Author's Note: Ugh, I'm sorry for taking so long to update…I've just had NO motivation to write anything…! Probably because of so much essay writing for school and scholarships, just drains all inspiration I guess. XP But…I still hope you like it!
Chapter 21: Broken and Bruised
Recommended Song: "Why Don't You Love Me?" by Hot Chelle Rae ft. Demi Lovato
An overjoyed Marise pulled away from her long-time friend and looked up at him, beaming. "I'm so happy you're back! My gosh," she then gasped, as she took a good look at him. "You've gotten so tall…you're like a giant!"
Tsukishima laughed good-naturedly. "That, or you've gotten shorter."
"Oh my goodness Tsuki-kun," Mari rambled on, practically jumping up and down with excitement. "I just have so much to tell you, with everything that's happened! Did sensei tell you I'm at the top of his dance class? I'm the mentor to the lower students, and they are so difficult to work with! They're always whining and complaining that I'm too bossy and mean and demanding of them…those five-year-olds really need to buck up!"
Her instructor raised an eyebrow as he was carrying some tap-dancing shoes. He looked at Tsukishima and told her, "She was actually so rough with one of them that she made him cry…"
"Oh, that one is such a crybaby!" Mari said dismissively, with a wave of her hand. "Honestly, some people can be so dramatic, right Shūkurō?" She quirked her brows in annoyance, tapping her foot against the ground. "SHŪKURŌ!"
"Hmm, what…?" he murmured, looking up from his book.
"You little bookworm, always reading!"
"I'm sorry, I was at a really enjoyable part," Tsukishima said, shutting his book, but not before placing his bookmark carefully between the pages.
"Well…" Marise replied. "At least you actually read books and not the things Shinji reads…" Before she could continue, the bell rung as the door was swung open, and she looked to see Shinji walk in. "Oh, there he is!" She grabbed Tsukishima's hand and led him to the blonde Visored. "Tsuki-kun, you have to meet Shinji!"
"It's a pleasure," Tsukishima greeted, extending his hand for Shinji to shake.
Shinji only looked at the man strangely. "Who tha hell is this?" he asked, jerking his thumb at the man while looking at Mari.
"Shinji! You are so rude!" Mari scolded, wagging her finger at him. "This is Tsukishima Shūkurō, you know, the boy I've known since I was five?"
"What…?" Shinji was terribly confused. "Mari…ya never mentioned this guy before."
"Of course I have, I've talked about him all the time! Like how we would play after school all the time and how he was my f-first kiss…" Mari explained, blushing at the last part, to which Tsukishima smiled and patted her head, while Shinji frowned, clearly frustrated and confused.
"Uh…no," Shinji disagreed, shaking his head. "I remember ya talkin' about Shiraishi Naoki, the gay guy who's in Australia studyin' ta become a pilot?"
Mari wrinkled her nose. "I don't even know a person named Naoki…Shinji, you're crazy! I bet you weren't listening to me all the times I talked about him, right? You never listen to me, ever! You're so awful to me!"
"Now, now, Mari-chan," said Shūkurō smoothly. "I'm sure it must have been difficult for Shinji to pay attention, or anyone for that matter, when they are too entranced by your wondrous eyes and dazzling smile!"
His overly sweet compliment had Marise blushing and giggling, while it made Shinji want to gag. Normally, he would be jealous of a guy flirting with his muffin, but this…this was all wrong. In fact, every word he said to Mari sounded empty, like it held no meaning at all…or truth.
Shinji was sure this guy wasn't any childhood friend of Mari's…that much he could figure out. However…why was it that Mari thought he was?
"Ah, Tsukishima-kun!" Mari chirped, interrupting Shinji's deep thoughts. "What are you doing here in Karakura anyway? I thought you were supposed to be in America studying."
"Well, yes, but…" he sighed loudly. "The life of constant studying was so hard on me that I decided to take a break for a few weeks. I don't have any close friends in America, so I thought I might as well visit you and your family, whom I've missed so much." He nodded his head at the dance instructor. "Naturally, my first stop was at this studio, since I've heard it's very good in teaching students the art of dance, and I wasn't surprised to hear that you are one of the top students. Miyazaki-san told me about a local competition coming up and when I told him that I was studying dance abroad, he had me show him a routine…"
"And the man dazzled me!" Miyazaki declared dramatically, from where he was organizing his tap dance shoes by size, ever-so efficient.
Mari bounced up and down, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Oh goody, that means you and I get to dance together!"
"Enough of your tomfoolery girl," Miyazaki scolded, grabbing her by the ear. "Come and fill out these registration papers, or do you expect me to do all the work?"
"Ow, you're so harsh, sensei!" Mari cried, flailing her arms as she was dragged away. "And you wonder where I learned to treat my students…FROM YOU!"
They went into his office, leaving Tsukishima and Shinji alone.
"What did ya do ta Mari?" Shinji asked, his voice quiet.
Tsukishima averted his gaze from the shut door to Shinji, a light smile on his face, the only distinct feature being a scar over his eye. "Oh, aren't you straight to the point?"
"I don't like bullshittin', kinda like what ya were doin' before." Shinji stepped in closer, looking up into Tsukishima's eyes to see if something was there. But it was…empty. "I guess I'll just ask ya again, what did ya do ta her?"
Tsukishima, unfazed by how close Shinji was, merely shrugged his thin shoulders. "I did nothing to her. I would never do anything to someone so precious to me."
"Yer lyin' through yer fuckin' teeth, I can see it," Shinji snarled.
"Well," Tsukishima said, "Regardless of what you think…I do know that someone will have to be there for Mari when you're gone."
Shinji froze. "Did ya just threaten me?" He clenched his jaw and fists, putting them in his pockets so that he wouldn't do something he'd regret…though punching the guy in his mouth wouldn't be something he'd regret…still, Mari wouldn't be happy, and he had enough problems to deal with.
"Oh, nothing of the sort! I wouldn't dare threaten you. It's just that…well, you and I both know that you can't be with her forever…I mean, the mere thought is simply laughable. You seem like the realistic type to me."
"I am realistic," Shinji interjected. "And I'm bein' realistic when I say that I'll never leave her."
"Oh, now I've caught you in the act of lying," Tsukishima pointed out. "You will have to leave her very soon."
Before Shinji could respond, he looked up to see Marise step out of the office. She made her way toward them and slowed before reaching them…slight confusion on her face. She bit her lip in anxiety, feeling some kind of tension between the two, hoping inwardly that Shinji didn't say something to upset Tsukishima, or vise-versa.
"Ah, Marise has returned to us," Tsukishima said with a wide smile, as though there hadn't been a tense exchange between him and Shinji just moments before.
Marise gave him a weak smile and grabbed his arm. "Tsukishima and I need to practice!" Before dragging him away, she gave Shinji a warning glare, though he merely smiled innocently in response. However, the smile quickly faded when Tsukishima looked over Mari's shoulder, a coy smirk on his face.
He had to find out just what the hell was going on…but, for now, he would forget about that bastard and focus on his other plans.
"Mm, what's that delicious smell?" Mari exclaimed as she opened the door. When she stepped into the dining room, she let out a delighted squeal in seeing the lavish meal laid out on the table. She gasped in surprise when she saw Shinji step out of the kitchen, wearing the pink apron that Mari had worn many times before, grinning widely.
"Shinji-pie looks so cute in an apron!" she giggled, tackling him into a hug. "I should take a picture!" He laughed and returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around her snugly. She pulled slightly away, cocking her head to the side, wrinkling her nose in confusion. "But…why?"
He tapped his finger onto her nose. "Because it's White Day, that's why."
Her blue eyes widened. "Ooh, that's right! And now you do nice things for me this time, hooray!"
He rolled his eyes. "When am I ever not nice ta ya?"
"Oh, all the time! But this is great! Come in Shūkurō, don't be shy!" Mari called out, waving for him to come into the dining room.
"Wait, what?" Shinji asked, confused. His upbeat mood immediately dissipated when he saw the dark-haired man wearing suspenders walk into the room, his jacket slung over his arm.
"Sorry, Marise," he said. "I was taking off my shoes."
"Oh, we don't do that in this house, it's okay to leave them on! Come and sit so we can eat! Do you see what Shinji made for me?"
Shūkurō nodded, pretending to look impressed. "Oh yes," he concurred, "It all looks wonderful."
"Yeah, ya can keep yer smart-ass comments ta yerself," Shinji muttered.
Mari whirled around, furious, and poked him in the chest. "You!" she scolded. "Be nice!"
"I didn't know he was comin'," Shinji mumbled, sour.
"Hey, I hope you made enough for us too, Shinji!" Lucille said, coming into the dining room, with the rest of the Asahina family following suit. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw their guest, and she broke out into a smile. "Is that Tsukishima Shūkurō? Well, look at you, all tall, dark and handsome! America sure did wonders on you, have a seat!"
Shinji didn't even bother to mask his unhappy mood, and it certainly didn't help that the entire Asahina family welcomed the stranger, well, this man who was supposed to be a stranger, with open arms. They talked and joked with him as though they had known him all their lives, and to see Mari doting on his every word certainly pissed Shinji off.
However…he couldn't help but notice Coco acting quite distant from Tsukishima, which was surprising. Soichiro, who sat at the head of the table, also acted differently, appearing to be very nervous.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he blurted, when he had spilled his glass of water while reaching for the bread.
Shinji knew that Mari's father was quiet and mysterious, but never nervous. Something was definitely askew.
After dinner, Shinji grabbed Mari by the elbow. She looked at him curiously and he leaned in, whispering, "Hey, I wanna give ya yer gift."
"Ooh, you got me another present?" she squeaked. "Where is it? Give it to me!"
"But…I don't think ya want me ta give it to ya in public."
Mari knitted her brows, confused, though it slowly dawned on her, her face turning bright red. "I-if it's something like that, then I don't want it!"
"Ya sure…?" Shinji asked with a grin. "Fine, if ya don't want it…let's go play Mah-Jong with yer family…and Tsukishima then." Just saying the guy's name made him want to throw up.
"W-wait!" Mari cried. "I-I wanna see my present!"
"That's my girl, too selfish for her own damn good," Shinji chuckled. "Alright, then let's go see it," he whispered in her ear, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs into her bedroom.
Once inside, Mari pulled away, whining, "Okay, now where is it?"
He rolled his eyes. "It's on yer bed."
Mari turned around and gasped, jumping on her bed and ripping the large red box open. She sifted through the tissue paper and pulled out a bag of marshmallows. "Um…okay, I guess I like marshmallows." She dug deeper and pulled out some bars of white chocolate. "What is this, Shinji, are we making s'mores? This is such a weird gift!"
"Keep lookin'," he told her. "There's one last thing."
"Hmm…I think I feel something," Mari said, pulling out a hanger. She gasped in a mixture of shock and horror, holding up the lacy white lingerie. "Wh-wh-wh-what…" she stuttered. "Wh-what is this perverted gift?" she cried.
"Hey!" Shinji protested, defensive. "It's White Day, so I got ya white things! Why don't 'cha put it on Mari-chan, and lemme have a look? Look, there are even some angel wings that go with it."
"N-never!" she shrieked, pushing the box off of her bed, as though just having it near her would rub its "perverseness" onto her.
Shinji shrugged. "I thought it was a good gift, for my sweet, innocent Mari."
"This is not innocent," Mari pouted. She ripped open her bar of chocolate and took a big bite of it, munching loudly. "Mm, but the chocolate is yummy!"
"Well, lemme try," Shinji said, reaching his hand out.
Marise shook her head, holding the bar to her and away from Shinji. "No, you got it for me, so it's just mine!"
"Hmm, that's okay," Shinji murmured, leaning in. "I can just try it like this." Before Mari could even process what was happening, Shinji pressed his lips to hers hungrily. Marise dropped her bar in surprise, and although she told herself to struggle against him, to push him away, she instead wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer to her, deepening the heated kiss.
Shinji groaned at the contact, trailing his hands along her sides. One hand went up her back and into her golden curls, cradling her head. He slid his pierced tongue across her moist pink lips, begging for entrance. Marise whimpered, parting her lips slightly. Her entire body melted when he began to explore her mouth, tasting the sweet chocolate off her tongue. Her heart was racing and she thought someone was going to burst into her room any moment…yet this only thrilled her more.
She felt herself being pushed gently onto the bed, where Shinji crawled on top of her, his lips never leaving hers.
However, Mari had to eventually break away from the kiss, panting heavily. Shinji's eyes were heavy with arousal and seeing Mari's amble breasts bounce up and down from her erratic breathing only fueled his desire and lust for her.
Marise let out a small whimper when he trailed his lips down her neck, nipping lightly at the soft flesh. She did allow herself to quietly moan when he began to lightly suck at the area right beneath her chin, earning soft mewls from her.
"A-ah, Shinji, don't!" she softly cried, when he had squeezed her breast.
Shinji pulled away from her neck and looked down at her; seeing her tremble underneath him was enough to send him over the edge, but he saw the slight uncertainty in her eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, sitting up. He covered his eyes with one hand, trying to wipe that image of her from his mind so that when he looked at her again, she would appear normal, so that he wouldn't be attempted to just tackle her and do the things he wanted to do to her…the things he's thought about for months, that's even been in his dreams and woke him up nearly every night.
"I-it's okay," Marise said, blushing. She sat next to him and placed her hands on his arm, pulling it away so that she could look at him. "Shinji? Won't you look at me? It'll make me think you don't like me if you don't!" she lightly teased, though her voice was filled with a little worry. She would always have that fear that he would come to his senses and leave her.
"Ya idiot," Shinji chuckled, finally looking her in the eye. "How can ya even suggest that I don't like ya? I fuckin' love you."
She looked down, a blush spreading across her cheeks. It always amazed her to hear him say those three simple words…well, four for Shinji, since he always liked to throw in a curse word. Not one guy she had been with had ever said that, not even to try and get her to bed, which was the tactic most teenage boys would revert to for that.
"U-um…" Mari began, still refusing to meet his gaze. "I hope that one day I can do th-that with you…" She looked up at him, licking her lips nervously, feeling very self-conscious.
Shinji's eyes widened in slight surprise, but he then smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "I hope so too. Let's go downstairs, don't wanna worry yer second boyfriend."
"Shinji! How dare you even insinuate such a ludicrous statement; he's not my boyfriend!" Mari pouted, getting up. She gasped when she saw herself in the mirror, not from how her hair and clothes were slightly messed up, but the mark that Shinji had left. She wrapped her hands around her throat. "I-I can't let anyone see this! I need to put a bandage here."
"Pfft, yeah, because that won't look suspicious at all, havin' a Band-Aid right under yer chin."
"I'll say you hit me!"
"Right. I punched ya in the neck," Shinji laughed, trying to remove her hands from her neck.
"Hmph!" Mari huffed, pulling away from him. She opened the door to leave and gave a one-sided shrug, saying nonchalantly, "Well, I think it's believable, since you're always so abusive!"
"Only sexually," he said with a lecherous grin, slapping her on the ass.
"HEY!" she cried, blushing. "Don't touch me, you pervert! I'm reporting your harassment to the police and then I'll get a restraining order!"
"Ya sure ya don't wanna wear what I got ya…?" Shinji asked, a slightly whiny tone to his voice.
"N-never!" Marise ran down the stairs as Shinji chased after her and into Tsukishima. "Oof!" She rubbed her forehead and looked up at the tall man, who held out an owl-shaped cookie for her. "Aww, for me?" Mari gushed. "It's so cute! See Shinji? Why can't you buy a nice and thoughtful gift like this?"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "I personally thought my gift was pretty damn thoughtful."
"Oh…Marise," Tsukishima said, concerned.
"Hmm…what is it Tsuki-kun?" She blinked when he lifted her chin, running his thumb over the dark mark beneath it.
"It would appear you have some sort of bruise here," he commented. Mari's face turned bright red and she could see Shinji smirking from the corner of her eye.
"D-DON'T LOOK AT IT!"
"Oh, better fire up the kettle Tessai," called Urahara from outside. "Looks like we've got some company!"
"Hmm, you seem to have been getting a lot of visitors lately, Kisuke," Yoruichi commented, stretching her cat form out.
"I'm just becoming the social butterfly!" Kisuke laughed. "And Shinji-san is one of my favorites. Come on in, old friend."
Shinji rolled his eyes as he slipped his shoes off and stepped into the small shop. "How many times do I have ta tell ya, Kisuke, ta call me Shinji?"
"Oh, just keep on reminding me for the next one-hundred years and I think I may remember. But until then…have a seat, Shinji-san!"
"Ya didn't put any sugar or cream, did ya?" Shinji asked Tessai, as the quiet man placed his cup of tea on the table. Tessai shook his head and Shinji mumbled, "Good. Stuff rots my teeth, I swear I can feel the sugar eatin' away at tha enamel."
"Your significant other always complains about how Tessai prepares the tea," Kisuke chuckled, sitting across from the ex-Captain. "Seems you two have opposite tastes."
"Mari likes everythin' so damn sweet. I made her coffee once and she spit out the first sip and then dumped like ten teaspoons of sugar and creamer in, and on top of that squirted like a whole damn bottle of that syrupy stuff they use to flavor coffee nowadays."
"Well, you are the only person I know who likes their coffee black."
Shinji shrugged. "Can't help it."
"Formalities aside, what brings you here? Do you need me to give you advice on your love life?"
Shinji snorted. "My love life is goin' fine, thanks."
"Really? Because I hear that Marise-san is quite a difficult one to work with…but I guess it's unsurprising to know that you could make it work."
Shinji stared into his mug, feeling the warmth that radiated from the cup in his hands, and looked up. "Ya know who Tsukishima Shūkurō is?"
Kisuke furrowed his brows for a moment. "The name sounds familiar…Kugo Ginjō comes to mind."
"Who's that?"
Kisuke paused.
"Kisuke," Shinji said through his teeth. "What tha hell are ya hidin' from me?"
"Ginjō…was the first substitute Shinigami."
Shinji shook his head, confused. "Ya'd think I would know somethin' like that. I should know that."
"You did," Kisuke pointed out. "Then you…forgot."
"Forgot? Whaddya mean, 'I forgot?' What tha hell does that mean?"
Kisuke let out a long sigh. "I'm really not the one who should be telling you this…you should be talking to Soichiro."
"Soichiro? What does he have ta do with all this?"
"He…used to be Kurosaki Isshin's third seat."
Shinji froze, disbelief written all over his face. "Yer shittin' me," he finally said, thinking Kisuke was just messing with him.
Kisuke's eyes turned solemn as he took a sip of his tea. "I wish I was."
"Soichiro!"
The tanned, muscular man slid out from where he had been working underneath his car and sat up. He saw Shinji come up to him, his body practically shaking with fury. "Hey…what's up, Hirako? Did Mari break up with you or something? You know I can't control my daughter's obscure behavior, she's unpredictable and untamable."
"So…Isshin was yer Captain, eh? Ya know, did it ever once cross yer mind that maybe ya should tell me this? Ya know what I am, don't 'cha? Ya knew from the moment ya saw me, I could just never place yer face, because ya made me forget…ain't that right?"
Soichiro stared at Shinji for a moment before he sighed. He pulled his knees up and laid his elbows across them, looking out into the distance. "So…I see you spoke with Kisuke."
"Yeah, and he said that you should be the one ta explain all this ta me. So why don't ya just tell me what tha hell this all is, because I'm kinda fuckin' lost right now."
Soichiro licked his dry, cracked lips and attempted to explain. "I'm…" he began, his voice soft, but rough. "Well, I was…a member of the Onmitsukidō."
Shinji shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Kisuke said ya were a member of Isshin's squad."
"Yeah…I was…I was a member of pretty much every squad. That was my job. I was designated to infiltrate any squad to find traces of treachery before the betrayal occurred. There's always a member like that, even one right now. They make it seem like that Shinigami is a troublemaker and just transfers from squad to squad, but all the Captains know what they're there for…so it's really hard to detect high-ranking officers. I was even in Squad 5 for a while."
Shinji knitted his brow, the face of Soichiro as a Shinigami in his mind, the memories slowly coming back. "Yeah…yeah, ya were. I remember ya."
Soichiro shrugged, throwing his dirty rag onto the floor. "But I didn't sense anything from Aizen when I was there. Not even once. I was blinded just as everyone else was…seems like you were the only one who had a glimmer of what was happening in that man's messed-up head."
"Yeah, I should, I was his Captain," Shinji said. "But I wasn't close enough ta him to know what exactly he was doin.'"
"Don't blame yourself, Shinji."
"…That's not it, is it? I know there's more ta it than that."
"Then…then Urahara and you guys were exiled from Soul Society…and I stayed. But…years later, I was on a mission in the World of the Living and I met Lucille. What can I say Shinji…" He said, his voice trailing off. He looked up at Shinji, his eyes filled with remorse and weakness. "I fell in love."
"So?"
Soichiro, who had looked down to fiddle with his wrench, met Shinji's eyes again, this time the darkness of his past showing in his coffee-colored orbs. "I wanted to leave Soul Society. But the Central 46 would never let me, especially not for a Human girl. It's forbidden. But I couldn't stay, not without her. And so I thought…that there would be no harm in making everyone think that I never existed in the first place. That way…everybody would win." Shinji's eyebrows furrowed as Soichiro continued. "I…" Soichiro cleared his throat. "I went to Aizen. And I asked him to use his Shikai to wipe me away from everybody's memory, and I guess he used his powers over the Central 46 to wipe me from all of the records, from the 12th Division, the library…there was no longer an Asahina Soichiro. In return…I told him I'd give up something precious to me that he could take. I didn't know what it meant at the time, kami, I was so young and stupid, Shinji."
"Tch…ya sold yer soul to tha Devil, so ta speak," Shinji chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. He placed his hands deep in his pockets and it was silent for a moment or two before his head jerked up, brown eyes wide and frazzled. "Wait a minute…" he whispered. "If ya weren't even suspicious of Aizen when ya were in the 5th Squad, then how did ya even know what his Shikai did?"
Soichiro froze and opened his mouth to speak, but no words could come out. He let out a strangled cough when Shinji pinned him. "Ya bastard!" he cursed. "Ya collaborated with him, didn't ya? Ya knew what he was gonna do and ya helped him!"
"No, no!" Soichiro cried. "I swear, I only found out by accident when I overheard him speaking to Gin and Kaname!"
"Then why didn't ya tell anybody?" Shinji seethed, not loosening his grip on Soichiro.
"B-because…he said he would kill Lucille if I did."
Shinji couldn't help but let go of the man, muttering curses. If Aizen had threatened Shinji with killing Mari…would he have still told? "So why…" Shinji then asked. "Why, when ya saw me, did ya still let me get close to Mari?"
"Because we're the same," Soichiro sighed, lifting himself up. "You, me, Isshin…we all did the same thing. We fell in love with a Human. I couldn't stop you after I had seen it in your eyes. No matter what...I wouldn't be able to keep you away from her."
Shinji sighed, knowing that this was true. He sat on the ground, leaning against the garage wall, entwining his fingers. "So…what's most precious ta ya? What tha hell does that mean?"
"I thought about it since then," Soichiro said solemnly. "I didn't know it at the time, but for a while I thought he was talking about Lucille. But…she's already been scarred." Shinji saw a flash of guilt in his eyes as he said that, his face looking worn, as though he had been beaten down to where he could barely get back up.
"So…who?"
"What's next in being most precious to me…is Marise."
To Be Continued
: : : MY THANKS TO : : :
Juliedoo: Yeah, I'm sure it was teeth-rotting sweet, lol. XDDD Isn't Shinji the greatest? I'm hoping with this reemergence in the manga he'll receive more love, but, pfft. He should have had it from the get-go! Oh, now those ties aren't that bad, are they? …Okay, they are. I just feel like Mari is so full of herself, yet…it's more amusing than it is annoying…at least…when you're watching from a distance and are not actually there with her…then it's probably pretty darn irritating. Ooh, but Tsukishima adds wonderful drama to the mix! And what good shoujo fanfic doesn't have some drama in it? ;D
Rin136: Oh ho, I see you are catching on. ;D Yeah…things will get veeerrry non-shojo and much more shonen-action-packed! Yay, one thing Mari did that wasn't cowardly! Well, I'm glad, I hope that respect for her maturing will only go up from here, because she's about to face some very serious tests that she might not be prepared for. Shinji is just the greatest. :D Aww, I'm glad you think they work well together, it means a lot to me, because it's one thing to develop just an original character, but another to do that with their relationship with other characters. I feel like she definitely is someone that would brighten his life. ^^
IamBlackBeyond: Yeah, I had planned on putting something like that in before the contest, it's awesome to see that there are just some things about Mari that are completely predictable…like her getting those spices confused. XD And thank you! Aha, well, now he is well into the mix~
FearlessX1025: Hey, even a straight guy wouldn't mind seeing that, if it's Ichigo, ha. That felt like something Shinji would say, lol.
EaSnowPw: Yep, you spelled it right! And yeah, he is finally in the story, you'd think he'd have been introduced sooner when Mari met the Fullbringers, but I'm just super slow. v.v I think these next few chapters will really skyrocket in terms of how the story progresses, so you are right about that! Since we are now getting more into the action and straying away from the shojo. xD
Alex274: Well gee, being kinda tough on the new guy! And I love how you said he was going to steal Mari from YOUR Shinji, lol. XDDD Giggles are wonderful in fluffiness, so I am a happy camper. :D
Chibi Katie: Well, since I'm definitely slacking with these updates, I can forgive you for slacking with your reviewing. ;D I hope you did well with your auditions! And I've just been procrastinating in writing this and everything else I need to finish. T_T Yeah, of course Mari would take that epically out of proportion… I'm happy you like their little fights, because there will be plenty more, so long as Mari is still…well, Mari. If she were OOC, there would be no fights, and that just wouldn't be right! Shinji is the practical one, and I'm sure after experiencing the baloney year after year, he's grown pretty cynical about it. But no, not Mari…she looooves all of this corny stuff. Well, if you like the perverted stuff, then it shan't stop! :DDD
mapke: Well, not a bro, but thanks a lot! ^^ I know I'm slow with updates, but I hope you like this chapter!
Dally'sLostGirl: Thanks for the story alert!
Tsurishi Arashi: Thanks for adding this to your favorites! ^_^
Blaugrana: Thank you so much for adding this story to your faves!
Ulquiorra-Schiffer-4: Thanks for adding this to your favorites, I hope not to disappoint. ^^
K-chanLovesAnimeXD: Thank you for the fave. ^_^
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, a big secret just came out, didn't it? Well, there's a lot more drama where that came from, and I'm sure you all are hopelessly confused…or did it make some sense? o.o I just got really frustrated because when I looked at the summary I had written for the entire story, it was the old one, and I know I had updated it after the manga chapter of Shinji becoming Captain came out, only for some reason it didn't save and I have no idea where it is. So, I think I'll just be writing short summaries for each chapter and kind of going off of my memory and with the flow, which, I don't think will be too bad…hopefully. v.v I have the summary for the next chapter written out, so hopefully I'll be able to post the next one soon. This chapter is pretty short (12 pages), and I think that's how they'll be from now one, but there will be a lot of them!
Happy White Day…and Pi Day (3.14)!