Karasuba leaned up against the wall of the convenience store that Ichigo had just entered, she had just witnessed moments ago something that she truly didn't understand. But she knew one thing for sure... Ichigo had a darkness residing inside of him, and she knew it was powerful. She rose her hand that Ichigo had gripped onto in front of her face and saw the dark bruising that he had inflicted on her just by gripping her wrist. She lowered her arm and folded both her arms over her chest as she looked up into the sky. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she heard a thud coming from the alley next to her that had brought her from her thoughts.
"So it is true, you have an Ashikabi now?" The voice questioned, Karasuba turned to the alley to see Benitsubasa walk out into the street, her arms crossed over her small bust. She was wearing her usual self made Disciplinary Squad uniform, a kimono-like shirt with one sleeve missing along with a large pink bow tied to her side, and pink hair in a side ponytail with two daisy clips, thigh length leggings and a pair of knee high pink heels.
"So, Minaka finally sent someone to see where I was?" Karasuba asked. "It took him longer then I expected." She told her. "To think he would send you to bring me back." She rested a hand on her sword, flicking it out and inch with her thumb. "You should have known better to even think about doing this Benitsubasa."
"Whoa! I'm not doing anything!" The pink haired girl waved her hands frantically in front of herself trying to show that she didn't pose a threat, Karasuba rose an eyebrow at her.
"Then why are you here?" Karasuba asked her. "Answer quickly otherwise your blood will stain this wall." She continued harshly.
"Two reasons." Benitsubasa told her holding two fingers up. "First, these." She reached into her kimono and pulled out three cards. "The MBI credit cards, one for you, your Ashikabi and his other Sekirei, number one." Karasuba eyed her before nodding, gesturing for her to continue. "The second is that Minaka want's an audience with your Ashikabi." Karasuba eyes widened at that.
"Why? Why not contact him like the rest of the Ashikabi? What's so special about Ichigo?" She questioned. "He hasn't contacted Ichigo once since I was winged by him."
"That's the thing, every time Minaka has tried, he's failed at doing so. These are Minaka's words not mine, it seems every time I try to contact him, something blocks me." Karasuba was slightly surprised, she had seen Minaka contact tons of Ashikabi before without any restrictions, so why was Ichigo so hard to get a hold of? That's when it hit her. Kisuke Urahara, she remembered him telling both Karasuba and Ichigo that any if not all information on Ichigo was under lock a key, who's to say he couldn't stop unwanted people from contacting Ichigo?
Benitsubasa watched as Karasuba's face changed as her thoughts ran rampant, never had she seen such emotion cross her leader's face before.
"Ichigo will meet with Minaka when he wants to, not because Minaka demanded it or asked for it." Karasuba told Benitsubasa. "It's just the way he is." Benitsubasa frowned before both heard the electric doors of the store slid open and Ichigo to walk out with a bag in hand, his other hand in his pocket. He turned and looked towards them and was slightly surprised to see someone else standing with Karasuba. He started towards them and Karasuba smiled lightly as he came closer, just him being in sight warmed her body all over.
"Yo, sorry I took so long." Ichigo told her. "I'm ready when you are." He continued, eyeing the slight glint of steel he could see from her sword that was still slightly drawn at her side. He turned his attention to Benitsubasa who had what looked to be three credit cards in her hand.
"Let's go then." Karasuba said letting her blade slide back into its sheath before holding her hand out to Benitsubasa who handed her the MBI cards. "I hope I don't see you around Benitsubasa."
"Like wise." Benitsubasa agreed. "Neither I or, Haihane would be able to match your skill. You were our leader after all." That surprised Ichigo slightly, this girl was apart of the Disciplinary Squad?
"Then let this be the last time we meet, if we meet again, we will fight." Karasuba continued turning away with Ichigo and walking down the street back towards the Izumo inn leaving Benitsubasa standing in the street before turning and walking away in her own direction. As Karasuba and Ichigo walked down the street Ichigo was sensing Kagari who was not to far from them, he glanced up onto the rooftops where Kagari should now be and his eyes widened slightly. "Something wrong?" Karasuba asked noticing his wide eyed gaze.
"You're probably going to laugh at me for this... but I think I just saw a ninja." He said turning to her, her eyes widened slightly before she let out a small laugh. "Told you." He pouted at her. She rose a hand to her mouth stifling her laughter as she tried to calm herself down, after a night that she had, she was quite surprised she could be laughing like this with him.
"It was Kagari." Karasuba informed him.
"Kagari's a ninja?" Ichigo questioned. "I guess that's how he keep disappearing in such ways."
"No he's not a ninja, he's a Sekirei and his power is of the flames." Karasuba told him. "He simply dresses like that to hide his appearance from other Sekirei, to all Sekirei Kagari is known as Homura." Karasuba explained to him. "You live under the same roof as him yet know nothing about him, it's quite the mystery."
"It's like he hates me." Ichigo shrugged. "It's not my fault." He said as they continued to walk towards the inn, the time when the two were in the hallway with their little scuffle made Ichigo's thoughts pause once again before turning to Karasuba. "Kagari's a guy right?" He asked making her look at him from the corner of her eye, a grin forming on her face.
"So you've noticed then?" She asked. "Kagari's a special type of Sekirei, some would say defective, Minaka would say the perfect specimen."
"And you? What would you say?"
"An obstacle." Karasuba shrugged. "At the moment, it's not our problem, unless you wish to make Kagari your Sekirei. That would mean you would have to kiss him, then would that mean your father was right?" She asked widening her eyes. "You're..."
"Don't say it!" Ichigo growled making her chuckle lightly.
"I was just teasing Ichigo." She told him. "However you have done nothing to prove me or your father wrong, I believe that Miya or myself have been the one to initiate all the acts between us." Ichigo started to sweat slightly at the course this conversation was heading. "If you don't do something soon... I might gain the same opinion as your father." She grinned making Ichigo groan in annoyance. The Izumo inn came into view down the street not far from where they were walking. "I'm yours in every sense. Mind, body and soul, don't think you have to hold yourself back, if you want me, take me." She told him making him blush slightly, she turned her gaze away from the street to look away from Ichigo slightly. "Because the truth is... I want you too..." She whispered, making Ichigo's eyes widened.
"Karasuba, maybe one day... but now I'm still getting to know you. The real you." Karasuba looked up at him. "But for now..." He gripped her chin and leant in pressing his lips to hers. "Can't have you agreeing with my Dad." He winked at her making her blush slightly but covered it up as soon as it came. "Come on, let's get back. I need a bath." Karasuba simply smirked at him.
"Was that an invitation?" She questioned making Ichigo give a deadpanned look. "Worried about Miya catching us? We've already taken one bath together... oh and I was talking with Musubi yesterday, apparently Miya told her that co-ed baths in Izumo Inn are allowed, as long as nothing sexual goes on. So we didn't exactly break the rules. So I can wash your back. Any. Time. You. Want." She purred out tapping him lightly on the nose.
"Stop teasing, come on." He said gripping her hand and starting to pull her along. "You're starting to turn out like Uzume."
"You know I could take that both ways." Karasuba told him making him look over his shoulder as he walked. "I could take it as a compliment that you think my breasts are getting bigger." She smirked as she saw his eyes dart to her chest and a blush to cover his cheeks. "Or I could take it as an insult at you calling me a pervert... so which is it?"
"Just come on already." He growled out pulling her forward making her laugh lightly as they walked into the yard and up to the front door. The two walked inside, discarding their shoes at the door and into the dining room to see Uzume with a big grin as Karin sat next to her obviously annoyed.
"Ichigo! Did you know Karin has a boyfriend?!" Uzume cheered in excitement noticing that Karasuba and Ichigo were back.
"I figured as much, although either would deny it to the last moment." Ichigo said leaning against the door frame after placing the bag of things he had bought for Miya. "So you and Toshiro are going out?" He question Karin who glared at Uzume.
"She just took it that I have one because I got a message! We're not going out!" Karin shouted a blush on her face. Ichigo sighed as he saw Uzume pout at Karin.
"I'm going for a bath." He sighed again, walking out and into the hallway.
"Wait Ichigo, I'll wash your back!" Uzume shouted with a grin, jumping up from where she was seated and dashed out the door only for Karasuba to hit her in the back of her head sending her to the ground in a whining heap.
"You've already had a bath, I'll wash Ichigo's back." Karasuba told her, she turned to Karin who was smirking.
"You so have to teach me that." Karasuba just winked at her and followed Ichigo down towards the bathroom leaving a grinning Karin and a whining Uzume who was still on the ground holding the growing lump on her head. Karasuba saw Ichigo enter the bathroom and headed for the door only to stop and look down the hall to see Miya standing there a frown on her face. Karasuba smirked and opened the door walking in to see Ichigo standing in his boxes as she closed the door behind her. He looked over his shoulder and saw her standing there and lowered his head in defeat.
"It was either going to be you or Uzume." He said grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist before lowering his boxes under the towel and placing them into a basket. "You're not washing my back, I can do it myself." He told her walking into the steam filled bathroom. Karasuba simply grinned and took her clothes off placing them into the basket next to Ichigo's discarding any sought of modesty she opened the door to the bath and walked in to see Ichigo already in the tub his back to her. She walked over and draped her arms over Ichigo's shoulders.
"Sure you don't want me to wash your back? I can wash your front if you'd like instead?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he glared at her from the corner of his eyes making her grin. The grin soon disappeared as she felt Ichigo's hands on her waist. "Wha?" She questioned before his grip tightened and she found herself being lifted up before she was dropped into the hot water. Ichigo watched a bubbles erupted from the water before Karasuba's head slowly drifted up, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.
"Serves yourself right." Ichigo told her with a grin, completely missing the grin that was forming on her face as everything below her nose was underwater. His eyes widened when he felt the towel ripped from his waist and Karasuba laughed as she pulled it up from underneath the water and threw it over his head, the now soaked towel landing with a squelch on the tiles. She looked down into the water towards his waist and her eyes widened.
"Whoa..." Ichigo quickly moved his hands to cover his manhood. She looked into his embarrassed face and smiled as she slid across the bath to sit next to him and stared out the window above the bath into the night. "We're Sekirei and Ashikabi Ichigo, we shouldn't be embarrassed by one another. You shouldn't be embarrassed by anything." She smirked and glanced at him from the corner of eyes making him sigh.
"To answer your question from out on the street, you're more like Uzume in the perverted way." Karasuba just grinned and shrugged.
"At least I got to see all of you first." She smirked making him sigh before she rested her head on his shoulder. The two simply enjoyed the warmth of the bath before they heard the door slide open. Both looked over their shoulders and eyes widened as they saw Miya standing there, a towel covering her front as she held it in place, her hair held up high in a ponytail.
"Mind if I join you?" Miya asked. Ichigo was speechless as he stared at her. Karasuba simply shrugged and turned back around before elbowing Ichigo in the ribs making him grunt and turn to her.
"Who's the pervert now?" She questioned with a huff of annoyance. Ichigo blushed but didn't say anything as he turned back to look out into the night sky out the window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Miya's leg slip into the water before her whole body sank into the bath next to him. With a sigh of relief Miya smiled slightly looking out the same window that Ichigo and Karasuba were staring out at.
"It's almost as if we're in a hot spring, perhaps I should invest in a bigger window." Miya giggled lightly resting her head on Ichigo's shoulder. Karasuba huffed and sank further into the tub and clasped one of Ichigo's hands in both of her own. Ichigo let out a shallow breath and closed his eyes enjoying the peace, how he got it with his Dad still in the same house he'd never know. But here he was sitting in a bath with two gorgeous woman, and he was at peace.