Title: Sleeping Beauty
Series: Bleach
Rating: G
Summary: After defeating Ywach, Ichigo deals with some unfinished business.
Pairing: IchiHime, RenRuki
Spoilers: For the ending of the series!

When Ichigo awoke, he was staring at the ceiling of his room. When had he gotten here?

His last memory before waking was of cutting down Ywach; the madman had blamed him for dooming humanity to the endless struggle of death and rebirth. But to Ichigo's mind, that wasn't much of a curse. The natural order of things had been preserved, life and death back in balance, even if it was tattered and worn by now. Then he recalled his knees buckling from exhaustion and injury, and all went dark.

Now he was staring up at his ceiling, from his own bed, clearly back in his own body. He was none the wiser of how he'd come to be there, but he wasn't going to question it too much. Their last battle had been in Soul Society, so surely one of them had reached him. But if that was the case, why hadn't he been kept there to recuperate? And where was Renji? Where was Aizen? Orihime and Rukia were back in the Royal Realm with Ginjou and Tsukishima – were they okay?

Orihime…

Ichigo's eyes flew open as he remembered the state she'd been in when he went through that portal. Surely Rukia had stabilized her, but he couldn't escape the nagging sense of guilt as he thought about it. He had to find her.

The sound of the door clicking and swinging open surprised him. Ichigo's eyes slid over to his younger sister Yuzu peeking through the door. A moment later, it opened wide as Yuzu called over her shoulder.

"Dad! Rukia-san! He's awake!" she cried, spilling into the room and to his bedside. Ichigo pushed his back off the bed and sat up, watching blearily as Yuzu clutched his hand. Tears were pooling in her eyes; he figured he'd worried her. Then again, he really had no idea how long he'd slept.

"Did I worry you?" he asked, with a tired smile. As Isshin, Rukia, and Renji crowded through the door, Yuzu threw her arms around Ichigo and cried into his shirt. Ichigo patted Yuzu's back as he made eye contact with the newcomers. There was a clear mixture of relief and worry on Rukia's face, while Renji gave him a knowing smile and his father looked fairly proud.

"Yuzu, why don't you go fix Ichigo something to eat?" Isshin said, placing a comforting hand on his daughter's back. "He's been out for a day and a half, he's gotta be hungry." Yuzu sniffled, wiped her eyes, and looked to Ichigo for permission. Ichigo smiled meekly and gave her a nod. The blonde nodded in response and rose.

"Alright," she said, smiling with wet cheeks, "We had curry last night, Ichigo – I'll heat up some leftovers for you."

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Yuzu, Ichigo's intense gaze met his father's.

"How did I get here?" he asked pointedly.

"I happened to be in the area and—"

"He and Ishida's father came to help and found Inoue and me," Rukia supplied, cutting Isshin off from whatever nonsense he was about to spin. The older man looked mildly put out, but let Rukia continue anyway. "They helped me triage Inoue and we came through the portal after you."

"Fourth Division was overwhelmed, so we all came back here," Renji finished. For the first time, Ichigo noticed Renji's bandages. Of course he'd been injured during the last battle, but Ichigo supposed it hadn't been serious – or else he had already been treated. Well, that was Renji and Rukia accounted for, but another concern was itching in the back of his mind.

"Inoue," he finally said, his eyes darkening, "Is she-?"

"She's downstairs in the clinic," Isshin said, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically serious tone. "She was stable enough to transport here, but she's still unconscious." The words lanced Ichigo's heart. He had won, and Orihime had kept him alive and even repaired his sword, but she had been badly injured in the process. How could he see it as anything other than his fault? But by the same token, how could it have gone any differently? He had needed her and she had given her all; without her, he would have died and the worlds would have all been destroyed. Sure, it was worth it; but that didn't take the guilt away.

"I want to see her."

Ichigo was mainly just exhausted from his battle. Due to Orihime's diligent healing, his actual injuries were mostly limited to muscle strain and abrasions. So when he rose, other than some residual stiffness, not much was out of place. As such, making his way downstairs and into the clinic was a simple matter. He informed Yuzu he'd take his leftovers at Orihime's bedside, and then went to check on her.

She lay in the recovery room, a clean, white place with a full-sun, northern-facing window. It was mid-day, and the sunshine streamed through the curtains surrounding her bed and across her face. Aside of the scent of antiseptic, Ichigo could smell the fresh linens and Orihime's own subtle fragrance underneath that. And there in the midst of all that lay Orihime herself, her auburn hair laying limp over her shoulders. It didn't seem as though she was in pain; regardless of the bandages covering her body, she looked just like she was peacefully sleeping.

Isshin and Renji had excused themselves. Only Rukia had stayed behind with him. Ichigo pulled over a chair from the corner of the room and placed it beside Orihime's bed. He'd stay here as long as it took, until she woke up. As he began studying her face and the bandages along her cheek, the petite woman behind him cleared her throat.

"Ichigo," Rukia began, "Don't blame yourself." The words pricked at him, raising his dander. Of course he blamed himself. She knew he did, too. What was worse, his naturally recalcitrant nature almost had him denying he was.

"What do you want me to say, Rukia?" he finally growled, not meeting her eyes. "It really was my fault. I asked her to come with me. She… She could have died." He felt a small hand squeeze his shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to look up at her. He had failed in his promise. He hadn't protected her.

"And so could you," Rukia reminded him, "So could any of us, anytime we step into battle. Inoue is a warrior too, Ichigo. You may have asked her to come, but it was always her choice." Rukia was right, of course. But that didn't stop Ichigo from feeling guilty over it. He remained silent a moment more, brooding off into the empty space before him.

"You weren't there," he whispered. "You didn't see what he did. He smiled, Rukia. He smiled when he struck her down. And when I saw her fall… Everything stopped. And then he just looked at me… like he knew! Like he knew that was the one thing—the one thing I couldn't take!" Ichigo was clenching his fists so tightly that when he noticed, he had to consciously unball them. He was angry and frustrated and hurt all over again. His breathing was tense, hitching as he tried to calm himself. His eyes fell, and when he laughed, it was dry and mirthless.

"Of course he knew," he muttered, half to himself, "Did you know… my zanpakuto spirit was a part of him? There's a part of him in me still." Whether he still possessed those powers – and he wasn't entirely sure he did, not after they'd been sucked out – he still had that monster's blood flowing through his veins. And it was his mother's blood, too. Of course Ywach would know his heart; his blood flowed through it.

Rukia made no sound. All she could manage was to shake her head. It was just as well. Words were insufficient. After several quiet minutes, she spoke again, changing the subject.

"Have you told her?"

Ichigo's thoughts immediately stopped and flowed in another direction entirely. His anger and frustration at the villain he'd just defeated gave way to the frozen emotions he'd sought to distract himself from. There was no mistaking what she was asking; it wasn't about his Zanpakuto.

Of course Rukia knew. She'd known a long time, at least since the Arrancar first attacked them, if he thought about it. It was about then that Rukia had truly grown very close to Orihime; she had seen how distraught her injury back then had made him, too. She had always been strangely observant about these things. If Rukia was encouraging him, then his gut feeling from before they'd entered this final battle had probably been correct. It might be safe to confess to her now.

Bah, he was so selfish. There Orihime was, on her back in a clinic bed, and he was thinking of talking to her about his feelings. As though they were important when she was injured. He reflexively called himself a scumbag and shelved the idea.

"It's not important right now."

"Stupid," Rukia muttered. But she let the matter drop for the moment.

The day passed and the sunlight became weaker and more orange. It was early summer, so the days were long, but that only made the wait seem longer. Rukia excused herself quietly, although Ichigo hardly noticed. He wanted to be there when Orihime woke up. What he would do when she did was uncertain, but he could figure that out when the time came. He didn't want her to wake up alone, wondering how things turned out.

It was supper time when the door next slid open. Ichigo looked up from his chair, where he'd been leaning his chin on his hand. It was Renji, holding a bowl of what looked to be rice and beef.

"Yo," the other redhead greeted with a small wave of his free hand. "Your sister cooked dinner and wanted me to make sure you ate." Ichigo regarded him blearily before reaching out to take the bowl from him.

"Thanks," he said, his voice hoarse. He pecked at the dish, although he found after a few bites that he just wasn't hungry. It was too bad; Yuzu's cooking was as good as it ever was.

"So…." Renji opened, "How's it goin'?" Ichigo felt about as eager for conversation as he was food.

"Not much to say," he grumbled, "She's still sleeping." Renji leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. He was clearly not going to go away until Ichigo chatted a bit. But he also seemed reluctant to intrude too much on Ichigo's melancholy. If anyone understood, it was Renji.

"Look, Ichigo," Renji drawled out, clearly measuring what he was about to say, "I know I'd be tore up if this happened to Rukia. I mean, I have been before, so…" Ichigo didn't look up. He appreciated that Renji was trying to comfort him – his friendship was palpable – but he would've rather been left alone to wallow in self-pity. Then again, maybe that was the point of what Renji was trying to say.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't be an idiot like me."

Ichigo turned and simply looked at Renji. After a moment of letting what he'd said sink in, Ichigo snorted. Dammit, now was not the time to laugh! But it slipped out anyway.

"It's not funny!" Renji protested, his cheeks turning red. "You know what I mean!" Then he looked off to the side, as though he couldn't quite meet Ichigo's eyes. "Don't wait. I waited forty years and if I had just said something to start with, we would've both been a lot better off. I had to almost lose Rukia to speak up. And it's not like you humans have forty years to wait, either." Ichigo's ears perked at this. This was certainly interesting news.

"So you did say something to her!" Ichigo exclaimed. This was a welcome distraction from his moping, actually. Even in the depths of his doldrums, he couldn't pass this opportunity up. Renji was flushed to the roots of his hair, which Ichigo was sure was blending into his scalp at that point underneath the bandana. "Was it while I was sleeping?"

"Well, actually…" Renji replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It was back in the Royal Realm." Ichigo's eyebrows rose. He supposed there wasn't time to tell him while they were there, but…

"When we were in the hot springs."

By the way Renji was looking sheepishly off to the side, it was obvious that something more than a simple confession had happened there. Ichigo froze as this realization washed over him like cold water.

"Dammit, Renji!" he nearly shouted, forgetting that the girl in the bed was still sleeping, "We bathed in that water! Gross!"

"It was after you were out!" Renji defended himself, "Although…."

"Although what?!" Ichigo squawked. "Did Kirinji catch you?" It was a horrible thought, but entertaining nonetheless.

"NO! No one caught us! But…" This was getting weirder and weirder.

"But…?"

"Well, the Captain was still there." Ichigo paused while the wheels of his mind re-engaged.

"Awake?" That was way more than he'd ever want to know about either of his friends.

"ASLEEP!"

"That's even worse!" Ichigo's heart was pounding in his ears. He didn't need to know that! He didn't need to know any of that! He might even have nightmares thinking about that!

"Well, he'd find out one way or another!" Then, after a small pause… "You aren't gonna tell him, are you?" Ichigo paused then, mouth hanging open. This probably wasn't going to turn out well.

"No," he finally said, shaking his head, "But you gotta tell me his reaction when he finds out. You probably shouldn't give him those particular details, though." Not if he wanted to have a long, healthy relationship with the guy's sister, anyway. Renji glanced off to the side to escape his gaze, but it was obvious he was still engaged.

"That goes without saying, dumbass."

Ichigo had fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the night. He awoke towards dawn, his neck aching and his eyes adjusted to the dark. Someone, probably Yuzu, had covered him with a blanket while he was asleep. Orihime was still breathing deeply, as though it was a normal sleep for her. Ichigo checked on her for a moment before settling back into his chair.

Maybe it was the haze of sleep, but his mind drifted here and there. As he looked at Orihime's still form, he realized that he didn't actually feel like sleeping at the moment. How long could he keep this up? Would he keep kicking himself until she woke up? What if it took a whole day? What if it took a week? Part of Ichigo knew Orihime deserved for him to wait on her to wake up. But the sleepy part of Ichigo's brain realized that it might be a very long time and he'd at least have to get up to pee sometime soon. As a matter of fact, he was apt to do that just then.

After excusing himself to the bathroom for a moment, Ichigo settled back into the chair. He propped his chin on his hand and watched the sleeping girl. He was a bit more alert now, but still unsure of what he should do. His mind wandered again in the blue pre-dawn light, spinning in neutral. Was there something he could do to wake her? If there was, should he? They hadn't said she was comatose, but would it hurt her to wake her? Would she come to if he shook her or dripped cold water on her face? Ichigo's eyebrows pinched – he couldn't do something like that to her. Maybe his father, but not her.

There was one thing, though.

Ichigo recalled a fairy tale he'd read in Language Arts a few years back. A princess had been knocked out by pricking her finger on a cursed spinning wheel and a prince fought his way through her castle until he reached her. Finally at her bedside, the prince woke the sleeping princess with a kiss.

Ichigo's brows rose. It was a silly idea, it was a terrible idea. But in the liminal space between night and day, in the early morning mists, there was something about the stray thought that was appealing to him. He could kiss her to wake her up. He wouldn't have to confess, he wouldn't have to worry about what words to pick – his actions would express his feelings. And she would wake up, eyelashes fluttering gently above her cheeks, and smile sweetly at him – just like she used to.

As if responding to his daydream, Ichigo's body first leaned towards the bed, then he covered her hand with his. Could he really do that? Would she be angry with him? What if it was her first kiss? What if she just didn't feel that way about him? It would be wrong to force his feelings on her like that. By the time that particular thought flickered through his brain, he was centimeters away from her lips. He visibly flinched, his brows pinching. His reiatsu had become intense and thick from the concentration. He just couldn't do it.

"Hnn-?"

Ichigo's eyes darted to Orihime's. Her free hand had drifted lazily up to her face, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. As they fluttered open, every bit like Ichigo had imagined they would, she focused on his face. Ichigo felt the heat rise in his cheeks and was suddenly very grateful for the darkness still shrouding the room.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Her voice was weak and hoarse, probably in need of water. Without letting go of her hand, Ichigo reached over to the bedside table and fetched the water his father had left for her. She obligingly took it in her free hand and brought it to her lips. Ichigo found himself staring, however unwittingly, at her mouth while she took a sip.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, turning his face away. Then, after another second, he continued. "We're at my house. Everything's fine. You're safe now." Unconsciously, he squeezed her hand. Orihime leaned back into her pillows, a weak smile painting her lips.

"You won?" Ichigo nodded, not even looking her in the eye. How could he? How did she not blame him?

"We did," he said, closing his eyes. Had he looked, he'd have seen Orihime giving him a puzzled look.

"Why are you sad, then?" she asked quietly, curiously. Ichigo's head snapped towards Orihime, looking at her aghast. How could she not know?

"Why am I sad?!" he repeated quietly, disbelief in his voice. "You scared me! I was afraid… I was afraid I was going to lose you." Orihime stared, blinking at him for a moment more before her mouth began to form words.

"It's alright, Kurosaki-kun," she said quietly, smiling, "I'm fine. Kuchiki-san healed me when you left. I'm… I'm so happy you're alright…" Under normal circumstances, Ichigo would've been given pause by her tears. This time, however, he couldn't hold himself back.

"I'm not alright!" The outburst visibly startled Orihime. "I was supposed to protect you, and look what happened!" He squeezed her hand harder, almost like he was afraid she would slip away if he let her go.

"Kurosaki-kun…"

"How am I supposed to protect you for the rest of your life?!"

There was silence. Ichigo realized what he'd said almost immediately, with all the implications involved. "I-I mean… if that's… alright with you…"

"K-Kurosaki-kun, we…" Orihime's gears seemed to be spinning in place. Ichigo's heart caught in his throat as he waited for her reaction. Was she going to turn him down? Fear seized his very soul with icy fingers.

"We aren't even out of high school…" Her free hand was on her head, shaking it side to side and looking for all the world like a confused kitten. "We haven't even had a date yet…" Ichigo was pink to his ears – it wasn't a refusal! She thought he was asking her hand in marriage!

Well.

He could roll with that.

"You know what?" he said, pulling her into a hug and closing his eyes tight, "We can do that. We can do all that. Just as long as you forgive me and let me keep protecting you." Orihime's arms moved up and embraced him. He heard a sniffle and a small laugh.

"Don't be silly, Kurosaki-kun." Her voice was muffled, probably from crying. "I'm the one who should be asking you for forgiveness. I was finally able to fight alongside you and… and I wasn't strong enough!" He held her tighter.

It was then that Ichigo had a realization. Orihime felt just as guilty as he did. She hated seeing him hurt as much as he hated seeing her hurt. Of course she did – wasn't it the same after he fought Byakuya and Grimmjow? And ultimately, she was seeking forgiveness just as much as he was. What were they to do, two people who blamed themselves for everything and could deny the other nothing?

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me," Ichigo finally said quietly, pulling back to look Orihime in the eyes. They were puffy from sleep and tears, but she was beautiful even when she was crying.

"D-Deal," she said, wiping her eyes and smiling.

"I'll even…. throw in that date, if you want." His eyes darted off to the side and he could feel his face burn. But Orihime seemed distracted on her own.

"S-Sweet… Sweet… Kurosaki-kun is too sweet!" For the first time since the end of the fight against Ywach, Ichigo truly smiled.

"Is everything alright in here?" So of course it would be interrupted. There was a cacophony as his friends and family piled into the room.

"We felt your reiatsu spike…"

"Is she awake?"

"Ichigo, did you make her cry?!"

As he argued and fussed with them, he held Orihime closer. This was what he'd fought to protect – these people, these bonds, this world. Even if he'd stumbled, Orihime was still there, his sisters were still there, his friends were still there. And for once, Ichigo felt a swelling of pride and happiness.

He hadn't failed after all.