Hey there, everyone! Glad to see I'm not dead? Haa. Sowrie it took so long to post up this chapter, but when you read it, you'll see why it took so long. This chapter doubled the amount I usually write! I considered breaking it up into two, but I like it better when it's meshed all together! Also, the last couple of weeks has been mid-term. That means tests, tests, test, a paper or two, and some more tests!!!! Damn! But do not fear, I don't have any tests for the next two weeks. I'm hoping to finish the next chapter by Thanksgiving weekend, just to let you all know. :D
I'm warning you now, there is a dream sequence in the beginning of this chapter, and I must say it is quite weird. Why is it so weird? I actually dreamt it for real. Cool, huh? Not really. XD
But I've got to say, I really tried to put a lot into this chapter. I tried to make it funny, romantic, sexy, and just... a good story. So I really hope that you guys enjoy it! I really want to hit over 100 reviews by the end of this entire story, but we'll see if that happens. It's possible right? Oh well. And just for fun, I have three quotes in this chapter: two are from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (see it if you haven't yet) and from the Bleach manga itself. :D Hope you guys find them and point them out! Also, the outfits Ichigo and Orihime are wearing are from official pictures and what not. I'm pretty sure most of you have seen them. XD
-Random Thought-
For the date part, listen to "Bruises" by Chairlift. It sets the mood, methinks. :D
Warning: Rating for this chapter has been bumped up to "M".
One Week Later- Saturday- March 8th: Week 4
8:00 a.m.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
She twitched at the sound of the alarm.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
She turned to her side as the alarm continuously rang. With heavy eyelids, Orihime turned her head and managed to open her eyes ever so slightly. Ichigo lay next to her, unmoving.
B-beep. B-beep. B-beep.
She rolled onto her back, and rubbed her face in a futile attempt to wake up. The incessant beeping of the alarm rang in her ears as she began to hoist herself up. Her body felt heavy, her arms felt heavy, her eyelids felt heavy. As she began to sit up in her futon, Orihime was pushed back down. She grunted at the sudden contact.
"Sorry, Inoue, but go back to bed."
She heard Ichigo's muffled voice as the beeping in her ears stopped. Orihime scrunched her face when he turned off the alarm and opened her eyes once again. She began to push herself back up, but was lightly pushed back down again.
"Go back to bed, Inoue. I'll take care of it."
With his hands pinning her down to her futon by her shoulders, Ichigo took the lack of movement from the sleepy beauty as a sign of agreement. He watched as her eyes slowly closed and her chest rise and fall. Ichigo quickly got up and checked on Nell. Their baby girl somehow managed to remain fast asleep in her crib. "Strange," he thought, "she's sleeping so peacefully." Ichigo turned his attention back to Orihime, who had fallen back into a deep sleep. He knelt beside her and pulled her comforter up to her shoulders.
Since their monthly meeting with their nakama, Ichigo and Orihime finally began taking care of Nell with minimal distractions. Although they decided to alternate who would take care of Nell for the entire night, the two were up late every night studying for multiple tests during the week. Last night, the only night they had to get a good night's rest all week, was Orihime's turn. It turned out to be one of those nights. Although Ichigo offered to help her each time she got up with a delayed reaction, Orihime blatantly denied his requests.
After he finished tucking her in, Ichigo got up and began digging through one of his drawers. He pulled out a random outfit and took off his sleeping shirt. With shirt in his hand, Ichigo looked back down at the clearly passed out Orihime. He deliberated with himself for a moment, and decided it to be safe. Ichigo pulled down his pajama pants and tossed his shirt onto a nearby chair. He let pajamas fall to the floor and stepped out of them as he grabbed a pair of pants.
"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime mumbled with eyes closed.
Ichigo jumped slightly and quickly shoved his feet into his pants.
"Change behind the screen…" she mumbled again as she turned onto her belly, pulling her sheets up to her cheeks. Ichigo glanced at the bundled up Orihime as he slowly pulled up his pants. Ichigo furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side with wonder. Was she really still sleeping? He shrugged it off and finished changing.
Half-asleep, Orihime heard Ichigo change next to her. But, she didn't care- nor she did care to sneak a peek. All Orihime cared about was drowning out some of the noise. She thought about telling him to change behind the screen, not realizing she was indeed talking out-loud, as she turned onto her belly, drawing her warm comforter up to her face. She heard him finish changing, pack up some things, and leave the room. With the sound of the apartment door shut and lock, Orihime smiled, happy to finally get some peace and quiet. Who would've thought that the most blissful girl in the world could become cranky from a crying baby and a bit of sleep deprivation?
Her smile slowly faded. The silence brought no comfort to her ears. Instead, the pulsing in her temples could be heard, making the throbbing between her eyes even more unbearable. Orihime lay on her stomach, bundled in her comforter, tired as can be, but unable to sleep. The throbbing between her eyes continued, worsening with every passing minute of silence. She squinted her eyes and buried her face into her pillow. Orihime tensed up out of frustration, but slowly relaxed after realizing that would not help. She drew her sheets over her head and finally let her mind wander.
"I wonder if Kurosaki-kun is okay…"
And with that simple thought, Orihime's mind drifted off into the black abyss called sleep.
Although her mind was at rest, her body was very much awake. She felt every muscle spasm, every time her body twitched. She felt herself breathing, her heart pounding in her chest against the squishy futon, and even the drool that trickled down from the corner of her mouth onto her pillow. Orihime felt when her apartment door opened and closed, when her bedroom door slid open and shut, when the light footsteps approached her futon- and she definitely felt the large thud as Ichigo plopped back into his futon.
Orihime twitched at the thud, slightly peeved when a bit of her comforter slightly compressed from some weight. "Greet him, Orihime! Greet him!" she said to herself in her dream; but, she lay there, unmoving.
After her inner-dream self pestered her enough, Orihime turned to her left to lay supine. But, she was met with resistance. She pulled on her sheets, but they did not move. She pulled harder, only to have it move not even an inch. Orihime threw the free part of her comforter off her head as she sat up. She cracked her eyes open ever so slightly as she felt around for whatever was weighing down her sheets. She felt an arm.
Her eyes popped open as she grabbed Ichigo's elbow. She smiled and laughed to herself as she looked at the man she loved. Ichigo- dressed in purple pants with black pinstripe, a yellow shirt, and an olive green jacket- lay on his belly, completely sprawled out onto his futon and slightly into hers. His head rested near Orihime's futon, his shoulder at the edge of her futon and his right arm was lazily plopped onto her sheets. Orihime lightly grabbed his elbow with her left hand, her right hand grabbing his, and shifted his arm under her comforter.
Orihime, about to retract her hand from his, jumped when Ichigo tightened his grip.
"Did I wake you up, Inoue?" Ichigo asked with a guttural voice as he lifted and turned his head towards Orihime, his eyes still shut.
"No, but did I wake you?" She lay down on her side, still holding onto Ichigo's hand since he did not loosen his grip. Ichigo shook his head, and Orihime smiled as she pulled her sheets over them both. She looked at the orange-haired teen as he plopped his head back down.
"Welcome home, Kurosaki-kun."
"Thanks." Ichigo opened his eyes a bit and looked at Orihime.
"What do you want to do now, now that Nell's gone?"
Ichigo grinned with sheepish eyes. "Sleep past noon."
Orihime smiled and rested her head on her pillow. She shifted closer to Ichigo and drew their hands towards her cheek. She watched as Ichigo's grin went back to his normal frown as he fell back asleep. Her eyes slowly closed, and she finally got the sleep she deserved.
Now presenting Crime Scene Investigator, Kurosaki Ichigo! His keen eye has led to the discovery of many case breaking clues, but his intuition sucks occasionally. Can he solve his toughest case yet?! CSI Kurosaki-kun, have you gotten any clues yet? He does not turn to me, but stares intently at the seemingly depressed young female individual doing back-flips off wooden decks. He approaches her cautiously, flashing his lab tag at her. The little girl stands up on a bench near the edge of wooden deck in the middle of the flooded city in order to reach Kurosaki-kun's height. She punches him smack dab in the face and in the stomach repeatedly before doing a back flip over the railing into the flooded city. She climbs onto a near by Jet Ski. "After her!" Kurosaki-kun ordered the police men. But alas, they have no Jet Skis! Kurosaki-kun and I back flip off of the wooden deck and land on magically appearing Jet Skis. We chase after her, dodging the flotsam nearby. We chase after her. We're closing in on her- but she jumps a ramp and goes through an alternate dimension! We jump through as well only to find ourselves in Soul Society. We are greeted by an angry mob. We run around until we reach Seireitei and find Rukia. She grabs us and throws us under a table, telling us to be quiet. Surely they can still see us right? NO! They pass right by! SCORE!!! Rukia tells us that Ichimaru Gin is protecting the little girl. We need to find them both, but he has gained a new power. We find him walking around inside his main living quarters and we try to sneak up on him. But no! His new power is devastating: he obliterates anything he sees when he looks out of a window! Kurosaki-kun, don't get up yet. Kurosaki-kun, don't get up yet. KUROSAKI-KUN, DON'T GET UP YET! He stood up as Ichimaru Gin looked out the window…
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
Orihime screamed as she sat up in her futon. She clutched her cheeks as she screamed. "Kurosaki-kun!!!"
Ichigo flipped onto his back, clutching his pillow.
"Wha- are we under attack?!"
Orihime immediately stopped screaming and brought her hands to her sides as she quickly turned her head to look at Ichigo with wide-eyes.
"What's wrong, Inoue?!"
She looked confused. Suddenly, she smiled and brought her fist into the palm of her hand. "Oh, it was just a dream!" She rubbed the back of her head and laughed. Ichigo, slightly annoyed, grunted and fell back onto his futon, covering his head with his pillow- he really wanted to finish his dream. Orihime furrowed her brow out of concern. "I'm sorry for waking you up like that, Kurosaki-kun…" she said softly, clutching onto her night dress.
"It's alright." He replied, pillow still covering his head. "Maybe it was better that I woke up… I should be having those kinds of dreams…" He sat up Indian style and placed his pillow onto his lap in order to cover… something. His cheeks turned slightly pink at the thought of his dream. Orihime looked at Ichigo, eyes full of curiosity. "You look a bit flushed, Kurosaki-kun. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He wanted to change the subject. "What time is it?"
Orihime stretched as she got up and walked over to her clock. "It's 1:30," she said while walking back to her futon, rubbing her eyes. Ichigo laid back down with legs still crossed and pillow in his lap. With arms supporting his head, he watched as Orihime passed by. She laid on her belly, close to him, and propped her head up with her hands. "So, it's passed noon! What do you want to do now, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked cheerfully while swinging her feet.
"Well… I dunno. What do you wanna do?"
"I dunno! It's been so long since I've had a free weekend… what do you normally do Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo scratched his head. "I either fight hollows, save the world, or catch up on my schoolwork. But since we had all those tests this week, we really don't have much studying to do…What about you?"
"The same as you." She replied with a smile. "But, I also go to Tatsuki-chan's house or something."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"…"
"…"
"So… what do you want to do now, Inoue?"
"Um…"
Awkward silence.
While Orihime was deep in thought, Ichigo lay on his back feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was so hard for him, having Orihime lying by his side. He clutched onto the pillow which seemed to move on its own (if you catch my drift XD). Suddenly, Orihime gasped, slightly startling Ichigo who was consumed within his own thoughts. "I know what we can do!" she said cheerfully, "or what I can do, at least."
"What's that?" Ichigo asked, slightly peeved that she wanted to go off on her own when it was their day off.
"I need to go to the Shopping Center to get some stuff for Nell and to get some food. I don't know if you'd want to come, but… we could walk around and stuff…?" Ichigo frowned. Orihime took notice and began to twiddle her fingers. "But if you don't want to…"
"Shopping?" Ichigo made a face. "But for Inoue…? Sure, why not?" He glanced at the girl and grinned. "I'll go with you." Her face lit up with joy.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
Ichigo watched as her face turned into a daydreaming daze. Then, her stomach growled. Orihime blushed at the noise from her stomach, and began rolling around in their futons. "You didn't hear a thing!" She punched herself in the gut. "See, I'm totally fine." She finally stopped rolling around and landed on Ichigo's arm. She opened her eyes and stared directly into… his armpit. She looked up, blushing even harder. Ichigo felt heat rise into his cheeks as she looked up at him.
Then his stomach growled.
Ichigo blushed and brought the pillow up to his stomach to drown out the rumbling in his tummy. Orihime snickered, and then they both began to laugh. Orihime sat up. "So, I guess you hungry too?" Ichigo nodded. "Hmm, I go cook something really quick then." Ichigo furrowed his brow.
"I liked those pancakes you made on Christmas, Inoue," he said, trying to convince her to make something normal.
"Really?!" Orihime perked up. "I'll make some more then!" She promptly got up as Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. As she exited the bedroom, Orihime muttered under her breath.
"Now I can try out the wasabi pancakes with leeks in it!"
Ichigo cringed and quickly sat up. He walked briskly towards Orihime who already took out all the materials.
"On second thought, why don't I get us some breakfast? It's our day off, you shouldn't cook."
Orihime put a finger to her chin, cocked her head to the side, and thought about it. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Ichigo quickly got his wallet and proceeded to head out the door. "Wait, Kurosaki-kun!!!" He halted at the door and turned to look at her. She came up to him with a large grin.
"Kurosaki-kun, I think you might want to change before you leave."
He looked down at what he was wearing.
"Yeah, you're right…"
"Inoue, are you ready yet?" Ichigo hollered out from the living room. Two hours had passed since they woke up and she still wasn't ready to go. "Y-yeah, I'm almost finished," she replied from within their bedroom. Ichigo walked over to the doorway and rested his forehead on the door. "Are you at least dressed? I need to get my badge," he asked as he knocked on the door.
Suddenly, the door slid open across the top of his forehead. Ichigo covered the burning sensation with his hand.
"Aiyah! Gomen, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime reached out and removed his hand from his face to look at the burn. On her tip-toes, Orihime intently examined Ichigo's forehead. "It doesn't look too bad…"
"It'll be fine, Inoue. You finished yet?" he asked as he grabbed her wrists in order to prevent her from looking his forehead any longer.
"Yeah. Sorry it took so long. We've been so busy with school and Nell that I haven't been able to do the laundry yet."
"It's fine."
He walked in their room and found his shinigami representative badge. Orihime immediately followed and began cleaning up their futons. Ichigo turned to help his 'roommate,' noticing her light clothing.
"You're gonna wear that outside, Inoue? It's about forty degrees out there. You might want to dress warmer."
Orihime stopped what she was doing and looked at her outfit. "You think it's too light?" Ichigo glanced up at her. She was wearing a white trench coat with a scarf around her neck and knee high boots. But, there was a problem: he could see her legs. He hoped she was wearing at least a skirt underneath that trench coat.
"Yeah, your legs are showing. You'll be cold."
"Oh, I'll be fine." She waved off his concern. "A little breeze in between your knees could never hurt."
"Inoue, you should change."
She stood with hands on her hips and pouted. "But, what about you? You're only wearing two layers. At least I've got on three under my coat." Ichigo finished putting their futons and bed sheets at the top of Orihime's closet. He looked at what he was wearing and glanced back at the girl. "I guess she's right."
"Fine, if I change, will you?"
Orihime nodded and walked over to her dresser. She took off her boots and reached under her coat. She pulled off her skirt. Ichigo nearly had a heart attack.
"I-I-I-Inoue!"
Ichigo covered his blushing face and backed away. She looked at him, slightly confused.
"Oh! I guess I shouldn't change in front of you!" she rubbed the back of her head and laughed. "But look, it's not that bad- I also have shorts underneath! I told you I'd be fine in this." Orihime began to lift her trench coat, but Ichigo rushed over to her grabbed her hands from doing so.
"J-just change, Inoue." He couldn't look directly at her, he was blushing too much.
"Okay…" Orihime quickly took off her shorts, reached into the drawer, pulled out a pair of jeans and slipped them on. She pulled out another pair of jeans, a black shirt, a red-orange sweater vest, and a red trench coat from the dresser and closet, and headed towards the screen. Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Here you go, Kurosaki-kun!"
His head snapped up.
"What?" he asked confused.
"Here, change behind the screen. I picked out your outfit since you were so adamant about me changing." She grinned as she handed him the outfit she chose. Ichigo obediently followed Orihime's directions, not knowing what to say. Surely, he couldn't protest.
"Shouldn't this be the other way around?" He thought as he changed behind the screen. "You finished, Inoue?" He heard her say 'yes' and proceeded to clean up the changing station. Ichigo folded up the screen and leaned it against the wall.
"Oh, that outfit looks good on you, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime said as she fixed her hair up into a side pony-tail and tucked her bangs to the side with her flower hairpins. Ichigo smiled a bit at the compliment. He turned to look at her and frowned. He wasn't happy with this outfit either. True, she wasn't showing her legs this time, but to have only a shirt and a black leather jacket over it for her upper half wasn't going to keep her much warmer.
Ichigo was about to suggest she change again, but decided to leave it be: there was no way he could win over the inner workings of Orihime's brain. Ichigo watched as she wrapped a scarf around her neck and put leg warmers over her jeans.
"You ready, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked, happy that they would actually get to spend some alone time together. Ichigo nodded as he wrapped a scarf around his neck.
It was the beginning of their first date. :D
Orihime followed behind Ichigo as they walked towards the Karakura Shopping Center. She walked with her hands in her jacket pockets, shivering uncontrollably. Ichigo took notice and slowed his pace. He glanced back at Orihime and saw her remove her hands from her pockets. She rubbed her hands together and blew hot air onto them as she walked-
-right into Ichigo.
"You're still dressed too light," he said as she looked up at him, ready to apologize.
"I'm fine," she said as she rubbed her hands together again, "I just need to get used to the temperature."
Ichigo watched as she continued to shiver.
"Here…"
He cupped her hands with his own and rubbed them together. Ichigo drew their hands closer to his face and puffed hot air onto her hands.
"Better?" he asked with a feeling of satisfaction.
Orihime no longer felt cold. Her body burned, her cheeks felt hot, and her face went red. She withdrew her hands from his and returned them into her pockets. "Yup! I'm perfectly fine now!" She turned away from Ichigo and walked at a hurried pace, quickly reaching a nearby intersection. "We cross right here, right?!" she asked, already crossing the street.
"Oi, Inoue! Look out!"
Ichigo quickly ran to Orihime and grabbed her by her wrist. He pulled her into his arms as a speeding car passed by.
"Watch where you're driving, asshole!!!" He hollered after the driver, clutching onto the flabbergasted Orihime. She looked up at him as he continued his tirade against the distant driver. "It's okay, Kurosaki-kun. It was my fault," she said, still shivering. He raised an eyebrow and loosened his grip.
"You're still cold?"
"No…" she lied. "I'm shaking because I was almost hit by a car."
"I guess…" Although her logic made sense, he still didn't believe her. "Here, just in case." Ichigo reached out to grab Orihime's hands. She tried to retaliate, but he was too quick. Orihime closed her eyes at their contact and turned her head away. His touch was making her warmer, alright.
"Better?" he asked again.
"Eh?" Orihime looked down at her hands. Ichigo bound her wrists together with his scarf and tightly wrapped her hands together as well. Ichigo smirked as he turned and began to walk away.
"K-Kurosaki-kun?!"
Orihime chased after him, hands bound together. "Wha- what's this for?" she asked, shoving her hands into his face.
"It'll keep you warm," he replied as they continued to walk.
"But, I'm fine…" she said softly.
Orihime lowered her hands, and pouted as they walked side by side. She tried to loosen the knot, but to no avail. Glancing up at Ichigo, who looked utterly pleased, Orihime continued to fiddle with the knot as she described her crazy dream. Ichigo listened being slightly intrigued at the role he played within her dream, but let his mind wander back to his own. The faint tint of pink rose to his cheeks as Orihime asked what he dreamt about. She took notice to the change of color on his face as he replied 'Nothing like your dream.'
"Are you cold, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Orihime.
"Are you cold?" she repeated.
"No, I'm fine."
"Oh, okay." She looked down at her hands. "Here, Kurosaki-kun. Take your scarf back, just in case you really are cold." She extended her unbound hands and held out his scarf. Ichigo did a double-take.
"When did you do that?" he asked, taking back his scarf.
"When we were walking," she replied, grinning ear-to-ear. Orihime suddenly halted her steps as they neared the Karakura Shopping Center. With eyes wide and mouth agape, she simply said, "Wow…"
Ichigo looked up at what she was staring at as he wrapped the knitted garment around his neck. The shopping center was completely flooded with people, various rides and mini booths were set up around the mall.
"What's going on, Kurosaki-kun?"
"It looks like a fair or some charity event."
"Do you want to go check it out, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime looked completely ecstatic. "It'll be better than walking around the mall!"
Ichigo smiled at her enthusiasm. "Alright, let's go."
The two made their rounds around the fair, stopping occasionally at certain booths. After playing some carnival games that are impossible to win at, the two rested at a bench. "I'm thirsty, you want anything?" Ichigo said as he got up. Orihime glanced up at him, hands in her lap, and smiled. "I'll have whatever you're having."
"Okay, stay here. I'll get it for us."
He quickly turned, catching a glimpse of Orihime's content expression before he walked away. He glanced back at her, intrigued to know if she was still watching him.
She wasn't.
Orihime sat on the bench, leaning forward with her arms tucked between her thighs, staring intently to her left. She bit her lip and twiddled her fingers. She furrowed her brow and scrunched her face, debating whether or not he'd be interested. Orihime glanced back to Ichigo, who quickly looked away and hid amongst the crowd. "Why the hell am I hiding?" he thought as he walked inside the mall to get their refreshments.
Ichigo returned to the cold outdoors and the bustling fair with two steaming hot-chocolate milks in his hands. He weaved in and out of the crowd, attempting to not spill their drinks as he walked back to Orihime. As he walked towards his destination, Ichigo looked at the area Orihime was staring so intently at. He found nothing of interest.
Although, he did find it quite interesting that Orihime was gone. Ichigo stood near the bench he left her at, dumbfounded that he couldn't find her. Ichigo furrowed his brow as his eyes scanned the area. She was nowhere in sight. He felt as if something dropped into the pit of his stomach as he stood there holding their drinks. Was she really gone?
He glanced back over to the bench.
It suddenly hit him.
A hoard of adolescent, hormonal young men gathered around the bench. The group of guys shifted slightly to the left, then to the right, constantly blocking the view of their subject of interest. Ichigo stood on his tip-toes, searching some hint of Orihime. "What the hell, King. Just sense if she's there, ya moron."
Ichigo, realizing his inner hollow was right, ceased his search for his subject of interest. But, as he sensed for her reiatsu, Ichigo caught a glimpse of Orihime's worried face. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, but she was quickly shifted out of view. Suddenly in tune with his surroundings, Ichigo heard one of the guys hit on her. The feeling in the pit of his stomach soon turned into a furious beating in his chest. His muscles tensed, his face felt hot. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and grit his teeth as he jostled his way through the crowd.
"Inoue!" He angrily called out her name.
"Kurosaki-kun?!"
He reached her and stared down at the protesting young men.
"Fuck off!" Ichigo glared at the crowd as he handed Orihime her drink. "She's with me!" She merely looked at him, slightly scared of reaction. Surely, he wouldn't summon Zangetsu and slice all of their heads off, would he…?
Maybe.
The crowd slowly disbursed, some men apologizing, others scoffing and mumbling "She's too good for him" under their breaths. Ichigo ceased his death glare as they all went away, and looked at Orihime, who was still staring at him. "You okay?" he asked her. Orihime snapped out of her daze and shook her head up and down in response to Ichigo's question. "Good." Ichigo sat down and took a sip of his hot chocolate.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said as she sat next to Ichigo," normally, Tatsuki-chan takes care of it." She sipped her hot chocolate, and smiled at the warmth filling her belly. She took another sip before smiling contently at Ichigo.
"That usually happens to you, Inoue?"
She nodded her head as she sipped some more. Ichigo stared at his cup, annoyed at the thought of Orihime constantly being harassed. He glanced over at her through the corner of his eyes. She sat, sipping away, staring towards her left again. She felt his stares, and looked up at him with concern in her big, brown eyes.
Shall I come save you each time then?
Ichigo cracked a small smile. He knew that her gregarious and kind nature allowed her to be so approachable; so, he wouldn't change that for the world, even if it meant fewer guys would hit on her. "Want to walk around some more?" he asked, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. "Yeah!" The two stood up and Ichigo led them to the left, curious to figure out what Orihime was staring at.
They continued down the left area, Orihime barely glancing at any other booths or rides. She fixated on something down their path, but Ichigo still couldn't figure out what it was. Puzzled at what she so interested in, Ichigo took the last sip of his hot chocolate as they walked and quizzically scanned the area in front of him. He veered off to the side to throw away his empty cup, gesturing for Orihime to throw away hers, but she became mighty distracted.
"We have one spot open, people. You can ride alone or ride with a partner!"
Orihime's head perked up and she stared at a distant ride. She quickly threw away her empty cup and looked back at Ichigo. "Can we ride something Kurosaki-kun?" she hastily asked, biting her lip, hoping for a positive response. "Sure-" was all that escaped Ichigo's lips before Orihime quickly tugged on his arm, leading him through the crowd.
"One more spot, one more spot!!!" the ride operator continued to shout out.
"We'll take it!" Orihime yelled as she pulled Ichigo to the rickety Ferris wheel.
"So this is what she wanted?" Ichigo thought as the two took their seats and pulled the bar down. The ride slowly started to go around and around. Every time they reached the top of the Ferris wheel, Orihime would lean forward and then quickly sit back as the wheel continued to turn, causing their seat to rock. The ride finally slowed and stopped to let the riders off. Ichigo and Orihime sat on the ride, close to the top of the wheel. She held onto the bar, leaning forward to get a better view of the town.
"Wow, I think I can see my apartment from here!" she exclaimed. Orihime stood up slightly and pointed in the direction towards her apartment complex. The motion caused their seat to tip forward. With sweaty palms, Ichigo clutched onto the bar, his eyes fixed on the pavement below. Orihime leaned forward even more, tipping their seat even more. "Right, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked him. He didn't look up at her, but wound a hand around her waist and pulled her down.
"D-Don't stand up on the ride, Inoue," he said gripping onto the bar holding them in with one hand and clutching onto Orihime with the other.
She cocked her head to the side and grinned.
"Are you scared, Kurosaki-kun?"
"No, I just don't want you stand up on the ride, is all."
The wheel turned and the two were one spot away from the top. Ichigo tightened his grip on the bar and on Orihime. She smiled at his reaction. "It's okay to be afraid of rides, Kurosaki-kun. But it is kind of strange that you can fight hollows and jump from roof to roof and not be scared." Her smile widened, but faded into a look of concern. Deciding it best to not tease Ichigo, Orihime changed the subject.
"I kind of feel bad that we're here."
Ichigo finally loosened his grip and removed his arm from around Orihime's waist. He turned to her, uncertain what to say. "You feel bad? Are you… not having fun?"
"Oh no, no no no." Orihime turned to face Ichigo, frantically waving her arms for added emphasis. "It's not that, Kurosaki-kun; I'm having a great time. It's just…" she leaned forward on the metal bar and propped her head up as she stared onto the city. "I feel bad that we didn't bring Nell. She would have had so much fun." She turned to look at Ichigo. "Right?"
Forgetting where he was at, Ichigo leaned back to think, causing their seat to rock backwards. Orihime giggled as he frantically reached for the bar. After regaining his composure, he faced Orihime. "Yeah, but parents need some time to relax too." Orihime sat back, making the seat sway. "I guess you're right." The ride turned, and the two finally reached the top.
"Orihime!"
Orihime and Ichigo looked around, wondering who called out.
"Orihime!!!"
The voice came from below. Ichigo looked at the ground below for whoever was calling for his partner, but Orihime leaned back to look at the seat below them.
"Tatsuki-chan! Ishida-kun!"
She turned around in her seat and leaned forward making it tip back substantially, leaving Ichigo hang over the front to balance their seat out. He looked at the couple below.
"Kurosaki," was the only greeting he received.
"Sup, Ishida?"
"So it was you that I heard!" Tatsuki yelled up above. "So you guys on a family outing or on a date?"
Before they could answer, the ride moved, nearly tipping the two off of the ride. They quickly sat they way they were supposed to be sitting and nervously looked at each other. "We'll talk to you guys when we're off the ride!" Ichigo hollered out to them. Once they returned to stepping on solid ground, the two couples regrouped.
"So, I take it you're on a date since I don't see Nell." Tatsuki said as she approached them.
"Yeah, kind of." Ichigo quickly replied, noticing that Orihime was blushing and looking away.
"It would've been nice to have brought Nell, though. Sasuke's having a great time!"
"Speaking of which, how was the meeting with your father, Ishida-kun?"
Tatsuki and Ishida looked at each other with large grins on their faces. "Oh that…"
Ishida Ryuken sat at his desk busy sorting through patient files.
Knock knock.
Without even a glance at the door, Ryuken ordered his guests to come into his office as he continued to look through his files. Ishida slowly came in and hesitantly approached his father. "I have something to tell you, Ryuken," Ishida nervously began before gesturing Tatsuki to come into the office. She slowly entered the room, Sasuke in her arms, and stood by Ishida's side.
"Ryuken, I-"
"What's that, Uryuu?"
The couple smirked mentally at the initial reaction. But, without a glance at his son or even some type hesitation while sorting through his paperwork, Ryuken killed their dream.
"Why do you have a gigai? I thought I told you not to associate yourself with Shinigami anymore."
Their grinning faces dropped, and the three left the hospital, completely defeated.
"And that was the end of that." Ishida concluded while fixing his glasses.
"It really sucked," Tatsuki said as she bounced Sasuke in her arms. "Man, I wish your old man gave us a better reaction than that. But then again, if you two share the same intuition and sense of humor…"
"Then what?" Ishida asked defensively.
"Then I'm not surprised," Tatsuki replied, grinning ear-to-ear.
Ichigo attempted to suppress a snicker while Orihime smiled and awed. Ishida, unknowing whether to take her comment as a compliment or an insult, took Sasuke into his arms and simply said, "Okay." He rocked Sasuke side to side and turned to Ichigo and Orihime. "I think we should probably go," Ishida said to Tatsuki. "The lil' guy looks tired." And sure enough, Sasuke yawned on cue. Tatsuki nodded in agreement and the two couples said their goodbyes.
"Aww. I really wish we had Nell now." Orihime pouted as she watched her best friend leave.
"It'll be fine, Inoue," Ichigo said, placing a hand onto Orihime's shoulder.
He looked down at her and smiled. She didn't return the favor- nor was she even looking at him. Orihime continued to stare intently down their path. "You serious, King? That circulating death trap wasn't what she wanted?!" Ichigo calmed his inner hollow as he continued his search for Orihime's subject of interest. Who would've thought that even hollows were afraid of rides…?
They continued down their path, Orihime glancing at food stands on occasion. As they neared the edge of the fair, Orihime's face lit up with joy.
He looked for what she wanted. He found it-
-and he groaned.
"Are you serious?" Ichigo slapped his forehead and rubbed his face while Orihime looked up at him smiling sweetly.
"Kurosaki-kun…" she began "will you-"
His inner hollow died laughing inside.
"-go into the picture booth with me?" Orihime saw his pained expression. "But, you don't have to if you don't want too…"
Ichigo sighed and reluctantly said yes. They entered the little booth and attempted to get comfortable. The two sat next to each other, cramped together, shoulder-to-shoulder. They shifted around, Orihime now cast into the background while Ichigo dominated the frame. They shifted again, Orihime now in the forefront and Ichigo in the background, much to his liking. But, Orihime insisted they share the frame equally. He grunted and stealthily slid his arm behind the swell of her back.
Perfect.
Orihime slipped her money into the machine and sat back as the lights began to flash.
3.
2.
1.
She smiled. He frowned.
Flash.
She looked up at his frowning face- and mimicked his signature scowl.
Flash.
He looked down at her mimicking him. She smiled innocently.
Flash.
The two faced the camera, tilted their heads toward one another, and smiled.
Flash.
The two orange-haired teens quickly exited the booth for fresh air and stretching space. Orihime reached for the freshly printed pictures and made her way over to Ichigo, who was already trying to leave the photo booth of embarrassment. She laughed as she looked at their pictures while they walked to the front of the fair. Orihime held up the photos for Ichigo to look at-
-but he felt a disturbance in the air.
He felt uneasy as his shoulder twitched. He instantly raised his arm, curled his hand into a fist, and-
"IIIIIIII-CHHHHHHHIIIIIIIII-GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
-swung into Keigo's face.
"Sup?"
Ichigo continued to walk towards the mall, but stopped when he realized Orihime wasn't following. He looked back at her. She stood over Keigo's unmoving body with a look of curiosity and concern. Ichigo, about to call out to Orihime, suddenly dashed to her rescue when a single hand grasped onto one of her enormous breasts from behind. He quickly grabbed Orihime by the shoulders and separated her from lesbian stalker, Chizuru. He stood between the two, facing Chizuru, very tempted to kick her.
"You can't hit me," the lesbian suddenly said, sensing Ichigo's murderous aura, "for I have…" She lifted her baby up to Ichigo's height. "A HUMAN SHEILD!!!"
"How low," a voice from behind said. The three turned to look at Keigo. He slowly got up from the ground and dusted himself off. "That's low, Chizuru, but it's GENIUS!" he exclaimed as he join her side. Ichigo scoffed as the two girl crazy teens chattered amongst themselves. He scowled as he examined their baby.
"You know, I've never noticed, but your guys' baby-"
"-is so cute!!!" Orihime exclaimed as she gestured to Chizuru that she wanted to hold their baby. Chizuru complied with her request and handed her baby over to Orihime. She bounced the baby girl and played with her squishy cheeks. "I was gonna say that she looks nothing like you guys." Ichigo said, finishing his interrupted sentence. Their baby girl had short light pink hair and blue-green eyes. "Plus, she's got this huge forehead."
"Hey, don't say that about Sakura-chan!" Chizuru said as she took Sakura back into her arms, her motherly instincts kicking in. Ichigo backed off, slightly regretting what he said when Orihime softly agreed with her lesbian attacker. "That was kind of mean, Kurosaki-kun…"
"So what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo said, changing the subject. "You going around the fair?"
The two nodded their heads. "Yeah, we thought it'd be fun to bring Sakura-chan and have her ride some rides."
"Aww…" Orihime sighed. "Now I feel even worse. We should have brought Nell with us, Kurosaki-kun…" She squished her cheeks together and pouted.
"What are you talking about, Hime?"
"Eh?"
"Nell's here, and so is your family, Ichigo. We saw them just a few minutes ago."
"Wha?" Ichigo and Orihime looked surprised.
"Actually," Chizuru pointed behind the two confused teens," they're right over there."
They both turned around, and sure enough Ichigo's family was right behind them at a gaming booth. "Fuck." Ichigo thought as he turned back to Keigo and Chizuru.
"Tough luck, Ichigo. But you know what they say…" Keigo said in a sad attempt to cheer him up.
"What's that?" Ichigo asked as grit his teeth and ran a hand through his spiky hair.
"When life gives you lemons… just say 'Fuck the lemons!' and bail."
Ichigo looked at his friend, his scowl plastered on his face. He thought about it for a moment as he watched his classmates turn and walk away. He actually might be right! "Thanks Keigo!" Ichigo yelled after them. He turned to Orihime.
"Inoue, let's-"
But, she wasn't there.
He looked back at his family; there she was talking to them and holding Nell. Ichigo groaned as Orihime and his family waved him over. He slowly walked towards them. He really did not feel like dealing with his family today. Sure, he loved them. Sure, he would do anything to protect them, like stabbing himself in the heart with a zanpakutou. But as much as he loved his family, he enjoyed his time away from them as well- especially when he was on a date.
"Hey Ichi-nii, " Karin greeted Ichigo. "You enjoying your date with Orihime-nee-san?" She teased.
"I was," he mumbled under his breath.
"But isn't this great, Kurosaki-kun? We can bring Nell around the fair now!" Orihime interjected enthusiastically as she held her baby girl on her side.
"What?" Isshin said as he came up from behind Orihime. He joyfully wrapped an arm around the girl, pulled his son towards him, and wrapped an arm around him, pulling the two together. He whispered to them in a hushed tone as they huddled together. "You're not taking Nell."
Orihime broke from the group.
"Why not? I want to take her around."
Isshin pulled away from his son and approached Orihime. He gestured for her to give Nell to him, but she refused. "Today's your day off. Enjoy it. " He gestured again, and this time Orihime reluctantly handed Nell over. "We're watching her, so you don't need to worry. Besides, you're still young, enjoy yourself while you don't have to deal with these little munchkins for real."
Ichigo looked surprised. He knew his dad was crazy and weird, but he also knew that his dad did have a mature side. He smiled warmly at his father who held his daughter with tender and care.
"Well, then…" Orihime began.
"We should probably go and get what we need soon." Ichigo said to Orihime. He turned to his family and told them he'd pick Nell up tomorrow morning. With that, they parted ways as Orihime waved sadly to her daughter. "Let's go." Ichigo said, cocking his head in the direction of the mall. Orihime nodded, then looked towards the sky. "The sky looks darker all of a sudden," she said with a sigh as they entered the shopping center.
After an hour or so, the two finished running errands around the mall. With groceries and leftovers from the restaurant in hand, Ichigo and Orihime walked side by side as they headed home.
"Hey Kurosaki-kun."
"Hmm?"
"Do you really think that I'd be able to get into the 4th Squad?"
Ichigo turned to look at Orihime. "Yeah. Why?"
"I don't know," she said as she bit onto her thumb nail. "I mean, I don't fight much…"
"Well, I think you'll be able to get into the 4th squad, but you probably won't get a high seat since you don't like to fight. I mean your healing techniques really are awesome, but in the protection squads, you must be willing to hurt another person. " Ichigo looked intently at her reaction. Orihime sulked her shoulders and merely went," Oh…"
He knew that one of his bad-yet-good traits was his bluntness, but he never meant to hurt her with what he said. "But never know; you even might make it to the Kidō Corps."
Orihime's head perked up. "The Kidō Corps?" she asked. "Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, your barrier right now is pretty strong. Not to mention, you said you were going to start training under Hachi when this project was over, didn't you? Since he trained under Tessai, I'm pretty sure you'll become a lot stronger, Inoue," he replied. She looked astonished that Ichigo would even consider that she had the capacity to become that strong.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."
"No problem."
"Wait," Orihime said, suddenly stopping. "Do you feel that?"
Ichigo stopped and looked at her. "Feel what?" He looked towards the sky and felt a droplet of water fall onto his cheek. "Shit." The pellets of water came crashing down to earth at a rapid rate. The two teens dashed for some form of shelter as a heavy downpour came quickly upon them. They found refuge under a tree, both of them already chilled to the bone.
"That was quick," Ichigo said, shivering uncontrollably, as he put their bags of groceries on the ground.
"Yeah, but I'm not surprised. Did you see those clouds before we left?" Orihime asked as she turned to look at Ichigo. "Are you cold, Kurosaki-kun? Do you want my jacket?" She promptly took off her leather jacket and handed it to Ichigo. He denied it.
"I'm fine, but aren't you cold?"
"A little. The jacket kept me pretty dry actually."
The two sat under the tree as the rain continued to pour.
"Want to wait until it lets up?"
Orihime nodded her head. She sat with her knees brought up to her chest, her hands rubbing her legs in a futile attempt to keep them warm, and leaned against the tree.
"Kurosaki-kun, do you hate the rain?" she asked, out of the blue. He looked at her watching the rain fall, unsure if she knew the story of his mother's death.
"I used to."
"I…like the rain," she said as she crossed her arms on top of her knees and leaned against her legs. "It's as if the rain can unite the eternally separated earth and sky."
Ichigo leaned against the tree, legs stretched out and hands behind his head. He watched the rain fall, trying to see it from Orihime's point of view. She was right. Half an hour passed before another word was spoken. Ichigo got up and dusted his jacket off.
"It doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon," he pointed out the obvious, outstretching a hand to help Orihime up. She dusted herself off and looked down the nearby road.
"Do you want to run to my apartment?"
Ichigo nodded and took off his trench coat. "This will keep us a little dry," he said, turning to Orihime who was zipping up their groceries in her leather jacket.
"What are you doing?"
"It'll keep the food and Nell's stuff dry too."
"But doesn't water ruin leather?"
"It's synthetic, so it should be fine."
She pulled the plastic handles out from the top of her jacket and stood by Ichigo's side. He flung his coat over the both of them and looked down the street. "Ready?" he asked and the two dashed off to Orihime's apartment under his red trench coat.
"You know what I realized, Kurosaki-kun?" she said as they ran.
"What's that?"
"I could have used my Santen Kesshun to shield us from the rain."
"True, but wouldn't that have looked weird if people saw us?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Ichigo and Orihime reached their apartment almost completely soaked. Ichigo squeezed the water out of his drenched trench coat as Orihime opened the door to their home. They entered the humble abode and Orihime immediately began sorting out their groceries. Ichigo tried to help her out, but she refused.
"Don't worry about this, Kurosaki-kun. Go ahead and take a shower first," she said, hastily putting their food away.
"I'll be fine, you take a bath first."
"But, I have to do the laundry and cle-"
"Inoue, take a bath first," Ichigo ordered. "You might catch a cold."
"I'll be fine. I already told you that I have a good constitution and haven't caught a cold since I was-"
"Take a bath first." He ordered again.
Orihime stopped sorting through their groceries and sighed. She puffed up her cheeks out of frustration and looked at Ichigo.
"I'll take care of the laundry, just go first, okay?" he asked nicely this time.
Orihime obediently followed his request, kicked off her shoes, and went to the bathroom. She undressed as quickly as she could, tossing her drenched clothing onto the floor. As she was about to start the bath, she heard a knock on the door.
"Inoue," Ichigo called out.
Orihime walked over to the door, frantically searching for a towel.
"J-Just a minute, Kurosaki-kun!" she said realizing that all the towels were in the laundry basket.
"Inoue, I have a towel for you."
She breathed a sigh of relief, but it quickly passed. Realizing she was naked and needed to open the door, Orihime turned to look at the soaking wet clothes on the floor. She bit her lip, uncertain what to do.
"Can you slip it under the door?"
"What?!"
"Umm, never mind." Orihime said as she clutched onto the bathroom door handle and slowly turned it. She cracked open the door slightly, making sure her nude body remained unseen, and popped her head out the door. Ichigo handed her the towel.
"Can you give me your clothes? I'm going to start the wash."
"Sure," she happily said as she unfolded her towel and draped it over the front of her body. Orihime bent over, piled her clothes together, and scooped them up in one arm. She handed them to Ichigo and quickly shut the door. Orihime leaned against the door, head tilted upwards. Her heart couldn't be beating any faster. Realizing that the bath was going to overflow, she rushed to stop the running water and took her nice, warm bath.
Orihime took the fastest bath she could, but made sure her chilled bones warmed up. She ruffled up her hair with her towel in order to dry it faster and wrapped it up so it looked like a soft-served ice cream cone. "Oh no," she thought to herself. She had no clothes to change into. She took her hair down and wrapped the tiny towel around her voluptuous body the best she could.
The bathroom handle slowly turned and as quietly as she could, Orihime opened the door. She poked her head out once again, checking if the coast was clear. All the lights were off in the apartment except in the laundry room. Orihime held her breath, bit her lip, and tip-toed her way into her bedroom, avoiding looking within the laundry room. She quietly slid her bedroom door shut, turned on the lights, and sighed.
Orihime, feeling secure within her own bedroom, let the tiny towel drop to her hips. She loosely tied the towel around her waist, her upper half completely free. She rubbed her arms to protect herself from the chilling cold, and turned around until-
"Inoue?"
Ichigo stood in front of the bathroom door, knowing very well that he needed to give her the towel, but hesitated at the potentially embarrassing moment. He knocked on the door and called out for her.
"Inoue."
He heard some rustling, then Orihime telling him to wait a moment.
"Inoue, I have a towel for you."
He heard her sigh, then an awkward pause. Ichigo, about to knock again due to the silence, was taken aback when the she asked him to slip the towel under the door.
"What?!" he immediately asked. Only a slight murmur telling him 'never mind' was heard. Ichigo watched as the doorknob slowly turned and the door open slightly. Orihime poked her head out.
"Can you give me your clothes? I'm going to start the wash." Ichigo asked as she quickly grabbed her towel. "Sure," she replied. He heard some rustling as he stood waiting for Orihime to gather her clothes. Noticing that Orihime left her bathroom door open, Ichigo averted his eyes to the hinges on the door. Instead, he got an eye full of what he wanted to avoid being tempted to see.
Through the crack, Ichigo watched as Orihime bent over and gathered her clothes, her backside completely exposed since she draped and clutched the towel over only her chest. He watched in the mirror through the crack as she turned to give him the clothes. He quickly looked away and took her soaking clothes into his arms as she quickly shut the door. Ichigo stood there, dumbfounded and red in the face at what he just saw.
Instinctively, Ichigo attempted to block naughty thoughts from his mind as he went into the laundry room. Almost robot-like, Ichigo threw Orihime's clothes into the washer and dumped the remaining laundry in as well without sorting through the colors.
"I need to change…" he thought as he tossed all the clothes in. He listened for Orihime to stop the running water before he took off his shirts. He looked down, debating whether or not he should…
He should.
Ichigo took off his jeans and threw them into the wash. His eyes wandered south before he stripped down completely.
"It should be safe right?" he thought to himself as he set the timer on the washing machine after tossing in his boxers. Once the machine started to go, Ichigo poked his head out of the laundry room. Leaving the lights on in the room, Ichigo briskly walked in the nude into Orihime's room without turning the lights on. He searched through his drawers and quickly changed into a clean shirt and pajama pants.
"Going commando, King?"
"I'll put them on after my bath."
"And how are you going to hide that one-eyed thing that was staring at us earlier?"
"It'll go away."
"Pssh, whatever you say King."
Ichigo looked around Orihime's room, his eyes adjusting to the dark. Deciding to keep himself busy, Ichigo cleaned up their room and set up their futons. He laid down in his, a single arm behind his head, the other on his stomach. His body was more tired and sore than he thought. He laid there, eyes fluttering from dream to reality.
He heard the distant door open and close, he heard tip-toeing footsteps come closer to the room, he heard as the bedroom door slowly shut.
He snapped back to reality as the lights turned on.
Ichigo listened to Orihime sigh before opening his eyes. He squinted from the bright light and sat up in the futon. "Inoue?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. He opened them, getting another eye full. Orihime stood over him, her towel wrapped loosely around her waist, her bare breasts in plain sight. She crossed her arms over her chest and shrieked.
"K-K-K-K-Kurosaki-kun?!"
"I-I-I-Inoue?!"
Ichigo sat in awe at what he just saw. "Damn, they are more perfect bare…" He quickly shook his head at the thought and shielded his eyes, a tiny gap in between his fingers, as she turned around in the corner of her room.
"I didn't see anything, I swear, Inoue!"
"O-okay, just get out."
Ichigo promptly got up, grabbed a clean pair of boxers and left the room. Orihime slammed the door shut as soon as he stepped out, still clutching at her chest. "He didn't see anything, did he?!"
"Damn, I saw it all," he thought as he slammed the bathroom door shut. His mind unwillingly replayed the scene over and over again, freezing at the half-naked Orihime. Ichigo started his bath and stripped down completely. "Dammit, and it was about to go away too," he thought, looking downwards. "It's not healthy having one for so long." Ichigo rubbed his face, ran a hand through his hair, and roughly scratched his head, not knowing what to do.
"There are two ways to get rid of it, King."
"I'm not going to-"
"If don't use it, you abuse it."
"I'm not going to put my P in a V right now."
"Oh come on, she's right there! You need to B your L on her T's!"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Fine then!" His inner hollow gave up out of frustration. "Do it the boring way, you pussy."
Ichigo turned off the faucet and got into the warm bath. He took a very long bath, to ensure Orihime was sleeping and had enough time to cool down from the revealing event, of course. Once he finished "cleaning" himself, he changed and got ready for bed. Nervous about Orihime's reaction, Ichigo looked out the bathroom door before setting foot in the living room. Thinking it best to keep himself busy for a while, he went into the laundry room to finish the task he started.
Realizing Orihime had done the rest of the laundry while he was in the bath, Ichigo swallowed hard before entering their bedroom. He knocked, just in case. Assuming she was sleeping from the lack of response, Ichigo quietly slid open their bedroom door. He shut it just as quietly and turned around. Orihime was laying in her futon, dressed in her green night dress. You know the one that clung to the right places.
She lay fast asleep on her side, half covered with her comforter. Ichigo kneeled next to her, about to cover her with her sheets, when he noticed her hair was still wet.
He looked at her, wondering if he should…
"Inoue," he said softly into her ear.
She didn't even stir.
"Inoue," he said more forcefully this time. "Wake up. You're really going to catch a cold if you sleep with your hair wet." He placed a hand on her shoulder to shake her awake. She felt cold, but her body reacted against his warm skin. A shiver went down both their spines at the contact, and he felt compelled to touch her more.
Completely entranced by the sensation which coursed throughout his entire body, Ichigo lightly ran his hand down her arm, leaving goose bumps at the areas he touched. He ran his hand on top of hers and enlaced their fingers together. Lying next to Orihime, he tightened his grip, breathing hotly against her neck. They both burned.
"Kuro…saki…kun…"
Ichigo jerked at Orihime calling out his name in her sleep. With hands intertwined together, he propped himself up with his left arm and hovered over her. He let go of their hands and slid his hand across her waist as she turned to look over her shoulder. Eyes slightly opened, Orihime looked at Ichigo.
"Kurosak-"
He pressed his lips hard against hers, running his hand along her side to make her lay on her back. Once supine, Ichigo shifted his weight, pressing harder against her lips. He slowly parted from their kiss, leaving a completely stunned Orihime to lie underneath him. Unsure if she was still dreaming, Orihime looked up at Ichigo, wide-eyed and confused.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
Propped up with his left arm, he lay on top of her and slid his arm under the swell of her back. Ichigo looked into her eyes and gravitated towards her. He slowly approached her lips and lightly kissed her this time, waiting for a deeper invitation. She melted into his arms and lightly kissed him back.
They parted.
Looking into each others eyes, they both burned. Their hearts pounded rapidly in their chests, their cheeks became flushed.
And they both wanted more.
They locked lips yet again. His arm still under the swell on her back, Ichigo straddled himself between her legs, pulling her closer into him as he lightly pecked on Orihime's bottom lip. She returned the favor, sucking and licking his as her hands traveled their way up his muscular arms and onto his back. She ran a hand through his spiky orange hair and pulled him down to deepen their kiss. He parted their lips with his tongue and let it explore inside Orihime's mouth. He pulled away, giving her quick pecks on the lips before kissing his way to her cheek.
Orihime's eyes fluttered and back arched as Ichigo made his way down to her neck. He kissed on it, licked on it, sucked on it before moving on to her collar bone. All the meanwhile, Orihime enjoyed the sensations Ichigo sent through her, and she showed it. She tilted her head, granting him better access to her neck. She ran her hands though his hair, occasionally moving them to clutch onto his back. She allowed him to slip his hands along her sides, underneath her shirt.
Ichigo kissed his way back up to Orihime's lips before going any farther. They parted, but they craved more. Ichigo looked at her, and she nodded her head. He slipped his arm behind her back and pulled her to sit up. He swiftly removed her shirt. "Damn," he thought, disappointed that she was wearing a bra underneath. Ichigo lightly laid Orihime back down.
More.
She clutched onto the bottom of his shirt as he sat up, straddled between her legs. She ran a hand underneath his shirt, exploring his midsection. Ichigo took the hint and peeled off his button-up shirt.
More.
He crawled back on top of Orihime, kissing her passionately. She let her hands explore his body, touching, feeling, memorizing every muscle, every scar.
More.
Ichigo kissed his way to her ear and began nipping at it. She tingled all over as he licked and sucked on her earlobe, making her arch her back. His hands slid underneath her back, searching for her bra strap, as he kissed his way down to her collarbone yet again.
More.
They both hungered for more as he kissed his way to her breasts.
"Alright, King!" His inner hollow shouted in the back of his mind. "Go get yours!"
Ichigo stopped dead.
He let go of her bra strap and propped himself up with both arms. He looked down at Orihime. There she was, in her bra, arms outstretched over her head. She looked down at him, cheeks flushed, love and lust in her eyes. Her dark orange haired sprawled out beneath her cream colored complexion. Damn, she looks beautiful.
He hovered over her, looking intently into her eyes.
"Kuro-"
"I can't."
Ichigo got off of her and sat by her feet. Utterly surprised, Orihime lay there completely…lost. She sat up and looked at Ichigo.
"I can't." He repeated as he grabbed his shirt, turned away, and sat, back towards Orihime. She looked at him, hand at her chest. Something gripped at her heart.
"I-It's okay, Kurosaki-kun." She began as he unbuttoned his sleeping shirt and slipped it on. It gripped tighter in her chest. "I love you. So it's okay…"
"That's just it, Inoue," he said, sitting cross-legged, shirt hanging open, facing away from the woman confessing her love to him. "I don't… I don't know if I love you back." The words stung in his throat as he said them. He heard her shift about, he heard he clutch her chest, he heard her grab her shirt and expected her to run out of the room, possibly crying.
Instead, he felt her presence behind him.
He sat there slouched over as she sat behind him.
He sat there as she placed a hand against his back.
He sat there as she leaned her forehead against him.
"I-I understand, Kurosaki-kun." The words choked out of her mouth. "It's better that you stopped us…before we did something we would both regret." She clutched the shirt in her left hand against her chest as she sat behind him.
He felt her hand clutch into a fist.
He felt her press her face into his back.
He felt her tears stain the back of his shirt.
He felt like shit.
I know, I know. How mean. How cruel. But you know what? I thought it'd be interesting to shy away from the normal "they go on a date and end up having awesome sex." And so, this is what I've come up with. I will allow harsh comments or whatever, seeing if I pissed you off or made you sad, then I've done my job right. Just please no, "I FUCKING HATE YOOOOOOU. THIS STORY IS A PIECE OF SHIIIIIIITTTT!!!!!!!!1111111"
Please, none of that. Thank you!
So did you find the three quotes? I hope so. :D And oh yeah, doesn't Chizuru and Keigo's daughter look familiar? Hmm... -coughs...Naruto...coughs-
Man, I always want to write a buttload of author's comments at the beginning and at the end of a chapter, but I always forget what I want to say. I just really hope that you guys enjoy this chapter and that I don't lose any fans because of it. DX But, if I get a "good" turnout, then I might consider doing an epilogue. And if I do decide to do an epilogue, I might make it a lemon. Give me your guys' opinion! Anyways, back to the story!
Next Chapter: Gangster Grinning, Hollow Hauntings
The finale. No other details to be given. Sit and wait my monkeys! :P