A couple of you mentioned that the last chapter was short, but…it was not the shortest chapter I've written for this story, teehee. Nonetheless, I am glad you all liked it. Onto the next!

Doctor Inoue Orihime was perched atop her desk, hands wrapped around her crossed legs. There seemed to be some sort of shonen resting on the tops of her knees, her stubby nose inches away from the pages. Her eyes darted right to left at an incredibly rapid pace, making Uryu slightly dizzy.

After hooking Uryu up to a sedative-infused IV, she had stayed by his side the entire night as he waded in and out of consciousness.

The sluggish crawl of medication had effectively subdued the burning pain in Uryu's body. All that was left was for him to, quite literally, poop out the screw and hand it off to Kurosaki – who would come around to P.I at dawn.

All said and done, he was quite impressed with his damage control.

Noticing he was coming to, Orihime kicked herself off the counter and came up to examine him. She had shrugged off her coat and scrubs, no doubt due to the humidity of the infirmary. Underneath her tank top, he could see the rounded curves of her biceps, the straight lines of her wrists and fingers. Uryu was mildly impressed. Beneath the timid exterior, there was a strength this woman seemed to possess that was quite apt for a penitentiary.

"How are we feeling?" she asked softly, fussing with the IV, before regarding him with a questioning murmur. "Any pain? Discomfort?"

"I'm quite alright, thank you, Dr. Inoue," Uryu assured her. He could see her biting her lip, wrestling with whatever she was thinking about. Her hairpins, sitting neatly on her head, twinkled in the low light. "I see my handicrafts are being put to good use," he pointed out.

Orihime smiled. "Yes, I never got to thank you, did I?"

Uryu shook his head. "I owed Kurosaki a favor. Besides, I think the make is quite fascinating. It was a good use of my time."

She patted his forehead, checked for a fever or any other concerning symptoms, then drew up her chair by his bedside. When she sat down, her eyes were grave. "What you did tonight, Ishida-san," she started, crossing her arms on her lap, "You could have seriously compromised your health. If I didn't know...If I didn't know what I know, I would have labelled your behavior as self-destructive."

Uryu frowned. She was right, obviously. Despite the protective covering of the condom, there was always the chance of the makeshift tool piercing an organ, rupturing an important muscle somewhere. But, there was also the chance of success – and Uryu was a man who wasn't above taking chances every once in a while.

He observed the doctor under the slanting light of the window. While she seemed mild-tempered, well-meaning, he couldn't yet figure out her motivations. Her character. And if Kurosaki was going to be blinded by his affection for her, Uryu supposed it was his responsibility to cover bases, find out if a contingency had to be put in place.

"I'm sure, doctor," he started slowly, "that you of all people understand what it's like to make compromises for the sake of love."

He glanced at her, tried to see how she would take it.

Orihime's head perked up in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Uryu leaned forward, observing her with a questioning eye. "It's been a few days since Kurosaki practically revealed the entirety of our plans to you," he said, watching her eyes grow wider, "Now, you and I both know that, even though he didn't reveal our names, most cellmates escape together. And after the events of last night, you have enough evidence to implicate us. It would have been perfectly in your right as a prison staff to do so. You didn't."

Orihime spluttered, "Well, I…" She fiddled with her fingers.

Uryu gave her a wry smile. "You're protecting him, regardless of the fact that you're on a break," he mused, leaning back into his pillow. "I find that admirable, considering your doubts about your relationship."

Orihime chewed her lips and sighed. "I came here because I wanted to help, Ishida-san," she admitted, "That hasn't changed, even–even if I'm unsure of other things."

Uryu nodded, then cleared his throat. "Dr. Inoue, I know Kurosaki can seem like a blithering fool sometimes, and I definitely understand your rightful concerns about his intentions, but he does feel very strongly for you," he said, slightly uncomfortable at all this talk about feelings, but finding it necessary when he saw her cheeks darken. "The only reason he appealed his case all those times was because his sisters pleaded with him. The night of the storm, he wasn't even aware of the vent's existence. And when he did find out, he only used it because your life was at stake." He pushed his glasses up at his nose, a slight frown on his face. "I might not agree with Kurosaki all the time, but he is a man that has always put the happiness of the ones he loves above himself, even if it...hurts his own desires sometimes."

"He never told me he didn't know about the vent," Orihime mentioned, feeling slightly incredulous. But knowing Ichigo, she honestly should have seen it coming. "He made it seem like...he'd been sitting on it for a while."

"You might have noticed that your boyfriend can be a bit of an idiot sometimes," Uryu chuckled when she let out a giggle, then sobered. "I don't doubt that you will be patient with him, Dr. Inoue, and I know it would be a lot to ask but please, please don't punish him by ratting us out. I...the man I love is sitting on a ticking time bomb. I cannot fail him, not when I've come this far."

Orihime shook her head, bringing her hand to squeeze Uryu's like she had with Chad. "I have no intentions of punishing anyone, Ishida-san," she said softly, "Especially not Ichigo."

He nodded, feeling a sliver of relief. He examined his hands, beginning to drift off as the silence of the room and his exhaustion pulled him in. He was interrupted, however, by a small laugh.

He raised his eyebrows. "Is everything alright?"

Orihime shook her head. "Sorry, it's just a little surreal for me to be sitting here with you," she explained, "I used to work under your father and it's a little surprising how...similar you two are."

Uryu made a face. "I would hardly say that," he said, scorned. But now that she had mentioned it, he did vaguely remember a clumsy and good-spirited 'Inoue' that had followed his father around Tokyo General. He regarded her strangely. "If my memory serves me right, he yelled at you all the time."

She laughed, eyes bright with...nostalgia, it seemed. Well, that made one of them, Uryu thought bitterly.

"He did," she agreed. "But he also wrote my recommendation before I came here, so there's that!" She paused, biting her lip. "I...it seemed like your departure really upset him, Ishida-san. He never told me explicitly, but I spent a lot of time with him, and I could feel it."

Uryu scoffed. "My father has never cared about anyone but himself, Dr. Inoue," he said. "I assure you, any 'upset' he might have shown would only be in regards to his reputation."

Orihime shook her head and patted him on the shoulder. "If there's anything I learned tonight, it's that sometimes the people that love us have a hard time communicating it," she giggled at his agreeing scoff. "I'm going to leave you be. Let you catch up on your rest."

Uryu felt the first stir of something in his stomach. "Actually, Dr. Inoue." He had to fight himself to keep a grin from spreading on his face. "I think I need to use the bathroom."

x.x

As dawn broke out, Ichigo felt the weariness press into his bones with an ache that was starting to seem almost permanent. The entirety of his night had been spent still and sleepless as Chad tossed and turned and mumbled in his sleep. When the man had said goodbye to Ichigo in the morning, his eyes had been gaunt.

Ichigo came up to the mouth of the ward, just as a day doctor was leaving it. She held the door open for him, so he picked up his pace and nodded his thanks at her. Over his view of the glass door, he spotted Ishida – seemingly asleep. On the opposite end, Orihime was brushing her hair with her fingers, in front of the grainy mirror.

His heart lodged in his throat at the sight. It was still early; her work day hadn't officially begun yet, so she was still in a light tank top, the dark green drawstring of her scrubs pressing over her belly. Her hair, long and dark, fell down her back as she turned to scrutinize its length in the mirror.

She hadn't seen him yet, he discerned, because she frowned and then blew an air kiss to herself in the mirror. If he hadn't been groggy and worried out of his mind last night, he was sure a chuckle would have spilled out of him at the sight.

Instead, he settled for clearing his throat.

Orihime whirled on her heel almost immediately, nearly knocking over a table with all sorts of tools arranged on it. She quickly steadied it, then stared at him, her mouth slightly hanging open. "Kurosaki-san?"

"H-hey," he said, forcibly dragging his gaze away from hers. He jerked his head towards the bed. "How is he?"

Orihime came up to him slowly, following his gaze. "Well, he's gotten adequate meds and sleep in his system," she explained softly, before turning back to Ichigo with a small smile. "He passed motion twice, once last night and once this morning, so he should be alright for discharge by the end of the day, or tomorrow morning at the latest."

Ichigo nodded, feeling the lump in his throat pass with a huge gust of relief. He stared down at Orihime, fingers itching with this odd ache to reach out to her. He resisted it by clenching his fists.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, "for everything."

Everything, he thought, feeling his eyes burn.

Orihime shook her head. "I was just doing my job," she said quietly, and...had she inched closer? He could have sworn for a second that she had. That she was standing way too close for comfort, but she had sprung back and was now regarding him curiously, so the moment was broken before it even began. If there was a moment at all.

"Uh," Ichigo said, feeling heat carrying through his pulse. This wasn't fair. He took a deep breath. "So, what's on the agenda for P.I today?"

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Oh, I can't do this anymore," she cried, grabbing his wrist and dragging him over to the counter. He opened his mouth, then closed it when he saw her eyes shining up at him. "I've been thinking about us. A lot. And Ishida-san talked to me last night as well."

Ichigo blinked rapidly, like that would clear out the fog in his ears. "What? Ishida said something?"

She nodded, then sighed. "Ichigo, I'm sorry I doubted you, that was a horrible thing for me to do–"

"Don't say that," he interjected roughly, "You had every reason not to believe me." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, I shouldn't have been a coward in making my feelings clearer. I'm sorry, Orihime"

Orihime frowned. "So," she started, "We're both sorry?"

Ichigo chuckled awkwardly. "I guess?" He stared at Orihime for a moment, feeling a weight lift off his chest. When he remembered everything else, however, he frowned. "Orihime, if anyone finds out that you know about–"

She reached forward and tentatively brushed his arm, a knowing look in her eyes. His stomach warmed at the contact, but he remained still.

"I won't tell anyone," she promised firmly. "Anything that comes after that, I can deal with it."

He shook his head. "It's not fair to you," he insisted, feeling his throat get scratchy. "I can't just leave and put this all on you; it's wrong."

There was no guarantee that anything ill would befall her, but he couldn't stand the thought of people soiling her reputation and doubting her integrity. He just couldn't. Not when she was so smart, so good at what she did, so likeable –

"You can't wait two years for your appeal to go to court either," she said, crossing her arms. "Not when an innocent man is waiting for his grandson on the other side."

Ichigo gaped. "He told you everything?"

Orihime nodded, then bit her lip. "Knowing what I know...I won't lie to you, I feel really guilty about hiding it from the authorities," she confessed in a small voice, and his heart tightened. But when she looked up, her eyes were contemplative. "But I meant what I said earlier about you not deserving to be here. Even if I don't like the means, I still want that for you."

He closed his eyes. "I didn't mean for you to get involved."

Minimum casualties, he remembered himself saying, so long ago. But he should have known, should have anticipated that he'd eventually have to pay his dues for this.

And yet, he still couldn't bring himself to call it a mistake. The hesitance was all too familiar.

"You should stop worrying about me," Orihime pointed out, only half-joking.

"When hell freezes over," he growled in response.

She pouted.

"What?" he demanded.

"You can't say things like that and expect me to fall out of love with you," she complained in a small voice, staring at her fingernails to hide her deep blush. "There's no off-button for something like that."

That was all too true in his case, as well – the sweet ache behind his teeth, his fingertips, his stupid heart. It was both overwhelming and heartbreaking how they resonated and ran parallel to each other. She was just as in it as he was now, and as much as he hated the idea of her getting hurt or in trouble, he'd just have to find a way to let that not happen. His eyes blazed in determination, heart already set on renewing the vows he'd made to protect her.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he promised, cupping her face with both hands so she could look up at him. "I will protect you, Orihime."

Orihime smiled, tiptoeing as he felt his hands drawing her closer. "I'll protect you too," she whispered.

Something intense and violent swirled in his belly at her words, at the sheer sincerity and warmth of it. They'd come this far, walked into an uncertainty neither of them had anticipated. But they had done it together, all their insecurities and fears lining up like two puzzle pieces in the unlikeliest of places.

Ichigo leaned down and kissed her, hard and hungry, like they hadn't in ages. Orihime careened up to meet him, hands grabbing at his shirt. She was so dizzy, so faint, she could barely keep up with what she was doing. Ichigo's hands were warm even through her clothes, tracing the outlines of her bra, her waist, her neck...seemingly every place he could get his hands on.

"I missed you," he confessed in her ear, dragging her hair back with his hands so he could kiss her ear, the skin below it. She shivered, feeling the slightest sharp of teeth on her skin.

She tugged him backwards so her butt was half on the counter. A small part of her sounded the alarm, cried 'danger, danger!' as she kissed him back, but she'd missed him too and she'd worn her weathered heart on her sleeve for so long, the backdraft of it was too fierce to ignore. She locked her arms around his shoulders, a giddy thrill rushing through her when he hugged her back.

"I missed you too," she whispered, when they pulled apart.

"I'm sorry," he confessed, and Orihime found herself quite liking the darkening blush on his cheeks. His eyes were warm and kind, glinting so bright she could see herself in them. She shook her head, then gave him a tiny kiss on his eyebrow.

Someone cleared their throat rather loudly in the background.

Orihime slid her hands from Ichigo's neck and shoved him, hurriedly bringing her thin strap back up her shoulder. Ichigo, still stunned, stumbled a few feet backwards.

"Good morning!" she cheered to a now-awake Ishida, a little too bright and chipper for the room.

"I'll bet," Ishida said stiffly, eyes drifting back and forth between Ichigo and Orihime. For a second, none of them spoke. Ichigo, feeling slightly hysterical from the events of the previous night and this morning, almost laughed.

"I should go get started for the day," Orihime said slowly, slipping off the counter and rushing away to hide her burning face. Ichigo and Ishida watched her bolt to her office, nearly tripping on a dozen things to get there.

Ichigo sighed, before coming up to Ishida's bedside. "Ishida," he said solemnly, staring down at his friend. "How are you holdin' up?"

"I'll live," Ishida said firmly, like he had no other choice.

Ichigo nodded, then, "I...I'm sorry I called you selfish. It's pretty damn far from what you are."

Ishida's eyes widened, then relaxed. "I apologize for interfering in your relationship as well, Kurosaki," he begrudged. "It appears you and Dr. Inoue are quite, erm, invested in each other. It might be impossible to keep you apart."

Ichgio's face flamed. "I can't believe you told her everything," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "Whatever happened to lecturing me for my bullshit?"

Ishida shrugged. "She already knew half the story. I just had to make sure she was on our side." He glanced at her. "You know, I'm quite taken by her, Kurosaki."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "You two make fast friends?"

Ishida gave him a smug smirk. "I told her all my 'Kurosaki's Greatest Hits' stories, if that's what you're asking, yes."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "At this point I'm surprised she still likes me," he muttered, with a faint blush tracing his cheeks.

"Count your blessings," Ishida retorted, with a dismissive wave of his hand. Taking a quick peek around his surroundings, he withdrew his hand to his pocket and fished out the screw surreptitiously.

Ichigo reached forward, his own hand coming down to take it. When the slightly warm metal was passed over, he made a face.

"I just realized," he started slowly, "This just came from your ass, didn't it?"

Ishida spluttered, eyebrows knit in annoyance. "There have been worse things," he pointed out indignantly.

"I'll be the judge of that," Ichigo snapped, shoving the tool back in his pocket just as Orihime came back to the infirmary. "I, uh, I'm gonna go..." He tilted his head towards her.

Ishida simply snorted.

Ichigo approached her, watching as she ran her hands under the cool stream of water. She was back in her white coat again, face etched in seriousness as she slipped on her gloves and pinned up her hair. He waited for her patiently by the sink.

When she turned to him with a small smile, he straightened. "So," he said, crossing his arms. "The tasks for today…"

Orihime tapped her chin seriously, like she was thinking. Then she leaned forward secretively, turning left and right, before whispering, "Hanataro is on leave, you know."

If there was a way for all the color in his face to both fill and drain simultaneously, he was sure it was happening right now.

"Oh," he said faintly.

She grinned. "Wanna read manga with me for an hour?"

The rational side of Ichigo wanted to protest, considering he was supposed to be working and this was definitely an undue advantage. But she had this dorky grin on her face, all crinkled and toothy, and he thought: who the hell was he to deny her, anyway?

He feigned nonchalance, however, with a shrug. "As long as it's not vampire romance."

She laughed, about to leave him to go grab her book. He caught her wrist gently, however, and she made a curious noise as she halted.

"I'm glad we're talking again because," he coughed, then braved a glance at her, "I did something...uh, I arranged for them to show Godzilla this Friday–and I know you've probably been on better dates, but–"

"I'd love to," she said earnestly, her eyes brimming with nothing but enthusiasm.

Ichigo's eyes widened, scrutinizing her face for judgment or pity. But there was none of it. He nodded, lips struggling to fight a half-smile.

"So," he heaved a sigh, "about that manga you were talking about…"

One part of me that struggled (and still struggles) with this fic was the part of me that was trying to balance the shy/reserved nature of Ichigo and Orihime with their forwardness. Considering they are older now, have dated other people who are not each other, and are in prison, I am hoping this story comes off as in-character for this AU.

I also know a couple of you probably expected the conflict between Ichigo and Orihime to go on a little longer, but I don't like dragging drama on for the sake of it and y'all know you like seeing your faves being cute and making out anyway so….*shrugs*

If you've read this far, thanks. Hope you're liking the story.