How Does One Know When the Goose is Cooked?

by jylener22

Thanksgiving, as most people will tell you, is a time when we give thanks for the many blessings we have in our lives. For housewives, like Orihime Kurosaki, they will give thanks after the holiday is over and they are finally able to relax. In Orihime's case, many surprises wait for her...whether bad or good surprises, it depends on how you look at it.

Orihime surveyed her kitchen, let out a huge sigh and said, "Today is the day. Oh dear."

It had begun as an almost completely normal day. She had been able to get the day off of work at the hospital while Ichigo had decided to work for a half day and then come home in enough time to help finish any final touch ups around the house before the guests arrived a little before 4:00. She had checked and double checked the day before as she went grocery shopping to make sure that she purchased absolutely everything she would possibly need today plus a little extra just in case.

Thanksgiving could be a brutal holiday for any hostess to handle, but Orihime had been determined to make this first one that she and Ichigo would be celebrating as a married couple the best one ever. Her determination was also fueled by the knowledge that she and her husband would not be alone for dinner.

Obviously, Isshin, Karin and Yuzu had been invited as they were Ichigo's family and Isshin had been overjoyed when he heard about the upcoming dinner. Tatsuki and her family had been invited, all though they had politely declined. Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad (he was going to Tatsuki's house as the two had been dating for almost two years) and Chizuru had also claimed to have previous engagements, but Uryu and his father had surprisingly accepted Ichigo and Orihime's invitation. Urahara, his employees and all the Vizards had been asked, but they had made plans of their own. Renji, Rukia and even Byakuya were coming as well as Rangiku and Toshiro from Soul Society, which Orihime had been pleased to hear.

There was one guest coming, however, whom Orihime felt a high amount of anxiety over. It wasn't Byakuya or Ryuken Ishida as she had met both the men a few times and while they could be calculating, distant and not very communicative at times, Orihime felt comfortable around them.

No, Orihime was scared because her aunt who had supported her financially after Sora's death all those years ago had called Orihime up out of the blue and said that she wished to meet with her. Without thinking, Orihime had asked if her aunt if she would like to come over for Thanksgiving dinner and that was that.

So now, everything had to be perfect about this dinner and whole event. The woman who had supported Orihime for almost half of her life was coming and Orihime had to be sure her aunt didn't think she was ungrateful or unable to take care of herself.

The entire house had been scrubbed thoroughly from top to bottom over the past few days the minute Orihime had come home from work each day. The first few times, Ichigo had tried to force Orihime to stop since he was concerned that she was going to push herself to exhaustion, but he had somehow forgotten just how stubborn and steely Orihime could become when she REALLY set her mind on something. So eventually, Ichigo had gotten the hint and simply went about doing the best he could to make sure the house was ready in time.

In addition to the house being cleaned, Orihime wanted it to feel festive as well, so Orihime had scoured the internet for any and all decorating ideas she could use. She had also found several very promising looking recipes that she wanted to try out for the dinner. However, she had made sure to try them out first with Ichigo to see if they turned out all right. All though Ichigo had said that putting cranberries in the stuffing sounded like a questionable choice, once he had put a bite in his mouth the stuffing had been declared a success. The same had been said about a number of other dishes, so now Orihime felt slightly less anxious about the whole affair…but only slightly.

Now with the house in order and six hours in which to put together the perfect Thanksgiving meal, Orihime stood in the kitchen with hands on hips and wishing this day were already over.

Shaking her head vigorously, Orihime scolded herself saying, "Just get to work. This food's not going to cook itself," and so she rolled up her sleeves and dove right in.

Potato peels went flying into a heap before being scraped unceremoniously into the garbage. The turkey was gently but firmly stuffed before Orihime realized that she had far more stuffing left over than what she had anticipated…then she discovered that she had forgotten to take the bag of turkey giblets out of the poor bird.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Orihime said, "That would have been really bad to leave in there!"

And that's when things started getting slightly out of hand.

After the turkey was set in the oven, Orihime slipped on some spilled water and nearly bashed her head against the edge of the countertop. Pulling herself up, Orihime upset her bag of cranberries sending them skittering across the floor which she promptly began chasing down.

When she finally managed to track all the cranberries down, Orihime set to work chopping up vegetables, making dough and then letting it rise and things were running along smoothly until she got around to mixing together ingredients for the desserts.

Orihime was making the pumpkin pie filling when she heard the front door open and her husband's voice call out, "I'm home!"

Slightly distracted, Orihime looked up from what she was measuring to call back, "I'm in the kitchen!"

As she heard footsteps coming down the hall to the kitchen, Orihime somehow managed to knock over the bag of flour sitting on the counter which she promptly caught before it spilled all over the floor. This action sent up a rather thick cloud of dust, some of which managed to find its way into Orihime's eyes. Carefully but quickly setting the bag back on the counter, Orihime turned blindly to grope her way over to the sink.

When the flour had managed to blind her, Orihime's obvious reaction had been to squeak in surprise, which made Ichigo's footsteps move faster as he called out, "Orihime! What's going on?"

Feeling what she thought was the sink, Orihime put her hands out as she responded, "I'm fine. Just knoc-OUCH OUCH OUCH!"

Instead of the sink, Orihime figured out she had made her way over to the stovetop and had touched the side of the pot in which the potatoes were boiling with both her hands. Instinctively, Orihime jumped back shaking her hands in pain and not being able to see where she was going wound up stepping back in the same treacherous patch of water that had gotten her earlier. Naturally, Orihime let out a startled cry as she felt herself falling.

After hearing his wife's initial cry of pain, Ichigo had all but sprinted down the hallway so that he reached the kitchen just seconds before Orihime slipped.

"Orihime!"

Ichigo only just managed to rush around the island counter and catch Orihime before she hit the floor. Orihime tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks from the pain of flour in her eyes and having burned her hands on the boiling pot. Also, it wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say that she was crying out of exhaustion, frustration and humiliation. As gently as he could, Ichigo helped Orihime clear the white debris from around her eyes so that he could inspect them.

Once he was able to determine that she was in no immediate danger, Ichigo looked into Orihime's rather bloodshot eyes and said seriously, "I thought today might wipe you out, but I never thought it would literally make you wipe out on the floor."

At his comment and serious tone, Orihime's natural good humor poked its head out as she said, "I must have made quite a racket just now. Apparently the potatoes and flour don't want to be a part of our dinner tonight."

Giving his wife a small grin, Ichigo said as he helped her to her feet, "Well, now that I'm here to help, I'll make sure to keep you safe. No Hollow or Arrancar was ever able to completely stop me from protecting you, so I don't intend to let these ingredients get the better of you now."

Now with four hands working to prepare a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast, Orihime allowed herself to relax a little more. Ichigo had only ever needed to be near her and Orihime would feel so much more at ease in certain situations. True, there had been times in high school where being in his presence had only made her nervous and slightly giddy, but Orihime could not remember a single instance where being with Ichigo had made her distinctly uncomfortable.

All too soon, the clock chimed a quarter to four and Orihime knew that her guests would begin arriving in about fifteen minutes. As a result, when the doorbell rang at 3:46 Orihime looked over at Ichigo with a look of shock, bewilderment and a little fear in her expression.

Casually wiping his hands on a dishtowel, Ichigo said kindly, "I'll go see who it is. More than likely it's Uryu come to see if he can help you or to make sure that I'm here helping."

Giving Ichigo a grateful look, Orihime turned back to the relish tray she was arranging. Only half paying attention to the sound of Ichigo opening the door, talking with whoever was at the door and then leading them down the hall, Orihime was quite startled to hear a completely unfamiliar voice suddenly speak in a sharp tone.

"Well, I never…what happened in here?"

Orihime whirled around with a jar of black olives in her hand. While there weren't many left in the jar, a number of olives went flying through the air, bouncing off the wall and rolling on the floor. However, Orihime ignored the airborne olives as she took in the sight of a woman she had never seen before in her life but knew at once.

Her aunt was of medium height with steely gray hair to match her eyes. She was dressed in a plain yet stylish blue-gray pant suit with a white blouse and a string of pearls to give off a business-like aura to her personality. Her eyes and face were stern but not unkind, however at the moment, her facial features also showed traces of confusion and shock.

Waving her hand in Orihime's direction, the woman said, "It looks like most of the food would rather cling to you than be used for dinner."

Her cheeks beginning to feel warm, Orihime looked down at herself and realized that she still had flour all over her apron and clothes. Orihime's heart stopped for a moment as she realized that she must look positively horrible covered in flour, no make-up and her hair a mess. She didn't normally think a whole lot about her appearance, but now that she had to endure her aunt's unreadable scrutiny Orihime felt very self-conscious about such things.

Walking over to stand next to Orihime, Ichigo said casually, "Yeah, the potatoes and flour certainly didn't want to be cooked, but Orihime wouldn't take no for an answer."

Raising an eyebrow, Orihime's aunt said, "Is that so?" before she looked directly at Orihime and said, "Even though we talked on the phone, you and I have never been formally introduced. I am Kaoru Inoue. My husband and your father were brothers."

Bowing respectfully, Orihime said breathlessly, "A pleasure to finally meet you, Aunt Kaoru. You and your husband have been very generous to take care of me ever since my brother passed away."

"Your uncle had nothing to do with taking care of you since he was a good for nothing and died about twenty years ago. It was all my doing and as long as you have turned out all right than I can say the money I sent to you didn't go to waste."

There was a moment's pause before Ichigo moved to stand next to his wife, wrapped an around her waist and said, "As long as I've known her, Orihime has been responsible, hard-working, smart and kind to a fault in all she does. One of the only things I've ever agreed with my dad on was the fact that one of the best decisions I ever made was to ask Orihime to marry me."

Giving Ichigo a searching look, Kaoru said musingly, "Is that so? I see."

As if on cue, Isshin's boisterous voice resonated throughout the house just before he knocked loudly on the front door. Muttering under his breath about what an idiot his father was, Ichigo went off to let his family in.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Yuzu called out first saying, "Happy Thanksgiving, Orihime! I brought over some…oh my goodness!"

Karin's eyes were sympathetic as she said, "Well, looks like you've been hard at work in here, Orihime. Do you need any help?"

Orihime shook her head and gave Karin a slightly frazzled smile as she said, "No, thank you Karin. May I introduce you all to my Aunt Kaoru, who has taken care of me ever since Sora passed away."

Introductions were made all around and before anyone could say anything, Kaoru turned her attention back to Orihime and said, "One thing you should know about me is that I always speak my mind and I will do so now. I don't expect you want to greet the rest of your guests the way you are now, so you might want to go and make yourself a little more presentable. While you're gone, I will talk a little to your husband."

Stuttering out a hasty apology, Orihime hastened out of the room and all but bolted up the stairs. Once she reached the bedroom, Orihime closed the door and leaned against it while she tried to calm her nerves and racing heart. Walking quickly over the mirror, Orihime surveyed her appearance and for once in her life, she couldn't find anything positive to think about. Her aunt had been right, she looked like an absolute wreck. With a little more weight settled on her heart and in her stomach, Orihime went about making herself look more like the wife of Ichigo Kurosaki and less like a disgruntled ghost.

It only took Orihime about ten minutes to change and get herself ready, so that by the time she went back down the stairs, the doorbell rang again. Calling to Ichigo that she would get the door, she skipped down the stairs a little less lightly than usual, yet naturally a warm smile pulled her mouth upwards as she opened the door.

Seeing Uryu and Ryuken Ishida standing on the doorstep, Orihime opened the door wider and said kindly, "Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for coming."

Uryu gave Orihime a small smile as he said, "We should really be the ones to thank you for inviting us, but you're welcome all the same."

Seeing two more figures coming up the sidewalk, Orihime told Uryu and Ryuken where the sitting room was and walked outside to greet her next guests.

Rangiku waved enthusiastically at Orihime and jogged over to where the younger woman stood while Toshiro merely kept walking leisurely along and giving Orihime a single wave as well.

"Oh Orihime!" Rangiku exclaimed as she dropped three bags on the ground (rather carefully since some objects inside clinked against each other) before she swept Orihime up into a tight hug.

Returning her friend's hug, Orihime said, "Happy Thanksgiving, Rangiku! Thank you for coming."

Holding Orihime at arm's length, Rangiku said, "Wouldn't miss it for the world! I brought some hostess gifts with me and you will accept them. I don't want to hear a single protest on the matter."

Giving Rangiku another hug Orihime said, "You are so kind, Rangiku. Come on inside, both of you. Uryu and his father are here already. Are Rukia, Renji and Byakuya coming soon?"

Finally having reached the two women standing in the yard, Toshiro said casually, "They're right behind us. I think once Rukia saw that Rangiku had bought some things to bring you, she thought it would be rude of them not to get something as well."

Before Orihime could say anything, Toshiro cut her off saying, "I wouldn't try to protest with them either since Byakuya might take offense. For him, it would be a slight or blot on the Kuchiki honor and name. If you accepted gifts from a vice-captain, you should be able to accept a small token from not only a captain but also a captain who happens to be the Head of a very influential and proud family to his way of thinking."

Rangiku added her two cents by saying, "Besides, we know you've been working hard to make sure everything was perfect for today. It was so kind and thoughtful of you to invite all of us over, so let us show you just how grateful we are in return."

Again, after ushering her guests inside, Orihime saw her final three guests making their way towards the Kurosaki residence. Byakuya was in front with his vice-captain and adopted sister in his wake.

When the tall, sophisticated man passed the front gate, Orihime bowed respectfully (a little lower than she would normally) and said, "Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for accepting our humble invitation to come for dinner."

Giving Orihime a curt yet polite nod, Byakuya replied, "Indeed. It may not be the custom here, but at events such as these over in Soul Society a single woman and man who have become betrothed to one another do not attend without a chaperone."

Orihime blinked in confusion before her gaze automatically turned towards Rukia who in turn smiled and held up her left hand. Seeing the object being displayed on Rukia's hand, Orihime's face brightened in a wide smile as she turned her attention back to Byakuya.

"I see. Well, we do want to keep things proper. The rest of the guests are inside if you would like to mingle and enjoy some hors d'oeuvres while I finish making the dinner."

Nodding, Byakuya made his way inside. Renji followed after his captain, but not without giving Orihime a wide grin and polite nod as he walked past. Turning to Rukia, Orihime's smile widened even more as she threw out her arms to embrace her friend.

"Oh Rukia! This is so exciting! When did he propose? Have you started planning the wedding yet? What did Byakuya say? Oh, please let me see the ring!"

Rukia laughed as she pulled away from Orihime's tight hug in order to hold out her left hand for Orihime's inspection. On her ring finer was nestled a simple silver band with a single sapphire stone that was the same color as Rukia's eyes.

Laughing slightly, Rukia said as Orihime cooed over the piece of jewelry, "Well, Renji proposed a little over two weeks ago, so we just haven't had time to let anyone over here know yet. No, we haven't started making plans just yet since Rangiku heard and insisted that she would be our wedding planner. Momo and Nanao are going to help a little as well I think, so that will be…interesting I think. As for Byakuya, he hasn't said much, but I think he's pleased. Renji's a good man."

The two women made their way inside still chatting about proposals and wedding plans when they arrived at the sitting room where everyone else had congregated. Upon walking into the room, Orihime had been taken slightly aback when she realized with a jolt that her Aunt Kaoru was there and that she was looking straight at Orihime.

Orihime was about to apologize to her aunt for leaving her alone with strangers for so long without introducing the other guests, when Ichigo came up, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and said, "I've been making introductions all 'round and I'd be happy to keep them occupied a little longer while you finish up in the kitchen."

Looking up at her husband with a loving and grateful expression, Orihime quickly gave her husband a kiss before excusing herself and heading off to the kitchen. As she worked, Orihime listened and could hear voices carrying on polite conversations with one another and seeming to be having a good time, so Orihime allowed herself to relax…but only a tiny bit.

About half an hour later, everyone was assembled in the dining area with the Thanksgiving feast laid out before them in its full glory. While the turkey had the place of honor in front of Ichigo, it by no means 'stole the show' as there was plenty of other scrumptious food to gaze upon. Rolls, a variety of sweet breads, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a veggie tray, a bowl of steamed broccoli, a salad with five different kinds of dressing as well as different condiments to adorn it with, a fresh relish tray, a bowl of mixed fruit and a platter of roast beef (in case someone was not a big turkey fan).

As she sat down, Rangiku clapped her hands and said, "Orihime, you really pulled out all the stops for this dinner! Everything looks positively incredible!"

Then she frowned slightly and commented under her breath (which still meant that everyone could hear her), "I don't see any red bean paste or banana butter or pickled beet preserves. Aww…"

Immediately, Orihime jumped straight out of her chair saying, "Oh Rangiku, I'll g-" but didn't get a chance to finish her sentence when she saw her husband already heading for the kitchen. He gave Orihime a smile and winked before stepping out and coming back less than a minute later with the requested foods in his hands. This whole incident was carefully observed by one shrewd pair of eyes whereas everyone else didn't seem to be paying attention.

Once everyone was settled, dishes were passed around, food piled on plates enthusiastically just moments before silverware began clicking on the dishes. Conversation continued casually around the table in between bites of food and Orihime was pleased to see everyone enjoying themselves. However, the weight settled firmly back over her heart when she took her first bite of food.

The mashed potatoes were lumpy, the turkey was a little dry, the rolls were all right, the gravy could use a little more flavor and on and on it went. With each new bite of food, Orihime felt more and more like breaking down and crying. What kind of a hostess would serve her guests such a mediocre meal? How had she missed such obvious mistakes in her cooking?

As Orihime sat there silently berating herself and criticizing her sub-par cooking, two pairs of eyes just as silently observed her stewing in misery and self-deprecation. Then one of the pairs of eyes turned to look at the other person (who didn't seem to be aware of it) and a new light of curiosity entered that gaze.

When the others would turn to Orihime in order to hold a conversation with her, Orihime would politely and pleasantly respond, but it took all her will power not to break down. Every time Orihime's eyes turned towards her aunt, her heart sank a little lower as she thought about how disappointed her aunt must be in her. After all the kindness and generosity her aunt had shown to her over the years, this apparently the best form of gratitude Orihime could give in return. It made Orihime's cheeks burn slightly with shame.

Finally the meal ended and Orihime was allowed to excuse herself to the kitchen in order to clear away the food, put it in the fridge and clean all the dishes. At first Orihime refused all offers of help, but finally Rangiku and Rukia's stronger and more forceful personalities won out and the three women went about working in the kitchen.

Once the work was completed, Orihime brought out all the desserts and laid them out where the dinner had been not ten minutes previously. Rangiku and Renji seemed the most enthusiastic at the sight of all the sweet treats being brought out, which made Orihime smile in spite of herself.

Even though Orihime as hostess served all her guests first, the others insisted that she be the one to take the first bite of dessert. So Orihime put a mouthful and pumpkin pie into her mouth…and for a moment she could do nothing but sit there in shock and confusion before her gaze connected with her aunt's and then Ichigo's after which her eyes brimmed over with tears and she rushed out of the dining room. She heard the others pushing back their chairs and calling out her name in alarm, asking her if she was all right, but Orihime could not answer because she still hadn't swallowed the bite of pumpkin pie.

Reaching the kitchen sink, Orihime promptly spit the pie out of her mouth and crumpled into a ball on the floor so that she could sob out her mortification and despair silently. The pumpkin pie was positively inedible. She had somehow managed to mix up the sugar and salt measurements. Thinking back, Orihime realized that she had been measuring out the salt and sugar when Ichigo had come home earlier that day and then she had knocked over the flour and so on.

A few moments later, a pair of very familiar hands and arms gathered her up and held her against an equally familiar chest while a much beloved voice spoke to her.

"Orihime, what's the matter? Are you feeling all right?"

Speaking in between her sobs, Orihime said brokenly, "Oh Ichigo! Everything is all wrong! All the food was terrible, but everyone was so kind and didn't complain at all. But now I've gone and completely ruined the pumpkin pie and…I'm such a terrible person!"

Ichigo's arms tightened around Orihime as he said firmly, "Orihime don't you dare say that. You did your best and no one said anything because the food was really good. They also know how hard you've been working to make sure this was an enjoyable time for everybody. Thanksgiving is not just about the food one eats, but also the people with whom you share it."

Kissing the top of Orihime's hair and then her forehead, Ichigo said, "Besides, stuff like this makes for good stories to tell our grandchildren one day. I'll tell them about this and you can tell them about the time when I tried to build that birdhouse back in high school."

Wiping her eyes and laughing a little, Orihime said, "It fell apart as soon as you went to pick it up. I don't think I've ever seen you so bewildered."

Helping Orihime to her feet, Ichigo wrapped his arm once again around her waist and led her back into the dining room where the others were waiting saying, "All that was going through my head just then was, 'Are you serious?'"

With Ichigo helping her, Orihime was better able to explain to the others why she had run out of the kitchen so suddenly. Rukia, Rangiku and Yuzu were highly sympathetic while Isshin bravely attempted to take huge bites of the pie to make her feel better…before he finally groped around desperately for a glass of water.

"Rats. I thought he was finally going to kick the bucket," muttered Karin as she exchanged a knowing look with her brother to which Orihime responded by rushing over to her father-in-law to make absolutely sure that he was all right.

Even though eating the pumpkin pie was out of the question, the rest of the desserts were raved over much to Orihime's delight. The rest of the evening passed quite pleasantly and all too soon each group of guests began taking their leave.

Finally, only Kaoru Inoue was left and as she stood in the front hallway looking at Ichigo and Orihime standing next to one another, she said, "Well, this experience was certainly quite enlightening."

Immediately, Orihime's cheeks burned and she began stammering, "I'm so sorry, Aunt Kaoru! The dinner tonight wasn't nearly good enough and I hope you don't think that because of that that I am ungrateful to you for all you have done for me over the years!"

Kaoru looked at Orihime for a time before she said matter-of-factly, "You seem to be under the impression that I was here today in order to see just how grateful you were to me. On the contrary, I came here today to make sure that you were happy and well taken care of in your new married life."

Before she could stop herself, Orihime blurted, "What do you mean?"

Kaoru's eyes softened slightly as she said, "I know I told you and your husband earlier that as long as you had turned out all right that I would consider the money I sent you not to have been wasted. However, just because I've not been physically present in your life, that doesn't mean that I didn't check up on you every once in a while just to see how you were doing and if you were becoming a better person than your parents could ever hope to be.

"You probably didn't know that I knew your mother long before she married your father. I also knew your father. Both of them had good qualities in some areas, but for the most part they were quite silly and foolish in most of the decisions they made. When I heard they had gotten married and had two children, I didn't think much of it, but once I heard that Sora had run away with you and was attempting to make a better life, I began to take more interest. Neither your mother nor father would ever have done such a thing, both of them being too lazy and stupid, so when I saw Sora actually working hard and successfully taking care of you in the process, it definitely caught my attention.

"When Sora passed away, I began to wonder if you were more like him or your parents, so I decided to help you financially and see how things turned out. From the way you handled yourself and worked hard in school, it was obvious that you took after your brother and so every once in a while I would either call your school or then later your work just to see how you were getting along.

"Then when I heard you had gotten married, I decided to come and see what kind of a man you had attached yourself to. I wanted to see if he really deserved someone as good and accomplished as you."

Turning her attention to Ichigo, Kaoru said, "It is obvious to me that the two of you work well together, but more than that you understand each other. You cared more about the person and feelings of your wife, so that even when she made all those mistakes during dinner and dessert you were more concerned with making sure that she was all right and comforting her rather than making sure she kept up good appearances for your sake and the sake of your guests."

Giving them both a small bow, Kaoru finished with, "Now, I will be on my way. Thank you for inviting me into your home. I wish you both well."

As Kaoru turned to open the door, she heard quick footsteps and then felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her neck as Orihime said shakily, "Oh Aunt Kaoru! Thank you so much!"

Patting the young woman's arm, Kaoru said, "Take care of yourself and that husband of yours."

Pulling away, wiped her eyes as she said, "I will. Also, do come again whenever you have the time. Christmas is coming up and we'll be having another get together. I'll definitely make sure the dinner turns out then."

"Well, that might be nice."

Turning her attention to Ichigo, Kaoru said, "You're a lucky man."

With a small grin, Ichigo said, "Don't I know it?"

Later that night as Ichigo and Orihime were both getting ready for bed, Orihime turned to Ichigo and said, "I was so nervous about today and meeting Aunt Kaoru. She is such a nice person once you get to know her. All though, there at the table as I was eating, I was looking over at her and all I could think was 'Now the goose really is cooked.'"

Pulling Orihime towards him so that she was propped up against his chest, Ichigo said, "You did a good job tonight. Next time, I'm sure things will be much better."

Kissing her temple he said, "It'll also help now that you've met your Aunt Kaoru. When she comes you won't feel so nervous or frantic to please her."

Turning so that she could kiss Ichigo's cheek, Orihime said, "I couldn't have done it without you. Aunt Kaoru was right when she said you were a good man."

"She was also right when she said that you were an amazing woman."

The troubles Orihime had woken up with weighing down on her heart that morning had long since fallen away and the last remnants were completely banished as she snuggled with her husband and shared a sweet and passionate kiss with him.

Life was good.

Author's Note:

This is a story I wrote for the BlackMoonWhiteSun Group's Fall Contest over on deviantart . com. I've been wanting to do a story like this for a time where Orihime would try really hard to cook a meal and yet things just spiral out of hand. Then Ichigo comes along and makes her feel so much better. Just makes my heart melt.

Hope you enjoyed it and that everything made sense, but if something confused you, don't hesitate to ask!