I just realized that Tatsuki might be a little OC, at least, to Tatsuki fans. I never really paid much attention, so I'm merely going by what I know. Also, how many would follow me on twitter if I made an account? Just curious. I'm not gonna lie, I'm tempted to create one just for the fun of it.
So enjoy in the meantime! This chapter might be a little crappy. For one, I didn't know how to move forward, second, I've been kinda stressed with my workload, and thirdly because I've been kinda lazy. I'm not gone though! Not by a long shot! Anyways, thanks for any patience you guys have!
Also, I was scared half to death yesterday. I heard a whirring sound in the sky, logically thought it was an airplane. Suddenly it was getting louder and my house was starting to shake. I went outside and there were THREE HELICOPTERS flying overhead! It made me wonder… either there was a car chase or those were military and there was a problem. Either way, it was freaky teeky.
X X X X X X X X
"Ichigo… is that you?"
Ichigo turned his head painfully slow towards the voice.
"Tatsuki?"
"What..." She began, unsure of what to make of the situation. "Are you doing?"
Ichigo turned towards Kurumu, wondering what to do. Should he hide it? He sighed, that wouldn't be a wise idea, especially with how she was looking at him. Besides, what was there to be embarrassed about? She was his girlfriend... and he loved her.
Simple, no?
He turned towards Tatsuki, firm conviction in his eyes. "I... was about to kiss my girlfriend." He stated, feeling both relieved and nervous all at once.
Tatsuki's stance loosened, but not because she accepted his reply. It was more like she was too damn shocked to even consider the possibility that this girl was his girlfriend.
"I'm sorry, I thought you said girlfriend..."
"I did."
"Wait." Tatsuki raised her hand in a stopping motion. "You're telling me you have a girlfriend?"
Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. "Yea, that's what I said."
"A girlfriend... as in the dating kind?" Tatsuki continued being redundant, only increasing Ichigo's ire.
"Yes."
"A girlfriend as in holding hands?'
"Yes..."
"A girlfriend as in... kissing?"
"...Yes."
"A girlfriend as in..."
"YES YES YES!" Ichigo practically threw his hands up in frustration before palming his face.
Tatsuki pointed towards Kurumu, an indecipherable expression on her face. "So... she's your girlfriend."
Ichigo hung her head.
"Is it really that hard to believe?"
Tatsuki opened her mouth.
"Never mind." Ichigo cut her off, knowing the answer.
"Umm..." Ichigo had nearly forgotten Kurumu was there and almost immediately felt bad about it, "Not to be rude... but who is she?"
"Oh." Ichigo decided to introduce his friend, "That's Tatsuki."
"That's Arisawa, Tatsuki to you!" Ichigo nearly felt the bite in her snappy reply. Just what had he done wrong now?
"Hey!" Kurumu huffed a bit at Ichigo's poor treatment, "No need to be so rough on him! He just got back!"
Tatsuki eyed the girl, suddenly realizing how she was... shaped. She was basically like Orihime... only not shy. This boggled her because if Ichigo preferred these types of girls, why hadn't he gone after Orihime in the first place? Not being one to let chances slip by, she decided to get the answer directly from the source... but for now...
"Really? Where from? Because as his friend, I've been concerned about where the hell he disappeared to! He just up and banished and left without a trace." She was sharp in her reply, making Kurumu feel slightly unnerved as Tatsuki glared at Ichigo, "Although I suppose we should be used to it by now."
Ichigo, not one to back down even to a long time friend, scowled back. "You know that there are certain things I have to do. I already explained it to everyone."
"Yea?" Tatsuki said in a scoffing manner, "So you suppose simply explaining the situation would be alright? Do you even know how the others feel?" However, as soon as those words left her mouth she immediately realized her folly.
"Why would the others care? They already know how it is, especially since they've helped me at times." Ichigo looked at her skeptically. There was something she wasn't telling him.
Tatsuki skirted around the question, avoiding a direct answer. "Because not everyone is as callous as you." She hated doing it, but getting Ichigo angry usually suppressed all higher thinking, which saved her at the moment from answering truthfully.
She did miscalculate one thing though...
"He's not callous! He is the most caring and kind-hearted boy I've ever met!" That was the one miscalculation in the form of this Kurumu girl, "You act as if you've known him your entire life!"
Tatsuki gave her a flat look. "I have."
Kurumu looked surprised, sending Ichigo a sideways glance before turning back to the girl. "W-Well, either way, don't you think it's a bit too much? You should know how considerate he is of other people's feelings."
Tatsuki sighed. It was true what she said, but that's not the point she was trying to make. "Look, this is something between Ichigo and his friends alright? This has nothing to do with you."
Tatsuki's words did not sway Kurumu in the least bit. Instead, she stood in front of a bemused, if frustrated Ichigo. "Actually, I am his girlfriend, so it has everything to do with me." To make her point, she planted herself firmly in her spot. If this Tatsuki girl wanted to talk to Ichigo, she would have to go through her!
Her womanly possessiveness was abated, however, when she felt Ichigo's strong hand on her shoulder. "It's alright Kurumu. I think I should talk to her or she'll never let us go."
"But..." She was cut off by a shake of his head.
"I won't be long." He replied and looked into her eyes. He contemplated kissing her, especially since she seemed to want one. A moment passed before he seemingly chickened out. In reality it was more like he didn't know how to approach the kiss, especially with Tatsuki around.
"Alright fine..." Kurumu agreed to let him go with a little pout in her tone.
Ichigo smiled. "Don't worry, it won't take long."
With that, Ichigo walked past Tatsuki. Despite it was her who wanted to talk to him, he led the way. She wasn't sure what to make of this since in the past it was usually her who led.
X
"Alright, what's going on?" Ichigo asked, straight to the point.
A tic mark formed at his abrasive form of speech, but she really should've been used to it by now. She supposed it was the effect of not seeing him in a while. "For starters, where did you go?"
Ichigo thought about how to reply to that, but didn't think too deeply on his excuse... which was actually partly the truth. "I went to school."
The tic mark grew.
"Alright..." Tatsuki was trying to keep her anger in check. Shinigami or not, she was sure she could still teach him a lesson, "What did you do at school?"
He looked away. "I learned..."
She didn't like where this was going. "Ichigo, we already know everything about you, why hide it?"
Ichigo sighed in annoyance, but replied a bit more honestly this time around. He said in a hushed tone, "I went to look for Hollows alright?" They weren't exactly in a spot secluded from the crowd.
"How come you couldn't contact us then?" She had managed to rein in her patience... but just barely. However, at his confused look, it seemed to all but dissolve.
"I honestly didn't think you guys remembered me." He replied, earning a blank expression from her.
"Well, of course we'd remember you. You're our friend! We'd be with you thick an—" She was cut off when Ichigo interrupted.
"Not that way. I mean you literally didn't remember me." She looked confused, and he decided to elaborate after sighing. "I don't get it either, but the people up there didn't remember me until I arrived a few days ago." He looked at her to see how she was taking this. Good... so far anyways.
"But then you come up, mad because I haven't talked to you guys." Ichigo scratched his head, "It just doesn't make sense to me."
"So... you didn't contact us because you figured that we wouldn't remember you as well right?" She asked, restating what he had just said. He nodded.
Tatsuki blew out a sigh. Though she still had some pent up anger, being the person she was, she had to give it to him. It wasn't like he had done it on purpose. He had genuinely believed he had been forgotten... and all this seemed to be beyond his control.
"Just what kind of crazy plan are you involved in this time Ichigo?" She said in a more relaxed, joking manner. This pleased Ichigo as he let out the tiniest of grins.
"I don't know." He stated in a more serious manner, "but I'm in it for a while."
He flinched when he felt a punch on his shoulder. "We're here to help out you know, especially Orihime." Her eyes widened when she let that snippet of information slip.
"Huh? Why Orihime?" He asked, obviously confused.
"Err..." She backed away, her hands in front of her as if to swat away his questioning, "Well she feels kind of bad that she didn't do much and so... she gets worried you know?"
The look on his face meant he had bought it, she hoped. It was at times like these she was thankful of Ichigo's denseness regarding feminine matters of the heart.
"Why would she get worried though? It's not like I haven't thanked her for reviving me and stuff." Tatsuki blinked.
It seemed he wasn't as dense anymore.
"Ahh... she just worries for everyone you know?" Tatsuki replied, but from Ichigo's look she could tell he wasn't entirely convinced. Thankfully though, he decided to let it drop since it seemed he wanted to talk about something else... and there really was only one other thing they could talk about.
"So that's really your girlfriend huh?" She asked. It was obviously the wrong question to ask when she noticed Ichigo palming his face.
"I have gotten so much crap from that! Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say I have a girlfriend!" She honestly was taken aback by his reaction. It was a pretty strong, if strange reaction. Though, if she were honest to herself, she should've expected it. After all, the only person that can get him like this is his dad. Oh man... his dad... she shuddered at what kind of insanities he put him through.
"Sorry." She apologized.
"It's good." He accepted.
"So," She began in a calmer and casual manner, "How's she like?"
Ichigo blinked a bit before he turned away slightly, scratching his cheek as the tips of his ears turned red. "W-Well... she's kind of stubborn. She's uh..." Ichigo gestured with his hand, as if trying to pull words from the air. "She's nice and seems to know what I'm thinking."
Tatsuki made a contemplative noise. "I'm glad you're not into her just because of her rack."
Ichigo managed to flush and look indignant at the same time. "I wouldn't do that!"
"Relax, I'm just messing with you." She grinned at him despite his frustration.
"Yea... I can tell." He replied before an awkward pause invited itself to the conversation like a drunk hobo.
"So you love her huh?" She said, more out of wanting to make conversation than anything else. She was still curious though, mind you.
She was surprised to see him smile so... warmly. It was quite enticing to look at. It made her cheeks feel slightly warm, seeing this new look on Ichigo. She snapped out of it quickly as soon as he focused his eyes on her.
"I do." He began with an odd grin, "I... never thought about a girl like this before."
"Careful not to get her pregnant, who knows what your dad might do." They both paused and thought about it. Visions of galactic conquest and supreme reign over everything came to mind. They shuddered.
"I won't." He replied as he tried shaking off the thought.
"You can't say for sure." She told him.
"I won't." He stated in a firmer tone.
"Whatever." Tatsuki backed off, "I'm just saying, accidents happen all the time."
"Yea well..." Ichigo remained silent after that, having no rebuttal to her argument.
"More importantly though, did you tell her about everything?" Ichigo nodded to her question.
"Now I'm more surprised. You found a girl whom you trust enough to confide in. I'm happy for you, I really am."
"But you don't look too happy." It was a simple reply from his observation, but judging from the look on Tatsuki's face, she completely hadn't expected it.
Somehow he felt like he wasn't given enough credit. Sure he could be... dense at times. But not all the time right?
"Well..." Tatsuki quickly thought up of an excuse, "There's this thing with my dad and you know how it is right?"
"..."
"Right?" Tatsuki emphasized with force and Ichigo merely sighed. That was the sign that she wasn't going to budge any further. There was, of course, no 'thing' with her dad.
"I need to head back anyways." Tatsuki nodded.
"It's good to see you back Ichigo." This was as close to an emotional greeting she was going to give him.
He smiled. "Thanks.
X
"Thanks, but I'm already taken." Kurumu had brushed off yet another guy that had hit on her. Some of them had even tried to be forceful, but when she had mentioned Ichigo's name, they seemed to back off. She was surprised to see that he had a reputation.
"I'm back." Kurumu's head whipped around, smiling as she walked over towards Ichigo.
"Took ya a while, I could've had twenty different boyfriends by now." She noticed Ichigo's expression sour and she smiled teasingly.
"Of course I said no silly." She giggled when he looked away, sheepish.
"Wow, never thought you'd be the jealous type Ichigo." Tatsuki said before taking a moment to ponder, "Actually, scratch that, it fits you perfectly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo replied rather irritably, mainly from being caught red-handed at his little jealous fit.
"Nothing." Tatsuki smirked as she gave him a rather forceful pat on the back. Then she turned towards the girl in front of her, Tatsuki's expression becoming slightly apologetic.
"Sorry about earlier." She said, extending her hand, "I'm Arisawa, Tatsuki."
"Kurono, Kurumu!" Kurumu took her hand, any misgivings immediately evaporating into the air.
"So... you've known Ichigo for forever right?" Kurumu's eyes glinted mischievously, and Ichigo suddenly got the feeling this wasn't going to turn out well for him.
Tatsuki knew where this was headed. "Oh yea, he was such a crybaby when he was younger."
Kurumu eyed Ichigo coyly, who refused to make eye contact. She turned back to Tatsuki. "Really?"
Tatsuki nodded.
"I kinda want to know more about Ichigo's past now." Kurumu said before Ichigo decided to interrupt.
"I uh... think we should get going." He eyed Tatsuki dangerously, only causing the tomboy to smirk.
"Sorry Ichigo, but us girls need to have a chat. I want to get to know your friends better after all!" This was all, of course, a lie. She wanted to get as much dirt on Ichigo as possible... but truthfully she was extremely curious about Ichigo's past from another person's point of view.
"Wait..." Ichigo desperately tried in vain to stop them, but they were already a distance away. He had a choice, which wasn't much of one, and that was either to follow or leave.
He followed.
X
"Wow Akashiya-san! You know how to cook so well!"
Despite Yuzu having misgivings about this girl that had followed Ichigo home, she didn't seem all that bad. For one, she was teaching her recipes that she hadn't even heard of. Granted, some ingredients she didn't seem to recognize, and when she asked what they were, Moka immediately became nervous and tried to change the subject. It was suspicious... but it was probably a family recipe, Yuzu figured.
"Thanks, I used to practice a lot." She smiled forlornly, "I used to have a lot of time on my hands."
Yuzu looked up, sensing the change in mood before she decided to ask something, "So why did you follow Ichigo home?"
"Well." Moka thought a bit. "There were some bullies in my school and Ichigo protected me from them." She was trying not to tell her about the whole monster thing. "We became friends and after time passed... I... fell in love with him."
Yuzu immediately stared wide-eyed at the pink-haired Vampire. "Y-You love him?"
Moka gave the girl a sheepish smile. "Yes. I would do anything to make him mine."
"What about the other girl?" Yuzu had actually thought Moka was Ichigo's girlfriend. She had heard the commotion upstairs, but other than that, had been left in the dark.
"Oh, Kurumu-chan? She's Ichigo's girlfriend." Moka looked sad at that, but perked up right away. "However, she said she'd be willing to share Ichigo if he was willing."
"S-Share!" Yuzu's voice rose high as her face matched that of a tomato.
Moka nodded, unaware of the distress in the younger girl. "Yes. I've already made some progress too. This morning we... oh..." Moka's eyes grew distant as she remembered how much stronger her ecstasy had hit her, and she concluded it was because of her new-found closeness to Ichigo. She wondered briefly what would happen if she feasted on him while they made love.
Yuzu began to get scared when Moka began giggling. It was soft, but it didn't seem... right, for the lack of a better word. Not wanting to disturb the girl from her reverie, Yuzu snuck away to the comfort of her room, where Karin would most likely be.
X
"That's a lie." Ichigo interrupted. "I didn't always cry!"
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Alright, you didn't cry one time at most. Happy?"
Despite the fact that she was mocking him, he felt a little bit pleased. "Sure."
"Wow... so you weren't always a tough guy were you Ichigo?" Kurumu teased him, and when he began looking frustrated, she used her secret technique.
She held his hand. Now, Ichigo couldn't help but let it go. He was tempted to roll his eyes, but that sweet smile of his girlfriend changed his mind. Still… he was a bit miffed, even if he was calmer.
"It's hard to believe." Tatsuki's eye lingered on the interlocked hands for a moment, "But Ichigo wasn't always the grouchy, scowling person he is today."
They all knew why, and there was a moment of silence.
"It's kinda silly," Kurumu pitched in, lightening the mood before it got too serious, "But can you imagine if Ichigo scowled as a baby?"
It was instantaneous and they all tried to conjure up the image in their heads. For one, Ichigo himself couldn't picture it. The girls on the other hand were grinning ear-to-ear at the image of a chibi Ichigo crossing his arms and scowling at them. It was notoriously funny, yet very weird at the same time.
"Are you guys done making fun of me yet?" Ichigo asked. He really wanted to get out of here now. He should've just turned around and gone home.
"Oh come on! It's not that bad." Ichigo looked at Kurumu with a flat look. "At least I'm getting to know you better!"
"Right, because this has been a lot of fun for me." Ichigo scowled.
Kurumu's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You were having fun when we were eating cake."
Ichigo acted as if he had been struck, straightening his back as scratched the side of his head in a nervous gesture. This caught Tatsuki's eye as she asked, "Cake?"
Kurumu nodded as Ichigo froze, hoping Kurumu wouldn't mention anything about that. "Yup! We went to a store and Ichigo was nice enough to buy me a cake." She looked at him, genuinely thankful. Ichigo was still frozen.
"It was wonderful!" Kurumu sighed, reliving the taste of the cake... and the taste of Ichigo as well.
"Am I missing something here? She looks really happy." Tatsuki asked Ichigo, who seemed to have relaxed a bit.
"She has a very sweet tooth." Ichigo quickly told Tatsuki, "She... enjoyed it very much!"
Tatsuki wasn't convinced that was all that happened, after all Ichigo rarely spoke in such a quick manner. She could pry it out of him... but he had been on a date and she didn't want to ruin it. That's when she realized that she was acting like a third wheel. They probably had plans and she was most likely ruining them.
"I see." Tatsuki then took out her phone, looking at the time. "Well, I have to go back now."
"Huh? Go back where?" Ichigo asked.
"I have a part-time gym at a dojo." She replied.
"Figures," Ichigo said, "You always were a fighter."
Tatsuki smirked, "Yea, and I can still kick your ass and you better not forget that!"
"I won't." He gave his own Ichigo patented smirk.
Tatsuki stuffed her phone into her pocket before turning around. "Well, later!" She waved at them as she disappeared around a corner.
"You know what?" Kurumu spoke up, earning Ichigo's attention, "I kinda like her."
Ichigo scowled slightly at that. While he was fine with them getting along… he didn't want it to be at his expense. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt his arm move, placed securely, and teasingly, next to the round of Kurumu's chest. She smiled at him, and it was to his realization that he was actually getting used to it as apparent by his lack of blushing.
"So where do we go next?" Kurumu looked up at him, an innocent look on her face that was only betrayed by the gleaming of her eyes.
Ichigo shook his head good-mannerly. "You want to try an arcade?"
X
'Somehow, I'm not surprised.' Ichigo thought with amusement as he saw Kurumu tearing up the console. Not literally mind you. She was playing the renowned DDR, and was doing amazingly well. Perhaps it might've been her reflexes as a monster, but she was doing abnormally well for a first-timer. Her coordination was amazing, yet she seemed to be enjoying the song, bobbing her head and swinging her hips…. Ichigo was clearly focused on the hip part, which mesmerized him.
'Nice ass.' A voice from the back of Ichigo's mind said. Ichigo absentmindedly nodded his head. He didn't pull away until Kurumu had finished the song and turned around to enthusiastically tell him about her experience with the game.
"That was amazing!" Kurumu spoke delightedly, a blush on her cheeks from the workout she got. "It was like the music was inside of me! It was so cool!" She acted like a child that had just gotten a brand new toy and was awestruck with it. Even as she spoke, she wasn't standing still. She was moving her hands, gesturing as she recounted certain tricky parts to him like when she had to hop continuously for half a minute straight.
Ichigo couldn't help but grin. It made him feel good that he had made his girlfriend this happy. Heck, it was enough to make him ignore the jealous glares he was receiving!
"Oh!" Kurumu just realized something, "It's two players isn't it? Want to dance with me?"
Ichigo paused and blanched. "Uh… it's alright. I was fine just watching you."
"I know." She looked at him knowingly, causing him to look away. "But I think it'd be fun if we danced together. It'd be a nice memory, don't you think?"
Ichigo looked at her, hesitant. He had never danced before. Well, there was that one time…
"I think I'll pass." He replied, making Kurumu frown.
"Aw, come on!" She protested with a cute pout, "We're here to have fun right? I think it'll be fun if we danced together."
Ichigo stuffed his hands in his pockets, contemplating on what to do. Her look was so endearing… it basically tore away any defenses he had.
"You're going to get wrinkles if you keep scowling like that." She said. It did nothing to actually lessen his scowl though. Finally, he sighed.
"I… guess I'll… try." It took the most willpower that Ichigo had ever called upon to get on the contraption. Already he could feel himself overwhelmed by the lights and all. He was glad he wasn't epileptic, otherwise he'd be dead by now. Ichigo swiped the card with a gulp. Immediately the loud booming announcer voice came on. He was feeling really jittery about this as Kurumu selected two player cooperative. He couldn't help but notice that she set the mode on easy for his side. He frowned before he set the level on her difficulty. She looked at him peculiarly, but then grinned when she saw that look of concentration on his face.
As Kurumu cycled through the songs, Ichigo grew even more nervous. Why? Because the further she cycled, the faster the tempo became. He was relieved when she stopped at an exponentially slower song. The screen dimmed before their avatars appeared on either screen. Ichigo's eyes nearly popped out of his head when the slow song had many, many steps in rapid succession.
With a gulp, Ichigo took the first step.
X
Ichigo groaned as he stepped out of the building. Such a stressful event, he would much rather fight Hollows or even Arrancars for that matter! That'd definitely be a lot easier than playing DDR.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!" Kurumu said, sensing his thoughts. "You actually did pretty well."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Although… there was one point where it looked like you were fighting instead of dancing. But that makes sense considering… you know."
He did know. "I suppose." Ichigo twisted his lips into a half-frown before looking at Kurumu. "I'm not going to have to do that again am I?"
"It depends. Do you like spending time with me?" Ichigo nodded, "Then yes!"
"Figures." He was feeling dismal at the moment. Despite what Kurumu said, he was sure he heard a few people sniggering. Although… that could've been his imagination. After all, many of the guys' eyes were on Kurumu, which in turn distracted him, having to give them warning glares and all.
"And don't think I didn't notice either." Ichigo simply "Hmm'd" before he realized what she had said.
"Notice what?" He asked and she smiled.
"I saw you glaring at those guys. You are so possessive!" She told him.
Ichigo pocketed his hands and continued to walk. "Well… you're my girlfriend and well…" Het let the words hang in the air, but she understood. And that was made her cheeks warm up.
"It's alright." She took his arm once again and placed it close to her, "I kinda like it. It's… nice."
Her warm tone made all frustrations within him disappear. He shook his head at the absurdity of it. She seemed to have this magical power to completely calm him down, even when she herself frustrated him. Again, he looked at her, or rather, the top of her head since that was the only thing he could see with her being shorter and all. Before he could think about it, he felt himself lean down and kiss the top of her head. The reaction was immediate as Kurumu let out a sound of surprise, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Err…" Ichigo's ears turned red.
They both stared at each other for a good while before their emotions overran them. Kurumu tiptoed, reaching for Ichigo who simultaneously brought down his head. It was a sweet, warm kiss that seemed just right for the situation. They pulled away after a few brief seconds, looking at each other with eyes that seemed to ignore the rest of the world.
"That was nice." Kurumu's cheeks were pink with a light blush, her eyes shining happily.
Ichigo merely nodded, still wrapped up in Kurumu's gaze. They heard someone cough, which immediately snapped them out of their reverie. Now the couple sported matching red faces when they noticed a few other people looking at them, some smiling knowingly while other girls sighed at the romantic scene.
Quickly before they could be embarrassed any further, the two sped-walked away.
"And here I thought you didn't mind public affection." For once in what seemed in a long time, Ichigo got to tease Kurumu.
"O-Oh hush!" Kurumu said, flustered, "I was caught off-guard."
Ichigo grinned. "Sure."
Kurumu "Hmm'phd", but still grinned as well as the warm, fuzzy feelings made their way back to her heart.
X
"It's horrible!" Yuzu complained to Karin, who was listening with half an ear. "Don't you think so too?"
"Sure." Karin replied almost in a monotone. "Ichigo has two girls after him, they happen to be hot, and you're jealous. I get it." Karin flipped the page from her comic nonchalantly, as if she didn't see the look of horror on her sister's face.
"T-That's not it!" Yuzu said, frantically waving. "It's just, two girls come from out of nowhere and we don't even know where they're from! Not only that but Akashiya-san said she was willing to share him even though Ichi-nii is already going out wit the other one!"
As if it wasn't horrible enough, another thought entered her mind that filled her with absolute dread. "Oh no… does this mean Ichi-nii is a… is a… is a…"
For a brief moment, Karin was interested, wondering what Yuzu was going to say. For the first time in twenty minutes, Yuzu had seemingly been stopped, speechless.
"'Is a…' What?" Karin beckoned.
"Is a… player?" Her voice shrunk to a miniscule size at the last word, and Karin couldn't help but to roll her eyes.
"So he's living every guy's dream, big deal." Karin resumed reading, "You should be happy that he's happy."
At those words, Yuzu hung her head. Karin was right. She should be happy for her brother. He had a girlfriend and he was happy… even if some of the circumstances were a bit too much for her. She should probably apologize to him.
Karin watched as Yuzu climbed out of her bed. She looked absolutely down in the dumps, and she couldn't help but shake her head. Really, this family was so ridiculous sometimes that she wondered how she managed to stay sane all this time.
However, as she found out, 'sane' was merely relative.
X
"Didn't you have enough with cake?" Ichigo couldn't help but be amazed that Kurumu had ordered a double-scoop, mint-chocolate ice cream in a large waffle cone.
"It's not my fault." She said as she licked around the ball of ice cream. "This… place… has a lot of stores with sweets!" She had been about to say 'world' but managed to catch herself in time.
"Hmm. You'd eat anything if it were sweet wouldn't you?" He said in a casual tone.
"What?" She was too busy licking the melting parts. Despite it being cool, it was still warm enough in the sun for ice cream to melt. Her tongue lashed out at the ice cream, licking up the gooey drops that slide down the ice cream. The heat from her breath was melting it as well, so she had to use more of her tongue to lick it all up. The succulent drops dribbled down into her mouth where she greedily lapped it all up, not letting a single one escape. She even pressed her lips against the cold treat, seemingly sucking it up before her tongue resumed its work.
Ichigo surreptitiously grazed a finger just below his nose, catching some blood that had escaped his nose. Huh… the cold must've been affecting his sinuses…
When he glanced back at Kurumu, his jaw nearly hit the floor when she had already downed one of the large scoops that had been placed in her ice cream. That didn't make any sense! He had only turned around for ten seconds at MOST. How could she have finished that much so quickly? He turned his head, maybe he was just hallucinating. Once he turned back again, the first scoop would be there.
He turned.
Now the second scoop was gone along with the top part of the cone itself.
Daammmn….
'No kidding. I wonder what else she could do with that tongue of hers?' The innuendo, however, was lost on Ichigo, who was too busy staring at Kurumu.
He watched as she gobbled up the cone, munching it thoroughly as her face took on differing looks of glee and happiness. She murmured happily as she licked the tips of her fingers, sometimes staying on one finger to get all the taste out of it. Though she wasn't doing this to deliberately tease Ichigo, it had the same reaction, if not more since she was being so innocent about it.
Finally she smacked her lips, indicating that she was done. "That was great! It was so sweet and cold that it makes me want to eat more. Can you buy me one more Ich…go?" Kurumu turned around, looking sideways when she found out that Ichigo wasn't with her. Finally she turned behind her and noticed Ichigo crouching on the ground, holding his face. Upon closer inspection she saw him actually pinching his nose.
"Are you alright Ichigo?" She looked at him with concern, having never seen him in this state before.
"Y-Yea." Ichigo replied before taking in a gulp of air, "I'm fine." He stood up, showing that he was indeed fine.
She was still worried, but since he said he was fine, he must've been. "Alright," Then she smiled, forgetting about the ice cream, "So where do we go next?"
Ichigo mentally sighed with relief. "Well, we could just walk around and relax if you want."
"Sure. I'd like to get out of the crowd actually." She smiled at him as he took his place next to her. They began to walk.
X
A little girl with a witch hat stepped off the bus. She looked around, noticing that while this town didn't seem to have much magic, it had a different sort of power. It vaguely reminded her of Ichigo's own. Like his, it seemed to surround her. Strange, she hadn't noticed it before in other cities. Was it because she had been with him for so long, that she was starting to notice it?
She smiled. She wasn't here to think! She was here to get the threesome she so desperately longed for! Quickly she pulled out a map and went on her merry way.
X
Both people shivered. "Did you feel that?" Kurumu asked as they wondered what that was all about.
Ichigo nodded. "I felt a disturbance in the reiatsu."
"Are you sure you should be saying things like that out loud?" Kurumu asked with a bit of concern in her voice.
Ichigo shrugged. "It's not like anyone will know what I'm talking about."
"Oh. I guess that's true." She surmised. "So what were we talking about?"
"I wasn't the one talking this entire time. I think you ate too many sweets." He poked fun of her, earning a feigned look of annoyance from Kurumu.
"Maybe I should make you eat some so you talk more!" She would've placed her hands on her hips had her hands not been wrapped possessively around Ichigo's arm. Then again, she didn't really mind.
"Good luck with that. I really don't get how you can feel fine with all that sugar in your system." He frowned.
"It's because all the sweets I've eaten before were homemade." She smiled at him, "And I always used the best ingredients!"
Ichigo felt like sweatdropping. "I don't see how that answers my question…"
"It does!" She told him earnestly, "If they're good ingredients, they won't' be as bad for you."
"Right…"
Kurumu let out a mock-exasperated sigh. She would have to teach him in the ways of cooking. Suddenly, she heard this loud blare that rumbled across the air.
"What was that?" She turned towards the direction of the noise.
"Huh? Oh that's the train that passes through Karakura." He paused for a moment before he looked at his surroundings.
'Huh, we're near Chad's house.' He thought for a moment about visiting his friend. He probably wouldn't overreact about him having a girlfriend. Seeing nothing wrong with it, they changed directions.
"So where are we going now?" Kurumu asked, hopefully there would be another shop fully of candies and sweets!
"We're going to see a friend of mine." This caught Kurumu's attention.
"Is this friend a girl?" She asked casually so as to not arise suspicions.
"No." Ichigo really wasn't thinking that far ahead to worry about her question.
"Oh, ok." Ichigo looked at her, slightly puzzled, but Chad's house wasn't that far off. In fact, he could see it a bit away. Once they arrived at the front step, he knocked on the door.
Another knock sounded on the door.
"Guess he's not here." It was strange. Despite being a giant, Chad was probably one of the hardest people to find. He vaguely wondered what he was doing that he wasn't home on the weekends. Probably hunting for Hollows most likely.
"And I really wanted to meet him." She said a bit sadly, but then perked up. "What's he like?" She asked as they began their trek across Karakura town once again.
"Tall." Was the one prominent word that fit Chad so very well. "And he's Mexican."
"Really?" The gears in Kurumu's head turned oh so slowly. "Where's that?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Dunno."
"Wait, you don't know where that is? I thought you were friends?" She asked disbelievingly.
"We're friends where it counts I guess. He's helped me out a lot. We've been in fights together." Ichigo's emphasis on the word 'fights' made her realize which fights those were.
"Is he strong like you?" She asked out of curiosity.
"He's strong." Ichigo paused, "But not like me."
"Ehhh… You seem proud of your strength Ichigo." She said when she noticed him straighten up slightly, a different air around him.
"I do?" He asked, not noticing any difference in the way he acted.
"Yup. You seem like you could take on the world and win." It was just an analogy, but she didn't know just how close to the truth that was.
"I doubt that." Ichigo replied, "but I guess I am a little proud. I protected everyone important to me with this power. I'd do anything for the people I care about."
He then turned to look at her, a serious, yet intense look in his eyes. "Especially for you."
Kurumu's heart skipped a beat, his deep tone sending static across her body. She grinned as she said with a stutter, "Q-Quit being so serious!" Then in a lowered tone, "You're going to turn me on…"
Ichigo blinked before he turned away. He felt like his face was on fire. "Don't' say that out loud!" He whispered loudly, as contradictory as that sounded.
"Not my fault!" She whispered loudly back, "You were so serious… it… it made me feel all warm and jittery inside."
"Still. I don't want people getting any weird ideas…" He murmured, letting the rest of the sentence die mid-way.
"There aren't many people around." She whispered back.
"Still..."
Kurumu sighed, feeling her body go back to normal. "Hey, why are we still whispering?"
"Uh…" Ichigo coughed, his normal tone back, "I don't know."
Kurumu shook her head. "You know, even if you don't believe it, you can be pretty silly sometimes."
"Huh?"
"You know." She gestured, though it didn't really help to make a point. "Sometimes you say or do things that seem kind of… silly. Like a kid!" She nodded to herself at her marvelous analogy. Ichigo on the other hand was simply boggled.
He was silly? Out of all the things he could describe himself, silly was not one of them. Although, when he thought about it, he was a bit… softer... and at the moment, he didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"But you know." Kurumu tapped her chin, a slight smile on her lips, "It makes you sweeter than you already are. It makes me feel like I'm getting closer and closer to you."
He looked at her. He supposed it was alright for now.
"Ichigooo!" A childish, high-pitched voice rang across the distance as two heads turned to meet the source.
"Yukari?" Both quipped up immediately at the smiling, bouncing girl full of energy.