Lol, my brain's exploded/ing from writing so much. XD I'm going back to school this week, so I apologize if chapters come out later now... D: And I know I should work on Heartbeat, but I'm tempted to do it after I finish this... Eh, we'll see. XD But I think ya'll will like this chapter, though if you thought it was too fast, complain to copper. D8 SHE WANTED THAT SCENE! (I'm not going to say, I'm just going to let you read.) Nah... But I do hope it wasn't too fast for your tastes. D:

.chapter title.It's all right.

.disclaimer. I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

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"Hey Inoue…"

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime breathed, taking in the sight of his lean form, the moonlight reflecting almost beautifully on his figure. She had to rub her eyes multiple times to make sure she wasn't imagining things again. A smile trembled on the edge of her lips, her heart soaring over the fact that he was really here. Oh, how his voice sounding so amazing to her ears.

His smirk grew wider and his gaze softened at the girl momentarily, before giving a murderous glare at the captains standing behind her. "Inoue, get away…" Ichigo commanded her, keeping his hard stare on the traitors beyond her figure.

"Kurosaki-"

"What do you think you are doing here, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Yamamoto questioned, his tone harsh as he cut off Orihime and struck his large cane down onto the soil. "If you're thinking of saving Inoue Orihime, it is too late. She has already made her decision and she is one of us."

Ichigo flinched noticeably at the last part of his statement, soon causing much worry in the young healer in front of the gate. He really didn't like hearing that phrase. 'She is one of us…' It made him feel like he'd already failed her. Taking in a deep breath, Ichigo quickly rebounded from his faltering determination.

"Inoue doesn't belong to anyone," The substitute growled, the grip on his zanpaktou growing tighter. "Not you… Not me… No one."

'Kurosaki-kun…' Orihime thought softly, clutching the cloth of her dress tightly, the silky feeling fabric burning under her fingertips in anticipation of the unfolding scene.

"That may be, but you coming here has been in vain, Kurosaki Ichigo. She is leaving now," Yamamoto replied, pointing a bony finger towards the gate. "Inoue Orihime, go, now!"

The healer jumped at his request, and took a shaky step forward, only to be stopped by Ichigo's voice. "I already told you, you're not leaving!" He yelled, flash-stepping towards the girl's side moments after. She quickly flushed at his sudden proximity, quietly stuttering his name.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, if you do not get away from her now, you will be arrested for treason," the head captain responded with just as much vigor, his gray eyebrows arched deeply with fury. Carelessly, he motioned his hand to Kenpachi, silently ordering him to move in on the hot-blooded teen. Sporting a big grin, the captain excitedly took a step closer.

"Give me all you've got Ichigo!" Kenpachi yelled enthusiastically, drawing his sword from his side, a huge smile etched into his face.

"Kurosaki-kun, you have to leave, please!" Orihime whimpered, her voice gradually getting louder. "Before you get hur-"

A blatant squeak came from the healer as Ichigo grabbed her by the sides, coarse fingers over silky fabric. He soon hoisted her over his form, her small figure balanced on his rough shoulder.

"No time to talk Inoue, we have to go," he told her firmly, smirking smugly to himself. Orihime felt as if her face was on fire as she remembered the last time he hoisted her up like this. Only this time around, her face was flaming because the only thing running through her mind was how close his hand was to somewhere indecent. She was about to utter nonsense about her weight, but she soon felt as if her brain exploded.

"Oww…" Orihime groaned, placing a hand on his strong back for support and the other on her aching head. She took in a shuddering breath, trying to comprehend what had happened and caused her skull to ache immensely.

"Oh shit… You've never experienced shunpo before, have you?" Ichigo swore sharply, his grip on her small waist growing tighter. Opening a single eye slowly, Orihime soon discovered she was no longer in the same place before. No giant, glowing gate, and no legion of headstrong, shinigami captains. Gasping lightly, she felt the pain subdue in her head as she took in the sight of the rolling, grassy plains, and the beautiful full moon high in the sky.

"Is that what that was?" Orihime quietly mumbled, still in awe from the breathtaking landscape in front of her, temporarily forgetting about the throbbing pain in her head.

"Yeah, uh… Did you want me to put you down?" He inquired, the tips of his fingers burning as he could feel her skin under the light fabric. Orihime gasped again and flailed her arms, almost throwing Ichigo off balance.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry Kurosaki-kun, I-it just looked so beautiful! I got caught up in the moment!" The healer swiftly apologized, almost feeling disappointment as he put Zangetsu in the ground in order to put her down with two hands. 'Damn, she's got a tiny waist…' Ichigo mentally commented, feeling his face heat up from his crude thought.

"It does look cool, I guess…" He muttered, not looking at the landscape's beauty, but hers. She continued to be in wonder at the scene in front of her, and he couldn't help but crack a tiny smile. Eventually she noticed a very large house behind her (how she missed it in the first place, he didn't know), and her eyes went big in surprise.

"Kukaku-san's house??"

"Yeah, we're going to keep you here until we, uh, figure out what to do…"

Orihime pouted her lips in some understanding, nodding slowly. She took a few steps forward, and reached for the door handle, when Ichigo stopped her by grabbing her by the wrist.

"W-wait, Inoue…"

Turning around in shock, the healer couldn't help but noticing the frightfully familiar emotions he held in his eyes. They reminded her of the ones she saw in the mirror herself, when she was thinking about him.

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun, what-" She started to speak, but finished with a squeak as he forced her against the wall of the house, his hands firmly placed on both sides of her head. Big gray eyes looking into burning amber ones, heated with so many familiar, yet strange emotions.

"Why…" He grunted, never averting his gaze. Ichigo felt power surge through him, as he finally had her so close. She was so close again, and he could feel the pain in his heart subduing. "Why didn't you say goodbye, Inoue?"

Her gray eyes grew wider, if possible, and she shivered lightly as his hot breath tickled her face. 'I-I didn't think he'd be upset about me not saying goodbye to him directly…' Orihime's cheeks flushed, and she found it hard to think clearly, with him so close and looking so good with the moon's gentle light reflecting off every inch of his face.

"I-I…" She spoke quietly, taking a heaving breath. "I did… Y-You were just asleep… K-Kurosaki-kun, what's going-"

Ichigo's gaze became heated, and his lifted his right hand to her face, encasing her small, fragile cheek in his callused hand. He lazily ran his thumb over her plump bottom lip, his eyes half-lidded. Orihime forgot what she was saying as soon as he touched her face so gently.

"I was hurt you didn't say goodbye to my awake face, Inoue…" Ichigo half-heartedly complained, before capturing her lips into a haste kiss. Her first kiss. Orihime shut her eyes tight, her heart hammering in her ribcage. 'Ku-Kurosaki-kun's kissing me…' was the only thought she could muster, as the rest of her mind was fogged with the thoughts of him.

Ichigo poured his heart into that kiss, before breaking off for a short minute to get a good look at the woman in front of him. Pleased with the reaction he was getting from her, he went back in for another, startling her with his eagerness, his passion, and his ferocity. She panted as she struggled to regain her lost breath, due to his dominating kisses.

His tongue traced the bottom of her lip, demanding entrance. The healer gasped in surprise, giving Ichigo the chance he was looking for, delving into the depths of her mouth, thoroughly taking in her taste. Ironically enough, she reminded him of strawberries.

Orihime shakily brought her trembling hands up to his robes, clutching the fabric almost desperately. Her chest heaved as she frantically tried to remember how to breathe. Ichigo removed his hands from the wall and placed them on her bare neck, thumbs caressing her jawbone. His flesh burned where he touched. God, how he loved the feeling of her skin on his…

"K-Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime panted, when she could manage to finally speak, her flesh tingling from his frantic touches to her shoulders and arms. He pulled away for a short moment, giving her a small, satisfied smirk, before placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Quit raping the poor girl, would you? She hasn't even gotten inside yet!" A familiar, harsh voice called out to the two, immediately dousing the fire Ichigo felt coursing through his veins. Orihime turned bright red, before looking shyly up to the boy hunched over her.

"Fucking dammit…" Ichigo swore, taking a regretful step back away from the healer. Within moments, Orihime rushed inside, her face more red than ever, leaving Ichigo very pissed and Kukaku outside.

"I didn't know you had it in you," she mused, folding her arms under her generous chest. Ichigo threw a murderous glance at her, balling up his fists in frustration.

"You… You just shut the hell up right now… You totally ruined it all-"

"Oh, hush, would you? God knows what you were going to do to the poor girl if I hadn't intervened," Kukaku scoffed, giving the boy a menacing scowl. "And you just got her back. Must you ravage her now?"

Growling at the busty woman, Ichigo refused to respond to her. Kukaku kept her hard gaze on the lewd teen, which gave a sharp stare in return.

"And I hear she doesn't even know of your feelings. She's probably confused as hell now, you know."

The substitute froze in his place, his muscles tightening up. Slowly, but surely, his mind became clearer, and it dawned onto him what he had just done.

In his desperate state, he had kissed… No, more like made out, he determined, with the girl he realized he loved just this morning. He so recklessly wanted to be closer to her, to latch onto her so harm would never come to her again, that he was driven to the definite point of no return.

Ichigo slouched against the cool wall, immediately regretting touching her. Well, he didn't regret kissing her himself, but he took advantage of her, and even more so when he didn't know her feelings either.

"I… shit… What the hell have I done…?" Ichigo muttered to himself, now in a shocked state. Kukaku scoffed, understanding that he knew his mistake without saying anything more.

"I suggest you apologize to her. And soon," she suggested before making a hasty retreat back inside. Ichigo let his body slide down the wall, falling onto the ground unceremoniously. He kept a distant gaze on the horizon, replaying memories of the past few days, hoping it'd somehow relieve his guilt and allow him courage to give her the apology she deserved.

---

Orihime tripped and stumbled as she made her way into the house. Eventually giving up on getting up, only to fall moments later, the healer sat on the cold floor, tears stinging at her eyes.

'K-Kurosaki-kun… H-He kissed me, b-but… I don't know what it means!' Orihime mentally wept, her arms trembling from the shock treatment she received just moments before. Lips still tingling, Orihime felt scorching tears roll down her cheeks.

But despite what others may think, she wasn't crying because she was sad. She was actually very happy, but her mind refused to overcome the terrified feeling that burdened her after that whole charade. The most terrifying thing she felt while replaying those hard kisses and frenzied touches, was confusion. Orihime really didn't want to think he meant anything more by those, like he possibly felt the same as her, because she knew her hopes would most definitely be crushed.

Hearing nearing footsteps, Orihime quickly wiped her fallen tears away, inhaling sharply before standing up.

"Inoue, you're okay!" Chirped a familiar voice from behind her. Turning around gradually after wiping away remnants of tears, Orihime found it was Rukia with a tremendously relieved expression on her face. "So Ichigo managed to take you back okay!"

Instantly flushing again at the mention of his name, the healer nodded the best she could without bursting into tears.

"I-I… Thank you, Kuchiki-san, b-but… can I ask a question?" Orihime nervously muttered, squirming in her spot. Raising an eyebrow, Rukia nodded fervently, as if she'd do anything for the girl.

"I'm confused…" She confessed, playing with the fabric of the silk dress again. 'I'm getting a bad habit of this…' Orihime mentally commented. "W-Why am I at Kukaku-san's house? Why did… K-Kurosaki-kun rescue me? Who told you about me going to the Royal Realm?"

Soon realizing she was asking the question of what was going on, Rukia let go of a chuckle, amused that she was right, as Inoue was confused about everything. Motioning for her to sit down, the shinigami took a seat in front of her, wearing a smile.

"Calm down, Inoue, everything will be explained. But did you really think we'd let you go without a fight?"

"Eh? But… Kurosaki-kun didn't fight…"

"Er, well, that was part of the plan."

Orihime's eyes grew wide with confusion, inciting another small laugh from Rukia due to her interesting expression.

"We really didn't have any idea what we were going to do, honestly. We got to Soul Society, and I figured we were going to go in and start attacking. Then I saws Shiba-san's house, and I thought of an idea," Rukia explained, drawing small circles in the floor with her finger lazily. Orihime scratched her head, still feeling bewildered about all this.

The shinigami continued to explain what had happened, and their plans to take back the healer. Eventually, Orihime seemed to understand it, and was mostly accepting of it, until Rukia uttered the basis of the plan.

"So to sum it all up, we decided to just take you back, bringing and keeping you here until we can figure a way to remove the Key from you. That way you can go back to Karakura and live the rest of your life peacefully."

The healer gasped, throwing her tiny hands up to her mouth. "B-But, Soul Society will find me eventually, and you'll get in trouble!"

Frowning, Rukia put a gentle hand on Orihime's arm, as a sign of comfort. "We probably will, but I don't want to lose you, Inoue." The tiny girl blushed hard at her bold confession. "You're one of my greatest friends…"

Orihime surprised Rukia by quickly taking her small body into a hug, her shoulders trembling from holding back more tears. Shocked and unfamiliar with hugs, Rukia could only place her hands on her back awkwardly, hoping she was doing it right.

"I really am glad you're okay…" Rukia muttered into Orihime's shoulder, cheeks growing hotter. She was inwardly proud of herself for finally being so open for once, but it was unfamiliar territory she was treading into. Nodding in response, the healer hugged the girl tighter.

"Kuchiki-san…" Orihime mumbled, her tone going from nervously happy, to determined. "I-I'm happy you rescued me, but I'm not worth all this trouble… I'd rather you and Kurosaki-kun stayed home where you wouldn't have put your lives at stake."

Surprising Orihime again, Chad and Renji entered the room, both shocked at the statement just heard.

"Oh… And Sado-kun and Abarai-kun…" She spoke softly, looking to them wearily. "I appreciate it, but you really shouldn't have come either…" Chad only shook his head, silently against her protests. Renji scoffed and went to the two girl's sides.

"We were going to rescue you whether you wanted it or not," he spouted, soon pulling at the healer's cheek, inciting objections of pain. Renji didn't know Inoue all that much, but he knew she meant a lot to Rukia and Ichigo, and doing so, he would automatically help them and her, whenever needed.

"I… But I-" Orihime began to speak in defiance again, but instead warning glares from two of them, and a silent plea from the other. Swallowing hard, she nodded in understanding, although she still didn't completely agree with what they were doing. She didn't want them to risk everything for her.

A shiver was sent down her spine as she heard more footsteps behind her. She kept her gaze on her other friends, not particularly wanting to look at who was behind her. Orihime really, really didn't want it to be Kurosaki-kun. Turning red, she bit her still bruised lips, trying her best to ignore the pleasantly tingling pain as she remembered his kisses.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see him. With his actions from earlier, her heart ached and yelled to tell him the truth. To reveal her love for him, to explain what she was doing in his room the night she left for Hueco Mundo, and so much more. But her fear of rejection got to the better of her.

"Has she been informed?" Kukaku's voice asked the remaining people, giving Orihime relief. 'It's Kukaku-san…'

"Yes, she has been told of the plan," Rukia replied, giving the healer a small smile. She gave her a shaky grin in return.

"Good. You, come with me," Kukaku spoke harshly to Orihime, pointing a hard finger at her. Cocking her eyebrows, she stood up questioningly.

"Eh? Um, may I ask why?"

"Because you look as cold as hell in that dress, and if Ichigo saw you like that a second time, he'd probably attack you again," she replied, giving her a smug smirk. "I can understand why he would though, that thing's pretty revealing."

Instantly flushing, Orihime felt like her face was going to burst from the heat. Shyly, she tried to tug the dress up higher, knowing very well her efforts would be futile. It was just the way it was designed.

"Wait, Ichigo did what??" Rukia screeched as Orihime began to shuffle her way out of the room the with Shiba clan leader. The female shinigami followed her, demanding to know what it was he did, as Kukaku searched for a covering of some sort.

"U-Um… Ku-Kurosaki-kun was upset, is all…" Orihime muttered, still red as she blindly followed Kukaku around.

"But Shiba-san said he attacked you," Rukia scoffed, immediately stopping in her steps. "Inoue, he didn't hit you or anything, did he??"

"Kuchiki-san, no! H-He'd never do that, it's just…" Orihime stopped, leaving Kukaku's side to hush the female shinigami. "I, um… didn't exactly say goodbye to him while he was awake, and he was upset…"

"So… What did he do?"

Turning redder, if possible, Orihime leaned in and whispered of his actions to Rukia, who soon had an expression mixed between anger and relief.

"He invaded your personal space!! That asshole, I'm going to beat him up! But… You like him though, don't you? Isn't that a good thing?"

Immediately, Orihime placed her hands on her friend's lips, hoping she wouldn't say anymore. She didn't know where he was at the moment, and if he overheard, things could turn ugly for her. He could be just around the corner for all she knew!

"Kuchiki-san, it was… Interesting, to say the least…" Orihime replied, her voice lowering. "But I'm so confused… I don't know why he did what he did, and my heart can't stand not knowing his motives. I-I know it should be a good thing, but… I can't help but feel torn up inside, for absolutely no reason at all!"

"… Don't you think you should talk to him?"

Shaking her head, Orihime replied with a silent 'no'. Kukaku soon returned with a large blanket, explaining it was the only thing her stupid brother could find offhand.

Rukia understood her point of view, but she felt she couldn't understand the healer's motives for not saying anything. Though she assumed that it was because she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Okay, Inoue… I understand," Rukia replied, giving her a smile. Orihime's big gray eyes spoke of thanks, as the three women began making their way to their original location, the room with Chad and Renji.

Only there had been another body Orihime wasn't expecting, and her body grew hot at the sight of him. Oh, how the sight of him made her body go haywire, she unfortunately mused. Must he be so good looking?

Taking in a sharp breath, she took confident strides towards the three boys, a wide smile on her face. Though her body was a mess inside, she figured she could put on a façade that nothing was wrong, just for a little while.

Ichigo didn't know if he should feel relieved or feel worse, upon seeing her smile. Clenching his fists tightly, he vowed he'd get her alone soon, and apologize to her.

---

He wasn't surprised that she hadn't been able to stay up for very long after she returned. Ichigo knew she was up late the night before, with her leaving, and he wasn't sure how much rest she got during the day, as she waited for her fate. Giving her a soft look, the rest of the friends noticed she was sleeping soundly as well, her small form leaning against the chilled wall.

"I hope she'll sleep good tonight," Rukia commented, chuckling lightly at the sight of her slumbering form. Chad nodded and watched Renji stretch himself.

"I think it's time we all go get some shuteye. We'll need all the energy we can get for when Soul Society finds her and takes her back," he commented, eyelids drooping from fatigue. "Ichigo, you going to get some sleep too?"

Ichigo changed his gaze from the dreaming state of Inoue, to Renji for a quick moment.

"No… I'm going to stay up for a bit longer…" He replied, soon bringing his stare back at the shifting healer. They nodded and few chuckled at his lovesick puppy state, before leaving him and the healer alone, only few candles burning to illuminate the dark room.

Leaning his head in his palm, he continued to watch her for what seemed like forever. The blanket she attempted to keep on previously was falling down, exposing her soft skin once more. Her form shook lightly as she took in a shuddering breath, before soon calming down, her chest rising and falling to show her careful breathing. Her lips were puckered into a faint pout, reminding Ichigo of how he found that they really were as soft as they looked.

Feeling his cheeks grow hotter, he boldly moved towards her small form, eventually leaning against the wall himself, just as she was. His head was turned to the side, and he stared at her angelic face, an apologetic expression written all over his face.

"Sorry for being stupid earlier, Inoue…" Ichigo quietly mumbled, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. 'I'll give her a better apology when she's awake…' He vowed. She shuddered at the touch, her eyebrows furrowing. He stopped, wondering if he was waking her up, as her movements became more defined, and she began sliding sideways along the wall. She would've landed face first into the floor, if he hadn't caught her by the shoulders.

His face boiled, his hands able to touch her exposed skin again. Licking at his suddenly dry lips, he mentally forced himself to hold back, to stop before he could do more damage.

Sliding her form back up, she stayed still for a few minutes before falling back down again. Holding back a groan, Ichigo did what he very much considered dangerous, but probably not as dangerous as her smashing her face in from falling onto the floor.

Scooting slowly closer to her form, he wrapped a shaking arm around her shoulders, her head resting on his chest. Sighing in content, she unknowingly snuggled closer and gripped the fabric of his shihakusho subconsciously. Ichigo red-hot face only grew warmer as he lightly placed a hand on her waist, but he couldn't help but smile at her adorable endeavors. Taking in a deep breath himself, he leaned his head against the wall, waiting for sleep to take him over.

'Finally…' Was his last thought. 'The pain is finally gone away…'

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R & R please! 8D kthxbai!