Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

A/N: So, this is just a little dabble. I love Orihime x Ichigo and I've always wanted to do a fanfic for them though I've never had very many good ideas to follow for those two since I'm so interested to see if that actually get together in the canon storyline.
Also, if you like this then please check out my other Bleach fanfics!

Warning: There will be more chapters but I can't promise when, this is more like a side-project as I work on my other fanfictions.

Writers live for their reviews~

"I'm back," The light haired girl walked back into her home, flicking on the light to illuminate the empty room. It had only been a couple of days since she'd last seen her place of residence, since she'd left it to go with Ulquiorra, though it felt like a lifetime. She'd gone through so much while staying with the Arrancars that she simply could not imagine going back to every-day life. It would seem so abnormal and strange, though she was glad that they would be spending some time in the Soul Society before returning to life.

The young teen had her hands clasped to her chest as she gave the room a quick look over. When she'd left her guests, Rangiku Matsumoto and Toshiro Hitsugaya, had been staying over so the human had half expected to come home to a cluttered and messy house. Her female, Shinigami friend wasn't the tidiest of people and even with her Captain yelling at her, Orihime had doubted that the place would be tidy. But despite her doubts the floors were clear as well as the table tops and sides, a true miracle.

Orihime was still in the white robes provided for her by Aizen, despite the jacket having been ripped they remained on her, the over-all dress covered her enough so that she hadn't worried too much about changing. Despite the bad circumstances in which she'd acquired the garments, she couldn't help but think they suited her. During her trip to the Soul Society she'd gotten to wear some of their robes and even then she'd thought the traditional style suited her rather well. However the clothing she had on was a mix between the traditional kimono and a modern boob-tube dress, a style that she rather liked.

With a sigh the girl decided to quickly check the bedroom where her guests had been staying, the last she'd seen it had been turned into a large conference room with a monitor covering the entire wall. It had once been her room, but the girl lived in a single bedroom apartment so she'd happily left her quarters to her guests and slept in the living room during their stay. This, thankfully, had only been for a few nights.

The orange-haired teen slowly opened the sliding door, a part of her wishing for the two to be sat waiting for her. Despite appearing as a cheerful person, and most of the time genuinely being one, Orihime couldn't help but feel incredibly lonely when she was alone in her home. It was the reason why she stayed out as late as she could and spent so much time with her friends, because to her they were family. However she couldn't stay by their sides all of the time no matter how much she wanted to, a fact that she had to live with every night.

Her fears were affirmed as she saw the empty room, everything was gone, the two people which had been occupying it. She then went into the living room and saw that they'd also taken the large TV screen which they'd hooked up. She pouted slightly as she examined the bear wall. "They could've at least left me with the big TV." It was a rather childish joke which nobody was around to hear.

Her hands shifted up, touching the hair clips which rested just by her ears, an unconscious action as she was reminded of the loneliness she'd had to live with for so long. Never had she considered herself alone, no, she had too many amazing friends watching out for her. To say she was alone in the world would be selfish and inconsiderate. However, at home, with nobody by her side, she was only left with the memories of her dear ones. The brother that had left her, the boy she loved who continued to save her, and the girl she envied yet was so close to… everyone…

The teen shook her head, ashamed of such depressing thoughts. She gave her cheeks a gentle slap as she spun on her heals, turning away from the empty room and facing out towards the kitchen. She took a few exaggerated steps before noticing the small envelope on the table. She stopped for a moment and looked at it, it had her name printed on the front and her address. She guessed that it had come when her guests where still occupying the house so they'd left if on the table for her when she got back.

The high schooler traced her fingers along the smooth paper and smiled slightly. She didn't bother opening it, she knew what it was and who it was from. It was the financial aid her aunt provided for her. Yet another person she'd failed to say goodbye to before leaving the world of the living. She could feel the guilt in her heart but it was eased a little by the realization that her distant relative wouldn't of known that she'd gone anywhere.

Orihime made a mental note to give her family member a call once she'd eaten and had a bath, though the letter had reminded her of something. Before heading to the fridge the girl headed over to the small living room where her futon was rolled up in the corner, beside it was a small desk where she'd sat and written two notes. One was to Rangiku and Toshiro and the other to Ichigo.

A sudden rush of fear raced through her veins as she worried one of the Shinigami had found the unsent letter and sent it to the ginger Substitute Soul Reaper. Despite having written the letter, Orihime had failed to give it to Ichigo, in fact she'd even found herself unable to take it with her when she'd said her goodbyes. She'd known there was only enough time to visit his house before going so if she'd chickened out there wouldn't have been enough time to go back to her house and drop off the envelope. Although on one hand taking it with her might not have been such a bad thing, the girl hadn't wished to have the constant reminder with her nor had she wanted any of the Arrancars to see the words she'd written. So she'd shied out of it early and simply left it behind.

In her burst of anxiety, Orihime ran to her small desk, pulling open the draw to see the envelope resting on top of her diary, exactly where she'd left it. The girl breathed a sigh of relief, she knew how nosy Rangiku could be so she didn't take it for granted that the woman wouldn't go through her draws. Despite being a guest the lieutenant treating the place as if it were her home, Orihime envied her for the relaxed attitude that she owned and her general light-hearted way of living. Though when you live around death there's no point in living an un-lively existence.

Falling to her knees, the girl picked up the letter, holding it to her chest as she closed her eyes for a passing moment. It was a plain white with small, pink swirls decorating the top right and bottom left corners with Ichigo's name scrawled across the middle. She'd used her fancy writing set which she didn't usually use, in fact it had been the first time she'd ever sealed one of the envelopes. However the seal had been skilfully pulled open which meant Rangiku had found the letter and gone snooping. Another sigh escaped the girl's lips, she'd been more surprised that the busty ginger hadn't found and opened the letter so to find out that she had, well, it wasn't exactly a surprise.

At the time it had seemed easier to simply write her feelings down on a piece of paper, at least then she had some hope of the dense boy from understanding how much he meant to her. She'd attempted many times to confess however she'd never been able to get the words out. What she couldn't understand was why everybody else seemed to know from just one look that she liked him, no, loved him, yet he himself was ignorant to the fact. She couldn't help but wonder if it meant he didn't see her in that light?

She lowered the envelope onto her lap and paused for a moment as she simply stared at the paper. It took her a moment but eventually she pulled the paper free so that her writing was visible. She decided that she should remind herself of the words she'd written, just in case Squad ten's lieutenant decided to bring up the subject at some future point. She had to be prepared!

Dear Kurosaki-kun,

I'm so, so sorry. I can't express myself very well to you face-to-face, I've tried before but it never worked out for me. I guess I'm just too shy around you. Besides, I've always worried about the consequences and, more importantly, your response. It's a rather daunting thing to lay out everything, all your feelings and hopes just to watch as the other person conjures up a response, don't you think? And there's always the nagging doubt of, "what if they say no?"

Before I say anything else, please promise to take care of Tatsuki for me! I know I was never any good at protecting her, she was always the one looking out for me, but I couldn't stand the thought of her being alone. Maybe look at setting her up with someone!? I've always thought her and Keigo would be cute together, though you might want to make sure he has some back-up or trump card so that she doesn't beat him up too much. Then again… I'm not sure as a friend I should try and set Keigo up with someone who's sure to hurt him, haha.

It's so selfish of me to choose you to say goodbye to, there are so many people I would've liked to pay my respects to... Tatsuki-chan, Chad-kun, Ishida-kun, Keigo and Mizurio-kun, not to mention Rukia and Renji too. I love you guys so much, it truly is breaking my heart to even write this. I wish that I didn't have to, though it almost makes me happy that I can finally do something for you for a change since I'm the one who's always relying on your protection.

I need you to know that I don't want to go, I simply want to protect you. I can't let them hurt you all. I've never been of much use, not when it comes to a battle, that's why I have to do all I can to protect you when I can and this time, by going to them, I'll keep you safe. It'll make a change, huh? Me protecting you? You're always the one to stand before me and save me. I'm sorry for that, I'm only any good at healing wounds but as long as I have that ability I'll make sure that no matter how many times you get hurt saving me, I'll reject your injuries. I guess those are empty words considering I'm walking over to the enemy, huh?

I know I'm not very strong, not strong at all really but thanks to Rukia and the training I've done with her I'm sure I can do this! I'm not too sure what they want with me but as long as I'm there I'm determined to do something. I guess there isn't much point in keeping in from your now, eh? In truth, I'm hoping to find out the location of the Hyogyoku and destroy it. I think my abilities will be able to accomplish that, I am able to reject all phenomena. I'm not confident that I'll succeed but... I have to try.

I guess Rangiku and Toshiro will be staying at my place so if you wouldn't mind checking in on them occasionally...? I'm sure Rangiku will leave everything in a mess and drive Captain Hitsugaya mad, I also want to make sure they eat right! You too, make sure you eat properly while you're healing, okay? The next time I see you I don't want to see you looking unwell! Though, I'd always be happy to cook for you.
I know I'm asking a lot of you and I understand if you don't do it, but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least ask. Could you please say "hi," to my brother's memorial every once in a while? Tell him... Tell him I'm alright. I'm sure he'll get lonely if nobody talks to him, I'm not sure if he'll be able to hear me from Hueco Mundo, haha!

Could you tell Kisuke thanks for me? I know he was trying to protect me when he told me not to get involved in the upcoming fight but I'm pretty sure he was also trying to stop this from happening. He's a really smart guy, don't you think? Even though he acts a little silly sometimes he's always been there to help us out. Without him we would've never gotten to the Soul Society, let alone saved Rukia. I'm really grateful for that.

I'm going to miss you all so, so much. I'll miss going to class with you all, watching you and Ishida-kun having your little arguments over unimportant matters, eating lunch with you all on the roof, fighting by your side... well, I guess I've always done more healing than fighting… But I'll miss it all and I'll miss the people I did those things with even more. However, I will certainly miss you the most.

If I can't say it now, when can I? Kurosaki-kun, I love you. I always have and always will, no matter who you have eyes for, mine will always rest on you. That's why I was so happy when I found out I had these powers of mine, no matter how weak they are, it meant I could stay by your side in even more situations. I know I might not be as pretty as the likes of Rukia and I know that perhaps your personalities are a better mix but that doesn't change the fact that I love you!

I won't regret leaving because that would mean I'd regret protecting you and I could never regret such a thing! Though, I can't say I won't regret not being able to see you every day. Your bright smile, your perfect hair, the warmth I get when I gaze at your eyes and the comfort I feel when I'm in your presence. This is rather embarrassing! I can't believe I'm telling you all of this but it is true and I can't keep it to myself any longer... Even if you don't feel the same, I just want you to know.

No matter how long I'm gone, please remember... I love you more than anything.

Orihime Inoue! ~

"How embarrassing!" The girl squealed as she slapped her hands over her red cheeks. It had been her first time reading the letter since she wrote it and to her change in perspective it sounded as if a completely different person had written it. She smiled despite her private humiliation and traced her fingers over the indentations of where her pen ran across the page like a street-racer, tyres screeching, horn blaring before the gun fired and, WHOOSH! Off it sped.

Despite the short time which had past, a part of her felt as if she'd matured while she'd been away. She didn't make the presumption of being all grown up now that she'd had a good kidnapping, but a part of her felt more at ease with her life than she had when she'd left. Orihime scrunched up the neatly written letter which had taken her almost an hour to word perfectly and write out in her best hand-writing.

With a satisfied nod she got to her feet, throwing the paper into a near-by bin before stretching her limbs as she exited the room. The girl spoke as if there was somebody there to hear her, as if she didn't live all alone. Most people would've called her mad, crazy, insane, however she easily rationalized it to the fact that she carried each and every person she loved around with her, within her heart.

"When I tell him, and I will, the words will come from my own mouth, not a pen. Now, time for some food, I'm starving!"

Once she'd eaten, Orihime took a bath and changed her clothes, removing the only evidence of the past few days from her body. She wasn't too sure what she should do with them so she simply threw the pants and top into her wash basket, taking a look at what remained of the jacket she knew there was no other option and threw it into her bin. To any ordinary person she would look as she always did, Orihime Inoue, human high school student. However they were ignorant to the fact that she'd been to the land of Hollows and very nearly died several times along with her friends. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing she was about to go spreading around, either. Not to mention the fact that they really would call her crazy. Maybe she was, she'd often questioned her sanity in the past few months, however things were too real and too sad to be made up.

Placing her hands firmly on her head, the girl used a towel to dry her hair as she walked over to her bed. She had nothing on her feet so she could feel the wooden flooring and carpets underneath her as she passed through the rooms, the textures felt refreshing under her sensitive skin. She'd pulled on a pair of shorts and a baggy hoody to keep her covered and warm enough while she awaited sleep. Orihime took a seat on her futon as she continued to rub at her hair, unable to pull her mind from Ichigo as she wondered how he was doing.

Rukia had kept him to the Soul Society in order to gather his reiatsu but had sent Chad, Uryu and Orihime home to rest and gather their things, claiming that the substitute would sleep through the night if not longer. Though the girl couldn't help but wonder if she should've stayed and at least tried to help with his healing, even though the Captain of squad four was far more experienced and skilled than her. The morning simply couldn't come quick enough for her because then she would be heading back to the Seireitei and to Ichigo.

With a sigh the brown-eyed female rested her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm thinking way too much," she breathed, unable to stop pinning the blame on herself. Perhaps if she hadn't given into the Arrancar and Aizen then Ichigo wouldn't be in such a mess. And maybe such thoughts were justified, especially after the lengths he'd gone to in order to keep her safe, though she knew very well that if Ichigo knew she was having such thoughts he would scold her without a second's hesitation. Even though he'd chosen to venture into Hueco Mundo of his own free will, that didn't mean he hadn't gone because of her. She was to blame, even if only a small bit, she was to blame for Ichigo's condition and she found it hard to live with herself knowing that.

"Ugh," she grumbled. "Stupid thoughts, stupid, stupid thoughts!" The girl ran her hand through her damp locks as she attempted to take her mind off of it. "I should pay Tatsuki a visit in the morning, I don't want her to worry any more than she already is."