Disc: I don't own BLEACH and LONG VACATION

Note: this fanfic is inspired from a J-Dorama, Long Vacation starred by Kimura Takuya of SMAP. Enjoy!

Thought/Past

Present.

.

.

-Love Story-

14

.

No smile.

No smile please.

Ichigo Kurosaki did his best but he failed.

"It's creepy."

"What's creepy?"

"You don't usually smile."

Yeah, he knew it. He also already told himself not to smile. He was known for his deep scowl, not a smile. Even his student called him creepy and he still couldn't stop smiling. He was supposed to get angry when Toushiro called him creepy but he couldn't, he was too happy to be angry. He had this unusual goofy expression on his face and that was indeed a little scary.

"Just focus on your piano," Ichigo said a little too cheerfully, such that it gave his student a chill. "Nothing you say can make me angry right now."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow but continued playing the piano.

"You won't get angry?"

"I can't."

"Really?"

"Really."

Toushiro kept playing the song while thinking about what to say to test him.

"So, you will let me date your sister?"

"No."

Toushiro frowned a little but didn't stop playing.

"I see."

"I said I won't get angry, I didn't say I'd allow Karin to date a brat like you."

He was smiling when he said that and it made Toushiro shiver.

.

Uryu and Chad could see it clearly. He hadn't said anything but both musicians could already guess what had happened to their orange haired friend. Chad found that it was amusing and Ishida thought it was really disgusting to see the usually scowling man smiling. It was during their lunch time when Ishida decided that he needed to say something.

"You know, you look like an idiot right now, Kurosaki."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're smiling like an idiot."

Ichigo shrugged, "Whatever."

Uryu furrowed his brows and folded his arms, "So," he tried again, "did something good happen?"

Ichigo blushed a little but he tried to act casually, "Not really."

Uryu didn't believe him of course. He and Chad knew that this must be about a certain auburn haired girl with a beautiful smile. The black haired man hated to admit it, but he really wanted to know what had actually happened between Ichigo and the girl who lived with him. It must be something good because a smiling Ichigo wasn't something you could see daily.

Well, they had had sex together so this time, maybe they...

Uryu had so many probabilities in his head right now. He just needed a confirmation from the strawberry.

"Well actually..."

Uryu was surprised because he didn't need to do anything to actually make Ichigo tell them about it. He waited patiently for the taller guy to continue what he had started. He tried not to give him a nasty comment about the faint blush on his cheeks, he could tease him later, after he told him the complete story.

"Me and O... Orihime are going out."

That was not unpredictable, but Uryu was a little surprised. Actually he was guessing a kiss or something like that. He had never thought that a girl like Orihime would actually agree to date a guy like Ichigo Kurosaki. He didn't know that Ichigo had the guts to ask her out too.

"Congratulations!" Chad patted Ichigo's shoulder and smiled.

Ichigo smirked, "Thank you!"

"So, you love her?"

Ichigo frowned, "I do!"

Uryu shrugged, he had a feeling that this wouldn't be a normal love story, "Good luck."

Ichigo would need that.

.

Orihime hadn't talked to Ulquiorra at all today. Well it wasn't like he had tried to talk to her either though, but Orihime did ignore the green eyed man. Ulquiorra of course didn't look like he was bothered at all. Though he actually could guess the reason why she had tried to avoid him today. He knew that she was angry and upset at him. He didn't think that he had done anything wrong though so he wouldn't apologize to her.

She was pretending like she couldn't see him, even when he was arranging the bread on the display and standing right beside her. She had decided that she wouldn't talk to him until he apologized for what he had done yesterday.

Aizen who had been watching those two actually knew what had happened, but decided not to say anything.

"You know, maybe you should really apologize to her."

Aizen actually told Ulquiorra when he entered the kitchen with some empty tray in his hands. The shorter man looked at him without saying anything before he turned to walk to the sink.

"You were rude to her friends. That made her upset." Aizen said again, "I really suggest you apologize."

Ulquiorra washed his hands and turned to face the older man, "Why? That's not my fault."

Aizen smiled, "It's about a woman's feelings. With women, it doesn't matter who's at fault. You have to apologize."

Ulquiorra folded his hands and didn't say anything.

"I will call Orihime in, you apologize to her, ok? I will leave you two alone." Aizen said again, "You don't want her to hate you, right?"

Ulquiorra still didn't say anything.

He didn't want her to hate him of course.

.

Ichigo walked out of the building with his usual scowl plastered on his face. Finally he had stopped smiling like an idiot for today. Thanks to Uryu Ishida and his poisonous tongue, now he had many things on his mind.

Ichigo looked at his watch, he had done his work earlier today. Orihime must not be home yet. He wondered if he should go to her work place again.

He wondered how she would react if he picked her up at the bakery.

He had never been in a serious relationship before. He had never been in love either. The first time he had sex with a woman, he couldn't really remember it because he was drunk at the time. He didn't have much experience with women and being in a relationship.

He was happy because Orihime had accepted his feelings. He was so happy that he could smile a whole day without getting tired.

He was happy but he was scared too. He had so little experience and Orihime had almost gotten married once. Not to mention that she was actually older than him. He didn't want to disappoint her with his lack of experience. He hadn't known her for too long but he was sure that he was in love with her. He didn't want to lose her. He had decided that he would be a great boyfriend for her. He wouldn't disappoint her.

"Orihime was just dumped on her wedding day a few months ago, I think her heart hasn't been healed fully. Maybe she still has some feelings for her ex-fiancé. You have to show her that you're serious but you shouldn't force yourself on her either..."

Ichigo thought about what Uryu had told him earlier today. He knew that his friend was right and that actually made him even more worried. Orihime had never talked about Grimmjow, but it didn't mean she had forgotten about him. Ichigo had been living together with Grimmjow for almost two years before and he knew what kind of man he was. He had to admit that Grimmjow had this manly appeal to him, he could make someone like Orihime agree to marry him...

Now suddenly he really wanted to punch that ungrateful bastard. After managing to make Orihime agree to marry him, he left her for another woman. Not only that, he had taken her money with him too. He couldn't believe that someone could do that to someone as sweet as her.

Well, though he was also one to blame. It was him who had introduced that girl to Grimmjow.

But if he hadn't done that, he wouldn't know Orihime.

.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Orihime walked into the kitchen, pouting to show him that she was actually still angry with him.

He looked at her. She had a faint scowl on her face too. He looked at her face a little longer until he noticed a faint blush started to paint her face.

"What is it?" she said again, embarrassed by the way he looked at her.

Ulquiorra thought for a second. Aizen did ask him to apologize but he didn't tell him what he ought to say. He had never apologized before, he didn't know how to. This wasn't an easy task for him to do. Aizen should have known that he couldn't do this.

He sighed secretly. He just needed to say it, right?

"I'm sorry."

Orihime was surprised but she tried not to show it, "for what?"

"You're upset," he said again, "because of me."

Orihime sighed and shook her head, "I was upset but you should have apologized to Kurosaki-kun, not me. You've been rude to him and his friends."

Ulquiorra blinked.

So this girl really thought that he had been apologizing because he had offended that orange headed guy.

"I won't apologize to him."

Orihime put her hands on her hips, "Oh yeah, why?"

Ulquiorra shook his head, "You got me wrong, woman, I wasn't apologizing for what I said yesterday."

She was confused now.

"Eh? Then?"

He shook his head again, "Forget it."

.

He had been waiting for her for almost thirty minutes when he saw her walking out of the bakery.

Her eyes widened when she saw him but she was smiling and waved her hand before running toward him. He smirked when he saw her expression. She looked surprised but happy seeing him there.

"What are you doing here?"

He smiled, "I'm waiting for you, I think it'll be nice to walk home together," he added while rubbing his nose to hide his embarrassment, "for once in a while..."

She looked happy, "Oh, thank you!"

He was glad that she looked happy to see him.

He took her hand shyly, "Let's go home!"

Orihime nodded, "Right!"

They started walking hand in hand. No one said anything until they reached the station. The train was almost empty when they were on it. They sat side by side without saying anything. He didn't even dare to look at her but their hands were still linked.

He was thinking about how lucky he was when he felt her head on his shoulder.

If only he could stop time.

.

Author's Note:

Not my favorite chapter. There are a lot of grammatical errors, sorry. HAPPY NEW YEAR! (edit: january 3rd / Beta'd by Nypsy, thanks!)