Gomen for the late update! Hope you bear with me. I was preoccupied with reading tons of Josei manga. (I know what you're thinking. *wink*) Just finished reading Silver, Gold, Private Prince, and a lot more… too many to mention here.

Anyways, here comes the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Unwanted Questions

Ichigo walked along the cream-colored corridors of the Kurosaki mansion, trying his best to move at a fast, but not suspiciously so, pace. He really wanted to reach his room in peace, without any meddlesome and troublesome questions from his family. He was relieved enough that his date was interesting enough to go on up to this late hour. He knew that this was about the same time that everyone returned to their respective quarters. But this relief would not stay very long. In the morning, he could not, even at his best efforts, avoid his family forever. They would wonder why Ichigo would even bother staying until past 10 pm in an arranged date. His family knew that every marriage interview involving the Kurosaki heir ended in a failure. It was simply because Ichigo wasn't interested.

To his misfortune, Ichigo's planned delay seemed to have turned against him.

A leg came flying out of nowhere, hurtling towards the orange-haired young man at a blinding speed. Fortunately for Ichigo, he also had the same, if not superior, reflexes. He managed to catch the kick with astounding force and hurled the attacker towards the opposite end of the corridor, smashing another expensive vase that was just standing innocently there.

"Isshin!" an indignant, but still 'too soft for angry', voice rang out from the curve that connected the path where Ichigo and the unmoving mass were to another corridor. "That's the seventy-second vase you destroyed!"

The crumpled heap, dressed in a stylish robe over navy blue pajamas, got up slowly and smiled crookedly at the annoyed woman who just appeared by his side.

Kurosaki Isshin, a very powerful and influential man, always acted like a child. Many would be surprised if they knew him personally. He also, apparently, had this fear of the woman who glared at him. He scratched the back of his jet black hair and grinned goofily.

Kurosaki Masaki, also clad in a robe covering her night gown, shot an impatient and exasperated glare at her husband. A head smaller than her husband, her beautiful looks were a stuff of envy amongst her peers. Her elegant stature and the comforting aura she had about her would make people instantly like her.

Despite the obvious differences between his parents, Ichigo loved them more than anything in the world.

And he couldn't help but give off a small smile when the two finally turned their heads towards him and gave him a warm smile.

But his expression quickly changed from affection to exasperation when his father let out a booming laughter.

"Look at his face!" Isshin said loudly, undoubtedly disturbing the occupants of the entire mansion. "He came out of the door hours ago with a murderous expression on and now he looks like a fucking pansy!"

"Language!" Masaki warned, gently swatting her husband's arm. Her brown eyes shifted towards her son, her honey colored hair swishing at the movement. "So, how did it go?"

Ichigo mentally rolled his eyes. Despite his mother's disapproval at the way Isshin 'attacked' their son, it was obvious that she was as equally curious as he was.

"It was okay," Ichigo said, attempting to cut the conversation short.

"Lame answer, Ichi-nii."

Great. Karin.

The 18-year-old girl with the same raven locks as their father huffed slightly, grinning mischievously at her elder brother. Kurosaki Karin, who had the closest demeanor to Ichigo, could understand her big brother's dilemmas when it came to arranged marriage interviews and such. Hell, she was even more vocal in her distaste than he was. She was famed in their society for having unleashed her pet tiger, Midori, to a seemingly arrogant suitor.

Even with her tomboyish attitude, she was quite attractive. Her dark hair reached up to her shoulders and was framing her face and dark orbs in a carelessly eye-catching way. Many men have tried to court her, but no one could really catch her attention. From her 16th birthday, young males have learned to respect her and be intimidated by her.

"I was just about to go to sleep, but I couldn't, and now I heard daddy screaming like there was a fire," another voice piped up from beside Karin.

Ichigo sighed inwardly. Perfect, just what I need. An interview with complete family attendance.

In the 23 years Ichigo lived, he knew that Kurosaki Yuzu was lying. Even though she was Karin's twin, they were as different as night and day. Yuzu had really soft brown hair. Her eyes were the same as Ichigo's and Masaki's, and had the deportment of their mother. Her hair was cropped short and was always clipped to the left side of her head. She was as sought after as her sister, but even though she was kind and approachable, many did not dare to take advantage of that. Why? Well, they would suffer hell from the Kurosaki men. It was indeed true that Isshin and Ichigo were more protective of Yuzu than of Karin, but this was because Yuzu did not have the character to even hurt a fly.

Clearly, Ichigo knew that Yuzu had planned to wait for his arrival to bug him with questions. The twins knew that he had a date, but only his parents knew with whom he had a date with.

"Sooo, spill," Karin said, impatiently tapping his foot.

Judging by the way Ichigo conceivably paled, Masaki ushered the entire family to the nearest sitting room located from where they were. Once they had all settled in, the assault restarted.

"Who is she? What was she like?" Yuzu gushed.

"I think she's as lame as the others," Karin commented.

"Karin," Masaki reprimanded. "Give your brother the chance to talk."

To this, Isshin laughed out loud again, earning him a punch to the face from Karin.

Ichigo took a deep breath, ignoring the pained yells from Isshin. "I believe you all know Inoue Orihime."

Masaki grinned, and Isshin, who had surprisingly stopped whining immediately, sat up attentively. They already knew who Ichigo had a date with. Well, they were the ones who planned the whole thing. They were close friends with Sousuke and Aya, and they had a feeling that Orihime would be different from the other girls they had set Ichigo up with.

"Inoue-san?" Yuzu and Karin gasped in unison.

"Wow!" Yuzu said, her hand over her mouth.

"Now I take back what I said," Karin said solemnly, her face showing otherwise. "I think that's too good of a match even for you, Ichi-nii."

Ichigo frowned more. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Karin stated, "that even though we are the only family to match the Inoue fortune, Inoue Orihime is just…"

"Just what?" her elder brother asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Yuzu was muttering to herself all too loudly. "I've met her once in a dinner hosted by their family. It was her birthday, I think. And she was so beautiful. And when I gave her my gift and talked to her, she was really, really kind! Like, genuinely kind! Not the type you see often."

Karin nodded randomly towards her sister's direction, her eyes still glazed over trying to find the term that she was looking for.

"Too surreal?" Karin tried, but immediately flailed her hands in a comical manner as if to erase what she had just said.

"I think what your sister means is that," Isshin said with another guffaw, "Orihime-chan is too much of a goddess for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Ichigo growled out, visibly insulted. "If that's what you think, why set me up with her in the first place?"

Karin and Yuzu snorted into their hands, trying to suppress their laughter. They both knew that their father was kidding. Despite Ichigo's standoffish mannerisms, women were surprisingly throwing themselves at his feet. At the age of 15, Ichigo would start having these 'set-ups' that their parents were too civil to reject. When Ichigo was still a high school student, many of the female students there had trouble keeping their hands off of him, resulting in Ichigo transferring to a more exclusive, all-boys school outside the country. And even now, amongst his peers, he was still what they called the most 'desirable.'

One could say that he was the only one in their society on equal footing with Inoue Orihime.

Masaki sighed with disapproval at her daughter and husband. "I think Orihime is the perfect match for you. She's the only person you'll find in our circle who has a good heart and mind."

"Not to mention a perfect face and a smoking hot body," Isshin quipped, earning him another punch and a yell from Karin.

"And contrary to what your sister and father thinks," Masaki continued, ignoring her husband, "I think she's the only one who is perfect for you."

"So I guess you already have established your impressions and decisions, eh?" Ichigo said sardonically. "Then I think I should rest now."

"Not so fast," Masaki said sternly. Ichigo winced at this. It was rare that his mother would show a commanding side. It seemed that she really wanted to know what happened on the date.

Ichigo massaged his temples as he flopped back down the posh couch. "Fine," he said grumpily. "She was…"

The entire Kurosaki family held their breath. Ichigo rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time at this.

"More than what I expected," he finished, choosing his words carefully. At least, he thought he wasn't showing more than he let on. They knew that he always expected his dates to be a failure. He always confronted them like doomed business propositions or such.

This statement was met with cheers and laughter, unlike what Ichigo expected.

"MAMAAAA! WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE GRANDCHILDREN SOON!" Isshin cried, hugging Masaki tightly and weeping uncontrollably.

To Ichigo's surprise, Masaki hugged Isshin back with the same passion. "I know, dear. The moment of our lives," she wept.

Ichigo's jaw hit rock bottom at this statement. Karin was laughing uncontrollably. "Ichi-nii's whipped! Didn't know that Inoue would be the one to do that!"

Yuzu was also crying, wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief that appeared out of nowhere. "Don't marry yet, okay, Ichi-nii? Wait a year or two. I can't handle the thought of you leaving us."

"OI!" Ichigo yelled, losing his cool for the thousandth time. "I DIDN'T SAY I LIKED HER!"

"I know, I know," Isshin said, finally letting go of his wife. "But what you said is the closest thing to a positive comment. I'm shocked."

The other three members of the family nodded in consensus.

"What else happened?" Karin asked, her eyes glowing with interest by the second.

Ichigo sighed and continued to relay the events. As a good son, he did not neglect to relay the entire story (well, it was more because he feared what his mother would do to him).

"Maybe she'd seen you before," Yuzu said after hearing Ichigo's amused statement that it seemed as though Orihime had seen a ghost when they were finally acquainted.

"I don't think so," Ichigo said, smirking slightly.

"That's impossible Ichi-nii. Almost everyone knows you. Those who don't know you are either anti-social or hermits," Karin remarked.

Masaki giggled. "Well, it seems that Sousuke and Aya were right in saying that the Orihime is more focused on other matters. She's, uh… a rare find."

The Kurosaki twins raised their eyebrows in disbelief but were astonished when their elder brother nodded. "There wasn't even a hint of recognition in her face when I told her my name. Her memory served her better when I mentioned our businesses again. She seemed to have finally found it in her memory."

"So she's stupid?" Karin questioned.

"No," Ichigo said. "It was as if she was too preoccupied in her own world to notice small things. Very much like a sheltered princess."

"And you don't like that?" Yuzu asked.

Ichigo did not say anything and merely looked away, his brows furrowed in thought as he lounged back and uncrossed his legs. His mind was instantly filled with thoughts of gray eyes, adorably pouting shell pink lips, creamy skin, auburn hair…

"I think that just about answers our questions," Isshin said, chuckling.

Before Ichigo could say anything, the entire family rushed out of the sitting room. Isshin was still laughing, his arms around a beaming Masaki. Karin was muttering something about 'being seriously whipped'. Yuzu was smiling contentedly and wiping happy tears from her eyes.

I think your family is happy with this, a voice reverberated through his mind.

"I think so," he muttered to himself, standing to his full height.

I think you're also more than happy with the sudden turn of events.

'What makes you say so?'

I've been a part of you for sixteen years. I would know that much.

'Hmm… I guess.'

You need to see her again.

'Considering what has happened, I think that's inevitable already.'

Good.

"O~ri~hi~me~"

The singsong voice halted Orihime in her tracks. Putting her stiletto-covered feet together, she glanced at the two figures positioned so conveniently on swivel chairs, facing her direction. It was as if they had been waiting for hours now and have made themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace.

"Good evening, otousan, okaasan," Orihime greeted, trying to mask her surprise and nervousness behind a smile.

"I thought Tatsuki was going to pick you up after your date?" Aya questioned, scrutinizing her daughter's expression.

"Well," Orihime said with a light laugh, "Kurosaki-kun offered to drive me home. It would be rude to decline."

"Kurosaki-kun?" the older woman said, a hint of mirth in her voice.

Orihime was taken aback. Stupid, stupid Orihime!

"I take it that you like him?"

Alarmed gray eyes landed on the silent figure of her father, pleading for help. However, it seemed that Sousuke was having more fun as a mere audience to the interrogation. He just smiled a bit too warmly at her, with a frighteningly mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I…" Orihime tried, but faltered. She realized that she had not moved from her position and was still standing meters away from her parents. She then decided to take that spare time to walk closer.

"Well?" Aya pressed on.

"I…" Orihime repeated. She then sighed and plopped almost ungracefully on the high backed chair in front of her parents. "Well, I found his company more than what I had expected."

"Meaning you do like him?"

That's too early to say. "That's too early to say."

But not entirely true. I've known him for years now. In my dreams.

Right, Orihime. As if they'd believe you.

"Too early indeed," Sousuke said, finally choosing to give a bit of his input into the conversation. "But I am happy that you finally gave Ichigo a chance and took a certain liking to him."

Aya giggled. "Well, isn't that fabulous? You two are considered the most difficult eligible young people to make a match of. Ichigo-kun has never accepted marriage interviews before. And you, well, you're the same!"

Never accepted marriage interviews before? I thought he said he gave it a try even though he didn't like it.

Orihime decided to voice her thoughts. "I thought he would have at least tried. I think someone of his status and reputation could have at least been offered – "

"Yes, he had been offered alright," Sousuke said, taking a sip of the wine that had been conspicuously prepared beside him. "Since he was 15 he had been in at least twenty marriage interviews and a few dates. He had a girlfriend, but it was nothing serious. It barely even lasted a year."

"And how did you know this much information?" Aya asked, her delicately arched left eyebrow rising.

"I make it a point to know who I arrange our daughter with," Sousuke simply stated. "And you know that this is the first proposal that has gotten through the both of us."

"What do you mean, father?" Orihime asked, getting a bit nauseous at the sudden barrage of information.

"Even though this is the first marriage set-up you have experienced, there have been many, many offers. But your mother and I make it a point to screen those young men well," Sousuke answered.

Orihime flushed. She knew that her father could be the most protective person in the world. She also knew that he was more than capable to do every means possible to shelter his only child from opportunistic people. God knows that there were more deceptive people in their circle than honest ones.

"I hope you won't see this as overbearing, Hime," Aya tried to explain as she watched the sudden change in her daughter's expression. "You are beautiful, and you have everything in the world. Many people would try to take advantage of that."

The princess nodded slowly. She understood what her parents were saying. It was just a bit shocking that there had been a lot of proposals before that she did not know about. Maybe that was why there were some men who made advances towards her in parties. Because they would have never stood a chance against her parents' scrutiny.

"And it would seem that the only people that we could trust enough to have an arrangement with you, if you choose to agree, are the Kurosakis," Sousuke added. "They are the only family with equal status as us. The Kurosakis also feel the same way and they have excluded the Kuchiki family from Ichigo's possible choices since their heiress has made it clear that she wanted to marry someone else."

Orihime smiled softly at that. Kuchiki Rukia, a close friend of hers, had opted to be with the popular rock star Abarai Renji. Even though her family was initially against it, being an old and prestigious clan, she had eventually convinced her brother, Kuchiki Byakuya. Rukia was the type to do things her way after all.

"And I'm pretty sure Uryuu is already engaged to Kurotsuchi's daughter," Aya said. "Sado-kun also has his sights on our Tatsuki."

The Inoue heiress had to laugh nervously at the extent of knowledge Aya had on Tatsuki's personal life. It was definitely true that the couple did their research. Thoroughly.

"So you chose Kurosaki-kun because he was the only choice?" Orihime summarized.

"Yes," Aya and Sousuke said in unison.

"And it seemed to be the right choice," Aya said, smirking.

Sometimes, someone would wonder where Orihime got her gentle and soft-spoken personality. Aya and Sousuke both have more aggressive personalities.

"I'd like to get to know him better," she finally admitted, blushing furiously.

"Well, if Ichigo-kun feels the same way, then why not?" Sousuke said, nodding in approval.

"And it would seem that he does feel the same way. Who would bother to stay with an unwanted date for almost four hours?" Aya quipped.

At this, Orihime glowed to a brighter shade of red.

"Well, do what you must," Aya said, standing up and leaning down to plant a kiss on Orihime's head. Sousuke followed after her.

"Good night," the two said, leaving Orihime staring at the fireplace.

There were so many things that kept Kurosaki Ichigo awake at night. And nightmares were one of those things.

It seemed kind of odd for a grown man to have so much nightmares, but no matter what he could never forget that night. That night that was supposed to have changed the course of his life. Of his family's life.

And there was a living, and symbiotic, reminder of it.

He also kept him awake at night. One of those things that kept him awake at night.

Mugetsu was also one of those things.

If anyone asked why Ichigo was so distant from other people, they would definitely not get a straight answer.

It was because only he knew that there was something, or someone, residing inside of him for sixteen years. A soul that co-existed with his own.

A soul that had given him what he desired the most. A soul that had made him detest personal contact from other people aside from the ones whom he already trusted.

"ICHIGO!"

An earth-shattering and mind-breaking scream pierced the dark December sky. It was snowing so hard and it seemed that the winter blanket would never cease to remove itself.

All the little boy remembered was mindlessly distracting his mother, who had just picked him up from his playmate's house, by pressing random buttons on the LCD screen of their expensive car.

He had been staying over at Uryuu's while the snow raged on outside. It had been unsafe to drive, but he had insisted on calling his mother, wanting to go home and spend more time with her. The kind-hearted woman complied.

It was a rare surprise to see his mother drive the car by herself. She had always been an amazing driver. One of the few things her little boy was proud of. Mommy had been a racer!

But no quick sense or superhuman reflex would have saved her that night. No one could have seen that Kurosaki Masaki would die in an accident.

A flash of blinding light. An incoming truck. A loud horn that nearly deafened the orange-haired boy.

A scream.

Everything went dark.

Do you want to live?

The voice roused the boy back to his senses. He slowly turned his head to the right, just to see if his mother was still there.

She was. Her arms were draped around him protectively. The scent of her perfume assaulted his nostrils. Her soft hair was all over his face.

So was her blood.

And it was like she wasn't even there. She was cold. And Ichigo knew enough what that coldness meant.

Do you want to live?

That voice, deep and dark, prevented him from shouting his grief into the sky. His tears were streaming silently, like a flood that would never stop.

'Yes,' that was what he thought. He couldn't say a word. His throat felt like it had been scratched raw.

I need your body. In exchange, I will let you live.

'I don't need to live if my mother is dead.'

That was a contradiction to his first statement, he knew that much. But he couldn't do anything. He knew that he could never live with the fact that it was his fault that his mother died.

If he hadn't insisted that he go home. He could have just stayed overnight at Uryuu's house. He could have just bore the fact that Ishida Ryuuken was a creepy person. He was a big boy. He should have been brave.

Then I will let your mother live.

Brown eyes widened. Then he saw who was talking inside his head.

A man. No, not a man. Something far greater. He could feel the suffocating presence. A sickeningly powerful aura.

A black figure. Robes and scraps of cloth billowing against the winter sky. Long, ebony hair. Glowing hot yellow eyes.

'Who are you?' The little boy felt the need to ask. Surprisingly, he did not feel fear. This creature would save his mother. That was all that mattered.

Mugetsu.

And he knew no more.

Hope you all liked it. Please be so kind as to leave a review. =)