A/N: Hello all and welcome to chapter twenty-one! Now, sadly, I must note that this is the last chapter before the epilogue (of course, nothing's official til I put 'the end' at the bottom LOL). Other than that, I have nothing of interest to add, so I'll let you get back to the story!
Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by an entity that is not I.
Soul Mates
Chapter 21: Moving Day
The majority of Friday was spent preparing for Ichigo's move, with the couple using their rare free-time to gather his things and figure out what he wanted to take and what he had no use for. They detoured twice to Orihime's landlord, and by the end of the day Ichigo had been added to her lease.
And when they returned to the Kurosaki home for the second time they were greeted by one of the police officers they had spoken to previously, who informed them that Kobe had been arrested early that morning. It seemed there was a reason he and his father had moved to Karakura Town in the middle of the school year.
Orihime was incredibly relieved to know that she didn't have to continue to live so close to the man who had attacked her, and so was Ichigo. But a part of him was also slightly disappointed that he'd lost his chance to beat the man into his afterlife.
Before they knew it, it was late morning on Saturday and Ichigo was as ready as he was going to be for the move. Volunteers in the form of their friends arrived exactly on time, and the Kurosaki living room suddenly felt rather cramped.
They were strategizing which items to carry over in what order when Yuzu turned a thoughtful, worried frown up to her brother and asked, "Are you absolutely sure you've got everything packed, Ichigo?"
Ichigo arched an eyebrow at her and replied, "I think so, yeah. Why, did you remember something?"
"No," Yuzu admitted, "it just seems like there should be more."
Tatsuki looked over to Orihime as Ichigo responded again to his sister and said, "Oh, before I forget Orihime, I have good news."
Orihime turned her attention to her friend curiously, asking, "Eh? What news?"
With a grin, Tatsuki draped an arm across Orihime's shoulders and declared, "The teacher had to break up your group, obviously, so she put you in ours!"
"Really?" Orihime exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
Ichigo heard his girlfriend's exclamation and turned his attention toward the pair, asking, "What'd I miss?"
Orihime clapped her hands together as she repeated Tatsuki's news with a smile.
Ichigo's lips had lifted in response when Tatsuki released Orihime and said, "Okay, let's get going! I vote we get the big things out of the way first."
"That makes sense," Uryuu agreed as he adjusted his glasses subconsciously.
Chad hummed his agreement with a slight incline of his head, and in no time the group was making their way across town with several of Ichigo's things. They took the trip slowly, being careful not to drop anything or walk into anyone, and so the normally ten minute walk became a nearly fifteen minute walk.
Orihime unlocked the door and held it open as wide as she could so that Ichigo and Chad – who were carrying the larger, bulkier things – could navigate their way inside. Everyone deposited the things they'd been carrying where they were directed to, and then it was back out to repeat the process. Fortunately, as the only pieces of furniture Ichigo and Orihime had agreed to transfer over were his desk and chair, the majority of what they had to carry was manageable.
Even so, the sun had set by the time they were done that night. The group returned to the Kurosaki household after their final run and discovered that Yuzu had cooked a large dinner for everyone, though they were going to have to eat in the living room, as the kitchen table was too small.
After returning the dirty dishes to the kitchen, to be cleaned later, Yuzu popped her head back into the living room and called, "Um, Orihime, could you come help me with something please?"
Curious, Orihime stood from her spot between Ichigo and Tatsuki, saying, "Sure!" She followed Yuzu into the hall, and her confusion mounted as the younger girl stopped half-way into the kitchen and turned to face her.
Voice quiet, Yuzu said, "Dad's upstairs getting the photo album; we decided to give it to Ichigo tonight, before you guys leave. But, since you helped put it together, we wanted you to stand with us when we give it to him."
Orihime blinked at her for a beat before whispering fervently, "Oh, you don't have to do that!"
"Nonsense," Isshin declared quietly as he joined them, a simple wrapped box tucked beneath his arm. "You helped, you get credit."
"Don't try arguing," Karin instructed casually as she appeared in the entryway behind her father. "You'd just be wasting your breath."
Isshin turned a grin toward his daughter and said, "And now that we're all here, it's time for the reveal!" With that he started briskly forward, headed back to the living room.
Orihime and the twins fell in behind him wordlessly.
"Ichigo!" Isshin called as he entered the room, gathering everyone's attention. He kept his arms behind his back, a broad grin on his face, and added, "To celebrate your progression into manhood, we've put together a very special gift for you!"
Ichigo paled at his father's choice of words, and were it not for the three silent females standing beside the older man, he probably would have had some very choice words of his own. Instead, he swallowed nervously and asked, "What kind of gift?"
Isshin's grin never faltered as he pulled his arms around, revealing the wrapped box. "You'll have to find out for yourself. We put too much effort into it to spoil the surprise now!"
We? he repeated silently, eyes flicking to Orihime. She was standing very deliberately between his sisters, a light tint of pink over her cheeks. They included her, he realized, a smile briefly tugging at his lips. Silently, he reached out and took the box.
No one spoke as he tugged the ribbon loose and tore through the single layer of paper. He popped the lid open easily, and his eyes widened at the photo album lying within.
"If you flip to the back," Isshin began, his voice suddenly calm and almost sentimental, "you'll see we left a couple slots open for you, so that you can get in the habit of taking your own pictures. It may seem silly now, but someday you'll feel nostalgic enough to want to look through it."
Ichigo wordlessly extracted the book, tossing the box toward the coffee table, and flipped it open to the final page. His father had spoken the truth – the final two slots were empty. But it was the last picture that caught his attention. The picture was of him and Orihime, standing side by side, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her waist. It was the picture his father had insisted on taking the night Ichigo first brought her home for dinner.
Closing the book and holding it down at his side, Ichigo looked up again and let his expression soften as he said, "Thanks."
The night wrapped up shortly afterward, with Chad, Uryuu, and Tatsuki bidding their friends goodnight before departing for their respective homes. Ichigo and Orihime stayed a bit longer, helping clean up the mess that had accumulated throughout the day, before also taking their leave.
They walked back to the apartment at a casual pace, talking about little things, and Orihime led the way inside once they arrived.
Orihime turned toward Ichigo after hanging her coat on the coat stand, finding him looking out over the fairly-cluttered living room, and paused. She remembered what it was like to leave the only home she had ever known, as it had been less than two years since she'd left her old apartment. But she didn't know what it was like to move away from family. Her family had been gone long before she'd had to move.
She stepped up beside him quietly and laid one hand over his shirt-covered bicep. "Is it strange?" she asked softly.
Ichigo pulled in a breath and nodded slowly. "A little," he admitted. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, tugging her against him, and turned a smile toward her as he added, "But I always figured it would be, so that's okay."
"If it's any consolation," Orihime offered as her fingers curled loosely into his shirt, "I'm really glad you're here."
His arm tightened around her and he dropped a kiss to the crown of her head as he said, "That's all I need."
Orihime turned her head to the side so that she was facing the living room and she frowned. Her newly-restored coffee table was stacked with boxes, and surrounded by more boxes. She knew Ichigo's large suitcase was propped against a wall in the bedroom. And she also knew that the currently-disassembled desk, along with the chair and a box of desk-items, were stacked in the bedroom as well.
But, mostly, she knew that they had a couple of days' worth of unpacking and organizing ahead of them. And she didn't feel like doing any of it at the moment, despite the over-crowded state of her apartment.
Our apartment, she corrected herself, a smile curving her lips. She wasn't living alone anymore. And her roommate wasn't just anyone, either. It was Ichigo. Ichigo was officially living with her.
She pulled her lip between her teeth as she thought over her options. It's not like it won't keep, she told herself. We could start on it tomorrow morning…. That option sounded like a winner in her mind.
Decision made, Orihime gently eased out of Ichigo's embrace and smiled up at him. "I know the perfect place for your new photo album," she declared as she laced her fingers through his.
"Then lead the way," Ichigo replied with a short laugh. He followed after her as soon as she started walking, their linked hands between them, and he wasn't surprised when she didn't stop until she was standing before her barely-accessible closet.
She released his hand and slid the closet open before indicating the top shelf and saying, "You can put it with mine." She smiled again and moved aside so that he could see where she was indicating.
He found the spot easily and shifted her things enough to slip his album in beside hers, noting that she only had two of her own. When his album was secure he stepped away from the closet, sliding the door shut, and turned back to face her. Before he could say anything, however, his lips were covered with hers and she was leaning bodily into him.
His arms lifted again, automatically wrapping around her, and he returned the kiss willingly. But before it could deepen she pulled back, slightly, and murmured, "I have a house-warming gift for you, too." She dropped another peck on his lips before pulling back entirely and adding, "But you'll have to help me a little."
One eyebrow lifting high on his forehead, Ichigo couldn't quite stop the grin as he asked, "Oh?"
She nodded, a smile she offered only to him lifting her lips, and said, "I need you to do two things." She paused, waved her hand up and down in his direction, and added, "Take those off." Her hand swept to the side, then, toward the large futon, before she finished, "And lie down over there."
Still grinning, Ichigo replied, "Whatever you say."
His hands easily took hold of the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head swiftly before tossing it aside. He moved immediately on to his pants, boxers, and socks, until he was bare before her. And then he calmly walked past her, kicked the comforter aside, and stretched out on the futon.
Orihime watched him, chewing on her lip, until he had completed her requests. She would never tire of the sight presently before her. But she took a deep breath, steadying her racing heart, and thanked him by letting him watch as she removed her own clothing one article at a time.
Once she was as bare as he was she moved forward and knelt beside him. Their gazes held as she reached out and danced her fingertips up his thigh, letting them linger over the contours of the muscles on his abdomen, until her arm had stretched across to his opposite shoulder. She leaned down, then, and covered his lips with hers.
He wrapped one arm around her back, his palm splaying over her spine, and buried his other hand in her hair as soon as her lips were touching his. This time, the kiss was immediately deeper, and hungrier, as their tongues slid alongside each other slowly. Her nails were digging into his shoulder, her other hand holding in place over his side.
The kiss broke and Orihime shifted, trailing her lips and tongue along his jaw until she had nibbled lightly on his earlobe. A groan rumbled up from his chest and his arms tightened around her, but before he could flip them over she breathed, "I have to welcome you properly." He stilled immediately and she let her lips return to his skin, moving down the side of his throat.
When she was done with his neck she lifted her head, meeting his gaze again, and adjusted her hold on him. And then she was straddling him, her hands sliding down his chest, fingers curled just enough for her nails to scrape the surface of the skin.
Ichigo's hands settled over her hips as his eyes fell shut and he groaned again.
Orihime leaned down once more, her lips landing on his chest, and she took her time kissing and licking her way back up. His grip tightened, but he made no move to interrupt her ministrations.
Her lips were beside his ear again a minute later, her breath warm against his flesh, as she murmured, "Watch me."
She sat up as Ichigo's eyes obediently opened, and she offered him a seductive smile before she shifted again.
They both groaned aloud as she sank herself onto him, rolling her hips forward until he was buried to the hilt within her. And with barely a pause they were moving, Ichigo lifting his hips to thrust into her as she ground against him, her hands splayed and slightly curled over his chest.
Orihime gasped loudly as Ichigo quickly increased the pace, his hands tight over her thighs, and threw her head back.
She rolled her hips forward, into his, meeting his thrusts eagerly. And then his hands released her thighs and slid, slowly – torturously – along her flesh until they were covering her breasts.
Ichigo watched, mesmerized, as Orihime moved above him. She very rarely insisted on taking charge of their intimacy, but he never failed to be awestruck by her when she did. Each time he thought she could never get more beautiful, and then she turned around and proved him wrong.
This was proving to be no exception as he drank in the sight of her.
She was grinding and rocking against him, holding on to his chest for dear life as her back arched with each swipe of his thumbs over her nipples. Her hair was bouncing and swaying in every direction, as untamed as she herself, as she encouraged him with her movements and her sounds. And every now and then she would add his name to the breathless cries leaving her lips, reminding him of why his name was his new favorite word.
He released her breasts after giving them one final squeeze, keeping his hands against her skin as they slid down once more. But instead of reattaching them to her hips, Ichigo curved them around her back and tugged her forward.
Orihime's hands slid quickly up his chest, burying themselves in his hair, as their lips met in a fiery kiss. His tongue was already in her mouth, moving along hers restlessly as their bodies picked up the pace without any conscious direction. His hands roamed over her back, tangling in her hair and rubbing down her spine, encouraging her to move faster.
Their hips were grinding together rapidly as each rolling thrust brought them closer to the edge, and closer still. Their lips were glued together, tongues taking turns dancing in the other's mouth.
And then the world exploded around them without warning and their lips tore apart as they cried out, gasping and grunting each other's name.
It was a long minute before Orihime slumped against him, releasing his hair and trying desperately to catch her breath. She didn't make even an attempt at separating from him.
Ichigo was nearly boneless as he laid still, their bodies joined and his arms wrapped around her. He was just as breathless as she was, and at the moment he couldn't have moved for the world. But he loved the feeling of her equally-boneless weight over him.
"Ichigo," Orihime murmured after another long minute.
"Yeah?" Ichigo asked quietly, his fingers trailing lightly along her spine.
"I think we should wait until tomorrow to start unpacking," she declared, voice still soft.
"That sounds good," Ichigo agreed.
Orihime shifted enough to lift her head and meet his gaze. She blinked deceptively innocent eyes at him and asked, "Will you help me with my stamina training tonight?"
Ichigo grinned as his touch became somewhat heavier and he replied, "Hell yes."
She was giggling by the time his lips had claimed hers again, and it was several hours before either of them succumbed to the call of sleep.
Orihime was walking home mid-afternoon the following Saturday, having detoured to the grocery store after work for a couple of things that they were out of, when someone called out to her. She paused, caught off-guard, and turned in the direction of the voice. And a smile almost immediately broke out on her face as she removed one hand from her bags and waved, calling, "Hi, Rukia!"
Rukia, being followed by a bored-looking Renji, jogged up to her. "Hey, how are you? It's been a while."
Orihime's smile remained bright as she exclaimed, "Oh, I'm doing well! How've you two been? Is everything alright in Soul Society?"
"We've been good," Rukia assured her as they resumed walking. "Renji and I just finally got an afternoon off, so we thought we'd come by and say high."
"That's great!" Orihime replied honestly. With barely a pause she asked, "Oh, will you be in town for dinner? If you are, you're both welcome to come over! I bought a new recipe book the other day that I've been dying to try!" She threw in a laughing wink and added, "And I promise they're all socially-acceptable recipes, too!"
Renji paled slightly, having heard horror stories about some of the healer's recipes, but Rukia said, "We'd love to join you for dinner."
Orihime beamed as they approached the apartment building.
Renji moved quickly ahead of them, pulling the door to the stairwell open since Orihime's hands were full.
Orihime had barely managed a 'thank you' when Rukia spoke up again, asking, "Do you mind if we keep you company for a bit? We tried popping on your idiot boyfriend, but he wasn't home, so we figured he must be at work or something."
For a second, Orihime was concerned. Ichigo had been scheduled to work earlier, but she had thought he'd be home before her. And then everything clicked and she had to stifle a laugh. It had been over a month since they had seen anyone from Soul Society, and it had only been a week since Ichigo had moved in with her.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry," Orihime assured them as they climbed the stairs. "In fact, he'll be joining us for dinner!"
Smirking, Rukia replied, "I sort of thought it'd be funny if we didn't invite him for dinner."
Renji laughed behind them, adding, "Yeah, that'd be priceless."
Orihime pouted dramatically as she bumped the heavy door to the fourth floor open with her hip, exclaiming, "Ah! I couldn't do that!"
"That's because you're too nice, Orihime," Rukia declared as they followed the healer to her apartment.
"Is there such a thing?" Orihime asked with laughing curiosity.
Rukia only chuckled as they came to a stop before her door, and before she could offer to take a bag from her friend, Orihime had managed to turn the knob enough for the door to swing open. "Orihime, you shouldn't leave your door unlocked like that!" she scolded, cringing.
Orihime winked at her concerned friend as she stepped inside, kicked off her shoes, and called, "I'm home! And I brought company!"
Rukia and Renji, who were barely past the entry, paused and turned wide, blinking eyes to each other.
The soft padding of light, sock-covered footsteps preceded Ichigo's appearance in the hall, and then he said, "Welcome home."
He paused, his gaze flicking to the two surprised Soul Reapers standing behind her, and he stomped forward as he demanded, "What the hell's the matter with you two? You couldn't help her with those?" He reached forward, lightly tugging two of the three bags from her grasp, and added, "And shut the damn door."
Renji kicked the door shut as he rolled his eyes and said, "Gee, it's a good thing we rushed over here to visit you. For a second we thought you might be happy to see us."
"That's all beside the point, anyway," Rukia declared as the group moved toward the kitchen so that Ichigo and Orihime could put away the groceries. Her hands on her hips, she demanded, "When were you going to tell us you'd moved in together?"
"The next time I saw you," Ichigo replied easily as he handed Orihime the bottle of milk so that she could put it in the fridge. "It's not like you have cell phones."
"And where did you think we would go when we got here?" Rukia pushed as she watched them.
"Can't say I gave it much thought," Ichigo stated, handing another bagged item to Orihime.
Rukia's foot collided with the back of his unsuspecting calf as she cried, "I can't believe you'd be so thoughtless!"
Ichigo cried out, startled, and half-stumbled into the counter as he dropped the bag of cheese. "Damn, Rukia, where do you get off lecturing me for my manners, anyway?"
Ignoring their scuffling, Renji scratched his cheek thoughtfully and mumbled, "Well, this does explain why he wasn't home earlier."
Orihime, having knelt to pick up the cheese, looked up to Ichigo and asked, "Is your leg okay?"
"Yeah," Ichigo assured her, removing his glare from Rukia in order to return to the task before him.
Dropping the argument, Rukia looked around the kitchen, which was open to the living room, and noticed that there weren't any boxes to indicate a recent move. Everything looked perfectly in order, and there was a fairly current picture of the couple framed on the wall near the television.
Curious now, she asked, "How long have you two been living together, anyway?"
"One week today!" Orihime chirped as she closed the refrigerator.
"Did we interrupt your celebration?" Renji asked, grinning and wiggling his tattooed eyebrows suggestively.
Ichigo glared at him and grunted, "Shut up, you damned pervert."
Ignoring their banter, Rukia declared, "Still, I thought you'd at least wait until after high school. And I know it hasn't been that long since we've seen you, so what caused the change?"
The couple hesitated, Orihime's lips curving into a frown and one arm wrapping around herself as she shifted her weight, leaning closer to Ichigo.
Glaring darkly at the memory, Ichigo said, "I'll tell you later."
Pushing past the memory, Orihime stepped into Ichigo and wrapped her arms around one of his as she smiled softly and said, "It doesn't matter anymore anyway, because it's all better now."
Rukia and Renji studied them for a moment, but both knew better than to push the subject.
At length, Renji turned and started toward the living room as he asked, "So, Ichigo, have you been practicing with your kidou?"
Ichigo, with Orihime still holding loosely to his arm, moved toward the living room as well and replied, "You bet I have. No way am I getting a reputation for being worse than you."
Renji turned a proud smirk to his friend, jerking a thumb inward as he declared, "Hey, it takes a lot of effort to be ranked as highly as I am and still be terrible with kidou!"
Rukia, who had trailed behind the bright-haired couple, pushed aside her concern and laughed, saying, "I'm not sure that's something you should be advertising, Renji."
"What do you mean?" Renji asked incredulously. "Sure it is!"
Orihime, who had only barely taken a seat beside her boyfriend, suddenly jumped up, exclaiming, "Oh! I almost forgot; we have cookies!"
"Hime, you don't have to-" Ichigo began. But it was too late, as she had already darted back into the kitchen.
Renji was snickering when Ichigo returned his attention to their friends, and he said, "I don't know why you're worrying about your reputation, anyway. It's already shot to hell; at least for anyone who's actually watched you two."
"Oh yeah?" Ichigo asked, a challenging light in his eyes.
Ichigo and Renji were wrestling on the floor, curses flying, by the time Orihime returned with a platter of cookies in her hands.
To Be Concluded…
A/N: So, yes, I'm afraid it's true…the next chapter will be the epilogue. But we're not there yet! Tell me what you thought of this one! Did you like it? Maybe you even loved it? Let me know before you go running off to read the final installment!