he died years ago, when I was eight."

"Inoue, I'm so sorry." I said, frowning. How could a girl that was so happy all the time have such a depressing past?

"It's okay. It isn't your fault, and anyway, I'm okay."

"Alright." We ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Kurosaki-kun, do you want to watch a movie?" she asked after we had finished our food.

"Sure, what movie?" I asked, taking the bowls to her sink and rinsing them out.

"I don't know, you can choose one. I'm horrible at choosing movies." She said, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Okay. I'll see what you have." I said after finishing the dishes. "Oh, and Inoue, do you want to put that stew away so you can have leftovers for Monday's lunch?" I asked, looking into the pot. It was still over half full.

"Sure. Thanks." She said. I filled a Tupperware with stew and popped it into the fridge.

We had decided on an old romance movie. We had cuddled up on the couch with a mountain of blankets and sodas. Inoue cried during sad parts, and I laughed during cheesy parts. Spending time with Inoue definitely beat being alone on a Friday night. It grew extremely late. The movie was longer than I had thought it would be. I felt my eyelids beginning to droop as time went on. We both laid down on her couch, and she had fallen asleep on my chest. I could feel her steady breathing and her rhythmic heartbeat. She mumbled in her sleep. It was cute. As I listened to her sweet breathing, I found myself drifting off every few minutes. I would nod off, and then wake up abruptly. But soon, sleep got the better of me, and I fell into a deep sleep.

I woke the next morning to something wet on my chest. I looked down. Inoue was still there, lounging over me. She had her mouth wide open, and a pool of drool was beginning to form on my T-shirt.

"Inoue," I said, nudging her. "Inoue, wake up!" I said loudly. She woke up quickly and fell off the couch, landing with a thud on the floor.

"What time is it, Kurosaki?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Nine o'clock." I said, doing the same.

"Oh darn, I was going to go shopping for groceries this morning." She said, standing up. She looked down at me. "You fell asleep here?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yeah, sorry." I said.

"No, it's okay. I don't ca- wait, did I do that?" she said, pointing to the huge wet spot on my chest.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal." She didn't think so…

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to drool all over you! I'm sorry, I'm so stupid, I'm sorry!" she said quickly.

"I don't care, it's just drool. Everyone does it." I said, sitting up.

"Okay, you're sure, right?"

"Yes, Inoue, I'm sure." I said, smiling groggily.

She seemed to calm down about it after that. I had eaten breakfast with her, and she offered to walk me home.

"Are you sure? You don't have to." I said.

"No really, I want to." And that was that. She walked me home, and we talked all the way.

I had never been happier in my life. She was really becoming my best friend. She meant the world to me now, and I knew that we couldn't, and wouldn't, stay just best friends for long. I felt like there was something more, something deeper, to us than just friends. She had friended me, even when I had been the most unpopular guy in school. She was truly a good person. She had made me feel special, and made me feel more comfortable around other people, so the least I could to was to thank her.

"Thank you, Inoue." I said.

"No problem," she said, looking at me. We walked for a moment. "Wait, for what?" I laughed. There was definitely something more than just friends between us.

Soooooo, how was it? Did everyone like it, or was it horrible? I know, I know, no romance stuff. I wanted to write a serious one for once. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!