Hey everyone! Here's another chapter. I hope you like it:D
Note to everyone: There is a surprise note on my profile:D If you really like this story, I think you'll appreciate the note I put up there.
Thank you to gmsephiroth for the beta!
Warning: there is a lemon in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
Although he was not really all that bothered about having Inoue stay at his place for a while, Ichigo had a feeling that it was more due to his father's interference then her really needing somewhere to stay. In the end he was fine with it, especially due to the strange feeling he had most of the day. Like something was lurking behind the corners, but he really did not know what.
"Are you ready to go, Inoue?" he asked, standing at the front entrance.
She stuck her head out of the kitchen, and smiled. Ever since she had told him the story, he got the feeling that maybe she felt better. Before, Inoue was always upset about something.
"Coming, Kurosaki-kun!" she grinned, bounding out of the kitchen. She had been chatting with Yuzu and Karin for the last few hours, and Yuzu had been teaching Inoue a few different new recipes. Leaping off the edge of the step, she slipped on her shoes.
"Behave yourself, Ichi-nii!" Karin bellowed from the kitchen.
"Shut up!" Ichigo shout. Orihime giggled as he turned beat red, Kurosaki-kun was always shy about things.
They strolled down the street. It was dark out, and there was a warm, humid breeze. Ichigo liked nights like these, were it was warm but windy out. Inoue was walking next to him, a slight smile on her face. He could not really tell what she was thinking, he was never really good at that sort of thing anyway.
"Eh..." he scratched his head, "...my place is kind of small."
"I'm sure its fine." she told him, "I'm used to living all by myself. It'll be nice to not be living alone."
Ichigo nodded, he agreed with that statement. Although, he really was not all that alone in his apartment. Kon and Zangetsu were always arguing and found ways to make some sort of commotion.
There was a drop of rain.
"Ah." Inoue flinched, the drop had hit her cheek. A few second later, it was raining.
Ichigo made a face, "The forecast didn't say anything about rain." he said skipping ahead, they were going to be drenched, "We should hurry, Inoue...Inoue?"
She was simply standing in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at her hand. The rain was now a downpour, and they were both soaked to the bone. There was an odd look on her face as she watched the rain fall onto her fingers.
"Inoue?"
She suddenly grinned, and looked towards the playground that was not to far from where they stood. Ichigo jumped as she burst out laughing, running towards the jungle gym.
"Inoue!" he called, hurrying after her, "What are you doing?!"
"This is great!" she laughed out loud, holding her arms out as she sat on top of the gym. Ichigo looked up at her as she threw her head back and the rain trailed down her face.
"Inoue-"
"It's been so long since I've seen rain." she smiled, "It's wonderful. The rain, sun, sky...its all so pretty."
He opened his mouth to say something, and then his mind simply went blank. For years, there had always been something hanging over his head since she left. When she left, it was as if something was missing from him that he took for granted.
"Inoue?"
She looked down at him, still beaming at him. It was the first real smile she had in a long time. Her hair was sticking to her face, and her eyes sparkled at him despite the fact that it was pitch black outside.
Ichigo was an idiot, he knew that. He knew that he was stupid about a lot of things, and a lot of those things he really could not help.
"Isn't the rain nice, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked.
Ichigo smiled softly at her, "Yeah."
He really was an idiot.
She looked at him, slightly unnerved but his curious expression, "What is it-"
He reached up towards her, laying his hands on her cheeks that were cold from the rain, and pulled her down to his level. Ignoring the surprised squeak she made, he gently touched his lips to hers.
Ichigo still was not sure what made him do it. Maybe it was the setting, or Orihime, or his mind failing him, but he did not care. Even if she was upset, he just could not stop himself.
Staring back at him wide-eyed, her own cheeks had turned bright red, "Kurosaki-kun?"
"I'm sorry." he smiled, "I guess I did something really strange, huh?"
The man she was in love with just kissed her.
Jumping down from where she was sitting on the bars, he gasped as she threw her arms around his neck. Burying her face in his chest, she was clinging to him like he was going to be ripped away. For years, she had tried to imagine the sort of things she would say to him if she ever saw him again, but at the moment she could not remember any of them.
"Inoue?" he laid a hand on her head, "What's wrong?"
"Ichigo?"
"Eh-"
"I love you."
Shinji sat in the corner of Hiyori's room. It had been a while since she was awake. Long enough for Isshin Kurosaki to check her wounds and for Inoue to heal the more major ones. The truth was, that Hiyori had almost died and there was nothing that he could had done about it. Giving her his own energy would only go so far in the end.
"So beating yourself up...dumbass." Shinji jerked, and looked up. She was glaring at him, with a slight smirk on her face, "Come here so I can beat the shit out of you."
He was on his feet, and he sat on the edge of her bed.
"You look pissed." she told him.
Shinji frowned, "How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a fucking bus. How do you think I feel?"
He looked away. This was new, Shinji being depressed about something?
"I'll be meeting with the others tomorrow morning, and we'll be in Hueco Mundo by the next day at the latest."
"What?!" Hiyori glared at him, "But I-"
"You'll stay here."
"Hirako-"
"I SAID NO!"
She gasped, gaping at him. His eyes were already turning black as he stood up, walking towards the window. Staring at the dark sky and letting the sound of the rain in his mind calm him, he let out a deep breath. If he got too angry, there would be problems. Keeping himself as calm as possible was the best way.
"You'll stay here." he repeated. "You've already done enough."
She returned to her glare, "I'm not weak, Shinji."
"No, you're not."
"You can't tell me what to do."
"Yes, I can."
"Oh?" she sat up, "Well you know what, Shinji? Fuck you. You can go to hell."
"I'm already going there, you're too late." he snapped back, "I'm going now to meet with Hansei. Stay here."
"Yes, sir."
Shinji sighed, "Look, Hiyori-"
"Just go away."
He sighed once more, and left. Once she heard the door click, Hiyori sunk against the headboard, staring at the rainy window. She was almost beaten to death by an Espada and a dozen Arancar and the only thing Shinji managed to say to her was a command to stay put.
"Stupid." she murmured to herself.
Byakuya sat in the meeting of the Kuchiki household. The squadrons for the final attack fleet were being assembled outside, and many of the younger Kuchiki members were missing because of it. As the head of the house, Byakuya could not skip these meetings for a war or otherwise.
"...the approaching war will most likely claim many lives." Lyro Kuchiki, who was a rank lower then Byakuya, replied, "We must think about future implications about this."
"If we lose the war there will not be any future implications." Byakuya told him, "We will all be dead. That is a simple fact."
"Byakuya-sama..." one of the other members frowned, looking quite disturbed with Byakuya's reply, "We do not know that for sure. The Kuchiki House-"
"I am not arrogant enough to assume that will have more of an advantage then any of the other families." Byakuya told the council, "We lose, we die."
Lyro shook his head, "We must address all possibilities, Byakuya-sama. The Kazah House is impatient to set a date for the treaty and the wedding."
Byakuya did his best to follow the rules in life. But in the last fifty years he had been alive, he had been uprooted many times from his general routine. First Hisana, then disobeying his parents so many times, taking Rukia in, and then warning Renji about the arrangement. He was not used to sticking out his head like he was doing, nor was he used to lying to the clan.
"I urge the Kazah House to wait until after the war with Hueco Mundo ends."
It was a perfectly adequate request. There was not a lot to ask, just more waiting. Byakuya could deal with the morons in the Kazah clan anytime. But with the war and many other dangerous events coming up, many of the officials were restless and much less reasonable.
"I will speak with the head of the Kazah clan. But most likely they will want to hold a wedding before the assault." Lyro replied, "I suggest that you inform Rukia-sama of this."
Lyro Kuchiki had his own authority, being the eldest member of the council. Byakuya frequently relied on the old man's advice.
"Of course."
If he did not work fast, Rukia would be married in two days to Maroh Kazah.
They stumbled over the threshold of the apartment, almost falling into the front entry. Ichigo barely could find the mental capability to shut the apartment door, as his mind was fused on the young, brown-haired woman that was clinging to him. His strong arms had carried her most of the way up the stairs when he decided they were not moving fast enough.
"Ichigo, shoes..." she breathed into his lips.
She had her legs wrapped around his waist, her fingers buried in his hair. He could not seem to stop himself from kissing her, but at the same time, he could not really remember how he got to this point anyway.
Sidewalk. Rain. Playground. Kiss.
That was all he could remember.
Tripping over the edge of the rug in the front entry, he finally fell to his knees. Dropping her almost unceremoniously on the floor over the step to the hall, he heard her gasp as he fell over the edge of the step onto top of her. It was good for him anyway, he was getting tired of just carrying her and not getting to touch her back.
"Orihime." he laid his hands onto her face, yanking her hair out of her face as he returned the kisses that she had been giving him all the way up the stairwell. When was the last time he took a breath? It was a long time ago.
"Shoes..."
"Forget the shoes."
When did they start on a first name basis, anyway? He did not care about that either. Ichigo rather liked her calling him by his first name, like it was something that she was always meant to do.
"What am I doing?" he asked her, dragging his mouth down her neck, "Stop me."
"Don't." she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Please, don't."
"You should hate me." he told her, "You should hate me for everything that happened to you-"
He felt her reach over his broad shoulders, and pull his shirt over his head. Letting it slide slowly from her fingers, her eyes did not leave his as a loud 'flop' echoed down the hallway from the soaking wet shirt. They were still wet from the rain.
"It wasn't your fault." she smiled at him, "It was never your fault. It was my fault for not trusting you."
"Orihime-"
"It was my fault." she said, "But you know...I'm ready to make up for it, I think. Before I was terrified of seeing you, because you would think I betrayed you."
"I didn't think that."
"I know. But it was always in the back of my mind." she told him, "I loved you for a long time. Before Hueco Mundo, before the Soul Society...I think it would have killed me if you hated me. So, I would have rather suffered with the Arancar than known for sure."
He stared at her, unable to contemplate what to say in reply. In the back of his mind, he never really thought that much about anything that he did. The fact that she was so concerned about it made him concerned.
"I never hated you." he rest his forehead on hers, "I could never hate you."
"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I'm sorry that I-"
"We won't think about that right now." he told her, "For once, can I just be Kurosaki Ichigo, the high school teacher that leads a perfectly normal, human-mortal life?"
Orihime felt sorry for him sometimes in that aspect. Ichigo was sucked into his Vizard-Shinigami life by force. It was obvious that if he could go back to his normal life he would. Smiling brightly at him, and then pulling his face down to hers once more, she kissed him. It was the sort of kiss that he could lose himself in, if there was anything else for him to lose at that moment. Ichigo was pretty sure that he was lost at the first kiss in the park.
"Sure." she told him.
Almost before she could speak the word, her own shirt was tugged over her head and tossed aside. He did not even seem to notice the red tint on her cheeks, or he noticed and did not acknowledge it.
The storm was still going on outside. Once in a while, lightening would flash and a loud thunder would shake the building like always. Normally, Orihime would have been slightly unnerved by the severe thunderstorm outside. But as she lay on the floor of Ichigo's apartment, nothing else seemed to register at the moment.
It was not until he was inside her, his arms stretched out on either side of her head, his face buried in her shoulder that any rational thought began to return to his mind.
"Hell..." he murmured into her shoulder, "...there was something I forgot to say."
"What?" she whispered into his ear, turning her face so she could hear his barely audible voice.
"I love you, Orihime."
Grimmjaw wandered down the hallway, stopping in front of Orihime's villa. Normally, around this time, he would bang on the door right as she was getting out of the bath and tease her about something, or start another argument with her. It had been days now, almost a week or so, since he had argued with her. It had become such a daily routine for him that now he did not know what to do with his time.
Touching the handle for the door, it was unlocked. There was nothing stopping him from going inside. Looking around the quiet room, his fingers moved slowly over the things that were scattered over the desk, and the hutch that was in her room. She did not have many things, but enough to make the room appear like someone was living there.
There were newly pressed, washed uniforms still left in the closet. It was then that he realized her old school uniform was still hanging there, wrapping in a plastic clothes bag. This did not surprise him. To keep something from that far back, it was probably the only thing she had with her at the time from her old life.
Turning around towards the balcony, he sighed. The plant on the railing was a desert sort, something that she had found in the sands of Hueco Mundo. Even though water helped, the plant could live hundreds of years without it. It was something that he was not familiar with, however, and heading towards it, he realized what it was.
White lilies with black streaks. They were planted in the white sand that surrounded the castle, and the petals were soft when he touched them. It was nothing like the stone-rock 'plants' that were native to the area. He also realized why it was he was drawn to them, they were laced with her own reiatsu.
"You should know better then to come into Orihime's room without permission, Grimmjaw-sama." Tak was standing behind him. He had sensed her coming in the room.
"She's not here, so who the fuck is here to care?" he snapped.
"I care."
Grimmjaw glared at her, "What is this?"
"Hana Ryu."
"Eh?"
"Flower Dragon." Tak told him, "Orihime-san's training seemed to pay off in the end, I suppose."
"Training?"
"Orihime-san has the powers of the gods." Tak told him, "You didn't expect her to survive here without becoming stronger, did you?"
"What does that have to do with the plant?"
Tak then smirked, "You'll see, Grimmjaw-sama."
Orihime was laying in bed, her head resting on Ichigo's shoulder. At one point, he had finished undressing them and carried her into the room, tucking her into bed before collapsing exhausted next to her. Curling up at his side, she had promptly fallen asleep.
They were both tired. More tired then they realized. Years of fighting, dying, and emotional turmoil was more then anyone could handle. All she wanted to do was sleep by his side, feeling legitimately happy for the first time in her life. She had fallen asleep with the man she loved, and whe she woke up, he would still be there.
Orihime opened her eyes slightly, just to check to see if he was still there. There was always a chance that this was just some dream, and any moment her maid would be banging on her villa door with breakfast and a new list of injured patients.
Ichigo was half wake, and sensed her watching. He smiled gently at her, ruffling her hair with his fingers.
"Hey."
"Hey." she blushed, "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, I feel like I could sleep for a week though." he told her, kissing her forehead, "Go to sleep, Orihime."
"You'd better sleep too." she smiled, closing her eyes.
"Yes, ma'am." he chuckled.
He rolled over so his arms were around her. Resting his chin on her head, he fell asleep as quickly as a soldier who was sleeping on a battlefront. Smiling once more to herself, she buried her face in his neck, and slept.
Send me a review and tell me what you think! I don't know for sure if I am going to be able to update next week, but I will try.
For those of you that did not read my Author's Note at the bottom of the last chapter. PLEASE read it. I've been getting a lot of reviews and messages about names, comic references, and other things. I'm not getting annoyed or anything, but I am getting a little tired of having to explain it over and over. So PLEASE read the note at the bottom of the last chapter.
Arigato,
Lilith