Thanks to all who have faithfully reviewed these past chapters of Western Princess! Another thanks to my beta, DarthHawk32, for reading through this and editing it. Enjoy!

Orihime, sitting on a chair in Rangiku's house, clasped her hands together. She could sense her friend looking at her, but didn't raise her head.

"Orihime, what's wrong? I thought you were going to faint when that man walked in. Do you know him?"

Orihime silently shook her head. "I-I have no idea who he is." She replied.

Rangiku smiled. "Nice try, Orihime. But I can see right through you. I'll ask you again. Do you know him?"

Tears shimmered in Orihime's gray eyes. "Not really. I-I've never met him in person. I only heard his voice a few months back."

"Go on." The older woman urged quietly.

The young girl glanced around nervously. "I can't. I'm sorry." Her voice cracked, and she pressed her fingers to her mouth.

"Oh, Honey." Rangiku stretched out her arms and enveloped the girl in a hug. "Just cry. It will make you feel better."

Orihime clung to her new friend desperately, the sobs shaking her small body. As she sat there, holding onto the woman, she couldn't help but think, was this what it was like to have a mother? Her own mother had died when she had been only three, so she didn't remember much. In truth, she was scared. She had been living with the fear that some day, the murderer would come back for her and kill her. For the first few weeks after her brother's death, she had spent many sleepless nights, just waiting for the man to return and fulfill the threat he had left her with. What made it worse was the fact that she hadn't had anyone to talk to and confide her fears in.

But now, Orihime had Rangiku. She could trust her, right? She wavered in her decision. Maybe if someone else knew of her situation, she could rest easier. Taking in a deep breath, she spoke.

"M-my brother was murdered about seven months ago." Orihime felt her companion stiffen.

"Oh, you poor girl." Rangiku pursed her lips. "That must have been horrible. So is that why you accepted the ad?"

"I didn't have anywhere else to turn. I was all alone, and I was scared." Tears filled her eyes again, but she forced them back. "Scared that the murderer would come back like he said..."

Rangiku placed her hands on Orihime's shoulders and pushed her away so she could see her face better. "Orihime, what are you saying? Did you witness the murder?" The anguished look on the girl's face told her the answer. "No wonder you're so scared. Did he see you?"

Orihime shook her head. "No. I was in my brother's office. I-I didn't see him, either, but I know what he sounds like."

"Good, so you can identify him if you ever see him again. That's a good..." Her voice trailed off. "Orihime. Tell me something. That man who walked into the Urahara store; is he the murderer?"

"I don't know what to do! He's so close to me! If he finds out where I'm from and what my name before I got married was, then it's all over!" She burst out frantically.

"Shh, shh. Orihime, you need to calm down." Rangiku said soothingly. "You can't think clearly if you're so upset."

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you all that." She sniffed.

"Don't apologize. What's done is done." Rangiku smiled. "You can trust me, Orihime. I won't tell anyone."

Orihime felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders as she gave a tiny smile in return. "Thank you, Rangiku."

"Don't mention it, Honey. What are friends for?"

The clock struck eleven, and Orihime gasped. "Oh, my! It's almost noon! I should get home so I can make Ichigo some lunch!"

Rangiku laughed. "Just this morning, you were terrified of him, and now you can't wait to get home to cook for him?"

She blushed. "Well..."

"Ah, I know that look. You're falling in love with him, aren't you?"

"Wha-? N-no, I'm not!" Orihime furiously waved her hands in front of her. "How could you say such a thing?"

"Don't deny it, Honey." She wiggled her eyebrows. "You ever need advice, just come visit me. I can help."

"Oh, Rangiku!" Orihime yelped, covering her face with her hands.

The woman burst into laughter. "Orihime, you are so funny. Go on home and cook for your husband."

"I'll see you later, Rangiku. And thanks again!" After a quick hug, Orihime was out the door and hurrying down the road.

Rangiku stood in the doorway, watching her young friend leave. Something was bothering her, and she knew that it was because of what Orihime had said. That man. I know I've seen him somewhere before. Could it be that...

Ichigo, standing by his desk, clenched his fists. Byakuya had stopped by five minutes ago, and had coolly told Renji that he was no longer employed by the Kuchikis. The injured man, of course, had been shocked and outraged. He had, along with Ichigo, tried to persuade Byakuya to change his mind, but the man stood firm in his decision.

After the initial shock had worn off, it was replaced by a sense of doom as Renji stared blankly into space. "What do I do now?"

"I'm sorry, Renji. I knew he was planning this, but I was hoping he would change his mind." Ichigo said with a scowl. "I just can't believe he had the nerve to fire you after you saved his sister's life. You would think he'd be more grateful."

Renji's lips formed a thin line. "He's been looking for a reason to fire me for a while now. I knew it was coming eventually."

"Wait a minute. You're one of his best workers. Why would he want to do that?" Ichigo questioned, his brow furrowing.

"...He wants to protect his sister."

"And firing you will protect her how?"

"He found out somehow, probably from Kira while he was drunk, that I've been saving money so I can take care of a wife."

"So? You would still work for him, right?"

"That's partially the problem. I had been planning on asking his permission to court Rukia."

Ichigo's mouth dropped open. "Seriously? Even though you've denied it time and time again, you're admitting it now?"

"Yeah, why not? It's not going to happen now." He sighed.

"You don't know that for sure." The doctor argued.

"I didn't even know if he would say yes if I did get the money. Look, it doesn't matter now, Ichigo. I have to find another job, and Rukia will never be mine." Renji closed his eyes. "I have to accept that."

Ichigo sat back in his chair, stunned. He couldn't believe that Renji was willing to give up so easily. He was about to say something when the door flung open.

"Doc! You gotta help me! It's my boy!" A man with graying brown hair burst into the room, carrying an unconscious boy.

Ichigo, recognizing the man as Takuya Fujiwara, jumped to his feet, his brown eyes already surveying the damage. "Put him on the bed." He ordered briskly. "What happened?"

"He fell out of the hay loft in the barn."

"And you moved him? You should have gotten someone to get me!" Ichigo cursed. If the boy had injured his back or neck in the fall, then his chances of making a full recovery now were slim due to the move and the jostling wagon. He gritted his teeth and began gently probing the boy's body, looking for any indication of broken bones or internal bleeding.

"How is he? Is he gonna be okay?"

"I need you to stay outside. I have to concentrate, and I can't do that with you hovering over me." Ichigo snapped. For a moment, he wasn't sure if the man would listen, but then the floorboards creaked, and the door hinges groaned. He breathed a sigh of relief before his face turned serious. "Okay. Let's do this."

Orihime trudged slowly up the walkway to her house. She was still embarrassed over her behavior at the store. Her cheeks burned. Had she really almost fainted again? And that wasn't even the worst part. She had spilled her most guarded secret to Rangiku. Although she was certain that the older woman wouldn't tell, she was still scared. That man -that murderer- was still walking around as a free man.

She heard a commotion up ahead and, curious to know what was wrong, began to walk in the direction of Ichigo's building. She had just reached the door when it flew open, and a man came barreling out, almost knocking her over.

"Watch where you're going!" He growled.

Orihime let out a small squeak and she jumped back, wringing her hands nervously. The man's eyes raked over her before he turned. "Let's see how many patients you have after I tell them what happened!" He yelled through the open doorway.

"Yeah, yeah! Just get outta here!" Renji yelled back.

Orihime waited until the man was gone before peering inside. She noticed her husband slumped in a chair, his hands covering his face. Her nose caught the scent of blood in the air. Her stomach squirmed and threatened to send her lunch to the surface, but she fought it down. She took a tentative step inside. "I-Ichigo?"

He didn't reply.

Swinging her gaze to the only other person in the room, she frowned. "What's wrong with Ichigo?"

Renji was silent for a time. He finally nodded his head in the direction of the other bed.

Her heart sank. There, covered with a stark white sheet, lay a body. It wasn't very big, still a child. Tears filled her eyes. "What happened?"

The recovering man just shook his head. "Not now."

"Oh..." Orihime nodded slightly. In the next few days to come, this would be a sore subject for Ichigo.

There was a loud crash as Ichigo shot up from the chair and stormed out.

Renji sighed. "He couldn't save him. Kid fell out of a barn loft. Might have survived if his father hadn't moved him."

"Poor Ichigo." Orihime murmured. She could tell from the mess around the boy that Ichigo had tried so desperately to save him. She felt a tear drip down her cheeks, but she didn't bother wiping it away. She stared at the door, wondering how long it would take Ichigo to recover from this devastating blow.

For the next three days, Ichigo rarely spoke, instead opting to grunt. His appetite diminished, and a scowl became permanently fixed on his face. Karin and Yuzu had dropped by to attempt to cheer him up, but he ignored them. Orihime watched as her husband sunk deeper and deeper into the depression, not sure what she could do. If his sisters couldn't even snap him out of it, then how could she?

Since Renji was well enough to not need constant supervision, Ichigo had moved back into the house. Orihime had let him use the bedroom and slept on the couch herself. Had Ichigo been in his right mind, he would have insisted that she use the bedroom. But in his numb state of mind, it hardly registered that something was off in their relationship.

Nightmares started up again, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't rid himself of them. He would wake up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and disoriented. Then he would traipse to the kitchen for a glass of water and go back to bed. And thus the cycle would continue.

The fourth day after the boy's death found Ichigo slumped in the chair in his office. Renji, lying in bed, was silent, realizing that the doctor would not speak even if spoken to. The silence was broken by the door hinges creaking and Chad walking into the room.

"Hey, Chad." Renji greeted him.

"Nice to see you doing good."

"Yeah, but if it weren't for Ichigo, I wouldn't be here today. He's a good doctor."

"If I'm such a good doctor then why couldn't I save that little boy?" Ichigo exploded, his fists clenching.

The two other men gaped at him. "Ichigo, you can't say that." Renji spoke.

"Yes, I can. A good doctor should be able to save every single patient that comes to him."

"What kind of world are you living in, Ichigo?" Renji gave a short laugh. "That only happens in dreams or fantasies."

Ichigo slumped in his chair. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a doctor like I thought I was."

"Ichigo, you can't go on like this."

The orange-haired man simply stared blankly at his Mexican friend. "What do you mean?"

Chad lurched forward, his hand closing around Ichigo's shoulder. "How long are you going to think that just because one patient of yours died, it's the end of the world? How long are you going to just sit around and do nothing? You need to be preparing yourself for the next case that comes your way. If you sit here, moping and thinking about what you could have done, how will you respond to your next patient? If all you think about is your regret and guilt, what good will it do? It will just interfere with your abilities. You will not be thinking straight and you could end up making deadly mistakes. Do you want that to happen?"

Ichigo blinked slowly. Once again, Chad was right. He had much to regret in his life, but he had to keep moving. He couldn't stall like this every time something horrible happened. A crooked grin appeared on his face. "Yeah, thanks, Chad."

"Hm." The tall man nodded. "I have to go now."

"It seems like you always do that. You yell at me and then you leave." Ichigo joked.

Chad started for the door, then stopped, turning his head around to look at his friend. "Oh, yeah. I just remembered. Takuya Fujiwara was in the saloon earlier today. He kept saying over and over how he was going to make you pay for the death of his son. So I thought I'd warn you so you can be prepared."

"Thanks, Chad, but I'm sure he was drunk and not aware of what he was saying. I think I can take care of myself."

"You can, but she can't."

"Who?" Ichigo asked.

"Orihime. Your wife. He might try to get to you by her."

The doctor laughed. "I don't think so. It's probably been found out that my idiotic dad set us up, and that we have no feelings towards each other."

The Mexican studied the man, not sure if he should try to tell him that Fujiwara probably didn't care if they loved each other not not. He would be willing to use anything, or anyone, to get his revenge. He figured that Yuzu and Karin would be safe since they lived with Isshin. Although he hardly knew anything about his friend's father, he had heard rumors that the older man had been registered in the army at an earlier point in his life before meeting his wife and settling down.

In the end, Chad decided to just let the subject drop, saying good-bye to both Renji and Ichigo before leaving to go back to his blacksmith shop. Ichigo would have to find out on his own.

That night, Orihime was asleep on the couch when something woke her up. She lay very still, shaking and afraid. Had the murderer come for her? Terror rose in her, and she couldn't decide if she should just lay there or go get Ichigo for help. Not that she would have been able to go for Ichigo. Her legs were like jelly and wouldn't support her weight.

The noise came again, and she realized that it had come from the bedroom. Had the man thought that she was in there and gone through the window? He was probably killing Ichigo by now. Tears sprang to her eyes. She hadn't meant for anyone else to get hurt because of her, and now her husband was dead. Although they didn't love each other, she still cared in some way for him.

A cry tore through the air, but it was not one of pain. It was one of anguish.

Without thinking, Orihime jumped to her feet and dashed down the hall to the bedroom. Flinging the door open, she discovered Ichigo asleep, his eyes squeezed shut and his fists clenched tightly. "Ichigo?" Realizing that he was having a nightmare, she hurried to his side and gently shook his shoulder. "Ichigo, wake up. It's only a dream. I'm here. Don't worry." She said soothingly, carefully running her fingers through his orange locks.

He didn't wake up, but his body relaxed. Orihime let out a sigh of relief, then smiled. She wasn't sure what the nightmare had been about, but if she had to guess, she would say that it had something to do with the boy's death a few days ago. When a few moments had passed by and he was still sleeping peacefully, she stood up to leave, but a slight pressure on her wrist prevented her from doing so. Startled, she glanced down and, as a blush rose on her cheeks, she noticed that his hand was wrapped around her arm, keeping her in place.

Wh-what should I do? She panicked. Her free hand hovered over his, contemplating if she should try to remove it. She touched his hand gently and quickly yanked her hand away. What am I doing? I can't touch him. It's so...Oh, I don't know. I can't stay here, but if I move too much to try to get away, I might accidentally wake him up. I don't want to do that. Orihime bit her lip, unsure of what to do. She tried to pull away once more, but stopped when he spoke.

"Don't...leave..." He murmured.

Her heart rate accelerated. What was he saying? Did he honestly want her there by his side? Or was he finally going to consummate their marriage? No! Don't think about that. Would he really...I don't... She closed her eyes, waiting for him to make the first move, but nothing happened. Peeking an eye open, she saw, to her great relief, that he was still asleep.

"So, I was worried over nothing, huh?" She giggled quietly, then yawned. I'm tired. Maybe I'll just lay down for a bit until he lets go. She carefully slid onto the bed and curled up, keeping a safe distance between the two of them. Her gray eyes fluttered shut, and though she desperately tried to remain awake, she lost the battle and she fell into a deep sleep.

It's so warm. That was Ichigo's first thought upon awaking the next morning. As he blinked to clear his blurry vision, it registered in his mind that there was a person lying next to him. He jerked away, and saw Orihime lying there, fast asleep. His face became red, and he tried to remember what had transpired the night before. The last thing he remembered was climbing into bed and pulling the covers around himself, and he had definitely been alone. So why was she there?

Scratching the back of his head, he yawned. Maybe she had sleep-walked into the room. He didn't care. The bed shifted as he swung his legs over the edge, and his wife stirred.

"Mm..." Her eyes opened slowly, then widened as she caught sight of Ichigo. "Oh!" She cried out, embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that you were having a nightmare and I was worried about you so I came back here and then you calmed down but grabbed onto my hand when I tried to leave and I didn't want to wake you up so I just laid down and I guess I must have fallen asleep."

Ichigo stared at her, his brain working furiously to comprehend what she had just said. "Uh...a nightmare?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded vigorously.

Haven't had one of those in a long time. He thought bitterly.

"Um, d-do you want to talk about it?" She questioned hesitantly.

"No."

Orihime bit her lip and looked down. "Of course. What was I thinking? It's your personal business." Laughing nervously, she avoided his gaze.

"Yeah., it is." He stood up. "Get dressed."

"Huh? Oh! I'm still in my nightgown, aren't I?" She blushed.

"Just get dressed." Ichigo spat out before stomping to the door and slamming it shut. He leaned against it. A nightmare. I can't believe she saw it. I hoped that I was old enough to not have anymore. Guess I was wrong. Pushing away from the door, he headed to the kitchen. He had breakfast to make.

After breakfast, Ichigo went to the living room to select a few books for his patient. Renji was almost well enough to leave, but Ichigo still didn't want him to do anything too strenuous. His gaze slid over to the desk drawer that held his gun. He hesitated. Should he really take that step?

With a determined look in his eyes, he stepped over to the desk, slid the door open, and pulled out the gun. It was a Colt handgun, one of the best. He checked it over, making sure it was loaded, then slipped it back into the holster and clipped it on his belt.

"Orihime, I'm going to the office now." He called out.

"Ah, okay!" She hurried to the room he was in, a towel in her hands. She had just been drying dishes, but wanted to ask him a question before he left. "Do you think it would be all right for me to make lunch on my own?"

Ichigo turned. "I'm not sure. I think maybe a few more days, then you can." He waited for her to object, but she said nothing. "Orihime?" He followed her gaze to the gun strapped to his side. "Yeah, I decided I should wear this. Chad said yesterday that Fujiwara was going for revenge, so I'm going to need this."

She gulped. "R-right. So I'll come get you at lunchtime, then. I should go finish the dishes." With that, she scurried off, leaving Ichigo there, confused.

Once the dishes were finished, Orihime wandered outside to pick some flowers for the table. Sitting down, she soon became lost in her thoughts. Ichigo had a gun. Rangiku had said it was for protection. Ichigo said it was for protection. Should she believe them? She wasn't sure. But then she recalled the look she had seen in the father's eyes and acknowledged that yes, he would be a threat. She relaxed. The gun was, indeed, for protection.

Now that she had come to terms with the gun, what of her growing feelings towards Ichigo? She buried her face in her hands, feeling her cheeks become warm. With each passing day, she became more and more certain that she was in love with him. She knew that he most definitely did not love her, since he had proclaimed so many times that she was annoying. The romantic side of her said not to worry, that he would fall for her soon. The more practical side of her said that he would never fall for her.

Orihime sighed. Why was she worrying about it? Because she knew that deep down, if he didn't return her feelings, she would be upset.

A rattling derailed her train of thought and she looked around. Where had that come from? It sounded again, this time a little closer. "H-hello? Who's there?" A slight movement in the grass nearby caught her attention, and she squinted to get a better look. Her gray eyes widened in horror as a brown snake coiled itself together, the rattle on its tail shaking menacingly.