Homeward
He watched her fidget in place as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her back was facing him, but Ichigo was sure that she was nervously biting her lower lip. "Everything alright… Orihime…?" The young man asked with a blush. It had been eight months since the two had officially become a couple and the orange haired man still found it a bit too daring to use her first name.
The auburn haired girl jolted in place before looking back. "Yes… Yes… Of course…" She said as she rubbed the back of her head and gave the boy an apologetic smile. "It's just… It's a big step… I'm still trying to muster up the courage." Orihime explained.
Ichigo nodded in understanding. "I see… Then take your time." He responded as he tried his best attempt at a comforting smile.
The part-time Shinigami watched as the girl before him took a deep breath and turned back to look at the building in front of them. Ichigo's brown eyes followed suit as he examined the apartment complex where Orihime had lived since she was a little girl.
Slowly, Ichigo's eyes lowered back down to the young woman in front of him and focused on her left hand where Orihime's thumb was absentmindedly fidgeting with the golden band around her ring finger.
Immediately, the Kurosaki's face reddened a bit at the thought that the beautiful girl he was looking at was now his fiancée.
It had taken quite a lot of courage and mental preparation, as well as heavy insistence from seemingly everyone in their social circuit, for Ichigo to finally pop the question. When Orihime had tearfully said yes, the orange haired man had been so elated that he had taken it one step further and asked her to move in with him right away.
One proposal after the other had obviously taken the auburn haired woman aback, but, after a moment to recover herself, she had accepted that as well.
Now, here they were just a few days later. All of Orihime's belongings had been moved to Ichigo's apartment earlier that day with the help of Chad and Jinta. The only thing left was for the soon to be Mrs. Kurosaki to turn in her key and they would be all set.
"You know…" Orihime suddenly started without turning. "I remember the first time I went from here to your house…" She commented.
Ichigo cocked his head to the side. "Are you talking about when your brother…" He started to say but trailed off, knowing how it was still a highly emotional subject for his fiancée. "You couldn't have possibly known that I lived there back then."
A small laugh escaped the young woman. "No, I couldn't have." She admitted. "Funny how things ended up…" She said.
Ichigo was the poster child of having problems shown one's emotions, but even he could tell how much Orihime was struggling to keep hers from overwhelming her at the moment.
"I remember everything that I lived through in this place." The young healer restarted. "Living with my brother, living alone, and even living with Rangiku and Toushiro, despite how short that time was." She confessed.
"You sure had some crazy times in this place." Ichigo joked as he tried to lighten the mood.
A soft giggle escaped the girl. "Oh my, yes… There was the time when I was experimenting combining new dishes I had just learned and the firemen had to evacuate the entire floor." She revealed.
For his part, the Kurosaki merely sweat-dropped a laughed with a hint of worry.
"Or when my landlady walked in and saw the TV that Toushiro had brought in from Soul Society… I had to convince her that it was a new game console." Orihime said while she could barely contain her laughter.
"Oh yeah! I remember those things." Ichigo responded. "Rukia tried to talk me into getting one for the clinic, so the Gotei 13 could contact me directly, but there was no way in hell I would do it."
She smiled. "You did the right thing." She stated. "It left a really weird smell in my apartment for months after they took it back." The girl informed. Suddenly, Orihime went quiet again. "This place is full of memories… Some good and some… Not so good."
Ichigo's eyes dropped. From the top of his head he could remember the time when her brother returned as a Hollow and attacked her, as well as the time when Tsukishima attack her and put her under his influence.
However, the young man knew that there were many other painful memories for his fiancée in this place. Memories full of loneliness and depression that plagued those walls.
"You know? I can walk from here to your Dad's clinic with my eyes close." Orihime suddenly revealed.
"Oh yeah?" The orange haired man responded, finding the notation quite curious.
"Yep! Since we usually met up there, I memorized each and every step over the years." The healer stated proudly. "Although I still haven't memorized the way from here to your apartment." She admitted.
This time, it was Ichigo who let a small chuckle out. "Well, you don't have to anymore." He said.
It took about a second for the young man's words to fully register for the two of them, and as soon as it did, both of their faces turned red at the implication.
"Yeah… I guess I don't…" Orihime finally said once she recovered a bit of her composure. "All this time, this place has been my one true constant." The young woman confessed. "No matter how crazy my life became, I would always come back here, for good or for bad."
Ichigo decided that the best course of action was to remain quiet and let his fiancée get everything off her chest.
"And now, everything that has been happening in the last few months has been so surreal for me." She revealed as she brought her left hand up and set her gaze on the engagement ring that adorned it. "This is harder to believe than all those things we did back in High School…"
The part-time Shinigami noticed the slight shake in his girlfriend's shoulder. "It's real." He said as he took a step forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We are real." He stated.
A pair of small sobs could be heard coming from the auburn haired girl. "I've spent so many times in this apartment… Dreaming that I wasn't going to be alone anymore…" She confessed. "And now… standing here… With you… Wearing this…" She held up her engagement ring as she looked back at her fiancé. Tears were now running freely down her cheeks. "I don't know if I deserve such happiness…" She said.
Letting his instincts take over, Ichigo immediately wrapped the emotional girl in his arms, completely enveloping her. "No… You deserve so much more." He answered. "This is all I can give you right now… But I promise you, I will not let you be alone anymore." His arms around the girl tightened.
Orihime buried her face into the young man's chest as she cried.
"I will be your constant now." The orange haired man declared. "And every day, no matter what, you will able be able to return to me, and I will always be there for you." He felt the auburn haired girl nod into his chest, however it still took her a couple of minutes to settle down and composed herself.
By the time Orihime stepped back, her face was completely red, and Ichigo could not help but wonder if it been because of the crying or because of their close proximity just a second ago. The boy also could not help but feel a pang of guilt at the fact that he thought that the blush made her look impossibly cute.
The young woman took several deep breaths. "O… Ok… I think I'm ready…" She announced.
Ichigo gave his fiancée the most supportive smile he could muster as she turned around and walked forward towards the building's mailbox.
Orihime's hand were shaking as she brought her apartment keys up to the mailbox's slit and stop just a few inches away from it.
Quietly, the part-time Shinigami took a few steps forwards until he was standing directly behind young woman. Carefully, the young man reached out and placed his hand over the girl's. However, he did not exert any force on it or try to guide it to the mailbox. Ichigo simply left his hand there, enveloping hers, to show his support for any decision she made.
In the end, Orihime moved by herself, closing the gap and inserting the key through the slit as her former landlady had instructed. The sound of the key hitting the metal interior seemed to echo into the distance.
The couple remained silent for several minutes. Eventually, the young woman let out a heavy sigh before turning around. Orihime tried her best to smile, but her shaking body made it difficult.
Instead, Ichigo took it upon himself to keep their spirits up. Smiling, the young man hugged his fiancée once more. "Come on… Let's go home." He whispered to her.
As soon as he said those words, the Kurosaki felt the girl's body stop shaking. Orihime smiled and nodded as their hands intertwined. "Yes…" She said before letting him lead her away.