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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor make any money from this fan-made fiction.

The First (Planned) Date

Approaching Senna's house, the couple spotted her dad waiting outside. "Welcome home, Senna. Please, head inside."

"Hi dad." She could tell her father was going to question Ichigo, and that was when her nerves hit once more: 'What if he doesn't approve?' She hoped he did; he always seemed very logically-driven, but he was very serious as well, and her mom would have to act as a buffer from time to time.

Still, looking back to Ichigo, Senna couldn't help but smile. She felt a connection to Ichigo that was more real than any connection had a right to be after only a few hours, and she wanted to explore it more.

"See you soon, Ichigo," she said, dragging out the moment as she walked backward until reaching the door, peeking out even as she closed it, hoping to get some indication her father wouldn't be too harsh. She liked the way Ichigo smiled at her just before the door clicked shut.

"So, Ichigo, I'm Senna's father, detective Kai Fujiya, chief of the Karakura Police Department. I have some questions; would you mind answering them?" The way Ichigo scowled, combined with his brightly coloured hair, made Kai suspect the young man in front of him may have been the type to dismiss authority, which would not be good for Senna, in both his parental and professional opinion.

"Go ahead," Ichigo replied. He understood that no matter how good or innocent his intentions could be, there was no way a good parent wouldn't care enough to grill her date a little.

"Your full name?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

The name sounded familiar, though Kai couldn't quite put his finger on it. Still, that could be figured out later. "Where are Senna's friends?"

"They decided to go home at the end of the date."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. I guess I just expected her friends to at least offer to walk her home."

This surprised Kai, and he would put that information away for later. "Thank you for watching over my daughter then. But I know you weren't supposed to be on that double date. So tell me, why didn't Kira Akagi tell me about you?" Earlier in the week, upon hearing that Senna didn't know who was supposed to be at the date, Kai had called her friend Kira to make sure everything would be safe. He didn't let Senna know because he didn't want to appear too intrusive.

"I was asked to go on a blind double date with a classmate named Kira, but they didn't show up. Senna and Mizuki happened to be at the same restaurant on a double date, and the guys hadn't shown up yet. Mizuki asked if I knew Kira, and by the time their Kira showed up, we had already ordered food and talked for a while."

That was quite the coincidence, and Kai didn't quite believe it. "So why were you still around after Kira and Satoshi appeared?"

"Senna wanted me to stay, and I wanted to get to know her better."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

Ichigo's scowl intensified. "I'm here facing the chief of police and not running away. What do you think?"

That was a fair point. "I don't necessarily like that attitude, but I'll admit that you aren't running away. You may go now."

Senna wasn't sure what to expect when her father came in, but being asked to tell him how Ichigo got involved, as well as verifying that her friends never offered to walk home with her wasn't quite it. He left her alone after that, and grounded her one week for not calling him or her mother to pick her up. Surprisingly, he hadn't immediately dismissed Ichigo—well, he never mentioned Ichigo, which was probably good considering the mood he was now in.

A week later Ichigo had come to pick Senna up for their next date: a practice session at the dojo where she trained. This was something her father had agreed to, and even insisted upon. Senna was sure there was an angle on that—and the fact that the police used it to train may or may not have had something to do with it—but a date was a date, and she'd get to see how good Ichigo was.

Before they could leave, however, Kai had invited Ichigo in. She wasn't sure what to expect but, "Remove your shirt," wasn't it.

"Wait, what?!" Ichigo and Senna said in shock.

"You heard me: remove your shirt, Ichigo Kurosaki." Kai had done some research on Ichigo, and discovered that Ichigo had been in a lot of fights, but had never been convicted due to being a youth and having claimed self-defence. Further research showed he had missed a lot of both his second and his last year of high school. It was a red flag, even though Ichigo somehow managed to keep his grades up. But something seemed uncanny about Ichigo's police and school history: the fights stopped. A history of fighting almost always repeated itself, and the amount of time without incidents now had Kai worried that Ichigo was close to getting into something big.

Contacting several undercover officers about it, they informed him that Ichigo had attained a mythical status among the local gangs. Aside from their history of Ichigo reacting to their threats with a swift beat-down, according to other gangs, an up-and-coming street gang had tried to approach his sisters and disappeared. No one knew what had happened, and finding the members had proven to be impossible. The only proof the gang ever existed was their now-empty hideout. As a result, an agreement between the rest of the gangs was had, that leaving Ichigo and the few places he frequented alone (as well as his family), was a lot easier than attempting to remove him.

There were few organizations and fewer individuals capable of making an entire gang disappear, even a new one, and this had Kai even more worried. What if Senna was dating a member of the Yakuza? Or some international criminal organization? That would endanger Senna and conflict both morally and professionally with himself. Kai had to be sure Ichigo was safe before he let Senna go on another date. He wanted evidence, and he knew for a fact that all Yakuza with enough influence to do what Ichigo did had tattoos, ones that likely also indicated that member's history. So he would make Ichigo strip.

"This is sexual harassment—abuse of power! You're as crazy as my old man!" Ichigo protested.

"I guess you don't want to date my daughter then."

"Dad!" Senna shouted, aghast and suddenly wishing she wasn't related to him. What would Ichigo think of her after this? Ultimately, after a short staring competition, Ichigo relented and pulled his shirt off. Her breath hung for a moment as she saw what was unveiled: Ichigo looked better than what could be seen in some of the perfume commercials and the magazines her friends sometimes shared when they were younger.

"Turn around," Kai ordered.

Grudgingly, Ichigo did so, and Senna did her best to subtly follow every line and crevice without openly gawking. Senna hadn't closely considered his looks until now, but he didn't disappoint. "Do you want me to take my pants off next?"

The question was sarcastic, but that didn't stop her mind from wandering until she got back to reality. Thankfully her mother had insisted that Ichigo be let go, and even stepped in front of her, letting her regain her composure. "Luckiest. Girl. Ever!" she thought, "But only if he still wants to be with me."

Quickly, while her father was distracted, Senna darted forward and grabbed Ichigo's noticeably larger hand, pulling him through the front door and handing him the shirt she picked up off the ground. "I am so sorry Ichigo, I didn't think dad would ever do that!"

Ichigo, while annoyed, tried to take the event in stride. "It's fine, my old man's just as crazy... but if he asks you to strip, I'm punching his lights out." Senna couldn't help but giggle, and Ichigo's next words were reassuring ones: "Besides, I'm dating you; not him."

Truthfully, Ichigo had thought about just leaving, but between his stubbornness and the desire to get to know Senna more, he figured enduring the loss of his shirt wasn't terribly difficult. And the way Senna seemed to drink him in wasn't as unwelcome as when the Soul Reaper Women's Association had tried to get pictures of him in the same state to sell more copies of their magazines. There really was something about Senna that drove his curiosity about her.

Upon getting to the dojo, Ichigo and Senna went their separate ways to change and quickly reunited at an empty area on the mats. "So," Senna began, "how do you wanna do this?"

"Just attack me and when I stop you I'll show you how I did it."

Senna was a very active martial artist because of her father's insistence, and while not the best, she could still perform better than the average competitor. Not that she was allowed to officially compete, as the police variant she had learned included several moves illegal for competition. It spoke volumes to her that Ichigo never lost his composure and managed to both counter all her moves and teach her new ones without trying to 'one-up' her. She enjoyed the activity with Ichigo, and liked having his full, undivided attention, which at times was surprisingly gentle.

Ichigo had taken extra precautions when he started showing Senna what he could do, but quickly fell into a rhythm with her. She was very fluid in her motions, and he had said as much. The smile he got in return was one of both affection and confidence; one he had seen on their first date only briefly. Confidence looked good on her, and so did affection. They talked as they practised, and got to know each other more. "So you snuck into the police helicopter?"

"Yeah. It was loud, but the view was awesome. Dad wasn't too happy, though. You said your dad encourages that kind of stuff?"

"Yeah, when I was twelve he tried to sneak us into the royal palace in Kyoto when we were on vacation one year. He was lucky we didn't get arrested."

Senna laughed. "Oh, I went there once... but I was really young. Going back might be nice."

"As long as we aren't sneaking in." Senna laughed again, breaking her concentration, which was unfortunate since that caused her to lose balance. Well, it would have been unfortunate if Ichigo didn't catch her.

"Hey, you're doing that on purpose." She had been tripping a lot easier than he thought normal for someone with two black belts.

"Maaaaybe~" she replied. She liked flirting with Ichigo, and with the way Ichigo looked to be struggling to keep his scowl, she knew she was onto something. He didn't immediately set her on her feet again, either, which she was okay with. "So, where are we going when we're done here?"

"There's a restaurant nearby, and they've got an outdoor balcony. It's not much, but there is a view."

"Sounds perfect!"

When Kai saw Senna laying in Ichigo's arms and flirting, it took more restraint than he would admit to not rush into the building and break it up. He was currently in an unmarked police cruiser, sitting in the parking lot of the dojo, looking at the security feed. His audio feed was coming from a few hidden microphones placed in key locations the day before. Senna would surely not talk to him for a month if she found out he was tailing their date, but that was a risk he was more than willing to take.

After another hour, and more flirting between his daughter and her prospective boyfriend, he used the GPS in Senna's phone to follow them without tipping them off and saw them enter a family restaurant with a patio on the roof. Using his authority as a police officer, he accessed the roof of a business across the road, and visually followed them with a pair of binoculars. Soon after, a couple of police officers in plain clothes sat at a table near the couple, with equipment that let him hear the dinner conversation.

"So, did you find out what happened to the double-date you were supposed to go on?" Senna asked.

Ichigo scowled, but it didn't look like a bothered scowl. "One of the girls got sick and they postponed the date."

"Oh," Senna said. "Are you... going when she's better?" Ichigo didn't seem to like leaving people hanging based on the short time she had talked with Ichigo, and that made her nervous. Would he go because he agreed to it before he met her?

Ichigo shook his head. "Not a chance, I'm dating you. If he really begs, you're coming with me and we'll find a third guy. Maybe make it a quadruple date with your Kira and Mizuki."

Senna smiled and lightly sighed in relief, the remnants of her worry dissolving to nothingness. "Well, as long as he isn't a creep."

Ichigo casually waved off in the air. "I'll just decline. Besides, if he didn't remind me of Keigo so much, I wouldn't have gone in the first place."

"This Keigo must be a good friend then."

Ichigo thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. He's a bit like a cockroach, but his heart's in the right place."

Senna didn't laugh like Ichigo was expecting. Instead, she seemed to ponder something before her expression suddenly brightened. "Hey, why don't we get our friends and all get together? Not now though, after we're official."

"As long as my dad doesn't find out." This caused Senna to laugh, and he couldn't help a small smile. Kai would make it a point to do further research into Ichigo's father, Isshin. "Now, if only our food would hurry up."

"Yeah," Senna replied, "I could eat a horse."

Eventually the food arrived, and Ichigo and Senna ate fairly quickly, soon ordering dessert. Senna was about to take a lick of her maple ice cream when a dreadful howl filled the air, causing her to drop the cone and stain her shirt.

"Crap!" Ichigo said. He was about to excuse himself to deal with the source of the sound, but seeing the state Senna was suddenly in had him concerned. He crouched beside the chair she was sitting in, gently grabbing her shoulder and arm. "Senna, are you alright?"

"I-Ichigo, d-did you hear that?"

This surprised Ichigo, as he was sure Senna was a normal human, but anyone who could hear the cry of a hollow wasn't entirely normal. "Yeah, I did. Are you alright?"

"I've... heard it twice in the past week. It's given me—Do you know what it is?" She didn't want to talk about those nightmares.

Ichigo nodded, rubbing her arm. "Yeah, I'll go deal with it right now. Won't take a minute. But can I ask for some help?"

Senna nodded and grabbed Ichigo's arm with her free hand, focusing on him.

"I need you to look after my body while I'm away. I'll explain everything when I come back."

Senna nodded again, then watched as Ichigo sat down in his chair and brought out a wooden badge with a skull on it, pressing it into himself. A slightly fuzzy version of Ichigo exited his body, which went limp. Ichigo readjusted his body so that it wouldn't flop onto anything and make a big scene, and as he did so, Senna noticed the fuzziness clear up. "Ichigo?" she asked. Ichigo looked to her and nodded before suddenly disappearing, and as the howl was heard again, it got cut off. Senna flinched nonetheless. Then Ichigo reappeared, nearly causing Senna to jump out of her chair as Ichigo entered his body, which came back to life immediately.

Ichigo took a breath. "Are you okay, Senna?"

"What was that?!" Senna could think of everything and nothing all at once as she seemed to buzz with excitement.

Ichigo briefly looked around, then towards the building across the road as he tried to put the explanation into words. "That was—" then he noticed movement. "Hey, Senna, is that your dad?"

Senna looked to the roof and saw the head of someone duck down. "He... he better not be."

"Want me to go ask?"

"I've got a better idea," she said, turning to the server. "Waiter, cheque please!"

Once they were paid up, Senna grabbed Ichigo's hand and rushed out of the restaurant and led him towards a nearby park, behind a large tree. She sat down and indicated for Ichigo to do the same before she leaned on him.

"So, about that howl?"

"That was a corrupted spirit called a hollow."

"And you?"

"Ah, I left my body to get rid of it."

"That's possible?"

"For me... and other soul reapers, I guess, but they're not from the living world."

"Wait, does that mean you're... dead?"

Ichigo thought about it for a while. "You know, I'm not exactly sure how that works. I'm kind of new to this, relatively speaking. Just stay away from the creatures that make that howl and I'll keep you safe from them."

"You're not gonna tell me more?"

"Not yet. Once we're official next date." The smile Senna gave Ichigo was almost too cute for Ichigo to resist going in for the kiss, but he wanted to have at least one more date with her before making out with her, because in this moment he wasn't sure if he had the willpower to keep it at a chaste kiss. He had a good feeling, and his instincts were rarely wrong. But that didn't mean he was going to rush things with her. She was a girl, not a rescue mission. "So, let's get you another cone, and then a new t-shirt... I'm not sure that one can be saved. I'll pay."

It had been an hour of trying things on in the store; apparently Senna enjoyed shopping as much as Ichigo's sisters did. That was also a blessing, because Ichigo had built up a patience for shopping, and seeing Senna enjoy herself was becoming more of a joy than it should have been for not even being an official couple yet.

"So, Ichigo, what's medical school like?" Senna asked from within the changing room she occupied.

"It's tough, but not bad. Though I'm not doing any medical stuff yet. It's all biology, chemistry, and intro stuff. Even some math."

"Ugh, all the hard courses."

"Is school bothering you?"

Senna was quiet for a bit, but eventually spoke up. "Yeah, a bit. Japanese and biology aren't bad, but math and English are hard."

"I'll help you out then."

She poked her head out from the curtain and looked at him with suspicion. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I've got time and I want to help you out." He got a bright, warm smile from Senna, and a smirk slipped. Apparently Senna had noticed and she giggled before retreating back into the curtain.

Then he saw the time on his watch. "We're getting near curfew, so you should hurry up."

"Alright."

Ichigo and Senna got back just as her time ran out, and she invited him into her house. He promised to help her with homework, and she was eager to take advantage of it as soon as possible. Mizuki was a great study partner, but the girl was also a bit of a brainiac, and that didn't always translate into the most clear instructions. Ichigo didn't disappoint, either, as he was able to show her how things worked, especially with English: apparently his former hero was William Shakespeare, which inspired him to learn the language the source material was in.

"Why was Shakespeare your hero?"

"He told great tragedies, and I guess I just resonated with that."

"I see. Well, my hero is"— Senna used her hand to signal Ichigo to come closer, and she lowered her voice—"my dad. But don't tell him, he's been pretty hard on me lately and I don't want to make him think I'm okay with it."

Eventually Kai opened the door to Senna's room and saw that she was not doing her homework, but instead hanging out with Ichigo. "Senna, where's your homework?"

"All done," she said, though with a slight edge.

"Let me see it."

She handed her workbooks over to him, and he went through it. "Fine. But it's late, and Ichigo should go home."

Senna let out a frustrated breath, and Ichigo got up. "Have a good night Ichigo. Same time next week?"

"Yeah, 'night Senna."

Senna gave Ichigo a chaste kiss on the cheek just before he got up, causing him to look at her with a desire in his eyes for the second time that night. It was only for a moment, but it made her feel like she was on top of the world as he got up and left her room, once more saying 'goodnight'.

A/N:

Hey, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I still need to make some fixes to the first chapter as pointed out in some reviews, but I want to get what I have out first. Technically, I have chapter 4 of this story mostly done, but I'm going to rewrite a lot of chapter 3 and beyond since I wasn't happy with the direction of the story at that point.

My release schedule is going to be weird from this point, onward. I'm not sure what will release and when. But I will be putting more time into writing.

Anyway, I'd love to see what your thoughts on this story and chapter are.

Have a great 'until next time' and God bless you,

SomethingAncient