Title: Hidden Affection

Author: mysticarchangel

Beta: xtrek

Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime

Rating: K+

Summary: Prequel of Oblivious or good at hiding?

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, it belongs to Tite Kubo.

Panting hard, he stood on the battlefield. His black coat was torn terribly and so was his skin. Blood was seeping out auf countless cuts. Orange strands were covered in dirt and blood. Ichigo knew the battle might be over for now, but the war itself was just about to start.

He had hoped that it would end here.

That he could take his friends home.

That they would be spared from more fighting.

That he could rescue her and keep her away from harm.

Safe.

Was it even possible?

Was it even reasonable to hope for it?

"…kun?"

There was so much dust. Dirt. And also blood. Was it worth – all that fighting?

"Kuro…?"

Ichigo sank down on his knees, still trying to catch his breath. His vision became blurry.

Had he lost that much blood already? Was she safe? He had to pull himself together.

"Ichigo-kun?"

He blinked and looked up. Ichigo hadn't noticed that he had knelt down, leaning on Zangetsu.

The teen looked straight into worried eyes.

"Are you alright?" Inoue asked, already starting to heal his wounds.

"Yeah…thanks…and you?"

"I'm fine…It's not over yet, is it?" Orihime forced herself to smile. She couldn't hide the pain in her eyes. Ichigo could see it clearly. Pain. Angst. Despair. But also a glimmer of hope.

He acted on impulse and grabbed her wrist. Within a heartbeat he closed his arms around her, holding her close.

"We'll make it, don't worry. We'll survive this bloody war."

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue blinked at the teen, she was confused about his affectionate behavior.

Ichigo let her go, but didn't look at her, blushing lightly.

"We will survive this shit together…and it's Ichigo for you…you said it before."

"To catch your atten…" Orihime stopped and studied his eyes.

He was looking at the ruins of the battlefield, but somehow she knew that she had his full attention. Was she allowed to hope? To hope for a happy end as she saw it in her dreams?

"Together… You mean you and me together?" Ichigo still didn't look at her. She barely noticed the slight nod.

"If you want to…" He muttered.

She blushed and took his hand. He squeezed her hand gently in return. Inoue guessed that this would be the closest to a confession as she would get for now, but the arm that sneaked around her waist promised something new.

"Let's go to the others!" Ichigo said quickly. A very small smile graced his face before his usual, permanent frown was back in place.

The tension suddenly evaporated and Orihime beamed at him.

-.-.-

In the following weeks the young couple searched each other's company. Every break from a battle was appreciated. After another fight Orihime found her boyfriend alone at the deserted ruins.

"Are you hurt, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked up.

"Don't worry… that's not my blood. I took Renji to the Fourth a while ago. He had a deep cut but it wasn't that serious."

She stepped in front of the sitting teen and wrapped her arms around him for comfort. Ichigo shifted a bit in the embrace and gave her a short but sweet kiss on the lips. Orihime giggled. Ichigo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you think…did the others notice anything?"

"About us?" Ichigo asked.

Inoue nodded.

"Nah, I think not." Ichigo smirked.

"Oh! I know! Let's make it a game!" She bubbled out.

"A game?"

"Yeah, a little game… The others… let's see when they will notice without us telling them."

"As you wish, my hime…" Ichigo smirked.

"I think, we should avoid public displays of affection… sweet talk only in private… nicknames too…." Her expression saddened. She thought about how the rules of their game would affect their relationship. But in the end the idea of the others being in the dark about them seemed more fun.

"Ok, let's see how long they will need to find out. It will be fun to watch their matchmaking attempts." Ichigo interrupted her doubtful thoughts.

Inoue grinned again. They would keep their old behavior towards each other in public, but that didn't mean that they had to be distant in private...

---end ---

A/N: As you can see: I'm still alive ^^. My other story destined fate is almost complete, but I have to rewrite my last chapter and that's not very motivating to rewrite something that contains over 4000 words. ;)