I am so not Tite Kubo, I'm just borrowing his characters.

Anyway, I just want to say that the POV for this and the previous chap is from a third-person. Not Orihime's. Sorry if somebody got confused about it.

Is this an Ichihime fic? I'm actually not too sure myself. Probably is. What I know for sure is that this ain't an Ichiruki. Sorry to disappoint Ichiruki fans. I'm a fan of all pairing with a hime at the end! Except for the yuri ones.. Catfights? Now that you mention it, it's actually not a bad idea! LOL!

Just a word of warning. My mom told me I never finish whatever I started. Sometimes I agree…

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"You can go see her, you know.."

Ichigo turned around when he heard her voice. It seemed that she followed him when he went to the kitchen to grab something unimportant. He smiled at her.

"Come here.." Orihime walks in his embrace.

"Somehow, I know, you would say that Inoue… I won't go see her."

"You sure? She might be here for something important, Kurosaki-kun."

"Probably, then why don't we go see her tomorrow then?"

"Uhn! I'd love to see her too!"

"Then it's settled…"

"Yeah.."

Orihime felt a slight release. She was unconsciously stiff after she felt Rukia's reiatsu.

She felt so relieved that Ichigo seemed normal about it, that she felt like crying. In fact, it feels like something is blocking her throat. She doesn't wanna cry. Somehow, she wants to look strong, mature, and composed about this. Like how Rukia usually is.

"Are you worried?" Ichigo immediately regeretted blurting out this question. He realized how stupid the question is right after the regret.

"I can't help it, Kurosaki-kun. If I am a guy I'll probably like Kuchiki-san too. But the one I'll marry is Tatsuki-chan." She said this so seriously that Ichigo had to laugh. Seeing Ichigo laugh made Orihime smile and relax a bit more.

"It's true! How about you Kurosaki-kun? Who among the guys would you date if you're a girl?"

That question immediately put a sour expression on Ichigo's face. "None!"

"Eh?!? Are you being serious?! Look! Ishida-san is very good looking and compassionate, Sado-kun is well-built and dependable, and then there's Renji-kun who looks wild and hands…." Inoue has to stop for she noticed the expression her boyfriend is giving him which is quite scary.

"So those are the ones you'll date if I'm not here? Thanks for the info." Was Ichigo's reply with an expressionless yet deadly voice.

"You're misunderstanding me, Kurosaki-kun! I'm just.. giving.. choices." She looked down and was about to cry when Ichigo enfolded her in his arms and cradled her head on his shoulders.

"Sorry, I don't mean to freak you out."

"I don't think I can answer you're silly question though. Because right now, I'm very thankful that I'm a guy." Love welled on Orihime's chest and the tears she was holding back refused to hide any longer and she cried like a baby on Ichigo's embraced.

"Although if I'm a girl, I think I'll be something like Chizuru." Ichigo continues to make Orihime laugh, which she did, although it sounded more like a sob and a hiccup. Which Ichigo thought was cute, especially when it's done against his chest.

"Do you wanna stay here for tonight, Inoue?"

Inoue immediately stiffen at this suggestion and Ichigo realized what she might have thought of this. He chuckled.

"I don't mean it that way, really. I just thought that she might come by at night and I want you to be here when that happens."

"There's no need for that Kurosaki-kun. I trust you."

"Okay.. If you say so."

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"Kuro—saki-kun..?" was how she greeted him when he saw him at his front door on his way out, and the only thing that stopped her on her tracks was Rukia was at his tail.

She was numbed; she felt her face twitching into a smile. She wanna cry and laugh and hide at the same time. She felt a ton of emotions mixed together. Some of them she isn't even familiar with. "Kuchiki-san!" she croaked.

"Inoue!" was Rukia's warm greeting. Ichigo stood beside her, looks very green in the face. "We were just on our way to your house!"

You are? I see.

"I haven't seen you guys in a while so I asked Ichigo to come with me and visit you guys."

So it's Kuchiki-san's suggestion?

"And then Ichigo, suggested we go see you first.

He did?

"Ah. Is that so Kuchiki-san? Do you plan on going somewhere else after my house?" She wanna hide somewhere. She felt like her question sounds too suspicious. She can't look Ichigo in the eye. In fact, she wants to look at anywhere else but him.

"Actually Inoue, although I'm glad to be able to see you all right now, I really have a purpose for being here. Not only me. A few more shinigamis would be coming here soon."

Terror filled her at the tone of Rukia's voice. She momentarily forgot about her jealousy and her face showed it. In an instant, Ichigo's at her side.

"It's nothing too serious Inoue. They just got some hunch. Sandals-and-hat and the mad scientist at soul society just coincidentally came up with the same….hunch." Ichigo tried to explain it in a way that wouldn't scare Orihime even more. His hands are unconsciously rubbing her shoulders. His face inches away from hers. His expression a combination of guilt and concern as Orihime finally looked him in the face.

Rukia was abit taken aback by the show of affection that is very out-of-character from the Ichigo she left behind. She doesn't know what to feel about it. Although she knows that that affection could've been for her, had she stayed.

Orihime's fear was successfully blocked by Ichigo, therefore jealousy went back up again. "There's no such thing as a coincidence, Kurosaki-kun." She was looking at him vindictively for a split second. And then her apology was written all over her face for the tone she used.

"That's what the soul society thinks too. Those two guys might have a few loose screws in the head but they're both revered leaders. If they say so, then we have to listen, for no one can prove them otherwise. Except each other, that is." Rukia explained without knowing how thankful Ichigo was for her breaking the silence and for not understanding the meaning behind Orihime's statement.

"Then what's this hunch about Kuchiki-san?"

"Both of them observed something weird about the atmosphere here in Karakura, They said that it almost felt like someone powerful is suppressing its reiatsu to leak. By someone powerful, I mean someone who might have a reiatsu as big as Ichigo."

"So I'm not being suspected of this?" Ichigo asked. "Good!"

"Of course no one would! You don't even know how to suppress your reiatsu to begin with!" was Rukia's reply.

"Huh?! Did you say something chibi-shinigami?!"

"Idiot! I'm talking to Inoue! Stop interfering!"

"Anyway Inoue, we are not sure what this persons motive is. It could be someone strong who's waiting for the right moment to strike, or it could be someone that's just trying to hide his powers, period! Anyway, multiplying Ichigo's abnormal reiatsu into two is a very dangerous matter in itself."

"You made it really sound like I'm a virus!"

"In a way you are. Moving on, that much reiatsu in one place might attract a lot of hollows or even worse someone a lot stronger. So you see, us being here is just a precaution. Nothing too serious, for now at least."

"For now?! Do you really intend to scare her?!"

"Annoying!" was what Rukia said before he gave Ichigo an uppercut.

Witnessing the scene, Inoue felt a bit left out, although Rukia was actually explaining to her. Or was it just her imagination?