Chapter Soundtrack:
There's nothing holding me Back - Shawn Mendes
She Bangs - Ricky Martin
Animals - Maroon 5 (Rin and Matsumoto)
Need You Tonight - INXS (Rin and Ikkaku)
Rin and Yumichika enjoyed the public baths, conversing through the bamboo partition, until Yumichika nearly shrieked at how his fingers had pruned. Rin laughed, but stood to dry off and change into her uniform. It was sundown, so they made their way to the bar Matsumoto had chosen. It was a popular place, large, with many people, but the waitress led them to a private room when they asked for Lieutenant Matsumoto.
"There they are!" Said Lieutenant turned as the door opened and raised her hand to wave at them. "You were taking so long, I thought you weren't coming!" she pouted.
"I'd never miss my own celebration!" Rin sat next to her friend, her brother sinking down by har side. "Yumi-nii was soaking in the bath."
"Alright, now that we're all here…" Rangiku stood, using Rin's shoulder to steady herself. "Attention!" they quieted and Rin looked around at her friends and colleagues. "I'd like to make a toast."
"Take your shirt off!" Lieutenant Hisagi clasped his hands around his mouth and shouted at Rangiku. He was backed by loud whoops from Renji and Ikkaku.
"Now, boys, behave!" Rangiku winked playfully at them. She went back to her toast. "To Rin and Nakashima-kun, for getting into second division. Watch each other's backs and make us proud!" They all raised their drinks and tossed them back, cheering.
And thus, the celebrations began. Lieutenant Hisagi had brought his sound box, and was providing them with upbeat music, though not loud enough to keep them from having a conversation. Renji pulled him away from the music and sat by Rangiku and Rin.
"Alright, let's do this. Sit over there." He pointed and Rin stood to walk around the long table to sit across from Renji, who sat next to Rangiku, who was facing Lieutenant Hisagi next to Rin. Renji dealt and they began. Rin looked at Rangiku over her cards, and smirked as the busty woman held her cards close as she leaned back on her free hand, peeking at Renji's cards. Lieutenant Hisagi was too focused on his own hand to notice. After a few seconds, she cleared her throat, threw her hair over her shoulder and scratched her nose. Rin looked back at her cards and tilted her head as if to get rid of a crick in her neck, coughed and held her chin as if in thought. They won five hands before an outburst had Rin looking to her side.
"You bitches have a fucking code!" Ikkaku was pointing his finger at them.
"What?" Renji growled at Rangiku next to him as she was pushing a lock of hair behind her ear after having adjusted her necklace.
"Nonsense. He's drunk." She shrugged casually, but her eyes were drawn to Rin, who was intently staring at her cards. Renji slammed his cards down, muttering obscenities as he stood and made his way to Nakashima, who was playing go with Nishimura Hirohito, by far the most intelligent in their group of friends. Rin grinned sheepishly at the tattooed Lieutenant glaring at her from her right, and shrugged. "At least it wasn't strip poker." Rangiku muttered into her drink.
"I'm never playing strip poker with you again, you lose on purpose!" Rin pointed her finger at her friend, who just shrugged.
"Let's play something together." Chinatsu piped up. Rin smiled at how her friend was always so proper. Having come from a lesser noble family, she was kneeling neatly on her cushion, though her brother was stretched out on the floor behind her, leaning on his elbow, playing with her hair. Rin realized something. Chinatsu was a noble. A lesser noble, but from a rich family nonetheless. Her eyes trailed to her brother, who saw her connecting the dots and winked at her. Rin laughed and shook her head. How could she have been so blind?
"But what can we play with a group this big?" Rangiku looked around at them. Rin caught Nakashima's gaze and raised her eyebrow. He shrugged and nodded.
"I can see why Captain Soi fon paired the two of you." Lieutenant Hisagi studied their quiet exchange.
"Dude. they do this all the time." Renji looked back at his friend. "What are you two planning now?" He turned to Nakashima.
"Spin the bottle." Nakashima grinned at the horrified look on Nishimura's face. Rangiku, on the other hand, squealed in joy, then promptly ordered the tables be pushed back to make space for them to sit in a circle.
Rin looked to her right around the circle as everyone sat. Renji, Rangiku, Hisagi, Yumichika, Chinatsu, Nishimura, Shizu, Nakashima, Ikkaku, then her. Rangiku started by placing an empty bottle in the centre, but Nishimura held it still.
"W-wait." He was blushing furiously. "What are the rules?"
"You spin the bottle, and ask whoever it points to if they want to tell a truth or do a dare." Rangiku was confused. "Do you not know this game?"
"He knows the game, Lieutenant." Shizu pulled him back to sit next to her. "He's just scared."
"Maybe we should set some ground rules." Lieutenant Hisagi held his chin in thought.
"Oh, come on, Lieutenant!" Rin threw her hands up.
"First dare I get on you, I'm daring you to call me by my name when we're not working." He warned her.
"What a waste of a dare." Ikkaku muttered, pouring himself and Nishimura another drink.
"No, I mean it. Nothing that causes harm, or betrays our laws as Shinigamis. And no leaving this room." He ignored Ikkaku.
"That seems reasonable." Yumichika nodded. After a few exchanged glances, they all agreed. Rangiku spun the bottle to start. It landed on a very red Nishimura.
"Okay, sweetie. Truth or dare?" she asked him.
"Tr-truth." Rangiku seemed disheartened, but asked him what he really thought of Captain Kurotsuchi, knowing he had been accepted into twelfth division. "He's as intelligent as he is scary." He answered. He reached out to spin the bottle with shaky hands, and it landed on Shizu, who promptly picked dare. "Jump on one foot, while rubbing your stomach and tapping your head." Everyone groaned in boredom, but were surprised to see Shizu complete the dare with little difficulty.
"What's the punishment for refusing a dare?" Nakashima looked to Rangiku, who seemed to be the unspoken judge of the game.
"This man is asking the right questions." Ikkaku nodded at his neighbour.
"We're all drinking already, so it has to be something other than that…" Rangiku put her finger on her chin and looked up in thought.
"Remove one article of clothing." Renji piped up, to many nods of approval.
"Alright, my turn." Shizu spun the bottle. "Truth or dare, Lieutenant?" she asked Renji.
"Dare!" He leaned forward in his seat.
"I dare you to…" Shizu looked around the room, looking for inspiration. Her eyes fell on the plate of sashimi on one of the tables they had pushed aside. "I dare you to eat this whole portion of wasabi!" Renji gulped, but accepted the small dish with an olive-sized blob of green paste. He took a deep breath and licked the plate, and slammed his fist on the floor, pulling a terrible face. Quickly, he spun the bottle while still trying to swallow. It landed on Rangiku, who stupidly picked dare.
"Kiss me!" He most definitely still had the green condiment spread thickly on his tongue.
"Oh, hell, no!" Rangiku leaned away, holding her hand up. She removed her socks smugly as she watched Renji writhe on the floor, tears streaming down his face. "Me, again!" she spun the bottle again. "But nice try, Renji." The bottle pointed to Nakashima. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth." Nakashima smirked at her pout.
"Alright." Rangiku smirked right back at him. "What do you really think of being paired with Rin-chan?" Nakashima sat cross-legged and leaned forward to look past Ikkaku and into Rin's eyes.
"I hate her guts for making me tie with her for first place in the academy, but I trust her with my life and I have her back as much as I know she has mine." He sent her a lopsided grin and they bumped fists, their newly preferred way of showing affection.
"Well, that saves me from threatening him." Yumichika raised his eyebrows and smiled coldly towards Nakashima, who just shook his head and spun the bottle. It landed on Ikkaku.
"Truth or dare?" He asked.
"Dare." Nakashima wasn't cruel, but he wanted to spice up the game.
"I dare you and Chinatsu to exchange clothes for the rest of the evening." They all looked at Chinatsu's floral kimono and gasped as Ikkaku started removing his top.
"Chill guys, that's a no. I'm paying the dare." Ikkaku just chuckled at them and spun the bottle. Rin groaned and closed her eyes.
"You could also pick truth." He grinned evilly at her.
"There's nothing about me you don't know, so dare." Rin set her cup down in preparation for whatever Ikkaku would throw at her.
"I dare you to…" he paused for dramatic effect. "Kiss Matsumoto."
"That's it?" Rin scoffed as Rangiku rolled her eyes. They leaned towards each other and pecked their lips together. A roar of objections came from all the men in the circle. "You weren't clear with your instructions!" Rin spun the bottle. it landed on a scowling Lieutenant Hisagi. "Truth or dare, Lieutenant?" He rolled her eyes at her and picked dare.
"I dare you to give Nakashima a lapdance." To the surprise of many, Nakashima leaned back on his elbows and waited. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Hisagi removed his top to pay for the dare and spun the bottle. It landed on Rangiku.
"We all know what he's gonna dare you to do, so pick truth." Rin lifted her drink to her lips.
"I pick dare." Rangiku stated matter-of-factly. Rin spit out her drink, nearly splashing Chinatsu, who was saved by her brother pulling her into his lap.
"I dare you to thoroughly make out with Rin-san, with tongue and groping, for at least the duration of this song I'm gonna pick." A round of applause came from the men.
"Truly, a master of words, nothing less to be expected from the chief editor of the newspaper." Nakashima clapped along with the others. Rin spared him a glare, but looked over to a smirking Rangiku.
"I'll get you back for this." Rin pushed her cup aside, Ikkaku taking it away from her. "Move, Renji." She shooed him away as she turned to him and looked at Rangiku on his other side.
"Not even Captain Kuchiki's Bankai can make me move from this spot." He stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles as he leaned back on his elbows, grinning up at the two women.
"Baby I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down eat you alive
Just like animals
Animals
Like animals-mals"
The song started, and Rin sighed, rising to her knees as Rangiku mirrored her. They leaned closer, having to brace themselves on Renji's legs, much to his satisfaction. Rangiku grabbed the fabric of her new uniform and pulled Rin roughly to meet her lips with her own soft ones. Rin buried a hand in her long hair, running her tongue over Rangiku's soft bottom lip. Their tongues clashed, and they simultaneously peeked an eye open to peer down at Renji, who had tried to suppress a groan.
Rin grinned mischievously at her friend, who immediately understood with an evil gleam in her eyes. She turned her face to the redhead beneath them and opened her mouth in a theatrical silent moan as Rangiku kissed along her jaw.
"Fuck, that's hot." Renji licked his lips. He had fisted his hands and was watching them predatorily.
Rangiku felt a hand pulling her shoulder, and knowing it to be Lieutenant Hisagi behind her, she grabbed Rin's chin and turned her head to reattach their lips. Slipping her hand behind her friend's neck, she allowed Hisagi to pull her back to sit on her heels, she in turn pulling a startled Rin across Renji's lap into her own.
Renji grunted at the loss above him, but followed them, turning his head to watch as Lieutenant Matsumoto grabbed the back of Rin's knees and pulled, making the shorter woman straddle her lap. Rin detached from Rangiku to make a show of rolling her hips the same way she had done to Lieutenant Hisagi at the club, and shamelessly grinned at said man, running her tongue piercing over her lips. She saw him swallow thickly before returning her attention to Rangiku, burying her fingers in her hair and making the woman below her tilt her head upwards to recapture her lips.
"Why do only the Lieutenants get a show?" Nakashima's voice drawled from behind Rin, who squeaked in surprise as Rangiku shoved her forward until they were lying on the floor, heads close to Nakashima's knees. Rangiku started to lower herself on top of Rin, but the shorter woman tangled their legs and flipped them over, sitting up to 'ride' Lieutenant Matsumoto as she reached into her hair and loosened her ponytail, snapping the band on her wrist.
Dropping back down, she latched onto the marble column of Rangiku's neck, peppering kisses and inching down as she felt fingers in her hair, keeping it from blocking the view of their audience. Rin trailed her fingers under the fabric of Rangiku's top, running her tongue along the valley between her breasts. Rin's fingers found a nipple still hidden under the fabric and pinched it lightly, though still keeping it covered. Rangiku's moans were starting to sound less fake.
Suddenly, Rin was pushed off, stomach pressed to the ground. Confused, she tried to push herself up to her knees, only to feel Rangiku's body sandwiching her against the floor. A hand fisted in her hair and her head was roughly yanked backwards, making her back arch as she bared her teeth and hissed at Ikkaku, who was lounging on his side, his hand still holding her cup. She could see his pupils were blown. Rin tried to turn her head to look back as Rangiku nudged her knees apart and used her other hand to lift her hip into hers as the taller woman's leg slipped between Rin's.
Rin realized her moans were no longer fake as well when Rangiku allowed her to tilt her head to capture her mouth in an open-mouthed, sloppy kiss.
Soon enough, the song ended, and they untangled from each other, laughing at the expressions around them. Rin's brother had used the distraction to start making out with Chinatsu, and they were oblivious to any of them. Poor Nishimura had passed out. Rin sat back in her spot and took her cup from Ikkaku.
"My turn, right?" Rangiku asked. Rin nodded with her hair tie in her teeth as she pulled her hair back up into a ponytail. The bottle landed on Renji. "Truth or dare?"
"Uh…" Renji sat back up, shaking his head. "Dare." Rangiku dared him to make the best impression of Captain Kuchiki. He asked to borrow her scarf, and he wrapped it around his shoulders as he turned his eyes to Nakashima. His cold derisive stare was point on, and he sneered down his nose at the academy graduate's eyebrow piercing. "Is that a hole in your face?" They roared in laughter. Renji returned the scarf and spun the bottle. Ikkaku surprisingly chose truth. "Who would you rather kiss: Captain Zaraki, or Captain Kurotsuchi?" Ikkaku's face was priceless.
"I don't want to answer that!"
"Then strip." Rin leaned on her elbow and leered at Ikkaku.
"I'm already without a shirt, and you know I don't wear socks." he tried to reason with her.
"You're wearing your hakama." Rin bit the inside of her cheek as she watched him angrily untying his sash and let his trousers fall. Whistles and catcalls made him growl as he sat back down in just his underwear to spin the bottle. "Oh, crap." Rin looked over at Ikkaku's evil grin. "No, come on, this thing is broken, spin again."
"Truth or dare, Rin?" His evil grin made her gulp.
"Truth." She decided it would be less damaging.
"I thought he already knew everything about you!" Renji accused.
"Yeah, you gotta pick dare." Shizu piped up, much to Rin's annoyance.
"Fine. Dare." Rin gritted out through her teeth.
"I dare you to sit on my lap for the rest of the evening." Rin looked at him. She could still take off her socks to pay for the dare, but seriously considered it. "Well?" he asked. Rin shook her head and took off her socks, much to his disappointment. She reached to spin the bottle, looking up at her prey.
"Renji. Truth or dare." He naturally picked dare. "I dare you to give us all a striptease, Lieutenant, pick a song, Please." She added to Lieutenant Hisagi.
"Nope. Paying the dare." Renji slipped his socks off. A chorus of 'aww's sounded from the girls and Nakashima. Renji spun the bottle, and it landed on Lieutenant Hisagi, who fearlessly picked dare. They were too close friends to do eachother any harm, so Renji just dared him to recite the alphabet backwards, and to the surprise of all, he did so flawlessly. Spinning the bottle, Lieutenant Hisagi asked Shizu if she picked truth or dare.
"Dare!" she was practically swaying in her seat.
"Whoa, there, Shizu. Easy on the sake." Rin glanced at Nakashima, who nodded his head. "Nishimura!" Rin kicked her friend awake. "Take Shizu home."
"But I don't wanna go, I picked dare!" She had to be held up by their bookworm friend, who seemed eager to leave the dangerous game.
"Touyama-san, I dare you to go home and drink lots of water." Lieutenant Hisagi received thankful glances from the graduates.
"Who's gonna spin in her place?" Rangiku asked.
"We lost four players. Can't play anymore without it becoming boring." Renji leaned back and poured Rin more sake.
"Four?" Rangiku blinked.
"You think those two are gonna keep playing with us?" He pointed to Yumichika and Chinatsu. "Get a room!" he shouted at them."
"That's a wonderful idea." Yumichika detached his lips from Chinatsu's neck with a wet pop and pulled her up. "I bid you all a good night. Rin-chan, remember what we talked about."
"Yes, Yumi-nii. Good night." Rin waved cheekily at her blushing friend. "Good night, Chinatsu-chan!"
"What did you talk about?" Ikkaku asked as he slipped back into his trousers while the others pulled the tables back to the centre of the room.
"Secret brother-sister matters." Rin winked at him and stood to walk over to the door, calling over a waitress. She ordered more drinks and snacks, and returned to her spot.
They sat around and talked, laughing and listening to music, until Renji and Lieutenant Hisagi had Lieutenant Matsumoto draped between them, a worried Rin patting a wet napkin on her face.
"Don't worry, Rin-san, we'll get her back home." Lieutenant Hisagi assured her.
"Thank you, Lieutenant." Rin startled as he grabbed her by the uniform.
"I'm not as patient as Matsumoto. Call me by my name." His stare was intimidating, and Rin gulped.
"Yes, Hisagi." She was released with a nod and waved goodbye at Renji.
"You staying over one last night before you move to your barracks?" Ikkaku asked her as they waited for the waitress to bring them the bill. Ikkaku had collected everyone's shares and waited to pay.
"Uh, no. I think I'll spend the night somewhere else to finish off this celebration." Rin didn't look at him as the waitress brought the bill and Rin's order: a closed bottle of sake and some snacks neatly packaged.
"Yumichika took you to that restaurant, didn't he?" Ikkaku asked lowly as he handed the waitress the correct amount. Rin looked at him and couldn't read his expression. It was carefully blank.
"He did." Rin admitted. Ikkaku stared at her, something Rin couldn't describe in his eyes.
"You come to me if you get in trouble, you hear me?" He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I will." She smiled and nodded.
"Let me walk you."
"No." She stood on the tips of her toes and hugged him. "I'm okay, really. I-I want to do this." Ikkaku seemed bothered, but nodded and turned to walk back to eleventh. Rin made her way to eighth division, taking her preferred route of shunpo on rooftops.