I love Mocha =]

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"You going?" Ichigo leaned against the pale white door frame of Leto's resting room, watching Lotus brush the blue hair from the albino look-alike's face. The teen girl blushed at his voice but didn't look up at him.

"Not yet, Aunt Val is still sorting some things out with Kenpachi…" Her voice was timid; like she was afraid if she spoke too loudly Leto would break. Ichigo watched as her hand tightened slightly over Leto's and her other stroked her hair, like a mother would do to her child whilst in hospital. Which is what Leto looked like right now, she had been in a form of coma that allowed her body to move sometimes, but she never opened her eyes or spoke, she looked like she was just resting when the power surges didn't occur.

The orange haired male noted Hichigo watching Leto from the corner of the room on a chair. He refused to go near her or leave the room; he constantly stared at Leto, as if he were angry at her for being ill. Ichigo walked to Lotus and pulled her up to her feet.

"Come on, you need to get out of here for a while." And with that, he led her out of the room, despite her objections.

"But Leto-"

"Leto will be fine, Hichigo's there."

"That doesn't reassure me."

"He won't hurt her, he's pathetic, remember?"

Lotus looked up at Ichigo, somehow they had gotten outside the house already, and he was still holding her now baby-blue, mitten covered hand. Her cheeks went warm but she didn't pull away, she didn't want to. "Why's he like that?" She felt herself say the words, but wasn't really paying attention, she was looking at all of the Christmas decorations already up, even though it was only half way through November, everyone was dressed in their winter clothes, with their thick coats, and woolly hats and gloves, the air was crisp and cold, she could see her breath in front of her face.

"I don't know…It's weird all he ever does is sit and watch her, even at night, he hasn't been to school either." Ichigo looked at her, expressing his thoughts, but she was looking across the road, totally entranced by Orihime sharing a scarf with blushing Uryuu and nuzzling him whilst holding a small red box with a gold bow in her beige gloved hand.

"This may sound weird…but I'm terrified." Lotus still stared at the scene, listing off the many things wrong with it. Ichigo seemed just as disturbed and linked arms with Lotus to pull her into an American bar styled café about two metres away.

They sat at the back, where no one would hear if they started talking about hollows or the soul society. The leather red, retro seats were uncomfortable, their table wobbled slightly, and the light above their heads flickered every so often with an irritating buzzing noise, but they didn't mind, this was their first official date…not that they were going out or anything, but it was still special.

"You've fought Kenpachi before haven't you?" Lotus looked over her oversized menu, to see Ichigo already looking at her, she felt her cheeks go warm and hoped it was because of the radiator they were sat next to.

"Yeah…almost died." Ichigo sat back, still thinking of why Hichigo was acting strange.

Lotus went pale, died?! "What's he like?" She stretched her legs out under the table, accidentally knocking Ichigo's, "Sorry."

"He's a hard ass. He won't give up unless you nearly kill him, completely unconscious." Ichigo leaned forward again as the waitress skated over in her retro rollerblades.

"What can I get you, sweethearts?" She winked at them both, her pigtails bobbing behind her.

"Uh, 2 mocha's and a one of these." Ichigo pointed to something on the menu Lotus couldn't see. The young girl scribbled it down on her notepad and grinned at them.

"Gotcha! I'll be right back darlin's!" And with that, she skated down the ramp beside them to the order bar.

"What are you thinking about?" Lotus rested her arms on the table, looking at Ichigo's thinking face, he looked back at her and smiled slightly.

Lotus felt pressure lock around both her legs, she blushed when she realized Ichigo was holding them in place. "I'm just wondering why Hichigo is being a pain in the arse and watching Leto all the time." He looked at her as if he weren't doing anything at all.

"Oh, yeah…it's like he's obsessed with her or something?" Lotus laughed into her mitten, she was only joking.

"Or in love with her!" Ichigo joined in on the joke, but after a few minutes they looked at each other seriously.

"…You think he might be?" Lotus rested her head on her hands, her head tilted slightly.

Ichigo sat back and shook his head, "No way, he's a killing machine, never."

Lotus looked unconvinced. "Yeah but he protected her that one time, and he's been acting weird lately…"

Ichigo and Lotus looked at each other again, eyes wide with shock.

"Imbossible." the carrot top brushed it off and went back to thinking of his fight with the great giant of a captain. "Don't give up if you think he's got you beaten, and keep your eyes open for everything and anything you can use against him." He knew fine well that there was nothing that would defeat Kenpachi other than brute force and power, but he couldn't help but give her a little hope. Lotus smiled at him, the hope he wanted radiated out of her like toxic gas from a nuclear station gone wrong.