Yo~~! It's been a while... ^^" Just don't kill me. If you kill me, there will be NO. MORE. STORY! *Dun-dun-duuuuuun* That aside, if the last chapter confused you with the whole 'telepathic-versus-verbal conversations' thing, I'm so sorry I didn't explain it! Here, let me explain it now, before I forget ^/^"

"..." - Verbal (person to person)

'...' - Telepathic (person to Zanpaktou)(People outside the conversation won't hear anything)

With that out of the way, I hope the previous chapter and this chapter will make more sense ^^ In this next chapter, there'll be some insight as to what goes on in Megumi's head and her internal struggles and insecurities. To put it in one word, it would be Megumi's DRAMA XP

Don't own Bleach, but Megumi and Doka-chan are mine. My precious(es)! LOL

Megumi awoke first the next day and just laid there, listening to Shinji's soft snores. She snuggled in closer to him and felt his arms wrap just a little tighter around her. She enjoyed moments like this, where it was quiet and the world consisted of her, Shinji, and the confines of the room they woke up in.

As she began to doze off again, there was sharp knocking on the bedroom door. Shinji stirred next to her, the movement jostling her breasts slightly, and groaned as whoever was knocking proceeded to do so again. "Ya gonna get that, koi?"

Megumi sighed and sat up, turning the lamp on the nightstand on as she did so. "Apparently…" She stretched her arms and legs, silently marveling at the fact her legs were only slightly numb, and walked down to the end of the bed. She put on Shinji's shirt from last night and buttoned all but the top button, the shirt open at the collar just enough to show some cleavage and the fabric draping down to about mid-thigh, before she opened the door. "Oh! Ohayo, Rojuro-nii!"

"Ohayo, Megumi-chan," Rose returned politely, but there was an urgent undertone in his voice that Megumi didn't miss. "Do you happen to know what time it is?"

Megumi shook her head. "Nope, you just woke up. Why?"

"It's 7:30." Megumi's eyes widened before she turned on her heel and glared at Shinji, hissing, "Dammit, Shinji! How many times do I have to remind you to set the alarm on that stupid clock whenever I stay the night?"

"What the hell?" Shinji screamed, jolting upright, almost as though he had been electrocuted, and giving her a vexed look. Apparently, he had just fallen back asleep. "In my defense, you distracted me last night so-!"

"Don't give me that 'distracted' shit!" Megumi quipped, jabbing a finger at him. "You could have set it while I was fighting Kensei OR making dinner!"

While the couple continued to argue, a grouchy and disheveled Kensei walked up to Rose, who had a bemused smile on his lips. "The hell are they arguing about? It's 7:30 in the damn morning."

Rose chuckled drily, a noise that Kensei had to strain to hear over the bickering. "Shinji forgot to set the alarm clock. Again."

Kensei blinked a few times as his mind added it all up then he grinned maniacally. "This, I gotta see. It's about time he got his ass knocked down a few pegs."

Megumi turned away from arguing with Shinji long enough to ask Rose, "Could you go get my book bag from the main room? My school uniform's in there."

"No problem," Rose responded as he turned on his heel and walked down the hallway.

"And sorry, Kensei," Megumi now addressed Kensei, finally acknowledging his presence. "I'll have to do that some other time. Right now, I've got to get ready to go."

Kensei just shrugged and yawned, turning around and heading back to his own room. "Whatever. I'm gonna catch some more z's before Mashiro wakes up. If she isn't already awake. See ya, Megumi."

"See ya, Kensei," Megumi called to his retreating back before she shut Shinji's door and turned the lights on. She shed Shinji's shirt languidly as she walked over to the bathroom, discarding it on the tiled floor. She turned the water on in the shower as she commented icily, "And before you say anything, Shinji Hirako, just know that 'sorry' is not going to cut it this time."

"Well, I am sorry, koi," Shinji told her, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "What's it gonna take to prove it to ya?"

Megumi put her hair up in a high ponytail and began to twist it until it curled into a bun. As she fastened the bun in place with bobby pins, she let out a sigh and her tone quieted. "I dunno, Shinji…"

Shinji quirked an eyebrow. He knew what that tone of voice meant: Megumi wasn't sure about something. He let out a grunt as he pushed himself up off the bed and walked to his dresser. "There's something else on yer mind, Megumi-chan. Care ta share?"

Megumi stepped into the shower, interrupting the steady flow of water tapping the tiled floor of the shower, and lathered some soap in her hands. "I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to live a normal life. I'm older than most of my sensei's and I'll still outlive them and my fellow classmates by centuries."

Shinji pulled on a pair of clean briefs and some gray slacks before leaning against the wall outside the bathroom and listening as she continued, her voice breaking ever-so-slightly. "I've watched as my entire family save for Ururu passed on before me. I've seen my childhood friends as their hair turned gray and then white as their children grew gray hairs. I don't think…I can do this much longer…" There was the tell-tale squeaking of the metal knob as Megumi turned the shower off and then Shinji heard a trembling breath escape her lips "I…can't…do this much longer…"

Shinji pushed himself off the wall and walked into the bathroom. It was comfortably warm and humid from the steam from Megumi's shower, but it wasn't stifling. Megumi, who had wrapped a towel around herself, was removing the pins from her bun in front of the mirror, leaving her hair in the ponytail as she supposedly gazed at her reflection; but Shinji knew better than to think that she was looking at her reflection. Her gaze was deep, sad, and unfocused, a look that was only ever present when she was reflecting on her past. He grabbed her shoulders, startling her out of her reverie, and made her face him completely before he planted his lips on hers. From their close proximity, Shinji could smell the unique scent of her soap: something that was extremely invigorating but sensually calming at the same time.

He promptly broke the kiss before he was tempted to carry things further and consequently piss her off before he locked a stern gaze with her bewildered one and said, "Listen, Megumi, in the 50 years I've known ya, you've been absolutely consistent in two things: you're a damn fine cook and you can be stubborn and undefeatable when ya make yer mind up about something." He smirked at her. "I mean, it took me how many years to…"

Megumi gave him a deadpan stare and karate-chopped the top of his head. "That's beside the point, baka."

Ignoring the pain on his head, Shinji gripped her shoulders and gave her a light shake. "What I'm gettin' at is that ya shouldn't let those things stop ya from doing what you want. I'm not saying that you need to bury yer feelings, just don't let 'em interfere with yer goals. And if you need it…" He held out his arms in a welcoming gesture "…you can always cry on my shoulder or chest."

Megumi's eyes widened for a split second before her expression became soft and a tender smile graced her lips. "Arigatou, koibito."

Shinji gave her his famous Hirako grin. "Anytime, koi."

They leaned in towards each other and just as their lips were about to touch, there was a rapid knocking on his door. Shinji scowled over his shoulder at that same door until Megumi tapped his chest. She smirked at him, asking, "Ya gonna get that, koi?"

Shinji stuck his tongue out at her even as he complied to her disguised request. "Har-har. Yer a hoot-and-a-half."

Megumi giggled impishly as Shinji opened the door and Rose walked in, holding her backpack. She crossed over to him and took it from his hands. "Arigatou, Rojuro-nii."

"Again, it's no problem," Rose returned with a smile, unfazed by the sight of Megumi in naught but a towel. "Hacchi's making pancakes downstairs and wanted to know how many you wanted."

"Awesome! Tell him I'd like three, please!"

"Alright, and what about you, Shinji?"

"Same as her."

Rose nodded and left the room as he said, "I'll see you two downstairs and no funny business, Hirako. Megumi's late enough as it is."

Shinji glared after him for a while, completely oblivious to the fact that Megumi had shed her towel, before shutting the door. "Did he really have ta add that last part? I mean, it's not like…"

And that's when he turned around to see a topless Megumi bent over to pull her skirt up her legs. He stared at her like a deer in headlights and she stared right back at him in the same manner. After a little while though, Buraido Dokuja slithered out of Megumi's book bag and bared its fangs at to Shinji, further emphasizing its point by adding a sharp hiss.

Shinji flinched and hissed right back. "I get it! Turning around now!" He turned around, muttering to himself, so that he was facing the blank, faded gray cement wall of his room.

Buraido Dokuja relaxed her stance a bit as she regarded her wielder, who had resumed dressing as though nothing had just happened. 'My instincts tell me I ought to be very grateful for having been left in your backpack last night, Megumi-sama.'

Megumi grinned embarrassedly. 'Sorry about that, Doka-chan. Shinji and I had a lot of…catching up to do.'

The serpent nodded as Megumi began buttoning her uniform shirt. 'In that case, I am extremely grateful for having been left in your backpack.'

Both Vizard and Zanpaktou chuckled drily. Megumi stopped buttoning her uniform shirt when there were only three buttons left and asked mentally, 'Would you like to go around my neck today?'

The snake shook its head. 'No thank you. Your winter uniform is rather stifling.'

'You're telling me…but, alright.' Megumi fastened the last few buttons and cinched her bow around her neck within seconds.

Shinji let out an exasperated groan before complaining, "Am I gonna be allowed to turn around anytime soon? I ain't gettin' any younger."

Megumi chuckled as she pulled on her uniform jacket but left it unbuttoned. "But in retrospect, you're not getting much older either. I mean, you've got a few more centuries before you die." She adjusted the hem of her skirt before continuing, "You can turn around now."

Shinji turned around and grinned devilishly at her as he absorbed the sight of her in her uniform. "Well, ain't ya just the pretty one. And I don't have a damn camera ta record the memory."

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Baka. There's a camera on that phone I bought you for Christmas."

Shinji gave her an incredulous look as he strode over to the nightstand with the alarm clock on it, opened the lone drawer on it, and pulled out his cell phone, scrutinizing it while holding it between his thumb and index finger. "I don't see no camera, koi."

Again, Megumi rolled her eyes and snatched the phone from him. She flipped it open, pushed a few buttons, and then pointed the camera at Shinji, purring sensually, "Smile, koibito."

Shinji flashed one of his grins, his thumbs resting casually in the waistband of his slacks, and Megumi snapped the picture before sending it to her phone as well. She gave him quick instructions on how to access and use the camera on his phone before handing it back to him. He pointed the camera at her, smirking as he said, "Pose fer me, Megumi-chan."

And pose, she did. She pulled her ponytail over her left shoulder, fluffing it lightly as she tilted her right hip and shoulder towards each other just slightly. She tucked her left arm behind her back and brought her right hand up to her collar bone in a coquettish gesture. For a finishing touch, she puckered her lips as though she were about to kiss him, as her eyelids drooped half-shut.

It took Shinji a few seconds to regain his wits after seeing the end result of Megumi's preening, but he managed to snap the picture. As soon as she heard the 'click' of the virtual shutter, Megumi relaxed before asking, "Could send a copy of that to my phone, Shinji?"

"Ehh? And just how would I do that?"

Megumi sighed and muttered something under her breath, but Shinji could have sworn he heard the words 'incompetent' and 'technology'. She quickly explained it to him and he didn't hesitate to send her the picture. Just as she was reaching down to her bag for her phone, someone banged on the door and Rose's voice called, "C'mon, Megumi! You need to get a move on if you don't want to be late!"

"Oh shit! Don't worry, I'm coming!" Megumi called back, grabbing her bag's shoulder-strap. She bolted out of the room and past Rose, who had been wise in moving out from in front of the doorway.

Shinji walked out of the room then, now wearing a gray undershirt in addition to his slacks, and scowled at Rose. "Didja really have to come and check on her? We were havin' fun."

"Yes. Yes, I did," Rose deadpanned. "Otherwise, knowing you, she would have missed school today."

"…you do realize that you're not really her older brother, right?"

Rose shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As she jumped down the stairs to the training room two or three at a time, Megumi looked over her shoulder and wondered what was taking Shinji and Rose so long. She turned her attention to the area below her and noticed Kensei reaching his fork towards a stack of fresh pancakes. Her pancakes.

Completely disregarding the fact she was wearing a skirt and no safety shorts, Megumi launched herself in the air and propelled herself at Kensei, prepping to give him a flying side kick. Her foot made contact with the side of his face and, because of the additional force from her momentum, he was sent rocketing and skidding several yards over the rocky terrain. "My pancakes, Kensei-baka!"

As chaos ensued from her actions… Kensei yelling at her for kicking him… Love and Hacchi shaking their heads at her brashness and Kensei's temper… Mashiro whining about Kensei being a 'doody-head'… Hiyori laughing her ass off… Shinji cheering her on as he came down the steps… Rose chuckling nervously as he came down the steps behind Shinji… Lisa…well, she was ignoring everything as she flipped through her new swimsuit magazine…

…Megumi couldn't help but smile as she realized how much she had missed her family. No matter how crazy they were.

Okay...that was slightly corny, ne? And I hope the drama wasn't too sappy. If you have any thoughts or opinions, feel free to leave a review or PM me~~!