~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~
Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo
Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl
'For those that need a Guardian.'
Chapter 28: Visoreds
"Eyes on me!"
I dodged another swing, evading Ichigo's tail as he spun to kick me. Planting my feet, I braced for it, standing my ground. The arena around us shattered, rumbling from the impact. Ichigo hissed, screeching at me as I smirked at him.
His yellow eyes narrowed, a sadistic grin on his face as he pulled away from me. We squared off with each other, Ichigo's tail swung back and forth as he growled at me. This was our third try at this, and already his hollow had become even stronger than last time. However, it seemed like I could keep up better as well. It was surprising, but perhaps I was improving my control on my spiritual pressure too? Hard to tell, especially with Ichigo keeping me on my toes.
"Time's up Naomi!" Kisuke called. I nodded, raising Espejo. This triggered Ichigo to lunge at me. I swung Espejo, but he dodged, using the bandage of Zangetsu to swing around my guard and to my back. I growled, spinning to use my rebound and send the Khyber knife flying with a long zing! Ichigo was behind me in a heartbeat, his right hand attempting to slice my right shoulder, but I spun and raised my right hand to block him. His claws scratched my forearm but didn't cut into it. I flipped Espejo around, using the hilt to stab at him and successfully hitting his mask. Ichigo went flying, a large crack splintering from the centre of the strike outwards, but it didn't shatter like last time. I hissed through my teeth as he crawled on all fours.
I stood properly, placing Espejo in my right hand. Clearly, he wasn't going to let me attack him head on, so that meant I would need to get creative. Slowly, without Ichigo's awareness, my mirror crept behind him. Ichigo didn't have a clue, rising to his feet. His skin had begun to turn completely white, black markings appearing on his chest through the tears in his shihakushō. He'd developed a healing factor, though the regenerative abilities seemed to be in his bloodstream and not his saliva like mine. Yellow eyes zeroed in on me as he growled, the smirk on his face was now hidden behind a full mask. I held Espejo in front of me, loading my spiritual pressure.
Ichigo summoned Zangetsu, holding him between us. I lunged, rearing Espejo up. Ichigo attempted to do the same but came to a stuttering halt. My mirror had begun to draw him in, sucking in his tail when it swung by it. That small moment was all I needed as I completed my attack. Ichigo used his zanpakutō to block, but my attack succeeded, sending a massive wave of spiritual pressure down at him. His own spiritual pressure was pushed back into his body in an instant.
The impact rattled the entire arena, shattering the barrier Tessai had created. My arms shook as I struggled to keep a grip on Espejo. I skidded backwards, coming to a sliding stop as the dust cloud settled well beyond where the barrier had initially been. My arm hurt, not used to the strain, Espejo returned to normal. The only problem with that attack is it took literally all of my energy to push Ichigo's spiritual pressure back, and now it was peaking on my limitations that I knew I could handle. I coughed, accidentally inhaling some of the smoke, and gagging a bit.
Kisuke walked up to me, fanning away a lot of the dust around us.
"Well well. That attack of yours is becoming more and more impressive. You managed to shatter Tessai's barrier this time." He closed his fan, taking in the sight of Ichigo crouched on the ground, coughing from the dust. My boyfriend's eyes drifted across to mine, then he looked away. Clearly he didn't have the same improvements that I did when it came to progression. I sighed, standing up as I sheathed Espejo.
Kisuke looked between us.
"You know, I think that attack deserves its name to be said. Unless you still don't know it." Kisuke said. I glanced at him, raising a brow. "What? All good names should be shared."
"I guess, I just never thought to say it out loud." I scratched the back of my neck, looking up to the taller man. He hummed, looking at Ichigo again.
"While I can clearly see your progression Naomi, and I can easily tell your control on your own hollow is still strong, I don't think we should continue with this training." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "While you might be up to the challenge, I'm not convinced it's a good idea. If something were to happen to you, we would be in a very difficult situation."
I bit the inside of my cheek, wiping my face. He was right, I suppose. While the hollow didn't seem eager to kill me, he had pinned me that one time. Had it been itching to kill I would've died there. Ichigo was strong, and I didn't know if I could handle him at full strength. My eyes glided back to Kisuke, about to agree, when I noticed he was already staring at me. He was studying me, not entirely focused, with his eyes glazed over in thought.
"Is something wrong?" I raised a brow.
He watched me for a moment longer, not reacting to my words.
"Just a hunch but," he turned to look at Ichigo. "I would suggest not going anywhere alone for the next little while."
I froze, mechanically watching him.
"What?" I asked, startled. "What are you talking about?"
There was no way the guy knew about Akito, right? Right? Kisuke hummed, but then smiled as he made a shooing motion with his fan.
"I just meant if you hurt yourself then Ichigo won't have anybody to assist him, right?" His words made me remember Shinji and his friends. "The world is a dangerous place for cute little girls Naomi, so I wouldn't wander off alone too often."
I frowned, not entirely buying it. However, I was in no position to push and so I let it go.
"Alright, if you insist." I murmured, heading over to Ichigo. His eyes roamed over me, looking a bit more pleased that there were no marks. I smiled, flipping hair back over my neck to prove I didn't have a single wound. It seemed to calm him down, but he still looked upset about his own lack of achievement. Kisuke broke us up before I could say anything.
"Alright, I think you two should stop for the next while. You've all but tired Tessai out," I only now noticed the poor man collapsed in the dirt where he'd been earlier. Ururu was fanning him while Jinta poked him with a stick. "And I think it might be a good idea for you two to explore other avenues."
I hid a grimace as I turned away from them. I'd been trying that all week, if I was completely honest.
With a sigh, both of us climbed back into our bodies and carried on back to my apartment. Ichigo was his usual chummy self, stuck in his own head. It had been five days since my run in with Shinji. I had told Ichigo the morning after, even insisted that we should see who these people were, but Ichigo gave little to no fucks about them. The fact that they knew about his hollow should've sent off alarm bells, but he called it a- what was it? 'Wannabe punk club' ? Something like that. Since then, any attempt I had made to get him to go to the address ended in him... distracting me.
It was both the best, and worst, choice to push this boy to his limits sometimes. He learned on the fly, and figured out he could use both his mouth and his fingers to make me forget all my plans. Fucking menace. He remembered literally everything about my body to the point that it made me blush on command. That smirk he gave- menace! It would've been fine too, might've gotten away with flying under the radar, had Ichigo not fallen asleep the other night. Yuzu was crying and his father called me first thing in the morning asking how my evening was and- oh yeah, can he talk to Ichigo? It was horribly embarrassing and expanded into a long talk at the clinic.
"I just want to be sure you're both being safe is all. I know you're a smart girl, but I want to make sure my son's being a gentleman too. I was once a teenager you know, I get it!" Isshin's fatherly tone made it ten times more embarrassing as he shoved another condom into my purse. I felt like I was about to pass out.
"R-Really, we're not- It's not like that- Promise sir." I was trembling, Isshin nearly laughed at the formality. I felt like I was being interrogated and was ready to spill the beans and die from embarrassment. Isshin noticed this, placing a hand on my shoulder. It grounded me, encouraging me to look up into his cheerful eyes.
"Naomi, you don't have to be ashamed, it's natural to be growing up and maturing." Isshin said, sounding less patronizing this time and more like a father. My face was red as I ducked my head. "You're both smart kids, and if you need any medical assistance I can help. There's no need to be worried."
He made it sound like I had a pregnancy scare. Holy hell, the idea of having that sort of panic... I think I might throw up.
"W-With all due respect... This isn't the kind of conversation that you have with your parents." I rambled out, staring at the condoms in my purse. Isshin's whole demeanour changed, his eyes widening and his aura brightening like a 100-watt bulb. I had meant as Ichigo's father, but I suppose it wasn't a lie to say Isshin had been a father to me too. I had always considered him a fatherly figure. Those words somehow completely got me out of any taunting, and straight into Isshin dumping an entire box of condoms into my bag.
"Daddy Isshin! Oh it's finally happening! Take all you need! If you need birth control, I'll write a prescription! Make sure you stay safe, and feel free to talk to Daddy Isshin if you ever need more medical advice!" The look on Isshin's face was both endearing and traumatizing. I couldn't even bring myself to correct him.
When Ichigo walked me home from the clinic, I cried about what happened. He laughed, thinking it was my own damn fault for ' tiring him out' . Asshole. Karma got him though, and the next time I saw him he looked traumatized as well. I laughed, thinking he brought it upon himself with shit stamina.
I ate those words...
Back in the present, Ichigo and I were walking to my apartment. We usually went there after training or eating dinner with his family at the end of the day to unwind together, then he would head home. He made a point to leave by 9 every day since falling asleep with me, definitely still traumatized by whatever talk he got with his father. We'd discussed the fact that Isshin knew about us but was somehow keeping it a secret. It wouldn't last much longer, but I wanted to get this hollow business taken care of before we added another thing to the pile. Once his hollow was under control, we'd let everyone know.
My eyes drifted to Ichigo's noticing how vacant he looked today. He was upset with his situation; I could tell with one glance he was doubting himself. A frown slipped onto my lips as I bit my cheek. He'd just solved one of my problems, so it was only natural that I should try and help him solve his. I stopped walking, then took a long sniff of the air as I closed my eyes.
"Nao? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked. I caught the scent of vinyl and almonds. My eyes opened, locking onto Ichigo's, then I turned and began to follow the scent. "H-Hey! Nao-"
"I know you don't want to see them, but I do." I said, marching onward. Ichigo grumbled behind me but followed like I expected. "I need to know what else I could be doing."
"We don't even know what they are, who they are. They're probably just a bunch of wannabe's looking for recruitment." Ichigo grumbled as he walked next to me, easily catching up with those long legs. I raised a brow, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.
"Or maybe they're someone who could help? Ichigo, that's three tries, and I dunno what you feel, but the hollow is getting stronger. We obviously need to try harder." I explained, silencing him. Ichigo sighed, looking away from me. I knew it was a low blow, pushing on him that he wasn't making progress, but something had to change.
"Fine, we'll just go talk with them." He conceded. I smiled, knowing that was better than nothing. My fingers laced with his, a grin spreading across my lips when he grumbled about it. Despite the hard ass attitude his thumb rubbed the back of my hand and the corners of his mouth lifted. We walked for some time, going into the warehouse district of Karakura, following my sensory ability the whole way. The sun would be setting soon, probably not the best plan of action to come today, but my nerve had brought us this far. It would just be a quick meetup, but we eventually arrived. The warehouse where Shinji's scent came from had an overhead door latched shut. When we stopped in front of it, it opened.
I looked at Ichigo, who glanced at me.
"Stay with me." He said, sounding suspicious as his hand holding mine rubbed circles on the back of my palm before it moved to the small of my back. I nodded, following beside him. "How many are there?"
I sniffed, finding an array of scents as we walked through the door.
"Eight, but they aren't overly impressive. The biggest spiritual pressure is that Shinji guy. He's captain level, but some are lieutenants." As I said this, the overhead door behind us lowered.
"Ya wound me, Naomi. And 'ere I thought I left a good impression on ya." Shinji's voice echoed around us. I turned to where the scents were gathered, tugging Ichigo's sleeve to look as well. Shinji was standing above us on a broken floor. He grinned lipless, holding a sword tucked under his one arm. "Very good'n findin' us though. That address was ina completely different location. I even asked Hachi ta hide our spiritual pressure. Wanna tell me how ya did it?"
Before I could answer, Ichigo stepped between us.
"Why the hell would you give a fake address if you wanted to meet me? And don't go through Nao. If you wanna talk, do it properly." Ichigo snapped, looking agitated. I raised a brow, surprised. Why was he cranky all of a sudden? Shinji wasn't deterred though, looking amused.
"And if I had? Well ya'd still be cryin' about that hollow o' yours. I had ta speak to the only person with common sense that's close 'nough to make ya reconsider." He said, sticking out his tongue to reveal a piercing. "As fer the fake address, call it a hunch."
Ichigo grumbled, but I frowned, stepping around him.
"Can you really do anything about it?" I asked, glancing at the seven other people hanging around the broken floors. Shinji smirked at me, looking sly.
"That'll depend on Ichigo o'course. We'll have ta see if he's even worth helpin'." Shinji taunted, but before Ichigo could stomp forward, I put a hand on his abdomen, halting him while maintaining eye contact with Shinji. The blond chuckled as I narrowed my eyes.
"He doesn't have to prove anything," I said calmly, smirking back. "In fact, the one who needs to prove themselves is you. Especially considering his power is above all of yours."
Shinji's smirk waned, his eyes turning dull as he watched me, then his smirk returned full force.
"Is that so? Then why are ya here?" He taunted. Ichigo grumbled, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him to see him glaring at Shinji.
"I'm here to see if you can tell me anything new. If you can't, then this was a waste of time." Ichigo said, looking like he'd missed nap time. Shinji chuckled.
"Then lemme show ya a thing or two. Complimentary o'course." He said, slowly drawing his zanpakutō. Ichigo pressed his badge to his chest, ejecting from his body. I scrambled to catch it, frowning as I slowly lowered him to the ground. My fingers glided over the substitution badge, holding on to it.
"Nao," Ichigo said over his shoulder. "I won't take long."
I scoffed, gaining his attention.
"Use this time properly. Let's see if he'll show you anything useful." I said, smirking. Seeing my urging, Ichigo smirked back, then turned to Shinji. He lunged, drawing his Khyber as Shinji swung. They met somewhere in the middle. Both men clashing swords as I dragged Ichigo's body to the side. A glow surrounded the two, looking like Orihime's barrier. Some of the others in Shinji's group landed on the ground floor. Most looked disinterested or bored but their eyes followed the fight. My eyes drifted between my boyfriend, Shinji, and the others. I caught snippets of what they were saying to each other, mostly musings about the battle. I looked to the larger man with pink hair who was working up a sweat. He smelled sweet, like sugar and vanilla, and was pouring his spiritual pressure out to the barrier.
Mashiro looked at him, frowning.
"Hachi, are you alright? Is there barrier going to hold?" She asked. Hachi groaned as one of the stray strikes from Ichigo slammed into the side of the barrier.
"I'm... not sure." He muttered. I looked back to the fight, noticing that Ichigo didn't seem to be trying hard, and neither did Shinji. Was Ichigo worried about using his bankai? If he was, now was not the time to hold back. If anything, now was the time to lose control and see what these guys did. If Shinji was serious about helping, then he was doing a terrible job if all he was going to do was mess around with him.
"Well well, this Ichigo's a better fighter than I thought. Looks like he's making Shinji work up a sweat." Another blond man mused. I glanced at the group, seeing a black-haired girl roll her eyes as she flipped through a magazine.
"Idiot, Shinji's not even trying." She snapped. I looked back at the fight, crossing my arms.
"Doesn't look like Ichigo's trying much either." Another mused. "Probably too scared to try anything."
The guy talking was right, and it was bothering me. We came here to try and fix this, but Ichigo was struggling to keep control. He wouldn't use his bankai, or Getsuga. If he didn't do something soon then coming here would be a pointless attempt too. I looked like neither of them were really trying. I clicked my tongue.
"Ichigo!" I called, gaining both men's attention. I lowered my chin, feeling a small smirk slip onto my face. "Did you start to doubt me already?"
Ichigo's breath hitched as he narrowed his eyes. He looked down, then back up to me. I pressed the badge to my chest, stepping out of my body. My hands went to my pockets as I smirked. The confidence seemed to get a rise out of Ichigo, his gaze hardening. Our silent exchange seemed to do the trick.
"Kick his ass." I said, seeing fire light in Ichigo's eyes. He turned back to Shinji, his shoulders looked square and firm this time. Better. Ichigo was finally taking this seriously. My attention wavered for a second when Mashiro sidled up to me, staring at me with wide eyes.
"So um, I was curious how you guys found us." She said, staring straight into my eyes. Kensei grumbled her name, but Mashiro ignored it. "Shinji wasn't kidding, Hachi hid our spiritual pressure."
"Interesting, because it was clear as day to me. I didn't need the address." I looked back to the battle, staring at Shinji's back. "Once I have someone's scent I can track them for miles."
"Whoa! Are you a bloodhound or something? That would be super cool!" She said. I paled, once again imagining the dog costume. It was becoming a recurring theme I suppose.
"I'm not a dog." I muttered between my teeth. Mashiro hummed, watching the fight from beside me.
"So are you a visored too?" Mashiro asked. I blinked, not understanding her. "That's what we are, didn't you know? It's what Ichigo is too. A soul reaper who has gained the powers of a hollow."
I blinked again, but then looked back to the battle.
"I can't be. I don't have soul reaper powers." I explained, beginning to wonder a few things myself. I hadn't questioned a lot of things that Kisuke had said before, but the more I thought, the more I began to question it all. Mashiro opened her mouth to say more, only to be yanked back by Kensei.
"Keep away from her!" Kensei grumbled as I watched them, noticing another pair of eyes on me. The little girl with a snaggle tooth glared openly at me. I raised a brow. She turned back to the fight, and my gaze travelled to the rest of the group. Who were these people really? They looked very unique to each other, so likely not related. How did they gain hollow powers to begin with? How did Ichigo? Was it that time when he was trying to regain his soul reaper powers? Then why didn't Kisuke step in?
Unless it was the intention.
My gaze turned to the battle as Ichigo used a Getsuga on Shinji, who retaliated with a strike of his own- was that a cero? White matter formed on the top of Shinji's face, revealing a hollow mask. My eyes widened as I noticed Shinji's control. It was similar to mine.
"Surprised? You can do this too, if you could control your hollow." Shinji taunted, pulling back his mask and smirking at Ichigo. "But I don't think ya can. In fact, I think you're scared to show your hollow because you don't wanna scare your little girlfriend."
"Shut up!" Ichigo growled, black clouding his left sclera. Shinji chuckled, eyes looking down at me. Our eyes met; I narrowed my lilac eyes as he taunted me silently. When he turned back to Ichigo, his grin widened.
"Oh? Am I wrong? Then show me!" He lowered the mask as they fought again. I frowned, noticing that Ichigo was slipping. This was good, in a sense. Maybe they'd start to get somewhere.
"Excuse me, Ms Sakurai." I turned to look at the man with long blond hair. He smiled politely at me as he approached. "I must admit I am curious, what is your part in Ichigo's training? That is to say, I am curious if what Shinji says is true."
Kensei scoffed, stepping closer. My eyes sidled over to him as he glared at me.
"What Rōjūrō is trying to say is why would you be here if it holds the kid back." Kensei grumbled. I stared at both men, wondering why the hell they cared in the first place, then looked back at the fight.
"You've got it backwards," I said softly, eyes trained on Ichigo as I felt his spiritual pressure rise sharply. "Ichigo is more likely to try if I'm here."
"Hm? What's that mean?" Mashiro asked as she sidled up to me again. She was shoved back by Kensei with another annoyed growl from the man. What a charmer that one was.
"It's exactly as it sounds, because I can stop the hollow when it emerges." When I said this, the blonde girl snorted, the man with a star shaped hair laughed, and Rōjūrō chuckled.
"Oh? Interesting." He didn't sound like he believed me. I ignored them, knowing that they couldn't sense my spiritual pressure to gauge my strength anyway. My attention returned to the fight, and I noticed Shinji moving faster, finally taking things more seriously. My eyes glanced to Ichigo, seeing his eyes growing to be more hollow-like.
"C'mon! Ya almost got it!" Shinji shouted, sending Ichigo flying. The carrot top grimaced, shaking his head and trying to focus. His spiritual pressure rose steeply once more, surprising Shinji as the mask began to form on his face. He screeched, laughing. My eyes turned away for only a second to land on the man making the barrier.
"Hachi is it?" I asked, gaining his attention as he looked up at me. He nodded. "Please let me in."
The large man looked surprised as I stepped forward, but the barrier didn't open or let me pass through when I touched it.
"Back off," the little blonde snapped at me. My eyes turned to see her glaring. "This has nothing to do with you, ugly."
Espejo growled, I let out a breath. My eyes narrowed to watched her for another moment.
"Then enjoy cleaning Shinji off the floor." I said, turning to watch again. Shinji was fast, but Ichigo was faster. A high-pitched laugh echoed in the abandoned building as the hollow finally took control. Even without using his bankai, his spiritual pressure dwarfed Shinji's, rising higher and higher as he began to fight like he normally would against me.
Shinji was good, managing to keep up with him quite easily. I expected him to be strong, but Ichigo's hollow had been fighting with me for a while, and he was a lot cleverer than you'd expect. He feigned Shinji out, like he'd tried with me many times, headbutting him hard enough to shatter his mask. A cut was on Shinji's forehead as he was knocked back. The other members of his little group sounded alarmed as Ichigo screeched, swinging his zanpakutō from the bandage and slicing at Shinji. The blond blocked, but Ichigo kicked him, slamming the man against the barrier.
"Can I go in now?" I asked, glancing at Hachi. He looked at me, gulped, then opened a doorway through the barrier. Much to the chagrin of the others who scolded him, but as I walked through, Ichigo turned to look at me. A wide smirk spread across his face as I waited for him to strike. Ichigo didn't move, but more white matter collected to cover his entire face. His mouth widened almost demonically; hot breath escaped as he chuckled darkly. I measured his spiritual pressure, waiting patiently.
"We could always do this the easy way?" I offered, triggering Ichigo to lunge. Apparently easy wasn't in the vocabulary today. He swung his zanpakutō at me, but I used my right arm to guard, not even a scratch as I raised my hierro to block. As Ichigo went to kick me in the ribs I stepped aside to evade his leg, drawing Espejo and aiming the hilt into the mask with some spiritual pressure. Ichigo's palm landed on my hilt, not letting me hit his face, but now we were in a lock. Before I could move, another zanpakutō appeared, the hilt of Shinji's blade shattered Ichigo's mask as the blond man appeared next to us. Ichigo's eyes returned to normal, looking startled as the weight he'd been throwing at me lessened significantly.
"Welcome back." I said. Ichigo grimaced.
"Dammit, that happened so quickly!" He said as he looked at Shinji standing off to the side.
"You weren't far under, only took a single strike to break the mask this time." I assured, though I doubt it did much for Ichigo's ego. He looked over my head, making me turn to see what he was staring at. Shinji was watching us, looking intrigued.
"So, ya've seen the hollow then, Naomi?" He mused. I nodded, turning my body to face him as I sheathed Espejo.
"We've tried letting him fight about three times, ten minutes each. I'm usually his opponent." I explained. Shinij's eyes went flat, thoughts raced past them, but he had such a disinterested face I almost missed the minute changes. His eyes were watching me with intrigue, but there was a void to him that bothered me. Shinji rested his zanpakutō on his shoulder and sighed. He looked at his group, eyes going to the small girl that glared at me. She was the girl Shinji dragged away the day I met him. Her snaggle tooth hung out from her lips as she frowned.
"Whatcha thinkin' Hiyori?" Shinji asked. The little blonde stared directly at me, eyes narrowing as she growled. She stepped inside the barrier, scowling while stepping by Shinji.
"I find it hard to believe you can control that hollow all on your own." She snapped, drawing her sword and pointing it directly at me. "Especially when you don't express any spiritual pressure to begin with."
I felt Espejo grumble and took another deep breath as my eyes narrowed on Hiyori. She scowled, frowning at me as I felt a growl in the back of my throat. Hiyori gritted her teeth when I didn't back down and took a step towards me. Shinji stepped beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder at the same time Ichigo put a hand on mine. I hadn't realized I was stepping forwards as well until he did.
"Hiyori." Shinji warned, but she wasn't listening as she shook him off.
"Piss off!" She snapped, pointing her zanpakutō at me. "Piss off with those eyes! I fucking hate them!"
What was her problem? I hadn't said two words to her, but Hiyori was looking at me like I had murdered her entire family. I frowned, feeling on edge.
"What's your problem?" I asked, looking at Shinji for clarification. He said nothing though, glancing at Hiyori. The little blonde growled, her spiritual pressure rising. Ichigo moved to step in front of me, but I placed a hand on his bicep, holding him beside me. I felt him look at me but said nothing.
"You come in here acting all high and fucking mighty. Acting like it's an honour to be in your presence. But you know what?" She pulled white matter to collect on her face, creating a mask. "As long as you're here we won't help your little boyfriend!"
This little fucking-
"Then we're leaving, c'mon Nao-" I cut Ichigo off, not turning away from Hiyori.
"If you can beat me in a fight, Ichigo will join you." This took Hiyori and Shinji by surprise. I heard Ichigo hiss beside me. He was pissed, but we came all this way, and to be completely honest, I really hated this brat. Her spiritual pressure wasn't even half of mine, and she was going to talk to me like that? The audacity . In the back of my head, I could faintly imagine Aizen having a similar reaction to my fight with him.
"Nao!" Ichigo said lowly, but I didn't look at him. My eyes were solely on Hiyori as I pulled away from Ichigo, smirking.
"Don't worry, she doesn't have the juice." I taunted, and it worked beautifully. It sent her over the edge as Hiyori lunged for me. I blocked with the back of my hand, not moving an inch as Hiyori eyes widened. She growled in frustration, but I felt this immense pride rise in me. Even like this, even without properly conjuring the hollow spiritual pressure, she was nothing near Ichigo's level. Faster than she could react, I kicked her, sending her flying. She crashed into the barrier, gasping, but then rose up. I walked several steps closer, then blocked another strike, this time she sent a cero at me from her mask's mouth, but I planted my left palm over it and swallowed the attack.
"What?!" She shouted. I smirked, but then felt her spiritual pressure rise as Hiyori reared back, holding her zanpakutō above her head and attempting to slice me down the middle.
"Butcher them, Kubikiri Orochi!"
My eyes widened as I sensed the increase in spiritual pressure. At the same time, she used a cero. I grimaced, raising my spiritual pressure rapidly as I shot her own cero from my right palm back at her, feeling my horns growing as the blasts hit each other and blocked everyone's vision. As the explosions settled, I brushed my robes off. Hiyori's eyes were wide behind her mask as she stared.
"Well, I'll give you credit, I had to use a bit of strength." I said, watching Hiyori's eyes glance at my horns. Hot breath escaped my lungs as I felt a growl in the back of my throat. Hiyori moved away, as if that would help her. I narrowed my eyes, using sonido to close the gap and striking as if to claw at her. Hiyori raised her sword, growling through her mask as she tried to push me off her. I didn't move away, instead I slowly gained ground.
"What happened to teaching me a lesson?" I asked, glaring as I felt my spiritual pressure rise again. I felt like a cat playing with a mouse as I pressed harder, just a little bit. Hiyori's arms shook; if I didn't break the lock I might break her arm. I loaded a cero with my left arm, surprising her, but at the last second, I kicked her instead and disengaged the attack. Hiyori went flying again, though this time she choked on air as I knocked it from her lungs. I stalked towards her. Hiyori glared, grasping her gut as she struggled to breathe, but Shinji stepped between us. My eyes narrowed at him.
"Now now, let's all settle down." Shinji drawled. Ichigo put a hand on the small of my back, grounding me as he returned to my side. I took a breath, focusing on his hand soothing me. We stared at the blond man. Shinji stared straight at me, then pursed his lips. "You're an interesting one. But there's no need to taunt each other. Why don't we settle this without fists?"
"You're missing the point," I said, looking him in the eye again. I felt my horns dissipate, vanishing completely as my spiritual pressure receded. "I came here to learn what I can do to help Ichigo, and it doesn't seem like you've got anything to teach Ichigo either. If you don't teach us anything we don't yet know, then there's really no point in us being here. Ichigo's already proven he's strong, so what's holding you back Shinji?"
Shinji sighed, glancing at Hiyori as Mashiro helped her up, tapping his sheath on his shoulder and shrugging.
"Ya really wanna prove yourself huh? Alright, we'll take ya up on that offer. Your opponent will be me." He smirked at us; eyes narrowed. "But if ya lose, Ichigo stays with us until I say he can leave."
I paused, turning to look at Ichigo. His honey brown eyes looked down at me, trying to digest what had just happened. I had a gut feeling Shinji was trying to do something other than test my strength as Ichigo's opponent. This felt different, but I wasn't sure why.
"It's your call." I said, feeling an itch to fight someone. It must've been Espejo, she'd been furious since Hiyori spoke the first time. Ichigo sighed, but then smirked down at me with a spark in his eyes.
"Make sure we're done before dinner." He said, earning a grin from me.
"I'd never miss Yuzu's cooking." I teased, then turned back to Shinji with a neutral expression. Ichigo's hand trailed up and down my back one more time.
"Run it by me again, which are the strongest?" He asked, surprising Shinji. I looked at all of them, taking a deep breath to inhale their scents.
"Shinji and Kensei are closer to Gin's level, the rest are, at best, around Renji's level." I said calmly. Shinji stared at me, his eyes narrowing. Ichigo hummed, his fingers ghosting over my spine.
"You'll have no trouble with it then." He said confidently. I swallowed, trying to agree with that statement. Shinji was strong, I couldn't deny that, but I wasn't sure how strong I was anymore. Gin was stronger than Ichigo was giving credit, so was Shinji.
"So, ya gunna let me in on how ya do that?" Shinji asked, referring to my sensory ability. I snorted.
"If you can put a scratch on me, sure. I'll tell you anything you want to know." I said confidently. Shinji narrowed his eyes; I took a deep breath as Ichigo held my shoulder. Shinji huffed, gesturing for us to follow. To my surprise, they took us to an underground facility that looked... suspiciously like Urahara's.
Kisuke Urahara, what else are you hiding?
"We'll fight 'ere, since I've got the feelin' that ya've got more kick than you're showin' me." Shinji drawled. We separated from the others, Shinji raising his sword. He waited for a moment, like he was expecting something, then raised a brow.
"Aren't ya going to draw your zanpakutō?" He asked, I shrugged.
"Won't need it." I dismissed. He hummed, but then smirked.
"I guess I'll need ta make ya need it then." He said, lunging at me.
Naomi's horns returned, her eyes changing as she blocked Shinji's strike with the back of her arm. Shinji pressed into her wrist harder to try and move the girl. Naomi didn't react, looking unimpressed.
"That's some skin she's got there!" Mashiro said, eyes wide. Hiyori scoffed, unimpressed. Lisa crossed her arms as she watched Shinji and Naomi fight, dancing around each other. Naomi didn't put much effort into her attacks, focusing on a strong defense.
"That's actually impressive if she's holding Shinji back like that." Lisa mused. Kensei grumbled.
"Shinji's going easy on her." He muttered, crossing his arms and frowning. Ichigo chuckled, gaining their attention. He was standing close by, watching Naomi carefully. He'd never seen her fight someone else, which was a nice change since he was always too focused on surviving to really see her fighting style.
"Nah, Nao's the one going easy." He said, watching her shove Shinji away. Hachi looked at the teen, curious about the look of admiration in his eyes and the way his mouth softened when looking at the girl.
"I am curious about one thing. Her spiritual pressure, or lack of. It fluctuates on impact when Shinji strikes. However, I cannot detect it when she isn't defending." Hachi mused. Ichigo glanced at the large man, finding he was friendly and asking politely enough. He turned back to the fight as he explained.
"I can't say why her spiritual pressure can't be sensed. We don't know for sure. Though I do know that only when Naomi draws on her hollow powers can it be sensed. As for the fluctuation, it's because her ability to control it has increased since we started training. She can pinpoint how much spiritual pressure an attack contains and is able to match it. She then wears it on her skin at the point of impact, easily deflecting the attack, and then returns it once it's down." He explained. Mashiro sidled up to him, startling the carrot top.
"Wait she has that much control? That's impressive! It takes years to do something like that!" Her ramblings were cut by a smack from Hiyori. The green haired girl cried while Hiyori grumbled.
"It's not a big deal! Most people can raise and lower the spiritual pressure they're using. She just seems impressive since you can't sense her." The little blonde growled, glaring at Naomi as she blocked Shinji again. "Hey! Start taking this seriously you idiot!"
Shinji glared, taking his eyes off Naomi to glare at Hiyori.
"I'm easing into it, idi-" Shinji was cut off as he dodged a shot to the chest. Purple light flew past him and rippled against a barrier created around them. Hachi was sweating to keep that one in. The blond leader glanced at Naomi where she stood, two fingers pointed like a gun at him.
"Eyes on me." She said, looking irritated. Shinji snorted, recognizing that attention seeking behaviour. He gave a blank look, watching Naomi frown. She had an interesting aura about her when she fought, like she was commanding the room. She was good with her words as well and had this superiority in her eyes when she stared at him. Hiyori wasn't lying, Naomi Sakurai reminded him of the same person.
"Y'know somethin'? Ya remind me of someone I use ta know." He mused. Naomi raised a brow but didn't fall for the bait. Shinji held his sword out in front of him. "He was just as arrogant, but he hid his pride better than you."
Naomi paused, eyes narrowing. Aizen jumped to mind, but there was no way... The thought of the man caused a growl from Espejo to ripple through her mind, making Naomi shiver as she suddenly grasped Espejo's sheath. The vice grip didn't go unnoticed by Shinji as his eyes flickered to follow her hand.
Calm down.
"Arrogance?" Naomi vividly remembered Aizen, how could you not? He had one hell of a presence, and the memory of that underground battle burst forth. She struggled to ignore the waning focus. "I told you, I'm taking this seriously, you're the one who isn't. I think it's mighty arrogant to take your eyes off the target."
Shinji's frown turned into an understanding grin.
"So, you've met Sōsuke then." He said, making Naomi's eyes widen. How had he come to that conclusion? Shinji admittedly had figured it out long before this moment though thanks to Kisuke requesting their help with Ichigo Kurosaki. When he'd heard about Naomi, he had to see her for himself. She was just as strange as Kisuke described, though he admittedly didn't tell him anything about her powers. Shinji chuckled.
"Ya sure talk just like 'im."
Rage flew into her eyes as she scowled.
"I am nothing like him." She said firmly, eyes alight. Shinji grinned.
"Sure ya are. Ya both have this arrogance, this desire to be sneaky. But ya won't trick someone like me." He pointed his zanpakutō at Naomi. "I know your type well. Been like that for centuries."
Naomi snorted; eyes narrowed.
"You don't know anything." She scoffed. Shinji grinned, lipless and confident.
"Mah. The truth is ya wanted to come 'ere and fight someone ta gauge how strong you've become. My guess is that fighting against Ichigo is difficult to judge your own strength against if you're both progressin' rapidly. So fightin' someone else is easier to figure it out. That's why ya wanted to fight me, because I'm at a level ya couldn't handle before."
He smirked at her silence, taking in the flicker of irritation in her eyes as he lowered his head. Shinji watched her beneath the brim of his hat as it shadowed his eyes.
"This has nothin' to do with Ichigo at all, does it?"
In one swift motion, Naomi drew her sword. Shinji smirked, blocking the strike. On impact a shockwave pulsed through him, sending him flying away as she finished her strike. His zanpakutō cracked from the pressure as Shinji skidded backwards. Damn. Naomi glared; her eyes darker as her spiritual pressure rose steeply. Damn, the kid had more juice than he thought. A horrible feeling flooded the air, it became thick and difficult to breathe with the intensity. Her horns returned, her eyes turned green, her skin looked a little pale. Before he had sensed a darkness to her spiritual pressure when she fought Hiyori, but this was heavy, tainted, full of despair. She was using even more power than she had against Hiyori.
Shinji took in the change and noticed the differences. Her sclera was still white, and if it weren't for the horns and darkening around her eyes, he may have thought she was a normal soul reaper with her attire. But the awful spiritual pressure was unmistakably that of a hollow. How had this kid done this to herself?
'Kisuke Urahara, what have you done?' Shinji thought, watching the mangled soul stand across from him. The pain she must be in when in this form...
Naomi forcibly reigned in her control, arms shaking from the exertion. Seemed like she and her hollow were working in tandem, unlike how a visored would work. No wonder she was struggling to help Ichigo. She was nothing like him.
"I am here to help Ichigo," she said firmly. Shinji watched her, deadpanned. "You being stronger than what I could originally handle is just a bonus ."
He chuckled once, admiring her honesty. She pointed Espejo at him.
"So take this seriously, because I'm about to." She warned, lunging at him, forcing another block that he was knocked away from. That rebound strike of hers was nasty, sending Shinji sliding around. It seemed to be based on his own strikes, as the harder he swung the more powerful the impact, and the harder he was pushed back.
"Damn, I haven't seen Shinji get knocked around like that in a while." Love mused. Kensei scoffed.
"How much juice does this kid have?" He glanced at Ichigo but didn't expect an answer. Ichigo himself was struggling to stay still. His eyes followed Naomi as the pace of the battle quickened. Ichigo was getting worried, not because he thought Naomi would lose, but because he noticed the rage behind her strikes. The moment Shinji compared her to Aizen, he noticed the adamant nature behind her attacks increase. What happened in those halls that changed her so much? She had roughly told him what happened, but it was obvious she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't push her for answers. Granted, he wasn't sure how much Naomi remembered of that day, as she barely recalled what happened on Sōkyoku hill when he asked her about it. She remembered Gin taunting her, remembered Aizen tossing her around. And she remembered how they escaped. She had been muttering and calling out for him while Orihime was healing her, but she had blacked out long before that.
"You two are close, huh?" Mashiro asked as she looked at Ichigo. He nodded, not saying anything. "So... Is she your girlfriend or something?"
He was startled when she asked that so suddenly that he gawked at her. Mashiro blinked innocently, wondering what the problem was.
"Hm? Well is she?" Rōjūrō asked, looking curious. It was cute, teenage drama. Ichigo's face turned pink as he glanced at Naomi, fighting like hell, and wondered if telling this rag tag crew would count towards keeping their deal of staying a secret. She wouldn't tell him why, but she was extremely worried about how certain people would react.
Granted, Orihime saying they were like siblings was probably the last thing either of them wanted to hear. No, Nao was definitely not a sister to him. Never had been. She had been his rock, his best friend, now a lover - He turned bright red at the thought- but never a sister.
"Oh I see, you're in love with her!" Mashiro cooed. Ichigo snapped to glare at her, still red faced.
"SH-SHUT UP!" He stuttered, feeling like the ground could swallow him at any minute.
A cero slammed into the side of the barrier, regaining everyone's attention. Ichigo watched as Naomi's spiritual pressure rose. He could feel it trying to permeate his chest. He wasn't the only one. Mashiro patted Hachi's shoulder as the larger man shivered.
"Hang in there, Hachi." She urged. Ichigo glanced over at them, seeing the reactions. He remembered Ganju's and Hanatarō's reactions to Naomi's spiritual pressure. While he wasn't concerned about it exactly, he had a feeling that this... Darkness and sorrow was not supposed to be there in her spiritual pressure. It felt like heavy rain pouring onto his shoulders.
"Such despair... I feel the life draining from me." Hachi said, struggling. "This is not ordinary spiritual pressure."
"It's a hollow Hachi." Hiyori butted in, staring at the battle. "That girl is more hollow than human at this point."
Ichigo's breath hitched. Hiyori's gaze drifted to him, her eyes narrowed as he stilled, staring back at her.
"You feel it too, can't you? This feeling, you get it whenever you face a hollow." She pointed out. Ichigo grimaced, looking back at the fight. It was true, and he was struggling to ignore it. Ichigo felt a new urgency to quell his problems, because he could feel a new weight to Naomi's spiritual pressure from the last time. It was denser than he remembered, pressing down on him. She only got this way trying to help him.
"She's not a hollow," he re-affirmed to Hiyori, or maybe it was for himself? Hiyori watched him for a moment longer, noticing the grip he had on his sleeves, then looked back to the fight.
"She's going to be pretty soon," Hiyori said, ignoring Ichigo's eyes snapping to her. "Unlike us, Sakurai doesn't have soul reaper powers. There is no balancer. The more she uses her hollow powers the stronger it gets. And one day that might change for the worse. One day the hollow might be stronger than her."
Ichigo was quiet, watching Naomi fight. His gut told him that her hollow abilities were not inherently good, but her control of it was top tier, that much was certain. He clung to that thought, refusing to believe Naomi was in immediate danger. He trusted her judgment a lot more than his own lately.
"You don't get it," he began, eyes following her movement. "Right now, between the two of us, Naomi is the stronger one."
Hiyori frowned, eyes drifting back to the carrot top. While he looked concerned, he also didn't look affected by the spiritual pressure. It was likely why he had such a positive outlook on the girl's abilities.
Meanwhile, Shinji's shoulder was bleeding heavily as Naomi glared, holding her zanpakutō between them in challenge. Shinji's deadpan expression watched her for a moment, noticing the absolute lack of wounds on her. Considering she'd been acting as a punching bag for Ichigo for the past while, it was obvious her defense was impenetrable by anything he could toss at her. Her attacks were average at best, but that armour of hers was flawless. She'd worked hard on it; he'd give her that.
His spiritual pressure rose up, Naomi tilted her head in question.
"Well well Naomi. Congratulations. You're tougher than ya look. But let's see how strong ya are without that armour o' yers." Shinji held out his zanpakutō. "Collapse, Sakanade."
Within seconds, a pleasant scent reached Naomi's nose. This was a true scent, alarming her as her sense of spiritual pressure changed. Naomi's eyes zeroed in on Shinji's spinning zanpakutō as he smirked at her. In a blink, she felt this bizarre sensation of vertigo as she wobbled on the ground.
"Here ya go, Naomi." Shinji drawled, watching the girl grimace. "Welcome ta the inverted world."
Naomi blinked, sensing Shinji to her left. However, her right arm rose, confusing her as a cut appeared on her left forearm. Naomi struggled to look down at her left side, her head not moving how she wanted, confused to see the small graze and wondering why her body wasn't listening to her. Hadn't she guarded properly? Her moment of confusion made her drop her guard, and it was all Shinji needed to get that small cut.
"Here we go," Lisa hummed, crossing her arms. "Can't believe Shinji's using his shikai against the kid."
"She's toast." Love nodded.
Kensei's eyes moved to Ichigo, noticing how he was standing there with a frown. He didn't look too bothered though, which the grey-haired man thought was strange considering the teen was practically hovering over the girl when they arrived. He could tell right away Ichigo was very protective of Sakurai, but considering how he was watching, he didn't look very bothered by her wounds. Kensei looked back to the fight, thinking this might not be over as soon as they initially thought.
Naomi was trying to quickly process what happened. She could tell where Shinji was but couldn't seem to move her body how she wanted it to. Was his zanpakutō affecting her movement? It had to be. She had never made this sort of mistake before.
"Well, ya look mighty confused there Naomi. I told ya, this is the inverted world. Meanin' up is down, left is right-" he was behind her despite her eyes insisting her was in front, "-and front is back."
Shinji went to slice up her back, cutting a thin line through her shihakushō easily, but the blade didn't cut her skin this time, surprising him. It felt like he collided with a rock, a chill went up his spine as her spiritual pressure increased upon his attack. Shinji moved away, watching her.
"I see," Naomi said, slowly figuring out the movements to pull her left arm up to her mouth. She slowly licked at the wound, and to Shinji's surprise the cut began to sizzle before diminishing. His wide eyes narrowed as a smirk appeared on his face. She had a lot of surprises, it seemed. Once the wound was healed, Naomi held Espejo in front of her, closing her eyes. Was she honestly going to try and reverse it all in her head? What a foolish girl.
Shinji lunged, slicing at her right side. His blade didn't make a scratch on her skin. Naomi smirked, taking a deep breath.
"So that's what it is," she said, eyes following Shinji as he sliced at her again. He went for her neck, not very surprised to see he couldn't cut her. Naomi didn't move as Shinji put more strength into it. He was surprised when her zanpakutō sliced upwards at him. The movement was jerky, unrefined, but the rebound ability that came with it sent him flying. She blinked her eyes open for a single second before closing them again. Shinji grunted, then lunged again; he changed his direction on her to her left. She reached across with her right hand and caught his zanpakutō. Her grip on it strong enough that he couldn't get away. Shinji's eyes widened as he stared at her, not believing the kid managed to outdo his shikai.
"You say I'm like Aizen, and yet here you are with a zanpakutō just like his." She opened her eyes, staring straight at him. "Sakande attacks the nerves, doesn't it? Just like Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu."
Shinji had to hand it to her, she was very good at figuring out the trick. How had she managed to fight it though?
"Ver' good, ya sure are a smart one." He praised, feeling a smirk crawl onto his face despite himself. "But how'd ya manage to reverse it all so easy? Sight's the most used ability in battle. Ya need it, or most do."
"I guess I can tell you, since you've been such a great host," Naomi taunted, smirking. Her grip on Sakanade was strong enough the blade might crack. "You'll have to thank Aizen for your disadvantage really."
Shinji's face went blank, raising a single brow. What was she getting at?
"When I fought him, I learned my perception of scent is completely untouchable by his hypnosis. Which means it is not among the five senses. The method in which I found you all, that is the ability I'm talking about. I can sense your spiritual pressure. And once I smell it once, I can track you for miles . I can also sense your spiritual pressure as you move in battle."
This surprised Shinji as Naomi let go of Sakanade. He leapt back, watching her with a blank look. That level of sensory ability would completely hinder the visual aspect of his shikai. It made sense why this wasn't so complicated of an ask for her. What was even more interesting, was hearing she had fought Aizen herself. He had certainly made an impression on her.
"Which means that I don't rely on sight to fight. I've been using this ability to survive for a while now. It's how I know how much spiritual pressure I need in my Hierro, how powerful an opponent is even if they're hiding it. I can sense it all by a distinct scent from each and every person." Naomi's eyes closed as she moved her body to follow Shinji before opening her eyes.
"If I can eliminate sight, then your Sakanade is only half as useful." Naomi said, staring straight at Shinji now with ferocity in her eyes. He wondered, briefly, if this spitfire attitude was because of his comment about her and Aizen, or if it had more to do with her little carrot top that was watching her carefully. Shinji's gaze drifted to Hachi, who was sweating as he struggled to keep their spiritual pressure collected. Then he looked to Naomi as her spiritual pressure rose again.
She hadn't even released her zanpakutō yet...
"I think that's 'nough." Shinji drawled, surprising Naomi as he sealed his zanpakutō before sheathing it. Naomi and Shinji stared at each other, Naomi brushing her spiritual pressure against his to test if he was lying. He chuckled. "'m not Aizen, there is no trick. When I say I'm done, I'm really done."
Naomi huffed, but released the hollow spiritual pressure, her horns dissolving along with any sense of her spiritual pressure while she sheathed her sword. The barrier disappeared immediately as Hachi took a breath of relief. Shinji hummed, looking between Naomi and Ichigo. The black-haired teen looked over as her boyfriend approached. He stepped up beside Naomi, giving her a gentle look before his gaze hardened at Shinji. Interesting. Naomi's gaze did the same, but Shinji noticed how Ichigo's hand drew small circles on her back. They were very close indeed. Possibly closer than Kisuke made them out to be.
"If you want to get to Ichigo, I suggest speaking with Naomi. She's the suspicious one, but she's also more inclined to listen." Kisuke's words rang true.
"We'll teach ya the tricks to hollowfication. But only under the condition that ya do it here. Dunno what sort of set up ya got, but if shit hits the fan ya might be dead Naomi." Shinji glanced at Hiyori. The small blonde stared, huffed, then looked away pointedly. Well, it wasn't a complete no... "I don't suggest tryin' it on your own anymore though. Those short sessions will cause the hollow to get a foothold, which I'm sure ya can feel each fight."
She nodded.
"So you don't stop the session then?" She asked, genuinely wanting more information. Shinji nodded, sheathing his sword.
"Normally ya just got at it once and hope it works. Can take an hour 'r so sometimes." He explained. Ichigo tensed, imagining forcing Nao to go for an hour against the hollow. Naomi's small fingers found Ichigo's bicep to hold. Ichigo was getting anxious but seemed to ground himself at her touch. Shinji noticed. Very interesting.
"We'll come back another day then, we're late for dinner." Ichigo said, guiding Naomi towards their bodies. Shinji glanced at Hachi again, thinking it wasn't a bad idea.
"Sure sure, whenever ya want." He said airily, then got a better idea. "We'll just be waitin' on ya, hand 'n foot."
Ichigo felt strange at those words but said nothing, keeping close to Naomi as they left the warehouse. She at least had the kind attitude to say goodbye to everyone, even if they didn't have much to say. Mashiro seemed to like her already.
Shinji watched them go, frowning at Naomi's back. He watched how she smiled up at Ichigo when he said something. Her face brightened as she beamed. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, then brought the same arm down to muss her hair. She bristled, but then he held her hand as they walked. Shinji huffed, figuring they were together.
Whipped .
"I'm impressed Shinji, I expected you to have more animosity to the girl." Rōjūrō mused, watching the de-facto leader stare at the teens. Shinji didn't react, still staring at Naomi. She really did remind him of someone, and not just Aizen. Shinji took a breath, remembering the night of his hollowfication vividly. He wanted revenge for it, and he would get it. But taking it out on a teen girl was not how he'd get there.
Besides, the kid was in a worse spot than he was.
As the teens rounded the corner, he stuck his tongue out, revealing the piercing once more.
"Yeah, me too."
Hi all, full transparency, I'm not completely happy with this chapter but cannot commit too much time to editing right now. My aunt, whom I'm very close to, has been admitted into emergency care due to illness. She;s very close with me, and I've been going back and forth between our homes to take care of her animals and such for the time being. I do still want to write, as this is a reprieve, but it may be slower updates for a while.
Yet somehow this bitch was massive again lol
Guest Review: Tanks!
thomascastillo9987: Ask and I deliver!
Mesmerizing Mermaid: lmao I know right? Like I re-read all my chapters and was like- this dude blushes when she teases him. Definitely not reading the room Orihime! Honestly with Nao's mom I had so many ideas but thought this was the most Ichigo version. Like he's not one to pry or ask, but I can see him being very pushy if it means protecting Nao. Like I doubt he'd do nothing. And Nao really really wants to trust Ichigo and feels safe around him, so I couldn't see her getting angry if her mom was safe, which was the reason Ichigo wanted to see her. If Chiyo was away from Akito, there was no reason for Naomi to be compliant. And yeah, idk why but smut is weirdly fun to write?
Cheers.
Iland Girl