-_- Fail chapter is fail. Also, short chapter is short. *cookie* Sorry this sucks so much. I was incredibly stuck with this... So this was both extremely fast and extremely filler. XD But it's one step till I get this fail out my hair, lol. Try to enjoy it if you can. (Also, the chapters won't be 7k anymore. It just takes too much time and I don't have patience to write that much in one go.)
.disclaimer. I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
.chapter title. You are cute
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'Wah… It's so warm…'
She didn't know what it was that was so warm, but she liked it. Cuddling in closer, she vaguely wondered what it was. It definitely didn't feel like a mattress, but it didn't feel like a blanket or the floor either. Her right hand tightened its grip, feeling fabric bunching up in her hand.
'What is it…? I can't figure out what it is…' Orihime refused to open her eyes, as she still felt tired. 'Maybe just a few more hours…' She thought, letting go of the warm fabric and lazily tossing her arm over the rest of the heated form, her cheek growing hotter along with the… well, whatever it is, getting warmer as well.
But then she felt something on her waist. Still, she refused to open her eyes, so she regretfully lifted the newly placed arm on her own waist, searching for what exactly it was gripping her so tightly.
Poking and prodding she felt… Skin? Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a hand!
She cracked open a nervous eye to see just who it was that was currently holding onto her side, almost desperately.
Long tan fingers… And she also noticed a lot of black that she was lying on. The thing under her stirred and she froze, instantly opening up both eyes.
Familiar hand, black shihakusho… A dark blush rose to her cheeks. 'Oh please, don't let it be…' Gray eyes traveled up the form to reveal it was the boy she was both hoping it would and wouldn't be. "K-Kurosaki-kun…"
'B-But when did this happen?' she wondered, her big eyes roving over his sleeping face and bright orange hair. Biting down on her lip, she contemplated getting up or not. If she rose from the position, the possibility of him waking up was greater, and embarrassment would ensue for both. However, if she wanted to be selfish and stay with him just a few moments longer, the embarrassment would be put off temporarily.
Her cheeks grew hotter as she seriously wanted to choose the second option. She still loved Kurosaki-kun, and to be in his arms like this was like a wonderful dream. But if he woke up and, hey! Turns out he accidentally did this in his sleep, and found it utterly disgusting to have her in his arms. Boy… Orihime wondered how long it would take for her to recover from that.
She gripped his shihakusho again, face on fire. 'I… I'm going to be selfish…' She ultimately decided, choosing to stay in his arms. Although completely embarrassed, she felt more determined from this. How that worked out, she had no clue, but she felt more empowered. Maybe because she was by his side, she felt like she could do anything.
Ichigo started to shift a bit and mumbled a few incoherent words, causing Orihime to raise her eyebrows. 'Ah… H-he's waking up… Whoops.'
"G-Good morning, Kurosaki-kun…" The healer mumbled, stumbling on her words and avoiding making direct eye contact with the boy. Her side starting to tingle as his fingers twitched against her dress.
"Uh… morning…" Ichigo hesitantly and tiredly responded. '… Crap… She woke up before I did…' His face turned red as he cracked open his eyes, scanning the room to make sure none of their friends was around. If they saw him like this, they'd never let him live it down.
"So, I… guess we both fell asleep in the same spot? And maybe ended up like this… S-sorry…" Orihime quietly apologized, voicing her guess on what had happened. 'Now would be a good time to move, but… He doesn't seem to be letting go of my side!' The healer squirmed a bit, trying to get herself into a more comfortable spot. "A-ano, c-can you let go of me, Kurosaki-kun?"
'Now seems like the right time…' He mentally concluded. Taking a deep breath, he put on a straight face and looked at her with stern, amber eyes.
"No."
Orihime felt a shock go down her spine at his bold response. 'N-No??' He saw her almost horrified expression, and felt immediately guilty, along with a lot of embarrassment. How did 'no' slip out of his mouth??
"I-I mean, yes! Of course…" He replied quickly, regrettably letting go of her slender waist. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you though…" She sat up soon, her side becoming cold.
Orihime gathered enough courage to look at him directly, her cheeks burning. 'Why does it feel so warm all of a sudden?' She questioned, letting her blanket fall down her shoulders more, so she could 'cool down'. She nodded shyly as she looked at the orange-haired boy. "W-What is it, Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo soon forgot what he was going to say when she removed her blanket. Letting go of a groan, he brought his hand up to his eyes, internally yelling at himself not to look at anything indecent. He respected her, dammit, and what he had to say was important.
"Inoue, I…" he started shakily, eventually forcing his eyes to look into her deep, gray ones. "I'm… really sorry about yesterday… I shouldn't have, erm… kissed you like that."
It was true Orihime was confused as to why he kissed her, but now her heart ached as she watched him apologize for kissing her. How in the world did that little thing called hope manage to bubble back up again? She thought she had managed to suppress that, but the pain in her chest told her that it apparently wasn't so.
"Ah… W-Well, that's okay Kurosaki-kun. I know you were just confusing me with-" Orihime tried to respond, and was going to finish with, 'Kuchiki-san', but the shinigami placed a light finger to her lips, causing her face to burn hotter.
"No, it's not okay… I really shouldn't have done that. Especially if I… I don't know your feelings, I mean," Ichigo struggled to speak, finding it hard to get the words out. The healer's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Eh?" She squeaked as soon as he removed his finger. Titling her head to the side in confusion, she lightly pouted her lips. "Feelings about what?"
Apparently she struck a nerve or something as his face immediately grew bright red. Now Orihime was definitely curious, as she normally doesn't see him this open and embarrassed. Cracking a small smile, she inwardly giggled to herself. 'He's so cute like this…'
"Never mind, Kurosaki-kun. You seem pretty uncomfortable about it, so it's fine," Orihime replied somewhat amused, waving her hands fervently in front of her face. Ichigo caught her off guard by taking one of those waving hands and holding it tightly in his own, large, callused ones. "E-Eh?"
"N-No… I need to say this, dammit… I just don't know how to say it…" Ichigo swore, his face appearing to grow brighter by the second. The healer wondered if he was getting sick, as his hand felt awfully hot.
"Kurosaki-kun, are you feeling oka-"
"I think I l-love you, Inoue."
Gray eyes grew wide.
'W-What?'
Inside, her heart both soared and stopped. 'It's definitely a dream…' She concluded, but she still forced herself to look into his burning, amber orbs. His hand held hers tightly, and the intense, yet still awkward gaze she got from him only reassured herself further that he was telling the truth.
"I…" Ichigo swallowed thickly, taking her silence and disbelieving stare as a bad thing. "I don't expect you to say anything back, but I wanted to both apologize and justify my actions yesterday… So, yeah… sorry."
Orihime, still blown away by his sudden confession, tried desperately to get her brain to work again. 'Just confess back to him! What are you waiting for!' Her stomach flipped in anticipation. 'But what to say?'
Ichigo, on the other hand, was taking this silence very badly. This was the first time he'd ever dealt with such feelings. He didn't know if he was doing it right, but he decided that suddenly blurting them out was a bad move on his part. 'And here I'd thought I'd feel better after saying something…'
"Well…" Ichigo broke the silence, clearing his throat and releasing her hand. If there was nothing left to add to the conversation, he'd leave her be. That and he didn't know how much longer his pride would hold out. "I'll let you be alone…" He ran a hand through his bright orange hair and gave her a weak smirk before standing up.
"W-Wait!" Orihime finally managed to choke out, grabbing at the pant leg of his shihakusho. He looked down to her in confusion, doing his best to keep his face from growing too hot. '… She looks cute from this angle…' Ichigo looked to her with confused eyes, and tried his best to hold back that hope again. You know, just in case.
"What is it, Inoue?" The shinigami inquired, forcing a straight voice. He watched her stand up, noticing a slight shake in her step.
"I… K-Kurosaki-kun, remember when you said you thought that five lifetimes thing sounded familiar?" Orihime muttered, suddenly looking at the floor in hesitation, gripping the fabric of her dress tightly. She was still having a hard time believing his words, but it was even harder for her collect her thoughts on how to reply.
"Yeah?" The healer shuddered at the sound of his deep, low voice. 'Wah, h-he sounds so… wonderful… No! Focus on the matter at hand!'
"It wasn't just familiar…" Orihime finally confessed, bringing herself to look at his intense, amber eyes. She shivered upon seeing his gaze, straight and focused, only on her. "I, um… said that same thing the night before I left for Hueco Mundo."
"Wait, the night you healed my hand?"
"Ah… I healed your hand?" Orihime's brows furrowed together, questioning what had truly happened. "I didn't call them out though, I only held it- Eep!" She squeaked as she threw her hands to her mouth. Now she had said too much.
"You… held my hand?" He blanched, eyes growing wider. Orihime merely nodded, face growing ever hotter.
"A-ah, yes… B-But what I really wanted to say was…" The healer cleared her own throat and taking in a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves. 'Just say it… Say it Orihime.' Ichigo looked at her with both confused, but curious eyes. What was it she wanted to tell him?
"K-Kurosaki-kun, I… I also…" She hesitated, starting to tremble immensely. Why was it so hard for her to tell him? It was clear he shared the same feelings, but yet she was afraid.
Then she realized telling him would still cause him pain. Soul Society would eventually find her, and they'd be ripped apart, never to see each other again. She could imagine his hurt face now, as she had to turn around and leave to go to the Royal Realm. Or when she saw him walk off with the captains, being arrested because of treason.
Blinking, she found tears clinging to her lashes, a few now making their way down her cheeks. "Ah… I-I'm sorry…" She quietly apologized, bringing her small hands up to her face, wiping away the fallen, salty drops. He soon frowned at her sobbing sight, clenching his fists in hope to hold back the urge to hug her. "I-I can't…"
His downward scowl grew deeper, and he forced himself to let go of a light laugh. "You wanted to tell me you don't think the same… It's fine, Inoue, I understand." Orihime pulled her hands away momentarily to get a good look at the boy she loved. She very much wanted to tell him he was wrong, but the words got caught in her throat.
"N-No, t-that's not it…" she sobbed upon seeing his heartbroken face. 'This… this is the expression I didn't want him to have…' "Kurosaki-kun, I-I want to tell you how I feel, but… Soul Society! They'll find me again, and… I-I don't want to see you hurt…"
She continued to cry as he took in her words. 'She's… afraid of being separated?'
"… That's all?"
Gray eyes snapped open and flashed toward sincere amber ones. 'T-That's what he has to say? But this is important!'
"Inoue…" He spoke quietly, folding his arms together. "You know why we came to rescue you, right?" Nodding slowly, she understood what he was saying, but didn't truly get his meaning. "We're going to find a way to remove the key. That way you can come back to Karakura with us… With… me."
Only more tears found their way down her face, and the shinigami soon scowled. He always seemed to hurt upon seeing her crying face. Muttering a small, "Dammit, come here…" he pulled the healer into a hug, and she continued to sob into his chest. 'At least this hug is better than the last…' He inwardly commented.
"It'll be okay, Inoue," Ichigo murmured to her, running a hand lightly through her auburn hair, his breath fanning over her head. "I'll protect you."
Taking a deep, shuttering breath, Orihime also took in his spicy scent, thinking, 'Now's the time…'
"Ku-Kurosaki-kun, I l-lov-"
"Boy, going at it this early in the morning?" A familiar, deep voice interrupted her and caused the two to look towards the door. Renji stood in the archway with a casual smirk on, and Rukia was next to him with a similar expression.
"Don't say that, Renji. They're cute," she replied to the redheaded shinigami, playfully nudging him in the side. Orihime's face grew extremely red and she bit her bottom hard. 'T-they saw us! A-and we're still hugging!'
"Damn you…" Ichigo scowled and his grip on the healer growing tighter. "Just how long have you two been there??"
Smirking, Rukia folded her arms smugly. "Long enough. But finally… It's about time you two got together." Ichigo scowled and sent the small shinigami a death glare, before looking down to the small, flustered healer in his arms, soon softening his expression.
"You guys are embarrassing Inoue, so shut up!"
"I think she's embarrassed because you've been caught hugging her."
Then, almost immediately, Ichigo let go of Orihime, feeling a bit of regret. "Sorry…" He muttered, kneading the back of his neck as he gazed at the floor in remorse. Orihime merely shook her head and bent back over to pick up her fallen blanket. Now that Ichigo had let go of her, she felt surprisingly cold. Upon wrapping the fabric around her shoulders, she sent a humiliated smile to the two shinigami in the doorway.
"So what do we have planned today?" Orihime inquired, her voice squeaking a bit with embarrassment. Rukia and Renji made their way toward the girl, and within minutes, Chad had entered as well, quiet as ever.
"Resting and deciding how to remove the Key," Rukia spoke matter-of-factly, keeping an eye on the healer for her reaction. Orihime's lips pouted into an 'O' shape, and she gripped the covering tighter.
"O-Of course… Sorry I asked… It was a stupid question."
"It wasn't a stupid question, Inoue," Ichigo responded kindly, causing her face to flame up further. 'H-How embarrassing… He's acting like this in front of our friends!' Soon, although very unintentionally, Orihime felt very dizzy and her eyes rolled to the back of her head, causing her to fall to the floor ungracefully.
Inwardly scolding herself for doing something so stupid, she had no energy to get up. She felt her fatigue slipping in and she couldn't open her eyes. However, she still vaguely heard voices before she slipped into slumber again.
"I-Inoue!"
"Calm down, idiot. She's probably still tired."
"Renji's right, Ichigo. Just think of how much she's gone through so far. She needs more rest. And while she does that, we can discuss how to remove the key."
Feeling something large and warm on her head, the healer determined it could've been a hand or something. Maybe a foot… But who would want to put their feet on her head? Anyway, the thing patted the top of her head a bit, appearing only with good thoughts.
"It's okay Inoue… I'll fix all this for you, I promise."
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R & R~