A/N: Hello again! It's been a year, and I'm coming in with a new chapter of iris. Nothing of real importance happens here, I'm certain.

The thing about Rukia was that when she believed in something, truly, she put her whole self into it.

She felt that shinigami had a duty to protect the living? Then she would give her life for one. She needed to go undercover as a high school student? Then she would do it entirely, homework and research and all. She thought that she should train her substitute? Then she would– including the metaphorical and philosophical aspects as well. She found herself declared as someone's family? Then she would invest her whole personality into being part of that family.

In this way, Ichigo and Rukia were alike. Perhaps that was why Ichigo and Rukia unflinchingly faced each other that fateful night, ready to lend and receive power in turn. Ichigo wasn't unaware that Rukia had some serious determination to willingly give her shinigami power up. Ichigo would do anything for his family. It seemed Rukia was the same. The two of them were alike in many ways.

Therefore it wasn't that much of a surprise when Rukia excused herself after they finished lunch. Ichigo had laughed at some joke Tatsuki made, and Uryu was talking with Yuzu about some sewing project she was working on. Karin had been playfully arguing with Dad over something trivial. It was a lot. They could all be a lot. And they had overwhelmed Rukia with everything.

"Rukia-nee-san?" Yuzu asked, watching Rukia head further into the cemetery.

Ichigo shared a glance with Uryu and Tatsuki. If Ichigo and Rukia were alike, then these two knew pretty well what Rukia would be feeling at this moment.

"She'll be fine," Tatsuki said.

"I'll go keep an eye on her," Ichigo said, standing and stretching. Rukia needed her space, but he wouldn't leave her alone. It was a rule. Kurosaki couldn't be alone today. "We'll head back this way later."

Yuzu and Karin nodded. "Take care."

"Call if you need us," Uryu said.

"I will," Ichigo promised, then headed off after Rukia.

It was still ridiculously hot. The black shirts were possibly a bad idea, though at least they hid the sweat. If it weren't for the fans and the cold drinks, Ichigo would probably have passed out by now. At the very least Mom's grave was underneath a large enough tree that they weren't in direct sunlight.

Ichigo trailed after Rukia at a distance, making his presence obvious but minimal. She'd either let him close or not. He didn't mind. Rukia didn't seem to know where she was going, just following her feet as they led her up to the bluffs that looked over the cemetery.

"You may as well come here," Rukia said. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her yukata giving her more freedom of movement than expected.

"Hey," Ichigo said, and sat next to her.

He looked over the cemetery. The wards in place were truly something, here. Despite everything, there was a level of peace and calm in the Karakura Cemetery that wasn't felt anywhere else. He didn't know what miko or priests or whoever set the wards, but they were calming.

"I'm sorry for leaving," Rukia said into the silence.

"No, you're fine," Ichigo assured her. "It's okay to need space. We all do, sometimes. Even us Kurosaki who are used to it."

Rukia smiled at him, and went back to staring over the trees. Ichigo left her to it, content to do his own thinking. He might be focused on her, but that didn't stop him from missing Mom so desperately. He always did move forward when others needed him better than for himself.

"I didn't leave because it was too loud," Rukia said after several minutes. She rested her head on her knees. "Maybe it's because we're here for your mother, but it's pulled up memories of my own."

Ichigo hummed, letting her know he was paying attention. He was curious, he really was. He knew that grief. Who was Rukia remembering? But that, frankly, was none of his business. Rukia would tell him or she wouldn't. No matter how much Ichigo wanted to know.

Rukia closed her eyes, and sighed. "When I was younger and just recently drafted into the Thirteenth Division, the Lieutenant took me under his wing. We all respected and adored him. He was always so cheerful and kind, and he looked out for us all. Especially that younger me, who had been recently adopted into the Kuchiki Clan and had no idea what she was doing."

Oh, so the Kuchiki were a Clan. That both complicated and simplified things. Maybe there would be differences between how Clans of the Living World and Soul Society conducted themselves, but not enough to matter. And Ichigo knew how to handle Clan relations no matter how much the Kurosaki despaired of it. He could easily figure out the Kuchiki Clan. And then he could beat them up on Rukia's behalf.

Though, adoption? And of a child of non-nobility either. He knew enough that had Rukia been part of any other Clan or family, she would have been taken in by them first and foremost. Something definitely had to be going on in the background.

Ichigo didn't say anything, but watched Rukia. Her voice was steady, but her hands were clenched tightly into fists. This wasn't easy for her.

"He did a lot for me, Shiba-fukutaicho did," Rukia said, "Even if it wasn't his place, he helped me learn and navigate my new status without judgment. He helped me come into my own, and helped me find a place in the Thirteenth."

"He sounds like a good guy," Ichigo said quietly.

"He was," Rukia agreed. She looked at him, and her smile was fond despite the grief. "You resemble him."

"Huh?"

"Physically, I mean," Rukia clarified. "Your facial features are similar. And, apparently, so are your voices, even if you affect it normally."

"I do that a lot," Ichigo agreed wryly. It was easier than demanding answers from Rukia about questions Ichigo didn't even know how to voice.

"It's not so noticeable a resemblance, in the day to day," Rukia added, "But when you laughed it just– it's almost the same exact laugh. It caught me off guard, along with everything else."

"Oh," Ichigo said.

Had he never really laughed in Rukia's presence before? That seemed– improbable. He wasn't stoic by any means, even if he had an epic resting bitch face. Unless she meant that stupid laugh he had, which only came out sometimes. Normally he tried to restrain it to chuckles because honestly it was embarrassing otherwise.

Also. Also– Rukia had just bared her soul to him. That required honesty in return, didn't it?

"Mom was the best," Ichigo said. He felt Rukia's attention on him more than saw it. "She was amazing, and awesome in a fight, and she taught me everything I know. Mom seemed to know absolutely everything, always had an answer to any question I had."

"You have the same eyes," Rukia said hesitantly, "from the pictures."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, heart flip flopping in his chest. He knew that they had the same eye color, but he hadn't heard they looked the same in a long time. Yuzu rightfully was compared most often to Mom.

"I think she died because of me," Ichigo said. He ignored Rukia's quiet gasp. "You think my control is bad now? It was even worse when I was younger. Half the wards we built were to counteract that, I was so bad. Anyways, there was a Hollow, and even if I could put up a fight, I was still small. Mom protected me, and she died."

There was also the fact that Ichigo didn't remember that night. Nothing more than the rain, and then waking up in his mother's arms, both of them covered in her blood. He still had no idea of the details. He only knew a few things. One of which made the sting of self hate minor in comparison to what it could have been.

Ichigo grinned at Rukia, sharp and feral and grief ridden. "Not that she went without a fight. Mom may have died, but she took that Hollow down with her screaming."

"Good," Rukia said simply.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed.

He missed Mom a lot. More than he could describe most of the time. And sometimes he hated himself for that night. But not a lot, because every day he looked at his little sisters and knew with utter certainty that he'd make the same decision to save them as Mom did for him. And he would hate himself even more if his sisters ever blamed themselves for that decision. Knowing that, how could Ichigo ever live any other way to his fullest?

Though reaching that conclusion took literal years, and sometimes Ichigo still had to convince himself of it. Truly the mind and the heart could be so disconnected.

"I don't know the details of how your Shiba was lost," Ichigo said after a moment. "But the days I hate myself the most for the part I played in Mom's death, I look to my sisters."

Rukia let out a shuddering sigh. "Thank you."

"There's no thanks in family," Ichigo said.

Rukia leaned over to rest their shoulders together. "I understand. But thank you anyway."

Ichigo knew Rukia didn't. Not really. Ichigo sure hadn't for the longest time. But putting the idea out there was the first step of a long road. It'd be hard, and Rukia would have to make the decision to walk forward every step of the way. And perhaps there was some details or context missing from Rukia's situation in comparison to his.

That didn't matter, though. What mattered was that Rukia was as stubborn as any Kurosaki, and that she made those decisions every day. And Rukia was Kurosaki now. She'd get there eventually.

The two of them sat there for several long moments, simply enjoying each other's presence. It was still a stupid hot day, and pressing against another person should have made it worse. Instead, it was almost relaxing. Rukia's presence was of the ice and snow, and that bled through to Ichigo from their point of contact.

Surely there were ways to help with regaining spiritual power? Rukia wasn't powerless, but her energy was returning much more slowly than expected. And Ichigo was a shinigami now, for all that the power was borrowed. Maybe he and Uryu could come up with some manner of playing battery for shinigami instead of Quincy.

"I'm okay now," Rukia said, drawing Ichigo from his thoughts.

"Okay," Ichigo agreed. It wasn't a lie, really. He stood and stretched, then helped Rukia stand up as well. She adjusted her yukata to remove the wrinkles.

"What?" Rukia asked when she registered his gaze.

"Do you want a hug?" Ichigo asked. "I know I could use one. Even a little one."

Rukia snorted at him, then stepped closer. "Get over here, you fool."

"Ha, but you're stuck in a family of fools now, so what does that make you?" Ichigo asked.

He reached out and pulled Rukia into his chest. She was short, roughly the twins' size. She felt dainty in her borrowed yukata, but he knew how much strength her form held. Even in this false body of hers.

Rukia may be acting indignant, but the tight grip she gave him in that moment conveyed everything she really felt. Considering how tightly Ichigo gripped her in return, he hoped she understood what he was feeling too.

She probably did. The understanding that they were similar went both ways.

When Rukia pulled away from him, she smiled. It was a small thing, but it was honest and earnest, and a little crooked. Ichigo returned the smile.

"Let's go back," Rukia said, and held out her hand imperiously.

"Yeah, let's," Ichigo agreed, and held out his arm for Rukia to tuck her hand into.

"You know, we never really asked, Rukia-nee-san," Yuzu said on the next day after school.

The five of them, Ichigo, his sisters, Rukia, and Kon were all sitting in his room. It had the most space. Rukia sat at the low table, working on homework. She wasn't uneducated by any means, but her knowledge was based on what she would get in Soul Society. Which, from Ichigo's understanding, was decades behind the Living World currently. Any science and technology was either based on the World of the Living– the denreishinki came to mind– or entirely spiritual based.

Ichigo sat behind Yuzu, carefully braiding her short hair in small sections. He wasn't bad by any means, but neither was he as artful as Chad could be. Yuzu had Kon in her lap, keeping him contained. Karin was in the corner sketching something or other. His siblings had also been neglecting their own hobbies until recently.

"Asked what?" Rukia asked, looking up.

"If you wanted to wear pants, or preferred skirts," Yuzu said. "Or if you cared either way." Yuzu pet Kon on his stuffed head when he made a noise, a reminder not to blurt things out rudely.

Rukia put her pencil down, staring at Yuzu. "I've… never really thought about it? I don't mind skirts, but I never thought about trousers…" she trailed off and frowned to herself.

"That's fine," Yuzu said cheerfully, "You can think about it for as long as you need. If you want to keep wearing skirts, that's fine. But if you want to wear pants, let us know and we can find some for you."

"Getting pants for the school uniform would be fastest, if you'd like," Ichigo said.

Karakura High would prefer students acquiring the uniform on their own, but they had a dedicated section of slightly used pieces for students. Accidents happened, and they were teenagers. Ichigo himself borrowed some when he hit his first growth spurt and grew out of his old pair of pants and skirt.

"I'll think about it," Rukia said.

"That's all we ask," Ichigo said.

Now that he thought about, it made sense that Rukia never did. If Soul Society was decades behind, so were their fashion and clothing choices. While Rukia never seemed bothered by wearing the clothes she did here, he remembered how easy she moved in the yukata. And the shinigami uniform was wildly traditional too. The likelihood that anyone in Soul Society wore actual pants, or trousers, instead of hakama and similar items was unlikely.

"Actually, if you have any questions regarding clothes, you can always ask Uryu," Ichigo said. "He's very up to date on fashion."

Very, very up to date. He pursued it with a single minded intensity that could be terrifying at times. Even Uncle Ryuken let Uryu handle their clothing situation. Ichigo was, like, mostly sure that Uncle Ryuken stuck to suits because they were simple and had no real problem Uryu could focus on.

"I'll keep that in mind," Rukia said, looking faintly haunted.

Oh, yeah. The fallout between Uryu and Inoue after the drama in the handicrafts club was… Well, intense was putting it mildly. Ichigo and Tatsuki had to run damage control. Ichigo still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, only that people that were caught in the accidental fallout wished they could forget. He knew he was glad that Saturday was a half day. They all needed the extra time to process what happened.

"Uryu-nii knows a lot about traditional clothing, too, if you miss anything from Soul Society," Karin added from her corner. "You wore the yukata very well yesterday."

"Thank you," Rukia said, flushing slightly. "And– I don't miss it, really, save that I'm more used to that type of clothing?"

"And that's fine," Yuzu said. She moved her head slightly to give Ichigo access to more of her hair. "Like I said, as long as you think about it, it'll be perfectly okay."

Rukia glanced between the three of them. "And what about you?"

"I honestly don't care, I'll wear whatever as long as I can move in it," Ichigo said. He wore whichever piece of clothing was closest and clean. Yuzu and Uryu had gotten him into clothes he'd normally never wear by adding it to his closet when he wasn't paying attention. "Karin doesn't either, as long as it's comfortable. Yuzu prefers wearing dresses and skirts."

"That's my entire closet!" Yuzu agreed cheerfully.

"Nee-chan will wear whatever as long as she can show off her legs," Karin said. Because Tatsuki did have some great legs to show off, ever since they hit their first growth spurts. Bruises, scars, and all. "And Uryu-nii refuses to wear anything but pants."

"For many reasons, not the least is because he's basically a glowing beacon under any bright light," Ichigo said, gleefully throwing Uryu under the bus. "I swear, if he showed off any skin in the sun you'd be blinded."

"Uryu-nii-chan makes a good nightlight, too," Yuzu added, smiling brightly. Karin snorted and hid her face. "He doesn't like showing too much skin, though, so it's not as useful as just having a flashlight."

"I've never seen Orihime in anything but skirts," Rukia mused, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter. Apparently she felt like being merciful since Uryu wasn't there to defend himself.

"Yeah, Inoue loves skirts. She says they swish and are therefore more fun to wear," Ichigo said. He couldn't blame Inoue for that, because that was half the fun of skirts, really. She wore circle skirts as often as she could get away with. "Chad would wear anything too, but people are stupid so he sticks to pants."

Uryu had complained about it often enough. Chad had a striking skin tone that would look amazing against all sorts of vibrant colors. Hawaiian print shirts were one thing, but Uryu wanted to get Chad into a dress or a skirt. Chad would look amazing in a floor-length skirt of some sort.

Ichigo was certain Uryu just wanted to stick Chad with a Quincy cross on his clothing somewhere as a sort of claim. That was how Uryu showed his affection for them. He made them stuff to wear. In this case, Ichigo was perfectly happy to let Uryu do so. Quincy crosses were a more general thing, so it was a sort of claim on Ichigo's part, too.

"Chad would look good in the fancier outfits some of the nobles wear," Rukia offered, "The formal outfits are tiring to wear with all the layers, but they are colorful."

"Mm," Ichigo agreed, now focused on the end of one of Yuzu's braids. "Maybe let him know. Not enough people compliment Chad."

Rukia made an agreeing sound. She looked between the three of them again, checking to see if they had anything else to say. When they didn't add anything, she picked her pencil back up to work on the homework again.

Ichigo watched the shadows the sun cast through the window blinds. There weren't any trees nearby on this side of the house, unlike the twins' room, so the soft diffused light covered practically the entire room. The dust motes glittered like golden specks, and the rays of light were warm and inviting.

Normally Ichigo hated waking up. Half the reason Dad and now Kon were sent to wake Ichigo up was because Ichigo, pun entirely intended, slept like the dead. Sometimes though, waking up early was nice. It let Ichigo see things like this, when everything was cast in a golden glow. It was warm and homely and simply nice to watch.

Hmm. Normally Ichigo wasn't so maudlin. Still, there was a reason, and one Ichigo could recognize quite easily. It wasn't something that came out of left field after all. With a burst of energy, Ichigo sat up in bed and stretched, enjoying the spine-popping feeling, and reached for the phone sitting on the bedside table.

Going by she/her/hers now. Ichigo sent the text to the group chat. She could tell her family at breakfast. As she climbed out of bed to get ready for the day, her phone went off as everyone acknowledged it.

"Ichigo!" Kon pounded on the door.

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped at him before he could actually open it, "I'm awake, go away!"

"You're awake?" Kon asked, voice muffled, but still clearly confused. "...I'll go let Yuzu-sama know!" And with that, Ichigo heard his soft footfalls head back down the hallway.

Ugh. Ichigo slipped on her uniform and made her way to the bathroom so that she could wash her face. She pounded on the twins' door, waiting for Karin to make noise. Now that Rukia had been accepted as family, Karin had returned to her usual habit of staying in bed for as long as possible. She sympathized, she really did.

"Good morning Onii-chan!" Yuzu greeted from the stove where she was finishing breakfast. Then she paused, and actually turned to Ichigo with a question on her face. "Or…?"

"Onee-chan now," Ichigo said.

"Good morning, Onee-chan," Yuzu amended, beaming at her.

Rukia studied her, questions on her face.

"You may as well ask," Ichigo said as she helped set the table.

Kon was sitting in his usual spot, watching Ichigo with wide eyes. Or what she assumed were wide eyes, since he only had black beads. Thankfully he wasn't saying anything. Ichigo figured he'd ask Yuzu later.

"I am not unfamiliar with changing pronouns to match how one feels," Rukia said slowly, "But for some reason, I got the impression that you don't actually change how you feel?"

"Ah, no," Ichigo confirmed, "I'm nothing. Don't have a gender, don't care about gender, don't need one. But how I refer to myself is less a gender thing and more of presentation. I change it around because I get, in all honesty, bored."

Except for situations where she was fueled by spite and other assorted things to go full ham in presentation one way or another. But that didn't come up as often. When it did, though, Uryu enjoyed himself immensely. He always did whenever he got to dress people up like dolls.

"Bored?" Rukia asked incredulously.

"Yes," Ichigo said, nodding firmly. "This last stretch was one of the longest I had in a while."

"It was almost half a year!" Yuzu agreed. "Normally Onee-chan switches it up every couple of months. Keeps everyone on their toes."

Rukia thought it over and looked at Ichigo. "I'm guessing it helps weed out stupid people?"

"Oh, definitely," Ichigo said. It made them easier to remove from her life. Violently. "But that's only a bonus. I decided a long time ago that I'd never place any of my own expectations regarding myself on other people."

"That explains a lot," Rukia said, amused. "And also a good viewpoint to have for life."

"Mm. You're Kurosaki, you should cultivate that mindset in yourself," Ichigo told her, "It's hard, sometimes, but it's worth it in the long run."

Ichigo had enough sense of mind to know that if not for how supportive the adults in her life were that it would have been much harder. That if her family had any reservations, that it'd be more difficult to do so. Ichigo was stubborn as anything, though, so she'd have found her way eventually. It would have just taken longer.

And because Rukia, wonderful as she was, sometimes clammed up tightly if reminded that she was Kuchiki. Going about life the Kurosaki way would only make it easier to stick it to them. Ichigo really wanted to beat them up still. She was patient, though. She could lie in wait.

"I'll do my best," Rukia said.

"Morning," Karin mumbled when she finally showed up. She peered for a long moment at Ichigo. "Ichi-nee?" Then, without waiting for a response, nodded. "Ichi-nee."

"Morning," Ichigo said, amused. "Go grab Dad."

"Okay, okay," Karin said, and slowly made her way to the clinic entrance.

"Breakfast is ready," Yuzu said, because she was amazing and somehow always managed to time everything correctly.

Ichigo and Rukia carried the food to the table as Yuzu set their bento aside to be grabbed as they all left. All that to the tune of Karin yelling at Dad to bring him inside.

"Good morning, my lovely children!" Dad crowed. He was about to tackle Ichigo when he paused and peered at her dramatically, expression deliberately comical. "Son?"

"Nope," Ichigo said.

"Daughter!" Dad crowed. Ichigo ducked under his arms and tapped him on the back of his knee so that he crumpled. Dad rolled with it and jumped up again.

"It's time for breakfast," Ichigo snapped at him, "Sit down so that we can eat."

"Masaki, our daughter is so mean to me!" Dad wailed, even as he made his way to his seat at the dining table.

With that breakfast ritual out of the way, they all sat down for breakfast. Having Rukia there was no hardship; despite the different personalities, she fit in to their lives the same way Tatsuki did. Maybe not the same casual affection, because Tatsuki had an entire lifetime on Rukia, but something that would lead the same way.

"How did you know?" Rukia asked. "Ichigo doesn't affect anything differently, I don't think. Maybe her voice is higher, but not by much."

"It's all in the presentation," Yuzu said, waving her chopsticks in Ichigo's direction. "Even if Onee-chan doesn't change, really, how she presents herself does. It's very small, but it's noticeable if you know what to look for."

"We're used to it because Ichi-nee changes a lot," Karin added tiredly. "After a while it was just easier to recognize the change instead of waiting for Ichi-nee to say so."

"I'd know my precious child anywhere!" Dad said cheerfully. "But it's always nice to double check. To be polite."

Rukia eyed Dad with all the dubiousness that deserved. "I see. Then I suppose it is something that I will learn in time."

"Mm," Ichigo agreed. She didn't need to send the group chat a message because everyone in it would be able to tell. But it was a polite heads up ahead of time. Mostly so that they could spread the info to the people that wouldn't be able to tell immediately.

Once they were finished, Yuzu went upstairs to grab her stuff for school while Ichigo, Rukia, and Karin cleaned up. Dad went back to the clinic, mumbling inventory to himself.

"I'm ready!" Yuzu said not a couple minutes later, bag slung over her shoulder.

"Let's go," Ichigo said, and herded her family out the door. The sun was still shining that golden color, and it fit the mood perfectly. Today was going to be a good day.

Of course, the weather prediction held true and the heat only rose as the week passed. How anyone was meant to do anything was anyone's guess. But that meant that they were free to do what they pleased; Ichigo's group of friends followed the rules so often that no one expected them to just ignore them outright. Plausible deniability and all that.

Rukia eyed the swimsuit presented to her dubiously. "What is this?"

"A swimsuit, meant for swimming," Uryu said.

"You have clothing dedicated to swimming?" Rukia asked.

"Oh yeah, you haven't been here long enough to be shown the swimming pool," Tatsuki said.

"The school can assign you one if you do not have any," Uryu said, "But I have taken the opportunity to make you one. I made sure to design something that suited you."

"I do like the color," Rukia admitted. "But why are you giving this to me now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ichigo asked, grinning at her. "If you weren't aware, it's been stupidly hot lately. We're skipping school and going swimming at the lake."

"Truancy?" Rukia asked dubiously. "You refuse to let your sisters skip school."

"Education is important," Ichigo agreed solemnly, "But unless you're specifically training for it, being stuck inside on a hot day doesn't work for a good learning environment."

The twins would be coming with them. Dad, however, would be staying put. The clinic generally got an uptick in patients when it was hot.

"The heat cooks the knowledge right out of your brain," Inoue said cheerfully. She was already wearing her swimsuit underneath her sundress. Considering the effort that went into providing her with good support she always got ready ahead of time.

"I know several fire-wielders that would fight you on that," Rukia said dryly.

"Don't care right now," Tatsuki said. She pointed imperiously at Rukia. "Get changed, and we'll take you to the watering hole!"

"If you say so," Rukia said.

"If you need help, ask the twins," Ichigo said.

"I will," Rukia promised. She took the swimsuit and left to the twins room to get changed.

"Well, we know the drill," Ichigo said, turning to the others. "We'll all change, and pack the stuff needed to head out. Mizuiro and Keigo are going to meet us there of course. Chad will show up later, he had something already planned for the morning."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Inoue agreed. "I hope that the weather cools down before next week."

"Oh, yeah, that spirit medium show you guys like is coming to town," Ichigo snorted, and ran her hands through her hair. "You know that's all fake, right?"

"It doesn't matter if it's fake," Tatsuki said, "Because it's entertaining."

"Whatever works for you, I guess," Ichigo said, shrugging. She'd probably be dragged there too since Yuzu wanted to go. And if Yuzu went, Karin would go. At least Karin would join her in the usual disdain for the situation.

"It's at the abandoned hospital, isn't it?" Uryu asked, frowning. "Even if it's fake, we may as well make sure that the number of people there don't cause any problems."

"That'll be fun, with all the cameras," Ichigo sighed.

"Why don't you just leave your body?" Inoue asked.

"Oh yeah, that's a thing," Ichigo said. She scowled. "Though if I want to head there with the twins, I'd have to use Kon to leave my body."

"Kon-chan has been much better behaved," Inoue said, "And I'm sure we can all keep an eye on him so that he doesn't do anything."

"Oh, I'm sure," Tatsuki said with a grin that was all teeth. Yeah, she hadn't forgiven Kon for what he did that first day either.

"We can talk about it later," Ichigo said firmly, "Right now, I'm more concerned about going swimming."

The others all made noises of assent and packed up. Well, the heat was at least good for something. Swimming would be fun and not a chore.

0o0o0