Chapter IV

The next day, Ikkaku and Yumichika (as usual) didn't even bother showing up for class, but met Tatsuki in front of the school anyway. Tatsuki had decided to drag Orihime along, and they all ended up in front of Orihime's favorite pastry shop.

The owner and one of the clerks greeted the girls as they came in and while the young cashier already had a slice of apple pie out on a plate, Orihime ordered some ice cream and went a little nuts with the toppings. Tatsuki tried not to pay attention.

She ordered another slice of pie, and more ice cream- vanilla, no toppings- and brought it over to the table. Ikkaku immediately stood up and asked what everyone wanted to drink- on him. Yumichika seemed pleased that his years of conditioning had Ikkaku acting like a perfect gentleman- he had, after all, started out as a thug with zero manners or subtlety and frighteningly little amounts of tact.

Once they all settled down, Tatsuki slid a slice of apple pie and ice cream over for the guys to put together and try, and dug into the slice she was sharing with Orihime. Ikkaku ate a bite and found it overwhelmingly sweet. Then he tried it with some ice cream and-

and really liked it. Enough to finish off the whole thing, probably, but he stopped at half and left the rest for Yumichika, then tilted his chair back to balance on both back legs, then one leg. He spent the next ten minutes not paying attention to much of the conversation and trying to balance on one leg of the chair without needing to brace himself against anything.

Tatsuki finished next and they spent the next half hour listening to Yumichika and Orihime chat between mouthfuls. Orihime usually ate fast- unless she was talking.

And boy was she talking. Yumichika wasn't helping. Tatsuki eventually got bored of sitting around quietly and excused herself when Yumichika brought up shopping. Ikkaku told him that he needed a jacket and some not-pink shirts, then took off after Tatsuki. He didn't feel as bad as he normally would have; after all, Yumichika wasn't going to be shopping alone and Orihime would be good company. He'd just need to carry his own bags for once.

Tatsuki had waited for him outside and then dragged him off so they could keep training.

Yumichika watched them go with the sort of glee (and maybe, just maybe, a hint of envy) he only reserved for blackmail and really big fights. Orihime's chattering had slowed as Tatsuki left and tapered off completely when Ikkaku had followed. She seeemd troubled for a minute ("Do you think they weren't having fun?") before Yumichika assured her that shopping just wasn't Ikkaku's thing. Nor Tatsuki's, from the looks of it.

"Hey, Orihime-chan?"

"Hm?"

"You think there's something going on with those two?"

"I think they're becoming very good friends!"

Yumichika flashed her an exasperated smile - she was so cute, but so clueless sometimes - and stood up. "Let's go shopping- I saw the best shirt yesterday and Ikkaku needs clothes that didn't come out of Keigo's closet."

"That sounds fun!"

"We'll pick those two up for dinner, then."

They ended up by the river again.

"I've been practicing! Lemme punch you."

Ikkaku just looked at her.

"Scared?"

He mulled it over for a second- get punched and kicked around all afternoon, or teach her how to suppress her spiritual pressure. Neither option seemed particularly fun, but- "Teach me judo. Then we'll spar."

"I don't think I'm really qualified to teach it."

"Or vale tudo or whatever that thing is. Just some throws or grabs, an' I'll let ya punch me. If you can land a hit."

"To help train my reiatsu, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

The second time Ikkaku managed to intercept a punch and haul Tatsuki over his shoulder to slam her onto the grass, she stayed down and wheezed, "You learn fast."

If Yumichika were around he'd probably scold- Arisawa was a girl and he should be a gentleman. Ikkaku thought that was bullshit and the four times she threw him hurt a hell of a lot worse than the two times he'd managed to throw her. He extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Once you know one style, the rest're easy."

Tatsuki shifted her grip to grab his wrist and twisted it behind his back. "This is a hammerlock. Police use it."

"That's not judo."

"I'm showing you vale tudo. It means everything I know. Mostly judo."

"That one's easy. Show me another throw."

"Stance. Any one is fine, as long as you're standing."

Ikkaku slipped into a stance. Knees bent, feet shoulder-width apart, one hand at his side and the other held out in front of him.

"You're probably too heavy for me to drop with this one, but it should work better for you. Stay there."

Tatsuki, from beside him, leaned forward and wrapped her arm backwards around his waist, hooked an elbow behind a knee, jerked it up and landed him on his back.

Again.

Ikkaku rolled to his feet and brushed dirt and grass off the seat of his pants. "Too heavy my ass! My turn."

Tatsuki laughed, and talked Ikkaku through the move. He didn't throw her as hard as he would've liked to - that'd be a dick move - but was pretty satisfied all the same to see nearly as many grass stains all over her khaki cargos and t-shirt as there were on his (Keigo's) jeans and white shirt. She had changed after class, probably knowing that they'd end up sparring.

Girls, Ikkaku decided, were crazy. Or at least, this one was.

"One more, and then we can fight."

"This one involve me eatin' more dirt?"

"Depends on how well you fall."

"This's the worst warmup ever."

"I'll show you some forms so you won't be completely trashed when we fight."

Ikkaku was pretty sure he wouldn't get trashed either way- he knew how to fight barehanded- but learning some more judo would come in handy. "Lucky me."

Tatsuki stood in front of him and grinned. "Grab my sleeves."

"They'll rip."

"They won't. Grab my sleeves."

Ikkaku grabbed her sleeves. Tatsuki put both hands on his collar, a foot to his stomach and jerked backwards to hit the ground on her back, pulling him by his shirt and using the leverage from her leg to vault him over her head.

Ikkaku hit the dirt with a grunt. Tatsuki grinned and sat up. "That's a sacrifice. Hurts you more than it hurts me."

"Show me the goddamn forms."

"Tell me about Tatsuki-chan."

Orihime looked up from a rack of pink shirts and smiled brightly. "She's my best friend! And she grew up with Kurosaki-kun, and Tatsuki-chan helped me out a lot in middle school. Why?"

Yumichika grinned. "She seems strong."

Orihime seemed to swell with pride- "She is!"

"Ikkaku says Tatsuki-chan would fit in well with the 11th."

"I think so too." Orihime smiled. "Tatsuki-chan really likes to fight, and I think Captain Zaraki would like her."

"But," she added, "you don't seem too happy about it?"

Yumichika had forgotten how perceptive Orihime could be, and reminded himself not to be obvious about it- "Well, I was just thinking that the more time he spends with Tatsuki-chan, the less time he has with me!"

Yumichika sighed as Orihime started to look uncomfortable. "Orihime-chan, you shouldn't worry about it. I'm sure they're having lots of. Fun. Beating each other up. For a given value of fun, of course."

"It's just that, I haven't spent much time with Tatsuki-chan lately because of. Soul Society." Yumichika noted the pause, and Orihime's quickly escalating guilt.

"And she knows something and she's hurt that I'm not telling her, but I'm glad Ikkaku-san became her friend. She was closest to me and Kurosaki-kun, and... we're both..."

Orihime hadn't wanted to say anything about it at all- after all, why bother other people with her worry and insecurities and -

Yumichika sighed. He thought he had issues, but Orihime-chan clearly had more problems than she was letting on, and he wasn't in the mood to counsel anyone.

"Do you like fireworks?"

"Yes!"

"Did you know there's a fireworks festival next week in Soul Society? You should watch it with me and Ikkaku~"

"I wouldn't want to... impose..."

"You wouldn't be! Besides, wouldn't it be a good time to see Zaraki-taichou and Fukutaichou again?"

"I'll - um, mention it to Kuchiki-san, I think she said she wanted to go!"

Yumichika crossed his arms on the rack and leaned over. "You should go with her, then! Vice-captain might be a little distracting, with us."

When Yumichika and Orihime stopped by to inform them that it was dinnertime and they had picked out a pretty nice restaurant (Yakiniku! It's been so long...), the last thing both Ikkaku and Tatsuki wanted to do was walk. Yumichika pulled Ikkaku mercilessly to his feet and handed him some shopping bags.

He checked, approved, and slung them slowly over his bruised shoulders. Tatsuki brushed some grass off her shorts and told them she had to go home and shower, then change.

Orihime made a face (Tatsuki's place was farther away from the restaurant than her house) and suggested that they all clean up at her place- after all, Ikkaku-san had clothes, Tatsuki-chan always left some in her closet, and Hitsugaya-kun and Matsumoto-san would probably like to come along too, right?

They all agreed that that was a much better idea and trekked to Orihime's.

Tatsuki claimed the first shower and finished in about ten minutes. Ikkaku was done in seven, no thanks to Yumichika chattering at him through the door. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto arrived just as they were leaving, and decided to come along; food was way more fun than patrolling, and they'd been doing that all day.