Reflection

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?! For how long?!" the last thing Ichigo would have expected upon awakening was Kisuke telling him that the Hollow was no where inside the shop. Disgruntled and still weakened from losing so much reiatsu in getting the Hollow out of himself in the first place, he was sitting up on his bedding, his body screaming in protest at being moved.

Kisuke just looked down at him and smiled as if his concerns were easy to brush off. Like he was over-reacting, which in his mind he had every right to.

"A little over twenty-four hours, but don't worry!" he opened his fan open with a single snap of his hand to then wave it at him dismissively, "Yoruichi has tracked him down and he has been cooped up with Inoue this whole time-"

"What?!"

The Hollow has been alone for so long... with Inoue? The very thought made his stomach roll in combination of apprehension and disgust. He knew that the Hollow wouldn't waste any time in finding his friend, but the knowledge of it was still something that he would have a hard time getting accostumed to. He wasn't one-hundred percent supportive of Orihime's strange fixation with the pale monster. He would probably never understand what made her desire him so much and even go as far as to want him around. Orihime appeared to hold the Hollow in higher regard than even him, going as far as confronting him like she had at the abandoned building where it had all begun.

More than twenty-four hours alone with that thing...

Whipping the blankets off himself, he gritted his teeth as he moved his legs, fully intending on rushing out of the shop to find the Hollow. He wasn't going to allow the Hollow to hurt and use Orihime like in the past, just like he needed to watch how he, himself, treated her from then on. Over the last couple of weeks, he had come to the painful conclusion that part, or at least most, of what had happened had been his fault.

I was so fucking blind and this is what happens.

"Now, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke's reasonable tone grated on his nerves, "Inoue is perfectly fine, so getting all riled up is only going to make you feel worse."

"Yeah, right," he muttered, slowly setting his feet flat on the ground to little by little brace his weight on his sore arms. Even if it hurt like hell, he wasn't just going to sit around.

"He hasn't hurt her. If he had we would have destroyed his gigai by now. Besides! He won't be too happy about you botching his happy reunion with Inoue-san!" the sing-song tone had Ichigo shooting the shop owner a frigid glare.

"Is that what you see this as?" his voice came out thickly, showing his dislike towards how everything just seemed out of his control. "A happy reunion?"

"Well, you did give him a body. Why would you do that if you're just going to continue limiting him? I know," Kisuke's usually smiling face vanished to show an eerie seriousness, "that she was the real reason why you made that desicion."

For a brief moment, Ichigo stopped his agonizing movements. What Kisuke was saying was the truth, but now that he was awake, the reality of Orihime's and his Hollow's twisted relationship made itself known quite bluntly. It was an unwanted truth that threw back at his face that he had given up.

He was certain that what he felt towards Orihime wasn't a pure kind of love, but more like a sexual curiousity. That didn't take away the fact that he wished that he had been smart enough to get to truly know her before his Hollow had entered her life and had centered all of her attention on him.

He had lost his chance with his sacrifice in setting the Hollow free. Even at present, he wasn't sure what the Hollow felt for Orihime. There was no way of seeing into the Hollow's actions. He never spoke of love or caring, just about fucking and ownership, like Orihime was something he had a right to touch and know.

I won't back off until he tells me what he truly feels for her. If it's just lust, he's going back!

"Just stay put until you feel better. Going there while weak and angry can only aggrevate him and right now, he needs to be around someone familiar. Going to Inoue was instinctive and he probably feels comfortable around her for now. He's going to be going through a lot of different changes and needs someone there to help him and she's the only one I can think of that can."

"You make it sound like its a good thing that he's bothering her again!" he snapped furiously, wishing that his body weren't in so much pain. It was as if all of the blows the Hollow had given him in his inner world somehow affected his physical body. Everything was sore and had sharp aches. Even talking and moving his eyes was torture.

I stabbed him through, but he had beat me up really good before I did... Sadistic bastard.

"Why can't you stand the thought of them being together?"

Surprise passed across his face at the older man's question.

"Why can't I?"

Kisuke blinked, obviously not knowing how to answer him. No one but Ichigo knew what he was feeling. His body had been used as a puppet to torment a friend, that friend now didn't want anything to do with him because he had constantly insulted her and her choices, not taking her feelings and desires into account, and... his friend had still chosen him after all he had done to her. No one needed to tell him that Orihime no longer loved him in silence. Everything that had happened stated that she had moved on... Moved on to his Hollow that was yet another being that hadn't known love.

Those two opposites comforted each other in their own way and were unashamed by one another. His Hollow was confident and wild while Orihime had slowly been strengthening her own confidence thanks to his influence. She was strangely becoming more mature and aggressive about what she truly wanted out of life and she had defended and yearned for him. Ichigo had never seen such a side of Orihime. Sure, she was still the shy and sweet girl everyone was accostumed to seeing, but now she was somehow more... womanly. Her new found determination and loyalty to such a creature undeserving of love combined with her natural innocence was worthy of admiration.

And all of that now belonged to his Hollow. It should be considered a crime that a gentle person like Orihime could even find a hint of acceptance for someone like him. Why?

How could everything have turned out so fucked up in just a couple of weeks?!

His fists clenched over his sheets as his mind tried to uselessly look up for answers.

***

It took a couple of hours for Orihime to realize that she wasn't living a dream. The Hollow had stayed with her just like he had said he would. She couldn't believe that it was so easy and almost normal to have him in her space. After so many years of living alone, having him around was a welcome invasion. Usually her friends would poke fun at her living habits, like her food choices and the tv programs that she enjoyed watching but with the Hollow that hadn't partaken in such activities, she felt at ease.

He did poke fun like the others; it just didn't sting as much since he appeared to accept her flaws like a small child learning what was around him. She had lost count of how many times she had pinched herself throughout the day at her disbelief that she actually had someone with her.

She had yet to ask him how he had come to have a body and why he had yet to disappear in a rush like in the past. In her mind, those were small things that carried no real importance. Thinking about it just took away the pleasure and fufilment she had alongside him and it wasn't like he felt like going into detail.

For most of the day and night they had stayed in bed, which was to be expected. She wasn't at all put out by it since she knew that the Hollow had a hard time in expressing himself in a non-physical manner.

When she asked him why he had come to her, he cornered her. When she had giggled over something on tv, he pushed her flat on her back on the couch. He rarely spoke and when he did speak it was usually something that had double meaning. He sometimes confused her, but then when she stopped to think thoroughly into analyzing his words she saw that he said things that were more meaningful than straight answers. Short phrases that carried millions of interpretations. In some way it just made him fascinating to her.

This is the longest time I've been with him.

For every second they have had, she always had a nagging prick of fear that someone would appear at her apartment to take him away. How she hated thinking that way. With so much loss in her life, having someone sharing time with her in the once lonely walls of her home was too good to be true. It was just the two of them and for once, maybe thanks to time, she wasn't as afraid of him like before.

A finger slowly traced her naked back, dragging over her spine.

"You're doin' it again," she shivered at how his breath tickled the hair draped over her neck.

Looking at the wall of her rarely used bedroom, she watched as the lights from passing cars on the street flitted accross it, illuminating the darkness. She wasn't even sure what time it was. It had been quite awhile since she had last checked a clock.

"Doing what?" she whispered.

"Thinking too much about what could happen," the hand that had been caressing her back now moved to her bare shoulder, warming it. She heard the bed springs shrill when he shifted closer to her so that the front of his body was pressed flush against her back.

Blushing, thankful for the darkness, she laughed nervously,"Oh, sorry about that!"

It was hard to hide things from him, she had noted. He was observant about everything and though it was unnerving at times, she liked that about him, unlike people that just glanced over her and didn't bother to see what she was really feeling.

He scoffed softly at her response and just as his hand was going to brush over the top her breasts, a banging at the front of the apartment interrupted their private moments.

No! Not yet!

Sensing her apprehension at how she stiffened under his touch, the Hollow growled, "Ignore them."

"I-I..." the banging continued, getting louder with every passing second.

"Inooooooooueee-saaaaaaaan!" a male voice sang out quite loudly from the stairwell. She hadn't noticed just how thin the walls in her building where.

My neighbors must have heard everything!, the heat already on her cheeks started to burn uncomfortably in embarassment as she pressed her back against the Hollow as if he could protect her from the unwanted visitors at her front door.

"If you don't open up, I'm going to start piiiiiiiiiiiicking loooooooocks..."

Now I have to answer! The last thing she wanted was to be found naked in the bed with a Hollow that was starting to become angry at the interruption if the tenseness of his body and the unmistakeable sound of grounding teeth was anything to go by.

"Sorry, Hollow-san! But I have to answer!" she gasped, untangling herself from his warmth to rush to her dresser in search of some clothes.

"Fuck that! I'll answer the door and get rid of whoever the fuck it is!" he snapped, sitting up as she hastily put on a t-shirt and threw some shorts on. She was so hasty in her movements, that she didn't take into account that she wasn't even wearing any underwear and that her hair was a tangled mess atop her head.

"N-no!" she cried, shooting him a frightened glance over her shoulder. "I'll talk to whoever it is! You stay here!"

What if its someone that wants to take him away?!

He scowled at her order and in a obvious sign that he was just as stubborn as her, he rose off the bed, uncaring of being completely nude.

This is not what I planned!, she bit her lip and looked with wide eyes at the half-closed bedroom door then at the annoyed Hollow that had begun searching somewhere on the floor for his discarded pants.

"I'm already jiggling one of the loooooooooocks, Inoooooooooooue-saaaaaaaan!"

Giving up in reasoning with the Hollow, she left the room while running her hands quickly over her wild hair. Reaching the front door, she took a deep breath before opening all of the locks lining it. Her heart was pounding loudly as every lock clicked open.

Please! Please!

Jerking the door open, she panted taking in the two visitors standing just outside.

"About time you opened the door. I was starting to think that you had been eaten by a Hollow," Kisuke grinned while Ichigo that stood silently beside him sent her a fleeting measuring glance as if the prolonged sight of her pained him.

"U-Urahara-san?" she stammered, straightening her back, confusion furrowing her brow. Her eyes moved briefly to Ichigo who no longer looked at her but had his vacant amber eyes staring at the floor.

Why is Urahara-san here?

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here, right?" as if reading her mind, the question came out from behind his ever-present fan.

"Mm-hm." she nodded, looking at him dumbly.

"And I suppose the Hollow is still here with you."

She paled and moved the door slightly in hopes that that would keep either of the men from seeing inside the apartment.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Urahara-san..."

The door she had been holding onto was suddenly yanked from her grasp by the one she had been trying to keep out of their sight.

"Well if it isn't King and that weird guy," standing just a couple of inches behind her, his voice was mocking.

Hollow-san! He should have listened to me! Closing her eyes, she knew that she could no longer hide the fact that he was very there after she had blatantly lied.

"You don't have anything to worry about," she opened her eyes to look at Kisuke as he continued. "We're not here to take him away from you. We just want to talk and set some things straight. Both of you are completely safe."

"Okay..." she still didn't trust them, but for some reason she felt a sense of safety with the Hollow there. Something told her that if he was forced to leave her, he would easily come back to her again.

"May we come in? The things we need to talk about can't be said outside and," Kisuke shivered dramatically, wrapping his arms around himself, "it's quite chilly out here."

***

Ichigo would have wished to be anywhere but the place he was in now. Orihime and his Hollow were sitting across from him and Kisuke, only having a coffee table separating them. The sight of them close to one another was making his head pound furiously. Reality came crashing down along with nausea and anger. For hours upon finding out that his Hollow had escaped, he had been numbed to what the future had in store for all of them.

Now it was all too real for him.

Remember why you let him out... It's for her.

Guilt made people do stupid things.

"--it'll take a couple of months for you to grow fully accostumed to your gigai and during that time, I'll be monitoring you to make sure you stay in line. This world has its own set of rules and its a bunch of them..."

As Kisuke droned on, he studied the couple through narrow eyes. Though the Hollow wasn't doing anything remotely sexual to her, there was an apparent intimacy on how he sat next to Orihime. His shoulder touching hers, and the way she leaned slightly towards him to keep their contact connected during Kisuke's explanation.

On the outside, Orihime looked like a mess. Her hair was a riot of knots around her head and her clothes showed that she had donned them in a rush. She appeared to not have slept well, but in spite of it all she looked healthy. Glowing almost... the air of dejection gone from her. Even the Hollow looked less sarcastic, though he didn't bother to hide his boredom and impatience, clearly wanting them to hurry up and leave.

It twisted his innards to see that they looked well-suited. Regardless of the Hollow's odd looks that clashed with Orihime's warmth, they complimented each other. Life and death, lively colors and pallor. Their differences coexisted with an unseen harmony. It was perhaps due to the fact that they completed each other.

How could they look so...?

"--as for your new life from now on, all I can say is that since I know that you wouldn't want to leave Inoue for long periods of time, you'll have to adapt to the life of a normal teenager. That means school, a job, a place to live. That way you can stay close to her..."

Stay together. Alone and together. Always side by side.

"Um, Hollow-san and I have talked about it," Ichigo looked at Orihime that spoke up hesitantly, "and we... we've decided that he's going to stay with me," she finished with a blush.

I need to leave now. I can't stand any of this.

"That sounds like a good idea, but he'll still need to have his papers and an identity to pass off as another human," Kisuke agreed with a nod as he pulled something out of his robes. "That's why I've taken the liberty of giving him a name and a background."

Laying out a couple of documents on the coffee table, he cleared his throat before smiling at the couple.

"I wasn't sure what to name... Hollow-san, so I opted to give him the name of Shirosaki Ogichi. Is that alright with the both of you?"

Orihime nodded eagerly while the newly named Hollow just stared at the shop keeper before moving his suspicious feverish gold eyes to the papers fanning the table in front of him.

"Okay! It's good to see that both of you appear to like it!" chuckling, he continued with his explanations.

Feeling a opressive weight on him, Ichigo became aware that the Hollow was watching him with the same suspicious air as he had eyed the papers.

I don't blame him for not trusting either one of us. Urahara thought of everything...

"Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that even though you are in a physical body in this dimension, you are still very connected to Kurosaki," not liking this one bit, the Hollow snorted showing distaste at the news. "I know that neither of you like it, but it's a fact. The only difference now is that you are no longer locked away in his inner world and can move more freely. He can still tap into you powers and his emotions can affect yours just like you can alter his, so both of you have to take that into consideration. You can say it's... like being twins. A psychic connection."

"That means I'm still fuckin' stuck with him," Ogichi snarled through nearly closed lips.

"Yes! But now you can do whatever you want as long as whatever you want doesn't involve killing or committing heinous crimes against humanity!" Kisuke informed cheerfully, fanning himself.

Then we're screwed, Ichigo thought to himself seeing how his 'former' inner Hollow visibly sulked at that. He was aware of how much 'Ogichi' loved to fight. That part of his personality would be hard to give up for him.

Obviously getting tired of their presences, Ogichi finally drawled out, "The hell with it. Do you have anythin' else to say? Cos' you kinda' interrupted something by showing up."

"Hol-Ogichi!" Orihime chastised embarrassedly, trying out his new name at the last moment. Ichigo found it odd, but since they were lovers it was logical for her to not call him 'Shirosaki-kun' or 'Hollow-san' anymore. Not once had the Hollow called her Inoue, always using 'lil' hime' as if it were her title.

"But we were about to do it again until these two came over buggin' us!" he childishly argued back.

Ichigo felt more nauseated than before.

And he says that I'm tactless, he muttered mentally, desperately wanting to get out that apartment and away from them.

"They're just here to help," Orihime said in a small voice, before looking at Kisuke and mustering up a smile. "Isn't that right?!"

"Yes. I figured you would need all of this information before fully starting to... how should I put it?... Live?"

Unable to put up with it anymore, Ichigo slammed his open palm on the table drawing all eyes to him.

"I'll be outside," he gritted out darkly before rising off the floor, his glaring eyes on a particularly smug looking Ogichi.

"Oh, okay, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke eyed him strangely, but luckily didn't decide to tease him about his outburst.

I just can't... stay around them for another minute!

Removing his piercing eyes from Ogichi's mocking ones, he turned around and left the apartment to stand outside on the stairwell. He did want to leave but before doing so he had to get a few matters out of the way. He just didn't want to see the Hollow and Orihime planning out their lives right in front of him anymore.

It was sickening to him.

But she seems happy with him...

Clutching his eyes closed, he leaned against a veranda just outside of Orihime's now closed door, waiting for Kisuke to finish with them. After what seemed to be an eternity, he heard a surprised yelp and a string of vicious cursing that was accompanied by some chuckles that belonged to the shop keeper.

What the hell is he doing in there?

"Urahara-san! That wasn't very nice! You hurt him!" Orihime's voice exclaimed from inside of the apartment.

"Don't worry! It's just a way to ensure that he remains calm! That anklet will send a signal to this remote and whenever he starts emanating strong angry emotions, all I have to do is-"

Another pained cry and a loud thump followed his words.

I should have known he had something up his sleeve, he couldn't keep a smile from curving his lips at Kisuke's sneaky ways.

"See?! See how it works?! I am quite proud of it, if I do say so myself! I had to rush at making it, but it came out quite nicely!"

"You are one twisted fuck!" Ogichi hissed.

"Now, now! No hard feelings! This will make Kurosaki-san feel a lot more comfortable about leaving you alone with Inoue! You should be thanking me!"

"Fuck. You."

"Hmph!" after that miffed little sound, Ichigo straightened his posture as the door finally opened to show a melancholic Urahara stepping out.

"No one understands me and my brilliance," he said sadly to himself, clearly not noticing that he was still outside.

"Are you done with them?"

Looking up startled, his eyes seemed to widen under the persistent shadow of his hat.

"You're still here!"

Annoyed at the man's reaction, Ichigo scowled at him, "Of course I'm 'still here'! I... I need to talk to him about something before going home."

"Oh!" blinking and adjusting his hat, he nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I'm done with them for now."

Good.

Moving past him to go to the door that was ajar, Ichigo paused when he heard him say something low meant for his ears alone.

"Just remember that he's had plenty of chances to rip our heads off, but he didn't because of Inoue. Don't try to provoke him unnecessesarily, alright?"

Not replying, all he did was give slow nod before pushing the door to enter the apartment.

Once inside, he was relieved that Ogichi and Orihime weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. They were on the floor. He with a irritated glower over Kisuke's antics and her pushing his pant leg up to check the damage of some minor burns he had around his ankle. What seemed to be a metal shackle surrounded his ankle. Ichigo guessed that it was the gadget meant to monitor his moods for safety.

I'll have to thank Urahara for that later.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he coughed loudly, mentally kicking himself for his insecurity. He should have just barged in and demanded to speak with him, but with Inoue fussing over the injured Hollow he found that he couldn't just go off like he wanted to.

When both of them looked his way, he kept his face neutral as he said, "I need to speak with... Ogichi," just saying his new name got under his skin, "alone. Outside." All that he wanted to know had to be said outside. He honestly didn't want Orihime to witness his conversation with the Hollow.

Narrowing his eyes in distrust, Ogichi asked lowly, "Just what the hell do you want to talk about?"

Feeling his annoyance grow, he snapped, "Just some stuff! I'm not leaving until we talk alone about it!" The seemingly easy task of standing there in front of both of them was testing his limits. The sooner he got the information he wanted, the better. He knew that he would feel a lot more at ease at leaving Orihime with him if he heard what he needed to hear.

After a couple of silent seconds that involved Ogichi intensely scrutanizing him, he heard a 'Whatever. As long as you leave', come from him.

"Ogichi?" Orihime questioned unsurely, looking from Ichigo to her lover that was begining to stand up.

Already on his feet, he sneered down at her, finding something funny,"Don't worry. If he does something stupid, I'll just kick his ass."

Arrogant asshole.

Looking flustered, she widened her eyes in alarm, "Um! It's not that! It's just that it's cold outside and I need to get you a shirt! You might get sick!" Saying that, she jumped up and held her hand out, "Just wait here until I get you something, okay?!"

Ichigo made a face as she quickly left them alone to search for something for Ogichi to wear in the bedroom adjoining the living room.

So she's not worried about us fighting but over him getting sick?! He almost laughed at her bizarre reasoning. Only Orihime would come up with something that strange.

Reappearing with a shirt in her hands, she reached Ogichi and offered it to him.

"There! Now you can go out to talk to Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed once he took the offered clothing.

Narrowing his eyes, he noted that her attitude wasn't as forced as it had been for the last couple of weeks.

"I won't be out long, lil' hime," the Hollow leaned closer to her and Ichigo forced himself to look away as he whispered something to her while her cheeks reddened. He felt like an intruder seeing them like that. Before he had been seeing things through his own eyes. Just snap shots and glances; nothing as personal as having both of them right in front of him.

Just get this over with quickly...

Turning away from them, he headed towards the open door, fully expecting the Hollow to follow him.

He didn't stop walking until he was in front of the building, since the conversation he was about to have was something not meant for all of Orihime's neighbors to hear.

Or Inoue for that matter. What Ogichi had to say about his feelings for her, could end up hurting her and that was something Ichigo wasn't going to put up with. If the Hollow felt nothing, it was best that she didn't overhear it, just to keep her safe.

Standing on the sidewalk, he stared absentmindedly at the building and was relieved to see the Hollow going the down the stairs that were dimly lit for the night and approaching where he was standing.

He must really want to get rid of me if he's willing to come all the way out here.

With his back rigid, he mentally lined his questions while Ogichi walked towards him. It was odd to see him so human and dressed in something other than white shinigami robes. If it weren't for the fact that he was already aware of how he came to be, Ichigo would have easily confused him for another guy that happened to bear a striking pale resemblance to him.

Like twins... Now why the hell did Urahara have to use that as an example?!

Once they were both standing face to face, Ichigo studied Ogichi's sharp features and slightly thinner eyes. Swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, he asked what he'd had running through his head ever since he had woken up.

"Do you love her?"

Curling his pale upper lip in disgust, Ogichi asked dryly, "What is it with you idiots always asking that stupid shit?"

"Just answer me!" his body trembled in anxiety. It was difficult holding himself back.

There was no hesitation when he said a blunt,"No."

No? NO?!, Widening his eyes in outrage, his hand lashed out and grabbed the Hollow by the front of his shirt to drag him forward. With his face just a couple of inches from his, he spat, "Care to repeat that?! You've been leading her on this whole time and you just say no?! I knew it was a bad idea letting you out! You're just going to make her suffer!"

Ogichi's face contorted into a deep frightening scowl that reminded him how much more powerful he was than him.

"I can't love her."

"Why can't you?!" he tightened his grip on his shirt.

Eyes flashing in anger, the Hollow snapped, "How about I ask you a couple of questions, King? Is love not giving a shit when she's gone and acting like nothing happened, breathing easy without thinking about her?! Is love wanting to bang another chick while around her?! Huh?! What do you call love, King?! Do you feel okay having her surrounded by a bunch of guys?! Does seeing her cry do nothing to you?!"

"Wha-what are you talking about?!" he stuttered in confusion, feeling as if the Hollow was speaking about him rather than himself.

Smirking knowingly, Ogichi explained what he meant.

"Love just sounds too boring to me," one of his shoulders lifted in a shrug. "You told that Kuchiki bitch that you loved her so much and you still did all of that shit. Love sounds empty." His voice began to rise, "Nothing like what I feel for my lil' hime. Whenever she cries it's like someone has stabbed my gut and twisted the knife! When another moron is around her, I want to break his neck! During the weeks you kept me away from her, I was going crazy especially with you spouting so much bullshit about you helping her by keeping a sick fuck like me locked up! The only chick I've looked for while inside that empty skull of yours has always been her! If you consider what you had with your shinigami 'love', then fuck no! I can't love lil' hime! Love is just shit!"

This guy... Ichigo's grip loosened, as his eyes trembled in shock.

This whole time... The only definition of love he has known is what I had with Rukia? Is that why he says he doesn't love Inoue? Because it's doesn't compare?

That was when he knew. The Hollow had unknowingly told him what he needed to hear. Even though his idea of love was skewered, what Ogichi felt was definitely love. An intense love that he couldn't define into a single word.

"I've been watching her for years. And believe me, that ain't love."

Ichigo almost felt like laughing and even crying at how serious the Hollow had become.

Letting go of his shirt, he breathed, though it pained him due to a dull ache that was forming in his chest.

"That is love," Ogichi snorted and rolled his eyes at his words while smoothing out the wrinkles his fist had created on his shirt.

"It's real... love," every word hurt in coming out as he slowly backed away.

That's all I need to know...

Arching a pale brow at him, Ogichi asked clearly irritated by his presence and blatantly ignoring his earlier words, "Did my answer satisfy you?!"

"Ye-yeah," his throat was dry as he gave his answer.

His answer had done more than that. It had made him see a side of the Hollow he had never expected to see or suspected to have even existed.

"I just hope... that someday you can tell her what you just told me now... and make her happy," not wanting to be around him any longer, he turned around leaving a very dumbfounded scowling Ogichi behind.

He had already gotten the confirmation he had been searching for.

The Hollow, as hard as it was for him to believe, did honestly love Orihime.

***
Author's Note: Only two chapters or more before the end! I'm going to cry once its finished! =( but all good things must come to an end, unfortunately. I left him with the name of Shirosaki Ogichi since that's the name the fandom usually uses for him (even though the manga and anime never trully give him a name). It's best to keep him familiar. I've seen other writers give him a different name, but I just didn't feel right doing it. And about Ogichi's feelings for Orihime, a couple of chapters back he had been comparing Ichigo's love for Rukia to what he felt for Orihime and he considered love to be quite 'insipid' since he felt more strongly about her. So he does love her deeply; its just that he doesn't put a name to the emotion because 'love' is a boring word. LOL At Valmasy03 Coolness! (I usually don't read FF Yaoi, but I did read yours and I was like HOLYSHIT. I loved it and plus how you describe all characters makes it all more real. People should really read your fic.) And Kisuke... *sigh* I might write something with him some day since I just love messing around with his personality. Hehehehe... At rosuki I was kinda sad about taking the blackness in his eyes (it made the gold really stand out.) =( But I had to make him look more human while at the same time looking nearly the same. . Glad you still find him sexy! (to tell you the truth I kinda like him more than Ichigo. Is there something wrong with me? *confused look*) Hahah... At bleachfan7 I hadn't really thought of the possability of Orihime getting pregnant, but I know that in the manga/anime a certain shinigami in a gigai made a human woman pregnant, so I guess that Orihime and Ogichi might be able too, though I wouldn't 'impregnate' her in this fic. Maybe in the sequel. =) At Bleach whore HAHA! He's always sexy! I guess its his personality (his odd looks adds more to it though). It's hard imagining him that way though and since I suck at drawing, I just describe his new self the best way I can. I wish someone could do some art for this fic though =(