One Lifetime of Our Five

Disclaimer: I in no way own the characters or storyline of the anime and manga series Bleach. It wouldn't be as awesome if I did. I do own this fiction story though.

Author notes: Wow my first fanfiction in a long time. It feels good to be back doing this. I don't have much to say now, but I will have some things at the end.

I'd like to dedicate this to the members of the "Five Lifetimes, One Love" forum, for they are a great bunch of people that make the IchigoxOrihime fandom so much fun. I wouldn't have finished this if it wasn't for them. No drive. XD

Now, let's get this started.

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"One Lifetime of Our Five"

Kurosaki Ichigo let out an uneasy sigh that he didn't know he was holding. He leaned his head against his hands and stared down at the tiled white floor. Small beads of sweat on the back of his neck sparkled in the bright light. His stomach felt as if it had been tied in so many different kinds of knots. He couldn't remember the last time he was this nervous. Oh yeah. It was when he asked her out for the first time. And then there was their first kiss. Thank god he only missed by a little and ended up kissing her chin, unlike a certain redhead he knew that over shot and kissed someone in the eye. Then there was the time she cooked for him. Lord only knows how he survived that encounter. Green but a peanut butter like flavor. Well, at least the first taste was. And finally, there was when he proposed to her. He remembered that day rather fondly.

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He had bought the ring weeks before, but he never knew when to ask her. Ever time he thought about it, his knees felt weak and his throat grew tight. Each and every time, the heroic warrior who struck down the traitor Aizen lost his nerve and was reduced to an everyday regular Joe hopelessly in love. There were many chances for him to get down on one knee, take out the ring and ask her, but for one reason or another, he never could. Either his nerves got the best of him or he didn't feel right doing it then. The day he did propose, it rained. Orihime and he were out, going about from random place to random place. It was a spur of the moment kind of date. One where they went wherever they felt like. The proposal happened at the end of the date as one would assume. They were crossing a bridge, on the way back to Orihime's home. They paused for a moment to enjoy the view.

Ichigo leaned against the rail and looked out toward the gray clouds. The sound of the small raindrops hitting Orihime's umbrella was the only noise he heard. He wore the usual scowl he had come to make his own, though it was a bit more unfriendly because of the rain. While he could appreciate what beauty it had in its own, the memory forever attached to it would always make the beautiful droplets tainted in his eyes. Then, Orihime said something that cleared away some of the hatred he had for this weather.

"You know, I really love this weather." Orihime said suddenly. Ichigo glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. Noticing his questioning look, she continued. "It's just, one night, back when we were still in high school, I was walking to my house from Tatsuki-chan's home. It was raining that night. I had asked about what you were like as a child and about your mom." Ichigo noticeably reacted to the mention of his mother. She noticed and added, "I wanted to know more about you. I had an amazing crush on you then." She gave him a soft smile. "When I was walking home, I thought to myself, 'I think I understand you a little better now, Kurosaki-kun.' I stopped for a moment and looked up at the rain and I realized something. The sky and the earth would never connect with each other without the rain. That's why, to me, the rain is some of the most beautiful weather there is."

For a moment, Ichigo was truly in a sense of awe. As long as he had known her, Orihime had rarely said anything that was this insightful. Every now an then she had her moments, and every time, they always captivated him. They continued to stand there, enjoying the beauty around them and the almost melodic sound of the raindrops. As the light grew dimmer, Orihime turned to resume their way to her home. She took a few steps before realizing that Ichigo wasn't at her side. When she turned back, she saw him still standing on the bridge, looking at the sky. When called to him, he turned his head slowly toward her. Then he said two words, only two, but they were going to change her world forever and his as well.

It had been a slip of the tongue to be honest. He had been reflecting on what they had become and just how much she meant to him. She was truly beautiful, inside and out. Whenever he was with her, his scars and wounds from the past didn't bother him. Even if it just thinking about her, it was soothing. The more and more he thought about it, the more and more he realized just how hard he had fallen for her and how much he wanted to stay by her side for the rest of his life and even beyond that. When he heard her voice, there had only been one thought in his head and thus it slipped. "Marry me." As soon as the words left his mouth, Ichigo cursed himself. That was not the way he wanted it to go. Fortunately, fate allowed him a small do over.

Orihime stopped, not sure of what she had heard. She wasn't sure if she said something, but Ichigo turned to face her completely. With a sincere look that she hadn't ever seen him with before and the rain dripping from his hair and running down his face, Ichigo placed his hand over his heart as if to stop it from beating so hard. "Inoue Orihime…" He paused. How other men did this, he didn't know. This uneasy feeling was unbearable, and he was sure that it wasn't going to get better. "Will you…m-marry me…." He somehow managed to squeeze his words out. Then his feeling got worse. He throat seemed determined on strangling him, and his heart decided to kill him by stopping itself. The world was silent and waiting for her answer. Before he knew it, she was standing right in front of him, umbrella discarded to the side. She slowly stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed him on the lips. For a split second, panic shot through Ichigo. This seemed too much like a 'soft' rejection. Then he felt her weight lean into him, and her arms wrap around his neck.

As the rain mixed with her tears, Orihime held herself tightly against the man she loved with her very being. "Of course I will…" She answered in a soft voice. Almost immediately, she felt him embrace tightly, and she smiled whole heartedly. The next moments where a jumble in her memory, but she remembered feeling as if she was among the clouds, bathing in the light of the sun. She had never felt happier in her entire life.

After their 'little' moment on the bridge, the now engaged couple resumed their travel toward her home. Before parting, Orihime gave Ichigo the kiss of a lifetime. When they broke apart, Ichigo was absolutely stunned. The words "wow", "incredible", or "god-like" did no justice to the feeling he had just experienced. It was beyond hard to say good-bye, though they'd see each other the very next day. As he turned to leave, he smiled the widest he had ever in his entire life. As Orihime watched her beloved leave, she couldn't help but brush her fingers over the silver ring with a small diamond she now wore on her left hand. She couldn't help but smile and laugh when she saw Ichigo thrust his hands in the air and give a shout of joy.

Ichigo had never felt as great as he had at that very moment. Nothing in the world would bring him down that night, not the rain, not the now cold air, and not even tripping over a cat as he ran home. He felt as though he could have leapt over the buildings, and if he had been in his Shinigami form, he would have. Unfortunately, he had left his badge at home. Nonetheless, Ichigo felt great. By the time he reached his home, he was soaking wet, dirty with mud, and cold as ice, but none of it mattered. He was engaged. Not a minute had passed since he arrived before the phone rang. On the other end was an ecstatic Tatsuki, who reaffirmed the proposal and spewed a number of congratulations to him. It wasn't long after the conversation ended and he had hung up that another call, this time from Chad, came. The rest of the night would be filled with calls of congratulations and one of a threat coming from Chizuru, who ultimately congratulated him and promised that if he hurt her 'Hime, he'd pay dearly. Once the calls ended, Ichigo took a quick hot bath and decided to call it a night.

The next day, he journeyed over to the Kurosaki Clinic to inform his family of his engagement. The reaction was much like he expected. Both Yuzu and Karin hugged him tightly and asked many questions about the wedding and his proposal. When the twins asked all they wanted, his father pulled him to the side and slapped him hard on the back, saying that his son made him proud. He then whispered 'fun' things for the wedding night, which earned him a dropkick to the face.

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Alright. Chapter one. I intended to make this a one-shot, but it continued to get longer than what I had originally thought out. I realized that a one shot now would be very long. I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors I might have overlooked. Also if you think I've misrepresented the characters, I'm sorry as well.

Something I need to mention. The comment about Ichigo disliking the rain and Orihime making his dislike fade a bit, I realize that Ichigo has commented that Rukia has "made the rain stop." I really believe that it meant that he no longer was powerless to save those he cares about. Also, I must mention that Ichigo does still dislike the rain. No matter who comes into your life and changes your world, something like that isn't easily forgotten or forgiven. I don't think that Ichigo will ever come to love/like the rain.

Well, that's all I have to say right now. I'll try to get working on Chapter 2 soon. Thank you for any comments that might be left. Flames aren't going to be welcome nicely, but if you must insult me or my story, please make it valid and not some ridiculous statement. Thank you once again and adios.