Surprise
Orihime looked at the recipe in her hands very carefully. It was of the utmost importance that she follow the recipe exactly, no add-ins or extra flavors. Apple Pie had to be made in exactly this way. If it wasn't exact and perfect, Tatsuki-chan wasn't going to eat it. Orihime knew this for a fact. She'd tried to alter it several times before, adding chili or even bacon, but Tatsuki-chan, who'd always tried all of Orihime's things before, simply wouldn't touch it. She didn't even compliment Orihime's creative thinking the way she usually did.
She'd put good money on Ryo not even being able to bake.
~!~
Tatsuki was kind of getting the hang of this hair styling thing thanks to her conversations with Rhona. Rhona was a senior Pote who had the unfortunate luck of running into a witch when she was five. It had taken her two years to escape the witch and while Tatsuki's curse wasn't as intense as the damage Rhona had suffered, the two girls had something they could communicate over. The crimson haired slayer had sent over a whole box of enchanted hair things made by the Watcher's Wiccan Council. One of the enchanted clips was in Tatsuki's hand right now. A strange, solid, ring made from jade and silver was looped around the thick coil of hair.
"Now just run it along to the bottom," Rhona's voice came over the computer screen. Her accent was thick and Tatsuki's English was struggling to keep up with the Irish woman. She did as told however, letting out a shout when the strands began to braid themselves. "Right, now when it get where you want the braid to end, squeeze it."
With a bright green glow, the jade ring tightened around the cable braid.
"Thank you Rhona," Tatsuki waved at the computer. "I have to go to school now. We'll talk later?"
"Of course we will!" Rhona snorted before turning her end off. "Happy Birthday just in case."
Tatsuki tried not to sigh at the blank screen. Easy enough when Ryo and Mizuiro were shouting at her from downstairs. Rhona had brought something up that Tatsuki was trying very hard to forget. Her birthday was this upcoming Friday and while before she could simply write it off that her birthday never went according to her plans, now she knew that it was because of a fan club that her life was always so chaotic. Her friends shouted for her once more and the slayer hurried her pace down to the front door. She hadn't taken that long, though it seemed she'd been late enough for Ichigo and Orihime to join them. Tatsuki slipped her shoes on before walking out the door, something somewhat closer to the loafers she used the wear, and joined the others on the sidewalk.
"You need to start waking up with me," Ryo hummed as she handed Tatsuki's school bag over. "I like the braid."
"Me too," Tatsuki laughed. "It's lighter this way."
"Maybe Tatsuki-chan should wear it in curls," Orihime stepped over to them as they started walking. "With a nice bow? Or maybe just some hair pins, like a noble lady!"
"I only wear that kind of thing at family events," Tatsuki shook her head. "I'm not a fan of curls either, they remind me of octopus."
"You're still not over that?" Ichigo asked from behind her. He was smiling at her, she could tell by the look on Orihime and Ryo's faces.
"Shut up," Tatsuki mumbled. She chanced a look behind her and immediately refocused on the sidewalk in front of her. He had been smiling, teasing and soft; if she had been upset at him for anything else there was a high chance she'd have forgiven him as soon as she saw that smile.
"Octopus?" Ryo asked. It was sarcastic and just what Tatsuki needed to shake loose. "You're afraid of octopus?"
"We were at the cherry blossom festival in fifth grade," Ichigo began.
"Don't you dare Kurosaki!" Tatsuki turned on him. He was still smiling at her, happy that she was shouting at him, which didn't make any sense at all even though it did. Mizuiro and Ryo weren't ready for his silence however, neither was Orihime or the recent addition of Ishida. She could hear them wanting to know, eager and impatient, but if Ichigo told them of the incident it would just be one more thing she could add to the list.
"Alright."
Tatsuki relaxed somewhat at his single word. Such a simple agreement over so small a thing. Tatsuki turned around and started walking towards school once more, ignoring the sound of Orihime and Keigo as they begged to know. Tatsuki only walked faster, to the point Ryo was one of the few keeping pace with her. The runner grabbed hold of Tatsuki's arm at one point, slowing her down just enough that she wasn't jogging to keep up. The others were at least a block behind them by then. It made things better, putting a visible distance between them.
"So, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Ryo asked as they waited for the stop light. "Friday night, a new club is opening down by the garment district."
"That could be fun," Tatsuki nodded. "I almost forgot about my birthday to be honest."
"Well your fan club didn't," Ryo pointed at a bakery they were passing. A sign was up in the window claiming that no more orders were going to be taken until the day after Tatsuki birthday. "I bet there's a shortage on apples too."
~!~
Tatsuki wasn't awakened by the sound of her alarm clock, rather, she woke to the sound of the flute. Three flutes right outside of her window and down on the lawn. Tatsuki grumbled and turned to look at her alarm. It was 5:30 in the morning. She wasn't supposed to wake up for another hour at least. The slayer sat up in bed, nearly snarling at those who stood outside of her window as she threw the window open. Ten people stood on her front lawn with bright and hopeful faces. Some offering gifts, others holding up pies and no less than five people with instruments in hand.
"Get the hell off my lawn!" Tatsuki shouted at them. "And if I hear anyone wake me up before 6:45 ever again we are going to have some serious problems."
Tatsuki slammed her window shut and let out a growling breath. She had been slaying until at least 3 last night, chasing down several troublesome vampire before going to mediate a disagreement between a shaman and an exorcist. Grumbling the whole way to the bathroom, Tatsuki resolved to sit in the bathtub until 6:45, just letting the last twenty-four hours melt away in order to make it through the next.
She almost fell asleep twice in the tub, just too tired from her duty to return to her normal life. That life wasn't really hers anyway. She wasn't sure it ever had been. Sure she had friends and she enjoyed the real world, but it almost seemed as though she was more suited to kimono and tea service in the daytime and leather pants and beheadings at night. She got to fight all she wanted now, without worrying about holding back or insulting someone accidentally. There wasn't any worry that she couldn't be feminine like Orihime or Kuchiki. She didn't need to be feminine like them because she was a slayer. A hunter in the night and they were...they were day lilies. She was a night blossom, that was when she was at her best.
Tatsuki heard Ryo's alarm go off and moved her foot to pull the drain. A few foot gestures later and the shower was turned on. That meant standing up and she'd get to that at some point.
Tatsuki yawned as she walked to school with the others, waving the fervent club members away as they hurried forward to offer her coffee. She didn't want coffee, she wanted to go back in time and fall asleep until her birthday was over and done with. A certain friend hadn't agreed with that idea; Ryo had come into the bathroom in the middle of Tatsuki's shower to do her make-up. She'd also thrown Tatsuki's clothes at her when the slayer wasn't moving quite fast enough.
"Don't glare at me," Ryo sniffed.
"I will glare at anyone who walks in front of me today," Tatsuki grumbled.
"Two hours of sleep does not a happy Tatsuki make," Mizuiro teased from beside them.
For the first time since their return, Ichigo and the others weren't walking next to them. It might have had something to do with the fact they were being guarded by Dragon Moon, but Tatsuki somehow wasn't convinced of that. There was also the possibility the Club had successfully managed to divert the ghost hunters. Orihime had talked to her nonstop yesterday, eager to take Tatsuki to Playland for her birthday, if that was the case Tatsuki was feeling a little grateful for the club.
She started to change her mind once they got to school. Her acknowledgment of the club had somehow given them permission to turn the front yard of the school into a runway. Boys from numerous schools were standing on either side of the crimson painted sidewalk and cameras were flashing nonstop. A riot nearly erupted when she began walking onto school grounds, growing in volume when Ryo tossed a single photograph into the roaring mass.
"How the hell did I not notice this for so long?" Tatsuki asked as they escaped the club. Yamada was standing by the door, too used to this sort of thing it seemed. He shut the door tight behind the girls, locking it up with a satisfied grin.
"I'm not sure, but I've been waiting to lock them out sine you came here," Yamada brushed his hands off. "Now get to class, both of you."
The two girls nodded and headed for class, noting with some confusion the amount of apple pie that had been shoved into the trashcan by the lockers. Every can along the way seemed to have a pie in it and judging by the deep scowl on Ichigo's face, she could tell who had been throwing them away. He was even licking a finger when she walked in. That was very unfair. Aside from the fact the entire building smelled of her favorite food, his mouth was making the slayer wake up.
~!~
When school ended she was quite sure of two things. One, she really wanted apple pie. It had been thrust at her in between every break only to be jerked away from her by Ichigo and thrown into the trash. 'It could be drugged' he'd defended, and while he did have a point, Ichigo was the second thing she was sure of. In particular she was damn sure of the fact that she needed to be far away from him. He kept doing things that were unfairly sexy and whenever she was assaulted by her club he popped up in between them, his broad back shielding her from the very sight of her fanclub. The scent of him and apple pie was driving the slayer mad and the cage of control she'd been working on for so many years was falling apart.
Thank god for Yukimura. Even if the two of them only shared bad taste in men and a general dislike for people who wasted time, the teacher had called her back after class like usual, giving her the chance to escape the throngs waiting outside. The teacher expertly played the role of disappointed instructor while Tatsuki 'forced' herself to drudge to her desk. Yukimua was digging through her desk as the class filed out, complaining about late papers and a distinct lack of respect for authority.
"But enough about Kurosaki," Yukimura smiled as the door slid shut. She lifted a small parcel from the drawer. "Here. I know, it's not fancy or anything, but I think you deserve it."
A small apple pie was handed over, no bigger than a cupcake.
"Thank you," Tatsuki breathed out. The slayer hopped onto one of the desks and began to eat. "Oh, this is good. Did you make it?"
"No." Yukimura shook her head with a laugh. "I can't cook to save my life. My fiance made that, he had the same sort of fanclub problems."
"The bad boy?" Tatsuki asked as she caught a falling piece of pie crust.
"No, Yusuke and I were too different." Yukimura glanced over the test in her hands, frowning in confusion. "He ended up with someone like you actually. Although she doesn't run when they have issues."
"I'm not running." Tatsuki took the last bite. "I'm just...I mean, I just want him to meet me halfway." Tatsuki shook her head. "No. No, I want him to chase me for a while. That's what I want."
"Well he's certainly rising to the occasion," Yukimura smiled at her. "Just make sure to let him catch you."
Tatsuki nodded before she wadded up the paper and threw it away. Yukimura studiously avoided looking as Tatsuki grabbed her backpack and jumped from the window. As she fell, she noticed something she should have seen sooner. Someone was walking out of the building, bag resting on their head to keep the sun off.
"I need to look before I leap," Tatsuki pushed herself up from the person she'd landed on. Orange hair and dark eyes were looking up at her in confusion causing her to scramble off. Her scrambling and his scuttling were only successful in tangling their limbs further. The bars of that cage were creaking and his hands were hot on her waist as he tried to lift her off of his form. "Stop moving!"
Ichigo stopped moving, allowing Tatsuki to fully push herself off of him. She was on her feet and grabbing her bag seconds later before looking for her tenshi. They were always waiting for her here, so where were they? Why was she standing alone with Ichigo after landing on top of him? There wasn't a lot of time to stand and wonder, she could hear the stampede that was her fanclub coming ever closer.
Ichigo's hand wrapped around her wrist and began to pull her along behind him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm saving you."
Ichigo pulled them to the right, down a corridor Tatsuki had never entered before. The two hid in the shadows as a group of club members rushed past, shouting and crying as the scent of apples and cinnamon followed in a cloying fog. As she hid in the shadow, pressed in between the wall and Ichigo's chest, she knew no one else would do. All day he'd been pushing her behind him, now he was pulling her close, possessive in a way that made the Slayer want to purr.
"I have to find Ryo," Tatsuki breathed as the last of the club members disappeared from view. "We're going out later."
"You might want to tell Orihime that," Ichigo snorted softly. "She planned a party at your house. Ryo went to go stop her."
Tatsuki let her head fall against the cement wall before leaving the cage that Ichigo had created with his arms. Tatsuki didn't like surprise parties and Ryo didn't like Orhime, two very bad things were about to happen tonight. It didn't really count as a surprise party though; Ichigo had told her about it while he was rescuing her. She didn't need to glance over to know he was following her home, still protecting her from the fan club, and possibly helping her to break up the pending fight between Ryo and Orihime. Why the two girls disliked one another Tatsuki would never know; Ryo never wanted to explain.
She could hear the commotion going on at the manor before she saw it. Loud music and shouting had the two tens running to the scene, pushing through lingering fans and dodging cars until they saw the manor proper. Surely enough, Ryo was standing opposite Orihime, Chad in between them as Ichigo's Shinigami friends tried to calm the situation. Ryo saw Tatsuki first, turning and silently begging her to move Chad out of the way. The onslaught of noise and spiritual energy grew when everyone noticed she and Ichigo had arrived. Enhanced senses combined with a sensitivity to spirits actually had her moving closer to Ichigo in hopes he might block everything with his energy. They were just coming closer and now Ichigo had joined in on the shouting.
"Stop!" Tatsuki's shout wasn't high pitched or deep but it made them shut up. Most of them calmed down and reeled their energy back in. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask and a lots of words she wanted to say but none of them were nice or calm. "What the...Who..." Tatsuki shook her head and let out a breath, settling on the nicest question she could think of. "Why is my house full of people I don't know?"
"Oh! Well Ryo followed me here-"
"I live here," Ryo cut her off.
"That doesn't mean-" Tatsuki shushed them both before they started arguing again. Orihime refocused under the slayer's glare. "I invited everyone over so you could learn the ropes of hunting hollows!" Orihime came closer and Tatsuki had to hold an arm in front of Ryo to keep things from getting bad. "I mean, now that you're a spiritualist..."
"I'm not..." Tatsuki took a deep breath and tried to reign in and organize her thoughts.
She couldn't. There was no way to react to this situation in a reasonable manner because the situation itself wasn't so out of place. The slayer sighed and turned away from the house, walking away from the front door and back to the street. What the hell was she supposed to do? Her front yard had people milling about in it and she could hear people inside of the house. Ryo was behind her making quietly mean comments to Orihime and Ichigo...he was standing silent behind her. Not too close to her and not exactly behind her, but standing between herself and the sudden influx of people in her life.
When a shining black car pulled around the corner, Tatsuki had never been so happy or relieved. That was her mother's car. The driver was right there in front, crisp suit and dark glasses over his eyes and a smile on his face. He even waved to her before turning to speak to the back seat. Tatsuki's mother was always there when she really needed her. Always. The people behind Tatsuki fell silent when the car stopped in front of the manor and the driver hopped out.
"Ojou," The driver nodded as her opened the rear door.
A delicate hand was the first thing to come out, so much like Tatsuki's own, followed by a great and billowing sleeve of bright white silk. The driver took the hand and helped Mother out from the car. The traditional robes of an onmyoji had always been something Tatsuki had dreaded. Yards of white and crimson silk spilled out of the car with every step Mother took. It was almost like looking into the future for Tatsuki. A very slight woman with a very large attitude, dressed in formal robes only because she needed to be and very eager to get out of them. The woman pursed her lips and looked at the people gathered around her before turning sharp eyes onto Tatsuki.
"Ito, go see if the cook needs any help," Arisawa Mai waved him off. "And wash the car."
The driver nodded, bowing quickly before moving to drive the car around back. Mai pulled a fan from her obi and flipped it open, scowling at the people on her lawn once more before she returned her gaze to her daughter.
"Welcome home Mother," Tatsuki bowed to the intimidating woman.
"My home would be far more welcoming if it was empty."
"I'm very sorry," Tatsuki apologized.
"Did you arrange this malady on my senses?" Mai asked shrewdly. "I can already tell you didn't. So who did? Hm?" The entire crowd stiffened with the energy coming off of Mai. "Was it you Kurosaki? No, you're much too cowardly to cross me...so who was it?"
Tatsuki was certain that her mother was the only person who could call Ichigo a coward and not get a reaction.
"Uh, it was me, Arisawa-san," Orihime took a shaking step forward. "I wanted to introduce Tatsuki-chan to, well, that is to say..."
"My daughter is perfectly capable of finding her own companions Orihime-shi," Mai cut her off. The woman began to walk up the path to the front door, only barely pleased when Rukia opened the front door for her. "If you're done you can leave. All of you. You're clogging up my wards with your lack of restraint and death energy."
"Arisawa no Kimi," Rukia bowed low before the woman. Her entire demeanor had shifted to match that of Mai's. "Seireitei most fervently wishes to pay their respects tot he Arisawa Clan on this day."
Rukia remained bowed as the Onmyoji cast her eyes about those still on the lawn before looking at the guests lined up just inside the door. She snapped her fan shut and waved Tatsuki to her side.
"Go and change. The quicker we finish the sooner they will leave," Mai told her. Tatsuki nodded and hurried through the throng of people gathered to go and change. Ryo flickered to her side in seconds while the maid passed them to attend to her mother.
~!~
Onmyoji Mai no Sugisawa of the Arisawa clan was sipping tea on a low dias beneath a cherry tree, watching everyone with hawk eyes and pursed lips. Her gaze made every Shinigami turn to stone and the Vaizard had turned back into the officers they once were. Even Urahara had straightened his attire and removed his hat. Then again, if they claimed the woman was a master of Yin and Yang magic, it was entirely possible that was the reason Tatsuki had begun fighting. Any human that turned a Shinigami into a cowering mass was alright by Ishida. Anyone that made Ichigo turn into a rigid, borderline nervous wreck, less so. Ichigo had straightened his uniform as much as possible and his hair was neater than it had been in the beginning of the day. He looked uncomfortable with the way things were working out; he had been since Orihime suggested the party.
"That's Arisawa's mother?" Ishida asked Ichigo as they sat in the atrium. Anything to try and break the nervous tension floating through the air. Mai's eyes seemed to snap over to them at Ishida's question.
"Yes," Ichigo answered, keeping eye contact with the woman. "I knew this was a bad idea." His answer was not assuring, in fact, it only made Uryuu realize that this wasn't something they would be forgiven for any time soon. If at all. There would be no laughter in a few minutes and the smallest insult to the priestess in front of them could very well ruin the day.
"I still don't understand why Tatsuki-chan's mother wouldn't want her to have a party," Orihime whispered quietly beside them.
"It's not that," Ichigo whispered back. "It's the way you did it. Tatsuki hates surprise parties and Mai hates when people upset Tatsuki."
"She punched me once," Chad hummed in agreement.
Ishida could see the way Ichigo tensed at Chad's words. He was expecting Mai to punish him, to scold him and possibly even ban him from the manor. Was that why he was being so respectful? Or had Mai beaten it into him the same way Tatsuki had? His questions were cut short when someone else walked into the atrium. Ishida's own father walked up and bowed before taking an empty seat to Mai's left. Mai leaned over to whisper to the doctor, fan hiding her mouth from sight as she made the doctor smile. Ishida kept thinking back to the incidents where Tatsuki was sitting in his father's office. Sometimes Ryo was there, sometimes not, but the way his father looked at Mai and Tatsuki both...He would not think about that.
The door of the cherry atrium opened once more to reveal the girl they'd all been waiting for. She entered in a wave of crimson silk and liquid obsidian. Gold thread glittered in the sunlight that fell from above them and Ishida swore that this girl must have walked out of a history book. Tatsuki made her way through the aisle of people and knelt down beside her mother. It was like placing a phoenix in a cage full of crows and doves; you couldn't not look at her. Ryo was walking behind her, calm and demure in a blush colored kimono, a faded after image of the princess she was following.
Ishida wouldn't have imagined Arisawa could look like that. She'd always been Arisawa, martial artist and tomboy, Ichigo's old childhood friend who'd punched him onto his ass more times than anyone. When they came back from Hueco Mundo she'd turned into something else, a dangerous kind of girl who was rough and sexy, you wanted to touch her and avoid her all at once. Right now Arisawa looked like the most refined and perfectly delicate court lady imaginable. Ishida glanced over at his friend. The look on Ichigo's face was surprising and predicted all at once. Surprising because he was openly displaying it; Ishida had known for a long time how the boy felt about Arisawa.
"You may declare yourselves," Mai waved her fan at those gathered.
Urahara went up first. He was smiling at Mai as he pulled something from his jacket. A box of candy, bight and cheerful, it almost seemed out of place. Mizuiro took it from him before handing it back to Ryo. Tatsuki took it from her, thanking Urahara with a small though genuine smile. It was very odd, watching as Urahara introduced the representatives of the spirit world, speaking only of their positive qualities; the way he spoke made them sound dreadful. Mai was smirking ever so slightly at his descriptions. Particularly his description of the 'humbly born Lieutenant of the sixth division'.
Late last night Rukia and Renji had arrived after being granted leave for Tatsuki's birthday. No one could quite figure out why until Urahara showed up and explained Yamamoto's approval of 'the lady slayer'. That was what made a gift from the captain commander expected, even if the knowledge wasn't. The gift was nothing particularly dangerous or even useful in Ishida's opinion, but whatever strange meaning was associated with the plate was enough to make Mai's eyes light up with pride. Renji stop at that however. He and several of the more aggressive shinigami had made up a gift basket of sorts with Unohana's help; that succeeded in making Tatsuki smile. In turn, Renji was able to return to his seat with a sigh of relief.
"From the noble house Kuchiki, I bring a book of demons," Rukia spoke. Even a blind man could see the complete confusion on Rukia's face. Her brother had sent her with a very specific gift for a single human girl he'd never met or heard of outside of Yamamoto's briefing. She set the item in Ryo's hands and it traveled up to the Arisawa women. "It is all the spirit world has collected over the years on the demons of Living Japan. The kuchiki clan hopes it is of aide."
Rukia didn't have a great deal of time to say anything else, Mai was dismissing her with hardly a word of thanks and asking for the next batch of people. The Vaizard. She must have heard of them, and to see Mai's face, she rather liked them. They had a collection of things ready for Tatsuki, all of which were seemingly normal items. A hair pin, a painting, books and cds, normal things a teenaged girl would want. One of the books had both Ryo and Tatsuki blushing bright red while Risa only smiled. She bowed low before moving backwards and returning to her seat, never once turning her back on he onmyoji.
"Ishida." Mai's voice cut through the atrium. The sharp sound was ennunciated by the snap of spiritual energy she sent out. Like a rubber band snapped against your skin, it made everyone flinch before disappearing, only Tatsuki and Mai seemed unaffected by it while Ichigo's teeth had grit at the feeling. "I see your son has attended."
"He has," the doctor agreed. "As your family follows the Onmyodo, so my son follows that path of the Quincy."
Ishida was quite unnerved by the woman's stare. He could understand now why Ichigo was so tightly wound before. Her hawk eyes could see right through into your soul, judging your light against your darkness. The Arisawa matron waved him forward with her fan and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward. Every fiber of his being told him to go the other way.
"Ishida Uryuu," Mai hummed. "Your family has been vassals of the Arisawa clan for centuries. I first met your grandfather on Rougetsu, and then your father in Sugisawa. Are you going to follow in those footsteps as well? Or will I continue to suffer cleaning up the spiritual residue of an amateur purifier?"
What could he say? He couldn't very well insult the woman in her own home on Tatsuki's birthday. While he wasn't great friends with Arisawa, she wasn't a shinigami and she was fighting something that fell under Quincy jurisdiction. His grandfather had spent a lot of time explaining demons and the danger they posed, not just to humans but to shinigami and benign spirits as well. He'd talked of the great hunts he and his friend Kenji would go on before they grew too old to keep up. Things were suddenly very clear to Ishida. His grandfather and Kenji, his father and Mai...a quincy and a balance keeper.
"I would be honored," Ishida bowed low to the floor.
"Rise and sit beside your father," Mai spoke easily. "You, Yasutora is it? You may approach."
Ishida sat beside his father for the first time in many years, watching the strangest birthday party he'd ever seen. A glance to his right showed that while Tatsuki knew this role very well, she was hideously bored with the whole thing. Seeing how her family behaved explained so much about Tatsuki herself. Her calm reactions to seeing ghosts and magic, her slightly abrasive, though formal, way of interacting with people. It explained her reactions to others most of all. Modest and blushing like the perfect damsel while she struck out at those who'd offended her; just like her mother.
Chad's voice was clear and strong as he presented his gift to Tatsuki's mother. The tall Mexican was gifting them with a cd from back home. A punk rock band he remembered Tatsuki had been interested in. He'd written down translations of the songs as well, so she could better understand what the singer was trying to say. Chad bowed in a more western style as he waited for Mai to release him. Ishida was very confused by the way Chad acted. While everyone else had spoken only to Mai, they'd given their gifts to Tatsuki. Chad hadn't paid any mind to Tatsuki in the entire time he was up there. The man was dismissed and Orihime came up next.
Ishida was frustrated for the girl. She was so sweet and kind, and while the party may not have been the best idea, she'd done it to be closer to her friend. Anyone could see that. Everyone could see the irritation on Tatsuki's face earlier too. The big revelation party and birthday bash had nose dived into a cold hell for Orihime. Perhaps that was the price for trying to ambush what was once your best friend. He would never understand the way girls behaved around one another and he never wanted to get involved in a fight between them. Ishida's brow twitched as he realized being a vassal meant just that.
"I uhm, I wanted to give you this," Orihime passed the box up directly, stepping over people to hand it to Tatsuki. Mai was flipping her fan open and closed as her lips pursed in annoyance. Tatsuki herself was unable to do much more than take the box being pushed towards her while Ryo was decidedly angry at the ginger girl. She did in fact push Orihime back a bit.
"Will you sit down?" Mai finally grit out, pointing with her fan to the place Everyone else had knelt in front of her. "This is a gifting, not a circus."
"Oh!" Orihime laughed nervously and opened her mouth to speak again. The look on Mai's face was not interested in listening. When Orihime moved back to where Mai was pointing she continued speaking to Tatsuki. "I thought it would be nice if we could have tea parties together now that we're both hunting monsters. We could have our own princess club now, with matching costumes and..."
Orihime continued on as Tatsuki pulled the frothy blue mass from it's containment. Sky blue and covered in lace, the lolita dress was something to make the girliest of girls squeal in delight. It certainly would look ideal at a tea party but everyone could see that Tatsuki was not that kind of princess. She was the princess who wore kimono while someone else served tea and snuck out of the castle wearing leather pants. Not that he'd ever tell Ichigo he'd seen Tatsuki in her leather pants.
As Tatsuki calmly found the words to thank Orihime, the door leading from the house opened up and a dark haired westerner came quietly in with a stack of boxes. Mai was almost smirking at the stranger's appearance and Tatsuki, well, she was completely distracted.
"Faith," Mai waved the woman forward. She was smiling fully now. Something great and terrible and dangerously beautiful. "I'm glad you could make it."
Faith sauntered forward with all the grace of a jungle cat. She was much like Tatsuki, though more practiced at the dangerous beauty their companion had begun to exude. She was the smile of Arisawa Mai personified and even that wasn't quite enough to explain the woman in the designer suit. Ishida knew this was the woman who was teaching Tatsuki the ways of monster hunting. Orihime shifted nervously while Ichigo's shoulders had tensed, ready to leap in between Tatsuki and this woman.
"I wouldn't miss my little sister's birthday for the world."
That single sentence made the entire atrium fall deathly silent. Even breath stopped as they processed the idea that Tatsuki had a half sister. A sister whom Mai seemed quite happy to see taking a seat to Tatsuki's left. She was so very casual in her demeanor, sticking out while fitting in just right. Mai leaned over to Tatsuki as Faith shoved the frothy dress back into it's box and handed it to Ryo in exchange for one of her own. Mai's whispered words were causing the teens eyes to widen in shock and joy as she glanced between Faith and Mai.
"I baked you a pie too!" Orihime smiled brightly, breaking into the quiet speech of the three women on the dias. "It's in the kitchen right now, the strange woman in there seemed a little unhappy, but I made it exactly the way you like it."
Mai leaned over to listen to Tatsuki whisper into her ear.
"Your gift will find use," Mai spoke for Tatsuki. "I do wonder however, why you have never introduced yourself to me, I hardly know more than your name, and even that is... You may present yourself tomorrow at four pm." Mai shifted and looked past Orihime. Mai's eyes grazed over Ichigo's form, the snapping rubber band feeling directed solely at the teen before she looked across everyone else.
"Faith, I would presume you have gifts for your sister?" Mai's voice was so much softer when she spoke to Faith.
The dangerous woman in the designer clothing grinned before leaning over to grab the box beside Ryo. Tatsuki's stake had disappeared somewhere when faith leaned forward, presumably into her sleeve. When Faith handed the small box over, the glee in Tatsuki's face lit the entire atrium up. A pair of gloves came out and were slid onto dainty looking hands. They were studded with silver and made from an unknown leather practically dripping with enchantments. The woman, Faith, explained the details of the gift in English. A subject Ishida still struggled with.
"She's explaining that the gloves are designed for street fighting slayers," Doctor Ishida explained in a whisper. "Your mother would have loved them."
"You never talk about her." Ishida watched as the kimono clad heiress slid the gloves on and punched the air.
"I know." The doctor's fist tightened ever so slightly. "I'd rather lose you to a hollow than a demon. With a hollow, you have a chance at reincarnation."
"Tatsuki, Lady Slayer and heiress to the Arisawa Onmyodo clan, I would present this gift to you." Mai grabbed everyone's attention once more and Tatsuki pulled her gloves off. Mai pulled a long black box from her sleeve and handed it off to Tatsuki.
Ishida watched with as much fascination as anyone else in the room as Tatsuki pulled a stake from the box. The wood was so dark it bordered on black while elaborate silver detailing crawled along it like vines.
"This is the stake of the previous slayer, Ishida Shie." Mai's words made Ishida's breath catch; his father's hand came to rest on his shoulder, gripping tight for his own support. "Carved from the petrified wood of the Judas tree, cleansed with holy water, and emblazoned with the silver of thirteen coins, it will serve you as faithfully as it did my friend."
There was a dangerous glint in Tatsuki's eyes, hungry and battle ready as she twirled the stake between her fingers, back and forth with a skill few possessed. There was a beast inside of her to rival Ichigo's and it was closer to the surface. Not a hollow and certainly not evil, it had Tatsuki flipping her new toy once in the air before catching it and twirling it yet again. She was a warrior who had found a new weapon. It was not a weapon for fighting ghosts, contrary to what Orihime might try to convince herself of, it was a weapon for killing someone brutally. The way the beast inside of her craved.
"Oh!" Faith smiled brightly. "I have one other thing." She tossed a ziplock bag over to Tatsuki. "I burned all of your panties."
Ishida watched as Tatsuki pulled a bag of ashes from the box in her lap. His father had just confessed a great deal to him and the American woman was saying something about fire and underpants. The entire group inside of the atrium stopped thinking as they registered the words that had come out of Faith's mouth. The woman grinned wickedly before bounding away faster than any human aught have and Tatsuki, in a very rare moment, blushed petal pink. Tatsuki shifted to rise, sleeves catching under her knees as she cursed and broke the image of propriety, her hair fell from it's coif and no few curses spilled from her lips. By the time she stood, she was shouting up a storm, bag of ashes in one hand as she ran through the atrium.
"What just happened?" Orihime asked quietly. She was still sitting in front of the dias and just as confused as anyone else in the room.
"My stepdaughter seems to have set fire to Tatsuki's underthings. Obviously." Mai smirked and flipped her fan open while a heavy thump sounded from Ichigo's direction.
"Why?" Tatsuki shouted as she struggled out of the kimono. "Why did you burn my underwear?!"
"Mostly to see if your not-boyfriend would pass out," Faith smirked from Tatsuki's bed. "Relax, I only burned the ugly ones. And I replaced them with sexy slayerwear."
Tatsuki looked at the 'cheeky' hanging from Faith's fingers with a raised brow. It was a mix between a thong and a boyshort and she knew that the very second she went into public wearing it, the wind would pick up and someone was sure to see.
"I got you something else too," Faith leaned over while Tatsuki gained the upper hand against the silk. As Tatsuki stepped out of the crumpled garment, Faith began to unzip a garment bag. Inside was something simple and blue. A dress. "Lesson Three Moon-baby. For all we do, for as much as we use sex and violence, sometimes it's okay to just be a girl. To have a crush on a boy and to pick flowers. Or even sit down and watch a romance movie. I have a dress back in Baltimore, it's pink with flowers on it."
Tatsuki moved closer to the simple blue dress in the garment bag. Her fingers grazed the simple cotton almost fearfully. The younger slayer let out a determined breath before she picked the dress up and began to put it on. The very act of putting it on had become something foreign to her. Kimono and school uniforms were one thing, dressing to kill was another, but each of those had a purpose. The slayer adjusted the hem and went to look in the mirror. She'd changed so much over the winter. She'd stopped binding herself for practice and the sudden growth of her hair had given her one more layer in the slayer/heiress/schoolgirl cake that made her. Faith had shown her the Sexy layer and now she was exposing the Girl layer.
"No one can be just one thing." Faith leaned back on Tatsuki's bed. "Humans aren't built like that. Especially not women."
"Are we really blood sisters?" Tatsuki asked. The dress was actually kind of nice. It made her feel like a girl...and dammit she Was a girl. She was an awesome layer cake girl.
"Dad and I ran into each other in Chicago last week and your mother was there...we ended up hiding from a drake in some wizard's kitchen for like, three hours. Dad confessed and Mai's wizard buddies decided not to kill us." Faith shrugged. "It just gives me more of a reason to spoil you and fuck with that starry-eyed ginger kid."
Tatsuki was almost surprised to see Dr. Ishida and his son still sitting in the atrium when she came back down. Faith had followed her down and disappeared a few seconds ago. The two of them were speaking very quietly to one another with drawn faces. It was the only the two of them standing in the atrium, Ryo and the others were gone, as were the Shinigami and the old Spray Gang. The two men stopped talking to look at her; they were so similar and so very different.
"Where's mom?" Tatsuki asked.
"I believe she went to the dining room," Dr. Ishida answered. "Before you leave, I have a gift for you as well."
Tatsuki walked back into the atrium, trying to ignore the look she was getting from Uryuu for wearing a dress. The doctor pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Tatsuki took it, thanking the man before she even opened it. It was a bracelet. Strands of silver chain had been woven and braided together with odd looking stones carved with what she assumed were quincy runes.
"It's a protective bracelet," the doctor explained as she pulled it from the box. He moved to clasp it around her wrist, pausing as Uryuu surprised them both by doing it for the slayer. "It's a bit more lasting than some charm."
"Thank you." Tatsuki knew the jab was meant for the absent Isshin, that was why she smiled at the doctor. "I should let you two get back to..." She waved her hand.
"I'd rather speak with you a moment," Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "If that's alright."
"I guess," Tatsuki nodded. She wasn't pissed of at him for betraying her trust and Doc seemed happy that his son was taking a break from their super intense talk. The slayer began to walk towards the dining room, pausing for only a moment to make sure Uryuu was following her. He was.
It was a few minutes before he spoke up.
"That bracelet is usually given to the daughters of Quincy," Uryuu explained. "When an aggressive spirit attacks her, the bracelet reacts and throws them off."
"Well, when you have a daughter I'll be sure to hand it back," Tatsuki assured him. "Unless you're upset that a Slayer has it instead of you."
"Hardly." The teen beside her snorted at the idea. "I was more concerned with the idea my father was attempting to win the favor of your mother. He has a certain affection for y..."
"Stop," Tatsuki put up a hand. They'd reached the dining room doors. "Okay? Just stop...I don't really want to think about my mom and your dad..." Tatsuki shook her head of the image, hair swinging about her. "I'm not ready for a stepdad, hell, I barely know my dad-dad."
The slayer walked into the room to see that she wasn't the only one who'd changed clothes between then and now. She was also a bit surprised to see who was no longer there. All that remained were her tenshi and her family, though there wasn't much of a difference between the two. Faith had beaten her down here and Tatsuki could hear Dr. Ishida coming up behind herself and his son. Her jeans and t-shirt wearing mother was the first to notice her entering. Mai looked more like herself now, with a messy ponytail and a causal bearing, Tatsuki actually felt like she was home.
"Give us a spin," Mai gestured, grinning.
Everyone turned to look, Ryo clapping in approval while Keigo began to recite overly dramatic prose. Tatsuki couldn't help but turn for them. She couldn't help smiling either. She took the seat beside her mother after her spin, allowing herself to begin relaxing after the earlier events. The maid and the cook brought out the first course of the meal, joining them at the table with the valet and the gardener. Dr. Ishida and Uryuu pulled up a place as well, though the latter looked faintly uncomfortable. That would change soon enough.
"How is school holding up under the slayer weight?" Mai asked as they began to eat.
"Ryo's been helping me out with it," Tatsuki admitted. "How is...the magic business?"
Tatsuki wondered if perhaps her mother was going to catch something on fire. The woman began to tell her exactly what was going on in her council of magic users. A very troublesome wizard, Faith was backing Mai up on her description of the Dresden man, had been getting into a lot of better left untouched situations. Already being watched for having used dark magic, the man just kept toeing that line.
"I learned my lesson about that," Faith laughed sadly. "I also should have stayed put a bit longer."
"No you should not have," Mai snorted. "Duty must often be placed before the self. You've repented quite enough in the eyes of Onmyodo. Perhaps more than was expected. This man has not. Will not admit to wrong doing. He believes the end justified the means. Some might agree with him, but We cannot."
Dinner conversation had much less to do with ethics and morals and a lot more to do with Faith taking the tenshi out after that. A gift from the council to Tatsuki and her team for a job well done. The lead slayer had a soft spot for teams of friends and figuring things out as you went. She was even okay with robbing the local museum for a slayer sword, not that anyone would come out and say it directly.
"We almost forgot," Keigo spoke up, pulling a giftbag from under the table. "By our funding combined, we give you your birthday gift!"
"Hiten may have let it slip that he knew a smith," Ryo hummed as she passed the giftbag down to Tatsuki. "So we all pitched in and...convinced him to make you something."
Tatsuki pulled the item out of the giftbag, ignoring the catcalls from Faith as she held it up. It was strappy leather and glittering chain-mail and it only barely qualified as a corset. Barely. Too tight to fit over her clothes and too scandalous to be worn alone, she had no idea what she'd do with the thing. It certainly wouldn't fit under her clothes.
"It was the most covering thing we could convince him to make," Mizuiro sighed. "We even bribed him with extra sake, but apparently he has this thing for demon hunters..."
"So you have a battle-kini," Keigo apologized. "We really did try."
"I like it!" Faith grinned. "You can wear it tonight at the club."
~!~
"Lesson Five!" Faith shouted over the din of the club. "Have a drink now and then!"
"I'm only seventeen," Tatsuki shouted back. She was wearing the overly shiney 'armor' over a bright red bra and a miniskirt. She still accepted the glass passed over to her. Something bright pink in a martini glass that tasted much better than she expected it to. The crowd began to quiet as the DJ slowed the evening down for a spell. Ryo was still dancing with Keigo and Mizuiro had gone to get his girlfriend from outside.
"I was fifteen when I had my first drink," Faith waved it off. "Besides, your mom said it was fine so long as I kept you in sight."
"What if I try to run away from them?" Tatsuki asked. Just over Faith's shoulder she could see Ichigo and the others coming into the club. Ishida had pushed his way over to them leaning close to the orange haired man and shouting as the music picked up again. What a traitor, after she'd invited him to go out too!
"We don't run Moon Baby, we make a hasty retreat." Faith started pulling Tatsuki back onto the dance floor.
She didn't pull Tatsuki out of the club though, she pulled her deep into the throng of moving people, right in front of the speakers and beneath the lights. The pulse radiated through her shoes and into her chest while the smell of men and women surrounded her. Faith was dancing in front of her and others were dancing all around her. This was the moment she loved. When nothing mattered outside of her little world. The feel of Faith's hands on her shoulders as they danced was assuring, but the sudden feel of someone else's hands on her waist was thrilling. The slayer's eyes drifted closed as she continued to move to the rhythm of the music and the man behind her was oh so hesitant about touching her; she couldn't help but tease him.
"Have fun moon baby," Faith laughed into her ear. "Make him squirm."
Then she was gone, and the man dancing with her was holding just a bit tighter. The smell of his cologne and the heat coming from his hands was exactly what Tatsuki had been worried about when Ichigo entered. He wasn't trying to talk with her though. They were just dancing. He wasn't trying for anything more than she was willing to give him right now. She could give him a little more.
Her hands slid down to cover his own and for the slightest moment he tensed. A very slight moment, soon enough he started moving again, enjoying their time together without words. No words meant no lying, just feeling one's body against their own. The bass ran through the both of them, the scent of Ichigo combined with that of her own and when one of his hands drifted up her side she found her own had gone up to the back of his neck.
A loud crash sounded from the stage as Tatsuki's slayer senses stabbed into her abdomen. The slayer was just able to keep from doubling over as she adjusted tot he sudden pain. Screams began to echo through the club and the mass of dancers was soon a mass of runners. Still Ichigo held onto her, unspeaking, simply there. Tatsuki recovered just in time, pulling a pin-stake from her sleeve when she saw a vampire begin to drink from the DJ. A quick flick of the wrist created a stunned and frightened silence until someone else began to scream.
The slayer looked around herself to see yet more vampires coming into the club. But none was more shocking than Chizuru standing on stage with Orihime. She could hear Ryo's strangled cry amongst the screams still echoing through the club.
"You should really keep a better eye on your surroundings," the vampire grinned. The gripped Orihime's hair tighter, forcing the redhead to bare her neck. Her fearful eyes were flitting back and forth between Ichigo and Tatsuki. "You never know who might be...watching."
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested in putting on a show for you." Tatsuki pulled her new stake from beneath her skirt, ignoring the scent of blood that came from behind her. "I'm perfectly willing to dance though."
"Ooh, tempting, but I've just never been that into you," Chizuru laughed.
The rest of the vampires came in a rush, Ryo and Keigo taking two one together while Mizuiro broke a pool cue over the head of one before ramming the weapon into it's heart. Tatsuki was quick to flip over Ichigo and land her new toy into yet another vampire's heart. Only for a moment did she remain on the dance floor, she used her momentum to launch herself onto the stage, aiming directly for Chizuru and her hostage. As predicted, the vampire tossed Orihime to the side and joined in the fight. There wasn't a single vampire yet willing to pass on a fight with a slayer.
Of course, Chizuru had never been much of a fighter. She'd always been very dirty though, so when she pulled out the knife, Tatsuki was barely surprised.
"What are you going to do with that?" Tatsuki asked, twirling her stake. "Hurt yourself?"
"Nope," Chizuru grinned. She slashed out with the knife, not towards Tatsuki, but towards a rope by her side.
The slayer just dodged the falling sandbag as Chizuru fled the club, taking what few lackys she had left with her. One in particular was holding something curved and metal.
"Son of a..." Tatsuki slung her stake at the retreating vampire, running towards him as the object flew. It was a dive to catch both stake and the iron curve, and if not for the scandalous armor she wore, she'd have ended up with some serious roadrash. "I think I like this stuff."
The slayer pushed herself to her knees, inspecting the iron scrap as she tucked her stake back where it belonged. The heavy iron curve was tucked into her waistband and the slayer turned to see what was left after the fight. The club was empty save for the people Tatsuki knew and the unconscious DJ. Ichigo was wiping his nose and judging by the dust and red splatter on his form, he'd possibly taken out a few out his own vampires.
"How many?" Tatsuki asked as she pushed herself fully upright.
"We got three," Ryo answered as she dusted herself off. Keigo was trying to help, though he only seemed to make things worse with her blood smudged hands. "Quit touching me."
"I got two," Mizuiro laughed. He was covered in the bloody goo left behind by a true newborn.
"I managed to get two," Ichigo commented. "It was stickier than last time."
"These were newborns," Tatsuki waved it off before pulling the iron curve out and inspecting it. Something was special about this hunk of metal, something worthy of a vampire's attention and the careless waste of minions against a group of demon and ghost hunters. It looked a little bit like the handle of to the ladies room. Urahara must have been looking for this when he brought it to her attention.
"Got something dangerous?" Ryo asked, flinging a wad of newborn at Keigo.
"What?" The slayer turned to see nearly everyone was staring at her. Ichigo was standing right beside her Not so close as they had been while dancing, but the distance now seemed less than it had on the dancefloor. Orihime was trying to move closer, shaken by the events and desperately seeking some sort of answer from anyone who might speak to her.
"It's uhm...it's way past bedtime," Tatsuki stood up slowly and began to back up. "I think I'm going to head home and grab a shower. Plus, you know, the test tomorrow..."
Tatsuki ran.
~!~
~!~!~
~!~!~!~
I'm not entirely happy with the ending, but it will be closed/resolved in the next chapter.
Orihime and Ryo go way back. As in Kindergarten and growing up next door to one another. They've never particularly liked one another, and while Orihime had Sora to take her away from everything, Ryo was forced to stay and protect her siblings. Ryo feels both jealous and annoyed by Orihime, though more recently she is just annoyed.
As for our power couple, there's five more chapters before everything comes out. And I do mean Everything.
