2nd Shot: Promise

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She was around nine when she lost the only family she had. She had been at school, getting picked at and made fun of even though she didn't have her long hair. She rubbed away the dirt stains she had from her face as she walked to the apartment she lived in with her older brother Sora.

They had run away from their home as soon as Sora was eighteen years old because they were beaten daily by their drunk father (their mother was unfaithful, so she didn't give a damn what happened to them as long as she had her trusty love trysts). She was three at the time, so she's lived with him for most of her life.

She wiped away the few tears that had escaped her smoky black eyes as she started to run down the block, erasing the sad face she had and replacing it with a happy one for her brother.

When she got there, she expected to see the apartment empty, but instead, she saw Isshin Kurosaki with his son standing outside of the door. That's when she knew, that something was wrong.

She barged into the private clinic, running straight to where her brother's lifeless body was. She came to a sudden stop as she reached it, her eyes widening and watering as she neared the body.

"Orihime….I am very sorry, but your brother passed away an hour ago…"—he looked at the young red head as her shoulders started to shudder uncontrollably, her pain-filled cries filling the room—"I found these in your brother's pocket…"

Orihime forced herself to stop momentarily to look at what he was holding out for her. She felt another pang of crippling sadness hit her. She dropped to her knees as she continued to cry out her agony and regret.

What Kurosaki Isshin was holding were the hairpins her brother had tried to give her that morning. She had refused to wear them because she had said they were childish. She knew she had hurt her brother's feelings with what she said, and she was planning to apologize today after school, but now….? Now she couldn't. She would never be able to say sorry for not accepting the gift her brother bought her.

He would never be able to open his eyes or laugh at the wild antics she had. He would never be able to encourage her to step out of her comfort zone or congratulate her on the scores she received at school. He would never be able to compliment her long hair anymore. No more. It was all gone. In just one day, what she had taken for granted in a lifetime….Was now gone.

Isshin looked down at the girl, his eyes misty. He empathized with the girl because he knew how it felt like to lose a loved one. He looked away from her, his hands clenching into fists. He opened his eyes to see his son, standing against the wall…His eyes fixated on the girl.

"I'll leave you alone Orihime," Isshin walked out of the room, stopping momentarily in the doorway to look back at her, and then walking out.

His son looked at her before he leaned away from the wall and followed his father.

Orihime continued to cry, clutching the bed sheet that was draped over her brother's lifeless body. She gripped them even harder as her crying increased.

At first, she didn't think it was that serious. Sure, she was worried, but she didn't think he would die…After all, Kurosaki Isshin had said that he was wounded in a car accident, so naturally she assumed it was a couple of injuries, nothing life threatening.

But she was dead wrong.

And now here she was, mourning her recently deceased brother and regretting the fact that she rejected the hairpins he was trying to give to her because she thought they were childish.

"Please come back Sora…Please don't leave me alone!"—she sobbed—"I'll…I'll be so lonely! I don't….I don't want to be lonely! I don't want you to leave me!"

She closed her eyes tightly as she burrowed her face into the sheets, her hold on them becoming even more tenacious. "I'm sorry Sora! I'm so, so, sorry! So please, please don't leave! Come back, come back big brother!"

Outside, the orange-haired boy slumped against the door, his eyes glazing over as he heard her painful cries.

She didn't know how long she had been crying for, nor did she know how long she had been kneeling there for, but the sun was already setting. She didn't move when she heard the door open and soft footsteps follow after that. She just stayed there, petrified, staring at nothing, her eyes glazed over.

The boy blinked as he stared at her. He didn't know what to do, so he did what he thought he should do. He walked up to the bed and placed what he had in his hand on top of it.

She didn't move.

He blinked again, trying to figure out what to do. What would a nine year old do in a situation like this? He grabbed the item again and placed it in front of her.

She stared at it, looking but not really seeing.

The boy narrowed his eyes as he scratched his head, figuring what to do. Seeing as he had no options left…

"You forgot your hairpins…"

Orihime blinked, her eyes clearing themselves from the haze she was in and saw the said items looking back at her. Her eyes started to water again, that overwhelming feeling in her chest starting to circulate through her.

The boy saw this, and frowned. "You know, I don't think you're brother would be very happy seeing you like this. It'd make him sad."

She lifted her head off of the bed, sniffing as she stared at him. "How would you know…How my brother would feel?"

"Because, I also lost someone I loved very much."

She looked at him. "Who?"

"My mom,"—his gaze dropped to the ground—"My mom was killed one night. It was raining, and she was killed."

Her eyes widened. She felt ashamed of herself. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"That's why I know how he would feel…"—he continued on, looking up at her and meeting her gaze—"Because then my mom would feel sad too if she saw us crying for her everyday."

Orihime stared at him, her eyes shifty, and her mouth slightly agape. She hardly knew him (except for the fact that she knew that he was the son of Kurosaki Isshin), but yet here he was, offering her comfort.

She closed her eyes, unshed tears spilling over, as she nodded. "You're right!"—she wiped at her eyes tersely—"My big brother would be sad if he saw me sad."

The boy's eyes lightened up at seeing his accomplishment He had managed to make this girl smile.

She looked up at him and stood up. "Thank you, so, so much…"—she slightly bowed and then straightened up—"Even though I know I'll cry from time to time, I know that…My brother will be happy because…I'll be happy…." She gave him the brightest smile she could muster.

The boy stared at her. He blinked, snapping out of his trance, and grabbed the hairpins. "Here," he held out the hairpins for her.

Her smile vanished as she looked down at them. She hesitantly grabbed them, and stared at them in her open palm. Her bottom lip started to quiver.

"Hey! What did you say you weren't going to do huh?"

She looked up.

"I thought you said you weren't going to cry anymore!"

Orihime blinked as she saw the scowl of the boy before her. "I'm sorry…"

The boy shook his head. "Don't tell me, tell him."

Orihime looked at Sora…Tears slipping past her eyelashes. "I'm sorry Sora…I'm sorry big brother…"

Isshin opened the door as one of Orihime's aunts stood outside waiting for her.

Orihime solemnly looked down, the hairpins in her hair.

"Orihime…"

She looked up to see Isshin smiling down at her.

"I do hope my boy Ichigo hasn't roughed you up at all."

A smile appeared on her lips, shaking her head. "No Mr. Kurosaki, he hasn't."

His smile widened. "Well now, be on your way…"

She nodded. She turned to walk away but…

"Hey, you!"

She glanced behind her to see Ichigo standing in the middle of the room—his hands clenched beside his sides.

"Remember what you promised!"

She slowly blinked as a warm smile made its way to her lips. She nodded. "I will…"

With that said, she left, but not forgetting the boy who had saved her from her pit of despair. Ichigo Kurosaki.

Well, the second one-shot. Kind of stale, dull, whatever…But I thought it was kind of cute. Anyways, please review?