A/N: Back so soon? I'll take that as a compliment! LOL Okay, I'll calm down now, I promise. *ahem* Welcome to chapter five! I do hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I am not Tite Kubo. Any questions?

Soul Mates

Chapter 5: Behind the Scenes

Captain Unohana, it turned out, only wanted to ask Ichigo if he was absolutely positive that his opponent had used a firebomb to escape him, as there had been no signs of fire damage in the area. It seemed she was concerned that perhaps Ichigo was under the influence of some sort of airborne hallucinogen.

So Ichigo had explained in detail exactly how certain he was.

Orihime watched the scene silently, not wanting to distract him with her unnecessary thoughts when he was having such an important conversation.

She was sitting before the window, just as she'd been doing since Zangetsu had explained that she could see what Ichigo saw through the windows. Her hands were resting in her lap, her fingers not-quite digging in to the fabric of her white dress.

Light, steady footsteps to her left were the only warning she had before she was pulled from her thoughts.

"So," Ichigo's hollow began curiously, "is this all you're gonna do?"

Orihime turned her head toward him, not wanting to be rude, and found him watching her with a lifted brow. And she couldn't decide if it was a good sign or a bad sign that her stomach only barely clenched at the sight of those eyes focused on her.

Her head tilting ever-so-slightly, Orihime thoughtlessly asked, "Eh? What do you mean?"

Gesturing with one hand toward the window, the hollow said, "You're staring out that window. That's all you've been doing. So I wanna know if that's all you're gonna do."

"Oh," Orihime said, glancing reflexively toward the window for an instant. And then she realized what he meant, and she snapped her eyes back to him as she quickly stammered, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be rude! It's just that I was curious about what's going on and I never even thought about how anti-social I was being!"

The hollow scoffed, planting his hands on his hips now, and declared, "I wasn't asking for an apology, Queeny. I just figure you oughtta be gettin' bored by now, watching him tell the same story twice and all."

Orihime opened her mouth to say something, and then snapped it quickly shut. She replayed his words in her head and decided there was no mistaking it. For some reason, he had called her 'queen.' She remembered the explanation as to why the hollow called him 'king,' but that in no way explained why the hollow would then call her 'queen.'

"Well?" the hollow pushed, his impatience showing.

Blinking rapidly, Orihime pulled herself out of her thoughts and laughed self-consciously before finally asking, "Um, why…why did you call me that?"

The hollow cocked his head at her as if her question made no sense at all. "What do you mean 'why?' Why wouldn't I?"

"W-well," Orihime began, choosing her words carefully in order to keep from offending him, "you call Ichigo 'king' because he's technically the one in charge, right? So why would you call me…'queen'?"

The hollow's head straightened as his eyes narrowed, not in a glare so much as in thought, and then he moved toward her. He was invading her personal space before he stopped, and he dropped to a crouch before her, elbows resting on his knees, as he looked into her eyes.

At length, he finally said, "Tch. Figures." He heaved a sigh, shaking his head in obvious disappointment, before finally looking back to her and saying, "I'll call you whatever I want, got it? You don't need to know why."

Orihime swallowed and nodded. "Okay," she said. In an effort to change the subject, she suddenly asked, "But, um, while we're talking about names…what should I call you? What's your name? Or do you have a nickname that you like?"

Again the hollow stared at her, but this time his disbelief faded quickly. He rocked to his feet as he said, "Call me whatever. I'll let you know if I don't like it."

He had already turned and was walking away, and for a beat Orihime just stared at his back and the black wrapping over his sword. But then she shook herself out of it and pushed to her feet, calling, "Wait, Mr. Hollow! Please tell me your name!"

The hollow paused, turning enough to look at her over his shoulder, and he said, "Definitely don't call me 'Mr. Hollow' again. And for the record: I don't have a name."

Orihime stopped, having only moved a few feet forward, and one clenched hand lifted to hover over her chest as she quietly repeated, "You…don't have a name?"

"No," he replied bluntly. He held her gaze for another moment before turning and walking toward the edge of the building.

She watched him until he'd stopped, surprised at how much that simple fact pulled at her heart. She couldn't imagine not having a name of any sort. It would be akin to being known as 'the human.' Every individual that existed deserved to have a name.

Finally, Orihime turned her gaze to Zangetsu, who was perched calmly on the edge of a bare flagpole. She pulled her lip between her teeth for a moment before making her way toward the zanpakutou spirit, not wanting to shout.

When she was close enough to be heard without talking loudly, Orihime asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Zangetsu, can I ask you a question?"

Zangetsu obediently shifted his gaze toward her and inclined his head. "Of course."

Her eyes flicked toward the hollow, who was sitting at the side of the building, one leg hanging over, and she asked, "He says he doesn't have a name, so, I was wondering…what do you call him?"

One dark brow arched high on Zangetsu's forehead at the unexpected question. At length, he replied, "I simply speak to him. I'm sorry; I've never had any need to address him directly."

Orihime sighed and nodded slowly. In a way, she supposed it made sense – usually they were the only two there, after all. And they certainly knew when the other was speaking to Ichigo instead.

Smiling and offering a "Thank you," to Zangetsu, Orihime turned and found herself making her way toward Ichigo's hollow.

Her pace slowed as she neared him, but her nerves were less than she had anticipated. Most of what she was feeling in that moment was disbelief. Never, in her wildest dreams, had she ever considered approaching the hollow – let alone sitting beside him. But that was exactly what she intended to do.

His head lifted when she was near enough, and he watched her curiously as she moved next to him and carefully settled herself along the edge of the building.

She let both of her legs hang over the side, ankles crossed, and she shifted just slightly so that she was facing him.

"What're you doing?" he finally asked, one eyebrow arched.

She smiled at him and said a silent prayer that her impression of him was accurate – or else being so close to him would undoubtedly be the dumbest idea she had ever had. "Well, I really don't like the idea of calling you 'hey, you,' so I thought maybe we could brain-storm some name ideas."

He scowled at her now and said, "Why are you so stuck on this 'name' thing?"

Orihime tried not to dwell on how strangely familiar that scowl was, and instead explained, "Everyone needs a name! Just because you're a hollow as opposed to a human or a Soul Reaper doesn't mean you shouldn't have a name. But, I should warn you, I don't know how good I'd be at coming up with a name like the ones a lot of those arrancar had…."

The hollow scoffed, a smug expression settling on his face, and he replied, "Ha, don't insult me. Those bastards were beneath me. But I like to think you already knew that."

Orihime's eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. She hadn't even considered that the hollow would have a memory of that fight…but it made sense when she thought about it. Ichigo had always said he didn't remember because it wasn't him. Still, she couldn't stop herself from quietly asking, "…you remember?"

Narrowing his eyes at her pointedly, the hollow declared, "Just because the King's an idiot doesn't mean we all are. Yeah, I remember. I was the one who kicked that arrogant bastard's ass."

That's what I thought, Orihime thought a moment before she found herself saying firmly, "Ichigo's not an idiot. You shouldn't talk about him like that."

Laughing outright, the hollow leaned backwards and braced his palms on the side of the building. "Sorry, Queeny. I'll believe it when I see it."

Orihime took a deep breath, but she opted to let it go and instead remained silent for a moment as she dragged her mind back to the topic at hand. The last thing she wanted was to get stuck in thoughts about all of that while she was living inside Ichigo's inner world.

After a long minute, Orihime suddenly suggested, "What about 'Hichigo'?"

The hollow's head snapped back to her, something akin to an expression of horror on his face. "What?" he asked, disbelief heavy in his voice.

She turned a smile on him and said, "Well, you're Ichigo's inner hollow, so I thought-"

"No," the hollow interrupted firmly, sitting upright and even pointing a finger at her. "Do not call me that. I might be stuck playing horse for him right now, but my 'name' will never be some twisted variation of his. Got it?"

Orihime laughed nervously and nodded. "Okay, okay, that one's out." She looked away after offering him an awkward, apologetic smile, and pursed her lips in thought. That ruled out her second option, too, so it was back to the drawing board.

Releasing a heavy sigh, the hollow asked, "I don't suppose you'd be satisfied just calling me 'Hollow'?"

Looking horrified, Orihime said, "Of course not! That'd be like if my name was 'Human.' I can't call you that!"

The hollow opened his mouth to argue her point, but his words were cut off by Ichigo's disembodied voice as it floated down to them.

"Orihime," Ichigo called. His tone gave no indication that he was aware of their conversation.

Startled at the intrusion, Orihime jumped slightly, and the motion caused her to lose her balance. She could feel herself beginning to slide over the edge of the building, and she automatically released a startled sound as she attempted to catch herself.

A strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, hauling her entirely onto the building with little effort and depositing her squarely on her backside.

"Orihime? Are you alright?" Ichigo called, having her heard her outcry.

"Oh, yes! I'm fine, I just slipped!" Orihime offered quickly even as she reached back to rub at her slightly-sore bottom. She turned her eyes from the sky, then, and met the hollow's eyes long enough to add, "Thank you."

The hollow rolled his eyes, pushing to his feet and crossing his arms as he grunted, "Tch."

"Slipped?" Ichigo repeated carefully. The concern hadn't quite left his voice yet.

"Eh, yes, just a little slip!" Orihime insisted with a self-conscious laugh. "It happens all the time, really! So, um, what did you need?"

Ichigo's response was delayed as he debated whether or not he should take a minute to check in on her. At length, he replied, "Uh, Unohana wants to know how you're feeling. You know – if you're disoriented, lightheaded, maybe nauseous or something like that."

"Oh," Orihime said. She paused with her response, taking a moment to ascertain exactly how she felt – and how she'd felt since her arrival.

But there wasn't anything that she'd missed, so she finally replied, "I feel fine. I mean, I was a little confused when I first woke up, but that was just because I wasn't where I expected to be. Otherwise I'm not overly tired or dizzy or anything."

"What about after you lent me your power earlier?" Ichigo pushed. He'd asked the question before, of course, but he had to ask again. And not just because Unohana had asked him to.

Smiling now, Orihime said, "I already answered that, silly. I felt fine. It felt just like it always does when I use my powers."

Ichigo sighed but, having no choice other than to accept her answer, finally said, "Alright. But let me know if anything changes, okay?"

Orihime nodded rapidly and replied, "Yes, sir!"

"Don't call me that!" Ichigo exclaimed, sounding mildly flustered. "I'm not your superior or something!"

Trying valiantly not to laugh, Orihime bit her lip for a moment before saying, "I was just teasing, I promise!"

Smirking, the hollow said, "You shouldn't tease him. He has no sense of humor."

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Ichigo returned darkly. But his tone lightened immediately when he added, "Thanks, Orihime. I'll let Unohana know."

"Is that so?" Unohana asked rhetorically after hearing Ichigo's – and therefore Orihime's – responses to her questions. She looked away, her eyelids drooping as she lost herself in reflection for a long minute.

Ichigo remained silent, pretending to patiently wait for her answer, even though he suspected he knew the gist of it. Still, he watched her closely, studying her face and posture for any indication of an answer that he should worry about.

Behind him, Renji and Rukia stood, also silent. They hadn't said a word since Ichigo had turned the subject of the conversation toward his current personal dilemma.

At length, Unohana sighed and returned her gaze to Ichigo's steadily. "I'm sorry, Ichigo," she began calmly. "But I can't recall ever having heard of a situation quite like this, and so I have nothing to draw answers from. For now, all I can advise you to do is be vigilant. Have Ms. Inoue tell you immediately if she begins feeling strange in anyway, and keep an eye on yourself, as well."

Nodding slowly despite his lack of surprise at her answer, Ichigo replied, "Alright."

"Also," Unohana continued smoothly, "I think I'll share this information with Captain Kurotsuchi. There's a chance that he has stumbled upon this type of circumstance before; but, even if he hasn't, I think his expertise would be useful here. And of course I promise to let you know if either of us learns anything pertinent."

Ichigo thanked her politely, even inclining his head, but in truth he was frustrated. He had wanted to avoid involving the strange Captain. But there was no use in dwelling on it now, as it was too late, and, at the end of the day, any help was better than none. Probably.

Moments later Ichigo turned and followed Rukia and Renji out of Unohana's office silently. No one spoke as they walked, making their way calmly through the halls of Squad Four.

Renji broke the silence as soon as the trio was outside once more and navigating their way to an undecided destination, asking, "So, how does that work, exactly?"

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at him. "How does what work?"

"You can actually use her powers? I can't wrap my head around that," Renji declared, scratching his cheek thoughtfully as they walked.

Heaving a sigh, Ichigo looked forward once more before he replied, "What, you think I was lying? Yeah, I can use Orihime's powers if she's willing to let me. It's sort of like borrowing Zangetsu's power."

"Huh," Renji grunted. "I still can't picture you using her powers."

Ichigo rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored the comment. It wasn't like he had ever considered using her powers before that day, either.

"It is strange," Rukia agreed somberly. "But, in a weird way it does sort of make sense, too."

"Are you serious?" Renji began rhetorically. "None of this makes sense!"

It was Rukia's turn to roll her eyes as she said, "You know what I meant."

"Uh, guys," Ichigo interrupted, coming to a stop as they rounded a corner. "Where the hell are we going?"

Renji and Rukia came to a stop as well, Rukia standing between them, and looked around.

"That's a good question," Renji admitted slowly. He lifted a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck as he added, "Most of our barracks were taken out with that fire…."

Before another word could be said, the unmistakable, familiar sound of a distant explosion drew their attention.

Eyes narrowing at the sight of the dark smoke that was already arching toward the sky, Ichigo said, "Guess we've got our answer."

The trio immediately broke into a run, heading for the source of the explosion and the fluctuating spiritual pressures in the surrounding area.

And as they ran, Ichigo felt his least favorite permanent companion perk up. "Please tell me we're actually gonna do something this time," the hollow said impatiently.

"I'm gonna do whatever I have to," Ichigo replied pointedly as he leapt onto another roof.

"Be careful," Orihime offered. "And don't be afraid to use my shields if you need them."

Rushing toward danger with Orihime beside him, encouraging him, and yet as far from the threat as she could possibly be, was doing a strange thing to his resolve.

He had always drawn strength from her belief in him, and her reliance on his victory, but he had also always been at least slightly distracted with worry when she was standing on the sidelines of a fight. But now, in an unusual way, he had the best of both worlds. Not that he intended to keep it that way.

Yanking his thoughts back in order, Ichigo allowed a grin to curve his lips and said, "I intend to, Orihime." And it was true. Not because he assumed that he'd need the extra defense, but because he had made one other decision that day.

He was going to use her powers to show Orihime exactly how useful she really was.

He had paid attention over the years as she had developed and honed her abilities. He knew their names as well as he knew the name of his own. He knew the strengths – and the weaknesses – of her techniques. And though he had never, of course, actually used them in conjunction with his own way of fighting, he knew he could.

"Dammit!" Renji cursed, drawing Ichigo's attention outward once more.

The trio alighted on the roof nearest the explosion and came to a stop.

Squad Twelve had taken another hit, only this time it hadn't been from a firebomb. This time the explosion had been caused by someone breaking in to the laboratory. And the intruder had left behind some lookouts, who were still stationed around the new hole in the wall.

Several members of Squad Twelve were rushing toward the intruders, or already engaging a few, but the intruders were well-prepared and none of the squad's higher-ranking officers had arrived on the scene yet.

"Whatever it is that they want," Rukia declared, one hand landing on the hilt of her zanpakutou, "we can't let them get it!"

"Tell us something we don't know!" Renji replied a heartbeat before they leapt off of the roof, headed straight for the fight.

Ichigo lifted one hand and pulled Zangetsu from his back before flash-stepping toward a couple of Soul Reapers who were being overwhelmed by their opponents.

From somewhere to his right, he heard Renji holler, "Roar, Zabimaru!"

Almost simultaneously, Rukia released a restrictive bakudo, ensnaring one of the intruders.

But then he was practically on top of his opponent and it was time to focus on his own fight.

Ichigo appeared between the two Soul Reapers and their two opponents, swinging his sword wide in order to force them back.

When the unknown men had moved out of immediate striking range, Ichigo paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "You two okay?" he asked.

"Y-yes, yes, sir!" they chorused quickly. Their appearances echoed their statement, revealing nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises.

With a sharp nod, Ichigo said, "Get out of here, then. I can handle these two."

"Um," the taller of the two began hesitantly, "there're more – inside. A woman wearing a cloak and three big guys with bags on their backs."

Of course, Ichigo reflected. "Alright. I'll go after 'em in a minute."

The Soul Reapers nodded and turned, breaking into a run as they fled the battlefield.

The two men in front of Ichigo offered him nearly identical looks of skepticism, and one of them said, "You're awfully confident, Soul Reaper."

Smirking now, Ichigo adjusted his grip on his sword and said, "So I've been told."

The one who'd spoken removed a dagger from his sleeve and rushed forward, clearly hoping that his speed would get him in close enough to use his blade.

But Ichigo wasn't in the mood to waste time on their enemy's lookouts, and so he surged forward as well, swinging Zangetsu sharply.

His counterattack took the other man by surprise and sent him flying backwards uncontrollably. Ichigo had moved on to his comrade before the first man hit the ground, and he was running for the gaping hole in the wall by the time the second fell.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called after him when he passed her fight.

Without breaking stride, Ichigo called back, "I'm going after the ones who got in!"

Another lookout sprung from the low-hanging branches of one of the few trees in area, throwing himself toward Ichigo in an attempt to stop him and shouting, "You won't get past me, Soul Reaper!"

But the words were barely out of his mouth when Zabimaru cut through the air, catching the leaping man in the stomach as Renji declared, "He doesn't have to."

"Thanks, Renji!" Ichigo called as he crossed into the building.

He hated leaving the battle when it was still raging, but he didn't know how many Soul Reapers had been able to break through and follow after their enemies – let alone if they would be enough to actually stand against them.

So he had to assume that no one had gone after them.

And he had to assume that his opponents were going to be dangerous.

But none of that mattered, because even if the nameless woman was expecting him, he knew that they weren't prepared for him.

And he was close enough now that he could hear the fighting up ahead.

To Be Continued…

A/N: And there you go, chapter five's done! I hope you enjoyed it! And I promise that we'll be getting more into the action next chapter (but that doesn't surprise you, does it…? LOL)! Now if you could just take a minute to drop me a review, maybe let me know how I'm doing? And don't forget to come back for chapter six!