"It's that dream again." Orihime thought as the now very familiar dream played in her head. The kids, the bright light clouding her vision, the orange haired man disappearing into the light. She was tired of this dream. She had Ichigo now and he wasn't going anywhere. Urahara checks up on him once a week to make sure everything is still fine. It's now been 3 months since Isshin came over and Ichigo's sisters learned of him. The bakery had been open for about a month and a half and Orihime was so grateful that Ichigo learned quickly and did all the heavy lifting for her so she could focus on making the items to sell. Every day, Orihime would notice Ichigo gazing out the door. She knew whom he was waiting for. She knew he had been talking to his sisters, and it seemed like they were always busy with college or life in general to make it over there. She was a little upset that they hadn't shown yet, but she also knew that it was probably very hard for them. Nevertheless, she was preparing herself for the day when the sisters would finally see their brother again. Today was that day, though they didn't know it yet.
Orihime woke and slightly groaned at the now annoying dream. She lifted herself and looked at the early hour with surprise as she usually wakes up late. She laid back down and turned over to watch Ichigo still asleep. She saw his eyes move and smiled. "I wonder what you're dreaming about." She said aloud. She put her hand on his arm and moved it over her waist. He moved onto his back and the blanket pulled off to reveal his toned form. She swallowed hard and chuckled. "I hope I never stop getting butterflies when I see you like this." She thought she saw him smile at that. She got up from the bed and walked into the living room. She opened the blinds. The light was too bright and she squinted at the abundant light now flooding the room. She looked out and saw the sun shining brightly and the snow nearly completely melted. She opened the window and could smell the unmistakable smell of spring. She walked over to the kitchen and began preparing their lunches to bring to work and started making some toast. As she was putting everything into boxes, she could feel arms wrap stealthily around her. She almost jumped, but her mind caught herself and she instead leaned back.
"Good morning Orihime." Ichigo spoke deeply into her ear.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Of course. Turn around."
She turned around slowly as Ichigo pushed her against the counter and gave her a deep kiss. She felt trapped, but she didn't care, she just put her arms around his shoulders. He ran his hands through her hair and moved down her side until his hands glided to a stop at her hips. He pulled her hips towards his and with one swift move, lifted her up to the counter. She was a little surprised at the forcefulness, but didn't care anymore. It didn't matter that they had to open the store in an hour. It didn't matter she hadn't showered yet. She just wanted him. All of him, and time was the least of her concerns.
They arrived only 5 minutes late to the store. There was no one outside, so they felt relieved that no one was waiting, or that no one noticed Ichigo's driving breaking the sound barrier to get there. A few hours after opening, Orihime was wiping down the counter and noticed three girls that appeared to be around high school age sitting in the corner of the store nearest the kitchen. She could hear the whispers and the giggles. She shrugged and kept wiping the counter. She then heard the voices stop and could hear Ichigo grunting as he lifted a bag of flour over his head. She looked over again and saw that the girls were staring in his direction. She clenched the towel so hard, it began spilling water on the counter. She quickly snapped back and re-wiped the counter. She saw Ichigo walk into the front area and begin wiping the counter right by the girls' table. Just then, one of them spoke. "Excuse me." ichigo looked up. "My dad owns the men's clothing store down the road. Your muscles seem to be bursting out of your shirt. If you ever need some new clothes, I can get you a nice discount." The girl smiled and Ichigo remained unchanged in his swowl. Then he softened and smiled. "Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." Ichigo walked away and the girls began their chatting session again. Orihime looked around to make sure no customers were coming to check out and she walked into the kitchen. He spotted her and gave a huge smile.
"Hey."
"Hey. Were you really going to go and get clothes from her dad's store?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."
"I see." Orihime looked down. Ichigo noticed this and walked over to her.
"Orihime, are you feeling jealous?" She shrieked and hid her face into his apron. He chuckled. "I've never seen you get jealous. It's cute, but you don't ever have to worry about that. I am yours and yours alone." Orihime hid her face deeper. She couldn't believe herself. She was a grown woman. This sort of behavior was for someone much younger than her. She sighed and let her eyes reach his.
"You're right. It's a silly emotion. Let's go back to work." Ichigo pulled her hand as she walked away and pulled her back into his arms.
"I love you Orihime."
"I love you too." She hugged him tight and then he pulled her in closer. He walked with her and unknown to her, he had placed them in a very special location. Just at an angle where the girls could see them, but no one else. Orihime was unaware of this and kept holding onto him. Ichigo looked up to watch as the girls left. He smiled and hugged her closer.
A few more hours passed and the store was empty. Orihime took the moment to straighten the store and Ichigo took the time to inventory and put more items in the fridge. As Orihime was dusting, the bell to the door rang and she welcomed in two women. The women greeted her and asked for a tray to put the desserts on. She gave them the tray with a warm smile and walked back to the counter. They asked for tea and she quickly made it and it was done at the same time they arrived to the counter to check out. They sat down and began eating. Orihime could hear the lighter haired woman say that the pastry was excellent and the darker haired one nod in agreement. A few minutes pass and the women returned the tray and were settled in with their teas. Orihime looked over and noticed they seem to have gotten rather quiet. She didn't think anything of it and continued with her business. Ichigo walked out with some bags and put them under the counter and took off his apron. He wiped off his shirt and just happened to glance up at the women. He froze. The two women looked over and both of their mouths were wide open. Orihime now noticed the situation and put her hand over her mouth as the realization of the situation sank in. The lighter haired woman stood up. "Nii-san!" Yuzu ran over and Ichigo took a few steps forward to meet her. He grabbed her and spun her around. Karin stayed at the table and could be seen with her hand in a tight fist and her face pressed against her other hand. She rose up slowly as Yuzu kept hugging Ichigo. "You're really here, aren't you Nii-san?" Yuzu let go of Ichigo and gestured to Karin to come closer. Karin cursed softly, then ran into Ichigo's arms. Orihime stood back and watched the tearful family reunion. Orihime was introduced and the four sat at the tables and chatted for a good hour. Orihime even closed the shop so no one could interrupt. She loved this warm feeling she was getting. The sisters left a few minutes after 6 and the store was locked up soon after. Ichigo and Orihime drove home in somewhat silence. The day was very interesting and they both felt happy that they were able to talk to Yuzu and Karin. Ichigo put his hand on her leg and looked over at his beautiful girlfriend. He knew what had to happen next.
Orihime woke up and looked at the clock. It was just after 3am. There was a loud pounding on the door. She looked over to an empty space where Ichigo would be. She became concerned and put her robe on and headed towards the door. She called out to Ichigo, but no one answered. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. She asked who was at the door, but she heard nothing. She felt a very strong deja vu feeling. She opened the door slowly. She looked down this time right away to find Ichigo laying face down at her doorstep.
"Are you alright?! What are you doing out here?"
Ichigo raised his head slowly. "I'm more than alright. I have the most beautiful, caring, kind, generous person by my side. If I could live five lifetimes, I would still fall in love with you in every one." He rose up to his knee and grabbed her hand. "Orihime, will you marry me?"
Orihime's heart fell into her stomach. She immediately nodded her head and squeaked out a yes before falling to her knees and bawling. Ichigo held her as she continued to cry into his arms. He pulled her away and helped her up.
"I'm glad you said yes. I was afraid you'd say it was too early. I don't have a ring or anything, but I just couldn't wait anymore."
Orhime closed the door. "It's fine. I feel like I've known you for five lifetimes, so time doesn't matter. All I want is you."
He wiped away her tears and looked down on her with the most genuine smile she's ever seen. "We feel the same. Let's spend the next five lifetimes in each others arms."