*repeated bowing* I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I got lazy, I got distracted by a million things (icons [made over 10,000 of em if you can believe that XD], the Fall 2010 line up [Damn good shows we got!] Togainu no Chi [ MAN that show stunk more than a skunk on a bad day! Atleast the music was good] and…some other stuff I can't remember anymore) and I was just de-motivated to write. I'd open the file up and go "….gads I don't feel like writing anything today. Lets read some yaoi/watch a movie."

But seeing the other gals going "I'ma gunna write this shit out and write it good! HERE I GO!" made me go "Me thinks I need to take a page from their books!" So I got myself to write – a little every day but hey, it worked. So here you go, chapter 16 of Senpai to Kouhai.

I'd honestly like to thank all of you who so very patiently waited for this and sent nice reviews. I feel pretty damn bad for being so slow bout this. So again, thank you and sorry. And know this, I will NOT give up on this fic! I. WILL. Finish it. This is my determined face.

Shout-out of win to nagi who very kindly beta-ed this chapter.

As always, I would plead some degree of leniency if some of actions of the characters seem OOC here. Please strive to remember the situation at hand and then judge if the characters seem…not in character.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, don't own the characters.

~ C h a p t e r 1 6 ~

.

Her leg ached as she hurriedly boarded the crowded bus. She shuffled and squeezed her way to the middle of the bus, finding herself between a heavily pregnant woman and a group of giggling high school girls. Her gaze shifted quickly to the large windows, staring out at the sidewalk. Somber faced men and women strode by the waiting bus underneath their umbrellas without so much as a glance around them, a few unlucky souls ran by the vehicle using their bags for scant protection and then she caught sight of her older brother. She slipped behind the chattering girl beside her, peeking from the side at her older brother as he searched for her.

As his gaze turned towards the bus, she quickly ducked her head and squeezed her eyes shut, 'Please don't let him come onto the bus. Please don't let him come onto the bus.' She opened her eyes when she felt the bus jerk slightly underneath her feet and slowly roll through the wet roads. Orihime quickly sneaked another peek back at the sidewalk, only to see her older brother disappear in the large bustling crowd.

She tried to push away the feeling of guilt that swelled up in her as she wondered what she should do now. Nervousness and slight panic flitted through her as she considered her next course of action. She didn't want to return to home, at least not for a little while. 'Tatsuki-chan is out of town…Rukia-chan said that she'd be going over to visit her older brother at the main house tonight. I don't even know where Rangiku-san lives…' She swallowed hard as she came to the last name on her list, which had also been her first choice.

It would be highly inappropriate, she knew that. But at the present moment, she knew that there was no other place in the world where she would be able to find peace. She shuffled forward towards the front of the bus, ready to disembark at the next stop.

.*.*.*.*.*.

"They'll make it through."

Ichigo couldn't help the small sigh of relief that slipped out of his lips at that statement. Admittedly, he wanted those two bastards to get the beating of a life time but that didn't mean that he wanted to have their blood on his hands. On the other end of the line, Keigo seemed to have not heard the small sound as he continued, "It'll take a couple of months but they'll be fine. That and some intensive therapy for…something else, I can't remember what though. The doctor's said that there were no complications or anything so there won't be any problems during the healing process either."

While part of him felt relieved, another part of him dearly wished that the two thugs would face some complication or the other as retribution for the act that they had committed. It was a moral dilemma that he could have done without at the present. "Sorry bout this Keigo." He wearily scrubbed his hand over his face, taking care not to dislocate the fresh bandage around his head. "It's alright. Renji already told me what happened." There was a moment of silence before Keigo admitted in a low angry tone, "I'd have done the same."

Ichigo stared out the taxi window as he spoke in a low voice, "Did you get their names and addresses?"

"Yeah. I managed to get their ID cards and got all their information. What you need it for anyways?"

Ichigo rested his head against the cool glass as he admitted, "In case Inoue wants to press charges."

Another moment of silence before Keigo's unusually somber voice came over the line, "I got it. I'll give you their names and stuff tomorrow then? I'll come by around after lunch."

"Thanks. I'll see you then." Ichigo closed his phone before pressing it against his lips, his fingers tightening around the rectangular object. He was still too rattled by what Sora had said to him and found himself unable to focus on anything other than the older man's words. 'Don't come near Orihime again…this is the end…' A tad peevishly, he shoved the phone into his jacket, wished he could just as easily push away Sora's voice in his head.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, he hadn't expected the onslaught of emotions that coursed through him at those words. 'When did that happen anyways? When did she become so important to me? I never realized that…" He rested his elbows on his thighs as he scowled at his hands. At the logical and rational level, he knew that Sora was right. As an older brother of course he understood here Sora was coming from and a good part of him wanted to take responsibility for what had happened but….

Ichigo tiredly rubbed the heel of his palm against his forehead as he recalled the sinking feeling that settled in as Sora had mentioned Chisa. 'What a low blow Sora-san…to bring up Chisa' Ichigo let out a small snort of amusement. 'I know what happened with Chisa when you were in high school…even then I let you go out with Orihime. Again my better judgment, I let you go out with her…It never should have happened.'

Ichigo raised his hand, letting it run through his hair - his brightly color hair that more often than not brought about more grief in his life that he cared to acknowledge. He turned his tired gaze towards the window, eyeing stray rain drops as they rolled down the clear cold glass as he heard Sora's words echo in his head like a bad song. Dejectedly he muttered to the rain drops, "It never should have happened huh…if only wishes were horses…"

His fingers twitched slightly before a wave of tiredness settled in on him. 'Will you ever stop haunting me Chisa?' Feeling emotionally exhausted and older than his age, he let his head hang against his chest with a heavy sigh. 'Never again…I swore that…yet…' He tightly clenched his teeth together, pushing back the angry, desperate yell that was slowly bubbling up to the surface.

"We've arrived sir." The cool voice of the taxi driver cut into his increasingly melancholic thoughts and he noticed that indeed, he had arrived outside his apartment building. Ichigo shook his head, pushing away his gloomy thoughts temporarily as he reached for his wallet. Within minutes, he had paid the man and was making a quick dash up the slippery wet stairs in a bid to avoid getting more wet than he had to. He let out a small sigh of relief as he pushed the glass doors open, thankful to be out of the cold rain. 'God damn this rain. When the hell will it let up?'

Partly because he didn't want to be blamed for leaving wet puddles on the floor and partly because he wanted to remove his wet clothing, Ichigo hastily made his way to his apartment. He shivered as he felt a cool breeze blow past him, making a tremble go through his fingers as they pushed the key through the lock. Ichigo pushed his soaked sneakers off in the genkan, not bothering to adjust them or push them to the side and quickly pulling his soaked shirts off as he walked down the small hallway and into the dark living room.

Ichigo turned the lights on, his eyes going over the room in a cursory manner. 'No Renji…well he did say he was gonna have dinner with Rukia's brother tonight. Guess he'll be back later then.' The thought that his roommate was sitting half way across town, having a comfortable (non confrontational) meal with his girlfriend's older brother made his heart clench tightly. Scowling Ichigo pushed the thought away, his hands coming up pinch the bridge of his nose as he shook his head, 'God damn it! It's not fair of Sora-san to ask me to just leave Inoue like that!' He hands tightened into fists, his fingernails digging painfully into the flesh of his hand before they slowly relaxed and his shoulders slumped forward.

Who was he kidding? This was the bare minimum that he deserved for not taking better care of Inoue. 'Let's face it…I screwed up. Rukia had warned me that someone might try something but I didn't pay too much attention to it. I should have kept a closer eye on her. I shouldn't have left her alone like that. Or at least we should have stayed with the others.' Ichigo's head felt heavy and leaden as he stumbled forward towards the bathroom, his hands sluggishly twisting the taps and ensuring that the tub was warming up. He remained kneeling beside the tub, watching the hot water collect in the heated porcelain. 'If it were Yuzu or Karin, I'd be the same way. I wouldn't want a guy like me or my history to be around them…'

As the water level slowly rose, he sluggishly began to strip. 'But I've never met a girl like Inoue before…I've never felt this way about a girl before. I don't want to…I can't leave her….' He pulled off his wet jeans and underwear, negligently tossing them into the hamper before he closed the taps and slowly lowered his cold body into the warm water. He placed both his hands on the sides of the tube as he sat down and forced his muscles to relax with a loud sigh. 'What the hell do I do now?'

His head completely understood Sora's perspective and wanted to honor it but his heart was completely unwilling to let go of Inoue. Being stubborn in terms of relationships was something that he knew about himself but he had never thought himself to be a man who would be so in terms of a romantic relationship. Ichigo turned his face upward, letting his head gently hit the back wall as he wondered, 'Is this what a ping pong ball fells like? Being smashed from one side to the other?' He just didn't know what to do… The same uncomfortable thoughts kept going through his head in a damned circle.

'What the hell do I do? What's the right thing to do in this case? Do I listen to Sora-san and just get out of Inoue's life? Do I ignore him and stay with her?' The same questions running around in his head like a God damned rat stuck in a maze. Except this maze didn't seem to have any end – just paradox's which made him run round and round like a fucking idiot. Grumbling in frustration, he quickly stood up, grabbing the towel off the rack before wrapping it around his waist. 'God damn it all…just…DAMN IT.' He stomped into his bedroom, peeved at his inability to make a decision and the situation he found himself in.

He tossed the towel over his study chair before he opened the door to his closet and began to dress. He had one leg into a pair of drawstring sweatpants when he heard the door bell ring. 'Who the hell…?' Fighting back the urge to cuss at the impeccable timing of his visitor, Ichigo quickly pushed his second leg into the pants, pulling it over his covered hips before grabbing the first t-shirt within his sights. He pulled the door open, yelling as he pulled the shirt over his head, "Just a minute!"

He pulled the red t-shirt down and running a hand through his damp hair as he made his way over to the door. He kicked his wet sneakers over the side as he grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Yeah?" To say that he was surprised would have been a gross understatement.

He found himself looking down at a familiar auburn haired girl as she gave him a nervous smile. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as he stared at her in stupefied silence. Before he could ask what she was doing at his door step, her smile slipped off her lips. She hung her head as she miserably declared in a small voice, "I didn't know where else to go…"

.*.*.*.*.*.

Orihime stood shivering in the genkan, feeling very much like a drowned rat as she watched and waited for Ichigo to hurriedly bring her a towel. "Here, take your shoes off. And dry yourself off. The bath's ready so you should go soak for a little while, make sure you don't catch a cold or anything." Orihime quietly accepted the towel that he was holding out to her and let herself be gently led into the small bathroom.

"Ah you'll need something to change into. I'll bring something in a minute." A sudden sense of irrational panic swelled up in her, making her lips move faster than she could control. "Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo stopped mid-way closing the door, his brown eyes catching hers questioningly. Unexplained fear flooded her being and made her legs quiver underneath the wet cotton as she twisted the towel in her hands. "Ano…sono…eto…" Her grip tightened on the cloth as she fought back her childish words. 'Please stay with me. Please don't leave me alone.'

She dropped her gaze to the floor, inexplicably feeling ashamed at her actions and mumbled, "I'm sorry. It's nothing." She waited for him to close the door. However, it wasn't the soft sound of the door closing that had her looking up. The soft sound of footsteps padding up to her made her slowly look up into her boyfriend's tender gaze. Her wide eyed gaze dropped to half mast as he gently cradled her chin with one finger before leaning down to press a soft kiss against her swollen cheek. Sudden tears filled her eyes at the loving gesture and she closed her eyes, letting them fall in two clear streams. Ichigo's fingers quickly, gently wiped them away before he whispered, "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

She opened her eyes and gave him a grateful smile and a nod. Ichigo's lips turned up slightly at the edges before he turned around and left the small room. Orihime let out a small sigh as she loosened her death grip on the terrycloth in her hands. She tiredly sat down at the edge of the toilet, forcing her head down to rest against her knees as she tried to rein her emotions in. She felt as emotionally stable as a floating raft in the middle of a stormy ocean.

"Breathe, just breathe", she softly reminded herself before she slowly inhaled. 'Inhale... exhale… inhale…exhale….' she mentally instructed herself before slowly straightening up. She took in one last deep breath before she opened her eyes and pushed herself up. She winced as she took a step forward, the pain in her right foot forcing her to stumble forward. Her hand hurriedly grabbed the sink for support as she bit her lower lip to suppress the yelp of pain knocking against her lips. Slowly she straightened up, making sure to lean her left side against the sink as she pulled the lower folds of her yukata back. She eyed the wet and dirtied bandages, 'I guess I should take them off before I get into the water…' she thought hesitantly.

She sat back down on the commode, her trembling fingers slowly unraveling the soggy bandages. 'It's so cold…I feel so cold…I hope I don't catch a cold.' As though her thoughts conjured it up, her nose tickled before she let out a small sneeze. Sniffing, Orihime slowly stood up – her hands tugged at the bright colored obi wrapped around her waist. After a few minutes of struggling, she managed to get the obi, datejime and the obijime off. The wet cloth stuck to her skin even as she removed the last cord holding the cloth in place. However, the straight, elegant lines quickly faded away into untidy folds as the brightly colored cord was fell to the floor.

A sudden knock at the door had Orihime jumping and tightly grabbing hold of the lapels of her open yukata. "Inoue, I've got a change of clothes with me." She fought back the silly urge to laugh at her nervousness and shuffled forward towards the door. After making sure that her yukata was covering her properly, she carefully pushed the door open. She glanced up at Ichigo before her gaze dropped to the small pile in his hands. "They'll be a little big but at least they'll be dry and warm. Just toss your clothes in the hamper in the corner."

For a moment she stared at his out stretched hands before she reached forward with her free hand to accept the garments. "Thank you." Ichigo simply nodded at her thanks before helping her close the door. For a moment, she stood there facing the door before she limped towards the empty basket on the side of the small tiled room. She placed the dry clothes within the square weave basket before she pulled the wet yukata off her body, shivering as she did so. She gathered the garment up, placing it in an untidy pile atop a nearby covered basket. It was joined by her under garments before she gingerly slid into the hot water.

For a moment she sat stiffly inside the tub before she slowly let her body unwind and relax. With her head resting against the wall, back against the warm tub, arms resting on the side and her eyes closed – she let out a sigh. She raised one arm to cover her eyes, 'What am I gonna do now…I ran away from onii-chan…' She clenched her fingers together before opening them and bringing them up to cover her eyes. 'I wonder if he's still looking for me…He must be…He must be trying to call my cell phone too. Oh, its battery finished didn't it.' The thought immediately brought back the memory of her walking through the dark forest with – she opened her eyes, eyelashes uncomfortably sticking against her palm as light filtered through her fingers.

'Don't think about it. Just don't think about it.' She repeated the mantra in her head as she sat up, her hand moving off her face and dipping into the water with its twin. She was ready to splash the water in her face when her eye was caught by the dark spots on her wrist. Curiously she ran her fingertips over the darkened skin, 'What…how did this…?'

"Sho get over here, hold her down."

It was as though someone had slid an ice cube down her back. She could hear the words rattle in her head as she recall the feeling of warm fingers holding her arms behind her back in a painful grip. "Shhh. Can't have you making too much noise now can we?" And the stifling feeling of his palm against her mouth. A sudden feeling of nausea rose in her, making her quickly cover her mouth as she forced herself to take deep breaths. 'Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Think about something else. Listen to the water. Listen to the water and how it sounds when it hits the sides of the tub. The sound of water dripping.'

She swallowed hard and pulled her hands away from her face as the nausea began to recede. But the uneasy feeling remained. Twisting painfully as a thought suddenly came to her mind. Were there other marks left on her body?

.*.*.*.*.*.

Ichigo closed his cell phone with a soft clack and eyed it for a moment critically. 'Did I do the right thing?' He stared at the phone for another heartbeat before sighing and placing it in its charger. He leaned back on his hands, head tilting back to stare up at the ceiling. 'Too late to wonder about that now.' He pushed himself forward, sitting up straight and looking out his open bedroom door and into the living room area. From his position, he could make out the open dining area and further, the closed W.C door.

'I wonder if she's alright, she's been in there for a while now.' The sight of her standing in front of his door, drenched down to the bone came to his mind. More particularly, the frantic, desperate look in her eyes as she had simply said that she didn't know where else to go. He snorted softly – as though he could ever resist a line like that….especially when it was coming from her. He ran a hand over his face, feeling so very old and tired as he remembered how jittery she was. He didn't really want to admit it but it irked him. The startled tug of the hand when he had taken her hand to pull her inside the apartment, the panicked look in her eyes when he had lead her to the bathroom, the hesitation in her hands when he had handed over the dry clothes…every action was akin to being slugged in the face with a brass covered knuckle.

The worst part was that he wasn't sure how he could help her. Should he stay close to her or give her the space that she needed? Ichigo let out a frustrated sigh before standing up and walking out of his room. 'Maybe I should call…' He shook the thought away 'No no no. He'll just give me all kinds of hell for asking.' Ichigo glanced up at the closed door again and his resolve weakened as he thought of the wounded girl behind the door. Ichigo ruffled his hair in agitation, 'Argh! I guess I'll call-?'

A loud splashing sound caught Ichigo's attention immediately. Not that it was that unusual a sound to hear coming from a bathroom but…He quickly walked towards the door and leaned in, straining to hear any other sounds. Nothing. Complete and utter silence. Ichigo knocked on the door curtly, "You okay in there Inoue?"

Silence again.

Worry began to creep into him in thin, piercing tendrils. Curling and twining around his chest in a tight grip as he knocked again and spoke again in a louder tone, "Inoue? You okay? Oye Inoue!" He was ready to pound the door down when he heard the sound of the lock turning. Anxiously he waited for the door to open, "Inoue, are you alright? I heard a splash and I- OH CRAP I'm sorry!" He could feel his face turning red as he quickly glanced up and to the left to stare at a random part of the ceiling.

'Why did she open the door when she was naked? What the hell was she thinking? And she wasn't even standing behind the door! She was standing right in front so I could see everything! Her breasts and even the marks on…marks?' Alarmed his eyes immediately darted back down at the naked girl yet he could pay no attention to her naked state. His eyes darted from one red mark to the other, a heavy sick feeling swirling in his stomach as he followed the marks down from her collar bone down to her breasts that she was covering with her arms. As he suddenly processed where he was staring, his eyes darted up to her face – half in disbelief that he had been two seconds away from flat out ogling the girl. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with water trails before they dripped down her chin and softly fell on the ground beside her feet.

Her lips parted, attempted to shape her words but her voice failed her. She tried again, her voice coming out as a harsh croak as she broken stated, "They…won't come off…I washed and I washed…they won't…" She suddenly pressed her lips together tightly as she screwed her face up, trying not to let an anguished cry out. Her fingernails dug into the skin of her back as she fought back the urge to just scream her throat raw – why her? What had she done to deserve this? Why was she being punished like this?

A sudden warmth engulfed her body, a hot hand coming to rest at the back of her neck and a familiar voice hoarsely telling her, "Just let it out Inoue." She shook her head against his chest and he tightened his grip on her body and whispered her name, "Inoue…" Her lower lip trembled violently before a hard sob shook her body and she wailed into his chest. She cried like a child who had been violently torn apart from its mother knowing that he would never see her again. Her hands dug into his shirt, rapidly dampening thanks to her tears, she wept at her loss.

Ichigo tightened his grip around her, pulling her in tighter as though he wanted to take her body into himself. That way he could keep her safe – that way he could protect her. Every shake of her frail shoulders under his grip made his own urge to cry rise. Every sob that she let out made him grind his teeth as he fought back the urge to mimic her. He pressed his lips against her hair and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He never noticed that his own tears were streaming down his cheeks and falling into her damp hair as he repeatedly apologized to her.

.*.*.*.*.*.

Sora ignored the varied looks he was getting as he waited for the bus to reach its stop. He could hear a pair of old ladies tutting at his appearance under their breath, another group of students behind him joking in a not to subtle manner at his appearance. Personally, he couldn't have cared less at what the world thought of him right now. The only thing that mattered to him was getting Orihime back safely.

His hand squeezed his cell phone as he willed the bus to go faster.

genkan - traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat

obi - A wide sash fastened in the back with a large flat bow, worn by women in Japan as a part of the traditional dress.

datejime - A thin, but stiff sash worn under the obi to keep its shape.

obijime - A thin rope attached to an obi. Its tied on top of the obi

A review reply

: I can't anything bout the first question but HELL YES we'll see Isshin and the girls soon! :D And Toki is officially in the 'out' pile of the problems. No more Toki – good bye you sorry loser *kicks his ass out on the curb*

Again I am SO sorry for making y' all wait so long for this one *repeated bowing* For the next chapter, I swear I'm gonna ask Nagi to keep an eye on me and make sure I keep working on it!