Author's Notes: This small story began back in 2012 and just in case you're not sure, I have set the story to be shortly after Aizen was defeated and Ichigo lost his powers. I greatly apologize for such the long delay. It's been since 2016 when I updated last. I didn't mean for long hiatus on this story. So for all the Yumihime fans out there, this is for you :)

Part 3

Orihime was sitting at home, by herself, waiting. She had already ate her evening meal and had everything ready for school the next day. Looking at the clock for what seemed like the fifth time in the past hour, she noticed it was nearing on nine at night. She trust Yumichika's words that he'd return whether he found the object or not, but the question was when was he going to return? It was getting late and she was beginning to worry. Yes, through the evening, since getting home, she had much time to reflect on her actions that morning and even the night before as well as her feelings for Ichigo.

Looking back on the years since she had known Ichigo, her mind was able to see how Ichigo never really seemed to look at her in any other manner but a friend. Although, when he looked back to when Rukia entered their lives, she did see the tall teen did seem to be closer to the petite Soul Reaper. Was she trying a futile struggle into wanting to be with Ichigo? Did Ichigo see Rukia as more than just a friend?

"Ichigo..." she whispered when suddenly she heard a noise coming from just outside her door. Blinking, she stood and walked over to the door, slowly opening it. To her surprise and relief, it was Yumichika.

"Hello there beautiful," Yumichika teased.

"Yumichika!" she gasped before giving him a smile. She half heard his compliment.

"You happy to see me?" he asked, unable to stop himself from teasing her. His search was very long and tiring and seeing her smiling face was a nice sight to see.

"Well yes," she exclaimed before grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. He could have stopped her but he wanted to see what she was up so, so instead, he allowed himself to be pulled inside.

She closed the door behind her. "I was a bit worried. It's so late and you weren't back yet. I made you something to eat."

He abruptly turned, genuinely surprised. "You made me something to eat? I wasn't expecting that."

"What kind of hostess would I be if I didn't do that?" she replied as she made her way past him to get his dinner. "Here, just give a few moments to heat this up for you." Pulling out her heating plate, she was quick to get things ready to heat up his dinner.

Yumichika grinned as he made sure to take off his sandals and then made his way over to her tabled, taking a seat at it. In moments she walked to the table, putting down a plate of food and even handed him a glass of water. The two shared a smile before she walked over to the other side of the table and took a seat.

"I hope you don't mind water," she stated.

"Water is good for me," he replied as he began to eat. Immediately upon tasting the strange food, which he already knew Orihime had a strange way of cooking, his eyes closed at the flavor. He wasn't sure what the food was, but he wasn't going to complain. All he needed to know was the taste was amazing.

She watched him a moment, watching him savor the taste. "How's it taste?" she asked, curious.

In moments, he swallowed the food, opening his eyes to stare at her. "Exquisite," he answered. "Never tasted anything so delicious in a long time."

"You like it?" She beamed in happiness. "I'm so glad. Most of my friends think my cooking is strange. But living here alone, I have to cook for myself."

Lowering his chop sticks, the man reached forward, grasping her hand. "Well you're not alone right now and that's all that matters right now."

She lightly blushed as she looked down at his hand. "Thank you."

He smiled before retracting his hand and continued eating until the plate was empty. This was going to be the first thing he ate since leaving this morning. He had kicked himself several times for not at least packing something to eat later. He probably would have a better productive day.

"So, did you have any luck in locating the object that was lost?" she asked suddenly, trying to divert the attention of intimacy.

"Yes," he answered as he finished drinking his water. "It took quite a bit of time, but I did manage to find it."

"So does this mean you're leaving?"

He looked at her for a moment. "I will remain here for one more night and then report in."

"Oh," she answered quietly. Her lowered. This was the last time she would see him.

"Don't look so sad," he answered reaching for her hand again. "I'm sure I'll be here again."

"But you will never know when." I lone tear slid down her cheek.

"My sweet, sweet hime," he answered, reaching to wipe the tear away. "Don't feel sad. I will never truly leave you. Not ever."

"But..."

He shook his head. "Please Orihime. I would love to spend more time with you."

She blushed once more, feeling his warm again against her cheek. He was very kind and gentle. Nothing at all like the man he often portrayed. Squad 11 were brutes. "I suppose you're right."

He smiled. "That's my hime." Extracting his hand once more, he then stood. "I shall take these to the kitchen."

She rushed to stand to her feet. "I can do that." She continued to smile at her as he suddenly leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers, which immediately immobilized her.

"I will get it," he answered as he pulled away, knowing the affect he had over her. He turned away as her face turned a bright scarlet red.

The second she was alone, she began to fidget. Why did he keep kissing her? The more he kissed her the less she thought of Ichigo and when she'd realize that, it would make her nervous. It made her question if her feelings for Ichigo were ever more than just a crush. High school crushes were common, but most never really went anywhere beyond one sided feelings.

She was so deep in thought, she didn't hear when Yumichika reentered the living room. He could see she was zoned out. Without so much as a word, he went up behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Is something troubling you, my sweet?"

She jerked and would have jumped if he was already holding her down. "Yumichika!" she gasped, able to feel his breath in her ear.

"You looked deep in thought," he answered. "I didn't mean to startle you." He continued to keep his arms around her. He couldn't help his feelings and he knew this was new for her. Well it was new for him as well but their situation had to be taken with small steps. Oh sure, he could have just take what he wanted but he wanted her feel wanted. She was beautiful inside and out. Her personality was just perfect in his opinion and she deserved someone to care for her in more than just a friend and colleague.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Holding you," he answered. "Thank you so much for allowing me to stay here and even for the meal. It was delicious."

Her heart was hammering in her chest as she felt her knees wanting to give out. The way he held her was actually quite comforting and that was what was scaring her. She hadn't been held like this in so long. Just someone to hold her and thank her for her thoughtfulness.

"You're welcome."

He smiled as he kissed her check before pulling away, giving her some space. He walked over to the couch, taking a seat. "I will leave in the morning to give my report and if I'm not needed, I will return to here to see you."

She swiftly turned to him, hair whipping around. "You would do that?!"

"Of course," he smiled. "There is no way I'm leaving you for too long."

She smiled then as she took her table and moved it to where it was normally stored, which was on the wall. She did it that way as a way to make more room in her living room. Afterwards, she took a seat in a nearby chair. "What will you do now?"

"Perhaps I will take a shower and then go to bed. It was a long day and right now don't feel comfortable even in my own skin."

There was the Yumichika she knew, which caused her to giggle. "I can get you a bathrobe to put on and the towels are in the bathroom."

He gave her a nod. "Do you have a washing machine?"

"Yes, why?"

"Would you mind getting my uniform washed. "Searching all day in these is just completely annoying and I didn't bring any extra clothing."

"Of course!" she blurted a little too loudly.

Yumichika quirked a brow as she stood and left for the hall where the bedroom was. He was not expecting her to be so enthusiastic about it. Then again, it had been some time since she had any company staying over. With everything that had happened in the last few months, it was nice to have some down time. Standing, he began to loosen the kimono so it would hang lose around his body. With it untuck, it immediately flowed open, revealing his tone chest, which didn't even have a scratch.

What no one knew was his Zanpakuto was actually stronger than he made it appear to be. His weapon was of kido style but no one in Squad 11 had a weapon like that, so he kept it well hidden. The weapon, when truly activated, was an energy absorber and allowed him to use the opponent's spirit energy to rejuvenate his own, including cuts and bruises.

"I hope you don't mind if you..."

Yumichika looked up to the sweet sound of her voice and saw her mouth gaping open. "Yes?"

"Use... my... brother's... robe..." she stuttered as her face heated up once more, dropping what was in her arms. There right before her very eyes was the smoothest chest she ever seen. Of course she seen Uryu's and even Ichigo's but Yumichika's chest was completely scar free and looked like he took very good care of it.

He thought it was slightly amusing to see her blushing again, but for what this time? He then looked at his chest, realizing she was flabbergasted at his smooth skin. "Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'm not used to being around a lot of women."

"I... ah..." There was no way for her to make a coherent sentence. Abruptly she turned away from him after a few moments. "Sorry for staring!" she squeaked, finally finding her voice. "I didn't mean to. Forgive me." Her face was completely scarlet.

Covering himself up more, he stepped over to her, wrapping his arm around her once more. "You don't need to be embarrassed," he whispered. "If you didn't stare, then I would think you weren't into men. Now, I have no doubt in my mind, just as you have no doubt I'm into women."

Her mouth went dry at his words. They were true. She was a young woman and it was normal for girls to look at guys and vica versa. But hearing it coming from him, really didn't help her feelings any. She wasn't as dense as she made others to believe.

Letting go of her shoulders, he bent and picked up the discarded robe. "Thank you for this. I will take good care of it."

Leaving her alone, he left for the bathroom. Entering the small room, he easily closed the door with a click of the handle and leaned against it. He had his eyes closed for a moment.

"You're such a moron," he breathed before opening his eyes and pushed himself away from the door, going to the bathroom sink to look at himself in the mirror. "You know she's never been with anyone."

As he continued to stare at himself, he reached up to remove the feathers from his eye brows. He always found himself looking so ordinary without them and disliked not seeing them but he had to remove them to sleep and bathe. With a sigh, he turned away from the mirror to finish undressing himself. Taking the robe, he pulled it on, being sure to keep himself fully covered and gathered up his clothes before reopening the bathroom door.

"Orihime, sweetie," he called, giving a pet name for her. "I have left my clothes out here in the hall so you can get them in the washer."

"Oh... thank you." He heard from what he thought was the living room. Not wanting to dwell on it. He slipped back into the bathroom, closing the door.

Stripping the robe off, he walked over the shower, turning the taps to get the right temperature before stepping in and allowing the hot water to beat on his back.

Leaning his arm against the shower stall, his mind was full of questions. What was he really doing? Why did he kiss her so much? Yes he had the overwhelming urge to kiss her last night, but why this morning? Why just before eating? Why pursue something that was completely out of his reach? He even promised to visit her after giving in his report.

Yes, he was in the Living world now, but once he returned to Soul Society, he's supposed to wait around for the next mission. He may never see her again and yet the thought of her in another man's arms, repulsed him. She was too good for any other man. He was the perfect match for her.

She was beautiful physically but the attraction wasn't just because of her physical looks. She was very compassionate for her friends. She was willing risk her life to save Rukia, which is how all this started. She wanted to help out in the battle against the Arrancars even though she knew her strength wasn't a match to any of them. She was brave and kind. She even stood up to Aizen and allowed herself to be taken hostage just to protect her friends in the hope to stop the war.

All those attributes made her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. There was no way to avoid knowing she had large breasts, though not as big as the Squad 10 Lieutenant. And he did find his eyes often diverting to her chest during the time in the Soul Society. She's very innocent and that alone made the attraction even more irresistible.

"Damn it!" he blurted quietly. "This can't be happening."

Pulling away from the wall of the shower, he tipped his head back, allowing his hair to be drenched by the water. Knowing his hair was wet enough, he then searched around for the shampoo. Finding it, he opened the bottle and took a sniff.

"Hmmmm. Lavender. I must say, Orihime has great taste in shampoo fragrances." It was amusing to him the two actually both had the same smelling shampoo. He knew they didn't have the same brand, but that didn't mean the smells were also different.

Leaning his head forward, he was quick to lather up some of the liquid and applied it to his head. In moments, his hair was full of soap and the smell was working its way into the strands of hair. It was a lovely feeling. It took him no time at all to wash his hair before attending to the rest of his body.

His thoughts returned to Orihime and their kisses when he turned off the water and reached for a towel. First he had put one into his hair and then around his waist, covering up his male parts. He was completely losing his mind with his thoughts on Orihime.

The very idea of telling her he'd return was ludicrous and yet he did it anyway. He wanted to spend more time with her but he knew it wasn't right. However, the damage was already done. He wasn't going to back out now.

Going back to the mirror, he looked at it. The steam from the shower had fogged up the mirror too much, he had to grab a nearby towel to wipe it down so he could look into it again, as much as he didn't want to. He didn't find himself beautiful when his hair was wet and the feathers weren't in place.

Leaning against the sink, he stared at his reflection. "Well Yumichika, you literally had to chase after the one who is out of your league..." he sighed, referring to Orihime. With this thoughts, he came to the conclusion he wasn't just infatuated with her... he was in love with her.

"You're going to burn in hell," he breathed before straightening up and removed the towel from his hair so he could brush out the tangles.

It didn't take him long at all, to brush his hair and remove the towel to finish drying off and then replaced the robe he was given. Leaving the bathroom, he went back to the living room to find Orihime sitting on the couch, lost in thought.

"What a beautiful sight," he said, getting her attention.

"Wha..." she looked up to see the man she was very much thinking about standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. "Oh, I didn't even hear the water shut off."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked, approaching the couch.

"No." She then stifled a yawn. "I should head to bed."

"Of course. I'll probably stay up a little longer and wait for my clothes to wash and dry."

Looking at him, she then suddenly giggled, causing him to quirk a brow. "Something amusing?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking. Anyone were to walk in right now, they would see my brother's robe and think my home is being haunted."

Looking at himself, he then lightly laughed. "I suppose but that isn't the case."

"I know but it's still a little funny," she added as she stood. Stepping up to him. She looked at him. "Well good night Yumichika. See you in the morning."

"Good night my beautiful hime," he replied.

She lightly blushed as she went to step past him. Before she could get too far past, his arm snaked around hers and pulled her back to him and tight against his body. She gasped in startlement. She wasn't even given time to respond before a set of lips were against her own once more.

What was with Yumichika and kissing her?

Unlike the first few times he kissed her. Her eyes were quick to close as she relaxed into his arms, allowing him to kiss her. It took her a few moments to respond back, wrapping her arms around against his shoulders. The two remained that way for a few moments before he pulled away. He had yet to take it a step further, and that was something he wasn't sure he should do, so instead he opt to kissing her.

Her cheeks produced a light hue, as she slowly looked at him, speechless.

"Wanted to give you a good night kiss. I hope you don't mind."

Unable to speak, she gave a small nod, working on willing her legs to remain firm. After a moment, he released her and she stepped back, backing her way towards the hallway until she was at her door and then swiftly slid inside, closing the door behind her. He smiled at her, not regretting kissing her. In fact he found great joy each time he kissed her.

Walking to her door, he stood outside her door several moments, until he saw the light go out. He wanted to be sure she made it to her bed without losing her balance. After awhile, he retreated back to the living room to wait for the washer to finish and then put the clothes into the dryer and retired himself.

I had planned to write a 6 part story, but I have lost the idea of where I was going, so have decided to end it here.