Yes! I am back! Sorry for the long wait for chapter 12, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it XD So read and review!

Thanks to my beta Darth_Hawk32 for editing this rather quickly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Ichigo raised his head, listening. Something was wrong. His wife was quiet. Too quiet, actually. Had something happened to her? His chest tightened as a thought struck him. What if Takuya Fujiwara had gotten hold of her, believing that it would be revenge against Ichigo? He had to check on her. He didn't know if he would be able to handle it if someone else died on his account.

He jumped to his feet and bolted to the door, swinging it wide open. His brown eyes frantically scanned the surrounding area, and he prayed that she had not wandered away. His gaze latched onto a figure sitting very still in the grass about seven feet away. He could tell from the red hair that it was Orihime. Breathing a sigh of relief, the doctor stepped forward. "Is your hip bothering you?" He frowned when she didn't respond. "Orihime, talk to me. What's wrong?"

Ichigo heard something, but wasn't sure what it was. He took another step and then froze upon hearing the telltale sound of a rattlesnake. His heart stopped.

"Mommy, there are pretty flowers over here!" He called out.

"All right, I'll be over there in a minute." The red-haired woman answered.

The young boy grinned. "Okay." He sat down on the ground and began poking an earthworm that was wriggling around. When he tired of that, he looked at the scenery around him. It was a beautiful spring day. The flowers were in bloom. Birds swooped gracefully in the air. There were no clouds in the brilliant, blue sky. He sighed.

"Mommy, when can we go back to the house?" He asked.

"As soon as I pick some more of these flowers, Honey. You know your father likes it when I have some on the table."

The boy picked up a stick and traced his name in the dirt. I-c-h-i-g-o. He scowled and erased it with his hand. The letters had been too messy. He screwed up his face in concentration, the tip of his tongue sticking out, and tried it again. The 'h' was crooked. He angrily scratched it out and threw the stick into the tall grass.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" His mom asked from a few feet away.

"I can't write my name like you do."

"Just keep trying, Ichigo. You'll get it soon." She said reassuring him.

He smiled and opened his mouth to speak when he heard a rustling in the grass nearby. Rising to his feet, he paused when he heard an ominous rattle. He peered in that direction and was terrified to see a snake coiled tightly a foot away. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. He wanted to move, but his muscles were frozen.

"Well, I think I have more than enough flowers. What do you think, Ichigo?" His mother turned to face him. "Ichigo? What's wrong?" Her voice took on a worried tone. "Answer me, Ichi-"

The snake's rattle shook.

Her face paled. "Ichigo, don't move. Stay as still as you can." She slowly stooped to the ground and grasped a rock in her hand. Her eyes remained fixed on the snake as she carefully advanced, trying not to spook it.

Ichigo watched out of the corner of his eye as his mom inched closer. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was barely breathing. The woman raised her arm, but just before she could throw the rock, a flock of birds took off from a nearby tree.

The snake lunged. Ichigo felt his head hit the ground, and he blacked out from the impact.

When he came to a little while later, he struggled to focus his eyes. He felt heavy. He couldn't lift his limbs. Was he dead? His brown orbs flew open wide when he saw his mom lying on top of him. He crawled out from under her body and knelt beside her. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. "Mom? Mommy, wake up! Why are you sleeping? You have to wake up, Mommy!" He touched her arm.

She didn't reply.

He locked his gaze on a mark on her arm. He leaned down closer to it and saw two fang marks.

"No. No, Mommy. Wake up." A sob escaped his lips. "Get up, Mommy!" But he knew it was useless. His mother was dead. She had died because of him. An anguished scream rose in the air.

Bang!

Orihime screamed. In an instant, Ichigo was beside her, pulling her to her feet. He could feel her whole body trembling and knew that she wouldn't be able to walk even the short distance to the house. Not even bothering to check to see if the snake was dead, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the house. He succeeded in freeing one hand long enough to open the door. He strode through the doorway, kicking the door shut with his foot, and into the living room. He set her down on the couch and stepped back to assess the situation.

He could see that Orihime was close to hyperventilating. Her breaths came in short gasps amid sobs and hiccups. She was obviously trying to calm herself down, but it wasn't working.

Ichigo scrutinized her behavior. The day of the picnic, she had confided that her brother had been murdered with a gun. He closed his eyes. No wonder she seemed so terrified. He could imagine what she was envisioning in her mind, her brother lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He glanced at her, trying to decide what to do. Hesitantly, he stretched out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. She immediately shrieked and shrank away from him.

"P-please don't t-touch me." She stammered, her gray eyes shining with tears.

"Orihime, you need to calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." Ichigo said calmly, holding his hands out in front of him. "You have to breathe."

The woman let out a cry as she jerked off the sofa and darted away from him. "I j-just want to be a-alone." She sobbed, slumping against the wall.

He raked a hand through his orange hair and sighed. Should he do as she said and just leave her alone? Or should he try to comfort her like she had done for him yesterday? With indecision still written on his face, he moved to her side and knelt down. "Orihime."

She attempted to put some distance between them, but he reached for her and drew her into a hug. Even though she tried to squirm out of his grasp, he refused to let her go. Instead, he only held her tighter the more she struggled. Finally, she broke down, allowing her tears to flow faster. Clutching his shirt, she buried her face in his chest as her small frame shook with sobs.

The two remained that way for five minutes, until her tears diminished. Orihime drew in a shaky breath and pushed away from him. "I-I'm sorry. I got your shirt all wet."

Ichigo looked down. "Oh. Don't worry about it. It will dry. But more importantly, are you okay?" He questioned, his eyes full of concern.

She nodded, but didn't meet his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine."

He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Tell me the truth."

She averted her gaze, biting her lip.

"That's what I thought." He sighed and, without thinking, brushed a stray tear from her cheek.

Her breath hitched, and she discovered that she couldn't move. His one arm was still around her waist, keeping their bodies pressed together. Her face grew hot as her skin tingled from his gentle touch. "R-really, I am fine." She protested weakly.

Ichigo's brow furrowed as he stared at her. Even with her tear-stained face and her puffy eyes, he had to admit that she was beautiful. His gaze traveled from her eyes to her lips. Without warning, he leaned down and kissed her.

Orihime's eyes widened in surprise and she gasped. She felt dizzy and her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt tighter. When he pulled apart, the redhead stared at him. "I-Ichigo? What are you-"

He interrupted her by capturing her lips again. They were swept up in the passion of the kiss. It intensified as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip, demanding entrance. She complied, and whimpered as his tongue invaded her mouth. He reached his hand up and pulled her hair loose, allowing it to fall over her shoulders. He tangled his fingers in the auburn locks, for the first time seeing how long it really was.

He hugged her body tightly against his, not wanting to let her go. As he trailed his fingers down her arm, he felt her shiver. He ached to feel her soft skin. Finally, he could stand it no longer. Unbuttoning her shirt, he pulled it out from her skirt and slowly slid it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. As he did that, he kissed her neck. She clutched his shirt, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Ichi-go." She breathed.

He reached around her, searching for the zipper to her skirt. Her eyes widened and she attempted to pull away, but he pressed one hand against her back to keep her there while his other hand worked on the zipper. Her skirt slid to the floor. Orihime shivered, barely resisting the urge to try to cover her chest with her arms.

Ichigo grabbed her waist, yanking her closer, and kissed her. His tongue probed into her mouth, and she let out a moan. He suddenly felt hot. Too hot. Without breaking the kiss, he began to unbutton his own shirt and, with her help, took it off. He had to get closer to her. Pushing her against the wall, he delved deeper into her mouth. He played with the bottom of her chemise, debating about taking it off.

He jolted when he felt her small hands travel up his chest and looked down at her. She smiled shyly, stood on her tip-toes and brushed a light kiss on his cheek. He returned her smile, then locked lips again. He slipped his fingers up her chemise, and she whimpered into the kiss. He ran his hand up her side, pushing the material up as well. He stopped just under her breasts, not wanting to do something that would make her uncomfortable.

After a moment, his fingers began to slowly inch upward. She didn't resist. Any self-restraint he'd had fled instantly.

A gasp escaped as he lifted her in his arms and set her on the desk. Reaching over, Ichigo swept everything that had been on the surface to the floor. He returned his attention to her, and kissed her swollen lips, his hands angling her face so he could kiss her better. She wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him closer. Her petticoats bunched up around her knees.

It soon became clear to Orihime just what exactly Ichigo had in mind. Panic set in, her thoughts whirling. This couldn't happen yet. When it came to the intimate part of marriage, she was absolutely clueless. She had also wanted to talk to Rangiku about it, since the older woman had stated clearly that she was experienced.

"W-wait, Ichigo!" She gasped out, holding her hands out in front of her. "I-I don't know what to do." A blush stained her cheeks as she shyly glanced away.

Ichigo leaned down and kissed her, just underneath her jawline. "Don't worry." He said, his voice tickled, leaving a pleasantly buzzing feeling in the back of her throat.

Orihime closed her eyes, allowing the bliss of the moment to wash over her.