Some Notes to Read: This is my second IshiHime one-shot based on another fanart made by the talented AlexaClyne. The story takes place in the hospital and few of the scenes here are inspired by the manga chapter where Ishida got hospitalized and took some bull from his sexy father, Ryuuken! LOL...I'm not going to take up space here any long. Feel free to read the story. Don't forget to review after this.

Additional Note: If wanna check out the art, just visit my profile and click on the links.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo. All I own here is this story.

A Picture of Words
By: JcZala

Art Inspiration by: AlexaClyne
Bleach Pairing: Uryuu Ishida & Orihime Inoue
Just Five Words for the Sick: Give the Booboo a Kiss

Orihime walked up the broad steps of the hospital doorway with mixed feelings of anticipation and uneasiness. She was visiting a very good friend of hers today. No, he wasn't her best friend, but she had always felt a special connection with him, a silent bond that was formed over the troubles and adventures they've gone through together. He had been hospitalized due to heavy physical injuries. The reason for his injuries? An unknown attacker with special powers, and what was more surprising was the fact it was human. To do such a terrible thing to her friend was inexcusable!

She actually visited him on the night he was attacked, after she received a call from his father. If his father hadn't arrived quickly at the scene of the crime, then her friend wouldn't be probably alive by now. She was thankful that her friend's father was one amazing doctor, though he was rather strict and uncaring towards his son.

A man clad in a white lab coat came out of the main door. He was a bespectacled man with beautiful silver hair that looked so soft to touch. His sharp, blue eyes held inaccessible coldness in them, but she found them more than alluring and reminded her of the eyes of her injured friend. "Good afternoon, Ishida-sensei," she greeted him with a smile. The man was in fact Dr. Ryuuken Ishida, the director of that hospital and the father of her friend, Uryuu Ishida.

The doctor held the door open for her and informed her that Uryuu was awake but rather in a bad mood. She smiled her thanks as she passed him.

He was lying in bed when she walked into the room, his dark head turned to the door as she came through it, stunning blue eyes behind a pair of glasses watching her walk towards him across the polished floor, making her strangely nervous.

"Good afternoon, Ishida-kun!" she said brightly, putting her schoolbag on the chair by his bed. "How are you feeling today?"

Uryuu forced a smile on his face, just to be polite to her. "My body's still sore, but I'm good," he said.

"Okay...That's good..."

Perceptive as usual, Orihime could sense the fake mask hiding his true face. Not only that, she was experiencing a familiar stirring of discomfort. He didn't want her there. She felt it in her heart. He didn't want anybody there. It made her sad for him. It wasn't the first time he wanted to be alone, not the first time he had to isolate himself and push everyone away. With the scars and the bandages wrapped around him, she knew more than anything that his pride was the most damaged. As a Quincy and an individual, Uryuu holds his pride in high regard.

"Umm...I know your father didn't want me to heal you, but I could fix you up real quick if you'd let me," Orihime said, keeping her tone cheery. "What do you say?"

Uryuu turned his head a little away from her towards the window. "I appreciate the offer, Inoue-san, but it would be best to let my injuries heal naturally."

Her eyes softened as she lowered her sight to the bandages around his right shoulder. Though bones in his ribs were still broken and he had severed tendons which had threatened to paralyze his right hand, the surgery Dr. Ishida had done had been effective. When Dr. Ishida called her and informed her of his son's injuries, she thought that he needed her powers to heal. But that wasn't the case when she got to the hospital. She got warned by Dr. Ishida instead about these humans with special powers and how she may be the next target of attack.

Nevertheless, she somehow felt that there was more to it than that. Ryuuken may have called to warn her of the impending danger, but she could see that the father merely wanted his son's friends to come over and comfort him. It was too bad that Uryuu couldn't see his father's true intentions. Well, if only his father wasn't busy being mean all the time then Uryuu would have seen the good side of him.

Reaching for her bag, she pulled out a plastic bag with two apples in it. "I brought you apples!" she said, breaking the silence. "It's good for you and it's important to regain your strength again. I'll slice them up for you, okay?"

He hadn't moved, and, feeling slightly perplexed, she turned to the kitchen counter and grabbed a peeler and a slicer from the drawer. Uryuu was provided with a deluxe room, so it almost had everything for a patient's convenience. After peeling and slicing the apples, she turned back to the bed and set the juicy apple slices on the bedside table. "Here you go! Eat up!"

"Thank you, Inoue-san," he said, softly and rather sadly. "So...How's Kurosaki? Is he doing anything reckless because of what happened to me?"

"Eh? Kurosaki-kun?" She sat down on the chair and sighed. "Well, I don't think he's doing anything reckless...But he seems really down lately. I know something's been bothering him. I tried asking him about it, but he assures me that everything is all right."

"Yet everything is not all right," Uryuu added as he struggled to sit up. "That guy isn't at all honest. I can always trust you and your intuition, Inoue-san."

She closed her eyes for an instant. "I've sensed a strange spiritual pressure around Kurosaki-kun..." Her voice trailed off.

"Yes...And I'm not sure what to make of it. It doesn't belong to a Soul Reaper or a Hollow," he said, clearly focused on his thoughts.

Her eyes jarred open in surprise. "So...you've sensed it too? Since when?"

"From the start. I was able to unmistakably sense it during the brawl we had with some thugs to the part where he was kidnapped by his boss."

A frown greased her lips. Feeling of sadness taking over, she balled her hands into fist. "But you told me that you didn't sense anything strange," she said in a controlled voice.

The face he turned to her was regretful and ashamed. "I figured it would be best for you not to get involved," he said. "I don't want you to get in trouble just because of Kurosaki."

"Bottom line here is that you lied to me, Ishida-kun," she said, her voice slightly raised. "And you don't want me to get involved? But Kurosaki-kun is our friend. It's only natural for friends to worry and help one another."

"I was simply thinking of your safety."

"I think I'm the one who should decide whether or not to get involved in such matters."

"Inoue-san, please! I don't want you to get hurt because of him again!" he exclaimed. Uryuu wasn't sure if it were the injuries or the damaged pride that made his temper flare so easily, or by the mere fact that his father spoiled his mood earlier, but he had to let out his frustrations and concerns.

She slammed her palms on the bed, glaring straight at the patient. "If it's for the safety of a friend, then I'm more than willing enough to put my life on the line. I'm even prepared to find out who did this to you and—"

Ishida grasped onto the bed sheet tightly, his blue eyes looking a little narrowed. "That's the same reason why I would rather deceive you than put you in danger," he said curtly. "Last time I checked, I failed in protecting you! I shouldn't have given in to your request. I know you only wanted to help Kurosaki, but still I shouldn't have brought you on top of the dome. I should have done a better job fighting that Arrancar." He shut his eyes tight, feeling the stinging pain from his injuries and his aching heart. "I couldn't even do a thing against that monster that came out of Kurosaki. In the end, there was only regret and pain. I was devastated to see you suffer. Now you want to search for an enemy that was strong enough to knock me down? Inoue-san, that's beyond reckless!"

"What happened to trusting your friend?" she challenged softly. "I'm not a Soul Reaper and sword specialist like Kurosaki-kun. I don't have hollow powers like Sado-kun. And I'm not a Quincy like you, Ishida-kun. But I'm not weak that needs to be showered with protection all the time. What happened in Hueco Mundo is something we can never forget. However, those experiences, no matter how horrible they may be, only made me stronger. Everything happens for a reason. Things go wrong, yes, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can be put together. Whatever mistakes we made, we just have to accept it and move on. I did...and I've trained so hard so I won't have to rely on anyone anymore for the past 17 months."

His jaw tightened, eyes glittering coldly. "I swore on my pride to protect you..."

"I'm tired of being protected!" she shouted. This was so unlike her, but she felt so heated and the words kept coming. "Ishida-kun, we all made promises, and most of us were not able to live up to them. We made mistakes. But if we can't handle ourselves at our worst, then you sure are going to live a life full of regrets." She straightened as her eyes were neared to tears. But when she instinctively turned away, his hand reached for her wrist and he brought her round roughly to face him again.

His face looked a little pale as he said contritely, "It's isn't just about my pride...The reason I'm so compelled to protect you, the reason why I felt so miserable when I saw you go through that hell back then...was because..."

Straining in an ineffective way against his grip, she said, "I'd rather get hurt than have you hurt because of me..."

"I feel the same way. I'd save you and protect you without questions. That's how important you are to me, Inoue-san."

As their eyes burned concern and guilt, the touch of his fingers against her skin acted like a strange drug on her senses. His eyes held hers, and her breath quickened. Her lips parted to softly speak out his name and gently he dropped her wrist as he turned his head away.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Inoue-san," he said in a thinned voice.

"No, I should be the one apologizing...You were just concerned about me and I had no right to get mad."

"But I should have trusted you..."

"Ishida-kun, you've helped me out so many times...you've protected me and saved me from danger...and I—"

"Inoue-san, you know that I would—"

"Ishida-kun!" She bent down towards him, slamming both hands on the bed, locking him in place. "I-I didn't get the chance to thank you properly for everything!" Her mind was practically spinning and her heart was racing.

The deep shade of red across his face was a clear sign of his nervousness. Orihime's face so close to his that he could barely breathe.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled at him, her eyes cheerful and thoughtful, and gave him the thanks he deserved.

The handsome doctor was waiting by the door at the end of the long corridor and Orihime stopped to thank him.

"What do you see in that worthless son of mine anyway?" he said.

Orihime flushed red, thinking back of their little moment a while ago, and shook her head. "Umm...I know you really care for him, probably more than I do," she said, smiling up at him. "He's your son after all."

Ryuuken shot her an odd look that was almost mocking.

"Oh, no! I'm almost late for my job!" she exclaimed when she looked at her watch. "My boss is gonna scold me!"

Ryuuken silently sighed. "No shouting in the hospital," he said.

Instantly she clamped her mouth and bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry..."

The doctor shrugged as he spun on his heels. "And no love scenes either, understand?" Then he started walking away.

She still had her head down when she replied, "Yes sir...I'll remember next—Huh?" Her head shot up in shock. "Love scene? Did he?" Her whole face then turned red like an overripe tomato.

When the doctor reached his office, he pulled out his cellphone and looked up the image gallery. He opened a photo he took earlier and zoomed in. "I guess a kiss does make person feel better." He sat down on the chair behind his desk and set the phone down on the table. "At least for you, Uryuu." A smile graced his lips.

The picture displayed on the screen, featuring a lovely kiss scene between his son and Orihime, was going to be his new wallpaper for a while.

Give the boo-boo a kiss to make it better...

JC: A total of 5 pages for my 5th one-shot story in A Picture of Words. AlexaClyne is really talented in drawing, especially in IshiHime. I am glad that she's an IshiHime shipper too. This fic is, of course, dedicated to her, and I hope she likes it. In addition to that, I'm looking forward to seeing more IshiHime arts from her. Remember to visit my profile if you want the link to the art that inspired this story. Please don't forget to review. Flames are so not welcomed here, got that?