The group breathed easily. As relatively as one could get after escaping a school infested with the unlife and then entering the world that too was filled with it. At least in the broader sense, there was more room to move, to maneuver, to seek refuge.
And seeking refuge was the main priority.
"So, who is in charge here? Matsumoto-sensei?" The teacher, whom had preferred to be called Shidou-sensei, glided over toward the busty teacher. Matsumoto smiled at the man, but his features reminded her of a snake-in-the grass sort, always scheming.
"Actually." She said sweetly. "We all worked together in this. No one is in charge."
Shidou tsked at her. "We need a leader. In order to survive a leader is absolutely necessary. The reason is obvious. A leader must protect the order!" He spoke to her, but to everyone else. His fancy pinstripe suit and smoothed back hair gave him an air of elegance and authority. Some of the students he'd brought along were actually fawning over him, particularly the girls and some of the more weak-willed guys.
Tatsuki didn't like him. She'd heard that he tried to molest one of the girls in her class. Of course, they never found any evidence and the girl wouldn't talk. It didn't help that she transferred schools either. She was wary of him. She caught glimpses of a darkness far worse than the dead eating the living. The man made her shiver.
"Yeah, and besides, why do we have to be with you guys? Who gave you the right to decide?" Ichigo looked at the boy. He seemed to have all the features of a delinquent who lost his temper easily. While they weren't always all talk, they didn't pose much of a threat.
"Shouldn't we have found a safe place in the dorms in the school? Why the fuck did we have to leave?" He continued his tirade, anger dictating a vein on his forehead to pulse. It throbbed with his anger as he looked around, the faces of those driving and in control pissing him off.
Matsumoto had just been about to turn around when an oncoming car forced her to swerve. She put on the brakes and set the micro-bus skidding sideways, nearly toppling it over. The guy in the other car simply yelled at her. It seemed road-ragers would always exist.
She began to accelerate once more until a body fell right on her bus. It impacted against the windshield, her reflexes making her swerve nearly off the road. The rest of the students looked up to see a helicopter filled with 'them' trying to climb onto the helicopter. They rained like some twisted form of confetti, sometimes ripping apart as they sailed through the air.
"Can't you drive any slower? At this rate we..." He never had a chance to finish the sentence as the nurse turned around and looked at him angrily.
"Will you shut up? It's hard to drive these things! If you think you'll do any better, than you give it a try!" She blew out a harsh breath, feeling she could've handled that better. But the stress of driving this thing was harder than she'd imagine. Sometimes, she couldn't tell if she was making too wide a turn or if she wasn't turning enough.
The boy yelled at backed down, but not without sending a glare towards the woman's way. He looked at Ichigo, who had been standing quiet the entire time. He had been transfixed on the battle he'd had earlier. He didn't know whether it had been the height of the battle, but he'd though, for a brief moment, that someone had talked to him.
In his head.
"What are you looking at?" Ichigo moved away from his thoughts, concentrating his gaze on the terminally angry boy. "I hate your face! Quit starring at me?"
"Huh?" Ichigo scowled. "What are you talking about? Do I even know you?"
Ichigo's reply didn't dissuade the boy. No, it only made him angrier. "You little bitch!" His teeth were grinding at this point and Ichigo felt an attack waiting to happen.
It never came, courtesy to a kick to the side by one irate Tatsuki. The boy fell with a cry of pain. He held his side, gasping for breath that wouldn't come. Spit flew out of his mouth as he spasmed from the shock. The sudden attack caused panic to the new students that had arrived on the bus, some gasping in shock, while the others simply looked on. But there was one that wasn't in shock. More, he was entertained by all of this. The gleaming eyes behind the glasses broadcasted a sense of mistrust for those smart enough to see through the false facade. But to those who weren't strong of heart, those eyes were ones of a savior.
Shidou clapped. His pin-striped suit making him look the part. He wore a snake-in-the-grass kind of smile, one that put Tatsuki on edge. "Well done Ichigo-kun, Arisawa-san. It's wonderful to see such teamwork!"
Then his true intentions came into play. His eyes took on a devious glint as he said, "However, to keep fights like these from breaking out, I think we should try a little idea I had. What we need is a leader. A leader just for us!" Everybody knew what he was getting at, and Ichigo's group didn't like the idea of having such a teacher as their leader.
Mizuiro crossed his arms. "And I'm sure you'll be the one to lead us correct?" Mizuiro stated with a critical stare. The man's grin simply said it understood where he was coming from, but that he was smarter than a simple boy.
"Why yes. After all, I am the teacher and you are the students. I am the only one qualified to lead." He wore a smug grin, one that made Tatsuki wish she could knock it off.
The teacher turned to the students that had followed him. He had rescued them, and knew he could count on them. "So how about it guys? If you agree with lil'l ol' me, would you please clap your hands?"
There was a well-mannered clap before it erupted into something almost joyous. To add to the effect, Shidou bowed down which hid the sinister smile on his lips before righting himself up and turning to Ichigo's group. In a grandiose manner, he stretched out his hands as if welcoming the group, saying, "Just as I said. The majority rules that I am to be our leader. From now on, everyone here will follow as I say!" He grinned, sending pale shivers down people's spines.
Matsumoto suddenly got up. She put a hand to her hip. "Well, while you might be a teacher, I'm a nurse. That holds more ranking than you, as a teacher, because I can actually help my students in time of need. Plus, I took classes on leadership and such, which makes me more qualified than you to lead." She chuckled when Shidou's eyes narrowed. "Plus, I have the keys to the bus." She wiggled the keys in front of his eyes, knowing how much this was bruising his ego.
"Yes." Shidou calmed himself down despite the rage welling within him. He adjusted his glasses and said, "That may be so, but I still have majority vote."
Matsumoto lifted up a finger. "You're forgetting something. This is our bus, and you are our guests. Unless you are considering to forcefully take this bus?"
Shidou looked like he was not liking the direction this was going. Thankfully, one of the girls that came with him, one that he'd personally molded, spoke up. "Y-Yes, that may be true. But we still think he should lead us. I'm sorry, but we couldn't betray him!"
The older woman looked at the girl in shock. There was no way she could argue against her. Not that she couldn't, but from the looks of things she had rallied everyone against her and Ichigo's group as Shidou's group nodded, seeing the truth in the girls words. Shidou seemed to have regained his cool and said, "See? This only proves that I am more qualified to lead, regardless of the circumstances."
Meanwhile, Tatsuki was debating leaving. They could hold out until they reached the city, but Ichigo looked like he had other concerns rather than just surviving. Seeing this as an opportunity, that and she didn't like this Shidou character, she said, "Why not just split into two groups? It's obvious we don't get along."
Ichigo's group stared at the karate girl. That did make sense. "I don't see anything wrong with it. We were doing fine on our own." Mizuiro stated. The group began to nod to one another, liking the idea. All except the girl they had rescued. She felt that bigger numbers and a vehicle were the best bet. She was about to state her reasoning to the group when Matsumoto yelled out.
"Brace yourselves!" Matsumoto yelled as she held on to the wheel while ducking. Everyone else barely had a second to register her words, only Ichigo and Tatsuki with quick enough reflexes to react.
"Ah!" Orihime cried out and knocked her head against one of the compartments near the front of the bus. Her head resounded with a metallic thud as she clutched it. Ichigo's adrenaline shot through the roof at seeing that and immediately went over to her.
"Orihime! Are you alright?" He asked, taking hold of her arm and looking at her face with a scrutiny that made the girl blush a little. She almost forgot about the pain, and would've if she hadn't hit her head so hard.
"What hit us?" Ichigo asked once he made sure the girl was alright. He turned to Tatsuki and saw a haunted look on her face.
"It was a bus full of them." She murmured quietly. That was what she said. In truth, there had been some people alive on that bus when it scraped by them, but they were being eaten alive. One man's face had been pressed against the window, an image that would be burned into her mind. His face had been shedding tears mixed with the blood that ran down his forehead. His eyes begged for help even as a hand grabbed him and pulled him away. The desperation on his face made the tough girl feel sick and helpless.
"We really need to get moving." Mizuiro commented as he looked at the Tatsuki's face.
"Ah, but you're forgetting I'm the leader. I will decide where we go." Once more, Shidou spoke up. His insidious voice was ever calm and friendly. Ichigo's senses were put on alert by this man. The stress of the situation was already getting to him, what with Orihime being hurt and all. He was about to say something, but then he realized where he was as he caught some writing on a street post. They were just three blocks from where his house was. Everything else was suddenly secondary to him.
The first thing that ran through his mind were his sisters and if they were alright. Mizuiro noticed his sudden shock-eyed look and asked what was wrong.
"We're near my house." He said quietly. The gang stopped to look at him, knowing what he was thinking.
"Well, that settles it." Tatsuki said, doing anything to get rid of that image in her head. "We're going to rescue your family!"
Ichigo looked on at Tatsuki, a strange and thankful look crossing his features that made the tomboy feel fuzzy. Then his face hardened with resolve as he said, "Let's go."
"Ah, you can't go anywhere unless I say so." Shidou interrupted, trying to stop them from going.
Ichigo turned to look at the man, eying him with a dark look. "If you're going to stop someone from rescuing their family, you aren't fit to be a leader." Then they all jumped down before anything could be done. Matsumoto didn't want to leave the safety of the bus, but since she was the nurse, she supposed they would need her in case someone was hurt.
The rescued girl was suddenly stuck. She hadn't leaped off the bus along with Ichigo's group and now she had no choice but to stay here. Shidou eyed the girl with a look that made her feel wrong everywhere before his attention was brought to Matsumoto.
"Come on Matsumoto-sensei, surely you can see reason?" Shidou pleaded, though in truth at this point he didn't really care if he persuaded her or not. It was all for appearances. And she seemed to know that as she shot him a dirty look before leaving the bus. Being a nurse, she couldn't abandon these people by taking the keys, so she left them. She hoped that in doing so, she wasn't doing something she would regret later on.
Ichigo was the one that set the pace. Being a fighter and pretty much extraordinary at any sport he tried combined with his fighting skills, his conditioning allowed him to run farther and for longer than anyone. This combined with the adrenaline surging through him made him nearly glide across the pavement. Some had a hard time catching up, but so strong was his desire to see his family safe that for the moment, he kept going on. Eventually though, he had to slow down when Keigo and Mizuiro were already on their last breath. It didn't help that they had to take down a few of them along the way.
Then a knot formed at the pit of his stomach. He could smell smoke. He looked ahead and saw a fire blossoming in front of him that made his body feel cold with fear. It was near his house, but reality told him the truth as he quickened his pace.
It was his house that was on fire.
"Yuzu! Karin!" He screamed as he sprinted towards the burning building. A burst of flames rolled towards him, as if eager to block his intrusion. Ichigo grunted, the skin on his forearm sizzling as he used it to block his face. He didn't care. Parts of the wall were collapsing, giving way to a decent sized hole he could fit through. He would get burned most likely, but it was better than standing around and doing nothing.
"Ichigo wait!" Tatsuki cried out, but the boy paid no heed. He leaped into the flames, the orange wisps licking at him, trying to burn him. He made it through relatively safely, rolling so as to prevent any flames from catching on his clothes. He swatted away the persistent ones that had managed to get on his pants. The air inside was stifling, suffocating. He could hardly breathe, but now was not the time to worry about himself. Surprisingly, the damage inside was minimal, indicating the fire had started from outside. And he knew what caused it. A car had seemingly run into the side of his house, not quite going all the way inside, but enough to let the fire inside. He had to act fast. He ran upstairs before the flames reached the staircase. His lungs burned as he turned to the right down the hallway.
The door to his parents room was ajar, the opening giving Ichigo an ominous feeling. He swallowed the thick saliva that stayed on his tongue, forcing himself to walk closer. Even with the burning wreckage that kept falling downstairs, all was quiet. At least in his mind. He took step by deliberate step. His hand reached out, hoping that he wouldn't find anything even though at the same time he hoped his sisters were here. The door creaked, the noise raising the hair on his back. He looked to his left and saw his mom leaning against the foot of the bed. His heart leapt for joy in his chest as a relieved smile crossed his features.
But it proved to be for naught. His mother's head whipped up, eyes empty and lifeless. He beautiful face was marred with dried blood and scratches. When his eyes got used to the relative darkness of the room, he could see many corpses laying around. She had killed them all. A sheen of light caught his attention: It was the black and white blade named Zangetsu, his family's heirloom from his mother's side. It was passed down since ages past and he remembered how his mother had pulled him to the side one day and asked him if he would be willing to inherit the sword and its powers. It had shocked him that his mom possessed such a weapon, but it did make sense since she could actually beat Isshin when he was being too much.
He smiled sadly as his mother now bared her teeth, uttering a moan of the dead. She tried getting up, but Ichigo noticed that her legs were missing. His eyes widened as his heart was torn asunder. His mother had caught off her own legs. She didn't have the courage to end her own life, but she also didn't want anyone else to get hurt by her. But Ichigo was hurting. Zangetsu dripped with the dark blood of his mother, whom was now making an effort to crawl to him.
"Mom." He choked. No he pleaded for her to stop. He pleaded for her to stop joking around and to get up and come with him. "Mom, it's alright. We can go and be safe together." He kneeled down, his eyes mirroring the disbelief and anguish his heart was feeling.
All he got was a violent hissing as she approached. His heart broke, but he did not move. His spirit had left him, abandoning the shell that was his body. His mind went numb, not registering the voice that came from behind him.
"Get up Ichigo!" He was hauled violently by the collar of his shirt. He choked on it, banging his head against the door as he was pulled away. He struggled, finally finding his footing and standing on his own two feet as Tatsuki closed the door behind them. He brushed the hands that tried to make him turn, but failed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tatsuki demanded. She saw what had happened, but she wasn't about to let Ichigo die.
"My mom. She's..." He let the words hang idly as Tatsuki heard the fervent banging behind the closed door
"Ichigo." She tried sounding kind despite the stressfulness of the situation. "She's gone." She bit her lip when his eyes seemed to dim even more. His clear sorrow made tears sting her eyes as her heart twisted for her friend. She grabbed him once more by the collar and shook him with all her might. "SHE'S GONE ICHIGO!"
His eyes focused on her, a flash of anger lighting up his eyes. "But we need you. Orihime, Mizuiro, Keigo... we all need you." Her truthful words seemed to have brought some sense to him even though his shoulders drooped, hanging low and tired.
"Let's go Ichigo." Tatsuki grabbed his hand and turned to walk, but his hand slipped from hers. She turned around and saw Ichigo facing the door where the banging seemed to have stopped.
"I have to take care of something first." He walked slowly towards the door, the roaring fire below him still not enough to drown out the sound of his heart breaking. It hurt as he twisted the door knob. It hurt as he opened it and saw his mother searching her once pristine room for bodies to eat. It hurt even more when he picked up Zangetsu and remembered his mother's words.
Legend said that only the one the sword has chosen could hear its words. Sadly, no one has heard Zangetsu's voice for over four generations. But something tells me that one day, you'll be able to hear him.
He gripped the handle tightly. He briefly felt proud that he was able to hold the sword and how his mother had congratulated him. Zangetsu was large and unwieldy, but for the type of sword it was, it was light. But now, he would have to use the sword his mother had taught him with to end her life, this time permanently. He faced his mother, whom had turned around to settle a hungry graze on him. No, this wasn't his mother. His mother was already gone. No, this thing was just a shell, bastardized by whatever was causing this. Anger and rage filled him. He hated this abomination. He hated them. He was going to do anything and everything to stop this somehow.
He was going to kill them all.
With anguish and sorrow in his heart, he cried out as he moved swiftly, moving towards the corpse and bringing Zangetsu down with a broken heart. He sliced his mother's head, the blade sinking down all the way to where her heart would've been. He pulled out the sword, feeling the sensation of bones and cartilage being torn through the hilt. The corpse was no more. Ichigo heaved with sighs as tears streamed freely down his face. He grabbed his head with a viciously shaking hand, disbelieving at what he'd done. He turned to the heavens and screamed, everything blanking out as all that filled him was grief and sadness.
"You did what was right Ichigo." Ichigo's long-time friend came up beside him, offering a consoling hand and a rare, warm look. "Come on. Let's get going." She ushered him out of the room and down the stairs.
Only to find there were no stairs. The bottom of the house was already in flames. The fire seemed to roar as it viciously ran through the frame of the house, leaving nothing untouched. It threatened to consume everything, and it would. It would even consume them if Tatsuki let it have the chance.
Tatsuki wasn't about to die just yet. She looked up to her friend who was still reeling from the blow life had dealt him. She was worried. She sensed that he didn't care if he died right now. Thankfully, she'd been over to his house many times and knew every inch of the place. She moved back up along with Ichigo. She led him to his room. For a moment she paused. She hadn't been to his room in a while, ever since they'd entered high school. His tastes had changed, but other than a few posters here and there, it had remained the same. Her attention was, however, brought to the reality of the situation as flames began racing up to the very room they were in.
She let the boy go and moved to open the window. Once done, she put a foot out and stretched out her hand for him to grab. "C'mon Ichigo, grab my hand!" She looked at him pleadingly, worried that he might not come with her. But he needed to make a decision. It was up to him if he was going to let his sorrow consume him or not. She waited for what seemed an eternity as his stare was focused on nothing but her hand. A few more tears fell from his eyes before he gritted his teeth and clenced his fists, seemingly making up his mind.
He took her hand.
They jumped down, rolling to prevent injury to themselves. A moment later, flames began spilling out of his window as if angry it had let its prey escape. They stared at the makeshift pire as it began turning the house to nothing but ash.
"Goodbye mom." Ichigo whispered to himself. Tatsuki allowed for a moment of silence, praying over the death of Ichigo's mom. Then the window from his mom's room exploded. It sent the two reeling and moving their arms in front of their face. Something flew out. As Ichigo went to see what it was, he found it was Zangetsu's sash. He grabbed it and put it around his shoulder as it looped down to his hip and back up his chest in a circle. He attached Zangetsu to one of the bead-like holds and felt the reassurance of its weight on his back... and the memory of his mom. His eyes filled with tears once more, but he knew that he could be thankful for one thing. His sisters hadn't been in the house. That had to mean they were somewhere else, hopefully safe. He couldn't bear to find out his sisters were dead, or worse, one of them. But his dad hadn't been there, so he hoped that he was taking good care of them.
He blew out a breath, wiping away the remaining tears that didn't want to leave his eyes. Tatsuki looked away, allowing the boy to picking up the broken pieces and try to put them back together. Just then, the rest of the group came bounding from a street corner, finding Tatsuki and Ichigo and waving at them with relief.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime ran up to him, nearly smacking her forehead against his chin. She had wanted to ask if he was alright, but running like that had taken the wind out of her. Now she was huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath as she was poised bent over with her hands on her knees.
Ichigo understood what she wanted to say. "I'm alright. Thanks for worrying." He said with a sincerity that made Orihime blush as she now found the floor rather interesting.
Mizuiro smiled at the reunion. He shifted his eyes when he caught something. A figure. He turned and saw a few of them wandering the street. They were heading towards them, and he wasn't entirely sure if it was the fire that caught their attention or the group's talking. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but he had to warn them before they were overrun. "Guys, I think it would be better if we moved."
Tatsuki was about to rebuke him, this little reunion helping Ichigo cope with what just happened when she too saw the idle bodies. Everyone else followed suit and turned their eyes to what Tatsuki was looking at it.
Ichigo's eyes took a sharp and deadly glint. His teeth were gritted and his teeth grinding almost painfully. He brought his hand over his head and to the hilt of Zangetsu. His blood boiled and his heart demanded vengeance. A hand stopped him as he turned to see Tatsuki shaking her head at him.
"Ichigo. Don't do it. We need to go somewhere safe." She pleaded him with her eyes. For a moment, it didn't seem like her words made it through to him. But they did and he relinquished his hold.
"We need to find someplace to rest." Ichigo said, reasoning to himself that this was the best solution for everyone as the fires in his heart settled down. But they would never really be put out, as he would soon find out.
"Oh! I know! My friend's apartment!" Matsumoto quipped up, her large bust jiggling as she did. Keigo gulped as he stared, but no one seemed to notice.
"Really? How far away is it?" Ichigo almost demanded. Matsumoto stared at the boy, but offered a kind smile.
"It's about a mile away ummm..." She looked at the street and where she was. "That way!" She pointed in a general direction.
"Good. We should get going as soon as possible. It's going to be nighttime and it will be harder for us to fight them." Mizuiro stated. The group soon found themselves hoofing it once more. However, they soon found out the toll that day had taken from them. Most of the group barely found themselves able to move. Keigo felt like his legs were made out of rubber. Mizuiro's lungs burned. Ichigo was still coping with his loss. Tatsuki was still reeling a little at all the things she'd seen. Orihime was injured. Everyone seemed to be having some sort of difficulty, even Matsumoto. Though hers were more easily remedied. She just needed to find a better bra so her chest wouldn't shake so much while running.
Yet, despite all this exhaustion, they made it safely and with relatively few of them getting int heir way. "This is it!" Matsumoto introduced with a 'ta-da!' and a pose. Everyone was amazed. The car that Matsumoto had shown them that looked like a tank was actually a Humvee. It had four monster tires that looked like it could take on any landscape and enough lamps in front to light up even the darkest abyss. Its grill looked like it could chew through any wall if given the need to.
"What kind of friend do you have." Tatsuki commented dryly. She wasn't aware of any places that sold Humvees.
Matsumoto giggled at the comment. Ichigo looked around along with Mizuiro, both coming to the same conclusion: The wall that surrounded the place would be able to keep them out. Their attention was brought to a scratching noise that was slowly becoming louder. Then moans followed.
Ichigo's face turned grim, but at the same time he was suddenly looking forward to making them stay down permanently. He was still angry, and any sort of revenge he could get would suffice. He grabbed Zangetsu, the large blade being hefted easily. As he grabbed it, he felt a strange sense of remorse. He would be killing because he was angry. His mother wouldn't have liked that. She had taught him that Zangetsu was a not a weapon, but a tool for the warrior to find peace within themselves. He hadn't understood her words at the time, but as he loosened his grip on the handle and eyed the situation with a calmer mind, he felt like he beginning to. His mother was gone, and no amount of anger and destruction was going to bring her back. He bit the inside of his jaw, feeling the anger trying to push itself out.
'You're doing well Ichigo.' Ichigo paused, turning around to find out where the voice had come from. He didn't have time to try and find it though as they began creeping from every dark corner, seemingly en masse.
"Looks like we have to take care of the ones inside before we can be safe." Tatsuki slipped into a battle stance, ready to fight.
Ichigo once more placed his hand on the hilt of Zangetsu. This time, he would be fighting to survive and not for revenge. He hauled Zangetsu over his head, poising the blade towards his enemies. He blinked, feeling a strange power fill him. It must've been his imagination, because he could've sworn his muscles now felt better, almost rejuvenated. Whatever the case, he was ready to fight. With a battle cry, he lunged towards his first target. Those empty eyes focused towards him, but he was ready. He brought Zangetsu horizontally, effectively cutting the head of one that got too close. It rolled away before being stepped one by another that took its place. Ichigo was thankful that while persistent, they weren't highly coordinated since it fell when it stepped on the head of its comrade. He quickly ended its unlife with a stab to the head, the body squirming a couple of times before it stayed there unmoving. Ichigo felt like a wind was carrying him, letting him carve swaths of them away with ease. Everything felt almost rehearsed, almost second nature to him. His feet followed every command his mind sent them; taking a step to the left, dodging, rolling, pushing. Zangetsu was an extension of his body as he twirled the blade, decapitating two more bodies in one swing. And as he jumped, he felt like he'd jumped higher than he had ever done so in his life. The slash came down, the grace of the blade slicing through the air with ease and then through the body. The two halves fell apart and Ichigo sported a triumphant grin. But soon his thoughts became more focused on killing them rather than surviving. There was another, darker piece that still managed to seep its way into his actions, into his movements. The longer Ichigo fought, the stronger its grip became. Yet, Ichigo began to feel he needed this part because it allowed him to fight them without exerting himself. Their moans echoed in his mind and whatever was inside of him, too responded with maniacal cackle.
Tatsuki paused to turn towards Ichigo, feeling rather impressed, and that's when it occurred to her that he had probably been practicing with that sword. That would make sense why he would disappear from school every now and then and why he was so good with the weapon now. He had been training. She smiled, feeling glad that Ichigo was able to express his sorrow so well, but it faltered as Ichigo looked almost fanatic when his blade sent blood and guts flying. Pieces were falling from his enemies, and they couldn't do anything to stop it. Tatsuki didn't know if his newfound energy was a blessing, or a curse as instead of the clean slices he had been performing earlier; now they were more brutal and savage as the blade perforated the bodies, not necessarily kiling them right away. But it got the job down and soon they were finished, the tired bodies of the companions immediately seeking refuge inside the apartment.
Later on, once they made it inside and hunkered down, everyone collapsed on the rather luxurious couches that were inside Matsumoto's friend's apartment. "Wow, it's really nice in here." Keigo commented with wide-eyed fascination.
"Yep. I was asked to take care of this place while my friend was gone." She said. "I wonder what Yoruichi-san is up to?" She said to herself.
"Well, whatever the case, we have to thank this Yoriuchi-san for lending us this place. We needed it." Mizuiro stated with all the maturity of one many years older than he was.
"No problem." She said before getting up. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am so ready to take a bath. Would you girls care to join me?" Then she eyed Ichigo and the other boys and said with a grin, "You boys are welcome to join us if you'd like, I don't mind."
"W-W-Wha..." Tatsuki sputtered as Orihime turned crimson. "What are you thinking!"
Matsumoto feigned being scared as she raised her hand. "Just kidding! C'mon, we all need to relax right? I'm sure mixing boys and girls together would come up with interesting results." And there was no subtlety in the implication of her words. No one was left wondering what she meant by that.
And while Tatsuki argued with the perverted woman, Orihime flickered her gaze over towards Ichigo. The boy was rubbing his temples, clearly annoyed by the conversation. But his face too was red with embarrassment as well. Orihime bit her lip before bowing her head as steam poured from her ears. Had she really just thought that it wouldn't really be too bad to share a bath with Ichigo? She shook her head violently, feeling like her heart was going to burst and that she was going to suffocate. What was she thinking?
"See? Even Orihime agrees with me!" Tatsuki pointed to the embarrassed girl who looked like she was about to spontaneously combust.
"Fine!" Matsumoto threw in the towel, giving up on the argument. "But we're still sharing a bath. We don't know how long the water will last, so we have to make it count."
Despite giving a solid reason, Tatsuki still didn't trust that devious glint in her eyes. She was planning something, and Tatsuki could smell it from a mile away.
"Fine." The tomboy conceded. "But no funny business alright?" She said with a serious look and a pointing finger.
Matsumoto smiled a secretive smile. "Whatever you say hon!"