(So, you all want an update. Well, here's an update. But, seriously, it's a short update to thank all of you for the interest in this story. It is quite short and definitely not sweet. I hope to post another by tomorrow because the quarter-finals starts tomorrow. Yippee! It's the World Cup, duh.)

(Thanks, especially to : absolutefaith, Annabelle4.0, Cries of the Damned, ForTheLoveOfLiterature01, Majestade, drgnl, fallendemonangel, KyubbiNaruto, Lonnie84, lyerlaboys1, Pablo Hirunata, NaruHinaFanboy, KazumaKaname, Saint Sita (Hi.), wat, Fanfic lover, Guest,)

(夏の夢)

Arisawa Tatsuki was worried.

It was just after recess and the school bell has already rang, signaling the end of lunch period.

But, her auburn-haired best friend has still not come back from using the bathroom.

Everybody was already back at their desks and waiting for the teacher.

She glanced around.

Well, everybody except... but it was highly unlikely Orihime will be with him.

She has decided to go and find Orihime just as Ochi-sensei stepped into the classroom.

"Where do you think you are going, Arisawa?" The sensei questioned Tatsuki.

Tatsuki decided to just tell the truth. "Orihime is still not back yet and may I have your permission to go look for her?" She asked politely.

Ochi-sense fixed her a stern glare, "No."

"Why not?!"

"Inoue is a big girl and she is a good student. She will not be doing anything wrong." Ochi-sensei explained.

"But..."

The sensei looked around. "Who else is not here yet?"

"Ishida Uryuu." Somebody answered the sensei.

Ochi-sensei gave a little knowing grin. " So, there you have it, Arisawa. Inoue must be with Ishida."

"Why should she be with Ishida?"

"Young love, Arisawa. To be young and in love." Ochi-sensei informed her student nostalgically.

Tatsuki bear in mind she was speaking to a teacher and so she refrained from lashing out in disbelief. "You just said that Orihime is a good student. So why should she be wasting time with Ishida?" She phrased it as to not cause the princess reputation to be drag in the mud.

"Arisawa, being in love is not wasting time. Yes, Inoue is a good student and may I add, a good girl as well. And Ishida, he too is a top student. Not to mention, the class president as well. So, he is a good boy as well. The princess and the president, isn't it romantic?" Ochi-sensei went all starry-eyed and Arisawa and the rest of the class was struck dumb by this sentimental side of their teacher.

A pair of hard chocolate eyes glared in hostility at the the teacher and the orange brows furrowed in anger over the ridiculous rationalizing by the teacher.

"Ochi-sensei," Tatsuki politely addressed the teacher through clenched teeth. "May I please be excuse to go the bathroom?"

The teacher sighed dramatically, "If it helps to ease your mind, but if you should spot the 'lovebirds', do let them have a moment before you interrupt them. Tell them to hurry and come back to class."

Somebody whined out that the teacher was being biased in her treatment of the two missing students.

Ochi-sensei smiled, "But don't you all agree they make a extremely attractive couple." It was not a question.

The class grudgingly muttered their agreement.

The teacher turned to Tatsuki, "Yes, Arisawa, you can go and bring back the princess."

Tatsuki was ready to sprint to the door, when a soft knock was heard.

All eyes were on the door as it slowly opened.

Orihime walked in and everybody could see she has been crying.

Eyes red and swollen as was the lips, probably due to her biting them in her distress.

She looked like a tragic romantic character in a Shakespearean play.

And she was beautiful in her fragile state.

She bowed to the teacher and apologized for being late in coming to class.

Before Ochi-sensei could say anything, Tatsuki shouted from her desk, "Orihime, what happened?! Did somebody hurt you?!" The 'dragon' hen was ready to unleash her fury on whoever has abuse her best friend.

'Did someone hurt me? I guess he did.' Orihime thought sadly as she felt a new assault of tears ready to spring forth again.

"Sit down, Arisawa and be quiet." Ochi-sensei ordered the furious guardian dragon.

Tatsuki glared at the teacher but she did as she was told.

"Inoue, have you been crying?" The teacher asked gently.

Orihime touched her tear-stained flushed cheeks, there was no sense in denying and so she nodded.

Ochi-sensei laid a comforting hand on her good student's shoulder, "Why have you been crying, Orihime?"

Hearing her name spoken so gently by someone who obviously cared, Orihime could not stop the fresh flood of tears from flowing down her reddened cheeks.

"Because... I-I am w-weak and f-foolish." She cried out.

Tatsuki was not the only one feeling the pain of a crying princess.

"Ochi-sensei, can I be excuse?" Orihime pleaded with the teacher.

Without waiting for the teacher to answer her, Orihime turned and ran.. right into the hard chest of Ishida Uryuu.

"I-Ishida-kun," The gentle healer tearfully acknowledged before burying her weeping face into the Quincy's chest.

A pair of hands gripped the edges of the school desk so tightly, splinters was breaking into the calloused skin. The pain was ignored but how do you ignored the one pain you cannot touch.

And he was hurting.

Ishida did not know where to put his hands or how to comfort the weeping princess.

Luckily the teacher helped him out with the dilemma. "Ishida, bring Inoue out to calm herself down and if need be, bring her to the nurse's office." Ochi-sensei kindly suggested.

"Inoue-san," Ishida placed both his hands on the gentle healer's shoulders, he tried to gently move her off his chest, Orihime shook her head, still buried in the warmth of the Quincy's body.

"Inoue-san," Ishida repeated and this time, he gently but firmly remove her from his chest and giving the teary auburn-haired classmate a concerned look, he lightly placed his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the classroom.

Tatsuki sighed inwardly. She wondered what has hapened and she also wondered how her childhood friend was reacting to her best friend's sorrowful outburst.

She chanced a look at him.

She was completely disturbed by what she was witnessing.

A face filled with so much red-hot hatred directed at the retracting backs going out the classroom door, but at which back?

(夏の夢)