A/N: nakama roughly translates as comrade, but it typically used to describe friends who close as family, someone who you trust absolutely, regardless of differences.
Chapter 6: Her
Ichigo paced up and down the front room. How much longer were the two girls going to be in the Soul Society?
"What is it king, feeling good about yourself?" said Ichigo's Inner Hallow in a mocking tone.
Ichigo swore to himself. A little too loudly as it turned out.
"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu yelled at his outburst, a frown on her face.
"Sorry Yuzu" he said with a sigh as he managed to upset his other little sister. Not that she been in a good mood with him since Karin and Rukia's departure anyway. Constantly ordering Ichigo to help her with the housework and complaining every time he did something ever so slightly wrong. Unsurprisingly Black had left the household shortly after the girls, muttering something about 'pocket plane alignment settings' or something like that.
Then finally as midnight approached the household he heard the front door open and quickly jumped up of the settee he been laying on. Karin and Rukia entered in very high spirits.
"Hey there sexy strawberry!" Rukia said with a girlish giggle, as Ichigo got closer, he smelled the distinctive smell of alcohol on her breath.
"Hey there stupid strawberry!" Karin said with an equally girlish giggle and with a very similar smell on her breath.
Ichigo frowned slightly.
"Rukia please tell me that you didn't get my little sister drunk?" he asked Rukia in a serous tone.
"Course not" she exclaimed, using her how dare you accuse me face.
"My Vice-Captain Matsumoto did" Karin explained in a mock serous tone before breaking into a giggling fit and falling over. Ichigo blinked.
"Karin's part of the Tenth Division now?" he enquired.
"She a Trainee Shinigami of the Tenth Division now" Rukia said with a drunken nod before screaming out. "And I've been promoted to Vice-Captain!"
Ichigo blinked again.
"Seriously?" he asked in disbelief. She giggled in response, it was getting annoying now.
"That means you got to call me Vice-Captain Rukia from now on Strawberry!" She said before breaking into yet another giggling fit. Ichigo sighed.
"You never told me how utterly wild the parties were in Gotei Thirteen Ichi-nii!" Said a rather ecstatic sounding Karin from the floor.
"That's because I never been to one…" Ichigo pointed out in a rather downbeat tone. Karin then laughed her head off.
"Karin, I need to ask you a serous question" Ichigo asked as calmly as he could.
"And what serous question is that stupid strawberry?" she asked him in a clearly unserious tone.
"Will you forgive me for shouting at you?" Ichigo asked in tone that he knew was more than a little pleading sounding. Karin looked at him from the floor.
"Under one condition" she said in a far more sincere and serous tone.
"And what is that Karin?" Ichigo asked her softly.
"Help me get into my bed without waking up anyone in the house and never ever tell anyone I got drunk" she said with a sheepish grin.
"Deal." He replied with his own grin. He then carried out her request and she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Now to deal with the crazy and recently promoted midget. He quietly thought at he went back to go downstairs. She met him on the landing before he got far however.
"Ichigo!" she yelled in a loud whisper as she jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Vice Captain Midget" he replied with a grin. "You best get to bed too." She smirked as she jumped down and started making her way towards his room.
"Your bed, not mine" he said with as much authority that he could managed. She looked at him with a look that would not have looked out of place on a puppy.
"I behave myself." She said with a slight pleading tone in her voice.
"Rukia, understand that I love you and care about you a lot… but you're drunk and rather acting chappy right now" he said as he moved closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Goodnight Rukia, my love, my savoir, my sensei and most importantly my nakama." He said before lightly kissing her lips. "And sleep well ok?"
"Most impotently my nakama" she repeated softly to herself with a happy look. She the smiled at him softly and departed for her and the twin's room.
The next few days were pretty quiet for Ichigo. Patiently waiting for Black to get to the point where he could start casting the serous magic's he needed was kind of annoying, but it was past Ichigo's control so there wasn't much he could do. Karin on the other hand seemed to be happily counting down the days to Saturday her first 'training day'
And then she appeared.
She was so beautiful, tall with eyes that sparkled like sapphires, she cute freckles and long strawberry blond hair! She also was an international student.
"Hello everyone my name is Mary- Luna Starlight-Angelwing Solarflower!" she said with a perfect dazzling smile that seemed to be directed at Ichigo. He felt himself blush.
"I recently moved here from my native England after both my parent were tragically murdered by dark mysterious government agents!" She spoke with the look of grave sadness in her eyes.
"But through in my dark and tragic recently history I was raped by my uncle I have decided firmly to start a new life here in Karakura Town!"
Black jumped up "Oh fair English rose I must grant you my seat!"
"No I must insist that you take my seat over that big geek!" Keigo yelled as he jumped up. Ichigo was about to offer her his seat when she beamed another one of her dazzling smiles.
"Oh its ok guys I'm sure Kuchiki-san will let me take her seat" Mary-Luna said as she gave Rukia the honour of giving up her seat. Then Rukia did something shocking.
"Not happening Solarflower-san, I quiet like sitting next to Ichigo, especially since were a couple."
Everyone in the room gasped.
"Shocking isn't it?" she admitted before twisting it around. "That Ichigo and I are a couple"
"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled. "How can you be so rude to Solarflower-san!"
Rukia stared at Ichigo in disbelief before Mary-Luna coughed and grabbed her attention.
"Kuchiki-san would you kindly give up your seat for me?" Mary-Luna said while making strange hand motions. Rukia suddenly got up and let Mary-Luna take her seat. After a few moments Rukia seem to have second thoughts, but was now in the awkward position asking for a seat off the wonderful Mary-Luna. She went and sat next to Uryū. She didn't seem that happy as did so and kept looking down at Ichigo.
The lesson that followed went so quickly to Ichigo; Maybe It was Mary-Luna constant chatter about the wonderful world of stamp collecting. Never had Ichigo realised how just how engrossing a subject it was.
Then after the break, which Ichigo spent in the classroom learning the basics of stamp collecting with Mary-Luna, Rukia re-entered the classroom with that look on her face that Ichigo had learned meant she was going to do some very dramatic. A rather nervous Black was just behind her.
"Oh Solarflower-pyon" she said in an incredibly cutesy manner. "Have you ever heard of this stuff called magic before?"
"Oh you mean things like pulling rabbits out hats and sawing people in half?" she replied with an adorable giggle. "Such silly nonsense!"
"Yes like Ichigo suddenly treating me like nobody….. Black use it now!" She yelled loudly.
"Forth Tier Conjuration, LeFleur's Bitter Truth!" he yelled as he spun a yellow ball out of thin air and threw it into the middle of the room!
It exploded and a yellow gas rapidly filled the room. Ichigo felt a terrible bitter taste fill his mouth and several of classmates made puking sounds. Ichigo turned to look at Mary-Luna as something clicked in his mind. Why the hell had he been so enthralled by her all morning? She was pretty yes, but the expression on her face was a cold and ruthless one. Ichigo also realised with a bit of guilt that he been a bit of jerk to Rukia all morning too.
"How dare you cast such a spell at me child!" she yelled as she made very threatening hand gestures, that looked suspiciously spell like now that he came to think about, towards Black who started screaming in horror, before suddenly stopping and smirking at her.
"You really think I wouldn't have cast protection from evil before facing down someone who both clearly evil and enjoys mind control you stupid girl!" he shouted at her with a slightly crazed happy look in his eyes which Ichigo hadn't seen before.
"Third Tier Conjuration, Flame Arrow!" he screamed as he used his second spell, this one took the form of three arrows, made out of fire, each uncannily making there way toward her, but as they struck her they dissipated harmlessly. She smirked as they did so.
"What, never see there effects of energy immunity spell before?" She said with a giggle escaping her lips. "Let me show you how that spell is really done… Third Tier Conjuration, Flame Arrow!" She yelled out as five, not three, arrows of fire blasted out toward the Black, blasting the horrified mage to the ground, were he lay very still and looked very badly singed.
Ichigo couldn't stand by as a bystander anymore, grabbing his Substitute Shinigami badge, he switched to his Shinigami form and pulling out Zangetsu. However as he did so Mary-Luna made sudden motions with her right hand and Ichigo suddenly found that he couldn't move!
"Cute, but you really have no idea how to fight a Bewilder little boy, be thankful I have no desire to kill you boy…." She said coldly as she turned her gaze to Rukia.
"You of course are a completely different matter" she said with a smirk as she made arcane gestures towards Chad, Who suddenly went rigid.
"Kill her" she ordered. Ichigo watched in frozen horror as Chad raced over and grabbed Rukia's throat, lifting her of the ground as he started to strangulate her.
"This is going to be so fun to watch!" Mary-Luna said with a giggle.
"Indeed it will" Uryū said with a superior tone as he pointed his Quincy bow at her head from behind. Ichigo had nearly forgotten just how quick Uryū was.
"Release Kuchiki-san or die" he said simply and coldly.
"Stop!" she yelled at Chad, who unemotionally released Rukia from his grasp. Rukia dropped to the floor roughly and started to catch her breath.
"Now Arisawa-san." He continued as he held the bow to her head. "Could you get those nice thick boxing gloves of yours out and put them on so called 'Solarflower-sans' hands. I'm not exactly sure who or what she is, but from what I can gather she need full motion of her fingers to do anything. Also Inoue-san, could you see to Sado-kun, Kurosaki-kun and especially Black-san difficulties."
The two girls got to work quickly. Tatsuki, quickly 'disfingered' Mary-Luna with her gloves while Orihime's quickly used Sōten Kisshun, bringing Chad out of Mary-Luna control and freeing Ichigo from her binding spell. She then put her full attention on Black; but it was clearly going to take her time to get the mage on his feet again.
"So 'Mary-Luna'" Uryū asked in tone with a clear hint of both sarcasm and hostility as he said her name. "What reason do you have for trying to kill two of my classmates?"
"Why not?" she said with a silly giggle. "If you expect me to talk, then you will be surprised by…. squire duck quark!"
The last three words were spoken in English and as she said them she disappeared into a blue light.
"Dam it!" yelled Uryū in frustration. "She got away!"
"What was all that about?" Ryō asked as she eyed Uryū's bow. At Ichigo looked around he realised that his sensei Ochi had entered the room and was staring right at Ichigo Everyone else was looking at the various strange things in the room A huge sword, blasted class mates, mysterious shields…
"Rukia… "He said softly as he gave her a meaningful look. She replied with a serous nod and pulled out her Kikanshinki.
"Everyone say Chappy!" she said with a bright smile, grabbing everyone attention, just pushed the Kikanshinki duck head down and filled the whole room with yet more smoke. Ichigo jumped quickly back into his body and Uryū dismissed his bow. Orihime dismissed her fairies as Black was now recovered enough to stand.
As was everyone else, not a single one had been knocked out by the Kikanshinki.
"Aren't superheroes supposed to make there escape in a cloud of smoke?" Michiru said with a slightly bewildered look on her face.
"And where's Kurosaki-kun's sword gone too?" Ryō inquired. "It was so big and now it's gone completely."
"And Inoue-chan's magical fairies!" said an excited Chizuru "There were amazing as she is!"
Orihime made a nervous laugh in reply.
"It seems we have run into what's typically referred too as 'technical problems'" Black stated. "It's most likely an effect of the bleeding of spiritual energy Kuchiki-d…san"
He nearly slipped into referring to her as nobility, slipped too close as it turned out.
"Kuchiki is Kuchiki-dono!" exclaimed Chizuru in surprised.
"She must be the founder of this group of superheros!" Michiru spoke in an excited tone.
"Were not superheroes Natsui-san." Uryū explained "Were friends with considerable spiritual powers, except Black-san. Who the hell is Black-san come to think of it?" He looked toward Rukia with a questioning look on his face.
"Retainer Black Timothy, servant of the noble clan of Kuchiki, conjurer of the sixth tier" Black said with pride, grabbing the Quincy's attention.
"I hired him on Monday, because he seems handy. " Rukia said with a dismissive tone.
"Me, Kojima-kun and Asano-kun already knew a bit about Ichigo big sword wielding antic by the way" Tatsuki explained as calmly as she was talking about the weather. "The hat and clogs guy explained the basic of what Shinigami do to us when we followed you three guys to his shop." She said as she motioned to Ichigo, Chad and Uryū.
"So you're all Shinigami, bar Black-san?" Chizuru asked curiously. Uryū frowned as she did.
"Only Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun are Shinigami" He explained before adding. "I'm a far more noble Quincy archer , Inoue-san got some kind of reality bending power and Chad got his weird arms, and before you ask no one really sure how either of there powers work."
"We fight bad spirits called Hallows." Rukia said seriously as she returned to her original seat next to Ichigo. "Sometimes we have to great lengths to stop them hurting people. In the end that all you really need to know about what we do."
The class went quiet a while.
"We keep this all this quiet, even if your memory changing thing failed Kuchiki-san" said Tatsuki said as she turned to look at the surprised Rukia. "Yes I figured out what the duck thing was to meant to do, but don't sweat, you looked after us, its only right we keep your secrets... secret"
The rest of the class nodded firmly.
"Well this explains why this class absence levels have risen since Kuchiki-san entered the school at any rate." Ochi-sensei said as she finally sat down. "But all this mess is no excuse for us to be any latter starting class! Black-san, get rid of the gas now!"
And with that they started class… but nothing was ever quiet the same after that for Ichigo at school.
Arcane Encyclopaedia
Black: Now you lucky and most wonderful reader will now get to read the arca….
Gin: Shoot to kill Shinsō!
*Black is shot out of sight*
Victorious Gin: Now for me to explain how spells work my audience! If you have any question, now is the time to ask!
Rukia: Why wasn't I charmed like the rest of the class, was it because the 'power of love'™?
Gin: Course not, it because you're an outsider.
Emo Rukia: Woe oh woe is me! However much I try to fit in I will never truly be part of the world of the living's social circles, for that is my fate!
Gin: Actually in this sense outsider means 'soul with no permanent body'; your perceived inability to fit in is due to your insecurities that started with your sister abandoning you. They got made considerable worse by a over controlling stepbrother and a man you were in love with dying in your arms.
Rukia:…
Gin: Moving on, the reason why that Mary decided to only to target the humans in the room is because to target everything in the room would cost her far more mana.
Rukia: Her cost cutting cost her victory…ha!
*Rukia does a victory dance that looks suspiciously bunny inspired*
Cold Mary: You trying being a mage who has run out of mana smart guy! You learn to cut down on pointless mana use when you can!
Gin: Indeed, you become a spiritual aware human with terrible fashion sense, an inflated ego and a good memory.
Black and Mary: Hey!
Gin: By the way Black… Shoot to kill Shinsō!
*sounds of a Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 !-- /* Style Definitions */ , , {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} 1 {page:Section1;} -- certain mage being throw of screen once again*