Love for the Lost and Broken

by virgo-24

Story On Hold for the moment. Sorry! Will be returning to it but can't say when

7. Chapter 7

Love for the Lost and Broken

Author's Note:

Readers and Reviews!

I'm back!

*Bows deeply* Gomen'nasai! I'm really, really, really sorry for not updating in like forever!

Last month my computer died (twice!) and it wouldn't even turn back on at all. :0 Anyways… I just got my new computer (it's awesome by the way) and I'm ready to start writing again! My updates well still be a bit spotty though; I started college last month too so I'm busy with all that stuff and such. But I want everyone to know that I'm still here and will continue with my stories.

Also… like I said at the end of my last chapter I was starting work on two other stories. Well, the computer problems sort of threw a monkey wrench into that plan. But I think this is how it's going to work… I'll upload this chapter to this story and then I'll do my one-shot 'My strange Dream in the Gotei 13'. After that I'll upload the first chapter of my other story (the title is still being worked on). So like I said I'm really sorry for the delay but I'm back and here is chapter seven.

Chapter Starts…NOW!

(Oh fuck, Disclaimer/s/!): I don't own Bleach, the books 'The Green Mile' or 'Bag of Bones'; nor do I own the song Fallen Leaves. Bleach is Tite Kubo's, both books belong to Stephen King and the song is by the band Billy Talent (their really good too).

"…"-Speaking '…'- Thinking (…) - Anything else I care to say.

Chapter 7: Cat and Mouse

Recap…

When Muramasa stepped into the room his blue eyes locked with the grey eyes of the women that Masutātorikkusutā had told him about. His breathing stopped as they stared at one another. The young women gasped and raised a hand to cover her mouth. Muramasa thought that his eyes would pop out of his skull as he stared at the young woman before him. Her bright grey eyes and her shinning orange hair made his gut lurch. He knew her; she had been there two years ago. She had healed him even though she knew he was the enemy and had tried to speak to him when the Hollow's had taken over. He didn't believe it…he couldn't. If it was really her than he was in a lot more trouble than he had thought to begin with.

"Hime-sama, this is my friend…Muramasa. And Muramasa this is my friend…Orihime Inoue."

In that moment, Muramasa had only one thought running through his mind.

'Oh Shit…'

Start of Chapter

Masutātorikkusutā had learned after two years of living with Muramasa and a year of living with Tousen that it was sometimes necessary to read a person's facial expressions more often if you wanted to know what they were thinking. This ability came in handy when being around people like Muramasa and Tousen who were about as talkative as a statue. So when Muramasa and Orihime first saw one another Masutātorikkusutā made sure to catch their reactions. In his opinion both Muramasa and Orihime had very… interesting looks on their faces. Orihime was behaving in a way that was both strange and completely normal for her. Normal in that she often covered her mouth with her hand when she was shocked or surprised. But odd in that there was no reason for such a reaction at the moment. Muramasa on the other hand was doing a damned good imitation of a fish that had been brought up to the surface to quickly and the pressure difference had forced his eyes out of his skull. Masutātorikkusutā was confused by both of their behaviors but was quickly distracted by something that he found much more appealing at the moment.

The something in question was the second cupcake that Orihime had placed on the counter. The lovely chocolate treat was practically calling out to him, begging to be eaten. Masutātorikkusutā (who was still very hungry even after devouring the first cupcake) had seemingly forgotten about his two companions as he stared at the buttercream topped cupcake as it sat oh so innocently on the counter. Masutātorikkusutā walked the two steps needed to reach the counter top and reached out to grab the cupcake so that he could scarf it down and satisfy his stomachs demands for food. Unfortunately for him the sudden movement he had made caused Muramasa and Orihime to snap out of their strange stupor. And once Orihime saw that Masutātorikkusutā was going after her last remaining treat she quickly took action. She smacked him (hard) the sound echoed through the whole room.

Muramasa had seen that Masutātorikkusutā was making a move to get ahold of the other cupcake that sat on the counter. That was what had snapped him out of the shock of seeing the woman who had healed him two years ago once again. But what had happened next caught him completely off guard. Orihime Inoue… the sweet, innocent, see the good in everyone healer had smacked Masutātorikkusutā in the face. There was a moment were time seemed to stop, after the sharp sound of the smack had resounded throughout the kitchen. A mere human had just stuck a Death God in the face; had she lost her damn mind?

"Itai!*"

The shout nearly caused Muramasa to jump off the floor; why did Masutātorikkusutā always have to be so noisy? It wasn't like the slap had really hurt that much; he was an immortal Death God for Christ sake's. Oh wait… he was still in a gigai; ok so maybe it had hurt a little bit. But the hopping around and excessive rubbing of his cheek bone was a little much in Muramasa's opinion. On the other hand Masutātorikkusutā did tend to overdo a lot of things and exaggerating his pain was usually one of them. Muramasa wasn't worried about the other man though because shortly after the slap he had received the black haired man busted out into a fit of laughter. He was awfully cheerful for someone who had just been bitch slapped.

"You wound me Hime-Sama…" Masutātorikkusutā spoke evenly as he calmed down from his early display of pain.

"I haven't even started with you yet!" The orange haired woman shrieked in response as she pointed an accusing finger at the taller man and waved her arms around in a rather panicky manner.

"Say what? I haven't even done anything… so far" Masutātorikkusutā protested trying to look innocent but not succeeding at all.

"What do you mean 'so far'?! First you break into my house then you sneak up on me like a ninja and try to scare me to death! Ten years without a word out of you and now suddenly you just show up like you never left or something! And to top it off you bring strange people with you and you ate my cupcake!"

Throughout her ranting and rambling the orange haired women's voice grew more flustered and she was moving her arms so franticly at this point that Muramasa was having a hard time keeping up with her. Geez; so this was the side of her he had never seen… lovely. Masutātorikkusutā seemed completely content with letting the young female talk until she had talked herself out (if that was in fact possible for her to do) but he decided to intervene quickly instead of letting his dear friend talk his ears off. Stepping closer to the much shorter female Masutātorikkusutā reached out placed both of his hands on either side of her shoulders. Orihime had been so caught up in her own rambling that she didn't even notice that Masutātorikkusutā had moved until she felt her arms being gently push back down to her sides by his hands.

"Hime-sama…"

"Yes…?"

"You're rambling again…" Masutātorikkusutā waited a few seconds after saying it before he released his firm hold on the woman's shoulders.

Crossing her now freed arms Orihime spoke again but a lot calmer than she had been speaking a moment before. "It's your fault, that's what you get for going off for a whole decade and then just popping back up one day."

"Funny… I was under the impression that you were happy to see me again." Masutātorikkusutā stated, cocking his head to the side a bit.

"Oh course I am!" Orihime shouted as she launched herself at Masutātorikkusutā and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Masutātorikkusutā chuckled lightly and hugged her back, both of them seeming to forget all about the third person that still stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Muramasa just stared at the strange display that was going on in front of him. In truth he wished more than anything that he could just disappear and go anywhere in the whole universe other than where he was in that moment. He knew at that point he was as good as dead; it would have been so much simpler if he could have just avoided the Soul Reaper's all together. At first that was the plan and it was going to be so simple; but now Masutātorikkusutā had put him in a really distasteful situation. And that was putting it mildly; to be blunt it was more like Masutātorikkusutā had thrown him into the lion's den. Muramasa hadn't run into a Shinigami but he had run into someone that had plenty of connections with them. It wasn't a good situation at all.

Sometimes (like right now) Muramasa wondered if him being alive was just a big mistake; like maybe the fates had missed him for some reason and the forces of the world where hell bent of making him suffer for it. A cruel joke… the gods were surly laughing their asses off at his troubles; they had to be. That was why he had such terrible luck wasn't it? And now he was going to pay for surviving something that should have killed him and the Shinigami were going to drag him back to the Soul Society so they could lock him away where he would never see the light of day again… of the joy. Muramasa mentally decided that as soon as he could he was going to kill Masutātorikkusutā for his vast stupidity and when the Shinigami's came for him he would take out as many as he could before they got to him. Voices, the voices of the two other occupants in the room broke Muramasa out of his inner musings. Orihime and Masutātorikkusutā were talking again. Well… Masutātorikkusutā was talking; Orihime was being louder than what you would consider normal talking level.

"Don't you dare!" Orihime warned as Masutātorikkusutā slowly reached for the chocolate cupcake for the second time.

"What… I'm hungry." He replied as though it was that simple.

"You already ate one of them, that one is mine!" Orihime shouted as she stepped dangerously close to the taller man, Masutātorikkusutā knew that if his fingers got to within even an inch of the dessert his orange haired companion wouldn't hesitate to smack him again.

"But Hime…" He countered, trying to sound as pitiful as he could but instead sounding rather whiny and obnoxious.

"I don't care… it's mine…" She affirmed with the little stomp of her right foot against the title floor.

Masutātorikkusutā sighed in defeat; he really wanted that cupcake but he really didn't want to get slapped again either. Ironic really; the must innocent person in the world was also the one that was most likely to beat the shit out of him. She wouldn't go that far but Masutātorikkusutā could remember a number of different times were he had made the mistake of getting on her nerves and she had made him regret it afterwards. He was the only person that would ever incur the wrath of Orihime Inoue and in return she was the only person that could strike at him without being killed or horribly injured for it. It was in his gentlemanly nature after all... he couldn't harm a woman; even if they had slapped him. (His appearance alone prevented must people for even approaching him, much less trying to hit him).

Both Masutātorikkusutā and Orihime were pulled from their conversation by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Masutātorikkusutā suddenly remembered that Muramasa was still standing there as he turned his head so he could see the mentioned Zanpakuto spirit. Muramasa looked extremely uncomfortable for some reason; Masutātorikkusutā had no clue why though. Muramasa wasn't sure if it had really been a good idea to get the attention of the other two people in the room but he felt unbelievably awkward just listening to them talk to each other. Actually; he probably could have just walked away and they wouldn't have noticed. Oh hind-sight… how cruel it could be.

"Nani?*" Masutātorikkusutā said in a questioning tone, he could tell that the spirit wanted to say something so he wanted to hear it.

"…Yōji*…" Can the short reply as Muramasa turned around and walked out of the room as quickly as possible so he could get away from the current predicament he had found himself in.

Masutātorikkusutā knew the brown haired man wouldn't go anywhere but he still gave him a warning. "Soreru shinaide kudasai, Ushinawa re, sono yōna shutoku shinai yō ni naru ka."

Without even thinking Muramasa retorted sharply, "Jigoku o shattodaun suru!*" He shouted over his shoulder since he was already halfway down the hall and had no plans of stopping or slowing his pace.

The comment didn't reach Masutātorikkusutā's ears for a moment but once it did his deep laughter could easily be heard throughout the small apartment. Muramasa's blood boiled slightly as the obnoxious sound of Masutātorikkusutā's laughing reached his own ears. With a scowl etched firmly across his face Muramasa exited the still open window in the living room and headed back up to the roof of the building for the second time that day. He was pissed and wasn't going to have anything to do with Masutātorikkusutā and anyone he wanted to be around. If the Soul Reapers came for him so be it; just another bad joke that he would have to deal with in a long line of bad jokes he had endured throughout his existence. Cursing under his breath Muramasa sat down with his back against the railing of the roof; life really could be a bitch sometimes.

0 0

Masutātorikkusutā kept laughing; loudly… he just loved to get a rise out of people. But this time it came with a price.

*SMACK*

Twice… twice his female friend had smacked him in the face. He really should have known better than to run his mouth, is amazed him that a pacifist like Orihime could ever hit someone at all. He was positive though that he was the only person that had ever been smacked by her. Maybe it was a weird form of Karma; the only other person who had ever hit him was his friend from the Soul Society. Akai Pasu and Orihime…they were both alike in that sense.

Turning his head to look at the orange haired women Masutātorikkusutā had to bite his tongue to make sure he didn't start laughing again. She stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him like he had just done something so terrible. It was humorous in his mind, her behavior towards him; she had always been like this with him and even after so long it hadn't changed at all. He knew the look she was giving him very well; the look that said she was not happy with him at all.

"What?" He asked, letting a smile creep across his face, he couldn't help but smile at her annoyance.

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

"I'm not mean…"

"Yes you are!"

"Yeah, so what?"

An evil glare from normally soft grey eyes, and a cheeky grin from himself. He really could get on anyone's nerves if he tried hard enough. She scowled a bit before moving around him to begin going through the plastic bags that had been forgotten. Masutātorikkusutā stayed silent as the young women moved about the kitchen placing varies items in their proper places. He lend back against the counter so that he was out of her way and watched her intently. Ever once and awhile she would shoot him a dirty look which he silently returned with a carefree grin. He knew what she was thinking; he could feel it in her facial expressions and the way the energy in the room flickered and shifted. She wanted answers from him; but she was afraid to ask. He turned his attention to the zipper on his jacket; turning it in his fingers and playing with it. A form of distraction as he waited for her to start asking him those questions that she wanted the answers to.

As soon as Orihime had placed all the items she had bought were they belonged she turned her full attention back to her friend with the intent of getting answers to all the questions that were buzzing around inside of her head. But when she looked at him she realized that his attention was somewhere else. The somewhere else being the zipper of his bright red jacket; his violet red eyes were darker than normal, a sign that he was lost in thought. Orihime recalled many times when he would do this and start fiddling with things like loose threads and laces. Those times had been so long ago, but it still felt like yesterday almost. For the moment her desire to get answers was dimmed in favor of figuring out what was bothering Masutātorikkusutā.

"Masutātorikkusutā…" she spoke softly, hoping to get his attention.

He didn't answer, either ignoring his name being called altogether or being so lost in thought that he didn't hear it. Stepping closer to the black haired man Orihime called his name a few more times each time receiving silence as an answer. Finally she stood only a foot away from him, her arms crossed… a habit she suffered from only when Masutātorikkusutā was involved; he really could be annoying. He still wasn't paying her any mind, too absorbed in playing with that zipper. She tried one more time.

"Masutā-kun…" Good lord, how long had it been since she had called him by that nickname? In all the time she had known him no one else had called him that name (even if his full name was a pain to say).

"Hmm…?" Came the short reply.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at her this time, searching her eyes for information. She knew what he was doing, but she didn't mind it; she had seen him do this all the time… know things and get into people's minds. It was a strange ability but Orihime figured with all she had dealt with in seventeen years having someone basically reading her thoughts wasn't the weirdest thing she had endured. Besides, he wasn't the only one who was perceptive when it came to a person's thoughts and emotions; even as he read eyes she was reading him just as well. She recalled moments when she was younger when Masutātorikkusutā and her could have a whole conversation without even speaking. Their thoughts had been so in tune that words weren't necessary; and even now she could feel what he was feeling. He was worried, something was bothering him but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Masutā, what's bothering you?"

"Nothin'…"

A lie… he had answered to soon, to short; she knew it was a lie.

"Don't try to lie to me."

"Of course… you always could tell if I lied. How silly of me."

"What's wrong?"

Her tone was different this time, pleasing rather than demanding. Masutātorikkusutā gave her a tight smile, not sure whether or not he should voice the way he was feeling. But the way she looked at him with her big grey eyes made his reluctance vanish quickly. Standing up straight Masutātorikkusutā turned to the orange haired home and voiced his thoughts.

"You're displeased with me." A statement rather than a question.

"What do you mean?" Orihime questioned in confusion.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't be so upset with me after I had just returned, but apparently I was wrong."

"W-what are you talking about; I'm not mad at you!" She shouted loudly as she waved her arms back and forth in the air once again.

"Then why'd you hit me?" Masutātorikkusutā asked sounding absolutely pitiful.

"Because you were acting ridiculous!"

"But Hime, I always act like that."

That smile and light in his eyes, he was screwing with her. Damn, she had fallen for it too. He wasn't a pitiful person by any stretch of the imagination; but he had played his little game and caught her. She glared at him this time, not at all pleased with his attempt to make her feel bad about slapping him (since he did deserve to be slapped in the first place). He laughed then, realizing that she had caught on to his scheme and the game was over. She stomped her foot again and punched him in the arm, not enough to hurt though.

"You're mean…"

"You always say that when I make you feel guilty."

"You're the one that should feel guilty, tricking me like that."

"Gomen'nasai*…"

"You should be…"

"You wound me Hime-sama…"

"Oh stop it." She snapped lightly, finally getting sick of his game.

He laughed again; she had always liked his laugh and although it was deeper and darker sounding then it had been ten years ago it was still his laugh. She shook her head, she couldn't fathom how she had ever been friends with someone as annoying as him; but on the other hand she couldn't imagine not having him as a friend either. It was an odd thing really, but it fit with her life in a way. She closed the short distance in between them and hugged him for the second time. He returned the gesture for the second time as well; glad that she wasn't really mad at him. She released him and he released her but as she stepped back she pointed a finger at him.

"You…"

"Yes?"

"Have a lot of explaining to do."

"Ah, well then… ask and you shall receive."

For the next half an hour Masutātorikkusutā answered every question that the orange haired woman could think to throw at him. He spent a large part of the time laughing at her remarks or gestures and another part of the time trying not to laugh. Everything about her behavior was a comical act; the way her voice went up a few octaves to the constant rambling thoughts of her over active imagination. Humorous; as always… although some of the answers he gave her were rather vague they were all technically the truth. He had no intention of outright lying but something's were best left for later.

"No way… you play in a band!?" She shouted when he told her what he had been doing with his time.

"Yeah, I play the guitar and I'm the lead singer."

"That's so cool; you always talked about learning to play the guitar."

"Indeed…" Masutātorikkusutā stated as he watched Orihime hop around smiling and giggling at the news she had received.

"I don't suppose that has anything to do with you coming back here, does it?"

"Actually yes, it does…"

"So you and your band are playing a show out in Japan?!"

"This will be the fifth year in a row that we play a show out here."

"What!? You mean you come here ever year and don't bother to inform me until now?!"

"Too risky before now; too many… nosy spirits if you get what I mean."

A few years ago she wouldn't have a clue what he meant; but this time she had a good idea about what he was referring to. And this time she was going to call him on it. After learning about the Soul Reapers when Ichigo had gained his powers Orihime knew that Masutātorikkusutā must have been one as well. He had made her swear not to tell anyone about what she had seen that night so long ago but at this point it was senseless to hide the obvious.

"You mean the Soul Reapers; right?"

"…And how is that you came to know about them?"

Another thirty minutes or so of her explaining everything about her and her friends infiltrating the Soul Society and fighting with countless high ranking Soul Reapers to try and rescue their Soul Reaper friend. Masutātorikkusutā was starting to think he had the wrong person in front of him. The actions of her and the rest of her human companions was, at the very least… a naïve decision. At most it was pure insanity; and Masutātorikkusutā was leaning more towards insanity.

"Hime… are you sure that your brain was functioning correctly when you made the choice to charge head long into the Soul Society?"

"Of course! I had to help save Rukia-san!"

"You and that bleeding heart; it's gonna get you in trouble one day ya know?" The black haired man stated evenly; wishing more than anything that his dear friend wouldn't do things that could get a human killed so easily. Actually; if he remembered correctly it was supposed to be impossible for a human to even get to the Soul Society… something was amiss here.

"Masutā-kun, how can you say such a thing? Would you let one of your friends be killed for no reason?!"

'Actually… three of my friends have done something that those Soul Reapers would just love to off them for. And on top of that they'd probably try and cut me down too.' Masutātorikkusutā thought to himself.

If it came down to it and the Soul Reapers did come after him they would be in for a hell of a shock when they realized that he was associated with three people who had caused a great deal of trouble for Soul Society. Although Masutātorikkusutā wasn't exactly sure what those three people in question had done to warrant being killed he was sure it most of been pretty bad whatever it was. Of course being a man that believed in things like second chances Masutātorikkusutā had decided not to be nosy and try to figure such details out and just left it alone. Would he save them if the Soul Society came after them? Sure he would; he just wouldn't try to invade the Soul Society to do it; such an act would be like an ant trying to take down an elephant. But he did give them credit for actually succeeding in their endeavor. Hopefully he would get to meet these people that Orihime had spoken about; especially this Ichigo character she had talked so fondly about… it had been a long time since there had been a substitute Soul Reaper.

"Masutā!" Orihime shouted trying to get the man's attention.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Hime… spaced out for a minute."

"Ahhh… did you even hear what I asked?" The orange haired woman asked with exasperation in her voice.

"I did, and the only thing I can say to that is that the people I hang around with would never get caught up in the business of Soul Society to start with."

That was part of a lie mixed with part of the truth. Besides his housemates no one Masutātorikkusutā knew could even see a Soul Reaper and would know nothing about the Soul Society. On the other hand all of his housemates and himself were spiritual beings that made a point out of avoiding anyone from the Soul Society. A glare from her, a look that said she didn't believe him completely; could she really tell that he was only giving her a bit of the truth? He really hoped not; because he defiantly wasn't answering to an accusation about it. He grinned…trying to get it to slide; her stare didn't waver. Damn… she was too smart for her own good sometimes.

"If you say so…" She said, finally breaking the silence that had settled over the room.

"I do…"

"Good to know…"

He could tell by her tone that she believed he was lying; but she hadn't brought it up so he left it alone. He had a momentary thought that if the Soul Reapers didn't kill him she would out of pure annoyance. He really could drive even a saint crazy with relative ease; maybe that was why all of the elders in Soul Society made a point to avoid him as much as possible. She was staring at him again; she had a question… a question that she wasn't sure she should ask. But her curious nature was getting the better of her; Masutātorikkusutā couldn't think of anything that she would have been reluctant to ask about though.

"Hime-sama…"

"W-what!?" She asked nervously as though she was the child who had been caught by their parents with their hand in the cookie jar.

"You seem to have a question for me… you may ask. I'll tell you the truth."

The orange haired woman was silent for a moment, internally debating the authenticity of his words. He would tell her the truth, or at the very least part of the truth. He waited patiently for the question to be asked; preparing an answer for anything that he could think that she would ask. Finally she spoke…

"The guy that was with you… what did you say his name was?" She asked quietly as though it wasn't something she should have been talking about at all.

Masutātorikkusutā didn't answer at first; he was thrown off a bit by that question. He didn't think the question she had was about Muramasa. Actually… Masutātorikkusutā himself had completely forgotten about the grouchy Zanpakuto spirit that had disappeared over an hour ago to hell only knows where. Masutātorikkusutā thought back to when he had first introduced the two of them; their reaction was strange and now Orihime was asking about him as though she wanted to make sure of something. What she could be trying to confirm was beyond him but he chose to humor her anyways.

"His name's Muramasa…"

Orihime was trying hard to keep her face void of the countless different emotions that were running through her head. It didn't work; Masutātorikkusutā could read her so easily. She had confirmed what she had wanted to know and it bothered him. She knew Muramasa… she had to. How she knew him Masutātorikkusutā wasn't sure but he was certain that that was the explanation for their reactions earlier. This was a very interesting situation that Masutātorikkusutā found himself in; he could read what his dear Hime was thinking. It was a mix on emotions… shock, confusion, wonder, and countless others. But there was something else there as well… fear. No… not outright fear; more like a deep-seated feeling of worry. Masutātorikkusutā was quickly becoming too curious for his own go, and it took a lot of will-power for him not to demand an explanation from the orange haired woman.

"And where did you say you met him?"

"I didn't…" Masutātorikkusutā stated offhandedly, trying to get the conversation dropped.

"Well… do you mind telling me now?" The young female asked a slight edge in her voice. So much for dropping the topic.

"I met him in America of course… and why does it matter?" Lie number two and a half… Masutātorikkusutā always kept a delegate count of how many times he lied to his Hime. He never figured out why he did that… he had lied to a lot of people but it only bothered him when he lied to her. Maybe it was because she was the only one that had ever called him out on it.

"Masutātorikkusutā… you're lying."

Like right there… she had figured him out again and now he had to answer for it. But in this case he didn't really have a good answer to give her. The truth would be a pain; and another lie would get him a glare and a slap most likely. This situation was starting to bug him… if she wanted an answer then she could ask Muramasa. Since she clearly knew who he was it would be a hell of a lot easier for him to explain it to her. But Masutātorikkusutā could already tell that he was going to get stuck with that problem. So he decided to play a little game… if she could best him then he'd give her the answer she wanted.

"Masutātorikkusutā…" She was facing him again, arms crossed and a frown on her face… she was annoyed.

"Yes…?" The black haired man answered as he stood up fully from his leaning position against the counter.

"You told me that you would tell the truth." She reminded him as he walked slowly towards the doorway to the hallway that went to the living room.

"I did…" Came the simple answer, he was in no position to answer the new questions that she wanted to ask. So he was going to make her work for the answers if she really wanted them.

"So why do you insist on trying to lie to me?"

"Hmm… well, to tell ya the truth Hime if you really want the answers to such questions than you should ask the one that they concern. Because Muramasa could answer then a hell of a lot better than me. However… I can tell that for some reason you are; reluctant to deal with my raccoon-eyed friend."

He watched her closely from the doorway, waiting to see her reaction to his accusation. Her grey eyes widened a bit and her cheeks quickly turned a bright shade of red. She was embarrassed, obviously… but what reason did she have to be embarrassed at all? But the look of embarrassment quickly faded; her grey eyes hardened and the glare she was sending his way was quite impressive for a pacifist like her. He was flicking at a nerve; not the smartest of ideas but in order for her to go along with his little game he would have to get under her skin a little bit.

"But… I'll tell you what. If you can keep up with me; I might be… persuaded into answering such questions as the ones you are wanting to ask." Masutātorikkusutā proposed in a slow and lazy tone.

Orihime quickly understood what he meant and she wasn't pleased with it. He was baiting her into his game. The 'game' in question was just something he used to do to give her a hard time. Basically it was nothing more than a game of tag; he would run and she would chase. If she was able to catch him then he would reward her with the answer to the question. Normally he would just answer the question like he had done the previous ones. But the game was required if she wanted the answer to questions that Masutātorikkusutā deemed as a 'none of your business' type of question. The only problem with the whole thing was that she had never once been the victor in any of these 'games'. Masutātorikkusutā had always been faster than her, even without using his Soul Reaper powers; so there was little chance of her being able to catch him now. Instead she tried to talk the black haired man out of the idea.

"But Masutā-kun… I have school tomorrow. I can't chase you all over Karakura Town for the answer to a question." She said sweetly, trying to win him over with logic.

No way in hell…"So… school or not, if you what the answer you can chase me for it. It's only seven o'clock anyways. The time that you get home is totally dependent upon how quickly you can catch me." Masutātorikkusutā stated, the lazy tone in his voice being replaced by the smallest hint of smugness.

He tried not to laugh at the look on the woman's face at the response he gave. It didn't work… a small snort slipped out from the back of his throat at the way she looked at him. The noise only made the look she was giving him all the more hilarious… as much as his Hime tried Masutātorikkusutā didn't think that she would ever be able to give a convincing scowl. But it was funny to see her try at least.

"Seriously… Masutātorikkusutā, I can't miss school. Because if I miss school then my grades will drop, and if my grades drop my aunt won't send me anymore money. And then I'll have to live on the street like a hobo and…"

Orihime stopped her rambling as Masutātorikkusutā busted out into near hysterical laughter. He had never been able to stop himself from laughing when her imagination got the better of her and caused her to spout out the most random of theories and scenarios. She stomped her foot in response as her cheeks once again turned a bright rosy color. She knew why he was laughing, the same reason that he had always laughed at her for. It didn't bother her much; it was the way he always behaved. Funny… he laughed at her imagination as opposed to her hair color like most people did.

"That old crone of an aunt still sends you money? I always figured that by now the frugal hag would have…"

"Masutātorikkusutā!" The high pitched shout interrupted the man's half-finished sentence. She was appalled by the way he was talking about someone he didn't even know. He however, didn't really care.

"What? You know that I'm right Hime-Sama. And besides… I may have never met the woman but I remember hearing her over the phone one time and she even sounded like an evil old shrew." The taller man protested as the orange haired woman opened and closed her mouth several times trying to think of something to say but not coming up with anything.

Time had done nothing about the black haired Soul Reaper's brash and often rude attitude towards certain people. If Masutātorikkusutā got it in his mind that you were a pain in the ass and not worth his time then you would forever remain as such. Orihime just stared at the man; not even sure what to say. Ten years and he was still full of bold statements and degrading insults; Orihime felt sorry for any foolish person that had every gotten on his bad side. But he was usually only like that with people that pissed him off; still… he could stand to be a little bit nicer sometimes.

"I'm a very nice person Hime; it's just when people push me that I get annoyed at their stupidity." Masutātorikkusutā stated blankly shocking the female from her thoughts.

"Masutātorikkusutā! You read my thoughts, you jerk!"

"Oh, Hime-Sama… you wound my soul." The exiled Soul Reaper sighed deeply

"I swear… sometimes you are totally nuts." Orihime sighed in frustration at the situation.

"Thank-you kindly Hime-Sama…but there is still the matter of the questions that you want answered."

"Masutātorikkusutā… I already told you…" The young woman began but was swiftly cut off again.

"Yes, yes… I know what you told me. But one day of missing school will not kill you."

"But…"

"Look, if you humor me I'll pay for your place and you can quit worrying about that old bat of an aunt you have. How about that?"

"Masutātorikkusutā! Cut it out… that isn't even funny!"

"I was being quite serious… but whatever." Masutātorikkusutā deadpanned softly.

Orihime just stared at the man in the doorway, had he really just offered to pay for her apartment if she would blow off school for a day? He must have lost his mind over the course of the ten years that he had been away. Orihime didn't doubt that as a possibility but seriously hoped that her friend was still half way sane. But in truth there really was no telling when it came to the Ex-Soul Reaper.

"So… what will it be? You gonna chase me for them answers; or you gonna chicken out on me?" Masutātorikkusutā asked cheekily, a devious smirk creeping across his lips.

Orihime tried to be rational about the predicament she had found herself in but with Masutātorikkusutā that was a near impossible task. Even though you would think that it would be very easy to ignore what Masutātorikkusutā was proposing it wasn't that clean cut of a choice. Orihime really want her questions answered so if it meant she would have to go along with Masutātorikkusutā's game then she was greatly tempted to do just that. But Orihime did worry about school and money more than most kids her age should; she was reluctant to go along with Masutātorikkusutā on this one. There was no way Masutātorikkusutā would make this game of cat and mouse easy for her even though he was the mouse. There was no telling just how long he would make her chase him to hell and back before he allowed himself to be caught. The whole thing was annoying really; but… she really, really needed answers to the questions that were plaguing her mind like a thousand ants scurrying around in every possible direction. Even though her rational side was telling her to forget the whole thing her curios side wasn't going to be able to leave it alone.

"Fine… you win; I'll play your game." Orihime finally agreed in a bitter tone, mad at Masutātorikkusutā for being able to trick her in such a way.

"Excellent… Ready, Set, GO!"

"Wait… WHAT!"

Before Orihime could even blink Masutātorikkusutā had flash stepped out of the room and down the hall. For a moment she was frozen in shock that he had already started his 'game' without so much as a warning. The shock wore off quickly as she realized that if she didn't move he would be so far ahead of her it would be even more difficult to catch him then it was already going to be. As fast as she could Orihime headed down the hall to the widow in the living room, knowing that Masutātorikkusutā would leave through there and head for the roof. Whenever she had been caught in this 'game' before Masutātorikkusutā always made sure to stick to the rooftops as much as possible (a dangerous thing to do for certain). Orihime was silently grateful for the fact that she had come home earlier after school and changed out of her uniform before going shopping. There was no way she was jumping from building to building with her uniform skirt on. After maneuvering her way out the small window she quickly headed up the fire escape, easily hearing Masutātorikkusutā's loud footfall not far ahead.

With Muramasa:

(Almost forgot about him… didn't you)

Over the course of almost two full hours our favorite Zanpakuto spirit was almost positive that his rational mind had been completely destroyed in a torrent of hellfire and brimstone. Ok… the hellfire being nothing more than the sun beating down on the tar roof of the apartment building. Although it wasn't all that hot the sun was still out and the heat it generated from bouncing off the roof was nothing to snuff at. As much as the heat was burning his back Muramasa refused to leave the relative safety of the rooftop. He was still pissed as hell at Masutātorikkusutā and his seemingly boundless stupidity. But the heat was starting to get on his nerves and he was worried that he might spontaneously combust if he didn't get out of the sun soon. It was getting to the point where Muramasa was considering banging his head against the brick ledge of the building. Masutātorikkusutā had always said that boredom kills and Muramasa was starting to see why.

The sound of the fire escape shaking and squeaking alerted the brown haired spirit that someone was coming up to the roof… quickly. Muramasa got to his feet as he heard the person coming closer; the muscles in his legs and back popped slightly from lack of movement but it didn't bother him much. Listening closer Muramasa realized that there were actually two sets of feet coming up the fire escape… great; he would have to deal with Inoue Orihime again he complained in his head as he absent-mindedly brushed the dirt off his jeans. Just as he stood back up from his bent over position Masutātorikkusutā hopped over the brick ledge and ran smack into the unsuspecting Zanpakuto spirit. Muramasa let out a grunt as the taller man's shoulder hit him square in the chest; it didn't really hurt but it was so sudden that it caused him to stumble back a few feet.

"Watch where you're going." Muramasa growled at the taller man as he steadied himself again.

"Sorry!" Masutātorikkusutā shouted from a few feet away as he stated at the steps leading up to the roof.

"What's your problem?" Muramasa questioned blankly, noticing that the black haired man was distracted by something.

"Nothing… just playin' a little game. For old times' sake and such." Masutātorikkusutā stated vaguely.

Muramasa cocked an eyebrow at the odd statement; what was that crazy Soul Reaper on about this time? Muramasa opened her mouth to question the taller man but failed to notice the second person coming over the ledge. For the second time in two minutes Muramasa was knocked into; this time from the back since he had turned to face Masutātorikkusutā. This person wasn't nearing as heavy as Masutātorikkusutā but facing away from the impact caused Muramasa to fall forward and almost lose his footing completely. Masutātorikkusutā cackled evilly as the young female who had been chasing him almost caused his housemate to smack his face on the concrete. Masutātorikkusutā was almost certain that he would end up burning in hell for his rude nature and the way he found entertainment in other people's pain and suffering. But at this moment he really didn't care at all; it was too funny not to laugh at really. Muramasa glared at the taller man a few feet away, icy blue eyes burning into shining reddish-purple ones.

Muramasa's POV

'I real fucking hate this guy sometimes…' I thought to myself as I stood up straight again for the second time.

The glare I was sending him did nothing to wipe that smirk off his face. I ignored him for a minute in favor of figuring out who or what it was that knocked into me. Oh great, it was her…*sigh* I most have really pissed someone off to have to deal with this crap. The orange haired woman wasn't paying me much attention though, although she had just about knocked me down. She seemed to be dealing with Masutātorikkusutā at the moment; she was probably chasing after him for some reason. I had planned to shout at Masutātorikkusutā again but he beat him to it.

"Muramasa! Watch where you're going!"

'Did he just blame me for that? Of course he did… I swear…'

"Masutā… be quiet, if anything it was your fault."

I glanced to my right and saw her again… Inoue Orihime. Why was she sticking up for me? I had no idea; but if she was chasing Masutātorikkusutā then she wouldn't have ran into me on purpose. She looked mad; something that I didn't think was possible until early when she smacked him in the head. Over the past two hours I had been trying to decide if it was even possible for her to be the same girl that healed me two years ago. She may have looked almost the same but her behavior was way off.

"It's my fault that you blind-sided the poor guy?" Masutātorikkusutā asked sounding confused.

"You made me chase you!" She screamed while waving her arms back and forth.

"Hmm… yeah maybe."

'Seriously…?' Was all I could think. I wonder why I even associate with him part of the time.

"Anyways… there is still the matter of our game… Hime-Sama." The ex-Soul Reaper commented as he inclined his head in her direction.

'A game… what in the world?' I thought to myself as Masutātorikkusutā moved further away as though to put more space in-between himself and the orange haired female that looked like she was going to knock his head off.

Actually… she really did look like she wanted to kill him (if that was even possible for someone as innocent as she was supposed to be). In fact it was sort of scary to see her that pissed. I had moved a few feet away from her before I even realized it … I'm acting weird right now. I wasn't afraid of the woman; really… she was a human after all. But still… it was a little bit strange to see her seething mad. Masutātorikkusutā had that effect on everyone I guess.

"Not if you're going to use Shunpo…" She warned with a scowl.

"Hai, Hai*…Fine; I won't… to bad really. We won't be able to play as long if I can't use Shunpo."

"I don't suppose you used Shunpo* in any other 'game' of yours in the distant past?"

"No…" The man said in an exaggerated, guilty tone.

A glare from the bright haired woman… dang; she was getting good at giving evil looks. Masutātorikkusutā grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Maybe… once or twice… at some point." Masutātorikkusutā muttered, changing his answer.

"I knew you cheated!"

'Of course he cheated you foolish girl…' I thought to myself as she and Masutātorikkusutā continued to act like crazy people.

"Heh… whatever. I'm not gonna cheat this time… but ya still can't catch me even if I don't cheat."

"You shouldn't bet on that…" She warned him firmly.

I watched them closely, since they had pretty much forgotten that I was there. Masutātorikkusutā had moved all the way to the other side of the rooftop; his female friend not far away. She moved slowly, cautiously… as though she was trying to make sure that he wouldn't bolt like a startled animal or something. Masutātorikkusutā would step forward with his right foot before moving his left foot next to the right one. Before moving his left foot back away from the right once again. He continued this pattern in a circular movement, back and forth all the while maintaining the distance between him and the female that was apparently chasing him.

"What in the name of Christ are you people doing?" I asked then both… actually at the time I hadn't planned to say it out loud. Too late…in a second both of them had snapped their heads in my direction.

'Did I just say that aloud?' Great… just peachy.

They were both staring at me… Masutātorikkusutā's stare being of a much angrier looking nature. Either way I didn't really appreciate it…with their eyes on me it was like I was being stabbed multiple times with tiny burning needles. It was downright uncomfortable…

Normal POV

Masutātorikkusutā and Orihime watched as the Zanpakuto spirit turned his head away and rolled his shoulders as though he was uncomfortable about something. Masutātorikkusutā smirked to himself as Orihime flashed a look of concern in the spirit's direction; always with a bleeding heart. Masutātorikkusutā didn't have a clue what was bothering the brown haired spirit but he knew that there was no reason to even bother with it; mainly because Muramasa wouldn't tell anyone what was bothering him in the first place. A losing battle that was… but what can ya do?

In a flash Masutātorikkusutā had moved past Orihime and was heading towards Muramasa. Even without Shunpo the man moved fast; Muramasa made sure that he wouldn't get ran over by the taller man but that wasn't Masutātorikkusutā's intent. He ran all the way past Muramasa before turning halfway around and smacking the poor man in the back of the head… hard.

Muramasa saw white for a minute as his head snapped forward from the impact; why he was always Masutātorikkusutā's punching bag. The hit had bloody hurt; was the man trying to break his neck? Probably… Muramasa rubbed the back of his head where Masutātorikkusutā had hit him and turned to glare at the man. Muramasa turned around just in time to see the taller man jump to the next building. The ex-Soul Reaper turned back grinning like a mad- man.

"That's… for hitting me back at the train station." Masutātorikkusutā declared with a smirk on his lips.

'Son of a …' Muramasa thought as he continued to rub his sore head.

Masutātorikkusutā laughed loudly before giving a strange little salute and turning to run off. Muramasa watched the crazy man run across the rooftops before he disappeared completely. Muramasa blinked a few times trying to figure out just what the hell had happened. It wasn't until Muramasa felt someone tug on his arm that he remembered that he still wasn't alone. He spun around to face her… it felt really unnerving being this close to someone who probably wanted to kill him as quickly as possible. But she didn't look angry or upset at all (unlike early when she had clocked Masutātorikkusutā in the head). They both stared at one another for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to the other. It was Orihime that ended up speaking; and her words shocked him greatly.

"Don't worry about Masutā… he's always like that. I'm sorry, but I have to go catch him now or I'll never hear the end of it from him."

She walked past him prepared to chase after her crazy childhood friend but not before saying one more thing to her second guest.

"You should go inside before the sun cooks you to death.
And don't worry… I'll make sure to hit him one time for you, ok?"

By the time he registered what she had said she was already chasing after Masutātorikkusutā, her long, orange hair waving out behind her as the sun reflected off the orange strands. Muramasa didn't even know what to think at that point (although the idea of Masutātorikkusutā getting whacked upside the head was rather appealing).Muramasa just stood there for a minute… not sure what to do. Finally he decided to listen to Orihime's words and head inside so that he wouldn't get heat stroke. Then again, with as weird as his day was going he was worried that his brain was already fried. Heading back down the fire escape Muramasa shook his head, trying to rearrange his jumbled thoughts.

'What in the world is going on…?'

0 0

CHAPTER END:

Hope you guys liked this chapter alright; nothing much going on yet… just talk and such but that'll change soon enough.

Japanese Dictionary:

Hai- Yes

Shunpo- Flash Step

Itai- Ouch

Gomen'nasai- Sorry

Conversation between Muramasa and Masutātorikkusutā:

Underlined: Masutātorikkusutā

Not Underlined:Muramasa

"Nani…?" -"What…?"

"Yōji…"-"Nevermind…"

"Soreru shinaide kudasai, Ushinawa re, sono yōna shutoku shinai yō ni naru ka."

"Don't wander off, wouldn't what to get lost and such."

"Jigoku o shattodaun suru!"-"Shut the hull up!"

NOTICE: Remember how my computer died on me? Well it isn't all bad; why?

Because the computer geeks were able to save some stuff from my hard-drive

Most of it is short, beginning chapters for a bunch of different stories that I plan on writing soon. I should post most of those little chapters' by the end of the week (hopefully…)

Just to see what you guys think about them I guess…

Anyways…Think u guys for your patience and I'll write as much as I can as soon as I can.

Peace Out!

Virgo-24