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The Great Beyond	By : Baqir Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 8357 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
Liner notes: This was actually supposed to be a one-shot
story about Orihime and Ichigo.
In many ways it still is, just divided and very long. Believe it or not, this
work was actually completely done prior to its release and then released
periodically.

In the way of plot, this story is
unremarkable since there are no surprises and everything pretty much repeats
itself over and over again. It�s more like a song without notes. However, when
something I do emotionally affects me, almost making me shed tears which in
fact I haven�t done for years, then�it�s something more than just writing. But
still, I always held those tears back, I never let them fall. Even in all the
years I�ve lived, I don�t remember ever shedding a tear. Anyway, let�s get this
record rolling.

XXXXX

If I were rain

Which join sky and earth

That otherwise never touch

Could I join two hearts as well?

-Kubo Tite Bleach Volume 3: Memories in the
Rain

Track Three: Come As
You Are

Side A: Sweet Emotion

Rain still
poured outside like it had been for hours. Everyone was inside except for the
few Shinigami patrolling the streets. Trillions of
droplets fell onto the Seireitei until it was soaked
beyond compare.

But people
were completely dry in their homes. Their shelters kept the rain away and its
cold from piercing their skin to the bone. But sometimes the rain�s cold can
get in even if someone closes the doors and the windows.

Ichigo had come to rest on Orihime�s
chest, right on her heart. His right ear was pressed onto her clothes and he
didn�t move an inch. Orihime just held Ichigo, one arm resting above the small of his back and the
other having its hand in his orange locks, stroking them gently.

Ichigo just blinked a few times and stared blankly at the
window that had rain running down it. Odd patterns were cast on the floor
because of the rain and were unwatched as the boy and the girl just lay
comfortably.

�Why�� Ichigo said after the
silence that had been in the room for the better part of an hour.

Orihime�s eyes looked down at Ichigo,
observing him even though he hadn�t moved in the slightest. Ichigo
cleared his throat because of his voice cracking.

�Why didn�t you blame me for anything?�

Orihime continued to scratch Ichigo�s
head gently, tickling his scalp. She looked at him through her long eyelashes.

�There was nothing to blame you for.� she answered after a
minute of thought.

Ichigo looked upward towards Orihime�s
neck which was the closest he could get to her eyes without straining his own.

�Why don�t you hate me?�

Again Orihime took her time to answer. Then again, it wasn�t like
they were in any sort of hurry. Hell, they had eternity to talk things through.

�Does a person who hates actually someone who could ever
love? I mean, ever really love, love
so much that it hurts?�

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment.

�No, I guess not.�

He craned
his neck so he could look Orihime in the eyes.

�But why didn�t you?�

Orihime closed her eyes in a contemplative manner like she
was trying to find an answer. It came, but as something rather cryptic.

�People you like, people you love, you can�t ever hate them,
no matter how much you think you want to. And�when you try to, you feel awful
and guilty. If I ever hated someone, really
hated someone, I don�t think I could forgive myself.�

�You�re too damn kind.�

�So are you.�

Ichigo made an odd noise that seemed to be a poor excuse
for a chuckle and listened to Orihime�s heart beating
calmly: THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP, THA-THUMP. It almost
sounded like it was anxious for something. No, it had been anxious for a long
time. Ichigo lowered his eyes slightly.

�Why didn�t you move on? Why didn�t you forget me?�

Orihime sighed and licked her dry lips. However, no answer
came forth from her mouth. She just scratched Ichigo�s
head and breathed for awhile. Ichigo�s head rose as Orihime�s chest did the same from her breathing. Silence
dominated the room for several minutes with only the rain as noise.

Ichigo�s heart was beating faster as was Orihime�s. Ichigo knew the answer
couldn�t be bad, but his heart beat as it did.

�Because�I wanted that pain.�

Ichigo propped himself up on his forearm to get a better
look at Orihime. She was looking away for some
reason.

�Orihime.� the buxom girl perked
up immediately at Ichigo�s use of her first name
�What do you mean?�

Orihime blushed and breathed out to calm herself.

�Because�there was no room to anyone else after I chose you.
I wanted to remember every little bit of you, but whenever I did, there was
pain.�

Ichigo
looked like he was about to say something, but stopped.

�But if that pain was all that could connect me with you,
the only thing that could bind me to you, then I was happy.�

�But��

�Shhh�� Orihime
placed her index finger to Ichigo�s lips �I�m not
done.�

Ichigo was about to say something else, but his gentlemanly
side forced him to do otherwise.

�But that�s what I thought back then. After awhile�I craved
more.�

Ichigo suddenly noticed that Orihime
had taken on a bit more of a�seductive look. She turned him onto his back and
cupped his face with her slender hands.

�I wanted to see you�Hear your voice�Touch you�� she stroked
his slightly rough face �Smell your scent�� she sniffed him �And even��

Ichigo took note of the fact that Orihime
had bent her torso more to come closer to him. She was so close that her auburn
hair was tickling his face. However, Ichigo�s
attention was most given to the fact that Orihime�s
lips were almost touching his own.

�Taste your flavor.�

Suddenly Ichigo�s eyes widened to about three times their original
size and his heart started racing like a jackhammer.

�I�came here wanting to give you what wasn�t yours. My body�my soul�my life. I wanted to give you anything you
wanted.�

�But I never wanted you to do that.�

�I wanted to do
it. My heart was already yours, but I was willing to give you everything else.�

Orihime pulled her head away from Ichigo�s
to give him some breathing room as he looked like he was about to go berserk. Orihime rested her back against the wall and looked at Ichigo.

�Now it�s your turn.� she stated plainly.

�Alright.�

�Why did you leave?�

Simple
questions were always the hardest to answer, mostly because they were always so
broad and a billion answers could be given. All were answers, but never a
complete answer. Ichigo felt himself sweat a bit,
bracing for the reaction.

�Because�I...�

Damn it, in
the little over twenty years he had been in the Soul Society, Ichigo had never dwelled on this thought. Hell, even he
didn�t know why he left all those years ago. Screw it, the last sentence was an
answer.

�I don�t know.�

Orihime tilted her head.

�Then what did you feel?�

�A desire to flee, a desire to run.�

Ichigo bowed his head shamefully.

�And I don�t even have something that I was running from.
Maybe I just ran because I could, maybe I did it because I couldn�t stand a buncha petty things, I just don�t know!�

Despite Ichigo raising his voice, Orihime
did not flinch. She scooted towards him and embraced him again, his head over
her heart.

�Alright, alright, that�s all.�

�But��

�Even if you ran, I caught you. I�m right here, so you don�t
need to be sad and you don�t need to be scared.�

Ichigo lowered his eyelids again and rested for a moment.
He had one more query.

�Why me?� he asked.

Orihime smiled slightly and stroked Ichigo�s
hair. Ichigo swore he heard a chuckle coming from Orihime�s chest.

�Because you�re you.�

�That makes no sense.�

Orihime giggled which made Ichigo
think she was making fun of him.

�Because you care, because you�re kind, because you�re
honest, because you hate it when people get hurt, because�because it�s all the
reason I need.�

Alright,
that sort of made sense, even if it was Orihime-sense.
Because he was who he was and that was all that mattered.

Neither Ichigo nor Orihime moved again
for a few moments. Ichigo was probably the one least
reluctant to move. He had gotten quite used to hearing Orihime�s
heart. It was�soothing.

�This is nice.�

�What is?�

�This, just sitting here right next to
your heart.�

Orihime smiled but also seemingly squeaked when she felt Ichigo�s arms slide to her thighs.

�My mother did this to calm me when I was a kid.�

�She did?�

�Yeah, I loved it.�

�What was she like?�

Ichigo smirked.

�A lot like you actually. You would�ve liked her.�

He closed
his eyes.

�She always smiled, was always kind, warm, and��

�Have you visited her?�

Ichigo gave no answer except to wrap his arms around Orihime�s waist.

�Kurosaki-kun?�

Sobs were
heard and Orihime saw tears forming on Ichigo�s eyes. Had Orihime known
that Ichigo had not cried since his mother died, it
would�ve made her heart skipped a few beats.

�Thank you, Orihime.�

Orihime just smiled and held Ichigo
to her heart.

�You�re welcome, Ichigo.�

Ichigo didn�t let go for awhile, he just cried a bit and
held Orihime tight while she scratched his hair. This
was�nice, relaxing, and soothing. Her scent was wonderful, somewhere between sakura and camellias. Orihime was
warm, very warm.

Ichigo felt a sensation rising in the pit of his gut and
his heart racing faster as he slid a bit further up Orihime�s
body. The girl raised an eyebrow quizzically, but dismissed it as Ichigo came to rest at her neck and he nuzzled it gently.

Orihime swallowed as Ichigo
became very accustomed to his current position and sniffed the girl�s scent. It
was intoxicating and�highly arousing. Orihime
blushed, though the low light it was hard to tell.

�Ichigo�� she whispered.

�What?�

�Kiss me.�

Ichigo was slow, but not hesitant with the action. He
withdrew himself from Orihime�s neck and traced his
nose up her neck, to her chin and then looked at her. He noticed Orihime�s slight blush, but also that eagerness in her
eyes. He advanced slowly, closing his eyes while he came closer to Orihime�s face. Orihime did the
same and thought she had felt heaven when her lips met Ichigo�s.

The two
stayed like that for a moment, neither moving as they were connected. Orihime brought her hands to Ichigo�s
back and pulled him down with her to the floor, entangling their limbs together
and making their embrace deeper.

They fell
on their sides, Ichigo on the right and Orihime on the left. His hands were at her waist and making
their way up her back while stroking her hair. It was slow, loving, gentle, and
highly erotic.

Ichigo
brought Orihime closer to him and felt their bodies
heating as her curves pressed against his whipcord muscles and sinew. Even as a
teenager Orihime had possessed a figure that would
turn the head of any man and now as a woman she had a body appropriate for a
goddess.

Ichigo slid
his tongue into Orihime�s mouth, clashing with her
own and beginning a dance. It was a bit sloppy because both were unused to this
sort of action, but it made the fire between them burn even hotter and their
passion become even more intense.

Ichigo
became bolder with his actions, removing himself from Orihime�s
mouth and going down her neck to where it met her collarbone. His tongue snaked
out, lapping at Orihime�s neck fluidly. Ichigo could feel her rapid, excited pulse with his tongue.
Orihime had to grit her teeth as not to moan, but the
rumble from her throat was still intensely loud.

�I-Ichi�Ichi��
she gasped as her breathing became heavier and more labored.

Orihime gripped Ichigo�s jacket
tightly, her nails liable to pierce the material if she pressed any harder. She
could have entered Nirvana at the moment and not be surprised as the ecstatic
feeling was intense and the feeling in her belly growing intensely.

The woman
hooked her right leg over Ichigo�s narrow waist and
pushed her hips against his. She crushed him to her neck even further and
gripped his scalp almost painfully. Then she felt his arousal press against her
and gasped.

Shit! Ichigo thought.

Ichigo stopped his current activity and withdrew from Orihime�s neck and Orihime took
her leg off of Ichigo�s side. They looked at each
other as Ichigo sighed at his actions towards the
woman.

Idiot, of
course she wouldn�t be like that. Hell, he was lucky he got that far with her
tonight to begin with.

�Look, if�� he began but never finished as Orihime stood and backed up into the moonbeam coming from
the window.

�Ichigo, take off your jacket.�

Ichigo wondered why Orihime
insisted that of him, but it was answered as Orihime
removed the clip from her hair and the rest of her auburn mane fell to her
waist. She then began fiddling with the knots at the waist of her hakama which
prompted Ichigo.

Ichigo had never found much interest in women before. He
had never found erotica particularly arousing nor was he curious about the
activity of love. However, Orihime being so willing
and eager made his emotions and his inner desires burn ferociously. He took off
his ragged, eccentric coat with a fluid elegance unsuited for him and let it
fall to the floor.

Ichigo shivered as his bare skin was exposed to the air and
watched in awe as Orihime slowly withdrew her haori. She was
now clad only in the thin yukata underneath her uniform and undid the tie at its side.
Her robe fell open, almost revealing her navel and a slight line of her creamy
skin.

Orihime brought her hands to the hem of her robe at the
neck and gently slid the fabric off slowly. The robe fell fluidly along Orihime�s figure, making it almost hypnotic, and then
arrived at her feet.

Ichigo�s eyes opened wide and his jaw lowered slightly. He
was gazing at an angel, a goddess. The moonlight bouncing off her skin gave her
an ethereal look and made her appear like she was glowing or making her seem
like a yuki-onna.
Her auburn hair also seemed to brighten intensely and haloed on her head.

Despite Orihime�s nature, she did not try to hide herself from Ichigo. Her beauty was for his view and pleasure. And�she
was divine. Her bosom, though overly full, was perfectly shaped and accented
her body which would have been perfect for carrying a child. Ichigo just took her in and thanked whatever deity had
given him this bounty.

Orihime stepped forward and returned to her former position
at Ichigo�s side on the futon. She was a bit
embarrassed due to what the situation was, but considering who she was with, it
soon faded. Ichigo placed his hands on Orihime�s hips, getting used to her soft skin. He just slid
his hand back and forth on her hip for a moment, feeling her suppleness and
making her blush even further.

Orihime was up to an activity of similar qualities. She
brushed her slender hand over Ichigo�s bare chest and
memorized every little mark. Despite how much he had been treated over the
years, he had numerous scars all over his torso. The one on his chest where his
heart was, the two near his shoulders, the one on his abdomen, and numerous
places where he had been slashed or otherwise.

Orihime did a rather strange thing considering her behavior
and ran her tongue along the scar on Ichigo�s chest. Ichigo exhaled a bit at her behavior, but finding it
pleasant as her hot tongue traced a path up his jugular. Ichigo
responded with his own action and brought his hand up to her bust swiftly and
gave it an experimental stroke. They were well-shaped and firm, but pliable.

Orihime responded with a slight moan and did so again when
he brushed the bud gently. Ichigo brought his head to
the level of Orihime�s breast and gently lapped at
the mammary. Needless to say, she gripped Ichigo�s
head to her chest and her breathing became intensely labored. The heat in her
body became more intense, more rapid and swift. Her sight was hazy with ecstasy
and lust.

�Bite me, Ichi�� Orihime begged.

Pardon?

Orihime cupped Ichigo�s face with
her hands again and made him meet her eyes. She cupped her bosom, offering it
to Ichigo.

�Mark me, so everyone knows that I�m yours.�

Alright, Orihime was into some pretty freaky stuff.

Ichigo did her request and sank his teeth into Orihime�s breast, using his canines. Orihime
grit her teeth because of the pain she ordered him to do, but she did not make
a sound. Ichigo tasted blood in his mouth and knew he
broke the skin. Like an animal, he lapped at the wound as he felt Inoue�s hot
breath on the back of his neck.

She was
his, she would be his forever. No, she had always been his. He embraced her
tighter, firmly, painfully, passionately. Not again, he wouldn�t let go again. He
would be by her side from now on.

Ichigo felt Orihime�s hands push
him downward onto the futon and she sat on his thighs on top of him. The moonlight
hit her once again, making her appear like a divine being. Orihime�s
hand strayed to Ichigo�s hair, running through it.

�Do you want me?� she asked.

�Yes��

�Do you need me?�

�Always��

Orihime leaned forward and planted a kiss on Ichigo�s forehead gently then her hands strayed to his hakama. She untied them and then slid them off slowly with
her delicate hands. Both were bare now, Orihime on
top of Ichigo.

The woman
gripped Ichigo�s arousal tightly, making him moan
slightly. How odd that she had him now. She brought him to her entrance and exhaled
anxiously.

She was
swift, impaling herself upon him in an instant and knocking the wind out of her
and Ichigo in an instant. That pain was intense, but
it vanished in a second, leaving behind just a memory. Orihime
stopped for a moment, getting used to Ichigo and
breathing as tears fell down her cheeks. Ichigo
brushed her face and looked into her eyes.

�Are you alright?�

�Fool,� she pressed his hand against her cheek more �but I
guess that�s why I feel the way I do about you.�

Ichigo smirked and wiped Orihime�s
face clean with his hand and thumbed the mark he gave her, which had just
stopped bleeding. Orihime gripped Ichigo�s
chest with her fingers and slid up him and then down, keeping up a steady
rhythm.

Ichigo began to breathe heavily as Orihime
kept pushing him into her body, sweat beginning to form on her body. Ichigo was in the same state, his body becoming hotter, and
his sense of touch more acute as Orihime kept up her
pace. His hands were on her hips as she gasped in a high-pitched manner. God,
she felt so good.

Orihime felt like Ichigo was in
her belly, piercing her womb. It was an odd feeling, but a pleasant one as
well. Ichigo�s hands on her body, his eyes never
going away from her own. This was perfect, this was paradise, and was her
heaven at last.

Orihime scraped her nails on Ichigo�s
chest, liable to draw blood as her inner walls clenched around him and she saw
stars exploding in front of her eyes. Ichigo also
exploded, releasing his seed into Orihime�s womb,
filling her. She collapsed on top of him, her figure shining with sweat and her
body exhausted. Ichigo had one of his arms rest over Orihime�s back, embracing her further.

�Orihime��he gasped.

She
answered him with a kiss on his scar as she was too exhausted to crane her neck
up.

�Ichi, there are times for
talking, but let�s sleep.�

XXXXX

Side B: Stairway to
Heaven

Mornings
after storms have a tendency to make everything look refreshed and clean. The
air is crisp, the breeze cool, and the streets clean. Rain isn�t always so bad
because it shows something nice after it�s gone.

However, Kiyone still had to do her little ritual of waking up her
Captain only to be tricked into seeing that he had been behind her the whole
time. She walked down the hall and eventually onto the walkway to Ichigo�s room.

�Kurosaki-taichou.� she said as
she slid open the door.

No answer
as always. No, it wasn�t like always. Usually Kurosaki was behind her by now
and gave her the same answer. Odd, where was he?

Kurosaki-taichou never left early without telling Kiyone and it wasn�t like he took early-morning walks.
Unless�yeah, that was a possibility.

Kiyone had remembered that her Captain had gone to the
dormitories last night so maybe he was still there. But why exactly would he
still be there? Maybe he and that girl had something wild happen the night
before.

Kiyone blushed at such a thought and continued up the
stairs to the dormitories. She slid the shoji open and then saw the sight of Orihime being held from behind by Ichigo
while both of them lay under the covers of a futon. Blushing madly, Kiyone bowed faster than hell and said quickly:

�Sorryfordisturbingyousir!!!!�

Kiyone slammed the shoji door shut, which awakened both Orihime and Ichigo. Ichigo propped himself up on his elbow and grumbled as Orihime just sighed and stretched.

�What was that?� said the former.

�Don�t know.�

The two stood,
extricating their bodies from each other�s grasps. Ichigo
just looked out of the window while Orihime took a
comb out and ran it through her long locks which had become somewhat haphazard
from last night.

Ichigo
looked over his shoulder at her as she hummed a tune and brushed her hair. He
cracked a grin at how she could just go on without thinking twice and not dwell
too much on things. It was a strength he wished he had.

�Ichi-kun?�
Orihime raised an eyebrow at his observation of her.
He smirked at her use of a pet name for him.

�It�s nothing.�

XXXXX

Kiyone paced nervously as she awaited her Captain to exit
with the Shinigami student. Damn, Kiyone
hoped that Kurosaki-taichou wasn�t angry at her for
�intruding�. This would fly around in no time.

�Kiyone.� the shoji slid open to
reveal Ichigo with Orihime
behind him.

Immediately
Kiyone bowed in apology.

�Sorry!�

�Nothing happened, so stop that.�

�Er, uh, right.� the vice-captain
scratched her head as both Ichigo and Orihime sweat-dropped.

�Did you have something for me?�

�Yeah, it came last night.�

Kiyone reached into her sleeve and handed Ichigo an envelope with a sakura
symbol on it. It had to be from Shunsui if it had
that on it.

�You�re dismissed.�

�Yessir.�
Kiyone bowed and left.

Ichigo took off the ribbon sealing the envelope and
unfolded the letter within it. As he did so, Orihime
slid her hand along her hair.

�I�ll have to go Ichigo, see ya.

�Wait.� Ichigo grabbed Orihime�s arm as she turned to leave. She blinked several
times and saw Ichigo put the letter into his sleeve.
He turned to her, his eyes bittersweet: �There�s someone I�d like you to meet.�

XXXXX

Orihime had scarcely agreed to Ichigo
having her skip classes to come with him when he decided to Shyunpo the entire distance in a
matter of seconds with her in his arms. Needless to say, it was a rather
rigorous experience that was similar to being in a vacuum for a short period of
time, being that it was so fast that not even air was felt.

They
finally stopped outside a rather small house with a bamboo curtain over the
entrance instead of a shoji door, like all other houses outside the Seireitei. Orihime turned her
head over to Ichigo to get an answer from him.

�Ichi-�

�She lives here.�

Orihime raised an eyebrow at Ichigo�s
sentence, but recalled the emphasis he placed on �she�. She looked at the small
house, realizing that to have the Head Captain look this up was pretty drastic.
Then again, this must mean a lot to Ichigo.

Ichigo slid his hand towards, but hesitated a bit. However,
he saw that Orihime had placed her own hand over his.

�Don�t be apprehensive, because something can vanish in that
instant.�

�Sorry.�

Ichigo let Orihime guide his hand
and push the curtain to the side. Ichigo let Orihime in first and then ducked his head under the curtain
as they entered.

The house
was as small on the inside as it was on the outside. Just a living with what
looked like a storage room or two to the sides. Orihime
darted her head left and right.

�Are you sure someone�s here?�

�Yeah, I feel her.�

Before the
two could debate any further, someone came in from the other room; a woman with
long, brown hair. She hummed a tune while she fiddled with a blanket she held
in her hands.

She finally
opened her eyes and looked to Ichigo and Orihime. She smiled.

�Hello, Ichi-chan.�

Ichigo swallowed as Orihime hid
behind him. He sweated a bit.

�H-hello, Mom.�

Kurosaki
Masaki smiled like Orihime would and set the blanket
on a shelf on the wall. She fiddled with her yukata a
bit and then looked at her son.

�You�re not surprised?� Ichigo
asked.

�No, I knew you�d want to see me if you decided to follow in
Isshin�s footsteps.�

Ichigo sweat-dropped
at his mother�s attitude as she observed him. She squeezed his biceps with her hand, feeling
their tautness.

�Are you eating well?�

�Yeah.�

�You�re tall, but you�re all bones.� Masaki looked right
into Ichigo�s eyes and observed his face �You should
smile more, but you grew up handsome.�

�I guess.� Ichigo rubbed the back
of his head.

Masaki
smiled at her son�s humility and then decided to look around his back at Orihime who had buried her face into Ichigo�s
spine. Masaki tapped Orihime�s head to end her
attempt to hide.

�May I ask who you are?�

�Um, Inoue, Inoue Orihime.�

�I figured my Ichi-chan would
bring home a princess!� Masaki giggled as both Orihime
and Ichigo blushed crimson.

Masaki
managed to yank Orihime off her son and observe the
young girl from head to toe.

�Hmm, nice wide, strong hips, narrow waist, actually quite
an athletic build if you don�t count these.�
Masaki proceeded to grab Orihime�s bosom shamelessly
which surprised Orihime and caused Ichigo to sweat so much he could have watered the plants
outside.

�Mom!!�

�Hee-hee, I couldn�t resist!�

Did she and Dad�s
weird genes cancel each otherout when I was born?

Masaki let
out her giggles for the day and motioned for her son and Orihime
to sit. Ichigo just crossed his legs while Orihime sat properly. Masaki sat as well and looked at Ichigo and Orihime.

�Well, I think you two look nice. You�re perfect.�

�Th-thank you,
Masaki-san.�

�Call me Mother.�

Orihime blushed as did Ichigo.
His mother sure did want couples to work fast. Masaki looked at Ichigo.

�So, why did you come here?�

�I just wanted to see you is all.
Ever since Kyouraku became Head Captain I�ve had him
looking for you.�

�You missed me?�

Ichigo lowered his head.

�Yeah, I�I�ve missed you. Yuzu,
Karin, and Dad missed you just as much as I did.�

�Are they happy?�

�The last time I saw them, yeah. Yuzu
has become the homemaker, Karin is a tough girl, and Dad is�Dad.�

Masaki
giggled at Ichigo�s answers. However, Ichigo looked different.

�It was tough though, for Yuzu and
Karin because they were so young and Dad�he hated that he couldn�t save you
that night.�

�Tell the fool that he needs to learn not to worry so much
anymore now that I�m here, and you shouldn�t either.�

Masaki
placed her hands on Ichigo�s shoulders and then held
him close.

�I love you, Ichi-chan, so you can
come anytime you want if you need something. I�ll make tea next time.�

Ichigo�s eyes felt like they were burning and his heart
felt heavy. But, it wasn�t an unpleasant sensation. He didn�t hesitate in
hugging his mother.

�Mom, thank you.�

Masaki
chuckled and then looked to Orihime who had faced the
other direction to give Ichigo and his mother some
privacy. The older woman put her hand on the younger one�s shoulder and gave a
bit of a tug.

�Hime-chan, you made a good choice
in him. I know he won�t hurt you, or make you sad.�

�Thank you, Mother.�

�And�you have my blessing.�

Orihime blushed and widened her eyes while Ichigo just adjusted his posture a bit. Orihime
bowed her head respectfully.

�Th-thank you!�

Masaki
stood and helped both her guests to their feet. She gave Ichigo
the sort of smile Unohana used when she was reprimanding
her subordinates.

�Ichi-chan, get this young lady to
class now. And I believe you have duties as a captain to fulfill.�

�Er, right. Uh, let�s go, Orihime.�

Ichigo scooped up Orihime and
walked out. But his mother followed and had one last thing to say.

�Hime-chan.�

Ichigo stopped and Orihime looked
over his shoulder.

�Yes?�

�Take care of him and make sure that he smiles every day for
you.� Masaki grinned.

�I will, I promise.�

Orihime looked to Ichigo whose
face was on its default expression. He responded after a moment.

�What?�

�Can you?�

Ichigo looked at Orihime�s
waiting face and a slight smile appeared on its own. It wasn�t huge, just
enough to know that he was smiling and not forcing it.

Ichigo looked to his mother and showed her the same smile.

�I�ll come again soon.�

Ichigo vanished in an instant to go towards the Academy.
Masaki looked at the spot Ichigo had been a second
ago and didn�t lose her smile.

�Live happy, don�t hesitate, and know that there is always
someone to hold you even if you�re in despair.�

XXXXX

Liner notes: Huh, I noticed that the chapters in this little
fic funneled, the longest being the first chapter and
the shortest being the last. I�ve come to realize over the days I worked on
this finale that this is actually not a bad story, just different. I�ve never
done a slice-of-life fic, but it turned out good.

Yeah, you can whine that the poem at the beginning is overused
and maybe that Masaki showing up is boring, but that poem is still good and Ichigo hearing some words from his mother would give him
solace if nothing else would.

Anyway, I think I�ve learned something from this project and
I hope I can apply to everything else I do.
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The Great Beyond