(夏の夢)
"Orihime, are you sure you are going to be alright?" Arisawa Tatsuki stood at her best friend's desk and looked or rather scrutinized the gentle healer.
She looked fine, on the outside but who can tell what demons she was battling on the inside to cause such a outburst after lunch period.
Inoue Orihime smiled reassuringly at her concerned friend. "I am fine, Tatsuki-chan." She saw Tatsuki arched an unbelieving eyebrow at her. "Really, Tatsuki-chan, I am a-okay." She beamed a sprightly smile at her.
"Inoue," Both girls jumped when the low voice of Sado Yasutora interrupted their conversation.
Tatsuki glared angrily at him, "Mind not walking as silent as a mouse, can you? You almost gave us a heart attack." The second strongest girl in Japan grumbled unhappily.
Orihime giggled.
"It was not that serious, Tatsuki-chan. You are exaggerating, aren't you? Is there anything you want, Sado-kun?" She turned to her training partner.
Sado just stared at her for awhile without saying anything, earning himself a frustrated look from Tatsuki and a princess whose face was starting to show tints of pink.
"Oi! Sado, what the hell do you want?" Tatsuki could not stand the silence anymore.
Ignoring Tatsuki, Sado turned to Orihime, "Inoue, I am going home now. Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked in a patient voice.
Orihime was touched. She knew this was what her meek giant of a friend's way of showing concern for her. She smiled gratefully at him.
"Thank you Sado-kun. But I am not going home yet. I have to go to sewing club first and then after that I will be going to work." She explained to him.
Sado continued to stare at her, then he showed a thumb up as a sign of understanding to a giggling Orihime and giving Ichigo and Ishida a nod, he left the classroom.
"Sado-kun is nice and funny, isn't he, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked in between her cheerful giggling.
"I guess..."
"Inoue-san,"
"What the hell?! Is everybody trying to see me die of a heart attack?!" This time it was the Quincy who was allegedly trying to cause the sudden death of the other 'dragon'.
"My apologies, Arisawa-chan. I was just going to tell Inoue-san that she need not attend the sewing club activity if she is not feeling well." Ishida Uryuu cast an apologetic glance at Tatsuki before turning his full attention to the one he was most concerned for.
"I am not feeling unwell, Ishida-kun. Besides, I want to be at the club meeting. It will help to take my mind off... somethings." Spoken confidently at first, her voice wavered slightly at the end of the sentence.
The 'dragon' hen patted her softly on the head, "If you are sure, Orihime. Ishida, mind walking Orihime to her working place after the meeting?" She requested of their friend.
Orihime waved her hands in protest, "I can go to work on my own. There is no need to trouble Ishida-kun."
"It is no trouble at all, Inoue-san. I need to get something from the shops as well." Ishida assured Orihime.
"In that case, call me when you have reached home from work or do you need me to see you home tonight?"
Orihime pouted. "Tatsuki-chan ~ , I am not a baby."
Tatsuki ruffled the auburn hair and smirked, "You'll always be my baby, Hime." Tatsuki teased a rapidly blushing princess.
"Tatsuki-chan ~ " The blushing princess whined in embarrassment at her smirking best friend.
Laughing loudly as she said goodbye to her friends, Tatsuki, like Sado gave a nod to Ichigo before leaving the classroom.
Ishida who has been trying to keep the smile from widening on his face, covered his mouth and coughed to collect himself.
The gentle healer heard the cough and asked anxiously if there was anything wrong with him.
"I was just clearing my throat, Inoue-san. Shall we go?"
"Um." Orihime answered as she gathered her bag and stood up.
"Inoue."
"Eek!" A startled Orihime jumped, tripped on the legs of her school chair and fell into the hard chest of Ishida.
Kurosaki Ichigo bent down to pick up the school bag that Orihime dropped. He did not want to witness the princess in the arms of another.
"Thanks for catching me, Ishida-kun. If Tatsuki-chan was still around, she would have been proven right about the 'heart attacking'." The giggling princess laughed at her own joke, deliberately ignoring the other person seeking to speak to her.
"You are right, Inoue-san, about Arisawa-san. And you should know, I will always be there to catch you when you fall." He told her seriously. Almost like an oath.
Ichigo did not like the look Ishida was giving Orihime. But what was really pissing him off was how Orihime was regarding the Quincy. It was like he was her hero... her protector.
Shouldn't her protector be... him?
"Thank you, Ishida-kun. For everything." Orihime smiled warmly at her friend. "Shall we go?" She was going to move away from her desk when a rough hand reached out to lightly grip her wrist, "Inoue,"
Orihime felt her skin tingled at the mere touch, she did not want him to affect her so much and yet, she felt the sensation coursing right to her heart. Her heart was beating so fast, she wondered alarmingly if he could hear it. She was debating as to what she should do as to not show any weakness and her... love for him.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed her school bag dangling in Kurosaki-kun's other hand.
"Inoue." Ichigo repeated when Orihime continued to ignore him.
And Orihime still decided to ignore him.
"Oh, my bag." Orihime absent-mindedly said about her missing school bag. She turned to Kurosaki-kun. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." She tried to retrieve her bag from him all without looking at his face.
Ichigo cringed at the frigidness of her voice. But his large hand remained on her small wrist. He tried to make eye contact with her. He wanted her soft honey eyes to gaze upon him with... love.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime did not want to do this but she was tired of being made a fool of and so this totally unlikely behavior of hers towards one of her friend. She tried to tug free of her wrist from his clasp.
Ishida saw the anxiety on the gentle healer's face and he decided to intervene. He put his hand on Ichigo's arm, "Let go of Inoue-san's wrist and return her bag to her, Kurosaki." He semi-ordered him.
Ichigo turned his gaze from Orihime to glare at Ishida.
"You wanna make me." He challenged his cousin.
Ishida glanced at Orihime before answering Ichigo, "I can but I won't. Let's not create any trouble for ourselves. Just let go of Inoue-san and give her back her bag." He advised.
Ichigo saw the concern glance Ishida directed at Orihime, he knew the Quincy only has Orihime's welfare at heart.
He chose to answer to Orihime, "Inoue," He handed her the school bag and slowly removed his hand from her wrist.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime answered softly. At least now, he could detect a little warmth in those words of gratitude.
But she was still not looking at him.
Her head was bowed and her fingers were fiddling with the straps of her school bag. The heat from his hand still lingered on the straps.
He knew she must have heard about what has been going on with him and the 'dates'. His stomach clutched and unclutched painfully making him felt violently sick, sick of what the gentle healer must be thinking of him now.
He wanted to talk to her. He will try to explain to her. She must listen to him.
"Inoue, can we talk?" He asked, almost pleaded with her.
She kept her head down and shook it.
"Inoue, please."
"Ishida-kun, could we go please?"
They both heard the desperation in her voice, Ishida looked at the orange-haired classmate who usually has a scowl on his handsome but he saw this time there was only confusion and maybe, pain etched on his face.
Ishida laid a hand on Orihime's arm and gently guided her away from Ichigo and out of the classroom.
At first, Ichigo stood silently as he watched Orihime being led away from him before he chased after them.
Once again, he caught her tiny wrist in his callous hand.
So surprised was her by his action that she faced him head on.
She did not have time to wipe what was showing on her pale face.
Stunned by the expression on her face, he dropped her wrist from his clasp.
"Inoue, I only want to talk to you."
The auburn-haired princess did not even answer him, she just started to walk away from him.
He was going to go after her again when Ishida moved in front of him.
"Get out of my way, Ishida. This has nothing to do with you. This is only between Inoue and I." He warned.
"Yes. It is definitely between the two of you but can't you see Inoue-san does not want to talk to you."
"I will make her talk to me and listen to what I have to say." Ichigo said with determination.
"You could do that but she won't be listening with her heart. She will be forced to hear you out. You do not want to force Inoue-san to do that, do you?Give her time to come round and be willingly to listen to your explanations."
"Are you telling me to stay away from Inoue?"
"If need be."
"So you take the opportunity to worm yourself into her heart. Is that it? Don't deny you like Inoue?"
"I am not like you, Kurosaki. I do not go out on meaningless dates with people I do not even know. I am not denying I like her. In fact, I think I... love her. And why do you even care, it's not like you love Inoue-san." With this parting shot, Ishida too walked away from Ichigo.
The unexpected confession caused Ichigo to stare in shock at the back of his cousin.
(夏の夢)
Despite what Ishida has said. Ichigo was waiting at the school gates for Orihime after football practice.
To hell with Ishida and him professing his love for the auburn-haired beauty.
He only wished to know who the gentle healer love.
And he thought he knew.
He slumped against the wall thinking what he should say to her.
How was he going to make her to believe in him again?
Then he sensed her calming presence, he looked up, looked towards where she was and saw her... with him.
He saw her talking spiritedly and waving her free hand furiously to further prove her point about something.
He saw him looking at her and he wondered if that was what he looked like when he was looking at her.
He was concentrating on looking at her so much that he did not even know he was staring at her till her soft brown eyes met his hard brown eyes.
He saw her moving to the other side of Ishida as they were walking nearer to him.
She wanted the distance between them. She wanted Ishida to come between them.
And it hurt.
"Inoue, please let me talk to you. Let me explain." He let Ishida stand between them. He did not want to pressure her unnecessary. She has to come to him willingly.
"I just want to talk. I just want to know why you were crying. Please, Inoue."
Orihime could feel herself weakening at the passionate plea.
She looked into his chocolate eyes and she saw only sincerity.
She walked slowly towards him and Ishida could only look on in bitterness.
Ichigo felt so relief, he almost become light-headed with joy at the thought of the princess giving him another chance.
Everything will be alright, he will tell her everything, he only wanted her to trust him again and to l...
"Kurosaki-kun, are you here waiting for me? I thought we were meeting somewhere else."
Orihime paled at Ichigo's date addressing him. She tugged at Ishida's wrist and begged him with her eyes to get her away.
Away from him.
She cast an unforgiving glance towards Ichigo.
She almost let him made a fool out of herself again.
She left.
She left with Ishida.
Ichigo's mind was screaming at him to go after her.
But he doubt he will know what to say to her.
He just stared at the backs of the gentle healer and the Quincy.
"Wow. They do look like the perfect couple, don't they, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Don't call me that!" He snapped at his date. His eyes filled with intense hatred, but at whom?
And Ichigo's date wondered if she was going to regret going on the date with him.
'Only she can call me that.'
(夏の夢)