Thanks to Kain101 for reviewing the previous chapter.

WARNING: This Chapter contains adult (vanilla sexual) content. Also, the characters depicted in this are both 17.

TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW

Interlude 06: "Odd Couple"

The Living Realm, Karakura...

There was a part of Tatsuki that was asking her just what exactly the hell she thought she was doing at the moment, clad only in her underwear, seated across from Uryu Ishida, on his bed. The Quincy was in a similar state of undress, which helped the young woman across from him to relax, if only just a bit.

Somewhat surprisingly, she'd half expected for his boxers to be adorned in Quincy emblems. But alas, no, they were just a standard pair of boxers. Still, that being said, the sight of bespectacled young man before her wasn't too bad. Sure, he was a bit on the skinny side, but then she realized that not all men placed value on muscle bulk. And the more Tatsuki considered it, the more she thought that 'skinny' wasn't the right word to describe him... No, Uryu Ishida was lean.

Really, that was a fairly apt descriptor of his overall physique: nothing too showy, just the lines of lean muscles set against his slender build. The angular features of his face weren't bad either- as she'd grown to rather like his straight nose, with the rectangular glasses resting on the bridge. And the way that his jawline and chin tapered the way they did, with his collar-length hair framing his face.

As for the rest of him?

Well, the fact that he lacked hair on his chest or arms and legs wasn't all that surprising to her, as she couldn't recall actually ever having walked in on him while shaving (or come across any of the kit to indicate he did). She found this mildly annoying, given that she could in fact recall the last time she'd had to shave, not just her legs, but also her armpits...

It was a serious chafing issue, while working out, among other things!

Meanwhile, the other person in the room was similarly pondering the situation...

Uryu had been around Tatsuki at the dojo, and seen her as she changed between her regular clothing and her judo gear. Not that he was trying to peep! In fact, Tatsuki had been remarkably unconcerned by the idea of her being seen in her under-clothing. As she herself had remarked to him once, she couldn't imagine that a matching black sports-bra and workout shorts could be all that exciting.

Perhaps not, he'd thought at the time...

But this wasn't the young woman's usual utilitarian black sports-bra and spats.

Rather, Tatsuki was seated before him- he long toned legs uncovered and her firm stomach exposed to the bespectacled youth. For reasons that weren't entirely clear to him, she'd clearly replaced her usual simple black underwear with a far more striking matched set of panties and bra- pale pink, with ruffles adorning the edges. The two articles were hardly what Uryu would ever call "scandalous", and yet the sides of the panties were high enough to accentuate her hips rather nicely, and the under-wire in her bra pushed her modest breasts up, leaving them more- well- pronounced.

Despite all of her efforts (both conscious and unconsciously) to downplay her femininity, Tatsuki was naturally quite pretty. Her dark gray-brown eyes were framed by full dark lashes, while her inky-black hair had grown well past her shoulder-blades, yet was just as spiky and wild as it had always been.

Tatsuki fortified her resolve with the knowledge that what they were working their way to doing was something perfectly normal, something that men and women did together when they cared about each other and were ready to physically commit themselves to each other. And on the plus side, she wasn't some naive girl with flowery ideas of what to expect. The sporty girl held no illusions about what she's gotten herself into... Not that she wasn't still nervous about it!

Uryu reached up to adjust his glasses, and Tatsuki felt her cheeks begin to grow warm as she blushed under the young man's gaze. After a moment, he started to move across the bed toward her, closing the gap between them, only to hesitate with less than a foot between the two of them. It didn't take long for Tatsuki to pick up on his uncertainty, which helped her to relax a bit.

She smiled warmly and extended her hand towards him, slipping it behind his head. She looked intently into his eyes and flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry." Tatsuki spoke softly. "Relax, you know me, Uryu, and you know I'm not some delicate girl/]\... I won't break."

The Quincy chuckled, then nodded. "Of course, you're right." He replied. "Sorry, it's... it's just my own hang-ups." He admitted as he leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips.

Tatsuki moaned slightly at the contact, feeling a rush of warmth in her stomach, before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him against her to deepen their kiss. He grunted slightly at the feeling of her breasts pressing into his bare chest, but was quick to return her enthusiasm. The two of them fell across the bed, and Uryu withdrew breathlessly from her.

"See, now, that's much better." Tatsuki remarked with a smile, her lips slightly swollen and parted as she looked up at him. "Otherwise, if you hadn't finally manned up, then I would have had to put you in a judo hold, just to get something done." The girl finished, her arms still wrapped around him.

He smiled and nodded. "And we certainly wouldn't want that, now would we?" Uryu replied with a chuckle, before following up the statement by leaning in to capture her lips once more in a kiss. "So," he began, after pulling back enough from her to speak. "What now?"

Both of the youths were blushing, but were still smiling regardless. "Uryu..." Tatsuki began after a moment, her blush darkening. "How about... you help me take my bra off?" She asked, something in her eyes mirroring the suggestive tone of the invitation.

The Quincy's eyes widened at the girl's request, his own blush darkening as hers had. He managed to compose himself, swallowed hard in an effort to wet his throat, and nodded. Wordlessly, Uryu scooted back and watched as the young woman sat up in front of him, enthralled as she reached behind her back and unfastened the clasp, then extended her arms out toward him. She gazed searchingly into his eyes for a moment, before understanding dawned on the young man. Silently nodding, he reached out and gripped the straps of her bra, and drew them off her shoulders and down her arms...

With that done, he tossed the bra onto the floor.

Tatsuki blushed self-consciously, fighting the sudden urge she felt to reach up and cover her breasts with her hands in that moment. At the same time, the young man before her remained intensely silent, as if he were appraising her body. After a moment, he smiled...

In spite of all her strength and confidence (which he admired), Tatsuki was still vulnerable to feelings of self-doubt. Even now, with her toned legs, tapered hips, and firm stomach in plain view, he realized that part of her was insecure- as if, no matter what she achieved, there remained some small part of her that still doubted her femininity. And Uryu has a sinking suspicion about what was troubling her, and he knew he couldn't allow this self-doubt to linger and fester in the gorgeous girl before him...

"Tatsuki," The Quincy began softly, gazing into her deep brown eyes. "If only... you knew just how unbelievably sexy you are- not just right now, but all the time." Uryu remarked, taking her by surprise as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I realize now, that I should have said this sooner... But your strength, your confidence, your humanity," Uryu went on. "You are... such an amazing woman, that I can't help but sometimes worry that I'm not enough of a man for you."

The martial artist seemed to relax at this. "Uryu, listen." She started, reaching up cup his cheek in her hand as she spoke. "There is a hell of a lot more to being a man than just muscles." Tatsuki assured him with a smile. "More than anything, a man has to be dependable, empathetic, and aware of himself." She reasoned, while caressing his face as she looked into his eyes. "And you are all of those things, Uryu Ishida... and that's why I wound up falling for you." She confessed.

The Quincy felt a swell of emotion in his chest, and smiled- warmly, affectionately- as he leaned down to once again capture her lips in a kiss. "Thank you..." He intoned breathlessly. "And as for you, well, I wouldn't want you any other way." He added softly, his lips ghosting against hers.

He paused, reaching up to his glasses, but was halted by the girl beneath. "No." She began, a bit more intently than she had intended. "Keep your glasses on." She admitted, blushing.

"Oh sorry," he began. "I had no idea you had a thing for guys with glasses." Ishida quipped.

"Neither did I," Tatsuki replied after a moment. "That is, at least, until I had chance to spend some time together with you." The young woman added, a bit embarrassed by the admission.

Uryu nodded. "Fair enough." He began. "Life certainly is full of surprises." He continued, causing her to tremble slightly as he gently ran his fingertips down along her sides. "I mean, just look at the two us for instance." He added with a smile. "I never would have imagined that someone like you would ever be interested in someone like me, or..."

"Or," Tatsuki spoke up, picking up for him. "That you ever had a thing for bossy tough girls, eh?" She asked him with a coy smile as she wrapped her arms around his around his neck.

"Of course." Uryu replied coolly, leaning in to kiss her. "After all, tough girls are the best."

"Ooh!" Tatsuki chirped, feeling something brush against her thigh, drawing her eyes downward past the waistline of his boxers. "Well now... you must really like tough girls?" She asked teasingly.

"That should be obvious," Ishida started, embarrassed with himself. "I am a guy after all, so seeing you laying on the bed in such cute underwear... it's going to have that sort of effect on me."

Tatsuki's blush darkened. "Well, of course, I mean that's only normal... I am still a girl after all."

"That's for certain." The Quincy replied, rising back up on his knees. "Interesting..." He mused as he looked down at her, his eyes drawn towards her underwear- in particular, the slight crease. "And what might this be?" Uryu asked teasingly as he ran a single fingertip up the 'line' of her mound- against the fabric- marveling as a girlish yelp tore from her lips.

She'd nearly jumped out of her skin when he'd casually touched her sex indirectly through the material of the undergarment, like Tatsuki had been struck by a jolt of electricity.

Suddenly, he was struck by the realization that Tatsuki was turned on. Now of course, he understood that this was to be expected in such a situation, nay hoped for. It was simply that he hadn't really taken the time, before now, to consider the implications that his presence- as her partner- had been a factor in her current state of arousal. Not that he was going to complain!

And then, there was the visual of the normally rough-edged Tatsuki before him, her skin flush and her breasts rising as his breath deepened. Uryu realized then, that if he could be a turn-on to her, there was no question that she was most certainly a turn-on for him... Especially like this. The teen decided in that moment that this line of thought warranted further 'exploration', as it were.

"Uryu!" She groused. "Don't do that so suddenly, I-" She never got a chance to finish, another cry of pleasure escaping her as he drew the tips of his fingers down her sex, then back up again.

The Quincy smiled, pleased at the reaction, and continued stroking her. Before long, the light pink fabric was visibly damp, enough that he registered the moisture from her sex upon his fingertips as he teased her through the material. Still saying nothing, he withdrew his hand from her, earning a slight groan from the flustered girl even as he hooked the sides of her panties and drew them down the length of her toned legs and cast it aside. Ishida then placed his hands on her knees and spread her legs so that he could get better access (as well as a better view) to her lower body.

The pink flesh of her outer lips glistened faintly, and he noted to himself that the dark hair around her slit was neatly trimmed. As expected of an athlete and martial artist, he thought to himself. Uryu then reached down and gently spread the lips of her sex apart. His throat suddenly felt dry as he gazed down at her exposed flesh, observing how soft and pink it was... untouched, he further added. He wasn't sure what exactly compelled him to do what he did next, but feeling strangely emboldened, the young man leaned in and dipped his tongue inside... eager to explore her depths.

Tatsuki practically shrieked at the sensation of his mouth upon her privates, and the ensuing feelings when his tongue entered her. She sat up partially, blushing darkly, and her hands went to his dark hair in an effort to extract him from between her thighs. The sudden intrusion wasn't painful... Quite the contrary in fact, but just the idea of what he was doing mortified her.

But her protest were swiftly silenced as he began lapping at her insides. The young woman whimpered and then moaned in ecstasy, pleasure overriding embarrassment and sapping her of her strength to resist him in that moment. The final straw for Tatsuki was when his lips moved to her clit and began sucking on the delicate bundle of nerves. She went rigid and cried out as the orgasm overtook her.

The previously writhing girl then went limp, and the Quincy rose up to look at her, a smile on his face as she frantically drew breath before him. "Fuck, Uryu." She swore between gasps, draping a forearm across her eyes as she breathed. "I- I can't believe you went down on me... Fuck... You maniac!"

"Well, you seemed to enjoy it all the same." The younger Ishida retorted teasingly, before wiping off his mouth and flashing her a wolfish grin in the process.

With some effort, she propped herself up on her elbows and half-glared at him. "Gah, that's beside the point, dummy!" Tatsuki protested, before managing to relax a bit. "It's just... I get that you're good with your hands, that's a given..." She paused. "But how the hell are you so good with your mouth?"

"Does it matter?" He asked as he leaned in to share a kiss with her.

"No, I suppose not." She replied, tasting herself on his lips. "But, just so you know... After that stunt of yours, I'm far from done with you." The girl declared slyly.

Still smiling, Uryu nodded. "Of course." He replied simply, then went about casting off his boxers and putting a condom on, before positioning himself between her legs. The Quincy halted when she clasped a hand on his shoulder, fixing him a serious expression that gave him pause.

"Before we continue," she paused, looking into his eyes. "I want to you to know something." Tatsuki continued pointedly, never breaking eye-contact with him. "In spite of certain things... I want it to be clear, that you, Uryu, are my first." She declared emphatically, her cheeks flushed pink..

He instantly understood. She was an athlete and had pushed her body over the course of conditioning herself for judo and soccer. He smiled warmly at her and moved to plant another kiss on her lips, then drew back from her, his hands on her knees to steady himself. "Tatsuki, there's no two ways about it," he started. "I wish you could appreciate what an incredibly cute girl you are."

The declaration seemed to put her at ease, and she relaxed back onto the bed. Slowly and with a great deal of care, he began to enter her. As expected, the only resistance he met was her tightness. She didn't cry out, she only squirmed a bit in mild discomfort as he continued on, letting her become accustomed to the feeling of having him inside her. When he was fully in, she noted a slight throbbing sensation in her lower body, but it was gradually ebbing, and so she knew she could manage this...

Tatsuki wrapped her arms across his shoulders, drawing him against her, her chin resting against the crux of his neck as she finally gave him the 'permission' to begin moving. One of the things she knew about Uryu in their time together was that he was a gentleman, and so she realized that he would be reluctant to do anything without her explicit consent. And in all honesty, she found it endearing.

He moved slowly at first, not wishing to rush things. But as time passes, Uryu was able to discern from her non-verbal cues when to increase the tempo and depth of his thrusts. The two eventually settled into a rhythm that was pleasant for both of them. After a while, Tatsuki wrapped her legs around his waist as she began to mewl in pleasure, informing him that she too was enjoying their coupling. She moaned in pleasure as he started moving deeper and faster- plunging into her inviting warmth...

The next indicator came as her cries intensified. His eyes snapped shut and he had to suppress a groan of pleasure as he felt the tips of her nails sinking into his back, scouring his flesh with shallow crimson lines as she climaxed. The stinging pain was lost on him (at least in that moment), instead replaced by the feeling of her slick velvet heat tightening around his member. He arched his back as he gave what he knew would be his final thrust, in an effort to get as deep as possible.

He saw white, followed by a surge of pleasure rushing through his body as he buried himself inside her, as his own orgasm followed in short order, his cock pulsing as he came.

Later, that night...

Tatsuki stepped out of the western-style shower, grateful that the elder Ishida happened to be away on business at the moment, and thus spared them any potential awkward moments. She finished toweling off herself and her hair, tossing it into the nearby hamper.

Her lower body felt a little sore, chiefly her hips, but it wasn't anything she couldn't manage. And so, she made her way from the adjoining bathroom back into his bedroom. The bespectacled teen happened to have his back to her, so she was met with a fairly shocking sight... His entire back was covered with thin red lines that Tatsuki instantly recognized as her own handiwork.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry Uryu!" She exclaimed frantically in response to the sight of the clawing she'd given him while in the throws of passion. "I- I had no idea..." Tatsuki continued.

But he just smiled as he turned around to look at her, adjusting his glasses. "It's nothing, really." The teen replied as she appeared before him. "I mean it, I feel fine." Uryu assured her.

She sighed, but nodded. "All the same, come on." Tatsuki proclaimed. "I'll never forgive myself if I don't do something about this." She insisted. "Now, I know your dad's a doctor, so show me where you keep the peroxide in this house." The dark-haired girl instructed.

"Sure." The younger Ishida replied, smiling and not offering any protest as she lead him by the hand...

(- End of Interlude 06 -)