5 days later, at Karakura Hospital
Hoshi's sapphire eyes fluttered open only to see white completely surrounding her. After allowing her eyes to adjust to the light, Hoshi turned her head slightly at the sound of beeping. 'So...I'm in the hospital...I wonder how long I've been here...?' Hoshi could see that it was still in the early hours of the morning. Mentally sighing, Hoshi tried her best to straighten herself up in her bed. As she did this, the door to her room slide open. "Oh! Miss Namikaze! You're finally awake."
Hoshi glanced up at the voice to see her doctor. "Hello Dr. Yamanaka. How long have I been out?"
walked over to Hoshi and began to run a check up on her. As he did this, he answered her question. "Five days..."
"I see...It seems...it wont be much longer now..."
"You shouldn't talk like that!" scolded Hoshi.
Hoshi shook her head sadly. "You of all people know I am right." stayed silent for a moment, knowing that even if he wanted to agrue against the fact, that it would have been piontless because it was sadly true.
"You know you've had a lot of visiters coming in for the past few days." Hoshi looked at her doctor questioningly. "I had to kick a couple of them out cause they didn't want to leave your side!" he laughed at the memory of the teenagers trying to agrue with him.
"Did they ask any questions...about my sickness?" Hoshi questioned .
He nodded but gave her a smile. "Yes. But I told them that I wasn't allowed to give out your medical information unless I had your permission. I remember you said to only ever tell a man called Isshin Kurosaki about your condition." Hoshi nodded. "I did tell him what I knew. He said you didn't want your friends knowing..." Hoshi nodded agian. "Why?"
"Because...I want to make these last days with them as happy as posible." Hoshi admitted. "I only want to see their smiling faces." Hoshi looked down at her entertwined hands with a sad smile. "If I knew I made them sad, I know dying would only be that much harder. I want to leave this world knowing I did my best to make everyone precious to me happy, even if that means I have to suffer silently alone. I'm willing to bear that burden just for them..."
"You're a very brave girl."
Hoshi laughed, "I'm not brave at all. In all honesty...I'm terrified. But I know that everything will be okay." stared sadly at his favorite patient. He had grown fond of the kind girl through out the years of her being in his care. He would truly miss the girl when she left this world. Hoshi glanced up at the doctor with her big bright sapphire blue eyes. "So when am I allowed to leave?" Hoshi's sudden question caught him off guard.
"You just woke up not to long ago and you're already asking when you can leave?" laughed. "Not today that's for sure! We'll see in a couple of days." The doctor smiled teasingly at the much younger girl.
Hoshi pouted, "But I miss my Kiba! He must be feeling lonely right now! And I don't even know if anyone has been feeding him!"
"Well, I'm sure someone is. Now get some rest." turned to leave but stopped at the door. "I'll be back later to check up on you. I'll be sure to call and tell him you're awake." Hoshi nodded and thanked the older man. He just smiled and waved before exited the room and closing the door silently behind him.
'Well...I guess I better do as he said. I have nothing better to do anyways...' Hoshi closed her eyes and difted off into a dreamless sleep.
Later that Day
Hoshi stirred slightly at the sound of voices coming from inside her room. "I thought she was awake today?" A voice that sounded a lot like Ichigo's questioned. Someone sighed.
"She just woke up today! It's only natural that she would be tired!" another voice replied. This one sounded similar to Rukia's own voice.
"How was I supposed to know?!" Ichigo barked out.
"Give me a break! Your father is a doctor and you don't know this?!" Rukia shot back at Ichigo.
Hoshi cracked her eyes open and looked to see that it was indeed Ichigo and Rukia that had spoke. Hoshi smiled. "I see that you guys decided to come see me today..." The two jumped at the sound of Hoshi's voice. The others in the room also showed their surprise at the girl's awakening. Hoshi laughed lightly. "You two could probably wake the dead with all of your arguing."
"Hoshi! You're awake!" A chorus of voices sounded in her room. Hoshi nodded and tried to sit up. Ichigo rushed to her and helped her.
"Thank you. Yes, I am indeed, awake."
"We missed you Hoshi," Orihime revealed as she came to stand on the other side of Hoshi's bed, opposite of Ichigo.
Hoshi gave Orihime a sad, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
"It's okay. Just try to get better!"
Hoshi nodded in agreement. Ichigo cleared his throat to get Hoshi's attention. Hoshi looked his way questioningly. "Are you gonna tell us what the hell happened?"
Hoshi frowned for a split second before going back to her regular smile. Hoshi shrugged her shoulders. "You know I've always been a sickly since we were young Ichigo."
Ichigo scowled but said nothing else. He knew that Hoshi was right about her always being sick, but Ichigo also knew that she was hiding something. Something big. And his father knew what that something was. Ichigo sighed and watched Hoshi as she chatted animatedly with Orihime, Keigo, Miziuro, and Tatsuki.
Rukia stood quietly beside Ichigo while they were visiting Hoshi. She could sense that Ichigo knew Hoshi was hiding something from them but he didn't know what. However, Rukia did know what Hoshi was keeping from her friends. She had been the one to over hear Hoshi as she talked to Ichigo's dad about her sickness and how the doctors told her there was nothing else they could do; She also heard that Hoshi had been told she didn't have much longer to live.
Time seemed to pass quickly as Hoshi talked with her friends. All too soon it seemed that a nurse came in and told the group of teenagers that visiting hours were over and that Hoshi needed her rest. "I'll see you guys later! Be careful on your way home, okay?" Hoshi called out to her friends as they exited her hospital room, one by one. Ichigo, however, stayed behind saying that he would be leaving soon enough. Once the others were out of the room, Ichigo turned back to Hoshi and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her.
Hoshi blicked in surprise. "Y-yeah. I'll be fine." Ichigo said nothing as he continued to stare intensly into Hoshi's sapphire orbs. Hoshi stared back into his own brown eyes. Slowly, without them even realizing it, the two teens began to lean closer to each other until their lips were only an inch apart. "Ichigo..." Hoshi wasn't given a chance to finish her sentence before Ichigo crashed his lips into hers. Hoshi paused for a few seconds until she registered what was happening. Slowly, she closed her eyes and kissed back.
Ichigo noticed this a smiled a little bit, happy that she was returnig his affections. He deepened the kiss by bring his hand to the back of her head and holding her there. Hoshi wrapped her delicate arms around his neck and brought him even closer to her. After a moment, the two parted to breathe. Ichigo placed his forehead against Hoshi's lovingly. The two stayed quiet for a moment, neither one sure what to say at the moment.
Finally Hoshi opened her mouth to speak. "Ichigo...I-"
"Wait..."Ichigo interupted her. "Let me say something first." Hoshi stayed silent, allowing him to continue. "I...I want you to know that I love you...I'm not really sure when I began to feel like this. I think it may have started ever since we were young. I never really noticed how I felt until recently..." Ichigo paused for a moment. He remembered when he first started to question his feelings for the white haired girl sitting before him. It was just after Ichigo had found Kon kissing Hoshi at school in his own body. Ichigo had given Kon such a beating for it that the modsoul was somewhat afraid to even mention the girl's name. Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Hoshi. "I'm sorry if I made this akward for you..."
Hoshi smiled gently and lovingly at Ichigo. She cupped Ichigo's face in her hands and brought him into another kiss. She pulled back slightly and whispered, "I love you too. I always have and I always will. When I thought I lost everything...You put me back together again, stitch by stitch..."
Ichigo smiled. "I could say the same about you. When I lost my mom, you helped mend me." Ichigo looked at the clock and sighed. "Its getting late. I better go before I get kicked out again like last time..."
Hoshi grinned teasingly. "Oh! So you're one of the teenagers that Dr. Yamanaka said he had to kick out. My, my...How could I fall for such a bad boy?" Hoshi shook her head. Ichigo huffed and mumbled some incoherent words. Hoshi laughed and hugged Ichigo. "Now, go before you get in trouble. Oh! And tell your family I said hi!"
Ichigo nodded and stood up. He turned just before opening the door. "I'll see ya later...Um...I love you..." Ichigo was out the door before Hoshi could reply back.
"I love you too..."Hoshi whispered. She looked down at her intertwined hands. A couple of tears sprung from her eyes and fell down her face. "I hope you'll forgive me..."