Ichigo finds out that Orihime - who happens to be absent from school because she is sick - is in love with him, so he does what any man would do. He goes to her apartment to confront her about it.

"Where's Orihime?"

"Hm?"

"I just noticed she's not in school today."

Tatsuki looked up at Ichigo and took a bite out of the apple she held in her hand. "She's sick."

Ichigo frowned. "Sick?"

"Mmhm, she caught something from this little kid at the grocery store. He dropped his toy, she went over to pick it up, handed it to him and he sneezed all over her. That's why she isn't in school today. She's got a mild flu."

That was odd, Ichigo thought to himself. Orihime didn't live too far away from his home. All she had to do was show up at the clinic and he would've seen to it that she was taken care of. He didn't like the idea of her being home all by herself...even though she'd been living on her own for a while now.

"Are you gonna stay with her after school?"

"I would, but I have a martial arts tournament today. I'm in the finals, and I can't back out of it now. Maybe you could stay with her."

"Eh?! Me? I...uh...I dunno..."

Tatsuki just glared at the orange-haired boy with a look of withearing scorn. How long had he and Orihime been dancing around their feelings for each other?! Too damn long!

For nearly four years in high school, Tatsuki had watched her two best friends stutter, blush and stumble over their feelings for each other like a couple of idiots. Now, there were only two weeks of school left and then they would graduate. The time had come for her to say something before she lost her mind.

Standing to her feet, the brunette whirled on her right foot and pivoted, kicking Ichigo right in the stomach. He flew back and crashed into the wall. After a few moments, he stood up and yelled at her.

"Tatsuki! What the hell are you doing?! That hurt!"

Tatsuki stormed over to him and yanked him to his feet, holding him up by his collar. "You are such a blind, stupid idiot, Ichigo! I'm tired of standing by and watching you act like a fool!"

Confused, the boy replied, "Just what the hell are you talking about?! Acting like a fool over what?!"

She gritted her teeth. "Orihime!"

An angry scowl was still present on his face, but Ichigo's heart began pounding loudly when Tatsuki mentioned Orihime's name. "What about her?"

"Ugh! Are you really this dumb, Uchigo? She loves you, you jackass!"

Ichigo gasped, his eyes widened in shock. Those were the last words he expected to hear come out of her mouth. He shook his head, thinking that maybe his hearing was deceiving him. "Of course she does! Orihime loves everyone! It's just the way she is!"

Tatsuki groaned and so did several of their classmates behind them. Rukia walked forward and gave Ichigo a pitying smile. "Ichigo, Tatsuki is well aware of Orihime's character. This isn't about her being a friendly person. This is about her being in love with you. Romantically." Rukia added the last word with emphasis, to help Ichigo grasp what she meant.

The young man lowered his eyes to the ground and stared blankly. It was impossible to believe, and yet, could it be? All of those times he'd seen Orihime looking at him from afar, waving at him, giving him smiles and words of encouragement.

"Oh, my God. Inoue...is in love with me?"

Renji slapped his hand to his forehead in exasperation. "Yes, moron! She's in love with you! She has been for years! Now, how many times do we have to say it before you wake up from your daydreaming?! It's been embarrassing watching the two of you walk eggshells around each other."

Uryu pushed up his glasses and spoke. "Indeed. Ichigo, you've been very foolish to keep Orihime at arms' length for so long. She's a special girl and if you do not make a move, you may find that someone else will have captured her heart."

Keigo was crying as he stood next to his other classmates and he said a few words as well. "Just go tell her that you like her and give her a chance, you idiot! Now's the perfect time! She's at home all by herself and you can open your heart to her and tell her all of your passionate feelings! And I'll be watching you from the wind-ow!"

Tatsuki elbowed Keigo on the skull and gave Ichigo a hard stare. "Listen, you baka! School's out, so just go ahead and see her already!"

Chad chimed in, "You might want to change out of your school uniform first."

"That's right! You can't expect to woo a woman in your stinky school clothes!" Keigo chided.

"My clothes don't stink, Keigo!" Ichigo punched the boy in the face and picked up his book bag.

If Orihime has feelings for me, then I need to talk to her. I can't imagine what she's going through. She might have thought I knew how she felt all along and decided to ignore it! Damn! I really feel stupid!

Ichigo made his way to the classroom door and turned back to his friends. They sent him questioning looks. "Well, I guess I'm going to Orhime's, then." He shot them a grin before stepping out of the room. The sounds of jubilant praise was heard from outside as Ichigo's friends cheered him on.

After dropping by his house to for a quick shower and a change of his clothes, Ichigo made his way to Orihime's apartment. It didn't take him very long as he was walking pretty fast the whole time. So many thoughts were going through his head. What if she slammed the door in his face for having waited so long to say something? He wouldn't blame her if she did.

Once he reached Orihime's place, he knocked on the door. "Hey, Inou-Orihime! Open up!"

After several minutes, he heard footsteps coming to the door and slowly, Orihime's face popped out through the small crack when she opened it. Her eyes looked tired, but she gave him a small smile. It was obvious that she had just awakened.

"Good afternoon, Ichigo. Is..everything okay?" Her eyes were wide and the alarm on her face made Ichigo curious. He hadn't realized that he'd been leaning forward on the door frame, staring at her.

Jumping back and chuckling awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, I...was wondering if you were okay. Tatsuki told me you were sick, so I decided to come by and see if you needed anything."

The blush that appeared on Orihime's face made Ichigo grin. Even though she was sick, she was still cute. How the hell had he not noticed that by now? Tatsuki was right. He really was a dumbass.

"Oh, I'm fine, Ichigo. I have plenty of water, juice and soup to keep me fed for the next couple of days. Tatsuki gave me a big bag of those delicious American cough drops, so I'm all set." The girl gave him a happy smile, but he wasn't going to let her get off that easily.

"Orihime, if you don't mind, I was hoping that I could just...sit with you for a while."

She blinked, surprised by this. Normally, Orihime would have expected Ichigo to give her his well wishes and go back home, but he wanted to come inside to keep her company? Interesting...

"Well...if you'd like." She opened the door wider, giving him berth. Ichigo didn't waste any time stepping inside the building. Orihime closed the door and locked it, turning to him. "Um, I was watching a movie, but if you'd want to, we could play a game or something." Hopefully, he'd say yes because it was a bit awkward for her to stand there, looking up at him.

Ichigo was so tall compared to Orihime, yet she never felt short in his presence. He cared about people, even if he wasn't the best when it came to talking about his feelings, Orihime knew that he loved about his friends and family. A sharp pang hit her heart when she thought about her own feelings towards him.

Unrequited love was the hardest kind to feel. Always wondering if the person whom you loved would ever love you back or being afraid that the one you love loves another. Sometimes, I think it'd be a lot easier if people could turn their emotions on and off like a light switch, Orihime mused inwardly.

"Actually, I came here to talk to you."

"To...talk?"

"Yeah. It's pretty important too."

What could he possibly want to speak with her about? Orihime willed her feet to move forward to the living room and forced herself to breathe evenly. It wouldn't do for her to pass out at this moment. Ichigo went with her and they made their way into the living room, where they both sat in the floor.

Orihime sucked in her lower lip and gave Ichigo a glance before pouring herself a cup of oolong tea. "Would you like some tea, Ichigo?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

She nodded and set the teapot down on its warmer mitt, nearly dropping it because of her quick glances back and forth to Ichigo and the pot. She quietly took the cup in her hands and stared down at it. She breathed in the scent and sighed.

As she did this, Ichigo watched Orihime closely. She wore a dark blue yukata with a pink sash around the waist. There were no patterns to it, save for a splash of random flowers. She looked so calm, so at ease in that moment, inhaling the scent of her tea that Ichigo felt it would be a crime to disturb her. So he sat that and waited for her to open her eyes again.

As he waited, he took note of her long orange hair, slender nose, full lips, and yes, even the curves of her full bosom - he was a guy, how could he not notice them?

She really was beautiful. He had no idea why he never noticed it before. It was no secret that he was shit when it came to being affectionate towards others. It had always been difficult for him to get in touch with his softer side, but somehow, Orihime made him feel like anything was possible. She was so determined to remain by his side and was one of the closest friends he'd ever had.

Ichigo hadn't realized it, but he'd been drawn to her like a moth to a flame, exxept this flame would not burn him. If anything, it surrounded him and made him stronger. He watched her take a sip of her tea and look up at him.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Ichigo?" She asked kindly.

"I want to talk about us," he said, not missing a beat.

Her eyebrows rose. "'Us'?"

Better go for broke.

"I want to talk about you being in love with me."

Orihime gasped and set her cup on the table. It was a wonder she didn't spill it over in panic. Had he really said that or had her fleshy ears deceived her? "I-In love with you?" She squeaked.

Ichigo just gave her an intense stare. "Yeah. Tatsuki, Rukia and the others told me that you've had feelings for me for a while now."

She felt like her heart was in her throat. Rukia and Tatsuki were two of her closest female friends who knew how she felt about Ichigo, but Orihime had no idea that all of their friends knew. She felt horribly embarrassed and nervous. The look Ichigo was giving her wasn't helping either.

For a fleeting moment, she thought that maybe she could salvage the situation and tell him that she used to have feelings for him, but no longer. However, his eyes kept a steady gaze and Orhime found that she was at a loss for words.

"Why didn't you tell me, Orihime?"

"I...I don't know." She lowered her head and closed her eyes, hoping that he would storm out of her apartment and end her humiliation quickly. Instead, he reached forward and took her hands in his. Orihime started. Why was he holding her hands? She squirmed, feeling increasingly nervous as his fingers were wrapped around her own.

"You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you."

The warmth in Ichigo's voice made her calm her breathing. Goodness knows, her hands were clammy, but he kept them captured in his own. Slowly, gently, he freed one hand and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek.

Unused to such tenderness from him, Orihime moaned and closed her eyes, letting her hand cover his. She'd never been so close to a man before and it gave her a thrill that Ichigo was the first one to touch her so.

"You love me. Say it."

"Ichigo, I..."

"I want to hear those lips say the words I've been hearing in my head for the past half hour. Tell me, Orihime."

His voice was so tender, like a lover's. How could she refuse him? "I...I love you..." The words came out in a whisper, barely loud enough, but just discernible for him to hear.

Ichigo sighed in relief, a smile growing on his lips. He moved forward and took Orihime in his arms, holding her to his body. The young woman sucked in a deep breath and clutched his shoulders tightly.

The adoration in her eyes made delicious chills run down his spine. He brushed his lips against her forehead gently. Both of them breathed in and out raggedly, overwhelmed by the emotion in the moment.

The orange haired boy pulled back and smiled at the beautiful woman in his arms. "You really have grown up before my eyes, Orihime. I was an idiot for not paying attention."

She shook her head. "No, you're not an idiot...just not very observant."

They both laughed after she said this.

Once Ichigo was able to get a rein on his laughter, he smoothed his palm over his shoulder. It pleased him to see her visibly shudder at the contact.

"Orihime, when you get better...I want to take you out."

Her eyes flashed in surprise. "Out? On a date?"

"Yes. A date. And until then, I'm going to come by and visit you every day while you're sick. Since Tatsuki's going to be at her martial arts tournament, you'll need someone to look after you." The lazy grin he gave her was infectious and she felt her own lips rise in response. Happily, Orihime threw her arms around Ichigo and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

"No, thank you, Orihime."

That night, when Orihime lie on her bed to sleep, she hummed to herself. After years of pining, she was finally going to be with the man she loved.

She was certain that he cared for her too.

Orihime was very familiar with Ichigo's moods and could sense his feelings almost as if they were one being. Even if he hadn't said it, she knew because she could feel it in his touch. Before she fell asleep, Orihime felt a giddy sense of excitement. This sick day had turned out to be the best day of her entire life.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.