I'm back with TWO CHAPTERS!

Edit: 30/07/2023

Good/Bad Move

Ichigo sat at his desk looking over the documents once again that Renji had given him. Every time he looked it over, he just couldn't understand what the hell happened between the two even though it was written there. He looked through the pictures that Renji had given him that went along with the documents. He saw how happy Ulquiorra and Orihime were. He was pissed but quickly shook it off. He hadn't heard anything from Orihime in the past couple of weeks. He didn't know what to do about the problem. The merger was at a standstill according to her representatives. He closed his eyes and could not help but think this was his fault.

Renji walked into his office breaking him out of his gloominess.

"Yo Ichigo!" He said, closing the door.

"What? And it's Mr. Kurosaki when you're working," he said throwing the folder with the documents across his desk.

"Whatever." He sat down in the chair that was facing his desk. He glanced at the folder that Ichigo just threw. "Who is that guy? And why does he have you in such a foul mood?"

"Don't worry about it. Why are you in my office?" Ichigo asked annoyed.

"Aren't we friends?"

"No," Ichigo answered without hesitation while unbuttoning his suit jacket and pulling his tie loose. Renji's eye twitched.

"Hey asshole, I don't know what your problem is…" he calmed down when he saw that he was not getting a reaction out of Ichigo. "But I'm here for you if you need me." Ichigo raised his eyebrow. "Don't give me that look, man. I know you're going through something and it's hard to get it out of you because that's the kind of guy you are, but you do have friends here that are willing to help you." Ichigo looked away from Renji. He couldn't deal with this now.

Renji stood up from the chair and made his way to the door.

"I can tell you really like Ms. Inoue but that guy she was with, something triggered their relationship to become so abusive." With that said he left Ichigo with his thoughts.

Ichigo knew Renji was right. Orihime didn't tell him the whole story of her and Ulquiorra's relationship. She did cover the fact that he was a nice guy, but the moment he remembered his parents being killed he became the complete opposite of what she had mentioned.

Ichigo picked up the documents again and read through them again.

Ulquiorra's parents were murdered in cold blood when they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. He was only 12 years old watching the criminals murdering his parents.

He stared at the gruesome photos of the bodies and the crime scene. To this day the police don't know who it was that committed such a heinous crime to his parents. Ulquiorra just wouldn't tell the police because it was a traumatic experience for him. Detectives and psychologists said that he had buried it deep in his subconscious mind.

Ichigo felt his pain because he also went through the same situation, knowing exactly who murdered his mother but he buried it as soon as the police had shown up.

He continued to read on. Ulquiorra was later adopted but the person that adopted him sealed the files. It was a closed adoption. During his teenage years, his life was mostly quiet besides him getting straight A's all through high school and getting a scholarship to Tokyo U. There he met Orihime in one of their classes together and the way they got together was their bond of losing both of their parents.

They began dating all through college. A couple of months before homecoming he and Orihime went through a traumatic experience together leading them both to be hospitalized for a couple of days. Since then, it had triggered his mind about the deaths of his parents causing him to go into unexpected rages. His grades stayed the same, high GPA but his relationship with Orihime went south.

During homecoming, as Orihime said, he started drinking. What she excluded to mention was that after the experience before homecoming, he started to treat her badly before the pregnancy news but after finding out about it and during her pregnancy it escalated. He started to assault her.

Ichigo flipped the page. There were different medical reports and police reports stating the domestic abuse, but they were not pushed further through the courts because she recanted her statement. He stared at the pictures of the cuts, burns, and bruises that were plastered all over Orihime's body. The pictures were terrible. Ichigo clenched his fist. He closed the folder containing the information and threw it on his office desk. He got up knocking his chair over.

The door suddenly opened revealing Senna.

"Great you're here. Let's have lunch together, Hun." Ichigo was not expecting her. He has been avoiding her ever since she moved into his home. She has been there every day and Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. She was still bossy and always wanted sex. He didn't want to do anything for her, but she would get emotional and complain that she couldn't control her hormones. Consequently, he gave her everything she wanted; sex, dinner, and most of his time. But for the past couple of days, he would stay in his office and sleep there just to avoid her.

"Why are you here?" he asked annoyed. He turned his back to pick up his fallen chair.

"Well, I've missed you silly. You haven't been coming home these past couple of days. Renji told me you've been working nonstop. Is it because you couldn't join together with the company, what's it called Sweet Tarts or something like that?"

"Sweet Treaties." Ichigo moved around his desk, passed Senna, and began walking to his office door to leave. She grabbed his suit jacket.

"Ichigo, I'm worried about you. You look terrible first of all and you haven't shaved in Kami knows how long." She pulled him close to her. She palmed his cheeks smiling tenderly. "I've missed you, baby."

He stared at her as she smiled lovingly at him. He felt annoyed all over again. He snatched his face away from Senna's hands and twisted his arm away from her grip.

"I can't say the same about you." Her smile fell from her face.

"Ichigo… you don't mean that right?" He heard the pain that came from her voice. He felt a little pull from it but shook it off.

He continued to make his way to the door. "Let's just go and get something to eat." He said, opening the door. Senna smiled at that and followed him out the door.

Orihime sat in her office twirling her pen. It had been weeks since she last spoke and had seen Ichigo. She felt her heart grow weaker thinking about him. Was this how it would end? She really didn't make anything official with the guy. She told her people to put that on hold on the merger until she could figure things out between them. He hadn't called her about the unification being on hold or even about their relationship. But should she even care anymore? The man had a baby on the way and his ex-girlfriend was probably back in the picture.

She threw her pen on her desk. She was sad all over again.

Who the hell is this woman?

She bit her lip. Was it right for her to get mad at the mysterious ex-girlfriend for being pregnant? She wanted to point her anger at someone. Maybe she should be mad at herself. She had sex with Ichigo not knowing his history. Although he flirted with her first. She just assumed that he was single like her.

Her aunt taught her to never assume because she would be making an ass out of herself and the other person.

Orihime slapped her forehead. She did make an ass out of herself in the end. She had sex with this guy twice before going on a proper date and loved every minute of it. She groaned.

"This is ridiculous!"

Momo rushed into her office. "Ma'am?" she said out of breath.

Orihime stared at Momo for a moment before she broke down in tears. Momo ran to her boss' side as she cried. She didn't know what to do to stop her boss from crying. She has never seen her like this before. So weak and not headstrong like she's used to. Orihime wailed out grabbing the sides of her head and trying to block out the merciless images.

Momo was shaking in fear at her lack of willpower. Another co-worker ran into the office and saw Momo holding Orihime.

"Ms. Hinamori what's go-"

"Get out!" Orihime screamed out still crying. Momo jumped at Orihime's angry voice. The co-worker quickly apologized and ran back out.

"Ma'am you can't do that to your employees." She continued to cry not listening to her assistant.

Momo let go of her boss, she grabbed the nearby desk phone dialing Tatsuki's number.

After a few rings, Tatsuki picked up. "Ms. Arisawa plea-" Orihime snatched the phone from her and slammed it down.

"Don't tell her anything." She wiped her tears away. "I'm going to take the rest of the day off and return home." She stood up and walked towards her closet, grabbing her briefcase. Her office phone began to ring again. Orihime turned her head towards Momo. "Let it ring." She walked out leaving Momo there confused.

Ichigo sat in a booth at the same restaurant where he and Orihime had their first disastrous date. It was late and he couldn't help but keep feeling guilty about humiliating her the way he did. He doesn't even know how he went through the day. Ichigo loosened his already loose tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons on his collar shirt.

He reflected on his day. He took Senna out for lunch, and she kept rambling on about baby foolishness that he wasn't in the mood to hear. She kept asking him to pick a baby name but then she told him not to pick a name because she doesn't even know the sex of the baby yet. She claims she wants to keep it a mystery.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. She was almost 8 months, and the baby will be here soon. He started to accept the fact that he was having a baby with a woman that he doesn't even love. He didn't even want children to begin with. With what happened with his mother he didn't deserve his own happiness. He didn't know who to talk to about this crazy situation he was in. He couldn't tell his old man about it because he knows he'll be happy just to have a grandchild. He couldn't even face his grandfather. He was given specific orders to break off all relationships with other women and to only seek out Orihime. Yet, he messed that up. And since he happened to fuck that up, the merger was probably compromised.

Ichigo sighed.

"Hey Ichigo," said a familiar voice. He looked up and noticed Shuhei standing over him.

"Yeah, hey," he mumbled.

"Man do you look terrible." He sat in the booth across from Ichigo. "What the hell happen to you?"

"Yeah, thanks and it's nothing that I can't handle."

"Dude, I doubt you can handle anything after what I just witnessed a couple of weeks ago. I mean that argument was pretty damn crazy. Luckily this is a quiet area, so no reporters were here to throw your name in a scandal. Being a bachelor and all you gotta keep your image clean?"

Ichigo nodded.

"And I kind of heard parts of the argument, I wasn't trying to be nosey or anything but you two were pretty loud." Shuhei leaned on the table to whisper. "…So, you got your ex pregnant?"

Ichigo nodded again.

"I'm guessing you weren't expecting that." Ichigo remained quiet. "What about that pretty lady? Who is she to you?"

"My client," Ichigo mumbled frowning.

"That's what she said," Shuhei chuckled, but stopped watching Ichigo's frown deepen. "I'm guessing again that you fancied this client of yours?"

"I don't know."

"What the hell does that mean? It's either you do, or you don't." Shuhei said, getting pissed.

"It's just like I said, I don't know," Ichigo said through clenched teeth. Shuhei stood up from the booth and walked around to grab him by the collar of his shirt lifting him up slightly off the seat.

"Don't give me that bullshit. Do you like her or not? She's beautiful and talking to her I can tell she has a great personality. She has a great head on her shoulders and isn't running around like most of these women that you've been dealing with are. So, I'm going to ask you again. Do you love her or not Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo closed his eyes and shook his head. Shuhei pushed him back down into the booth.

"Bullshit." Ichigo turned his head away from Shuhei who was looking at him furiously. "You're going to sit here and lie to me, man? I know you. I don't know why you're lying to me. All you're doing is hurting yourself."

"You don't understand the situation I'm in."

"Shut the hell up!" Shuhei slammed his hand down on the table. "Don't you dare give me that crap! You may have pulled that on her, but you will not pull that shit on me. Just because you got another woman pregnant does not mean your life stops. Are you even happy with that woman you're with now?"

"Of course not! We're not even together but she happens to live with me now. I can't stand being around her, but I can't leave her even if I wanted to."

"Why not? Does she have a gun to your head?"

"That'll be better to get away from." Ichigo chuckled to himself.

"Do you think this a joke asshole?" Shuhei seethed. "If you have some sort of feelings for Ms. Inoue you will find a way just to be with her. That's how love works!"

"Love also hurts too! If I wanted to be with Orihime I would do anything to be with her, but reality doesn't work that way. If I go to her, I don't know what Senna will do to her."

"Senna?" Shuhei leaned off the table.

"Yeah Senna, she's my pregnant ex-girlfriend.

"She's pregnant?"

"Yes! I just said that." Ichigo clenched his teeth. Saying it out loud was cringe. "I just don't know how it happened. She said we had drunk sex, but I really don't remember every detail of that night. Only bits and pieces. But what I don't get is how one moment she says she's going to raise the child on her own and then next she's stalking me and threatening me to stay away from Orihime. I don't even know how she knows her."

Shuhei stared at Ichigo. He looked up at him recognizing his silence. "What?" Ichigo asked.

He closed his eyes. "Look Ichigo, I would advise you to go to Ms. Inoue and work it out."

"Did you no-"

"I heard what you said, and honestly I can care less. Work something out… right now. Go to Ms. Inoue and work it out." He turned and left Ichigo watching his retrieving back.

Ichigo placed both of his elbows on the table while rubbing his temples. He was thinking about whether or not to take Shuhei's advice on the circumstances. But he didn't have a choice; Shuhei was the only one he talked to about it. He got out of the booth and left the restaurant. He was going to Orihime's house despite the late hour.

Orihime sat in only her Tokyo U. hoodie with only her undergarments underneath staring at her bottle of wine and her empty glass in her living room when she heard the bell ring. Breaking out of her trance, she looked at her television clock reading 9:36 P.M. She got up and dragged herself towards her front door annoyed that someone was at her house so late in the night. She approached the door.

"Who is it?" she asked through the door not bothering to look through the peephole.

"It's me. Open the door Orihime," replied the familiar voice.

"Why are you here?"

"I want to talk to you. I've missed you and you just fell off the face of the earth. You haven't called me or anything. I'm worried about you."

Orihime rolled her eyes. She opened the door staring into sad brown eyes that lit up as she opened the door.

"Hi, Tatsuki."

"That's all you have to say to me after you haven't seen me in so long." Tatsuki ran in and hugged Orihime, who didn't hug her back. "Hime, you look terrible," she pushed away from her at arm's length to take a good look at her. "What have you been doing? And it looks like you lost weight."

"Geesh thanks," Orihime said rolling her eyes. "Just come in." Tatsuki let go of Orihime and frowned walking inside. They made their way to the dark living room and sat down on the couch. Orihime curled her legs under her. She leaned off the couch to pour herself some more wine. She put the bottle down and picked up the glass getting ready to drink but glanced at Tatsuki who was looking at her with sad eyes.

"What? Do you want some or something?" Tatsuki shook her head. "Then what?" she said before taking a sip.

"Well, the only time you drink wine like this is when you're thinking of him." Orihime downed the drink and placed the glass back down on her table.

She glanced up at Tatsuki and replied. "What the hell does he have to do with me drinking my bottle of wine?"

Tatsuki knew this was a sensitive issue, but she had to state the obvious.

"Orihime when your relationship with Ulquiorra wasn't working out you practically drank five bottles of wine a week. From what Ulquiorra told me. And that was before you found out you were pregnant. After you got pregnant it got worse, which I believe caused you to have a miscarriage."

Orihime grew furious. She always sided with Ulquiorra. "I was pushed down a flight of stairs!"

"I know that" Tatsuki shouted back but quickly calmed down. "But eventually you were going to lose your baby eventually from alcohol poisoning," she whispered.

Orihime kicked her feet from under her body and got off the couch.

"You need to get out of my house… NOW!" she shouted.

"Orihime!"

"No! I will not have you disrespect me in my own house. What the hell gave you the right to lecture me about the loss of my baby and my issues? I advise you to worry about your own situation and your unfaithful fiancé!"

"W…what?" Tatsuki recoiled back speechless. "He's cheating on me…unfaithful?"

"Yes, unfaithful. The reason I haven't called or seen you was because of him. That idiot of yours made a move on me and I kicked that son of a bitch."

"Uryuu would never do something like that!" Tatsuki denied standing up.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes, I am! He loves me not you!"

"Oh, yeah sure he does." Orihime walked closer to Tatsuki and leaned in close to her face. "He doesn't love you. When you two are making love he's too busy thinking of me."

SLAP

Orihime stumbled and fell on her floor.

"You're not the Orihime I know. You're just some bitch that happens to have the same face as my best friend." Tatsuki stepped over a collapsed Orihime and walked to the front door. "Until you apologize for lying to me, you're no longer invited to my wedding." She then slammed the door leaving Orihime on the ground laughing as tears fell from her eyes.

To the next chapter!