Chapter 3: The moon and the sky

A/N: Alritey, here's chapter 3. Explains some things, keeps ya hangin on others! Well then, enjoy!

It stopped raining. She was warm. She felt so warm, and the pain was gone. Was this what death felt like? She heard talking. It sounded kind of fuzzy at first, but it soon became clear. Curiosity soon got the best of her, and she hesitantly opened her eyes.

She was met by the most beautiful, breathtaking brown eyes she'd ever seen. She then lifted her glaze, and saw a mass of spikey, bright orange hair. She took in his handsome face, eyebrows kitted together in concentration. His lips where in a fine line, not allowing the presence of a smile. She couldn't help the giggle that sounded from her; he just looked so funny. His eyebrows shot up, clearly in surprise, and he leaned back in his chair. She noticed that she was lying down on a sofa, wrapped in a very warm blanket, next to a fireplace. She was inside his apartment, this stranger's apartment that had obviously saved her. She sat up, and was shocked when all the injuries she had were healed. Also, she had on sweatpants and a faded grey t-shirt instead of her own clothes. She looked back at the man, who was watching her closely. She felt a blush creep up her face under the intensity of his stare. She shifted her glaze nervously, trying to look anywhere other than him. He cleared his throat, and stood up slowly. He down at the waiting girl, and began to speak.

"Uh, how are you feeling? Do you need anything else?" He asked, cautiously. He patiently waited for her answer.

"I'm fine, thanks." She paused and looked back into his deep, brown eyes. He was captivated by the stormy grey eyes, which seemed to pierce into his very soul.

"You saved my life. I thought that I, thought I…" She bit her lip before finishing softly, "I thought that I was going to die."

He felt the walls he built around his heart slowly start to crumble. His eyes softened as the girl started to cry, tears slowly running down her doll like face. Before he could stop himself, he walked over to her, kneeled, and gently wiped her tears away. She gasped, startled his actions. However, his low, deep voice soothed her.

"Don't cry. You're safe, and alive. I'm here for you."

The serenity of his voice shocked her. He was so kind and sweet. She blushed as he got up, and sat back down in his own chair. They're facing each other yet again. Orihime managed to stammer out,

"Th-thank you, uhh…"

She drifted off, embarrassed because she didn't know his name. Sensing her uneasiness, he quickly said,

"Ichigo Kursosaki, but you can call me Ichigo."

She nodded, and quietly said,

"Thank you, Ichigo-kun."

He smiled kindly as he asked,

"And your name?"

She took in a sharp breath and exclaimed,

"Oh! I'm sorry! My name is Orihime Inoue. Please call me Orihime."

He slowly nodded as he absent said,

"Orihime. Weaving princess huh? It suits you."

She blushed again and responded timidly,

"Thank you."

A somewhat awkward silence filled the room with neither of them knowing what to say. Orihime had something on her mind, but she was afraid to ask. Gathering up all her courage, she began talking kind of quickly, if not downright fast.

"Ichigo-kun, Iwaswonderinghowlongi'."

Ichigo just stared at her dumbly, never once hearing anybody in his life talk that fast. Not knowing what else to say, he could only say the one thing that made the most sense:

"What?"

Orihime blushed and cleared her throat. Then she started again, much more slowly,

"Ichigo-kun, I was wondering how long I've been here and how you managed to heal all my injuries."

Ichigo thought for a moment; should he tell her the truth? Or should he just edit some details out? He should probably leave some of the story out, she didn't seem like the kind of girl to handle this types of things-

"Ichigo-kun?"

Her soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced over at her, and was cast under a spell by her. Her worried, stormy grey eyes were filled with concern only for him. She cautiously reached out, and her small hand reached for his large, calloused one. He felt fire explode from within him as she gently placed her hand in his.

"Are you alright, Ichigo-kun? You spaced out there."

Ichigo felt a slight brush creep up his neck as he hesitantly pulled his hand from hers, and the fire he felt when her hand was in his was replaced by cold air. He left out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding as he leaned back into his chair.

There was only one way to describe the girl in his apartment: Dangerous. This girl was dangerous.

Who would've known the day he went to visit his dead mother would be the day he met a girl barely clinging to life? Luckily for him, he was an E.R. doctor, and he always had equipment at home. She had lost a lot of blood, and had many broken bones, but it wasn't something he couldn't fix. What amazed him most about this girl was her rapid recovery. She had been under his care for a week now, and with each passing day, something was always healed. It was like her body repaired itself. He'd never seen anything like it in all his short years of being a doctor. At only the age of twenty-six, Kurosaki Ichigo had both his masters and Ph.D. in medicine.

He looked back at the girl, who was looking at him, grey eyes shining. Suddenly, she seemed to fall lifeless as her body fell back unto the coach, the same grey eyes he had just looked into closed. He sighed as he stood back up and walked over to his sofa, eyeing the sleeping girl. She had been doing this on and off, but this was the first time she actually woke up.

He sighed as he picked the girl up bridal style and gently placed her back in his bed. His bedroom was dark, and the only light came from the moon and stars shining outside. When he finished tucking her in, he stood up and just took in the sight of her. Her long, auburn hair lay out from behind her; her chest did a simple rise and fall with each breath she took. The moonlight splashed on her doll like face. Ichigo couldn't deny the truth any longer. She was beautiful. Beyond beautiful, actually. He took one last look before gently closing the door behind him. He headed back toward his living room, and just started down his sofa.

"Damn, if I keep sleeping on this thing, my back is gonna be screaming bloody hell."

Then he thought about the sleeping girl in his own bedroom, and a ghost of a smile adorned his lips. Throwing out one more curse, he settled down on the sofa, and wrapped the blanked around him. He found his eyes getting heavy as he drifted into unconsciousness.

A certain auburn haired, grey eyed girl kept crying in his dreams.

A certain orange haired, brown eyed boy kept smiling in her dreams.

The moon and the stars graced their light on the sleeping pair. Just like how the rain washed away and created something new, the moon and the stars also play an important role. They create something that can be so beautiful as well tragic. Something that people will die for, what new lives are born for.

Love, the most power feeling of all.

Meanwhile…

He walked over to the place he left her on that rainy night a week ago. He noticed that there wasn't any blood staining the concrete, and that there was a few strands of deep auburn hair still there. He smiled knowingly; she had survived. He liked his women strong, and she certainly was. She would be perfect, he would make her his. He turned and left, the sound of his footsteps got quieter with each step he took. Then, it was silent.

A/N: Ohhh clifey! haha, stay tuned for chapter 4: Love