Title: The Devil's Plaything, Chapter 10 - The Letter

Warnings: AU, het (IchiHime, lots of other pairings eventually), blood, guts, testosterone, ANGST

Disclaimer: These characters belong to a lot of Japanese people, namely people like Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump. You'll notice how none of those are me. This will probably (never) be updated weekly, until I eventually drop it like every other project ever. Not responsible for epileptic seizures or allergic reactions. May contain eye-and-brain-bleeding levels of radioactive ANGST and/or peanut products. Please sit a reasonable distance from your computer screen.

Author's Note: I apologize again for the delay in updating! Things have been hectic the past month, and they don't look to be slowing down anytime over the next month either. I'd also like to work on a shorter story, so that might come before the next chapter. Either way, here's hoping there's not too much of a delay between now and then!


Things continued in a steady pace for weeks.

On the weekdays, Ichigo and Chad would spend their afternoons at Wrath House, sparring with Rukia, Hisagi and sometimes Renji. Kon would often tag along, just to get out of the house, as would Nova (although he was substantially quieter than the lion familiar). And finally, Orihime would often accompany Chad and Ichigo, partially so she wouldn't have to walk home alone, but also because Rangiku had insisted that she be brought over to keep her company.

In fact, the one time Ichigo had dared show up without asking Orihime if she'd wanted to come over first, Rangiku had set him to scrubbing the huge basement bathrooms for the entire evening. If Wrath House taught him nothing else, Ichigo had reasoned, it would teach him how to have a very colorful vocabulary. Either way, that wasn't exactly an experience he wanted to repeat, so Orihime was asked over quite frequently.

The weekends, however, were another matter entirely. Knowing now that Kon had the ability to impersonate him, Ichigo grudgingly left him to take his place at home, sometimes for the entire weekend at a stretch. Sometimes he'd come home to find the familiar looking the worse for wear - goodness only knew what he'd gotten up to, although Ichigo suspected everything he tried blew up in his face - but for the most part it worked out.

The weekends were a time for Ichigo to get extra training with Urahara on his own. As close as he and Chad were and as much as Rukia was supposed to be training him, he wasn't sure if he should tell them about the association at all. Urahara himself had insinuated that he wasn't exactly someone that Ichigo should announce his association with; as shady as the shopkeeper seemed to be, there was no real telling what kind of laws he was breaking.

More often than not, Urahara would simply admit Ichigo into his training room and then have one of his assistants spar with him until he grew too tired to hold his sword. Even the unassuming little pigtailed girl, Ururu, was a ridiculous challenge for Ichigo; for something so skinny and soft-spoken, she sure hit like a ton of bricks. Some days, if he was particularly bored or otherwise not occupied, Urahara himself would give chase, always putting Ichigo on the offensive and eventually besting him.

And then some days, Ichigo would arrive ready to train and be sent to organize stock in the back store room or file paperwork for the day. Urahara claimed this was in payment for his training, but Ichigo simply suspected it was busywork to test his patience.

One such Sunday, maybe a month or so after Kon had come to stay with him, Urahara approached Ichigo with a large manila envelope in hand. As Ichigo adjusted his latest box onto the shelf, he gave the shopkeeper a curious look.

"Don't tell me you're going to start paying me for this," Ichigo asked skeptically. Urahara fanned himself with the envelope.

"Oh, goodness, no!" the blond said with a chuckle, "I need you to deliver this for me." Ichigo raised an eyebrow before reaching over to take the envelope. As he peered at it, he saw there was no name on it, only an address.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that today?" he asked, turning the envelope over to see if there was any more writing on the opposite side. No, nothing.

"It certainly is, but I don't expect you to deliver it today," Urahara said with a wave of his fan, "In fact, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to deliver it tomorrow after school. Take your Mexican friend with you, too. There's something there for both of you." Ichigo gave Urahara a skeptical look, but said nothing. If the older demon didn't want to tell him what was up, chances were slim he'd let it slip if Ichigo just kept asking.

"Alright," he said, putting the envelope with his jacket, "I'll take it over with him tomorrow afternoon."


"What's this?"

The petite, black-haired Superbus plucked the large envelope from Ichigo's hands, causing him to clench his teeth together in frustration. Leave it to Rukia to stick her nose where it didn't belong.

"None of your business," Ichigo replied, snatching the envelope back from her before she had a chance to open it and go rifling through the contents.

"Is that for Amon-dono?" she asked, referring to Ichigo's short, white-haired head of house. They were almost to Wrath House, where he'd pick up Chad. They'd go from there to the address on the envelope, which just so happened to be across town. In the meantime, Orihime could occupy herself with Matsumoto until he got back, and Renji and Rukia could do... Renji and Rukia things.

Speaking of the tattooed redhead, he raised one black eyebrow at the two teenagers ahead of him squabbling over the envelope.

"Let me see that?" he asked, holding out a tattooed hand. Ichigo grudgingly handed the envelope over, grumbling as he did so.

"Don't open it, okay?" Ichigo griped, "And don't fold it or do anything stupid to it." Renji was too busy reading the address to really listen to Ichigo, though.

"Hey, I know this address," Renji said, a note of surprise in his voice. Ichigo's eyebrows rose as well.

"Let me see?" Orihime asked from behind them, craning her neck to see the envelope, "Oh, I don't think I know that street. Is it near here?"

"Nah, it's across town," Ichigo said, holding his hand out for Renji to return the envelope to him, "What's at that address, anyway?" Renji looked genuinely surprised.

"Err..." he trailed off, scratching his cheek and glancing around, "It's kind of hard to explain, actually. An orphanage? Half-way house? I guess that's the best way to describe it, although most of the demons there are older." Ichigo couldn't hide something of a startled expression.

"Huh," he said, wondering if he should consider Urahara in a new light, "That doesn't sound so bad." And it really didn't - maybe this was some kind of charity?

"Actually," Renji said, somewhat hesitantly, "Do you mind if I go with you? I've not been in a while, and it might be nice to visit." Ichigo considered this; he was already supposed to take Chad with him, and Renji was familiar with the place, so that wasn't such a bad idea, right?

"Sure, I guess," he said with a shrug, "You can help me find this place." While the boys talked, Rukia had a thoughtful look on her face, thin black eyebrows arched in interest.

"Renji," she asked finally, her voice pensive, "Is that the place--?" Renji stiffened a bit as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Huh?" he replied, perhaps a bit too quickly, "What are you talking about, Rukia?" Rukia gave him a skeptical look before facing front again. They had already entered the Wrath House grounds and were making their way up the front path.

"Never mind," she said with a shrug, "It's nothing for a monkey like you to worry about. Anyway, I want to come with you." A vein pulsed on the side of Renji's forehead; Ichigo's patience was also starting to thin. What was this, a field trip?

"Look, midget..." Renji growled, halting as Ichigo also began to speak.

"It's just a damn letter," Ichigo said with a huff, "We don't need a parade to deliver it." Rukia was smiling now; Ichigo reasoned that it was because she realized she was getting under their skin.

"But I have nothing to do today, and this looks like a worthwhile distraction," she said happily, "Besides, Inoue-san can accompany us, can she not? You want to come as well, do you not, Inoue-san?" Orihime, having thus far been left out of this squabble, perked her head up from where she'd been daydreaming.

"Eh?" she nearly chirped, "Oh! Oh, it does sound like a fun trip! May I please go with you, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo groaned inward, sneaking a glance at Rukia. Sure enough, the she-devil was smirking triumphantly in his direction, chin tilted skyward. For whatever reason, Rukia wanted to tag along, and she had figured out that if she invited Orihime along, Ichigo wouldn't refuse her. Ichigo knew she'd put him into a no-win situation. If he allowed her to come along, only goodness knew what she'd do. If he refused, he'd disappoint Orihime. A strong hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his morose thoughts, however.

"Be a man, Ichigo," Renji said to him quietly, voice full of determination, "Don't let her screw with you like that!" Ichigo felt a surge of hope flood through him. Renji was right - he wasn't going to let Rukia get the best of him like that. As he turned back to look at Renji, though, he caught sight of Orihime looking at him, wide-eyed and quizzical.

Damn it all.

"Alright, Inoue," he said, finally wavering much to Renji's immense disappointment, "You guys can come, too." She favored him with one of her sunny smiles, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up as well.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!" she chirped, clenching her fists in front of her, "I promise I won't get in the way of your letter delivering and I won't be any trouble! I'll try not to even daydream!" Ichigo couldn't suppress a smile at this remark.

"That's like asking a fish not to swim," he remarked casually as the group arrived at the front door of Wrath House. Without preamble, Ichigo swung the door open before calling into the foyer at the top of his lungs, "We're here!" He noticed Rukia's self-satisfied smirk fade as he removed his outdoor shoes and went for a pair of guest shoes.

"Manners, Ichigo," she scolded, removing her own as their companions followed suit.

Before Ichigo could respond appropriately, a tumble of messy blonde hair, silver necklace, and pink fabric came bounding down the stairs towards them. Rangiku smiled broadly as she approached; Ichigo was just glad that it didn't look like she was going to make him clean again today.

"Ichigo, you're late!" she sang, waving her finger in the air beside her face, "You know what that means!" Ichigo sighed, shaking his head. Of course she'd try to get some drinks or food out of him for it.

"I can't stay," he said quickly, before she could demand anything of him, "I'm just here to get Chad so we can go deliver something." Rangiku's expression dropped to a pout. Ichigo waved the envelope beside his face for just a second before she snatched it away from him, her pout transforming into an engaged and curious expression.

"Hey!" Ichigo demanded, too late to stop her from looking over it, "Give that back!"

"Ooh," she commented thoughtfully, "This is all the way across town. Were you going to walk?"

"I thought I might catch a bus," Ichigo said dryly, taking the envelope back from the nosy blonde, "But yes, we were just going to walk."

"Shuuhei has a car!" Rangiku volunteered helpfully, causing Ichigo to groan. Not another one!

"That's nice," he commented dismissively, intending to go find Chad and cut this conversation off before he gained yet another traveling companion.

"Shuuhei! Shuuhei!" Rangiku called, wandering towards another room and ignoring Ichigo's discomfort, "Shuuhei, I want to go somewhere!" Ichigo turned to his companions before Rangiku could come back to them.

"Come on, let's go while she's distracted," he said, "We can get Chad and get out of here before--"

"Rangiku-san?"

Much to Ichigo's dismay, the aforementioned Master-At-Arms stepped into the room at that very moment with a curious expression on his scarred face. Worse yet, just to emphasize there was no hope of escape, Chad was with him. And upon hearing her name, Rangiku also came running back to the group.

"Shuuhei, there you are!" she chirped, taking hold of one of the black-haired man's bare arms, "Ichigo and his friends need to go across town to deliver something. You can take us all in your car, right?" In stifling the urge to bang his head into a wall, Ichigo took notice of the pink tinge coloring the older demon's face. He couldn't possibly be falling for this garbage, could he? Just because she was rubbing a bit of cleavage against his arm, did she expect him to do whatever she said? Hisagi always seemed kind of stiff and stoic to Ichigo; there was no way he'd fall for this, right?

The demon in question looked slowly between Rangiku's pleading, up-turned face and Ichigo's scowling and confused one. Ichigo's heart hammered in his chest as he hoped he'd just tell her no.

"Sure, I didn't have any plans for today," Hisagi said evenly, looking for all the world like something just sailed right over his head.

"Hooray!" Rangiku said cheerily, giving his arm another squeeze before darting over to grab Orihime and Rukia by the wrists and spirit them out the front door, "We get shotgun!"

Ichigo wanted to punch something.


Ichigo still wanted to punch something.

The feeling hadn't lessened during the car trip. No, in fact, it had gotten worse. Here he was, sandwiched between Renji and Chad, the three large frames squished together in the back of Shuuhei's affordable four-door hatchback. Rukia had taken Renji's lap as a seat, happily ignoring his red-faced protests and the man himself as they drove, choosing instead to watch their surroundings pass by in a blur. Her elbow had found its way into Ichigo's face a disturbing number of times already, as well as Renji's.

Ichigo inched away from Rukia's elbow again, fighting the urge to grumble. He silently thanked his lucky stars that Orihime hadn't decided to sit on his lap; while the prospect was kind of exciting in a bad sort of way, Ichigo also realized that it was the only possible way this trip could get any worse.

For her part, Orihime was up front, sitting beside Rangiku in the passenger's seat. Although the seat was only built to hold one person, Rangiku and Orihime were both small enough that they could share the seat without too much trouble. In fact, the conversation over the course of the entire ride had consisted of Rangiku and Orihime chattering to each other excitedly, often asking for input from Rukia in the back. Ichigo stuffed down the niggling sense of jealousy that had sprouted up inside, telling himself that he was just annoyed that Rangiku and Rukia had managed to take over his simple errand and turn it into a girls' day out.

Crossing his arms as best he could and looking towards Chad's window on the passenger's side, Ichigo steered his thoughts toward the contents of the package he was carrying. There was definitely a letter inside - of that there was no doubt - but there was something else inside, as well. He wasn't sure what it could be; it felt a little like cloth with a bit of chain attached. There was a bit of jingling from inside the envelope, as well, and when Ichigo held it up to the light to examine it, all he could see was a black blob with straps. He figured it might be a limiter and the letter might be an invoice, but what he couldn't figure out was why Urahara would ask him to deliver this without telling him what he was doing.

Much to Ichigo's relief, he finally felt the car coming to a stop and being put into park.

"Here it is," Shuuhei announced, his voice as even as always, "Abarai, I'm not really sure about this neighborhood. This is the place, right?" Without preamble, Renji opened the door on his side, depositing Rukia outside the car with no small expression of relief on his red face.

"Yeah, this is the place," Renji said with conviction as he stepped out and stretched, "It's not the best neighborhood, but it's not a bad place to live."

The other occupants of the car began to pour out after Renji, stretching out their kinks from the cramped interior of the car. As Ichigo emerged and looked around, he thought Renji might have understated their position just a bit.

"Not the best?" Ichigo asked in disbelief, "Uhh, Renji? This is probably the worst neighborhood I've ever seen in my life."

It was true. The house they were to deliver the letter to was the nicest house on the block, but that wasn't saying much. While it looked sturdy and spacious, it was certainly dilapidated. Even though the new grass from spring was just starting to poke through, the yard looked as though it hadn't been kept in many months. There was trash piled unceremoniously beside the low wall outlining the property, as though the residents had simply put it out on the curb on the wrong day and hadn't a care in the world as to when it would be picked up. And the house itself was stained, rusted, and in need of a serious paint job.

More than that, though, there was a kind of aura hanging over the entire residence, almost as if a huge raincloud was hovering just above the property. It was just a niggling idea, a thought in the back of his head, but Ichigo could almost swear he smelled death itself coming from that house. No, it wasn't the smell of decay or of actual dead things; it was the presence itself, almost as if the place was haunted. A heavy, cold feeling, as though merely walking up to knock on the door would cause him to drop dead.

The rest of the houses looked decidedly deserted, windows shuttered or broken, doors hanging off their hinges, and yards full of trash and derelict furniture. Ichigo couldn't really blame anyone for not wanting to live in this neighborhood; the imposing house at the end of the block would be enough to frighten even the stoutest of people away. There were no lights, curtains, or blinds in any of the other houses; the sun was hanging low in the sky, and the interiors of all the other houses were darkened. There was the lone stray dog, but other than that, all life in this neighborhood resided in the house they currently stood before. Was that frightful, deadly aura so heavy that even regular humans could sense it?

"Renji," Rukia asked, peering at their surroundings with some curiosity, "This is where you grew up?" Renji froze as though he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"What?" he said defensively, "I mean, it's not as nice as your brother's house, but it's still not that bad!" Rukia gave him a look of disbelief as she crossed her arms. She was about to protest, but Orihime made a small noise behind them instead.

"A-Ano," she said, hugging herself as though she was cold, "I'll just... stay in the car, if it's okay. I'm starting to feel sick. I guess I'm just not used to riding in cars!" Ichigo's attention was drawn back to her, reminding him of something. This was how she reacted to being inside Kuchiki Manor. He regarded her trembling form with open-faced concern. Was this a reaction to something in that house, or was she just genuinely car sick? Regardless, he shrugged out of his school jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"It's fine," he said gently, "We'll only be a moment. We'll just run in and deliver this and come right back out." Orihime looked up at him with grateful, watery eyes, but before she could respond, the driver's side door slammed. Matsumoto was already in the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition.

"Actually, I'll stay with her!" she chirped above the chatter of the engine, almost too cheerful to be sincere, "This place gives me the creeps, and I know a place not far from here that sells the best ice cream in Karakura! Come on, Orihime-chan! Rukia-chan!" Rukia looked startled for a second as Renji pushed her towards the back seat of the car.

"Ehh? Me?" Renji rolled his eyes as Rukia turned on him. "I would much rather stay with the four of you, if it is all the same to you, Renji."

"No, you're going with them," Renji amended eagerly, "You go with them and make sure nothing happens to them." Rukia favored him with a look of disgruntled disbelief, but opened the car door anyway; it was mere coincidence that Renji just happened to be standing in the door's path as she did so. Ichigo could swear he heard him grumble something about 'violent midgets' as Rukia slammed the car door behind her.

"Alright, we'll see you in about half an hour!" Rangiku said cheerfully, wiggling her fingers in a wave. Just as she was about to put the car into gear, Shuuhei flinched.

"Rangiku-san," he said hesitantly, "Do you even know how to drive?" In response, Rangiku put the car into reverse and backed over a trash can.

"Of course I do!" she chirped, throwing it into drive and steering away while the young men watched their escape route vanish down the lane.

"My... My car," Shuuhei moaned sadly, one hand reaching after it as it disappeared.

Ichigo sighed, shaking his head - those two bossy women were more trouble than they were worth. He looked back down at the envelope in his hand and then at the door. It seemed miles away.

"Come on," he said wearily, "Let's get this over with."

"I told you that you shouldn't have let her come," Renji grumbled as they started up the walk.

"Like she was going to take no for an answer," Ichigo fired back in kind, "The hell was she so interested in coming for, anyway?" Renji glanced off at a scraggly tree somewhere off the side of the walkway.

"Probably just being nosy, knowing her," he muttered, not meeting Ichigo's eyes. Ichigo might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to reading people and the situations between them, but he could tell something was off here.

"You didn't want her to see where you used to live," he guessed, causing Renji to straighten a bit.

"Of... Of course that's not it!" Renji said defensively, "It's just that she's not... Someone like her wouldn't understand!" Ichigo's eyebrows arched as he peered doubtfully at the redhead before him. That felt an awful lot like 'reaching' to him.

"Whatever," he dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Your love life is your own problem." He thought with smug satisfaction that Renji's face would soon resemble his hair.

"Mine? What about yours?" he asked, eye twitching. Ichigo sent him a sharp glare, but it didn't hide the blush now dusting across his face.

"Don't be stupid," he barked, "I don't have one." Ichigo briefly wondered if that sounded a bit bitter. When he saw Renji's vengeful smirk, he decided that he didn't care.

"Oho?" he asked, his voice triumphant, "So you could tell Inoue 'no' if you wanted to, right?" Ichigo felt his eye tick.

"Stop talking about her like you know her, idiot," he said, hoping to dodge the question. Luckily, before Renji could start in again, Chad finally spoke up.

"We're here," he said quietly, pointing to the door before them. Sure enough, while the two redheads had been busy arguing, they had covered the ground from the sidewalk to the porch. All that was left was to knock on it.

"Go ahead," Renji said, smirking. Ichigo shot him another nasty look.

"You used to live here," he shot back, "Or are you afraid they don't want to see you?" Before their argument could progress any further, Chad took the initiative and knocked on the door.

The cheap entryway door jerked open a few inches, stopped short by a chain the likes of which Ichigo would've expected to see on an apartment door. He couldn't see beyond the door; the interior looked as dark as that of the deserted houses around the block. And as for who had opened the door, well... Ichigo could only see a pair of narrowed eyes.

"What?" a curt, male voice asked. Whoever they were, they obviously had no interest in entertaining guests. An awkward pause ensued as Ichigo strained not to attempt to yank the chain off the doorframe and shove the letter down the resident's throat.

"Letter," Chad said, jerking his thumb in Ichigo's direction and finally breaking the silence. The owner of the voice backed away into the house and began to close the door.

"Leave it on the porch," he instructed from behind the door. To Ichigo's surprise, Renji stepped forward and jammed his foot in the door to keep it open.

"Aww, come on, sempai," Renji drawled, a mischievous look spreading over his face, "Is that any way to treat your old kohai?" There was a pause while the man's eyes widened from the other side of the door. Then the chain across the door jangled while the man undid it.

"Renji?" he barked, no small amount of amusement in his voice, "I thought you were across town eating caviar with the snooty nobles! Get your ass in here!"

Renji gave Ichigo a satisfied smirk as the door flew open and he stepped inside. He and Chad exchanged looks before shrugging in unison and following, followed by Shuuhei.

As the door closed behind them, Ichigo's eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room. The first thing that he noticed was that the outside of the house had been incredibly deceptive; the inside looked nothing like it. Instead of being dank and depressing, broken and dilapidated, the interior was clean and stark. Much like the training room at Wrath House, it resembled a traditional dojo with its tatami mats, wall hangings, and sparse furnishings. There was a plant here or there, but for the most part, the only decorations were weapons of all kinds, as well as a few pieces of armor. As he took in all the martial accouterments, it occurred to Ichigo that whoever lived here must have really liked to fight; in fact, in a way, it almost felt like there was a kindred spirit here.

And that was when Ichigo noticed him. The man who had let them in was standing across the room from him, playfully punching Renji in the arm. He was about the same height as the redhead, but built more savagely; even beneath his black hakama and kimono, Ichigo could tell that this man worked out a lot. Even more intimidating, and more striking, was his head; it was completely clean-shaven and smooth, catching the light just so as he talked to Renji. Even more strange, though, was the scar on the man's neck, just above his collar; Ichigo could have sworn it was a bite mark. But there was no way a guy like this would submit to someone else... right?

Before long, though, the man had noticed Ichigo as well. Rising to his full height and casting him a challenging glare, he cut Renji off and turned to address Ichigo.

"The hell are you looking at?" the bald man said with something of a sneer. Ichigo would not let himself be cowed. Instead, he plastered on his smuggest possible face and answered the man.

"I don't know, what am I looking at?" he asked, a bit of mockery lacing his tone. Suddenly, a feral grin split the bald man's face.

"Renji, this a friend of yours?" he asked, nodding towards Ichigo.

"Him?" Renji said with a shrug, "He's one of the new Wraith recruits that Rukia has to watch. So is the tall one with him." Renji's friend looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Rukia?" he asked, turning his attention back to Renji, "You mean that girl you were always chasing?" Renji turned red at that and sputtered.

"I thought we were talking about those two!" Renji protested, looking for a rapid subject change.

"Right, right," he said, turning back to the teenagers in front of him, "Alright, smartass - let's see what you've got!" Faster than Ichigo could see - without even removing a limiter - the bald man took stance, pulling a naginata neatly out of thin air. Ichigo watched him in shock; was this the same as Orihime had been able to do with her healing and that shield of hers?

"What the hell!" he cried, not even bothering to remove his own limiter, "How did you do that?!" Instead of answering him, however, the larger man attacked, swinging his pike down towards Ichigo's head. As the blade streaked towards him, Ichigo realized painfully late that he had made a grave miscalculation.

Before the blade could make contact, though, there was a flash of red and white in front of Ichigo. He looked up to see Chad's massive, armored arms shielding him from the weapon, his coin necklace dangling from one of his hands.

"What, you wanna take his place or something, big guy?" the bald man said, disinterested, "Doesn't matter to me. One way or the other, you come into this house, you better be ready to fight."

"Go deliver your letter, Ichigo," Chad intoned calmly, taking a stance as well. Ichigo simply balked.

"You're not serious, are you?" he pressed, unwilling to let his friend take the blows for him, "You don't even have a swo--"

Before he could continue, Shuuhei grabbed his wrist and began moving at high speed towards a door farther back in the room.

"He's covering for you, so let's go," the older demon said, pushing through the door with an unwilling Ichigo in tow. The others watched the two retreat before turning back to face one another, Renji off to the side, spectating.

"Madarame Ikkaku," the bald man said, grinning with unbridled mirth. Chad merely looked at him passively as he leveled his spear at him.

"Sado Yasutora," he acknowledged with a nod, realizing that the other demon had introduced himself to him. He had not only volunteered for this bout to help Ichigo out; he also wanted to see the results of his own training, to prove to himself that he was growing. There was no reason to be rude if the other demon wasn't going to be. Rationally, he thought this would be like any other sparring session at Wrath House.

"Alright, Sado Yasutora," Ikkaku returned, his grin completely predatory now, "Let's see what you've got!"