A/N I thank anyone for reading. Much appreciated. :D
dbzbnfan202 – Rina's amazing. X3 Yep, I'll check your story out. :D
CCaptain43 – Oh, man, I just laughed out loud. XD I'll give another hint in a future chapter. ;)
Undefined – I'm taking my time again. :( Makes me sad. XD And humour is my thing~! :D She's just awesome when she wants to be. X3
StarTime101 – I loved writing the hot springs part. :D I'm also excited for it, too~! :D But they're being too darn stubborn. They'll make up, though. :D
whitefyrefoxxy – Yes, I live~! :D Updated again so everyone knows I'm still alive. XD The three R's. XD I laughed.
Black Cat Angel – They were born mischievous. C:
Dina Sana – Thankies. :D
DeathKnight KiraKira – I plan a lot! :D Thanks to my active imagination. X3 Too bad it doesn't help me with grades. XD
DreamingInThePast – Tetsuya can be serious when he wants to be. XD But he does it with a smile. :D Kenshin can't help it. :( But with the help of his friends he will try to get stronger. :D What happened to Nikito will be explained. :) They can work wonders when they're together. :D They also wanted to see how Zenaku would react if he had to fight Riko. XD And yes, Rina can be very, very blunt. XD Which scares many people. XD The twins are on the loose now~! :D And yeah, I suppose Shiko would need to have someone understand him. :) Sadly, nothing comes to mind. :( I'll think of something. :D
Chibi-Onee-chan – I blushed that I wrote it. XD And the twins are going to have so much fun~! :D
DemonVermin – Twins are awesome! X3 And no they weren't. :( Wow, you've been reading this since then?! D: Amazing. X3 Thank you. :D
ShiraChan-Desu – XD Your review made me laugh. XD
Luafua – Love the twins and her. :D And yes, I thought about Shiko and Seika WAY before I started thinking about Shiko and Soi Fon. X3
Phoenix – Humour is my thing. X3 And yes, I am aware that I make a lot of grammar mistakes. Really sucks. XD
D-grayman fan – Kayo learned Hakuda from Riko, who learned it from Shiko. And Shiko knew where all the pressure points in the body were, so he taught Riko a little, and she taught Kayo. :D Did I really not explain that? 0.o I should. XD
Bittersweet Beth – I live to please! :D So, tried writing and getting it out. X3 Rina is the best! :D I wanted a bold female character. X3
kioko. washio – I work as fast as I could. :D
I'm sorry! DX English class is just hectic. DX Not to mention the fact... I have to finish an essay tomorrow. DX I'm not even close to being done, so I gotta rush it. Been working on it through the week, but it's just really sucky compared to the other essays. XD I write simple, you can all tell, so all my work is... simple. XD
And whoa-hoh! 0.o Seventeen reviews?! I know I took my time, the reason why I have so much, but man! :D This just makes me happy. X3
And still no stinkin' ZenakuxSeika... X[ Next chapter, I promise. :3
Anyone watched Rise of the Guardians? :D I just love Bunnymund. X3 He's so awesome... for the Easter Bunny. XD
Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach.
Warning – Swearing.
-:-
"...I will never... look at your mother... the same way again..."
"...Same."
All three women had their heads lowered, their faces bright red with embarrassment while Rina was smiling brightly. Tetsuya instantly asked what made her happy after they met up, but Rina just waved her hand with a smile, making the tall man tilt his head curiously. How she had the... guts to do what she did they didn't know, but one thing was for sure. They would never, ever take a bath with her again. Kayo reached up and covered her face, so embarrassed by what had transpired in the hot springs. What was worse is that some people had walked in and immediately left when they saw what was happening.
"So, Riko~!"
The woman jumped when an arm wrapped around her shoulder, turning to see one of the twins smirking at her. Immediately she registered that it was Renzo, blinking in surprise. How could she know that? They looked identical. She just assumed it was because she grew up seeing him as a brother.
"I heard you and your friends recently got transferred," Renzo cooed, leading her and her friends away from the others. He narrowed his eyes when she frowned. "May I ask which divisions you three delectable ladies got transferred from?" He purred, smirking when Riko's two friends blushed and shivered at his tone.
"Don't call me that," Riko said, sending him a scowl. "I, uh... came from the eleventh division." She answered, letting out a huff as she remembered the one place she felt at home.
"The sixth division." Kaori answered, jumping when the other twin wrapped his arms around her and the small blonde.
"T-The tenth division." Kayo murmured, averting her gaze when the twin smirked at her.
Both Renzo and Reizo's lips curled in devious smiles while their eyes gleamed. Is that so? So all they needed to do was find out who were the Taichos of those divisions. Riko jumped when Renzo wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his cheek against hers as he cooed.
"Aw, poor baby," Renzo purred, leaning back and giving a smirk. "Don't worry, you Renzo-nii is here~! You just ignore those mean people that transferred you."
Riko blinked before nodding with a scowl. "I will."
"I believe Rina-chan is gonna manipulate you into buying us dinner, now~!" Reizo said, not denying the fact as he grinned. "So, let's go back. Come on, now. Chop, chop~!" He turned, leading them back towards the crowd.
The three instantly hung their heads as they sighed. Kaori frowned, not doing anything against the arm around her shoulders.
"Uh... how do you know we got transferred?" She asked, turning to stare at the two curiously.
"Please, Rina found out and told us," Renzo drawled, giving the three a smirk. "How else would we know?"
They hesitated before nodding, finding that a reasonable explanation before heading towards the group. Turns out the twins were right about Rina when she walked up to them and gave them a bright smile. They caught the word 'dinner' which made them smirk. Renzo and Reizo glanced at one another, narrowing their eyes and giving one another smirks. The older twin raised his hand and touched his chin, raising an eyebrow as he grinned.
"So, we just need to find out who their former Taichos were," Renzo said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And when they try to speak to each other and patch things up..." He drawled, turning to smirk at his brother.
"We give them little tests." Reizo finished, chuckling darkly as he grinned.
They walked towards the group when Rina called that they were going to have dinner, idly noticing that Riko, Kaori, and Kayo had their heads lowered with scowls across their faces. Apparently, Rina had managed to convince them to take them out. Walking out of the building, the guards nodded at them before the followed after the group, not even looking bothered that they had to follow them.
"Today." Rina said firmly, eyes narrowed and lips pressed together tightly.
"Tomorrow," Kaori said, giving a wide nervous grin. "I'll give you ten bucks."
Rina crossed her arms while her expression grew more serious, if possible. The three women took a step back, giving wide, nervous grins as the blonde continued to stare at them. They had tried to convince her that they would talk to their former Taichos tomorrow(the bastards) and not today, but as soon as they even suggested it her eyes instantly lost that warmth. She was, apparently, very much looking forward to them actually speaking with the men that they had... admired. Not loved, no way.
"Don't tell me you're scared?" Rina asked, delicately raising an eyebrow.
They would have been able to tell if she teasing, if she had been smiling. But nope. She still remained serious.
"U-Uh, well..." Riko stuttered, hesitating before rubbing the back of her neck.
"Yes." Kayo immediately admitted, standing behind the redhead with wide eyes.
It turns out that after that moment... in the hot springs, Kayo had grown to respect and fear the woman. Kaori... Hell, she wouldn't admit it but after something like that she had grown incredibly scared of this woman. Something like that should be done in private and with no one else! Riko... thankfully, her mother figure only instructed her what to do. Not that she really tried. She couldn't do it with them watching.
"Fine," Rina said, eyes still narrowed and her mouth in a firm line. "Tomorrow. But if I find out your didn't talk to them... we're going to have a problem." She purred with a smile.
A smile that made them go rigid and quickly nod.
"What's Rina trying to make you do now?"
The masculine voice caused them to jump and turn, seeing Ichirou striding over towards them with a frown on his face, looking ever so serious. Riko immediately started smiling, facing the tall man with a bright grin on her face. He stopped, reaching up and placing his hand on her head with a small smile on his face. Kayo and Kaori watched, transfixed now that they were finally witnessing how they assumed Riko was before she had left that manor. When he glanced at them they jumped and quickly averted their gazes, looking around the outside of the restaurant they had eaten in.
"I'm not trying to make them do anything at all~!" Rina said, waving her hand with a smile.
"Really," Ichirou said unconvincingly. "So ya didn't convince Riko an' her friends to treat us at that 'Spa Land' and to dinner?"
"I may have done that," Rina purred, narrowing her eyes as she smirked at the man. Her smirk grew when he narrowed his eyes at the same time tinges of red crossed his cheeks at her tone. "But please, don't concern yourself over this."
"Why?" Ichirou asked, gazing at the woman suspiciously.
"I may reward if you stop asking." Rina purred, gazing at the man with a sexy smile crossing her face.
"Mmm... How?" Ichirou growled lightly, a wide smirk crossing his face.
"EW!" Riko jumped back, holding her hands up towards him. "Gross! Yuck! Disgusting! Ah, my eyes!" She yelled dramatically, facing away from them as she covered said eyes. "Thank god ya didn't just grab her and start humping her!"
Ichirou's jaw fell open, his eyes wide with shock as he blushed profusely. Though he soon scowled when he heard his comrades howl with laughter. Turning, he saw Zenaku, Shiko, Renzo, and Reizo bent over and they laughed, obviously having heard what Riko had said. Hell, even Nojima was chuckling! Thank god Joshi was just walking out of the restaurant. But since Nikito had been in front of him he had heard what happened, which caused a very unamused look to cross his face before he rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry, Riko," Rina said, waving her hand as she smiled. "All we've done until now is kiss. I'm actually hoping I have sex with him this week~!"
"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" Riko screamed, covering ears as she stared at the woman, horrified.
Even Ichirou was gawking at her.
"Let's go, shall we?" Rina asked, turning around with a smirk as she sauntered down the street.
Shiko chuckled lightly in amusement before he followed, not at all phased by the intentions she had blurted out. The others, however... Zenaku was snickering, since he was quite crude. The twins were looking between Ichirou and Rina with wide grins on their faces. Nojima looked very confused before he shrugged it off and followed. Tetsuya told Nikito to follow, who rolled his eyes once more at his comrades antics. The three women... looked horrified.
"Gross," Kaori murmured, lowering her head as she blushed. "...They're perverted."
Riko and Kayo nodded, their eyes wide and haunted when they saw Ichirou glance at them and smirk in amusement. Hold on... If this guy was bigger than Zaraki Taicho, could his 'equipment' be proportionate to his body? Slowly, Kaori and Kayo dragged their eyes towards his crotch before they looked away with bright blushes on their faces. Why did they even look there?
"Let's go," Ichirou grunted, walking after Rina and Shiko with a blank look on his face. "I wanna see if any of us can still fight together."
"Meaning, if we can train to work as a team again~!" Reizo squealed, hopping after the man with a wide grin on his face. "We can try~!"
"...Work as a team?" Kayo asked, turning to look at her two friends, seeing them shrug lightly.
"I don't know, they always worked well together."
"NO! You both got to work better, dammit!" Renzo snapped, glaring at the two in the courtyard.
"Get the hell off! How much do you friggin' weigh, Ichirou?!"
"Shuddap!"
Riko, Kaori, and Kayo stared with wide, shocked eyes. They had seen them training on their own for the past three days, and each moment was always amazing. But that day, they were training on working together. Of course, the girls thought that they would immediately work together as they had done two years ago, but... Ichirou and Zenaku had walked into the courtyard, both going against two shinigami. But when Zenaku and Ichirou tried going after the same person they crashed into each other, which ended up with Ichirou on top of Zenaku.
And by the scarred man's yells they could tell Ichirou was a little too heavy.
"Get the fuck off!" Zenaku yelled, trying to push off the man that was no longer trying to get off.
Ichirou had his arms crossed, face blank as he laid on top of the struggling Zenaku. Renzo and Reizo slapped hands to their faces and glanced at one another. This was going to take a while. The simulations had stopped the moment the two crashed, both stuck in running positions while they were reaching for their zanpakuto.
"Ask nicely, an' I'll get off." Ichirou said, an amused smirk crossing his face.
Zenaku was panting. "Can't breathe! Too heavy! Gettin' crush!" He stayed still for a moment. "Get it? I'm sayin'... YA FUCKIN' WEIGH TOO MUCH, NOW GET OFF!"
"Sheesh," Ichirou winced at the loud voice before he stood up, dusting himself off while the scarred man grabbed his back. "Ya must love the sound of your voice." He drawled, rubbing the side of his head with a scowl.
"I would've loved it if ya got yer fuckin' heavy ass off faster!" Zenaku snapped, rubbing his back while grumbling.
"...Heavy?" Ichirou asked, frowning at the man while he crossed his arms.
"Oh? Were ya under the impression yer as light as a feather?" Zenaku asked sarcastically with a grin. "Fuck no! I couldn't breathe, for cryin' out loud! Come ta think of it you've been piggin' out since we've come out." He said, cocking an eyebrow with a teasing smirk on his face.
Ichirou scowled. "I'll slap you."
"Try it!"
"Okay, we're trying to work as a team, not trying to fight against each other!" Renzo yelled, waving his arms with a scowl. "Ugh, that's it! Reizo, you switch out with Ichirou!" He ordered, seeing his twin salute before he jumped onto the railing and into the courtyard.
Ichirou scoffed and disappeared, having used shunpo to get back to the others. Reizo ran over towards Zenaku, looking up and giving a wide grin before he received a smirk from his friend. Renzo warned Zenaku to work together instead of trying to fight on his own before he started it again.
"Left," Reizo said, running towards the shinigami on the left side.
"Uh, right." Zenaku said uncertainly, a grin crossing his face before he rushed towards the slightly bigger man.
"Oh, the right and left thing," Shiko said, raising his eyebrows as he smiled. "Isn't that how they taught us to work together?" He asked as he glanced at the others.
"Yes, and they always got discouraged when we would not do as they said," Nojima said, watching as the two dodged the attacks from the shinigami. "I believe Zenaku almost attacked Renzo when he hit him for not listening to his orders."
The others chuckled at the memory, looking back to see the two getting backed up towards his each other. Rina frowned slightly before she turned her head. Her eyes slightly grew wide, seeing Renzo's hand flying everywhere on the console, grinning widely as he stared at the courtyard. He can work that? Really? But he's not even up to date with everything yet. But one thing had her curious...
Why was he backing them up towards each other on purpose?
Zenaku dodged the attacks from the dark haired man, letting a grin cross his face. At least they picked better fighters than the shitty ones they were fighting with. He widened his eyes when his back collided with something, turning to see Reizo looking up at him. What the hell?! The blonde man opened his mouth.
"Duck."
Without even digesting the order Zenaku did as he said, bending down and looking up to see the zanpakuto going over his head. They separated, Reizo sending the taller man a wide grin. Not knowing what to do Zenaku shrugged lightly before he moved to the side.
"Move left," Reizo called, his grin growing when his scarred comrade did as told and dodged the surprise attack from the other shinigami. "Punch right!"
Reiatsu gathered in his right hand, turning and punching the shinigami hard, sending him flying and skidding against the ground. Zenaku blinked before a wide grin crossed his face. Reizo raised his arm and held up three fingers towards his brothers, receiving a thumbs up before three more shinigami were added to the field. Everyone blinked.
"Oh, shit." Riko murmured, eyes wide while people in the stands were leaning forward in interest.
Reizo kept calling out commands, telling Zenaku to either move left, right, take a step back, or attack. It took a while but people could hear Zenaku start calling out commands, as well. Renzo squealed happily, hands moving quickly over the console as he observed the fight. Though the scarred man soon cursed when he and Reizo were backed up against each other once more, letting a scowl cross his face before Reizo elbowed his back.
"Switch," Reizo called, both turning around and facing the opposite direction to punch the shinigami when they showed an opening. "Left."
"Right."
The punched the other shinigami that were running towards them, tensing when all five got back up and ran towards them. Zenaku curled his upper lip, blinking when Reizo held out a hand. Glancing at the blonde he saw a grin, widening his eyes slightly before he grabbed the hand and started spinning him. Reizo kicked all five, getting thrown into the air. Holding his hand out he giggled before reiatsu shot at three, watching as they fizzled out as he landed.
Zenaku scowled and raised his arm, widening his eyes when blood hit the ground from his arm. It can hit him?! Bringing his arm back he brought it forward, grinning when it collided with the other, both popping out of existence.
"Yeah~!" Renzo raised his arms above his head and grinned. "Ya did it~! Let's celebrate by drinking~!"
He met unamused stares.
"Or later. But yeah!" He grinned once more. "You're working as a team again, Zenaku! It's a miracle! Give me a hug!"
"Hell no!"
Renzo didn't care, disappearing from where he stood and wrapping his arms around the scarred man. Zenaku snarled, trying to push the blonde off of him. Reizo grinned, jumping up and wrapping his arms around him, as well, the twins grinning widely while the man growled at them to let go. From the stands Tetsuya let a smile cross his face, sitting down in the seats that were far from the crowds. Nikito watched flatly, rolling his eyes with a huff.
At least they were starting to be a team again.
The Next Day
Kenpachi glared at the ceiling, almost like he was having a staring contest with it. Damn, he blinked. Fucking ceiling won, again. He reached over to the table and grabbed his cup, sitting up to take a sip of the sake. Pausing, he downed it in one gulp. It's not like it did anything for him, anyway. Placing his feet on the floor, he sat on the couch, reaching over to grab the bottle. Leaning back, he scoffed lightly and poured himself another cup.
When the hell was that damn woman going to get Riko to talk to him?
Was she fucking lying about the whole thing? He paused and frowned in thought. Maybe she weaselled a crate of sake from him and she wasn't intending to tell Riko to talk to him. Growling lowly under his breath he glared ahead. If so, he was gonna fucking go over there and... Well, what can he do? The prisoners are broke, they aren't getting paid at all, and they had nothing to offer him. Slouching, he cursed. He just lost a crate of sake, for nothing! Fucking manipulating bitch. He underestimated that woman. Because truthfully, with how bold she acted he thought she was as dumb as... something dumb...
He must be more drunk than he thought.
Getting up to his feet unsteadily he scowled. Yep, more drunk than he thought. Turning, he walked towards the exit of his office, intending to take a nap. Sliding his door open be blinked, eyes wide as he stared down at the person standing at the door. Riko looked up, her hand raised in the air to show that she had been about to knock. They both stared at one another, eyes wide before an awkward silence fell over them.
"Uh... Came to... talk to you..." Riko said slowly, looking to the side uncomfortably.
...Her mother can live.
Seems she kept her word.
Grunting, he moved to the side and crossed his arms, watching as she walked in and looked anywhere in the room besides him. Clearing her throat she looked looked away from the Taicho, reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck. Kenpachi crossed his arms and looked to the side, continuing to frown. Well, this wasn't going as planned. But then again when he dreamed about it, it had ended with them naked and feeling very satisfied.
Damn those fucking dreams.
"So, uh... how've you been?" Riko asked conventionally, turning to stare at the man with a frown.
Friggin' bastard transferring her... Demoting her... No! Don't get mad! At least listen to him first. He grunted that he was doing fine, which made the woman widen her eyes before she narrowed them dangerously when she noticed his eyes looking her up and down. She was fine! She wasn't dead yet! Heck, she didn't get another strike yet! Mentally smirking she felt very satisfied. That was good enough for her. Placing her hands on her hips she frowned up at the man.
"So..." Riko blinked before frowning.
Shit... She went there without knowing what to say.
"Uh... How is Kusajishi fukutaicho?" Riko asked with an uncomfortable expression crossing her face, taking a step away from the man.
Kenpachi saw the step, so... he took one towards her, which caused her to tense. "Eh, she's good," He drawled, feeling more than relaxed thanks to the alcohol. "So how has the ninth division been?" He realized his mistake too late.
Riko's expression grew dark, turning to glare up at the tall man. She hissed that it was fine before she turned and stomped over to the couch. Ugh, that woman said he had to do this on his own, but how the hell is he supposed to fix this? Invite her back to the eleventh division? Then that old bastard would be his next problem. Growling lowly he walked after her, freezing when he saw her frowning at the bottle on the table.
"...You were drinking." Riko stated, staring up at the man flatly.
"Only one or two," Kenpachi waved it off, walking over to sit on the couch. "So..." He frowned.
Fuck, what is he supposed to say?
"Why are ya here?" Kenpachi grumbled, sending her an annoyed stare. "Isn't you family training?" He asked mockingly.
Riko scoffed. "They're not there."
"What? Why?" Kenpachi turned towards her and frowned in confusion. "They're 'sposed ta be training."
"I dunno, one of the guards said they were at the library." Riko said, seeing the man's frown grow, which caused her to shrug. "Said something about catching up with history." She paused. "...I'm gonna be truthful, I don't know what the hell to say now."
Kenpachi snorted.
Hitsugaya frowned and let out a small sigh, barely reading what was on the page. Matsumoto had been furious when she walked back into the office yesterday, murmuring something about perverted twins. He already knew his third seats were perverted, he didn't know why she was getting mad over them. Unfortunately, he had no idea she was talking about another set on twins. Renta had been angry going back to the office, now that he remembered. What he was angry about he didn't know, but he was a little surprised when he remained quiet.
Usually the man was loud.
Irritation soon started coursing through him, which made him curl his hands into fists. Had that woman lied to him? He had been desperate, so he gave her whatever she had asked for. Only two days went by, but he was becoming paranoid. What if she had lied to him and only used him to get what she wanted? Tapping his fingers on the desk he glared at the wall across from him, thinking to himself. If she did not lie then what would he say to Kayo if she appeared? That she had been wrong about the whole thing?
No, that would most likely be placing the entire blame on her.
Though it was true. Scowling, he glared at the paperwork, as if daring it to disagree with him. He heard a knock at the door, calling whoever it was to come in. Looking up, he froze and widened his eyes, seeing Kayo peering into the room shyly. He stood up swiftly, knocking his chair back and smoothing his haori nervously.
Kayo looked into the room with furrowed brows, hesitating before she stepped into the area.
"Kayo, uh... it's nice to... see you..." Hitsugaya said, a nervous smile crossing his face.
Looking up she opened her mouth as if to say something before she lowered her head and looked away, which made the Taicho frown before he cleared his throat and walked around to pull up a chair. She hesitated before walking over to the chair, sitting down and placing her hands in her lap. Hitsugaya sat down in his chair, taking a calming breath before peering at the woman across from him. To him, she was still as lovely when he first started noticing her.
"Uh... How are you?" Hitsugaya asked, seeing the blonde look up for a moment before she lowered her gaze to her hands.
"Good." Kayo murmured quietly.
He seemed to freeze, widening his eyes and growing rigid. No... Please no... That quiet voice. That voice she first used when he finally got her to speak. His hands started growing slick with sweat, hesitating before he cleared his voice. She looked up, staring at his eyes for a mere second before she looked away. He furrowed his brows slightly. She had barely looked him in the eye when he first started speaking with her...
"Kayo... look at me, please," Hitsugaya said, seeing the blonde frown before she slowly dragged her eyes towards his. "...There you are." He murmured with a small smile.
Kayo furrowed her brows in confusion, hesitating before she continued to keep her gaze on the Taicho.
"...I came to... listen to you..." Kayo said, giving the man a stern stare. "...Riko and Kaori said if you mess up... that's it, one chance."
Hitsugaya echoed the words. One chance... Only one chance? After two and a half years? After everything they went through? He paused and started processing everything that happened, staring intensely at his desk. Slowly, he raised his eyes towards the woman, seeing sadness in her eyes that quickly disappeared. How much did he hurt her...? With that simple misunderstanding?
Standing up, he walked around the desk, causing the woman to tense up when he drew closer. Kneeling down, he gently grabbed her hands, frowning slightly when he felt how tense she was from his presence. Kayo tried to move away, furrowing her eyebrows—almost looking panicked—as he stared up at her pleadingly. His throat felt thick when he saw her eyes mist over, which caused him to tighten his hold on her hands. He didn't know if it brought her comfort, but he did it anyway.
"Please, Kayo," Hitsugaya murmured, closing his eyes and sighing. "Give me another chance..."
"I... I don't know." Kayo said, shaking her head and trying to remove her hands.
"Please, Kayo... I... I promise I won't hurt you again...!"
"You can't promise something like that!" Kayo snapped, removing her hands and walking away, desperately trying to ignore the hurt expression that had crossed his face. "You can't... promise something like that! Can't hurt me again?" She huffed, closing her eyes tightly. "I always gets hurt..."
"Kayo..." Hitsugaya murmured, furrowing his brows.
"Because I don't know what to do with you! You confuse me so much!" Kayo covered her head and closed her eyes tightly. "I... I don't..." She turned, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at him. "I don't know what to do..."
Whether she wanted it or not, Hitsugaya walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes and resting his head on top of hers. He had to make her see that he cared... but how...?!
Byakuya moved the brush, not even looking at what he was doing. Though he soon had to stop his movements when he realized he made a big ink blotch on the paper. Lips tightening, he forced down the sigh that wanted to pass through his lips, looking up to see Renji signing forms with a very bored look on his face. He suddenly felt very foolish. Like trusting a certain person that abandoned the Seireitei and was now a criminal...
Perhaps he was fooled.
His expression grew very dark at the thought. It was the only explanation. Which was probably why Kaori had yet to see him. Closing his eyes, he lightly shook his head. He can just go see her himself if that woman had yet to speak with her. Just as he was about to go back to his paperwork there was a knock at the door. Renji called whoever it was to come in, glancing up and widening his eyes when the door slid open.
Kaori looked up, grinning when she saw the fukutaicho. She had yet to look at the Taicho, which made him furrow his brows slightly. Standing up, the fukutaicho walked over to his fellow redhead and clapped hands with her, both grinning at one another.
"I missed ya!" Kaori yelled, throwing her arms around the man. "And if you weren't so heavy I'd probably pick you up!"
Renji rolled his eyes with a smirk. "So, why're you here? Came to see me?" He asked, nudging her with a teasing grin.
"Yeah, right," Kaori responded with a smile, pausing before she frowned and nodded her head towards the Taicho. "Came to see him..."
"Oh... Oh!" Renji backed up and nodded. Hesitating, he raised a hand and gave a mock salute. "I'm gonna take a break, Taicho. I'll be back later." He then tried to smoothly head for the door, as if he wasn't interrupting anything.
Kaori smirked and waved at him as he shut the door, seeing him give a small wave and a thumbs up for good luck. Pressing her lips tightly together, she cleared her throat and swung her arms lightly before looking towards the Taicho. Which was a bad move. She instantly felt anger course through her, narrowing her eyes when she saw that darn emotionless look on his face. Never mind the fact she was still ticked off that he kissed her...!
Byakuya was worried when she started sending him daggers, shaking in anger as she started grinding her teeth together.
"Kaori..." Byakuya murmured softly, standing up and walking around his desk. He frowned lightly when she took a step back—but it had looked more like she hopped. "I... am glad you came." He said, seeing the redhead pause before nodding.
"Yeah, I... got scared into coming here." Kaori said, looking to the side flatly. Crossing her arms, she scowled at him. "So..."
She paused. Shit, what are they supposed to talk about?
"...Been working out?" She ventured, receiving a slightly confused stare from the man. Okay, bad conversation starter. "You... met anyone recently?" She asked, raising her brows curiously.
Byakuya sent her a look that said he was unamused. "As far as I am concerned, Kaori, we are still-"
"I'll smack you if you finish that sentence!" Kaori warned, pointing at him threateningly with a scowl. "Don't you finish that sentence. I mean it." She said, taking another step back as she crossed her arms.
"...Kaori..." Byakuya sighed, sending her a pained look, one that made her hesitate before she looked away. He reached towards her and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. But she stubbornly closed her eyes tightly and pouted. "...Even though your childish behaviour sometimes frustrates me... I am glad to see that you haven't changed." He said with a smile. Her eyes popped open in surprise, blinking at him in confusion before she stepped out of his reach. "...Kaori... please..."
That tone didn't suit him. Kaori glared at the floor before she brought her eyes up to his face, cringing inwardly when she saw the look in his eyes. Surely he didn't care about her... right? That's why he sent her away? Hesitating for a moment, looking away as she did so, she bit her lip. Taking a deep breath, she decided to ignore what he had done and looked at him.
"Fine. I'll listen."
The sheer amount of relief in his eyes made her sigh.
Didn't mean she was gonna like it, she thought grumpily.
"Whoa-hoh! There's a lot of articles on this Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Shiko stared at the book with a smirk, arching a brow in amusement when he read how incredible this man was. Too bad Nojima refused to read anything about this man unless it was vital to him. But since they were researching the years they missed Nojima was surely to stumble upon this man. Zenaku frowned, sitting at the table with a confused frown on his face, looking at the picture of an arrancar.
"It says this... Hogyoku turns Adjuhas and Vasto Lordes into arrancars... Whatever the fuck those are?" Zenaku said, scratching the back of his head with a scowl.
"I suppose you can call them an upgraded version of hollows." Rina said, sending the man a smile.
"There's a lot of stuff on this Aizen Sousuke," Renzo said, leaning against the large bookcase, flipping through the book with a flat look on his face. "From what I'm reading I can only conclude to one thing."
"And what is that?" Shiko asked, looking up from his book with a smile.
"He was one crazy motherfucker."
The others laughed lightly around the area, continuing to research. They all looked up, seeing Nojima walking towards the table with a large stack of books. Hmm, figures the bookworm of our group would go crazy in a library, Ichirou thought. He smirked in amusement before looking at the book, frowning when he found out what had happened to his Taicho.
Almost seems like the bastard to die happy.
"Why aren't you researching?" Rina asked, turning to stare at the quiet man curiously.
Nikito rolled his eyes, resting his cheek onto his palm. "I am the most up-to-date in our group. I know everything already," He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair as he closed his eyes. "I know all about the Hokyoku, Aizen Sousuke, Kurosaki Ichigo, and even the visord."
Everyone sent him annoyed stares, receiving a scoff from the man. They all soon started flipping through pages, trying to find this "Visord." Nikito sat in his chair with an amused smirk on his face. A smirk that disappeared as soon as it appeared. Joshi was at the first division, saying he was going to speak with the Soutaicho and they can tell him what they learned.
"Oooh, oooh!" Reizo waved his hand at his brother, urging him to look at the book he was reading.
Renzo trotted over, sitting down and looking at the book. His eyes gleamed, a wide grin crossing his face when he saw the book that showed all the Taichos, past and present. They glanced at one another before they started flipping through the pages, stopping when they came upon the picture of the current sixth division Taicho. They both raised their eyebrows and whistled.
"Quite a looker." Reizo said, snickering when his brother sent him a disgusted stare.
"That's a guy," Renzo deadpanned, looking over the picture for a moment. "He must have women falling everywhere." He commented, raising his eyebrows as he grinned. "...A Kuchiki...?!" He choked, widening his eyes as he gawked.
"Isn't that one of the four great noble clans?" Reizo mumbled, raising an eyebrow curiously. His twin nodded. "Oooh-hoo~! This girl must be pretty good if she caught the attention of one of those stuck up assholes." He snickered.
They flipped through until they found the Taicho of the tenth division, both blinking when they saw it was the kid. They bit their lips to prevent themselves from laughing before they looked up in thought. They imagined that little blonde with the short Taicho before shrugging and saying it made sense. They read the information next to the picture, raising their brows when they noticed he was quite the prodigy. Though he wasn't anything like the baby Strawberry.
They snickered at the nickname.
They flipped to the page of the eleventh division Taicho, both widening their eyes when they saw who they assumed Riko loved. They glanced at one another before looking back, looking over the man's... unique look. They slowly glanced at one another, eyes still wide before they snorted.
"Well, guess we finally know who they love." Renzo commented, his grin growing feral.
"All we have to do is... play with 'em." Reizo snickered.
"What the hell're you two plannin'?" Zenaku asked, sending the two a scowl. At the curious stares he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You two always get that gleam in yer eye when yer plannin' something." He said, raising his hand to point at their eyes.
"What? We?" Renzo gave a mock gasp, holding a hand to his chest as he stared at the man incredulously. "Plan something naughty?" He scoffed lightly. "Guess you don't know us that well, Zenaku, our dear brother."
"Nah, the sad thing is... I know you two too well." Zenaku said, giving the duo a glare.
They gave wide grins in return, making the man roll his eyes.
"...Hmm... They have a game called... 'baseball' in the World of the Living." Shiko murmured, raising his brows slightly while the scarred man frowned in confusion and looked at the book, as well.
Seeing his attention leaving them, the two quickly memorized the names of the Taichos before they pushed the book away and gave each other smirks. Though they quickly jumped when they heard someone fall to the floor, everyone around the table turning their heads to see a small woman push herself up and stare wide-eyed at them before she apologized and turned to walk away. Ichirou snorted before looking back to the book he was reading, frowning as he read about how stupid this Aizen Sousuke was.
Really... Trying to become a god?
When the Soutaicho admitted his undying love to Joshi.
Shiko, who stared after the woman curiously, blinked and looked down, staring at the glasses. Raising his eyebrows slightly he got out of his chair and bent down to grab them, raising them up to his eyes. Hmm... Most likely belonged to that woman. Shrugging lightly, he stood straight and went to find her, leaving his group of friends.
Renzo's eyes gleamed when he found one book. "You guys wanna know what the Kama Sutra is?"
At the curious stares his grin grew.
With Shiko, he handed over the glasses to the nervous girl, giving her a smile and turning to walk away until his eyes caught movement outside. He blinked before his eyes snapped wide open, ducking to the floor. The girl squeaked in surprise, staring at him curiously as he covered his head. The doors slammed open, in stomping in three very enraged Taichos.
Somehow he knew they were there for him and Rina.
"WOMAN!" Kenpachi roared, glaring around the library.
Rina jumped in surprise, everyone around the area frowning and looking towards the bookshelves. Shiko rushed into the area, a tense smile crossing his face before he looked pointedly at the woman, making her blink before she stood. Before anyone else could stand to investigate she sent them a stern stare and told them not to leave. They all exchanged confused stares, watching as the two left. Nojima stared after them flatly before he looked back to his book.
Whatever they did was not of his concern.
"Hello Taichos~!" Rina greeted happily, giving a radiating smile.
"Good afternoon," Shiko called out smoothly, sending the three a calm smirk. "What, may I ask, brings you here?"
"She got pissed," Kenpachi said, glaring at the two. "I said, hey, it was just an argument, let's get over it. And she fucking got pissed off! Told me, oh, yeah, it wasn't important let's just brush it off... then she told me to fuck off." Rina and Shiko winced.
"Kaori overreacted, again," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes as he frowned. "I told her to stop being foolish and open her eyes." The two now sent him incredulous stares, glancing at one another.
"Kayo... she's just so insecure," Hitsugaya said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "She told me she would think about it and... and left in tears." He inwardly cringed when he remembered she had pushed him away with tears running down her face.
"Progress~!" Rina said, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly. "You two just need to be more sensitive." She said, sending the two dark haired men a flat look.
"I'm sorry," Everyone glanced at the brunette, seeing that his eyes were closed and a small frown marred his face. "You... told them to speak with these gentlemen so soon?" He asked, slowly turning to stare at the woman flatly. "Correct me if I am wrong, Rina, but those three are confused with their feelings, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then why... would you send them to speak with them so soon?" Shiko placed his hands on his hips as he frowned. "This has just bound to make them even more confused."
"If they confront them now, they will most likely be able to confront them later." Rina said, giving a wide grin.
Shiko frowned. "...They scared them away, Rina... But..." A wicked smirk crossed his face as his eyes gleamed. "I have to admit... getting the three to admit their feelings will be a challenge."
"Is this all a game to you?!" Hitsugaya snapped, sending the man a glare. "Kayo is hurt and-"
"I'm aware, and... yes, it is," Shiko admitted, narrowing his eyes as he gave a cool smile. "The way people throw the word 'love' around so easily greatly amuses me. But this concerns Riko. Therefore, I... will be somewhat serious on this matter."
"Then why help us?" Byakuya asked, giving the man a cold glare.
"...Call me a romantic," Shiko said with a light chuckle. "I can't help but try to find the 'one' for other people."
"What about yourself?" Hitsugaya asked with a suspicious frown on his face.
Shiko raised his eyebrows slightly as his smirk widened, letting out a small laugh before he gave a wide grin. He turned towards Rina, completely ignoring the question, both murmuring quietly together as they discussed how they would get the three women to be more comfortable with the men. Rina smirked and said she would speak with them again while Shiko smirked at the men.
A smirk that made shivers run down their spines.
"Gentlemen..." Shiko said, facing the three with a confident look in his eyes. "Let's talk."
"Agh! I... just couldn't do it!"
Riko fell onto the futon, scowling while the others two sighed and nodded. Kaori sat on the futon, arms crossed over her chest as she felt fury coursing through her. Ugh, how could he call her stupid? And open her eyes? How annoying! Kayo glanced at her when she heard her grinding her teeth together. The small blonde wiped her eyes, feeling so... lost.
What should she do?
"Right," Riko said, pushing herself up and narrowing her eyes as she scowled. "I'm gonna do it."
Kaori paused for a long moment. "...Kill Zaraki Taicho?"
"What? No!" Riko frowned and sent her a bewildered stare. "I'm gonna attempt to listen to him again! 'Cause, hell, even I'll admit we're being way to friggin' stubborn."
"...You're being too stubborn." Kaori muttered childishly. She received flat stares from her friends. "I don't want to talk to him." She said, turning around and crossing her arms.
"Why?" Riko asked, frowning in confusion. "Kaori, you loved the guy... two... three weeks ago...?" She looked to the side and frowned. "When did we break up?"
"Two weeks." Kayo answered.
"Yeah, thanks, Kayo. You loved the guy two weeks ago!" She said, holding her hands out and gawking. "Now you're acting... all... bitchy."
"The only reason I'm acting all 'bitchy' is because Kuchiki Taicho willingly transferred me!" Kaori snapped, glaring at the wall angrily. "He wanted me out of his life he could've... done something else!"
Kaori yelped when Riko slapped the back of her head, turning to stare at her in shock. Kayo snickered before covering her mouth, looking between them with wide eyes, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The two stared at one another, one shocked and the other angered.
"Will you stop that?!" Riko asked, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "I know you're stubborn, but jeez! This is really pissing me off, and Kayo's getting pissed off, too! Don't you deny it!" She quickly said, seeing the blonde open her mouth to deny it. "He cares about you, even I can see that! But... all three of us are being too stubborn." She said, looking at the two.
"...Because we don't know what to do..." Kayo murmured, furrowing her brows worriedly.
"Then we'll find out what to do!" Riko snapped, narrowing her eyes as she frowned. "We just have to go to someone that knows this kind of stuff!"
"...Who?" Kaori asked with a scowl, deciding to go along with this.
The door slid open, Rina striding in confidently with a bright smile. "Here you are~! I'm so glad I can still sense reiatsu." She said, giving a wide grin before she sent them a kind smile.
Kayo instantly jumped into Kaori's arms, eyes wide as she stared at her fellow blonde. The redhead was just as rigid, eyes wide and looking very pale. Riko blinked before one of the widest grins crossed her face, one that made Rina blink before she smiled.
"There's our answer." Riko said, holding her arm out towards the woman.
Kayo and Kaori gulped, eyes staying wide.
Shit.
Well, they're scared of Rina. XD I am once again sorry for taking my time. :( But to be truthful... I thought I was only like five days since I last updated. XD It wasn't until I checked my story out that I saw when I last updated. XD
And yes! :D I have decided to up the rating! :D But I mostly see the ZenakuxSeika, IchirouxRina, KenpachixRiko getting steamy... I'll try my best! And if I suck... Well... then it sucks. XD
But you're gonna have to give me the strength and confidence to do this! =D
March 23, 2013