(0527)
Inoue Orihime looked up and blinked in bewilderment at a hesitant Kurosaki Ichigo.
Her heart stopped a beat and a tiny smoldering hope was threatening to ignite and burst forth with renewed promise.
She forced herself to stay calm and keep...
Hoping?
"You can ask me anything, Kurosaki-kun." She cheerfully acquiesced to his request.
Ichigo gazed upon those trusting eyes framed in such an angelic innocent face and silently berated himself for even daring to hope she hold the same feelings for him as he did for her.
He really was a conceited though hopeful idiot.
It was so unlike him, he was so unsure of himself and how was he going to broach the topic and,
Could he handle the cold hard truth?
Rubbing and scratching the back of his head with equal energy, he channelled the energy in looking at the eagerly-awaiting-his-question princess.
Giving her a steely gaze which contradicted with the insecurities that was uncomfortably eating at him, he blurted out the question,
"Inoue, do you believe in love?"
"Huh?" A confused blushing face was his answer.
'Stupid! That's not what I wanted to ask!' Ichigo chided himself.
Orihime's timid voice broke through his censuring of his mindless questioning, he returned his attention to her.
"What type of love?" She wanted to know.
'Your love for me.' He thought hopefully.
But,
"Forget about it." Ichigo decided to drop the subject.
Orihime pouted, but just a little. She did not want to be seen as being too pushy. She appealed to Ichigo with her doe-eyed pleading look, "Kurosaki-kun, do you trust me?" Seeing his nod of agreement, she pressed on. "Then, let me help you with whatever is bothering you, alright?" Orihime gave him an encouraging smile.
But is she creating more heartbreak for herself.
Who could resist that look and the offer of help?
Why not?
"Inoue, what is love?" Again he has asked not what he wanted to know. He was getting frustrated with his out-of-the-norm indecisive self. He closed his eyes in anguish. Self-defeating thoughts started to take root and slowly it started to sprout and spread relentlessly, filling his head with what should not be thought till he felt a gentle touch on his arm.
His eyes shot opened as he ignored the tingling the mere touch aroused not only the area it came into contact with but a sudden miraculous cleansing of all negative thoughts from his self-abased mind.
She truly was a healer.
He was greeted by a sight he wanted to savor as his and his only.
"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" Bright eyes filled with concern, plump lips trembling with anxiety and a face flushed pink by her boldness in initiating a touch.
He could only nod as speech was suddenly beyond him. He could only continue to gaze upon what love must be.
"Kurosaki-kun, you kept talking about love. D-do you, a-are you in l-love?" Orihime stammered out her hope and fear. She dropped her eyes and hand away from him. She was brave enough to ask him but she was not really ready to hear the answer.
He was brought back to face the cruel reality once the contact was severed.
"Inoue, do you really want to know?" A nodding of the shiny auburn hair was his only response but he wanted more, so much more.
"Then look at me when I tell you."
(0527)