Kubo Tite owns Bleach.

Orihime blinked once she realized she'd dropped the apple. Once she bent down to grab it, another few fell from the small sack strapped to her back. With a small huff of frustration, the redhead pulled the sack from off her back, surprise flitting across her face once she caught sight of the small hole embedded in the sack, "Oh..." She mumbled softly to herself - no wonder she'd been dropping so much on the way back. She'd have to patch up the hole as soon as possible when she got back.

"Oi! Woman!" Orihime's long eyelashes fluttered, turning head slightly to spot the small group of men heading towards her - there were four of them, all much taller than her and burly. They didn't look they were good news either. The leader, the biggest one, stepped forward - sword resting lazily against his shoulder. He held himself with an air of confidence, stopping a foot in front of her, "You from around here?"

Orihime stared up at him, almost curiously. Then smiled. "Not particularly."

His grin widened, large and overwhelming, "Why don't I show ya' around then?"

"No, thanks."

That made them all stop short. Obviously, they weren't very used to a woman denying any type of attention from them. Orihime seemed unbothered, going back to plucking the oranges and apples from the ground once again. She paid no mind to the men behind her until she heard a small growl of, "Bitch!" and a hand reached over and grabbed a hold of her thin wrist. Orihime yelped, eyes widening when she was suddenly yanked from the ground. "Y'think this is up fer debate, wench?!"

As the men began to crowd around her, Orihime couldn't help but want to sympathize them a bit. Her expression softened as she tugged at her wrist, attempting to ignore the bruising grip. "Um...p-please let me go, I don't want you to get hurt..."

The men had the nerve to laugh, a barking ugly sound that made her nose wrinkle at him. "Hurt me? You? Don't make me fuckin' laugh–"

Blood splattered against Orihime's front. It was so fast and sudden that she could do nothing but blink. The man's sentence ended on a wet gurgle, his eyes wide and unfocused as he stumbled back. Now, there was a clean, deep line slit across his throat, blood immediately gushing and flowing from the wound almost violently. The men around him quickly moved away, one stumbling back onto their behind in shock. It took Orihime a couple seconds to realize what was in front of her, the black-cladded back facing her.

The man that had been cut was dead by that point, limp and spread out. Blood was beginning to form underneath his body. The one closest to the body of his leader suddenly growled, "What the fuck, you bastard?"

In the sun, Zangetsu glistened - the fresh coat of blood settling onto the blade familiarly. Propped against its owners shoulder, it looked as if it belonged there. Orihime couldn't help but stare, "...Ichigo-kun."

In reply, the orange-haired in front of her scoffed underneath his breath, "I'm workin' on it!" Orihime couldn't stop herself from placing her hands on her hips almost indignantly - or she tried to come off as that way. Ichigo waved a dismissive hand in her direction, stepping forward to confront the three men. He moved with lazy grace, like a wild panther. Sleek, muscled, clad in black. Orihime watched, hands falling to her sides after awhile. There was no point in arguing with him. Without any pause, he rose his leg and planted it directly on one's chest ( the one that was still on the ground ) and Orihime distinctly heard a rib crack under the pressure.

The man wailed, eyes wide and crazed on his face. Ichigo only grinned in reply - feral, wild. "This is my territory, shit for brains," he lowered his foot more, paying no mind to the cries the man emitted, "My territory. My land. My woman." Finally, the man decided to be smart and quickly began to nod his head, though it didn't look like he was paying too what Ichigo was saying because of the pain. "I see any o' you around here anymore, and you're dead. Just like your buddy here."

It didn't take much longer for the rest to get the idea. Orihime would describe it as them more or less running off with their tails between their legs. Ichigo watched them go, eyes narrowed and careful. It looked as if he were surveying the area, something he'd done a lot in the past couple weeks. Orihime couldn't really get him to calm down much at all. She released a sigh underneath her breath, balancing fruit within her arms, "Ichigo-kun." This time, he did turn his head in her direction, warm brown eyes falling onto her. The way they stared at her, it made her feel as if she was naked in front of him. Ignoring the warmth within her cheeks, she pursed her lips rather stubbornly, "Urahara-san is going to be angry with you."

She could completely understand why Ichigo killed the man - she didn't condone violence or death in this type of matter, but she also knew Ichigo like the back of her hand at this point. Weeks had passed, but he still didn't look as if he was going to calm down any time soon. For the last four weeks, they'd both been holed up inside of Urahara's small shack - there wasn't much room within the home, but he still offered it to them as long as they needed. Since the escape from the kingdom and Calvary, things had been more or less - well, bad. Ichigo's injuries were healing at a snail's pace, Shinji had only stayed to keep an eye on Hinamori - whose injuries were not any better and she'd caught a fever and infection over the last couple weeks, nothing was going very well for her. Urahara and Orihime herself kept a close eye on her and to her surprise, Shinji had never left her side as the days crawled by. The rest of the group had dispersed and separated, finding it would be better that way in case anyone came looking for a large group such as themselves. Rukia and Renji promised they would be back as soon as they could, Rukia had mentioned she had something she needed to take care of as well.

Things had been slow and tedious. Orihime could understand Ichigo's frustration and overwhelming need for violence. She could only keep by his side and hope things would be better. And of course, things weren't exactly great between them either. Ichigo had been more than obvious with his need of space since she'd returned. Even though Urahara brushed it off as nothing ( "he's always grumpy, Orihime-chan~" ), Orihime knew better. The way Ichigo stared at her, the way he kept his touches brief and cold, the way he ignored her sometimes.

She broke herself from her thoughts when she felt him brush past her. Quickly, she turned around, a whirl of red-gold hair following the movement, "Ichigo-kun!" Her body moved on its own, really - it always did when it came to him - and one hand reached forward and tugged at the black cloth of his sleeve, "W-Wait..."

"Y'can get back fine on your own, can't you?" He sounded annoyed when he spoke to her. Orihime paused, stared at him, and then dropped her hand, "That's what I thought." And he continued on his way.

That. It'd been like that for a month now. Orihime could only watch as he walked further and further away from her. Instinctively, she curled her arms around her, the fruit still within her arms.

She should've known better. She should've known an apology wouldn't be enough.

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.

"Back already, Orihime-chan?" Shinji was standing within the doorway of the smallest bedroom, lifting the cloth of the door out of the way. He gave her a mischievous smile, taking note of her bloodied clothes. "Have fun out there, eh?"

Orihime shook her head, "...Some men...outside." She kept it as vague as she possibly could, expression blank.

Shinji seemed to get the hint immediately. His expression sobered. "That damn idiot. I told him t' stop bein' so reckless. Thought he'd at least listen to ya'." At her small wince, he grimaced even more. There was a small cough from within the back room, probably Hinamori waking from her fever-induced sleep. Shinji glanced back at the noise, and then back to Orihime. "I'll go an' take care of the guy, help Momo out, will ya'?" With that, he moved past her quietly, disappearing outside.

Orihime took in a deep breath, trying to muster up a schooled expression before entering the room. Hinamori was lying in her futon - she looked so small and weak. She'd obviously lost weight over the last fortnight, Orihime noticed instantly. She settled by Hinamori's side, taking the small cloth off of the girl's forehead and dipping it in the cool water beside the futon. Wringing it out a couple times, Orihime placed it back upon Hinamori's head, keeping quiet the entire time. Blearily, Hinamori's dark eyes open - unfocused and half-lidded.

Orihime leaned forward rather eagerly, "Hinamori-san? Can you hear me?"

Hinamori turned her head slightly at the sound of Orihime's voice, dry lips opening slightly to whisper, "Princess..."

Orihime could only manage a soft smile - it was very much forced, "I told you, Hinamori-san. You can call me Orihime now."

"...yes. Of course." The girl's voice is soft and raspy. She remained quiet for a few seconds, eyes flickering around the room, as if she's looking for something or someone.

Orihime caught the hint almost immediately, "Shinji-kun went outside. He should be back soon."

Hinamori kept quiet, only giving a weak nod in response. Silence settled around them, heavy on Orihime's shoulders. When Hinamori did speak again, it sounded as if she's close to falling asleep, "Why..." Orihime perked up at the question, thin eyebrows lifting, "Why...did he save me? Bring me with him here? Why..."

Orihime stared. She was unable to get out a response at first, "...Everyone else asked the same question. I think...I think it's because he thinks you're worth it, Hinamori-san."

Hinamori looked as if she wanted to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "...Right." Again, silence until the girl broke it again. "Princess, you look upset." Orihime blinked at that, lips parting. Did she? She was so accustomed to mustering a strong face for her mother, her friends, her kingdom, that she hadn't realized how easy it was to let the persona slip. Maybe it was because she didn't have to do things like that anymore, maybe she was much too tired to try in the end. Things were different now, things were muddled and confusing. In the beginning, she was so certain that her hazardous plan would've worked out, that lives would be better that way, but now - she could see how much of an idiot she must've been. People were dead, she'd caused so much death around her.

Her mother was gone. Without her there, things would surely fall apart.

Hazel eyes shimmered and slowly, a thick tear fell down her right cheek. Quickly, Orihime raised a hand and swiped it over her face, managing a wobbly smile, "I-I apologize, Hinamori-san–"

"That man..." Hinamori whispered, her voice a croak by that point, "That man came and saved you. He...he came for you, didn't he?" When Orihime did nothing but stare at her, tears tracking down her cheeks, Hinamori continued, "...Orihime, you are worth it."

.

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By the time she left the hut, it was nightfall. Ignoring the smell of stew being cooked ( Urahara had put together a rather large meal for them all to eat ), Orihime continued down the small trail to the river. She knew the way by heart by then, her steps light and paced out. Like a child, she spread her arms out so it looked as if she was flying, humming a soft song under her breath - a song she hadn't heard for years now.

She smelled the scent of the river before she saw it. It glowed from the shine of the full moonlight. As she got closer, she saw him sitting at the water, his back hunched over and one hand pushing through the orange strands of hair. Orihime watched cautiously, testing her weight as she moved one more step forward. At that, Ichigo moved like lightening, grabbing a hold of Zangetsu and turning to aim it towards her. Orihime jerked, a small gasp stuck in her throat at the feral look upon his face. Once Ichigo registered it was her, he scowled, stabbing Zangetsu into the earth beside him.

"What're you doing?"

"I came to get you for supper."

His eyebrows furrowed at her chipper tone, "Not hungry."

Once he sat back down, Orihime could only stare at his back in silence. Slowly, she stepped forward. When he didn't snap at her or tell her to get lost, Orihime lifted the skirts of her kimono and dipped her feet within the cool river. There was the sound of rushing water between them, neither of them spoke - it was stifling, like there was so much that needed to be said but not nearly enough time.

"I miss Ishida-kun."

Ichigo snorted at that, the sound was derisive. "Fuck that guy."

Orihime almost smiled at that - even when Ishida-kun not there, Ichigo still looked as if he would be willing to argue with the guy, just for the refreshing banter. "...I wonder where he is."

Ichigo stayed quiet for a few moments, and then when he did speak, his voice was no longer teasing. "He left on his own. No one fucking asked him to." Orihime stared at his side profile, hands knitting nervously in her lap. She could say nothing, only waiting for him to continue. Ichigo didn't disappointing, his voice going lower and harsher, "Everyone...everyone fucking leaves at some point. There's nothing you can do about it."

She tried to ignore the sting within her chest, but it was inevitable. There was a bite to his words, obvious venom and hurt. "I'm...I'm sorry, Ichigo."

"Why'd you keep it from me?" He was looking at her then, his eyes were burning - glaring into hers. Orihime couldn't look away. It'd been weeks since Ichigo truly looked at her like this, like she was actually there. And it sent her heart pounding away in her chest. "Me. Of all people. Everyone knew. But me." The hurt was still there, and now it was apparent in his expression, twisted with anger. The skin between his forehead wrinkled. "I–"

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice breaking on the last syllable. She couldn't stay straight-faced anymore. In a matter of seconds, her face fell and crumbled. There were tears again, falling with startling speed and dripping off her chin. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san, I'm sorry, I'm sorry–" Without waiting for her to finish, he lifted a large hand and cradled her face. His kiss burned through her - from the top of her head to her curling toes within the freezing water. He kissed her as if he hasn't eaten in years and she was a succulent meal in front of her.

When he pulled away, Orihime was panting and wide-eyed, tears still on her pink cheeks. He stared at her, eyes narrowed and pain, "Shut up already. Let me talk," Orihime wordlessly nodded, lips parted and yearning to be pressed against his again, "You're not my father. You're not Senna. You're different," One rough thumb swabbed against her cheek, wiping away a warm tear, "I promised I would cherish you." The things he was saying sounded like they were hard to get out, like he was pulling at layer by layer, a punch to the gut at every word. "I'm gonna keep that promise."

Orihime breathed out, her breathing off and ragged. Spice-brown eyes stared at him, thick lashes wet and fluttering. "I...I love you a lot, Ichigo-kun." She would do anything for him - anything. Her fate was sealed through and through, and it would inevitably be tied to his. No matter how many lives they may go through, she was more than certain she would meet him in every one. Orihime beamed at the thought.

Ichigo pressed his thumb against her bottom lip, an inquisitive frown coming to his face, "I'm telling you, you're mine now. There's no running away, Kitten. You try to run again and I'm coming after you."

Orihime's smile widened even further at that, tears collecting at her eyes again, "Got it!"

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.

Pushing her robes off of her shoulders, Orihime glanced towards the window, tilting her head slightly. It was much later now, she'd only gotten back a short while ago. Urahara had had this smug smirk on his face, waving his fan at Ichigo and releasing a few snide comments that earned him a punch in the face. Things were quiet now, Orihime breathed in softly, releasing it as her shoulders relaxed.

Things were okay. Things would be okay. She would fix this.

When she heard the door open behind her, Orihime almost jumped out of her skin. With it being so dark, all she was able to make out was his figure making its way towards her. No matter how intimidating he might've seemed to other people, she couldn't help but immediately relax when he got closer. Once he was close enough, his hands curled over her bare shoulders, pushing down the fabric of her kimono even more until it bunched at her waist. He pushed her long hair over to her opposite shoulder, his warm breath on her neck. Orihime narrowly resisted the urge to shiver, her skin was practically craving his warm, rough touch. It was an almost startling feeling.

His lips touched her skin softly. The redhead could've sworn she felt them moving, as if he were speaking. Probably words she would never be able to hear, words he wouldn't ever really say aloud. Not even in front of her. Orihime's eyes would've closed if it weren't for him suddenly biting into the skin of her shoulder.

"Ow! Waaah! Kurosaki-san!"

"What happened to Ichigo, huh?" She could hear the smile in his voice.

Orihime whined, rubbing a hand over the spot, one arm curling over her naked chest. "That huuurt!" Turning her head slightly in his direction, she opened her mouth to complain more, only for his lips to suddenly meet hers. He could probably see in the dark better than she could. Ichigo breathed her in slowly, keeping the kiss soft and close-mouthed, letting it linger for a few seconds before he pulled away. He didn't leave much space between them, though, only pressing his head into the crook of her neck.

Behind her, he felt so much more relaxed. Much more like the Kurosaki-san she'd come to know. It made her smile.

It was quiet, a very comfortable quiet. When he did speak, his voice was gruff. "What do you want to do?"

Orihime blinked, "Eh?"

He lifted his head slightly, "What do you want to do?" He repeated the words as if she had a hard time hearing, "Whatever you choose, y'know I'm with you, right? And you're with me."

Finally, Orihime understood the meaning of her words. Her smile merely widened, a light feeling blossoming within her chest. "I want...I want to find who we were looking for in the beginning. He'll have more answers. About my mother, the kingdom. I need to find him, Ichigo-kun." By the time she turned around in his arms, she'd lifted her kimono to cover her as much as possible. "I can't leave things like this."

He scoffed under his breath, moving so his arms were crossed over his chest, "You're still tryin' to find that guy. You don't even know what he looks like."

Wagging a finger, Orihime pouted, "That doesn't matter! I told you before, I'll know when–"

"–you see him, I know," he still didn't look much convinced, but didn't bother arguing with her for long. "You know I'm not gonna let you go alone. In fact, I'm not letting you go anywhere alone for now on." Orihime's pout deepened, he scowled before she could try and protest, "I'm serious. Don't you ever think of leaving my side again."

Orihime nodded, tucking her arms behind her back. Ichigo eyed her for a few seconds before muttering, "Guess we can try looking for Ishida too. I got a few things I wanna say to that guy."

Orihime blinked, and then smiled, "Of course!" Once they settled within the futon together - it was much too small for both of them, but Ichigo made it work. Orihime could hear his heart beneath her ear, slow and steady.

She was almost close to dozing off when Ichigo spoke up beside her, "These're yours." Orihime's hazel brown eyes slowly peeled open, blinking once when she caught sight of the sapphire blue charms within his palm, moonlight bouncing off of the blue. Orihime stared, flickering her eyes from him and back to the charms. When she sat up, he did the same, handing them to her gently. "They're important to you, right?"

Orihime glanced up at him, studying his expression now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, "You...you kept them."

He looked almost offended, "'Course I did." With that, he lied back down, arms behind his head.

The light feeling within her chest was spreading out, getting thicker and harder to ignore, "Ichigo-kun."

"Mm?"

"I love you."

Ichigo remained quiet, one second, two, three - and then, "Tomorrow I'm talkin' to Hirako, so get some sleep."

"Yessir!"

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She would protect this man, this happiness, this love with her life.

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Sorry to everyone that checked this early in the morning! Fanfiction made it looked updated around three in the morning when really I was just deleting extra chapters that were just AN's and anything else that wasn't important. Now! I am finally updating Hidden Screams, I finally got through my writers block! I'm so happy! This might seem kinda filler, but its mostly to get the ball rolling so these guys can get back to their adventure and what they set out for in the first place. I am fully on board with this story and ready to get things solved, it's nowhere near particularly ending, but I know where I'm taking this story.

Sorry if Ichigo seemed a little difficult - I haven't wrote him this way in a long time and also, he's always struggled with people leaving him in this story. I wanted to cover him and Orihime's relationship to show that they were good. I can't promise quick and speedy updates you guys, but my main focuses are Hidden Screams, You Desire, and Everything In Between. Mostly EIB and Hidden Screams since they've been sitting the longest. Thanks for sticking with me! Please excuse any typos or anything, I wrote this at four in the morning, haha! ( also this chapter was filled with cheese, please excuse while I let myself out )

Also! I know I'm JUST NOW acknowledging that IchiHime became canon, but! You guys have no idea how happy I was, how happy the IchiHime fandom was! Like we've been through so much shit with the IchiRuki fandom and it's like - it's just nice to know that things ended up this way. Even though things were really rushed, I was satisfied for the ending, as much as I could be with such a rushed ending. Please don't hold anything against Kubo, I love him to death. And! Kazui! Like how cute is he? From now on, I'm adding him all the time in things. I might actually make a one-shot with the family soon, so watch out for that!

Thanks for everything guys! I'll be updating things soon! Please leave a review, I know you guys missed this story. Hope I didn't disappoint!