A/N: Don't despair at the beginning! This IS an IchiHime story!
Disclaimer: applied
Love and respect
'Rukia!' Ichigo cried desperately. He had just finished his own fight, his bankai vanishing at his wordless command, when his eyes found the broken form of his long time friend, lying on the ground. He immediately started running, and when he reached her, he knelt down, and tried to lift her head a little by putting a hand gently behind her neck. It was evident from only one look that she was badly injured.
Rukia coughed weakly, some blood coming up from her wounded lung.
'Just stay still! Everything's gonna be all right!' Ichigo ordered her, in a voice laced with concern, it's tone much warmer and caring than usual.
'I... idiot...' Rukia choked out, but couldn't manage more.
Her voice had hardly been more than a soft whisper, but Ichigo didn't really have to hear it to decode the meaning. They understood each other even without words after all... His chocolate brown eyes were smoldering intensely, worry and hurt swirling in the depth of them. Then the worry came forth, as Rukia's body became limp again.
'Rukia! Please! Hold on! You can't do this to me!'
As Orihime was running towards the pair, with Uryu, Chad and Renji at her heels, she saw and heard everything. His desperate tone... his begging eyes... all those emotions. Written clearly on his features. Noticeable in his every move. In the way his fingers brushed tentatively over her cheek. In the scowling of his mouth. In his strangely shining eyes.
When she reached them, Ichigo looked up. Their eyes met. His were begging. 'Please!'
Orihime offered a large, comforting smile.
'Soten Kisshun, I reject!' she commanded, and her shield covered Rukia's mangled body instantly.
Ichigo stepped back, and released a shaky sigh. His mouth twitched into a half smile, but he kept his worried eyes on Rukia throughout the healing process, despite knowing from much experience how flawless Orihime's powers could work.
When Rukia woke up, Renji jumped at her with joyful ecstasy, demanding to know whether she was totally all right.
'I WOULD be all right, if you would LET me breath, Renji!' she sulked in his arms, attempting to send a punch to his tattooed face. After Renji pulled back a little, Orihime saw her eyes search for Ichigo, who stood a little farther away now, with his back turned to them, face tilted upwards to the sky, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
Rukia's mouth was pulled upwards into an evil smirk.
'Well, Ichigo!' she called in a sugary sweet voice. 'If I didn't know better I would say you were concerned for me a little!'
Ichigo turned back sharply, a grin replacing his usual scowl.
'Nah! That could never happen! Just think about the hard beating I would get as a reward!' he said easily.
Rukia's smile softened a little in response.
Throughout the conversation, Uryu kept a close eye on Orihime. And it hurt him to see the obvious signs of discomfort on her pretty face. Uryu's hands balled up into fists, but there was nothing he could do, besides worrying...
'Stupid dense Kurosaki! Blindness in no excuse for hurting others like this... probably more than one at a time...' he thought angrily.
oOoOoOoOo
Later, they all gathered at the Urahara shop, where the shopkeeper invited them for lunch. Everyone was in high spirits after their newest battle-victory, so the meal turned out to be a noisy affair, culminating in Renji and Ichigo bickering as usual. They eventually took their argument down to the basement, to let out the still pent up frustration and male hormones in their system with a little sparing. Rukia and Chad were looking over Urahara's new supply of Chappy merchandise with misty eyes. They were not likely to surface from that pleasant activity any time soon...
Uryu wandered down to the basement, where he found Orihime sitting on a large rock, watching the boys' fight, and absent mindedly twirling the shiny engagement ring around her finger.
'Ishida-kun!' she greeted the quincy with a smile, when he approached, and claimed seat next to her.
'Inoue-san.' he addressed her after a few minutes of silently watching Ichigo playing tag with Hihiro Zabimaru. (He was only laughing at the closeness of those deathly fangs.) 'I don't want to pry, I just feel like I have to ask... Is everything all right? I mean between the two of you? Kurosaki and you...' Uryu asked, fiddling with his glasses distractedly, his embarrassment mounting with each word he spoke.
Orihime looked surprised a little at first, but them she smiled a confident, happy smile.
'Sure! Everything is all right. Why do you ask?'
Now all glasses-fiddling proved inefficient to hide Uryu's embarrassed flush. He even couched.
'Nothing important! I just want to know he's treating you all right, and makes you happy... After all, the wedding is only a few weeks away...'
An excited glow lighted up Orihime's already smiling features.
'Yes! I can hardly believe it! It will be the happiest day of my life! Though I'm totally in a sweat that the little blue men are gonna turn up and ruin everything at the last moment! I even had a dream about it last night, and Tatsuki-chan said...'
Uryu looked at her shining eyes, and the friend in him was warring with his more rational part. The latter won eventually.
'My point is...' he cut across her rumbling. '... that if there were certain... khm... unsettled issues, then now's the best time to settle them. Later may be too late. That's all I'm saying...'
He stood up, and wanted to leave, but he felt Orihime's hand grab his wrist, holding him back gently but firmly.
'Ishida-kun... thank you.' she said, looking at him sincerely. She was still smiling, forgiving, and free of any bitterness or shame. 'You're worrying for me. You are a really good friend to me... and to Ichigo. Please stay a little longer! I've got to tell you something.'
Uryu sat back next to her, a little reluctantly. He felt like he had done his part by giving a warning, and didn't want to be mixed up in things further. Orihime laughed a little nervously, her fingers curling around her ring again. Then she took a deep breath, and making up her mind, began to speak.
'Kuchiki-chan... she's an amazing woman.'
Uryu flinched visibly when she said Rukia's name. But Orihime looked calm as she spoke.
'So strong. Elegant. Graceful. Clever. A good friend. A good fighter. She's so much that I'll never be. She's my ideal in many things. I admit that I'm a little envious of her from time to time. And she has a strong, unique bound with Ichigo, that even I can't hope to ever fully understand. There was a time, when I was not only envious of that, but also jealous. But not any more.
It's clear that he loves her. Very much. And the feeling is mutual. Yes. I can see that. But that doesn't mean that he loves ME any less because of that! One time, Rangiku-san said, that while it's true that she has a special place in his heart, I also have my very own place there. I didn't understand this at that time, but I think I do now. I would never carve to be the ONLY one he loves... apart from being really selfish, that would also be really fool. For his love for Kuchiki-chan only makes him a better man. The more people he loves, and lets into his heart, the better he is.' she turned to face Uryu, who looked into the pools of her honest grey eyes, and saw there nothing, but trust and love. She had really meant every word she spoke.
'Wouldn't it be just foolish to ask him to be LESS for me?' Orihime continued. 'I think it would. I wouldn't deserve him, if I even secretly wished for such a thing, and that would eventually lead to me losing him.'
Uryu looked at her with round eyes of awe.
'When did this happen?' he found himself thinking. 'When did she change from that lovable but clumsy, insecure little girl into this amazing, confident, grown up woman? It must be true what she says I guess... she must be confident about Kurosaki's feelings for her. Nothing but that could have changed her. I'm finally happy for her...'
'What's this cozy little tète-à-tète?' interrupted Rukia's voice, who was walking towards them with a happy smile, her purchase, a Chappy-purse hanging around her neck on it's pink string. Chad came after her, holding a pair of Chappy socks...
The sounds of explosions died in the background, and Ichigo and Renji came over, joining the group.
'So, who's the winner?' Rukia inquired.
'I am!' both boys said, equally confident.
All the group laughed, even Uryu's mouth twitched.
'Let's call it a draw then.' Ichigo relented.
'Ok.' Renji answered, but he leaned close to Rukia's ear. 'He just says this because he knows I...'
Rukia sighed. She reached up, taking hold of Renji's pony-tail roughly. She began to haul him back towards the main shop.
'Come on you ruffian! Let's head back to Soul Society! It's been a long day...'
Ichigo looked after them grinning broadly, and chuckling at Renji's vain cursing and attempts at braking free. He looked down when he felt a small hand being placed into his, and smiled warmly at his fiancee.
'We should go home too, Hime. I bet you're tired.' he said.
Rukia stopped in front of the leader. She turned back briefly, grinning.
'See you at the wedding, guys... Ichigo!'
oOoOoOoOo
A/N: That's all for now. Hope you liked it.
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