Disclaimer: Kubo is god, Kubo is king, Tite Kubo owns everything. I am making no money from this. I also do not own any of the quotes I use in any chapter.

Author's Notes: So I needed more than one chapter for the Valentines Day part as the Rukia/Orihime chocolate thing went so long, but didn't have enough for a whole nother chapter, at least not without adding in a bunch of filler crap. So the first half of this chapter is still Valentines Day, then the second half will skip a month ahead and be White Day. After that there should only be two more chapters. Oh, and since it's been almost three weeks since I posted a part, as my life has been insane, I skipped sending this part to my beta in the interest of getting it out as soon as possible. So there are probably a few more mistakes than normal, lol, but I wanted to post it now! And thanks to Beruhime219 for the idea about Ichigo's sun. You'll understand once you read the chapter.


I'll Stand By You

By Lady Callista

Chapter 9: Confessions

OoOoOoOoOoO

"It made me realize that having a gentle side didn't make you less of a man. In fact, it made you a better one."

Patrick Swayze in "The Time of My Life"

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Oi, Ichigo, are you joining us or not?" Mizuiro asked as he, Chad and Keigo looked up at their friend. They were sitting in their usual lunch spot on the roof, but rather than sitting with them Ichigo was standing at the edge of the roof, looking down at the area behind the school.

"He's probably just looking for…" Keigo trailed off as Ichigo turned and glared at him.

"Not one word, remember?" Ichigo snapped, turning his back on his friends again to look down at the group of girls gathered on the benches below him. Orihime sat down there with her friends, all of them but Michiru enjoying their lunches. The shy girl appeared, for some odd reason, to be reading out loud from a notebook. Occasional giggles and sighs drifted up to him, but Ichigo couldn't make out any of the words.

He was trying to decide if he was annoyed that Orihime hadn't asked him to sit with her for lunch today, or grateful. So far only Ishida and Chad, and unfortunately Keigo, knew that the huge box of special chocolates he had received were from Orihime. They'd decided weeks ago, when they first officially started dating, that they weren't going to tell anyone about it. And if she'd asked him to sit with her on today of all days everyone would soon figure it out.

Ichigo figured that she hadn't wanted to do that without seeing if everyone knowing was okay with him, and since he didn't want to deal with crap from people, or have her have to deal with crap from people due to his less than stellar reputation, he really did like just keeping it to themselves. So he should be grateful to her for not pushing things, not that he'd ever expected her to. It just wasn't in her nature.

Instead he'd found himself slightly annoyed when she only gave him a small smile before leaving with her friends for lunch. And he was growing more annoyed as his friends chatted about the latest episode of Don Kanonji's stupid show.

He hadn't gotten to hold her the night before, hadn't gotten to kiss her good morning, and hadn't even been able to talk to her all day. Not that he really had anything to say, but that wasn't the point.

Ichigo sighed. He'd apparently gotten so used to spending his nights with her that he was going through withdrawal. Which was just sad. But he wanted to touch her, and talk to her, and…

"Ah, screw this." Ichigo said abruptly, causing his friends to stop talking and turn to look at him. Without another word he picked up his unopened bento and headed down the stairs, calling over his shoulder, "I know you'll tell him the instant I leave, so I'm letting you know I won't kill you or anything."

Ichigo descended the stairs listening to Keigo's shout of relief.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, which one was your favorite, Mahana-chan?" Michiru asked as she looked up from her notebook.

"Um…I think the one from Fate Stay Night." Mahana said quietly, thinking over all the quotes she'd just heard. "The one about always remembering love, no matter how much time passes."

"Someday, my memories of her will fade. Her voice, her actions, I might forget them as well. But even then, I will always remember that I loved her." Michiru read the quote. "That is a really nice one. What about you, Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki shook her head. "What gave you the idea to do this, anyway?"

Michiru shrugged. "One of my friends emailed me the list last night, and I thought it would be kinda cool with Valentine's Day being today and all. In fact, that's probably why they made the list."

"Yeah, but if I remember right that one from Fate Stay Night wasn't actually a confession of love to someone, but…"

"Half the quotes aren't confessions, just romantic quotes." Chizuru pointed out. "I really liked the one from Naruto though, I remember the first time I read it…"

"I have family, and I have friends, but if you're gone, to me...it'll be the same as being alone." Orihime quoted quietly. That had been her favorite quote on the list as well, because she knew exactly how Sakura had felt when she'd said it. It was how she would feel if she didn't have…

"Ichigo." Tatsuki suddenly said, surprise evident on her face.

Orihime's head whipped around to see the boy she loved standing behind her, the box of chocolates she had given him held prominently in his hands along with his bento.

Ichigo ignored all the other girls, several of whom had started giggling. He blushed only slightly as he said quietly, "Orihime, uh, I was wondering if you would like to share these with me."

Orihime blushed until her face almost matched her hair as she realized every single one of her friends was either staring at her or giggling, yet she rose and turned to face him. "I would love that, Ichigo." She said quietly.

Ichigo shifted his lunch and the chocolates to one hand and took one of her hands in his, blushing slightly more than he had been. Orihime smiled, her friends completely forgotten for the moment, and the two of them walked away hand in hand.

Chizuru's wail could probably be heard by everyone in a one block radius. "No, not my Hime-chan!"

"You don't mind, do you?" Ichigo said quietly as they settled under a tree a ways away from where the girls had been sitting. "I probably should have asked you, but…"

"I don't mind." Orihime said with a smile. "I was just surprised. I didn't think you wanted to tell people we were dating." The smile grew brighter, as it always did when she thought of the fact that they were dating.

"I didn't. I mean, we're gonna get crap from our friends and stuff, but…" Ichigo trailed off. "I missed talking to you last night. I missed getting to kiss you this morning. And I realized that it's kinda stupid not to tell people. It's no one's business, but…"

"But it's nice to not have to hide it." Orihime said softly as he trailed off again, ignoring the stares and whispers of a group of girls as they walked by. "I missed you too."

"So, no nightmares?" Ichigo asked gently after they'd spent a few minutes eating.

"One, but… but it wasn't that bad." Orihime replied honestly. "I think talking about them with you has helped. I think it was like you said, it just took time for me to stop being afraid. I didn't have to turn on the light, and I managed to go back to sleep after only a little while."

Ichigo smiled, wishing he could just lean in and kiss her. He'd been thinking of kissing her since they sat down together, but could feel the glances of half the students on the lawn. Orihime had turned so red when he asked her to sit with him… If he kissed her here in front of everybody she'd probably just faint dead away. Glancing away from her to help control himself, he asked, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Huh?"

"I promised we'd do something special when you could sleep without me there, remember?"

"Oh, I forgot." Orihime said quietly. "Um…we could see a movie. Or go out for dinner or something."

Ichigo smiled. "Standard first date, huh? I kinda like that idea."

OoOoOoOoO

One Month Later, March 14

OoOoOoOoO

"So did Orihime-neechan like her gift?" Yuzu chirped the minute Ichigo walked in the door after school.

"I'm giving it to her tonight, didn't wanna do it at school." Ichigo said even as he dodged his father's welcome home kick and shoved the old man into the wall as an afterthought.

"So you're seeing her tonight?" Isshin said as he pealed himself off of the wall and then stood casually leaning against it as if nothing had happened. "Does that mean I shouldn't wait up for my little boy?"

"Shut-up." Ichigo said shortly. "We're just going out to dinner, then maybe for a walk or something."

"Cause I've still got that box in the clinic if you decide to…."

"Shut-up!" Ichigo turned to glare at his father, ignoring his sister's curious glance. "You must be the only father in the world who is actually encouraging his teenaged son to…"

Isshin grinned, then leaned in close to his son. Ichigo tensed, ready for the attack, and was surprised when his father only laid a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a voice too low for Yuzu to hear. "I'm probably also the only father whose teenaged son has saved the world. I think you had to grow up much too fast; but you should at least be able to enjoy the perks of being an adult along with the responsibility."

Ichigo could swear that for a second the reiatsu in the house grew stronger, but he paid it no mind as he digested his father's words.

"…" Ichigo stood dumbstruck for nearly a minute after his father had strode casually out of the room.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of Karin running through the upstairs hallway and down the stairs. She came to a grinding halt when she saw him and Yuzu standing by the door, then began to babble, "Oh, I didn't know you were home yet, Ichi-nii. I was just going out to meet a… meet a friend, and then we were… uh… going to meet some other friends and play soccer, so I may be home a little late, and…"

"No later than 7pm, Karin-chan. You know that." Ichigo cut her off, his mind still in shock from his father's comment. If it hadn't been, he certainly would have noticed that she looked both excited and nervous, emotions that should not have been caused by her going out to play soccer with her friends.

"7:30? Please, niichan?" Karin did something she rarely did, she turned her lips down in a slight pout and stared up at her brother with shining eyes.

"7:30." Ichigo said after less than a second of consideration. That look was cheating.

Karin held up her hand for a high-five as she skipped out the front door.

Ichigo spent a moment staring at the door after it had closed behind her, wondering what he had missed, then shrugged and went upstairs to shower and get ready for his date.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I was thinking we could go for a walk or something, maybe wander around the park. It's an unseasonably warm night." Ichigo said softly as he and Orihime exited a restaurant a few hours later.

"That sounds nice. I… I don't want this night to end." Orihime said quietly, slipping her hand into his as they turned to walk to a nearby park.

"It has been nice." Ichigo replied. "I wish we could do this more often, but I feel bad asking Ishida and Chad to take over Hollow fighting for an entire night. It's not their responsibility, it's mine, and…"

"Shhh." Orihime tugged on his hand to get him to stop walking, turning herself to face him as she laid her fingers over his lips to silence him. Then she leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips, ignoring the stares of passers-by. "You know they don't mind, and it's nice for me to know you won't have to leave in the middle of a date, which has happened a number of times."

Ichigo smiled, and raised her hand to his lips before beginning to walk once more with her beside him. "Not tonight. Tonight it's just us."

Orihime smiled as they turned into the park, a feeling of giddiness flowing through her. She was on a romantic walk with her boyfriend. They'd kissed good morning when he stopped at her apartment on the way to school, and they'd held hands as they'd walked there. They'd eaten lunch together, and walked home together. Then she'd showered and agonized over which dress to wear, and before she could miss him he'd been there again, picking her up, and they'd had a wonderful dinner at a fancy restaurant. And now they were taking a romantic walk through the park. And then afterwards he would leave her at her apartment again, and…

The words were out of Orihime's mouth before she thought about them. "I almost wish I was still having nightmares. I miss sleeping with your arms around me."

This time it was Ichigo that drew them to a halt. "I miss it too, but it's not right… I mean, it's not proper, and…"

Orihime smiled at that. After everything that they had been through, he was worried about her reputation. "I don't think it's the same for us as it is for most people our age. I mean, we've been through so much. Sometimes I feel like I'm 30. Or 40. Some of the stuff my friends talk about seems so childish sometimes, and…"

Ichigo silenced her with a kiss that left her toes curled and her head spinning. Through her daze, she heard him speak quietly.

"I know what you mean, but… When I'm with you like that, I want to do more than just hold you."

Orihime's eyes grew huge in her face as she stared at Ichigo, watching his eyes shift into the dark, passionate look he occasionally had when he looked at her and always had when he was fighting. She had no idea what to say to that.

A slightly smug look crossed his face, likely because he'd made her speechless, and Orihime could do nothing but continue to stare into his eyes as she felt him release her hand. A moment later he'd pressed a small box into that hand, kissed her lightly, and taken a small step back.

"I know I told you in school that I was going to give you your present tonight, but I didn't mean to make you have to wait this long. I'm just… I don't know what you'll think, and…"

Orihime placed her fingers over his lips again, quieting him, then looked down at the small box in her hand. It was a simple white box, unwrapped, and with a shiver of anticipation flowing through her she lifted the lid, then simply stared at the item, stunned.

Ichigo started to speak nervously. "I know you don't really wear jewelry, except for your barrettes, but I was kinda thinking that since you wear those because your brother gave them to you, you could wear this because I gave it to you. So that, uh, it was like I was always there. I picked a star because…"

"Orihime." Orihime whispered her own name quietly, stopping his rambling. "It's the star Orihime. Like in the Tanabata legend." She looked up at him, love blooming on her face. Before she could chicken out, she continued in a whisper, "Ichigo, I love you."

Ichigo froze, his mind going blank. She'd just said… He opened his mouth to say the words back to her, but nothing came out. He knew he liked her; he enjoyed spending time with her, and kissing her, and… But did he love her? He'd only ever loved four people, his family, and he knew loving a girl would feel different than that. He thought of the emptiness inside him when she'd been missing, thought of how much happier he was whenever she was with him. Was that love? But could he say it if he wasn't sure that…

Orihime brought Ichigo out of his thoughts with a gentle kiss. "I don't need the words back, Ichigo. I just finally found the courage to say them. I wanted you to know."

"Orihime…I…" Ichigo stuttered, then took a deep breath as a thought popped into his head. He wasn't sure if he could say… But he could give her something else. "My dad always says that my mom was his sun, was the center of his universe. She was my sun too. So yeah, I did think of Tanabata, but what I was really kinda thinking of was that you were my sun now. You being a star didn't seem quite right, because when I look at you there is nothing else I want to wish for."

Orihime melted into him, arms wrapped around his waist and head lying on his chest. His arms came around her just as easily, and after a moment of holding each other they pulled apart to stare into each other's eyes for a moment.

Orihime broke the connection first, looking down at the box in her hand and taking the necklace with the star pendant out of it and clasping it around her neck. "It's even more perfect when I think about it that way." She said softly, her voice almost cracking.

They kissed softly, once, twice, then as one turned and began walking through the quiet park again.

They'd been walking for a few minutes, a comfortable silence between them, when Orihime caught a flash of white off in the trees. Her eyes widened as they drew closer and she realized the white she'd seen was spiky hair. Now she could see the white of a taicho's coat as well, and that the girl who was kissing the boy as her fingers trailed into that white hair was…

Orihime glanced down quickly, finding a conveniently placed rock and making herself trip over it, letting out a cry that was probably louder than strictly necessary.

Ichigo turned towards her to keep her from falling, and over his shoulder she watched two heads whip around and see her and Ichigo there. A second later both figures were gone.

"Sorry, Ichigo, I'm fine, really, I…" Orihime mumbled nervously.

"Why don't we just head back to your place?" Ichigo replied, loosening the arms he'd put around her to stop her from falling, but not willing to release her completely. "We can watch a movie or something."

"Does that something include kissing?" Reminding herself that she had to talk to Karin at some point in the near future, Orihime let everything but Ichigo slide out of her mind.

His eyes burned a little brighter, and he turned to kiss her hungrily before taking her hand again and turning to leave the park and take the shortest route possible to her apartment.

It was Friday, meaning that they didn't have to get up early for school the next day. And she hadn't exactly reacted negatively when he said he wanted to do more than just hold her. And they were going to be alone in her apartment. And she was the one that had brought up kissing. And…

Orihime gathered her courage for the second time that night, and spoke quietly, "Will you stay with me tonight? I… I don't think I want you to do more than just hold me, but I know I want you to hold me very much."

"I could never say no to that." Ichigo said quietly as he slid his arm around her shoulders. Hers slid around his waist in return, and they quickened their pace.

TBC…


AN2: Well, she's said it. Now I just have to get him to while keeping him IC. And no, the next chapter does not continue at her apartment with a lemon, that's a tiny bit further down the road. Raimu dake ga desu. evil grin Oh, and now that you know what I meant by Ichigo's sun, I feel like I must apologize for that incredibly corny and fairly OOC speech Ichigo gave. It came into my head, I agonized over it, and in the end couldn't resist using it. (And to the reader who remembered one particular line from No Warm Memories and wanted to know when they were going to get to see it: That very small, barely there, Toshiro/Karin moment is dedicated to you.)