Fic written for the lovely Debbie. Many thanks to Guildenstern who beta'ed me, although she does not like IshiOri :3 I'm not used to write IshiOri, but I hope you'll like it.

Orihime was in her favourite park, sitting on a bench; earlier on, kids had been playing their silly games, making her beam as she watched them. Now, night was falling, and the Milky Way appeared bit by bit. Vega and Altair were together for the Tanabata festival, and she smiled at the sight. She had, for the longest time, believed that a certain orange-haired guy was her prince charming and that Destiny would bring them together, bringing a happy tone to her name.

But, Kurosaki-kun was by no means a charming prince, and his heart had been stolen right away by a different princess from another world. Unlike the true Orihime and Hikoboshi though, they forced their worlds to collide, and finally stayed together.

How many times did Kurosaki-kun unintentionally break her heart? Too many times to count, she guessed, although her own selfishness was probably to blame back then. Too many tears had been shed, too many promises had been broken, because she was too weak to keep them.

So, when did she stop loving Kurosaki-kun? She wasn’t sure, but, looking back on those times, it certainly started when she could bring herself to be truly happy for him and for Kuchiki-san. She had known, much longer than they themselves, that something was going on between the pair. And now, all that was left was a fondness in her heart for this orange-haired boy. How silly was I, back then. She certainly hoped that she had improved since then.

She thought that she could only love him, that she’d love him so much that she could live five lifetimes and still love him. But it had been all smoke that stung her eyes and hid the truth.

Because, in the end, she fell in love again.

And it happened at a time when she thought it couldn’t happen again; because she had become stronger and because she wasn’t looking for romance anymore.

So, how did it happen? Even now, she wasn’t sure. After all, Ishida-kun had always been by her side. Maybe it had been a sign, back then, when she failed to catch Kurosaki-kun’s hand and woke up thinking that it was him by her side when it had been Ishida-kun all along. Although, she guessed, it wasn’t really thoughtful of her to call him ‘Kurosaki-kun’. But, at that time, she hadn’t really think of why she confused the two names.

She had always known Ishida-kun's personality; smart, quiet with a cold glare that hid his kindness. She also knew that he was quite a gentleman, and protected her many times.

So why hadn’t she noticed him before? Was that because she was too blind by Kurosaki-kun? Maybe it was, she thought, feeling a bit ashamed.

So, it definitely wasn’t love at first sight. She didn’t know exactly when she fell in love, because it took her some time to realize she was in love at all. She, who had always been self-conscious, had let Ishida-kun slip away from her notice. He wasn’t acting differently either; barely talking – to her, or at all, for that matter – he always hid himself behind that cold stare and those abrasive remarks. Maybe that was why she didn’t think much of his gentleness, especially the one he always had for her. Maybe she did notice it, somewhere in her heart, but let it slide from view.
She finally noticed it for Valentine’s Day. And it wasn’t because of love chocolates either – she had prepared handmade friendship chocolates for everyone with Tatsuki, who had forbid her to make any ‘weird mixes’, as she had said. She still remembered how she happily gave everyone their chocolates. All, except one. Ishida-kun had been no where to be found, and that had bothered her a bit. When she finally found him, it was to watch him as he refused a box of neatly wrapped chocolates from a girl she knew. She had halted, her own chocolates in her hands, feeling suddenly uneasy. What if, he refused her chocolates? Come on, Orihime, she had scolded herself mentally, it’s only friendship chocolate! Why would you get worked up for that? So, she had called him. The bad premonition suddenly came back as she took the box of chocolates out, waiting for him to take it. She felt tense.

‘I’m sorry, Inoue-san, but I cannot accept your chocolates.’

She had been frozen; why did he make that face, if he didn’t want her chocolates? And why, why did he refuse them? She couldn’t get it.

‘I see,’ was all she could muster at that time.

Fondly, Orihime remembered how she spent the next weeks trying to understand it. Ishida-kun didn’t change his behaviour – but Tatsuki and Kuchiki-san did tell her that he accepted their chocolates. So, something was definitely off.

But, why was she so bothered in the first place?

This had left her uneasy; there had been something hidden, something that slipped away that was trying to get back. She had always understood Ishida very well; what he was doing, his reasons… she knew them. She trusted him, at a time when everyone doubted him. And he proved her that she was right, even if she barely knew him back then. She knew she could count on him – he even came to her rescue in Hueco Mundo – so why, now that everything had settled down, why did he refuse her friendship chocolates? Usually, those chocolates were never refused…

So, she found her eyes following him instinctively, trying to sort out what was happening, but finding nothing wrong with Ishida-kun.

Then, the school year ended, and the vacations began, leaving her with no reply.

So, instead of thinking too much about it, she filled her time with Tatsuki, going to see movies, chatting with Kuchiki-san, randomly going out or even sewing. But still, the nagging question kept coming back, even though she didn’t let it drown her.

And then, to her great surprise, she had her reply. On White Day.

Ishida had come early to her home, as if he wanted to be sure to catch her. She was still there, of course, half asleep because she had been watching a show on television late into the night. I must have had quite the dumbstruck face when I opened that door, Orihime thought, amused.

‘Ishida-kun? Why are you here?’

She could still see it in her memories; his head bowing, just a bit, looking embarrassed. ‘I couldn’t accept those chocolates, because it would have put you down at the same level as Arisawa-san and Kuchiki-san. And that would have been a lie. I still feel bad for refusing them though… here is your white gift. You can not accept it, I’d understand it.’

It was a white bracelet, the band made of cotton, with light pink flowers embroidered on it. The snap had been decorated with ivory pearls and it even had lace. It was beautiful. And she had had no doubts that he crafted it.

The blush she had felt on her cheeks back then was coming back; the declaration had been unusual and when she understood it, he was already walking away.

It was then, that she finally grasped it, and understood why she had been so bothered by his reactions. So she ran after him, still clad in her pyjamas. He stopped and turned around the first time she called his name.

‘Inoue-san?’

Amazing how the voice still sounded as if he was calling her right now and there.

“Inoue-san?”

It’s odd, he only called back once, she thought, a bit confused.

“Inoue-san, are you alright?” asked a worried Ishida-kun.

“Uh? Ishida-kun? When did you get here?”

“Just now! It’s dangerous to sleep like this!” he exclaimed, still a bit flushed. “And why did you call me here? I thought we agreed to meet up with the others at the fair?”

Even as he said that, he sat down beside her. “That’s because, today is Tanabata, so I wanted to show you that place where we can watch Orihime and Hikoboshi reunited for this time of the year. And well, we can also see the fireworks better from here!”

He smiled gently. “It’s true,” he said while looking above their head up to the sky, “that the stars do look beautiful tonight.”

“Yep, they do!” she grinned happily, putting her hands up to the sky, as if she could catch them.

There was another reason why she had called him here, but she felt uneasy, and a bit shy as well. But, she thought, she had to ask...this was a necessary step. “Hey, Ishida-kun?”

“Yes?”

“Can I… call you Uryuu?” she asked timidly.

She was glancing at him from the side, waiting for a reply. Did she dream, or did he just blush a bit? Embarrassed, he hitched up his glasses. “Only if I can call you Orihime,” he finally replied, his eyes still glued to the sky.

“Of course, Uryuu,” she beamed, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

“That’s not how you’re supposed to do it, Orihime,” he replied, pulling her close and pressing her lips to his. The heat on her cheeks didn’t leave as she returned the kiss.

Are Orihime and Hikoboshi happy together tonight? They probably were, since it was a beautiful night.