I AM SO SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT. D: PLEASE DON'T HATE MEEEEEE. Anyway, don't own Bleach or any of its characters. Do own Kazane & Co. Be chaste, don't copy and paste!
Chapter 1: Doesn't that mean wind?
It was one of those moments that Ichigo Kurosaki would probably remember forever. Although in his memory, the black button up shirt she wore underneath the apron would be tighter, her dark eyes would be larger, and her movements would be just a tad more seductive. But he'd get the look of apathy in her face just right; the emotionless way she swept the floor of the chocolate shop and the way her black hair fell over her left shoulder.
Kazane Hatsuhara would remember his bright orange hair being a little longer and his clothing a bit more sophisticated. But she'd get the tense body and exasperated brown eyes just right, and the way his hair fell in his face in just the right way.
"Are you guys open?" He asked, his voice low and tired. He put his hands in the pockets of his black slacks, remembering he'd left his phone at his office. He'd done it on purpose too. His girlfriend was always texting him; always being needy and vindictive. He'd finally had it with Rukia and just turned his phone off, leaving it in a desk drawer while he saw patients at the Kurosaki Medical Clinic.
The woman turned her attention back to the floor. "We are for ten more minutes. Can I help you?"
"I was just looking around." He said, watching her face. She seemed like she didn't really care that he was there and that she'd most likely have to begin sweeping again after he left. In fact, she didn't seem to care about hardly anything. He read the name 'Kazane' on her name tag. "Kazane, huh? Doesn't that mean wind?" He mentally slapped himself. Was he…flirting…?
"It means 'sound of wind'." Kazane said to the floor. She didn't say another word, stepping into the back before Ichigo could say anything else.
So Ichigo turned and decided to look around.
The chocolate shop looked incredibly feminine, with curvy iron decorations and signs for each kind of chocolate they were currently selling, painted in quirky lettering. The color scheme of the place was very romantic; brown and gold with subtle hints of white, black, and red.
Ichigo meandered around, looking at each individual chocolate. He tried to make out the wording on one, seeing as it was written in French. "Se….se…?"
"Sexe Fantastique." Kazane's voice came from behind him and he whirled around. He hadn't even heard her come in from the back.
"What does that mean?" He asked, smiling.
"Fantastic sex." There was a little bit of a smirk on her face.
He turned a little red. "O-oh."
"Do you believe in magic, sir?" She asked, her hands behind her back. Her face had gone right back to apathy but there was something different about her eyes.
"I suppose, in a way." He said ambiguously, watching the way she sauntered towards him slowly, kind of like a cat.
"There's a magical element in chocolate." She stopped about a foot from him. "It can heal the sick, comfort the dying, make the depressed giddy, and even arouse the most stoic celibate."
"So it has medicinal qualities?"
"Yes, I suppose. But only if the eater believes in it. Therefore, it's magic."
Ichigo swallowed thickly, trying not to think about how close she was or how creamy her white skin seemed. "Really, now."
"Of course," She turned away, heading for the counter. "The releasing of endorphins after eating some helps as well."
"Which one's your favorite?" He asked, gesturing to the chocolates.
"I don't have a favorite." She spoke plainly. "However, I help others find their favorites."
"How do you do that?" He smiled at her. She had originally seemed like such a down to earth person. Too bad.
"By studying them." She replied simply.
"Then what's my favorite?"
"Toque." She pointed at the rack just across from him.
He snorted. "That's the most expensive one you have." He walked over anyway. "What does tocky mean anyway?"
"Toque." She repeated. "It means touch in Portuguese. You crave adventure, but you don't know where to find it. Something is unsatisfactory in your relationship and its creating tension in your everyday life. You want something more." She gestured again to the chocolates. "Toque is just what you need."
"What'll it do to me?" He walked over and picked a box up, looking at the small chocolate squares with a red x on top.
"It's a secret. Should I wrap that up for you?"
Ichigo winced at the price again, but shrugged his shoulders. She had been right about her observations of him. Maybe this actually was his favorite chocolate. He walked over to the counter, set the box down, and took out his wallet. "Can I buy you a drink sometime?" The question popped out of his mouth and he hesitated, glancing up at her.
Kazane paused, looking at the cash register she had been punching numbers into. "You work in the clinic down the street, right? The Kurosaki Medical Clinic?"
"Yes. It's my father's."
"…." She began punching in numbers again. "Yes, I suppose after you get off work…I could go with you for a drink."
"Cool." He handed her the money. "I hope you don't think that was too forward. I don't know what came over me."
"That's okay. I wasn't going to talk to you but I did anyway." She said bluntly, handing him his chocolates. "Enjoy."
Ichigo supposed he could've taken that badly, but somehow it didn't bother him. He smiled at her again briefly and took his chocolates, heading out of the store with a wave. He looked up at the moon as he started to walk, pulling the bag off his chocolates. She was painfully blunt, emotionless, and a little strange, but she seemed to be exactly the adventure he'd been looking for; the adventure he'd keep a secret from everyone.
He took out a chocolate and popped it into his mouth, feeling a slight rush of hormones and Kazane's image popped into his head.
Yes. This was his adventure.