A/N: Welcome back, everyone! And Happy Valentine's Day! (See, I'm indulging your sweet tooth by offering an update! LOL) But I don't have anything else to say, really, so I won't make you wait any longer!

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.

Soul Mates

Chapter 2: Beneath the Surface

Ichigo knew he was in his inner world before he'd even opened his eyes. Though whether that was because of the familiar feeling of cool concrete against his cheek, or because of the deep, calm voice calling out to him, he wasn't sure. But he was far from surprised when he blinked his eyes open and pushed to a sitting position, finding himself on the side of a building.

"Well, look who finally woke up," his hollow taunted from somewhere to his left.

Ichigo looked around, easily spotting both his hollow and Zangetsu as they watched him. Zangetsu, as always, was standing several feet away and watching him patiently. His hollow was leaning against Zangetsu's favorite pole, arms crossed, looking irritated.

Pushing the rest of the way to his feet, Ichigo ignored his hollow and focused on Zangetsu as he asked, "What's up?"

"Can you feel it, Ichigo?" Zangetsu asked, his eyes studying Ichigo as he waited for a reaction.

Ichigo arched an eyebrow. "Feel what?" he returned. He hated when Zangetsu tried to be mysterious (which was often).

"Tch," the hollow interrupted, pushing away from the pole and stalking up to Zangetsu's side. "I told you he wouldn't know."

Grinding his teeth together, Ichigo shifted his glare to the hollow and snapped, "I'm right here, you know."

A challenging smirk curved his hollow's lips. "And your point is…?"

"Now is not the time," Zangetsu interrupted, cutting a sharp, pointed glance to the hollow beside him. He returned his focus to Ichigo, then, and said, "Something's coming, Ichigo."

Eyes narrowing with focus, Ichigo asked, "What's coming?"

"Your guess is as good as ours," his hollow replied, casting a frustrated glare toward the sky. With a shadow of a smirk, he added, "Well, it would be if you could feel it."

"Wait," Ichigo began, disregarding the jibe and casting his own eyes up, toward the mostly-clear sky. "You mean something's coming here?"

"It feels that way, yes," Zangetsu declared.

"How is that possible?" Ichigo demanded, returning his attention to the ancient spirit.

Zangetsu slowly shook his head. "That I do not know."

Before another word could be said the sky erupted in bright gold, blinding the three of them for a long minute as the wind kicked up around them.

"Dammit," Ichigo growled as he lifted one arm to shield his eyes, attempting in vain to squint into the light.

"It's here," the hollow declared, sounding almost gleeful as he squinted into the light and reached for his weapon's hilt.

Zangetsu said nothing, letting his sunglasses shield his eyes from the harsh wind.

And then the light blinked out, and all they could see was a slim form falling from the sky as the wind died down.

Three pairs of eyes widened as they registered the sight of the undeniably female body and billowing auburn hair. She was falling limply, as if she were unconscious, and the long white skirt of her dress was tangling around her legs as she descended rapidly.

"Orihime!" Ichigo cried as his instinct overrode his shock. He vanished in a flash-step, reappearing in the air beneath her and catching her effortlessly before vanishing again.

Zangetsu and the hollow stepped back, arms at their sides, as Ichigo reappeared with their visitor tucked safely against his chest.

Ichigo hit his knees, Orihime in his arms, as he scanned her for injuries reflexively. He found none. There was no sign of anything being wrong at all, except for the fact that she had somehow appeared inside his inner world.

But she was breathing evenly, and her spiritual pressure was stable.

She was dressed in an ankle-length white dress that he didn't recognize, with thin straps that curved over her shoulders and short sleeves that wrapped around her upper arms. Her hairpins were in their usual place above her heart, and she wasn't wearing shoes.

As he studied her, Orihime shifted and moaned softly, indicating that she was waking up.

Doing his best to push his shock aside, Ichigo kept his voice calm as he called to her. "Orihime."

Orihime groaned again, her eyes squeezing against the intrusion of sunlight, and instinctively rolled towards the warmth and security nearest her. But her eyes snapped open when she realized exactly what that warmth and security was. "I-Ichigo?"

Ichigo shifted slightly, letting her legs rest on the building beneath them, and let his newly-freed hand land on her shoulder. He ignored the tingling of her skin beneath his palm and squeezed gently as he said, "Hey."

She had to swallow heavily as she realized that she was, indeed, in his arms. She didn't remember how she'd managed to get there, but a part of her was perfectly alright with that. Her face was half-buried in his shoulder; he had one hand on her shoulder and one arm curved around her back, his other hand holding onto her hip firmly.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked softly, concerned by her continued silence. He shifted his hold on her so that he could pull back and look into her eyes, and he was unsurprised to find them widened with shock.

"Y-yes," Orihime managed as he studied her. Her shock was wearing off now, giving way to confusion. She couldn't possibly have slept through the week and a half he'd had left of his training, could she?

No, surely not. But that left her with questions. So many questions that she barely knew where to start.

So she started with the easiest. "What…happened?" Her eyes moved past him, drawn to something odd she'd glimpsed in the sky. Are the clouds really…sideways? "Where are we?"

Ichigo relaxed, slightly, when she started speaking again. He loosened his grip on her shoulders and said, "I was hoping you could tell me what happened." He paused, suddenly finding it awkward to answer her other question. But he knew he had to, so he added, "I can tell you where we are, but…you might not believe me."

Orihime returned her focus to him, a quizzical look on her face. "What do you mean?"

Releasing a breath, Ichigo pulled back from her and rocked to his feet fluidly before holding out a hand. He waited until she'd placed her hand in his and he was pulling her up to say, "This is my inner world."

For a long moment, Orihime simply stared at him. Her eyes slowly widened as she realized that he wasn't attempting a very strange joke, and she swallowed heavily as she found herself asking, "How…is that even possible?"

She knew a little about a Soul Reaper's inner world – that was where their zanpakutou spirit resided – and she was pretty sure that other people weren't supposed to be able to come and go from them.

Ichigo slowly shook his head as his hand fell back to his side. "I don't really know," he admitted. His scowl returned to his face and he asked, "Are you sure you're alright? Were you in some sort of fight recently?"

"Yes," Orihime replied. She made a strange sound and quickly added, "Or no – I don't know! Yes, I'm sure I'm alright. And no…um, well, that really doesn't count, so no, I wasn't in a fight. The last thing I remember…I was trying to get to sleep."

Arching an eyebrow now, Ichigo asked, "What doesn't count?"

Orihime laughed self-consciously, reaching up with one hand to rub the back of her head as she awkwardly replied, "W-well, you see, on my way home from work last night I sort of got ambushed by a hollow. But it wasn't anything special and it didn't take any effort at all for me to defeat, so it doesn't count!"

Ichigo closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and counted to ten silently. The words 'ambushed by a hollow' were echoing around in his head, and suddenly he wanted to kill something.

Slowly, he asked, "Why were you walking alone?"

"It was late, and Tatsuki was busy," Orihime replied without thinking. She knew immediately what he would ask, so before he could form the words she added, "And I didn't want to bother Uryuu or Chad."

Ichigo released a heavy breath and forced his fists to unclench. Like it or not, there were bigger things to deal with at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Orihime said softly, feeling as though she had angered him with her story. When her eyes reflexively went to the ground beneath her feet, she realized that she was standing on something that looked suspiciously like a window.

"No," Ichigo said, kicking himself now for making her feel guilty. "Don't apologize. I'm only mad that I wasn't there. But, as long as you're okay, I guess it doesn't matter."

Orihime looked up, nodding to acknowledge his words even as she pointed down and asked, "Ichigo…are we standing on a building?"

Ichigo blinked at her for a moment, before it occurred to him that she would, naturally, not have known what this world looked like. "Uh, yeah," he said. Sweeping one arm out, toward their surroundings, he added, "They all pretty much look alike."

Orihime's eyes followed his arm, widening slightly as she took in the area around them. And then she realized – it wasn't that the clouds had been moving sideways, it was that they were standing on the side of a skyscraper. They were the sideways ones.

"Oh, wow," Orihime breathed as she turned slightly in order to get a better view. She knew the perspective should have been disorienting and terrifying, but she found it strangely breathtaking. It wasn't at all what she had ever imagined his inner world might look like.

Ichigo watched her take in her new surroundings with a strange, unexpected, surge of nervousness. He had always wondered what his lopsided world said about him; now he had to wonder what it would make Orihime think about him, too.

From the corner of his eye, Ichigo noticed his hollow shifting his weight, impatience radiating off of him, and Ichigo knew that he wasn't going to be able to avoid the awkward introduction. Letting her meet Zangetsu was one thing – strange, but not undesirable – but having to let her actually meet his hollow went against nearly every instinct he possessed.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo turned his attention back to Orihime and said, "Orihime…there's, uh, more."

Orihime turned, facing him once more, and tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean?"

Ichigo shifted his gaze past her and gestured with one hand, indicating that she should turn around fully, but said nothing. He wasn't entirely sure what to say, so he figured he'd let the obvious speak for itself.

Obligingly, Orihime turned around, and her eyes widened as she sucked in a surprised breath. She hadn't expected to see other people standing only a few feet away. And then embarrassment flooded her. That was stupid, she realized. I already knew that the Soul Reaper's zanpakutou lives in their inner world…and that…. She swallowed heavily as her gaze, briefly, settled on the figure in white. That must be…his hollow.

Ichigo stepped up beside her, saying, "Orihime, meet Zangetsu. Zangetsu, this is Orihime." Well, that settles it. Introducing someone to your zanpakutou is just weird. As he spoke, he gestured again, this time toward the long-haired, cloaked figure that was the spirit of his zanpakutou.

Orihime's eyes landed on the indicated figure, and she blinked for a beat before smiling sweetly. Never in her life would she have thought that she'd have the opportunity to meet Zangetsu, but she couldn't deny that she was glad she'd been wrong. "Hi," she said politely. "It's an honor to meet you."

Zangetsu inclined his head. "The honor is mine."

"Well, isn't this a treat," Ichigo's hollow began, starting casually forward as a grin split his lips. His dark eyes were locked entirely onto Orihime as he added, "Who knew we'd ever get to meet quite like this?"

Orihime was frozen as her focus turned to the hollow. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this. A part of her was still scared – more out of principle than anything else – but a part of her was just as glad to get to meet him as she was to meet Zangetsu. And she felt entirely guilty for feeling that way.

Ichigo stepped in front of her, between her and his hollow, and leveled a glare on the fiend. "Whatever you're thinking, you can forget it. You act up – even a little – and I'll shove you right back into your cage."

The hollow had stopped walking when Ichigo moved in front of him, and he cocked his head to the side with an amused, curious grin. "Oh, really? Quit posturing, Ichigo. If you had what it took for that, I wouldn't be standing here, now would I?"

Ichigo's fists clenched, but before he could say anything more, a gentle hand landed lightly on his bicep and Orihime was standing beside him once again. His glare vanished as he turned wide eyes to her. What's she doing?

Orihime offered a small, honest smile to the hollow – who was also watching her with a somewhat startled expression. She didn't know how Ichigo would react to what she was going to say, but she also didn't know that she'd ever get another opportunity to say it. So, hoping Ichigo would understand, Orihime took a deep breath and said, "It's…nice to meet you, too."

The hollow blinked at her, shocked into silence.

Bowing slightly now, Orihime added, "And, thank you. I don't know if it was your intention, but…you saved me once…a while ago." She straightened a beat later, her smile still in place even as she clasped her hands together in front of her waist.

"Tch," the hollow scoffed after a long beat of silence. He crossed his arms and looked away, grumbling, "I only did it 'cause that bastard was pissing me off."

Liar, Ichigo thought reflexively as he finally composed himself. He certainly hadn't expected her to react like that, although her reaction was incredibly reassuring. Not that it mattered in the long run, because it didn't change the decision he'd made so long ago. Still, the last thing he needed was for his hollow to start telling the truth, so he decided to interrupt.

"Well, now you've met everyone," Ichigo said awkwardly, one hand lifting to rub at the back of his neck self-consciously. What did one say when the person that they secretly loved was suddenly thrown into their subconscious?

Orihime turned her attention back to Ichigo, her cheeks heating faintly, and she opted to ask the question that had just popped into her head – if only to avoid his reaction to what she'd just said to his hollow. "Ichigo, have you ever heard of someone getting pulled into a Soul Reaper's inner world?"

Glad for the question, Ichigo's arm dropped to his side and he shook his head as his scowl once again curved his lips. "No, I haven't. But, since it's obviously possible, it must have happened once or twice before. I'll just go tell Byakuya that I have to leave early, and then I'll head back to the World of the Living and talk to Kisuke."

"What makes you so sure this has happened before?" the hollow interrupted, one eyebrow arched pointedly.

Switching his gaze to the hollow, Ichigo asked, "What's your point?"

Narrowing his eyes in irritation, the hollow replied, "Do I really need to point out that you're just a little bit unusual, King?"

Ichigo sighed, too frustrated with the truth in his hollow's words to bother arguing about it. "It's still worth a shot," he said instead.

Orihime, who had been looking back and forth between them as they'd interacted, couldn't help but ask, "'King'?"

Silence hung in the air for a long second as two eerily similar and yet vastly different pairs of eyes snapped back to her.

Ichigo was still debating on the easiest way to answer the question when his hollow said, "Whether I like it or not, right now, Ichigo's the King of this world. At least until I finally kill him."

"Keep dreaming," Ichigo returned. His words were taunting, challenging even, but the threat was there.

Orihime nodded after a second, realizing that, in a twisted way, the hollow's words made sense. She had, of course, already known that Ichigo had struggled with control over his hollow. So it made sense that they had an established 'hierarchy' of sorts.

And then the image of Ichigo, in his Soul Reaper shihakushou, with a large, reflective, shiny golden crown on his head and sitting in some gaudy, equally golden, throne popped into her mind. She was giggling before she had even realized it, and her hands very belatedly clamped over her lips as her face reddened.

Ichigo and his hollow both arched an eyebrow at her, and Ichigo asked, "What's so funny?"

Orihime shook her head fervently as she attempted to stifle her giggling. Hands still clamped firmly over her mouth, she said, "Nothing!"

He was frowning at her now, but he knew better than to ask again. Probably, he didn't want to know anyway. So he heaved another sigh and said, "Alright, well…I'm gonna have to leave you here for a bit. But I'll be able to hear you if you need me, and Zangetsu won't be too far, either."

"And just what, exactly, are you worried about?" his hollow snapped knowingly.

Ichigo met his hollow's glare fearlessly. Leaving Orihime alone with the fiend was just about the last thing he wanted to do, and he was incredibly glad that Zangetsu was there to watch over her. But he was still uncomfortable about it.

Orihime had pulled her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes half-lidded in thought. She had fisted the fabric of her skirt in her hands when Ichigo looked back over toward her, but she was too lost in thought to notice his attention.

Concerned, Ichigo carefully asked, "Orihime?"

Orihime blinked, releasing her skirt and her lip as she looked back up at him. "Sorry, I…I was thinking." She paused, took a deep breath, and said, "I really don't want to ruin your training. You've only got a week and a half left; I'm sure at this point that you'd rather just see it through. Why don't you…just finish your kidou training, and then worry about me?"

Ichigo stared at her for a beat, amazed at what she was suggesting. He just couldn't decide if he was amazed that she was willing to make that offer, or that she actually thought he would consider it.

Finally finding his voice again, Ichigo replied, "Absolutely not. I appreciate the thought, Orihime, but there's no way I'll do that. We don't know the first thing about the circumstances that sent you here – but, at the very least, we do know that you've gone missing from the World of the Living. People are going to be worried sick about you. Not to mention, if you disappear for no reason for that long, you'll almost definitely lose your job."

Orihime hesitated with her response. She knew he was right, and she really couldn't afford to lose her job. Her aunt had cut her funds since she'd started making money of her own. But, at the same time, she didn't want to ruin his training, either. It's not his fault that I got thrown into his inner world, she reasoned silently. Why should he suffer because of it?

"Why do you look like you actually want to argue with me about this?" Ichigo asked incredulously as he studied her expression.

Meeting his gaze again, Orihime carefully replied, "It's just that I don't want to make you throw away everything you've been working for over these past couple of weeks. No, we don't know why or how I'm here, but that's not your fault. And what if I'm here for a reason? What if I'm supposed to be here?"

"She has a point," the hollow interrupted with a teasing smirk. "What if she is here for a reason?"

Ichigo cut a glare to his hollow, knowing exactly what his counterpart was getting at. "That's not helping," he snapped.

"I'm not trying to be pushy or anything!" Orihime quickly added, misinterpreting Ichigo's clipped tone. "I'm not trying to invade your personal space, I promise. And it's not that I don't want to be, um, me again I guess. I just…." She trailed off, not sure how to best articulate her thoughts, and her eyes found the steely blue of the concrete beneath her feet.

Expression softening, Ichigo said, "You're not 'invading my personal space,' Orihime. Don't worry about that."

She was still looking down, and it was beginning to bother him. So Ichigo stepped toward her and reached out, gently settling one hand over her shoulder. Her eyes immediately lifted to his, startled at the unexpected contact, and he offered her a rare smile.

"I'm just worried about why you've come here," he admitted. "I can't imagine anything good caused this, and I'm afraid that if we wait too long…it might be too late. You deserve to get your life back, Orihime."

Orihime swallowed, her heart melting all over again. When he talked like that, and when he got that look in his eyes, she could almost forget that there were still lines between them. There were still boundaries that friends shouldn't cross. But with his hand lingering over her shoulder, his calloused palm pressed against her soft skin, she didn't think she could be blamed for the thoughts running around in her mind.

Ichigo pulled his hand away several seconds after he'd finished, hoping his cheeks weren't as red as they felt and trying not to lose himself in her eyes. He should know better than to touch her so familiarly – especially when her shoulder was exposed.

Taking a deep breath, Orihime offered him a sweet smile and said softly, "Okay. I hadn't really thought about it like that, but you're right. Although, for what it's worth, I am sorry about your training."

Lips curving into a smirk, Ichigo replied, "I never asked for it in the first place, remember? So don't worry about it." He turned his attention to Zangetsu then, deliberately ignoring his hollow, and asked, "You'll watch over her for me?"

Zangetsu inclined his head. "Of course, Ichigo."

"Relax, King," the hollow added with a roll of his eyes. "She's as safe here as any of us are."

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at him, asking, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten," the hollow replied, frustration tightening his features. "This world only exists as long as you do. Remember: 'you die, I die?' While she's here, the same applies to her."

Kicking himself for not figuring out what his hollow had been talking about, Ichigo clenched his fists for a beat before he said, "Well, then it's a good thing we're not in danger of that right now."

Giving Ichigo a pointed look, his hollow said, "But you might be when you get to the other side."

"Then I'll be careful," Ichigo replied, barely keeping his voice above a growl.

He took a deep breath before he looked away from the hollow, back toward Orihime, and his voice automatically softened when he spoke to her. "Remember, if you need me, I should be able to hear you, okay? But you should be safe here until I can check back in."

Giggling again, though only briefly, Orihime clasped her hands together behind her back and said, "Technically you're not really going away, anyway."

Ichigo's lips twitched before he could stop them, and he said, "Exactly." He paused to look back over at his hollow and Zangetsu.

The hollow simply arched an eyebrow pointedly, but for once opted not to speak.

Zangetsu inclined his head in silent understanding and reassurance.

Ichigo nodded faintly and looked back toward Orihime once more. "Alright, then. I'll see you soon."

Orihime nodded, still smiling. "I'll be here," she said, her voice almost laughing.

There was a beat of silence, and then Ichigo began to glow, simultaneously fading away.

Ichigo's eyes blinked open slowly, as they usually did when he returned from his inner world, and it was a long moment before he registered the thin haze of smoke in his room. But the smoke had been in the air a while, it seemed, because he was suddenly fighting back a cough even as he rolled to his knees and reached for his zanpakutou. What the hell? Where'd this smoke come from?

Knowing that nothing good could have caused it, and cursing the terrible timing of whatever was going on, Ichigo slung Zangetsu over his back and started for the door.

There was only one way to find out what was going on.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Okay, I have a confession: I was watching the newly-dubbed episodes (early Zanpakutou Rebellion), and the whole time Muramasa was in Ichigo's inner world, I thought: what if Orihime somehow ended up there? And poof this story was born! So of course I'm hoping you enjoyed this chapter! Now, feel free to review before you go running off to chapter three, but then definitely go read more!