Bleach 1. Flavors

These are just drabbles about day-to-day romantic interactions between Ichigo and Orihime. genres will vary, but I do plan to try and keep the characters true to their nature. Most of the chapters will be unrelated, but I dunno... Maybe I'll connected a few of them together. There also may be a spoilers, but I will always indicate those at the **beginning** of the chapter.

This for all the people who are rooting for Ichigo and Orihime, so don't hate; appreciate. XD

Try to enjoy, eh?

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**Perfectly Blurred**

**Chapter 1: **_Flavors_

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Orihime Inoue sighed blissfully, clutching a bag of groceries to her chest, and smiling brightly at nothing in particular as she exited the small convenience store and made her way down the sidewalk.

There were few people out as the auburn Friday sun splashed across the sky and a soft autumn breeze blew through Orihime's dark orange hair.

The teen looked around at the a few birds chirping happily, heading off to their nests for the night.

The dark, she noticed, was indeed approaching at a quick rate. She turned the corner, enjoying how pretty everything looked as the last few moments of day spread across Karakura Town.

Orihime's shoes crunched softly on the dirt and debris of the sidewalk as she strolled happily in the direction of her apartment.

As she was about to cross the street, a familiar scent filled her nose. She looked around attentively, as if searching for someone.

Walking blindly around, she glanced every which way, before feeling a searing pain travel deep into her skull as she ran smack into a streetlamp pole.

A bit dazzled, everything began to spin as she tottered around in the same spot as if thrown into a drunken stupor.

"Inoue?"

Orihime's star filled eyes turned at the sound of her name, and saw Ichigo standing beside her with his trademark scowl painted across his face.

"Kurosaki-kun!" the girl said cheerily with a large smile, shaking her head as the world came back into focus while she rubbed her sore forehead. "What are you doing out?"

Ichigo merely stared at her for a few moments, a bit surprised by the excitement in her response.

He put a hand gently to her forehead and felt for any sign of a bump from her impact with the pole. Feeling none, he removed his hand and answered her question.

"Rukia wanted to go get the new Chappy stuffed bunny, so she dragged me along." he replied, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. "I wanted to take a walk when she finished though, and luckily she didn't force me to walk home with her."

"Do you not like bunnies, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked, reading the bitterness in his voice.

Ichigo really didn't know how to answer her question without sounding odd, so he decided to go with the truth.

"They're okay I guess," the teen stated, "I just don't like being forced to shop for them."

"Sometimes I wish I could be a bunny," Orihime bubbled. "That way, if I ever became unlucky, I could just rub my feet!"

Ichigo couldn't suppress a smile at her happy go lucky nature. She was always thinking up the most random things, and blurting them out, much to his amusement.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" he asked, the fact that they had been standing in the same spot for ten minutes finally hitting him. "I noticed you hit your head kind of hard."

"Oh no! I couldn't ask Kurosaki-kun to do such a thing!" Orihime protested, not wanting to seem like a burden. "I'm totally fine!"

"You didn't ask me," Ichigo replied. "I offered. Besides, I don't want to know what Rukia did with all those Chappy posters she bought..."

The girl beside him giggled.

"If it will help you, then I accept your offer!" Orihime declared with a hand pumped sternly into the air, a background of bunnies majestically circling around her, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

Ichigo smiled a bit sheepishly at her zealousness, but realized that was one of the qualities that made Orihime the person she was.

He admired her.

Though in a matter of seconds, her happy demeanor vanished as if a storm had just developed in her world.

"But..." Orihime said slowly, her voice becoming very soft. "I had a _one _more thing I wanted to get... Gomen Kurosaki-kun... You probably don't care to follow me around during that."

Ichigo glanced down at his watch, and the hands read seven o'clock. His dad didn't particularly care how late he stayed out, just as long as it wasn't unreasonable... Not that he really cared what the perverted old man liked or didn't like.

Besides, how bad could shopping with Orihime be?

"Inoue," he said finally. "I don't mind staying with you while you pick up something extra."

Her cool gray eyes warmed instantly. "Well, if Kurosaki-kun _wants_ to stay, then I would be really happy if you came!"

Ichigo smiled as their eyes met in a glance, and they began to walk, matching strides as they went. After a half a block, Orihime spoke up.

"Ah! Look!"

The teen looked up at the bubbly girl beside him, and she instantly laced her soft fingers with his, dragging him towards an ice cream cart as he tried his best to stay balanced.

"Um, Inoue... You are aware that it's probably forty some degrees out here, right?" Ichigo sputtered, tripping over his own two feet as he continued to be led by Orihime.

"I know," she answered as the two of them stopped at the cart. "That's the best time to eat it!"

Ichigo stared at the friendly-looking girl at the counter, who was obviously a teenager a little older than them, probably working a part time job by running the ice cream cart.

"Awww... You two are such a cute couple!" she gushed, making the heat rise into both the teenagers faces.

"Uh, but we're not dating..." Ichigo mumbled in correction, looking away so no one could see how flustered he was.

The girl laughed. "Yeah. That's exactly what me and my boyfriend used to tell people."

"Your favorite is chocolate, right, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked sweetly, turning toward him. She seemed a little rattled by the girl's light-hearted accusations, so it only made sense that she wanted to change the subject as well. Ichigo happily obliged to spare himself any further embarrassment.

Not that dating Inoue would be embarrassing, of course.

"I... um... Yeah..." he replied to her inquiry, a little surprised that she had actually known his favorite flavor. He didn't recall telling her.

"Then I'll have a strawberry cone, and a chocolate one for Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime chirped, the girl at the cart beginning to scoop the cold treat onto the waffle cones, while handing her a few napkins, before Ichigo even had the chance to protest Orihime buying an ice cream for him.

Paying the girl, she handed him his own chocolate cone, while she began to eat hers as the both of them began walking once more.

But of course, the overly exuberant operator of the cart couldn't let them leave without playfully prodding them a bit more.

"You two lovebirds have fun, now! But not _too _much fun!"

Ichigo groaned exasperatedly at her comment, while Orihime just looked a bit uneasy, trying desperately to shake off the girl's playful declarations.

"Hmm... I wonder how this would taste with a bit of relish," she elaborated unexpectedly, half curiously, and half just _uncomfortably_. Ichigo blinked at back in response to her odd taste in food, before looking down at his cone a bit guiltily.

Sensing that the substitute shinigami was neglecting his dessert, Orihime stopped and turned to look up worriedly. Ichigo had to cease walking immediately to prevent from running into her.

"Kurosaki-kun, did I do something wrong to upset you...? I guess I should have asked you if you wanted ice cream first."

Ichigo's gaze settled on her regrettably for leading her to think that he was ungrateful.

"No, Inoue. Thank you. I just feel bad that you spent your money on me."

Orihime tucked a stray strand of dark orange hair behind her ear.

"I wanted to, Kurosaki-kun." she told him softly. "It's a gift for being so kind to me. It's just ice cream... But..."

Ichigo took a bite off his cone.

"You don't have to pay me back for that," he said. And to his surprise, she didn't debate or brush off his answer as just being formally polite.

Maybe forty some degrees _had_ been a bit of an exaggeration, but truthfully, eating cold ice cream in already chilly weather wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Orihime beamed at him.

"Well, if Kurosaki-kun is happy, then so am I... I just don't want to make you angry."

"_Heh. As if you ever could." _Ichigo thought amusedly. He figured it was better to remain silent than to try and contradict her.

The two of them began to walk again, yet another autumn breeze blowing past.

Ichigo jammed his left hand into his pocket, and held his ice cream cone with his right. Orihime just looked relaxed and happy, as she walked with a smile on her face.

He wondered how often she spent her Fridays alone.

Tatsuki was her best friend and protector, so she was rarely seen not standing near Orihime, making sure that no one tried to take advantage of the naive girl. But when Tatsuki had karate, Orihime was on her own.

Which was very unusual for teenage girls, especially one whom the guys in school constantly ogled at.

But then again, for some reason, he selfishly preferred that Orihime had no boyfriend. He couldn't picture some lecherous scum of the earth hanging on her.

That type of disgust sank to the bottom of his stomach, and it make him sick to think about how possessive he was, especially when it came to Orihime. After all, he had no right to be.

Ichigo's scowl deepened at his musings as he finished off the last bit of his ice cream, and munched on the waffle cone.

Amazing. That was the only word he could think of to describe her. It almost scared him at how often she would randomly pop into his mind for no reason, and he began to get sidetracked thinking about all her little perks and quirks.

Orihime just continued to stare forward at the world through warm gray eyes.

During the last year or so since she had begun to see spirits, hollows, and shinigami, she had learned a lot more about Ichigo than she ever thought she would be able to.

And also during that time, she had fallen so deeply in love with him that she could barely stand herself.

Orihime wanted to tell him all the words that seemed to be buried in her throat, and at the same time, she wanted to run away.

But then, as Ichigo caught up to her in strides, a cute laugh escaped her lips at what she saw in the corner of her eye.

"Kurosaki-kun, you have an ice cream mustache!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in embarrassment, and he instantly began looking around frantically, as if expecting a napkin to fall out of thin air.

If he hadn't had been so deep in thought about _Orihime_, then maybe he would have noticed it before she did.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun, I'll get it for you!" she declared. And with that, she promptly leaned up on her tip toes, and gently wiped around his mouth to completely rid him of the stray chocolate treat.

"It was very lucky that the girl had remembered to give me a few napkins!"

Ichigo cocked his head to one side in awe.

It was a small gesture, but the feel of her fingers brushing ever so slightly against his lips made it hard for Ichigo to keep his composure.

Though, the moment she pulled back, he could have sworn he still felt a thousand volts of electricity surge though his chest all the way down to his feet.

"Is that better, Kurosaki-kun?' Orihime asked hopefully, oblivious to the confusion she had just caused.

"It's much better... Inoue..."

Ichigo had almost found himself utterly speechless. He thought he would have pulled away immediately, or jumped away in surprise, but there was just something that felt right between them in that instance, and he dared not question it.

And to think; all she did was wipe off a bit of ice cream.

"You're amazing,"

The statement had just rolled off his tongue before he could catch it. Orihime beamed at him in her trademark radiant manner.

"Kurosaki-kun is pretty amazing too! We should start our own TV show! It could be "The Adventures of Amazing Ichigo With his Trusty Sidekick Orihime!" Though I think we may have to change the title since it's so long! And Kurosaki-kun could be Super Berry-kun, and we could save the world from approaching evils like angry warlords and mutant rutabagas! And to celebrate each victory, we'll just eat more ice cream!" Orihime rambled, getting only more enthusiastic as her explanations and plans got longer.

Ichigo stared at her serenely with the corners of his mouth pulling into a grin that he saved especially for her.

That was when a discovery was made.

Orihime had many different sides to her personality. She was a fighter, a lover, a healer, and even sometimes a protector. But to Ichigo, she would always be herself; a little more than anyone could ask for.

She had many interesting flavors, but each were just as sweet as the other.

A lot like ice cream.

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Well that's all for the first drabble. Something tells me that if this one is well-received, I'll probably do more. If it flops, I'll probably delete it.

Anyways, I just wanted to ask you not to complain about the IchiHime pairing if you don't support it.

I mean, you're free to read and review whatever you like, I just don't want reviews like:

"omg! how cud u do dat 2 ichigo??!! he iz suppose 2 b wit rukia! i hate orihime!!!1111oneone!!!11"

Seriously. Be mature please. I'm not saying that Tite Kubo will for sure put them together, I'm just stating my pairing choice through writing.

And yes. Orihime's love for Ichigo is way more complicated than I stressed in this particular snippet, but this was mainly cute so that I could get used to writing outside the SSBM category. Last time I did that it didn't end too well. There will probably be a few sad or angsty ones somewhere down the road.

But thanks a bundle for reading, and leave a word or two before you leave, okies? I read over this many times, but in case a grammatical error passed my eyes, you have my apologies.

-Sage


	2. Addicted

**This is a bit different from the other vignette. It's shorter, and also, instead of there being an **_**aura**_** of romance, the romance **_**actually exists**_

**I don't have an actual time block that this would take place in. This is just how I feel Ichigo would view Orihime and their relationship if they were together.**

**Enjoy.**

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_Addicted_

Orihime, as a lover, was both rough and gentle.

Her lips would cautiously run over his, savoring them as if they might be ripped from her possession, and at the same time she would grip him so closely to her body that his bones ached from a force he couldn't identify.

Ichigo marveled at the fact that her hands were both callous and smooth.

She had convinced him to wrestle her one night for the last piece of chocolate-mustard cake, and as her fingers locked around his wrists and pinned them above his head from their spot on the floor, he could feel the grit from years of pain etched so deeply into her hands as they latched onto his. But he could also feel the silk-like resolve that sometimes misted his eyes.

Ichigo found her cooking inedible, but he loved it all the same.

It was something she enjoyed doing, and she was willing to share it with him.

They often spent entire evenings at her apartment in bed, and Inoue would whisper whatever came to mind in his ear.

Sometimes it was her version of a sweet nothing, and other times it was just a new recipe idea that she wanted to try.

But she would always trace nervous patterns on his stomach while she spoke, unconsciously picking at the fibers of his shirt, as if she was afraid she was saying something wrong.

And at the same time, her scent would always catch his attention. He was glad to find that she didn't smell of artificial perfumes, but of something so surreal and natural it almost didn't seem to exist.

Her voice reminded him of ocean waves pounding the shore, and the rhythmic humming would sometimes lull him into a light sleep, her shoulder his pillow.

When she accidentally woke him by getting up, she would mutter jumbled apologies endlessly, but her eyes made it hard for him to comprehend past that exact moment with her. And yet, her deep grey pools seemed to hold the only forever he believed in.

He couldn't help but adore her when she swore to protect her virtue until marriage, even though her body seemed to be made for hugging, and her kisses were a sugary sweet that he was positive he could never have too much of.

The aftertaste told her life story.

Though the thing that interested him the most were her blue flower hairpins. They symbolized everything Inoue was about.

Healing, love, intelligence, maturity, and at the same time an innocence that seemed to blanket the both of them.

And mysteriously, everything else seemed to fall into place.

She was almost too beautiful to be real. He could remember many times when he touched her arm just to make sure he wasn't just imagining her.

He was relieved to find that he never was.

She had tendency to babble on for hours. He hung on her every world diligently, and seemed to absorb her stories and knowledge like a sponge.

She talked of her hopes and dreams, favorite foods, and how she loved him more than all of those things combined.

Ichigo could only smile and repeat those words back at her.

But by far Inoue's hair was his favorite feature.

It was deep orange; deeper than his. It reminded him vividly of the sun. He clung to her and depended on her light constantly.

He enjoyed sitting on the couch, arm possessively around her waist as they talked.

About school, life, each other… it didn't really matter.

He would rest his head against hers, and lightly plant chaste kisses on her cheek. He couldn't help but run his fingers through the long soft strands of her hair and inhale the intoxicating smell of her shampoo.

He guessed it to be vanilla.

But more than anything, Orihime was eloquent and innocent, just like every ounce of love she buried him with.

Ichigo tried his best to return the favor exactly as she gave it, but with a little more, because she deserved it.

She was almost like therapy for him.

Although, he doubted therapy made you feel this good.

Orihime was more like a drug.

He was helplessly addicted to her everything she did, and he couldn't find a single reason to kick the habit.

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**Many thanks to all who read, reviewed, alerted, or favorited me, this story, or both. **

**I appreciate it more than you know.**

**Be safe and leave me a word or two, my graceful grapes.**


	3. Bleeding

**This was a long time in the making. Sorry for the wait, for those of you who wanted this update. **

**Nothing really spoilerific here. This particular snippet would have happened after Soul Society (or the Bount Arc, according to the anime) but before the news of the Winter War.**

**I planned this to be a bit more edgy than the last two. Not angst per se, but… Well, you guys just let me know what it did for you. Haha.**

**Yous enjoy dis, yah?**

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**Bleeding**

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The crimson was back.

Ichigo laid there silently, for a moment getting caught up in the laceration that graced the tender flesh of his side. The bright red contrasted beautifully to his slightly tanned skin. If you perverted the fact, it may have even looked quite aesthetic.

The teen took two fingers and ran them along the trail of blood oozing from the cut, coating them in the warm, sticky fluid. He grimaced a bit; it was merely something else to preoccupy Inoue with when she caught sight of him, undoubtedly worrying her more than he should.

The night's humid air pounded around him. The sweat matted his hair against his forehead and he looked back down at his red fingers.

Ichigo came to the conclusion that he bled a lot. More than most people his age. There was really no cure for it. No way to prevent it. That was just the way it was.

He thought of blood in terms of a person's true essence. A part of them. Something that is completely their own that no one else can have possession of.

The grass beneath his body was comforting for his sore joints as he muddled through his thoughts. His heartbeat had recently decided to take up residence in his head, and he felt immensely stupid.

To think that a few Menos Grande could catch him off guard was unnerving. He guessed that was the price he paid for allowing himself to become distracted. But Ichigo defeated them, and allowed himself to end up here under the dark, navy blue sky, catching his breath from the earth below.

There was a strong chance that he was fully capable of getting up and going along his way, but he just didn't feel like it at the moment.

But then again, he felt as if he was anticipating a friendly smiling face that always numbed him from the exhaustion, if even only a little. One that spoke of introspective ideals, no matter how irrelevant or far-fetched they might be.

Ichigo scowled deeply and exhaled sharply for even entertaining the idea.

His conscious was a terrible backstabber.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

But there the face was, and he found himself unable to be bitter.

"Oh. Inoue."

Ichigo observed her concerned features, and his eyes fell to a gash that ripped through the sleeve of her school uniform, and tore the skin of her arm. Her own blood had flown down to her knuckles, and stained her clothes.

But she paid it no heed. Earnestly putting others before herself.

Somehow they had all gotten separated. The Menos came in a large group, so it was no doubt she had a run in with a few of them herself

Inoue looked at him for a moment, but wordlessly approached him, kneeling at his resting form.

Ichigo's chocolate orbs followed her hands as they moved to hover over his wounded side.

"Where is everyone else?" he asked her, giving off his usual protective vibes.

As if on cue, Rukia appeared behind Inoue. She looked rattled, with a few scratches, but otherwise okay.

"Oh, Inoue. Do you need any help? I sent Ishida and Chad home. They were both worried about Ichigo. Don't say anything to Ishida though; he won't admit it."

The large breasted girl smiled, briefly deflecting her attention from Ichigo.

"Thank you Kuchiki-san! But I think I should be okay alone. I'll heal Kurosaki-kun so he can go home too. Were Sado-kun and Ishida-kun fine?"

Rukia nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. They're both good, and wanted me to tell you not to worry."

Inoue blinked at her for a moment, but accepted the words directed at her.

The raven-haired shinigami grinned. "Since you said you'd be fine, I'm going over to Urahara's to tease Renji for missing a fight."

"Would you tell Renji-kun I said hi?" she requested of her friend, the vigor returning to her voice.

"I'll remember Inoue," Rukia reassured her as she looked over to Ichigo. Her expression turned stoic, but her eyes gave off mild concern, clothed with relief and bit of humor.

"I'll see you at home." she told him. He looked at her attentively from his spot on the cool grass. He didn't say anything back, but it was clear her sentiments were reciprocated, so she turned and left the two alone. The pair watched her for a second as she walked away, before an unintentional silence settled over them.

_They're so close… I'm envious of Kuchiki-san sometimes… But Kurosaki-kun is close to all his friends. It would be wrong for me to be jealous._ _Oh! I think I left the oven on at home! No, I can't get sidetracked so easily! But I shouldn't be thinking this way!_

Inoue's ambivalent mind voiced its thoughts dutifully. Her face scrunched and she bit her bottom lip. It made her nervous, thinking of a person while she was so close to them.

Her hurt arm started to smart too. She wrote it off as punishment for being selfish again.

"Earth to Inoue? Are you there?" she heard Ichigo ask. Her internal monologue was instantly forgotten.

"Well, I have stopped buzzing around in my head, so I guess so!" the orphan replied, leaving her companion to tilt his head to one side at her words, a bit perplexed. If the comment had come from any other person, he would have assumed it was meant to be sarcastic. Coming from her, it was the bit of light-heartedness he needed sometimes. Even if it sometimes didn't make any sense to him.

Ichigo shifted, grunting and trying to avoid putting pressure on his wounded side that extended up into his rib. Orihime suddenly smacked her forehead in realization.

"Oh! I was healing you, Kurosaki-kun! Sorry for keeping you waiting!"

Resisting the urge to tell her she shouldn't feel obligated to heal him, he occupied himself with discreetly studying her as she extended her open hand over him, concentrating on repairing him.

The blood on Inoue's arm was partially dried, but some still ran out of the open flesh-wound. As he had before, he watched her dark red essence, intrigued by the fact that someone as kind as her would even have the ability to bleed.

But she bled like he did. Just like everyone did.

Ichigo took his hand, the one that held the two fingers that had caressed his own wound not twenty minutes earlier, and ran it gently down the girl's arm, his skin running over her hemorrhaging limb. He winced at the contact, almost as if they shared the same body and felt the same atrophying sting.

Orihime looked down when she felt the touch. He took his hand that was smeared with her blood, and placed it gingerly over his own cut.

_If two people could share pain… _

What significance did that have? He couldn't tell you. Mostly because he didn't really get it himself.

And in a way, he did.

_Would it hurt less..?_

Inoue understood too. Of that he was positive. Her lack of resentment told him so. He looked up at the stars in the black sky for a fleeting moment while an orange dome formed over him, and he started feel the injuries ebb away.

_And if the time was right,_

"Uh, thank you… For healing me…"

Ichigo found himself choosing his words carefully, and he wasn't sure why.

_Would it be okay to be a bleeding mess?_

Orihime swallowed the things she was so tempted to say.

She was here for Ichigo. That was all that mattered. It didn't bother her that he didn't feel about her as she felt about him at this very moment, whatever that feeling was. She was just happy to have helped him in some way, even if someone else could have done the exact same thing. Even if she wasn't anything special, she would be fine.

And suddenly bleeding wasn't so bad.

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**Ugh. I tell you guys to enjoy, but I kind of think this one sucked. But I liked writing it, so I guess that has to count for something, right? Oh, and the last four **_**italics**_** are lines of a poem I guess. Just one that I made up off the top of my head. The first few were Inoue's thoughts.**

**Bleach is a pretty bloody anime/manga, and that's where the idea for this came from.**

**Thanks to all reviewers, especially _Hand-gyded_ just to be a smart alec and blatantly advertise her. But I do love all you guys.**

**Do be dearies and leave me a word, will you? It makes me a very happy writer.**

**Surf safely, my seductive salmon. **

**-Sage**


	4. Jealousy

**Many apologies for not updating in over a year. There were a lot of things going against my leisure wrting, so… yeah.**

**But here we are with the fourth chapter. Thank you to my many reviewers; this story has become way more well-received than I ever thought it would be. So I appreciate your positive feedback; you've made me feel great about my writing and that means a lot to me. I'm very in debt to all you guys.**

**I gotta warn ya, though; this isn't a fluffy drabble. It's the shortest yet, but I think it's also the most depressing. For once, it's in Inoue's point of view, and takes place the moment after Rukia prompts Ichigo to promise his protection to Inoue, as she's watching them walk away together.**

**I hope you enjoy. I've already got the fifth chapter written, so don't fret too much about another update, 'kay? XP**

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**Jealousy**

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Inoue watches them.

They walk down the long corridor together. She announces something he doesn't like. Ichigo scowls, eyebrows furrowed deep, and yells a string of insults at her. Rukia grins and laughs at him, unaffected, and replies back with some witty retort that angers him further.

Inoue's gut wrenches; the pangs of guilt resilient, but for the first time, she's really aware of her selfishness. He's promised his protection, and grateful as she is, she finds it isn't enough.

And she hates that.

The pair continue down the outdoor hallway, arguing, having so much to say to each other after their time apart. Inoue observes the yelling, observes the fighting. And to an outsider, they just appear to be another couple of teenagers who can't get along.

But to Inoue, who has her own way of looking at things, she sees Ichigo smiling, thanking Rukia for coming back and helping him out of his rut. Rukia nods, accepting his gratitude, turning into the caring soulmate, the only one who really understands the brash orange-head.

And Inoue wants to switch places with her.

She wants to be the one to help him, to give him his fighting spirit back.

Then reality hits her, and she knows she could never do what Rukia does.

To that outsider, Inoue knows she looks like **that** girl. The one who's left behind, licking her scratches and wishing to be someone else. The second female lead. Because when she's alone, she forgets about her nakama; the people who care for her.

She wants Ichigo, and she wants him to be able to confide in her. To think of her the way she thinks of him.

Except Inoue knows he doesn't. She'll carry on with her day and smile joyously, because they are first and foremost her friends, and she loves them.

Though, for now, she's left with only her bitterness and yearning.

Inoue tries to swallow the lump of envy, the guilty mass of malice she harbors for Rukia, and runs to catch up with the both of them.

Because even though she can be naïve, she's realistic, and she knows the jealousy will never really go away completely.

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**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..--.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

**Well, that's it. It's not the big comeback I was aiming for, but this plot bunny was heavy on my heart, and I felt I had to share it with you guys. **

**And I promise, the next one will be humorous. No more angst for a while.**

**Oh, and Happy Halloween. XD**

**You don't have to leave me any candy, but I do love a good review, so let me know what you thought of this one.**

**Prance proudly, my pornographic ponies,**

**-Sage**


	5. Domesticated

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Hopefully I'll be a bit more consistent after this. I would like to thank everyone who has stuck by this story thus far, despite my erratic updates and sometimes awkward writing. I appreciate it so much.**

**I actually kind of love this one. It was something cute and sweet that I wanted to try my hand at. You know, we all like to write that drabble where the ultimate happiness is achieved for one of our OTPs. In this case, Ichigo is a doting, expectant father, and Orhime is the oddest pregnant woman ever. Of course, this has the potential to be interpreted as OOCness, so please bear with me. XD**

**But I feel if Ichigo ever got to this point with Orihime, he would be overall a little softer. He wouldn't completely lose his edge by any means, but wouldn't feel the need to live up to that "tough guy" image that he strives for in the series. He would be free to be who he really is, you know?**

**This was originally going to be chapter 6, but I decided to make it 5 because the original 5 still needs work. **

**I really hope you enjoy, though.**

* * *

**Domesticated**

* * *

"Oi, Orihime! Where are your vitamins at?"

"Ah! They're not there? I only hope the drawer dwarfs haven't gotten to them!"

Ichigo, who was fumbling through the medicine drawer all the way in the bathroom, stopped for a moment to shake his head amusedly at his wife.

"I'm sure they didn't do it this time." he called back to her, continuing his search. "They're probably at Tatsuki's now. I think she buys the gummi kind, and I bet they'd rather have those."

"Yeah? You think so?"

"I _know _so." Ichigo pushed a few more bottles and various toiletry knick knacks aside before he found the supplements and headed back into their bedroom.

Orihime smiled brightly at him as she saw him enter. He gave her a little smirk in return and crawled onto the bed beside her, placing the bottle of pre-natal vitamins he retrieved on the nightstand table right next to her glass of water.

And there she was, in her little maternity wear nightgown, and very, very pregnant. He watched her take the vitamins dutifully with large gulp of water.

His wife frowned at him afterward. "You know, Ichigo-kun, you don't have to do _everything_ for me. You don't' have to fuss over me so much. I couldn't have gotten those myself."

Her husband shook his head firmly. "Yes I do. This is _your_ time to rest. No exertion whatsoever. From now until this little girl is born, you might as well consider me your servant."

"But I feel so lazy!" Orihime pouted. "Ichigo-kun is too good to me."

"Heh. I think it's more the other way around." his mutter was low, and due to her lack of protest, he figured she hadn't heard.

Ichigo had always thought Orihime was beautiful, but the pregnancy had made her utterly irresistible to him. He found he had a new insatiable craving to be in her presence at all times of the day, kissing her, hugging her, and of course, nurturing her in any way possible.

The "expectant mother glow" suited her well. And to be quite honest, he was very excited himself.

Orhime leaned over to him and pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth. "Goodnight, Ichigo-kun. I love you."

She said that all the time at night, even when she wasn't going straight to sleep.

"… I love you, too…" he swallowed hard as a poignant moment set in and Orihime withdrew her kiss. It seemed like something so critical, so important, and yet, so simple he almost missed it.

Was it odd for small moments like this to feel so earth-shattering?

"Thank you so much," Ichigo instinctively rubbed Orihime's stomach affectionately with a gentle hand. "-for even _wanting_ to have children with me."

Orihime looked up at him with an earnest curiosity "Ichigo-kun makes me happier than I've ever been. Why wouldn't I want to make a baby with him?"

He went silent for a moment, just staring into the grey whirlwinds that were her eyes. The way she sometimes referred to him as if he wasn't in the room. She did that with quite a few other people. Namely Tatsuki, who would sometimes playfully complain about it.

But somehow, it was more effective for Ichigo when she talked to him like that. It wasn't a peeve of his. He found it more endearing than anything.

Of course, there wasn't much Orihime could do that he_ didn't _find loveable. Especially while she was carrying his child.

"Ooh, she's kicking. Do you want to feel?" Orihime's voice brought him back down to earth.

"Hmm?"

"The baby is kicking. Do you want to feel her?"

She must have known he did, because she wordlessly placed his hand over her stomach. Ichigo waited eagerly, not speaking. His lean fingers went stiff against the fabric of her nightgown. A reaction to the suspense of the moment, he guessed.

And then he felt it. Faint sensations under his hand.

His mind went completely blank. He only paid attention to the three distant but definite thumps against his palm.

"Does that hurt?"

Orhime shook her head vigorously. "Of course not! She's just saying hey to daddy."

He wasn't sure if she was telling the complete truth, but one word rang clear to him. "Daddy". Was that really who he was now?

He hesitated for a moment. "… Do you think I'll be a good one?"

"The best!"

Ichigo scowled. "I dunno… What if I suck? What if I end up like one of those crappy dads who don't spend enough time with their kid, and when the kid gets older they have freakin' screwed up parental issues… like Ishida?"

Orihime's eyes widened. "Don't think that for one minute! You won't be anything like that! If fact, if you want to help Ishida-kun, we could always adopt him, and-"

Ichigo abruptly stopped her by placing two fingers over her mouth. "Uh… I think one is fine for now. You should be getting to sleep, anyway; it's late. You need your rest."

Orihime sighed. "I'm not tired at all! I still think I should be doing more. You shouldn't be the only one taking care of everything."

Ichigo kissed her stomach and then planted several on her cheek and jaw line, earning a giggle from his wife as his lips grazed over her ticklish skin.

"You've been so wonderful to me by just loving me and now you've given me this little one-" he gestured to her pregnant belly once again. "Now it's my turn to take care of you, okay? Will you let me? It would make me feel a whole lot better. Please?"

He made his best pleading face, and he saw her determination break down instantly. He knew Orihime wouldn't deny him anything if he asked her directly. That seemed a horrible thing to use against her, but he only did it when she absolutely insisted that she wasn't doing enough, and he couldn't get through to her any other way.

But it worked both ways, of course. There wasn't much Orihime could ask of him that he wouldn't do for her.

"Okay… If you really want me to..."

Ichigo laughed inwardly. He had been urging her for hours to take a nap, and by the time he finally got her in bed, it was night and she had obviously forgotten why she was in there in the first place. Very typical.

Orihime rolled onto her side. "Goodnight, Ichigo-kun!"

That enthusiastic goodnight meant she was finally going to bed.

"G'night Orihime."

Though she insisted she wasn't tired, she had only been laying down a few minutes when Ichigo picked up on soft snores coming from her peacefully sleeping form. He observed her for a few moments, and a violent emotion overtook his insides and settled into the bottom of his stomach.

It was pure, unadulterated love. A huge love. And immense love for the person beside him. For who she was and what she had done for him. And of course, for the tiny life she was carrying.

Ichigo stretched and laid down on his side, snaking an arm around Orihime, keeping sure to stay as close to her as possible. He felt a sense of perfection next to her. Like a means came to an end and something intangible came full circle.

Daddy…

Yeah. He liked the sound of that. Did that make him nothing but a big softie?

He didn't care either way.

* * *

**Whoo! For those of you who have never written IchiHime in such a tender, domestic setting, it's very hard to do!**

**But also very fun. I had been wanting to write a little piece of their life upon Orhime being pregnant. I thought it would be very cute to draw on Ichigo's thoughts and his interactions with her and the unborn baby.**

**I just hope it wasn't too cheesy to read or anything. That's my biggest fear. I was aiming to be fluffy but realistic. I hope I achieved that. I'd hate to have given you guys something cheesy and horribly OOC to read.**

**By the way, I had her call him "Ichigo-kun" as more of a petname. I like the sound of it, just in case that hit an odd note with any of you.**

**And I really hope you liked this! It wasn't exactly "funny" as I promised, but my plans changed when this plot bunny came into my head.**

**Brownies and treats galore for reviewers. And yes, that is a bribe. XD But seriously, let me know what you think.**

**Jeer joyfully, my jolly jaguars!**

**-Sage**


	6. Nova

**Here's the sixth. This isn't the one I was originally going to post, but this is just something to tide myself and anyone who enjoys this story over until I can finish the one drabble that I really want to write but can't get completely like I want it.**

**I do hopest thou dost enjoy.**

* * *

**Nova**

* * *

Ichigo sees her. Standing under the moonlight in the park looking like an angel. He knows she loves it here in the open air at night. This is where he goes when he wants to find her.

She turns, catching sight of him, and practically skips to meet him, excited like she hasn't seen him in years, even though she's quite used to him coming to see her here. He opens his arms to receive her, and she jumps into them.

He picks her up and spins her, and she giggles loudly.

Laughs with her pretty mouth that parts and unleashes a symphony. Ichigo finds himself smiling as well.

He lowers her back to the earth and she begins to lead him in a dance. He clumsily attempts to follow, but ends up tripping over his own feet. She is patient and makes up for his mistakes, and he just soaks up her presence as best he can.

Orihime. The weaving princess. He knows her name is no mistake. Her feet weave to and fro, and she stitches her permanent imprint on his psyche.

Her dance steps begin to slow down, and he follows her lead until they are still again.

"You smell very good." she states matter-of-factly with a smile that melts ice.

He isn't sure how to reply to that, so his heart bursts. A hundred million thousand pieces scatter into the night air as the breeze carries them off to join the stars.

She doesn't know what she's done. She just draws into him for a kiss. He accepts wholeheartedly, her honey sweet lips gentle but definite against his.

And suddenly the blotchy, navy blue night sky falls. Tumbles down on Ichigo's shoulders and blurs everything else but his mouth against hers.

Then she pulls back with a happy, blissful look on her face, and shows him the universe. The sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the comets, and everything else celestial and beautiful.

And it's all her; all at once. Bright and perfect and most certainly one of a kind.

* * *

**Thank ye very much for reading. I hoped you liked it, even though it wasn't much of a read.**

**And remember to click that review button on your way out! I'd love to hear your opinions on this one.**

**Articulate amorously, my ample arachnids. **

**-Sage**


	7. Rain Chatter

**This is most certainly the seventh. A little snippet into post-Hueco Mundo IchiHime.**

**I liked this one quite a bit. I hope you do too.**

* * *

**Rain Chatter**

* * *

Ichigo sat across from Inoue in her dim apartment with a devoid look in his eyes. There was a fierce storm brewing outside, a titanic rain mercilessly pounded at her windows. Thunder would clap and lightning would occasionally crack.

"I think I'm a monster, Inoue." Ichigo spoke these words plainly.

He said it as if he was commenting on the horrible weather, and Orihime's head snapped up at the statement. "Is that's what's been bothering you? Kurosaki-kun is one of the nicest people I know; you could never be a monster!"

Ichigo swallowed hard. "I didn't mean like that. I mean like what happened with Ulquiorra. What I became physically. Could I be turning into a _real _monster?"

He was of course speaking of the bull-like hollow transformation he undertook that allowed him to come back from death and land the final blow to Ulquiorra. It came as no surprise to him it was Orihime's voice that had called him back from the abyss.

"Never!" she answered him, finally. "You were only trying to protect Ishida-kun and me."

"I almost _decapitated_ Ishida."

As if mother nature wanted to add to the thick feeling of uneasiness in the room, a harsh crack of thunder boomed loudly outside. The pair jumped in surprise as the power was knocked out and the tiny apartment became completely black.

"Ooh, the thunder scared the lightning bugs away!" Orihime groped around in the darkness until her hand landed on something hard and sturdy. She shook it.

"Is that you, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked.

She could feel him tense. "Uh, kinda; that's my knee."

He couldn't' see her, but he was aware of her presence. And she felt _awfully_ close.

"See?" she said, patting his leg. "You're no monster. You're knees are very un-monster like. Real baddies have spiny, scaly knees."

"Thanks… Sorry if I upset you with the monster thing. I guess I just got so caught up thinking about it, I overreacted a bit."

He always hated stressing her out. It would be typical of Inoue to worry about him because he seemed so unhappy. He waved off his lamentations for her sake.

Orihime squeezed his knee. "Don't apologize, Kurosaki-kun. I understand why you're worried. But I wouldn't give it a second thought. A monster is a creature who needs to be feared. I'm not afraid of you, so I know you can't be one."

Ichigo smiled at her, but he doubted she could see it. "Thanks, Inoue. You're really good at this cheering people up thing, you know that?"

"Umm, Asano-kun once told me I should be a cheerleader in the future."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said the little short skirt would look excellent on me."

Ichigo sneered. "Don't listen to Keigo. I mean, you'd look good in a short skirt, and all, but," he caught his faux pas quickly. "WAIT, NO! That's not what I meant…! I mean… uh… Keigo's a damn pervert, alright? He can't be trusted. Ignore him."

"Oh, it's okay, Kurosaki-kun. I told Asano-kun that I wouldn't be able to fit a short skirt over my advanced robotic body, so I could never be a cheerleader in the future."

Ichigo raised his eyebrow at that, but smiled. Inoue's humor always had a way of making him feel stupid for thinking depressing thoughts.

She had that effect on him. She gave something different to wrap his brain around, even if it was sometimes incomprehensible.

She kept him down to earth. With Inoue, nothing was unconquerable.

Though she may have caused his transformation, she justified it. After all, they all probably would have been slaughtered without it, so maybe it wasn't so horrible.

The lights beamed back on, and Ichigo's thoughts broke. The pair, dazed for a moment, waited for their eyes to adjust back to the illuminated room.

Pupils coming back into focus, Ichigo froze as he realized Inoue still held his knee and was leaning into him, her nose a hairsbreadth from his. He swallowed hard as a heat rose into his face.

Sensing his discomfort, Orihime retracted and grinned at him.

"Feeling better, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo could still hear the rain plummeting down outside, but the thunder and lightning was gone, and his heightened temperature had disappeared when their proximities had returned to normal.

"Y-yeah. Thanks, Inoue."

Ichigo _could_ have been silently morphing into some hideous monster as he sat there, but after spending time with Orihime, he had grown to doubt it.

Because, with her, he sure didn't feel like one, and that had to count for something.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this. I wanted to do something related with Ichigo thinking about that bull/hollow transformation he went through, but also have Orihime comfort him with her oddness. XD**

**This will be the last from Ichigo's POV for a while. I'm gonna try to do a group drabble next, because those are always fun. **

**I know it isn't the most stupendous thing ever, but let me know what you thought of this chapter! I always love hearing you guys' comments. (Doesn't hurt the confidence and update rate, either. ;))**

**In short, I ask you to leave me a nice review, okies? I would greatly appreciate it. **

**But more importantly, thanks for reading.**

**Glide gloriously, my great guppies.**

**-Sage**


	8. Totally Heartfelt Love Declarations

**I wanted to do something group-oriented and funny, so here it is.**

**This is pretty much a continuation to chapter 7. **

**Try to enjoy, y'all.**

* * *

**Totally Heartfelt Love Declarations**

* * *

"So, Inoue. Ichigo was over at your house for hours yesterday."

Orihime looked up at her friend Rukia Kuchiki as they sat during their lunch period. "Oh yes. It started to storm, so I wouldn't let him leave until it calmed down."

The ebony haired girl waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Am I wrong to assume you took advantage of the situation?"

Inoue shook her head fiercely. "Oh no! I finally got him to try my new Red Bean Paste a la Cheesecake dessert!"

Rukia sweat dropped. "Ehh… That's not what I meant, Orihime. I was asking did you tackle him and hit second base? Know what I talking about?"

"Um, not really. I thought bases were only in baseball… Hey, did you know you're sounding a lot like Tatsuki-chan? She's always talking about hitting bases with Kurosaki-kun... And flashing my breasts at him, pushing him up against walls- "

Rukia nimbly jumped to her feet and pointed a determined finger at an undisclosed location in the distance."- Well, since Tatsuki's not here today, it's my job to prepare you, Orihime!"

Orihime, who had just begun to nibble on her sandwich, dropped her lunch and looked up at her friend with large, curious eyes.

"Prepare me for what, Rukia-chan?"

The shinigami clasped her hands together and rested them against her chest.

"For one of the most ancient arts of human kind." she said sagely.

"You mean like macaroni art?"

* * *

The pair had spend the rest of the lunch period discussing the ins and outs of romance, common ways of confessing undying love, and of course, how to fully utilize the metaphorical "man-catching net" to nab that special guy. Not to mention Rukia shared the trick to making scenarios work out to Inoue's advantage, much like Tatsuki usually did.

After being "educated" properly, Rukia kept close to Orihime as they walked down the hallway.

"So Orihime, you have to be assertive, understand? You have to have a grasp on what you want and then go for it."

Orihime put on a serious expression and saluted her friend. "Hai, sensei!"

Rukia nodded to show her approval. "Do you remember the heartfelt love declarations I taught you?"

"Yes!" Orihime declared proudly. "… But are you sure they are appropriate?"

The other girl waved of the healer's inhibitions. "Absolutely. I got them all from a comedic shoujo manga I'm currently reading. It's really romantic stuff."

Inoue was still a little uncertain. "You're sure this will help? I don't want to scare him off…"

"Scare who off?" a voice interrupted the meeting.

Rukia and Orihime stopped their trek down the hall to look back and see Chizuru looking expectantly at them.

"Well?"

"Ichigo. Orihime's going to seduce Ichigo." Rukia revealed to the lesbian in a hushed tone.

Chizuru bristled. "HMM? Oh, Hime's beautiful breasts and deliciousness are such a waste on that dolt! He's such a prude, he wouldn't know what do with a girl like her!

"What? Rukia-chan? I didn't know I was supposed to be _seducing _Kurosaki-kun…"

"Oh, it's fine, Orihime!" Rukia assured Orihime. "It's not as skanky as it sounds."

Chizuru shook her head violently. "NO, HIME! BE SKANKY, BE VERY SKANKY! DON'T FEEL AFRAID TO JUST RIP OFF YOU SCHOOL UNIFORM, AND- "

The rest of Chizuru's outburst was quieted as Rukia's foot made impact with the perverted girl's head. She hit the floor with a resounding thud. Seemingly knocked out cold, the lesbian didn't move, save for a few twitches.

Orihime clasped both her hands together in admiration. "Wow, Rukia-chan! You knocked Chizuru-chan out just like Tatsuki-chan! Did she give you lessons?"

"No, no. I'm just really good at hitting annoying people."

Inoue knelt down beside her fallen friend and poked at her side with an index finger. "But do you think she will be okay? I'm a little worried that you severely injured her."

"Nah, she's fine." Rukia took Orihime's hand and yanked her up, proceeding to drag her down the hallway. "We have to hurry and get to class early; Ichigo's always the first one there, so you'll have plenty of time to put my very wise tips into practice!"

* * *

When she approached the room, Orihime had expected Rukia to come in with her, but instead she felt the shorter girl shove her in the room and disappear from sight.

Realizing that she was alone, Inoue's head snapped up, and of course, as the shinigami had predicted, the scowling teen was in there, unpacking his books at his desk.

Her stomach knotted and turned flips at the thought of being alone with him.

Ichigo looked up to see her just standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi, Inoue. What's up?"

"Get in there!" Rukia's low voice hissed from the hallway. "Use one of those lines I gave you!"

Swallowing a lump of nervousness. Orihime approached Ichigo.

"Are you alright, Inoue? You look a little uncomfortable."

"I'm not sure, but I'm open to a full-body physical."

Ichigo turned beat red as he stared at her incredulously. "W-what are you talking about?!"

"Hey, Foxy, why don't you take off your pants and I'll _show _you." Orihime coughed to mask her words and how ridiculous she felt speaking them.

Ichigo grabbed his usually very conservative friend's shoulders and shook them. "Is that really you, Inoue? Or did one of those aliens you're always talking about bleach your brain?"

The girl slapped an embarrassed hand to her forehead. "Sorry, Kurosaki-kun, I don't know what got into me… Must have been something I ate…"

Ichigo looked past Orihime to see Rukia rolling around in the hallway, laughing like a madman.

"Or some wacko feeding you cheesy pick-up lines." came his unamused suggestion.

Orihime scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. "Eheh. Yes. Rukia-chan was trying to help me do something."

This interested Ichigo. "Seriously? What exactly did she think those horrible lines were going to accomplish?"

"Well, Kurosaki-kun, you see, it's a very long story, and -"

"Then maybe we could get together again this weekend and talk about it." he offered. "After all, you helped me with my issue yesterday. It'd be rude of me not to return the favor."

Orihime sighed in relief that her disastrous attempt at Rukia's method of man-nabbing hadn't caused any permanent damage.

"I'd like that a lot, Kurosaki-kun."

He spared her one of his time-stopping, beautiful grins.

"Just leave the pick-up lines at home, alright?"

Orihime briefly wondered if that meant she was still supposed to use the "slap and tickle" maneuver that Rukia had taught her, because that wasn't technically a pick-up line.

But, she decided, maybe it would be better if she didn't take any more advice. Because perhaps the secret to the ancient art of man snagging was her own to determine.

If she ever did manage to nab Ichigo in her "man-catcher net", _she_ would be the one to decide how and when she did it.

* * *

**Well, that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this one; I had TONS of fun writing it.**

**But what I'm really proud of was how fast I updated! I usually end up coming up with something after a month or so, but I wrote this one two days of adding chapter 7. XD That's a first for me.**

**Thanks for reading. Be safe and I would appreciate if you left me a review before you left, because reviews are always fun to get. **

**Sail soulfully, my scandalous sailors!**

**-Sage**


	9. Telephones Breed Revelations

**Sorry for the super-late update. I actually meant to hold off on this for a while, but decided I needed to give anyone who reads this story a much overdue new chapter.**

**So here's my belated Christmas gift to y'all. I hope you enjoy, though it's not much.**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

**Chapter 9: Telephones Breed Revelations**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

It's been one of those days, Ichigo decides as he falls onto the bed in his room.

Tests galore, not to mention an inconveniencing hollow attack that took the duration of his lunch period, plus five minutes, to get under control. The teacher gave him a loud, scathing lecture about the benefits of being punctual when he got back, which he took silently with lips pursed tight, but allowed himself to give her a few exasperated looks.

Ichigo massages his forehead and exhales loudly.

He doesn't really believe in venting his soul every time the day is exhausting, but he makes a sudden firm prognosis that he needs to talk to _someone_.

Not to complain, but he figures it would help slow down his overactive mind if he has a human conversation. He turns slightly to reach inside his pocket and pulls out his cell.

Ichigo flips it open and stares at the illuminated screen for a moment, as if still debating whether he should make the call he has in mind. But he realizes he's being ridiculous, sends the ambivalence away, and begins to dial the familiar number.

It rings precisely twice before he hears the feedback he was anticipating.

"Kurosaki-kun! Is there a hollow? Don't move, I'll be right-"

That is not the greeting he had envisioned. "Huh? No, Inoue! Don't go anywhere. I just wanted to call and talk to you."

There was a moment's pause on the other end.

"What? So there's _no_ hollow attack?" she asks this as if she needs him to re-confirm his statement, as if she isn't sure whether she hears him correctly.

"No, there isn't," he repeats, "I just wanted to call you. You know, as a friend. Is that fine? You're not busy, are you?"

"O-of course not!" Orihime quickly insists. "I very much would like to talk. You can call anytime you want, Kurosaki-kun."

Though she can't see it, Ichigo nods gratefully. "Thanks Inoue..." he tells her appreciatively before he continues, "... So, how's your day been?"

"Oh, just fine." she says simply.

Ichigo snorts. "You wouldn't tell me if it was bad, would you?"

"U-um, well my day is so insignificant when you think of things overall, "she admits sheepishly, "a bad one would be so boring, and I'd hate to bore someone with complaints."

A very classic kind of response from her. Although it _is_ interesting to him that she has the same thoughts on it as he does.

"So that's a no?" he assumes. "You know, Inoue, I've seen you earnestly listen to people gripeabout the most pointless things you can imagine, so you shouldn't feel like you can't do the same."

"I could say something similar to you, Kurosaki-kun." she chides him, but she isn't unpleasant about it.

He laughs quietly, and Inoue is silent for a while before speaking again.

"Uh, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah?"

Ichigo hears her inhale deeply over the receiver.

"Is this..." she pauses "... A 'booty call'?"

Ichigo's eyes bug open so wide, he's afraid they'll pop out of their sockets. He sits bolt upwards in bed. "W-what? What kind of question is that?"

His incredulity doesn't fall on deaf ears.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun! I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that you called so unexpectedly," she starts to babble her apology, "And I _know_ you said it was just a friendly call, and I believe that, but Chizuru-chan said that you probably_ think _of me as a booty call, so I thought I'd ask-"

"There's your first mistake," he interrupts, "Never listen to Chizuru. She's psychotic. And second; that's disgusting. You're no one's..." he stops, not wanting to use the awkward term. "-uh, one of those."

There's ten second's worth of uncomfortable silence.

"Oh." she says softly, eventually. To Ichigo's horror, she sounds _disappointed_, of all things. "Well, if you change your mind, I can be packed in a second and ready to sail the open seas on a swashbuckling adventure for sunken treasure!"

Ichigo's bewilderment transforms into pure, utter confusion. "Inoue, that doesn't make any sense."

"Well, the booty call thing, of course," she clarifies, "That's the person one calls on to help them search the oceans for booty. You know? Treasure? Loot?"

"Oh... _Oh_." the metaphorical lightbulb finally flickers to life above Ichigo's head. Obviously, Chizuru didn't tell Orihime what a... booty call _actually_ was. And in usual Inoue fashion, she came up with her own imaginative definition.

"Did I use the term wrong?" Orihime askes; she takes the silence as wrong usage of the word, which, she was right to deduce.

_Ichigo_ sure as heck isn't going to tell her the _real _meaning.

"Err, no, that's exactly right!" he says this with so much assurance, he's very aware of how fake it sounds. "You'd make a great booty call," _Boy, _there's a sentence, "I only meant that you shouldn't just let whoever asks be yours, you know, choose one carefully. And don't say 'yes' to just anybody."

"That's very true, Kurosaki-kun! And thank you for considering me a good possibility for your booty call this evening; I think I'd make a most excellent pirate!"

"Definitely." he agrees, straining to not burst with laughter as the hilarity of it all hits him. That's when he hears a loud dinging noise from the other end.

"Yes!" Orihime says triumphantly, "That's my oven. Dinner's ready."

"Ah. I'll let you go, then."

"You sure?" she inquires of this uncertainly, "Did you get what you called for?"

"What?"

"You had something else on your mind when you called," she explains, "did I help?"

Once again, Inoue's perception is uncanny. He didn't think of it before, but now he sees she's right. And it isn't the hollow or any of the school events, at least, that's not what he suddenly feels was his real reason for calling. That had been an excuse. His days are maddening _every_ day, and yet he doesn't call Inoue _every_ day.

Maybe he had just wanted to her _that_ voice, that tone that makes you forget nuisances and relax as you listen to her tell outlandish stories about looking for booty on the open seas.

Or was it even deeper than that? Or was it just part of a blurry whole?

Ichigo is now uncertain of the true nature of his emotions toward Inoue, and this whole conversation in general. That scares him.

"You really did help," he struggles to find words in the muddled mess of his mind. "Have a nice dinner, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Orihime replies, cheerful, but a click on the other end indicates that she hung up.

Ichigo closes his phone and puts it back in his pocket; the world has been thoroughly turned on his head. The room quickly starts to become very lonely.

He is now sure he has an answer, and it terrifies him. But it is somehow a _good_ kind of terror, if there was ever such a thing.

He had called her for comfort, but now he has more than he bargained for

So he sends the answer he knows to be the true-but-scary-but-also-kind-of-amazing-one, whatever baffling nature it has, whatever unknown things it entails, to a secret place.

Because he's too cowardly to admit it out loud now, but maybe one day he won't be.

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**Well, that's all she wrote. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this. I wish it was better, given how long it took me to update, but this little snippet just hit me and I had to post it. I have the next chapter just about finished, and it might be posted in a day or two. **

**I love reviews, so don't have any qualms with leaving me one before you go, and tell me what you thought, liked, disliked, etc. **

**Happy New Year, also. XD**

**Cruise carefully, my cranky crustaceans.**

-Sage


	10. Don't Hit On Customers

**Whoa, I'm on a roll here, my friends! As promised, I give you the next chapter. Sadly, Ichigo makes no appearance here, but instead a very nice Orihime/Chad friendship is featured. But this is still IchiHime, so of course that's still discussed.**

**Because I always fantasize that the friends are the biggest IchiHime shippers, hands down, and I think it's important not to **_just_** focus on Ichigo and Orihime when dealing with them as a couple, but let their nakama get in on the action as well.**

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**Chapter 10****: Don't Hit On Customers**

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"How about this, Orihime?"

The girl looked up from her shopping basket as she acknowledged Chad's suggestion for purchase.

She scrunched her nose, "Um, my budget this month isn't as much as it usually is, so I better not."

Chad replaced the candy that he knew Orihime was so fond of. "Well, if you're sure," he watched her inspect fresh vegetables, "Is there anything else you need, then?"

Inoue took out of her basket a list of FFI: frequently forgotten items.

Chad had come over to her place just as she was about to leave to shop for groceries, and when she told him where she was headed, he insisted on coming to assist her.

"If you feel like it, you can round up these," she handed the list to Chad, "but only if you want to, Sado-kun. Don't feel like you have to."

Chad shrugged. "It's no problem, Orihime." he told her in his deep bass voice.

She smiled at him, "Okie dokey. Thanks; you're a big help."

Chad gave her a thumbs up, then departed for the first good he was planning on retrieving from her FFI list.

Orhime stayed in the produce section and compared the fresh vegetables to each other, trying to discern which were best.

"Hmm..." she muttered. She noticed this particular tomato was bigger, but the smaller one seemed a lot more firm.

"You need any assistance?"

Orihime, startled from her thoughts, jerked her head to the right to see a young guy, probably around her age, looking patiently at her. He obviously worked there, because he was wearing a uniform with the store's logo.

"Oh!" she was relieved it was just an employee, "No, I'm fine, but it was nice of you to offer."

He scanned her appreciatively; clearly smitten, but the notion was lost on Orhime.

"It'd be best to get the firmest over the largest," he offered with a grin, "but I'm sure you already knew that."

Orihime dipped her head in gratitude and put the small one in her basket. "That's very good advice..." she paused to look at his name-tag, "... Satoru-kun."

"No problem."

She expected him to leave after that, but he instead put his hand on her shoulder in a groping kind of way. Orihime just stared at him, caught a little off-guard by the close physical contact, but remained totally oblivious to his shameless flirting. She wasn't very good at reading human behavioral ques, at least not the particular kind that Satoru was using. He just seemed like a very nice boy, so she smiled at what she perceived as altruism.

Satoru took this as reciprocation to his advances, "So, I didn't get your name..."

As Orihime was about to answer, Chad returned with an armful of groceries from her list.

"Sado-kun!" she greeted him happily. Chad regarded Orhime warmly, but somehow with no expression, and noticed the employee looking very cozy, hand on her shoulder and all.

Reading the situation instantly, he gave the worker an icy warning glare transmitted only through eye contact. That, coupled with Chad's already towering and intimidating physique, did it.

Satoru backed off and turned to Orhime. "You didn't tell me you had a..." he broke his sentence, and began quickly walking the other way, but Chad heard him mutter something about a 'freaking tease' under his breath as he departed quite swiftly.

Orihime watched Satoru leave for a moment before she turned to her friend. "Huh. That's very odd. I wonder why he left so abruptly."

Chad placed the four items he had in her basket. "He was making a pass at you, Orihime. When he saw me, he figured I was with you romantically and left because he felt you had been leading him on when you had your boyfriend with you the whole time."

He told her this as if he was commenting on the color of the floor tiles, but of course, he conveniently left out the condescending eye contact that was used exclusively to get the guy to bolt.

Orihime, ever clueless, seemed intrigued, but understood. She had recently learned the euphemism of 'making a pass' at someone. Shockingly, it didn't involve sports in the slightest as she had originally thought. "Are you sure? I didn't get that from him at all. I feel horrible if I mislead him."

"Don't. He shouldn't hit on customers while he's supposed to be working." Chad reprimanded Satoru with that blunt aloofness that somehow conveyed perfect emotion. He looked down at Orihime from his lengthy, curly bangs.

"You really don't notice other guys, do you?"

Orihime blinked at him. "'Other' guys?"

"Besides Ichigo, I mean."

That sent her into panic mode. "Kurosaki-kun? Oh, Sado-kun, I don't notice him at all! I mean, I do, because he's such a good friend and he's so nice, but I could never, ever feel that way! I mean, he could never feel that way about me, so-"

Orhime stopped her crazy babbling, because she could see that Chad didn't buy any of what she was saying.

"You know that I know," he told her, "So don't feel like you have to pretend that I don't. I wouldn't say anything you told me in confidence, if that's what bothers you."

Once again, a stranger would look at Chad and deem that he was indifferent due to his stoic demeanor, but Orihime knew better. She and all their nakama recognized that Chad was the polar opposite of detached.

Orihime sighed, but seemed almost blissful. "Well, I guess I really _don't_ notice other guys, Sado-kun, not romantically. It's not really a voluntary thing, like I make it a priority to hold off _for_ Kurosaki-kun, because that would be presumptuous of me, to assume we'll have any kind of future. I'm selfish enough as it is without all that. I just couldn't imagine feeling this way about anybody else; it's not even an option."

Chad nodded reverently. "That's very poignant, Orihime. People underestimate you as a bimbo, but I think you're very intelligent."

The two began to make their way to the checkout, and Chad took the now hefty shopping basket, gallantly toting it for Orihime.

"Aww, that's very sweet of you, Sado-kun! But I'm not that smart; I think you're one of the smartest people I know!"

Chad let that hang in the air, but didn't respond to it. "Orihime, Would you mind if I asked you a weird question?"

"Of course not!"

"What is your ideal date?"

"October 17th."

Chad sidestepped out of another shopper's way. "I meant like a date with Ichigo."

"Oh!" Orihime stopped walking for a second, "Let me think; there's so many... I think we'd take a long walk on the beach, the sun would be setting, love would be in the air, and then, boom! The killer humanoid piranhas would rise from the water! And the gang would have to band together to save the day, but Urahara-san would perform his bankai, and the piranha humanoids would be in awe and want to get autographs. So they'd go back home to get pen and paper, but then they'd realize they can't use paper because it's all wet, since they live underwater, and _you_ would go home and get a hair-drier to help them dry their paper out, but it would take so long that they'd get frustrated and call off the attack altogether... Wait, what was the question again?"

Chad pondered seriously for a minute. "I don't really remember."

So they once again began walking in the direction of the checkout to pay the clerk.

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At an undisclosed location outside, which was actually a display window for the grocery store, Rukia and Renji peered inside, spying on Chad and Orihime.

"Hah! Chad and Orihime are on a date! This is scandalous news, indeed! I can't believe we just _happened_ to catch them here!" Rukia was doing what she loved best; investigating things that had nothing to do with her.

Renji narrowed his eyes. "That's because we didn't. We saw them in town and followed them here."

Rukia waved him off. "Irrelevant, irrelevant."

"This feels very illegal."

The short-haired girl turned to him. "That's because it _is_." she looked back into the store at the pair. "Ooh, they're checking out now. Quick, take out the camera phone and we'll snap a picture of them and upload it to one of those social networking sites."

Renji began to fish around in his pockets, but stopped. "Hey, wait a second, what exactly is a social networking site, anyway?"

Rukia twirled her imaginary moustache, thinking. "Huh... Dunno, but they sure sound like fun."

He was exasperated now. "You're gonna get me arrested in this world!"

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**Well, thank ye for reading, stopping by to take a gander, or whatever you did to get to this point in the chapter. As usual, I hope you liked it.**

**I also thank you for the good chunk of reviews you've given me. Don't forget to leave another and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Also, don't hesitate to plug anything of yours you'd like me to read. ;)**

**Take care and I'll see you next update.**

**Yowl yearningly, my yellow young'uns.**

**-Sage**


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Bleach, Romance