Bleach 1. Lunchtime

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters.

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Lunchtime

She couldn't stop laughing. This was _too_ funny.

She hugged her stomach as she doubled over, almost choking on her laughter. She looked up at his face again before laughing some more.

However this was not funny to the orange haired boy sitting across from her. He didn't know what the hell she was laughing about. And it seemed that she was too wrapped up in whatever she thought was so damn funny to even give him a strange answer.

This didn't mean that he wasn't getting ticked off with each passing minute of her laughing and pointing at him. His eye began to twitch and his frown deepened. "WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?!"

Orihime tried to calm down her laughing just enough so she could speak, "Ku-Kurosaki-kun… milk."

"What?" his eyebrows knitted closer, trying to figure out what the girl was trying to tell him.

"Y-y-you have a milk mustache."

His face had a horrified expression, but before he could wipe away the offending milk, he found soft lips kiss his upper lip and remove the mustache for him.

He blinked a few times, trying to register what happened before smirking at the slightly blushing girl and taking another swig from his milk carton, this time making sure he got another mustache.


	2. Hurtful Words

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters.

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Hurtful Words

"That Orihime girl got the third highest on the exams again?" he heard some random, plain looking girl in the hallway say to her friends next to her as he checked his own score.

Ichigo smirked in pride when he heard them say her name.

He expected everyone to talk about Orihime. She always got very good grades. Everyone would always praised her and tell her that they wish they could be like her. And she would just smile happily, trying to hide the bags that began to form under her eyes from all of the late studying she and he had done. Only he, Rukia, Chad, Ishida, and Tatsuki knew that Orihime was a studying fiend since they were the only ones that studied with her.

That was just her way. She let people believe what they wanted about her. She had told him once that it was easier to pretend to be dumb than to act smart.

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"I don't want to be hated, Kurosaki-kun. It's much easier to be silly than to act smart because people tend not to be so jealous of me. They write me off as a ditz and move on." Inoue smiled at his concerned face, "I'm fine with that as long as they don't hate me. I don't like it when people hate me."

"You wouldn't think she's that smart." The second girl said with her mouth open a little in awe as she stared at Inoue's score.

"That's because she isn't." The third one stated, looking away from the scores on the board.

_What the hell? _Ichigo looked at the three girls who had not noticed him there. They didn't even know Orihime. They weren't even in his and her class.

"Yeah. Just look at her. There's no way she could be smart period." The first girl ridiculed, crossing her arms in front of herself and nodding in agreement with her own statement.

"She's probably sleeping with the teacher," input the third one.

"But isn't her teacher female?" the second, smaller girl asked.

"Your point?" girl number three countered.

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore…

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WHAM!!

….so he slammed his fist into the wall right behind them.

The girls all jumped back in fright before turning to face him.

"Ku-Ku-Kurosaki!!" the three girls squeaked in terror. And no one could blame them since the look he was giving them would even scare away hollows.

"What the hell is your problem?!" he nearly shouted at them, but he remembered he was in school, so he lowered his voice. "What the hell did Inoue do to you for you to spread crap like that around? You don't even know her." He got no response but three quivering girls. "Well?!"

The third one bit her lip before mustering up her courage to speak. "So… you're trying to tell me that she is smart even though she acts like a complete ditz?"

Ichigo felt his fist tighten. He wanted to give this girl a black eye, but let it go. "She studies hours on end since she isn't in many clubs."

"Or that she's straight when she lets that girl talk to her like that?" she tried again.

"Chizuru does that to every decent looking girl. Inoue can't take responsibility for that. Trust me, Inoue likes guys." He decided he would take his leave here. If he stayed any longer, he may have done something that he wouldn't regret, but Inoue would.

"Where's your proof?" the first girl called after him.

"Because I'm her boyfriend." He said over his shoulder as he walked down the hall, leaving them speechless. He stopped a few feet away with his back still facing the three girls, "And if you feel the need to spread anymore rumors about Inoue just because you're jealous of her, I'll do more than just scare you." With that he just started walking again.

Later that day, Ichigo found himself walking Orihime home and running into those same three girls. They saw him, hoped he hadn't seen them, and were about to flee, but his simple "Oi!" stopped them.

They turned around to find Ichigo place one of his fingers under the auburn-haired girl's chin, tilt it upward, and plant his lips on those of a very surprised Orihime. He broke the short kiss with a smirk on his face before turning to the other three.

"You wanted proof right?" he asked the stunned girls before semi-dragging his stunned Inoue to her house.

He knew he'd hear about this tomorrow and his bad ass reputation would go flying out the window and all of their secret dating would now be in vain, but no one messed with Inoue and got away with it. Not on his watch.


	3. There's A First Time For Everything

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters.

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There's a First Time for Everything

It was odd. Kurosaki Ichigo could never have imagined that he and his well-developed girlfriend would be having an argument over this.

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Hell, he could never have imagined that he and Orihime would argue at all.

It was either Orihime followed whatever Ichigo wanted or Ichigo would be courteous and do what Orihime wanted. However, this was a different case.

"Look, Inoue, I'm not doing it!" he told her gruffly, crossing his arms and turning his back to her.

"But, Kurosaki-kun…" she whined with her little sad look on her face.

"No." he told her curtly over his shoulder. He would do anything for Orihime.

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Anything but this.

"But you'll look so cool." She told him in a matter-a-fact way with her spacey smile on as she bent around him to get a good look at his face.

He exploded. "How the hell would I look cool wearing tights!?" Halloween would never be Ichigo's favorite holiday again.

"You'd look like a prince, Kurosaki-kun. Princes are very cool." She nodded in agreement to her own statement with her arms crossed in front of her. "Prince Kurosaki-kun" Her eyes went starry.

He grumbled for a few minutes, but the lovey-dovey look on Orihime's face every time she mentioned Ichigo in a prince outfit soon made him stop. He sighed before finally excepting she had won.

"Do I at least get a princess?" he asked her, with a small smirk on his face as he looked at her.

"Huh? Well… I didn't ask anyone to dress up as a princess…"

He sweatdropped before letting out a sigh as he grabbed the girl's wrist. "Just get over here." He pulled her towards him and planted a kiss on her mouth. They broke apart a few moments later and were greeted by silence.

Then something hit Ichigo. If Orihime wasn't going to be a princess, what was she going to be?

"Oh, Inoue, what are you dressing up as?"

"This!" she said proudly as she produced her "future self" portrait. The orange haired boy just sweatdropped. He shouldn't have expected anything less from Orihime.

"Just kidding!" she chimed, tossing her picture aside.

"Eh?"

"Of course I'm going as a princess." She said with her finger on her chin.

"My princess, right?"

"Of course! Anything for you, Prince Kurosaki-kun"


	4. Failure

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters

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Failure

Orihime blinked a few times as she felt tears stream down her face. She clenched her fist tightly. All of her friends were hurt because of her...

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No... by her.

Even though Aizen had hypnotized her, it was no excuse.

But that control was broken now, although only for a short time and no one had noticed yet... and the least she could do now was to help her friends get away. Biting her lip, she recited her incantation for attack and sent Tsubaki at Aizen, creating a big explosion of dust and residue.

Orihime, eyes now dry, clenched her fists and hesitantly turned to her friends. Her voice was filled with urgency as she yelled, "Run away... go now!"

Ichigo grabbed her arm in one hand, his sword in the other just in case Aizen and the rest of them tried to pull anything funny. "Not without you. Chad, Ishida, Renji, Rukia. We came all this way to save you."

The thought of all of them coming to get her back brought a smile to Orihime's lips, but it wasn't a happy one.

She removed her arm from Ichigo's comforting grasp, letting his hand hold onto nothing while she held her hand to her chest. "I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun... everyone... you wasted a trip here then..."

Ichigo blinked as he looked at the honey haired girl. She moved a few steps back, her eyes locked with his and a small, sad smile still present on her lips.

"You can't save me."

The substitute shinagami was not getting what Orihime was saying. She couldn't be save? He wasted a trip? It was almost like she was saying she couldn't leave, but that couldn't be right. Why would Orihime want to stay? Why did she say she couldn't be saved?

As if sensing his confusion, Orihime began to clarify her response. Her eyes find themselves looking at her shoes as she began, "I gave up my freedom…"

She paused for a few seconds as if to find the right words to say. She didn't want Ichigo blaming himself again. She never wanted to see him unhappy like that again. Especially not because of her.

With that in mind, she lifted her head and gave Ichigo and all the others that had come to rescue her a small eyes closed smile, tears forming behind her eyelids. "I gave up my freedom in exchange for your lives."

Ichigo's eyes widened as something came back to his memory.

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"This is the end. There is no way for you to intervene. The sun has already sunken into our grasp."

He didn't get it until now… and now it was too late!

He shook his head violently as he made to grab Orihime's hand again, but was being pulled away by Chad and Renji. They broke out into a run while Aizen was still recovering from the brown haired girl's attack. Ichigo tried to fight against them but his body was giving out on him. "Let go! We have to save Inoue!" he yelled angrily at them as they pulled him farther and farther away from the girl.

Both of the men looked at him with grave eyes as they continued to pull him towards what seemed to be the exit.

"Let me go!" Ichigo continued as he tried to struggle against his two friends. He heard Rukia screaming similar words as she struggled against Ishida who tried to drag her out as well. But both of their cries fell upon deaf ears.

His eyes began to burn with tears of helplessness as he saw Orihime's back for what might have been the last time. She shouldn't have to do this. She was a girl who had dreams to fulfill and people to make smile. She was a girl he still had to apologize to for when Kon kissed her, a girl he had to protect because she seemed that fragile… a girl with the body of a woman, but not yet reached that stage.

She was still just a girl.

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And he failed to protect her… again.


	5. Left Behind

Title: Left Behind

Warnings: A tad spoiler-ish...

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and/or its characters.

Ichigo wasn't sure what he could do for Inoue... except let her cry into his chest. He couldn't see her face nor into the eyes that once sparkled like stars. He was sure those same eyes became dulled as the sparkles leaked out along with her tears. His lips kissed her forehead in a soothing way, but she did not feel it. He held her tighter, his long, strong arms trying to take on some of her pain as they encircled her small form.

He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

Hell, under most circumstances, he couldn't imagine Inoue acting like this at all. But this... this was a _special _situation… and yet he still could not except this, even as he held her wrecked self against him.

He would have never thought that this would happen to Tatsuki. She was a strong girl so how did she end up dying so young. And left behind her best friend without so much as a goodbye or sorry.

Ichigo knew he couldn't blame Tatsuki for this. It was all Aizen's fault.

Tatsuki had died a hero, protecting Keigo, Mizura, and his sisters with her limited spiritual power when Karakura Town was brought back from the Soul Society. She stood no chance against the Arrancar, but she still faced them and bought enough time for backup to arrive.

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"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue yelled as she ran to her falling friend, her hairpins already flying towards the girl.

But Tatsuki was already gone before she hit the ground, a small, satisfied smile on her face.

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Instead of being dragged away from Tatsuki's body, Inoue willingly joined the battle. She was being strong and was not going to let Tatsuki's sacrifice be in vain.

And now they were attending her funeral. He could feel a heavy weight in his chest as he processed that the girl that kick his butt many times in karate was no longer among the living. He and Tatsuki were close friends, but no where as close as her and Inoue. The weight became heavier as another wave of sobs came over the small frame of the girl in his arms.

But whether he could except Tatsuki's death or not, he would continue to hold Inoue until her tears stopped and then some. This time, he had to be strong for the both of them. Inoue had been strong long enough.

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:( I killed off poor Tatsuki-chan... Well another one down. Man, I'm in a down mood now.

-minimerc


End file.

Bleach, Romance