The Best Laid Plans: Part 1

I really hope I haven't forgotten anything, thought Ichigo to himself as he checked his list again. "Sunglasses…sunscreen…towel…wallet…ring...wait, where is it?" Ichigo suddenly panicked when he didn't see the little white box nestled among the other items. He frantically sifted through the beach paraphernalia, when he remembered that he had safely tucked the small box into the pocket of his shorts. Reaching inside and feeling the package, he drew it out and checked for the tenth time to make sure that the simply decorated, but (if he did say so himself) perfect ring to give to his soon to be (hopefully) fiancée.

Ichigo had prowled through the jewelry stores until he thought that a ring might not be that important, when he asked his sisters, Yuzu and Karin (his dad had needed some…strong convincing not to come along), to help him try to find a ring that would fit the woman of his dreams. Since Orihime was working as a nurse in Karakura Hospital, she really couldn't have a ring with an enormous diamond or other jewel that would stand out and get caught in fabric and such. Besides, she really wasn't the kind of person who would want anything flashy anyway. The band had gold and silver weaving in and out of one another with six small diamonds forming a heart shape in the middle. As soon as he had seen that ring, he had known that it was perfect. The fawning look on Yuzu's face and the small smile that Karin gave him had 'sealed the deal'.

Ichigo thought back to his 'first date' with Orihime and a wry smile crossed his face. It had been the summer after he had graduated from high school along with Orihime, Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro. Keigo had arranged a graduation celebration at the beach and everyone had said they were going to come, but when he arrived only he and Orihime had showed up and after waiting for almost an hour Ichigo had finally said that they could forget the others and they could just hang out. It wasn't until later that he figured out why Orihime had turned a bright shade of red at the thought of hanging out with just him, but since she had looked pleased at the prospect he hadn't thought twice about it. When he had asked the others where they had been the next time they all had gotten together, Ichigo was told that they had been waiting on the other side of the beach where they had agreed to meet all along.

"If only Ichigo had been born a caveman, then Orihime could club him over the head to get him to see what everyone else has known for years," Tatsuki had muttered to Uryu when she thought Ichigo wasn't listening.

After that, Ichigo wouldn't say that he and Orihime had started dating right away, but after he had spent time alone with her on the beach that day, talking with her, watching her play with the kids on the beach, kindly offering to help someone carry their belongings back to the car when they were trying to pack up and round up their young, energetic offspring, he had started to see Orihime with different eyes. She was someone whom he could relax (for the most part) around, all though he did have to save her from swimming too far out to sea when she claimed that sea minions had carried off one of her sandals or from trying to chase down a seagull that had stolen her chocolate covered celery stick. Even though her antics would sometimes make him cringe when he anticipated her spills and falls seconds before they happened, he found his mouth drifting upwards at the corners more times than they normally did. Dates during that summer and since then had been carefully planned out to keep accidents to a minimum, but…

"With Orihime around," Ichigo said to himself, "I doubt there will be many dull days in my life."

When college had started, even though they had less time to see one another, their relationship had become stronger. Both he had Orihime had gone into the medical field, so some of their dates had turned into study sessions at different coffee houses or restaurants around town. They had once gone to the river outside of Karakura on a beautiful night in August, taken lanterns, blankets and their textbooks (they had both decided to take summer classes) and sat out under the stars talking about school, work, different constellations, or anything else that came to mind. That was where they had shared their first kiss. Orihime had been pointing out a constellation when Ichigo had gently gathered some of her soft locks in his hand and pressed them to his lips. The scent had been light and slightly flowery, nothing too strong. Orihime's voice had faltered for a moment before she had continued with whatever she was saying before she turned to Ichigo and asked what his thoughts were.

Even though he knew that she was referring to whatever she had just been saying, Ichigo had replied, "I think that your lips are begging to be kissed right now."

Orihime had sat startled for a moment before she started laughing, "And people say that I'm random when I talk," Orihime leaned back before she asked, "Have you kissed any girl before?"

Ichigo had shaken his head, "Nope."

Orihime had lowered her head and looked at him from underneath her eyebrows, "Are you sure about that?"

Ichigo didn't know how else to react and said, "Of course I'm sure."

Orihime continued her interrogation by asking, "Have you ever been kissed by another girl?"

Ichigo felt as if he was drifting in the middle of an ocean with no idea how he had gotten there, "No, Orihime. I haven't kissed or been kissed by any other girl."

Orihime nodded her head gravely, "Yes you have."

Ichigo had started to scowl, "No I have not."

Orihime had managed to keep her composure for about four more seconds before she was on her back laughing until tears started running from her eyes. Ichigo had sat completely flustered waiting for Orihime to calm down before he asked, "What has gotten into you? Did I do something?"

When Orihime calmed down enough to answer, Ichigo was not sure how to react, "I am sorry Ichigo. My joke has gone a little too far. Back when you were severely injured after fighting Grimmjow for the second time here and in a coma, you remember that I came to heal you when you were unconscious, right?"

At Ichigo's nod, Orihime continued, "Well, I didn't just heal you. Ulquiorra had given me permission to say good-bye to one person before he took me away to Hueco Mundo and I had spent the entire day trying to figure out whom I would choose when I finally decided on you. You have to understand that I had started liking you for quite a while," her face had taken on a look of concentration, "I think I started falling for you after you helped my brother find peace. Anyway, being there in your room, seeing you lying there so peacefully…"

Ichigo said in a surprised tone, "You kissed me?"

"That was my plan," Orihime answered, "I really wanted to since I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again, but…something stopped me."

Ichigo remained motionless for a few moments before he closed the distance between them and firmly wrapped his arms around Orihime and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss had been perfect. There had been other wonderful kisses since then, but none that quite matched the first innocent, yet passionate kiss they shared. He was immensely glad to find that it was Orihime's first kiss as well. Ichigo was glad that Orihime had opened up to him about her attachment to him, but he was grateful that she had waited until he was conscious before she kissed him.

Coming back to the present, Ichigo realized that he needed to get a move on if he was going to finish the preparations at the beach before Orihime arrived at their meeting place. Even if he was late, he doubted that Orihime would put up a fuss since such things didn't really faze her. If he did something special for their different dating monuments, she would definitely appreciate the gesture, but there had been times that he had forgotten about her birthday and had panicked until he realized that she really lived by the saying, "It's the thought that counts."

As he was heading out to his car, Ichigo remembered that in their second year of college, Orihime had written down his birthday in her calendar to help her plan to do something special. One day he walked into one of his classes and headed to his usual seat, when he noticed several balloons tied to the chair and a good sized card that read "Happy Birthday! From someone who thinks you are special today!" The gesture would have been wonderful at 8 in the morning and a good birthday surprise…if it had not been a month early.

Later on he had called Orihime and as soon as she had picked up she had gone on about she had been completely shocked the night before to read in her calendar that his birthday was tomorrow and that she had run around trying to put together something that he might like and that she hoped he was not too upset about what she had given him that morning but that she had had time to go out and get him something really nice to give him later…it had taken Ichigo several minutes before he had been able to thank her for the gesture and then gently explain that his birthday was the next month. Their conversation had lasted an extra half-hour with Orihime apologizing for being such an idiot and Ichigo trying to assure her that he was not upset or overly embarrassed. Next month on his real birthday, Orihime had given him a handmade scarf with matching hat and gloves (he still wasn't sure how Orihime had managed to find so many different shades of orange to put into them), two CD's by his favorite band, a new video game, and five boxes of her homemade cookies (it had taken him ages to finish them off, but some of the flavors like pistachio chocolate-chip or the blueberry cinnamon snaps were surprisingly palatable and tasty) to try and make up for the mistake.

Other memories such as Orihime coming over to spend time with him and then drift over to help his sisters with different household or school responsibilities, him trying to distract Orihime in the kitchen from putting wasabi in everything while they were trying to make dinner one night for the Kurosaki family, them swapping stories of hospital work during their dates, one after the other drifted up to the forefront of his mind and he was reminded all over again of why he wanted to be a part of Orihime's life. He knew the marriage would not be perfect, they had had their heated debates and arguments, but just as he was able to find things to respect in his dad while still getting annoyed at Isshin's ridiculous antics, Ichigo was sure that the two of them could and would work well together.