7.
This chapter contains sexual references and nudity (not that you can see it, but...still...it's in there.)
My hands are touching something soft...and...Squishy? I open one eye and it rolls around until it spots my hand. It's...Its...squeezing Orihime's breast! Orihime hasn't woken up yet, fuming. In fact I think I hear her moaning. I look over to Rukia, to make sure I'm not groping her. Thankfully my hand rests on her shoulder. At least only one person could possibly get angry at me now, but knowing Orihime, I doubt it.
I feel disappointed now that I'm awake. It's so nice sleeping in this human sandwich. I decide to close my eyes and just pretend to sleep. I reminisce of the borderline wet dreams of last night. It seems this vicious series of battles has not stifled my perverted mind. While the battles are over, I can enjoy my mortal life.
Orihime shuffles about and my hand releases her and withdraws to my side. She rolls over and faces me. Her face is only a few centimetres from my face. "Morning!"
"Good morning." I say cheerfully.
Orihime looks past me to my arm still wrapped around Rukia. She frowns.
"What?"
"Your arm." She points to me.
"Oh, that! She fell asleep on my arm and it's stuck." I lie. Orihime tugs my arm and it slides away from her, my fingers draw against her back and she begins to wake. "Oh, maybe it wasn't stuck..."
"Don't be ashamed, Alex. It's okay if you have feeling for her." Orihime pats my shoulder.
"What?" Rukia asks, rubbing her eyes.
I turn around so fast I think a bone breaks. "Nothing!"
"It was not nothing! Just tell her!"
"Tell me what?" Rukia gazes deep into my eyes. I'm screwed!
"I...I..." I trail off.
"He's too nervous to admit it, but he likes you." Orihime giggles. "He's got a crush on you. He was hugging you all last night!"
"Hey!" I tackle Orihime and cover her mouth with my hand. She bites my finger and yells out.
"He want's to go out with you!" I cover her mouth again and force a laugh. Rukia does the same.
"That's sweet. I guess I owe you anyway." Rukia smiles and I see a sparkle in her eyes.
"Huh?"
"I'll go out with you." I freeze. My mind works at a slow pace. What...the...hell? I never even said anything and I'm in with Rukia...Oh well, I'm not turning this down!
"Thank you." I mutter, faking shyness.
Orihime squirms away from me and laughs. "If all goes well, you will fall for each other, then Ichigo will be mine!! All mine!!" We stare at her for a while, and then laugh.
We find our uniforms arranged outside the door. There is a small not which reads: 'It wasn't break and entering...I never broke anything!' Urahara's signature is underneath.
"He got into our homes so easily...that's...creepy." I say nervously.
"Yeah..." Rukia agrees.
Orihime gets dressed with the door wide open. Me and Rukia are more modest and get changed in private. We meet in the dining room where Ichigo is waiting. He looks up and smirks.
"Aw, the threesome over already?"
"Get stuffed!" I roar jokingly. I feel like saying 'If it was a threesome, I would never leave.' but I refrain from doing so.
"Ichigo, why would you say that?!" Orihime asks.
"Well, one of you was moaning for hours last night. I couldn't sleep...I wasn't even in your room!"
I look over to Orihime whose cheeks have turned bright red.
"You're going to be late! Go already!" Urahara yells, like an angry parent. We set off to school and halfway there, we come across a tomboyish girl with short, spiky black hair.
"It's Tatsuke!" Orihime runs ahead and greets her. We walk slowly up to her. It seems Rukia has been slowly creeping closer and closer to me as we walk.
"Hi Rukia." Tatsuke waves and suddenly looks at me, rather distastefully. "Who's this?"
"Alex, he's on holiday here from Australia!" Orihime answers instead. I nod and look to Tatsuke.
She focuses on me, as if she knows a secret about me. I feel tense, even though there's nothing to fear. All of a sudden she looks all happy. "Australia has kangaroos, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Do they actually box, or is that just a joke?" She asks, throwing fake punches as she talks.
"No, they seriously do that. You can pay to fight them, but it's pretty expensive." I can barely keep a straight face as I lie to them...but seriously, why have they all asked questions about kangaroos?!
"Have you fought one?"
"Yeah, but they are pros! Knocked me to the floor! They've even beaten pro human boxers!"
"Wow! That's totally awesome! I have to go there one day!" Tatsuke laughs and throws more punches into the air.
"Tatsuke's a black belt at karate!" Orihime informs me. I nod and take a mental note: Don't piss her off!
"That's impressive!" I give her a clap and she bows. "I only got to green belt in Tae Kwon do..." I trail off when I see an unnerving smile cross her face. "What?"
"How good are ya?" Oh shit... I flinch before she even moves and she cracks up laughing. I feel stupid. "Oh come on! I wouldn't have hit you! That would be unfair!" She pats me on the shoulder and smiles. "You're alright, Alex."
"Yeah." I mutter as my racing heart slows its pace.
"Well, we don't want to be late. We better hurry." Everyone runs off, except for Tatsuke. "Alex, wait up for a second."
"Okay, but we'll lose Orihime and-"
"I said wait!" My fear of her comes back.
"What's...What's wrong?" I ask, fearfully.
"Are you one of them?" She asks, her voice has gone deeper than normal. She's really serious!
"I...I don't know what you mean?" I stammer.
"Don't play dumb! If you're their friend already, you must have seen it!" She glares at me, her eyes are almost glowing.
"What?! I don't-"
"Stop lying! I can tell you're hiding something from me!!" She steps so close to me I could kiss her, but that would end up with me in a coffin. "You've seen them...Running about with swords, in their samurai clothes." I gulp and nod. "Have they told you anything?"
"No."
"Don't lie!!" She picks me up by the collar and hurls me into the wall. It's strangely similar to Ichigo's outburst. I remember the orange haired boy's threats and my body stiffens.
"He said...If I told anyone...He'd kill me!" She understands I'm telling the truth, but I'm not off the hook yet.
"Tell me everything! I'll make sure you are safe."
"Another time...We're gonna be late for-"
"FUCKING TELL ME!!" She drops me and I land in a heap at her feet. She crouches down and suddenly she looks calm again. "You don't know how much this has been eating away at me. My closest friends won't tell me the truth and they avoid me. I try and do stuff with them, but they never show up. I try and talk to them and they won't answer of they say 'It's none of your business!' It's...It's too much! They are supposed to be my friends!!" She suddenly falls on her ass and cries. My fears dissipate and I feel sorry for her.
"I'll be your friend." I whisper. "I'll never lie to you, no matter what." She looks up and I watch the tears roll down her cheeks.
"Really?"
"Yeah. But now isn't the time. There are things I still don't know, but when I find out, I'll inform you."
Tatsuke wipes away the tears ad sniffs. "You really mean it?"
"Sure." She lunges at me, but rather than attack, she hugs me. She cycles through apologies and thanks for a while until I stand up. "Are you alright?" I ask her. She takes a deep breath and calms down.
"Ok...I'm fine..." She looks off into the distance and then at her watch. She turns to me with a playful smile. "Race ya to school!" Before I can accept her challenge she darts off. I curse and sprint after her. For a while, we are neck and neck, but after two hundred metres, she slips ahead and I slowly fall behind. I was never good at long distance. I'm alright at short, but after a couple of hundred metres I just fail. I run alone for two minutes and find her waiting outside the gate, laughing and waving.
As we walk through the corridors, we talk. Not about shinigami, but little things. I tell her about my home back in Oz, she tells me about her home. She apparently lives quite close to Ichigo. Her parents are both business partners at a legal firm and are always out. She only see's them on weekends and special events. She tells me she practically lives alone, which makes me feel sympathetic. To make things evened up slightly in the sad game, I tell her of my parents break up. Suddenly we both feel sorry for each other.
We stop outside the room and I freeze. "This is my first time in the class...I'm nervous."
"Don't be!" Tatsuke pats me on the back. "If you have any troubles, I'll beat them up for ya!" We both laugh and the noise of the classroom ceases. They heard us.
The door opens and the teacher leads us in. She is in her mid-twenties and has thin framed glasses with large round lenses. Her dark brown hair is tied back in a ponytail. "Ah, here he is!" She grabs my shirt and drags me to the front of the room where I watch many pairs of eyes staring at me...judging me. "This is our new student. His name is Alex McMullen. Now why don't you tell us about yourself?"
What is this? Show and tell? I sigh and start my little bio. "I'm from Australia. I'm here on vacation and will be here for a while...uh...I...play guitar and draw in my spare time...and..." I turn to the teacher who rolls her hand around, signalling for me to keep going. "I listen to death metal-"
"EMO!!!" One of the kids roars out. I mouth the words: 'fuck you' and he stares at me hatefully for some time.
"I am also quite smart and-"
"Nerd!" It's the same kid. I sigh and look over to Tatsuke who takes out a pen and throws it at his face. The shot is almost perfect, hitting him in the cheek and drawing a line down his face. Everyone laughs at him and he growls curses under his breath.
I have no idea what to say, so I look around and say, "Any questions?"
A girl at the front, with short brown hair raises her hand. "Do you have kangaroos in your country?"
What the fuck?! That's the fifth time!! This is so dumb! "Yes, we ride them around places." I say smugly. She giggles and claps. The whole class, mainly the girls react positively.
"Alright, Alex. You can go sit down now. There's a spare seat between Kurosaki and Rukia." I nod and go to my seat. I take out a book and pen and notice a note on the table in front of me, only it's scrunched up. I unfold it and read the message: 'Can we go to the movies?' There is a capital Y and N underneath. I circle the Y and pass it to Rukia. She reads it and smiles at me. I turn back to the front and out of the corner of my eye, notice Ichigo staring at me with a 'What-are-you-up-to?' Kind of look.
The class breezes by. I don't even know what subject it is, but I have a hunch that it's history or something. The bell goes and most of us stay in the room. A girl in front of me leans over in her chair and I realise it's the same one who asked about kangaroos. "Do you have koalas too?!"
I think up another brilliant lie and a wide smile crosses my face. My family owns a refuge for wounded koalas! We take care of the babies when they are lost too!"
"Really?!"
"Yeah, but one time, I found this little baby, out in the cold. He was all starving and weak. I tried to revive him but...but..." I pretend to cry and my act tugs at the heart string of every girl in the room, unleashing a stream of tears which nearly floods the room. I receive at least ten hugs and they all share my pain.
"It's okay Alex, you did everything you could!"
"You're still a hero in my eyes."
"I love koalas...and you!"
Love is a much easier game to win in Japan...Australia must be really uptight, despite our laid-back attitude and prevalence of bogans. We share the love for a few more minutes before the bell goes. They make their way back to their seat and I find Ichigo glaring at me.
"It's no holds barred with you isn't it?" He asks.
I don't understand the question so I remain silent. He recognises my unfamiliarity and sighs.
"You don't mess around do you? You cut to the chase."
"Yeah! Japanese chicks are so friendly, it's so much better than Australia." I feel like a god, but why shouldn't I. I'm a shinigami, or death god! I turn to Rukia who looks sad. "Don't worry, I'm only being friendly with them, you're my treasure." She giggles and smiles, something I wouldn't usually expect from her.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ichigo suddenly comes between us.
"Ichigo, calm down!" Rukia shoves him back to his seat, but he does not calm down. "Look. Me and Alex are-"
"Are what?!" Ichigo interrupts.
"Well shut up and I'll tell you!" Rukia snaps. "We're going to see a movie tonight, alone."
"Like a date?" He asks. I sense a part of him crumbling apart, as if he's lost a poker game he's bet his life savings on. Rukia nods and he falls silent. "Okay." He says submissively. "Have fun." He's utterly destroyed. Rukia looks sad again, but she returns to her seat and taps me on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine."
"If you say so..." I take one last look at the broken Ichigo and then the teacher comes in. We have another easy lesson and then it's the end of the day.
Rukia and I give our numbers to each other and then say our goodbyes. I walk alone for a while, but Tatsuke catches up to me.
"A date with Rukia huh? You sly dog!"
"Sly? I won over everyone in the class with my koala story." Tatsuke nearly melts when I remind her of my false work as a wildlife vet. She soon brushes the issue aside and stops me outside a coffee shop.
"Come in here for a sec, I'm thirsty!" She walks in first and I follow after her. The place smells of fresh coffee beans and I am intoxicated by the smell for a short time. I spot Tatsuke sitting down at a little corner booth. She studies the menu as I sit opposite her.
"Anything take your fancy?" I ask.
"I'll order soon enough, but first..." She drops the menu and glares at me; her gaze burrows straight through me. "I want answers!"
"Okay...I'll tell you a little, but I need to get home soon." I wave a waitress over and ask for a bottle of lemonade. She rushes back with a bottle of what looks like Schweppes, but is written in Japanese. I scull a third of it and sigh. "Ichigo, Rukia and I...are shinigami."
"I?" You don't mean...?"
"I'm one of them too." Tatsuke's eyes widen. "Anyway, our primary duty is to send souls to the afterlife, but half of that job involves slaying creatures called hollows. If you can see us, I'm sure you've seen those monsters with white masks?" She nods. "They are the souls that don't get saved in time. They become ravenous monsters which only exist to eat others souls. They don't care if you are alive or dead, they will attack. We kill them before any serious damage is done."
Tatsuke just stares wide eyed at the table for some time. I wait for her to register what has been said. "So...those things were once...people?!"
"Yes. It's an unfortunate task, but they must be slain, for the protection of others."
"What about the swords?"
"It is our weapon of choice."
"Where do you get them?! I've never seen a shop anywhere that sells weapons like Ichigo's!"
"They are actually part of our soul." I explain, but it makes her stare at me funny. "A shinigami will confront a manifestation of their soul; mine was an odd looking dragon. If you learn their name, they will give you a blade which contains the power of your soul."
Tatsuke frowns and tilts her head. "Explain it again." I sigh and repeat myself more slowly, using simpler words. I even take a lesson from Rukia and do diagrams, although my hollows don't look like cute little bunnies. Eventually, she takes it all in.
I check the time on my phone. It's been two hours since school ended! "Sorry, but I've got to go!" I rise to my feet and begin to walk away, but Tatsuke grabs my shirt and makes me stop. I face her and she has a kind smile.
"Thank you..."
"No problem!" I smile and wave, then sprint home. Fuck I hate long sprints, but it has to be done. I maintain a good speed for four blocks...then it goes downhill, not literally though, the road is flat.
I eventually arrive at my apartment, sweating and panting like a dog. I drag myself into the apartment and sigh. I hurl my bag at the far wall and rifle through my clothes. I take them with me to the bathroom.
"Are you having a bath?" Orihime asks, popping up out of nowhere.
"Yeah...why, did you need to use the toilet or something?"
"No, I'll have one too!" She grins at me.
"Oh, you want to have one first-"
"No." I frown. It's always difficult to understand what she wants. She rolls her eyes and pushes me into the bathroom. There is a large bath tub, but no shower. Orihime starts to fill up the tub and I have a slight idea what's going to happen. The thought of it makes me tingle.
"You can get in now." She strips down completely and my eyes pop out like they do in kids cartoons. It's the first time I've seen a naked woman in real life. I've seen them on SBS during European movies with no real plot, just random sex scenes. I feel something trickle down my nose. I wipe it away and nearly scream. It's blood! I'm having a nosebleed! I never get nosebleeds!!
Orihime turns around and bends over to turn off the tap. I stare at her nether regions with my jaw dropped wide enough to fit a whole nine-ball set in there.
I take off my clothes and jump into the tub before she can see the snake which resides between my legs. I cross my legs and my face glows red. I cast my gaze on everything in the room except for Orihime's naked body.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing!!" I squeal. I try to ignore her, but I'm failing...miserably. I stare through the transparent water, between her legs and my whole body tingles.
"Am I the first girl you've seen naked?" She asks. I look her in the eye and nod. She makes the sound girl make when they see a puppy roll over. "Aw, that's okay. I've never seen a naked boy." She looks down, but I hide my genitals. "Oh, don't be shy."
"I'm not shy!" I blurt out.
"Well it's not like there's anything to be ashamed of."
"There is...trust me!" I say.
"Don't be silly!" Orihime shuffles closer to me. She grabs my arm and moves it aside. I close my eyes, expecting her to scream, but she doesn't. Sort of... "What the...? Is it usually like that?!" I feel like crying, but I'm embarrassed enough. I don't say anything at all, just watching her eyes as they focus on my privates. "Well, you learn something everyday, huh?"
I nod slowly.
"You wanna see mine?"
"What?!"
"It's only fair! Anyway, we're only friends. It's not like you're gonna do stuff to me!" She giggles and I ponder her words. It's the fact that we're only friends that makes me feel uncomfortable. Orihime sits back and reveals herself. I study every single curve, every patch of flesh, every little bit. The waters sort of murky, so I don't see too much...but then she stands up. I'm eye level with her...'cough' 'ahem' area...
I do something any boy my age would do...I pass out.
Isn't it nice to unwind and not worry about vicious monster and killers? Let's hope it lasts a while longer.
Please review!!
