Dust. Damned thing seemed to be everywhere, on the floor, on the shelves, on the floor under the shelves and to make it worse every time he dusted one place, it would go and settle somewhere else. Jinta tapped the boom hard on the floor so that it snapped and turned off to another part of the shop to find more dust to add to his pile. It was really her job, that dammed black haired pigtailed girl with those large glassy eyes and as soon as he was done he was gonna find her and tap her upside the head the first chance he got. It didn't even have anything in there he bet, just a shell with hair on it.
"Hollow headed broad." He muttered under his breath, raking the broom over the new spot vehemently. Just then there was the sound of the front door opening.
"Great," he muttered bitterly, "another stupid person tracking dirt on the floor I just worked so hard to clean" Muttering angrily under his breath, he stormed to the front of the shop to tend to the customer. He rounded the last shelf to the counter and found himself unable to breathe as his eyes fell on the head of bright orange hair, pink blouse, blue skirt and bright yellow rubber slippers. His hear skipped as he knew there was only one girl with that hair who would dress like that. "you want help?"
She started and spun around, giving him a wide eyed stare and he found himself arrested by the brown eyes. "Oh, hello, I came for-"
"Groceries."
"Yes," She answered, fidgeting with the basket in her hand. Looking away from the eyes that made his skin heat up, he grabbed basket and made his way quickly down the aisles, filling it with random things as he went.
"I have a list." He started because she was now beside him. She reached into the basket and brought it out. He snatched the paper from her, avoiding her wide gaze and scowled at the paper. It was typical girl writing, all sunshine's and hearts, messing up the good kanji that made up the Japanese language.
"Yeah, right." He muttered and quickly added to her already half full basket with the things she had written down.
"Thanks for doing my shopping for me." He looed up at her and into her beautiful smile and felt his face heat again.
"Whatever." He muttered, shoving the basket into her arms and slouched over to the counter.
"Can I get a bag of apples?"
"Yeah." He grabbed a plastic bags near the apple stall. "Red, yellow or green?"
"Um, red?" He took up apples as he did everything else, quickly so when the contents of the entire stall came tumbling down, it was only natural. Dumping the full bag into her basket, he pitched forward and started grabbing apples and then he stopped. On her littlest toe was a long, ugly scarlet scrape running from the space between her toe to her ankle. He snatched up the last apple and placed it on the stall wondering what had happened, how did she get hurt? It had to be something house related he bet. But his greatest predicament was how was he going to begin asking her? She might tell him it was none of his business, or think he was some weird pervert for watching her foot. He looked back at her, feeling his face heat up as he anticipated the question. In the end, ie. a few seconds later, he decided to simply ask, "What happened to your toe?" She looked down and bent over for a closer look.
"I guess when I dropped that vase on my foot I cut it after all." She mused.
"What?" Feeling relief she didn't think he was a freak and pervert and then annoyed with her for being so careless, how the hell could she drop a vase on her foot!
"Oh, I was dusting a vase today and it fell and broke on my foot." And as the daughter of a doctor she didn't know to clean and bandage it? Seriously, what was that old man teaching them besides being good wives and beautiful women…
"Well that was clumsy." He grunted blushing at his thoughts. But for everything, she was as clumsy as that busty one who was always Kurosaki.
"I didn't see a cut when I looked, I guess I just missed it." Well that explained it, perhaps she did know how to take care of the sick… His face colored as he envisioned her taking care of him in a cute white nurse's uniform. Maybe all busty girls are clumsy and Uraharra was forever talking with Tessai what a babe Kurosaki's mother was… perhaps she would take to it too.
"Well, we have plasters," He picked up a pair of boxes as he passed the shelf and turned to her. "Rabbits or cats?" She blinked at him and then at the brightly colored boxes.
"But they're bunnies and kittens." She objected.
"Catch me dead saying the 'b' and 'k' words," He scoffed. "So which one?"
"Umm… I don't know, they're so cute… inny, minny miney mo, catch a tiger by the toe, when you're ready-"
"What are you doing?" Jinta interrupted.
"Deciding." She answered innocently. She was definitely going to be busty, Jinta decided.
"Why don't you just take two of each, I won't charge you for it." He sighed and before she could protest, he put the plasters in her bag.
"All right, that would be five hundred yen." For a moment it seemed she was going to object and then she simply paid, he rang up the sale and exhaled, the only thing left for her to do was leave and that was good. But she didn't but instead put the basket on the counter and disappeared from view. What the hell was she doing now, he wondered and he tiptoed and peeped over the counter and saw the round of her back and buttocks. She stood up suddenly and he started backwards, stepping into the shelf behind him, bringing don and assortment of matches, candles and condoms. He though was entranced as he watched as she folded the plaster wrapper and placed in her pocket before unwrapping another one and began to clumsily wrap it single-handedly around her finger. He watched he struggle, the minutes passing and his enchantment fading as he blushed with her every struggle, making the already warm place even more uncomfortable.
"Lemme help you." He finally snapped and arresting her hand on the counter, wrapped the plaster around her finger, but by then it was no longer sticky and slipped off. Sighing annoyed, he rooted in his pocket and brought out a tough plaster of his own.
"What happened to your finger?"
"It sipped when I was picking up the vase fragments." He looked up at her, she was without a doubt going to have to be busty otherwise there was no way a clumsy woman like her would get a man.
"Seriously, with you bare hand?" He sighed exasperatedly.
"What's going on here?" Jinta started as Uraharra clattered into the room. The mouth beneath the green hat stretched widely and the slight light under there showed his twinkling eyes. It was then Jinta realized he was still holding Yuzu's hand.
"Nothing." Jinta answered quickly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Why was it, he wondered, that damn man could no to one thing right in his life and actually appear when he was needed?
"Jinta-san was just putting a plaster on my finger." She answered, wriggling the finger with the flesh colored plaster on it. And why the hell didn't she know when to shut up? Sure it was just a plaster, but to Uraharra it was a new way for him and his cat woman to tease him, he was never going to hear the end of it.
"Oh," he snapped open a fan he pulled out of no where, " what happened?"
"A vase fell on my foot." Was her sober reply.
Uraharra came closer to inspect the bandaged finger. "So what happened the finger." WTF, what it a freaking interview, really!
"She picked up the vase with her bare hand. I think she has to get home now, it was nice meeting you." Jinta pushed the basket into her hands and stepping between them, began pushing the girl to the door.
"Yuzu Kurosaki?" Said girl was suddenly as rigid as a wall.
"Yes."
He folded his fan and smiled at her, "Tell your brother hello for me."
She smiled back, "I'll be sure to." Jinta looked from one to the other, it had to be over now he decided after a few seconds of the creepy smiling and started pushing her to the door again.
He stopped at the door, "Well it was nice to see you, come again." He said formally and bowed.
"I will be sure to!" She chimed and opened the door, she put out one foot and just then there was a roar and water came rushing down. Yuzu stared at the sudden rain with wide eyes.
"Oh no, I forgot my umbrella!"
"Well you can stay here until it stops." Uraharra offered politely.
"I suppose I should." She considered.
"Well then, let me get us some tea!" And so, she remained in the shop for a further forty-five minutes much to Jinta's discomfort. He was though thankful that she didn't try to make conversation and that for one Urahrarra didn't try to make him talk because as it was, he was the most annoyed being possibly alive. Instead the hurried around the shop sweeping, repacking shelves and replacing stock when the rain finally stopped he could not recall being happier. It was not that he didn't like Yuzu that he wanted her gone, but because he liked her, being around her was nearly unbearable because he felt that by being so near her he was going to explode especially since there was no friends of challenge to distract him.
"Well thank you for the tea Mr. Uraharra, but I must go now." She announced when the rain stopped and bowed politely.
"I don't think you should go unto the wet street with that injury, you could get it infected."
"Well I can't wait until the street dries." She laughed, edging out of the door.
"NO, you possibly couldn't, but Jinta wouldn't mind riding you home." Jinta stopped sweeping as he blood ran cold. What the hell the man was trying to do, kill him with excitement? He could barely stand her being there, not when her sweet smell was filling up the place and now he was telling him to have her at extremely close proximity… if he ever lived though that one, he was going to have to kill Uraharra for being so vile.
"Oh no Mr. Hat and Clogs, it's all right, really, I don't want to inconvenience anyone, I'm sure Jinta has to finish up what ever he was doing."
"Ahh nonsense, it was someone else's chores he was doing anyway, Jinta, escort this lady home." They looked back at mentioned boy who was standing in the middle of the floor, mouth agape. Oh right, he thought, this was the part that he said something like, HELL NO or WTF WAS WRONG WITH YOU TEA SIPPING, CLOG WEARING, FAN BRANDISHING, GREEN LOVING IDIOT!
"No, I don't mind riding you home," What the hell? Was that voice coming from him? Shut up you idiot! Where the hell was his awkwardness shyness that usually kept him quiet and why the hell did he feel so calm? "Actually, just let me finish this and I'll ride you home."
And so he was on his bike, pedaling as fast as he could though the wet, empty streets with her arms tight around his waist and her grip tightening every time they ran over a bump in the road. Now he was so close to her, he didn't feel so calm and he wondered if she could feel his pounding heart or did she notice how unusually hot his skin was or how red his complexion. Obviously not because it seemed to him she was too busy holing on and peeping over his shoulder and breathing in his ear and on his cheek. Finally they had to stop because they were in front of her house and he was thankful she finally got off and took out her pink woven basket from the handlebar.
"Well, thank you for riding me home." She said meekly and bowing, turned off to the glass entrance of her home. He remained on his bike, staring after her receding back and just before she disappeared from sight, she turned and waved at him with a small smile. Then she was gone, thankfully because just then his face flushed madly. Angry with himself for reaction, he pedaled furiously away.
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It had been two weeks since he had ridden Yuzu home and it was two weeks of endless harassment from Uraharra and an updated Yuroichi and when ever a love song played on the radio, the turned it up and sang along. In the morning he would find sonnets and bits of love poetry on his pillow with a small chocolate and then later Yuroichi would call out the Kurosaki household number at random and tell him to call and read the poem, ask her over and give her the chocolate.
Truth be told though, in all the poetry he had read, he liked one, it was written by some man named Shakespare and it went 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and temperate…etc." and then Yurouchi told him it was dedicated to a man and since then he lost his taste for it. Jinta slapped irritated at a fly that had been buzzing around his head in the heavy warm air and tugged at his T-shirt sticking to his body. It was a warm, slow day, not even Yuroichi and Uraharra had the energy to harass him and for that he was glad.
"Are you sue you don't want some Jinta-san?" The black haired girl was sitting quietly sipping tea next to him asked.
Jinta scowled down at her, "NO I don't want any of you damn tea, who the hell drinks tea in the middle of a hot day anyway?" He snapped.
"It's supposed to make you cooler." She offered humbly.
"I don't want any damn it!"
"Is something the matter?" Hat and clogs chimed just then wandering into the room.
"No, ain't nothing the matter." He snapped and returned his attention to the fly now sitting on the counter.
"Let's leave lover boy to himself, Ururu dear and come help me in the back."
"I AM NOT IN LOVE!" Jinta yelled angrily at the pair who disappeared behind the door that separated the back from the front. Damn man, pretending he knew everything about me, Jinta thought angrily and put his head down heavily.
"Hello." JInta started up right and found himself looking at the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and wondering how was it he had not heard her come in.
"Hey." He answered, scowling because his face was heating up again. He noticed the list hanging loosely in her fingers and grabbed it along with the bag that was in the same hand. He hurried around the store, quickly filling her list and was back at her in moments and he stopped. There was a white cast around the left hand dangling loosely at her side.
"What happened to you?" She looked down at her arm and blushed.
"I fell off the jungle gym."
"You just fell?" She looked around uneasily.
"No… not really, actually it felt like something pushed me…" Jinta considered her and scratched his head.
"Well I guess I have to walk you home
"No, I think I can manage, it was just a little sprain, really."
"And I don't think you should be walking about with heavy loads- Yo, hat and clogs, I'm goin' out!" He yelled to the back.
"Don't be long." Was the half laughing response.
"Let's go." He grunted and started to walk out of the store, she hurried after. They took a large part of the journey in awkward silence, Jinta wondering how to start a conversation with her when it happened. A kid kicked a ball out of the playing field, right past them and down into a deep drain that ran along side the court. He came running out of the park and to the drain where he stopped and stood looking down at the steep fall. They both looked at the little boy, he was hardly older than five, Jinta rolled his eyes and putting down the groceries, skidded down into the drain and kicked the ball up. It soared high and the boy, smiling his thanks, chased after it. He could hear her crunching approach and then she was looking down at him from over the edge.
"That was nice."
"You sound surprised." He grunted, hoisting himself out .
"Well I've never seen you do anything- oh!" She was cut off by a strong wind that blew everything up. Jinta looked up, there was a massive blue hollow in the form of a bird. It leaned close to them and Jinta cursed mentally- he had forgotten his weapon. It leaned close and seemed to be smelling them? Then it reared back and screamed, he looked over a Yuzu who was staring up into space.
"Some wind." She laughed and walked right at the hollow! Was she crazy? Jinta wondered. Apparently she was, because she was still walking to it for her groceries. The hollow screamed again and stepped forward, thinking fast, Kinta grabbed her and ran away, her in tow. The hollow screamed after them and unfolding its massive wings, chased after them. But what, he wondered, was the hollow after?
"Why are we running?" She called over the wind, easily catching up to him and then he could smell what the hollow could; her brother's spiritual pressure was all over her and to any hollow that would the most delicious thing. He looked over at her and she glanced back at him with curiosity- there was only one thing to do, he pushed her. She screamed and tripping over her feet, rolled down into the dirty drain, getting covered in the water. But then the lack of scent seemed to confuse the hollow and then it latched on to some of the lingering pressure now on him and it gave chase.
"Ah, the lover boy is back!" Kisue chimed when he ran into the shop.
"I'm not in love!" He yelled angrily rushing past and scuttling under his bed, brought out his bat. He ran back outside, just as the bird settled in front of the shop and screamed.
"Come here you big ugly idiot!" He yelled and running at it, built his spiritual pressure in the bat before jumping up and releasing it with a powerful blow at its head. The mask cracked only slightly and screaming, it shook its head then with a sweep of its wing, sent him flying though the air and into a wall. A sickening crack sounded somewhere and he came unto the ground with an even louder sound. Blackness was ebbing at his vision and the sudden pain was dying away and just before he was gone, he saw Yuroichi running towards the hollow, body aglow.
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"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?" The yelling woke him up. What happened? He wondered groggily and then it came back to him- the hollow, the wall, the broken bones. He sat up and looked down at his leg and then his arm, whole and healed.
"Please keep your voice down Miss .Kurosaki." Kurosaki? Jinta perked up, that yelling didn't sound like Yuzu, but then and again…
"IS HE IN THERE? HEY IDIOT, COME OUT!"
"Miss Kurosaki, please." Came Uraharra's gentle plead and then the door snapped open and all he had a view of was black tights before he was in a death grip and face to face with a very angry… girl?
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU THORW MY SISTER IN THE DRAIN?" She yelled angrily and Jinta stared back at her, how different a pair could be?
"To save her from the hollow?" He answered, unable to gather his thoughts enough to put on his usual bravado. The girl rolled her eyes angrily and sucked her teeth.
"Did ya have to throw her in the drain?" She snapped, shoving him back down.
"Well excuse me, but the hollow was trying to eat her because she stank of her frikin' brother and all she was doing was acting stupid!" He snapped, dusting himself.
"She can't see hollows you ass." She snapped and flopped down beside him.
"Who the hell are you any way?"
"Karin Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki's sister." The remained for a moment, a mutual understanding and agreement passing between the pair.
"Is she all right?" He finally asked
"A few bruises and she didn't want to come out of her room and now that she did, she's cold and angry all the time."
"Yuzu, angry?" It was hard for him to imagine.
"Well she's not scowling, but I can see it in her eyes… she's hurt." Karin sighed and Jinta followed suit.
"I guess I'd have to apologize."
"You can try."
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"AND STAY AWAY!" Jinta remained on the ground, his cheek throbbing where she had thrown her weak punch, unable to get the picture of her tears out of his mind. He tried to explain to her exactly what happened, but she grew angry and tearful as he tried to tell her about something she could not see but every one else around her could and she got injured and was in danger for it.
"Ahh, Jinta-san, how did it go?" Uraharra chimed as he walked back into the shop, Jinta snapped the door sharply shut in response.
"Poor guy, he seems down." Yuroichi sighed from on Uraharra's lap.
"Kinda reminds me of when I fell in love." Yuroichi turned into a woman and rolled over and looked up at him.
"Firstly it was a human and secondly she was a wine drinking whore with a husband and six children." Uraharra grinned.
"Ahh, good times." She scoffed angrily and sat up.
"Still, I feel sorry for the poor guy," she slipped into her cat form and curled up in Uraharra's lap, "I wish I could do something for him." She sighed.
"And there is Yuroichi," he petted her head, "there is."
"Please help me!" Yuzu rushed up to the shop and doubled over panting.
"What's wrong?" Yuzu looked up at him for a moment before panting out her concern.
"There's a cat, stuck up on the old temple roof and it's on fire!" Jinta stared at her wondering whether she was serious. She didn't laughed.
"Let's go." He rushed though the streets with her to the old temple where a small crowd of people had gathered. He looked up to see a large black cat mewling on top of the roof, behind I a massive blaze.
"Yuroichi?" Jinta muttered in surprise.
"You have to help him!" Yuzu cried and the cat slipped and mewled loudly. Not minding the shocked gasps, he climbed up the rotting timbers of the temple's support and to clambered unto the roof.
"Yuroichi, what the hell are you doing up here? And why are you acting helpless?" Said cat looked back at him angrily.
"Getting you your girl back, so stop making it look so easy." She snapped and swiping at his hand, scratched him and hissing, jumped up on the ledge of the second floor and disappeared form view. Jinta followed her into the blazing passageway.
"Now what the hell is this about?" He demanded form the black cat.
"It's Kiskue's idea," she answered, turning human before him and walking away.
"What, you turn into a naked woman and scare the living daylight out of everyone?" She scowled at him.
"No, he wants me to be a cat and pretend to be in distress and in great danger and then you come after me and nearly get hurt doing so, scaring her and she'll love you again."
"That's the dumbest plan I've ever heard," Jinta followed her up the stairs, "thanks."
"Good, now let's take this to the top floor." They raced up to the top floor where she turned back into a cat and jumped unto the roof. By that time the fire department had come but the ladder didn't go so high. Yuroichi mewled helplessly and scrabbled at the roof, kicking tiles loose. Jinta climbed unto the roof with what he hoped looked like unsteady step.
"Comes here cat!" He called for so the nearest fireman could hear.
"He kid, get down form there!" He walked stealthily after the cat who was walking farter away and he followed then Yuroichi jumped and missed the landing, scrabbling madly at the tile beneath her, slipping all the way down and Jinta jumped too, catching her and rolling down the roof. Below there were several screams and he caught the edge of the roof at the last moment where he held on.
"Hold on kid, we're spreading the net, you got a firm grip?" the fire man called.
"Yeah!" He answered, cradling a purring Yuroichi close to him. Then a large net surrounded by red dressed men came into view.
"O.K kid, try to jump into the net!" The fire man called and he dangled on, looking down at the net and then the tile beneath his fingers gave way had he fell.
"You did good kid." The fire man told him and helped him out of the net while they put out the fire. Yuzu rushed to him, tears in her eyes and she looked ready to hug him but stopped.
"Why did you take that risk?"
"She's my cat." He answered and she looked down at Yuroichi.
"Let's go get her some milk and I think you need some ice-cream." And taking his hand, she led him down the street to the ice-cream parlor.