A/N: Hello again! I'd like to take a minute to thank all of my amazing reviewers – so many of you made a point to let me know that my fight scenes aren't as disappointing as I'd feared they were, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so far! Now, I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this chapter, so I won't make you wait any longer!

Disclaimer: In case you've forgotten, this is pretty simple: Bleach characters – not mine. Original characters – all mine.

Second Chance

Chapter Eleven: In the Wake of Devastation II

Orihime rolled onto her back as she slowly blinked her eyes open. They were unusually crusty, reminding her of the tears she'd shed the night before. And when her vision finally cleared, and she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, she wasn't confused at all. She remembered why she had been crying, too.

And she remembered Ichigo holding her while she cried – not once, but twice.

His arms had been strong and comforting wrapped around her, and his hands had been gentle and soothing as he rubbed circles over her back. He hadn't said a word as she'd cried, simply letting her get it out of her system. She was sure she'd made him uncomfortable, but he hadn't complained or given any actual indication of it, for which she was grateful.

With a sigh, Orihime pulled her thoughts to the present and rolled back onto her side, fully intending to push herself to a sitting position. But she stopped before she could when her eyes landed on a simple decoration adorning the far wall. She didn't remember seeing that in the guest room before.

And, come to think of it, she didn't actually remember returning to the guest room, let alone going to bed.

She pushed to a sitting position, then, and as the comforter pooled to her lap she looked down, noting that she was still dressed in the previous day's shihakushou. Her haori (she had already noted) was folded carefully and resting on top of the dresser. Shun Rikka was propped against the same dresser.

She was still confused, attempting to put the pieces together, when a light tapping drew her attention to the closed bedroom door.

"Orihime?" Ichigo called softly from the other side.

Her eyes widened as she realized what must have happened. She had fallen asleep on his couch! No, not just on his couch, she realized as she went over her most recent memory one more time. I fell asleep…while he was holding me. She moaned softly in embarrassment, her hands coming up to cover her face. And, on top of that, he even let me sleep in his bedroom!

"Orihime?" Ichigo called again, sounding more concerned than before. He was obviously aware that she was awake.

Doing her best to pull herself together, Orihime lifted her head and called, "Come in."

The door slid open and Ichigo stepped in, two steaming mugs of tea in his hands. He held one out to her as he asked, "Did you sleep alright?"

Orihime knew her cheeks were probably well on their way to scarlet as she accepted the tea. "Yes," she replied. She paused to inhale the fragrance of the liquid before, eyes fixed on the tea, she said, "I'm so sorry, Ichigo. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that."

Ichigo lowered himself to the floor in front of her, crossing his legs and blowing on his tea before he said, "It's alright. You were exhausted, and crying like that only drained you more. You needed the sleep."

"I know, but…I should have had the decency to leave first, and let you sleep in your own bed," Orihime argued, still unable to meet his gaze.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Ichigo assured her gently. "I could have carried you across the hall and put you to bed there, but I figured you hadn't come to see me so that you could be alone."

Her heart fluttered at his thoughtful words, and she finally dared to lift her head and meet his gaze.

He was smiling softly at her, and there was no trace of the fierce warrior he had been the day before. Now he was kind, gentle, and concerned, and Orihime felt incredibly honored to be able to see both opposing sides of him.

She couldn't help but return his smile with a small one of her own. "Thank you, Ichigo."

Ichigo took a long sip of his tea before he said, "You're welcome, Orihime." He paused, looking away before he added, "And, uh, you're welcome to take a bath or something before we head out if you want."

Orihime nodded, unable to say anything for the moment. She supposed she should insist on using the room she'd been given for something, but she didn't want to be so far from him. Not when she wouldn't have a choice on the matter soon enough as it was.

But, wait, she thought, her mind replaying what he'd said. She lifted her gaze again and asked, "'We'?"

Ichigo returned his piercing brown gaze to her as one orange brow lifted curiously.

"You said 'we'," Orihime elaborated, still confused. Did they have to go somewhere she didn't know about yet?

His lips curved up in a faint grin and he replied, "Yeah, 'we.' I know you have a lot of work ahead of you today, and I want to help if I can, so I'm going with you. Besides, at least for the next few days, it's not safe to assume the threat's over yet."

A part of her that Orihime hated to admit to was immediately thrilled at his words. If he felt that way, then he would stay beside her at least for a little while longer. Still, she told herself, "I can't ask you to do that. Reconstruction is my responsibility as Captain, but you don't owe me or my squad anything, Ichigo. You've already done so much…."

His grin vanished, replaced with his natural scowl, and Ichigo said, "I know you figure I don't owe you anything, and I don't want to argue about that. But I want to help. If you'll let me…."

Orihime swallowed heavily and smiled before she said, "Of course I'll let you, Ichigo. I just didn't want you thinking I expected it."

"Tch," Ichigo scoffed, grinning again. He lifted his tea back to his lips, but before he took another sip he added, "I think I know you better than that."

This time a soft giggle slipped past her lips before she could stop it and she said, "I suppose you probably would."

He did his best to hide the smile that curved his lips at the sound of her laughter with the cup of tea, but he wasn't entirely sure he succeeded. Not that it really mattered; he was just suddenly painfully aware of how often he smiled around her.

Orihime took a large gulp of her tea, but it was still too hot, and so she choked, quickly lifting one hand to her mouth to keep from doing something humiliating.

Ichigo was immediately in front of her, one hand on her shoulder as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Face flushing, she swallowed her mouthful of tea and nodded faintly. Her voice was still half-choked when she managed, "Y-yes, sorry…too hot."

The concern fading from his eyes, Ichigo grinned and said, "Yeah, you should be careful about that."

Her smile broadened, taking on a laughing quality, and she said, "I'll try to remember that from now on."

Ichigo squeezed her shoulder, fully intending to release it, but his hand betrayed him and stayed put.

Their gazes held as the laughter faded and a comfortable silence settled over them.

He didn't pull away, and neither did she.

His thumb ran, lightly, over her shoulder once, then twice, and she pulled in a deep breath.

Her hand – still holding the cup of tea – moved easily to the side, where she set it down on the hardwood floor at the edge of the futon she was still sitting on.

He felt himself begin to lean in, and this time it didn't occur to him to back off. All he could think about was kissing her.

Her eyes began to droop as he leaned in, her heart beating so wildly she was slightly amazed it hadn't broken free already. But she didn't care – she could feel his warm breath fanning across her lips.

His free hand came up, then, and gently cupped her jaw. His fingertips grazed the side of her throat and her hands came up, curling in the front of his shihakushou.

Their eyes closed at the same moment that their lips finally met, and for a moment the kiss was tentative as their lips pressed together.

Ichigo's hold on her tightened just a little as he pressed his lips against hers more firmly.

Orihime released a soft sound and leaned more into him as her hands released his shihakushou and slid up, slowly, until her arms were curved around his shoulders.

Their heads tilted slightly as their lips moved against each other, and Ichigo's hand slid from her shoulder, down her side, to her hip before his grip tightened once more. The fingertips of one of Orihime's hands danced along the hair at the nape of his neck, and the thumb of his other hand ran along the length of her throat.

Loud knocking from the front door shattered the moment as Ichigo's hand traced back up, heading for her hair.

They pulled apart immediately, faces flushing as they stared into each other's eyes, realizing what they had just done. Their hands lingered, unwilling to leave the other so soon, and neither knew quite what to say.

The knocking resumed, reminding them of what had pulled them back to reality, and Ichigo scowled. With a sigh he pulled his hands from her and grumbled, "I should get that…."

Orihime nodded, retracting her hands as well and saying, "Okay…. Um, if it's alright, I think I will take you up on your offer…f-for the bath, I mean."

His lips twitched and he nodded. "Of course," he said. He leaned back, then, and pushed to his feet. He paused to pick up his mostly-empty cup of tea, tossed a small smile in her direction, and stepped from the room to give hell to whoever was on the other side of his door.

Orihime stepped out of the bedroom a couple of minutes later, still significantly less than recovered from their kiss, now-empty cup of tea in her hand. She was slightly surprised to see that Ichigo was alone – she had convinced herself it had been Juushirou or one of his Third Seats at the door.

Ichigo looked up from the fabric he held in his hand when he heard her slide the door shut softly. He had been on his way back to her, having taken a minute to try to compose himself, though he suspected he'd failed spectacularly.

Curious, Orihime ignored the heat on her face as she asked, "Was it anything important?"

"Ah," Ichigo began, his eyes returning to the fabric he was holding. Then he looked back to her and said, "Not the way you mean. I forgot I requested an extra shihakushou for you when I woke up this morning…. I thought you might want to get out of yesterday's clothes."

As he spoke he held the clothing out for her, and Orihime realized it was, indeed, a neatly-folded shihakushou.

She smiled gratefully as she took the clothing with her free hand, and when Ichigo plucked her cup out of her hand she exclaimed, "Oh! I was going to-!"

Ichigo's lips over hers silenced her, but her eyes barely had time to close before he was pulling away again. Holding her gaze despite his own rising blush, Ichigo said quietly, "It's alright. Go ahead and clean up – everything you need should already be in there, but let me know if you need anything else. I'll wait for you out here."

Orihime pulled her lip between her teeth for a moment before she nodded and said, "Okay." She paused, then, as her eyes followed a small lock of hair that had fallen free from her bun and was hanging in front of her face. Her lips scrunched in resignation and she reached up with her now-freed hand and tugged the hair-tie loose.

Ichigo watched as her hair fell around her shoulders, cascading down her back freely. It was the first time he'd seen her with her hair down, and he immediately decided it was a sight he wanted to see again. She looked somehow more innocent and sweet with her face framed by her auburn locks, and he wanted to run his fingers through them desperately.

"Is there a garbage in your bathroom?" Orihime asked as she frowned at the fraying object in her hand.

"Uh, yeah," Ichigo replied, inwardly shaking himself out of his daze. "Why?"

Orihime looked back up at him, letting the simple band dangle from her fingertips as she said, "I think it's time to let this one go. Which means I'll have to leave my hair down until I get to my office…. But I keep extra ties in my drawer, so that won't be too bad."

"Why do you always put it up?" Ichigo asked before he could stop himself.

Orihime blinked, surprised by the question, and took a minute before she said, "Well, I…I just do." She shrugged and added, "I used to hate putting it up, but shortly before his retirement Captain Iemura told me that I looked too immature for a high-ranking position when I wore my hair loose. He said it was unprofessional."

Ichigo had never known Iemura, the man who, for a short while, had been Captain of Squad Four after Unohana's promotion, but all of a sudden he found he disliked him. He was sure such a statement would have hurt her feelings, even if now she seemed to be brushing it off. So, with a scowl, he said, "Sounds to me like Iemura was an idiot. You should wear your hair however you want to."

"You…don't think I look unprofessional, or too young, or something?" Orihime asked hesitantly as she watched him carefully for his reaction.

Reaching out with his free hand, Ichigo threaded his fingers through her hair loosely and said, "No. I like it."

Orihime smiled brightly, leaned up, and planted a quick kiss on his lips before she said, "I'll try to be quick!" And then she turned and started for his bathroom, a ridiculous smile curving her lips.

Soul Reapers were scattered about everywhere by the time Ichigo and Orihime arrived with a group of Squad Thirteen volunteers in tow. People were cleaning, and removing the objects that remained in the many burnt buildings, sorting them into piles with other salvageable or not-salvageable items.

Hanatarou greeted them before they reached Orihime's office, bowing briefly and saying, "Good morning, Captain! Good morning, Ichigo!" He paused, noticing the group behind them, and asked, "Oh, did you bring volunteers?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "We rounded up some people who were willing to help with damage-control."

"That's great!" Hanatarou beamed.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder at his subordinates and said firmly, "Alright, listen up. Lieutenant Yamada's gonna tell you where you can help the most, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" they chorused, bowing formally as they spoke.

Returning his attention to Hanatarou, Ichigo said, "They're all yours."

Hanatarou nodded before turning his attention to Orihime. "Um, would you like us to begin cleaning out your quarters, Captain?"

Orihime's eyes dimmed and she shook her head, her still-loose hair exaggerating the motion as she said, "No, thank you, Hanatarou. The infirmaries are our main priority. I'll worry about my quarters after everything else is taken care of."

"Yes, Captain," Hanatarou replied. He turned his attention to the volunteers and called, "Okay, if you'd please follow me, there's plenty of work to do!"

Ichigo glanced at Orihime as his squad members disappeared down the hall, trailing after Hanatarou. "I understand why you'd prioritize like that, but this isn't a small project. Where are you going to live until your house is restored?"

"I don't know," Orihime admitted softly. "But what we do is important – I can't justify restoring my living space before we've restored the spaces that are designated for our squad's entire purpose. So I'll just…figure something out, I suppose."

"Stay with us, then," Ichigo said. Orihime turned wide, surprised, eyes in his direction, and he continued calmly, "I'm sure Captain Ukitake won't mind you staying with us until you have a place to live again."

"But-"

His thumb landed, lightly, over her lips as he smiled at her and quietly added, "Plus, I'll get to have you nearby for a little while longer."

Her heart tripped. He may as well have taken the words straight from her thoughts, and she couldn't help but smile beneath his lingering thumb. She lifted one hand, covering his and pulling it over her cheek as she said, "If you're sure it'd be alright…I would like that."

Several seconds passed before they reluctantly pulled apart, both fully aware that they had a lot of things to get done that day.

Orihime lifted her head from her desktop when something that sounded suspiciously like a plate was set before her. And, indeed, the first thing she saw when she blinked her eyes open was a plate – a plate full of steaming, delicious, food. Only then did she realize she hadn't had anything more substantial than tea since the day before.

Ichigo's familiar, deep chuckle drew her attention from the plate of food, and as she dragged her eyes up, following the arm that had set the plate down until she found his eyes, he said, "You know, it's not healthy if you go all day without eating."

Her cheeks flushed even as she laughed self-consciously and said, "You're absolutely right! I can't believe I hadn't even thought about food…."

Ichigo dragged the spare chair over, placing it across from her, and settled before a matching plate of food. "Yeah, I thought you might be hungry."

She smiled, her eyes falling back to the food, and replied, "I am, thank you. I'm glad you got yourself something, too."

"I figured it makes more sense if we eat together," Ichigo said with a light shrug.

Orihime made a sound of agreement as she lifted her first bite of food to her lips, and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they focused on their late dinner.

It wasn't until her plate was more bare than not that Orihime paused, eyes still on her remaining food, and asked quietly, "In your opinion…how long do you think it'll be before the reconstruction is finished?"

Ichigo stilled for a moment, chopsticks poised, and lifted his eyes to her. She was still looking down, but even from his angle he could tell that her eyes were dimmed with resignation. He looked back at his own plate before finally saying, "It's impossible to say for sure, but…I'd imagine it'll be a few months, at least."

Orihime nodded, having expected an answer like that, and she nudged her food around a bit before asking, "Will you be tired of me constantly being around by then?"

His eyes snapped back to her and his voice was firm as he said, "No. I…care about you, Orihime, and that's not going to change." He paused, then, and his voice softened slightly before he added, "If anything…I'll miss having you so close, when your house is finally finished."

She looked up as his words washed over her, embarrassed by her moment of self-doubt, but wholly reassured by what he'd said. And the look in his eyes was all she needed to know he'd spoken the truth. A slow, genuine smile lit up her face and she said softly, "If it's any consolation, I know I'll miss being so close to you, too."

He returned her smile with one of his own. It was another minute before he asked, "How's your dinner?"

"It's delicious, thank you," Orihime replied with a soft laugh.

Ichigo disappeared into the kitchen with his empty dinner plate a minute later, and Orihime joined him soon after. He turned as she walked up and plucked the dish from her hands before returning his attention to the sink.

As he rinsed the plates Orihime moved to his side and asked, "So what do I owe you for my dinner?"

"Nothing," Ichigo replied easily as he shut off the water.

Orihime pouted. "You shouldn't have to pay for it!"

"It was my idea," Ichigo argued, turning to face her. "I didn't even run it by you first."

"But it was my own fault for forgetting to eat," Orihime countered stubbornly.

Ichigo paused, fighting back the smirk that wanted to curve his lips as he finally asked, "You want to repay me that badly?"

"Yes," Orihime replied immediately with a small nod.

"Alright," Ichigo said with a shrug. He stepped up to her, then, and his smirk finally slipped free as he lifted his hands and framed her face gently. She sucked in a breath as soon as his skin touched hers, and his hands slid back until his fingers were tangled in her loose hair as he leaned in.

His lips found hers hungrily, and she was immediately leaning into the kiss.

Her hands curled again into the fabric of his shihakushou, and she moaned against him when his tongue slipped free and trailed along her lips. She parted them an instant later, and her arms curled around his shoulders as their tongues danced for the first time.

His arms slid down her sides before curving around her waist and pulling her tight against him.

He groaned against her lips as her fingernails scraped against his scalp, and he angled his head a bit more to the side in an effort to deepen the kiss. He had kissed other women before, it was true, but never had a kiss set his blood on fire the way this one had. All he wanted now was to lock the door and spend the rest of the night in her arms.

Orihime felt her knees give out as his tongue swept over hers once more, but he was already holding her so tightly that it took her a moment to realize she hadn't collapsed. She tightened her hold on him in return, losing her fingers in his hair as one of his hands splayed over her back.

Ichigo reluctantly pulled back when he felt his control beginning to slip. It was too soon in their relationship for that sort of intimacy and he knew it. Still, when he pulled away, he kept his hands firmly over her hips and he met her hooded gaze with a soft smile. "Consider your share paid in full," he whispered with a faint laugh.

Orihime's body shook with silent laughter as her lips curved and she replied, "If you say so." Her hands remained on his shoulders lightly, index fingers absently running along the edge of his uniform.

She smiled up at him, lower lip pulled between her teeth, and Ichigo leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

They stared into each other's eyes silently for a long moment before Ichigo finally asked, voice low, "Are you ready to call it a day?"

"I am kind of tired," Orihime admitted. "And since we just have to do it all over again tomorrow, probably it would be a good idea to try and get a little rest."

"That's what I was thinking," Ichigo said.

After several more seconds of comfortable silence, Ichigo finally pulled back properly and, capturing one of her hands in one of his, said, "C'mon; we can pick this up first thing in the morning."

Orihime allowed him to tug her lightly toward the office door, a content smile on her face. Something about their newfound relationship was just so easy that it almost scared her, but she loved it.

For so long she had felt as if she'd been missing something in her life and now, with his hand wrapped securely around hers and her lips still tingling from their kiss, she was beginning to think that she'd finally found it.

To Be Continued…

A/N: I have no idea why, but the last part of this chapter was incredibly hard to write! :/ Still, hopefully it worked for you! Please let me know what you're thinking – of this chapter, of the whole story, or both! And then, y'know, go read more!