First-Class Technology
It's not easy to be forced to see someone that one would rather avoid.
Thursday after school.
"I can't believe you know the corporate executive of XCUTION!" Keigo shouted excitedly as he walked.
Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned his attention to anywhere but the animated boy walking ahead of him. Even though he didn't know the way, he had taken the lead on the trip. That's Keigo for you.
"I guess we got lucky we overheard you telling Rukia, huh?" Mizuiro asked.
His biggest mistake. Ichigo had been talking to Rukia about Ginjo, but avoided retelling what had happened Sunday night. She had apparently heard a rumor from one of his neighbors and he had no choice but to come clean to her. It was Rukia after all. She was one of his closest friends and he trusted her with anything.
That's when a pair of ears overheard this and demanded a trip to the company. Keigo's ears to be exact.
It would have been easy to turn him down, but then he started telling their other friends.
Ichigo turned and looked behind him.
Senna, Renji, Inoue, Rukia, Tatsuki, Shuhei, and Chad were all trotting behind him as they walked downtown. Keigo was ahead of him, and Mizuiro was beside him.
He should have been at work, Inoue too, but they had both luckily got the day off. Ikumi had to leave for the weekend and the bakery Inoue worked at was low on business today so they only needed one cashier. If he was honest with himself, Ichigo would rather have been at work dealing with Ikumi and her annoying kid than having to go to XCUTION.
It pained him deeply to be forced to see Ginjo again, but he had no choice in the matter. When everyone around you wants to do something only you can orchestrate, you have no choice but to do it unless you're okay with letting them down.
The only upside to this was that he was in such a big group that he would not be the main focus of attention.
"Hey, I see it!" Senna said, running ahead of the bunch.
Suddenly, Renji chased after her in a childish attempt to beat her to the destination. That caused Shuhei to chase him, and Inoue to follow. Tatsuki then ran after her.
Keigo apologized for leaving Ichigo in the dust and dashed after everyone.
"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Mizuiro asked.
"Me? I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You seem a little distracted."
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm okay." He assured the shorter boy.
He, Rukia, Chad, and Mizuiro calmly made their way to the corporate office in silence. It was safe to assume they were the quieter ones of their group of friends.
"Welcome to our office. How can I help you?" a woman named Jackie asked.
"Uh, don't know what to do here…" Keigo said, scratching his cheek.
"I guess we should have waited for Ichigo." Senna said.
"You were the first one to run off!" Renji shouted.
"Let's not absorb ourselves in the details." The girl smiled innocently.
Shuhei walked over to the counter and told Jackie they wanted a tour of the place.
"Unfortunately, I'm not the one who gives the tours and I can't send unauthorized personnel on one. You may have to come back at a later date after scheduling an appointment."
"That's BS!" Keigo said.
"Jackie, what are you doing in here?"
"I didn't know you were here, Riruka."
"I dropped by after school. Where's Ginjo? And who are these people?"
"Ginjo is up in his office. These are students who want a tour of the facility."
"Give 'em a stupid tour then."
Just then, Ichigo and the rest of the group entered through the front doors of the building.
"Are you with this group?" Jackie asked.
"I'm Kurosaki, Ichigo. Tell Ginjo I'm here for a tour."
"Wait a minute! Just who the hell do you think you are?" Riruka said.
Jackie sat down and called Ginjo.
"I just told you my name. I'd like a tour for myself and my friends."
"You can't just come in here like you own the place! If I was Ginjo-"
"He said the tour is authorized. Please give them one, Riruka. I'm very busy at the moment."
Riruka blushed and angrily told the group to follow her.
As everyone left the central lobby, Jackie sighed and turned back to her computer. She wasn't getting paid enough for this.
"Over here we have the research and development room. They gather all the information they can about the subjects in a game and bring them to life. Do not disturb them."
"I have a question!" Senna said, raising her hand.
"Yes?"
"How would someone go about getting a job here?"
"Uhm, by filling out an application...?" Riruka said with a tone.
"Hey, don't get snippy with me!"
"Everywhere you go…" Renji commented.
"Shut up, Renji!"
"If we're done with the irrelevant questions, we can continue the tour." The magenta haired girl said with an attitude.
"Oooh! I swear I'm going to get her!" Senna said irritably.
As they made their way down the hallways, Ichigo walked side by side with Riruka which made her increasingly uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but notice how nice he looked despite his scowling demeanor and unwelcome attitude. Then she wondered how on earth he was able to just say his name and have Ginjo snap to his wishes. Just who was this guy anyway?
"There's the game testing room. You can observe through the large glass panels, but don't disturb the participants." She said, ignoring the multitude of questions forming in her head.
Everyone made their way over to the room and watched the testers through the window. There were quite a few of them; each spaced out a good distance away from each other for some reason.
"What game are they playing?" Rukia asked curiously with her hand to her chin.
"Well-"
"Lemme guess, you can't disclose that information." Renji commented.
"Renji, don't be rude…" Shuhei said under his breath.
"He's one hundred percent correct. I'm unable to tell any of you what game they're playing. Even you." Riruka said, eyeing Ichigo down.
"B-back off!" the orange haired boy said nervously as the girl got closer to him.
"This is boring then! Is there an arcade? Please tell me there is!" Senna said anxiously.
Riruka turned and glared for a moment, then remembered she was a guest with this seemingly important Ichigo fellow.
"Yes, the arcade is a few floors above us. Follow me and-"
"Let's go!" Keigo shouted ecstatically, dragging Mizuiro with him to the elevator.
"Keigo! Let me go!" the smaller boy shouted as he was pulled away.
Senna shuffled after them, followed by Renji and Shuhei.
"You guys do know I'm giving the tour, right?" Riruka asked.
"Do a better job at it!" Senna said from down the hallway, sticking out her tongue and pulling at her right eye.
As everyone made to follow the boisterous group and Riruka, Inoue stood in place at the window. She had been so into what one of the testers was playing that she had forgotten where she was or who she was with.
When the game ended, she sighed, "Maybe next time." She said to herself.
The boy at the console had just lost. The level he was on seemed pretty tough too.
Inoue made her way to the entrance to the room and walked up behind the now fuming teenager.
"It's too bad you couldn't beat that boss! Maybe you'll get him next time." She offered consolingly.
"Who the heck are you?"
"Oh, silly me. My name is Inoue, Orihime. It's nice to meet you!"
"…Go away woman…!"
Inoue smiled warmly and sat down in a chair next to the boy.
"What's your name?"
"I don't have one."
"Sou ka? Well, let's give you one."
"Shishigawara, stop being so lame all the time. I know you're lacking in etiquette, but at least try to be decent." A blonde haired boy said as he entered the room.
"Sushigawara? What a strange name…"
"Y-yukio! Shut the hell up!"
"Ah that's right, you're not so good with girls are you?" Yukio teased.
"Get lost!" Shishigawara demanded.
"Are you starting a new game? I'd love to watch you!" Inoue smiled.
"Orihime, was it? You beat it too."
Yukio grinned and turned off the lights then left the room, locking the door behind him. It was time for Moe to learn to be decent with females…or people in general.
"Yukio!"
"Uh oh." Inoue said.
"Stop all the commotion! I can't concentrate!" someone yelled from the back of the room.
"Che!" Shishigawara irritatedly picked up the controller and started a new game.
"Yay!" Inoue smiled before scooting closer to Moe.
The mini-mohawked boy looked at Inoue closely. She didn't seem to be trying to be annoying, but she was none the less. He couldn't help but notice how stunningly pretty she was. Luckily the lights were off. The last thing he wanted was for her to see the redness of his cheeks.
Riruka stood at the phone attached to the wall with a questioning look on her face.
"Why, Ginjo?"
As everyone waited, Tatsuki couldn't help but notice something.
"Where's Orihime?" she asked.
"Inoue…?" Rukia said, looking around.
"She's a big girl, we don't need to worry about her." Renji said.
Shuhei shook his head as Tatsuki and even Ichigo glared at him.
"Everywhere you go…" Senna said.
"Sh-shut up…"
Riruka turned to the group and walked directly up to Ichigo.
"What?" he asked.
"Come with me!" she said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to the elevator.
"C-chotto matte*! Where are you taking me?!"
"Just come with me."
"What was that all about?" Keigo asked.
"Well, our tour guide is gone… What should we do?" Mizuiro asked, hinting they were free to roam the building.
"I'm going to go find Orihime." Tatsuki said.
"I'll go too." Rukia said, following Tatsuki.
Chad followed the two of them without a word. He too was curious as to where Inoue had disappeared to.
Senna watched as everyone walked away, "Who should I go with?"
She scowled at Renji. No way she was going to go anywhere with him. Besides, the look he had on his face meant he and Shuhei were seeking some alone time.
"Gross…" she stated quietly.
Keigo and Mizuiro were following Chad, Rukia, and Tatsuki. They needed to backtrack themselves to find Inoue. If the other two were going to the game testing room, then she would too.
"I kinda wish Neliel was here…"
Since she had skipped a grade, she was only a year older than Grimmjow's little sister. Therefore, they got along quite well and spent time going shopping together over the summer. At first, she seemed kind of annoying, but she was easy to get acquainted with and actually really fun. She even spilled a few secrets about Grimmjow. Little sisters liked to gossip about their older brothers, that was for sure.
"Guess something good came of the mess Ichigo went through with Aizen…though most of it was pretty bad…" she said to herself.
Ichigo stood in front of the doors to the executive office beside Riruka. He should have figured this was where she was leading him.
"I'm not going in there." He said.
"Look, I don't want you to. Just do it. He said he had something to talk to you about."
"I already know what it is and I don't want to hear it."
Riruka rolled her eyes.
Both jumped when the door opened and Ginjo stepped out from behind it.
"I kind of left his friends on the third floor. If they get into trouble, it'll be your fault since you had me bring him to you."
"It's fine. Just make sure they all leave together. Ichigo included." Ginjo said calmly.
"Sure thing."
"Can you give us a moment to speak, Riruka?"
"I don't get paid enough for this… Oh wait, I don't work here." The girl said, taking her leave.
Ichigo inwardly lamented as the girl's footsteps became fainter and fainter. He didn't want to be left alone with Ginjo.
Once he was sure Riruka was gone, Ginjo turned to the boy in front of him.
"Ichigo, I'm glad to see you."
"…"
"Have you considered what I told you Sunday? I really want-"
"Nope."
"…Don't be so cold. Come with me to my private bar." Ginjo offered and then grabbed the smaller boy.
"Don't touch me, Ginjo." Ichigo said, brushing the man's hand off his shoulder.
"Damnit Ichigo, what happened to you? You used to be so… so-"
"People change you know. I'm not five years old anymore."
Ginjo frowned. One thing left for him to try.
Ichigo backed away when the black haired man got closer to him. His back hit a wall and he was forced against it. Then a pair of warm hands grabbed his cheeks to keep him from looking away.
He jumped when Ginjo pressed his lips to his own.
Again, he was reminded of how strong the other was when he tried pushing Ginjo away. It was like pushing a brick wall. When he felt a tongue poking at his lips, he knew he had to try something.
"GINJO! THEY'RE GONE! I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN, BUT YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME! YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!" Riruka's voice rang over a loud speaker.
Ichigo couldn't have been more grateful for her shouting. It caused Ginjo to release him and distract him.
Just as he started to ease away, Ginjo turned to him.
"I'm not finished. I won't give up on you, Ichigo. We can be happy together and I won't stop until we are."
"I'm with Grimmjow! Why can't you understand that?!"
"You…you should go. The last thing I want is for you to be upset."
"Try something like that again and I swear you're going to regret it." Ichigo said before leaving the man alone in the hallway.
"We'll see." Ginjo said under his breath.
"Orihime!" Tatsuki shouted when she saw her in the dark room with the game testers.
"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue smiled and waved innocently.
Shishigawara looked to the dark haired girl now running to the door and unlocking it. At least she relieved him of the stress that was being around this overly chipper girl.
"Hey, you should come to Renji's soccer match tomorrow!" Inoue said, looking down to Shishigawara.
"Why would I want to go to a soccer match for someone I don't know?" he asked.
"Let's go, Inoue. This guy's not worth your effort." Tatsuki said as she stood in the doorway.
"Karakura High stadium at four o'clock." She finished before making her way over to Tatsuki.
"Inoue, you shouldn't just go off on your own in a place you're unfamiliar with." Rukia advised.
"Sorry. I just got distracted." Said girl giggled.
"That's what the princess said before the evil count kidnapped her." Senna commented.
Chad stood quietly, observing the boy Inoue had left in the room. He seemed to be trying to avoid watching her leave.
When he did look though, he jumped when he noticed the large man behind the four chatting girls.
Just as Keigo and Mizuiro brushed past the group in the doorway, Ichigo walked up and said it was time to go.
"Aw! We just got here!" Keigo complained.
Mizuiro stood quietly, realizing Ichigo was going through something serious.
"Let's go, Keigo." He said.
"Mizuiro…?"
"Come on. We weren't supposed to be playing the games in here anyway. Let's be glad for this chance we got."
"I'm glad you realize that." Riruka said while approaching everyone with her arms folded.
"Hi Riruka-chan!" Inoue sang.
"All of you need to leave now. The tour is now over. There are only four floors to this building, and you're not allowed on the one above us."
"We don't need to take this." Senna said, grabbing a console off one of the desks and casually walking to the exit.
"If you take that, you'll be arrested." Riruka said over her shoulder.
"Tch!"
"Come to think of it, weren't there two more of you?"
"Renji and Shuhei." Rukia commented.
"Where did they go?" Tatsuki asked.
"H-here we are!" Shuhei called, rounding a corner on the opposite end of the room. As they approached, Renji made to grab his butt, but he grabbed his hand and held it tightly as they continued over to everyone.
Ichigo stood silently among his boisterous friends. At least no one seemed to notice how irritated he was.
Wiping his lips, he sighed. Of all the people his mother had to encounter, why did it have to be Ginjo?
"All right, let's head back to the front entrance." Riruka said.
Although most of them were reluctant, everyone followed her. For some, it was hard to leave after just seeing all of the amazing developments, but for Ichigo, he couldn't have departed sooner.
"Bye Riruka!" Senna said with a passive aggressive tone while waving her hand dismissively.
"Can you remind Sushigawara about the match tomorrow?" Inoue called out to her.
"Sushigawara…? Does she mean…? What a dunce…" the magenta haired girl commented under her breath.
This Ichigo had some very weird friends. What she really wanted to know was what Ginjo wanted to speak alone with him about and why he seemed so important to the man.
Didn't mean to make Riruka seem like such a witch, but it was just the way she fit into the story at the moment lol. And so far, I have up to 25 chapters planned out and the story is still not done. So I hope you're in it for the long haul, otherwise you might find it best to stop reading. For those of you up for a long, angsty story, stick around because it's on its way!
And review please!