Dessa's Note: I'm back! *cowers from angry mob of ichihime fans* Okay I'm really sorry it's been so long, after Tanabata I became super busy, I fasted for a month and then had 3 days of celebrations and family eating together to help with, then friends from abroad came and I had a failed surprise party to go to and my other friend is working abroad for a year so life's been hectic lately. I have however made this chapter longer than usual as repayment for your wonderful patience! *mob sharpen pitchforks* But don't let my blabbering stop you! On with the show!

Chapter 6

The winter blazed throughout January and seemed to let up some in March, allowing sunlight to peek from the still heavy clouds. Daffodils began to bud. Orihime and Ichigo were facing new waves of educational trauma as the summer exams inched forward, but were still distant enough to deny its approach. It was on one march afternoon that Ichigo was trying to convince himself of no impending exam associated doom that he was sitting with some of his friends for lunch. The conversation had naturally revolved around one thing.

'Megan Fox?' nominated Akira, a burly student with dark long hair and equally dark eyes.

'Perfect ten!' judged Hikaru, his eyes glazing as he envisioned the model.

'No she's not! She's only good-looking from the neck down in my eyes.' Debated Eiichiro, another student, whose gangly frame and poorly gelled hair deceived his witty mind.

'Fine then she's a nine.' Conceded Hikaru.

'Please, one of her boobs is bigger than the other.' Commented Sho; a dark haired glasses wearing mathematics student.

'How would you know?' asked Ichigo sceptically.

Sho readjusted an imaginary neck tie as he arched a brow and planted a smile on his face, 'I consider myself an excellent visionary measurer, it's in my mathematical blood.'

'You're so full of it.' Commented Eiichiro.

'The blonde at 9 o'clock is an 8 I would say.' Said Akira, the boys flicked their heads like a school of sardines swimming in tandem. They gazed upon the tall girl; her blonde hair flowing freely around her, artificially curled and almost reaching her shoulders that were bare but led to off the shoulder sleeves of a pink knitted top.

'No, she's a 7 my man.' Disagreed Sho but he was grinning slightly.

'What the hell is wrong with you? She's a 9!' stated Hikaru, his hand pointed at her obviously, causing some stares his way.

'I didn't know you liked blondes?' asked Ichigo, not contributing to the discussion but paying careful attention to it.

'She does have a sexy waist thought…' pondered Akira, 'But a bit short to do it standing.'

Eiichiro eye's wandered then he called out suddenly, 'What about that one? Dark hair, red top.' The boys flicked their heads again, their eyes rested on Yuki, her red camisole carelessly placed, barely maintaining any modesty and her denim short shorts swaying deliberately under the stress her high heels placed on her legs and hips.

'6.' Said Ichigo, needing to show his distaste.

'I would grade her lower' said Sho, but his eyes stayed on her.

'That's a bit harsh, she's got nice legs and a body to stare at…' complimented Hikaru, his love of all women shining through his tone, 'but you do wonder how many people have stared at it.'

'Tch, you're only saying that because you've been with girls like her.' Said Ichigo, seeing right through his friend; who frowned and was about to retort when Sho suddenly exclaimed:

'Woah! Look at the sexy 10!' All eyes followed Sho, who was too distracted to point to the relevant direction. Ichigo's eyes fell on auburn hair tied up into its usual bun with blue chopsticks that matched the periwinkle hairclips sitting on either side of a remarkably beautiful face; honest in its expressions of delight when she walked briskly towards the group. Her long sleeved top covering her curves, her legs gliding along the fabric of her floor length skirt that swished as she walked.

Hikaru stiffened, but Sho quickly got excited thinking the girl was smiling and waving at him. 'She is the hottest thing this side of the planet. I bet she has amazing tits….' He was too distracted to notice Ichigo's fist smash into the side of his face; viciously knocking Sho's glazed gaze off of Orihime.

'Woah woah Ichigo! Dude! Calm down!' said Akira, holding Ichigo back from his other friend. Sho looked completely stunned.

'What's your issue?' gurgled Sho, holding his broken nose to himself, confused at Ichigo's harsh breathing and furious glare.

'No one looks at her.' Said Ichigo, his voice was not raised but the ire was vibrating in his tone.

'Bullshit, I just did what all of us were doing two minutes ago!'

'Kurosaki-kun?' a timid voice called, Ichigo quickly faced her, surprised to find her standing behind the sofa he had been sitting at before he stood up with violent intent. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing.' Was the quick answer, he settled back heavily onto the sofa, Hikaru gave an apologetic smile at Orihime.

'It's not nothing, I just saw you hit your friend.'

'Whatever.' Was the cold answer, Ichigo crossed his arms formidably. Orihime looked puzzled and slightly affronted but made her way to Sho.

'Are you okay?' she asked him, Sho made the mistake of letting his eyes glaze over again, but before he could say anything Ichigo had placed a firm hand on his girlfriend's wrist.

'He's fine, I'll explain everything later, you just go now.'

'Kurosaki-kun –' began Orihime, angry at being dismissed.

'It's fine Inoue san, he'll explain everything later to you.' Contributed Hikaru, the other boys were surprised at the acquaintance between them. Orihime nodded her head, glanced at Ichigo in confusion and left.

'Is she… your girlfriend?' asked Akira hesitantly, as though not being able to believe his own question.

'Yeah.' Stated Ichigo firmly, making sure they knew it. Sho gulped, Eiichiro thanked God he hadn't verbalised his agreement with Sho's sentiments and Akira looked shocked.

'But… she's actually nice. How did you bag a girl like that?' asked Akira, wide eyed.

'I've been asking myself the same question for months.' Said Hikaru.

'You knew?' came Sho's impeded voice. 'Why didn't you shut me up earlier?' Hikaru just shrugged his shoulders, Sho rolled his eyes and sheepishly turned to Ichigo, 'Sorry dude, didn't know she was yours.' Ichigo just nodded to acknowledge the apology, 'but damn you didn't need to hit me.'

'So...' Egged on Eiichiro.

'So what?' replied Ichigo.

'Have you… you know.' Encouraged Eiichiro.

'No I don't know.'

'He's too thick headed, you have to spell it out to him.' Explained Hikaru, shaking his head patronisingly, Ichigo frowned.

'Have you had sex with her?' asked Akira bluntly.

'Wha... What?!' exclaimed Ichigo, his face turning red faster than the question registering in his brain.

'You'll have to simplify the question.' Hikaru advised.

Sho nodded his head wisely, taking the inquisition bravely upon himself, speaking slowly and clearly he enunciated each word to perfection. 'Have you banged your girlfriend yet?'

Ichigo was so red and flustered that he replied automatically, 'No! No you bloody perverts!'

'You HAVEN'T?' replied Akira, Eiichiro and Sho exclaimed in unison, their astonishment was palpable. Hikaru just continued to shake his head in disappointment.

'What the hell?' was all Ichigo could respond.

'I know boys, it's such a shame to society.' Said Hikaru solemnly.

'What's it to you guys anyway? It's none of your business!' shouted Ichigo.

'None of our business?' began Sho, a look of desperation in his eyes, 'You not shagging a woman like that is an absolute fail to all male-kind!'

'It's a point blank crime on humanity.' Interjected Eiichiro.

'How do you hold yourself?' asked Akira in awe, 'Aren't you made of flesh and bones?'

'Maybe he's got no bones.' Said Sho furtively.

Ichigo had had enough and glared at each of them. 'Listen you perverts. My personal life and my girlfriend has got nothing to do with you. If you want to make humanity proud find your own girlfriends.'

'You're so going to crack.' Laughed Sho, looking at his friend with a critical eye; sensing the evident but not fully formed sexual frustration.

'That's a pile of bull and you know it.'

'Be careful Ichigo, or you might end up cheating and not know how it happened.' Said Akira wisely.

Ichigo looked mortified, 'I would never. Inoue is my girlfriend… why would I cheat on her?'

'Cus you ain't getting any.' Replied Sho easily.

Ichigo was beginning to get angry again. 'She's not my girlfriend so I can get sex. That's not how our relationship works. Grow up and learn some respect.' And with that note he grabbed his bag and left to meet Orihime like he promised at the library, leaving four rather stunned young men behind.

'Hikaru, what's the deal with Ichigo and his girl?' asked an intrigued Sho.

'She said she wanted to get married first.'

'Ah.' Said Eiichiro, comprehension dawning on his features.

'Now it makes sense.' Said Akira while settling back down in the sofas. 'Learn some respect my ass.'

As Ichigo made his way to the library, his thoughts still buzzed from the conversation he had just heard. His pride was insulted, more than insulted, he felt whipped, beaten and humiliated. The only thought stabilising him was that he was to see his girlfriend soon. The downside was that he had to wait an hour as he had left his so called friends earlier than he had anticipated.

What he had not predicted was that the danger his friends warned him about would face him much sooner than her ever expected.

Yuki knew she must look like a walking crash waiting to happen, she tried her best to remove the tear tracks on her cheeks. She blamed her mascara for that. Not her ex-boyfriend, nope, she wouldn't cry over a guy. No. She wouldn't. Especially one that had cheated on her… twice. She angrily swiped tears from her cheeks as she made her way down to the canteen, thinking to eat something lathed with chocolate and fried. Suddenly she stopped walking, standing alone and looking up at the sky desperately. Why do all my boyfriends do this to me? Why does it always happen to me? She thought on the sight that had met her earlier as she walked into the student Hall's common room, her boyfriend's hands under another girl's shirt. Yuki hadn't recognised the face, she was probably some skank whore he picked up off the street. She blinked again, wasn't that how they met in the beginning?

She blinked again. Her eyes were now dry with anger and she carried on walking. Bitter feelings invaded her mind, wishing it wasn't her, wishing she could have a good guy to treat her right and treasure her as she ought to be.

'…that one. Dark hair, red top.' She restrained herself from looking for the men behind the voices, she smiled inwardly and slowed the pace of her walk. She listened carefully for voices.

'6' At first she didn't understand, then realisation came forth and she would have frothed in anger if she were any other type of mammal. She paused but only for a moment before trying to walk away from the voices as fast as possible. Surely her legs would score higher? And she had her breasts practically poking out of her camisole, wasn't that what guys liked?

'I'd grade her lower,' Oh she really couldn't take this right now, the tears were starting again and by some invisible grace she had managed to get her fried chocolate and escape to a corner seat. Obviously her grace period had finished because she sat down only to be in direct sight of Kurosaki punching his friend in the face for ogling his girlfriend. Yuki sighed, her dark eyes drooping, wondering if there was ever a day a guy would do that for her. But then her eyes landed on auburn hair and her face froze in hatred.

Orihime Inoue didn't even wear anything that rested above her ankles so why is it her that gets the guy with the smouldering eyes and sexy arms? And he punches another guy for her! That just doesn't make sense! It should be her who had the hot loyal boyfriend. It shouldn't be Little Miss Prude.

Suddenly loud voices reached her ears 'You HAVEN'T!' she paid careful observation to the red blush forming under orange hair. She grinned to herself, heh… a virgin. She wouldn't have guessed it from his indifferent attitude and confident character, but now as she gazed at the blushing man walking away, it was written all over him. Trust Inoue to leave him in that state.

Perhaps she could change that….

Making up her mind Yuki suddenly stood up from her seat and walked after Ichigo, in pursuit of something much better than chocolate.

To say Ichigo was taken completely by surprise when he was suddenly pulled into a tight dark corridor, while walking inside the chemical engineering building was highly under exaggerated. He was far too surprised to comprehend what had just happened to him until a soft body pushed itself against him roughly. Making his back hit a wall.

'Hi Ichigo,' came a low whisper, light and sensual, almost next to his ear. The light was too dim for Ichigo to see clearly, but he could discern dark shoulder length hair, creamy skin and dark eyes.

Recognition graced him but he could not remember her name, too shocked to comprehend, he said nothing and continued to stand awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Yuki took this as encouragement and placed her body in intimate proximity to his, this seemed to have awakened something in the part of Ichigo's mind that retained functionality and he started to make garbled protests. She shushed him with her fingers, letting her hands wander in the process and continued on her course of carefully practiced seduction. She whispered promises and smirked when she felt her influence on him.

Yuki placed Ichigo's hands upon herself and she smirked again when he did not pull them away but let them move along her body, his eyes were staring down with glazed focus.

She would spoil what Inoue didn't have, she would end their relationship, she would make Inoue feel the same pitiful hurt she feels when every boyfriend she had left her.

Ichigo started making new protests but his hands continued to wander, 'She won't ever know,' whispered Yuki, knowing she had sealed the deal, she was confident Ichigo was now completely in the palm of her hand and she was delirious with the power she held. It was therefore with utter astonishment that she found herself thrown to the opposite wall of the corridor and her back hit it painfully. She had enough time to glance at Ichigo and notice his tortured scowling sweating face before he immediately turned on his heel and started running away from her.

Rejected, mortified and resigned, Yuki slid down the wall, put her knees up to her face and let herself cry.

Knocking loudly on Orihime's room door Ichigo tried to calm his breathing but it refused to normalise. He was angry with his body, it was still pulsing and wired from the effect of that girl in red. He gave a long sigh, trying to eject the memories but they flashed behind his closed eyelids, playing themselves over. Within a few moments he saw his girlfriend timidly open the door but she opened it wide a moment later when she saw Ichigo on the threshold.

'Kurosaki-kun!' She smiled widely, happy with his presence, her eyes widening with pleasant surprise but all Ichigo saw was her mouth. 'I thought we were meeting later in the library?' she asked while she put up her hair in a bun.

He tore his eyes away from her lips to rest upon her arms that rose to tie her long, long auburn hair. It was the first time he had ever seen Orihime's hair out of its bun and he was transfixed. It was ethereal in its beauty, with several types of red, brown and orange that he could not help but trace each strand with his eyes.

'Kurosaki-kun?' His eyes retracted to lay on a confused and anxious face, 'Are you okay? You seem a little distracted. Was it that fight you had with your friend?'

'I'm fine.' But he wasn't and he proceeded to give a mild excuse for being early, she seemed to believe him but still looked at him anxiously. She closed her room door behind her and made her way to the communal kitchen, Ichigo followed behind her, which was a mistake because his eyes involuntarily followed Orihime's every move, despite her modest clothes he found himself thinking of what she would look like without them.

'I didn't have lunch today, so I'm going to make a famous Inoue sandwich, would you like one Kurosaki-kun?' she turned around when she got no answer and was confused to see Ichigo suddenly jerk his head up. He was so distracted he accepted her offer and forced his eyes to remain on the ceiling.

Orihime's face scrunched up into an uncharacteristic frown. 'Are you sure you're okay Kurosaki-kun?'

'Why do you always call me by my surname name?' He threaded his fingers through his orange hair in guilt, he hadn't meant to sound so aggressive. He looked up to see Orihime's shoulders caving in towards her body protectively, her face startled and upset. 'I'm sorry Inoue, I didn't mean to sound like that.' He hung his head in shame and sat on a stool.

There was a pause, a painful one, a very long painful pause. It made Ichigo perspire and tingle with the guilt that still possessed his body. Eventually he looked up from the ground expecting to see Orihime as far away as possible, but he was surprised to find her sitting next to him, her hands in her lap, her gaze looking down.

'Do you want me to call you by your first name?' her voice was timid, and she moved her neck slowly to face him, an edge of fear in her tone.

'I…. I would like it, but… but you don't have to. I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with.'

Orihime sidled herself a little closer to him and smiled reassuringly, 'It's not something I'm uncomfortable with. If it makes you happy I can call you by your first name.' She gazed at him for a moment reading his frustrated face and unhappy eyes. 'I know this relationship must be hard for you, you've done so much for me, so I want to make you happy too… Ichigo-kun.' And she smiled, sweetly, hesitantly. Her eyes bashful, her cheeks pink and Ichigo could do nothing but stare and just let his mind be flooded with emotion. She was so sweet, so wonderful, the perfect picture of loveliness. But still his mind replaced dark hair and dark eyes with Orihime's face, Orihime's lips, Orihime's hands… Orihime's body.

He wanted her.

She was so close, his arms could encircle her in a heartbeat, he would hold her close enough to feel her heartbeat, he would quieten her with his lips and he would make them both want. His fingers twitched.

Perhaps the raw desire was permeating off of him because Orihime's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she leaned back to appraise his tense frame. 'Ichigo-kun?' He loved hearing his name in her voice, he loved her voice, it made him happy just hearing it, because it meant she was speaking to him, giving him her attention, something else he loved… and he concluded that he must love her. But she wanted to get married... She wanted to get married and marriage was about love right? So what was stopping him from getting what he wanted? He would give her what she wanted and he in return would get her… and she was everything he wanted.

'Ichigo-kun?' Orihime's voice was raised in alarm, Ichigo refocused his gaze to land on a very worried looking Orihime. He looked down to notice her hand around his forearm trying to shake him back into reality. He took her hand in his. She gasped and tried to break it, but he held it tighter.

'Marry me.'

At first there was no reaction, and slowly Orihime's large eyes widened and brightened. Her mouth fell open in shock. Ichigo did not dare blink lest he miss something. His intense gaze bewildered her as did his two word proposal. They sat like that for a long while in silence, one staring at the other. Ichigo patiently waited for an answer, but doubt crawled up his spine with every passing moment.

'Bu-but… how? We're still students…' her voice was so soft and breathless, as though she had just remembered to breathe.

'We'll make it happen.' Was Ichigo's reply, he was pleased his voice sounded firm but internally he was a wreck, he had not predicted a negative outcome and he wished he could swallow his words back. His greatest fear rose when he observed Orihime nibbling on her lip in thought, 'Inoue, I feel so much for you and I already know there could be no one else for me, so I just want to make our life together a reality.'

She looked arrested by his words, her eyes were brighter and her cheeks looked pinker… then his world turned bright again when his girlfriend nodded her head timidly.

'Alright Ichigo-kun, I'll marry you.' And she smiled at him.

Dessa's Note: I would just like to say that I'm very happy I managed to provoke thought and discussion with some readers. If the morals seem exaggerated then I am happy I wrote about something different . I understand completely that others may not agree and that is perfectly fine :D as long as this fic makes me people think then I will consider myself satisfied. I must go now and revive by blog and deal with life and apply for jobs. Thank you to all who reviewed me for chapter 5! Thank you xlilslayerx, Jaque Weasley, Child of the Ashes, Nypsy, Alice Hattercandy, Bridge2thePast, FoxFang27, SkinnyMoose, OrihimeKurosakiInoue, Jabobi, Pisces00 and melnel.