-Orihime-

The day went reasonably fast but also to plan. I met Yuzu and Karin at dinner and they have been looking after Rukia but throughout the day it became harder to avoid Ichigo, Uryuu and Chad.

I knock on the door with Renji close behind me and a few seconds later it opens and Yuzu smiles at the both of us as we step inside. I look around and can't help but notice everything looks so much cleaner and something smells really good coming from the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind but I cleaned a bit and then made you some tea. You had some strange meals in your fridge so I nipped out and have frozen a cottage pie and some cheese sauce to go on pasta but right now am cooking tomato soup." Yuzu says awkwardly but I just shrug and smile at her. I ask about Karin and Yuzu just nods towards my room with a smile before dashing back into the kitchen.

"Thanks you two you've been a great help. I really didn't want to leave Rukia alone." I say quite loudly so Karin can hear. She steps out of the room and gives me a shrug.

"It's ok I was just reading her a magazine." She holds up her sports magazine with a nervous smile. "But I'll have to get going now, I wanna be home before Ichi and then I can make up an excuse for Yuzu." She continues and heads for the door. She says a quick goodbye before leaving the three of us. Renji sits down on the sofa nervously. I guess he doesn't want Karin or Yuzu to mention him to Ichigo or he'll get suspicious and maybe mad if he knows I actually let Renji stay here too.

"Yuzu are you ok?" I ask and she finally comes out of the kitchen a few moments later with a smile on her face as she nods.

"Sure I am but I better get going, the soups ready by the way."

"Thanks again Yuzu you've been a great help. Feel free to visit again some time." I offer and Yuzu smiles.

"We will try but our holiday is pretty packed with helping dad out. Just look after Rukia for us yeah? Also try and give her some soup!" Yuzu orders but with a soft tone before she dashes out of the door and closes it behind her.

I flop back onto the chair and me and Renji just look at each other for a second. I guess we both are pretty warn out by the whole situation we've got in but then again we're both loyal to Rukia and both know we have to be there for her.

"I'm gonna try and give some soup to Rukia, do you want me to get you some?" I ask Renji and stand up. He nods politely before dropping his head into his hands and sighing. I know how he feels but there is nothing we can do.

I walk into the kitchen where there is a sticky note on the fridge to remind me about the other two meals. I smile and then smell the soup still on the stove those it's been turned off. It smells rich but creamy and admiringly better than the things I seem to make. I get two bowls and fill one while only putting a few spoonful's in the next one encase Rukia can't eat properly. It only then occurs to me she might be thirsty and so I also make up a lemon squash in a tall glass with lots of ice and a straw before taking Renji's soup into him and then going into my room to see Rukia.

She looks so strange lying there with messy hair tinged with sweat and her arms covered in goose bumps showing that she really is sick. She does look slightly better though and when I put the drink and soup on the chest of draws and check her forehead it seems to have gone down but I better top up the flannel on her head just encase.

I run out of the room with the flannel in my hand and glance at Renji blowing and then slowly eating his soup with a dull expression on his face and sad eyes. I guess he's never seen Rukia like this either or he might be coping better. I've seen lots of friends sick but in the Soul Society and especially Soul Reapers don't seem to get very ill with the exception of Ukitake. I run the flannel under the cold tap before rinsing it again and then heading back into my room.

She does look a lot better actually. She doesn't look as pale and she isn't shivering as much but instead seems to be sweating a lot more. I should probably change her clothes encase she really has sweat a lot during the day. I put the flannel on the side and then route through my chest of draws for an old cotton nighty with a picture of a rabbit on, it's perfect for her really. Then I pull back Rukia's covers slowly and notice though now in a gigai she is in her school uniform.

I undress her quickly taking the top half of her clothes off first so I can pull the nightie straight over her and then removing her school skirt and socks after deciding keeping her underwear on was probably the best option for everyone. I'm about to lay her back down when her eyes flutter open and she gives me a tired and weak smile.

"Orihime-San." She whispers and then I just smile back at her.

"Rukia-Chan Yuzu came by and made you some soup, do you want to try some?" She nods her head and so I keep her sat up and gently twist her legs round so she's facing me and then move her back so she can lean back against the wall. I quickly pull the covers back over her almost bare legs and then get the soup off the side and sit in the chair slowly feeding her mouthfuls of soup. After she'd eater about half the bowl she stopped and lay down again but this time on her side with the covers tucked under her chin.

I put the soup on the side again and pick up the flannel before putting it gently onto her head and waiting for a few minutes before she fell asleep again. Even now though I can't bring myself to leave the room in the fear that when she wakes up she won't remember me.

-Ichigo-

We talked about it during the day when there was no chance Orihime or Renji could hear us. Tomorrow is Saturday and we are to meet up at around twelve and head over to Orihime's to see Rukia. Well I wanted to see Rukia but Uryuu and Chad wanted to solve the situation with Orihime and Renji as well.

I look up at my bedroom ceiling and glance at my door when I hear Yuzu talking to Karin about some telly programme though it sounds rather odd and has something to do with soup so it must be the cooking channel. Yuzu came back after me today and when I asked she just replied with a simple she went into town to see if the shoes she wanted had gone and they unfortunately had so she searched another few shops. It was a reasonable explanation apart from normally Karin would go with her and also she never mentioned to either me or dad that she wanted new shoes.

I feel a bit stupid really. I could have demanded an explanation today at lunch or at break but I couldn't bring myself to knowing that if this is serious as we think, they wouldn't tell us in school anyway. I felt a bit ill when I saw Renji was allowed to take Rukia's seat today. I normally glance over and see her shinning face but instead I saw a red pineapple with an ugly mug which was made worse by his dull expression.

"Ichi do you want me to make you anything for tea?" Yuzu calls up the stairs.

"I'm not hungry thanks." I shout back with no enthusiasm at all but I'm a little depressed really.

When Rukia came back every time before it was easy. I learned after the first second she told me she wasn't returning to the World of the Living that my feelings for her obviously meant nothing and so I gave up on the idea of her and me. It was a stupid idea in the first place because it would never work due to the pure fact she's a Shinigami and I'm only a substitute. Then every time after that when she showed up it was easy to box away those feelings but this time when she came in with that thick black strand of hair between her violet eyes and her flicks of long hair falling cutely past her shoulders like old times, I knew those feelings were just that, just boxed away.