A/N: Please note the chapter title, this should give you some vague warning that this chapter has light mentions, discussions of sex and oral. It's not really descriptive, just explanatory, so don't freak out if you're squeamish over something like that, even if it's light. Honestly I would barely classify what I have written as 'teen', considering the world we live in today, but just in case I put the warning. And yes I am taking my time with these chapters, because I want Saita and Fern to get to know eachother, but don't worry battles are comming soon.
Take care,
- SugarLandBabyGirl
Chapter Twenty-Four:
Awkward and Invasive
Saita had to begrudgingly admit two things about the short blonde: she was incredibly fast, and stealthy. There wasn't even a trace of her spiritual pressure in the air and if Saita wasn't currently glaring daggers at the girl's back she would not have even known that the girl even existed. Suddenly Fern stopped and her head snapped to her left. Her gaze was narrowed and Saita could have sworn apprehension flickered in her eyes, before she abruptly turned and walked on, a quiet murmur on her lips. "Be careful, Ichigo."
Saita cocked her head to the side in curiosity. If her hearing wasn't seriously starting to fail her, then Saita detected a hint of sadness, and something akin to longing in the younger teens' tone. "Say, you got someone you care about out there somewhere, shorty?" Saita asked hesitantly as she slid up beside the quiet blonde. Fern visibly stiffened and cast a cool side glance up at Saita, before she turned her attention back to the dirt bath in front of her. When Fern didn't answer for several minutes, Saita shrugged her shoulders and decided to drop that particular subject.
"He's a friend," Fern unexpectedly spoke up after almost five full minutes of quiet. Saita momentarily paused in surprise, but when Fern didn't even bat an eyelash Saita moved up to stand beside the contemplative blonde. "We're not especially close, but circumstances have made me… protective of him. I do love him, but not in a sexual way… he's more of a brotherly best friend." She finished and Saita nervously scratched at the back of her neck, trying to think of something to say. These situations were awkward as hell.
"If he's the guy who fought Kuchiki Byakuya and lived after being stabbed, then I seriously doubt he'll be beaten so easily. Most of the shinigami here are worthless chumps, believe me, I've kicked most of their asses, several times actually." Saita grinned in an attempt to encourage the smaller girl, but when Fern's lips thinned into a frown Saita nearly punched herself for her stupidity. Saita sighed loudly, which turned into a slight growl before she attempted to amend her mess-up. "Ya know, I give shitty advice so don' listen to me," Saita groused with a grunt and Fern's frown turned into a humored smirk-smile.
"Yeah, you do, but I appreciate it nonetheless." Saita grunted again, stuffed her hands into her pockets and turned away from the grinning teenager to hide her slight blush. 'Stupid kid, makin' me all uncomfortable and shit,' Saita mentally complained halfheartedly. The kid was actually all right, if not a bit of a pain in the ass, but somehow that attitude made Saita recognize that there was a small similarity between them. 'It's too bad she's so much shorter than me, if she grew a little then I might actually feel a bit intimidated.' Saita smirked widely at the prospect of actually having a friendly, yet powerful and composed rival of the same gender.
'I wonder what makes her tick, though. She's distracted, concerned about her friends even though she appears so controlled and playful.' Saita frowned and began to study her companion closer. 'She's determined to accomplish their mission… without any unnecessary loss of life on either side. But from her reactions earlier, it's safe to assume that she would not hesitate to kill any enemy if that was the only option left.' Seijakusenshi commented in an almost bored tone, but Saita caught the deadly undertone he was trying to hide.
'You want to fight her… and her Zanpakutō.' Saita commented with a nod of understanding. The fox grunted and made a strange growling purr that Saita had never heard before. 'Strangely I cannot sense him either, but I know he'll be a strong opponent… he is even better than Zabimaru.' Saita hummed softly in acknowledgement. "You know, you do slightly resemble someone I know. I just can't remember who at the moment." Saita spoke up suddenly and so unexpectedly that Fern paused and turned to look at the taller blonde. "It's true," Saita quickly defended herself with a sour frown that dared the younger girl to give a smartass retort.
"Well, if you remember do let me know. I'm curious to see what the next doppelganger is like." Fern smiled, holding back a laugh. "Oh, just shut up." Saita growled with a narrow eyed glare. Fern however wasn't fazed in the least and just flashed another smile before carrying on her merry way. Saita noticed that the tenseness in her shoulders was beginning to fade the longer she was there in the Soul Society. It was strange, but Saita couldn't help but notice how well Fern would fit in with the rest of the Shinigami, if she weren't trying to rescue the Kuchiki brat. "Ya know, I wouldn't actually mind fightin' you some time or another." Saita mumbled loud enough for Fern to hear her without trying to sound too eager.
"You want to fight me," Fern repeated with a soft tone Saita couldn't gauge any specific emotion from. "Why?" Fern then asked in a curious tone. Saita was taken aback by the simple question, but before she could answer Fern continued. "Do you like to fight simply for the thrill of it, or maybe you want to get stronger than anyone else. But answer me this: If you were the strongest fighter, what would you do after you've reached the top and there are no more rivals to defeat?" Saita paused momentarily and fell into a deep thoughtful silence as she pondered the younger girl's words. "You're a shrewd brat ya know that?" Saita returned snarky instead of actually answering. Honestly she had no really good answer to that question. What would she do if she reached the top?
Fern's shoulders shook and she actually laughed aloud; a mouth wide open, straight pearly white teeth showing laugh. "What's so damn funny?" Saita hissed half-defensively, half-angrily. Fern covered her smile with her hand in a strangely delicate motion that surprised the taller blonde. "You," Fern replied simply as she rolled her eyes. Saita frowned, her brow crinkling in confusion. "Me? What'd I do?" Fern began to laugh again at the barrage of questions the taller blonde haired girl was shooting at her. "Rapid fire much?" The shorter blonde murmured to herself but Saita heard her clearly since they were so close. "Rapid… fire," Saita questioned confused. The kid was strange. It was hard to get a good grasp of her true intentions or feelings. She was well guarded if nothing else and layered up like an onion to boot.
"It's nothing seriously. Forget it. You'll lose precious brain cells if you think on it too hard." Fern's tone was humored yet serious in a secretive kind of way that Saita wasn't completely comfortable with. Saita growled and angrily stuffed her hands back into her pockets, mentally cursing the short blonde to the fieriest pits in hell. "Speaking of fighting," Fern began slowly, catching Saita's attention. "If we're spotted and I'm identified as the enemy, what will you do then?" Saita frowned catching a strange undertone in her voice. "Eh, well… we could always fight our way through." Fern frowned at the loose answer. "That's not what I meant." Fern's tone touched on frustrated. "If you're spotted with me, an intruder, what will you do?" Fern asked again and Saita paused, finally catching on to what she was getting at in not-so-many words.
Saita's eye flickered up to the clear blue sky. There was no use in purposely overlooking the inevitable truth of the matter. "Well, if I'm caught then I'll be imprisoned and probably beheaded after this is over, whether you and your friends win or lose." Fern's expression darkened, but it didn't hit her as hard as it could have. She had already known that the punishment for aiding the enemy would be severe, but that still didn't dull the sting of the truth. "Honestly it doesn't really doesn't matter one fucking bit," Saita's gaze was still skyward as she spoke. Her words were detached and careless, but Fern caught the hidden undertone as she spoke the last sentence. "I've already lost what I'm fighting for." Saita finally dropped her gaze and caught her companions. "Don't pity me." The taller of the two reproached calmly. "I did this to myself, for myself."
Fern held her gaze for several long tense moments, before she blinked and nodded stiffly in understanding. "So, do you have a boyfriend or a lover back in the Living World?" Saita casually asked wanting to obliterate the ice that had silently caked its way back into their midst. Fern let out a chocking noise and Saita grinned predatorily sensing a weak point. Fern swiftly turned her confused and irate gaze on the taller girl. "What? No, no. I don't have either." Saita caught the defensive tone and chuckled evilly under her breath. This girl was ripe with juicy information, now all she had to do was dig her fangs and claws in deeper to find the good stuff. "I find that hard to believe. You have the personality of someone who's gone all the way more than once, if you get my drift."
Fern complexion paled and her expression darkened in shock. Saita laughed loudly, baring her teeth in a scary smile. "So, who popped your cherry?" She asked harassingly and Fern closed up like an unhappy clam. That however did not deter Saita's curiosity, it only fueled it. "Was it with your first love in the back of a truck or car?" When there was no response except for an irritated eye twitch, Saita moved on. "Did you get drunk and just have an accident with a friend or acquaintance?" Fern stiffened and made a subtle misstep. 'Gotcha,' Saita's grin widened to epic proportions and her eyes narrowed in delight. "C'mon shorty I want details, details." Saita urged and poked the short blonde on her now flushed cheek. "Stop," Fern commanded in a frosty tone, her stony gaze set on the path in front of her.
"Not until you answer. I'm just dying to know." Saita continued to poke Fern's face, unfazed by her cold tone and unwelcoming mannerisms. This was entertainment. Saita grinned. Yeah, she was being a nosy bitch on purpose. But it wasn't everyday she got to annoy a shinigami hybrid or whatever Fern was. It was also keeping Fern from asking about her intentions, which was exactly what the shorter blonde was going to do, before Saita starting asking personal questions of her own. Sooner or later the short blonde would cave and Saita had all the time in the world, for now. "You are invasive, annoying and shameless." Fern ground out through clenched teeth. Saita threw her head back and laughed. "Yeah, I am, among many other things. But at least I'm not pretending to be a prudish goody two-shoes, which I know you're not. A goody two-shoes, yeah you are, partially. But you're not a prude."
"You sound so sure of yourself." Fern's tone was still dark and uninviting, but Saita knew she was getting closer to the core. It would only be a waste to stop now. Fern was trying to avoid Saita's gaze and she was doing a damn good job of it so-far. Saita stepped in front of the shorter blonde, stopping her in her tracks and gave a smug smirk. "Did you love him or was he just a good one-time fuck buddy?" Saita cruelly asked. Fern's expression went shockingly blank, before Saita suddenly found herself kissing dirt with a bloody lip and an already bruising jaw. "Fuck that hurt!" Saita cursed with a laugh as she wiped the blood running down her chin off with the back of her hand. Fern had punched the hell out of her, not an offensive girly slap, but a real jaw-breaking punch.
"You damn sure tried to break my jaw, didn' ya." Saita stated with a bloody grin as she pulled herself up off the ground. Fern's expression was as threatening as a thunder cloud as she started down the taller girl. "You held back though, just before your knuckles connected." She continued, her grin slowly dying on her lips due to the pain. 'If she hadn't held back then you'd have more than just a broken jaw, Saita and you know it.' Seijakusenshi commented knowingly and Saita dipped her head in acknowledgement. 'Yeah, I'd be missing a few teeth too and she probably could have broken my nose with that much force.' "I'm impressed, but I won't apologize." Saita announced cockily. A thin, delicately arched eyebrow rose in question at Saita's stupidity.
Fern's defensive stance shifted into casual, but her expression didn't soften. "His name is Thomas Gardner, and he isn't exactly a friend, more of a friendly acquaintance. We weren't drunk, just curious at the time, and horny. We had sex five times before we parted on good terms, neither of us wanting to be just fuck buddies." Fern's expression was stern and Saita couldn't catch any hint of a lie. "So you didn't love him?" Saita asked with a slight curious tilt of her head. "Love comes in many forms. I may have loved him, still do to a degree, but I wasn't in love with him and he felt the same about me." Fern answered simply. Saita cracked her stiff neck and threw her gaze to the side. "What was it like, your first time?" She then asked. It was then that Fern's expression softened in understanding. "I think it's different for everyone." Fern sighed, her gaze drifting to a crack in the wall. "For me, it was awkward and I felt vulnerable."
Saita's head snapped up. Fern's head drifted over and their gazes met. "I enjoyed what we were doing, but giving yourself so wholly to someone like that is an important decision you shouldn't take lightly." Fern blinked slowly, as if memories were swamping her mind. "He was a good partner, a respectable guy, but I regret my first time being with him because if I ever meet a man that I want to give my whole being to, I won't be able, because someone else has taken it." Fern's eyes showed her regret and seemed to say. 'Do you understand now?' Saita inhaled deeply, Fern's words rolling around in her head a full speed. 'Yeah, I do understand, I understand perfectly.' Saita had always wondered why she hadn't slept with her ex despite all the times she could have and now she knew. Fern had learned that lesson the hard way. Saita still wasn't going to apologize and Fern seemed to be expecting nothing of the sort, so with a silent glance between the two they turned towards their destination each with a different, better view of their companion.
"How long does it take to reach that tower?" Fern asked almost an hour later, after the air had been cleared between them, so to speak. Saita grunted at having to be reminded of their destination. "A couple days if you don't want to get caught," She answered grumpily. "You're lying," Fern protested in mild shock. Saita shot her a look. "Am I?" She asked in a deadpan tone. Fern's nose crinkled and she slouched in a similar manner as Saita. "That's ridiculous," She muttered disbelievingly under her breath. "Yeah, tell me about it." Saita drawled in a bored tone and without either of them noticing it, they crossed their arms and sighed at the same time. "Gods this sucks," Fern announced and Saita grunted in agreement.
"Don't hate it yet, if we keep going in this direction then we're bound to run into somebody of rank." Fern groaned and shot Saita a dirty look at the unwanted reminder. "Go suck someone's dick," Fern returned nastily. Saita's head turned and her eyes shimmered mischievously and Fern suddenly wished that she could take back her angry words. "Speaking of sucking dick, did you ever do that with ole what's-his-name during foreplay?" Fern's posture straightened and her pace quickened. "C'mon, educate me on these things." Saita sing-songed as she easily matched her companion's stride, her grin was a little less evil and more playful than the one's before. "Shut up or I really will break your jaw." Fern threatened and Saita laughed at the less aggressive tone. "Ow, fuck!" Saita hissed, cringing from the pain in her jaw. Fern smirked at the idiocy of the taller blonde and slowed her pace, since justice had been rightly served.