Orihime's brother was murdered in cold blood. She was there as a witness. Granted, she didn't see Sora get shot, but she heard it. I don't know about you, but that would freak me out. Since she lived in Virginia, there probably weren't too many people who had guns. She moves to this town out west, married to a complete stranger. She was already subjected to his temper many times, and was scared of him. Now she finds a gun in his desk drawer, a weapon just like the one that was used to kill her brother. I think she's allowed to be a little paranoid.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Ichigo was in a foul mood, and he didn't care who knew it. It didn't help that Renji was getting on his nerves, complaining about his boredom. The doctor was half-tempted to give his patient a drug to make him sleep so he could get some peace and quiet. He was so irritated, and he felt like he was going to explode. Forcing himself to breathe deeply, he could feel the tension in his muscles begin to slowly seep out and leave his body.

A sigh escaped his lips as he stared blankly at the house. What had gotten into Orihime? She had been behaving strangely for the past two days, ever since the picnic. Whenever he came within five feet of her, she began to tremble as though she were terrified of him.

He frowned. He had told himself that he wouldn't dwell on it, and what was he doing? He uttered a curse.

"You've been pacing back and forth like a caged animal for twenty minutes now. What's up?"

Ichigo stopped. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he had not been aware he had been pacing. "It's nothing."

"Yeah, sure. That hole you wore into the floor tells a different story." Renji spoke. He was sitting up in bed, and he looked better. His face wasn't pale, and he had regained some of his strength.

"Very funny, Renji." Ichigo said dryly.

"There has to be a reason." The bedridden man eyed the doctor, who was ignoring him. "Come on, humor me. I don't have anything else to do."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "There's nothing to say."

Renji sighed and leaned against the pillows. "Fine. Be that way. I'm just going to keep annoying you until you do tell me."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "You won't get anything out of me."

Renji narrowed his eyes. "What's on your arm?"

He looked down. The bite mark was clearly visible since he had rolled his sleeves up. "Uh, nothing."

A snicker passed the patient's lips. "Looks like things got a little rough between you two."

"Shut up! That is not what happened.." Ichigo stated, his brown eyes flashing.

"Okay, alright. I believe you. Not." He grinned.

Ichigo strode purposefully over to a cabinet filled with medicine. He rooted through the bottles, finally selecting one. "Let's see. This one will keep you asleep for a while. Want to give it a try?"

Renji shut his mouth. He knew that Ichigo would carry through with his threat to drug him. Grumbling to himself, he closed his eyes. Maybe he could sleep some time away without using drugs.

A soft moan came from an empty room. Soft light from the full moon spilled in from the window, illuminating a young man and a woman embracing.

"We shouldn't be doing this. Someone could see-" She was cut off rather abruptly by his lips on hers.

"Don't say another word." He whispered, his hot breath fanning against her neck. "If you don't speak, then they can't catch us." He brushed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Besides, don't you trust me?"

She looked up at him, her eyes shining brightly. "With my life."

"Then don't worry. No one will ever discover us." He leaned down to kiss her once more. As he did, there was-

Orihime, startled by a knock at the door, nearly fell off of the couch. Saving her place in the book she had been reading, she stared in that direction, wondering if she should answer it. Nibbling on her lip, she tilted her head, then went back to her book.

-a rustling outside the room, but neither of the lovers heard it. They were too intent on each other, so it was a complete surprise when the door was flung open wide.

"Get away from my daughter!" An older man roared. "I should have known that you would try to pull something like this!" He took a menacing step toward the other man, but the girl dashed between them.

"Please, don't do this, Father!" She cried out. "I love him!"

Another knock, this time it was more persistent. Orihime sighed and, after marking her page, got to her feet and padded silently over to the window. Since the curtains were still closed, she slid her finger behind the fabric and pulled it away from the window, her heart pounding loudly. She relaxed upon seeing a familiar face.

The redhead tapped a finger on her chin.. They had met at the picnic, but what was her name? She snapped her fingers. Rangiku. Staying by the window, she observed the older woman. Rangiku was wearing an outfit similar to the one at the picnic, just different colors and pattern. Orihime smiled slightly. She seemed to be nice. If only they could talk some more.

Orihime let out a small screech when a finger tapped on the glass. Pressing a hand to her chest, she focused on Rangiku's smiling face.

"I can see you in there. Come on, open the door."

Orihime hesitated, then slowly made her way to the door. She twisted the knob and, almost immediately, Rangiku burst into the room.

"I wasn't sure if you were home or not, so I didn't knock right away. I figured you and Ichigo were probably having some alone time." She winked, and then laughed at the blush spreading across Orihime's face. "Newlyweds. It must be nice."

"Ah, it's not anything like that!" Orihime waved her hands in front of her.

"You don't need to be so shy, Orihime. We're both women here."

"I-I know, but it's not-"

Rangiku held a hand up. "Say no more." Glancing around the room, she frowned. "It's so dark in here. Why are all the curtains closed?"

Orihime bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "I...like it dark. It feels so comfortable and, um, soothing." She finished rather lamely.

"Uh-huh." Rangiku looked unconvinced. "I haven't seen you around lately. You need to get out and meet some people."

Her heart stopped. "No! No, I'm fine. I'm actually quite shy around people I don't know very well."

"How can you be shy? You answered an ad for a mail-order bride and married a complete stranger. That's not shy."

"H-how did you know I answered an ad?"

"Considering how you're new here, and Ichigo has never left Karakura, that's the only logical explanation." Rangiku tugged on Orihime's arm. "Come on, I'm taking you to town."

"What? B-but I can't go. I don't have any money." She said.

"You have a husband, don't you? And he has money, right? So go ask him for some money. I'm sure he'll say yes."

Orihime's face paled. "I can't ask him."

"And why not?"

"I-I haven't talked to him since the day of the picnic." She confessed, her eyes downcast.

Rangiku stared at the young woman before him, momentarily speechless. A few seconds later, she regained her ability to talk. "Did you two have a fight?"

Orihime thought back to the time that he had caught her on the chair. Yes, she supposed that could be counted as a fight. After all, she had kicked, hit, and bitten him. A shadow fell over her face. She sincerely regretted her actions, but she had been so terrified. She nodded.

"What was it about?"

Orihime shook her head. "I can't say." Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. No matter what, she had to keep her secret. Her life depended on it.

"Well, then I can't help you."

A tear dripped down the girl's face. "He has a gun."

Rangiku gave a small huff. "Almost all of the men here own at least one gun, Orihime. It's for protection."

"Protection?" She echoed.

"Yes. There are bears and snakes around here. Not to mention, the Las Noches gang is nearby. A person would have to be crazy to walk around without a gun."

Orihime pondered what Rangiku had said. Could it be that the gun was truly for protection only? If that was the case, now she really felt guilty about the events two days ago. "I made a horrible mistake." She whispered in horror. "I thought that...the gun..."

"I'm assuming you came from the East."

Her head jerked up. "H-how did you know?"

"I was the same way with guns." She said softly. "I was terrified of them. They were loud and dangerous. But then I met someone, and he helped me to see that, while guns are dangerous, they are also used for protecting those that people care about. He saved my life with a gun."

Orihime's mouth opened in an 'O' shape. "So I don't need to be afraid?"

"No, you don't, Honey. Ichigo is a very good doctor, and he takes his work seriously. He would never hurt someone on purpose."

"I guess I should apologize." She murmured.

"That would be a good idea." She touched her young friend's arm. "And remember this. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

That one sentence brought tears to Orihime's eyes, and she covered her face with her hands. She had made such a mess of things once again. Why couldn't she do anything right? No, stop it. I can make this right again by apologizing. I have to be brave, but I can do this. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Thank you, Rangiku."

"Glad I could help. I don't want to see your marriage fall apart." Her eyes held a sorrow that told of hardship. "Anyway, go wash your face. You can't go looking like that to your husband." She shooed Orihime off to the bathroom, and then turned and stared blankly out the window. Where are you now? Gin.

Orihime gulped and slowly swung the door to Ichigo's office open. Peeking inside, she noted that Renji was asleep, and it looked like Ichigo was, as well. She stepped inside and quietly shut the door. She opened and closed her mouth, not wanting to wake him up. She crossed over to his side and gazed at him. His eyes were closed, and his head was resting on the desk. Strands of his orange hair had fallen into his face. Orihime tentatively reached out and brushed them away. She was reminded of another time she had done this.

He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. A smile tugged at her lips. She had to admit, he was handsome, too. She could get lost in his chocolate eyes, and somehow, the scowl he always wore made him appear more attractive. Her fingertips danced lightly along his jaw, his cheekbone. Then they traveled down to his lips.

She traced them, idly wondering what it was like to be kissed. Back in Virginia, there had been plenty of men who had wanted to court her, but Sora turned down every single one of them, not even bothering to ask her opinion. Truth be told, she had never actually talked very much to a person of the opposite gender, aside from her brother.

Now, she was married and had no idea what to expect. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about what was inevitable in marriage. But he had shown no interest in consummating their marriage, and she was secretly glad. It terrified her. Sora had been tight-lipped about the subject, and her tutors had declared it improper to speak of the intimate act. But perhaps Rangiku would be able to help. She seemed to be knowledgeable about a variety of matters. Yes, the redhead decided, she would have to question her older friend.

Speaking of Rangiku, she was probably getting impatient. Orihime didn't want to disturb Ichigo's slumber, but she really needed to know if she could borrow some money. Touching his shoulder, she gently shook him. "Ichigo, please wake up."

Ichigo groaned and squeezed his eyes shut tighter. He had sat down not long after Renji had fallen asleep and had soon joined him in slumber. Now someone was calling his name, but he refused to answer. It felt good to sleep. He had been up most of the night, thinking about the situation with Orihime. It disgusted him how much it bothered him. She didn't mean anything to him, so why did it affect him so much?

"Ichigo."

Terrific. Now she was even in his dreams. He could see her lips forming his name. He could hear her speak-

That wasn't a dream. She really was here, right in front of him. He blinked his eyes to clear his vision. "What?" His voice was rough from sleep.

"Um, I need to say something." She looked uncomfortable as she stood there, fidgeting with the folds of her skirt. "I'm sorry about earlier. You...scared me, that's all. I shouldn't have reacted that way, but I did. I apologize for biting you." Her eyes lowered to the mark covered by his shirt.

He blew out a breath. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. We'll call it even." He held out his hand, and, after a moment's hesitation, she took it.

Her gray eyes brightened a little, and she gave him a tiny smile. "There's something else, too. Rangiku is here, and she wants to take me to town. So I came to ask if I could borrow some money."

Ichigo hid a yawn behind his hand. "Just go on to town. Tell them my name and what you need, and they'll send me the bill. I don't want you carrying any money. It's dangerous."

Orihime nodded. "Okay. How much do you want me to spend?"

He shrugged. "I don't know how much it will cost for whatever you want. I know you mentioned before that you wanted to buy some more clothing."

"Yes, but I know how to sew. I can buy the material and make the outfits myself."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in surprise. She actually knew how to do something useful. "Um, okay. That's good. So we don't have to pay for a tailor."

A huge smile graced her lips. "I-I should go now. Rangiku is waiting for me. Good-bye."

"Yeah, bye." He watched as she quickly left, and then shook his head. What had just happened?

Orihime hummed softly to herself as she and Rangiku ambled along the road. She felt so much better now that she had apologized and understood why he kept the gun. There was a skip to her step, and Rangiku couldn't help but notice it.

"Something good must have happened in the office." She noted.

Orihime tilted her head. "No, not really."

"Right, and my eyes are green."

"Your eyes aren't green! They're a very light blue!" Orihime said, squinting to see her companion's eyes better.

"...I know."

"Then why did you say they were green?" She asked, confused.

"I- oh, never mind." The older woman sighed. "We'll stop by the Urahara Shop first. He usually has everything that I need, and he keeps his store well supplied. You should have no problem finding what you need."

The remainder of the walk was spent in silence, as both of the women were lost in their own thoughts. Orihime barely noticed the curious glances she was receiving as she and Rangiku climbed the steps to the front door. A bell above the door rang to announce their arrival, and almost immediately afterwards, a man, wearing a striped hat over his messy blond hair, poked his head above the counter.

"Ah, customers! Come in, come in!" He stood to his feet, motioning them to come closer with his hand. "What can I do for you ladies today?"

"We're just browsing right now, thanks." Rangiku spoke and pointed a finger towards an aisle. "You'll find materials down there."

"Ah, thank you." Moving in that direction, Orihime stared at the many bolts of fabric, unsure of where to begin.

"Are your underclothes presentable?"

Orihime squeaked at the voice that sounded right by her ear. "I-I'm not sure. I suppose they are."

Rangiku laughed. "Then you had better make some new ones just in case. I'm surprised that you didn't think of this before you came to Karakura. Didn't your mother help you sew new clothing for your marriage?"

Orihime looked down. "No, she died years ago."

"What about any other family? An aunt or sister?"

"Neither of my parents had siblings, and I don't have a sister." She replied.

"So you were all alone, then?" At Orihime's nod, Rangiku tapped her chin. "So that must be why you accepted Ichigo's proposal, correct? After your father died?"

Orihime fixed her gaze on a powder blue fabric. Rangiku had mistakenly believed that her father had been alive until recently. Although she hated to refrain from correcting her, she thought that it would be safer if Rangiku continued to believe that. Also, Orihime had only said that she had no sisters. Rangiku had not asked about any brothers, so the young woman hadn't said that she had no siblings at all. She had only answered truthfully that she was the only daughter. And besides, Sora had been more like a father than a brother to her. So would it be considered lying if she didn't say otherwise? But the woman couldn't ignore the fact that there were people who knew that it was indeed her brother who had died. Indecision pulled at her, and she wavered. What should she say? She drew in a breath.

"No." Orihime answered finally. "It was my brother who died, and I simply had no other choice." Mixed emotions coursed through her. She was relieved that she hadn't lied, but wary that someone would still discover her secret. Although, she thought, the only person who knew that Sora had been murdered was Ichigo. The petite redhead doubted that he would tell anyone.

"Oh." Rangiku fell silent as she studied some material.

"Are you finding everything that you need?"

The two women turned to see the store owner standing there, leaning against a shelf. "Yes." Rangiku spoke.

"Just give me a call if you can't find something." He eyed Orihime. "I saw you at the picnic, but didn't get a chance to talk to you. I'm Kisuke Urahara, the owner of this fine establishment." He smiled.

"The store is just as crooked as his grin." Rangiku hissed harshly in Orihime's ear.

"I heard that." Kisuke scowled, but then his face brightened when a black cat pranced into the room. "Ah! There you are. I was wondering where you went to.." He leaned down, picked the animal up, and cradled it in his arms.. "This is Yoruichi."

"Oh, she's adorable!" Orihime squealed, clapping her hands together.

"Actually, Yoruichi is a he." Kisuke corrected, grinning, and then winced when the cat scratched his cheek. "You're feisty today, aren't you?"

The cat, narrowing his eyes, hissed in response and licked his paw.

"May I pet him?" Orihime asked.

"Of course. Go on ahead."

She reached a hand out and petted the feline's head. "You're so cute, you know that?" She was rewarded with a purr, and she giggled.

"I think he likes you." The blond man spoke, scratching under the cat's chin.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. It takes a very special something to get on this animal's good side. He can be grumpy when he wants to be."

Rangiku suddenly gasped, drawing the attention of the other two people. "Orihime, this fabric is perfect for you!" She held up a bolt of tan fabric to Orihime's face. "It goes well with your complexion."

Orihime's eyes widened. "It's beautiful!" She gently touched the material with her finger.

"You have to buy this, Orihime. It would make a wonderful dress. And just imagine your husband's reaction to it." Rangiku winked.

"Hm, indeed. You would look stunning in that." Kisuke murmured, rubbing his chin. "And if you would allow me to, I'm positive I can find more fabric suited for your complexion."

"Oh, thank you, but I-"

"It would be no problem." He tipped his hat forward.

Yoruichi let out an angry meow as his master unintentionally squeezed him tightly. The cat then leaped out of Kisuke's arms and, after hissing darkly, scampered into the back room behind the desk.

"Heh, just like I said before. Very temperamental." The businessman sighed. "But back to the matter at hand. Material for new clothing, hm?" Muttering to himself, he began to browse the shelves, pushing some fabrics out of the way, putting them back, or tossing them aside. Soon, a pile had formed around his feet.

"I hate to be a bother. You honestly don't have to do this." Orihime clasped her hands in front of her.

"As I mentioned before, it's no problem. Now, where did I put that one?" He grunted as he yanked another bolt of fabric off the shelf. "Aha! There you are." He reached to the far back and, when he brought his arm back out, he was holding a dark blue fabric. "This...would make the most beautiful dress ever." He gave it to Rangiku for inspection.

The woman nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. So this one and the tan one are both a definite yes.. Now, on to the underclothing."

"Rangiku!" Orihime protested, her cheeks burning.

"I didn't hear anything." Kisuke responded with a grin. "But I will leave you two women alone now. I'll be behind the desk if you need assistance." His voice drifted back to them as he walked off.

Rangiku hummed a tune while looking through the white fabrics. "There aren't very many to choose from, are there?"

"No, white is white. There isn't a difference between them." Orihime replied with a heavy sigh. She glanced around and her eyes widened when she saw cans of paint stacked across the room. "He sells paint, too?"

"It's a general store. He sells basically everything." Rangiku gave her a curious look. "Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe I could repaint the walls. They're so plain and boring." She wrinkled her nose.

"Ah, because they're all a white color." The older woman said in understanding. "Yes, you do need color to help brighten up a house. I'll help you pick out some colors."

"B-but shouldn't I wait for Ichigo? I mean, it is his house, after all. I don't want to make him mad." She said worriedly.

"Why are you always so worried about what he thinks, Orihime?" Rangiku moved to the young girl's side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I just don't want to make him mad." She repeated.

The strawberry-blond haired woman peered intently at her friend's face. "Orihime, has he hit you at all?"

"Oh, no!" Orihime's expression was shocked. "He just has a horrible temper. Like Yoruichi, almost."

Rangiku burst out laughing. "I have never heard of him being compared to a cat. That is really something, Orihime. But in all seriousness, just buy the paints. I'm sure Kisuke would allow you to return them if Ichigo doesn't want you to use them."

"Well, okay." Orihime agreed, still somewhat reluctant.

"I think browns and blues would look nice." Rangiku tapped her chin thoughtfully as she wandered over to the cans of paint.

Orihime allowed her thoughts to wander as she stared out the window. It amazed her as to how calm she was despite all her misgivings about appearing out in public. The bell above the door rang. She looked over and jerked in fright when that man walked in.

Her brother's murderer.

He looked over, making eye contact with her. His eyes slowly slid over her small frame before he nodded approvingly, and dipped his hat to her.

Her face paled and the room began to spin again. Quickly grabbing onto the windowsill, she managed to hold herself upright. Her heart pounded louder and louder as he swaggered over to where she stood.

"I saw you at the picnic the other day, but didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I'm-" He was interrupted by a screeching cat that flew towards him and attached itself to his leg. "What the-"

"Oh, my. I'm sorry. My cat has problems with newcomers, especially men." Kisuke hurried over and pried Yoruichi off of the man's trousers. "There we go. Now, you bad kitty, no milk for you for the rest of today." He shook a finger in the cat's face.

The stranger growled, spun on his heel, and stormed out, calling over his shoulder, "You haven't heard the last of this."

Rangiku rushed over to Orihime. "Are you all right?" She turned to Kisuke. "I think she's in shock or something. I'm going to take her to my house to rest. Would you be able to send her packages to Ichigo's house?"

Kisuke nodded. "I'll have either Jinta or Ururu take it over." He stood back and let Rangiku pass by, supporting Orihime. He leaned against the window.

"I don't like this, Yoruichi. I don't like this one bit." He glanced over at the feline, and then studied the man entering the saloon. Grimmjow, just what are you doing here?