A/N: Hello! I know the last chapter disappointed quite a few of you, but hey, the details there (even if the prose might have been hard to follow) are really important. It'll affect this chapter, but it'll also affect Orihime (if you hadn't caught what I mean, chapter 10 gives a small hint. Her own story will touch more on it, though). Anyways, this chapter…I like it. Not love it (close), but it'll give me enough breathing room to see how I want to plan the following chapter. I hope you all keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

The next day, I learn that it's not guilt. When I look at her as she and Tatsuki come up to eat with us on the roof, it's not the painful, heart-wrenching guilt that I feel when my eyes find hers. I would like to say that it is because then I would know what I'm feeling, but it's not. No guilt. Just something else.

And when she smiles at me, a greeting passing her lips, I wonder how I could have ever mistaken my sudden closeness to her as the force guilt. No, the real force is just her.

She's always acted as a magnet. Her smile, her personality, everything about her just naturally drew people to her, and I guess I've just become powerless to her pull. I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, and maybe almost losing her and maybe the guilt, too, acted as a catalyst that weakened my resistance to her. Maybe I'm just more susceptible to her magnetic field.

Then again, it's not like I was completely immune to her natural attraction. She's someone that you can't forget when you see her, and even though I'm bad with names, when I first heard hers, I retained her name instantly. I couldn't forget it, couldn't not remember her face either. She was just…imprinted in my mind from the very beginning. So I guess I never really had any resistance to her or her pull from the start.

"Do…do I have something on my face, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Huh?" I can feel myself redden, and I can't blame it on the mid-January weather. It's embarrassment. It seems that while I figured out whether if it's guilt as to the real reason I'm by her side more and more or not, I've been staring at her.

"No. I…" I rack my brain. "I had something to tell you," I begin, and she perks up, "but I forgot." I can see that she visibly deflates, and I feel bad when a pout starts to form on her face.

"Oh. Well, if you remember…" she says quietly as she bites into a loaf of bread. Her eyes widen all of a sudden, and she swallows the food in her mouth quickly. "I felt Abarai-kun's spiritual pressure yesterday. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. He just came to deliver something…and bug me to death," I tell her, and she laughs.

"Did he mention when Rukia-san is coming back?"

I'm sure my eyebrows disappear behind my fringe. "'Rukia-san?'"

"Apparently Orihime and her became best friends recently," Tatsuki offhandedly answers.

Inoue drops her food on her lap and stretches her arms over Tatsuki's shoulders. "Don't be like that Tatsuki-chan!"

Tatsuki looks unfazed, but I can see her eyes pinch, and I think I've seen that look on her face so many years ago. A lifetime ago.

"You're jealous." I direct at my childhood friend. I know I'm right because she blushes, and while she glares at me, I see her hand search for something blindly. She grabs it and hurls it at my face.

I catch the phone inches away from my face.

"Am not!" She yells. "You-you pervert!"

I scoff. "I am not a pervert! If anyone's one, it's Keigo!"

"Just like a pervert to deflect," Ishida quips in behind his book.

I grind my teeth together in annoyance. I guess that's fair that everyone's ganging up on me.

Inoue laughs behind her hand.

"You, too, Inoue?" I accuse in disbelief. She presses her lips together, but it's obvious that she's holding back her laughter.

"Sorry, Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't apologize, Inoue-san. He should be the one offering his apologies," Ishida continues.

My arm raises to hit him when I notice that I still have the phone Tatsuki threw in my hand. I bring it closer to my face and inspect it. It's always been difficult to tell if it's Tatsuki or Inoue's since they have matching cellphones.

My finger moves over to the power button to see who it belongs to, but before I can push it, something collides with me.

Now, this is the second time in less than a week that I've had my face pressed against her chest. Although, this is the first time in which I am conscious. Either way, the realization that I'm so close to her, with her scent and flesh surrounding most of my senses, has me gasping in embarrassment.

She pulls away quickly, her phone securely placed against her chest. "Heh. Sorry, Kurosaki-kun! I…"

"She has something dirty on her phone that she doesn't want you to see," Tatsuki finishes with a smirk.

Keigo's jaw drops. Mizuiro glances up from his phone. Ishida places a bookmark into his book. Chad…well he is just as stoic as ever.

Inoue flushes

"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue jostles her friend on the shoulder while looking like she is going to pass out.

Everyone is quiet, and their attention is on Inoue.

"It's…it's not like that. Right, Tatsuki-chan?" Her voice is pleading, and Tatsuki looks like she relents to Inoue's pleas.

"Yeah. I'm just kidding. She has nothing incriminating on her phone," Tatsuki explains, and she clearly means for us to drop the subject, her glare kind of emphasizes her point, but we are suspicious. Honestly, I don't even know if anyone else is, but I know for a fact that I am. I mean, what does Inoue have on her phone that made her react so jumpy? And why does it seem that she's specifically hiding it from me?

I can feel a question building up in my throat, but her phone rings and saves her from my integration. She answers it with relief as if she knows that I wouldn't let the phone issue drop.

"Hello?" She listens. "Oh! You know me too well!" She giggles. "I did forget! But don't worry! We'll be there in a few minutes…Okay! Bye!"

"You're leaving?" Tatsuki asks.

Inoue nods. "I forgot that Ishida-kun and I have a meeting with the handicraft club." Ishida starts to pack up his things. "Since we're about to graduate, we have to decide what we are making and leaving for our underclassmen. Sort of a goodbye/legacy gift." She gathers her things and gives Tatsuki a hug before standing up. She individually says goodbye to everyone, and then she gets to me, and there's that force of hers acting up again, but instead of pulling me in, I just don't want her to leave. But I can't ask her to stay, so I tell her that I'd see her later.

She walks over to the door with Ishida following her, and they both reach for the door handle at the same time. Even from here, I see their hands touch, and it's only for a second, but the brief contact makes me uncomfortable. The feeling doesn't pass even after they pull their hands away and walk down the stairs.

"Wouldn't Orihime and Ishida make a cute couple?"

My head snaps toward Tatsuki.

"No way! Four-eyes and the princess?! You're crazy!" Keigo screams.

"I could see it," Mizuiro reasons.

"…" Chad takes a bite out of his sandwich.

"Just think about it: both are insanely smart, they have a lot in common, they are both good-looking, and most importantly, they are already friends. Just think about how easy it would be to transition from friends to something more." Tatsuki says all of this while staring at me. I move eyes away from hers and pick at my food. "Theoretically, all he would have to do is just realize his feelings and confess to her. That's how easy it is."

Ishida and Inoue? Could they be…? Could she like him?

I bark out a laugh. It's not him. He didn't fit the criteria. She clearly said that the guy she likes has someone else in his heart. It couldn't possibly be Ishida because, well, besides Inoue, he really didn't converse with any girls. She's basically the only girl Ishida really talked to, really looked at. No, I'm absolutely positive that he is not the one that Inoue likes.

It's kind of a relief.

While I make my deduction, I feel Tatsuki watching me and that makes me suspicious. She probably knows who Inoue likes. They tell each other things, so why would Tatsuki mention Ishida if she knows the truth? Unless…

My eyes narrow as I try to think through everything. Tatsuki wouldn't just blurt out who Inoue likes. It would be a verbal betrayal, which means that it is in fact true that Ishida is just a friend to Inoue and nothing more. But why bring up this whole hypothetical in the first place? What does Tatsuki have to gain by her question? And why is she eyeing me so intently?

Keigo goes on this tangent about how he should confess to Inoue if it's so easy, and while he talks, I start to get a headache.

I haven't thought this much since…well, I usually don't try to think. My fists always seem to do the thinking and talking for me, but no amount of fighting will figure out these questions or the questions I've been asking myself lately. I'm all alone with my head on this one.

How comforting.

Tatsuki sighs and stuffs rice into her mouth in a huff. It seems like she is dissatisfied with something all of a sudden.

At least she dropped the whole Ishida-Inoue question.

The rest of the lunch passes with Keigo being an idiot, Mizuiro conforming that he is an idiot, and Tatsuki offering a jab once in a while. Chad is strangely more subdued than he usually is.

We all get ready to head back to class. Chad hangs back, and I stop walking until it's just me and Chad on the roof.

"Something wrong?"

He goes over to the railing, and he looks out into the distance. I go over to his side.

I wait for him to speak, and when he finally does, he's quieter than normal.

"I'm going to Mexico."

"Huh?"

"After we graduate."

I can't even say anything. All of my responses, questions, words, they are all catching in my throat.

"I've been saving up money for a while, and I haven't visited abuelo's grave since I came to Japan, so I just thought this was the best time to go."

"You'll come back." It's not a question. I don't want it to be.

He shrugs his shoulders as if to tell me that he's not sure, and I'm pissed. So damn angry at him. So furious.

And hurt. So damn hurt.

"I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Thanks." I couldn't keep the sarcasm away. Couldn't hide my feelings. How could I? Chad is my best friend. We've known each other for such a long time. We protected each other's back. We fought together. Laughed together. And it hurts that he's leaving. That he's throwing away our friendship, our bond, so easily.

As if he can read my thoughts, he says, "You'll always be my best friend."

I keep silent.

"We'll be late for class." He heads down the stairs, and I follow him all the while keeping quiet.

We get to his classroom, and I spot Inoue inside. She waves us at energetically, but her hand droops down as does her smile as she looks at us. She stands up with hesitation.

"I'll tell everyone Thursday at lunch."

Inoue's forehead creases in worry, and my pain from hearing Chad's announcement increases. The bell rings, signaling me to go back to my class, and I mumble a goodbye to Chad while giving Inoue a small smile to try to reassure her.

But instead of going to class, I retreat back to the roof.

I throw my bag somewhere and run my hands throw my hair.

"Fuck!" I whisper as I lean against the door that leads to the roof.

I really am a fucking idiot! I've just realized that things are changing. That I shouldn't expect the future to be like it is now, so why do I feel so blindsided with Chad leaving? Have I taken Chad's presences for granted, too?

I have. Just like with Inoue, I had believed that they would stay in Karakura Town with me, and we would continue to live like we've been living. We would be together, but how can we do that if Chad leaves? We couldn't.

My chest hurts.

Shit! Is this what Inoue's feeling? No wonder she cried. It feels like a piece of me, a piece of me that had been firmly attached, is now precariously hanging on, and the piece swings like a pendulum, threatening to break off. And I know when it finally does, it will hurt a lot more.

Inoue must be in more pain than I am. Tatsuki has been like Inoue's everything for a long time. Tatsuki's been her friend, her protector, her teacher, her family, even her reason for smiling, and sure Inoue looks happy now, but how will she look when Chad tells her? That she'll be losing another person?

My jaw locks as my eyes squeeze close. Thursday will be a personal hell. I'll be losing Chad, and she'll lose her smile again.