The New Mrs. Kurosaki
Chapter 6
A.N.: Once again, hats off to Gakuto1991 for helping me continue this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
A few weeks later….
Orihime's apartment
As the sun rose on Karakura Town, Orihime sat up in bed and yawned. Beside her bed on a nightstand was a picture of her and Isshin together, taken during a date to the beach. It had been an odd date for them both as many people there assumed they were father and daughter rather than lovers.
Still, Orihime shrugged off the criticisms of others. She was in love with Isshin. That much had been certain as she craved to be with him. After Ichigo had given them his consent, their relationship had blossomed further.
Orihime got up and began to get ready for work. As she put a blouse on she looked over to the picture of her and Ichigo's sisters, Yuzu and Karin. She remembered when Isshin's daughters first confronted her about her relationship with their father….
Shortly after Isshin and Orihime's first date….
Orihime's Bakery
Humming a happy tune, Orihime took a sheet of loaves out of the oven and breathed in the crisp aroma of the freshly cooked bread. Her boss was out for lunch, leaving her in charge of the bakery until he got back. The shop had been bereft of customers for most of the day, much to Orihime's disappointment. But her chipper attitude returned when she heard the bell ring as the door opened. "Welcome!" she greeted as she turned around. "What can I get you?" was what she asked before seeing Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki walking through the doorway. "Oh, Yuzu and Karin. Hello."
"Hi, Orihime," Yuzu greeted. Karin was oddly silent as they walked over to the counter. "Um…how are you today?" the meeker twin asked.
Orihime smiled at the two while taking her oven mitts off. "I'm doing okay. Would you like to try some bread? I have samples," she offered.
"No thank you," Karin interjected.
"You're looking well. This is a nice place…" Yuzu said, looking around the bakery.
"Thanks. I love working here. It's always so nice!" Orihime said with a chipper smile.
Karin nudged Yuzu's shoulder, giving her a hint that she should move things along.
"Um…Orihime? You've been spending a lot of time with our dad…" Yuzu started.
"Yeah…" Orihime nodded. "Your dad and I…became really good friends."
"I see… um…" Yuzu's cheeks turned pink. "We've noticed how you've been coming to our house a lot and…."
Karin decided that Yuzu was taking too long and decided to cut to the chase. "Orihime, are you sleeping with our dad?" she bluntly asked.
Orihime's mouth went dry at the question. She knew that Ichigo's opinion of her relationship with his father was less than stellar; he'd barely spoken to her since that fateful day where she slept with Isshin. But she was always nervous about how Yuzu and Karin would react to their romance. "Yes…" she finally admitted. Stepping out from behind the counter, she removed her apron and looked at the twins with worried eyes. "Are you angry with me?" she asked.
Karin shook her head. "No, it's not that. We just wanted to know if you were serious about dating our dad. It's just weird, you know?" she said as she looked at Orihime. "Our dad dating one of Ichigo's friends."
Yuzu quickly cut in. "But we're not mad!" she said when she saw Orihime's fearful expression. "Our dad's been really happy and we're glad for that. We just wanted to ask if you were serious about being with our dad."
"Then…you approve?"
Karin crossed her arms. "We don't mind. Like Yuzu said, Dad's been really happy ever since he got back from the festival." She walked over to the teen and hugged her. "So, does this mean we should call you Mom?"
"What?!" Orihime's face turned tomato-red from the question. "No, I could never take your mother's place and-"
Karin laughed. "Relax, Orihime. I'm just teasing." When she let go of Orihime Yuzu was the next to hug the girl. "C'mon, Yuzu. We should let her get back to work." She smiled at Orihime before heading for the door. "Later, Orihime. We'll see you the next time you visit our dad!"
Orihime smiled warmly and nodded. "Thanks girls. You have a good day." When the door closed behind them she put her apron back on and got back to cooking some more bread….
Back to the present….
"Hmm…" Orihime went to her breadbox and wondered which loaf to bring to Isshin's house. Yuzu and Karin had fallen in love with her baking skills and when she wasn't spending time with Isshin she'd teach Yuzu some of her baking skills, with Ichigo joining in to spend time with his family.
Still, Yuzu and Karin weren't the only ones who questioned about Isshin and Orihime's relationship. Like Orihime, Isshin had found that out from Orihime's closest friend….
Shortly after Ichigo and Orihime made up….
Kurosaki House
"Mmmh," Isshin hummed as Orihime and Yuzu set dinner onto the table. "That smells delicious, girls!"
Orihime giggled as she set the roast down onto the center of the table. "Thanks, Isshin! Yuzu and I worked especially hard on it. Dig in, everyone!"
The dinner was spent with the five having a happy chat. Isshin asked his children about school and Orihime inquired about how things were going with his clinic. When Ichigo's badge went off, he excused himself to go slay a Hollow. Still, it was slightly odd for the members of the Kurosaki household. Orihime sat in their mother's place and it was like the void that had been left by her death had been filled, her happy smile bringing some joy to the kitchen table.
After an hour, Ichigo had failed to return and both Isshin and Orihime were starting to get worried. Telling Orihime he'd stay up to wait for him, Isshin stepped outside to see if he was nearby. As he did so, he saw a figure walk up to the house. "Oh, hello Tatsuki," he greeted as he leaned against the door. "What brings you here at this time of night?"
Dressed in a white t-shirt and jogging shorts, the sweaty teen waved hello as she neared him. "I was on my evening jog and I was nearby so I decided to see how Ichigo was doing. And speaking of which…" her eyes narrowed as she glared at Isshin. "Is Orihime here?"
"Yes," Isshin nodded. "She's helping Yuzu with the dishes."
Tatsuki took a few deep breaths, letting the night chill cool her down. "Mr. Kurosaki, I saw you and Orihime together at the festival. And I've noticed how she keeps coming by here. So tell me," she said while crossing her arms. "Are you and her together?" She could've asked Orihime before but wanted to respect her best friend's privacy so she decided to hear the truth from Isshin's mouth.
The man figured there'd be no point in deceiving her and nodded. "Yes. Orihime and I are a couple." He continued to lean back against the door while shrugging him shoulders. "And it should go without saying that our relationship is past the point of trading niceties."
Giving the older man a small chuckle, Tatsuki nodded in return. "Yeah. She told me all about how you two slept together to begin with so I figured you and her would be hitting the bedsheets again. I'm…" Tatsuki looked over towards a window and saw Orihime inside, chatting away with Yuzu. "Part of me is a little weirded out that my best friend is having a sexual relationship with my other best friend's dad. But she's happy. I can't begrudge her for that." She turned back to Isshin and smiled. "I guess I just wanted to come by to say…I approve."
Isshin smiled back at Tatsuki. He knew that his relationship with Orihime was, at best, scandalous; society certainly had a bit of a biased opinion when it came to a teen girl dating an older man. Still, he was glad that Tatsuki respected them and gave them her approval. "Thanks, Tatsuki. I'm sure Orihime will be delighted when I tell her."
Tatsuki walked up the steps towards Isshin until they were looking at each other eye to eye. "I'm fine and all about you dating Orihime. She's practically a grown woman so I can't say anything about you two having sex. However…." Isshin was caught off guard when Tatsuki grabbed his collar and yanked him forward until he felt he could practically melt from her fiery gaze. "I'm gonna warn you now: If you hurt Orihime or make her cry, not even Ichigo can save you from me!"
The threat and the steely glare from Tatsuki made Isshin gulp in fear. True, he was a captain-level Soul Reaper but in his exile he found that the most formidable of opponents were Humans. "I understand," he quietly said before Tatsuki let him go.
Turning around, Tatsuki walked away from Isshin. "I should finish my jog before my parents get worried. Good night, Mr. Kurosaki."
"Good night, Tatsuki."
Isshin scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Orihime's got a good friend…" he said before returning indoors….
Back to the present….
Ding-Dong!
"Oh, that must be him!" Orihime walked over to the door and opened it. As soon as she saw Isshin in the doorway her eyes lit up with joy. "Hello, Isshin!" she greeted, wrapping him in a big hug.
Isshin gave her a tender kiss and smiled. "Hello, Orihime. You ready for our date night?"
Orihime beamed with happiness. "Of course."
The rest of the day was spent on their date, both lovers happy that they had the support of each other's friends and family….
To be continued