This is an old drabble of mine I did a year ago. It used to be a separate story but I decided to delete the old one and change it a bit to add it to my HichiHime drabbles :)
He never knew when it happened.
All he knew was that it hit him. Hard.
Love.
In the beginning Shiro had only seen everyone as objects. Toys he could play with when he was bored. They were tools he used to take over Ichigo's powers and become King; for he realized that they were King's weakness. And he knew that he would do anything for them.
He would even die to protect his family and friends.
He loved being in control, there was nothing to hold him back. He was able to roam freely and do as he pleased. All consequences would go back to his King after all. It was his chance to make a mockery of the person who kept him locked away.
His was of thinking changed when she came into the picture.
Inoue Orihime.
The auburn goddess that was able to defy god with her powers. The only person that had such an effect on him it made him want to kill more.
She meant everything to him, and yet meant nothing to him at the same time.
Zangetsu thinks that part of the reason why Ichigo cherishes her and protects her most is because of her very similar resemblance to his mother.
"Perhaps the reason Ichigo protects Inoue Orihime is to make up for the loss of his mother. After all, he did promise to protect her and she had died when he was a boy. Because their personalities are alike, Ichigo feels that now that he has power, he will do everything he can to protect her; both physically and mentally; as a way to mend things with his mother's death."
Shiro thinks about the old man's words from time to time. And even though it would make perfect sense to anyone else;
It made absolutely no sense to him.
Why protect someone just because they remind you of someone you knew before? Shiro knew his King was stupid but even that reason was well above stupidity.
But when he had finally met her, for the first time, he understood why.
It was her heart.
Ichigo didn't protect her because she was like his mother. No, it was never about the looks or their personalities like Zangetsu had told him. It was because she was so innocent. So pure. She had accepted that Ichigo had a monster living inside of him.
Despite the fact that Ichigo was tainted, he was tainted, she still stood by them.
"Are you scared?"
She looked at him, grey eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Clearly the question had caught her off guard and she couldn't form a response right away. Her gaze had drifted to the sunset that loomed over their heads, lost in her thoughts. When she turned to look at him once more, a smile was on her lips.
"No, I'm not."
It was his turn to look at the sunset, it was now a red-orange colour and it filled the skies with its brightness. Just like her, he mused.
"Why?"
This time her smile turned into a big grin.
"Because I love you."
