A/N: Chapter 7! Sexual situations but I'm pretty sure this is still T rated. Enjoy! Also, if you haven't read it yet, I have a new One Shot series called Love and War. Check it out!
~Flashback: Approximately 10 years ago~
They should stop. He needed to stop this before it went any further.
That was his first coherent thought in what felt like hours. But, fuck, where did she learn to do that with her tongue? His knees almost buckled at the sensation but he managed to catch himself by leaning one hand on the wall behind the orange haired pair. His other hand was currently preoccupied frantically undoing the buttons of Orihime's white button up shirt.
This had all happened very suddenly. Looking back on it now, Ichigo was still very fuzzy on the details. It had been like any other night. It had been a long day at work at the paper supply company he worked for. A day that was full of meetings where he was forced to listen to his moronic boss. Ichigo couldn't stand his boss. He was incompetent.
Ichigo had been relieved when it was finally time to go home. After a short subway ride, he was standing outside his apartment complex. He opened and shut the door silently, in case Akihiro was sleeping. But his silence was unnecessary since Orihime was in the living room sitting in the rocking chair with 6-month old Akihiro in her arms.
"Welcome home Ichigo-kun!" She greeted happily. Now that they lived together, (even if it was only a professional arrangement) they were on a first name basis.
"Hey Orihime. How was he today?" He asked his son's live in nanny as he removed his shoes at the door.
"Akihiro is a little sick today. I think he has a cold so he has been a little fussy. I'm trying to get him to go to sleep now." She stated.
Ichigo walked over to the two and observed Akihiro. His eyelids were beginning to droop. "I think he's about to fall asleep."
"I'll put him to bed then." Orihime rose from the chair and headed down the hall to Akihiro's bedroom.
This is where Ichigo's memory became fuzzy. She had returned, they were talking, they ate a late dinner together, he was thinking about how pretty she is, and then the next thing he knew they were kissing. He wasn't even sure who had made the first move. It was probably him, since he did vaguely remember a look of shock on her face when he grabbed her hand.
Well, what had led him to this point didn't really matter. Looking back on it now, he had wanted to kiss her for a very long time. Maybe even back in high school. And now he was doing it. He felt a surge of accomplishment.
What matters is what he should do next. Which is probably stop this before it goes any further. She was Akihiro's nanny and his son was very attached to her. If this ended badly, it could ruin their relationship. Furthermore, technically she worked for him. He was crossing professional boundaries with every searing kiss. He needed to pull away now and they could talk this over, agree to be just friends. This is what the sensible part of him was telling him. But another part of him urged him to continue. A part of him that sounds suspiciously like his hollow, but he was willing to overlook that at the moment.
Her hands were trembling as she undid the buttons of his burgundy work shirt. He momentarily broke the kiss and shrugged out of his shirt, letting it join her shirt in a pile on the kitchen floor.
He renewed kissing her with vigor, sweeping his tongue through her mouth. Her lip-gloss tasted good. Like watermelon. Her tongue tangled around his as he continued to explore her mouth.
He needed to be closer. It seemed she had similar ideas since she wrapped her legs around his waist. He used one hand to cup her bottom and push her up so they were eye level.
He kissed a trail down her neck, sucking on her pulse and leaving a hickey. He looked proudly at his work before returning his attention to her lips. God. She had great lips. Full and soft and pliable.
"Ichigo." She whispered huskily between fervent kisses. God. She was so sexy. He wanted her. He ground his hips into hers in response, enjoying the moan that slipped past her lips.
Now, what had he been thinking about? She tugged his hair lightly as she left her own love mark on his neck. He groaned. That felt good. Oh yeah, stopping this.
In the six months since Mari died, dating hadn't really crossed his mind. He had his hands full with Akihiro and work. Having a child made him feel older, more mature. But he was still a red blooded 23-year old man and he had needs. Orihime bit his bottom lip. His erection throbbed painfully.
How long had it been? A year, he realized. He hadn't had sex in a full year. That was a long time. And how long had he mourned Mari? 6 months. Was that long enough? Isshin was still mourning Masaki. As far as he knew, his dad had never dated anyone else following Masaki's tragic death. But then again, he had never loved Mari the way Isshin loved Masaki. He frowned at his line of thinking, feeling renewed guilt for Mari's tragic fate.
He had always had a thing for Orihime. Even when he had other girlfriends, he found himself thinking of her. He never pursued anything with her because he had a hard time believing she would have been interested. But judging by her current response to his kisses, he had been wrong. He wouldn't say he loved her or anything, but there was definitely physical attraction. And she was one of his best friends. He liked her. You could build a relationship off of that. Love could come with time.
He worked on removing her long skirt. Growing frustrated when he couldn't undo the button, he popped it off. It hit the floor with a plink. Orihime unwrapped her legs from around him. Her skirt fell to the floor, leaving her in only a bra and panties.
"Lets go to the bedroom." Ichigo suggested. He watched her face. At first, she looked a little hesitant. Maybe she had the same reservations he did about this. Were they moving too fast? But then her expression cleared and she nodded resolutely. Ichigo smiled and kissed her once again before leading her to his bedroom.
The rest of their clothes were quickly discarded in a trail leading from the door to the bed. Ichigo looked her over from head to toe as she lay underneath him on top of the covers. She flushed and tried to resist her instinct to cover up. "You're beautiful." Ichigo assured before kissing her once again.
This kiss was gentler than the ones they had shared before. It was almost lazy, but still passionate. Just as Ichigo prepared to finally make her his, she stopped him.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be a convenient booty call. We should probably stop." Orihime explained.
"You're not going to be a booty call. And before you ask, no, you're not a one-night stand or a friend with benefits either. I care about you Orihime. As more than a friend." Ichigo confessed.
Orihime smiled. "Really?"
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "No, not really. I'm just lying so you'll have sex with me." He answered sarcastically. Then to make sure there was no confusion, he answered seriously. "Yes, really."
"I care about you too. A lot." Orihime confessed. She neglected to tell him she was in love with him. That might sound a little crazy. .
Ichigo kissed her again. Her lips were addicting. Once again, he prepared to enter her. "Ready?" He asked, giving her the chance to back out if she wanted.
But she nodded, and they spent the rest of the night showing each other just how much they cared.
….
….
Ichigo awoke suddenly. He groaned when he saw his sheets were wet. Great. He was a 33-year old man having a wet dream as if he was a teenager. Even more pathetically, his dream wasn't even a fantasy with some unattainable super model. It was a memory of his first time with his wife. This separation was killing him, slowly but surely.
They hadn't had any intimate contact in 6 months. They had been living in the same house in Soul Society for two months. Sleeping in adjoining bedrooms. Every night, it took ever bit of self-control he could muster to stop himself from sneaking into her room in the middle of the night. She was probably as sexually frustrated as he was. He was convinced that although she might initially be averse to his affections, if he went in there eventually she would succumb to what they both wanted.
But that could just be wishful thinking on his part. He really had no idea of where their relationship stood. She had told him she would wait until the baby was born to file for divorce, but obviously that wasn't going to happen now. So what were they doing? Right now, it seemed like they had an unsteady truce. Ichigo didn't bring up reconciliation, and Orihime didn't bring up divorce.
But they couldn't just stay in limbo. Eventually, they were going to have to talk. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
….
….
"Do you have all your stuff?" Ichigo asked Akihiro, who had just recently turned 11.
Akihiro searched though his backpack one last time. "Yeah, I think I've got everything."
Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could stay here in Urahara's training center to supervise Akihiro's training. But he had his own training to do in Soul Society and Kaya and Tsuyoshi still needed his help to attain Shikai.
"If Urahara tries to do anything weird, you can always refuse. Nothing too dangerous, understand?" Ichigo's tone was strict.
Akihiro nodded. Ichigo hugged his son goodbye, sent a threatening glare at Urahara, and then hopped back into the Senkaimon gate to return to Soul Society.
As soon as he entered the gate, the Shinigami Captain realized something didn't feel right. He looked around. He didn't see anything, but he felt it. The reiatsu. Someone else was in here.
"Kurosaki Ichigo. We meet at last." Out of the shadows, a man emerged.
Ichigo clenched his fists. There was no doubt who this stranger was. Without another word, the Shinigami Captain attacked.
Their Zanpakutōs clashed, sparks flying from the intensity. "You remind me of my sister, Mayuko." Ichigo growled at the name, remembering that she was the one responsible for the death of his son. "Attacking rashly. Without even an attempt of reaching a compromise." Aizen Kato criticized.
Ichigo ground his teeth. "I have nothing to say to you. I just hope you're not immortal like your brother. Because I want you dead." Ichigo replied before attempting another strike.
Kato blocked again. "I guess I'll just have to force you to listen then." With that said, Kato took the offensive, striking wildly.
Ichigo parried and blocked every strike, but he was getting pushed back. And there was only so much room inside the Dangai. Before he knew it, Ichigo had almost been pushed against the wall. Ichigo tried not to show it, but he was surprised at Kato's strength. It had been a long time since Ichigo had felt challenged in a battle, and as of now he actually seemed to be losing.
He knew he couldn't release his Bankai or use any kidou in the Dangai. It was too dangerous. It had been a very long time since he had to rely on hand-to-hand combat. He frowned as one of Kato's strikes came dangerously close to his ear.
"I don't agree with all my brother's actions." Kato suddenly confessed.
Ichigo was surprised, and Kato used his surprise against him with a vicious slice to his leg. Ichigo hissed in pain, collapsing to the ground since he couldn't put weight on his right leg.
"Sōsuke does a lot of things that are unnecessary. He hurts people he doesn't have to hurt. So does Mayuko. Killing your child was completely unnecessary." Kato tried to stab Ichigo through his chest, but he blocked so the wound was much more shallow than Kato intended. It still hurt like a bitch though.
"But Sōsuke's mission isn't wrong. The Spirit King needs to die. It's for the greater good. And destroying Karakura town is a necessary evil. I imagine you don't care as much as you once did. Your family isn't there anymore." Kato explained.
"My father and sisters live there. My friends live there. I won't let you destroy Karakura." Ichigo's rage was fueling him. He managed to ignore the pain in his leg and get back to his feet. He flash stepped over to Kato and swung, hitting the dark haired Aizen lookalike in the stomach. Blood poured from the wound.
For the first time during the fight, Kato lost his indifferent air. He staggered a little and groaned in pain. But he quickly recovered, flash stepping away when Ichigo tried to follow up with a strike to his neck.
"Once Sōsuke is released, there will be nothing you can do to stop us." He punctuated his threat with another vicious strike. Ichigo managed to block, but he was pushed back into the wall, resulting in bruises all over his back. The wall's defenses enacted and tried to suck him in. He managed to use Zangetsu to free himself, but he fell to the floor, resulting in more bruises all over the front part of his body. Ichigo winced as he rose once again.
"If you realize that your psychotic brother is dangerous, why do you want him released?" Ichigo asked.
"We can not kill the Spirit King without him. And we can't afford to wait 20,000 years. After the Spirit King is killed, I would be willing to help you re-imprison him. " Kato replied.
"What makes you think I can convince the Central 46 or the Captain Commander to release Aizen?" Ichigo questioned, wondering what the Aizens motives were for attacking him and his family. Sure, he had been the one to ultimately defeat Aizen if this was about revenge, but it had been a group effort involving all of Soul Society.
"I don't think you can convince them. I want you to turn on them and help us. You defeated my brother. You, I, Mayuko, and our subordinates can defeat the Captain Commander." Kato answered.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "And if I don't?"
"Then we'll kill the rest of your children. And your wife. As you watch." Kato threatened.
Ichigo roared before attacking. He swung wildly, driven by his rage. In the back of his mind, he realized he needed to calm down. His anger was making him reckless. He had no strategy; he wasn't even thinking about blocking, he was completely focused on killing Kato. Familiar black started to invade his eyes.
"Come on King. Let me at him." His Hollow hissed.
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. He thought he had his Hollow under control. He gripped his head as he tried to keep the Hollow from taking over.
Kato immediately took advantage of his distraction. Attacking and attacking until Ichigo was barely conscious. He was losing a lot of blood. He tried to block halfheartedly, but Kato had slashed his eyes at some point and now he could barely see.
"We'll free our brother and destroy Karakura with or without your cooperation. It will be easier for everyone if you're with us, but if you'd rather be against us you still won't be able to protect everyone you care about. You had the element of surprise before, but Mayuko and I have done our research on you Kurosaki Ichigo. And we've been training these last 18 years. You won't defeat us."
"Ichigo! Ichigo! Where are you?!" Rukia's voice carried through the Dangai.
"Think it over Kurosaki Ichigo. Are you with us, or against us?" With that said, Kato disappeared.
Rukia came running, Renji trailing behind her. "Ichigo! Shit, he's really messed up. We have to get him to Inoue! Renji, help me lift him-"
The panicked voices of Rukia and Renji faded along with his consciousness.
….
…
When he woke up, he was surrounded by a familiar orange glow. He could feel his injuries healing, and they were healing very quickly. He turned his head to the side to see his wife, an intense look on her face as she concentrated on healing him. She had definitely improved her healing technique over the last two months. He had been on the brink of death, and it seemed as if she effortlessly brought him back.
He tried to sit up. She waved her hands frantically, telling him to stop. "You're not fully healed yet. And you'll probably be sore for a couple of days. You were…you were in really bad shape Ichigo-kun. I'm glad you're alright."
He turned his head away from her. "You can stop healing me now. I won't die. Don't strain yourself."
Orihime frowned. "Why don't you want me to heal you?"
He couldn't help but answer honestly. "Because I deserve to hurt."
Her pretty face contorted at his words. "Ichigo-kun-" He interrupted her quickly.
"I was reckless. I'm always reckless. That's why Kato and Mayuko are still out there. That's why everyone is still in danger. I got upset and the Hollow tried to take over-" This time, Orihime interrupted.
"Your Hollow? But didn't the Vizards teach you how to keep him repressed?" Orihime asked.
"He can get out whenever I feel any strong emotion if I'm not careful. But I wasn't even thinking and it almost got me killed. Maybe it would have been better if I had died. They would have no reason to target you or the kids with me out of the picture. You guys are probably better off without me"
Orihime's eyes filled with tears. "How could you ever think that? Your kids need you, Ichigo-kun." She reassured.
He looked at her through her healing shield. "You don't need me."
She broke the eye contact. "But…..I do." When she turned back to look at him, her eyes were even more watery than before. "When Kuchicki-san and Renji-kun brought you here to the Fourth Division and I saw how injured you were, I hurt. I could barely breathe. I was so worried that you might not pull through. And all I could think about was how stupid this whole situation is. And how I would never be able to forgive myself if you died with us like this. And I wouldn't feel this way if I were over you. I still love you Ichigo-kun. And that kills me because I still don't think we can fix this." She confided.
He rose himself to a fully seated position. He really wished he wasn't trapped in her healing shield so he could touch her, but he would have to wait. "We can fix this. We have to fix this. We're a family and we need to stick together. We have too many enemies to be fighting each other."
Orihime sighed and looked away, continuing to heal him. Once she had done all she could, she allowed her shield to fall. Before she knew it, she was in his arms. "Careful, Ichigo-kun! You're not completely-" She was cut off when he kissed her.
He had missed this, he decided as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Almost getting killed was totally worth it if it brought them back together again. They could fix this. He knew it. He gripped her face as he deepened the kiss.
…..
….
A/N: So there is Chapter 7! Thank you to my reviewers LuvleeCookieChan, Xtremefairy, RainingLight1, momochie, mel, Ermilus, Guest, Frezia, mayuka, DeathBerryLover1995, Chuain, and Nora! I was so excited to get so many reviews! And the people who favorited and alerted! You guys are awesome!
Until the next chapter!
