「 Bleach (stylized as BLEACH) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. It was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from August 2001 to August 2016, with its chapters collected into 74 tankoban volumes. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an anime television series adaptation that was produced by Tokyo-based Studio Perrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animation (OVA) episodes, four animated feature films, ten stage musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of Bleach-related merchandise. A Japanese live-action film adaptation produced by Warner Bros. was released in 2018. 」
「 To LOVE-Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hisemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, creator of Black Cat. The manga was serialized in Shuiesha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 tankoban volumes. 」
「 As shown above, I do not own the characters introduced or alluded to within either series, but am simply a writer telling of a fanfiction that's aim is to meld their stories together. . . Possibly. 」
- Disclaimer
『 7:30 a.m.「 Sunday: April 27th, 2008 」』
"Where could this have possibly come from..?" Mikan scratched the side of her head, gaping at the hole that had begun the incident with Fishbone D the night before. Looking over to the right, she would see her father approaching with his hands on either hip.
"From what I heard, supposedly a truck crashed into the house last night when everybody was asleep. Miracle it didn't get any of us."
"A truck crash..? How is it none of us woke up for it?" Mikan only looked more confused.
Rito stared at them from the bottom of the stairs with a dumbfounded expression. Did neither of them remember what happened the night before? ... Actually. Come to think of it, he couldn't recall anything that happened post him defeating the Hollow.
Was it all because of that Shinigami..?
"Did she go back to that Soul Society place..?" Rito found himself muttering about that fairy tale she told.
Maybe it wasn't a fairy tale after all.. He did fight a Hollow the night before, he even had Shinigami powers temporarily. It felt... Exhilarating. He felt as though he himself was better than he as a regular human being alone could ever be.
Shaking his head at the greedy thought, he would then walk forward.
"Well.. I've got to get to the Shopping District. I promised Keigo I'd help him with some shopping for his sister." Rito would offer a wave to his sibling and father as he walked by.
"Rito! Can you make sure to buy ingredients for dinner tonight?" Mikan placed a hand on her hip with a quick turn to the leaving Rito, who gave a thumbs up.
"Sure thing, Mikan!" Rito yelled back as he sped off.
『 10:14 a.m.「 Saturday: April 26th, 2008 」』
Rito, clad in his Shinigami attire, would point his blade toward the Hollow before him. The power that was rushing through his body was massive, it was more than enough to bring out the bravado he often lacked.
Fishbone D looking down to see the arm that was now detached from his shoulder and only a few feet away from the boy he had been looking for. Now he was a Shinigami? What the hell was going on? He was just a regular human a few moments ago!
Growling, his anger would boil once Rito spoke his next words.
"Come and get me, you bastard."
On instinct, the hollow raced forward and threw a punch toward Rito.
With a stern glare, the boy would throw the arm that held the sword forward. The mix of a crackle, squish, and splashing sound would then emerge as the other arm quickly flung away. With another swing, the same sounds would emerge as the hollow's leg flopped to the ground.
Dropping to a knee, Fishbone D would drop to his side with a lack of balance evident. A small grin appearing on his face, he would then raise his arm and slam his blade down. With a final shattering sound, the mask of Fishbone D would be cleaved in two.
Watching as the hollow faded into ashes and rose into the air above, he would chuckle a bit.
"Serves you right.."
Feeling his body be overtaken by fatigue, he would drop to his knees.
Rukia, who had been spectating this entire time, would rush over to his side as the boy collapsed.
"I only meant to give him a small bit of my power.." She narrowed her eyes on his figure, "But.. He somehow took it all.."
All of her senses were then alerted by the clasp of wood against the ground behind her. Turning her head slowly, her eyes would widen at the source of the sound.
『 Tʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ Sᴏᴜʟ: To-Love Ru 』
【 Chapter 2 | Average Life → Disaster ~𝓕𝒓𝛔𝒎 𝓽𝒉𝓮 𝒉𝓮𝜶𝝂𝓮𝒏𝐬, 𝐬𝒉𝓮 𝓯𝜶𝒍𝒍𝐬~ 】
Rito wiped his forehead as he walked toward a table in the middle of the shopping district.
"Yo, Rito~! Your late, man!" Keigo gave a salute, winking to the approaching teen as he sat back in his chair.
"You tell us that story about a truck hitting his house and you're nagging him about being late?!" A boy with short black hair scolded.
Mizuiro Kojima. He just turned 16 a few days ago, actually. I hate to agree with Keigo, but this man's luck with the ladies is actually pretty disturbing. His birthday party was pretty much just a showcase of all the girls he has under his thumb. Oh well, though, it wasn't like I didn't enjoy Saruyama and Keigo's suffering that day.
"Wait, how'd Keigo know about that?" Rito quipped a brow.
"My Boss is one of your guys' closest neighbors, he texted me about it as soon as he found out." Keigo grinned.
"Speaking of which.. I do need to find a job.." Mizuiro tapped his chin, brainstorming.
"Mr. Bando's hiring, he said he was actually looking for some part-timers to assist with his full-timers with the larger afternoon sales." Rito replied quickly. Helping Mr. Bando was something he was more than happy to do, the man was always a family friend.
"Really? I'll consider it." Mizuiro smiled, giving a nod to Rito's suggestion.
"Anyway, anyway." Keigo threw his hands up to change the subject. "We got to hit the mall and get my sister all her crap before my head is slammed in the wall by her fist, ok?"
"Alright, alright." Saruyama, who sat across from Mizuiro, arose from his chair.
Rito shrugged, the mall would be the best place to find ingredients for a new compost to make for the next couple years. Also, he could find all of Mikan's favorites there.
The four giving each other a nod, they all made their journey to the mall at the epicenter of the shopping district.
Screams rushed out from the clothing store on the far back of the second floor as Saruyama and Keigo were both fleeing from a pair of angry women who both threw one of their heels at the escapees.
Inside the store, Rito was bowing over the counter to the cashier.
"I'm so sorry about those two and their actions.. I promise to repay you for any damages they've caused in any way I can."
"No, no.. That's fine.. Just please don't bring those two back here, ok, sir..?" The cashier had clearly been annoyed of the two, to the point she couldn't help but be blunt about not wishing to deal with this again.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Come on, Rito. We'd better go catch up with those two before they cause any more trouble.." Mizuiro would say, having been carrying the bags from Rito's side of the shopping.
"Yeah. You're right, Mizuiro. Let's-"
"Oh, Rito? What're ya doin' here? Didn't figure Mikan the type to send you to buy her clothes for her." Rito would then turn his head, his face briefly turning a beat red when he saw Haruna standing in front of him. Though, it wasn't her that made a comment to him.
Next to Haruna stood a girl of similar stature, though having a bit more bulk to her with a short black mop at the top of her head. She was wearing a black jacket with red sweater sleeves at the cuffs, a red stripe rising from the side of her forearm up to ring around the collar. Under this was a pair of tops, the upper layer being white while the lower was a light blue. Around her neck was a silver necklace that hung in a circular curve just below her collar bone. Her bottom consisted of a pair of navy jean shorts and red sneakers with white highlights.
Oh, uh. Haruna's friend, and my old karate partner, Tatsuki Arisawa. She's Haruna's best friend, from what I know. They've known each other for almost as long as I've known Tatsuki.
Rito would then gulp, using Tatsuki as a means to keep his sights from being lost in Haruna. "Oh, no, Tatsuki. We were here cuz Keigo was buying his sister some clothes before she gets home from work."
"Oh, that explains all the screaming from earlier.. Him and Saruyama are always causing trouble wherever they go." Tatsuki sighed, slumping her head, and then shrugging. "Anyway, we should be on our way too, eh, Haruna? Doesn't look like this place has what I was lookin' for."
Rito, turning his attention to Haruna, lost himself in the sight of her. As he admired her beautiful blue dress, he could feel his heartbeat racing as he swallowed down any mumbles that would escape his mouth before he made the mistake of letting them out.
"Yukki-kun..?" Haruna would be the first to try and speak out to the dazed individual.
Though it hadn't been enough to break him from his spell, Rito's cheeks beginning to flushing.
Tatsuki, looking to Haruna and then to Rito, would grit her teeth. "Damn it.." Then, with a swift movement of her arm, Rito would be flung aside courtesy of Tatsuki's fist. "QUIT STARING, DAMN IT!"
「 𝓛𝛔𝝼𝖊 𝛛𝛔𝖊𝐬𝛈̓𝖙 𝓹𝒓𝛔𝖙𝖊𝙘𝖙 ғ𝒓𝛔𝖒 𝖆ℓℓ 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝛈𝖌𝐬ܼ. 」
Rito held his cheek as he was walking with Mizuiro down the hall of the mall.
"Damn it.. Tatsuki didn't hold back whatsoever.." Rito muttered a complaint. Despite this, however, he was glad Tatsuki punched him out of his daze. If he had stared for too long, it would be taken the wrong way and seem as though he was stripping her in his head over and over, something someone like Saruyama would do in that situation.
"Oh, cheer up, Rito.. At least we've found Kenichi and Keigo."
"Yeah.." Rito sighed, lowering his hand as he looked over to the two in question sitting on the ground, both in the midst of a repetition of heavy breaths.
"Man.. Those chicks chased us.. All the way throughout the store..." Saruyama had nodded to Keigo's assessment, the bump on his head comically massive from all the times a shoe had struck it.
Rito sighed as he looked at the two, placing a hand on his hip. "You two are gonna get us in some serious trouble one day, ya know that?"
Tatsuki and Haruna were both exiting the mall, the former having an evident disappointment on her face. Raising her hands, she would place them on the back of her head.
"Man.. They didn't have anything I was looking for." She sighed, looking around. "You think we should try and hit another store, Haruna?"
"Well, about that, Tatsuki.." Haruna would raise her finger, seeming to have a problem with Tatsuki's suggestion, "We promised Risa that we would go see that restaurant that she was always talking about."
Tatsuki then sighed, shrugging. "Damn it, Haruna.. You're way too nice to that chick. She's gonna be the death of you."
"Come on, Tatsuki. She's not that bad."
"Not yet, anyway. But don't worry, whenever she does get too bad, I'll give her a swift kick!" Tatsuki would then drop her arms down while throwing forward a roundhouse kick.
"I can always count on you, Tatsuki." Haruna smiled.
Tatsuki chuckled a bit, then turned her attention forward. She would take notice to two figures in suits, both of whom were throwing glances around the area and muttering to one another.
"From what I can tell, the sensor detected her inside this building: We should ask around to narrow our search best we can." Both nodding in agreement to that plan, they both looked forward, noticing they had Tatsuki's attention. Taking up the opportunity, they approached.
"Excuse me, ma'am. But have either of you two seen a young girl around your age with pink hair and a strange outfit walking around?"
Tatsuki and Haruna would both look to each other, seeming to be silently asking each other the same question. Seeing definitely that neither of them could give a positive answer, they would both look forward.
"Um, no sir, we haven't." They would both say in unison.
"I see, well thanks, anyway." The first would nod, the two men in black making their way into the building.
Rito and the group were walking off with all the bags from their shopping in tow. Luckily, they managed to get out of there without having to save Keigo and Saruyama from another onslaught of women.
"Aw man." Keigo scratched the back of his head. "I'm glad we got the goods, but damn, we missed our chance at any hot babes.."
"You never had that chance to begin with." Rito deadpanned. This ended up happening every time they hung out, setting holding no bearing. "I figured you two idiots would learn by now that you don't have any chance with the ladies. None of us do, except Mizuiro over here." He emphasized his point by jabbing his thumb toward the male in question.
Mizuiro responded with a soft chuckle, raising his arms and waving the accusations off softly. "Oh, it's nothing serious. I just get along with females very well."
"Getting along, he says." The other three all deadpanned in unison.
Rito shook his head softly, turning his attention away from the two and sighing. "Alright, I'm gonna go drop this stuff off to Mikan. After I do that, you guys want to go relax at that new bathhouse that just opened?"
"A perfect place to go check out the new babes in town. Good plan, Rito!" Saruyama gave a thumbs up that Rito hadn't found encouraging.
"Relaxing is the goal here, not peeping." He furrowed his brows. "Plus, they have full stone walls between the two borders. Meaning there's no peep hole for you two idiots."
Saruyama's thumb drooped down after that, Keigo blinking with an expression of pain.
"W-wait, why are you lumping me with him?! I wouldn't peep on anybody!"
"The way you acted in the mall just now convinces me otherwise." Mizuiro interjected.
"I can't believe this! I'll show you! I'm an innocent soul!"
"Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that." Rito waved his arm softly, walking off from the two. His next destination was home.
『 11:29 a.m.「 Sunday: April 27th, 2008 」』
Wood would clasp the ground, shuffling toward the left.
Outside, it would look like a traditional japanese shophouse. Inside it was filed with several boxes with labels regarding Shinigami, Souls, and Spirits.
Tapping cane and shoe against the ground, a man with a green and white bucket hat wearing a green yukata covered with a black haori. His feet were both clad in wood sandals that's bottoms stretched 3 inches. On the inside of his haori was a white diamond pattern that would offer a parallel to his hat. Raising his head, he gazed forward with his now revealed grey eyes.
"So.. How are you feeling?"
His attention was revealed to be focused on Rukia, whose Shinigami attire was still fully white. She looked to her hands and clutched them tightly.
"I still feel.. Powerless. I still have enough strength to remain physical in this form, though it is quite exhausting.. The living world is not flooding with Spiritual Pressure akin to the Soul Society." Rukia explained. She had not felt this weak in decades.
"That is true.. But don't worry. The gigai should be ready before today's end." The man assured her, twirling the cane in hand. He then turned his head to the side, examining multiple boxes briefly before his eyes landed on a box with a skull in a blue flame symbol. "You're positive that it was Rito Yukki that you gave those powers of yours to?"
"I am certain."
"Then.. It is best we use his newfound abilities to our advantage. Perhaps if he nurtures the power he's gained to match the level of your power when you gave them to him, they'll likely return to you properly." The bucket hat man elucidated, "At the very least, they'll begin to gradually return to you. We've never had a case quite like yours before, so we aren't exactly sure how the process will occur."
"I see." Rukia nodded, taking in the information that was spoon fed to her. What would be the best way to ignite such a process, though..?
Rito sat back in the tub, leaning his head back softly.
"Man.. This is definitely the relaxation I was looking for."
"Well, it wasn't what I was looking for! We checked out the babes for like 2 seconds!" Saruyama whined, folding his arms in frustration.
"That's exactly what I was hoping for." Rito retorted, which earned him a scowl from the other.
"Hey, hey. Let's all just calm down here. We're a group of guys enjoying the prime of our lives in a hot bath. Nothin' manlier than that, is there?" Keigo expressed, trying to liven up the mood.
"Skipping that whole manlier part, it is rather nice to just enjoy a nice bath." Mizuiro commented.
"Guess you're right about that." Rito smiled, rolling his neck. "I wonder how they got the house fixed so fast.."
"That giant hole in the side of your place is fixed already?!" Saruyama chirped.
"Yeah, it's almost like it was never there to begin with. Guess Dad and his crew really do get the job done when they put their minds to it." Rito would shrug, looking over to Keigo who had been staring at the water.
"Hey, Rito. What's that?" Raising a hand, he would point down toward Rito's crotch.
Thinking it was just a tease, Rito laid a skeptical gaze on the area where he was pointing. Then he noticed something odd. The water just above that area was.. Boiling. Violently.
"Ayo. That's totally frickin' weird, dog." Saruyama quirked his brow, beginning to slowly walk backwards.
"Hey, wai-" Rito raised his hands, hoping to get the three to stop in their retreats from the tub. Those efforts then came to naught when the water came to geyser over him.
"HOLY SHIT! DID THE WATER JUST EXPLODE?!" All four of them would scream, looking toward the geyser with wide eyes.
What was revealed under the water was not at all what any of them would expect. Gawking at it, Rito's face would slowly burn into a bright red.
Mikan would flip through channels on the TV, tapping her finger against the arm of the couch.
"Aw mou.. There's nothing interesting on right now.." Sighing, the young girl would then turn her sights to the window, seeing the sky begin to turn a bit yellow. "Hm.. How long does Rito plan to be out..? I don't wanna have to start dinner later because he stays out too late again."
She would then shrug, getting up from the couch; "Though, knowing him, I might as well put his share in the fridge." The girl would then make her way to the kitchen.
「 𝓕𝒓𝞂𝒎 𝓽𝒉𝓮 𝔀𝛂𝓽𝓮𝒓 𝓮𝒎𝓮𝒓𝓰𝓮𝙨 𝛂 𝙨𝒖𝒓𝖕𝒓𝖎𝙨𝓮. 」
Rito was gawking, his eyes practically popping out of his head. His hands were clutching a pair of very soft objects. These objects made no sound in response to the squeezes except for a sound very foreign to Rito's ears.
"Rito.. Did you.. Did you summon that.. That.." Keigo struggled to gather his thoughts in the wake of these new events.
"...THAT HOT ASS CHICK?!" Saruyama screamed, falling back onto her rear.
Mizuiro would back away, cut down to only breaths and small murmurs to himself.
Rito himself was not processing what Saruyama had said, his attention focused solely on what stood before him. It was a young woman in the nude with long pink hair that would cover her back. The girl stretched, letting out a groan as her bones had popped. Then, she looked toward Rito with a soft smile.
"Huh? Oh, I didn't notice you there!" After that, her eyes would follow Rito's arms to see his hands were tightly gripping her breasts. "That's a tight grip you've got.. You mind letting go?"
His self awareness returning, Rito would quickly leap back, hitting the wall as he brought his hands over his face. "Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod!"
Keigo's head flung back in a nosebleed that launched him straight down.
"This. This is real, right?!" Mizuiro would then pinch himself, wincing at the pain.
Rito was staring with a bright red face at the woman. After a few moments, his face would then become sharp as he quickly rose up from the tub.
...
"W-what even are you, anyway?!" Rito questioned. The five were now in the dress room, the four boys fully clothed while the girl only wore a towel and Rito's hoodie.
"Oh, me? I'm Lala~" The girl chirped quickly, beaming at the question.
"Lala.." Saruyama would nod, fingers cupping his chin as he was clearly examining her figure.
"Mhm, that's right~" Lala would then raise an arm toward the sky. "I came all the way from the Planet Deviluke!"
"Planet Deviluke?" Mizuiro pondered over the information, "Then that would imply you're an-"
Rito quickly threw a hand over the girl's mouth, looking to the group of males with a brow quipped as he threw his jacket over the girl's shoulders. For some reason, his instincts were set off by this woman.
"Woah, woah, Rito! What you doin'?" Saruyama twitched a brow. "Why you coverin' up the free view?!"
"Wait, that's what you're worried about, Saruyama?!" Keigo pointed to Rito with narrowed eyes, "Do you or do you not know this chick?!"
"No, I've never met this chick before! But leaving her here with a group of guys stark naked is kinda wrong, don't ya think?!" Rito spun around, dropping his grip on Lala's mouth.
"Back on track.." Mizuiro threw out his hands to get the girl's attention. "If you really are an alien, why did you just suddenly appear in the bathtub like that?"
"Oh, that?" which had a silver bracelet shaped after a bunny. "Tada~! I proudly present my Pyon-Pyon Warp-kun! It's because of this baby that I managed to get here. Can't specify a destination when I use it, so I always end up in a random location near where I warped from, so I guess this place was close enough to work."
"You warped here..?" Rito lowered his hands softly, his curiosity attracted by the girl's explanation. 'Is this some kind of cover-up story..? I mean. She's from that Soul Society place, right..?'
"Yep. I think it might be because I warped from the bathtub on the spaceship I fled from. Might just be coincidence, though."
"From a spaceship?" Keigo chimed in, "Why?"
"To tell the truth.. I'm being chased." Lala begun, "Knowing how little extraterrestrial reports there have been on Earth, I figured it would be safe to come here: that was proven wrong when my pursuers easily tracked me. They almost took me away on their ship before I managed to warp away. If I didn't have this ring on me.. I don't know where I would've ended up."
The four guys looked amongst one another, Rito returning his attention to the girl.
'Maybe normal people aren't supposed to know about them.. I mean, Rukia didn't start explaining herself until after she confirmed I wasn't regular.'
"A-Anyway, you'd better get out of here before one of the staff walk in and see that there's a woman in the men's bathroom." Rito pointed toward the door, Mizuiro then broke out into a sweat.
"Oh, you're right! I completely forgot where we were for a second!"
Saruyama took the courtesy to check outside, opening the door and taking a quick peak. "Ok, the coast is clear. If we head out now, we should be able to get out without anybody noticing."
The boys nodding to each other while Lala kept a bright expression, they made their exit.
On their step out, Mizuiro and Keigo took their time to analyze their surroundings. Giving the thumbs up to the three behind them, they signaled the coast is clear.
Nodding, the three stepped forward. Rito, however, stopped as he was first to hear a voice to his right.
"Yukki-kun?"
Turning his head slowly, his eyes paused at the sight of Tatsuki and Haruna.. Again.
'Oh shit-' Rang Rito's mind.
"Normally, I'd just set aside anything you idiots do and just mind my business.." Tatsuki raised a fist, "But this?! This is the epitome of what I can take!" Crackling her knuckles, she would dash toward the four boys and letting her fists run wild.
Rito was the first struck, his jaw crackling a bit under the pressure of the assault. His head flung back, the male dropping to the ground next to Lala. Next was Saruyama, who flew into the ceiling and dropped to the ground quickly after. Keigo wasn't free for long as three punches struck his rib, jaw, and throat, pinning him to the wall. Then Mizuiro was given a knuckle straight over the head, sending the boy straight down.
Lala, who watched the entire thing, clapped in excitement: "Wow, that was so cool! I didn't know Earthlings could do things like that!"
"Are you alright? Did these four kidnap you or something? They didn't try anything with you, did they?" Tatsuki ignored Lala's comment, placing her hands on the alien's shoulders.
"No no, I'm perfectly fine!" Lala beamed. "These guys are the ones who made sure I wasn't walking around naked, actually!"
"Naked?!" Tatsuki's jaw dropped. She then looked to Rito, who was nearly finished getting up. Swiftly, she dived down and put him in a chokehold. "You didn't look at her, did you, Rito?!"
"N-no, I didn't, I-"
"He was the first to see me, he even squeezed my boobs."
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Tatsuki's grip tightened, much to Rito's dismay.
"Can.. I.. Explain..?" Rito weakly uttered.
"No, shut up!" Tatsuki tightened her grip further, causing Rito's screams to be muffled by his gags.
"Lala-sama~" The two stopped and looked over to the sound of a new voice.
It was then they were greeted to a small white figure dressed in a white, black, yellow, and purple suit that would float over to Lala and hug her tightly.
"Woah, where'd that little dude come from?!" Saruyama rubbed his head as he stood up.
"Oh, it's Peke~!" Lala hugged the small being back, giving it an ecstatic giggle, "I'm so glad~! Looks like you were able to escape safely too!"
"Yes, Lala-sama! I was very lucky that the ship had yet to leave Earth's atmosphere." Peke clarified, rubbing its head against Lala's cheek. Realizing itself, it turned its attention to the people surrounding Lala. "Lala-sama. Who are these dull looking people?"
'Dull-looking?!' Rito and Tatsuki internally griped in unison.
"Oh, they're some Earthlings I just met-" Pausing, Lala tapped her chin. "I totally forgot to ask you all your names."
"Damn. The signal's jammed.. I can't track where she went from here.." The blonde of the men in black looked to their partner, who shook their head softly.
"It seems the tracker we put on her little companion has been delayed somehow." His partner tapped at a tablet lightly, "At this rate, it will be a few hours before we can get the feed back."
"Tch.. Well, we should at least look where we last had a read."
"Right."
"So, you're an alien that suddenly appeared in the men's bath because you were on the run from some stalkers from space, huh?" Tatsuki, Haruna and Lala sat on the bench closest to the girl's bath.
"Yep!" Lala chimed as she pat Peke's head, who comfortably sat on her lap.
"That's gotta be the most ridiculous story I've ever heard.." Tatsuki sighed, looking over to Rito. "Hey, gimme the real story. What happened in there?"
"Well, honestly I have no idea myself. We were just relaxing in the tub when all of a sudden she just came up out of the water."
"Hm.. Maybe she was kidnapped and dumped there.. Well, either way. It's pretty messed up either way it sounds." Tatsuki remarked.
"Hmmm.. Peke. Dress mode." Lala lifted the white creature off her lap, stripping herself of the towel and jacket.
"Yes, Lala-sama!"
"Wait, what are yo-" Rito gawked. Before he could make any more comment, the group were blinded by a light that coated Lala's body.
From that light emerged white ribbons that would fly around and cover the figure before them. After a serious of binds wrapped around her entirely, they would morph to make into a suit-and-tie dress combination with a large beret cap that looked like Peke's head.
"And all done!" Lala cheered with a wide grin.
"Hot damn.." Saruyama's lips curled, "That outfit somehow covers everything but shows off everything at the same time! 10/10 from me!" Keigo nodded in agreement.
"How did you just do that?!" Tatsuki squeaked.
"Oh. Peke is a machine I built a long time ago to act as my support whenever I need, including clothes!" Lala articulated cheerfully.
"I can transform into any outfit Lala-sama desires."
Tatsuki would slap herself on the cheek softly, assuring herself she wasn't dreaming. Looking to either Haruna and Rito who both looked in shock just as much as she had, she was given a rude awakening.
"What the hell's going on here?!"
His expression exuded no emotion.
A tall man wearing skeletal armor with black highlights, silver locks raining down his back. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, then recoiled.
"We apologize, Lord Zastin.. We've tried everything we can to get the trackers back online." The raven-headed man in black spoke, kneeling before the warrior.
"Though there seems to be a delay in protocol that we can't manage to bypass."
The armored man turned away, hands on either hip. "I see.. Then it must be Lala-sama's interference that is to blame." He lowered his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Contact Lady Raum immediately."
"Sir!"
Rito sat on a bench with his palm over his face, looking up, he saw Lala running along with a stray cat as a line of dogs chased the both of them.
"Hey, put that cat down! It'll probably get away on its own!" Tatsuki cried out.
"But the little kitty was being bullied~!" Lala hooted.
Rito sighed, sitting back. "How did I end up getting dragged into all of this..?"
"Oh, don't complain, Rito!" Saruyama slapped Rito on the back, "Hanging with cute chicks all day? Can't say there's too many better ways to spend the day!"
"Oh, well. Ignore him." Mizuiro waved the monkey eared boy off, looking to Rito. "So, do you believe that story of hers?"
"What, about being an alien? Hell no." Rito sighed, looking to the pink haired girl running around the park surrounding. "But, whatever. She doesn't seem to be planning to tell any other story, so there's no point pushing it."
"You really thought it out that much? I figured you'd be stammering like you always do with Haruna." Saruyama teased.
"What about me?" The three turned their heads at the new voice, seeing the subject of the prior comment emerging with a tilted head.
"Oh, uh, don't worry about it!" Rito swung his arms around Saruyama, stifling the comment he nearly made with a chokehold. "Saruyama's just saying things now."
"Oh. Well, ok." Haruna shrugged, no longer seeing any reason to pursue the matter.
"Hey, Lala!" Rito then hopped up from the bench, pocketing his hands as he approached the pinkette.
"Hm?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Rito raised a hand, jabbing his thumb toward the distance away from the others.
"Huh? What brought this on, Rito?" Tatsuki quipped a brow, suspicious of this new development.
"Don't tell me you're gonna confess to her?!" Saruyama gulped, "I get she's hot, man, but that doesn't mean you keep her to yourself bastard!"
Sighing at Saruyama charging at him, Rito was swift in throwing a punch over the top of the boy's head to throw him to the ground.
"Shut up and quit assuming things, idiot!" Turning back to the girl, he grabbed her arm and started to pull her away. "C'mon, I really gotta talk to you about something."
Growling as he rubbed his head, Saruyama erupted with a roar. "Damn you, Yukki Rito!"
"Yukki-kun..?" Haruna watched the two leave with a hard gaze, her lips parting slightly before snapping back shut.
"You're from the Soul Society, right? That Rukia girl send you?"
Rito made sure the two were in a secluded alleyway before beginning his questionnaire.
"Soul Society..? Rukia..?" Lala responded with a tilted head.
"Damn it, there's no point hiding it, y'know. I already know the deal with the Hollows and all that. So is one near or something like that?" Rito looked around, pocketing his hands. "If so, just take care of it and go home. I kinda don't wanna deal with that stuff ever again."
"Um.. I'm sorry to disappoint you.." Lala tapped her chin, "But you're definitely mistaken. I'm not from the Soul Society, I can assure you of that."
"But you definitely know what it is, judging from your response." The boy looked to her with a scowl.
"Aw, don't look like that." Lala placed either hand on her hip, leaning forward a bit with a pout, "I've been completely honest with you, so you don't need to be suspicious or anything like that."
"I can attest to that assessment." Peke commented, now being Lala's hat.
"I guess you're right about that." Rito rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry for being apprehensive. It's just.. The last time I encountered something I didn't have a clue about.."
It didn't take long for memories of Mikan and Saibai's conditions the last night to resurface, not to mention the monster that almost slaughtered them all.
"Hmm.." Lala leaned back, planting her hands behind her back. "I can tell that you have plenty of reason to ask, so I won't pry. Your face tells me that it hurts to look back on it."
Stopping and reassuring himself, Rito finally noticed that his face was contorted in fear. His heart rate had been skyrocketing before, yet he never even noticed. Cursing himself internally, he straightened his face and looked to her with a blank gaze.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He turned away, beginning to walk back, "We'd best get back before those idiots get curious. I don't need Saruyama assuming the situation here."
"I guess that's the plan, Rito~!" Lala cheered.
「 The darkness is ever brighter. 」
『 7:29 p.m.「 Sunday: April 27th, 2008 」』
Rito sighed, entering the door to his house with an exasperated expression.
"Oh, welcome home Rito." Mikan paused in eating her blue popsicle to welcome her brother back, quipping a brow at his demeanor. "What's wrong? Your outing not go well?"
"Something like that." Rito chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "So, what're ya watching now?" Stepping forward, Rito looked to the television.
"Oh, it's a new show that's come on. My friends at school recommended it, so I figured I'd check it out."
"Guess that makes sense." The elder Yukki shrugged, returning to his path up the stairs and to his room.
Walking down the hall, Rito tipped a brow. He could have swore he heard a voice echoing from.. His room?!
The boy dashed forward, rushing over to the door with such speed the gap closed in an instant.
'Has that Shinigami come back?!' Rito's mind began racing through the scenarios. 'Could it mean another Hollow is gonna show up for me?! To kill me?! To kill Mikan too?!'
He was anxious, too anxious. The anxiety was swelling up and threatening to erupt from his chest. His heart raced. If his suspicions proved correct, then-
"Don't bring that crap here aga-!"
Throwing the door open, Rito was sure Rukia would be standing ready to cut him apart. On the contrary, he couldn't have expected what he saw instead.
"Hey there, Rito~!" Lala raised a hand, her cheery smile radiant as she was sitting on his bed with only the towel from the bathhouse over her. "Tatsuki said you lived over here~ I didn't know if anybody was inside, so I jumped into a random window!"
"W-What.."
"If your inquiry is about Lala-sama being naked.. Unfortunately, I ran out of energy a few minutes ago."
"Oh, right! That reminds me!" Lala hopped up, raising a hand, presenting Rito's jacket, "I came to give this back to you~!"
Upon seeing the jacket, Rito regained his composure, "No, put it on! Zip it up, too. The jacket should keep the towel from falling off." Placing a hand over his face, he would cover over his eyes before they began wandering.
"Oh, I didn't think that would be a problem though~"
"Don't say that so casually!"
Rito found his scowl crumbling at the sound of Lala's giggle in response.
"So.. You're really an alien?" Rito lowered his hand when he heard the girl zipping up her jacket.
"Mhm!" Lala then spun around, lifting up the towel. This prompted Rito to throw up his hand again.
"What are you-"
"No no, don't cover your eyes~ I can't show you if you don't look!" Lala pouted.
Rito grumbled a bit, but decided it was better than to face more complaints, "Alright, I'm looking."
"Good, good. See~?" The boy's attention was pinned on the black tail with a heart-shaped tail that would wave to either side. "Is this enough proof for you?"
"It's.. A real tail..?" Rito was at a loss for words at this.
"Yep yep. The tail's a part of me!" Turning around, she would then raise a finger with a massive smile, "But don't worry, I don't transform with a look to the full moon or anything like that~"
"Ok! Ok! Whatever!" Rito threw his hands to either side, "Enough about that, just tell me why you came to my place?!"
'My luck must be awful if this happened two nights straight..' Rito internally moaned.
Lala blinked, staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, "Well, it was to give back your jacket at first, but now that I'm here, I'm pretty comfy~!"
"Comfy isn't enough of an excuse for breaking and entering." Rito grumbled, the boy shaking his head, "I'm pretty sure you'd be comfy at Tatsuki or Sairenji's places."
'Though Sairenji's sister might be a lot to handle from what Tatsuki described.'
Lala poked her chin, zooming around the room. "Hey, what's with all these 15s around the room? It's pretty weird."
"Quit dodging the question, what are you here f-"
Before Rito could finish, a harsh breeze cut him short. The two men in black on pursuit of Lala came sliding in, from their backs coming their own set of tails with club ends.
Rising up was the blonde, narrowing his eyes under his sunglasses toward Lala. "I should've known tying you up would be far more beneficial for a scheduled travel."
Lala, looking to the two, pouted. Then, after a quick moment of thinking, the pout devolved into a scowl. "Peke.. What happened to the signal jam I ordered you to uphold?"
"When my energy levels became critically low, it appears the jam was also negated, Lala-sama.."
"GAH! EXCUSES! Now everything's moot, stupid bot!"
"My apologies, Lala-sama.." Peke bowed his head in shame.
'These are the pursuers Lala mentioned before..?! They look like professional body builders!' Rito's brow quipped, eyes darting across the room. 'What exactly should I do..'
"Are you prepared for leave?" The raven haired man in black entreated.
"Lala-sama.. You should use the bracelet again, it's the only possible escape route."
"True as that is, Warp-kun still has a few hours to charge." Lala grimaced.
Her eyes then shot wide as the blonde swiftly clawed at her wrist, pulling her toward him.
"I've grown tired of this. Let's go!" He reinforced his words.
"No.. Let go!" Lala demanded. "Let go of me! Right! Now!"
Rito, in the background, twitched a brow. 'Now that I'm watching this.. What the hell is this?'
The blonde put Lala in a deadlock, Lala biting onto his arm.
'A situation like this.. Is going on in my room. Two nights straight, damn it.' Rito's teeth grinded, 'Their frickin' shoes.. Trampling the floor too..'
The bucket hatted man leaned back, taking a sip from his tea cup. Turning his head forward, his attention laid on a plump man who looked back to him with soft eyes behind tiny black spectacles.
Most notable on the plump man was his purple suit with a maroon bowtie.
"I'd appreciate if you'd offer your assistance in the matter."
"Of course. Of course." The man nodded, arising from the ground, "Now, if you'll excuse me: I have nightly matters to return to!" He broke into a skip out of the shophouse.
"Alrighty then, good night to you sir!" Chuckling to himself, the shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief. "Well, does that settle the matter you were concerned about?"
"..yes."
The door to the back of the shop opened, emerging a stern Rukia. She grumbled, popping her shoulder as she looked down to her feet. "It's not as stiff as I thought it would be. I'm actually impressed at that."
The now named Kisuke grinned, "Well, I am happy that you're pleased with our services, Kuchiki-san."
Shifting his attention downward, he noticed a soccer ball on the ground below.
'Damn it all..!'
His leg moved in a blur. The ball took flight from its post on the ground straight into the blonde's arm, who let out a cry of shock.
Dashing forward just as quickly, Rito grabbed Lala's arm and pulled her out.
"C'mon, let's go!"
"Rito?!" Lala exclaimed.
"Hey, wait!" The two that were left behind were dumbfounded by this new development. With haste, they both leaped out the window and pursued them.
Rito kept a firm grip on Lala's hand as he dashed across the rooftops. He grumbled to himself as the two kept running. He was supposed to be playing video games all night to forget what happened today, then plot his confession to Haruna a few more times before going to bed. It was a foolproof schedule, no extraterrestrial chases included.
"Rito..? Why are you doing this?!" The girl in tow questioned, Rito shaking his head.
"No idea. My body just moved!" Rito scowled as he thought back, "Look, maybe the regular reaction would be to just sit in the corner and let something like that settle itself, but.. I guess I'm not regular at all, cuz I can't do that!"
Lala quietly looked to her savior with wide eyes as the two continued dashing off.
Haruna was walking Marron on his usual nightly walk, humming to herself as it raised a leg over a street light.
"Today was fun." Haruna mused to herself, "It was shocking that a regular day out with Tatsuki changed so much. I even got to spend some time with Yukki-kun.." Placing a hand on her chest, she remained oblivious to the furrowed brow her dog targeted her with.
"Damn. That kid's fast!" The raven head narrowed his eyes as he saw Rito and Lala vanish in a blur.
Shaking his head, the blonde scratched the back of his head: "Well, in that case, we'll just have to slow 'em down."
"Right." His partner grinned, turning his head toward an approaching truck. "Good for me." The man dashed toward the vehicle.
Lala and Rito both turned swiftly, hearing a loud roar off in the distance.
"Hey, Lala.. What the hell was-"
The two then froze as a loud crashing sound followed by a burst of flame, Rito following his curiosity to see that a large truck was tipped sideways, having knocked down a street light that set the batch of trees next to it in flames.
'Holy shit. That strength-' Rito remembered the previous night vividly. Reaffirming himself, he spun around quickly, 'They made it so in this situation, escape is impossible.' The boy grit his teeth, clutching a fist, 'Even so.. I can't just let those two have Lala!'
"I wouldn't recommend coming any closer!" Rito narrowed his eyes, raising a hand forward, "I know plenty martial arts! Hell, I'll spit on ya if I have to!"
The blonde placed his hands on his hips, sighing.
"This kid's persistent. Not a bad quality." His partner grinned, chuckling a bit.
"Tch, we aren't here to play around, Smutts."
"I told ya to quit calling me that, Maul!" He turned away, glaring at his partner.
"Sure, sure." He waved it off, cackling at the other's dismay.
"Lala-sama.." The two paused as a beam of light would surge between them, from it emerging an irritated Zastin.
'Who the fu-' Rito's mind wandered.
"Please return home immediately. 'Tis the sole command to you from His Majesty himself."
"No! I don't care what Daddy says, I'm not going!"
"Yeah, she's not going..." Rito then paused, his voice lowering as he came to a realization, "...home?" His head turning toward Lala slowly, it became more agitated the further it turned.
'SHE'S NOT GETTING KIDNAPPED AT ALL! SHE'S JUST BEING BROUGHT BACK HOME?!'
"I'm tired of the same old, always meeting future husband candidates! I don't need that suitor game, let me live my own life!" Reaching into the jacket pocket, she summoned a phone, flipping up the top and tapping the buttons with her thumb. Then, presenting it forward, the light from the phone exploded in multi-colored flashes that would engulf the area.
⧼ Transmit Confirmed: GO GO VACUUM, DEPLOYED! ⧽
Emerging from the light with a splash, an octopus-like machine spun in mid-air. Silver tendrils shot outward and rained down toward the three.
"W-What the hell is that?!" Rito howled.
"Oh, it's my Go Go Vacuum-kun!" Lala raised a fist, cheering loudly, "Go get 'em, Go Go!"
It letting out a beep, the machine opened its mouth, it and the tendrils all drawing in the surroundings. Suddenly, the ground was pulled in violently, the ground crackling violently.
"Damn it.. If this is one of Lala's inventions, then.." Zastin raised his sword toward his side, but time had no interest in waiting as he too was pulled in by the violent force. The two in suits lacked time to support him, being pulled in to the current regardless.
"Woah.." Rito fell back in shock, his eyes wide at the giant machine. His gaze focused on the giant machine above as it did its work, "That robot's making those guys look average..!"
His admiration came short when he realized he no longer felt the ground beneath him, looking around with eyes wide in shock. "WHY IS IT SUCKING ME IN TOO?!"
"Hmm.." Lala looked at her machine, puffing her cheek. "I feel like I forgot something.."
"HEY! THE FORCE IS GETTING STRONGER!" Rito flailed his arms around, being pulled up by the machine, "HURRY UP AND MAKE IT STOP!"
"Ohhh! That's what it was!" Lala snapped her finger with a wide grin, "It was the Shutdown Sequence that I forgot to install!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAAAAAAAAAAAAY?!" Rito shrieked, being dragged into the mouth of Go Go Vacuum-kun.
Blinking, Go Go puffed its cheeks, increasing its force more. Try as it might, though, Rito's squirms proved overpowering to the large machine. Widening its eyes at this news, its body erupted in a crimson light. The burst of light came to swallow the entire park before shooting toward the sky in a pillar of flame.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Rito's scream that night was the only sound that could triumph the explosion.
『 10:43 a.m.「 Monday: April 28th, 2008 」』
"Jesus.." Rito rubbed the back of his head as he walked into class. "That damn girl's machine better not have given me a concussion.."
Lowering his hand, he turned toward the front, where Mizuiro and Keigo were chatting.
"Hey, did you hear? There was a huge explosion last night! By the park!"
"By the park? There's no way. There's no way a bomber would blow up such a place, especially at a time where no one would be there. You're making that up."
"Nah, man! My boss told me himself!" Keigo raised a finger, wide grin on his face. "He even said somebody thought he saw some pink haired chick there! You think it was that girl we met yesterday?!"
"Sorry to disappoint, but I can assure you it wasn't her." Rito fibbed, walking over to his seat with a frown, "Hey Mizuiro, what's next?"
"That'll be Social Studies."
Hearing these news, Rito grinned: "Good. It's Honekawa-sensei. He won't care so long as I'm in attendance."
"Speaking of.." Saruyama grinned widely, throwing his arm around Rito. "The hell're you doing so late, man? Ya usually only skip on a couple full moons, man!"
"Relax, Saruyama." Rito escaped from the man's grip with a fist to his jaw, brow twitching in agitation, "Dad ran out of ink and sent me to go buy him some more. Unfortunately for me, he only likes them from a certain shop that's all the way across town from the school."
In the midst of the group's chuckling, a voice Rito found hauntingly familiarly spoke out.
"You, wouldn't happen to be Yukki-san, would you?"
Turning his head, Rito's eyes shot wide at the source.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Rukia Kuchiki~" The raven haired girl sitting next to him rose from her seat and gave him a bow, "I'll be looking forward to getting along with you!"
Rito's attention immediately drifted to the hand raised out by the newcomer, his mouth gaping with a quiet gasp.
On her palm, the hand read:
"Make a scene and you're dead."
❰ END ❱
"This Chapter, like the original, was to give Rito the chance to meet Lala without any worry of Hollow work as Rukia is awaiting her gigai's completion. Introduced her this time on a day where Rito was hanging out with the boys until getting dragged into a chase between an alien princess and her guards. Little does Rito know, this is the start of something much greater, not just between him and the spiritual, but between him and the very universe itself."
"Next chapter I plan to adapt the second chapters of both To-Love Ru and Bleach, seeing as they both cover the first day of school after the events that transpire on the night of the first chapter, so look forward to that. How will Rukia react to Lala's first appearance? To her shenanigans? Find out in the next chapter."
- Red