Yo.
So here's the next installment of this fic. Bit of a warning, it's gonna be a monster. Personally, I thought I wouldn't have a chapter this large for anything except Summoned Sergent Chronicles but....:sweat:
In any case send your thanks to me or Wheeljack for this chapter. C+C and any caught misspellings I have will be greatly appreciated.
------------------++++++++++++++------------------------
Bleach is created by Tite Kubo and distributed by Weekly Shonen Jump,
Shueisha, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Adult Swim, & Viz Media LLC.
Seikirei is created by Sakurako Gokurakuin and distributed by Young Gangan,
Square Enix, Seven Arcs & Funimation Entertainment
No permission has been obtained from any of the copyright holders for the use of the
characters and situations from this series. This work of fiction is not for profit and not
intended to infringe on copyrighted intellectual property in any significant or harmful
way.
Should they, or any of their affiliates, request it, this non-profit story will
be taken off line as quickly as possible.
Any original characters, however, are owned by me. If you steal them, I shall hunt you
down and skewer your nuts. You want to use them? Just ask me first as I'll probably say
yes.
Feedback is encouraged. That's why I write. Also for the cookies.
And The Root Beer. The sweet, nectar-of-the-gods root beer.
Flames are pointless, as the author is a flaming retard.
...hold up, that's not what I meant. Uh, let's just start the story.
=========
"So are you gonna tell me why you didn't want me to meet your family?"
Ichigo cringed at the Sekirei's question. "I really don't think we should
discuss that." He cryptically answered as he put their bags away.
Uzume crossed her arms and glared slightly at her Ashikabi, "Give me
one reason why we shouldn't."
The young man sighed as he took his seat, running his hand through
his hair. "Ok, here's one. My dad's nuts. Looney Toons nuts."
Uzume shook her head as she took her seat next to Ichigo. "That's not
good enough, Ichigo," She chided as she took his arm. "Don't I deserve
to know everything about my Ashikabi? I should know if I need to fear if
my Ashikabi is some sort of dangerous predator!"
Ichigo just eyed her warily, "A predator..." He snorted, "Uzume... how
long've we known each other?"
Uzume looked at him in askance and blinked. "Three months."
Ichigo nodded, "And have you seen anything to imply that?"
Uzume shook her head and pouted, "No... damn it you still won't ravish
me."
Ichigo gave her a flat look before pinching the bridge of his nose, "Oy.
You're hopeless."
Uzume looked upwards before tapping Ichigo with her fist and laid her
head on his shoulder again. "C'mon Ichigo, your father can't be that bad."
she said, getting back to the core issue.
"True," Ichigo nodded. "He's worse."
Uzume sighed but let it go. She'd find out the truth soon enough.
"One more thing, Uzume," said Ichigo. "I want you to promise me that
you won't use your powers while we're in public. OK?"
"Ichigo.... why would I use my powers?" protested Uzume.
"Just promise me," he insisted. "Chalk it up to me being paranoid or
whatever. But unless it's a life or death situation, don't use your powers
ok?"
"Alright," agreed the sekirei, "But only if I can seal it with a kiss."
Ichigo blushed a little. "Just a quick one, OK?" he whispered. "When no
one's around."
Uzume grinned as she snuggled even closer to Ichigo's arm, "I'll hold you
to it."
"Don't I know it," Ichigo grumbled as the train finally began to move towards
it's destination. Blinking, he turned to his free side and found a group of men
glaring at him with unbridled jealousy. He sighed and returned the glare with
enough venom to make the lesser men turn and grumble about the unfairness
of it all. Like it was his fault he was in the situation he was in.
He looked down at his claimed arm to find Uzume giggling. He frowned,
"What're you laughing about?"
"Just how cute you are when you're jealous," She answered.
"I'm not jealous," He replied. "Just can't stand dealing with idiots."
"Yes yes," Uzume nodded. "Whatever you say my beloved Ashikabi."
Ichigo mumbled something quietly as he turned away to look out the
window. Uzume nuzzled a bit more in content as she noted the blush
when he turned.
"You know," she mumbled, "One of these days I'm gonna get a real smile out of
you."
He gave a low sounding grunt in reply as he continued to stare out the window.
"Hey..." She whispered. "Do you remember how we first met?"
He nodded.
"That was..." She yawned slightly, "The happiest day of my life you know that?"
He turned at that to find Uzume's eyes closed, and with her head comfortable on
her shoulder, it was only natural that the rhythm of the train was calling her to
dreamland.
At that, he did smile slightly.
"Yeah," He whispered. "I figured."
Brushing a lock of hair from the sleeping girl's face, he turned back to the window.
And as he stared at the scenery going past him, his mind drifted back. Back to a
simpler time. To a time where he knew nothing about titles like Ashikabi and
these beings called Sekirei.
Just one day before his world changed forever.
Again.
=========
Ghostface211 presents
A Bleach - Sekirei Crossover
Veiled Moon
Feather One
Turn back the pendulum
Comments, Constructive Criticism, and MST 3000's can go to ghostface211@gmail.com
=========
Three Months ago...
Ichigo sighed as he stared at his homework. He had meant to do his
English before now, but heÆd gotten caught up in all the preparations for
the entrance exams, and nothing had gotten done. He had gotten fairly
good at English, almost past engrish levels. But it all seemed like
meaningless gabble to him today.
"Ichi-niiiiiiiiiiii, I canÆt find any hangers!" cried Yuzu from down he stairs.
Ichigo sighed again as he looked at the text book on his desk. Tapping
his notebook with the pen in his hand irritably, he ran his free hand through
his hair. "What's up with me today..." he grumbled. "Should I take a break?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably as he dropped his pen, "Yeah....
yeah a break sounds good."
His bedroom door opened suddenly, and Yuzu glared irritably at her older
brother. "Ichi-ni!"
Ichigo turned to his sister, giving her a dull look, "Huh?"
"Hangers," Yuzu said. "Have you seen them?"
"Did you look in the laundry room?" He asked as he scratched his head.
"Of course I did," Yuzu bluntly said. "I can't find them."
"Then five will get you ten that dad is doing something stupid with them."
Ichigo answered in a bored tone.
Yuzu huffed slightly as Ichigo brought his interest back to his studies.
She was about to leave when she noticed something sitting on her big
brother's desk. Her curiosity peaked, she walked up next to his desk,
and found held back a gasp at what she discovered. At Ichigo's side
was a map of the eastern part of Tokyo and some course catalogs for
various universities. "Ichi-nii... what's this?"
"Hmm?" Ichigo looked at his sister and the articles in her hand. "Oh,
theyÆre some colleges I'm looking at right now."
"Colleges?" Yuzu gasped. "You... you're going this far to go for schooling?"
Ichigo nodded, "Yeah. It's not like we got a college here or anything."
"But... but to go so far?"
"I'm gunning to major in criminology," Ichigo answered as he took the items
from Yuzu. "There's not a lot of places I can study for it in near us. Heck
Taito's the closest place that I can see."
Yuzu was silent for a moment as Ichigo put the items back on the desk.
When he turned back to his younger sister, his eyebrow rose as he
noticed her trembling hand, "Eh? Somethin' wrong Yuzu?"
Yuzu's hand clinched into a fist as she glared up at her brother, "FINE
THEN!!" Ichigo blinked in confusion as Yuzu turned on her heel and
stormed out of his room, "Leave us here all alone! See if I care!"
Ichigo continued to stare at his door as Yuzu left before he frowned
slightly, "What the hell was that about?" He sighed a bit as he retook
his seat and attempted to get back to studying, quickly dismissing his
sister's attitude. She had been getting strange ever since she entered
junior high. Strange little mood swings at the drop of a hat, sweet as
she usually was one moment and angry and aggressive the next. A
part of him wondered about the crowd she was hanging around.
"sneak, sneak."
Ichigo frowned at the voice and turned expecting to find his father on the
floor trying a sneak attack. Finding no one when he turned, his frown
deepened as he turned around...
And just as expected Isshin was in his face.
"IS IT TRUE?! YOU ARE TO LEAVE THE NEST?" Isshin shouted.
-POP!-
"Don't scream in my face old man," Ichigo growled as he retreated his fist.
Isshin stood up as if he was unaffected by the blow, tears streaming freely
down his face, "I can't believe it.... I can't believe this day of victory has
finally arrived!!!"
Ichigo groaned at his father's dramatics, "Get out, dad. Get out now."
"To finally submit Yuzu and Karin to me..." Isshin clenched his fists as he
looked towards the sky, "Is this what they call a flawless victory?"
Ichigo just groaned again, "Yeah sure whatever. You win, now gloat about
it out of my room."
"Such joy must be known!" Isshin cried out as he grasped his son's
shoulders. "As the man who has won this eternal war, it's my duty to
rub it in your face!" He laughed at his son's flat look, "Even an idiot
like you can't argue with that logic!"
"Only because I don't want to look like an idiot arguing with an idiot,"
he retorted.
"And that's why you're a loser, my boy!" Isshin shouted as he patted
Ichigo's shoulders roughly. "But that's ok, not everyone can last as long
as you did with the best in the world. It's amazing you lasted as long as
you did!"
"You say that like I had a choice," he groaned.
"So where are you going?"
Ichigo frowned as his father's tone was suddenly serious, "Dunno yet. I'm
still checking out some places." A pause, "Why?"
"Well I do want to know what school I'll be dumping all my savings into."
Isshin calmly replied.
New pause.
"What?" Ichigo flatly replied.
Isshin smirked, "You heard me, kid." He glanced down at Ichigo's desk
and looked at the brochures, "Wow, so far? No wonder Yuzu-chan was
so upset."
Ichigo stood in shock for a moment before he attempted to speak again,
"I...I....I'm sorry could you go back to the part were you said you'll pay
for my education?"
"Oh?" Isshin grinned, "Are you stunned? Is that another victory for me?"
"Paying...school...explain please!" Ichigo responded.
"That's another victory for me!" Isshin cried. "I think that calls for a party!!"
"Wait.. what?" Ichigo cried.
"Yes, such a dominating victory calls for a grand celebration!" Isshin
declared. "A party to end all parties! Nothing but the best for Isshin the
Conqueror! In fact.." Ichigo continued to stare flatly at his father as the
man pulled out a cell phone, "Let's do it tonight!"
"What?" Ichigo muttered. He then frowned, "Dad, put the phone down.
You ain't throwin' no party today."
Isshin paused in his dialing and looked at his son, "Oh my fallen son, how
can I let others know of your imminent defeat if I don't host the party to end
all parties?"
"Put on the web for all I care," Ichigo huffed as he folded his arms and
glared slightly at his father. "No party. Ain't no way, ain't no how it's
happening."
Isshin sighed and patted his eldest child's shoulder, "All right son... no
party. I'll respect your wishes."
Ichigo blinked but never dropped his frown, not believing for a second.
"Really now", he asked deadpanned.
Isshin nodded, "But of course my boy... I just... I just got a little caught up
in my boy becoming a man is all." Ichigo eyed his father suspiciously as
he removed his hand from his shoulder. Ok, something was really up with
the idiot. Best to get ready for the surprise attack now and get it over with.
Isshin frowned thoughtfully for a moment, "Have you found a place to stay
for your education yet?"
His son shook his head, "No... no not yet. But I have a holliday on
Saturday, so I was thinking about going apartment hunting this weekend."
"So soon", Isshin asked, surprised. He then nodded sagely and grinned
as he began to slide backward toward Ichigo's door and pulled out his
phone.
"No", Ichigo said seeing his father.
"About respecting your wishes earlier? I forgot something", he then began
dialing and jumped back as Ichigo's hand sailed passed.
"No", Ichigo said firmer.
Jumping over his son's tackle he skipped and twirled out the door. "The
winner's wishes are trumpeted over the loser's!"
"Damn it, get back here old man!", Ichigo cried rushing after his father. "I
said no parties!!"
=========
"EEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOO, IT'S DJ KUROSAKI ROCKIN' YOU HOUSE!!!
LIVIN' IT UP RIGHT!!!!!!!!!"
Ichigo was scowling even deeper than usual at his father's antics as he
sat in his designated seat. Said seat really bring nothing more than a
bean bag chair. The music was loud enough that a major invasion force
could have been dropped off in the clinic and no one would have noticed.
Still as he looked around it seemed that some of his friends were still
able to have fun thanks to his old man.
In the middle of the living room that had been hastily converted into a
dancehall (albeit a small one)and he could see Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo,
and Mizuiro getting down with their 'bad selves'. Tatsuki had surprised him.
She moved through the crowd, sliding close together with one of the other
guys who were close enough, drifting apart, and basically dancing like
crazy. Orihime just seemed to move to the rhythm in her own way. And
that way was highly dangerous to those who could not predict the future.
Still, that did not stop Keigo from trying his best to dance with the buxom
beauty. Granted he went down like a sack of potatoes after an errant kick
went in between his goalpost, but he hung in there like a trooper. And
that's all that matters. Mizuiro was really just swaying to the beat, as that
seemed to be the safest thing to do at the moment.
Still, Ichigo really couldn't be too upset at the events. So long as his
friends were having fun he supposed it was all good.
"ALLRIGHT," Boomed one Isshin Kurosaki as the fast song ended.
"NOW CAN THE OLD MAN ROCK THE BODY THAT ROCKS THE
PARTY OR CAN THE OLD MAN ROCK THE PARTY THAT ROCKS THE
BODY?!?" He let out a loud laugh as he took out the next song, "Now
this one... I dedicate to the lazy boy sitting on the beanbag chair looking
all pouty and sad. Get off your butt and pick nay buxom girl to take out
on the dance floor already!!"
As he finished, a pair of spotlights fell upon Ichigo and Orihime. Causing
the latter to blush and the former to slam his deink down in irritation.
"I'm gonna get you for this old man." He mumbled.
"DJ Kurosaki takes payments in the form of grandkids."
Ichigo simply palmed his face and groaned.
=========
"I got to admit Kurosaki... only your father could throw a party like this
just to embarrass his son."
Ichigo snorted at Uryu and looked away irritably. It was a little while after
the Kurosaki patriarch's piss poor attempt at a hook up. He and Chad
had arrived fashionably late to the shindig, and Uryu was clearly regretting
that maneuver, despite his best attempts to remain as cool as he thought
he was.
Yes Ichigo was definitely beating his old man into unconsciousness for
another time tonight.
"I mean honestly," Uryu continued, "Leave it to your father to have a going
away party a good three months before you actually leave...ö
"Whatever," Ichigo muttered. "Are you here to add to my migraine or
something Uryu?"
"Just here to give you a proper sendoff", Uryu mentioned and then took a
sip of his beverage.
"But I'm not leaving yet," Ichigo mumbled. "So then...", he began,
thoughts turning to what the party had also meant for them all. "what're
you guys going into?"
"I'm actually going to enter medicine," Uryu answered.
"Ohh," Ichigo let out and smirked. "Never would've thought you'd get into
the family business."
"It's simply coincidence in this case", he muttered.
Ichigo snorted again, "Whatever you say."
"Though I will admit some surprise Kurosaki", Uryu responded. "For
several of us that actually know where we're going our commute times
aren't that bad; so why have you decided to move out even before you
know where you're going?"
Ichigo sighed as he contemplated how to phrase his answer, "Well... I
could say something corny like 'I need a fresh start' or 'I want to find
myself'. But all that would be is a giant crock of shit."
"But", Chad quietly added.
"I... I guess I just want to find a new challenge." He shrugged, "I dunno.
Maybe I just want to go someplace where I ain't reminded of Aizen's BS
for two seconds. Or hell, maybe I just want to be by myself for a while."
Both boys were silent, as they knew despite the relative peace, Ichigo
had been growing more and more frustrated as time passed since his
victory. Even with that victory, hollows still prowled the area, and while
nowhere close to the nightmares of a few years back just knowing that
his friends were out there and not being able to do anything had been
slowly driving him up the wall. After taking another sip, Uryu answered
after a moment, his eyes not leaving the cups remaining contents.
"Fair enough."
He sighed again as he folded his arms across his chest, "All I know is
this. Whatever I'm looking for I'm not gonna find it here. Maybe I'll find it
out there somewhere. Maybe I won't. But I'll never know If I don't try."
"You'll keep in contact, right?", Chad asked, some concern for his friend
showing, all to well remembering the feeling of uselessness when the
Arrancar first appeared.
"Of course," Ichigo smirked. "It's not like when I'm finally gone I'll never
come back and see you guys again. Hell, I gotta make sure you guys
are keepin' my city clean and in good shape."
"Yes", Uryu mentioned sarcastically. "We can't let their rep for this city
start slacking off".
"Har har, four eyes," Ichigo responded before grimacing. Whatsisname...
Zennosuke, the current shinigami rep from what he remembered and
heard has never been up to snuff, even with Uryu as the current
competition. "Still... this is a celebration isn't it", he asked trying not to
think of his dad doing another victory jig and picked up his cup and raised
it in front of his friends, "To new chapters."
Both raised their glasses to his as well. "To new chapters", they both
toasted.
=========
"So what do you think the boys are talkin' about?" Tatsuki asked.
Rukia shrugged. She herself had attended, though only the others save
Ichigo could save her. It did vex her at times, as she found that she
missed being able to talk to her verbal sparring partner and friend. Like
all the other times she had been able to stop by, she had one of the
others tell him she was there and had an awkward three way
conversation with Orihime being the go-between for them.
It just wasn't the same...
Being able to attend this makeshift party tonight was a stroke of luck,
having finished her first patrol route. She had for the second time within
the last month been asked to be a backup for Zennosuke. As odd as it
was she didn't mind it much at this time, as it did allow her the rare
chance to see her friends here in Karakura. In a timely stroke of luck,
she had run into Keigo who immediately gave her the situation. Smiling
at the hapless boy she assured him that she'd drop by.
Turning up to face Tatsuki she commented on Tatsuki's question. "Who
knows? From what you've told me Uryu and Ichigo have been surprisingly
civil towards one another in the last year. He could be asking him to
marry him."
Tatsuki balanced, "What? Wha... where the hell would you get an idea
like that?"
"Stranger things have happened," Rukia remarked. "In some books I
have read in the human world, such things are commonplace are they
not?"
"......I'm afraid to ask who gave you those books."
"Mai-san did. She has a rather extensive library of such stories."
Tatsuki laughed, a little nervously. "A little too much info for my fragile
little brain." She cleared her throat and gave a small frown to their third
guest, "Although if such a thing was to happen, I think we'd all know
who was to blame."
Said third guest, one Inoue Orihime just blinked in confusion. "Eh? How
would that be my fault Tatsuki-chan?"
Tatsuki just gave her a flat stare in response. "T-Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime
asked in surprise, blushing faintly at the other girl as she continued to
give her a flat stare. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You know why," Tatsuki responded.
"Ehhehehe..." Orihime laughed nervously. She turned to Rukia, "Do you
know what-"
She stopped suddenly as she found Rukia mimicking Tatsuki.
"R-Rukia-chan?"
"Tatsuki," Rukia began in a flat tone, "How long has this been going on
for now?"
"About three years give or take," Tatsuki responded flatly.
"How do you deal with it?"
"I have no idea."
"What's with you guys?" Orihime asked. "You're acting all weird!"
"We're acting weird?" Tatsuki asked. What's this all about, Orihime?
When are you finally thinking about tell Ichigo the truth about how you
feel? After all he's done to protect you, hell even dying twice for you,
you still can't get around to saying those three little words to him without
getting all tongue tied and flustered. Hell, you can't even make an
attempt to at least hold his hand!" She sighed dramatically, "You're
hopeless."
"That's mean Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime huffed.
"Truth hurts my friend." Tatsuki nodded sagely.
Rukia sighed in exasperation, "Honestly Orihime... why is it so hard to
confess to him?"
Orihime just bushed even further and lowered her head, "Well... you see...
uh... It's just... well, you know... uh..." she found herself getting flustered
as she spoke, causing her best friend to sigh once again.
"That, my dear Rukia is why. Honestly it's like pulling teeth at this point."
She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation, "Here we are, in what may
be the last time for a good long while that we'll be all together like this and
she STILL can't stop acting like a ten year old."
"I'm mean seriously", Tatsuki continued. "We're not getting any younger,
and were not going to around each other as much as it is, and that's just
our little group".
She then motioned at Ichigo.
"And him, you know he's leaving. He's going off on his own, and who
knows when he'll be back. And if he does, how long he'll even be here."
She sighed. "You're all set to get the college you want, but he's not
even going to be in the same ward, so it still isn't the same as it has been."
Rukia nodded, "She's right you know. I still have my duties to attend to
back in Soul Society. I won't be around nearly as much I used to be
either. And I'd like to see you two finally take that next step before you
come to Soul Society on a more permanent basis." She sighed, "But at
the rate you're taking Ichigo could get tired of waiting and find someone else."
A pause.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Oh man... oh god... that's hilarious."
"I know.... I almost believed it for a second myself!"
"Oh man... I can't breathe... you're gonna kill me Rukia!"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry.... oh man, my ribs hurt..." Rukia managed to gasp out.
"Ohhhh man, that was good", Tatsuki wheezed out and smiled. After a
moment to compose, she looked at Orihime again, smiling softly at her.
"But she is right, you gotta start now, or who knows what'll happen."
"I know," she muttered. She turned to look at the trio of Ichigo, Uryu,
and Chad sitting in the corner. The young men chatting and reminiscing
like old war veterans at this point. On Ichigo's face was something that
three years ago was a rare sight in and of itself.
A smile.
True, it wasn't a full, true smile. Even after all this time he still had yet to
reach a point where he could smile fully from the heart yet. But he did
smile a bit more than he did. And it was in no small part thanks to the
journey and growth he had in these past few years.
And that journey was not over yet.
So why should she rush?
=========
The moon was glowing faintly in the sky above as Ichigo flopped down on
the curb near his home. The party had ended an hour ago, but his friends
had stayed a while longer to help clean up the place. He sighed as
whatever irritation that lingered from his father's idiotic plans slowly began
to fade away in the cool November air. The starry night sky was incredibly
clear for a night lie this. It almost reminded him of that one fateful night two
years ago. A night that changed his life forever.
And here he was at a new crossroad. After all... what was left to do for
the man who saved the world?
"Oh look who's out here thinking? Don't go hurting yourself my son, you
have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow!"
Ichigo groaned as Isshin called out to him from the front door. "I'll be fine",
Ichigo mumbled, unhappy at having the reminder of the sudden party call
out to him.
Isshin nodded. "Sure you will. You're my boy after all. I mean even if
you're a loser, you only lose to the best!"
Ichigo sighed and looked forward again, annoyed at his father's
childishness earlier and more so at himself for jumping headfirst
without thinking that's what his father wanted.
"Whatever", he said, not interested in giving in to his father's bait this time.
"Something eating you my son?"
"Just tired", Ichigo responded. "So", he said after a moment. "You enjoy
yourself at my expense again?"
"Whatever do you mean, my son?" Isshin asked. "I was just doing my
duty as the winner to rub it in your face? If I don't respect tradition, who
will?"
Ichigo stared at his father with half lidded eyes. "Whatever".
"And now that you're taking your fist step into the unknown," Isshin
continued. "This might be my last chance to celebrate a victory over
my boy."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I'm leaving for awhile dad, donÆt know where
you get that idea".
"Isn't it obvious?" Isshin asked. "The next time I challenge you... I will be
challenging you as a man, not a boy."
He sighed, "How do you figure that?"
Isshin chuckled as he walked up to Ichigo and sat down near him, "It's
simple really. These high school days... you've had memories that
you'll never forget right?"
Ichigo looked at his father, not sure what he was getting at. "Yes", he
answered honestly.
"These high school years are supposed to be the most important years of
your life. But.... but these years in college will determine the kind of man
you'll be. How the world will view you."
Ichigo stared at his father for a moment and turned, contemplating about
what the old man was saying.
"I know what you can do," Isshin continued. "You're my son. I know
what you can do... what you're capable of. Now it's time for the world
to realize it to."
With that, Ichigo stood and dusted his pants off and walked back to the
house. "You ok old man? YouÆre acting more grown up than usual".
Isshin grinned as he stood up and looked towards the sky, "I'm just
expecting great things from you Ichigo. Do you think I should accept
anything less from the man who saved the world?"
At that, Ichigo stopped. For a brief moment he found himself staring down
Aizen once again, preparing his Final Getsuga Tenshou. And just as
quickly as it came the image was gone.
"No", he said. "I guess not".
Isshin chucked as he walked back into the home. Patting Ichigo's
shoulder as he passed him, "I look forward to seeing the path you'll
take in your journey. No matter what, I'm sure it will be an interesting
experience."
Ichigo watched his father walk past him, unsure at this 180 degree turn
from a few moments ago. Times like this usually meant something
worse coming from the old goat but there was something different this
time.
Feeling the night breeze he looked upward in the night sky and again
thought about what he said earlier to Uryu and Chad and what his
father just told him.
'We'll see how it goes, I guess', he thought and walked inside his home.
=========
The next day...
-...Teito. We have now arrived in Teito. Please be careful to...-
Ichigo's face was uncharitaristicly blank as he sat in his seat, staring up
at the ceiling. Ignoring the uncharacteristic butterflies in his stomach he
got out of his seat, shouldered his duffle bag and pushed and pulled
against the swarm of people heading to the exit.
Stepping off the train he walked until he was out of the way of the majority
of busy people hustling about and looked around. Teito was a place of
layers. It was a lovely city and state of the art; not quite a jewel amid the
island but vibrant in its own way. From the great gleaming spires that
touched the clouds to the people walking the cold well treaded streets
below each and every part of the state, facilities and inhabitants alike, knew
its place. It was a city of light on the surface, shadow beneath the skin.
'This is it', he thought. 'I'm here'.
Quickly making his way to one of the many benches scattered about the
station he set his duffle bag down and reached into it and pulled out a
local map and some notes to orient himself and begin his apartment
search. On him he carried enough money for enough food for the day and
enough for a hotel, should his search take that long. After a few moments
of studying he found the closest site he had found on an internet search a
few nights prior. Pocketing the notes and map, he made his way to the
escalator to take his first real steps in what will be his new city.
=========
Elsewhere...
"HAAA!!"
-KRAKATHOOM-
"Stand still already!!"
One of the nearby cars went tumbling, and Uzume sighed in irritation.
Wiping her sweaty brow with the back of her free hand, she rose from
her crouching position and focused on the sparring figures on the other
side of street. It was just as well that this portion of the city was rather
deserted at this time of the day; the way those two went at it, it would
be a wonder if there was anything left intact.
Her opponents smiled confidently as they walked towards her. Dressed
in similar S&M looking clothing, the only way you could tell who was who
was by their clothing and breast size. The woman on the left with purple
colored clothing and her partner in opposing violet. "So... you ready to
surrender now?" The woman on the left asked, "Or do feel like doing this
the hard way again?"
Looking at her hand holding a bag of groceries, she sighed anew and
glared at her opponents. "Look, I get what you're doing. Taking out
all the unwinged Sekirei to make your lives easier. Y'think maybe
you could, I donÆt know, take a day off and chill or something? Y'might
score some points with Homura if you do."
The woman on her left shrugged, "I suppose we could... what do you
think Hikari?"
Hikari shrugged, "We could Hibiki... but this is much easier, isn't it?"
Hibiki nodded and clasped Hikari's hand, "True. This is much easier, all
things considered sister." They raised their clasped hands, and a ball of
electricity formed in the air above them. She gave Uzume a cold smirk,
"No hard feelings."
Uzume frowned deeply, her small frame taut with anger, "Oh you both
suck soooo much ass."
The twin fighters chose to ignore that comment as they pointed their
clasped hands towards Uzume. Shouting at the top of their lungs as
the attack barreled at Uzume at top speed, Their confident smirks
turned into irritated frowns as Uzume dodged the attack, forcing an
abandon building to take the brunt of the attack. The high charged
electrical attack causing a fire to spark almost immediately.
Uzume smirked at the duo, causing them to frown deeper. "Wow," Uzume
began in a factitious tone, "Impressive work. And unauthorized attack plus
collateral damage? No wonder you're Homura's favorite girls!!" She smiled
and winked, "I'd stay and play with you some more, but I have more
important things to do than play with some weaklings." She turned around
and ran off, "Later!"
Hibiki growled and charged after Uzume, "Y-y-y-you... damn you!! Get
your ass back here so I can kick it!!"
Hikari sighed as she followed her twin sister, "Oh, here we go again."
=========
A few hours later...
Ichigo walked out of the complex and turned around, giving the building a
glare before turning and moving away.
Said building wasn't bad, but the rent that was being asked for was far
too much. Much higher than what was being asked for online. He
narrowed his eyes as the manager had given him a once over as he
had come in to talk about a room.
He snorted.
At least it was a step up from the place prior. One look at his hair and the
dorm mom shooed him out to bad mouth him that she didn't want any
thugs around her complex. Keeping his temper in check he simply turned
around a bid the old woman a good bye as he left frustrated and annoyed.
He hadn't expected things to be easy, but it was already turning out harder
than he had thought.
'Y'think I'd be used to it by now,' he thought irritably as he picked at a lock
of his hair. 'But this damn hair of mine is still getting me into trouble.' He
sighed. 'And that was the third place too...' Sticking his hand into his
pocket he pulled the map out with a little more force than necessary and
opened it. The next closest location to look at was a two mile walk
northwest of he was at.
Hoping that the time it would take would cool him off he set off, mindful of
the cars and people moving by.
'Is it to much to ask for one renter to not freak out over my head?' he
thought irritably. Hefting his duffel bag, he stopped as he neared a
small restaurant. Checking his watch, he nodded as he looked at the
building once more. "Guess it's not a bad idea to have a quick snack
right about now."
But before he could take a step a sharp thud followed by several rapid
pounding beats of something caused him to turn around at the
disturbance.
And caught sight of two widened brown eyes flying into him.
"Wha-?ö was all the former shinigami could get out as someone had
barreled right into his chest. Grunting, he stumbled back several feet
and teetered for a second before being able to right himself.
Growling, he looked for whoever crashed into him and stopped as he found
himself looking at a girl nearly collapsed on the ground. Her long hair
obscured her face as he could hear her gasping for air as she slowly pulled
herself into a crouching position. He was about to hold his hand out to her
to help her up but her head was turned into the direction she apparently
came in. With a glance above that area she again looked downward as
she labored to breath.
Finally holding his hand to her he asked, "Are you alright"?
"F-fine", he heard her say, and then felt her take his hand as he pulled her
up, though when she finally got to her feet she stayed hunched over,
putting her hands on her knees as she again looked in the direction she
was glancing at a second ago. 'Oh-okay', Uzume thought, her own thoughts
sounding as labored as her breathing. She still felt the bag of groceries in
her hand, so that was some good news at least. 'Though I think....I'd rather
face them....than Miya if I lost this....'
Next to her Ichigo looked on in concern, taking note of her glances to her
side and her breathing. 'She's been running', he realized, remembering
all too well the times when he had been chased and needed to get away.
He looked in the direction she was now, wondering if she was in trouble or
had done something to warrant the trouble. Making a decision he decided
to stay a moment, and see if something was up. If she was in trouble,
maybe he could help. If she did do something, then if the cops came up
he'd hold her for them.
"You sure your ok?", he asked again as he could hear her slowly regain
some control of her breathing.
Not taking her eyes off the direction she came in she waived him off with
her hand. "I'll be fine in a bit, thanks". Finally looking back down and
confirming that the grocery bag was in one piece she sighed in relief as
her breathing calmed down more. 'What the hell is *up* with those two?',
she thought irritated. 'Ok, maybe I pissed them off with that, but they
can't be that angry that I've gotten away from them again'.
Little did she know she was right.
So very, very right.
===========
A few minutes ago...
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!" Cried Hikari. Her fist crackling with
electrical power as she looked around fiercely, "Godamnit all to hell,
she got away again!!!"
"Calm down sister," Hibiki sighed. "She couldn't have gotten far. We
still have time to get her. Just chill out and think about where she'd go."
"How can you be so calm, Hibiki?" Hikari growled. "This is the second
time that girl's gotten away from us somehow!! I'm not about to make it
a third! You understand?"
"Of course I do sister." Hibiki smirked as she walked away from her sister,
"We'll find her, of that I have no doubt. And then... well the third time's the
charm as they say."
"It better be," Hikari growled. "I'm not sure how much I got left in the tank...."
The sekirei blinked as her sister stopped suddenly. "Something up, sis?"
Hibiki was smirking as she caught sight of Uzume across from her with
some orange-haired man. She clenched her fist, and a ball of lightning
forming in her fist. "Hurry up sis. We might not have much time with
this one."
===========
Back to now...
Despite no longer having his powers, Ichigo had still been through enough
brawls for his 6th sense start to tingle. About to ask his companion what
she was running from he suddenly looked upwards. Seeing two blurs of
something heading toward them, and if he read the angle right, directly
where they were standing, he shot forward and grabbed the girl and pulled
with as much strength as he could.
"Wha-", was all Uzume could get out as she felt the guy she was next to
suddenly grab her by the waist and pull her with him. "Ah!", she grunted
as she hit the ground, but she could her something crash hard into ground.
Feeling herself being pelted from some small specs of dirt and concrete she
noticed that the reason why she wasn't being hit with more was because
that guy was over her, shielding her. Noticing he wasn't even looking in her
direction she turned her head to where he was facing and grimaced.
Ichigo however was gaping at what he was looking at. It wasn't so much
that two people, or women in this case had apparently jumped from the
top of the building they were at to crater the ground beneath them.
Well...maybe not so much, but the people that could were people he
could no longer sense anymore. Well, maybe Chad and Uryu, but these
two weren't them.
No.
What had his attention was the sheer indecency of what these two were
*wearing*...god what the hell was that...it looked like something out of
the magazines that Keigo brought over every now and again. 'Ok', he
thought, 'this girl was definitely running. God knows I would...' With that
though, he mind caught up with him to realize just what it was they had
done, and cratering the sidewalk was no small feat. 'Shit'.
He stood without taking his eyes off the two girls in the kinky getup and
held his arm out to the girl. Feeling her take it he pulled her up. When
he felt she was standing on her own let go to fully turn to the aggressors
way and put himself between them and the girl behind him. "Thanks,
again", he heard the girl behind him say. "But I'll take it from here, ok?"
Ichigo slightly raised an eyebrow at hearing that as well as what else he
heard when she said it. Though her breathing had calmed down from the
literal gasps for air when she had run into him it wasn't fully calm just yet.
"Sorry", he told her. "But it sounds like you're still not ready for anything
yet. You still sound rather beat".
She looked at him oddly at that. Sure, she wasn't quite they're yet but...
'Oh crap', she thought. It was flattering that he was going to play the hero
for her but she realized he had no idea what he was up against. "Look,
thanks but-"
"WHOEVER YOU ARE, STEP AWAY", one of the two girls screamed at him.
Ichigo, hearing this crouched into a light stance; even more determined to
not let these two do whatever it is they wanted to do to the girl behind him.
Looking at them....well, taking them in and trying to ignore the getup he
noticed they looked just as haggard as the girl behind him did, as both of
them looked like they were breathing hard. The other one stepped beside
the other, twins, it now looked like. "Listen", this one had called before
taking another deep breath. "Don't even think about wanting to wing that
one, she's ours to take, so please stand aside!"
'Winging?Æ Ichigo wondered, unsure of what they meant. 'Forget it', he
thought, realizing what else the other one had said. "Sorry", he called
back at them. "I ain't gonna let you at her". He saw the two of them
tense and narrowed his eyes. "With that funky getup you guys are
wearing who knows what you'll do her".
'Crap', Uzume thought, seeing the looks on the two get more and more
unhinged. Hikari was already looking parched and that didn't help.
'They're gonna kill this guy if I don't get away'. "Hey", she said, now a
bit stronger now. "I'll take care of myself. You run when I-" she stopped
as he suddenly whirled on her and she saw his face for the first time.
Two brown and utterly determined eyes bored into hers and her reply died
in her throat.
-THA-THUMP-
"Listen", he said in a tone that broke no argument when he saw her pause.
"I'll distract them. You make a run for it. I'll keep them busy to give you
some time." Ichigo smirked; the situation he found himself in for some
reason seemed to feel right in his eyes.
"You...you", Uzume choked out, hearing his declaration.
"Don't worry about me", he said, turning back quickly to face the two kinky
girls. "You be ready to run and go".
-THA-THUMP-
Uzume found her body's temperature begin to rise further. 'This...this
heat...Æ Her eyes widened suddenly. 'It's him', she felt her mind and
body tell her. She was about to reach for him when the twins
suddenly rushed forward.
'Screw this', Hikari had thought a second earlier. How dare this punk
ignore them! How dare he think he could take them on! Sure, they
both were not at the top of their game but this human wouldn't pose
an issue. And finally she'd knock Number Ten out of the game.
Ichigo simply smirked at Hikari as she charged and shrugged off his duffel
bag. "Hey bondage freak," he taunted. Grabbing the bags handle, he
hefted the bag and tossed it at his new foe, "Catch."
Hikari smirked as she dodged the travel bag, "Heh. And what was that fo-"
She was cut off and left heaving for a second as Ichigo's knee connected
with her abdomen.
"That," Ichigo mockingly answered, "was a distraction."
He continued the assault with two left jabs short and fast to her ribcage,
and then finished with a quick sweep of Hikari's legs. The sekirei groaned
from her prone position as her head collided with the pavement. He then
gestured to Hibiki with his index and middle fingers, clicking his tongue at
her slightly. The very essence of 'Come get some.'
"You arrogant little jerk!" Hibiki cried out as she charged at him and
cocked her fist back. "I'll show you!"
Ichigo simply jerked his upper torso back to avoid the sloppy attack.
Hibiki growled anew as she kicked at him, and he brought his forearms
up to absorb the blow the force of it causing him to stumble a few steps
back. Had she not been so winded from the long chase he would've
been sent several yards away ending this farce. Ichigo grunted slightly
as he ignored the urge to rub his stinging forearms. 'Damn, she's got
some strength after all.'
'Not sure if I should be pissed or grateful.Æ Hibiki thought irritably. 'If MBI
hears about this I'll-'
Her thoughts were cut off once more as Ichigo took advantage of her lull
by attacking with a tight punch to the side of her head that sent her
reeling for a moment. That moment was long enough for Ichigo to grab
one of her arms and work his was behind her, making sure that their
backs were even with one another. With a shout, he executed a simple
judo throw, making sure that Hibiki landed atop her dear sister.
Hibiki coffed as she landed stomach first atop her sister, sending her into
the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Ichigo was panting slightly as
he finished his attack, 'Well... that wasn't much,' he thought as he looked
down at the twins. 'Guess I caught them napping or something.' He
smirked again, "Well they sure are sleepin' now."
It was at that moment that Hikari's eyes opened.
Ichigo's smirk turned back into his scowl, "Fuck."
"You son of a bitch," Hibiki growled as she worked her way out from
underneath her sister. "You just HAD to get involved didn't you?
Ichigo snorted, knowing he'd have to kick it up a notch and turned to see
where that girl must've run to in case he needed -
And found her still there looking at him in a daze.
'Just perfect...Æ he thought annoyed, knowing the time she wasted. "WHY
ARE YOU STANDING AROUND?!ö he barked at her, hoping to get her
moving. "GET AWAY!ö he yelled at her while swinging his arm for emphasis.
-THA-THUMP-
The sharp snapping sound of wind reached Ichigo's ear as he suddenly
twisted away, just missing a kick aimed for his head and stumbled
backwards a few feet. "I....I don't care anymore!", Hikari screeched and
held out her arm.
Ichigo blinked as he saw tendrils of electricity snap and gather around the
girl's outstretched palm. Wha-what the hell', he thought staring at the
gathering energy. 'Are my powers- no. Are they like Chad and Uryu?Æ he
thought suddenly. 'Shit', he thought, realizing just how outclassed he was
now without his powers. His mind raced for the decision on his next move
as he hoped that the girl behind him was smart enough to finally take the
hint.
Uzume blinked. He was in danger. NO!
Feeling enough life suddenly flow back into her she snapped into motion,
her eyes narrowing at Hikari as she swung back her arm that held the bag
of groceries and flung it at Hikari. Ichigo was about to charge as he saw
the girl's eyes widen in shock when he felt a gust of wind pass by near his
head. Out of reflex he begun to turn when he heard a crash in front of him,
but before he could turn back an arm grabbed and held onto his waist as
he felt a body press into him to suddenly feeling like his stomach had
been ripped out and left behind.
Wait, he knew that feeling.
But before he could complete that thought his direction had turned and
the wind came across him from another angle. Not just a few seconds
ago he was on the street readying to charge against that chick's attack
and now he found himself on his back hoping his stomach would catch
up to him as he tried to reorient himself. 'Huh', he thought, blinking as
he realized what his mind just told him. 'I didn't do that'. His eyes
widened as he remembered being grabbed just before that and stared.
The girl he had been trying to protect was crouched over him, almost as
he had been several minutes ago when he had shielded her, and was
again heaving as she tried to regain her breath once more. And it was
at this point that he got his first real look at her.
She was, in short, beautiful.
Easily up there with Orihime, Rangiku and Nel's adult form. Brown hair
that was partially done up in a side ponytail on the left side of her head
also fell down from behind her neck, spilling over him and to the roof of
the building they now laid upon. As she heaved, two soft and very large
mounds pressed into his chest with each breath.
He gulped and then froze. Definitely in those girls' league.
"I...I've found you", she breathed out, voice no higher than a whisper.
"Wha-what?ö he smartly got out as he looked into her face, seeing her
flushed a bit with her eyes slightly open.
"You", she breathed, her right hand moving to rest on his left shoulder.
"My Ashikabi", she breathed again as she fully lowered herself onto him.
"Uh", was all he got out as he froze as he felt those two mounds fully
press into him as her face reached his and felt his brain short-circuit
when her lips met his. ''Warm', was the last thing he registered. For
all that could be said of Ichigo Kurosaki's hardheadedness when it
came to women, he wasn't blind. And he wasn't made of stone either
as he had noticed other girls; there had been that one time he had
peeked between his fingers when Rangiku had decided to flash him as
up front payment to get him to allow her to stay at his place to face the
Arrancar all those years ago.
It's just that thoughts of relationships and what else came with him
generally were put aside for whatever crap he was dealing with at
the moment. Thoughts like what his first kiss were like died quickly,
as he had to face other things. And now it seemed that it was time
for that to catch up with him as well. It was utterly nothing like he
had ever thought or imagined in those rare times it came to mind.
It was...
Comforting....
Warm...
Soft...
Nice...
He found himself opening his eyes, and idly wondered why no one
mentioned the light show-
Light show?
Blinking, he snapped his mind back into the present as the girl had pulled
away from him. Still straddling him her body had arched backwards away
from him, and the light he saw suddenly conversed on a point below the
back of her neck and suddenly exploded outward. Many long, ovals of
light spread away from her at that point, 'like feathers', he would think
intensified for a moment before disappearing completely.
Slowly, she pulled towards him once more and she looked at him and he
stared at her. Her gaze caught his attention as she smiled at him. It was
a gaze warmer and fonder than anything he could remember being directed
at him. A gaze that he could only remember seeing Orihime give him. A
gaze that a part of his mind noted was far, far more intense than anything
Orihime had given him.
She tilted her head slightly and her smile widened a bit as her gaze never
wavered. "Number Ten, Uzume", she said. "I am your Sekirei, and I will
love you, now and forever".
=========
------------------++++++++++++++------------------------
2 B Continued...... ^_^
So here's the next installment of this fic. Bit of a warning, it's gonna be a monster. Personally, I thought I wouldn't have a chapter this large for anything except Summoned Sergent Chronicles but....:sweat:
In any case send your thanks to me or Wheeljack for this chapter. C+C and any caught misspellings I have will be greatly appreciated.
------------------++++++++++++++------------------------
Bleach is created by Tite Kubo and distributed by Weekly Shonen Jump,
Shueisha, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Adult Swim, & Viz Media LLC.
Seikirei is created by Sakurako Gokurakuin and distributed by Young Gangan,
Square Enix, Seven Arcs & Funimation Entertainment
No permission has been obtained from any of the copyright holders for the use of the
characters and situations from this series. This work of fiction is not for profit and not
intended to infringe on copyrighted intellectual property in any significant or harmful
way.
Should they, or any of their affiliates, request it, this non-profit story will
be taken off line as quickly as possible.
Any original characters, however, are owned by me. If you steal them, I shall hunt you
down and skewer your nuts. You want to use them? Just ask me first as I'll probably say
yes.
Feedback is encouraged. That's why I write. Also for the cookies.
And The Root Beer. The sweet, nectar-of-the-gods root beer.
Flames are pointless, as the author is a flaming retard.
...hold up, that's not what I meant. Uh, let's just start the story.
=========
"So are you gonna tell me why you didn't want me to meet your family?"
Ichigo cringed at the Sekirei's question. "I really don't think we should
discuss that." He cryptically answered as he put their bags away.
Uzume crossed her arms and glared slightly at her Ashikabi, "Give me
one reason why we shouldn't."
The young man sighed as he took his seat, running his hand through
his hair. "Ok, here's one. My dad's nuts. Looney Toons nuts."
Uzume shook her head as she took her seat next to Ichigo. "That's not
good enough, Ichigo," She chided as she took his arm. "Don't I deserve
to know everything about my Ashikabi? I should know if I need to fear if
my Ashikabi is some sort of dangerous predator!"
Ichigo just eyed her warily, "A predator..." He snorted, "Uzume... how
long've we known each other?"
Uzume looked at him in askance and blinked. "Three months."
Ichigo nodded, "And have you seen anything to imply that?"
Uzume shook her head and pouted, "No... damn it you still won't ravish
me."
Ichigo gave her a flat look before pinching the bridge of his nose, "Oy.
You're hopeless."
Uzume looked upwards before tapping Ichigo with her fist and laid her
head on his shoulder again. "C'mon Ichigo, your father can't be that bad."
she said, getting back to the core issue.
"True," Ichigo nodded. "He's worse."
Uzume sighed but let it go. She'd find out the truth soon enough.
"One more thing, Uzume," said Ichigo. "I want you to promise me that
you won't use your powers while we're in public. OK?"
"Ichigo.... why would I use my powers?" protested Uzume.
"Just promise me," he insisted. "Chalk it up to me being paranoid or
whatever. But unless it's a life or death situation, don't use your powers
ok?"
"Alright," agreed the sekirei, "But only if I can seal it with a kiss."
Ichigo blushed a little. "Just a quick one, OK?" he whispered. "When no
one's around."
Uzume grinned as she snuggled even closer to Ichigo's arm, "I'll hold you
to it."
"Don't I know it," Ichigo grumbled as the train finally began to move towards
it's destination. Blinking, he turned to his free side and found a group of men
glaring at him with unbridled jealousy. He sighed and returned the glare with
enough venom to make the lesser men turn and grumble about the unfairness
of it all. Like it was his fault he was in the situation he was in.
He looked down at his claimed arm to find Uzume giggling. He frowned,
"What're you laughing about?"
"Just how cute you are when you're jealous," She answered.
"I'm not jealous," He replied. "Just can't stand dealing with idiots."
"Yes yes," Uzume nodded. "Whatever you say my beloved Ashikabi."
Ichigo mumbled something quietly as he turned away to look out the
window. Uzume nuzzled a bit more in content as she noted the blush
when he turned.
"You know," she mumbled, "One of these days I'm gonna get a real smile out of
you."
He gave a low sounding grunt in reply as he continued to stare out the window.
"Hey..." She whispered. "Do you remember how we first met?"
He nodded.
"That was..." She yawned slightly, "The happiest day of my life you know that?"
He turned at that to find Uzume's eyes closed, and with her head comfortable on
her shoulder, it was only natural that the rhythm of the train was calling her to
dreamland.
At that, he did smile slightly.
"Yeah," He whispered. "I figured."
Brushing a lock of hair from the sleeping girl's face, he turned back to the window.
And as he stared at the scenery going past him, his mind drifted back. Back to a
simpler time. To a time where he knew nothing about titles like Ashikabi and
these beings called Sekirei.
Just one day before his world changed forever.
Again.
=========
Ghostface211 presents
A Bleach - Sekirei Crossover
Veiled Moon
Feather One
Turn back the pendulum
Comments, Constructive Criticism, and MST 3000's can go to ghostface211@gmail.com
=========
Three Months ago...
Ichigo sighed as he stared at his homework. He had meant to do his
English before now, but heÆd gotten caught up in all the preparations for
the entrance exams, and nothing had gotten done. He had gotten fairly
good at English, almost past engrish levels. But it all seemed like
meaningless gabble to him today.
"Ichi-niiiiiiiiiiii, I canÆt find any hangers!" cried Yuzu from down he stairs.
Ichigo sighed again as he looked at the text book on his desk. Tapping
his notebook with the pen in his hand irritably, he ran his free hand through
his hair. "What's up with me today..." he grumbled. "Should I take a break?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably as he dropped his pen, "Yeah....
yeah a break sounds good."
His bedroom door opened suddenly, and Yuzu glared irritably at her older
brother. "Ichi-ni!"
Ichigo turned to his sister, giving her a dull look, "Huh?"
"Hangers," Yuzu said. "Have you seen them?"
"Did you look in the laundry room?" He asked as he scratched his head.
"Of course I did," Yuzu bluntly said. "I can't find them."
"Then five will get you ten that dad is doing something stupid with them."
Ichigo answered in a bored tone.
Yuzu huffed slightly as Ichigo brought his interest back to his studies.
She was about to leave when she noticed something sitting on her big
brother's desk. Her curiosity peaked, she walked up next to his desk,
and found held back a gasp at what she discovered. At Ichigo's side
was a map of the eastern part of Tokyo and some course catalogs for
various universities. "Ichi-nii... what's this?"
"Hmm?" Ichigo looked at his sister and the articles in her hand. "Oh,
theyÆre some colleges I'm looking at right now."
"Colleges?" Yuzu gasped. "You... you're going this far to go for schooling?"
Ichigo nodded, "Yeah. It's not like we got a college here or anything."
"But... but to go so far?"
"I'm gunning to major in criminology," Ichigo answered as he took the items
from Yuzu. "There's not a lot of places I can study for it in near us. Heck
Taito's the closest place that I can see."
Yuzu was silent for a moment as Ichigo put the items back on the desk.
When he turned back to his younger sister, his eyebrow rose as he
noticed her trembling hand, "Eh? Somethin' wrong Yuzu?"
Yuzu's hand clinched into a fist as she glared up at her brother, "FINE
THEN!!" Ichigo blinked in confusion as Yuzu turned on her heel and
stormed out of his room, "Leave us here all alone! See if I care!"
Ichigo continued to stare at his door as Yuzu left before he frowned
slightly, "What the hell was that about?" He sighed a bit as he retook
his seat and attempted to get back to studying, quickly dismissing his
sister's attitude. She had been getting strange ever since she entered
junior high. Strange little mood swings at the drop of a hat, sweet as
she usually was one moment and angry and aggressive the next. A
part of him wondered about the crowd she was hanging around.
"sneak, sneak."
Ichigo frowned at the voice and turned expecting to find his father on the
floor trying a sneak attack. Finding no one when he turned, his frown
deepened as he turned around...
And just as expected Isshin was in his face.
"IS IT TRUE?! YOU ARE TO LEAVE THE NEST?" Isshin shouted.
-POP!-
"Don't scream in my face old man," Ichigo growled as he retreated his fist.
Isshin stood up as if he was unaffected by the blow, tears streaming freely
down his face, "I can't believe it.... I can't believe this day of victory has
finally arrived!!!"
Ichigo groaned at his father's dramatics, "Get out, dad. Get out now."
"To finally submit Yuzu and Karin to me..." Isshin clenched his fists as he
looked towards the sky, "Is this what they call a flawless victory?"
Ichigo just groaned again, "Yeah sure whatever. You win, now gloat about
it out of my room."
"Such joy must be known!" Isshin cried out as he grasped his son's
shoulders. "As the man who has won this eternal war, it's my duty to
rub it in your face!" He laughed at his son's flat look, "Even an idiot
like you can't argue with that logic!"
"Only because I don't want to look like an idiot arguing with an idiot,"
he retorted.
"And that's why you're a loser, my boy!" Isshin shouted as he patted
Ichigo's shoulders roughly. "But that's ok, not everyone can last as long
as you did with the best in the world. It's amazing you lasted as long as
you did!"
"You say that like I had a choice," he groaned.
"So where are you going?"
Ichigo frowned as his father's tone was suddenly serious, "Dunno yet. I'm
still checking out some places." A pause, "Why?"
"Well I do want to know what school I'll be dumping all my savings into."
Isshin calmly replied.
New pause.
"What?" Ichigo flatly replied.
Isshin smirked, "You heard me, kid." He glanced down at Ichigo's desk
and looked at the brochures, "Wow, so far? No wonder Yuzu-chan was
so upset."
Ichigo stood in shock for a moment before he attempted to speak again,
"I...I....I'm sorry could you go back to the part were you said you'll pay
for my education?"
"Oh?" Isshin grinned, "Are you stunned? Is that another victory for me?"
"Paying...school...explain please!" Ichigo responded.
"That's another victory for me!" Isshin cried. "I think that calls for a party!!"
"Wait.. what?" Ichigo cried.
"Yes, such a dominating victory calls for a grand celebration!" Isshin
declared. "A party to end all parties! Nothing but the best for Isshin the
Conqueror! In fact.." Ichigo continued to stare flatly at his father as the
man pulled out a cell phone, "Let's do it tonight!"
"What?" Ichigo muttered. He then frowned, "Dad, put the phone down.
You ain't throwin' no party today."
Isshin paused in his dialing and looked at his son, "Oh my fallen son, how
can I let others know of your imminent defeat if I don't host the party to end
all parties?"
"Put on the web for all I care," Ichigo huffed as he folded his arms and
glared slightly at his father. "No party. Ain't no way, ain't no how it's
happening."
Isshin sighed and patted his eldest child's shoulder, "All right son... no
party. I'll respect your wishes."
Ichigo blinked but never dropped his frown, not believing for a second.
"Really now", he asked deadpanned.
Isshin nodded, "But of course my boy... I just... I just got a little caught up
in my boy becoming a man is all." Ichigo eyed his father suspiciously as
he removed his hand from his shoulder. Ok, something was really up with
the idiot. Best to get ready for the surprise attack now and get it over with.
Isshin frowned thoughtfully for a moment, "Have you found a place to stay
for your education yet?"
His son shook his head, "No... no not yet. But I have a holliday on
Saturday, so I was thinking about going apartment hunting this weekend."
"So soon", Isshin asked, surprised. He then nodded sagely and grinned
as he began to slide backward toward Ichigo's door and pulled out his
phone.
"No", Ichigo said seeing his father.
"About respecting your wishes earlier? I forgot something", he then began
dialing and jumped back as Ichigo's hand sailed passed.
"No", Ichigo said firmer.
Jumping over his son's tackle he skipped and twirled out the door. "The
winner's wishes are trumpeted over the loser's!"
"Damn it, get back here old man!", Ichigo cried rushing after his father. "I
said no parties!!"
=========
"EEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOO, IT'S DJ KUROSAKI ROCKIN' YOU HOUSE!!!
LIVIN' IT UP RIGHT!!!!!!!!!"
Ichigo was scowling even deeper than usual at his father's antics as he
sat in his designated seat. Said seat really bring nothing more than a
bean bag chair. The music was loud enough that a major invasion force
could have been dropped off in the clinic and no one would have noticed.
Still as he looked around it seemed that some of his friends were still
able to have fun thanks to his old man.
In the middle of the living room that had been hastily converted into a
dancehall (albeit a small one)and he could see Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo,
and Mizuiro getting down with their 'bad selves'. Tatsuki had surprised him.
She moved through the crowd, sliding close together with one of the other
guys who were close enough, drifting apart, and basically dancing like
crazy. Orihime just seemed to move to the rhythm in her own way. And
that way was highly dangerous to those who could not predict the future.
Still, that did not stop Keigo from trying his best to dance with the buxom
beauty. Granted he went down like a sack of potatoes after an errant kick
went in between his goalpost, but he hung in there like a trooper. And
that's all that matters. Mizuiro was really just swaying to the beat, as that
seemed to be the safest thing to do at the moment.
Still, Ichigo really couldn't be too upset at the events. So long as his
friends were having fun he supposed it was all good.
"ALLRIGHT," Boomed one Isshin Kurosaki as the fast song ended.
"NOW CAN THE OLD MAN ROCK THE BODY THAT ROCKS THE
PARTY OR CAN THE OLD MAN ROCK THE PARTY THAT ROCKS THE
BODY?!?" He let out a loud laugh as he took out the next song, "Now
this one... I dedicate to the lazy boy sitting on the beanbag chair looking
all pouty and sad. Get off your butt and pick nay buxom girl to take out
on the dance floor already!!"
As he finished, a pair of spotlights fell upon Ichigo and Orihime. Causing
the latter to blush and the former to slam his deink down in irritation.
"I'm gonna get you for this old man." He mumbled.
"DJ Kurosaki takes payments in the form of grandkids."
Ichigo simply palmed his face and groaned.
=========
"I got to admit Kurosaki... only your father could throw a party like this
just to embarrass his son."
Ichigo snorted at Uryu and looked away irritably. It was a little while after
the Kurosaki patriarch's piss poor attempt at a hook up. He and Chad
had arrived fashionably late to the shindig, and Uryu was clearly regretting
that maneuver, despite his best attempts to remain as cool as he thought
he was.
Yes Ichigo was definitely beating his old man into unconsciousness for
another time tonight.
"I mean honestly," Uryu continued, "Leave it to your father to have a going
away party a good three months before you actually leave...ö
"Whatever," Ichigo muttered. "Are you here to add to my migraine or
something Uryu?"
"Just here to give you a proper sendoff", Uryu mentioned and then took a
sip of his beverage.
"But I'm not leaving yet," Ichigo mumbled. "So then...", he began,
thoughts turning to what the party had also meant for them all. "what're
you guys going into?"
"I'm actually going to enter medicine," Uryu answered.
"Ohh," Ichigo let out and smirked. "Never would've thought you'd get into
the family business."
"It's simply coincidence in this case", he muttered.
Ichigo snorted again, "Whatever you say."
"Though I will admit some surprise Kurosaki", Uryu responded. "For
several of us that actually know where we're going our commute times
aren't that bad; so why have you decided to move out even before you
know where you're going?"
Ichigo sighed as he contemplated how to phrase his answer, "Well... I
could say something corny like 'I need a fresh start' or 'I want to find
myself'. But all that would be is a giant crock of shit."
"But", Chad quietly added.
"I... I guess I just want to find a new challenge." He shrugged, "I dunno.
Maybe I just want to go someplace where I ain't reminded of Aizen's BS
for two seconds. Or hell, maybe I just want to be by myself for a while."
Both boys were silent, as they knew despite the relative peace, Ichigo
had been growing more and more frustrated as time passed since his
victory. Even with that victory, hollows still prowled the area, and while
nowhere close to the nightmares of a few years back just knowing that
his friends were out there and not being able to do anything had been
slowly driving him up the wall. After taking another sip, Uryu answered
after a moment, his eyes not leaving the cups remaining contents.
"Fair enough."
He sighed again as he folded his arms across his chest, "All I know is
this. Whatever I'm looking for I'm not gonna find it here. Maybe I'll find it
out there somewhere. Maybe I won't. But I'll never know If I don't try."
"You'll keep in contact, right?", Chad asked, some concern for his friend
showing, all to well remembering the feeling of uselessness when the
Arrancar first appeared.
"Of course," Ichigo smirked. "It's not like when I'm finally gone I'll never
come back and see you guys again. Hell, I gotta make sure you guys
are keepin' my city clean and in good shape."
"Yes", Uryu mentioned sarcastically. "We can't let their rep for this city
start slacking off".
"Har har, four eyes," Ichigo responded before grimacing. Whatsisname...
Zennosuke, the current shinigami rep from what he remembered and
heard has never been up to snuff, even with Uryu as the current
competition. "Still... this is a celebration isn't it", he asked trying not to
think of his dad doing another victory jig and picked up his cup and raised
it in front of his friends, "To new chapters."
Both raised their glasses to his as well. "To new chapters", they both
toasted.
=========
"So what do you think the boys are talkin' about?" Tatsuki asked.
Rukia shrugged. She herself had attended, though only the others save
Ichigo could save her. It did vex her at times, as she found that she
missed being able to talk to her verbal sparring partner and friend. Like
all the other times she had been able to stop by, she had one of the
others tell him she was there and had an awkward three way
conversation with Orihime being the go-between for them.
It just wasn't the same...
Being able to attend this makeshift party tonight was a stroke of luck,
having finished her first patrol route. She had for the second time within
the last month been asked to be a backup for Zennosuke. As odd as it
was she didn't mind it much at this time, as it did allow her the rare
chance to see her friends here in Karakura. In a timely stroke of luck,
she had run into Keigo who immediately gave her the situation. Smiling
at the hapless boy she assured him that she'd drop by.
Turning up to face Tatsuki she commented on Tatsuki's question. "Who
knows? From what you've told me Uryu and Ichigo have been surprisingly
civil towards one another in the last year. He could be asking him to
marry him."
Tatsuki balanced, "What? Wha... where the hell would you get an idea
like that?"
"Stranger things have happened," Rukia remarked. "In some books I
have read in the human world, such things are commonplace are they
not?"
"......I'm afraid to ask who gave you those books."
"Mai-san did. She has a rather extensive library of such stories."
Tatsuki laughed, a little nervously. "A little too much info for my fragile
little brain." She cleared her throat and gave a small frown to their third
guest, "Although if such a thing was to happen, I think we'd all know
who was to blame."
Said third guest, one Inoue Orihime just blinked in confusion. "Eh? How
would that be my fault Tatsuki-chan?"
Tatsuki just gave her a flat stare in response. "T-Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime
asked in surprise, blushing faintly at the other girl as she continued to
give her a flat stare. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You know why," Tatsuki responded.
"Ehhehehe..." Orihime laughed nervously. She turned to Rukia, "Do you
know what-"
She stopped suddenly as she found Rukia mimicking Tatsuki.
"R-Rukia-chan?"
"Tatsuki," Rukia began in a flat tone, "How long has this been going on
for now?"
"About three years give or take," Tatsuki responded flatly.
"How do you deal with it?"
"I have no idea."
"What's with you guys?" Orihime asked. "You're acting all weird!"
"We're acting weird?" Tatsuki asked. What's this all about, Orihime?
When are you finally thinking about tell Ichigo the truth about how you
feel? After all he's done to protect you, hell even dying twice for you,
you still can't get around to saying those three little words to him without
getting all tongue tied and flustered. Hell, you can't even make an
attempt to at least hold his hand!" She sighed dramatically, "You're
hopeless."
"That's mean Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime huffed.
"Truth hurts my friend." Tatsuki nodded sagely.
Rukia sighed in exasperation, "Honestly Orihime... why is it so hard to
confess to him?"
Orihime just bushed even further and lowered her head, "Well... you see...
uh... It's just... well, you know... uh..." she found herself getting flustered
as she spoke, causing her best friend to sigh once again.
"That, my dear Rukia is why. Honestly it's like pulling teeth at this point."
She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation, "Here we are, in what may
be the last time for a good long while that we'll be all together like this and
she STILL can't stop acting like a ten year old."
"I'm mean seriously", Tatsuki continued. "We're not getting any younger,
and were not going to around each other as much as it is, and that's just
our little group".
She then motioned at Ichigo.
"And him, you know he's leaving. He's going off on his own, and who
knows when he'll be back. And if he does, how long he'll even be here."
She sighed. "You're all set to get the college you want, but he's not
even going to be in the same ward, so it still isn't the same as it has been."
Rukia nodded, "She's right you know. I still have my duties to attend to
back in Soul Society. I won't be around nearly as much I used to be
either. And I'd like to see you two finally take that next step before you
come to Soul Society on a more permanent basis." She sighed, "But at
the rate you're taking Ichigo could get tired of waiting and find someone else."
A pause.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Oh man... oh god... that's hilarious."
"I know.... I almost believed it for a second myself!"
"Oh man... I can't breathe... you're gonna kill me Rukia!"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry.... oh man, my ribs hurt..." Rukia managed to gasp out.
"Ohhhh man, that was good", Tatsuki wheezed out and smiled. After a
moment to compose, she looked at Orihime again, smiling softly at her.
"But she is right, you gotta start now, or who knows what'll happen."
"I know," she muttered. She turned to look at the trio of Ichigo, Uryu,
and Chad sitting in the corner. The young men chatting and reminiscing
like old war veterans at this point. On Ichigo's face was something that
three years ago was a rare sight in and of itself.
A smile.
True, it wasn't a full, true smile. Even after all this time he still had yet to
reach a point where he could smile fully from the heart yet. But he did
smile a bit more than he did. And it was in no small part thanks to the
journey and growth he had in these past few years.
And that journey was not over yet.
So why should she rush?
=========
The moon was glowing faintly in the sky above as Ichigo flopped down on
the curb near his home. The party had ended an hour ago, but his friends
had stayed a while longer to help clean up the place. He sighed as
whatever irritation that lingered from his father's idiotic plans slowly began
to fade away in the cool November air. The starry night sky was incredibly
clear for a night lie this. It almost reminded him of that one fateful night two
years ago. A night that changed his life forever.
And here he was at a new crossroad. After all... what was left to do for
the man who saved the world?
"Oh look who's out here thinking? Don't go hurting yourself my son, you
have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow!"
Ichigo groaned as Isshin called out to him from the front door. "I'll be fine",
Ichigo mumbled, unhappy at having the reminder of the sudden party call
out to him.
Isshin nodded. "Sure you will. You're my boy after all. I mean even if
you're a loser, you only lose to the best!"
Ichigo sighed and looked forward again, annoyed at his father's
childishness earlier and more so at himself for jumping headfirst
without thinking that's what his father wanted.
"Whatever", he said, not interested in giving in to his father's bait this time.
"Something eating you my son?"
"Just tired", Ichigo responded. "So", he said after a moment. "You enjoy
yourself at my expense again?"
"Whatever do you mean, my son?" Isshin asked. "I was just doing my
duty as the winner to rub it in your face? If I don't respect tradition, who
will?"
Ichigo stared at his father with half lidded eyes. "Whatever".
"And now that you're taking your fist step into the unknown," Isshin
continued. "This might be my last chance to celebrate a victory over
my boy."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I'm leaving for awhile dad, donÆt know where
you get that idea".
"Isn't it obvious?" Isshin asked. "The next time I challenge you... I will be
challenging you as a man, not a boy."
He sighed, "How do you figure that?"
Isshin chuckled as he walked up to Ichigo and sat down near him, "It's
simple really. These high school days... you've had memories that
you'll never forget right?"
Ichigo looked at his father, not sure what he was getting at. "Yes", he
answered honestly.
"These high school years are supposed to be the most important years of
your life. But.... but these years in college will determine the kind of man
you'll be. How the world will view you."
Ichigo stared at his father for a moment and turned, contemplating about
what the old man was saying.
"I know what you can do," Isshin continued. "You're my son. I know
what you can do... what you're capable of. Now it's time for the world
to realize it to."
With that, Ichigo stood and dusted his pants off and walked back to the
house. "You ok old man? YouÆre acting more grown up than usual".
Isshin grinned as he stood up and looked towards the sky, "I'm just
expecting great things from you Ichigo. Do you think I should accept
anything less from the man who saved the world?"
At that, Ichigo stopped. For a brief moment he found himself staring down
Aizen once again, preparing his Final Getsuga Tenshou. And just as
quickly as it came the image was gone.
"No", he said. "I guess not".
Isshin chucked as he walked back into the home. Patting Ichigo's
shoulder as he passed him, "I look forward to seeing the path you'll
take in your journey. No matter what, I'm sure it will be an interesting
experience."
Ichigo watched his father walk past him, unsure at this 180 degree turn
from a few moments ago. Times like this usually meant something
worse coming from the old goat but there was something different this
time.
Feeling the night breeze he looked upward in the night sky and again
thought about what he said earlier to Uryu and Chad and what his
father just told him.
'We'll see how it goes, I guess', he thought and walked inside his home.
=========
The next day...
-...Teito. We have now arrived in Teito. Please be careful to...-
Ichigo's face was uncharitaristicly blank as he sat in his seat, staring up
at the ceiling. Ignoring the uncharacteristic butterflies in his stomach he
got out of his seat, shouldered his duffle bag and pushed and pulled
against the swarm of people heading to the exit.
Stepping off the train he walked until he was out of the way of the majority
of busy people hustling about and looked around. Teito was a place of
layers. It was a lovely city and state of the art; not quite a jewel amid the
island but vibrant in its own way. From the great gleaming spires that
touched the clouds to the people walking the cold well treaded streets
below each and every part of the state, facilities and inhabitants alike, knew
its place. It was a city of light on the surface, shadow beneath the skin.
'This is it', he thought. 'I'm here'.
Quickly making his way to one of the many benches scattered about the
station he set his duffle bag down and reached into it and pulled out a
local map and some notes to orient himself and begin his apartment
search. On him he carried enough money for enough food for the day and
enough for a hotel, should his search take that long. After a few moments
of studying he found the closest site he had found on an internet search a
few nights prior. Pocketing the notes and map, he made his way to the
escalator to take his first real steps in what will be his new city.
=========
Elsewhere...
"HAAA!!"
-KRAKATHOOM-
"Stand still already!!"
One of the nearby cars went tumbling, and Uzume sighed in irritation.
Wiping her sweaty brow with the back of her free hand, she rose from
her crouching position and focused on the sparring figures on the other
side of street. It was just as well that this portion of the city was rather
deserted at this time of the day; the way those two went at it, it would
be a wonder if there was anything left intact.
Her opponents smiled confidently as they walked towards her. Dressed
in similar S&M looking clothing, the only way you could tell who was who
was by their clothing and breast size. The woman on the left with purple
colored clothing and her partner in opposing violet. "So... you ready to
surrender now?" The woman on the left asked, "Or do feel like doing this
the hard way again?"
Looking at her hand holding a bag of groceries, she sighed anew and
glared at her opponents. "Look, I get what you're doing. Taking out
all the unwinged Sekirei to make your lives easier. Y'think maybe
you could, I donÆt know, take a day off and chill or something? Y'might
score some points with Homura if you do."
The woman on her left shrugged, "I suppose we could... what do you
think Hikari?"
Hikari shrugged, "We could Hibiki... but this is much easier, isn't it?"
Hibiki nodded and clasped Hikari's hand, "True. This is much easier, all
things considered sister." They raised their clasped hands, and a ball of
electricity formed in the air above them. She gave Uzume a cold smirk,
"No hard feelings."
Uzume frowned deeply, her small frame taut with anger, "Oh you both
suck soooo much ass."
The twin fighters chose to ignore that comment as they pointed their
clasped hands towards Uzume. Shouting at the top of their lungs as
the attack barreled at Uzume at top speed, Their confident smirks
turned into irritated frowns as Uzume dodged the attack, forcing an
abandon building to take the brunt of the attack. The high charged
electrical attack causing a fire to spark almost immediately.
Uzume smirked at the duo, causing them to frown deeper. "Wow," Uzume
began in a factitious tone, "Impressive work. And unauthorized attack plus
collateral damage? No wonder you're Homura's favorite girls!!" She smiled
and winked, "I'd stay and play with you some more, but I have more
important things to do than play with some weaklings." She turned around
and ran off, "Later!"
Hibiki growled and charged after Uzume, "Y-y-y-you... damn you!! Get
your ass back here so I can kick it!!"
Hikari sighed as she followed her twin sister, "Oh, here we go again."
=========
A few hours later...
Ichigo walked out of the complex and turned around, giving the building a
glare before turning and moving away.
Said building wasn't bad, but the rent that was being asked for was far
too much. Much higher than what was being asked for online. He
narrowed his eyes as the manager had given him a once over as he
had come in to talk about a room.
He snorted.
At least it was a step up from the place prior. One look at his hair and the
dorm mom shooed him out to bad mouth him that she didn't want any
thugs around her complex. Keeping his temper in check he simply turned
around a bid the old woman a good bye as he left frustrated and annoyed.
He hadn't expected things to be easy, but it was already turning out harder
than he had thought.
'Y'think I'd be used to it by now,' he thought irritably as he picked at a lock
of his hair. 'But this damn hair of mine is still getting me into trouble.' He
sighed. 'And that was the third place too...' Sticking his hand into his
pocket he pulled the map out with a little more force than necessary and
opened it. The next closest location to look at was a two mile walk
northwest of he was at.
Hoping that the time it would take would cool him off he set off, mindful of
the cars and people moving by.
'Is it to much to ask for one renter to not freak out over my head?' he
thought irritably. Hefting his duffel bag, he stopped as he neared a
small restaurant. Checking his watch, he nodded as he looked at the
building once more. "Guess it's not a bad idea to have a quick snack
right about now."
But before he could take a step a sharp thud followed by several rapid
pounding beats of something caused him to turn around at the
disturbance.
And caught sight of two widened brown eyes flying into him.
"Wha-?ö was all the former shinigami could get out as someone had
barreled right into his chest. Grunting, he stumbled back several feet
and teetered for a second before being able to right himself.
Growling, he looked for whoever crashed into him and stopped as he found
himself looking at a girl nearly collapsed on the ground. Her long hair
obscured her face as he could hear her gasping for air as she slowly pulled
herself into a crouching position. He was about to hold his hand out to her
to help her up but her head was turned into the direction she apparently
came in. With a glance above that area she again looked downward as
she labored to breath.
Finally holding his hand to her he asked, "Are you alright"?
"F-fine", he heard her say, and then felt her take his hand as he pulled her
up, though when she finally got to her feet she stayed hunched over,
putting her hands on her knees as she again looked in the direction she
was glancing at a second ago. 'Oh-okay', Uzume thought, her own thoughts
sounding as labored as her breathing. She still felt the bag of groceries in
her hand, so that was some good news at least. 'Though I think....I'd rather
face them....than Miya if I lost this....'
Next to her Ichigo looked on in concern, taking note of her glances to her
side and her breathing. 'She's been running', he realized, remembering
all too well the times when he had been chased and needed to get away.
He looked in the direction she was now, wondering if she was in trouble or
had done something to warrant the trouble. Making a decision he decided
to stay a moment, and see if something was up. If she was in trouble,
maybe he could help. If she did do something, then if the cops came up
he'd hold her for them.
"You sure your ok?", he asked again as he could hear her slowly regain
some control of her breathing.
Not taking her eyes off the direction she came in she waived him off with
her hand. "I'll be fine in a bit, thanks". Finally looking back down and
confirming that the grocery bag was in one piece she sighed in relief as
her breathing calmed down more. 'What the hell is *up* with those two?',
she thought irritated. 'Ok, maybe I pissed them off with that, but they
can't be that angry that I've gotten away from them again'.
Little did she know she was right.
So very, very right.
===========
A few minutes ago...
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!" Cried Hikari. Her fist crackling with
electrical power as she looked around fiercely, "Godamnit all to hell,
she got away again!!!"
"Calm down sister," Hibiki sighed. "She couldn't have gotten far. We
still have time to get her. Just chill out and think about where she'd go."
"How can you be so calm, Hibiki?" Hikari growled. "This is the second
time that girl's gotten away from us somehow!! I'm not about to make it
a third! You understand?"
"Of course I do sister." Hibiki smirked as she walked away from her sister,
"We'll find her, of that I have no doubt. And then... well the third time's the
charm as they say."
"It better be," Hikari growled. "I'm not sure how much I got left in the tank...."
The sekirei blinked as her sister stopped suddenly. "Something up, sis?"
Hibiki was smirking as she caught sight of Uzume across from her with
some orange-haired man. She clenched her fist, and a ball of lightning
forming in her fist. "Hurry up sis. We might not have much time with
this one."
===========
Back to now...
Despite no longer having his powers, Ichigo had still been through enough
brawls for his 6th sense start to tingle. About to ask his companion what
she was running from he suddenly looked upwards. Seeing two blurs of
something heading toward them, and if he read the angle right, directly
where they were standing, he shot forward and grabbed the girl and pulled
with as much strength as he could.
"Wha-", was all Uzume could get out as she felt the guy she was next to
suddenly grab her by the waist and pull her with him. "Ah!", she grunted
as she hit the ground, but she could her something crash hard into ground.
Feeling herself being pelted from some small specs of dirt and concrete she
noticed that the reason why she wasn't being hit with more was because
that guy was over her, shielding her. Noticing he wasn't even looking in her
direction she turned her head to where he was facing and grimaced.
Ichigo however was gaping at what he was looking at. It wasn't so much
that two people, or women in this case had apparently jumped from the
top of the building they were at to crater the ground beneath them.
Well...maybe not so much, but the people that could were people he
could no longer sense anymore. Well, maybe Chad and Uryu, but these
two weren't them.
No.
What had his attention was the sheer indecency of what these two were
*wearing*...god what the hell was that...it looked like something out of
the magazines that Keigo brought over every now and again. 'Ok', he
thought, 'this girl was definitely running. God knows I would...' With that
though, he mind caught up with him to realize just what it was they had
done, and cratering the sidewalk was no small feat. 'Shit'.
He stood without taking his eyes off the two girls in the kinky getup and
held his arm out to the girl. Feeling her take it he pulled her up. When
he felt she was standing on her own let go to fully turn to the aggressors
way and put himself between them and the girl behind him. "Thanks,
again", he heard the girl behind him say. "But I'll take it from here, ok?"
Ichigo slightly raised an eyebrow at hearing that as well as what else he
heard when she said it. Though her breathing had calmed down from the
literal gasps for air when she had run into him it wasn't fully calm just yet.
"Sorry", he told her. "But it sounds like you're still not ready for anything
yet. You still sound rather beat".
She looked at him oddly at that. Sure, she wasn't quite they're yet but...
'Oh crap', she thought. It was flattering that he was going to play the hero
for her but she realized he had no idea what he was up against. "Look,
thanks but-"
"WHOEVER YOU ARE, STEP AWAY", one of the two girls screamed at him.
Ichigo, hearing this crouched into a light stance; even more determined to
not let these two do whatever it is they wanted to do to the girl behind him.
Looking at them....well, taking them in and trying to ignore the getup he
noticed they looked just as haggard as the girl behind him did, as both of
them looked like they were breathing hard. The other one stepped beside
the other, twins, it now looked like. "Listen", this one had called before
taking another deep breath. "Don't even think about wanting to wing that
one, she's ours to take, so please stand aside!"
'Winging?Æ Ichigo wondered, unsure of what they meant. 'Forget it', he
thought, realizing what else the other one had said. "Sorry", he called
back at them. "I ain't gonna let you at her". He saw the two of them
tense and narrowed his eyes. "With that funky getup you guys are
wearing who knows what you'll do her".
'Crap', Uzume thought, seeing the looks on the two get more and more
unhinged. Hikari was already looking parched and that didn't help.
'They're gonna kill this guy if I don't get away'. "Hey", she said, now a
bit stronger now. "I'll take care of myself. You run when I-" she stopped
as he suddenly whirled on her and she saw his face for the first time.
Two brown and utterly determined eyes bored into hers and her reply died
in her throat.
-THA-THUMP-
"Listen", he said in a tone that broke no argument when he saw her pause.
"I'll distract them. You make a run for it. I'll keep them busy to give you
some time." Ichigo smirked; the situation he found himself in for some
reason seemed to feel right in his eyes.
"You...you", Uzume choked out, hearing his declaration.
"Don't worry about me", he said, turning back quickly to face the two kinky
girls. "You be ready to run and go".
-THA-THUMP-
Uzume found her body's temperature begin to rise further. 'This...this
heat...Æ Her eyes widened suddenly. 'It's him', she felt her mind and
body tell her. She was about to reach for him when the twins
suddenly rushed forward.
'Screw this', Hikari had thought a second earlier. How dare this punk
ignore them! How dare he think he could take them on! Sure, they
both were not at the top of their game but this human wouldn't pose
an issue. And finally she'd knock Number Ten out of the game.
Ichigo simply smirked at Hikari as she charged and shrugged off his duffel
bag. "Hey bondage freak," he taunted. Grabbing the bags handle, he
hefted the bag and tossed it at his new foe, "Catch."
Hikari smirked as she dodged the travel bag, "Heh. And what was that fo-"
She was cut off and left heaving for a second as Ichigo's knee connected
with her abdomen.
"That," Ichigo mockingly answered, "was a distraction."
He continued the assault with two left jabs short and fast to her ribcage,
and then finished with a quick sweep of Hikari's legs. The sekirei groaned
from her prone position as her head collided with the pavement. He then
gestured to Hibiki with his index and middle fingers, clicking his tongue at
her slightly. The very essence of 'Come get some.'
"You arrogant little jerk!" Hibiki cried out as she charged at him and
cocked her fist back. "I'll show you!"
Ichigo simply jerked his upper torso back to avoid the sloppy attack.
Hibiki growled anew as she kicked at him, and he brought his forearms
up to absorb the blow the force of it causing him to stumble a few steps
back. Had she not been so winded from the long chase he would've
been sent several yards away ending this farce. Ichigo grunted slightly
as he ignored the urge to rub his stinging forearms. 'Damn, she's got
some strength after all.'
'Not sure if I should be pissed or grateful.Æ Hibiki thought irritably. 'If MBI
hears about this I'll-'
Her thoughts were cut off once more as Ichigo took advantage of her lull
by attacking with a tight punch to the side of her head that sent her
reeling for a moment. That moment was long enough for Ichigo to grab
one of her arms and work his was behind her, making sure that their
backs were even with one another. With a shout, he executed a simple
judo throw, making sure that Hibiki landed atop her dear sister.
Hibiki coffed as she landed stomach first atop her sister, sending her into
the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Ichigo was panting slightly as
he finished his attack, 'Well... that wasn't much,' he thought as he looked
down at the twins. 'Guess I caught them napping or something.' He
smirked again, "Well they sure are sleepin' now."
It was at that moment that Hikari's eyes opened.
Ichigo's smirk turned back into his scowl, "Fuck."
"You son of a bitch," Hibiki growled as she worked her way out from
underneath her sister. "You just HAD to get involved didn't you?
Ichigo snorted, knowing he'd have to kick it up a notch and turned to see
where that girl must've run to in case he needed -
And found her still there looking at him in a daze.
'Just perfect...Æ he thought annoyed, knowing the time she wasted. "WHY
ARE YOU STANDING AROUND?!ö he barked at her, hoping to get her
moving. "GET AWAY!ö he yelled at her while swinging his arm for emphasis.
-THA-THUMP-
The sharp snapping sound of wind reached Ichigo's ear as he suddenly
twisted away, just missing a kick aimed for his head and stumbled
backwards a few feet. "I....I don't care anymore!", Hikari screeched and
held out her arm.
Ichigo blinked as he saw tendrils of electricity snap and gather around the
girl's outstretched palm. Wha-what the hell', he thought staring at the
gathering energy. 'Are my powers- no. Are they like Chad and Uryu?Æ he
thought suddenly. 'Shit', he thought, realizing just how outclassed he was
now without his powers. His mind raced for the decision on his next move
as he hoped that the girl behind him was smart enough to finally take the
hint.
Uzume blinked. He was in danger. NO!
Feeling enough life suddenly flow back into her she snapped into motion,
her eyes narrowing at Hikari as she swung back her arm that held the bag
of groceries and flung it at Hikari. Ichigo was about to charge as he saw
the girl's eyes widen in shock when he felt a gust of wind pass by near his
head. Out of reflex he begun to turn when he heard a crash in front of him,
but before he could turn back an arm grabbed and held onto his waist as
he felt a body press into him to suddenly feeling like his stomach had
been ripped out and left behind.
Wait, he knew that feeling.
But before he could complete that thought his direction had turned and
the wind came across him from another angle. Not just a few seconds
ago he was on the street readying to charge against that chick's attack
and now he found himself on his back hoping his stomach would catch
up to him as he tried to reorient himself. 'Huh', he thought, blinking as
he realized what his mind just told him. 'I didn't do that'. His eyes
widened as he remembered being grabbed just before that and stared.
The girl he had been trying to protect was crouched over him, almost as
he had been several minutes ago when he had shielded her, and was
again heaving as she tried to regain her breath once more. And it was
at this point that he got his first real look at her.
She was, in short, beautiful.
Easily up there with Orihime, Rangiku and Nel's adult form. Brown hair
that was partially done up in a side ponytail on the left side of her head
also fell down from behind her neck, spilling over him and to the roof of
the building they now laid upon. As she heaved, two soft and very large
mounds pressed into his chest with each breath.
He gulped and then froze. Definitely in those girls' league.
"I...I've found you", she breathed out, voice no higher than a whisper.
"Wha-what?ö he smartly got out as he looked into her face, seeing her
flushed a bit with her eyes slightly open.
"You", she breathed, her right hand moving to rest on his left shoulder.
"My Ashikabi", she breathed again as she fully lowered herself onto him.
"Uh", was all he got out as he froze as he felt those two mounds fully
press into him as her face reached his and felt his brain short-circuit
when her lips met his. ''Warm', was the last thing he registered. For
all that could be said of Ichigo Kurosaki's hardheadedness when it
came to women, he wasn't blind. And he wasn't made of stone either
as he had noticed other girls; there had been that one time he had
peeked between his fingers when Rangiku had decided to flash him as
up front payment to get him to allow her to stay at his place to face the
Arrancar all those years ago.
It's just that thoughts of relationships and what else came with him
generally were put aside for whatever crap he was dealing with at
the moment. Thoughts like what his first kiss were like died quickly,
as he had to face other things. And now it seemed that it was time
for that to catch up with him as well. It was utterly nothing like he
had ever thought or imagined in those rare times it came to mind.
It was...
Comforting....
Warm...
Soft...
Nice...
He found himself opening his eyes, and idly wondered why no one
mentioned the light show-
Light show?
Blinking, he snapped his mind back into the present as the girl had pulled
away from him. Still straddling him her body had arched backwards away
from him, and the light he saw suddenly conversed on a point below the
back of her neck and suddenly exploded outward. Many long, ovals of
light spread away from her at that point, 'like feathers', he would think
intensified for a moment before disappearing completely.
Slowly, she pulled towards him once more and she looked at him and he
stared at her. Her gaze caught his attention as she smiled at him. It was
a gaze warmer and fonder than anything he could remember being directed
at him. A gaze that he could only remember seeing Orihime give him. A
gaze that a part of his mind noted was far, far more intense than anything
Orihime had given him.
She tilted her head slightly and her smile widened a bit as her gaze never
wavered. "Number Ten, Uzume", she said. "I am your Sekirei, and I will
love you, now and forever".
=========
------------------++++++++++++++------------------------
2 B Continued...... ^_^
