(You are going to read this every time there is an update. My stories were deleted, deliberately. When I finally realized my stories were missing and after undeleting them, they were not exactly as they were. But you only need to know this, for those of you who have added this story and all my other stories as either as a favorite or to follow, you need to un-do and then re-do the actions again; that is if you want to. It is just something for me to speculate.)
(How come no one told me about the posting of an empty update? It was done while I was not even in the country. Oh... Death-By-Sanity, Saint Sita and a guest apparently did. Extremely long, tedious story short. I guess I was too busy persuading this website to recognize me as the rightful owner of this account. Why didn't you PM me, Saint Sita? I thought we were friends? :'( )
(Anyway, I do not like an empty page, promise? So, here is a short update as I have not really completed this chapter yet. The concluding part of this chapter will be posted as fast as my brain and fingers can cooperate with each other as seamlessly as they should. O_O )
(恋情)
Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime continued to lock eyes with each other. Both of Orihime's small hands were still on various parts' of Ichigo's body. Neither one of them was making the slightest effort to break contact with each other; both mentally and physically.
"Oi! Is this where I will be sleeping on?" Abarai Renji broke the spell his two young friends were reluctantly rescued from with his loud questioning. He dropped their school bags on the worn-out couch as he scrutinized his would-be sleeping arrangement.
The blushing princess removed her small hands from her orange-haired protector. She gave him a small, shy smile. Ichigo returned a somewhat smug smirk
Orihime wondered what was the smirk about? "Kurosaki-kun, why are you..."
"It doesn't look very comfortable, does it?" The red-haired shinigami sort of snorted distastefully before planting his backside on it to test his opinion. He bounced up and down on it. He looked to the other two persons in the room.
His heart too bounced up to his throat before it plummeted down to the pit of his stomach.
All... because of a princess.
And her eyes.
Her orange-haired scowling prince was not looking so happy as well.
Renji swallowed the guilt that was left behind when his heart made the fast nauseating journey from his throat to the stomach. "Inoue, I..."
"I am sorry, Abarai-kun." The auburn-haired princess interrupted him with her apology and bowed gracefully. "I am sorry for the condition of my couch. I was comfortable with it and I thought you will not find it too uncomfortable for your liking." She kept her head down and spoke softly.
Orihime clasped her small hands together. "You can have my futon if you like, Abarai-kun." Her soft voice suggested generously.
"No! Definitely not!" Ichigo sprung into action. He grabbed the two tiny, soft hands and enveloped them in his big, coarse hands.
The startled princess gasped out in surprise. She lifted her head slowly as she did not want to risk hitting her protector with her seemingly hard head.
Her honey brown eyes encountered an angry, handsome face which was scowling at their red-haired friend before sensing her curious gaze on him; his features softened and he turned to look at her. Caring chocolate eyes shone warmly at her. Orihime blushed shyly. She could never get use to Kurosaki-kun's absolute full attention on her.
She felt...
She felt so... loved.
Loved by her scowling prince.
She gazed dreamily back at him.
One gentle, tender look from the auburn-haired princess and all cognitive thoughts flown from the scowling protector's mind.
Oh, how he wanted to gaze upon the lovely face in front of him for as long as he can with no interruption from anybody, especially from the...
"Inoue, I did not mean..." Renji started to say, but this time Ichigo intercepted whatever sincere apology he was going to make.
"Inoue, that tattooed freeloader was just kidding with you. He is more than satisfied with his sleeping arrangement. In fact, he is so grateful for his free lodging that you have so generously offered to him, he is buying us dinner as a thank you treat to you, right Renji?" Ichigo asked friendily but it was more of an order to Renji.
Even before Renji could open his mouth to say anything, the excited princess blurted out, "A-Are y-you staying for d-dinner, K-Kurosaki-kun?" Realizing what she has asked, the gentle healer wanted to cover her impulsive mouth in embarrassment.
She has forgotten her two small hands were still being cuddled by Kurosaki-kun's bigger hands.
And those bigger hands were currently giving her hands a little reassuring squeeze.
Her face still burning due to her spontaneous questioning of what her heart wanted to know, she glanced timidly at the one holding her hands.
Ichigo gave her a little boyish grin to hide his own nervousness of inviting himself for dinner.
Another squeeze.
"Do you mind if I stay for dinner, Inoue?" He asked softly.
And his answer was another almost loud, "No!" Both teenagers' eyes widened at the shout of agreement.
Orihime lowered her head in a hurry and her shimmering hair formed a protective, glittering curtain around her reddening face.
"Inoue?" His concerned voice caused her already fast beating heart to gain velocity and sped all the way to her trembling throat. She swallowed to make her stammering words come out as a coherent explanation for her quick, loud answer.
Orihime raised her head to face Ichigo as she answered. "I-I meant it is fine by me if Kurosaki-kun wants to stay for dinner."
"Yea, thanks Inoue." He almost signed in relief.
Ichigo continued to hold on to her hands and his eyes were doing the same with her eyes.
Her bright eyes looked back shyly at him.
The playful smirk on his handsome face caused her to wonder at what he was going to do.
Slowly, his big, rough hands uncovered themselves from her smaller soft hands. Orihime was a little disappointed at the lost of the warmth, till the larger hands unclenched her still joined hands and... very slowly, they laced themselves extremely gently with her happy hands.
The imaginative princess could almost feel her tingling fingers smiling, welcoming her protector's calloused fingers.
Her beautiful blushing face reflected what her hands were feeling.
Ichigo was starstruck by the dazzling smile.
She was his 'star'.
She was his...
"Oi! Shouldn't you ask the one who has been forced to buy dinner?! And how about a da..." A rather ungenerous but alert for his wellbeing Renji faced the growling hybrid and confused princess. The young couple has forgotten about the third person or in Ichigo's case; the third wheel in the room. He grinned uncomfortably. "How about a show of appreciation?"
"Why should we?" An extremely annoyed at-being-disturbed Ichigo spat out grudgingly.
Damn Renji and his bloody timing.
"Thank you, Abarai-kun." The gracious princess' soft, gentle voice brought a big goofy grin to break out on Renji's face and Ichigo's scowl to deepen, jealously.
"Ichigo, you could learn a bit more manners from your pretty classmate." Renji caused Ichigo's scowling to completely overtake his grimacing face.
'Pretty?' Who are you calling pretty, you flirtatious freak!' Ichigo thought possessively.
Only he can call her pretty and he looked at the said pretty classmate. He noticed their hands were still laced together. He pulled her closer towards him. He did not want her to acknowledge the tattooed idiot's compliment.
He frowned.
Renji should just go and buy dinner.
Unbeknownst to Ichigo, Orihime did not hear a single word from Renji after saying her thank you. Her eyes only has him in focus. She smiled shyly at him.
Ichigo noticed the smile. "Renji, shouldn't you be buying dinner?" Ichigo wanted to be alone with his princess.
The fukutaichou paid attention to the commanding tone in Ichigo's voice and the frightening frown on his face. He guessed it was time to make himself be not here at this very moment. He turned to the polite princess, "Anything you like, Inoue?" That caught her attention. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Just surprise us with your generosity." Ichigo answered for Orihime who shut her ready to response mouth and pouted childishly at Ichigo's assumed answer from her.
What if Abarai-kun should forget her special ingredients? She wondered worryingly.
"Well, I will be going now. I will not be long, even though I need to pick up my belongings from Urahara."
"So, why are you still standing around here for? Someone to hold your hand and walk you to the door? Go."
"No. Wait, Abarai-kun." Orihime called out and broke the hands-holding contact she has with Ichigo.
Ichigo was shocked!
Was she really going to hold the red-haired buffoon's hand?!
Ichigo glared at a smirking Renji.
Renji strutted next to Ichigo.
He shrugged at Ichigo.
If the fair princess wanted to hold his hand, who was he to deny himself of this caring gesture.
His wolfish grin widened as Ichigo's frown deepened.
Then both the facial expressions turned to confusion as the skipping princess asked Renji to wait as she seemingly began to look for something.
The search for something has the schoolgirl's short skirt fluttering and teasing the two pairs of brown eyes with its tantalizing promises of forbidden exposure of milky-white smooth skin.
Ichigo has half the mind to look away. As tempting as the sensuous sight in front of him were; high and low, reaching up and bending low. He knew he should not be ogling an innocent friend of his like a piece of meat. But his errant eyes thought otherwise and they followed the fluid movement of the almost dancing gracefully, gentle healer.
Then it hit him like a football going into goal before it was ruled offside. If his lucky pair of eyes were mesmerized by the sight being offered unknowingly by her, then...
"Renji, are you looking at what I think you are looking at?" Ichigo asked in a low, on the face of it, normal voice.
And Renji in return responded back with the same kind of tone. "How would you know what I am looking at if you yourself was not looking at what you think I am looking at?" Every word was in beat with the swinging of what was beneath the short school skirt.
Ichigo almost, almost wanted to turn his head and punched Renji in the face for assuming he was looking at what was suggested. But in doing so, he needed to move his head and he was currently finding it difficult to do so.
"Here it is!" The unsuspecting performer appeared to have found it. She turned to look at her friends. She was puzzled by the funny expressions and stiff postures.
"Huh? Is anything wrong, Kurosaki-kun, Abarai-kun?" She asked in curious confusion.
Renji just shook his head.
Ichigo swallowed, hard. "Nothing's wrong, Inoue. What were you looking for?" He was relieved his voice showed no sign of what he was experiencing.
Orihime accepted his answer without any doubt and nodded. She beamed a knowing smile.
"Hold out your hand, Abarai-kun." Orihime asked politely.
The big, tall red-haired shinigami held out his hand and grinned.
Ichigo scowled.
Orihime placed a key in Renji's hand. "This was what I was looking for, Kurosaki-kun. The key to my front door."
"Why are you giving your door's key to... to this criminal?!" Ichigo shouted at Orihime in jealous accusation.
"Oi! Mind your words!" Renji shouted at Ichigo. He made his artistic facial embellishments danced mockingly at the orange-haired jealous one. "Why, Ichigo, do you want one too?" He almost sang out his jeering.
"Why you..." Ichigo was stopped in his verbal assault on Renji when he felt a pair of very soft hands touching his right hand; he looked quickly to the girl holding his rough hand.
The blushing princess gave him a sweet, shy smile; she turned his hand palm up, placed a key on the palm, folded his fingers inwards, covered the fingers with her small hand, "Here you go, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime's sparkling eyes were on Ichigo but her mind was whispering, wittingly that what is a mere physical mental key when he has already gotten the key to her heart a long time ago.
Ichigo glanced tenderly at the gentle healer holding his hand and maybe, something else of his as well. He wondered what was with the faraway, blissful look. He laid his free hand on her hand.
Startled out of her romantic daydream, Orihime gazed upon her prince with much affection, "K-Kurosaki-k-kun?"
The larger hand tightened its grip, "Inoue,"
And two shades of brown collided.
As did two hearts.
"Oi, oi, oi. Just how many keys do you have, Inoue?" Renji held up his key and asked. He was a little bother by how he was given his key. The princess's fair hand did not even touch his hand as the key was placed in his palm.
Ichigo glared in displeasure at Renji. He was getting sick of his irritating 'oiing'. He continued to hold on to the princess' hands.
And Orihime was not making any effort to separate their hands as well.
"Oh, I have a baker's dozen. No, that is wrong. Do you know a baker's dozen actually means not twelve but thirteen." She provided the tiny tidbit of information to two wholly uninterested males. She saw the could-not-care-less faces. "I have twelve keys, Abarai-kun." She answered.
"Why do you have so many, Inoue? Did the locksmith force you to pay for so many?" A concerned Ichigo asked anxiously. He knew the gentle healer was on a rather tight budget.
"Um, no. The landlord wanted all the locks changed. He paid for them. The locksmith said that a p-pretty g-girl like m-me must be very p-popular." Orihime stammered as she repeated as to what was said. Seeing no objections to what was implied, she continued.
"He made me all those extra keys for free and he gave me a name card as well. He said to call him anytime, regardless of the hour. I assumed he meant when I find myself unable to get into my own apartment, right?" She asked innocently.
"Where's the name card now, Inoue?" Ichigo asked in a quiet voice belying as to what he was going to do with the lecherous locksmith once he get his hands on him.
The orange-haired protector was livid.
How dared he lump Inoue as one of those girls!
She might have the looks, the body, the everything but Inoue Orihime is definitely not that kind of girl.
She is an angel.
His beautiful angel.
He was just going to have to explain in his own special way.
Preferably with his fists.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
So intent was Ichigo concentrating on giving his brand of lesson to the locksmith that he did not hear the soft, concerned voice of his worried princess.
"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime repeated and she glanced anxiously at her silent prince. She nibbled nervously on her bottom lip, looked at Renji and...
"Kurosaki-kun?"
'Too soft and gentle. Just like her.' Renji thought wishfully. He decided to help out the anxious healer.
"Oi! Ichigo!" He shouted and for added measure, he poked him on the side with his sharp elbow, hard.
"What the h... heck?! Why did you do that for?!" Ichigo almost said a bad word, in front of his princess He glared at Renji who directed his sight to the concerned healer.
"Kurosaki-kun, are you all right?"
"Yeah. Just thinking about something." He assured her. 'Thinking of methods to painfully advise somebody to not judge anyone based on appearances alone. Speaking of which...'
"Where's the name card, Inoue?" He asked again with a wicked grin.
"Oh, Tatsuki-chan has it. She asked for it as I gave one of the keys to her. She was muttering about a 'Peter File'. Maybe this 'Peter File' needs to have his locks change or something? Do we know a 'Peter File', Kurosaki-kun?" Oritime asked naively and she missed the incredulously looks she was getting from the two brightly hair-colored males.
"Maybe it's somebody at her doujou." Ichigo answered while trying to suppress the veins on his forehead from twitching too furiously. 'Good old Tatsuki. Always keeping an eye out for his girl...' His appreciation for his childhood friend screeched to a halt.
'His girl.' He liked the sound of it.
Noticing their hands were still wrapped one on top of each other, he held them up, "So, besides Tatsuki, me and this freeloader,"
"Hey!"
Ichigo blatantly ignored Renji. "Have you given your keys to anybody else?"
Orihime shook her head.
"That's good. Promise me something, Inoue." Ichigo looked at Orihime solemnly. The wide-eyed princess glanced back at him with every intention of doing so. "Promise me you will not give any of your keys to anyone without telling me first, okay?"
Orihime's face lighted up with a beaming smile. "That was what Tatsuki-chan asked of me." She supplied gleefully.
Once again, Ichigo was grateful for Tatsuki for being Orihime's friend. Then he smirked at Orihime. "And yet, you did not inform Tatsuki first before giving out these two keys." He teased her as one of the said key was still cocooned within their hands.
Orihime gave a small sheepish smile. "I am sure Tatsuki-chan will understand. I trust Kurosaki-kun." She said softly.
Nodding at her. He felt elated. She trusted him! Then remembering she has given the key to Renji first. He asked sourly. "How about Renji?"
"I will tell Tatsuki-chan tomorrow." There was no mention of trust.
Renji did not know why he felt so nonplussed about the lack of the single word regarding him from her. But he did not let it show, instead he asked about their friend. "This Tatsuki sounds like a very good friend of yours." He hoped he was going to be one as well.
Both Ichigo and Orihime nodded their heads in unison.
"Tatsuki-chan is a great friend and she is the second strongest girl in Japan." Orihime added with pride.
"Really?"
"Yea. She's a black belt in karate. You should see what she can do with her bare hands." Ichigo grinned maniacally at Renji. "She can separate a watermelon into two perfect halves, so imagine what she could do with bare flesh." He lowered his voice, "Especially a low hanging pair of balls." He warned sadistically.
Renji cringed.
Ichigo grinned.
And Orihime looked baffled.
"What kind of fruits are we talking about?" She asked, bewilderment apparently on her confused face.
"Nothing." Ichigo chuckled at Renji's obvious discomfort and distracted the princess by squeezing her hands.
"I should be going." Renji mumbled and walked towards the door.
"No. Wait." Ichigo called out.
"What?!"
"Listen. Even though you have a key, you don't just use it. You knock on the door and not just a gentle tap. You knock as if the hounds of hell were after you. And if there's no response, then you use your key, but you shout before you walk in. And when I said shout, I mean shout like the hellhounds are going for a certain anatomy of your body, understand?" Ichigo gave a threatening glare at Renji after his rather longish cautionary speech.
"Yeah, you mad dog."
"What did you say?!"
"Nothing!" And Renji ran out of the door.
"Why that... "
"Kurosaki-kun, shouldn't you call your family to tell them you will not be home for dinner?"
Ichigo gave her a boyish grin before releasing her hands. He tucked the key into his pocket. He took out his cellphone. Just as he was going to use it, they heard the sound of a key in the lock and then the door opened, a red-haired grinning face poked in, "Just checking." He smirked. "I'm really going this time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The smirk turned into a leer.
Ichigo's face heated up and it was as red as his anger. He stormed toward the door, fully intending to slam it into the pineapple's face.
"I am not a pervert like you! Don't put me in the same league as you!" His hand on the door, Ichigo was ready when...
"But Ichigo, I just said don't do anything I wouldn't do. I didn't say about doing anything perverted, unless you are thinking of doing what I think you are thinking, then, welcome to my league, man." Renji grinned, pervertedly?
"OUT! Just get the bloody hell out!" Ichigo shoved the mocking face out of the door and slammed the door.
Loud laughing signified Renji did not get his face be kissed by the door.
Ichigo slumped against the door, closed his eyes and rubbed his face in frustration.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
He opened his eyes slowly. His troubled brown eyes met worried brown eyes. "I am fine, Inoue. And sorry." He apologized to the gentle healer.
"Whatever for, Kurosaki-kun?"
"For swearing in front of you and slamming your door."
Light, delightful giggling were welcomed warmly by his suffering 'from a bastard's irritating guffawing' ears.
"Don't be silly, Kurosaki-kun. You do not have to say sorry for such a trivial thing. I have already told you, you do not have to restrain yourself from uttering what you really want to say." She smiled serenely at him, cheeks hinting a bright hue of pink at her light reproach of her scowling protector.
He smirked back at her. "Then how about the slamming of the door?" He reminded her and checked to see if she was going to chastise him for trying to damage Renji's face.
"It was not that loud." She answered truthfully.
The smirk turned smugly contented.
"What would Kurosaki-kun want to do now?" Inoue Orihime asked of her orange-haired prince when no words were forthcoming from his handsome face.
Kurosaki Ichigo lazily leaned himself off the door, locked his darkening chocolate brown eyes with the gentle healer, his breathing slowed to an almost agonizing, sluggish rate, his heart clenched tightly, painfully and he tried to ignore the queasy feeling he was feeling in his tummy.
But most of all, he desperately tried to pay no heed to the sensation below his stomach.
He doubts the auburn-haired angelic princess would want to do what he so desirously wants to do with... her.
(恋姬)
(Did I say a short update? Almost four thousand words. Kind of makes you wonder what the full chapter could be like? The concluding part to this chapter will be as fast as how this story gets back its numbers of being a favorite and being followed. Did you see how many there were for my last update for another story? Sure is disheartening. I thought there were more before the story was deleted. Same with all of my stories. It will be hard to want to update due to the lack of interest for all my stories. It would seem like a waste of time for doing something no one really cares. I hope my speculations are wrong. Excuse my ramblings, I am just feeling discouraged by life, the universe and everything. And dad playing his melancholic songs are not helping. Although, the lyrics are giving me ideas for new stories. What if I start writing new stories if my old ones do not get back their likes and followed. That's something to think about, right? )
(Oh, before I forget. A big 'Thank You' to Askosh Mosey. Many thanks for your warmest wishes. At least I still have one friend on this blasted website.)