"You can put your Zanpakuto on the couch," Aniston said, shutting the door behind Izuru.
"'Kay," Izuru mumbled, setting down Wabisuke on the black leather couch.
The couch was on one of two raised platforms in the large room, along with a few chairs and a coffee table. The other platform held her bed, which was covered with fluffy black and purple blankets and pillows.
Aniston studied him silently, hands on her hips. He was standing awkwardly by the couch. He shuffled awkwardly under her gaze, and she sighed, shaking her head. It was kind of amusing.
She walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and pulled him over to the other platform.
"Sit," she commanded, pushing him down onto the bed. She walked around to the other side of the bed and lay down, stretching out on her back.
He watched her, sitting tensely on the edge of the bed.
"Relax, Izuru," she sighed. "I don't bite."
She grabbed his sleeve and tugged on it. He reluctantly leaned back, lying beside her. He was still tense, but it was a start.
"Relax," she repeated softly.
Izuru closed his eyes and took a deep breath, consciously relaxing each muscle in his body.
"Y'ok?" she asked.
"Mm," he nodded slightly.
"Good. Soo… what should we talk about?"
"I don't know," he opened his eyes and glanced at her. She'd rolled over onto her stomach and was looking up at him through her eyelashes.
"Hmm…. What's your Zanpakuto's name?" she asked.
"Wabisuke."
"The wretched one."
"Yes. What's yours?"
"Her name is Amaterasu."
"Shining heavens?"
She nodded. He studied her for a moment, thinking.
"Sounds fitting," he finally said.
"How so?" she cocked her head curiously.
"Um…. I dunno, 'cause… you have a bright personality…?" he scratched his cheek nervously.
She giggled. He was too cute.
"If you come to my exam tomorrow, you can see her in action," she said, sounding hopeful.
"Do you want me to come?"
She nodded emphatically.
"Ok. Then I'll come."
"Yay!" she giggled. "I'm glad. I'm kinda nervous."
"Why?"
"Because I have no idea what to expect," she frowned. "Uncle Yamamoto just said that we would have to demonstrate our skills—he never actually told us what we'd be doing."
"Oh. Wait—Uncle?"
"Yeah, he's like my great-great-uncle or whatever," she waved a hand nonchalantly, then grinned. "How do you think we were able to get permission to stay in the world of the living for so long? Some of my family is still there!"
"Oh…. I guess that makes sense…."
"Eek—Gin!" Jaedelyn giggled as Gin pushed her onto her bed.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You're a goof," she grinned, pulling him in for a kiss.
"Mm…. I'm ok with that," he mumbled against her lips.
He bit her lip, sliding his tongue in when she gasped. She slid her fingers into his hair and tugged gently, making him groan. He ran his hand down her side as his tongue rubbed against hers, his other arm resting by her head, keeping him propped up slightly. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt, ghosting over her stomach and hips. She moaned softly, loving the way his cool fingertips felt against her heated flesh.
"So, you'll come watch my exam tomorrow, right?" Brooklyn asked, smiling up at Jushiro.
"Of course," he nodded.
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Mm-hm, tomorrow. Good night, Brooklyn," he said softly, smiling down at her.
"Good night… Jushiro," she stepped backwards into her house and watched as he walked away. Once he was out of sight, she closed and locked the door. She slid down to the floor, sighing softly.
"You ok, Brookie?" Capri came down the stairs.
"Yes, I'm fine," Brook assured her, standing.
"Have a good time with Captain Ukitake?" Capri asked, grinning.
"Mm-hm. We had tea and talked."
"I see…."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"What?" Brook pressed.
"Nothing!" Capri laughed.
"Tell me!" Brook pled, grabbing her sister.
"You like him," Capri stated. It wasn't a question.
"Oh…. Well…. Yes, I suppose I do…." Brook blushed, biting her lip.
"He's nice," Capri smiled.
"He is."
"Well, I approve!" Capri chirped.
"Thanks," Brook laughed. "I was just killing myself wondering if you'd approve."
"I thought so—you're welcome! Night, Brookie."
"Night, Capri."
"Oh—you might want to avoid Hunter's, Jaedelyn's, and Aniston's rooms; they have… guests," Capri giggled.
"Guests?" Brook cocked an eyebrow curiously.
"Yep! Jaedelyn and Gin are almost certainly making out—they got together today, and, well, Gin's not exactly shy. And, of course, Jaedelyn's not likely to resist," Capri grinned.
Brook chuckled lightly; that was certainly true.
"Hunter's got Toshiro in her room," Capri continued. "They may not be together, but you never know what might happen. They're too stubborn to admit it, but the sexual tension between them is totally obvious."
Again, certainly true. Hunter's personality allowed her to flirt with her friend without it being suspicious, and Toshiro was impressive when it came to hiding his emotions, but it was obvious to those who had seen them together from a young age.
"Right, so they've got their long-time best friends in their rooms, who they just happen to be madly in love with. But what about Aniston?" Brook asked. "She's always had plenty of friends, and plenty of them have been guys—but she's never seemed particularly interested in any of them."
"Ah, now that's the most interesting of all," Capri grinned deviously.
"Spill."
"She brought Gin's lieutenant home!" Capri squealed.
"His lieutenant?"
"Yep! His name is Izuru Kira. He's really quiet, but he seems nice enough. I don't think he's likely to make a move—especially considering they just met—but you never know what Toni might do, and he doesn't seem like he'd be very successful at saying no to her…."
"Hmm…. They just met today? And she's already got him in her bedroom…." Brook mused thoughtfully.
"I know, sounds scandalous, doesn't it?" Capri giggled.
"It does," Brook agreed, "but Aniston won't let it go too far. She's certainly not shy, but she wouldn't move that fast."
"Yeah, I know," Capri nodded, "but it's still something to tease her about!"
"That it is," Brook laughed.
"Yep! Well, now that I think about it, I don't actually know 100% if he's still here—I was in my room for a while," Capri admitted. "I think I heard them talking on my way down but it was really muted. But I definitely heard Toshiro and Hunter talking, and I passed Jaedelyn and Gin going up while I was coming down. So I know they're here."
"Thanks for the warning, Capri," Brook grinned. "I'll be especially careful to avoid Jaedelyn's room"
"Welcome! Yeah, I'd be surprised if they're not making out," she made a face, turning to go back up to her room.
Brook laughed and settled into an armchair, gazing out the window at the stars. Her thoughts were sprinkled with musings of her sisters' romantic escapades—or disappointing yet amusing lack thereof, in Hunter's case—but they were dominated by Jushiro. She'd never met a guy quite like him. He was a bit odd, but so sweet…. She sighed happily. She couldn't wait to see him again.
And she didn't care one bit if she was acting like a love-struck schoolgirl.
"Gin, stop. Gin—"
Gin groaned and pushed himself up, looking down at Jaedelyn with a disgruntled expression. He wasn't happy about being told to stop so soon—he'd barely gotten her top off—but he obeyed regardless.
"Wha's wrong?" he sighed.
"I need to go to bed—I have my exam tomorrow."
"A'right, a'right," he sighed again, lying down beside her.
She smiled, pecked his cheek, and rolled off the bed. She grabbed some clothes from her dresser and stepped into her bathroom, coming out a minute later in black hot pants and a lacy black tank top. She turned off the lights and crawled back into bed, curling up beside him.
"Night, Gin," she whispered.
"Night, Jaedelyn," he slung his arm over her, pulling her close.