Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to the wonderful Tite Kubo.

Author's note: This fic is taking place after the defeat of Aizen. All of the characters believe that their days of fighting are all over and begin to look at each other in more of an adult's perspective. Ichigo and his human friends are out of high school and are all around the ages of 17-18. The characters will also be OOC at times. Enjoy!

Stay with Me

She kneeled down and watched her power do its work. The orange light covered his deep wound, slowly healing it as he laid on the brown tattered mat that Kisuke allowed them to use. She watched him lay there with his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. Her dark brown eyes traced the outline of his face and then rested on the orange tangled mess he called hair. She fought the urge to take out a comb from her purse and comb out all of the knots. Her eyes roamed further down away from his head and down his chiseled arms to his magnificent six pack, where just a few inches away was a deep wound he received from battle which she was currently healing.

He sighed and turned his head, startling the poor girl who's face became stark red. He sat up on his elbows careful not to cause any damage to the wound that was currently being healed. A smile plastered his face as he looked over the girl's shoulder and out of the window. Looking out at the warm blue sky felt like the heavens were promising an everlasting peace. There weren't going to be anymore hollows, Arrancars, or anymore sadistic world ending monsters such as Aizen. "It's finally over." Saying it out loud made it seem even more realistic. He couldn't believe that it was all over. It was just four years ago when he first received his soul reaper powers and now four years later it was all over. What did this mean? Would he have to return his powers or are they his to keep? What would become of his friends and of Soul Society? All of these questions lingered at the back of his mind, and for once that's where he wanted to leave them. He just wanted to have one moment, this moment to believe that his days of fighting have finally come to an end. There would be no more unnecessary bloodshed or loved ones being put in harms way. He could finally return to a normal life. 'Normal...back to my normal life.'

He let out another sigh but this time it was more of an impatient kind of sigh as he stared at the healing wound. "Almost done?"

"Y-yes." Was her only reply as she timidly brought her hands away from the wound and stood to her feet. He too stood to his feet and cracked the stiffness out of the bones in his neck and back. "Ah feels great!" He bent down to pick up a green t-shirt and quickly put it on. "Thanks Orihime."

She smiled at him and began gathering her things to leave. Just as she began to step out of the door, Ichigo placed his hand on her shoulder stopping her from venturing any further. She didn't know why but her heart had skipped a beat at the moment when he touched her. She slowly turned around and watched as Ichigo took his hand off of her shoulder and placed it on the back of his neck as if he had a bad itch in need of scratching.

"Umm...where are you headed?" He didn't know why he was asking her this question as if it was any of his business, but he didn't want her going home where she would once again be alone. Her parents were gone and so was her brother, she had no one to return to. In all that time they spent together fighting side by side, he felt that she was family. He and all of the others were family even if they didn't act like it at times, they all shared a strong bond that could not be broken.

Orihime was on the verge of answering his question when a soft yawn escaped her mouth. She blushed out of embarrassment and looked at the ground as she began to talk, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "It's been a long day so I guess I'll head home and rest for awhile."

Ichigo nodded his head in a disapproving matter. "You're always welcomed to stay at my house."

She looked up at him shocked that he would suggest such a thing, as her heart beat increased and her palms became sweaty. 'Ugh why am I acting like this!'

Ichigo saw the hesitation in her eyes and began to think of things to say to persuade her to stay with him. Truth be told he felt very uneasy thinking about Orihime staying alone. With all of the things that happened throughout these years, he knew that everything took a greater toll on her. She had to use every ounce of power she had in her over and over to heal her friends who were on the brink of death many times. He knew that sometimes she preferred to fight but she was the healer of the group and without her what would happen to them? They relied on her too much and he could see that all of that was getting to her. Not only that, but Orihime was also held captive in Hueco Mundo for quite a long time. Who knows what that bastard Aizen could have done to her! By all means he wasn't going to allow Orihime to stay by herself, at least not for now. 'When she becomes mentally stable enough to take care of herself, then I'll allow her to go back home.'

"Yuzu and Karin would love it if you came to stay with us! They adore you, you're like an older sister to them. And my dad wouldn't mind it at all!" Ichigo hoped that she'd say yes. He didn't want her causing any harm to herself while she was alone. Being around family, his family would be good for her health.

Orihime didn't know what to say. She didn't want to intrude upon Ichigo and his family and have them feel as if they had to take care of her. But then again she's always had people to take care of her throughout these four years. Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, and Uryu, they all took care of her and made sure she was always out of harms way.

She didn't know why she was still hesitating. Her heart was telling her no begging her to say yes but her mind was telling her that she was older now and could fend for herself. Looking over at Ichigo, she noticed that his brown eyes were pleading with her to say yes. 'He really wants me to stay huh?' She smiled nervously as her heart rate increased for what seemed like the fifth time today. "Are you sure they wouldn't mind?"

Ichigo felt like jumping with joy he wasn't sure why but he just did. He thanked the heavens for the decision she just made and tried to keep his cool as he walked over and grabbed the bags she was carrying. "They wont mind...they wont mind at all."