Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, Bleach and its characters. However, the stories are a product of my overactive imagination and so please respect it and each other. Any similarities to other works are purely coincidental, unless clearly stated otherwise. So without further ado, please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Too Nice

Summary: In which Orihime's good-naturedness, gets her in a sticky situation.

Everyone can agree that Orihime Inoue was a nice person. Maybe too nice, which makes her a key target for people who want to take advantage of her. However, they all learn eventually that she is not someone to be toyed with.

Tatsuki and Orihime walked out of the classroom with linked arms.

"Sorry, Orihime, but I can't walk home with you today. Late Judo practice tonight." Tatsuki said apologetically.

"That's okay, I'll be fine. But please don't push yourself too hard-Ow!" Orihime winced as someone walked by, knocking into her. The boy didn't even stop to apologize or acknowledge his mistake. As he passed by, Orihime thought she saw him smile oddly, but shook it off when she felt Tatsuki's anger welling up, "Hey don't you watch where you're going? You have two eyes- why don't you use em!" Tatsuki's nostrils flared and was ready to jump to her friends defense, but Orihime held her back.

"It's fine, Tatsuki-chan, I'm sure it was just an accident." She pleaded quickly, not wanting to create a scene.

"But-"Tatsuki's protest was interrupted but orihim.

"Please, I don't want you to get in trouble before your big competition." Tatsuki begrudgingly obliged. She could never say no those eyes.

"Fine, but you really are too nice Hime."

By the time Orihime had finished up with her after school club, the sun had set for the day and the only light left to guide her home were the dim street lights. She was used to walking home alone, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. Her guard was up and she quickened her pace.

Ichigo muttered angrily at being held back after school for his makeup test, especially because it was the teacher's own fault for losing his original test to begin with.

"Ichigo, you're still here!" Tatsuki, still in her Gi, saw him and made her way towards him, much to Ichigo's dread. The only reason she ever specifically looked for him was because she needed a favor, and Ichigo wasn't feeling very benevolent at the moment.

"No" he said quickly, "the answer is no"

"But I haven't even said anything."

"Whatever it is, the answer is still the same." Ichigo said firmly and continued down the hallway.

"It's Orihime," he stopped. Tatsuki smirked knowing that would get his attention.

"What about Inoue?" He asked, turning around to face her.

"Practice is running overtime tonight so we couldn't walk home together. But I can't help but feel uneasy about her walking home alone in the dark. So can you please chase her down and make sure she gets home safely?" Ichigo could never say no when it comes to Orihime and he suspected that Tatsuki knew that.

"Fine," he said, but felt the need to add, "Although you know she can take care of herself right?"

"I don't doubt it, but my "best-friend" senses are tingling, and since I can't act on it, I'm counting on you."

As Ichigo stepped out of school, he began to feel the same uneasiness that Tatsuki must have felt. He began to pick up speed until he was practically sprinting down the street.

Orihime must've looked silly power walking down the street, but her insticts tell her she may be in trouble. Hoping she could confirm that she was being followed without being too obvious, she glimpsed at the wall and saw another shadow lurking behind her. At that instant she wasn't taking any chances and began to run. As fast as she could, she dashed down the street towards her apartment which was almost within reach. She heard a distressed grunt, followed by an audible thud. Not stopping she turned her head to see what had happened. The boy who was following her was on the ground wincing in pain as he clutched his ankle. Against her better judgement, she slowed down and eventually stopped. Orihime could never find it in herself to abandon someone in pain, even if it landed her in trouble. She spun around and cautiously walked towards the boy.

"Are you okay?" She asked. The boy looked up and shook his head. He looked oddly familiar.

"I think I sprained my ankle," he replied, "It might be swelling up. I can't tell,"

She bent down to observe his ankle and strained her eyes to see whether he was experiencing any immediate swelling like he assumed. She couldn't be sure because before she got a good look at it, he grabbed her, forcefully pulled her up and pinned her against the wall, showing no signs of actual injury to his ankle.

"What are you doing?" she gasped.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time," He said breathlessly. His expression was unnerving.

"You don't want to do this," she said trying to reason with him, despite the nagging feeling that he was beyond reason.

"Yes I do. I've been watching you for a long time," He said, increasingly more erratic. "You were so beautiful I couldn't resist."

She suddenly realized why he looked so familiar. He was the one that had bumped into her earlier that day. The one with the creepy smile.

"I love you and I know you feel the same way—" he insisted.

"No I don't," she said calmly. "I don't even know you."

"—sure you do. You're just playing hard to get. I can tell by the way you look and smile at me." He was adamant, as if he truly believed what he said.

"Let me go," She said trying to keep her voice leveled, "Please."

"You don't really want that, do you?" He smiled eerily and slowly leaned in.

Ichigo sped up when he heard a scream in the distance. "Hold on Inoue, I'm almost there," He hoped and prayed with all his might that she was okay.

He caught sight of figures in the distance, but upon approaching them he was able to relax a little. He had been right, Inoue was able to take care of herself. She had her perpetrator pressed on the ground with his arm twisted in a painful position behind him. She was sitting on him and he was screaming in pain and begging her to release him.

"Inoue," he managed to say, "Are you okay?"

"Kurosaki-kun," she said pleasantly, which was surprising considering the situation she was in and added, "I'm fine, me and Shota-kun were having a lovely talk." She released her stalker and stood up, freeing him. He struggled to get up and scrambled to get away. Ichigo stepped forward to stop him, but Orihime grabbed a small length of his uniform stopping him.

"Let him go, I believe we came to an understanding," she assured him. Ichigo sighed, reluctantly giving into her.

"You want to talk about what happened?" he offered as he gathered her things.

"There's not much to say. The poor boy was, to put it frankly, a bit delusional. He believed himself to be in love with me, and thought I was encouraging him. I took it upon myself to explain to him that he was deeply mistaken and kindly asked him to never approach me again."

"Wow, I pity anyone who tried to mess with you," he said impressed. "You are fearsome in your own right." There was an unspoken understanding that Ichigo was going to walk with her the rest of the way.

"Are you going to report him?" he asked.

"Of course," she nodded. "Tomorrow I'll tell the school and they'll hopefully get him some help. I can't risk him assaulting someone else."

"That's very admirable of you," he said. "I would've have thought you'd let him of the hook, being the nice person that you are."

"I would have, under normal circumstances, but he exhibited mental instability. I believe he needs professional help." Ichigo grinned at Orihime reinforcing his belief that she could handle herself. She was an intelligent and capable person, and he respected her for it.

"I know you can take care of yourself, I can attest to that," he said, "but if you have a problem, you should know that I'm, ehem, I mean we're here for you. All of us."

"I appreciate that," she beamed.

"By the way, where did you learn to do that," he asked, referring to what she inflicted on the boy moments ago.

"Tatsuki-chan believes that every girl should learn to protect herself. She taught me some self defense," she explained proudly.

"She taught you well," he commented, "you overpowered that guy without breaking a sweat. Those idiots should know better than to underestimate you."

She blushed at his praise, but Ichigo wasn't exaggerating. She was a strong girl, who was more than capable of fighting her own battles, but she also had friends who cared about her and had her back. So to sum it all up, Orihime Inoue was a force to be reckoned with.

-Fin-

Note: I hope that it was an enjoyable read. Feedback is welcome.