Ashe's Rant Corner!

GOMENASAIIII! I've been gone for too long and I am so so sorry! But everything's just so hectic these past months and I just can't squeeze in the time to actually write. That and I've had a massive writer's block for the longest time because it's been months since I've seen the two people who I base this story on; my mom and my darling cousin and I just couldn't decide what to write.

I do apologize in advance for all the typos and errors because I've only gone through this chapter once.

Now for those who are curious, yes I was accepted to study in Japan. Hooray! Thank you so much for all those who wished me luck :) UNFORTUNATELY, I lack the hours of Japanese lessons which ultimately delayed everything. I did however stay in Tokyo for about 2 months to learn exercise the Japanese that I learned. I'm still not so good at it though huhu :(

Anyway, here it is my lovely reader-sama's. I hope you like it

Chapter 15

Bated Breath

"Oooh I like this color! What do you think?"

". . ."

"Uh what about this design?"

". . . "

"Hey Orihime are you even paying attention?" the petite actress huffed in frustration but her gray eyed friend remained unresponsive. Rukia scowled. Orihime had been like this since this morning. Staring off in to space, her mind wander off to god knows where. "Oi!" she waved a hand in front of the girl's unseeing eyes, "Come back to earth will you" she said between gritted teeth.

Slowly, the dazed girl turned to Rukia, the clouds of her reverie lifting from her eyes. "Oh what was that Kuchiki-san?" Orihime smiled sheepishly when she finally noticed that someone was talking to her

Rukia's wedding was just three weeks away and as the Maid of Honor, it was Orihime's job to accompany her and be with her in making decisions. But unfortunately, she was not doing a good job at it. Honestly though, Orihime knew nothing of weddings, much less, planning them. While she was technically 'married', there was no ceremony to base anything from. So here she was, sitting in the middle of Rangiku's boutique contributing absolutely nothing.

"I was asking you which design looked better" Rukia repeated, handing her the sketches Rangiku had made of bridesmaid dresses and wedding gowns.

She gingerly took the papers and inspected each one. "I think this one is very pretty and dainty" she pointed to the flowing Greek goddess like design. The bride-to-be sat down to look at the dress closely as well. "I was leaning towards that too but I kind of like this one too" she began as she laid out the sketch of a high-low cut dress with lace sleeves.

Orihime did not intend to ignore Rukia, of course not. It was just that, there were too many things in her mind. And as if on cue, the very person who kept her mind occupied walked in front of her, his signature scowl on as he followed closely behind Renji.

This would be the second day that Orihime and Ichigo were called upon by the couple to help with the wedding. Being in a relationship for so long, she had thought that planning their wedding would be a breeze for them, but two days had passed and they still had not picked a theme. Initially, Rukia wanted a pink themed wedding but Renji would not have it and so their dispute continues.

They did however, agree that there will be absolutely no media coverage or broadcasting of their wedding. Rukia was adamant about that. She wanted a small gather, just those closest to her and Renji. She did not even meet the typical 7-8 bridesmaids. No, she only had five: Orihime, Rangiku, Yuzu, Karin and her assistant, Kiyone. Same goes for Renji who picked only five of his closest friends to be his groomsmen.

Speaking of men, Renji and Ichigo were still standing by the fabric samples fumbling and rummaging and quite frankly just making a mess out of the stacked cloths. "I don't know what you're fussing about there Renji!" Rukia yelled at her fiancé, cutting off his bickering with Ichigo. "What are you even doing?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a color for our motif" he replied hastily, not even looking at her.

Rukia pinched the bridge of her nose, "I thought we already settled for white and lavender?" she sighed. Planning this big event already stressing her out.

"But lavender is not- AH!" he suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room. "I found it!" Renji exclaimed, his voice sounding like that of a child's who had just found a nickel in the middle of the street. Without notice, he grabbed Rukia and hauled her towards the fabrics.

Rukia stood there, baffled as her fiancé held a piece of cloth close to her face. "That's perfect" he said with a boyish grin. "Rangiku-san!" the redhead called out, "What's this color?"

The voluptuous designer looked up from the latest dress she was creating and pushed her glasses up to see the fabric Renji was holding up clearer. "Mauve" she replied expertly.

"Mauve! That's our motif! Like the color of Rukia's eyes" the rock star declared happily. From where Orihime was sitting, she could see Rukia's face light up a bright red before she started punching Renji spiritlessly, reprimanding him for manhandling her like a rag doll.

Orihime smiled at Renji's antics. She found it incredibly sweet that he was being very involved with the wedding plans and that he wanted everything to be perfect for his fiancee. Grinning to herself, she began flipping through Rangiku's massive book of color charts. She never knew that there could be so many colors: burgundy, dandelion, champagne, coral – colors she did not even know were colors. As she browsed through, she wondered briefly what color she would have chosen if she were given the chance to be wed.

Ever since Rukia had called her, she had been thinking about what her wedding would be like. It was one of her dreams to find love, marry and become a mother. Although the later part had already been fulfilled, albeit in an unconventional way. She had never aspired to become a millionaire. She just wanted to live simply and raise a family filled with love just like with the family she grew up to. But when her father's health began to deteriorate and Nel came into their lives, love became the least of her problems.

With her mind once again drifting, she failed to notice her very own 'husband', was pulling up a chair beside her. "Damn" he spat, "Their making such a big deal over this" he complained.

"But of course they will" Orihime offered kindly, welcoming his presence with a smile, "This is their wedding after all"

"I know that" he scowled, "but why is the color so important?"

Slim fingers drummed on the table as she thought. "Because Kurosaki-kun, it's normal for a girl to want her wedding to be perfect. It is every woman's dream to get married"

"I don't think so" Ichigo quickly negated, "Karin told me she doesn't want to marry." he claimed. Truth be told, he felt relieved that his sister was not, or at least not yet, interested in boys. Those who dared to flirt with his sisters had hell to pay for, much more if they wanted to ask his sisters' hand in marriage. And secretly, his ego flared at the fact that he was doing a good job at being an older brother to his dear sisters.

The sound of Orihime's giggles drew his attention. "They won't now" she said, "but trust me, deep down inside, every girl dreams of settling down with the person they love the most" she explained. There was a dreamy light in her eyes, a happy glow that emanated from her.

"Including you?" he probed, eyeing her curiously.

She was beamed at him, "Including me" she affirmed.

He was quiet for a while, contemplating her words. He watched her from the corner of his eye. She was gazing fondly at the colors spread before her, her fingers tracing the edge of the paper. "Then what about us?" he suddenly said.

"Wh-what about us?"

"What would the motif of our wedding be?" he took the color book from her hands and skimmed through the many colors. He then turned to her to listen to her answer.

Orihime felt blood rush to her head. Even after all these months, she could never prepare herself for the weird questions he would so randomly ask her. It embarrassed her to be caught off guard yet again but more so now because all this time, Ichigo was present in her daydreams. It disconcerted her to no end that when she dreamt about her wedding, she pictured the ceremony at the Little Patch of Heaven in the Kurosaki Estate, surrounded by Masaki's beloved flowers and the family that she had come to treasure. And Ichigo would he waiting for her as she walked down the aisle. Immediately, she shook the thoughts out of her head. Afraid that if he stared at her more, he would see just what she was thinking.

He was looking at her so intently now that the words just would not form in her mind. So she ended up sprouting out syllables that could pass for words. "Uh . . . I . . . Umm. . . don't" she stuttered.

"If our wedding had been real, I mean" Ichigo chuckled, patting her hair to loosen her up a bit, amused that she still acted like an awkward school girl when surprised.

"I don't really know" she mumbled, "What color would you like, Kurosaki-kun?"

The actor mulled it over for a while, humming lightly as he did so. Suddenly, he turned to her fully and said "Aquamarine."

Orihime was stunned. First, because she knew that when it came to colors men didn't pay much attention. To them, anything red was red. Not scarlet or crimson, just red. Anything blue was blue, not sky blue, not cerulean. And to suddenly discover that Ichigo knew his colors, she was at awe. Secondly, because she loved aquamarine. It was the color of clear waters and bright skies on a beautiful day.

"Why aquamarine?" she thought out loud.

A lopsided grin spread across the actor's handsome face, "Because that's your favorite color" he replied.

It was Orhime's body instinct to go red whenever he was in close proximity or when he looked at her in a certain way, and blush she did. But she willed herself to calm down and immediately caught on that her employer was messing with her again. "Ah yes" she laughed gauchily, "you did a background check on me, I almost forgot" came her counter.

"What? Of course not!" he exclaimed, seemingly taking offense in her words. "I learned that just by observing you" he claimed.

"Observing me?"

He nodded vehemently. "Most of your notebooks are aquamarine. When you go through the dresses Rangiku-san offers, you always go through the aquamarine ones first" he proudly said. Leaving out the part where he had to ask Rangiku exactly what that color was called. "Besides, it's the color that brings out your eyes the most" he added, a large hand reaching for her flushed cheeks. But before he could even so much as graze her skin, he was rudely interrupted

"Did you just flirting with her?" Renji's voice intruded. "Man, you have the lamest pickup lines, I swear to God" he hooted, pointing at him for emphasis.

Instinctively, Ichigo retracted his hand and glared at his best friend. "Mind your own damn business!" he snarled, "Don't you have a wedding to plan?" But Renji seemed not to pay any attention to him and stalked off towards Isane who had laid out the tuxedos he was to choose from. Muttering curses under his breath, the fuming and flustered orange haired actor storming after Renji.

Dazed and quite frankly confused, Orihime sat there and stared at Ichigo's broad back. He was acting normal now and for that she was glad. But just a few days ago, Ichigo was acting all anxious and due to lack of a proper word, possessive. It worried her.

It started on the day Rio painted his hair red. She'd come home to find two orange haired men in the bathroom, keeping a secret from her. She had taken over Rio's bath since it seemed Ichigo could not wash the paint from his son's hair. He was happy then, carefree even. But when she came back from helping Rio change into clean clothes, his disposition had made a 360 degree turn. He was so quiet at dinner and barely even touched his food. He didn't say anything to her that night, didn't even look at her.

The next day, when they took Rio to school, he kept looking over his shoulder and not once did he let go of her hand. He even bothered to fetch her from Tokyo University that afternoon. And when they went into town to meet up with Rukia and Renji, he kept his arm firmly on her waist. Making sure that she was close to him, practically glued to his side.

Orihime was not sure how to react to this. He had never acted like this before, not even when the Grimmjow Scandal broke out. She kept reminding herself to not put meaning into anything. But there had to be reason as to why he was acting up. She knew she could not let herself think much of this because she had to be as professional as possible. But how can she not entertain her own interpretation when Ichigo treated her as though she was someone special to him? Almost like, though she would not dare say it, he was in love with her.

These thoughts swirled through her mind day and night, pushing her to her wits end, exhausting her.

"Grimmjow" her voice floated through the air, the fragrant morning air of Paris carrying it around him.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going back to Japan"

The sound of ceramic shattering filled the silence that hung between the two. "Are you insane?!" he bellowed, disregarding the attention that he was currently attracting. "He's going to know if you go back!" he reminded her forcefully, "Do you want him to know?"

"Of course I don't!" she shouted back, something completely out of her character. "But I don't have any other choice! Ichigo doesn't want to sign the divorce papers" she covered her face with her hand.

Gleaming blue eyes shot open in distress.

Grimmjow woke up in cold sweat. The constant beeping at his side was starting to make his head throb. He grabbed a fistful of blue hair and groaned. He dreamt about the last time he saw Ayaka again. They argued on that day and he insisted for her not to go back to Japan because she would end up being caged again. But she ignored his warning and boarded that flight anyway.

"And where did that get you?" he snorted, grief hiding behind his tone. He let out a heavy sigh and finally grabbed his phone. "What?" he answered callously.

"You just woke up?" Stark's lethargic voice said, "I knew it"

"What do you want?" the younger brother said between gritted teeth.

"I called to remind you that you have 2 photoshoots today. 10:30 Asics then 3 o' clock with Candice Catnipp"

"Oh yeah" a maniacal grin split his face in half, "that photoshoot. I almost forgot" he said, his voice dropping a note lower.

"I knew you would. So get the hell up and get dressed" his elder brother ordered exasperatedly through the phone. "Yes mother" the blue haired man rolled his eyes. He stood and stretched, glancing at the clock. He only had an hour to prepare.

"And Grimmjow" Stark added, confusing his little brother for a moment, "Raise some hell"

Again, a devious smirk crept onto his face. Of course he would, after all, this was for Ayaka.

"Fuck yeah!"

Of all the things Ichigo hated, waiting was at the top of his list.

Urahara had called him days ago, to inform him of a new job lined up for him. He was to pose for another billboard ad as the face of a new line of men's clothing for a popular brand in Japan. Of course, Ichigo was used to offers like these, he was, ultimately, a model before he became an actor. What he was not used to was waiting for so long.

30 minutes have passed since he arrived in the studio and just when he was ready to change into the pieces he was supposed to be modeling, the photographer said they had to wait for the one person Ichigo hated the most.

"Please Kurosaki-san, let's just wait for Jeagerjaquez-kun" the small man pleaded, "he got caught in traffic"

Ichigo literally felt his blood boil at the mention of the bastard but he breathed deeply and put on his most practiced smile. "It's okay" he said calmly. "but would you mind if I made a call?"

"No not at all. Please take your time" the photographer smiled kindly.

After bowing courteously, Ichigo rushed passed the staff members and towards the back of the building. Hurriedly, he dialed his manager's number. "Hello~" Kisuke answered after a few rings. "What can I do for you~" he said in a sing song voice.

Ichigo's brow twitched at the sound of his bizarre uncle's voice. "Why is Grimmjow coming to the photoshoot?" he seethed through his teeth, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because you would have refused if I told you" Kisuke defended, "And the press would think that if you refused, you still have a grudge on him which is contradictory to what you just told them in the interview"

His jaw tensed. Kisuke did have a point. It would be bad for his reputation if he turned down an offer for a petty reason and if they found out just how hostile he and Grimmjow were with each other. "Does he know I'm here?" he sighed.

"He does"

"Goddamnit!"Ichigo hissed. He was sure that Grimmjow was more than prepared for their little 'photoshoot'. Actually, he had a hunch that he had this all planned out. "Ichigo just don't let him get to you. Pretend you're portraying a character" his uncle advised, "Think of it as an acting workshop"

"Except he's the real deal and I really want to murder him" the orange haired man scoffed.

"Ichigo" Kisuke warned.

The said man heaved a heavy breath, "I know, I know, I won't do anything rash" he promised. Easier said than done. He thought. In Ichigo's opinion, Grimmjow was just simply a naturally dislikable person. He doesn't need to say anything to piss Ichigo off, just his very presence sends the actor's veins afire.

Abruptly, the steel back door opened and a head popped out. "Kurosaki-san" the photographer's assistant called, "Jaggerjaquez-san's here"

Clenching his jaw at the news, he bid his uncle a curt goodbye before ending the call. Ichigo steeled himself as he followed the assistant, taking a deep breaths to calm his nerves. He was determined to not let Grimmjow's nonsense get to him.

"I'm sorry for being late" he could hear the blue haired man's rambunctious voice, just the sound of it immediately putting him in a bad mood. "Well you know I do have a busy schedule" the man chuckled conceitedly.

"More like you overslept" Ichigo interrupted. Grimmjow stopped tersely, a scowl melting his confident smile. Gotcha. Ichigo smirked triumphantly. He was aware that like a cat, Grimmjow liked his naps. Back in high school, he would always be late for class or just simply skip class because he would lose track of time sleeping at the oddest places. "You sleep like the dead" he added

Quickly, the model turned to Ichigo with a smug grin. "Well Kurosaki, unlike you, I had another engagement to attend to before this photoshoot" he said haughtily, "Do excuse me for being in demand"

"Psh" the orange haired man snorted, "Please, you were late for that too and had to extend that's why you were late now. Don't make yourself feel so important Grimmjow" Hearing this instantly pissed the taller man off. He was about to retort when the door burst open to reveal a tall, slim woman with long yellow-green tresses. Her moss colored eyes scanned the room and when her gaze fell upon the two towering men in the middle of the studio, her face lit up.

"Oh there you guys are!" she squealed, not bothering to conceal just how excited she was to have the most sought after men in her midst. With just a few strides, she was already in front of Ichigo and Grimmjow, shoving her hand towards them. "I'm Candice Catnipp" she stated while firmly shaking the two men's hands simultaneously.

Both Ichigo and Grimmjow new who Candice Catnipp was. She was the rising designer of the new generation. This, however, would be the first time they would meet the famed designer; the one who hand-picked them to model her work. Her creations were a mix of both couture and street fashion, easily appealed to both professionals and adolescents thus making her famous faster than Japan's bullet trains. Ichigo himself was quite fond of her line of clothing.

"It's a pleasure Catnipp-san" he smiled.

"Oh none of that Catnipp-san nonsense" she laughed, "Just Candice"

"Well I wouldn't call you ''just Candice" Grimmjow shoved Ichigo aside, his eyes raking her form in a lewd manner that made Ichigo's stomach churn in disgust. "You are something else entirely" he winked at her. But it can't be helped though, Ichigo thought. She was wearing a rather provocative get up. A white sleeveless, double breasted blouse that exposed her toned stomach and too much (if you asked him) of her cleavage, white pants that hugged her legs in a very suggestive manner, sky-high black stilettoes and an ivory cap to top it all off.

"Hah!" Candice sneered at Grimmjow's attempts at flirting with her, "Nice try"

She then proceeded to inform her two models what she wanted for the photoshoot. Apparently, she had watched the interview where Ichigo and Grimmjow revealed that they were high school friends and were rather rebellious in their youth. "And it struck me!" she practically screamed, "I thought why don't I design a line for men that gave off that 'bad boy' feel, l mean c'mon! Who doesn't love a bad boy?! And who else to model my new line than the very boys who inspired them!"

The two men were visibly unnerved by being called 'boys' but kept their mouths shut, for professionalism's sake. After explaining the outcome that she wanted, the two models were sent for makeup and costume.

When Ichigo stepped out of the dressing room, he saw his so called 'friend' sitting by a corner, bottled water in hand. Looking at Grimmjow dressed in a black tank top with a foreign grunge band imprinted on the front, a black vest on top of it tastefully decorated with studs, chains hanging on his dark blue jeans, it reminded him so much of a time when they were really friends and both hungry for a good fight. Branded by their schoolmates as the resident delinquents. But his get up didn't stray far from what Grimmjow was wearing. He was sporting a white v-neck shirt that dipped low to give a glimpse of his toned chest, a dark brown leather jacket hanging on his shoulders and a pair of black ripped jeans. They looked like trouble.

Ichigo remembered trusting the punk with his life. Back when they were young he would have Grimmjow's back without him having to ask for it and he would do the same for Ichigo. It was only when Ayaka came when their friendship began to complicate. Grimmjow had been so mad at him for starting a relationship with her but what could Ichigo do? He was so madly in love.

The thought made Ichigo stop in his tracks. Grimmjow only cared about Ayaka, and with her no longer present, what did he want with him? It was evident that he didn't want to mend their torn friendship – the notion made him laugh. He had nothing to do with Orihime, so why the hell was he so hell bent on her?

"Kurosaki-san, please stand here" one of the staff instructed, snapping him out of his musing. She ushered Grimmjow soon after. A moment came when their gazes clashed. He didn't know what exactly he was up to but Ichigo could see the cruel plan playing behind cerulean irises. He narrowed his eyes disdainfully, the tension between them so strong it was almost tangible. "Don't screw up Kurosaki" the taller man said slyly.

"That's my line, Jaggerjaquez"

The photoshoot started off smoothly, but after a few more shots and two more costume changes, the atmosphere between the two cleared and the verve began to dwindle. It wasn't because they were getting comfortable with each other, no, they were unmistakably ignoring each other – pretending that the other did not exist.

Currently, the two were dressed only in a pair of black pants. Fake wounds and bruises littering their faces and bodies to make it appear as though they just came from a fight. But despite having acted the part of hoodlums, with the way they were completely disregarding each other, the shots looked flat.

"Okay STOP!" Candice bellowed from her seat, "What the hell are you guys doing?!" she complained furiously. She had grown tired of looking at boring frame after boring frame. "You two look like fucking wannabes! I thought you were the real deal 'bad boys'?!" she mocked.

This irked the two men. Ichigo's brows furrowed at the designer's words and he clenched both his jaw and fists to keep himself from snapping at the girl. But Grimmjow, was not going to take such treatment quietly.

"You wanna see bad boy? Why don't you come here and I'll beat your ass, that'll show you a bad boy" he growled, glaring at her intensely.

Candice balked at Grimmjow's tone but she immediately masked her fright. "No way!" she barked back. Ichigo shut his eyes, drowning out Grimmjow and Candice's voices. He didn't need this kind of stress. Right now all he wanted to do was hit the gym and box or spar with someone.

And then, an idea struck him.

"Hey Grimmjow" he began, "let's make this look real" he jabbed at the air experimentally.

A blue brow rose, instantly understanding what he meant. "You wanna get whooped?" he goaded.

Ichigo flashed him a cocky smirk, "You wish" he said before throwing a punch at the man in front of him.

The staff quickly moved to break them off but Candice held a hand to stop them. "Let them be" she commanded, "Maybe this will make it work" she said. Her subordinates looked at each other hesitantly but relented to what she wanted.

Grimmjow had no trouble dodging Ichigo's attacks, actually, he found them all half-assed, which bored him painfully. But he knew just the trick to rile his companion up. "Say," he drawled, "did you like my little post card?"

Immediately, Ichigo stiffened, his face darkening dangerously. He had been trying to push that incident to the back of his mind for the past days. He already knew that it was from Grimmjow but seeing him all proud of sending such a malicious letter, he couldn't be more infuriated. "You filthy mother-"

"Don't we look good together?" he cut Ichigo off. "You know, I just wanted mess with you a bit that's why I dragged your little 'wifey' into the picture" he taunted, "But now that I see what she really is, I think I want to keep her"

That was all Ichigo needed to hear to forget all common sense and for his vision to go completely red. Words that fueled the already burning rage within him. He rushed forward and punched Grimmjow but it seemed as the though he had already anticipated it and so he easily blocked the strike and gave Ichigo an uppercut.

Ichigo keeled at the impact but got back on his feet within seconds. He swung his leg and kicked at Grimmjow's thigh, bringing the tall man to his knees. He groaned when he hit the ground. but Ichigo did not move, he waited for him to stand back up, his scowl etched deeply. Again a demonic latched onto Grimmjow's lips, "Unlike you Ichigo" he said, a nasty tone interlaced in his deep voice, "I would never leave Orihime lonely" He got up from the ground, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Oh the things I would do to that body" he muttered breathlessly, but loud enough for Ichigo to hear. And with the way his eyes glazed over with a leer, Ichigo knew that Grimmjow was imagining Orihime's body.

Something snapped.

The people surrounding them were taken aback when Ichigo let out the most frightening growl, a look of pure hatred in his usually warm brown eyes. They started to panic when the orange haired actor began to violently, almost mindlessly, throw punches at Grimmjow. He wanted to seriously hurt him. He wanted to draw blood.

"Stop them!" Candice frantically ordered when she realized that Ichigo was no longer playing, that what he was trying to do was to have his colleague sent to the hospital.

Grimmjow and Ichigo were innate fighters – very strong fighters. So it did not surprise Candice when it took five large men to haul them away from each other. They panted as they were shoved apart. Ichigo not quite satisfied despite the blood that was trickling from the blue haired punk's mouth. "Let go of me" he yanked his elbow from the man who dragged him away from the brawl.

He turned to Grimmjow once again, glaring murderously at him. The rush and high of beating someone up still running through his veins and pumping to his head. The blue haired model sneered at his vicious glower and wiped the blood on his chin.

Ichigo heard the staff beg him to leave Grimmjow and just proceed to the dressing room. And just as he was about to turn, a baritone voice reached his ears. "I'm not kidding Ichigo" it said, "She's mine"

"You know you should really just tell me what's bothering you" Rukia's velvety voice drifted through the room but not quite getting through a certain auburn haired girl.

"Hmm . . . I think it looks good on you"

Hearing Orihime's senseless reply, the petite actress just wanted to smack her silly for she had already picked and fit her wedding dress hours ago. Heck, they were already in a café just a few blocks away from Rangiku's boutique and yet Orihime still thought they were trying on dresses. "Ugh this is going nowhere" she threw her hands up. With a frown, Rukia pinched the unsuspecting girl's cheeks and with more force than needed, pulled.

"Ow ow ow!" Orihime cried, "Kuchiki-san! What was that for?" she whined, nursing her stinging cheeks with her hands.

"That caught your attention" Rukia grinned. Satisfied that she had finally woken Orihime up from her stupor, she patted the poor girl's reddening cheeks as if to apologize for the abusive treatment. "So" she began, picking her cup up bringing it to her lips, "Is this about Ichigo?"

Orihime's ashen eyes widened at her friend's words. How did she know that she'd been thinking about her employer the whole time? "Uh . . .oh . . . it's nothing really" she mumbled shamefacedly.

"Hah! If that's acting then you're doing it wrong" the bride-to-be cackled, instantly making Orihime burn a bright red. "You know, your eyes always give you away" Rukia commented, "You're like an open book – so readable."

"I – I wasn't trying to hide anything" Orihime stammered, "It's just that I didn't want to burden you with the silly things that are bothering me". Right after she let the words out, she grabbed her cup and drowned the coffee hoping that would help clear her mind.

"You're not a burden, you silly girl" the raven haired actress laughed good-naturedly, "if anything, I'd like you to share your troubles with me. I mean, I know we haven't known each other for a long time but I already consider you one of my best friends, that's why you're my Maid of Honor." She paused for half a second and hesitated, "And so you can tell me anything" she said softly, avoiding her gaze.

This touched Orihime deeply. Truth be told, she didn't have many friends. Tatsuki was her only girl friend because, even without her doing anything, girls tend to avoid her. She always wondered why. She never found out though. Girls didn't like her, even when she was just in grade school. But here was a female, actually offering her friendship and it made her heart soar with happiness.

"Kuchiki-san, you're my best friend too" she beamed, reaching out to take hold of Rukia's small hand.

"That's Rukia to you" the paler woman corrected, "Now will you tell me what that oaf Ichigo did to upset you?"

Orihime dithered slightly before she slumped on her chair. "Lately, Kurosaki-kun has been acting strangely" she confessed. And she began to tell her the things that occurred. From the Grimmjow scandal to their fight and the interview.

"But Ichigo is and has always been a strange guy" Rukia joked, trying to lighten the mood

The auburn haired girl chuckled but faded when she remembered how he came home last night with bruises. Absolutely furious at something he would not care to share with her. "He's mad about something and he won't tell me why" she said, "But it's not that I'm in any place to pry but – "

"But?"

Gray eyes flickered towards Rukia shyly "But it wouldn't hurt to tell me, would it?" she asked cautiously. "I know that it's about Ayaka-san and that I have nothing to do with it-"

"And that's where you are wrong" Rukia interrupted

"What do you mean?"

"You are filling the role Ayaka left, right? So whatever concerns her, concerns you" she said firmly. "As Ichigo's employee, sure it isn't your business but right now, you are standing in her shoes and so you have every right to be aware of what's happening. Because from what I understand, more than Ayaka, I think this is about you"

Enlightenment filled Orihime's chest. She had thought about that but she never had the courage to say anything to Ichigo because she had always thought that it was no longer within her job description to ask. "But Kurosaki-kun doesn't tell me anything!" she cried

"Then force him" Rukia replied with a sort of dark and fearsome resolve.

"F-Force?"

The actress nodded, folding her arms to her chest. "Ichigo is an idiot" she stated solemnly, "All men are."

Orihime didn't know if she wanted to laugh or berate her friend for saying such a thing. "They need a little push to keep them functioning. Ichigo was never good with sharing his feeling and I don't know why but he likes to keep to himself. Now, sometimes that's a good thing but often times it is a bad thing. But you just have to voice out that you want to help"

There was a lengthy pause and Orihime fidgeted under Rukia's scrutiny. She bit her lip and when she couldn't resist any more, she burst. "I tried that but he said he couldn't tell me things then he hugged me!" she wailed. "And then all of a sudden he's being very protective of me and doesn't want me out of his sights and he's telling me to stay with him. And asking me about weddings and telling me that he knows my favorite color and that it brings out the color of my eyes. I don't know how to feel about that. I get all dizzy and nauseous and like I'm going to faint or die! And I'm just so confused!"

Panting as she finished, she stared at Rukia who blinked at her, dumbfounded. "I'm sorry" she apologized sheepishly, her face completely flushed with mortification at her sudden outburst.

And then Rukia laughed. "Ah so that's what this is about" she chortled, "You're in love with him"

Orihime gasped, affronted. "I – I am not!"

But the woman in front of her only laughed harder. "Oh my sweet and innocent Orihime-chan" she cooed, "I take it that you've never been in love before" she smiled tenderly. "When you think of the word love, is his face the first thing you see?" she wiggled her brows at the flustered girl.

Orihime cocked her head to the side, imagining love. Then her eyes widened and her face heated up, her ears not excluded.

Rukia gazed sympathetically at the blushing girl and reached out and placed a hand on Orihime's head affectionately, "It's okay"

"But I'm not in love with him!" she still protested, "He's my employer!"

"Clearly you haven't been reading enough romance novels" Rukia declared. "So what if he's your employer? That only makes your love story more interesting"

This made Orihime's brows knit and her expression plummet into a frown. Partly because she felt her concerns were falling on deaf ears and the other part because she felt like she was being haunted by something she had been trying to deny for so long. "But I'm not in love with him" she insisted.

"Look Orihime, you wouldn't be confused if you didn't have feelings for him. Actually, you wouldn't even give a damn if you didn't love him – you wouldn't be so affected" the petite actress said, educating her rather clueless friend.

"But of course I care for him! He's also my friend!" she retorted.

"If you cared for him only as a friend, the way he acts and the fact that he doesn't share much with you won't bother you so much" came Rukia's quiet allegation, "Because Orihime the amount of affection I hear in your voice and the way you look at him, is not how a friend looks at another friend"

She already knew this. Somewhere in her subconsciousness, she'd already acknowledged her feelings for her orange haired boss. But she had so desperately tried to suppress it, deny it because it was not right. But hearing the confirmation from Rukia, brought her emotions to a whole new level. It was like she breathed life into these growing affections. But even if she did admit how she felt, what then? She knew deep inside of her that she would just ruin the fragile friendship that she had with Ichigo. And besides, he would not reciprocate her love anyway.

She lowered her gaze to her lap, a sad smile dancing on her lips. Yes, she was in love with Ichigo but it was futile. She knew that. She'd come to accept that. Because Ichigo was still madly and forever in love with his wife – with Ayaka. Even know.

"It won't work" she breathed

"And why not?" Rukia raised a brow, watching her intently from behind her cup.

"Because you can't compete with the dead"

What on earth happened while I was out? Ichigo thought. He was on the bed, clad in a cotton shirt and his boxers, a book in hand, staring curiously at the woman standing two feet away from the bed, glaring at him. "Is there something you need, Inoue?" he inquired

She was shaking, as to why, he had no clue. But he was determined to find out. She held a trembling hand up to him and pointed at him accusingly. "Y-y-you!" she spat, "Wha-What the he-hell is wrong wi-with y-you?!"

Ichigo sat up straight and raised a brow at her. "Huh?"

Sucking in a large breath, Orihime marched up to the bemused man sitting before her and grabbed- more like grasped- his collar. "Y-you b-better tell me what happened or else!" she demanded shakily and quite honestly, unconvincingly.

"Or else what?" Ichigo closed his book, setting it aside to give his 'wife' his full attention. An amused smirk playing on his lips as he watched her.

His reply must have taken her aback because she stiffened and looked as though she didn't know what she was doing. "I'll –" she stuttered, "I'll – " she looked like she was going through a very painful ordeal. She scrunched her eyes closed and blurted out "I'llkickyourass!"

It took Ichigo a few seconds before her words actually sunk in and when it did, he burst out laughing, rolling on the bed as he did so.

Orihime sighed and threw herself on the bed with him. "I knew this was a bad idea" she moaned, her voice muffled by their comforter. "It's Rukia-chan's fault" he heard her grumble, her small fists pounding on the matress.

"Rukia?" Ichigo clutched his stomach, whipping tears in his eyes from his hysteria, "What did she tell you?"

She turned to him, cheeks aflame with embarrassment. "She told me to say those and 'use a little force'" she mumbled and Ichigo had to crane his neck to hear her.

"You know you shouldn't really take advice from that midget. She's socially impaired that one"

But in the middle of his snickering, he abruptly pulled back and almost jumped when she suddenly sprang to life, her stormy eyes staring at him intently. It was that look. The one that made him feel as though she was seeing right through his very soul. "Wh-what?"

"You don't have to hold it in!" she proclaimed

"Wha-"

"You can tell me"

Perplexed; that was the right word for how he felt right now. His mouth left gaping as she turned to him and continued. "Because the more you keep it in, the more it just aches! It's like if you don't let it out, your stomach hurts and starts to cramp" she said, her face solemn and so utterly serious.

Again, Ichigo fell forward laughing even harder than before. He couldn't breathe. Oh this woman was going to be the death of him. "Wha-what are we talking about here? GAS?" he said in between wheezes.

Orihime pouted at the orange haired man who was now gasping for air before her. And though it annoyed her that he wasn't taking her seriously despite her efforts to have a meaningful discussion with him. She could not help but smile at the sound of his laughter. After all, he only did so once in a blue moon.

"But seriously what are we even talking about?" Ichigo finally said when he had recovered from his bout.

Orihime stared at him longingly, her eyes reaching out to him and he felt entranced. "Your feelings", she said tenderly, "Tell me what goes through your mind. What angers you so much and why do you come home like you just got into a riot. You don't have to tell me details. You can skip things, that's okay, but don't leave me in the dark please" she pleaded.

The room became eerily silent when she let the words slip out of her mouth. And in that moment, Ichigo was brought back to the time when he had first asked her to pose as Rio's mother. In that small café where she shocked him for the very first time.

"I-I wanted t-to s-say that it's alright for y-you to b-be yourself"

Yes that was what she told him that day. And even when he revealed himself – arrogant, short-tempered, stubborn to a fault and impulsive – she did not shy away from him. She stood up to him, for him. In her strange and jumbled way, she would always pull him back down to earth when he was too high up in the clouds. And he loved that about her. Now thinking about it, if she so boldly accepted him, then why should he step back from her? Who was he to deny her of a little bit of confidence.

With his resolve firm, he took her small, warm hand into his and dragged her down to the bed with him. Burying her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her small form. His hands slipped into her soft auburn locks, resting his chin on her head. "I had a fight with Grimmjow" he whispered.

He hugged her tighter, keeping her in that position. He was afraid that she would pull away. He was afraid that her beautiful yet perceptive eyes would see through him. All his short comings, all his fears, his vulnerability. Because that's how she was. No matter how high he built his walls or how tough his façade was, just one look, and she would broke through them.

Silence engulfed them, the kind that was tense, like one wrong move and something could break. But they were both on the edge with bated breath. Both trying to discern the other.

Then tentatively, Orihime brought her hands up to grasp Ichigo's shirt and wrapping her lithe arms around his torso, bringing herself closer to him. This was the first time that she had embraced him back. And Ichigo felt blood surge through his body. "Why?" she asked against his chest.

"Because he wants something from me" his voice came out quiet and raspy. The way they were conversing was so intimate that he was sure that in this very moment, for the very first time, their hearts touched. "I can't let him have you" his voice faltered.

Orihime knew he could feel her heart hammering in her chest, with how he pressed her to himself, it was impossible for him not to. She was treading on thin ice. She should have backed away but instead she opened her arms further to him, succumbed to him. And surely what she was about to say was going to confuse him and complicate their already complex relationship. But she had to take her own advice. It would only ache more if she did not.

"He won't" she moved up to nuzzle his neck, the strong scent that was purely Ichigo, wafting around her, "I'll always be here"

Good god a guy can only take so much. Her breath tickling his neck as she spoke. He wanted, so badly, to kiss her. Not the way a schoolboy kisses his crush – no, he kissed her like that enough times for the press – but the way a man kisses the woman he loves. A slow and tender moment shared only between them. But that would scare her. A voice in his said. Yes, that would just frighten her and so he opted for a long yet lingering kiss on her forehead.

When Ichigo pulled away, her cheeks were still dusted prettily with pink, he could feel the heat radiating from her face. She looked away, the lint on his shirt more interesting than his face.

"You know" he chuckled, his tone playful. Orihime peered up from her thick lashes to see what he was up to and was greeted by a goofy grin and warm brown eyes. He brushed a few auburn strands from her face.

"I like it when you're forceful"

Thank you so much for reviewing :

Lowie's OPYO, anime lova girl, mehnaz, Captain Levi, Lula.98, LukaKazunari, Guest-sans. E.D.J, Gottagetthebooty, toya-chan, Sakura Kinoshita, JAB9869, creamberriess, Anime4life25, Anichan72, luversblues, El Emperador, shamssia, insomniac1970, Renji4eva, heather XD, OrihimeKurosakiInoue, Ichihime94, Ichihime Fanatic, Aya Kazuki, racesa36, Veraozao, Kuku3, TheDeadBeat, nypsy, naleah, Sele de la Luna, reader101, Sasha88, KurosakuCrystal18, EriHime, DeathBerryHime, MoonlightRurouni, Missy the Cat.

DeathBerryHime - You do not know just how happy you made me with your review. I read it over and over and over. When I first read it, I was in the mall waiting for someone and people were staring at me and avoiding me because I KEPT SMILING THE WHOLE DAMN TIME XD Thank you so much. You made my day

KurosakiCrystal18 - you guessed right :)

TheDeadBeat - Thank you so much for being understanding and so patient with me :) I hope you liked this chapter.

Kuku3 - Japan is a very beautiful place, especially during spring. It's kind of lonely though but maybe that's just me already homesick. （‐＾▽＾‐）

Ichihime94 - Yes well I am also a Grimmhime fan (although slightly an Ulquihime fan too - damn Orihime is just so shipable) I just thought that there were too many fics with Ulquiorra as the other man. Besides, Grimmjow's personality is easier to play with.

Renji4eva - Darou! I believe they would have been the most badass of friends

El Emperador - Grimmjow and Ayaka have a complicated relationship :3 Yes Aizen is here but he's Ichigo's uncle and he's not evil here. He can't always be evil right?

Sakura Kinoshita - Oh just a few more Ichihime FanFics and I'm sure you'll be a shipper to :) Thanks for giving this story a shot. It means a lot to me. Maybe you would like to check out my other stories.

Captain Levi - Heichou! Thank you so much for the motivating me to write this chapter :) Mwah!

Author's Notes:

I really am sorry for making you guys wait so long. But I do hope that all this fluff (I've never written so much fluff in my life before) compensates for the long wait. Also please do hold onto this lovey dovey scene because I will tell you this, hell is about to break loose with the next chapters :)

Oh btw thank you so much to all those who've read and reviewed Beyond the Willows.

And to those who have not - well go on and give it a try, you might just like it too

Don't forget to review

Till next time my reader-samas! （‐＾▽＾‐）