Author's Note: I did say I would update in June, didn't I? I know in some parts of the world it's already July, but hey, I completed my mission! It's finally time for the date and for Ichi and Hime to grow closer with each other. But what's this, Gin and Aizen are up to no good? You'll have to find out! Also, just a quick shout out to the very first group of people who read the last chapter. I didn't realize until the day after that I hadn't put page breakers into the chapter, so it may had seemed a little confusing. Thank you for your continuous cooperation, feedback, and support for this story! I really want to pump out more chapters over the summer, so I will try my best! As always, please, read, review - and most importantly - enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters belong respectively to Tite Kubo, the owner and creator of Bleach.

Chapter 10 - Stray Dog

The evening was mild, a comfortable temperature for Aizen as he observed the beautiful night sky from his balcony. In his hand, he held a glass of white wine. He swirled the alcohol around the rim as he waited for news to arrive. Gin had left the castle a short while ago to receive an important document from his dedicated wife, who had sent the messenger to deliver a small note to him.

It was as if his trusted sidekick had read his mind from miles away. Briefly, after his thought, there was a small rap on the terrace doors from an expected guest.

"I have information regarding our two boys," Gin offered affirmatively.

Aizen turned around to greet Ichimaru and gave him a reassuring look. He was confident in Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. They were loyal lackeys and wouldn't dare betray the trust he had placed into them. There was a reason why he chose the cousins to be the ones to enter the competition. They had a job to fulfill, as well as other responsibilities riding on every win they received during the two-month event.

"Well? Please do share with me, Gin," the man softly requested.

The snake-like individual stepped forward into the moon's radiance and delivered his leader the note his wife had written to him in secret from the Princess.

"Rangiku reported that Ulquiorra came in second, while Grimmjow placed third," the noble told Aizen.

The man's face immediately hardened upon the revelation from Gin. The superior of the castle wasn't pleased. He did not expect such an outcome. He had at least thought that Schiffer would have won the jousting competition. After all, he was stronger than Grimmjow in terms of strength. He stared back out into the darkness.

"Who won in first?" Sousuke calmly asked; however, his fingers tightened around the glass.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Gin answered, leaving behind a disgusted taste in his mouth as he said the peasant's name.

Casually, Aizen lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip. Unfortunately, his method wasn't catching attention. Instead, he ultimately needed a better form of action. A little bit of force may have to be used in place of playing by the rules. For Princess Inoue, she may have not had any say in the decision of the winner during the jousting tournament. However, in terms of other opportunities that might arise during the competition, Aizen had no doubt the noble would be able to choose her own preference for a date at one point or another. In addition, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra would need to go above and beyond to win over Orihime's heart if one of them wanted to obtain the Inoue throne.

"Did the foreigner know anything of the arrangement?" Sousuke inquired.

The younger male responded to his commander, "Yasutora was only carrying out his job as messenger. Besides, he's a dedicated employee to the Princess. Rangiku wouldn't involve outside sources in which she knew little to nothing about."

The reasoning for his question lied with his small suspicion. It mattered to Aizen whether or not the bubbly woman was sticking to her wits. As long as she didn't stray from his grasp, he would make good on his word to her.

The dark-haired man dumped the remains of his wine over the balcony ledge. His eyes landed back onto Gin's pallid face, who stood waiting for further instructions. After a final glance at the moon, Sousuke moved towards his bedroom with a relaxed pace. When he walked past Matsumoto's husband, he handed his empty glass to the obedient pupil as he leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Shall we bother to pay Dr. Urahara Kisuke a visit at this late hour?"

Why was he always being forced into things that usually had nothing to do with him? Why was he the one who had to ditch his commoner attire and replace it was itchy noble clothing? Why was he the man who couldn't let bygones be bygones?

The answer could be simply put from his own very best friend, "Because Ichigo, you're just a pig-headed teenager who has to win at everything!"

Renji's barefaced comment still couldn't explain the reason why his victory at the jousting tournament automatically became a picnic date with the Princess. He didn't even have any say in the matter! Shouldn't there be an option to decline the invitation? Either way, he was going be dining with the Princess of the Karakura kingdom whether or not he had anything to do with it.

The butler was the one who had awoken him from his sleep at a quarter to eleven. Ichigo wasn't fond of getting up earlier than he needed to. With much protest that came from both sides, ultimately, it was Ishida who had won the battle. He delivered Ichigo his outfit for the day after the measurements had been taken from him the previous day before and waited for the adolescent to get changed.

Kurosaki wasn't ecstatic about the clothes that had been made specifically for his body shape. The pants he put on were black, with a velvet material. He had first put on knee length socks. Over the socks, his pants stopped midway at his calf, where it hugged tightly and squeezed the bottom half of his legs. As for his shirt, the sleeves were short since the summer air was humid. It was an off-white color with a steep slip in the middle that slightly exposed his chest. Was this truly appropriate attire to be wearing in front of the Princess? He'd rather just exchange the new clothes for his old ones - at least they were comfortable and didn't show much skin.

After he was dressed, Uryu escorted him into a waiting carriage. Close to the castle, there was apparently a lake that was hidden in seclusion. It was concealed by a forest of trees and wildlife and even though Ichigo could see the palace in the distance from his window, walking by foot would give any person a fair amount of exercise.

The trip to the lake took roughly around twenty minutes. When he arrived, the butler opened the door for Ichigo and requested that he wait a minute so that he could talk to him briefly before he went to his real destination.

"I'd like to ask you one favor," Ishida started, "It requires you to be honest with me, which I know you'll probably dislike. Nonetheless, I want you to know that I'm merely looking out for Inoue-sama."

Why did Ichigo suddenly begin to get an uneasy feeling about where the conversation was heading?

"Just get to the point," the seventeen-year-old barked.

"Have you ever...courted someone?"

Ichigo growled, "Of course not!"

However, his response did not have the butler so convinced on the matter. Instead, the glasses on the bridge of his nose fell lower than where they were and he gave the troublemaker a glare in question.

"Have you even kissed another a person?"

This kid had a lot of nerve! He was very blunt with his inquiring and quite frankly, it was making Ichigo uncomfortable. Where in the invitation to the competition did it say he would have to divulge any private information about himself? He couldn't recall seeing it or it being mentioned by the organizer of the event.

Despite the tough questions, it wasn't as if Ichigo had someone to hide from his past. He wasn't lying about never having a woman to call his significant other. All the girls in his village never caught his eye and they've never made his knees weak with nervousness either. Although the question was intruding, Ichigo stubbornly gave his answer.

"NO. Okay? Are we done here?"

It was beginning to grow clear to the butler that he was over-stepping the line. Judging from his heated demeanor, the adolescent was easily embarrassed by the subject Uryu had brought upon him. His responses were enough proof for the young man to make his final opinion, "Kurosaki is just as inexperienced as Inoue-sama when it comes to love. Maybe we got worried over nothing."

After the small interrogation, Ishida informed the bachelor of his meeting location with the Princess for their intimate lunch date. Past a collection of foliage, the lake Ichigo hadn't been able to see before at last came into view. Once the shade from the trees broke away, Isshin's son was wrapped in the comforting warmth of the afternoon sunlight. Instantly, he lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the rays. He stepped forward hesitantly as he peeked underneath his arm, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person he was supposed to be meeting.

"Over here, Kurosaki-kun."

At first, Orihime's mouth felt numb. As she quietly waited underneath a cherry blossom, she had been taking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful lake that stretched a mile long. However, the noise of shuffling footsteps wasn't one that the Princess had heard since her arrival at the private location. Rising onto her feet, the seventeen-year-old maiden dusted off any petals that may have fallen on her. There was no doubt in her mind that the person who was approaching her from the forest was Ichigo.

A brief minute passed before the bachelor emerged, looking a little dazed and confused upon his entrance. When Orihime spotted him to her left, she almost thought of raising her hand to wave at him from her spot. Quickly, she shot down her own idea. Instead, she searched for the rights words to say in which she wouldn't automatically make him feel uncomfortable for the rest of their lunch date.

"Over here, Kurosaki-kun," she called softly to him.

Upon hearing his name, the young man dropped his arm, exposing his face to the Princess. His eyes immediately locked with her own for she remained frozen in fear. It wasn't that she was necessarily afraid of Ichigo. Just based off of her past encounters with him, he did not seem to be a man who was reckless with his attitude. She never saw two different sides of him and more importantly, he never treated her unkindly even though she was of a different class. She can still remember the heatedness of their ballroom dance as well as how he wasn't as apprehensive as she thought he would've been about touching her in front of the entire kingdom. If anything at all, the only reason he was embarrassed was because he didn't know how to dance.

The young man walked fluidly to the Princess and greeted her with a tight smile. The scowl he wore on their first meeting was still prominent in his features, but it had been lessened when he caught sight of her.

"Hey," he greeted her upon approach.

Slightly embarrassed by the situation she had put herself into, Orihime hastily bowed to Ichigo. When she came back up, the blacksmith's assistant took note that the tips of her ears had turned a flush red. She must be just as nervous as he was, or maybe she was just shy. Silently, the Princess extended her arm out and gestured for the bachelor to sit down on the blanket along with her.

The pair promptly situated themselves underneath the shade, hidden from the sun. While Orihime sorted out the stuffy dress she had worn on their date, Ichigo took a moment to observe the surrounding area, which he had been invited to enjoy whilst he ate lunch. It was a very secluded waterfront. It would be very difficult to find if a person was simply going on a whim. One thing was for sure, he had never heard of there being a lake within the kingdom. His village was nestled by a great and powerful river. As far as he was concerned, if there was ever a place he needed to cool off during the dog days of summer, it was at the river where he and his sisters held fond memories.

As he looked around and after she had comfortably adjusted herself, Orihime wondered about her next plan of action. She wasn't hungry yet for a light lunch, but at the same time, she was unsure of what to talk about with him. Where does she begin? Would they have anything in common with each other? These questions grinded the gears in her head as she hesitantly started to open her mouth to spark a conversation.

"Have you ever been on a picnic before?" she blurted out rather ungraciously.

Ichigo's attention shifted to the side as his chocolate eyes stared at her, "I'm sorry?"

"Um...a picnic? D-did you ever go on a picnic?" she stuttered over the question.

The teenager retreated to looking out towards the water, "Once. It was with my family a long time ago."

Orihime tried to evoke an image of a younger Kurosaki sitting outside and digesting the different sights and sounds. She could picture his father hoisting him up onto his shoulders for a better view of the landscape. She also attempted to envision what his mother may look like or the siblings he might have.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" the aristocrat curiously wanted to know.

He continued to gaze off in another direction, "I have younger siblings. They're twins, both girls. Their names are Yuzu and Karin."

Princess Inoue quickly picked up on how direct and short his answers to her questions were. He appeared disconnected and not at all making an effort to overcome the awkwardness that she for a fact was feeling. She was trying her best to make the lunch date slightly pleasant.

"What about your mother?" Orihime queried, taking a glance of him at the corner of her eyes. They settled on his face for a brief moment.

Ichigo whipped around and tersely retorted with, "She's not here anymore."

Clearly, she had a hit a soft spot of his and in which she now knew better not to ask about for the rest of the time the two were together for the afternoon.

While she had caught his attention, the orange-haired boy decided to make his move. Since his arrival at the palace for the competition as well as thinking back on the day he first met the Princess, he had been interested in knowing one particular thing from her. He figured this chance was a good as any. He positioned his body closer to her than before, for the distance between them was that of acquaintances. At first, Orihime was cautious of his actions. Just moments ago, he appeared to be resisting any form of interest she was showing in him. Why the sudden shift in attitude?

"Is it my turn yet to ask questions?" he implored honestly to the maiden.

The girl perked up at hearing the soft tone in his gruff voice, "I'm sorry! Go right ahead, I won't hold anything back."

"The day you came to my village, exactly what purpose did you have for being there?"

The memories of that particular evening came flooding in like a tropical storm. It had only occurred about a week and a half ago, yet their first meeting seemed as if it was a memory from the distant past. Nonetheless, the day had never left her mind. After all, the entire experience was unforgettable. Even with the feeling of the thrilling adventure coursing through her veins, her encounter with the stranger who had orange hair weighed heavily on her conscience.

Orihime timidly touched her lips with the tips of her fingers as she thought of how to answer the question, "My friend has family in your village and it had been a while since she had seen them."

"What's your friend's name?"

She contemplated whether or not Ichigo might know Tatsuki from his childhood, although neither had said anything to her about it, especially from her spunky maid.

"Tatsuki Arisawa," she admitted with a gentle smile.

When he heard the name, however, there was very little of a response. Instead, his collected demeanor remained as it had been.

"So, you were...just wandering around by yourself? A princess in a village full of criminals and low-life's?"

Orihime didn't fully understand where the bachelor was going with his conversation. Had she done something that wasn't normal for a noble to be doing? If so, she needed to find out what it was for she could correct her improper behavior before someone else told her.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was doing. Why do you find it so hard to believe, Kurosaki-kun?" she retaliated.

Ichigo adjusted the arm resting on his leg for it had started to grow numb, and quickly glanced at the Princess. It was clear that he was upsetting her, and if he continued to investigate, he was positive one of her companions would fly out from one of the bushes and attack him. His body still hurt from the competition from the day before, he didn't need any more bruises.

When he thought back to how he worded his question, he realized how offensive it might have sounded to the aristocrat. One thing he has certainly learned about Orihime over the course of his short stay was that she was very open to any person who crossed her path. She wouldn't judge someone merely off of how much money they had or the clothes they wore. Simply enough, she'd prefer to have a conversation one-on-one to get to understand their character better. By calling people's she's never met before opportunists and lowlife's, it bothered Orihime to be told such a thing. Even though Ichigo could very well be placed in the same category as his neighbors, his perceived image hadn't entirely scared the young maiden off. Instead, she approached him without any sense of hesitancy. She generally insisted on helping him pick out a flower, which ironically, turned out being for her in the end.

"What I envision of a princess is a stuck-up brat that won't take no for an answer. She has everyone do things for her and she looks at people who are below her as street rats. Nevertheless, I guess, you're different. You're more courageous than I gave you credit for," he complimented her.

The Head of Karakura momentarily peeked at Ichigo and unknowingly began to flush a bright color of red across her cheeks. Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't a bad man; at most, he was a guarded individual. He'd grown up his entire life being taught to never trust the social elite. Even for Orihime, she understood the place of where he was coming from. Her own brother had warned her countless times as a child to be on the lookout for corrupt lords and queens. It was deeply distressing to the princess that the people who have the money to give the less fortunate never seem to want to help and are only concerned about their status on the hierarchy ladder.

"All anybody ever strives to obtain is the power," Sora once told her, "Never become like one of them, Hime."

As it began to start to grow hotter, Orihime offered Ichigo a drink, "Would you like some freshly squeezed lemonade?"

He gratefully nodded and watched as the young woman poured him a glass and handed it to him with trembling hands.

"You're so nervous about everything," he pointed out before he sipped the cold beverage.

Immediately after the teasing comment was formulated and broadcasted to her, Orihime properly sat up and held her head high as she declared, "No, I'm not!"

The blacksmith's assistant gave her a knowingly look when she attempted to defend the jumpiness she had been experiencing throughout their lunch date.

"I've got another one for you," he asserted.

The Princess blankly blinked back, "Another one what, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I have another question," Ichigo repeated, setting aside his finished drink. He began to reach inside the picnic basket as he debated whether or not his curiosity would cause an unpleasant reaction.

"When I was on the horse, battling it out with Ulquiorra, there was a second where I glanced over at you. You generally seemed petrified of me falling off the horse. Why was that? Did you not think I could do it?"

Orihime remembered the feeling of fearing for Ichigo's life quite well. Horses - to the aristocrat - were magnificent creatures that unfortunately had played a part in her brother's death. According to the guardsmen who had been traveling with Sora during the time of his accident, the horse that he was riding on grew startled once her sibling was unexpectedly struck by a foreign object. The horse responded to the dilemma by throwing Sora off of its back and went running into the Karakura forest.

If she decided to answer him, primarily, she didn't want to be perceived as an easily frightened girl. She could only conjure what might be said about her if she revealed the real reason for her being worried about the peasant's safety. The people she had just barely managed to garner respect from would simply take the information and turn it against her.

Nonetheless, in the midst of reliving old memories, Orihime realized she was taking far too long answering the question.

"My brother was on a horse when he died, so ever since then, I've been a little apprehensive going near one. It wasn't the horse's fault in regards to Nii-sama's death, however, I hold them to a different standard than most would, I suppose," she quickly dismissed the question, all while keeping her head down as she recalled the experience.

Kurosaki noticed he was correct as to assume he was wrong to ask her such a thing. It clearly brought up her painful past and the deeply cherished brother she looked up to since she was a little girl. He of all people should have remembered the Prince's accident. After all, if it hadn't been for his father requesting him to go out food shopping, he would have never heard about the death of the noble until much later. He could call back the time when the old women gossiping about the tragic accident.

"The Prince was struck down from his horse!"

Now her reaction seemed rational, especially regarding the circumstances. At the time, her facial expression came across as doubtful to Ichigo. Needless to say, it wasn't that she didn't have faith in his abilities - because it was much more than that. For a Princess who normally wouldn't associate herself with peasants at all, Orihime was by all means different. She was concerned for his general safety. He, a mere commoner who would barely manage to give the shirt off his back to her, was the recipient of her mutual Ichigo, he really couldn't understand why she was so kind to everyone.

When the teenager eventually pulled his hand out from the basket he was rummaging through, he discovered a neatly wrapped turkey sandwich clasped tightly within his hold.

"Are you hungry?" he offered, attempting to change the dark subject he had just propelled upon their lunch date.

The Princess was deeply grateful for his attempt as she grabbed the food out of Ichigo's hand.

"Would you like to share with me?" she inquired of him.

"As long as you give me a decent half. I won't accept if you keep more for yourself."

"Kurosaki-kun! I would never do such a thing!" Princess Inoue teasingly remarked.

As she split the sandwich into two, she giggled to herself, having realized she finally felt content with the idea of being in the company of a young man. Originally, the mere suggestion of five men entering her secretive palace appeared intruding and uncomfortable. At the start, she couldn't possibly ever imagine living among the bachelors she just had met for the next two months. Despite the initial nervousness that had been sitting at the bottom of her stomach since yesterday, she was confident she could continue on with the tournament.

Ichigo Kurosaki was a person who had definitely left her wanting to know more about him.

After the newly acquainted teenagers finished their small but fulfilling lunch, Rukia and Uryu had emerged from the shadows and abruptly ended the date for the Princess. On the road next to the lake, sat two separate carriages. The petite caretaker gently guided Orihime to the first one and started to hustle her inside.

"Kuchiki-san, what's the rush? We have to wait for Kurosaki-kun," the beauty condemned.

Rukia's face became puzzled, "No, he has his own carriage, Inoue-sama. He's not riding with us."

"Why not?" Orihime questioned while her eyes looked around for Ichigo. If she wouldn't be able to talk to him on the way home, she at the very least, needed to express her gratitude towards him.

Not shortly after her arrival at the carriage, the man she was scouting for approached his own vehicle of transportation all with the guidance of Uryu. When the aristocrat spotted him, she quickly jumped down from the step of the coach and picked up her dress as she walked over to the peasant. He almost had slipped inside without noticing her when Orihime called out to him.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo glanced back over his shoulder at the sound of his name, "What's wrong?"

The young woman shook her head, indicating to him nothing horrible had happened since their recent departure from one another.

"I would just like to tell you that I enjoyed spending time with you, today," she beamed with happiness. Ichigo's scowl once again disappointed as he listened to her meaningful words. She seemed to have a way of making him less aware of his usual stern composure.

"Ah, I'm glad," he muttered under his breath, obviously shaken by the sudden burst of emotion she was conveying, "I liked it too."

With a final curtsey to indicate her thankfulness, Orihime retreated to her caretaker and listened to her order. As she settled into her seat, the seventeen-year-old couldn't help but look forward to the next affair. Even more, she wanted to know what prize would be offered to the winner, especially if it meant being able to see a particular blacksmith's assistant if given the opportune moment.