Profitable Encounter

by AizenTheGoat

Ichigo hadn't expected to be hanging out with Rangiku after a chance encounter while visiting home. What he thought would have been an annoyance ended up being one of the best things to ever happen to him.

1. Chapter 1

Yo, here's a quick little one shot I got inspired to write. Might make a second chapter depending on reception but at the moment it's just a single chapter. If you wanna chat consider joining the discord server and we can go over ideas.

Link:

F7DDATwe

"Feels good to lay in my own bed again." Ichigo groaned out as he let himself drop onto his bed. Since the end of the war with the Quincies, Soul Society had finally experienced true peace. No more enemies hiding in the dark or within their ranks, no more rogue substitutes plotting revenge, and no more treacherous captains. While that was great on their part it also meant there was much less for Ichigo to do as a substitute shinigami.

Hollows appeared every once in a while but it was a far cry from the almost daily occurrences that had once plagued Karakura town. With much more free time on his hands, he was able to make up all the missing work he'd accumulated in school. It took a while but once his points were adjusted, Ichigo found himself in the top 1% in terms of academics.

His grades were good enough that he was accepted into all ten schools he had applied for. He had decided to work as a translator seeing as he was plenty fluent in English already. Having made up his mind he applied for numerous business and communications courses at the University of Tokyo.

The class loads weren't difficult per day but they definitely took up most of his time. Between lectures and assignments, there was little time in the day for himself. It was because of this that he'd decided to simply dorm at the school. He had been somewhat apprehensive about sharing a room with someone but luckily his fears were unfounded. Since he had done so well in his entrance exams and had more than a bit of money, courtesy of Shunsui for his contributions during the war, he was able to snag a single room to himself in the main dormitories.

Besides the few shops around the area, that small room was all he knew for the next few months. Once the semester began to come to a close most students used that time to cram 4 months' worth of work into two weeks. Luckily for him, his grades were high enough that even if he utterly failed the exam, he would still get no lower than 80% in all his classes.

Since he had no reason to worry, or even be on campus until the final exams came around, he decided to head home for the weekend and spend some time with the family. It was only three or so days but in that time it felt like he'd never left. His dad was still pretending to be an idiot, his sisters were doing well in school and hanging out with friends, and his friends were doing well with their lives as well.

Turning onto his back, Ichigo rested his head on his hands and stared up at the ceiling while reflecting on everything that had happened over the years. It felt like that chapter of his life was coming to a close and while he had always wanted a somewhat normal life, he had to admit he did miss the occasional spontaneous visit from Yoruichi or other friends from Soul Society.

He glanced around his room and recalled the time that the Captains had decided to hold a meeting there like it was just another conference room. It had been annoying at the time but looking back at it, it was pretty funny.

Feeling his stomach shift uncomfortably, he stood up and made his way to his desk. He opened one of the drawers expecting to find some snacks Karin had said she bought for his return only to find empty bags and a note.

Sorry about the chips. We got a little hungry and ate them but we'll replace them before you get home.

Ichigo gave the note a flat stare. It seems they forgot. He sighed to himself and stood up. No one was home at the moment and lunch wouldn't start until at least an hour after his sisters got back.

"Looks like I'm going to the store." He mumbled to himself.

He reached for his jeans but hesitated and looked down at the shorts he was wearing. Did he really want to change just to go to the store? Deciding he didn't, he opted to keep the red shorts and white t-shirt he wore. Throwing on a pair of slides, Ichigo grabbed his wallet and made his way out of the clinic.

Not much had changed in his absence, the people were still nice enough to wave at him and greet him kindly. Even the older ladies who had once considered him a delinquent had changed their tune. Likely because of his dad bragging to anyone who would listen about his academic achievements. That thought brought a small smile to the man's face. Goat chin was definitely annoying most of the time but the pride he felt for his son was on another level.

He walked for about five minutes to the nearest convenience store and selected an assortment of chips, chocolate, and a few different drinks. It wasn't much regardless but it would be enough to get him through the next few hours until he could get some real food.

As he exited the store, he pocketed the change he'd received and turned left to go home. Being back in his hometown was nice but he would be lying if he said it wasn't kind of boring without the constant attacks.

The part of Tokyo he now called home had a very bustling nightlife and tourists flocking almost every mainstream area. Compared to that, Karakura almost felt boring in a sense. He had even gotten used to people trying to talk to him in different places in an attempt to work on their Japanese. Some found it bothersome but with the line of work he chose, it worked out for him as well.

More than once had people asked him to translate in an attempt to pick up women. Like always, his services didn't come cheap and thanks to that, his stay had been much more comfortable.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo paused and blinked. Had someone called him? He glanced over his shoulder and stared at the familiar figure that was making her way over to him with an excited smile on her face.

"Rangiku?" Ichigo asked rhetorically. He quickly noted the lack of uniform the shinigami usually wore. Instead she was dressed in a pink top that left very little to the imagination in the cleavage department due to the deep dip in the shirt. Over that, a black jacket that she kept open that came down just passed her hips. A pair of blue colored denim jeans hugged her hips and a pair of black heels covered her feet finished her look.

On her left shoulder, she had a small black purse hanging lazily. In her right hand, she had a bag with the label of a large cosmetic company imprinted across it.

"I knew it was you. I almost didn't recognize you in your regular clothes." She said as she gave him an appreciative glance. The only time she had seen any skin from the man in front of her was during the war and even that wasn't a pleasant sight seeing as his arms had been covered in blood.

Now though she was able to get a glance of his arms and legs and she definitely appreciated what she saw.

He shrugged and raised the bag up to eye level. "Don't really need the uniform for a snack run. What brings you here though? Toshiro wanted to make you do paperwork again?" He asked curiously.

Rangiku huffed and made a show of flipping her now shorter hair to one side in a faux haughty way. "Do you think so low of me that I would leave my poor Captain with all of my work to go out and have fun?"

Her question was met with a flat stare from the man in front of her. Her pout grew for a moment in an attempt to make the substitute feel bad but it didn't work. Sighing audibly, Rangiku let her shoulders sag slightly and she crossed her arms under her voluptuous chest.

"Alright I would do that but I didn't do it this time." She admitted before she brightened up again. "I'm actually on vacation for a little while."

"Toshiro approved it?"

"He actually did." She replied, much to his surprise. "We were both given the option to take a little while off due to the whole zombie thing. I accepted but you know how the Captain is. When was the last time he took a day off?"

As far as Ichigo could remember it was when they all went to the beach. Even then Toshiro was away from everyone else and only really interacted with them when they needed ice. He almost laughed out loud remembering the large ice dragon he'd made.

"It's been a while. Speaking of the whole zombie thing though, how are you feeling?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Better now. It was…strange at first. Things didn't seem right and my state of mind wasn't the best but now I'm feeling better than ever." She said with a grin.

"I'm glad. So how have you spent your vacation?" He asked, deciding to veer the conversation away from what was surely a traumatic experience.

Rangiku was easily able to pick up on what the young man was doing and felt grateful for the change. Like he'd done earlier, she lifted the bag so that he could see just how much stuff she'd gotten.

"Well, I call it a vacation but in reality I'm still working." She admitted as she walked alongside him.

"Working? Looks like you're shopping to me." He replied dryly. He knew how she operated from her previous trips to their world.

"That's because you haven't been around lately. I'm buying beauty products and then selling them back home for a profit." She announced happily. "Let it be known I'm not just a pretty face." She added, bringing a hand under chin as if she were having a portrait made.

Ichigo looked at the bag and extended his hand. Rangiku got the hint and handed the bag over. She watched curiously as he rummaged through the assortment of foundations, creams, eye liners, and nail polishes she had acquired.

He recognized some of them having bought some for his sisters and even Tasuki and Orihime as gifts. While he was no expert on beauty supplies, there was one thing he was good at and that was getting a good deal.

"You paid way too much for these." He finally commented.

Rangiku's proud look shattered. "What?"

He nodded. "The brands you have have here are mid level products and they're priced almost two times what they should be." He commented.

He placed an item back in the bag and pulled out another to check the price. "Yeah, all of these are too much. If you're making a profit I'm assuming you're also charging almost double. That means you're ripping off the women back in Soul Society."

Rangiku took the bag back and inspected the items. She was sure she'd gotten a good deal. They were the same ones she always got and they did their job pretty damn well. These specific brands had been a hit and had made her quite a bit of money already.

"You said these are mid-level products?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Over in the big city, the shelves are usually always stocked with these while the others are gone fairly quickly. You can get the better stuff for the same price you're buying these." He informed her.

Rangiku took another look at her products and frowned. Had she really been getting ripped off for months? That left a sour taste in her mouth and the proud feeling she got from being a part-time businesswoman diminished.

No matter. She could adapt and learn.

"I don't know where the big city is." She admitted with an admittedly cute pout. Her eyes almost shined as she stared at him with a pleading look.

"I'm going back to campus tomorrow. Do you know how to find people using their spirit ribbons?" He asked.

The busty woman nodded. He wasn't too surprised, she was a capable lieutenant after all.

"Just follow mine tomorrow around this time. I should be back in the city by then."

"Thank you so much. I might even give you a small cut for getting me better deals." She said with a wink before turning away, likely heading back to sell her products.

As much as he tried not to stare, it was impossible to not at least take a glance at her shapely legs as she walked. He could definitely see why Hisagi had always stumbled like an idiot around her.

As he looked up, he felt his cheeks burn slightly when he finally noticed that she was looking back at him over her shoulder. She winked at him and turned her away once more.

Cursing himself for his lack of discretion, he followed her lead and walked home.

The next day Ichigo was once again back in his dorm room. The campus was mostly free of students with the occasional two or three people walking by. Only those like him who had nothing to worry about were out and about. The few friends he had were those unlucky few who had to spend their days cramming as much information into their head as they could. That meant going to eat or simply wandering around the area was off the table unless he wanted to go by himself, which didn't sound all that appealing.

Things like the Skytree and the mall at its base was much more enjoyable when you had people with you to share the experience with. Otherwise it simply felt like you were running errands as you looked through the shops.

Ichigo glanced at his laptop that rested atop the desk in the corner of the room and stood up from his place on the bed. Maybe a movie would be able to alleviate his increasing boredom. As he was finishing typing in the streaming site he always used, a knock on his door put a stop to his plans. He frowned in confusion, staring at the door. Most of his friends were either back home or studying. It couldn't be the resident advisors since he was up to date on his payments and hadn't caused any problems, at least that he could remember.

Another knock echoed throughout the room.

"Give it a rest I'm going." He said loud enough for the person on the other side to hear.

The scowl on his face faded as soon as he opened the door and saw who was on the other side. Instead of an angry scowl, a look of confusion graced his face. Rangiku stood opposite of him, now dressed in a dark brown dress that ended a few inches above her knees. Like the pink shirt from the day before, the upper portion also did a very good job of drawing his eyes to her generous bust. An open black cardigan style sweater covered her arms and shoulders while a pair of low heeled ankle length boots was the footwear of choice.

He had to hand it to her, the woman definitely knew how to dress.

"Hey." She greeted happily.

"Hey…" He replied as he slowly stepped aside to let her in. "Don't take this the wrong way Rangiku but what exactly are you doing here?"

The strawberry blond had her back to him as she inspected his room. Her gaze moved from his neatly done bed to the tv in the corner of the room and finally to the still open laptop that he had been using before her unexpected arrival.

"You told me to follow your spirit ribbon yesterday, remember?" She took a seat on his bed and rested one leg over the other before placing her elbow on her knee and resting her head on an open palm. "It took a bit to find you to tell you the truth, this city is much larger than Karakura town. Once I was able to find yours though, it led me here. Your room is a bit plain though, it could do with a little touch up." She commented, glancing at the generous amount of unused wall space.

"When I told you to find my spirit ribbon it was more so for you to find the city in general, not to turn up on my doorstep." He responded dryly. Although he held no ill will toward Rangiku, his words had definitely not been an invitation. Hanging out with Rangiku would likely be like hanging out with Yoruichi, only with more alcohol involved if Toshiro was to be believed.

Unsurprisingly, the woman resorted to pouting once again and stared at him with pleading eyes. "But Ichigo…" She whined. "I don't know anyone here and this city is massive. How am I supposed to know where to go? What if I get ripped off again? Could you really live with yourself knowing I was scammed out of my hard earned money?"

"Aren't you scamming the women's association by selling for more than what you pay for your product?"

Rangiku waved off his retort with a wave of her hand. "That's neither here nor there. Come on, would you rather be here in this room by yourself or enjoying the company of a gorgeous woman out on the town? It's not like I got you in the middle of something important did I?"

Ichigo couldn't come up with a response. She was right, his day was going to be spent lazing around watching movies and if he was feeling really adventurous, maybe going to the convenience store down the street for a bento and a soda.

"Alright." He breathed out much to the woman's delight. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well since I'm on vacation you can give me a tour of the city. Show me the main attractions, local spots, maybe a nice place to eat and of course showing me where to buy my products. I already sold out the batch from yesterday." She informed him, puffing her chest out in pride when mentioning her sold out goods.

That managed to break his seemingly uninterested look. The bag she had wasn't exactly small and it was filled with as much beauty product as it could hold. Maybe she wasn't full of it when she said she was a businesswoman.

As if she could read his thoughts, she continued. "Most of the stuff I bought yesterday was special ordered so the moment I got back, they were pretty much gone. If these new brands are as good as you say they are, I'm sure I'll be able to double or triple my profit. I already have an idea in mind on how I can introduce them."

"Wow…that's…" He said in amazement. Seeing this side of Rangiku was a welcome surprise. It shamed him to admit that his opinion of her was that she was merely the fun loving drunk lieutenant that Toshiro frequently complained about. He'd now caught a glimpse of another side of the woman and he was definitely impressed.

Rangiku seemed to bask in the fact that she had left him speechless and placed a hand on her cheek. "I know." She replied cheekily.

Ichigo couldn't help but grin for a moment before wiping it off his face. It was too late however as Rangiku had seen it and her own smile widened.

"Fine, let me change and we can get going. It's still early in the day on a Monday so most places shouldn't be too full." He said.

Opening his closet he pulled out a black short sleeve button-up shirt along with a pair of black denim jeans. Rangiku eyed the clothing as he made his way toward the bathroom and nodded at his choice. You really couldn't go wrong with a black outfit. She herself needed some color but for him, it would work well.

Ichigo stepped out a moment later and quickly slipped on his red high tops much to his companions' approval. He grabbed his wallet and made sure to spray himself with some cologne and nodded his head toward the door.

"That smells wonderful," Rangiku muttered to him as she walked past him. A small shudder went through his body. He felt her breath on his ear but he shook his head, she liked playing with people and even he wasn't spared apparently.

Making sure the door was locked, he led her out of the dormitories and out into the main street. They were close to the Ueno Zoo but he was sure she wasn't interested in that, hell even he didn't care for it much. He hadn't expected to play tour guide today so he would need to wing it.

"So where to first?" She asked, stepping in line with him as he began walking.

"We'll go to Shibuya. There are all kinds of stores in the area and the biggest crossing is one of the most famous attractions they have."

Rangiku grinned at his words and wrapped an arm loosely around his in order to stay close. His silent question conveyed through his stare went unanswered. Despite not knowing where Shibuya was, the tenth division lieutenant pulled his arm and made them pick up the pace. The pair was fortunate that the train they needed to take had arrived just as they stepped onto the platform and within twenty minutes, they found themselves in the heart of the special ward.

Ichigo felt her hold on his arm tighten slightly as they walked and realized it must have been a subconscious action. Rangiku's gaze wasn't on him but rather the tall buildings that surrounded them as well as the myriad of billboard advertisements.

"Woah." She muttered in amazement. She thought that Karakura looked pretty nice from her brief visits there but it had nothing on Shibuya.

"It's quite the sight isn't it?" Ichigo commented. No matter how many times he'd been there, the sight of the area never ceased to amaze him.

"You're telling me. This place is huge! Where do we even start?" She asked. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she reached into the smaller purse she had and pulled out a phone and began to take pictures of the area.

"You have a phone?" He questioned.

"Of course!" Rangiku happily replied, taking a quick pause from her photography to show him the device. "I asked Urahara for it when I started making my trips down here. It's cute right?"

The phone was enveloped in a pink protective casing with a small charm hanging from the bottom right hand corner. It seemed to be a small pink heart with the kanji for love etched into the center.

"Very." He remarked dryly. Her eyes narrowed in response to his lack of a genuine reaction but she didn't comment. With a huff, she put the phone away and took hold of his arm once more before pulling him in the direction of a store that had caught her eye.

Human woman or soul, the desire to look at everything that was available in a store wasn't mutually exclusive it seemed. For the next couple of hours Rangiku dragged him from store to store to browse their selection. Whether the store was focused on eyewear or footwear, it didn't matter to the woman, she needed to have a look.

It wasn't until her feet finally started to feel the slightest dull pain that she decided enough was enough and asked for him to show her where they could get her beauty products. Mentally, she made a note to come down in some comfortable flats next time or maybe even some sneakers like the ones Orihime had once let her wear.

Guiding her through the crosswalk, he led her to one of the larger women catered stores in the area. Two women stood across from each other just past the automatic doors and greeted them with a formal bow before handing Rangiku a small black basket to help with their shopping.

"Come on, we'll start with the foundation." He told her as he led her to the proper aisle. Unlike the store she was used to visiting, this one had almost five times the amount of choices and a much wider range of colors.

"See right here?" He asked as he picked up one that he'd seen in her bag the day before. "This is the one you bought, but here it's much cheaper."

Placing it back in its proper spot, he stepped aside and browsed the shelf until his eyes landed on a similar color but of another brand. "This one is better and acts as a moisturizer as well. It's better for blending and creating even color."

Rangiku stared at him with her mouth slightly agape as he explained the use of that specific foundation before he did the same with three others. What was even more impressive in her opinion was that he was able to pick out the exact color she would buy for herself by just taking a quick glance at her face and neck.

"Wow Ichigo, I'm actually pretty impressed. I don't think any guy back home, other than Yumichika, has any idea what makeup is and how it's used like you do." She complimented as she took the small tube from his hand and tossed it in the basket. She herself didn't use much but at the price it was selling for, she had to take it.

Knowing that her customers were likely the women from the Shinigami Women's Association, he mentally went over their members and their skin tones. His hands quickly swiped a few different containers, each slightly lighter or darker than the last. Most of the women had identical skin tones with Soifon having just a bit more of a tan complexion. Yoruichi was part of the association if he recalled correctly but seeing as she lived down here, she wouldn't need to buy from Rangiku.

"Ok, you have to tell me how you did that." The busty lieutenant demanded in awe. "You grabbed the right one for almost every customer I have."

Ichigo waved at her to follow him to the other side of the store where the eyeliners were located and crouched down to look for some similar to the ones he'd seen in her bag. "I grew up with two little sisters and no mom. When they first started getting into makeup they didn't have someone to show them so I had to go with them to stores and ask the employees to help us. I paid attention and eventually I had to go by myself if they were busy. It was pretty easy to learn what did what and which ones worked better for certain things."

"That's sweet of you to remember things like that for your sisters. It's certainly coming in handy now too." She replied sincerely. Crouching down next to him, she grabbed an assortment of different eyeliners that she knew would be top sellers. Next to the foundation, those were some of the quickest to go.

The minutes ticked by quickly and before either of them knew it, the basket had been filled almost to the brim with different products. When it was time to ring everything up, Rangiku was pleased to see that Ichigo had been telling the truth. She had spent almost as much money as she had yesterday but on much better products. The back of her right hand as well as her wrists were lined with colors from when she had gotten samples of the brands in question. Needless to say she had been sold instantly.

"I just know Nanao is going to love this new lipstick." The woman commented as they walked out of the store. "It doesn't smudge even when I apply this much pressure, look."

She made a show of rubbing her thumb over one of the samples on her hand which Ichigo just nodded to.

Slightly aggravated by the lack of reaction, Rangiku put her hand down and silently hummed to herself before her face broke out into a cheshire grin. "I don't think rubbing my thumb over it is that good of a test now that I think about it. Maybe I need to wet it a little and see if it'll come off."

"Care to help me with that, Ichigo?" She whispered into his ear.

His head swiveled to her with a noticeable blush staining his cheeks. Having gotten the reaction she was going for, Rangiku took hold of his arm and giggled into it. "I knew I could get you to react somehow."

Ichigo clicked his teeth in false annoyance and looked away in the same fashion that she did when she would pout at him.

"Come on, don't be like that." She cooed playfully. "My day is almost over and I can't have my tour guide be mad at me."

She was right, he thought to himself. "Whatever. You hungry?" He asked.

"I am now that you mention it. I haven't eaten since the morning. We've been so busy that it didn't really register to me how long it's been." She replied. Her eyes glanced around the now illuminated buildings looking for a place where they could eat. There was no shortage of restaurants in the area but most of them were full of people already. The windows showed almost every table occupied and those that weren't were only vacant for a moment before someone sat down.

"If you're not picky, I know a place that serves some pretty good fried rice." He offered.

"Sounds good to me."

They had to walk away from the central hub of Shibuya, though not before she took a few more photos of the large buildings and of course, the Hachiko statue. To his surprise she even took a few of them together as they walked along the streets. Pictures weren't exactly his thing but seeing how excited she seemed to be about capturing every moment, a mini smile could be seen from him in every picture she took.

Once they were far enough away from the bright lights Rangiku was able to see exactly where they were headed. It was a small stand next to a local business that offered a bar style seating. It was cute in a simplistic way. Pulling up to the stall, the young man surprised her once again by pulling out the stool for her and pushing it a bit forward once she was ready.

It seemed despite his demeanor, he was polite and knew how to treat a lady. The owner of the stall took their orders and in less than five minutes had their dishes presented in front of them. Brief small talk occurred between them as they ate but their appetite constantly paused their stories. Between the two of them, four plates had been consumed and it hadn't even cost that much. Rangiku had made an attempt to pay for her portion but had been shut down quickly as he placed the necessary amount on the counter. Ichigo didn't know it but he was racking up points in her book.

"I had a great time today, thank you." She told him as they walked back toward the train station.

"No problem. It was a lot better than how I planned to spend my day, to be honest with you." He replied truthfully, much to her delight.

"I'm glad. Anyway, I better get going. Thanks for a good time Ichigo. I'll see you around." She said as she made her way down the street and disappeared from view. He would have offered to walk with her until she could find a place to open a Senkaimon but she had gone in a hurry.

He was sure she'd be fine regardless. Checking the time, he sped up to catch the train back to the dorms. Maybe he'd still have enough time to catch a movie after all. It would be a good way to relax and end the day. As he made his way to the station, he couldn't help but think that Rangiku was actually pretty decent company when she wasn't trying to talk him into drinking.

xxxx

Ichigo could feel his head dipping down every few minutes as his interest in the tv show that was playing continued. Like the day before, no one was available to do anything and a trip back home was out of the question at least until their final exams had passed. Most of his morning had been spent browsing the web buying things he needed online and checking the social media pages his friends had somehow talked him into creating.

He tried focusing on the two characters fighting on screen but they had been yelling for the past five episodes that his interest was quickly waning. He shook his head and grabbed the remote to his gaming console to shut the app down but had to pause when someone knocked on his door softly.

Without thinking he stood up and opened the door only to be surprised to see Rangiku once more. He had thought that after their time together yesterday she would be gone for the next few days enacting her business plan.

"Rangiku? What are you doing here?"

The woman smiled at him and stepped in much to his mild annoyance. What was it about the shinigami seeing the need to enter his room as if it were theirs?

"Research." She replied, taking a seat on his bed. "Besides cosmetics, another thing that has interested me about the world of the living is the fashion trends. They've changed quite a bit since the last time I really had a chance to look and I wanted to get with the times. I mean, this outfit is cute but it seems like it's been out of style for a while now. I can't walk around Soul Society in outdated fashion."

At the mention of her outfit, Ichigo took a moment to take in her look. She wore a very light green long sleeve top with a light yellow short sleeve single button shirt atop it. The shirt itself buttoned just above her breasts and only really covered half of her upper body. What had really caught his attention however, was the short black skirt that exposed most of her shapely legs. Finally, she wore a pair of shin length white crew socks with a pair of dark maroon colored inch tall heels.

She definitely looked good but she was right that it was outdated. The last time he saw anyone wear an outfit remotely similar to that was almost three years ago. Rangiku however would likely not hear any complaints from the men but he was sure she didn't care about that.

"Don't you walk around in your usual shinigami garb though? Why would you need human clothes?" He wondered.

"You don't think I wear those things on my days off do you?" She asked in false shock. "I like to look good whenever I'm not working. Anyway, I figured what better way to see what's hot at the moment than to see what the college girls are wearing." She reasoned.

That made sense, even if the women at his school were focused on their studies, quite a bit of them also kept up with the latest trends.

Rangiku pulled out her phone and turned it over so he could see the screen. His eyes widened marginally the more he read. Not only had she detailed what kind of tops and bottoms she had seen, there were also notes on the side about what kind of materials most seemed to be made of and how well they would hold up after washes. Possible style combinations were highlighted along with admittedly good sketches of some potential outfits.

"You actually drew these?" He questioned.

"Yup." She replied, ending the single word sentence with a small pop of her lips. "You like them?"

He nodded. "They're good. You're a better drawer than Rukia, that's for sure." He said, remembering the terrible bunnies she would draw when she needed to detail or explain something. "What's the question mark at the bottom for?"

"Night wear." She replied simply. "Most women have robes to sleep in back home but sometimes it's too hot for that and sleeping naked is a risk since we could be attacked suddenly."

Ichigo looked away from her at the mention of sleeping nude. He wasn't a pervert by any stretch of the imagination but he wasn't blind either. Rangiku was easily in the top three when it came to good looking women. So when she mentioned it, his mind had conjured up the image of the woman laying in a sexy position in bed, rubbing the empty spot next to her while wearing nothing.

He quickly rid himself of those thoughts and got back on track.

"Well that explains why you're back in our world, but it doesn't explain why you're here."

The lieutenant pouted in indignation and looked away. "You have a pretty girl who went out of her way to come to your place and that's what you ask?"

Ichigo sighed, he should have known she wouldn't make it easy. Luckily for him she quickly changed her tune and looked at him with a mischievous smile.

"Alright fine, I wanted to spend the money I made yesterday on some new outfits and I need your help." She admitted.

He blinked. She needed his help? He was somewhat knowledgeable on the latest trends for men even if he wasn't really deep in the game, but women? He only knew as much as he'd overheard from his sisters and some of the girls in his classes. Nowhere near enough to help Rangiku come up with fashionable combinations.

His face must have been as easy to read as an open book as the woman quickly continued.

"I just need help finding some stores. The ones you took me to yesterday were good but since it's such a big tourist attraction, the prices should be higher for clothing no?" She wondered, placing a finger up to her chin.

"Yeah a little bit. Makeup is one thing but clothing is another."

"Exactly. So I need your help finding another shopping mall. And before you say no…" She quickly added, "As a thank you for your help, I'll even buy you something. So what do you say?"

The orange haired substitute took a seat at his desk and rested his head on a closed fist. One one hand he was really bored, on the other if he went with her he'd likely be gone the whole day again. He closed his eyes and mulled over the pro's and cons of each decision much to the strawberry blond's growing ire.

"Come on, Ichigo!" She whined. "Is hanging out with me really that bad?" Faster than he thought she could move, she had hopped off the bed and began moving from one side of him to the other.

"Come on, it'll be fun." She poked his right cheek.

"A lot of guys would kill to be in your position you know?" A poke to his other cheek.

Ichigo felt his brow twitching in annoyance as she poked and prodded at him while he tried to think. Toshiro was stronger than he'd ever given him credit for if this was the kind of thing he dealt with on a daily basis.

His eyes snapped open as she made her way behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while pressing her chest to his back.

"Come on~~" She sang into his ear.

"Fine." He relented.

Rangiku appeared in front of him and flashed a peace sign at him followed by a wink. "I knew you'd see it my way. Now get dressed, we have places to be."

Muttering incoherently to himself, he walked past her and grabbed another shirt from his closet. He was already wearing clean denim jeans, all he needed was a new shirt. He grabbed another button up shirt, this one a dark red color and threw on his shoes. A single spray of cologne once again completed his getting ready process and soon they were once again heading for a train station.

Like the day before, Rangiku had latched onto his arm as they walked down the streets. Strangely enough Ichigo didn't mind it, though he attributed that to simply being a man. Who wouldn't like having a woman like Rangiku holding them in such a manner?

They walked past the train station they'd taken last time and followed a stair set leading underground. This one wasn't as nice as the previous one but they didn't stick around long. A minute after paying for their tickets, the train arrived and after a handful of stops, the two found themselves at the base of the Tokyo Skytree.

"And I thought Shibuya was impressive." Rangiku's head was tilted far back in order to see the top of the large tower that seemed to loom over the city.

"Right? It's the tallest tower in Tokyo. Has a killer view of the city too, looks amazing both in the day and at night."

"So why did we come here? I thought we were going shopping." She questioned.

"We are. There's a huge mall at the base of the tower. There's plenty of clothing stores for you to pick from and the prices should be on the lower side here. Lower than Shibuya at the very least."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She cheered as she dragged him to one of the doors where people were entering from.

Upon entering, Rangiku's eyes widened at the layout. A directory was placed near the large doors that showed the mall had a whopping 31 floors to explore. Everything from restaurants to exhibits, and of course, fashion could be found. If her grin could widen any more she was afraid that it would stay permanently.

Shibuya had nothing on the mall they had come to. While it wasn't as flashy, the selection of clothing was much more affordable which meant more potential buys. Within four hours, Rangiku had bags full of new clothes. Tops both casual and formal, bottoms ranging from denim to skirts, and much to his well hidden embarrassment an assortment of new bras and panties. She had a field day teasing him about what looked cuter and asking for his thoughts on certain colors and styles.

"Alright Ichigo, I think this is the last one and then we can find you an outfit. I'm just going to try these shorts on and we can go." She told him as she led him to a dressing room. The eight or so bags in his hands rocked back and forth with each step he took but he was finally able to give his hands a break once she disappeared behind the tan doors the store had installed.

Faster than he imagined, Rangiku stepped out with a satisfied look on her face and the folded orange shorts over her hand. She paid for the items and another bag was added to his hand. Rather than split them over both hands, he decided to simply put the smaller bags within the others until he only had two which he carried in his right hand.

He maneuvered them up to the next floor where one of his favorite stores was located. Since they entered the mall, the woman had changed her approach from dragging him by the arm to dragging him by the hand. She would let go once they entered a store and when she was another that caught her fancy, she would lace their hands together and lead them elsewhere. On occasion when they walked without a specific destination in mind, he could feel their hands bump into each other. Ichigo wasn't sure if it was out of reflex or not that she would usually wrap her fingers around his for a split second before letting go and repeating the pattern over again.

Rangiku had ended up discovering that shopping for him was much easier than shopping for herself. Ichigo had walked into the store and immediately picked out a pair of denim jeans that looked exactly like the ones he wore without trying them on. He then grabbed a nice looking jacket and made his way to the cashier.

"Why are men's clothes so much cheaper than women's clothes?" She asked with a pout as she paid. "That's not fair."

"Probably because they know we don't really care that much about it like women," Ichigo replied. "Also, thank you. You didn't have to spend your hard-earned money on me but I appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all." She replied honestly. "It was because of you that I ended up making so much. You showed me around and helped me quite a bit. Business is booming and it's partially because of you. It's the least I could do."

The two stared at each other with matching smiles present on their faces. For Ichigo, it now felt like he was hanging out with a less teasing Yoruichi. Despite her annoying tendencies he couldn't lie and say he wasn't enjoying his time with her.

"Are you going to take the bag miss?" The shop clerk asked, breaking both of them out of their somewhat intimate gazes.

"Oh, right." She coughed into a hand. "Thank you."

Turning back to Ichigo, she handed him his bag and wrapped her arm around his as she had done before. "I don't know about you but all that shopping made me hungry."

Having done nothing but carry and complement her on her outfits, he too found himself needed to grab a bite. The mall offered a wide variety of restaurants that served everything from seafood to even western style dishes including a number of American fast food joints. Neither of them was picky and they settled for a ramen place near the end of the food court. The noodles were nothing special, at least when compared to some of the local spots back home, but they got the job done nonetheless.

"So what's on the agenda now?" Ichigo asked. He reclined back in his chair in an attempt to have the food digest a little faster even though he knew it wouldn't work.

Rangiku let out a soft hum and tapped her chin with her index finger in a way that Ichigo would admit was rather cute. Her eyes drifted across the food court until she seemed to focus her attention on something across the vicinity.

"What's that?"

He followed her gaze and saw a directory that was in the middle of swapping advertisements. Currently, it was a poster for an old American movie that came out back in the late 70's. He'd heard from some friends that they would be premiering in theaters again for a limited time but he'd already seen them. Even in Japan those movies were extremely popular.

"An old scifi movie playing at the theater a few streets over. Why?"

"It looks interesting. They're in space?" She said, leaning forward to try to get a better view.

Against his will his eyes dipped down to the table where her covered breasts now rested. Composing himself, he steeled his gaze on her face once more.

"It takes place in a bunch of different places over three movies, but yeah they're in space. You want to go see it?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Part of her had expected him to make some kind of face since she had already dragged him up and down the mall. Much to her excitement however, he simply stared at her with a curious gaze expecting her answer.

"No. I like the movie and I think you'll enjoy it too."

Their plates were quickly put in the designated area to be picked up and his arm was once again held captive by the fun loving woman. This time it was his turn to lead them once more. The nearest theater was a cinema a few blocks over near Ueno which meant they had to take another train. Unlike the theater in Kabukicho which had a large Godzilla towering over the theater, this one was in the upper floors of a large building in the middle of a commercial center.

After paying for tickets for the two of them, Ichigo took it upon himself to buy popcorn for both as well as drinks. Much to his surprise however, Rangiku had cut him off mid order and asked for one large drink instead of two mediums.

"We can save a bit of money." She had reasoned. He didn't mind sharing the drink but his surprise continued when she went to grab straws for them and only returned with one. His question as to where the other straw had gone was ignored in favor of answering with a wink.

Ignoring the sensation he felt in his stomach, he led her to the large room and picked out their seats near the middle of the room. Rangiku for her part was like an excited child who was experiencing something for the first time, which she actually was. To his knowledge they didn't have movie theaters in the Soul Society.

From the moment the room darkened and the iconic letters began to slowly drift across the screen, the woman had been captivated. Her eyes were wider than usual and every time an action scene began her attention was even more focused. His favorite part of their…hangout, had been when a certain antagonist made his appearance in the white hallway amidst the sea of blasts.

She had seen some of the worst of the worst both in Aizen as well as Yhwach with his Sternritters, but the sight of the iconic villain seemed to have her taken aback. If they hadn't been in a packed theater, the thought might have gotten a chuckle out of him.

The movie ran for two hours and by the time they left the building, the sun had already descended over the horizon.

"That was amazing!" She said, shaking his arm as she did so. "Imagine if we had the ability to choke people just like that." To emphasize her point, her hand had come up into the air while making a choking motion.

"Something tells me we're better without certain people being able to do that." Ichigo replied thinking of what people like Renji or Rukia would do with that kind of power.

Rangiku laughed at the thought. "You said that was one of three movies right? That means there's still two more we're gonna need to see."

"Does that mean I should expect you to knock on my door tomorrow too?" He asked in a dry tone, or at least as dry as he could muster. He had very much enjoyed his time with her and the thought of doing it again was definitely appealing.

The surprise on his face couldn't be more visible as she shook her head. "I'm still on vacation but there are a few things I need to do back home. Don't worry though, you'll see me again real soon. I just won't tell you when, I need to keep you on your toes somehow." She teased.

Ichigo smirked and looked away. "Whatever. This just means I'll have a little time to myself."

Rangiku mirrored his look and almost teleported to his arm while pressing her body into him. "Admit it, you like having me around. Your days would be wasted away without me here."

"Right…" He teased back. She was right but he definitely wouldn't let her know that. "Anyway, are you going to be alright on your own or should I walk with you?"

"I'll be fine but I appreciate the concern. I'll see you soon." She said, but not before shooting him a departing wink.

Taking the bags from his hands, she almost seemed to skip away in delight from the day they'd had. It was definitely strange that he was spending his time with Rangiku of all people but he certainly looked forward to it now. He was glad he had moved into the dorm, however, if his dad found out that he was spending all his time with her, the comments would likely never end. He could hear it already about how Rangiku had managed to tie down his delinquent son or some other nonsense. Ignoring those thoughts, he made his way to the train station and headed home for the night.

xxxx

True to her word, she didn't show up at his door for the next few days. Going by her reaction to the movie, he had figured that she would have returned after two days but that wasn't the case. It wasn't until the middle of the weekend on Saturday that he heard from her again. The morning was spent checking his emails, talking over the phone with the family back in Karakura town, and running errands. As the sun was at its highest point in the day around one pm, a knock was heard on his door.

Knowing it could only be one person, he called out for them to open the door. His hunch was spot on and in walked Rangiku with a giant grin on her face.

"You've been waiting for me haven't you?" She asked, taking a seat on his bed again.

"As if." He denied, finishing putting the last few items into his mini fridge. "I honestly forgot you were going to come back."

He didn't have to be a genius to tell that she didn't believe him. The grin on her face only widened at his weak response but she fortunately didn't follow up with a witty response.

"You remember what we're supposed to do today?" She questioned.

"Way ahead of you." Walking over to his laptop, he pressed a typed away on the keyboard until his email page opened. Following that, another tab opened revealing the cinema website where he proceeded to purchase their tickets before printing them off using the confirmation email he received.

The woman looked rather impressed that he could do that and glanced over his shoulder to see what other information she could get. Sadly he turned around with the two pieces of paper in hand and motioned for her to follow. Unlike their previous outings, this time there was no long shopping spree beforehand. In a way it felt rather strange, as if part of their outing was missing something.

Those thoughts came to a screeching halt once they had made it back to the theater and sat themselves down for the second movie. This time, Rangiku had taken it upon herself to buy both the popcorn and the single soda once again. It was likely a waste of money on her part since she was deeply immersed in the film, more so than the first one.

"No way…" She mumbled, taking a handful of popcorn from the bucket. Her eyes never left the screen as though she were afraid she would miss something important. "You're telling me he's his father?"

He nodded, not that she could see it, and took a sip from the straw after she finished taking a sip of her own.

"What a plot twist right?" He chuckled softly at her reaction.

Compared to that moment, the rest of the movie didn't offer him much in terms of entertainment. Once the movie concluded, Rangiku was even more excited than before. "I really don't know how the next movie can be better than that. I mean, how do you top that?"

The pair covered their eyes and waited for their eyes to adjust to the light. The movie had killed two hours of the day and the sun was still as bright as before. The sudden transition from dark to bright was intense.

"You'll be surprised, I don't want to say anything. Your reactions to the movie are too good." He said, gaining a smug look at her embarrassed face.

"I'll take your word for it. Something tells me that one will be my favorite of the three but we'll see." She commented back. She took hold of his arm and slowly moved them off to the side so that they weren't blocking the sidewalk. The streets were busier than they had been before with a number of men and women walking in both directions of the sidewalk. Unlike Shibuya, there were a number of businesses in the area so Rangiku supposed it made sense.

Without having done any shopping earlier in the day, the two shinigami found themselves with more time on their hands than before. Rangiku took a deep breath and looked around, noting how the trees nearby seemed to come alive by the gentle breeze that passed through. It was a nice sight, one that she wanted to enjoy a bit more. With no real destination in mind, she picked a direction and began to walk while making small talk about the numerous buildings and stores they saw along the way.

After an hour of walking, the busty lieutenant's stomach began to growl much to her mortification. Her hopes that Ichigo hadn't heard were shattered when she felt his shoulders bounce up and down in mirth. To deflect the embarrassment, she owned up to the fact that she was hungry and pinned the blame on him for 'hogging' the popcorn.

"Fine, fine, what are you in the mood for?"

Ever the gentleman, Ichigo let her pick where she wanted to go and followed her to a small Karaage restaurant hidden in one of the smaller alleys a few blocks out.

"This place reminds me of home." Rangiku commented as she took in the decor. The inside was decorated in a way that mimicked the architecture of Japan back in the Heian period much like Soul Society.

Ichigo sat down in one of the booths with his back against the wall and was caught off guard when she made him scoot over and took a seat next to him as opposed to across from him. Browsing the menu, each decided on a different plate but agreed that they would give the other a bite or two to try.

"So how's business?" Ichigo asked suddenly.

"Well." Was the simple reply he received. They were forced to stop as their food was delivered and neatly presented in front of them. "I haven't sold everything yet but most of the foundation is already gone. The eyeliners are selling quickly and the lipsticks are in high demand right now. At the moment I'm working on a plan to expand a bit."

Taking a sip of his water, Ichigo placed the cup down on the table and reached over for a piece of her dish. "Expand? How so?"

Pushing the plate closer to him she shifted her body so that she was facing him as much as she could and mimicked his actions of taking from her dish. "The Soul Society is massive Ichigo. The women's association does make me a bit of money but I'm aiming to expand my clientele to those in the other divisions as well, not just the lieutenants. I'm talking hundreds of people."

Ichigo blinked slowly as he realized just how much he'd underestimated what Rangiku was doing. He figured she was making a bit of money on the side selling to a handful of people, but she was aiming much higher than that. If she was considering expansion it was because she likely had a plan of sorts. It could be hundreds now but it was clear she was the ambitious type, it likely wouldn't stop there.

Noticing the look on his face, Rangiku almost seemed to glow in the reaction she'd gotten. "So what do you think?"

Swallowing the bite that had gone ignored in favor of his thoughts, he responded. "I'm actually impressed you're thinking that big. Do you have an idea of how you're going to get more clients? You can't exactly be everywhere at once and you don't have the internet up there to get the word out."

"I've actually consulted with the Captain Commander about it and he's actually considering letting me open a store within the Seireitei. I've made a lot of money selling cosmetics and no matter what the Captain thinks, I didn't spend it all on alcohol. Most of it has been saved up for the next part of my plan."

Ichigo waved a hand for her to continue. The more she spoke the more passion he could hear in her voice and he wanted to see just how much she'd thought this through.

"Shunsui gave me a price for a lease on an unused building near the eighth division barracks that he's willing to let me use. I would have to pay taxes on every sale I make but that's expected. From there I would just pay the 9th division for a spot in the Seireitei communication monthly to get the word out." She finished.

"Rangiku, that's…amazing," Ichigo admitted. "But wouldn't that also take away from your duties?"

She nodded but the smile didn't leave her face. "You might not know this but the unseated officers don't have as many responsibilities as we do. They even work fewer hours unless an event arises that requires everyone. I'm on fairly good terms with the girls in the division so I would hire one or two to man the shop while I work and when I have to come down to restock."

"So you know how much everything is going to cost to get it up and running?"

Taking a sip of her drink, she nodded. "Why do you think I've been gone these past few days? I've been talking to people who are better with numbers than I am and it seems that after two or three more months, I should be set to begin. I was even told that if enough money comes in quickly, some of the major houses might be tempted to invest which means I would be able to open more shops."

"You could ask Byakuya." He pitched. Both stared at each other before laughing lightly. "No, but seriously, even though he's a cold, emotionless, stoic, kind of an asshole guy, he doesn't seem like he'd turn away an opportunity to make money and increase his own family's standing."

She hummed to herself and made a note of that. She had planned on asking Yoruichi as well as Kukaku but Ichigo was right about Byakuya, she would just need to be completely proper and treat it with the utmost importance.

"I'll definitely be paying him a visit soon." She mumbled making a note on her phone. Looking up at him, she noticed him staring and smirked at him. "Something you want to say?" She teased, ready for the blush and stumbling.

"Just that you're actually pretty incredible." Rangiku felt her teasing grin drop and her mouth open in surprise.

"I had thought you were doing this for a bit of quick money but this goes far beyond that. You're a real businesswoman and that plan you laid out to me further reinforced that. You're passionate about it and decided to venture out to start a business while at the same being a lieutenant of the Seireitei. That's pretty amazing."

That hadn't been what she was expecting. She knew based on her recent experiences as well as conversations with Yoruichi that Ichigo was easy enough to fluster. For him to sing her praises that weren't in the form of dry remarks and instead sincerely mean them, it took her a moment to catch up with what was happening.

Her mouth felt dry and for once she really didn't know how to reply with anything other than a 'thank you' but that felt too nonchalant. It didn't help that now she felt her own cheeks beginning to heat up, that was a new experience for her.

"I appreciate that you think so highly of me, Ichigo." She responded in the most sincere tone she could muster. "I know most people seem to think I'm an airhead who doesn't do much other than drink or annoy the Captain but just knowing you can see more and understand how much work I'm putting into this has made my day."

"I'm glad. Soon enough everyone else will see you're more than what they can see on the surface."

The rest of the meal was eaten in mostly comfortable silence with the occasional quip thrown in when one would steal a bit more food from the other. Neither truly minded and both found a sort of childish amusement in the act. They would wait until they thought the other wasn't looking and quickly swipe the food.

As much fun as they were having, eventually the food ran out and their day together had come to an end. The sun was mostly still out but all their chatting about her job had gotten the fire within Rangiku lit. While she had the time and energy, she figured she would go talk to Kukaku about a possible business deal. The Shiba's might not be as rich as they used to be but they still had a substantial amount of money.

Pulling Ichigo into a tight hug, Rangiku quickly pressed her lips to his cheek and asked for well wishes on her venture.

Watching her depart, Ichigo stuffed his hands into his pockets and made his way back to the dorms. He doubted anything he did today would top the first half but at least he had something to look forward to. Rangiku was definitely excited to see the final part of the trilogy and would likely be back within the next few days. It was just a matter of waiting.

xxxx

The next day broke his usual routine. One of his classmates had decided to put his faith in a higher power and stopped studying in favor of going to an arcade and killing time. He'd invited Ichigo, who had accepted the offer since his friend said he would cover the charges. A few rounds of a fighting game had made his blood pressure skyrocket since he was sure cheat codes of some kind had been involved but he had no proof.

He had won a few crane games after only about two tries each, they would make good gifts for Karin and Yuzu when he saw them next.

By the time he'd gotten bored he made up an excuse to leave and stopped by a convenience store for a rice bento along with a few snacks.

Once he made it back home he placed the food on the desk and decided to take a quick shower before chowing down. The sun had been scorching today and the thought of staying in his sweat riddled shirt wasn't all that appealing to him.

His shower was quick but in his rush to get to his meal, he had only taken with him clothing to cover his bottom half, as such he was forced to step out shirtless. The cool air felt amazing against his still damp skin.

He took a step toward his closet and paused before shrugging uncaringly. It was his room, it didn't matter if he wore a shirt or not. Ichigo opened his laptop and started up a video to watch while he ate. To his displeasure, it buffered so long he was almost done with the bento before the video actually began.

Supposing that the video just wouldn't load, he hovered the cursor over another link only to stop when a knock rang out. Suddenly, his video and food were left unattended as he went to open the door.

"Hey Ichigo." Rangiku greeted as she walked past him into his dorm. Having basically claimed the spot on his bed, she sat down while crossing one leg over the other and whistled playfully at his topless form. "Looks like your time at the Royal Palace did wonders for you didn't it?"

She hadn't even tried to be subtle and was staring at his upper body the same way children stared at candy through the windows of stores.

"You can say that, but I'm not the only one. That extra training you went through really shows." He replied in an instant.

Rangiku smirked at the compliment but didn't tease him about it. Her day after their lunch the previous day had been a success and she'd been riding that feeling ever since. Now she wanted to see how the movies would conclude.

"I'm glad you noticed, now get dressed. I want to see the movie." She said in a giddy tone.

Ichigo complied with the request and got dressed quickly before going to buy the tickets in advance once more. "If these got you this excited I wonder how you'll react to the prequels." He muttered to himself.

"Prequels?" She asked in disbelief. There were more? "You shouldn't have said that, Ichigo. Now I'm going to need the full story."

"We'll get there." He promised.

The tickets hadn't been in his hand longer than a minute before he found himself being rushed out the door and toward the theater. Rangiku had memorized most of the route and had paid for everything from the train tickets to the snacks once they actually made it into the building.

As he had expected, her reactions hadn't been as expressive as they had been for the second movie but it was still an enjoyable experience. Seeing her face change from focus to disbelief to suspense and finally, relief had definitely been worth it. The conclusion of the trilogy had brought a smile to her face in the same way it had to the fans back when the movie had originally released.

When they exited the theater, the sun had long since disappeared, leaving them with only the street posts as their source of light. The area wasn't as bright as Shibuya so they were forced to walk through large patches of darkness, not that it was a big deal to either of them. It went unsaid that neither really wanted to end the day just yet and as they'd done before, they picked a direction and began walking.

"Doesn't the street seem a little emptier than usual?" Rangiku commented with a frown.

She was right. There were almost no people walking around which would've been understandable at a later time but it wasn't that late. At the same time, both shinigami glanced up at a nearby building to see a small horde of hollows climbing to the top before stopping and staring down at them from behind the ominous masks.

"Really? Right now?" Rangiku whined, letting go of his arm.

Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out the soul candy he always carried and popped it into his mouth , leaving him to free himself from his physical body. Rangiku did the same to exit the gigai and was now back in her usual shinigami garb.

Stepping into a Shunpo, Ichigo quickly appeared in front of the closest hollow and let off a vertical downward slash that cut through the mask as though it were butter. The hollow next to it tried to slash at him with a swipe of its large claws but only succeeded in hitting empty space. Before it could register what happened, Ichigo had closed the distance between them and stabbed through its mask as well.

Glancing over his shoulder he could see Rangiku easily dispatching the ones nearest to her. While she had seemingly no trouble cutting the horde down as they came, she failed to notice a smaller hollow near the edge of the building close to the sidewalk. Its finger was pointing up in her direction and let off a cero.

"Rangiku!" He warned.

The woman turned around after using Haineko to destroy the hollow and managed to tilt her head just in time to avoid the blast. He watched as she grimaced lightly touching the side of her face near her temple and felt anger beginning to creep up on him. Without turning to look at the hollow that had tried sneaking up on him, he concentrated his reiatsu directly on it until it disintegrated into small particles.

Rangiku noticed the change immediately and quickly dispatched the sneaky hollow as well as the final one that had tried to flee.

"Are you alright?" He questioned once she got close.

"I'm fine. It's just a small graze." She replied, trying to ease his worry. Both stepped back into their respective bodies but Ichigo still looked concerned, glancing at her temple which only looked a light red in color.

"Come on, I have something we can use for you back at the dorm." He replied.

She wanted to tell him it was no big deal, that a simple stop to squad four when she left would be sufficient but she kept silent. It was nice to be worried over and if it would help him feel better to treat her himself, she would allow it.

The trip back to the dorm was quick and she was given instructions to sit on the bed and wait for him while he looked for something in his bathroom. He stepped out a moment later with a small white tube that had already been unscrewed at the top and took a seat next to her on the bed. Carefully moving some of her short hair out of the way, he applied a pea-sized drop onto his finger and slowly began rubbing it back and forth over the injured area.

Rangiku remained still but stared at him as he applied the ointment. She had always thought he was a cute guy but they'd never really had a chance to interact. Now that she'd gotten a chance to really know him and what he was like behind the scowls and sarcastic remarks, she could truly say she liked what she saw. And if the looks he'd sent her on occasion were any indication, he liked what he saw as well.

"All done." He said happily, "Looks better already." He grinned.

She remained fixated on his face which was only a few inches from hers. Her left hand came up and gently grasped his which was still carefully touching her face. There was a noticeable tension in the room that not even the densest person in the world could miss.

Able to clearly read the atmosphere, Ichigo leaned forward just as she did until their lips finally met. The kiss was soft and slow as both of them took the time to really relish in the feeling of their lips. Ichigo's hand remained held in place by her smaller one while she slowly rubbed the back of his hand softly.

Rangiku moaned into the kiss softly, stirring something within the younger man. That single action was all it took for the kiss to deepen, mouths opening in order to let their tongues explore one anothers. While the kiss definitely expressed their seemingly built up tension, it wasn't enough. After five more minutes of making out, Rangiku knew she would need to take the next step. She wanted it, he wanted it.

Grabbing him by the shirt, she pressed her body against his and pulled him down with her on the bed. His arms quickly shot out to and rested on either side of her head. Uncaring for what she'd done, the woman's legs wrapped around his body and pulled him toward her once again in order to grind her lower body against his. Her hands grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to kiss him once more.

She grinned despite having her mouth busy with his when she felt his body begin to reciprocate her movements. Without breaking their lip lock, she let her hands begin wandering down until she was able to sneak under his shirt and feel his hot skin. Her hands slowly traced every chiseled bump on his abs and worked her way up to his pecs. Just seeing him shirtless didn't do it justice, she could feel her panties dampening just from the thought of what was to come and seeing his perfect form hovering above her.

Not wanting to be uncooperative, Ichigo shifted his weight so that his left hand was keeping him upright and followed the curves of her body with the right. Like she had done, he worked his hand under her shirt and carefully ran it up her toned stomach, taking the time to lightly moan into her mouth in approval. Moving upward he stopped when he felt the fabric of her bra keeping her large breasts contained.

Rangiku gave her approval in the form of biting his bottom lip before attacking his tongue once more. Having gotten the green light, his thumb hooked under the center of her bra and easily shoved it up over her breasts before beginning to carefully knead them. More than once he had fantasized about them, who hadn't after all, and now here he was with them literally in the palm of his hands.

The woman let out another much louder moan as he pinched her nipple playfully and thrust her hip upward shortly after. Switching to the other he repeated his pattern, this time adding a little more force to his squeeze much to her delight. She squirmed beneath him with every touch and her pelvis seemed to move on its own. Even through her clothing he could feel her womanhood trying to make contact with his cock.

Ichigo pulled back and stared down at her with lust filled eyes and burned into his memory the view beneath him. Her lips were slightly swollen and the way she bit them after as she stared back would likely remain a constant source of material when he was alone. Her silvery blue eyes stared back at him with want and her fingernails roughly scratched down his chest.

As if some unheard signal passed between them, they began to undress. Their shirts were discarded, allowing Ichigo to finally see her breasts. He would likely be the envy of every man in the Soul Society if word of their tryst got out but that was the furthest thing from his mind. Rangiku raised her hips and easily pulled off the bottoms along with her panties in one fell swoop leaving only her socks.

"If you want to continue you're going to have to keep going too, you know?" She teased, noticing his eyes had been fixated on her breasts. Her right hand came up and cupped one erotically and gave it a hard squeeze for him.

Standing up, he undid the belt that kept his pants up and just as quickly pulled them along with his boxers down to his feet. Hastily kicking them to the side, he remained upright so that Rangiku could see what she would be working with. He watched her lick her lips at the sight of his exposed cock and with a finger beckoned him to her.

The moment his knees touched his bed, Rangiku quickly pounced and swapped their positions so that Ichigo was on his back with her on top of him. He blinked at her actions and wondered what was the reason only to widen his eyes in realization shortly after. His bedmate quickly situated herself in between his legs and took hold of his cock in one hand, slowly rubbing it.

Her hand was soft, he noted idly as she began stroking up and down. His gaze was fixed on her face, the way her eyes were studying his tool as though trying to memorize every inch of it. Without warning, she glanced up at him and winked before opening her mouth slowly and descending down onto his cock.

"Oh…shit." Her mouth was warm and slick and he could feel her tongue slowly gliding across the underside of his shaft as she went down. Inch by inch his cock slowly disappeared into her mouth and to her credit, she was almost able to take it completely, only leaving about two inches out. She began slowly raising and dipping her head, making sure to swirl her tongue around the entire thing as she did so.

There was something strangely arousing about seeing her hair slowly cover her face with her movements, he noted. He sat up and carefully moved a few strands of hair out of her face before holding it back in a small ponytail.

He wasn't sure how long she was down there but as good as it felt, it wasn't enough. She was doing all the work and at this rate he would erupt.

Reaching over, he grabbed the side of her waist with one hand and roughly tugged on her body. His cock slipped free of her mouth as she let out a surprised squeal.

"Oh? Want to keep that mouth of yours busy too huh?" She said in a teasing tone looking over her shoulder. She swung one leg over his body until her womanhood was just above his face and slowly came down before taking his cock into her mouth once more.

Ichigo only had a moment to admire the woman's femininity but that was enough. Using her ass cheeks as makeshift handles, he spread them and gave her pussy an experimental lick. Her legs tried to close in on him after the sudden feeling but soon they remained fixed open. His tongue quickly began licking up and down her slit, tracing different patterns along opening in an attempt to keep her guessing as to what would come next.

There was a sweet taste after a few minutes of teasing her and after a moment of confusion, he understood what had happened. Rangiku had cum and it spurred him on. Opening his mouth a little wider, he carefully sucked on the different parts of her womanhood until he found what he was looking for. Flicking his tongue, he felt the small nub and latched onto it.

"Fuck!" Rangiku yelped in delight. Shocks ran up her body at the feeling of her clit being assaulted and unfortunately, Ichigo's cock was left unattended. Her hands grabbed onto the bed sheets tightly as she was forced to endure the most agonizingly delightful feeling of being eaten out by a man who clearly wanted to hear her scream. "A little more Ichigo…please…" She begged.

Her words had the desired effect, the licks and tugs became much more erratic and aggressive. Her opening seemed to tighten and loosen around his tongue when it had the chance until with a loud groan, Ichigo felt his face be coated by her release.

"Oh my….that was…" She muttered. Rangiku felt lightheaded and she needed to blink to get her vision clear once again.

With shaky arms, she sat up, straddling him at the thighs as she did so and turned around so that she could face him. The look of the man's face covered in the proof of his hard work turned her on like nothing had before.

Ichigo likewise enjoyed the look of satisfaction on her face, the present blush on her cheeks and dopey smile she wore gave him a sense of pride he'd never felt before. That pride only increased when she looked down and took hold of his cock again. From her position, she was able to raise his cock to its full length and place it up against her body as though she were measuring how deep inside he would be.

"That's going to feel good." She purred, using her cum as lubricant for him. "Are you ready for the real fun Ichigo?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but this time…"

Faster than she could react, he had lunged forward so that she was on her back with him towering over her. Both of her hands had been caught by one of his and were forcefully pinned over her head in a crossed pattern.

"Hope you don't mind." He said in a tone that told the woman she really didn't have a choice.

His delight grew when Rangiku only grinned in response and raised her hips to meet him.

"Not at all. Now come on. Fuck me." She begged.

Well lubricated from the blowjob she had given him, he lined himself up with her entrance and with one hard thrust he entered her. Ichigo couldn't help but groan in amazement at the sudden feeling that enveloped him. Her pussy was incredibly wet and tight making the feeling that much better. He could feel everything within her and as he slowly pulled back, the feeling only intensified.

Her walls seemed to be doing their best to keep him within her. Looking down to where they were connected, he noticed just how tight her grip was. It was the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

Once only the tip remained buried within her, he shoved it right back in with more force than before. Her legs wrapped themselves around him pulling him in and loosening whenever he pulled back. His thrusts were slow at first but after a few minutes to let her adjust to his size, he began to pick up speed.

His dorm room echoed with the sounds of their bodies slapping against each other but he didn't care. His mind was focused on making Rangiku cry his name in pleasure.

"Ichigo! Ichigo! Ichigo!" She recited like a prayer with every meeting. "Fuck that feels amazing"

Leaning down he planted his mouth against the side of her throat and began licking the area sensually while continuing his pistoning motions. Obediently, she tilted her head to the side to allow him more access and bit her lip to keep herself from getting too loud. He kissed the area slowly and began sucking on the area until a deep purple mark was left. He wasn't sure why he'd done it but it felt right.

Raising himself back up he stared down at her body, namely her swaying breasts. There was something hypnotic about seeing a pair as large as hers bouncing up and down rapidly. His free hand took hold of one while he got busy sucking on the other.

"You like having your tits played with Rangiku?" His tone sent shivers down the woman's spine and all she could do was nod and mutter out 'yes'. Ichigo shook his head now feeling more bold than before. "That doesn't work for me, do you like having them played with?" He repeated.

"I love it!" She yelled. Her climax was rapidly approaching and she didn't want to do something that would jeopardize it. Ichigo was proving to be a generous lover but she wouldn't put it past him to withhold it if he got bold enough. Oddly enough, the thought of him holding her own release over her made her slightly more excited.

Her hands clenched and tried to free themselves of their restraint when the familiar pressure began building up in her core. Ichigo felt it as well as her hips furiously grinded against him and met him half way during each thrust to maximize her pleasure. The wetness of her cunt combined with the grinding motions she was grinding her hips with was rapidly pushing him to the edge as well.

"Rangiku, I'm close." He warned, not slowing down at all.

"I am too. Keep going." She pleaded.

It had been about an hour since they had begun and now he was nearing his first release of the night. He let go of her hands and was taken aback by how quickly they wrapped around his upper body and began clawing at his back with enough pressure that would have likely drawn blood.

Two minutes later Rangiku froze in place and her head tilted back. Her mouth opened and a silent scream escaped her as her third orgasm of the night hit. That feeling was only furthered as Ichigo too couldn't hold back anymore and released a torrent of cum deep within her womanhood. His hands had to steady him after every shot he let off. He could feel the energy in him dissipate but not disappear completely.

Taking deep breaths, he slowly pulled out of the woman and with great satisfaction watched his essence slowly spill out of her.

"Damn." He muttered in amazement and let out a chuckle. "That was incredible."

Rangiku nodded tiredly but soon looked at him with a mischievous gaze.

"Think you can go one more time?" She asked, turning onto her stomach and getting on all fours. "I'm super sensitive right now but I can handle another pounding if you're up to it. With everything going on you can guess I'm super stressed. Will you help me?" She asked in a much too innocent tone.

Her shapely ass wiggled back and forth in front of him, teasing and tempting him. It worked. His cock soon sprang back to life making the decision for him.

"Good boy." She cooed. "Come on, fill me up one more time."

What kind of man would deny a woman who demanded such a thing?

Spreading her legs carefully, Ichigo lined up and sheathed himself within her once again. Her short hair was a mess but it still looked just as good as when they started. Smiling to himself, he took a handful of her locks and gently pulled.

"Ohh that's it." She approved. "Pull my hair and fuck me."

"I plan to."

Now having a bit of leverage, he pulled out and pushed back in. Her body arched in a way that accentuated her back muscles as well as making her ass look much bigger as she threw it back at him. Wet sloshing noises were now echoing in the room as their combined fluids meshed and oiled their bodies. Rangiku wasn't the only one who was sensitive at the moment, Ichigo noticed that every thrust felt like his cock was being massaged by her insides. His tip was overly stimulated and every thrust felt like it would be the last.

Fortunately his body didn't betray him and he was able to keep a consistent pace going for a while.

"Why didn't we do this sooner?" He questioned rhetorically. If he had known that Rangiku had pussy this good, he might have taken more initiative to hang out with her much much earlier.

"I don't know. But we're here now." She replied, making him realize that he's spoken a bit too loud. "And we can do this as much as we want from now on." She promised.

That definitely sounded good to him. Letting go of her hair, he took hold of her hips and increased the tempo once more. The claps turned into loud pops as he decided to get just a little more rough with her.

Rangiku looked over her shoulders with hearts in her eyes and blew him a kiss. "That's it…harder!"

Seeing her look over at him like the women he'd seen in porn spurred him on. Her sights remained on him even as her head struggled to stay steady. Something about having her blowing kisses at him while he fucked her from behind had his heart racing. Without thinking, he leaned forward and took hold of her by the throat before planting his lips onto hers.

Their bodies continued to rock back and forth in a battle to see who would release first but their mouths moved slowly. Their kiss was deep and sensual, expressing every bit of desire they had for each other. Spreading apart by a few inches, their tongues were the only thing still connecting. It was definitely a lewd display by any stretch of the imagination but in the moment, it was the most loving thing they could think to do. Tongues swirled around each other and slowly pulled back in order for their lips to smack together once more.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku suddenly moaned. "I'm cumming…I'm.."

He felt her pussy tighten around him but he was still a ways off. Rather than increase his speed he slowed it down to a moderate pace and kept it constant until she finally reached her orgasm. His cock was coated in a mixture of their fluid and it could be seen dripping down her thighs and onto his shaft every time he pulled out.

It took another half hour before he felt his release on the horizon and Rangiku had been taking it like a champ. Slowing down once more, he buried himself deep and pulled her to him once more in order to capture her lips.

"Mmmm" She moaned into his mouth while being filled. The first two shots were the largest with the third through sixth being much smaller in comparison.

When his orgasm finally died down, their lip lock broke and they separated. Like before, Ichigo slowly pulled himself out of her dripping womanhood and laid down on his back on the mattress. He grimaced knowing that he would need to wash the sheets the next day since they were now soaked but that was soon pushed to the back of his mind when Rangiku cuddled up next to him. Their legs were intertwined together while her upper body was draped across him and her head rested on his chest.

Her eyes closed in bliss enjoying the feeling of the slow rise and fall of his chest while listening to his heart slowly decrease in rate before speeding up again once he looked at her.

"I knew you would be good but that was beyond what I was expecting." She complimented, placing a quick kiss to his chest. "I hope you know that you definitely won't be getting rid of me now."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He shot back quickly. That was the truth too. He had begun to enjoy their time together but this was something else. Now that most of the lust that clouded his mind was gone, a thought occurred to him. He tried moving his head to look down toward her now covered womanhood and then laid back down.

"Rangiku."

"Hm?"

"Was it safe to do it in you today?"

The woman tried to muffle her laughter by chuckling into his chest but soon it turned into a full blown laugh. Even though it was seemingly at his expense, Ichigo chuckled along. After a few seconds, she got herself together and nodded, taking her place back on his chest.

"I'm in a Gigai so you don't have to worry about me getting pregnant. They're made well enough that I feel things like pleasure, pain, and everything else but things like reproducing aren't possible while in one." She explained. "Why? Are you disappointed?"

"No, just curious."

"I see. Well, all you need to do is say the word and I'll show up in soul form. Just keep in mind if you dump as much cum in me then as you did today, the chance of pregnancy is definitely on the table."

"Really? All I have to do is say the word and you'll do it?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her and draping one of his sheets over them.

She nodded. "That's it. It wouldn't surprise me if that's what you wanted. You willingly got involved in the battle against Aizen and Yhwach. That tells me you're definitely a risk taker. Compared to everything else, risking pregnancy for the chance to cum in my unprotected body is something I think you'd do."

He wanted to retort and say no, but when she put it like that it would be difficult. After all, he'd done it today without knowing if she was safe or not.

"I guess we'll just have to find out." He muttered much to her joy.

"Yeah, we will."

…

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to do it again."

xxxx

Rangiku had wanted to do it more than one more time as he found out. It wasn't until the clock was nearing three in the morning that they finally collapsed, utterly exhausted. One was nearly drained of his reproductive juice and the other had been completely filled with it.

When he woke up a few hours later Ichigo was disappointed to see that he was alone in his bed. Looking around he noticed a note on his desk.

Sorry for having to leave so early. I have another meeting to get to and I can't be late. It wouldn't look good for a future owner to have a potential investor waiting, would it? Thanks for an amazing night, I hope you don't mind but I'll be stopping by tonight as well. See you then, try to keep yourself full for me.

Beneath the last line, there was a faint outline of a pair of lips made with a very light pink lipstick. Smiling to himself, Ichigo placed the note down and moved back to the bed to remove the sheets. They would likely need to be washed again after tonight but that he could deal with it. He didn't know where this new arrangement with Rangiku was headed but he would go with the flow just like he always did.

What had started out as a chance meeting had resulted in one of the best things to happen to him in a while.

And he couldn't be happier.