Hey everyone, I hope you all had a happy July 4th, I know I did somewhat. Before I start, just wanted to apologize that I'm posting a bit later than normal. We had a bad storm come through, and I had my computer turned off until it blew over. But, now that it's gone and over with, here's this weeks chapter.
But of course, before we can get on to the reading, I guess we have to let Spades have his little bit. I'm glad you liked the 'date' Nel and Tim had, and truthfully I didn't mean to make it that funny, but the ideas shot into my head and I simply couldn't stop myself, lol. And Tim may not be that much of a prude like our favorite orange-haired teen, but if you think you could look at a real-life version of Nel wearing something like she did last week and remain conscious, there is simply something wrong with you, lmao.
As far as Kit's reaction, the bloody nose and such, her words are true. 'Nothing can stand up against the allure of a woman, not even another woman'. So yes, she may be a 'woman' in a sense, but even she had dirty thoughts running rampart in her head at the sight of Nel.
Questions…
1: If you are referring to a time-skip between the two stories, I can definitely say at least a few years; but if you mean actual time between posting the two stories, I won't post the first chapter until after I have some saved up, just like now.
2: She already mentioned it in chapter one, but it's 'Spaceballs'. Come on bro, her idol is Rick Moranis, so put two and two together, lol.
3: No, he doesn't; seeing as how he and Kit died in 1989, and 'Power Rangers' did not debut until 1993.
4: Um…he doesn't have one?
5: Yes, he does. Will it be revealed: yes, but much, much later in the story, towards the end somewhat.
6: Yes, and I really enjoyed it when it first came out. However, it quickly died for me when they started advertising all those ridiculous 'boosters' and 'bundles' that ruined the gameplay. If it wasn't for that, I would likely still be playing on occasion.
Whew, now on to the story my friends.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)
Chapter 23
(How to Move Forward)
Karakura Town City Center, Present
Although it saddened them to do so, Timothy and Nel eventually had to release each other from their embrace to leave and get something to eat before returning to the shop. And when they did, they suddenly found it difficult to even look at each other; both still a little embarrassed at their actions.
At least Timothy found 'a little' comfort in noticing that after all the browsing, and trying out many different clothes, Nel had managed to limit her choices to only two sets of clothes. But that comfort quickly changed to blushing when he saw the choices that she did make.
The first set were the faded, hole-riddled jeans, knee-high boots, red button shirt, and black vest; the first set that she had tried on. The other, which was what caused him to blush the most, was the blue 'mini' skirt and tight, white shirt combo.
'Of 'course' she had to pick that one!' he hissed in his head.
"…I can't think of anything to say in argument of that." Kitsune added.
Snapping the bag shut in his hands, he quickly shook the dirty thoughts that were starting to fill his head away, taking some of his blush along with it. Taking a deep breath as the final seal against said thoughts, he then reached down and picked up the other bags that contained the other items they bought earlier that day.
"I dread the warrant of death known as the 'bill' that is coming up." He mumbled.
Nel, who was still sitting on the bench next to him, heard him and lowered her head. "If…you don't have it Tim, we can…take it back." She offered with a bit of disappointment.
He looked down at her to see a mix of sadness and embarrassment on her face, and he suddenly felt guilty as hell. He didn't mind buying things for her, he actually liked it a little; but as he was forced to use the squad's mission budget until his first check came in, he was really hoping to avoid using it at all.
Knowing that he would 'never' hear the end of it from Yoruichi for not buying her, even just a couple sets of clothes, he had no choice but to release a heavy, and very defeated sigh.
"No…it's fine, Nel. I'll just have to bite the bullet later." He moaned.
She looked up at him with a bit of worry, and also confusion now. "Bite the bullet?" she asked.
He let out a snort of air and shook his head. "It's just an expression, Nel. It means I'll just have to accept getting yelled at later. Anyway, at least you didn't try to have me buy the whole store again. I don't even want to begin to imagine how much Rangiku and Orihime bought." He stated.
Nel chuckled and shook her head. "No, I don't think you do. Really, she tried to talk me into getting more than that, but I told her that about the books you already got me, so she let it go. But she was very insistent that I get the blue skirt." She informed.
His face fell. "I find myself completely unable to do anything but believe that. I should have known that she would have you pick that one. Yoruichi is going to have a fucking field day with this."
Her eyes widened, and her face turned red at the thought. "I…I didn't think about that! I changed my mind, let's take them back!" she insisted.
Timothy very quickly nodded in approval. "Yes, let's!" he said, then paused to think for a moment. "Actually, the skirt we'll take back; you can keep the jeans and red shirt. That one was ok." He admitted.
Nel thought about it, then began to blush a second later. "You…liked that one?" she asked in a low voice.
He nodded gently with a small smile. "Yeah, I did. You looked pretty good in it, Nel." He comforted.
She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Tim."
Shifting the bags around and looping the handles onto his arm, he held out his, now free, hand out to her. She smiled a bit more and took it, him giving hers a gentle, and caring squeeze before pulling her up and to her feet.
But the gesture only proved to be a mistake, as they both, again, found themselves not wanting to let go of each other's hand. Of course, neither of them would have minded holding hands while walking, except that walking would be a little difficult when one of them was facing the wrong way.
So, sadly again, they had to release each other, where Nel reached over and grabbed two of the lighter bags from him, relieving him of some of the weight. Shifting the bags he still had around again, he smiled at her.
"Thanks." He said.
She nodded, then started walking beside him as they headed towards the clothes racks to, thankfully, put the 'skirt set' back onto the racks. It felt a little weird though, when he walked through the lines of clothes without Rangiku stopping every two or three inches to look at another shirt or something.
They quickly put the items back where they went, then proceeded to the checkout to pay for the one set she had left. And if there was a God, or some form of higher being that was watching over him that day, at least that being chose now to be merciful; considering that the bill for the one set of clothes only cost him fifty-five thousand yen.
A 'hell' of a lot better than the horrible thoughts that plagued him earlier while they were shopping, to be sure. At least now he wouldn't feel so guilty when he took her to go get something for dinner, especially with where he planned to go.
As they walked out of the store, noticing that the sun had already dropped below the lowest buildings, Timothy turned to her with a curious look.
"Hungry?" he inquired.
She smiled and nodded. "A little. The Thai from lunch was good, but it was much spicier than I thought, so I couldn't eat that much. Where did you want to go, Tim?" she asked in return.
He grinned with a light scoff. "You'll see. It's my favorite food, and I really think you'll like it, Nel." He stated.
The woman chuckled, then held out her hand, gesturing for him to lead the way. "After you, Tim." she offered.
The Lieutenant chuckled as well and began walking towards the place he had in mind, with Nel walking right beside him and holding the two bags she had in front of her. They walked for about five minutes, until they came to a stop in front of a western styled restaurant.
"Here we are." He said proudly.
She looked at the place with a bit of curiosity. "What do they serve here?" she asked with her head tilted.
He side glanced her with a smug grin. "It's called a steakhouse; and as the name suggests, they serve steaks. Granted, they don't cook em like they do back home in Texas, but they're still pretty good. God, what I wouldn't do for a nice eighteen ouncer, medium cooked from back home." He said as he began to drool at the thought.
Nel looked at him with wonder, then started to laugh. "That good, huh?" she inquired.
Timothy closed his mouth and looked at her in disbelief. "Is that a rhetorical question?"
She shook her head, then gestured towards the door. "Well, instead of standing here talking about it, why don't we go have some?"
He snickered a second. "With pleasure." He said, then gestured himself for her to go first.
Nodding, Nel walked inside with Timothy behind, and led them to a booth in the back, so they would avoid being seen. The waiter was quick to arrive, handing them their menus and waiting for their drink orders.
Timothy and Nel nodded at each other, then he looked at the man. "An order of sake, two shots of Jameson, and some water, please." He ordered.
"Sorry sir, but we don't have Jameson here. Something else?" the man inquired.
The Lieutenant let out a sigh of disappointment. "Jack?" he tested.
The waiter smiled and nodded. "An order of sake, two Jacks, and two waters. I'll be right back." He confirmed.
Timothy leaned back into the seat and slumped a bit. "Busy day. You have fun?" he inquired. When she didn't answer, he lowered his head to see that she had her head down. "Nel?" he called.
She looked back up to him, her face showing that something was bothering her. "Yes?"
He rose a brow. "You alright?" he pressed.
The woman sighed. "What are we going to tell the others? You 'know' Yoruichi is not going to stop until she finds out, one way or another." She pointed out.
Timothy shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest, if you don't care about them knowing, neither do I. If you want my opinion…"
"I do." She quickly interrupted. "I want to know what you think, Tim. Now that I have at least a better understanding as to what these feelings are, her and Kit's teasing won't hurt as bad."
He waved her off gently. "You ain't gotta worry about Kit, Nel. Her and I have come to…an 'understanding' between each other, and we made a deal. She promised she won't say anything to you, or Yoruichi."
Her eyes widened a bit. "How…did you manage that?" she asked in surprise.
Timothy snickered a moment. "That's between me and her, as promised. Regardless, she won't tease you anymore, Nel. As far as Yoruichi and the others, I don't care either way. If you want them to know, we'll tell em. If not, the demon will just have to suck it up."
Before Nel could reply, the waiter came back with their drinks, setting them on the table between them. Nel then remembered that she didn't even look at the menu to see what they had, so she turned to Timothy for guidance.
He, thankfully, noticed her dilemma, so he turned to the waiter holding up two fingers. "Two, twelve-ounce rib-eyes, medium cooked. Both with mashed potatoes and green beans." He ordered.
The man wrote it down, then nodded. "It should be out shortly, sir. Enjoy your drinks." He said, then left.
Timothy turned back to Nel and handed her one of the shot glasses. "What's this?" she asked as she studied the dark liquid in the glass.
"Whiskey. 'My' type of alcohol." He answered, then swung his glass back, downing its contents in one gulp.
Nel looked at her glass for a second longer, shrugged her shoulders, then did the same. Her eyes shot wide open, then her face turned red before she started chocking and coughing with a face of disgust.
"What…what the hell…" she tried to ask between coughs.
Timothy chuckled a bit. "Don't like it?" he asked in a soothing voice.
She lightly thumped her chest with her fist as she tried to clear her throat. "It's…not bad…just didn't expect that." She admitted.
He nodded gently. "Yeah, it's got a bite, that's for sure. But I honestly prefer it to sake." He said calmly.
Nel cleared her throat a couple more times, then took a drink of water. "Like I said, it's not bad, I actually find it to be good. But it's another thing to drink something that has a 'bite', when you are used to something mellow." She admitted.
Timothy scoffed lightly. "That's true. Anyway…" had started as he poured them each a saucer of sake. "…do you want to tell them back at the shop about us, or no?" he inquired, then handed her a saucer.
She took it and took a sip before answering. "I'm actually wondering a little about that, Tim. As you know, I know very little about how all this works. So, what happens now, after we…" She paused, then began to turn red in the cheeks.
He thought about why she stopped, then it hit him, and he turned a bit pink himself. "You mean…after we kissed?" he inquired in a quiet voice. She took another sip, then barely nodded. He set his saucer down and sighed. "That's a difficult question to answer, Nel." He said as he raked his hair. "Honestly, the whole dating and girlfriend/boyfriend thing really depends on the pair. Some people go on occasional dates or outings, some simply spend a lot more time together. Hell, I dated Kit for almost four years while we were in college before we finally got married."
At the mention of the word 'married', Timothy froze, then turned away a bit in embarrassment. Nel however, pulled her head into her shoulders and grew redder.
"It's…um…" he started, trying to recover and failing. "It all depends on the individuals, Nel. Essentially, the dating 'phase', if you will, is mainly for the two people to see if they are compatible on a deeper level; a more intimate level." He said, finally managing to get his color back a bit.
"Is…four years a long time?" she inquired.
He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a little. Kit and I both had our own issues that we had to resolve before we decided we were ready to slap the rings on. But, it's actually not uncommon to wait that long, if not longer. So, going back to your question, I guess you could say we're in that phase called 'dating'. But all this is a mutual understanding, basically. Like…a common agreeance. So, let me ask you Nel, and I know that you don't know that much about all this, how do you want us to move forward with this?"
Nel crossed her arms loosely and tilted her head back with a deep sigh as she closed her eyes. "I am not really sure. You…sort of surprised me when you…kissed me." She said in a low voice.
Timothy started rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah…sorry about that, Nel. I was…just trying to show you that I meant what I said."
She swiftly looked at him with a bit of anxiety. "No, that's not what I meant, Tim! I mean…" Her expression changed to one of deep thought as she raised her head. "…It's hard to explain…"
He gave her a gentle wave. "Like I said Nel, I know you're a little vague on this, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
The woman offered a kind smile. "It's not that either, Tim. I don't mind telling you, but I really don't know the best way to say it."
Timothy simply shrugged a shoulder. "Just say it the best way you can, I'm not gonna get mad or anything. I'm asking because I care about you and I don't wanna make you feel…uncomfortable about all this." He clarified.
"Thank you, Tim. I guess…" She sighed deeply. "I guess the simple answer is that I want to look more into these feelings for you, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing that. When you…kissed me earlier, I felt…" She then dropped her head with a bit of sadness in her eyes. "I felt…whole…like I finally found something that was missing inside me." Her gaze returned to him. "When you kissed me, I was completely shocked by it. But then…I strangely found myself wanting more. And when we stopped, I missed it."
She folded her hands in her lap and sighed again. "I…enjoyed kissing you, Tim. I really did. But as I said, I don't know what to do exactly at looking more into this. And at the same time…I guess I'm afraid I might do something to ruin everything. I'm…almost tempted to…ask Yoruichi." She admitted as she turned her head.
His face fell. "I would 'really' prefer if you didn't do that. Somehow, I have a feeling that that demon will only make things worse." He then gave a heavy sigh. "But if you think it would be a good idea to you, then go for it. Just be sure you're cautious around her."
Nel looked back at him inquisitively. "What do you think we should do, Tim?"
He closed his eyes and tilted his head. "I really only have past experiences with Kit to go on, and like I said, we both had a lot of problems that we had to work through. To be honest, there were a lot of times where we nearly fell apart and broke up; one time we actually 'did' for about two months, then we talked it out and got back together. But 'our' situation is a little more…unique. Kit and I had some knowledge about the dating world, but you don't have any."
He sighed and began rubbing his temples. "Why don't we do this…" he said, then dropped his hand and leaned closer to her on the table. "For now, at least until you have a better understanding behind all this, we'll simply consider ourselves in a relationship, a simple one. And as you learn more about dating and things like that that involve 'us', we can develop our relationship into more as we go. Sound good?" he offered.
She lowered her head a bit and thought it over. It did sound good to her, as well as fair. But, it then brought a question to her mind about the kiss from earlier. She enjoyed it, and if she could, she would like to do it again. But how would that make him feel?
Granted, 'he' was the one who started it, but he had told her that he did it to show her that he meant everything he said and that he truly had feelings for her. Would it be alright to ask him for more?
"Tim…" she started, causing him to raise a brow in a bit of concern. She lifted her head back to him with worry. "Is…is kissing…out of the question?" she asked as she turned a bit pink in the cheeks.
His brow dropped as he snorted lightly before reaching out with his hand and setting it against her cheek. He smiled at her as she raised her own hand to place it over his.
"If you're comfortable with it Nel, it's fine with me." He offered, then rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
She smiled back and closed her eyes as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Then…if it's okay…could I…" She paused, then lowered her head a little.
He moved his hand to her chin and raised her head back up, his face now less than a foot from hers as he leaned far over the table. She stared into his eyes, and he hers, as he gave her a warm smile.
"I said it's fine with me, if you are comfortable with it, Nel." He said, then leaned in more and pressed his lips to hers.
Her brows dropped a bit before she closed her eyes and leaned forward into the kiss, moving the hand that had held his hand earlier to rest on his cheek.
Again, just like last time, she instantly felt the empty space inside her disappear; replaced by a deep, warming feeling that began filtering through her body and gathering into her stomach before clenching tightly.
And Timothy, he was feeling a series of mixed emotions. Happiness was at the forefront of them all, happiness that only finding someone to hold deep feelings for could give. He was happy that he could experience this moment with Nel.
But at the same time, he could also feel that lingering feeling in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of betrayal. Kit and 'Johnny' had told him time and time again that the relationship he and Kit had was over; but deep down inside, Timothy knew that there was still something there between them.
And it hurt.
Kitsune obviously could sense his deep distress, and chose now to speak up; the first time since he had metaphorically pinned her against a wall with his 'deal'.
"Don't even think it, Tim." she said in a firm voice.
Timothy and Nel broke away from each other as he leaned back in his seat and sighed with his head now resting against the back, while Nel had her head lowered with a smile on her face.
"I can't help it, Kit…you know that. It's going to take me a long time to get over it, so cut me some slack. Besides, you can't play stupid with me, Kit; I know what happened just now, and back in the store got under your skin a bit." He shot back.
"I won't deny that, I do feel a bit uneasy about seeing you two kissing. But I'm biting my tongue and letting it go, because I have to. I know it's going to take a while Tim, I'm only giving you a bit of encouragement is all. And while we're on the subject…"
"Tim?" Nel called out.
He looked at her, now broken from his conversation with his spirit, to see she had a concerned look on her face. He offered a weak smile.
"Sorry, was having a little chat with Kit. She's being her normal self again." He lied.
"Hey!" she yelled.
"Oh shut it, I only said that so she wouldn't worry. I'll get back with you in a second." He hissed.
Nel nodded at him. "I see. I can imagine she's…probably unhappy with seeing…us kissing." She said in a low voice.
He sighed deeply. "A bit. We're both still having a hard time coming to terms with what happened all those years ago. It's just something that takes time, Nel. And actually, if you must know, 'she's' the one who insisted on all this." He informed.
"Tim…" she pressed.
He sighed again and held a finger up. "One second." He moaned, getting a nod from her as he leaned back again.
"Yes, your highness?" he mocked.
He could hear a small snicker. "Why, thank you, sweetie…how kind of you to finally acknowledge me." She teased back.
He growled inwardly. "What do you want?!" he yelled.
"Jeez, so damn pushy. Anyway, while we're talking about feelings and such, if you'd like, I can talk to Nel about the finer details about dating and such." She offered.
Timothy flinched. "Oh God no! You'll scar her for life!"
"Pfft…whatever stupid. I'm actually offering to help you two. You know damn well I can be serious when I want to be, as well as kind and caring. That 'was' why you married my ass in the first place, right?…Or would you prefer Yoruichi?"
He then froze at a flash of the thought. "You! Definitely you!" he quickly answered.
She grinned in his inner world. "I thought you'd come to your senses. Just be sure to ask if she'd like my help, though." She advised.
A heavy sigh from him drew Nel's attention back as he looked at her with a bit of worry, causing her to worry as well.
"I don't like that look on your face, Tim…what did she have to say?" she inquired.
He waved her off gently. "Nothing bad…this time. She actually had…some advice for me. That, and she's…offered to help you." He admitted as he turned away.
She rose a brow in wonder. "Help? How?"
Timothy turned his eyes to her without moving his head. "She's offered to sit and talk with you about…dating and such. The kind of things to do, things to say, all of that stuff. She wants to know if you'll accept her help."
Nel's eyes widened a bit. "I'm…a bit worried about that, honestly. You're sure she won't be…her usual self?" she asked hesitantly.
"Unless she wants to be submitted to a vast amount of mental torture, she'll keep her mouth shut. So, you don't have to worry about that one. And besides, 'she's' the one who managed to break my dense wall and convince me to marry her, so I can definitely say that she can offer you some good advice. But it's up to you if you wanna accept her help." He said calmly.
She gave a straight face and nodded. "I'd like her help, provided she doesn't go too far."
"She'll behave, I promise. Now, with that outta the way, I don't have a problem with us kissing, or even holding hands, Nel. If you feel comfortable with it, feel free to do so; I'm not going to turn you away, unless it's an inopportune time for it. Are you fine with that?" he asked, now fully turned to her.
The woman smiled and nodded. "I am, as long as you are." She affirmed as she reached over and grabbed his hand with hers in a gentle squeeze, with him squeezing back.
"We'll figure all this out as we go, Nel. It will likely take a while to figure out, but I'm willing to take that time." He stated, earning another nod from her.
"Me too." She returned, then held up her saucer. "To us?" she offered.
He chuckled, then held up his as well. "Us." He confirmed, then they both finished their drinks.
They set their saucers down, then the waiter returned with their orders. Setting the two large plates down and retrieving the empty shot glasses, the man gave them a swift bow, then left them to their meal.
Timothy rotated his plated around to where the steak was now in front of him, and was about to dig in when he glanced at Nel and saw her almost drooling over her plate; staring at it with wide eyes.
"Having problems, Nel?" he asked with a humorous voice.
She snapped her mouth shut and wiped the drool away with the back of her hand as she glared at him. "No! It just looks really delicious is all." She stated as she grabbed her utensils.
He gave her a soft chuckle, then took a bite of his food; his eyes nearly falling to the back of his head in enjoyment. It wasn't more than a few seconds later before Nel took a bite as well with her own eyes doing the same as his a moment ago.
"Sooo good." He mumbled, with Nel humming in agreeance.
1 Hour Later
Once they had finished dinner with a couple more drinks, and noticing that there was still a little bit of light out, Timothy and Nel began their walk back towards the shop. But that was quickly halted when Nel pointed out a brightly lit shop with multiple flashing lights and odd noises.
It turned out to be one of the few arcade centers in the city, and seeing that he used to play video games when he was in college on occasion, he was more than willing to introduce that aspect of life to the Arrancar.
The majority of the games were new to Timothy; racing games, games where you actually had to hold a plastic gun and 'shoot' the enemies on the screen, they even had a game with a device you held onto where the screen turned when you did.
Timothy looked around with a raised brow at all of the weird game consoles, while Nel gaped at everything around her; completely mesmerized by the mixed music and sounds coming from all of these strange devices that the humans were standing in front of.
But Timothy was glad to see that the place had a few 'button masher' consoles that he remembered from when he was alive; one game in particular that he liked to claim he was a 'legitimate' master at.
Pac Man.
He was quick to snatch Nel's wrist and 'escort' her over to the older console, quickly fishing in his pockets for loose change.
"What's this?" Nel asked as she studied the large, box-like object in front of her.
"This…" he started as he pulled out a few coins, inserting them into the slot. "…is Pac Man, one of my favorites." He announced, then pressed the button to start a one-player game. "Just watch closely and you'll see how it's played.
She nodded, then watched as the game began. The woman watched with wonder as Timothy navigated the little yellow circle around the board; collecting many smaller dots while trying to avoid four, multi-colored 'blobs' that chased him.
"Soo…what happens if one of those things touch you?" she inquired, but quickly found the answer when 'Sue' boxed him into a corner and caught him.
"Damn…" he hissed, then turned to her with a frown. "That." He answered simply. "The object is to collect all of the dots on the board, but you can't let the ghosts catch you. That's what those four colored guys are." He educated, then turned back to the game.
In the end, he managed to clear the board five times before he finally lost, and with a pretty decent score as well.
"Wanna try?" in asked, getting a smile and nod. He nodded back and inserted a couple more coins, letting Nel take over. "Just tilt the stick in the direction you want to go. It's all about planning ahead and trying to get the ghosts to go where you want them to. There was 'supposedly' a set programing as to how they behave, or something like that, but I've always called bullshit on that." He said as he pressed the start button.
He then watched with crossed arms as the woman moved Pac Man around the board collecting the dots. But he was a bit surprised that she was doing really well for her first time playing. She actually managed to clear the first board fairly quickly.
"Nice. Also, you should know that the levels get harder with each board you clear. The ghosts get 'smarter' and faster." He informed.
"Why do they turn blue like that?" she asked as she grabbed one of the bigger dots.
"They're powerups, so to say. When you grab one, the ghosts will turn blue and run away from you for a short time. During that time, you can 'catch' the ghosts and get points for it. It's the only time where you can touch them. But once they go back to their original colors, better start running again." He said with a chuckle.
She nodded, not taking her face away from the screen, but then got 'caught' when the ghosts suddenly went back to their original colors. Cue the whining musical number.
As it turned out, Nel was actually a natural at the game, almost matching Timothy's score; much to his embarrassment. It took him two years to get that good, yet the woman managed to do it her first game.
"That was fun." She said as she turned to him with a smile. "Can we try something else?"
Sadly, Timothy shook his head. "Got no more change left, and it's getting a bit late. We should head back, and I'll bring you here next time; if you're game."
She nodded quickly. "Oh yes, I think I like this game and I'd like to try the others."
He chuckled and picked up their bags. "Sounds good. Well, let's head home." He said, then gestured towards the door. Nel led the way out of the arcade as they continued their journey back to the shop; hopefully, Timothy prayed, with no more distractions.
Fortunately, his prayers went answered, as the two of them finally made it back to the shop. But where a blessing comes, a damnation follows. Timothy quickly realized this as they noticed Kisuke and Yoruichi both sitting on the front porch enjoying some sake; and Yoruichi with a small grin on her face.
"Well well, I was beginning to wonder when you two love birds would come back. I was beginning to think that the two of you might have decided to get a room." She teased while Kisuke hid behind his fan, obviously trying to hide a smile of his own.
"Oh, shut up, you damn demon!" Timothy growled back as Nel turned away with pink cheeks.
The shop owner waved him down with his free hand. "Now now Tim, you know how Yoruichi is. But, on a side note, you two have fun today?" he inquired with an amused voice.
Timothy walked up and stopped only a foot from the man's face. "Unless you want me to have Kit burn that ugly hat of yours off your head, you shut your mouth, Kisuke." He warned.
"Yes, Kisuke, we had fun today. Thanks for asking." Nel jumped in as she sat down on the opposite side of the door. "And please…don't start Yoruichi." She pleaded further.
Said woman poured the Arrancar a drink and handed it to her. "Oh, lighten up, Nel. It's just a bit of fun, no need to get all worked up about it." She said as Nel accepted the offered drink and took a sip.
Timothy let out a depressed sigh. "Why do I even bother?" he moaned, then turned to Nel. "I'll stick this stuff in your room Nel, then I'll join you guys." He informed, earning a nod from her.
He then stepped inside the shop and proceeded to the woman's room; opening the door and setting her bags to the side. Closing the door, then moving across the hall to his own room, he walked in and set his things next to his bed.
He was a little surprised when he suddenly heard a small and slow clapping noise behind him. "Well done, Tim. I admit, I'm impressed and a little jealous with you." A now materialized Kitsune said behind him, slowly clapping her hands with a grin.
The man breathed another heavy sigh. "Pleeeaasse don't start, Kit." He begged, then turned to her. "It was a good day today, and I'm begging you and Yoruichi to 'not' ruin it with your games. Besides, you agreed not to tease her."
She held up a finger. "Ah, and that's where you seem to forget something. I agreed not to tease 'her', not you. 'You' are still fair game, Tim." she pointed out, much to his dismay, then dropped her hand and crossed her arms. "Besides, I'm not heartless, Tim. I was just pointing out that you really surprised me when you kissed her like that. Hell, even 'I' was in complete shock for once." She admitted.
His face dropped. "You make it sound like I don't know how to be romantic, or whatever." He moaned.
"…I didn't say that, stupid. God, I was giving you a complement, not a torture. If anyone needs to lighten up, it's you." She scolded.
Timothy slapped a hand to his face and moaned. "Ok, I'm sorry for getting upset. Happy?"
She snickered at him "Very. But, I do have an honest question, if you'd care to humor me."
He dropped his hand at her serious tone of voice. "Yeah?"
"Just curious…" she started, then leaned against the wall. "…but do you intend to take your time with Nel, like we did?"
He rose a brow. "Why? And does it even matter?"
She simply shrugged a shoulder. "As I said, just curious. I'm definitely 'not' saying that we took too long, or went too quickly, I think we went at about the right speed. But we both know that Nel's…a special case, for lack of a better word."
"You're talking about her not knowing what these feelings are entirely?" he inquired.
Kitsune nodded. "That, and the fact that she seems 'really' bonded to you. And don't try to pretend you didn't notice it, Tim. Not even a damn monkey could miss it. I don't know how, or exactly why, but the woman is very attached to you, even if she's not fully aware of it yet."
He crossed his arms loosely with a slow breath. "I did see it, but it honestly didn't click in my head. I really have no idea why, or how she became so attached to me. To be honest, it scares me, but I also don't have too much of a problem with it. That's one of the reasons I told her we'd do things at her pace. And besides, she did agree to your help with all this, so you'll at least be able to guide her."
The spirit nodded again. "I'd be happy to. And like I said at dinner, I'll be serious and such with the advice and help I give her. I like to joke around a lot and such, but I do know that something like this is not a light matter. But anyway…" she paused to stand straight. "…mind if I join you all for a drink or two? Being stuck inside all day, especially after…certain events…" she said as she turned a bit pink, causing him to do so as well when he realized what she was referring to. "…I think we 'both' could use a few." She finished, then walked towards the door with him behind.
But she quickly stopped, turned around, and held a finger to his face with a growl. "And not a damn word about that to anyone!" she hissed.
He kept his face and pulled her hand down. "Trust me, that's the 'last' thing I'll ever tell that demon." He confirmed as he gave her a gentle shove out into the hallway.
"Better not." She said in a low tone.
"Oh, by the way…" he started, stopping in the hallway.
The spirit turned back to him over her shoulder, stopping as well. "Yes?"
He offered her a kind smile. "Thanks for keeping your 'jokes' to a minimum today and letting me and Nel deal with our…problems, alone. Means a lot, Kit."
She smiled back before turning back to the front and waving over her shoulder. "You're welcome. I'm not 'always' evil you know." She stated and walked out of the hallway towards the porch. "Kisuke, pour me one." She yelled out.
Timothy shook his head and followed her a second later. As he rounded the corner, he nearly bumped into Nel who was just walking in with a slight frown on her face. He raised a cautious brow at her.
"What happened?" he demanded.
She let out a defeated sigh and let her shoulders slump. "Yoruichi is 'demanding' that I show her the new clothes." She informed in a depressed voice.
He slapped a hand to his face and moaned. "Why can't she give it a rest for five freaking minutes?"
The man was surprised when she reached out and grabbed his hand in a soothing grip. "It's fine, Tim. We both knew this was going to happen. I'm just worried what she's going to do when she finds out about…us." She said as she turned away a bit.
Timothy gently flicked the side of her head, regaining her attention. "Hey, all the woman can do is tease. In fact, if you're up for taking a risk, we might be able to turn it around on her." He said with a grin.
Her eyes widened a bit. "I'm don't think that's a good idea, Tim. Yoruichi is 'not' someone who would simply 'back down'. If anything, it would only make it worse." She pointed out.
He placed his fists on his hips with a skeptical look. "What, no faith in me?" he challenged.
The woman rose a brow at him. "Oh no, I have faith in you Tim, but I honestly think that you are simply no challenge to her."
Timothy's grin only grew, worrying the Arrancar. "Trust me." He said.
She stared at him with concern for a moment, but finally conceded with another sigh of defeat as she rubbed her temples. "This is a bad idea, Tim. You know that…right?"
He crossed his arms firmly. "I am done backing down from that woman and her antics. If she wants to play, then we'll play. What else can she do, besides tease?"
The former Espada quickly glared at him. "Are you 'seriously' asking that question, Tim?! If so, then you bring a whole new meaning to the word 'dense'!"
The man chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just keep that attitude and we'll be fine, Nel." He assured.
"I'm more likely to get into another brawl with her if I do that." She pointed out.
His eyes widened a bit. "What do you mean? You and Yoruichi fought?" he asked in surprise.
She held up two fingers. "Twice, because she wouldn't shut up."
"Who won?" he inquired further.
Her face dropped. "Who do you think?" she asked in return, then walked around him to her room.
"Hey Nel…" he started, causing her to stop and turn back to him.
"Yes, Tim?"
He looked back at her in return. "Before Yoruichi and the others start their bullshit, just wanted to let you know that you looked really nice in those clothes." He said with a kind smile.
Nel smiled back. "You already told me that, twice."
"I know, just reminding you again." He stated.
The woman nodded. "Thanks, Tim. That's real kind of you. I'll be back out in a minute." She said, then turned back and walked into her room.
Timothy continued on outside to see Kitsune sitting next to where Nel was, holding a saucer and chatting with Yoruichi; surprisingly having a simple, and 'clean' conversation. The golden-eyed woman reached next to her and poured Timothy a drink, then handed it up to him before he sat down where Nel was earlier.
"So…how was your day, Tim? You show miss Nel everything she needed to know about human society?" Kisuke inquired with a grin behind his fan.
Seriously, Timothy wanted so bad to just yank that stupid thing from his hand and have Kitsune turn it into ashes with her foxfire. He took a sip from his saucer and let out a deep, relaxing breath as he prepared for the inevitable onslaught ahead.
"You mean the 'date' you tried to use Nel to trick me into?" he questioned in a calm voice before turning to the man. "I'm not stupid, Kisuke. I 'knew' something was up the moment your name left her mouth. I'll give you that you know your stuff, and that you're very intelligent, but I have yet to see you do something…genuine…when it comes to personal affairs." He mocked, then took another sip.
"But to answer your question, the…date…went fine. But the details behind it are 'mine and Nel's' business, not yours or Yoruichi's." he said firmly, then side glanced the woman. "And don't bother trying to get the information from Kit. Her and I made a little deal, and she's agreed to keep her mouth shut." He informed.
The golden-eyed woman grinned at the spirit. "Oh? How much you wanna bet that I can make her tell me everything? I'm sure with a mind like hers, she would be 'oh so willing' to tell me."
Said spirit side glanced her with a serious face. "Not this time, Yoruichi. Trust me, I would 'love' to tell you, but Tim found the one thing I fear worse than you, and is using it against me."
Yoruichi crossed her arms and gave the man a disapproving stare. "Blackmailing your 'own' zanpakutō spirit? That's just cruel, Tim."
Timothy glanced at her. "To save me and Nel's sanity, it's something I'm willing to do. Besides, it's for my own protection as well, so me and Kit are 'both' benefitting from the deal." He informed.
It was after he finished his statement that Nel walked outside wearing her new clothes, earning a wide variety of looks; and a lack thereof. Kisuke had a brow raised in interest, Yoruichi had both brows raised in amazement, Kitsune avoided looking at her, pretending not to notice, and Timothy almost started drooling as his jaw hung low, nearly touching the floor.
"Damn girl, Rangiku really knows how to pick em. You bring a whole new meaning to the word sexy." She commented with a hint of suggestiveness in her voice.
Nel turned away, her face turning red at the statement, while Timothy turned to the golden-eyed demon.
"Yoruichi, leave her alone. Can't you simply stick with 'You look very nice'?" he inquired.
Nel smiled a bit at his continued complements, while Yoruichi looked at him with a toothy grin. "What's the matter, Tim? Even you have to admit that she's sexy as hell, right?" she said with a flash of her brows.
'That does it…time to fight fire, with fire.' He mentally concluded.
Timothy then returned the same grin. "You know Yoruichi, I've always wondered why, exactly, that you are so persistent in teasing Nel and I, and I think I finally figured it out." He said.
The woman raised a brow in interest. "Oh? Do tell." She pressed in wonder.
His grin then grew wider as he crossed his arms. "It's simple…teasing is all you 'can' do. Afterall, you gotta make up for your lack of 'nighttime action' somehow. Hell, I doubt you even have any experience in that department." He mocked.
Kitsune, who was sipping from her saucer, instantly spit the contents of her mouth out, while Kisuke's eyes shot wide open in shock, and Yoruichi's jaw dropped at the, very unexpected, retort from the man.
Nel also quickly snapped her head to him with saucer eyes. 'What the hell are you doing, Tim?! You're going to kill us both!' she fretted.
"T…Tim!" she yelled out at him with worried in her eyes.
He maintained his stare at the golden-eyed woman as she stared back at him in complete, and total shock. She figured that he would say something to try and get back at her for her suggestive remarks, but she had definitely 'not' expected him to go that route.
Noticing his long-time friend was still trying to recover from the remark, Kisuke started waving his fan vary rapidly at his face. "Well…that was…unexpected." He stated, before looking at his friend and giving her a gentle nudge with his elbow.
The action finally broke Yoruichi from her state of shock as she swiftly shook her head and smiled back at the Lieutenant, crossing her arms.
"Well now…I have to admit Tim, you really got me with that one. Well done…but you do realize that teasing back like that is only going to up the ante, right?" she inquired with a challenging glare.
Nel then buried her face in her hands and moaned. "Tim…what have you done…" she whispered, causing the other woman to grin more.
"And poor Nel. If anything, you only made things worse for her. I'm actually starting to feel sorry for her now." Yoruichi added, making Nel moan more.
Timothy shrugged his shoulders. "If that's the case, then my previous statement 'must' be true. Don't worry Yoruichi, I'm sure that there's 'somebody' out there for you. Hell, I'm sure if you ask nicely, Kisuke might even be able to use one of his gigais to give you the basics in sex-ed." He pressed further, causing the woman's jaw to drop again while Kisuke snorted from trying not to laugh.
Nel quickly turned and grabbed his arm, shaking him with pleading eyes. "Tim! Please stop! You don't know what you're doing!"
Kitsune turned slowly to him with wide eyes, still trying to determine if she was dreaming or not. Sure, he had teased her back a few times in the past when 'she' made perverted comments to him, but he had never, in the twenty-eight years that they had known each other, 'never' taken the teasing that far.
If he had said that to her, sure, it would have surprised her, but mainly because it was new for him to do so. But for him to go that far with 'Yoruichi', the absolute master of the universe in the world of perverted teasing, that was essentially 'begging' for a death sentence.
"Tim…what 'are' you doing?" the spirit asked in shock.
It didn't take as long this time for the demon woman to recover, as she grinned wide enough to split her face in more ways that two.
"Oh…Tim…I really hope you enjoyed tonight, cause tomorrow…It. Is. On!" she growled in a very amused voice, causing Timothy's face to drop.
'…Oooohhh…fuck…' He fretted as Nel slowly let go of his arm, frozen in terror.
"Tim…what have you done?" she whispered.
The Next Morning
After Yoruichi's 'challenge', Timothy and Nel were both surprised, and also worried, when the woman, or Kisuke for that matter, did not make a single suggestive, or perverted comment to the two. In fact, for the last hour that the group remained on the porch, they all had very decent conversations.
Timothy and Nel both enjoyed the break of the endless teasing from the golden-eyes demoness, but as the group disbanded for the night and Timothy laid there in his bed thinking it over, he began to wonder…at what cost.
When he and Nel said their goodnights, he could see the look of sheer terror in the teal-haired woman's eyes, along with a bit of anger at him for the onslaught that was very sure to come. He actually heard the woman lock her bedroom door after she closed it, being the first time that she had ever done so.
But the thoughts from the night before eluded him as he woke the next morning. Getting dressed and proceeding downstairs to the training area like he normally did in the mornings, he was a bit surprised to see a black cat sitting on top of a boulder where he normally trained.
He rose a brow at the creature. "Where the hell did you come from?" he inquired into the air.
The cat responded by simply yawning, then laying down on top of the rock, watching him. He simply shrugged his shoulders and went about his business, calling out his shikai and beginning his training session; the black cat continuing to watch him closely.
Not long afterwards, as 'she' normally did, Nel came downstairs to get Timothy for breakfast, a look of worry on her face and her hair in a bit of a mess; obviously showing that the woman had not gotten very much sleep during the night.
Nel waited a few minutes until a break occurred in Timothy's transitioning sessions between flames before calling out to him in a low voice. Timothy turned around to her and smiled as he waved.
She returned the gesture and was about to walk towards him when she, too, noticed the black cat; now staring at 'her'. It's piercing gold eyes looked right into Nel's and she could swear that the cat was looking into her soul.
"Morning, Nel. Couldn't sleep?" Timothy inquired as he pointed at her messy hair.
The woman glared at him. "No, and I wonder why. And good morning to you too, Tim." she returned in an agitated voice.
He stopped and held his hands up as he sweated. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? I thought it would work, but I guess I was wrong."
Nel crossed her arms and frowned. "You 'guess'? If her teasing wasn't bad enough before, now I think she is literally going to try and kill us from embarrassment. I told you to stop, Tim!" she hissed.
"I know! I said I was sorry!" he whined back.
She let out a deep, and distressed breath before looking back at the cat, the animal still staring at her. "Where did the cat come from, Tim?" she asked in wonder.
He turned to the animal as well. "No idea, it was down here when I came down here. Either it's a stray, or Kisuke had a pet that we didn't know about. Anyway, I assume you came to get me for breakfast?" he inquired.
The woman nodded and turned to leave, but the cat suddenly jumped off the rock, walked over, and leapt into Nel's arms. The animal's actions surprised the Arrancar, but she calmed down when the cat started snuggling into her arm.
"Well, it seems to be friendly." Timothy commented as Nel started stroking the cat behind its ears.
"Yeah, it does. But…" she paused, then glanced to him. "…there's something…about its eyes though."
Timothy rose a brow. "Its eyes?"
She nodded, then looked at the cat as they started walking towards the ladder to the shop. "Yes, its eyes are…strangely familiar."
He looked at the animal's eyes as it looked back at him. "You're right…oddly, the eyes 'do' look familiar. But, I mean, it's just a cat." He stated, get a nod of agreeance from Nel.
"Yeah, I guess I'm just imagining things." She concluded, then began climbing the stairs as she tried to hold onto the weird animal.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, the cat leapt from Nel's hold and strode over to the table, taking a seat on top of it.
"Sure seems like it thinks that it lives here…maybe Kisuke 'does' have a pet cat. That, or Yoruichi does." Timothy remarked as he sat down in his normal spot, with Nel taking a seat next to him.
Kitsune then materialized sitting next to him and reached over to pour tea for the three of them.
"Speaking of Yoruichi…" Nel started, getting Timothy's attention. She looked at him with a worried face. "…she wasn't in her room, and she doesn't seem to be here." She informed.
Timothy turned back front as Kitsune set a cup in front of him. He scratched the side of his face as he pondered the woman's statement.
"That's odd, I was sure she'd be already doing, or saying something to embarrass the hell outta us." He said in a low voice.
"Oh? So, you're ready for the fun to begin already, are you?" a light, male voice asked.
Timothy, Nel, and Kitsune all looked around for the owner of the strange voice, and when finding no one around, to each other.
"Was that you?" Timothy inquired to Kitsune.
Her face dropped. "Really? Are you honestly asking if that weird voice came from me?" she asked in a displeased tone.
He turned over to Nel, who was shaking her head swiftly. "I didn't say anything." She informed.
Kitsune rose a confused brow. "Sooo…if we all heard it, but none of us said it…who did?" she wondered aloud.
"I did." The same voice spoke again…from in front of them.
They all turned to see the black cat sitting in the middle of the table facing them. "Uh…I don't wanna think I'm crazy or anything…but something is telling me that that cat said it." Timothy stated in surprise.
The spirit glanced at him. "Neither do I…but I hate to admit that I'm starting to think the same thing." She informed.
Nel turned to her in wonder. "But…cats can't talk…" she started, then looked back at the animal curiously. "…can they?"
"Whoever said that I was a cat?" the voice suddenly said as the 'cats' jaw moved with the sounds.
The three of them froze in place, staring wide eyed at the weird animal. "Ok…I 'have' to be going crazy! Please tell me you two saw this…thing, talk!" Timothy pleaded, earning quick nods from the two women.
The 'animal' then chuckled. "Really, did you 'have' to resort to calling me a 'thing'?" the animal asked, then sighed in defeat. "Oh well, I guess it's time for the fun to begin." It added, then started glowing a light-blue color.
"Uh…Tim?" Nel started in shock and worry.
They all watched as the animal slowly began to change shape and grow larger right in front of them; looking more and more humanistic in nature with each passing second.
Only five seconds from the time the transformation began, it ended. Everyone's jaws dropped open when, instead of a small black cat sitting on the table, was now the form of Yoruichi sitting cross-legged with her hands on her knees…
…Completely, and utterly 'naked'.
"W…what the fuck?!" Timothy blurted out as his face turned beat red.
Nel and Kitsune both found themselves frozen in complete shock with their jaws resting on the table, wide eyed, and blood leaking from their noses. The matter was only made so much worse when Yoruichi crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up, and readjusted her legs to where her feet were together, and her thighs spread out wide in a butterfly position.
The Arrancar and zanpakutō spirit had slightly off-angle views of the naked woman in front of them, with her legs at least obstructing their view of the woman's 'lower asset'. But Timothy, because the woman was facing him fully, had a very clear, and very 'unobstructed' view of 'everything'.
Yoruichi grinned widely as she sat there in a very proud manner, watching as Timothy's eyes slowly, and unintentionally, scanned her naked form from top to bottom closely, several times.
"Like what you see?" she taunted with a flash of her brows as she tightened and loosened her arms to cause her breasts to bounce a bit in her hold.
"W…w…what…" he tried to start, but his brain had already shut down on him and left him completely unable to do 'anything', but stare at the gorgeous woman in front of him.
In fact, he was so lost in shock, amazement, and many other emotions that flooded him, that he never even registered the sounds of two loud thumps from Nel and Kitsune's bodies falling over and landing on the floor; both of them shocked out of consciousness, with Kitsune vanishing back into his inner world.
How Timothy had managed to remain awake longer than the two women next to him, Yoruichi would never know; but when she lowered her hands to her knees and pressed her legs wider as she leaned forward to his ear, whispering in her strongest, seductive voice, "Since you seem to be a master in this subject, perhaps 'you' could give me that 'lesson' on sex-ed, Tim. Why don't you show me how it all works?"…it proved to be the breaking point.
A last, loud thump echoed in the room as Timothy's, now unconscious, body fell forward; his head slamming onto the table only inches from the woman's legs. The only other sound that came from the room, was the loud, victorious laughter from Yoruichi Shihōin.
"Going easy on them I see." Another voice spoke up from behind the woman.
Yoruichi glance over her shoulder to see Kisuke standing in the doorway fanning himself with a smirk. The woman chuckled, then crossed her arms again.
"Hey, he wanted to play dirty, and who would I be if I turned such a challenge like that down?" she stated firmly.
The man glanced over to where Kitsune was sitting before she returned to Timothy's inner world. "I'm afraid the phrase 'two birds with one stone' is a bit of an understatement in this situation." He commented.
Yoruichi broke out in a brief laugh before answering. "I'm actually surprised it affected her like that. Nel, I can understand; but Kit, I never expected 'her' to fall victim as well. If anything, I thought she would join in on the fun. But, this is even better." She admitted proudly.
Kisuke looked at his friend with concern. "You know those two are likely going to kill him for starting this, right?" he pointed out.
The woman simply shrugged a shoulder. "Serves him right for trying to challenge me. Maybe once they're done with him he'll learn to keep his mouth shut."
The man grinned wider. "That, my dear friend, I have no doubt." He returned, then took a seat at the table, pouring himself some tea.
Timothy's Inner World
The Lieutenant's eyes shot open and he quickly sat up in shock, breathing hysterically. Unfortunately, he was not given the chance to calm down, or even begin to try and recover from the nightmare he just witnessed, as Kitsune was immediately on top of him; her hands around his neck, trying to choke him, and her entire body covered in roaring flames.
She was beyond mad…she was 'furious'!
"What have you done?! You just unleashed a fucking monster! How could you possibly be so fucking stupid, you damn moron?!" she yelled.
He quickly grabbed her hands to try and pry them off as he gagged. "I…I'm sor…sorry!" he yelled back through gasps of air.
"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled further, tightening her grip on his neck and shaking him vigorously.
He managed to turn enough to notice that 'Johnny' was standing a short distance away, also glaring at him in anger.
"H…Help…me!" he yelled to the other spirit.
"I am…on her side…this time." He said in the evilest voice Timothy had ever heard.
He was furious as well.
"Do you have the slightest clue as to what you have done?! Forget Nel in that damn clothing, that fucking demon is a thousand times worse! I'll take Nel over what I just witnessed every fucking day of the year! How could you do this to me?!" she yelled further, then moved her hands to grab the collar of his shihakusho and pull his face to hers; her with her pointed teeth bared. "You are so fucking dead, Tim! But not before I let Nel beat the living shit outta you for putting 'her' through that as well! And I'll make damn sure she does!"
She then threw him back down to the ground, and quickly vanished. Taking a second to recover from the 'new' shock, Timothy propped himself up with his arms and looked at the other spirit.
"I screwed up big time…didn't I?" he inquired rhetorically.
A disbelieving stare from the male spirit was the only answer he received. He finally let out a defeated sigh, then willed himself out of his inner world. But as he opened his eyes back in the real world, he instantly regretted that decision.
For what could be a worse thing to come back to the living after recent events, than to open your eyes to a crouching, still naked, Yoruichi with her large assets only a foot from your face?
"Oh? So, you've come back to us, have you?" she asked with a wide grin.
Timothy's eyes shot wide open at the site in front of him…or rather, above him. He regretted the decision to come back from his inner world even more when he suddenly looked 'up' to see her 'other asset' mere inches from his head.
Yoruichi was quick to notice. "Enjoying the view again, are we?" she inquired with a wide, and very amused smile on her face.
His eyes rolled back into his head as once again lost consciousness. And yet, once again, he found himself in the depths of his inner world.
"You're dead!" a familiar, and very, 'very' pissed off voice sounded to his right.
"…I wanna die." He whined the brief instant before Kitsune was, yet again, on top of him and squeezing the life from his throat.
Nel's Inner World, 3 Minutes Earlier
Nel's slowly opened her eyes to see herself in a wide open, grassy field with rolling hills in the distance in one direction, and tall mountains in the other. She immediately recognized this place as her inner world, even though she very seldom came here in the past.
"If you don't kill that soul reaper, 'I' will." The familiar voice of Gamuza stated from her left.
The woman turned to the centaur-like spirit of her hollow powers with a frown on her face. "I don't want to hurt him…but after what he caused last night, I almost want to agree with you, Gamuza."
The hollow crossed her arms tightly with a huff. "I don't care whether you agree with me or not. I could care less about what just happened, hell, that damn woman has absolutely no shame in doing what she did; but that damn soul reaper that you, for some stupid reason, care so much about caused you a great deal of…discomfort, to say the least. In the very least, he needs to be severely punished for trying to pick a fight against someone he 'should' have known he couldn't win against, and causing 'you' to suffer for it. I honestly can't believe you could possibly have any feelings, or whatever, for something like that?" she mocked.
Nel clenched her fists tightly at her sides as she grinded her teeth in anger, but she swiftly took a deep, calming breath and loosened her hands.
"I am not going to get into this with you again, Gamuza. I care for Tim, I 'do' have feelings for him, and I plan to 'continue' looking into these feelings more. Nothing you say, or do, is going to change that. I'll gladly admit that what he did last night was nothing short of stupidity, but we both know that he was 'not' doing it to make things worse; he did it to try and 'stop' any further teasing from that damn demon. It was nothing more than a risk he took…"
"That failed miserably." Gamuza interrupted in a hissing voice. "Like I said, he's nothing but a stupid, pitiful soul reaper."
Nel again clenched her fists. "Knock it off, Gamuza. What happened was a mistake, one than I'm 'sure' he is now greatly regretting. Why can't you just accept that Tim is going to be a part of our lives from now on? Why can't you just get along with him?" she growled as she threw her hands to her sides.
Gamuza narrowed her glare at her 'partner'. "Need I remind you, that the 'only' reason the brat is still breathing is because 'I' am 'letting' him. There was nothing you could have done to stop me before, and there is nothing you can do now to prevent me from killing him. You want me to 'get along' with 'him'? Sorry Nelliel, but I seriously doubt that's going to happen. I have been graciously sitting by and letting you keep on with these 'feelings' of yours, so you can discover for yourself how foolish it is to even 'consider' that an Arrancar and a soul reaper could ever be together."
The hollow then planted her hands on her 'hips'. "You are a hollow, and 'he' is a soul reaper. You two are natural enemies, nothing more. It is the natural 'law' of the world that you two are to be enemies; to 'kill' each other. Not damn well 'love' each other. Why can't you realize that everything you're feeling towards him is nothing more than the faux human side of you; the side of you that the Hōgyoku forced upon you against your will? Do you honestly believe that he could protect you when the damn soul society discovers you? Sure, he may 'try' to, even I can see that he would; but he will fail, and you will be destroyed, like a common enemy that they know you to be. There's nothing more to it, Nelliel. Accept that!" the spirit growled.
Nel turned her body a bit and pointed at the essence of her powers. "Listen here Gamuza, for this is the 'last' time I will tell you this." She hissed back in a dangerous voice, causing the hollow to raise a brow in surprise.
In all of the years since Aizen used the Hōgyoku to 'split' them apart, therefor giving Gamuza an existence, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck had never once talked to the spirit in that way. She had always been calm and caring toward Gamuza, even if she was very upset or angry. But now, the spirit saw for the first time, the woman, her partner, was mad.
"I don't give a shit what you think, or how you feel towards Tim." she continued, surprising the spirit yet again. The woman had also never cursed at her like that before. "Regardless of what you say or do, I will 'not' leave him. Yes, he made a stupid, idiotic mistake last night, but I will forgive him. True, he will likely 'not' be able to fully protect me from the soul society, and that I will eventually be discovered and executed by them." She dropped her hand and crossed her arms with a firm glare; something that the hollow had no idea that she was even capable of.
But none of that matters to me, because, unlike anyone else we have 'ever' come across, 'he' cares for us. 'Us', not me, 'us', Gamuza! Do you have 'any' idea how much it hurt him when he found out that you were gone? How relieved he was when I finally got you back? Do you even have the slightest idea 'why' he felt like that at those times? Obviously, you don't, Gamuza. Would you like to know why?"
The hollow scoffed and crossed her arms as well. "Oh please, 'do' enlighten me, miss Nelliel." She snapped back.
Nel dropped her arms to her sides. "It's because he not only cares about me…he also cares about 'you'!" she yelled as she pointed at the spirit, causing her to raise a brow. "You, a being who he is well aware that wants to kill him!" She dropped her hand and crossed her arms again with a disappointed stare. "I can't believe you, Gamuza. Here is someone that is doing so much for us, yet all you can do is show nothing but hatred towards him. I am well aware that you are my basic instincts in a physical form, but no one could possibly be that naïve. If anything…"
She paused and shook her head slowly with a heavy sigh. "…I'm completely disappointed with you, Gamuza. You are supposed to be a part of me, supposed to at least feel some of the things that I feel; yet, you seem to be nothing more than my exact opposite." She paused again and looked the spirit in the 'eyes'. "I'm telling you this now, Gamuza, and I strongly suggest you take it to heart; Tim and I have feelings for each other, whether you agree with it or not. I am going to pursue those feelings, and I am going to be 'happy' while doing so. I do 'not' want to be a monster that does nothing but devour souls anymore; I want to put all that behind me and live the normal life of a human. If you can't agree to that, then that is 'your' problem." She concluded, then turned to walk away.
She took only a few steps, before she stopped and lowered her head, making the hollow tilt her head. "Don't speak to me again…Gamuza." She said in a low, and reluctant voice, causing the spirit's eyes to widen behind her mask.
"Excuse me?!" Gamuza demanded.
Nel turned and tilted her head to look at the essence of her powers with remorse. "I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the essence of Loyalty; and as I have said before, my loyalty is not with 'you'…it is with 'Tim'. I am so happy to have you back, Gamuza, I honestly am; but until you can get over your hatred towards the, as you say, 'stupid and pathetic soul reaper', I don't want you to say a single word to me, nor do I want anything to do with you. I've finally found something that will fill the emptiness I've felt my entire life, to make me happy again, and I will not allow you to take it away from me; even if it means that I have to deny your existence within me." She said, then turned back front with her head held low.
The spirit's teeth clenched behind her mask as she growled in fury. "I see…fine then. If that is how you wish to be, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, then so be it. Do not bother to call upon me for your powers again, for I will not answer. Until 'you' can come back to your senses, and realize the error of 'your' stupid ways, I shall not respond to your call. When that day finally comes, I'll be right here, waiting for your apology."
Silence fell upon the two beings for a moment, until a lone tear fell down the side of Nel's cheek. "Goodbye…Gamuza." She said in a whisper, then left her inner world.
Real World, Present
Nel opened her eyes to find herself looking sideways at the sitting form of Kisuke at the table in front of her. Pushing herself up, she looked over to where Timothy was supposed to be to see him out cold with Yoruichi, again still naked, crouching over him, smiling seductively at her.
"Welcome back, Nel. Ready for more?" she inquired with her suggestive voice.
The Arrancar looked down at Timothy for a moment, then turned back and slowly rose to her feet. Yoruichi grinned more, and stood up as well.
"What? Done already?" she pressed.
She was instantly silenced when Nel exerted her full spiritual pressure on the woman with fists held at her sides. Although the gigai that she was in would completely hide all spiritual pressure from its occupant, making that person basically invisible to being sensed, it didn't stop the pressure if it was forcibly pushed out by that person.
"I am 'not'…in the mood right now…Yoruichi." She warned in a low, and dangerous voice, surprising the other woman and shop keeper. "I am going out for a while…" she started, then turned to Kisuke with fury in her eyes. "…and you 'will not' stop me." She finished.
Both former Captains were a bit shocked from her very sudden, and drastic change in personality. Kisuke lowered his fan enough for her to see his face fully with a bit of concern written on it.
"Are you sure that's wise, miss Nel?" he inquired.
Her pressure didn't let up as she directed it at the man fully to show that she didn't care whether it was or wasn't.
She needed to spend some, very much needed, time to think things over about her 'conversation' with Gamuza; and the last place she wanted to be to do so was at the shop, or anywhere near Yoruichi or Kisuke.
In fact, she knew that, with how furious she was at the moment, a single comment, even a simple wrong look, could easily set her off and cause her to attack one of her two friends. That was the last thing she wanted, and she knew the best way to calm down was to simply leave the area. The next last thing she wanted, was for Timothy to see her in that state.
"Very well, miss Nel. But under one condition…" the shop owner stated, getting the woman to draw her pressure back in.
"What is that?" she inquired, not changing her tone with the man.
The man pulled out a cell phone and held it out to her. "You take this with you. Tim's number is programed into the speed dial, so if you run into any trouble, just give him a call."
She stared at him for a moment, but finally gave in and took the small device from the man before walking towards the door.
"And what should we tell Tim when he wakes up and you're not here, miss Nel? You know full well he's not going to take your sudden disappearance very well." he inquired further, causing her to stop.
"Tell him I'm fine, and I just went for a walk. I will be back later, and do 'not' try to come find me." She instructed, then walked out of the shop.
Yoruichi and Kisuke stared at the door for a moment longer, until Yoruichi sat down across from him, with Timothy still unconscious on the floor next to her.
"Somehow, I don't think that was the result of my teasing, Kisuke." The woman stated.
The man glanced at her with concern. "I doubt that as well, Yoruichi. If I had to guess, I would imagine that miss Nel and her hollow spirit got into another argument. That's the only logical conclusion I can think of at the moment; and with how…touchy…the subject of her relationship with Tim is between them, it only serves to support that conclusion."
The woman rose a brow. "What do you mean? If I'm not mistaken, Nel was very happy to have her powers back."
Kisuke nodded. "Indeed, however, Gamuza was very displeased that miss Nel 'abandoned' Aizen in order to be with Tim."
Yoruichi's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's stupid, Kisuke. Considering that Gamuza can see and hear everything around Nel, just like a soul reaper's zanpakutō spirit can, Gamuza should be very well aware as to what happened to make her leave…actually, discarded is the better word in this case."
"I agree. However, I must remind you that Gamuza is Nel's basic instincts. Since her aspect of death is Loyalty, and her and Nel's entire being revolves around that aspect, Gamuza views 'Nel' as the traitor, not Aizen. As I said, Gamuza believes that miss Nel left Aizen for Tim, and she actually wants to kill him for it; from what I heard between the two of them the other day. I'm willing to bet that Gamuza made similar comments again just now, and that made miss Nel quite angry. Seeing how much she cares for Tim, I seriously doubt miss Nel is willing take threats to his life, even from her own hollow spirit, lightly." He pointed out.
The woman turned her gaze back to the front door and crossed her arms under her still exposed breasts. "You do have a point, Kisuke. Although, I wonder what that could mean between them; Nel and her hollow spirit. If the soul reaper and the zanpakutō are not in harmony with each other, that soul reaper can't use his zanpakutō's abilities. I'm not sure that it works the same way with Arrancars and their hollow spirits, but I can imagine that it wouldn't be good to be on bad terms with them."
Kisuke nodded. "I can't say that I know the answer to that either, my friend. But I 'can' agree with you that if the two of them do have a falling out, it can't be good. I can tell you now that miss Nel's hollow spirit is quite powerful. Even without her powers at the time, miss Nel was still the former Quinto Espada, so she was not 'weak' in any regards. Yet, she was still completely unable to lay even a single scratch on the spirit when they fought. We both know full well what happens when Ichigo loses control of his inner hollow, so I don't want to even imagine what would happen if miss Nel's hollow spirit took over her; which 'is' a possibility. Personally, I would imagine that Ichigo's inner hollow, and miss Nel's hollow spirit are essentially the same thing."
Yoruichi glanced at the man cautiously. "So, you're saying it might be possible that Gamuza could take over Nel's body, like Ichigo's inner hollow did with his in the soul society?" she asked in worry.
The man shrugged a shoulder. "Like I said, it is a possibility. I simply don't have enough data to come to a solid conclusion on the matter. The subject of Arrancars in general is still a fresh one; one that, even 'I', don't have all of the necessary information on. There are a number of possibilities with what could happen in miss Nel's case. For now, I'd recommend that we proceed cautiously around her; at least until I can come to a better understanding about her. I know you are not going to like it, and to be honest, I'll be a little disappointed as well, but I would strongly suggest that you back off of her with your…usual ways."
He then snapped his fan shut. "If it is indeed the case, and Gamuza 'can' take over her body and soul, then the last thing we want to do is to push her over the edge and 'give' Gamuza a reason to take over. I think we need to let her and Tim figure this out on their own, and sit back and keep an eye on the situation." He advised.
Yoruichi moanfully sighed in defeat. "You are such a killjoy, Kisuke. You really expect me to let Tim off the hook so easily after he openly challenged me last night?"
Kisuke grinned at her. "I did say that I knew you wouldn't like it."
The woman growled, then threw her hand at him. "Fine. I'll back off." She said with a pout, then quickly lit up when something came to her. She turned back to her friend with a raised brow. "But, Ichigo is still fair game, right?" she inquired hopefully.
The shop owner swiftly waved his fan at her with a wide smile. "Of course, of course! What kind of a person would I be to deny my best friend the opportunity to 'entertain' her favorite pupil?!" he half asked in glee, earning an amused grin from the golden-eyed woman.
"That's just what I wanted to hear, Kisuke."
30 Minutes Later
Timothy let out a low moan as he brought a hand up to his head, rubbing his palm against his temple before slowly opening his eyes to look at the ceiling. Instantly remembering what happened the last time he opened his eyes, he quickly shut them back again.
He flinched when he heard a light laugh behind him…or was it above him with the way he was laying on the floor? He wasn't sure, and at that moment, he really didn't care. After nearly being killed twice by asphyxiation, complements of Kitsune, in his inner world, the last thing he needed was 'another reason' for her to begin round three.
"You can relax, Tim; I've got clothes on now. Though, how long they 'stay' on is up to you." The golden-eyed demon teased.
The Lieutenant growled as he pushed himself up to a sitting position with his back to her, not trusting a word she said. The little voice in the back of his head was screaming at him that her words were just a ploy to get him to turn around for another 'viewing'.
"Shut up, Yoruichi. You win, I shouldn't have gone there with you. Happy now?" he said in a reluctant voice.
The woman's smile morphed into a small grin. "I am now. But, I will give you some credit, you 'did' last a bit longer than I thought you would. Guess it wasn't all talk when you told Ichigo that you're not much of a prude. If it were him, he would have been out before I could even say a word." She assured.
He waved her off over his shoulder. "Yeah yeah, whatever. So, are you 'really' clothed now?" he inquired.
"She is, Tim. Don't worry, you're safe now." Kisuke said in a voice that would be used to calm a child.
Timothy glared at him evilly. "I swear Kisuke, I will jump over this fucking table and strangle your ass if you use that voice with me again." He hissed in a very firm tone.
The shop owner opened his fan and covered the grin that formed on his mouth. "Calm down, Tim. Yoruichi 'really' has her clothes on, and it's safe to turn around." He assured in a normal, yet still amused voice.
The Lieutenant glared at him for a moment longer, but finally sighed and turned to face the table. Hesitating at first, for good reason, he slowly turned his head to see Yoruichi sitting down next to where Kitsune was earlier; indeed, with her clothes on.
He mentally breathed a sigh of relief, along with Kitsune and 'Johnny'. "Oh, come on, Tim. I know for a fact that this wasn't the first time you've seen a naked woman, yet you're still worrying about it?"
The man narrowed his gaze at her dangerously. "Right now, it's not you I'm worried about. That damn vixen just tried to kill me…twice." He said as he held two fingers up to emphasize his point.
The woman snickered at him. "To be honest, I'm actually surprised that affected her that badly. So, what, she took her anger out on you?" she inquired with amusement, pointing at the red marks around his neck in the perfect shape of hands.
He brought a hand up to his neck and started massaging it. "Damn right she did…wait…" He paused when his neck felt real tender and painful. "…How the hell is my neck sore right now? She attacked me in my inner world, not here." He wondered.
"That's actually very simple, Tim." Kisuke alerted, getting his attention. "As you are aware, any damage you receive to your spiritual body, will transfer over to your gigai when you get inside it, right?" he said, getting a nod. "Well, it's exactly the same thing between your spiritual body, and your soul. If you were to receive any damage while inside your inner world, that damage will transfer over to your spiritual body. Obviously, Kit gave you a…not so friendly hug with her hands, and the result of that is now on your spiritual body. But don't worry, damage to the soul tends to heal faster than damage to the body." He reassured.
Timothy rubbed his neck more with a sigh and nod. "Yeah…she was a…little pissed about that; so was 'Johnny' for that matter. At least he didn't get involved in my ass whooping. You'd probably be digging a grave right about now if he did."
"Johnny'?" Yoruichi inquired.
Kisuke side glanced her. "He's Tim's other zanpakutō spirit. Tim is, to my knowledge, the only soul reaper in existence that possesses two 'different' zanpakutō spirits; Kit, and 'Johnny', who has not revealed his name yet. Which reminds me…" the man paused to look back at Timothy. "…Any progress on that matter?" he inquired.
"Some, but not quite there yet. 'Johnny' did say that I'm 'nearly' ready to learn his name though." He informed.
Something then clicked in his head as he suddenly noticed something, or someone, was missing. He turned to his right to see that Nel was gone, and a quick glance around the corner allowed him to see that her bedroom door was open and the room empty.
"Where's Nel?" he inquired as he turned back to Kisuke with a raised brow.
His and Yoruichi's faces dropped a bit, causing Timothy to start fretting a bit. "I'm afraid miss Nel went for…a little walk a short while ago, Tim." the man answered.
Timothy's eyes widened a bit in worry. "You let her leave on her own? I'm sure she can handle herself, but if something 'does' happen, she's not going to be able to defend herself without leaving her gigai and exposing herself."
Kisuke gave him a serious stare. "Considering the mood she was in at the moment Tim, letting her leave to walk it off was actually the best idea at the time." He stated.
The younger man rose a dangerous brow. "What do you mean 'the mood she was in at the moment'? Just 'what' mood was she in? What the hell did you two do now?" he demanded.
Yoruichi held up a calming hand. "Woah, slow down there, Tim. We don't think it was actually 'us' that caused it this time." She assured.
He gave her a side glance. "What do you mean?"
"The truth is, Tim, that after you passed out the second time, miss Nel woke back up; and she was furious." Kisuke said.
"At?" Timothy pressed, keeping his glare on Yoruichi.
The man started fanning himself calmly. "Seeing as she didn't say anything to alert us as to what was bothering her, we can only offer an educated guess."
Timothy slammed a fist on the table, causing the, still full, cup in front on the shop owner to spill over. He then glared at the man furiously.
"In case you haven't realized it yet, Kisuke, I've had a rather bad morning, and I don't want to deal with your mind games right now. So, quit running my ass in circles, and get to the damn point!" he yelled.
Kisuke's eyes lowered to the spilt cup, then back to him a second later. "I believe that miss Nel may have had a very unfriendly conversation with her hollow spirit. Considering how her hollow spirit feels towards you, as I explained to Yoruichi, Gamuza may have said something about you that caused miss Nel to become quite furious with her. But, again, this is only a speculation. Until miss Nel calms down and decides to tell us in person, we cannot say for sure what has made her so upset."
He reached down and set the cup back down on its base. "However, judging by her sudden change in personality, I 'can' say that what Yoruichi did was 'not' the full cause of her anger. But, you don't need to worry, Tim; she does have a cell phone with her, and she agreed to call you if something was to happen. For right now, I think it would be best to let her be for now."
Lowering his head, Timothy started rubbing his temples slowly, and vigorously with a low moan. "Why can't things just be simple once in a damn while? Why is it that 'everything' has to be so fucking complicated?" he whined.
It was at this time the Toshiro and the rest of the team walked into the shop in their gigais. Yoruichi waved at the group with a small smile.
"Morning guys." She greeted, getting waves and nods back.
"Morning, Yoruichi. How you been?" Rangiku asked joyfully.
The golden-eyed woman gave her a shrug. "I've been. You guys here for your morning training?" she inquired.
Toshiro nodded, then looked down to see an expression of distress on Timothy's face. "Something happen, Lieutenant?" he asked.
Timothy lifted his head from his hand and gave the shorter man a deadpanned look. "Don't. Ask." He instructed firmly.
The Captain rose a brow, but nodded at him. "Very well. Are you ready to begin training this morning?"
The Lieutenant sighed heavily as he dropped his hand to his lap. "I guess I'm as ready as I can be at the moment." He answered.
"Good. Then let's head downstairs and begin." The Captain concluded, and started walking towards the hatch to the basement.
He he he…I'm sorry everyone, but I 'had' to do it. I 'had' to have Tim challenge Yoruichi in her own game. Like with a few events in last week's chapter, some thoughts flooded my head, and my humor got the best of me again. Not only that, but I also thought it was about time Kit got a taste of her own medicine for once, lol.
Besides that, it seems Tim and Nel have come to an understanding on how to handle her lack of knowledge with deeper feelings towards him. Not only that, she also found the first thing that 'really' interested her in the world of the living…video games. And yes, more of that is sure to come, alone with a few…shall we say…'fights' between the two 'lovers'.
Hope you all liked how this week's 'footage' went, and look forward to seeing you all next week. Laters.
