Disclaimer: I do not own BLEACH if I did, I obviously wouldn't be working a job that pays just barely over minimum wage.

Authors note: Briefly stated, this is a work of fiction, my ideas are my own, my beliefs my own, if you don't agree with them then obviously don't read. You may need a labeled picture of an ear to get an idea of Ichigo's piercings unless you actually know something about an ear.

Fun fact about an ear: The little triangle of cartilage and skin just before your ear canal is called a tragus. Tragus in Greek means goat, the reason your tragus is called a tragus is because when named, often men and women would have hair grow there in various states of lengths and it would remind others of a goat with a beard, thus it is called a tragus.

(0000)

Izuru felt her enormous spiritual energy before he'd heard her footsteps. It didn't leak anymore, kido lessons from Kuchiki-taichou and Ukitake-taichou resolved that matter, but that didn't mean that she suppressed it all the time, when she was near weaker shinigami, Izuru noticed that she subconsciously suppressed it to somewhere about his level. But here, at the meeting hall with the rest of fukutachious and taichous she just barely suppressed it. It felt warm and yet anxious, Izuru's forehead creased, what could have possibly gone wrong between when Kurosaki-san was here two weeks ago and now.

"Sorry I'm late." Kurosaki-san musical voice chimed a little apprehensive. There was a chorus of gasps in the large meeting hall, Izuru looked up from his thoughts and felt his breath escape him.

Um… wow.

Kurosaki-san looked, um… wow.

She looked stunning in her red flowing dress. The top portion clung to her breasts, breasts that her shihakusho obviously hid. There was bead work on the V-neck bodice, Izuru followed the fabric down to just about where her knees should be and saw a tantalizing side slit, that showcased her slender legs and silver strapped heels that also had bead work on the front of her feet. As she walked by, to stand at her usual place near the Soutaichou he noticed the elegant train flowing behind her, and then he saw the low cut of the back fabric below crisscrossing wide fabric near her scapulae. Her hair was done up in curls over her left shoulder and she was still putting on her earrings, walking as quickly as possible. When she got to her usual position he studied her in detail since her light copper locks were over her other shoulder. Her earrings were diamonds dangling from a silver chain; she had a minimal amount of makeup, dark brown smoky eyes, to accentuate her already warm hazel eyes, some blush and light pink splashed across her lips. Her dress not only suited her willow figure but also her tanned complexion.

It was deathly quiet in the hall; no one had said a word.

"Is something wrong?" questioned Kurosaki-san; she didn't seem to notice all the others ogling her toned figure. Izuru took the time to study all the others in the room, there was mixed expressions but mostly it was astonished and dazed expressions. Omaeda-fukutaichou had dropped his bag of chips with an open mouth; Soi fon-tachiou seemed as stunned as her fukutaichou looked. His own taichou seemed happy, probably because he'd complained about Kurosaki-san never took care of her beautiful complexion. Unohana-taichou seemed serene but she also studied the stunning woman, her fuku-taichou was red and uncomfortable. Kuchiki-taichou seemed expressionless, along with Komamura-taichou but both their eyes followed her movements. Their lieutenants seemed overwhelmed and red, Izuru watched Renji a little concerned for his breathing as his red complexion matched his red hair. Kyoraku-taichou was being glared at by his fuku-taichou like he had just committed murder. While both Hirako-taichou and Muguruma-taichou studied her admiringly, Momo looked down uncomfortably as did Hitsugaya-taichou. Rangiku nodded enthusiastically to herself as if she had just proven her point. While Shuhei-senpai tried to look unaffected by Kurosaki-san's presence. Zaraki-taichou seemed almost completely unaffected by her appearance and instead held back his pink haired fukutaichou from tackling the gorgeous peach haired woman that now seemed annoyed by the lack of chatter. Kurotsuchi-taichou and his daughter studied her with an appreciative gleam but Izuru didn't know if that was scientifically or otherwise. Ukitake-taichou and Rukia-san struggled to appear unaffected, but they went back and forth from exasperated to approving.

Izuru was almost afraid to see the Soutaichou's expression, nevertheless he did, it was disapproving, but Izuru didn't know if that was due to her dress or her tardiness. His fuku-taichou just seemed a little lost and helpless, though Izuru wasn't faring well himself, he felt nervous and strangely pleased with her appearance.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Soutaichou spoke in a grave and displeased voice, Izuru refrained from flinching, just barely. However, Kurosaki-san just seemed to meet his gaze head on. Izuru watched as Soutaichou-sama seemed to resist sighing in frustration. "What are you doing here?"

Kurosaki-san answered promptly, crossing her arms underneath her breasts, pushing them up and giving a God-given view. Kyoraku-taichou looked up and mouthed a silent thank you, while half the other men either looked on appreciatively or away with bright cheeks. "Karin was supposed to come, but she had to get ready as well. (Toshiro mouthed the words back to himself, Kurosaki Karin in a dress) I left her report at Ukitake-san's office, Yama-jii."

Ichigo was a little confused when no one reprimanded her lack of respect, she at least expect Byakuya to, but he seemed to look away from her gaze, Ichigo dropped her arms to her side in confusion and shifted her weight to her other leg allowing a provocative view of her leg.

Izuru couldn't help himself anymore; he had to know why she was dressed like this. "Kurosaki-san, why are you dressed like this?" She turned her head towards him and studied Izuru's reddening expression. She then looked down and seemed to pout… it was a very enticing view. All the other taichous and fukutaichous watched her.

"Ishida's line comes out tonight and I'm going to the opening party. I knew I wouldn't have enough to get ready, so I came dressed like this. Why? Do I look bad?" she questioned, not angry really but clearly upset. She must have spent time putting on her cosmetics, and getting ready. "I knew I should have worn the black mini-dress." Ichigo cursed under her breath and seemed defeated. Everyone else held their breaths as they imagined exactly what Kurosaki Ichigo in a black mini-dress would look like. Renji, Shuhei-senpai and Tetsuzaemon-senpai all passed out from nose bleeds. The rest of the captains couldn't look her straight in the eye with the exception of Kurotsuchi-taichou, his daughter and Rangiku whom all had various expressions of interest. Ichigo looked over unimpressed at her colleagues on the floor and shook her head.

"No you look lovely, Kurosaki-san." Izuru tried to keep the room from going too awkward and from Kurosaki-san upsetting herself due to his unrestrained friends. Ichigo graced him with a smile, feeling better about the damn dress that she'd promised Ishida she'd wear. The fabric was nice and soft, silk or maybe satin. She didn't want to ask, but the jewelry he sent with it, the shoes, she really didn't want to wear any of them. If it wasn't for Yuzu telling her that the bead work was hand woven by Ishida, she would never wear any of what he'd sent over the day before yesterday.

Izuru, tried to repress a flush of color but he was only human, he did manage to reciprocate a small smile.

Rangiku watched the interactions of the two and hoped somehow, after all the pain both had experienced that they'd just see what was right in front of them. Soutaichou decided to overlook his own observations and began the meeting discussing the increase in hallows in Rukongai and the living world; he'd prompt other members of the Gotei 13 to suggest possible causes or ways to fix it. Ichigo herself didn't need prompting and participated in the meeting, telling them about Kisuke's ideas and thoughts on both, along with her own. There was a discussion about bring the humans to Soul Society for safety, but Ichigo insisted that they could take care of themselves and then cleverly turned the conversation of upping Soul Society's security via a captain-wide kido.

Izuru examined as the passionate discussion took place, he felt a little awed by the spike of Reiatsu, when someone or another was upset or pissed off. It was only recently that fukutaichous were allowed to meet in the large hall in the first divisions with their taichous; he didn't know of the temperament problems that arose due to opinions and disagreements. At times he noticed that when Kurosaki-san spoke, everyone got ridiculously quiet, was that due to her appearance or her opinions. Either way, she was nice to look at. Her presence really calmed everyone else's down, surprisingly enough, as she was very violate to begin with. At one point or another, Yachiru tackled the light copper-haired woman in the middle of her statement. Izuru observed that although the force would have knocked Kurosaki-san off her feet, she continued speaking about the security issues as if it where nothing, and then domestically rearranged Yachiru in order for her to be more comfortable as she continued spoke. Yachiru latched onto the young woman and sighed at the unrestricted love.

Izuru observed unrestrained as Ichigo continued to subconsciously showered Yachiru with affection and felt a warmth flood him as she smiled down to the small girl in her arms. Ichigo would make a good mother.

He didn't know her that well, worse in fact out of most of the people in the room currently. But he had to admire her, her strength, her resilience, her care for those weaker than herself. To be honest with himself, he'd always had a soft spot for women whom where fiery but kind, whom cared about everyone and could at times take a step back and leave things be. She seemed to always have time for everyone and anyone, never had he seen her break a promise.

She had this power, stronger than she let on, but he'd noticed that whenever she had a sprout in power that she'd get piercings on her ears. Currently, she had three small studs one after another on the tragus of her right ear; she had three studs, starting with smallest closest to her lobule and then upping in kart size on the antihelix fold of her right ear as well as two piercings, one stud and one with the dangling diamonds currently on the lobule of her right ear. On her left ear she had two studs on the scapha portion of the ear and three studs plus the dangling diamond going from the part of the lobule closest to her head towards the antitragus. Currently she had fourteen piercings in total. Izuru knew that it was probably Urahara-san's work, with the same idea behind them as Zaraki-taichou's eye patch; although he had always wondered if the other taichous knew about the vast amount of power the young woman in front of them carried.

To require Reiatsu eating devices and more kido in order to repress the vast amount of natural spiritual energy she had was phenomenal and both scary. It was no wonder that Aizen propositioned her so many times. It really was a good thing that she was so honorable. Izuru withheld a sigh, and felt a little embarrassed as he'd not contributed to the debate due to the fact that he'd become a little bit enamored by this ridiculously well-dressed and stunning light-copper haired woman beside him whom seemed to have no problem multitasking between her thoughts, her opinions and the small pink-haired fukutaichou in her hand.

What he didn't realize was that, no one had paid attention to anything but the peach haired young woman and her ease with the child. Even the Soutaichou himself was a little distracted, most people seemed to forget that underneath her personality Kurosaki Ichigo was a softy at heart and underneath her shihakusho Kurosaki Ichigo obviously had a rocking body.

It seemed like a century before the meeting finished, almost immediately after it happened, Izuru watched as almost all the other shinigami at the tall and down-up woman and continued watching as Ichigo kept with at the very least four conversations at once, about Ishida's dress and his line, about Yachiru eating her vegetables, about a training program one squad or another would like her input on. Ichigo attempted to direct compliments away from her person and when that didn't work, she took them shyly, as if the young woman didn't know how attractive she was. Renji, Shuhei-senpai and Tetsuzaemon-senpai had all come up to him and attempted to be casual as they watched the woman. Izuru himself couldn't help but feel apprehensive and jealous with their gazes. Ichigo began walking with her hand on Zaraki-taichou's arm as she spoke furiously to him; Yachiru's sleeping body was transferred to Zaraki-taichou's other arm.

Izuru seemed to make up his mind from the gazes and the apprehension from the attention Ichigo gained effortlessly. "Ichigo-san…" Ichigo had stopped her conversation and stared at the blonde sullen man confused, he seemed to be contemplating how to go on next. What they didn't realize was that the entire room got very quiet.

"Yes."

"Would you like to go to dinner next Thursday?" There was a chorus of inhales that both ignored, Ichigo took the time to examine him, although she didn't know Izuru that well, she could see an underlying attractiveness to him, the loyalty and hope. But also the disguised pain and hurt, his ex-captain's defection must have hurt him plenty. All Ichigo could wonder though was how his face looked like when he smiled. Renji, Shuhei and Tetsuzaemon's jaws dropped at the question, did little Kira Izuru really just ask Kurosaki Ichigo out? It was wow worthy, definitely gossip material. As time went on without an answer, they were torn between happiness and pity for their friend.

"Pick me up at seven." Izuru let out the breath that he was holding as the members of the Woman's Association squealed like little girls. Renji, Shuhei and Tetsuzaemon fainted for the second time in the evening, mostly from shock but a little from blood loss due to Ichigo's soft smile. Izuru felt a hand on his shoulder and knew it to be his current captain Otoribashi-taichou. Looking up he saw an ecstatic smile on the older blonde's face and an approving nod. They had all left in the group; Izuru and Ichigo were walking beside each other but talking to different people.

It didn't really matter though as content rolled in undisturbed.

Who knows, this may be the start of something new, scary and lovely all at once.

(0000)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the I will try to get out one between now and Wednesday. Though I make no promises.

Blessed be,

CoffeeNerd