Author's notes: Hey, there, fellow Ichihime lovers! I want to start a new multi-chapter story, and several plot ideas have been running over in my head... I finally decided to try out this one, and see if you would be interested in seeing how it would go. So, please tell me what you think of the setup. This chapter is more of a prelude, so please read the summary for further details!

Summary: Orihime and Ichigo become the top targets of a highly dangerous yakuzza group's leader, who – to make things even more complicated – is a runaway ex-soul reaper, hiding and making a living in the real world. To protect his friend, Ichigo decides it's the safest if they go into hiding for a short time... Cut away from the outside world, just the two of them, will they find a way to make out their feelings for each other?

Setting: Final year in Karakura High. Ichigo already has his powers back.

Estimated length: Dunno. Maybe 15 chapters or longer. Will update irregularly, as the mood strikes me...

Motivation: a character and/or relationship development centered story.

Disclaimer: I own my computer. I own the fingers that type. I own this silly head, full of the thoughts making the characters move in this story. I do not own Bleach.

You, Me, and this crazy world

Chapter 1

Foreboding

Ichigo was having a bad day. To begin with: it was raining. Again. He decided this had to be the most rainy and ugly November the world has seen so far... But the day being rainy hadn't stopped her boss, Ikumi Unagia in sending him to the town's most far away corner on a mission she could have done herself, more conveniently and remaining dry, having a car and a driving license. But she had had to send him. Twice. Because she had forgotten something at first. Uh! And people still had the nerves to tell him how lucky he was to have a job!

He had arrived home, being soaking wet, shivering, and grumpy. He had taken a long shower, and right now he was pulling on the warm and dry clothes gladly, readying himself for dinner. God, he was starving! Lunch seemed ages ago... He opened his bedroom door, and was about to descend the stairs, when he suddenly froze. He wrinkled his nose, as the smell coming from the kitchen reached it. He scowled, growling inwardly. Of course this had to be the day that Yuzu chose to make fish... He really couldn't stand it, but always put on a brave face, because all the other members of the family liked it. And he didn't want to hurt his sister's feelings, who worked so much, doing all the household work. He supposed the least he could do for her in return was to eat and praise everything she put before him. She was a really good cook, and it wasn't her fault that he disliked fish. To him, it tasted like mud... But Yuzu was always going on about it's benefits for health and mental skills, so he never had the heart to enlighten her about his aversion. So he ate the fish dutifully. Every other week...

He sighed, and continued his way downstairs. In truth, his bad mood wasn't the result of the rainy day, or his crazy boss. It wasn't even the result of fish... All afternoon, he had this strange unsettling feeling hovering over him, just out of his conscious mind's reach. Like he had forgotten something. Something important...

It was instinct. A sense of foreboding. Like something was about to happen.

He had never been superstitious, and not even being able to see ghosts had changed that. If somebody else would have told him about feelings similar to these, he would only have laughed. But, as it happened, he had these feelings from time to time, and they never meant well...

He pushed his dark thoughts deep inside his mind, as he walked inside the kitchen. Maybe him being moody didn't signal anything bad after all, it was just the fact that he was kind of moody most of the time, always prepared for bad... and when something wrong did happen, he felt he had the right to tell 'Told you so!' to himself. So, maybe nothing worse would happen today than him having to stomach smelly fish.

All his family was already sitting around the table, waiting for him.

'About time, Ichi-nii! I was beginning to think you've drown yourself or something! Well, sit down, I'm starving!' Karin snapped as soon as she spotted him.

'Yeah! And your sister here had been so cruel, not letting me have even a nibble before you arrived... she even hit Daddy's hand with the ladle!' Isshin whined dramatically, in the tone a 3 year would use after serious mistreatment...

Ichigo went to his place and sat down.

'Hump! Couldn't care less! I needed that shower! I don't want to end up with pneumonia, and miss even more classes than I already had! This is my final year, you know, and I don't have any intention of needlessly lengthening my time sitting in school desks!'

'Wow! Aren't we snappy today...' Isshin teased.

Yuzu came to stand next to Ichigo. She put the dish before him, wearing a huge smile.

'Of course you needed that shower, Onii-chan! Your boss is so cruel, making you go out in this bad weather! I thought you'd fallen into the river, when you got home!' She brushed some of his still wet bangs out of his eyes in an affectionate way. Ichigo couldn't help smiling back.

He had began to notice lately how much both his sisters have grown... they had matured, really. Karin was taller, more slender, and she was now spending less time playing soccer with her childhood friends. Instead, she was reading shonen manga, and played on the internet. Yuzu was becoming simply beautiful, in an angelic way. She was starting to resemble their mother more day by day. She had even grown her hair, and was now using those dangerous things women called make-up... Ichigo had to start thinking about how to keep "admirers" away from her in future...

Now speaking about admirers... Ichigo had a friend, who needed just the same kind of protection all the time. Luckily, he wasn't the only one to be looking out for Inoue. Tatsuki, Ishida and Chad could all be trusted with that. At least Yuzu was aware to some extent of the drawbacks of her grown charms... (Maybe living with a perverted father had it's advantages too.) Last week she had been the one to ask for his help, when she had noticed a shady stranger stalk her. But Inoue was just too naive, and caught up in her own little world most of the time to notice things like that, before she would find herself in a bad situation.

Yuzu served the dinner, and Ichigo ate quietly, for once not really noticing the fish's taste in his mouth. When his thoughts turned to Inoue, these strange feelings of foreboding had just doubled themselves. What ever was his problem, anyway? He didn't know about anything happening with her, he had no reason to believe she wasn't perfectly fine! Besides, he could always call her.

This thought consoled him. Yes, he would call her right away, after dinner. He would pass the thing off as wanting details on some school-work... He just couldn't tell her he was having uneasy feelings about her... she would think he was becoming mad. Right... Inoue never thought anybody was mad, but still...

The family ate in the usual manner, with occasional bickering and staff. When finally everybody finished the meal, they settled in the living room. Karin turned on the TV, and was watching the evening news. The newsreader was going on about some mad men breaking into a bakery, and taking the whole staff and some of the guests as hostages.

'… armed with guns. The police called for the aid of an expert. According to our information, 5 women and 4 men are held captive, and at least one of them is badly injured, most likely the owner of the shop. The officer in charge asks all inhabitants of Karakura to stay away from the vicinity of the bakery. More information about the shocking crisis on our website...'

Ichigo was heading for the phone, intending to call Orihime, but he stopped and turned back to the TV, when he heard the drama was happening in Karakura town... His eyes widened, and were glued to the screen.

Yuzu and Isshin were talking about their plans for the weekend, happily engrossed in the list of things they wanted to buy when going to the large shopping center. They didn't follow the newsreader's announcement at all...

Yuzu suddenly turned to his brother.

'And what are your plans for this weekend, Onii-chan?'

Right at that moment, the TV screen showed the bakery's front, with the line of police cars in front of it. Ichigo went rigid, as he recognized the place.

'Fuck! Inoue!'

Isshin chuckled.

'I wouldn't say that's a bad idea, but how does that even come here? Hey, and make sure you use protection, got that?' Isshin turned back, smirking. He was sure he would find himself facing an irritated Ichigo, ready to punch his face. But the place where his son had been standing just a moment ago was now empty. 'Ichigo?' he asked uncertainly. He heard the front door of the clinic bang loudly.

A/N: Please review! (chapters will be longer in future, I hope...)