AN

I know in my profile I said I hated Orihime, but I don't, not really. I just dislike the fact that she wants to steal Rukia's man. So this is mainly Orihime owning up to the fact that she can't be with Ichigo, and maybe she can be with someone else.

Disclaimer-I own nothing.

New Hope

Orihime Inoue was a nice girl. Orihime Inoue was sweet. Orihime Inoue was cheerful. But at the moment, said auburn-haired girl felt none of these emotions. More accurately she felt depressed.

It wasn't like her at all. It was the side of her that only a few individuals got to see. She didn't like feeling this way, not one bit. She was the kind of person who took life day by day and always tried to wear a smile. The kind of girl who could be infuriatingly happy and unerringly oblivious in just about any situation. And yet, the exact same girl could be the third smartest in her class and have flashes of genius that no one ever expected.

All of this and more could be expected from Orihime Inoue. What was not expected of her was the fact that she was skipping class. She sat dejectedly on a park bench, her head in her hands as she sulked. There were only about two more classes left in the day since lunch had just ended, but because she'd received some rather bad news she'd decided to leave. To most of the other people present the news had been wonderful and long awaited. But to Orihime the news had been a crushing blow of which she had to run away from.

In hindsight she hadn't been very discreet about her feelings on the matter; she'd burst into tears and ran from the roof that her friends usually frequented. She definitely couldn't show her face after that, at least not until she cleared her mind. She should've been able to control herself better though. Because whether she wanted to admit it or not, she'd always known it would happen sooner or later. Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki were now, as of today, an official couple. And Orihime hated that!

She was practically green with envy. What she wouldn't give to be in Rukia Kuchiki's shoes! But a darker part of her, a secret part that not even Tatsuki knew about, a part of her that had been born and nurtured during her captivity in Hueco Mundo rebelled against that thought. Why should she have to be a short, loud, violent, small-boobed dead girl just to get Ichigo's attention. But as soon as the thought passed through her head she viciously rejected it. Those were horrible things to think about Rukia! She was her close friend after all, had risked her life in Hueco Mundo to save her at one point and always had her back when she needed her.

She was trustworthy and loyal, strong, kind and beautiful. It wasn't fair of her to think such things. She should direct her anger somewhere else. Like at Ichigo. She loved him; she loved him with all her heart and yet, he never seemed to give her the time of day. Never seemed to really want to be around her. Never gave her anywhere close to the amount of attention he lavished on Rukia. And it just wasn't fair!

She'd seen all the signs back then that prooved he wasn't interested in her, but she'd just been too damn oblivious. Maybe if she'd realized sooner it wouldn't hurt so much now. All she had to do was look back on his actions toward both girls.

Ichigo wasn't very romantic. At least, that was what she was able to discern looking back on both of his rescue missions. He was certainly passionate but romantic, not so much.

When he'd held her in his arms she'd felt like a princess who's knight had finally come for her. But then he'd made that comment about her being heavy and killed her fantasy right then and there.

But with Rukia, it had been different. Even though she'd watched from afar, it was hard to miss the way they'd looked into each other's eyes. It was the kind of loving gaze where only those two existed in that moment. Not to mention the way they'd been clinging to each other. But then Ichigo had tossed Rukia like a sack of potatoes and ruined their moment. And, she thought bitterly, he'd never made a comment about Rukia's weight. She wasn't heavy, it was her boobs dammit!

Ahem, moving on, it wasn't just the rescue missions that should've tipped her off. For instance, the way Ichigo acted about being healed. Most times that Orihime healed him when he was conscious he would just lay there looking tense and allert. When she was done he would always promptly thank her with a curt nod and then find some excuse to walk away.

But when Rukia healed him he seemed to enjoy it. A small secretive smirk would sometimes appear on his face, and just about everytime Rukia finished he would say to her after briefly clasping her hand in his, "Thanks alot." With Orihime it was "Thanks", but with Rukia it was "Thanks alot." How could she have missed that?

Then there were the more obvious and recent signs. Valentine's day had been two months ago, and Orihime had decided to give Ichigo chocolates. She'd managed to make a large chocolate heart decorated with colorful sprinkles and whipped cream. Inside had been cherry flavored jam and bean paste. It had been wrapped up neatly and tied with a bow. She'd handed it to him with a bright smile as soon as she'd caught sight of him in school. However, he'd vehemently declared that he could not accept her chocolate. Tears had immediately sprung to her eyes and as expected Tatsuki had stepped forward, all fired up and ready to confront Ichigo in her honor.

But she'd stopped her on the grounds of not wanting to cause a huge commotion and make her humiliation more public than it already was. She'd managed to give him a tiny smile while telling him that she respected his decision and that it was too bad before walking away. As expected she was pretty down for the rest of the day, and her emotional turmoil only got worse when she happened to see Ichigo accepting chocolates from Rukia. He'd then gone on to eat them right their in public and even smile dazzlingly at Rukia in thanks. That night, Orihime had cried herself to sleep after disposing of her specially made chocolate.

It only got worse a month later when White Day came around. Even after the Valentine's day fiasco, Orihime had found herself still clinging to the farfetched hope that Ichigo might present her with a gift. He hadn't. Ichigo'd barely given her a passing glance as she'd walked into the classrooom. She hadn't been surprised, only upset, when later that day she learned that Ichigo had presented Rukia with a basketful of goodies and a stuffed rabbit. Once again, that night she'd cried into her pillow and thought about how unfair life was.

"Yes, life is unfair!" Orihime despaired quietly. Her vision suddenly blurred as tears pooled and began to spill from her eyes, pattering softly onto her skirt. She made no efert to wipe them away, only clamped her lips tightly to try and hold back a wrenching sob. "Stop it!"

Orihime jumped and slowly raised her head. Uryu Ishida stood in front of her, his face solemn and angry. He placed a firm yet tender hand on her shoulder and met her gaze steadily. "Stop crying over that idiot Kurosaki! He doesn't deserve a gem like you, anyway."

"Uryu," Orihime whispered his name, still in a little bit of shock. But it slowly faded and she started to register just what he'd said. "How can I!" she suddenly wailed. "I wish I could! I really don't want to feel like this. Both of them are my friends and I want to be happy for them like everyone else. But I... can't."

She didn't know why she was devulging all of this to Uryu. Sure they were friends and all, but until now she'd only every found the strength to confide in Tatsuki about this. She was further surprised when Uryu took a seat next to her, never once dropping his gaze or moving his hand from her shoulder. "Listen to me, Orihime," he said as softly as he could. "I know how you feel about Kurosaki, although I can't imagine why. But you have to understand that he's really with Rukia now and you have to let go." He gently squeezed her shoulder. "Also, I know you might not want to hear this, but you have to know. Even if he weren't dating Rukia, you two just aren't... meant to be."

He said this as gently as he could, but he was still dismayed to see the tears start falling faster from her eyes. Without thinking Uryu immediately wrapped his dream girl up in a comforting embrace. She didn't fight it; instead she burried her face into his chest as her body was wracked with sobs. He felt horrible for only worsening her pain so he squeezed her even tighter.

Time passed, but neither noticed. Uryu just sat on the bench holding Orihime tenderly as she cried her heart out. When she finally felt like she'd gotten rid of all her sorrow, she lifted her head and looked up at Uryu greatfully. "Thank you so much!" she whispered, her voice trembling just a little.

"Your very welcome," he replied evenly. Orihime gave him a long look. "You were right, you know," she finally said. Uryu cocked an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific, Orihime." "When you said Ichigo and I weren't meant to be. I think I might have already known that. I just... didn't like to think that there was somebody better suited for him than me."

Uryu shook his head. "If anything, you should think of it more like there's somebody better suited for you than him." Orihime sighed. "I guess so." Uryu looked down at his watch and then back up at Orihime. "It's getting rather late. I could escort you home if you'd like?" Orihime found her first smile of the day. "I would like that."

The two rose and began their relatively short walk. All throughout it, Uryu walked closely next to her, at times their arms even brushing. They arrived fairly quickly in front of Orihime's apartment building and she stopped walking and turned to face him. Her gaze is at first faraway and comtemplative, but when she focuses back on Uryu, her gaze is intense.

"I know I've said it before, but I really do want to thank you, Uryu. Not just for today, but for everything you've ever done for me! Thank you for looking out for me in Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and well... just in general!" Uryu smiled at her. "You were welcome then and your welcome now, my dear." Orihime returned his smile and then with a parting wave, she turned to enter her building. But she was suddenly stopped by Uryu's call. "Orihime, wait!"

She turned to regard him curiously. "What is it, Uryu?" He took both of her shoulders in his hands this time and leaned in close enough to make her think he's going to kiss her. "I just want you to know that just because Kurosaki doesn't love you, doesn't mean there isn't someone else out there who does." He kissed her lightly on the cheek before dashing away, leaving Orihime speechless, breathless and blushing bright red.

Was she dreaming? Did he really just say that to her? Even more baffling to her was the notion that he could've been implying that he loved her! She was suddenly assaulted with flashes of memories; Uryu protecting her from that perverted guy in Soul Society, Uryu saving her from Yammy in Wakomundo, Uryu looking oddly sad when she didn't give him any chocolate for Valentine's Day, Uryu giving her a pretty charm bracelet for White Day and most recently, Uryu calling her a gem. It all came together with astounding clarity. Uryu did love her.

Orihime Inoue walked into her apartment that night with a lightness in her step she didn't think she'd ever felt. It was true that Ichigo Kurosaki was in a relationship with Rukia Kuchiki. It was true that he didn't have the slightest feelings besides friendship for her. But it was also true that a certain dark-haired, glasses wearing boy named Uryu Ishida loved her, and maybe... given enough time... she could learn to love him too.

AN

I hope you Ishihime fans enjoyed it and please don't forget to tell me what you think.