Author's note: I'M BACK~! Hallelujah! I apologize profusely for the extremely long delay for this chapter. I'm hoping that now that I've cut back on a few side projects, I should hopefully be able to finish this story sometime this year. So please, be patient with me while I try to get back into the saddle and get used to writing on a regular basis again. I'm hoping that despite the fact I'm planning a wedding, I'll still have time to work on this. So cross your fingers and hope that I won't take another year to update! This chapter is a little bit shorter than normal because I'm trying to set up the final portion of the story. So don't worry. Not all of the chapters will be this short.

A super huge thank you to my amazing friend Sweety for looking this over for me after such short notice.

Disclaimer: Bleach and all characters, designs, etc. belong to Tite Kubo. I'm only allowed to fantasize about them.

"I think something's wrong with Ichigo."

"No, he's just in one of his sour, brooding moods."

"I'm serious! I've never seen him like this before!"

Fighting the urge to beat his oh-so-subtle friends over the head, Ichigo blatantly ignored Keigo's loud whispers and Mizuiro's bored answers to their friend's concerns. He supposed they were both right; while he was indeed brooding, it was over something much more important that another stint in detention or his father's antics. He was mulling over the conversation he had had with Ukitake the night before but was still unable to figure out a way to deliver the news to Orihime. The sound of the door sliding open and a tinkling laugh momentarily distracted himself from his internal plight and he turned his head just in time to see a head of auburn hair enter the classroom.

'Speak of the devil,' he thought wryly. Returning Orihime's wave, he glanced out the window as a new batch of worries settled over him.

How could he possibly tell her what Ukitake had told him? It wasn't as if it was just his immediate future that was in jeopardy. Orihime's – as well as everyone who lived in Karukura – future was essentially in his hands.

"Talk about pressure," he grumbled to himself.

He had been through worse and had the fate of the whole world hanging in the balance, so why was he so torn up about this?

The chatter of his classmates quickly subsided as the bell pealed and their teacher entered the room. As he rose from his seat for the daily greeting of their teacher, he caught Orihime's eye. She sent him a worried glance, her brow furrowed in concern. What was left unsaid shone in her large, expressive eyes and another wave of guilt washed over Ichigo.

His stomach clenched and it became hard to swallow as he tore his gaze away from hers and took his seat once again. Mindlessly, he pulled out his notebook and pencil, attempting to concentrate on the lecture and failing miserably. His gaze flickered over the bent heads of his classmates until he spotted Orihime, her head bent over her desk as she scribbled away. She glanced up every now and then, but he could tell she was trying to keep her worries at bay and concentrate on the lecture.

Taking a deep breath, he sorted through all of his options. He could tell Orihime what Ukitake had told him and finally clear the air between them. Or, he could keep it a secret and potentially risk her life as well as everyone else in Karakura. His brow furrowed as he weighed his options. Though he didn't like the first option, the second was something he could never let happen.

Steeling his resolve, he opted for the first choice.

He was going to be honest with Orihime and tell her everything for the first time they had started dating.

Renji shifted uncomfortably from his position in the reception room of Byakuya's mansion. After his last run in with Rukia in the human realm, he vowed that he would do whatever it took to win her brother's favor. He hadn't anticipated that it would also come at the price of being escorted to a room and told to wait until Byakuya summoned him. He bit back a curse when he realized that several hours had passed and no one had called for him, nor had they offered him any sort of refreshments.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Renji tried to push his irritation to the back of his mind. 'It's got to be some sort of test,' he thought. 'Kuchiki-taichou wouldn't normally keep people waiting this long.'

As the sun inched closer and closer to the horizon and the sky became tinted with pinks and orange, Renji was just about at the end of his rope. Not only had he waited as patiently as he could muster for the entire day, but now his legs were completely numb because he didn't dare stand up or pace.

'Kuchiki-taichou, you bastard!' Gritting his teeth, he fought the urge to leave in a huff and seek out the comfort one could only find at the bottom of a bottle.

Just as he was about to give up on Rukia's brother, the door slid open to reveal a very demure young woman. She bowed slightly to him and apologized for the wait before informing him that Byakuya was ready to see him. Stiffly getting to his feet, Renji tried to ignore the painful tingling in his legs as he followed the woman down several corridors and around countless corners. Finally, they arrived at a set of doors and the woman bowed again before leaving him to his business.

Tentatively, Renji opened the door, using what protocol he could remember when entering a noble's room. As he stood before Byakuya, he grew irritated when the older man didn't even acknowledge his presence. Not seeing any sign that Byakuya was going to be asking him to take a seat any time soon, he slowly made his way to the small cushion across from the captain. Even after sitting, Byakuya only continued to browse through his paperwork, signing something here, dismissing something there. Biting his tongue, Renji held back his scathing comment - it really wouldn't help his case - and merely cleared his throat to make Byakuya aware of his presence.

The captain paused for a brief moment, as if he were aware of Renji's presence for the first time, before continuing with his paperwork. When Renji cleared his throat a second time, the captain finally addressed his vice-captain.

"What exactly are you here for? As you can see, I'm quite busy at the moment."

Though Byakuya wasn't looking at him, the fact that he finally addressed him was better than nothing. Gathering his wits, Renji swallowed thickly as he thought of what to say. His brain was thinking of things to say a mile a minute, but his mouth didn't want to cooperate. He opened and closed his mouth several times with no luck.

"Well?" Byakuya glanced up at Renji for a moment before returning his attention to the papers in front of him. "I do not appreciate you wasting my time, Abarai-san. You may leave if you have nothing to say."

"I...I do have something to say," replied Renji stiffly. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Then out with it. I do not have all day to sit here and wait for you to gather your wits."

"It's about Rukia." Inhaling deeply, Renji plowed ahead without trying to dwell on what may or may not happen with his next words. "I'd like your permission to court her."

That seemed to get Byakuya's attention. He set the papers in his hand down gently, barely rustling the sheets stacked neatly on the lacquered wood. Raising his gaze to Renji's, he seemed to contemplate this new information. Renji held his breath; perhaps he had a chance! But just as quickly as he had Byakuya's full attention, he lost it again.

"Out of the question."

Flabbergasted, Renji did all he could to not stare at his captain openly. When it became clear that Byakuya would not be changing his stance on the subject, Renji's shock quickly turned to anger and frustration. Why would he so openly reject Renji's offer to court Rukia? Was he not good enough? Was class and honor all Byakuya cared about when it came to sending off his sister to be wed? Gritting his teeth, he bit back a snarl but stood his ground.

"Why? Why won't you let me court her?"

Peering over the top of an important document, Byakuya surveyed the man before him. His brows were furrowed in anger and his fists clenched at his hakama so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Though this didn't seem to be out of the norm for the vice-captain, he noticed that Renji's eyes seemed a bit...different. There was a passion and desire burning in them so furiously that for a moment - only a moment mind you - Byakuya was taken aback by it. Did this man truly want to be with Rukia so badly? Remaining impassive, he turned his gaze back to the document in his hand, though his attention was still on Renji.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? You're not worthy to court my sister. Now please, leave her be."

"What the hell do you mean by 'not worthy'?" spat Renji. His anger had boiled over and he no longer had control over it. "In case you've forgotten, Rukia and I came from the slums! She only became a noble when you adopted her! You weren't there for her when she was alone and starving; I was! I was there for everything! And then you swooped in and snatched her away. How the hell can you say that I'm not worthy enough to court her?"

"Your past has nothing to do with it."

Stunned by Byakuya's impassiveness to the whole ordeal, Renji's anger quietly slipped away and he was left feeling lost and confused. Bowing his head, he tried desperately to figure out something to say that might change Byakuya's mind. He came up empty-handed.

Feeling dejected, Renji threw himself to the floor. He grit his teeth in anger at himself; he wasn't the type to beg for anything, but he was completely at a loss as to what to do. "Then what? What do I have to do to convince you that I can take care of Rukia?"

Renji had finally gotten Byakuya's full attention. In all of the years he had known Renji, the vice-captain was never the type to beg someone for anything. He understood the man's desperation, but as the head of the Kuchiki clan he couldn't sit idly by and let Rukia marry just anyone.

"Straighten yourself, fool." Renji slowly straightened and merely stared at Byakuya in confusion. Sighing ever-so-slightly, Byakuya set down his papers and finally turned to face Renji directly. "You're not going to give up on this foolish endeavor to court my sister, are you?"

Renji shook his head in the negative.

"If you're dedicated, I may change my mind about your arrangement with my sister. However, you must prove yourself to me."

"What do I have to do to prove myself?"

A very small, nearly invisible smile crept into Byakuya's face. "I want you to prove that you're the one for Rukia."

Staring up at the sky, which was now currently streaked with oranges and pinks in the wake of the setting sun, Ichigo mulled over his options. Hide the truth from Orihime and risk losing his ability to protect her and his family or be honest with her and risk her running away from him? Neither one was his ideal route, but he figured being honest with her would be the best way to go about things. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he waited patiently for Orihime to join him at the school gates for their daily walk home together. Though he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to go about things, he knew he'd figure it out. Somehow.

"Ichigo-kun!"

Hearing his name being called out, he straightened up and turned out to see his beaming girlfriend bouncing towards him. She caught up to him a moment later and smiled brightly at him. "Ready to go?"

Nodding, the two set off in silence. Of course, the silence was broken soon after as Orihime chatted idly with him about what her friends said during lunch and how Tatsuki was being a worry wort for no reason. Ichigo made non-committal grunts in response, though it didn't make a bit of difference as Orihime continued rambling. Finally, Orihime noticed that he was quieter – and surlier – than normal.

"Is there something wrong?" she inquired, her brow furrowing ever-so-slightly in concern.

"No, everything's fine." Ichigo kicked himself. She gave him an opportunity to tell her everything, but of course his first instinct was to deny anything was wrong. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's about...us."

Orihime faltered momentarily as she registered what he was talking about. Her heartbeat sped up and her breath quickened. Ichigo wasn't going to try and end things between them, was he?

"Wh-what did you want to talk about?"

Ichigo struggled with how to start the conversation while simultaneously kicking himself for making Orihime worried. The look in her eyes said everything and a wave of guilt washed over him.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this but -"

A deafening screech suddenly enveloped them, causing Ichigo to freeze. His muscles tightened automatically as he turned around to see a large Hollow hurtling towards them. Large, razor sharp claws extended towards Ichigo's throat, a menacing pair of eyes leering at the two teenagers. Before Ichigo even had time to react, a glowing shield appeared in front of him, repelling the Hollow, mere seconds before he would have been sliced to ribbons. The Hollow screamed in frustration and clawed at the shield, trying desperately to get to them.

Whirling around, Ichigo grabbed Orihime's hand without a second thought and made a mad dash down the street. Without his shinigami powers, he'd have to rely on his friends or – God help him – the resident shinigami to take care of the beast. But there was no way in hell that he was going to let Orihime put herself in danger just to keep him safe. They rounded a corner, the rubber soles of their sneakers skidding across the pavement, and sprinted down the street.

Orihime's apartment building finally came into view and Ichigo felt a brief moment of elation before everything came crashing down around him. A second smaller Hollow jumped down from the roof of a nearby building, cutting off their path to safety. Ichigo and Orihime skidded to a stop, panic on both of their faces. Realizing that there wasn't going to be a way out of this until someone showed up, Ichigo placed himself in front of Orihime and the two slowly backed away from the Hollow, towards a small field across the street.

Swallowing thickly, Ichigo glanced over his shoulder at Orihime. Her shoulders were tense and despite the fear she was undoubtedly experiencing, her brows were furrowed in determination. Closing his eyes tightly, he cursed his indecision. If only he hadn't been so scared about his predicament with Orihime, they would never have ended up in this situation in the first place!

"Orihime."

"Y-yes?"

"I promise to get you home safely."

In that moment, Ichigo's resolve finally steeled itself as the two Hollows loomed closer and closer with each passing second. If they ever got home safely, he'd be honest with her about everything.