[fic] The Princess & The Protector

[sweety8587]

So while I was writing out this chapter, I kept writing and writing and writing. Then I stopped and said, “Wait…how long has it gotten?” I nearly fell outta my chair when I saw that it had reached 12 pages and I hadn’t even finished yet! So the original part five has been broken down into two parts. (And yet this is still 12 pages…)

Lyrics by Michelle Branch, Remy Zero, Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, Aerosmith, Goo Goo Dolls and Christina Aguilera.

Previous chapters: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV.

Part V

-----------------

All too soon, summer vacations had ended and school had started again. It hadn’t been that bad of a start all together. Ochinii-Sensei didn’t make that big of a fuss over incomplete homework, no one asked any detailed questions about where Ichigo had been and most importantly, every one was supportive of him and Orihime. That is, once they got over their surprise.

In a crazy, mixed-up world , I don't care what they're sayin'

Chizuru had screamed bloody murder at the orange haired boy before she was promptly silenced by a swift punch from a happy Tatsuki. Keigo cried on the side, Ichigo wasn’t sure as to why exactly Keigo was crying – at Ichigo’s ‘smooth skills’ or the fact that Inoue was no longer available, but in either case Keigo was being his usual self. Chad merely gave him a thumbs up, Ishida was giving him a look that clearly said that he was the mastermind behind their hook-up. Ichigo had to grudgingly admit that were it not for Ishida’s advice, most likely he and Inoue would not be together. Mizuiro was the only person to straight out congratulate him and Inoue and wish them luck. The girls…last he checked, they were still in a state of shock over the course of events.

At least the reactions at school were far better than the ones he had gotten at home. A few days after their kiss, Inoue had convinced him to invite her to his house for dinner. Ichigo wished that he hadn’t listened to Orihime when she had said that everything would go by normally. Obviously she didn’t know his crazy father.

*****

“I’m going out with Orihime.”

There was complete and utter silence at the table. Three pairs of shocked and incredulous eyes were trained at the blushing couple sitting in front of them. The first one to break the silence was Karin, “Did…you just say that…you and…Orihime…are seeing each other?”

“That’s what I said.”

Again silence. Ichigo’s embarrassment was starting to melt in annoyance. What the hell? What was up with this reaction?

Isshin suddenly stood up, knocking his chair over as he exclaimed in joy, “I’m so proud of you my son! You picked a fine woman to be the future mother of your children! I’m so glad that you aren’t gay, which I was starting to think you were given your complete lack of interest in having a girlfriend.”

And now he was neck deep in embarrassment. Orihime was visibly flustered as her eyes were darting around the room as Isshin continued on, “I can already see their children! Kaa-san! Our boy has finally become a man! And with such fine taste! She has the biggest pair of breasts that I’ve…ack!”

Isshin was stopped mid-sentence by a severely peeved Ichigo. Isshin jumped back up and the usual father-son scuffle ensued, leaving the three females to stare at each other.

Orihime was going to jump up and try to stop the fight but was stopped by Karin, “Don’t worry about that. It’s normal. It’ll be over in a few minutes. So…you and Ichi-nii huh?” At the auburn haired girls nod, she couldn’t help mutter to herself, “Never thought the day’d come.”

That comment fell on the wrong pair of ears at the wrong time. Ichigo stood behind Karin as he asked darkly, “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Karin calmly looked back up at him, “Just never thought that a guy like you’d be able to get a girl like Orihime.”

A vein popped out on his forehead, “A guy like me?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud sniff from the side. They turned their gaze to Yuzu who was staring at Ichigo as though he had run over her dog. Surprised and a tad worried he leant in closer, “Yuzu? Whats...Oye?!”

He nearly fell back when she suddenly tackled him with a wail, “This means you’ll be leaving us soon!”

“I don’t plan on doing that any time in the next few years!”

But his yell fell on deaf ears, as Yuzu wailed on, “Who will cheer me up when I’m feeling down? Who’ll take me down to the park for ice cream during summer vacations?! After you’re gone the house is going to be too quiet! I’m going to miss you soo much onii-chan! I’ll come by and visit you every day to make sure that you both are eating right! I’ll even bring you the beef stew that you really like! I’ll even help you settle in! Oh please don’t leave us onii-chan!”

If his hands hadn’t been holding up his little sister, he would have been hiding his face in them right about now. He settled for patting Yuzu gently on the back as he tried to get her to settle down. Isshin was happily plastered against the poster on the wall as he raved on and on about ‘his future daughter-in-law’ and Karin, the one ally he thought he had was still staring at Orihime as though she couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

Orihime on her part was now smiling serenely as she took in the family’s behavior. She pulled a hand up to her face to stifle her giggles as she looked at Ichigo. “You’ve got such an amazing family Ichi-kun.”

He begged to differ.

*****

Other than Keigo’s usual antics and Chiziru’s death threats every few hours, it was all in all, a reaction that he could easily handle. Things had been going fine but then, Hirako had shown up only to confirm Ichigo’s darkest fears. He did have a Hollow inside of him, haunting his every thought and waiting to exploit any opening Ichigo might present to it. The thought of having a creature like that slumbering…no, lying in wait inside of him made him want to crawl out of flesh in disgust and fear.

I feel the waves crash down inside
and they pull me under

And then things had gone from bad to worse when those Arrancar had arrived. It was bad enough that Yammy had sucked the life out of so many of the Karakura residents but the image that haunted him night after night, was seeing Inoue getting smacked right in her face by the brutes hand. In his dreams the scene would play out slower, he could see her leave Chad’s side as though she was moving through molasses. He would yell out to her not to come closer but she still would.

And then, the moment of impact. The sound of flesh hitting flesh would echo in his head like he was standing right next to a church bell. It was deafening. He wanted to raise his hands to his ears to block the sound but his arms were hanging by his side, useless. Like a limp rag doll her body would go flying through her air and hit the dirt, rolling over to come to a rest on her side. Then she would stand up shakily, her bloodied, bruised face turning towards him, as Yammy held his face between his fingers. “Why Ichigo? Why did you let them hurt me?”

He would usually wake up at this point in a cold sweat, his heart frantically pounding against his ribs and his breathing shallow and rapid. He would curse his Hollow then, curse himself for his weakness and inability to protect her. The only good thing that had come out of the whole ordeal was that Rukia and the others were now here and keeping an eye on things, which took a good deal of pressure off him. And the fact that Rukia forcing him to ‘apologize’ to Inoue was also one of the good points, along with helping him get back on his feet again. But did the former really count given that he had already done that using slightly different words?

*****

“Please don’t apologize Ichi-kun.”

Her uninjured hand went up to press against his cheek gently. He was fighting back tears of anger and shame as he looked down at her bandaged form. This was his God damned fault! What kind of a person lets this happen?! He was utterly useless! She didn’t deserve this…Why couldn’t she just get angry at him, yell at him and get it over with? Anger he could deal with but he couldn’t deal with this. And how could he not apologize? All he could do right at this moment was to apologize profusely for his lack of strength and inability to protect the girl he was falling in love with.

Broken back to the ceiling, broken nose to the floor.
I scream at the sounds, it's coming, crawls under the door

She tugged slightly at his collar to get his wandering attention back at her words, “There’s nothing to blame you for. I ran to you on my own. I got injured on my own. It wasn’t your fault.”

He pressed his hand on top of hers, as he softly spoke, “But it is. You got hurt and I couldn’t stop it.”

A gentle smile passed over her lips, “You can’t stop every wound I could have now can you?”

A tad childishly he replied back, “I can damn well try.”

He kept avoiding her eyes, afraid to see anger and resentment in them. But they darted up to hers in surprise when she suddenly tweaked his nose. She giggled slightly before she tugged him down on the futon beside her. He slipped in under the blanket next to her warm body, wrapping his arms around her carefully, ever mindful of her injuries. He looked into her eyes, searching for any negative emotion that she might feel towards him – anger, repulsion, hate. She gazed right back at him, her eyes as warm as ever with a hint of puzzlement lurking in the back. “Ichi-kun?”

He shook his head in relief, “Its nothing.” She didn’t hate him and that sent a wave of relief through him. She was half draped over his chest, her head resting over his heart and her heavily bandaged hand was resting over his stomach. He gazed down at the white cast, resting his hand over it, his mind filled with guilt and regret. She seemed to sense his distress and murmured, “It wasn’t your fault Ichi-kun.” He pressed a kiss to her bandaged forehead, “Orihime.”

She sleepily replied back, “Yes?”

“I’m sorry about Tsubaki.”

She didn’t reply, instead curled up tighter against him. He could feel her warm tears against his neck, flowing down into his shirt. He held her tighter as she brokenly admitted, “I couldn’t find even one shard of him…Not even one…”

He really didn’t know what to say and instead held her as her sobs ebbed away into hiccups and her breathing evened out. Tired and worn out due to her emotional and physical injuries, she finally drifted off to sleep. Ichigo wiped away the remaining stray tears and their tracks as slipped away into healing sleep. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and whispered, “I swear that I won’t let you get hurt again.”

*****

He fully intended to keep that promise till the day he died. The next person or being to hurt her in any manner was going to have their head ripped off and be used as a soccer ball by him. Not that he voiced that particular sentiment in front of Orihime. Though he had threatened Hirako in a similar vein and that had yielded good results.

All things considered, it had been a particularly hectic start to the new semester. His mind had been preoccupied with Hollows, Viazards and insanely strong enemies when Hitsugaya’s group had ended up crashing in his class. He told himself that he had had a lot on his plate so he was not to be blamed for forgetting to tell Rukia and the others that Orihime was his girlfriend now. In hindsight, he really should have told Rukia sooner. That would have resulted in less embarrassment.

*****

Once the last bell had rung, Rukia and the others had said that they needed to visit Urahara regarding the nature of their visit. That suited Ichigo just fine because that meant at least an hour that he could enjoy alone with Orihime. And enjoying it he was.

Ichigo was sitting on the bed with Orihime comfortably settled in his lap, her unhurt hand playing with the hem of his collar. Ichigo’s own hands were settled at her hips, holding her in place as he proceeded to ravish her with his lips. They kissed slowly, their bodies shifting closer as their tongues danced together from one cavern to the other. She let out a soft sound of pleasure and shifted herself closer to him, her hand unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt to play over the newly revealed skin. Ichigo could feel the beginning of arousal start to stir in him.

His hands drifted upwards, quickly doing away with the red tie and undoing the first few buttons of her shirt. His hands lingered on her breasts, caressing them fondly through the material as his lips latched onto her neck. Her head fell back with a soft, heady moan as her hand gripped his shirt. He pulled back to watch her as he played with her rather generous bosom. His fingertips were tracing the underside of her breasts, slowly moving upward towards the tips that were showing. Her eyes were closed as pleasure washed over her, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink and her lips parted as she panted softly. When his hand finally cupped both breasts she let out another moan.

“Yo Ichigo! Did you miss...What the hell?!”

Orihime let out a surprised squeak and nearly jumped out of Ichigo’s lap, but his firm grip on her waist kept her in his lap as he buried his face in the crook of her neck with an inward groan. Absolutely perfect timing! Why couldn’t those idiots at least knock before entering?! The way they barged it, it was like it was their room rather than his. Whatever happened to manners and civility?

With a sigh he turned towards his window with a deep frown and flush. Five Shinigami were perched at the window, holding the curtain back and staring at the couple in front of them. One was unconcerned with the scene before him and more preoccupied with getting comfortable in his new uniform, his friend next to him seemed mildly interested in the love scene and the other three…had their jaws dragging along the floor.

“Oye. Whats the hold up?”

Ikkaku turned to the white haired captain, “I think Renji, Kuchiki and Matsomoto’ve gone into shock.”

A white eyebrow was raised slowly; turquoise eyes filled with skepticism “Should I ask why?”

Yumichika moved out of the way obligingly and pointed in. Hitsugaya leaned in to have a look.

Ichigo was glaring at the expected but not wholly welcome visitors hovering on his window while Orihime had her face hidden against Ichigo’s shirt. From the flush on both their faces and their unbuttoned shirts, it wasn’t that hard to understand what the two had been doing prior to the interruption. Hitsugaya’s face flushed slightly before stating loudly, “Either get in or move out of the way Matsomoto.”

That seemed to snap not only Matsomoto out of her daze but also Rukia who immediately jumped in and gave Ichigo a swift, hard slap on the head, “Dumbass! Why didn’t you tell me earlier that Orihime’s your girlfriend?!”

Ichigo rubbed his head, “I forgot! Plus, how do you expect me to tell you when you’re literally dragging me along everywhere?!”

And that’s when the Spanish Inquisition started.

Chief interrogators: Kuchiki Rukia and Matsomoto Rangiku.

Witnesses: Abarai Renji, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika.

Hitsugaya Toushirou…contemplated if he could get away with murder as he tried to keep his anger in check. For the record, he didn’t succeed.

Then again, neither did Ichigo.

*****

To be honest, Ichigo had been quite grateful for the presence of Hitsugaya’s team. He had felt that no matter what Aizen might throw at them, they’d be able to deal with it. Of course this was prior to his introduction with Grimmjow. That fight made him realize two things: the difference in level between him and the Espada was far more than he had initially thought it to be and he had to get control over his Hollow, right away. The severity of the situation had him search out the Vizards the very next day. The sooner he got his Hollow under control the better off the people around him would be.

He hadn’t told anyone. He preferred it that way, even if it hurt not telling Orhime the whole truth about where he was going. He had slipped a short note under her door before he had embarked on his trip, explaining that he wasn’t going to be coming to school for the coming days. Most likely he wouldn’t be able to see her, though he would try to come visit if he got a chance. And lastly, he asked her not to worry or look for him. He was now wholly focused on increasing his strength, to protect his loved ones and to honor his vow to Orihime.

I know you had to go away, I died just a little

Orihime hadn’t liked what she had read but she knew that this was something that he had to do on his own and thus, respected his wishes. That month was one of the longest that Orihime had ever lived through. She hadn’t really realized just how much time she spent with Ichigo until she wasn’t spending it with him. She missed him terribly. She missed hearing him tell her that what she was about to eat would be called inedible in most circles. She missed his hot breath as it fluttered over her lips after a particularly hot kiss. She missed seeing that look in his eyes which clearly said that he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. She missed the weight of his hand on her lower back as he would hold her.

She often visited his family, who were in varying states of distress over Ichigo’s sudden disappearance. Karin seemed mildly affected stating in her usual manner, “Ichi-nii’ll show up sooner or later. And when he does, I hope he’s got a damn good explanation for this!” Their father seemed unconcerned as well. That was, until Yuzu would start crying in worry. That was when he would start swearing that he would find his son and make him pay for making his sister cry. Visiting them helped her, made her feel less alone. She would end up having dinner with the family, forgetting her problems for that brief time as she would watch the family interact. But it seemed incomplete without Ichigo there.

Rukia had taken her aside the very next day after Ichigo’s disappearance and quietly asked her if she knew anything. Orihime had merely shaken her head and stated, “I just know that Ichi-kun is training somewhere. That’s all he told me in his note.” Rukia had muttered worriedly under her breath at that and Orihime wondered if she could not sense Ichigo’s reiatsu. Often when she feeling lonely or missing Ichigo, she would concentrate hard and would be able to faintly sense him. He was a good distance away but his reiatsu was strong and steady, that gave her some semblance of peace.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

All those nights of searching out for him paid off when she had to seek him out in a hurry to deliver the Commander-General’s orders. She managed to find him and wondered on the way if this was what bloodhounds felt like during a chase. Oh, would that make her part bloodhound if she was able to track down Ichi-kun in this manner? That would be quite an exciting prospect, especially having a tail. Though she wasn’t too keen on all the droopy skin but still, she’d have a nice long tail to wag and to put a bow on. But then wearing pants would be quite difficult…and how would she managed to keep her skirt down properly. Maybe if she cut a whole in each one from where the tail could be slipped out of… and what about her underwear?!

In between her inner ramblings, she had arrived at the factory. She managed to slip in, despite the barrier set around the imposing structure. In hindsight, maybe she should knocked or something to make sure that the inhabitants wouldn’t be too surprised at the intrusion. Instead she had settled for making a nervous joke before meeting up with Ichigo. He was more shocked and surprised to see her rather than at the news that she delivered. She had stared up at him in confusion at his faint reaction.

*****

Ichigo tapped his cheek lightly, “I guess this whole King’s Key thing hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

She smiled slightly. He already had gotten stronger. He didn’t seem fazed by this update as he was more focused on achieving a new level of strength that he knew he could achieve. It didn’t matter who the enemy was or what they planned to do, all that mattered to Ichigo at present was to increase his strength.

He stood up, pulling her up on her feet as well “Don’t look so worried. It’s okay. I’ll stop Aizen. I can become even stronger. I realize that now. Thanks for coming to tell me Hime.”

She waved her hands in front of her, “It was nothing really.”

He suddenly did a quick turn to check if anyone was around them before he wrapped his arms around her. He let out a soft sigh at the familiar feel of her in his arm and rested his head atop hers. He breathed in the soft scent of freesia and lavenders coming up from long hair “I missed you.”

She hugged him tighter, her fists tightly holding onto the fabric of his haori. “I missed you too.” She wrinkled her nose and took a short step back with a short laugh, “You smell all sweaty.”

He rolled his eyes slightly at her obvious comment, “Cut me some slack. I’ve been fighting all damn day. And that Hiyori kept going all out on me.”

“Maybe this will cheer you up then.”

She placed both hands on his face and kissed him with a month’s worth of pent up passion and longing. His hands rested on her rear, pushing her closer to him as they stumbled back against a large boulder. He tangled his hands into her long, silky hair as he tenderly suckled on her lower lip. Oh God how she had missed this. Only his touch could ignite this burning within her belly. Her arms went up to his shoulders, bringing him closer to her as she brushed her tongue against his.

I just wanna hold you close, Feel your heart so close to mine.
And stay here in this moment, For all the rest of time

She moaned breathlessly and shifted her hips against his, sending a jolt of electricity through his body. He forgot where he was at times like these and all he could focus on was her and the feelings she invoked in him. He dropped down, pulling her down with him. She followed without question, her legs straddling his body as their lips continued their dance.

He placed his hands on her hips and pushed her down against him firmly. She couldn’t stop the sharp gasp that came from her at the feeling of his obvious arousal pressing against her so firmly. She rolled her hips, eliciting a low moan from her partner below her. She looked down at him with stormy eyes, taking in his warm gaze as he looked up at her. She loved him. She smiled warmly at him and was not aware that his thoughts were following a similar path.

She looked so beautiful when she smiled like that, he thought to himself. He felt that he could go on forever living just on the warmth and brilliance of that smile. He had suspected from a few months that he might be falling in love with her but he didn’t know how to be sure of his feelings. He just knew that whenever he looked into her eyes, filled with such childlike innocence and womanly grace, he wanted to fall down to his knees and thank God for her. He was happy when he would see her happy. He would want to kick the living daylights out of whichever idiot that would make a frown appear on her lips or a tear flow from her eyes. He wanted to spend his life getting to know her inside out.

But right now, as she pressed her heat down against his groin, all he wanted was to push her panties to the side and bury himself in he…..

“Oye dickhead! Its time to get…Oye Shinji!”

Fantasy and pleasant activity broken by the loud voice, Ichigo opened his eyes to stare into Orihime’s confused stormy eyes. Both of them looked up at the blonde haired Vaizard who continued speaking to the man on the other side of boulder. Her voice held barely repressed glee as she spoke.

“Looks like your first love, already has a lover.”

“WHAT?! Impossible! Hime-chan and Ichigo?!”

Ichigo swore and hit his head against the bounder behind his back. Was it too much to ask for a few minutes alone with his girlfriend without some idiot interrupting them?! Was he asking for too much?!

*****

Orihime had left the factory only to bump into Yoruichi-san, who in turn informed her that Urahara had wanted to speak with her. Wondering why she had quickly made her way to the shop. She had really wished that she hadn’t gone in the end. Urahara-san’s blunt words kept ringing in her ears as she climbed back into the shop from the rocky training area.

“Inoue-san, I’d prefer you stay away from the battlefield this time.”

“Do you want to get Inoue-san killed?”

“Her Santen Kisshun probably won’t be of any use this time around.”

“The hole left by Inoue-san’s absence can easily be filled by people with far superior abilities.”

“A warrior who has lost their ability to fight is only going to be in the way.”

She had felt the tears build up just as he had finished and had quickly excused herself, she didn’t want to cry in front of them…in front of him. It would just further strengthen his statement that she wasn’t cut out for the battlefield. She wouldn’t cry….She wouldn’t cry….She didn’t want to show in front of him just how much those words hurt.

Cry, Don't cry out loud
You've gotta bear your cross

She nearly crashed into Rukia during her hasty exit. Rukia had been extremely flustered when Orihime had started crying right in front of her and had resorted to taking her away from the shop to the school rooftop. Once Orihime had calmed down, she told Rukia about what Urahara had said. Rukia was irate with the former Captain by the time Orihime had finished her tale and it was apparent from the look in her eyes that the next time she saw the store owner, he would hit in the face with her phone. Or possibly something heavier if it was within her reach. Orihime had felt better after talking to Rukia, feeling calmer and starting to understand Urahara-san’s perspective. Rukia did not react well to that and had grabbed her, harshly asking if she was really alright with the way things were going. She replied truthfully that of course she wasn’t.

All she wanted was to fight beside her friends and her love to protect the city that she had grown up in. Ever since she had received her powers, she didn’t want to be a Princess who was kept locked away inside the castle. She didn’t want to be protected by the dragon or by an army of knights or even a single knight. She wanted to take up the sword with her own hands and protect not only herself but the people around her. So of course she didn’t like being told that not only was she useless but also in the way. That was just too much for her to bear. But…if that was the way Urahara-san and the others saw her, then she would isolate herself from the others. Being lonesome was something she could deal with, but being a burden….that was something she could not cope with.

Rukia’s expression shifted from anger to tenderness as Orihime gave her quiet explanation. Rukia gentle words gave her hope again and calmed the storm that was wrecking havoc inside of her. She had needed someone to tell that there would be something that Orihime could do during the war. Her heart felt light again knowing that she would no longer be a burden and actually help out her friends in some way. The moment was completely and utterly ruined when Hiyori-chan literally dropped out of the sky in a blue blaze, grabbed Orihime and left in the same manner, leaving behind one very confused and severely shell-shocked Shinigami. And a rather sizable depression in the tiles that raised quite a few questions the next morn.

Her meeting with Hacchi-san went much better than the one with Urahara-san, though the entrance had been quite painful. She ended up knowing just a little bit more about her powers, a slight neck ache and best of all, managed to get Tsubaki back as well. As she was leaving, she wondered if she could ask Hiyori-chan to give Ichigo a bit of a break so that she could talk to him. But maybe she would be pushing her luck given that she had already done that today. Plus, did she really want to burden Ichi-kun with her problems when he was focusing on his training?

That really didn’t sit well with her. Giving Hacchi-san her repeated thanks, she left the warehouse and made her way back to her apartment.

Young girl it’s alright
Your tears will dry, you’ll soon be free to fly