Bleach 1. Chapter 1

_**Devilish Delights**_

A series of one-shots based on random moments between Ichigo and Orihime.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach ... but I do own every sexy thought and imaginative fantasy I have of the characters.

_Special note_: This fic was inspired by a oneshot (Inuyasha) by Maiden of the Moon called Hot. I thank her for allowing me to borrow her plot!

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**Delight 1:**

He'd always known that she was a strange girl, but sometimes it was like it would slip his mind.

He'd get caught up in how normal she could be and then Wham!- out of nowhere, she would do and say something that would totally shatter that illusion of normalty and he'd be left staring dumbfoundedly at her or just plain confused as to the workings of her mind. A mind that would no doubt, he believed, confuse the hell out of the most brilliant of scientists or thinker...

He shuddered slightly in remembrance of some of the past evidence of that mind at work, the projection of her future self being one of them.

Yeah... sometimes it was rather easy to forget just how strange she could be.

Especially at times, incidentally, like this- when everything was normal in the world- the sky was blue, the grass was green, and there wasn't a single cloud in sight. . . When Tatsuki was dozing off, tired from her morning training sessions and lack of sleep; When Rukia and Renji were in their own world, whispering heatedly to one another; Chad and Ishida were oblivious to him, and when he was ... well he was staring at her, unable to pull his gaze away as she sat reading some new shoujo novel (or some such—he could never tell since he himself had no interest in the stuff). . .

Times such as these when she suddenly began talking to herself, cheeks red, slate grey eyes wide, and drool all but oozing from her candy-pink lips as she became more and more engrossed in her readings.

"Oh...Oh... yes...no, no," she was muttering at random intervals, her emotional response quite visible with each utterance, the pages of the text going closer and closer, so close to her face that her nose was soon buried in the binding. "Oh, no—no, that won't do! Wait. . . wait, yes! Yes! Wait... no-no!Oh my!. . ."

Rukia, hearing the slight commotion, stopped arguing with Renji long enough to peak over at the auburn-haired girl with one eye brow raised. Seeing nothing she noted to be out of the ordinary however, she promptly ignored the strange sounding murmurs in favour of returning to arguing with Renji. Orihime was just weird in her estimation so this was just normal behaviour for her. She seemed not to notice or care that one of her best friends salivating over a book did in fact define weird to others or that she seemed way too absorbed in said book. Thus, she returned to her prior activity, back to engaging herself in a heated, undertone "discussion" with the scowling redhead without a backward glance.

Chad, as usual, wasn't overly concerned one way or the other as he didn't even bother looking and Ishida, taking one look, brushed it off as well.

Tatsuki slept on, ignorant of it all.

He, on the other hand, was unable to pull his gaze away, fascinated by her strange mannerisms even as he was torn-

Torn between worry and irritation, amusement and curiosity- Worry because he was sure that she was going to end up poking an eye out or something with either the text that was so close to her now, her eye lashes must be brushing up against it or with the random, aimless arm-waving she was engaging in from time to time in beat with her exclamations, some of which were going too close for comfort to her eyes. . .

Irritated because, at the moment, Inoue Orihime didn't appear to give a damn about anything else in the world but the novel she was reading.

And that just rubbed him the wrong way... though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Hell, this was lunch time- the one time of the day they all gathered up here to chat and catch up outside of class. She'd always been so attentive to their conversation- well when she wasn't off in her day-dreaming world- and in him...

Dammit, he could have left there right now and he didn't think she would notice....

Not that he expected her to ... not really...

His scowl deepened.

"Ohhh, Why are you....? No, don't do that! Don't!" she cried softly, her hand engaging in that aimless waving about again, her eyes wide and frantic. "No! No! No! He's right there! Don't...!"

Her engaged cries turned into a sound of utter frustration in the next moment and his curiosity won out over his amusement, irritation and worry over her behaviour.

"Inoue."

She seemed too absorbed to hear his call so he tried again, making his voice a little louder, a little firmer, so he could rouse her from the fantasy land she seemed to be in.

"Inoue."

Still no response.

"Inoue."

This time he followed up with a soft snapping of his fingers.

The book lowered quickly and her grey eyes met his in slight confusion

"Huh? Were you calling me, Kurosaki-kun?"

_Only two or three times_, he thought inwardly with a sigh.

"You're really absorbed in that book," he noted instead of voicing his thoughts.

"Hai," she returned excitedly, not really seeming to understand exactly what he was geting at, "It's a really good story."

"Good?" he echoed.

"Hmm," she returned.

His curiosity was really getting better of him, especially in light of her flushed face and the excitement lingering in her grey eyes...

"What is it about?"

"Oh," she began, slightly surprised he'd asked, but then, getting over it rather quickly, her eyes sparkled some more and she lit into her explanation, "Well, you see... there's this girl, her name is Saya and because of the superstitions in her village, she's given to the water God as his bride... His name is Haebek... wait maybe it's really Mui... uhmm...You see there's still some confusion as to whether they are the same person- Haebek and Mui, that is- or two different people... yeah ..um..yes... well, Haebek or Mui and Saya...they're trying to get to know each other but all sorts of things start to happen and then there's Hooye... he seems to show up whenever she needs help and he offered her a comb and she took it and accepting the comb is like accepting a marriage proposal but she doesn't know..."

Ichigo's frown deepened as his mind twisted and performed dangerous acrobatics trying to keep up with her explanation of the story.

"... but then Nakbin returns but I don't think she's really Nakbin- she was his wife- and Haebek... Mui... well he's in a quandary and somebody's trying to get rid of Saya and ...."

His brain crashed.

"Inoue... Inoue," he butted in gently then more firmly.

Her excited eyes turned to him then frowned at the sight of his deeply scowling face.

"You.... you don't get it, do you?" she returned quietly.

He didn't want to lie, so he opted for a soft version of the truth.

"No," he answered, following quickly with, "but I think it's more because I'm not really interested in that kind of stuff than you're explanation... it's just a bit too unreal ..."

Instead of being affronted, he was surprised as Orihime simply smiled, rather patiently, at him.

"It is... a bit unrealistic I guess," she agreed, "But it's..."

She seemed to struggle to find the words.

"But it's also just a really good story, full of things I'll never get to do myself or experience myself and its kind of nice to escape into that world sometimes. Besides," she continued, tracing the outline of the very handsome looking dark-haired guy on the cover, "the characters grow on you. You get to know their every thought and...they become your friends... "

". . . They're just made-up characters.... ink on a piece of paper, Orihime."

She gave a nervous laugh before defending softly, "I know that!"

She calmed slightly, her hands returning to tracing the dark-haired guy on the cover he noted with growing irritation.

"It's just... they become kind of real to you... I mean... I know they are just ink on a piece of paper, someone's imagination but that doesn't make them or their thoughts and emotions any less real in my mind."

Only Inoue, he decided with a soft sigh, would develop such attachment to something on paper...

Then he recalled Rukia's infatuation...

Maybe it was a girl's thing...

Maybe that's why he didn't get it...

"It doesn't hurt that Hooye and Mui... or Haebek... um... well all the guys really...are really hot!" Orihime added as if on sudden inspiration.

Ichigo's eyebrows snapped together and his eyes narrowed unconsciously.

A feeling akin to jealousy... no.... well.... not jealousy, he corrected hastily, more like irritation at the characters, flooded through his body.

**That's jealousy, idiot**, his hollow mocked and he stamped him out viciously from his thoughts.

"Hot???"

The slightly incredulous question had come from his mouth but he had yet to notice that it was laced with his irritation and ... yes, jealousy.

She must have picked up something in his tone as her eyes snapped away from the picture she had been studying- that guy again he noted, irritation growing yet again- and her cheeks flushed hotly.

"Um... well...it's... um...I mean the art is pretty good but ... that's not to say...um...well... I think you're pretty hot too..."

One could have heard a pin drop in the second that the words fell out of her mouth.

The previously ignored audience around them were suddenly all at attention, unbelieving of the words that had just been uttered and unable to tear their eyes away from the two thoroughly red-faced teens within their midst.

"You think I'm hot?" the question seemed drawn from him, a near squeak he would have been embarrassed about under any other circumstances... but right now, that was the least of his concerns, "You..."

A very red-faced, auburn-haired teen glanced up from where she had been gazing in sudden utter fascination at the front of her book. It was then that she noticed how intently the boy in front of her was staring at her, hazel-brown pools glued upon her person, his cheeks pink-tinged. A lump, previously unnoticed, suddenly clogged her throat. "Um..."

"You...you think I'm hot?" he questioned again, his brain trying to wrap around the words.

Shit... this was... well this was Inoue Orihime, hottest, most popular and most desired girl in the entire school and he was...well he was the school punk, a delinquent with unsightly orange-hair...and she just ... she just said she found him hot?!!!

Just the notion of that was enough to set his brain on the verge of short-circuiting.

The realisation of how much she had disclosed in her unconscious announcement weighed heavily on Orihime. What had she done? Her mouth opened and closed, without words, wanting to somehow retract the embarrassing confession of her innermost feelings. It stayed open longer than necessary as she caught the confused... and was that hopeful?... look on his face, before snapping close at the realisation that she was creating a wide open gateway for any flying insect to find roost in her mouth.

She looked away, unsure of how to act in light of her revelation and unable to look at him in her emabarassment and suddenly very interested with the clouds, the rusting rails- hey she'd never noticed that before, that they were rusting- anything but him.

Well, since she had let that much slip already, her mouth seemed to decide... surely it couldn't hurt to answer his question:

"Er. . . uh. . . I. . . um. . .I...I ... I do."

The bell rang loudly in the background... _saved by the bell_, and, before he could blink, she was up and running away, her face still as red as a tomato in the wake of her admission.

But, unlike her, he couldn't move.

He couldn't believe what he had heard.

She thought he was hot...

She thought he, Kurosaki Ichigo, orange-hair, unfriendly scowl and all... was hot...

He found his lips quirking up, oblivious to the amused expression of his friends who were still watching him.

"She thinks I'm hot," he muttered still in disbelief, then the quirking turned into a somewhat goofy grin, "She thinks I'm hot."

Rukia's loud snort shattered his dream world.

"Yeah... so we all heard," she returned, "Now get your lazy ass up and get to class... Moron..."

*****

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**Owari.**

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A/N: It's been a while since I've added to the Ichihime fanfiction world. I got the idea a while back to do a series of oneshots but just never got around to it as life's been busy. This one wouldn't let me be however till i had written it so here it is.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. I would love to hear your thoughts before i get started on my other one-shot ideas.

I'd also like to take this time out to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has read my stories and continue to support my efforts. You are all truly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**_

_I know i should have updated earlier but real life got a bit hectic. Anyway, this fic is a dedicated to FLOL, the best Ichihime message board around, in celebration of their 2nd birthday celebration. It's based on the idea of lovers finding each other and loves transcending multiple lifetimes- a play if you will on Oihime's vows to love Ichigo for five lifetimes, the theme behind FLOL. _

_The story started ariund my first attempted poem below and simply ran away with my mind, ending up into the massive script it turned out to be. _

_Anyway... on to the fic. I hope you all enjoy it and please remember to read and review or just drop me a line to let me knw if you enjoyed it. Helpful hints and constructive criticism is always welcome!_

_P.S A greatful and heartfelt thank you to all the readers and reviewers of my last fiction writing efforts. Your words and thoughts are so inpsiring so thank you to_ **Atemu's Lotus, Elphaba85, PameRulez, Blitch, Copperfightingninja, Rairraku Hana, Ayjah, Temari13, Thail, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, ChuchooTrain, Jeimi-chan1989, Sidney AKA Sidrawrr, Darth Hawk 32, Dragon lady and Kally-kal**

_*_

_*_

_**An original Poem**: _

_We are held together by _

_A love that transcends time._

_A love that surpasses death _

_And even five lifetimes_

_And, even if separated_

_I will always find you_

_Because my heart will always _

_Know yours at first sight_

_My soul will always find yours in very lifetime_

_Then_

_With one look_

_One smile_

_One touch_

_One embrace_

_And one kiss_

_This love will return_

_And these two people_

_Two minds_

_Two souls_

_Two destinies_

_Will return to each other_

_Return to travelling this one road_

_Back to each other on this one journey_

_To one ending_

_Always together._

- _**Twix10**_

_**Chapter 2**_

This was not happening to her.

Inoue Orihime stared at the gauges on her dusty dashboard and prayed for all she was worth that she was simply imagining things.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hands to the keys in the ignition and turned it again. Unlike the first four efforts, this time the engine did not even make an attempt to cough and sputter in indignance before humming into action. It simply remained silent.

The weight of her predicament fell to her slim shoulders then like a ton and with a pent up part scream, part groan in frustration, the girl's head slid forward with an audible thump to the steering wheel.

She was lost.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

She was lost....

And out of gas...

And it was dark...

It was raining...

She sighed and thumped her head against the steering wheel repeatedly in frustration.

How was it that she always ended up in these weird situations? She had clearly noted she needed gas earlier on so how could she have forgotten so easily? Surely she must have recalled somewhere in the deepest corners of her mind that her small compact did indeed use gas to run and not air like the super canon beam bat-woman mobile she was planning to build?

Her head fell forward again and rested there against the steering wheel for a moment as she closed her eyes, feeling the headache that had started earlier take root and start to strum wildly at her temples. Another sigh escaped her then, the hot heat of her breath sliding past her heated and sore throat almost painfully, then groaned. Not only was she lost, she was getting sick too- an unusual occurrence in itself since she was not one of those persons who ever got sick easily. Added to that, the thin jacket she was wearing was doing nothing to ward off the distinct chill that accompanied the heavy rain and already, her body was beginning to feel chilled.

Lifting her throbbing head from the wheel, Orihime tried to look past the heavy splashes of water on her windshield, past the darkened atmosphere around her and unto the barely visible road ahead of her, wondering how in heaven's name she had even gotten to this point.

It had seemed like such a good idea then, after sitting three hours in the bumper to bumper traffic on the highway, to get off at the first available exit and follow the other drivers on the exit from the over-packed highway. They had certainly seemed more knowledgeable in what they were doing than her, and not wanting to spend another three hours on the highway just to shift barely three kilometres closer to her destination was not an overly appeasing idea- so without much ado, she had decided to follow them. A bad idea, she decided now. She should have at least asked or tried to find out if they were going the same way she was before deciding to follow...

Unfamiliar with the city and these streets, she had found herself lost in less time than it actually took her to get off the crowded highway and, trying to get herself back unto the crowded highway had only landed in more confusion. Recalling something she had heard earlier- "make all left turns and you'll end up where you started"- she had settled to doing just that. Obviously, whomever made that statement didn't live in Tokyo however, as, instead of anywhere that looked even remotely familiar to where she had been before, she was yet again in a wholly unfamiliar place- a seemingly deserted strip of road. The last town she had passed through was about a half hour back and, added to this, it was raining heavily by now and the evening was darkening rather quickly from the weather.

_Way to go, Orihime_, she chided herself lightly. _You certainly know how to get yourself into a pickle._

She sighed again.

She should have at least suspected that she wouldn't have been the only student thinking of getting to campus a week earlier than classes to settle in and- By God- how in the world could she have forgotten what day it was when she set out. It was a Friday and so, as was the natural situation, of course the roads were going to be packed... Weren't they always?

Now here she was, no closer to getting into downtown Tokyo or to her small flat situated there, no closer to settling into the new place or even getting there... and feeling sick on top of all of that.

Gazing out her windshield in dismay, she noted the lack of traffic on the path and groaned aloud. It seemed hiking up the lonely road wearing her thin soled sandals and thin jacket in the cold rain was definitely going to be an activity she would be engaging in very soon...

_Better get at it then_...

Reaching across the seat from her, she grabbed her purse and opened the door. A gust of cold, rain-laden wind lashed out at her on exit, seeming to penetrate to her very bones and reminding her rather brutally of the importance of being prepared. Or, at the very least, having the good sense to keep a blanket in the car for such emergencies.

Sighing once more, she pulled the edges of her thin jacket closer to her already shivering body and set off up the road.

Her fingers were beginning to feel like sticks of ice and the wind had picked up quite a bit when she found herself at a familiar intersection and, in opposition to her prior decision, Orihime turned to the street on the right. Her decision proved to be a good one when not even fifteen minutes into the walk, her eyes landed on a neon sign flashing above what looked like a store attached to a house saying After Hours Clinic.

Saved, she thought happily then and made a beeline for the clinic, I'm saved.

With an effort, she unfolded her frozen arms from around her aching body--whether due to sickness or the weather, she was beyond caring--and pulled the bell above the door. Silence greeted her on the other side of the door and remained that way until, just as she was about to give up, the shuffling sound of feet sounded on the other side.

The door opened before she could compose herself for a greeting and she suddenly found herself staring up at a tall, dark-haired man. The suddenness of his appearance startled her so much she took a step back and almost fell backwards if it weren't for the warm hands that suddenly grabbed hers and pulled her into the house at the same time.

"Oh my," the voice sounded then, "You're soaked wet and partially frozen. Come...come inside."

For some strange reason, the voice seemed to be coming at her through a thick haze but she heard herself reply then, "No...n-no, really... M-my car... It's... out of g-gas...I just need..."

"Alright," the man interrupted with a warm smile, "I understand. Don't worry about it. Just come in and warm up and I'll call someone to get your car for you."

Orihime shook her head, feeling the pounding at her temples increase exponentially with the movement. It seemed walking in the rain had made whatever she was coming down with much worse.

"I-I-If y-you c-could just c-call a cab f-f-for me," she managed to get out, gratefully accepting the white towel he handed her, "I'd b-be really g-grateful. I w-wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

As great as the offer of warmth sounded, he was a strange man, and he seemed so tall ... And she was so alone. . .

The man nodded silently to himself as if suddenly understanding something, then stepped back away from the door. She heard him murmur to someone and a boyish dark-haired girl appeared beside him at the door.

"This is my daughter, Karin," he introduced, "She's going to stay with you while I get some more towels. My other daughter, Yuzu, is going to make you something hot to drink to warm you up a bit- you look a bit chilled. You just stay right there and I'll get you something dry to put on as well- you're shivering badly and dripping all over the floor."

Realisation made her blush embarrassedly as she wryly noted the mess she'd already made. The path leading to where she stood was dirtied with water and dirt from her shoes and there was an ever growing puddle of water beneath her sodden feet where she stood.

"Gomen," she apologised hastily, "Perhaps I should just wait by the door...I'm creating such a mess..."

"Nonsense," the man interrupted with a smile, "You just stay right there, Miss..."

"Orihime," she supplied somewhat automatically, "Inoue Orihime."

"Ok, Inoue-san. You just stay where you are. Don't worry about the mess. We'll get this mess cleaned up in no time. By the way, my name is Kurosaki Isshin. I'm the doctor in this clinic so no need to be afraid. I don't bite- not much at least," he grinned, "but we'll take good care of you."

He disappeared through the door with that same grin plastered on his face and appeared a moment later with a loose pair of sweats and a large black t-shirt emblazoned with a skull and the name of an American band in bold letters reading The Grateful Dead.

"Here," he said, holding them out to her, "You need to get out of those clothes before you get sick. Just go with Karin and she'll take you to the back where you can get changed."

"No," Orihime felt forced to protest hoarsely. "I couldn't... I..."

She was already impinging on their kindness without accepting their clothes and looking at the clothing, she was positive it was neither the doctor's nor his daughters'. She would feel worse invading into someone's privacy she had yet to meet if she took and wore their clothing.

"Sure you can," the Doctor interjected calmly, "Besides, it's no bother and what kind of doctor would I be if I let you get sick in my clinic?"

Seeing the sense in his argument and not wanting to offend him, Orihime offered him a weak smile and thanked him before turning to follow Karin who was waiting patiently for her by the door.

With each step she took through the warm house, the numbing cold in her fingers, toes and ears started to give way and a dull ache began to replace the cold as they began to thaw. Worse, the rest of her body felt on fire; each breath burning its way into her lungs and past her now very sore throat in minute torture. Her eyes felt like they were watering from a heated haze and her head was starting to feel as if elephants were tap dancing on her skull.

She made it to the change room without incident though and, murmuring a quick thanks to the dark-haired girl, she hurriedly pulled the curtains and stripped out of her dripping clothes. She had no other choice but to also remove her bra and underwear since they too were soaked but stepping into the warm cotton sweat bottoms and t-shirt, she felt more than comfortable without them. She was well covered and unless she was jumping, which she supposed she'd not be doing much of with her headache, no one would notice her unsupported bosom as the shirt was very big.

Satisfied with her appearance despite her limp auburn hair and slightly pale face, Orihime gathered her wet clothes and, bundling them as best she could into her jacket, she set off out of the room.

"You could put those in the dryer beyond that door," Karin indicated then, "That will give you something dry to put on when you're ready to go. When you're done, just come back to the clinic."

"Thank you," Orihime found herself murmuring once more before heading off in the direction Karin had indicated.

She found the small laundry room easily and, noting the familiar colors of the clinic linens nicely folded in one corner, she set about to get her stuff in the dryer. She gave her under garments a quick rinse in the sink to freshen them before tossing them into the dryer and turning it on. She'd been wearing them since she'd left early this morning to finish up her last assignment at work and that had been more than twelve hours ago now. It would have been nice if she could also get a rinse after such a long day but she really did not want to impose anymore on the doctor and his family.

Her stomach growled at that moment, reminding her that her last meal had also been several hours ago and, remembering the promise of tea, she stepped back out into the hallway. Both directions looked equally unfamiliar however as she glanced out and in dismay, she realised she had not nearly been paying enough attention when Karin had brought her here.

Her stomach growled again and, with a sigh, she turned left, telling herself almost automatically- 'Make all left turns...' She stopped suddenly after a few steps, catching herself in the same actions that had gotten her into this mess in the first place, and, shaking her head at her near stupidity, she turned around and went the opposite direction.

She walked back into the clinic a few minutes later and was somewhat surprised to see it empty. The dark-haired doctor and his daughters were nowhere to be seen. She thought for a moment that perhaps she was not in the right place but the sight of her purse in the corner of the room confirmed that she was.

She started to head for it when a discreetly cleared throat startled her, sending her heart rate into overdrive. She spun in surprise, her first inclination to run as her eyes met with the tall imposing form of a young man with shockingly bright orange hair and a fearsome scowl. The dark-winged brows cowered over hazel-brown eyes which seemed to feed off the light in the room- eyes that seemed to be skimming over every part of her; from the top of her rapidly drying hair to the tips of her barely visible toes under the hems of the too long sweat pants.

"Um...," he began slightly uncomfortably as his eyes came back to her face again, his voice uncertain even as her heart continued to pound mercilessly in her chest, "My dad sent me to get you."

"Oh," she managed weakly and drew in an unsteady breath to calm her overactive heart. "Ok."

Reaching for her purse, she hauled it comfortingly against her chest like a beloved bear and started off after the orange-haired youth.

Absently, she noticed his sock clad feet and the way his long-legged stride seemed to emphasize the leanness of his body outlined in the slim fit blue jeans he wore and the small white t-shirt that covered surprisingly broad shoulders and strong forearms. She noted the way the hair at his nape seemed to curl lovingly around the strong tanned cords of his neck and felt her fingers itch slightly with an urge to reach up and feel if they were really as downy to touch as they looked.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't realise he had stopped and, in true Orihime style, walked right into his hard back.

A dark blush graced her cheeks as she stuttered her apologies, missing the way the doctor was suddenly looking in their direction with an amused expression.

"It's okay," the orange-haired male interrupted after her fourth apology," no harm done."

She sighed in relief at that but could not get the embarrassed color to leave her face until the doctor suddenly spoke.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he urged her, pointing to an empty seat in the room, "I'm just on the phone trying to get a tow-truck out to your car."

Orihime's eyes widened in panic at that.

A tow-truck!?

She had barely enough savings to get her through until she found something part time as it was and getting a tow truck from that measly penance was simply out of the question.

"No," she interrupted a bit too quickly, causing the man to frown questioningly at her, "I... can you please just all a cab? I just need to get to a gas station and then back to my car..."

The doctor hesitated for a second and then, mumbling something to whomever was on the other end of the line, he hung up and turned to her.

"If you only need a cab," he stated, "Instead of going through all that trouble, why don't you let us help you? My son has his licence and I'm sure he wouldn't mind dropping you to the nearest gas station to get fuel and then back to your car..."

"Oh no," Orihime exclaimed, "I can't...that would be too much. You've already done so much..."

Again, the man waved her off with a smile, "Don't worry about it. It would be a better idea if you didn't even bother trying to travel in this weather but I can tell you're already uncomfortable. The least I can do then is make sure you get home safely. "

Orihime opened her mouth to protest that she would be fine on her own but he was already moving to the male lounging in the doorway, his scowl still in place and saying to him, "Why don't you get the jeep started?"

The youth muttered something inaudible back at the doctor which made him smile even wider. He said something back to the youth, glancing slyly over at her before turning back to his son and whatever he said then created a rush of color, possible angry color she mused, to the face of the orange-haired male and with one last scathing remark she again didn't catch, the orange-top was striding away down the hall and disappearing from view, leaving the doctor with a silly grin on his face as he watched him go.

The grin was gone when he turned to her a second later and started to make his way to the easy chair to her left. He reached for a cup of the steaming hot tea on the table before her as he passed and, following his example, Orihime reached for one as well only to find that her hands were trembling rather badly. In fact, the tremors seemed to want to invade the rest of her body as well, jostling the hot liquid as her fingers curled around the warmth of the mug. But, determine to have at least one sip of the inviting drink, she concentrated on getting the mug safely to her lips and not on the way her whole body seemed to want to curl in on itself from the shivering that threatened to rack her small frame.

The warm brew went down wonderfully with her first sip, bathing her aching throat and seeping in blissful waves through her body. Her eyes closed in a moment of untarnished appreciation before flying open again as the doctor spoke.

"So, Inoue-san," he began, "what brings you out here in this type of weather- if you don't mind my asking anyway?

"Oh," Orihime returned, "I'm starting at Tokyo University next week and was trying to beat the rush by getting here early and getting settled. There was an accident on the highway though and, thinking I'd be able to find a shortcut to the downtown area, I got off on one of the next exit. I'm not familiar with the roads here though and I should have remembered that as I got lost rather easily. I started taking all lefts- You see, I thought if you keep taking left turns you'll somehow end up back where you were,- but for some reason, it didn't work out that way, and--" Orihime stopped when she realized she was babbling and, with a self-deprecating chuckle, she continued, "Sorry, I sometimes do that when I'm tired. I just go on and on and--" she stopped herself again with a wry grin.

The doctor looked at her and offered a bemused smile. Whatever he was going to say then however was interrupted as the orange-haired boy returned, his scowl still present- making her wonder if it was permanently etched on his face- and announced the jeep was warmed up and ready to go.

"Ah," the doctor sighed somewhat dramatically, "And just when I was enjoying our little talk too. I was just about to use the infamous Kurosaki charm and convince you to stay the night too..."

His son made a pained sound by the door and the man grinned unrepentantly before walking over and, rather gallantly, lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the now warm skin at the back of her hand.

"Please get lost again soon," he told her, his dark eyes sparkling in merriment, "we'll have tea again and you can tell me more about yourself."

Despite the strangeness of his actions, Orihime found herself smiling brightly at him, a light flush of color making her cheeks appear rather rosy.

"I think I'd like that," she returned truthfully.

Despite her initially fear, she realised surprisedly, she had never felt more comfortable anywhere else as she had in her small time at this house.

"Good," the doctor beamed at her before leaning in closer to whisper conspiratorially to her, "Don't let my idiotic son scare you away with that stupid scowl. He's really a sweetheart- deep, deep...deep, deep, deep down in that undersexed adolescent body... Between you and me, I think he just needs to have se..."

The hot color in her cheeks faded to horror as a fist suddenly landed in the doctor's cheek, sending him flying to the corner, the force slamming him against the wall only for him to fall in a crumpled heap on the floor a second later.

"Tch... idiot old man," the orange-haired male muttered before turning to her.

His frown deepened at the surprise, fear and worry he saw mirrored in her grey gaze, causing him to curse slightly under his breath.

"Don't worry about him," Karin's voice sounded then, dragging both gazes from each other and to her, "Goat-chin is tough. This is just his and Ichi-nii's way of bonding..."

Orihime gazed uncertainly at the man in the corner then almost jumped out of her skin when he suddenly shot up, bleeding nose and all to announce, "You're getting better, Ichigo. Oyaji didn't even sense that one coming!"

Another curse sounded from the orange-haired youth and then he was striding away. Orihime looked at him and then back to the older man who was now being fussed over by his other daughter, Yuzu she recalled, then back to the retreating form of his son.

_That was bonding??_

Noticing possibly that she was not following, the orange-top stopped near the door and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Do you still want that ride or not?" he asked.

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Ichigo came to a stop at the gas station and glanced over to the seat next to him. There, cuddled against the side of the door, a blanket draped across her slim frame, was Orihime, the most unexpected and seriously strange girl he had ever met. One minute she had been so silent, then all of a sudden she was talking his ear off and the next thing he knew, his brain was physically tripping over itself to understand the words coming out of her mouth. It was incredulous the things that kept pouring out from her mouth and try as he might, he just hd not been able to keep up. Subsequently, she'd lost him somewhere around the little blue men who had thought it would be fun to use her gas to fuel their space ship and by the time he'd tuned back in, she was fast asleep, her head resting gently against the window.

She was probably one of those people who hated uncomfortable silences and felt an urge to fill them, he mused silently then recalling the conversation.

Oblivious to his thoughts, the girl chose that moment to shiver rather violently, pulling his gaze to her then and he found himself studying her a little more intently than he had since meeting her.

Escaped strands of soft auburn hair were beginning to curl around cheeks shadowed by impossibly long dark lashes, cheeks that looked decidedly flushed even in the dimness of the jeep. Her lips had regained color to an enticing candy pink along with the rest of her face and with her eyes closed and her face at rest, he couldn't help but think she looked completely and utterly helpless lying there- much like a lost child.

A sudden strong urge to protect her welled up in his chest then and caught totally off guard by the feeling, he didn't realise his hand was going to brush a stray strand of hair from where it had fallen across her face until the limb entered the periphery of his vision. Scowling and wondering what the hell had come over him, Ichigo shook the thought away and moved to wake her instead.

As soon as his hands touched her shoulder, he almost withdrew in shock from the heat radiating off her small frame. _Surely it can't be normal for one person to exude so much heat_, he thought, then felt an irrational anger surface.

_Stupid old man...what the hell was he thinking letting him take her from the clinic when she was this sick?_

He sighed again and shook her gently, feeling the burning heat of her body right through his borrowed clothing once more.

_Damn..._

The grey eyes fluttered open slowly before focusing rather confusedly in him. She bolted upright a minute later, shrinking even further into the corner as her eyes went wide.

Expecting as much, he raised his hands non-threateningly and said, "You said you needed to get to the gas station... we're here."

The look of confusion grew then cleared as she seemed to recall and an embarrassed flush colored her cheeks.

"I-I... Gomen," she stammered out, "Thank you."

With that, she almost fell out the door in her haste to get out, saved only by the strong arm suddenly grabbing on to her elbow.

"Stay here," he stated then, "I'm not a doctor like my Dad but it looks to me as if you have a fever, and probably some of whatever bug is going around these days. You've been sleeping for a while now and your skin is flushed. Sleeping is just your body's way of telling you that it needs rest so it can heal and I think you should stay here and just rest. You're probably too weak to even make it into the station anyway, so I'll go."

He didn't give her a chance to respond, opening his door quickly and striding away to the attendant before she could get any words past her lips.

God, he chastised himself as he strode away, he'd sounded like his fucking father. What the hell was the matter with him? He wiped a hand tiredly across his face and continued towards the attendant at the counter. He explained the situation to him, purchased the container of gas from his own funds then headed back to the jeep, gas in hand.

When he got there, she was asleep again, her body curled on the seat in a way that made her seem even more tiny and frail beneath the light blankets. She was also shivering intermittently, her lips trembling lightly as her body shook and edged closer into itself, seeking warmth it seemed to ward off the cold chills that were wracking her small frame.

Settling the container in the back, behind his seat, Ichigo climbed in and closed the door before hesitantly reaching over and putting a hand to her forehead. She was burning up, he realised in shock, her temperature much higher than it had been before.

What in heaven's name had made her risk travelling when she was obviously sick? he though then, frowning.

The girl mumbled something incoherently then and, to his shock, leaned into his touch with a barely audible sigh.

"So warm," she muttered.

Her statement made him pull his hand away quickly, a rush of warmth flooding his cheeks.

Cheeks still burning and muttering to himself about strange women, he pulled out of the gas station and started back down the road.

He had no idea where her car could be but he didn't want to wake her up either when she was obviously sick and needing as much as rest as possible. Besides, he had a few ideas anyway where she could have run out of gas since she had made it to the clinic so he started on that.

It took him two tries to find the abandoned vehicle and he needed no convincing it belonged to her. It just seemed like it was something she would own. Carefully so as not to wake her, he pulled the keys from her limp fingers and, pulling up his hood over his head, hurried outside. The keys fitting proved his theory and within minutes, he'd refilled the tank and was hurrying back inside the warmth of the jeep.

Telling himself this was probably a bad idea, he reached across the seat and shook her shoulder, gently calling her name. She barely stirred however at his prompting, only moaning restlessly before drifting back to sleep.

With a sinking feeling, he looked across at the car then at the darkened streets. He couldn't force her awake to drive if she was sick but what should he do? He couldn't leave her here but... what if she had someone waiting for her at home...? Was there someone he should be calling? He frowned as the thought came to him that she had never thought to contact anyone when she was at the clinic. Was she perhaps here on her own?

He sat there debating within himself for a full minute before he accepted the inevitable. There was nothing else he could do, no other choice he could make under the circumstances and, though he felt slightly uncomfortable, he hurried back out into the rain, secured her small car and ran back to the jeep. Assured her car was safe, he pulled away from the small car and started back towards the clinic.

She was shivering uncontrollably when he pulled up again outside the clinic, small sounds of discomfort escaping her lips now and then. He got out and made his way to the passenger side and opened her door. Still no other movement from the sleeping woman except the uncontrollably shivering and intermittent moans.

With warnings bells blaring like thunder in his brain, he lifted the small frame into his arms and started back toward the clinic. She immediately snuggled closer to him, burrowing her head in the nook of his arm, causing him to come to a complete stop, suddenly unaware in the moment of the rain still beating down at them as he looked down.

An odd feeling swept over him as he looked at the girl so trustingly curled up in his arms, looking and feeling for all the world as if she belonged there, as if she was supposed to be there...

"Ichigo... what are you doing standing out there in the rain?"

His head snapped up, the moment broken as he heard his father's question over the sudden wind and frowning over the unfamiliar feeling fading into the background of his mind, he hurried through the door his father was holding open expectantly.

"What happened?" his father questioned, noting the shivering form still in his arms.

"I think she's sick," he returned, and, ignoring the wetness his coat was leaving on the floor, he walked over to the living room, not the cots in the clinic and deposited his human burden on the couch.

She made a sound of protest as her fingers tightened in his jacket, not wanting it seemed to be separated from his warmth.

He frowned at her actions, not noticing the speculative way his father was looking at them or the way his eyes suddenly sparkled with a look, which, had he seen, he would have recognised to mean nothing good.

"I'll get my stuff," he heard him mutter behind him and then heard the receding of his footsteps.

"Hurts," the girl muttered then, her eyes squeezing together in obvious pain, "my head...it hurts... so cold."

His eyes scanned the room, landing on a discarded blanket on the chair across from him. He reached for it but felt her hands tighten even more in his clothing.

"Don't go," she murmured and he sighed, turning his gaze back to her as he wondered if she had any idea what she was saying. He was a virtual stranger to her and yet here she was unwilling to let him go, snuggling up to him as if she knew him and telling him not to go. A sudden thought came to him on someone else being in this position and he was suddenly glad she had somehow ended up on their steps. No telling what would have happened had it been someone else's steps she'd turned up on and he was reluctant to even entertain the thought.

"Shift over," his father ordered as he returned and he shuffled to the side as much as he could since her fingers were still like a vice grip on his clothing.

In full doctor mode now, his father gave her a full assessment from head to toe. He had to stop himself from objecting as his father lifted the hem of his borrowed shirt, exposing a smooth expanse of creamy skin across a taut stomach to listen to her stomach and later palpated the area for any kind of abnormality. She sighed at his examination, turning slightly into him and causing her hot breath to wash over his neck in a way too erotic fashion.

Swallowing convulsively, he shifted his body slightly to get away from the sensation and almost groaned aloud as his eyes met with the knowing ones of his father.

_He was never going to hear the end of this_...

"She's running a very high fever," his father announced switching back to doctor mode instead, "and her throat is red and inflamed. Seems like she's got some pain somewhere..."

"Her head hurts," he mumbled automatically and his father's eyes got speculative again in a way that he knew didn't bode well for him before he continued. "She's got a case of strep throat and she's probably caught the nasty flu bug going around as well. I'm going to give her some antibiotics then to help with her throat and something for pain and fever. Stay with her. I'll be right back."

Not like he could go anywhere, Ichigo thought to himself staring down at the small hands still clutching tightly at his clothes.

True to his word, his father returned with two bottles of liquid a while later and a syringe. He drew up some of the liquid from one of the bottles into the syringe and turned to him.

"Can you raise her up a bit? I need her to drink this without choking on it."

Not thinking on it, Ichigo slid a hand under her back and raised her up gently.

She muttered something and winced as the movement jarred her but fell into silence a moment later, sighing as she turned more into his neck.

"I think she likes you," his father muttered, far too amused for his piece of mind, and he shot him a dark look.

"Shut up," he scowled at him, "Just do what the hell you're doing and get this over with."

Still grinning, Isshin put the syringe to her lips and slowly, tilting her head back slightly, got her to swallow the mixture without incident. He repeated the procedure with the other bottle then stood.

"She's probably going to sleep for a while but she needs to get another dose of the antibiotics in six hours. Make sure you give it to her on time."

"Me...why do I have to give it to her?"

"She obviously likes you more than me," Isshin muttered, chuckling amusedly as Ichigo's face darkened, "besides, I have to be at the hospital early in the morning. I can't be getting up just to give her medications when I'll need my rest to pull off another 16 hr shift."

While Ichigo considered his words, he started to walk off. He was at the door when he threw back.

"She's a very beautiful girl and as much as you might want to climb in the couch and cuddle with her, Ichigo, just remember she's sick. Too much strenuous activity ..."

He stopped, chuckling loudly as a shoe whizzed past his ear.

The boy was still just too easy to tease even at this age- not that he didn't enjoy it. Hell, he lived to fluster the poor boy and even know he could feel his lips turning up in a devilish grin as he thought about the other ways he could fluster his poor son tomorrow.

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Five hours after she had finally let go of him, Ichigo found himself groggily making his way downstairs again. He had barely fallen asleep, his thoughts too taken up by the strange girl asleep on their couch to allow him to fall asleep easily, and just when it seemed he'd finally been able to drift off into sleep, the alarm he'd set to mark the six hours was blaring him awake again.

Crap...it seemed like it was just not his night.

She was still asleep he noted as he came into the room, but she was no longer shivering uncontrollably. Her temperature was still high as well but she did not seem nearly as hot as she had been before. Whatever his father had given her, it was obviously working.

He gave her the medication without problems and headed back upstairs to sleep until the next dose was due in the morning.

When he woke up to the alarm again hours later, he found himself all alone in the house except for his guest still asleep on the couch, blankets askew and settled into the couch in some weird angle he wondered how she even slept. His father had probably left already for the hospital and Karin and Yuzu had probably gone out to get groceries. They had been intending to do that yesterday until the rain had postponed the trip. As they had nothing for breakfast in the house, it was only plausible they would have left to catch the stores as soon as they opened.

Going through the same motions as last night, he set up the dose in the syringe and got ready to give it to his sleeping guest. Instead of getting her up however, he found himself staring down at her peaceful face, transfixed it seemed by the way she seemed so childlike and innocent, curled up as she was, her hands under her cheek. Several tendrils of her auburn hair slid across her face like a smooth caress and the bangs that had been limp with wetness last night were now curled only damply, enticingly, against the smooth skin of her forehead.

Before he could anticipate and stop his actions, his hand was reaching forward to smooth the tendril from her face and, like a bad twist of fate, the girl chose that moment to open her eyes.

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When Orihime opened her eyes, it was to a room all together too unfamiliar to be home and too homely to be a hospital. Confused and wincing at the slight pain in her head, she shifted her gaze. She was on a couch somewhere, she realised blearily and something tall and dark was casting a shadow over her. Realisation that a strange man was standing over her was slow to enter her brain but when it did, her reaction was lightning quick.

She screamed and scrambled backwards in horror, her hands reflexively reaching next to her to grab something she could use. Her fingers draped across what seemed to be a heavy book from the corner table next to her and, without thinking, she got both hands to it and swung with all her might.

Not expecting the sudden attack, the book collided heavily with the would-be attacker and she heard the breath go out of the figure in a muffled whoosh before he toppled over the coffee table behind him.

She was fairly certain he'd landed between the next sofa on the other side and table because the sounds of muffled cursing were coming from that general direction.

Shakily, she pulled herself to her feet, the room spinning dazedly for a minute, before her eyes focused and began searching for another weapon as she heard the man shuffling to his feet. Her eyes landed on what looked like a mop and a bucket at the other end of the couch and she dived for it. Grabbing the stick, she raised the mop defensively in from of her and, heart pounding heavily, head spinning still, she walked around to the still muffled cursing.

"W-who are you?" she questioned, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound unafraid, "Who are you and... what am I doing here?"

Had he kidnapped her? she wondered hazily.

A pair of hands raised in surrender from the space between the table and the couch and a muttered curse sounded more distinctly before said voice stated louder for her benefit, " Fuck... just hold on before you swing anything else at me.... just give me a second for everything to stop spinning first.... Fucking hell, what the fuck did you hit me with?"

"A book," she felt compelled to answer and was met with another curse.

"Fucking Oyaji," the voice muttered, "I told him those books were a fucking hazard..."

Orihime froze as the voice sounded, clearer than before, something tickling at the edges of her memory. That voice. . . it was familiar somehow.

As the thought came, spiky bright orange hair and dark scowling eyebrows appeared over the table and suddenly, most of last night came flooding back to her. The Kurosaki's ... her car...Ichigo...

"Oh!" Orihime was so stunned, she dropped the mop. Unfortunately, it landed on Ichigo's unprotected head, prompting a loud yelp and sending Orihime into a whole new level of feeling like an idiot. Apologizing profusely, she moved the mop aside and attempted to help Ichigo to the sofa.

"I'm so, so sorry," she mumbled incoherently, "I really didn't mean it...I didn't...I'm sorry..."

"It's ok," he muttered, his face turned away from her as he rubbed his hand over what he was sure was going to be a nice bump from where his head had slammed into the table when she had hit him with the book.

"Oh but it's not," Orihime cried despondently, "You...your family ... you've been so nice to me and...and... just look what I did to repay your kindness...I'm so sorry..."

Ichigo shifted his hand to repeat that it was okay only to stare at his hand in horrid fascination as it pulled away coated in red. She must have busted his nose when she slapped him with the book in his face, he realised dimly then, and his movements had probably aggravated the injury into bleeding this much.

"Oh my god," he heard Orihime gasp and moments later, he felt gentle hands, hands like velvet cup his cheek and the cold of a wet rag on his nose.

His eyes raised then and he found himself blushing madly as he confronted a part of her anatomy he would rather not look at. ..

And yet couldn't tears his eyes away from as it became all too obvious she was not wearing a bra under his shirt. He could clearly see the pert ends of her nipples pointing against the material as it drew taut across her chest, caught as the hems were between her and him and the couch... a fact that also seemed to instantaneously remind his brain exactly how close they were.

He could feel her breath blowing across the sensitive skin of his face, the sensation causing the hair at his nape to stand on end in an oddly pleasant way. Her hair, haphazard and wavy, tumbled from her head, several tendrils brushing against the skin of his arms and creating a delightful sensation against his skin. His fingers itched then to race through it, test if it was really as silky soft as it felt brushing against his skin and he clenched them to avoid the temptation, wondering hazily what the hell was going on at the same time...

The whole room seemed suddenly hazy and there was a warmth surrounding him now that he had oddly never felt before until this moment. His brain also seemed pleasantly sluggish and as such, it took him a while to notice that her hands were no longer moving and that she was looking at him as confused as he felt he looked, another emotion blazing in intensity behind her grey orbs.

His dad was right, the thought came then, his eyes noting the way her hair surrounded her face like an auburn halo, her eyes bright under the sooty shade of her long dark lashes- she was exquisitely beautiful.

Unbidden, his eyes fell to her lips and a fierce urge to feel them against his own welled in him along with a pleasant heat that flooded his body, spreading outwards from his abdomen to his limbs before coming to settle somewhat uncomfortably in his groin.

As if feeling the heat of his gaze on her lips, a small pink tongue darted out to wet them and, even as he wondered on the sudden craziness of the situation, he felt his hand bury in her hair and a moment later, her sigh whispered across his lips.

Then came the sensation of her lips against his...

Kami...

His mouth slanted over hers with a soft fierceness while his hand curled around her nape hesitantly. She shivered in pleasure at the contact, the shiver shifting to a full body shudder as his fingers started to stroke the sensitive skin at her nape almost instinctively, reflexively, his other hand shifting from his leg to encircle her waist, pulling her even closer to the warmth of his body.

Orihime felt as if she were beginning to melt and float inside and, just as she couldn't have pulled herself away from the hypnotic gaze of his hazel-brown eyes moments before, she felt she couldn't pull herself away from him now. She wasn't even surprised at her reluctance to do so and that in itself should have been a shock.

Lost in a sea of pure sensation as his lips slid enticingly across hers, tasting and gently suckling on the plumpness, Orihime shifted her hands from where it hung limply between them, loosely still hanging on to the now bloodied rag and set them on his chest to steady herself. The heat of his body seemed to burn into her palm and she wondered hazily if he might not also be coming down with something- he was so hot... At the same moment her hand steadied against his chest, Ichigo's arms instinctively and automatically tightened around her, pulling her, drawing her even closer to his body. She shifted in response, her knee moving between his legs as her body sought the warmth he was offering and the moment her soft bosom leaned into the hard plans of his chest, the heat between them became absolutely combustible.

Automatically, Ichigo's head shifted and he deepened the kiss, his mouth opening hungrily over hers as Orihime clung tighter to him, sliding her fingers into the soft hair above the collar of his t-shirt, her nerves on end with the sensation wracking her frame with jolts and jolts of wild pleasure. She was practically sitting on his lap right now- a boy she had only met the night before- but she couldn't bring herself to care- not when it felt as if her soul had known him for a lifetime, her body responding to his kisses as if it instinctively knew him and had always been waiting for this moment- waiting to be kissed like this.

_I'll love you for five lifetimes..._

_My heart will know yours at first sight..._

_My soul will find yours..._

The random words whispered across her consciousness, then drowned out as he continued to kiss her, long, lingeringly, then shifting to touch his tongue to her now slightly kiss swollen lips, coaxing them to part. She couldn't deny him, she knew, this boy she didn't even know and her lips opened sweetly, ushering him inside. His tongue slid between her lips filling her mouth and her body melted into his bonelessly, her chest becoming crushed into the hard planes of his as his arm tightened around her and his other hand fisted in the silken mass of her hair to hold her still for his ministrations.

The kiss turned demanding as she wound her arms around his neck, and kissed him back just as he was kissing her. His tongue wrestled with hers for a while, ended up winning, and finally took his prize as he further explored her mouth. She gasped against the onslaught, feeling as if he was stealing all her air and leaving her utterly breathless with his kiss and he made a soft sound in response in the back of his throat and his right hand moved to her lower back, pressing her impossibly closer to his frame.

Whether from fear or the strange headiness of the new feelings of desire raging through every fibre of her being, Orihime moaned softly and the sound somehow managed to penetrate his aroused senses, dragging him reluctantly back to reality.

Dropping his hands from her waist and from her hair, he lifted his lips from hers, his eyes opening slowly to stare into her face, his eyes dark and primal with need, an unknown fire burning in their depths.

_What the fuck had just happened?_ he wondered wonderingly, staring at her as the long lashes shifted, revealing dark grey eyes to his gaze.

A pretty blush reddened her cheek at his look but her voice was uncharacteristically steady, if not still slightly husky from the lingering remnants of desire filling her blood as she asked, "What...? "

The sound of a single hand clapping cut her question short and caused her to scramble away from the male under her in shock and embarrassment as both youths caught sight of a happily grinning and highly amused Isshin standing in the doorway, Karin standing next to him, her mouth agape in shock and Yuzu peeking from behind the fingers she was using to cover her eyes. The flustered movement was too quick and she found herself flailing a little to correct her balance, then, unsuccessful, tumbling over the table. Her head hit the edge before she crumpled in a position reminiscent of Ichigo's earlier fall.

As pain cracked through her skull and darkness descended on her vision, she heard Isshin chirp much too happily, "I didn't know you had it in you, son but it seemed you have inherited some of the infallible Kurosaki charm after all. I'm so proud of you... bagging a babe like Orihime-chan... and after only such a short time... great wor--pphhh."

A fist swimmed past her closing eyes, followed by a loud crash.

"Shut the fuck up, old man. Just look what you did..."

And her world chose that moment to go decidedly blank.

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TWO YEARS LATER...

"I hate this fucking weather," Ichigo griped watching the rain batter heavily against the sliding glass doors of his dorm room and yet he couldn't pull his gaze away from the watery terror.

Not when his girlfriend of two years was outside anyway.

Trust her, he thought somewhat bitterly, to absolutely love the foul weather.

And yet, he couldn't stop his lips from quirking upwards at the amusing sight she made, drenched to the bone and happily dancing in the puddle-filled balcony, her eyes alit with wonder and happiness as she held her face up to the rain. His borrowed white shirt stuck to her now like a second skin, emphasizing the curve of her hips as she swayed seductively to music she alone could hear, the swell of her backside contrasting to her narrow waist. The wet top fitted perfectly over her luscious body, gliding over her buxom bosom before blending perfectly to the pale skin of her arms, shoulders and neck, giving her the image of a half-naked celestial maiden with her auburn tresses cascading like waterfall down her lower back, the moonlight bathing her in a ethereal glow and the light dancing off the water caressing the length of her shapely thighs...

He groaned inwardly to himself at the vision she made, need hitting him like a wild bull in his gut- _Damn girl __was going to be the death of him_- and slid the doors open, grimacing as a sudden wind drove the wetness into his face.

"Hime... it's time to come in," he called out to her and she turned towards him with a bright smile.

"Not yet," she called back," I'm not wrinkled or cold enough yet."

"You're going to get yourself sick," he felt forced to warn her.

"No I won't," she returned, "not when I have you to warm me up," and a mischievous glint entered her eyes.

"Hime...," he began warningly as she moved towards him but she only laughed and launched herself at him, dripping wet and all.

Reflex made him catch her, shivering slightly as the cold wetness of her body robbed him of his heat. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms tightening around his neck and she laughed gaily before licking his neck, making a different heat start to run amok in his body. His hands slipped under her derriere automatically and he groaned, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her derriere as she nipped at his chin and then at his ear.

"Hime," he warned again, his voice laced with a heat that made her shiver all too enticingly against him and cling to him tighter.

She laughed again then, a gay sound that exploded from her lips and made his own tug up reluctantly in the desire to join her contagious laughter.

"For once, my idiot old man as right," he muttered then, watching her gaze up at him adoringly, "You are going to be the damn death of me."

She giggled at his words and slid down only to tug hard on his unresisting frame as she hurriedly backed out the door again.

He gasped as the cold rain hit his warm body in full spray, then scowled darkly as amused laughter rang out from his left.

"I hope you're enjoying this moment," he stated nonplussed.

"I am," she returned laughingly, "I think you happen to look extremely sexy as a wet rat..."

His face contorted into a scowl and he swung around quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. Her hands came to rest against his muscular chest, her right palm directly over the steady beating of his heart. He cupped her face, his breath catching at the sight of her deep grey pools, eyes made more luminescent and more breathtaking than ever because of the faded light of the moon hitting on them, before shifting away to her luscious candy pink lips that were just begging to be kissed.

"What are you thinking?" her soft voice washed over him and he sighed, thinking that even now, being so close to her could still bewitch him so.

"I'm thinking," he answered softly a moment later, his eyes raw with heat, "that I want to kiss you."

And so saying, he captured her lips in a gentle caress.

A shudder racked through her small frame as his lips moulded over hers, taunting, teasing and enticing her to do the same, his body fitting itself to hers as his hand tightened on her hip, crushing her to him even as his other hand buried itself under the heavy wet hair at the back of her nape.

His warm lips moved over hers, the sensation of his hard warm body pressing against hers so achingly, poignantly and vibrantly familiar to her, she found herself wondering hazily once more if perhaps they had not been this way before- perhaps in another lifetime. He knew her body so well, knew her so well it was like he was reading her. He knew just how to touch her, just how to kiss her- God he was such a talented kisser- and when they were together like this, it was like their bodies were made for each other, his hard planes complimenting her soft curves like they were two halves of one whole.

As if feeling she wasn't quite with him, Ichigo's lips broke away from hers, his eyes dark.

"Kiss me, Hime," he urged hoarsely, shifting his mouth to kiss her temple, her ear, her cheek, "Kiss me."

Orihime, lost in the warmth of his voice, needed no other urging. Moaning softly, she met his lips once more and let all thoughts just slip away at the feel of his lips over hers.

He kissed her for what seemed like an endless moment- long drugging kisses that shook the very core of her being and made Orihime want to curl into him as far as she could go, moulding their bodies together until she wouldn't be able to tell them apart. When his tongue traced the line of her lips, coaxing them apart for him only to rush in and explore then retreat, she clawed him closer, clinging to him to make the moment last before, feverish to make him understand what he was doing to her, she touched her own tongue to his lips.

With a low groan, Ichigo opened his mouth over hers with the sudden, urgent hunger that filled his veins, clamouring in his skull, burning through his body- only for her, always for her. She answered his passion with her own, her lips parting beneath his sweetly without further urging, welcoming his tongue as it plundered and ravished the inside of her mouth, then giving him hers. He crushed her to him at that, drawing her tongue into his mouth and caressing it with his own as his hand shifted again, curving possessively around her bottom and pulling her tighter into his hardening body. Her legs shifted restlessly and she moaned deliciously into his mouth. The sound drove him to lift her slightly upwards and she followed his directions wordlessly by wrapping her legs around his waist again.

Without taking his mouth from hers, Ichigo pressed her into his body, chuckling with throaty delight as he felt her press her body closer to his and tear her mouth away from his to gasp his name breathlessly. His mouth switched to her ears and when he nipped the soft lobe then delved into the depths of her sensitive ear, her nails dug into his back and her mouth released another breathless moan.

"I love you," she whispered as his sweet torture continued down her neck, "I'll love you for five lifetimes and more..."

He tore his lips away from her neck, shifting his body as he moved to lean her against the glass doors, his body going weak at her words.

"I love you," he returned earnestly between the hot kisses he trailed down her neck, "I love you... my Hime..."

"...and even if we get separated in the next life time," she murmured at his words, "I will look for you. My heart will always know you... I want to return to you, Ichi-kun- always to you, only to you..."

"My soul will always find you," he murmured in return before his lips returned to hers for another bout of long, feverish kisses until she shivered, from the cold this time, her skin filling with goosebumps. He pulled away from her then and grinned down at the hazy darkness of desire swirling in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

"You're turning me into a fucking corny idiot," he admonished with a smile then.

She smiled back brightly at him then looked off into the rain now falling softly behind him and hugged him.

"Do you know why I love the rain?" she murmured into his neck as he started for inside.

"Because you like getting me wet?" he questioned, a smile in his voice.

She laughed softly and punched his arm weakly.

"No," she returned, her eyes starting to droop, "I love the rain as I met you on a night it rained... the rain always reminds me of that night- tying us together..."

He smiled at the memory she conjured and walked into his bedroom, ignoring the trail of water following them.

"So warm," she murmured into his neck then, snuggling closer, "You're so warm..."

He smiled and wasn't as surprised as he should be when he let her down in the bathroom a minute later and she was already half-asleep - she was known to drop asleep at the drop of a hat at times. Leaning against him sleepily, she let him peel the wet clothing from her body, his face stained red from her nakedness- (Despite their heated making out sessions, they had yet to go all the way though they had gone everywhere but that last step) - and towel dried her skin before replacing his wet shirt with a dry one- grey this time. He set her against the wall, hearing her sleepily protest the loss of his warmth, watching her until he quickly shrugged out of his own wet clothing and then, towelling himself quickly, slid into a pair of warm flannel pj bottoms and a light blue t-shirt, and lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed.

She curled up to him instantly, her fingers curling into his shirt and reminding him of another time she had done so- the first time they had met. He smiled, bending his head to brush his lips across her knuckles even as he thanked all the gods that had driven her to his doorstep that night.

"Don't go," she whispered grasping him closer and shifting closer to him. "So warm..."

He kissed her hair, then her temple, his arms tightening around her as he set them more comfortably into the bed and drew the blanket other them.

"Never," he whispered to her and she smiled contentedly against his neck.

He drew in a deep breath, savouring the uniquely sweet scent that was her and closed his eyes, contentment making him suddenly very relaxed.

"Not in this lifetime or the next."

Above them, the rain continued to beat against the roof, the sound much like music in his ears as his eyes drifted close, the world drifting away as the two souls breathed in contentment and drifted off- two long lost souls together once more.

**OWARI**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Temptations of the shiny**_

It was possibly the most insignificant thing in the entire room yet, due to some sort of morbid fascination, Inoue Orihime found she could not tear her eyes away from the small shiny object. Even after Tatsuki had caught her staring a few times, and even admonished her that staring was impolite, she found she could not look away. The tiny metal object just grabbed her attention and she was hard-pressed to ignore it.

Three times already today _he_ had caught her staring as well and, ducking to hide the hot color that filled her face, she would steadfastly return to her books only to, just moments later, return to her fascination with the shiny metal object.

It was most unnerving how the small object would entice her, winking at her flirtatiously every time he talked. It was as if it was playing a mischievous game of hide and seek, flirting with her by appearing and then disappearing in the next instant.

Of course, she had tried to ignore it in the beginning- valiantly so- but, as time passed, she found herself only becoming more and more enthralled by the small metallic object- so much so, she found herself wondering once or twice in only the space of the last hour, what it would taste like on her tongue. Would she be able to taste the shininess? Would it taste like the rainbow of colors it seemed to reflect when it hit the light? Hmm… she was sure rainbows would taste very yummy and could not help thinking that perhaps it too would be quite yummy.

If only she could find out…

Unconsciously, her tongue darted out, wetting her lips now at the thought and, as fate would have it, he looked up in that instant, catching her in the act. Her face heated at being caught and, obviously puzzled by her reddening complexion, an eyebrow cocked over one hazel-brown eye in silent question.

"Inoue… is something wrong?"

More heat suffused her face as hints of shininess came at her again and she vaguely heard herself stuttering something that sounded like an apology for staring before hurriedly excusing herself to the kitchen. Once there, she hurried to the sink to splash cold water on her face, before, with a sigh, she fell back against the wall tiredly.

Mou!!… Who knew that a tongue ring could be so distracting!!

Sighing again, she silently vowed not to be taken in by its sly winks and rainbow colors anymore. She was not going to be taken in by it- not for one second more!

This was easier said than done however and it seemed the devil just loved to play with her.

As if the shiny barbell passing through the pink appendage was not enough of a distraction, the very next week-end, he showed up at the impromptu barbecue at Tatsuki's house with yet another shiny temptation. Orihime told herself fervently on seeing it that she would not fail the battle this time- she would resist and overcome the challenge of the small shiny object. If she didn't, then she was sure she would be lost under its enticing sell and then all her planning to one day become the queen of the little blue men would all be lost.

And she would have succeeded too, was well on her way despite a few bumps in fact, but fate had other things in mind it seemed as to how the battle between her and the tiny shiny objects would end.

"Christ! Hime, could you grab us some water please? I feel like the Sahara," Tatsuki whined as she made her way from the hot barbecue.

"It's boiling hot out here and standing over that hot grill isn't helping," she added, flopping down next to the auburn-haired girl for a quick break while fanning herself quickly with one hand.

Dragging her gaze away from where the guys where playing a game of volleyball, particularly from a certain orange-top and his enticing metallic companions, Orihime set down the book she had long forgotten about and turned to her friend.

"I'll go get water for everyone then," she said and stood up quickly to head for the kitchen. Moments later, however, she was back and empty handed.

"There are no bottles in the kitchen," she explained at Tatsuki's questioning gaze and knowing that Tatsuki really hated drinking water from the tap or cooled-boiled water, she quickly followed up with the offer to run to the convenience store.

"No need," Tatsuki quickly assured her, flopping back unto the blanket the auburn-haired girl had been occupying only moments before. "There's some in the storage area in the shed."

The shed Tatsuki was referring to was a small building at the back of the yard, pretty much the size of a big doghouse which her family often used as storage for odd things and extra stuff like bottled water and detergent. As Orihime had often spent summers here, she already knew this and knew as well exactly where to find water if there was any around. That in mind, she hurried off without question to the small building.

Flicking on the light as she entered, Orihime started humming. She made her way easily through the mass of boxes and, still humming softly, was soon standing in front of the very things she needed- the bottled water. The problem was, however, they were on the top shelf of the storage cupboard and, as much as she tipped, stretched and jumped, Orihime found she could not even touch the plastic wrap surrounding the case. Growing frustrated, she was just about to start looking for something to stand on when, without too much warning, an arm reached out from behind her and pulled down the twelve-pack peeking from the shelf rather easily.

Gasping in surprise at the action, Orihime quickly turned around, ready to thank her hero. The words of appreciation and gratitude stuck in her throat however, as her eyes met none other than the sweaty orange-top, and his mischievous friends- the very ones whom she had taken on this mission to avoid- if only for a moment.

"Did you want this?" he asked and Orihime found she could not even nod in reply, cursing her easily distractible state as her eyes once more found the winking piece of metal.

"Inoue?"

The call of her name went unheard as another flash of metal caught her eye and her gut twisted in sinful delight. The other shiny friend!

"Inoue?"

This new shiny addition moved as he talked as well and, transfixed, Orihime found her gaze glued to it.

"Inoue?"

Shiny 1 flashed by with Shiny 2 peeking at her and it took a hand grasping her shoulder and shaking her slightly to finally pull her gaze away from the tempting metallic twins.

"When did you get a lip ring, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked immediately on coming to, her face flushing in embarrassment when the question echoed in her ear seconds too late.

The sensuous lips in front of her eyes curved slightly, the shiny metal catching her attention once more.

"Sunday," he replied, "I lost a bet with Renji…this was the price."

"Mmm," she found herself mumbling in reply, once again lost to the play of the two tiny pieces of metal moving as he talked.

"Inoue? Are you okay?" he questioned again at her visible distraction.

Shiny 1 and 2 moved again with the question and the light overhead seemed to fill them with color. Rainbows, she thought and almost whimpered at the sudden urge to lick the myriad of reflected colors in the metal.

Must resist, she told herself firmly, must resist the shiny metal taunting me.

"Inoue…"

Gahh…

"Inoue…"

No....

"Oi..."

No longer able to resist the temptation as the shiny objects winked at her once more, Orihime gave in with a low groan, her mind totally not processing the consequences of her actions as, leaning forward, she licked the shiny ring at the left corner of his mouth.

_Hmm_… she decided with a contented sigh as her tongue met the cool steel, totally ignoring the sharply indrawn breath above her, _it tastes like metal_.

It wasn't quite the rainbow-y taste she had imagined but, deciding it was a taste she rather liked Orihime licked the shiny ring again.

And again…

And again.

Then her tongue hit the skin that was beneath the shiny piece of heaven and this time, the quickly inhaled breath did not escape her attention.

A full body blush filled her entire skin with color as the reality of what she had just done hit her and she could not help the way her eyes flew to the quickly darkening hazel-brown gaze above her before ducking to the ground quickly again in utter embarrassment.

She had just licked Kurosaki-kun's lip ring….while it was still attached to his mouth!! She almost groaned in shame. What was wrong with her!? Had she really no shame?

_Please_, she thought fervently then, _please… somebody just kill me now_.

She was brought out of her thoughts as a callused hand grabbed her chin and forced her head up.

Startled grey eyes met stormy hazel-browns of an even deeper hue than normal. Such pretty eyes they were too, the thought came then. Very comforting despite the lingering wildness in them now…

Her gaze slid up…

And such nice hair- such a cheery color with it's unnaturally bright orange color- Hair that was as messy as usual, carelessly so with spiky ends but such soft looking tendrils curling around his strong tanned neck, the softness of which seemed to beckon her hand to bury themselves in it to satisfy her curiosity on its softness.

Her gaze slid down his face again, too distracted by him at that moment to even notice the heated look he was giving her in return.

Nice nose, she mused as she continued her perusal, strong despite the small ridge where it had obviously been broken once… a great strong chin, very manly, and dusted with the faint hint of a five o'clock shadow… and such delightfully sexy lips- lips with a shiny ring.

Pulling her gaze away from the shiny temptation, she drew her gaze up again only to see him staring at her lips, his gaze fiercely wild. It was a look that made her shiver pleasantly as if in anticipation- of what she was not sure.

"Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned then, finally finding her voice.

"Hmm?" he returned obviously distracted.

Orihime licked her suddenly dry lips before asking timidly, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure," he returned, adding softly, "but I think I'm about to kiss the pretty girl who had the audacity to lick my face..."

"Wha-I didn't…" she began hastily, her gaze flying to his eyes, only to be cut off as he shifted suddenly and his lips came crashing down on hers.

He swallowed her surprised gasp, his mouth moving heatedly yet possessively over hers, scorching her lips with the heat of his as if he was imprinting himself on her. Momentarily winded by the action, Orihime sucked in a sharp breath, lips parting, and the moment they did, Ichigo seized the opportunity to deepen the contact even more, his tongue sweeping into the warm, moist cavern of her mouth. Orihime felt her knees give out as the appendage slicked across hers and the cool metal of the barbell piercing in his tongue rubbed against hers. The caress sent a shot of pure electricity through her veins and, had his arms not circled her waist to keep her standing up in that moment, she was sure she would have been a puddle on the floor. When his lips pressed harder into hers, his tongue devouring her mouth, the other cool metal piercing his lip rubbed across hers and she couldn't hold back the mewl from her throat or the way her hands snapped up to his biceps, tangling in the fabric of his t-shirt and clenching hard over the bulge of muscle there as her entire body seemed to become a throbbing pile of goo.

888888888888

If someone had told him a month ago that he would find himself in this position, Kurosaki Ichigo would have likely laughed in the bastard's face and then beat the ever loving shit out of him for even raising the unlikely possibility.

God, it wasn't even that he had not wanted, imagined himself even, in this position back then but he was all too aware of the huge differences between them. She was the popular good girl that was liked by almost everyone, quiet and caring and smart despite her ditzy nature while he was the bad boy around campus, redeemed only through his good grades and idolized position on the championship Kendo club. They were worlds apart, and he had no doubt that, had it not been for a few mutual friends in their circle- Tatsuki Arisawa and Ishida Uryuu... he would likely not even have had the chance to really meet her.

Despite knowing all of this however, the instant they had met, he had been no more capable of denying that he wanted her like he had no other girl than he could have cut off his own hand.

He could still recall vividly, even now, that fateful day.

It was the day, quite by accident, he had run into his childhood friend in campus, Tatsuki Arisawa, and, wanting to catch up, she had invited him and his friends to come over to the new flat she had just moved in. He'd taken her up on the offer later that week and almost as soon as she had opened the door, _she_ was there.

She had obviously not been expecting anyone, and had been in the middle of gulping down what he later found out had been a tub full of strawberry ice cream mixed with red bean paste and peanut butter, the spoon stuck in position in one corner of her mouth as she had stood there frozen by their sudden entrance. She had been clad only in a red terry cloth robe that barely touched the middle of her thighs, her auburn hair an even darker shade as it stood in wet straggly curls around her face. Even then however, he thought he had never seen a more enticing sight.

Fate had been particularly kind to him after that initial meeting and by sheer good fortune, he had even ended up in almost all her first year classes. That being the case, they often found themselves in the same spot in the library, often times, studying the same things. It was thus only natural for them to fall into the role of being each other's study buddy.

Yet, despite the growing closeness that situation offered, nothing seemed to happen in their relationship to further it past that.

That was until he'd lost a fight with Shinji and had been forced to get a tongue piercing.

She had been distracted by it and more than a few times, he'd catch her just staring at his mouth when he talked, her expression dazed, blushing madly when he caught her. At those times, he'd almost burned with the curiosity of what thoughts she had had staring at his mouth that caused her to blush so hotly.

Never in his wildest dreams had he thought it was anything like this however.

_Is this even real?_ he questioned himself then, suddenly afraid to even open his eyes. What if it was only another of those very realistic fantasy, another erotic daydream much like the ones he'd been having almost daily since he'd started studying with the gentle natured girl? What if what he felt right at this moment, the sound of her soft mewls against his lips was only an illusion?

His eyes squeezed shut even tighter at the thought, the reluctance to open hem even stronger. He was so afraid that if he did, everything would shatter and this bliss filling his soul would only be another erotic fiction of his thoughts.

The shy move of a tongue against his, the movement sending a hot frisson of sensation to his groin as it stimulated the nerves next to the barbell, told him in no uncertain terms at that moment that it was not a dream however. His breath hitched, then a slow euphoric relief flooded through him as the sensation came again and his arms tightened around her, his legs shifting so that he could press her even more intimately between him and the shelf behind them. He had to make sure this sweet dream would not shatter...

Orihime made a faint sound of surprise in the back of her throat, momentarily tensing at his action but then the sound changed to a low moan as he caressed her tongue again with his, purposefully letting the barbell brush across hers in a soft caress. The silver ring at the corner of his lips bumped against hers as he did and she finally seemed to grow bolder, tracing her tongue along the edge of his teeth, over the smoothness of the barbell in his tongue and out to trace the small ring in his lips, her touch almost curious.

Her innocent actions sent a wave of not so foreign and unbidden images through his mind, images so blatantly arousing it effortlessly pulled a deeper groan from his throat. His body heated alarmingly in response and as another soft mewl spilled from her lips, her hand pulling him closer, her tongue hurrying to follow the direction of his with growing enthusiasm, his head turned more into her. The hand in her hair arched her neck up to make it easier for him and without thought, his mouth latched even more firmly over hers, deepening the heated kiss even more.

The new contact made him groan ferally as it allowed him to delve even deeper into the sweet recesses of her mouth and Orihime's body just seemed to melt into his at the wealth of new sensations that sprung up between them. Her generous bosom pressed even harder into the hard planes of his chest then and, desperate to increase the delightful friction the shift in position sent through his body, his other hand shifted from the wall next to her head, sliding down her side to curl under one leg and hitch it over his hip. The new position settled him even more comfortably between her heated thighs and he couldn't help but hiss at the heat the position sent searing into his body. Not anymore at least than he could as her hips bucked instinctively into his at the contact, her body shuddering while yet another of those sexy mewls graced his ears.

Her hips shifted again, her body seeming to crave an even closer contact with him and, unthinkingly, he ground his hips into hers. The sensation from the contact had him tearing his lips from hers to gasp some well-needed air into his lungs as the action robbed him of the life-sustaining gas.

"Kami," he gasped.

Orihime's eyes fluttered open at the sound, her chest rising and falling in a panting rhythm like she had just run a mile. Her heavy lidded gaze met his dark ones in slow confusion. Her thoughts were racing furiously, but refusing to settle on any one thing except for the incredible feelings still running through her- not that she minded one bit either. The moment his lips had touched hers, she had given up on any chance of maintaining coherency whatsoever and now, staring up at the dark heated look in his eyes, she felt she would not have been able to think straight anyway- not even if she had tried.

Shaking her head to clear her cloudy thoughts, she opened her mouth to ask him what had just happened. The words never made it out though as just then, the sudden clattering of metal alerted them that they were no longer alone.

Turning towards the sound, they both met the furious gaze of one Arisawa Tatsuki.

A flood of heated color suffused Orihime's face then as it the reality of exactly what Tatsuki was seeing hit her.

Here she was, pressed up tightly between the hard body of the orange-top, her back against the shelf, one leg over his hip, her mouth surely swollen from his kisses...

"Tatsu..." she began, only to break off into a scream as Tatsuki suddenly launched at the unsuspecting orange-top, her fist making sickening contact with his jaw.

"What the fuck?" the orange top bellowed as soon as he recovered but Tatsuki was already walking away, pulling a startled Orihime behind her.

Ichigo watched the auburn haired girl disappear from his view, her wide slate grey eyes focused on him, then wiped a hand across his bloody lip. The action brought his hand against the ring at the corner of his mouth and, unable to help it, a smile turned the corner of his lips up as he recalled how she had licked the silver jewellery, starting off everything. The grin widened as the rest of the episode filled his mind to a smirk...

Fuck if getting hit wasn't worth it, he thought then, rubbing his cut lip with his tongue.

8888888

A few months later, just out of the blue, it occurred to him that he never really understood exactly what had led to the events that played out that day, events that had led to said auburn-haired girl being his girlfriend for the last three months. Curious about it, he asked her one night as they sat on the floor of his room doing homework.

Her eyes had widened at his question, a blush filling her face delightfully and just when he thought she would not answer him, she had stuttered, "It...It was the temptation of the shiny."

That answer alone had led him instantly into thinking rather heatedly of what other shinies he could use to tempt the buxom beauty and, needless to say, they never did get much homework done that evening.

_**Owari**_

**copperheadfightingninja: **Oh my! I'm so flattered I'm speechless. To get such an accolade from someone's whose work I also admire... your review simply made my day. I'm honoured that you thought it was that good and that I inspired you to write more. I guess I can expect an update on your fics soon then lol. I'll try to write more often but its hard dealing with school and rotations of 12-hrs shifts but I will try my best.

**Ayjah**: Thank you! I'm glad that you found it enjoyable.

**Yanaril**: (For chapter 1 review) LOL. Yeah, I tried to imagine that scene in my head and it was quite hilarious!

**Blitch**: Thanks! I'm so delighted you thought it was that good! That poem was my first ever attempt at writing a poem. It took a few tries and even though I wasn't completely satisfied with it, I'm so happy it got the point across. Ichihime is just such a romantic pairing it makes it easy to spin them into romantic tales and fairytale like scenarios and this was one of those moments. I was thinking about what to write for the FLOL birthday celebrations and staring at the forum front page and the words just hit me...then the poem and then the story.

**Temari13**: Gosh! You're review made me blush a little. Thanks for the wonderful words! Yeah...totally agree with you as I do think that somehow they would find each other in every lifetime- they are just that connected for me. I think their souls would just gravitate to each other- but that is just my fangirlish fantasy. As for the rain thing... That was totally my plan...lol, so not true. I hadn't even realised it until after I wrote it and then I was like, "well look at that!"

**xNocturnalxShadowx**: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and yes, the story does revolve around that five lifetimes one love speech by Orihime- it's the MOST touching scene in Bleach so far in terms of romance after all.

**Sweety8587 **(Chapter 1 review): LOL to your reaction but so true.

**Moogliedaime**: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

**Sweet yet Painful**: Aww! Shucks! Thank you! And you're very welcome. I'm overjoyed that you and so many people enjoyed this chapter so much. Your reviews just give me more incentive to write. Hopefully I can just do that and add some more love to the Ichihime fandom.

**BlackRoseInc.**: Thank you! I'm so happy I could brighten your day even the tiniest bit!

**Zodious**: Thanks!

**Enelya87**: I'm happy the reaction got you to laugh and that you liked the kisses in chapter two. I had such problems finding the words to use but alas, it seems like it paid off with your review. Thanks for reading!

**inoichi_number1fan**: Oh, I'm so happy you enjoyed Chapter 1 and 2 so much. Hopefully my other drabbles will excite you just as much!

**Emuri**: I'm happy that you liked both chapters. As long as people enjoy reading them, it makes me very happy. Thank you!

**Also**: _**A huge thank you to all who faved me and the story as well as put my little drabble on alert. Your enthusiasm towards my writing is very touching...**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Tanabata 2009- My fanfic entry for the FLOL 2009 Tanabata competition._

_Thia is a Two-Shot._

_I hope you enjoy it!_

**Title: The Rain between us.**

_**Chapter 1**_

"_You know, you should just go to her."_

_Ichigo shifted his head at the words, turning his attention from the view of the apartment across from him to the petite blonde who had suddenly appeared at his side. _

"_What the fuck are you talking about?" he enquired, his brows furrowing deeper into their usual frown. _

_The girl ignored his harsh tones and settled next to him on the branch he was perched on, watching him as he leaned more comfortably into the bark at his back with all-knowing eyes. _

"_You've been awfully restless these last few weeks, Baldy...unable to even concentrate and I think even you know why that is. It's because you want to be there," she returned knowingly, her eyes going across to the area he had been watching only moments before, "and every day you can't, it seems to kill a little more of you. Tell me, if it hurts so much, why did you bother to walk away?"_

_It was a question they'd asked him time and time again and like all those times, his answer was the same: "To protect her from the rain."_

"_Tch," the girl returned, "then buy a fucking umbrella."_

_He sighed in response. _

_As always, they did not understand._

"_Things aren't that fucking easy," he grumbled instead of voicing his thoughts. . _

_Hiyori stared at him, then promptly reached over and smacked him hard on the head. _

"_Ow! What the fuck was that for, bitch?"_

"_For being a fucking idiot, baldy," she returned, clearly annoyed, "Hiding your feelings isn't going to make her safer idiot... Neither is running away without any explanations. Besides, don't you think you should have given her the chance to decide? If this is fucking hard for you, don't you think it's hard on her too?"_

_Of course he knows he wanted to scream. How can he not when all he sees at nights, the moment he closes his eyes, is her face- the face kindly smiling at him in understanding even as tears spill to her cheeks? How can he not know this is hard for her too?_

_But what could he do? _

_He promised to get stronger to protect her and he would do it... even if it was in protecting her from him._

_***_

Blinking the memory of a few days ago out of his head, Ichigo sighed, his hazel brown eyes fastening on the apartment across from him.

They didn't understand.

He had to do this. This was the only way he could protect her.

Unlike them, he knew the misery of the rain; the cold wet desolation it represented and because he knew it firsthand, he didn't want it for her. She's too warm and full of life... too innocent... while the rain is the opposite. It tears down and destroys, washes away and corrupts... and his secret fear is that it will douse the light that is her; cool the warmth that draws people to her like moths to a flame. The things that made her who she is and so unique...

True she had been touched by the rain before. He recalled the first time he met her- a tiny frame almost invisible and burdened down by the weight of the bleeding mass on her back that he later found out was her brother. He recalled the rain, the storm that had battered her that night as she screamed for her brother...

Yet when he had met her again years later, she was like the sun, weather untouched by the rain except for occasional drizzles- drizzles that only made her seem brighter after each event, her light like the promise of the rainbows.

He recalled again the night her brother, or rather, the hollow he had become, had tried to kill her.

He had saved her but at the cost of her brother and he remembered all too clearly the look on her face... the tears she had spilled. It was the first of many that she would spill because of him but no more.

He was going to make sure that kind of rain never visited her life again- at least the type caused by him. He'd already caused enough pain.

His fingers clench as he recalled the incident more than a year ago- the attack on the town by the arrancars looking for him and her bloody, bruised and broken body... injuries she had gotten trying to protect them while he struggled with his inner demon; incapacitated and only able to watch as she was swatted away, watch as her body fell limply to the ground... his screams for her to stay away falling into the dark silence...

In the end, it had been Urahara and Yoruichi that had saved them. He hadn't been able to do anything and the guilt he felt at that had been exponentially compounded when he saw the extent of her injuries. The feeling on seeing her so injured, blood seeping through her bandages, was akin to the bottom dropping out of his world and to know he had been the reason...

If only he arrived faster...

If only he had been stronger...

_If only_...

His hands clenched tighter at the memory, his nails digging half moons in his palm.

He had done it again. He had rushed out to protect and in the end, it was he who had been protected again. If he was stronger, this wouldn't have happened again. He should have been the one protecting them... protecting her.

"_Gomen ne, Kurosaki-kun. If…If I were only a little stronger…"_

Her words echoed in his head again and he cringed.

It was not she who was weak. It was him. She shouldn't have had to fight. Her gentle spirit should not have been forced into battle. He should have been there...It was him who had failed, not her.

And yet, she hadn't blamed him…

Even as he wished she would scream at him, yell... curse him...blame him...she had not. Kami knew she did not deserve the things he brought into her life- the difficulties, injuries or the pain- and yet even with that, she never seemed to blame him, her smiles comforting, welcoming and always warm despite the pain, her worry for him surpassing even her concerns for herself...

He did not deserve someone like her in his life; he knew this clearly now.

He had nothing to give her but more pain. Yet selfishly, he had held on, telling himself he would get stronger- next time he would protect her so the rain need not ever fall on her again...

And then, despite all of that, she had almost died...all because of the changes he had brought to her life, the power he had awakened in her that had attracted danger...

Images flitted across his mind now- Yamamoto Soutai-chou's declaration of her as a traitor, seeing her for the first time in Hueco Mundo, his subsequent fight with Grimmjow and the things he had insinuated, the appearance of Nnoitora and Tesla, their abuse of her... Stark's appearance and her disappearance with him... Ulquiorra with her in the tower... those girls...

...Him...

Seeing the destruction he had wreaked while in that form, it had been a sobering blow. Yet he thought he could handle it. To stay by her side he would have done anything so told himself he would train again, suppress those instincts, bury them so far in the deepest recesses of his soul, it would never be able to come out. Then he wouldn't have to leave her. He had even set to the task as soon as he returned and the war had been resolved. Yet, like was seemingly characteristic of his life story, life had thrown him yet another loop... and just when he thought his life had settled.

Things had just been beginning to look up- they had just celebrated their six month anniversary and were coming home from a movie. A random group of newly evolved but strong arrancars had shown up and suddenly the night had just gone downhill. What had been a beautiful night ended in something that he would rather forget- a night bathed in her blood.

Seeing her unconscious, her blood staining his clothes, his hands... her not breathing, heartbeat so shallow because of the gaping hole in her chest- there were no words to describe the horror he had felt filling him as he screamed her name, begged and pleaded with her not to leave him ...

In his heart, he knew then he would not be able to hold on to her because he was the dark cloud in her life. He was the bringer of the rain he wanted to protect her from and that's when he made his decision... to spare her from the rain, he would walk away. She would be safe and in time, she would forget him. She would move on... and he could walk away.

Or so he had told himself.

_Che_... _If it was easy as that_, a voice mocked in his head, _why the fuck are you out here watching her for the eighth night in a row, unable to move forward and so fucking reluctant to turn and go? Because you can't... can you? You can't help being here in almost the same way you can't help worrying about her and protecting her even now... you just can't walk away, can you?._

Was it guilt, he wondered now, that kept him going back?

Perhaps, he admitted to himself. Or perhaps it was more.

It was like an obsession... this need that ate at him to be by her side, a compulsion -

"_I can't help the way my whole soul seems to want to reach out to her even now_..."

He sighed.

It's alright though, he assures himself now rising to go. As long as she was safe, all this suffering would have been worth it and he would be content with just that.

He turned to go and, as if to mock him, the skies that had been covered in dark clouds all day suddenly decided to release their burden. The drips started slowly at first, a sentient prelude to the disaster to follow and before he could even jump from his perch to the next roof, it was falling so heavily he was already half-drenched.

Turning, he let himself pause for a moment and just watch the heavy downpour as it fell around him.

It was a poignant masterpiece, he reflected then as he watched- destruction and renewal in one masterful art piece. He was sure somewhere an artist was looking on in delight at the heavy curtain of water drenching everything, enticing mixed debris and garbage from surrendering corners, the greying clouds looking like a bunch of old men weeping for lost things and trinkets washed away by their own tears.

Over the sound of the rain, his ears suddenly picked out the sound of sliding doors. He turned his head, following the sound and suddenly there she was, standing outside on the balcony he had been watching for the last eight nights.

His heart swelled painfully in relief – she was awake!- and, almost forgetting his promise to stay away, he found himself standing up, ready to go to her, chastise her - _What was she thinking coming out in the rain dressed like that? At this rate, she was going to get sick...didn't she realise she had to take care of herself? Mou...- _

Just as he took the first few steps to do just that however, his eyes suddenly take note of the air around her, the way her arms were hugging herself....The lonely image she presented at that moment drove a stake through his heart. He could almost see the waves of sadness pouring off her and his arms burned with the need to wrap around her and ease that feeling...

_A feeling you caused, _the voice bit back.

His fists clenched at his side and he resolutely set himself in the direction to go. As he does so, a noise echoes in the quiet; a sad and wistful sound that passes softly from her barely parted candy pink lips and, impossibly the sound reaches him over the sounds of the rain and the wind. The wind sweeps by, carrying the sound to his ears, throwing her hair behind her in its wake- a messy auburn stream that fans out and billows around her despite its wet state. He watched, enticed, as her eyes fluttered close the next moment and fancies that even this far, he can see the way her long eyelashes fan her cheeks at the action and the way her candy pink lips curl up slightly into a tiny smile.

_So beautiful... always so beautiful_...

The wind died down, leaving her hair tangled and all over the place, wet and sticking to her face and as she lifted a hand to move them, he saw it - the tears that had been invisible due to the rain.

His gut clenched painfully at the discovery, the force to keep himself where he was almost overwhelming.

_Inoue_...

It's hellish to resist the overwhelming desire to comfort her but he knows he cannot go.

He can't allow himself to go.

"_I don't deserve her._ _I never have..._ _I've done nothing in this lifetime to be worthy of someone like her... and being with her... it would only put her in more danger. Already it was because of me that she was hurt so badly...I can't...I can't put her in danger again...I can't let her get hurt again...I can't see her cry again- not because of me... it was better this way._"

He filled his mind with all the reasons he shouldn't go to her, his fingers drawing blood as she seemed to hug herself even tighter, her tears falling heavier, her pain an almost palpable thing to him.

This was the best thing to do, he argued with himself as he held himself firm. She would be fine without him. She would not be in danger and in time, she would move on and he would live his life without her. She would be safe and that would be enough...

His lips turned up in a grimace as his chin dropped.

Who was he kidding? It wouldn't be enough. It would never be enough. Wasn't that why he was always here? Because he could not bear being separated from her? Not having her in his life, he was nothing but an empty, colorless existence. She was his light, his reason for being, the color that lit up his world with just a smile... even her out of the world stories held so many vibrant shades in his world...

He would be nothing without her.

The trees whispered in his sorrow, fat droplets of rain hitting his face and trailing down his cheeks like the tears he could not cry as he lifted his face to the heavens.

_Inoue_...

Angling his face to accept the falling drops, he let his eyes close, hoping the rain would somehow soothe his tortured soul, willing it to wash away the grief in his heart, wishing it would dispel the images of Orihime's smile from his mind as easily as it dispelled the heat.

But the memories stayed firm and when he re-opened his eyes, the hazel-brown orbs were now dark pools of black with pale amber irises.

"_Because of this..._ _because of this, I can't..._ _I can't be with you, Orihime_... _so please, just forget me."_

"Ichigo..."

Her broken cry of his name echoed in the quiet of his thoughts, breaking him even more as he watched her slide to the ground hugging her knees. It's more than he can stand and in that moment, it takes everything he has to stop himself from going to her, pulling her up to stand, and wiping away the tears leaking from her eyes. It's a moment he fancies is worse than being impaled and the effort to stay firm causes blood to drip from his palms. The wounds sting in the anger of the rain but the pain in his hands is nothing like the one in his heart.

He watches her for a few more unbearable minutes, watching as she sobs until she seems to have no more tears left, her thin shoulders shaking... He watches, his heart shattering quietly under the weight she bears on her shoulders as finally pulls herself from the ground- a frail, vulnerable girl that is nothing like the vibrant life he knows- and disappears inside again and only then does he let the rein on his emotions slip just a little and a single tear escapes his darkened eyes. It rolls down his cheeks, and slips off his chin. It melds in with the tears from the sky and shatters into a thousand pieces on the hard unforgiving asphalt beneath him like the pieces of his heart.

When she finally pushes herself up, drained and soaked, a small bit of the tightly wound tension in his body slips away. He cannot push himself to go with it however and even two hours later, he is still there. He just needs to see her, he tells himself...make sure she is alright... and then he'll go... He just had to know she was okay.

He enters the apartment quietly and his heart slams into his chest as he sees she has fallen asleep- she's cried herself to sleep rather from the tear streaks in her face- in the couch- in a rather uncomfortable position- curled into herself in one corner of the single seat. She had obviously changed into another of his shirts but her hair covered the sleeves in wet curly tendrils still.

_Foolish girl..._

His fingers reach out with a mind of their own to stroke her hair, pushing the still wet and softly curling bangs out of her face before moving to trace down the contour of her cheek, following the hollows and ridges, the velvet of her skin, drawing a picture in his mind with every movement, imprinting it into his heart, in his soul so that he wouldn't forget.

His fingers hovered next to her lips but, without words, he simply let them fall away, curling into tight fists briefly before he reached down and lifted her into his arms.

She didn't budge except to sigh and cuddle closer to his warmth and he stopped, staring down at her. She looked so peaceful … her face beautifully serene with sleep, tranquil despite the evidence of her tears, and filled with so much trust…

He shivered.

If only she knew what kind of monster he really was, what kind of man it was that held her close, keeping her warm.

A monster that had killed (albeit to protect her)… and would probably kill again even without that incentive...An abomination to be hunted down...

Yet, she laid there, all trust and innocence in his arms without a second thought to her own safety.

_Do you know?_ he wondered at her sleeping form curled up against him now, _do you have any idea what you do to me? You're my strength and my weakness, my downfall and my redemption...You make me human.... My heart, my soul... my being belongs to you. Only to you... and yet...._

He squeezed her to him, revelling in the warmth of her body against his in the brief contact.

_I can't lose you...._

"Forget about me," he whispered softly to her then, the words almost inaudible in the quiet, "Please forget about me and walk away, Orihime," _Let me walk away_, "Do it quickly... because if you don't let me go, Orihime, I can't...," _I won't be able to let you go_.

Her only response was the tightening of her fingers in his clothes.

_Inoue...Orihime... my Hime...only mine..._

He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair.

For that one moment as he inhaled, he let himself relax for the first time in months. He let himself forget about the demon in him, the arrancars hunting him, the pain and the damage he's caused... the danger... and let himself just indulge for a while. He allows himself to want for the first time in a long time, to reminisce on his desires.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in again, inhaling the sweet familiarity of her unique smell and let it wash over him... calming him.

_I want to stay with you_, his heart bled in the quiet. _I wish I could take away the pain but I can't even do that... I can only make it worse... Even as I hold you close, I know I have to pull away- I have to let you go to keep you safe...and I will, even if it tears me apart..._

He presses another kiss to her hair. Another gentle kiss traces her brow and then he is walking with practiced ease to the bedroom he's had so many good memories in- memories of them lying on the bed in the middle of all the homework still to be done as they laugh about her strange fetish for cute and weird looking socks, or later on, him just listening to her stories, being a sounding board for her latest food concoction...

The images beat at his already battered existence as he lays her down and tugs the blankets around her. As he pulls her clenched fingers from his shirt however, she twists in her sleep and the words she utters at that moment cut through him worse than anything else.

"Ichigo... don't go... Please don't leave..."

His eyes close and he forces himself to gently un-pry her fingers and tucks them under the sheet as well, forcing himself to let go when all he wants to do is hold on.

When he re-opens them, a single tear is rolling down her pale cheeks.

In an uncharacteristic move, he reaches up and lets the pad of his finger trace the path, feeling regret fall like heavy lead in his stomach. Another teardrop appeared, teetered and then fell as well, following the path of his finger, dampening it as they met on the spot he had paused at on her cheek.

"Gomen," he whispers before his hand falls away for the final time, and then he is up and striding away, walking away from the one person who meant the world to him, his bearing suddenly a whole lot heavier than it had been before.

"Sayonara... Orihime."

***

A/N: _I know its a litte sad but have no fear. Turn to the next chapter!_


	5. Chapter 5

This is the second part of the Tanabata story

_A few months after, from her point of view..._

_**Chapter 2**_

In the dead of the night, she waits for him....

It's become a nightly ritual but Inoue Orihime has long grown accustomed to the waiting: waiting for phone calls; waiting for the clock for school to let out; waiting for the weekend to come; waiting for a letter; waiting for her friends...

Yes... she knows all about the activity of waiting...all except for this kind- the gut wrenching, heart breaking, tear causing type of waiting that seems to drain every inch of the soul until it's finally over.

Despite the strain however, she stands waiting outside on her balcony as she has done many nights before, waiting for the familiar tingle on her senses or for the door to swing open... some type of signal that would let her know her waiting could finally end, some sign for her heart to stop pounding in her ears and her body to stop being so restless.

But the clock only ticks on, a steady beat in the background and she glances at it occasionally, only to turn back to the window to watch the empty streets below. The seconds continue to turn into minutes, minutes to hours as she watches and soon she begins to drum her fingers against the window pane in an attempt to stay awake, her steadfast eyes starting to grow weary. She's been doing this every night now for the past seven months- staying up... waiting for him, and, since sleepless nights were already becoming a constant, she forces her tired lids open and continues to keep vigil.

He will come- she has faith - and because she does not want to miss it, she must stay awake.

She spares a glimpse at the grandfather clock again and stares at the two hands and at the twelve numbers. It seems like so many hours have already passed but in reality it has only been four and she can't help but think, noting the time, that time is ticking by much too slowly for her. Yet, unwilling to give up her vigil, she merely turns away again and leans her chin on her palm and stares out the window again.

He will come.

He had promised.

He will definitely come tonight... Her Hikoboshi...

_Tick, tick, tick. _

She continues to wait... waits and watches attentively for any sign of life in the desolate streets below even as the first streaks of light start to drift across the sky from the fireworks. She will not give up- she has faith in him and so she will continue to wait.

She will be alright, she tells herself. Even if he is a little late, everything will be alright as long as she can see his face again.

When _was_ the last time she had seen him?

It seemed so long ago and yet she could recall the moment even now. Sometimes it was so vivid in its recollection it seemed like only yesterday; but then they were other times when the memory was blurred, not as bright as the other times and more like the faded, dog-eared diary she still kept under her bed.

But tonight, the memory is vivid and she remembers clearly the way they had stood in those very streets only months prior. They hadn't spoken a single word that night. They had just stood there and stared at each other. She recalled clearly her own tearstained face in that moment; his strong and defiant, determined—just like him.

They had not spoken, simply because there was no need to. All that needed to be said was already understood- An unspoken conversation.

And then he had turned, the regret lingering in his eyes and left.

And she had stood there watching him go, staring at his back, drawing the memory of him in her mind, until he grew to be only another distant speck on the horizon.

She doesn't like to think about it now, thinking to the many things that went unspoken that night. But love works in funny ways and she can't help but think about him, especially when she's drifting away at nights like one of those clouds that wander about the world. At those times he always manages to walk into her dreamscape. Hands in his jean pockets, he's the same as always in her dreams. His posture is proud and perhaps a bit arrogant, his bright colored hair flitting about, dancing in the wind over his strong forehead and his ever present scowl. He's so familiar in those moments...so close... and all she wants to do is touch him. The moment she tries to do that however, she finds herself falling, arms flailing madly in her ascent. Heart pounding and drenched in cold sweat, she always jerks awake before she reaches the ground and the tears fall as no arms come to comfort her.

The place beside her, where he should be, is still cold and empty...

Sighing, she burrows further into the warmth of the overly large shirt adorning her frame- his shirt. It carried his scent even now- a sweet, musky smell; a mix of men's deodorant and his own body odour- a scent that never failed to soothe her. It made her recall other moments when this smell was also strong in her nostrils, moments where she was being held in his arms, moments she felt the safest... cherished...

Sometimes, she thinks it would be much better to forget but, just as he is stubborn, the memories linger on and she finds she can still remember everything about him.

She remembers well the warmth of his body, the enticing heat that would always surround her from just being next to him... ...his quirks, like how, when he was nervous or unsure about something or a little embarrassed, his hand would come up and scratch the back of his head in an awkward manner while his eyes would not make eye contact...

She can still recall his voice- possibly because she fancies sometimes she still hears it at nights. In the day though, she worries her memory of it might have been altered in his absence, that she might be starting to forget what he really sounded like and she panics slightly. Yet, strangely, she cannot forget the way his voice would make her heart race...

Another thing she knows she will not forget is his face.

Usually, marred with a frown, his visage appeared unfriendly, mean and downright frightening. He rarely smiled as well- and that had been depressing to see in the beginning. However when he did smile, everything else would become invisible, like background noise, and she would hope that he would never stop. His eyes would just light up in that moment, and his face would relax and she could smile back happily at the lost little boy who'd finally found his way to happiness again.

She remembered playing with his hair.

Oh how she had loved the unnaturally colored orange spikes. Maybe it was because it was so close a color to her own auburn tresses... or perhaps because it made him stand out... whatever it was, she had just loved his hair. She could recall many cherished memories of it- her resting her head atop of his and feeling the soft spikes pressed against her cheek, his head next to hers on their pillow...

She recalled his body.

Even at sixteen, he had been built way too enticingly for a teen. Sculpted abs and strong arms, lean thighs in his favourite skinny jeans...she recalled it all and time had only made it better. She could still remember running her hands over his chest and his stomach, his pecs, in heated moments, feeling the warmth of his skin burn along her fingertips ...

Kami but she missed his warmth, the softness of his skin... his smell ... his touch ... his sound ... sight... his taste...

God...There was no way she could forget how he tasted.

Every time he kissed her, it was imprinted on her tongue, in her mind, her soul and even as her heart would just melt away, her senses would tattoo the feel of his lips on hers in every cell. There were times when his lips were so soft on hers, it was like kissing butterfly wings... yet, she could also clearly recall moments when they were rough... hard... demanding... Still, whether they were hard or soft, his kisses always had a unique effect. They always made her feel like she had been drowning for one million years and was breathing air again for the first time.

She could never forget that feeling – he was the only one who had ever possessed the power to make her feel that way.

She remembered their short moments together; the sense of safety she felt in is arms.

When his arms were around her, it was like she had sprouted wings- airless and light... so free she felt like her namesake, the weaver princess Orihime as she floated on magpies to meet her Hikoboshi.

When he held her close and she could feel his warmth, her bare skin against his, she was on top of the world.

And when he would touch her and kiss her neck... at those times, she felt like perhaps she really could fly...

She could recall watching him at nights.

The steady rise and fall of his chest... the sound of each of his sighing breaths... – how she had laid her head down on his chest and closed her eyes; how the beating of his heart, so steady and loud in her ear had been so comforting... how it had eerily been echoing the very same rhythm of her own heart... every beat in total sync with hers...

It had been like a lullaby to her. It had been calming yet it had also stirred something in her that made her want to scream with joy yet cry in misery at the same time because she knew ... she knew each rhythmic rise and fall, each beat only shortened their time together. Morning would come with each breath and beat and dawn, reality... it would break in and the idyll of the night would be shattered...

A knock sounded on the door, intruding into her thoughts.

Frowning slightly, she started towards the door of her apartment, pulling it open in one fluid move.

And, there he stood.

Her Hikoboshi had come and, just like the day he left, their silent conversation began anew.

She stared.

He stared.

Nothing was said for a few moments but then suddenly, she found herself pressed up against the wall, her small frame crushed between the hard surface at her back and the one at her front as he devoured her mouth. She can't help but gasp at the intensity of the heat devouring her lips, the desperation evident in his kiss and he wasted no time in sliding his tongue past her parted lips, running over her teeth, tasting and plundering her sweetness like a man that has been starved of food for far too long.

Her senses reel from the almost forgotten taste of him, the familiarity of the warm hot body imprisoning her- the hungry, powerful, and domineering stamp he seems intent to leave on her mouth, her hips from the nails digging into her skin through the thin shirt. The pain is barely assimilated though as his skilled mouth continues to move over hers, tongue and teeth begging, asking her to respond to his fervour, his desire with a matching intensity of her own.

Her legs turn to jelly as his head angles slightly to the right, sealing his mouth over hers even more firmly, allowing him to swallow her sighs as he alternatively sucks and strokes and nibbles with his tongue and teeth. Electricity surges through her veins and she cannot help but allow a moan to escape her throat, her soft body instinctively arching to mold to his hard one. Her hands move, hoping to grab on to something as she starts to spiral down into the heated abyss he was taking her, sinking deeply into his short tresses as her other hand moves to his chest only to be met with hot, hard muscles and smooth skin.

"Kami…" he hisses at the contact and roughly grounds his hips to hers, making her pant as she wrenches her mouth from his to gasp at the breath that has suddenly fled from her lungs.

"I've missed you so much...," he murmured as he attacked her neck and throat, relentlessly sucking and kissing her sweet flesh. His hands move to loosen up the shirt buttons holding her from his view, growing inpatient enough to rip the first two with just one tug to reveal her cleavage and the black laced bra that supports her generous mounds.

"God I've missed you...Leaving you here...its been driving me crazy," he whispered as he cupped her breast, massaging it against the fabric of her bra as he moved his mouth lower to her cleavage, sucking the pale skin hard enough to bruise but making her toe curl with the pleasure of the mark. His other hand cupped her backside pulling her hips closer, lifting her up on her tiptoes as he pulled her even closer, settling her body so intimately into his she could feel every hardened contour against her.

"I'm sorry I left but I won't leave you again. I won't run away. I won't stay away again," he whispered then between showering kisses along her neck, her exposed cleavage almost desperately, "Never again....never for so long... never..."

"Ichigo…" she hums at his declaration, his name a soft sigh against his ear.

He raised his head at her voice and their eyes meet once more. He gives her that soft smile reserved only for her then and then his lips utter the words she has waited so long to hear.

"Hime, I'm home...Happy Tanabata."

Owari!

_Hope you enjoyed reading it!_


	6. Chapter 6

I know its been a while and I sincerely apologise for the long wait but having no PC access for the last month and having your stories disappear due to your computer crashing had me kind of disheartened for a while. I can't seem to have any luck with me and my computers giving out on me.

Anyway, here i am writing again and hopefully I'm not too out of practice and you all enjoy this latest installment. It's a bit lewd and rather descriptive in parts but i hope it still manages to entertain you. As usual, please leave me a review, criticisms, whatever or just drop me a line to say whether or not you enjoyed this latest effort. Your words do so inspire me to write.

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**Delight 6: _And it started with a drink_**

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* * *

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The shrill ringing of the telephone shattered the quiet of the darkened apartment.

Groaning at the high-pitched sound, the lone occupant of the room threw a pillow over his head in a vain attempt to drone out the sound. The ringing became muffled and he started to drift back off into the land of sleep once more only to be jarred into wakefulness again as another ringing sounded, closer to his ears this time. The form groaned again, arms tightening on the pillows over his head. When the sound stopped a few moments later only to start again almost immediately, the sheets shifted and a rude curse filled the air as a tanned hand slipped from under the covers in a search of the annoying device. A half crushed can, a few textbooks and a box of half-eaten pizza fell victims in the way of the blind search but then long fingers closed over the sought after appliance and, picking up the buzzing cell phone, the hand disappeared under the blanket again. A moment later, a voice, rough from lack of sleep and unguarded irritation sounded from beneath the sheets with the simple demand, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Is that the way you answer the phone? I've been calling for the longest time, boke. What exactly were you doing?'

Recognition of the voice and the tone startled the form under the sheets into wakefulness and sudden sitting position, the covers tumbling down to reveal a scowling male with bright orange hair. The abrupt change in position caused his head to start pounding agonizingly and the orange-top found himself wincing in a pained manner as he tried to open his eyes to stare at the digital clock next to his bed. Thinking better of it as jolt of pain laced through his head right to the back of his occiput, he scrunched them shut once more and ran a hand through his brightly colored spikes, shifting it slightly to massage his throbbing temples with his palm as he inquired in a very annoyed tone, "Renji? What the fuck?"

"Did I interrupt something?" Renji enquired at his annoyed tone. "Were you sleeping?"

"Sleeping? Do I sound like I slept at all?" the male returned irritably. He quirked open one eye, irritation increasing as he finally noted the time. "I was studying all night for my finals. I just went to bed like an hour ago... Fuck...it's like three in the goddamned morning. Somebody had better be dead or dying or both you and them will be wishing they were if you don't have a fucking good excuse for waking me up so goddamn early, Renji. So, I'll ask again… what the fuck do you want?"

Over the connection he heard Renji clear his throat uncomfortably, beginning rather hesitantly as he attempted to explain the reason for his call.

"Well, you see," he began, breaking off to cough uncomfortably again before dropping the bomb. "It's about Orihime."

Ichigo's spine straightened almost immediately at those words and a sick feeling sank into his stomach like a ton of lead.

8888888888888

The sick feeling that had plagued him earlier quickly turned to one of helplessness and acute discomfort about a half an hour later as he watched Chad walk in with a half-giggling, half-hiccupping, much too happy Orihime thrown over his shoulder like a sack of rice. He watched in slight disbelief and suspended animation as the gentle giant strode past him to set her on the couch before moving to breeze past him again on his way back out to the waiting taxi.

"Oi," he said, grabbing his arm then, a slightly desperate look in his eyes as the reality of the situation hit him. They really could not mean to leave him here... alone... not with Orihime in this condition, could they...?

"Where are you going?"

"To get the rest of the girl's home safely of course," Ishida replied tartly as he came to stand in the doorway, "Unless you want a bunch of drunken girls fighting for the bathroom while puking all over your floors?"

Ichigo did not hold back his glare at that, prompting Ishida to sigh and state, "Look, it's just a precaution to make sure she's ok. Tatsuki is just as out of it as she is and so Sado will be looking out for her at his dorm. I'm going to make sure Nemu is alright and with Tatsuki at Sado's, do you really want me to take a tipsy Orihime back to the flat to be by herself…considering how accident prone she is even sober? It's really not even that big of a deal either. All you have to do is watch over her tonight and try to keep her out of trouble until she sobers up."

_No big deal?_ Ichigo's mind echoed dully as Sado pulled himself from his loosened grasp and left him staring after him. Why did that sound so ominous?

A loud snicker caught his attention at that moment and he turned to see Orihime unsteadily getting to her feet from her place on the couch.

_Oh sweet Kami...no _

One foot to the floor and then the other and then she was falling rather inelegantly, arms flailing, in a crumpled heap.

He moved quickly, barely remembering to slam the door shut before he reached for her, one hand unconsciously circling around her small waist to pull her back before she met a rather painful fate with the floor.

"Oomph!" she squeaked as her face and chest slammed into his chest... then promptly giggled despite her plight.

Ichigo sighed.

There goes his quiet night.

Sighing again, he set her back on the couch in front of the television and set himself to eye level with her.

"Inoue...You... stay here," he ordered, "I'm going to make you some tea."

Her grey eyes fixed on him, somewhat unfocused, then, without answering him, switched to whatever it was that was playing behind him on the television Sado must have turned on earlier.

Ichigo sighed again in response to her distraction and released her, hoping she would be captivated long enough by whatever it was on the television that had gotten her attention in the first place so he could make the tea and come back without her injuring herself.

_How in hell had she gotten this drunk anyway?_ he cursed as he set the kettle on and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. Orihime was not a drinker. He knew that very well having known her all through high school. Hell... the damn girl got tipsy from smelling rubbing alcohol and they all knew that...

His eyes narrowed slightly as a thought occurred to him.

_Matsumoto Rangiku_...

No doubt she was the one behind the giggling mess on the couch.

Damn Rangiku ... and damn Tatsuki for not paying closer attention to her and leaving him to deal with this... this...

_Fucking hell_... _Fucking stupid girl's night out…_

Kami, why was this happening to him, he groused inwardly. Everyone else was celebrating the end of exams- the girls with their girl's night out and even Ishida, Sado and Renji had gone out. He'd been the only idiot not celebrating but studying instead for an exam he'd had to miss due to hollow duty. He's spent almost all day and night preparing for the damn thing while they'd been out celebrating and now he had to deal with their mess, which was downright frigging unfair. They were supposed to be dealing with this, not him. Tatsuki and Rukia had been the ones to bring her along and they should have known that in letting Rangiku tag along they would have had to watch Orihime even more closely as the blonde was not averse to plying the university student with liquor—which they all knew she had no head for... And Orihime was just too nice to refuse...

Now, thanks to them, he had to deal with this.

God... didn't they know how hard it was already to deal with the girl on a daily basis? He was a guy for fuck's sake and as much as he may not show it, he had hormone issues just like the next guy… issues that for whatever reason lately, seemed to flare up more often than not around said girl currently occupying his couch.

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"

The sound rang out from the sudden quiet, causing him to swing around in surprise, tea bag in his hand, just in time to see Orihime animatedly copying the dreadlocked entertainer on the television before falling back on the couch in a fresh bout of giggles until tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Too funny," she gasped before dissolving into giggles again, "Just too funny."

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched.

He was going to kill Tatsuki and Rukia, he decided then, kill them really, really slowly and then he was slowly going to torture Renji…

_Bastards_, he cursed, _just tipsy my ass_…the girl was totally smashed!

Something slammed into the ground in the next moment, the thud followed by a loud yelping-half-scream sound. He almost dropped the hot water he'd been about to pour out and raced into the shared living area, his heart beating harder and faster than it should have from the small exertion.

On reaching the area though, he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or be exasperated, as between the couch and the low table sat Orihime, a crumpled mess of limbs and pale skirts, struggling unsuccessfully to right herself from her position. Her eyebrows were drawn together in a frown of effort and slight confusion- almost as if she wasn't sure how she'd gotten to that position in the first place or how to even begin to get out.

Another sigh escaped him as she almost slammed her head into the low table for all her efforts- he was going to be doing that a lot it seemed- but then he was reaching down a hand to help her up, trying to keep her from actually giving herself some serious head trauma.

Her grasp of his hand was weak and unsteady and after trying unsuccessfully two times, with her giggling every time they failed, he simply put his hands under her arm and hefted her to sit back on the couch-well not so simple since he couldn't fight the blush staining his cheeks. (His hands were so close to another part of her anatomy in that hold).

Shaking that thought, as well as the one on how good it was to hear her laugh- drunken or not, he started to step back cautiously, until, assured she was settled in well, he started to straighten up.

"Kurosaki-kun."

His eyes found hers again to find her looking at him with a silly smile, her eyes dancing with mirth and something else he couldn't quite name. She hiccupped loudly in the silence and his brows snapped together even tighter as she burst out laughing again.

"Kurosaki-kun really does have the best expressions," she managed between the fits, "Like an angry cat…heh-eh…no no…like a …"

Another fit of giggles followed and with a sigh, he moved towards her as she started sliding off the couch, trying to get to her before she laughed herself off the couch and really did some damage to herself.

"Come," he told her on reaching her, "Let's just get you to bed."

And asleep, he added mentally. If he could get her into bed and asleep, she could at least sleep it off ... As for the tea…well sleep was going to be infinitely better for his peace of mind.

"Aye, Aye, Kurosaki-taichou-san," the girl returned with a crisp salute before dissolving into giggles again.

Ichigo muttered a silent curse at her abnormal cheerfulness and reached down to help her up. Slinging a hand across her shoulders, he helped her stand, supporting her weight and, as soon as she was steady, started to guide her towards the lone spare bedroom at the end of the hall. They were doing well, making good progress until the girl, quite out of the blue, suddenly stopped and burrowed her nose into his shirt and took a long, deep whiff.

The action surprised him so much he almost dropped her.

"You smell nice, Kurosaki-kun," she said softly, her nose still slightly in his shirt.

He raised a brow at that and heard himself ask before he thought, "Do I?"

She giggled and took another deep whiff, "… Hmm…Kurosaki-kun always smells nice…like nice dreams and chocolate... but so much better up close... "

She grinned up at him goofily and he felt his lips start to tug upwards reluctantly despite himself. Only Inoue would think someone smelled like nice dreams and chocolate. Did dreams even have a smell? He was sure they didn't so he put it down to the alcohol talking...

He shook his head mentally, his lips quirking more as he took another step forward.

This action almost caused her to fall over however as, while he had taken the step, she was still standing right where she had been.

"Ino-," he began questioningly.

"You're smiling!" she exclaimed in interruption, the wonder in her voice making him frown harder.

Not noticing or not caring, the girl continued with a bright smile, "I like Kurosaki-kun's usual face but I think I like it more when it is smiling…like now. Did you know that when you smile, your eyes follow a split second after?"

"No," he simply replied, trying valiantly to calm the sudden racing of his heart.

This was not he time to be flattered, he told himself firmly. Besides, the girl was drunk off her rockers and probably had no clue of just what was coming out of her mouth. He was sure if she was sober…His brain grounded to a screeching halt at the feel of a soft digit on his lips.

"When you smile like this," Orihime spoke again, voice soft as one finger idly traced the contours of his lips, "it's really genuine and your lips are relaxed ...like you're really happy…like this… not frowning and …you look even more handsome like this. I think you should smile more…ne, Kurosaki-kun?"

Alcohol plus Inoue was a hazard to his sanity, Ichigo decided then as his eyes closed and he drew in a shuddering breath, attempting to steady himself from the sensation her finger on his lip was creating in his body.

Grabbing her hand gently, he pulled the finger away from its torturous ministrations, reopening his eyes only to see her staring up at him intently, nonplussed it seemed by his actions while he could feel a bit of sweat start to drip down the side of his face.

"Have I ever told you that you've got the most breathtaking eyes I've ever seen, Kurosaki-kun?" she almost crooned then.

Ichigo swallowed thickly.

_Kami…_

"No. But I think you just did," he grunted, hating the way his voice came out all breathy.

He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze, tightening his grip on her as he tried to move them along again. Standing here was only going to get him into trouble.

Orihime, however, did not share his thoughts. She dug her heels in and did not even budge at his efforts, her eyes still on him. Oblivious to him and his growing discomfort, she just stood there, wide grey eyes staring up at him thoughtfully before she burst out in a giggle and stated, "I just did, didn't I?"

_Damn alcohol... _Ichigo cursed to himself then, drawing in a harsh breath. _Fuck_… He really did not need to deal with this right now. Not after he'd spent the last two months telling himself he had no business feeling attracted to the girl in front of him, his friend. God…she was Inoue and he really had no business lusting after her but Kami help him, more and more recently, he couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't be lusting after his friend, after her of all people, but he couldn't stop the dreams that played out in his head at nights, couldn't stop the way everything she seemed to do lately sent his mind right into the gutter or the way he seemed to just be noticing everything about her as if it was suddenly in high definition technicolor… things like the way how she would bite her lips when she was nervous, or chew on her nails if something was bothering her, the way she licked her lips whenever she'd zone out in her imaginary world of strange foods…

_God this wasn't helping…_

"Come on," he urged, pulling himself from his wayward thoughts, his voice sounding strained, "Let's go."

Orihime only giggled at him, resisting his tug on her arm again before she proceeded to bring his world to tilt at a very, very odd angle

"Hmmm...Have I ever told you then, that I also think you're the best looking guy I've ever seen, Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned softly.

Her words slapped him like a punch in the solar plexus, robbing him of his breath.

"No," he rasped out, desperately trying to remember she was drunk as his heart set into an even more frantic drive.

_What was she saying to him? Had she any idea? She couldn't_, he told himself firmly, ignoring the cackling of his hollow in the background, _it must be the alcohol talking, making her say things that she would, under any other circumstances, never utter..._

God, what was she doing to him?

He forced himself to concentrate on something else...

_Shoes_... yes, he had to at least remember to remove her shoes before settling her for the night. The heels looked uncomfortable even though they made the curve of her ankle and dainty feet look even sexier…

He groaned inwardly.

"I think," Orihime spoke again then, voice slightly hesitant as it cut into his thoughts. She paused momentarily, head cocked to one side as if weighing her words before she spoke again. "I think... I want to kiss you."

Ichigo's world promptly fell out of orbit.

_Kami-sama help him..._

Involuntarily, his gaze fell to her lips and something dark stirred in his veins. He found his head lowering, edging towards the candy pink of her lips without thought before snapping out of the reverie encasing his mind.

_Fuck… _He couldn't do this…shouldn't do this. For fuck's sake, he thought to himself angrily at the strange stirrings lingering still in his veins as he drew back, this is Inoue... Inoue who is my friend... Inoue who is not even interested in me…Inoue who is stark staring drunk and whom I should not even be thinking about kissing…

_**Inoue whom you've been secretly lusting after for more than five years**_, a voice laughed in his head.

_Shut the fuck up_, he growled back inwardly to that voice, _I have not_.

_**Sure you haven't**_, the voice returned definitely amused, _**you haven't thought about kissing her, touching that smooth skin to see if it really is as smooth and soft as it looks... haven't thought about kissing those candy pink lips… haven't watched her licking her lips and wanted to do it for her or better yet, imagine that tongue licking other parts of your anatomy… Of course you haven't thought about fucking her brains out against any surface that could be used...**_

_SHUT THE FUCK UP_, he screamed inwardly as the words brought distinctly uncomfortable images to his mind.

_For fuck's sake_, he chided the fiend cackling in his mind, _Inoue is drunk as hell and all you can think about is..._

_**Fucking her silly**_, his hollow laughed, adding as Ichigo's frustrated growl echoed in their distinctly topsy-turvy world. _**Hey, it's not like I'm the only one King... you're just too fucking chicken to admit it. **_

"Kurosaki-kun..."

Shit, she was touching him again, her hands lifting to his cheek as he stood frozen.

He'd been so busy arguing with his hollow he hadn't felt her shifting..._Fuck._

Unconsciously, he tried to shift her back, drawing in a breath to steady himself as he got ready to distance himself and extol to her all of the many reasons she should not even be saying such things to him. For starters, she was stark, staring drunk. She had no idea of the things she was saying or their effect on him and...

Orihime's right hand shifted upwards to rest on his chest, causing his thought to blow away with the wind as he looked down at her. His own arms had unconsciously shifted again to keep her upright, tightening on her and drawing her into his frame.

At the touch of his body to hers, a hazy heat seemed to fill the air around them, sizzling with strange undercurrents he did not even want to think about.

"Inoue," he began his attempt to dissuade her from saying anything else... perhaps, an attempt to dissuade himself too from succumbing to the sensuous thread that had begun weaving around them.

"I think I've wanted to do that for a long time," she admitted softly, ignoring his voice as her breath fanned across his neck. "Don't you want to kiss me, Kurosaki-kun?"

The hazy heat that was wrapping around them jumped several degrees, pervading into his lungs, into his brain... a warmth that was wrapping around him and clouding his judgement.

_Kami-sama fucking help him, _he found himself begging then. He was sinking, slipping into really dangerous waters and he didn't think he'd be able to swim out of it if he got any deeper. He could feel his control becoming unhinged despite his best efforts to hold on to it , his heart pounding like caged bird against his ribs...

His eyes flickered to the candy pink lips below him again, breath hitching.

Fuck...this was not good.

_Focus_, he shouted inwardly at himself, a_nswer her. Tell her no..._

The word, the simple two lettered word, weighed heavy on his lips, ready to come out as he opened his mouth and yet to his surprise and utter chagrin, it was a tremulous, treacherous, "Yes," that slithered past his lips.

Her hands fisted tightly in his shirt at his answer.

"Kurosaki-kun..." she whispered, his name coming out on a breathy sigh as she rose up on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his.

His body froze in shock for the whole of a second at the action- one long drawn out moment that felt more like a small eternity. The insulated moment was brief though as in the next moment it was like the cocoon that had been sheltering him just shattered into a million pieces and the world of sensations that had been animatedly suspended in the prolonged second suddenly rushed in, overwhelming his senses. The heat hazing around them turned almost hellish in that moment and, as she sighed against his lips, the soft breath of air fanning across the sensitive appendage, he found himself unable to resist its pull. His whole body was tingling in the weirdest way and desire, a feeling he knew oh too well, especially in relation to this girl in his arms, crawled out of its hiding place, filling every goose-bumped pore of his body. _Fuck_, he thought then, falling into the abyss of that feeling,... _this was just too much_. And, as she gripped him tighter, soft lips readying to pull away from him, it became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The dam of feeling he'd held under tight reins for so long finally flooded their banks and his reaction was swift - almost brutal- as he tightened his hold on her and his mouth sealed tightly over hers. Angling his head, he swallowed her shocked gasp and let his instinct, all the daydreams he'd had of this one moment, guide everything else. Soon he was alternately sucking and stroking and nibbling at her soft lips- _Kami but they were soft_- with his tongue and teeth, swallowing her soft sighs as his lips moved over hers relentlessly, demanding her submission to him. He nipped her bottom lip and she obeyed his silent plea, parting her mouth for his searching tongue. He wasted no time in delving his tongue in her moist cavern greedily, leaving nothing untouched, giving and taking everything she offered as her body responded to his demands, her arms sliding to swathe around his neck, her mouth kissing him back as hungrily as he was kissing her, matching him stroke for stroke.

Her strong response stunned him. He hadn't ever expected, much less thought she would have reacted so powerfully to any such advances from him. Yet here she was, giving herself freely to him, seeming to want this as badly as he did, and when his tongue teased her lips to open, she didn't even hesitate to welcome him in, shyly allowing him to caress her mouth, allowing him to trace her lips with his tongue, exploring every silky soft inch of it, trying to get that elusive more he was craving before he let his tongue sweep in.

She moaned softly into his mouth as he caressed her tongue with his, curling her own over his as she returned the caress and as exhilarating as it was to feel her enthusiastic response, it wasn't enough... It wasn't nearly enough to assuage the fire of desire lighting its way through every single vein in his body. Need... it ate him like he could not believe and though a small part of his conscience was telling him this was wrong... the rest of him was thinking it felt oh so fucking right.

A needy groan echoed from his throat and, unthinkingly, he pressed her even further back into the wall of the dimly lit passageway, moving with her until her soft mounds were pressed flat into the hard planes of his chest and he could feel her body quivering under his.

_God...Fuck...damn..._

_More..._

His mouth hardened against hers, plundering and bruising, causing Orihime to gasp at the deliciously hard press and arch her back instinctively as she felt his scorching pink organ delve in and taste her again, stroking her tongue with his own and drawing her bottom lip into his mouth to suck and nibble at it with renewed vigour.

Sinking into the swirl of heading sensation, Orihime couldn't help but tug at him, her hands restless as they moved feverishly across his shoulders, grasping at him, at anything to anchor her before she was swept away. Her body was trembling so badly and it felt as if she was on fire, burning everywhere he was pressed against her. God, what was he doing to her?

Her restless hands shifted to his waist and found heated flesh and all of a sudden, the air around them blazed.

_Oh sweet Mary, mother of God..._

Ichigo bit back a groan as her slender fingers landed on his heated skin and stayed there, her fingers digging in and caressing in random intervals. Fuck, he thought inwardly at the pleasure curling through him at the touch. Her taste was already intoxicating him, the flavour of her as heady as the alcohol she must have imbibed and so fucking sweet he wondered hazily if he could become diabetic from it. She tasted like strawberries dipped in chocolate, like rum and raisin ice-cream... delicious and oh so fucking addicting... God, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could endure.

One of his hands shifted to fist in her hair as her fingers played across his flesh again, holding her firm as he dominated her mouth, tasting and exploring every inch of it, suckling, nibbling...

"Hmm…," the low moan slipped past her lips as he stroked her, tasted her and explored every inch of her sweet, delicious mouth. The sound made his hand tighten on her waist, pulling her closer against his body, searing her skin with his heat. In response, her arms reached up around his neck bringing him closer, deepening their oral engagement. He reciprocated her move for closeness with equal vigour, shifting so that her back was damn near sinking into the wall and she could feel every inch of him pressing into her even more clearly.

Heat blazoned in his mind as she made that sound again, a low sound in the back of her throat that made his whole body flush with heat and tense, tightening up like a drum. His body shifted in response, trying to drown the heat in her, trapping her tightly between him and the wall- so gloriously close that he doubted the travel of air would have been possible between them. God... he couldn't think about anything else but her right then- the taste of her, the feel, the silky skin beneath his fingers where her top had ridden up, the scorching heat between them, the little mewling sounds she made as his thumb ran across the exposed flesh of her hips or when he angled his head differently to explore her mouth more thoroughly...

_Kami..._

In the haziness of her mind, Orihime felt her legs become like jelly, felt her knees buckling beneath her but not a single thought seemed to be able to develop in her mind otherwise. Everything had just melted away when he started to kiss her, drowning her world into sensations and feelings that were only and solely focused on him and what he was doing to her. He was simply just drugging her with his kisses, intoxicating her senses to the point that nothing was coherent except the feelings he was invoking. Subconsciously, she realised she was already intoxicated but even then, she could clearly distinguish which effects were alcohol-induced from those caused by him and the heat burning through her was all him she knew. Only he could create this fire in her veins, this slow burning heat that was consuming her from the inside out and even as she knew she really shouldn't be doing this, making out with him in this state- and in the hallway no less-, her stubborn lust-crazed body just wouldn't listen. It was like her body had developed a mind of its own and was just doing as it pleased regardless of the pleas in the back of her mind telling her this was wrong, that she shouldn't be doing this.

Her hands shifted, moving downwards to push him away but again her body had other ideas and instead of pushing him away, her left hand only moved to sink deeper into his orange tresses, her other hand trailing down to tug at his shirt, pulling at it until the buttons gave and she was touching hot, hard and smooth skin again.

"Orihime…" he hissed at the contact and his hips grounded reflexively into hers, making her pant as she wrenched her mouth from his in a small half moan, half whimper.

Reality bitch-slapped him upside the head like a huge four by four at the sound and he pulled away from her, trying to regain his senses. Heavy rasped breathing was the only sound resounding in the otherwise silent and dimly lit hallway in that moment then a small whimper resonated as Orihime's grey orbs fluttered open under his gaze, her eyes dazed.

"Wow," she breathed, "Can we do that again?"

That dark heat blazed through him again and he closed his eyes to hide the fire he knew was reflecting in his gaze as he drew in one shuddering breath after another to calm his heated blood.

_Kami, did she even have a clue what the hell she was saying... doing to him?_

_Of course not... she was drunk._

"No," he returned, his voice surprisingly steady, "we shouldn't... this shouldn't have happened...Inoue... You're drunk...not thinking straight... I should just get you into bed... not take advantage of you... Shit...I really need to get you to bed and go..."

"Hmm, you should go," she agreed but her actions were in total contradiction to that as the hand trapped in his hair unconsciously tightened and began to gently massage his scalp.

A shiver of pleasure ran down his spine, making his body tremble, his knees feeling weak. Letting out a harsh breath, he leaned his head down and gently nudged her forehead with his.

"Inou..." he began, trying to get a hold of himself- he had to stop this before they did something they were both going to regret, "Stop," he tugged her hand down from his hair, "We shouldn't be doing this... I can't..."

He stopped suddenly, becoming aware of the weight of her head on his chest and the heaviness of her weight on his arm.

_Had she actually fallen asleep?_

Unbelieving, he shifted her to see her face and sure enough, the girl had passed out.

_Fucking wonderful timing…_

Longing to rub a hand over his face in frustration, he swept her up in his arms, bridal style, and made his way to the spare room. In the back of his mind, he hoped, prayed even, that she would not remember any of this in the morning. God help him but he didn't think he would be able to explain himself to her otherwise…

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"What the hell is up with those two?"

Pausing in the task of grabbing a few things from his locker, Ishida looked towards the direction Tatsuki was staring in, her face in a fierce scowl.

"I mean, is it just me or are those two even more awkward and uncomfortable around each other than usual?"

Ishida remained silent, a brow rising in puzzled curiosity as he watched a blushing and obviously flustered Orihime trying to avoid an equally uncomfortable looking Ichigo.

"No," the response came out of the blue and not from him but from the big-bodied Sado standing next to him.

"They do seem to be avoiding each other lately," he offered thoughtfully.

"Hmm," Tatsuki hummed, "I thought it was strange when we saw him coming down the hall earlier and Orihime got so red in the face I thought she was imitating a tomato and ran into the bathroom."

She stared at the pair, watching Orihime beat a hasty retreat from a now puzzled looking Ichigo.

"Why though?" she murmured to no one in particular. "They weren't this uncomfortable around each other before."

"Perhaps something happened?" Ishida proffered.

"Something, ka?" Tatsuki murmured.

888888888

Hurrying from the bright-haired male, Orihime let the breath that she had unconsciously been holding escape from her lungs. God, she thought wretchedly, she couldn't even look him in the face to exchange greetings anymore and it was all her fault.

To be honest, it wasn't even like she had planned any of this. She hadn't even been aware of what happened even after she had awaken in the spare bedroom in his dorm but after a night in her own bed, it had all come pouring back… her drunken but truthful confessions and her instigation of the kiss…

The kiss…

An anguished groan escaped her as she slowed to a stop, resting her head on the cold wall as memories of that night washed over her.

She had been so wanton and so forward and…God, how could he even look at her anymore after such a disgraceful thing. She had almost confessed that she was in love with him for crying out loud…not that that would have been much worse than the things she had let slip in her inebriated state.

"_I want to kiss you."_

Her words echoed in her head again and she groaned in shame. Was it any wonder the poor boy was so uncomfortable around her? She had basically forced herself on him…

Feelings of guilt and shame swept through her, burying her under the weight of her remorse. She had single-handedly and quite foolishly ruined her friendship with the boy she also was, and had been, secretly in love with for the last five years in one night of drunken stupor. Way to go Orihime…

Tears burned at her eyes.

She'd been so stupid but even acknowledging that fact did not seem to staunch the flow of tears down her pale cheeks and, even while she knew crying wouldn't solve anything or repair her friendship with Ichigo, it was a welcome release that she so badly needed from all the chaotic emotions that had been running rampant in her mind ever since she remembered the events of that night. It was cathartic in a sense, cleansing….

_And now she was just being pathetic_…

Closing her eyes, she wiped a hand across her face to dry her tears. She didn't want any one to see her tears or even know she had been crying. It was bad enough that Tatsuki had seen it. Knowing her as long as she had, Tatsuki had quickly realised something was wrong only moments after she herself had recalled the incident. She had of course tried to assure her it was nothing and even acted as she normally did to alleviate her suspicion but Tatsuki was not so easily fooled. She had known her cheery façade had been nothing more than a ruse. To the point as always, she figured it had something to do with the night she had spent at Ichigo's but Orihime dared not tell her anything else. How would she even begin? How could she explain to her best friend that, in a drunken haze, she had somewhat knowingly jumped the bones of one of their closest friends? I mean, forget that she was already madly but secretly in love with the boy… she had damned near raped him…

"Inoue."

Startled by the voice calling her name, she moved without thinking, spying the door only about a half second before she was inside the janitors closet and shutting it behind her again, watching as the bright haired boy walked past her hiding place, a scowl on his face.

8888888888

She was avoiding him.

If he hadn't been certain of that fact before today, Ichigo was certainly aware of it now. For the last three days since she had woken up in his dorm room, every time he had but glimpsed her, she had hurried off as if the devil was chasing her. Just now was a prime example. She had just been standing there and then, quick as her name bounced off his lips, she had darted into the crowd lingering in the hallways and now he couldn't find her anywhere.

But why would she be avoiding him?

His gut twisted.

Could it be she remembered?

_Kami no_…

She hadn't said anything to him yet and to no one else it seemed since he was as of yet uninjured but still… he couldn't think of any other reasons why she would be avoiding him.

He sighed, running a hand in frustration through his hair before swearing loudly.

"Fuck!"

Had he ruined everything then? Had he really destroyed so many years of friendship for a kiss? His chest tightened at the thought, his breath trapping in his chest.

God, he hoped he hadn't.

Fuck, these days the girl couldn't even look at him without getting so flustered and red he thought she'd start to hyperventilate and pass out or something.

Damn! Why hadn't he controlled his stupid male hormones? She had been the one intoxicated, not him so he should have fucking known better. Instead, what had he done? He'd fucking taken advantage of her…

_**And she had enjoyed every minute of it**_…

Scowling at his hollows whispered words, Ichigo tried to push away the memories the words brought to his mind- her lips against his, the little mewling noises that had escaped her lips…

Hi scalp tingled, his body flushing with heat. Tension coiled in his body at the recollection and he found himself standing there just clenching and unclenching his fists to ease the strain on his muscles.

God... he needed to work this out and soon. Otherwise, he was going to slowly drive himself insane.

Sighing as he ran a hand through his bright colored spikes, messing up his already messy do, he started to head back the way he had come.

He was close to where had last seen her, just rounding the corner to the corridor when he spotted an auburn head peaking from the janitors closet.

_So that was where she had disappeared to_…

Watching her turn towards his direction, checking for him it seemed, he ducked back around the corner then instantly chastised himself.

What the fuck was he running for? Wasn't he just thinking how tired he was of the cat and mouse game they seemed to be playing?

Feeling his resolve return, he poked his head around the corner, watching as Orihime walked out of the janitor's closet and hurried down the corridor. His scowl deepened.

He could understand she was undoubtedly upset with him, yet, he couldn't help but feel anger at her that she was so steadfastly avoiding him. She wasn't even giving him a chance to fucking apologise. Hell, weren't they friends? How could she intend to just avoid him as such then without even giving him a chance?

Feeling quite justified in his anger, he strode from behind the wall, fully intending to seek the auburn haired girl out and have his say. Since she didn't want to willingly talk to him, he was just going to have to employ some alternate tactics.

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Hurrying down the empty corridor to the tunnel that would lead her out to the shortcut to her dorm, Orihime tightened her hold on her books and gave the empty path behind her a worried look. There was no Ichigo chasing behind her and, feeling a flood of relief sweep through her at the realisation, she let her footsteps finally slow slightly.

She knew she couldn't run away from him forever and that they needed to talk but she just wasn't ready to face him. Just thinking about her wanton actions made her want to curl up and die so how was she going to talk to him about it? She didn't even think she could look him in the face for that discussion. Kami she couldn't look at him now without turning an unsightly shade of red and stuttering like an idiot. Kami, she thought miserably, quickly on the heels of that thought, he probably thinks I'm the world's biggest pervert.

Her skin tingled suddenly but she barely had time to even fully register the feeling as suddenly he was there, panting slightly as he stood before her, locking her against the wall as he planted one hand at either side of her head.

"K-Kurosaki-kun," she stammered out in surprise.

"Yes," he returned, "Since you seem so determined to run away from me, I figured the only way I would get to talk to you is to catch you. Now that I've caught you- and trust me when I say you're not going anywhere until you answer my questions- why don't you start by telling me why the hell you've been avoiding me?"

Turning her gaze away from the blazing hazel-brown orbs boring into her, Orihime's fingers tightened on her books.

"I-I wasn't avoiding you…"

"Bullshit," he interrupted, "Every time I step into the same space as you, you run away. That's you avoiding me. Now I just want to know why."

He watched discordantly as her plump bottom lip withdrew inside her mouth and she started to worry it with her teeth, half of him wishing she would stop before she bit through it, the other half of him wondering if she had any idea how enticing the action was, how it made him want to worry it for her.

Realising he was getting carried away yet again, he let his gaze shift away from her lips, moving upwards to her eyes which were still facing away from him. From his periphery, he saw her tongue dart out to wet her lips and then her lips opened.

"I'm sorry."

The quiet words had his brows knitting in confusion.

What the hell was she apologising for?

He opened his mouth to ask just that but she beat him to it with her next words.

"I…I didn't mean to be so brazen. It's just…I just… I didn't mean to make Kurosaki-kun uncomfortable and now… I-I'm such a horrible person doing that to Kurosaki-kun and … I understand if you are angry with me and," she swallowed hard, "if you don't want to talk to me anymore…"

Huh? Had he missed something? Shouldn't he be the one apologizing to her for taking advantage of her?

"_I want to kiss you."_

Her words that night echoed in his head and suddenly he understood. She thought she had forced him into kissing her. The idea was wholly and completely laughable but looking at the utter misery and self-recriminations on her face, he knew laughing would not be a good thing to do right now. Not when she was looking so miserable.

"I-I'm really sorry, Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't be."

Her eyes flew to his face at his words.

"Don't," he reiterated, "I should be the one apologising. I took advantage of you when I should have known better. This is not your fault but mine and I would definitely understand if you don't ever want to talk to me again…"

"But it was me who said those words," the girl burst out miserably.

"_I want to kiss you."_

The words seemed to hang in the air between them then and Ichigo suddenly started to notice exactly how close she was to him. He could feel the wispy flow of her breath against his face, could feel the heat emanating from her, smell the fragrantly delicate bouquet that was her unique smell…

His eyes wandered up to hers, watching as she seemed to come to the same realisation as he did and almost groaning aloud as her gaze shifted to his lips, her tongue darting out to wet hers in an unconscious action.

_Kami she was killing him_…

Feeling his throat clog, he cleared it, startling her into looking up at him. Her grey eyes widened at the realisation he had been watching her staring at his lips and hot color flooded her cheeks. Thoroughly embarrassed now, he watched her turn to push at his hand, fully intending to run away from him again.

As if he would let her.

"Kurosaki-kun," her voice came at him pleadingly, "Please… I can't… I'm sorry I did that. I- those words, I…"

He suddenly didn't want to hear her apologize and so he cut her off there, not giving her an ounce of warning before he shifted, his hand swiftly moving up to grab her face before he slammed his mouth over hers.

She stiffened at the abrupt contact but he wouldn't give her a chance to push him away. He pressed her back into the corner, letting his elbows come to rest on the wall, trapping her even more in his embrace as he set to plundering her mouth, intent on wiping all thoughts of apologies from her mind as he set to suckling her plump bottom lip, tracing its outline with his tongue and shifting to glide across her teeth, urging her to open up to him.

His fingers curled around her nape, pulling back on her hair to tilt her head up so he could deepen the kiss. She gasped at the momentary roughness and he made use of it to enter into the deliciously addicting cavern of her mouth where he set to plundering like a vicious pirate, imprinting his taste on every one of her taste buds, ravaging her mouth.

A shudder ran through her frame and he swallowed the small mewl that escaped her lips as her body just seemed to melt into his. His arm encircled her waist, keeping her upright and pinned next to the wall while he continued to dominate her mouth with his. There wasn't a corner he left untouched as his tongue devoured her mouth, feasting on her mouth and lips until she started to feel delirious with the unfamiliar need riding through her.

With a low growl, his hand slid up her back to her neck, and he tugged her to him, his mouth crushing harder against hers in an even fiercer kiss that she returned wholeheartedly, her arms coming up to wrap themselves tightly around his neck, her hands clutching at the silken spikes of his hair. She felt his hand return the gesture, weaving into her thick auburn strands, cupping the back of her head to better cradle her mouth against his as his lips ravaged hers, probing, opening her mouth up to him. His tongue slipped inside to coax at hers with raspy little strokes and she couldn't help but respond, angling her head slightly as the kiss deepened again.

_Kami...just how many ways were there to kiss?_

Orihime felt like she was melting, just floating away as his hand buried deeper into her hair, forcing her jaw to shift even more upwards for his pleasure as he kissed her senseless with his long, slow, lingering, melting kisses. His tongue was doing things to her she couldn't describe and the hand at her waist was now burning against her bare skin where her shirt must have ridden up. When she felt him pull in on her bottom lip, worrying it like she had been earlier but with such raw sexuality in the act she felt lightheaded, she couldn't hold back the small whimper that left her lips and as if he had been waiting for that sound, he lifted her body slightly, settling her even more tightly against him as his mouth hardened its demands on hers with fierce devouring kisses that sent jolts of wild sensations from her lips to her very toes, making them curl in her shoes. His tongue stroked hers, teasing, as it plunged in and out of her mouth in a savage dance of near feverish longing and unable to help herself, Orihime's hand tightened their hold on his biceps where she hadn't even recalled putting them.

The need for air finally made its self known and with one last deceptively sweet brush of his tongue against hers, Ichigo wrenched his mouth from hers, gasping in a large breath of air as he did so. Her small pants sounded loud in their closeness and weakened by the naïve desire he could see filling her eyes as she opened them to look at him, he dropped his head to rest against her forehead.

"I don't want you to apologise," he murmured softly a moment later by way of explanation, "I don't want to hear you say you're sorry… not when it was just as much my fault as yours. I could have stopped you… I should have but God…I," his voice softened to a near whisper, "I didn't want to."

Her body snapped taut at his whispered confession and unable to meet her gaze, he closed his eyes.

"If you have to apologise, then so do I," he stated softly, eyes still closed, "God, Inoue, I-I wanted to kiss you."

The admission, though whispered seemed like a shout in the quiet and he kept his eyes closed, waiting for the shoe to fall.

"You…You wanted to kiss me?" her uncertain question came a moment later, her voice almost inaudible it was so soft.

"God…fuck…Yes," he admitted, "I think I've wanted to do it for a long time but I…I kept telling myself I shouldn't but then that night…Fuck…I-I just couldn't stop myself after you kissed me."

"Oh," the girl breathed and went silent.

Not expecting such a meek response, his eyes opened to look down at her, watching in slight confusion as she stared down at her shoes, worrying her lip again.

"Then…You're- you're not mad that I kissed you?"

"Mad?" he questioned in a strangled voice, "You thought I was mad at you for kissing me?"

The girl nodded hesitantly and the urge to laugh came again. Here he was, thinking and worrying that she was mad at him for taking advantage of her, kissing her when she was drunk and she was thinking he was angry at her for kissing him?

"Did I seem mad at you a minute ago?"

Her eyes flew up to his once more before a tremulous, "N-no," escaped her lips.

"But," she began hesitantly, "I-I don't understand… why did you kiss me?"

Again the urge to laugh at her naivete came but he harshly put it aside to answer.

"Because," he began slowly, lifting his head so she could fully meet his gaze, "because I fucking like you."

Her eyes widened impossibly.

"You…you like me?"

"Fuck," he hissed, "Like may not even be an adequate enough word to describe how I feel about you lately."

At her puzzled expression, he tried to explain.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you lately," he admitted, "You seem to be everywhere for me and even when I close my eyes you're there. I can't seem to escape you and almost everything you do drives me to the point of near insanity- the way you bit your nails or suck on your bottom lip… I haven't had a night of sleep worth shit because of you. Dammit woman, you've been damn near driving me crazy."

"So you've wanted to kiss me too?" she asked and Ichigo stared at her dumbly.

Hadn't she heard a word he'd just said? Fuck, wanting to just kiss her had been the least of his damn problems. He'd wanted to fucking devour her.

Thinking she was better off not knowing that however, he resigned himself to answering her query with a simple. "Yes."

"Then why didn't you?"

Why hadn't he?

The question came as he stared at her in shock.

Why?

God knows he'd wanted to; had been tempted enough…

"I don't know," he muttered, his eyes going to her lips, "I really don't know."

"Oh," she murmured, "Maybe you were thinking about it too much. It's like when I'm trying to decide between wasabi topping for my ice-cream or pickles and…"

Yes, he thought to himself, watching her lips as if hypnotised as they moved. Perhaps he was thinking about it too much and perhaps she was just talking too much…

"Maybe you should just do it, you know. At least that's what I tell myself. Just close your eyes and do it- like the Nike commercial…."

Just do it ka?

Fuck…

His eyes darkened.

And his mouth descended on hers again, cutting off her surprised cry as he lead them into another heated round of kisses.

Long, long moments later, he pulled away, eyes half-lidded and so dark, they were a very near black as he waited for his breathing to catch up and his heart to stop racing.

"You know," he murmured, "We're not quite going about things the right way."

Panting to catch her own breath, Orihime looked up at him puzzledly.

"We're putting the cart before the horse," he explained. "Here we are, making out in an empty corridor- not that I'm complaining- when I haven't even asked you yet."

"Asked me what?" she asked breathlessly.

Ichigo's half-lidded gaze rose upwards.

"Inoue Orihime…would you go out with me?"

Her grey eyes searched his and then the smile, the warm beam that rivaled the sun, came out to play.

"I'd like that."

He grinned.

"Good. I just hope you know that's not just a one time offer either. It stands for tonight…And the night after that... And then the night after that and of course the night after that and…."

"Forever," she breathed.

"Hmm," he hummed, eyes darkening even more as he became enticed by her again, "I plan to be your first, your last and everything in between, Inoue Orihime."

And with that said, he sealed his words as he fastened his lips over hers again, pouring the promise of his words into her with his tongue and teeth, imprinting it upon her senses so she would never forget it.

Not that he had any plans to ever let her forget.

_**Ours**_, his hollow hummed, dark and enticing in his head.

Ichigo grabbed her closer to him, forcing her frame to melt into his as he devoured her mouth hungrily, his mouth hot and branding on hers.

_Ours_, he purred in agreement to his hollow, allowing himself a smirk as she choked back a cry when he pushed upward, his thigh cradling between hers, her open mouth allowing his tongue to slip in between to tease and taste her yet again.

_Ours and only ours...forever. _

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PS. I'm looking for ideas for the next chapter. I find myself utterly too busy these days to really brainstorm so I'm asking for input. If you have some good ideas, do drop me a line. I'd be ecstatic to hear them.


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