A/N: Welcome back everyone! I hope you're ready to see what crazy thing I'll do next, 'cause it's here and ready to be read! So, as always, please forgive any OOCness/minor errors and, above all, enjoy this installment!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach – not even a little, tiny, fraction of a percentage of it.

Soul Mates

Chapter 4: Conflictions of a Hero

Ichigo's fist collided with the sturdy wall beside the large entrance to Squad One as he bit back a round of curses. He'd barely had time to breathe since he'd pulled himself out of his inner world that morning, and it wasn't looking like he would have the chance any time soon, either.

As soon as he'd returned to Squad Ten's barracks Toushirou had instructed him that they were to gather with the other Captains and Captain-class Soul Reapers to discuss the situation. Ichigo had obediently tagged along, helping to transport the two men Toushirou and Rangiku had managed to capture (one of Rangiku's opponents had escaped during the melee), and handing them off to Soi Fon's men when they met up with her.

Ichigo had been glad to note that Rukia was alright when he'd spotted her standing with Renji and Byakuya, a frustrated expression on her face. But that seemed to be the extent of the good news, as none of the handful of men that had been captured were talking, and no one had any idea who their enemy was or why they had been attacked.

Every squad had been hit that morning, while the Captains were at their emergency Captain's Meeting. The meeting itself, it turned out, had been a planned distraction – three of the men they had captured had been caught making too much noise attempting to break into the Seireitei.

But, as frustrating as all of that was, none of it accounted for his current dark mood.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Head Captain Yamamoto began when the conversation had fallen silent for a long moment.

Ichigo's eyes focused and he lifted his gaze to the older man, waiting silently as a pit built in the bottom of his stomach. He suspected he knew what the man was going to say, and he hadn't yet figured out how to get out of it. He wasn't even entirely sure that he should.

The Head Captain continued as soon as their eyes met. "I suspect we will be in need of your assistance on this matter. So, as you are already prepared to be here for a while longer, I must ask – will you help us handle this new threat?"

And, really, what was he supposed to say to that?

Clearly their enemy knew something about their basic structure and the way they handled crisis situations. It was a reasonable assumption – especially now – that their enemy knew next to nothing about him. That was an advantage Soul Society would most likely need, and his conscience dictated that he stay and help however he could.

But, dammit, I have other things to worry about! He hadn't said that, of course, but he had wanted to. He had wanted to yell at the ancient Soul Reaper and demand to know why the hell they couldn't handle their own problems anymore. At the very least he had wanted to tell him that he had something else to take care of first and that he would come back when he could – if he could.

Instead, he had released a heavy breath and agreed to the request, promising to help however he was able.

But now, the moment behind him, Ichigo wondered what the hell he'd been thinking. This isn't something I should be playing around with!

He wasn't stupid. He knew that whatever had brought Orihime to his inner world wasn't something he should be ignoring, and that, most likely, if he wanted to get her safely back to her own body, time was of the essence. The last thing he wanted was for her to die – or fade entirely from existence – simply because he was too damned busy fighting Soul Society's latest enemy. He couldn't risk either of those possibilities.

Something inside of him stirred, then, and all of a sudden Orihime's unique, gentle reassurance filled him. "I'm sorry to be causing all of this trouble," she said softly.

Teeth grinding together, Ichigo replied, "You're not causing any trouble, Orihime. This isn't your fault. But I am worried about you."

Orihime was silent for a moment as she formulated her response. She knew what she wanted to say, but she also knew that Ichigo wasn't likely to want to hear it.

A part of her was afraid that his fears were well-founded, and she certainly didn't want to die. But she also didn't want anything to happen to her friends because of her.

At length, voice still soft but undeniably steady, Orihime said, "We don't really know what's going on with me at all. But if you go back to Karakura in order to figure this out, and while you're busy saving me one of our friends dies in this fight, I don't think I could forgive myself."

Ichigo interrupted her speech, suspecting where she was going but not wanting to hear it. "If something happened it wouldn't be your fault, Orihime. You have to know that."

Orihime shook her head slowly, her determination never wavering. She wondered silently if her sudden resolve wasn't a result of being inside of Ichigo, but she kept that pondering to herself. "Ichigo," she began again, more firmly this time, "don't worry about me right now. I want you to focus on this first."

"Dammit, Orihime-!" He was cursing before he could stop himself, but she didn't sound at all bothered when she interrupted him.

"If it's my life at stake, then it's my choice," she countered. "Besides, maybe with me being here like this, I can actually help out while you're fighting."

"I don't think we should do it that way," Ichigo argued stubbornly. He wasn't willing to risk her life – but he was willing to risk her resentment. It would be a small price to pay to keep her alive.

"Please," Orihime added, the firmness of her voice fading as her honest desire seeped through.

Ichigo hesitated, his fist curling again against the concrete of the wall. He needed to save her – to get her safe, make sure she was alright in every way – but could he do that while so blatantly disregarding her own wishes?

No. Of course not.

Forehead falling against the concrete, Ichigo's eyes closed as he replied, "Alright, we'll do it your way. But the second this fight is over I'm going straight back to Karakura."

Orihime was smiling again, and again the warmth radiated through him. "Thank you, Ichigo."

Ichigo almost let his lips twitch in response, but the weight of the decision he had just made was still too strong. So he remained silent until the other half of her argument finally connected with his brain.

"What the hell do you mean 'maybe you can actually help out'?" he repeated, his scowl deepening.

Orihime laughed self-consciously before hesitatingly admitting, "Well…it's just, I know a lot of the time I'm more in the way than anything. And I've been trying really hard to get better, and I think I have, but I know I'm still not as useful in an actual fight as everyone else…."

"The hell you're not," Ichigo argued immediately, a fresh wave of frustration washing through him. "Just because you don't get your hands dirty as often as me or the others doesn't mean you're not just as useful. And don't think for a second that we consider you weaker than us."

"But…I am," Orihime insisted quietly. She had never actually wanted to have this conversation with any of them – most especially not Ichigo.

Ichigo did his best not to growl at her as he replied, "If I ever find out who put that thought in your head I'll pulverize him. Listen to me, Orihime: you are not weaker than any of us. Hell, if you ask me it's exactly the opposite. I could never let someone else fight for me. And if it weren't for you none of us would be around to fight any more. So put those poisonous thoughts out of your head or I'll come in there and…. Just don't ever think like that again, do you hear me?"

Orihime was silent for several seconds.

She suspected his words would have had a heavy impact no matter when they had had that conversation, but being able to feel the weight behind the words made them all the more powerful.

Instead of meekly agreeing to his demand, or otherwise promising to dispose of those 'poisonous' thoughts, Orihime laughed again and asked, "So, does this mean you'll let me help?"

His lips did twitch this time, just faintly, and he was about to reply when an unexpected voice interrupted their conversation.

"Ichigo, there you are." It was Renji.

Lifting his forehead from the wall, Ichigo took a deep breath before stepping slightly back and turning toward his friend. He wasn't at all surprised to see Rukia walking beside the taller Soul Reaper.

Rukia arched a slim brow at Ichigo as his raised arm fell back to his side. "What's up with you? I thought you'd be happy for the excuse to get out of your kidou training."

Ichigo frowned at her. "Why would I be happy about having a new enemy to deal with?"

Giving him a pointed look, Rukia replied, "Don't play games with me, Ichigo. You know what I meant."

"Rukia's right," Renji added before Ichigo could say anything more. "You've had a funny look on your face all morning."

Ichigo looked away, glaring at the ground as he thought about how best to reply to that declaration. He didn't know why, but he was hesitant to tell them about his change in situation.

Still, he argued, I'm gonna have to tell someone eventually. And there was no doubt in his mind that if he deliberately kept it a secret they would be angry when they finally found out – and understandably so.

"You make too big a deal out of stupid shit, you know that, right?" his hollow asked with half-hearted interest.

Jaw tightening, Ichigo asked, "When, exactly, do you plan on going back to sleep?"

The smirk was obvious in the hollow's voice when he replied, "Why would I want to do that? I finally have a roommate who does more than stare at the sky all day."

"She is not your fucking roommate!" Ichigo snapped before he could think better of it. Too late it occurred to him that Orihime could still hear him. "Crap, sorry, Orihime."

Orihime offered him a short round of nervous, self-conscious laughter, but her response – as well as his hollow's – was interrupted.

Suddenly Ichigo was being yanked forward by the loose collar of his shihakushou, which served to sufficiently distract him from his internal argument. He choked, startled, and blinked into Rukia's glaring eyes.

Holding him firmly in place, Rukia said lowly, "You should know me well enough by now to know that I do not appreciate being ignored, Ichigo. Now, in the interest of having a peaceful conversation, I'll ask you one more time: what – is – going – on?"

Ichigo swallowed, knowing his next words were vital. His eyes flicked, reflexively, to Renji, but the red-head was snickering silently and obviously not going to be of any help. "Uh, sorry," he offered carefully.

Rukia's eyes narrowed for an instant, but she released a breath and loosened her hold on his collar, letting the fabric slip from her grasp as he straightened. She said nothing as her arms fell to her sides.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo reached up and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. There was no getting around it – which was alright, because, really, it would be good for someone else to know, anyway.

"This might sound a little weird," Ichigo began as his arm fell back to his side.

Renji sobered silently and Rukia crossed her arms as she declared, "With you it always does."

Ignoring the (accurate) jibe, Ichigo swallowed again in preparation.

"Ah, Ichigo!" Shunsui Kyouraku called as he rounded a corner, his Lieutenant trailing just behind him. "I've been wanting to talk to you!"

Three pairs of eyes widened at the unexpected intrusion, and Renji heaved a sigh, letting his head drop. Ichigo shifted again so that he could see the newcomers without turning his back to his friends.

"What did you need, Captain Kyouraku?" Rukia asked politely, her tone indicating none of her irritation at the interruption.

Shunsui smiled at her in greeting as he came to a stop beside Ichigo. And then he'd thrown an arm around Ichigo's shoulders, pulling him in close as he asked, "I was wondering about this woman you caught up to earlier. How did she look? Was she pretty?"

"Uh, Captain…" Renji stuttered, half amazed at the question and half amazed at himself for not seeing it coming.

Nanao slammed her ever-present book into the back of her Captain's head as she said calmly, "That's hardly the point, Captain."

Ichigo stumbled forward when Shunsui wobbled, managing to use the distraction to slip out from under the older man's arm. "I wasn't exactly focused on how she looked," Ichigo replied tersely.

Rubbing the back of his head, hand beneath his favorite hat, Shunsui made a disappointed sound and said, "Well, that's too bad. I was thinking it'd be nice to at least have an opponent who's easy on the eyes this time, you know? But good looks aren't the kind of thing you can miss, even if you're not looking."

Properly recovered now, Renji crossed his arms and smirked as he added, "I don't know, Captain. You'd be amazed at the 'obvious' things Ichigo can miss."

Shunsui paused, hand still beneath his hat, and stared at Renji disbelievingly.

Rukia chuckled and nodded. "Renji's right; Ichigo can be pretty thick about some things."

Incredibly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Ichigo said pointedly, "I'm right here you know." He only wished he could actually argue their point.

"We know," Rukia replied easily.

Shunsui clapped his hand once more on Ichigo's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Ichigo. Stick around long enough and I'll teach you everything I know."

"I'm good, thanks," Ichigo replied with a scowl.

Shrugging, Shunsui let his hand drop and said, "Ah, well, the offer stands if you change your mind. But that's not really why I came over here anyway. Captain Unohana wants to talk to you."

Ichigo stared at him for a beat, suddenly wondering if, somehow, Unohana had sensed that something was different about him when no one else seemed to. "Uh, alright. Where is she?"

"She was heading back to her office," Shunsui declared.

Nodding, Ichigo replied, "Thanks." He walked off before he could get dragged in to any more potentially-awkward conversations.

Behind him, Renji and Rukia quickly excused themselves before Shunsui could think up a way to distract them. After quick, formal bows the pair spun around and moved to catch up to their friend.

Ichigo had rounded a corner before they caught up with him, falling easily into step on either side of him.

"I wonder what Captain Unohana could want to talk to you about," Renji pondered thoughtfully.

Rukia interrupted before Ichigo could formulate a response, saying, "We'll find out in a few minutes, anyway; be patient." She paused, keeping her eyes forward, and asked, "So, Ichigo. What were you going to tell us earlier?"

Ichigo automatically tensed, his fists clenching briefly at his sides as he continued to walk. But he released a breath, unclenched his hands, and decided to start with a question. "Have you ever heard of someone getting transported into someone else's inner world?"

The pair surrounding him faltered, both turning startled expressions toward him. They only barely managed to keep pace as they dared consider what he was talking about, and it was a long minute before either of them could formulate a response.

Finally, Renji managed, "Why would you even want to know about that?"

Eyes narrowing, Ichigo snapped, "Just answer the question, dammit."

Sobering, Renji replied, "I haven't, no."

Rukia shook her head. "Neither have I."

That's what I was afraid of, Ichigo reflected grimly. But now who do I talk to?

"Ichigo," Rukia began when it was clear that he wasn't going to say anything else, "Why would you ask a question like that?"

"Because I was hoping it wasn't as uncommon as I was afraid it was," Ichigo replied shortly.

Half a step behind him now, Rukia and Renji exchanged a silent look before Renji said, "Don't tell me you woke up in someone else's inner world recently."

"No, I haven't," Ichigo said. He paused now, his feet halting their forward movement, and he took a deep breath.

Around him, Renji and Rukia moved so that they could see his face.

"It's…Orihime," Ichigo admitted quietly, staring at the ground as he spoke.

"What about her?" Renji asked carefully.

Ichigo lifted his eyes from the ground, meeting their gazes pointedly.

Eyes widening as realization struck, Rukia breathed, "You can't mean…. Orihime's in your inner world…?"

His own eyes wide with disbelief, Renji mumbled, "I didn't even think something like that was possible."

"I did say it was weird, didn't I?" Ichigo reminded, not quite rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Yes, but," Rukia began slowly, clearly thinking as she was speaking, "with Orihime not even being a Soul Reaper I wonder…has she just gone missing from the World of the Living? Or has her soul been separated from her body?"

Ichigo's jaw tightened again. He had been wondering those same things. "If I knew that I would have a better idea of how worried I should be."

"You idiot!" Rukia cried immediately, squaring her shoulders as her fists curled at her sides. "You don't need to know that to know you should be worried! This isn't normal at all – something could be seriously wrong!"

Not at all in the mood to be yelled at for what he already knew, Ichigo glared at the petite woman and snapped, "I never said I wasn't worried, dammit! I know that! But what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Well for starters you could not volunteer to stick around and help us!" Rukia returned fearlessly. "And please don't even tell me you've been keeping quiet about this while you've been training with my brother!"

Barely resisting the urge to physically shake her, Ichigo yelled, "I'd like to think you know me better than that! And I didn't volunteer, idiot! Yamamoto practically told me to stay!"

"Then learn how to say 'no'!" Rukia replied, up on her tiptoes now so that she could properly yell in his face.

"Please don't fight," Orihime interrupted softly, guilt lacing her voice and drowning out whatever Ichigo had been about to yell back at Rukia. Before he could reply to her own words, Orihime quietly added, "You could tell her that I asked you to stay. It would be the truth. And then you don't have to fight…not with Rukia, and not because of me."

Ichigo took a deep breath, swallowing his angry words, and stepped backwards, putting a little distance between himself and Rukia.

Misunderstanding his behavior, Rukia pulled back as well, crossed her arms over her chest, and said, "I never expected you of all people to risk Orihime's life so casually."

Beside her, Renji cringed, knowing her words would spur a bad reaction.

Ichigo's eyes snapped back to Rukia, showing raw disbelief for a heartbeat before igniting with fury. His fists clenched again at his sides and he took a half-step forward as he shouted, "I would never do that! Stop making assumptions about things you don't understand!"

Less than convinced, Rukia challenged, "Then explain it to me. Explain to me why you're still here, and not back in Karakura working on getting her back to herself."

"She's just confused," Orihime offered gently, sensing how offended and angry Ichigo was feeling. She wished she could materialize somehow, if only for a minute, and explain it to Rukia herself. She had never liked seeing her friends fight, but it was a million times worse knowing that they were fighting because of her.

Ichigo again bit back his words, letting Orihime's reassurance cool his temper somewhat. And in the moment it took for him to push past his own feelings, he realized just how upset this whole argument had made her. Guilt and shame were wafting off of her in waves so strongly that he was surprised he couldn't see them.

So he offered his first response to her, instead of Rukia, and said, "I'm sorry you have to see all this, Orihime. But know it's not your fault, okay? You're right, she's confused, but she's also worried. That's all."

Instead of waiting for her response, Ichigo opted to try and mend the situation, turning his focus outward again and keeping his voice as calm as he could manage. "I want to go back to Karakura," he began. He only paused for a beat, knowing exactly what Rukia's response would be without hearing it. "But Orihime asked me to stay until the other problem is taken care of."

Rukia blinked at him, instinctively wanting to disbelieve his words, but knowing the both of them well enough to know that he wasn't lying.

Renji finally spoke up again, asking, "Why would she do that?"

Ichigo glanced at him briefly as he replied, "She said she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to you or the others while we were busy worrying over her."

"And did you explain to her that whatever happened over here wouldn't be at all her fault?" Rukia asked pointedly.

"Of course I did," Ichigo replied, managing to keep his tone from being too short. He took a breath before adding, "But she thinks too damned much like me to listen to that kind of reason."

Faint, clearly unexpected, giggling reached his ears a moment later, but it wasn't coming from either of the slightly-smirking Soul Reapers before him. It was coming from the woman in question, who, of course, was still listening to the conversation.

"What's so funny?" Ichigo asked, his tone lightly teasing and curious. He was glad to hear the faint tinkling of her amusement – it meant that she wasn't quite so upset anymore.

Clearly attempting to muffle her laughter, Orihime replied, "I bet no one would have expected to hear that I think like you."

"I bet I was on that list once," Ichigo agreed. "But clearly we were all wrong."

"And don't you forget it!" Orihime instructed laughingly.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," Rukia declared, pulling Ichigo's attention forward again. She had dropped her arms back to her sides, and now looked almost as guilty as she did concerned. Quietly, she added, "Ichigo…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

Ichigo looked away, eyes narrowed at the distant buildings. "Don't worry about it," he said at length.

A long moment of silence stretched between the trio before Renji finally asked, "So, I'm curious…can she hear everything we're saying?"

Almost afraid to answer the question, Ichigo slowly slid his eyes to the other man and replied, "Yeah, she can. So watch your damned mouth."

Holding his hands up defensively, Renji said, "Hey, I was just curious. But, for the record, you're the one who keeps cursing."

"He's right," Rukia added teasingly. "In fact, I'd wager that being stuck in your head is going to be one awfully rude awakening. The poor girl's probably already tainted." Lifting her voice for effect, Rukia continued, "If you can hear me, Orihime, don't worry – we'll get you out just as soon as we can!"

Ichigo's hands were twitching as he tried to regulate his breathing, attempting to control his reaction to their insults. And trying not to think about how much truth there might actually be in those words.

But when Rukia and Renji started laughing, amused at their own joke, Ichigo finally snapped, "What the hell's that supposed to mean? I'm not that bad!"

"There you go again with that language," Rukia replied, ignoring his actual words. "Shame on you, Ichigo."

Sputtering, Ichigo attempted to put to together a retort that didn't involve language Orihime wouldn't use, but everything he thought of failed miserably.

And then another round of soft, poorly-muffled laughter washed over him. It was quickly followed by, "It's okay, I promise! Just because I don't say it doesn't mean it bothers me!"

Reining in his laughter, Renji jerked a thumb over his shoulder and said, "C'mon, you shouldn't keep Captain Unohana waiting."

Ichigo sighed, nodding, and started forward again even as he made a mental note to try and edit his way of speaking for the foreseeable future. Of course, the problem wasn't his way of speaking; it was his way of thinking. He usually did edit himself when he was talking, especially around certain people – like Orihime.

Learning how to edit his thoughts before they were fully formed was going to be hard.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Okay, I'll admit, I had little fun with this chapter…but that's a good thing, right? And the more important thing is: did you enjoy this chapter? Hopefully you did! But now would be a good time to let me know either way! ^_~ And then, you know, go read chapter five!