Ichigo x Orihime 4

Slowly the sun began to set in Karakura Town.  It was a Sunday like any other Sunday of the spring, decent weather, birds chirping, and everyone out having fun with what daylight was left.  Everyone except a girl named Orihime Inoue, who had just finished a day of errands and was well on her way to taking the rest of the day off to relax.  

Carrying three grocery bags in her hands and having her purse hang from around her neck, which her best friend Tatsuki always said was never a bright idea to begin with, Orihime fumbled with the keys to her door before finding the right one and unlocking her door before her head could fall off.  Being careful not to drop the bags as one of them had two full cartons of eggs while another had glass bottles of various spices, Orihime instead mustered the strength to drag them to her kitchen.  However, she was only able to put the milk and eggs away before she could hear her phone ringing.  "Who is it now..." Orihime thought as she reached into her purse to get her phone but her hand didn't find it right away.
 
"Oh no don't tell me it--ah!"  She couldn't find it with just her hand, so she looked into the bag and searched, but by the time she had found it the phone had stopped ringing.  Flushed with anger and frustration, Orihime leaned against the counter while she checked the caller I.D. to see who had tried calling her.

'Kurosaki, Ichigo," she said aloud, followed quickly by a low groan of anguish.  She had just missed her boyfriend calling her!  Now more upset than ever, Orihime decided to call him back to apologize first and foremost before asking what he wanted to talk about.  She pulled a few strands of her hair back behind her ears as she listened to the dial tone.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

'Please Ichigo...please pick up!"  She began to feel desperate and tense until she heard his voice on the other end.

"Ichigo here--"

"Ichi!"  Oh how glad was she that he was able to pick up!

"Hello Hime," he replied in a very good tone.  Orihime had a small spasm whenever he called her by her nickname, and she was smiling now because of it.

Orihime went on over to her bedroom's full length mirror and checked herself out, not really needing to but she had panicked when Ichigo had answered her.  Her bright red blouse was fully buttoned and her denim skirt was straightened by her fumbling hands, "Sorry I missed your call, my purse is a jungle."

"That's alright.  Speaking of which, I heard from the rest of the pack that you've been all over town today."

Orihime nervously scratched the back of her neck, "Yeah, I thought today would be a good day to go and get some things done, but...well, I think I went in a bit overboard..."
 
It was true, Orihime had been out and about all day.  First thing that morning she had gone to see Uryu Ishida to get him to knit a dress of hers that had torn while it had been in the dryer.  That took him nearly an hour since he had insisted on customizing the fabric, adding a cute little bow in the center of the dress.  The next thing she had done was go and see Tatsuki, who was just about to leave for karate class, so Orihime walked her there.
 
Then she had gone to see Urahana, the local shopkeeper since he said someone had wanted to see her.  Curious as to who that was, Orihime was shocked to find out it was none other than Kon luring her into a trap.  Thanks to Yoruichi, however, she was able to avoid being touched by the perverted animal and move along with her day.  Turns out Urahana had called Kon over to see him get trampled by Yoruichi and he needed the right well-endowed piece of bait.  That is, he had needed Orihime.  All a practical joke in his eyes which Orihime had not found amusing as it made her waste time and made her late in getting her groceries.  "I tried to call you a few times."

"Yeah well, Renji and Rukia needed my help in town so I was with them all day.  Sorry about that, Renji can be a little more than a blockhead at times.  Wouldn't let me leave without a fight."

Orihime went and sat down on her bed, the rest of her groceries could wait since nothing was left out that could spoil.  "Oh, I see."  A few seconds went by before Orihime's eyes started to close, feeling exhausted from her running.  She wanted to take a nap but her desire to talk with Ichigo was bigger and she didn't want to fall asleep with him on the phone.  Still, she didn't even notice her eyes close even for a split second.  

"--You there, Hime?"

Ichigo's voice brought Orihime from her drifting which had somehow managed to sneak up on her, "Yes!  I'm so sorry..."

"You sound tired.  Try taking a nap and I'll come over to see you later, okay?"

"But Ichigo--"

"No buts Hime, get some rest and I'll be over after a bit."  His voice was commanding, and Orihime couldn't help but obey when he knew what was best for her in this situation no matter how stubborn she was she'd never be able to convince him otherwise.
"Alright...if I am still asleep when you come over, you know where the key is right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'll see you later then..." Orihime said in a low voice, closing her eyes again.  "I Love you Ichi..."

"I Love you too, Hime," she heard Ichigo say before the dial tone came back.  She smiled as she closed her eyes and shut her phone, sleep taking her peacefully not too long after.


Sometime after Orihime had hung up, somewhere around an around or two later, Ichigo finally found a loophole in which he was able to sneak out of the house and head on over to Orihime's home.  He had also been around the block.  First thing was Renji's, the idiot had destroyed his television when a game of soccer wasn't going the way he had thought it should have, Rukia called up Ichigo to help her bring in one that Rangiku had found.  Then, after installing it and all that he got a call from Yoruichi saying to come and pick up Kon, and after nearly beating the stuffing out of the little shit was when he tried calling Orihime.  For it being a Sunday, between himself and Orihime, it had as much excitement as a Saturday night at the Soul Society.

Ichigo came to the door but he didn't bother knocking, instead reaching for the hidden house key that Orihime normally left for him in case of emergencies.  Remembering how nervous Orihime had been when explaining to him the purpose of the key, "Like I'd do anything nefarious," Ichigo chuckled.  He had joked that she might find him waiting in her house for her one of these days, and he would never forget her stutter and blush when she reacted to that.  She was adorable when she was flustered.

He quietly opened the door, and shut it after seeing that Orihime was not in the living room.  He tiptoed around the house until he found her in her bedroom.  Sleeping on her back on top of her blanket, Orihime had her legs crossed and her left hand on her stomach.  Sleeping like an angel, Ichigo thought with a smile.  Orihime's hair was over her shoulder, and Ichigo moved whatever strands were in her face away from her.  Her breathing was so soft that he could barely hear it and he saw her chest rise and fall in a slow even pace.  Contemplating whether or not to wake her up now or wait it out, he quickly chose the latter.  He also had an idea, one that both of them would enjoy.

Slowly getting into her bed with her, Ichigo got as close as he could without disturbing his princess, taking her left hand with his own.  Princess was what her name meant to an extent, and Ichigo was very grateful for having her in his life.  'Thank whoever is in heaven for giving me Orihime,' Ichigo thought with gratitude.  

His hand lightly gripped hers as he leaned his face in towards hers, and his lips found hers.  A few seconds of nibbling on her lips and hearing a light mew escape from her mouth made him want to do it again, which he did without any hesitation, but he was as soft as he had been the first time.  

His fun lasted only a miniscule after that, as Orihime's eyes slowly opened and Ichigo slowly pulled back, having his momentary fill of Orihime's lips.  She blinked a couple times before licking her lips, as if testing what he had done, and like she had known what he had done she gave a knowing smile, "Hello Ichi..."

His smile made her smile in return, "Hello Hime.  You sleep well?"

Orihime put her free hand to her mouth to cover it as she yawned, "Of course...I think I enjoyed the wake up call the most though."  

Ichigo chuckled, "Figured you would.  Glad you did."

Orihime moved to snuggle her head into his chest, and she felt his left hand caress her soft as silk hair, and she closed her eyes again.  "This is much better."

"What?  Sleeping next to me?"

Orihime continued to smile, "Half right, you being the most comfortable snuggle buddy ever."

He admired her humor, another reason that he loved her so much.  "You want to nap longer?  I'm not going anywhere."

Liking that idea, Orihime wrapped her right arm around Ichigo's waist she raised her chin and lightly kissed him on the lips, "That would be perfect, Ichigo."

Nodding once, Ichigo moved around and pulled the covers up over himself and Orihime, and she got comfortable really quickly just by cuddling with him.  Ichigo put his arms around Orihime lovingly, whispering those little words she so loved to hear into her ear, "I love you Hime."

Orihime's smile never left her lips, "I love you too, Ichi..."

As soon as sleep had taken her again, Ichigo once again thanked heaven for having this wonderful woman in his arms, and in his life.  'My Hime, to love and cherish forever...', he thought as he closed his eyes.