Disclaimer: if bleach were mine i'd be drawing this not writing it, don't you think?

Ichigo burst in to Las Noches, bleeding profusely. His wounds, which had never had a proper chance to heal, had reopened. In his adrenaline rushed state he didn't notice though, the only thought rushing through his mind was her. He followed the feel of her warm reiatsu to its origin, leaving a small pool of blood behind with every step he took. He took a final left and immediately felt an overwhelming wave of relief to see her standing there, safe, not an enemy in sight.

So what was she doing?

'Inoue?' he panted, taking a few shaky steps towards her. While he was running he could ignore the pain – that need for rest. Now that he had stopped...he was at his end. She turned to him, her grey eyes wide with alarm and worry.

'Kurosaki-kun?' she exclaimed anxiously. God, he's losing so much blood!

'Let me heal you Kurosaki-kun you –'

'No,' he choked out, moving to stand straight behind her. He looked over her head at the glowing dome she had erected and at what lay beneath it.

'Wha-?'

'I'm doing what I have to. The only thing I can do. Try and undo the thing that caused all of this in the first place,' she replied a small, sad smile gracing her oh so innocent face. Ichigo opened his mouth to protest – to tell her that he would take her the hell out of here – but all that came out was a hacking cough...and a trickle of blood.

Orihime's heart twisted painfully. She couldn't bear seeing him on the brink of death all the time (and once again) because of her. Because of her weakness. She kept one hand in place over the Hougyoko and placed the other above Ichigo's heart.

'Sōten Kisshun, I reject,' she said quietly but firmly. Immediately Ichigo was bathed in the warm, healing glow of her powers. Orihime had never tried to use her powers on two separate things simultaneously before and it took everything she had to be able to concentrate on both, keeping them both going. Sweat beaded on the side of her forehead, rolling down her face, before mixing with Ichigo's blood on the ground.

Ichigo watched her intensely.

'Inoue...please stop!' he begged as he felt his strength be restored bit by bit. Has she always been able to heal this fast? And she's working on two things at the same time...

'Inoue please! I'll be fine! Just stop this! You need to conserve your reiatsu –'

'No,' she cut him off with one firm word. As if the shock of Inoue cutting anyone off wasn't enough to shut him up the defiant tone in her voice did. She looked up at him and he could see a fire in the depth of her grey eyes that he had never seen before. The sudden spike in her reiatsu, caught him by surprise-he could feel her powers working faster on him.

As she healed him, they never once broke eye contact. A scorching brown piercing in to a fiery grey, trying to work out the reason for the sudden change.

He couldn't say why, but suddenly, it was like time had slowed. Logically, he knew that it wasn't the most appropriate of moments but he didn't plan for it after all.

She's captivating. The thought caught him by surprise, like the rush of air when a train pulls in; Butit wasn't the pretty colour of her eyes, but the depth they held. It wasn't her goddess-like body but what she did with it...like healing him even though he could see how much it strained her.

She's radiant.

The light in front of him disappeared and she fell to her knees, still managing to keep her hand raised above the Hougyoko. Ichigo dropped to his knees in front of her, shaking her shoulders gently.

'Inoue,' he started slightly desperately.

'No,' she replied, firm as before but with a hint of tiredness. 'You're not the only one who can be stubborn you know,' she smiled slightly, looking straight at him again. This time, her eyes begged. Begged for understanding. And he did. He knew that if it were him, he would do the exact same. For some reason though, that thought didn't comfort him. His own life he would gladly risk, but hers...

She could see the reasoning in his eyes. Eyes that she read like a book.

'I have to,' she said simply, before brushing his fingers off her shoulder gently and rose to face the Hougyoko full on, turning her back to him. Her fingers only touched his far the briefest second but his hand tingled at the contact.

The protective barrier around the Hougyoko had disappeared.

He stood behind her and couldn't help but notice how her whole body shook. He placed his larger, calloused hands over her small, smooth ones and laced their fingers, before wrapping their arms around her body tightly to support her. Ichigo couldn't help but notice how right her hand felt in his. How right it felt to have her in his arms. As if his body had been created solely to blanket hers; He was her clothing and she his.

A shiver ran down Orihime's spine as he pressed his body firmly against her back.

'I'm not leaving without you ever,' his low passionate voice murmured in to her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck. 'I swore to protect you and I'm never going to break it. If this is what you need to do, then I'll stay here with you and help you. Just tell me what I have to do.'

Don't let go of me...

I never want to let you out of my arms...

'Keep me awake. Talk-about anything,' she asked, eye lids drooping slightly. He thought frantically, racing through his mind.

'I'm scared of spiders. Don't tell anyone, but I refused to sleep in my room until Karin took it out for me.' Her eyes opened wider and she smiled. He gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

'Your turn,' he breathed in to her ear, a slight hint of desperation colouring his tone...and something more.

The Hougyoko was only a quarter of its original size now.

**

'Don't be so rough with our guests,' Aizen mock reprimanded the Espada, who were fighting shinigami, humans and Quincy alike. They turned to him in confusion. His grin was a sweet poison.

'After all, we want them alive for the main event.'

Yamamoto sōtaichō stared in to the face of the traitor. What on earth was Aizen up to?

A/n: so what dyu think?

! So i got a bit of ichi/hime in yaay-therell be more. I planned out the entire plot yesterday so i should update fairly soonish

Please review and tell me what you thought about this chap-constructive criticisms are welcome.

Thanks for reading this!

Missy xxx