.

.

"This pisses me off," Tatsuki groaned, pressing her forehead against the cool wood of Orihime's kotastu table.

Orihime looked up, startled, "Are you alright, Tatsuki-chan?"

"I'm fine," Tatsuki grumbled unhappily, sitting up. Orihime tilted her head to the side. They sat in Orihime's home together – homework, books, and an opened bag of chips on the low table. Tatsuki had insisted, after all, they rarely got to see each other anymore. Tatsuki had more time in the dojo to practice and Orihime was immersed in her studies.

"Do you want me to make you some tea? I can add honey." Orihime offered, tilting her head to the side. A vibrant lock of her hair cascaded over her shoulder.

Tatsuki kneaded her temples, "No way. The last time I let you make tea, you put soy sauce in it."

Orihime's mouth fell open, "It was an accident. It was supposed to be mine."

Tatsuki managed a grin, "Yeah, whatever." As she dragged her heavy books back into her bag, she glanced around Orihime's apartment. Sora's picture was smiling at them peacefully, and the room was clean, spacious, besides the stuffed animals littering the carpet in random places. She picked up a pink, small bear. Vaguely, she remembered a dull memory. Something with blood and nonsense, and thrown by invincible things. She shook her head. She decided a long time ago that that was a dream, "You never grow up, do ya?" She tossed the toy at Orihime's bright head.

The girl blinked owlishly before grinning as the toy bounced harmlessly off her noggin, "Is that a bad thing? Hehe…"

"No," Tatsuki mulled it over, oddly serious, "I suppose not." She stood, glancing down at her watch. "I should get home." Placing a hand on the girl's small head, she patted it affectionately. As she peered down at the girl, she locked onto the – as Ishida had told her – reiatsu and tried to read it. It was gentle and warm, just like her. She could understand why the others worried about her – she did too. As soon as she was satisfied, she walked to the door and Orihime followed behind her with a smile, "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

Orihime blinked, startled by the question. It was a long moment before she answered. Giving an exuberant thumbs-up, she nodded, "Of course, Tatsuki-chan! I'll be there."

With a small smile working on her face, Tatsuki sighed, "You shouldn't miss it, anyway. You're beginning to worry everyone."

She tilted her head to the side, "I am?"

"Yeah. Not to mention, Ichigo." The dojo champion shrugged her shoulders, attempting to be casual, "He's like your mom or something." She nearly grinned when she saw the poor girl flush a bit. "Don't be embarrassed by it."

"I told Kurosaki-kun h-he shouldn't worry so much about me," She mumbled, appearing embarrassed. And then an odd expression crossed her face. Horrified, "W-What if I hurt his feelings, Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki arched a brow, "He has to have feelings in order for you to hurt them."

"Tatsuki-chan," The redhead puffed out her cheeks, pouting.

"Yeah, whatever," She smirked and then sobered, "Just…don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Orihime blinked again, "Eh?"

"Whenever you start that skipping school business, some crazy things happen. It makes me anxious when I don't know where you are or what you're doing, but I won't pry, alright?" She took a deep breath, "Just don't do anything that'll put you in danger. It worries me."

Orihime licked her lips nervously, "A-Alright, Tatsuki-chan."

"Good," Relief swarmed through her. She sighed again, "That's good."

.

.

"Tight ass…weird ass…clothes…fuck!"

Rukia glanced back and nearly rolled her eyes when she saw Renji tugging at his school clothes, exasperated and frustrated beyond belief. With a sigh, she turned around and undid his buttons. Renji scowled, but did not say anything as she repositioned them into their correct holes.

"This is stupid. Stupid clothes. Stupid." He mumbled under his breath, red as his hair.

Rukia smirked, "You're the stupid one. It's pretty simple."

"Yeah? Well, it's better in the Soul Society. These clothes are tight and uncomfortable. How can anyone stand it?" He watched the high school students of Karakura High walk inside, chatting and laughing without a care in the world. He huffed irritably, "When can we go back? This gigai is annoying."

She turned away, "Hm. You're more grouchy than normal."

"Don't I deserve to be?" He grumbled, "We messed up, Rukia. Last night—"

"I know, I know," Rukia brushed him off. Last night had been weird. Well, she supposed weird was an understatement. The man, who'd been lounging around Orihime's apartment, was nowhere to be found when Renji and Rukia had gone after him. It was as if he'd disappeared. He hadn't had any reiatsu, which she found odd, and she could tell he wasn't a Soul Reaper. She was as confused as Renji. "But we'll take care of it."

"Yeah, by telling Ichigo," said Renji with a frown.

Rukia crooked a brow, "Ichigo? Why would we tell him? We aren't even sure who or what that was last night."

"Ch. Doesn't matter."

"Renji-kun? Kuchiki-san?"

Both Shinigami turned to see Orihime. She was dressed in her tan school uniform, and tucked into a long, maroon scarf. She gazed at them with her large eyes and bright smile, "Good morning."

Rukia returned the smile gently, "Good morning, Inoue."

"Yo, Inoue." Renji nodded at her. "Why're you wearing that?" He pointed at her scarf.

She blinked, surprised before lifting it for his inspection, "It's a scarf. It's supposed to keep me warm. It's very cold, after all."

"Yeah. Around this time of the year, it gets cold. It's February." Rukia explained briefly, shrugging her tiny shoulders. Renji scowled.

"Even more clothes? That's bullshit!"

Orihime laughed delicately, "Ne, are you two visiting again? Kuchiki-san, we could have fun this time."

Rukia smiled gently again, "I suppose. But with our schedule, it might be short," She held the small cellular device with one hand, and her bag with the other. She stared at Orihime a few seconds, studying her intently, "Hey, Inoue." The redhead looked at her, "You didn't feel anything weird the other night, did you?"

Orihime's smile dropped by a small degree, "Eh? What do you mean by 'weird'?"

Rukia stared at her for a few seconds. Exchanging a look with Renji, she decided it was best to keep it under wraps, "Um, nothing."

"Are you sure?" The healer perked up, "Because, maybe, it could've been my dinner." Renji turned green, "I made these really good batch of spinach and sour-cream-ketchup cookies~!"

Rukia forced another smile, "N-No. It's fine, Inoue." She sweat-dropped as the girl went on.

"I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san, Renji-kun. Did you want some? I ate them just last night, but," she turned, her hair billowing around her in sunset waves, "I could make some more. I might have to go to the market and—Oomph!"

Renji and Rukia glanced over and were surprised to see Ichigo, who was glaring at them both. Quickly, he looked down at Orihime, who had face-planted into his chest, and softened a bit.

"Oi, Inoue, you alright?"

Instantly, the limp girl jerked back to life. Hopping back a step, she flushed a deep pink, "I-I'm fine!"

His arched a brow, she's turning red. Is she sick? He took a step towards her, "You sure?"

She waved her hands in front of her frantically, "I'm sure. Very sure. I'm as healthy as an octopus!"

Renji's eyebrow twitched.

Ichigo still appeared disbelieving, but she did not give him a chance to ask again. Quickly, the girl skipped ahead, "I-It was nice seeing you, Kuchiki-san, Renji-kun! I have to get to class!" She scurried off rather quickly, and Ichigo was left blinking, confused.

"You chased her off," commented Renji dryly.

Rukia scoffed, "I probably upset her with all the questions, moron."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, "Questions?"

The two Shinigami tensed and glanced at the orange-haired. Renji crossed his arms over his chest, "It doesn't concern you, Ichigo. We already asked Inoue."

Ichigo continued to scowl at them, "I told you before, if it concerns Inoue, it concerns me. The hell is going on?" When neither answered, he huffed, "Fine." He turned towards Orihime, who was still walking towards the school, "Oi, Inoue!"

She stopped and peered over her shoulder curiously, cheeks dulled back down, and her eyes wide and earnest, "Y-Yes?"

Just as Rukia opened her mouth to snap at the orange-haired to stop prying, there was a flash of white. Renji stiffened, Rukia's eyes widened.

It's him! They thought in unison.

Rukia was already yelling, "Inoue, watch out!"

The strange man glanced in their direction as curious students paused at the commotion. Wrapping an arm around the redhead's waist, he hauled her to him. Orihime emitted a startled gasp, eyes widening.

Ichigo's bag dropped the next second.

"Ichigo, don't!" Rukia shouted as Renji snarled something underneath his breath. Obviously, Ichigo was not listening. His dark eyes widened and then narrowed onto the target before he was running towards the two. "Ichigo!"

"Bastard!" Renji began to peel from his gigai, but was trapped in the process. "Stupid, tight-ass fucking thing!"

Ichigo was two feet away, crossing the school's ground rather quickly. The stranger tightened his grip on Orihime, who was beginning to struggle, panicking, and Ichigo felt that dark side of him twitch. His hand outstretched, prepared to bring her back. Ichigo's eyes met Orihime's for only a second before the two vanished.

Ichigo's arms closed around thin air.

.

.

She had no idea what was going on, but she was pretty sure it was dangerous. The wind whipped around her, tossing her hair around her wildly, blinding her. Orihime wiggled in the unfamiliar arms, and they tightened in response.

"P-Please…" She choked out, trying to keep her gaze on his dark shirt. she clenched her hands into fists, which were pressed against his hard chest, "I don't want to hurt you, but… Santen Kesshun."

Instantly, she was released. The golden dome folded around nothing. Orihime gasped sharply, her body weightless. Her shield shattered as she fell towards the ground, concentration broken. Before she could even muster up the courage to breathe again, she was encased in the same arms, tighter than before.

"Try that again and I'll let you hit the ground," he murmured against the crown of her head, "And I prefer to have you alive."

Orihime tensed at his voice – rich and smooth. All she could see now was his chin and neck, collarbone, and pale skin. She blinked a few times, her eyes stinging. The air continued to whip around them as he jumped from building to building fluently, oblivious to her inner turmoil. It was strange. She could not feel his reiatsu – and from the way he moved, she would've thought he were a Shinigami. Perhaps not, since Kuchiki-san had had a frightened look upon her face when he'd arrived, and Kurosaki-kun…She licked her lips nervously at the thought. He'd appeared dangerously upset.

Finally, when they stopped on a tall, tall building, Orihime was placed down. She teetered, and attempted to keep her eyes from the long fall below. Quickly, she glanced away, but ended up meeting dark eyes. They were very serious eyes, a dark maroon color, and staring directly at her.

She reeled back, and stumbled. When she felt cool fingers catch her shoulders, she gasped, but didn't fight. He was standing behind her now. She meant to make her legs move, run away from him, but she was rooted to spot. Again, he moved – it was too fast for her eyes to see – and was suddenly in front of her. His deep blood-red eyes caught hers, and his nose nearly hit hers. He was too close for her to be comfortable, and despite her fear, she couldn't help but watch the blankness of his gaze.

"Inoue Orihime…" The way he said her name made her heart beat madly with terror.

"Y-You know my name." She whispered, lips shaking.

He nodded, shrugging, "Yes."

"Y-You're…" She swallowed, "You're not a Shinigami."

"No," he muttered, "I'm not. And I know you aren't either." She blinked, surprised. For a second, she thought she saw some kind of look pass over his face, but it was gone the next second. His posture was lazy, but held a sense of arrogance. White-silver locks fell over his intense eyes and were tousled on his head messily. She still did not feel any reiatsu, and a sense of curiosity fell onto her.

"You reverse things, right?" He asked, expression blank.

Orihime blinked again, taken aback.

Without waiting for her answer, he burrowed a hand into his pocket. Orihime watched, befuddled, as he pulled out something. He placed his hand in front of her face and peeled back his fingers to show the object.

Orihime gasped and felt a shiver wrack down her spine, "W-Wh—" He tossed it to her and she fumbled to catch it. Startled, she stared up at him. "I-It's the—"

"Hogyoku." He said, pointing to it.

Orihime looked down at it, confused beyond belief. She could feel the power coming from it, but what confused her was the color. It was black – pitch black. She squinted her eyes, as if to see the usual purple, pink, and beautiful colors of its power, but there was nothing. The darkness inside of it encompassed it completely.

"B-But I rejected it," She whispered to herself, "I know I did. I—"

"No." He shook his head, "It's existence still remains."

"But—" She closed her mouth, and tried to calm down her heart, "What is wrong with it? Did something happen?"

"You mean the Darkness?" He asked, and she thought she saw a hint of a smirk on his lips, "That's why I brought it here."

She blinked, even more confused than before, "But, Stranger-san—"

"Fix it."

She peered up at him.

"Fix it." he repeated, just in time for a strong burst of reiatsu to burst forth. Orihime tensed, and looked over his shoulder to see orange hair, black robes, and a large sword heading directly towards the man's back.

Kurosaki-kun, she thought instantly.

Before she could even blink, the man gave her a hard look. Her hair whipped from the strong reiatsu and she clutched onto the orb tighter. His eyes tightened a fraction.

With that, he turned and raised his arm. Orihime nearly choked from the burst of power. It seemed to gush from his body as Ichigo's sword met his arm, like a shield. The dark, dark power swirled around his body wildly, shoving her backwards from the hot spurts, and her golden dome instantly folded over her.

Ichigo clenched his jaw, glaring violently at the man below him. The stranger replied with a flat look of his own. Shoving harder against the raised limb, Ichigo felt his reiatsu swirl and battle against the other's. He did not know who he was or what his objectives were, but he'd slice through anyone who dared to do such a thing to Inoue.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called, but her voice was drowned out from the roaring his ears. As the man took that opportunity to propel himself from the building and back, hands tucked casually in his pockets, Ichigo launched himself after him.

His sword aimed towards the man's neck, but instead was blocked by the heavy aura surrounding him, almost like a shield. The large spouts of reishi seemed to block any kinds of Ichigo's attacks, no matter how many times he tried to strike him.

"Bastard!" Ichigo snarled furiously. "Getsuga—"

With a blur of white, the man was suddenly gone. Ichigo cursed, yanking back his power.

"You're not going anywhere!" Rukia shouted, lunging towards him. Skillfully, he ducked in time for her sword to fly over his head. She blinked, shocked at his speed, he's so fast! And then his fist was coming towards her.

Rukia cried out from behind Ichigo. The orange-haired whirled around to see the stranger's fist plunge into Rukia's stomach, sending her plummeting towards the ground.

"Rukia!" Renji shouted, and then set his eyes onto the man. Retucking his hands in his pockets, the man rolled his shoulders languidly.

"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime's power flashed from her and enveloped the petite Shinigami, catching her. Renji briefly looked down at Rukia, who was cradling her stomach tenderly, and glared back at the stranger.

"I shall take my leave," he said, and turned away from the two men.

"You fucker!" Renji howled, "As if I'd let you!" He launched towards the man powerfully, Zabimaru perched in a perfect arc towards the man's shoulder.

And he vanished again. Renji missed, slashing through cool air, and he cursed, whipping his head around. Ichigo also searched, eyes darting back and forth.

And then there was Orihime's squeak of shock. Ichigo swiveled around in time to see the man there, too close to her, and leaning towards her ear to whisper something. In reply, Orihime tightened her small fists around something, clutching it to her chest.

Ichigo snarled, "Dammit!" He launched towards him, his reiatsu building powerfully. He tightened his grip on Zangestu, prepared to slice through his throat, only for the man to raise one hand. Without warning, a large gust of pitch black smoke erupted from him. It spread wide and fast, onto the ceiling of the large building, and thickened until Ichigo was unable to see Orihime's vibrant head of hair.

Renji took a step back, "M-Miasma?" His eyes tightened, "Ichigo, don't go into the—" But the teenager was gone, "Crap!" He pulled back his arm

Ichigo was lost within the large smoke. His eyes stung harshly, and his mouth felt dry. Quickly, he breathed in, but was assaulted with tiny pricks in his throat. It felt as though a hot iron had been jammed down his throat and scorched into his lungs. He hacked, shocked as his body trembled beyond his control. He clutched at Zangestu, stabbing the large blade into the ground to remain upright.

"I-Inoue…" He coughed out, "Inoue!"

Vaguely, he felt his muscles quiver, his lungs scrape together, but then he heard, "…saki-kun, Kurosaki-kun!"

D-Dammit. What is this? He hissed, glancing up, his vision blurring. "Inoue."

He caught a glimpse of amber waves of hair rushing towards him, further into the darkness. Suddenly, there was warmth around him, and a dull glow caught his attention. When he looked up, Orihime was there, the smoke clearing, and her eyes glowing and moist.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

The large serpent like sword suddenly delved deep into the smoke, wiping it away and cascading the poison from around the two teens. When it came through a second time, the miasma was almost completely gone.

Orihime remained in front of Ichigo, a thin smile on her pretty face, as she healed him, "A-Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun? Does it hurt anymore?"

He stared hard at her. "What about you? You weren't affected, Inoue?" He coughed for emphasis, his gut churning.

Orihime blinked and then looked down at her hands, "Eh? I guess not."

Ichigo's frown deepened as he gazed intently at her face. She seemed unharmed, which was odd. When that man had swooped in and grabbed her, he'd been imagining the most. It was hard to believe it had only been five minutes. Swallowing thickly, Ichigo clenched his fists around Zangestu.

Damn, he growled to himself. It had been so quick. Flashes of Orihime vanishing flew through his mind. It made his heart go into a frenzy. Just the thought of her disappearing again—He shook his head. Shit. He had to keep a better eye on her.

"Inoue, are you alright?" Ichigo asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

She smiled gently, "Ne, Kurosaki-kun, you have your serious face on."

"Inoue."

Her smile fell a bit, "I-I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." her expression softened, "He just—"

"Ichigo! Inoue!" The two bright-haired teens glanced up, "Are you guys alright?" Renji landed gently on the building, Rukia in his arms, and Zabimaru sheathed. As Orihime dome receded back to her hairpins, Ichigo stood, and looked around.

His rage came back in full force. Renji hissed, taking a step back, "You asshole, control your reiatsu!"

Ichigo grounded his molars together, "Where'd that bastard go?" He demanded, eyes flashing dangerously. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he tensed.

"Ichigo," Rukia croaked, eyes hard, "You can't go after him."

"And why the hell not?" He grunted, pushing away from her hold, "He attacked us!"

"He defended himself," reasoned Rukia, "We threatened him." She glanced at Orihime out of the corner of her eye, "He was after something else and we bothered him."

Ichigo's eyes tightened, "Why does it sound like you're sticking up for the bastard?"

Rukia shrugged, but held a hand against her broken ribs, "They're rules are different there. It's either kill or be killed."

"What the hell are you talking about, Rukia?" Ichigo demanded angrily. He did not have time for such games.

Her eyes narrowed, "He's from the Dark World, Ichigo."

Orihime tightened her hand around the Black Hogyoku in reply. In her mind, she heard the whispered words Stranger-san had said to her,

"Do not fail me."

…

…

Finally finished a chapter for this. I forgot all about the Ichihime and went right into the battle. Hopefully, I can do it in the next chapter. I hate a story about Ichigo and Orihime, but there's no kind of love or even friendship. It frustrates me. Throw even a little angst in there, yeesh!

Well, anyways, I hoped you liked it. Please share your thoughts. This is an idea that came to me, a whole new world that can draw anyone in. be prepared for a lot of angst, romance, drama, and action. I just love stories like this one! I just wished I had more ideas and inspiration to give it what it needs.

In this story, Orihime is much more important, and targeted more than I would like. In the end, it's worth it when we see angry Ichigo going to such great lengths for her.

Please review. Would like your ideas, opinions, and love~!

-Star