I know its been a while and I sincerely apologise for the long wait but having no PC access for the last month and having your stories disappear due to your computer crashing had me kind of disheartened for a while. I can't seem to have any luck with me and my computers giving out on me.

Anyway, here i am writing again and hopefully I'm not too out of practice and you all enjoy this latest installment. It's a bit lewd and rather descriptive in parts but i hope it still manages to entertain you. As usual, please leave me a review, criticisms, whatever or just drop me a line to say whether or not you enjoyed this latest effort. Your words do so inspire me to write.

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Delight 6: And it started with a drink

The shrill ringing of the telephone shattered the quiet of the darkened apartment.

Groaning at the high-pitched sound, the lone occupant of the room threw a pillow over his head in a vain attempt to drone out the sound. The ringing became muffled and he started to drift back off into the land of sleep once more only to be jarred into wakefulness again as another ringing sounded, closer to his ears this time. The form groaned again, arms tightening on the pillows over his head. When the sound stopped a few moments later only to start again almost immediately, the sheets shifted and a rude curse filled the air as a tanned hand slipped from under the covers in a search of the annoying device. A half crushed can, a few textbooks and a box of half-eaten pizza fell victims in the way of the blind search but then long fingers closed over the sought after appliance and, picking up the buzzing cell phone, the hand disappeared under the blanket again. A moment later, a voice, rough from lack of sleep and unguarded irritation sounded from beneath the sheets with the simple demand, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Is that the way you answer the phone? I've been calling for the longest time, boke. What exactly were you doing?'

Recognition of the voice and the tone startled the form under the sheets into wakefulness and sudden sitting position, the covers tumbling down to reveal a scowling male with bright orange hair. The abrupt change in position caused his head to start pounding agonizingly and the orange-top found himself wincing in a pained manner as he tried to open his eyes to stare at the digital clock next to his bed. Thinking better of it as jolt of pain laced through his head right to the back of his occiput, he scrunched them shut once more and ran a hand through his brightly colored spikes, shifting it slightly to massage his throbbing temples with his palm as he inquired in a very annoyed tone, "Renji? What the fuck?"

"Did I interrupt something?" Renji enquired at his annoyed tone. "Were you sleeping?"

"Sleeping? Do I sound like I slept at all?" the male returned irritably. He quirked open one eye, irritation increasing as he finally noted the time. "I was studying all night for my finals. I just went to bed like an hour ago... Fuck...it's like three in the goddamned morning. Somebody had better be dead or dying or both you and them will be wishing they were if you don't have a fucking good excuse for waking me up so goddamn early, Renji. So, I'll ask again… what the fuck do you want?"

Over the connection he heard Renji clear his throat uncomfortably, beginning rather hesitantly as he attempted to explain the reason for his call.

"Well, you see," he began, breaking off to cough uncomfortably again before dropping the bomb. "It's about Orihime."

Ichigo's spine straightened almost immediately at those words and a sick feeling sank into his stomach like a ton of lead.

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The sick feeling that had plagued him earlier quickly turned to one of helplessness and acute discomfort about a half an hour later as he watched Chad walk in with a half-giggling, half-hiccupping, much too happy Orihime thrown over his shoulder like a sack of rice. He watched in slight disbelief and suspended animation as the gentle giant strode past him to set her on the couch before moving to breeze past him again on his way back out to the waiting taxi.

"Oi," he said, grabbing his arm then, a slightly desperate look in his eyes as the reality of the situation hit him. They really could not mean to leave him here... alone... not with Orihime in this condition, could they...?

"Where are you going?"

"To get the rest of the girl's home safely of course," Ishida replied tartly as he came to stand in the doorway, "Unless you want a bunch of drunken girls fighting for the bathroom while puking all over your floors?"

Ichigo did not hold back his glare at that, prompting Ishida to sigh and state, "Look, it's just a precaution to make sure she's ok. Tatsuki is just as out of it as she is and so Sado will be looking out for her at his dorm. I'm going to make sure Nemu is alright and with Tatsuki at Sado's, do you really want me to take a tipsy Orihime back to the flat to be by herself…considering how accident prone she is even sober? It's really not even that big of a deal either. All you have to do is watch over her tonight and try to keep her out of trouble until she sobers up."

No big deal? Ichigo's mind echoed dully as Sado pulled himself from his loosened grasp and left him staring after him. Why did that sound so ominous?

A loud snicker caught his attention at that moment and he turned to see Orihime unsteadily getting to her feet from her place on the couch.

Oh sweet Kami...no

One foot to the floor and then the other and then she was falling rather inelegantly, arms flailing, in a crumpled heap.

He moved quickly, barely remembering to slam the door shut before he reached for her, one hand unconsciously circling around her small waist to pull her back before she met a rather painful fate with the floor.

"Oomph!" she squeaked as her face and chest slammed into his chest... then promptly giggled despite her plight.

Ichigo sighed.

There goes his quiet night.

Sighing again, he set her back on the couch in front of the television and set himself to eye level with her.

"Inoue...You... stay here," he ordered, "I'm going to make you some tea."

Her grey eyes fixed on him, somewhat unfocused, then, without answering him, switched to whatever it was that was playing behind him on the television Sado must have turned on earlier.

Ichigo sighed again in response to her distraction and released her, hoping she would be captivated long enough by whatever it was on the television that had gotten her attention in the first place so he could make the tea and come back without her injuring herself.

How in hell had she gotten this drunk anyway? he cursed as he set the kettle on and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. Orihime was not a drinker. He knew that very well having known her all through high school. Hell... the damn girl got tipsy from smelling rubbing alcohol and they all knew that...

His eyes narrowed slightly as a thought occurred to him.

Matsumoto Rangiku...

No doubt she was the one behind the giggling mess on the couch.

Damn Rangiku ... and damn Tatsuki for not paying closer attention to her and leaving him to deal with this... this...

Fucking hell... Fucking stupid girl's night out…

Kami, why was this happening to him, he groused inwardly. Everyone else was celebrating the end of exams- the girls with their girl's night out and even Ishida, Sado and Renji had gone out. He'd been the only idiot not celebrating but studying instead for an exam he'd had to miss due to hollow duty. He's spent almost all day and night preparing for the damn thing while they'd been out celebrating and now he had to deal with their mess, which was downright frigging unfair. They were supposed to be dealing with this, not him. Tatsuki and Rukia had been the ones to bring her along and they should have known that in letting Rangiku tag along they would have had to watch Orihime even more closely as the blonde was not averse to plying the university student with liquor—which they all knew she had no head for... And Orihime was just too nice to refuse...

Now, thanks to them, he had to deal with this.

God... didn't they know how hard it was already to deal with the girl on a daily basis? He was a guy for fuck's sake and as much as he may not show it, he had hormone issues just like the next guy… issues that for whatever reason lately, seemed to flare up more often than not around said girl currently occupying his couch.

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…"

The sound rang out from the sudden quiet, causing him to swing around in surprise, tea bag in his hand, just in time to see Orihime animatedly copying the dreadlocked entertainer on the television before falling back on the couch in a fresh bout of giggles until tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Too funny," she gasped before dissolving into giggles again, "Just too funny."

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched.

He was going to kill Tatsuki and Rukia, he decided then, kill them really, really slowly and then he was slowly going to torture Renji…

Bastards, he cursed, just tipsy my ass…the girl was totally smashed!

Something slammed into the ground in the next moment, the thud followed by a loud yelping-half-scream sound. He almost dropped the hot water he'd been about to pour out and raced into the shared living area, his heart beating harder and faster than it should have from the small exertion.

On reaching the area though, he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or be exasperated, as between the couch and the low table sat Orihime, a crumpled mess of limbs and pale skirts, struggling unsuccessfully to right herself from her position. Her eyebrows were drawn together in a frown of effort and slight confusion- almost as if she wasn't sure how she'd gotten to that position in the first place or how to even begin to get out.

Another sigh escaped him as she almost slammed her head into the low table for all her efforts- he was going to be doing that a lot it seemed- but then he was reaching down a hand to help her up, trying to keep her from actually giving herself some serious head trauma.

Her grasp of his hand was weak and unsteady and after trying unsuccessfully two times, with her giggling every time they failed, he simply put his hands under her arm and hefted her to sit back on the couch-well not so simple since he couldn't fight the blush staining his cheeks. (His hands were so close to another part of her anatomy in that hold).

Shaking that thought, as well as the one on how good it was to hear her laugh- drunken or not, he started to step back cautiously, until, assured she was settled in well, he started to straighten up.

"Kurosaki-kun."

His eyes found hers again to find her looking at him with a silly smile, her eyes dancing with mirth and something else he couldn't quite name. She hiccupped loudly in the silence and his brows snapped together even tighter as she burst out laughing again.

"Kurosaki-kun really does have the best expressions," she managed between the fits, "Like an angry cat…heh-eh…no no…like a …"

Another fit of giggles followed and with a sigh, he moved towards her as she started sliding off the couch, trying to get to her before she laughed herself off the couch and really did some damage to herself.

"Come," he told her on reaching her, "Let's just get you to bed."

And asleep, he added mentally. If he could get her into bed and asleep, she could at least sleep it off ... As for the tea…well sleep was going to be infinitely better for his peace of mind.

"Aye, Aye, Kurosaki-taichou-san," the girl returned with a crisp salute before dissolving into giggles again.

Ichigo muttered a silent curse at her abnormal cheerfulness and reached down to help her up. Slinging a hand across her shoulders, he helped her stand, supporting her weight and, as soon as she was steady, started to guide her towards the lone spare bedroom at the end of the hall. They were doing well, making good progress until the girl, quite out of the blue, suddenly stopped and burrowed her nose into his shirt and took a long, deep whiff.

The action surprised him so much he almost dropped her.

"You smell nice, Kurosaki-kun," she said softly, her nose still slightly in his shirt.

He raised a brow at that and heard himself ask before he thought, "Do I?"

She giggled and took another deep whiff, "… Hmm…Kurosaki-kun always smells nice…like nice dreams and chocolate... but so much better up close... "

She grinned up at him goofily and he felt his lips start to tug upwards reluctantly despite himself. Only Inoue would think someone smelled like nice dreams and chocolate. Did dreams even have a smell? He was sure they didn't so he put it down to the alcohol talking...

He shook his head mentally, his lips quirking more as he took another step forward.

This action almost caused her to fall over however as, while he had taken the step, she was still standing right where she had been.

"Ino-," he began questioningly.

"You're smiling!" she exclaimed in interruption, the wonder in her voice making him frown harder.

Not noticing or not caring, the girl continued with a bright smile, "I like Kurosaki-kun's usual face but I think I like it more when it is smiling…like now. Did you know that when you smile, your eyes follow a split second after?"

"No," he simply replied, trying valiantly to calm the sudden racing of his heart.

This was not he time to be flattered, he told himself firmly. Besides, the girl was drunk off her rockers and probably had no clue of just what was coming out of her mouth. He was sure if she was sober…His brain grounded to a screeching halt at the feel of a soft digit on his lips.

"When you smile like this," Orihime spoke again, voice soft as one finger idly traced the contours of his lips, "it's really genuine and your lips are relaxed ...like you're really happy…like this… not frowning and …you look even more handsome like this. I think you should smile more…ne, Kurosaki-kun?"

Alcohol plus Inoue was a hazard to his sanity, Ichigo decided then as his eyes closed and he drew in a shuddering breath, attempting to steady himself from the sensation her finger on his lip was creating in his body.

Grabbing her hand gently, he pulled the finger away from its torturous ministrations, reopening his eyes only to see her staring up at him intently, nonplussed it seemed by his actions while he could feel a bit of sweat start to drip down the side of his face.

"Have I ever told you that you've got the most breathtaking eyes I've ever seen, Kurosaki-kun?" she almost crooned then.

Ichigo swallowed thickly.

Kami…

"No. But I think you just did," he grunted, hating the way his voice came out all breathy.

He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze, tightening his grip on her as he tried to move them along again. Standing here was only going to get him into trouble.

Orihime, however, did not share his thoughts. She dug her heels in and did not even budge at his efforts, her eyes still on him. Oblivious to him and his growing discomfort, she just stood there, wide grey eyes staring up at him thoughtfully before she burst out in a giggle and stated, "I just did, didn't I?"

Damn alcohol... Ichigo cursed to himself then, drawing in a harsh breath. Fuck… He really did not need to deal with this right now. Not after he'd spent the last two months telling himself he had no business feeling attracted to the girl in front of him, his friend. God…she was Inoue and he really had no business lusting after her but Kami help him, more and more recently, he couldn't help it. He knew he shouldn't be lusting after his friend, after her of all people, but he couldn't stop the dreams that played out in his head at nights, couldn't stop the way everything she seemed to do lately sent his mind right into the gutter or the way he seemed to just be noticing everything about her as if it was suddenly in high definition technicolor… things like the way how she would bite her lips when she was nervous, or chew on her nails if something was bothering her, the way she licked her lips whenever she'd zone out in her imaginary world of strange foods…

God this wasn't helping…

"Come on," he urged, pulling himself from his wayward thoughts, his voice sounding strained, "Let's go."

Orihime only giggled at him, resisting his tug on her arm again before she proceeded to bring his world to tilt at a very, very odd angle

"Hmmm...Have I ever told you then, that I also think you're the best looking guy I've ever seen, Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned softly.

Her words slapped him like a punch in the solar plexus, robbing him of his breath.

"No," he rasped out, desperately trying to remember she was drunk as his heart set into an even more frantic drive.

What was she saying to him? Had she any idea? She couldn't, he told himself firmly, ignoring the cackling of his hollow in the background, it must be the alcohol talking, making her say things that she would, under any other circumstances, never utter...

God, what was she doing to him?

He forced himself to concentrate on something else...

Shoes... yes, he had to at least remember to remove her shoes before settling her for the night. The heels looked uncomfortable even though they made the curve of her ankle and dainty feet look even sexier…

He groaned inwardly.

"I think," Orihime spoke again then, voice slightly hesitant as it cut into his thoughts. She paused momentarily, head cocked to one side as if weighing her words before she spoke again. "I think... I want to kiss you."

Ichigo's world promptly fell out of orbit.

Kami-sama help him...

Involuntarily, his gaze fell to her lips and something dark stirred in his veins. He found his head lowering, edging towards the candy pink of her lips without thought before snapping out of the reverie encasing his mind.

Fuck… He couldn't do this…shouldn't do this. For fuck's sake, he thought to himself angrily at the strange stirrings lingering still in his veins as he drew back, this is Inoue... Inoue who is my friend... Inoue who is not even interested in me…Inoue who is stark staring drunk and whom I should not even be thinking about kissing…

Inoue whom you've been secretly lusting after for more than five years, a voice laughed in his head.

Shut the fuck up, he growled back inwardly to that voice, I have not.

Sure you haven't, the voice returned definitely amused, you haven't thought about kissing her, touching that smooth skin to see if it really is as smooth and soft as it looks... haven't thought about kissing those candy pink lips… haven't watched her licking her lips and wanted to do it for her or better yet, imagine that tongue licking other parts of your anatomy… Of course you haven't thought about fucking her brains out against any surface that could be used...

SHUT THE FUCK UP, he screamed inwardly as the words brought distinctly uncomfortable images to his mind.

For fuck's sake, he chided the fiend cackling in his mind, Inoue is drunk as hell and all you can think about is...

Fucking her silly, his hollow laughed, adding as Ichigo's frustrated growl echoed in their distinctly topsy-turvy world. Hey, it's not like I'm the only one King... you're just too fucking chicken to admit it.

"Kurosaki-kun..."

Shit, she was touching him again, her hands lifting to his cheek as he stood frozen.

He'd been so busy arguing with his hollow he hadn't felt her shifting...Fuck.

Unconsciously, he tried to shift her back, drawing in a breath to steady himself as he got ready to distance himself and extol to her all of the many reasons she should not even be saying such things to him. For starters, she was stark, staring drunk. She had no idea of the things she was saying or their effect on him and...

Orihime's right hand shifted upwards to rest on his chest, causing his thought to blow away with the wind as he looked down at her. His own arms had unconsciously shifted again to keep her upright, tightening on her and drawing her into his frame.

At the touch of his body to hers, a hazy heat seemed to fill the air around them, sizzling with strange undercurrents he did not even want to think about.

"Inoue," he began his attempt to dissuade her from saying anything else... perhaps, an attempt to dissuade himself too from succumbing to the sensuous thread that had begun weaving around them.

"I think I've wanted to do that for a long time," she admitted softly, ignoring his voice as her breath fanned across his neck. "Don't you want to kiss me, Kurosaki-kun?"

The hazy heat that was wrapping around them jumped several degrees, pervading into his lungs, into his brain... a warmth that was wrapping around him and clouding his judgement.

Kami-sama fucking help him, he found himself begging then. He was sinking, slipping into really dangerous waters and he didn't think he'd be able to swim out of it if he got any deeper. He could feel his control becoming unhinged despite his best efforts to hold on to it , his heart pounding like caged bird against his ribs...

His eyes flickered to the candy pink lips below him again, breath hitching.

Fuck...this was not good.

Focus, he shouted inwardly at himself, answer her. Tell her no...

The word, the simple two lettered word, weighed heavy on his lips, ready to come out as he opened his mouth and yet to his surprise and utter chagrin, it was a tremulous, treacherous, "Yes," that slithered past his lips.

Her hands fisted tightly in his shirt at his answer.

"Kurosaki-kun..." she whispered, his name coming out on a breathy sigh as she rose up on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his.

His body froze in shock for the whole of a second at the action- one long drawn out moment that felt more like a small eternity. The insulated moment was brief though as in the next moment it was like the cocoon that had been sheltering him just shattered into a million pieces and the world of sensations that had been animatedly suspended in the prolonged second suddenly rushed in, overwhelming his senses. The heat hazing around them turned almost hellish in that moment and, as she sighed against his lips, the soft breath of air fanning across the sensitive appendage, he found himself unable to resist its pull. His whole body was tingling in the weirdest way and desire, a feeling he knew oh too well, especially in relation to this girl in his arms, crawled out of its hiding place, filling every goose-bumped pore of his body. Fuck, he thought then, falling into the abyss of that feeling,... this was just too much. And, as she gripped him tighter, soft lips readying to pull away from him, it became the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The dam of feeling he'd held under tight reins for so long finally flooded their banks and his reaction was swift - almost brutal- as he tightened his hold on her and his mouth sealed tightly over hers. Angling his head, he swallowed her shocked gasp and let his instinct, all the daydreams he'd had of this one moment, guide everything else. Soon he was alternately sucking and stroking and nibbling at her soft lips- Kami but they were soft- with his tongue and teeth, swallowing her soft sighs as his lips moved over hers relentlessly, demanding her submission to him. He nipped her bottom lip and she obeyed his silent plea, parting her mouth for his searching tongue. He wasted no time in delving his tongue in her moist cavern greedily, leaving nothing untouched, giving and taking everything she offered as her body responded to his demands, her arms sliding to swathe around his neck, her mouth kissing him back as hungrily as he was kissing her, matching him stroke for stroke.

Her strong response stunned him. He hadn't ever expected, much less thought she would have reacted so powerfully to any such advances from him. Yet here she was, giving herself freely to him, seeming to want this as badly as he did, and when his tongue teased her lips to open, she didn't even hesitate to welcome him in, shyly allowing him to caress her mouth, allowing him to trace her lips with his tongue, exploring every silky soft inch of it, trying to get that elusive more he was craving before he let his tongue sweep in.

She moaned softly into his mouth as he caressed her tongue with his, curling her own over his as she returned the caress and as exhilarating as it was to feel her enthusiastic response, it wasn't enough... It wasn't nearly enough to assuage the fire of desire lighting its way through every single vein in his body. Need... it ate him like he could not believe and though a small part of his conscience was telling him this was wrong... the rest of him was thinking it felt oh so fucking right.

A needy groan echoed from his throat and, unthinkingly, he pressed her even further back into the wall of the dimly lit passageway, moving with her until her soft mounds were pressed flat into the hard planes of his chest and he could feel her body quivering under his.

God...Fuck...damn...

More...

His mouth hardened against hers, plundering and bruising, causing Orihime to gasp at the deliciously hard press and arch her back instinctively as she felt his scorching pink organ delve in and taste her again, stroking her tongue with his own and drawing her bottom lip into his mouth to suck and nibble at it with renewed vigour.

Sinking into the swirl of heading sensation, Orihime couldn't help but tug at him, her hands restless as they moved feverishly across his shoulders, grasping at him, at anything to anchor her before she was swept away. Her body was trembling so badly and it felt as if she was on fire, burning everywhere he was pressed against her. God, what was he doing to her?

Her restless hands shifted to his waist and found heated flesh and all of a sudden, the air around them blazed.

Oh sweet Mary, mother of God...

Ichigo bit back a groan as her slender fingers landed on his heated skin and stayed there, her fingers digging in and caressing in random intervals. Fuck, he thought inwardly at the pleasure curling through him at the touch. Her taste was already intoxicating him, the flavour of her as heady as the alcohol she must have imbibed and so fucking sweet he wondered hazily if he could become diabetic from it. She tasted like strawberries dipped in chocolate, like rum and raisin ice-cream... delicious and oh so fucking addicting... God, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could endure.

One of his hands shifted to fist in her hair as her fingers played across his flesh again, holding her firm as he dominated her mouth, tasting and exploring every inch of it, suckling, nibbling...

"Hmm…," the low moan slipped past her lips as he stroked her, tasted her and explored every inch of her sweet, delicious mouth. The sound made his hand tighten on her waist, pulling her closer against his body, searing her skin with his heat. In response, her arms reached up around his neck bringing him closer, deepening their oral engagement. He reciprocated her move for closeness with equal vigour, shifting so that her back was damn near sinking into the wall and she could feel every inch of him pressing into her even more clearly.

Heat blazoned in his mind as she made that sound again, a low sound in the back of her throat that made his whole body flush with heat and tense, tightening up like a drum. His body shifted in response, trying to drown the heat in her, trapping her tightly between him and the wall- so gloriously close that he doubted the travel of air would have been possible between them. God... he couldn't think about anything else but her right then- the taste of her, the feel, the silky skin beneath his fingers where her top had ridden up, the scorching heat between them, the little mewling sounds she made as his thumb ran across the exposed flesh of her hips or when he angled his head differently to explore her mouth more thoroughly...

Kami...

In the haziness of her mind, Orihime felt her legs become like jelly, felt her knees buckling beneath her but not a single thought seemed to be able to develop in her mind otherwise. Everything had just melted away when he started to kiss her, drowning her world into sensations and feelings that were only and solely focused on him and what he was doing to her. He was simply just drugging her with his kisses, intoxicating her senses to the point that nothing was coherent except the feelings he was invoking. Subconsciously, she realised she was already intoxicated but even then, she could clearly distinguish which effects were alcohol-induced from those caused by him and the heat burning through her was all him she knew. Only he could create this fire in her veins, this slow burning heat that was consuming her from the inside out and even as she knew she really shouldn't be doing this, making out with him in this state- and in the hallway no less-, her stubborn lust-crazed body just wouldn't listen. It was like her body had developed a mind of its own and was just doing as it pleased regardless of the pleas in the back of her mind telling her this was wrong, that she shouldn't be doing this.

Her hands shifted, moving downwards to push him away but again her body had other ideas and instead of pushing him away, her left hand only moved to sink deeper into his orange tresses, her other hand trailing down to tug at his shirt, pulling at it until the buttons gave and she was touching hot, hard and smooth skin again.

"Orihime…" he hissed at the contact and his hips grounded reflexively into hers, making her pant as she wrenched her mouth from his in a small half moan, half whimper.

Reality bitch-slapped him upside the head like a huge four by four at the sound and he pulled away from her, trying to regain his senses. Heavy rasped breathing was the only sound resounding in the otherwise silent and dimly lit hallway in that moment then a small whimper resonated as Orihime's grey orbs fluttered open under his gaze, her eyes dazed.

"Wow," she breathed, "Can we do that again?"

That dark heat blazed through him again and he closed his eyes to hide the fire he knew was reflecting in his gaze as he drew in one shuddering breath after another to calm his heated blood.

Kami, did she even have a clue what the hell she was saying... doing to him?

Of course not... she was drunk.

"No," he returned, his voice surprisingly steady, "we shouldn't... this shouldn't have happened...Inoue... You're drunk...not thinking straight... I should just get you into bed... not take advantage of you... Shit...I really need to get you to bed and go..."

"Hmm, you should go," she agreed but her actions were in total contradiction to that as the hand trapped in his hair unconsciously tightened and began to gently massage his scalp.

A shiver of pleasure ran down his spine, making his body tremble, his knees feeling weak. Letting out a harsh breath, he leaned his head down and gently nudged her forehead with his.

"Inou..." he began, trying to get a hold of himself- he had to stop this before they did something they were both going to regret, "Stop," he tugged her hand down from his hair, "We shouldn't be doing this... I can't..."

He stopped suddenly, becoming aware of the weight of her head on his chest and the heaviness of her weight on his arm.

Had she actually fallen asleep?

Unbelieving, he shifted her to see her face and sure enough, the girl had passed out.

Fucking wonderful timing…

Longing to rub a hand over his face in frustration, he swept her up in his arms, bridal style, and made his way to the spare room. In the back of his mind, he hoped, prayed even, that she would not remember any of this in the morning. God help him but he didn't think he would be able to explain himself to her otherwise…

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"What the hell is up with those two?"

Pausing in the task of grabbing a few things from his locker, Ishida looked towards the direction Tatsuki was staring in, her face in a fierce scowl.

"I mean, is it just me or are those two even more awkward and uncomfortable around each other than usual?"

Ishida remained silent, a brow rising in puzzled curiosity as he watched a blushing and obviously flustered Orihime trying to avoid an equally uncomfortable looking Ichigo.

"No," the response came out of the blue and not from him but from the big-bodied Sado standing next to him.

"They do seem to be avoiding each other lately," he offered thoughtfully.

"Hmm," Tatsuki hummed, "I thought it was strange when we saw him coming down the hall earlier and Orihime got so red in the face I thought she was imitating a tomato and ran into the bathroom."

She stared at the pair, watching Orihime beat a hasty retreat from a now puzzled looking Ichigo.

"Why though?" she murmured to no one in particular. "They weren't this uncomfortable around each other before."

"Perhaps something happened?" Ishida proffered.

"Something, ka?" Tatsuki murmured.

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Hurrying from the bright-haired male, Orihime let the breath that she had unconsciously been holding escape from her lungs. God, she thought wretchedly, she couldn't even look him in the face to exchange greetings anymore and it was all her fault.

To be honest, it wasn't even like she had planned any of this. She hadn't even been aware of what happened even after she had awaken in the spare bedroom in his dorm but after a night in her own bed, it had all come pouring back… her drunken but truthful confessions and her instigation of the kiss…

The kiss…

An anguished groan escaped her as she slowed to a stop, resting her head on the cold wall as memories of that night washed over her.

She had been so wanton and so forward and…God, how could he even look at her anymore after such a disgraceful thing. She had almost confessed that she was in love with him for crying out loud…not that that would have been much worse than the things she had let slip in her inebriated state.

"I want to kiss you."

Her words echoed in her head again and she groaned in shame. Was it any wonder the poor boy was so uncomfortable around her? She had basically forced herself on him…

Feelings of guilt and shame swept through her, burying her under the weight of her remorse. She had single-handedly and quite foolishly ruined her friendship with the boy she also was, and had been, secretly in love with for the last five years in one night of drunken stupor. Way to go Orihime…

Tears burned at her eyes.

She'd been so stupid but even acknowledging that fact did not seem to staunch the flow of tears down her pale cheeks and, even while she knew crying wouldn't solve anything or repair her friendship with Ichigo, it was a welcome release that she so badly needed from all the chaotic emotions that had been running rampant in her mind ever since she remembered the events of that night. It was cathartic in a sense, cleansing….

And now she was just being pathetic…

Closing her eyes, she wiped a hand across her face to dry her tears. She didn't want any one to see her tears or even know she had been crying. It was bad enough that Tatsuki had seen it. Knowing her as long as she had, Tatsuki had quickly realised something was wrong only moments after she herself had recalled the incident. She had of course tried to assure her it was nothing and even acted as she normally did to alleviate her suspicion but Tatsuki was not so easily fooled. She had known her cheery façade had been nothing more than a ruse. To the point as always, she figured it had something to do with the night she had spent at Ichigo's but Orihime dared not tell her anything else. How would she even begin? How could she explain to her best friend that, in a drunken haze, she had somewhat knowingly jumped the bones of one of their closest friends? I mean, forget that she was already madly but secretly in love with the boy… she had damned near raped him…

"Inoue."

Startled by the voice calling her name, she moved without thinking, spying the door only about a half second before she was inside the janitors closet and shutting it behind her again, watching as the bright haired boy walked past her hiding place, a scowl on his face.

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She was avoiding him.

If he hadn't been certain of that fact before today, Ichigo was certainly aware of it now. For the last three days since she had woken up in his dorm room, every time he had but glimpsed her, she had hurried off as if the devil was chasing her. Just now was a prime example. She had just been standing there and then, quick as her name bounced off his lips, she had darted into the crowd lingering in the hallways and now he couldn't find her anywhere.

But why would she be avoiding him?

His gut twisted.

Could it be she remembered?

Kami no…

She hadn't said anything to him yet and to no one else it seemed since he was as of yet uninjured but still… he couldn't think of any other reasons why she would be avoiding him.

He sighed, running a hand in frustration through his hair before swearing loudly.

"Fuck!"

Had he ruined everything then? Had he really destroyed so many years of friendship for a kiss? His chest tightened at the thought, his breath trapping in his chest.

God, he hoped he hadn't.

Fuck, these days the girl couldn't even look at him without getting so flustered and red he thought she'd start to hyperventilate and pass out or something.

Damn! Why hadn't he controlled his stupid male hormones? She had been the one intoxicated, not him so he should have fucking known better. Instead, what had he done? He'd fucking taken advantage of her…

And she had enjoyed every minute of it…

Scowling at his hollows whispered words, Ichigo tried to push away the memories the words brought to his mind- her lips against his, the little mewling noises that had escaped her lips…

Hi scalp tingled, his body flushing with heat. Tension coiled in his body at the recollection and he found himself standing there just clenching and unclenching his fists to ease the strain on his muscles.

God... he needed to work this out and soon. Otherwise, he was going to slowly drive himself insane.

Sighing as he ran a hand through his bright colored spikes, messing up his already messy do, he started to head back the way he had come.

He was close to where had last seen her, just rounding the corner to the corridor when he spotted an auburn head peaking from the janitors closet.

So that was where she had disappeared to…

Watching her turn towards his direction, checking for him it seemed, he ducked back around the corner then instantly chastised himself.

What the fuck was he running for? Wasn't he just thinking how tired he was of the cat and mouse game they seemed to be playing?

Feeling his resolve return, he poked his head around the corner, watching as Orihime walked out of the janitor's closet and hurried down the corridor. His scowl deepened.

He could understand she was undoubtedly upset with him, yet, he couldn't help but feel anger at her that she was so steadfastly avoiding him. She wasn't even giving him a chance to fucking apologise. Hell, weren't they friends? How could she intend to just avoid him as such then without even giving him a chance?

Feeling quite justified in his anger, he strode from behind the wall, fully intending to seek the auburn haired girl out and have his say. Since she didn't want to willingly talk to him, he was just going to have to employ some alternate tactics.

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Hurrying down the empty corridor to the tunnel that would lead her out to the shortcut to her dorm, Orihime tightened her hold on her books and gave the empty path behind her a worried look. There was no Ichigo chasing behind her and, feeling a flood of relief sweep through her at the realisation, she let her footsteps finally slow slightly.

She knew she couldn't run away from him forever and that they needed to talk but she just wasn't ready to face him. Just thinking about her wanton actions made her want to curl up and die so how was she going to talk to him about it? She didn't even think she could look him in the face for that discussion. Kami she couldn't look at him now without turning an unsightly shade of red and stuttering like an idiot. Kami, she thought miserably, quickly on the heels of that thought, he probably thinks I'm the world's biggest pervert.

Her skin tingled suddenly but she barely had time to even fully register the feeling as suddenly he was there, panting slightly as he stood before her, locking her against the wall as he planted one hand at either side of her head.

"K-Kurosaki-kun," she stammered out in surprise.

"Yes," he returned, "Since you seem so determined to run away from me, I figured the only way I would get to talk to you is to catch you. Now that I've caught you- and trust me when I say you're not going anywhere until you answer my questions- why don't you start by telling me why the hell you've been avoiding me?"

Turning her gaze away from the blazing hazel-brown orbs boring into her, Orihime's fingers tightened on her books.

"I-I wasn't avoiding you…"

"Bullshit," he interrupted, "Every time I step into the same space as you, you run away. That's you avoiding me. Now I just want to know why."

He watched discordantly as her plump bottom lip withdrew inside her mouth and she started to worry it with her teeth, half of him wishing she would stop before she bit through it, the other half of him wondering if she had any idea how enticing the action was, how it made him want to worry it for her.

Realising he was getting carried away yet again, he let his gaze shift away from her lips, moving upwards to her eyes which were still facing away from him. From his periphery, he saw her tongue dart out to wet her lips and then her lips opened.

"I'm sorry."

The quiet words had his brows knitting in confusion.

What the hell was she apologising for?

He opened his mouth to ask just that but she beat him to it with her next words.

"I…I didn't mean to be so brazen. It's just…I just… I didn't mean to make Kurosaki-kun uncomfortable and now… I-I'm such a horrible person doing that to Kurosaki-kun and … I understand if you are angry with me and," she swallowed hard, "if you don't want to talk to me anymore…"

Huh? Had he missed something? Shouldn't he be the one apologizing to her for taking advantage of her?

"I want to kiss you."

Her words that night echoed in his head and suddenly he understood. She thought she had forced him into kissing her. The idea was wholly and completely laughable but looking at the utter misery and self-recriminations on her face, he knew laughing would not be a good thing to do right now. Not when she was looking so miserable.

"I-I'm really sorry, Kurosaki-kun…"

"Don't be."

Her eyes flew to his face at his words.

"Don't," he reiterated, "I should be the one apologising. I took advantage of you when I should have known better. This is not your fault but mine and I would definitely understand if you don't ever want to talk to me again…"

"But it was me who said those words," the girl burst out miserably.

"I want to kiss you."

The words seemed to hang in the air between them then and Ichigo suddenly started to notice exactly how close she was to him. He could feel the wispy flow of her breath against his face, could feel the heat emanating from her, smell the fragrantly delicate bouquet that was her unique smell…

His eyes wandered up to hers, watching as she seemed to come to the same realisation as he did and almost groaning aloud as her gaze shifted to his lips, her tongue darting out to wet hers in an unconscious action.

Kami she was killing him…

Feeling his throat clog, he cleared it, startling her into looking up at him. Her grey eyes widened at the realisation he had been watching her staring at his lips and hot color flooded her cheeks. Thoroughly embarrassed now, he watched her turn to push at his hand, fully intending to run away from him again.

As if he would let her.

"Kurosaki-kun," her voice came at him pleadingly, "Please… I can't… I'm sorry I did that. I- those words, I…"

He suddenly didn't want to hear her apologize and so he cut her off there, not giving her an ounce of warning before he shifted, his hand swiftly moving up to grab her face before he slammed his mouth over hers.

She stiffened at the abrupt contact but he wouldn't give her a chance to push him away. He pressed her back into the corner, letting his elbows come to rest on the wall, trapping her even more in his embrace as he set to plundering her mouth, intent on wiping all thoughts of apologies from her mind as he set to suckling her plump bottom lip, tracing its outline with his tongue and shifting to glide across her teeth, urging her to open up to him.

His fingers curled around her nape, pulling back on her hair to tilt her head up so he could deepen the kiss. She gasped at the momentary roughness and he made use of it to enter into the deliciously addicting cavern of her mouth where he set to plundering like a vicious pirate, imprinting his taste on every one of her taste buds, ravaging her mouth.

A shudder ran through her frame and he swallowed the small mewl that escaped her lips as her body just seemed to melt into his. His arm encircled her waist, keeping her upright and pinned next to the wall while he continued to dominate her mouth with his. There wasn't a corner he left untouched as his tongue devoured her mouth, feasting on her mouth and lips until she started to feel delirious with the unfamiliar need riding through her.

With a low growl, his hand slid up her back to her neck, and he tugged her to him, his mouth crushing harder against hers in an even fiercer kiss that she returned wholeheartedly, her arms coming up to wrap themselves tightly around his neck, her hands clutching at the silken spikes of his hair. She felt his hand return the gesture, weaving into her thick auburn strands, cupping the back of her head to better cradle her mouth against his as his lips ravaged hers, probing, opening her mouth up to him. His tongue slipped inside to coax at hers with raspy little strokes and she couldn't help but respond, angling her head slightly as the kiss deepened again.

Kami...just how many ways were there to kiss?

Orihime felt like she was melting, just floating away as his hand buried deeper into her hair, forcing her jaw to shift even more upwards for his pleasure as he kissed her senseless with his long, slow, lingering, melting kisses. His tongue was doing things to her she couldn't describe and the hand at her waist was now burning against her bare skin where her shirt must have ridden up. When she felt him pull in on her bottom lip, worrying it like she had been earlier but with such raw sexuality in the act she felt lightheaded, she couldn't hold back the small whimper that left her lips and as if he had been waiting for that sound, he lifted her body slightly, settling her even more tightly against him as his mouth hardened its demands on hers with fierce devouring kisses that sent jolts of wild sensations from her lips to her very toes, making them curl in her shoes. His tongue stroked hers, teasing, as it plunged in and out of her mouth in a savage dance of near feverish longing and unable to help herself, Orihime's hand tightened their hold on his biceps where she hadn't even recalled putting them.

The need for air finally made its self known and with one last deceptively sweet brush of his tongue against hers, Ichigo wrenched his mouth from hers, gasping in a large breath of air as he did so. Her small pants sounded loud in their closeness and weakened by the naïve desire he could see filling her eyes as she opened them to look at him, he dropped his head to rest against her forehead.

"I don't want you to apologise," he murmured softly a moment later by way of explanation, "I don't want to hear you say you're sorry… not when it was just as much my fault as yours. I could have stopped you… I should have but God…I," his voice softened to a near whisper, "I didn't want to."

Her body snapped taut at his whispered confession and unable to meet her gaze, he closed his eyes.

"If you have to apologise, then so do I," he stated softly, eyes still closed, "God, Inoue, I-I wanted to kiss you."

The admission, though whispered seemed like a shout in the quiet and he kept his eyes closed, waiting for the shoe to fall.

"You…You wanted to kiss me?" her uncertain question came a moment later, her voice almost inaudible it was so soft.

"God…fuck…Yes," he admitted, "I think I've wanted to do it for a long time but I…I kept telling myself I shouldn't but then that night…Fuck…I-I just couldn't stop myself after you kissed me."

"Oh," the girl breathed and went silent.

Not expecting such a meek response, his eyes opened to look down at her, watching in slight confusion as she stared down at her shoes, worrying her lip again.

"Then…You're- you're not mad that I kissed you?"

"Mad?" he questioned in a strangled voice, "You thought I was mad at you for kissing me?"

The girl nodded hesitantly and the urge to laugh came again. Here he was, thinking and worrying that she was mad at him for taking advantage of her, kissing her when she was drunk and she was thinking he was angry at her for kissing him?

"Did I seem mad at you a minute ago?"

Her eyes flew up to his once more before a tremulous, "N-no," escaped her lips.

"But," she began hesitantly, "I-I don't understand… why did you kiss me?"

Again the urge to laugh at her naivete came but he harshly put it aside to answer.

"Because," he began slowly, lifting his head so she could fully meet his gaze, "because I fucking like you."

Her eyes widened impossibly.

"You…you like me?"

"Fuck," he hissed, "Like may not even be an adequate enough word to describe how I feel about you lately."

At her puzzled expression, he tried to explain.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you lately," he admitted, "You seem to be everywhere for me and even when I close my eyes you're there. I can't seem to escape you and almost everything you do drives me to the point of near insanity- the way you bit your nails or suck on your bottom lip… I haven't had a night of sleep worth shit because of you. Dammit woman, you've been damn near driving me crazy."

"So you've wanted to kiss me too?" she asked and Ichigo stared at her dumbly.

Hadn't she heard a word he'd just said? Fuck, wanting to just kiss her had been the least of his damn problems. He'd wanted to fucking devour her.

Thinking she was better off not knowing that however, he resigned himself to answering her query with a simple. "Yes."

"Then why didn't you?"

Why hadn't he?

The question came as he stared at her in shock.

Why?

God knows he'd wanted to; had been tempted enough…

"I don't know," he muttered, his eyes going to her lips, "I really don't know."

"Oh," she murmured, "Maybe you were thinking about it too much. It's like when I'm trying to decide between wasabi topping for my ice-cream or pickles and…"

Yes, he thought to himself, watching her lips as if hypnotised as they moved. Perhaps he was thinking about it too much and perhaps she was just talking too much…

"Maybe you should just do it, you know. At least that's what I tell myself. Just close your eyes and do it- like the Nike commercial…."

Just do it ka?

Fuck…

His eyes darkened.

And his mouth descended on hers again, cutting off her surprised cry as he lead them into another heated round of kisses.

Long, long moments later, he pulled away, eyes half-lidded and so dark, they were a very near black as he waited for his breathing to catch up and his heart to stop racing.

"You know," he murmured, "We're not quite going about things the right way."

Panting to catch her own breath, Orihime looked up at him puzzledly.

"We're putting the cart before the horse," he explained. "Here we are, making out in an empty corridor- not that I'm complaining- when I haven't even asked you yet."

"Asked me what?" she asked breathlessly.

Ichigo's half-lidded gaze rose upwards.

"Inoue Orihime…would you go out with me?"

Her grey eyes searched his and then the smile, the warm beam that rivaled the sun, came out to play.

"I'd like that."

He grinned.

"Good. I just hope you know that's not just a one time offer either. It stands for tonight…And the night after that... And then the night after that and of course the night after that and…."

"Forever," she breathed.

"Hmm," he hummed, eyes darkening even more as he became enticed by her again, "I plan to be your first, your last and everything in between, Inoue Orihime."

And with that said, he sealed his words as he fastened his lips over hers again, pouring the promise of his words into her with his tongue and teeth, imprinting it upon her senses so she would never forget it.

Not that he had any plans to ever let her forget.

Ours, his hollow hummed, dark and enticing in his head.

Ichigo grabbed her closer to him, forcing her frame to melt into his as he devoured her mouth hungrily, his mouth hot and branding on hers.

Ours, he purred in agreement to his hollow, allowing himself a smirk as she choked back a cry when he pushed upward, his thigh cradling between hers, her open mouth allowing his tongue to slip in between to tease and taste her yet again.

Ours and only ours...forever.

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PS. I'm looking for ideas for the next chapter. I find myself utterly too busy these days to really brainstorm so I'm asking for input. If you have some good ideas, do drop me a line. I'd be ecstatic to hear them.