Author's Note: So this story has been under a reboot that was desperately needed. The amazing Ichihime Kurosaki has been nice enough to beta this for me and help make sure I keep on track. As many of you may have noticed by now I changed the title and the summary, even though I did this the story has remained mainly the same. It was just as I was going along with chapter 3 that I realized the title and summary I had given it in the beginning did not fit, but now after deep pondering I have come up with the title that fits it much better and a summary that will hopefully catch more attention than the previous one. I hope that new readers will enjoy this and review and follow - I'd love to have you along for the ride with me - as well I hope the old readers will continue to stick with me to the end. This story is becoming a very special project to me so I'd like to hear what everyone's thoughts are.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the original characters that Tite Kubo created. I do however own this story that I have placed them in. And even though they are his characters I have changed them to fit this story. Which makes this an AU story.
Hidden Past
Summary: Ichigo's loved one has a secret, a secret that could ultimately take her life. Because of that he was determined to protect her no matter the costs, and one way he does that is by being apart of a high ranking military secret sect. The Delta's. "We will torture you until we get what we want!" Ichigo smiled grimly, blood staining his teeth, "Then you'll be here a long while."
The cool metal of the gun felt good in the young man's hand as he glided in the night. His features were masked by the helmet he wore nearly making his face invisible to the naked eye. The moon was high in the sky as the man made his way through the empty streets. It was dangerous business, what he was doing, which made it very important that he wasn't discovered. Looking to his left he saw one of his particularly good friends. He had met him back in their days in the military academy and ever since then they had been close.
When he saw the signal he needed, adrenalin began to pump in his veins. Automatically, his body began to move and he was quickly flanked by his friend. Together the two of them jogged silently through the sand and buildings. Both of them watched the streets closely as they ran, it was important that they reach their destination undiscovered.
They were panting by the time they saw the building they were looking for. In perfect unison they covered the expanse of the distance and both leaned against the wall of the building. Quietly, the man held up his military issue K-49 and spoke into the headset attached to his ear. "Easy, let's get this done Ichigo so we can return to base and you can make that call to your wife."
Ichigo Kurosaki posed his finger over the trigger and gave a brief nod, indicating that he was ready. The man beside him - his dear companion Renji Abarai - shoved the door open and quickly moved his gun into position, checking to see if an enemy was in the near vicinity. When it was clear, the two of them moved down the hallway with Ichigo watching the rear.
Ichigo had joined the military when he graduated from high school. He started out in the Marines and from there quickly rose in the ranks; by the time he was 23, he was a member of the advanced military unit called Delta Force. It was a top secret unit that served the country following the President's orders and executing the missions they were given with precision and minimal losses. At this very moment they were in the Middle East searching for a man that had snuck out of the US and was currently hiding in the deserts of Iran. It was imperative that they find him and apprehend him before he could leak any secrets from the government to the enemy.
A noise captured Ichigo's attention from a hallway they had passed. He looked back at his partner and spoke softly,"I heard something, and I'm going to check it out. Keep going. I'll meet up with you as soon as I'm sure it was nothing."
"Be careful -" was the only reply Ichigo received. Not wasting any more time, Ichigo retraced his steps and went down the hallway that they had briefly checked before moving on. His gut tightened and he slowed his walk. Something wasn't right about this place and every nerve in his body was screaming for him to turn back.
Despite this he continued forward, there was no time to retreat, he had to finish this mission quickly in order to get back to base. The house creaked eerily as he pushed onward. A few sounds made him jump and he swung his gun around, his brown eyes frantically searching the open area of the room he had just entered. If he had not been trained his breathing would have been hard since his heart was racing. But with the amount of training he had been given, his body was able to keep calm despite what his mind was doing.
Cautiously, he moved towards the back of the room where another door resided. The room smelled of sweat and dirty clothing, a smell that he disliked greatly. His boots didn't make any sound as he maneuvered around piles of clothing and small tables. He slowly moved to the door and touched the knob with his glove-covered hand.
Turning it slowly, he heard something from the other side and his insides went cold. Instinctively he moved back but it was a tad too slow and the door swung open, nearly hitting him in the face. If his foot hadn't been where it was, the door would have hit him smack in the nose. It threw him off balance and he stumbled backward, quickly trying to regain his footing as figures advanced on him. His hand tightened on his K-49 and he was just about to shoot when he felt cool metal pressed against the back of his neck. Knowing that he could very well die here, he closed his eyes briefly, his thoughts going to the young girl that he loved more than life itself.
If there was anything he could have been doing at that moment, he would have chosen to be with her, having her snuggle into his side as they watched a movie. 'Please God…let her know how much I love her.' Then with determination, Ichigo's eyes snapped open and they were filled with hardness. He cussed under his breath, gripped his gun tightly and made the split decision to whirl around on the man that was behind him. The second he did so, he felt something hard hit him and then all that was left was darkness.
6 Months Earlier in Washington D.C., United States
"Avery stop that!" A voice rang loudly through the two story house as the sound of a small girl's laughter filled the air.
Ichigo Kurosaki, age 25, had just stepped into his home and already he could hear the results of what his only daughter was doing. Letting his cargo backpack fall from his shoulders and onto the floor, beside the wall, he got on one knee and began to unlace his combat boots.
They had been living in this home the longest, and so far Washington D.C. had become home. Being with the military meant one was forced to move around a lot. The same went for Ichigo and his wife. During his time they had lived in several different states and even resided in London for a year. The thing that made both of them decide that Washington D.C. was home was the strong military presence that was there. Ichigo knew that no matter what could happen, his family would be taken care of. That in itself was peace of mind.
With one boot unlaced and successfully off, Ichigo switched legs and begun to unlace the second one. His eyes left what they were doing and looked up at the picture that hung on the wall directly in front of him. It was a picture of the day he was married - 4 years earlier. He had been 21 at the time and in the middle of moving up in the ranks of the military.
It turned out to be the single best decision in his life, besides marrying his beautiful wife. That had probably been the best and most significant decision he had made. Grabbing his boots in one hand Ichigo got to his feet and put them in the shoe basket that was just to his left. Deciding to leave his backpack where it was, he meandered down the hall. Pictures scattered it - different ones of him and his wife, some of their young daughter, and some of the places they had lived during his time serving.
Ichigo reached the end of the stairs and gazed up them. There he saw the figure of his wife, her hands on her hips, head cocked to the side as she tapped her foot. "I am serious, Avery! You cannot do that to the kitten - look at her!"
A smile cracked his usually firm face as his wife took a hand-off her hips and pointed at what he assumed was their kitten, "She is terrified, I don't think you would like it if someone picked you up and dressed you in something you didn't like."
"But momma!" the strong voice of a usually well-behaved and endearing young girl argued, "Chloe was naked, and we can't have her naked."
The argument resumed but Ichigo wasn't paying it much attention, instead he was taking this unique time to study his wife. He started at her legs, one of his unrelenting weaknesses. They were long, curvy, and ultimately his. Her hips were enticing as well with roundness that finished off her hourglass figure.
Ichigo Kurosaki was not a stupid man; he knew that his wife turned other men's heads when she walked down the street or shopped in the local grocery store. Even when she was with him, she still got looks of desperation from them. During those instances he would wrap his arm around her slender waist and pull her closer to him, which caused the men to frown in disappointment. To say he was proud about the fact that she was his would be an understatement. There was no better feeling than to know that other men lusted after his wife and they would never get her.
Ichigo got a clear look at his wife as she glanced over her shoulder at the stairs and then looked away, just to then do a double take. His smile widened when her full gray eyes grew in size at seeing him. She hadn't expected him home until late that evening, so to see him standing at the foot of the stairs was sure to be a shock. Friends asked him frequently if he was ever worried of his wife stepping out on him during one of the long deployments that came frequently. As his wife regained her composure from the surprise, she turned her body to face him and rushed towards him. The answer Ichigo always gave them was no. Orihime Inoue, now Kurosaki as of four years ago, had always been devoted to him. Opening his arms to her as she got to the fifth step of the stairs and she lunged for him, he caught her easily in his strong arms.
Moving her auburn hair to the side, he buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her that he loved so much. No, he never worried about her stepping out on him, not ever. When her arms wrapped tightly around him, he felt his heart constrict. How he loved her! Being with her had completed him and he wondered how he had ever gotten along without her before that point.
As the memories of how they met assaulted his mind, he smirked against her neck. The action made her shiver which in return made him more excited to see her. She always responded so quickly to his touch and actions. "Orihime…" his voice was husky as he spoke her name softly, his lips grazing her skin.
Her left hand moved to the hair at the base of his neck, the diamond ring that adorned her ring finger glinting from the light in the house. Ichigo still held her above the ground - his six foot one height always giving him the advantage over her shorter frame. "Ichigo, I didn't expect you home until late. You called and said you had a meeting…"
Orihime's body slid down his as he lowered her to the ground. Ichigo cupped her face with his hands and looked intently into her gray eyes, "I did have a meeting, but after I got off the phone with you I realized I would have to leave you again. So I went to my CO and told him that if they were sending us back into the field so soon that there was no way in hell I was going to be in a meeting for three hours when I could be at home with my family."
"You actually told him that? And he didn't get angry?" The surprise was evident in her voice.
"I didn't say that..." Ichigo trailed off a little sheepishly, "He wasn't pleased, but he understood the reason why I wanted to come home, so after a chiding he allowed me to leave."
Orihime tossed her hair behind her shoulder, "You better not have to put in more hours for this later. But I won't complain, I'm just happy you're home now!"
Ichigo laughed, "From the sounds of it Avery was giving you a run for your money."
"She is going to kill that kitten you brought her home last week. For some reason she believes that she is naked and therefore needs to have clothes put on. I try telling her that her fur is clothes enough but that doesn't even phase her."
He opened his mouth to respond to Orihime but a scream filled the air and a figure lunged into him. Ichigo barely had time to grab his daughter, but his reflexes kicked in without much thought. Perplexed by the way his daughter had thrown herself at him, Ichigo looked down at her. She had inherited his orange hair but her eyes were completely from her mother's side. When she looked up at him and smiled, he couldn't help but love the big dimples that were on both of her cheeks.
"Daddy!"
"Hello Princess, I missed you."
"Missed you too!" she declared loudly. Orihime folded her arms and took a step back so she could watch as her husband and daughter began to talk idly about things that really had no meaning. But when Ichigo turned the conversation to the way she had been treating her mother, Orihime was quick to follow it.
"You need to listen to Mother, Avery. She knows what she is talking about and it is good for you to listen to her."
Avery's brow creased, "But," her deep gray eyes clouded with thought, "Chloe needs to be wearing clothes, it isn't good to be naky."
Ichigo leaned his forehead against her own. Both of them peered deeply into each others eyes, "Kittens don't need to wear clothes like we do. You know how most animals have hair or fur?"
Avery moved her head against her fathers, "Yeah."
"Well that is their clothes. So if they have hair or fur,they don't need to wear clothes like we wear."
"Oh," she bobbed her head once, sending her shoulder-length, wavy hair swirling around her shoulders, "then Chloe didn't need baby clothes."
Kissing her forehead, Ichigo smiled proudly at her, "Yes, exactly right."
"Sure she listens to you." Orihime muttered under her breath. Ichigo looked over at her, "I'm sorry honey, what was that?"
Snapping to attention Orihime waved her hands in front of her wildly, "N-nothing! I just think it's great that you are here to spend time with Avery."
"And you." He added easily, almost as if it was the simplest fact in the world.
Orihime went over to him and got on her tiptoes so she was able to reach his cheek. She kissed it lovingly, "I love you Ichigo."
"I love you." He replied.
"I love you too!" Avery had to add her own voice to the conversation as well. Ichigo kissed her cheek and then began to tickle her. "And I love you as well, my little Princess."
Fits of laughter filled the parents ears and they smiled. When they had found out that they were pregnant, it had been a surprise. It was not at all planned - seeing as they were newlyweds of only a month. But they accepted it even though they were both nervous and scared. A little life had been brought to them and there was no way they were going to take it away.
Orihime watched as Ichigo easily carried Avery away from the stairs and into the family room that was beside the dining room. Without much effort he was sitting on the leather couch and had Avery sprawled out on his lap. She was kicking her legs and giggling so much that her face was beginning to turn red.
'I will never regret the day I said yes to him.' she thought as she leaned against the wall with her arms folded. Her first impression of Ichigo Kurosaki had been that he was intense. Very intense. At the time of their meeting, they had had a membership at the same gym. She had been on the treadmill when he had entered.
Orihime remembered the way her breath had caught painfully in her throat when she noticed him. It was hard not to notice him, with his bright orange hair and tall stature. All the girls in the gym that day fell prey to his handsome good looks, and yet what drew her to him the most was he didn't seem to know that. He wasn't like most guys that were good looking, they all seemed to know how much woman adored them and they acted pompous and almighty. He was different, it was as if he didn't notice all the open-mouthed, wide eyed, stares he got.
But when she had looked at him, that seemed to catch his attention and soon the two of them were staring at one another. She'd never know what his first thoughts of her were but she certainly knew what hers was of him. 'I wonder how gentle those strong, big, hands can be. And...I wonder what could make that frown of his turn upside down into a smile.' Those had been her thoughts, along with the desire to get to know him. After that it hadn't taken them long to begin dating, and soon after they were married.
"Should we go to the bounce park?" His question to their daughter shook Orihime out of her thoughts.
Avery raised her arms high in the air and exclaimed with happiness and excitement, "Yes! Let's go daddy! Let's go!"
Her life was perfect; there was nothing Orihime could complain about - except for the fact that Ichigo was taken away from it more than 80% of the time. But other than that it was perfect, absolutely perfect.
*Edited September 2014*