Hello! This is my first story attempt in Bleach. ORZ

Disclaimer: Bleach and the characters from it are properties of Kubo Tite. Nonetheless, the idea of this story is mine :D

Chapter 1: In which SHE finds out

Orihime stared at the small object she's holding for the past ten minutes. She told herself to move, but her body seems to be too shocked to move; too shocked to process the events that have happened the past two months.

She thought about graduation. There's only two months left until they graduate and she can't wait for that moment to come because she's been longing to graduate out of high school, attend university, graduate, and open up her own bakery and create lots and lots of different and delicious breads.

She thought of how she is going to tell this to Ichigo. He had no idea of what happened that day.

He had no idea.

He had no idea, but his hollow does.

She didn't even know if Ichigo will believe her. And she's sure that if she tells him, then he'll start blaming himself. Knowing his good nature, he'll take responsibility over this but she doesn't want to put him under pressure and leave him no choice but to do so.

No, she would not have that.

She thought of the hollows that has been attacking her for the past week. She can't think of any reason but this. Ever since this… ever since she discovered this thing inside her. Maybe this is the reason why she's been the favourite target of hollows these past few days.

A knock in her front door woke her from her shocked appearance.

"Orihime! We're going to be late."

"Co-coming!"

She thought of telling Tatsuki but decided otherwise. She didn't want to burden her best friend. Before leaving her comfort room, she took a glance at the pregnancy test to make sure if she's just hallucinating.

Nope.

There are two red lines.

She's pregnant.

Yup. She's definitely pregnant with Ichigo's child.

But he doesn't know it… His hollow does.

It was lunch time and usual gang – Ishida, Sado, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Ichigo were at the rooftop eating their lunch.

"Have you noticed how Orihime-chan acts these past few days?" Keigo asked.

"She looks bothered. Especially today." Mizuiro commented, munching on a bread.

Ichigo and Ishida shared a knowing look, thinking that Orihime's unusual action is due to the hollows that has been attacking her.

"She spaces out a lot. I think even Tatsuki is bothered by her." Keigo's eyes suddenly grew larger. "Maybe she's finally realizing her love for me and just doesn't know how to confess to me."

A box of juice with an added infamous scowl of Ichigo was thrown in his face. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You should talk to her." Ishida said, more like demanded.

Ichigo nodded. He definitely needed to talk to her. But before that, he needs to practice not to blush while looking at her. Let's just say that the scowling orange-haired teenager has been dreaming of the auburn-haired healer for the past month and his dreams sure are wild. Those luscious soft pink lips that screamed his name, those long lean legs that locked his hips, those red hues that covered her cheeks as she moaned…

"Oi Ichigo. You're red. Are you blushing?" Mizuiro asked.

Keigo stood up and accusingly pointed a finger at him. "You're thinking of perverted stuffs!"

Ichigo, too, stood up, looking flustered at being busted. "I was not, you dimwit."

The bell rang indicating that lunch was over.

It was 3:15 and students are getting ready to go home. Orihime, too, was fixing her things when Ichigo approached her.

"Inoue, we need to talk."

A blush appeared on her cheeks and she failed at concealing it.

Ichigo noticed this and he wished he didn't look at her face for he suddenly remembered the vivid dreams he's been having. A dream where he and Orihime were engaged in the act of pleasuring –

His lewd thoughts were interrupted.

"I can't, Kurosaki-kun. I have a part-time job and I need to go now." She lied. She was actually planning on visiting Urahara to ask him for some advice.

He frowned. "Are you really in a hurry?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Maybe we could talk tomorrow at lunch?" She suggested, smiling brightly.

He nodded. And she took it as her cue to leave. Just as she was about to reach the door, he called her.

"Inoue, please don't hesitate to ask for any help. I mean… the hollows. I don't know why but if you need help or if you have a problem, please tell me. I'm worried."

Orihime's heart did a somersault. This sweet side of Ichigo can rarely be seen and she's glad that she's one of the people that had witness this side of him.

She smiled brightly, again. "Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. I'm a big girl." She said, flexing her muscles.

Ichigo smirked.

"Bye bye. See you tomorrow." Orihime waved, smiling brightly.

"Bye." If only he knew that this would be the one of the remaining days he would see her, he would've at least walked her to her workplace.

The wood sandals of the storekeeper resounded in the hallway as that person turned right and entered one of the rooms in his store.

"Orihime-chan, what makes you visit me at this time?" Urahara inquired.

Orihime fidgeted. Yes, why indeed did she decide to come to the exiled storekeeper for help? Of all the people, err, shinigami she knows, why Urahara-san?

"Umm. What if… what if" Orihime stuttered.

Urahara slowly waved his fan. "Come again? Well, since you've already come to see me, I've also been wondering why your reiatsu seem to have a change in strength... and the hollows seem to appear near your place these past few days..."

Orihime ducked her head.

"Or is it that they are after you?"

The auburn girl then lifted her head up and looked at Urahara straight in the face. "Urahara-san, what do you think will happen if a human becomes pregnant..."

Urahara chuckled. "My dear Orihime. So innocent... of cou-"

"...by a hollow?" Orihime added albeit hesitantly.

"Say that again?" Surely Urahara did not just hear that Orihime was impreganated by a hollow. That would be absurd. Who in the vasto lorde's name would impreg-

Urahara closed his fan, taking the whole conversation in a more serious level. "Ichigo?"

She nodded. "But, he didn't mean to. He di-didn't... I mean... He didn't do it on purpose. He doesn't know. The hollow was-"

"Calm down, Orihime. Breathe."

The girl did what Urahara said and it was apparent that she appeared calmer than what she looked like after he just entered the room.

"Now, tell me what happened so I could help you with your, uhm, predicament." Urahara said, looking at Orihime, silently urging her to tell ALL what has happened.

Orihime nodded. "Well, it was two months ago..."

Orhime sighed and stood up from her bed to get something to drink for the nth time as she recall the conversation she had with Urahara.

"I've never encountered such phenomenon and to say that I'm not interested is ridiculous." Urahara stated with a glint of amusement and interest in his eyes.

Orihime shuddered. She knew of the maniacal side of Urahara when it comes to his experiments. However, he is the only person she could think of whom can help her without harming her child. And she knows that Urahara is a trustfworthy person.

"What should I do?"

"Are you sure you don't want to tell Ichigo?"

Orihime nodded. "I told you, I don't want to burden him anymore. He has a bright future ahead of him. He has dreams of being a doctor and I don't want to ruin it."

"Don't you? I mean, have dream?"

"I do, but..."

"But I'm sure he will not find it a burden. It's his body, afterall." Urahara said, hesitantly.

"NO! He didn't know. His hollow was the one who did this. If I tell Ichigo, then he will blame himself forever. You know what kind of person he is. He will not forgive himself. I don't want him to always blame himself. And I definitely don't want him to take responsibility of what he didn't do. I just can't tell him. I don't even know if he'll recognize this child as his own or just take responsibility because he has to."

Urahara sighed, undesrtanding the girl's concerns. "I understand. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to give us three days. If the hollow attacks on you does not decraese then that only means that they are after your child whom I think possesses a high level of reiatsu with you being a healer and Ichigo, a hollow."

Orihime nodded listening intently to what Urahara has to say.

"If in fact my hunches are correct, then you have to leave Karakura town, at once."

Her eyes grew larger. "But where would I live? I don't have any place to go to."

"You're going to live in Soul Society and raise your child there. Chances of hollows detecting the presence of you and your child's reiatsu are low since there are the shinigamis who kill them and of course, you'll stay in a place where both your reiatsus will be hidden. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Promise me, Urahara-san. That you will help me go through all this." She said, almost pleading.

The anxious look Orihime was giving was enough for the shopowner to smile warmly at the girl, a rare thing for him to do. "Don't worry, child. Keep my word for I will be the one to look out for you. And Yoroichi." He added, knowing fully that the black cat was listening by the window.

Orihime gasped, surprised. "Yoroichi-san!"

A sultry woman then appeared by the window, sitting like she's been there the entire time. "Im sorry for eavesdropping, Orihime. But count me in. Urahara's business is afterall, my business, too. And I think a woman's opinion is needed in your situation."

The healer reddened. "I understand."

The shopkeeper once again opened his fan and covered half of his face. "Remember, Orihime. Three days."

Orihime sighed. "Three days, huh?"

I know it's a cliffhanger but I really want to upload this and see what the readers will have to say :D

Review? Review!