Chapter 4 – Shinigami Training, Pt 2
I nodded while I sat down between Renji and Ichigo. I let my left elbow rest on Ichigo's right shoulder as I listened to Shiro talk to someone on his cell phone in Japanese. I felt Ichigo tense at the mention of his name and Renji laughed at a joke about headbands and some expensive sunglasses. The more I listened to him, the more I seemed to understand.
"Yes, Urahara-Taichou," he was saying. "Renji needs more Soul Candy and I want Yoruichi over here as soon as you can spare her. Ichigo's family should be back in Japanese airspace in the next few days. Tell her to call me when she reaches the American Soul Society. Yes. Thank you. Tell Chad and Orihime they can come when school lets out. Alright. Thanks, Urahara-Taichou."
He hit the end button before looking at me and the two guys on the couch.
"You're getting your Soul Candy, Abarai. Yoruichi should be here in a few days. Chad and Orihime insisted on wanting to come but you heard me tell Kisuke to force them to stay there until summer vacation. The least you can do, Abarai, is explain the Soul Candy concept. Shut up about Rukia, Kon! She has other duties other than chasing you!"
The small yellow and brown lion shaped toy immediately stopped running around and slumped to a corner behind the couch to cower and mutter about this Rukia person. I almost laughed but was stopped by a rather large yawn. Before I knew it, Renji had me in his arms and was making his way to my room. I was too worn out to complain and fight, so I just laid my head on his shoulder.
He smells nice, I thought to myself. Why is it that guys I usually hate always smell so damn good when I'm half asleep? Why couldn't it have been Shiro to carry me to my room? Maybe because he was too short!
"Want me to sleep in here tonight? I don't mind sleeping on the floor."
"No, I'm alright. Besides, how do I know that you won't do anything perverted to me while I'm asleep?"
He shrugged as if to say, I tried. He turned and left the room. I laid back on my bed and I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
I had a dream that night. Or at least I thought it was dream. All I can really remember about it was the fact that it was storming out and I felt a small warm body press into my back. I turned over and an arm snaked around my waist. I slowly opened my eyes, not wanting the moment to end. It didn't. I looked down at the small figure of Shiro.
"Rangiku," he mumbled.
"It's okay, Taichou," I told him. "I'm here. It'll pass over soon. I promise."
His eyes fluttered and I pulled him close as a comfort to both of us. I felt him begin to tremble as I continued to hold him for the remainder of the night.
The next morning, Shiro was still held against me even though the storm from the night before had passed. I smiled and slowly got out of bed. He moaned when my waist was no longer in his grasp and he began reaching out for me. I quickly handed him my pillow. He latched onto it, a small smile flitting across his petite features. I grabbed a shirt, a pair of pants and some fresh underwear before making my way to the bathroom across the hall.
"Hey, Hatake! Where's Toshiro? And we're hungry!"
"Shut up, Orange!" I hissed at him. "He's in my room, still asleep. You'll get breakfast when I get done in the bathroom. Hey, Red. When he wakes up, tell him to start breakfast."
Ichigo looked like a fish out of water and Renji nodded at my request. I shut the bathroom door behind me and leaned against it. I let out a hefty sigh of relief when something soft and rough brushed against my left calf. The twitch by my left eye kicked in as I grabbed the stuffed toy roughly by the head. I opened the door to kick him out in the hallway when I came face-to-face with Shiro.
"Do you mind keeping this crackhead toy out of my bathroom? I don't want him gawking at me like he was last night when I was getting ready for bed."
"How did I get in your bed, Hatake-kun? I think it was storming out last night, but I can't really remember. Abarai! Keep Kon busy for a while so I can get breakfast."
"Long story, Taichou," I mumbled as he walked away toward the kitchen.
I heard Renji and Ichigo arguing about something when I made double sure to double lock the door and start the water. I stripped down to my underwear when I heard a soft THUMP against the door. Only Kon would seek the protection of a woman after an argument with Renji. I rolled my eyes and kicked at the door. I took my underwear off before stepping under the hot streaming water. I shampooed my hair and rinsed it out before applying my favorite conditioner. I got the soap bar lathered up before rubbing it everywhere that I could reach.
Fifteen minutes later, all of use were seated in the living room eating a decent Japanese breakfast. Renji and Ichigo were having a contest to see who could eat the most pickled plums in one sitting. They were down to the last one and glaring at each other. I got it off the plate and ate it myself before they could glare holes through my walls.
"There, you're even," I stated around a mouthful of plum and rice. "Now finish your breakfast so that we can move on with the lessons and training."
Renji looked flat-out put down and Ichigo deadpanned. Nonetheless, breakfast was finished and Shiro vouched to clean the dishes. He told us to go ahead without him as he disappeared into the kitchen balancing dirty plates and bowls in both hands.
"For starters," Renji said, "Soul Candy isn't really candy. It's a dispenser that puts a replacement soul into your body while you are in Soul Reaper form. That way, your friends and family don't really know that you, as a soul, are gone. Unless you get one like Kon or the one Rukia has. That usually tends to put people off when your body starts acting outside of your usual habits and whatnot. Right, Hitsugaya-Taichou?"
"Exactly," Shiro agreed, towel in hand. "I took the pleasure of ordering you some NORMAL Soul Candy while you were in the shower, Hatake-kun. As soon as that comes in with Yoruichi-san, we can begin the real training. Until then, you will just have to sit and watch while Abarai and I train Ichigo. Alright, Kon, out you come. You heard me, you little twerp!"
The stuffed lion cowered away from the ice wielder, who just so happened to have a red fingerless glove on his right hand. It had an unusually shaped skull on the back surrounded by black and blue flames. He hit the toy hard on the forehead and a small ball popped out of its mouth. Shiro held it up for me to see before handing it to Ichigo. The orange-haired boy popped in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He seemed to split in two. One version was wearing the uniform of a Soul Reaper and the other was wearing the usual Saturday outfit.
"See? That's how Soul Candy works," Renji explained. "See that glove that Hitsugaya-Taichou is wearing? It sort of works the same way, only more painful. I would rather have Soul Candy than have Kuchiki-Taichou use the glove any day. If you piss any of the Captains off, they either threaten you with the glove or force, which tends to be more painful than the glove. Trust me. Take the Soul Candy whenever you can get it."
"It's true," Ichigo stated. "Rukia had to use force on me a couple times and boy did it hurt. Especially the first time after getting my powers. Is there like a park or open clearing around here that we can use for training?"
"Yeah. There's an open air soccer field a few miles north of here. Take me with you. Please?"
Shiro rolled his eyes, Renji smiled evilly and Ichigo snorted at the thought. Kon, in Ichigo's human body, gasped. Shiro resituated his glove and smirked at me.
"Be ready because this might be painful."
I braced myself for a hard hit on the forehead. What I didn't expect was the hit to the chin that forced my head back, almost snapping my neck. I heard a really odd sucking noise and my body throbbed in time to three of my heart beats. I fell backwards onto the couch. I blinked a few times to try to get my surroundings about me when I heard Ichigo say something.
"She took that better than I did. Rukia didn't even give me fair warning when she did that to me. Are we getting soft, Toshiro?"
"Shut it, Kurosaki. I don't need your judgment when it comes down to doing what I do. Besides, next time Kon isn't around and Rukia has to use her glove, think of today."
"It definitely felt different," I stated from the couch. "Does it always feel this unrestricting? I mean, I could live like this forever. Imagine how many kids I can have without getting stretch marks. And imagine not getting old and wrinkled until I hit the thousand year mark."
"Whatever. Let's just get to where we're going before someone comes by."
I attempted to walk over to where Ichigo was standing. I ended up tripping over my limp body. Renji fortunately caught me before I face-planted on the carpet beneath the glass topped coffee table.
"Thanks, Red. Why don't we move the bodies without Soul Candy where people won't see them? How about the bathroom? There aren't any windows so nobody can look in and think we're dead… okay that came out wrong. By the way, Red, how responsible is your Soul Candy?"
"Responsible enough to keep Kon away from any and all limp female forms. Aren't you coming with us, Taichou? I thought for sure that you would want to have some kind of input on Ichigo's training. I mean, I don't want to push you to it, but…"
"Don't you feel that reiatsu, Abarai? It could only mean one thing. Get your happy ass out there and see who it is, you idiot!"
Renji deadpanned before opening the door to the porch and jumping away. Ichigo went to go follow him but I stopped him by shutting the door in his face. He near about threw a fit but not before I could touch his lips with mine. I pulled away to see the shocked look on his face. Kon started to stutter about something before wailing and running into my bedroom. I heard him throw himself onto the bed and begin crying into a pillow.
"Hey, Kon! What about Rukia? She only did that to keep from following Renji out the damn window, you bonehead!"
"Like I told you last night," I said, looking at the substitute Soul Reaper, "my heart belongs to someone else. I just hope that his icy heart can melt enough to accept me as I am."
With that last part, I looked at Shiro. He frowned and popped some of his own Soul Candy so that his human body could comfort the Mod Soul that was currently on my bed crying like a baby over a spoiled birthday cake. I can't believe that I was stuck with two idiots (make that three with Renji) and a short white-haired, green eyed freak that had a Yankee accent.
"So how are we getting there, Hitsugaya? Do I get to ride piggy-back with Ichi-kun? Or do I get to learn how to do what Red just did to get there?"
I hated using the "Valley girl" attitude but it definitely came in handy when I wanted to get into a club where a decent band was playing on Friday nights after soccer games. At this point, Shiro slapped me across my left cheek.
"What the shit was that for? What did I ever do to you, you short shit?"
"I've been losing patience with you from day one, Hatake. Normally I don't hit women, but I will if the need should arise. I should be decommissioned for striking the daughter of a high ranking Soul Reaper officer except on the basis that you need training in more areas than one. I will not tolerate anymore attitude out of you, Hatake. Next time, I might not be so lenient. And you should know that General Yamamoto doesn't take well to attitude problems either."
"Says who, Captain?"
Shiro and Ichigo immediately went down on bended knee at this comment. Renji was helping an elderly looking man in through the porch door. The old man had an X shaped scar on his left temple and a rather long white beard that looked to be braided with leather straps.
"I didn't mean, General…"
"I understand, Captain. Unfortunately, you are still young, even by Seireitei standards. It's a wonder that you managed to help in the training of young Kurosaki here along with the other captains and Urahara's people at his shop. Now, my young beauty. Come and tell me as much as you can remember until you met young Toshiro here six months past."
It was an excruciatingly long process because I had to go through as many of my memories from the time I was about three until the meeting with Shiro six months ago. I stretched a few of them from my younger days and I went through my last memories of Mom in tears. When I was done, the man before me smiled genuinely and pulled me into a tight hug.