A/N: We're heading towards the end of the story, folks! No, this isn't the last chapter, but it is one of the last few. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the rest! So, without further ado, I present: chapter twelve!

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to someone who is not me. The Original Characters you haven't seen in a while now do belong to me.

Second Chance

Chapter Twelve: Lovers Redux

The heat from the water seeped into her muscles even as Orihime was settling into the freshly-drawn bath, and she couldn't help but moan softly. It had been yet another long day of renovation and, like every day lately, she felt like she was covered in dirt by the time the sun had finally set. But at least we're making good progress, she told herself as she thought over everything they'd accomplished in the past month.

It had been exactly a month since reconstruction had begun, and fortunately – thanks in large part to the number of volunteers they'd had – the infirmaries were finally near completion. She estimated they had another couple of weeks before they would be properly up and running. And once they accomplished that, Orihime would have to start all over – this time on her home.

She had gone through her destroyed home on the first day of reconstruction, and had managed to find a handful of salvageable items, but she hadn't so much as stepped inside since. Her home was smaller than the buildings that they were working on currently, but she was still looking at a good month's worth of work before it would be a space safe to live in.

And, on top of all of that, today was also a very different anniversary. Exactly one month ago she and Ichigo had shared their first kiss, and it had proven to be the beginning of a relationship Orihime could only have dreamt of.

With a smile on her face, Orihime took a breath and submerged herself in order to scrub at her hair. Since that morning she had woken up in Ichigo's room, she had all but stopped wearing it up. She still preferred to have her hair loose around her, and knowing that Ichigo liked it was the only deciding reason she needed.

She came up for air, still smiling, and let her arms land on the sides of the tub as she leaned her head back. The water felt fabulous, and though she had dinner plans that she needed to be preparing for, it wouldn't hurt to allow herself a couple of minutes of relaxation.

She jerked awake at the sound of rapid pounding and Ichigo's voice calling her name in a panic. The motion caused her to slip, and she found herself beneath the surface of the cooled water. She pushed herself up, coughing and gasping and thoroughly embarrassed. How could I have fallen asleep?

"Orihime!" Ichigo called again, his voice clearer and closer, indicating that he'd let himself into the main room.

Voice still raspy from the water she'd choked on, Orihime called back, "I'm in here, I'm sorry!" She had to pause to cough before she added, "I'll be out in a minute!"

His voice was closer as his spiritual pressure settled on the other side of the door. The softest of thuds told her he had most likely let his head fall against the barrier that separated them. "Are you alright?"

Orihime took a minute to clear her throat as she climbed out of the large tub before she replied, "Yes. I'm so sorry, the water was so relaxing, I sort of fell asleep…."

"You fell asleep in the bath?" Ichigo asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her robe before tying it tight around her waist. It had been her intention to be ready to go before he arrived, and so the kimono she'd planned to wear was resting across her futon in the bedroom. As she secured the robe, she shamefully admitted, "Yes…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make us late!"

"Just get out here before I go in there," Ichigo replied impatiently. They both knew he was more than capable of going through with his threat.

A moment later Orihime slid the door open, lower lip between her teeth as she offered him an apologetic, embarrassed smile.

Ichigo released a heavy breath as the last lines of worry eased off of his face, and he reached out, pulling her into a tight embrace. Arms wrapped around her and lips beside her ear, he murmured, "Please, Hime, never scare me like that again."

Orihime curled her arms around his shoulders as she was hit by two very differing sensations. She felt horrendously guilty, and yet her heart fluttered at the tone of genuine concern in his voice. "I really am sorry," she said softly. "I didn't make us too late, did I?"

Angling his head just slightly, Ichigo placed a light kiss beneath her ear before he murmured, "We were supposed to be there almost half an hour ago."

She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and, lips brushing against his throat, said, "Oh, I can't believe I did that…I'm sorry, Ichigo."

"I'm not mad," Ichigo assured her, rubbing her back with one hand while the other remained stationary at the small of her back. "I was just worried."

"But," Orihime began, pulling back enough to look into his eyes as she pouted guiltily. "We missed our reservations. What will we do about dinner now?"

"We'll eat in," Ichigo decided. He lifted one hand to cup the side of her face and, tracing his thumb along her cheek, he added, "What matters is that we eat together."

Orihime smiled and said, "That sounds good to me." She paused, then, and her fingers danced absently along his collar before she mumbled, "Does this mean you can forgive me?"

Ichigo leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers for a lingering moment before he pulled back and whispered, "There's nothing to forgive, Hime."

Her arms curled once more around his shoulders as she replied, "Well, I'm sorry I worried you."

"You always worry me," Ichigo replied with a faint smirk. "But you can make it up to me."

Orihime laughed softly and leaned up enough to press her lips against his once more. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and his raised arm returned to her back, trailing down her spine slowly as his tongue slipped past her parted lips. She tangled her fingers in his hair, her nails scraping his scalp unintentionally as she pulled herself closer to him.

His tongue slid over hers deliberately, causing them both to groan faintly. He used his thumb to apply just a little bit of pressure to a previously-discovered sensitive spot beside her spine, and her resulting moan vibrated against his lips as her body arched into his. He only barely resisted the impulse to roll his hips into hers in response.

When her simple robe began feeling far too heavy and confining Orihime reluctantly pulled away from his kiss. Her eyes fluttered open when their lips were barely separated and, as they each attempted to collect their breathing, she smiled at him.

He grinned back at her and lifted his head enough to press a kiss to her forehead. She tucked herself easily beneath his jaw, and he didn't even try to stop the smile that overtook his face. It was moments like this – when she was curled into him, completely relaxed in his arms – that he had the most trouble keeping his mouth shut. Because, really, it would be so easy to let those words slip past his lips.

And the truth was he wanted to say them. He wanted to tell her so badly that, sometimes, he caught himself opening his mouth to do just that. But they had only been together a month, and while he'd felt that way right from the beginning, didn't most people take longer to develop those kinds of feelings? The last thing he wanted to do was chase her away.

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked softly without lifting her head.

"Hmm?"

With one finger absently running along the length of his throat, she asked, "What are you in the mood for?"

You, his traitorous mind supplied. Fortunately, he caught the inappropriate response and chose to go with an answer that actually applied to her question. "I'm not feeling picky. You want me to help?" Of course he knew the answer to this already – she never let him help with the cooking – but he still had to ask.

"Nope," Orihime replied. "It's my fault we missed our reservations, so I will make dinner. Right after I change…."

Ichigo grinned, shifting so that he could press his lips to her temple before teasingly replying, "I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're wearing."

Orihime laughed against him and gave his chest a light shove before she lifted her head to look into his eyes and said, "That's only because you, unfortunately, have a male sense of fashion. This is absolutely inappropriate attire for preparing – or enjoying – a romantic dinner."

He fought with the chuckle that vibrated up from his chest as he replied, "Whatever you say."

With a laughing smile Orihime pressed another, chaste, kiss to his lips before pulling back and saying, "Go make yourself comfy, I'll get dressed really quick and then start working on dinner!"

She slipped from his arms and disappeared into the bedroom before he could comment. Although, he decided, that might have been better, anyway.

"No, no, I need that cabinet over there, please," Orihime instructed, pointing as she spoke to better guide the men who were moving the large piece of furniture.

As the men changed direction, a female voice called out to her from the side. "We're back with the linens you requested, Captain Inoue."

Orihime turned her attention to the trio of Soul Reapers who were walking up, arms full of bags from the market. "Oh, great! If you don't mind, go ahead and set them down in my office for now. We probably won't get to them until tomorrow or the next day."

"Yes, ma'am," the woman who'd spoken earlier replied, bowing briefly before she – and the other two – turned to do as instructed.

"Is this right, Captain?" one of the men called a heartbeat later.

Orihime looked back, to see that they had set the cabinet down in the area she had indicated. She paused a moment, lips scrunched, before she asked, "Could you shift it a little closer to the window, please?"

"Alright," the first man said with a nod.

She watched the movers silently, her gaze briefly flickering around to take in what the others were doing as well.

They had gotten a lot done in the past week, and she was beginning to feel excited. In a couple more days, at this rate, the infirmaries would be open and ready for business. And then they could finally take down the large tent that they'd had to set up in the main courtyard.

The cabinet was finally in the perfect spot, and Orihime called, "Right there! Yes, that's perfect, thank you!"

"I see you started without me," Ichigo teased as he stepped up beside her.

Orihime turned a sweet smile on him and said, "I wasn't aware that I was supposed to wait for you."

Ichigo smirked and shook his head faintly. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned it. So, what needs to be moved in next?"

She was still laughing softly as she turned her gaze outward once more, re-confirming what she had determined mere minutes ago. With a subconscious nod, she said, "I think we're ready to bring in the bed frames. In fact, we should be ready to bring them into both infirmaries, but I'll have to double-check with Hanatarou on that."

Ichigo inclined his head. "Alright, then. I'll go give the movers a hand."

Orihime watched him walk calmly out of the large room with a small smile permanently etched onto her face. He's too perfect for my own good.

She was still smiling when she realized that two other familiar faces were in her direct line of sight. Cheeks immediately flushing, her smile shifted and she exclaimed, "Rukia! Renji! What brings you by?"

Rukia offered her a knowing, slightly mischievous, smile and jerked her thumb up at Renji as she replied, "We heard you were doing a bit of heavy-lifting today, so I thought I'd volunteer my overly-muscled husband."

"Ha," Renji cut in with a smirk and a laugh. "'Overly-muscled' my ass."

Orihime shifted her gaze to Renji as she asked, "Are you sure?"

His next scoff was directed at her as he replied, "Yeah, of course. Hell, we owe you a lot more than this anyway. Just let me know where you need me."

"What about your squad?" Orihime hesitated.

Renji shrugged. "Rikichi can handle it for one afternoon."

Her smile returned and Orihime nodded. "Well, if you're sure, we're bringing in bed frames next. You should find Ichigo out there with the others, too."

"Yeah," Rukia said, "we passed him in the hall." She cut her eyes up to the man beside her and added, "What are you waiting for?"

Rolling his eyes, Renji lifted one hand in a lazy wave as he turned and said, "Alright, alright, I'm going."

The women were quiet until Renji had disappeared from sight, and then Rukia turned her attention back to Orihime. "Okay, spill. How're things with you and Ichigo?"

Orihime's face turned nearly crimson and she looked away, keeping her mouth tightly shut until she was sure she wouldn't stutter. Only then did she reply, voice hushed, "We're really good."

"Define 'really good'," Rukia instructed firmly, all the while doing her best to ignore the blatant déjà vu.

A contented smile curved her lips and Orihime said, "He's amazing. He's always there when I need something, even if it's ridiculous, and he always manages to make me feel better if I'm upset. Truthfully, I'm terrified of how much I'll miss him when I move back here."

Rukia smiled knowingly, even nodding as she replied, "I always suspected he'd suddenly grow up if he found the right person." She paused before she added, "But if I know Ichigo half as well as I think I do, I wouldn't worry too much about that fear. I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to make it so you don't notice the difference."

It was an easy bit of advice for her to offer, as Rukia could easily recall the day she'd learned that Ichigo had moved to Tokyo for college. She knew it had never been in his plans, but then she heard that Orihime had received a scholarship she couldn't turn down, and it had all made sense.

"I'm sure you're right," Orihime said, unknowingly dragging Rukia out of her memories before they could get depressing. Her eyes were distant, and thoughtful, as her voice trailed off.

One eyebrow arching curiously, Rukia asked, "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

Orihime took a deep breath and pulled her lower lip between her teeth for a long moment.

The first couple of Soul Reapers, awkwardly carrying pieces of a bed frame, entered the room, and Orihime took a minute to tell them where to set up.

When she was done directing them, her voice lowered in order to not be overheard, and she asked, "How do you know…when it's a good time to tell him?"

Rukia's smile returned, gentle and understanding, and she replied, "There's no standard to go by. But, as cliché as it sounds, when it feels right, it probably is. Don't try waiting for some important date, or the perfect setting, or any of that."

She paused and waited until Orihime was looking at her, holding her gaze solidly and willing understanding into the younger woman before saying carefully, "Trust me when I say that time is precious. I've had too many friends who lost their chance before their love had really even gotten off the ground. It's impossible to know when your time is up, and all you can do is make sure you live your life with as few regrets as possible. So if you love him, then the best time to tell him is soon."

Orihime took a deep breath and nodded. She may not have lived through the things Rukia had, but she – along with everyone else – knew that the smaller woman had been through a lot, and lost some good friends along the way. She would never take Rukia's advice lightly. So she smiled and said, "Thank you, Rukia. I'll remember that."

Rukia's smile became a grin, and she nodded. "Good."

Before she could add anything else, a familiar, cursing, voice carried in through the entryway and the women turned to see two redheads carrying in partially-set-up bed frames. It was Renji whose cursing had drawn their attention.

Ichigo was scowling at the taller man, who was slightly ahead of him, and saying, "Dammit, Renji, if you break that frame I'll kick your ass, you hear me?"

"Don't get your shihakushou in a twist, you idiot," Renji returned, rolling his eyes. "It's not gonna break that easy!"

"Well try not to go around testing that theory!" Ichigo snapped irritably.

Rukia and Orihime exchanged glances out of the corners of their eyes, laughing silently.

"Soon, soon, soon," Orihime repeated under her breath as she paced in her borrowed sitting room. Rukia's words from earlier that day were ringing through her head on endless repeat, and she knew it meant that she should really work up the nerve to tell him. But the idea of saying those words was rather frightening.

Of course, so was the idea of losing him.

Orihime took a deep breath, stopped her pacing, let her eyes close, and repeated once more, "Soon."

An amused, curious, male voice asked from behind her, "'Soon' what?"

With a gasp, Orihime's eyes shot open and she spun around. Her eyes landed easily on the familiar form of her boyfriend, leaning casually against the doorway. "Ichigo!" She could feel her cheeks heating up already.

Chuckling faintly, Ichigo pushed off of the wall and slid the door shut behind him as he said, "You did ask me to come over after I was done talking to Captain Ukitake, remember?"

"Yes!" Orihime replied quickly, still overly embarrassed from being caught in such a state. She laughed self-consciously, fingers fiddling with the fabric at her sides, and added, "I hadn't forgotten, I was just…um, thinking?"

Ichigo was still grinning with amusement as he stepped up to her and planted his hands on her hips, pulling her in for a lingering kiss before he said, "And what is it you think you were thinking about?"

Orihime let out a long breath, her flush fading as her body automatically relaxed at his touch. Finally, she lifted a smile to his eyes and said, "There's something important I need to tell you, and I should really say it before I chicken out…but we should sit first."

Ichigo allowed her to lead him to the sofa, his hand loosely wrapped around hers, as he wondered what this 'important' thing could be. She seemed nervous, yes, but she had kissed him back, so he doubted it was bad news. But, all the same, he couldn't think of many things that she would be anxious about bringing up.

They settled on the couch and Orihime looked back at him, taking another moment to steady her racing heartbeat and remind herself that she was doing the right thing. He deserved to know, and, more importantly, she needed him to know. She could only pray that he cared enough not to be scared off when she said it.

But he was giving her a slightly confused, curious look, so she supposed she should start talking.

"Ichigo," she began, stalling just a bit more. She convulsively tightened her grip on his hand just a little, her thumb running across his knuckles. "I'm sorry if this is too sudden, but I want you to know…. I'm completely in love with you. And it's okay if you don't-"

Ichigo lifted his free hand and pressed his thumb to her lips, silencing her immediately.

He couldn't believe she'd said it, and he couldn't decide if he was more surprised that she felt that way, or that she'd been the one to say the words first. Either way, he was all too happy to finally be able to say it back.

His lips curving into a gentle smile, he let his hand move to the side of her face as he said, "I love you, too, Orihime."

Her nerves vanished in an instant, and Orihime smiled brightly. She didn't know what to say, or even if anything needed to be said, and she supposed it would probably be a little silly to say 'I love you' again. So instead she pulled her hand from his and leaned forward, framing his face with her hands and planting her lips firmly over his.

Ichigo shifted in order to comfortably wrap his arms around her as they kissed, and one of his hands lifted to tangle in her loose hair as he supported the back of her head. She tasted, like always, sinfully sweet, and the moment their lips met he felt a familiar hunger rumble inside of him.

She rarely took charge of their kisses, but he found he always enjoyed when she did, and this was proving to be no exception.

Her tongue moved, slowly, across his mouth as if it were the first time she had ever been privileged enough to explore there – and perhaps it might be the last time, as well. Every shift, and lingering touch, was sending a whole new wave of scorching heat through him, and he couldn't get enough.

Their tongues met and slid along the other sensuously, rolling together and pulling back before coming together again. He groaned against her lips when she repeated the motion and his grip on her tightened subconsciously. The adjustment pulled her practically into his lap, but neither cared.

Orihime's fingers finally plunged into his hair as the hand on her hip tightened and pulled her closer. Yes, she loved him more than anything, and yes, they'd been together for the better part of a month and a half, but they had never been intimate. She had always felt that the timing just wasn't right, and she suspected he felt much the same, as he'd never tried to take it that far.

But tonight was different, and she was sure he was in agreement. He was certainly kissing her with a little more hunger than usual, and his touch was a little heavier, practically burning through her shihakushou. And, for her part, she was kissing him with a fire she hadn't felt before, either. If she had it her way, they wouldn't part – not for anything – before sunrise.

They could make it to the bedroom without actually parting, couldn't they?

One of her hands relinquished his hair in order to slide down his jaw and throat slowly, fingers trailing over his exposed skin before slipping beneath the folds of his uniform.

Ichigo released a strangled half-grunt, half-groan when her hand dipped beneath his clothing. She had never been that bold before, and though he'd spent a healthy amount of time fantasizing about what it would feel like when she did, he had somehow underestimated the sensation. Her fingers were only barely beneath the shoulder of his shihakushou, and yet his whole body burned with her touch.

"Captain Inoue!" someone called from the other side of the door.

They pulled apart immediately in surprise, heads turning toward the door with curious confusion. Already Ichigo found he wanted to strangle the poor guy, whose name and face he didn't even know.

Still attempting to catch her breath, Orihime swallowed and called, "Yes?"

The unfamiliar voice immediately continued. "I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour, Captain! The Third Seat of Squad Eleven is badly injured, ma'am! Is there anything you can do to help?"

Ichigo groaned in frustration, his head falling back against the couch. That idiot's gonna be a lot more injured if I get my hands on him, he grunted silently.

Orihime stifled a groan of her own as she reluctantly disentangled herself from Ichigo. Now was not the time to be frustrated – she had a job to do. "Yes, of course; I'll be out in a minute!" she hollered to the man in the hall.

As she pushed to her feet she noticed Ichigo doing the same and said, "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Ichigo gave her a pointed look as he followed her to the door (and their resting zanpakutous) and said, "I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

Orihime sent a laughing smile in his direction as she slipped Shun Rikka through the loop at her hip, before she reached out and slid the door open to reveal an unknown Soul Reaper who was still bowing formally, fists on the floor and head down. "Alright, lead the way."

The Soul Reaper stood, inclined his head to them both, and turned to run down the hall.

Orihime and Ichigo followed suit silently.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Heehee, aren't I mean? I know you probably all hate me for that one, but hopefully it's a temporary kind of hate? I mean, you know, chances are I'll make it up to you pretty soon…(yes, I've resorted to bribery LOL). Anyway, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! And then, well…if you're just a little patient, I promise thirteen will be here before you know it!