Small Talk
chapter 3

Ichigo sat alongside Chad on the roof of the school, both silently enjoying their lunches. There were times when he valued Chad's quiet presence, but this was the one time that he really wanted a distraction. As much as Keigo could annoy him with the overly dramatic speeches about girls and trying to maintain sub-par grades, he just needed the noise. Otherwise, his mind would again start to wander towards a certain brown-haired girl and what had happened between them just a few days ago.

What was I doing hugging her like that? I didn't want her to cry anymore, but I didn't have to do that. Now it's weird when I'm around her. I want to tell her why I did it, but I don't know why. Then any time I try to talk to her now, I just lose my nerves when I look at her smiling as she always does. Maybe it's only weird for me. Maybe it feels normal for her to be comforted like that, so maybe she's just brushed it off. Wait, why do I care that it's probably only strange for me? She's my friend, she looked sad, and I wanted her to be happy again. I mean, that's what friends do for each other. Maybe there really is more, but she'd never like me like that. That's probably the last thing she needs, some punk with a bad reputation chasing after her. He shook his head to keep his thoughts at bay, but that only made him think of something else.

I'm sure Tatsuki knows about it. I'm surprised she hasn't come around and whacked me on the head for touching her like that. Maybe I should try to talk to her again about it. I just need to get her totally in private. There's no way in hell that I'm letting –

"Oi! Ichigo!" his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice yelling at him like always. He looked up to see Rukia with her usual look of annoyance. "You'd think that someone like you would be more relaxed with things back to normal."

"What are you calling normal? You're still hanging around here. Shouldn't you be back in the Soul Society by now?" he asked, knowing she'd be aggravated by his remarks. Even if it meant getting smacked upside the head, at least he was getting his mind off his personal dilemma.

"Nii-sama told me I could stay around here for another month," she said, punctuated her statement with the blow to the head that Ichigo predicted. "Plus, it's not like I'm hanging around here just to be around your mopey ass all day. I have other friends here, and I might not be able to be stopping by often after the promotion."

Rukia had initially stayed in the the Soul Society when the war finished. There was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done, and she understood that her duty as a shinigami meant helping rebuild in whatever way possible. A few weeks after they'd officially started the task, Ukitake had asked to meet with her. Thinking she'd just have a small conversation with her captain, she was shocked when he asked her to become the new vice captain. She enthusiastically accepted, honored to take the spot of the man she had admired for his kindness and leadership so many years ago. Given that her promotion also came with more work, especially since she would be doing a lot of the work that her sickly captain could not do, she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to visit the friends she made in the human world as often as she'd hoped. She had a month before the official promotions, so her brother suggested that she spend it in the human world relaxing. Surprised that he would suggest taking a break, she quickly took him up on his offer before he changed his mind.

"So why aren't you around those other friends?" he asked. He looked over to see that sly look on her face and he felt a familiar sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, I was, but I heard a certain something from a certain someone, and I know that someone else is probably thinking about it too much," Rukia said with a devious smile.

"Why don't you just cut the crap and just say what you know and stop trying to be so damn cryptic about it? Yes, I talked to Inoue yesterday. She got upset when she was talking about everything that happened in Hueco Mundo, and I comforted her, okay? Are you happy?" he yelled back. He felt the silence after his statement and realized just how loud he'd yelled that. Looking around, he was glad it was just Chad and Rukia there.

"I didn't think you'd own up to it so fast."

"Yeah, well, if you already know, there's no reason to hide it," he begrudgingly replied. "So, did you stop by to tease me about it, or something?"

"I thought about it," she said poking the straw into her juice box. "But I think you're torturing yourself enough, so I'll sit back and watch." She watched out of the corner of her eye as he went back to eating his lunch, but she could feel the anger oozing out of him. "You know you shouldn't worry so much about it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're probably just thinking too much, for once." God, he wanted to hurt her right now. "You just got lucky that you grabbed one of the nicest girls alive."

"First off, I didn't grab her. I'm not like that perverted lion. I comforted her when she was upset. And secondly, I know Inoue wouldn't hold a grudge against me for something like that. It's just weird around her now, and it's probably just me. I really... I just don't know why."

"Why, what?" she asked, seeing that her friend was a bit troubled by this.

"Why I did any of this. Why did I feel like I had to talk to her about all of this? Why did I hate seeing her so upset? Why am I worrying so much about how she's feeling now."

His questions didn't surprise her in the least. She knew very well how emotional the orange-haired boy could be. Sometimes it was a great asset. He'd been able to channel that emotion into his fights and became stronger than she'd even have imagined that night almost a year ago when she gave her shinigami powers to him. But, for however great a strength it was, it was also a weakness. He often buckled under the confusion of swirling emotions, and Rukia could now see that weakness coming from him.

"I think the answers to those questions are pretty easy, you're just not willing to admit it. All of this stuff about comforting her and wanting to make sure she's okay makes it sound like you really care for her."

"She's my friend; she's been there to help me or heal me all those times I almost got myself killed, so I should worried about her when she's in danger or upset."

"I know I haven't really known you that long, but I didn't think you would ever be so confused by something so simple," Rukia stated plainly.

"What's so simple about it?"

"You like Inoue and not just as a friend."

"Maybe that is it," he said with a nervous chuckle after thinking about her statement of a few seconds. "That's kinda come across my mind a few times."

"Well, if that's been the answer, why are you still sitting around asking yourself questions that you know the answer to? Tell her!"

"I just think she deserves a lot more than some orange-haired punk who's always getting her in trouble."

The was no hesitation. Almost immediately after he finished his sentence, Rukia's fist landed a hard punch straight to his face. "Hey! What the hell?" he yelled putting his hand to his nose to feel that it was indeed bleeding.

"What kind of idiot are you? Nobody, least of all Inoue, thinks of you like that! What kind of fools would we be to have the back of a guy who's just some orange-haired punk? Sure, you technically started all of this by taking all my powers that night, but you're also the one who ended it. You stood your ground even when things got tough, and you kept on going because you wanted to protect everyone around you. Everyone appreciates what you've done for them, Ichigo. Sure, we all got a little angry when you didn't trust us, but we feel glad we stuck with you. This whole time, there was one person who just wanted to be by your side, Ichigo. You said it yourself. She's someone who saw everything but never changed her mind, never even got angry at you for anything, and that's even when you deserved it. If she doesn't think that way, why do you?"

"Did you know about all the stuff that happened to her?"

"No, I don't, but I do know that she didn't blame you for it. She blamed herself, but I'm sure you know that, right?" Ichigo reluctantly nodded. "Look, I know you probably think I'm the last person who'd tell you this, but you two can really help each other out. I don't know how she does it, but that girl will probably always have a tremendous amount of faith in you."

Wiping the remaining blood from his nose, Ichigo stood up with a smirk.

"And how do you feel about this, Chad?" he asked glancing over at his silent friend. In true Chad style, he responded with a thumbs up. "Thanks. You know, I don't really know how I'm going to do this."

"I've already done enough. The rest is up to you," Rukia said, getting back to the business of eating her lunch.

That caused him to unceremoniously plop back down. "You didn't think I was going to hold your hand through all of this, did you? If there's something you want to say to her, it should be something from your heart."

"Thanks, Rukia," he replied softly.

While Rukia and Chad continued to eat their lunches, Ichigo sat and looked pensively at the sky.

So now, what do I say?

"You're still sure you don't want me to punch him a few times? It might knock some sense into him," Tatsuki said as the two girls walked the halls as school let out.

"No, Tatsuki-chan, violence like that doesn't solve anything," Orihime sternly replied.

"Come on Orihime, you can't just protect that guy all the time."

"I know, but I don't think you beating up Kurosaki-kun is going to do anything. I'm just kind of confused now, but it's something that I should solve on my own with him."

"Well, I guess I should be glad that you want to solve this, and I know I shouldn't say this and get your hopes up, but I think it'll work out just fine," Tatsuki said nonchalantly.

"You really think so?" Orihime asked softly.

"I do. That guy can is definitely more than a little dense, but I think he's really starting to understand things a little better."

Orihime smiled back at her friend as they made their way towards the shoe lockers. As they got close enough, they could see a familiar head of orange hair waiting by Orihime and Tatsuki's lockers. Seeing Ichigo stand there waiting made Orihime nervous, and she fell back a few steps behind Tatsuki.

"Oi, Ichigo," Tatsuki yelled to grab her friend's attention. "What are you doing over here? Isn't your locker two rows over?" Orihime, meanwhile, just quietly walked to her locker to change into her normal shoes. She knew Ichigo was there for her, but she was nervous about what he might tell her. She'd never brought up the subject of her feelings for fear of rejection and losing his friendship. The possibility of that happening, despite Tatsuki's reassurance, felt very real at the moment.

"I kinda wanted to talk to Inoue, maybe walk her home, or something," he said in an uncharacteristically shy manor. He knew that in all likelihood Tatsuki understood his intentions, but he just prayed that she didn't make a scene or threaten him with violence. That was the last thing he needed now, the direct threat of Tatsuki looming over him.

Tatsuki looked over at Orihime to see her avoiding eye contact with Ichigo, who was obviously taking his time glancing over at her and focusing back on Tatsuki while he waited for an answer. She had to admit that she liked seeing him squirm, but she couldn't say no to the sudden shy act.

"Sure, but I better not hear about you starting any funny business," she said with a smirk.

"You won't," he flatly replied, his teeth clenched. As Tatsuki walked away, he looked down, and scratching the back of his head, he let out a long breath. By the time he'd looked up again, Orihime was already in her normal shoes, ready to go. "Ah, sorry about that," he muttered.

"You don't need to say you're sorry," she smiled back. Of course she'd respond like that. With that they were off. Exiting the school gates, this time, it didn't really matter if anyone saw them leaving together. The potential reaction did unnerve him a bit, but it was hard to get too worked up about rumors given what he'd wanted to talk to Orihime about.

The exit from the gates was silent, yet not wholly awkward.

"It's so hard to believe that the school year is almost over," Orihime said to break the silence as they walked side by side. He made sure to stand between her and the road. Not only was it the gentlemanly thing to do, but he never knew just where she'd roam.

"This whole year has gone by pretty fast," he replied.

"It was a very busy year for Kurosaki-kun," she returned with a soft giggle.

"I'm surprised they're not holding me back a year. It's not like I don't have enough problems as it is. Being an orange-haired delinquent, who was let back a year, is the last thing I need. I mean, I study for a reason."

"I just hope that somehow we can be in the same again class next year." Hearing what she said and noticing just how that may come out, she blushed. "I hope we're all in the same class. It wouldn't be the same without Tatsuki-chan or Sado-kun or Ishida-kun," she quickly added.

Their conversation continued as the two walked back to Orihime's place. Despite the anxiety that sat in the pit of his stomach, troubling him with what he was going to say next, their little conversation about school and exams felt so light. Orihime had watched him become a hero, taking on the Soul Society and then Aizen, yet she seemed so content right now just walking home from school with him.

"I did it again," Ichigo said realizing they'd reached Orihime's door and he'd yet to tell her what he originally set out to tell her. "I keep on saying that I want to talk to you, but I can never really get what I wanted to say out."

"It's okay Kurosaki-kun. You can come in again if there's something you need to say."

Once again, he followed her inside her apartment. This time he wasn't going to accept any tea. He was going to get right to business. He'd been practicing in his head what he was going to say to her all afternoon. All he needed to do was just get it out. "Do you want some tea?" she asked facing him directly.

"No," he roughly replied. "I mean, no thanks," he said to correct himself realizing that he may have sounded a little harsh. "Inoue, I know that it's kinda been strange since, well, since the last time I was here and what happened. All that got me thinking," He paused to sigh and let out of some tension. "I'm not good at getting this out either. I've been wondering why I did anything. Why did I hate seeing you so upset? It wasn't that I felt responsible. I mean, I do, but it wasn't just that. I thought about it, and it's just that I hate seeing you like that. The Inoue in my mind is the one who can smile and light up a room. Seeing that smile just makes me feel relaxed, and I feel like I can forget what's bothering me. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I…I really like that Inoue. I mean, I really like you, Inoue."

Orihime didn't know what to say. It didn't feel real. She pinched her arm, and let out a quiet ouch when she felt the sting of the contact. "What are you doing?" he asked with a slightly nervous giggle under his breath.

"I was making sure that this is real, and I'm not dreaming. I never thought I'd hear those words from you, Kurosaki-kun. I've liked you for a long time, and I never thought…" she trailed off, her emotions getting better of her. She was reduced to tears yet again. This time bowed her head to try to hide her tears.

"Eh, Inoue," he said with a bit of panic in his voice. "Geez, am I only good at making you cry?"

"No," she softly said, shaking her head. "These are good tears." She looked up at him, and he could indeed see that it was a combination of crying and smiling. "What you said makes me really happy."

Just like before, Ichigo quickly pulled her close, a smile on both of their faces. "What do we do now?" she asked once her tears had slowed

"I don't know. I didn't really think that far ahead."

That earned a healthy giggle from Orihime. "Well, we've got all the time in world to figure it out."