(私の守護天使)
The school bell rang, signalling the end of another school day.
The students stood up, bowed to their teacher and chorused their goodbye.
One would have expected the busy students to rush out of the classroom immediately after the teacher has exited the classroom.
As a matter of fact, that was what the students in the other classrooms were doing.
Hordes of students quickened their steps to go where they were supposed to.
But in one classroom, the students were all waiting, anxiously for the idol to make known the chosen one.
Everybody's eyes were on the auburn-haired princess who was tidying her stationeries and school books.
Including two pairs belonging to two celestial beings.
Somebody gave out a rather too obvious loud impatient groan.
It went unnoticed by the princess gracefully and slowly, very slowly keeping her things into her school bag.
Arisawa Tatsuki has a sneaky suspicion that the timid princess was having second thoughts about the whole confession thing.
She might be even thinking of never, ever, of making her feelings known.
"Orihime." Tatsuki called to her friend and the startled princess dropped what she has been putting in her school bag right down to the floor.
She smiled sheepishly at her best friend and mouthed an apology.
Inoue Orihime bent over to pick up what was dropped on the floor only to touch a smooth cold surface.
"Ishida-kun?" She addressed the owner of the hand she has touched.
Ishida Uryuu moved his glasses up his nose as he stood up straight and handed his fellow sewing club member her belonging.
The princess and the president.
If anyone was a suitable match for the idol, it would have to be the handsome top-ranked student of their class and school.
Soft sniffles were heard.
The whole class waited for confirmation for the words to come out of the unattainable princess's mouth.
"Thank you, Ishida-kun." Orihime smiled gratefully at Ishida and more sniffling could be heard.
The aloof class president gave a small nod and for a fleeting moment, there was a subtle change to his facial expression, a brief smile graced his usually stoic face.
"Now there's the guy I would not mind losing my princess to." The tall angel commented to his companion.
"What?! That stick-in-the-mud! Come on, you have got to be kidding me. I doubt you would even want to be friends with a killjoy like him.
"You are right. I might not want to be friends with Party Pooper-san, but he is good for my little angel. Look at him." Using his big hands to hold his fellow angel's face, he forced her to look at Ishida.
He did not even notice the reddening and slight raising temperature of the cheeks.
And the fond glance that was bestowed upon him.
"Look." He continued. "He is fairly good-looking, is clever; which means a good stable job when he graduated from medical school..."
"How do you know he is going to medical school?"
"It is because his father is a doctor and he will definitely follow in his father's footsteps."
"But the chosen one's father is also a doctor."
"Please, that is like comparing red beans and green beans. That punk might not even graduate from high school."
The smaller angel smacked the hands holding her face hostage away and glared at the handsome angel.
"That is so mean."
"I am only stating the facts. Why aren't you so defensive? Wait a minute. I keep forgetting, you're his..."
He was silenced when she elbowed him in the ribs and pointed at the conversation between the preferred young couple.
"Inoue-san, shall we go to our club meeting?" Ishida asked politely.
Orihime smiled at her friend. "You go on ahead first, Ishida-kun. I want to talk to..." The determined princess looked to his desk.
He was not there!
The rest of the class followed the frantic idol's gaze.
They waited.
Orihime looked to her best friend.
Tatsuki gave a nod at the almost sliding close door of the classroom.
The auburn-haired princess grabbed her school bag in a hurry and rushed towards the almost shut door.
She cried out, "Kurosaki-kun!"
And the boys in her class groaned in disbelieving despair.
The girls understood and there were jealous mutterings and relieved sighs.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
The classroom door slide open again and before the princess's possessive guardian angel could protect her, Inoue Orihime slammed right smack into the hard chest of the one and only; Kurosaki Ichigo.
Ichigo scowled as he held the school idol at arm's length after he has removed her slim shivering body from his solid chest.
"Just what is wrong with this girl? Why is she always putting me on the spot? What with her extra exuberant greeting to me every morning and always crashing into me? Does she not know how much I hate the unwanted attention?" He thought frustratedly and frowned at the blushing girl.
Ichigo did not have to look into the classroom to know that everybody was gawking at them.
He could feel the unwarranted jealous draggers being thrown at him.
He really hated this.
He released the one causing him problems he did not ask for.
He was going to unburden himself from the beautiful clumsy mess standing quite so cutely in front of him, once and for all.
He stared really intensely at her.
The gentle girl quivered at the fierce fixation on her.
But she has to be strong.
For herself and her...
Frantically throbbing heart.
"K-Kurosaki-k-kun, do you have a minute? I-I need to t-tell y-you something." The poor pale princess stammered at her scowling would-be prince.
Making sure the whole class can hear him loud and clear, the orange-haired class punk locked his hard brown eyes with the princess's soft brown eyes and said to her,
"No."
(私の守護天使)