Mario
Shinji & Tatsuki
"What do you have to do in this dump besides get tetanus?" Tatsuki wasn't particularly happy. She wondered why he had bothered to bring her here. The warehouse that she was in was dark, damp, and slightly smelly. She looked around at the dark corners and shuddered. She didn't shiver because it was scary, nothing really scares Tatsuki anymore. Not for the dirt or the smell; it was cold, and she doesn't like the cold.
"I thought you wanted to learn some of the Shinigami fighting techniques," Shinji pulled his tie loose, and looked at her carefully. She was almost as tall as he is, with messy black hair and dark brown eyes. When she'd first asked for his help, he'd tried to deny that he knew anything about fighting, not to mention being a Shinigami. Then, she'd punched him right into a concrete wall, and explained that she knew exactly what he was, and not to piss her off anymore. Since she was being so reasonable, he'd hastily agreed.
"I do, but, why are we here?" She faced him, her eyes steady and hard, "and alone?"
He shook his hair after flinging his hat onto a broken down couch, "I have to evaluate your fighting prowess before I can start your training."
She smiled, "Oh, well, I'm a black belt, and I've been in…"
"Yeah, yeah," Shinji squatted down by an old television set, "Sit down, okay?"
Tatsuki frowned down at the sagging couch, "Do I have to?" She sat anyway, sneezing delicately. He sat beside her, and handed her a old grey game controller. She looked at it curiously, "Um, this is a NES controller. I don't really see what I'm supposed to do with it?"
"Beat my score at Super Mario Brothers. You have to be Luigi, I'm Mario."
She narrowed her eyes at him once again, "You've got to be kidding me, right? This game is older than I am."
"You've played it before?" His yellow fringe swung at neat angles to his jaw, making Tatsuki forget to be upset for a moment.
"Yeah, sure," She waited for him to pick his character and get the game started. "I'm surprised you play. Most of the Shinigami I've met are kind of hopeless at life." She smiled, remembering the day Rukia had struggled with the concept of Post-it notes.
He gave her a tight grin, "Good strategy! Distraction will not avail you though." His hands were nearly still, twitching only to make Mario jump, or let loose a fireball. "I've been here for quite awhile."
His voice held a note of old pain, and Tatsuki softened toward the odd boy. She alternated watching the screen and stealing glances at him. He barely looked like he was old enough to have been born when the game came out. She'd been thinking of him as old enough to be in her class. She remembered his two or three days bugging Ichigo. Mentally, she added ten years to her estimate and her brows furrowed. For all that he wore tidily pressed slacks, slick loafers, and that ridiculous tie, he couldn't possibly be older than thirty, could he?
She slipped her legs under herself, and settled a little closer to her new puzzle. "How old are you, anyway?" It was quietly said. If he'd considered her earlier attempt at socialization to be a strategy, she figured it might work. To her delight, she heard the game play the 'you just died' music. With a chortle of glee, she grasped her controller and began to play.
Shinji frowned deeply. He couldn't believe that she'd gotten him to die so easily. He surveyed her more closely. Her mouth was fixed in concentration, and that made him relax a bit. He liked Karakura High's school uniform, the yellow of her cardigan contrasted nicely with her dark hair. The short skirt was slightly bunched around her waist with her feet tucked up, giving him a good look at her legs.
He watched her play. It was a dashing style, she hit all the hidden blocks while jumping over enemies instead of squishing them. She distained the hidden weapons and mushrooms. Only striving to get the invincibility stars. He thought could train this girl and he began to smile.
He grabbed her hand, which gained him a furious look. "I'm old enough to know better, too young to care."
Her eyes widened, "Sounds like a nice age to be."
"I think Mario deserves a rest, let's play another game."
Her only response was a wide grin.
AN/ Oh, yes let's play. I'm still up for requests. Thank you for reading, I know you're just dying to review. Go ahead, I'm not going to stop you.
