The Party

"Of course we don't know the actual day, it was so long ago," Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo's question.

"Why in winter then?" he asked.

"Getting drunk in winter keeps you warm!" suggested Rangiku enthusiastically.

"Look, who cares? It's Founding Day, and you've been invited to the seireitei's annual party," Renji said. "Free food, free drinks, and hopefully a couple of idiots will get drunk enough to go up on stage."

"There's a stage this year?" questioned Yumichika.

"Yeah, someone suggested having an open mic," Renji grinned. "I think it's going to be the most memorable part of the evening."

"Like you'll remember any of it," Ikkaku snorted.

"Look who's talking!"

"So why are Orihime and I going?" asked Ichigo.

"You should be proud to have been invited, not even all soul reapers get to go to this party, only seated officers and above," Rukia explained a little impatiently.

"Yeah well, they're probably just trying to get on my good side after the whole trying to kill me and all of my friends thing," Ichigo didn't really want to waste time going to a party when he should be training, but Orihime had seemed pretty exited about going so he had been roped in to it.

"Why me then?" piped up Orihime.

"Oh," Rukia looked away for a minute. "Well that was because I asked them to invite you. I get to go because my brother invited me, and when Captain Ukitake asked if there was anyone I thought should be invited, I suggested you."

"Thanks!" smiled Orihime. She paused for a moment, finger to her lips, "I wonder what kind of party food the soul society has?"

When they arrived at the party, Rangiku wandered off to a small group of female shinigami that was gathered around an ice sculpture. The dress code for the party had always been haphazard, some opting for formal wear and others wearing their uniforms. Rangiku had taken the opportunity to wear her newest acquisition, an elaborate light purple kimono. She really wanted to wear her pink one, but the risk of looking similar to Captain Kyouraku was too high.

The women chatted, complimenting each other's clothing and hair, when they got down to business. "I heard," said Rangiku in a low whisper, "that Ichigo Kurosaki has never been kissed."

"What?"

It hardly seemed believable to them.

"Well, you have to remember that humans age differently than us. In his world he's just barely becoming an adult."

Surprisingly it was Nemu who came up with the suggestion, "an experiment in human sexuality" is what she called it. The rest just called it a bet. Whoever got a kiss (or kissed) Ichigo first would win. Rangiku had suggest free booze for the winner, but had been turned down. Instead, the winner wouldn't have to bring snacks for the Shinigami Women's Association all year. The prize wasn't that big, but it was pride that was on the line, and each woman had a different idea of how to go about winning.

When they had approached Rukia about the idea, she had declined throwing her hat into the ring herself, but had offered some helpful tips. Rangiku had her own ideas, remembering how red Ichigo had turned when she had semi-flashed him while trying to convince him to let her stay at his house. When it came right down to it, she had the goods, and the other ladies didn't. It was just that simple. No one could turn her down!

Nanao would never admit it, but the idea of a man who had never even been kissed intrigued her. She imagined him being shy and retreating in the wake of an advance from a woman…she blushed, and then looked determined. It should be a chase right? Why should men always get the fun of pursuit? She was pretty sure that was what her man-whore of a captain liked the most, regardless of how often he ogled a woman's body.

Isane told herself she wouldn't get involved, but that if given a chance she would make a move. She sighed and wished that Ichigo was taller.

Nemu briefly considered poison or a mind altering drug, but she didn't think it would be that difficult to seduce the substitute shinigami. Perhaps just a little alcohol to make things smoother. There were two problems with that solution however. One being that no one with half a mind would willingly drink something that the lieutenant of squad twelve gave them, the other being that she was fairly sure that he would refuse anything alcoholic due to his age. She was able to convince Kiyone, who was not participating in the experiment and had turned crimson when asked, to assist her. While Kiyone was siding with her sister, assuming that her sister even wanted to win the bet, she did realize that plying Ichigo with alcohol would work in everyone's favor.