Salvation

Warning: Some OCC Ichigo light pervyness. It's very subtle for now.

Chapter 2

Two nude figures laid over a large bed of messy white silken sheets. They were both equally pale and though their bodies didn't touch, their intimacy was obvious by the way they closely faced one another in their peaceful sleep. Sun light shone brightly upon them, but they didn't stir from the heat of intense light filtering through glass or the blinding radiance. Exhaustion had done that to them.

Ringing accompanied by a rhythmic buzzing was what awakened Uryuu. He didn't know what time it was, but he was certain that he had overslept because the warm morning sun was shining directly on his face.

Moving to sit up, his squinting foggy gaze fell on the pale delicate feminine figure beside him. Though he couldn't see her clearly without his glasses, he smiled knowing that she was breathing steadily, probably wearing an angelic expression on her youthful doll-like face.

The ringing stopped for a couple of seconds only to recommence persistantly and he reluctantly tore his gaze away from the woman on the bed with him. He didn't want the phone to awaken her. She was tired from working a double-shift and somehow she had still managed to find a way to see him and that in his mind was enough to want to let her sleep longer than him.

He still couldn't believe he was in a forbidden relationship with her, but for the past eight months he had guarded the secret zealously, fearing that circumstances and opposing sides that could separate and twist their love.

They didn't even need to speak of love to know that it was there. They surprisingly understood each other to that level. Like twin souls.

Sighing in annoyance, he turned towards the night table beside the bed and snatched the irritating platinum cellphone up. Opening it with a snap of his hand, he gave one last glance at the delicate woman on the bed before rising up naked to walk over to the bathroom to keep his voice from waking her.

Finding his glasses on the bathroom's counter, he snatched them up before snapping on the receiver,"This better be good!"

"Ishida?!"

A blush stained his cheeks at hearing Arisawa Tatsuki's surprised voice on the other line.

This is... unexpected.

Pushing his already donned glasses up his nose, he focused on his image reflected on the long bathroom mirror and saw how his black hair was tousled around his head and his face showed a placid satiated albeit tired look. Just seeing himself at times made him blush, like in that very moment that the heat on his cheeks heightened at the image.

"Arisawa-san?" his tone was smooth; a well-practiced gift of his was acting calm while discomforted.

"Listen! I know that I called at a bad time! I just thought that since it's nine am that you would be up. I really didn't have anyone else to talk to about this..."

"No!" he laughed nervously, passing a hand over his hair in a lame effort to smooth it out. "It's just that you've really surprised me that's all!"

"I'm not calling you at a bad time, am I?"

"No, you didn't," his face was starting to hurt at the force of his blushes.

"Good, because what I have to tell you can't be told to anyone else... At least not yet." Hearing the hesitance in Tatsuki's voice, Uryuu's eyes widened.

"Did something happen?" He could only recall two times Arisawa had called his cellphone. One time it was because there was a Hollow incident taking place over at the dojo and she hadn't been able to handle it or reach anyone else. The other occasion was for Orihime's wedding in the local courthouse. It was clear that she wasn't one to call for idle chit chat.

"Well," a long resigned breath was heard before she blurted out what she needed to tell him, "Ichigo is back in town."

His chest tightened and his now unclouded eyes glanced over to the feminine figure on the bed that had begun to move, showing signs of awakening. This was the last news he wanted to hear.

The return of Kurosaki.

Lowering his voice, he turned his back on the open doorway that faced the bedroom,"Kurosaki? But I thought that he was still studying in Tokyo." Trying to keep panic from his voice, he sounded composed though blood was quickly rushing to his head.

"Yeah. He still is. His dad didn't tell me much but Ichigo had taken a bunch of classes all at once and that has given him six months of free time until the rest of his class can catch up."

He almost scoffed aloud at that. Ichigo wasn't the studious type, but then again neither was he the kind of guy that blocked out his friends. He was well aware of what had happened one year earlier with Inoue and Shirosaki. All of them had seen how Ichigo became more and more withdrawn and snappish until just after graduation... He had disappeared from Karakura altogether and hadn't told anyone, except for his family. Tatsuki and Orihime had really suffered because of that. In one hand Tatsuki had been angry and felt betrayed while Orihime had been understandably worried about him.

Everything had changed for them from then on. Rukia had stayed in Karakura and strengthened her friendship with Orihime, easily befriending the rest of the group with her help. Sado, he knew, called the Kurosaki household to know any news of Ichigo at least once a week. Keigo and Mizuiro had spent the first couple of months visiting his house asking about him.

Eventually they all fell into a routine that involved snaking around his absence. They all thought about him, but just didn't talk about it like before. Orihime and Tatsuki were the only ones that sought him out constantly only to return empty-handed. One crestfallen and concerned, the other one angrier with every passing day.

"I just don't know what to do with him! When I came over he was so cold and started saying nonsense about us replacing him with Ogichi! If you had seen him, you'd think it was another person!"

"Has he...?" he glanced over his shoulder and saw his lover rising off the bed and stretching, her pale delicate boned body glowing under the sunlight. For a brief moment he forgot even to breathe. Only she could have such an effect on him. Like the first time they'd made love.

"Ishida?"

"Ah, yes, my apologies," forcing his gaze away from the young woman, he felt more nervous than ever before in his life. "What... I meant to ask you is if he has mentioned anyone else? I know that he has mentioned Shirosaki, but has he mentioned us or Kuchiki?"

"No. He just yelled about how none of us understood what he had been feeling during Ogichi and Orihime's relationship... Which is true," there was a short pause in which he heard her let out a long breath, "I'll admit that I kind of overlooked the fact that his body was being used without his permission and now... now I feel like shit for it!... And why are you whispering?"

"No particular reason," he walked further into the bathroom and closed the door behind him without turning around. It was just a matter of time before his lover overheard him or asked about who he was talking to.

"Oh... I just really needed to speak with someone that is part of the group but wouldn't be easily hurt by his attitude problem. Kuchiki was my other choice, but when I went to her apartment she wasn't there and I don't have her cellphone."

"I see...," No, he didn't see. Up to a certain point, Tatsuki's view point was good. None of Ichigo's close friends would like to suffer his apathy, but he just didn't understand how he could be of help or even Kuchiki for that matter. Both Ichigo and the shinigami had been a couple and regardless of how much Orihime had tried to mend their broken relationship, they had lost all closeness as friends or lovers.

And I doubt that Kuchiki's presence would help him get better.

"Arisawa, exactly what did he tell you? Word for word."

Taking a deep breath, she then relayed everything that had happened during her visit with Ichigo and during the conversation, Ishida's eyes had widened in disbelief.

He must be in bad shape if he reacted like that at just hearing her name, he said inside of himself after Tatsuki had informed him of how he had exploded at the mention of Orihime's name. From what she was telling him, Ichigo appeared to have become a monster devoid of emotion or even familiarity.

"He's a lot worse than we all thought. Being away in Tokyo just made him... Shit! I don't recognize him anymore! If you had seen the way he looked at me, Ishida! He was scarier than Ogichi for crying out loud! That guy isn't Ichigo!"

Clenching his jaw, the thought of Ichigo acting in that manner towards Orihime if he were to unfortunately run into her for the following six months ran through his mind.

"Orihime-chan will want to see him... And if she hears him talking like this, she'll blame herself all over again..."

"What do you think could help?"

"He needs to start getting used to us again and get his mind off things before going to see her. I know that it's dangerous considering how angry he is right now, but I really want to have Orihime-chan stop worrying so much about him and to see that he's alright... She's been worried sick and he blames her for everything!"

"When do you want me to go see him?" he didn't need to have her tell him that he had to confront Ichigo himself.

"I guess it'll take him a day or so to cool off after what I said to him. He does tend to stay pissed for awhile... So... Is tomorrow a good time? I mean, if you don't anything else to do."

"Sounds good to me," he didn't have any plans he could recall and his lover only came over during late nights, so visiting Ichigo during the day in spite of how much the shinigami irritated him wasn't going to be a problem.

"Thanks, Ishida...," he frowned, waiting for her to say something more. "And don't try to hide her so much. She might not like that."

All blood rushed from his face, but before he could demand how she had figured out he had a lover by simply speaking over the phone she had already hung up with a 'later'.

"Arisawa," he muttered under his breath. They weren't particularly close. Mere acquaintances from school that had a connection through other friends. He had met her through Ichigo, just as he had met Orihime. Their group were all contrasts yet they got along except for random occassions in which he wanted to throttle Ichigo for a thoughtless smart ass comment.

Tatsuki though... she was almost too much like Ichigo. The only differences in her personality was that she was far more astute and actually thought of words before saying them unlike her childhood friend that just blurted things out.

Ishida believed it was the first time he had heard her sound so helpless. She had been the one trying to cope with the changes and make them work for Orihime that saddened easily. Helping Ichigo wasn't just about her nearly obsolete childhood friendship... It was about her lessening Orihime's own load of guilt.

The door behind him creaked open and a soft welcomed voice asked curiously, "Who was that you were talking to?"

He stiffened, unwilling to tell her. It wasn't because he was afraid of admitting speaking with another woman... He merely didn't want her to know the content of the conversation.

"Arisawa," he murmured, turning around to face her.

A confused expression made her doll-like features look more endearing to him. She had yet to put on her clothes, all of her elegant gentle curves for him to see. It had taken weeks for her to feel comfortable with showing her whole body to him so easily. Just as it had been for him. They both had been too reserved to display overflowing passions, yet after they had decided to continue seeing each other those barriers of embarrassment had gone away leaving something deeper and more meaningful. Sometimes he feared that she would just disappear without a word...

"She must have had something important to tell you if she called," seeing the concern in her eyes, he shook his head and stepped closer to her until his own naked skin was almost touching hers. The heat of the sun was still permeating her and it warmed him by merely standing near.

"It's nothing for you to worry too much about," he lied in a whisper, wearing a soft smile and he could see that she didn't believe him, yet thankfully didn't question him further as he wrapped his arms around her, his fingertips touching the silken skin of her small back. Shuddering, she stiffened at first, probably wishing to speak, but like always she ended giving in once his lips found hers.

***

Ichigo had spent most of his first night in Karakura mulling over Tatsuki's angry words. It wasn't the first time she had gone off on him but this time it had been different.

In the outside Tatsuki was tough and level-headed. However when she had faced off with him in his room she had been unable to completely hide the hurt in her eyes. He hadn't seen that expression except for the time that Orihime had been kidnapped. She only looked that way when he kept things of great significance from her.

Things that only brought pain to those she cared for.

He had to admit thta everything she had shouted at him was the truth. For the sake of safeguarding himself from loss, he ignored people. It was second nature to him already; to not involve himself emotionally. He could risk his life to protect without any hesitation, yet he always shuttered away his heart by instinct.

It was something hard to give up, especially after it had become a bad habit that had set into his personality for years. Ogichi and Orihime weren't even the gist of it. Those two had only opened his eyes to grieve all that was inhuman in him.

He had begun to wish to connect with someone as lost and closed as him or at least someone who could bring a gleam of light into the empty gap he surely had in his soul. By light he didn't mean love... He meant an opening.

Sadly, he knew that as soon as that light entered his life it would be snuffed out before he could bask in it. It was his bad luck to never enjoy peace in his soul.

As a shinigami, everyone around him was in danger. As a student, he had been bullied and mostly kept to himself until slowly starting to socialize. As a man, he was bleak, empty and felt trully without purpose.

When have I become so damned... deep?! It was probably his own state of mind making him reflect on his many short-comings.

Seeing his destination, his walking slowed. He had never been good at apologizing. Making admissions of being wrong was difficult for anyone and yet there he was taking procrastinating steps to Tatsuki's house.

Usually he never even apogized for anything he said or did. Orihime... Whenever he messed up would forgive him instantly before he uttered a word.

Tatsuki was a different matter. He had known her since they were four and she knew how to hold a grudge. He had seen her stop talking to classmates altogether for offending her and her friends. She had even defended him when he was little which had been downright embarrassing.

'Cry Baby Kurosaki' being protected by a girl. How many times had she beaten up older boys only because they had called him that?

He had lost count. When little he had been a runt and she had helped him in spite of how weak and sensitive he had been. Orihime probably had reminded her of how he used to before the rainy day that his light and naive childhood had been ripped from him.

He owed her because she had never asked for anything in return.

Crap! This is going to be harder than I thought!

With his hands shoved into his pockets, he grimaced and almost turned around to leave though he had managed to reach the foot of the steps leading to her porch.

Coward! This is what I get for always being a coward!

Mentally cursing himsef, he forced his eyes to look at the closed inoffensice door of her house. It was the most frightening thing he had seen in the past year.

Straightening his usually sloppily slouching shoulders and sucking in a deep breath to strengthen himself, he finally put his foot on the first step. With that simple task, taking one step after the other became easy for him though upon reaching the door he froze up again.

He hated when that happened... The crippling sensation of being a failure would wash down on him and robbed the little confidence he had left. In battle that stiffening of his limbs and loss of thought had almost costed his life many tines.

Just raise your hand and ring the doorbell.

Yanking his hand jerkily out of his pocket, he pushed the narrow white button next to the door. It was just a furtive tap that let out a short 'bzz' that didn't last the fraction of a second.

Even the freaking doors knows how much of a coward I am!

His hovering hand was actually begining to sweat in his nervousness when he pressed the button again for a straight three seconds.

"OKAY! I'm coming!" angry fast steps hurried to the door from inside. "And this better not be you little brats playing pranks or I'll-!"

Her loud threat halted once she jerked the door open and saw him standing there.

"Tatsuki, I-" he didn't even finish before yelling out a "OW FUCK!" when the door was directly slammed on his face, hitting him painfully on the nose.

Stunned by the increadible pain the door had caused, he quickly cupped a hand to his nose and wasn't surprised that not only was the smell of blood present, but his hand was getting soaked in it.

"SHIT, TATSUKI!" he yelled nasally, his wide teary stare begining to blur on the close door. Now he knew why the freaking thing had scared him so much. Perhaps he was psychic enough to predict that the blasted door would nearly rearrange his face!

"YOU'RE STILL PISSED AT ME, AREN'T YOU?!"

No answer.

Gulping as much oxygen as he could through his mouth, he gripped the veranda of the porch with his free hand for support just to get over the shock of the blow.

"Tatsuki...?" his brows lowered when he looked at the door and she didn't even yell at him through it.

"I'm...," his nose hurt so much that the whole entire front of his face was aching. He was sure that his eyes would start swelling soon.

"Tatsuki... I'm sorry."

***

She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't let anger get in the way after seeing him again... Yet the moment she saw him standing in the front doorstep with such a sad puppy expression, she had gotten so pissed that out of reflex her hand just threw the door at him.

Sitting on the steps leading to the second floor of her house, sipping a soda casually, one of her legs twitched as his pathetic wounded voice kept calling through the door.

"Tatsuki... I was a total asshole the other day! Just let me talk to you!" She snorted and took a deep gulp of the red can in her hand, her eyes glaring at the door as if it were see-through.

"I know I deserved that!"

"Damn right, you did," she muttered darkly through her teeth.

"I'm not leaving until you let me inside! That's it!" dull thuds hit the outside of the door with some sliding, and she cocked an eyebrow, "I'm going to sit here until you open up!"

Widening her eyes, she debated over actually opening the door for him. She had acted immaturely in practically slamming the door on his face but he was keeping the childishness flowing by camping outside her house. There was no way of knowing how much time he was willing to sit outside on the hard ground on such a hot day.

"I'm freaking dehydrating, Tatsuki! Open up!" he yelled in a whiny tone that hurt her ears.

Her fingers tigtened on the can until nearly bending the thin aluminum. Part of her wanted to throw the can at the door while another part of her wanted to let him in just to keep him from embarrassing her in front of the whole neighborhood. People in her street were awfully nosy and spread every small detail of the lives of others like wildfire.

"I'm going to climb up to your window," the determination in his voice was tangible as the sound of him noisily rising.

Fuck no! Forgetting about making him suffer, she speedily rose off the steps and rushed to the door. Opening it she was somewhat relieved to see that he had been bluffing. The bastard hadn't even left the porch.

"What the hell do you want to talk about?" when he opened his mouth she interrupted by raising a hand, "And before you say anything, I'm not sorry about busting your face like that."

Pitiful to look upon with his reddened abused nose and slightly puffy eyes, the hints of a smile twitched his lips.

"I knew that as soon as you did it."

For some reason, seeing him there so calm... was disturbing. They had fought many times in the past. Sometimes over the stupidest shit imaginable like a favorite manga edition or who got the last cookie when they were in grade school. Now they were nineteen year olds that had more adult things separating them. This fight wasn't over a material object that faded away and lost worth in time. No. This was about years of him stepping on people to protect his sight of deeper things.

Stepping over her.

There were no answers as to why he would shut her out. Back in the old days, he had told her the most insignificant things that were apparently important to him. She hadn't critized him then... He knew that in her he had someone he could tell anything to without judging him. At least... she tried to never judge like she was doing now and had done when the incident with Orihime had begun.

Over the years, she'd had friends, but none were like Orihime or Ichigo. Those two were people that made her feel comfortable. Unlike at that moment that just the very image of Ichigo was unfamiliar to her. Maybe it was how much time it had been since she had last seen him... or was it that something in him had changed. Something dark and hidden that was almost screaming to get out... His Hollow was out of him already, so it couldn't be him anymore.

It was something else. Like Ichigo could lose control at any given moment. That was why the hairs on her arms rose at having him standing before her. He felt as if he were a caged animal staring back at her through a deceptively earnest eyes.

What's the matter with me?! This is Ichigo!

"I... I know that you were just trying to help and that I worried you guys for leaving like that," he made a face, his eyes leaving hers. His body language was still the same as when he was nervous. He would always slouch his shoulders and avoid looking at the person straight in the eyes. It was far different from battle. During a bloody fight he would fake bravado and talk big, making the opponent believe that he was fearless when in fact he was frightened out of his mind.

Pressing her lips together to keep from gaping at where he was going, she forced herself to listen.

One of his hands left his pockets to scratch the back of his head and a wince crossed his features.

"I'm sorry."

Shock was too small a word to describe how surprised she was at him. Her face didn't show it, but it was a rarity to hear him say those two words that carried so much meaning. She didn't know if he barely said them out of shyness or stubborness at admitting when he was wrong.

Looking into his eyes, she saw that it had been a struggle for him to come there; his friend that knew him the longest before he had become so callous.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling in a sigh, she said dryly, "You're almost forgiven."

Some relief showed on his face for a split second just before a confused scowl replaced it.

"What do you mean 'almost'?!"

"I'm not forgiving you until you really get your shit together," he blinked hard as she stared back at him grimly. Once his eyes collided with her own, they held. Their gazes held for what seemed to be an eternity until his cheeks reddened and he looked away.

Hopefully now he'll understand that I'm not bullshitting him.

It had been uncomfortable to stare into his eyes like that but at least she had finally gotten her point across when he lowly said, "You have every right to still be mad at me."

Crossing her arms, she leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, feeling that he had more to say.

"When I saw you at the house... I just started remembering...," his head lowered, so his eyes could not be seen by her studying gaze, "how big of a failure I am. It just pissed me off to see how everyone else has moved on while I'm still stuck in the same place I was a year ago."

It was almost as if his words were cracking her shell. Almost. She still was angry at him for centering only on his own shattered feelings and not once wondering of how his friends had felt.

"Ichigo...," she didn't know why she stopped the instant his hooded amber eyes looked at her. It was like her face had been hit with a cold draft followed by a hot one. Her face paled and then flushed so quickly that her words were forgotten. Her head actually hurt at the sensation.

"Yeah...?" one of his brows shot up in confusion.

Shaking her head quickly, removing her eyes from his, she dragged the open side of her hand over her suddenly clammy forehead.

Am I sick?

"You look like you're about to pass out," hearing him come closer to her, she shook her head again to keep him back. The feeling had been disorienting, but it had disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"No... It's just that I felt weird for a sec," shrugging, pushing whatever questions she had about the strange moment that had occured when he had looked at her, she smirked at him half-heartedly, lowering her hand.

Eyeing her dubiously, Ichigo muttered, "You still need to get that checked out though."

Rolling her eyes, she avoided furthering the subject by saying drolly, "What I was trying to tell you was that you're only stuck because you want to."

Stiffening, he nodded in agreement.

Sighing, she added quietly, "You just need to learn how to handle it or something. Learn how to forgive yourself for forgetting."

His face tensed, but he didn't say anything further. It was so like him to remain in silence when something beyond his understanding faced him head on. Knowing him, he was probably mentally berating himself and also asking a million and one questions.

She would have wanted to stay angry at him...

Looking at him so there yet far from her reach, she slumped her shoulders in defeat and stepped away from the doorframe. Pointing over her shoulder to the dark confines of her house with her thumb, she said dryly, "If you don't want my mother talking your ear off about shopping bargains, I suggest you get your ass inside before she comes back."

Smirking, he asked, "She still does that?"

"Yeah, but it's much worse." her eyes were wide to over-dramatize, "If you think your dad is embarassing you haven't seen her after a fifty percent discount morning sale... There's no way to shut her up," she finished with a snort.

"Believe me, no one is as bad as my dad."

"If you say so. I still think she's worse," she replied back, stepping inside, sensing him following behind her. It felt like the old times, though she could only recall him going to her house a handful of times. When they had entered middle-school, or should she say, puberty in general, he had barely set foot inside. She didn't know if it was because it was odd for him or if it he had merely been too busy to visit her. She had still visited him and he hadn't seemed to mind. His sisters knew her by name, calling her '-chan' easily since they had met her and so did his father.

That didn't take away the fact that he hadn't gone beyond the living room for five years. The last time he had gone up to her room had been when Orihime had insisted on playing a new board game. He had only played out of courtesy until getting bored and making up an excuse to leave. That day Orihime had been trying to gather up strength to tell him how she felt and Tatsuki had the bad luck of being asked to be her 'support'. Unfortunately, her friend had caved in and just pulled out a board game. It had been one of those rare times that Ichigo had been around Orihime before Rukia had appeared and awakened his shinigami powers. Like usual, he kept forgetting her name afterwards, just remembering her as 'Inoue, Tatsuki's friend'.

How it had hurt her to see how the adoring light in Orihime's light dimmed at that. It had dimmed year after year until... she had fallen in love with his inner Hollow.

A soft scoff left her lips at the irony of it all now. Ichigo had ignored her friend and now he had become a dismal mess after he had realized how she had loved him for so long only to lose her to someone who had been watching her more closely than anyone.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she lied easily, walking up the stairs.

Not feeling his presence behind her, she looked over her shoulder, furrowing her brow.

He was standing there, shifting nervously with his hands still in his pockets.

"What's the matter with you all of the sudden?"

"It's just that...," a strained smile spread his lips as he shook his head, his broad shoulders lifting, "It's been awhile since we've been in your room."

Wearing a bored expression, she asked flatly, "Is there something wrong with that?" Honestly, she didn't know what the heck his problem was. The only difference now from then was that they had been children back in those days.

"Forget it! Lead the way!" though still reluctant he waved a hand at her, to dismiss any futher questioning.

Whatever. thinking that it was perhaps the awkwardness of them being apart for over a year, she continued going up the stairs, his steps finally echoing hers.

Arriving at the half-open door of her small bedroom at the end of the hall on the second floor, she pushed it all the way open to walk over to her bed and flop on it, setting her now lukewarm soda on the small night-table beside it. Seeing that Ichigo was debating going inside still standing in the doorway, she scowled.

"Geez, Ichigo! You act like it's the first time you've been here!"

"I know... it's just that I don't think it's a good idea," his answer was said with adverted eyes.

How the heck am I supposed to get him used to me if he isn't making a fucking effort?!

Huffing in exasperation, she got off the bed and stomped over to him to yank him by the shirt. Pulling him inside while his eyes were as big as saucers, she stopped when he was standing in the middle of her small room.

"See?! That wasn't so damned hard now was it?!" she took her hand off the front of his shirt and his face seemed to be redder than before.

What is up with him?! Finding his reluctant behavior stranger than before, she scrutanized him through narrowed eyes. He was avoiding her eyes again and his breathing seemed to be growing agitated.

"You need... to relax," she said slowly, stepping away from him and stiffly walking back to her bed to sit on it.

"Yeah... I guess," seeming to relax, his breathing slowed though he didn't once look at her as he headed to her bed to sit beside her. She couldn't help but stiffening when he did because the normal movement of going to her side had him accidently brushing her arm with his. The mattress dipped when his weight settled, innocently having her hip bumping against his. Blood rushed to her cheeks at how close he was.

Why did he sit close enough to touch her? It was as if he had done it on purpose and for a moment her eyes betrayed her when the slightest of secret smiles danced across his lips. Like he knew the effect he was having on her.

I'm just seeing shit.

Subtly scooting to the side so that he didn't continue the disturbing contact, she cleared her throat and asked lamely, "So how's the university in Tokyo?" It was the stupidest thing she could ask him since the day before she had wanted to punch him for talking that way.

"It's alright I guess," his eyes looked at her and she felt that cold and hot sensation eating at her face again. It made all of the details of his own face clearer to her. Like how she hadn't noticed that his eyes were more like copper. An autumn reddish brown. Or how his eyelashes appeared to be black but were actually brown when the sunlight entering her bedroom window hit them.

"Is... Is that right?" she was certain that her face showed every bit of nervousness he was creating. His expression didn't show any signs of seeing anything bizarre in her face, but those damned eyes of his... It was like he was sifting thoroughly into her soul. She found that the sensation of him looking at her so directly was too unusual for her to prolong it.

Her chest felt tight as she directed her eyes to a wall.

"Yeah... I mean it's a bit crazy at times, but the people are nice. Sometimes a bit too nice. A lot of Americans go there as well."

Tatsuki almost snorted aloud. The two bimbos he had been literally wearing when she had seen him in Tokyo had been obviously westerners. The nearly white bleached blonde hair, perky fake breasts and plastic smiles were not that far from the women she had seen in the movies from the West.

"I suppose you miss it there," wanting to keep him talking, even if it was idle things, could probably work him out of his depression.

"Not really. I kinda' missed it here, though... I didn't want to come back, I still thought about Karakura a lot."

Surprised at his answer, she made the mistake of looking at him. Thankfully, those cursed eyes of his weren't on her. There was just a distant quality in them as a melancholic smile curved the corner of his lips.

"If you missed Karakura so much; why didn't you at least try to talk to any of us?"

"Well," he laughed out, shooting her a quick sheepish glance, "you've got me there!"

"Sheez!" annoyed at how much of a evasive dork he could be, she playfully punched him on this surprisingly hard shoulder.

"Damn it, Tatsuki!" he leaned away from her, grabbing the area she had hit, his wide eyes wary of her. "You really need to cut that shit out!"

"I'll cut it out when you stop being such a socially retarded dweeb."

"I'm not a-! I'm not a freaking socially retarded dweeb!" he gaped at her.

"Keep telling yourself that until you believe it," she grinned playfully, finally feeling what they had lost so many years ago before they had gotten older. It was a good feeling. To just annoy him and get him flustered. It had been so long since she had teased him like that. When they had entered high school none of the remarks she had tossed at him had worked. He usually just brushed them off distractedly.

"So...? Who were two girls with you at that restaurant?" she asked not really interested.

"Oh... them," he passed a hand over his wildly spiked hair, blushing. "They're just friends... from class."

"That's what friends in Tokyo are, huh?" she snorted, trying to keep from outright laughing at the purely embarassed expression he had. If only she had a camera to take the almost constipated pale face of Ichigo and immortalize it to later mortify him. "I didn't know you were such a ladies' man."

Her words didn't embarass him further. In fact, it did the exact opposite. His face hardened and so did his intimidating eyes that sharply looked at her.

"A guy has to get off somehow," he stated bluntly, annoyance barely coloring his tone.

What the hell...? That eerie strange crawling wintry heat hit her face once more and for a moment, she hated having brought it up.

"Would you chill out?" his glare didn't go away and she glared back to counter him. "I was just kidding with you! You can't take things so seriously!"

Clenching his jaw, he studied her irritated face and then, finally, the unrelenting hardness disappeared.

"I... I've just been doing a lot of things lately...," he whispered grimly. "Some shit that I don't want others here to know about."

"Then don't worry about it!" she snapped heatedly at him, still pissed off over him nearly blowing up for her comment, "It's not that big a deal if you do your... thing! All guys do it! If you do it, it's normal, right? It's weird as hell for you to actually get some," he glowered at that, "but its still a guy thing!" No matter how hard she tried to play it cool, the tension in the room was far too obvious and choking.

"You act like you know a lot about this," he gave a crooked sarcastic smile.

"Only an blind idiot wouldn't see it," shrugging, she remembered her lukewarm soda and picked it up from the side of her bed, turning away from him for only a moment.

That was when she felt the matress underneath her move slightly and his arm casually caressing hers.

What the hell?! Widening her eyes about to bite his head off for being just plain weird, she snapped her head to glare at him furiously only to blanch at hearing the door downstairs slam open.

"Tatsuki! Guess who I found at the store and is here to see you!" her mother's cheerful voice yelled loud enough to reach her. Only her mother could sound so excited. Orihime wasn't that much different from her in that respect.

Not tearing her angry eyes from Ichigo's dubiously placid expression, she shouted back, "Who?!"

He made it seem like he hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was still touching her, his body too close for comfort. "What the fuck is up with you?!" she whispered loudly at him before her mother answered.

"Orihime-chan!"

That was when he to her relief put a couple of inches between them, showing a bit of nervousness, a familiar red tinge coloring his cheeks.

Her lips parted as she hurriedly looked at him and then at the wide open doorway of her bedroom.

CRAP! Deciding to pretend that Ichigo hadn't been apparently crowding her on purpose, she jumped off the bed and rushed to the door then slammed it hard enough to shake the walls.

Pressing herself against it, she shouted, "DON'T LET HER UP YET! I'M...," she hesitated briefly, making a face of frustration between beating the crap out of Ichigo and dealing with her other close friend that was surely innocently waiting for her to greet her, "I'M NAKED!"

Smooth one, Tatsuki! It's not like that has stopped you from letting her inside your room before!

Turning her head to side, she noted that Ichigo was now standing probably feeling as much desperation as her.

She's not ready yet. Neither of them are.

***

A/N: WOOHOO! ISHIDA HAS A 'GIRLFRIEND'! HAHAHA! (I know it wasn't very descriptive, but she's a secret. And Orihime is finally showing up! YAY!. Review and/or Rate please!