Special thanks to all these dark and stormy days and U2 for helping me write faster! XD
Disclaimer: Bleach (c) Kubo Tite. Nuf said.
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Orihime unbuttoned her top two buttons and wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty brow. Dabbing a handkerchief on her soaked throat she took another astonished glance at Hachi. Not a drop of sweat. Not even a sheen. His skin was positively matte! He suddenly laughed aloud when he caught her stealing another confused glance.
"Years of conditioning, my dear. Years. You'll soon be impervious to the ruthless sun, but endure its jealous vengeance on your beauty for now."
"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry, Hachi! I didn't mean to stare it's just…well…"
He let out another belly laugh that shook his body and wiggled his chin, both of them. "No need to apologize, my dear. Many people stare at me and I take it as a compliment. I'm so astonishing, so unique that they simply cannot tear their eyes away. I am someone they will not soon forget."
Orihime smiled brightly at his confidence and nodded before continuing with her berry picking.
"Why don't you leave that for now and go cool your face in the fountain. Can't have you fainting and the sun thinking it has won now can we?"
Gratefully, Orihime set down her work and made her way over to the fountain. She kneeled in front of the beautiful sculpture, dipped her small hands into the clear water, and splashed it on her face, reveling in the cool relief when a deep voice suddenly spoke behind her.
"Well if hell is hotter than this I may be convinced to attend to my prayers more often."
What happened next went so fast Orihime could not even register it properly till well after it ended, although one would think she'd be used to these kinds of things happening to her.
Upon whirling around to face her orange-haired visitor, somehow she'd managed to tangle her feet up in her skirts, spin around twice, and finally fall backwards into the bottom tier of the large fountain. As she lay there in shock, water falling into her face and down her bodice, she realized something wasn't quite right. For one thing, she was a little higher than she ought to be and for another, what she was sitting on definitely did not feel like marble.
And then she heard a groan below. She let out a small scream when she turned to look at her soaking cushion, "Oh no! Oh my goodness gracious. Your grace! I'm so sorry. I'm terribly klutzy. Just ask Tatsuki. Why one time my clumsiness backed up the entire length of Beaucour Avenue! Can you believe it? I…" She stopped when a hand rested on her thigh.
"I believe you. Truly I do."
"Oh no! I'm still sitting on you like a nincompoop! Sorry, sorry!" After a few more nervous stumbles she managed to get out of the fountain and turned to thank and help her rescuer. Unfortunately she did neither. Instead, she laughed at him.
For there he half-laid, one leg submerged in the water and the other dangling over the side of the tier. Orihime's body had been blocking the falling water, but the stream was now falling down the middle of the ducal body, splashing unceremoniously on top of his head and down his face and he was glaring at the water with a gaze that, had he been dry, would have sent the entire French army running with their tails between their legs. At this moment the expression had more an effect of a very pitiful, very incensed, and very wet cat.
He shifted his glare, which had softened only very slightly, to the girl doubling over in laughter. "Little maid, are you laughing at me?"
She swiftly clamped her mouth shut and hugged her stomach to keep from laughing, "N-no, my lord!"
"Truly?"
Her bottom lip trembled, but she pressed her lips tighter and managed to squeak out, "I mean, yes my lord."
His eyes narrowed into slits before he swung his other leg over the lip and pushed himself out with his hands. Unfortunately one of his hands slipped on the wet marble and he fell back hard on his bottom, receiving another shower from the mutinous fountain.
His head snapped up sharply at the loud snort that sounded in front of him followed by laughter that was clearly going to be a chore to bring to an end. Eventually she managed to start breathing enough to reach out a helping hand which he took. Just then some kind of inexplicable devilry came over him and managing to keep a straight face he took her hand, made a move to stand up and then at the last moment gave her an evil smirk that shocked all the laughter out of her before he yanked her back into the fountain.
He glanced back at her sitting in the water, her stunned expression being soaked by the fountains merciless tumbling water, her soaked clothes and hair in the most unseemly and disheveled state. As she looked over at him her shock morphed into an angry pout, and then something happened that had the entire house gossiping and tittering for days.
The Duke of Clermont laughed.
Not just a snicker. Or a chuckle. Or even a belly laugh. But a loud roaring laugh that saw no signs of ending.
Hachi accidentally snapped the flower he'd been tending.
Ms. Unohana who'd seen the beginning of the disaster from a window, stopped dead in her tracks at the bottom of the steps leading to the gardens, the towels she'd retrieved tumbling from her arms to the ground.
Mizuiro who'd followed her to care for his master choked on the roll he had been munching.
The horse Chad had been taking out for a ride whinnied and shook its mane while its rider merely grunted.
It hadn't taken long for Orihime to join him in all-consuming laughter, but now they were both recovering and wiping tears from their eyes. He finally managed to escape the sculpture's clutches and reached in, grabbing her by the waist and setting her firmly on the ground next to him.
They stood there looking at each other, their laughter reduced to short, intermittent bursts. Suddenly his eyes darkened every so slightly and his smile drooped a fraction. She then realized the burning sensation at her sides were his hands, still resting on her waist. She looked into his eyes, but they weren't looking into hers. They were looking lower. Was he staring at her lips? Self-consciously she touched her mouth but then found herself fascinated with his lips. They were so strong and wide, yet they looked like they might be soft. She really wanted to confirm her theory.
"My lord! Are you alright?"
The duke's head whipped to the side and his hands fell away from her waist. His housekeeper and valet were running towards him and he sent a deathly glare at their annoying competency. "Yes, yes I'm fine. No doubt I needed a cold bath on a day like this." Taking one of the offered towels he rubbed it through his hair, stealing glances at his maid who was running a towel down the length of her long hair.
"We'll get you into some dry clothes right away, sir."
He closed his eyes and forced at least a halfway amiable expression before he looked at his valet, "Thank you, Mizuiro."
When the duke and his valet had disappeared through the tall glass doors beyond, Orihime finally got the courage to look sheepishly up at her superior. But Ms. Unohana wasn't angry or irritated. She didn't even appear to have a mild reprimand ready at her lips. In fact she seemed speechless. Orihime thought she must have made a real mess of things to render Ms. Unohana tongue-tied.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Unohana! I didn't mean…I mean I'm just clumsy and jumpy and…"
Ms. Unohana stopped her with an upraised hand and shook her head while seeming to gather the words, "He laughed, Miss Inoue."
"Um…yes…is that bad? Maybe I should go to apologize to him again! I…"
She was cut off again, "No, Miss Inoue. It's not bad. It's…it's too good to be true is what it is."
Orihime gave her an inquisitive look, "I'm sorry. I don't understand."
The housekeeper closed her eyes and clutched her apron for a few moments before finally looking at Orihime with tear-filled eyes, "It's been six years since I've heard him laugh. Six years. I've been near him for six years, in this house, and today is the first time I've heard him laugh in that time."
Orihime didn't know what to say. What to do. How to look. And she especially didn't know what she was feeling, "I…"
Ms. Unohana grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a fierce hug, "Miss Inoue. I know I should reprimand you for being inappropriate. But I have to go against protocol. I have to go against propriety. I can't reprimand. I can only encourage. Because he's like a son to me, Miss Inoue."
She pulled back and held Orihime's face in her hands, "I beg you, keep this friendship with him. I don't why it's you. I don't exactly what you two have. But you may be his last chance. He's been through so much. He's lost his family. He's…he's been through unimaginable trials…"
Ms. Unohana choked out a sob and Orihime wrapped her in her arms, "Ms. Unohana. Of course. Of course. I don't know if I'll be any help, but I will try."
The housekeeper wiped at her tears and gave one hard nod as she grappled for composure, "Well then, let's get you out of these wet clothes. Come inside now, Miss Inoue."
Orihime nodded quietly and followed her into the house with her heart feeling as if it would burst any moment.
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The hurricane of thoughts rendered Orihime oblivious of the stare down Rukia was giving her as she walked through the kitchen. Nor did she notice that the dining room suddenly hushed when she walked in and unseeingly took her seat. As soon as she'd scooted her chair in, the explosion of voices broke her from her thoughts.
"So, we hear you made his highness laugh?"
"How'd you do it?"
"Is it true you pushed him in the fountain?"
"I heard she tickled his grace till he was in stitches."
"I bet she told him that scandalous joke Gin was telling us the other day."
"So you and the duke have some kind of relationship now?"
"She sure does. A very special relationship!"
"Are you in love with him, Hime?"
"Hmm."
The last voice came from Chad and brought the chattering to a close as they all settled into a silent stare.
Flustered, Orihime's eyes darted from face to face, trying to organize her thoughts and their questions.
"Hey! Give her some room to breathe!"
This came from Tatsuki who was threatening the curious inquisitors with her shaking fists and daggered eyes. When they finally backed down and sat in their own seats, Tatsuki turned to Orihime, "It's okay, you don't have to answer any of their questions. But you might want to put some of the rumors to rest, they're getting a bit outrageous. These people are worse than courtesans. I can't believe the duke hasn't laughed in six years. That's just insane"
"But it's true, Tatsi."
Tatsuki looked at her in frowned surprise, "What's true, Hime?"
"That she's in love with him!" someone yelled.
"Hold your tongue!" She turned to her friend again, ignoring a mumbled 'Somebody's jealous', "Hime?"
"He…he hasn't laughed in six years."
A few moments of silence passed as Tatsuki sat back down and stared at Orihime, "You serious? And he laughed today?"
"Yes."
Keigo piped up, "So tell us Hime! Did you push him?"
"N-no! I…well I tripped, and he tried to save me but we both ended up drenched in the fountain. And then it got even worse. And then he and I laughed." She didn't really like how her heart did a small palpitation when she said "he and I." Hearing nothing but silence, she looked up to see expectant expressions on all of their faces so she added, "And that's it."
"That's it?!"
"No kissing?"
"Aww, look at her blush! She's so in love with him…"
"Hold your tongue Ranny or I'll get rid of it for you!"
"All right, all right. So violent towards a lady!"
Orihime bent her head to hide her flaming cheeks and shoved tasteless food into her mouth as they theorized about her and the duke over dinner. Only Ishida, Nemu, and Chad sat quietly eating and, unbeknown to Orihime, observing her. She knew they meant well. They all loved the duke and were just happy to see him happy. But why her? She didn't understand. And she didn't know if she wanted to understand.
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Sleep did not seem as if it were going to grace Orihime with its presence this evening. She tossed and turned till the sheets were a small ball at the end of bed. Sighing, she unrolled the sheets and placed them flat on the bed, getting under them again. It wasn't long before she'd kicked them off again.
With a frustrated noise she swung her legs over the side of her bed and gripped the sides, staring out her window. The moon was full tonight and the strong light illuminated her little room. Standing up, she went over to the window to stare up at it. Looking below she could see fireflies dancing in the shadows of the garden.
She had to get out of here. Maybe a walk in the gardens would clear her mind. She grabbed her long dark cape, tied it around her neck and wrapped it around her nightgown. Tip-toeing down the dark, silent hallways she finally came to the entrance to the gardens. The moonlight was streaming into the alcove giving off an ethereal feel of entering into a fairy tale. She giggled softly while going through the doors, imagining what fantasies awaited her.
She'd never been outside after dark before because it was frowned upon by Ms. Unohana, but it was too late for anybody to catch her and she felt as if she would've gone mad if she'd stayed in her room. She hugged herself and breathed in the summer night air. Already she could feel its soothing effects. This was definitely worth any consequences that might ensue.
She bounded down the steps and her feet hit the soft, cool grass. She wiggled her toes in delight and ran down the wide pathway, whispering hellos to the sleeping flowers and breathing in the scents of the garden that seemed stronger and purer in the magic of the night air.
She came to a halting stop at the end of the path and stared up at the tall hedges in front of her. She'd been dying to explore the hedge maze ever since they'd gotten here, but since they were forbidden she hadn't wanted to disobey Ms. Unohana. Well, that and the opportunity hadn't presented itself. But here was the opportunity right now. Before she could change her mind, her feet swiftly sent her into the maze.
Immediately she was overwhelmed by the magnitude. The hedges were so tall; they had to be at least ten foot. The moon shone some areas, but others were in complete darkness. Orihime softly squealed in excitement as she zig-zagged through the complicated twists and turns, running her fingers along the sides, her cape and hair flying behind her.
After hitting numerous dead ends, she could sense she was almost at the middle. A huge smile stuck on her face, she picked up the soaked hem of her white nightgown and flew towards her goal.
Finally she hit her destination. She'd never actually been in a maze before, but the rumors of what was in the middle of them had been anything from a simple well that accepted your wishes to a frog awaiting a kiss from a princess. But this, this in front of her was nothing less than enchanting.
The middle was fairly small, surrounded by the tall hedges, but inside was a beautiful miniature castle, about eight or nine feet tall. It looked like an elaborate playhouse for small children. Its spires gleamed in the moonlight and its tiny stain-glassed windows sent colors dancing in and out of the castle. This night really was the night for fairy tales.
She clapped excitedly, walked over to the little drawbridge, and slowly let it down over the moat that surrounded the castle. Peering in, it was mostly empty except for a small table with two little chairs. A small china tea set decorated with red roses and intricate gold designs was neatly placed atop the table.
Just as Orihime reached her hand in to pick up one of the teacups she heard a low growl behind her. Her body froze. Her arm was still outstretched when she heard another growl, it was louder, or was it closer?
Finally she found the strength to pull out of the little castle and slowly turned her body to stare in the face of what she was sure would be her death.
She wasn't really sure what she was expecting besides a wild beast of some sort. But nothing, nothing could have prepared her for what towered not one foot in front of her. Fear like she had never known gripped her heart as she stared into the black craters of a monstrous beast.
Her eyes were glued to its face…no…its skull…it was more skull than face. The long pointy teeth looked only too eager to tear into her flesh. Large white horns curved out in front. She could barely make out red markings, was that blood? Maybe it wasn't hungry right now…
Her eyes traveled lower where pointy, jagged growths jutted from its broad shoulders. The chest was bare and looked almost human except for the red markings that crisscrossed over the chest and torso. And the white skin, it was whiter than death. A long tattered cloth around its hips whipped in the wind. Its legs seemed vaguely normal as well until they ended in feet…if one could call them that. They were humongous and clawed, the claws curved into the grass and another great claw came out from the back of each heel.
She let her eyes return to its…face. The eyes still looked vacant. It bent over her and grasped the front of her nightgown with a clawed hand, dragging her up from the ground and bringing her face level with his. She could hear it breathing now with slow, heavy breaths. Despite the warm night, steam escaped from between its fanged teeth.
Upon closer look a soft yellow glow pierced through the darkness of its eyes and bored into her soul.
She had to fight. Had to scream. Had to kick. Punch. Run. Something. But she couldn't. Not from terror for she suddenly didn't feel any fear...as soon as she'd seen those yellow irises she'd felt the fear leave and something replace it. Something…familiar. She felt like she knew this thing. Sweet Lord, had the shock sent her into madness?
Just then the wind blew a long strand of hair across its face. Something she hadn't noticed before. Thoughtlessly, she reached out and took the strand between her fingers and gently pulled it into the moonlight. Was that…? The beast growled and the strand escaped her grasp and joined its comrades.
It turned its head slightly at a soft rustling in the distance and her eyes widened as the moon shone on long, beautiful, orange hair.
Could it be?
It couldn't.
"My lord?"
Without thinking the words had left her mouth.
The beast jerked its head back to look…no…bore into her at the sound of her voice. They stayed like that for several moments before it lowered her feet to the ground.
"My lord?" she tried again. It wasn't possible. It was insane. What was she thinking? But this was the night for fairy tales, wasn't it?
"My lord, is that you?"
Unimaginable trials. That's what Ms. Unohana had said. Dear God.
"What has happened to you, my lord?" Her heart filled with compassion and sorrow to the point of overflowing and tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached up and stroked the cold ivory cheek with her small hand. "My lord." She reached up with her other hand and cradled the beast's hard face in her hands. She wanted to help. She wanted to reach out to him with more than her hands. But how? What could she do?
What should I do?
What should I do?
"What should I do?"
Suddenly the beast backed away from her hands.
"My lord?"
He turned his back on her with a loud growl. He looked back over his monstrous shoulder once more, and then finally ran off into the night.
Her legs went limp and Orihime dropped to her knees as soon as he'd left. How can it be?
She recalled the hopeful faces of the servants that evening. How much did they know? She suspected most of them, at least, knew everything. Did they really think she could do something? They seemed to have high expectations and great confidence in her. And she had almost fooled herself into thinking she could do something. Until now. And now was when she wanted to reach out to him more than ever before. Now was when she realized how much he needed someone to reach out to him.
But who was she? Only a simple servant girl.
What could she do? She was nothing.
But…she could try. She had to try. Those who loved him felt such hope when he'd done such a simple thing as laugh. Maybe there would only be baby steps like that. Maybe…but any step was still a step no matter what its size.
She would try. Maybe in the end it would be all she was capable of. But she would still try.
She would try to heal him.
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Back in her room, sleep never came and she now stood before her window in her nightgown, watching as the light of dawn filled the sky. She hugged herself tightly, the sudden morning light made last night seem like a nothing more than a dream. Did it all really happen? Maybe she imagined all of it. The grass stains on the front of her white gown said otherwise. But things like this just didn't exist, did they?
Suddenly a loud banging sounded at her door. She turned and before she could tell them to wait just a moment the door burst open to reveal the duke. His bare chest was heaving, sweat glistening against his skin, trousers that had hastily been yanked on where precariously hanging on his hips, and his eyes were furnaces of fury. He stepped in and yanked the door closed with a loud bang that was sure to wake anyone up that hadn't been woken already by his knocking.
His nostrils flared, his jaw muscles clenched, his eyes burned, every part of him radiated rage and it was all directed at her. Within a blink of an eye he was in front of her and his hands slammed the sides of the window on either side of her head.
"What the fuck did you think you were doing last night?!" he roared.
She winced at his harshness, "M-my lord?"
"Yes, yes. 'My lord,'" he mocked. "Let's start with that. Tell me, princess. Do you always proclaim your loyalty to every monster that crosses your path?!"
"N-no, my lord. I…"
"You don't? Then do you caress the cheek of every hideous beast that stalks you?"
"My lord…"
"May I assume you deny that too?" he leaned in till his face was inches from hers, "Listen to me and listen to me closely. You will never ever go out of that door after sunset, do you understand me?"
"…a monster."
"What was that?" he growled.
"You're not a monster!"
Something flashed across Ichigo's eyes but they quickly hardened again and his mouth curled into a sneer. "I'm afraid our opinions differ on this subject. After the sun sets I become your worst nightmare. My worst nightmare. I don't have any control except that I can keep from doing too much damage at night if I'm in the gardens and the woods. Apparently they are calming. But every mammal that crosses my path I destroy. And I devour. Do you understand? I don't why you're still alive right now, but you will not take that chance again. Do you understand me?!"
She started to nod in automatic response to his overwhelming anger but stopped herself and shook her head no instead, "I'm sorry, my lord. I can't do that."
She watched as shock and frustration mixed with his anger and then he punched the wall with his fist, never taking his eyes off her. With gritted teeth he asked, "I hope it's not an intrusion if I inquire as to why the hell not?"
"I…I want to help you."
This time the shock at her words threw the anger out of him and he stood motionless for a few moments, searching her face. His anger came back, yet milder this time and mixed with an indiscernible something else, "Orihime…you don't know what you're doing. You can't help me. No one can. Don't put yourself in danger where I can't protect you. I can't lose you."
The last words that fell harshly out of his mouth shocked them both. They stared into each others eyes, searching, silently asking unknown questions.
Ichigo's anger suddenly changed into an entirely different passion as his eyes fell to her lips, his chest still heaving from the torrent of emotions. And then his hands fell to the sides of her face.
She gasped when his hands touched her skin and hair and then closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh. She felt his thumbs make circles in her skin, each circle sending warm currents down to her chest.
He watched as her eyes closed and her lips parted in a sigh, her cheeks turning pink. He wanted to kiss her. Desperately. And so he did.
He lowered his lips to her in a gentle passion, moving his mouth against hers, almost frantically. He felt starved, and only she could satisfy him. Pulling her close he pressed his body into hers and moaned as her soft curves contoured against his bare chest.
As soon as their bodies touched, Orihime's hands instinctively moved to hug his neck, pulling him closer. Like any other girl, she had dreamed of her first kiss. A romantic moment on a starry night with a handsome young man, perhaps the son of a baker who would make her lots of yummy food. He would tell her he loved her and she would shyly respond in like and then they'd softly kiss under the light of the stars and the moon. There'd be butterflies in her stomach and fairies dancing in the air around them.
But this was not at all like how'd she imagined. He'd only said, 'I can't lose you' and her heart had melted. He touched her and she felt like she'd come home. He kissed her and she wanted more. His body pressed up against hers and she needed more.
The butterflies were replaced by hot flames and the fairies were new passions hovering in the dense air.
Ichigo knew he should stop. Stop it here. Boundaries had already been crossed but…that's right…boundaries, big ones, had already been zealously ignored. So what's one or two more? He moved his mouth to the corner of hers and gently licked. He felt her press harder into him as he moved his tongue across the seam of her lips. A moan parted her lips and he sank his tongue into her mouth.
The feel of his tongue in her mouth was unexpected, but not unpleasant. Not unpleasant at all. Heat shot from the burning in her chest to a lower place she had previously given little thought to. She rubbed her thighs together, trying to lessen the heat, but it only flamed hotter. She wanted him to feel this too, but she didn't know what to do. She let out a frustrated moan, just for once could she know what to do? Angry at herself and full of restrained passion, she moved her tongue against his and massaged it as he had done with hers.
As soon as her tongue moved against his, a passion like he had never known coursed through his body bringing delicious pain to his already rigid erection. One arm snaked around her tiny waist and held her close; the other hand tilted her head back even further, letting her auburn hair tumble through his fingers.
After several long moments he finally lifted his lips and gazed at her softly flushed face, her eyes still closed and her mouth parted in ecstasy. He brushed a stray tendril away from her face and watched her cloudy eyes flutter open.
"My lord."
Her soft words felt like a slap in the face as it hit him what he had just done. He couldn't do this. Not with her. Not with anyone. He dropped his arm and stumbled backwards.
"I…I'm sorry." He flinched at the shocked hurt in her eyes, "That won't happen again."
Not daring to look at her face, he left the room in a rush.
Orihime didn't know how long she stood there, staring at the closed door, but when she finally moved to change into her uniform she noticed two wet spots on her nightgown. Her cheeks felt stiff and her eyes felt dry.
She hadn't even realized she'd been crying.
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Yay! The beast has finally reared its ugly head (well actually...in Disney's Beauty and the Beast I preferred the Beast when he was...well...the Beast. Major let down when he transformed into 'Prince Charming' or whatever. Don't you agree? I think Belle was totally looking at him like 'who the f*** are you and where's my beast?' But maybe I'm just strange.)
I was trying to plan out this fic, and I think it's going to end up being about 10 chapters. Maybe 9...I dunno. If you're curious... XD
All righty, on with the Review Replies!!! ^_^
Sweet Yet Painful ~ LMAO! Omg, I laughed so hard at your 'Mr. Lonely' singing! Although I don't think Ichigo would appreciate our laughing at his loneliness...
Ichigo: Oi! What the hell? I'm not some lonely emo kid! You just wrote me that way, idiot!
Me: *innocent face* Wha...no! I simply put your character, loneliness included, in an alternate setting. Take up your troubles with Kubo. Because you, sir, are definitely lonely.
Ichigo: *stress mark* You wanna come here and say that to my face?!
Me: *mumbles something about sexually frustrated teens* Oh go sleep it off on Orihime's boobs.
Ichigo: ....kay *walks off*
Me: O.O Well that was easy...ANYways, thank you so much for your review!!! It was very encouraging ^_^ (I hope you liked my beasty-Ichi XD )
DancerGrl16 ~ Yeah, the only-at-night-thing is a little werewolfish...I don't know, there's SO many werewolf legends . hehe, glad you like my pairings! I love writing about them, I may have to give some of them their own fics one of these days. Or at the least their own oneshots. Thank you for reviewing!! *hugz*
Blitch ~ lol!! I didn't even think about that when I wrote it...I was just thinking silver hair usually equals old man, at least in the real world. Yeah, you will never see a Rangiku/Hitsugaya pairing in my fics. Blech. Adorable as captain/lieutenant. Gag-inducing as a couple. I really don't much care for pairing the little guy with anybody, but Momo and Karin are okay. I'm glad you liked RanGin though! I hadn't written them before and it was fun! I may give them their own fic...Happy to see you still enjoy and thank you for your review, love!
lunatickat ~ Ah! Your review made me so happy!! I'm glad you like all my little hints and mysteries. I'm having a lot of fun with this story especially since Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite Disney movie and IchiHime is my OTP, so it made since to put the two together. Hope you liked this one! Thank you so very much for your lovely review!!! ^_^
hikari-hime 01 ~ I hope she'll be able to mend it too! Thank you very much for your review and I hope you liked this IchiHime moment filled chapter! :D
elmosrevenge62 ~ *blush* Thank you so much for your wonderful review (oh and don't be sorry at all, I LOVE reviews, especially long ones)! I'm glad my little fic inspired you to review :D And omygourd I know what you mean! Recently out of curiosity I searched to see how many IchiRuki fics there were compared to how many IchiHime fanfics. There were over 100 pages of IchiRuki and only over 20 of IchiHime!!!!! *horrified face* It made me want to spit out 50 IchiHime fics right then and there! But unfortunately I don't have the stamina nor the time...ah well, I'll do my best and let's hope the recent growth spurt in IchiHime fandom will help us out! Again thanks for your review and I hope you continue to like my story!! *glomp*
And now the honorable mentions of my new alerters: Sweet Yet Painful . moodycrab3 . sel63 . Miss L
And a big group hug to my favers: lunatickat . Sweet Yet Painful . Meshpets
Ah you guys are so amazing!!! *blows kisses and hands out chocolate covered Ichigos* Thanks so much for your support and don't forget to keep reviewing to let me know how I'm doing and where I can improve!!! ^_^
Ttfn. Ta Ta For Now!!! *bounces away*
