"I have your reports here. You make no mention of anyone by the name Arisawa."

"I call her 'dragon bitch' in the reports, sir."

Cold gray eyes scan him briefly and flicker back to the parchment. "Ah. Even from the beginning, Abarai? I don't think I need to remind you that such language in an official report is highly inappropriate. And I can hardly say I condone such disparaging remarks about a lady."

"That's no lady."

"And yet?"

The redhead groans. "She makes me feel—tingly."

The three of them—Rukia, Ichigo and Renji bringing up the rear—had settled into a routine. Three, sometimes four nights a week, the two vice-captains would patrol Karakura for an hour. Once the all-clear was declared, Rukia would make her way to the apartment inhabited by her beau and his enormous Mexican compadre. At first, Renji would always join her. Chad was a good guy and a hell of a cook; who could turn down a meal? Even if more often than not it was spicy.

Renji would afterwards sit with a vacant look in front of the television while Chad cleaned up. Rukia would long since have retreated to Ichigo's room. At this point Renji would turn the volume down and listen. Hard. It wasn't long before he found his head tilting towards the hallway, listening for something—anything—that would indicate activity in Ichigo's room. At least, until Chad would turn the volume back up and look at him with a gaze that was both disapproving and concerned. After several weeks of it, the giant finally spoke. "Why don't we get some air."

Unable to think of an excuse to stay, Renji followed Chad out of the apartment and into the street. Which, as it happened, was alive with activity. Kids running around, cars whizzing by, all that stuff. Inhaling the car fumes and the sweet smell of bread from the bakery as they passed, Renji wondered what it would be like to live here. Like a living person or something. Get a job, make money, have access to a wider variety of women—he had to stop himself there. As if a million opportunities with a million girls could possibly measure up to the opportunity he never really had with the one he really wanted.

Chad seemed to perceive his train of thought. "I thought about going back to Mexico after I graduated. It's a lot warmer there and miss it sometimes. I thought maybe life would be a little simpler there."

"Why didn't you go?"

"All the things I am now are here. Everything I've done and all the people I care about. Even the ones who make me unhappy. I don't like the idea walking away from people just because they disappoint me sometimes. Abuelo told me once the way we deal with the people we care about is how we learn to deal with ourselves."

"That's the most I've ever heard you say."

"Indeed," Byakuya says suddenly. "I was under the impression he was mute."

"Hm." Chad's hands were in his pockets and he gazed forward as if he were glimpsing a future only he could see.

Renji scratched his nose. "I didn't come down here to do anything stupid, you know. They waited a good long time before they decided. I can't say they were being thoughtless or anything."

Byakuya coughs. "That remains to be seen," he sniffs.

"Hm."

"I'm really happy for her. She seems happy. They both seem pretty happy—how do you do that?"

"Do what?" Chad wasn't even looking at him.

Renji gave him a horrified expression.

"You needed to talk. I'm a listener." Chad stopped at the doorway to a convenience store. "I'll buy you a slushie."

Renji could only nod at him.

Inside was clean and white and orderly. Except the counter. Two kids were standing in front of it, looking terrified. Behind it was a dark haired girl brandishing what looked like two weekly porno mangas. "I oughta call your parents, but it sounds like a better idea to kick your asses." The boys cringed, the girl sighed. "Just get out. If I catch you even peeking at this stuff again I'll teach you a whole new meaning of the term 'child abuse.'"

The boys bowed—bowed!—and made themselves scarce. Tatsuki gave Chad a smile. "A little early for you to be out, isn't it?"

"No gig tonight. Just the slushie."

As she took his money and gave him his change, she let her eyes travel the length and breadth of the shinigami, who returned her stare while sullenly slurping his slushie. He'd seen her before, he knew. He just could not put a name to the face. How could he be polite without letting on he completely forgot about someone who was apparently a friend? He took a step back, almost behind Chad, deciding it would be best to stay out of her line of fire. No such luck. "Collecting strays these days?" she asked.

"He's just hanging out," Chad said.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah."

She cocked her head, eyes narrowing. "Why? He's a working stiff isn't he? And kinda undead? Doesn't he have stuff to do back at that Sereitei place?"

Chad looked at Renji.

Renji looked at Chad.

Tatsuki began tapping her foot. "Nevermind. I'm pretty sure I don't care anyway. I'm going to be checking stuff out later on tonight, if you want to come, Sado."
The giant looked at her, surprised. "You're still doing that?"

"What do you mean 'still'? You were right out there with me two weeks ago. Until Orihime moves in with Ishida, I won't get any kind of peace at home anyway, so I might as well be out doing something productive. So are you in or out?"

"I'm not in the mood for it tonight," Chad said. And then a pause. The lightbulb going off in his head was so bright it was blinding. "Why don't you take Abarai-kun?"

"'Grape slushie burns the inside of your nose when you choke on it.' Abarai, what does that have to do with anything?"

Renji shrugs. "I figured it would be useful stuff to someone, someday."

"Ah," his captain says. "So this is how you began spending time with this 'Dragon Bitch?'"

"To make a long story short," Renji says.

"Actually this report is so badly written and disjointed it feels like it took days to read."

"Oh."

Byakuya sets the report aside. "This is getting us nowhere. Why don't you just tell me in your own words?"

"What, you mean like say it aloud? Word for word? Isn't that how I started?"

"I have means to verify your testimony later." Byakuya shifts in his chair. "You can tell me more about how she makes you feel. . . tingly."


Next up: She's a maniac. And he doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.