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When Orihime still didn't say anything, Urahara turned to grab the remote for the TV up on the wall to turn it on. There showed footage from the coffee shop, and it seemed like business as usual.

"Why are we-"

"Wait for it." Urahara interrupted Renji, as his eyes remained focused on Orihime while the others looked to the screen. It took a long moment, but finally someone entering the shop with long orange hair caught their eye. Then she turned to face the counter to order, revealing it to be Orihime.

Continued On

Everyone's eyes remained glued on Orihime, who didn't say anything. Finally, Ichigo turned more towards her. "Orihime?"

Orihime remained quiet, closed her eyes, and took a long deep breath.

When nothing more was said, Urahara cleared his throat. "We also look into our own footage here, and we have it on the security tape that you were sneaking into our file room earlier this Summer."

"Okay, you're point?" Orihime countered, her eyes opening to meet Urahara's. A deep frown on her face.

"Orihime," Ichigo started, his eyes still holding confusion. "You know about Aizen-"

"Obviously!" Orihime snapped, interrupting Ichigo, then looking to Urahara. "I don't really care if you have a problem with me looking at those files, or that I was in Rosehaven a few months ago and didn't tell you all. Why the hell would I? You all had no right to keep this from me, and I wasn't about to play that whole game again. Where everyone else gets to know what's going on, and I get left in the dark for my own "protection". Which, by the way, I never asked any of you to do that in the first place!"

"Orihime," Toshiro said, an eyebrow raised at her raised voice. However when she glared at him, and he just held his hand up. "Obviously you have the right to be mad."

Orihime focused back on the others. "Even though I glanced at the information you had on Aizen, I found out a hell of a lot more working on my own. I mean for god's sake you just learned the description of the woman that's working with Aizen, and Ichigo actually face to face talked to her that day and didn't even know it!" She exclaimed, noticing how that clearly took the others aback. "In the Rose Hill Coffee House. Ichigo thought he sensed me, which he did, but that's not the point. He went inside and thought she was me from behind. And from what I have gathered from the locals that was her."

"Wait, so you were there?" Ichigo asked to clarify, still pretty confused.

"Obviously." Orihime replied shortly.

"You didn't say anything-"

"Like you haven't said anything to me for months," Orihime interrupted him, finally meeting his eyes. "You know, if you ever asked me what I was up to or what I was doing, I would have told you immediately."

"Same here-"

"No actually you wouldn't. You didn't," Orihime interrupted again, her frown deepening. "That night when you went after an arrancar, and you told me you were going to train with Renji. Before you left and after you came home, I gave you opportunity after opportunity to tell me what you were really doing. Yet, you continued to lie to my face. I called you out on the fact that you were lying to me, and you still didn't tell me."

Ichigo was quiet after she said that.

Focusing back on everyone else, Orihime stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "And if I haven't already said this, thank you, everyone, for lying to me every day for the past few months. I super appreciate it."

"It was my idea for everyone not to tell you," Ichigo told her, standing up as well. "I just wanted to protect you."

Orihime was quiet for a long moment, as she stared at Ichigo. Her arms falling to her sides. "That's just great."

"Orihime-"

"Ichigo," Orihime interrupted him again, but this time her voice remained on its normal level. "I didn't ask for you to protect me. Ever. Not once did I say that I am so incredibly powerless that I need a knight in shining armor to keep me safe."

"Would you not feel the same way about me? Would you not want to keep me safe?"

"Obviously I want you to be safe, but I would never leave you in the dark like you have done to me so many times," Orihime told him, then sighed heavily. "Ichigo, we are supposed to be a partnership. We are supposed to do our best TOGETHER to take care of any obstacles in our lives. As Mina's parents and in our marriage, we are supposed to be a team. You can't just make decisions that concern me and our daughter without consulting me. That is not fair. I feel like everything we've been through this past year and a half, you still see me as the girl who needed saving. How am I supposed to want to marry someone who doesn't have any faith in me?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find words.

Reaching down to grab her bag, Orihime turned to the door. "Mina's got enough milk in the refrigerator for the next few days. There is more in the freezer if you need it. I won't be coming home tonight, and probably not the next few nights. I will come by to visit Mina, but that's it."

"Orihime, wait-"

"Ichigo!" Orihime interrupted, spinning around to face him. "You have had all the time in the world to tell me about all of this, and the only reason why you want to talk about it now is that you got caught. I don't want to talk to you."

After that was said, Orihime turned and left the room. Ichigo remained standing there, completely in shock after what just happened. This is all my fault.

A few hours later

"A little bit early in the semester to be taking a vacation isn't it?"

Orihime was a little confused at first, as she looked at the guy at the front desk. Oh, he probably thinks I'm in college. Forcing a smile onto her face, then she shrugged. "Well I finished my classes for the week, and I thought spending a few days here would be nice."

"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay." The guy nodded, offering her a big smile, as he handed her key to her.

Grabbing her suitcase, Orihime started to the elevator and hit the button for the third floor. She was at Road Island, and at a hotel not far from the place they stayed at for her birthday. She didn't plan on making the almost three-hour drive here, but once she got in the car after packing up at the house, she just kept driving until she didn't feel like it anymore.

Once in her room, she set the suitcase down, and laid back on the bed. Laying there for a long moment, and focusing in on the silence. The only sound was the wind she could hear from outside. Her mind felt like it was running in circles, and she felt kind of conflicted. I feel heartbroken. I know I've sat with knowing that Ichigo was keeping this from me for months, but it was a lot easier pretending that it wasn't happening… Everything is broken.

Noticing tears in her eyes, Orihime sniffled, and wiped them away. Reaching for her phone, she pulled it out, typed a quick message, and set it back down after hitting send. Resting her head back on the bed, she tried to breathe, and stop the tears that kept building in her eyes.

She wasn't sure then how much time had passed, as she kept feeling herself fade in and out of sleep. It wasn't until a knock on the door woke her up completely, that she realized the sun had almost gone down outside the window. The room was now a lot darker. Reaching over to turn a light on, she stood up and walked over to the door. Opening it she found Kira, Kimi, and Mich on the other side. "What-"

"Sorry it took us a while to get here," Kira interrupted Orihime, as the other girls walked in. "Michi and I drove here together, and traffic was pretty heavy on the usual interstate."

"Yeah and even though I live close by, Keitaro and I were out eating dinner with Keitaro's parents." Kimi added, as she set her bag down.

"I know, but I only texted you-" Orihime paused to look down at her phone, and realized it was nearly and hour and a half ago that she had first laid down in her room. She had nearly thirty messages and missed phone calls from the others. "I apparently fell asleep."

"What happened?" Kira asked, as they settled down on the couch and the bed in the room.

Michi motioned to her phone. "Yeah, Kimi texted us almost immediately after you texted her, but we aren't really sure what happened."

Orihime sighed, as she leaned back on the pillows on the bed. "Well, I texted Kimi, because she lives nearby. I could just use someone to talk to right now."

"And I texted Kira and Michi, because I figured they could be helpful too," Kimi added, offering Orihime a smile. "So what's going on? All you said in your text is that you and Ichigo had a fight, and now you're here."

Frowning a little, Orihime looked down, as she felt tears come to her eyes at the thought of everything. "Okay..."

Almost half an hour later, Orihime finally finished telling them an edited version of what happened. Making sure to leave out everything shinigami related. They had a bottle of wine sent to the room, and they were almost done with the bottle.

"I mean you have a right to be upset," Kira started, picking up her wine glass. "I would be pissed if Ryuu kept a secret from me for months."

Michi nodded in agreement with that. "And when you confronted him about lying, he still wouldn't fess up. That is so messed up."

"Maybe you two just need some space for a couple days… Then you can talk it out, and everything will be okay." Kimi added, trying to be optimistic.

Orihime could only muster a half-smile, before giving up and drinking down the rest of her wine. "I don't know. This is the biggest fight we've had, and it just hurts…"

"I'm so sorry this is happening Orihime," Michi said, resting her hand on Orihime's, as she refilled their wine glasses.

"How long do you think you'll be staying here?" Kimi asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I mean I don't know," Orihime replied, tracing the rim of her wine glass with her finger. "At least a couple days or so. I miss Mina already, oh and Bingo too. It'll be weird sleeping in a bed where he isn't laying on my feet at night."

"I'm sure both Mina and Bingo are going to be taken real good care of at home," Kira tried to reassure her. "They'll be happy to see you when you come back, no matter if that's two days from now or a week from now. Don't feel like you have to go crawling back to Ichigo after just a few hours away."

It was quiet for a moment, before Michi spoke up. "You do think you're going to go back eventually though right?"

Orihime shrugged, after sipping her wine. "Honestly, I don't know. We're supposed to get married next year, and I just am filled with so much doubt now. I don't know if I can put myself in a position to be in a marriage that makes me feel like I'm left out of all the important decisions."

"Well it shouldn't be like that," Kimi said in agreement. "I would be pissed if Keitaro woke up one day and just decided that he was going to make all the decisions for the two of us. Like hello? It's our relationship. We are equal in it."

"That's exactly how I feel." Orihime agreed, taking another sip of wine, and she took a breath. Feeling the amount of wine she had hit her a little, as it had been a while since she had more than just a couple of glasses.

"I think we're out of wine," Kira noted, as she lifted the empty bottle.

Kimi uncrossed her legs, and stood up from the couch. "I can go to the store. It's only about a ten-minute walk. I think we're all past the point of driving."

"I'll go with you." Kira said, getting up to grab her bag.

"Wait, Kira," Orihime said, as her eyes went to the three women. "You all don't have to stay here with me. Kira, I'm sure you want to get back to Hiroko and Ryuu. And Michi and Kira, you both have classes tomorrow don't you?"

Kira waved a hand in Orihime's direction. "Ryuu can handle Hiroko for the night."

"I also hate the class I have tomorrow, so I don't really care that I'm missing it." Michi added with a shrug.

Kimi nodded, as she pulled on her light jacket. "I actually finished up my classes for the week today, so I'm all good. I mean I have an online assignment due tomorrow, but it's super easy. I'm not worried."

Orihime nodded, and finally allowed herself to relax back against the couch. It wasn't until after Kira and Kimi left the room, that she met Michi's eyes. "I really appreciate you and the others being here for me."

"It's no problem Orihime," Michi said, placing her hand on Orihime's, as she smiled. "You would do the same for us."

A couple days later

Kimi looped her arm through Orihime's, as they walked down the boardwalk. "This sun is so refreshing, but the wind certainly has picked up a lot since the start of October."

Orihime's eyes remained focused down on the ground. Michi and Kira went back to their homes by Windsworth college yesterday, and now it was just her and Kimi left. "Yeah, I guess."

Noticing Orihime's half-hearted words, Kimi offered her a smile. "Hon, you look like you need a margarita or something. You've been so upset the past couple days, and I really think that we need to cheer you up."

"It's kind of hard to be happy with everything going on," Orihime said, pausing as they walked into "The Pier" restaurant. They sat out on the balcony that overlooked a pretty large drop down a cliff that led to the ocean. Once they were seated, Orihime leaned back in her chair. "I came here to try to settle my mind, and figure out what I want. It's just… not happening."

"Maybe you need to find something to help you relax more," Kimi said, then she chuckled. "Maybe something other than alcohol. I feel like all that's done is had us day-drinking for the past couple days, and that hasn't been very productive."

Orihime shrugged and sighed heavily. "Well we did go to that spa yesterday, and we went to the nature walk this morning… My mind just isn't working."

"Hi ladies," the waitress greeted, as she stopped by their table. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Margaritas," Kimi replied almost immediately, as she pointed to the exact ones they wanted on the menu. After the waitress walked away, she focused back on Orihime. "Well, I am here for you as long as you need me."

"How about a distraction?" Orihime asked after a moment of silence. "How does Keitaro feel about you being out of the apartment these past two days? Well, it is really only this morning, yesterday, and the evening before yesterday. But still, it must be quiet over there."

Kimi laughed at that. "I mean he has work and school, and he's probably pretty busy. Although I'm sure he loves having the TV to himself."

Orihime finally smiled a little. "It's kind of funny when I think of you and Keitaro. Karin's best friend is named Kimi, and Yuzu's boyfriend's name is Keitaro- Well, he goes by Taro, but still. It's a small world."

Humming lowly, Kimi leaned back on her chair. "Didn't Karin used to date someone who's name was Ryuu?"

"Yes," Orihime replied, but she waved it off. "We don't talk about him though. He's history now."

"She's dating that guy now isn't she?" Kimi asked, trying to remember the name. "He's your friend. The white hair. The turquoise eyes- Toshiro! That's his name."

Orihime nodded once. "Yeah, he's one of my best friends."

"Is that weird?"

"Not really," Orihime shrugged, eying the waitress who was coming back over with their margaritas. "Ichigo's not completely okay with it, but he is getting a little bit more used to the idea."

Kimi noticed Orihime's face fall a little after she mentioned Ichigo's name. Her eyes went to the waitress who sat their margarita's down, and she smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the waitress said, motioning to their menus. "Are you two ready to order?"

"We need a few more minutes," Kimi replied, keeping her smile on her face, as the waitress walked away. She held up her margarita glass to Orihime. "Cheers?"

Sighing, Orihime put Ichigo to the back of her mind, and picked up her own margarita glass to clink with Kimi's. "Cheers."

The next day

Sitting out on the beach, Orihime pulled her blanket closer around herself, as the wind swept by her. The sun was going down, and the beach was empty. She had spent the day mostly by herself, as Kimi finally went back to her apartment earlier that morning. Finally allowing her to reflect on everything that had happened.

The sound of the waves crashing onto the sand, and the beauty of the sunset seemed to be just what she needed. I've been gone almost five days now… It just doesn't make sense why I feel so off. I knew that Ichigo and everyone else has been lying to me for months now, but it still hurts so much now that it is out in the open… I'm afraid to talk to him. I love him, I really do. But, I'm afraid that if we talk about this… It might be what breaks us. We might lose it all.

Sighing at the thought, Orihime felt a chill as the wind picked up again. She pulled the blanket even closer, and closed her eyes. It's really not fair of me to be kept out of big decisions and information like this. It wasn't fair of Ichigo to decide for me that I should be left in the dark. I believe in him 100%, but it doesn't feel like he truly believes the same of me.

At the thought, Orihime found her anger flaring up. She took a few deep breaths to try to relax, as her phone buzzed. It was a picture from Karin of Mina sleeping, and Bingo had wedged himself underneath Mina's rocker to sleep as well. All I know is that I need to see my baby and my furbaby.

She sat outside until the sun went all the way down, and finally stood up to go back into the hotel. Once back in her room, she changed into her pajamas and climbed into the bed. She turned her phone back on to look at the photo of Mina and Bingo again, and she sighed and closed her eyes. Regardless of what happens with Ichigo and I… They need to be okay.

The next afternoon, 19th of October

Sitting on the back porch steps of his dad's house, Ichigo watched as Bingo walked around the backyard. These past few days have been pretty rough. I haven't gone to training, and I had to pass on that assignment I was supposed to go on…

Ichigo's thoughts trailed off, as Isshin walked onto the back porch. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Really?" Isshin countered, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs. "Because you've hardly left my house at all."

"Yeah well it kind of hurts to go back to an empty house, dad!" Ichigo snapped back at his dad, then he sighed and dropped his head to hand. "Sorry."

Isshin understood his son's anger, and just sat down on one of the chairs on the porch. "I know… You just have to give her time son."

"I know," Ichigo said, sighing as he lifted his head back up. His eyes going to follow Bingo around the yard. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Protecting Orihime and Mina..."

"It's tough making decisions when it is more than just you involved."

"I mean, it's not like Aizen is after me. He's after Orihime and Mina. I thought I was protecting them, and I know I just said that. But I obviously didn't think it through enough."

"Honestly son, a partnership is something that can be a wonderful thing. Yes, at this point, you and Orihime have been together for over a year now. It wasn't really until after Mina was born that things really came together for you two, and you started your own lives," Isshin started, then he sighed. "It's still new to you, and you're going to make mistakes. I certainly made plenty of mistakes the first couple years I was married to your mother."

That finally got Ichigo to look over in his dad's direction.

"Your mother and I had our differences, but we had to come together and work through them in order to get past them. Before I met your mother, I was used to making my own choices and not having to consider anyone else. But it is different once you get married and have children together, or in your case engaged and have a child. You have to rely on each other. It's no longer just you anymore."

Ichigo sighed after his dad finished speaking, and Bingo finally came up on the porch. Standing up with his dad, they started to the back door. "I see your point, but I can't do much about it now. I have no idea where Orihime is, and she certainly doesn't want to talk to me."

As they walked inside, Yuzu had gone to the door, and opened it to reveal Orihime on the other side. "Hey, Orihime."

At the sight of Orihime, Ichigo stopped by the couch, and his mouth fell slightly ajar.

Orihime stepped inside and offered a smile to Yuzu. "Thanks, Yuzu," she said, then her focus went to Karin on the couch, who was holding Mina. Her smile widened, as she moved over to get Mina from Karin. "Hey, baby girl."

"She definitely missed you." Karin said, leaning back on the couch after passing Mina over.

"I missed her very much," Orihime agreed, her eyes brightening as Bingo ran right over to her, and she knelt down to pet him. "And I missed Bingo too."

Finally feeling the initial shock of seeing Orihime fading a little, Ichigo took a step towards her. "Orihime-"

"I think I'm going to step out on the back porch for a little bit," Orihime interrupted him, not looking his way, as she moved to the back door. "Come on Bingo."

After Orihime had gone outside with Mina and Bingo, Ichigo sunk down on the couch nearest to him. "How did she even know I was here with them?"

"I told her," Karin replied, having picked up the remote to flip it onto the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy.

"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. "You've been talking to her today?"

"All week actually."

"You've talked to her all week, and didn't say anything to me?!"

"Why would I say anything to you? The conversations were between Orihime and I, and had nothing to do with you," Karin countered him, as she paused the TV before the Grey's Anatomy episode could start. "By the way, before you get mad and say that I should have told you, because we're siblings or whatever, don't bother. I don't see it that way. I'm on Orihime's side on this. You were being a jackass."

"Karin." Isshin said, shaking his head at her cursing.

"I'm just saying," Karin continued, her eyes on Ichigo. "If Toshiro was keeping something like that from me for several months, I would have done the same thing as Orihime. On top of that, if he lied to my face when I confronted him about it, we wouldn't be dating anymore."

Narrowing his eyes at his sister, Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest, and turned his head back to face the closed back door. Losing the irritation in his face, Ichigo frowned as he could make out Orihime's figure from the window on the other side of the door.

She had been out on the back porch for nearly fifteen minutes before she came back inside with Mina and Bingo. She walked right into the kitchen where Ichigo was, and stopped a few feet away from him. "Ichigo."

Spinning away from the refrigerator, Ichigo's eyes went to meet Orihime's. "Orihime."

"I've spent the last handful of days at a hotel in Road Island, but I'm going to be back in Karakura Town for now," Orihime said, adjusting Mina in her arms. "I'd like to spend some time with Mina and Bingo for a couple of days. I can take them to a hotel, or I can go stay over at Mai and Hikari's or Rin and Kei's..."

Taken aback at how she clearly already made up her mind, Ichigo finally nodded once. "Don't worry about it. You can just stay over at the house. I can stay here at my dad's… But, don't you think we should talk?"

"I spent the last several days trying my best to sort through everything. How upset I was and how angry I was. It's not like I just went on vacation, and all my problems went away. It's not like we're just going to go back to normal," Orihime replied rather shortly, as she had to take a breath to control her anger. "I thought that maybe coming back here would give me idea on if I was ready to talk to you, and I don't think I am. I am still angry."

"Okay..."

After Ichigo spoke, Orihime nodded once, and went to the table to grab Bingo's leash. "Come here Bingo," she said, then she leaned down, and clipped his leash on. After grabbing Mina's diaper bag, she turned to go to the door. "I'm going to be back at the house, and I'll be bringing Mina by in a couple days probably."

"Okay," Karin said, jumping up to get the door for Orihime. "Text me when you get home."

"I will." Orihime replied, going out to her car. After letting Bingo in the car first, she focused on putting Mina in her car seat, then got in herself. She turned on the car, but paused before backing out of the driveway. Her eyes going to the Kurosaki house, and she found herself hesitating. Shaking her head after a moment, Orihime put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

Inside the Kurosaki house

Remaining standing in the kitchen, Ichigo finally walked out into the living room after he heard Orihime leave. Keeping his eyes focused down on the floor, as he stopped in the living room. He could feel the eyes of his dad and sisters focused on him. "I'm going to be staying here tonight again."

Isshin reached over and rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've just got to give her more time, Ichigo."

"Somehow I feel like she'll never have enough time..." Ichigo trailed off, then walked to one of the guest bedrooms in the hall the study was on. Going over to the bed, he laid back on it, and let his eyes go up to the ceiling.

Almost half an hour past, before the door to the room, opened, and Karin poked her head in. "Dinner's ready."

"I don't want anything," Ichigo replied shortly, turning away from the door.

Sighing at Ichigo's words, Karin walked into the room a bit more. "I'm sorry if what I said earlier hurt your feelings Ichigo. You're not a complete jackass."

"Thanks a lot," Ichigo muttered, remaining facing away from Karin and the door.

Moving over to the bed, Karin sat down on the end. "Look, like I said earlier, I probably would have reacted the same way as Orihime if it was Toshiro and I in that situation. But, honestly, it's not like I wouldn't forgive him. Obviously if he did something bad, like murder someone in cold blood or cheated on me, then I wouldn't forgive him- that's not the point. The point is that Orihime just needs time. You spent this entire last week calling and texting her non-stop, and you weren't really giving her a moment to really just settle down and think."

"And you know this because the two of you have been talking the whole time she was gone."

"Honestly Ichigo, we didn't talk about you that much. We only really talked about Mina and Bingo. I just know that you've been constantly bothering her, because you've been practically living at the house all week, and I've watched you do it," Karin replied, finally noticing that's what it took to get Ichigo to look at her. "She's going to need some time to think Ichigo. Just give her some time, and don't push her. I promise you that if you give her space, she'll come around to the idea of talking to you sooner, rather than later."

Ichigo was quiet for a long moment, then he pushed himself to sit up. "Since when did you get so wise?"

Karin laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really know. I think I'm turning into dad."

That made Ichigo join in with her laughter this time, and he got up from the bed. "Let's go eat dinner."

A couple days later, October 21st

Leaning back against the couch, Ichigo was mindlessly watching TV with his family. Not really too interested in what they were watching. When his phone started to ring, he didn't even bother to check who it was, as he was just happy for a distraction. "Hello?"

"Hello, Ichigo."

At the sound of Orihime's voice, Ichigo nearly dropped his phone, as he sat up. "Uh hey."

"I'm not far from your dad's house, and I was hoping your family wouldn't mind watching Mina and Bingo for a little while… I'd like to talk to you."

"Sure, that's great. I'm sure they won't mind. Of course, they won't. Yeah, we can do that-"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay, sounds good," Ichigo said, trying not to go back off on a tangent again. When he hung up the phone, his eyes went to his family, and a smile went to his face. "That was Orihime. She's want to talk to me. Do you mind keeping an eye on Mina and Bingo when she comes over."

"I don't mind at all." Isshin replied, however, Ichigo was already practically running off down the hall to what had been his temporary bedroom over the past week.

Over half an hour later, Ichigo was now with Orihime, and she stopped the car not far off from the big bridge. Nothing really had been said as they drove, and even after Orihime had turned the car off, they remained in silence as they got out of the car to walk over to the front. Her eyes focusing in on the sunset in front of them, and finally, she sighed. "I have been trying to work through the anger I've been feeling. Coming home didn't help ease it like I thought it would, but these last couple of days showed me that it's not my anger that's been making this so difficult."

Nodding once, Ichigo remained quiet, and let her continue.

"Don't get me wrong, I was angry, but I think I realized I was really just hurt… It really doesn't feel good when you already knew that it bothers me when you leave me out of crucial information like you did when I was pregnant," Orihime said, feeling a little stinging in her eyes, as she looked away to finally look to Ichigo. "It really hurt my feelings that you did that. Honestly Ichigo, I have no doubt in my mind that you can take care of yourself and do what's best for our family, but I feel like you don't believe I can do the same. That really doesn't feel good."

This time after she stopped talking, Ichigo stepped closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her for a long moment. "I do believe in you Orihime. You've proven that to me and everyone time and time again… I am so sorry for everything. I should have told you as soon as I found out, and I never should have lied to you," he said, finally pulling back a little to look at her, and tears lined his own eyes. "I hate that I made you feel that I don't believe in you. I never should have kept this stuff from you. I should have told you, because it's not just me anymore. It's you, Mina, and me… I'm so sorry Orihime."

Meeting Ichigo's eyes again, Orihime finally fully accepted his arms being around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You can't keep things from me anymore. We're a team."

"I know," Ichigo said, as they pulled apart again to look at each other. "I love you, and I am so grateful to have you… I'm not going to take you for granted again."

Finally, a smile appeared on Orihime's face, as he had reached up to caress her cheek. "I know… I love you too."

A/N: This was a whirlwind of a chapter, but Orihime and Ichigo seem like they will be able to get past this. What do you think is in store for Orihime and Ichigo's future? How will they tackle the potential threat of Aizen and this mystery woman together?

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