#inoue looks so nice..let me not look at her at all and then scream if uryu or chad make a comment about it

[zabiume]

LOVED your response to the ichihime ask about ichigo's feelings, and i guess i wanted to add to it by asking how you would envision ichigo's crush on her, what kind of thoughts he would think, because he's very hard to read in the romance department lol

i got another ask similar to this one about ichigo's feelings, but my inbox seems to have eaten it up because i don't see it here anymore (even though the number of unread asks it says i have still hasn't changed...), so i guess i'll answer them both here

i mean, we know their first meeting had a big impact on ichigo, even if orihime herself doesn't remember the encounter, and we also know based on what he says to rukia that he'd kind of been keeping an eye on her ever since their paths crossed in high school, so i'd say it began as a kindred soul thing: she lost someone close to her, he lost someone close to him, he knows what it's like, so he can't help but keep an eye out for her, worry about her, etc. he notes that she gets hurt every day, so i'm guessing it was a kind of situation where he'd be minding his own business or going his own way and then out of the corner of his eye, he hears/catches sight of her getting into something clumsy as usual. a dropped book here, a loud crash there.

i'd say his feelings at this time are pretty similar to orihime's feelings in the 'one way sympathies' chapter. he begins to understand her or feel closer to her because of this loss, but they're not necessarily close friends so he can't explain why he feels close to her. he mostly just ignores it all as background noise unless she's directly in front of him. we also know that she told him about her brother and her hairpins some time pre-canon, so maybe she brought it up in casual conversation once ("i never go anywhere without them" etc etc) and ichigo remembered it because he remembers seeing her and sora at the clinic and he knows how much sora meant to her. it's not unreasonable to guess that, having sisters of his own, he could kind of put himself in that situation and feel vehement about that happening to his own sisters. who would take care of them if he died? little sisters need big brothers, and having lost hers, ichigo probably couldn't help but really feel for her.

i think it's important to remember that ichigo ends up caring about people deeply very easily. after orihime encourages him to save rukia, and after she accompanies him with his other friends to help him fight a battle that has nothing to do with her, i think it's safe to say he's touched and he considers her a friend–and a cherished one at that, since she ends the arc by telling him she's sorry she couldn't protect him. ichigo doesn't get to hear people say things like that to him often, because he's....usually the one saying them. so his face in that moment speaks of fondness, tenderness, maybe even a little gratitude as orihime cries about his well-being.

ichihime really gets its push in the HM arc, though, i mean it's no surprise that the amount of ichihime fanfics probably tripled in number after the arc began. and for good reason! it's kind of incredible how many times orihime gets singled out this arc even before she gets kidnapped, like the time ichigo promised to protect her, even though chad and tatsuki were also there and also injured. it's clear that he feels like he's got something to prove in front of her, and i think, at the time, he justifies it to himself as needing to make it up to her because he let his own insecurities about his hollow get in the way of protecting her from yammy. and i don't think he's even lying to himself about it. ichigo was very, very occupied with his own trauma and the plot constantly happening all the time so i think he was satisfied with surface-level reasons of, "she's a pacifist, she has trauma with her brother and THAT'S why i've got to personally make it up to her."

but i do think, deep down, he has this tendency to only ever want to look good and strong and kind in orihime's eyes, because he likes the way she looks at him when she lets some of that love and admiration shine through. he's seen it before and i think he's a little addicted to it, because when he later remembers moments where he was proud to be a shinigami, orihime shows up there twice, both times crying about how much she cares about him lol. he clearly loves it whenever she expresses her feelings for him, though i don't think he's examining it as anything deeper than the simple joy of making his friends happy.

the repeated hand motif is another thing that i think is an important indicator of how ichigo feels at the time. here's a post i made about it a while ago that never came out of the drafts:

all this to say, i think ichigo has a feeling all throughout the HM arc that orihime left her heart with him when she said goodbye. he doesn't know how to justify this feeling, just that it exists and it's strong and he needs to prove to her that he won't be letting her down. the anime surprisingly rounds this out nicely by having ichigo hold her hand after the grimmjow fight, but so much of ichigo's behavior this arc feels like the narrative's response to orihime's insecurities about their bond in chapter 199. ichigo does some pretty balls-to-the-walls crazy things this arc for orihime, so it's kind of like he's responding to her confession with magnanimous action of his own (though he doesn't know that's what he's doing; it's subconscious behavior, coming from the part of him that heard her even when he himself was asleep—his heart. this repeats for a second time when he dies at the tower but his heart hears her again. not the physical, beating thing of course, but the metaphysical thing that transcends physical form). what does orihime mean to him at this point in the story? he would say she's his friend, of course, but to us it's clear that their bond continually reminds him of what he's fighting for. he sealed his promise to her with the kanji that makes up his name. his life's purpose lies in protecting people, and as long as there's someone to protect, someone he promised to protect, he'll never die.

fullbring arc shakes things up by a) having them get closer as friends who share mundane interests, like reading the same manga or sharing mutual friends (esp tatsuki, who he seems to have made up with) or just chilling and hanging out in his room and b) having him actually acknowledge that orihime wants to protect him, too, and is now actually capable of doing that. before, ichigo could easily brush her under the wing of his protection, but it's here that he's got to contend with the fact that he might have an equal soon—a potential battle partner, which is something he's never had before going into horn of salvation.

which brings us to the 10-year-timeskip. i've said it before, but once the surface-level reason of wanting to protect her, just like he wants to protect everyone, is swept away, i do think he's got time and space to consider the fact that he might actually have a crush on her. AKA, this, to me, is the first time he realizes it for what it is and says it out loud to himself. he's always been able to distract himself or justify his feelings to himself using plot events before, but they're in a period of peace now and that's when i think he realizes that he wants to be with her. i don't think he could have ever had that realization if he was still paranoid about her safety, because duty comes first to him, but now that he's not, i think he realizes that he just likes spending time with her and spending hours in his room, with or without their friends, just talking and relaxing. they grew up together and she's seen every side of him—pre-powers, shinigami, hollow, quincy, powerless, what have you—so i think it moves him, knowing that she's been by his side through it all, seeing him up close in all his forms and versions, and maybe he's ready now for her to see what he's like as a lover too. if she'd love that version of him, just like she did with everything else! he's sensitive and protective of his own feelings, so he'd only make that move once he had a guarantee that it would be accepted. that he would be accepted. and orihime has obviously always tried to accept him for who he is, even when he was at his worst, so he feels safe in giving this side to her too!

#sorry this is so long; i just have very specific opinions about ichigo's feelings that i can't summarize with a shorter post😅 #ichihime #asks #to the other older asks in my inbox....i'm sorry but i literally can't see them anymore😭 idk why this is happening #i think most of ichigo having a crush is just him going: i wonder what inoue is doing...i wonder if inoue got home safe... #i wonder if inoue would come over today if i found the right reason to invite her...👉👈 #inoue looks so nice..let me not look at her at all and then scream if uryu or chad make a comment about it #he's very smart but he's also very dumb <3

[cookieswithay]

"The happy feelings club!"

🧡Ichigo x Orihime🧡 Ichihime fic

💝Episode 1: The gingers meet!

°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•

• Ichigo's pov!

• "Don't let it happen again, Kurosaki."

• "Yeah, yeah. It won't."

• Once again, I'm leaving the principal's office. But at least I got sent for actual reason this time.

• Hi there, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. Near straight A student. I got 2 sisters and 1 insane dad. And I'm a natural carrot top. You'd think with my high grades and all, teachers wouldn't pay me any mind. But no. I'm on everyone's radar. The color orange means trouble. Everyone picks a fight. But, I know how to win this messed up game...most of the time.

• "Did you hear? That guy punched someone."

• "No way, that's horrible."

• "Whispers" aren't anything new, but this rumor has truth in it. (Although those girls could at least TRY to be quiet) The "guy" I punched, was some loser who thought he could get handsy with the girls in my class. I don't know them very well, but I'm not a fan of hearing my classmates scream. So I took care of him. Nice and quick.

• (Tatsuki wanted to kill him, so I just took the fall.)

• "Oh no,"

• One of the girls griped.

• "Here comes that orange haired girl again."

• Orange haired girl? This cruddy school has one? Since when? I turned around and sure enough, there's a carrot top! She's running down the hall...towards me. I...should run, but... My feet feel stuck to the ground. She screeches to a halt and fell to her knees panting. So...she shouldn't of ran that fast. A few minutes passed and she's still wheezing. Damn, is she okay?

• "Um, are you okay?"

🧡

• Orihime's pov

• My lungs...are burning! But...I wanna...pass...these out! My name is Orihime Inoue! I have a busy older brother and I'm new to this school! I also like "weird combinations" of food. (Sweet treats ramen is so tasty!) And last but not least, I'm in charge of the happy feelings club! A blissful hour of doing your favorite things at school! All I need to do is get 3 more members and we can stay afloat. Hence my constant flyer passing! Like right now. But, I REALLY need to...catch...my breath. This tall guy...looks real nice.

• "Should I get the nurse...?"

• (Ichigo said that) Ah! Not the nurse again! I'll get scolded! I shot up. And I was face to face with a...with a...super cute boy. His hair is orange too...And...he probably has girlfriend! Don't wanna get my hopes up for nothing! I scrambled to my feet. I'm not dirty, am I?

• "Hi!"

• I said, flashing my persuasion smile. (It always works!)

• "I'm Orihime Inoue and I run the happy feelings club!"

• The cutie noodle looked confused. But, that's okay. It's a new club, so of course he never heard of it. This is what flyers are for! I pulled one from my backpack.

• "The details are on here."

• I gave it to him, nearly touching his long fingers. He's reading in his head. ...Why am I so NERVOUS!? He's reading the flyer! Not looking at me! Should I run!? Hide? Pass out!?

• "Ah-em."

• Huh?

• "Yes?"

• Did I say that too fast? He had on a half smile.

• "The meetings are after-school on fridays and wednesdays, right?"

• I nodded. My favorite days of the week.

• "Good, I'll be there."

• Oh..my...gosh! A new member! After two weeks of demanding nicely, someone finally joined-

🧡

• Ichigo's pov

• Out of nowhere, Orihime fell into my chest. It hurt but...some softer things touched me too. ...Holy crap! What do I do? Move her? Ask if she's okay? What am I saying, of course I check if she's alright! ...Um. Where to tap? I don't wanna make her uncomfortable or anything. Suddenly, she popped up and...looks raring to go like she didn't just fall? What is this girl?

• I was gonna actually ask that, but someone caught my eye. It was that one black haired chick with the fuchsia eyes. She's snickering with her tomboy friend. (Menoly, she goes to Tatsuki's boxing class.) Why...is that ticking me off? ...Whatever, whatever. Back to Orihime.

• "Orihime-"

• I paused. She looked...hateful and she was gripping her hair. And that's kinda hot. Not angry, but not fully sad either. But, what's the hair clutching about. ...I get it! Those two owe her money. Of course. I would be furrowing my brow too if I was in this situation. Man, people are so cheap nowadays.

• "Ah-em."

• I looked down straight into Orihime's big brown eyes. Shit, she's pretty. She looked down at a hip and back up at me. Ah! I haven't let her go! I stumbled back, muttering a apology. Damn, I'm bad at this.

• "So, I'll see you after school?"

• I said somewhat cooly. She nodded, with the biggest smile on her face. I couldn't help but laugh. Seriously, what is this girl? I just felt like ass a minute ago and now I feel like I won the lottery.

• Rinnnnng!

• That's the bell. Here dies my good mood. I looked back at Orihime.

• "Um, bye."

• I couldn't of said anything smoother than that!?

• "Bye!"

• "See you after school!"

• I waved and watched her skip off to whatever class she's in. Huh, I'm actually looking forward to the club thing.

🧡

• A few hours later

🧡

• Orihime's pov

• "So, tell me more about this hunk you met."

• Um...I did, did I say hunk? He's just really, really handsome is all. I pulled some games out of the cabinet.

• "He was really just nice, Rangiku."

• (Rangiku is one of my favorite upper classmen. She's nice and taught me how to get on Mr. Hitsugaya's good side! He gives out snacks! And she has a thing for Sora. She said she's gonna get serious soon.)

• "Men are nice,"

• She said, leaning on the table.

• "But they all have little quirks and one of your mystery man's caught your eye."

• She...got me there. I really like his hair...and his face. Plus his voice too. She opened her arms up.

• "Come here, tell me all about it."

• I sighed and laid in her squishy embrace. This is probably my favorite thing about Rangiku. She so soft! I could almost...fall asleep on her... Suddenly, I felt hands on my sides. Oh no. She's gonna tickle me again!

• "Don't fall asleep on me now, Orihime~!"

• "I wanna hear all about your little crush."

• Eeeek! I don't wanna pee! Again.

• "Rangiku, stop it!"

• I said through laughs. My uniforms gonna get all crinkly! I tried to push her away, but she laid me on the table!

• "Wow, your skin is so smooth. What lotion do you use?"

• The answer is Cloudy delight moisturizer, but I can't breathe from too much laughter! Suddenly, she stops. Thank goodness. My bladder couldn't take too much more.

• "Oh shit..."

• She mumbled. Wait? What's wrong? I grabbed onto Rangiku's arm, pulling myself up. Is it a teacher? It was just tickling-

• It's the cute guy from earlier in the door way.

• (And two guys I ran into at lunch.)

🧡

• Ichigo's pov

• I'm sure my face is beet red. But, I mean, come on! It's my first seeing two girls ontop of one another. (I'm not a adult film kinda guy) My hand shook on the doorknob.

• "Um...is this a bad time-"

• Suddenly, Keigo's hand was on my mouth.

• "Shut up, Ichigo! This is a once in a lifetime moment!"

• "Don't mess this up!"

• He shouted, while yanking me down. What the f-!? Mizuro put his hand over my mouth too.

• "Please ladies, continue,"

• "We don't mind."

• The older girl snickered.

• "Well, I guess we could do a little a something."

• She said, while tugging on her shirt. Orihime squeaked from under her. She looked just as embarrassed as me. That's it. This ends now. I bit down on one of Keigo's finger.

• "Ouch!"

• I shot up.

• "Knock it off!"

• I snapped. Man, this is a bad look for me. I'm flushed. Probably sweating now. And I had yet another "loud outburst". (Counseling stuff, don't ask.) Orihime's gonna think I'm crazy. The blonde burst into laughter.

• "Easy, easy, kiddo,"

• She crawled off the table. And Orihime.

• "I already have a guy I'm into, so calm down."

• She must a upperclassmen. No one my age would talk down to me like that. She strolled over, sizing me up. ...What's happening right now? She reached out and...patted my head?

• "No wonder a certain somebody likes you!"

• "You're adorable."

• What the- I am not adorable. I pushed her hand away.

• "Who're you anyway?"

• Yeah, I'm done being polite.

🧡

• Orihime's pov

• "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. The prettiest 3rd year."

• As she introduced herself, I sat up and fixed my clothes. (My underwear wasn't out, was it!?) That was embarrassing. Hopefully mr. unknown doesn't think I'm in love with Rangiku or something. Or a creepy pervert. I'm being crazy. If he ask, I'll explain. Easy peasy.

• "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for intruding,"

• I turned around. She's gonna leave!?

• "You two have fun,"

• Fun? (Why'd she say it like that!?)

• "And you two are gonna clean up with me!"

• The brown haired guy looked horrified.

• "You're a total hottie, but-"

• Rangiku snatched him by collar and pulled threw the door. He was screaming alot. (The other guy followed with no complaints.)

• "Bye bye, you too~!"

• She shut the door, leaving us in quietness.

• "I'm sorry about my friends."

• ...He's apologizing too?

• "No, no, it's my fault!"

• "Rangiku probably freaked you out."

• He turned red and shook his head.

• "It's fine, really."

• I nodded. And hello the crushing quietness. I looked around. What could we do? What's screams 'welcome new member'? Bingo! I grabbed the kitty notebooks.

• "Wanna draw cats with me?"

• He looked surprised, but smiled.

• "Why not?"

• Alright! Perfect time for my new scented markers! (Hopefully, they actually smell like their names.) I spread them out on the table and passed him a notebook. This is gonna be great! I'm great at drawing kitties!

🧡

• Ichigo's pov

• This takes me back. The markers. Cats. And the breeze outside. When I was younger and my sisters were like 4, my old man went out. (I dunno if it was shopping or doctor stuff.) But, he was taking awhile, so that freaked them out. And I remember pulling out my school books and markers. We drew for what felt hours. Needless to say, we had alot to show to dad. Heh, feels like forever ago. Although, I'm not any better at it. They still look like malnourished stick cats. Poor things.

• I looked over at Orihime. She was laser focused. I wanted to peek at her drawing but...I got lost. The afternoon sun made her look great. Ah, what am I doing!? I'm s'posed to be drawing right now. Suddenly, she shot up. I flinched. (Did she notice me?) She turned to me.

• "Do you hear that?"

• "Hear what?"

• I said way too casually.

• "Just listen."

• She whispered. So I did. ...What're we listening in for?

• Mew.

• Orihime grabbed my face and pointed towards the window.

• "It's there!"

• I pried her hands off and walked towards the window. What the- It's a frickin cat in the tree. (Cliché much?)

• But, how'd it get up HERE of all places? We're on the third floor!? Orihime popped out from under my arm.

• "I think I can grab it from here."

• What!? She tugged me back and lifted her leg on the windowsill. Hiking her skirt up with it. Oh hell no. I gripped her waist.

• "Orihime!"

• She turned around, looking genuinely confused. I snatched my hands back.

• "Lemme get the cat."

• Good excuse!

• "I'm taller."

• She nodded, and got back in. We swapped places.

🧡

• Orihime's pov

• "Let's make a plan."

• The mysterious prince said. He turned around, towering over me. Oh my...

• "I'll get the cat and you grab a teacher, okay?"

• "Okay!"

• I can do that!

• (I needed to give Mr. Kyõraku a assignment anyway)

• He smiled and stretched his long legs out the window. That's my cue to run like a track star!

• "Good luck!"

• I shouted and ran out the room. Just like earlier, I'm running down the hall. I'm hearing alot of not nice comments as I do, but I can't stop now. For the kitten's sake!

• A little more running later...

• "Mr. Shunsui!"

• He jumped and sat up straight. I slammed my hands on his desk.

• "I found a...a cat...I need...we..."

• I gotta...catch my breath! Just all the other times, I come in here, he chuckled.

• "Slow down, miss Inoue."

• He patted my head. (I'm kinda wheezing on his desk.)

• "I'm not going anywhere."

• My lungs are on FIRE, but...that guy probably has the cat already. And it could be hungry. I took a breath.

• "Me and this guy found a cat in a tree!"

• "A cat?"

• I nodded quickly.

• "On the 3rd floor too!"

• Mr. Shunsui stood and tugged his hair.

• "Oh boy."

• "Let's go find the kitty."

🧡

• Ichigo's pov

• This cat is putting up a fight. I know it's scared and all, but I seriously not being threatening. I'm even smiling! (That's what's scaring it, my guy) And what's really irritating is, I almost got it. I can literally poke it with my finger. But, I'm almost out the window. If I loose my footing, I'm dead.

• "Come here..."

• The cat meowed and hugged the branch tighter. Dammit...I got it! It's afraid to fall! Just like me. I can do this. I saved one of Karin's friend before. Still shaking like crazy, I lowered my hands.

• "Fall right here,"

• I said, in my softest voice.

• "You're gonna be okay..."

• Slowly, the cat began to relax. (Although It looked at me with a oddly expressive face as like it was trying to call bull shit.) After a little time, it fell into my hands. It's a tad heavy, but it's nothing I can't handle.

• Suddenly, my foot slipped.

• Am I falling out the window!?

• Yes I am.

• Everything moved extremely fast. I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die-!

• "Ichigo!"

• My leg was caught. I looked up.

• "Orihime?"

• (She knows my name?😳) She smiled.

• "You're gonna be okay!"

• A much bigger hand grabbed my other leg. I shivered. Which teacher did she bring!?

• "I gotcha kid."

• Ohh, it's Mr. Shunsui. (Glad she didn't get crazy Coach Zaraki)

• After a little pulling and touching places, I hoped no man would. I was back inside.

• But, without the cat. When did I drop it!

🧡

• Orihime's pov

• "Ichigo, what's wrong-"

• The cat.

• "Eeek! Where's the cat!?"

• We both pushed Mr. Shunsui out of the way and looked out the window. Where is it!? Where is it!? (I hope I'm not saying this outloud.)

• "There it is!"

• Ichigo shouted, pointing down. I hopped on his arm, getting a closer look. Down below, I saw a dark skinned guy with wavy hair. He had the kitty in his hands. (The poor thing was trembling) Have I met him before? He looked up at us.

• "Is this yours?"

• He called up. I shook my head.

• "I wish, but he's a stray we found in the tree!"

• I shouted back. I'm sure I know who he is. Mr. Shunsui scooted me over.

• "Son, could you be a dear and bring that cat up here?"

• He nodded and walked off. So did my teacher. I looked over at Ichigo. He was panting and sweating He looked my way and raised his hand.

• "Good job, we saved a cat."

• Oh, we're gonna high five. I only put my hand on his. I'm too tired to actually slap it.

• "Good job."

• I wheezed. He chuckled and looked back at the sunset. A light wind blew by. ...I'm so thankful for golden hour.

• "So, can I become a member?"

• Huh?

• "Of course!"

• "This is the most fun I had in weeks!"

• He looked over at me.

• "And cause your a nice guy!"

• I don't want him to think he's just a source of entertainment or anything. Ichigo stuck out his hand.

• "Agreed?"

• I smiled.

• "Agreed!"

• We shook hands.

• "Welcome to the happy feelings club."

°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°

• "Orihime,''

• (We're putting the stuff away.)

• "Yeah?"

• "How come you suddenly know my name?"

• I know I forgot to tell her about it. She thought for a moment.

• "The cat you drew earlier!"

• "You signed it."

• Ah, she saw it!?

• "That's great."

• I said with a fake smile. She nodded.

• "It's going on your nametag!"

• Huh!?

°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°•●•°○°

This was so long! But, y'know what, first episodes are always long. (And I may of done it on my tablet) Anyway, I really like this one. I can't wait for the next episode. Stay cool!

Little tag list: @elyonholic @o0o0thorn0o0o @ichihimelover1503 @takibikaen @usoppsstar

#bleach #ichigo kurosaki #orihime inoue #happy feelings club #first episode #finally got this done #loved it #real tired #hope you enjoy #ichigo x orihime #ichihime #stay cool #love u all

[hibiscusangel15]

The Death and the Strawberry: ReVise

Ichigo and Rukia are the protagonists of Bleach, so I'm rewriting canon accordingly.

Cover is an edit by @ grimmjows_ on Twitter!

Day 3 prompt: star-crossed lover's high

Summary: Each choice falls before them like a grain of sand. Ichigo and Rukia dare to shatter fate once more.

Or, a rewrite of the ending of Bleach. For Day 3 of @ichirukimonth​ 2021.

Rating: Teen and Up

*Also crossposted to AO3 and FFN!

A voice.

A voice was calling to him.

In this unending dark, someone dared to call out. He couldn’t make out who it was. All he knew was that something was wrong. Missing. Dully gnawing at him like those cursed chain links from when he nearly Hollowfied.

Who was it? Who wanted to rip him away from here?

This place was…

It was…

Ichigo squinted at the soft sunlight that bled through the screen doors. It didn't take him long to pick out familiar reiatsu flaring around him. Byakuya stood near a cluster of others he did not recognize. Inoue was with another group. Renji’s agitated reiatsu bounced back and forth nearby.

Rukia stood alone.

A pristine back garden awaited him beyond the door, not a leaf nor a branch out of place. Carefully pruned bonsai sat along the back wall. Neat bushes lined a stone path leading to another intricate gate across the way.

The Kuchiki mansion.

How did he get here? He couldn’t even piece together what led him to this point. The last thing he could remember…

No, not even that. It was as if he’d simply appeared here.

A servant shuffled past, bowing her head to him.

“Wait!” He grabbed her shoulder. “What’s going on? Why am I here?”

Anxiety briefly flashed across her face. “I-I’m sorry, Kurosaki-dono. I must be on my way.”

He let her go and she walked much faster in her panic to be rid of him.

The servants flitted back and forth, none slowing down long enough to answer this simple question. Eventually, he parsed out the closest reiatsu to him. Renji was only a few rooms down. He’d ask him then.

Ichigo threw the screen door open without so much as knocking. “Oi, Renji!”

Renji nearly jumped out of his skin. “What the hell, Ichigo! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry,” Ichigo said as he studied his new attire. Renji wore a pressed montsuki haori-hakama instead of his Shinigami uniform. “Why’re you dressed like that anyway?”

Much to his surprise, Renji flushed. “Does it look that weird? I mean, this marriage is happening so fast, I wasn’t sure if any of it would turn out okay.”

“Whoa, you’re getting married?” Was that why he was here? To attend Renji’s wedding? “That’s great! Do I know them?”

Renji frowned like it should have been obvious. “Did you hit your head or something? I’m marrying Rukia.”

Just like that, Ichigo’s world split apart. “What?”

Renji wasn’t listening. At the very least, he hadn’t heard him. “I’m so happy Captain Kuchiki gave me his permission. I wasn’t sure he’d approve. After all this time, I never thought that Rukia would even—”

“No.”

And this time, Renji heard him. “Huh? What do you mean no?” There was nothing else behind his awful, vacant grin. It was like he couldn’t see past his own giddy thoughts.

“Rukia can’t. She wouldn’t.”

The rest caught in his throat and Ichigo tore away. How awful it was to lose everything within a fraction of a second.

This wasn’t real.

There was no way any of this was real.

In his blind rush to find Rukia, he very nearly barreled into someone else. A thin cloth fluttered out of their hands as they screamed.

"Oh! Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue said, her hands flying to cover her mouth. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Ichigo looked past her. “I need to get to Rukia. Do you know where she is?”

“I think she's still in her room getting dressed! I was on my way there, too, actually. I just put the finishing touches on her veil!” Inoue’s face brightened. “Those strawberry flowers you and Karin sewed were really nice, but I had to add a few flourishes myself!”

Strawberry flowers? Was this some kind of sick joke?

Ichigo slapped a hand over his mouth and tried not to gag.

“Kurosaki-kun! Are you okay?”

He reeled back from her hand on his arm. “I…I need to get to Rukia,” he repeated. “I’m sorry, Inoue.”

Ichigo ran past her, honing in on Rukia. She was not in her room, as it turned out, but in the back garden staring off into space. The shiromuku hanging off her tiny frame looked out-of-place and wrong. Like a symbol of grief instead of purity and joy.

“Rukia!”

She continued to stare off towards the same point in the distance.

“Ru—”

And there, standing high and proud above them stood the Sōkyoku and the execution stand, fully rebuilt.

“Why…Why is the Sōkyoku back? I destroyed it!”

It was only then Rukia looked at him. Her eyes were cold. Lifeless. Certainly not the eyes of a happy bride-to-be.

“Rukia…” he whispered, the sound soft and unrelenting, “why are you marrying Renji?”

“Because I must.” It had the intonation of repeated rehearsals, of swallowed pride and lies she forced herself to settle into.

“No, this doesn’t make any sense. None of this makes any sense.” Ichigo pushed his bangs back with his hands, scraping desperately at his memory. “I don’t know how I got here, Rukia. I can’t remember where I was before this. Rukia, you can’t marry Renji. You can’t.”

Rukia smiled, a mournful, pithy thing that splintered his heart. “You needn’t fight anymore, Ichigo. You needn’t bear such a pointless burden. I chose this.”

“What?” He recoiled like she had punched him in the gut. “No. No. Weren’t you the one who told me that if I get hurt, then you’d help me? Didn’t you say if I couldn’t fight, then you’d fight in my place? If I was in pain, then you wanted to help me deal with that pain, right? So why are you standing there and saying all those things as if this isn’t causing me pain? As if I wouldn’t fight for you every second of my life if I had to.”

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to speak.

“It’s the same for me, too. I know you’re in pain. I know you want to fight this. So please, let me fight for you. Let me protect you from despair.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Rukia, I lo—”

She immediately clapped both hands over his mouth and shook her head. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say such a thing. If you make me happy now, it will ruin everything, don’t you see?”

He turned away from her. “I don’t understand. I won’t! If you don’t want to marry Renji, then why?”

A small flash of a memory came back. Happiness. He’d threatened to take it away from them.

Ichigo sucked in a breath. “Yhwach.”

“Don’t speak his name,” Rukia warned, but it was too late.

The dam burst and with it came the memories of his last battle. He, Chad, Inoue, Grimmjow, Nel, Yoruichi, and Ganju finally caught up to Rukia and Renji after being separated for much too long. Countless battles erupted around them. Even so, both he and Rukia had to make sure the other was alright.

Rukia scolded him for worrying about her, but it was halfhearted and lacked its usual punch. She was exhausted. They all were. From endless war and justifying the continued destruction of an entire race of people. The Shinigami had wiped most of the Quincies out two hundred years ago, and now Yhwach, their leader and god, had done the same.

Was it worse than what the Shinigami had done? To betray your own people for your own self-preservation?

They fought and bled and died for a cause that didn’t even matter in the end. All so Yhwach could gain even more power than he already had. More of a coward than a despot. Though those always ended up being one and the same in the end.

Inoue took advantage of this breather by healing all of them at once. An orange dome surrounded the group and slowly but surely healed all their wounds and restored their energy. They all thanked Inoue for her hard work, but her attention was elsewhere.

The large tower before them. She must’ve been acutely aware, as they all were, that one very important person was still missing.

The members of their group had branched off one-by-one until only he and Rukia remained. Aizen had used his zanpakutō to direct Yhwach’s attention off them and then…

“We were about to defeat him, right? Why can’t I remember the end of it? What happened to us, Rukia? What is this?”

A single tear spilled down her cheek. “We were not strong enough to defeat Yhwach. This is a future where we fail.”

Ichigo shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. Not if I was with you. Not unless—”

He turned around and was once again met with an endless void. No matter where he looked, pitch darkness awaited him.

“Ichigo.”

Yhwach’s voice did more than just fill this space. The very air overflowed with his presence. It was like he had been dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

“You,” Ichigo spat despite the harsh air.“ Where the hell are you, bastard?”

“I am everywhere. I am the world. I am your future and everything you are.”

“Come out and face me!”

“Did you not like that glimpse of the future I had shown you, my son? It is only a courtesy to let you taste it before I take your powers from you.”

“Fuck you!”

Yhwach's laughter pounded in his ears. A frothy mess of black ooze and eyeballs clambered up from the dark to latch onto his right foot.

Ichigo tried to step back, only to find his other foot stuck in another roiling black mass. He reached behind him for the familiar weight of Zangetsu, but there was nothing. Desperate, he landed blow after bare blow with his fists. This did not deter it from clambering up his legs, his torso, his arms.

“Goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo. I did appreciate the small challenge you presented me for a time.”

Is this it? Ichigo wanted to scream. All my battles, everything I fought so hard for. Was it all for nothing?

The black mass crept up his neck, savoring its ascendency until the last minute. Ichigo shut his eyes. He would not face his end. It was far too painful to bear.

“Ichigo! Get up, Ichigo!”

His eyes fluttered open. “Ru…kia?” he choked out through the black ooze.

Bright light poked through the endless void above him. The ooze wriggled, confused, then chittered in outrage when something tugged him out and up toward this light.

Ichigo sat up with a gasp then immediately doubled over. A hole roughly the size of a large hand was carved into his chest. Just as suddenly as it had come, however, stray bits of Yhwach’s cloak broke off to fill the wound.

The pain disappeared, and with it, the fogginess in his head. Yhwach stood frozen above him, an arrow pierced directly through his chest. Ishida stood a few feet away, bow drawn as if he anticipated firing more arrows to ensure his victory.

“Get out of there, Kurosaki!” he yelled. Ichigo scooped up the otherwise incapacitated Aizen under an arm and leapt towards him and Rukia.

He set Aizen down at Ishida’s feet, careful not to bump his head against the razed stone. Aizen smirked even through the blood. “I don’t need your pity, Kurosaki Ichigo. And I certainly don’t need to be saved by the likes of you.”

Ichigo scoffed. “Just shut up and stay down. Rukia and I will handle this.”

Aizen was much too stubborn to follow orders. He grunted as he pushed himself to his feet, clutching his stump of a left arm to staunch the bleeding. If Yhwach could truly see everything, then he must have caught a glimpse of Kyouka Suigetsu’s release at one point in time. It was only a matter of using it against him that was the trouble.

As it turned out, the progenitor of the Quincy was not as omniscient as he claimed. Odd to think that if not for Aizen, he and Rukia both would have been dead by now.

Rukia stood upon a secure pile of rubble, her bankai form pure white and awe-inspiring in the light. She glowed. There was no other word that fit more.

She stared straight ahead without acknowledging him, a trail of ice pouring forth towards Yhwach.

Ichigo vaguely recalled Yhwach gaining the upper hand and a black wave enveloping them both. So she’d broken through that barrier without freezing everything else around her? She’d grown so much stronger in such a short period of time.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her, wanted to make this short victory real. Instead, he asked, “Rukia, are you okay?”

“She can’t talk to you right now, idiot. Didn’t she already explain how her bankai works?” Ishida snapped.

Ichigo blew out a slow sigh. “I know. I just want to know if she’s alright after that. It can’t have been easy, controlling a new bankai to such a degree.”

Her reiatsu shifted slightly, and he knew the compliment had made her happy.

Ichigo turned to face Yhwach alongside her. “Right. I’ll lend you my strength, too, Rukia. We’ll erase Yhwach’s existence together.”

Ishida's power was wrapped up in the silver arrow he shot. Now a large portion of Yhwach’s reiatsu had been given to Ichigo rather than it being taken from him. A reversal that tipped the tide in their favor.

He’d be sure to thank Ishida later.

“Bankai.”

An impossible surge of black energy swirled around him, cloaking him in heavy shadows. The power of the Final Getsuga Tenshō that had once been hampered by Yhwach’s influence was now freed. He could tap into this power without the burden of loss snapping at his heels. And now, with Yhwach’s power folded into it, he could increase that power by an unimaginable degree.

Rukia’s reiatsu also soared to impossible heights, enough to rival his in its sheer strength. White energy first clashed then melded with his. A huge vortex of their reiatsu swirled about them, eclipsing the sky with their might. Like ying and yang, ice and fire. The black sun and the white moon united.

Ichigo raised his sword, aiming it directly at Yhwach’s frozen form. “Mugetsu.”

That awful future he saw would not come to pass. He and Rukia would make sure to rewrite it all here and now.

The energy shot forth and encompassed the Quincy Emperor. All at once, relief fell over the Soul Society like a sigh.

“Hey, Aizen,” Ichigo said. “Is this all…real?”

Aizen scoffed. “You’ve never seen the release of my zanpakutō. Of course this is real.”

He nearly sank to his knees. It was over. They won.

Rukia released her bankai, slow and steady. A cold wisp of air spiraled from her lips as she thawed. It was then Ichigo wrapped his arms around her tight. He had to be sure. Had to know if their victory was not some sick fantasy carved from the depths of his heart.

She hesitated for only a moment before returning his embrace. A strained noise escaped his throat. She was here. Rukia was here and alive and so, so warm in his arms.

He pulled back just enough to cup her face in a hand. A faint pink flushed across her cheeks and it made her look all the more wonderful.

“Rukia, I love you.”

Long before this, all the wars and the blood and the fighting, he might have been embarrassed to say this aloud to himself, much less in front of others. But after seeing what could have been without her, he did not care about such trivial matters anymore.

“I love you, too, you fool,” she whispered.

They did not need any more words. It only took a glance, a moment of trading unspoken agreements. He wanted to kiss her then and there, but now was not the time. Not with Aizen bleeding but free next to them.

Not when they were surrounded by so much death.

And still, he had to make sure.

“Please don’t marry Renji,” Ichigo said.

Rukia frowned. “Where is this coming from?”

“I had this weird vision when Yhwach tried to take my powers. I was at your brother’s place and Renji was…He was going to marry you. Nothing in the Seireitei had changed. The Sokyoku had been rebuilt. Yhwach was defeated, but he wasn't gone. We could never be happy again or he’d come back. And the worst part was that you were so beautiful in your dress and you looked so sad.”

She shook her head. “That wouldn’t happen. This is our future now, Ichigo.”

“We shattered fate.” He stood up straighter. “Isn’t that right, Ishida?”

Ishida shoved his glasses up his face. “Not necessarily.”

“Oh, c’mon, can’t you let us have this one victory without worrying about the semantics?” Ichigo grumbled. “You Quincy are all the same.”

A small smirk tugged at the edge of Ishida’s mouth.

“Yeah, well, I guess I need to thank you for reversing Yhwach taking my powers. But I know Rukia and I broke through those awful futures all on our own.”

“Yhwach may have been powerful, but he was not as omniscient as he claimed. If he was, Aizen’s attack would not have done any damage.” Ishida sighed. “The reversal process is always difficult to keep up. All those futures he saw were limited to those I let him see with my power. Without it, I don’t think we would have lived.”

Ichigo looked away. “There are much worse fates than that if we lost.”

Ishida had to know this, too, having once shared Yhwach's mind for a time. It must have been hard, knowing the many ways all his friends could have failed. The many deaths they had endured.

“There were.” Ishida threw him a wry smile. “But now we won’t have to live through any of them.”

Ichigo stuck a hand out to him. “Thanks for keeping us safe all that time.”

This time, Ishida’s smile softened into something more genuine when he clasped his hand. “If I told you what I was planning, I knew you would hold back. Besides, there’s no way you or Chad or Inoue-san would ever agree to it.”

Much to his surprise, Ichigo yanked his hand forward and headbutted him on the spot. “You idiot! You’d have made us worry either way! Don’t ever do that again, bastard, or I’ll really kill you next time.”

Ishida rubbed the sore spot on his head. He looked as if he was about to snap at him, but the words stopped before he got them out. Instead, he began to laugh. “Good luck with that, Shinigami.”

Before he pulled his hand away, Ichigo tightened his grip. “Wait. There’s something I need to give you first.”

Ichigo took a deep breath and shut his eyes. “The remaining power of the Quincies should be in the hands of someone who can use it for the better. Ishida, this power should be yours.”

All at once, an intense reiatsu flared around them. Ishida grimaced but did not waver. This was his birthright. His revenge to finally see through.

The last Quincy. And the first to see through a new era.

Ishida let go of Ichigo's hand, settling into this newfound power. A genuine smile crossed his face. “Thank you, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo smiled as he took Rukia’s hand in his. “You're welcome.”

He had given up all but one part of the Quincies' power. Among the thousands of Schrifts and reiatsu Yhwach had absorbed over the centuries, Ichigo kept one very familiar power close to his chest: his mother's. It comforted him to know just how strong she was—and enraged that Yhwach would dare take that away from her when she needed it most.

This power was an heirloom, one bright and warm like the sun poking through the clouds. Ishida could have all the rest of it. The strength and love inherited from his mother would burn in his heart to honor her forever.

Several Shinigami captains suddenly arrived on the scene, many of whom concentrated around Aizen. Hitsugaya, Byakuya, and Soi Fon pointed their zanpakutō at him, but he was undeterred.

Head Captain Kyoraku surveyed the rubble and ruin with an unhurried air. “My, my. What a mess. It’s going to take ages to get all this repaired.”

Aizen eyed the new Head Captain up and down, obviously unimpressed. “You seem awfully lax, Kyoraku. All of you are. Just because Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia erased Yhwach does not mean you have won.”

Kenpachi grinned down at him. “Is that a challenge, Aizen?”

Head Captain Kyoraku held a hand out to stop him from engaging in battle, that same relaxed smile on his face. “Kurosaki Ichigo, you bear the power of the Soul King remarkably well.”

Ichigo frowned. “Uh, I guess. I was hoping I could grant it to someone else like I did Yhwach’s power to Ishida. I’m not suited to be the next Soul King.”

“And yet who besides Yhwach has handled this power with such ease?” Kurotsuchi piped up. “The weight of the worlds and the balance of all the souls in existence rests on your shoulders, and yet you stand there as tall and proud as ever. Kurosaki Ichigo, you truly are a fascinating subject.”

Rukia tightened her grip on Ichigo’s hand. “Ichigo will not be the next Soul King. I will not allow it.”

“No, I suppose you won’t. But there must be a new Soul King if we ever hope to fix the barrier between the worlds. We cannot continue to let our worlds intermingle for much longer, Kuchiki-san,” Kyoraku said.

Without warning, Rukia drew her zanpakutō. “I said I will not allow it. Captain Ukitake did not give up his life just so Ichigo can throw away his.”

Ishida drew his bow beside her. “Would Soul Society really confine Kurosaki’s soul for all eternity? After all he’s done for you?”

The moment the captains’ reiatsu wavered, Aizen’s reiatsu rose further. The captains surrounding him took a cautious leap back to avoid the sudden blast.

“If Kurosaki Ichigo is the new Soul King, then I will simply take this power for myself. Even in my current state, none of you are a match for me.”

The stump of his left arm rippled and immediately a suitable replacement shot out in a rush of veins, bone, and skin. The hole that Yhwach had punched through slowly knit itself together again.

Soi Fon tensed, immediately summoning her shikai. “We need to move now!”

“Stand down!” Kyoraku shouted. The captains all looked to him, bewildered. He was far too collected for the situation at hand. Even as Aizen’s reiatsu burnished around him, he merely folded his arms in his large sleeves and sighed. “Do you really think it wise to challenge all of us again, Aizen? With Kurosaki Ichigo wielding the power of the Soul King and Ishida Uryū as the new Quincy Emperor? Did you not see what Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia did to the last enemy of Soul Society?”

“I am grateful that they erased one more nuisance from my path to victory.” Aizen spread his arms out wide. “I did not wish to merge all the worlds, but I wouldn’t mind ruling over this new deathless purgatory, either.”

Kyoraku smiled. “Tell me, Aizen, if you had won and created the Ōken, what would you have done after killing the Soul King?”

“Captain Kyoraku!” his lieutenant hissed, but he paid her no mind.

“What a ridiculous question. I would seize the throne for myself and rule over the worlds.”

“Ah, but what about the balance of life and death? Would you allow it to collapse like Yhwach or were you planning to reshape reality as you saw fit?”

Aizen’s smug smile fell. “You’re being awfully chatty, Kyoraku. Tell me, is this your attempt at stalling until Urahara Kisuke and Squad Zero come to capture me once more?”

“I’m not stalling for anything. I want to understand you, Aizen. I want to know if you would truly be a suitable substitute for the Soul King or if all that power is just for show.”

All the Shinigami’s reiatsu heightened. After everything they had endured, would Kyoraku really allow Aizen, of all people, to rule over all the realms?

“Because our worlds do need a little retooling. As it is, Soul Society isn't well-equipped to deal with these constant invasions. Hollows run rampant no matter what world they’re in. The souls of individuals wind up isolated from their families when they arrive in Soul Society.” He shook his head. “Perhaps the Quincy and Fullbringers would not seek out revenge against us if we didn't work in such strict absolutes. Would you dare to change that, Aizen? What was your true goal?”

Before Aizen could give his answer, a crystal spike erupted from his chest. Blood spurted from the edge of his mouth. “What? What is this?”

“Everyone was told that Muken houses the most treasonous of prisoners. At the very least it contains those that cannot be killed by normal execution methods.” Kyoraku took the box holding the keys that released him from Muken from his sleeve. “But it also had another purpose. It was not written down, but passed on orally from Central 46 members to Squad Zero and a select few members of Squad One.”

The crystalline substance began to encompass Aizen’s entire body, immune to his insane bursts of reiatsu or the harsh blows he landed along its surface.

“In the event that the Soul King should be destroyed, those held in Muken would become a viable substitute. Your immortality alone renders you the perfect replacement. And we would still use your power to our will and separate the worlds, as Shinigami long before us did to the first Soul King.”

“Damn you!” Aizen spat, the very debris around him crumbling to dust as his reiatsu climbed ever higher. “Damn you all!”

“Looks like you got your wish after all, Aizen,” Kyoraku finished. And with that, an amber crystal fully engulfed Aizen in a permanent scream.

The captains all exchanged unsure glances with one another, but Aizen did not break free. The crystal had managed to imprison the Soul King for countless millennia, after all.

Kyoraku turned to Ichigo. “Kurosaki-san, if you don’t mind?”

He looked to Rukia. She squeezed his hand once then let go.

“Okay. I’ll transfer the remnants of the Soul King to him.”

Something tugged him forth, not so much by his own will than by an odd compulsion he recognized as the crystal's own power. The stone was cold to the touch. That wasn't what made him shudder. Being face-to-face with what could have been his own unfortunate fate haunted him. Had he managed to kill Aizen in battle, had no other substitute been available and Soul Society more rigid in its traditions…

The crystal sapped the remainder of the Soul King's power from him. Just like that, it was done. The new Soul King had been instated.

Ichigo sensed the muddled mixture of worlds separate once more. Grimmjow, Nel, Pesche, Dondachakka, and all the Arrancar and Hollows' reiatsu shifted away. Soul Society still had much to repair, but otherwise, every soul was where it was meant to be.

If that was so, then he understood now where he had to be. Who he was.

Ichigo was a Shinigami, and nothing could change that. He and Rukia protected everyone. And that was who they would continue to be for as long as time would allow.

Squad Zero, Urahara-san, and Yoruichi and her younger brother showed up not long after. Kyoraku spoke to them in hushed tones. They would take care of the logistics of moving Aizen to the Soul King’s palace. For now, Kyoraku had one last loose end left.

Right as he looked over at Ishida, Ichigo and Rukia immediately tensed. “Kyoraku-san!”

Ishida put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. “It’s fine, Kurosaki. I know I’m not completely innocent. Far too many innocent Shinigami died because of my inaction.”

“But—”

Ishida shook his head. “I never said my plan to kill Yhwach was perfect. I knew several Shinigami would die in the process.”

“Ishida!” Rukia said, a low warning in her voice.

He paused but did not look back at her. “Thank you, Kurosaki. Kuchiki-san. I’m glad we could be friends.”

Ishida knelt down and immediately offered his hands up to be cuffed. “This is not nearly enough recompense for what I allowed to happen. But I hope that in time I can atone for the upset of the balance of the worlds with my life.”

For a moment, all was silent and still.

Kyoraku snorted and the tension cracked. “Geez, everyone’s so tense today! I’m not Yama-jii!”

Ishida looked up.

“The Quincy have suffered enough under our hands. It’s time we learn to coexist peacefully for a change.” Much to everyone’s surprise, Kyoraku knelt on the ground. “Kurosaki Ichigo. Kuchiki Rukia. Ishida Uryū. The three of you have saved us all. On behalf of all the Shinigami, we are truly indebted to you.”

He prostrated himself before them. Soon enough, all the captains except for Kurotsuchi and Kenpachi followed suit.

Ishida looked all around him, startled by their undying respect. The Shinigami and the Quincy working together…His grandfather would have been so proud of him.

Rukia clapped a hand to her mouth. Her brother was one of the first to kneel to her. The man she had come to respect so much offered up his own to her without hesitation.

Ichigo wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The weight of being a savior was heavy. Even now, Rukia did not seem to fully grasp how amazing she was. She saved the balance of the worlds. She deserved every ounce of reverence the worlds had to offer.

“Ishida-kun!” a far-off voice yelled. Inoue, Chad, and Ganju floated down safely on her shield. She jumped off before it touched the ground and ran towards them.

“Inoue-san…” Ishida pushed himself off the ground. His expression became more guarded. “I—”

Suddenly, Inoue tackled him into a hug, tears pouring down her face. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Ishida-kun! I felt your reiatsu all the way up in the palace, and I knew it had to be Ishida-kun fighting to protect us! If you were with Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san, it had to be okay!”

Truth be told, Ichigo had wondered if Ishida doubted the strength of their friendships all this time. But now, looking at how Ishida’s eyes misted over, he knew that was never the case. He never wanted to betray their trust. He always kept them in his thoughts when he fought.

What he lacked the most was the belief that he deserved it after everything he’d done.

Ishida patted Inoue’s head with a gentle smile. “Thank you for having faith in me, Inoue-san.”

Both Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a private smile of their own.

Chad wrapped his arms around them all without warning.

Ichigo squirmed in his grip, his face growing red as Rukia was forcibly pressed against his own chest. “Oi! Chad, what the—”

“I’m happy.”

“Eh?”

Chad only pulled them closer to him. Inoue began to bawl her eyes out as she continued to cling to Ishida and Chad alike.

Ichigo’s expression softened. He and his friends would not have to fight in wars ever again. There would be peace at last.

“Can I get in on that hug, too?” Ganju whimpered as moved tears flowed down his face.

Ichigo’s scowl immediately returned. “Hey! Stop that, you stupid pig straddler! Don’t you have your own friends to hug?”

“You guys are my friends!”

He broke away from Chad’s embrace to try and kick at Ganju. The group broke off one-by-one as they tried to pry the two scuffling men apart. Chad immediately hefted the both of them up and held them apart with his usual unaffected air.

Inoue flailed around as she tried to calm Rukia down from punching Ichigo and Ganju for causing such a commotion.

An odd sort of peace, but one they would not trade for anything. Their future full of bickering and fights and having one another’s backs despite it all laid before them. They only needed to seize it.

Ichigo’s eyes snapped open. The servants of the Kuchiki mansion bustled to and fro, organizing everything in a rushed blur.

He was late.

“Crap!”

He threw off his sheets to get ready. The most important day of his life, and he just had to wake up late.

Byakuya and his dad’s reiatsu closed in on the room.

“Ichigo! How dare you not be ready yet!” his dad scolded when they slid the door open. “Rukia-chan might almost be done putting on her shiromiku and you’d still be snoring away like some lazy bum! I knew I should have woken you up myself!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sleep in. I’ll be ready in a couple minutes!”

Byakuya gave him a decisive once-over. “It is fortunate that Rukia has much to prepare, or I would have killed you on the spot.”

Isshin’s laughter grew more nervous when Byakuya left with that sentiment.

“Wait, that was a joke, right? You’re joking?” his dad’s voice trailed after him.

Ichigo snorted as he went to close the door again.

“Ichigo!” Renji’s voice called out not long after. “C’mon, hurry up! We need to leave for the shrine soon!”

He whirled when the door opened once more, shocked to find Chad and Ganju also peeking in on him. Chad only made it worse when he threw him an encouraging thumbs-up.

“What the hell?” Ichigo sputtered. “I’m trying to change here! Get out!”

“Do you need help? We can help you!” Renji said. “Rukia already has Ishida, Inoue, and your other human friends helping her out! Let us help you get out of those clothes!”

Ichigo flushed an angry red. “I  said  get out!”

He slammed the door in their faces, ignoring Renji and Ganju’s whining.

The montsuki haori-hakama hung in the small closet right next to the tuxedo he would wear later. The Shiba waves swirled over the chest and he ran a hand over the fabric. The last person to use this had been Shiba Kaien.

Knowing the Shiba clan was his family too was one thing. Rukia telling him about her painful past with Shiba Kaien was another. It was an honor to wear this. To be accepted into a lineage and history with both the Shiba clan and Rukia.

It did not take him long to put it on, surprisingly enough. He supposed all that time wearing the Shinigami uniform helped somewhat.

Renji and Chad quickly ushered him towards the shrine while Ganju went to join the seat by Kuukaku and the rest of the Kurosaki family. Both Kuukaku and Karin tried their best to get Yuzu to stop bawling in her happiness, to no avail. Ichigo smiled and patted a patient hand on top of her head.

“Don’t spoil her, Ichi-nii. Do you have any idea how long it took me to put on her make-up? Now it’s just running down her face,” Karin whined.

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m just glad you guys had time to come here today.”

Yuzu braved a smile. “Of course, Ichi-nii. We wouldn’t miss this for anything!”

Kuukaku waved him away. “They’ll be fine, Ichigo. Go on and get ready before Rukia comes.”

Ichigo took a deep breath as he headed towards the small room where he and Rukia would rehearse the steps one last time. He was pretty sure he got everything down, but when it came to the new vows he’d written, he wanted to make sure he said them all perfectly.

Rukia deserved that much.

His dad caught his eye and waved him over. Upon seeing how tense Ichigo was, he teased, “Getting nervous, son?”

“Shut up, old man.”

Isshin patted a heavy hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. I was nervous when I married your mother, too. It’s hard getting up in front of your friends and family and being all mushy. Especially with what you have in mind.”

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. “Do you think it’s too much?”

“It’s definitely going against tradition,” his dad admitted, “but since when have you ever been one to follow tradition?”

Ichigo tried to hide his smile, but he was pretty sure his dad saw it anyway.

“Now, go make my third daughter happy, will you?” his dad said and smacked him hard enough on the back to make him stumble.

The rehearsal room was pristine. The various sakazuki for practicing the sankon no gi were filled with water instead of sake. He dug several carefully-folded papers from the inner pocket of the montsuki haori-hakama, reading its contents over and over under his breath.

A quick rap to the door alerted him to Rukia's presence and he hastily stuffed the papers away again.

Ichigo looked back right as the door opened. His heart leapt when he met her eyes. There really was no other way to describe it. The tender clichés and songs and poetry—all of it could not adequately describe what he felt for her. Could not match the overwhelming rush of warmth and excitement.

Kurosaki Ichigo was in love with Kuchiki Rukia, and in her power, he was rendered nothing but a fool on his knees.

She smiled at him, a cocky tilt of her reddened lips that made him smile all the wider. "You still need to rehearse, Ichigo? I didn't think this part of the wedding would make you all that anxious."

Ichigo snorted as she stepped lightly beside him. "Oh yeah? And who was the one who downed all the sake when we first rehearsed the sankon no gi?"

A startled blush crept across her cheeks. "You're bringing that up again? Who's the one who keeps forgetting to bow at the right times?"

"You're so annoying."

"Insolent fool."

The two of them exchanged a glance then started to laugh at the other's fake pouting.

"I love you, Rukia."

She waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Save it for the vows, idiot."

He patted the inner pocket of his montsuki haori-hakama one last time. The paper crinkled under his touch.

Ichigo offered a hand out to her. "You ready?"

She placed her hand in his and he ran a slow thumb over her slim knuckles. "Are you?" she teased.

"I've been ready since the day we met."

"Huh?"

Ichigo pushed open the doors and the two headed out to meet their destiny.

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Ichigo remembered to bow at all the right times, and Rukia did not panic and down all the sake during the sankon no gi part of the ceremony. When it came time to read the vows, however, Ichigo set aside the ones pre-written by the shrine maiden and took out the packet hidden in his inner pocket.

The shrine maiden did not bat an eye at this. Ichigo had cleared it with her long before this day. Despite how unconventional it all was, she couldn't deny that Kurosaki Ichigo's more personal vows were far better than the script she had written out.

Rukia looked over at the papers, questions swimming in her wide eyes.

"Kuchiki Rukia," Ichigo began. "It cannot be understated how much I hate the rain. It rained the day Ginjou stole my Fullbring powers. It rained the day Byakuya and Renji took you back to Soul Society to be executed. It rained the day my mother…"

He took a shuddering breath. He'd read it over and over again in his mind, but to say it aloud here felt…

And then, the sun peeked through the shrine and settled like a warm hand on his back.

"The day my mother was taken from my family."

A slight breeze blew through his hair.

Go on.

"You've always been a stubborn pain in my ass. You yell at me and hit me, and somehow, you drive the rain away. You kick at my despair and sit firmly in my heart to make sure it never returns. Before I met you—before you gave me the power to protect everyone and everything—I always felt helpless. I was never strong enough, never good enough. But because you came into my world, I'll never have to know what that feels like ever again. Because of you, Rukia, the rain has stopped."

"Ichigo…"

His breath hitched when he finally dared to look over at her.

This was not how he expected her to react at all. The deep scowl across her face made him pause.

"Uh, Rukia?"

Rukia suddenly snagged his collar and slammed her forehead against his. "You idiot! You should've told me you were going to do this!"

"Huh? What the hell? Why're you mad at me?" he shouted, pressing his sore forehead closer to hers.

"Why do you think?" She pushed back against him. "If you told me you were going to write your own vows, I would've done the same! Now you're making me look like a fool!"

"Oh, believe me, you're doing that all on your own!" he snapped back. "Headbutting me during our actual wedding ceremony? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Why, you—"

Ichigo braced himself for a slap to the face or a kick to his shins. Instead, Rukia cupped his face in a hand and kissed him.

A shocked murmur ran through their friends and family. The Shiba clan and Keigo whooped in support, clapping far too loudly for the quiet shrine.

Her lips were smooth and sweet and pulled away far too soon. "Fool," she whispered as her cheeks bloomed pink. "Now we're even."

Ichigo burst out laughing. How could she always make his heart feel even lighter than before? Kuchiki Rukia was tiny and rude and God, did he love her with all his heart.

The shrine maiden cleared her throat and the two turned back to the front. Her mouth twitched as she tried to hide her smile. "If we may continue with the ceremony please, Kurosaki-sama and Kuchiki-sama?"

They exchanged a sly glance before offering their apologies and completed the rest of the ceremony without further incidents. When he slipped her wedding ring on her finger, she gave the most radiant smile.

Rukia was everything to him. She was his world, his future, everything he fought so hard to protect.

Their rain had cleared away at last and he could not ask for anything more.

END

This was probably the most difficult one-shot for me to write. Canon has so many loose threads in it that even a slight tug will cause the entire last arc to unravel lmao. I tried my best to cover all the plot holes left at the end, but it is possible I missed some stuff.

Thanks for reading and happy Ichiruki Month! I have a few more Ichiruki one-shots planned for this month that'll be way less dense than this, so I hope you look forward to them!

#IRMonth2021 #Day 3 Prompt: star-crossed lover's high #Ichiruki #OTP: Black Sun and White Moon #Kurosaki Ichigo #Kuchiki Rukia #Ishida Uryu #Aizen Sosuke #Kyoraku Shunsui #Inoue Orihime #Chad #Kuchiki Byakuya #Kurosaki Isshin #Bleach #my fanfiction

[justafanwarrior]

** Prompt : Marinette has a snow dragon soulmark and no idea who it could be. Toshiro Hitsugaya has a ladybug soulmark and knows about Marinette, but she can’t see him until something happens to her.**

As long as she could remember Marinette always had four soulmarks, a blue snake around her left ankle, a red dragon around the right ear, a red bug with  a chinese symbol behind on her left wrist and finally a snow dragon around her waist with its head resting on her heart. She new it wasn’t commune but she loved each of them deeply. She grew up wondering about their identities, creating clothes inspired by them.

However her soulmarks were also different, when she felt happy the wings of the ladybug would start flapping, when she was nervous the snake would feel like if it was trying to be wrapped around her even more to comfort her, when she was upset she could hear the tiny dragon around her ear hissing in anger. Finally, when she was scared, the snow dragon would move, he moved around her in a protective embrace. Her soulmarks were different, but it wasn’t bad, it was all she could ever hope for.

She never had a lot of friends beside Kim who she grew up with because their mothers were close friends. He was her big brother always protecting her even when she didn’t need it. She was ecstatic when he met his soulmate, a very smart boy named Max, it didn't stop her from threatening the boy if hé ever dared hurting her brother. Though she was also sad when he stopped hanging out with her, but she decided to smile because her brother had met his other half.

Time had passed, she became LadyBug and met her first soulmate, her kwami. Tikki explained that sometimes miraculous wielder were soulmates with their kwami, proving that they are a perfect match, and often their others soulmates were other miraculous wielder. She was sad during a moment that neither Adrien nor Chat Noir were her soulmate.

She never been as happy than the day she met Kagami. Her protective red dragon. It was hard at first, Kagami didn’t liked her at all. But they tried, and they grew closer. They even been in a relationship during a moment, a pretty long moment, but they broke up after three wonderful years. They would be best friends instead maybe sister as time would pass.

It’s not long after meeting her fierce dragon that she met her calm snake. He was the brother of a classmate, Luka was a very talented musician. They seemed to link immediatly, they loved each other too, soon he joined her relationship with Kagami. When they broke up he ended with the japonese, Marinette was the only one leaving this relationship. She loved them but was searching for something else, though when they hang out it usually ends on a date.

Marinette loved her soulmates, they always been there for her. They were here when she needed backup and Chat was missing, they were here to comfort her after the loss of her mentor, they were here when Lila turned her whole class against her, they saved her when Lila made Alya ‘accidentally’ triped her in the stairs. The dark-haired girl didn’t know what happened exactly, only that she woke up at Kagami crying on her chest and Luka screaming at the class with tears in his eyes.

Since that day, she was able to see ghosts. She freaked out when she woke up in the morning to see a girl in a spotted armor, black hair and a scar on her mouth behind her. Turned out she was Joan of Arc, a former LadyBug, each day a different former wielder would be there. And boy, wasn’t she trilled to see THE Hua Mulan behind her girlfriend, she was her hero her whole life !

She was 17 when she finally met her fourth and last soulmate. They were in a schooltrip in the town of Karakura in Japon, she was happy to be fluent thanks to Kagami whose mother refused to be in a relationship with someone who won’t at least learn their culture and language. Beside Kagami herself leaded the trip no matter how much Lila would complain because  ‘She was not even part of the school’.

They visited ‘Karakura High School’ with Orihime Inoue, who presented them to her class. Marinette particulary liked her friends Sado ‘Chad’ Yasutora and Ichigo Kurosaki, though Uryu Ishida and Tatsuki Arisawa  were also nice. Even if she had to nearly break the arm of a girl named Chizuru Honsho who tried to touch her, she ran really fast once she saw the anger on the Tsurugi girl whose reputation followed her.

Everything was going well until Lila started talking, like always. She started to insult their culture while just faking not knowing that it was an insult. She was driving the spotted hero crazy and her ghost of the day, an amazon named Hippolytia, wouldn’t stop giving her means to kill the girl.

Sadly, for the italian girl, the class they were meeting weren’t fools and stopped listening to her once they understood the only thing that came from her mouth were lies.

The designer was happy, she was having a great time, and then the door opened pretty violently. She prepared herself for an attack but then forced herself to calm, it was not Paris, she was not a hero here. It was just another girl, black short hair, pretty small, not as small as she was herself but still, there was a few people behind her, a boy with red hair, a woman with orange hair and a really big chest, and finally a short boy with white hair and beautiful turquoise eyes. She hold her breath a moment at the sight, for some reason her heart missed a beat and decided that he would take his time to recover.

Marinette couldn’t help but notice that he was not wearing the uniform as were the people with him except the black-haired girl, no, he was wearing what Kagami called a Haori, he also had a katana on his back, now that she paid attention, so were the others.

She stared at them during a moment until Lila made fun of her.

‘‘What are you looking at Marinette there’s nothing here but if you are searching for intellect you should look after me.’’ The italian girl snorted, making the half chinese girl realizing that they were ghosts.

Some of the others laughed as well, Kim looked utterly uncomfortable but said nothing. The blue-eyed girl sent him a hurt and disppointed look, which he looked away. Coward. The liar thought she was smart to talk in french then the japonese class wouldn’t understand. Too bad for her once again, this class has been chose specifically because they studied french as well. And from the anger in the faces of the friends she made, they DID understood.

Kagami and Ichigo stepped up to defend me, but it was my turn, there wasn’t any Hawkmoth to akumatised her in case of reveal here, Adrien couldn’t make me stop with his ‘kicked-puppy look’. A bloodthirsty grin grew on me, and my dear storm dragon understood my intention since she took out her phone to record the showdown.

‘‘Aww, poor Lila she hadn’t realized yet that without her very dear boss to save her by akumatisation, I will not let her step on me. Now where shall I start ?’’ She said in a voice as sweet as poison. ‘‘How will I destroy this little kingdom of yours ?’’

The sausage girl took a step back in fear, ah, finally understanding comes at her. Marinette was not someone you wanted as an enemy. Said girl’s smirk grew when she felt Tikki trying to hide a laugh in her purse, nice she might be, but she also spent milleniums with Plagg, she knew how to make a great revenge, she knew how to cause Chaos. And for now, the anger she kept in her during years was all concentrated on one Rossi girl who dared hurt HER chosen, HER soulmate, She won’t let this go easily and will enjoy each second of her fall.

Plagg hide a smile from Adrien's bag, the boy could be an idiot but he was a good Chat, the only reason why he kept his miraculous, but at this moment, the god of destruction had to keep ears open, a revenge from his sugarcube and her chosen was always worth it, after all last time it happened, it caused more destruction than when he destroyed Atlantis.

In the corner of her eyes, the wielder of the miraculous of ladybug could see the white-haired boy looking at her with interest.

‘‘So this is my soulmate, she finally let her rage showing her the way to follow.’’ He let a chuckle escape his lips before smirking, he will enjoy this ‘‘A true avenging angel.’’.

The only thing he was not expecting was when she turned her head to look at him in the eyes, like if she could see him, but she couldn’t, only the dead could see each others, shinigami, quincy, hollows or simply ghost, Kurosaki was just an exception. Even a wielder of the miraculous couldn’t, this fact being proved by the confuse look on the other soulmate of LadyBug.

The girl only smiled at her, before turning back to the girl who dared insulting her. He knew what was happening in her life, he just had to wait for her as long as he needed to. He could be patient after all how couldn’t he be with Matsumoto as his second.

Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of the tenth division of the soul society, watched amused as his soulmate destroyed each lie, each word that ever came form the mouth of her bully. But it wasn’t enough and soon after she turned her hurtful but no less truthful words to her other classmates, leaving them in the verge of tears. Oh, but she hadn’t finish, finally she turned to her childhood friends. The wielder of Hyorinmaru raised an hairbrow, sincerly curious, knowing that the girl was truly fond of the half asian boy.

‘’You know Kim, I always been happy that you found your soulmate in Max, he always been  able to bring you back on earth when you were too far. I was hurt when you refused to hang out with me, but I understood that he was more important, I really did. But I was dumb to think that despite the fact that we stopped being like we used to, you would still think of me like you did. Because you never stopped to be my dear big brother in my eyes but I can see that it was not shared. After all didn’t you promised that you would always protect me from those who want to hurt me.’’ She started talking louder when he tried to interrupt her. ‘‘Didn’t you promised to be there for me when i met my soulmates like I was for you when you met yours ?’’

He opened his mouth to defend himself but was interrupt by a loud snort from the girl wearing glasses.

‘‘You hadn’t met your soulmate Mari you would have told me beside stop using plurial, nobody can have more than one soulmate, and if you did you would have told me as your bestie.’’ Alya if he remembered correctly spit.

The blond girl with the sunglasses started laughing when the other finished talking.

‘‘ Oh you’ve got to be kidding me Cesaire ! Why would Dupain-Cheng tell you ? You’ve been worst to her than I ever been and I tried to steal her design and put it on her what could’ve ruin her whole career and bullied her during years. And you know why I started bullying her ? It was because she had four soulmates everybody at school knew that. How far did you fallen to think that she thinks about you as a friend after all you have done ? The only ones she supports in this class is the tomatoe boy and myself, because we apologized long ago.’’ Mocked the former wielder of the bee.

The day ended well for Marinette, she had a weight off her shoulders now that she said  what she thought to the class and could even enjoy the rest of the time with her new friends. That didn’t stop her either to notice that nobody saw the people in haori except for the orange head and the short girl that she learned was named Rukia Kuchiki. Or to notice that the boy with turquoise eyes looked at her the whole time. The reminder made her blush slightly what Hippolytia saw and then started to tease the newest ladybug about.

The evening came and Kagami brought her to a date for the ‘good old time’ she said. But really Mari was too fond of her to say no, and she also needed a good time with her fierce dragon before they leaved High School.

In the way back to the hotel she felt like she had somewhere else to be and leaved Kagami after a kiss on her cheek. She walked down the alley following her instinct. Finally she fell on a sight that highly reminded her of some of the worse akumas back in Paris. Once again she wanted to transform but this was not her work, beside, there was already a group of people taking care of it and she heard it.

‘‘Daiguren Hyorinmaru !’’ Screamed the boy with white hair from earlier.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a dragon made of ice, she realized then the reason why her own snow dragon started getting warmer this morning. She had met her last soulmate and didn’t even aknowledged it, though he seemed to know who she was. Finally she took the decision to wait the end of the fight to talk to him, that wouldn’t end well if he was the kind ‘stab first, ask later’.

She watched mesmerized by the way he and the people she recognized as his fellows fought. That was nothing like Kagami fought with her own katana but at the same time, it was oddly familiar.

Finally the fight ended, and she made them aknowledged her presence by a cough. And finally she spoke her first words to her fourth soulmate.

‘‘To be honest I never thought you would be some ghost but I’m still very happy to meet you, Just in case you don’t already know, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Merry met dear soulmate.’’

So this was my try for a prompt adressed to @musicfeedsmysoul12  I hope the one who asked will be happy, it was not what wanted to do at start but I like it. English is not my native language so i won’t say no to constructive criticism ! Plus, it’s been a very long time since the last time I saw/read Bleach.

I forgot I did this tbh...

#mlb #mlb crossover #mlb au #mlb/bleach #Soulmate Au #soulmarks #multiple soulmates #lukagaminette #lukagami #mlb salt

[woodrokiro]

Hollowed (fic), Part Eight

Fandom: Bleach

Pairing: IchiRuki

Summary: They call her a miracle, but he looks at her as if she’s normal. It scares her. Fantasy/Futuristic/Zombie kinda?AU. Read Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. 

It’s the same dream, each and every goddamned time.

It starts out simply and true and horrid enough: the night he last saw her. His mother put him and the girls to bed, kissing each on the nose and wishing them sweet dreams. There is wetness on her cheek from when she briefly nuzzles her son--but it’s quick, and her expression is as peaceful as it usually is.

Was.

But in this dream, he gets out of bed.

His father isn’t in the living room, for whatever reason--but he’s too focused on his mother’s retreating form out of the house to really think about that detail. He starts to follow her--nine year old feet silent as they can while still trying to catch up. He thinks maybe she’s going outside to the safety cellar--even though there has been no Hollowed alarm, even though they haven’t had enough food to store there for ages--until he sees that she’s drifting toward the river.

His heart stops beating so quickly, because the river is a sacred place to Masaki. It’s where she taught her children how to swim, where they catch most of their food, where she has taught him that water is life. So long as they have this river, she says, they need to keep fighting for their lives, for their happiness.

But when she reaches the silt at the water’s edge, she suddenly stops.

“Ichigo,” she calls softly without turning around. Her voice is oddly distorted. “Get away from here.”

He is about to ask why, why would he ever leave her here when she knows the tide gets so high at night and then she turns.

Half of her beautiful face is mangled into a grimace, the other half covered by a Hollowed mask. Her body bubbles and blackens, and she reaches out a hand--gnarling into a claw--toward him.

“Run.”

--

Why he’s awake far earlier than the rest of the group is never questioned, and he’s glad. 

He doesn’t know how he’d answer, anyway.

--

He finds out soon enough that Rukia likes books. 

He guesses it’s not too surprising: he can’t imagine there’s much else for her to do, after all. 

But about a week after he starts, when he realizes there really isn’t much to do except sit around, ask what she’s doing (to which she may or may not answer), and watch dust filter through the screen, he makes do on his oath and brings a book. Well. His only book. It’s not gonna last him long, but hey. Something to do is something to do.

He’s about five pages in when he hears a creaking of the screen and looks up to find her hands gripping through the holes, eyes peering curiously down on him.

“What are you reading?”

Unnerved by her sudden attention, he slaps the book closed. “Look, I told you I’d bring something to read if things got as boring as they have been--”

“No, no. Of course.” She waves her hand impatiently. “I understand. What’s the name of your book?”

Slowly, he raises the tattered cover for her to see. “It’s… Hamlet. By William Shakespeare. Do you know it or…?”

She grins from ear to ear, clapping once in obvious pleasure. “Know it? Well, I know of it. They talk about it in a book Lord Yamamoto has of Shakespeare, but no one’s ever been able to find a copy for me. Is it true? That it’s his best, darkest work?”

“Well… I definitely don’t think darkest. Titus Andronicus is pretty dark, I hear--”

“Titus Andronicus is a travesty amongst his writing. Dark, yes: but no substance.” She sniffs with visible distaste, but Ichigo is intrigued with this conversation. Sure, he loves this book--it’s the one personally prized possession he was able to grab before fleeing his village--but he’s also fascinated with the sudden light in her eyes, the excitement in her voice at having someone to talk about an interest with.

The thought slips in uninvited that this glee suits her.

He shrugs, feeling a heat rise up his neck. “I wouldn’t know. I only have this one. I read All’s Well, once, but the copy was lost a long time ago. I had a book on his biography, too. Would love to find his other work, someday… But there’s more important things to ask for.”

Her fingernail scratches the screen in thought before she quickly glides over to a huge bookshelf in her section. Ichigo watches her: he’d be lying if he said he’s never noticed it before.

“What are you…?”

She trots back over, shoving a beautiful book through the larger exchange slot in the partition. “Here. I’ll trade you. I’ll take care of yours if you take care of mine.”

He eyes the cover. King Lear’s title is stitched in fine gold thread and he gulps. Although tempted, he shakes his head.

“Sorry. That thing’s in mint condition, but this copy is pretty important to me for sentimental value--”

“No, not literally trade, fool.” She rolls her eyes as if he’s the idiot being unclear. “Trade for reading. That thing isn’t deserving to be in my book collection, but it’ll do so I can finally read it. And when you finish this one, you can borrow another. I have near all of his work.”

He’s unsure, but finds himself putting his Hamlet copy in the slot too. “Okay… But I can’t really give you anything else, that’s the only one I have--”

“It doesn’t matter.” She’s grabbed his Hamlet, already finished with the conversation. “I like reading something a few times over anyway. And besides… It’s nice. I mean. To have someone to talk to about it with. I hope.” 

And with that, she walks her way up to her seat next to the window, curls her feet beneath her, and starts to read. 

He opens his own borrowed copy, starting a couple pages before he hears a sound.

Humming.

Strangely, he thinks, that suits her too.

--

“I just don’t get why she’s so… Isolated? But weirdly idolized? Like… She’s an imprisoned queen, or something.” Ichigo picks a piece of lint off his shirt. “Not to be dramatic. It’s just weird.”

It’s his day off, and he’s decided in his boredom to mosey over to Chad’s masonry unit and hang out. He and Chad don’t talk a lot (well, Chad doesn’t talk a lot), but he knows he can count on his friend for advice or venting whenever he needs.

Even when Chad’s pipsqueak boss glares at him from across the room the whole time he’s there.

“If you’re going to distract my apprentice,” the kid calls out, “you can at least be useful and help him in his work.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill sir.” Ichigo hops off his stool, stands next to Chad to half-assedly polish weapons while his friend pounds away at hot iron. “Jesus. How this tightwad place managed to hire a runt as the head of masonry is beyond me.”

Chad stops his work momentarily to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Hitsugaya’s a good boss. He’s taught me a lot in a short time, and besides. He lets you in here while I’m working. Can’t say the kitchens or Ishida’s units would allow for your company.”

Ichigo huffs, but doesn’t disagree. As little as Chad may speak, he has an annoying habit of being right. 

“Yeah, yeah. Still can’t imagine it feels great being bossed around by a twelve-year old, though…”

The two work in companionable silence for a bit, and Ichigo can’t help but think that they really did match Chad to the best job for him. He’s glad someone in his group has found a job that makes sense, at least.

As if reading Ichigo’s thoughts, Chad clears his throat. “Have you talked to Karin recently?”

“Nah. I haven’t really had a chance to. Why?”

“Nothing new, but Yuzu mentioned to me she’s struggling.” Chad keeps his eyes down on his work, but Ichigo can read a tinge of worry. “Been messing up a lot in the kitchens, she says. Inoue makes some… Strange choices in her cooking, we know--but at least she enjoys the work, and is quick to correct her mistakes. She’s well liked there. But Karin…” He stops, not needing to say more.

“Karin’s got a temper.” Ichigo sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Fuck. Okay. I’ll--I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”

“I’m sure she’s doing her best, but…”

“No, I know. But it’s not fair to her. I didn’t drag you all here so that any one of you could be miserable. ‘Specially my sisters.” 

“Why don’t you put her here?” Hitsugaya suddenly pops up beside them, carrying a couple of buckets of water to cool the iron. “Sado here says she’s almost as good with weapons as you are, and Old Man never gives me enough workers. We could use her help.”

Ichigo blinks. “Don’t you have some sort of… Weird sexist rule here? That women aren’t really allowed in the military?”

“You obviously haven’t met Captain Soifon… But I guess she is a special case. Anyway, I don’t have that rule.” Hitsugaya grunts while he pours the water. “If someone can do the work, who cares? It’s Old Man’s preference that things are the way they are. Comes from his religious background, having been a monk and all.” 

Ichigo’s jaw drops. He gives Chad a look before hounding on Hitsugaya. “A monk? Are you fucking--why are you so nonchalent about this? Aren’t they--weren’t they supposed to be peaceful ‘n stuff? How is he the HEAD of this entire military institution--”

“Don’t go screaming at me just because you don’t know the history of this place! It’s not my fault you didn’t educate yourself before you got here!” Hitsugaya crosses his arms and glares reproachfully up at him. “Whatever. I guess it’s not that long of a story. Basically, this place was a monastery when the Hollowed first appeared. A big important one. It’s debated whether Yamamoto was head monk and all, but then I guess it doesn’t matter. Anyway, what’s left of the military scampered up here, and Yamamoto took over as Head General. Some sort of ‘God’s Will,’ thing in his mind, probably. The rest is, as they say, history.”

“So Lord Yamamoto didn’t come from the military directly?” Chad vocalizes Ichigo’s next question, however scrambled it might be in his mind right now. 

“No. But to be honest… Look, Yamamoto’s done some disagreeable things. Frankly I don’t trust a lot of his decisions, but without him the entire human population could very well be dead right now.” Hitsugaya shrugs, picking up the emptied buckets. “Anyway Kurosaki, if you want to get your sister over here, I’ll take her. But I wouldn’t recommend asking Yamamoto directly. He’ll probably say no. I’d ask Lady Rukia to request the transfer.” 

Ichigo’s mind takes a minute to process the mention of the name and frowns in confusion. “Rukia? Why would she change his mind?”

“It may not seem like it, but she does have some input here. Not to him directly--through her brother. Whether you call it Byakuya’s guilt or affection, who cares? Anyway, it’s helped me get a friend from the valley into the service sector.” He twists his mouth thoughtfully. “She’s much kinder than the whispers say she is.”

Before he can ask the pipsqueak about that story, the kid turns and walks out the front door to (presumably) get more water.

Ichigo turns to Chad and his friend shrugs in response.

“It’s worth a shot,” he manages gruffly, and Ichigo can’t help but agree. 

--

Later that night, Ichigo approaches Ishida about it.

He doesn’t want to get Karin’s hopes up quite yet, just in case it doesn’t happen. Instead, he wants Uryuu’s input: Uryuu--who he definitely still thinks is an idiot--is at least a good sounding board for ideas, and he can count on him to be blunt.

Plus, it’s been a while since he talked to the guy. 

He’s been quiet ever since he started his part time shifts on the medical grounds two days ago, and hasn’t really been speaking to anybody except Orihime. He’s never been exactly chatty in the first place, but this…

When Ichigo tells him his idea about asking Rukia for the change, Ishida’s eyes flash strangely at her name. 

“I wouldn’t ask her during your shift tomorrow. I don’t know that she’d be… Up for it.” He says quickly before focusing back on mending a shirt. There’s a brief silence before he stops, sensing Ichigo’s stare.

“What?”

“I mean… That’s a weird thing to say. What do you mean she wouldn’t be ‘up for it?’ You meet her without telling me, or something?”

“No I didn’t meet her, and if I did I wouldn’t need to tell you--anyhow.” Ishida pinches his forehead and breathes in. Ichigo frowns.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Really. Just… You’ve mentioned she’s tired after your days and nights off, right? Maybe you won’t catch her… At her best. That’s all. Just give her a break tomorrow morning.” 

He gets up and is about to walk out of the room when Ichigo calls out to him.

“You said we gotta keep each other updated about this place. Is there anything you’re not telling me? I know we argue… But you can talk to me, Ishida.”

Uryuu doesn’t turn around to answer him for a minute. When he does, his face is solemnly thoughtful. “I know. But I’ll have to let you know when I’ve figured out what exactly is going on myself, Kurosaki.” 

He shuts the door, and wonders how many more secrets his group is keeping from him. 

#ichiruki #ichigo kurosaki #rukia kuchiki #bleach #turns out my newest kink is ichigo getting walked out on all the time #hollowed #my stuff

[ginfest]

My little post-686 fic ~900 words, and (despite being a little late) for Day 27: Song Lyrics of IchiRuki Month 2019 :)

slow dancing in the dark

(song artist: Joji)

—

Memories glisten around Ichigo like fireflies

He’s alone, again.

When I'm around slow dancing in the dark

The memories are family. His mom. His wife. But they’re lost to haze almost as fast as they show up.

There’s one woman who shows up clearly and unwaveringly, her image glowing and burning Ichigo’s soul, a pain arising that he’s all too familiar with.

Don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms

His heart is heavy and his throat stings in pain. He’d spent innumerable years trying to put the affairs of that night from his mind.

He’s forced once more to watch Kuchiki Rukia walk away from him upon his own request, every molecule of his body begging her to turn around and look at him one last time. It doesn’t happen, like it hadn’t happened before.

You have made up your mind

I don't need no more signs

Her silhouette was all he saw beneath the light of the moon. How many times had he seen her near the moon? How many times had he seen the vibrant yellow and red of Karakura sunsets, or the blue of soul society skies in her eyes, in her hair?

Had he ever really known her? The thought seeped in like blood, thick and inescapable, as his eyes lay upon her from a distance, happy.

Away from him.

Can you?

Give me reasons we should be complete

It felt bittersweet, to rewatch their lives. Her small arms wrapped around his chest, his heart directing his arms to never let go. He did eventually, and for that he would repent for eternity.

It hadn’t mattered how many times they kissed, how many times they loved in stolen glances and brief hand brushes.

The pain had grown too distant for them; Ichigo and Rukia were built on pain and loneliness. It was abhorrent to their nature to grow soft, an inalienable side effect of their togetherness.

You should be with him, I can't compete

You looked at me like I was someone else, oh well

Years passed, and it took merely brute force to shove his pain into some hidden corner of his conscience. Rukia was only a friend. Only an acquaintance. He didn’t think about her every day, every month, or every year. Thinking brought memories, which he had tried so desperately to erase. He was Ichigo Kurosaki, and he could not be weak.

His red-haired bride was a distraction. Inoue was kind and cared for him. Rukia did not. Renji was was Rukia’s soulmate, of course, and a much more suitable husband.

So why couldn’t he love his wife the way he had loved the only thing he had ever considered impossible?

Can't you see?

I don't wanna slow dance

In the dark

Dark

When Rukia and her new family, the ones she truly desired, came to visit, Ichigo was cordially polite. Gave a nice smile, greeted them at the door, asked the proper questions.

He had been impaled many times. If he spent even a second looking at her, it would be his fatal blow.

She still looked at him though, and he could not return her gaze in fear that it would slap him back into the loophole of his sinking soul that he had tried so, so hard to ignore. That he had spent eternities flailing his arms miserably, trying not to drown. For his wife, for his son. For what little pride he had left.

I don't wanna go home

Can it be one night?

Can you?

Can you?

Give me reasons we should be complete

He gave in one night, and it was disappointing to him how it only took her hand on his shoulder to sent him plummeting in his memories, in his sorrows, in his regrets.

The children weren’t home. Renji and Inoue weren’t home. Sunlight streamed through the windows in the kitchen, where Ichigo stood, cutting vegetables for dinner. The digital clock on the oven read 16:57. He could have sworn it hadn’t changed for hours, time frozen in place.

The false air of peace dissipated, a side effect of his self-made distance vanishing.

He had turned around, grabbed her wrist. His mind was lost, something Rukia had realized as he pressed her against his granite counters.

You looked at me like I was someone else, oh well

The memory seemed to burn a hole in his soul. Her violet eyes screamed everything but fear or anger or disgust.

Her lips struck his first, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck like they had hundreds of times before. She felt like cold water, like electricity, like fire and ice, like release.

His first gasp of air after being pulled out of his prison of blood.

Can't you see?

I don't wanna slow dance

In the dark

Dark

The kiss was one of many to follow, a fervent attempt to make up for their separation. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her face buried in his shoulders as he carried her up the stairs swiftly and pressed her into the bed he shared with his wife.

Their impulsive outburst of physical affection meant all too much. Neither of them said a single word. It was too quick and too much the release they had been desiring.

Inoue and Renji returned, cheery kids alongside, genuine smiles plastered on all of their faces. Ichigo and Rukia didn’t look at each other. Didn’t say anything to each other.

In the dark

Dark

#my ficlets #my fiction #bleach #ir month 2019 #ichiruki month 2019 #ichiruki #ichigo kurosaki #rukia kuchiki #post 686 #should i post this on ao3 #mega angst #irmonth2019 #ichirukimonth

[bunnibai]

Groceries: Lana, Yasashii, basically a whole lot of them tbh

The class will absolutely kill Yasashii someday, and Lana and Ameko go into town. Not super angsty this time I promise. 

Mornings in the dorms were less hectic than Ameko would have imagined, living with around 20 children. The truth was that everyone woke up at different times, and out of that group there were always the people who didn’t like to spend their mornings in the common room with the rest of the students. 

Ameko liked to think that she got up at a reasonable time. She sat at the counter top with her coffee that was much more sugar than coffee; to her right, Seishin-chan sipped on a cup of tea and to her left Inoue-chan devoured a plate of onigiri. It was a peaceful kind of quiet that Ameko enjoyed. 

Senshi-chan walked in, looking exhausted. This was pretty normal, so Ameko just hummed a soft hello and said, “There’s coffee in the pot.” 

They gave Ameko a grateful nod and opened the fridge, staring for longer than was probably necessary. They blinked, before shutting the door. 

“I SWEAR—!”

Ameko startled, eyes widening. “Um, are you okay, Senshi-chan…?”

“This is the third time this week!” They cried, whipping around to face the common room. “Who did it?” 

Beside her, Seishin-chan sputtered a little in his tea, looking as if he had just kicked a puppy. Inoue-chan smoothly asked, “Did what, Senshi-kun?” 

“Who used all of the butter?! I made sure to get at least 20 sticks and it’s already gone!” Senshi-chan looked exasperated. Inoue-chan opened his mouth to reply, but just then, the door leading outside slammed open. 

“Which one of you Fuckers did it.” Kaneda-chan hissed, eyes practically on fire. He looked really… Shiny? Seishin-chan practically dropped his cup, disappearing. Ameko almost wished she could do the same. 

“Kaneda-chan, what happened?” Ameko asked, hiding her smile behind her coffee. 

“Oh, you all think you’re so funny. WHO replaced my soap with butter!” Kaneda-chan stormed into the kitchen, giving everyone a murderous look. 

“That’s where the butter went?! No one even ate it?!” Senshi-chan put their head in their hands. “How do you use 20 sticks of butter for that??”

“That is not the only thing we used the butter for!” Inoue-chan cried, setting his chopsticks down. The room went quiet. Senshi-chan and Kaneda-chan slowly looked at him, ready to kill. Inoue-chan blinked slowly. 

“Koatsu-kun, our cover is blown!” He yelled, jumping out of the seat and breaking into a run out of the front door. From out of nowhere, Koatsu-chan popped out from inside a closet (why was he there?) and joined Inoue-chan in their escape. Kaneda-chan ran after them, screaming about how nice their heads would look on his wall. 

Slowly, Ameko turned to Senshi-chan, who was shaking slightly in the kitchen. “You good?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. They promptly grabbed a giant mug and poured out the rest of the coffee, slamming it on the counter after taking a big gulp. 

“It’s going to be a long day.” They muttered. 

Later that day, Senshi-chan had managed to get most of the students inside the common room for a “class meeting”. Not everyone came, of course; Hihara-chan would be caught dead before fraternizing with the idiots and Inoue-chan and Koatsu-chan were still in hiding from Kaneda-chan’s wrath. 

Seishin-chan still looked guilty, raising his hand a little in the air. “I’m sorry, Senshi-san. They asked me not to say anything, but I should have told someone…” 

Senshi-chan stopped him. “It’s fine,” They said, “I think Kaneda is making them more than sorry.” They turned to the rest of the crowd, raising their voice so everyone could hear them. “I called everyone here because the way we’re doing things right now isn’t working. I can’t go to the store every couple of days when things go missing. We all have training and homework we have to do, and we all eat the food.” 

There were a few murmurs of agreement. 

“We could take turns going into town,” Gakusa-chan called out. He was one of the most mature of the group, but not as standoffish as some of the others. “That way we aren’t going into town all the time.” 

“That’s a good idea!” Ameko agreed, nodding. “I have to go into town every Sunday anyway, so I wouldn’t mind grabbing groceries on my way home sometimes.” Some of the others nodded. They spent the next 30 minutes making a schedule, working out any kinks or problems with it. 

When it was Lana-chan’s turn, Ameko had happened to just run out of her very special vanilla extract, the one her parents had shipped in from out of the country. It was a little expensive, but worth it in the long run. For a second, she was worried about bothering Lana-chan by asking to go with her; Lana-chan wasn’t rude, but the only person she seemed to willingly spend time with outside of school hours was Suzuki-chan. 

But, of course, it was a silly thought. Ameko was getting better about catching her anxiety, and Lana-chan had no reason to hate her. And sure enough, when Ameko asked Lana-chan if she could come along to take a stop at her parent’s candy shop, she simply nodded and gave a small, “Surrre.” 

The train ride was quiet, but not uncomfortably so, and Ameko was looking forward to getting out into the city. They agreed to meet up after they were finished at a cafe, where Ameko was hoping to get something sugary and boba-related. 

The line of the cafe was pretty long, and Ameko was ready to call it off, but Lana-chan shook her head. “I prrromised Suzuki I vould get her a kake pop.” Ameko smiled slightly, and nodded, stepping in line. She started quietly talking to Lana-chan about the Japanese project, which she listened to politely. Behind them, she heard a familiar voice. 

“...Isn’t Tokachi-kun getting out of the hospital soon?” 

“I think so.” 

“That’s kind of scary! What if he goes to our school? He missed a few grades, right? That’d make him creepy and old!” 

Ameko felt her face heat up. It wasn’t true, of course; Shoku-nii couldn’t even get out of bed without help, let alone go to a public school where people would just start making fun of him all over again. Beside her, Lana-chan said loudly, 

“Speaking ill of other people is rude, isn’t it, Tokachi?” 

The other voices quieted down. Ameko nodded slightly, too embarrassed to speak. She turned around when one of the kids said, “Tokachi-chan, is that you? I couldn’t recognize you from behind!” 

The group laughed, although Ameko doubted it was true. She was pretty easy to recognize, with her blue hair and her distinctive fashion. 

Ameko could only remember the name of one of them, Kenkei-kun. He grinned lazily, reaching out to nudge her shoulder. “How’s it going, hero course girl? Too famous to call us?” 

“She probably forgot.” One of the girls snickered, and the other two laughed. Ameko wanted to die right then and there. It was friendly teasing, of course, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

“What does zat mean?” Lana-chan asked, watching them with an unreadable expression. Kenkei-kun chuckled, ruffling Ameko’s hair. “Tokachi-chan isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, I’m sure you’ve noticed. Who else would willingly hang out with people so scary looking?” 

After that, it happened quickly. Lana-chan, still looking unamused, reeled back and punched Kenkei-kun right in the face. 

“Lana-chan!” Ameko cried, eyes widening. “What are you doing?” 

“Kome on, ve kan go to another kafe.” Lana-chan shrugged, walking out of the bar and away from the stunned looks of the other patrons. Ameko ran after her, eyes wide. 

“You can’t just punch people like that, Lana-chan!” 

“And what, listen to him say all zat annoying garrrbage? No zank you.” Lana-chan rolled her eyes. 

“Well, he wasn’t wrong.” Ameko muttered, avoiding how piercing Lana-chan’s glare was. 

“Say zat again and I’ll murrrder you.” 

Ameko never called herself dumb for a long time after that.

[kosmosinusa]

Jay Reviews the NogiMyu 2018 Cast

... Let’s try this again. Apparently I was too ambitious last time, so we’re gonna make this a little simpler. Anyway, with NogiMyu 2019 just around the corner, I thought I’d review the 2018 cast one last time so that way, when we see the 2019 cast, I can compare my current opinions with the new cast and see how they favor! This review is only for the senshi, since everyone else (Minus Team Moon Luna) is returning! With that said, let’s start!

Sailor Moon - Mizuki Yamashita Before I say anything, I do want to say that I DO like Mizuki! However, after watching her more in Nogizaka46, I don’t see her as Moon anymore. She’s very serious (her serious face showed a LOT in the show. Like she has that “stone-cold” face that you guys KNOW irks me. XD) and sassy. WHICH WORKS FOR HER, like in the 7th birthday live she was giving me LIFE and I was LIVING for it! (I have to make a gifset of her so I can share. xD) but yeah, I’m not very keen on her. Her singing... Let me just put it this way, I love the Blu-Ray for what it does. x’D What I can say is that she did have nice chemistry with Mikako-Tux, but... that’s about it. 

Sailor Mercury - Riria Ito When the cast pictures first came out, I really wasn’t feeling Riria. She looked bored and didn’t seem interested. I was actually very surprised that I liked her performance! She’s like a baby Ami! So adorable and sweet. However, maybe TOO sweet. IDK it’s not that it doesn’t fit the role of Ami, but she isn’t my preferred option. Her singing is really nice, though! Overall she isn’t bad to me, I actually like her a lot! Just wouldn’t exactly pick her of the 2.

Sailor Mars - Kazumi Takayama Uhm... I don’t even need to explain how much I love her. xD Like, I’ve never been a HUGE Mars fan, but after Kazumi, I gained a new love for her! Kazumi’s my second-favorite Mars of all time, and I just adore her to bits! I love her fiery passionate side, and her sweet and wise side! Her singing voice is also REALLY superb and I love listening to it! Her deeper voice also very much matches the character (I prefer Sailor Moon Crystal to the 90′s anime, so I prefer that style) and not to mention SHE LITERALLY JUST LOOKS LIKE MARS LIKE THEY DID SO WELL CASTING HER. <3

Sailor Jupiter - Ami Nojo Like Riria, when the cast photos came out, I was really iffy on Ami. To me, she did not look like Jupiter. But as soon as she came on stage with that Radiant smile, I was shooketh! AND THEN THE QUEEN STARTED SINGING AND I WAS SHOOKETH AGAIN. Like Ami’s SUCH a good singer! It’s a shame Nogi used her as an under member, cause really she’s fucking amazing. xD She isn’t my preferred of the 2, but Ami really felt like Jupiter to me, and I adore her so much. <3

Sailor Venus - Hina Higuchi Oh boy... This is where my opinion really differs from many. Now, when the cast photos came out, I was SO EXCITED for Hina. I thought she would be my favorite! To me, she looked a lot like Shiori Sakata (Venus in NelkeMyu from La Reconquista to Un Nouveau Voyage) and I was like “YAS QUEEN GIVE IT TO ME!!!” But uh... For me, personally? Hina just feels like she’s self-centered. She doesn’t give me that “leader Venus” vibe and more of a “pop star Venus” vibe. Which is fine for normal Minako moments, but not really for season 1 Minako especially. DK Minako is supposed to be very leader-type and serious. And Hina seriously lacked that. Yeah, she’s pretty, but I feel like that’s all she has to her. Her singing is fine, but it’s not like WHOA THERE either. 

Team Moon Review Honestly, you can watch either version of NogiMyu and enjoy it. There’s something good about each version. But what lacks so much in Team Moon for me is chemistry. It felt like most girls were more to themselves and didn’t really work as a team. I think they’re all great separately, but together just didn’t mesh for me. 

Sailor Moon - Sayuri Inoue Okay, it is no secret that I ADORE SAYURI. Like if I was straight I’d marry her. Like I LOVE her. She did SO well as Usagi! And being the older one of the 2 playing her, you’d think it’d be the other way around! I didn’t expect to like Sayuri NEARLY as much as I do! The moment she wakes up in act 1 I literally screamed “OH MY GOD SHE’S SO CUTE”. Sayuri radiates Usagi energy just as much as Satomi and Miyuki. All her cute little faces, her ad-libs. She just exhales Usagi for me and I can’t get enough of it! AND HER SINGING. OH MY GOD IS SHE AMAZING. Just thank you Lord for giving me Sayuri. xD

Sailor Mercury - Miria Watanabe I like Miria, I really do. She’s not a favorite of mine, but I do like her! Her smile is very warm and inviting (unless you’ve seen Zambi... In that case, run. xD) and I really love her warmness in her performance! Her ad-lib when she screams at Usagi is legit one of my favorite things ever. xD That said, however, her singing... YIKES... She seemed VERY strained when singing and like she couldn’t catch her breath. When you’re in a MUSICAL, your singing ability is important. You don’t have to be the BEST singer, but you should at least have decent breath control and pitch control. Maybe with time, Miria could improve, but let’s just say she’s another who benefitted from the Blu-Ray. xD

Sailor Mars - Ranze Terada Ranze is so fucking cute. Like literally, just watch Team Star’s Making of, she’s literally so damn adorable. That being said, adorable isn’t a trait for Rei, and I don’t think Ranze really portrayed Mars correctly. However, you can tell she REALLY tried to give that fire passion. When she sings, she tries to give a lower pitch to simulate a more Mars-feel. Ranze is a high-voiced, very quiet person. She does have some sass to her, though. I loved when she gave sass to Rina during the Senshuuraku speeches. XD I honestly do not think Ranze was fit for Mars, BUT I do enjoy her just as herself. I get SO happy every time I see her in Nogi. xD

Sailor Jupiter - Minami Umezawa I LOVE HER. xD Like as soon as she walked on stage, I FELT IT. Maybe Ami is more accurate to the character, but Minami feels like a mix of Emi Kuriyama and Yu Takahashi and I LOVE IT. Her dynamics between power and softness felt JUST right and I love it. The one area I think she lacks is her singing. She isn’t BAD, and she does have a naturally deeper voice. But, a lot of times when she went too deep, her voice cracked. But the passion of her performance really shone for me. She’s my second-favorite Jupiter and I stand by that!

Sailor Venus - Kana Nakada UNLESS YOU’RE NEW HERE, YOU KNOW I LOVE MY QUEEN KANA. <3 Like some of the others, I judged Kana before I got to see her performance and I feel SO bad for that. When the cast photos came out, I was NOT feeling her at all. But then as soon as she came out I was like “Oh, I was so wrong about you...” I tried so hard to like Hina more, but I can’t do it. Kana just has something about her that I love. Her general personality, her awesome dancing, just everything about her feels genuine and I love it. She definitely has that leader Venus vibe and she’s more serious than Hina, which I appreciate. Kana is my sweet precious baby and I will protect her at all costs! <3

Team Star Review I ADORE Team Star. One thing that’s very important with them is they have CHEMISTRY. Like they really worked together to bring the show alive. From their backstage to the main stage, they really worked hard together to produce a great show, and that they did. I adore Team Star, and I will stan them. 

Well, that’s it for me, I hope you enjoyed reading this. xD

#sailor moon #sera myu #nogimyu #nogizaka46 #review #cast #team moon #team star

[thedevillord-writes]

Zemblanity - Chapter Two

Zemblanity is the faculty of making unhappy, unlucky and expected discoveries by design 

- - -

~Present Day~

Whether she was invited to a party to perform or simply to attend as a guest, they were all the same. People liked to think socialites led an exciting and extravagant life, even films and dramas glorified that idea. How wrong they were. Or well, partly.

As she looked around the room, there was no doubt this was an extravagant life. The party was held in banquet hall of a five-stars hotel, decorated entirely in rose gold. There were pillars all around the hall serving no purpose other than aesthetics. The waiters, all of whom young and good looking, were dressed in the latest collection of white shirt and black suit of a brand that ordinary people would only splurge on for special occasions like their wedding. Or their funeral. The food served were all finger food, yet prepared by a world class Michelin's chef. Every single person attending the party wore clothes that were either customised or limited edition, but would only wear once for this particular party. Herself included.

She wore a strapless royal blue floor length mermaid dress with Swarovski crystals embellished, coupled with a pair of Alexander McQueen's heels with her initials hand sewn on. Misaki was as extravagant as anyone present in this hall, if not the most.

Patrolling the parametres of the hall, she watched the socialites. She never understood the art of people watching, she always thought it was just a nicer term for stalking or being creepy. Somewhere down the road, however, she found herself enjoying the activity. It was intriguing, more so than anything else, to watch people from far and notice the minute details that they thought no one would notice. She came to find at such parties, that none of these people were who they bragged themselves to be. That diamond necklace Mrs. Whoever showed off? Her husband did not win that at an auction. Not so much as bought it at a no name boutique for a small fraction of the price she thought it was.

"Your wine."

"Thanks."

Joined by Minato, Misaki finally stopped her patrol and took a sip of the red wine handed to her. Parties like this were never to the Kanemoto siblings' liking but they were always forced to attend by their father. It was one of the best way to sell the happiness they pretended to have. What better way to show how dedicated Junichiro was as a father, bringing his children along to spend more time with them. The reality was, they were nothing more than the rose gold pillars used for aesthetics.

"Misaki? Minato?"

"Mr. Nakahara."

"Are you here in place of your father?"

"Yes sir. He's not feeling well today so we offered to come in his place."

Lies.

If there was one thing a Kanemoto was good at, it would be lying. Junichiro lied about the life he led, the happy family he had, and the perfect children. Misaki learnt too, to lie through her teeth with a bright smile. Her father was not ill at home, he simply did not want to attend the party. However, to keep his reputations, he sent his children to entertain. They were upgraded from decorations to escorts. Even without her father here, these events were insufferable.

"You've always been a good daughter to your father, Misaki," Mr. Nakahara smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. Minato tensed a little, seeing the contact but Misaki grabbed him by the wrist and gripped hard. "It was nice to see you two."

"Why did you stop me? He touched you."

"He's one of the good guys, Minato," Misaki said, putting her hand on her brother's cheek. "And even if he did touch me inappropriately, we cannot do anything about it. We're here in the name of father today. You know his rule."

"Keep low, stay low."

"Exactly. Except, this evening is about to become very interesting."

Following his sister's gaze, Minato frowned a little. Misaki was never one to follow celebrities. In fact, if you were to quiz her right now on the trending stars or even pop songs, she would not be able to get a single right. Which was why he was confused as to why she was suddenly taking an interest in Inoue Junko, the model.

Misaki was not the hero type, that much she was certain. As a child, she had always been passive. If someone was being bullied, she stood by the side and watched. It was just the way she was brought up. Getting involved in situations that did not benefit them was never the Kanemoto way. She did not want to be a hero either. She did not know the woman Junko humiliated at the previous event. She thought it was shameful that Junko would use her social status over the woman, accusing her of something that was so painfully obvious her own fault. She could have done a better job.

She was patient. She kept her eyes on Junko the entire night, waiting for the perfect opportunity. When Junko finally walked off by herself, Misaki saw her chance. She followed after the model into the bathroom. As luck would have it, they were the only two in there. She stood by the sinks, looking into the mirror while waiting for Junko to emerge to execute her plan. Coming out from the stall a few moments later, Junko stood next to Misaki by the sinks.

"Did it feel nice? You know, after bullying that secretary."

"What are you talking about?"

"It was only two nights ago, surely you haven't forgotten already?"

"She deserved it. Why? Are you going to avenge her?"

"Of course not. I don't even know who she is."

As she spoke, Misaki walked over to the door and locked it so no one else could come in. She let her hair down and messed it up, then she tore her dress down the side and broke off the heel of one shoe. Stepping on the train of Junko's dress, Misaki grabbed the other woman by her hair only to be pushed off by a very confused Junko.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving you a lesson on tasting your own medicine."

Unlocking the door, Misaki dropped to the floor and let out a blood curdling scream over and over, holding her left wrist as if she was hurt. Within seconds, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she looked so distraught that anyone who walked in now would instantly believe that she was the victim. Before Junko even had time to register what was going, the door to the bathroom burst open and security was rushing in.

Both women were hysterical. Misaki refused to let anyone near her, holding her wrist while crying in pain. Security was desperately trying to explain that they were there to help though nothing was calming her down. Junko, on the other hand, was frantically trying to explain the situation. That Misaki was acting and none of this was her fault. With Misaki's screams and cries, however, it was hard to hear anyone speak and they were both escorted out to a private room each where security had notified Minato. As soon as they walked through the door, Minato received his sister in his arms and held her tight.

"Would you like for us to call the police, Miss Kanemoto?"

"Yes," Minato replied.

"No, don't," Misaki said softly. "It was just a misunderstanding, I don't want to make a scene out of it."

"Are you sure, Misaki?"

This was unlike his sister, Minato thought. They had no relations with Junko; they did not know who she was, nor did they deal with her professionally. In all reality, this kind of conflict should never happen between the two. That was when Minato remembered what Misaki said just before she disappeared: this evening is about to become very interesting. Could his sister be faking like Junko said?

Even as he stared into her eyes and wiped away her tears, Minato could not tell if Misaki was pretending. He knew everything there was to know about his sister. Or at least that was what he thought. He could not quite put his finger on when, but there was a time when he felt that Misaki was slowly becoming someone unfamiliar. The subtle change in the way she spoke, the way she acted was so minute that he never noticed, not even now.

"I just want to go home, Minato," she whispered. "If the police get involved, we'd spend the whole night at the station and I really don't want that. Please...let's just go home."

Despite going against every fibre of his being, Minato nodded in agreement. As protective as he was, Misaki was right. Once the police were involved, they would be at the station all night and the last thing he wanted was for his sister to be further traumatised. Not to mention the media; nothing about a Kanemoto ever went unreported. If their father were to know about this incident, they would not be let off with just a simple lecture.

"Alright. You stay here, I'll say the goodbyes and I'll get the car around."

"Thank you. You're the best brother."

"I'm your only brother."

"That's why you're the best."

Leaving his suit jacket behind for her, Minato went back to the event hall. Misaki slipped her arms through the sleeves and brushed her hair out, waiting a few seconds before opening the door. The damsel in distress act was dropped since there was nobody around. She took her shoes off, holding them in her hand as she made her way down the hallway and to the elevator. She got on, pressed for the lobby and just as the door was about to close, a hand caught the door and someone slipped in with her.

One look was all it took.

One glance at the stranger who joined her and Misaki instantly knew who he was. She did not know he would be here, but then again, she never knew when and where he would be. Stepping aside to the back corner, she pretended not to know who he was though she could feel an intense gaze on her.

"How's your wrist?"

"Fine."

"You're a better actress than you are a pianist."

"Excuse me?"

"You were never a liar. Was it fun? Putting on that little show."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

This was so him. After all these years, he never changed. He was always playing games but by his own rules that were constantly changing and confusing. They used to be fun, refreshing even. Especially since his games were never meant for her. Or so Misaki thought. No one was ever exempted from his games, not even her. Everyone had to play the Sagara Yosuke game and she was in one of them right now. No longer, however, should Misaki play into his hands.

Slamming her palm on the stop button, Misaki looked Yosuke in the eyes without a single change in her expression. She was naive all those years ago, eating up every word he said. She used to believe that Sagara Yosuke was the angel sent to save her from her miserable life. All those years ago, she would look into his eyes and see a future together. All she saw now, however, were lies written all over. Lies that she should have seen from the beginning.

"Well that was a tad aggressive," Yosuke grinned. "Feisty. Different from what I'm used to."

"I'm not the girl you used to know anymore," Misaki stated.

"Is that why you staged that little performance?" he asked, stepping closer but she did not budge an inch. "Misa to the rescue?"

"Don't call me that."

"Then what should I call you?"

She imagined this scenario plenty of times. Not this specific scenario but one where she would see him again. She imagined she would be angry, lashing out at him for all that he had done to her. She imagined there would be tears and perhaps some hitting on her part. There was none of that, however. She was oddly calm, though a little irritated at his interrogation game.

Ever since he saw her again, Yosuke could not stop thinking about Misaki. How she still kept her hair long but put waves in them now. How she still looked like the high school student he met, yet matured in so many ways. The look in her eyes, however, was different. They no longer held that hope she had, that everything would get better. Her smile was no longer genuine either, just plastered on her face to please others. The dress, the shoes, and the jewelry, none of it screamed Misaki. She was no longer the Misaki he knew.

"You were there, were you not? The event two days ago, where that model bullied a secretary."

"You think I avenged that secretary? I don't even know who she is."

"Then why did you go through the effort?"

"To teach her a lesson."

"What lesson would that be?"

Turning her back on Yosuke, Misaki pressed the button to get the elevator going again. "That she shouldn't pull social status over others. Not when there are people with more power." As if on cue, the elevator finally arrived at the lobby and the door opened. Without another look at Yosuke, Misaki stepped out and headed for the entrance where she waited for Minato.

The cool air hit her harder than she anticipated and as she took in a deep breath, she found herself leaning against the glass. She was overcame by emotions for unknown reasons and before she knew it, she was crying. Tears kept streaming down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to keep them in and wiping them away. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier by the second, the feeling of being overwhelmed unstoppable.

Was this Yosuke?

She thought she could handle seeing him again. Her own mind tricked her into thinking she was fine after all these years but the truth was, she was not. There was no anger involved but there was plenty of misery. As his face flashed in her mind, she was reminded of how happy they used to be back in high school and how that happiness never belonged to her in the first place. When it all crashed and burnt, she was the one left in the rubble trying to pick up the pieces. She was the one left with all the scars when he went on with life as if she was never a part of it to begin with.

Having said all his goodbyes, Minato rushed out of the event hall. Without Misaki, he felt out of place facing all those people. He was born into this world but he never felt like it was his place. Years of training perfected his smile and every word he said, however, making it seem like he was one of them. He rushed not so he could be with his sister, he rushed so he could get out of there and away from them.

However, as he arrived at the lobby, he spotted Misaki wearing his suit jacket just outside the building through the glass. Something was wrong.

Misaki was doubled over, clutching onto Minato's suit jacket like it was a life jacket. Every noise around her suddenly became amplified and despite being outside, it felt as if the world was closing in on her. Running out to his sister, Minato made the mistake of touching her. Misaki swatted his hand away while stepping away from him though she stepped on her torn dress and fell backwards instead.

He had seen this many times before. The first time Misaki came home from an event with their father without Minato, she did not make it into her bedroom before breaking down. Almost every time before her final exams, she would have at least two attacks. A few shoes thrown at him and being screamed at right in the face, he had to learn how to help her through a panic attack. And this right now, was a panic attack. Whatever triggered it did not matter, guiding her out of it did.

"Misaki, look at me. Look, who am I?" Holding his sister's face with his hands, Minato made sure that she could not see anything else except for him. Focusing on one thing helped her to eliminate any other possible triggers.

"Mi-Minato..."

"You're going to be okay. I'm right here," he said softly. "I'm going to take my hands away but I want you to keep your eyes on me, okay?"

"Okay."

As he pulled his hands away, Minato kept his eyes on Misaki, as she did him. He moved slowly, careful not to startle her and reached into the pocket of his jacket to pull out a pair of earphones. Every time Misaki's eyes flickered elsewhere, Minato would make a soft clicking noise with his tongue, getting her attention back. He plugged the earphones into his phone and put on the playlist he made for her. Instant relief washed over Misaki the second the playlist started.

"Let's go home."

#zem ch2 #kings of paradise #kop #yosuke sagara #voltage inc

[bleachlists2]

Live tweets from Ichigo and Orihime’s first date

Requested by @midnight-lightt :)

Looks like Ichigo and Orihime are finally going out on a date! But what if their friends decided to spy on them? Or all of the Gotei 13 are watching their date live from Soul Society? Well, let’s see what they have to say about it!

1) Rukia

“Tonight is Ichigo and Inoue’s first date, and we’re broadcasting it live in Soul Society!”

#omg omg #i totally called this #Ichigo better not mess this up!

2) Ukitake

“Good thing I brought enough popcorn, it’s a full house in Squad 12 tonight! Thank you @ mad-scientist-12!”

#young humans on a first date #this will be so much fun!

3) Kurotsuchi

“@ twin-fish-secrets: I didn’t even give you permission to use my lab as a viewing theatre, you insisted until I agreed to shut you up.”

#I might as well stay #wouldn’t want Kenpachi’s lieutenant to break anything here

4) Renji

“Ichigo’s outside Inoue’s house now, dressed up like a punk!”

#really embracing the delinquent life? #or trying to look cool? #black shirt with ripped sleeves #jeans with small tears #he kinda rocks the punk look #he’s also got a grocery bag for some reason

5) Renji

“Whoa! Inoue’s also got a punk look going on!”

#purple blouse #jean skirt #spiked choker and spiked boots #they both trying to look cool tonight?

6) Renji

“Pfft, the moment they saw each other, they started blushing.”

#dorks #seriously #human teenagers are so cute sometimes #so much for trying to look cool

7) Yumichika

“I have to admit, Inoue Orihime looks stunning tonight!”

#her matching aesthetic with Ichigo is quite lovely! #even if they look punk

8) Kenpachi

“They heading out for a fight or something?”

#Ichigo looks like he’s ready for a fight #is the girl gonna cheer him on or something like that?

9) Rukia

“OMG. Ichigo just held up the bag and said that he bought two bento boxes for dinner tonight!”

#seriously Ichigo? #you couldn’t take Inoue out to a nice restaurant or something like that? #but at least Inoue looks happy #what is their date anyways?

10) Rose

“Well, no wonder they’re dressed like punks. Their first date is a rock concert! Ichigo sure has good choices in dates!”

#they’re standing outside an arena in a line now #I guess Kurosaki wanted to get here on time and beat the line? #gotta give him props for thinking ahead

11) Hisagi

“First date is at a concert? That’s awesome!”

#but does Inoue like rock music? #and does this mean we’re getting a free concert to watch as well?

12) Rangiku

“Omg, they’re eating dinner in the line now! And Ichigo just fed Orihime-chan a roll of sushi!”

#so cute! #Ichigo was also blushing while doing that #i swear #those kids are so adorable!

13) Tatsuki

“So far, so good. Orihime-chan hasn’t started crying yet, and Ichigo is doing a pretty good job at making her smile.”

#he’s acting like a total doof right now #for all his attempt at being cool Ichigo is a total dork

14) Ishida

“I still can’t believe Kurosaki chose to have a bento dinner, instead of taking Inoue-san out to a restaurant!”

#I mean seriously 

15) Chad

“@ the-last-quincy: It’s beautiful, actually. And besides, it’s the thought that counts.”

#This suits Ichigo anyways #and Inoue looks happy

16) Shinji

“Oh god, watching those two flirt... it’s both adorable and kind of embarrassing.”

#human teenagers #always so awkward with one another

17) Yoruichi

“Ichigo/Inoue flirting no.1: Inoue smiles at Ichigo, Ichigo blushes and says, ‘you have eyes’.”

#facepalm #seriously? #someone needs to take Flirting 101

18) Yoruichi

“Ichigo/Inoue flirting no.2: Inoue says, ‘you look pretty today. April Fool’s, you’re pretty everyday!’. Ichigo flusters again.”

#someone help these kids

19) Keigo

“Whoa, is Ichigo smiling?? I’ve never seen him actually smile like that!”

#he looks so... happy #such a goofy smile

20) Mizuiro

“I think Inoue’s brain just reset.”

#Ichigo smiling #a rare sight indeed

21) Byakuya

“Inoue Orihime’s face is redder than Renji’s hair. And that’s saying something.”

#reminds me of when I first took Hisana out to dinner #and I told her she looked pretty #it’s actually very... sweet

22) Kyoraku

“@ flower-noble: Young love, am I right?”

#Ichigo and Byakuya both are/were awkward teenagers

23) Rukia

“Looks like they’re finally going inside the arena now!”

#they got their tickets scanned #and a wristband around their wrists

24) Rukia

“They’re up at the front of the stage?? And there’s a whole lot of people in there!”

#just who is this band anyways? #are they really that popular?

25) Rose

“The house lights went off! It’s finally starting!”

#i miss concerts! #best part of the Living World!

26) Kensei

“Looks like the band’s taken the stage now. Their music sounds pretty heavy, and they look really Gothic, kinda.”

#Ichigo’s into this kind of music? #or Inoue? 

27) Hisagi

“That band looks so cool.”

#gotta check them out next time

28) Renji

“Oh wow. Both Ichigo and Inoue are eyeing the band members and blushing!”

#gotta love it when both partners appreciate how good-looking someone looks

29) Byakuya

“This music is so barbaric; so much growling and screaming, and it’s so loud. How can either of them like it?”

#but Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime seem to like it

30) Ikkaku

“Damn, this music makes me wanna have a fight!”

#sounds badass and awesome! #Ichigo and Inoue have good taste in music! #how does that guy growl like that?? #humans are amazing!

31) Rukia

“... I did not know this band liked doing fanservice.”

#but Ichigo and Inoue’s faces? #priceless #they’re both stunned and blushing so hard!

32) Rose

“Last song of the night already? Ah, how fast a concert goes.”

#how time flies when you’re at a concert!

33) Kira

“This song is a lot slower. Is it a love song?”

#also sounds really sad

34) Ukitake

“Inoue’s started crying now, and I can’t blame her. The song is pretty sad.”

#makes you think about life and love... #music: always manages to tug at the heartstrings

35) Rukia

“Omg, Ichigo’s teared up as well!”

#he’s trying to hide it #not doing a good job though

36) Rangiku

“Awww! He’s pulled Orihime-chan closer into a hug! Now he’s rubbing her back and letting her cry into him!”

#omg omg omg #he just kissed her forehead!! #my heart can’t take this anymore! #i’m gonna die of cuteness overload!

37) Hitsugaya

“@ beauty-cat-10: geez, stop being so dramatic, Matsumoto!”

#i guess this is kinda... sweet #human teenagers #so emotional and awkward

38) Soi Fon

“Crying over sad music? How weak. This sort of weakness would never be allowed into my squad.”

#i say as i tear up a little bit #no i’m not crying! #i’m a captain #captains do not cry!

39) Kyoraku

“The concert is over, and now Ichigo is walking Inoue home under the starry sky.”

#romantic #reminds me of the days when Jushiro and I dated like this #Inoue is thanking Ichigo for the date

40) Renji

“Holy damn... Ichigo just kissed Inoue! HELL YEAH!!”

#so proud of him! #was a little clumsy #but nice work Ichigo! 

41) Rukia

“Everyone is celebrating now. Ichigo kissed Inoue and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

#they look so happy! #ah i’m so proud of them! #all in all a successful first date!

42) Byakuya

“I suppose this was rather sweet to watch.”

#i’m leaving now #i’ve been in Squad 12 long enough

43) Yumichika

“So the princess and the hero have finally come together.”

#hmmm #Princess and Hero #nice ring to it

44) Yoruichi

“About damn time Ichigo kissed her! Finally, he’s done something right!”

#but those flirting skills... #they really need to improve

45) Orihime

“@ strawberryprotector15: Thank you for the date, Kuro- er, Ichigo! I loved it so much, and I can’t wait to do it again!”

#we’re on a first-name basis now! 

#Bleach #Bleach Lists #Ichigo #Orihime #IchiHime #Rukia #Ukitake #Kurotsuchi #Renji #Yumichika #Kenpachi #Rose #Hisagi #Rangiku #Tatsuki #Ishida #Chad #Shinji #Yoruichi #Keigo #Mizuiro #Byakuya #Kyoraku #Kensei #Ikkaku #Kira #Hitsugaya #Soi Fon

[dispensemiracles]

Persona 5 AU that uses my P4 AU as backstory. Its gonna be split in three parts and stuff and will have P4 spoilers of course and some graphic things, thanks to @ladyforestshade and @stupidstubble for support!

The first ring passed unnoticed; an incessant wail that broke the silence of night. She rolled over on her own accord facing the nightstand when the second ring screamed into her ears. At most she let out a long groan, and by the third was groping for her phone with her eyes half open. Behind her Eli shifted around digging closer against her back. The feel of nails lightly scrapping on her lower scars pushed her to full alertness. 

“Elicchi that hur-”

A glance told her Eli was still in deep sleep. She sighed and tapped to answer the call without looking at the screen. 

“Hello?”

“Nozomi? Nozomi! So...your number’s the same.”

Her blood froze and for a moment she was busied untangling herself from Eli’s hug. She traced the thick clean lines marring half her stomach starting at her right hip. The tiger stripes pattern of scars on her back and lining the back of her arms began to tingle. Each was as thick as the other beside it. She struggled to swallow with her heart pounding in her throat. Slowly she licked her lips, gathering a shaky breath. The midnight chill made her shiver. 

“Hey, Nozomi...are you there? I know it’s late so maybe now isn’t good...”

“Rise, what’re you doing? 

She paused, gathering strength to cool the rising turmoil of indescribable emotions swelling in her chest. Against her wishes the hand holding her phone began to tremble. 

“How are you doing?”

“...Fine. Well no, not fine. I didn’t call just to hear your voice. There’s something I want, need you for and-”

“If this is about what I think you might say then you can stop right now.”

“Could you just listen? Its- its urgent. Its got to do with a cousin. I think he’s found a way into the Midnight Channel, or something like it.”

Nozomi clenched her phone until her knuckles went white. The faint chill she’d tolerated was evaporating beneath a furious sweat; each scar suddenly burning up, using her panic as a wick. Fuzziness settled into the corners of her vision. An urge to scratch a way out of her own skin made her move her mouth away from the receiver and steady her breathing. 

She looked at Eli who’s face was buried between the pillow and her blonde hair. The itching receded before it could advance to the pain that occasionally paralyzed her without warning. She wondered not for the first time if all Shadow wounds were the same way. Her heartbeat calmed and she again spoke to the voice that still managed to make her forget herself. 

“That shouldn’t even be possible. We made sure to get rid of it. All of us.”

“Yeah well that doesn’t explain why I can sense an energy like a Persona’s from him. And he’s been so lethargic lately. Haven’t you seen those cases of mental shutdowns on the news too? Nozomi I’m...scared. You know I hate to ask, but you’re the only one who lives closest in Tokyo. Can we...meet up?”

“...Where?” 

“There’s a Lawsons by my apartment. Its not much but they’re the only people open at this hour.”

Nozomi sat stewing in silence. Rise’s pleas ran all the more forceful through her thoughts by the exhaustion that’d drained her voice. She fiddled with the edge of her duvet as though it were a stress ball. A surge of emotion that rushed through a mental door she’d once shut made her grip all the tighter. Her stomach began to churn, threatening to wake her scars. Eli had once again taken her attention at the center of a rationale that Rise’s cousin could be akin to helping Alisa in distress. 

This time Rise remained patient on the other end, letting out a small sigh of relief when Nozomi spoke,

“Give me the street and time to get ready.”

“Thank you.”

Nozomi tapped to end the call after jotting the details on a notepad. With the careful paranoia of a burglar she redressed; her feet mapped out the quietest spots of the floor to step on. In between putting on each piece of clothing her eyes darted to Eli, still motionless on their bed. When she began folding the directions into her pocket her eyes lingered again. 

Sighing she gently smoothed back Eli’s bangs. Despite their year together the gesture came out a tad awkward, hesitant. She looked over Eli’s peaceful expression, her features mature yet retaining a quality of innocence. It gripped her with a familiar apprehension. She felt it creep into unease as she penned another note and placed it on the sheets. When she turned to go her eyes stopped at the nightstand drawer. Quickly she retrieved her phone before it made her feel anything else.

By car meeting Rise was a matter of minutes that plucked at her nerves. As she closed the distance soon only a block remained. Stopping at a traffic light she sat hunched over the steering wheel. Tapping it steadily the thought of circling around to gather herself was tantalizing. She winced at the light turning green, then continued on, smothering the idea. 

The last of the journey she moved on foot at a slow pace. Each step was weighted by thoughtful melancholy. At last the bright lights of the Lawsons cast a harsh glow on a lone woman. Rise stood leaning beside the doors, her hands folded behind her back. 

It stirred Nozomi’s memory, merging the woman of the present with the still waiting girl of the past. They’d both worn pigtails then. Focusing, she found Rise still did. Her head was turned away, searching. 

Taking a breath Nozomi cleared her throat.

“Hello, Rise.”

The turn to look at her came just as she finished speaking. Her heart jolted. Their eyes met, saying more than could be said aloud for the years lost. 

“You look exhausted. Are you taking care of yourself properly? Eating enough? Did I wake you at a bad time?”

The questions unfurled one after another like a flower in bloom. The voice was soft as it caressed her in the past while stinging in the present. It gave her pause enough that all she could force out was,

“I haven’t seen them. I mean the mental shutdowns. Haven’t been keeping up with the news these days.”

“Oh. I see.”

She saw what little delight Rise had mustered to meet her vanish. Instead the disconnected, formal sternness she wore during interviews shaking her down for scandals took its place. The energy to her eyes withdrew into hurt. It chipped at Nozomi’s heart, but nothing more. She’d trained herself to bury with numbness. Nozomi checked the time on her phone as an excuse to look away. 

No matter how briefly she buried herself elsewhere the disappointed hum Rise made recaptured her attention. Tentatively she looked up again to find her staring at the smartphone in Nozomi’s hands. She drew closer until Nozomi could smell the candy sweet perfume Rise still adored; her eyes remaining down as she spoke,

“You changed it huh? It, looks nice.”

Following the stare Nozomi’s stomach churned to find her wallpaper of Eli’s smile staring back. The pain edging closer in Rise’s voice spun her emotions to yet another uncomfortable phase. Her brain fumbled for a response.

“Yeah. I’ve had this one for a while, probably should upgrade it.”

“She seems nice too.”

“Thanks.”

“Mind if I ask how long?”

“Just a year.”

“Congratulations.”

The blunt kindness Rise had shifted into stung. Nozomi stuffed the phone in a pocket again before another minute could pass. She could feel herself being watched with the same fervor Rise used on the stages of sold out concerts. Just the thought made her grip the phone in her pocket tighter; she could never show Rise that it contained a deluxe version of her latest album.

“All that aside, people have been suddenly dropping dead where only minutes before they were healthy. If it isn’t that then they have fits of insanity and put others in danger. For whatever reason the suicide rate seems to be going up too. Didn’t you at least see that case of a train driver going so fast he barreled off the tracks? It was a miracle he didn’t kill anyone.”

Nozomi’s face knit hard and her tone dropped to a huskiness that fit the shadows lurking around them.

“...I heard about it in class but thought it was an isolated incident.”

“It would be enough if it were, but so many keep popping up with the same things in common. Either the perp dies or they can’t remember a thing afterwards.”

“How many in the last month alone?”

“At least a dozen, I’d guess more. It’s starting to baffle police beyond just being big talk on the web. Inoue even suggested bumping up security at my last show. Some people were too scared to come.”

Sighing Nozomi smoothed back her hair, her eyes darting to the ground in thought. She rubbed her chin and leaned against the wall. Rise’s stare followed and her lips quivered for what had already been said, and what was yet to be. She stood wringing her hands behind her back, waiting. Nozomi broke the thick silence.

“If all this is true, then what’s it got to do with the Other World? Do you think someone found another way to toss people in, only now they can be pulled out and go crazy? If that’s the case how are they feeling the effects only at specific times that cause danger? No one could escape the Midnight Channel alone before, it doesn’t make sense. Impractical even.”

“I thought that at first too. But then I was able to sense a new Persona. At least, it feels a lot like one leaking out from inside Shoji. Maybe it’ll be clearer if I show you.”

“Show me? We can’t summon Personas anymore.”

At that Rise grinned and clasped her hands together as if in prayer. It caused Nozomi’s eyes to widen, spellbound. With a strong, proud resolve too large for her petite body Rise cried out,

“Protect me, Kanzeon!”

A flash of azure light settled into a gentle aura draping over Rise completely. Soon in its wake stood an immensely tall womanly figure; its colors were dominated by silver and red. It’s slender arms held a silver band with two spikes sticking up the ends like ears. The full of its head took the shape of a satellite; a pronounced red antenna struck through three silver, glass-like plates where would’ve been a face. The tails of its striped dress flowed with their elegant lines above the ground.

Nozomi had recoiled and her mouth was gaped open. Her eyes trailed along the antenna to find two more glass plates suspended across from the other behind Kanzeon, like wheels on a car chassis. Slowly she dared reach out to touch the swishing white cloth dangling from the sides of the head. It’s silken feel confirmed it for the truth. Her mouth made an ‘O’ gasping in awe.

Faintly she heard Rise’s light hearted laugh. The tips of her ears turned red as her face flushed in embarrassment. Rarely had she worn the colors of a fool, and she did not want to start again now. Rise herself had her face concealed beneath the silver band, which adorned her forming a crown. This time her hands were again behind her back. She was smiling with a haughty air.

“It took me months but I managed it. A bit of help from some people you haven’t met. Kanzeon comes out whenever I ask it to. Now watch this.”

Three giant translucent panels appeared above them horizontally. Lines of raw data in characters Nozomi recognized but never had learned to read rushed past. They were replaced by a profile of a high school boy wearing glasses. His short black hair was unkempt about his face and ears like a mane that’d broken several combs.

The mischief in his easy smile, pointed chin, and wide but unreadable eyes marked him no matter how lightly as Rise’s kin. Nozomi turned her attention next to a body outline beside it; it’s surface lit up in the manner of a thermal scan. Blue flames dancing vibrantly flickered beyond the edges.

“Well I’ll be, you weren’t lying.” Nozomi slipped out.

“Of course not. He’s my family, even if I almost never see him. If anything happened to him I’d- well that’s why I want your help.”

For the first time surprising even herself, Nozomi chuckled. The sound washed over her as something foreign, something that should have long stopped between them.

“You’re kind as ever, Rise. That part hasn’t changed at all.”

“You’ve got a girlfriend you know. Flattery won’t get you something.” Rise countered, huffing. It quickly masked her tiny instinct to smile.

“That’s not what I-! It was just an observation.”

“Actually on that note...why can’t I sense your Persona? Sure you might not be able to summon but...the energy reading is gone.”

Nozomi shrunk away as the images on the panels shifted into her likeness. She took a deep breath and balled her hands. Her eyes lowered while the sinking pit in her stomach felt as though it would harden into lead. The fear that her scars would wake crept through a crack in her thoughts. 

“I...I stopped using it. Stopped acknowledging it. I’m sure by now I’ve all but lost it completely.” 

“...And you couldn’t have told me this earlier? There’s no way I can go back to the Other World by myself, you know that!”

“I wanted to at least hear you out. There’s gotta be other ways I can help, right?”

“Yeah but that’s not the point. I thought you’d be able to defend me in that place. If it came to that anyway.”

In a dim cloak of light Kanzeon vanished within Rise; a shadow jumping inside what cast it. She crossed her arms and tapped a foot, furious. It was the same pose she’d worn when discovering Nozomi had once crammed till collapsing for exams. Or had eaten the last leftovers in the fridge without warning. Or had once forgotten their date, or-

“I guess you can at the very least help me explain the Other World to him. Help him if he is in danger and doesn’t know what to do. Give him some advice. He’s clever for someone his age, but he’s not invincible, you know?”

Nozomi’s expression softened.

“No one is, Rise.”

“Besides in that way he reminds me of you. Stubborn to boot too. But a good person.”

As Rise spoke a corner of Nozomi’s mind drifted toward the lowest level of her thoughts. The thoughts that were not thoughts as they were base instincts. She called out there to her Persona; there came no answer. She tried again, and again. No answer. A wave of sudden panic flushed through her. At its barest it filled her eyes with dread. She yearned then for a single connection, anything at all. If Rise noticed she said nothing. The silence unnerved.

“I thought your family were still in Inaba though. Why the sudden change?”

“He got himself in trouble with the law. An assault charge. He’s lucky the most they went for was probation under a guardian. Even then they’ve got him on a tight leash.”

In one motion Rise darted forward and grasped Nozomi’s hands. When she looked down she admired for an instant the manicure Rise had maintained. The grip was firm enough to make her gasp quietly.

“Please, Nozomi. If we can get to the bottom of this then we can stop something awful from trying to repeat. We can save people’s lives! And then...I can get out of your way. But I’m not going to sit around and let people get hurt.”

Nozomi averted Rise’s stare that had only seemed to encompass all her vision. She cowered and took a step back. Her voice quivered. 

“We aren’t on the Investigation Team anymore.”

“...You left us.”

It was the first harsh sound Rise had uttered in the dark. A truth within a truth. Rise’s hands pulled away to rest at her sides. Her expression remained gentle, and that cut through Nozomi with greater strength than any twisted abomination. Her scars tingled. She watched Rise sigh and edge away as though to leave, throwing her into panic. She felt the pounding in her chest, the nausea when indeed Rise was turning her back. The feel of her heart grew painful and swelled; suddenly it seemed ten sizes too large. She’d known this scene once before, carried its guilt in her dreams. It echoed from her memory until she could taste bitterness.

Without looking behind Rise stopped and quietly spoke. It was genuine. 

“If you don’t want to do this I can understand. I remember what happened you know. I can do this alone. For as long as it takes the others to arrive-eh?”

“I’ll do it.”

Slowly Rise looked down to find Nozomi’s hand gripped around her wrist. Her eyes widened but she remained still. She made a soft gasp seeing the fingers tremble. The calm she’d worn was pushed back like pavement being cracked by ancient roots. The tendrils of worry knotted together with alarm in her expression. They corrupted whatever relief she may have had. Nozomi stood, her teeth grit and her face a mess of harsh angles; mustering her resolve, hacking at the chains of fear. 

Rise’s blood ran cold if for a moment. It wakened her memories of the TV hunts, of Nozomi’s wild dances with death in their fog. Her stomach sank. She was caught by hesitation, scolded by shame. 

“Nozomi...not if you look like you’re forcing yourself. It was stupid of me to ask such a big deal from you after what happened. You never could shake that place. I just didn’t know what to do and-”

“Rise I will do this. You were right again, as usual. If I run, how am I any better than Adachi if things get worse?”  

Rise stiffened at the name, paling a degree. Nozomi’s grip grew firmer. 

“My problems I...can work through them. As long as I don’t slow you down too much.”

The edge in her voice made Rise stifle a shiver. Sighing she let Nozomi hold her hand and turned it into a gentle handshake. An urge welled and spread through her in an air of nostalgia; she welcomed the tone she once knew stopped Nozomi’s shakes in her fitful sleep. 

“If it ever gets too hard, please tell me. In fact I’ll do my best to keep you out of any fighting as best I can.”

At last Nozomi smiled at her, however faint.

“Thank you.” 

The drive home found her empty headed. Her body knew only the numb tension that followed recklessness. The will she’d found sputtered into silence and shuffled its feet back into the recesses of her mind. Each now buzzing nerve began to coil until like a spring she burst aloud at a red light.

“Dammit why can’t I say no to her?!”

The edge of her hands still hurt from pounding the steering wheel when she fumbled for her house keys. Eli was as she’d been left, though now deeper in the blankets. Nozomi’s note fluttered with each of her breaths. The sight of her made Nozomi breathe deeply to drink in reality. She stripped as though the clothes were fire with her scars now pulsating. She didn’t mind where she stepped, stopping at her underwear. Sitting on the bed did little to ease her.

An impulse that refused to be squashed made her look at the nightstand.

It was wrapped in an air of the forbidden, meant to be forgotten. Built to house the feeling, even. She held her wrist tight then curled her fingers. Her hands trembled. Gritting her teeth she let out a grunt and in one swipe opened the drawer. Her flip phone lay as she’d left it. 

A thin layer of dust from long before it’d been placed there was broken at her touch. It left goosebumps on her skin, the ghosts of battles scraped through, the shelter within the Junes food court, exams, endless summer days and long winter nights. Nights where in some she could still feel Rise’s kiss, or her shiver when Nozomi touched her right. Of her warm smiles and soft voice. Of the blood and screams. The burn melting into her muscle as her own flesh was ripped open. 

She shut it quickly at that, her knuckles white. Under the duvet she curled into a ball. She hugged her sides as though to keep them stitched together. Squeezing shut her eyes, she rolled to face Eli, mapping not for the first time Rise’s face in its place. It made her whine, fearful and shaking as the tears spilled down her cheeks. Her sleep was dreamless. She hardly noticed it take her.

#this has been in planning since last summer i can finally just do what i want #nozorise #OK to reblog #love live! #persona #nozomi tojo #rise kujikawa

[feelingfredly]

The Fox Guards the Wolf

Part Three

The Rooster and the Hen House

The dojo was humming with activity, and Ichigo breathed in the familiar scents of sweat, leather mats, and incense, pulling his focus tightly in upon himself, and letting all of his stress melt away.

The first Saturday of every month was for officially refereed matches, and he’d faced three different opponents over the course of the morning, but none of them had beaten him so far. Now he had one more round, and he was done for the day.

He bowed to the referee, and then to his opponent, sending his best friend a challenging smirk.

“Hajime!”  

The two were evenly matched.  They’d been training together for four years, but this was the first chance they’d had to face off against each other recently due to Renji’s crazy study schedule.  Not many of the students at the dojo had as much experience as they did, and it was nice to be able to stretch his skills without being afraid he was going to accidentally hurt someone.

Ichigo raised his hands and lunged, thrusting one leg out and hooking it behind Renji’s foot as he trapped their hands high between their chests.

Grappling was Renji’s bread and butter.  He was taller, and a little heavier, and if he could get a good grip Ichigo would be in trouble. Today Ichigo was faster, though, and getting a good foothold off the bat gave him all the edge he needed.  He twisted, pulling Renji’s body closer, and then threw him over with all his strength, slamming the taller man onto his back.

“Ippon! Soremade.” The referee’s voice cut through the background noise. Match over. Three for three.

The friends stood, faced each other, and bowed again.

“Shit, Kurosaki,” Renji said, once they cleared the mat, “You were really in the zone today. I haven’t seen you move that fast since Inoue-san tried to get you to eat her chocolate-wasabi onigiri.”  He laughed but Ichigo remembered that day. He had moved pretty fast.  With Inoue’s food you had to—it was run or die.  “Three ippons in a row! You could have at least given me a chance.  You had me on my back faster than a fūzoku.”

Ichigo shook his head and tried to ignore the trace of red the teasing brought to his face. Renji was shameless.  Luckily, he’d taught Ichigo to give as good as he got.

“Just didn’t want to tease you too much, Abarai.  I know how hot and bothered you get thinking about pinning me like that.  You’d never have been able to spar with a hard-on.”

As freshmen the two had met in the dojo.  Ichigo had taken judo lessons since he turned twelve, and had been expected to keep training by his father, but Renji used judo as an outlet for some of his less socially acceptable impulses. He loved the physicality of it, and said more than once that it was the only thing that kept him from getting kicked out of school. It had only taken a few weeks for the two sparring partners to become friends, and after that first semester they found an apartment close to their classes and moved in together.

They’d fought off and on that first year. Renji went out drinking every weekend and slept through half the undergraduate population—male and female—and didn’t understand why Ichigo spent all his time studying. After a while, though, the newness of freedom wore off and he settled down into a more reasonable routine.  He had an ambitious streak that pushed him, and he strove to be the best in every class, but it never turned him into an asshole. He was still the charming, outgoing goofball he’d been from the beginning, and he only occasionally teased Ichigo about his volumes of Shakespeare by the bathtub, and the medical journals he left on the kitchen counter.

His dad hadn’t been thrilled when he said he wanted to move off campus, but after a few meetings he and Renji had hit it off.  Both Renji’s parents had died when he was small and he’d been raised in foster care, and while Kurosaki Isshin would never admit it, the redhead had become almost a second son. When Renji had been accepted to law school, he was just as proud as he’d been of Ichigo’s MCAT scores, and he’d bragged about them to anyone who would listen.

Hopefully, he’d never realize what his sons had gotten up to over the years.

“You working at the clinic tonight?” Renji asked. “I didn’t check the schedule this morning.”

“Not tonight.” Ichigo said. “I swapped with Yamazaki-san, so he could attend his little sister’s graduation ceremony last week, so I have an unexpected evening off.”

“Hot date?”

Ichigo rolled his eyes.  “Only if you count my laptop.”

Renji snorted.  “Sadly, that might sound better if I knew you had a porn addiction, but no.  You’re going to find some dusty corner and commune with your muse again aren’t you?”

They hit the lockers and Ichigo pulled his clothes out, focusing on getting dressed so he didn’t have to answer.

Renji was more supportive than most about his writing. He agreed that spending a year working on getting his novel finished and finding an agent was important, but he didn’t understand Ichigo’s choice to stop dating until he’d made a final decision about med school. For him, getting laid was a priority—like breathing—and he was convinced Ichigo was crazy to try to deny himself.

It wasn’t like Ichigo had completely given up on sex.  He’d had a few dates where he’d ended up in someone’s bed, but they’d been one night with no strings attached, and he never ended up in the same bed twice.  There just wasn’t enough attraction with any of them to make it worth the effort.

“My muse, as you put it, is better company than anyone I’ve been out with recently.” He tugged his shirt over his head and pulled it down. “Anyway, you know how I feel. Until I get things settled it isn’t fair to ask someone to put up with my shit.  Hell, I don’t want to put up with my shit.”

Renji came around the corner, dress shirt unbuttoned and untucked, and Ichigo sighed.  It wasn’t fair. The man was hot as hell, with his chest tatted up, and his muscles rippling subtly under smooth skin. At one time Ichigo thought he’d found his perfect match, but it wasn’t meant to be. They’d slept together a few times, and the redhead was as enthusiastic a lover as he was a sparring partner, but there was something missing and they both knew it.  

“Don’t sell yourself short, man.” Long fingers made short work of his buttons. “There are lots of people out there who have less of an idea of what they’re doing with their lives than you.  You’ve got a job, you’re writing a novel, you’re smart, you’re good looking,” he looked down at him and grinned, “and you have the hottest roommate in the history of cohabitation.”

Renji cocked his head to one side, looked at something over Ichigo’s shoulder, and stage whispered.  “Someone’s taken notice at least.  Although he seems a little on the shy side.”

Ichigo turned to see what he was talking about.  “What? Who?” All he could see were a few other judo students.

Renji shook his head, and looked a little dismayed.  “Dude was just standing by the door.  I noticed him watching the matches earlier.  Good looking guy.  I guess he saw me watching him, uh, watching, and ducked out.”

Ichigo slid his feet into his shoes and grabbed his bag, the weight of the laptop heavy as he slung it over his shoulder.  

“You sure he was watching me?” He looked at his friend. “Of the two of us, you’re the one who gathers groupies.”

Renji lost his smart-ass grin and shook his head.  “No way.  I gave him a good long look—you know I like the ones that look like they could do a little damage, and this guy looked like he could hold his own—but he didn’t notice me at all.  He was all about you.”

Ichigo felt his heart speed up a little.  “What did he look like?  Kind of tall?  Shoulders? Blond hair?”

Renji shook his head again, but looked questioningly down at him. “No.  Your height. Dark. Black hair, dark eyes, mid-twenties? Moved like a fighter.”

Sounded like another not-Yakuza, but this one had found him. Shit.

He shut his locker door a little too hard and tried to tamp down the disappointment he felt that it hadn’t been the geta wearing man from the day before. It wasn’t like there was any reason to expect to see him again. He hadn’t even told Ichigo his name.  

Even if he had said he’d see him again.

Renji stared at him a minute, and Ichigo could hear the wheels grinding away in his head as he put two and two together and as usual, ended up with five.  “What’s going on, Kurosaki? Are you in some kind of trouble? Is this blond you mentioned giving you grief?”

See? Five.

Still. While Renji could be as over-protective as Isshin, it was hard to mind. One of the things they’d first connected over was a hardcore desire to avoid the local gangs, and it was still a hot-button topic for his roommate. Renji had more than his share of run-ins with tough guys in the foster care system and he’d considered it his job to protect the kids who were weaker or smaller than him, whether it was from lousy foster parents, or predatory thugs looking to recruit cannon fodder for their turf wars.   For a lawyer, it was an excellent skill set. He could usually smell gang members a mile away, and it helped keep him out of trouble.  So, if this guy didn’t set off Renji’s sensors, maybe he wasn’t a bad guy.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

“Something strange happened yesterday at Como’s.  I was getting ready to  head in for my shift at the clinic when these two guys showed up with neon signs over their heads screaming We’re Bad Guys. Before I knew it, I was running a little interference in the middle of some sort of throw-down.  No one got hurt.” He thought about that and changed it. “Well, one of the guys with guns got hurt, but he was kind of asking for it.”

Renji stopped dead in the middle of buckling his belt, his eyebrows halfway to his hairline.  “Guns? Why am I only hearing about this now?  Did you call your old man and tell him?”

This was so not a conversation Ichigo wanted to be having.

“I’m telling you now. I didn’t tell you yesterday because you were balls deep in the flavor of the week when I got home last night and I didn’t feel like ruining the mood.  And no, I didn’t call my dad because there was nothing he could have done about it.  He’s retired.  Anyway, the man who was at the center of the whole thing seemed to have everything well in hand. He was so smooth you’d think that sort of thing happened to him every day.”

Renji made a strangled noise.  “Competence isn’t a good thing in these situations. You have to take this seriously. If you got in the middle of some turf war…”

Ichigo scrubbed his hand over his face. “It wasn’t like that. These guys were more like high-end kidnappers than gangbangers.”

Oddly enough, that didn’t improve things. Renji looked like he was going to have a stroke.  His face was almost as red as his hair.

“Kidnappers.” He glared. “Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds? And you didn’t let your dad, the retired police lieutenant, know? What the fuck, Kurosaki?”

Ichigo ignored the questions and walked out into the dojo with Renji struggling along behind him, still trying to get his shoes on.

“You know how Goat-face gets.  The minute he heard he’d start freaking out and acting like I was fourteen and being brought home from getting my ass kicked, again. I’m twenty-three, Abarai. I have a black belt in judo and a brown belt in karate.  I can handle myself. I don’t need to run to my dad for help every time something happens.”

He didn’t mention that it would terrify his sisters, or that it would throw the entire Kurosaki household into turmoil, forcing his dad to relive the nightmare of his wife’s death.  His father had many skills.  Moving on wasn’t one of them.  

“Kurosaki-san!”

The voice came from one of the younger instructors trying to flag him down as he headed for the exit.

“Someone left this for you at the desk.” Ichigo took the message with a respectful bow and murmured thanks, and continued out the door.

After the dojo the street was oddly quiet, the background buzz dropping to just faint traffic noise, and the two friends stopped and stood against the wall, looking down at the card in Ichigo’s hand.

It was a white card with a small red embossed inkan in the corner, the writing clean and precise, and it was clearly addressed to Kurosaki Ichigo.

“What’s that?” Renji asked, peering over his shoulder. “Love letter from a secret admirer? Maybe he was too shy to stay and ask you out in person. Or maybe it’s a ransom demand from your friendly neighborhood kidnappers. It’s even odds.”

Ichigo made a fed up sound. “Drop it, Abarai. Remember, I know where you sleep.”

Renji waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “As if I could forget. I keep my door open in case you ever want me to comfort you after a bad dream.”

Ichigo stared at his friend. It was like living with an overgrown puppy with ADHD and a sex addiction. How the man managed to survive in law school was a mystery.

Maybe he fucked all his professors.  It would explain a lot.

“Who is Tsukabishi Tessai?” Renji asked, switching his focus back to the note and Ichigo groaned at the mental whiplash. Definitely ADHD.

“I met him yesterday at the coffee house.”

Ichigo thought back and tried to remember all the details about the man that he could.  He was tall, even taller than Renji, with dark skin and tiny braids running along his scalp. The most powerful feeling Ichigo had been left with about him, though, was one of almost preternatural calm.  It was as if nothing short of a bomb going off could unsettle the man.  A good trait for someone faced with armed bad guys, he supposed.

“He was not one of the kidnappers I’m presuming?”

Ichigo sighed but didn’t feed the troll.

He re-read the note wondering if it was some sort of trick, but it hadn’t changed.  “No. He showed up after everything started to go to hell. He was driving, but he didn’t act like any chauffeur I’ve ever heard of.  Instead of freaking out over someone trying to grab his boss, or over the fact that we basically beat the crap out of two guys in the middle of the sidewalk, he just apologized for being late, took their guns and tossed the men into the back seat of his car.”

Renji looked like he wanted to start yelling again, but he restrained himself.  Barely.

“And this is… what? A thank you note? A threat? He wants to make sure you keep your mouth shut and don’t tell the authorities?”

Ichigo shook his head again, and gave up trying to make sense of it all, and handed the card over for Renji to read for himself.

“He’s offering me a job.”

[tappity-tap]

FOREVER BElonging WITH YOU

PART VI - THE RELAY

<< PART V || PART VII >> Story Rating: M Chapter Warnings: Pregnancy mentions. [This chapter is very sfw]

(FYI: From this chapter on I will also be tagging for IchiHime)

The Kurosaki’s house was last on Renji’s list.

 Ideally, Ichigo would’ve been the first person he’d want to break the news to but unfortunately, as a university student, he had class all day and wouldn’t be home until around 5pm. So as soon as Renji stepped out of the portal and into the cold winter air of the Living World, he shivered and set off for Urahara’s establishment with his coat pulled tightly around him.

 “Ohhhh, my my my!” The shopkeeper snapped open his fan with a sly wink “You two certainly didn’t waste any time, did you?” Behind him, the kids (and even Tessai) covered their mouths and snickered.

 As luck would have it, Shihoin Yoruichi was in the Living World that day as well, on break from teaching at the Academy. She smirked right along with them. “Feels good knowing you actually got it right, huh?”

 Renji dodged the poke she aimed at his arm and mentally kicked himself for even going there in the first place.

 He found Sado training hard at his gym, soaked with sweat and sorely in need of a break. When Renji told him the news, he was so stunned he actually paused in the middle of towel-drying his damp hair and sank down onto a nearby bench.

 “Wow,” he kept repeating, shaking his head in amazement and reaching for his water bottle, “Wow. That’s great, Abarai.” He took a long swing, only putting it down to flash a happy grin and a thumbs-up as Renji left.

 After ringing the doorbell, Renji stood freezing outside Inoue’s apartment for what seemed like forever before finally accepting she wasn’t home (maybe Rukia wrote down her work schedule wrong?) and he’d have to come back later. Or one of the guys would tell her first. Probably the latter.

 Up next was…

 “…Oh.”

 Renji crossed his arms in annoyance. “Really? That’s all ya have to say? ‘Oh’?”

 Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger. “I apologize if I seem unenthused, Abarai-san. I was simply unaware that Shinigami had any sort of natural reproductive capabilities. As a Quincy, and even from a medical standpoint, I’m actually very intrigued.”

 “Ya know Ichigo’s old man was a Shinigami, right?”

 “One who’d been bound to a human body and was living here as a human, yes.” Ishida reminded him. “However, you and Kuchiki are deceased souls unattached to physical bodies. It makes no logical sense for you to be able to conceive.”

 He…actually had a fair point. But Renji wouldn’t admit that. Not to his face. He settled for rolling his eyes instead. “Look…I’ve no idea how it works but…stuff happened ‘an now we’re havin’ a kid. ‘Sides, there’re other people in Soul Society who’ve had babies before.”

 This was true. Most of the nobles Renji knew of…Byakuya, Kira, the Omaedas, the Shihoins…had come into Soul Society as children born to a mother and a father instead of the usual crossing over after dying in the Living World. But admittedly, these births took place years apart, sometimes decades would go by before another family in the Seireitei was blessed with a brand-new addition, and the only noble Ishida was close to had been adopted into hers. He couldn’t exactly fault a merely 20 year-old human for his ignorance on the subject.

 “Right. Well.” Said human gave him a nod and went back to thumbing through his obnoxiously thick textbook. “My sincere congratulations. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an exam to study for.”

 (Renji would hold a slight grudge about this encounter until a few months later when a large box full of handmade baby clothing and supplies arrived on the doorstep.)

 At last, at a quarter past 5pm, Renji made his way up the walk to the Kurosaki’s residence.

 The sister with dark hair answered the door. “Oh, hey,” she greeted in recognition and motioned for him to come inside, “Ichi-Nii’s upstairs, wait just a sec.” Renji entered and took off his coat and shoes as she moved to the back of the house.

 “ICHI-NII IT’S FOR YOU!” she bellowed up the stairs right after he’d settled into a plush armchair.

 Ichigo’s muffled voice answered from above. “Geez, you don’t have to scream at me, Karin, I can hear you just fine. Who is it?”

 “That really tall guy with the tattoos and red hair.”

 “Oh, Renji-kun is here?” A feminine voice this time.

 “Yeah, so you two should get down here already.” Once she relayed that, Karin shuffled away and disappeared into another room.

 Renji suddenly sat up straight. It wasn’t just any feminine voice that had answered Karin, it was Inoue’s voice. Which meant she was with Ichigo. In his room. Alone.

 So that must mean…

 He couldn’t help the triumphant grin that spread over his face as they came down the stairs together. “Yo, Ichigo! Oh, ‘an if it isn’t Inoue! Didn’t expect to see you here.” Renji raised his eyebrows smugly at Ichigo.

 “Hey, that’s my line.” Ichigo retorted, flopping onto the couch and shooting him a look that read as annoyance with a slight hint of what the hell are you doing in my house right now?

 “Ah…well…I walked Kurosaki-kun home from the train station today.” Inoue blushed and perched herself primly beside Ichigo. She glanced around. “It’s good to see you, Renji-kun! Is Rukia-san not with you?” Since she was one of the few people who knew Rukia had taken Renji’s family name she had started addressing them by their given names to avoid confusion.

 Renji shook his head. “No, Rukia’s not with me.”

 “Oh.” Inoue looked disappointed. This worked as the perfect lead-in for Renji, however.

 Sticking to his plan to make the reveal as dramatic and exciting as possible, Renji cleared his throat and leaned forward with his arms braced on his knees. “Actually,” he said in a low, solemn voice with his eyes closed, ”that’s exactly the reason why I’m here today.” He lifted his head and gave them a stern look. “There’s…somethin’ I need to tell both ‘o ya.”

 Unfortunately, this plan of his backfired spectacularly. Both Ichigo and Inoue stiffened and their eyes widened simultaneously with fear. “Renji, did something happen to Rukia?” Ichigo demanded in a panicked tone while Inoue grabbed onto his sleeve and began drawing in short gasping breaths.

 “Whoa, whoa, hey, you two! Calm down! She’s fine!” Renji snapped out of the serious persona and frantically waved his hands in an attempt to diffuse the situation before they got worked up any further.

 It did the trick. They let out a sigh of relief in unison and Ichigo ran his hand through his spiky orange hair. “Damn it, Renji, don’t lead in like that!” he swore.

 With her breathing returning to normal, Inoue cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “But she’s alright? Why isn’t she here?” she asked. She was still holding on to Ichigo’s sleeve.

 Renji sat forward and tried again, this time forgoing the act. “Okay…the reason Rukia couldn’t come with me today, ‘an can’t come to the Living World for a while, is ‘cause we dunno how the journey here or bein’ in a Gigai will affect her now that…” he paused for effect, looking back and forth between their anxious faces before breaking out his proudest smile.

 “She’s pregnant. We’re havin’ a baby.”

 Much to Renji’s chagrin, the initial reaction was a little less enthusiastic than he would have liked coming from the people he and Rukia considered their closest human friends. Obviously under the assumption he was just messing with them, at first they both simply stared like they were expecting him to burst out laughing and say “Gotcha!” the second they made any indication they believed him.

 When that didn’t happen, however, Ichigo’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. “Wait, seriously?”

 Renji puffed out his chest. “Seriously.”

 Inoue let out an excited squeal and enthusiastically clasped her hands together. “Oh, Renji-kun! That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you both!” she exclaimed. True to form, she burst into tears shortly after.

 Renji usually didn’t like making girls cry (not that he did that often) but seeing the news had made Inoue so elated gave him a warm happy feeling. As promised, he took careful mental notes of all the details to tell Rukia later.

Ichigo regarded her fondly before turning back to Renji. “Yeah…yeah. I’m really happy for you guys, too.” He sported the same expression that appeared three years ago as Renji openly expressed his gratitude to his friend for reuniting him with Rukia. Out of all people, Ichigo probably understood most just what this child meant to them.

 Through her wet sniffling, Inoue managed to compose herself enough to ask Renji, “When is the baby coming?”

 “End of summer, right before fall. Captain Kotetsu put the due date at September 17th.”

 It didn’t take Ichigo long to do the math.* He immediately dropped the sentimental air and snorted, “Nice wedding present you got her, Renji.”

 Renji let the jab slide off with a casual shrug. “Heh. I know, right? But ya know what, enough about me ‘an Rukia.” He leaned back in the recliner and looked pointedly at the two of them. “What’s goin’ on here?” he asked with a sly grin and a gesture for emphasis, already knowing full well what the answer was.

 Inoue hiccupped and turned beet red. Ichigo’s utterly mortified face glared back at him.

Author’s Notes: Ishida banter is best banter and now I’m sad this is the only time he has dialogue in the story. :( As for the other characters appearing here, Urahara plays a big role at the end of the next chapter and Chad is featured in most of the final chapter.

So yes, at this point Ichigo and Orihime have been together as a couple for a few weeks and you’ll hear more about that in Part VIII.

*The 40 month due date for pregnancies is actually calculated from about two weeks before conception. If conception occurred at the end of December when I had the wedding take place this means the due date would fall in mid-September. As the son of a doctor who has most likely seen a good number of pregnant people come into the clinic I would expect Ichigo to have some knowledge of this.

Continued in [PART VII - THE WAIT]

#RenRuki #IchiHime #tapfic #tapart #FOREVER BElonging WITH YOU #oh wait I forgot I already edited this so HERE IT IS NOW lol #Relay like the race AND relaying information oooooo ilovewords >3<