Chapter 2: Cueball

"Bored out of my ass... This is freakin' ridiculous..." Ikkaku groaned to himself. He was right. There was really nothing to do these days anymore. Makes you wonder where the hell are all of the bad guys? Instead of sitting around all day, he decided to take a little walk around. Even though it's unbelieveably hot and humid outside.

What bothered him most is when there was nothing to do.

"Hah, hah, hah! E-Excuse me!" It was a woman's voice that called out. Ikkaku stops in his tracks, turning his head to see who was calling. It was the Lieutenant of squad 14. Of course, he remembered her. She was awkwardly tall and thin as a toothpick and her orange, choppy hair was as bright as neon. Oncse she was close enough, she bows respectfully.

"What do you want?"

"U-Um. I'm the Lieutenant from 14th----"

"I know where you're from. Just what do you want?" He was beginning to sound rather irritated. Maybe the heat was getting to him.

"A-Ah. Well, I'm kind of lost. I thought that I would remember after a few weeks of being here, I would know where squad 14's quarters are but.... I-If you're not in the mood to help me..... then I'll go ask someone else---"

"Alright, alright! Geez, I've never seen anyone so freakin nervous!" Ikkaku snapped, rubbing his aching neck. As tall as she was, she hid her face behind her short hair as much as possible. Eventually, she looks at him and thanks him politely.

"I'll walk you there. Only because I don't have anything else to do right now." He finally says, walking off without her. Quickly, she trails behind him.

"What a bother..."

"So...... Are you a lieutenant as well?" Hanabi asks, timidly.

"Are you slow?" He asks, stopping to give her a ridiculious expression. His question caused her head lower once again. Before she cold answer, he spoke once again.

"You said you have been here for a few weeks but you don't know who I am and what squad I'm from. How pathetic."

Eventually, a frown appears on her face. Of course, he takes note on her expression but that didn't change the fact that he though she was slow.

"I-I'm sorry..." After apologizing, the walk to the quarters was quiet. A few more steps and they were there.

He sighs in slight relief. "Okay, here we are. Your captain's room should be there and----"

"Lieutenant Kishimoto! We're were you, you fool?!" A voice yells out. Hanabi's calm posture instantly changes. Fear appeared on her face and she trembled beneath her clothes.

"Er... I-Izuni taichou. A thousand pardons, I didn't mean to delay..... Here are your sweet buns...." Trembling, Kishimoto hands her captain her food. Willingly, Captain Izuni takes them and takes a bite out of one.

"Hm..... Not bad, Kishimoto."

A smile appears on the shy shinigami. "Ah, a-arigato, Taichou---"

"But! I thought I told you not to associate with shinigami like him." Captain Sae Izuni didn't take her time to point her finger straight at Ikkaku. But Ikkaku wouldn't dare let anyone talk down upon him like that!

"What did you just say, troll?"

"You heard me, you punk!"

"Izuni taichou, isn't he a lieutenant?"

"Hell no! He's third seat of squad 11. Madarame Ikkaku."

He twists his face up like he ate something sour. "How the hell do you know so much about me already? Or unless you were looking for a fight."

"Tsh! Don't kid yourself cueball! I don't fight losers."

He almost hit a nerve when the word cueball came out of her mouth. Without thinking, he grabs Captain Izuni by her scarf. "You little brat. Don't you EVER call me---"

"Get the HELL off of me! Or I'll beat your ass to a bloody pulp!" She yells, her crimson eyes growing dark like blood. Sae slaps his hand away, managing to keep one hand occupied with her sweet buns.

"You lay one hand on me one more time, I'm not only going to get your captain to kick your ass, I'll smash your face in."

Ikkaku was about to have a comeback but Captain Izuni turns away. "Let's go, Hanabi. We have much more important things to do right now."

"Ah, agreed, taichou." Kishimoto trots behind her captain, fading into a not too distant room.

And just like that, Ikkaku stood there fuming like poisonous gas. Hell, he was close to erupting and blowing over like a freakin volcano! But he slowly, but surely, calmed down.

"That stupid girl! Just because she's a captain, she thinks she can walk all over me!! Ah, stupid bitch!!"

Soon after, he heads back to his room, looking for something to cut into shreds.

~*~*~*~

"What's the matter with you?" Yumichika stood a few feet away from Ikkaku, trying to figure him out.

"Nothing!" Ikkaku answers quickly, stabbing a dummy.

Yumichika makes a face, not close to being convinced to Ikkaku's response. "Well, you could have fooled me. No, really, what's wrong?"

"That stupid captain again! She's getting on my nerves!"

"What did she do?"

Ikkaku lunges his zampakuto into the dummy and soon after turning his eyes to his close friend. "She called me CUEBALL."

It was as if he said a bad word or something. Yumichika shakes his head. "What an ugly attitude."

"You're tellin' me..." Ikkaku grumbled, sheathing his zampakuto.

~*~*~*~

A/N: Ugh! I feel like garbage! I've got exams again for the next two days AND I'm suffering from the pain of a tongue piercing! Dammit it hurts! But it won't stop meh form writing! Bwa Ha HA!

R&R PLEASE!