Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for waiting! We're more than halfway there, now! Not too long to wait, either, until things finally get out of this soul-sucking angst. But I figured that I'd done it to Ishida, so I should probably do it to Inoue. Enjoy!

Inoue had seen it in his eyes the last time they had talked, this pending conversation. Now here they were, only a few days after Kuchiki had left, and he was sitting in her apartment, looking more serious than she had seen him in years.

Kurosaki was explaining to her that he was going to be leaving for Soul Society. It just made more sense, after all, that he train there, as training in the living world could only take him so far. He would, of course, never ask her to uproot her life her to come along with him, but leaving was something he had to do. He had felt as if something was missing since he had decided to continue his life in the human world.

"And if I should ask to accompany you?" It was a quiet question, carrying the slight weight of the hypothetical, not the heavy burden of hope.

He protested. It just wasn't fair for him to expect her to do leave. She had her fashion designing, and she had something to give her hope. He was working toward a degree he didn't want, for no good reason. He continued to rationalize going alone, words flowing in a desperate attempt to get her to understand without having to take the conversation deeper, until she said, "I'm not saying I will, I'm just asking how you would feel."

A few stutters later, he managed to eke out that he would be honored to have her by his side, but his eyes were on the floor. She could tell that he wanted nothing of the sort - not because he didn't want her, but because he didn't want to hurt her. He wasn't only going to Soul Society for training - he was going for love. A love he was willing to give up even his life for.

He had come to her apartment in the middle of one of the sunniest days they had enjoyed in some time for nothing less than a clean break, and she knew exactly what would happen when he got to Soul Society. He was all but asking her permission to leave her for another woman.

And she found she did not care as much as she had thought she would. It was an odd time to think about it, but she couldn't help but notice that they seemed just as mismatched now as ever - with her in green and white, and him in denim and blue. "It's Kuchiki-chan, isn't it? You love her."

He immediately launched into a vehement denial, but she cut him off. "We both know it's true, Kurosaki-kun. It's okay. I'm not mad."

He quietly inquired if she was quite sure that she wasn't mad, noting that if he were in her place, he would be quite angry. "I've always kind of known that it would come back to this," she reassured him. "But it was good while it lasted, wasn't it?"

They proceeded to reminisce about their relationship, and how Kurosaki had known that he loved Kuchiki. It hurt her a little, she realized, but she was sure that was to be expected. After all, one does not take the leaving of one's long-term boyfriend lightly, no matter how much understanding has been granted.

He noticed the tears in her eyes and was quick to lend her a shoulder. She was just as hasty with an explanation that it was not his fault. She cried and explained the situation with Ishida as well as she could. She had surely realized too late, and Ishida would be asking his girlfriend to marry him any day. He interjected a statement of disbelief occasionally, and she thought for a second that perhaps he would never quite come to grasp the fact that it was Ishida who had grabbed her attention, and not someone else like him.

She realized that her admission had hurt him a little, just as his had hurt her, and though he had already told her he was in love with another woman, he had been in love with her at least a little as well. He would eventually get over the shock of losing her to his biggest rival, however. She was sure of it.

He started to formulate silly plans for her to win Ishida's affections, and they cheered her up considerably. After all, it wasn't often that Kurosaki indulged her enough to act silly for her. Eventually, however the topic of him leaving came around again, and he told her that he'd love to have her there to see him off.

"I'd like that, Kurosaki-kun." She stated firmly. "I'd really like that."

He left, and she shut the door behind him, feeling the weight that had been on her shoulders since Kuchiki's visit being lifted. Now she was free to do as she pleased - she was once again in the wonderful predicament of having to answer to no one.

She considered for one brief moment acting on one of Kurosaki's ridiculous plans, but she decided they were too risky. Though she had learned her self-worth, she also learned the value of quitting while it was still possible. She still had a friend - two if she counted Hoshikawa - and she liked to think she could. At that thought, all hopes were squashed. Surely it wouldn't be fair to poor Hoshikawa for her to make Ishida choose. She knew that she would all at once hope Ishida picked her, and be upset with herself for being so selfish.

She glanced around her apartment, taking note of the time. Surely they were out to dinner already. Inoue tried to imagine the classic scenario, but she just couldn't see Ishida being the nervous type, or Hoshikawa being the overly exuberant type. More likely, he would pass her the ring over dinner, and she would quietly nod and slip it on, no need of words. Or perhaps he would use it to decorate Hoshikawa's desert, and she would eat around it until the last bite, refusing to pick it out of the desert or put it on until they could get the chocolate cleaned off? Or perhaps...

She forced herself to stop thinking of it all - first and foremost she would be a good friend. She remembered her assurance that she would wish him luck, and she proceeded to pray for both him and Kurosaki.

They both deserved to be happy, she told herself through her tears.