"How do you take your coffee?" Ichigo asked over his shoulder.

"Just a touch of cream and lots of sugar, please," the cheerful healer replied with a big smile.

The pair moved to some armchairs in the café's back corner. Wearing a basic muscle tee and dark denim, the taller male passed the petite woman her drink once she was settled into the plush cushions. He eyed her as she took a tentative sip of the dark liquid. Unwittingly, he licked his lips when his gaze fell to her plump, full ones. As per usual, she was modestly dressed, wearing a sweatshirt and faded jeans that hid her delectable figure.

"Be careful. It's hot," he heard himself cautioning, almost reflexively.

A part of him felt conflicted about his attraction towards the redhead. Since they were kids, he had protected her like a younger sister. He was always aware of her beauty, but he had never been so moved by it to pursue her romantically. After so long, it was like a buried attraction that he dared not touch. Now, he questioned his motives for seeking her out for "coffee". Was he simply rekindling an old friendship? His brows came together as he pondered his feelings for her, totally unaware that she was now looking curiously at him as he battled himself.

"Hey, Kurosaki?" Her voice snapped him back to the present.

He gulped, suddenly very cognizant of how distant they were; she was still referring to him by his surname, just like in their childhood.

"Sorry about that. Was lost in thought. You, um, still call me Kurosaki." He rubbed the back of his neck compulsively.

Orihime's eyes widened as she blushed a pretty shade of coral. It had never occurred to her that she had not switched over to using his first name in all of the years that she had known him. By now, one would think that they would be on a first name basis. For goodness sake, he had seen her when she had had that hideous haircut with the fringe bangs. However, even the idea of using his given name flustered her.

"I'm just teasing you. My bad," he added quickly, when he saw her face redden, and she began to mumble incoherently.

Orihime was still conversing with the blue aliens in her head when Ichigo suddenly rose from his seat, spotting a familiar face behind her. He recognized the tall male from his signature long, silky black hair and perpetually cold, distant expression.

"Byakuya!"

Orihime jumped at the sound of the name. Craning her neck around the back of her chair, she saw the very man approaching. Although subtle, she was sure that she saw a hint of disdain in his eyes when he noticed her.

"Hey, Inoue, this is my good friend's brother, Kuchiki Byakuya." He strode over and put his hand over the stoic man's shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Inoue Orihime," she said politely, standing to greet him with an extended hand.

He froze, completely unprepared for her reaction to him. The moment he saw her, he had begun devising his defence for some anticipated choice words from her. After all, there was no way that that stranger had not told her "friend" about their encounter at the ramen booth, right? In fact, Rangiku had indeed informed Orihime of what she had overheard at the airport. However, Orihime had not been surprised, and not being a petty person, had simply asked her to keep that information to herself. If their initial meeting was any indication, Orihime knew exactly what Byakuya thought of her. Still, she refused to fault the grieving man.

"Nice to meet you," he finally responded, giving her small hand an awkward shake.

"I can't believe I'm bumping into you at a coffee shop. Don't you have servants for this kind of stuff?"

"Hey, Asshat! The proper term is assistant." An even taller redheaded stranger came up behind the two, giving Ichigo a playful shove.

"Po-tay-to, po-tat-to. Assistants don't work on Sundays. Anyway, this servant here is Abarai Renji." Ichigo jerked his thumb in Renji's direction.

Annoyed by the jostling pair, Byakuya removed Ichigo's hand from his shoulder and stalked off toward the exit. He had really wanted to retort with, 'Successful people work on Sundays', but decided that it was not worth the hassle.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Abarai." Orihime could not help but giggle as the two grown males pushed each other back and forth like little boys.

"It's Renji, and the pleasure's all mine." He took her hand and gave it a small peck over her knuckles.

Thunk - The sound of Ichigo's elbow making contact with the top of the tattooed gentleman's skull.

"What the hell was that for!"

"Don't be smart. And your master's left you."

"Shit! I gotta go. Later! It was nice to meet you, Orihime!"

"Don't mind him. He's a numbskull. Anyway, what were we talking about again?"

The rest of the coffee date went by without a hitch. The two soon forgot about running into the proud Kuchiki and his manservant. They talked and laughed over old memories and made plans to meet up again soon. While Orihime left the café feeling refreshed from catching up with an old friend, Ichigo left, feeling more determined that he wanted to explore romantic territories with the unassuming doctor.

Byakuya crossed one slender leg lazily over the other as he thought back to the unexpected run-in with his sister's old classmate. He really should have just given his coffee order to Renji. If only he had not been suckered in to 'take a break' and make that short walk, he would not have had to see her again. Not that it was so bad to see her, but he had not been prepared for it; if nothing else, Byakuya liked having control. He frowned, remembering how she had feigned meeting him for the first time. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that she was professional about patient confidentiality. But, he was not her patient. He never signed the agreement. He wondered why she had not confronted him about his comments regarding her practice. Maybe, that woman never ended up telling her?