Chapter 9
Ichigo squeezed Orihime tighter to himself, not because he needed a reminder that he had her in his arms, or even because he needed her closer but because he couldn't contain the relief that flowed through his veins at knowing she was unhurt. Orihime had her arms wrapped around his waist, her small hands holding him tightly as she took full advantage of the opportunity to hold him, how long had she been away from him? She took a deep breath, his scent filling her lungs and for a second the pain she felt in her head eased; she'd missed him so much.
"Let's go home." Ichigo said into her hair and she nodded against his chest, she wanted nothing more than to return to her normal –or as normal as things got for her- life.
"How exactly?" She asked, pulling away from Ichigo's embrace just enough to look him in the eye, her arms still loosely wrapped around him. He looked down at her and smirked and she caught the faintest trace of a dimple before his signature scowl was back in place.
"Ishida!" He said suddenly, turning slightly to look over his shoulder.
Orihime looked around his arm and blushed, she'd forgotten her other friends were standing there the entire time!
"Do you always have to yell in such a brute way Kurosaki?" Uryu said rolling his eyes and turning to face the couple. "We've been waiting for you to let Inoue take a breath to tell you we've already opened up the way back home."
"What did you ju-" A vein throbbed in Ichigo's forehead and Orihime couldn't contain her giggle, she was always amused with their ability to bicker over anything, though she effectively cut off whatever curse he was about to hurl at the Quincy before him.
"I'm sorry, are you laughing at me Inoue?" Ichigo said, releasing her and taking a step back, his hand rising to his chest in surprise.
"Never!" she laughed and Ichigo rolled his eyes, a small smirk playing at his lips, and before he could think twice about it he was ducking beneath her, wrapping his arm around her knees and throwing her over his shoulder. Orihime squealed in surprise, her hands coming to grip his back as she tried to look over her shoulder at his face.
"Kuro-"
"Off we go then." he cut her off, casting her a quick glance, to make sure she was fine, before taking a step forward towards a very shocked looking Uryu and the gate that would take them back home.
"If you say anything Quincy I will run you through with Zangetsu." Ichigo whispered as he walked passed him, and he scoffed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Idiot."
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Orihime thought her face was going to spontaneously combust it felt so hot, she was currently in Ichigo's arms, her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her close to his chest. He'd let her off his shoulder shortly after entering the gate, but before she was fully off he'd tugged her to his chest and pulled her feet off the ground once more, although now she was much more comfortable than before.
"Are you ok?" Ichigo whispered making his way forward, Chad and Uryu were walking ahead of them but none of them seemed to be in a rush, this was the first time they would return home without needing to be healed and it felt... odd, but not unwelcome.
Orihime noticed how his eyes stayed forward, she could feel the tense muscles of his shoulders underneath her hands and she couldn't help but smile a gentle smile, bringing her hand to the back of his neck and brushing her fingers lightly over the skin there; she felt him relax a bit and his eyes finally met hers.
"I'm fine." She whispered back, her nails scrapping the base of his neck as she caressed him, and Ichigo's arms tightened around her.
"Are you?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers "Or do you just not want me to worry?"
She tilted her head to the side, her fingers stopping in their exploration –she'd unknowingly been threading her fingers deeper into his scalp- and scratched behind her own head.
"Well." She admitted, "I am a little worried about what happened with Tsubaki." Ichigo nodded, he'd been wondering about that himself.
"Do you have any idea what happened?"
"No." She sighed, her fingers coming back to the base of his neck. "I won't know too much until I rest and talk to Shun'o." She added softly, resting her head on his shoulder as her body suddenly felt heavy.
"Try to get some sleep then. I'll carry you home once we get there."
"Kurosaki-kun," she pouted, her eyes drooping suddenly, she hadn't realized how drained she actually felt until just then.
"I missed you." she whispered, her words slurring a bit. Ichigo looked down at her sleepy face on his shoulder and something in his chest tightened, her words made his heart ache in a way that was so unfamiliar yet he craved to feel more of it, to hear those words from her more often. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, lifting her a bit closer to himself before responding honestly.
"Me too." And she was out just like that, a smile on her lips.
(PAGE BREAK)
"Kurosaki-san! I see things went well!" Urahara said waving his fan back and forth once the man stepped into view and Ichigo glared at the overly enthusiastic man, stepping around him.
"I'm taking her home, we can talk later."
"Oh," The blonde man smiled, staring after the orange haired Shinigami. "Such a gentleman." he chuckled.
Ichigo spared a second to turn and glare at the ex-captain once again before making his way up the stairs, doing everything he could not to disturb the sleeping woman in his arms.
The conversation he'd had with his father after Orihime kissed him came back to him as he made his way to her apartment.
Are you worried you won't be able to protect her?
He looked down at Orihime and his scowl intensified, his thoughts going back to what just occurred with Lepe; he'd never seen Orihime stand up to anyone that way, he'd never seen her fight that way and it made him question just how well he knew the woman he suddenly held so tightly onto.
Ichigo made it to her apartment just as he admitted to himself that he wasn't really wondering how well he knew her, but how he could get to know her better, get to know what set her off, what made her happy, what made her sad, he wanted to know all these things and as he laid her down on her futon he allowed himself a second to just look her over.
She was breath taking in such an obvious way that he wanted to smack himself for having completely missed it. Her cheeks were smooth as if carved from the finest ivory and dusted across those ivory cheeks were just barely noticeable freckles, the most prominent one sitting just on the underside of her bottom lip. He sighed, he almost wished he hadn't looked at her lips, they were the reason they were here right now, in such an intimate way, because they'd stolen a kiss from him. He smirked, not like he was really complaining.
Ichigo tucked some of her hair behind her ear and decided he should go before she woke up to find him staring at her, that would be very awkward for them both. He wrapped her up in a blanket and made his way to her window, taking once last look over his shoulder at her before making his way to his own home.
They could handle anything else tomorrow, after she was well rested.
A/N: That's it! For this chapter yes yes! Guys you can thank Suzaanoelofse01 and BTS's amazing playlist on Youtube for the completion of this chapter! I had no idea how to get them out of Hueco Mundo in case you couldn't tell xD but yes this is it please let me know if you guys liked it! I've been feeling really down lately but today was an UP day so I had to take advantage! Love you all!
