A/N: Ugh, my apologies for this taking so long. I've had most of it written for a while, but wasn't entirely sure how I wanted things to go – story of my life, lol. Needless to say, I have a few different versions, but hopefully this one is the best. I did end up publishing this after being up all night, so I will let you know if I end up editing - I didn't want to wait any longer.

Also, a shout-out to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and commented on this story. Your support means the world to me, and just knowing that this story is enjoyed lifts my spirits every day. The world is going through a tough time right now (understatement, I know), and as some of you may or may not know, I am a nurse. So I don't want to say I understand the effects of this more than others, because it is and will affect all of us in many different ways. I just want you all to know that I'm thinking about you and the people I take care of, and I wish you all the best and that you please stay safe and healthy.

Now, please enjoy!


Orihime awoke the next morning with a stiff neck. For a moment, she forgot all about the night before, and when she picked her head up, her eyes opening as though they were coated with a fine layer of sand, she didn't understand why she was on her stomach; laying on something so firm and lumpy and yet comfortable; or what was draped so heavily and warmly across her shoulders and back, curled protectively around her. Blinking rapidly, her previous nightmare came back to her in a trickle, a gasp escaping her when she realized the last thing she remembered was Ichigo consoling her on the couch. With a jolt, she turned her head, her heart leaping into her throat when she came face-to-face with Ichigo's sleeping features, his face relaxed, comfortable and close.

At some point during the night, they had moved from sitting side-by-side on the couch to lying down, one of Ichigo's legs somehow up on the couch behind her while she laid on top of him! He was using one of his arms as a pillow against the armrest, the other still wrapped around her, his hand all but tangled in her hair. Meanwhile, she had her arms loosely wrapped around him, her face pressed against his chest as she laid between his legs. One of them had had the presence of mind (or perhaps absence of it) to pull the blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over them, only adding to the intimacy of their positions.

Seeing him so relaxed reminded her of a night in the not-so-distant past, when he'd fallen asleep on her floor studying. Not long after that, they'd passed out while watching a movie after they spent the afternoon sledding. How does this keep happening, she pondered to herself, even as she cocked her head to the side while she studied his features. Just as before, he was completely at ease while sleeping – the crease that often took residence between his brows gone, his lips relaxed and full, rather than pressed into a frown. He looked peaceful in sleep, as though he didn't have a care in the world, and she couldn't help but smile. "Kurosaki-kun," she breathed, reluctant to waken him.

It took her a moment to realize she was staring at his lips, her mind conjuring the memory of her dream when she'd felt those lips against hers. She realized it too late, biting her lower lip in frustration as she went to move off of him, which meant pressing up off of his chest in the process. As soon as she moved, he groaned, his brow creasing as his grip around her tightened; his hand all but fisting in her shirt at her back, and she stilled. Her heart was pounding so harshly against her ribs, she was sure it was going to wake him.

The sensation of pressure against his chest brought Ichigo from the realm of sleep, his brows furrowing for a moment as he moved, intending to swipe Kon off his chest, only to realize his hand was tangled in silken strands and a soft shirt. Even before his eyes were open, Ichigo could feel the kink in his neck; the weight pinning him from his chest to his hips, the awkward way one of his legs felt bent off to the side, but most importantly, Orihime's soothing reiatsu. With a surprised breath, his eyes shot open, only to be met with the equally shocked gaze of Orihime, her stormy orbs only mere inches away, her hair draping over her shoulders and creating a curtain that gently grazed his neck. The lingering warmth on his chest and abdomen told him where she'd just been.

"I-I'm sorry!" she squealed, successfully pressing herself up by bracing against his chest. He'd released her from his grip in surprise the moment his eyes opened.

"Whoa! My bad!" Ichigo cried out the moment Orihime squealed, also trying to scramble away, only his legs were partially pinned under her and if he wasn't careful, her hands could easily end up in the wrong place.

Their frantic scrambling ended up with Ichigo completely red in the face and pressed into one far end of the couch, his offending hand that had betrayed him in his sleep fisting the blanket that he had somehow ripped off of Orihime's back in his hasty retreat. Orihime ended up on the opposite end of the couch, curled more than sprawled as Ichigo was – she was wearing a long sleepshirt and at least had the presence of mind to try and protect her modesty as her own face burst into flames. Once Ichigo realized what he'd done in stealing the blanket, he threw it back at her, clearing his throat and averting his gaze, even though she squealed softly in her attempt to catch the blanket and keep it from hitting her in the face – he'd thrown it harder than he meant to. "I'm sorry!" he blurted, lurching to his feet and nearly tripping. Part of the blanket was still caught around his legs.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried, immediately launching to her feet and pulling the blanket free as Ichigo danced out of its octopus-like grasp.

His heart was racing, his blood rushing so forcefully in his ears, Ichigo could hear little else. The last thing he remembered, he'd tucked her into his side after she fell asleep. Sure, he'd planned on staying the rest of the night, but how the hell did they end up lying down on the couch? How the hell did she end up between his legs? He didn't fault her for any of it – she'd clearly been just as surprised as him upon awakening, but then just what the hell happened?!

"Look, I'm," Ichigo started at the same time Orihime began with, "I don't…" They were both interrupted by Orihime's phone going off in her bedroom – her alarm for the morning.

They stood, openly gaping at the other with matching expressions of shock and mortification. Ichigo's hair was in even more disarray than usual, Orihime's mussed with her bangs falling in her eyes and her cheeks flushed prettily both from sleep and from embarrassment. Her over-sized sleeping shirt gaped slightly to one side, almost far enough for her shoulder to peek out, but not quite. Even so, Ichigo caught sight of her collarbone when she brushed her hair back from her face, flustered, and the way she suddenly averted her eyes had him looking down in fear. His shihakusho was rumpled, his kosode loose and gaping, and even the shitagi parted, revealing more than some of his chest. Fuck, he cursed, glancing up just in time to see Orihime pull the neck of her shirt up.

Orihime scarcely had her shirt righted before her face went slack in surprise and she jolted, as though just realizing what was going off in the other room. "Oh my gosh! School! We've got to get to school!" She disappeared into the bedroom before she was even finished speaking, the sound of items shifting and falling greeting Ichigo's ears along with Orihime's string of muttered curses (or at least her version of curses).

"You all right?" Ichigo called down the hallway, his voice still rough and raspy from sleep as he attempted to right his shihakusho. His mind was a mess. He wasn't fully awake yet, he wasn't ready to process or understand how they'd ended up in such a precarious position overnight. But damn, he'd slept so well, despite what should have been considered an awkward position! Nevertheless, Orihime had looked just as distraught as he felt, and was, in fact, probably even more so.

"I'm fine!" Orihime called a little too quickly, her voice more shrill than usual. Her alarm was silenced a moment later, her phone clutched tightly to her chest as though the device could calm the rapid pattering of her heart. She was, in fact, standing with her back to the wall, her head braced against it, trying to calm her rattled nerves. What just happened?!

When Orihime did not reappear, Ichigo ran a nervous hand through his hair and took their mugs into the kitchen to rinse them out. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to get home to get ready for school himself. Had he overstepped their boundaries by staying? Should he have left? They hadn't talked about it, but it certainly hadn't seemed wrong… But then again, how the hell did they end up like that?! He began to question his actions until he turned around and found Orihime rounding the corner to the kitchen.

"Look, I'm sorry if I," he began right as she started, "Thank you for coming here last night."

They both stopped talking at the same time, smiles touching their faces before they dissolved into a fit of nervous laughter that brought a fresh pepper of pink to their cheeks. "You were saying," Orihime interrupted, fully wanting to hear what he'd had to say.

Ichigo swallowed, fighting the urge to get closer to her as it battled with the urge to run to the opposite side of the room. Fuck, I've got to get out of here so I can think straight.

'Don't think that's the problem, King.'

For once his hollow wasn't mocking him, he was simply stating what appeared to be an honest truth. Rather than address him, he addressed Orihime. "I'm sorry if I overstepped by staying here last night," he blurted, his eyes dropping to her feet. Her bunny slippers mildly distracted him as she shuffled her feet.

"Please don't apologize," she started, coming forward to stand right in front of him, forcing him to look at her. The urge to grab his hand was strong then, so strong her fingers twitched, but she held them in check. The wild look in Ichigo's eyes made it clear he was on the verge of bolting, and in truth, she wasn't far off herself. Ending up as they had on the couch clearly signified a turning point in their friendship – or was it a relationship at this point? She didn't know, but knew that things were different between them now, no matter how much she both wanted and feared such a change. "Thank you for coming and for calming me." She took a deep breath before finishing with, "And thank you for staying."

Ichigo's eyes were flicking from one eye to the next, seeing nothing but honest appreciation in Orihime's gaze. Without thinking, he took a step closer, pulling her into the circle of his arms as though it was something he did all the time. She came easily, as though it were a practiced dance, her arms comfortably wrapping around his waist. His fingers caught in her hair, lazily pulling it between his fingers as he sighed in contentment. "You know you never have to thank me, Inoue." His voice was only a low murmur, but the timbre was so deep, Orihime shivered in his grasp. There was so much more he wanted to say, but didn't know how, so he settled for silence.

It was the ringing of Ichigo's phone that tore them apart, neither able to meet the other's eyes as they reluctantly parted. "Fuck me," he grumbled, pulling the offending device from his pocket before he realized what he'd just said in front of Orihime. His eyes shot up to hers, wide in surprise. Ah, fuck!

'Nice one, King. Way to put it out there."

'That's not what I meant, and you know it.'

'Of course I do. You're a pansy, remember? But does she?'

"Eh," he started, fumbling to come up with a hasty apology before Orihime giggled and flapped a hand at him, a pleasant dusting of pink coating her cheeks and turning the tips of her ears red. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, after all, he was just too distracted at the time to remember. Besides, at this point she was used to his colorful language. Suddenly grateful for the distraction of his phone, Ichigo nonetheless groaned upon seeing the name on his caller ID. "Yeah?"

"Where the hell are you? I thought you had school this morning?!"

Ichigo cringed at the shrill voice yelling at him through the phone. "Oh, so you suddenly care?!" he shouted back. "You guys leave me to get all the hollows last night while you're busy drinking and you act all surprised when I'm not home yet? What kind of bullshit is that?!"

Rukia audibly huffed on the other line. "There weren't that many hollows." She paused, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "And I know you're at Orihime's."

Those last six words were like a cold slap in the face. Ichigo would almost prefer a sword to the chest over the sheer sense of panic that rushed over him, but why? It wasn't like they'd done anything… Rather than let his nerves show, he retorted, "And?"

"Karin and Yuzu may not have figured out that you're not home yet, but what do you want me to say to your father? How would you like me to explain it?"

Ichigo scowled, already moving to grab Zangetsu. "You wouldn't dare," he threatened, his voice like acid. He wasn't even aware of Orihime, following his movements with wide, nervous eyes.

"Then get your ass home and get your ass to school!"

"Since when do you care so much about whether or not I go to school?!"

There was a pregnant pause on the other line, and Ichigo found himself pausing, stilling in his motions to listen closer. Rukia was acting suspicious if nothing else. Her response only proved his thoughts.

"Since I have so much actually invested in tonight,dumbass!"

Ichigo froze. Tonight? What's tonight? His hollow only got the chance to start sneering, before he inwardly gasped. Shit! That's tonight! He suddenly realized the vow he'd made to himself, all the preparations he had planned (or had not yet planned) would be coming to fruition tonight. It suddenly made the fact that they slept together so much more intimidating, made the fact that he had to spend all day at school seem daunting, and what was worse, was the fact that suddenly being in her presence shook him to his very core.

'You call that 'sleeping together?" his hollow scoffed as his eyes went wide, his mouth falling open in a silent scream of damn near panic.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime whispered, reaching forward to touch his arm and bring him back to his senses, only to cause him to all but jump into the ceiling.

"WAH!" he screamed, then winced when Orihime screeched in response.

"Fuck!" Ichigo was no longer sure who he was talking to, but quickly realized it didn't even matter. His response would be similar to just about all of them. Well, maybe except for Orihime. Trying to suppress his growing sense of panic, he turned to her first, pulling the phone away from his face as though to prevent Rukia from terrorizing him any further. "Sorry Inoue, I've gotta go! I'll see you at school!"

Orihime didn't so much as have a chance to respond before he disappeared out the front door, leaving her to sink to the floor in utter confusion, her hand held before her as though she intended to grab him and keep him from leaving.

Once outside, Ichigo burst into a flash step, all but screaming into his phone, "I'm on my way, damn it! Tell Kon if he lets it out that I'm not there, I'll make sure he spends the next week in Yuzu's room!"

On the other line, Rukia laughed, the sound normally bright and cheerful, but bringing a feeling of impending dread to Ichigo's stomach instead. "Fine." Ichigo had already hung up before she fully got the word out of her mouth.


Bursting through the door of his own home moments later, Ichigo all but ran face-first into his father. Rather than attack him, catch him, or stop him, Isshin simply stepped to the side, allowing his son to bolt up the stairs unmolested. His quiet, "Late night, huh?" was the only indication he gave to his son that he knew he had never come home.

"Shit," Ichigo cursed, all but slamming the door behind him. 'He knows…'

'Are you kidding me? Of course he knows.'

Movement from his bed drew Ichigo's attention, and before Kon could make things worse, Ichigo jumped back into his body, his bed creaking loudly in protest. His jump was poorly timed in his panic, Kon in the process of getting up, and he ended up sliding right off the side of the bed and onto the floor, landing hard on his butt with a grunt.

A cackle of laughter greeted his ears from the next room and Ichigo did his best to ignore it, as Kon suddenly smacked him upside the head with one tiny stuffed paw. "Nice to see you too, Ichigo!" Kon pouted, folding his stuffed arms across his chest and turning his head away.

Ichigo glowered at the Mod Soul. "Not my fault you decided to enter my body without permission," he snapped.

"Not my fault you left it alone for so long, unattended!" Kon retorted. "I was just doing my job!"

A frown touched Ichigo's features at Kon's words and he sighed, dropping his head back against his bed and closing his eyes in exasperation. This was not the way to start the day, and he still had so much left to do before the dance tonight! If only he didn't have school today…

He had barely settled his frayed nerves before a sharp knock resounded on his door, quickly followed by Rukia. Ichigo picked his head up off the bed and glowered at her from his position on the floor, his legs all akimbo. "Ever hear of knocking?"

Rukia rose one eyebrow at him and folded her arms across her chest. She looked a little paler than usual. "I did knock."

As though he were dealing with an irrational child, Ichigo drooped his head to one side. "I mean more than once."

"Why? In case you're in here doing something naughty?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ichigo reached back onto the bed and grabbed the closest thing he could find, which happened to be Kon, and hurled it at her face. "Fuck off."

"ICHIGOOOO!" Kon cried, until Rukia easily caught him in her arms and he beamed. "Good morning, Rukia!"

Barely serving him a smile, Rukia half-hazardly tossed Kon back onto the floor near Ichigo's feet. "How did it go with your dad?" she asked, as though nothing had just happened.

Ichigo forced himself to his feet and to his closet, pointedly ignoring Kon. Since Rukia had moved into her own room, he had more room in his closet again – too bad the same could not be said for his privacy. "Oddly well," he mumbled, hiding the warmth in his cheeks by keeping himself busy in the closet, looking for clean clothes for school.

"And how did it go last night?" she jeered, ribbing him with her elbow.

Finally stepping back and looking at her properly, Ichigo scowled, fully appreciating the dark circles beneath Rukia's eyes and the way her hair was no longer parted the way it usually was. He could all but smell the alcohol on her. "Clearly not as well as yours," he chided, closing his closet with finality.

Scoffing, Rukia stepped back and stomped her foot. She'd be damned if she'd let Ichigo have the last word. "Just shut up and get ready for school."

Cocking an eyebrow, Ichigo nonetheless did as bid, but only because he was going to do so anyway. "In a hurry for me to leave?"

"If you don't want me to kill you, you will!" she snapped, shoving him from the room.

Smiling ruefully, Ichigo realized he'd found a button he could finally push. Rukia kept herself fairly controlled most of the time – Renji was her one exception. His smile fell when he realized he was not so dissimilar. Orihime was his exception, his true weakness as it were. Warmth flooded his entire being, making his face flush when he remembered waking up to her laying on top of him. Of course he'd panicked, but so had she. That didn't mean he enjoyed it any less… Shaking his head, he turned the shower on and jumped in, not waiting for the water to entirely warm up. He had to hurry.


Orihime didn't know how long she sat on her floor, staring at the door as though it would bring Ichigo back. He'd left so suddenly… Lowering her eyes to her hands, clasped in her lap, she felt herself flush all over again. Despite her shock, she couldn't deny how much she'd enjoyed waking up with him. She couldn't even say 'next to him' considering she'd been on top of him! It should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. She'd felt warm and safe in his arms and had dreamt of nothing – something that had not happened since her return from Hueco Mundo. There was no way to prove it, but it seemed like he enjoyed it just as much as she did, judging by the fact that his grip had tightened on her the moment she tried to move away.

A quiet notification from her phone broke her free of her trance, her phone lying forgotten on the ground at her side. As though she expected to receive bad news, she picked up the device carefully, unlocking the screen and immediately seeing a message from Rukia.

"I don't know what you did, but Ichigo is a mess this morning!" A winking face followed.

Staring at the message in shock, Orihime didn't know how to answer. Had she done something? If she did, what was it?! Was he mad?! If Rukia was sending her a winking face, he couldn't be mad, right? He'd hugged her right before he left, dragging his fingers soothingly through her hair… He wouldn't have done that if he was somehow upset with her… Still, the little blue men wouldn't leave the thought alone and when she finally got to her feet, her legs were shaking.

"I hope I didn't upset him," she finally replied.

Rukia looked at Orihime's response with mixed feelings. She could hear Ichigo in the shower, and when she heard something fall, she heard him curse loudly. Yeah, he certainly isn't himself this morning, she mused. "I don't think you could upset him if you tried."

Gathering her own uniform to head to the shower, Orihime chose to change the subject. She couldn't think about Ichigo and focus. She couldn't think about him and not think about their kiss in her dream, or the way it felt to lay with him on the couch, waking up with him. It was all too much. "Are you going to be at school today?"

Looking at Orihime's message, Rukia smiled ruefully. "Oh, you two are a bunch of idiots," she muttered, getting to her feet once her decision was finally made. "You bet!" She had to hurry if she was going to make it in time…

Rather than give Ichigo the benefit of knowing her plan, Rukia stealthily waited until he bolted out the front door, yelling a hasty goodbye to his sisters and ignoring her presence entirely. She couldn't say she blamed him, she was finding it all too entertaining and easy to mess with him of late – which was definitely not usually the case. Waiting until he turned the corner and was gone from sight, Rukia sent a quick text to Renji and stepped out after him, unaware of Isshin watching everything unfold from the upstairs window of the clinic, a wide grin crossing his features.


Orihime waited for as long as she dared, glancing at the clock on her phone every thirty seconds as her nerves wound tighter and tighter. She'd rushed through her morning routine, unaware of how much time she'd wasted sitting on the floor until she realized she had to leave within twenty minutes or be late for school. Ichigo had left in such a rush, they hadn't said proper goodbyes, but he had made it a point to say he'd see her at school – which meant he would not be walking her to school. It was perhaps the first day in what felt like a very long time (but in fact was a pretty short time) that she had to look forward to a lone walk, and the idea unsettled her more than she cared to admit. Nevertheless, although she wanted to see Ichigo so much it hurt, she was also terrified – Rangiku's text message part of the reason for her fear.

"Morning, Sunshine! Are you ready for tonight?"

Still wrapped in a towel, Orihime had frowned at her phone in confusion, her head cocking to the side. "What's tonight?" she asked, not having enough time to try and figure it out herself as she hurried to dry herself and put on her school uniform.

Rangiku's response was practically immediate. "What's tonight? Are you kidding me?! It's Valentine's Day! The dance!"

Orihime all but dropped her phone in shock. Of course! How did she let that slip her mind?! "Oh gosh! Of course!" Her squeal of both excitement and panic all but came across in that short response.

"Rukia and Renji are going to school today, but would it be okay if I stayed at your place and got some stuff ready? I want to have everything there so we can start ASAP."

Suddenly discussing details of the dance sent Orihime's heart into a nervous arrhythmia. Her heart hammered in her chest as she thought about the chocolates in her fridge, the dress hanging in her closet, and the fact that Ichigo was going to be cooking them all dinner before taking her to the dance. Oh gosh, we're going to the dance… Together! A pleasant warmth spread throughout her chest, starting with the tightly wound organ that was her heart before pooling throughout the rest of her, making her hands feel so tingly it was hard to focus on the tasks remaining to get herself ready for school; and when she looked up into the mirror to take care of her hair, she was not even surprised to see the pink peppering her cheeks.

"Hello? Earth to Orihime?" Rangiku sent another message a few moments later, rightfully figuring the auburn-haired healer had gotten too distracted to answer.

Shaken back to reality, Orihime nearly dropped her brush in surprise at the sound of her phone going off once again. Rangiku's message made her smile before she typed out a hasty reply and resolutely decided to ignore her phone so she could get ready. "Come over whenever you need to, Rangiku-chan!"

That conversation had been less than five minutes before. Now faced with the need to leave, Orihime's eyes landed on the couch, and she flushed anew. How were things going to be between them now? Were things going to be different? She didn't want things to change, even though she did. What she was most terrified of, was the prospect of things becoming awkward between them – which they'd certainly started to turn that way… and that was before she'd remembered the dance was that evening and her entire body had flamed with embarrassment and excitement. She couldn't wait to give him his chocolates, and yet she was terrified to do so, couldn't wait to dance with him even though she was certain her nerves would get the best of her and she'd wind up either falling or stepping all over his feet.

Looking at her phone one last time, Orihime sighed and stuffed the device in the pocket of her coat before pulling her hat low over her ears. In celebration of the day, she'd opted to wear a red beanie and her thigh-high socks had pink hearts at the top. Part of her wanted to take the chocolates to school, and she turned to look back at the fridge as though it were a good idea; but then she thought of Ichigo's face, and what might happen once she gave them to him, and she turned away, resolutely locking the door behind her before heading to school.


Even though he nearly ran to school, Ichigo was almost late, bolting inside the building just as the warning bell rang. He would have arrived sooner, actually running to school, if not for the messages from Renji. In hindsight, he should have just ignored them, but he had been too wound up all morning to think clearly, and Renji's jabs and inuendo had nearly proven too much for the Substitute Soul Reaper to handle.

Just before reaching homeroom, Ichigo rounded the corner and all but froze, mere millimeters away from running straight into the woman that had him so discombobulated. He both was and wasn't surprised to see Orihime equally rushing, her long auburn hair flipping over her shoulder as she squeaked in surprise, her hands flying up in front of her to keep her from running into him. His hands automatically came up to steady her and keep her from falling – even though they had not so much as bumped into each other.

"Oh! Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime beamed, nervously brushing her hair back behind her ear and removing her hands from his chest. She was not so distracted that she did not notice his coat was unzipped and he felt unusually warm. Did he run here?

"Inoue!" he whisper-shouted, pulling his hands back almost as though she had burned him. He immediately regretted it, for her face fell along with her eyes, causing him to actually flinch at his own reaction. Her look of despair was gone a moment later, the light back in her eyes when she smiled back up at him.

"I'm glad you weren't late."

Even though his nerves were singing, every fiber of his being on hyper-alert with Orihime so near after setting him into such disarray, he found himself lost in the storms of her eyes. He had always known she had a surprising range of facial expression, but only recently was he seeing just how expressive her eyes could be all by themselves; and that lured him as though it were his own personal gravity. "You too," he mumbled, pulling his eyes away when he felt his face heating up. He couldn't be seen looking so flustered!

Laughter from down the hall shocked them back into the present, the two jumping before Ichigo awkwardly cleared his throat and opened the door for her. "After you."

Scarcely suppressing a giggle, Orihime quickly entered the room first, ducking her head in a tiny bow as she swept past him. Even though they exchanged no further words, she was cognizant of his presence at her back, following her closely but not too close, to his own seat.

She was immediately pulled from her thoughts by Tatsuki's greeting; the martial arts expert waiting for the healer and standing next to her empty seat.

"Orihime! Where have you been? You're never this late." Even before she was finished with her reprimand, Tatsuki's dark brows furrowed, recalling the last time she was indeed nearly late. Her gaze immediately cut to Ichigo's back, her eyes flashing in a glare that he was oblivious to.

Shrugging, Orihime's eyes naturally gravitated towards Ichigo as he unceremoniously dumped his bag on the floor before shrugging out of his coat. He caught her eye in the process, and for a moment her breath froze in her throat before they both immediately looked away. Trying to radiate a sense of calm and hide her nervousness, Orihime quickly pulled her hat from her head and ran her fingers through her hair before she was able to look at her best friend once more. "Sorry, Tatsuki-chan. It's been an interesting morning."

Tatsuki's brow furrowed. She did not miss the glance Orihime sent Ichigo's way, despite the fact that she had also been watching him from the corner of her eye. "What do you mean, interesting?"

They were interrupted by their teacher's entrance, quickly followed by the bell; and Tatsuki had no choice but to move back to her seat, poking Ichigo sharply in the back as she walked by. Orihime scarcely registered Ichigo's sharp retort at Tatsuki's treatment – she was too busy heaving a quiet sigh of relief, not at all sure what she would have or could have said to her best friend. Tatsuki may know of her feelings for Ichigo, but it did not mean she would condone them sleeping together on her couch…

Willing her nerves to settle, she set her bag down beside her chair and looked up at the feeling of eyes on her. She froze, like a deer in headlights, when Ichigo's molten chocolate gaze met hers. In that moment, she could feel it – the shift, the awkwardness she was so afraid of – slipping in between them; but there was also something more, something else that flooded her heart with a pleasant heat, feeling like it was being squeezed near to bursting when she noticed his cheeks darkening. Ichigo didn't blush, so the fact that he was set a pleasant fluttering throughout her stomach. The glance lasted only a moment before they both turned away, Orihime anxiously pulling her hair over her shoulder as she heard Ichigo clear his throat. It was going to be a long day…


They were on their way to gym, their last class before lunch, when two familiar figures joined their crowd. Rukia was practically grinning from ear to ear as they joined their small group with perfected ease.

"Rukia-chan!" Orihime exclaimed, bouncing happily onto her toes at the appearance of the tiny Shinigami and her tall, red-headed boyfriend. "I was wondering when you were going to show up!"

Ichigo and Tatsuki looked at Orihime as though she had a few screws loose, but kept quiet.

Still smiling, all evidence of her previous hangover gone, Rukia nudged the auburn-haired healer in the side. "Had a few things to take care of, Orihime. It's nothing to worry about."

Renji was suddenly beside Ichigo, and his frown only deepened. "Why do I get the feeling the two of you are up to no good?" Ichigo groaned, the guys separating from the girls as they headed into the locker rooms.

Feigning indignance, Renji put a hand to his chest as though wounded. "Kurosaki! Do you really think so little of me?"

Deadpanned, Ichigo didn't even look at him; instead focusing on spinning the lock on his locker to the proper combination. "Yeah."

The spark that had been so bright in Renji's eye only a moment before slightly dimmed, his shoulders falling at Ichigo's lack of response. "Come on, Man," he groaned.

Uryu was calm, already taking his uniform top off to change into his gym clothes. "Come on, Abarai. You usually aren't this excitable." His eyes narrowed behind flashing glasses. "What are you planning?"

Thankful to get the attention off of himself, Ichigo sighed inwardly and quickly changed into his gym clothes, Chad doing the same beside him. He was so used to Chad's silence, that when his deep voice rumbled, he nearly jumped. It was going to be a long day…

"I agree with Ishida. You're acting strange."

"Well, geez, I didn't know you guys thought so highly of me," Renji grumbled, managing to quickly change into the spare gym clothes Ichigo had managed to smuggle in for him for when he decided to "attend" school. Despite his tone of voice, he was smiling when he looked up at them once again, his ponytail somehow not disturbed in the least. "Don't worry, you'll thank me later."

Confused, and not sure he liked where this was heading, Ichigo simply scowled, choosing to keep quiet as he exited the locker room. Uryu and Chad quickly followed, leaving Renji to have to hurry to catch up.


While Renji taunted the boys in the boys' locker room, Rukia was all smiles in the girls' locker room, purposefully oblivious to Orihime's red face as they changed. Tatsuki was distracted, as per usual, in keeping Chizuru away from Orihime while she tried to change quickly, keeping her back to the hungry eyes of the other woman. This was not the first time Rukia had witnessed such an ordeal, but it never ceased to raise an eyebrow as she tugged her shirt down and looked over Orihime's shoulder at the practically drooling red head.

"She always like this?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low, despite the fact that it would have been nearly impossible to hear her over Tatsuki's aggravated shouts of, "Damn it, Honsho!"

Her cheeks darkening even more, Orihime quietly nodded as she pulled her hair up. When she said nothing, Rukia took a stern step forward, her eyes flashing with deadly intent. "You want me to handle her?"

Rukia's sharp tone of voice brought Orihime's eyes up, widened in shock. "What do you mean? No!" she whisper-shouted, shoving her locker door shut and spinning Rukia around by the shoulders. Without giving the tiny Shinigami time to react, she steered her towards the exit, shouting a quick, "Thank you, Tatsuki-chan!" over her shoulder.

"For the love of!" was her only answer, followed by a dull thud. Orihime cringed but didn't look back as they exited the locker room and entered the gym.

Memories of the last time they were in the gym flooded her then, and Orihime's grip slackened on Rukia's shoulders with a quiet intake of breath; her sneakers squeaking on the polished floor as she stumbled to a sudden stop. Catching sight of Ichigo on the other side of the gym did nothing to help her suddenly constricted throat, her heart palpitating wildly in her chest at the memory of his hand gently clamped over her mouth to shush her, his other arm pulling her tightly against him in order to keep them from being discovered ditching class in the darkness of the gym. Unbidden, her hand came up to brush against her cheek, the side he'd all but pressed his own cheek to in an effort to whisper in her ear. So much had changed between them since then, it seemed nearly impossible.

Feeling Orihime's grip slip off of her, Rukia turned to glance over her shoulder with a raised brow. Upon taking in Orihime's appearance – slack-jawed, red in the face, and with her hand pressed to her cheek – she immediately followed her gaze and was not at all surprised to see Ichigo on the other end – his back currently to them. Did something happen between them in the gym? She couldn't help but wonder, and immediately grabbed Orihime's wrist to pull her over to the small circle of guys.

Flustered, Orihime almost dug her heels in to resist Rukia's insistent pulling, but the woman was strong for her size and Orihime had no choice but to be dragged over to where Ichigo, Renji, Chad, Uryu, Mizuiro, and Keigo stood. Some of them were beginning to stretch, Renji watching with a quirked eyebrow, while Ichigo frowned and pointedly tried to ignore something Keigo appeared to be whining about.

For not regularly attending school or really understanding all of the ins and outs of daily school life, Rukia was incredibly adept at reading the situations they faced every day as students. As though they were present every time they had gym, she all but shoved Orihime into the small space between Ichigo and Renji; taking up the other side of the small vacancy she created next to Renji. Uryu and Chad automatically backed up to create more room in their irregular circle.

Her mind still in the past, Orihime was not prepared for the sudden shove, her feet tangling up in each other as she squealed in surprise. The sound no sooner left her mouth than Ichigo turned, prepared to catch her should it be necessary, but she managed to regain her balance at the last moment with the aid of his arm.

Their gym clothes were all the same – black shorts and white t-shirts that for once did not have to be tucked in. This meant that Ichigo's forearm was bare when she grasped it, the sensation of his skin against hers (even if it was just her hand against his arm) sending a bolt of electricity up Orihime's arm that set free the butterflies in her stomach. Once again, she was reminded of the sensation of grasping a piece of iron, his muscles were so firm beneath her grip, but this time she could feel the way he instantly tensed at her touch. Even so, he did not pull away, but kept his arm taut for her to regain her balance on until she stepped away. It was difficult to pull away, despite the fact that she was still having trouble meeting and holding his gaze after the morning they'd had.

"I don't know how much you pay Arisawa-san, but you might want to consider paying her more," Rukia teased quietly to Ichigo.

His brows furrowing, Ichigo stepped closer to Rukia, which meant closer to Orihime. He tried to pay it no mind as she took a small, shuffled step back. "What are you talking about?"

Rukia pointedly looked to Orihime, who blushed furiously and looked at the ground while the Shinigami replied, "I had no idea changing for gym was such an ordeal."

Ichigo's mouth immediately opened with a retort that just as quickly morphed into a question, his mind and hollow running with her words. What the fuck?! Despite himself, he felt the back of his neck warming and his belly tightening at the thought of Orihime changing for gym. The fact that she was close enough beside him he could smell the light strawberry scent of her shampoo did nothing to help him.

'Ah ha! I knew you had it in you!'

Scarcely able to suppress the cringe at both his own thoughts and his hollow's, Ichigo clenched his hands into fists and grumbled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Rukia wasn't given the chance to answer, for the women in question joined the circle, Tatsuki's face abnormally red and Chizuru's short red hair a mess; even her glasses were slightly askew on her face.

"Sorry," Tatsuki breathed, pushing her hair out of her face with an uncharacteristic huff of annoyance.

Ichigo eyed her as though seeing her for the first time. What the hell is going on?!

Chizuru opened her mouth to argue with Tatsuki's apology but was silenced when Tatsuki took a threatening step forward, pointing an angry finger at the other woman. "Not another word out of you, Honsho! Or I'll make sure you can't even make it to the dance tonight," she growled.

As though a lightbulb had gone off above his head, Ichigo's brows shot up in recognition, his mouth falling open before settling into a grim line. Without even knowing he was doing it, he took a step in front of Orihime, partially concealing her behind him as he leveled Chizuru with an even more threatening glare. It hadn't been that long ago that he'd realized he wanted to hit anyone who looked at Orihime inappropriately (or in fact for longer than a glance), despite the fact that he had no right to feel that way; and that did not eliminate Chizuru, regardless of her gender. If that were the only issue, he could handle it easy enough. In fact some of the looks he often saw her get had seemed to diminish over the past week, and as cautious as he wanted to be about admitting it, he was suspicious that their increased proximity and time spent together had something to do with it – he knew he had a certain kind of reputation, after all. What set him off the most, what made his hollow's strength flow strongly through his veins, was the fact that Chizuru's advances were so brazen – nearly forceful – and very clearly not wanted, despite how polite Orihime tried to be about it. "What?" he snarled, his voice deep and rough while his lip curled up in disgust.

While Ichigo's reaction both was and wasn't expected by many members of the group, nearly everyone looked up at him in alarm, taking a small step back to be further away from his suddenly raging reiatsu. Even those who couldn't sense his reiatsu could feel the malice emanating from his very being and took an even larger step back than the others. For the first time since her obsession with Orihime began, Chizuru looked downright afraid, actually holding her hands up in front of herself as though she expected Ichigo to attack. Meanwhile, Orihime found her chest too constricted to breathe properly, her eyes wide as she stared up at Ichigo's broad back in front of her. He had dropped his stance, his arms held slightly away from his body as though preparing for a fight.

The tense silence was shattered by the shrill whistle of the gym teacher and whatever was going to be said or done between them was lost as he called the class to attention. "Right! Everyone, to your places! It's time to warm up!"

While the rest of their class started moving to their assigned spots on the court for warm up, the group surrounding Ichigo and Chizuru could not move, their eyes glued to the two as though they were about to witness history.

Another whistle broke the silence, quickly followed by the coach's booming voice. "I said places!" he shouted.

While the others finally listened, hurrying to jog to their spots, Ichigo was still rooted in place, acting like a physical barrier between Chizuru and Orihime. He was so singularly focused, that only Orihime's gentle tug on the back of his shirt shook him from his thoughts. "Kurosaki-kun," she pled, her cheeks burning at the knowledge that he was acting like this because of her.

Chizuru took the chance presented by Ichigo's break in concentration to run to her spot, hugging herself to rid her body of the chills Ichigo's dark glare iced her with.

"Did you really have to poke the bear?" Renji muttered, his red eyes surprisingly dark with disapproval when he looked down at Rukia.

"Sorry! I didn't expect him to lose his shit," she hissed in reply.

"Really?" Uryu cut in, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "We are talking about Kurosaki Ichigo, right?"

Realizing her mistake, Rukia lowered her gaze, but she still didn't regret it. If anything spoke so loudly about how Ichigo felt about Orihime, it was how fiercely he protected her, no matter what it was from.

"Kurosaki! Inoue! Extra laps! Now!" the coach boomed, his face a deep and purply red in his anger at continually being ignored.

The sound of Orihime's name being shouted successfully broke Ichigo from his moment of madness and he turned over his shoulder with a flinch, finally realizing Orihime had stayed behind in an effort to bring him back to his senses. "Shit," he cursed. Partially turning toward her, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

When he'd started turning towards her, Orihime's grip had brushed against his side and her heart skipped one of its wildly frantic beats. They'd been touching a lot lately, sure, but suddenly everything felt so much more significant, and therefore scary since he stayed the night. Afraid to look into his eyes and give herself away, she immediately dropped his shirt and took off at a run, leaving Ichigo to look after her, bewildered, before he was forced to follow or risk even more laps as punishment.

While everyone else did some mild warm up exercises, Ichigo and Orihime ran; Ichigo making sure to give Orihime the space she seemed to be craving even though he could easily run past her. They had done over ten laps around the gym before the coach released everyone else to run ten laps to finish warming up. As shoes squeaked on the floor and quiet conversation broke out amongst the students, coach turned on some music. "I know many of you can't even listen to what I'm saying because of this dance tonight," he started, and many girls giggled. "So, we're going to keep it light today. I don't see any reason in making you all sore before your big night." A quiet cheer and a few claps and whoops of appreciation broke out amongst the students. "How do you feel about some volleyball?" There was a ruckus of approval. "Boys against girls?" he offered.

"That's sexist!" one girl shouted.

"Oh, come on! We can beat the guys!" another girl shouted back.

Rukia and Renji, who were easily running alongside each other, looked at each other with a grin. "Oh, if they only knew," Renji murmured.

Rukia simply high-fived him, her eyes flashing as she laughed.


A/N and disclaimer: This chapter came off with a little more hating on Chizuru than I intended, but it just happened to work out that way. I in no way hate Chizuru, or disagree with how she feels about Orihime – to each their own. The story just evolved on its own and went down that road. I hope it didn't offend anyone, and if it did, I apologize. It was not my intent, sometimes (or often in my case) stories go more where they want and less where we "dictate" them to go lol. I hope you were able to enjoy over-protective Ichigo once more!

As always, I do not own Bleach or any of the characters. They all belong to Tite Kubo, who needs a lesson in romance.