The New Mrs. Kurosaki
Chapter 2
IsshinXOrihime

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

The Next Day….
Orihime's Apartment
Orihime POV

Orihime stared at her cup of tea as she sat at her table, Tatsuki on the opposite side. Her best friend stared at her with a bewildered expression as she explained what happened to her when she went to Ichigo's house. Pinching her nose, Tatsuki closed her eyes and tried but failed to keep her cool. "Orihime…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Orihime cringed as Tatsuki berated her. "YOU GOT DRUNK? THEN YOU SLEPT WITH HIS DAD?"

Orihime continued to stare at her table, feeling confused now more than ever. That night, after quickly getting dressed, Orihime left the Kurosaki house and went home, leaving Isshin and Rukia to deal with the fainted Ichigo. "I know…" she muttered. "I know it was stupid of me but…I…I…" she could find no words to express what she felt when she was with Isshin, on the couch and in his bed. "I…can't explain…."

Tatsuki stared at her best friend, her arms crossed as she continued to scold her. "You're not going to say that you fell for his dad, are you?"

"No!" Orihime quickly said. Still, she felt…odd. As she got up this morning, taking a much-needed shower, she continued to think about the man she'd lain with, how lonely he must be raising Ichigo and his sisters all by himself after Masaki died. She remembered, even with the haze of the wine she'd drank, how warm the man felt as his arms wrapped around her tight. She blushed madly as she remembered how gentle he was at first, only becoming a vibrant lover after she'd wished for more. "I'm not in love. I like Ichigo…" she insisted.

Still, even as she said that, she was wondering about her own feelings for Ichigo and whether or not they were even reciprocated anymore. More importantly, did Isshin have any feelings for Orihime now that they'd slept together?

Meanwhile….
Ichigo's House
Isshin POV

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Ichigo roared as he shook his father until the man looked like a bobble-head. "YOU SLEPT WITH ORIHIME! MY CLASSMATE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE YOU MIGHT BE IN?!"

Letting go of his father, Ichigo watched as Isshin dropped to the ground. Isshin lay on the floor with his vision spinning. He was seeing three Ichigos. "Ichigo, I…" He tried to find words to explain what had happened but miserably came up short. "I don't know." He looked down and sighed. "I honestly don't know what came over me…."

"Dad!" Ichigo insisted, sitting down on the couch and trying hard not to blow another gasket. "Haven't you given any thought to what you did? What if you accidentally got Orihime pregnant?" he asked, his face paling as he asked himself that question. He imagined Orihime holding a baby Isshin in her arms and shivered in fear.

Sitting up, Isshin took a deep breath. He'd been asking himself that question all day and to be honest…he wasn't that scared for some reason. "If it happens Ichigo then I'll take care of it. I took care of you, didn't I?"

Scowling, Ichigo crossed his arms. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the poster of Masaki and felt a pang of sadness. "Dad…" his voice wavered as he tried to comprehend it. "I just don't understand. You're a grown man with needs; I get that. I know that you love Mom but I get that, really. But why, Dad? Why Orihime?"

Isshin would have liked to tell him that he saw some part of Masaki in the girl and that her sunny disposition was like a magnet to him, but he knew better than to say that. "I don't know…."

Though he would later feel terrible about it, Isshin wondered if Ichigo was angry at him because he had feelings for Orihime or if he was just angry at him for sleeping with one of his friends. Isshin saw how much time Ichigo had been spending with Rukia and was secretly wondering if there was anything going on between those two. So it begged the question: did Ichigo have any feelings for Orihime?

Sighing, Ichigo merely got up and went to his room to cool off, leaving Isshin alone. Looking up, Isshin stared at the picture of Masaki and sighed. "What a mess, huh Masaki?"

Four months Later….
Orihime POV

Orihime walked down the street and hummed a tune, trying to cheer herself up. School had let out for the day and she was spending time by herself for once, Tatsuki being held up at martial arts practice and Chizuru…being Chizuru. "Wow, it sure is sunny today!" she said cheerily. Or at least she tried to be….

For the past several months, she'd been feeling quite conflicted with her emotions. Suddenly, it dawned on her that for all her adoration of Ichigo, it appeared that he did not feel the same way about her. She felt quite confused and scared on what to do, especially since most of her thoughts nowadays were about Isshin.

While Tatsuki, Ichigo and Rukia were content to let the matter drop and pretend that nothing happened between the two of them, Orihime couldn't get over her night with Ichigo's father. She stayed away from the Kurosaki Clinic now, afraid of what they would say to each other or what she'd say to Ichigo. For the past several months she'd been trying to avoid Ichigo, feeling ashamed and embarrassed for letting him see her with his father in his bed.

Orihime was so lost in thought that she barely saw the attack coming. Jumping forward, Orihime gasped as the fence she was walking along exploded, revealing a disgusting frog-like hollow. "Oh no!" she mentally scolded herself for being such an airhead. Readying her hairpins, Orihime shouted "Tsubaki! I reject!"

…And nothing happened.

Orihime gasped as the hollow's frog-tongue lashed out at her, grabbing her by the ankle. "No! I reject! I REJECT!" she screamed, but still her sprites did not appear. "Nooo!" she screamed as the hollow pulled her towards its gaping mouth. "Someone help me! Ichigo, save meeee!"

Just when Orihime thought she was done for, she heard a familiar shout. "Getsuga Tensho!"

The hollow's body exploded as a blue burst of energy hit it from behind.. Realizing that she'd been saved, Orihime sat up. "Ichigo?"

Through the smoke emerged Isshin, who quickly rushed to her aid. Seeing the fallen Orihime, Isshin's eyes widened. "Orihime! Are you alright?"

The man quickly helped her up. Brushing herself off, Orihime nodded. "Yeah. I am now. You really saved me, Isshin. Thank you," she said bowing.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Isshin's face showed concern. "Orihime, what happened? A hollow like should've been nothing for you and your powers."

"I don't know! Tsubaki and the others didn't show when I called for them."

Isshin rubbed his chin and pondered it for a moment. "Orihime. Concentrate as hard as you can and call for them." His first thought was that she might be pregnant and that her powers were being diverted to support the baby but he looked her up and down and saw no signs of her being pregnant so that couldn't be it.

Closing her eyes, Orihime calmed the storm of emotions rolling through her and her hairpins finally glowed. "Shun Shun Rikka…."

All six sprites suddenly appeared with a bright flash, much to Orihime's relief….

…And then all six started berating her.

"You stupid girl!" Tsubaki scolded as he pulled her hair. "Get your head on straight! You almost got yourself killed!"

Isshin stopped them before they could do any serious damage. "Excuse me, but why didn't you appear when she called you before?"

Lily floated up to face him. "The six of us are an extension of Orihime's power, but our powers are fueled by Orihime's emotions. When she's of a strong heart, our powers are able to be at their peak."

"Yeah, if only she'd learn the will to kill, then she'd be able to hold her own…" Tsubaki scoffed before being berated by the others.

"BUT!" Lily shot the sprite an angry look before turning back to Isshin. "Lately, her emotions have become like a roller-coaster, she was in such a lost state she was unable to call upon us."

Isshin listened to Lily's explanation then turned to Orihime, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Orihime, what's the matter? What's got you so riled up that you can't summon your Shun Shun Rikka?"

Staying silent, Orihime stared at the ground with shame in her eyes. "Well… it's about that night…." Looking up she stared Isshin in the eye. "I could never stop thinking about you or that night. No matter how much I tried to forget what happened. And then…" her gaze dropped to the ground once more in shame. "I started to wonder about my own crush with Ichigo. I put a lot on the line for him… and yet… sometimes it's like he doesn't even see me…." Her eyes watered as the dam inside her heart burst open, the feelings she'd been holding back for so long coming out. "Does he look at me like he does with Rukia? Or will I always come second to her?"

Isshin held her as she cried into his chest. "Orihime…."

The man held Orihime for several minutes and let her have her cry. "There there," Isshin whispered, patting her head. While he was no stranger to crying girls, what with dealing with a sad Yuzu and all, this was a bit different. He mentally scolded his son for being such a ditz and letting this girl wallow in her own insecurities.

After several minutes, Orihime looked up and dried her eyes. "Isshin?"

"Yes?"

Orihime stared at the ground. "Um… I should thank you for saving me…" she looked back up at the older man. "Would you like to come with me to the festival this weekend?" she meekly asked.

Isshin blinked. Was she asking him out on a date? "Are you sure?"

"Uh huh," Orihime said nodding.

The elder Kurosaki thought about it. 'Ichigo might not forgive me but…it's not his decision to make anymore….' Smiling, Isshin patted her head. "Of course I'll go with you."

Orihime beamed. "Goody! Thank you, Isshin!"

Hugging him tightly, Orihime took off for her home again, wanting to find something to wear. Isshin stared at her as she left, scratching the back of his head.

"Wow, things are getting pretty weird, huh Masaki…."

To Be Continued

A.N.: Hah! You thought I'd go the conventional route! Shame on you….