Orihime's Secret

A girl with very slender build entered her sleeping quarters, humming a merry tune to herself.

She'd just got off the phone talking to a dear friend and she'd set herself a date she was very much looking forward to. It was an arrangement she'd set up long ago with that friend of hers and it was supposed to be perfect now that the exact date for its taking place was appointed. For this reason she had to find some clothes worthy of and comfortable for such an important set up.

She glided with innate grace across the room towards her wardrobe, opening it widely with a flourish of her arms. Still humming, she picked a few hangers and surveyed critically the dresses and other outfits hanging from them.

Torn. Missing a strap. All but split in half. Too revealing. Too shortened; suited only for private use now. Torn. Torn. Missing a strap…

Orihime adopted a disconcerted expression. This wouldn't do… Ever since her current roommate moved in with her and was practically around her twenty-four seven, she was faced with quite some shortage of clothing thanks to his lack of self-control. She couldn't go to that double-date she'd promised to Kuchiki-san if she didn't have something decent and nice to wear to it.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. There was only one thing she could do to fix this serious problem.

Putting back the hangers with all her damaged outfits in her wardrobe, she closed the doors of it and left the room with a determined look on her face.

She was a young woman with a very difficult mission at hand now and she'd be extremely lucky if she was successful in completing it.

Orihime had little hope it would happen but it was better to fail than not to try at all, correct?

"No way in fucking hell." Curt. Straight to the point. Ruthless. She hadn't expected any less.

Still, she couldn't help pulling a very disappointed face.

"But, Grimmjow-kun…" she began with a slight whine in her voice. She'd actually started looking forward to this first of its kind outing of theirs. She'd always wanted to go on a date-date with her lover but had never quite managed in cajoling him into it. Why did he have to be so difficult all of the time?

The object of her attentions just snorted and turned his back to her.

"Don't talk back to me, woman—I said 'no' and it won't change even if you fucking whine about it all day long so spare your energy and a potential headache for me and just get lost." The azure haired former Espada was all but half-asleep under the table in the living room. No wonder he was so irritable.

Usually, when he was in such a mood—and downright sleep-deprived, thus even grouchier than ordinarily—she would back down immediately before risking worsening the situation any. However, this was something she really insisted on, so she refused to drop the subject as easily.

"But I really wanted to go shopping downtown with Grimmjow-kun… There are so many fun things about the real world that you still haven't come across and I'm sure if you experienced them you wouldn't hate this place so much." Her bait wasn't working—he was too uncaring at that point in time to care for amusement. "And I could really use your help with shopping—you'll be the one who will have to look at me with the things I buy most of the time so—"

"I don't care what the hell you wear; if you really ask my opinion anything you buy will look best on the floor after I've taken it off you so I doubt you'd care much for what I have to say in the matter because I don't give a fuck."

Orihime deflated visibly. So he wasn't going to relent, was he? There was nothing she could say that could make him join her, was there? Shopping alone was so depressing…

"Alright then. Sorry for pestering you so much about it when it doesn't matter to you." Her defeated tone was unfathomably more irksome to her than her whiny one a moment ago had been.

"You're not going to guilt trip me into it so you can drop that now," he growled at her, throwing her a glare out of a semi-cracked open eye. She actually had the grace to look nonplussed about what he was talking about. That earned her another sharp look from him.

"But shopping on my own is so lonely… And I have so many things to buy…" She was thinking out loud again—what an irritating habit of hers, he decided. What did he care what she did as long as she left him alone? "I think I'm going to have to ask either Kurosaki-kun or Ishida-kun if they have some free time to help me out at the mall. I could really use some company."

Grimmjow's ears perked up at the mention of those two names. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have given a damn. But why did it have to be the two that the despised the most? Was she trying to trick him into doing what she wanted? She surely didn't look like it… But whatever the case he was not going to let that happen.

As if he was going to let one of his two rivals have a whole day with his woman.

Orihime pushed herself to her feet from her previous sitting position, a thoughtful expression adoring her soft facial features while fully intending to go for the phone to call one of her two friends when a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and steered her forcefully towards the door. The hold of the large hand on her arm was firm and stern but not quite bordering on painful yet. The look on her lover's face though made her shrink back a bit.

He glowered at no one in particular and growled at her.

"Fine, I'm going to come with you but you better not get carried away, you understand? And don't even dream of using me as your mule—you're carrying whatever junk you buy yourself, got it?" He was rough and the most ungentlemanly guy you could ever come across when he was in one of his moods but Orihime had grown used to that unrefined character of his long ago and, quite frankly, liked him even despite it.

Besides, what was there really to complain about? She'd got what she wanted—they were going to the town center together. It was the closest thing to a date they'd ever been on and she was overjoyed at the sheer prospect of it.

It took her some time after he'd led her out the door and a little ways from her apartment before she realized she was still in her slippers and that she had no money on herself.

An hour and a half later, Grimmjow and Orihime were not yet done prowling the lengths of the large shopping center situated in the very heart of the city. This, naturally, was yet another cause for much complaining and grumbling for the cerulean-eyed man.

Even though she'd been so enthusiastic upon their take off, the young woman soon realized that her victory would be very short-lived. The fact she'd somehow coaxed her lover into joining her on her shopping spree—because, seriously, he was the one at fault for her having to go on one to begin with!—did definitely not mean that he was happy or too willing about it.

She'd taken quite some pleasure in modeling dresses for him but he'd either ignored her completely or grunted at her as if just to shrug her off and have it all over with as quickly as possible. She understood his unwillingness to participate in the shopping process but the least he could do was act somewhat interested. He knew that she held his opinion in things regarding her in very high regard even if she didn't say it out loud so he could at least pretend even if he didn't care.

The girl had become so disillusioned with his grumpiness that she'd tried to convince him into doing something fun every now and then when they passed an ice-cream shop or a café in the mall but Grimmjow had been just as enthusiastic about those activities as he'd been in dragging himself after her from shop to shop as well.

Orihime was really at a loss how she could make this trip any less of a torture for him because—despite the atrocious way he was behaving in normal people's terms—she was so incredibly happy just getting to walk side to side in a place bustling with people and just doing something so ordinary with him like clothes shopping.

After some time she decided that she'd bought enough things—all of which she truly did carry herself like he'd promised her; they were heavy but she didn't mind because, for all the complaining he did that day, he didn't once utter a sound at the fact she happily clung his arm while they walked around—and that it was about time to relieve Grimmjow of his suffering; she thought that it was as good a time as any that they leave.

On their way towards the exit though something caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

She turned her head to look at the most gorgeous pair of sky blue bra and bikini she'd ever laid eyes upon. They were a design which she took very well to usually and their colour was the same shade of blue as the hair of the very same person whose arm she was holding onto.

And, considering things in all frankness, lingerie was one of the things she was missing the most. Even if some of her outfits had somehow made it whole after one of Grimmjow's moments of passion, barely any of her underwear had had such luck. While she hadn't considered it a priority to shop for undergarments, she could see the disgruntled man by her side appreciating her modeling this particular piece of clothing for him.

But what was more, she had to have that pair; it was just too perfect to pass up. Part of what made her so convinced she had to have it was the fact the bra had a front clasp right between the cups—an encouraging fact since the clasp was the most troublesome thing to Grimmjow to deal with when encountered with undoing her top undergarments, so he usually just chose not to deal with it, just tearing it off of her in his frenzy. Thus her brassieres shortage.

"Just one more shop and we're done, Grimmjow-kun!" she told him happily, a sudden bounce to her step that had not been there before. Her sudden swings of mood did not at all impress him anymore though because he'd lived with her long enough to realize that her thought train was one of the most incomprehensible things in the universe, second only to the meaning of life.

He growled ill-temperedly at her.

"I thought you said the previous one was the last," he grinded out between his teeth, throwing her one of his most withering of looks. Amazingly, it was not enough to faze her like it usually was.

"This time I definitely mean it, I promise!" Oh, he was going to like this so much! Not many people recognized that trait in him because he made sure to hide it well habitually, but the ex-Sexta Espada was a very observant person and the fact she'd chosen a pair of lingerie exactly matching his hair colour would not be lost on him.

She wanted to see his expression when he saw her all dressed up in those!

Grimmjow himself was so displeased with being cheated into thinking the ordeal was over when it actually wasn't that he did not notice the huge writing atop the shop's entrance saying "Victoria's Secret", nor the dozens of hangers with bras and panties of various colours, sizes and designs.

Orihime pranced over straight to the clerk behind the counter, requesting the displayed pair in her size while her companion sat himself in front of one of the changing rooms that was currently free. This better be over fast or he'd really unleash the whole of his irritation on her some time soon…

"Grimmjow-kun, they actually have it in my size!" She jumped on the heels of her feet, a childishly happy expression on her face. "Wait for me right there while I change!"

He grunted noncommittally at her. The way she said it annoyed him to no end—as if he had any other choice but to sit and wait for her; at least one that did not involve her being alone with either that damn shinigami or the freaking four-eyed pansy.

It took her remarkably little time to open the curtains of the changing room again and only then did he notice just what she'd taken with her on that hanger in there.

His eyes widened considerably and it took years upon years spent as a proud and powerful hollow not to allow his jaw to drop at the sight she made for in those garments.

Orihime was grinning practically from ear to ear as she struck a pose, accentuating on her flawlessly curved body complemented very tastefully by the rather daring design of the perfectly blue underwear she'd donned on.

"What do you think? I like how these look on me—it's as if they were practically made for me!" She turned around so he could look at her back as well and it was impossible to argue her point—those were definitely tailored as though especially for her.

Grimmjow was at a complete loss for words, temporary having lost motive ability. He could only stare at her as she turned this way and that for his viewing pleasure before deciding that she was definitely buying that pair.

She'd closed the curtains to get back in her own clothes when the man accompanying her finally found his composure again, snapping out of the reverie he had receded into. Only one thought crossed his mind with an unwavering steadfastness before he invaded his girlfriend's changing room.

Orihime had just slipped out of the blue lingerie and was about to put on her bra when Grimmjow made his surprise attack on her. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he grabbed her securely around the waist, crushing her body firmly against his before slamming her back-first into the solid wall of the stall.

His movements were urgent, the searing kiss he gave her frantic just as much as the hands that ravished her half-naked frame. She'd known he'd appreciated her new lingerie but she hadn't foreseen he'd like it this much. When he became so passionate it meant only one thing as a result and then and there was not the place for it.

It took her some serious amount of will-power to pull away from his mouth and she was already robbed of her breath when she managed to. The wonders his deft hands worked on her were something she usually looked much forward to but they couldn't do that in a changing room in a lingerie store. It was just wrong.

"Grimmjow-kun!" she admonished quietly, not willing to let anyone outside know what was happening beyond the curtain. "Please, stop! This isn't something that we should do in public!"

The man holding her didn't pay her pointless resistance any heed, opting instead for focusing his attention to getting the obstacles that were her jeans out of the way.

"What if someone sees us? What if someone hears us? Grimmjow-kun, please don't!" she tried again when she noted with alarm that her leg was bent at the knee and in his firm grasp when he silenced her with another heated kiss.

That successfully smothered all of her complaints for the time being; she'd never really learnt how not to get consumed with the passion he used with her when he kissed her so fiercely like that. He just had this ability to completely blow her mind away when she most needed a clear head.

When they parted for breath the next time and one of his hands left her body, making her unconsciously arch her back to press further against him in her disappointment with the sudden lack of attention, she heard a zip being undone and the alarms went off in her head, clawing desperately towards some sane thought before they reached the place of no return.

"Grimmjow-kun, no! We'll do that once we get home. We're in public now, what if someone hears us?" she repeated, hoping that this time it would get through to him.

He burrowed his nose in the crook of her neck, alternating between pressing open-mouthed kisses and sucking on the tender flesh of the joint point of her shoulder and neck. He knew just how sensitive she was there and he was exploiting that.

"I don't have anything to be ashamed of if anyone were to interrupt. And if you're so worried with being heard…" he lifted his head so his lips were right above her earlobe, his breath ghosting over her ear and sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine. "…Try to be as quiet as you can so no one would hear," he finished, whispering huskily in her ear, making her shudder in appreciation of their proximity again.

She was about to argue again but then he was inside of her in one swift movement, making her protest die on her lips. She was going to remind him where they were and what they should be doing and that he didn't want to be there in the first place, but then she herself forgot all those. It didn't matter that at any moment people could find them and throw them out. All that she cared for was that what he started he would bring to an end because she needed him, all of him and would not settle for any less.

He was really such horrible influence on her. And she used to be such a good girl…

Despite all her protestations, they did do it in the changing room. It didn't take as much for them to reach their peaks as it usually did thanks to the additional excitement of the possibility of being found in that most compromising position but Orihime did take her lover's advice. She pressed her head into his strong shoulder covered with sculpted sinewy muscle to muffle the sounds that somehow managed to escape her throat.

She had been very averse to doing such private things in public and yet she was interestingly light-headed and all smiles when they got out of the changing room together a few minutes later.

When they went to the clerk behind the desk afterwards, the woman looked oddly at the disheveled pair, a knowing look on her features while Orihime passed her the neatly arranged undergarments she'd borrowed to try on.

"I'll have a pair of these, please," the girl said in a sing-song voice, her companion next to her carrying all her shopping bags now and not looking half as displeased about being there as he did upon entering; if anything, his annoyance had subsided into a pleasant disinterest with his surroundings, an unnaturally looking serenity in his features.

With a sigh and lingering weird look after the couple once the young woman had paid for her new underwear, the woman behind the counter shook her head, sitting down on a stool behind her.

"Kids these days…" she muttered to herself, going back to the magazine she had been reading before their purchase.

"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime waved to the person in question gleefully, a pretty smile adorning her face.

The addressed girl turned around towards the source of the voice, waving back with vigour rivaling the other young woman's own.

"Hey, Inoue!" she greeted in return, approaching the busty girl and her former Espada counterpart with Renji trailing close behind her. "Are we all set?"

"Un!" the orange-haired female concurred, clasping her hands together behind her back. "Let's decide where we should go first. I'd love to see that new arcade they opened just down the street—I hear it's got some really fun games we could play together!"

Rukia cocked an eyebrow in surprise at the taller girl.

"I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff, Inoue." To her comment, the other only laughed sheepishly, making her long-time friend smile in return. "It sounds alright enough. I'm sure you'll like this a lot, Renji—I can show you how much superior my skill and reflexes are to yours in these human games!"

"You're on!" the red-head retorted at once, a flame burning ablaze in his eyes. "I'll grind your head in your own incompetence and show you that even if you've been longer in the real world, I'm still better than you at accommodating to it!"

This meeting of theirs had been arranged so that Renji and Grimmjow could be introduced to the marvels and all the fun things one could do in Karakura Town. It was going to be a fun outing and Orihime had much looked forward to showing the guys around as the most senior among them in fun-having in the real world.

"Hey, Inoue, isn't that shirt new?" Rukia wondered when they left off for the arcade. "Now that I think of it, so are that skirt and the shoes." The brunette smiled at her friend who was beaming at her. "What's the occasion?"

The girl just laughed lightly in reply.

"It's a secret."

She then threw a cryptic look at Grimmjow's back, who was in front of the two girls talking to Renji about something and Rukia could only shrug.

Inoue had always been weird like that and she was getting increasingly weirder the longer she spent with that Arrancar so she'd just leave it at that.

Rukia had no idea…

Author Rant: I hope you like it! It was a request kishirepantera on LJ made and I'm hoping she'll like it, even though it has room for much improvement. XD It is unchecked over because it's almost 3 a.m. here and I'll have to get up in three hours for school so you'll have to bear with any typos and other mistakes you might find in this before I can check over it tomorrow.

Don't forget to let me know what you thought! It's so nice to know one's work is appreciated.