Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach, they belong to Kishimoto and Kubo, respectfully.

A/N: I'm stopping with the italicized author's notes…fanfiction squishes the words together and I have to manually go back and space them out again. 8O

Also, this chapter is shorter than usual. Like manga and anime, my fanfiction has fillers. Plus, I really just wanted Sakura and Ichigo to resolve their issues… o.o

How can they fight the bad guys if their always mad at each other?

Explanation for the delayed chapter will be given at the end of this chapter. I feel like torturing my readers right now, haha…ha…

xXx

( Konoha: Haruno Residence )

Unlike many of the shinobi in Konoha, Sakura did not belong to her own clan. The Haruno surname was nothing but that, a last name. It held no special honors like the Hyuuga did, and it did not control any forces like the Uchiha once did. The Haruno name stood for a small family living in the heart of the village they loved. Their house, luckily, was one of the first to be rebuilt, due to that the noise of construction had ebbed away weeks ago. No longer were Reishi and Kana brutally awoken in the mornings by the sound of clashing metal, or splintering wood. It was pleasantly peaceful.

Most mornings it was…at least. That particular morning neither of the two adults had managed to clasp much sleep. They both lay awake with their eyes wide-open, curious and conflicted. Ichigo was the first time their precious little girl (although not so little anymore) had brought a boy home; especially a tall, orange-haired boy. They had to admit that upon getting to know Ichigo, his hair wasn't so completely…off-putting. Still they remained skeptics. Clever Kana was talented when it came to covering up her skepticism with broad compliments and sparkling smiles. Reishi, on the other hand, always seemed irritated in one way or another, thus pretending to not be would seem counterproductive…

Nonetheless their strategies had worked ever since Takehiko was a little boy. Neither of their shinobi children suspected anything, however they as parents suspected everything. The moment Kana saw Ichigo, she was immediately cautious of his burly demeanor. (Only after ignoring that there was only one true way to find out if Ichigo's hair truly was natural...) Ichigo just seemed like such a strong boy, one able to harm her daughter easily. That thought would keep Kana up for weeks.

Reishi was much more curious about Ichigo's family, his origins, and his past. Something troubled that boy deeply. Although he had seen odd-colored, burly boys like him in many different shapes and sizes, he had never discovered one with such a load of internal angst. Somehow that boy was bothered…by what Reishi was yet to figure out.

Even more shocking was the very shocking news they had received before bed. Despite their suspicions against the shinigami, they were impressed with the courage he held. The teen came straight up to Reishi and asked permission to take his daughter on a date. Why, this was happening the Haruno adults were clueless. Ichigo and Sakura had so assertively stated that they were "just friends". Kana's doubt had been spot-on. There was definitely something more between the two, and then it was revealed.

Naturally, Reishi was overprotective about his only daughter. He distinctly remembered being Ichigo's age, and the certain topics that always engulfed his mind when he thought of a village girl at that age were unforgiveable to say the least. Although there was no way he could ever stop Sakura from dating and loosing her wonderful innocence, he would damn well make sure she wouldn't date a fool. Thus, like Kana's father had him, Reishi berated Ichigo on end about teenage girls, feelings, and angry fathers while the females in the house were deep asleep.

With everything on their minds, sleep was impossible; excluding the lamentable minutes where they had actually been able to close their eyes. About half-way through the night both adults had turned to their partner, looking for signs of awareness. Unknowingly, they had each feigned deep slumber whenever the other moved. The couple was loyal in the way that they wanted their lover to get a good sleep each and every night, lying awake obviously would disrupt the other.

Early in the morning Kana finally "awoke", stretching her arms high above her head for good humor. Her husband followed the pattern, pretending to be nudged awake by the jostling of the sheets as she arose. Kana smiled at her husband, still in bed, as she slipped on her house slippers and skated her way downstairs. She failed to notice the dark bags under her spouse's eyes, and he had done the same.

What a perfectly matched couple.

xXx

Unlike her deprived parents, Sakura had a wonderful slumber. There was nothing on her mind to disturb her sleeping patterns. She was content with everything that had happened. From what it looked like, all her problems had been solved. The only problem that was left was Ichigo's inevitable departure… Yes, she had considered it, but considering the busy schedule the shinobi were bound to have she put effort into ignoring it. No distractions, Inner-Sakura would remind her.

Getting ready for the day was a breeze, especially with Rukia to talk to. Though things were put on hold when Sakura heard the distinct grumbling of a belly; turns out Rukia wasn't completely honest with herself. Her explanation about shikai and actual food was only half-true. She indeed ate, but not as much. Modest Rukia had wanted to go her stay in the Haruno house without disrupting the family with her invisible accompaniment. Which was stupid, considered she hadn't eaten anything since Soul Society. Needless to say Sakura snuck a part of her breakfast upstairs for Rukia, who felt obliged to accept.

She was blissfully unaware of the intentions Ichigo had for her, yet that didn't stop her from barging into Takehiko's room with Rukia at her side. The lanky teen was sprawled on the cot, his back rising and falling with his deep breathing. Kon was rested against the teen's side, snoring. Boys will be boys.

Eventually (and with the help of Kana) the girls managed to wake Ichigo and Kon up, though it took considerable effort on their part. Clattering pans and physical damage were not enough, and it took all three of them to roll Ichigo's body over until he finally woke up. With amusement Sakura watched his awareness levels rise until they boiled over, his eyes wide at the sudden realization that there were three irritated females hovering above him. Sensing his discomfort, Sakura made a polite hostess as she ushered her mother and Rukia out of the room, a suddenly perky Kon trailing after them.

Soon enough Ichigo made his way downstairs, dressed in Takehiko's old clothes from last night. Sakura had to admit, the real, morning sunlight made a big difference on his looks. He seemed more real in the daylight, and not so annoyingly flawless. Even now she could see the disproportions of his face, which inevitably made him look better. Nonetheless, they were still there. Like a deranged lunatic, Sakura picked them out with her eyes. She saw them.

The surprise came when the group was lounging in a common room of the house when Ichigo asked Sakura for a private discussion outside. Sakura agreed, but immediately felt threatened by it once she caught Kon wink at Ichigo.

Sakura stopped to change her shoes but was suddenly pushed out the door by an urgent Ichigo. She glared at him. "Just hold it, carrot-top." She told him, reawakening the nickname she had used a while back. He didn't hold it, in fact, her request only made him push her out the door faster.

Arms crossed and foot lightly tapping at the ground, she glared at her "friend" with her narrowed eyes closely. The nervousness was evident on him, body language and all. A moment of silence passed where he would scratch the back of his neck, pad the ground with his feet, or just suddenly interrogate a nearby bush with his eyes. Suddenly the ground was the most interesting thing in the world and he couldn't take his eyes off of it. At this Sakura sighed and began for the door. This was her day-off, she wanted to be ready in case Tsunade sent in a request.

A very quick and muscled arm stopped her from walking any further. She once again looked to Ichigo, this time catching his eyes. She felt a nervous itch in her stomach as their eyes locked. The longer the look held, the stronger the itch was. It turned into a burning sensation that spread up to her throat. She felt parched, and speechless. Hastily, the kunoichi evaded any further eye-contact. Even that was no rest, especially not with the sudden and unexplained question Ichigo decided to throw at her after.

She heard him clear his throat, and watched as his arm retreated to his side. "Sakura…" He mumbled, pausing. In the eerie silence she could hear him grinding his teeth. "I know it isn't how you want to spend your day-off, but…would you be willing to, oh I don't know; go on an outing with me." The misplaced word "outing" was stretched painfully. For all his captivating qualities, talking to a woman was not one.

Hearing his nervousness made Sakura felt a little braver as she risked a glance back up at his eyes. This time he was the one avoiding contact. She smiled. "An outing? Are you sure you didn't mean to say da-" For some unearthly reason, she could not say the word. Or rather, she would not. Her body was rebelling against the very word. In the name of feminism, her nature was against agreeing to such an action. A date was an event where a boy took a girl out to show around town like a trophy, wooing her with his smooth-talking and perpetual gifts. As much as she wanted to agree to be sported around like a trophy, just this once, her general disposition made it impossible.

The nervous feeling between the duo represented a random dance, as it switched from one person to the other. Quite suddenly Sakura was feeling quite self-conscious as she crossed her arms protectively over her chest and Ichigo's posture straightened.

"A what, Sakura?" Ichigo questioned proudly. He leaned forward and repeated, "Didn't mean to say what?"

Sakura pursed her lips, and seeing the playfulness dancing in his eyes, knew there would be no winning in this masculinity contest. She huffed. "An outing between two friendly comrades will be fine," she mumbled dejectedly. Turning around she strode back to her home, a renowned skip to her step.

Unbeknownst to Ichigo, she had an abnormally large smile plastered on her face.

xXx

Sakura stood in front of a mirror for what felt like hours, examining herself as a person and more importantly, a girl. She hadn't felt so self-conscious about her appearance in a long time. She looked over herself once, and seeing the plain features suddenly felt very jealous of her mother. Wasn't beauty a part of genetics? How in the world could such a plain, shapeless girl like her be the interest of someone of Ichigo's caliber? In her mind, she was positive he had girls falling all over him back where he was from. She had no idea that it was, in fact, quite the opposite.

He had hollows falling all over him where he was from.

Come to think of it, Sakura didn't know much about Hollows, or for that matter, anything concerning Ichigo. His life, where he lived, even his age remained unknown. Sakura was left to guess about most of the topics. Perhaps going on this casual "outing" with him might shine some light for her.

Running her hands through her hair once again, the roseate nodded to her reflection before heading out. She had only changed her clothes to her usual, having been dressed in comfy yet unflattering apparel earlier. Unlike Ichigo, she could not look good in anything. There was really only one color she took a liking to, and that was red. Given her abnormal hair color, red seemed to match nicely.

She met Ichigo outside her house, after saying goodbye to Rukia and a suspiciously amused Kon (though not without giving Kon a stern warning about wandering the town aimlessly).Things felt awkward in the air between them, and walking away from her abode they kept a clean distance from each other. Ichigo inquired about their location, and Sakura came too close to saying Ichiraku's. First of all, she had no intention of running into Naruto only for him to throw some of his wild yet comical accusations at Ichigo; secondly, the man that ran the Ramen shop would be sure to take notice of Ichigo, and soon enough whatever private conversation they may have had would be reiterated and spread back to Naruto. Really, her only worry was in fact Naruto. He was an amazing friend, a brother even, and to see him hurt by her "outing" with Ichigo would only ruin her day.

Thus, she shook that option out of her head and instead chose to go to a local Barbeque, where they could grill their own food. Ichigo seemed to like that idea. Without further ado they found themselves in front of the reconstructed building further out of town. Unlike Ichiraku's it was situated somewhere private. Surrounded by trees and plants, the only clear way back to town was the path they came down.

"This is nice," Ichigo commented, looking over the building. His compliment earned a pleased smile from Sakura, who had hoped nothing but that.

They were starting to feel more relaxed and closer to each other already. The walk to the shop had proved itself as a time for bonding, and the tensions between the two easily rolled away. Things would have stayed that way if it hadn't been for the group of girls that exited the building as they entered. There were four of them, all very beautiful and shapely. Sakura expected them to stop and gawk at Ichigo like he was eye-candy which was in fact the norm. Unfortunately, that would have been a blessing compared to how they treated Ichigo.

Their leader, a tall brunette froze in her spot, effectively earning the attention of not only her posse but Sakura and Ichigo as well. She seemed aghast to be looking at Ichigo, and the initial shock morphed into something hateful. Her eyebrows caved into a sharp "V" while her whole stance became tense and agitated. She pointed one finger at Ichigo, and once her friends glanced at them they all looked the same; hateful.

Loathingly, the leader waltzed straight up to the tall teen. "YOU!" She spat, quickly stomping on his foot. He cried out, glaring at the female while he reached down to tend to his foot. Now the two were eye-level. "Don't ever show your face again." She growled, taking her most accessorized hand and slapping it across Ichigo's cheek.

Sakura winced at it, seeing all those heavy rings on her finger had to have left their mark. Suddenly the brunette turned to Sakura, seeming sympathetic towards the pinkette. "I wouldn't go anywhere with this scum if I were you, sweetie." She advised, before proudly stalking away. Her three equally gorgeous friends all went up to Ichigo, hitting him in various places. The three kicked his leg, punched him in the gut, and elbowed his semi-healed ribcage respectively. Needless to say, Ichigo was not in a pleasant state of mind.

Sadly he collapsed to the ground, curling up as he rolled to his side. "Kill me now…" He groaned.

Sakura's eyebrows were furrowed; she felt no pity for him. "What did you do to those girls?" She asked, hovering over his body. Perhaps her earlier assumptions were right, maybe Ichigo really was a ladies-man, a Casanova, a playboy. Only his attempts didn't work out like they did for James Bond, or more fittingly, Uchiha Sasuke.

"I have no damn idea," he responded painfully, rolling to his back and just laying there. His eyes wandered from the blue sky to Sakura's face. "I've never seen those girls in my entire life," he warned her, running a hand over his face, "It had to have been Kon…that rat bastard."

Thinking it over, Sakura felt very sorry for him. Had Kon known about this all along? She shook her head and offered an apologetic hand to Ichigo. "You're not too injured to stand up, right?" She questioned while helping him to his feet.

He brushed himself off. "Are you kidding me? Four girls are nothing. Now, four girls and an angry kunoichi is something else entirely." Taking Sakura's skeptic look into account, he coughed and continued on proudly. "I've seen worse."

"Oddly enough, I don't doubt that…" Sakura mumbled, leading Ichigo into the building. She felt very forgiving, and made sure to be seated at one of the closer booths. That way Ichigo (who hurt in his left leg) wouldn't be forced to walk a very far distance just to sit down.

Once at the table, both teens sat very traditionally. During a normal outing with friends, Sakura would have crossed her legs longingly and would be leaning against the wall, whereas Ichigo would have one elbow on the table as he also sat cross-legged and looked to his companions. Instead, both teens were doing further damage to their prides by sitting flat on their own legs, ankles painfully behind them. All in all, it looked like a very informal Tea Ceremony.

When it came time for the food to come, they silently placed it on the grill. Neither teen knew what to say, or how to start a decent conversation. It wasn't anything like pure speechlessness. Instead, it felt more like stupidity on the both of them. They both knew how they felt, and they both had a general idea of what the other felt for them. Thus their situation was bound to be awkward.

Waiting for the beef to sizzle, Sakura focused her attention on the grease. She watched it spit and splatter on the grill, the fat on the meat somehow reminding her of warfare. She smiled at that thought that somehow the meat being symbolic for warfare of something else messy and disorganized. She used her chopsticks to place the finished meat on her plate, curiously glancing back up to Ichigo, who hadn't said a word.

Of course, there was a very distinct reason behind his silence, and Sakura felt like a fool for not noticing it earlier. Quite simply, he was watching her. He was leisurely leaning over the table, looking straight into her eyes. However, this time she did not turn away. She couldn't just avoid that look, the look of sheer brilliance Ichigo often showed. He always had that face when he knew something he thought nobody else did, or he thought of something clever. This was Ichigo, after all. Sakura was very sure she knew enough about him to conclude that point…then again…

Using his own chopsticks to get his meat, he eased the tension (and perhaps even the sparks that went off when they made the initial eye-contact) between them. He seemed smug. "You know, I know so much about you, Sakura." He started, glancing down at his plate idly. "About your family, your friends, your strength…It's really a lot now that I think about it."

Sakura took a hesitant bite of her food. Where is this going? She thought to herself, and since when did Ichigo start thinking for the fun of it?

Taking note of her peculiar expression, Ichigo went on. "I mean, I know so much about everything here now. But here I'm like a mystery. Aren't you the least bit curious about me, or where I'm from?" He swallowed one of his small pork pieces whole. "Did you even think about where I'm from, or the possibility of me being a spy before you accepted going on a da- uh, casual outing with me?"

Sakura pursed her lips like she usually did when she questioned something, this time that something being what Ichigo said. Quickly, she shook her head in denial. "You couldn't be evil; you would have been taken into captivity if that were true. A spy doesn't stay free too long with the Hyuuga clan here…"

Call it a face palm, or the brute physical contact between a face and a hand, that was precisely what Ichigo felt like doing. Sakura was missing the point. "Forget about me being a spy, or evil. I'm just me, good ole me." He nodded to her, eyebrows raised in anticipation. Would she get it, would it connect?

She in fact got it, but not after a pause and a moment of embarrassment. Eyes finally averted, her palms suddenly felt very sweaty. Her eyes wandered the room before switched back to Ichigo. Dear Kami, why does he always have to look so attractive? She thought nervously. "So, what? You want me to ask about your family?" She mumbled in response.

He shrugged and leaned back, nodding somewhat. "My family, friends, schooling; the basics. Don't you want to know?"

Was he challenging her? That fiery gleam in his eyes made it feel like a challenge. Sakura's own eyes narrowed into little slits. "Of course I do, but why don't you just tell me these things?" She shoved more food into her mouth, and while chewing, unceremoniously stuttered, "I mean, we're on the subject now, aren't we?"

Good old Sakura, always being the very opposite of womanly. Ichigo chuckled at her comment. "It wouldn't be very fun that way." He told her, quirking an eyebrow upwards, which earned Sakura's admiration and jealousy. Like most females, she had tried to do that with her eyebrows but with no avail.

Realizing there wouldn't be another opportunity to avoid or ask about his life, she humored him by engaging with the questions. She asked various questions- ranging from family to what he liked to eat- which were some times reversed and asked right back at Sakura. Ichigo told her all about his life, and Karakura Town. Especially Karakura Town. She seemed the most interested in a new world, one full of all the technological wonders as his homeland. Even so she still seemed interested in his family, evidently his two little sisters. (Imagining Ichigo as an older brother was, she had to admit, difficult.) Even better was how respectful Sakura's demeanor about certain things were, like when it came to his mother. She didn't question his lack of mention of a motherly figure, and he greatly appreciated that.

By then the initial awkwardness had died down to something warm and comfortable. Both parties were sitting normally, pleased with how easy it soon became to speak to one another. It was especially easy to do if they omitted the word "date" from all their conversations, even if the word was pertaining to time. Neither of them had much experience with dating, but by the end of the day they felt they had a pretty good grasp of it.

In other words, their casual outing had gone fairly well.

xXx

A/N: Yeah, so by now you might have noticed that I've just been unloading filler crap on all y'all. Don't worry, this chapter is the LAST of the fillers. The action is coming, just hold on. I just felt like Sakura didn't know enough about Ichigo besides his relation to Rukia, Kon, and Renji. A "casual outing" seemed to be the best opportunity for her to get to know him better. It's illogical for her to feel strongly about a person she hardly knows. Just sayin'…

Well, here you go. My explanation. So sorry about the long distance between uploads. My internet stopped working, and I mean stopped. I always knew my connection was faulty, but about five days ago it just stopped working. Every page I tried went straight to "no connection", it didn't even try loading. So, whatever. Now my comp is just a writing device, and I have to back-up all my chapters on my flashdrive, transfer them to my mom's laptop, and upload them there.

So you can expect space between chapters. If you WANT me to combine two chapters into one (essentially making one longer and more worth your wait) just tell me in your review, and I'll certainly do so. I just want to make sure the waiting time seems fair.

See ya.

- Dahlia