Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me, but it does belong to the wonderful Kubo.

Warning: Typos galore

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Dark amber eyes lazily scanned the crowded dance floor below. Even with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his collar unbuttoned he felt suffocated. The bass pulsed throughout the building, feeding into the frenzied state of the revelers tightly pressed against one another. Palms curling into the iron railing in front of him, the young man inhaled deeply. The scent of sweat and lust was heavy in the air.

As per the dress code, a variety of masks decorated the occupants of the dimly lit club. Some were simple like his and others were on the more extravagant side of the spectrum, sporting feathers, beads and lace.

Despite how outlandish it all was, he couldn't deny he was a bit intrigued.

Running a hand through his messy spikes Ichigo watched the mass of writhing bodies with a look of indifference. You need time to reset Kurosaki-san. Go out and find that spark. That's your assignment. His boss had sent him out of the office with those words two days ago. Huffing out a breath, Ichigo knew he should have been more wary when Urahara had called him and highly recommended this place. Damn, he knew he wasn't that motivated lately and his writing showed it, but he wasn't up for being a part of a fucking orgy.

Turning away from the scene in front of him, Ichigo made his way back to the booth in the corner. Feeling his trademark scowl slip onto his face, he dropped into his seat and downed the remaining of his drink. Holding back a grimace at the burn in his throat, he checked his watch. 11:37. In reality, he hadn't been here all that long but, it felt as though it had been hours.

After a week full of meetings with his editors and publisher, Ichigo had felt drained when Friday came around the corner. Opting to forego the weekly family dinner, Ichigo wanted nothing more than to collapse onto his bed. As luck would have it, he had the misfortune of bumping into Renji and Rukia on the way back to his apartment. He was then invited, rather dragged, to dinner where Rukia then demanded to know the reason for his unpleasant mood.

"How are you really doing Ichigo? And don't give me any 'I'm fine' crap because I'll know if you're telling the truth or not."

"I'm fine." He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine? If you're so fine why do you look like a wet cat in the middle of a thunderstorm? Did your sour personality get you into trouble again? Maybe if you start frowning less people will actually want to approach you out of their own free will."

"No, that's not it. Not that it's any of your business midget." He glared at her from over the top of his beer, watching as she batted Renji's hands away from her plate.

"It's in my personality to worry for you. Am I not allowed to be concerned for a friend?" She said in a overly saccharine tone. Ichigo cringed.

"What you need is to get laid, a good one at that," Renji added between chews. "You need to remove that pole from up your ass and live a little!"

"I'd appreciate it if I didn't hear that from the person who works for a man who wears barrettes." Ichigo said dryly.

"How many times do I have to tell you, they are called kenseikan! And they are only worn by the honorable head of the Kuchiki Clan!" Rukia exclaimed while slamming her hands onto the table.

"Yeah, they're barrettes to me." He drawled as he watched Renji try to soothe the tiny woman.

"Oi! Could you try not to rile her up? We all know who's going to have to be the one to buy her a new Chappy at the end of the night and right now I'm not exactly loaded."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Seriously Ichigo, what's eating you?"

His frown deepened thoughtfully at the reason behind his mood. It seemed as though every time he sat in front of his desk and picked up his pen, nothing he wrote was up to his standards. After the success of his last five short stories, naturally he felt pressured to present his best material. Truthfully, it wasn't helping that he wasn't getting much sleep lately either.

The dreams had started over a month ago, after Urahara had held an impromptu party for Ichigo's "surprising" success.

"I'm shocked Kurosaki-san! Who knew behind such a sullen face was a connoisseur of words!" he had giggled behind his fan.

"Shut it Getaboshi."

"Ara, ara so rude."

When he had got home that night he had promptly passed out on his couch. If you asked him what had happened earlier that day, honestly he couldn't tell you. Yet, he remembered every detail of that dream.

()()()

He woke to the setting sun. Hues of pinks, yellow and orange seamlessly flowed into one another as they streaked across the sky. The setting was one he was familiar with. The grassy bank of Karasu River was one that he had visited often when he was younger. It was the same as he remembered; the rushing water and green banks, the red dragon flies dancing on the breeze. It was home. The summer air washed over him, the lingering heat of the day warming his skin. Closing his eyes he relished the calming warmth.

Ichigo.

Eyes snapping open, Ichigo scanned his surroundings searching for the owner of the voice. He heard the voice again, faint and soft.

She was calling him.

Before his mind registered what was happening, he was moving. Brows furrowed, he started walking. Jogging. He had no idea who she was exactly, but the feeling in his chest told him he had to find her. She was calling him. She was calling him.

Blood rushing in his ears, he ran in the direction he thought she was in.

There.

She sat on the ledge of the bridge overlooking the river.

Panting, he stared.

Her lips were curved into a sweet smile as she waited for him, palm facing upwards as her copper hair danced in the soft wind. The sinking sun lit her curvy form setting her long tresses aflame, but hid her face in shadows. Her pale blue dress clung to her frame, teasing him with the lush curves hidden beneath. As he stepped closer, he was able to see what was hidden. He noticed the many vibrant shades of her hair; oranges, coppers and golds. He noticed the sultry gray of her eyes and the way her sooty lashes brushed the swells of her cheeks when she blinked. He noticed it all.

Hime.

Startled at the word, Ichigo frowned. Never had he seen this girl before in his life, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her. No, that wasn't the right word. It was more than just knowing her. She was important.

When the sun finally dropped below the horizon, stars scattered themselves across the vast dark sky. Winking at him in the distance as they chased one another across the heavens. He found that despite all this brilliance, his surroundings had begun to disappear into the darkness. Even with the moon rising high above them, there was little light. Suddenly, it was only him, her and the sound of the rushing river.

He didn't know when the man came, but he was suddenly there. Swift and silent. Looming over her like a snake ready to strike. Ichigo's eyes widened and screamed for her to move.

She turned to look at the stranger over her shoulder, her wide eyes growing larger on her small face. Before he could blink, the stranger had her by the throat.

Roughly jerked back before he could make a move, Ichigo was knocked back from the bridge. The wind whipped dirt and leaves into his face, momentarily blinding him. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo staggered to his feet. He felt the change as soon as it happened. His feet had somehow gotten stuck in the muddied bank.

Positive that the man on the bridge was responsible, Ichigo growled as he searched for a way to get out. Squinting in the dark, he tried to see if there was anything he could use to pull himself out. He couldn't even get to the ties on his shoes to get his feet out of his sneakers.

"Fuck." He hissed.

Glancing up, he saw as the man squeezed her slender throat tighter, a wicked grin curling his lips as his eyes met Ichigo's. Yanking on his leg, he tried to move forward.

He saw red when he heard her cry out gasping for air, snakes erupting from his chest. He became frantic now, almost popping the bone out of the socket in trying to tear his legs from the invisible grip. Trying to get to her.

His head shot up when he heard her scream for him.

She was calling him.

She was calling him and he couldn't fucking reach her.

The next thing he knew, he was free and she was falling.

Like a star out of the night sky, she fell into the murky water and that man disappeared back into the shadows.

He ran.

Stumbling on the slick grass, Ichigo pushed himself to run faster. His pulse racing and heartbeat loud in his ears he ran. Without a second thought he dived into the black waters, the wet icy sensation biting into his skin.

()()()

Why couldn't he reach her?

It was always the same dream and the same outcome. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get to her in time. He couldn't grasp her small hand reaching out for his. He couldn't stop her pained cries. He couldn't protect her.

"Hello? Earth to Ichigo!"

"Huh?"

"Really what's wrong with you? You're not acting normal."

"When has he ever been normal Rukia? Hell, when have any of us been normal?"

"Shut up Renji!"

"There's this girl." The words had slipped out even before his mind registered what he was saying.

"So that's what it is!" Rukia smirked.

"Well look at that, Strawberry boy isn't such a pansy!" Renji leered.

"Wha-! No, I mean she's not real or maybe she is. I don't know." He huffed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been having the same dream for weeks now about this girl."

"And?"

"And she's calling me, but I can't ever reach her. Next thing I know she's drowning and I can't save her."

"If you're pitching us you're new story I'm gonna need another drink for this." Renji said while flagging down their waitress.

Ichigo waited for the young woman to leave the table before continuing his story, closely watching the expressions on his two friends.

"So let me get this straight. You're having nightmares about failing to save a pretty girl?"

"Yeah."

"And you don't remember her name… but you know her?"

"Yes."

"Are you high?"

"What?! No!" Ichigo ground his teeth. "Dammit! I knew I shouldn't have said anything!"

"I hate to say it but, Renji's right. All this stress you put on yourself is getting to you."

"Oi! Glad to see you appreciate your fiancé!" Renji turned to glare at Rukia. She only rolled her eyes at his mutterings and gently patted his arm. "You know what I meant Renji."

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Ichigo was glad for the distraction from the couple in front of him. Checking the caller ID, he felt his lips pull down into a frown.

"Hello?"

"Good Evening Kurosaki-san! Are you enjoying the weather on this fine summer night?"

"What is it now Getaboshi?" He sighed.

"Ara, ara so rude. Especially when I was going to pass along some valuable information that will help with your latest assignment."

"What do you mean?"

"Well there's this...club you see and it seems they're having a party tonight."

Those were all the words Rukia needed to hear before she turned determined eyes towards the orangette. Ichigo flinched at the familiar glint in her eyes.

"Renji? I've just figured out what we're doing tonight." Her violet eyes sparkled with delight.

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Author's Note: I know it's been a while here but let me just say...WE'RE CANON! I still feel like I'm in a dream. I can't stop talking about how much I love these two and about how much they love each other. Ichigo and Orihime get married, they have a sweet sweet baby boy AND Ichigo is the one to confess to Orihime?! Damn, what a time to be alive. Kubo sure af delivered what we've all been dreaming of lol. I told myself I had to put something up now that Ichihime is officially canon and here is the start of a new story! I originally wrote this around the time when the last chapter of Bleach came out and since then I've just been so side tracked. In the wee hours of the morning, who would have thought that my muse would tell me to get my ass up and write? LOL I hope you all enjoyed what you've read so far and please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!

(12.27.16) xx