Yay, second to last chapter!! *cheers* Yes folks, at the moment, I have no other plans to extend this further than what I already have in mind, so the end is near! Please review and maybe I can get the next and final chapter up quicker. XD

.chapter title. Fate

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

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It was yelling and shouting that arose her curiosity as she sat against the wall. It sounded sort of distant though, so she only kept her brows scrunched together and eyes remained closed.

"Inoue's not going with you!" A low voice yelled out. Orihime's stomach clenched in anticipation the more she listened to the yelling and sounds of clashing swords.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you will be arrested for treason in your attempt to keep Inoue Orihime away from the Royal Realm!" Another loud voice bellowed out, invoking a shudder down her spine. She definitely remembered that voice and his commands. The head captain, Yamamoto. She wanted to open her eyes to see him and the scene in front of her, but they remained suspiciously heavy and refused to budge.

"Inoue! Run! You need to get out of here!" His voice called out to her. The pain laced in his voice made her want to cry. 'He's hurting so much…'

Orihime only shook her head and pulled her knees closer to her body. Everything was so heavy, it was difficult to move.

"Inoue, go now!!"

And just then, her eyes snapped open.

Everything was silent; eerily silent. She didn't see anything or anyone around. Such a lonely feeling gave her the shivers and she'd apparently broken out in a cold sweat.

'A… dream?'

She let her body slack back against the chilled wall, taking in a deep breath. If Soul Society wasn't here yet, everything would be fine. Picking up the blanket and huddling back into it, she let her mind wander.

If only all this wouldn't have happened, she mused, Ichigo would be fine. He wouldn't be hurting so much, and neither would she, although she worried more about him.

'Kurosaki-kun…'

Orihime desperately wanted to keep her heart from soaring as she remembered his kisses and lingering touches. He had loved her in return, but she wasn't able to say the same to him. She did truly love him as well, but fear of being torn apart kept her heart and emotions in chains.

Her mind began playing tricks on her when she could almost feel his hand on her cheek. Leaning towards his warmth, she could see him with a gentle smile forming on his face. Her cheeks burned further as she imagined him say her name. But not her last name; she meant her first one. Orihime.

Her eyes fluttered open, stopping her daydream and she thought, '… Maybe one day.'

Light footsteps caused her to turn her head and she looked towards the source of the sound. She had sort of expected it to be Rukia again, but she wasn't completely surprised when discovered it was Ichigo.

"You're awake?" He asked calmly, a grim look on his face. She nodded and pulled her blanket closer. Purposely, Orihime gave him a smile. She didn't know what went through her, but she felt like a smile would reassure both of them. It would be alright, her grin read.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun. I'm sorry for falling asleep though," she blushed, remembering her sudden fatigue from earlier and how she practically passed out. Ichigo shook his head and took a spot across from her. "Ano… What time is it?" the healer asked innocently.

"Not entirely sure," Ichigo kept his sentences short. "The sun's set already though, so you slept for most of the day." Her gray eyes grew wide at this new fact. 'A-All day??'

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Inoue," he cut her off.

"Oh, sorry, I was rambling again and I-"

"Soul Society's going to be here soon."

He still looked grim as his eyes were locked with the floorboards. How could he look at her? He'd promised to protect her and they hadn't managed to think of anything while she was asleep.

Orihime looked surprised. "Oh…" Was all she could muster to say. She closed her eyes for a quick second and could definitely feel the enormous reiatsu that was the entire Gotei 13. A shudder went through her body, but she brought her thoughts back to the boy in front of her. She could honestly care less about her own impending doom. What she cared about what Ichigo.

"It'll be okay, Kurosaki-kun," she told him quietly, wanting to reach out and comfort him. But she kept herself held back for some unknown reason. "We'll figure this out."

"That's just it, Inoue!" He yelled, startling her a bit by his new volume. "We thought about it and thought about it, but we couldn't think of a damn way to get the key out of you without killing you!" His stomach lurched at his bitter words. They were like a knife to his heart. "Dammit…" He brought his voice down, his swear quiet.

"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime called his name, somewhere inside her hoping he'd look up to her. "It's okay… Really, I can go to the Royal Realm. Once the captains gets here, just give me back and leave quietly. That way you won't get in trouble," she told him, keeping her bad dream from earlier in the back of her mind. Somehow, now that she knew about his feelings, she didn't think it would be so bad to go. And who knows? Perhaps there would be some way where she could visit her friends and him after she'd learned to control the key. They said she wouldn't be able to see anyone anymore, but there had to be a way.

After all, this girl believed in twisting fate. She was a goddess who could reject anything.

"I'm not…" He started, his hands curling into tight fists. "I can't do that Inoue," he choked out, now looking up at her.

And then she could see it. She saw the pain, guilt, worry and fear in his eyes. One look at his eyes alone and she could understand him completely.

"You're strong, Kurosaki-kun. I'm sure you could," Orihime replied quietly. "You'd get over this eventually." '… Over me…' He just shook his head and brought his gaze back to the floor.

"I don't want to."

His stubbornness began to frazzle her. She didn't know how to calm the poor boy down! She knew the situation they were in and it was indeed hard to see the best in it, but he shouldn't be so distraught. If only there was some way to calm him down…

Her cheeks grew hot and Orihime pulled the blanket even closer and took in a deep breath. 'It's now or never, Orihime…'

"You know, Kurosaki-kun, there were so many things I've wanted to do," she started, doing her best not to break her gaze. She couldn't look away… She wouldn't waver. "I wanted to be an astronaut, a teacher, and make my own bakery!" Ichigo glanced up at her, his eyes still burning with painful emotions.

"Then you'd go to the ice cream man and Mr. Donut and order one of everything, but you'd need five lifetimes to do it," he finished for her, the tone in his voice clearly not amused. "But you could have different jobs, different towns, and different foods." He counted off the things on his fingers, his eyebrows knit tightly together. "You've already told me this, Inoue…" But she shook her head and let her smile melt a bit.

"Not the ending though," she kept her voice low, cheeks very warm. He seemed a little curious now, but his downcast expression still remained frozen on his face.

"What's the ending?" He inquired, his voice just as quiet as hers. Orihime sat up from her spot, letting the blanket fall, and slowly moved towards him on her knees. Once she was right in front of him, she put her small hands on top of his. She smiled at his pink cheeks.

"For those five lifetimes… I-I'd fall in love with the same person," she finished, her stare unyielding. 'Finally…' She thought, her heart still hammering in her ribcage. 'I finally told him…'

Her closeness slightly startled him, but he couldn't help but bask in her warm reiatsu. He didn't say anything in return. Orihime began to back off a bit, starting to get flustered over just how close she was. Surely he wouldn't want her so nearby, she thought.

But he took a hold of her wrist, keeping her in the same place. Her eyes sparked with curiosity and embarrassment, but he saw nothing but love. Ichigo let a small smile grace his face as he close the gap between the two, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss. Orihime was startled at first, but softened into his grasp and moved her hands to the back of his head, her fingers toying with his hair. Ichigo kept his hands on her waist and continued to meet her with a few more kisses. He could feel the emotions pouring out from each individual one.

Ichigo pulled her closer, whispering her name after a while. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked to him with a heated and confused look. "I'm sorry…" He quietly apologized, keeping her in his lap as means to hold her close.

"For what?" She asked, boldly leaning her head against his shoulder. "You haven't done anything wrong, so please don't apologize." The healer lightly scolded him, causing the shinigami to hold onto her tighter.

"I… love you…" he quietly and clumsily told her in a low voice. She smiled lightly and looked at him.

"I love you too, Kurosaki-kun…" She whispered, inciting a smile of his own on his face. He brought his lips down to hers again and she was just about to meet his with her own as well when they both felt a heavy, suffocating feeling all around them. They only looked at each other in worry.

"They're here."

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"Ukitake-taichou, please tell me there's something you can do!!"

"I'm sorry Kuchiki; there isn't anything we can do…" The captain's voice was gentle as he spoke. He was one of the few captains that really had wished he could do something. He knew and understood of the troubles Orihime went, along with Ichigo, and taking her away would only result in more pain.

But no one went against the head captain. One would be arrested for treason if they did.

Rukia turned around and faced the redhead standing behind her, her head hung low and eyes shut tight. She had truly wanted to help her friend, but she couldn't do a thing! Time had run out…

"Rukia…" Renji mumbled, placing a hand on her tiny shoulder. He could feel her small body shaking, holding back sobs. He couldn't help the person he held most dear to him either, and he could only idly watch her cry over her friend.

'I'm sorry I failed you Inoue…' She thought numbly before letting her weight fall onto the support in front of her.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, we know you are inside! Bring Inoue Orihime out this instant!" Yamamoto bellowed, his fingers tight on his cane. There was silence and no motion, making it appear that they would refuse to come out.

"You'll be killed if you don't come out soon, Ichigo!" Kenpachi yelled out casually. He inwardly hoped he'd be the one doing the slaughtering. But still, there was no movement and no sounds. Rukia and Renji looked at the door of the Shiba's house, both confused as to why they hadn't come out yet.

"Inoue… Ichigo…" Rukia whispered to herself, not wanting her friends to be killed. Why weren't the coming out??

Soon the door began to open slightly and two familiar redheads appeared, Orihime in front with Ichigo behind her. All could see their connected hands and the pained look on the boy's face. Orihime kept her head high, an emotionless expression on her face.

The two walked towards the captains until they were right in front of Yamamoto. The old man cracked open an eye and peered at them through his bushy eyebrow.

"You understand you'll be arrested for stealing Inoue Orihime away, correct?" He asked nonchalantly. The grip on each other's hands grew tighter and Ichigo nodded albeit hesitantly and forced. The head captain struck his cane down on the soft soil and kept his head high. "Inoue Orihime will leave at midnight! Prepare the Golden Gate!"

Orihime turned around and faced the boy she loved with a heavy heart. "I'm sorry…" She whispered to him. Ichigo kept his gaze off to the side, still feeling horrible about all this.

"You haven't done anything wrong so don't apologize…" He told her in the same tone, his amber eyes looking off into the distance. A small, painful smile crept up her lips as she noted how he mimicked the same words from her earlier.

"Someday, Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime told him, placing a light hand on his upper arm. "We'll see each other again."

"Ichigo." He cut her off softly, now bringing his eyes back to her. "It's Ichigo…" The smile on her face threatened to grow wider, but she feared any bigger grin would cause those stinging tears to fall.

"Ichigo-kun," she replied, quickly giving him a hug before her departure. He was stiff at first; surprised she would incite something like this. "I would like it if you called me Orihime." He nodded and his face met her long auburn locks. Ichigo took in her scent thoroughly, considering it would be the last time.

"Orihime…" He mumbled, hugging her tighter. A quick tear escaped her, but she placed her lips to his cheeks before pulling away.

"Ja ne, Ichigo-kun…" She told him, letting go. It was finally time to let go… Orihime took a step back, her stare never breaking his. His stormy amber eyes burned with painful emotions and he mouthed her name again.

Orihime turned her back to the boy and began walking towards the captains. More tears fell the further she got away. Never in her life had she thought it would be so hard to walk away from something you love… It wasn't even the same as when she left for Hueco Mundo.

"Are you ready for your fate, Inoue Orihime?" Yamamoto questioned. Orihime nodded shakily and took another step towards them. She'll leave and he'll be safe. Orihime gave a watery smile to no one as she thought about how she finally, finally helped him.

'And if it all falls apart, I will know deep in my heart, the only dream that mattered had come true. In this life, I was loved by you.'

Goodbye….

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Orihime was next to Unohana when the ground started to shake terribly. 'An earthquake?' The healer questioned, noticing the fall of everyone around her. She was the only one standing up. Orihime whipped her head back to Ichigo, eyes wide in confusion. He was on the ground too, but he always kept his eyes on her. She reached her hand towards him, wanting to be by his side to help him up.

Only, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she felt her body losing balance.

"Orihime!" Ichigo called out, somehow managing to be by her side instantaneously, despite his previous falling. He managed to catch her time and held her close in frantic worry. "Orihime!!"

"Yamamoto-sotaichou! It's an imbalance!" Hitsugaya yelled over from his spot on the ground. 'Imbalance?' Orihime questioned mentally while her eyes were closed. Her head hurt too much to open her eyes.

"… Just our luck…" Yamamoto swore, regaining his erect posture. "Kurosaki Ichigo, take Inoue Orihime back to the real world!" He commanded the shinigami boy. Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows together and scowled deeply.

"What's your angle, old man??" Ichigo yelled back to him, grinding his teeth. Hitsugaya looked over to him and the healer in his arms and began to get up to his former standing position.

"Kurosaki, there's too many spiritual particles with the key on this side and it's creating an imbalance. Her body's taking a toll on all the pressure and the particles are slowly overtaking her soul," the young captain explained quickly to Ichigo. In a flash, he remembered just how much she had been sleeping the past few days. Frantically, he looked back down at her weak form and her facial expression was clearly one of distress. "You need to take her back to the real world until she stabilizes and we figure out what to do!"

Ichigo held her even closer and nodded grimly. "R-Right, of course…" He replied, stuttering and shaken up. A vice captain opened a senkaimon for the two and Chad to return back to the real world.

"You must be quick, Kurosaki Ichigo! The fate of the Key rests in your hands!" Yamamoto repeated, glaring at the ryoka boy. Ichigo merely bit his lip and held back the urge to sucker punch the head captain.

'Fate… How I hate you.'

-

They all managed to get back okay. Ichigo was expecting Chad to tag along to Orihime's flat to keep watch over her, but the Mexican understood the need for them to be alone. He didn't think he'd be much help anyways. So they went their separate ways for the time being, and Ichigo was currently watching over the frail girl in front of him. She had remained quiet for the remainder of their journey back, making Ichigo think she had "fallen asleep" again.

She lay on her bed, chest lightly rising and falling according to her breathing. Ichigo kept his chin on his crossed arms, his amber eyes never leaving her face. A sigh escaped her, startling him. He raised his head to see if she had awoken but she was still in deep slumber.

'This is such a mess…' He mentally commented, also noticing his thought was a huge understatement. But he couldn't help but feel a bit glad about how this was turning out. She hadn't left and now they were back on Earth. '…So far, so good…'

Ichigo let his eyes flutter closed for a moment, telling himself he'd just rest his eyes. Only, he fell into the same dark abyss his love was in, holding her hand the entire time.

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