Disclaimer: All Bleach characters belong to Tite Kubo. This is fan fiction and I do not profit from it in any way.

Copper locks fell around a creamy complexion. Orihime weighed her chin heavily upon her palm, pushing down on her elbow against the wooden desk. Gray eyes downcast, she let her thoughts stray. How long had it been since she last saw Ichigo? She thought back to the farewell party that they had thrown for him before he had left Japan to study abroad at the end of high school. He had bid adieu to each of them with the same amount of friendliness and fondness. Even when it took her all evening to muster up enough courage to kiss him on the cheek when it was her turn to say good-bye, he had hardly noticed and did not respond in kind. While she blushed wildly, heart beating erratically, Ichigo had not lost composure. Instinctively, she brought her fingers up to her lips, reminiscing the intimate moment. But it wasn't intimate, she chided herself. Since his departure, she had had more time to reflect introspectively and focus on herself and her own life goals. For most of her life, she looked up to someone else to lead her. First, it was Sora. Then, it became Ichigo. Even though she had grown in strength and no longer required anyone else to protect her, she hesitated to become her own saviour.

"Orihime..." Tatsuki's voice was gentle, yet firm, calling Orihime back to reality.

"Gomen." Orihime turned to face her best friend, a smile automatically forming on her face.

"What were you thinking about?"

Orihime blinked in surprise. She didn't know how to answer her because she wasn't quite sure, herself, what it was that she was thinking about. A part of her was thinking of Ichigo, that familiar yearning that she had grown accustomed to, but the other part of her was simply lost in space. The idea that she was lost without Ichigo nipped at her consciousness, causing her to furrow her brows.

"Orihime!" This time, Tatsuki's voice was sharp and her face was washed with concern.

"I don't know," was Orihime's simple reply. Her brows relaxed and she smiled weakly at her friend. There was nothing to tell her.

"Are you worried about starting your residency tomorrow?"

"Yes, that must be it," Orihime lied. The fact is, she should have been telling the truth. After six long years of medical school, Orihime should have been focussing on how she was going to make a great first impression at her new hospital, but alas, one cannot control where the mind strays. Now, she thought about how hard she had worked to excel in her program and pass the medical exams. Although Orihime was not street smart, resulting in many to think of her as "dim-witted", she was indeed a hard worker when it came to her studies, and she had done well, showing to be at least book smart. After all, she was third of her class, just two spots down from Ishida back in high school. Still, medical training was not easy and she had struggled to keep up to maintain her grades and pass exam after exam. For six years straight, Orihime devoted her life to her education and in the process, failed to develop any other areas of her life. She hardly even made new friends, finding it difficult to keep in contact with the few that she already had.

"Let's go home then. It doesn't look like you're getting much work done, anyway." Tatsuki stood up, holding her hand out to Orihime.

Orihime looked up at Tatsuki and smiled warmly at her. Throughout these years, Tatsuki had been her pillar. Initially, Orihime had borrowed her shoulder every other night, sobbing about unrequited love and uncertainty about her future. Then, when she honed in on her life goals, she leaned on Tatsuki for moral support as she tackled the books, night after night after night. In order to cut living costs, Orihime had begged Tatsuki to move in with her to split the rent. Well, she didn't have to beg, really. After all, Tatsuki was her best friend and she would have done anything, including paying the rent entirely, if it came to helping Orihime out. But Orihime was insistent that they split the rent fairly down the middle and to support her living costs, she had taken a part-time job at a local café as a waitress. The patrons tipped her generously, which was not surprising, given her pleasant smiles, friendly attitude, and alluring figure. Of course, the café more than doubled in business since Orihime's employment, but being the unassuming woman that she was, she would never notice that.

The two young women made their way out of the public library and began their walk home to the small apartment that they shared. It was cool outside and the breeze made their hair billow around them, black mixing with deep orange. Orihime raised her shoulders and tucked her chin into the collars of her thin jacket, wrapping her arms tightly around Tatsuki's. Perhaps it was this familiar pose and the close proximity that the two of them shared that warded off many potential suitors. To be clear, there were still a few bold ones who approached Orihime, but eventually, they too, would give up when they realized that Orihime held no notions of dating or the opposite sex. Apparently, one of these dejected suitors decided to spread a rumour about Orihime that she was romantically involved with Tatsuki and that further deterred potential suitors. As much as they admired and fancied Orihime, they all valued their own skin and they were not ready to go up against Tatsuki, a renowned martial arts fighter who represented Japan in international competitions and who now owned her own dojo.

"Orihime?"

"Mm?"

"Good luck tomorrow. Ganbatte!"