#the yuzu shit lines up now. the fact that she did this shit after my fucking 16th birthday. you gotta think. she is in her 20s

[arsen1cs4ng0]

thing from last night. yeah val is being edgy again sorry about that

[lo-55]

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 18

Water Fights and Yet More Strays

Ichigo eyed the water speculatively.

“I don’t like this,” he said loudly. Achilles, who was the one who had put him up to this in the first place, grinned like the asshole he was.

“Just try it. You never know, you might have an affinity for water magics.”

“I don’t think I have an affinity for  any magics, but whatever,” Ichigo grumbled.

“Who knows, maybe you have an affinity for Imaginary Numbers,” Cu suggested. Ichigo made a face.

“I still don’t understand how a number can even  be imaginary. It doesn’t make sense in math and it doesn’t make sense in mystic crap. How can anything squared be equal to negative one?!”

“And to think you once missed school,” Medusa teased.

Ichigo flipped her off without looking. They were gathered in the kitchen of his house, with Achilles sitting backwards in a chair while Medusa sat on the island and Cu leaned against the fridge. Ichigo stood above a sink filled with water, with a carefully drawn rune glowing faintly on the back of his left hand.

“Aren’t runes more germanic than greek? I don’t think-”

“Fucking do it already,” Achilles finally shoved his shoulder. Achilles’ orange scarf was draped across Ichigo’s shoulders again. It felt right to have it. He’d had it for the entirety of his last three singularities.

“How do you even know how to do this?” Ichigo grumbled, but dipped his hand in the water all the same. “I thought you were a fighter, not a mage.”

“My mother is a sea goddess,” Achilles reminds him. “Now go!”

Ichigo scowls fiercely but obediently pumps mana through the marking on the back of his hand.The water starts to glow around his hand softly, pale blue and growing brighter and brighter the more he pushed into it until it was borderline silver.

Slowly, Ichigo pulled his hand up, and brought a square of water with him. It shuddered and rippled before it starts sweating down the edges and the whole thing collapsed. It slammed into the basin. Ichigo jumped back with a startled shout.

Achilles howled with laughter while Ichigo glared at him, the whole front of his shirt soaked. Ichigo shoved his hand back into the water, shoved as much mana into it as he could and yanked his hand out and towards the Rider. The square exploded a second out of the water and pelted his servant mercilessly, sending the great hero shrieking and diving for cover.

Ichigo tried to keep a straight face, but when Achilles poked his head up from where he’d dived behind the island, his hair plastered to his skull and dripping water down his sharp cheeks, he cracked.

Ichigo grinned at him. “I don’t think I have an affinity, but you were right. It was fun.”

“I regret answering your summons,” Achilles lied. He stood slowly and grabbed a dish towel to try and dry his hair with.

“No, you don’t,” Ichigo said flatly.

“No, I don’t,” he agreed a second later. Achilles didn’t hold many grudges. At least not against Ichigo.

“You’re both clowns,” Medusa told them, shaking her head at them.

Ichigo subtly exchanged a loot with Achilles, who started to grin and turned away to hide it.

Ichigo turned around to the sink and started the water again. He made sure it was nice and cold before he picked up the spray hose and turned around.

Achilles shoved Medusa off her perch towards Ichigo just in time for him to pull the trigger and spray her straight on. Medusa screamed and threw her hands up to protect her face while her hair whipped out violently in hissing serpents.

Ichigo dove for Achilles, who grabbed him around the middle and shot out of the room with snakes hot on their heels. Ichigo gripped his shoulders tightly while Achilles spirited him away at high speeds into the other room.

They hid out behind the couch, waiting.

Medusa  was a creature of  vengeance. She would never stand for their sneak attack without retaliation.

Ichigo leaned against Achilles, his shoulders shaking with muffled laughter. “That was awful. She’s going to kill us.”

“It was totally worth it. Did you see her face?”

“I did. She looked like she was going to kill us.”

“Don’t worry master,” he patted his head. “I won’t let you die.”

Ichigo puffed at him. “I wonder what’s taking her so long.”

“You know, I have the strangest feeling I’m not gonna like the answer to that,” Achilles mused. He peeked over the back of the couch and paled. “Oh. I was right.”

Ichigo followed his example. Somehow, Medusa had enlisted Cu into helping her, and now each serpent in her hair was holding a ball of water with one of his runes in their mouths, like some horrifying gorgon water balloon launcher.

“Oh. Oh we’re dead.”

“Uh huh.”

The two looked at each other and booked it for the door. Ichigo shoved Achilles behind him, shouting, “Human shield!” and busted out into the sunlight just in time to get beaned in the back of the head with an absolutely freezing ball of water that sent him skidding face first across the grassy lawn.  

Ichigo spat grass out of his mouth and got up on his knees, water dripping down his orange hair. He shook himself out and sat back on his heels. Behind him he could hear the sounds of an war starting in his house.

Cu came wandering out a few minutes later, looking no worse for wear.

“I can’t believe you’re not getting involved in that,” Ichigo told him. Cu was usually always up for a good fight. The Caster shrugged.

“It seemed like more fun to come see you. I’m going fishing this afternoon.”

“That was a great non sequitur,” Ichigo said idly. Cu gave him a hand up and Ichigo brushed dirt off his shirt. He was a mess, wet and dirty and covered in grass stains. Yuzu was gonna have a fit.

“I’d like to come with, but I’m taking the girls over to Uryu’s this afternoon to start their training. He might not be able to use quincy powers anymore, but he can still see spirits, so he’ll be able to tell us if we’re doing something wrong.”

“Good luck,” Cu patted his shoulder. “You should get out of here before Medusa is done with Rider.”

Ichigo winced and agreed. Yeah, he really, really should.

“I’ll see you later,” he promised, and ran off before Medusa could come after him.

*

Ichigo didn’t like this.

In fact he hated this.

He wasn’t gonna kill a kid! But, this kid hadn’t just put people to sleep. This kid had actually killed people. A lot of people. Like the entirety of Scotland Yard. It was just… she seemed sad. Desperate and desolate. How could he tell Mash to kill her? How could he push his Mana into Mordred and support her swinging her sword at a little kid?

Ichigo wasn’t even mad at the girl.

He was mad at ‘P’.

The idea that he would sent a child to kill people on his behalf made Ichigo’s blood boil.

Which might have been why he did one of the dumbest things he’d done this year.

He launched himself past the the little Assassin and threw a vicious punch at the Caster.

It was a testament to Ichigo’s training, and a bigger testament to the Caster’s physical weakness, that his hit landed so hard it sent him stumbling back with a red cheek.

“Master!” Mash screamed from behind him.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Ichigo roared at him. “You’re over here bitching about the incineration of humanity, as if you’re not complacent in it? Aren’t you the one that ordered Jack to kill all those people? Haven’t you been here the whole time and you’re not doing anything about it?!”

P touched his cheek, his eyes wide and fixed on Ichigo.

“There’s nothing helping it. The incineration is inevitable, whether we do it or someone else does-”

“Shut the fuck up!” Ichigo snapped, lunging for him. A strong, armored arm wrapped around his middle and forcibly held him back. “You can’t say shit like that when you’re not even willing to step up and stop it! Aren’t you a heroic spirit? Doesn’t humanity mean anything to you? People are hurt, people are dying and losing loved ones and you’re responsible for part of it!”

Mordred grunted and dragged Ichigo back, kicking and screaming at P.

“How many people have died? How many kids have no parents? How many parents mourn their children because you won’t say enough?!”

“Master, please calm down!” Mash planted her shield in front of Ichigo so he couldn’t get past and attack him again, no matter how much he wanted to.

Jack, meanwhile, had stopped her attack to peer at Ichigo curiously.

He ignored her and favor of shouting at P further, until he finally teleported away like a coward.

They were left alone with Jack the Ripper, who hadn’t moved since Ichigo started yelling.

“You’re a very weird man,” Jack said. Her grip on her knife’s was loose.

Ichigo forced himself to calm in the face of the child. “I’ve been told worse.”

Jack approached, slowly, the fog growing thicker and thicker. This was different from the demonic fog. It tasted like despair. This was the same thick mist that had come to encompass them the last time they’d been pit against Jack. Ichigo shifted closer to Mash, touching her shoulder.

This wasn’t good. He couldn’t see Jack, or even Mordred anymore. He could barely see Mash and she was right next to him.

“Mash,” Ichigo said quietly. “This isn’t great.”

“I know. Just have faith, Master. No harm will come to you.”

Ichigo sighed. “I believe in you,” he promised. He touched her shoulder and pumped mana into her body.

Ichigo stayed as close by her as he could, but it was hard to see and it was hard to stick close when Mash had to move to swing her massive shield. There was a thin line between staying close and getting in the way, and Ichigo ended up stumbling back one step too far.

The mist closed in and he was alone.

He could hear the two girls he’s come with. Mash’s shouting, and Mordred's clinking armor, but he couldn’t see either one.

He could see the little girl that stepped out of the mist. Her hood was down. Her eyes were two different colors. Her face was covered in stitched tight scars and her hair was short and choppy. Jack. Everytime he lost sight of her, he forgot what she looked like.

Ichigo stared at her warily.

“Why were you so angry? About children without their parents?” she asked, her head tilted. “We don’t understand.”

“Because- Because kids shouldn’t have to lose their parents,” Ichigo said. What was going on? Why was she even interrogating him instead of attacking?

“Look,” he went on, “That P guy said you were looking for your mom, right? Maybe we can help you find her. And even if we can’t, we’re at least nicer people than that guy. Will you know. Morals.”

“We don’t care about morals,” Jack said quietly. “We just want to go back to where it’s warm. With our mommy. But she’s not here…”

“Hey,” Ichigo’s voice gentled. He slowly unbuttoned his jacket. This was probably the stupidest thing he could do but… “Come here,” he motioned to her.

The assassin walked closer to him, her mis-matched eyes looking up at him.

Ichigo carefully took her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. He closed his jacket around her shoulders.

“It’s not a mothers embrace, but it's warmer than the fog at least. Right?”

Maybe he was too soft for war. Maybe he was too gentle to be a proper magus. Maybe all those people frozen on ice in Chaldeas would have done better than he.

In the end it didn’t matter. Here, now, he wouldn’t fight this child. Not when her knifes tucked away and her fingers dug into his shirt. Not when she clung to little heat he could offer her.

The mist departed. The sorrow that swelled around them ebbed. Ichigo stood, for the second time in just as many days, with a little girl who had once tried to kill him in his arms.

He looked up in time to see Mordred and Mash look utterly exasperated. A man with dusty blond hair stared out at them from a window across the street. Ichigo blinked and he was gone.

* *

When Ryuken answered the door he didn’t look particularly happy to see Ichigo. Of course, he never looked particularly happy about anything at all.

Not that stopped Yuzu from bouncing cheerfully up to him.

She took his hand and dragged the poor man inside, already asking him questions about himself and his home.

Ichigo and Karin trailed after them, exchanging a glace. No one could resist Yuzu when she turned up the charm. Ryuken wouldn’t be any exception to the rule.

“I want to make it clear,” he said as he led them into the backyard, “That I don’t approve of what you children are doing. You would be better off if you focused on the living. Not the dead.”

“We’re doing this so we don’t die young,” Karin said bluntly.

Yuzu added, much softer, “And to be closer to Mom.”

Ichigo softened. Yeah. To be closer to mom. That was what this all circled back to in the end, wasn’t it? Ichigo had been nine when their mom had died. The girls were only five. Ichigo had four more years with her than either of the girls did.

For so long it had felt like he had robbed them of their time with her. He had stolen the sun out of their family when she died because of him.

Now, he knows a little better.

Grand Fisher had killed her. It wasn’t Ichigo’s fault. If Masaki, a fully trained Quincy, couldn’t take down the hollow then Ichigo, who couldn’t even form a bow, had no chance. He’d gotten his revenge. He’d killed the Grand Fisher when it showed up and came after his sisters.

Ichigo followed Ryuken and the girls into the backyard, where Uryu was waiting with a thin wooden box.

“I still don’t approved of this,” Ryuken said to all of them.

“We’re not asking for your approval. Or your permission.”

Sparks threatened the fly between the pair of them. Ichigo didn’t know the full story, but he knew there was a lot of tension between father and son.

Somehow there was less between the two of them now than there was between Ichigo and his own these days. Ichigo still wasn’t speaking to Isshin when he could help it, and Isshin hadn’t tried to start any new conversation with Ichigo either. It made the house tense and quiet for the first time in Ichigo’s life.

Ichigo walked up behind the girls while Ryuken left them alone with his son.

“Thanks for doing this, Uryu,” Ichigo offered him a smile. Uryu, who was much less surly than when they’d first met, merely huffed at him.

“Don’t thank me yet. This training isn’t easy, and you’re so old it’ll probably just be harder,” he warned. All three Kurosaki siblings just looked at him expectantly. Uryu sighed. He should know by now, once a Kurosaki has an idea in their head, there’s not changing it.

He turned to the wooden box and opened it up. He turned around and showed it to them. Inside were small pendants attached to short silver chains, like the one Uryu wore on his wrist at all times.

“These are Quincy crosses,” Uryu said. “They’re a tool for focusing spirit energy Quincy use them to help form bows. Each of you take one,” he instructed.

Both of the girls picked one with five points. Ichigo’s had eight.

“...My father probably won’t admit it, but he was the one who provided these for us. He said they belonged to your ancestors, and so they should return to you in turn. Or something like that.”

“I knew your dad liked me,” Ichigo grinned at him. Uryu rolled his eyes, but he was struggling to hide a smile.

“Uh huh. Okay girls, come over here and we’ll start practicing forming your bows. You’re going to draw the reishi from the area around you into your body and convert it into a bow in your hands.”

Yuzu raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“What’s reishi?”

Uryu shot Ichigo a glare. “Didn’t you tell them anything?”

“I’m not much of a teacher,” he shrugged casually. Uryu flipped him off when the girls were looking and started explaining things to them.

Ichigo watched, turning the quincy cross over in his fingers. Tensa had said that his quincy powers weren’t made for combat as much as his shinigami powers were. Yet Tensa himself took the shape of a sword.

There was something strange with Ichigo’s quincy powers. He knew that much. So for now he left that to the girls.

* * *

“At this rate,” Jekyll says with no small degree of fondness, “Even I will run out of space to house everyone.”

“Sorry,” Ichigo says, even though he isn’t. “At least it looks like the authors are going to be cooped up in the same room?”

“If we’re lucky,” Mordred pipes up from halfway up the stairs. Fran, a step ahead of her, nods in quick agreement.

“You have the most horrible habit of befriending people who try to kill you, did you know?” Jekyll asks redundantly. Ichigo rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

“It’s not my fault!”

“Of course,” Jekyll says sagely, “You’re accidentally charismatic.”

“Yes! Exactly! Only I’m not that charismatic. I just… I dunno. I treat people like they’re people.”

Jekyll’s eyes softened. “Sometimes that’s more than enough to make friend.”

“I know,” Ichigo does. “That’s just sad.”

“But it is effective.”

“I guess,” Ichigo shrugs. “It worked on Jack, Alice…Hyde.”

Jekyll’s shoulders tense at the mention of his darker side. Ichigo nudges him lightly.

“Don’t look like that. He’s a degenerate and an asshole, but he hasn’t hurt me any.”

“ Yet ,” Jekyll says quickly. “You have to be careful with him, Ichigo. He’s not a safe person to be around.”

“A lot of people I hang around aren’t. Heroes and villains seem to flock to me.”

“Hyde is different. He has no morals to speak of. He’s violent and atrocious, and he’d as soon kill you as look at you.”

“Yeah. But he’s also protected me at least once,” even if he did hold a knife to Ichigo right after… “Don’t worry about it, Jekyll.”

“Easy for you to say,” Jekyll lamented. “You take so few things seriously, Ichigo, I don’t understand. The world is literally on your shoulders, but when it comes time to fight you’re as relaxed as Mordred is!”

“I dunno. Experience does that to you, I guess. If I worked in a lab and I tended to light things on fire I’d probably stop freaking out every time I saw a fire, too. It’s like that. Just a little more dangerous.”

Yeah, just a little.

Jekyll looks incredulously at him, but he gives up fighting Ichigo, who is apparently insane.

* * * *

It takes him all of five second to realize that Shinji is shanghai-ing him right in the middle of the day.

It started innocent enough. ‘Let’s eat lunch together’. Fine, they’ve had lunch together before. And Shinji still hasn’t stopped coming to his school for one reason or another. He can’t tell you why it’s just a fact. Even though their business should be concluded, Shinji still looks at Ichigo like he’s a crying statue sometimes, when he isn’t pretending to be a bizarre but friendly young man.

So Ichigo agrees. Only Shinji decides that they’re going to get lunch off campus, and drags Ichigo away by his arms, willingly or unwillingly.

When his three servants fall into step around them Shinji looks only mildly miffed.

“Can’t a man get some privacy around here?” Shinji asks irritably.

“Not until we know your intentions for our ma-” a vicious glare from Ichigo has Achilles changing words last second, “-an. Our man.”

“Your man?” Shinji looks over the three. Even though Cu and Achilles are rather laid back in general they don’t laugh or dispute the claim. It’s the truth. Ichigo is theirs, whether he likes it or not. They all know this.

“Did I stutter?”

“...Ya really know how to pick ‘em, huh Ichigo?”

“I have impeccable taste,” Ichigo says firmly. He doesn’t shake Shinji off, or order his servants to attack and free him. Not that he’d need to. Shinji can probably beat him in a serious fight, but that’s not what this is.

This is just a mild kidnapping, thats all.

They make their way down to the docs, where Ichigo is escorted into a warehouse.

It smells like food, cologne, and cleaning supplies.

It’s set up like a house, almost. Ichigo catches sight of a comfortably sitting area, an elevated kitchenette up on a ledge. There are people here. Powerful people, and Ichigo will put money on them being Vizard.

Ichigo ducks when a sandals foot launches itself at Shinji’s face.

“Why did you bring so many people here? Idiot?!”

Ichigo watches Shinji go flying. A young girl, or maybe an old one, lands next to him. She looks wild, nearly feral. Ichigo winces minutely in sympathy before deciding that no. Shinji deserves a sandal to his face.

Ichigo snickers at his misfortune before the girl turns her sights on Ichigo.

“You!” she shouts, pointing at him. “You’re the one that thinks he has a handle on his hollow?”

Thinks? Ichigo is getting really sick of this. He can feel his eye brow starting to twitch in irritation. What’s with these people thinking that he doesn’t know his own mind? Why are they all so sure they’re right?

If it wasn’t such a bad habit to get into, Ichigo would just start stabbing people who started this shit.

“Are we still doing this?” he asks irritably. “Because I’m done with this shit. I’m seriously done. I’m not gonna spend my whole life proving my sanity to you people. I’ve got better things to do. Like going to school. Where we both should be, Hirako,” he shoots a pointed glare at Shinji.

Shinji sat up, nursing his bloody nose.

“Hey, hey, it’s not like I actually need to go to human school.”

“Then you’re just there to hang out with teenagers? That’s so creepy. What kind of pervert are you?” Ichigo asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What is this, bully Shinji day?” Shinji complained loudly. Ichigo ignored him entirely because all of a sudden the girl was throwing herself at him, a sword drawn.

And Ichigo, stuck in his human body, prepared to counter without a single weapon.

He needn’t have bothered. As soon as she was in the air chains snaked out of nowhere and she was slammed bodily into the ground hard enough to crack the cement.

“Now that was just rude,” Medusa said, prowling forwards slowly. Her eyes glinted dangerously.

Cu and Achilles appeared on either side of Ichigo, a staff and spear in hand respectively.

“What the hell-”

“Sneak attacks are unbefitting, especially towards someone as straight forwards as Ichigo Kurosaki is,” Medusa went on, her heels glittering. Ichigo was aware of other people dropped down around them, swords equally in hand.

Ichigo lifted his hand and touched Medusa’s shoulder.

“Easy. That was hardly a sneak attack. Besides, this is a fight for me. Not for you. If she’s so desperate to see what I can do, how can I refuse?”

Ichigo can see the predatory smile creeping over his face in the reflection of one of the men’s sunglasses.

* * * * *

Dull teal eyes look into the depth of the void. A hulking figure stands beside him, and another man stands at the side of the split between worlds.

“Don’t forget,” he says in a voice like velvet. “No matter what happens, you must not kill the boy. Maim him if you please, fight to your own content, but if he dies so too will you.”

“Understood,” says the shorter of the pair. The massive man merely grunts.

“As long as I can get something to eat while we’re there. There’s gotta be a few strong souls there, right?”

“Be quiet,” his companion scolds him. “We will do as we are told.” He bows shortly, and the pair step into the darkness, out of the chalk white city.

* * * * * *

[rinusagitora]

Another empty seat in the city  of ghosts.

Fandom: BLEACH

Characters: Toushirou Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Ururu Tsumugiya, Jinta Hanakari, Yuzu Kurosaki, Ichigo Kurosaki, Karin Kurosaki

Pairings: HitsuKarin, others not mentioned

Words: 2.1k

Summary: Shinigami!Karin AU. Chapter 2/8. WARNINGS- mentions of suicide, dysfunctional families, mentions of spousal abuse;  Karin has taken her life. What follows is a maelstrom of emotion.

AO3

Momo laid awake the night before the Kurosaki girl's memorial.

She and Toushirou had a long history of neglecting to share personal details. Privacy, embarrassment, bridges her ex Sousuke burned gleefully. But for him to ask her to attend his girlfriend's wake was quite serious, if he came to her of all people.

Momow as never good in those situations.

Izuru squeezed her hand. "Are you finished speaking with Urahara?"

"Aye. He's arranging mine and Shirou-chan's gigai... I sent him my kimono."

Izuru nodded. "Renji wants you to come to bed."

Momo gazed into Izuru's eyes. Blue. Dried from undeath. She half expected to see flies crawling across him in the mornings. It never happened, but she always worried.

"Is this a tragedy?" she asked Izuru.

"What?"

"The Kurosaki girl's death."

Izuru shrugged. "I can't say. We all expire eventually. She sooner than, I assume, at least, her family would've liked." He stroked her knuckles. "Overthinking it gets us nowhere. We've made the arrangements, she'll be here soon enough... Now come to bed? Please?"

She smiled at Izuru. "Of course."

Momo slipped into bed with Izuru and her other spouses. She coiled against Shuuhei's back, throwing an arm over his hip.

---

She and Toushirou met in the morning at the senkaimon and were checked out by the guardians before passing through. Momo hated being stroked and prodded by strangers. It made her feel like a slab of rotting meat.

She met Kisuke with Toushirou and easily slipped on her gigai and then entered the car outside.

How awkward it was, sitting with her brother. Tense. They were on good terms and had been for years by that point. But he was upset. She could feel it. See it in the way he folded his arms and slumped. She wanted to say he'd muss his kimono, require his hair to be combed, but held her tongue and smoked instead.

Toushirou was going through enough. While agreeing to take Karin on as her charge was anxiety-inducing, it was his girlfriend's funeral. Even if she wasn't lost to Toushirou forever, it had to be traumatic.

Momo tried to dispel the image of Sousuke's body hanging from the east wall. It was only a doll. An illusion. A lie.

She chanted that until they came to the temple.

Climbing out, she smoothed her kimono. Toushirou guided her to a trio waiting in the doorway. They seemed to be familiar to him.

A young woman said, "Yuzu is livid.

"So Urahara told us," Toushirou replied.

The young woman glared at him. "I stand by her."

The giant, who she assumed was another guardian, slapped the young woman upside her head. She tenderly rubbed her scalp. "Enough, honey," he said. He then turned to her and Toushirou. "Thank you for coming. Karin-chan will be pleased."

Karin-chan. A nickname that told a story of fondness, adoration, family. That was so adorable, it almost brought a smile to Momo's face. She had a good feeling about Karin.

She managed to keep her poker face, however. She said. "I imagine. What should we expect from Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"We're keeping him in line if Yuzu doesn't," the boy replied, folding his arms. "He agreed to keep the peace when Tou-tou and he talked."

"And the Kurosaki girl?"

"Yuzu?"

"Nay, the one we're here for." Momo got it. Look out for Yuzu...

The young woman glanced into the temple interior. "She's... not crying. I think she's distancing herself from this ordeal."

Momo ashed her pipe. "Perhaps it's for the better." The young woman gave her a weird look which Momo didn't care to return. Having to watch one's funeral procession was fucking insanity. Izuru was unstable even on the best of days. That day had to be the most traumatic. Better to process it down the line.

The children's father said, "Hand-off will occur before cremation. Kurosaki Isshin only agreed to allow us in for the service since Karin asked, but the burial is for family and Kurosaki Ichigo's close friends only."

Momo refrained from asking about Karin's friends. She didn't want to mess around with that.

She took a look inside the temple instead. There were many faces she didn't recognize, but she did recognize Rukia, and said, "I see Kuchiki-fukutaichou as well.",

"She won't be causing trouble. She's here as a family friend," the children's father replied.

Momo had gotten everything she wanted out of that. She and Toushirou bowed.

"Many thanks. We'll head in," Toushirou said.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, Rukia spotted them and practically stormed over. Momo groaned. So much for not causing trouble. She already knew this service was about to be a minefield of bullshit.

"Neither of you are welcome," Rukia said, hands folded in front of her belly. "Please leave before Yuzu sees you."

"The deceased requested us, and the patriarch has permitted us entry," Toushirou replied.

"No matter. Do you want to start shit?"

There was an edge to their voices that alerted Momo it was her turn to step in before a fight erupted. At least she was good at reminding people of their places. God knew she had to put her foot down following Sousuke's desertion. She had a meltdown, she wasn't transformed into a doormat.

"We haven't started anything, Kuchiki-fukutaichou. Besides... do you think it wise to start shit here? Our powers are merely dampened, but I know for a fact there are enough of us gathered here to alert trouble if contention brews," Momo said, before taking a long drag from her pipe.

Rukia was silenced by a youthful blonde rushing over, pink in the face and nostrils flaring. Momo wasn't a gambler, but she'd bet that was Yuzu, judging by how Rukia ran like she was dodging a raging ox.

Yuzu got right in Toushirou's face. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He repeated, "Your father said we were welcomed to the ceremony."

Momo's first instinct was to snap Yuzu's neck as soon as her finger jabbed Toushirou's chest. 'You murdered my sister!" Yuzu accused with such venom, Momo watched for it to pour out the sides of her mouth. "I don't want you here!"

"And I do?" Toushirou said, sighing.

"And who is this skank?" Yuzu asked, jerking her chin at Momo.

"My sister. Don't treat her like my mistress."

Momo kept her temper in check, reminding herself of how she reacted to Sousuke's death. Was being called a skank worse than trying to assassinate your family? Nay.

But it was tempting to break Yuzu's teeth. Skank... As if.

Before it escalated, Momo summoned her will to kindly cusp Yuzu's hands. "We are here to grieve just as ye. I understand how difficult this is. My husband passed during a tumultuous time," she said. Her eyes watered, again recalling the image of Sousuke pinned the East wall. "We hadn't time to bury him, either."

Yuzu seemed to diffuse. She looked at her socks. "I'm sorry," she croaked. "It's been a long couple of days."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Momo smiled and bowed to Yuzu. Yuzu returned the gesture. "If you need anything, please let me know. I haven't service at home, but Urahara-san can reach me if needed."

Yuzu's gratitude seemed genuine, at least.

"May we take a seat?" Momo asked.

Yuzu gestured to the last rows. "In the back, please. The front rows are taken.',

"Aye. Thank you again, Kurosaki-san."

Momo sat, crossed her legs, and surveyed the room. It was strange being unable to see spirits. For the better, undoubtedly. But she wanted to size up Karin in person there too. Evaluate how best to break the ice with someone who just took their own damn life.

But, by God, it was a fucking circus there. Ichigo and the man who seemed to be their father were distanced far from Yuzu despite sitting together. Ichigo's legs were pointed away from Yuzu, repelled by an unknown force. He was practically pushing Orihime out of her seat. The father was statuesque. Completely still unless approached. Seeming to collapse in on himself.

So much for a family. As dysfunctional as Momo's own.

"I can see why Kurosaki-san is so upset," Momo announced.

Toushirou grumpily responded with, "Karin was in pain."

"I'm in no position to judge her," Momo reminded Toushirou. "But look at the Kurosaki family... Stiff as boards. The little one is the only one weeping, and neither of them is consoling her."

"They're... dysfunctional. I'm sure she refused it."

"For good reason?" Momo asked.

"Aye. They... nay, we all, have lied to her for years. I'm sure she harbors conflicting feelings."

Momo hummed. "Aye." A fucking disaster indeed. No wonder why Karin sought to escape into the Seireitei. After Sousuke deserted, Momo wanted to run away too. Far away. Someplace her pain couldn't reach her.

Karin was in for a fucking surprise, she thought as she took a puff of smoke from her pipe. Years later, and even married thrice over, Momo still ached over her ex's betrayal. Over the pain he caused her over the decades she served and adored him. That pain never went away. She doubted Karin would be an exception.

The priest began the service with a sutra. Momo took note of the crowd. The family, friends, Toushirou. Kisuke and his people seemed surprisingly invested in Karin, judging by their weeping and clinging to one another in the center rows. Were they Karin's only friends? Was everyone else there to console the family instead of grieving?

It saddened Momo. It was no wonder why Karin took her own life, with so little tying her to the World of the Living.

And Momo knew how lonely it was. Having so few people who cared about her following Sousuke's desertion. Karin must've felt so isolated.

Following the service, Momo guided Toushirou outside. They waited in silence behind Kisuke's van to trade off their gigai. When he arrived, his eyes were pink like he'd been crying.

"I don't have much time... I'm going to the cremation as well," he said.

Momo wondered how to respond as she removed herself from her gigai. What was she supposed to say in response to someone close to the deceased having to pick the bones out of ashes? It was heart-breaking.

Momo and Toushirou bowed to Kisuke. "Best of, Urahara-san," Momo said. How meaningless...

Kisuke merely said, "Kurosaki will meet you by the aqueduct under an overpass. It's in the center of town." He frowned. "Anticipate some... some shit from him too. He's very upset."

"Thanks," Toushirou said.

Momo and he hopped into the sky. He guided her to the center of Karakura, being more familiar with its layout than she. Thankfully, Ichigo was easily seen from the sky. They landed a good distance away.

Momo saw Toushirou's fists curl out of the corner of her eye. Rage. She knew it well.

The girl who must've been Karin sat on a bench. Dark hair framed her face, a soul chain hung from her chest. Momo hoped she hadn't felt it consume itself. The agony would've been unbearable.

What a cruel fate to be made to stick around, with so much at stake. Momo decided she hated Ichigo.

Before Toushirou could lash out, Momo said, "Thank you for allowing us into your sister's service, Kurosaki-sama." Butter him up. Get out of there as soon as possible.

Ichigo folded his arms. "It wasn't my choice."

She smiled. "Nonetheless. I'd like this to be done in an expeditious manner as possible."

Karin stood and began to walk over to them. "Let's go," she said, eyes locked on Toushirou.

Ichigo stopped her. "Hang on." He was glaring at Toushirou. Just in case, she manifested snakes in her sleeves to bind Ichigo if he lashed out. "I want him to admit his fault in this."

"Jesus Christ!" Karin shrieked. "I killed myself because there's nothing for me here! Toushirou had nothing to fucking do with it."

"Bullshit! He had to have said something."

"It's your fault I killed myself, alright? It's all your fault! I got tired of getting steamrolled and gaslit by you so I killed myself to get the hell away from you!" Karin ducked his arm and ran over to Toushirou. He seemed elated she ran to him, clung to him. "I'm going to the Seireitei. I'm becoming a shinigami... It's the only way I'll be happy. Fulfilled."

Ichigo seemed wounded. Good riddance. As far as Momo was concerned, he was a complete ass, no better than manipulative scum. Men made themselves so loathsome.

More importantly, Karin was damaged. Just as Momo was. She resolved to take care of her new charge as a sister, as family, as a protege.

[hashtagartistlife]

Maybe fate was called fate because some things weren’t choices; some things were simply written into his DNA, woven into the very fabric of the universe. World orders. The sky is blue. The sun is hot. He is in love with Kuchiki Rukia.

Kuchiki Rukia is dying.  

Ten years after the defeat of Yhwach, it’s time Ichigo and Rukia started facing some truths— about the world, about themselves, and about each other. 

so, i haven’t written anything decent in over a year, but i AM sitting on literal tens of thousands of words of unfinished fic, and i figure, what the hell, there’s some good writing in here that deserves to see the light of day. so in that vein, here’s a couple chapters of my absolute favourite unfinished fic, the one i’m almost too scared to work on because i just want it to be that good. god give me the perseverance and skill to finish this one day because if i leave any legacy behind in the bleach fandom i want it to be this fic. 

the premise for this fic can be found here | this is chapter 1 | chapter 2

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F  r  a  y

 by hashtagartistlife

________________________________________________________________

It’s rotating

Rotating

Every time the sun and the moon touch each other

Constantly changing its appearance to something new

If there’s something that doesn’t change

It is my impotence

It’s rotating

If destiny is made of gears

And we are the sand in between that is torn apart

There’s nothing left to do but be powerless

If I cannot protect by just extending my hand

I want a blade so I can reach in front of her

The power to crush destiny

—looks like a blade that has been swung down

  One

.

.

.

12 years ago

Karakura Town

Rukia sleeps like the dead. The irony of this isn’t lost on Ichigo, as he glances out the corner of his eyes to see her out like a light against his covers, her homework splayed everywhere like she isn’t just going to make him do it for her at the last minute again. Her eyes are closed and she looks peaceful, even as her arms are twisted under her at an awkward angle. She was going to get cramps if she kept sleeping like that. He calls her name, softly and then a little louder, but she doesn’t budge an inch.

He sighs and gathers her up in his arms; she stirs a little, murmuring a sleepy protest that he ignores. He settles her in the closet and arranges the blankets, taking a moment to study the lines of her face.

“Idiot,” he mutters, “stop falling asleep on my bed. I’ll just push you onto the floor next time.”

It’s a lie. Rukia’s only reaction to this is to shift a little in her sleep, to curve her body in his direction like a plant tending towards the sun. He smiles a little at that, despite himself, and fights an inane urge to sweep her hair off her forehead and place a kiss there. 

“Sleep well, Rukia,” he whispers instead, and slides the closet door shut.

She does.

.

.

.

Present Day

Soul Society

Rukia never sleeps.

She wanders through the halls of Kuchiki Manor like a ghost, weaving in and out of lucidity; she’s never slept particularly well, even as a Rukon street rat, but this… this sleepwalking is new. Renji himself tended to be a light sleeper, a product of their shared childhood when uninterrupted sleep had been a luxury they couldn’t afford, but not to this extent. He silently watches the dark circles under her eyes grow bigger and deeper with every passing day, and worries.

In the beginning, the smallest things had woken her up. She often stirred beside him, restless and alert, till well into the small hours of the morning. When he’d brought it up, she’d brushed it off; she’s always had trouble sleeping, she said. He should know this by now, and it isn’t anything to worry about—she can take care of herself, Renji, didn’t he trust her? It had sounded an awful lot like a dismissal, a warning to drop it, so he had.

But then she’d had Ichika, and things changed.

The first time he catches her slipping out of bed, he assumes that she is going for a walk in the garden. It was a habit she was slipping into more nights than most, and he doesn’t think twice. But when he wakes up again in the pre-dawn, and discovers the futon beside him still empty, he panics. He finds her at the gate, a cold hand on the latch, as if to walk out; god knows how long she’s been there for. When he touches her on the shoulder, turns her around, she blinks like she’s surfacing from a trance. Her eyes haze, then refocus.

“Renji…?” she asks, in a voice so thready it’s barely audible, “What are you doing here?”

He swallows the same question rising in his throat and mutters something hasty about how she’s been too tired lately; she should take the day off. She looks surprised at that, and quietly follows him back to the manor. She does as he advises and stays home that day.

It doesn’t help. The very next night Renji catches her slipping out of bed again. He grabs her by a wrist, but then she turns to him and whispers, eyes clear—

“Ichigo?”

He freezes, and when she pulls her arm from his grip, he lets her slip through his fingers once more.

Ichigo?

His hands fist in the sheets of their shared bed; he hasn’t seen an expression like that on her in over a decade. Hopeful, young, happy—

A boy with bright orange hair, and a sword as long as his height.

Renji finds, once again, that he is at a loss for what to do next.

He thinks that maybe he didn’t have a clue from the start.

.

.

.

Present day

10:05 am

Karakura Town

 A beat of silence, then—

“Yo.”

“Hey!”

His face is familiar, but the carefully mild expression on it is not. Rukia finds that she dislikes it, but it isn’t her place to say anymore. She shoulders her way into the clinic, and ignores the way the heat of his body still radiates like it did ten years ago.  She scoffs a little, wracks her mind for an appropriate jab that might recapture their easy banter from once upon a time; but what leaves her lips makes little sense, considering the fact that this is her first time seeing him in ten years (let alone setting foot in the clinic). Thankfully, he rises to the bait.

“I see this little place is as empty as ever. And is that—yup, I think I even hear some crickets!”

“Shut up. This is an emergency clinic, so it’s a good thing it’s empty, isn’t it?”

He hasn’t lost his habit of grumbling under his breath about her insults. Rukia allows a small smile to touch her lips as she makes her way to the living room, confident with the layout of the place; she doubts renovation is a thought that crosses his mind with any frequency. She encounters the old Karakura gang, and the twins; they’d all grown so much. The twins, especially; she would have gathered them both into hugs and pat them on their heads, had they not both been grown women and far taller than her now. Orihime comes down to greet her, beaming, in an apron—there’s an edge of surrealism to all of this, almost. She looks well, and for that, Rukia is glad. Everyone looks well. Peacetime suits them.

There’s a small kerfuffle as Ichigo rejoins them, and he points out that her daughter is missing. Rukia starts, and finds it to be true. She and Renji split up to find her; Ichigo accompanies her, nagging all the while.

“—nbelievable, how do you lose your own daughter—“

“Hey, I don’t see your child hanging around the premises! Don’t you have a son, too?”

“Kazui’s—Kazui’s fine, Orihime’s keeping a watch on him—“

“Yeah, well, I’m telling you Ichika’s fine too, there’s nothing in the human world that could possibly hurt her—“

She stumbles; a wave of vertigo hits her and she loses her balance, careening towards the asphalt in front of his house. He’s there in an instant, arms strong around her waist; he pulls her back upright and doesn’t let her go. “Easy—“

She pulls away, only to sway again and grip onto his arm for support. Shit, not this today. She thought it had been getting better lately—Ichigo didn’t need to deal with this.

His brow furrows, and he almost looks fifteen again. “Hey, Rukia, are you—“

“—I’m fine,” she cuts him off, struggling to sound nonchalant, but the hand fisted in his shirt is trembling. She’ll let go soon, when the world around her stops spinning. “I’m just a little tired—“

“Rukia,” he says quietly, and she ignores him, focusing on channelling strength back into her legs. For the love of everything holy, why couldn’t she stop shaking—

“Rukia,” he repeats, louder, and grips her shoulders. “Rukia, stop—“

“Stop what?” she asks weakly, then: “Oh.”

His hair and clothes are dusted white with snow; the tips of his fingers, where he’s touching her, are frosted over blue. Ice creeps over the street and telephone poles in tendrils. Rukia heaves an unsteady breath and closes her eyes, pulling the fraying edges of her reiatsu back within herself.

When she opens them again, he’s inches from her face.

“Kami—“ she jerks back, snatching her arm from his grasp. “Have you ever heard of personal space, Ichigo—“

“Like you ever respected mine?” he retorts, but straightens up; his hands rub the nape of his neck. “What was that, Rukia?”

“Nothing,” she snaps. She draws her arms around herself to still the trembling. “Like I said, I’m tired—“

“To this extent? How hard are they working you over at the Seireitei—“

“I can take care of myself!” the words come out too loud, echoing in the empty street. “Need I remind you, I’m centuries older than you are—“

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a midget I’d remember that once in a while—“

“Hey, Ichigo, Rukia! We found her!” Renji’s call interrupts their bickering, and they draw away from each other hastily; they’d been leaning in towards each other again. Rukia deliberately turns away from Ichigo.

“You found her? Where was she?”

“In Ichigo’s room. Well, Yuzu’s room, now, I suppose. She was with Kazui. I think we were worried for nothing, Rukia, they get along like a house on fire.”

“Oh—good. Good.” She’s still a little disoriented, so Renji’s words are taking some time to sink in; he eyes her face, paler than usual, and steps up to put an arm around her. Ordinarily, she would have been annoyed at him for that, but today she appreciates the support. She tries not to visibly sag as she leans against him.

Ichigo’s eyes burn holes into her all the way back to the clinic. 

.

.

.

9:46 pm

The rest of the day passes uneventfully. Rukia disguises the fatigue that has settled over her like a shroud by staying close to Renji and surreptitiously leaning against him whenever things get too hard. She puts on a bright façade for everyone else; she thinks she does a convincing job, too, but Ichigo’s eyes linger on her all the same. Orihime prattles on about how they hadn’t seen each other in ages and she’s so happy for the two of them and isn’t Ichika just a darling? They must be so proud—

She nods weakly, glad that Orihime is the kind of person who can hold up entire conversations on her own. She has missed them too, she has, how could she not—but the circumstances of their reunion are less than ideal, and she knows that she won’t be able to see them again for a long time after this. Even after ten years of stability, opening a doorway into the gensei is precarious business; missions in the world of the living are now all long-term, to minimise the number of passages being opened. Their own trip had been a very, very special extenuation, granted only because the reason the universe still stood as it did today was Ichigo.

A week was all they’d been given. After that, who knew when they could return? So, she is trying, she is trying—but her body is so, so heavy, and the pressure of keeping her wildly fluctuating reiatsu under wraps is taking its toll. She participates less and less in the conversation, hoping people won’t take notice.

Ichigo puts his foot down when she nods off for the fifth time in as many minutes; he cuts the party short and ushers everyone out, with the promise that they could all return tomorrow. She tries to protest when he directs them to the guest bedroom – ‘Urahara has a place for us, we shouldn’t intrude’—but it’s Orihime who tells them don’t be silly, Kazui and Ichika are such fast friends, it’d be a shame to split them up already. The children are excitedly building a pillow fort under the dining room table, and, too tired to argue, Rukia acquiesces.

As soon as Renji hits the bed, he falls straight asleep. He’s had a rough few nights, what with her tossing and turning keeping him awake, too, and Rukia feels a wave of guilt wash over her. She hopes tonight will be a little more restful for him. She stretches out gingerly on the double bed next to him, tucking the covers around her and closing her eyes.

The last thing she is conscious of before the suffocating embrace of sleep is the deep low hum of Ichigo’s reiatsu through the house.

.

.

.

2:57 am

Ichigo wakes to the sound of the clinic door opening.

Beside him, Orihime is still sound asleep; his wife had always been a deep sleeper, capable of ignoring storms, earthquakes, and anything else the Karakura night cared to throw at them. Ichigo, on the other hand, woke often; a holdover from nights spent hunting hollows, from sleep frequently interrupted by a hiss in his ear and a small hand slamming into his forehead. He sits up and shakes the last vestiges of his dreams –curiously unsettled tonight—from his mind, and shuffles outside to investigate.

It’s not the kids. They’re both fast asleep, holed up in their pillow fort; he tiptoes past them, careful not to wake either. He steps out onto the street, and his breath catches in his throat.

Rukia’s there. She’s ethereal in the moonlight, white skin almost glowing, that true-black hair swaying behind her with the wind. She’s looking up, up, up, to something he can’t see, and the curve of her neck and the delicate line of her wrists and ankles captivate him. Had she always been this fragile-looking?

“Rukia,” he rasps, voice still scratchy with sleep, “what are you doing?”

She turns her head to face him; her eyes are huge and dark like bruises in the pale moon of her face. Something about her gaze is both clear and dreamy; Ichigo has the feeling that she’s seeing right through him to something beyond, but also focusing on him with the kind of relentless intensity he only half-remembers from dreams of the past. She takes a tentative step in his direction. 

“Ichigo?” she asks, in a voice as intransient as smoke, and he does not back away.

“Yeah,” he whispers, “yeah, it’s me. I’m here.” 

She reaches for him and, instinctively, automatically, he mirrors her; he is expecting her to need support, to meet his hands with hers, but instead she goes straight past his open arms to place her hands on either side of his face.

Before he has time to react, she leans up and kisses him.

Everything in him short-circuits; the world slows and all he is aware of is the softness of her lips on his. They part slightly, and the breathy sigh she lets out electrifies all of his senses. Faster than his thoughts can catch up, his hands are gripping her shoulders and he thinks that maybe he meant to push her away, but finds he’s only clutching her closer, closer. His eyelids fall shut with a groan as her mouth opens under his — and then the kiss changes, dangerous and hot and wanting. 

He presses his face blindly into hers, and walks her backwards into the stone wall that surrounds his house. She lets out a tiny gasp as her back hits the rough surface, and he uses the distraction to sweep his tongue across hers. Her fingers curl viciously into his neck and he revels in the sensation; there’s nothing but her her her in this world, her taste in his mouth and her scent in his nose and the feel of her skin, fever-hot, against his own. His fingers move to tangle in her hair and she makes a noise at the back of her throat that destroys what little rationality he has left; he hitches her up against the wall and kisses her as though she’s about to dissolve into thin air.

They both draw back for air at the same time; their eyes meet across the infinitesimal space and then Rukia blinks, once, twice, before Ichigo sees something click back into those bruised-violet depths.

“Ichigo…?”

A realisation of his own slams into place; his eyes widen and he disentangles himself from her, stepping back frantically as though that will erase what has just transpired between them. He only barely resists the childish urge to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. Rukia slides down the wall without his weight holding her up; the dreamy glaze is gone completely from her eyes, and it’s replaced instead with a bone-deep weariness that sets Ichigo’s instincts on edge. Half of him wants to run far, far away from her, the other half wants to gather her into his arms and—

“Ichigo, what are you doing here?”

The tone of her voice, slightly irritated, so ridiculously normal, brings him back down to earth. He casts about in his jumbled mind for a suitable response and flings the first one he finds at her.

“Y—I could ask you the same thing—“

She seems to notice her surroundings then, looking side to side at the deserted street. An expression somewhere between horror and resignation crosses her face. “I—was I sleepwalking—?“

“Was that what it was?”  he retorts, the memory of the kiss burning in his mind. His face feels uncomfortably hot. “Rukia, what’s going on with you—“

“Nothing!” she snaps, but then she sways on the spot; in a flare of panic, Ichigo flash-steps beside her, and she falls into his chest. The spike of reiatsu through his body after not having called upon it for years makes his head spin, but he braces them both against a telephone pole and they manage to stay upright. Her jasmine-scented hair tickles his nose.

“Rukia—“ his voice is thick, choked, but she pushes him aside; impatient, indignant.

“I’m fine, Ichigo, you don’t have to treat me like a child—sleepwalking is hardly a medical emergency.”

She takes a deep breath, before standing on her own; her knees are a little wobbly, but she turns her back on him once more, just as she did that morning. “I’m going back to bed. You should, too.”

A pause. Then, softer; “Goodnight, Ichigo.”

The door to his clinic swings shut after her, and Ichigo slides down the telephone pole slowly.

His heartbeat thunders in his ears in a way that it hasn’t in ten years. 

[woodrokiro]

Hollowed (fic) Part Five

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, and Four. 

It turns out to be a Hollowed… Because of course it is. 

Luckily it’s only one, and small from what the messenger describes. Still, from the way the messenger’s eyes widen while describing it, Ichigo assumes it really has been a while since these people saw one, and must’ve given the soldiers quite a drill.

But he could care less if the soldiers panicked. What he wants to know is if it’s dead.

“Y-yes sir! I saw if for myself, its eyes had clouded over, and its mouth--”

“I don’t need to hear about it.” And he really didn’t, as he could already imagine it: its yellowed fangs bared into a nasty snarl, the eight legs curled pathetically into its jet black body, its eyes peering from behind a horrific mask, milky with death.

He’s seen enough of them. 

“Were there any casualties?”

“No, not that I’m aware of--”

“Aware of? What does that mean?”

“Well, all soldiers are accounted for…”

“But not civilians here?”

“If you’re worried about your friends,” Rukia calls from behind him, and the messenger straightens as if he’s forgotten she’s there-- “there’s not much to worry about. Very rarely are civilians even let outside the compound. When soldiers go out, they are often flanked and covered by the remaining at the walls. It’s all planned far out in advance. We would know about it.”

That clears a bit of Ichigo’s anxiety, but not enough. 

In truth, he’s worried about his sisters. The last time they all encountered those monsters, they were even more horrifying than all the previous times before. Their village was destroyed, people left dead in the streets, their father fighting with all he had left…

Not that he’s not worried for his friends’ mental well being, but his sisters are just twelve years old: too young for any of this bullshit. 

And yeah, it’s always been a part of their lives… But he’s their big brother. He’s supposed to be their protector, or at the very least comforting them. 

Which is why being cooped up here in the name of a job is driving him insane. 

When the bell first started clanging, a soldier ran through to tell him he was to remain here with Lady Rukia at all costs until somebody gave him further instruction. When Ichigo tried to ask when might he be given further instruction--let alone what happened--the soldier sneered. 

“This is your job now,” he spat. “And an important one at that. You are never to leave Lady Rukia during your shift. As for what’s going on, you’ll be told when the information needs to be relayed to you. I recommend you stop asking questions.”

Fucking hell, he’s tired of hearing that. The guy is lucky he ran out so quickly, as Ichigo could’ve throttled him. Instead, all he could do is pace around his partitioned space like a tiger in a cage, ignoring the girl on the other side of the room who probably wouldn’t speak to him anyway.

And now, apparently, she feels inclined to butt in, all uppity and knowledgeable. He spins to face her. 

“Yes, I’m worried about my friends,” he grits out his teeth. “But I’m also worried about my sisters. I’m all they have, and the last time one of those things were within such a vicinity to us it was a real fucking nightmare. Now,” he turns back to the messenger. “If you have the time, I’d really appreciate if you could go to the kitchens and relay a message to Karin and Yuzu Kuro--”

“Go to them.”

Ichigo turns incredulously back toward her, and is starting to think this twisting back and forth is getting really old. “Huh?”

“I was clear enough, fool. Go find your sisters. Take the rest of the day off.”

He nearly sputters. Is there something he’s missing here? “B-but you heard that other guy--”

“That ‘other guy’ is technically correct, in any other situation you won’t be able to leave me.” She’s got her arms crossed, with a superior look in her eye that Ichigo kind of hates but also he’s feeling hopeful about what she’s saying so he’ll just ignore it for now. “But today is your first day. I believe you’ve received basic training enough--”

“Well, I mean I didn’t really do anything--”

“Don’t be so modest, sir. You’ve done plenty.” She looks at him with raised eyebrows pointedly. 

He shuts his mouth. 

“Some soldiers will probably be here shortly to relieve you in any case. They always take me when this sort of occurrence happens...” she drifts softly, before her eyes suddenly shine (yes, shine) toward the messenger. “Sir there! Would you be willing to chaperone me in Sir Kurosaki’s absence, until then? I would be most appreciative of it.”

The messenger shifts, but Ichigo can see a blush rise on his cheeks. “Oh, w-well I’d be most honored, milady. But I’m afraid I’m not of military calibre to watch you. You see, I might as well be a grunt--”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. So long as you’re a soldier, you can protect me. And don’t worry, if any of the higher ranks or even Lord Yamamoto raise questions about it, I’ll be happy to take the blame.” She smiles sweetly before turning back to Ichigo. “Thank you for your services, sir. You are dismissed.”

He blinks. “So, does that cover for me too or…?”

“What, you believe I would cover for one party in a situation and not the other? Yes, Mr. Kurosaki, you as well. Now, goodbye.” She waves him off dismissively. 

While that kind of pisses him off--and it’s bizarre how fast she changed gears--he’s grateful.

---

He finds the girls perfectly safe and sound when he rushes into the kitchens. In fact, they hadn’t even heard the news of the Hollowed… Which Ichigo finds quite eery how news like that isn’t relayed to the service as quickly as the bell clangs for the military--but at the very least, he’s glad to find they’re safe and not scared. 

He tries to express some sort of a game plan to them: that if he’s not able to go to them in times of danger, find Chad, or even Uryu--well, not Uryu, as he might be on the front lines--

“Relax, Ichigo.” Karin cuts him off with a gentle smirk. “We know how to take care of ourselves for this sort of thing… Or at the very least: how to not get killed. Worst case scenario, I’ve got kitchen knives here I can use.”

“Plus, they’ve got me.” Inoue steps forward from the spot she’s been quietly listening and kneading dough. She claps her floury hands together. “I know that I-I don’t look like much, Ichigo, but you can count on me to protect the girls! All this kneading is giving me some real arm strength! Not to mention when I put in my secret ingredients, that makes it even tougher!!” 

She strikes a pose with her biceps flexed, and while Ichigo’s not quite sure if that’ll be enough to tear apart the creatures responsible for the near extinction of humanity, he still smiles and thanks her. He has to remember that the three in front of him are smart and very much capable of taking care of themselves.

He doesn’t really have a choice, otherwise. 

---

Later that night when everyone else but the boys are asleep, he asks Uryu whether he saw the Hollowed. 

“I did. In fact, one of my arrows got stuck in its putrid ribs.” He pushes his glasses up.

“I saw it as well,” Chad offers. “My boss and I were restocking the weapons on the wall while they burned the body.”

“Chad, you too? So I was the only one to miss out on the action, huh?”

“Not much action, Kurosaki. Truth be told, the military is true to its word. Pretty organized on the killing, once they got past the initial shock. I imagine they’d have a harder time with a horde of them, though.” Uryu opens his mouth to say something, but hesitates.

“What?” Ichigo eyes the look passed between Uryu and Chad. “What was wrong with it?”

“It… Had some… One of its legs was a human arm.” Uryu grinds his teeth. “Recently turned. I think… It might’ve been someone from our village.”

Ichigo prays it wasn’t anybody he knew well, let alone his dad. Trapped in a horrid body like that, slithering miserably up the mountain for fresh blood--it’d be a nightmare he can barely stomach. 

But it wouldn’t matter in any case, he guesses.

A loss is a loss is a loss. 

---

The next morning, he’s informed that he has to report to Yamamoto before his shift. It must be because of what happened yesterday, he realizes. The old man is pissed.

He drags himself into the office, where Yamamoto is (seemingly) calm, reading a book.

The old man smiles. “Ah, Kurosaki! Do sit. Why, you look quite uncomfortable. Are your concerns with the Hollowed yesterday? I hope your sisters were all right.”

Well, shit. 

“Yeah, they were… Thanks.” Ichigo eyes the man across him, waiting for an explosion. “So… Rukia told you…?”

“Lady Rukia told me she dismissed you, yes. Oh dear, you thought I might be upset about that? Well, I suppose on any other occasion I might be quite angry.” 

Ichigo shifts uncomfortably. “So… Why not this time?”

“Well, I suppose I never did properly explain Lady Rukia’s position in this place. Certainly, she is technically ranked above you--ranked above many generals, in fact--and so I cannot blame you for following her orders. How did you like her, by the way?”

“Well… I mean she’s… Quiet. But okay, I guess--”

“She can be quite quiet, you’re right. But I hope you’ll find she’s also very kind. Gentle. Clever, too.” Yamamoto raps his knuckles against his desk. “But she’s also rather frail. The soldiers that took her after you left go to her quarters quite often to escort her to the medical facilities. She runs through quite a number of tests and medicines there for her condition. She’s very smart and capable, yes; but also can suffer some… Sufferings in judgement. Sometimes she doesn’t know what’s the best for her, so a select few including myself make certain decisions for her. Does that make sense?”

Ichigo doesn’t think the girl he saw yesterday looked sick at all, let alone capable of being anything but a smartass brat--but he nods. 

“So next time it happens that my lady gives an order that you’re not quite sure about, request my presence immediately and I’ll sort it out. I trust your judgement. In fact, I’ll be requesting meetings every few days to ask you about updates on her condition and such.”

“... So you’re asking me to spy on her?”

“Not at all! Just that she gets quite tired sometimes… You’ll see. I just want to know how she’s doing after her treatments, so we can get her the help she deserves.” Suddenly, the old man’s focal point shifts to somewhere past Ichigo. “Ah! Well, speak of some sort of devil. Ichigo, this is Lady Rukia’s older brother, Byakuya. He’s a captain within our military.” 

Ichigo turns around to see a man with long black hair standing in the doorway, eyeing him coolly. He clumsily gets up, walking over while reaching out his hand. The guy looks like a complete douchebag, but an older brother deserves to know his sister’s taken care of. “Ichigo Kurosaki, it’s--”

“I know who you are, thank you.” Byakuya drifts past Ichigo’s outstretched hand, toward the seat where Ichigo was previously sitting. 

All right. So he really is an asshole.

“Give Rukia my regards. Lord Yamamoto, I have some reports with you I’d like to discuss.”

“Of course. Kurosaki, you may go now.” And just like that (again!) it seems the Yamamoto forgets his existence. 

Ichigo is just about to shut the door when the old man’s voice calls out. 

“Oh, and Kurosaki?” 

He holds the door, waiting. 

“I understand some--including Lady Rukia--warned you against being in her quarters with her, past the screen. This is one of the occasions I’d like you to ignore her order.”

Ichigo looks back inside at Yamamoto. “Um… I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. Not if she isn’t.”

“Of course, completely understandable. But if she ever relays a sense of danger in being there… Worry not. There is none.”

Ichigo shuts the door.

He’s not about to go into some girl’s room without her wanting him there.

[shoujocentral]

Ume Aihara- Best Yuri Mom? (Mother's Day!)

If there's one thing I feel is underrepresented in yuri manga and anime (besides decent male characters) it's mothers. Maybe I just haven't read enough yuri, though I doubt that, but it seems like we rarely get an insight into the characters' families and their view on the girls' relationships. Particularly, I would think that since mothers are usually close with their daughters, there would be plenty of yuri girls going to their moms for advice or comfort.

Thankfully, none other than Citrus mangaka Saburouta delivered to us a character who I consider not only the best mom in yuri history, but one of the best moms in anime/manga period.

Today, we are going to be showing our appreciation for Ume Aihara, mother of Yuzu and Mei Aihara.

(Look at dis precious lil smile! LOOK AT IT!)

Oh, this woman... this beautiful, wonderful, angel of a woman. Where do I even begin with her? Well, how about I start with the fact that she's a construction worker?

I can't tell if this is awesome, adorable, or both. Probably gonna go with both 😎

Setting that aside, one could say that Ume being a construction worker is a (likely unintentional) parallel for how tough and hard working she is. Because this woman has had it rough.

To truly dive into how much I love this woman, I need to point out a chapter of Citrus that's often overlooked: Chapter 35.2, the Volume 8 Special.

It's in this chapter where we learn how Ume and Shou first met... and it wasn't exactly on the friendliest terms. Basically, Ume caught Shou spying on Mei as she left school and confronted him, thinking he was a stalker. Of course, finding out why he was really watching her didn't help much either.

I already love how she's unapologetically calling Shou out on his BS. If you ask me, the dude needs way more than a couple slaps on the back, but that's another discussion for another time.

As the conversation continues, Shou reveals that he left because he felt he needed to grow from an immature person in order to become a true parent to Mei. Ume mutters to herself "To become a parent..."

And we are then treated to two of the most heart-wrenching pages in all of Citrus.

There were a total of 3 times I cried while reading Citrus: when Mei broke down at the end of Chapter 35, the entirety of Chapter 36, and this. This shit right here literally drilled a hole in my heart.

Ume has gone through some shit. Yuzu was only 5 years old when her father died, so it must have happened relatively early into their marriage. What makes it even worse is the fact that Yuzu doesn't seem to understand yet that her father is gone for good. And wouldn't you know, she happens to do an impression of her father right when Ume is having what could be the umpteenth emotional breakdown.

Now, because I like to overanalyze things, I'm gonna take it a step further and assume that Ume's line "To become a parent..." is implying that before her husband's death, she wasn't exactly the most responsible parent towards Yuzu. Her line "Mama is always crying even though she's already an adult" shows a hint of immaturity that still lingers within her. Chibi Yuzu bleaching her hair like her father (supposedly) further drives this home by implying that she loved him so much, she wanted to be just like him, unlike how most daughters aspire to be like their mother.

After seeing this, Ume realized that she had to stop moping around, chin up, and become the parent that Yuzu needs and deserves. She already knew that raising a child alone was going to be hell, and probably thought she wasn't fit to do so, but damn if she wasn't going to give it everything she had.

If that wasn't enough, she blindly agrees in a drunken state to marry this neglectful toolbag and raise his daughter for him. As if one teenage daughter wouldn't already be a handful...

But you know what? She did it. She raised one beautiful girl and took in another without question. Because that's just the kind of person she is. She's a construction worker, building a family and carrying the weight of the responsibility of making sure that family remains stable.

Of course, I couldn't talk about Ume without mentioning this:

What can I say that hasn't already been said?

In Chapter 23, Yuzu met up with some of her old friends. And they just happened to be a couple of homophobes. As you can probably imagine, Yuzu didn't take this very well.

Many chapters later, after Mei left, all of Yuzu's pent-up feelings come pouring out as she, for all she knows, risks the love and respect of her own mother in order to get her pain off her chest. Lucky for her, Ume is a loving, supportive goddess. And what follows is one of the (criminally) few mother-daughter moments in all of Citrus, but it's probably my favorite conversation in the entire story. For real.

In conclusion, Ume Aihara's role in Citrus may be small, but what little we do get of her is just too good to be overlooked. Saburouta gave us a yuri mother who's not only supportive of her daughter's gay incestuous romance, but a mother who's been to hell and back and is still exerting all her effort to raise a beautiful family.

You see this? This byotiful fam right here? This is all Ume's doing. Don't you forget that.

Also, she breaks the Citrus universe rule of "If she breathes, she's gay," so that's kinda refreshing in my book 😋

Here's to you, Ume! The greatest mom in all of Yuri!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! ❤️😊❤️

[otto-von-stirlitz]

Wicdiv #45 notes

 I It’s all so... weird and surreal. One last post to honor the tradition that really did keep me hooked on here for years. Something about those 5 years just ending. Having followed wicdiv almost from the beginning, I really feel attached to it and view it through a VERY personal lens of all the changes that happened during those years. From a depressed and passively suicidal 17yo in a highschool, to an almost graduated 22yo, trying to figure out it all with a bit more hope and a bit less of mental health issues. Eh, let’s cut it out and move to a standard spoilery bullet points format, I’m too wordy and pretentious

Of course this issue had to be happy and sad at the same point, as both life and death shine through as central motifs of the whole book, especially underlined here. Two sides of the same coin (no Yavien, you will not say ‘alexa play hyori ittai by yuzu’ to cry over hunter x hunter. no)

You know how as an urban activist I’m ideologically not a big fan of cars, but damn, that McKelvie design! Reminds me of prototypes of future cars I saw in the BMW musuem, kudos for capturing that futuristic tech feel.

I like the subtle implication that Eleanor did grow and change. But then again, she had so much time, so it’s not even that high of a bar.

‘What’s a funeral without morbidity?’ after all those years Cass stayed THE #1 goth of the cast (but Umar gets pretty close with channeling Cam). Yes, I love Cass and I love how after the kiss from #44 we got a whole ass lauracass feels issue, amazing, showstopping, incredible etc etc. You know, Im just a fan.

Gotta admit, reading the issue the first time I did miss that Laura says ‘them’ to refer to Zahid. It really explains why Kieron was so cagey about the pronouns ask back during Fandemonium. They did have time to explore thier gender and pronouns after all of the ‘2 years’ baiting. It’s a win for the nbs (sobs and cries on the floor)

Also goddamn McKelvie really popped off with all the older character designs? All those little details and shout-outs to their youger selves? And all the Minanke practice in drawing basically the same character but as a teen and as a grandma did pay off. And this all while chasing deadlines with hypermobility? Chapeau bas. Although I’m sad that Jon got his fathers aging genes, however his mom looked that age must’ve been better...

‘Every time it rains’ yes A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL SHOUTOUT BUT I AM ALRIGHT I REPEAT I AM ALRIGHT ITS NOT TEARS, IT RAINS (haha both baal ref and fma hughes funeral ref IA M FINE)

Also I’m crying for Aruna, she was in such a bad place by #13 and this issue? HEr new body? The way she learned to mix miracles and songs? And in general finally having this authority over her life? And deciding to use it paritally to help people she often barely knew? I am fine i repeat

Meredith and Zoe, glad to see you and your names confirmed and a confirmation that you were also a part of the Pantheon

Umar’s line about hospitals (and the picture from #16) seems to imply Cass passed away after some illness. Eleanor saying it’s unfair that she smoked and ‘got away’ with it and Cass being prepared she’d die soon kinda ties into that theory? Was it cancer or something else?

Also yeah re: that pic (and the invitation to Was It Cam Or Cass debate) - Umar has two hands, period. And like the fact that Umar literally quotes words Cam said moments before his death in Umar’s hospital room? Yeah, it’s really raining, lieutenant...

Delivering your own eulogy via a hologram is exactly this level of gay panache that Cass would embrace, I LOVE HER SO MUCH. Also being nice AF to literally everyone but in the snarkiest way possible? PEAK CASS. But yeah, something more changed because she wears a white (!!!) shirt. Now that’s a massive wardrobe change

Zahid being one of the closest friends of Cass? I love this song

Also ‘you were never my type. until you were’ should be An Iconic quote of gay tumblr and twitter and yes i will be using it as my lauracass otp tag from now on.

Also Cass focus on how everyone changed themself and tried to change the world, so the future people are born into a better one.

And yeah, same, I also didnt always want to be buried beneath a tree but now as I’m growing out of my old edgeperson ways? It sounds wonderful, I want to be an acorn even after death.

Also yeah, the final themes of growth that takes time, becoming better and finding hope... they resonate with me now, as I also feel like I’ve been through hell for 2 (or actually more, i think) years. But you know, rip to that old me but im different (now). Thank you Kieron for luring me into a flashy colorful YA, then a messed up and depressive story, and then climbing up the walls of hell back when I did. It was not always going to be okay, but then it was okay.

And yes, to the whole fandom, fandom that let me find so many friends all over the world and grow up as a person and have so much fun with our stupid puns and shitposts: I love you. I’ll miss you. (but honestly, still feel free to HMU etc, its not like we actually die. We just lost a source of monthly engagement, thats it. Im just a dramatic lil shit too)

Also yeah, one last word: may Two Slow Dancers by Mitski be the final, ultimate Lauracass song. Let’s all play it now, and cry. No, it’s not raining anymore, I really am crying thinking about Them.

[cottonsecurityblanket]

So I watched Citrus ⚠SPOILER WARNING⚠

And I have issues with it. Now Ive never read the manga a day in life. Ive seen fan art of it however and knew it existed but never what it was about. If im missing out on some parts message me and explain please. I’m not going to hate the show. I don’t hate the show at all. I just have issues with it. Now here’s my thoughts.

Note there’s only 5 episodes on Crunchyroll but here’s my thoughts so far

So Mei is the Class President and has been since she was a first year. Her grandfather is a Chairman of the school and Mei’s father marries Yuzu’s mother and they move to another district. For some reason Yuzu’s mom forgets to tell her that she’s got a younger step sister and for some reason Yuzu’s never seen her new stepfather. But Im gonna ignore that.

Yuzu wants to fall in love and get a first kiss and get a boyfriend. Nice plan for a high schooler. So she walks in and this girl with springy pig tails named Momokino gives her shit. Mei comes up and feels up and down Yuzu to get her phone from her pocket. Later on in the day she meets her friend Harumin. Harumin explains to her that everyones not outgoing and follows the strict rules. Oh and um everyone looks EXACTLY the same. Black and/or purpley hair, beige top, greenish plaid skirt, all shy and reserved.

So it’s implied all the girls in this all girl school fuck each other before they get married off to someone after high school. So fast forward and Yuzu finds the hot teacher and Mei kissing and later it’s said theyre supposed to be married to each other. Later in the day Mei goes to Yuzu and her moms apartment and then Yuzu making an effort to talk to Mei and get along as step sisters. Mei ignores her this entire time so Yuzu has to talk about a subject that’ll strike a nerve to get conversation. Mei takes her down and kisses her.

At that moment I do the Oprah gif where she’s squinting. It’s not incest cuz they’re not real sisters but I’m sure a good majority would argue it is and I can understand that but lets ignore the incest is wincest meme right now.

At this point Im sure Im missing a lot of aspects in the anime and manga. I know that there’s a good following for the manga but i haven’t seen much for the anime cept a few screenshots and comparisons to the manga. This is what I think about the characters and plot watching it blind I guess.

Mei….bothers me. Characters like her I have an issue with because they always initiate the first move like kissing them or some shit and then are always confused about why the Protag is so confused and can’t control their emotions. I don’t usually watch romance anime like this in fact the only one I liked was My Little Monster and Sakura Kiss but that’s another thing. I get it Mei you and your dad have a bad relationship and haven’t seen him in five years and you live alone. Alright I get it but that doesn’t give you the right to fuck with Yuzu like that.

I’ve seen a post that Mei is literally sexually assaulting Yuzu and that it’s a toxic relationship but I don’t wanna go that far. Ill just chalk it up to anime being anime. It’s not the first time we’ve seen characters force a kiss but back to the topic on hand.

Mei in the anime is such an unlikeable character. In Episode 3 Yuzu sees that Mei’s stuffed animal is ripped and she sews it back together as if nothing happened. Later in the episode when Yuzu has to stay at school late to clean the bathroom Mei goes through her stuff and finds a Manga named Peach Sisters and confronts her about it saying stuff like “if someone saw you with this theyd be disgusted” or “you should be ashamed.” so Yuzu kisses her and says all this is happening because she kissed her.

Finally we address the situation. Yuzu is absolutely right. All the shit that Mei detests so much is all her fault. She could’ve engaged in conversation and at least put in the same effort Yuzu was putting in and they would’ve bonded making the “romance” between them understanding. But no. Mei just completely ignores Yuzu and gives her the short end of the stick.

In episode 3 Mei says the only reason why she kisses her multiple times in the other episodes is to shut her up. But in episode 2 when the two girls fall in water Mei kisses and licks Yuzu’s neck while Yuzu is thinking about why she kissed her and Mei says “You looked like you wanted me to touch you.”

So what’s the truth Mei? Are you taking advantage of your older sister or are you not?

I hate Sasuke so much. Mei is starting to get close to that amount of hate. Yuzu is doing mental backflips to figure out her feelings and what to do while Mei is doing everything except thinking.

Oh yeah in episode 2 when Yuzu AGAIN tries to make an effort on what’s going on with Mei offering to help, Mei throws her on the bed and starts ripping her clothes off only to be caught by Old Grumpy Gramps. Yuzu is expelled and Mei does fuck all about it while in other times Yuzu stood up for Mei. In the begining of episode 2 while Mei gets chewed out by gramps Yuzu stands in front of her and says “if you want to get mad at someone get mad at me. She has nothing to do with this.” Gramps doesn’t listen and at the end of the episode gramps has a well deserved heart attack. And who helps him? Yuzu.

I think I’ve ranted about Mei enough now onto Yuzu. In the first episode she monologues to us about how she talks about having boyfriend’s and kissing them when she hasn’t even had her first kiss yet. I did the same thing in high school and Im sure others have too.

Yuzu is a likeable character. She’s blonde and has personality and very well rounded I guess? I don’t have problems with her. If anything I feel bad for her because of what Mei puts her through. It’s not only Mei. Is this other girl too. I can’t think of her name. Like this has taken me a few days to write when it shouldn’t. I think her names Kono-something but well get to her later.

Harumin is Yuzu’s friend in the situation and has NONE of an idea pf what’s going on with Yuzu and Mei however she’s there to help and is a pretty good friend. In episode 5 they share an indirect kiss when Harumin feeds Yuzu something from her lunch and they do it so naturally. As platonic as the relationship may be I prefer theirs over Yuzu and Mei’s SOOOOOOO much more. If this show threw a curveball and ended with Harumin and Yuzu being a thing I would NOT be upset and id accept it as such but that’s not gonna happen.

Now onto the friend. Her name is Kono or Kokno but for now let’s just call Kono. So she’s got purple hair with girl pigtails thats in curls and she’s the vice president. She’s known Mei for what seems like maybe Kindergarten? I dont know which school years are similar to ours (Im from America) but that’s just my guess. So Kono has this disdain for Yuzu because she doesn’t conform to rules and is all of sudden getting close to Mei. So after episode 3 in episode 4 she keeps asking Yuzu what the two did some conference room or what not and Yuzu doesn’t tell her so in Kono’s….trial to assert dominace over Yuzu she goes and licks and touches Mei’s ear. That turns into Mei moaning and then Kono slides her hand under her skirt and the scene cuts away to the afternoon sky. Later in the episode Kono tells Yuzu to meet her at a cafe or something and the two talk and Kono says they “crossed a line” which DOES NOT sound good by the way. Im not sure if that’s the english translation of what she said or what but it doesn’t sound okay (Im watching Sub). So Kono lies and says Mei wants NOTHING to do with Yuzu and never wants to see her again. Yuzu’s already thinking “but we live together”.

This whole time Im thinking the two might’ve fucked or something BUT in the episode 5 Mei tells her Kono made advances at her and she told her no or something. Kono sees the two walking outside of school and Mei tells her to stop putting weird thoughts in her head and Kono is sad and stands there.

In episode 4, Mei tells Kono that she and Yuzu are step sisters FINALLY and anytime Yuzu tries to be a good older sister Kono sees it as making advances on her.

I don’t like Kono. She’s very annoying. Im not sure if she was like that in the manga or not but again Im going in this anime blind.

She’s honestly very annoying and that’s just how I feel. Gets in the way and just don’t like her character.

Mei and Kono? Can’t stand Mei. Kono is…slightly tolerable.

Yuzu and Harumin? I like them. They have better chemistry than the romance intended.

I cannot stress how much context Im sure im missing and I WANT to read the manga and know stuff but sadly that’s just not possible. If ANYONE could link me to translated versions of it online great. Now Im gonna talk about the plot of this.

I don’t watch romance. The only two I watched and liked was Sakura Trick and My Little Monster. In the show My Little Monster there was plot. However little it was there was still plot but it kept it entertaining to watch. Sakura Trick barely had plot at all but it had a storyline and had lots of lesbian kisses. More than the entire anime industry combined and that’s where the show got it’s charm.

Another show I watched and liked called Yuru Yuri. The girls start a club. That’s it. Don’t ask anything more of them.

Citrus? If you asked what the plot was…I couldn’t give you a simple sentence answer. Im not sure…where this anime is going. I know they’ll end up together dispite them being step sisters but for the plot right now I have no clue what or where it is. I think it’s just me being stupid but right now I can’t really think of a plot. The closest I can think of is “two step sisters who have some things to work out.”

I don’t have any….comments on the animation. Modern. Clean. Looks nice for 2018 animation. Nothing really striking except when Yuzu is in uniform she’s very pleasing. Color scheme wise I mean. It’s no Ancient Magnus Bride so….I guess I mean….animation is okay I guess.

Overall, I don’t hate the anime. But I don’t love it. I have issues with it and Im going to continue to watch it cuz I want to see where this will go. I want to see Mei’s character growth and I want to see plot. I want to see this get good and I want to like this anime and Ill stick around as long as I can. After a few more episode’s Ill do a part 2 on what I think.

For now….3 outta 10. I’d have to have a lengthy conversation with someone before recommending this to them.

So those are my thoughts on the anime Citrus. If you wanna talk about it with me just DM me. If you’ve read the manga and what to give me context great. Thanks for that.

Considering doing anime reviews as a thing.

[tangerinewrites]

DAY 24-25: MINA!

11/24/2020-11/25/2020 

wc: 1275 + 767

note: i skipped day 24th but then got back on track today!! sorry i had homework and was very stressed out bc of college and work. still will!! so expect late updates

The night after the girls were told about their promotion schedules, Mina automatically went to Chungha for help and guidance. Sure, she could’ve gone to the other girls in the dorm as well. Hell, if anything, she could’ve gone to Yuzu for help, considering she’s her first “close” friend in HEARTZ that has promoted on a music show before. But, it was practically normal for Mina to go to the other for help and guidance with anything related to the project. So even if she isn’t involved with HEARTZ yyxy themselves, she was still someone Mina could go to when she was in need of an emergency.

“Mina, you’ll be fine,” she says with reassurement as she gives the other a tight hug. “You’re such a talented performer and you’re also super charming! If the whole country hasn’t fallen in love with you already the moment ‘One & Only’ came out, then they definitely will once they see you onstage!”

Mina whines. “What if I mess up, though?”

“Don’t think about the negatives! Thinking like that will only make you focus on the bad side of it all.” She gives a hug to comfort the other. “You’ll be fine, Mina. You’re going to do great with promoting this song. If anything, I think this song suits you the most out of the whole group.”

She tilts her head at the other. “Is it because of the fact that I’m the youngest?”

Chungha hesitates when asked the question. “…No…”

“It totally is,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“It’s not the only reason!” she says in her defense quickly. “You genuinely fit the concept of the song more. Sure, Heejin also had a bit of a cute concept for her song. But knowing you all individually and your performance styles, I feel like this subunit definitely has a benefit with you being apart of the lineup if this was going to be your debut song.”

Mina pouts and looks at the other with puppy eyes. “Aw! Are you saying that you think I’m yyxy’s secret weapon?” She gives the other a tight hug in response. “I love you! This is why you’re my favorite. You compliment me too much.”

“Anything for my mini me~” Chungha coos before she tugs on the other’s cheek. She looks out at their door before looking back at the other. “You think the others are going to call us to watch Yurim’s music video soon?”

Mina shrugs. “We can beat them to it and be the first two in the living room. Just so we can show them we’re superior.”

When she hears that suggestion coming from the younger’s mouth, she couldn’t help but snort. “This is one of the reasons why I’m glad you’re apart of this with me.”

Mina grins before she gets out of the other’s bunk bed, making her way towards the door. “Come on! We don’t want to look like losers! Let’s get a move on!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says with a sigh before she follows the other’s actions. As soon as the other gets out of bed, Mina makes her way to living room immediately.

If Mina were to go back in time to tell herself one thing, she’d let the other know that she really shouldn’t have gotten as nervous as she did for her Sphere audition. Performing in front of her CEO and coaches is one thing, but in front of a live audience as well as a camera that would broadcast this on TV screens nationwide? Hell! She remembers having to watch music shows through streaming on the Internet! The whole world could be anticipating this performance from the subunit.

It’s obvious she looks a little nervous. She’s always been a bit of a perfectionist when it came to her performances, so messing up in the middle of this would definitely be hard for her. Her manager, the staff, and even the other members were very kind to offer her words of comfort and support during this time, but it still didn’t seem to help Mina’s nerves at all.

And then, it was time. They were given the cue to get themselves onto stage. They had a pre-recording for rehearsal first and Mina managed to do fine, but this was going to be live now. She was going to be performing in front of so many of HEARTZ’s fans as well as netizens and the public in general. The girls who have had their experience with online netizens (because of the MGAs) have told her to not pay too much attention to any mean comments they gave her. But even if she didn’t, she still knows that their image is on the line and first impressions were always important for any up and coming idol.

The girls get into their positions and prepare for their performance. As the music starts and everyone does their moves accordingly, Mina starts to feel herself loosen up as the song progressed. She tries her best to get each move perfectly, as it nearly muscle memory for her at this point. But she also made sure that she gave good facial expressions and that she tried her best with her lines as well. What she will say, though, was that the one motivator to having genuine fun on stage was hearing the fanchants from the excited fans that have prepared for it.

The performance ends quicker than she thought it would and as soon as the director announces that they can get off stage, all four girls bowed and made their way offstage with the back up dancers. Mina smiles as she runs up to Yurim with a big smile, tapping on her shoulder so that she could get her attention.

“We did it!” she says excitedly. “We got to debut together!”

Finally, the schedules that everyone in the group has been waiting for.

After yyxy’s promotions wrapped up, all twelve girls were immediately told to go to the studio to start recording for their debut album. With this finally happening for the twelve girls, it was no surprise that they were all excited for what would come of the future. They were all already familiar with the process, thanks to their individual experiences within their subunits, but now was the time in which they were able to use such experiences to use. This time, however, as their complete lineup.

Mina can say that, between all the girls, there was a mixed opinion on how to feel about their debut title “Hi High”. The song was definitely not something Mina expected for their debut, considering all the concepts that the girls have displayed in the last twelve months. She knows that a good chunk of everyone were disappointed with how it sounded, while the other chunk loved how energetic and cute the song sounded.

Mina was in the middle. She felt that if she listened to it more, she’d gradually learn to love it.

After recording all of her lines for the B-Sides (her favorite one being “Heat”) and for the title, Mina leaves the recording studio with a smile on her face. She’s trying her best to let it sit with her that this was officially happening. She’s sure the other girls felt the same as her, but she was still in shock over what was happening. She was going to be in a full group with such talented girls, some of which she had idolized in the past. She was going to be able to perform, after years of believing that having a career as an idol was impossible for her.

Holy shit! She’s going to debut!

Concept pictures were always one of Mina’s favorite things about the entire process of preparing an album. Not necessarily because of the fact that she thought modelling was fun (though, she does like to look at her pictures from the screens moments after they were taken), but because it gave her an opportunity to look pretty. With this album’s photoshoot, there were two concepts that the girls had to take pictures for: “uniforms” and cottagecore girls in the forest.

As expected, Mina liked the latter much more. It was a shame that the “uniform” aka a white button-up and a gray skirt had to be apart of their fashion for this comeback, as they were going to record a music video for a B-side of theirs. Was it “Heat”? No, unfortunately. But it was “favOrite”, which she thinks would’ve been more cooler had it not been for the outfits given to them.

Not like her opinions mattered for this anyway… for now.

Despite all her negative thoughts on that, she felt the most happiest when taking the group pictures with everyone else. Call her sappy, but she was glad to be able to finally have physical proof of them coming together as one. After the photoshoots ended, Mina asks their manager if they could take a quick group picture for her phone lock screen. With a smile, the manager takes her phone and Mina enthusiastically gathers everyone together for a picture.

“Everyone say ‘Mina is the best!’” Mina shouts with a big smile.

“No way~” the eleven girls tease her in response. After the manager snaps a couple pictures, they give a thumbs up signaling that they were finished. At that, Mina turns to face the others with both hands on her hips. “YAH! Why are you guys so mean to me!”

They all giggle at her and she can’t help but sigh and join in on the laughter. After working and living with them these past few months, even if they did like to tease her a lot, she knew they loved her deep down.

Compared to “Hi High”, she is confident in saying that she liked “favOrite”’s choreography better. Mainly because if she was still covering dances on YouTube, she’d want to cover this choreography for sure.

However, she didn’t like the place in which they were filming this choreography. With filming being in May, she could confidently say that she wasn’t too fond of how warm it was. That, mixed with their dancing, was not a combination Kang Mina was a fan of. Whenever they took breaks from recording the scenes, some of the girls (including her) would rush for their fans or cold water bottles to get a sip.

This music video recording was definitely not a vibe, but Sua, the leader that she was, continued to give them words of encouragement so that all twelve of them could finish with recordings strong. And towards the end of the day, they finally finished filming.

As soon as they got back home to their dorms, Mina went to her room and took a good nap. What an exhausting day.

Compared to “favOrite”, the recording of “Hi High” took longer than just one day. It’s expected, obviously, considering the fact that this is the main music video that everyone would be focusing on. And thankfully, the styling with this music video was much better than “favOrite”. There’s a variety now! Exactly what they needed.

After recording the cinematic scenes, in which Mina tried her best to give actress vibes in them, they got to the best part: the choreography. Compared to “favOrite”, the choreography of this dance was fast-paced, but more so in the cheerful aspect. And after the dreadful recording of “favOrite” from a few days ago, she feels confident in saying that she liked “Hi High”’s choreography now simply because of the positive association. Not to mention, her cutesy parts in the song were fun to verbalize now with the choreography accopanying it.

Their last dance scene would be recorded in front of a weird… architecture? She wasn’t sure how to describe it. But she did know that it was red and that the contrast with that vibrant color and their adorable denim outfits would be pleasing when she watched the music video. As soon as the song finished up and their did their ending poses, the director finally gave their last “Cut!” before wrapping it up with a smile and thanking everyone for taking part of this filming.

And with their words, the twelve girls all cheered in excitement.

[sesamerolls]

Family (Ichigo x Orihime)

AUGUST 20TH Family // Free Day Pairings: Ichigo/Orihime Word Count: 1000 Rating: T in general

Ichigo stared back as his son looked at him happily, drool cascading down his chin.

Warning: Post!Canon, set during the few years in between the timeskip

It started out softly.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

But the crying was soon loud enough for Ichigo to sit up, disoriented.

It took a few moments for the disjointed puzzle of the room to fall into place. Then the realisation dawned on him.

“Kazui?”

The crying got louder.

He bolted from the bed.

It had only been an hour. Orihime had received an emergency call from the kindergarten, Ichigo had some time off and figured it would be easy enough taking care of Kazui for the day.

The door to the nursery swung open and what Ichigo saw made his heart jump out of his throat.

Red and crying in his onesuit laid Kazui on the floor, his cot bed overturned.

“What the---”

The wailing continued, shaking Ichigo from his stillness. Immediately he sprung in to action, lifting the wailing infant with one hand while trying to steady the crib upwards.

“It’s okay now.” he said, patting  Kazui gently “It’s okay buddy, I’m here.”

The baby only cried louder as sweat trickled down Ichigo’s forehead. What had happened? His evening shift had ended earlier that morning before bathing and crawling next to Orihime for a last minute snooze. He drifted off soon afterwards, half listening as Orihime reminded him of her shift, feeling warm and comforted by a light kiss.

Kazui remained inconsolable, Ichigo’s heart hammered like a woodpecker. What would be the best form action? Take him to the clinic? No, Isshin was away and Yuzu and Karin where on a trip that week.  Ichigo took his son to the changing chair, frantically switching on the bedside light. He spent the next few minutes scanning for bruises, cuts anything to apply reason for the baby who was now screaming at the top of his lungs.

The only visible injury was a small red bump on Kazui’s head, cushioned beneath his soft orange curls.

Cursing, Ichigo carried Kazui, eyes blazed with determination.

___

“If you’re that concerned, I have a free period later this afternoon,”

Though the tone on Ishida Uryu’s voice seemed flat, Ichigo knew that it was etched with concern. The trip to Karakura hospital had been worth it, even if it meant doorstepping Ishida during the break time.

“Just use the ice pack every five minutes or so as I told you.” Uryu said, taking a kinder glance of Kazui “In the meantime, try to be more careful.”

Ichigo frowned “More careful?”

“Babies around Kazui’s age undergo quite big growth spurts.” Uryu said, inclining on his chair “It’s not unusual for him to outgrow or even overpower his crib.”

“Are you saying I can’t take care of my kid?”

Uryu sighed “You know exactly what I meant Kurosaki. I think if you could build a new routine whic-”

“Shut up.”

Uryu blinked in confusion.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t want to get another lecture of you.”

Frowning slightly, Uryu adjusted his glasses.

“I would think a father would like to receive advice from a friend, regardless of how minor the injury was.”

“You don’t have to get self righteous already.”

“And you don’t have to act prideful because you feel shame.” Uryu spat back bitterly “Or is that more important than taking care of your child?”

Ichigo stood with a sleep Kazui, feeling the tenseness overwhelm his reason.

“You know what?” he gritted his teeth before turning to the door “This is the last time I come to you for help.”

Before Uryu could respond, Ichigo had slammed the door, a tearful Kazui in tow.

___

“You were rather rude to Uryu.”

Ichigo’s eyebrow twinged at the sound of Tatsuki’s voice. Kazui seemed content in his baby walker although he did not coo or squeal as he usually did.

“I know,” he admitted quietly “I just- dammit I was just so-panicked about Kazui that it just...”

“Made you act like a crazy person?” she offered helpfully “I mean seriously, did you have to make a bigger deal of it than it had to be?”

“I know that already!” Ichigo hissed, glancing back as Kazui played quietly “I already feel shit about the fall, and it got the better of me.”

From the other line, Tatsuki sighed.

“You know, sometimes your protective instincts brings out the worst in you.” she said bluntly. “No one is blaming you for Kazui getting hurt. Orihime didn’t did she?”

Orihime hadn’t. In fact, she was rather calm when Ichigo explained what had happened that morning (and the visit with Uryu) before he had settled Kazui for his mid afternoon nap.

“Hmmm,” she had said curiously “I figured there was a reason why his reiatsu felt different."

Ichigo hung his head in shame. 

“She didn’t did she?” Tatsuki said “Because she knows this stuff happens. Stop beating yourself about it and just play with your kid, okay?”

Ichigo was still lost in his thoughts when Tatsuki hung up.

___

“Hi honey~~ how is my big boy?”

It was the first time all day Kazui let out a squeal of delight.

Ichigo half-smiled as Orihime picked Kazui from the rocker, watching as he cooed and gurgled as she rubbed his tummy and peppered his cheeks with kisses.

“Have you been good for daddy?” she said, smiling at Ichigo “Have you behaved?”

“Apart from using a years’ worth of diapers, I think we’re good.” Ichigo’s gaze softened “Did everything go okay today?”

“Hmmm! I think we’ll be good for the next week or so. Yumi-chan will take over production for a while.” she gave him a sweet smile “Are you okay?”

At that moment, some part of Ichigo’s defences crumbled. He remembered watching the babycam once Kazui settled, noting the way his son had got up that morning, adjusting his eyes before wailing for his mother. He had stood on his chubby legs, frantically searching for her in the darkness, before overstretching himself at the rails of the crib, toppling it over.

A poor accident.

Ichigo had altered the crib and the mattress several times ever since. The half written email apologizing  to Uryu still remained in his draft folder. Dinner was an uninspiring leftover from a few days earlier, which Ichigo had eaten while feeding an increasingly fussy baby.

The house felt different once Orihime had come home. She quickly washed and seemed to brighten each room as she entered. Toys were cleared. Missing papers and keys were found.

Before Ichigo knew it she had run him a bath and whisked Kazui away for his hundredth diaper change for the day.

It was half an hour later when Orihime sat with Ichigo and Kazui to watch a comedy. When Kazui began to fuss (half way between a wail and a yawn), she raised her blouse and began to nurse in what seemed like a fluid motion.

Ichigo blinked back in surprise “You’re so good at this.”

Orihime stared in confusion. “What?”

“Taking care of him,”

“Not really,” Orihime smiled as she looked down at her son “He just likes me because I come with free food.”

Ichigo frowned. “That’s not it.”

“Hmmm, looks like it.” Orihime giggled then let out a sigh “But Kazui is so confusing sometimes. Then I got used to it and figured out what to do.”

She turned to smile at him.

“And you’re doing such a good job too.” she was stroking soft circles on his chest“You finished doing all the washing  and you fixed the rocker today!”

Ichigo felt himself reddening “That’s hardly anything.”

“That’s more than a lot of people can do.” she said kissing him.

Ichigo wasn't so sure. Even much later as they snuggled and prepared for bed, the uncertainty lingered.

Orihime had changed Kazui to a duck themed pyjama set and had settled in bed for one final feed, now by the bottle.

"Do you ever stop eating?" Ichigo asked his son teasingly.

Orihime mocked offense.

"Kazui is a growing boy!"

"A greedy one more like," corrected Ichigo as he leaned over them "Aren't you Kazui?"

It took a moment before Kazui's gaze met his. Suddenly, Kazui detached himself from the bottle, seemingly more interested in playing with Ichigo's chin.

Ichigo's grin widened.

"You know its bedtime," he said fighting off baby fingers "What are you doing?"

Orihime felt her heart flutter once Ichigo lifted Kazui from her grasp. The baby spent the next several minutes babbling at his father while repeatedly trying to eat his nose.

"Aww, baby kisses!" Orihime said delightfully "He must be really happy."

Ichigo couldn't be sure. After that disastrous morning and crazed behaviour in Uryu's office he thought the chances for that were slim.

"Da!"

Ichigo stared back as his son looked at him happily, drool cascading down his chin.

He felt Orihime's head on his shoulder.

"This makes it all worth it," she whispered sleepily

Ichigo could barely contain the happiness in his voice.

"Yeah,"

He resisted the urge to blow raspberries on Kazui's tummy.

But figured the trip to the park later that week would more than make up for it.

___

"Kurosaki, the next time you apologise suffice to say a card is efficient. I don't know what I shall do with a delux diaper set." ___

END

[panzerkrieg]

Chapter 5: Dodger’s Disappointments

"Top of the morning to you, wankers!"

One hundred new recruits stood in formation early in the morning, lined up in their assigned positions just inside a wide open hangar. A drab-colored jeep drove up and parked in front of the girls in the front right corner of the formation, nearly running over their toes. They were all wearing the olive drab shirts and pants they'd been given to train in.

The person riding in the back of the jeep, held their megaphone to their mouth and leaned down into the face of the nearest girl, who happened to be Mako. "Wake up, fuckface! You're mine for the next six hours, and I don't drive hibernating molluscs! What kind of mollusc are you, mollusc? Answer me!"

Mako was barely awake enough to comprehend the words being thrown at her, but surprisingly managed a lucid response. "I'm sleepy little slug."

"A slug? Holy shit! I bet you smother yourself in vaseline and roll around in the dirt when no one is watching."

"Just the one time."

The megaphone was turned on the girl next to Mako, who had covered her ears to protect them from the noise. "Get your hands off your ears, asshole! What's your name, you degenerate cringing scum?"

Lowering her hands and looking like she was already going to cry, the girl cried out her answer. "Koume Akaboshi, ma'am!"

"Fuck you, Private! I can't pronounce Japanese names! You are now Private Pussy! Meow for me!"

Koume curled her hands in front of her, trying to imitate a cat's paws. "Nya…"

"Cats don't fucking go 'nya', Private Pussy! Private Slug! Put Private Pussy in a headlock until she's meowing properly!"

Still not fully awake, Mako simply did as she was told, wrapping her arm around Koume's neck and pulling her down. Koume struggled against her, but couldn't break free. The two of them stayed like that while the officer jumped out of the jeep and walked over to a position directly in front of the center of the formation.

Holding the megaphone up again, the officer introduced herself. "I am Sergeant Tory Dodger! Anyone who likens me to Sergeant Hartman, Sergeant Johnson, or Sergeant Frog will have their spinal cord ripped out their ass! Is that understood?"

Ninety-nine girls answered as a chorus. "Yes, ma'am!"

Koume choked in Mako's grasp. "Me- ow!"

"That's better! Private Slug, you can let Private Pussy go now!"

Mako let Koume up. "Yes, ma'am."

Sergeant Dodger was short, almost as short as Kadotani, and had a messy mop of blonde hair. She had big blue eyes that would be considered adorable, if it weren't for the fact that they stared death in every direction. She wore a mad grin on her face as she looked out over her new recruits. Dodger stepped forward and started walking between the ranks. No one dared move to watch her, for fear of what she would do if she spotted them.

In the third row back, just to the left of the middle, the Sergeant stopped in front of Maho. "I've seen you on the telly. You must be Maho Nishizumi."

Maho flinched. This was already turning out worse than she thought. "I'm Miho, ma'am."

"Isn't that funny. My papers say you're Miho Nishizumi, and you say you're Miho Nishizumi, but you look like Maho Nishizumi." She aimed her megaphone at Maho's face. "So which one are you? The nazi fascist or the clusterfuck younger sister? I bet you're the clusterfuck! What's with your hair, Private Nishizumi? You look like Justin Bieber! Why do you look like Justin Bieber?"

Maho had no clue who Justin Bieber was. "I… I don't know, ma'am." And apparently she was a fascist somehow.

The Sergeant didn't even answer, instead stomping several rows further back. "Private, are you purposefully trying to piss me off with those melons? How much milk do you drink every day?" She held the megaphone up. "Who the fuck do you think you are, coming into my camp with fucking cantaloupes under your shirt? What's your name, tit monster?"

"Yuzu Koyama, ma'am!"

"Private Koyama, are you aware that your breasts are big enough to ricochet an ICBM?"

"No, ma'am!"

"Bullshit! You're probably the reason Japan wasn't nuked a third time! I bet you're a full time resident of Bikini Atoll! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the radiation from all the testing is why they're so god damn gigantic! I can't think of an airplane that wouldn't fall out of the sky with those on board!"

The sound of someone laughing drew her away from Yuzu.

"What was that? What the fuck was that? Does someone think I'm funny? Who the fuck is laughing at me?"

Yukari was standing in the back row, watching and hearing everything going on. She saw the Sergeant storming over to a group of three girls four rows ahead of her. She shouted at them, demanding to know their names and promptly rejecting them, handing out new names like slaps to the face. Midoriko had been unfortunate enough to be right beside the girl who laughed, someone Yukari didn't know, and so received her own Sergeant-made name. Being in the very back of the formation turned out to be a blessing for Yukari. Sergeant Dodger seemed disinclined to pay much attention to the back row.

Then she found Katyusha. "What in the hell is that? Did someone let a polyp into my camp? How old are you? Seven? Five?"

The short girl, one of the few shorter than Sergeant Dodger herself, shouted back at her at full volume. "Katyusha is eighteen, ma'am!" Then she met Dodger's eyes. "How old are you, ma'am?"

This only served to infuriate the Sergeant, who proceeded to take it out on all of them. "You should be more concerned with how many pushups you're about to do. All of you, get down and give me two hundred pushups! You don't get up until I think you're done!" She backed away from Katyusha, the two never breaking eye contact, until she was out of the formation. The held up the megaphone again. "I said two hundred pushups! You do know what those are, right? Move it, you sorry excuses for maggots!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

Dodger watched them drop to the ground and try to follow her first order. "You know, most Drill Sergeants are tasked with turning boys into men. I was told I'd have to turn girls into living weapons, but this doesn't look to be the case. No, it appears to me as though I'm supposed to work with fecal matter. Not even human fecal matter. I'm stuck with somewhere close to a hundred pieces of literal dog shit! Such is my life, I suppose, so I'll make the most of it. I have war machines to build, but first I must break down the raw materials into their base elements so that I can remake them in the form I desire. This will be a long and hard process involving much heat, physical stress, pain and agony, and, my personal favorite, cruel violence!"

She stepped over one girl, placing her boot on the girl's back and pushing her down. The girl struggled against the weight, but slowly managed to continue. Dodger leaned into it, putting more weight on her, going silent as she watched the girl struggle more and more. She smiled when the girl finally collapsed, unable to continue.

"A valiant if ultimately futile attempt. What's your name, soldier?" The girl tried in vain to push herself back up. Dodger grabbed her and pushed her face into the dirt. "Stay right there where you belong, worm! Answer the damn question! What's your name?"

The girl spat out some dirt. "Erika… Itsumi… ma'am!"

"Private Itsumi, do you think you're better than everyone else here? Is this a movie to you? Are you a movie star?"

"No, ma'am!"

"Are you a piece of shit, maggot?"

"No, ma'am!"

"Are you a move star?"

"No, ma'am!"

"Do you know how to do pushups, Private Itsumi?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Then why did you stop? Get up and finish your set!" Her head snapped over to look at someone else with a seemingly unnatural speed. "Private Koyama, get your tits off the ground! I don't want to see one speck of dust moved underneath you!" She got up off of Erika, letting her continue, and walked to Yuzu's side. "I don't think you're actually doing anything, Private! I bet you're using your boobs to bounce off the ground! Use your arms, you imbecile! Get your knees off the ground! Pretend like you're giving a blowjob, you look like you've got a lot of practice with that! Suck it all the way in and kiss the ground! I don't want to see anything but your lips touch the ground!"

"I don't understand what you're saying ma'am!"

"Private Koyama, are you incapable of keeping your tits out of the dirt? Stand up, scumbag!" Yuzu, dazed and confused, scrambled to her feet. Dodger aimed the megaphone up at her face. "Take off your shirt and wrap it tightly around your ungodly breasts! Next time, don't show up without something to hold them in!"

She was off in an instant, after someone else, leaving Yuzu to figure out if she really meant it. She decided it was best to do as she was told before failing to follow the order brought the Sergeant's attention back to her. Meanwhile, Sergeant Dodger had found someone else to pick on.

"Who are you and why are your hands so close together?"

"Carpaccio, ma'am!"

"Carp- what? That's not Japanese!" She knelt down and stuck the megaphone in Carpaccio's face. "Oh, I see. You're one of those girls from the schools that hand out retarded nicknames to everyone. I don't care what your real name is, Private! From now on, you are fungus! You are fucking mold! Mildew! Slimy white growth in the corner of a dark room! When I see you again this evening, you had better have your hair cut! How the fuck did you get this far with it so long?"

"Yes, ma'am! I will, ma'am!"

Dodger stood up. "It has come to my attention that you little shits think you know a thing or two about war! Well I'm here to tell you that you don't know a battlefield from a bathroom! You've spent your high school years driving tanks, well guess what? When I was your age I was blasting tanks out of existence from ten thousand feet in the air! You are literally ants to be stepped on to me! I am not your god, as some in my position might say. I am not alpha or omega. I am an eldritch being that can snuff out your lives with less than a thought! Keep that in mind the next time you want to fuck with me! Try to be cute and I will ensure that you wind up simultaneously on both sides of an unbroken wall!"

Most of the girls had been keeping count of their progress. Many of them were exhausted, but didn't want to find out what would happen to them if they stopped. She could tell, of course, if they were keeping count of their progress or not. There were two girls in particular that she noticed were keeping count, but were clearly not aiming for the two hundred she'd called for.

Making her way through the formation, she smacked Nonna on the back of her head. "You're done! Give me one lap around the compound!" She continued, grabbing girls at random and sending them on their laps. None of them had even gotten close to the two hundred, but she could tell they'd be able to finish and didn't want them distracting her from the ones who couldn't cut it. "Private Polyp, you're done! Go! Private Itsumi, Private Nishizumi, you're done! Go!"

She started simply hauling them onto their feet and throwing them in the direction she wanted them to start running. Yukari wasn't even paying attention to where she was when the Sergeant grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up.

"Are you a killer, Private?"

Yukari wasn't sure how to answer that. Was she being asked if she could kill, or if she ever had? She felt pretty strongly that the answer was no either way. "No, ma'am…"

"What?! I didn't hear you! Speak up!"

"N-no, ma'am!"

"No? You're not a killer? Then what are you doing in the Army?"

"I was drafted, ma'am!"

"Drafted? Are you a conscientious objector?"

Yukari didn't know that either. She didn't even know what war she was being prepared for. "I don't know, ma'am!"

"You don't know? You don't fucking know? What are you, some kind of hero? I bet you think you're a hero!"

"No, ma'am!"

"Run your lap, you god damned weirdo!" She shoved Yukari away, kicking at her to get her moving. "Run like you're being chased by a tidal wave, you fucking oddball!"

Dodger threw more girls into their laps, removing most of them from the formation. There were only seven left when she marched back to Mako kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down. She grabbed her and threw her into the dirt. Mako scrambled back up, but Dodger shoved her down again, pushing her down with her foot.

"Slugs don't run, Private Slug! Do your lap, but I want you to crawl all the way around this compound! Crawl, Private Slug! Crawl!"

Mako responded with a barely audible "Ugh…" but started crawling as ordered.

The Sergeant looked over the six girls remaining. Four of them were the girls she thought were the least capable, but the two in the middle just intrigued her. She couldn't let them know this, of course. They were competing with each other, all the others forgotten, trying to see who could do more pushups faster. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a datapad. The device looked like it belonged in sci-fi, but she'd managed to get a few for the Drill Sergeants at the base. She tapped on the screen, bringing up the info on the two girls. Of course she could have done this for all of them, but she had to find something to yell at them for.

She put the datapad away after reading their files, then leaned down and shouted into her megaphone right between their heads. "Private Hoshino! Private Suzuki! Stand at fucking attention!" They jumped up immediately. "I wasn't counting, so tell me who won."

They glanced at each other briefly, then Suzuki pointed at Hoshino. "Pretty sure she did, ma'am."

"What? How could you let her win? Get down and give me another hundred pushups, loser! I'll start counting when I sit down!" She turned to Hoshino. "So you won, huh? Feel good, winning?"

"…maybe?"

"Maybe? Maybe?! Take some god damned pride in your victory! You fucking won! Do a victory lap! Run! Go! Twice around the compound! Move it!" She sure hoped they were starting to get the sense that there was no winning with her. Standing behind the remaining five, she cracked a crazed grin. Maybe it was the heat that had gotten to her, or maybe she had always been this way. Sergeant Tory Dodger cackled to herself. "I hope you like disappointment, ladies. You're going to be here a very long time."

Halfway around the compound, Nonna and Erwin were at the front of the group. They stopped for a brief moment to catch their breath. Erwin looked over at the gate that was the front entrance to the base. It had a sign beside it that proudly held the name 'Camp Disappointment'.

"Bozhe moi…"

Another girl stopped beside them, taking in the sign. "Yeah, we're in the Outback for sure! Woohoo!" She ran on.

Katyusha bolted past them. "Katyusha will not be defeated by some Koala Forest fink! Get back here!"

Nonna and Erwin looked behind them to see other girls closing the gap. They started running. No one wanted to be the last ones in while Sergeant Dodger was waiting.

[its-actually-withered]

Hazards, once a one-shot, now a mess.

Summary: Ichigo and Rukia; best friends, roommates, college students. Life gets easier after saving the world a few times, but it also gets harder. There were hazards to having your whole world altered by the presence of a single person, falling in love with them is pretty high on the list. It also doesn't help that she keeps wearing his clothes. [Inspired by Telephone by KurosakiLove]

Dedicated to @hashtagartistlife because you’re literally my source of ichiruki trash, and also the one that convinced me to get a tumblr and now I’m dead

"You're cheating on me, is that it?"

There were hazards to being best friends with a girl, and even more when it came to living with one.

Telling people they were just roommates didn't exactly pass muster when two minutes into their shared apartment, decorated seamlessly to incorporate both their styles with pictures that could be misconstrued as "couple-like" scattered around, Rukia would walk out of their room wearing his clothes.

He really had tried to convince people, though that they were roommates and had been since he was fifteen. But he just got condescending nods, and eventually, he learned to pretend that the fact that people thought they were dating (or at the very least, screwing) didn't bother him.

It certainly didn't bother the girls that still came up to ask him out, much to Rukia's amusement.

He grumbled, "You're such a bitch."

"Your creativity is lacking in the insult department, Strawberry-chan."

"The least you can do is be sympathetic," he sulked.

"Oh, woe is you, the tragic Kurosaki Ichigo being constantly approached by beautiful women! Where's the sad violin music that is the soundtrack to your life?"

Girls like Kuchiki Rukia had hazard signs all over them: Danger! Don't underestimate! Danger! Don't be deceived! Danger! Danger!

"Your acting's gotten worse, is that possible?"

"It depends," Rukia mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "did you really use me as an excuse to not go out with Inoue-san again? You do know she knows we aren't a thing, right?"

Girls like Inoue Orihime wore different hazard signs, ones he tried to adhere to always: Danger! Fragile! Danger! Made of glass! Danger! Not suitable!

Ichigo grumbled at the very reminder of her. He still couldn't believe she had followed him to study in the city, and though he knew he probably should have just told her straight out he wasn't interested in her romantically, he also still secretly harbored the hope that the buxom girl really did always dream of studying in Tokyo.

"I'm going to keep using it if it's all the same to you," he retorted.

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when you finally find a girl you're interested in, and she thinks we're a thing," she said, already smug despite the sheer impossibility of the notion. That she didn't bait the issue anyway was something he was only marginally surprised by.

The Kuchiki princess' near-permanent move to the World of the Living resulted in her needing to dedicate time to doing actual living human things which considering the age she was playing at, required her to get into university, and at her own admission in wanting to have an immersive 'young adult experience' get a part time job to tide her over. She had the time for it, after all.

Hollows weren't very bright, but going into the territory of the savior of the world (twice!) just wasn't something they were doing.

Ichigo, for his part, couldn't complain what with his medical degree well under way, and though Rukia had never had an inch of bloodlust in her that wasn't incited in the name of justice, she grew bored of feigning interest in class.

It was her own fault really, why she chose to major in historical studies was beyond him, and a job at the local coffee shop? What kind of act was she going for?

Even if the work was easy for her on both fronts, the load couldn't be ignored.

Just that morning she had accidently woken him up as she was getting up to leave – gracelessly climbing over his prone form to get out of bed. He had scowled at her, resisting the urge to pull her back beside him as she muttered, "My paper's due for ten." He had watched her, blurry eyed as she clumsily put on his discarded sweater from yesterday – the room being too cold for even her at the hour – and grumbled, "It can't wait for after three in the fucking morning?" She had yawned adorably wide, running her hand haphazardly through her dark hair as she did so. "Six o'clock shift at work."

In the bluish light from the television, he could make out the slightly darkened smudges beneath her eyes.

"You're staring."

He covered his embarrassment with a snort. "You're wearing my shirt again."

"It's comfortable," she informed, tugging at the hem in demonstration, showing off the skin of her décolleté as the shirt hung off one shoulder to expose her collarbone. His eyes flickered at the sight, though valiantly, not long enough for her to notice and smack him for it. "Besides, it's the least we can do if you're going to keep pretending we're dating."

"It's easier," he insisted, "plus, no one believes us being just friends anyway. We sleep in the same bed, damn it!"

"Only because you wouldn't let me sleep in the closet," she reminded, still displeased at being evicted. "It's bigger than the one at home!"

"You're not sleeping in the closet, I already told you. When school lightens up a bit, I'll get on to getting that other bed for you, okay?" Rukia rolled her eyes. He'd been promising that since they started university, and he knew it.

There was a certain intimacy he had become accustomed to since Rukia had come barreling into his life.

Random attacks in the morning or after school, his dad had him covered. But there was no preparing for the short shit shinigami that would change everything.

She used kido, for god's sake, and he was still shit at it.

And when it came to the odd Hollow attack, she'd face plant him with that trusty glove of hers as she sat on his chest, or set Chappy on him; and Ichigo still couldn't decide which was worse (it would probably be Chappy if Rukia hadn't taken such a liking to summer dresses).

Not that he would ever admit it aloud to her, but ever since his powers were taken away from him, he realized how he actually hated to be alone, though not in the I-need-to-be-around-people way, but in the I-keep-looking-for-her in shadows way.

After his powers came back (along with her) he was more relieved than anything when she turned down the bed in Yuzu and Karin's room. The sneaking around, he could deal with, and if he offered his closet every time they got back from Hollow hunts despite them not having dinner with the family yet, neither remarked on it.

The arrangement couldn't continue when they moved to Tokyo.

If Byakuya found out she was still living in his closet, Ichigo knew he'd be fearing cherry blossoms for the rest of his life.

Shifting her legs across his lap, he caught sight of the boxers she was wearing. "Are those mine?"

"Probably," she replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

He sighed.

Whether she was hanging out in his clothes, stealing food off his plate, stretching out across his lap, messing his hair as she walked passed him while he studied, hip checking him as they washed dishes or brushed their teeth; Rukia gave zero shits about personal space and boundaries.

At one point, he had sarcastically offered his toothbrush to her on the first night in Tokyo, and she just looked at him like he had cooties.

It figured that the only thing she wasn't willing to do was swap spit.

He inwardly scoffed at the thought.

Even he had to admit it was kind of gross to share a toothbrush, but it was a mindboggling normal thing compared to the lines they had crossed with one another.

The first time they met, she did put a sword through him.

"You're never going to let that go," she declared, rolling her eyes, all too used to his thoughts occasionally being verbalized when he was thinking too hard.

"Our swords are extensions of our souls; mine could've seriously fucked yours up."

Rukia raised a brow at him, giving him that 'you can't seriously be this dumb' look that he's both infatuated and infuriated by, and the hazard signs flashed in his mind's eye: Danger! Feelings ahead! Danger! Possible heart-to-heart expected! Danger! She's going to say words that are going to make you feel dumb!

"You tried to offer yourself to the Hollow to protect your sisters, you idiot. Delinquent or not, you have a good heart, a good soul, and that's all that matters; even if you are as dumb as a pile of rocks."

He rolled his eyes.

"And for a prude," she added a second later, "you're taking the fact that our souls basically had sex quite well."

He choked, and almost sagely, she remarked, "Oh, I spoke too soon."

"The hell is wrong with you?" he spluttered.

"What?" she asked innocently. "My soul technically did penetrate yours, you know. Or didn't you get this talk? What are you – twenty, or twelve? Come on Messer Med Student, cat got your tongue?"

"You're insane."

"By some definitions," she allowed with a smirk. "What's brought this up again?"

"What? The whole sword through the chest thing?"

"Un, that. Reminiscing?"

Shrugging, he stretched his arm across the back of the couch, and vaguely recalled, "Just thinking about your total disregard of normal human boundaries."

On cue, she kicked him in the rib. "How dare you? A Kuchiki always respects boundaries."

"Then please explain, with citation, on what planet your brother would be okay with you wearing my clothes and sleeping in my bed?"

Rukia scowled. "Get in line, I have enough papers due."

"Face it, you have no defense," he pointed out with a snicker.

"Of course, I do. Don't be stupid, you think I'm this relaxed with everyone I meet?" He'd actually hate himself if the answer was yes, and the thought of her this comfortable with everyone made him momentarily forget the blinking hazard signs. She rolled her eyes at his silence; rewarding his lack of response with a lack of her own.

He hated it when she did that. "You aren't comfortable around many people."

"Hence why it's a luxury, idiot."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Fine. Citation?"

She made a sound of annoyance at the back of her throat before she vaulted up so fast Ichigo almost fucking squeaked when she was suddenly nose to nose with him; her thighs bracketing his as she straddled his lap. "Citation? You really want to go there?"

Danger! Danger! This is not the friendzone!

Even he could feel the bounce in his Adam's apple as he swallowed. "What do you mean?"

Huffing, she muttered under her breath, "You're so fucking dense."

There were hazards to having your whole world altered by the presence of a single person, falling in love with them is pretty high on the list.

Chap2  Chap3

[seasaltmemories]

top 5 things you'd change in arc-v

Ok so to make this simple I’ll refrain from talking about current/unfinished plot lines like Zarc and Ray, also understand that is is largely based off my individual preference, some of these criticism is more what would make it the perfect story for me personally, might apply to the Yugioh franchise as a whole, and only work in an ideal setting where we have an unlimited amount of episodes, no scheduling problems with VA’s, and no requirement to actually sell cards

1.  Make Yuri able to express a wider range of emotions

A character like Yuri is not inherently bad, I had just as much fun with with faces and over-dramatic nature at first, but especially in season 3, the routine just got stale

He was just always smug, always untouchable, always teasing and making wild expression, it stopped being novel, and so much screen time was just him doing the same thing over and over again

Now for me the most obvious way to change things would either be to go with the memory-erasing headcanon or the tragic monster route

I was never a big fan of the memory-erasing headcanon tbh, but that could give him a conflict of his own, and he could still stay a little shit, but angry that he was tampered with

I would prefer a tragic monster route, because again he could stay just as smug and evil, but if it was portrayed in a,��“he is awful but dear god they made him this way” light it would be much more emotionally satisfying, some already view him in this light, but I don’t think his backstory was tragic enough for it to work, while he was alone and groomed to become numb to carding, a lot of characters have some aspect of loneliness or being alone in some fashion (I could argue it is a central theme of sorts) none of the Academia kids had even a semblance of friendship/family, so Yuri doesn’t stand out enough

If it was brought up in the present it would work much better, not through subtext of why he became so obsessed with fusing with the others, like actual emotional distress, show him angry or pissed, or frustrated, just more than all smug

I think tbh Yuri just reminds me a lot of Nui from Kill la Kill, she was introduced as this crazy evil gal who was super OP, and always smiling, and after like ten episodes of this, she was starting to get on ppl’s nerves, then though she got humiliated, her arms cut off, and she finally lost her temper, and ppl began to like her much more after that bc you can only do one thing for so long before it gets annoying

So TLDR: Give Yuri a breakdown or a reason to at least care about something

2. Replace the XYZ arc with a back to Standard Arc

Regardless on your feelings on the XYZ characters, it’s hard to find much meaning for them to go to Heartland, while there was conflict with Academia, it’s hardly exclusive to XYZ, basically we found a destroyed city, which we knew what it was like due to flashbacks

That’s why I think it would have been more effective for me if instead we had spent a few episodes back in Standard

There was a possible plot-line with Himika having her own agenda, or going over the top with her militarizing, or if the writers weren’t going there we could have dove deeper in the Akaba family drama so that Ray’s relation could hit even harder, at the very least we could get some planning of their attack on Academia and maybe include some back-up forces to make it feel grander and epic

And even if those weren’t pursued, we’d get to see some fan favorites for a while and catch our breath before the final arc, because while it has been a long time for us, this has all been so fast for the characters, and I think it would have been nice for them to get a chance to breathe and sort out just what has happened and their emotions on the subject

It wouldn’t even have to be as long as the XYZ arc was, just a few episodes to readjust ourselves

3.  Give the XYZ Characters better characterization/utilize flashbacks more

The XYZ characters didn’t have the worst, but for as early in the series Yuto was introduced, I still don’t feel like I completely know him (mainly due to the bit of retconning with the smiles speech) partly because he never got to have importance to the plot, Shun had the best overall, but his anger always got tiring a bit, and as I talked about earlier, Ruri had nothing about her as an individual that was interesting

I think the most important thing in general would be for less flashbacks to focus on the destruction of Heartland, and more of them to show what they were like before the invasion, we got a few of those later on, but I feel if we got more then it would have helped ground them as real people

With Shun I have similar criticism as Yuri, let him show a wider range of emotions, we got the anger at it all, which is totally fine bc that’s what some ppl focus on, but we never really got to feel how much he missed Ruri, it was his motivation for the majority of Season 1, and then we rarely hear about it any more

I don’t like comparing the Synchro and XYZ characters bc the former have their flaws (though I have to admit I am more biased to their character types), but jeez it’s amazing how much better they could do with one group than with the other, with Yugo we never forgot how much he missed Rin, a lot of it was used for comic relief, but we also got to feel the real desperation, the flashbacks did so much for them by showing their relationship beforehand effectively so that we were invested in the relationship when they reunited, and when episode 117 hit, it hit hard, the XYZ characters had much more time to build up things (besides the ‘pattern’ there was no need for Ruri’s first line to be in 104 when the series was 2/3 of the way over) I know a bit of this comes down to preference since in general I tend to like stoic characters that remain stoic less, but I feel like with a more organized arc, the XYZ characters could be so much better

4. Either take out the entire mind-control plot with the bracelet girls, or expand it further

I know the main reason for the mind-control plot was to get Rin and Ruri to duel, and for that I am extremely grateful since I had worries about them not dueling at all, episode 117 was one of my favorite episode of season 3, but at the end of the day, the overall impact on it was nothing, and it feels like our time was wasted, especially considering Yuzu did nothing while under it, having repetitive duels trying to fix it could get old, but if they did it right, then we’d get a lot of great emotional moments, if they wouldn’t put effort into it, though we could always have Obelisk Forces or just Academia students in general come after them, and then we get tag duels with their real personalities yay!!!!

5. Give the Counterparts less screen-time alone together

This is going to sound crazy but hear me out:

In my opinion the counterparts with the good characterization are Yuya, Yuzu, Yugo, Serena in that order, Yuto and Rin have decent characterization while Yuri and Ruri are just a bit of a mess due to hype and lazy writing

While they are an important part of the show, the focus was never on their relationships to each other, I believe that’s what drew a lot of people in, but the show was designed in a way, interaction was difficult for them

And personally I was totally fine with this, I don’t blame ppl for being disappointed that the anime didn’t focus on their interactions (for them what I’ve seen of the manga, that might fill your itch so possibly check that out) but the fact of the matter is more of emotion and development was in the Standard/Lancer cast, and when they started leaving them out slowly, it really began to show

The BB duel was kinda pointless, but man the Yuya and Gongenzaka relationship was strong,  Reiji and Yuya tag dueling and building each other up added ten years to my life span, but around after 131 it became the counterpart show with a bit of legacy characters and Yusho thrown in, and because of that the emotional moments suffered a lot, Yusho’s death was really good (especially considering the brief amount of time he got to interact on screen with Yuya) but you can tell the plot was being designed around forcing interaction with the counterparts after keeping them separated for so long, and it was frustrating all these great characters we know and love got to do nothing

I admit, it would be hard to force Zarc to happen and it would take a lot of changing to fit it in if you didn’t put the rest of the cast out of commission one by one, but the counterparts alone did not have enough strength as a group to carry the emotional weight, and I think it really showed

That’s not to say individual relationship failed, I loved the bond Yugo formed with Yuzu and Serena for example, Yuya and Yuto had a sweet partnership going, I would kill to make sure Yuya and Yuzu and Rin and Yugo get home together safely, and Yugo and Yuri had a decent rivalry of sorts

But as groups of four they had nothing, and to put the sole focus on them alone really hurt 

[hashtagartistlife]

Clocking in at 6000+ words, this is about double the size of the other chapters. What can I say, I love writing Ichigo’s pov. Once again, thanks to my partner in crime @mizulily for the beta and the wonderful heartbreaking ending sequence suggestions. 

Title: Cyclical

Summary: In a peculiar twist of fate, Rukia dies, but Ichigo endures. A century later, she’s the reincarnated headstrong human teenager and he’s the long-suffering shinigami who sort-of-accidentally may have transferred his powers to her. Some things are different. Some things are the same. And some things, it seems, will never ever change. Chapter 5: Ichigo and Good Luck are kind of not on speaking terms. Ichigo and Good Luck are kind of maybe embroiled in a bitter feud that spans decades. Ok, Ichigo hasn’t talked to Good Luck in about a hundred years. Why should things change now, amirite? 

Ratings: M

Warnings: none

Archive: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Current Post

Read on ao3 | ffnet

Chapter 5: Compliance

  She's not her.

She's not her.

She's not her—

— isn't she?

  Missed calls (10 total): Shiba Yuzu (2), Kurosaki Karin (1), Abarai Renji (1), Arisawa Tatsuki (6)

Ichigo winces at the display blinking up at him and unlocks his phone with a resigned swipe. He’s perched on a treetop, out of sight of normal and spiritually gifted mortals alike; unless human beings have evolved in the past hundred years to have night vision, he’s pretty damn sure nobody will be interrupting him any time soon. He's less sure about the prospect of discovery by a member of the afterlife, but he figures that if nobody has come for his ass by now, a couple more hours either way isn't going to make a difference.

He stares at the phone in his hands, contemplating who to call first. None of the options are entirely appealing. Still, there was nothing to be gained by hiding out in a tree and just looking at his phone all night.

He groans and hits dial on the first number in his missed calls list. Yuzu isn't exactly what he would call the best option out of the bunch, but he'd rather her than, say, his Vice Captain. He’ll get to her later. Much later.

“Shiba Residence, Ai speaking. How may I help?”

Ichigo stifles a curse at the unfamiliar voice coming down the line. Shit. He'd forgotten about this. Yuzu wasn’t just his baby sister that he could call up at his whim anymore. Hurriedly, he drops his voice two tones and adopts a foreign accent before speaking.

“Uh, yes, uh, is Lady Shiba available to speak—?”

There's a gasp on the other end of the line. “Kuro— Kurosaki-dono? Is that you? Lady Shiba has been trying to get in touch with you all day—”

“Who— who is this Kurosaki you are speaking of, I am not him—”

“Hold on one moment, Kurosaki-dono, I'll put Lady Shiba on the line right away— LADY SHIBA! IT'S KUROSAKI-DONO ON THE LINE FOR YOU! LADY SHIBA—”

Ichigo takes the phone away from his ear and swears. This was exactly what he'd been trying to avoid.

“LADY SHIBA—”

“Ai, did you just say Kurosaki? Gimme that for a sec— hey, firework brain, you are so screwed—”

“Kurosaki? Why’s that little shit calling at this hour of the night—”

“Ganju-niichan, Kuukaku-neesan, be nice! Onii-chan? Onii-chan, is that you?”

“Yuzu.” Ichigo latches onto his sister's voice with all the fervency of a starved man at Hikifune’s table. “Please, for the love of god, for the love of me, please get yourself a private phone. Blackmail Urahara. Take it out of the Eighth’s budget. I don't care. Just, please let me contact you normally without the whole household knowing.”

The esteemed Lady and Second Head of the newly resurrected Shiba Clan frowns at the phone. “Onii-chan, that's not the important thing here—”

“It's important to me!”

“Onii-chan,” Yuzu says severely, “What have you done?”

“N-Nothing!” he protests. She doesn't buy it.

“Then why did Tatsuki-nee call me three times today demanding to know where you were?”

“... ok, so something might’ve happened,” he admits. Yuzu sighs. “Look, Tatsuki didn't tell you anything about what's going on? You don't know what's happening?”

“Only that you're supposed to be in Australia now, and that clearly something has gone wrong,” she says tiredly. “Look, onii-chan, I'm glad to hear you're alright, but you better call Tatsuki-nee. She was going out of her mind.”

Ichigo starts mentally making plans for his funeral. “Alright, alright. I'll call her right after this so, uh, don't you go calling her to tell her I called, ok? I'll do it myself!”

“I got it, onii-chan. Say, you're not in trouble, are you? You're safe, right?”

He chooses not to answer that. “Thanks, Yuzu. I'll talk to you later. Bye!” he says, and hangs up. He leans back against the trunk of the tree and rubs the back of his neck, before dialing the next number.

“You,” Karin says when she picks up, “are in so much shit.”

“Tell me something I didn’t know,” Ichigo retorts. “So, uh, what’s happening over there?”

“That’s my question, moron, you’re the one who’s been mia for 12 hours—”

“Don’t call your older brother a moron,” he snaps. He hears derisive laughter on the other side.

“We’ve been through this before. You are still physically only nineteen, while I lived a full human life and came to the Seireitei aged 76, thank you very much. And even now, my physical age is 23. What part of that screams ‘you’re older than me’?”

“The part where I was born before you! And I don’t have time for this. What’s been happening? What have you heard?”

Karin snickers. “Nuh-uh. You’re not getting out of calling Tatsuki-nee. I’m not telling you anything.”

“You are a terrible excuse for a sister, I hope Byakuya drowns you in paperwork—”

“Bye, younger brother!” she sing-songs, and hangs up. Ichigo treats the hang-up tone to a hearty round of cursing before trying the next number. He has to call twice before Renji picks up.

“Ichigo, where have you been—”

“Cleaved in half, trying not to die, thanks,Renji, how's things over there—”

“Trying not to—?! Ichigo, what the fuck? What the hell’s going on in Australia?!”

For the first time since he started dialling numbers, Ichigo hesitates; the words stick in his throat, and he takes care to search for the right ones. In his quest to think of anything but the girl he has spent the better part of the last 12 hours with, he’d inadvertently called the one person he should have avoided the most if he’d wanted respite from the topic of Lucia/Rukia. The fact that the girl they’d found together on their last trip to Australia had been named Lucia is not lost on him.

That’s her, Renji had said, I’d know her anywhere.

There was a time when Ichigo thought the same. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

But Renji’s full of shit, he reminds himself angrily. Surely there is more than one Lucia in the entirety of Australia, and so what if this Lucia was the same one they'd found twelve years ago? Neither of them are Rukia. Is a person still that person when they've lost all traces of their memories, all traces of what made them them? Can this girl, even if she is truly Rukia reincarnated, be called Rukia if she hadn't grown up in the Rukongai, hadn't known Renji and their gang of friends, hadn't met Kaien and Byakuya and known the cold snap of Shirayuki in the back of her mind? What makes a person who they are? What makes Rukia her?

“Hey, asshole!” Renji snaps, and Ichigo shoves his philosophical dilemmas away for another time. “You call me up in the middle of the night after disappearing for 12 hours, ask me what the hell is going on, tell me you've been trying not to die and now you're not gonna answer any of my questions—”

“Sorry, sorry! It's been a long day. I ran into some trouble with Australian border security and a hollow, and I've lost contact with the Australian shinigami. I just need a way to get back in contact with them.”

Renji snorts. “That sounds suspiciously tame compared to the amount of angry calls Ise-Soutaichou has been getting.”

“Look, throw me a bone, would you?” Ichigo says, irritated.  “I’ll… go be diplomatic or something with the Australian shinigami, I don't know. Point is, I can’t fix whatever mess it is I left behind if I can’t actually get in contact with them.”

Renji considers this. “You can't find one on patrol or something?”

“Not a damn soul. Plenty of plus that need konso, but shinigami are pretty thin on the ground.”

There's a long low whistle, full of static. “Man. I knew we were lending you out because Australia had a shortage of viable shinigami, but it's that bad?”

“I don't know, Renji, maybe I can find out if you'd actually give me some useful information!”

Renji chuckles in an infuriating way. “Alright, alright. I'll go tell Ise-Soutaichou you've checked in. Stay tight and someone’ll probably call back with instructions.”

“Thanks. Sooner rather than later would be appreciated because I kind of got injured and tried healing it myself.”

Ichigo grits his teeth against the roar of laughter. “You tried kaido on yourself? Ichigo, you know that shit knocks you out cold—”

“I don't want to hear that from someone who can't even heal a papercut!” he responds hotly. So what if he tended to pass out after performing any sort of healing kido? It was better than dying from your injuries. Which was what was gonna happen to Renji if he ever got injured on the battlefield.

Then something occurs to him, and he forces himself to adopt a nonchalant tone to broach the subject. “Oh, by the way, is there any way to get your powers back from someone if you've accidentally given a bit of them to someone else?”

The hearty laughing on the line cuts off abruptly.

“... why do you ask?” Renji says, suddenly serious. Ichigo licks his lips.

“.... No reason. Just— just curious.”

“Ichigo, what have you done—”

“Absolutely nothing. Look, never mind, it was just idle curiosity—”

“Like bullshit it is,” Renji snorts. “Fine, then, if you don't want to tell me. Your fucking skin on the line. As far as I know, short of killing them or shattering their hakusui and saketsu, there's no way to get your powers back.”

Ichigo was afraid of that. “Got it. Hey, while you're at it, do you mind telling Tatsuki that I called and—”

“Oh, no. You're not worming out of that one. I don't want to get into a fight with your fukutaichou on a good day but on days like this? The entire Shiba clan couldn't pay me enough to go near her. You're on your own.”

“What kind of a friend are you?!” Ichigo yells, and Renji just sniggers.

“A smart one. Later,” he says, and hangs up. Ichigo only just represses the urge to throw his phone at the ground. Instead, he takes a deep breath and dials a number not on his missed calls list.

It's not like I'm procrastinating calling Tatsuki, he tells himself, I actually need to make this call.

But in true Urahara fashion, the only thing that greets him after three unsuccessful calls are three annoying ‘leave a message!’ responses, a different one each time. Groaning, Ichigo shoves his phone back into his pocket and contemplates the situation at hand.

Lucia. The girl with her face who may or may not have been Rukia, the girl who saw ghosts.

… The girl he may have accidentally just doomed to death by reaper, if he was any precedent. Is creating a substitute shinigami a class-A crime in Australia, too? Ichigo feels like screaming. Instead, he casts his mind back to his own abrupt transformation; what had happened then? He'd been given powers, he'd wasted that Hollow that had messed with his family, and then he'd fallen unconscious and proceeded to think everything was a bad dream until Rukia'd shown up in his class—

Ah. In short, he would have gone on his merry way thinking everything was a dream if Rukia hadn’t shown up. He could work with this. He'd already erased Lucia’s memories; even if the wiper hadn't worked for some reason, it wouldn't matter. Experienced shinigami could shed their gigai without a gikongan, but without him to push her soul out of her body, there was nothing Lucia’d be able to do on her own. He could simply leave things be, and she'd never be able to become shinigami again. What the Australian reapers didn't know wouldn't hurt them, either.  Ichigo could essentially ignore the entire incident, and nothing would happen.

He tries not to analyse why this conclusion bothers him more than it should, and files the whole situation away into a mental drawer marked ‘resolved’ just as his phone starts ringing. He checks the caller ID, and swallows hard.

It’s his Vice Captain. Ichigo briefly contemplates applying for asylum in Australia, before remembering the amount of border security involved. Groaning, he picks up the phone.

“Hi, Tatsuki, look, I can explain…”

  Three hours, one verbal chew-out, and several healers later, and Ichigo feels almost back to normal. Tatsuki’s tirade had been interrupted thirty minutes in by a much more reasonable member of the Australian version of Gotei-13, and Ichigo finds, to his great relief, that they've apparently reviewed the security tapes and have cleared him for any criminal charges leveled against him. Of course, they're charging Commander Ise for damages (he'd winced at that), and they were putting him on probational duty for the next month, but all things considered, Ichigo reckons he's been let off incredibly easy.

Which, of course, immediately makes him suspicious. He and good luck are most definitely not on speaking terms about 95% of the time.

“Well, I say probational,” the woman— she'd introduced herself as Mononeeta— sighs in a tone of voice that Ichigo is all too familiar with. Overwork. “The truth is, even with a halved radius of work, you'll be in charge of an incredibly large area of land. As I'm sure you must have noticed already, we're not exactly the most well-manned reaper taskforce in the world. And you're, well, frankly speaking, we did ask for someone with as much spiritual pressure as possible, but you are beyond even our wildest estimations. We're discussing giving you a much larger radius than we'd planned for when your probation is lifted.”

“Not a problem,” he replies, poking at his now much more expertly applied bandages. “I could use the space and distraction, to be honest. I'll be glad to help any way I can.”

Please, please, please keep me busy. Busy enough that I don't have time to think about the substitute shinigami I created today.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Mononeeta visibly relaxes. “You'll get a day off to recover from your injuries and to orient yourself with our system— oh, please don't look at me like that, Benjamin was a special case, I promise we're more competent in other areas— and after that you'll be straight on duty. It shouldn't be very different from what you did in Japan. Eliminate hollows, perform purification for plus.”

“So Benjamin was his name—?” Ichigo mutters, remembering the reaper that had tried to detain him at border security. “He alright—?”

“More than alright.” Mononeeta snorts. “He tried to make a case for battery at the meeting, but we all saw the tapes. Well, OK, so it was technically an ‘unprovoked attack’, but we figure in light of the fact that he'd be dead had he gone, he should be thanking you instead.”

Here, she hesitates a little. “In fact, it seems you came very close to dying yourself. I know the alert was for a level two, Menos Grande, but if it gave you this much trouble….?”

“Oh— oh! No, this was— uh, the hollow was fine, I was just— a little distracted—”

Mononeeta looks skeptical. Ichigo improvises wildly.

“The— the sun on the beach, you see— glare—”

“Well, it's true the sun in Australia is particularly strong.” She seems unconvinced, but has evidently decided to move on; Ichigo swallows a sigh of relief. “Anyway, please focus on recuperating, Mr. Kurosaki. We'd like to have you on duty a.s.a.p.”

“Duly noted.”

Mononeeta nods and moves away; at the last second, Ichigo calls after her:

“Uh, hey? Sorry— what was your name—”

“Mononeeta.”

“Mononeeta. Right. Idle curiosity, but, uh, if you're so understaffed, have you considered any other options of recruiting? Say, like, creating substitute shinigami?”

The moment the question leaves his lips, Ichigo knows he misspoke. Mononeeta’s tired eyes become fierce, and she storms right back up to him to grip his shoulder with a tense hand.

“Substitute reapers—? Do you know something about how to create them—?”

“Not— not at all— I was just wondering—”

“Are you absolutely sure? You haven't heard anything to do with substitute reapers—”

“No!”

“— if you know anything about substitute reapers,  if you hear anything at all, you must tell us about it, Mr. Kurosaki. It's of the utmost importance—”

“I— I was only just asking—”

As quickly as she had fired up, Mononeeta deflates.

“Of course. My apologies. But it really is important for us, you understand. Matter of national security. So please be sure to tell us if anything of the sort happens.”

“Of— of course.”

Ichigo forces himself to smile, and after a short moment, Mononeeta is placated. She leaves him with a nod and a wave. Ichigo waves back till he’s sure her reiatsu has faded away a safe distance, before he drops his hand like a stone.

It's a matter of national security—

Fuck.

 After the fiasco with Mononeeta, Ichigo had been very careful not to even think about the newly minted substitute soul reaper walking around in the Australian suburbs somewhere. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done when he'd had nothing to occupy his mind for the entire day but settling into his new quarters and familiarising himself with a map of his assigned area. On multiple occasions, he'd caught himself wondering what Rukia— Lucia, goddammit, her name was Lucia— was doing at that moment in time. Probably attending school, judging by how old she'd looked; but then again, she was so tiny that even when she'd been a 150-year-old death goddess she'd often passed for younger than him—

Aaaaand there he was, doing that again. Rukia wasn’t Lucia. He had to stop thinking like this. It would only end badly.

Well, that had been yesterday; today, he'd finally been given something to do. Namely, patrols. He'd thrown himself into his duties with enthusiasm, rising at the crack of dawn to tackle the day, but as the hours went by he'd become increasingly bored. It wasn't just shinigami that were thin on the ground in Australia; it simply wasn't a rich land spiritually. That meant no Hollows, and not nearly enough ghosts to keep him busy, even with the ridiculous amount of land he needed to cover. In Japan, the air was thick with reishi wherever he went, but here, he could finally understand why Vice-Captain and above were required to dial down their power output to 20% while in the gensei. That amount of concentrated reishi in such a spiritually barren land would be a goddamn beacon for hollows.

Ishida would hate Australia, he thinks vaguely, just before his soul pager goes off with a vengeance.

He hardly needs the warning. The murky black reiatsu of the Hollow is a signal flare, and even with his patchy reiatsu tracking he can feel it from across the city. Excited, Ichigo unshoulders Zangetsu and slips into shunpo.

It only takes him a few seconds to reach the source of the commotion; a school, of all things. That was bad, but not catastrophic; he was fairly certain he’d be able to lead the Hollow away. He unleashes his reiatsu, trying to tempt the hollow away from the kids, but it's surprisingly resistant. The Hollow spares him a glance before refocusing its attention on the schoolchildren, and Ichigo curses.

“C’mon, you stupid hollow, come get me, there's nothing for you there—”

Wrong. As if the world itself is hell-bent on contradicting him, a student darts out from the throng, arms waving as she ushers the other kids behind her. Ichigo’s heart misses a beat when he recognises her panicked voice.

“Come on, move! Do you want to die? Is that it?”

“Why the fuck is she here?” he snarls, jumping into action. He swings Zangetsu at the Hollow’s head but it ducks out of the way, and now there's nothing blocking the girl from having a clear line of sight to him.

“You—!”

“Busy!” he yells, cleaving Zangetsu in a vicious arc; the Hollow attempts to block it with an elongated nail, but loses the entire hand in the process. It howls in pain and the rest of the students finally seem to get the memo. They still couldn't see what was going on, but Hollow cries triggered flight responses in about 99% of the human population. The crowd starts scattering, and Ichigo gears up; he needed to finish this quickly, for everyone’s safety.

“Get out of my way!” he roars, and Lucia takes the hint; she performs a neat dive-and-roll out of his path, and Ichigo refines his aim.

“Getsuga—”

Behind him, he doesn't see Lucia snap her head up, her eyes widening with something like recognition.

“— Tenshou.”

Black and red light up the sky.

  Overkill? Maybe. But hell if he hadn't needed that; Ichigo feels the reiatsu pumping through his veins and something seems to lift off his chest. He hasn't been able to just destroy things in a while, and picking through crowds and buildings while fighting got old very quickly. Maybe Kenpachi was onto something, and it was therapeutic to duke it out with someone to the death every so often.

His next thought is that he needs to see a shrink, a.s.a.p.

Before he can make a getaway and book that appointment, though, someone grabs him by the collar of his shihakushou; he tips his head back and closes his eyes in defeat. He already knows who it is.

“You—” There’s zero confusion or hesitation in Lucia Greenwood’s demeanor, which would mean that the memory eraser didn't take. Ichigo’s not even surprised. With his luck, he should just assume nothing works for him the way it’s supposed to, ever. “Are you— are you okay? Have you been healed? You didn't get hurt just then, did you?”

“No,” he replies, long-suffering.

“Good,” she says, and then she stomps on his foot.

“Ow— woman, what the fuck—?!”

“Memory erasers,” she parrots, sickeningly sweet, “are fifty different kinds of illegal in the human world. Oh, and you know what else is illegal? Attacking someone in their own house and leaving them passed out, you jerkwad!”

“When human laws cover fighting protocols with giant hell monsters, I'll consider abiding by them.”

“Ghosts don't have a concept of decency, then? Is this any way to treat someone who stopped you from bleeding out on the street?”

“As I seem to recall it, the reason I was bleeding out on the street was because I was trying to save your ungrateful ass from being skewered first.”

Ah. He had her there. She removes her hands from his shihakushou slowly.

“And I thanked you for that,” she says, but she's clearly still feeling guilty. Ichigo doesn't like that expression on her face. It reminds him of an expression that Rukia had worn far too often for his liking.

“Yeah, well, no big deal. I've already forgotten it. We done here?”

“Not a chance.” It seems like her guilt over the first hollow only stretches so far. Her eyes narrow and she grabs onto the sleeve of his uniform again, as if she's worried he's going to bolt given half the chance. (She's not wrong.) “But let’s— let's go somewhere else to discuss this.”

She gestures vaguely behind her, and sure enough, Ichigo sees some of her peers giving her odd looks. The thought hadn't even occurred to him, how bizarre Lucia might look talking to thin air, even though it had been a regular concern for him once, too.

(It had been far too long since he'd been human.)

He considers just ditching her and running, but if memory erasers weren't going to cut it, he had to fix this situation somehow. He sighs and nods, gesturing for her to lead the way. She grabs his wrist and drags him behind her to a destination only she knows.

He doesn't let himself think the nostalgic thought that it was almost like the old times.

  She takes him to a park. For some reason, this throws him. He'd been expecting a building rooftop of some sort. The play equipment is abandoned at this hour, and she climbs to the highest platform, the one where the slide starts. She sits, cross-legged, and he squats on the platform just below the one she’s on, feeling intensely out of place amidst the bright plastic.

“Tiff doesn’t remember anything, by the way,” she says frostily. Ichigo sighs. So at least one thing had gone the way it was supposed to.

“Good. Neither should you, by the way,” he retorts, and the dirty look she throws him is Kuchiki-worthy.

“Too bad. So now that you can't get rid of me, are you going to explain things properly? What happens to me now? Am I dead? Am I not dead? Do I get to join your little hell monster fighting club?”

“No, yes, no. Look, nothing happens to you now. The powers were a temporary thing. You don’t…. You don’t have them anymore. You just go on with your life like you used to.” A lie, but she didn’t need to know that.

Lucia raises an eyebrow. “I don’t have the powers anymore?”

“Nope. They’re gone, kiddo. No more monster fighting for you.”

“Huh.” She uncrosses her legs and scoots over. She’s right up in his face and Ichigo would back away if he wasn’t instinctively aware that that would be a sign of weakness that she’d exploit to hell and back. “Then why can I still do this?”

She snaps her fingers, and a tiny, glowing ball of reiatsu manifests between them, before exploding in a shower of sparks.

Ichigo opens his mouth, thinks of nothing to say, and shuts it.

“So, I have a proposition,” Lucia says, looking inordinately smug. “Let me help you.”

“No,” he snaps on autopilot. This was bad— this was very bad. How the hell was he going to shut her up now? No, no, even before that— how the hell had she managed to work out, in the span of a day, to manipulate the new reiatsu inside her to that degree of precision? That was the beginnings of kido that he’d just seen; enough to earn her instant admission into Shin’ou Academy. It wasn’t something a human girl with zero previous interactions with shinigami could do.

Rukia’s always been good at kido— he remembers, before squashing the thought down. This was not the time.

“No?”

“No,” he repeats, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. He tries to make his expression as menacing as possible. There was nothing for it— he’d just have to scare her into keeping quiet. “Do you know what the protocol is for human girls who retain power that they shouldn’t be retaining?”

She doesn’t look remotely menaced, which doesn’t do much for Ichigo’s confidence. “Do tell.”

Ichigo lets black bleed into his sclera. His smile curves up a little more than it probably humanly should.

“We kill them.”

She tips her head to the side, scrutinising him with calm eyes. “You know, I don’t think you will.”

Ichigo splutters. “You don’t know my life! I could kill you a hundred different ways in the next thirty seconds—”

“I don’t doubt that you could,” Lucia clarifies, smirking. “I just don’t think you will.”

“You’re awfully confident for someone who’s about to have a sword at their neck—”

“So, do it.” She shrugs. “You wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to save me just to kill me now.”

In response, Ichigo draws his sword and lunges at her.

He sees her eyes widen fractionally in the instant before his arm goes around her waist, and allows himself a grim moment of satisfaction. Then Zangetsu is clashing with a scaled tentacle in the space where she'd been just a millisecond ago, and Ichigo forces himself to concentrate on the fight.

The pager at his hip goes off belatedly. “Fuckers! One hundred years and they still can't make soul pagers that work!”

“Run!” he adds to the stupefied girl, hanging half-on-half-off the play equipment.

“But what about you—”

“This is my job, not yours! Scram—”

Another tentacle comes for her, and Ichigo blocks it with his other sword; Lucia seems to realise the severity of the situation, and takes off. But instead of turning its attention back to Ichigo, the Hollow makes to follow her. Ichigo doesn't understand; he's not hiding his reiatsu anymore, and even currently capped as it is at 20%, it should be more than enough to make the Hollow pay attention. Sure, Lucia can see ghosts, which means she's got some reiatsu, but by comparison he should be a far more rewarding target for the Hollow—

Except. Realisation hits Ichigo like a freight train and he hastily casts out for Lucia’s reiatsu. He can’t feel any of her own, but there’s plenty of his, burning like a furnace just under her skin. In the desolate spiritscape of Australia, she might as well have thrown up a flashing neon sign that said EAT ME.

Idiot. Idiot. Lucia was walking Hollow bait, and it was all his fault.

“Fuck!” Ichigo doesn’t actually swear all that often, but ever since arriving in Australia, he feels it’s been abundantly justified. Lucia throws a look back his way, and it costs her; the Hollow trips her up and she falls on her face.

“Fuck!” Ichigo’s had it up to here with the cosmic unfairness that is his life. He doesn’t have time for some bullshit lower-level Hollow. He skewers it from behind, feeling viciously gratified at the sensation of steel through bone, and offers Lucia a hand up as it dissolves into thin air.

She takes it shakily. “See? Knew you couldn’t kill me,” she jokes, but there’s not much mirth in it.

Ichigo scowls. The only other way to take his powers back from Lucia apart from killing her was destroying her saketsu and hakusui; but he knows from experience how painful and traumatic that could be. There was no guarantee that she’d survive the procedure, either. Lucia was stuck with her— his— powers, either till she died or he could figure out a way to safely get them back. And with Urahara out of the picture, who the hell knew when that might be?

It didn't look promising. Ichigo curses a little more under his breath, before turning to the girl who is dusting her knees off like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.  

“You alright?”

“More or less.” She’s a little paler around the eyes, and there’s red grazes on her knees, but otherwise, she looks unharmed. “You?”

“Fine.” They scrutinize each other a little while longer, both a little unsure of what to make of the other.

“You still wanna…. help with this monster fighting gig?” Ichigo asks eventually; even though he phrases it as a question, it’s pretty much the only recourse left for them. If Lucia couldn’t be rid of his powers, and they were going to keep attracting Hollows to her, the only thing he could do is either tail her around and protect her himself for the rest of her life—

— or he could teach her to fight.

She fires up at that. “Yes.”

“Why?”

She seems stumped by the question; she blinks, and her hand gestures vaguely. “Well, uh, you know—”

“This isn’t a fun day job. This isn’t some sort of live-action videogame where you earn points for every monster you kill. You could die— you could kill. You already have, once, and you were horrified at the idea. Why do you want to keep going?”

“It’s exactly because of that that I want to help,” she snaps back. “How do I— how do I go back to everyday life after knowing— all that? After knowing that the nice ghost on the corner of the street and the seven-year-old ghost that comes to our garden sometimes and the elderly grandmother ghost that likes to sit under the shade of my local park might get turned into one of those— those things that you keep fighting? That they’ll meet their end impaled on a swordpoint? You said there was a way to send them on before— all that. Before they get turned into monsters. I’m not— I’m not the kind of person who can just ignore all that just because it’s not happening right in front of me. If there’s a way, then— I want to help.”

Whether it’s in front of you or far away, it doesn’t change the fact that they are being attacked! A shinigami has to treat all spirits equally. You cannot conveniently save those you can see, those you can reach!

He closes his eyes and lets out a slow breath through his mouth. Different, different, but so achingly the same— the same face, the same voice, the same demeanour. The same determined expression, fervent with her convictions. Mental flower petals fall to the floor; she’s Rukia, she’s not Rukia, she’s Rukia, she’s not—

He was going to regret this. He was going to regret this so hard.

But what other choice did he have?

“O.K,” he acquiesces through gritted teeth. “I’ll teach you to fight. To do this shinigami gig properly. But in return, one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You don’t ever use your powers when I’m not around, or when I haven’t explicitly given you permission. You don’t tell anyone that all this is happening, either. Got it?” That would take care of the need for secrecy for now. It was a temporary stop-gap, but it was better than nothing.

Lucia looks as though she might complain, but Ichigo hits her with his best glare and she wisely decides to pick her battles. “Done.”

“Fine. We’ll start tomorrow, then. Uh, you’ve got school, right? After school, then. 5pm? You pick a place. I’ll be able to find you.”

“Got it. Is there anything in particular I should be bringing to these sessions or…?”

“No. I’ll prepare everything. Just make sure you don’t have anyone tailing you, or anything.”

“Right.”

“Yeah. Well, if you haven’t got any other pressing questions, I’m going to take off—”

She stops him with a hand around his wrist. “Wait— wait. How do I know you’re not just abandoning me and that you actually are going to turn up tomorrow—?”

Ichigo doesn’t know what instinct it is that draws him to rummage around in his shihakushou at that question; he doesn’t understand why his hand closes around that particular artifact, wooden edges worn smooth after years in his possession. He understands even less why he hands it to her; a girl he hardly knows and has only just met. Practically, the item has very little value; Lucia frowns a little as she takes it from him. But it is, perhaps, one of the most important material items he owns, just after his swords.

“What’s this…?” Lucia asks, fingers tracing the patterns carved into the wood quizzically.

“It’s a substitute shinigami badge,” he replies, and she visibly starts. He can see the questions teeming in her gaze, suddenly relentless on him, but despite her palpable curiosity, she does not ask a single thing. “It’s— it doesn’t look like much, but I like it. I’ll want it back off you tomorrow, so you keep it as collateral for now. Happy?”

“.... it will be acceptable,” she says primly. He nods.

“You should get back to class, then,” he says, suddenly remembering that she’d more or less run out on the school day. Lucia shoots him a look as if to say ‘Really?’ but he won’t budge on this. Schoolwork was important. “Won’t you get in trouble?”

“I suspect Tiff will be covering for me.” She slips the substitute badge into her bag and smooths the creases in her skirt. “But your concern is duly noted.”

He groans. “Just get going, you.”

“... I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” she says, and despite everything, she looks a little uncertain; Ichigo waves her off.

“Yeah. I’ll find you.”

“You better.”

“Do you ever let anyone else get the last word?”

“Not if I can help it.” She grins, and sprints off; Ichigo watches her go, doing his best to keep her figure from blurring into another from his memories. He doesn’t like seeing her back. The flower petals keep falling, she’s Rukia, she’s not Rukia, she’s Rukia, she’s not—

As he tears his eyes away from her retreating figure, the last petal falls to the ground like a revelation he’s not quite prepared to confront; Ichigo shakes his head, and starts making his way back to his quarters.

He only hopes—can only hope, really—that he knows just what he’s gotten himself into.