Finally! It's here! The moment Ichigo finds out! :D Sorry it's so dreadfully rushed though... D: But now that he knows they're going to have a lot of problems... Lol, man, this story is going to go on for a loooong time. *has lots of plans*

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Ring. Ring. Ring.

She swallowed thickly, hoping her possibly last phone call wouldn't be going to waste.

"Hello, Kurosaki Clinic!" A chipper voice spoke melodiously through the other side of the line. '… It's Yuzu-chan…'

"Ah, hello Yuzu-chan, its Orihime… Um, is your brother around?" The healer spoke nervously from her hospital bed, her heart beating faster the more she spoke. She heard a light sigh from the other side, blooming disappointment in her chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry Orihime-neechan, Onii-chan actually just left… Do you want me to tell him you called?" She sounded truly apologetic. Tears welled up in Orihime's eyes, taking in a deep breath before responding.

"N-no, it's fine… Thanks anyway."

She hung up almost immediately. It's not like she was trying to be rude by being so sudden, but she could feel sobs clawing at her throat, making it harder to speak without sounding suspicious.

Flopping back onto her pillow, Orihime's slender body shook, a shudder racing down her spine. It was only minutes until she would go under the knife, an operation to try to do 'damage control' to the rapidly growing muscles in her heart. Unfortunately, for her the chances of the procedure being successful were quite slim, and that she would have to live with it forever, but there was also a chance she could die from it.

She also already had it figured out with Tatsuki. Should something happen to the gentle healer, she would inform her friends in Karakura of what had happened, being completely honest of everything. Her condition, the operation, and why it went wrong.

A blonde, American nurse soon appeared in her room, a pitying expression on her face. Orihime really wished she wouldn't look at her like that.

"We're going to bring you into the prep room, Inoue-san," she spoke calmly, her lean fingers grasping a brown clipboard. Hastily scribbling on the paper attached, she made no attempt to reassure the young girl that nothing would go wrong, despite that she was crying in front of her eyes.

Taking one last glance at the phone, on which she previously attempted to call him one last time, Orihime breathed a shuddering breath.

"Hai…"

Then two others entered the room and began to wheel her out of the room. Orihime kept her gaze on her trembling hands, and not at the nurses by her side who couldn't care less about her condition.

She really wished she could have heard his voice again. After all, it was possible that it could've been her last.

-----

Her body lazily turned onto its side, tucking her hands under hands while smacking her lips together tiredly. Long eyelashes slowly fluttered open, revealing dark gray eyes. 'So tired…' She numbly thought, soon closing her eyes together again tightly, her brain demanding more sleep. It wasn't until she heard a groan that caused the gray to show up again.

While still remaining in her sleeping position, her tired eyes roved around the room, determining the point from which the mysterious sound came. Surprised, but curious eyes fell on a certain redhead propped up against the nearby wall. 'Kurosaki…kun?'

Unwillingly pulling her body up, she kept her stare on his lanky form, watching him sleep. Up, down, up, down, were the movements his chest displayed, indicating his deep breathing during slumber. Ashen eyes lingered over different parts of his sleeping figure. Orihime crawled on all fours, unknowingly, as she gazed at his soft, tangerine colored hair; so long it fell over his eyes. She even wanted to say it gave him an air of mystery, making it kind of attractive.

His maroon red T-shirt clung to his built form, the bits of light coming in through the window accentuating his distinguished muscles. Orihime felt her face grow hot as she bathed in the sight of him. 'So beautiful…' She thought, soon cursing herself for thinking such naughty thoughts of Kurosaki-kun, but…

Still, just looking at his non-scowling, content expression made her heart swell inside with happy, bubbly feelings. Tentatively extending her hand, the tips of her fingertips grazed his jawbone, lightly tracing an imaginary line on the skin. 'No, no. This boy can only be viewed, not touched,' she scolded herself, but something deep inside her told her to do it. It was probably the hissing snake from her abdomen, curling itself tight. It slightly ached, but she was actually okay with it, even liking the new sensation a bit.

Careful fingers continued to lightly run over his skin, the tips trailing down his neck and his firm muscles, lightly twitching under her touch. Orihime heard another croon from the man under her contact, feeling the noise reverberate through his chest cavity.

Quickly retracting her hand back, amber eyes flashed open to meet with gray ones.

"G-Good morning, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime murmured, her fingers tingling from the shock-inducing touch, oddly wanting her to repeat her actions.

"Hey…" Ichigo grumbled, awkwardly leaning up from his painful sleeping position on the wall. Orihime blushed as the best word she could come up with to describe his low tone was delicious. Was her brain malfunctioning as of late?

Ichigo kneaded the back of his neck with his knuckles, starting to wish he'd slept in his room like normal. Wait… Why was he in his office again? Surely it wasn't because he spent all night working on homework.

Then it flooded back to him in a rush. Finding Inoue on the floor in the kitchen, her lack of normal breathing and pulse, the CPR. Brown eyes flashed back up to hers, feelings of both worry and betrayal sneaking back into the pit of his stomach.

"A-Are you feeling better?" He choked, his throat growing tight from the sudden memories.

"Eh?"

"I found you on the floor last night… Not breathing, again, and your heart rate was…low…" He explained slowly, enabling him to not stutter as he spoke. Ichigo definitely didn't miss the horror and shock cross her eyes as he finished speaking.

"I… Um, I guess… I've just been exhausted, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime muttered, folding her hands together neatly, hoping he wouldn't notice the light shaking they did. He furrowed his eyebrows, unbelieving with her words.

"But you always sleep over-" Ichigo stopped, giving her a small glare, something inside him hoping he could scare the answer out of her. "You know what, never mind. You wouldn't tell me what the hell's going on with you if your life depended on it."

Orihime flinched considerably, the hammering in her ribcage threatening to drum her heart to an even faster beat. "I…" She swallowed thickly, boldly, but nervously brining up her big gray eyes to meet his. "K-Kurosaki-kun, there's really nothing wrong…"

"Bullshit."

Her heart gave an incredible lurch as she heard the heavy swear, directed at her twisted web of lies and withheld information. "B-But… There's nothing…" The healer whispered quietly, tugging loose auburn strands behind her ear and licking her lips nervously.

Ichigo remained silent, completely knowing of her blatant lying. She didn't know it, but she could always be given away with her expressions. If she fidgeted, or moved her hair back, something along those lines, chances were she was lying or telling a fib. It was as if Orihime subconsciously did those motions to distract her opposite, taking away from her bad fibbing.

He stood up quickly, startling the girl. Ichigo pained inside, and he wanted to show it. Then maybe she could finally understand that he was aching. Giving her hurt eyes, which didn't go unnoticed to her, Ichigo set his lips into a grim line.

"Inoue… I know you're hiding something," he spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "I'm not going to force it out of you, but I want you to know how much it hurts me. I feel like you don't trust me…"

Unable to respond, Orihime stared at him shocked. Ichigo left, feeling guilty for hurting her, but she was hurting him pretty good too.

Back in his office, the healer leaned against the same wall he was sleeping against just moments before, bringing up a hand to feel for his lingering warmth.

There was none.

Letting a tear roll down her face, it fell off her jaw, melting into the plush carpet. Lightly scratching the colored wall with her fingernails, only one thought ran through her head.

'… It hurts…'

-----

Many hours later, Orihime sat in the Kurosaki Clinic, eyes glazed over as she did menial tasks for the Kurosaki family. She blindly left his apartment after an hour or so following their heated dispute, despite it beginning to oddly drizzle outside. Clearly not the appropriate weather to be out in when sick.

'Good…' She thought, thinking the rain might wash some of her hurt away. Yuzu and Karin watched in concern as she did chores for the family, occasionally running into obvious walls, but walking it off almost immediately.

"… I think something happened to Hime-nee…" Yuzu whispered to her twin, her light brown eyebrows knitted together tightly. Karin nodded in agreement, silently folding her arms in worry.

"What do you think the chances are it was related to Ichi-nii?" Karin replied, her tone a bit louder than her sister's. Upon hearing his name, Orihime dropped the things she was carrying, loud clatters echoing on the floor and throughout the halls.

'Definitely him…' They both thought, as if on the same wavelength. Stopping her cleaning, Yuzu shuffled her feet over to the auburn-haired woman, lightly placing a hand on her backside.

"Hime-nee, you're going to overwork yourself if you continue like this," she uttered few words, sounding very compassionate. Orihime looked up to the girl, and opened her mouth to respond, but immediately shut it closed, shaking her head fervently.

"Yuzu's right," Isshin's voice sounded through the room, recognizable from anywhere. "If you do too much strenuous activity, who knows what'll happen to you?"

Numbly looking over to the elder doctor, her grip on the items in her arms grew tighter. "I… sorry…" Giving them all each a long stare, Orihime wondered why and how she could manage to tell every one of his relatives about her condition, but grew an immense fear of telling him. The person she wanted to tell the most, but knew would result in the most heartbreak.

"Have you told Ichi-nii?" Karin asked, trying to sound as nice as possible. Shuddering again upon hearing his name, she nervously shook her head.

"N-no…"

"Did you two get into a fight?"

Hesitating, she eventually nodded, tears stinging at her eyes.

"I… H-he's mad at me… He knows I'm hiding something, and he's hurt that I won't tell him…" Orihime whimpered, those darn tears forcing themselves out again. "I-It's not that I don't trust him, I-I'm just afraid…"

"Of what?"

"… Hurting him…"

Silence swept through the Kurosakis and Orihime, with the exception of the soft sobs coming from the healer. Taking a hefty sigh, Isshin stepped forward.

"We understand what you're saying, but that punk will hurt even more if you wait any longer. And don't think of him as a brute, unyieldingly angry because of your tiff, because inside, he's just like a big, soft teddy bear that just loves his friends!" Isshin rambled on for a few more minutes, eventually stopping only because Karin punched him in the arm. Groaning, the elder twin looked up to Orihime, a firm expression on his face.

"We know you like Ichi-nii," she started, immediately causing her to flush up in embarrassment. "So how would you feel if he had a secret he refused to tell you?"

Giving it some thought, she ran the possibility through her head. Orihime frowned lightly as glanced downheartedly at the floor.

"I… I guess I'd feel the same as him. I'd worry he didn't trust me enough, and I suppose I might be hurt that he wouldn't want to tell me…" Orihime sighed, twitching her fingers anxiously upon her new revelation. "Though as a friend, I'd have to be understanding…"

"He's the same, you know," Karin commented again. "Although he's no where near as patient as you."

Orihime nodded hesitantly, her eyes in a downcast stare at the hardwood floors. She curled her toes lightly into the floorboards, her heart feeling overwhelmed with guilt. "I…" A clap of thunder echoed throughout the house, causing the healer to jump in place. Her heart started to ache further as she remembered how the heavy thunderstorms reminded her of the night her brother passed away.

"… I should go…" Orihime quickly muttered, slipping on her shoes, not taking a second glance at them.

"Wait, Hime-nee!" Yuzu cried, extending a hand for her to stay. Orihime ignored the little girl, as much as it hurt her, and left the Kurosaki house into the pouring rain.

"You have to leave them alone, Yuzu…" Karin muttered solemnly to her twin. "It hurts for Orihime and Ichi-nii now, but it's something they have to do for themselves…" Although unwillingly, Yuzu held back, feeling helpless as the woman whom she practically considered her older sister, ran out into world, unprepared to face it alone.

-----

Even more hours passed, and Ichigo felt awkward as he paced around his kitchen like a caged animal. It was like he was waiting for something… Very little light shone in the room, as the sun was setting in the horizon, giving the space a warm, orange glow.

'When she gets back, I should apologize… No! She was the one that's hiding something, I have no reason to apologize!'

Stopping in his tracks, his sorrowful amber eyes gave a scorching stare into the table. Ichigo's fists grew into tight balls, the flesh slowly turning pale.

'But if she really is sick, I can't possibly stay mad at her… But then she'd be thinking I'm doing it out of pity! Dammit!'

Letting out a groan of frustration, Ichigo pounded his fist into the table, not caring if it hurt.

Unexpectedly, Ichigo felt his back pocket vibrate and a loud ring played throughout the entire apartment. Now was one of those times he could say his phone scared the shit out of him, as he was not anticipating it. With another hasty swear, he whipped it out of his back pocket and soon glared at the caller ID.

It was his dad.

Pushing the talk button firmly, Ichigo placed it to his ear reluctantly, as his father was the last person he'd want to talk to.

"What the hell did you want, you goat??"

"Ichigo's such a bad son! I try to make sure Orihime got home okay, but instead I get a nasty response! Oh Masaki, where have I gone wrong??"

"Wait, Inoue was at the clinic!?"

"Yeah, she comes over regularly. Orihime-chan likes to help out around here. Anywhoooo, she left a few hours ago, and I was just checking to make sure she got home okay!"

Ichigo dropped his cell phone on the floor in shock, before darting his head towards the window. Now it was dark and still raining like hell, and clearly she was not home. He would have seen her if she was. Shoving on his shoes carelessly and throwing his jacket over his shoulders, he flew out the door of his apartment, not caring whether it closed properly or not.

He wanted to shout her name, to call for her in high hopes she would just be wandering around the apartment floor. The only reason Ichigo remained silent was because it would disturb the neighbors. Slamming open the door to outside, Ichigo frantically spun his head around, now hoping she would be around.

"Inoue!" He shouted, taking a few steps forward, out into the pouring rain. He was growing desperate, wanting to find her immediately. "Inoue!!"

Hearing an almost inaudible sob from behind, he whipped his head around, eyes facing back to the apartment.

It was her. She sat on the wet cement foundation, her knees hugged close to her chest. Her chi was perched lightly on the sopping fabric of her skirt, shoulders shaking lightly. Relief flooded his heart upon seeing her small, although very drenched, form. A worried smile tugged the corners of his lips, as he took hasty steps towards the healer. "Inoue…" Ichigo muttered her name, drowning in both rain and ease.

"Inoue, let's get you inside," the shinigami uttered to her, squatting down to her level, seeing her 'eye to eye'. Orihime numbly stared ahead at nothing, fat raindrops hitting her face and soaking her to the bone. Her white button-up shirt stuck to her flesh like a second skin, making the white color appear a pale peach. She remained uncaring as water drops traveled down her smooth neck, melting and disappearing into the clinging cloth. Ichigo couldn't help but turn slightly red as he noted her beauty.

He took her hand and helped her to a standing position. Orihime shuddered from the cold and folded her arms, carelessly pushing her breasts together. The white shirt hugged her tighter, and he wondered just why she didn't fix the top three buttons in the first place. It was as if she was purposely trying to tempt him with cleavage and somewhat see-through shirt. Ichigo swallowed thickly as he forced to keep his eyes on her face.

Shrugging off his coat, not caring about getting wet himself, he lightly placed the covering on the healer's shoulders, despite knowing it wouldn't help much when it came to keeping her dry. He just wanted her to be warm.

"Let's go inside, Inoue…" He whispered, curious just as to when his feelings of betrayal and anger had dissipated. Now he only felt fear and worry for her. Ichigo kept his hands on her shoulders following the moment he put it on her form. She continued to look downwards, not entirely focusing on anything, but if they were seen from afar, people would think she was watching him get soggy from the streaming rain.

Orihime shook her head lightly, a soft sob escaping her. "K-Kurosaki-kun…" She stuttered.

Something inside the shinigami told him they were going to be there for a while. His grip on her frail shoulders grew tighter as he mentally commanded her to look directly into his eyes.

"Yeah…?"

She hesitated, her wet skin burning from his touch, despite there being a coat between her flesh and his hand.

"… H-have you ever wanted to protect someone so badly, you'll do anything?" Orihime murmured, still shivering from the cold.

Taken aback from her sudden question, amber eyes flashed with curiosity and confusion. Ichigo's face grew hotter as he thought of his answer.

"Yeah, I have…" He uttered quietly, looking at her through dripping wet, orange bangs. His hair clung to his face as the rain continued to pour. 'I'd do anything to protect you, Inoue…' He wished he wouldn't be such a pansy and actually say the last part.

Big gray eyes suddenly met his, her lips quivering. He saw heavy drops of liquid roll down her face, and he felt his heart drop, wondering if they were tears or rain. Even if it was rain, her expression was enough to make him hurt.

"K-Kurosaki-kun… I… I-I wanted to protect you Kurosaki-kun, b-but I failed… I-I'm a horrible friend…"

Shocked from her statement, Ichigo unthinkingly brought his right hand to her face, cupping her cheek, making sure she would keep her face towards him.

"Inoue, you're not a horrible friend. And you've helped me plenty of times. What's going-"

"No I haven't," she cut him off, her lips trembling further. "N-Not from this…" His brows furrowed in further confusion and his thumb lightly brushed over her cheek.

"Inoue… What's wrong…?"

She blinked slowly, tears, not rain, he determined, sliding down her gentle skin as Orihime took in a shaky breath.

"I-I… Kurosaki-kun, I…" She stuttered, getting herself tongue-tied. "I-I'm sick, Kurosaki-kun… I'm dying…" She finally confessed, her form shaking the more she spoke. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I was afraid you'd be so hurt-"

Orihime continued to ramble on while Ichigo was stuck on the dying part. He looked at her with big, empty amber eyes.

'… Dying? No, the rain must've been in my ears, because I think I misheard correctly…'

She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking uncontrollably from the heavy crying. His grip on her form grew even tighter, and the thought didn't even occur to him that he was possibly hurting her.

"S-So… I-I'm going to find a new p-place to go to," Orihime spoke brokenly through her tears. "Because I-it's only going to hurt more I-if I stay…" Truth was she really didn't want to leave him, but she knew it was best. And through the fogging tears, she could see hurt eyes, and she took his silence as a bad thing. She attempted to back out of his grip, when she was immediately pulled into a strong embrace instead.

Her eyes flew open at this sudden motion, surprised he, the man she fell in love with, was hugging her.

"D-Dying?" He croaked, the thing in his throat called his voice failing him. Clinging tightly onto his soaked T-shirt, she nodded slowly, forcing back another sob herself.

"I-I wanted to tell you, because t-they said you'd only hurt worse if I waited longer, but I-it hurts me that I kept it from you a secret even longer and-" She rambled on and on, tears rushing out faster. Something snapped in Ichigo. It could've been his heart, he vaguely thought, but he paid no mind to it, as the only thing running through his mind was to get her to stop crying. To stop hurting.

Taking her shoulders in his hands again, he brought his lips down to hers, giving her a very inexperienced, haste kiss. Small hands clutched his shirt tighter as she felt her heart speed up exponentially. Meeting her lips again and again, he held her body close, feeling the warmth of her body radiate onto his.

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime stuttered fervently between kisses. He cracked his eye open slightly, smoldering amber eyes looking into sad gray ones. Bringing his tingling fingertips to her waist, his heart soon ached to be closer to touch her. He wanted to feel all of her.

Because just drowning in her very presence made him feel like everything was okay, even if was completely the opposite.

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:D R & R, danke.