Thanks for the comments you guys! ^^ That's one vote for a sequel !
2.
The night was dead; a solemn customer at one end of the bar, and a young tattooed couple making out by the worn sofa in the corner of the pub. But Ichigo wasn't complaining; an easy night means an easy closing, which was only in two hours time.
Ichigo found a spot in the back room, sitting on a wooden stool. His back hunched as he stared intently at the engraved badge, the one that had been given to him four years ago when his entire life had changed. He'd thrown it out a couple months ago, and somehow the damn thing found its way back to his room. He should have burned the thing. It only makes him second guess himself, his decision.
"Hello?"
The badge fell from Ichigo's grasp, landing on the floor between a pair of black wedges with peeking painted toenails. His eyes slowly made their way up the girl's slender legs, over the vibrant red coat, the black knitted scarf and tumbling [h/c] locks of hair- and landed on a smiling face. The girl quickly knelt down, scooping the badge up to examine it. Ichigo was quick to snatch it back.
"W-What are you doing back here?!" The girl was unfazed by his shout; instead turning on her heel to lead Ichigo back out to the front of the bar, using quick strides. She flicked her hand by her head, as if dismissing the action.
"Sorry; but I've been waiting out there for at least ten minutes now. Next time I'll be sure to bring my patience~" There was an undertone to her sweet voice, one which caused Ichigo to furrow his brows. He wasn't going to apologize.
"So what're you having?"
The girl sat on the same stool as the other night, her hands intertwined on the grey counter. She flashed him a pearly smile. "Cola please!"
Ichigo was skeptical, but gave it to her none the less. The girl, peculiar as she is, had strayed far from the boy's mind since the first night upon meeting her. Ichigo had assumed she'd never make another appearance; that she was disappointed with the shape of the pub (like so many of her status had been), which is why she made a quick escape that night.
She had seen the customers, the neighborhood it's stationed in, and the lack of friendly employees. So what brought her back? Did she reside close by, and had no other choice but to come there? No, there's a convince store just down the block; if all she wanted was cola than she could just go there.
Wait, wasn't she looking for someone?
"So what did you buy?" Ichigo blinked clueless at the girl, who stared at him over the rim of her glass. When she parted it from her lips, she added "the tip I left you, what did you buy with it?" Hesitantly, Ichigo started to clean an invisible spill on the counter.
"Nothing. I'm saving right now."
She quirked a brow, "you're saving," she said uneasily. "For what?" Ichigo shrugged a shoulder.
"University, mostly." The girl must have been satisfied with his answer, because she diverted her eyes to the plate of brownies that sat in a glass case by the bottles of liquor.
"Are those any good?" Ichigo ceased his cleaning to take a glance over his shoulder.
"I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I couldn't say. But they sell quickly," mostly because a lot of customers come in high as the Empire State, but he neglected to add that in. The girl bit down on her lower lip. "I'll take one."
The moment the brownie was set in front of her, the girl took the pastry into her hand and sunk her teeth into the corner. Ichigo paused to watch as her brows creased, and her eyelids sealed shut, almost in a painful way, like he had just told her that her family had died in a fire. She slowly chewed the pastry, savoring it. Ichigo made a face; did it taste awful…? As she swallowed her lids opened; there was a flash of surprise in them, which she hid seconds after revealing herself. A smile took place.
That was odd.
"I meant to ask you; where is that badge from?" Ichgio nearly tripped over his own feet; he grabbed the counter to stable himself. "The one you dropped when I walked in."
"Why do you want to know?" He hadn't meant to snap as much as he did, but didn't bother to recover himself. This girl, she isn't normal. What normal kind of person asks those types of questions? And in such a blunt way! Ichigo was starting to think she really did blend in with the other customers.
She was unfazed by his retort, shrugging as she said "I saw that symbol before, is all. Is it for a club of sorts?" Ichigo's fingers whitened as his grip on the counter tightened.
Where the hell would she have seen that symbol? She… No, she couldn't know about that world. She doesn't have a strong enough spiritual pressure.
"I don't know. It's my friend's."
The girl didn't pry anymore, and when she started to pull out her wallet Ichigo found himself exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding. She placed another $20 bill on the counter top, and gracefully got on her feet. Ichigo couldn't will himself to return her smile, which was thrown over her shoulder as she started to walk away.
"More money for the university fund," The door chimed as she opened it, "have a good night~"
"How did you know I was lying?" The orangette held Ichigo's gaze, her bright blue eyes gleaming with such a passion that it became hard for him to breathe.
"Your eyes can never lie, Ichigo-kun."
Ichigo tore his eyes away from the frosted door to the folded bill on the counter.
There was something in her eyes; she wasn't telling the truth.