Hur duuuurr, I wrote out the entire AN before and accidentally hit refresh! ;A; [/angst] But basically, I was saying I'm not sure what'll happen next. I don't know what I want to have happen and not have happen. (Although there was this scene before I did want to put it, but ended up not making it in... At least this round... lol) But once you read the big question part, yes there will be him asking Orihime, but I'm curious to see if people want me to write out the actual, erm... Well, the thing that starts with M. XD [/doesn't want to spoil too much] Bwah, anywho... Enjoy~ For I am off to do homework I should've done earlier! (P.S. I really, REALLY hate daylight savings time. Every night, I always go, "OMFG, how is it already 8?? ;_;" XD)

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He couldn't settle down. He'd pace back and forth for a while until his legs hurt. Then he'd sit down and his foot would tap uncontrollably, making an annoying beat in the waiting room. The process would repeat and repeat, causing the woman at the desk to raise an eyebrow at his jittery actions. Regardless, she'd ignore him and continue to do her work, the noises eventually fading to the back of her mind.

'Dammit, it's only been an hour! How can I wait any longer??' Ichigo swore, sitting down yet again. He buried his face in his hands, unable to shake the uneasiness of waiting. 'She's okay…' He played in his head over and over again.

"Ichigo, pacing around like that won't help Orihime-chan," Isshin bellowed out from his nearby seat, his tone and expression very serious. The father's arms were crossed and his sighed heavily at his son's distress.

"Dad, I'm not stupid. I know that…" He replied harshly at first, but then slowed down and repeated himself, almost silently. "I know that…"

"Ichigo."

But the boy continued to pace back and forth, blatantly ignoring his father's words. He needed a distraction, and somehow, his dad wouldn't cut it this time.

Growing irritated by his son's ignorance, Isshin grabbed a hold of the end of the boy's shirt and gave it a good tug, successfully sending Ichigo to the floor. He howled in anger, eyes burning with rage.

"What the hell was that for??" He barked, quickly standing back up and regaining his stance. Isshin folded his arms, sighing as he grew tired of repeating himself.

"Calm down! You'll worry Orihime-chan."

Ichigo silently understood what he was talking about and nodded grimly. Once he'd see her after her operation, he knew she'd notice his distress. 'That's just how she is…' Ichigo thought, his fist curling into a tight fist. A silence swept through the waiting room, both having one too many thoughts in their head.

"What are you going to do now, Ichigo?" Isshin asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"After Orihime-chan's operation," the father started, huffing a bit as he spoke. Ichigo was pretty surprised to see him so calm for once, compared to his usual overly-giddy self. "She'll need constant supervision for a while. If you're at school, she won't have that help she'll really need." Guilt started to weigh down on the ryoka boy's heart and his scowl deepened.

"I-I don't…"

"I can take her back to the clinic until she's stable enough to live on her own again," Isshin offered, shrugging slightly. Ichigo's hand grew tighter and his fingernails dug into his skin.

"No!" He told him forcefully, the thought of her being away from him tearing him apart. "I-I'll figure something out… But she's going to stay with me." Isshin raised an eyebrow curiously before standing up and patting his son on the shoulder. Ichigo ignored the heavy, stinging blow to his body and focused on this definitely short-living father-son bonding moment. (One he'd thought he'd never see in his life.)

"Ichigo, she'll need your help."

"Dammit, I know. Just… I plan on doing something… Just so she doesn't get taken away from me again," Ichigo's voice was barely above a whisper. Whether the shinigami boy was referring to when the healer left for college in Kyoto or the battle long ago, back in high school, Isshin didn't know. But he saw the way his eyes burned and he knew he really cared for this woman.

"Fine, fine… As long as you let be come by and check on her every other day or so," Isshin offered a medium. Letting his shoulders go slack, Ichigo nodded hesitantly, figuring this was the best deal he'd get.

Ichigo stood in the same spot for a few moments, contemplating, before bringing his head up, his eyes full of both determination and worry.

"I'll be right back…" He murmured, shoving his hands into his pocket, narrowly missing the small box with the big question. His cheeks grew slightly hotter at the quick thought of what he'd have to do.

"Where are you going?" Isshin asked.

"I'm gonna call Tatsuki. She deserves to know what's going on… After all, it seems like she's been taking care of Orihime all this time," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, speaking as if the call was the least of his worries. Isshin grinned and nudged his son in the stomach.

"On a first name basis now?" He inquired, his goofiness returning and replacing his former seriousness. Ichigo's face grew warmer and he merely nodded.

"I… We…"

"I always knew you two would be together!!" Isshin threw his hands into the air, and within moments, was pulling out a picture of his deceased wife out of his pocket. Nuzzling the photo against his cheek, he continued to grin. "We're going to have beautiful grandchildren and another daughter, my beloved Masaki!!"

Ichigo blatantly ignored his father's rambling and brought a hand up to his face, groaning.

"Dad, Orihime and I aren't-"

"Beautiful grandchildren!!"

"… That's it, I'm going…" Ichigo huffed and turned around, a displeased look on his face.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Ichigo, get flowers for Orihime-chan too!" Isshin cut in again, stopping his current dancing with the photograph. "She'd love some!"

Ichigo paused and thought about it. 'Would she like flowers…? Nah, she'd love them… But what kind?' His fingers twitched in his pocket and he accidentally hit the box again. The idea came quickly, but it was brilliant.

"I'm going to get her sunflowers then," the substitute shinigami told his father nonchalantly, turning back around to leave and make the call and buy the flowers.

"Eh? Why sunflowers?" Isshin questioned, still waving his picture in the air while the thought of bright-haired grandchildren floated through his mind. Ichigo turned around and gave his father a half-smirk, half-smile.

"Because her smile is like the sun."

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A groan escaped her lips and her eyes were dreadfully heavy. 'I-it… hurts…' Was the only thing she thought, her voice hurting as another gasp emitted from her lips.

But just then, a warm hand was placed on her forehead, giving her more heat to her already clammy feeling body.

"It's okay, Orihime… I'm here…" The voice spoke gently and familiarly. Orihime wished she could put a name with the voice, or even open her eyes to see who it was.

But alas, her body still hurt too much and she was way too tired. Her guardian angel, she temporarily dubbed it as she drifted off into unconsciousness again, would surely watch over her, she hoped.

'… Thank you…'

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Ichigo managed to break out a small smile upon seeing her stir, albeit not very much. After the four-hour operation, they had informed him and his father that it would still take her a few hours to come out of the sedation. After all, they used a lot of sedatives during heart surgery, especially transplant.

He kept his hand on her forehead, appreciating the time he could see her. His smile quickly faded as he remembered the doctor and his stupid way of approaching them as soon as she was done.

"Sorry…" Was the first thing the physician said, immediately sending Ichigo's heart to his feet. No, it was much, much lower than that. He assumed the worst; that the doctor had come to tell them she hadn't made it through the operation.

He could feel his eyes burning with the feeling that was tears, reliving the moment his own mother died.

Only, he was snapped back to reality, full of relief and anger as the doctor continued speaking. "Sorry we took so long. She'll come out of her sedation in a few hours, but will still be plenty weak. So don't force her too much. She'll still be sleeping and resting up for a while." And as if he had something better to leave, the doctor left, giving Ichigo a bitter taste in his mouth.

But seeing her now made him feel a bit better. Well, with the exception of seeing one too many tubes connected to her small, pale body and her body feeling so clammy.

Removing his hand from her forehead, he changed his mind and decided to let his fingers linger over her instead. Her soft, pliable hair caused his fingertips to tingle and his scowled further, heat in cheeks rising as he noted he was partially feeling her up.

'But I'm not really doing it,' he told himself, letting a fib slide just a bit.

The back of his hand glided over her smooth skin, her own cheeks noticeably warmer than the rest of her face. Leaning his chin on his opposite hand, the fingers of his right hand traveled over her adorable nose, giving him a small smile at its cuteness. Although, once he got to her lips, it was like something inside him snapped.

His thumb traced over her top lip, inciting a small shudder from her slumbering form. Like a pattern, his face fell again and his hand moved down to her neck, eventually encasing the slender appendage in his larger, rougher hand.

'The things she does to me…' Ichigo thought, instinctively running his tongue over his lips, as they appeared suddenly dry. His heart swelled with so many emotions, so many feelings, it caused him to become bothered.

It wasn't that he found those things in his chest to be annoying, but they were really heavy. But he determined it to be, as cheesy as it was, his love for her. It was so much enjoyment from being by her, with her, around her, his mind became fuzzy from it all, and his heart pounded in his chest at every thought of Inoue Orihime.

"You're like a weed, Orihime…" He half-heartedly joked, noting the similarities. She was someone who'd always be strong, always returning.

In Hueco Mundo, he may have rescued her, but she came back.

After her Kyoto experience, she still, still came back.

"God, I love you…" He uttered almost silently before placing a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. 'I love you so damn much…' Inhaling the scent unique only to her, Ichigo felt his mind becoming less and less clearer again. Being around her had such an effect on him.

He was about to let his head rest on the armrest of the bed, knowing very well it'd hurt later if he fell asleep, but was stopped by the entrance of Arisawa Tatsuki.

"I-Ichigo…" She panted, as if she had run all the way to the hospital. "I-is she… okay?" Ichigo nodded, bringing his eyes back to her, a smile creeping on his face.

"She'll be fine… She sorta woke up just a little while ago."

"Really??"

"Well… she groaned, then fell back asleep, so..." Ichigo thought about it and wanted to retract his previous statement. "I guess not really…"

"You're such an idiot…" Tatsuki huffed quietly, taking a seat next to him. The two sat in silence while Ichigo held her small, unmoving hand, his eyes never wavering. Tatsuki looked back at the smaller girl and back to him, part of her cheering on the inside on how far they've appeared to come. A smile played on her lips and she crossed her arms while leaning back into the chair.

'It's about time that lunkhead finally paid all his attention to her…'

"Tatsuki," Ichigo cut the martial artist from her deep thought, causing risen eyebrows on her carefree face. "This sounds really stupid… and corny… and weird-"

"Get on with it."

"-Right… But, I…" Ichigo cleared his throat and turned to face his friend of many years, eyes full of honesty. "I know you're Orihime's best friend, and you're pretty much the only family she has. Which is why I wanted to get your approval first…" Tatsuki sat up, intrigued where this was going.

"Approval for what?" She questioned. The boy's cheeks grew hot very fast and he clumsily reached into his pocket to pull out the box. The dark blue, velvety box that looked simple enough, but contained every complicated feeling he felt around the healer next to him.

Shoving the box towards her, he didn't say anything, but merely motioned for her to open it instead, as if actions would speak louder than words. He hoped they would, as he was more of an action guy than a speaker.

Opening up the box, Tatsuki discovered a small ring; a silver band with a small, intricate design on the side and a diamond nestled on the top, definitely speaking thousands of words. Her mouth dropped and she felt her own face grow hot. Was Ichigo thinking of doing that?

"I-Ichigo… Do you want to ask Orihime to-?"

"Yeah." He cut her off quick, feeling his heart quicken at the mere thought of marriage. He had given a lot of thought to spending the rest of his life with her, but proposing and marriage seemed like such a huge step.

And he never, ever thought he'd be this far with the girl he called his at-the-moment girlfriend at least a few months ago. They were just friends then, but now…

Well, more than friends, more than lovers… There was no perfect title for their relationship.

"Did you really think I'd disapprove of this? Ichigo, I've been trying to get you two together since high school," Tatsuki asked, tears of happiness stinging at her own eyes while she handed back the box. Ichigo put the trinket back into his pocket and smiled with a hint of shame in it.

"… Really? ...To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure…" He confessed, blowing out a sharp breath. He returned his eyes back to the woman on the bed and sighed. "Do you… think she'll like it?" Tatsuki placed a hand on his shoulder as she stood up, using her opposite hand to wipe away at her wet lashes.

"Ichigo, she'll love it..."

A smile, one of the true kinds, appeared on his face, the one like he was a kid in a candy store, and Tatsuki smiled out of sight as well. She'd never thought she'd see him smile like that again; at least not after his mother died. And to think Orihime was so capable of doing so much.

But she was a girl whom twisted fate around her little finger. Her little, daydreaming, bean paste loving finger.

"Good..." he breathed, his grip on her small hand growing relatively tighter. Tatsuki removed her hand from his muscled shoulder and was about to leave the room, giving them more time alone, but stopped short before twisting the handle.

"Thank you Ichigo..." She kept her voice low, truly happy for her best friend.

"For what, Tatsuki?" Ichigo questioned, glancing quick back at the martial artist for a quick moment. His brows were raised and scowl was almost gone. Instead of replying to his question first, she pointed to the bouquet of sunflowers on the table.

"Sunflowers for Orihime?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Thank you for bringing the sun back," was all she said before leaving, not giving Ichigo any confusion with her words. He smirked at her response, knowing all too well what she had thanked him for.

She had thanked him for making Orihime smile again.

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R & R, bitte~