Chapter Text
“WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN ICHIGO?!”
My ears were nearly bleeding when Isshin rushed to the door. Ichigo’s whole family was freaking out over the fact that he never came home the night before. Well, Karin was frowning and staring, trying to look tough. Yuzu and Isshin were openly crying, making Ichigo scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.
“Sorry....” The ginger said quietly. Isshin hugged me tightly, followed by Yuzu around my thighs as they both continued to wail.
“Thank you, Naomi! I knew you’d bring this moron home!” He cried. Yuzu echoing his words. I smiled, hugging them both back, albeit awkwardly.
“Of course! Someone had to.” I looked to my idiot, noticing the split of emotions. On one hand, he looked annoyed at me, but his eyes were the warm honey I always knew them to be as he gazed at our group hug. Karin sidled up to him, earning a pat on the head from her big brother. Her lip quivered, but she stubbornly frowned through the entire thing. It was quite adorable really.
We ate dinner shortly after our arrival. Isshin cooing over us both and prodding about where Ichigo had run off to. My boyfriend wouldn’t budge, and I evaded any question like the plague. As if knowing more than he was letting on, Isshin just stared at us suspiciously before letting it go. When we finished dinner Ichigo walked me home. It was still early, but he had been yawning for the last hour. I figured I shouldn’t ask him to stay up and would’ve been fine walking myself. Hiyori had kicked his ass today, making him work hard with that mask.However, Ichigo ignored me when I told him to stay home and followed me out the door with his usual mumbling.
“When are you going back?” I asked, feeling Ichigo’s fingers brush over my back lightly as we walked into my apartment.The carded through my hair as I separated from him.
“Tomorrow, after school. I’ll be going every day until I can use this thing properly.” Ichigo explained as he closed the door behind him. I kicked off my shoes, stepping further in. “I might use Kon to make sure I don’t flake out on attendance. Would you keep an eye on him for me?”
I put the kettle on, leaning against the counter as I looked over my shoulder at Ichigo.
“I’m all for you going to train, but you gotta study still.” I reminded him. Ichigo scratched his head, looking away from me.
“Yeah, I know, but I think right now I need to get this under control, besides.” He stepped behind me, pressing me against the countertop. One arm wrapped around my waist while the other braced himself beside me. “You could always tutor me, I’d be back at it in no time.”
I snorted as he kissed the side of my head, his fingers grazing under my shirt. Biting my lower lip, I turned my head to look at him. Ichigo’s long lashes fluttered once as he smiled at me. Damn him for looking so charming. I turned around in his hold, facing him.
“I suppose I could help you out.” I taunted. He smirked, leaning down to me.
“Brat.” He said against my lips before kissing me. Soft at first, but quickly grew more heated. Ichigo grabbed my hips, hoisting me up and plopping me on my small counter top. I hummed in agreement as he stepped between my thighs, tugging my legs to wrap around his waist.
Something that always startled me was how this kept feeling new. We’d been dating for almost a month now, and while that wasn’t a long time, I liked to think we’d smacked lips frequently enough to get the feel for each other. And yet each kiss felt like the first one, butterflies in my tummy and dizzy in the head.
I pulled back, Ichigo diving into my neck. A shiver ran down my spine as a cool breeze swept into my apartment. I sighed as his fingers gently caressed my spine, his lips on my neck. My eyes opened slightly, gazing across my apartment. In the back of my head I was thinking, when had I left the window open? And that scent.....
“Ummm, is this a bad time?”
I froze, Ichigo froze. My eyes snappedopen as I was greeted with several pairs of eyes staring back at me. Familiar faces were pouring in from my window, one of them belonging to none other than a very very smug looking Rukia f*cking Kuchiki.
The kettle screeched, going completely ignored by us all as we stared for a beat.
“Wh-What the f*ck Renji?!” Ichigo shouted, but he hadn’t moved an inch. I could only stare as Renji and Rukia stared from the window. Moments later Rangiku crawled in through the window over top of the red head. She looked at me, beaming when she saw our position.
“I knew it!” She shouted, mortifying me. “You two were just too sweet on each other not to be together!”
God strike me down.
Ichigo and I moved away from the countertop as more people crawled through the window. Yumichika and Ikkaku wandered in, followed by a very disgruntled Tōshirō. As happy as I was to see some of them, my face was too red, and my heart was pounding too wildly to do anything about it. Rukia still looked smug as she crossed her arms. Rangiku grinned, turning to the boys.
“I told you they were together,” she gestured to Yumichika and Ikkaku, holding out her hand. “Pay up.”
Both men grumbled as they tossed her some cash. She snatched it, stuffing it in her bra. Renji scratched his head, looking at the trio.
“Why’d you bet against that? I could’ve told you they were dating. He kissed her right in front of me.” He said nonchalantly, causing my soul to evaporate from my body. I had hoped nobody else remembered the event.Rukia gasped, turning to look at Renji.
“You didn’t tell me that part!” Rukia gushed. Renji shrugged it off.
“I didn’t think he’d have the balls to ask her out.” Ikkaku snapped, staring at his empty wallet. Ichigo growled.
“Knock it off! Quit butting into people’s private lives!” He snapped, thankfully having words where my voice failed. Rukia frowned, crossing her arms once more.
“Well excuse me, it was quite obvious you had a crush on her for a long time.” She taunted, causing Ichigo to sputter as he glared at her.
“Are you kidding me?! We don’t see each other for weeks and this is the way you wanna show up? Stop butting into my love life!” Ichigo grumbled to her. I watched as they argued, reminding me of the way Ichigo argued with Yuzu and Karin sometimes. It was kinda cute to see them.
Rangiku sidled up to me, grinning.
“Don’t get us wrong, I’m thrilled for you Naomi!” She leaned closer, whispering to me. “He’s really cute!”
I blushed, but smiled, appreciating the encouragement.
“Thanks Rangiku, that means a lot.” I admitted. This was about how I was hoping the reveal to our living friends would go. Generally, well received. A small grumble caught my attention as I turned to Little Captain. His eyes caught mine, and for a second I thought they softened a bit. I beamed at him, stepping closer.
“Hey there, Little Captain.” I greeted. He huffed, looking a bit irritated.
“It’s Captain Hitsugaya!” He snapped, but then relaxed once more. “I see you haven’t changed at all, Sakurai.”
“Nah, I’m about the same.” I teased, glancing over at Ichigo and Rukia. Renji had joined in, Ikkaku and Yumichika taunting him about something. “Um, not that this isn’t a nice visit- well bad timing but still pretty nice- but um, why are you all here?”
That got everyone’s attention as the group surrounding Ichigo quieted down. Tōshirō sighed, leaning against my windowsill as he explained themselves.
“It’s because of the arrancar that visited yesterday,” Tōshirō explained. I felt a bit relieved, glad that we wouldn’t need to face this on our own. “We were sent here to meet up with the both of you and prepare for any more attacks along with provide you both with some level of protection.”
“Protection?” Ichigo asked, stepping closer to me. Tōshirō nodded, looking straight at my boyfriend.
“Soul Society is well aware of your hollow,” he said bluntly, surprising us both. I bristled, causing Tōshirō’s gaze to briefly flicker towards me then back to Ichigo. “We admittedly have been monitoring it from afar. However, it appears that Aizen may be doing the same thing.”
“The arrancar said as much, that he was supposed to kill me if he wanted.” Ichigo explained, his hand found my back while he continued. “Thanks to Nao, I was able to keep a handle on things, and I think attacking us both intimidated the small guy. It was like he changed his mind when she stepped into the fight.”
Something flickered across Tōshirō’s gaze. It looked, at least at a quick glance, like concern. I couldn’t confirm it though as he returned to that regular grumpy old man look.
“If that’s the case, then it is likely Aizen will send more. And you are most likely the prime target.” Tōshirō said firmly. I pursed my lips, not liking the idea of Ichigo being exposed like this. We just got the hollow under control, and now we had to deal with these arrancar?
“There’s something else you should know.”
Tōshirō took his time to explain to us the classifications of hollows, and why these new types of arrancar were troublesome. If Aizen had enough of them under his control, he could pose a serious threat to Soul Society. I shifted closer to Ichigo, feeling tense until he began to brush soothing circles on my back. My shoulders relaxed minutely as Rangiku interrupted.
“But until those arrancar show up, we have time to spend! So Naomi,” she sidled up to me, wrapping an arm around my own. “Why don’t you show me some of the shops in Karakura? I haven’t been to the world of the living in forever!”
“And just where are you planning to keep all your stuff Rangiku?” Ikkaku drawled. Rangiku grinned.
“Why I’ll stay here of course!” She teased. I blinked, slowly realizing what was happening.
“Wait.... you guys don’t have like- emergency housing?” I asked, surprised Soul Society didn’t have lodgings for this type of situation. Rukia shook her head.
“It’s not normal for us to stay here so frequently. Patrols usually do shifts or have their own connections.” She explained, but there was a twinkle to her eye as she spoke. “Luckily I already have a place!”
“f*ck no! I just got rid of you!” Ichigo immediately snapped, confusing me. Rukia pouted.
“But I even brought things to spruce up the place!” She cried. I looked between the two as they bantered back and forth, my brow furrowing.
“Wait.... where did you stay last time, Rukia? You were here for months....” My words trailed off as theories for where Rukia had been hiding drifted through my head. It was as if I set off a bomb with those words. Ichigo froze solid as Rukia hesitated to answer.What was with these two?
“I- she- we-....” He went dead silent, looking somewhere between mortified and afraid. I frowned, not understanding what was going on at all.
“You act like she was stuffed under your bed or something.” I said, half joking.
The silence was deafening.
“You.... you were actually.....” I stared, shocked that it hadn’t been something I had ever thought of. Pulling my arm away from Rangiku, I was hit was the change in Ichigo from the time that Rukia started school all the way until now. During that whole time, I was never really in Ichigo’s room. I hardly ever saw him because we used to study every night at his house. Ichigo stepped up to me, my eyes locking onto his as he looked down at me seriously.
“Nothing happened.” He said firmly. I blinked once, twice, then smiled.
“Oh no, I didn’t think it did.” I assured, noticing the way he immediately relaxed. My gaze drifted to Rukia, who was still huffing. “I’m just surprised you’d want to be there. I mean, it’s a teen boys room. God knows what you might find under his bed.”
“Hey!” Ichigo shouted, mussing my hair. I glared, but then Rukia chuckled.
“I was in his closet actually, and yeah, it was strange at first. But it was weirdly comforting after a while.” She teased, smirking at me. Her face went comically blank a moment later. “But all of that is completely ruined by the stink of teenager.”
“Rukia!” Ichigo shouted, turning bright red. I snickered.
“Well, if you’re that dead set on being there, don’t let me stop you.” I joked, seeing the surprise in her eyes. She paused, but then smiled. Rangiku grabbed my arm again.
“Well more room for me here, right? Oh Captain, are you going to stay as well?” Rangiku asked, tugging me with her. I looked to see Tōshirō losing colour in his otherwise tanned skin. He looked like he was about to be sick, but the idea of Little Captain staying was kinda fun.
“Oh that would be great!” I beamed, trying to think up sleeping arrangements. “I have a spare futon that I used before, and the loveseat folds out into a makeshift bed!”
Rangiku squeezed me in a hug with both arms, nearly suffocating me in her chest.
“Oh you’re so sweet Naomi! How could we ever have thought you were our enemy?” She cooed. I pushed myself away, struggling for breath. Rangiku let go of me to go bother Tōshirō. I laughed a bit, feeling lighter at the idea of having roommates.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Ichigo asked, gaining my attention. “I mean, I’m not one to talk, but don’t you think two people might make this a bit cramped?”
“What do you mean two? What about us?” Yumichika asked. Rukia scoffed.
“Does this place look like it has room?” Rukia commented. “You gotta find your own accommodations.”
“I would if I could guys, but she’s right.” I scratched the back of my head. “But if you can’t find room then feel free to come back.”
“Nao, don’t put yourself out for these idiots.” Ichigo urged, putting a hand on my back. Renji crossed his arms with a frown.
“Just who are you talking about, idiot?” He snapped. Ichigo glared at him, but I spoke before he could start a fight.
“It’s alright, besides, it’d be nice to have people here.” I looked to Rangiku who was cooing over Tōshirō and pissing him off. My smile widened. “It gets kinda quiet when you leave so it’ll be nice to have something to wake up to.”
Ichigo went quiet for a moment; when I looked up at him, he seemed a little put off by something. However, when I raised my brow, he just shook his head.
“I guess if you’re not alone you can’t do something stupid without me watching.” He mocked. I stuck my tongue out.
“Idiot, all the stupid follows you.”
“Oh Orihime! I need to visit her!” Rangiku said, turning to look at us. “Naomi, why don’t we postpone shopping for now! Can you show me the way to Orihime’s house?”
“Sure, I can do that.” I turned towards my keys lying next to the now cold kettle and pocketed them. It almost seemed useless considering the six people who climbed in through a supposedly locked window. Tōshirō stepped towards the door.
“I’ll walk with you.” He said, hands in his pockets. I grinned.
“Great! We can stop at the store then for some more food. I’m running low again.” I turned to the crowd, gesturing to the door. Everyone filed out, making their way down to the ground floor. Ichigo stopped me in the stairwell, stopping me on a step above his.
“You never mentioned it, being alone.” He said suddenly. I blinked, but then shrugged.
“It’s not really the.... being alone part. It’s the lack of noise.” I glanced to the side, biting my cheek for a second. “Mom used to make tea and sit with me to drink it in the morning. Even when she didn’t, I could hear her humming in the next room, or existing in the same space.”
“You miss her, don’t you?” Ichigo asked, though it was tinged with sadness. I frowned, looking back at him. My hands found his face, my thumb brushing his cheek.
“I know it’s not fair, that I still have my mom but-”
“Don’t think like that.” He cut me off, eyes fierce. “I don’t ever want you belittling yourself for my sake.”
My heart felt warm. Gingerly, I leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He reciprocated as I brushed a hand through his hair. When I pulled back, I rested my forehead against his.
“I think I’m just thrilled to.... to exist in a space with someone else again.” I didn’t like to admit this, because Ichigo had his own house he belonged to, but the night he fell asleep next to me I had the best sleep ever. And waking up curled against him, having tea in the morning and cuddling for a while; it chased away all the loneliness in my little heart. Ichigo’s arms slipped around my waist as he pulled me closer, kissing me one more time.
“Come on, before they ruin this moment too.” He said, regrettably pulling away. I giggled, allowing him to tug me along. At the ground level I saw everyone waiting for us. Rukia still looked likethe cat that ate the canary.
“We’ll have to catch up later, Naomi.” Rukia said, a smugness in her eyes. I turned a little pink, remembering something.
“Oh uh, before I forget, can you all.... stay quiet about Ichigo and I?” I asked. Rukia looked surprised. “We um.... We haven’t told anyone yet.”
Renji was the first to respond.
“Well if you’d stop making out in front of me, that’d be nice.” He muttered, earning a glare from Ichigo. The ginger snapped at him.
“Oh come on! You climbed in her window like some thief!” Ichigo snapped, getting into a fight with Renji. I turned to Yumichika and Ikkaku and gave a polite smile.
“I was serious about finding a place. You can bunk with me if you need.” I explained. Ikkaku eyed me, frowning as he thumbed his wooden sword strapped to his hip. However Yumichika spoke up.
“As kind as that offer is, I doubt sleeping hip to hip with Rangiku is all that pleasurable.” He said, covering his mouth as though he had a bad taste on his tongue. Rangiku huffed.
“Sorry I don’t have what you’re looking for.” She snapped back. He glared at her, but Ikkaku broke it up.
“C’mon, we should head out.” Ikkaku turned and walked away, Yumichika at his heels. Renji and Ichigo’s fight died down then.
“I better go find somewhere as well.” He nodded to Rukia, then turned to wander off. I noticed Rukia’s eyes lingering on his back before she turned to Ichigo. She caught his gaze and gave a cheesy grin. He scoffed, rolling his eyes before looking at me.
“See ya tomorrow.” I said as he nodded glumly.
“If I survive the night.” He muttered. Rukia looked miffed, but after their goodbyes they headed their own way as well. I turned back to Rangiku and Tōshirō.
“Shall we?”
Orihime was happy to have us, which was a good thing considering it was getting to be quite late. I wasn’t planning to stay long, but Rangiku was chatting with Orihime a mile per minute. The teen girl seemed to be staying focused on the conversation, even if she barely got two words in. Tōshirō hadn’t followed us inside, instead opting to sit on the roof in peace and quiet.
I yawned about twenty minutes into our stay, feeling bad that I cut Rangiku off.
“Sorry, I’m just really sleepy.” I admitted. Rangiku’s gaze drifted to the clock, then the dark sky outside. She hummed, turning back to me.
“You know Naomi, why don’t you head home? There’s no need to wait for me. I’ll just stay here tonight. That’s alright with you, isn’t it, Orihime?” The bombshell asked. Orihime smiled, nodding.
“Um, yeah! That would be fun. Just like a sleep over.” She beamed. Rangiku cooed, pinching her cheeks.
“You’re just so cute!” She squealed. I swallowed, feeling cold grip my chest.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea.” I lied, getting up from my position with a stretch. Orihime jumped to her feet, her hand touching my shoulder.
“Oh! Naomi, I meant to ask you something.” She said, looking at Rangiku. The ginger seemed to think something over, but then she looked back at me and spoke anyway. “Is..... everything alright with Ichigo?”
I hesitated, thinking on how this all looked from Orihime’s perspective. The last time we saw each other was when Ulquiorra and Yammy appeared. At that time Ichigo almost lost control of himself. She had every right to be worried. However, I was pleased that I could give her a confident smile.
“Yeah, everything’s taken care of. He’s doing a lot better.” I said, earning a beaming grin from her. She wiped her forehead dramatically.
“Phew! I was worried for a bit, especially after the arrancar showed up. I thought something bad happened to him.” She said, trusting my words. Her grey eyes locked with mine then, looking so pretty, even illuminated by the light fixtures. “But I shouldn’t have been. He’s got you always taking care of him. Like a big sister.”
I stared, not moving at all, swallowing once as I tried to keep a neutral face.
“Yeah... I guess so.” I said quietly. Orihime seemed to sense something was amiss, but she couldn’t seem to home in on exactly what.
“You know, you’re like a big sister to me too,” she said, surprising me. Her cheeks went a little pink. “I know we didn’t get to bond much, but.... in Soul Society, you knew exactly what to say when I was feeling down. And I really appreciated that. It made me.... It made me feel like I was still part of the team.”
She must’ve been talking about the time I called her our medic. Despite my hesitations with her obvious crush, I did like Orihime a lot. She was a sweet girl who knew better than anyone what I was struggling with. She had her own shortcomings, from what Tatsuki had mentioned in passing. I gave her a soft smile, hugging her. She hugged me back.
“Because you are,” I assured. “No matter what, you have every right to be here too, Orihime.”
She sniffled into my shoulder, instinct kicked in to the times I had held a crying Ichigo and I held her tighter. With blinding speed, she pushed away, wiping furiously at her tears.
“I shouldn’t keep you any longer! Good night, Naomi!” She said looking me in the eye once more. I chuckled, saying my goodnights to both beauties. Rangiku eyed me curiously as I left, no doubt having a plethora of questions for me tomorrow. When I got to the street, I debated waving goodbye to Tōshirō, but found he wasn’t on the roof. I sniffed, smelling him on the street with me. When I found him, he was walking towards me with his hands in his pockets.
“What is it?” He asked. I didn’t say anything for a moment, glancing back at Orihime’s apartment.
“Are you not staying with your lieutenant?” I asked. Tōshirō shivered as though a horrible thought crossed his mind. He shifted slightly, glancing sideways at me.
“If the offer still stands, I would like to stay at your apartment.” He said, surprising me. My eyes widened, a smile lifting unconsciously to my face. I nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! Of course it is!” I said, watching the way his eyes changed. They softened, a ghost of a smile curving his lips upwards. It didn’t last, I didn’t expect it to, as we walked back to my apartment in a comfortable silence.
“Have you lived alone for long?” Tōshirō surprised me with idle chit chat a few minutes into our walk home. I hummed, matching my steps beside him.
“No, just a few months. I... it’s a long story, but I moved away from my mom and her boyfriend in March.” I began, looking off into the distance. “Ichigo tries to spend time, but he has his family to live with, so it’s just me most of the time.”
“I see,” he said quietly. I looked down at him, a grin making its way onto my face despite myself. Tōshirō looked at me suspiciously. “What is it, Sakurai?”
“Nothing just, just thinking.” I said, imagining Tōshirō as my little brother coming for a visit. I’d always wanted a brother, or a sister. Preferably a big sister and little brother. Tōshirō huffed, sounding like he regretted coming with me. I laughed, jittery and excited. When we returned to my apartment, I set up his futon and the privacy screen. I had some food in the fridge to eat up. Tōshirō inhaled the watermelon practically from my hand when I offered it; spitting the seeds expertly into the trashcan. When all was said and done, Tōshirō cuddled in for the night, and I settled into my own bed.
“Goodnight Tōshirō.” I said, earning a grumbling sound from the other side of the privacy curtain. However, instead of correcting me, Tōshirō rolled over as he spoke.
“Goodnight, Sakurai.”
Ichigo stopped by early the next morning, grumbling about Rukia the entire time.
“She thought my dad would let her stay in my closet once he knew about her.” He huffed. I laughed, sipping my tea. We left the complex and sat on a bench down the street to keep away from Tōshirō. Ichigo had dressed in his school uniform even if he wasn’t planning to go. I stared at the pill he was thumbing in his palm, wondering whether it was a good idea to do this right now. “How was your night with those two?”
“Rangiku ended up staying at Orihime’s, but Little Captain was a great guest.” I bit my bottom lip, looking up at Ichigo. “Kinda feels like I have a little brother honestly.”
His eyes were soft as he leaned down, kissing me on the forehead. When he pulled back he had a distant expression on his face. I watched him for a moment, wondering where his mind had gotten to.
“Ichigo?” He stared at me for another moment before taking a deep breath and looking away.
“Nothing, just..... glad you don’t have to be alone.” He shifted, looking down at our feet. “I thought about it yesterday, how it must feel going from living with others to on your own so suddenly. I don’t think I’d like it.”
I leaned against his bicep, smiling up at him.
“It’s not all bad, your family has always been very welcoming to me if I feel lonely. But you’ve also been staying here pretty late as well.” He slung his arm around me, careful not to jostle my teacup. His hand grazed up and down my back before he leaned down to kiss me. When he pulled back, he eyed the pill in his hand. “Are you sure you want to go today?”
“I should. I can barely hold the mask for two seconds right now.” He went quiet, thumbing the pill. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you, about that Ulquiorra guy.”
I bit my lip, looking down at my feet.
“You noticed it too, huh?” I muttered, gripping my teacup tighter. “His markings and spiritual pressure feel similar to my hollow.”
“The way you fight and block is similar too.” He added. I felt him shift, placing the arm that was around me on the back of the bench to brace himself. “Any ideas why?”
“None, I’ve been circling it in the back of my mind actually. It spooks me a bit if I’m completely honest.” I huffed, looking up at him. He gave a smile, looking confident.
“It’s alright Nao, we’ll figure this out together.” He assured me. I smiled, leaning up to kiss him. His free hand found my jaw, holding it softly as he deepened the kiss. I sighed into his mouth, happy by the feeling of his skin on mine. Moments later he pulled back with a hiss.
“If I don’t stop, I won’t make it to training.” He said, sounding disappointed. I laughed, leaning up to give him one last kiss.
“Make sure you’re back for supper.” I insisted. He nodded, popping the pill into his mouth. Ichigo ejected from his body, which slumped onto me for a moment. He nodded at me, hands twitching at his sides like he wanted to reach out, then turned and bolted. His body stirred to life moments later, Kon sitting up inside of it.
“Wow, now that’s a view to wake up to every day.” He mused, leering at me. I pinched his ear, narrowing my eyes at him. He squeaked, sounding like a wounded animal.
“You’re gunna wake up to my fist in your face if you don’t watch yourself.” I snapped, frowning. “Now behave today, alright?”
“Yes ma’am.” He said, sounding way too pleased being told what to do. I shuddered but let him go. A deep sigh escaped me as I watched Ichigo sprint off into the distance.
Why do I feel like this’ll become a full-time job of mine?
Correction, the full-time job was dealing with soul reapers all day.
Despite Rukia being nosy about where Ichigo ran off to, and nobody being satisfied with me simply saying ‘ training ’, keeping Ichigo’s whereabouts private was the least of my concerns. Honestly, other than our close friends and the soul reapers who wandered around, nobody in class seemed to notice. It was easier than ever to convince people we weren’t dating too since I spent the better part of the day telling Kon to knock it off or to calm down. The hardest struggle was watching Kon ogle any pretty girls that walked by.
That, and Rukia pestering me.
“So when did you two make it official?” She asked as we followed behind Kon. The idiot was talking with Mizuiro and Keigo as they walked home. We were supervising to make sure he didn’t say anything stupid. I wasn’t sure how long Ichigo would be training, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to plan for the long term.
My eyes glanced around us, making sure nobody was within earshot.
“Well, we talked before we left the Seireitei.” I admitted, suddenly getting quite shy about the whole situation. Rukia covered her mouth, looking scandalized yet grinning.
“I knew it! You two were sneaking off so much!” She chuckled, making my cheeks turn pink. A nervous laugh fell from my lips.
“We weren’t really trying to hide it or anything but- um...” I looked to Keigo and Mizuiro as the brown hair boy danced around for dramatic storytelling. It resulted in him walking into a signpost. “I’m not sure everyone would be on the same page as us.”
Rukia hummed, going quiet for a moment.Kon was doing his best not to act like a goofball and keep the ‘cool’ image Ichigo had crafted. It worked, for the most part, but even Kon cracked and would get excited when Keigo mentioned certain topics. It was pretty funny to watch.
“This wouldn’t happen to be your method of sparing someone’s feelings, would it?” I flinched at her words, immediately thinking of Orihime. My gaze travelled from Kon down to my shoes as I walked.
“Having a crush is hard enough, finding out someone you like it dating someone you thought they saw as a sibling would be.... shocking.” I said quietly. Rukia made a noise of protest.
“Sibling? You and Ichigo?” She laughed dryly. “Sorry but there’s no way.”
I glanced at her, a little surprised. She covered her mouth again as she spoke.
“I’m sorry but, I knew that guy was in love with you since he introduced us,” she looked ahead at the trio, a soft smile on her lips. “When you left us on the rooftop he looked like a kicked puppy. Even turned into adopey fool anytime you were mentioned.”
It made me laugh, hearing this, as I thought back to when I was introduced to Rukia. My laughter grew, surprising her as she looked confused.
“I’m not laughing at you, it’s just- I was so sure you and Ichigo had a thing at that time. I guess I was just insecure. I didn’t even realize my feelings for him until later.” I admitted. Rukia’s confusion melted into a warm smile.
“It’s all new territory, I’m sure it’s scary for you both. Even if you know each other, there’s bound to be awkward moments and learning curves you’re going to face.” She soothed. I nodded.
“It’s funny, because we both thought the same but- um,” I turned a little pink, thinking back to our first make out session in the Seireitei. I scratched the back of my head, feeling shy again. “I never thought it would be so easy, being with someone. But Ichigo makes it easy for me.”
It felt weird, saying it out loud. I turned red as I noticed how thoughtful Rukia’s expression became. She hummed, looking ahead.
“You know, I didn’t like you much either when we first me.” She explained. “I thought you blinded Ichigo to his duty. I thought that you getting involved would be dangerous for everyone, and so when Ichigo asked to keep you out of it, I was happy to oblige.”
Her eyes, her dark violet eyes caught my softer indigo. She was pretty, something I had always noticed, even though she was petite she had lovely curves.In the late afternoon light though she looked sharper in her appearance as she looked right at me.
“But I was wrong,” she continued, surprising me. “You motivate him in ways even I can’t. He listens to you, even if you might think otherwise. And he has some seriously blind faith in you Naomi.”
I blushed, ducking my head down, not used to the number of compliments I had received in the past day.
“I know you said before that I made the rain stop,” Rukia continued. I listened, turning to look at her. “But Naomi, you were the one holding his head above water. And I firmly believe that.”
I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes, startling me. There was something about her acknowledging it that really hit me in the gut. I didn’t want to be noticed for those things because I did them to help Ichigo, not for the attention. And yet, to hear those words..... Rukia didn’t look surprised, just calm despite my tears. When I looked up ahead, Kon turned to look at me. Even though it wasn’t Ichigo, it was his body. It was his big warm brown eyes that always looked at me with love and warmth. Kon looked startled when he noticed I was teary-eyed and rushed back to me.
“Naomi! Is everything okay?” He asked, looking between the two of us. I looked up at those eyes for a moment longer, smiled, then nodded.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I assured him, urging Kon to move along. Rukia chuckled once, following us back to the Kurosaki’s.
Despite what I had told Ichigo about being home for dinner, Ichigo didn’t return that night, or the next. At first, I was worried, walking circles in my apartment to the point that even Little Captain was looking at me funny. I was debating just heading down there and bringing him back or yelling at him for going AWOL on me and his family. But close to midnight I got a call from a random number. Against my better judgment, I answered.
“Well heya Naomi. Whatcha doin’?” A painfully familiar voice drawled through the phone I stared at the wall across from me. Confusion and annoyance rattled through me.
“Trying to sleep. You wouldn’t happen to have a reason for calling me, would you?” I asked, fearing the worst. Shinji chuckled.
“Oh I’m justa messenger boy here. Ichigo ain’t gunna finish trainin’ for a while yet. I would say don’t worry but it all depends on how Hiyori is feelin’.” As if to punctuate his words a loud explosion could be heard, making my heart stutter. “Ah, don’t mind that, he’ll walk it off.”
I huffed.
“So this is just you letting me know I don’t need to come down there?” I asked, slightly irritated. Shinji hummed.
“Nah, ya can come down and play if ya want, but I don’t think it’d help ya much. Nah, I called because I didn’t want ya running holes into yer floor,” I could feel the smirk oozing from the other side of the line. “I can smell yer worry from ‘ere, kid.”
I slicked my tongue, glancing at Tōshirō as he stepped out of the bathroom in his night clothes.
“Fine, I won’t. But I’m coming down tomorrow to confirm he’s not dead.” Shinji chuckled at that.
“I’ll let Hiyori know she can’t kill ‘em before ya get here.” As he said this, I heard a “that bitch can’t tell me what to do!” from somewhere in the background. I snorted, my words gaining the attention of Tōshirō.
“Well, I better go, talk soon.” I said pleasantly, hanging up. Tōshirō relaxed on the loveseat, not far from where I was leaning against the counter.
“May I ask what that was about?” He inquired. I shrugged, keeping nonchalant.
“I was checking in on Ichigo’s progress.” I admitted. Tōshirō’s brow furrowed.
“And?”
“I was told I don’t need to run holes into the floor and that he’s alive.” Tōshirō took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
“Can I ask where he is?” He sounded very curious. I shook my head.
“He’s training.” Was my simple reply. Tōshirō huffed, looking just as irritated as when he arrived. I couldn’t help but smile though, finding him way too adorable to look grumpy so often.
“I see you haven’t changed onebit, Sakurai.” He said in a dejected tone. I hummed, shrugging it off.
“Depends on who you ask.” I paused for a second, then opened my mouth to ask Tōshirō a question. However, an unfamiliar scent crawled up my nose, surprising me. My mouth snapped shut as I sprinted to my window, swinging it open.
“Sakurai?” Tōshirō asked. I stared out the window, sensing several spiritual pressures hanging in the air.
“You can’t sense that?” I asked, turning to look at the white-haired boy. He frowned, but a moment later his cellphone rang. My gaze went back to the window as Tōshirō flipped open his phone.
“Seven?” He cursed under his breath. “Sakurai, take this.”
I looked to Tōshirō, seeing him holding out a soul candy. I popped it in my mouth, ejecting from my body. Tōshirō was ahead of me, rushing out the window. I leaped out, following him as our bodies remained in the apartment. The boy captain looked over his shoulder at me.
“Can you tell their strength levels?” He asked. I inhaled, closing my eyes briefly to focus. There was only one that alarmed me, the rest seemed manageable from my perspective.
“Five are lieutenant class. There’s two that are at captain class or higher though.” I said, opening my eyes. Tōshirō hissed, muttering under his breath as we leaped through the air. I could sense them moving around, frowning. “Two are headed to Orihime’s house!”
I took off ahead of Tōshirō.
