A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for sticking around for another week! Last week was about family bonding, but this chapter will but us back on track.
Disclaimer: If you'd ask anyone I know, they'd tell you that I'd love to own Bleach, because the story line would be way different. But it isn't because I don't on Bleach… Oh well!
A few days later.
"Is there a way to explain to the court that Tamotsu is better off with me?" Orihime cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder while her hands continued kneading the warm dough.
Osamu shook his head. "It's generally frowned upon to exclude one parent from their child's life completely. Tamotsu is Sousuke's and we can't change that." Osamu shooed his assistant out of his office with a hand gesture. "I'm doing the best I can."
Orihime sighed. She had been talking to Osamu all morning and it seemed as if they were getting nowhere.
"I know you are. But I just need you to understand." Orihime squeezed the dough in her hands, allowing for the gooey mass to flow between her fingers. "I don't want to lose my son."
"Mrs. Kurosaki… I'm looking into it." He heard the phone beep indicating that there was another caller. "I'll contact you tomorrow."
Orihime rolled her eyes when she heard the line go dead. Osamu's efforts weren't enough. Orihime didn't feel secure, not like she thought she should feel. She didn't feel like they could win sole custody again. What if Aizen somehow managed to sneak his way into Tamotsu's life? Tamotsu will be better off with Aizen completely out of his world. He had a mommy and a daddy…
…And a sibling. The court should be satisfied…
Orihime yelped when something hit her toe. She looked down and saw a glob of pastry dough on the edge of her shoe. Orihime scooped the shapeless dough and scrapped it off her fingers and into the garbage.
"What is it now…?" Orihime sighed, completely irritated when she heard a heavy knock at the door.
The woman was still wiping the guck off her shoe when she waddled to the living room, passing an naive Tamotsu. There was another impatient knock and Orihime quickly moved to open the door. Her breath caught at the sight of the person.
"Tatsuki!"
Tatsuki threw her arms around her old friend. "Orihime!"
When Orihime's hands grasped something spiky and thick she leaned back skeptically. "Your hair- I mean, you're here!"
Tatsuki blushed and touched her short cropped hair. "I know… I told myself I'd keep it but I made an impulsive decision and chopped it all off." Tatsuki beamed. "It's more me, don't you think?"
Orihime smiled at her best friend. "It looks nice," she said sincerely. "You deserve a good change anyway."
The tomboy rolled her eyes. "Change, I've had enough of that stuff!" Tatsuki hooked her arm around Orihime's elbow and walked them away from the front door. "It feels like home here."
In the living room, Tamotsu ran to his old wrestling buddy. "Tatsuki-san!"
Tatsuki bent down and gave him a bear hug. "You've gotten so big!" She stood back up and eyed Orihime. "And so have you!"
Orihime patted her belly. Her daughter had recently grown a little wider. "That's what happens when-" The woman looked down at Tamotsu. "…When you plant the seed…"
Tatsuki nodded, catching on quickly.
Orihime looked at Tatsuki's empty hands. "How about we go get your bags?"
The dark haired woman sucked her teeth. "We'll do that later." She grabbed Orihime's hand and walked her to the steps. "I want to know about everything I've missed."
They sat up stairs on Orihime bed, just chatting, just like old times. Before her pregnancies, before Ichigo cheated, before she was married. Just like in her old, rusty apartment.
"Speaking of which, where is that devil. I wanted to have a little chat with him." Tatsuki made a wide grin that was all too familiar to Orihime.
"Tatsuki," she breathed. "Things are alright, for now at least."
Tatsuki shook her head. "But why should you have to settle with that? Why can't it be alright all of the time?"
Orihime scratched her head. "That's just not the hand I've been dealt." She took a pillow and played with the tassels.
"Then ditch this game and find a new deck." Orihime rolled her eyes at Tatsuki's analogy. "Aren't you tired of this wonderful husband act? He screws up and then he plays the good guy? Just for him to turn around and fuck it all up again?"
"Tatsuki…" she warned.
"Sorry, sorry. I know." Tatsuki rubbed her spiky head. "But come on! Orihime, we've been through this before…"
Orihime tugged on a thread and it fell between her fingers. "I already told you that I don't want to have my family grow up in a-"
"Broken home." Tatsuki finished for her. "Orihime, that's a piss-poor excuse and you know it."
"Tatsuki…" Orihime looked up at her long time friend. She looked… younger. Refreshed. Though Orihime is in her late- twenties, she felt twice her age. In experience that is. "…You just don't understand… I don't care how many times he screws up; I'll still be by his side."
"Ori-"
The pregnant woman sat up straighter. "Tatsuki, if you came here to ridicule me and my lifestyle you can leave."
Of course Tatsuki wouldn't understand. She meant well, Orihime knew that. But she hadn't gone through the things she had. Felt the things she felt. Yes, Renji Abarai was a hassle… but it wasn't the same.
Tatsuki blinked a few times in amazement. "…Well, look who grew some lady balls!"
Orihime blushed. "Language…" she reminded her.
Tatsuki got off the bed and stood. "Since that's that, while you're not being mad at me, I'll be helping you around the house and with the baby."
Orihime's smile appeared again. She huffed in relief and flopped back down on her pillows. "That sounds perfect. I want to spend more time with Tamotsu, but I'm always sleeping. And when I'm not sleeping, I'm eating chocolate, cooking, or cleaning. And when I'm not doing that, I'm at the bakery making sure things are going smoothly before we officially open again." She placed the pillow back where it belonged under her head. "The only time I have with him is when he wants to go to the park… even then I'm not really interacting with him."
Tatsuki took her hand. "That's why I'm here! I'll clean, cook… and, um, I'll eat chocolate with you!"
"Oh, Tatsuki! I can always count on you!" She hugged her. "Do you know how hard it is to have no chocolate eating buddy?"
Later that night.
Orihime stared down at her wiggling toes. She had on black, opaque tights that went up and over her belly. She couldn't see the tiny appendages but she knew they were there. "Ichigo, I really don't want to go to this thing…"
Ichigo came out of his closet, pulling the knot of his skinny tie up to his collar. "We won't stay long. I promise."
Orihime looked up from her toes and at her husband. He was struggling with his cufflinks and Orihime stood from the bed and helped him. "You put in hour after hour for your job… and what do they give back?"
Ichigo held her hands after she finished pushing the links through the slits. "My job has given us a comfortable lifestyle." Orihime looked down and harrumphed. "It isn't a lot but it's just enough."
The man lifted her chin up and then held her face. "You look beautiful by the way." Ichigo always loved the color green on her. It was the perfect dress that was cinch under her chest and fell straight down to her knees.
"Thank you." When Orihime and Tatsuki went shopping for a dress earlier that day, of course she worried that a dress wouldn't fit. But after a choice that came down to either green or purple, it was Tamotsu who made the final decision. The right decision.
Ichigo rubbed his thumb along her cheek but it made her skin smear. Ichigo lifted a brow in astonishment. "… What's this?" He rubbed his fingers together and between them was a flesh-colored substance.
"Oh… Um, I haven't had much sleep lately…" When Orihime was awake, all she could do was think about the custody battle. And when she tried to go to sleep, her baby would wake her baby up again, and when Orihime was awake all she could do as stress.
"I saw these dark circles under my eyes so I covered them up… Does it look stupid?" Orihime knew that Yoruichi told her to stop stressing, but trying to not be stressful was stressful which made attempting stress relief, like eating chocolate, even more stressful then it really was.
Without a word, Ichigo took a tissue from out of its box and gently wiped the makeup off from over her cheeks.
When he finished, he balled it up in his hand and grinned. "There you are." He kissed her nose. "You're beautiful. Don't ever cover your face up."
Orihime nodded thankfully. He left for his closet again and Orihime sat back down on their bed, facing a new problem. "Okay…" she breathed. "I've battled this before…" Two shoes looked back at her, one, flat, safe, and convenient. The other… grown… sexy, dangerous… "Pregnant." Orihime confirmed with a firm nod. She slipped her feet into the black flats.
"Here."
Orihime looked up to see Ichigo holding out a large, black velvet box.
"What's this for?" Orihime asked as she took it from his hands. Her smile wilted as she pulled a diamond necklace out its container. It gleamed and reflected the lights, causing the beams to bounce and glitter off the walls.
"Ichigo…" she shook her head disapprovingly while he hooked the necklace around her neck. "…This must have cost a fortune!"
"I'm still making payments on it." He shrugged and watched her walk to their full length mirror. "Nothing my job can't handle."
The pregnant woman turned the side and then to the other. Before, she looked like a giant green balloon. But now she looked like a sparkly giant green balloon! Orihime wasn't a material girl, but this necklace was… was...
"If anyone asks, I gave it to you as an anniversary gift."
Orihime turned away from the mirror, not wanting to think about that horrible day.
Ichigo tugged on his suit jacket but paused when he realized his mistake. His wife was looking down, away from her reflection. "I've never formally apologized for that… I'm sorry that I wasn't-"
"Will she be there…?" Orihime began chewing on the inside of her cheek and then the infamous lump formed in her throat.
"Not that I know of…" Ichigo rubbed her sleeved shoulders. "I've cut all ties with her, you know this."
Her throat went dry which made it even harder for her to swallow the thick lump blocking her speech. "What will people say…?" her voice cracked softly.
She was scared. He didn't want her to be. "Nothing new or anything we haven't heard." He plastered a smile on his face. "Don't be upset. We're supposed to look happy."
…Look happy. Was their happiness artificial? Since she's came back all Orihime's been doing was playing a role. The perfect wife. The pieces fit perfectly… was this how it was supposed to feel?
She played her role effortlessly… but was she still playing the role? Was it her on the stage, playing her part and everyone else who was true? Or was the performance over and she was the only one still acting?
She didn't know anymore. The lines between fake and real were too close and now they've blended together…
Whatever it was, real or fake… Orihime wanted to keep it that way… Everything was too perfect now to ruin.
…
Tatsuki opened the cabinet, shut it, and then opened another.
Tamotsu bounced in behind her, watching her scrunch up her nose.
His parents left the house. His mommy looked very pretty and his daddy smelled good… they were going somewhere special. So now it was just him and Tatsuki-san.
Tatsuki looked down at Tamotsu. Her eyes widened in mock horror. "They have no snacks in here…"
He grinned up at her, knowing that Tatsuki-san was always fun and was always taking him on adventures.
Tatsuki lifted a brow, letting the anticipation grow. Tamotsu's face turned red and his cheeks puffed up as he watched her slowly close the cabinet door. "Hmm... What are we going to do about this?"
Tamotsu lifted his shoulders and shrugged.
"Hmm…" Tatsuki pondered. She walked in a circle around the kitchen island and Tamotsu marched behind her, never taking his eyes off the wiry woman.
She stopped in her tracks somewhere between the sink and dishwasher. Tamotsu bumped right into her long legs. "…Wanna go on a late night shopping trip with me?"
The child hopped and screeched in delight. "Shopping trip!"
…
Orihime looked over her shoulder again. Three women turned their faces sharply away from her. They were talking about her. "How much longer do we have to be here, Ichigo?"
Ichigo sat down and sighed. "Orihime, we just got here."
She looked to her left and on the other side of the room, a lady in pink was giggling. She was giggling and glancing at Orihime. "I know… but I feel like everyone is staring…"
"So what if they are?"
Her gray eyes widened. "They're talking about us…"
"People will talk for the rest of our lives…" The man exhaled slowly. "We'll leave in a few, I just have to speak to Ishida and we'll go."
"Hi!"
The couple looked up and behind them stood a short, blond haired woman with way too much makeup on.
Orihime gave her a faint smile. "…Hello…"
Ichigo nodded in acknowledgment. "Good evening."
She stuck out her small, thin hand and vigorously shook the red head's hands. "I'm Eiko Nishimoto, a reporter from The Bulletin… Can I ask you two a few questions?"
"No thank-"
"Take a seat." Ichigo pointed to the chair by his wife.
Orihime stared at her husband disbelievingly. "Ichigo…"
In a flash, Eiko pulled of a mini pad and pen from out of her bag. "…Can I take note that you aren't wearing your wedding bands?"
"Huh?" Orihime looked down at her bare fingers… she hardly noticed the weightlessness of them anymore.
Eiko pointed with her pen. "Your rings… beautiful necklace by the way…"
Play the part… whispered through her mind. "…It was an anniversary gift… from… from my husband…" Orihime placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder distractingly. He smiled encouragingly.
From her peripheral vision, Orihime could see people staring more intently, like she was a piece of meat and everyone were starving piranhas, wanting, craving a piece of her. Wanting to get inside of her, to know what makes it tick.
From her other side she saw Eiko Nishimoto scribbling down hard on her pad, as if she wasn't fast enough, then the thought would float from her mind.
"Great, great… anniversary… Now," Eiko sat up straighter. "Let's just get down to the real business…" Leaning in and lifted and wax brow, she asked Orihime a much too personal question: "How do you make your marriage work even though you have an illegitimate son?"
Ichigo cleared his throat and opened his mouth to interject but Orihime beat him to it.
"Excuse me?" No matter how much it hurt, Orihime was able to take beatings for what she's done, what Ichigo did, or even what Aizen did. But it hurt the most when someone involved her son into the conflict. No one was allowed to ever speak about Tamotsu.
Eiko pursed her hot pink lips. "Did that come off a little harsh? Let me rephrase that... Hmm…" the blond tapped her pen against her chin. "How does your union function so smoothly though your wife had an affair and ended up with Sousuke Aizen's bastard?"
Orihime gasped. Ichigo asked her if she was alright and she nodded. Eiko continued to write down Orihime's reaction on her notepad.
"Look," Ichigo glared back at the reporter. "I don't know what kind of paper you're running or writing for, but that is way too inappropriate."
"Oh, please? The people really want to know! There are couples out there with lesser problems then the two of you and they stop trying." Eiko pointed her pen at Ichigo and gave it a twirl. "How can you stand to look at your son though you know he's not yours?"
Orihime abruptly stood. "Would you excuse me please?" She grabbed her clutch and stumbled on her way past the stairs and socializing people.
He held her hand and took the lead through the crowd. As they turned a corner to a less crowded parlor, he guided her down to a wooden armchair and listened as she stabled her shaky breaths. "…Ichigo… she was harassing us… She was being mean and nasty and… and rude and just plain mean."
"Orihime, that's just how some people are in this world." He squeezed her cold hands. "Don't cry, it'll be alright."
"Is this what people really think? Is that what they really want to know?" Orihime looked back down at her cold hands, red now from how hard she was holding Ichigo's. "Ichigo, we are not a… a tabloid, a headline… I don't want people reading about us and making up stories and assumptions…" She sniffled though everything from her neck and above was dry. "We… we're not bad people…"
It was hard for Ichigo to explain… He did PR for a living but he couldn't even explain the system to his wife.
"Ichigo, I want to go home. Now, please."
"Alright… Alright, but I have to go exchange a few words with some colleagues… I can't just leave, not just yet." Ichigo didn't want to torture her any longer, but he had a social job, a duty to his company. This job didn't trump his duty to his marriage to Orihime, but it was definitely an important factor.
"Please, Ichigo." She held her aching head. "I want to go… now."
The last few bystanders in the parlor poured out, leaving the couple alone to their own prerogatives.
Ichigo took a deep breath. He knew when he acted calm, she'd act calm too. "Cool off, just lay back and breathe and I'll be back in five minutes. Okay?"
Orihime gulped down some air which only made her throat even drier. "…Okay…"
…
"Do you like… Doritos…?" Tatsuki looked at Tamotsu. He nodded, reached to the shelf and added a bag to the cart.
The woman asked if the child liked popcorn. He nodded again, grabbed for the bag and chucked it behind him into the cart.
"We have a good system going here…" Tatsuki said. She asked Tamotsu if he liked Fritos but the child shook his head and stuck out his tongue in disgust.
She pushed the cart forward. "Let's go get in line."
"Tatsuki…?"
Tatsuki looked down at Tamotsu in shock. His innocent dark brown eyes blinked back. Okay, Tatsuki thought. Tamotsu is way too young to have such a deep voice…
"Tatsuki." A red haired man walked up to the cart. "It's me."
She allowed for a smile to creep onto her face. "Renji?" Tatsuki walked up to him and awkwardly placed an arm around him, he the same.
Renji transferred his six-pack beer to the other hand. "…How, um, have you been?"
Tatsuki rubbed the back of her head. She knew that that beer was his favorite. "Good…"
Renji leaned back and looked at her in full view. "You look… good."
The woman rolled her eyes in disgust. "Alright, spill it. But if it's about my hair then I'm going to-"
The red head's brown eyes widened. "Whoa there!" He grinned a white one. "I like it."
Tatsuki reluctantly relaxed. "…Really?"
Renji nodded. "I, um… I like it short."
Tatsuki lifted her hand and touched her cropped hair. "You do…?"
"Well…" Renji shrugged his thick, tattooed, well toned arms. "People can change."
Tatsuki didn't know how to take him. When she normally came across an enemy, she immediately took action in destroying them…"Yeah, they can." But Renji was different. He always had been… she could never destroy him though she tried plenty a times.
Renji looked around her and pointed at the cart. "And who's this?"
Tatsuki looked over her shoulder and walked back to the cart. "Kurosaki's offspring." She gave Tamotsu's rounded belly a little tickle and he giggled lightly.
Renji pointed at the child. "That's Tamotsu?" he asked skeptically.
Tatsuki nodded.
Tamotsu squint his eyes at the red haired man. He didn't know him but he didn't like him. He was scary and mean-looking and he had odd hair and he had dark marking all over his arms and face… And he was making Tatsuki-san act weird. She had red stuff all over her cheeks and she wouldn't stop shifting around- like she had ants in her pants or something. That's what mommy says when he couldn't stop moving and dancing around.
"Huh." Abarai grazed his thumb against his scruffy cheek. "He's the little bugger everyone was making a fuss about?"
Tatsuki took the handle of the cart. "He is not a bugger, he's an angel. Isn't that right?"
Tamotsu nodded and harrumphed at the scary man.
The woman turned the cart around and moved to the front of the supermarket.
Renji followed.
"So…" Abarai helped with carrying a few of her goodies to the car. "You want to grab dinner some time?"
Tatsuki finished buckling Tamotsu to the car seat. "Um… I'm not in town for long-"
"The sooner the better." He interjected.
"Um…" Tatsuki caught Tamotsu's eye. He didn't look too happy. "Renji… I, um… I…" Tatsuki threw her arms into the air in defeat. "Why not!"
Tamotsu watched his friend fumble for words. He didn't like that expression on Tatsuki-san. It made her look like a red tomato.
"That's gre-."
Tatsuki squeezed her hand into a fist, literally battling heself. "On second thought… No." She shook her head and she didn't see the smile drop from his face. "No. I think that we do well as friends… and I want to keep it that way."
Renji raised his right brow. "Are you sure?"
Tatsuki nodded. "Positive. I don't want to ruin this for the both of us."
After a thought, Renji nodded too. "I think you're right." He shifted the six-pack to his other hand. "It's for the best…"
"Yeah… it is." Tatsuki opened the front left door, started the engine and drove away.
…
Ichigo pulled into their double driveway and stopped the car. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked. Most of the lights were on in the house which possibly meant that Tatsuki and Tamotsu fell fast asleep.
Orihime inhaled and nodded. "A little…" She glanced at her husband and he lightly smiled back. "Ichigo, can I ask you something…?"
"Of course." He stopped the engine. "Anything."
Orihime rested her head in her hands and sighed. "How did you feel when we went to the court trial?"
"I was upset. Just like any man in my situation would feel… but that doesn't change the way I feel for you and Tamotsu- none of it ever has."
"Well… She was right…" He heard her groan. Her hair came down on all sides like a fiery waterfall and then she sat up which made it strand glimmer in the dark car. "It hurts when they say he's not your son."
He waited until she looked at him. "I've never denied that."
She shook her head. "But I won't put you through that again. I don't want you to come to the next court hearing."
He raised an orange brow. "Are you sure? I don't mind, I really-"
"I have to do it myself, Ichigo."
He didn't know what she was trying to prove, he just didn't understand. But if it was something that she felt that she had to do alone, he wasn't going to interfere. "I won't argue with you. If this is what you want who am I to complain?"
Orihime exhaled. "Thank you."
The next day.
Ichigo threw the ball lightly over to Tamotsu. He let the child run to the other side of the yard and cheer at his touchdown.
"He scores!" Ichigo jogged over and gave his son a high-five. Tamotsu handed the ball back to his father and they made their way back to the middle of the yard. Ichigo took the ball and let his son tackle him to the ground. Tamotsu took the ball again and ran back to the edge of the yard and spiked the ball to the ground.
Ichigo chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.
Tamotsu must notice how excited his daddy gets over sports so he has taken it up himself. Daddy would shout and yell at the television all the time when the men were playing games. Tamotsu wanted to make his daddy proud.
"Daddy, I touchdowned! Daddy… daddy, play with me again!" Tamotsu walked back to his resting father happily. "Daddy, will you play?" He saw that Ichigo had his eyes closed. He took his finger and tried to lift his eyelid with it. "Daddy, play with me."
Tamotsu succeed for Ichigo blinked and rubbed his watery eye. He sighed heavily. Imitating him, Tamotsu did the same.
Ichigo yawned and looked up at the clear sky. "I think it's time to go inside…"
Tamotsu frowned. "No! I want to play!"
Ichigo pulled himself up on his elbows. "I don't know… you look a little tired."
The child shook his head. "Daddy, I'm a big boy. I can play!"
Ichigo squint his eyes as Tamotsu begged with his own. Damn, Ichigo thought. How can I say no to that?
"Alright, alright." Ichigo stood up and so did Tamotsu. "One more game, okay champ?"
"Yeah!" Tamotsu hoped in place in eagerness.
It was routine. Ichigo had the ball first but Tamotsu would always get it back, if Ichigo was lucky, he would score a point but Tamotsu would score the next.
Tamotsu had gotten the ball again. He ran and ran and tripped over a mound in the ground.
He didn't believe what happened to him at first, but when the realization came, the dirt, the ground, the pain, he began to cry.
Ichigo stood over. "Hey, hey don't cry. You're a big boy now. Remember?"
Tamotsu sniffled up the tears quickly, hoping not to disappoint. Tears still fell but he was sure not to make a sound.
Ichigo got down to his level. "Now let me see that arm." He took his son's arm, turned and twisted it. He nicked himself on the elbow against the ground. There was minimal blood, nothing he couldn't survive through.
Ichigo picked up his son and walked back into the house from the backyard. He sat him down on the kitchen table. Ichigo found peroxide and a band-aid in the cabinet and patched his son back up.
Tamotsu rubbed his finger against the smooth sticker.
"All better?" Ichigo asked.
Tamotsu nodded silently.
Ichigo lifted him off of the table.
"Daddy, how come you don't let me cry but you let mommy cry?"
Ichigo looked down at his son. Tamotsu knew something was wrong with his question. He knew he wasn't supposed to ask something so daring and risky to his father. But he was always a curious one. "Tamotsu… I…" He wrinkled his brow in utter confusion. "…I don't know."
The front door opened and Tatsuki and Orihime came bustling in with bags and bags of groceries. The boys helped put it all away of course, but Ichigo was all too distracted. He accidently placed a milk carton in the plate cabinet.
Aside from his odd behavior, the night went on as usual. Orihime cleaned the dishes and Tatsuki dried them. Tamotsu fell asleep on the couch. Ichigo helped by sweeping the kitchen floor then moving downstairs to his office.
He didn't get much work done.
Ichigo thought about all the times she's cried, of course he wasn't present for each one, but he was looking at it from a general point of view. If he has seen her cry many times before he couldn't imagine how many times she's cried when his back was turned.
Ichigo leaned back in her chair and frowned. How could he have done the things he's done to her? How could he have cheated? She deserved more. If he was truly honest, he cheated himself. He cheated himself out of great years and time.
He wasn't going to waste it anymore.
They went to bed. Tamotsu was tucked in and heavy-eyed and Orihime was climbing into the covers. Ichigo didn't even know how he'd gotten to the bedroom. It was like he was floating on a cloud all day.
Orihime turned her lamp off. "Good night, Ichigo," she mumbled and nestled into the sheets.
Ichigo leaned over and cupped her cheeks. She smiled sweetly at him and he did the same. He bent down and kissed her on the left cheek, then her right and her left again.
Orihime giggled from the ticklish kisses.
His eyes wandered down to her lips and he touched them with his own. She complied happily.
Orihime suddenly became worried. Orihime didn't know why, she just did. The woman stroked the back of his head and down to the tiny orange hairs that trickled down behind his neck. "What's wrong, Ichigo?" she whispered. "You've been acting strange all day... Is it because of last ni-"
"I love you." He said. He didn't whisper.
The sides of her lips turned up. "I love you too."
Ichigo pushed off of her and dug through a drawer in his nightstand. He came back over and he held out two gold rings. "Will you take these back?"
Orihime looked into his large palm were two gold bands sat. Orihime wanted to touch them, to put them on and where them around like she used too. But things were different now… she had to wait. "…Not yet, Ichigo… just… Not yet."
His fingers curled and closed around the rings. "Okay…"
"It's not you, it's me." She looked at his disappointed face. "Ask me again, later."
Stupid, stupid! Ichigo chanted in his head. His should have known she wouldn't have taken them back. It obviously wasn't the right time… "Alright." He placed the rings back in their hiding spot.
She was sorry to hurt his feelings repeatedly, but it wasn't the right time. She sunk back down into the blankets. "Goodnight."
Ichigo closed the drawer. "Night."
Hey guys! Hoped you liked this chapter! The next one is the court hearing which means one thing- time skip!
And no guarantees, but I'll be out of town, away from my computer for a few days after Christmas. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update next Sunday, but we shall see!
Stay tuned! And Merry Christmas!
Rocka.