DECLARATIONS

Authors Note: Here I am once again with another one-shot. This one took me a while to write so I hope everyone likes it. I wanted to thank Ichihime Kurosaki for all her help on this one-shot. If you guys haven't read her stuff please head over to her profile and do. She is an amazing writer and has really good stories going on. And I also have a collaboration one-shots with her for Ichihime week that we did together. So please check that out as well. Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I always forget to put these but I mean to! I do not own Bleach or the characters that I write about. All I own is the storyline of this one-shot.

Rating: T

Summary: Orihime Inoue had the perfect plan to make her intentions and feelings known to Ichigo Kurosaki. "I've wanted to do that for a very long time."

The nights had grown colder, so much so that one could see their breath when they walked down the street from their daily routines. The sun had not fallen yet and certain girl wanted to make sure she left before the cold struck. This girl was Orihime Inoue and she was looking at her reflection in the mirror. It had been such a long time since she had last seen her best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki. Ever since he had been accepted into Tokyo University she hadn't seen him much more than on the holidays. Since the semester had just ended, he had called her and let her know he was going to be home for a couple of weeks to relax from the vigors of college.

That had been the best news she had heard in a long time. So now she was busily getting herself ready, the new outfit she had purchased for this day was perfectly in place. The grey sweater matched perfectly with her red mini skirt with black designs scattered over it. Normally she wore thigh high socks but today she decided to wear ankle socks with her black Chuck Taylors. Orihime had once been naive about the influence she had on men but that was no longer the case. She knew fully well that men craved her when they saw her, so she was going to use that to her advantage.

Orihime applied blush to her cheeks to add a tint of pink in them. It had been years since she had fallen in love with Ichigo Kurosaki, and during everything they had been through he had never seen just how deep her feelings had run for him. In the past she had sat on her hands when it came to her feelings towards him, but no longer. Now she would show him just how much she cared for him. Now she would be bold and be the one to show her affections.

With make-up applied and her teeth brushed, Orihime took a final look at her reflection. Perfect - everything was ready for their visit. With a skip in her step she left the bathroom of her apartment and put on a light jacket. The weather was chilly but hadn't reached the lowest degrees it could get to yet. Her hand moved against her doorknob and she turned the lock so that it would lock as she shut it. One final look was all she gave her small apartment and then she was off.

The walk to the Kurosaki clinic wasn't long and it was one she had done many times in high school. It amazed her that she was still able to walk it without even really thinking consciously about where she was going. That just showed how many times she had walked it. 'I get to see him, finally after almost an entire year.' A year was a long time for them to be apart - they had stayed in touch through email and phone calls that ended up lasting at least two hours - and yet it still was not the same as having him physically close. A part of her was grateful for the distance though, because it helped her to become determined to tell him how she felt.

Had she thought of writing him a letter and expressing her deepest thoughts? Of course she had and yet the time had never seemed right. It was only when he had called her a week ago telling her that'd he would be coming home had she felt the time was right. So that's why she found herself standing at the gate to the Kurosaki residence, her hand on the metal of it.

Inhaling deeply she pushed the gate open and took the first steps needed to get into the yard. The hardest part had been finished. She was now in the yard and when she looked towards the door she saw that it was already open and Ichigo stood in the midst of it, a rare smirk on his face. "I was about to ask you how long you were planning on standing out there. But before I could you entered the yard and here you are."

She responded with a light hearted laugh, "I was just thinking of how I was going to greet you. I wasn't sure if I should throw my arms around you or slap you for taking so long to come back."

"Have you decided now?"

"Yes, I have."

"Well?" Ichigo inquired, "Should I be prepared to dodge a slap or return a hug?"

He blinked, awaiting her answer. When one did not arrive, he opened his mouth to say something and was cut off by her body colliding with his. An 'omph' of surprise left him as her weight collided with him. A small smile graced his features as he slowly wrapped his arms around her.

"You idiot," Orihime mumbled against his shoulder, "don't you dare take this long to come home again."

Ichigo chuckled and returned her tight embrace, "I won't, I'm sorry Inoue."

"Orihime."

"What?"

Pulling back so she could look into his face she repeated, "Orihime, no more of this Inoue talk. We've been friends long enough - don't you think it's time we called one another by our first names?"

Ichigo blinked and then grinned, effectively making her breath catch in her throat, "First names it is."

They stayed in each other's arms and soon Ichigo cleared his throat a little awkwardly. Orihime was quick to release him from her hold and she tugged at her long auburn hair. It curled slightly at the ends and Ichigo watched her as she pressed her lips together in the way she would when she was embarrassed.

"Come on in, no need to stand outside."

Orihime smirked and stepped through the doorway as Ichigo walked in. It only took a glance to see that everything had remained the same since the last time she had been inside the Kurosaki residence.

"My sisters and dad are out for a bit, they wanted to check out the new shop that came in just last week." Ichigo explained the absence of his family. "This time I don't have to worry about my dad saying something stupid."

Her light laughter filled the room, "I think your dad is an amazing guy - I like the way he talks and says things that come to his mind."

"Of course you like him, he's a kindred spirit." Ichigo grumbled - his hands reached for a bag of coffee and he began to put it in the coffee maker. "The two of you could go on for hours about something rather and you wouldn't even blink if he said something remotely suggestive."

Orihime leaned against the counter and watched as Ichigo moved around the kitchen - boy did he look good in his black zip up sweater and maroon t-shirt. Not to mention the black necklace - almost choker - added extra zeal to his attire. 'I'm glad I got him that necklace; I'm even more glad he's wearing it. I thought for sure he'd look at it and swear he'd never wear it.'

"He's a hoot to be around, he makes me laugh and those around him laugh."

"No he doesn't, he makes people uncomfortable." Small beeps were heard as Ichigo set the time for the coffee maker. "The old man drives me insane. Want to hear what the first thing he asked me was when I entered the house when I got home?"

'I wonder what it was.' Orihime giggled at the mental image of Isshin Kurosaki bombarding his son as soon as he stepped through the door, "What did he say?"

The look on his face made her laugh more as he turned towards her, "First question out of his mouth was 'Ichigo, my boy! Have you found me another daughter that will give me grandkids? Have you finally become a man?' I had forgotten how loud and excessive he could be."

"And what did you say?"

He deadpanned, "My life was none of his affair."

"Did you at least answer one of his questions?" Orihime pressed - wanting to know the answers to his father's questions herself.

Ichigo's brow rose and he stared pointedly at her as the coffee maker began to fill up the mug with the black liquid that they would consume. "Why so interested?"

She shrugged, feigning indifference, "Can't a girl be curious?"

"Yes - but for you to be that curious is unusual."

Unusual? How was it unusual? Orihime had always been interested in his deepest thoughts and feelings. It had only been recently that she had been more bold in making her inquires known. "Not really, I've always been curious, just never had the voice to speak up."

Ichigo's mouth formed a shape as he was about to speak, but it was cut off by the coffee maker's insistent beeping. Raising his index finger to motion for her to hold that thought, he turned his back to her and began to push at the buttons to shut the machine off. When the beeping ceased, he opened up the cupboard and pulled out two white mugs.

Orihime watched - entranced - as he tipped the coffee mug over and filled the white mugs expertly. His muscles in his biceps and triceps bulged with the slight movement causing her eyes to bulge a little more. 'He's been working out. He's always been fit but man, oh man, there's definitely been some more working out going on in Tokyo.'

Ichigo seemed to sense her gaze because suddenly her grey eyes were locked with his dazzling deep brown ones as he peered over his shoulder, "Are you craving the coffee that much?"

"H-huh?" she stuttered, not at all sure why he had asked her that question.

He pointed to the corner of his mouth with a long, tan, finger, "You're drooling."

Shit. Orihime brushed at her mouth where he had indicated on his own and - felt more than saw - that he was right. She had been drooling, but it wasn't because of the coffee she wanted. Her eyes went back to his - no, not the coffee at all.

With both coffee mugs in his large hands, Ichigo moved towards the living room that was just 15 steps away from the adjoining kitchen. "Come on, let's sit on the couch and you can have the coffee you've been dying for."

With a single push, Orihime was away from the counter and trailing after him. When he sat down on the couch she made sure to keep a cushion in between them. For as long as she had known Ichigo he had always kept a cushion between them when they sat on the couch in his living room. And when they were up in his room, he allowed her to sit on his bed and he'd sit in his computer chair. So in other words, there was always - always - space between them.

Ichigo pulled up his left leg and rested it on the cushion between them - effectively making him face Orihime more directly. "So, how has life been for you? Besides what you've told me in our emails and phone calls?"

Orihime crossed her right leg over her left and played with her white shoe lace of her converse, "Not much has happened really. Uryu took me to the movies-"

"Like a date? Wow, how was that?" Ichigo cut her off before she could finish. Orihime rolled her eyes at his 'gift' of interrupting her before she was finished speaking.

"It wasn't a date."

"Did he pay?"

"I don't see how that matters."

"It matters," Ichigo scoffed, "because if he hadn't paid then I'd say sure it wasn't one. But since he did pay, it therefore became a date."

He was right and she knew it, however, that didn't mean she liked it. Orihime had known for a while that Uryu Ishida had deeper feelings for her than friendship. Not the kind of person to be mean, she hadn't treated him any differently even though she didn't want him to think she returned his feelings. Her index finger twirled a strand of hair around until it was snug around it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied it intently, as if expecting it to burst into flames, "The main thing is I didn't see it as a date. I don't return his feelings...not sure I ever could."

Once again her answer caught him by surprise and she knew it by the way his eyes widened and he reached for his coffee, "Even though him and I don't get along all the time," he paused to take a swallow of the dark liquid, "doesn't mean he isn't a good guy. Never tell him I said any of this." he added quickly, not wanting to show any admiration towards their mutual friend.

The couch sagged slightly as Orihime leaned more comfortably into it. Using the toes of her right shoe, she pushed down on the back of her left shoe until it popped off her foot. The shoe feel carelessly to the floor - landing on it's side. Repeating the motion with her sock clad foot, she got her right converse off as well. "Ichigo?"

"Hmm?" his attention was now on the magazine that had been sitting on the small table that was in the middle of the room and just a stretch away from the couch. This was how it had always been with him, he couldn't keep his attention on one thing for too long. How he was managing to get through all the schooling surprised her. And yet, it didn't at the same time - once he set his mind to something - he worked on it until he achieved it.

"Is there someone in Tokyo?"

A page in the magazine turned, the paper crinkling as Ichigo refused to meet her gaze. The clock ticked, sounding loud in the new silence. Orihime pinched the bridge of her nose as the silenced continued. Maybe she shouldn't have asked, it was possible that he did have someone in Tokyo. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to handle the news if it was true.

Her head snapped in his direction when his words filled the silence, "No - there isn't anyone in Tokyo." The couch sunk slightly when he turned to lock eyes with hers, "And there isn't anyone I'm interested in there. You know how I am, besides right now I'm focusing more on my studies than on anything else."

With her mind set and determined she reached out and took the magazine from Ichigo's hands. Ignoring his startled, "What's going on?" she moved so she was on her knees between his leg that was resting on the cushion that was between them. Orihime placed her left hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him. Ichigo's eyes were wide with surprise and maybe even some shock.

"Orihi -"

Orihime leaned forward and tilted her head slightly to the side so their noses wouldn't collide. Her lips pressed gently against his and she could feel the confusion coursing through him. But that didn't stop her from kissing him a bit longer. When a few seconds passed she pulled back and looked into his dark, brown, confused eyes.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time."

Orihime refused to move from the position they were in, with her leaning over the cushion and him sitting stalk still. Would he push her away from him and ask her to leave? If he did that...would she be able to handle it? This and a million other questions were going through her mind at a million miles per hour. So when a hand went to the side of her face, she jumped, her gut reaction to something she wasn't expecting.

A deep rumble came from Ichigo's chest as he chuckled, "That scared you? And you weren't the one being kissed out of seemingly nowhere."

The girl in front of him felt her face burn up as a blush spread throughout it. "I..."

"You did say you've wanted to kiss me for a long time." Ichigo continued as if her embarrassment hadn't registered.

"Yes I have."

"Why is that?" he prodded, obviously wanting to get more out of her than this small confession she had just made with her actions.

Her tongue jutted out to lick at her lips nervously, "Because...I..." with an annoyed shake of her head she started again, "no, look - ever since our first year of high school I have liked you more than a friend. In fact, I'm in love with you so the thought of you possibly having a girl back in Tokyo that you like makes me green with jealousy and -" her words stopped when the index finger of his right hand pressed against her lips to silence her.

A small smirk was on his lips as he spoke, "Sometimes you really are dense Orihime."

Her eyebrows shot up and she cocked her head to the left. Had he really just said that to her? He was the one that was dense! How obvious had she been with her affections and they had completely gone over his head? There had been so many things she did to send him little - sometimes big - signs that she cared for him. So to hear him say something so outlandish was...outrageous.

During the time she had been having the internal rantings in her head, Ichigo had moved and now their lips were inches apart again. This time he was the one to brush his against hers.

A small squeak of surprise left her perfect lips and he couldn't help the smile that came from hearing such a cute sound. Placing his hand to the base of her skull, he tangled his fingers in her silky hair and continued to kiss her until she grew breathless. Pulling back he ran his thumb of his left hand across her slightly swollen lips, "Ever since I left and we started emailing and talking on the phone at least once a day if not every other day...I realized everything I wanted had been back home."

Orihime blinked stupidly, not at all comprehending what was happening to her. Was this his confession? Had he had feelings for her all along as well?

"What I'm trying to say is..." Ichigo trailed off and he rubbed nervously at the back of his neck, his necklace moving from side to side with the motion, "I suck at this but..." his chocolate brown eyes locked with her mystical grey ones, "I like you too, probably have for a while now and it took me moving to Tokyo to realize it."

He waited for her to say something and when she only continued to stare at him in a state of shock he laughed nervously, "Umm...if this is too much for you..."

"Shut up." Her declaration caught him off guard and he had to looked at her several times to make sure she wasn't angry with him. Her hand that was still on his shoulder tightened and she suddenly threw her arms around his neck with emotion he wasn't expecting. "I can't believe this! I had hoped you would return my feelings but I wasn't sure it was possible."

Ichigo slowly wrapped his arms around her to return her embrace. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her wonderful scent of vanilla that he had missed while he was at school. "Well now you know."

He felt her head nod and then heard her next question, "Does this mean we're..." a thrilling pause, "...dating?"

Ichigo smiled and hugged her tighter, "Yes, I believe it does."

Another squeal, this one of delight, left Orihime and the arms around Ichigo's neck tightened. Orihime had taken a chance with declaring her feelings for him, and boldly at that, but everything had turned out for her. Now her life would really begin and she couldn't be any more excited to see what was in store for the two of them - together. She liked the thought of it.