Author's note: Er, here ya go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did, I would be rich as fuck. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and DxD belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

"Zanpakuto"

Chapter 4

"GO!"

And with that, both combatants were gone within a blink of the eye. Yuuto swung both of his swords at Ichigo's head, which Ichigo leaned back to avoid, not wanting to show his hierro or blut vene quite yet. As he dodged Ichigo formed the energy into a dagger in his right hand, holding it in a reverse grip. He slashed the dagger made of twisting energy at Yuuto, the close proximity made it very difficult for him to block. Ichigo's unfamiliarity with the weapon slowed him down slightly. Quickly twisting the sword in his left hand back towards Ichigo he very narrowly blocked the sloppy slash, and retaliated with the sword in his right hand.

Ichigo, seeing this, smirked slightly before seemingly disappearing into thin air with a low swish of wind. No one's eyes were able to follow him as he appeared to teleport behind Yuuto, the energy dagger now reformed into a large shape reminiscent of Zangetsu's shikai. Yuuto managed to roll out of the way, once again narrowly avoiding the blade which aimed to split him in two.

Honestly at this point Ichigo was impressed. The kid seemed to be giving a good amount of effort into this, and even though he was barely dodging his attacks he was still keeping up with Ichigo holding back some. After all, if he went all out it could have been over in a blink of an eye at the start, with just a flash step and a chop to the neck. Regardless though, he wanted to test Yuuto's combat capabilities a bit more.

Yuuto, seeing Ichigo swinging the giant cleaver towards him once more, crossed his swords before him, and attempted to block. Key word being "attempted." As soon as the cleaver-shaped mass of energy made contact with the swords it cut through them like a hot knife through butter. Yuuto, slightly shocked, jumped back and formed a larger, yet sturdier sword which he wielded with both hands. He charged at Ichigo using his speed to close in fast, though to Ichigo it was like he was moving in slow motion.

Jumping over the horizontal swing, Ichigo stabbed his large sword into the ground and used that as a fulcrum point to flip forwards, bringing his heel down onto Yuuto's head. It connected and sent him slamming into the ground, forming cracks where he lay. Ichigo landed on his feet a couple feet away, holding the greatsword towards Yuuto's neck.

"Yield?"

It took Yuuto a bit to gain his bearings. "Yeah, I yield." Yuuto attempted to get up but fell to the ground once more, coughing up small amounts of blood from the force of hitting the ground so hard.

Ichigo took pity on the teen, and offered a hand. Yuuto grasped his hand graciously, and Ichigo pulled him to his feet. Seeing Yuuto was a bit wobbly, Ichigo grabbed his shoulder and helped to guide him back to the group of devils. As they reached the group, Ichigo spoke up.

"Was that good enough for you?" He said, a small smirk on his face.

Though the smirk disappeared when he didn't get a response, they seemed to be a tad too stunned to speak. Ichigo leaned down to Yuuto.

"Er… I think I may have broken them, any ideas?" Yuuto just chuckled nervously.

With a sigh, Ichigo forms an anvil out of the black energy a few feet above the ground behind him, and lets gravity take over. The sound of a several hundred pound chunk of metal...energy...whatever it was, hitting the ground was enough to snap them out of their shock. Letting the energy disperse once more, Ichigo asks once more,

"Now I ask again, was that enough for you?" They just dumbly nod, "Good, now if you don't mind I'm a tad hungry, so I'm heading home. Catch you later, just don't forget about our arrangement. Oh, and someone may want to heal poor Yuuto here, he may have a concussion."

After passing Yuuto off to Rias he flash stepped away, leaving nothing but a small cloud of rising dust to signify that he was ever there. Well that and a patch of very cracked ground. Standing there for only a moment longer, they begin to head back to their club room, all the while trying to process what in all that is unholy just happened?

Making it back to his home within a second or two, Ichigo went inside after unlocking it. Having retrieved his briefcase from the club room on the way back, he deposited his school supplies on his desk. After thinking for a moment, he heads out once more, remembering a fancy looking restaurant from his searching for food the other day. He reaches the restaurant and looks down at his clothing. A couple small changes would be needed. Looking around, he quickly steps into an alley.

After making sure no one would see him, he reforms his trench coat into a sharp blazer and his boots into suave dress shoes. Deeming it to be good enough, he walked out of the alley and over to the doors of the restaurant, he entered and spotted an employee at the podium. After getting a table and he ordered some wine, he didn't know which one was actually good though. After all, he had only been 18 for but a few days (mentioned in a review response last chapter). He looked around. The interior certainly kept up with the exterior.

At every table there was a lit candle sitting within a very ornate looking golden candlestick holder. The walls were a deep crimson and the floors a finished mahogany wood. As there were no windows for large scale lighting, along the walls rested more of the candles, all their flames twisting and flickering, as if performing a dance, making the shadows move along to their beat.

There weren't many people seated in the establishment, though it seemed the vast majority of them were couples, seated across from one another and speaking in low, pleasant tones. At this Ichigo gave a small wistful smile. Truthfully for as dense as people thought he was, he wasn't stupid. For example, he had noticed that Orihime had a crush on him for the longest time, though he just couldn't see her that way. She was more like a sister to him, and anything more would have been awkward. So he just ignored it, not sure exactly how he would broach the subject.

His face twisted into a grimace when he thought of all the teasing his father had given him about getting a girlfriend though. Get a girlfriend he said, make me some grandkids he said! Well Ichigo's response was and will always be a fist to the face.

'Old pervert'

While Ichigo was thinking about home, a certain violet eyed beauty was making her way to his table.

"My, my, Ichi-kun, what would someone like you be doing in a place like this alone? Perhaps you were thinking of a special someone?"

Upon hearing someone speak he was shaken from his reverie. He looked up to find Akeno standing behind the chair across the table from him.

"A-akeno! What are you doing here? Is there a problem you need me for?" He asked quickly, a blush on his cheeks at her teasing.

She just smiled at him with that innocent yet beautiful expression, making Ichigo's heart skip a beat for some reason. His blush increased tenfold after he got a better glimpse of what she was wearing. She wore a deep black dress which showed of, well, more than Ichigo was comfortable with amounts of her ample bosom. His eyes wandering lower before she finished sitting down she saw a slit in the side of the dress traveling up the side of her right leg, ending near the top of her thigh.

Her hair was the same as before, though instead of a bright orange ribbon keeping it in place there was instead a pair of ornate hair sticks (fancy chopsticks meant for hair, it's a thing). She didn't wear any makeup as it wasn't needed, her natural beauty would only be marred by such things. He mentally slapped himself.

'Get a grip damnit! You only met her today, there is no reason to be thinking like that!' He thought as he tried his best to avert his eyes. Though the damage was already done.

"Ara ara~, do you see something you like?" She giggled at how Ichigo was sputtering in embarrassment at being caught. CURSE YOU HORMONES! "And to answer your question nothing is wrong. Is it so bad that I just wish to have company while I eat?"

He had finally noticed that she seated herself across from him, her hands folded in her lap. Ichigo shook any remaining "impure" thoughts out of his head and tried to suppress his blush.

"N-no it's not, it's just unexpected is all." They sit in silence for a small amount of time, until their food arrived.

Akeno had simply said to order her whatever "Ichi-kun" was having. So two steaming hot plates arrived. The dish was simple, er somewhat, it was a grilled salmon topped with a lemon garlic butter sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. On the side were some parmesan crusted zucchini. It looked very delicious, and it wasn't too long before they found out the look matched the taste, a small smile finding its way onto Ichigo's face as he tasted the dish. Akeno saw this and couldn't help but blush slightly. Of course, Akeno, being a bit of a tease, had to voice her thoughts.

"You know Ichi-kun, you should smile more often, you look very handsome right now."

Ichigo, who at the moment was mid-bite, choked a little bit, drawing some looks from the other people in the restaurant. After downing some of his drink, he took a moment to calm down.

"Well I-I'll keep it in mind." He replied

'Damnit she's as bad as yoruichi!'

Akeno's smile just grew at hearing this, making Ichigo's blush rise once more. The rest of the night went on in a similar fashion, them discussing small things, such as like and dislikes. Of course every now and then Akeno would tease him about something, though not without a small blush of her own. The whole time both of them hearing a few older couples laughing softly, muttering about young love and such, which brought blushes to both of their faces as Ichigo vehemently denied any such thing. As they finished up their dessert, Ichigo retrieved the card from his wallet to pay.

"Oh my what a gentleman, paying for the meal."

Ichigo just slapped his face and let out an exasperated sigh as the cashier giggled at their antics. As they left the restaurant Ichigo offered to walk Akeno home, which she accepted with a small blush. Though when they arrived Ichigo frowned. It looked like an abandoned shrine.

"This… is where you live?" he asked softly.

"Y-yes, it is" Akeno replied in a small tone.

Ichigo's frown deepened, seemingly deep in thought, before an idea popped into his head. He swallowed his nervousness and spoke up.

"W-well if you want you can live at my place." She looked at him in surprise, "I have an extra bedroom that I don't have any use for, besides it's a lot closer to the school than this is."

Akeno, being a tease just had to speak her mind.

"Are you trying to invite a poor, defenseless girl into your home, only to ravage me as soon as we're alone? Oh my I didn't think you were like that Ichi-kun, though I must ask that you be gentle with me~."

Of course this got an immediate reaction from Ichigo. His nose began to spew blood in unnatural amounts while his face turned the darkest shade of red possible. If it weren't for his hollow powers' instant regeneration he would have run out of blood a while ago. Of course his zanpakuto spirit was having a grand time with this night, it was a surprise that he hadn't hyperventilated by now from how much he was laughing. Taking a minute to calm his oh so poor beating heart, Akeno just giggling all the while, he heard a small voice next to him.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I wouldn't mind that," Akeno replied finally. Ichigo gave her a soft smile.

"It's no problem at all Akeno, do you have anything you need to retrieve first though?"

She nodded her head, and went inside to retrieve her meager belongings, walking out after only a couple minutes with a bag filled. Seeing that she was ready, Ichigo offers her his arm in an over exaggerated manner. Akeno giggled at this, and took it graciously. The walk to his house was comfortable, despite the silence between the two. Finally arriving at his home, Ichigo unlocked the door and stepping in, turning on the lights as he does so.

Akeno is slightly awed seeing his home. Of course she had been to the Gremory manner before, however this had a different sort of elegance to it. It seemed fancy and yet at the same time homey. The home gave off a vibe of comfort and peace, and she felt as though she lived within the walls she would be protected no matter what. And in a way, she wasn't wrong.

She was the first person here he had really talked with and gotten to know. His first friend so far really. And he'll be damned if he lets his friends get hurt!

"Well, home sweet home I guess," Ichigo started, finally finished with his thoughts, "Here, let me show you around."

And show her around he did, he gave her a tour of the beautiful house, ending at the spare bedroom, which was right next to his.

"...and here is the spare bedroom, well, I guess your bedroom now. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

Akeno just gave him a warm smile. Not a teasing smile like the ones before, but a genuinely happy smile.

"Thank you Ichigo." With a smile and a nod Ichigo turned around and began to head to his own room. Though he was unprepared for what happened next when he felt a small pair of arms around him.

"I… I really appreciate this." He heard Akeno speak from behind him.

Ichigo took a moment before he responded, unsure of how to handle this.

"Er… yeah its… its no problem Akeno. I wasn't about to let you stay there if I had the space you know?"

Ichigo felt her nod slightly before she released him from her grasp. He turned to face her once more.

"Well, goodnight Ichigo." She said with a smile, which Ichigo returned.

"Yeah, night." And with that they both entered their rooms, one happy to have helped and the other happy to have found someone who cared enough to open their home to her. As Ichigo lay on his bed, he began to reflect on the night. Though Akeno was a tease, they had fun, or at least he thought so. His thoughts were focused on the black haired teen in the other room. He was feeling… well, different about her. Though he wasn't quite sure what the feeling was.

Mangetsu just had to speak up though, and teased him. Saying that he was falling in love with her. Ichigo just blushed and shook his head. No that couldn't be right, after all he had just met her today. Things like love take a while to develop. Instead he just brushed it off as a physical attraction. After all, she was very beautiful.

Meanwhile in his inner world, Mangetsu was repeatedly banging his head against one of the buildings.

'God' BANG 'damn' BANG 'it' BANG 'how' BANG 'dense' BANG 'can' BANG 'he' BANG 'be!?' BAN-CRASH!

With the last bang of his head a skyscraper came crashing down upon him, causing Ichigo to wince in pain. He shrugged it off though, too tired to care, and fell into a deep, restful slumber. Ignoring the wailing of Mangetsu in his inner world.

Author's Note: Alright, so obviously biggest change this chapter would be that anything that may have been seen as romantic has switched to a more teasing bit, sorta like Ichigo was with Yoruichi. Of course this added a bit of humor but also cut out a couple hundred words from what it was previously as there was less to work with here.

So I have a few things I want to discuss here. One of the primary things is Ichigo's fighting style. Now I know that he is a swordsman first and foremost, however I have been debating giving him a different weapon of choice to train in. Now my thoughts are that Ichigo, to this point, hasn't really gotten any formal training in the ways of the sword. To my knowledge the only formal training he ever got was after obtaining his true shikai with dual blades.

Otherwise he pretty much has been acting on bits and pieces he has picked up and put together, similar to his own brawler style when he fought gangs. So I was thinking of Mangetsu training him in using another weapon for this purpose. See, when I began to write this story, aside from Mangetsu being an option, I was debating whether or not to give Ichigo true longinus, as I've always thought that spears are a pretty useful weapon. However after doing a bit of looking that would take away part of the plot. So, seeing Ichigo's new abilities I though, hrm, what weapon could I have him default to that wasn't another sword?

Looking at his style, he is used to the longer reach of his shikai as well as quicker combat with his bankai. The spear has longer reach and can be used quickly enough. Well, thats my reasoning at least. I'm not saying that Ichigo will use this weapon exclusively, but I want to have him be actually proficient in one weapon style at the very least. If you guys want to suggest another weapon to train him in as well feel free to either leave it in one of your reviews or PM me. Anywhos time to address some reviews.

"ImHellaUgly"- Ah yes, I was honestly expecting this, and you are right about it being overplayed. However I will say this, I have been playing a bit too much Devil May Cry recently so the whole trench coat thing got stuck in my head, that and the matrix. So for a while, the trench coat is likely to stay. However perhaps after a while I can shorten it to just a jacket or something, or perhaps even have him only wear it outside of battle. Kinda just a wait and see if the correct opportunity arises. As for the black tie, that may be a definite possibility, give me some time to think it over and I may be able to work it in somehow.

"WolkaiserDrake"- Actually, you mentioning Tiamat brought a new line of thought to my head. I got to thinking, if I gave Ichigo a familiar, what would it be? Cause I think thats a definite possibility. However I am a tad weary to do Tiamat, mostly because I'm not sure If I can follow up the version of her in "Do Me A Wrong", however I may be willing to give it a shot. That being said I looked at the other dragons in the series on the wiki. There were a good amount, however many of them are involved pretty heavily with the plot, which makes some slight issues arise. However I had narrowed it down to between Tiamat and another dragon king, er, Midgardsormr. Seeing as, according to the wiki, he is there solely to give information at one point waaaay down the road. So expect one or the other, hell maybe even both, we shall see.

Alright I do believe that covers it for this chapter, hope you guys enjoyed and see ya next time!