Return to me

Based off:

the screen play by

Bonnie Hunt and Donald Lake

Disclaimer:

I don not own bleach Tite Kubo does

I do not own any rights to Return to me.

Rights to Return to me reserved by MGM studios.

Authors Note:

I feel so bad

I wanted chapter 7 to be so good, but i kind of just looks like crap.

I might edit it later unless you all say it's good

Oh I would like to thank Coldman9 for the song. It helped a lot.

And also Sybil Marvin for being awesome

I think it would be safe to dedicate this whole FanFic to her acctually

XD

He could do this right? Breath in breath out. In with the good air out with the bad. In, out. In, out. In out in out in out inoutinoutinout…

Ichigo stopped pacing and took a seat, realizing he had caused himself to hyperventilate. This shouldn't be that hard. Wasn't asking the girl the hardest part of the whole dating thing? After that it was supposed to be easy. Dinner and a movie maybe? No that was too juvenile. They could go at an amusement park… but by the time they got there, the park would be closed.

Ichigo cursed and threw his head against the back of the couch. The crown of his head hit the wall with a thud. Why, me? Today was just one of those days when everything was against you. First he cut himself saving, Kon was being a pain in the ass, never doing what he wanted and practically drooling over everything in the box Isshin brought over. Then his father came by for a surprise visit, he spent hours trying to convince the man to leave. Now? He was waiting to leave to go on his first date since… When was the last time Rukia and him went on a real date? He could only remember that she planned it. She planned most of their dates.

He swallowed his pride and asked Toshiro to come over and asked him what a good first date idea was, the white haired teen just laughed. Needless to say, his visit didn't last long. Should he call Renji? Hell no, was he really that desperate? No he could do this!

He stood up and instantly froze. His reflection, pale and sweaty with anxiety just looked back at him. Should he change? He fought with himself earlier about what was appropriate to wear on a date. Should he dress up, or in casual? He decided in the end to dress casual in a T-shirt, worn out jeans and a nice button up shirt. But what if he was to casual?

AH, CHRIST I CAN'T BE DOING THIS!

He mentally smacked himself out of his anxiety and somewhat feminine thoughts. He was going to leave, he had to, before he found anything else to worry about. He would just do what he did with Rukia on their first date. Show up at her house and see what she wants to do? Yeah, romantic…

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That was it! It was 7:01, he wasn't coming. He must have found out about her surgery. How? He Googled her! How could he have Googled her though? She hasn't done anything worth documenting… Was that it? She hasn't done anything with her life and he has done so much! No, no, no! She may have just met Kurosaki-kun, but she could till he wasn't that type of person. Ichigo was just late. Maybe he got into a car accident on his way over. Orihime held her hand to her mouth and she gasped. Oh no, not Kurosaki-kun! He was so young!

The doorbell made Orihime practically jump out of her skin. She raced through the restaurant to the front door -nearly plowing Rangiku over- and threw the door open with just a little to much exuberance. Her eyes watered with happiness and she jumped into Ichigo's baffled arms.

"Oh thank God, Kurosaki-kun is okay!"

Ichigo was to confused to hug her back, that, and he was afraid that if he moved a muscle he would loose his balance and fall over. He definitely did not need more stitches.

"Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"

"Cause Kurosaki-kun got into a car accident on his way over here and that's why he was late." She buried her face into his shirt, he was thankful, she couldn't see him smiling at her anxiety. It was actually comforting to know she was as nervous and anxious as he was.

Late? Ichigo looked at his watch. It's 7:02...

"I didn't get into a car accident, and I am only two minutes late." His words were met with only silence, but the frail woman latched to him tensed. He waited for her to talk, but when she didn't he took it upon himself. "I-Inoue?"

"You probably think I am crazy, huh?"

"No, I don't think that. I think you are nervous." Again she didn't say a word. "In-"

"This is my first date. I've never been on a date before and I really like Kurosaki-kun. I don't want you to hate me."

"No shit, this is really your first date?" His face was full with complete confusion. There was no possible way that the girl in his arms hadn't ever in her life been on a date. All at once he felt a wave of pride and compete horror.

He would be the first man to ever take this goddess on a date. He would be the first to kiss her, walk with her hand in hand, and she had no past experience to look back on and say he screwed up or wasn't as good as someone else… But… She had never been on a date before. She was twenty one and had been dreaming about her very first date, building it up in her mind. Could he compete with her fantasy?

The rest of her words leaked into his head rising his heart beat and worry. She really liked him? She barely knew him. What if after spending more time with him, she ended up hating him? Orihime looked up at his panicked face and he instantly froze.

"Don't worry about it so much son, just go on the date and if it goes well it goes well. If it is a total dud, who cares. You are bound to pick up some crazies before you find one you like." Isshin's words just played in his head and calmed him down… kind of. His expression softened and relaxed, but Orihime noticed his brows still stayed creased.

"I'm sorry," She pulled back, clasping her hands together and bringing them to her chest. Her head was bowed trying to avoid his eyes. "I bet I scared you, huh? Guys don't like it when girls are so forward and I…"

Ichigo grabbed her shoulders and leaned down to meet her eyes. "You did no such thing Inoue." He gave her a small smile. "In a way I am kind of glad you care so much. "

"Really?!" She shot her head up, and on impulse Ichigo leaned back, trying to save himself the pain and hospital bill.

"Really. And, do you want to know a secret?"

"Yes?"

"You have to stop answering with questions Inoue."

Orihime made two fists and held them up at her chest, her face reminded Ichigo a child. She looked so determined. "It's a definite yes, Kurosaki-kun! I am really good at keeping secrets! Like when Tatsuki asked me to keep it a secret that she accidentally left Jinta in the cart at the store once, and I haven't told a soul!"

Ichigo looked at her with faux concern. She blinked her eyes and turned to head to the side. Ichigo was about to tell her what she did when she gasped and buried her head in his shirt again. Ichigo was glad she couldn't see his face. It would probably crush her to seem him fight off a laugh.

He rubbed her back. "Don't worry, I wont tell anyone you told me."

"Now Kurosaki-kun wont tell me his secret because I can't be trusted. I crumbled and gave in without torture! If my fellow troops get wind of this I will be stripped on my rank and honor!"

Rank and honor?

Ichigo grabbed some of her silky red locks and pushed them aside. Her ear now exposed, he dipped his lips closer to it. His lips where just inches away from her ear when he whispered. "I trust you Inoue." She tensed again, realizing how close they were and how close his face was to her ear. She could feel his breath and it send tingles up her spine. "So I'll tell you my secret. I haven't been on a first date since I was sixteen." Expertly he backed up and avoided collision with her steal skull, for once he was thankful for his father's "training."

"Really Kurosaki-kun?"

He reached up and scratched at the back of his head, a habit he thought he broke when he was in High school. "Really, really."

"Why don't you two love birds get off our porch would yah?" Grimmjow called form the balcony above them, making both their faces turn red and they shot apart, like the slightest contact could burn them.

"We were just about to leave Grimm-san!" She waved.

"If you don't leave soon I'll spray you off with the hose like we do with the dogs!"

Ichigo may not have known the old teal haired man long, but he could tell he was serious. Ichigo reached out and grabbed Orihime's wrist, not knowing where they were going, but dragging her there anyway. "Alright, alright, we're going." Under his breathe Ichigo mumbled "Old bastard."

When they were a few blocks away Ichigo slowed their pace to a slow walk, and he let go of Inoue. He was afraid he had hurt her, but she insisted she was fine. He was starting to think that she was one of those rare people who would always try to make the people around her more comfortable than she made herself. That kind of person wasn't common, so it was refreshing but at the same time, stressful.

"So Kurosaki-kun," Orihime almost sang as she fell in beside him, her hands clasped behind her, a huge smile on her face. "Where are we going?"

Ichigo stopped in mid step and felt that anxiety swell up again, he swallowed hard, hoping to send it back to his stomach where it belonged. "Well you see, I was hoping you had an idea of what you wanted to do, because as previously stated, I am a little rusty."

"Why?" She looked up at him with sweet eyes.

"Why… haven't I been on a date?"

"If you don't want to tell me, you…" She waved her hands nervously in the air.

"No, it was bound to come up eventually…" Ichigo sighed and flopped down on a bench facing an empty park. He stretched his arm out on the back of the bench and looked up at the sky. For the first time in days it was clear, not a cloud in the heavens. Orihime hesitantly sat down next to him, her body and raging heart way to aware of where he placed his arm.

They were quite. Ichigo looking at the sky and Orihime staring at his profile. She was trying to memorize all of his manly features. The way his eyes seemed to shine in even the slightest light, the way his eyebrows never relaxed, and his narrow lips. Then there was the way the heat from his body seemed to seek her out and wrap around her like a blanket and warm her heart.

"Her name was Rukia." Orihime jumped and quickly looked at her lap, embarrassed that she had been staring. "She was the first girl I really liked, you know? Renji and me -Renji was that red haired guy who I was with the other night." Orihime nodded remembering the tattooed redhead. "Him and I started to pretty much fight over her, trying to impress her…" Ichigo laughed and sat forward. "This one time, I full on fought him with these tree branched we found, I won the fight, but Rukia's brother found us and beat me with Renji's stick. He ended up breaking my arm."

Orihime looked into his eyes, and could feel the warmth and joy from his memory. She felt saddened though, because behind the joy that laid on the surface, his eyes held so much pain. Rukia was still a fresh wound, she could tell. She wanted to tell him he didn't have to tell her about Rukia, that she could wait to find out about it, but he stopped her.

"I started going out with her when I was sixteen. She more of less told me I was going to go on a date with her. She ended up dragged me to Chappy World…"

"I loved Chappy World, I went there with my mom when I was young!"

"It was the worst date ever." Orihime lost her happy voice, but Ichigo smiled warmly, staring at a row of ants in the dirt. "But I loved it because I was with Rukia. I proposed to her on my eighteenth birthday and we got married the following April." Ichigo lost his smile, the sparkles of happy memories lost disappeared from his hazel eyes. "She died last year."

Orihime's breathe caught in her throat. She couldn't look at him being so sad. She knew what it was like to loose people she loved. Her father left, her mother died before her eyes. But she had people around her that she loved and loved her that could help her through the pain and heartache. Just looking at Ichigo's face she could see he was shouldering it all on his own. Nobody should have to deal with lose alone.

She kicked her legs in the air and held her hands to her sides, a sweet smile on her face and a sneaky idea in her mind. "Where is she now?"

"What?" Ichigo asked, completely confused by the question. He was starting to wonder what was wrong with her family and their morbid interest in death. "Well I hope she's in heaven, I guess…"

"Not like that silly." She smiled and pointed her finger as if she was about to school him and said "I mean where is she buried?"

"The Soul Society Cemetery, I don't see how-"

"That's great!" She stood up and started to walk away through the park.

"Inoue? Where are you going?!" Ichigo got up and started to walk after her.

"I want to meet Kurosaki-san, and while we are there I can introduce you to somebody too."

"Inoue, the cemetery is closed for the night."

"Where is your sense of adventure Kurosaki-kun?" She smiled and turned around, walking backwards.

"My sense of adventure likes to stay on the right side of the law."

"Well tell it to be a little more adventurous." She turned and ran ahead, laughing when she heard Ichigo swear and pick up his pace. He lost sight of her behind some trees and stopped, to catch his breath.

"Come one Inoue, I'm not going to race you!"

"You don't want to race? Okay then." Stealthily she suck up behind him, unhooked the chain to his wallet and pulled, By the time her noticed the tug on his belt loop she was behind him swaying his wallet back and forth. He looked down to make sure it was his wallet she stole and felt his frustration spike at the confirmation.

"Give it back Inoue." She shook her head and put his wallet in her sweater pocket. "Why not?"

"You said you didn't want to race, so we, more specifically you, are going to chase."

"What?!"

"You want your wallet back, right?" He started to stalk towards her, so she turned and started to run.

She was fast. He thought it would be easy to catch her, since his legs were so long, but he couldn't. A few times she stumbled and he was able to help her up, but she bolted away from him every time, yelling a thank you into the wind. He would never ever admit it but he was actually having a little bit of fun chasing her and acting like a child. When his mom died he stopped doing things like this and started scowling and fighting instead of playing childish games with the neighborhood kids. When he met Rukia they would sometimes do stuff like this, but he was able to catch her faster, since she was so short, and put an end to it quickly. So he never really had the chance to fully enjoy acting rambunctious.

He turned the corner again and saw Orihime start to slow down, to look behind her. It was his opportunity, he sped up and caught her just as she was starting to run again. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, to get her running feet off the ground. He couldn't help but smile at her child like laugh and the way she kicked her feet like she could run on thin air.

"Congratulations Kurosaki-kun! You caught me!" She sang between giggles.

"Yes I did." He mumbled into her ear, making her stop laughing and blush a deep red. She instantly became aware of Ichigo's tight grip.

"You can put me down now, Kurosaki-kun."

"Not yet." He said again in an almost sensual voice that made her face flush darker. Orihime blinked and looked down at Ichigo's moving hands. He shoved his hand into her pocket and pulled out his wallet. He held her to his body still while he clipped the chain back to his belt loop and shoved his wallet back into his back pocket. Once satisfied that his wallet wasn't going anywhere, he placed her back onto the ground, waiting until she had her feet stable, before he reluctantly let go of her warm body.

"There." She turned to face him, smiling from ear to ear, and a red hue still heavy on her cheeks. He couldn't tell if it was because of his touch or because of running, but it warmed his heart to see her face flushed and smiling.

You could wrap her up and sell her in a candy store.

"Are you ready Kurosaki-kun?"

"What?! Please no more running." Held felt dumb for whining, but his legs were killing him.

"Why would we run? We are here." She pointed at the brick wall beside them. He blinked at her in confusion, knowing the entrance had to be four blocks away, at least. "This is the fun part."

Orihime skipped over to the wall and grabbed onto a hole in the wall as a part of the design and hoisted her self up to the ledge and sat down. Ichigo's eyes grew the size of saucer plates his jaw hit the floor. She was breaking into a cemetery?

"Inoue, what are you doing?! Get down here!" He shouted in a stage whisper.

"I am going to visit Kurosaki-san." She blinked at him as if it was completely obvious what she was doing.

"You don't even know where she is buried!"

"Then it'd be a good idea if you came along, right?" She threw her legs over the other side and dropped down, disappearing from Ichigo's sight.

He panicked. He had never broken into anyplace before, but he had to go after Orihime. He groaned and followed her, not needing to sit on the ledge, he just hoisted himself up and hopped over, landing right beside Orihime. She smiled at his presence, but busied herself by looking around, trying to remember where she was. She hadn't visited her in so long…

"I have a feeling you have done this before…" He mumbled wiping the dirt off his clothes.

"I used to sneak in here almost every night when I was young, It is a lot easier than it used to be!" She happily ruffled the back of her hair and smiled at him.

"Your family sure has some weird ideas about fun…"

"Oh no, Kurosaki-kun, I came here all by myself."

"Why?" He asked, completely confused why anyone would want to visit here at night, almost every night, alone. Grave yards used to scare him as a kid. He wouldn't even come here to visit his mother alone, he always needed someone with him. "What could possibly be here that you wanted to see so badly?!"

Orihime's eyes were glazed and her smile softened, her gaze never met his. "My mother."

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Ichigo thought that he would feel guilty for not coming to visit Rukia, and then when he finally did, after almost a year, he came with a date. But when he watched Orihime bend down and clean the dirt off Rukia's grave and introduce herself, he felt warm and… happy?

"Don't worry Kurosaki-san, Kurosaki-kun is smiling still, he is even hanging out with Renji-san. I know he is sad you are gone, and he still loves you a lot, but he is being happy so you can be happy. I can tell…" She looked up at the shocked Ichigo. Her hands were still clapped together like she was praying and she had a sweet smile on her face. "Isn't that right Kurosaki-kun?"

When somebody dies in this world, and their loved ones don't let them go, they end up unhappy in the afterlife. The sadness of the people that cared for them creates regrets and despair in their hearts. The only thing you can do is be happy and move on. If you don't move on then they wont be able too… I know that if I died I would want you to go on and be happy. I wouldn't wont you to be depressed or hold regrets…

Everything she said, was it true? He had only seen her a few times, how would she know if he was smiling and being happy for her? Did she really believe that he had to be happy so Rukia could be. She believed the same thing Rukia did?

Memories of the past few days flooded in his mind in seconds. The way Orihime made him feel so relaxed, and how he felt like he had known her for years. The way she made him smile when he kept wanting to frown. The way she gushed and radiated a contagious energy.

The water lady.

The flowers.

His trip to the ER.

Their run…

Was it truly her? When he was around her he was happy, and that made Rukia happy. This was it. This was what Rukia wanted him to do. And God he wanted it too.

He knelt down beside her and mimicked her hands. Ichigo gave Rukia a smile.

"That's right."

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They didn't spend much time at Orihime's mother's grave. She said she talked to her mothers picture every night so her mother already knew most everything that was happening in her life. She did say though that she was glad her mother got to meet him. She could tell, deep down, that her mother liked him. They both ended up walking up some stairs and sitting down, side by side on a glass covered hill. From their spot the could see the lights of downtown and the full moon above them.

The wind picked up a bit, giving Orihime shivers, so Ichigo took off his over shirt and draped it over her shoulders to give her a little bit more warmth. Ichigo started pointing out the silhouettes of the buildings had and designed and supervised.

"That's amazing. No matter where we are in Karakura we can look up and see something that you built."

"I had help." He mumbled, somewhat embraced by her praise.

He looked at her, looking at the lights of the city, and didn't want this night to end. She was so surreal, and beautiful. It was like he was in a dream. His eyes looked down and landed on her small soft hands. His fingers twitched to be laced in-between hers.

"Uh… Inoue?"

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked, smiling at him.

"I… I know this will sound juvenile, but like I said, I haven't really done this kind of thing since I was in high school.. So I was… I was wondering if I could… hold your hand?"

She blinked once and then her smile grew. She held out her hand and gave him a look of complete trust. "Of course."

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"I'm sorry…" She mumbled ruffling her hair with one hand while Ichigo still held the other. "I have done all the talking haven't I?"

"No, it's okay." Ichigo sighed, looking straight ahead as they reached the gate to the garden, and thus the end of their date.

Orihime's face blushed a deep red at the memory of her day dream and her multiple dreams the night before. It was just like the dream. Them walking hand in hand, his shirt draped over her shoulders, encompassing her with his sent. Ichigo opened the gate for her and motioned for her to go in ahead of her. Consciously she moved ahead of him, grateful that he kept his hands to himself. If he had made that move, she would have freaked out on him. Orihime turned to him, but tripped on the garden hose and fell into his arms. Her face was so close to his, his hands on her waist, her's on his chest. Their eyes just met.

"You okay?"

"Fine… just fine."

Ichigo's face started to lean in closer to hers. JUST LIKE IN HER DREAM! Before she could really think anything through, her hand flew out and slapped against his cheek. Ichigo just stood there, his hand on his now red cheek, completely stunned. Orihime brought her hands to her mouth and gasped in surprise at herself.

"Oh, my God… I am so sorry!"

"I was just going to kiss you. A small peck on the cheek."

"I know, I'm really sorry.. It's just.. I had this dream about you and…"

"It must have been a nightmare."

"No, it wasn't you were really sexy, actually." Orihime said, not think and instantly regretting telling him that.

Ichigo let out a short chuckle, "You had a sex dream about me?"

"No, of course not. Well, it might have been, I don't know… I stopped it before anything happened."

"…uh-huh."

"I didn't want to… I mean… I just met you. I don't really know you and…"

"Sometimes they are better with strangers." Ichigo opened and closed his jaw a few times, wondering if this girl was worth the physical pain.

"Are you okay?" She reached out to touch his face, but he flinched slightly.

"I'm fine really, not the first time I've bit hit in the face." Ichigo laughed a little. "It must have been some dream."

"You ripped my blouse…"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay…"

"Was it nice?"

"Well it was…" Orihime looked down at her shirt, the one Rangiku picked out despite her protests. "This one actually."

"That is nice."

"Thank you."

"Look." Ichigo took his hand of his sore jaw. "I am sorry for being so forward. In the dream and just then."

"No! You don't need… I mean, I…" She found herself to nervous to continue her sentence.

She stood up on her tip toes and grabbed Ichigo's face, pressing their lips together in a kiss that was unexpected for both of them. She quickly broke off the kiss and stared into his frozen face. "Goodnight."

Orihime bolted, running inside. Her feet barely touched the ground as she fled, leaving Ichigo frozen in time. Slowly a smile spread across his lips and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Good night."

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R&R

:::MrsMoshae:::