71. secrets
Title: In-friends
Word Count: 477
Rating: G

Ichigo couldn't help the grudging smile on his face. As annoying as they were, he had missed his friends the past couple of years. And once out of high school, they had calmed down somewhat.

"Ne, Ichigo, lets go on a blind double date!"

And yet, some things would never change – like Keigo being a girl-less loser.

"Pass."

"But Ichigo! You can't be a bachelor all your life! We must get you over your girl-phobia now, while you still have your youth to find the perfect wife!"

What the hell? He was most assuredly not afraid of girls, a miracle since he'd grown up knowing Tatsuki. "I'm not scared of girls you idiot. I just don't think my fiancée would like to hear about my blind date."

"Yes, yes, make up exc- FIANCEE?" Keigo choked. Miziru almost tripped over his own feet. "You have a fiancée? Since when?"

"You proposed, what?" Ishida cast a look at him. "Sometime last month?"

"Five weeks." He grunted.

"Mmmm." Chad agreed.

"Proposed? To a girl?" Keigo demanded.

"Yes to a girl you stupid-!"

"Why didn't you tell us Ichigo?" Miziru pulled out the puppy eyes. "Aren't we your friends? I didn't even know you were dating!"

"You don't trust us at all, you fiend!" Keigo ruined the image by wailing beside him.

"As Ichigo rolled his eyes, Orihime and Rukia exited the shop just ahead of them. Inoue saw them first, and grabbed the smaller girl by her arm to drag her over.

"Oh, look, everyone's all together!" She gushed happily.

"Inoue-san!" Keigo cried happily. But after learning she was dating Ishida, he now turned his eyes to Rukia. "And a cute friend!"

Ichigo slammed his fist into the back of Keigo's head as he slung an arm around Rukia's shoulders. "Keep to yourself, Keigo. It's why we can't take you anywhere."

Both Keigo and Miziru stared openly at the casual affection their asexual friend was displaying for this seeming total stranger. Naturally, it took all of two seconds for Keigo to explode.

"Ichigo, you fiend! You're championing a girl when you have a fiancée!"

"Oh really?" Rukia turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You have some other fiancée I haven't been told about?"

"No," he rolled his eyes. "Just some idiot friends I haven't told you about."

Miziru's eyes were wide. Keigo was sputtering. Chad and Ishida were both unimpressed with the situation and amused with the other two. Orihime looked politely confused, but she was already daydreaming.

Rukia was looking at him with only one eyebrow raised, so he knew he had enough leeway, "Hey, I'm getting Byakyua as an in-law, so you can get a couple of idiots as family friends."

The second eyebrow went up but she was thinking it over. "Add Renji to my side, so with your two fools we'll call it even."

"Deal."