Date written: 11/10/09 – 20/10/09

Posted on FanFiction: 21/10/09

A/N: I'll be shifting between the contest of Ichigo and Uryuu, and the awakening of the Shun Shun Rika. I already have a twist in mind, something you guys will not really expect. My inspiration of it came from Hellsing, and that's all you need to know.

Sadly though, I won't be putting any showtime for Chad's awakening. It'll be mentioned and such, but that's all. I want to end this project as quickly as possible; plus, I really am anxious to start writing the training sessions and then the Soul Society arc. It's long overdue, to me.

Before I go, Sdarian was able to guess the name of Orihime's zanpakuto correctly. If you want to know, go see that review. Or if you want to see something more than just a name, I've included a link in my profile a side-view drawing I've made of the zanpakuto with its name included in the title. Either you don't want to be spoiled or you're so curious in finding out her name that you'll just jump at the opportunity, the drawing will definitely be there.

And lastly, this chapter is dedicated to my 'tomboy' friend, Maricel, whose birthday is today, might I add. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

--- CHAPTER 17 ---

Princess and Dragon: Interlude I

Life went on for Tatsuki Arisawa. Ever since the memories of that night two months ago where she faced death in the eye even when she was only staring at an empty room with her best friend lying unconscious on the floor, ever since she started seeing blurs from practically everywhere she went, ever since the blurs manifested into more concrete and detailed humans with chains on their chests, ever since her best friend revealed that she had become a shinigami for roughly a month now, ever since . . . she felt this innate power dormant within her, life was no longer the same boring thing day in and day out.

For weeks, she had been trying to get a hold of this power, but most of her attempts ended up with nothing. Those few occasions where she pulled it off, she had been hit with a glimmer of strength, a benign feeling that she had pulled off from sheer chance than on purpose. The results were incredible. When she thought she would only see outlines of these 'ghosts' as time went on, she was wrong. For every time her luck gave her that opening to recapture even a millisecond of the intensity she felt from her dormant power, the outlines became blurs, the blurs became something like silhouettes behind a thick translucent glass, and then the silhouettes became solid matter. Spiritual matter, actually. No one but 'sensitive' people could see them.

But after touching that power for the fifth or sixth time, she hadn't been able to do it again. Tried as she might, there was nothing that could open the door to that dormant power. Her luck ran out, she supposed, but that didn't stop her from trying every morning and night to get that one-in-a-million chance again.

Tatsuki would admit that she found no reasonable purpose in breaching through that closed door other than two. One would have to be for Orihime. She wanted to help the girl if she could, and she just had this feeling in her gut that opening that door was the key. The other reason was for more personal reasons. Apart from the rush she felt whenever she tried to pry open the barriers erected from her innate power, she also felt very euphoric. It was close to what she felt when in an orgasm, but very different in subtle ways. The euphoria didn't come in waves, but one giant tsunami. It was also quick and sudden, like being prodded. The first time she tried to reach into the very depths of herself and encountered the barriers, she became very weak in the knees and almost shouted out from the immense pleasure coursing up and down her spine like an elongated fire hose going out of control from the torrent of water spewing out of its mouth. Needless to say, she grew almost addicted to the feeling by the fourth time. She only got prods for the most part, so there was no telling what would happen if those episodes were to lengthen into seconds or minutes. It was a scary thought, though. That level of pleasure might drive her insane.

At least, she thought, I didn't become a junkie. It stopped before my mind became dependent to it. And Tatsuki was silently thankful for that.

A downside to this new 'sensitive' ability would have to be the ghosts. Not ghosts in general, but the ones who cast away their shame as if it was perfectly natural to be a perverted exhibitionist when you're one. She mostly ignored these spirits in her day-to-day activities, but her tolerance could only go so far. As of now, she had seen ghosts making out in spiritual public at least twice a day, a prankster ghost trying to moon random people in the streets, a perverted ghost peeking in the women's locker room (Tatsuki made sure to change away from that particular spirit), and a pair of ghosts having sex right in the middle of a busy road without a care to the world. She remembered that last one too vividly for her liking, and she was certain that people had been staring at her oddly, seeing that she was gawking at what would be nothing but air to them. It wasn't the act itself that disgusted her—she was curious about it, as all teenagers who haven't experienced it yet were—but the two partakers, who were moaning and shouting each other's names in sexual delight.

Tatsuki never looked at Yaoi comic books the same way again.

Despite what she wished not to happen, it happened anyway. Which was why she was sighing in exasperation at yet another ghost couple making out as if they were in their own private suite and not beside the Karakura High gymnasium. It wouldn't be long before they'd start screwing like rabbits and no one will be none the wiser than her . . . and Orihime, if she were here to see it. Come to think of it . . . maybe Tatsuki should keep that girl away from any ghost couple on the verge of wanting to satisfy their lust.

"Tatsuki-chan." Speak of the devil. At least the couple was shameful enough to try and do it on the gymnasium rooftop instead of here. Tatsuki just hoped that the woman was not a screamer.

"Yeah?"

Orihime took in a deep breathe through the nose. "Can we . . . talk for a minute?"

She nodded. There was still ten minutes of her break time before she had to go back and get some more practice done. The tournament was close, and the coach was going all-out on the women division's regimen. Tatsuki was lucky enough to be given a rather long break after being the first to complete the coach's exercises. The whole thing was tough, but she liked it.

Orihime led her to the walkway which leads to the entrance of the main building. She sat down on the edge of the elevated walkway and motioned for Tatsuki to do the same.

She could tell that Orihime was nervous about something. The way she would avert her gaze from hers. How she would rub on the knuckles of her right hand as if nursing them from a recent punch bruise. She let Orihime take her time to ask what she wanted to ask.

She heard faint moans coming from the rooftop, and it took all of her self-control not to sigh exasperatedly. Fortunately, Orihime was too busy with her own thoughts to hear it.

Let's hope it stays that way, she thought.

"Please don't get mad at me," Orihime said, still averting her gaze.

Tatsuki raised a brow. "Why would I get mad at you?"

"I don't think you would take the question well."

"Orihime," she said gently while putting a hand on the orange-haired girl's shoulder, "I'm your best friend. I won't go ballistic over a silly question."

"It's not a silly question," Orihime grumbled.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I promise that I won't react too strongly, okay?"

Orihime seemed to have brightened up at her proclamation, but still hesitant in getting the question out. It took a few more seconds for her to take a deep breath . . . and say the four words that she never expected to be said.

"Do you like Ishida-kun?"

Processing information. Okay, she got the idea, but what the hell?!

"Eh?"

"Do you like—"

"EH?!!"

"Ah! You broke your promise." The girl pointed an accusing finger at her.

Tatsuki couldn't care less about breaking that small promise. I mean, her like Ishida?! The same Ishida in their classroom? The stoic and dismissive prick that seems to have some kind of superiority complex? Uryuu Ishida?! Where the heck did Orihime get such an absurd idea?

"W—w—w—w—w—what are y—y—y—y—you—" Tatsuki cleared her throat, put a hand on her thumping chest, and took a deep breath. In and then out. In and then out.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked with a calm voice that contrasted with the bewildered side of her ego.

"It's just one of the theories I've been thinking up lately," Orihime replied, looking more relaxed now that Tatsuki had calmed down.

"Theories?"

"On why Ishida-kun hates me."

"Wait a minute. That stick-up prick hates you? Why?"

"I don't know, which is why I'm making theories. He never really told me the actual reason except that Kurosaki-kun and I have something in common that he hates more than anything in the world."

Tatsuki had a feeling she was exaggerating things a bit. "It must be the orange hair," she suggested.

Orihime shook her head. "I already thought of that, but I don't think Ishida-kun is the kind of person to judge people based on physical appearances."

"Other similarities would have to be your spiritual sensitivity and both being shinigami."

She shook her head again. "Ishida-kun might be a little sensitive to the presence of spirits, but I doubt that he'd see them, much less know that Kurosaki-kun and I are shinigami."

"If you say so. But I got nothing left to think of. Then again, how did I get involved in this in the first place?"

"You're the subject of my final theory, that's how."

"Huh?"

"It's simple if you think about it. What Kurosaki-kun and I have in common is having you as a best friend. And in that, I think Ishida-kun harbors feelings for you and is jealous of Kurosaki-kun's and my close relationship with you. He might be thinking along the lines of, 'Why can't I be as close as them?' and 'If only they were out of the way, then I can talk to her.'"

Tatsuki had trouble grasping that theory. It was farfetched, yes, but it had its firm level of possibility, albeit small as it was. She never took notice of Ishida's actions at all, so she couldn't prove to Orihime right now that the bespectacled teenager has no interest in a girl like her. She could only be relieved by knowing that Orihime's theory was just a theory and not true fact. If it was, then she didn't know what to think of it or how to respond to the guy's affection, and . . . okay, why was she even considering it?

Shaking the ominous thoughts out, lest they lead her to a path destined for heartache, Tatsuki closed Orihime's mouth as the girl went into full detail over her 'like-to-love' theory. The concept alone was enough to give Tatsuki a headache.

"Is this why you were so airheaded this morning?" That was a question with omitted words. Tatsuki didn't want to add that she was acting more airheaded than usual that morning.

Orihime nodded. "Yes. I was afraid to ask back then, but I still wanted to know about what you think of Ishida-kun."

She snorted. "Like I'd fall for a snob who hates my best friends. And you still haven't told me how you came to the conclusion that I like the guy."

"From your names."

"Our names?" Does she mean . . . ?

"Yeah, your names. Both you and Ishida-kun have the kanji for 'dragon' in your names, correct?"

Yup, she means that. "And because we have such a connection with our names that there is a chance that we're very compatible with each other, is that what you were thinking of?"

She nodded with vigor. "Yup. You got it."

Tatsuki sighed. "Orihi—"

A powerful noise erupted nearby, sounding like glass shattering.

Tatsuki stood as quick as the sound died down. From the distance, she could hear someone shouting that the school windows have all broken.

"Tatsuki-chan."

She eyed Orihime, trying to discern the layers of emotion coming across her features. "I don't know what's going on," she told her, "but I'm going to find out."

"I'll come with you."

Tatsuki nodded, and they both rushed towards the courtyard of the school. She didn't notice Orihime falter in her steps and glanced at the sky above. If she had, she would've seen the darkness spreading like spilled oil.

"Oh my, oh my," Urahara murmured as he gazed upon the shadowy visage of the afternoon sky. He had always regarded that heavenly body as a place of tranquil and peace, rage, and also sadness. The know-how of human emotions is as mysterious to figure out as that of the weather, and that is how it intrigued him so, like solving an unsolvable puzzle. Not only can it be frustrating, it also gives him a challenge in the dull world he had been living for the past century. But it seemed that with the appearance of the substitute shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, things were more hectic and livelier than before.

"Is that what I think it is, Manager?"

"Yes, Tessai, that's also what I'm thinking." He watched as the sky mimicked the color of tar and the shape of an eye. It was as hollow-looking as the creatures coming out of its cracks. "Someone used a very powerful Hollow bait."

"Aren't those supposed to be banned?" Yoruichi wondered.

"In Soul Society, yes," Urahara answered, looking away from the spectacle to Rukia, "if my sources are correct."

Rukia nodded at him. Her phone began to beep again, and she groaned.

She didn't know how amused Urahara was when she decided to turn off the device completely. "But outside of Soul Society," he continued, "anyone can make and utilize the bait."

"It's still out of control, though," Yoruichi commented. "The townsfolk will no doubt be harmed if nobody takes action."

"Right, you are, Yoruichi-san. Right, you are." He clapped his hands twice. "All right! Roll-call!"

"Jinta, here!" the boy exclaimed as he slung his paddle on his back.

"Ururu, reporting for duty," she said shyly, emphasizing her point with a military-esque salute. The wrapped-up coffin-shaped object was next to her, ready for deployment.

"Tessai, ready and willing." He only stood there without any dramatic movements.

"Everyone knows what to do?" Urahara asked, and he received a choir of 'Yessir!' in response. He almost swelled in pride at their synchronicity; it took him weeks to teach them to be as responsive and snappy as they were now. Not exactly enough to be considered as a formidable group of freedom fighters, but it was close. Quite close for his liking, that is.

"Need any help?" Yoruichi asked.

"No, that's quite all right. What would I be if I let you handle this little matter?"

Yoruichi chuckled. "I understand."

"Will you be joining us, Kuchiki-san?" He was smiling while he asked.

"To where?" she asked back, her fists clenched and her gaze solely at the widening crack inside the ominous eye of the sky.

"To the source of this predicament."

"I can't believe I'm cleaning this up!" a woman yelled to the heavens. "And I didn't even do anything to deserve it, too."

"Will you pipe down already?" Tatsuki said to her. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home."

Fortunately for Tatsuki, clubs had been ended prematurely due to the ruckus that occurred earlier. She didn't know the specifics, but the gist of it was that all the windows of the school building were shattered by some unknown cause. The teachers who were still in the building placated the startled group of students gathered in the courtyard that it was all the work of hoodlums vandalizing their school. This action created more panic than calm, but Tatsuki didn't listen to what other excuses the teachers had in store for them. What had mattered to her at the time was the true cause and how it came into effect without anyone seeing a single person leaving the school premises. If what the teachers had theorized (she thought of this lightly because it seemed the teachers were as doubtful to their own explanations as she was) had some grain of truth, then there should be witness. A passing student, a teacher walking the corridors, anyone in the school grounds. Yet it seemed as if the perpetrator had done it like a ghost.

"That's easy for you to say, tomboy," the woman replied. "You don't mind getting all down and dirty like a man. Oh, how I hate those teachers forcing Hime and I to do this all by ourselves."

"We're not the only ones doing the cleaning, you know." Tatsuki gestured towards the other students who were also cleaning up the shards of glass littering the courtyard. After the teachers had settled down the situation somewhat, they ordered everyone to start cleaning up even if they were not at fault. That pretty much summed up the reason for club activities ending early. Except for the basketball club, though. The varsity team was still practicing as Tatsuki swept glass off the cemented ground; the junior varsities were stuck cleaning up like the rest. With Kagine as their coach, she couldn't blame them as they mumbled agreements that the guy was treating them unfairly while pampering the starting five.

Well, Tatsuki thought, it at least beats practice.

"I know, but still—"

"Just shut up and get back to work!" Tatsuki snapped, turning a few heads at her general direction. She didn't care. She had had enough of Chizuru's whining to last her a lifetime. Not to mention that she kept on eyeing Orihime like a predator out for blood, though in this case it was more like a predator wanting to sedate its lust. Tatsuki made sure that the lesbian cleaned up the mess far away from Orihime's vicinity.

Chizuru ignored Tatsuki and settled to double her ire. "Oh Hime!"

Mother of . . . Tatsuki was on her last thread of patience. If she were to keep that horny bitch under a leash one more time . . . she will not be held responsible for any permanent damage the target might have.

Then she felt it. A change in the air. Heaviness. The air felt like it was stuffed with invisible smoke. A sound of thunder, like a roar magnified by the echoing walls of a cave.

There was ringing in her ears but that didn't stop her eyes from witnessing the fall. One by one, students moved as if they had been struck somewhere on their body, and fell to the ground without cushioning their fall. They all dropped dead, so to speak. And they were bleeding, too. Not blood, but something slimy and green, and it was spreading like from a deep wound.

"Tatsuki-chan!"

Orihime tackled her to the ground, just before she saw something blurred past her vision like a flying mosquito. It hit the ground the same way she and Orihime did: loud and painful, except it splattered not thudded.

Tatsuki pain wrap around her consciousness as the fall hit her head pretty hard against the cement. She blinked a few times, and assessed her best friend's state. Orihime was already standing up and looking up to the sky—no, she was looking at the roof of the school building.

"Orihime, what—"

"Shhh!" she replied vehemently. She looked at her left, then her right, all while her eyes showed Tatsuki the state of a person that was in the brink of a mental breakdown. Orihime was not one to panic so emotionally and actively, and this behavior was what disturbed Tatsuki. Not the air, not the thunder, not the bullet-like object that splattered beside them. It was seeing Orihime getting hysterical.

Whatever words she wanted to tell Orihime while she lay there with a fair amount of grain-sized shards poking on her back like a bed of nails, they disappeared almost entirely when she saw her schoolmates standing up in zombie fashion. It unnerved her, to say the least, though she couldn't state the reason why so. It was more of an instinct aware of imminent and lethal danger close by.

Orihime grabbed her hand, only for someone to grab Orihime's wrist with a painful amount of pressure. She heard her yelp from the pain, and when they both looked at that someone, they realized it was Chizuru. Tatsuki was about to call her name to see if it would snap her out of whatever the heck she was doing, but one look at her glazed eyes made Tatsuki open her mouth but did not let out the words. They died out as soon as she saw those eyes. And what made things worse was that on Chizuru's shoulder was a dark green stain.

"Chi—Chizuru-chan?" Orihime's eyes were wide.

Tatsuki sat up quickly and slapped Chizuru's hand away from Orihime. She then took Orihime by the wrist and dragged both of them towards the exit. One of the students they were about to pass had his leg stuck out, ready to trip anyone, and while Tatsuki was perceptive enough to hurdle over it, Orihime wasn't. She lost her grip, and Orihime tumbled to the ground. The zombie students were then ganging up on her.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Tatsuki shouted as she punched a random student in the face, uppercut a female on her right flank, hooked another on her left, and kicked a guy in the balls when he grabbed Orihime's head.

"Tatsuki-chan!" She was asking for help, and Tatsuki was willing to deliver every blow she had in her arsenal to be sure that she would be safe.

She used every skill, every kick, every punch she had learned in her past lessons of Karate. Some of her moves were a form of streetfighting, a style she had honed during her elementary years, but it was flawed and only useful for powerful and down-for-the-count strikes. Its weakness was defense, but it was not Karate's. She dealt all the punches and kicks she could to clear a path, and she didn't hold anything back. She somehow knew that it would do no good to suppress her attacks because she didn't want to hurt her schoolmates too badly. The problem there was that these students out for her and Orihime were not in their right state of minds. Tatsuki blamed it on the green stains visible in various body parts of each student. She didn't know what it was, but theorized that it might be some kind of mind-controlling something. Whatever that something was would have to wait. Her top priority would have to be escaping the school with Orihime.

When at last she pushed back enough of the zombies, she grabbed Orihime again and led her towards the school gates.

She felt pain on her shoulder. Without her control, her right arm suddenly backhanded Orihime in the face. The girl dropped to the ground, looking at her in shock. Realizing what she had done, Tatsuki tried to move and comfort Orihime but there was no response in her body. It was moving differently than how she intended it to. And when she glanced at her pained shoulder, there was something green splattered on her karategi (tr. Karate Uniform). On the center of the stain was a hole on the fabric, and a bud-shaped object protruding from it.

Tatsuki was nearing Orihime, who was touching the spot where she had hit her. "Orihime, run!"

Orihime opened her mouth—

"Just go! I can't control my body . . ." Tatsuki resisted walking any closer to her best friend. Her shoulder stung in waves of pain that felt like having a hot poker sliding inside the back of her clavicle. "Hurry!"

"It is pointless," someone said. "No one has ever escaped from me."

Tatsuki's body took a step forward, getting much closer to Orihime. She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"You're not going to shout anything like 'Come out' or 'Who's there'? My, my, my."

"It's hard enough to . . ." Tatsuki paused, took a deep breath, "talk when . . . you're in pain and having no control over . . . your own body." She took a step forward.

"I will congratulate you on your powerful will, human. I seldom find prey that needs an extra 'kick' out of my seeds."

Looking up, Tatsuki spotted a monster that looked like a cross between an octopus and a jellyfish, floating. It had a white mask etched into its face, while slit, yellow eyes glared at Tatsuki from the two eyeholes.

"It will be the last praise you'll ever hear," it said before swinging one of its tentacles. Something burst out of it like a slingshot pellet, and it hit Tatsuki in the chest.

The monster laughed.

Ori . . . hime . . .

Her tunnel vision worsened. She saw Orihime stood up. Running towards her.

No . . . run . . . run . . .

Her hands clenched into fist. When Orihime was close, she quickly hit her with straight punch in her abdomen. Orihime reeled back, coughing saliva.

No . . . please . . . don't let me do this . . . Orihime . . . Orihime . . . no . . .

Wet. Something wet was forming in her eyes, clouding her vision. She grabbed Orihime's neck, applying pressure.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no . . .

Orihime was crying. "Tatsuki-chan," she whispered.

The monster still laughed.

Orihime . . . Orihime . . . ORIHIME!!!

Orihime couldn't breathe. She tried to loosen the grip of Tatsuki's hands from her neck but to no use. Tears were forming in her eyes when she saw Tatsuki's own tears. Tatsuki didn't want to do this; she would never do this.

"Tatsuki-chan," she whispered, not really aware of actually saying it. She was only thinking of the pain on her stomach, the need to breathe, and the tears.

Slowly the grip loosened, but Orihime didn't act upon it immediately. Tatsuki pushed her down. She landed on her butt as she coughed a few more times while holding onto her sore stomach. She had almost vomited her lunch when Tatsuki had punched her, but she sucked it up and swallowed whatever puke that had come to her throat.

Tatsuki was resisting the control, Orihime was sure of this. Her whisper had been enough to give Tatsuki the strength to give Orihime an opening. An opening for what? Escape or retaliation? Orihime wasn't sure, and she didn't like either. She didn't want to leave her best friend behind nor did she want to hit her. There was a difference when it came to Orihime hitting her best friend. Tatsuki was not in control of her body (she realized that when she saw the glazed look in her eyes), while Orihime was in control of her own. That would mean Orihime was voluntarily hurting her friend, and she didn't want that. She didn't want to do that.

Escape was a wise move, it should be, yet it also seemed like the coward's way out. The gate was unguarded and only some feet away. If she hurried, she might be able to cut the corner before the others or the octopus Hollow would react. Though, she wasn't sure about her speed. Her stomach still ached, and she was still out of breath from being strangled.

What should she do?

"Are you watching this, Master?" she heard the Hollow shout. "I'm a good girl, so please play with me later after this, please, my Master?"

Orihime didn't know what to do, didn't know how to act. She had always relied on Tatsuki to save her from bullies and the like since she was small. She never stood up on her own. Whenever she would face a Hollow, she would always think 'What would Tatsuki-chan do?' or 'What would Kurosaki-kun do?' There was never any of her own strength to fuel her resolve. All of it was borrowed, because when it boiled down to the bare essentials, Orihime knew that she had no strength to offer her resolve. Whatever she could offer would only be blind belief in something that didn't even exist in the first place. Strength is potential born within a person. She had no such potential. She was certain of this. Very certain. She could defeat Hollows because it was a gift (or strength) given to her by the kimono woman. She learned to be firm and steady because it was something Tatsuki drilled into her during their Karate lessons. And she learned to see underneath the mask because of Ichigo. All strengths in their own way, and none of them were her own.

But . . .

With great effort, she stood up, the zombie students limping towards her.

I need strength. My own strength. Tatsuki-chan needs me.

She took a step forward, and using that as momentum, dashed the rest of the way.

Tatsuki-chan always protected me. It was a promise she made back then. But . . .

Orihime tripped, but steadied herself before she fell.

I need my own strength to protect her this time. I need it.

She hugged Tatsuki. The latter didn't react.

Please . . . let me be the protector this time.

There was a flash of light, a rush of air.

Orihime felt the side fringes of her hair fall, as if her hairpins were somehow removed. Spotting something wheeze by from above, Orihime glanced up and saw six flying objects looking like miniature gliders. One of them, red- and yellow-colored, swooped down to her eye level. She then thought wrong of thinking that they looked like gliders. The two protruding shapes she saw from their sides were actually wings, and the one that flew next to her face was a human half the size of a Barbie doll. It looked more like a pixie like Tinkerbell. It was definitely female, too. Its bleach blonde hair wrapped in a high ponytail while the red and black clothing was closely wrapped in a red cloak that split itself into two equal halves behind her, acting like pseudo-wings.

With its eyes narrowed like a mischievous fox, the pixie said to her, "We are here to serve, Orihime-sama."

Chapter Afterword:

Some of you may be wondering about the title, some of you may not be. This chapter title has already been used in the manga, too. Anyway, Tatsuki's name (竜貴) uses the kanji for 'dragon,' hence the title since Orihime's name uses the kanji for 'princess.' I would've figured dragon to be 'ryuu' or 'ryou,' but apparently there's another name for it, which is 'tatsu.' I now wonder if the Japanese classify each name with a different kind of dragon. Hmm . . .

And before you start asking me if I'm planning on a Tatsuki/Uryuu pairing, let me tell you this: I don't know how I'll go with relationships outside the main one (IchiHime, obviously). I've always been a sucker with non-canon/unusual/less-popular pairings. In Harry Potter, I prefer Harry/Hermione and Harry/Luna (Heck, even a threesome would be okay for me) than Harry-Ginny. In Bleach, I prefer Ichigo/Orihime and Ichigo/Tatsuki (Heck, even a threesome would be okay for me) than the very popular Ichigo/Rukia. In Naruto, I prefer Naruto/Temari, Naruto/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata (Heck, even a foursome would be okay for me), Kakashi/Kurenai (Not compatible, you say? I don't care; I just think they're cute together), and Sasuke/Hinata (I always wondered what their kids would be like. Byakuringan, or something). People have their own preferred tastes.