"Hey! Rangiku!" Hayden called, running up to the strawberry-blonde. She was standing outside the bar with a blonde man, who he assumed was Izuru.
"You made it," she grinned.
"Of course," he grinned back, then turned to the man. "Hey, I'm Hayden Atchison. Oh, and this is my sister, Aniston."
"Nice to meet you!" Aniston chirped. She had dark purple hair with a few light blue streaks. It fell just past her shoulders, and her long, purposely-uneven bangs framed her blue-green eyes, nearly covering them. She was wearing a flowy black skirt that fell to her mid-thigh, a tight, low-cut black tank top, and black low tops. She also wore black fingerless gloves and a black choker with a purple heart charm. Her earrings were silver skull posts.
"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, and this is Izuru Kira," Rangiku grinned.
Izuru shuffled uncomfortably, staring down at the ground.
"All right, let's party!" Rangiku cheered, leading them to the bar.
Rangiku sat on a stool. Hayden sat next to her, Aniston on the other side of Hayden, and Izuru on the other side of Aniston. Aniston turned to Izuru as the bartender served their drinks.
"This isn't really your thing, is it?" she asked.
"No."
She looked at him curiously, swirling her drink.
"You're not the social type," she observed. "It's obvious, so I'm sure Rangiku knows—she shouldn't have made you come."
"I don't really mind," he shrugged, staring down at the counter. "Her friends aren't here.."
"She would've been fine," Aniston sighed. "Well, if you get too uncomfortable, you can always leave. I'll come with you if you like—I'll just have to come back for my likely-to-be-drunk brother."
"Thank you," he said softly.
"No problem!" she grinned. "So, tell me about yourself. What division are you in?"
"Third."
"Oh, with Gin?"
He nodded.
"He's an interesting person," she chuckled. "I've known him most of my life—he and Rangiku were always hanging out with my sister."
"I'm his Lieutenant."
"Oh, wow—so you must spend a lot of time with him. Does he drive you crazy?"
"No. He's well-liked in our division."
"Hm, I suppose that does make sense…. He's certainly charismatic!" she laughed. "Well, what do you like to do?"
"Mm…. Write."
"What do you write?" she prodded.
"Haiku. Fiction."
"I love haikus," she smiled. "There's always an air of mystery, because there's no room for explanation. I love that."
"Mm," he nodded.
"Is there anything else you like to do?"
He thought for a moment before answering.
"…. Cat's cradle."
"Ooh, fun," she grinned. "I messed around with it a bit when I was young, but I didn't get very far. Umm…. Tell me about your family."
"I'm an only child. My parents died when I was young."
"Oh…. I'm sorry, Izuru."
He shrugged.
"I sort of know how you feel. I mean, not entirely, but… My mom died when I was young, too. Dad… his presence has been sporadic since she's been gone. He loves us, but he's been so torn up…. My older sisters gave most of the caregiving."
He looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time that night. She blinked; his eyes—well, the one she could see—were a soft, dark blue. She smiled, and was rewarded with a tentative smile from him.
"I'm sorry," he said.
She was surprised to feel her heart rate speed up and butterflies in her stomach. She brushed the feelings aside.
"It's nothing compared to what it must've been like for you. I had my siblings, and Dad was around sometimes. You… you were all alone…."
"I don't mind being alone," he said, shrugging nonchalantly, going back to staring at the table.
"Even the most antisocial people need someone, Izuru."
He didn't reply. She sighed.
"Mm… Izuru?"
"Yeah?"
"Mm…. Tell me a haiku?" she asked.
He looked up at her, surprised, and she smiled hopefully at him. He smiled slightly and sighed.
"Ok…" He closed his eyes, thinking. "I hear crackling, crunch, of today's new found day. And I know it won't last. So I will leave it at bay, and hope for the best, this bitter new day."*
"Wow—a double haiku. I love it. I always have a hard time getting the right number of syllables…. Did you just make that up on the spot?"
He nodded.
"Wow. That's amazing."
"Thanks…." he mumbled, blushing slightly.
"Dance with me, Izuru."
"W-what?" he looked up at her, stunned.
"Dance with me!" she repeated, grinning.
"I-I don't dance—"
"Pleeeeease?" she begged, leaning toward him with a pout.
"I-I don't know how…."
"So? I don't care! Please, Izuru?" she grabbed his hands, looking up at him pleadingly.
"Nnn…. Ok…." He hesitantly agreed.
"Yay!" she jumped up excitedly, dragging him toward the dance floor.
She stopped in a random spot in the crowd and turned toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He blushed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist. She swayed back and forth to the music, grinning up at him. He looked around nervously. She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head toward her. She smiled reassuringly at him, still moving to the music. He gasped as her hips grazed his; she grinned and repeated the movement.
"Aniston—"
"What?" she asked innocently.
He hesitated.
"Nn…. Nothing…."
She giggled and pressed her body up against his. He stiffened, blushing.
"Do you want me to stop?" she whispered in his ear, grinding her hips into his.
"I-I…."
"I will if you want me to," she whispered, twirling a strand of his hair around her finger.
"I-I…. I don't…. I…. Aniston…." he stammered, his blush darkening.
Aniston sighed and started to pull away.
"I'm sorry—" she cut off; his arms were tight around her waist, preventing her from moving away from his body. "Izuru…."
"S-Sorry—" he released her, jerking his arms behind his back. He shuffled nervously, avoiding eye contact with her.
"Izuru…."
He didn't reply.
"Izuru!" she turned his face toward her.
She smiled softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb.
"It's ok," she whispered, sliding her arms around his neck. "You don't need to apologize. It's ok."
She laid her head on his shoulder. His arms slid back around her waist.
"Do you want to sit down?"
He nodded.
"Ok. C'mon," she pulled away from the embrace. She took his hand in hers and led him back to their seats.
"You shouldn't play with your food, Toni," Hayden teased, grinning.
"Izuru is not food, Hayden," she said firmly.
"Then why did it look like you were preying on him back there?"
"Shut up, Hayden," she growled.
"I'm just saying," he continued, "you're like a cheetah and he's the elk and you were just toying with him before going in for the kill, playing with your—"
He cut off in mid-sentence when Aniston dumped her drink over his head.
"Oook, too far," he chuckled, wiping his face. "Sorry, Toni."
"Uh-huh."
"Oh, c'mon, Toni. You know I'm just messing around! Forgive me?"
"Buy me another drink," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"You name it."
"Mmm…. Sex on the beach!" she cheered, throwing her fist in the air enthusiastically.
"You would," Hayden laughed, shaking his head. "Do you even know what's in that?"
"No idea! But I like the name," she grinned.
"Of course you do…." Hayden sighed and called the bartender over.
"You ok?" Aniston asked, turning to Izuru.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry, Izuru," she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"It's ok."
"I'm really sorry, Izuru. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's ok," he repeated. "I…." he hesitated, then mumbled something under his breath.
"What?"
"…. Nothing…."
"C'mon, Izuru—I know you said something! Tell me what you said!"
"I didn't—"
"Please, Izuru! Tell me!" she grabbed his arm, looking up at him with that damn pout again.
He sighed. She leaned in close so she could hear.
"I…. I… kind of enjoyed it," he murmured, looking away.
She barely heard him—but she did.
"O-oh," she blinked, blushing. "Well… that's good…."
"Y-yeah…."
"I really am glad, though," she said softly.
"Hey, Toni," Hayden interrupted, "I think I better get Rangiku home—she's pretty wasted."
"How 'bout you?" she asked. "Are you ok to get her there by yourself?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't had much to drink at all," he turned to Izuru. "I can trust you to get my sister home safe, right, Kira?"
"Of course," Izuru nodded.
"Great! See ya 'round, dude. Toni, don't traumatize him too much, k?"
"I'll try."
Hayden laughed, mussed Aniston's hair—earning him a glare—and left, supporting a highly intoxicated Rangiku.
"Wow, she is wasted," Aniston laughed.
"It usually takes her awhile to get that far gone…." Izuru mused.
"Well, we've been here for a couple hours…. You wanna bounce?"
"Bounce?" he looked at her curiously.
"Yes, bounce. As in leave. Don't judge me!" she buried her face in her hands, giggling.
"Uh, ok. What do you want to do?"
"I dunno," she shrugged. "We could just walk around and do whatever comes to mind."
"Ok."
She took another sip of her drink and stood up.
"Let's go!" she chirped.
They were about halfway to the door when someone slammed into her, spinning her around. When she regained her footing, Izuru was out of sight.
"Izuru?" she shouted, cursing the volume of the crowd. "Izuru!"
"Hey, babe, wanna dance?" an obviously drunk man approached her. His red hair stuck to his sweaty face, his brown eyes unfocused.
"No, thank you," she said politely, looking around.
"C'mon, babe, dance with us," another wasted man came up, leering at her. This one was blond, but just as sweaty.
"No, thanks, really—I'm looking for someone."
"We insist," a third man—a brunette—appeared, wrapping an arm around her. He was sweaty and drunk, just like his friends.
"H-hey—"
"You're a cutie," the redhead laughed, running his fingers through her hair.
"Stop that—"
"Very cute," the blond agreed, touching her face.
"Don't touch me—"
"Come play with us," the brunette growled, grabbing her ass.
She shrieked. The first two held her while the brunette continued to paw at her breasts and skirt. Suddenly, her attacker was flung away, crashing to the floor. Her two captors followed shortly after. She sunk to the ground, stunned.
"Hands off," Izuru growled.
"L-Lieutenant!" the brunette stammered.
"She's with you?" the blond asked dazedly.
"We didn't know!" the redhead whimpered.
"Have mercy!" they all cried, bowing dramatically.
Izuru fumed, looking ready to kill all three of them. His hand moved toward his Zanpakuto, stopping halfway there when Aniston tugged on his pant leg.
"I just want to leave," she whispered, dully noting how quiet the bar had suddenly become.
Izuru took a deep breath and nodded. He picked her up and carried her out of the bar, sending a fierce glare at the offenders. He walked to a nearby park, setting her down on a bench.
"Are you ok?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Yes," she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest. "Thank you, Izuru."
"For what?"
"Saving me."
"Oh…. Well, I had to—I promised your brother I'd get you home safe. And… it pissed me off when I saw them bothering you," he admitted.
"Well, no matter the reason, thank you," she repeated, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Anytime. So… do you want me to take you home?"
"No," she shook her head.
"You sure? You seem pretty shaken up. It's probably best if—"
"I want to stay with you," she interrupted. "Please, Izuru. I… I feel safe with you. Please…."
"Ok," he sighed. "What do you want to do, then?"
"I don't know…. Can we just stay here for a bit?"
"Ok."
She smiled up at him, then slid down on the bench, laying her head in his lap. He tensed, unused to being so up close and personal.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Ok," she sighed, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together.
"C'mon, Rangiku," Hayden sighed, trying to get the woman inside her room.
She wasn't making it easy. She was giggling and swaying and kept trying to walk away in different directions—every direction but the one he wanted her to go in.
He finally succeeded in getting her through her door. She grabbed his sleeve, pulling him in after her.
"C'mon, Hayden," she giggled. "Come insi~ide, let's have some funn!"
"Rangiku, you're drunk!" he groaned.
"Nah! I'm fine!" she laughed.
"C'mon, Rangiku—it's time to go to sleep."
"But I don't wanna!" she pouted.
"Sleep," he demanded, pushing her down on the bed.
He turned to leave, stopping mid-step when he felt her tug on his sleeve again.
"Stay," she plead. "Lay with me."
"No, Rangiku," he sighed. "Not tonight. If you want to have a sleepover when you're sober, then we'll see."
"Promise?"
"Of course," he smiled softly. "Good night, Rangiku."
He slipped from her grasp and left, sighing.
At least she was a happy drunk….
"Aniston…. Aniston."
Aniston groaned, covering her eyes with her arm.
"Aniston, wake up."
Aniston groaned again, opening one eye groggily. She peered up at Izuru blankly, trying to process where she was and what was going on.
Izuru looked down at the sleepy girl laying in his lap, absentmindedly playing with her hair. It was really soft….
"Hey, Izuru," Aniston murmured, yawning.
She gave him a sleepy smile. He smiled shyly back at her, blushing lightly.
"Mm, you're cute," she giggled, sitting up and stretching.
She looked back to find him blushing intensely, looking away. She laughed again and plopped her head back in his lap, making him jump and jerk his gaze back to her.
"What?" she asked innocently, suppressing a grin.
"N-nothing!" he stammered, still staring down at her with wide eyes and a red face.
She giggled again and rolled off his lap, landing on her butt in the grass. She grinned and held her hands out expectantly. He stood and obediently helped her up.
"We should get you home," he said softly, shuffling from foot to foot.
"Aw," she pouted.
"W-what?"
"Nothing," she grinned, looping her arm through his. "Let's go."
"Toni's here! And she brought a bo-oy!" Avalon yelled, laughing, adding the second bit in a sing-song voice.
"That I did," Aniston grinned. "And, might I add, it's about time you two got together!"
She pointed an accusatory finger at Jaedelyn and Gin, who were cuddling on a couch. She and Izuru had walked in to find them in mid-kiss. Jaedelyn giggled happily, nuzzling into Gin's neck; Gin's smirk widened slightly, his arm tightening around Jaedelyn's waist.
Gin's grin widened further when he saw Izuru standing next to Aniston.
"Hello, Izuru," he chuckled.
"Hello, Captain Ichimaru," Izuru said respectfully.
"You know him, Gin?" Capri asked curiously.
"Izuru is Gin's lieutenant," Aniston answered for Gin.
"Cool!"
"You two hittin' it off?" Gin asked, thoroughly enjoying the deep blush that spread across his lieutenant's face.
"Gin! Be nice!" Jaedelyn scolded, smacking his chest.
Gin just laughed.
"Is he always this mean to you, Izuru?" Avalon asked, grinning.
"N-no, not at all!" Izuru stammered.
Avalon's grin widened as she looked at Aniston.
"I approve."
"Thanks, Av," Aniston laughed.
"Seriously, so adorable!" Avalon giggled.
"I know, right?!"
"Hell yeah!" Avalon nodded enthusiastically.
"I think you're embarrassing him, Avalon," Jaedelyn said, giving Izuru a sympathetic smile.
"Sorry, Izuru," Avalon attempted to hide her grin, but failed miserably, letting out a giggle.
"C'mon, Izuru, I won't subject you to more of their torture—we can go to my room," Aniston grabbed his hand and lead him to the stairs.
"No glove, no love!" Avalon called after them.
"Tell that to Jaedelyn!" Aniston called back, laughing.
"I already did!" Avalon laughed.
"Don't remind me," Jaedelyn rolled her eyes. "You just shout it out to the world! What is it, your catch phrase?"
"No—but I think it'd be a pretty good one!" Avalon giggled.
Jaedelyn just gave her a 'WTF?' look.
"I think it's funny—and good advice!" Capri agreed.
"Why me?" Jaedelyn groaned.
"You know you love us!" they chimed, grinning.
"I have no choice," she sighed, hanging her head dejectedly.
Gin laughed, tilted her head toward him, and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed back eagerly, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"Ew, get a room!" Avalon squealed, throwing a pillow at them and making Jaedelyn squeal.
"And on that note, I'm going to my room," Capri rolled her eyes and left, laughing.
"Don't you two do anything other than make out?!" Avalon asked.
"Of course," Jaedelyn replied. "We went out to dinner today."
"Did you get through the entire meal without sticking your tongues down each others' throats?"
"Yep!"
"What an accomplishment," Avalon said dryly.
"You're gonna come watch tomorrow, right, Shiro?" Hunter asked, looking at her friend hopefully.
"Of course," Toshiro looked at her like she was crazy to even ask such a silly question.
"Good," she smiled.
"I should get home," Toshiro said, moving to go back in through Hunter's bedroom window.
"No—don't go! Please!" she grabbed his wrist, frowning.
"I have to work tomorrow, Hunter," he sighed. "You should get some sleep, too—you need to be at your best tomorrow."
"Stay with me, then," she begged. "Just like when we were kids—"
"We're not kids, Hunter," he reminded her.
"So? Please!"
He sighed.
"Please, Shiro?"
"Ok," he relented. "I'll stay—but we have to go to bed."
"Yay!" she giggled, pulling him into her room.
Toshiro sat on her bed while she ran into her bathroom to get dressed. She returned minutes later, wearing rather short black shorts and a rather revealing blue tank top. He looked away, flushing slightly.
"What's wrong, Shiro?" she asked, completely oblivious.
"Nothing," he replied, laying down and facing away from her.
She caught a glimpse of the blush on his face. She glanced down, confused. Suddenly it dawned on her; she was pretty sure she knew why he was uncomfortable. She giggled and walked over, lying down next to him so that he was facing her again.
"Should I put something else on?" she asked, amused.
"No," he mumbled, burying his head in the pillow.
She giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist, cuddling up to him. He sighed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer.
"Night, Shiro," she murmured.
"Night, Hunter," he whispered, leaning his head on top of hers. Her hair smelled like watermelon—she always smelled like watermelon, ever since they were kids. There was another scent mixed in now, though—a soft, sweet perfume smell. It didn't mask the watermelon; it just mixed with it, giving her scent a more grown-up aspect.
He liked it. The watermelon scent made him feel nostalgic, while the perfume reminded him that the girl in his arms really was more grown up than she let on.
To Hunter, Toshiro smelled exactly the same as he had growing up—like soap. Nothing fancy, just the crisp, clean scent of soap. He was taller and older, but he was still her Shiro.
Perfect.
"Hey, guys!" a voice chirped.
Gin, Avalon and Jaedelyn looked up to see Avalon's twin, Nevaeh, walking in, followed by Cozette.
Nevaeh had deep purple hair with thin electric blue streaks that fell in waves to her hips. Her eyes were also electric blue. She was one of the shorter siblings, at 5'4".
Cozette was an inch shorter than Nevaeh. She had black and blonde hair just past her shoulders and mismatched eyes—one blue, one green.
"How'd training go?" Avalon asked.
"It went really well!" Nevaeh grinned, plopping down in an armchair. "Cozette's fighting is getting pretty intense—and her healing is incredible!"
"It would've been better if you were there, Avi," Cozette said, sitting in Avalon's lap.
"I'm sorry, Zet," Avalon hugged her second-youngest sister. "I promised I'd help Capri, and she totally wore me out."
"I know. It's ok," Cozette smiled up at Avalon.
"I see you two finally got your heads on straight," Nevaeh laughed, seeing Jaedelyn lean up and kiss Gin. "It's about time! You guys are cute."
"Not when you've had to watch them make out for hours on end!" Avalon made a face.
"You could just leave," Nevaeh pointed out.
"I was here first!"
"Then suck it up," Nevaeh shrugged, amused.
Avalon stuck her tongue out at her twin.
Gin leaned down and whispered something in Jaedelyn's ear. She blushed and giggled.
"Seriously, get a room!" Avalon groaned
"Tha's what I was jus' suggestin'," Gin smirked, making Jaedelyn's blush darken.
"Gross, but better than making people watch."
"Don't worry, Jaed, I can heal your hickies," Cozette giggled, making Avalon and Nevaeh crack up.
"Well, she's right," Nevaeh laughed. "She could do that in her sleep."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Jaedelyn rolled her eyes, rising from her spot on the couch.
"Going somewhere?" Avalon grinned wickedly.
"Yeah, away from you!" she stuck her tongue out at her. "C'mon, Gin."
"I think I like where this is goin'," he chuckled, wrapping an arm around her and walking with her toward the stairs.
She glared lightly at him.
"No glove—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Avalon!" Jaedelyn called from halfway up the stairs.
Avalon giggled.