Tatsuki glanced over at her alarm clock. The red numbers reminded her of how sleep deprived she was. 3:00. She sighed. She hadn't been able to sleep since Orihime had left her. She hadn't been able to do much of anything. She felt helpless and forgotten. Just thinking about Orihime and Ichigo off on some fun filled summer adventure together made her confidence wither. Though they had promised to return to each other and exchanged "I love you"'s none off it seemed to matter. Not knowing where she was or who she was thinking of… Tatsuki hated to admit it, but she was suspicious and jealous of Ichigo, getting to spend some alone time with Orihime. Orihime, Tatsuki thought desperately, do you still think of me? Or have you forgotten?
Tatsuki was climbing out of bed at these thoughts. She wanted to go and see if Orihime had come back. Her house was only a few blocks away, so it wouldn't be a problem to walk there. She threw on a jacket and attempted to fix her hair in the mirror. She pulled at her black spikes as she yawned. A picture tucked into the top corner caught her eye. It was a picture of her and Orihime on the first day of school. She was afraid of telling Orihime of her feelings. She feared reject, and hurting Orihime was the last thing on her mind. She never wanted to burden Orihime with her feelings that had seemed so immature and naïve at that time. She started off at a steady sprint towards Orihime's house. Is that why this was so hard to believe? She had been so hesitant about confronting Orihime, yet so desperate to reach her heart out to the one she loved. Now that her wish had come true, it was impossibly hard to believe. Was she dreaming? She had dreamt so many times of holding Orihime, of kissing her, so it was completely probable. Pretty elaborate dream though, she thought as she climbed the stairs, the cold air biting bitterly at her face.
She knocked nervously on the door and called, "Orihime, you home?" No answer. She tried opening the door, and as she expected of the absent minded Orihime, it was unlocked. She walked inside the small apartment, looking for any signs that Orihime was home. She walked over to the couch, sure enough; there she was, lying there, still fully dressed in her usual button up shirt and jeans. Tatsuki sighed with relief and kneeled over her at the edge of the couch. She reached a trembling hand forward and stroked Orihime's check. Orihime was sleeping soundly, her lips parting gently to allow the intake of breaths. Tatsuki watched her for awhile, entranced by her beauty. She decided that she needed to get some pajamas on her and put her to bed. She scooped her up and walked over to her bed, grabbing some sweat pants as she did so. She was blushing furiously; carrying Orihime's warm weight across the room was doing a number on her.
She set her down and began unzipping her jeans. Her face burned even more as her fingers glided across the smooth skin of Orihime's waist and legs. She took a moment to admire the angle-like, half naked teenager lying in front of her. She pulled the sweat pants up her legs until they fitted snuggly on her waist. She gulped audibly. She could hear her heart beating in her ears. What was she to do now, just wait until morning? She struggled not to just wake Orihime up and take advantage of her exhausted and sleepy state. She decided to just leave her there and try to sleep on the couch until morning. She leaned forward, kissed Orihime on the check and got up to walk away. Orihime stirred, reached out to her and pulled her back to the bed, and whispered "Stay here; don't kiss me like your going away. Sleep with me so I know you won't leave me"
Tatsuki, loathe to disagree, submissively slid underneath the covers onto her back. Orihime wrapped her hands around Tatsuki's neck. Tatsuki put her arms around Orihime and pressed her lips to the top of Orihime's head. "I love you. A lot." Orihime sighed, sounding almost pleased.
"Tatsuki, did you miss me?"
"Yep. I really did."
She must have forgotten to mention that being away from Orihime was like being held under cold water for twenty minutes.
"Hey Orihime, did you miss me? Did you want me back?"
"Yep. From the moment I left, I wanted to be back in your arms."
Tatsuki felt a twinge of guilt and a prickle of shame made goose bumps on her arms. How could she have doubted her? She held Orihime tightly.
"You are my everything now, Orihime, and I promise to be by your side always. I love you."
Orihime stifled a yawn. "I love you too…but I'm really tired… can I go to bed?"
Tatsuki chuckled, kissed Orihime's head and whispered comfortingly "Of course sweetheart."
The two lovers fell into a deep dream filled sleep in each others arms, neither would sooner have been anywhere else.