A.N.: This story was commissioned by Anonymous.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

12 Brides and a Strawberry

Chapter Five

The Next Day...
Karakura Town

Ichigo headed for the park for a morning walk, feeling refreshed after last night. He and Orihime had woken up in each other's arms that morning, their relationship feeling stronger than ever after they'd gone all the way. Orihime greeted him with a morning kiss before getting up to get ready for work while Ichigo washed her sheets. "Never realized sex could be so messy," he said to himself with a blush on his face.

Ichigo wasn't surprised at all when he saw that Sung-Sun was sitting on the park bench like always. After their first conversation the pair started to routinely meet in the morning to talk and get to know each other more.

Wearing a white shirt and matching skirt with flowers imprinted on it, Sung-Sun looked up and raised an eyebrow when she saw Ichigo. "Oh?" Her serpentine eyes narrowed and a knowing smile stretched across her pretty face. "Someone looks happy. Did something fun happen last night?"

Blushing, Ichigo sat down next to her. "That obvious?"

"You're practically glowing," chuckled the Arrancar. "Also, I had no idea Orihime was a biter," she added, pointing to a mark on the side of Ichigo's neck.

Ichigo's hand went to his neck and his blush intensified. "Yeah, things kind of...got wild last night..."

"I bet. Hopefully you still have gas in the tank for the rest of us." Sung-Sun sat back and the two settled into a comfortable quiet. "So, almost all the preparations for our weddings is done. We're still settling on the order besides Orihime going first. We're going to have the Human, Quincy and our here while the Soul Reapers hold the ceremony in the Soul Society. However," her eyes turned back to Ichigo curiously. "What preparations have you made?"

"Preparations?"

"Oh come now, Ichigo. You're getting married. To twelve beautiful women no less. You can't just expect us to do all the work for you. Have you an outfit to wear?"

Thankfully, Ichigo did give the Arrancar a nod. "Yeah, my dad took me to get a tuxedo after I agreed to marry you all."

"Well that's a start. But do you have a best man in mind?"

"Hmm..." Ichigo thought about it. With twelve wives coming from four different races, it might not be best for Ichigo to have the same best man for all of his weddings. "Honestly I thought I'd just have Dad be my best man since he's the one who got me into this."

"That won't do at all. He's going to be the one leading most of us down the altar."

"Oh..." Ichigo gave the matter some thought. "I guess I should ask Chad to be my best man," he figured.

"Your big friend with the muscles? He seems fine. Although you might want to ask one of your Soul Reaper friends for your weddings with Yoruichi, Rangiku and Mashiro."

Knowing Sung-Sun had a good point, Ichigo nodded. "You're right. Although I'm not sure who exactly to ask."

"I'm certain you'll find someone."

Later that day...
Soul Society

Ichigo walked down the hallway of the Squad Thirteen Barracks, many Soul Reapers staring at him as he passed them by. It felt awkward to hear them gossip as he walked by, many girls expression envy while the men showed clear signs of jealousy and a few of them a little bit angry at Ichigo.

'Oh please. Everyone keeps talking about me like this was all my idea...' Ichigo rolled his eyes as he made it to the door he'd been looking for. He quietly knocked on it and waited for the door to open.

Rukia, the lieutenant and acting-captain of Squad Thirteen, opened the door and her violet eyes widened to see Ichigo standing there. "Ichigo? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Rukia. Um..." Ichigo scratched the back of his head as the two awkwardly looked at each other. "Is Renji here?"

Nodding, Rukia opened the door and let Ichigo in. Renji was sitting in a chair next to a small table, the pair obviously having lunch together. The redhead lieutenant set down his sandwich and looked up at Ichigo but despite Ichigo's friendly smile, Renji didn't seem particularly happy to see him.

Rukia pulled up another chair for him, sitting down in a chair on the opposite side of the table. "So what's up? Getting cold feet?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"My feet can't get any colder," Ichigo chuckled before turning to Renji. "Actually, I was here to ask you something, Renji. I went over to Squad Six but Byakuya told me that you were over here with Rukia."

Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow. "What do you want with me?"

"Well, the thing is...I kinda need a best man for my weddings with Yoruichi, Rangiku and Mashiro. I already asked Chad to be my best man when I have my weddings with the others but I felt it'd be kinda awkward if he did it for my weddings here since he's not a Soul Reaper. Will you be my best man?"

Rukia looked like she was pleased with the idea but Renji simply looked at Ichigo for a long, slow minute before turning back to his sandwich, finishing it before he finally gave his answer in the most blunt of replies. "No." Ichigo blinked in confusion; not from Renji's refusal but from his abrasive attitude. Wiping his mouth clean, the lieutenant stood up and promptly walked out of the room without another word.

The sheer rudeness of Renji's reply baffled the Substitute. He looked over at Rukia, who merely shook her head. "What the hell crawled up his ass?"

The Squad Thirteen lieutenant merely sighed. "It's...complicated, Ichigo. I'm okay with what's going on; I gave Orihime my full support earlier. But Renji...he's got a lot up his ass when it comes to this whole marriage deal."

Scowling, Ichigo got up and headed for the door. Renji was halfway down the hallway before the Substitute called out to him. "Renji, wait!"

Turning around, Renji looked at his friend with an irked expression. "What's your problem? I already told you no. I'm not gonna be your best man so stop asking!"

"What the hell is your deal?! I just asked a simple question and you act like a jerk!"

"I'm the jerk?" Stomping down the hallway, Renji pointed a finger at his friend's chest. "I'm the jerk? I'm not the guy who's such a horny brat, he's got no problem with sleeping with the enemy!"

The scowl on Ichigo's face deepened. "What the hell are you talking about? I haven't slept with anyone yet!" He would have mentioned Orihime but he knew she wasn't the one Renji was talking about; that and he wasn't ready to admit he and Orihime had taken things to the next level, especially with Renji being so angry.

"Yeah. There's the key word: yet. You get told 'Hey, you need to marry our enemies who just tried to kill us all' and you just nod and say yes. What is wrong with you?! Nel is one thing but the rest? That Espada and her subordinate almost killed Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya!" Renji pointed a finger past Ichigo towards Rukia, who was watching them with interest. "And that Fullbringer girl? After what she did to Rukia? To you? You just accept her apology as long as she offers to spread her legs?"

Ichigo was getting angry. His hands were already balled into fists and it was getting hard to listen to this. "You-"

"And the worst part? You agreed to marry those Quincies!" Renji pointed out a nearby window, to the lingering signs of the Vandenreich's devastation. "After all they did to us! Head-Captain Yamamoto and Captain Ukitake are dead! Captain Komamura is gone! Captain Kuchiki had his Bankai stolen and was almost killed! Izuru is a literal dead man walking! And the things that zombie Quincy did to Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya are unspeakable! I could stand here all day and list off the friends I lost at the hands of the Sternritter and I wouldn't have enough hours in the day. And you were so eager to marry them?!"

"No, I was not!" Ichigo stomped his foot. "When I heard about what my Dad agreed, I was absolutely livid. I didn't want to marry anyone! I beat the hell out of my old man when he told me."

"It's true, Karin texted me the pics," Rukia quietly added.

"So why, Ichigo? Why?!"

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo tried to choose his words wisely but it was a difficult task to do when he was so angry. "Because they told me they cared about keeping the peace and that they cared about me."

Renji was not convinced. "So what then? You just let them browbeat you into agreeing to marry them? How pathetic!"

"You-"

"I mean, how do you think the rest of us feel about you marrying Rangiku and Mashiro? Or were you hoping they were just as easy as those Quincy bitches?"

POW!

Ichigo's fist struck with the speed of lightning, socking Renji right in the jaw. A lesser man would have been knocked out but Renji was strong enough to withstand the blow, staggering back. Rukia was shocked by both Ichigo's actions and the fury in his eyes. "Ichigo..."

Wiping his chin, Renji glared back at Ichigo. "Oh I see. Tell me, would you have been even more eager if Rukia had been ordered to marry you?!" shouted the lieutenant, getting to the real heart of the matter. "You would be glad to see her debase herself by sharing a bed with our enemies like you would Orihime and Rangiku?!"

Everyone watching tensed when Renji raised a fist to punch back at his friend, only for a collective gasp to fill the hallway when a hand grabbed his arm from behind, twisting Renji's arm behind his back and keeping him from attacking Ichigo. "Stand down," ordered Byakuya Kuchiki. "That's an order, Renji."

"Brother!"

"C-Captain..." Renji went rigid upon realizing that he'd been so wound up with anger he hadn't even noticed his captain walking up behind him.

"Ichigo bears no blame for this. This arrangement was made without his consent and by the time he was told, everything had already been formalized." Byakuya looked over at Ichigo, the boy's fury simmering down in the wake of the captain's cool demeanor. "He already has the approval of the other captains and the Shihoin Clan. What's more, Ichigo is not doing this to 'sleep with the enemy', as you claim but because he understands the need for unity and peace. The only one acting out of line here is you, Renji. "

Byakuya let Renji go, gesturing to the door at the end of the hallway leading out of the barracks. "Return to Squad Six and cool down. You and I will discuss this later."

"Yes, Captain." Without another word, Renji turned away. He didn't look at Ichigo or Rukia as he left the building, a look of shame on his face the entire walk back to the Squad Six Barracks.

The three Soul Reapers watched the lieutenant leave before Byakuya turned back to Ichigo. "Defending the honor of your brides is admirable, Ichigo. But you shouldn't be so quick to give into anger," he lightly chastised.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo calmed himself. "Sorry..."

Rukia put a hand on her friend's shoulder to reassure him. "It's alright, Ichigo. We know you're a better man than to just think of yourself in all of this."

"Thanks, Rukia."

"Byakuya and I will talk to Renji and try to get him to calm down. Although I think you can count him out as a best man."

"If you need a best man, why not ask Kenpachi Zaraki?"

"Kenpachi?" Ichigo was confused at Byakuya's choice.

"He has always held you in high regard; Zaraki already considers you to be part of his squad as do Lieutenant Madarame and Third-Seat Ayasegawa. I'm certain that any of them would feel honored to be your best man."

The idea that Kenpachi respected him was weird to Ichigo but at least it helped him with his options. He'd ask Byakuya to be his best man but he and Rukia knew that Byakuya was too busy trying to plan everything with Kyoraku to assume the role. "Okay. I'll think about it," he finally said before his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Rukia noticed Ichigo's expression grow sour upon flipping his phone open and reading the text message he got. "What is it?"

"My day just got more messy..."

Hours later...

Karakura Town; Urahara Shop

Sitting at the round table Kisuke had set up for all the brides, Ichigo felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face as he awkwardly looked from person to person nervously. He mentally hoped that Kisuke's bracelets were as effective as Yoruichi had touted them to be because otherwise he would have a really bad problem on his hands.

Fighting Yhwach? For all the pain Ichigo went through in that fight, that seemed tamed in comparison to trying to mediate a talk between three girls when one of them really wanted to kill the other two.

Bambietta glared daggers at Candice and Meninas from across the table, Ichigo sitting next to her. Glancing down beneath the table, Ichigo saw that the Sternritter had her hands balled into white-knuckle fists.

Deciding that they needed to get this done and over with so it wouldn't pose a bigger problem later on, Yoruichi and Riruka had convinced Bambietta to sit down and talk to her former friends before they all tied the knot with Ichigo. Since he was to be their husband, it was decided that Ichigo should be there to help keep things from getting violent. Ichigo realized what a difficult task it would be when Bambietta looked like she wanted to jump across the table and strangle the two other Sternritter the moment they walked into the room.

Putting her hands behind her head, Candice leaned back in her chair. "So, Bambi, what did you want to talk about?"

Bambietta spoke with teeth clenched. "You know damn well what I wanna talk about. You killed me!"

"Again with this? Last I checked, it was Gigi who finished you off after that dog captain bested you."

The table was cracked when Bambietta slammed her fist down on it. Her powers may have been muted by the bracelet but the girl was still pretty strong. "And you two just stood there! Do you know what that's like? To look and think 'oh hey, my friends are here to help me' only to realize they're there to finish you off and there's nothing you can do about it?!"

Ichigo put a hand on Bambietta's shoulder to try to keep her from jumping out of her chair. "Bambietta, you need to calm down."

But the Sternritter just brushed off his hand, giving him an ugly look. While her anger was focused on her former friends, she still had not gotten over the fact that she'd been revived just to marry him. "No, I will not calm down! They killed me, Ichigo! They killed me!"

Candice could only scowl at her old friend's childish anger. "You were dead the moment you lost to that captain. What we did was a mercy to what Haschwalth and Yhwach would have done to you."

The conversation was paused when Ichigo raised his hand. "Okay, I'm lost here. Someone want to explain exactly what went down?"

Meninas leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table while she spoke. "It's rather simple, Ichigo. His Majesty did not tolerate failure. After the Licht Reich was crushed by the original Thirteen Court Guard Squads and was reformed into the Vandenreich, Yhwach reorganized the Sternritters into becoming more ruthless. Not just to our enemies but to each other. One of the core tenets that we kept to was that to lose was to bring shame to the Vandenreich. And Bambietta lost to Captain Komamura."

"You killed her because of that?!"

"It's our way, Ichigo. And Bambietta wasn't the only one to go that way. Lil to us that she and Gigi found Cang Du's body in Silbern. Haschwalth executed him after he lost to the captain whose Bankai he'd stolen. No idea what happened to BG9 though." The pinkette sat back in her chair, turning her attention back to Bambietta. "So tell me, is that what you'd have preferred? For us to drag you back to His Majesty and watch Haschwalth execute you? Because I assure you that there wouldn't have been much to revive after they were done with you."

Rolling her eyes, Bambietta sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Oh wow. I feel so grateful that I died in a slightly less painful manner. What good friends I have..." Her expression hardened again. "Oh, and let's not forget the fact you let Gigi turn me into a zombie!"

Candice and Meninas could tell Ichigo was lost so they decided to fill him in on the details. "Gigi is the Z Sternritter. Her Schrit is The Zombie. She uses her blood to turn enemies into zombies. With most Soul Reapers all it takes is a drop of blood to get them under her control. But with a Quincy they have to be dead before she can zombify them," explained Candice. "After Bambi bit the dust, Gigi turned her into a zombie so that she could stay with us, even in death."

Just like that, Ichigo could start to understand the other reason Bambietta was so upset at her former comrades. "That sounds horrible," he said with a disgustedly look on his face.

"It was horrible." Bambietta slammed her fist onto the table again, making the huge wooden furniture shake. "Imagine having no free will and just being a shambling, groaning mess. That's what they did to me."

Ichigo put his hand back on her shoulder to try to keep her calm. Turning back to the other Quincies, he decided to try to move things along now that he had a grasp on the situation. "Do you two feel bad about what you did? She was your friend, after all.

The two Sternritters looked at each other for a quick second before they shrugged in unison. "A little," they said together.

"The fuck do you mean 'a little', you jerks!" roared Bambietta.

"Bambi, what do you want from us? An apology?" Candice frowned before leaning back in her chair again, making her breasts jiggle in her top, much to Ichigo's embarrassment. "You knew what would happen if you'd lost and you still lost anyway. You dying was gonna happen no matter who did it. At least Gigi's power let you fight alongside us afterwards and we all stayed together. And in the end, you were still in one piece to get revived anyway."

"Bullshit! Don't act like you knew this was all gonna happen!"

"No but it worked out anyway, didn't it?" pointed out Meninas.

"Hmph!" Bambietta turned her head and huffed. "Wouldn't have lost if you four hadn't ditched me in the first place..." she mumbled to herself before turning back to Ichigo. "Fine. I'll take their apology for now and then strangle them when nobody's looking. Happy?"

"I guess?" Ichigo said back, not sure how he should take her response. He made a mental note to talk to Uryu and ask how he dealt with the Sternritters.

"That reminds me. Try not to do what you normally do before Candi and I had a chance for some snuggle-time with Ichigo," Meninas said. "You always do it when you're in a bad mood."

"Wait, what?" Ichigo blinked in confusion. "Do what when you're in a bad mood?" he asked Bambietta.

"Oh, Bambi's got a bad habit of luring hot guys to her room and then killing them when they've got their pants off. Always made such a mess. The maids always hated having to clean up her room," Candice said matter-of-factly.

Bambietta saw the look of worry in Ichigo's eyes and merely shrugged. "Oh relax. I doubt you'd be as weak as those gullible idiots. Besides, I promised Riruka I wouldn't kill you. At least," her eyes flashed with a glint of devious intent, "not until I make sure you aren't a shrimp-dick like they were."

Suddenly Ichigo wanted to go back home and punch his dad's lights out again for the situation that Isshin had landed him in...

"Fine. We'll talk more later. I need to go meet Riruka and pick out a new kimono for my date." Bambietta stood up and headed for the door. "Ichigo, meet me back here at seven o'clock. It's not good to keep a girl waiting."

"Date? What?"

Bambietta turned and smiled. "Oh, didn't Riruka and Orihime tell you? You and I are going to the fireworks festival tonight. Don't be late."

"What?!" Ichigo had not been told anything about going out with Bambietta today.

The other two Sternritter stood up. "Looks like the meeting is over. Guess we'll head back and see if Uryu's got our dresses done."

Candice grinned at the puzzled Ichigo. "Have fun dealing with that psycho. Try not to die. I still owe you for what you did to my hair, after all."

The Sternritter left the room, leaving Ichigo sitting there all alone.

"...And just like that, I've lost all control of my life..."

Later that night...

"Good thing my old kimono still fits," Ichigo said to himself as he walked down the street in the kimono he wore for school festivals. The fireworks festival that Karakura Town held every year was always to celebrate traditional Japanese roots so it gave everyone the chance to wear their kimonos.

Ichigo had been so caught up in everything that'd been going on ever since his father had told him about his polygamous marriage that he'd forgotten about the festival. Usually he went with his sisters or his classmates.

His yukata was a deep blue with a green spiral on its back, a birthday gift from Yuzu last year. After socking his father in the eye (again) and changing clothes he headed back to Urahara Shop. Walking, he replayed in his head the conversation he had with Uryu.

"Uh...Uryu? I don't really know anything about the Quincy girls who agreed to marry me," said Ichigo as he sat on his bed, his kimono lying next to him as he sat shirtless, speaking to his friend over the phone. "What can you tell me about Candice, Meninas and Bambietta?"

"Honestly, Ichigo, there's not much I can tell you. I didn't interact with most of the Sternritter in the time I joined them. The only one I dealt with was Haschwalth besides the Royal Guard. The girls kept to their own little clique but like with the rest of the Sternritter, they seemed to be just as ruthless."

"That sounds encouraging..."

"...I think you can relax, Ichigo. You aren't in any real danger. They don't see you as an enemy. Not anymore, anyway. And aren't you the one whose always giving people second chances?"

Ichigo knew that his friend had a point. He should at least try to make friends with them if they were indeed to be married. "Still feels like these girls have an axe to grind with me. Candice anyway."

"Well you did ruin her hair. Most girls would take offense. As for Bambietta, just try to take it slow and give her a chance. She's been through a lot."

"So I've heard..."

Bambietta was waiting for Ichigo out in front of the shop, wearing a kimono that she'd picked out while shopping with Riruka. The kimono was red with pink butterflies imprinted on it. Her dark hair was tied behind her with a red ribbon. Despite her angry disposition from earlier, even Ichigo couldn't deny that she looked quite cute.

"Hey," greeted Ichigo awkwardly.

The Sternritter looked at him with a uncharacteristically nervous expression on her face. "Hi," she said before slipping her arm around Ichigo's. "C'mon. I don't wanna be late."

The two walked in awkward silence, Bambietta keeping a tight grip on Ichigo's arm. As the festival came into sight, he felt the Sternritter relax a little. "This is nice," she finally said, looking around at the colorful lights and stalls.

"Yeah. The festivals here are always fun." Ichigo noticed a small smile on her face. "Do you like festivals?"

To Ichigo's disappointment, Bambietta's small smile dropped. "Not really. The Vandenreich didn't celebrate holidays. We didn't have anything to celebrate. His Majesty waking up from his sleep sorta got us in the mood to celebrate but the Sternritter weren't really allowed to party like you Humans do."

Taking hold of her hand, Ichigo gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled at the Sternritter. "Well I'll just have to make sure you make up for lost time."

Bambietta blushed in response before Ichigo led her farther into the festival. Over the next hour as the pair partook in the festival's games, ride and food, Ichigo noticed that little by little, the E Sternritter started to loosen up, although she did have a little too much time playing whack-a-mole and almost breaking the machine. Ichigo made a mental note to tell Kisuke to tweak the bracelet to lower her strength a little.

Looking at his watch, Ichigo knew the best part of the festival was about to start. "Come on. I know a good spot to watch the fireworks."

Clutching the fluffy pink teddy bear she'd won at a carnival game, Bambietta followed him away from the bright lights of the carnival, Ichigo leading her to a large hill that overlooked the town. Reaching the top, Ichigo sat down on the soft grass and Bambietta joined him.

"This was nice," Bambietta admitted after a long silence had settled over the two. "Um...I'm sorry that I...dragged you to the festival without telling you," she mumbled. "I got too worked up over my friends to really call you beforehand."

"It's alright. I got to know you a little better and you looked like you were having fun."

"Fun, huh?" Clutching the teddy bear on her lap, the Sternritter looked down at the town and frowned. "Well, my way of blowing off steam is usually a little more violent. I'm not sure about this whole life of peace deal that was decided for me. Can't say I like it very much."

Ichigo felt a little nervous, knowing just how dark Bambietta could be from listening to the other Quincy. He'd overheard from Rukia just how wicked the girl could be after she'd callously blasted Shinji away during the second invasion. But then he remembered what Uryu told him: that he should give her a fair chance. "Are you okay?" he finally asked.

Hugging the teddy bear tighter, the dark-haired girl took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm...coping. You don't know what that did, Ichigo. You don't know it's like to die and come back as something lesser than what you are. I know deep down that Candi and Mini are telling the truth. Haschwalth would have executed me for losing to that doggy. But that doesn't make me feel better, especially after the fact that Gigi killed me. Twice. And the fact that they brought me back only because of the benefits they get out of this chafes me something fierce. " Bambietta sighed before turning back to Ichigo. "But I do appreciate you putting up with me. I know I'm not the best person to be around, especially when you've got eleven other women you could be with."

The two were interrupted by a bright flash in the sky, the fireworks display beginning. Ichigo looked up and smiled at the colorful display that painted the black sky with a canvas of colors. Looking to see how Bambietta was doing, he was surprised by the bright smile on her eyes, her eyes which had been reserved during their talk had become alive with life. "You like fireworks?" he asked softly.

Nodding, Bambietta slipped her hand into his and put her head on his shoulder while they continue watching the fireworks together, sighing gently at the lovely sight. "Fireworks remind me of my Schrift, the Explode. Explosions make me feel safe. Anything that might try to harm me I can blast away. I felt untouchable." She squeezed Ichigo's hand and looked up at him. "But I don't have my Voll Stern Dich anymore. Gigi is still out there. I don't feel safe anymore," she confessed.

Understanding just how traumatized the Sternritter had become, Ichigo wrapped his arms around the girl, running a hand through her long, silky hair. "It's okay. I'm here."

Hugging Ichigo's neck, Bambietta looked up and watched the fireworks, feeling a sense of calm by both their bright explosions and the warmth of Ichigo's arms. "Will you protect me, Ichigo?"

"Yes," said her groom-to-be. "I won't let them harm you again." Ichigo could tell that his relationship with Bambietta was going to be a roller coaster but he was never one to shy away when someone asked for his help.

Pulling back, Bambietta reached up and touched Ichigo's cheek, her expression softening as she looked deeply into his eyes. "Thank you. This was a nice night..."

The fireworks continued bursting in the night sky above them, illuminating Ichigo's first kiss with Bambietta. Lying down on their backs, they continued to watch the fireworks display go off, Bambietta smiling happily while laying her head on his shoulder...

To be continued

Omake

Banned for Life

Fireworks Festival

"Yummy!" hummed Orihime as she ate her candy treat, walking next to Riruka and Tatsuki as they enjoyed the carnival. "This is always so much fun!"

"Yeah, these kimonos are cute!" Riruka said, admiring her bright pink kimono. "Huh? Oh hey, it's Yoruichi and Halibel."

The Flash Goddess and Espada, in her Gigai, were wearing beautiful kimonos of their own. However, the girls all noticed that the two women were hauling a bunch of stuffed animals and other carnival prizes. "You guys won all those?"

"Please, Tatsuki. When you have razor sharp reflexes like we do, winning a simple carnival game is child's play," Halibel teased.

"You know, you guys are going to get in trouble if you clean all the vendors out," Riruka pointed out.

"Oh, you mean like Nel, Mashiro and the Quincies?" Yoruichi pointed at a sign next to a ring toss stand. It had the pictures of Nel, the Tres Bestia, Mashiro, Rangiku, Meninas and Candice with the words "Banned from Carnival Games for Life!" written underneath it with the carny giving Halibel and Yoruichi a suspicious gaze.

Hearing footsteps, the five girls turned to see the pictured girls standing behind them, all of them holding a ton of carnival prizes each.

Nel saw the looks that the three Humans were giving them and gave a sheepish smile. "What?"

END