"I don't like how you say my name."
Pulling up the pair of boxers she was given, Senna adjusted herself on his bed, trying to tuck his shirt into it, to no avail. His clothes were just way too large on her. But they smelt like him, and they were his, so she didn't mind.
Of all things to be woken up with, the Quincy merely ran a hand through his hair, before reaching over to his nightstand to put his glasses on.
"I'll never understand how you're able to wake so early," he said, not answering her statement. He didn't feel as though it deserved a reply. What was there to say about it?
"I don't know. I don't sleep very well, so when I wake up, when it starts to get light, I just stay up."
Her voice was small for once, as she slowly moved her arm around his torso. She loved the feeling of his skin, and let out a sigh as she lightly rubbed near his collarbone. His arm was still wrapped around her from the previous night, but it stayed still, rather than mimicking her actions.
"Thank you for giving me clothes to sleep in, Ishida-sensei. You know, they feel like you."
"You don't need to thank me."
He was avoiding a majority of her statements today, for whatever reason. In his mind, he was making up for being so open to her the night before, and then being so gentile with her while he touched her.
After their bath, he wasn't rough with her at all. Instead, once he laid her down, he would only touch her softly, and he spent time caressing her face, rather than playing with her body as he originally intended. He only played enough to excite her, not to send her over the edge.
He never pinched. He never bit down. He never moved too quickly, or too roughly. His hands wrapped around her, and his mouth stayed at her neck, or on her lips. Her nails never raked, or dug into him. She never begged for more; all she wanted was his touch, and to touch him back.
It became much too intimate for his liking, yet he couldn't bring himself to stop. Even when she began to tear up. He could only sigh, and wipe away her tears, while continuing their tryst, slowly moving himself inside of her. He knew they weren't tears of regret. She knew they were tears of happiness. They knew because of her smile.
It wasn't about sexual satisfaction, as they both had initially thought. While they both ended up satisfied, it was simply about enjoying the closeness. It was a different satisfaction from the sex they had the night before. This time, it wasn't about a dirty need or a physical want.
When they finished they simply laid side by side, holding hands. More accurately her holding his, and him complying.
It was then when he offered her garments to sleep in, as he disconnected them from one another, stood up, walked to his closet and pulled on a pair of cotton pants.
He turned his head to her, as they laid in bed.
"You need to stop thanking me for such trivial matters."
He watched as she moved her eyes from her hand on his chest to his face.
"It's not like that to me."
'Of course it isn't.' He wanted to snap that back to her. She was just a young girl, who didn't understand. But something kept him from doing so.
"I'm sorry. I'll try to stop. I'm just not used to this. Whatever this is."
"...what is it about the way I say your name?"
So he did hear her...A small blush came across her cheeks as his eyes pierced hers. Sometimes she hated his eyes because they could do that. But she loved them too much to ever tell him that.
"It's harsh."
"You're very blunt."
"It's true. Last night, in the tub...I heard what you called me, and the way you said that, was so much nicer than how you say my name."
"What did you hear?"
He knew exactly what she was talking about. Had her eyes not been locked with his, he would have shut them as he mentally cursed himself for allowing the words to escape his lips in the first place. He hated her skin, her taste, her smile...her innocence. Even after everything he did to her, she still was the perfect example of innocence.
"You said that...you called me...'sweet girl.'"
"Incorrect," he interrupted before she could speak any further. "I believe I used the possessive as well."
Lifting his hand from her shoulder, he moved it up to her hair, stroking her locks as she suddenly stopped rubbing his chest. Even in a moment of tenderness, he felt the need to correct her. Or perhaps it was out of habit, and his need to be right.
"I called you 'my sweet girl'...how foolish of you to forget."
Ryuken couldn't help but smirk, only for a second, as he watched the blush on her face deepen. She knew that the possessive meant something, but just what, she had no idea...
"R-right! You called me that, Ishida-sensei. And you just did again. It sounds so much nicer than when you say 'Senna-chan,'" she mocked his voice the best she could when it came to reciting her name. "You don't like my name?"
He had no answer. It was a name. It was a fine name. He was too distracted by her imitation of him to really even consider an answer. He couldn't even suppress a low chuckle.
"Have you been working on that long?"
"Nope. Just now. Uh, and in the bath the first day I came here. It was funny to try to sound like you do when you're at work."
That's right. Work. He let out a long sigh as he was reminded of it. His job was tedious at times, and now it was an inconvenience, but it was an obligation. Besides, he was exactly where he wanted to be - where he had worked to be for years.
"You sound different when you're with me here, than you did when we were at the hospital."
"But you're still not happy with how I pronounce your name."
"Nope. I don't like it."
Suddenly, he found her using her hand on his torso for balance as she adjusted herself once again so she could sit on top of him. Except, she was really laying on top of him, her legs on either side of his, her body pushed up against his, and her head resting on her hand on top of his collarbone. His arm which had been wrapped around her followed her, and helped hold her in place.
"So are you going to fix it?"
"How do you expect me to speak? I've been speaking like this for years-"
"I love how you speak. I just...Ishida-sensei, just say my name."
For whatever reason, he found himself listening to her manner of speaking, likely since she brought it up. When she spoke, sometimes she spoke louder than others, but her voice always sounded sweet. Except when she was aroused...or annoyed - but he hadn't heard that tone since he first met her.
All because the nurse made a spectacle out of her. She refused to stay the night in the hospital, and essentially told the nurse off, but from what he heard, in a much harsher manner. While her condition wasn't overly serious, knowing she had nowhere to go, nowhere to be released to, was against policy. A policy he instated...all because he knew about hollows. He wanted to save the living - that was his goal. An unprotected living soul was what he tried to avoid.
The moment he spoke to the nurse, he knew he was going to have to speak to the patient himself. Then again, that specific nurse wasn't overly friendly. She's really not much better than himself.
As soon as he pulled back the curtain, revealing the petite girl, he knew she couldn't be released back onto the streets. She told him how she didn't know how she arrived there, but she would have been fine if she never had been seen. She's survived worse. Those were her exact words.
He didn't tell any of his workers that she was leaving with him. He never noticed her rolling her eyes at him behind his back as he signed her discharge papers. She was planning on fleeing until he allowed her to walk on her own, and instilled the trust in her to meet him outside without being babysat. She felt he trusted her, when in reality, he was worried about keeping up appearances.
And now she was laying on top of him. Her amber eyes flickering in the dawn as she smiled. Lifting his free hand, he began stroking her hair, carefully choosing moments to allow his knuckles to softly touch her cheek.
Now, he noticed just how she said his name. As perverse as it was, calling him 'sensei' even still, she never sounded harsh. She sounded like she was waiting for something.
"Yes, Senna-chan."
He tried his best not to be harsh. By the way she looked - as if she were in awe, he felt as though he succeeded.
"My sweet girl, Senna-chan."
And with the newly formed blush on her face, she managed to smile, even though she tried to hide it with her hand - until he took her hand away with his.
"Don't hide your reaction as if it's shameful."
"I'm not...I..I...I just didn't think you could sound so...sweet."
"I merely mimicked your own way of speaking. As I've said, you're my sweet girl, and thus speak as such."
"I'm so happy that I came back here with you. This feels so right. Last night, was so wonderful. And this morning too. I'm sorry I cried, and I'm sorry that I'm-" she sniffled, holding back more tears. "Going to cry again. I know you don't like it."
No, Ryuken couldn't stand it. He hated seeing her cry, even with a smile on her face. It showed weakness. It showed emotion. He hated dealing with a crying woman. He rolled them over, placing him on top of her, unwrapping her from his embrace in the process. This way, he had easier access to her.
Lifting her bangs, he kissed her forehead as he then wiped her tears away with his hand.
"Now stop it. There's no reason to cry. No reason at all."
Senna moved her hands to his shoulders, as she nodded.
"That's exactly what you did last night, too."
"Yes it is. May I ask why you insist on crying?"
"It's...it's because...I feel close to you. You make me happy. You say all the right things when it really counts, and you do all the right things."
"There's no need of you to praise me like this."
He didn't feel as though he deserved the praise. Since when did he say all of the right things, or do the right things in the eyes of others? Those at the hospital feared him out of respect, and power. His deceased father tolerated his behavior while attempting to understand. His son disowned him for his actions, just as he disowned him in return.
"Yes there is," she retorted as she moved her hands to his cheeks. His cheeks felt warm in her hands, and again, she felt his wonderful soft skin. "You're the only one who's ever held me like this - like you did last night."
But she didn't know that. She didn't know any of it. She only knew who she had been introduced to over the past few days. And he was everything to her at that point. As independent as she was, or at least tried to be, knowing someone was there, someone was holding her, put her restless mind at ease.
He closed his eyes as she sniffled again. He would have shaken his head if it wasn't for her hands holding him in place. In a sense, he was surprised she could stand his weight on her for this long. She did the same last night, but it was a different situation. Now they weren't moving - they were only laying still.
"I have to go to work, Senna-chan."
"Stay here. Today, please stay. If you can't stay, let me come with you."
"I cannot grant your request."
He couldn't bring her in. What if any of the nurses recognized her? They'd know of his sinful living arrangement, if they did how would they respect him then? Nobody questioned him, and that's how he liked it. That was how he needed it.
"I've spent many years working to earn my position. It's my obligation to go to the hospital, and to myself."
"I know. I know you have to, but it doesn't mean I want you to. I just want to stay like this. All day."
Feeling her shake beneath him, he then noted how her hands had begun to hold his face in an almost tighter manner. It was more possessive.
Using his forearm for balance, as he laid it over her head, he begun to lower his lips to her, knowing she'd pull him down the second she got the chance. And it was exactly what she did, as she slowly helped bridge the gap between them. He stopped right before he reached her, allowing the sensation of the tension to run through their bodies.
"I-Ishida-sensei..." she whispered, before he replied with a simple "shh" as he softly finalized their connection, pressing his lips to hers as carefully as he could. He could instantly feel her relax beneath him, and he only pressed harder for a moment before pulling away.
"I'll return later than I did last night - perhaps not until it is dark."
"Please don't leave me here all day..."
"I'll see about tomorrow, Senna-chan. Tomorrow, I'll consider staying with you."
She was soft. She wasn't hardened. As much as she wanted to come across that way, she wasn't.
But she was. She only softened herself for those she trusted - those who she felt deserved to see that soft side. Only one other person had ever earned it, and he wasn't in her life anymore. He was gone. Because he didn't have the time to fit her in, and she wouldn't wait.
"Ishida-sensei...that would be really nice."
As strange as it was, he enjoyed her use of 'sensei' for him as an honorific. He wasn't sure how much longer he could allow her to use it, but for now, it was endearing.
"So...no more arguments from you?"
Senna shook her head. She couldn't argue.
"There's a good girl," he said as he lowered back down to kiss her. This time, adding pressure initially, causing one of her hands to move from his cheek to the back of his head. She lightly played with his hair until he finally pulled back. "I hope that will suffice while I'm gone."
"It won't, but nothing will. But, I know you need to leave."
"..."
Ryuken turned his eyes away from the girl beneath him. She shocked him at times with her maturity. It was always when he least expected it. This was something so simple, something ridiculous, something he never should have been impressed with.
"Thank you."
"Besides, like you said, if we're not apart, I can't miss you. And you-"
"And I wouldn't be able to return to you."
His eyes made their way back to her, moving from her slightly parted, only semi-full lips, up to her nose and her rosy cheeks, and finally to her eyes. She didn't look as if she was going to cry. It was a step up from moments earlier.
Rather, she looked happy. Perhaps if he showed more emotion in his face, he would have conveyed happiness too. He always looked so stern, rough, and as she told him when they first met, 'unfriendly.'
"May I ask you a question, Senna-chan?"
"uh, okay. I-"
"Do you still feel as though I'm unfriendly?"
Their eyes remained locked as her lips parted even more. She forgot she had even called him that.
"Not at all. I'm sorry I said it. I guess we all make bad judgements sometimes."
"I originally thought I made one in offering you to stay here."
"I thought that was one too," she said, giggling as she released him from her grasp.
The sound of her laugh was something foreign to him still. He liked it, but wouldn't tell her as such. As he moved to get off of her, he did manage to smile, if only for a second.
"I'm glad we're on the same page."
"Me too," she said as she followed him up, standing in front of him on the floor.
The moment she stood, his boxers managed to fall right off of her, causing him to smirk, and shake his head in amusement, as she pulled down his shirt to try to cover up.
"I knew that was going to happen, Ishida-sensei-"
"My apologies, Senna-chan. I wasn't aware my clothing would be so large on you."
"Yes you were! You gave me your shirt yesterday!"
The amused look on his face stayed there as she pouted. He liked these moments too. She wasn't entirely in a haze of amazement regarding him. It felt more realistic and something he was used to, at least somewhat.
"You do have a valid point. When I return home, I'll be sure to bring you something proper to sleep in."
"Well that's fine, but what about other clothes? You won't let me wear the ones I had on."
"Of course not. They're filthy rags. They're stained, ripped, they're wearing through, holes in them..."
"But they're my clothes!"
"It's not as if you're going anywhere any time soon."
"Wh-what if I wanted to?"
She blinked up at him as he had no answer for her. What if she wanted to? What if he wanted her to? She couldn't just wear his clothing, and whatever nightgown he was going to bring her all the time.
"Tomorrow...I'll make arrangements for you to acquire clothing."
Shocked at how happy she was, Ryuken raised an eyebrow as Senna clasped her hands together, forgetting about pulling down her shirt, before pulling him into a hug, as she jumped a few inches off the ground to reach him easier. Tentatively, he returned her embrace.
"So that means you'll spend the day with me."
"I never said-"
"Well, how else am I going to get clothes? It's not like I have any money."
Whatever she had was robbed from her, and whatever she had wasn't much to begin with. A single yen bill here, change there. Whatever she could find on the ground was hers to keep.
She made a valid point. Releasing her from her hug, the doctor turned from her, and stepped over towards his closet.
"That is the truth, there's no denying it. I suppose I'll have to inform my co-workers I won't be in tomorrow due to a personal matter."
It wasn't as if they inquired about his personal life. The last time a nurse foolishly asked about his son, meeting the reply of 'what son?' queued them not to make such a mistake again. He was there for sake of employment and his patients, not to make small talk with those who worked under him.
"You're wonderful, Ishida-sensei, you really are."
Senna bent down to put on the pair of boxers yet again, this time trying to put a knot them so they'd be tighter on her small frame. His shirt was long enough on her to cover her, but wearing his clothes made her feel at ease. They smelt like him - the mint, pine, and sage . Except they were missing something...something she didn't notice.
"Ishida-sensei...you don't smoke in the morning."
Ryuken found himself taken aback by her statement. He felt as though it would lead to a question, but after a moment of silence, even though he could sense her eyes on him, there was nothing of a follow-up.
"No, I don't. Very rarely do I smoke before work."
"C-Could you please? This morning, just so your shirt...so I can feel like you're here all day. I know you know it's a bad habit, but it's part of who you are."
She was much more accepting of his bad habit than anyone before. Kurosaki had even scolded him for smoking in his hospital...the one time someone managed to get away with it, and only because it was the two of them. Changing from his bed clothes, the white-haired man dressed himself, in a slightly different routine than the previous day, before turning to his guest.
"I see you've found a way to keep my undergarments up."
Blushing, only slightly, Senna nodded as he walked towards her. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his belt was unbuckled. Lifting her hands, she knew what to do - and began buttoning his shirt from the top down, while looking into his eyes.
"I-I did. I like this color shirt on you - the grey brings out your eyes."
Not that they needed to be 'brought out' any more, but they dulled through his glasses, and for some reason, they looked brighter to her today. Once she finished, she pulled her hands back, and smiled as he tucked his shirt into his white dress pants.
"Interesting. If I remember correctly, red does the same for you."
Red...her ribbon. Gasping as she realized she hadn't seen it since she took her bath two nights ago, Senna tilted her head down, as she scratched the top.
"What's wrong, Senna-chan?"
"M-My ribbon! Do you know what happened to it? I took it off before I got in the bath, but-"
"I haven't the slightest idea what you did with it. I didn't notice it last night. If I'm being completely honest, I prefer your appearance without it."
How to take that...Senna had no idea. What did he mean? Did he not find her appealing when she wore it? But..she liked it. She loved wearing the ribbons in her hair. It kept it out of her face, though his hands were doing a good enough job of that - even in that moment, as he lifted a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
"So you don't want me to wear it?"
"Not particularly."
He liked being able to touch her hair. The softness off it, and the color were things he couldn't even fathom - yet he enjoyed. The way she shuddered as he pushed her hair away from her neck couldn't happen if she wore it up. It wasn't as if she had any reason to, not that he could think of.
"My belt, Senna-chan."
"Oh yeah!"
Quickly, she moved her hands towards his pelvic area, and looped the leather through itself, buckling the belt, completing one more step towards his finalized garb. If nothing else, it took her mind off of the ribbon. He really had no idea where it was, nor did he care. Though, his decision on what to return home with later had been made slightly easier.
"There, all done. You look as good as always, Ishida-sensei," she giggled, looking him up and down. "Except you still need to tie your tie."
Nodding, slightly solemnly, he began to tie it, and once he finished, moved his hand to her face, tilting her head softly up to his.
"Now, would you like me to have that cigarette?"
"Please. I can't smoke one, not a whole one, but the smell of it reminds me of you. Like I-"
"To finalize my clothes feeling like me?"
The way they were posed was something. As he stood in front of her, his hand only contacted her chin as he tilted it up to him. Her hands were at her side, and her eyes were half lidded, as she relaxed her shoulders. She was hanging on his every word, especially as he just proved that he heard her.
"Mhm. The clothes that feel like you. Smell like you. The best thing I can get."
Dropping his hand, he grabbed one of hers, and led them to his side of the bed, where he kept his cigarettes on the end stand. He sat down, as he had her stand in front of him while he released her, then taking a stick from the pack, and promptly lighting it. Inhaling as soon as the smoke hit the air, Senna closed her eyes, taking in the smell of the cigarette.
She took a step forward, coming closer to him while he sat on the bed. She could feel her knees hit his legs, and she opened her eyes and looked down, to find him looking back at her.
"How bothersome," he muttered with the stick in his mouth, not knowing how to do what she wanted. She wanted his clothes to smell like smoke, which really wasn't a pleasant smell. True it was calming for him, but it wasn't pleasant in the least. Pulling the cigarette from his mouth, he placed it in the ashtray, holding the smoke in his mouth. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her down to him, blowing the smoke on the teeshirt's collar before pushing her back.
"This is ridiculous. Infesting the clothes with the smell of stale smoke."
"It is. It's stupid but I want to do it!"
"There's no reason for it. It is not as if I won't return."
"I guess," her demeanor dropped and he noticed it.
With his arms still on her shoulders he stood, the cigarette burning in the ashtray as caught by the corner of his eye.
"I'm not dying, Senna-chan. You can be so foolish sometimes."
"Stop calling me that! I'm not! Do you call everyone who cares about you names, Ishida-sensei? Do you want to make people not like you?"
His grip on her tightened while she yelled. Maybe it was because she was spouting the truth he didn't want to hear. He could feel his breath intensify. The only other person to have ever acted in such a way towards him was his son, and now here was this girl, telling him the exact same things.
"You'd do well to quiet yourself."
"No! You didn't answer me. I just want to feel you with me, and you snapped at me!"
"I said, you'd do well to quiet yourself. Do not make me repeat myself a third time."
As his eyes looked into hers, he smelt a burning filter, and removed a hand from her shoulder to extinguish the dead cigarette.
"Do it. I don't care. I-"
"You do care and you know it. I don't want to test my patience with you."
He pushed her back as he stood up and moved towards the door.
"I'm leaving now. Keep yourself occupied. Remember, you're in my house, in my clothes - you don't need nicotine to remember me. I'll be home later this evening."
He wouldn't look at her once he stood. His back was to her as he spoke for the first time since they met. The small disagreement wasn't anything serious to Ryuken, and in fact, it was more familiar than her awed behavior.
Senna watched as he left the room, shutting his door behind him. Maybe that was just a habit. She didn't regret saying what she did. He treated her like a child sometimes, and she hated it. Digging her nails into her palm, she laid down on his bed, covering up with the blankets. Suddenly, she was tired.
As he pulled out of the driveway to go to work, he looked to the house. It was calm. Nobody would know of the secret sin it was hiding. Nobody would know if his life depended on it. Especially when he got off on the argument they had. The defiance was just as endearing as the submissiveness from the first night, and it was even more arousing.
It would be a long day.