Author's Note:

Eeeehhh! You guys like Motherhood better than Eve of the 7th? o.o Demooo~ Eve of the 7th is much more difficult to write . . .well anyway thank you guys for reading and reviewing ^-^ It makes me really really really happy.

Don't forget to review

Well guys . . .here ya go^-^

Note: Italicized parts are flashbacks

Chapter Two:

Endearment

Kurosaki Ichigo was at his foulest mood yet. He had just received a call from Hanatarou, a call that almost made him crush the cellphone in anger.

"Hello?"

"A-ano, Ichigo-san" a timid and shaking male voice said from the other side of the line

"Ah Hanatarou, why did you call?" the orange haired man asked

Suddenly, Hanatarou began to sob through the phone, "B-B-Bocchama" he sniffled

"What? Did Rio bully you again?" Ichigo chuckled, amused at how a five year old boy could make his nanny cry so often.

Ichigo heard Hanatarou inhale sharply before wailing, "I-I lost Boucchama, Ichigo-san!"

"YOU WHAT?" Ichigo bellowed

"He said he wanted candy so we went out to buy some and just when I was about to pay for the candy, he-he let go of my hand and ran away!" Hanatarou tried to explain

Ichigo could not believe his ears, his son, his five year old son had run away.

"I-I-I tried to run after him, but hic- he was hic- just to-to f-f-fast" Hanatarou managed to say between sobs.

"Where are you now?" Ichigo asked, trying to suppress his anger

"K-Karakura town, sir"

"Okay, don't leave your spot and if you see Rio, grab him and don't move an inch" Ichigo ordered as he shoved his iphone into his pocket

Ichigo was speeding through the highways of Japan at a little past the speed limit. He didn't care if he would be caught; he needed to find his son, now. And he was not going to let the damned speed limit delay him from getting to his son.

Ichigo, despite being the lionized celebrity that he is, was very private. He absolutely hated it when the media got in between his private life. Up until now he had been protecting his son from public view but it seems as though, his secret was going to be out in a matter of minutes.


Orihime stared at the little boy as he happily devoured another hamburger. It was his sixth, not that Orihime was counting though.

"MOMMY!" the little boy exclaimed as he ran towards her and hugged her with all his might, "I've finally found you" he began crying

"EH?"

Orihime stood there, puzzled as the boy continued to hug her. "W-Wait! You've got it all wrong! I'm not your mommy" Orihime began to panic.

"You are my mommy!" the little boy began to cry even harder, his lifted his tear-filled eyes to her. "I've missed you so much Mom!" he buried his face into the costume Orihime was wearing

"W-Wait!" she tried to say but the boy didn't seem to want to listen to what she was going to say. Orihime looked around, the people were staring at them. What am I going to do? She asked herself. Not wanting to attract any more attention, she held the little boy by the hand and ran towards the café.

And that's how she ended up watching a certain orange haired boy gobble up a bunch of hamburgers. Oh, that's his eighth. Orihime mentally noted.

After she had changed out of the costume, the little boy had tugged on her uniform saying, "Mom, I'm hungry" followed by the loud grumbling of his stomach

Orihime had approached Tatsuki and burrowed a few bucks from her so that she could feed the little boy then return him to his worried parents.

She learned that this orange haired boy's name is Kurosaki Rioichi, or Rio as he said everyone called him.

"Sweetie" Orihime called the little boy, "How old are you?"

The little boy, Rio, looked up at her and cocked a brow "Have you forgotten Mom? I'm five years old" he answered with his mouth full.

"I see" Orihime simply said, wondering how a five year old could have such an appetite

She had long abandoned telling him that she wasn't his mother because no matter how many times she would say it, he would just cry even harder.

Orihime sighed. Today definitely was not her day. She was so sure her boss was going to fire her for she had just taken another break so she could feed Rio. She just couldn't say no to the little boy. Orihime let out a heavy breath, no matter how much she thought about it, she just couldn't remember giving birth to a son. Heck, she's never even had a boyfriend and so how in the world could a five year old boy with orange hair and captivating brown eyes claim that she was his mother. Oh Kami. She cried

"Mom" the little boy called timidly

"Yes, sweetie?" Orihime turned to the child, smiling at him

"Is that my new nickname?" he asked

"What is?"

"Sweetie" Rio answered, biting on to a new piece of hamburger

"D-Don't you like it? Would you like me to call you something else? Like uh . . .Rio or um . . . Ichi?" Orihime asked, worried that the child would cry again

"No" he smiled at her, "I like it" a faint blush appearing on his cheeks, "I'm so happy you're back Mom"

Orihime's lips curved into a sad smile, she couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly happened to this boy's mother.

"Say, Rio-kun, where is your father?"

"Dad?" Rio tilted his head, "shooting somewhere I guess" he answered, chomp on another burger

"Shooting?" Orihime's eyes widened, "shooting who?"

Rio stared at Orihime for a good 5 seconds before bursting into laughter. "That's funny! Really funny Mom" he giggled, "Shooting a movie Mom, not shooting someone"

Could his father be famous? Orihime pondered

"That's so silly of you Mom" Rio continued to laugh

Orihime could do nothing but laugh with the little boy. "Hey Rio-kun, maybe that's enough burgers for today, don't you think so?" she coaxed

"Eh?" the little boy pouted, "but I'm still hungry"

Orihime sighed. If you eat more than that, I won't be able to pay for what you just ate. Orihime thought. "How about some cake?" she asked sweetly

"Is there chocolate cake" Rio's eyes lit up, smiling at her genuinely

"Lots and lots of them!" Orihime answered.


"I am terribly sorry! Ichigo-sama!" a weeping young man knelt before Ichigo, "how will I ever atone for my sins?"

"Hanatarou stand up and don't call me Ichigo-sama!" the man demanded, "start searching for Rio if you really want to atone for your sins" Ichigo barked at the poor nanny

"H-Hai!" Hanatarou dashed away to search for his 'Boucchama'

Ichigo breathed deeply, he had to calm down. He needed to think. Where would Rio go if he were to run away? Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his phone ring. He fished his pocket for the gadget and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Ichigo-san!" he heard Urahara's voice, "where in the world are you? You have an interview in fifteen minutes-"

"Cancel it" Ichigo cut his uncle off, "Cancel it. I need to look for Rio" he said his tone serious

"Rio is missing?" Urahara sounded aghast, "I'll send Tessai over right now. Where are you?"

"Karakura town-" Ichigo suddenly stopped talking when he saw a head of orange hair skip towards a cotton candy stall inside an amusement park. "Send them here right away, Urahara-san" Ichigo said before putting his iphone into his pocket and running towards the park.


"Where did you find the kid?" Tatsuki asked, studying the little orange haired boy who was clinging onto Orihime

"Rio-kun was lost and I wanted to help him find his parents" Orihime answered patting the boy's head softly

Tatsuki stared at the boy, "you look like someone I know" she mumbled. She squinted her eyes, trying her best to figure out just who the little boy looked like.

"Ah I give up!" Tatsuki sighed, "Anyway you should bring him to the police station then maybe they can contact his parents"

"I'll take him there once I finish my shift" Orihime said putting on her apron and her hat.

"Mom is this where you work?" Rio inquired

"Uh yeah" Orihime replied sheepishly, still finding it awkward that the boy was referring to her as 'Mom'

"Mom?" Tatsuki asked, dropping the napkins she was folding, "he calls you mom?"

"Yeah she's my mom, got a problem with that old lady?" Rio scowled at Tatsuki

"Old lady!" Tatsuki gasped. Her jet black eyes narrowed at the boy "Why you little-"

"Tatsuki-chan please, he's just a child" Orihime prevented Tatsuki from grappling the little boy. She then turned to the boy, "Rio-kun, that isn't very nice. Now apologize to Tatsuki-chan" she reprimanded the boy.

Rio pouted at Orihime, he didn't want to apologize. He only voiced out what he thought so why was he going to apologize? He then looked up at his 'mother', her chastising expression fixed on him. The little boy let out a sigh. He didn't like apologizing but because he was just too happy to see his mom, he would do it.

"I'm sorry" Rio said softly, "I'm sorry Auntie Tatsuki"

Tatsuki's expression softened, "I'll let you off this once brat! But I swear call me old lady again and I will pluck those orange spikes of yours right off your spoiled head" she said

"Whatever" the boy replied, shrugging his shoulders at Tatsuki, who could only boil in annoyance

Orihime patted Tatsuki's back then turned to the little boy "Rio-kun, would you like to help me fold these napkins?"

Rio thought for a moment. Isn't that the maids' job? He asked himself but looking back, no one has ever asked him if he'd ever want to help at something. For Rio, Orihime's question was something new to him. Rio beamed at the auburn haired girl, "really? You'll let me help?"

"But of course"

An hour later, Orihime and Rio had finished a stack of napkins "Good job, Rio-kun!" Orihime gave him a thumbs up for working hard.

"Well that's because you're a good teacher mom" Rio replied with a grin

"Okay, my shifts over now" Orihime stood up, "shall we go now?" offering him her hand

Rio smiled up at Orihime and took her hand, nodding eagerly, "let's go"


"It's him! It's really him!" a girl squealed, "ICHIGO-SAMA!"

"KYAAAAAHHHHH!"

Crap. Ichigo thought as he ran away from the screaming fan girls. It was so stupid of him to recklessly dash into amusement without wearing at least a disguise. Who knew that girls could run this fast! Despite having long legs, these girls were still closing in on him. Oh how he regretted reacting according to his impulse.

Damnit! Ichigo cursed silently as he ran faster, he needed to get away from these psychotic girls.

Just as he turned a corner, he noticed a small a café, it seemed to be closing. Good. Ichigo thought, maybe he could hide in there until Tessai arrives. But just as he was about to enter the café, the doors opened and a smiling little boy holding the hand of an auburn haired woman came out. The little boy stopped in his tracks and turned to Ichigo

"Dad!" Rio exclaimed

Orihime turned her gaze to the direction of Rio's gaze. She found a tall man with the same orange hair and tantalizing brown eyes as Rio. She couldn't help but stare at the panting man, who had the stature of a model and the face worthy of a celebrity. Maybe he is a celebrity. She thought

"Look Dad" Rio ran towards Ichigo, "I found mom"

"Rio, Mom is-" he was about to scold the boy but was literally breath taken when he averted his eyes to the woman Rio was insisting to be his mother. Ichigo was speechless, he was dumbfounded. Could it really be?

"A-Ayaka" he croaked

"Excuse me sir" she suddenly spoke, "but are you Rio-kun's father?" she asked. Her stormy gray eyes boring into his own brown ones

"Y-Yeah" Ichigo stuttered.

A sleek black car suddenly arrived, parting the crowd of girls shrieking for Ichigo. A huge and brawny man suddenly stepped out of the driver's seat. His glasses were strange, as were his braids and the mustache that decorated his face. "Ichigo-dono! Rio-dono!" he cried out.

Another man came out of the car. A shorter man with dopey eyes and shy expression. He began tearing up at the sight of Rio. "B-B-B-Bocchama!" he cried

"Tessai! Hana!" Rio smiled widely, "Look, it's Mommy" he said running towards Orihime and holding her hand tightly

"M-M-Madam!" Tessai gawked at Orihime, "Is that really you, Ayaka-dono?"

"A-A-Ayaka-sama!" Hanatarou gasped

"A-Ano " Orihime blushed at being mistaken for a celebrity's wife

"She's not" Ichigo answered, he seemed to have snapped out of his trance. He neared Orihime, making her blush harder at his commanding presence. He gently took Rio's hand and said "She's not your mother Rio", he pulled the boy, handing him over to Tessai, who immediately complied

"What are you talking about Dad?" Rio shouted, struggling in Tessai's hold, "Why are you trying to keep me away from Mom?" He kept on squirming and trying to get out of Tessai's grasp

"Rio-dono you mustn't do that" Tessai reprimanded the boy

Rio only glared at their bodyguard then continued shouting, "Now I know why Mommy won't come home" he glared at his father, "because you're keeping her away, because you're always fighting with her!"

"Rio enough!" Ichigo suddenly yelled, taking the boy by surprise, "Tessai "he simply sighed

It was a silent command; Tessai knew what his boss meant, "Understood" he said before carrying Rio to the car. Hanatarou knew what Ichigo meant as well. Immediately, he moved to help Tessai get Rio into the car.

"What are you doing Tessai! Put me down! Put me down!" Rio thrashed violently, making Orihime worry.

"I hate you Dad! I HATE YOU!" Rio shouted before Tessai closed the door. Hanatarou slipping into the front of the car

Orihime felt so sorry for Rio. He was still crying harshly and it made her fret. Would he be alright?

"Thank you" the orange haired man spoke, forcing Orihime to peel her concerned gaze to him, "thank you for watching over my son" he said dully, placing a stack of money on Orihime's hands. Before Orihime could refuse the money, the man had already entered the car and took off.

What just happened?

Orihime jumped in surprise when she felt people staring at her back. When she turned around, it frightened her to see all those girls glaring at her

"How are you related to Ichigo-sama?" one bold girl asked

"Why were you with that child?" another questioned

"Is the Ichigo-sama's kid?"

"Are you the kid's mother?"

"I- uh. . .um" these girls were bombarding Orihime with questions she couldn't answer. Questions she herself were asking, "I-" she was about to say when she got a glimpse of the clock, it was already 5 o'clock

"I'm late!" she suddenly shrieked, sprinted away from the crowd

From eight in the morning till 4 in the afternoon she was a waitress at a cafe, but from 5 in the afternoon till eight, she worked at a local inn, cleaning rooms and serving guests. And her boss was very similar to Thunderwitch, tetchy with a slice of cuckoo.

She glanced at her watch again.

4:45 pm

She needed to hurry


Orihime was tired, dead tired. Working two jobs was tough but doing nothing at all for your family is even tougher. Sure, Orihime would be physically drained when she gets home and sometimes she gets so tired she forgets to eat, but it was alright, as long as she was helping her family, as long as she was helping her brother.

Orihime put on her faded jeans and a peach t-shirt, true, the clothes weren't very flattering but at least she had clothes to wear. Orihime always thought that no matter how old her clothes were, she was still better off than most people because there are a lot of people who are in worse situations than her. This kind of thinking helps her get by everyday.

The bus stopped and it was Orihime's stop. After five minutes more of walking, she finally arrived at their humble home.

Orihime opened the door and the fragrant smell of home cooked food greeted her nose. "I'm home" she announced, slipping on some slippers.

A loud thumping sound came from upstairs, coming closer and closer until

"Welcome home Autie Hime!" a little girl with messy green jumped oh Orihime, hugging her in the process.

"Nel-chan!" Orihime hugged the little girl back

This was Nel, Sora, Orihime's brother's five year old daughter; the little girl who brightened the household and relieved Orihime of her stress whenever she came home from work. This was Orihime's precious niece

"Hey Nel! Don't jump on Hime like that! You'll break her back! You know you're as heavy as a boulder" a woman with longer green hair scolded the child.

She had the same body type as Orihime, busty but slim. She had enchanting amber eyes that put a spell on Orihime's brother the moment he saw her. This was Neliel Tu Odushvank or rather Inoue Neliel now. Nel's mother and Sora's dear wife

Neliel turned to Orihime, "Welcome home, Hime" she smiled, "I'll heat up your dinner"

Orihime smiled back at her sister-in-law and asked, "I'll do it, Neliel-san?"

"No. It's fine" Neliel answered, "Why don't you rest. I know you're tired from work" she said heading into the kitchen

"Auntie Hime" Nel called, still clinging to Orihime "How wath your day?"

"I had a lot of fun!" Orihime grinned at Nel, "I became Doraemon today!" she exclaimed

"Dowaemon!" Nel gaped, "can you pull thingth from yow pocket?"

"I sure can" Orihime beamed as she pulled something from the pocket of her jeans. "Here ya go!" she said handing Nel a bar of chocolate.

"Uwaa!" the little girl's eyes widened, smiling at Orihime with a missing tooth. "Thankth Auntie Hime!" she embraced the auburn haired girl tightly

"Your welcome, Nel-chan" Orihime managed to say despite grasping for air at Nel's death hug. Nel let go of Orihime and ran towards her mother. "Mama look what I got!" she said in a sing-song manner

"Nel come on you have to get ready for bed" Neliel called from the bathroom

"Bed?" the little girl pouted, "but Papa'th not even home yet" she whined

"Papa will be home soon" Neliel carried her daughter, "So you have to smell good when he arrives" she explained as she headed for the bath

"Okay~"

Orihime headed upstairs. She turned to her right and entered a room. Inside laid a pale man with long white hair, his face still as handsome as ever, despite his age.

"Ah Orihime-chan! Welcome home" he greeted

"Hi Dad" she knelt beside him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek

Kneeling opposite of Orihime was a lovely woman with silky black hair and kind blue eyes. She smiled at Orihime tenderly and asked "How was your day, sweetie?"

"It was fine" Orihime answered, "thank you for asking, Mom"

Ukitake Juushiro and Retsu, Orihime and Sora's adoptive parents, the two good hearted people who saved Orihime and Sora from starvation. They found fifteen year old Sora in the streets one rainy day, clutching a small bundle wrapped a thin blanket and what seemed to be Sora's jacket. They learned that Sora was running away from their abusive parents and took his baby sister with him. Their hearts wrenched at the sight of the siblings, so without hesitation, they took in Sora and Orihime and raised them as their own children.

Juushirou and Retsu loved Sora and Orihime dearly. They were happy to have come across the two that fateful rainy day. Though Retsu loved children, she could not have one because she was barren but when Inoue siblings came along, she finally had the chance to become a mother.

"How are you today, Dad?" Orihime asked, softly touching the man's hair

"I'm fine" Juushirou smiled at his daughter.

Juushirou was a proud soldier in his younger years. He once led a whole squad and defended his country. It was in the military that Juushirou met his wife, who was at that time, the army's nurse. Until six years ago, the captain fell ill, to the point where he would easily tire and he would faint from sudden movements. The doctors say it was because his heart was not functioning properly and that his heart could not produce enough blood for his body. Every other day, Juushirou and Retsu would go to the hospital for a blood transfusion.

When Juushirou's disease became worse, Retsu had decided to retire and stay home to care for her husband. That was when Orihime had to stop going to school and she and Sora began working two jobs a day to pay for their father's medication and maintenance.

"I'm sorry Orihime" Juushirou said softly, "I'm sorry for making it difficult for you and your brother"

"It's okay just keep getting well Dad and leave the rest to Onii-chan and me" the auburn haired woman clutched her father's hand

"We're really sorry, sweetie" her mother added, "we, parents should be the one's providing for you, our children but instead you and Sora are the ones working hard for us. I'm really sorry" she said sorrowfully

"You don't have to worry about anything Mom" Orihime rushed to Retsu and embraced her, "We'll get through this" she said

Retsu returned her daughter's hug and caressed her back "Of course we will" she said lovingly. "Now go down and eat. I know you're hungry. I can hear it" she laughed lightly. Orihime nodded and headed for the kitchen.

It didn't matter if they were poor, it didn't matter if Orihime had to work two jobs. What's important is that their family was in tact and still filled with love. Yes, everything would be just fine. She assured herself as she ate her dinner.


"The Superstar, Kurosaki Ichigo is known for keeping his private life away from the media. But today, we finally found out why. The most sought-after bachelor has a five year old son. This afternoon, the boy was found in an amusement park in Karakura town. Now that we know that the actor has a son, the million dollar question is, who is the mother of Kurosaki Ichigo's child?"

"Neliel-san" Orihime called

"Hm?" Neliel looked up from checking papers

"Do you know this Kurosaki Ichigo person?" she asked, referring to the television. The orange haired man she had just met was on TV, in fact on the headline news

"Kurosaki?" the lime haired woman thought for a moment, "I haven't really watched any of his movies or shows but I do hear that he's a really good actor and he's really handsome too, isn't he?"

"U-um yeah" Orihime nodded, a faint dust of pink creeping on her cheeks

"Do you like him?" the older woman probed

Orihime reddened even more, she remembered how the celebrity looked like up close. "Well uh- I guess so" she answered awkwardly then looked back at the papers she was helping Neliel check

Neliel grinned at her "Oh~ Hime's got a crush" she teased

"Neliel-san" Orihime cried, "it's not like that. Maybe it's just a celebrity crush" she insisted

"It's still a crush though" Neliel grinned even wider. She laughed when Orihime blushed harder before turning back to checking papers

Neliel was a middle school English teacher. She was originally from a rich family but her father disowned her after she declined an arranged marriage and wedded Sora instead. It seems Neliel would renounce all the prestige and wealth she had just to be with the person she loved the most. And she stuck to her decision, not even turning to her father for financial help when Nel was about to be born.

"I'm home" a tired voice announced from the front door

"Welcome home, honey" Neliel stood up to greet her husband. She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips.

Sora smiled at his wife and placed a loving kiss on Neliel's forehead. His gaze suddenly turned to a little green head, curled on the sofa, snoring softly

"She wanted to wait for you" Neliel explained, smiling at her daughter. She turned to Sora and cupped his face saying "I'll heat the food for you" before moving into the kitchen

"Thanks"

"Welcome home, Onii-chan" Orihime welcomed her brother with an embrace.

Orihime then turned to the sleeping girl on the couch "Ara! Why is Nel-chan sleeping here?" she asked

"Neliel said she was waiting for me" Sora answered, gazing affectionately at his daughter, lifting her up, "I'll take her to her room" he said

"Okay, I'll help Neliel-san" Orihime whispered as she rushed to the kitchen. When she got there, Neliel was already stacking up the papers.

"Eh? Was that all?" Orihime asked

"Yes" Neliel smiled, "Thanks for your help Hime. You better get some rest too"

Orihime nodded and said, "Well then, good night Neliel-san" she smiled

"Night night, Hime"

Orihime dropped herself on her futon. Oh how she loved how soft her bed was. Her body was sore and the bed's softness was like healing balm to her aching muscles. She snuggled under her covers and closed her eyes

"Mommy!"

Her eyes abruptly shot open when she remembered the orange haired little boy and the longing that was in his eyes when she met him.

"I hate you Dad!"

She recalled Rio's cries when his father forced him the car.

Poor child. Orihime thought. She could not help but wonder just what happened to Rio's family. Why was he searching for his mother? Why did his father have the same longing look when he saw Orihime too? Was Rio still crying? Was he okay? Did he eat dinner?

All of these questions were flooding her exhausted mind. She couldn't help but worry about Rio. Oh but she needed to sleep, she would have to wake up early tomorrow and work again. So she let out a sigh "Oh Kami, please watch over Rio-kun" she mumbled before drifting off to sleep


Two days have already passed and Orihime still worried about Rio. She would still wonder if he as still crying or if he was eating well. She knew that she didn't have to occupy her thoughts with questions she might never get the answers to but still, she asked them. She thought about how Rio's father was doing. Was he suffering too, like Rio? Was he crying too? She would never know

BAM!

Orihime sprang out of her chair when her manager's hand banged the table. "Why are you daydreaming, Inoue?" she asked between gritted teeth. "Do you want to get fired?" she roared

"I'm so-so sorry" Orihime bowed, "please don't fire me" she pleaded

"First, you sleep during your shift, second, you ask for two breaks in one day, and now you're day dreaming when the café is so packed? You really are testing my patience" she threatened Orihime

"I'm really, really sorry Thunderwhitch-san. I will work even on my days off to compensate for all my slacking but please don't fire me" Orihime begged

"You-" Cirucci was about to shout again when, Tatsuki's head popped into view

"Thunderbitch- I mean Thunderwitch-san, a customer is looking for Orihime" she announced

Cirruci shot Orihime a glare "what did you do again?" she hissed before standing up and heading outside to greet the customer.

Orihime stayed in the office, wondering what she has done again for a customer to come looking for her. Better find a new job. Orihime said to herself. Suddenly, she heard her boss shriek. Thinking something bad was happening, she bolted out of the chair and dashed to see what the commotion was all about.

As she reached her boss, she halted when she saw a familiar tall figure standing in front of her boss.

The figure turned to her and immediately Orihime knew who it was. Those eyes were just too hard to forget. It neared him, standing just a foot away from her, his brown eyes looking into her gray orbs.

"Hello, Inoue-san"

Author's Note:

Well how was it? Sorry for the errors, I didn't quite have the time to read through this one. Thanks for reading guys.

Review plsss... It'll be much appreciated :)

~Ember~