A/N: wow! a chapter posted less than a year than the previous one! anyway, this is meant to bridge the gap until the next actual canon event, since there's more than a week between visiting masaki's grave and the don kanonji tv show.
Karakura High School was a lot more relaxed as a high school than most others in the country.
For one, Ichigo, her family, and her friends only had their absence noted down as unplanned with no other restrictions. Ochi-sensei sighed tiredly at them, of course. Ichigo knew she was only jealous that they could so easily take time off rather than angry they were absent at all. Besides, Ochi-sensei knew that Ichigo took her family's education seriously, and wouldn't have left without reason.
For another, while it was required to wear uniforms during official school hours, they didn't have hard rules for before or after, outside of school-sanctioned events. Ichigo and her sisters dressed in their school uniforms at home because it was easier. But, technically, they could bring their uniform in with them as long as they were dressed before the first bell rang. There was nothing stopping them from bringing clothes to school to change into once the school day was done.
Which helped a lot when it was this hot. The summer uniform was okay, but even short sleeves were too much. Which was why she and Tatsuki had made their way to the locker room as soon as school ended and changed into a tanktop and shorts.
"Are you sure?" Rukia asked, looking remarkably anxious.
She didn't get changed, lucky for her. As Rukia had told them previously, she was of the ice and snow. Unless someone attacked her with fire or heat based attacks, temperature didn't bother her. Winter was her season, and summer, she just endured. If Rukia could control how far that chill of hers extended, she would be the most popular person in the city.
"Yes, we're sure," Tatsuki said, rolling her eyes, and finished packing her bag. "We wouldn't have invited you if we weren't."
"Trust me, you'd know if we were only being polite," Ichigo said dryly.
She had been reliably informed that her family, when polite for politeness sake, tended to come across as more rude than not. Something about sincerity? Ichigo didn't particularly care; those that understood her and how she worked knew when she respected them just fine.
"But…" Rukia trailed off. "Why would your parents wish to meet me?"
"Because you're Kurosaki," Tatsuki said. She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at Rukia as Ichigo led them out the door. "Which means we're family now, too. My parents always want to meet new family."
"And there's no relation?" Rukia asked, a question just to fill the space between them with noise.
"Nope," Ichigo said. "Tatsuki and I met when we were four and I started taking karate lessons."
"I barely remember not having this dumbass in my life," Tatsuki said fondly.
Ichigo rolled her eyes and hip bumped Tatsuki hard enough that it would probably leave a bruise. Tatsuki rolled her eyes right back.
"And now you are family," Rukia said, watching them amusedly.
As always, she took their interactions in stride. Ichigo really wanted to know who Rukia was friends with in Soul Society before she was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan. That kind of roll-with-it attitude was learned through exposure. Ichigo had to figure out if she needed to beat Rukia's friends up too, or have them help Ichigo beat up the Kuchiki Clan. She hoped for the latter.
"Yes," Ichigo and Tatsuki said, together.
"Though Mom was the one that started saying it, you know?" Ichigo said, ignoring the usual heartbreak she felt whenever Mom came up. Time and trust in the people she surrounded herself with made it easier to bear. "She said that Tatsuki could be an honorary Kurosaki, since we were together so much."
"Mom and Dad thought it was adorable, and hilarious, so then they said Ichigo could be an honorary Arisawa in turn," Tatsuki said.
"And now?" Rukia asked, eyebrows raised.
"Well, when we were children we took it as a rule," Ichigo said, thinking back.
If her mom said something was so, then it was so. Not that Ichigo would have done anything differently. People she considered hers were hers, and that meant family. Along with her sisters, their combined read on people meant that people they considered part of the Kurosaki family were good people. Or at the very least, had no interest in harming her family.
Ichigo– and Tatsuki, because they very much viewed the world similarly– tended to be drawn to people with spines of pure steel, but that didn't necessarily mean that they would mesh well with her sisters. Karin was better with reading people's emotions and intentions, for all that she acted like she didn't care whatsoever. She was drawn to compassionate people, people with kindness in their hearts no matter how they outwardly acted. Yuzu, despite appearances, was the most shrewd and cynical, and could see to the heart of the matter, and of people.
Ichigo figured that it was lucky that her father took it all in stride. Then again, Dad, despite his own boisterous personality, followed easily in the wake of Kurosaki Masaki. Their entire family did. Mom might've not been as over the top as Dad could be, but she was as boisterous and outgoing as he was. It was one of the reasons they got along so well.
"Now, when my sisters are in agreement, anyone we think can be family is family, to us," Ichigo said.
"But not Arisawa?" Rukia asked, glancing at Tatsuki.
"Sometimes," Tatsuki said, shrugging. "My parents like getting to know people, first."
Ichigo was, and so were the twins. Inoue definitely was, the moment that they learned what happened to her. Uryu was, because he'd been around almost as long as Ichigo and Tatsuki were. Chad wasn't, yet, but that was more reticence on Chad's part than none of them getting along.
Mostly, Aunt and Uncle weren't as energetic as the Kurosaki family were. They took longer to figure people out. Ichigo didn't get it, but she had learned that the Kurosaki family looked really strange on the outside.
Rukia still looked uncertain. Tatsuki and Ichigo shared a glance over her head, and shrugged. There wasn't much they could do to help, other than continuing to show Rukia that she was welcome in their lives. And continue to plan retribution on Rukia's behalf.
Still, they were able to distract her well enough by talking about schoolwork. For whatever reason, Rukia enjoyed school. Or, rather, learning. She was determined not to fail, of course, but she also just liked it. Maybe Aunt and Uncle could help figure out where her passion lied?
It didn't take long to make it to the Arisawa home. Tatsuki didn't live that far from Ichigo. Aunt and Uncle should be home– they both had flexible schedules, given their jobs. They also made sure to find some free time whenever Tatsuki wanted to introduce them to someone new.
"Mom! Dad! We're home!" Tatsuki called into the house as the three of them took off their shoes to put on slippers.
There wasn't an answer. And, their shoes weren't in the entrance, either.
"Huh. Must not be home yet," Tatsuki said, shrugging.
Tatsuki led them further into the house, tossing her bag at the bottom of the stairs for her to pick up when she went to her bedroom. Ichigo put her bag on the side table next to the stairs, directing Rukia to do the same.
Rukia looked around, studying the new location. Tatsuki's house was a lot calmer than the Kurosaki household. While Arisawa Kyoko and Takeshi were by no means stoic or introverted, it wasn't hard to be more relaxed than the Kurosaki house.
The main hallway was pretty generic, with some simple abstract paintings lining one wall. The rest of the home was decidedly not, as every other room was bursting with evidence that people lived here, and lived here comfortably.
The living room, where Tatsuki led them, had one wall dedicated to books, with a built-in bookcase that spanned the entire wall, even framing the sliding doors that led to the small backyard. The remaining walls were covered in pictures of family and friends and fond memories. The entertainment center was full with movies and video games. One small bookcase off to the side held all of the trophies, ribbons, and certificates earned by the family.
"Whose books are those?" Rukia asked, eyes trailing over the spines of all the books. It looked incredibly chaotic, since there were three separate organizing methods used in place.
"All of ours, really," Tatsuki said, shrugging. "These are the ones we use or read most often. The rest of the library is in the basement. And we each have a small bookcase in our bedrooms for our absolute favorites, or personal items."
The Arisawa family was one that very much liked reading. Ichigo knew of at least three very intense conversations– not fights, as Tatsuki still continued to insist– that led to the current configuration for the living room. The basement library followed the Dewey decimal system, since that was where they kept most of their research materials. Universities would be jealous of the setup they had there.
"Oh," Rukia said. She looked lost, maybe a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way. There was also that look in her eye, a sharp glint that was noticeable even behind her nerves.
"Yes, you'll be able to look at the books in there," Ichigo said, amused.
Rukia flushed at being caught, then glared for daring to point it out. She didn't punch Ichigo, though, so she must appreciate the assurance.
"See, you'll be just fine," Tatsuki said, and patted Rukia on the shoulder. "Even if you weren't a friend, my parents like people who appreciate knowledge."
"Okay," Rukia said. She looked at the bookshelves again and nodded, spine straightening.
Ichigo and Tatsuki shared an amused glance over Rukia's head. Of course she'd wrest her nerves under control with the right incentive. Yeah, she'd be fine.
"Okay, so describe it again," Uryu said, notebook in hand.
They were at the Quincy training grounds, because there really was no other place Ichigo could constantly blow herself up without causing unexplainable property damage. Or without drawing in unwanted questions. Even by Karakura standards, who were used to some unusual things from the long presence of Quincy in the area, Uryu interacting with empty air would be strange.
The Ishida family cared a little more about appearances than the Kurosaki family did. From what Ichigo understood, it was because the Ishida grandmother had been a bit of a hardass, though she only ever met the previous matriarch once.
Well, Uncle Ryuken might not train them anymore, but he still kep the area stocked. General upkeep was on Uryu and Ichigo, though, since Uncle Ryuken just about refused to step foot here outside of an actual emergency. And Yuzu and Karin, when they came by for the trickier Quincy techniques. Anything else they could do at home.
That reminded her. Tatsuki was getting powers as well, though it hadn't manifested as anything just yet. She could start using the training grounds. She already knew where they were, of course, but one of the security measures relied on using reiatsu to get access. Maybe they could have that be a test of sorts? Ichigo would have to ask Uryu later. It wasn't like Tatsuki wasn't well caught up on everything Quincy that didn't require actual spiritual energy.
Ichigo's body was at the little break station where it was safely out of the way. Rukia had lent Uryu the glove temporarily for this little endeavor, since Rukia wasn't allowed here, and Ichigo refused to give Kon her body unless absolutely necessary.
Yuzu and Karin could keep Kon in line, but they weren't certain that Kon understood why his actions made them angry yet. In his plushie body, it was enough that he stopped his previous actions.
Having Uryu and Rukia be, if not friends, at the very least friendly, made things easier. As Ichigo expected, Uryu had so many ideas and experiments planned to figure out Ichigo's whole situation out. Starting with how to make Ichigo visible to people without, or minimal, spiritual energy.
"It was relief, packed up into how her reiatsu feels in general," Ichigo said. Uryu knew this, she had already explained this! But he wanted to write notes. "It felt like jumping into the watering hole when we went swimming. Or eating chilled watermelon."
"Kuchiki-san feels cold, like ice and snow," Uryu said, writing down what Ichigo said. "And so, when she uses what she called kaido, the shinigami healing spells, it takes on that sensation when it is used to heal."
"Yes. Rukia said it is as much a mental state as it is learning the spells themselves," Ichigo said, repeating what Rukia had told her.
She had given Ichigo more information the more comfortable she got. Well, at least with general information and knowledge. As a shinigami in what could only be described as a military organization, Rukia had made oaths upon graduating from the Academy. Oaths that Ichigo didn't want to challenge. Not yet, when she knew so little about everything.
"While any shinigami can learn kaido, and are apparently encouraged to, you can tell when someone is on track to be a healer," Ichigo added. It was apparently why Rukia had said she was a healer, the day of that car accident. There was something in how Ichigo handled herself during a medical crisis that was akin to what the shinigami looked for in their healers.
"Because they are spirits, and ones mental state affects both themselves and the world around them," Uryu said, thinking. "They don't have a physical body to contain and separate themselves, other than their own will."
"Which is a lot, apparently," Ichigo said, shrugging. "Anything alive wants to keep living. And souls and spirits that still take shape of their living self are included in that."
"So strange, to think of that," Uryu said. He placed a hand over his chest, where his heart and the source of his own spiritual ability was. Where a soul's Chain of Fate was placed. Where Rukia had pierced Ichigo's heart. "But I suppose, that despite how easily most souls fall prey to Hollows, spirits are remarkably resilient."
"As evidenced by me," Ichigo said, and motioned to herself. She was wearing the shinigami uniform, after all, with the nameless zanpakuto held on her back. It wasn't Sode no Shirayuki, she was certain of that. "I'm Quincy, and yet I was able to adapt to Rukia's shinigami powers pretty easily."
"It might be because Aunt was Quincy, but your father is not?" Uryu mused, tapping his pen to his notebook. "Both of my parents were Quincy. And humans, at a baseline animal level, are known for their adaptability. It might be especially true for our spirits."
Dad was, as far as they knew, spiritually aware as a brick. Even as Tatsuki, Chad, Inoue, and even Mizuiro and Keigo were developing spiritual awareness, Dad hadn't mentioned anything whatsoever. And Dad would definitely let them know if he suddenly started gaining the ability to see spirits. He sure pouted enough that he'd scream to the heavens if he did.
"Probably," Ichigo said. She thought about it. "It might be related to needing something, maybe? Like the ability to work under pressure."
Uryu sighed. "And then we get into a more hypothetical and esoteric approach to what it all means."
"Not a clean science, you mean?" Ichigo said, amused. But she understood, she really did. It would be nice to have clean cut answers to the matters of the soul and the weird powers that they all had. "I wonder if you could put it under the social sciences umbrella rather than not?"
"There has to be an observe and effect," Uryu said, "There is, because we have our spells and our techniques, and are able to pass them along. Trial and error works just fine, and on a replicable scale. As evidenced by both Quincy and shinigami."
"But sometimes things just work without any explanation," Ichigo said, thinking to that first night, when Rukia had given her her powers.
Ichigo had no idea how she used that zanpakuto for the first time. No idea how she had used that technique that created the blast of energy that had destroyed the hollow. Only that Ichigo needed it to happen, and then it did. So much so that it felt like she had been following instructions of the sword itself, than anything she did consciously.
And, of course, the fact that Ichigo hadn't been able to recreate that. Even though Rukia had seen it, and knew Ichigo could do it as well. She said it had been like a zanpakuto ability– even though Ichigo only had borrowed power, and didn't know the name of it regardless. If she could get a zanpakuto, considering the whole borrowed power situation.
Uryu sighed again, heavily. He looked like he wanted to bury his face in his hands and not get up for a long while. Instead, he continued to write notes, clearly intending to ignore that conundrum for the moment.
"Well," Uryu said, "I'm going to assume that there is a relation between kaido, how you play battery for me, and what you do when you make spirits visible to those without spiritual energy of their own."
"Everything has reishi, even physical objects in the Living World." Ichigo recited. "So I just give enough reiatsu to a willing spirit so that they are dense enough that those without above average reiryoku can see them."
"And what do you think, when you do that?" Uryu asked, tapping his pen on his notebook, a little more audibly.
"When I play spiritual battery for you, I think that I want to give you energy," Ichigo said slowly, sounding out how to explain a feeling into actual thought. "Not like just, I don't know, handing you a piece of paper. More like… when I get you a birthday gift, or something I know you want but can't justify paying for it yet. Not necessarily something big, or important, or anything. But just because I want you to have it. Because I like giving you gifts."
"I see," Uryu said. His ears burned as he wrote the notes, because he was terrible with the awareness that they loved him. "And what about with Naomi-chan?"
"I think it's the same thing," Ichigo said, "Because she wants to be visible, it's more like– I think, it's like an offering at a shrine? There's intention there, that I have an offering that I am intending to leave behind, as a gift. For a shrine, that's completed when I leave it there. But with Naomi, part of the process is that she accepts it."
Same as when Ichigo had accepted Rukia's power to save her family. Screamed that acceptance with her entire self, because there was literally nothing Ichigo would not do to protect her family.
"Hmm," Uryu hummed, thinking that over. "I suppose it's not dislike what I do when you play battery, but it's not exactly the same. When you give me energy it is more focused and easier to use, but I can use the ambient reiatsu you produce without your say so."
"Having you take it when I offer is easier, though," Ichigo said, shrugging. "I don't have to focus as hard because you do half the work. With Naomi, while she has to accept it, I'm the one with the control there."
"Now, we have to figure out how to make it so that you can make yourself visible," Uryu said, frowning thoughtfully. "You've got enough energy, that is without question. But how can you accept something that you yourself already are in possession of?"
It'd be nice if Uncle Ryuken still trained them, or was willing to talk to them about these kinds of matters. Ichigo understood the reticence, a little bit, since Uncle Ryuken actively stopped practicing after Aunt Kanae died. And because he still looked out for them, if at a distance. But Uncle Ryuken was ridiculously clever and could figure out a way for them to do this in much less time it was taking them.
"We might have to ask Naomi," Ichigo said, crossing her arms. "She is the one we worked with initially. She'd have a better idea of what it was like actually becoming visible."
"I don't want to get her involved," Uryu said, "Not with you being a shinigami at the moment. Or with Kuchiki-san around to pressure you to sending her on. But that might be the best way to figure it out."
"She was good about helping us before," Ichigo said, "And she knows us well enough to know I wouldn't send her away without asking."
Besides, Naomi was vicious enough, and like Yuzu enough, that Ichigo was pretty sure that she'd find a way to take revenge on Ichigo for it. Nevermind what her brother would do once he found out. Those two were as protective of each other as Ichigo and her sisters were. It was one of the reasons they got along so well, and why Ichigo endeavored to find a way to make her visible in the first place.
"Well, at least that's a starting point," Uryu said. He closed his notebook with a snap. "Now, let's see about how well you can use your bow while in this form."
"Right," Ichigo agreed, and grabbed her bow from where it hung on her shoulder. It was hers, so thankfully she didn't need to focus to interact with it. "Time to blow myself up some more, I guess."
Uryu snorted. "You take too much joy in being utterly destructive."
"Not always," Ichigo denied, scowling. It wasn't her fault! "But there are always explosions on the way to figuring something out, you know this."
Maybe she should ask Rukia for more tips regarding training outside of zanjutsu. Surely Rukia could help Uryu with finding a better way for Ichigo to train? It wasn't like Ichigo liked blowing things up when she didn't need to.
"If you say so," Uryu said, and adjusted his glasses so that they reflected the light, like some anime protagonist.
Sometimes Ichigo really didn't understand why she was so fond of him.
Ichigo sat on a cushion at a low table, tapping a pencil on her thigh, and staring at the notebook in front of her. A fan at her back kept her marginally cool, though there was only so much they could do without proper air conditioning. Times like this made her so glad that she kept her hair short. Ichigo had no idea how Inoue handled her hair, really.
Chad sat across from her with his guitar in his lap, strumming low notes for a bassline for something or other. The only concession he made to the heat was to wear capri pants, and a headband from Yuzu to keep his hair out of his eyes. Chad had some inhuman tolerance to heat, the weirdo.
Ichigo huffed and put her pen down. She eyed the notebook page critically. It was as finished as it was going to be. She was only nitpicking at this point.
"Ichigo?" Chad asked, looking up from his guitar.
"I've been staring at this for too long," Ichigo said, and tapped the page. It was covered in the first draft, notes, annotations, edits, and doodles. She only knew what it said because this was her notebook. "I don't know if I like it or not."
"A break then," Chad said, nodding. "Or a new page."
"A new page, probably," Ichigo said. She studied her hand. There were smudges of ink on the side where she was too impatient to wait for the ink to dry. Hm. It looked dry enough that she wouldn't leave ink smudges behind. "A clean page, a clean mind, right?"
"It wouldn't hurt," Chad allowed. He strummed a chord thoughtfully, and then repeated it. "I'm finishing this passage, too."
"It sounds nice," Ichigo said. She leaned over the table to see what she could of Chad's notebook. It was upside down, and aside from the music notes, was in Spanish. Chad was teaching her, but Ichigo certainly wasn't able to read it that well. Especially upside down. "It helped me focus, too."
"Your writing is a good inspiration," Chad said.
"Thanks," Ichigo said, pleased. Chad was one of the only ones who knew she wrote, so she appreciated it.
Chad wrote something in his notebook. "You haven't been writing, recently," he said, "You missed it, I think."
"I have," Ichigo said, sighing. "I couldn't when Rukia first showed up. We're good now, but things were tense for a while."
"Mm," Chad agreed, "She is less clingy now."
"Finally," Ichigo said. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on her hands. "The worst part was that she stuck to me like a burr. I understand why, but it was so goddamn annoying. I like my space too, you know?"
"I missed you visiting," Chad said.
"I missed coming over," Ichigo agreed. "I don't mind telling Rukia where I'm going now, but before I really didn't want her knowing everything I did."
"She was– not scared, but nervous, I think," Chad said.
"Really?" Ichigo asked, frowning.
"She lost her powers, Ichigo," Chad reminded her, "Even if she doesn't regret it, that would be scary. Lonely, too."
"Oh," Ichigo said. That was… well. It made sense. Hindsight was 20/20 wasn't it? And Chad would know. "Well, Uryu and I are working on how to help her powers return faster."
"Good luck," Chad said. He didn't smile, but there was something in his bearing that screamed that he was mentally laughing at her.
"Don't you start!" Ichigo scowled, pointing a finger at him.
"I didn't say anything," Chad said.
"But you were thinking it," Ichigo said.
Chad didn't deny it, the jerk. Instead, he asked, "Are you done with the set, or did you plan anything else?"
Ichigo frowned harder at him, eyes narrowed. Chad, of course, didn't react one way or the other. Chad knew her too well to be intimidated by literally anything she did. Fine. If he wanted to change the subject, she was gracious enough to do that for him. Even if he was a jerk.
"There's one more I need to finish to complete the set," Ichigo said. She turned to a new page in her notebook and went about copying the currently finished piece to a clean page. "I've already got the theme for what I want it to be. But starting is always the hardest part."
"Mm," Chad agreed. He looked forlornly at his own notebook. "Finishing a project is always hard too."
"Ain't that the truth," Ichigo grumbled. Hadn't she just been staring at the same page for nearly thirty minutes? At least the copy was coming out neatly.
It didn't take long for Ichigo to finish copying the poem over. She let the ink dry as she reread it one last time, mouthing the words to herself under her breath. That mental itch that told her that something was wrong with it was annoying. But, having it on a clean page that wasn't covered in notes helped. She recognized that itch as being from staring at the same page for far too long.
"I'm done with it for today," Ichigo said. Other than that stupid itch that she was determinedly ignoring, there wasn't anything else she saw that needed to change. "I'll look at it later to see if there really is anything wrong. But I think it's okay."
"Only okay?" Chad asked, amused.
Ichigo huffed and rolled her eyes. "Yes. Maybe I'll think I'm a writing genius later, I don't know. But I can't work on it anymore or I'll throw it out."
"May I?" Chad asked. He set aside his guitar, and held out his hand.
"Here," Ichigo said, and scooted the notebook across the table to him. "Let me know if there's anything weird, okay?"
"There won't be," Chad assured her, "You are a good writer."
"Thanks," Ichigo said. Her ears felt warm. "But you haven't read it yet."
"No, but I have read your work previously," Chad said.
Ichigo spun her pen over her hands as Chad read, only slightly nervous. Her writing had improved drastically once she was willing to let someone else read her work. Chad was good at both general criticism and understanding when she had been trying a style out.
In return, Chad would play music for her. Ichigo didn't really play any instruments, but she had learned a bit when researching how to help Yuzu start out. She certainly knew enough that Chad was technically skilled. While Ichigo might not be able to help with specifics, she could hear when things needed some additional work.
Chad was careful with the notebook, reading it over with a discerning eye. Ichigo crossed her arms on the table, and propped her head in the crook of her elbow, watching him. The table was cool enough to be comforting, though it was definitely hot enough that she'd have to peel herself from the surface when she sat up again.
She didn't mind.
Inoue led the group to the dojo, cheerfully recounting some story or another to Tatsuki, who listened fondly and patiently. Inoue seemed especially bouncy today– it seemed she was eager to visit the dojo. Ichigo understood.
Today was one of their dojo days. Dojo days were one of the times they scheduled where they could train and spar together. They tried for it at least once a month. The rest of the time they tended to either train on their own or in pairs.
This would be the first one Rukia was around to attend, and a good chance to feel how Rukia fit into the group as a whole. Already, Ichigo knew it would be better than the weird back and forth they had been dealing with before. Even if Ichigo honestly looked forward to zanjutsu lessons with Rukia now.
"I did not expect Orihime to be so upbeat about training," Rukia said, watching Inoue fondly. "I suppose that was foolish of me."
"Inoue is terrifying in her own cheerful way," Ichigo agreed. It wasn't Inoue's fault that she acted weirdly enough that most everyone thought she was either dumb or naive, or both. It only meant that most everyone was stupid.
"She certainly is a worthy opponent," Uryu said, glasses glinting, because Uryu was a dramatic bitch at heart.
"No, we're not doing that today," Ichigo said, and punched Uryu in the shoulder. "What happens in the Handicrafts Club stays in the Handicrafts Club. We had enough of that last week."
"It is not my fault you were foolish to jump into the crossfire," Uryu said, sniffing.
Chad and Rukia stared at Uryu dubiously.
"It certainly was, you dumbass," Ichigo said flatly. "I should not be the one cleaning up after you. It's weird and backwards and I don't like it."
"Variety is the spice of life," Uryu quoted. He didn't roll his eyes, but he sure thought about it.
"You don't get to say that to me," Ichigo said, and rolled her eyes and her whole body in the same motion. She was very mature and didn't tackle Uryu to the ground. They could do that at the dojo.
"Anyway!" Rukia cut in, because she was awesome like that. "What will we be doing? Certainly not zanjutsu."
"Hand to hand!" Inoue said, turning on her heel so that she was walking backwards. "Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-kun taught me, and now we practice a lot!"
"Inoue doesn't like fighting, but she can kick ass," Ichigo said proudly. Tatsuki nodded firmly in agreement.
Because Inoue was a good student, and actually went above and beyond what they expected for her. Tatsuki, and therefore Ichigo, just wanted Inoue to be able to protect herself from bullies and harassment. Everything on top of that was all Inoue's own determination. Ichigo and Tatsuki were mostly brawlers, for all their skill. Inoue turned throwing people around into something of an artform. A weird, Inoue-specific, kind of unusual, beautiful artfrom, but art nonetheless.
"It's not that impressive," Inoue said, laughing and rubbing the back of her head. "Tatsuki-chan and Kurosaki-kun are good teachers. And I have a nice sensei who taught me judo."
"I see," Rukia said. She nodded to herself, clearly understanding that Inoue really was that impressive. It seemed that Rukia had known Inoue long enough to get that she was humble when it came to her won accomplishments.
"I'm sure shinigami have their own version, whatever it is," Ichigo said. Rukia had a beautiful punching form. That didn't happen accidentally, or if you were self taught. "But you never really stop learning."
"No, you don't," Rukia agreed. She held up fists. "I'm not the best at hakuda. But I think we can teach each other a few things."
"Yes!" Inoue agreed, beaming, and still somehow walking backwards. "That's why we wanted to bring you with us to the dojo today."
"I am proficient, but nowhere near mastery," Rukia said. "I am mainly teaching you the basics of zanjutsu, Ichigo, but there are certainly teach you a few things with hakuda."
"Well, that's what we're going to figure out today," Ichigo said, grinning. She reached out to Chad, who bumped her fist with his own.
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