A/N: Hello all! Welcome back! I'd like to take a second to thank all of my lovely reviewers - thanks to you, this story has officially hit 100 reviews! Please keep 'em coming! LOL Anyway, I hope you're all eager to begin this new portion of the story! And, no, I have no idea why I'm so hyper…. Eh, oh well. What matters is that you enjoy this chapter! Now go on – read!

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.

Soul Mates

Chapter 10: A Matter of Perspective

Ichigo was once again glaring at Urahara a short while later, this time due to frustration, as he said, "So you're telling me you basically know nothing."

Feigning insult, Urahara replied, "When you say it that way you make me look bad! Technically what I'm telling you is that I don't yet have enough information to form a decent hypothesis."

Dragging in a deep breath, Ichigo's fist curled over the table before he asked, "And what information do you need?"

"At this moment I can only say 'more'," Urahara declared calmly. His smile returned as he added, "But the good news is that you being here now should help greatly!"

"And what, exactly, do you want from me?" Ichigo asked carefully.

"Well, for one thing, you can tell me what you know about how Orihime ended up inside you," Urahara stated plainly.

Glare holding steady, Ichigo replied, "I already told Yoruichi. Neither one of us has any idea how it happened."

"Yes, yes," Urahara said, waving one hand dismissively. "I know you don't know the technicalities of it. What I want to know is what was going on with the both of you right before. What were you doing?"

Ichigo blinked at him, but he took a moment, reflecting, before he finally said, "I was asleep. I don't know how long I'd been sleeping before I got pulled into my inner world, and I was only there long enough for Zangetsu to tell me that something was happening before Orihime appeared."

"And how did she appear?" Urahara pushed. "Was she standing before you? Asleep on the ground?"

Ichigo shook his head slightly. "Neither; she was falling from the sky. I don't know if she was asleep or unconscious at first, but it didn't take a lot of effort to wake her up."

Urahara nodded thoughtfully and asked, "And what about Orihime? What was she doing before she woke up in your world?"

"Ah," Ichigo began dumbly. "Orihime?"

Soft, short-lived laughter preceded her response as Orihime said, "It's about the same for me. The last thing I remember is lying in bed trying to fall asleep…. And then I guess I did, because I woke up…um, here. It was a perfectly normal night before then."

"Thanks," Ichigo replied before repeating her answer aloud for Urahara's benefit.

The former Captain nodded again, silent for a long minute as he thought over their answers.

While Urahara was thinking Renji turned a smirk to Ichigo and suggested, "Maybe you were both having the same dream."

"What the hell kind of dumbass suggestion is that?" Ichigo snapped, shifting his glare expertly to his friend.

Renji held up his hands defensively, arguing, "Hey, it's better than no theory at all, right?"

Ichigo grunted and looked away to glare at the wall.

Urahara released a heavy breath and declared, "Well, I think I'll have to give this some more thought. But for now I wanted to test a different theory if you don't mind."

Returning his gaze to the shopkeeper, Ichigo asked, "What kind of 'different theory'?"

"It would be good to rule out the simple solutions first," Urahara began lightly, "so I was thinking you should climb back into your body. There's always the possibility that the change will somehow override or reverse whatever's holding Orihime inside your inner world."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he asked, "And what if something goes wrong instead?"

"I highly doubt that simply returning to your own body will have any negative repercussions on Orihime," Urahara assured him calmly. "In fact, I highly doubt it will have any effect on her at all; but it would be a good idea to try, don't you think?"

Ichigo took a deep breath, considering Urahara's words, and silently asked, "What do you think?"

He could practically feel her shrug when she said, "It's worth a try I suppose."

Nodding, Ichigo pushed to his feet and said, "Alright. Let's try it."

The group followed his lead, stood, and filed after Ichigo as they made their way back to the room with Ichigo's and Orihime's bodies.

When they reached the door Renji, Rukia, and Yoruichi opted to wait outside instead of piling into the space.

Ichigo led the way inside, and Urahara moved aside enough for their audience to see as well.

Everyone watched silently as Ichigo walked around Orihime's resting body (which was now covered by a light-weight blanket) and hauled his own up by the collar of his shirt. He knelt down beside himself, shifted around until he was basically facing the same way as his body, and then slipped easily back inside.

There was no unusual spike or fluctuation of spiritual pressure.

And then Ichigo blinked his eyes open, rolled his shoulders, and pushed again to his feet. He glanced out, toward Urahara and the others, and then down to the body that was practically at his feet.

Ichigo was the only one who heard Orihime's soft, slightly disappointed voice when she said, "I guess we shouldn't have expected it to be that easy, right?"

Releasing a sigh, Ichigo replied, "Right. But how do you feel?"

"I feel just fine," Orihime assured him. "Everything sort of tingled for a second, but by the time I registered it it was already over. And Mr. Zangetsu says that's normal."

"It doesn't look like anything happened," Renji declared from the doorway.

Ichigo pulled his attention forward and shook his head. Without thought he lifted one lightly-curled fist, tapped his chest, and said, "She's still here."

"Well," Urahara declared loudly in an effort to distract from the knowing grin that had curved his lips, "then I guess it's back to the drawing board for me."

Narrowing his eyes again, Ichigo looked over to the older man as his arm fell back to his side. "And what about us? What are we supposed to do in the meanwhile?"

Shrugging now, Urahara replied, "For the time being there isn't much you can do. I'd like it if you stayed close – let's say for observational purposes – but otherwise…do whatever you like. You should probably take a few minutes to say hello to your family, for example."

Ichigo knew Urahara was right, even if he didn't like the answer. So instead of commenting he switched his attention to Renji and Rukia. "What about the two of you?"

Offering him a reassuring smile, Rukia replied, "Renji and I will stick around for a while. We'll help with hollow control so that you can focus on this."

"Right, thanks," Ichigo said as he released a resigned sigh. Slipping his hands into his pockets he added, "I guess I'll head home and check in. I'll be back in a bit."

He was barely around the corner from the shop when Orihime piped up again, suggesting, "What if you sit next to my body beneath the Souten Kisshun? Maybe we could somehow reject my soul's presence inside of you and therefore restore me to my own body?"

Ichigo never broke stride, hands still in his pockets, as he replied, "It's too risky. Who's to say that rejecting you from my inner world would return you to yourself? If the Souten Kisshun could pull that off then there's no guarantee that it wouldn't accidentally erase you from existence instead."

"I don't think that would happen," Orihime replied. But her tone gave her away; even she knew that she couldn't say for sure that it wouldn't.

"And two days ago I would've said that no one could get mysteriously pulled into my inner world," Ichigo argued firmly. "Too much could go wrong with that idea, Orihime. I won't do it."

Her voice was softer, and notably hesitant, when she said, "But…what if that's the only way you can get rid of me?"

Ichigo stopped walking and shifted his thoughtful glare up to the clear sky. He had a dozen ways he could respond to her question, but he chose to go with one that he doubted she'd see coming. So, after a beat, he replied, "Then I guess I'll have to keep you."

Orihime took a deep breath and offered him a smile before she said, "Sorry. It just…feels so much more real now that we're home, you know?"

Understanding her point, Ichigo resumed walking as he replied, "Yeah, I get it. But don't worry; we'll figure this all out."

Warming silence filled him in response.

They said nothing more as he crossed the remaining distance between Urahara's shop and his house.

And then the building came into sight and Ichigo's pace slowed. He was going to have to semi-lie to his sisters again, and god only knew what his father was going to say when he got him alone. But, probably, he wouldn't be back to the shop before nightfall.

"Urahara," Rukia began firmly after Ichigo had stepped from the shop and the rest of the group had returned to the sitting room. "Tell us the truth. Is there a way to get Orihime back into her body?"

The man in question sighed as a fresh cup of tea was set before him. At length, he replied, "The truth, Ms. Kuchiki, is that I don't know. I really am at a loss as to how this happened, and without having any idea whatsoever of the cause, I just can't comfortably determine the likeliness of a positive outcome."

"But if Orihime remains trapped within Ichigo's world, will she survive?" Rukia asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Urahara shook his head as he said, "I can't answer that yet, either. Nothing about this situation is familiar to me. But I assure you I'm still looking into it. If there exists any possible answer or explanation, I will find it."

Speaking up from his seat beside Rukia, Renji asked, "So what's Ichigo supposed to do in the meantime?"

Shifting his gaze to the new speaker, Urahara replied, "My best recommendation would be for him to take it easy. The less he pushes himself the less likely this situation is to take a bad turn. As things stand I think it's safe to assume that while Orihime reports that she's feeling 'fine,' she's probably safe. But if Ichigo pushes himself too hard or too far the subsequent weakening or destabilizing of his inner world could cause Orihime's own condition to worsen."

The Soul Reapers exchanged a knowing look. It was a very good thing that the fighting in Soul Society had ended so quickly, because Ichigo would certainly have pushed himself in order to bring it to an end faster if he'd felt it necessary.

Rukia returned her attention to Urahara and nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Then Renji and I will worry about the hollows, and if we need help we'll turn to Chad or Uryuu."

"Speaking of," Renji interrupted as soon as she was done, "has anyone told them about this?"

Lifting one hand to partially cover his wide, laughing smile, Urahara said, "No, as a matter of fact, we haven't! It's all happened so quickly!"

Sighing, Rukia's eyes fell shut and she shook her head, saying, "I suppose it has only been a little over a day. But they're bound to notice that Orihime's not at home, or answering her phone."

Cocking one tattooed eyebrow in her direction, Renji asked, "Should we tell them or wait for Ichigo?"

Pushing to her feet, Rukia declared, "Ichigo's had to repeat this story half a dozen times already. I think we can spare him one or two more."

It was Renji's turn to sigh as he took the hint and stood as well. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Ichigo slipped back into Urahara's Shop later that night with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. He'd spent the day with his family, as he'd known he would, and then he'd packed enough clothes and necessities to last him a week. If he needed to stay longer then he would just borrow their washing machine.

After securing the door he started down the hall, toward the sitting room. He suspected he'd find Urahara there, and since he still didn't know where he would actually physically be staying he figured he ought to find the shopkeeper before depositing his bag.

He gave no thought to the muted voices he was hearing until he slid the door open, revealing everyone he'd expected, as well as Chad and Uryuu. And guilt immediately spiked within him. He hadn't given a single thought to contacting them and filling them in on the situation.

The conversation stopped and every head lifted or turned towards Ichigo, watching him silently.

"Ah, welcome back, Ichigo!" Urahara declared after a beat, grinning broadly behind his new fan. "Please, take a seat! Have you eaten yet? I'm sure Tessai would be happy to make you something!"

Renji cut his eyes over to the older man and grumbled, "You weren't this accommodating to me."

Ichigo let the bag slide from his shoulders, dropped it to the ground beside his usual seat, and, as he sat, he said, "I ate earlier."

Adjusting his glasses subconsciously, Uryuu asked, "And when were you going to inform us about the situation? Chad and I spent several hours looking for Orihime."

Sighing, Ichigo reached up and scratched the back of his neck as he looked over to his friends and said, "Look, I'm sorry. I can't exactly call from the Soul Society. And I was a little distracted this morning."

Uryuu said nothing for a long moment as he took a slow sip of his tea.

Eyes still closed, the Quincy finally said, "You should have returned to Karakura Town as soon as you realized that Orihime was trapped inside of you."

Grinding his teeth together, Ichigo said, "Like I haven't already heard that half a dozen times. I know."

Opening his eyes and sliding his glare toward Ichigo, Uryuu asked, "Then why didn't you? Rukia explained that it was Orihime's wish, and while I'm sure she was flattered that you respected her wishes, don't you think this is the kind of situation that calls for a bit of a firmer hand?"

"You wanna be mad at me for doing what Orihime asked, fine, be mad," Ichigo snapped irritably. Holding Uryuu's glare with one of his own, he added, "But I better not ever hear you use a 'firmer hand' example involving her again, or I'll demonstrate mine by breaking your glasses with my fist."

Narrowing his eyes at Ichigo, Uryuu replied, "Don't take everything so literally. You know exactly what I meant. People don't always get their way, and in this case, that should have applied to Orihime."

"I couldn't ask someone – let alone Orihime – to live with the guilt of knowing that something bad happened to someone that they cared about when there was even a chance of them having been able to prevent it if they'd been there," Ichigo replied firmly.

"And if 'something bad' happens to Orihime as a result of that logic," Uryuu began cuttingly, "you're willing to live with that guilt?"

"Bastard!" Ichigo and his hollow chorused as Ichigo leapt to his feet, fist curled and swinging before he even knew what he was doing.

Uryuu was on the floor, jaw throbbing, before Renji and Chad had intervened.

Chad stood between them, palms facing each of his friends silently.

Renji had his arms hooked beneath Ichigo's, locked in place to hold him back.

Rukia was on her feet, calling to Ichigo to calm down.

But it was none of these things that had Ichigo's muscles freezing in place or caused him to suck in a deep, calming breath. It was the soft, guilty voice that no one else could hear.

"Don't fight," Orihime begged, her voice slightly choked and heavy with guilt. "Just tell Uryuu that if he wants to be angry at someone over this, then he can be angry with me. I'll even sit and listen to a lecture after I get back to myself. But you don't need to fight."

Uryuu was rubbing his jaw as he pushed to his feet, staying on the other side of Chad and glaring around the larger man, toward Ichigo. "Feeling guilty already, I see."

"No," Ichigo replied, ignoring Uryuu's words for the moment. "I won't fight. But I'm not letting him take his anger out on you, either."

Refocusing his attention on the Quincy, Ichigo kept his voice level – if not slightly darker than usual – as he said, "I had my reasons yesterday for staying and I don't regret that decision. But no, I'm not willing to live with that guilt. Not that it even matters, because I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

He paused, intending to be done, but another thought struck him. One more point he felt he needed to make. Even as Chad's and Renji's arms lowered, sensing that the fight was over, Ichigo added, "And try to keep in mind that everything you say to me Orihime hears."

As soon as the words were past his lips Ichigo turned, snatched his bag from the floor, and left the room.

Uryuu found Ichigo less than half an hour later, sitting on the roof of Urahara's shop and staring up at the clear night sky.

Ichigo gave no indication of noticing his companion. One long leg was stretched out and semi-dangling over the edge, and the other was bent at the knee, supporting his elbow. The faintest of breezes was blowing by, ruffling the edges of his hair and the sleeves of his white t-shirt.

Taking a deep breath, Uryuu quietly asked, "Can we talk?"

"Since when do you need my permission to say what's on your mind?" Ichigo returned without removing his gaze from the stars above.

His voice held no unusual levels of animosity, so Uryuu accepted the rhetorical question as an opening and moved to sit beside him. Another minute passed before Uryuu actually began the conversation.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier," Uryuu declared calmly.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the twinkling spots of light before finally saying, "Sorry I hit you."

Uryuu paused for a moment before carefully saying, "I think I was remembering the time when she asked me to do something for her that I knew I shouldn't, but I did anyway. That didn't turn out so well, and I suppose I'm simply worried that this will have a similar ending."

Scowling again, Ichigo shifted his attention to Uryuu and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Lifting his own gaze, briefly, to the night sky, Uryuu replied, "She asked me to take her above Las Noches, in order to watch the end of your fight with Ulquiorra. I suspected that was a bad idea, but I could see in her eyes how much it meant to her." He said nothing more, knowing Ichigo could fill in the rest.

Ichigo looked away at the unwanted memory. He hadn't heard this part of the story before, though it made sense, and suddenly he understood Uryuu's frustration.

A strange, sad and guilty feeling swirled inside of him, and Ichigo suspected it wasn't his own. He'd never talked to Orihime about that night; he hadn't wanted to make her relive it in any way, and he hadn't necessarily wanted to hear the details. So he didn't know exactly how it had affected her. But he could guess.

"That does explain your attitude," Ichigo allowed. He paused, then, hoping that Orihime was listening as well before he carefully added, "But, as much as I can honestly say I wish all of that hadn't happened, and that she hadn't had to see it…I'm glad she was there."

Uryuu turned widened eyes toward him. "You're glad?"

Ichigo offered a bitter half-chuckle, looking up again before he said, "Yeah, as fucked up as it is, I am. If you'd done what you should have and not brought her…Ulquiorra would still have killed me. But I wouldn't be here to be having this conversation right now."

"How can you be sure about that?" Uryuu asked, clearly surprised and slightly skeptical.

"Because I didn't come back to save myself," Ichigo replied honestly.

A moment passed before Uryuu declared, "I suppose everything really does happen for a reason, then."

"I sure as hell hope so," Ichigo agreed.

Uryuu pulled in a deep breath and pushed to his feet, saying, "Well, you should know that they've set you up in the room across from Orihime's."

Ichigo nodded and glanced up at his friend. "Right, thanks." He paused, studying Uryuu's face as the other man nodded at him. He was feeling guilty now for the bruise that was already forming along his jaw.

Before the Quincy could walk away, Ichigo called, "Oi, Uryuu, wait a sec."

Uryuu arched a curious brow and asked, "Why?"

Ichigo pushed to his feet, opened his mouth, and then he hesitated.

He was used to Orihime's powers working no matter which form he was in, but his powers typically worked only in his Soul Reaper form. And the rooftop was probably not a great place to ditch his body. So, offering his friend an awkward grin, he said, "Actually, let's go inside first."

Orihime couldn't decide exactly how she was feeling as she watched Ichigo heal Uryuu's bruised jaw with her Souten Kisshun. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was glad the two were getting along again. Beyond that, however, she was in turmoil.

She hadn't been prepared for the conversation they'd had on the roof. She hadn't been prepared to suddenly be thrown back into Hueco Mundo – back to that fight.

She supposed there was definitely a fine layer of guilt inside of her somewhere. More than one type of guilt, too. She hadn't known that Uryuu had had second thoughts about her request; she had never considered that he regretted it. And she certainly felt bad for, essentially, having made him do something he hadn't wanted to do.

But she'd be lying if she implied that that was the aspect of the conversation she was focusing on.

Ever since the War had ended, Orihime had been afraid to bring up any of the things that had happened in Hueco Mundo around Ichigo. Not that she particularly liked thinking about them, anyway. And with the exception of the day before, when she'd been talking to Hollow, she had managed to avoid bringing it up altogether.

And now, without any warning at all, she suddenly had a brand-new perspective on that horrible fight.

Ichigo was grateful.

She had never imagined that possibility. For so long she had blamed herself for his transformation. She had convinced herself that, if anything, Ichigo would be resentful after everything that had happened.

He'd been dragged into that fight because of her. He'd transformed into what he hated and feared the most because she had begged him to save her. He had died because of her. That was how she'd always seen it. And a part of her had hated herself for that.

But she had never considered it the other way. She had never considered that he would have fought Ulquiorra anyway, let alone that he would have died anyway. And she had certainly never looked at it from the perspective that he had lived because of her.

And if she hadn't been able to feel the absolute truth of his words, she might not have believed it still. But she couldn't argue with what she'd felt. He'd meant every word.

This upside-down way of thinking was forcing Orihime to ask herself a very difficult question: how did she go about forgiving herself for something that she had hated herself for for nearly two years?

But, really, how could she not now that she knew how Ichigo truly felt?

To Be Continued…

A/N: I have a confession: that whole reference to the fight above Las Noches caught me completely off-guard. I really did not see it going there. But I think it worked out well, don't you? So I hope you liked it! Let me know, maybe, and then go read the next one!