(一姬)

Kurosaki Ichigo was having the talk.

Just not with the one he desperately wanted to.

He regretted it the minute he and his know-it-all four-eyed classmate walked into his home.

His crazy old man was as excitable as usual. More so when he saw the matching injuries on both the classmates' faces. So startled was he that he did not even go through with the surprise attack on his only son.

"What happened to the two of you!?" Kurosaki Isshin boomed out his curiosity.

Ishida Uryuu cringed at the overly show of 'fatherly concern' from the former taichou.

"It's nothing." Ichigo answered simply and tried to escape to his room as quickly as he could.

But Isshin was not letting his son go so easily without an explanation. "At least let your medically qualified father take a look at your injuries, my poor-in-pain son."

"I have already told you it's nothing and I am not in pain." Ichigo protested against his father's overzealous assumption of his pain threshold.

"You are now! Got you!" And the father landed a strike on his unsuspecting son with much more force that was intended. Ichigo fell to the floor in a sorry heap.

Normally, he would bounced right back up in a flash and retaliated doubly for the loss of dignity blow. But to Isshin and Ishida surprise, after Ichigo has gotten himself very slowly to his feet, he just turned to face his father with his normal scowl firmly on his face. "Are you happy now? I am going to my room. And don't even think of disturbing me. Let's go, Ishida." Without waiting for his on-the-defensive-father's answer, Ichigo turned and walked towards his room.

He probably deserved the pain for making the gentle healer cried. He was such a bastard. Why did he always have to make her cry?

Isshin was completely confounded by the lack of fighting spirit from his usually combative son. He turned to Ishida for clues as to why his son was behaving so unlike his normal self, well as normal as he could in this household.

Ishida gave a little apologetic smile, but it was not his place to say anything. Besides he himself did not really know what has actually transpired between Kurosaki and Inoue-san. He bowed to his distant relative and followed his cousin to his room.

Isshin has a determined glint in his eyes as he glanced slyly after the two boys.

(一姬)

"Close the door, Ishida." Ichigo told him the minute he walked into the room.

And that was how he ended having the talk with not the one he most wanted to talk to.

"Well, Kurosaki?"

"Well what, Ishida?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you? Why did you kiss Inoue-san? How come she was..." Ishida could not finish his question for in the next instance, Isshin who has been shamelessly eavesdropping came barging into the room.

"My only son! My pride and joy, you are not gay! You, you kissed the extremely desirable Orihime-chan! I am so proud of you!" Wiping the tears of happiness from his eyes, he gave his son a toothy smile and two thumbs up. But then something struck him, "Why is Uryuu-kun interrogating you? Is he jealous!? Of Orihime-chan!?" His face fell and he looked like he has been kicked in the family jewels. He pointed to the two of them, "The injuries!? Were there the cause of a lover's spat!? What is going on between the two of you!?" He accused them senselessly and proceeded to brawl his eyes out.

Ishida stared, stunned beyond belief as to what he has been accused of, 'This grown man, somewhat related to him was a doctor. A DOCTOR!?' Ishida's head was screaming at what what he was witnessing. He turned to look at Kurosaki, 'No wonder, he goes about with that dreadful scowl on his face.' He did not know whether to feel sorry for him or relief at his own nonexistent relationship with his father.

Ichigo, though he knew exactly what he should do. Without a single word, he kicked, yes kicked his only parent right out of the door and slammed the door shut. They heard tumbling and cries of pain as Isshin somehow was forced down the stairs with a single kick. Silence and then, "Boys! Don't do anything foolish! It's wrong! It's incest!"

Ichigo rubbed his face in sheer irritation.

Ishida really did have to pity him. "Your father, he is quite a character, isn't he?" That was putting it mildly.

"Forget about him. I should have followed Inoue home instead of coming straight back home. But I have to listen to your damn advice and now I am... worried about her." Ichigo paced anxiously in the small space of his room. "Maybe I should call her, just to see if she has make it home, if she is alright?" But mostly, he just wanted to hear her voice. Her soft sweet voice not filled with pain that he has caused. "What do you think, should I?" He desperately wanted Ishida to give him the go-ahead to call her. He did not want to be the one to cause her any more grief.

Ishida shook his head, "Didn't you hear her? She wanted to be left alone. Give her the time she needs to heal herself from what you have done? And once again, just what did you do to cause Inoue-san to be in such a state?" Ishida repeated his question and subtly demanded an explanation.

"First thing first. I need to know how Inoue is right now. Do you think she has talked to Tatsuki? Maybe I could call Tatsuki and ask if she knows anything?" Ichigo was drowning and he wanted to grasp onto anything he could.

Ishida was a little taken back by what he was witnessing. He always knew Inoue-san was treated differently by Kurosaki but he always assumed it was because she was just so delicate and innocent that she brought out the protective instinct in every chivalrous male she came into contact with.

This was a different kind of instinct, though. This was like the most primeval one. The one originating from the heart.

"No. You should not call Arisawa-san. If Inoue-san did not say anything to her, you will only make her worry and you could land yourself into trouble with Arisawa-san." Ishida cautioned Ichigo.

"Do you think I care about what Tatsuki and her violent ways of solving problems. I don't give a damn. All I am concern about is Inoue and only her!" Ichigo shouted out his frustration. He felt so useless. All he wanted right now was to know how she was and he could not even do that.

Suddenly, his eyes gleamed with a spark of prospect of what he could or rather his cousin could do.

"Ishida, why don't you call her?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"No."

"Why ever friggjn' not!?" The single word answer really irked him.

"She directed her request to leave her alone to the two of us and I intend to honor that." Straight as an arrow Ishida answered stiffly.

"In that case, I will be leaving to look for her now, seeing as how I will not be getting any assistance in putting my mind at ease as to how Inoue is at this very moment." He was not going to beg so a threat was going to suffice. Ichigo's hand was on the handle of the door when he knew his threat has worked.

Ishida did not want to back down but he also did not want an impetuous Kurosaki to further cause Inoue-san any more distress. He was doing it for Inoue-san and not because of Kurosaki's none too subtle threat.

He glared at Kurosaki before reaching for his cellphone, Ichigo has to suppress a victorious grin as he moved nearer to Ishida to listen in on the conversation.

"Do you want me to put it on speaker so you can hear more clearly?" Ishida taunted Ichigo.

Ichigo gave Ishida a look of absolute impatience and told him to just go ahead and do it.

Ichigo waited restlessly as Ishida pressed his finger to unlock his device, he noticed Ishida has Inoue's mobile number on his speed dial, much to his 'unnecessary jealousy'?

After what it seemed to be ages, Ichigo was ready to grab the cellphone from Ishida when he heard a faint voice, moving even nearer to Ishida, he was so ready to snatch the mobile from him, all he wanted was to apologize for whatever he has done. He would do anything, as long as she will talk to him again.

For her, he would even beg, he will beg for forgiveness till the special smile for him is back on her face.

At least he hoped it was a special smile just for him.

(一姬)

Inoue Orihime stared blankly at her cellphone.

Unlike the ringtone, she was not alright.

Everything was not alright.

Will everything ever be alright, again?

What will she do if nothing is going to be the same anymore?

Did he blame her for making him kiss her?

She wanted to be kiss by him so much, she wanted so very desperately for her first kiss to be with him and maybe the longing showed on her face and he could not help it but gave in and kiss her.

She has gotten her wish but at what price?

Does he hate her?

Will she hate her?

She placed her still trembling hand on her shattered heart.

It hurts, it really hurts.

She has long prepared herself for this day and the possible unwanted outcome and yet, she was simply not strong enough to face the heartbreaking truth.

That's why Kurosaki-kun had said those three little words to her after he has taken her first kiss, she was just too weak for someone as strong as he.

He truly deserved someone better than her, someone like...

And the tears started to rain down again.

She is so useless, all she knows what to do, is to cry and tears are a sign of what she really is.

She continued to stared blankly at her cellphone.

Should she just get it over with by just answering the call or is she going to continue with what she as been doing, all her life?

Hiding?

Concealing what she is really feeling inside behind a façade of big cheerful smiles and false acceptances.

Maybe, it was really, really time to live up to what she has set her heart to do in the first place.

And truly listen to the little voice that was always trying to warn her and protecting her fragile heart.

Loving him will take a lot of courage and she doubts she has even that tiny piece of strength left in her to continue with this foolish dream of hers.

It is just better to stop something before it has even started.

They truly needed to have their 'talk'.

She reached for her cellphone...

(一姬)

"Inoue-san," Ishida started to say,

And Ichigo as impulsive as ever, could not wait anymore, he snatched the cellphone from Ishida and pointedly ignoring the indignant protestations,

He softened his tone and almost pleaded with the one word,

"Inoue,"

(一姬)