Love Mugen, R.I.P. Nujabes – Kyo Itachi
-[×]—[×]—[×]-
"This is so exciting!"
"Do I really have to partake in this?"
"Hey! I don't wanna hear any 'and's, if's, or but's'; you promised!"
He huffed, and crossed his arms in an annoyed pout.
"Oi! Stop fighting it and just do it; it's not all that bad!"
"Yeah, Baldy's right! I wanna play fetch!"
"I've told you not to call me that!"
Smack.
"But you are bald, Baldy!" She giggled after audibly smacking Ikkaku's head.
"Oh man…Yachi, you're killing me…stop…the laughter…it hurts!" I cackled.
"There!" Rangiku giggled and backed away from a grunting Toushirou.
"Oh my God…yes!" I chuckled and high-five Rangiku.
"Oi! Don't laugh at me!" Toushirou crossed his arms in a pout.
"Yachi wants candy! How much longer, Azu-nee?" Yachi interrupted.
"Yachiru-chan, try to be just a little more patient; Takashita-san is almost done." Hinamori tried to coo the little girl.
"Hurry up and let Azu-nee finish your costume, Shirou-Taicho!" Yachi ordered.
I couldn't help but snicker as I fixed Toushirou's shirt. Right before Toushirou could make his rebuttal, I interrupted.
"Yachi, don't call him that; you know he doesn't like that…even though it's cute."
I forced back another snicker while Toushirou mad-dogged me—or should I say mad-wolfed? Ba dum diss!
"Okay okay, you're finished! It isn't quite like how I dreamt, but this has the 'big-bad-wolf' feel, so it's just as good!" I grinned.
"'Big-bad-wolf' feel? What does that imply?" Toushirou quickly asked with a slight blush.
I giggled. "You match Yachi is what I'm saying," I pointed to the small girl by my side.
"She's wearing a white dress with a red cloak; how do I match what she's wearing? I have dog ears!" Toushirou fought back—I laughed.
"She's Little Red Riding Hood, and you're the Big Bad Wolf! That's why!" I grinned.
"Is that reference to another folklore of the World of the Living, Takashita-san?" Hinamori asked; a bright curiosity sweeping her features.
"Yup! That's right! I'll tell you guys all about it later; is everybody ready for this?" I asked, looking around.
"Hai hai!" Yachi answered for everyone ecstatically.
It was really happening—we were finally going Trick or Treating! Words couldn't even describe just how stoked I was for this! I'd never been trick or treating in a group like this before; we're gonna get such a good haul!
I looked around at everyone with a huge grin on my face; everyone's costumes looked so cool I could hardly contain myself.
Staring with the pink-haired bundle of energy; she wore a ruffled, spaghetti-strapped, white dress that fell down in a poofy fashion to her knees, and black flat shoes with white princess socks. She wore a red, hooded cloak that tied together in a bow along her collarbone, and had a picnic basket that doubled as her candy lantern to complete the look. All I wanted to do was take pictures of her and her damn cuteness!
Hinamori decided on a cute maid outfit that met the classic black and white criteria, but also was just a teensy-bit scandalous—as per Rangiku's preference. The black dress and frilly apron ran down just to her mid thigh, while black stockings and boots met them just a little below her knees. Her torso was pulled tight with a white, laced corset that complimented her figure even more, while also pushing up the goods—Rangiku's approval definitely met. She also wore her hair down which looked really good on her to be honest; I'd only ever seen her hair up in a bun, so it was nice to see it down.
Speaking of Rangiku, she decided on a costume completely unlike the one I dreamt her in; she decided to be a sexy version of the Queen of Hearts. Her dress was a felt black fabric with a very short cut that had layers of white tulle petticoat underneath. The fabric that laid over the skirt part was primarily white lace, but had red hearts laced throughout it. The black dress continued upward with a red ribbon that tied together the front; revealing a line of Rangiku's torso along with her cleavage of course. She wore a black collar that had that same felt-black fabric from her dress along with white lace and red ribbon that tied together in a bow. She wore red heels and white stockings that went up to her mid thigh before connecting to the garter she wore under her dress. Finally to complete the look, she wore a small black and red crown on the top of her head, tilted to the side. All in all, Rangiku looked fine as helllll—and yes I was a little jealous.
Next up was Ikkaku who decided to go classic with Kabuki face paint and apparel. He probably just wanted to carry around his wooden sword in all honesty, but hey, the costume looked good on him.
Shockingly enough, Yumichicka decided to be a pirate. He wore tight white pants with black leather boots and straps, along with a tailed English-looking coat that was a subtle burgundy color with gold buttons. He had a fake sword hanging from his side, and a black leather hat with a 'beautiful' red feather sticking out of it. I'm sure he chose the costume solely for the feather in the hat, but I digress. He looked awesome and that's all that mattered.
Renji decided to be a mobster even though he had no idea what that even was. He wore a black pin striped suit with a white undershirt that was unbuttoned near the collar. Around his neck hung a gold chain and his wrist had a gold watch to match as well. He completed his outfit with a smooth-looking black hat and his hair in a low pony tail that fell over his shoulder and down his chest.
Toushirou's outfit was fairly simple, but still met criteria of the 'big bad wolf' look. I didn't want him to go over what he was comfortable with—and let me tell you, he seriously didn't want to dress up at all—so I kept it somewhat light. He wore fitted black pants with black laced boots, and a dark red, hooded flannel with black patterns throughout it. Some of the flannel was tucked while other parts hung loosely, and there were tears, claw marks, fake blood, and dirt stains through the entire outfit. His hair was in a messier fashion than usual, and on his head were a pair of white wolf ears that blended in fabulously. To complete the look, we strapped on a white wolf tail through his belt loops and with the flannel hanging loosely from the back, it looked like it was actually real.
I liked the subtle look that this costume had on him; if he would've actually looked as he had in my dream he'd be too embarrassed and I don't think I'd be able to stop giggling like a school girl. It kinda reminded me of a modern day werewolf more than the 'big bad wolf,' which to be honest just sounds waaaay cooler.
Lastly, there was my outfit.
Keeping true to my dream; I dressed up as a ninja. Rangiku definitely had a little bit of control over this one since she just loved playing dress up. I wore a black one-piece outfit very similar to a romper, but fitted to accentuate my features. I decided to go with dark red as my secondary color—since almost everyone was wearing some type of red—so I had my sash, leg pouch, arm and leg wraps all that color. The sash was long and hung down to my knees from the knot it was tied in on my backside. The one-piece was sleeveless and cut down my chest in a V-neck cut that Rangiku absolutely loved—of course—and cut off on my thighs as shorts. My leg and arm wraps came up to my elbows and knees, and I wore black flats for my 'ninja shoes.' I had my makeup done with red lipstick to match, and put my hair up with one chopstick for added 'edge.'
Although the outfit was a little scandalous, I actually really liked it; I felt like I was a super stylish member of Squad 2. Soi Fon would definitely not get a kick outta that, but Yoruichi sure as Hell would!
"So where are we meeting everyone?" I asked.
Rangiku turned to me, fiddling with a Queen playing card as she replied.
"They should all be at Orihime-chan's apartment by now—it was a bit of short notice, but they should all be ready to go!" She grinned.
"Perfect! I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," I smirked.
"A-zu-nee. Yachi's hungry!" the hooded girl pouted.
"Okay, okay! Lead the way, Captain Yumichicka!" I said in English with a giggle.
He unsheathed his fake sword from his hip and marched forward—talk about getting into character!
"Onward!" he announced, opening the front door and proceeding outside.
Yachi jumped around excitedly, and grabbed Hinamori's hand as she darted outside behind him. Rangiku laughed as she followed with Ikkaku and Renji behind them.
I looked back at my own personal wolf-man; reaching for his hand.
"Ready?" I asked softly, as I smiled up at him.
The embarrassed wolf huffed, and took a deep breath before seizing my reaching hand.
"Yeah, I'm ready." He replied, doing his best to display a small smile.
I pulled him into me, and wrapped my arms around him.
"Thank you for doing this; you make me so happy," I nuzzled up against him.
"I'd do anything to see you happy, Azumi," he replied softly into my ear.
He put his hand against the side of my face, motioning me to pull back so he could look at my face. I couldn't help but blush as he studied me, and he smiled at my reaction. Without any hesitation, he leaned in for a kiss; that dominant nature of his never ceasing to frazzle me.
"Hey! You're going to mess up her lipstick, Taichou!" Rangiku shouted at us.
I embarrassingly pulled back, my blush ever apparent on my face. Toushirou didn't make any effort in letting me go; ever since our relationship became acceptable to the Soul Society, he became braver and braver with public displays of affection. I however was still incredibly shy about the whole situation and panicked around everyone aside from Rangiku.
"It isn't messed up at a—"
"Oi! Hurry up lovey-dovey-birds!" Yachi interrupted him.
I giggled and grudgingly pushed myself out of the grasp I just couldn't get enough of.
"Come on! There's candy to be eaten!" I grinned as I pulled Toushirou's hand.
He smiled back at me, and let me pull him out the door.
-[×]-
"Trick or Treat!" Yachi, Hinamori, Rangiku and I shouted as the front door of Orihime's apartment opened.
The three faces inside completely shifted to shock and excitement upon setting their lines of vision on me.
"Azumi-chan!" Orihime shouted as she tackled me to the ground.
"You're alive!" Rukia and Kurosaki both shouted with grins on their faces.
Tears and choked out sobs from the busty-girl on top of me sounded loudly.
"I'm so happy you're alive, Azumi-chan!" Orihime choked out.
"Me too!" I grinned and squeezed the girl with all my might.
"I missed you guys so much; I'm so glad that everyone is okay, and that you guys are here!" I squealed as I poked the emotional female holding me.
"I can't believe you're here, Takashita! How did you survive? Toushirou said that—"
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, Kurosaki," Toushirou corrected.
Kurosaki grimaced and I just couldn't help but laugh. I pushed Orihime up to a sitting position with me, and I wiped the tears off her face as I grinned up at her.
"I'll explain everything when we get to Urahara's so that I don't have to repeat myself. So let's go you guys! Yachi and I need to add more candy to the haul!" I laughed.
I took Orihime's hand and hoisted the two of us up before Rukia seized me next.
"It's good to have you back," Rukia said as she planted the hug on me. I hugged her back with a quick squeeze before letting her go to look at her.
"It feels good to be back." I smiled.
I looked over at Kurosaki; a small hint of a smile on his face when he looked back at me. I walked over to him, and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"I heard what happened," I paused, staring up at him briefly before throwing on a casual smirk. "Good job, and thank you, Kurosaki," I held my fist up to him.
I knew what he must of felt like now, but I tried to keep things on a lighter note rather than dwelling on something unfortunate. He didn't let his smirk falter for even a second; he struck his fist lightly against mine.
"Yeah," he breathed, lacking to think up of a response that wouldn't be self-praising.
"You look great, Orihime-chan!" Rangiku broke through Kurosaki and I's exchange.
"O-Oh, you think so?" Orihime responded.
I took a moment to inspect the three of them, seeing that aside from Orihime's witch costume, Rukia was a vampire, and Kurosaki was a baseball player.
Yachi tugged on my sash, and I couldn't inspect any further.
"When can I start eating some of these yummy human treats?" She whined.
"You have to wait until the end of the night!" I said matter-of-factly with my arms crossed.
She pouted and turned on her heel with an added "umph" for emphasis. I smirked with my sudden thought, and bent down to whisper in her ear.
"If you give Ikkaku a hard time tonight, I'll let you have 1 candy here and now," I whispered in her ear.
Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she reached into her basket and pulled out a candy bar.
"Hai, hai!" She sang before taking a huge bite.
I snickered and looked up at Toushirou, who was looking up at the orange sky lost in thought. I walked over to him, and looped my arm through his.
"Come on guys, let's go!" I called.
-[x]-
"Oi! Quit trying to touch my face paint!" Ikkaku shouted at Yachi.
True to her word, she kept hassling Ikkaku throughout the evening. It was too hilarious just to watch his frustration escalate again and again; Rangiku and I snickered as we watched each and every encounter unfold.
As we all sat down in Urahara's house, Urahara couldn't be more ecstatic that all of us were there. He hadn't had this many people in his home for months, and things were starting to get "boring" according to him. He and Yoruichi were both as excited as the rest were about my survival, and Urahara couldn't help but hug me—much to Toushirou's dismay.
Once we'd all settled down and began to eat our candy—I shared my stash with Urahara since he apparently had a thing for candy—he asked me to explain what happened.
"Well, when I came to, I was laying on my back in the middle of a field. I sat up and looked around, seeing no one around at all. I honestly had no idea where I was, or what was happening—I remembered what happened, but I was so confused that I was even alive. There was a sheathed katana beside me, and so I took it as I wandered through the field. After several hours of wading through the tall grass, I finally found a dirt road, and ran down it as fast as I could. As I approached a nearby town, I started to see similarities from the one time I was in the Rukongai. It was then that it finally clicked that I was in the Soul Society."
"Immediately, I found the nearest person, and asked him exactly where we were. He said that we were in Junrinan, the 1st district of West Rukongai. I asked him how to get to the Seireitei, and once he gave me directions, I ran off toward it. He shouted that I wouldn't get in, and that if I should fail to come back to stay with him. And he was absolutely right—I couldn't get in no matter how hard I tried. I literally lined the wall for days until I finally gave up. I decided that maybe if I went back like the man said, that I could ask about a better way of getting in."
"When I traveled back, I couldn't find any trace of the man—of course. So I just wandered for a while, trying to talk to people and get information on how to get into the Seireitei. Finding food was probably the hardest thing to do, but luckily I was able to find a river and catch some fish. A few weeks passed of just wandering and asking questions, until one day at the marketplace I asked the wrong person. The guy I approached thought I was trying to haggle him, and ended up pushing me over a wagon in the middle of the street. I was so angry that I got up to punch him in the face, but before I could do that, an all too familiar person did it for me instead—my Dad from the World of the Living. I immediately turned into a sobbing wreck just looking at him, and on cue with my tears, my Mom surprised me at my side, trying to calm me down. Words can't even describe just how happy I was that day." I smiled more to myself than the group.
"They took me in with almost zero hesitation, and it was almost like we were back home at my house a few blocks away from here. On the first day, I decided to take precautions since Toushriou told me they lost their memories. I was trying to think up of a new name, but before I could do that I accidently made an old reference from when we all were still alive. It caused the two of them to pause and just stare at me for a moment. They looked as if their heads hurt from my words, so I decided that I had to be cautious about anything related to our past, and to just start over new for their sakes. I continued with my main objective, and asked them just how to get into the Seireitei. They said they didn't know anything, but that a few months ago, a Shinigami had come to visit a friend of theirs. I came to find out that this friend was Toushirou and Hinamori's Obaa-san. I'd thought that maybe they'd moved on somewhere else rather than staying in the same place, but luckily I was wrong. So I decided that I'd stay with them, and hoped that one day either Toushirou or Hinamori would come to visit their Obaa-san. Toushirou literally found me only two days ago." I explained.
"That's amazing," Urahara commented.
"I can't believe that you were able to find your parents, Azumi-chan! That's wonderful news!" Orihime smiled brightly.
"Right? What luck! I'm seriously just lucky to even be alive, and I found my parents? I nearly died again from the amount of happiness that surged through me." I grinned back at her.
"I'm glad that my experiment worked," Urahara interjected in our conversation.
I turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
Urahara opened his fan, and started fanning himself as he explained.
"When you first told me about yourself, I was concerned about what would happen to you if the Soul Society ever found out about you. I started experimenting on Soul conversion immediately, and luckily was able to whip something up right when you decided to tell Hitsugaya-Taichou. Remember that needle?" He stared into me, awaiting my response.
The realization hit me over the head like a baseball bat. I stood up from how shocked I was that I hadn't put that together earlier.
"So that—that time that you—that was that?" I struggled.
"Japanese, Azumi-chan!" Rangiku giggled.
"Right before we left from here that morning when I confessed, Urahara and Yoruichi had me go into Urahara's lab. Yoruichi held me down while Urahara shoved a needle up my neck,"
"You did what?" Toushirou glared at Urahara, who in turned laughed.
"So then that stuff you injected into me…"
"Was my Soul converter, yes." Urahara grinned. "It only had a 50/50 chance at working since it hadn't been tested on a live subject, but I figured that it was then or never. I programmed it to react the moment your life force became critical. As soon as the requirement is met, it's similar to a light switch. It converts the soul, and then immediately performs a Konso to send the new Soul to the Soul Society. Nifty isn't it? After the Aizen incident finally came to an end and everyone recuperated, Yoruichi-san began to search for you throughout the Rukongai."
I looked over at Yoruichi who grinned and scratched her head.
"I looked everywhere for you, but I couldn't even feel out your reiatsu. I'm assuming you were pretty weak at first, am I right?" She asked.
"Indeed. My reiatsu was, and still isn't as strong as it used to be. It took me a good amount of time to start to learn how to manipulate and control it again. Even Yoru took forever to talk to me."
"Yoru no Shedo?" Urahara asked.
I nodded with a smile.
"Yup! Turns out that she reincarnated with me, but in the form of a Zanpakuto rather than her earrings. I recently was able to achieve Shikai, and when I did, Yoru manifested with it. I nearly broke all her bones with how hard I hugged her." I chuckled sheepishly.
"That's very interesting; definitely unexpected!" Urahara grinned with widened eyes. "And what about your Hollow alter-ego?"
"Imuza is definitely still present. At first I couldn't really sense her either, but slowly as I progressed and started to recuperate, she came back. I guess I'm pretty much like Kurosaki exactly, but I'm already dead." I smirked and looked at the baseball player; he shook his head with his usual scowl as Urahara continued.
"On a more, grave note, I heard about what Hajime Saito did to you in Hueco Mundo." Urahara looked directly at my stomach. I didn't need to be a rocket-scientist to figure out what he was going to ask.
"It's gone." I immediately responded before he could ask. "When I woke up, there wasn't any pain, or any sign of it at all. It must've not worked for it." I explained, my demeanor saddening as I placed my hand over my stomach.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that,"
"No, it's okay. It's fine." I said, moreover to myself than to him as I sat down beside Toushirou.
Toushirou lightly placed his hand on my leg.
While I was happy that I wasn't hosting a child product of rape culture, at the same time I was definitely still sad about it. I'm sure that even though it would've been hard, that child would've been a good one if raised right—and you're damn sure that he would've been raised right. Although his life was very short, the loss of it still left an unpleasant feeling with me.
Sensing my uncomfortable aura, Urahara continued.
"So, moving on, what has the Soul Society decided to do with you? Obviously you're still able be near all of our friends," Urahara motioned around the room.
I smiled to ease the tension and replied.
"The Soutaichou accepted me into the Seireitei since I helped—even though I caused more trouble than anything—during the final battle. He said that I'm allowed to stay in the Seireitei under the condition that I become a full-fledged Shinigami starting from square one. I start the Academy on Monday." I grinned.
Urahara snapped his fan shut.
"That's wonderful news, Azumi-chan!" he grinned with me.
"Right?" I squealed.
"Well, I for one am completely ecstatic about the outcome of everything; the realms are at peace, and we were able to save you and everyone else, Azumi-chan. This calls for a celebration! Tessai-san!"
Tessai on cue plunked two huge Sake bottles on the table, and half of our group cheered in excitement.
"I'll bring food momentarily, please enjoy this in the meantime," Tessai announced before he turned away toward the kitchen.
As the group erupted into an excited frenzy of the festivities that were about to ensue, I got up and launched myself at Urahara. He returned my hug, and I pulled back to look up at him.
"How can I ever thank you for what you've done?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes and ready to spill down my cheeks.
Urahara smiled and patted my head.
"Just the biggest smile you can muster will suffice," he chuckled.
Immediately, I donned the biggest, goofiest, toothiest smile the world had ever seen, and shot it up at him.
He couldn't help but laugh at my face.
"There's the cute little Azumi-chan we all know and love!" he grinned, as everyone cheered.
Yoruichi was by my side, and rested her hand on my head.
"I'm glad you're back, kiddo; I've missed you," she half-smiled.
I hugged her next, doing my absolute best to hold back the tears as I embraced my Sensei.
"Thank you so much, Yoruichi; I don't know where I'd be without you," I told her as I tightened my hug.
"Thank you for being the brave, and strong woman I know you are," she replied.
I let her go, and bowed with that huge smile still on my face. I took a quick breath and excused myself out of the room. The tears for what they had done for me were completely set in motion, and I didn't want to dampen the other's fun because of them.
I sat down on the front porch, and looked up to the sky; the moon had slowly started making its way up as the sky faded from purple to dark blue. I never thought I'd be sitting here on this porch again, and I never thought that I'd get to see the moon from the World of the Living either—it was like a dream.
Arms settled on my shoulders, hands hanging loosely together in front of me as a pair of lips kissed the top of my head. I reached up and cradled both hands with both of my own, as I hunched forward to let my tears fall to my lap. Slowly, he retracted his hands and sat down next to me; placing one arm around my back and to my opposite shoulder to pull me into him. I accepted the gesture, and rested my head in the crook of his neck as I wiped my face and tried to contain myself.
A few moments filled with the sound of my sniffling passed, and he let out a small chuckle. It was bait—he wanted me to ask the infamous question.
"W-What so funny?" I mumbled, biting that bait like the sorriest fish in the pond.
"I was just remembering something you once told me; I proved you wrong then, and now it's happened again." He placed his free hand on top of my right hand resting in my lap; gently feeling my skin with his thumb.
"Which time?" I asked, a small smile trying to creep up on my face.
"It was the night we celebrated your birthday; you felt like your friendship with everyone was a 'fleeting sensation.' But look at you now; all the friends that are back inside—you're quite the lucky one," he cooed.
The small smile spread into a larger one as I remembered that night. That night had meant so much to me. All the things Toushirou said to me, all the things the others did for me; I couldn't be anymore happier.
"I don't think I'll ever forget the blush spread across your cheeks that night; you were too cute with how flustered you were,"
"O-Oi! Don't make fun of me, meanie!" I giggled and pushed against him in a playful pout.
"All right, all right, I'll stop," he said as he pulled me closer.
"You're right Toushirou; it's twice you and everyone have proven me wrong." I sniffled again.
I took a deep breath and wiped my face—a ditch effort to stop myself from letting my emotions get the better of me.
"Just remember that everyone in there values you. You are irreplaceable to them, and irreplaceable to me." He rubbed my arm, before gently squeezing it.
"I'll never forget it!" I grinned, and leaned forward to look at him. "I couldn't be more blessed," I smiled. I turned my body and pulled him to me in a hug. I squeezed him and took a deep breath.
"Come on, let's get back; everyone wants to celebrate," he told me.
I nodded, and pulled back out of the embrace, quickly pecking his cheek with my lips.
"You're right—let's celebrate! Wanna play truth or dare like that one time?" I smirked.
"Only if it's you and I, and it involves only dares." He responded with his own smirk.
"Add a bottle of sake to that, and I'm sure Rangiku can make it happen," I chuckled.
"Oi! Azumi-chan! Taichou! Where'd you guys go?"
"Speak of the Devil," I giggled.
Toushirou got up and outstretched his hand to me. I took it, and let him lead me back inside; the celebration officially beginning as we shut the front door behind us.
-[×]-
Several hours went by, and at around midnight all of us ditched the gigais and returned back to the Soul Society; some of us pulling a Cinderella and losing our shoes along the way—Rangiku, cough!
Once we passed through the Senkaimon, the members of the 11th Division bid us their farewells so they could escort Yachi back to Zaraki-Taichou. Renji decided to walk Hinamori back to her barracks, and the 10th Squad Taichou and his Fukutaichou walked back with me to our barracks.
Rangiku wanted to keep drinking, but I convinced her to go home for the night because she was far too wasted to continue. The shindig at Urahara's was probably the hardest I've seen the others party yet. I wisely decided to not drink, but that didn't stop me from stuffing myself with food and candy with Yachi by my side. Everyone had such a great time; I really cherished these moments together with everyone.
We arrived at Rangiku's front door, and I steadied her as Toushirou took her keys and tried to determine which of them unlocked her door.
"D-Did you have fun tonight Azumi-chan?" Rangiku asked me in her slurred drunken stupor.
"Of course I did! Did you have fun?" I asked back.
"You betcha!" She shouted as she pumped her fist.
"Rangiku! Shh!" I giggled as I brought her fist back down.
Rangiku slithered her hand out of my grasp, and pulled me into her for one of her infamous death hugs—it had been a while since I'd had one, and I was completely ecstatic even though it hurt.
"R-Rangiku! My windpipes!" I coughed a giggle.
"Azumi-chan,"
"Hm?"
She let up on the hug, and held me as lightly as a drunk person could.
"You make me so happy; I'm glad that you're back with us now," she took a moment to breathe. "You're my best friend—please don't leave me again,"
My eyes widened, and I immediately hugged her tightly.
"Never, ever. I'll always be here for you; you are—and always will be—my best friend," I replied to her.
She giggled and I could tell that she was almost brought to tears as much as I was. She pushed me back, and grinned.
"What is it that the humans do?" She held up her hand and stared at it.
She studied her right hand, and started folding some of her fingers down into her palm. Once she was two fingers in, a spark of recognition lit her features, and she stuck out her pinky toward me.
I couldn't help but belly laugh.
I seized her pinky with my own, and shook it.
"It's a pinky promise! You're really something else, you know that?" I chuckled.
"You know it!" Rangiku winked.
Toushirou had the door opened, and he cleared his throat to signal her to go inside. Rangiku and I released each other's pinkies, and she turned on her heel toward her door.
"Goodnight my two lovebirds!" She practically shouted.
"Oi!" we both said in unison as she shut the door on us.
I giggled and turned toward Toushirou, who extended his arm so I could loop mine through it as we walked. I took a deep breath as I rested my free hand on his forearm. I still couldn't believe that everything turned out the way it did; how thankful I was for everything and everyone—I couldn't get over the fact that I was going to be here with all of them again. Two days ago, I was still out in the Rukongai dreaming of the day that I'd be reunited with everyone, and now here I am; amidst the presence of those I cared about.
Toushirou took out his keys from his pants pocket, and quickly inserted it into the lock.
"Did you have fun tonight?" He asked as he opened the door.
"Of course!" I responded.
Toushirou reached for the door handle, and opened the door slowly. He ushered me inside before him, and flicked the light switch.
I took in his home, remembering all the times he and I shared here and how much I missed being here with him. It smelled like him—the scent that made me close my eyes and turn up the corners of my lips, the scent that warmed my heart and eased my soul, the scent I loved the most.
His arms wrapped around my hips as he closed the distance behind me. His chin rested behind my head, as I set my hands delicately on his.
"I'm so glad to finally be here; I've missed this place so much," I breathed out.
"I'm glad to have you here with me," he replied.
The Soutaichou had talked to us in private in regard to our relationship. Toushirou immediately responded that he truly had feelings for me, and wanted me to stay with him. I apologized to the Soutaichou about what I said prior when I was detained. I explained that what I said was out of concern for Toushirou and Rangiku, but that I truly did have feelings for Toushirou and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him and the others.
I fully expected the man to tell us that it was completely against the law, but to my surprise, he didn't. He said that although it is generally frowned upon for the Taichou-level members of the Gotei 13, everyone still has the right to choose someone to share and spend the rest of their life with. Since I helped in the final battle against Aizen, he agreed that he would let our relationship ensue under the premise of it not interfering with matters of the Gotei 13. I nearly almost cried. I curtly bowed right along with Toushirou, and thanked him for his kindness. He dismissed us, and I immediately left with Toushirou toward Division 12 to fulfill part of my original agreement.
The Soutaichou was concerned on just how I was able to reincarnate due to the nature of exactly what I was. It was agreed that if I were to stay in the Seireitei, not only would I have to become a full fledged Shinigami, but I would have to make routine visits to Kurotsuchi to monitor my spiritual pressure. Toushirou didn't like the later part one bit, but I hushed him and agreed to the condition.
Now knowing that it was Urahara's doing that gave me a second chance, the past 48 hours spent under thorough investigation from Kurotsuchi was a waste. At least now I can report it to him tomorrow and he can discuss with Urahara if anything else needs to be done.
This was my first time back at Toushirou's, and the endorphins within me couldn't help but multiply in my incandescent state.
I tapped Toushirou lightly before taking a step forward into the living room. I looked around like I was a spectator at an antique show; admiring every inch of the place with wonder in my eyes. I finally plopped down on the couch and looked back to Toushirou who just stood and watched me, completely mesmerized. I smiled up at him, and he made his way over toward me.
"Toushirou, I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here with you; it means the world to me that you would open up your home for me. I promise that I'll keep it clean for you, and that I won't change anything,"
He sat down next to me, and turned to look at me.
"It's no longer just my home—it's our home. We both will keep care of it, together." He smiled.
I looked down at my thumbs—my nervous habit of twiddling my thumbs in full effect at the excitement of his words.
"Our home—I like the sound of that; it has a lovely ring to it." I smiled, taking a deep breath.
He set his hand over my busy thumbs, and I looked back over at him.
"From here forward, what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine; does that sound fair to you?" He asked.
I nodded as my smile widened.
"Sounds absolutely wonderful." I replied.
I looked back down at his hand, and turned one of mine up to squeeze his. The butterflies in my stomach couldn't take it anymore.
"Speaking of what's mine," I scooted closer to him; my thigh a mere hair away from touching his.
I could already feel the blush on my face as the thoughts raced through my mind. The confidence I had to make the move was now gone as I realized just how straight-forward I was being.
"I-I…I want to…"
I stammered. A sudden fear of my premeditated actions sank my stomach down. I looked back down at my hands, and breathed. Toushirou gently placed his other hand over mine.
"You want t—"
My lips pressed against his in a swift, adrenaline-filled motion, cutting off his sentence. I turned my torso to face him, and squeezed his hand as I drew out the kiss that I'd been longing for. My heart thumped in my chest, and after a few seconds, I immediately pulled back and faced forward; head craned down to focus on our hands.
"T-That was a little too sudden! I'm so sorry! I just—"
"Azumi,"
His hands left mine, and he pulled me closer to him before turning my face to look at his.
Before I could say anything, he lifted my chin up with his thumb and fore-finger, and went in to kiss me. He moved his lips gently against mine as he released my chin and slid his hand to lightly graze my neck. Thinking that the butterflies would settle if I gave him a quick kiss was completely wrong—they flurried now more than ever.
He turned his body to face mine, and leaned forward into me as he continued this dance with our lips. My heart skipped a beat as his hand ghosted along my thigh and up to my hip; the feeling making my insides quiver at the touch. He nibbled at my bottom lip, and gently asked for entry as his tongue slid lightly along my inner layer lip. I obliged, placing my hand at the base of his head and gently pulling him closer. He slid his tongue inside, sending electronic signals from my brain that made my thighs squeeze together in anticipation. He dominated the entry; feeling the nooks and crannies of me as he slid his hand toward my waistline. He stopped at the center of my waistline, his fingers hovering and slowly tugging at the edges of my tucked in shihakushou.
I took my freehand and slid it along the forearm of his lingering hand, and motioned him to continue forward. He got the message and slid his hand been the robes and underneath my undershirt; his warm hand touching my bare skin and slithering to my side. The touch of his calloused palm on my skin sent a new wave of confidence to ripple through me, and I let it control me.
In a coordinated—which is new for me—and swift motion that didn't disconnect our kiss, I pushed myself up, and crept onto his lap; straddling him as I leaned down toward him to deepen the kiss. I could feel the smirk playing on his lips—he was impressed by my bold action.
Although my action was completely nerve-wracking, my confidence continued to overpower my cowardly tendencies. One hand begged for entry into his shihakushou while my fingers of the other went through his hair; gripping it enough to show that I was itching for some dominance. He let me have my way; he slowed down the kiss enough for me to take the reigns, and I obliged by slipping my tongue into him. He greeted me, and let me have my way inside of his mouth while he crept farther up my shirt, and gently pressed his fingers on the rib just underneath my bra.
I took my time with my own hand, tracing over his sculpted abdominals as if they were a message written in Brail. The mental visual I had of the last time I saw him shirtless made me anxious in the best of ways; my kiss deepening and showing that I wanted more of him. His pressed hand on my ribcage slowly began to retract out of my shirt, and although I nearly whined over the loss of the contact, he made up for it by placing both of his hands on my thighs, and sliding them to my hips to pull me closer to him.
In doing so, the bulge in his pants made itself known beneath me, and made me smirk in confidence that he was still enjoying my actions as much as I was enjoying his. Feeling my smirk, he pressed his thumbs into my hip bones, and immediately regained control of our kiss as a comeback. I released his hair, and slid my hand to his cheek before moving my fingers to graze and lightly tug his earlobe. My other hand traveled farther upward toward his pecs, pushing his shihakushou to open up further.
He slowly slid his hands past my hip bones and completely to my sides. He slithered down my waist, and his fingers pressed into me as he slid his hands downward. His fingers grazed over my butt—which made my hand touching his chest noticeably falter—and that smirk of his was back on his face when I failed to hold back a small, sharp intake. After lingering his hands in that spot for a few seconds, he continued down toward my thighs and wedged his hands between my legs and his.
He leaned forward from his pushed back position against the couch, and slowly—so I wouldn't freak out or fall—he picked me up and stood up holding me closely against him. I yelped anyway, and in fear of falling, I wrapped my legs around his torso and moved both of my hands to either side of his neck. That smirk grew, and he pulled back from his kiss to lightly peck my lips as a form of apology. I smiled and began deepening the kiss again to show that it was acceptable. With no trouble at all it seemed, he walked with me in his arms around the couch and toward his—er, our—bedroom.
He pushed the door open gently, and led us inside to the bed. He set me down at the foot of the mattress, and broke the kiss momentarily. He put his forehead against mine, and trailed his hand from my shoulder up to my neck.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
I was breathing a bit heavily, so I assumed that maybe he thought I was tired.
"I-I'm more than okay," I answered. "You just have my heart beating a mile a minute," I smiled.
He lightly swept his thumb to and fro in its spot on my neck.
"I can say the same," he responded.
I couldn't help but let out a small giggle at his comeback. I put both of my hands on either side of his head, and pulled back to look at him. The moonlight that peeked through the sheer curtains lit him up just enough for me to make out the facial features I yearned to see. He looked right back into me with those eyes I always seemed to get lost in; the visual contact making my nerves go haywire with need for his touch. As I studied him I smiled, and couldn't help but pull myself forward for a quick peck.
"Ah, I almost forgot," he said as he pulled back from me. He reached into the inner pocket of his haori, and took the object out and held it in his closed hand in front of me.
"This belongs to you," he smiled.
I held my hand out, and he put the bracelet I thought was lost forever into my palm. My face lit up, and my big goofy grin was in full effect.
"I-I thought this was gone forever! You kept it?" I grinned, already knowing the answer yet wanting to hear it vocalized.
"Of course I did—it was the only thing left of you," his smile faltered.
He was still so hurt by my absence—these past few months must've pained him more than they did me. I knew at the very least that there was a chance he was alive; he had no clue that I was alive at all. I don't know what I'd do if I were the one in his shoes…
I stood back up, and gave him a quick peck. I wrapped my arms around him, and squeezed.
"I'm here, Toushirou—I'll always be here with you now; there's no need for you to hurt or worry anymore. There's nothing separating us now, and I plan on keeping it that way if you allow me to."
He squeezed me back tightly, taking a deep breath and exhaling out all the misery and loneliness he'd felt over the past few months.
"You don't even have to ask—I wouldn't have it any other way." He told me as his head nudged against me.
I grinned and pulled us back onto the bed; surprising him almost enough for a small gasp to leave his lips.
"Come here," I smiled with a small chuckle.
I wrapped my arms around him again, and he turned so I could snuggle into him. "Promise to never let me go?" I asked.
Toushirou wrapped his arms around me, and held me closely as he kissed the top of my forehead.
"I promise; in my arms is where you belong," He replied softly.
And in his arms is where I always wanted to be. Because he was the one I wanted to be around the most. He was the one I wanted to touch me, and hold me close—the heartbeat I wanted to hear. I shifted my head up, and kissed just under his jawline before settling myself back against him.
It occurred to me then and there, surrounded by his warm comfort that this was what I was seeking all along. My fate has been completely fogged and hazy for so long, and I didn't quite know where I was meant to end up.
But right here, right now, the fog that blinded me began to open, and rays of sun beamed through to show me the way…it was clear as crystal to me now.
With him…
…is where I've always been meant to be.
