A/N: Hello my faithful readers! I'd like to take a quick moment to say that I hope you've enjoyed this story so far, and I hope that this epilogue doesn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. And, if I did, I would have the hardest time deciding which plot bunnies to follow and which to let escape! So, maybe it's a good thing I don't….

Holding On

Epilogue: Peace for the Heart

Orihime took a deep breath as the haze of sleep faded from her mind. Her nostrils were immediately flooded with the unmistakable scent of Ichigo, and she was smiling even before she blinked her eyes open. She was unsurprised to find her line of sight blocked by seemingly endless expanses of tanned, taut skin.

Ichigo's arms were locked around her in a tight, unbreakable, and yet entirely tender embrace. He had one hand curved over her shoulder, his arm undoubtedly lost beneath her hair, and his other hand was shoved between her hip and the bed. Her head was resting on his shoulder and her own arms were wrapped around his abdomen loosely, her fingers not-quite lacing together over his spine.

This was her favorite way to wake up.

Ichigo shifted, slowly waking up, and Orihime realized he had slipped one of his legs between hers even as he began nuzzling the hair on the top of her head. Orihime reciprocated by sighing softly and tightening her hold on him, subsequently pulling herself flush against him.

A soft, vibrating chuckle floated down to her ears, then, followed by a sleepy, "Mm, morning, Hime."

"Good morning, Ichigo," she replied sweetly, her own voice still laced with sleep.

Ichigo had told her, several months after they had begun dating, that he liked when she greeted him in the morning. He'd been talking about how he missed the greeting on the mornings they didn't see each other before class or work, but Orihime had made a mental note to be sure to greet him properly every morning from that day on. She hadn't forgotten yet.

Ichigo's hands shifted, his legs tensed, and Orihime took the silent cue and pulled her arms around so that her palms were splayed over his chest. A beat later he rolled them both over until he was on his back, his head once again on the pillow, and Orihime was on top of him. He was smiling softly at her by the time she had shimmied and crawled up enough to look into his eyes.

"How did you sleep?" he asked gently, his grip loosening so that he could trail his hands over her back.

Orihime's return smile was mixed with teasing laughter as she replied, "I think I got a good couple of hours."

Ichigo laughed and put one hand on the back of her head as he pulled her down for a kiss. Their lips met in a slow, loving caress, and the arm he still had around her waist tightened again. His body already yearned for hers, despite the late night they had shared and the hours it had been since he'd rested even before that. But he was home now; he could afford to take his time.

He knew how much she hated letting him go off to fight without her – it was something he knew he would never be able to do. And so he always made a point to thank her thoroughly when he came home. To thank her, and to remind her of just how precious she was to him.

They pulled apart, if only slightly, and Orihime smiled at him warmly. There was still a visible flicker of relief in her gray depths, but it was joined now by contentment, love, and not a little desire. "You're home for a while, right?" she breathed against his lips.

"They're just on clean-up now," Ichigo assured her gently. "Hopefully they can go a few months without pissing someone off again."

Her smile grew, lightened by amusement, and Orihime said, "Good. I want you home for our anniversary tomorrow."

Allowing his lips to curve up in a smirk, Ichigo replied, "Well, that could be a problem, then. I wasn't planning on either of us being home tomorrow."

Orihime blinked at him, clearly confused. He had been away in Soul Society for nearly a month, fighting some bitter former Soul Reaper scientist, and they had only barely started talking about their anniversary before he'd had to leave. Surely there was no way he could have arranged something…? Then again, this was Ichigo. He would have made it a point.

"The five-year anniversary is a big deal," Ichigo began, rubbing his thumb along her scalp without disentangling his hand from her hair. "I want us to remember it for a while."

Orihime's smile returned, building slowly.

She absolutely loved when he actually planned a surprise for her. He'd only done it a few times, but each time she had been absolutely giddy with happiness. Of course, her favorite had been her two-year anniversary surprise – which had led to her favorite anniversary of all: the third year.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked softly.

"We're going away for the weekend," he declared. At her (wholly expected) look of curiosity, he added, "The Old Man gave me an advance, 'for all my hard work', and so I had Kisuke make some arrangements for us."

He paused again, and Orihime pouted dramatically, shifting enough to lightly tap one hand against his chest as she said, "Stop stalling! I want to know!"

Ichigo chuckled, pulled her down for another quick kiss, and finally said, "Remember that cabin we rented for our honeymoon?"

Orihime's eyes widened. She had loved that cabin (though, admittedly, that could have been because it was their honeymoon). "We're going there?" she asked, clearly not wanting to jump to conclusions.

Ichigo carefully nodded his head. "We are," he said.

Orihime squealed and planted her lips over his, kissing him deeply as her hands slid up until her fingers were satisfactorily buried in his hair. His arms tightened around her as he returned the kiss, their tongues taking turns exploring the others' mouths.

It was a long minute before Orihime pulled back, breathing deeply, and she smiled down at him again. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you more, Hime," Ichigo murmured, a content, honest smile on his face.

Orihime gave him a crooked smile, as she always did when he said that, but refrained from her usual argument as she scooted a bit down and let her head rest over his heart. Her hands settled over his shoulders and she softly said, "I can't believe we'll have been married for two years tomorrow."

Ichigo's hands came to a stop, one making itself comfortable over her hip, the other still tangled in her hair, over her shoulder, and he said, "Yeah, I know. Some days I can't even believe you agreed to date me."

Giggling, Orihime said, "Silly Ichigo; that was the best decision I ever made."

Arching a brow at her declaration, Ichigo couldn't help but ask, "Really? Better than agreeing to marry me?" Before she could respond, he chuckled teasingly and added, "Or than buying that black lace lingerie?"

Orihime laughed and smacked playfully at his shoulder. "You know, considering that I only got to wear it three times before you tore it off, I'm surprised you remember it so well!" She paused, stifled her laughter, and added, "And, yes. Because it was that decision that led to all those other incredibly amazing decisions."

Ichigo shifted, leaning down enough to press his lips to her forehead, before he replied, "I suppose I can understand that. As long as you can admit that they were amazing decisions."

"You're impossible," Orihime teased, laughing softly.

"Don't pretend you don't love that about me," Ichigo returned easily, deliberately squeezing her hip for emphasis.

Orihime shifted, rolling so that she was flat against him and looking up, into his eyes. As she stretched her arms out, over his shoulders, she smiled a private smile and said, "Oh, don't you worry, Ichigo. I love everything about you."

"Orihime Kurosaki," Ichigo began, mock-disbelief coloring his words as his hands settled over her spine, "are you coming on to me?"

Her eyes widening as she played along, she pushed herself up so that she was braced above him, her hair falling around their faces like an auburn curtain, and she exclaimed, "I wouldn't do that! I'm a married woman!"

He grinned and pulled one hand up to trail his fingers along her jaw as he whispered, "Then your husband must be one lucky man."

Leaning down until her lips were barely brushing over his, she softly replied, "As a matter of fact, I intend to spend the morning reminding him of that very thing."

Ichigo grunted, no longer caring about their light banter, and tugged her lips the rest of the way to his.

It was true that they still had to pack for their trip, Orihime had to call the bakery to let them know she wouldn't be in until Tuesday, and then they had to catch their evening flight, but that could all wait another couple of hours. He had been forced to leave his wife alone for a month, unable to so much as check in regularly, and he'd known the whole time that she would have been sick with worry. One night of passion was not enough to make up for that.

So the morning belonged to them – to her – and they would not leave their bed, not for anything, until Orihime was good and ready.

The End

A/N: Aaanndd – it's over! I was hoping for a light, happy, fluffy ending with this little epilogue, but I won't know if I achieved it until you tell me! ^_~ But, overall, I hope you really enjoyed this story! And, if I can, I'd also like to take a minute to thank all of my reviewers, and all of you who silently followed my story as well. So: thank you! Hope it didn't disappoint!