Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters but they belong to their respective owners.

Orihime's POV

I twisted the key in the lock and pocketed it. The corridor outside the apartment was empty, except for Ishida-kun who is waiting patiently by the stairs for me to finish securing my apartment. Our footsteps echoed eerily through the silent corridor as we descended the dimly lit staircase leading to the ground floor.

I breathed a sigh of relief for we have finally managed to leave the apartment without any new embarrassing misunderstandings developing between us.

"Soul Society here we come!" I cheered at the back of my mind. Then it occurred to me, how in the world are we getting to Uruhara's store? After all, Ishida-kun did say on the phone that he would 'pick' me up.

"It must be a car…" I concluded confidently. "Though… wonder what kind of car he drives."

Images of Ishida-kun behind the wheel of various kinds of cars flashed through my mind.

'A beaten down grey 'Toyota Corona' , bright pink Chevrolet , U-haul, yellow school bus….none of the vehicles suit Ishida-kun's character. They just do not fit his image at all. The ideal car for Ishida-kun should be silver…oblong… compact and a bit sleek but not too much…not too bulky or humongous...not too fancy…or too plain either. Definitely roofless since he's that kind who seems to enjoy the feel of wind on his face while driving….'

I mentally flipped through my catalogue of cars to find the car that fits the description perfectly but the only car I found in my quick reference is a car with two wheels to give it its compact and slightly sleek look, chromium coated driving handles with blue and white ribbons flowing down by its ears, silver panel doors and a cone shape boot and engine compartment. The car reminds me of a snow pea except this snow pea does not have an outer shell and it is silver instead of green.

I nodded my head with satisfaction at the imaginary picture of Ishida-kun's car in my mind's eye. Subsequently, I begin to wonder about his driving abilities. Sado-kun once volunteered to drive a couple of us to watch the national debate at Higishima High School. We accepted the offer and piled into his gigantic maroon Land rover expecting the 'ride' of our lives. After all, he was one of the few students who owned a car. Despite the oversize car and the mean looking driver inside, Sado-kun drove with such caution that he never ever speeds over 30km/hr throughout the whole journey. Thus, we ended up arriving there just in time to witness the upraising of the beautifully ornamented gold trophy by the wining team.

'Wonder if Ishida-kun drives like Sado-kun…or does he drives over old ladies in the process of crossing the road...'

I was so absorbed with my thoughts on the lanky archer that I did not realize that I have missed a step. Losing my balance, I thrust out my hand to reach for the railings in an effort to regain my stability. Grabbing it in time, I was surprise that the railings felt warm and soft.

"Inoue-san, are you ok?" came Ishida-kun's voice from my side. My right palm nestled neatly in his left hand. "Be careful…"

I blush crimson red when I realized that I am holding onto his hands instead of the railings. "Th…Thank you, Ishida-kun. You have done so much for me today!" I manage to reply.

"No…it was nothing much," he replied his famous monotonous line.

I gave him a warm smile and stepped out into the night. The starless sky hung above us with the moon currently hidden behind a cloud. Streetlight illuminated the sidewalks.

I look around searching in anticipation for Ishida-kun's car. This is weird! There are no vehicles in sight in front of the building or anywhere up or down the street.

'Maybe…maybe… he parked his car behind….in the alley…' I reasoned out. "Or……maybe it's a special car….a prototype….where only the owner itself and really smart people can see it….like the clothes of the emperor in that fairytale….wow….never expected Ishida-kun to get one of those cars…..must have cost a fortune!"

Ishida's POV

"Would she allow me to carry her? Or would she freak out? Should I ask her first….or should I just pick her up and run? How should I pick her up…feet first….or grab her around the waist and hoist her up….or just swing her onto my back like a sling bag…..or maybe I should try the bride-on-wedding night style? Now…that is too intimate...Dammit Kurosaki Ichigo….. "

Flashback

"Osoi na…Inoue…this is not like her……."commented the orange haired Shinigami. " Ishida…maybe you should run over to her place and see what's holding her up?"

"Me...?Why me? Why don't you get Sado-kun to do it? Better still, why don't you do it yourself since you are the one worrying about her…….maybe she left already….and if she did…isn't it redundant to run all the way there?"

"Oh…now that you mentioned it, maybe we should call her first! And…if she is still at home, you can go and fetch her…..you are faster than Chado in that area…..besides…. its getting dark….you wouldn't want her to get mugged or raped on her way by a serial rapist do you?…here you go…" said Ichigo throwing his hand phone towards Ishida Uryuu, signaling the end of the conversation.

I caught the hand phone with my right hand. "Why do I have to….to…."the protest died on my lips. The owner of the store and all its employees stood at the side staring daggers at me and shaking their heads in unison; disappointment with my present attitude clearly written all over their faces. It is not like I do not want to fetch Inoue-san but why does Kurosaki get to boss me around? In fact, I am actually thrilled to be able to go by her place but why does Kurosaki has to spoil everything with his attitude?

Back to the present

'I can do this….I can do this…I can do this….' I muttered to myself. "Just explain to her calmly what the plan is…..pick her up….get her there…put her down and we are done! It's so simple. After all, I'm supposed to fetch her… right!'

"Inoue-san……"I started.

"Ano….Ishida-kun! Sugoi…Although I can't see it…..the car is nice! I like it….its really cool," she clapped her hands.

As expected, this is easier said than done! Wonder what in the world is she talking about. Car? What car? There are no cars on the road right now, so which one is she referring to?

"…..I didn't know such a car existed…..but its good… you don't have to worry about it being stolen since thieves are stupid and stupid people can't see it…"she continued.

"Huh...?"

"You don't have to look so modest about it…you should be proud of it….unless you couldn't see it too…but that's impossible since you're the owner of the car and the top student in our form…."

Hearing this, I realized that Inoue-san thinks that I drove here to pick her up in some other-worldly vehicle which is only visible to extremely bright people. Oh boy, is she going to be in for a shock!

"Inoue-san…you're mistaken…I don't have a car…I'm here to fetch you with…actually….I'm just suppose to sweep you up in my arms and carry you to Uruhara's store" I blurted out. I wish I could disappear of the face of the Earth this instant. Why did I put it that way? Ishida Uryuu do you know what that sounded like? That sounded like an excerpt from some sappy romance novel!

"…sweep… arms…carry…to Uruhara's store!" she stared at me, her cheeks slightly coloured, her eyes big and round. Under the streetlight, she looks adorable, teeming with sweetness, oozing with innocence.

'ISHIDA URYUU, YOU ARE DOING IT AGAIN!' I mentally chided myself. Why am I so sentimental all of a sudden?

I was about to open my mouth to say something when I felt it. The presence of a Hollow roughly two kilometers east from where we stood. This is definitely not a hoax. Adrenaline pumped through my body.

There is no time to worry about ethics now. I will explain it all to her later, I am sure Inoue-san would understand. Gathering spiritual energy to my legs, I sped like a bolt of lightning towards Inoue-san, literally sweeping her off her feet exactly like my words a minute ago and headed off in the direction of the Hollow.

­

­­­­­­­­Orihime's POV

'Did I just hear what I heard? Ishida-kun just said that he's going to sweep me of my feet and carry me to Uruhara's store. Someone pinch me…tell me that I'm dreaming…..'

Suddenly, Ishida-kun vanished into thin air. Without a warning, something collided into me. The wind rushed out of my lungs. The world melted into a blur, I reached out to grab something or anything that can stop its momentum. If only there is something around here! I squinted at the spot in front of me, fighting of waves of nausea. A vague pole-like structure is up ahead, within arms reach. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around it.

'Huh, where is this sweet fruity smell coming from? ...'

My eyelids feel heavy. I try to keep my eyes open but eventually my resolution crumbled and I dozed off. For some unknown reasons, the last thing running through my mind before I lost consciousness was strawberries!

Ishida's POV

I look down at Inoue-san sleeping peacefully in my arms. The Hollow is somewhere close but still rather far away. There is still time! Calmly, I rummaged through my pocket and produced my portable mini dustpan and brush. Careful not to drop Inoue-san in the process; I gave the pavement a shoddy sweep to remove the tiny pebbles and dust. I definitely do not want her to get bruises because of a single tiny mini small stone or get her beautiful hair all dusty! It would lose all its luster and shine. When the pavement was satisfactorily cleaned, I untangled Inoue-san's arms from around my neck and gently lay her down. That task accomplished, I stood up in time to see one of the Hollows bounding across the roof.

Immediately, my bow appeared in my right hand. My left hand instantly reached for the metal piece protruding out from my glove and a blue arrow forms. I cocked the bow and aimed at the flying Hollow. The arrow whistled through the air and struck the Hollow squarely on its neck, severing it.

ARRRGHHHHH…….

The Hollow let out a painful wail and explodes with a flash of light. I smirked. There goes one less Hollow in the world.

I look back down at the sleeping figure of Inoue-san. She is still sound asleep with a silly smile plastered on her face. She must be having a good dream. Ah, she looks like an angel! I wonder if there is hope for the two of us to be together.

"ICHIGOOOOOO…." Inoue-san called out suddenly, smacking her lips.

Waves of jealousy swept through me. Of course, her heart belongs to that dandelion head guy. How silly of me to even think about the possibility of that happening!

"I LOVE ICHIGO…..! YIPEEE……MORE…AND…MORE…ICHIGO!"

The sound of Inoue-san crying out in ecstasy for Kurosaki irks me even more. Maybe she is not that innocent after all! Though, that still does not change the way I feel for her. Pushing the loathsome thoughts about Kurosaki out of my mind, I stoop down and picked her up.

'Ichigo, ichigo, ichigo…..' I could hear her murmuring in her sleep.

I shook my head with disappointment and hurried on towards Uruhara's store. Feeling blue and really dejected deep inside!

Orihime's POV

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a field of strawberries. Ripe big red ones hung down from its tendrils!

"ICHIGOOO…."my shout echoed through the land. "I LOVE ICHIGO…..!

Giggling with delight, I ran through the field. Occasionally bending down to grab some of it and subsequently stuffing them into my mouth. My mouth filled with its sweet taste.

I climb up a hill. Beyond it, the flat land was covered with more and more strawberries as far as the eyes could see!

"YIPEEE….MORE…AND….MORE….ICHIGO!"

A few minutes later, I feel satiated and stuffed. Sitting on the grassy ground, I wished, "If only I have some cheese to go with this."

My wish was granted with the sound of running water. I follow the sound and right there before my eyes is a yellow stream. I ran down to its banks and kneeled before it. With my hands cupped, I scooped up some of it and tasted it.

'Hmm….this tastes delicious.'

AN: Ichigo in Japanese also means strawberry, though it sounds the same as the name of our beloved orange haired Shinigami, the kanji for both of them is different!

Translations:

Osoi – late

Sugoi - exclamation of admiration