Chapter 6

Slight Confrontation

Never in her life had she been affected this much. She was really crying her heart out, running aimlessly back to her home.

That bastard! Who does he think he is?! She thought furiously, tears blurring her vision. She didn't bother to call Uryuu. The man would be worried and he would probably do something to Ichigo. She just expected a normal party, but all she got was sadness and a feeling of guiltiness.

It was as if some part of the ironic universe was playing a trick on her. It was a very beautiful night and everyone should have gone well. In fact, it was going smoothly until that foolish and pointless dance.

She could still feel his strong hands imprisoning her against him, his hand idly resting on her bare back, which was not where Uryuu would lay his hand. The Quincy had some respect in him, unlike Ichigo. Where did all Ichigo's precious honor go?

Perhaps being in a liberated country did that, she thought.

Why are you trying to justify his actions?!

I don't really know. It's just as if something was taken away from him.

So what?!

The happy and caring sparks in his eyes were gone. A cold brown – that's what I see now.

Whatever it is, it doesn't excuse the way he acted. It's all too much! He hurt you, yet you forgive him?

What do I have to lose in forgiving?

Pride.

My pride has already been drained years ago.

But it's all you have left, eh? And you are using it now to keep Daisuke out of his hands.

It's a different situation. He doesn't even know he has a son… I'm depriving Daisuke of his right.

And what about you? What will happen to you if he found out? He might even have a trial to take Daisuke away from you.

Her other side had made out a huge point. There was this chance that Ichigo would do something to take Daisuke away. After all, she did the same to him.

Seeing Ichigo as he was today made her assumptions stronger.

"What are you doing out here?" Uryuu's concerned voice rang out.

Orihime was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Uryuu's car slide beside her. She had been wandering aimlessly and noticed that she was near the entrance of the park where Ichigo first told her that he had feelings for her.

Seven years ago…

"Orihime, I want you," Ichigo whispered into her neck, sending chills up Orihime's spine and rendering her brain paralyzed.

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" she asked, uncertain if it was a dream she was having.

"I want you," he said again, leaning down and kissed her with such passion that knocked her breath away.

It was already dark but Orihime failed to notice. All she could feel was the startling expertise Ichigo had in kissing. He was rapidly making her lose her sanity.

When they broke apart, she looked at him lovingly. "I want you too. But not here," she whispered.

Ichigo grinned and nodded. Come to think of it, it was her first time seeing him smile like that.

"Your house," he mumbled, holding her close.

She nodded.

The time of sin and uncertainty – she doubted how she felt in recalling those things. She doubted she'd be able to manage now that he's back.

"We're here," Uryuu said.

"Thanks Uryuu," she said, managing a smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked anxiously. "I can't believe Kurosaki actually did that. I mean, no one even saw it."

"I know," she mumbled, getting out of the car. She didn't even bother to look back at Uryuu's sad expression.

She opened the door to her house and got out of the constricting sandals.

"Mommy, is that you?" Daisuke said, coming down the stairs and rubbing her eyes.

"Kourin brought you home?" she asked sweetly, scooping him up in her arms and kissing him softly on his cheeks.

Daisuke smiled groggily and nodded.

"I'll tuck you back to your bed, okay?" she said.

"Was the party good, mommy?" he asked, now a bit awake.

Orihime smiled sadly. "Yes."

"You don't look so good," Daisuke said, frowning in concern.

Orihime was startled at how much Daisuke looked like him when the little boy frowned. She settled for a gentle smile. "I'm fine dear. I'm just tired."

"Then you should be the one who's sleeping," he said gallantly. "I'll be the one to tuck you in, mommy."

"No thanks, dearie," she replied, laughing. "I'd rather be the one who watches you sleep."

Daisuke crossed his hands and frowned again. "Fine then."

He lied down and closed his eyes. Moments later, Inoue Daisuke was fast asleep again.

Orihime sighed and kissed her son's forehead. She walked to her room and carelessly flopped down her bed, breathing heavily to relax herself.

She was unaware of a pair of brown eyes watching her from afar.

Ichigo frowned as he settled on top of the roof of Orihime's neighbor in his shinigami form, watching the orange-haired woman lie down on her bed.

Why did she stay so long in that room?! He thought, eyeing the window right beside Orihime's room. The curtains were pulled down but he saw the lights were on for a long time before it closed, leading his vision to the woman who just entered the other room. Apparently, that one was her real room. But who slept in the other room?

The mystery didn't bother him so much though. He merely settled his gaze on Orihime's lying figure, guilt enveloping him.

He really couldn't help it though. He felt something incredibly unusual when the Quincy claimed that Orihime was his girlfriend.

What's more, he was feeling as though Orihime was his – that she belonged to no other. It was a highly-possessive thought, but he couldn't help it.

Right now, he was here to ease his guilt.

His body was occupied by a Mod Soul he made Urahara develop for him so that his fiancée won't notice. He was named Kouji and he was decent enough and was like him in many ways, unlike the perverted Mod Soul who once occupied his body in emergencies.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Kon since he came back.

His thoughts were distracted as he saw Orihime get up and remove her dress.

He felt his face heat up as he obtained a good view of her well-developed body. Hell, she looked more beautiful than I remember.

Her already curvy body gave way to more womanly assets. Her hips were more rounded and well-shaped and her breasts were, if possible, rounder. It was as if she had given birth or something.

He knew how a woman should look like after giving birth, he was a doctor after all. But he didn't mind much. Orihime wasn't pregnant. Let alone would he let his mind wander on such thoughts.

And if that Ishida Uryuu ever did something to her…

Ichigo shook his head. He was being unreasonable. His gaze shot back abruptly to the lovely woman in the room, completely sobered and completely… naked.

Ichigo reddened. She still has this effect on him. It was unnerving. Sure, he was aroused whenever he and Hikaru had sex, but he wasn't the one who was easily pleased. But at even at the sight of Orihime in full clothing makes him turned on so much that he couldn't think straight – like what happened in the party.

"God, you look so beautiful," he breathed.

"T-Thank you, Kurosaki-kun," she whispered, blushing profusely under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Call me Ichigo," he huskily murmured.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you more," he whispered.

Those were the words he shouldn't have said. Why? Not because he didn't mean it, but because he didn't live up to it.

Guilt engulfed his thoughts along with the feeling of regret. He had to admit, he still desired her.

Was it really desire? He was uncertain, or maybe he just refused to acknowledge his emotions. He had a fiancée, for crying out loud! He loved Hikaru, or did he really?

He had to distinguish right from wrong. What's the matter with him? Here he was, watching over a woman that wasn't even his. She belonged to someone else. He definitely belonged to someone else.

His breath hitched as he watched Orihime slip into a thin nightgown, which was really not making any difference when she was still naked.

She slipped in her queen-sized bed and stretched. Ichigo watched on, fascinated at the way the shadows played about her porcelain face. Her expression was in deep concentration, traces of tears and pain he had inflicted during the party gone.

You really have changed, Inoue, he thought, smiling wryly. She wasn't the overly-emotional and bubbly girl he knew in his high school days. She had grown stronger and more independent, somewhat. The old Inoue certainly didn't have the guts to plaster a fake smile during the party and tell Ichigo to shove off. No, the old Inoue loved him too much that she was willing to go to any lengths to help him, even risking her own freedom and life.

They had been through so much together. But why all these cold and harsh treatment towards each other?

The answer was simple. Right love at the wrong time.

Well, at least, that's how he saw the situation. He had so many dreams before and so many expectations lay ahead of him. And there was that threat – that horrible threat.

He remembered those maniacal black eyes and brown. No one knew him, only Ichigo knew him. Yet, everyone knew him… somehow. And he knew Orihime. And he wanted Orihime for himself. He threatened to have her and kill her if Ichigo wouldn't stay away. The shinigami had felt cold fear wash over him, the first time his resolve was drained.

He stayed away to gain more power. He stayed away to learn from a secret association of banished Shinigamis in America about the most binding and dangerous arts of being a Death God. He learned them all, in time to get back to Japan on one night in his Shinigami form and visit the girl he wanted to hold.

But his Orihime wasn't there anymore.

He heard about Uryuu and her going out. His heart broke to a million pieces. He watched them go back and forth for whatever wretched place it may be. She seemed to be happy, so Ichigo left her alone.

He let his mind pore over the endless Medicine books and became a relentless workaholic, exhausting his mind to the brink of insanity. He never knew what drove him to do the impossible. Perhaps it was the fact that he wanted to forget her that desperately.

It wasn't after another two years or so that he finally moved on, getting himself to bigger social circles and being friendlier towards his colleagues. He became a doctor, with a specialization in Infectious Diseases and Nephrology. (A/N: What can I say? I love Dr. Gregory House.) He became successful in his own right and met the perfect girl to marry. He came back to Japan to prove to everyone that he had gone a long way.

Unfortunately, his heart was still tied to this place, to that time, to that girl… now a woman.

As if by a magnetic force, he flash stepped inside her bedroom as quietly as possible, having mastered the art of masking his reiatsu completely. He took in her peaceful and angelic features. She was now in deep sleep.

Her soft lips moved. She murmured something.

Ichigo heard it and froze.

"Kurosaki-kun," she mumbled. "We still need you…"

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Orihime opened her eyes and wiped the tears away. "Was I crying?" she whispered. She sighed and looked in the dark in front of her.

She swore she felt Ichigo's reiatsu in her room. She huffed and shook her head, resuming her sleep.

In another place not too far away, Ichigo was fleeing from Orihime's apartment – fleeing from the most beautiful creature, from the startling revelation, and from his traitorous emotions.

We need you? Who's the other one Orihime? He wondered.
Author: AnnieInWonderland07