Exam is coming and I still have tones of assignment yet to submit. I don't think I'll able to update as often as I used to from now onwards. But I'll still keep on writing nonetheless.

Standard disclaimer : I do not own Bleach.

Turning right, turning left

Chapter 12 : Open doors

I take an aspirin and gulp it down with some water. As usual, every night before I go to bed, I will sit at my desk and pull out a pink cover book from my drawer. Tonight will not be any different.

It was a present from nii-san for my thirteen-year-old birthday. It comes with a lock and two little golden keys. I treasure it very much as it was one of the few things that nii-san left me. I unlock my diary slowly and flip to a new page before I begin to write:

Dear diary,

I know writing diary is such an old-fashion thing but I always think that a diary is a girl's best friend. I confide most things to Tatsuki and nii-san. No doubt, they are the dearest person in my life and I'd called Tatsuki as my living diary. But still there are few things that I find it difficult to tell them. Sometimes I don't even know where to begin to tell them. That's why I write diary. It has become an important daily ritual for me now.

I stare at the blank page of my diary for a long moment. The tip of my pen is pressing against it yet no word is written. For the very first time, I don't know what to write after the entry line. Nothing significant comes to my mind. My mind is just as blank as the page that stares back to me. Maybe it is because of the aspirin that I took.

What's today's date? It slips my mind again. I seem to forget things easily these days. I forget lunches sometimes dinners, forget to pay bills, forget to turn off the gas after I boiled water... I lost track of exactly how many things I forgot, but ironically I remember that today is the fifth day he left to Soul Society.

And I still remember the day before he left. He came to my apartment when I least expected. He apologized to me for that incident on our first date. He need not apologize in the first place. It wasn't his fault. In fact it wasn't anyone's fault. I guess things are just never meant to be between us. "Of course we are friends!" I remember his words well. Somehow I've come to accept the fact that we are friends and we'll always be.

I called him "Kurosaki kun" again that day but he insisted to be called by his first name. I had to laugh when I saw the awkward expression on his face when I asked him to call me Ohime chan instead. It is so unlike him. Then he laughed. Maybe miracles do happen after all if you have enough faith in it. It was the first time I ever saw him laughed. And I don't think I can ever forget his laugh. He should smile and laugh more. It suits him better than his knitting brows.

He told me that he'll leave town the next day and he had asked me to do a favour for him to look out for Kon. He never explains why he left again but I guess I understand. That's a tacit secret between us. He'll leave alone this time and I know he wouldn't want me to follow or interfere. Ichigo is like that – once he made up his mind about something, nothing will change his decision. As his friend, I can only stay and wish the best for him, that he'll find whatever he seeks in that place.

Knock...knock... I wonder who would have come at this hour. Probably Tatsuki. Not that I mind. I shove my diary back into the drawer and walk over to open the door.

"Ishida kun!" I gasp.

He lets out a cough to his hand to clear his throat before he says, "Sorry for disturbing this late, Inoue. I heard that you are not well. I passed by the 24 hour convenient shop just now to buy some cup ramen and I thought you might need this..." he hands me a plastic bag filled with some aspirin.

"Thank you, Ishida kun." I smile at him.

"Ah...it's nothing. You don't need to thank me, Inoue chan." He looks away and adjusts his glasses.

He always seems cold and aloof but I know he isn't half as cold as he would like to believe. Deep down he is really a warm and caring person. It is just that he is reluctant to show it for some reasons or another. I see past that long ago but I decided not to blow his cover. Let him believe whatever he likes to believe.

Sometimes I find it amusing to see him trying so hard to keep his cool in front of everyone else and it makes me feel the urge to tell him that it's unnecessary to do so. He need not pretend to be someone else to look cool. He is cool in his own fashion.

"Would you like to come in?" I offer.

"Um... no, I don't think so. I think I should leave now. It's getting late. Besides you should rest more." With that, he turns to leave.

"Thanks again for this, Ishida kun." I hold up the plastic bag that he gave me. "Goodbye and good night."

He raises a hand without glancing back as he leaves. And I smile to myself with a new warmth lingering in me.

I shut the door and return to my desk. Then I pull out my diary from my drawer again and begin to write from where I left:

I remember someone once told me that when one door is closed, another one will be open. Staring at the closed door too long will only make you overlook the open ones. Maybe it's time for me to stop staring at the closed door and look for the open ones instead.

Author's notes : Inoue finally decides to move on! How do you find this chapter? Do let me know. Thanks for reading.

rukiaprincess :

Thanks for enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it. It meant the world to me. : )

ruukii :

I'm glad that you enjoy the previous chapter. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well : )