The two were sitting on one of the many benches that littered the academy, they had been there for well over an hour and classes had been let out already. Some students were still lingering around but none were paying the two any attention, mostly because Ichigo didn't look pleased at all. Elizabeth had her head down staring into her lap, deep down, she was glad that she had the chance to talk with Ichigo again but dared not show it.
She didn't want to make him think she was happy about something while he held such a serious look in his eyes, no, now was not the time to be happy. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see Ichigo's hand resting next to his thigh, the two sitting quite some distance apart from one another. She wanted to reach out and grab it, to hold it and for him to tell her that everything would be ok... but she knew that wasn't going to happen.
When Ichigo had told her that they needed to talk, she instantly agreed, hoping that somehow she would be able to gain Ichigo's forgiveness for everything. However... neither had said anything, they had been sitting in silence for over an hour now. She raised her head up slightly and was surprised to see Ichigo scowling more than usual. He was clearly annoyed. Elizabeth felt her eyes begin to blur as she felt the tears well up once more, was he so angry at her he couldn't even hear her apology out? Or even look at her?
"I'm an ass." Elizabeth's head shot up to look Ichigo in the face to see him staring off into the quad. "No matter what happened between us, I shouldn't have treated you the way that I did, you didn't deserve that kind of treatment." He said glancing in her direction. "Sorry." Elizabeth's eyes were wide in shock as he stared into her eyes, before Ichigo's eyes opened as he saw tears fall from her eyes.
"No! You have nothing to apologise for!" She cried bringing her hands to her eyes. "You had every right! I betrayed your trust! I kept you away... just... just so..." She couldn't get the rest out as she began to cry, her body trembling so much it was visible to Ichigo. Ichigo frowned as Elizabeth practically broke down in front of him, this didn't seem like it was the first time either.
"I didn't know how hard she's taken this." Ichigo thought sadly. "Geeze I can be a real ass at times." He continued as he rose a hand to Elizabeth's shoulder making her look up at him with teary eyes. She lowered her gaze as she sniffled slightly, more tears falling from her eyes.
"I never wanted you to feel used Ichigo, everything we did, I never meant it to hurt you." She said, Ichigo's hand still on her shoulder as if giving her the strength to get this out. She lowered her head as she rose a hand up to the hand that was on her shoulder and laced her fingers with his. "Is..." She rose her hand up to wipe the tears away from her face. "Is there any way... we can go back? Forget everything that happened and be friends again?" She questioned. "You're so important to me Ichigo, I don't want to lose you, if all I can have is your friendship, I'll take it!" With a frown Ichigo pulled his hand back from hers, she wanted to reach out and grab it again but restrained herself as he placed his arms on the backs of the chairs and let out a soft sigh.
"I wish it could be that easy Elizabeth." Ichigo said softly, only making more tears fall down the blondes cheeks. Ichigo stared up into the orange hue of the sky, the afternoon setting in. "To be honest... until recently I was angry about the wrong thing with you." He told her. "At the start, I had honestly thought that... you had used me." Elizabeth cringed at that. "But I realise now that you didn't... as you can probably guess I'm not the most outgoing guy." He chuckled lightly as he continued to stare up at the sky. "But coming to terms with it, you're a well respected person and there would be no way you would degrade yourself to that level." Elizabeth raised her head to see Ichigo still looking up. "I was mad about the wrong thing." He said softly.
"Elizabeth, you didn't use me. You used your friends, treated them like pawns in a game of chess just to make your life seem easier." He leant forward as he stared at the ground. "And this wasn't the first time." Elizabeth's eyes shot wide open in surprise. "I've spoken to the others, they were honest with me." He continued as he glanced up at her. "Can you be honest with me Elizabeth? Can you promise me, right here and right now that nothing like this will ever happen again, that you won't use your friends like this?" Elizabeth stared into his eyes, they were full of determination.
"I promise." She said softly. "I promise to never do anything like this, I'll never manipulate the people that are close to me." She told him. "I've talked with the others as well, even Satellizer and Rana." Ichigo's eyes widened momentarily at that. "You were right, I should have been proud of my school that we had such talent rising up through the ranks. We were cowards. I'm ashamed that it took me this to understand that." She said lowering her head only for her eyes widened as she felt Ichigo's hand rest atop her head.
"I can't promise we'll go back to what we had before, and I know that it's going to be tough." Ichigo told her as she raised her head up and looked into his eyes. "But we have to start somewhere right." Elizabeth nodded as she let a small smile grace her face. Ichigo raised his hands and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Your eyes are really red, it's been tough... hasn't it?"
"Yeah..." Elizabeth said as she turned away from him. "I... didn't know how much I really depended on you, some days... you were what made me smile." She said softly before her head was turned towards Ichigo who was smiling at her, her cheeks reddened slightly, it had been so long since he had smiled at her like that.
"How about we go to the pool tonight? We'll get the others to come along. It's been a while since we've gone as a group." Elizabeth's eyes widened as her smile grew and she nodded her head.
"I'd like that."
"Why on earth are you going to the pool this late at night?" Yoruichi asked, her cat tail swaying behind her slightly.
"The third years have full access to the pool this time of night, not a lot of people go and we can just relax for a bit." Ichigo told her with a shrug of his shoulders. "As relaxing as standing around women in bikinis who look like supermodels, I don't really get how that's relaxing time." He added in his mind, he didn't need Yoruichi thinking that this school was turning him into some type of pervert. "When are you going home anyway?" He questioned.
"What am I cramping your style?" Yoruichi smirked. "Maybe stopping your mojo, what's the term for that, oh I know. Cock blocker." Ichigo face palmed in annoyance. "Do you do it on the bed? Nah I bet you're more of a shower man, behind or from the front Ichigo?" Ichigo's eyebrow began to twitch as he continued to get ready. "Are these walls soundproof, I bet you'd have girls screaming in the throws of ecstasy. We all know you're... well equipped. I know, I've seen it."
"WHAT!? WHEN!?" Ichigo shouted, his face beat read as he turned around to face her seeing her grinning at him.
"Hehe back when we shared a bath together in the Soul Society, remember? You weren't quick enough to stop me from peeking. Remember, I'm called the goddess of flash Ichigo." She smirked, her cat mouth opening wide in a grin.
"You're a damn pervert!" Ichigo growled as she rose a paw up.
"Guilty as charged." She winked at him. "Well go enjoy your swim... I don't feel like being chased by that Ingrid girl again."
"Yeah... you're going to have to leave sooner or later, she's starting to get suspicious again." Ichigo sighed as he swung a towel over his shoulder. "Which is a pain in the ass."
"Oh!" She exclaimed as if she had just come to realize something important. "So you like Anal?"
"YORUICHI! SHUT UP!" Ichigo shouted at her as he left the room slamming the door shut behind him making her laugh lightly as she curled up onto Ichigo's bed and closed her eyes.
"Ah, so young and innocent Ichigo, I'm going to have to start pulling out the big guns to start teasing you again." She thought evilly. Ichigo was scowling as he left his dorm room, a blush on his face as he made his way out of the male dorms, how could she just ask that out of the blue like that. Simply throwing Yoruichi from his mind he headed for the pool, he couldn't say it was going to be the same since Arnett was going to be there, still confined to her hospital room but at least they might be able to have a little fun.
Heading up the stairs towards the pool, he could already hear the girls voices, he swiped his student card through the lock allowing him to walk up and he turned to see everyone smiling over at him.
"Hey Ichigo." Chiffon smiled. "How are you?"
"Ah, fine." Ichigo said walking over to them placing his towel down on one of the chairs as he passed. "What's up with all of you?"
"We were just kind of shocked when you were the one who suggested that we all go for a swim." Ingrid told him. "You feeling alright?" She asked with an amused smirk making Ichigo's eyebrow twitch.
"It feels like it's been forever Ichigo!" Chiffon whined wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's like you've been avoiding all of us! You're so mean." She pouted as Ichigo stood up, Chiffon's arms still wrapped around him as she wrapped her legs around his waist making him glance over his shoulder only for Chiffon to grin as she closed the distance and kissed him lightly on the lips, Ichigo could practically feel the heat of the glares from some of the other girls. Pulling back from the gentle kiss Chiffon tilted her head on his shoulder and smiled at him.
"Alright that's enough!" Attia shouted. "Stop getting all lovey dovey!" She continued glaring at the duo who had turned to face her, Chiffon still on Ichigo's back.
"Arnett's right Attia, you've got it bad." Creo said with a slight smirk.
"Oh shut up!" Attia mumbled. "Didn't we come here to swim?" She continued as she headed for the pool and dived in. Ichigo looked over to Creo and Ingrid who were shaking their heads in amusement.
"Where's Elizabeth?" Ichigo questioned.
"Sorry I'm late." Came her voice from behind Ichigo making him look over the shoulder Chiffon wasn't resting her head on to see Elizabeth in a swimsuit which surprised him, her always swimming naked since he first got here. She smiled slightly at Ichigo who nodded in return.
"Well we're here to swim aren't we? Strawberry get your ass in the pool!" Attia shouted at him, Ichigo's eyebrow twitched as he craned his neck to glare at Attia who was smirking triumphantly in the water.
"What was that you little midget!" Ichigo shouted as he ran to the pools edge Chiffon laughing happily on his back as he jumped into the water and chased after Attia who was throwing more taunts at Ichigo. Creo slipped into the pool and began to swim after them as Elizabeth set her towel down on one of the chairs and turned to the pool with a smile as she saw the four in the pool laughing happily.
"He forgave you?" Ingrid questioned. "If I were you, I wouldn't betray his trust again." Elizabeth turned to Ingrid who was looking over the pool alongside her before she glanced at Ichigo. "It doesn't matter how much you care for him, I don't think Ichigo would forgive you a second time." Elizabeth frowned as Ingrid slipped off her jacket revealing her bikini top. "Chiffon was right when she said that Ichigo would change this school."
"Yeah, she was." Elizabeth agreed as Ingrid dived into the pool.
Ichigo stared at the form in his hands with a twitching eyebrow, and a mild blush covering his cheeks. Yoruichi was laughing her ass off to the side, holding her sides in laughter as she rolled around on the floor causing even more irritation for the orange haired teen.
"I'm, going to fucking kill Kisuke."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Was all he got in response from Yoruichi who had read the form before Ichigo had come back to his room, it having been slipped beneath his door during the school day. "Oh my god! Hahahahaha you... you have to..." Ichigo's eyebrows began to twitch as Yoruichi gasped for her, trying to get it out but couldn't, only more laughing could be heard making him groan in annoyance.
"I know damn it!" He growled reading the form over once again. "But why me!?" He whined. "Why does all this stuff happen to me!?"
"If it was anyone else, they'd be loving the situation right now." Yoruichi told him finally getting her breathing under control, however the grin never left her face.
"Yeah well I'm not anyone else am I! I actually have morals!"
"Since when? You're a pervert through and through Ichigo." Yoruichi told him making his eye twitch. "I know you peeked."
"Shut up!" Ichigo growled at her.
"Well, I won't be around much longer." Ichigo raised an eyebrow at this. "I have to report back to Kisuke and all, he wanted to know how you were doing with the Stigmata and all that."
"Figured as much." Ichigo mumbled out.
"Your Dad is just going to be ecstatic about how you have so many girlfriends." Yoruichi smirked making Ichigo grit his teeth.
"I don't have any girlfriends and you better not tell him anything!" Ichigo shouted at her which she raised an amused eyebrow at. "I just have friends... that are girls... and are kind of over affectionate?" He suggested only making her amused smirk grow.
"You know as well as I do Ichigo." Yoruichi told him. "Those girls are head over heels for you, you're growing up so fast." She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "Who knew you would be such a playboy." She laughed as she turned into a cat and leapt onto the window sill. "I'll see you around Ichigo, be sure to bring your girlfriends to Karakura, I'm sure your family would love to meet them."
"Get out of here Yoruichi." Ichigo mumbled making Yoruichi nod.
"Bye Ichigo, don't get overconfident now." Ichigo simply glared as Yoruichi jumped out the window. Letting out a short sigh of relief, that was two things he didn't have to deal with now, the first being Ingrid finding out that he had a 'pet' and getting in his face about while the second was that he didn't have to worry about Yoruichi teasing him in the confines of his own room any longer.
However it just rose more problems with Yoruichi going back to Karakura... where his Dad was going to find out some very interesting things about his time spent in the West Genetics Academy. Glancing back down at the form that Yoruichi had been laughing out he glared at it before throwing it onto his desk.
"What kind of damn school has those types of physicals this day and age... and why the hell is the school separated into Pandora's and limiters not Male and Female!" He shouted in his mind as he gripped fist full of his hair before realisation dawned on him, his eyes widening as he glared at the ceiling. "Chiffon."