Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Word Count: 450
Ookami Bound
A Question of Breeding
The Shinigami-daiko was still unassigned- he did not belong to any one squad. While he was well known for his fervor in battle- he was still rather awful at kido. Rukia, with Renji's help often attempted to remedy this oversight.
After training it was routine for them to unwind at the Kuchiki estate- where the staff- particularly the maids- were only too happy to serve cool drinks and snacks.
Ichigo's eyes strayed across the lawn warily. The pain was still there- throbbing in one… cheek. He shifted on the cushion beneath him and winced.
"Say, Renji…"
"Mmm?"
"What sort of dog do you think Tsukiko is?" Ichigo asked, frown pensive as he eyed the canine in question.
Renji shot Ichigo a slightly irritated glance- none-too-pleased to have his own thoughts interrupted. He bit into the apple in his hand and between chews answered, "I'm pretty sure she's got wild blood in her- whatever she is."
"Well… she's too big to be an Akita hybrid- and I've never seen a wolf in person- but she looks like she'd tower over them too… And she seems- um- intelligent at times…" The Shinigami-daiko scratched his head.
Renji was far from interested in the conversation, yet he bobbed his head a couple times making a few noncommittal noises in seeming agreement.
The tree overhead rustled in the breeze.
Grooming herself a few steps out of reach, Tsukiko was doing a marvelous job of pretending not to listen in on the entertaining- rather one-sided exchange.
"Ya know- as a substitute I've seen quite a lot- hollows, quincies, visored and all… Weird stuff… So… I think I'm open-minded and… And Renji… I kinda think Rukia's dog is a… demon."
The Sixth Division's Lieutenant paused mid-chew to swivel a look in the boy's direction and sure enough recognized the look of complete seriousness on his features.
Slowly Renji turned his skeptical gaze on Tsukiko. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a twinkle of amusement in the dog's eye, but still, that didn't make the animal into a creature of legend.
He scoffed loudly, finishing his bite of apple as he quipped, "Sure, sure, Kurosaki. So by association Rukia's a demon too, right? I see what you're doin. Ha!"
"I wasn't attempting a joke!" Ichigo insisted and scowled as he muttered, "It would be a pretty poor one in any case."
"Right! Right! And of course my captain's the head demon, eh? They're workin' some kinda angle to take over the Seireitei- having already infiltrated the ranks and all…" Renji spoke with enthusiasm now, stroking his chin.
A look of chagrin took over Ichigo's features as his shoulders slumped, "Oi, how far are you gonna take this?"