Disclaimer: Standard applied
UNBETA'D
This one's for Kimitaka
Chapter 16 —Ichigo—
"Hearts, Truths, and Lies"
Orihime's body had been really weak since she was born. She would easily fainted and fell sick and that had always been making her brother worry about her. Not only her brother, she had always made everyone around her worry, and she hated that more that the fact that she was sick itself.
Orihime's heart was also weak.
Sometime it beat so slow and faintly that I couldn't feel it.
It scared me.
Whenever she fainted, whenever she got a heart attack, whenever she got a fever, whenever she looked pale, I'd be scared.
Because she had been really weak she couldn't play like a normal kid, she couldn't join us playing softball or any activity that could make her tired. She would stay on the save side of the field, under the shadow of a big tree, watching us playing from a far. She never said anything but at the time like this I know she felt lonely. Usually I would approach her and sat next to her but she would shoo me away, telling me that she loves seeing me playing.
She would smile while watching us played.
I loved to see her smile whenever I scored for my team. That was the reason why I had always been trying so hard to win every game I played, only to see her smile.
Her smile was my treasure.
She was my treasure.
When I asked her to be my girlfriend that was just about time. I didn't plan to say it. I knew she loved me and she knew I did too. There were no flowers, no chocolate candies or love poems. I was never a kind of Mr. Romantic. I kissed her, I hugged her, I told her I love her, I made love to her, but never once did I tell her how she actually meant world to me.
She told me that she'd rather to die than to break up with me.
I had never told her how much I felt the same.
She didn't know, how much it broke my heart when I decided to left her, when I decided to love someone else.
She was my treasure and I had done a big mistake by trying to walk away from her.
I knew this sounded weird but I am grateful that she didn't let me go.
Last autumn I had tried to walk away from her, to save her from myself—to save myself from breaking my own treasure—but I was never able to save her, in the end it was her who saved me again. She saved me from doing the most stupid thing in this lifetime of mine.
"Orihime, where do you want to go this Christmas Eve?"
That was winter last year, after what had happened last fall our relationship was never the same. She drew a line from me, she wouldn't let me know about what was in her head. I had been trying to act like nothing had happened because I realized I had hurt her by trying to leave her but she thought I did that because I pitied her.
I tried so hard to let her know that I was sorry.
She shook her head and mouthed an inaudible 'no'. She didn't smile and she didn't look at me.
"Orihime, look at me."
She didn't look at me.
"Hime…"
She stood up and walked out of the room leaving me alone.
It broke my heart.
If this was what she felt when I tried to walk away from then it was hurt so badly.
No matter how hard I tried to explain, I didn't think people would understand about what I feel. I loved her, I really loved her but I didn't want to love her. I didn't want to think that I love her. Had I known it would hurt so much, I would choose not to fall in love at all.
Now here I stood, outside her room with a man I hated so much leaned to the wall in front of me. I had brought her dinner when I saw him in her room, sat next to her. I was furious but I was glad that he said he needed to talk alone with me. I didn't want to show my anger in front of her, I didn't want to show her the monster inside of me once again.
"So, why are we here?"
He looked at me with her cold green eyes. It gave me bad feeling when he looked at me like that. I hated this man. I hated this man for hurting Hime. I hated this man for loving her.
He was the reason why I had to turn into monster in front of her. He was the reason… This bastard.
"It's about that woman."
I gritted my teeth, I was glad he didn't say her name but I didn't like the way he addressed her.
"What's about Orihime."
"Do you love her?"
"What was it for you?"
He looked at me. He didn't look angry at all. He didn't look like anything. His expression was just as plain as ever.
"Do you love her?" he repeated with the same tone as before, "Or not?"
"Why do you ask?"
"If you don't…" he looked at me, "Then I'll take her away."
"Wha-"
"I will kidnap her." He cut me off, "I will kidnap her again, but this time not for Aizen. I will kidnap her for myself."
"You bastard!"
"But if you do…"
He paused.
I didn't understand where this conversation head to.
"If you do love her…" he repeated, "…protect her."
"What?"
"You don't have to promise me, but if you love her, protect her."
"From what?"
He didn't answer.
"So, do you love her?"
I hesitated for a moment, I didn't have to tell him, right?
"Do you?"
I didn't have to lie, he had known the answer.
"Yes."
He looked at me, I couldn't read his expression.
"I love her."
He nodded.
"Protect her."
I frowned.
"That woman, I left her for you to protect."
"You don't have to tell me."
He didn't say anything before he turned around and leave me alone. I still didn't understand what it was about. He wanted me to protect her, from what? Why would it matter to him whether I love her or no? I thought he loved her, right?
I clenched my jaw and turned to re-enter her room.
When I entered the room, she had eaten the dinner I brought her. She looked at me from her bed. She was pale but she looked better than when I left her earlier. I wondered what had she talked about with that bastard when I wasn't here. She smiled weakly to me, the smile that didn't reach her eyes. I smiled back, it hurts to see her like that.
"Hey…" I sat next to her, "Feeling better?"
She nodded. She looked at the door behind me, "Where's he?"
I frowned, why would she ask about him?
"He has gone somewhere."
She sighed. She looked at her hands on her laps. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to know what had happened between them when I wasn't there. I was desperate to know whether he had done something to her or what but I didn't want to scare her.
"Ichigo…"
I startled by the fact that she called my name for the first time.
"Y-yes?" my throat was suddenly dry, "What?"
"Where's your heart?"
"Huh?"
"Do you have someone you love most?"
Why did she ask me that?
"Of course."
It was her.
"How do you know that you love that person?"
How?
"I just know it."
"Your heart told you?"
I nodded.
"My heart told me."
"Do you love me?"
You're my treasure.
"I love you."
"More than you love Rukia?"
I sighed, "Orihime…"
How would I explain this to her?
"Answer me."
"Hime, I only love her as a friend, or sister… What had happened before…"
"Ichigo…" she sounded tired this time, "Do you love me more than her?"
"More than anything." I answered quickly, I reached for her hands and held it with mine, "I love you more than anything, Hime…"
"How do you know?"
"My heart told me?"
Before I could anticipate it Orihime pulled her hands away from me and encircled it around my neck and hugged me tightly. She pressed her face to my neck. I could feel her hot breath and tears. Somehow I felt like crying too, did it mean she had forgiven me?
"Hime…"
I hugged her back tightly.
"Wouldn't your heart lie to you?" she sobbed, "Maybe it lied, maybe you don't really…"
"Heart never lies, Hime…" I inhaled deeply, enjoying her feminine scent.
"Ichigo…"
"Yes?"
"Where is your heart?"
I didn't know what had happened between her and that bastard when I was away.
-chapter 16—Ichigo— "Hearts, Truths and Lies" : end-
Author's Note:
I have written almost 1700 words for this chapter when I decided to change everything. This chapter was actually started with Ichigo and Tatsuki walked back to the room and saw Ulquiorra there. But then I remembered something about the plot and what I wrote made a big plot hole and ruined the whole plot so I have to start it over again.
XOXO
Recchinon.
