Mr. 96: Back here doing a Bleach fic! I'll be doing the most undone pairing of all: Ichigo X Isane! It just came to me last night when I watched Bleach episode 287 when Isane had that dream about Ichigo that I realized that she must have a thing for him! That dog... Anyway, I more strongly support the popular pairings: Ichigo X Rukia, Ichigo X Orihime, Ichigo X Yoruichi, and so on. (Also, to a lesser extent, Renji X Rukia, Kisuke X Yoruichi, and Uryu X Nemu). I'm just doing this because no one else is!

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. May the amount of crack he takes, if at all, never affect the quality of his work.

"…And then Ichigo got the Snow Crystal, and it was a fishcake!" Isane said, shuddering. "Wow. That was a really weird dream, even for you, sis," Kiyone replied. "Don't you think it's weird that I would have a dream about Ichigo and his friends like that?" Isane blurted, "I barely know him! I mean, I've met him before, but…"

"You mean you have a crush on him?" Kiyone asked, quite bluntly.

"Kiyooooone!" Isane shouted, flustered by her sister's question, "I do not like Ichigo!"

"Then why were you so embarrassed at the swimsuit festival when he was looking at you?" the blonde asked.

"That was because of that swimsuit you picked out for me!" Isane cried, completely unable to contain her blush.

Suddenly Retsu Unohana, the captain of Fourth Company, walked in. "I overheard your discussion," she said, "And I think I can help. I think it would be lovely for you to hook up with that young boy Ichigo. "W-whaaat?" Isane yelled, blushing "But Captain…"

"Come with me to the world of the living, Isane," Retsu said, giving off that creepy smile which no one could refuse.

"Y-yes, Captain…."

Soon, they were in the World of the Living. Unohana had everything planned out. First, she sent a note to Ichigo telling him to come to the park. Isane was wearing a blouse and a black pair of pants that Retsu bought for her, and she was really nervous. Would Ichigo like her….? After all, she was so tall that everybody she met was intimidated by her. She blushed, remembering the first time she met Ichigo. It was when the Soul Society was going to execute Rukia for giving her powers, and she tried to fight Ichigo. Before her eyes, Ichigo had defeated her and her comrades—without even using his Zanpaku-To. Ever since then, Isane had been quite taken by this godly Substitute Soul Reaper with the greatest sense of justice and friendship ever. And he was as tall as her, which was a big plus for her. The second time they met was in the World of the Living, during the swimsuit festival. She remembered that well, she chuckled to herself, because she was so nervous to wear that suit Kiyone picked out for her. Of course, the captain insisted that she wear it, and you just couldn't ever say no to the captain—after all, she had been the captain of Eleventh Company at one time. But she also remembered Ichigo—he was quite handsome, and that smile…. She also remembered being captured by that watermelon that Nemu developed, and Ichigo saving her. And then there was her dream, and it was all about Ichigo. The way he saved Rukiruki from the Solamp and fought Byakuya, every bit of his adventure…she watched it all, and found herself falling for this person, who she barely knew. She even thought of him in a new light, because of that dream.

He was her Arabian Knight. Her hero. Even though he had women he was much closer to than her, like Orihime and Rukia, she still admired him and loved him from a distance.

Ichigo sighed. Retsu had called him, telling him to come to the park to meet someone, but he didn't know who. He finally came to a bench to sit down. "I'm sorry," a girl next to him said, "Are you here for someone?" "Yeah," he answered, not bothering to look at her, "Someone said to come here and meet someone, but I haven't seen them yet." "Oh," the girl said, "I'm waiting for someone too. He's got orange hair, a permanent angry expression, and always cares about those who are close to him." Ichigo looked up. "Hey, you don't mean…" he turned to the girl. Isane blushed. "Hello….Kurosaki-san." she said, standing up. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting." Ichigo looked at her. She was…. Beautiful. That was the only way to describe her. Not only was she well-endowed, but the real thing that drew him in was her personality—shy, insecure, gentle….who wouldn't fall in love with someone like that? Especially in his case, he thought, since he made himself a protector of the weak and innocent. "Oh, that's okay," he said, looking down, "I'm the one who's late. Isane, right?" Isane was shocked that he knew her name, and nodded. She then looked down just as Ichigo was doing. "No, really," she said, "I had my captain ask you to come out here. I should take the blame." Ichigo looked up at her. "Come on," he said, smiling, "You'd think I'd blame you for that? It's a great night to be out. I love a chance to get out. Look, you can even see some of my favorite stars from here." He stood up. "And cut it out with the formalities, okay? It's not like we're out here on official Soul Society business or anything." "Hai….Ichigo," she said, completely bewildered by this boy's way of talking. Was this the hero of the Soul Society….? "It's really pretty out tonight," she said, trying to get closer to Ichigo, "I'm really glad you could be out here with me." "Yeah, me too," Ichigo said, "I was getting lonely out here by myself." "By yourself?" Isane asked, surprised, "Don't you have a girlfriend?" "Yeah, funny story," Ichigo replied, looking a bit sheepish, "Every time I try to hook up with someone, we usually break up after a while. It's because of my status as a Substitute. I have to stay in this world, which rules Rukia out, and I can't get myself a normal girl either." "Really?" Isane asked, completely surprised. Of course, it would mean she would have a much better chance with Ichigo, but she couldn't help feeling sad for Ichigo. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said, lowering her head. "Ah, don't be!" Ichigo said, smiling, "I'm the kind of guy who doesn't let breaking up with a girl drag me down! Anyway, it's cold out here! Can we go in and get someplace to eat?" Isane nodded, and they walked together out of the park.

Soon they were at Karakura's Japanese and Other Things Restaurant. Ichigo couldn't help but be a little disturbed by the fact that Isane's order consisted of nothing but three bowls of rice porridge, but what really got him interested is the way she was staring at his kamaboko. "Hey, what's up?" he said, "You afraid of fishcake or something?" "Kind of…" Isane said, backing away, "Whenever I see a kamaboko, I get these awful nightmares. One time, I was dreaming of a giant fishcake falling on me!" Ichigo could barely contain his laughter when he heard this. "Kurosaki-saaan! Please don't laugh!" Isane said, her blush turning her face a deeper red than even Renji's hair. "Sorry, Isane, but that was just too ridiculous!" Ichigo said, smiling, "Seafood must really not agree with you subconscious!" "I….I know that," Isane said, trying to regain her confidence, "I've had all sorts of weird dreams like that. You know, I've even had one with you in it." "Really?" Ichigo asked. "Yeah. You were put in the desert while wearing this turban and Arabian outfit, and you thought you were dreaming, and then your friends showed up, but they all had different names! Then the four of you tried to find this thing called the "Snow Crystal," and then you had to rescue a genie of Rukia!" Ichigo listened intently. "Really?" he asked, "You actually had a dream about me? But we've barely met before!" Isane blushed. "Well, you see…Ichigo….the reason I had that dream is…I'm in love with you," she said, trying to be as confident as she could, "I know there are girls in your life who you'll always be closer to than me, and they're more deserving of you than me, but I wanted to tell you that just one time, even if you don't have the same feelings." Ichigo looked at her. "If I don't have the same feelings?" he asked, standing up "Are you kidding? You're beautiful!" Isane blinked. "Do you really mean that, Kurosaki-san?" she asked. "Of course!" he smiled. "It's not just because of your looks. Your personality in and of itself is just perfect!" He looked at her. "Of course I have girls who I know better than I know you. But none of them have really been able to cope with the fact that I am a Substitute Soul Reaper!" he said, "But you…you're someone who's also a Soul Reaper and who hasn't treated me hard in the past!" "Ichigo…" Isane blushed. "Hey, don't give me that look," Ichigo retorted, "this is embarrassing for me too!" They walked outside together, this time holding hands. Both of them were blushing madly. "You don't mind my height?" Isane asked. "Of course not!" Ichigo said, "I don't care about what you look like!" Both of them knew what they wanted, but neither was going to just do it, right out of the blue. They were both too nervous. Their faces got closer to one another, both trying to muster up the courage to do it. Finally, they could take no more, and kissed.

"Where're you staying?" Ichigo asked. "Oh….a hotel, just about five minutes from here," Isane said. "Mind if I come with you?" Ichigo asked. Isane was shocked by this. Was he asking if he could spend the night with her...? "Yeah, I am," Ichigo said, smiling. "I could just tell by your expression what you were thinking. You have nightmares when you sleep alone, right?" Isane nodded. She couldn't believe all this was happening to her. Her Arabian Knight was asking to stay by her side, through the nightmares!

Later on, in the night, Isane woke up and bolted out of bed. "Have a bad dream, Isane?" Ichigo said from the other side of the bed, perfectly awake. "Don't worry, I"m right here." he continued, taking her hand and pulling her close to him. "You don't have to worry about any nightmares with me.." "Ichigo..." Isane whispered, looking at him. He was her Arabian Knight, her hero, and tonight he was with her.

"Why does your breath smell like shrimp?" Isane shouted, waking up from her dream. "Oh, too bad that was all a dream," she sighed, getting out of bed. "After a dream like that I can't sleep anymore." As usual, she wandered out into the balcony and Retsu was there. Retsu looked at her and smiled. "Isane?" she asked. "Hai, taicho?" Isane replied.

"No more fish before bedtime."

Meanwhile, the real Ichigo had just fallen out of bed. "Dammit!" he shouted. "Why do I get the feeling someone just had a dream about me?"

Mr. 96: A-hahahaha! Didn't expect that one, did you? I had to do it in order to avoid the lemon. And it fits more with Isane, and it allows me to support the pairings I really support! (which are all of Ichigo and a major female character)