It happens so slowly. Piecing ourselves back together. It's slow and difficult and excruciating. And it's lonely. Lonely because it felt like although Orihime and I are next to each other, encouraging each other to finish adding the pieces to ourselves, we couldn't offer anything other than cheer and comfort. Piecing ourselves back together is a project we had to do by ourselves.

And so we did. Like solving a jigsaw puzzle of ourselves, we rotated each piece, trying to attach it to the corresponding piece. Trying to make the picture make sense. Trying to become complete.

While our new stages of life begin, I watch her stumble and fumble with adjusting. But unable to help, I just stay close to her in every way. There's no way I would let her miss piece. No way I would let her not complete herself.

And she watches me, too. I feel her eyes on me as I deal with the new changes. The new school, the new people, the new pressure, the new loneliness. She's making sure that I don't continue to be incomplete, too.

Broken and unfinished, we grow closer. I stay more often at her place, and she visits more often at my home. Although we find a new normal, we still struggle, and we cling to each other, leaning on each other to stay grounded. Be it at her home or mine, or at school where we make time to see each other on campus or at the library, we are nearly inseparable.

We still try to complete the puzzle of ourselves while moving forward. While time passes, we are almost complete.

And time does pass, albeit leisurely. So when the beginning semester finishes and the next one begins, I am both unsurprised and shocked. It's strange what one can get used to, but we do get used to feeling the ache of loneliness, but what I didn't expect was how hurt I am when she is the source of my loneliness. That, that is something that catches me off guard and unprepared.

I should have suspected something. I really should have, but I didn't. When I start to see her less on campus, that should have been a red flag, but I assume that because we had different classes the new semester, we just couldn't find time to meet with each other. I assume we have different starting times, that we had a completely different schedule, and because I assume this, I never thought to ask her anything. Why should I have? I saw her at the end of every day. I, for the most part, saw her every morning, too. There's no reason for me to question anything, and so, I didn't. I accepted everything as it was.

So when I get a call from Ishida stating that Orihime is avoiding his calls, I am quick to deny it. I have no clue if what he says is true, but I get angry all the same at the accusation. There's no way she would ignore him.

But he insists, and he reveals that it must because she thought he was going to lecture her on quitting school. And like a fool, I tell him that she didn't quit. That she's attending classes like usual and that he's crazy. But even as the insult leaves my tongue, I skim through my memories, realizing that there are fewer stories about her college friends, fewer books spewed across her table, fewer late nights studying for tests.

The realization hurts, and before I can process anything more, I hang up on him, and I sit on her couch, waiting for her to get back. From where, I had no idea. She's supposed to be at a class. She's supposed to…

She finds me with my head in my hands. I listen as she greets me with her usual exuberance as she heads to the kitchen, putting water in the kettle. She starts telling me about this little kitty she saw and how it reminded her of me, but the more I listen, the angrier I become.

And the more she lies, the more hurt I become. And I guess that explains what happens next. That's what pain does to you. It can make you into a fool. Into a pathetic, unforgivable fool.

She doesn't hear me approach her, but she does hear the echo of my hands hitting the countertop. She turns to me in surprise.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" I ask quietly, looking down at my closed fists.

"Eh? Tell you what?"

At the evade, my head snaps upwards. My eyes meets hers.

"That you quit college!"

Her eyes widen.

"Ho-how?" She stutters.

I scowl as the anger wells up.

"'How?' That's your response? What the hell, Orihime?!"

She flinches back, and for a second, I see repentance in her eyes before her eyes turn cold.

"It was my choice, Kurosaki-kun. I didn't think it was a big deal."

The way she says this makes my blood boil.

"Are you being serious?"

She shrugs as she turns back to the stove, turning it on.

"I am."

My brows furrow.

"So you quit school, and you didn't even bother to tell me?"

Again, she shrugs.

"It didn't concern you."

At this, it's my turn to flinch. She's never purposely caused me pain before, but right now, it's like she's aiming to hurt me. It's like she wants to break me.

And damn if she's not succeeding.

"Doesn't concern me? Really?"

She pauses before opening her fridge.

"Yeah."

"So…so you tell Ishida, but me, me who is supposed to be your boyfriend, you think it's okay to leave me in the dark? That I'm not important enough for you to inform?"

She spins around.

"That-that's not what I said," she denies quietly.

"Then what are you saying?!" I yell at her. "What? Am I not reliable enough? Shit, I'm supposed to be your partner, Orihime, but I guess I'm not enough, right?"

"No, that's not it!" she shouts back, tears in her eyes and her voice.

"Then what the hell is it?" I counter, furious that I'm making her cry. Furious that I'm hurting her like she's hurting me.

"I-I," she begins.

In my angered state, I cut her off.

"If you can't even trust me with this, then what the hell are we doing? Huh? Why are we even together?!" I ask her, my tone frustrated and strained.

She keeps her eyes on the ground, not daring to look at me while my breath comes out in pants.

I'm so angry, so focused on the hurt and the anger that when she turns off the stove and silently leaves her apartment, I don't follow her. I just stare at the spot she was just in and think of how betrayed I feel.

I never wanted to yell at her. She and I know each other better than anyone, so I just thought we would never get to that point where our voices would raise, but it's here. It's here, and I hate it. I hate myself for letting myself get to that point, but I…I also hated that she did this. That she kept it a secret from me. That she hid herself from me when we were supposed to lean on each other. And sure, I'm still keeping the secret of my restraints on my powers from her, but that's different. It's different.

Why didn't she tell me?

Why do I feel so lonely the longer as I stayed in her empty apartment with the knowledge that she lied to me?

It takes a while before my head cools down, and when it does, I am left with only regret.

I try to call her, but she doesn't answer. And after the third call, my phone calls go straight to voicemail. Knowing that she turned her phone off, I try to sense her reiatsu, but even that is nearly impossible to track. She's hiding herself from me.

The pain and loneliness increase.

So with no way to find her, I think of the places she might be, and before I know it, I am walking toward the river bank. The same riverbank that she likes to go to when she's feeling nostalgic.

The relief I feel when I spot her shakes me to my core. The regret I feel when I see her head buried in her knees shakes me even more.

Silently, I walk until I'm next to her, and then, I sit beside her. Quiet as I look at the still water.

"Are…are you going to leave?"

I frown at her words, and I inwardly curse at the tearful question that leaves her mouth. I hate when she's in pain.

Before I can answer, her head raises, and she stares straight into my eyes.

The tears that cover her red cheeks makes my hands clench in fists.

"You're going to break up with me, right?" She asks before she looks down at her knees. "You hate me," she states before a sob rakes through her.

Carefully, I reach for her, and I awkwardly lift her up, shifting her until she sat between my legs, her head on my chest.

"I could never hate you, Hime. You could hate me, hurt me, leave me, break me, and I would still love you," I tell her as my arms wrap around her. "I don't think you'll ever realize how much I love you," I confess as I press a kiss on the top of her head.

"But why did you lie to me, Hime? Don't you trust me? Don't I matter?"

Her head snaps up, her eyes wide in panic.

"Of course, you do!" she assures. "More than anyone."

"Then why?"

I can't mask the vulnerability in my voice.

She looks down at her hands that twist in my shirt.

"I…I couldn't afford to go anymore," she admits.

"But your scholarships," I interject.

She weakly shakes her head.

"My aunt stopped paying for my apartment, and then the rent increased. I had savings, but I was running out of money. I had to work more hours to keep up with the bills, and I just…I couldn't do both anymore so…"

"Why didn't you tell me before it got to that point, Orihime? I could have helped!"

"It's not your job to help! I'm supposed to be able to handle it!"

"Says who?" I ask.

She says nothing.

"Look, I get that you want to be independent, and you don't want to rely on anyone. I get it. But I'm not anyone, Orihime." I gently lift her chin with my finger, so our eyes are locked. "I'm yours. For however long you want me, I'm yours. So please rely on me, Hime. Because when you don't, when you lie or keep things from me, it's…it's just so fucking lonely." At the confession, my face naturally turns away from her.

I feel two hands on my cheeks. She guides my head back until I am facing her again. She gazes into my eyes before she places a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm sorry. I never want you to feel like that. Never," she declares fiercely. "Next time, I'll discuss something that's important with you before making any decisions. I promise."

I nod hesitantly.

"And I'm really sorry for not telling you this time. I was-I was embarrassed," she finishes in a whisper.

I squeeze her tighter against me.

"There are many things you should be embarrassed about. Like your inability to not cry at every rom-com we see or the way you drool when you sleep or eat. Don't even get me started on your fanfiction addiction." She lets out a small laugh. "But this," I pause as run a finger across her lips. "you should never be embarrassed to ask me for help." I cup her cheek. "You've seen me at my worst, Orihime, and do you love me any less?"

She shakes her head, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"It's the same for me. The more I know, the more I love you, Hime."

Her tears spill over my hand. My thumb strokes her cheek.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpers.

"I know," I console her.

"I love you," she continues.

I press my forehead against hers.

"I know."

"I really do, Ichigo."

I smile.

"I know."

It's the first time she's ever said my first name. It's bittersweet, but I wouldn't ever change this moment. Because it's when I hold her close to me as my name leaves her lips over and over again that I realize why we were still uncomplete.

In the jigsaw puzzle of ourselves, side by side, she and I are holding one piece of the puzzles. I hold the last piece of me, and there's only one spot it can go, but it doesn't fit. It just doesn't. No matter how much I try to squeeze and smash it into place, it won't fit.

She, too, only has one remaining piece, but it won't fit her puzzle, either. And it's only when the loneliness I felt from her secret recedes that I am able to figure out something very important.

So with that knowledge, I hand her the last piece of me, and she hands me hers. And together, we place the piece into our puzzle, knowing it should not fit because it doesn't belong to us. It doesn't belong to our puzzle.

Finally, without struggle, without effort, without any sense, the pieces slide in. Finally, we are complete and whole.