Ichigo and Tia finally arrived at Ichigo's house. Tia noticed that it was different than the other houses. Firstly, it was slightly bigger than the rest of the houses in the area. Secondly, it had a big blue neon sign reading Kurosaki's Clinic, and a small parking area for customers. The glass door, under the neon, led inside the medical area of the house. And with that, the differences ended, as it looked precisely like the countless houses they passed. The green roof, and outside elevation, are made of wood with a small balcony. They passed the clinic door, Ichigo opened the small waist-high wicket and walked towards the doors. But before Ichigo rang the bell, he took a heavy breath and said.
"Now get ready to meet the most bizarre thing in your life." He stated with seriousness.
Tia looked at him with confusion.
"Could you move a little bit back to the right? Yep, that's good." He told her as she moved backward a few steps to his right. "Watch." Ichigo rang the bell. For a moment, nothing happened, but the next scene she saw could be easily considered an Espada speed moment. The door flew open, and a man in a white lab coat flew toward Ichigo with a war cry…
"Ichigoooooooooooo!" Kurosaki Isshin had screamed, as he sent a flying kick towards Ichigo. Ichigo caught his father by the foot, rotated 180 degrees, and sent him flying back inside the house.
But before Isshin was sent inside the house, with terrifying strength and speed, for those few milliseconds he locked his eyes on a certain tanned blonde, who was wearing…his beloved and only son's, winter coat. All the way to the wall he hit (That had to be replaced later) Kurosaki Isshin was… grinning. His dream came true, now he could rest in peace….
"Uffff…what an idiot." Ichigo groaned. Meanwhile, Tia was nothing but amused. She knew little about the whole father-son relationship, but the thing she just saw could be considered extraordinary, at the least.
"Ok, now we can go in." He invited her in.
"My brand new third daughter! Son, your Father is so proud of you! Masaki! Look, our son finally brought a girlfriend to our home!" Isshin yelled, leaning toward the poster of his deceased wife, with rivers of tears flowing down his cheeks.
"She. Is. Not. My. Girlfriend. You. Old. Retard." Ichigo exclaimed, blushing madly.
Tia, on the other hand, was still in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening. To say that his family is unusual would be an understatement.
'…This family is different from what I learned about humans..' She decided, and then furrowed her eyebrows when the full meaning of what Ichigo's father had said reached her.' Why does he consider me his son's mate?'
"Where are Yuzu and Karin pops?" Ichigo asked, trying to ignore Tia's inquisitive look.
"They went on a ski trip after you left for Las Notches," Isshing replied, surprising the Arrancar lady. She wasn't aware that he was spiritually aware too." They should be back tomorrow"
"I see hmm that's even better Halibel-san will have more time to get acquainted with her back story," Ichigo stated.
"Where are my manners? I'm Kurosaki Isshin, father of this ruffian." He extended his hand towards Tia. She shook it firmly, in any other situation, she would ignore the gesture but she didn't want to offend the patriarch of the house." Please take good care of my son." He added with a wicked grin.
"My name is Tia Halibel Tercera Espada." She introduced herself politely, ignoring the last part of his statement.
"Ok since the introduction is done, I'll show you your new room," Ichigo said, motioning for her to follow him.
"Ah yes get a room you two," Isshin commented, causing Ichigo to blush madly.
"DAD!" the youth snapped in embarrassment.
His father only laughed loudly and went to the kitchen to make himself a coffee.
The duo walked upstairs, and Ichigo opened the doors to his room. It looked quite usual; the walls were painted a light yellow color, with a few posters of some bands. The bed covered by a light blue blanket with a cross pattern on it was placed under the window, and next to it was a desk with a lamp, a computer, books, and a few other things on it. On the opposite side of the room was the wall wardrobe that took up the whole wall.
"I know it's not much, you mentioned that you had a palace before but I hope you can-" Ichigo started.
"It will suffice Ichigo-san, thank you for your hospitality." She walked inside and sat on the bed. "But I have a question."
"Yes?"
"It's about what your father said about me being your mate…do you expect to have intercourse with me in exchange for shelter?" Tia said in a perfectly straight voice. Yet inside, even she felt a tingle of embarrassment.
But it was nothing compared to Ichigo. He was, after all teenager, and when a drop-dead gorgeous woman sitting on his bed asked such a question….
"Ahua…errr…ufffff" Came Ichigo's coherent reply. The poor boy looked like he was about to pop a vein. His face was bright red and steam was coming out of his head.
'Say yes you fag say yes!' Hichigo practically begged.
'Please say yes! Come one!' At the same time, Tiburon was cheering for Ichigo.' Let her have some fun!'
"Of course not!" Ichigo finally choked, causing both inner hollows to wail in despair." I would never sleep with you!" His lady-speaking skills could use some refining because those weren't the words you used towards the lady...ever.
Tia never bothered with her feminine side very much. Yet Ichigo somehow managed to awaken it.
'That asshole! Is he implying that we're ugly!?' Tiburon snarled.
'That's what I'm about to ask.' Tia glared at Ichigo with a predatory stare." Do you find my look so repulsive that the very idea sickens you?" She asked icily. Not that she cared about his opinion, but aside from being Arrancar, she was a woman too.
She had all the rights for a little vanity.
"No that's not what I meant!" Ichigo replied desperately, trying to save some face." You're anything but repulsive!" His eyes widened when those words left his mouth. He clamped his hand over his mouth and looked at her in terror.
Tia's eyes slightly widened at his statement.
'Ara? I take back what I said…hehehe this boy will be tons of fun.' Tiburon said slyly.' He just called you beautiful.'
'In an indirect manner.' Tia replied but couldn't stop the…warm feeling in her chest. Ichigo attitude and behavior were refreshing. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and she could read him like an open book. And she knew him for only a few hours.
He was honest to a fault. A rather pleasant change from Aizen.
"You haven't answered my question Ichigo-san." She had to admit his reaction held a certain entertainment value.
"No…I won't ask anything from you in exchange for shelter." Ichigo finally composed himself." Aside from the course, what I asked earlier….and sorry for my idiot of a dad to give you that impression." She blushed some more." I would never use a woman in need in such a way, it's disgusting." He made a face.
"Those are some admirable morals." She nodded towards him. While she frowned at the phrase, woman in need" Tia felt at ease knowing that her host had such high morals.
"Well, since that's out, what do you want to do? After breakfast, I can show you around and get you some more clothes." Ichigo offered.
Tia would take his offer if not for one thing….she was exhausted.
"I would like to rest for now Ichigo-san, I haven't slept for four days." She said feeling her eyelids becoming heavy.
"Oh! Sure sorry I forgot about that." Ichigo rubbed his neck sheepishly. He walked to the drawer and pulled out a large T-shirt and a pair of boxers." I know it's not perfect but those are way more comfortable than your current clothes. " He said handling her them." Don't worry, they're washed."
"Thank you," Tia said sincerely. The longer she sat on the soft bed, the heavier her body felt.
"I'll be back late afternoon, then we'll have to go for the tour and go shopping," Ichigo said, moving towards the doors.
"Very well," Tia said neutrally.
"Ok then good night, I guess…and if you're hungry feel free to use everything in the kitchen," Ichigo said as he closed the door behind him.
Tia dropped her clothes and changed into what Ichigo supplied her with. She lifted the blanket and slid beneath it.
At this moment the completely ordinary bed felt like the one made for the empress. The softness seemed to swallow her the second she relaxed.
Tia just hoped that she would be granted a dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, Ichigo had to have one more talk before he could go to attend to his matters…
"Ichigo." His father called him to the living room. He was sitting on an armchair and had a serious look on his face."Ichigo are you certain about this?" Isshin asked in a grave voice, looking at his son.
"I am dad, she's staying with us." He replied in the same manner.
"Can I ask how this happened?" Ichigo quickly summarized what happened last night.
"I see." Isshin started. "But I really don't see why you didn't purify her, and send her to Soul Society... You know how it works." Isshin crossed his arms at his chest.
"Firstly, it doesn't work that way with Arrancar, due to the Shinigami powers. I would simply kill her if I did that. And secondly, would you like to have a son that finished off a wounded woman?" He finished with sarcasm. He really didn't believe that his father would even consider killing a defeated opponent. Call him naïve, but finishing her off, to him, was just…wrong. Killing them in battle was a different thing, and even then he was never happy when his opponents died. Even when he killed Aizen he didn't feel happiness, just…that he did the right thing that's all, he was not pleased about it.
"No, I wouldn't want a killer in the house, but..." Isshin tried to explain."…eh just remember that Yuzu and Karin live here too, she might be dangerous to them."
"I know I warned her not to hurt any of you, but she's no threat anymore," Ichigo stated with conviction.
"And how do you know that?" Isshing inquired.
"I just know, call it strong intuition," Ichigo replied with a smirk.
"What exactly do you plan to do with her, my son?" Isshin's smile turned perverted." You know keeping her all the time in your room, might be hazardous to your social life.
"Dad!" Ichigo blushed."You damn perv geezer! If you have to know I asked Urahara to arrange this for me. She will attend the same school and classes with me." He told him.
"So after all you have set your eyes on her, haven't you?" Isshin asked with a grin, causing Ichigo to blush even more. "Arrancar huh? Quite an exotic choice."
"I have not set my eyes on her. I just helped her that's all. It's the same as with Rukia and Orihime." Ichigo obviously denied his father's statement. His father leaned to him and asked him in a conspiratorial voice.
"And where does she have her hole?" Ichigo felt a heart attack coming, not believing just what he heard. He looked at his father with pure terror, not being able to form any proper sentence.
"I mean her Hollow Hole." He replied with face face-splitting grin, dying from laughter. With that statement, Ichigo froze for a moment. He hadn't noticed it so it was either under her jacket or near her…Ichigo gulped at that thought, turning his face into a tomato, which caused Isshin to laugh even harder.
"S-Shut up! You will wake her up!" Ichigo huffed "Is that all? I have to go to Soul Society to straighten that mess with appointing me as a Captain."
"Yeah tha.…wait what?!"Isshin exclaimed." Since when you're a Captain!?"
"Since two days ago." Ichigo grinned at his father's stunned expression.
"Which division? " He asked .'If tenth, I'm going to cry.'
"Kido Corps," Ichigo said rubbing his neck.
"Weren't they disbanded?" Isshin asked with furrowed eyebrows." And as far as I'm concerned you don't know any kido."
"I know a bit now, Hachi taught me but still this whole matter seems a bit fishy to me." Ichigo crossed his arms.
"Yeah it's unusual to appoint kido noob as a Captain…and what exactly do you mean by appointed?" Isshin asked.
"Old man simply called me out of the blue and gave me Haori." Ichigo shrugged.
"Hmm, that's not the usual way." He was the questioning look and his son's face." You can become a Captain in three ways...officially, the First method is achieving Bankai and presenting it before at least three captains including the Captain-Commander, a personal recommendation of at least six captains, and approval of three more of the remaining seven. The last one is through combat, with a minimum of two hundred members of a particular division you have to slay the captain and take his place."
"Oh, well mine promotion looked different, and I have to get to the bottom of it," Ichigo stated.
"Ichigo be careful, there's a lot you still have to learn about Soul Society," Isshin warned.
"I am aware of that…it's not like I believe that they did that purely out of gratitude." His son replied with seriousness." Later…and don't torment her with your idiocy she's been through a lot recently." Ichigo stated going towards the doors."
"Ah, young love." Isshin sighed with nostalgia. His only response was the sound of shutting doors.
.....
Soul Society- 1st squad HQ
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had to suppress a sigh. He was aware that this whole situation would cause problems. If it was up to him he would never offer young Kurosaki the position, at least not now, and let him go on his merry way. But apparently, Central 46 had other ideas about that.
That was why he was currently being stared upon by twelve pairs of eyes.
"Yamamoto-sama I believe that the situation with young Kurosaki has to be explained." Unohana finally broke the silence that ruled over the room since the beginning of the meeting.
After the situation with Aizen was cleared, central 46 made a few adjustments to the Gotei 13 system. Now captains had to meet at least once every two months to discuss the situation at hand. Every member had to be present unless some extraordinary circumstances prevented that.
"I agree, what is the meaning of this Commander-sama." Soifon said." Why did we let that…boy in our ranks?"
"His appointment was against the law," Byakuya stated calmly.
"Maa, Maa cut the old man some slack." Kyoraku said placatingly." He will explain that right?"
Yamamoto finally sighed.
"Kurosaki Ichigo must absolutely not know what was said in this room." He stated content that everyone nodded." His appointment was ordered by the Soul King himself."
Stunned silence filled the room as the captain looked between each other confirming that they hadn't misheard.
"Yet there was another order issued by Central 46 in case of refusal … We were ordered to contain him if necessary." He said shocking the gathered even more.
"That bullshit!" Shinji exclaimed with fury." The kid almost got himself killed for us, and in return, we're going to arrest him?!"
"Calm down." Yamamoto hadn't raised his voice but it was enough to stop the blonde captain.
"I agree with Blondi here."Zaraki snorted. " Bunch of pussies are scared of him. I don't like that."
"Neither do I." Komamura said." Ichigo Kurosaki's been our valiant ally ever since Aizen's betrayal."
"There is no honor in such behavior," Byakuya said, with a calm demeanor but his narrowed eyes said volumes of his ire.
"Nor beauty," Rojuro added brushing his lock aside.
"Genryusai-sama what caused central 46 to make such a decision?" Ukirake asked.
"There had to be a good reason for that, but I can't phantom one now," Toshiro added.
"Ichigo Kurosaki is too powerful to roam freely, that was the argument." Yamamoto stated." I can see their reasoning…the youngster defeated Aizen while none of us could, and we still don't know how." He was about to rub his bread but he forgot that he was missing an arm, other was occupied by his cane/sword.
His statement silenced the other captains. That was one thing that was bugging them. How did a boy who was a Shinigami for less than a year manage to beat a man who defeated most of this room's occupants, not even being at full strength at the time?
"I can see their point but it's not a reason enough to antagonize the boy." Unohana frowned. During her long servitude, central 46 made many bad decisions, but this one was close to the top. Even in this very room, Ichigo had at least three Captains that would side with him in case of problems." If a situation arises, our combined strength should be more than enough to put him down."
"That was what we thought about Aizen and look how it ended." Soifon pointed out." I can organize his capture if necessary,"
"Now that was too far Captain Soifon, Ichigo's not Azien." Ukitake chastised her." Unless we give him very good reason he won't turn on us."
"That's the point, no matter the reason he shouldn't do that, the duty goes before everything else." SoiFon countered." Every Shinigami knows that."
"He's still living human, our code doesn't technically bind him." Kensei pointed.
"It did from the moment he accepted a Haori from Captain Commander," Byakuya stated, with obvious displeasure in his voice.
"Rather was bullied into it, how he was supposed to say no to Yamamoto-sama in front of four thousand Shinigamis?" Shinji asked rhetorically." No matter how stubborn he is, he's still a kid, that was not fair to him."
"I agree, we can't throw such responsibility on him like that." Rojuro asked." It should be his decision central 46 be damned."
"Watch your mouth!" Soifon snapped, earning a glare from hollowfied Shinigami." Your words are borderline treasonous!"
"It was the only way he would accept that." Yamamoto spoke before an argument erupted between the captains." We cannot allow for his potential to be wasted in prison, you must ensure that he remains a Captain, that's an order."
"But if he refuses?" Soifon pressed.
"Then we'll take the necessary steps." Captain Commander said shortly." I conclude this session as- " He paused when he felt a particular reiatsu pass through the Sekaimon.
"Speak about the devil and he will come." Kyoraku mumbled with a smirk." So I guess we're waiting for him, eh?"
......….
Sekaimon gate
Ichigo landed on the creamy white pavement, calmly marching towards the 1st squad HQ hoping to find Captain Commander. He was quite suspicious of this sudden promotion and was sure that Soul Society had an ulterior motive but he couldn't guess what was it.
'Heed your father warning Ichigo, we still aren't knowledgeable enough about Soul Society.' Zangetsu said.
'I know, I know but I still can't shake that feeling that something is going on…hell can't we catch a break for even a moment?' He shook his head.' Zangetsu? I want to ask you something.'
'Then ask Ichigo, and I'll answer to the best of my ability.' His sword spirit replied.
'How is it that I still have you and my powers? Was the final getsuga Tensho supposed to destroy you?'
'That was what I thought too, but it seems that I was mistaken, I was sure that I would perish after you executed the attack.' Zangetsu said thoughtfully.' Something must have happened that stopped the deterioration of our powers.'
'I can only think of that strange light when Hogyoku disappeared, nothing else happened after that.' Ichigo deducted.
'There is a possibility….but regardless of the reason I'm happy to be still with you.' Zangetsu said with warmth.
'Thanks, I appreciate you too' Ichigo replied warmly.
'Kami what a bunch of fags! I'm going to puke.' Ichigo snorted disgusted.
'And the moment's gone' Ichigo scowled. He reached the building, walking before the large doors with a large one written in kanji.
Without thinking he pushed the doors open.
"Oh hey, guys." He greeted the gathered captains." You're having a meeting? Guess I'll come later sorry for interrupting."
"You're not interrupting Kurosaki-san, what's more, you should come to this meeting since you're a captain too," Unohana said smiling slightly.
"Yeah, I came here about that, can someone explain to me this whole situation?" Ichigo looked at Captain Commander with a question.
"Central 46 decided to reward you for your valor in the last war." Captain Commander lied smoothly. "Additionally you were given a monetary reward that should be on your account." This part was true.
"Really? Sweet." Ichigo felt that Tia's presence wouldn't strain his used-to-be humble budget that much now. "But can I drop the position? I mean and honored and such but I have virtually no idea about being captain and I basically don't know Kido." Ichigo decided to play oblivious. He didn't need them to know that he was suspecting them.
"Both things are amendable, Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto said calmly." To be offered the position of captain is a great honor."
"I know, but I'm really not interested." Ichigo crossed his arms." I have a life in the human world, I can't spend all my time here."
"No one is going to force you to spend all your time here Ichigo." Shinji said." You can be here let's say on weekends, and if something pops out, besides it will be a great occasion to hang out more!" He gave him his trademark grin to which Ichigo responded with his trademark scowl.
"Now I really don't want this job." He deadpanned.
"Damn insensitive bastard. "Shinji muttered angrily but he was starting to grow anxious. Things were going in the mighty wrong direction.
"Oh don't be like that Ichigo." Kyoraku said lazily." It's fun to be a captain, you get privileges and nice cash out of it, not to mention you might get some pretty ladies in your division."
"Are you trying to bribe me Kyoraku-san?" Ichigo asked incredulously. Now he was certain something was going on here.
"Nah, I'm just enumeration the pros of being a captain." He replied waving off his statement. Ichigo rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms.
"Ok, enough of that, what is really going on here guys? I want to know everything before I take your offer, period." He stated firmly.
The tension in the room raised drastically. Ichigo just called their bluff and now his future was at stake.
Before anyone else spoke Ukitake broke the silence.
"Ichigo-san is being a Captain is that great of a sacrifice for you?" Ukitake asked." You will be treated as our equal and be offered training in one of our arts, if not more if you ever wished, our whole knowledge will be at your disposal. You could grow as a person and as a Shinigami."
" You still dodge the question, Ukitake-san, why me? what was the reason behind my promotion?" Ichigo pressed losing his patience." I'm not going to walk into something blindly."
Reasonable stance, the thought passed through the minds of the gathered captains. If only Ichigo knew how thin ice he was threading.
"We're reforming Kurosaki Ichigo." Ukitake said." We pulling our ranks together, last war showed the scale of our negligence and almost destroyed the Soul Society, that is why we're gathering all skilled individuals and working on their improvement, let's face it you won't learn in the human world what we're offering."
"I have witnessed your fighting style multiple times Kurosaki Ichigo, your style is sloppy and lacks finesse, you're wasting large amounts of reiatsu on pointless maneuvers." Byakuya stated." There is a lot of room for improvement."
"Besides we can't let loose cannon run around," SoiFon stated carelessly.
Then it clicked.
'Don't let them put a leash on you in one way or another.' Aizen's words echoed through his mind. 'Fuck…' He looked around warily, for the first time fearing for his safety.
The rest of the captains were busy starring daggers at SoiFon for her show of stupidity. They all had seen the momentary shock on the young man's face, that to their dismay was followed by a wary look.
'Zangetsu will I be able to use Final Getsuga Tensho again? I notice that I seemed to revert to my original powers?' Ichigo asked hastily.
'I doubt it Ichigo, initially it might kill you, using it so soon after the first time will kill you for sure, it might be years before you might use it safely again,' He said.
'Damn it…' He gritted his teeth. A feeling of bitterness washed over him. He fought and bled countless times for them and that's how they repaid him? He was about to lash at them but stopped. What his action would cause to his family and friends? He doubted that they would kill him, from what he heard he was way too popular for that and it might cause unrest among the Shinigami. But they can arrest him.
His friends would immediately rush to his side and surely get beaten by the captains…
Not to mention that a certain blonde Arrancar sleeping blissfully in his bed will surely get into this.
And while Soul Society might spare him or his friends, she would be instantly put on death row without a trial.
So he had two choices, fight for his freedom and possibly lose everything he cared about, or submit part of his freedom and guarantee the safety of his family and friends.
'Well, it's not that they aren't trying to sweeten the deal.' He thought the position of captain and hefty income weren't bad terms after all. ' It might also help me cover Tia.'
Ichigo sighed loudly drawing their attention.
"Whose idea was that?" He finally asked with defeat.
"Central 46 ordered us Ichigo-san, none of us are happy because of that," Unohana said gently, coming as close to the truth as possible.
"I can see that." He deadpanned glaring at SoiFon." Fine, I accept the terms, but I won't be your lapdog."
"No one is asking you to be, and little responsibility might do you some good." Her smile widened as the tension slowly left the room.
"I hope so." Without further words, Ichigo promptly turned on his heel and left the room leaving the captain behind.
"This could have gone better." Toshiro mumbled." I was sure he was about to attack."
"Pity he didn't," Zaraki said with a huff.
"You just had to yap your mouth SoiFon." Shinji said." Might as well tell him that we would bring him in if he refused our demands, now he's pissed off and have all rights to it."
"He feels betrayed, we have a lot of work to regain his trust." Unohana shook her head.
"It's not like we're forcing him to do a grunt job, we're giving him the position of captain he should at least feel some gratitude." Mayuri said with exasperation." He's such a brat."
"To him, it's like we're taking away his freedom within truth we do," Komamura stated.
"He'll have to suck it up." Kensai said with impatience." Can we be done with this already? I have better things to do than standing here all day, I got a sudden case of nausea right now"
"This meeting is concluded, dismissed." Captain Commander simply said, feeling that the orange-haired Shinigami would be a cause of numerous headaches in the future.
.......
Seretei streets
"Come on Renji I can feel Ichigo right around the corner!" Rukia urged her childhood friend.
"What's the rush? We saw him like two days ago." The redhead replied.
"We did, but he was at the 1st now with other captains meaning he's now after his first meeting!" She said with excitement. "Can't wait to see his rea-" She paused when the object of her interest came from beyond the corner.
Rukia and Renji expected many things, joy, glee, smugness, etc. But not the look of pure anger and bitterness on his face.
"Ichigo…" She said drawing his attention." Are you alright?"
"Oh hey, I hadn't noticed you." He greeted them dejectedly." And no I've just got screwed over by Central 46."
"What do you mean?" Renji asked bewildered. Ichigo explained what occurred at the meeting, including the indirect threat Central 46 made, if he refused." Well damn those bastards."
"I know I have a half mind to go there and voice my disapproval," Ichigo growled.
"Yeah, you really have half mind!" Rukia exclaimed whacking his head." Do you have any idea how stupid it would be? You should be happy that Gotei 13 likes you."
"I know I could get a worse offer but still, an ultimatum is an ultimatum no matter how sweet." He grumbled." Now I have to think how to do both school and captain's duties."
"Can't you have Kon take over from time to time?" Rukia suggested." He did well when we were away in Las Nostches."
"I think so but I'm still not happy about that." Ichigo refused to budge an inch in that matter.
"Little responsibility will do you good, Ichigo, you might even like it." Rukia smiled. She was excited at the thought that he would be spending more time in Soul Society.
"Yeah Kurosaki, are you chickening out?" Renji taunted.
"I believe that's Captain Kurosaki to you, VICE-Captain Abarai." Ichgio grinned evilly making the other man scowl." Ok, I can get used to that."
"See you're already enjoying this," Rukia said good-naturedly.
"Yeah…listen Rukia I have a favor to ask, can you ask your brother for some info about this whole situation? I mean they told me why they were doing but I want to have some proof that they not planning anything else."
"I can try but you know my brother, but I will nevertheless, don't you worry Ichigo you have many allies here," Rukia stated putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks, I'll be off then guy." He waved them goodbye.
"Wait! Have you seen your squad HQ yet?" She asked.
"I will in about two weeks, Hachi told me that it is still under renovation not to mention they have to get some actual members first." He told them." He will tell me when everything's ready."
"Ah ok then, so see you around," Rukia said hiding disappointment.
"Yeah, don't let that whole captain thing get to your head, I'll be catching up soon," Renji warned with a friendly scowl.
Ichigo smirked and shunpo'ed towards the sekaimon, leaving two of his friends behind.
After about half an hour he was already walking towards his house. On the way, he recalled something about a hefty reward for his efforts. Pulling out his smartphone he logged into his bank account and almost stumbled over his own legs.
There were way too many zeros there.
He could buy two luxurious apartments in the center of Tokyo and live for a year like a king, and only after that had to worry about his finances.
'Ok, I've got you to admit they know how to make a proposal." Ichigo admitted having a feeling that things might not be so bad after all.
But he was still cautious. The sugar coat was thick but he would still get to the bottom of his so-called promotion.
Deep in thought he reached his house and found it empty downstairs meaning that his father was working.
He went upstairs and opened the doors to his room.
To be honest, Ichigo expected to find his bed empty, without even a note of goodbye. He was even more surprised by the fact that Tia was now blissfully sleeping. She was so tired that she hadn't even felt his approach. He looked at her peaceful face for a few seconds then his eyes traveled south….he left the room rather quickly chasing off any indecent thoughts.
Ichigo decided to give her a few more minutes and went to make her some snacks. He misses the small figure crawling inside the room.
Ichigo would let her sleep as long as wanted but it was already late afternoon and if they didn't hurry the shops would get closed.
He prepared two sandwiches and a glass of orange juice.
He walked upstairs….
"Neeeeee-saaaaaannnnn." Only to dodge the oncoming projectile that bounced repeatedly from the corridor's walls.
Ichigo would face-palm if his hands were occupied. He walked into his room and saw Tia's disheveled look with irritation on her face…which meant that she was probably furious, given her limited expression.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"What was that vile creature?" Tia asked in a dangerously low voice.
"Oh that was just Kon, a mod souls, he can sometimes get very….liberal with personal space," Ichigo replied, sweating slightly at her steel look.
"Then tell him that invading Lady's personal space without consent can have severe consequences." She uttered.
"Understood." Ichigo gulped." I made this for you. You must be hungry after all that time." He presented his offering. And indeed Tia was starving but it was not the hunger she got used to in her years as Hollow. It was a normal one….not the mind-numbing animalistic one driven by fear of devolution.
He handed her the plate with sandwiches and put the glass on the nightstand. Tia took the careful first bite and started chewing.
It was the first time in over a century that he had normal food. While the sandwiches weren't anything special for her they tasted like a dish from a star restaurant.
Ichigo saw all of this. He could almost swear that a smile was building on her face and once more he was struck with desire to see a full smile on her face.
Ichigo decided to wait until she finished before he spoke.
"So was it good?"
"Yes, you have my gratitude." Ichigo could swear that he heard warmth in her voice. She took the glass of juice and gulped it down in one go.
"Ok so after you're done, we'll go to the mall and buy you some clothes." Ichigo stated moving out of the room." I'll be waiting downstairs."
Tia finished the other sandwich and quickly dressed. She moved downstairs and found Ichigo on the sofa tinkering with some small flat device. Noticing her he stood and moved to the hall and started to put his winter gear on, handing her one of his jackets.
They went out and took a bus to the city center. They took the seats, Tia near the window taking in the sights and Ichigo next to them.
"Tomorrow we'll go on a tour around the city, and I'll introduce you to a few of my friends who are aware of spirits, they will help you adjust in school and give you cover if necessary," Ichigo explained.
Tia glanced at him nodding in acknowledgment. She still had problems with believing that the young Shinigami was going through so much effort just out of the goodness of his heart. A trait that only she exhibited in the deserts of Hueco Mundo.
Yet she also noticed that Ichigo seemed a little bit absent-minded. He hadn't tried to strike a conversation like before and his eyes had a faraway look in them.
'Is he regretting his offer?' Tia mussed. She was aware that she was causing him many problems but he insisted on her staying,' Second thoughts?'
'Maybe instead of guessing just ask him what's bugging him.' Tiburon suggested.
'I don't want to pry, it would be rude.' She replied calmly.' Whatever his concerns are he won't need my input, I'm not his friend.'
'You my dear wielder are an idiot, if you're so worried about him having second thoughts maybe ask what's wrong and show him that you give a damn about his problems, show some gratitude.' Tiburon snapped in exasperation.
'You misunderstood me, I simply do not think of myself as qualified to ask such questions, we met yesterday and I used to serve under his enemy.' Tia explained.
'Just humor me and speak to him, you saw how badly he takes your silent treatment.' Tiburon urged.
Tia sighed and turned her head to Ichigo.
"Ichigo-san…" She drawled his attention." I came to notice that you're unusually silent." She hesitated for a second." Is something wrong?"
Ichigo looked into her eyes and saw guilt in them.
'Great she thinks that it's her fault.' Ichigo sighed." Well, I have a few things on my mind but don't worry it's not your fault." Ichigo smiled reassuring her consciousness. They sat a few more seconds in silence. One was unsure if he should share his problem with his companion the other is she should ask what it was about.
Finally, Ichigo decided to share his problems with Tia. He told her about how Soul Society literally strong-armed him into accepting the position of the captain, and of his internal conflict between his freedom and the safety of his close ones.
Before he ended his tale they got out of the bus and walked towards the mall.
Tia had to admit that when he finished waiting for her opinion her respect for him skyrocketed.
She was struck by how close their way of thinking was. Ichigo seemed like a person who would lay his life for his loved ones, just like she would for her faction.
And how similar his situation was to hers when Aizen offered her power. Both of them were cornered by their supposed allies and had truly no choice but to accept their offer or let their family and friends suffer for their defiance.
But what concerned her even more was the part where he admitted that her safety turned the scale in favor of accepting their proposal. Somehow she felt flattered that she was even taken into consideration by him, in such crucial matters.
"Tia-san?" Ichigo asked seeing her thoughtful expression.
"Forgive me I was thinking…while I cannot say whether your decision was correct or not I can say that it was…noble." She saw the surprise on his face. "Yet you mentioned that my safety was a factor that swayed your judgment…please refrain from making decisions based on my wellbeing." Tia could swear that she heard Tiburon's facepalm. " There's no need for you to sacrifice yourself for me….I'm not worth it." She added quietly.
She was mildly startled when Ichigo suddenly paused and glared at her.
"What the hell Tia?" He snapped with his temper rising." What was the last past?"
"I said that I'm not worth your sacrifice." She replied calmly failing to see why he was getting so worked over this.
"Don't you say that! You're a living being Tia! You're not worthless!" Ichigo said hotly furrowing his eyebrow in disapproval of her low self-esteem.
"No matter how much I sacrifice myself it never achieves anything…thus making me worthless." She recalled Aizen's cruel words after he delivered his first strike, then added salt to the wound by deeming her not worthy of even a second swing of the sword.
She never knew how deeply those words cut her. Only when she said it aloud she realized the horrible truth behind them.
"That's bullshit!... Have someone told you that?! I'll beat that bastard!" Ichigo growled feeling furious.
"You already did." Tia said quietly shutting him up." But that doesn't change the fact that he was right in the end my sacrifice meant nothing."
"Aizen was a dick and a liar, Tia you shouldn't listen to him." Ichigo cringed slightly at the hypocrisy of his statement." I think you're worth saving and I'm not regretting my decision."
"Why did you do it?" She asked again. She half expected a don't know answer.
"Do I really need a reason? Besides how could I leave you there in that state." Ichigo said.
"So it was pity." She looked at the ground ashamed. Tia almost flinched when he felt his hands on her shoulders. She rose her head to meet her eyes.
"It was respect for your will to live Tia." Ichigo said warmly." I saw that you were worth saving, and later my suspicions were only reinforced, you're a good person, Tia, who just got a bad hand in life, so if I can help you out I will do so to the best of my abilities, now no more sulking and let's go shopping, I heard that it cheers every woman." He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and moved towards the mall.
Tia once more was moved to the very core by his passionate speech. Unable to form a coherent replay she just quietly followed the orange-haired Shinigami.
She couldn't believe just how insightful this man was. He seemed to have a natural ability to pass through her tight defenses call out her worries and then calm them.
A fearsome ability.
'Just who are you Kurosaki Ichigo?' Tia wondered. For someone who just met her recently, he seemed to read her like an open book, wounding her pride a bit. She always thought of herself as hard to read but that man seemed to make it his quest to constantly prove her wrong.
She shoved those thoughts back into the deep corner of her mind.
The mall was quite standard. A big building with lots of varying shops, pretty much having everything. The Christmas decorations were still on, so everyone could feel the Christmas spirit a bit longer.
And it looked like it was under siege if the amount of people was any indication. Ichigo warned her to stay close or she might get lost.
"Ok, Tia let's go in and get you some decent clothing." Stated Ichigo and he walked towards the clothes shop, but he then noticed that Tia didn't follow him. "Hey. What's wrong?" He asked concerned, then he noticed she was looking at the ground slightly red. She mumbled something that Ichigo didn't catch.
"Can you repeat that? I didn't catch it." He asked.
"I don't have any money." She replied, embarrassed. Unlike the rest of the Espada Tia had done actual research about the World of the Living and the Soul Society alike, so she wasn't totally oblivious to the ways of this world. While technology eluded her she knew that in the Human world, everything had a price and she was flat broke, worse, even her clothes were borrowed. She completely was dependent on the young Shinigami. Tia hated the feeling over using his hospitality.
"So?" Ichigo asked cheerfully, not understanding the problem.
" I do not want to burden you any-" Tia's cheeks actually turned slightly pink. Ichigo felt had to keep his mouth from falling open. Somehow his blonde companion got even more charming than before.
"Atatata, I told you to not worry about such things." He smirked." Remember the part about giving me a hefty reward? Then let's buy you something nice."
Tia sighed in defeat and followed him inside the shop.
"So what do you want to buy?" Ichigo asked looking around.
"I don't know," Tia admitted. For her, all those clothes seemed ridiculous.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, but he had some clues about what she meant.
"Remember, I was born more than 100 years ago in Hawaii. At that time the place wasn't very modern. I dare say it was quite primitive, and my research about the human world didn't include much about fashion, so I'm pretty lost." She answered. Ichigo could already see the implications of that statement.
'Damn. I should have brought Inoue or Tatsuki with me." He thought, but he quickly discarded that idea. It would've blown Tia's cover in seconds. 'Ok, it seems he will have to do it the hard way.'
"Ok let's start with the basics…" He gulped turning scarlet. "What kind of underwear do you want?"
"There are different kinds of underwear?" Tia asked.
'No, it can't be.' Ichigo's sweat dropped. He could swear Hichigo was laughing his ass off…"Erm you know…like panties…bra…" He blushed darker with each word.
"I know the word panties, but what does bra mean?" She asked again looking at the Shinigami, whose face paled and immediately after that grew deep red. 'He's got some control over his blood flow.' She noticed.
"… Well... it's a piece of clothing that… holds your breasts. ….So they won't hang." He explained stumbling at each word growing even more red.
"What's wrong with having your breasts hanging?" She asked curiously about that matter. In her previous life, she wore only a sash over her waist and her breasts were uncovered and everyone was fine with it. Later on, she wore some shirts. 'It seems that things become more prudish in the human world.'
"Its. Well…I mean…dammit..." He took a deep breath. "Let's just say that you need it." He cut the discussion."Let's find someone who can help us with it." He looked around and found a worker.
"Excuse me, can you help us?" Ichigo asked politely. The worker was a female in her mid-twenties. She was average height and quite slim, she had black shoulder-length hair, brown eyes, and a round face.
"Of course how can I help you?"
"My friend needs to buy some bras, She's a foreigner so she doesn't know the sizes here, can you help her?" Ichigo managed to say it with a calm face.
"Sure, can you please raise your arms...woah" She gasped at Tia's bust. 'Have to be double D or even Fs' She thought. "Ok good, hold still." She measured Tia, and her eyes widened a little. "137cm in the bust. Ok looks like it's a DD-size cup, please wait a moment." As she went to the shelves.
"Geez, where did old man Urahara get a size like that?" Ichigo wondered loudly.
Tia raised her eyebrow.
"I mean the bra you're wearing now," Ichigo said like it was obvious.
"I not wearing a bra. I only have this sweater on." She replied. After the meaning of her words reached Ichigo he felt his jaw hit his foot, but thanks to the arrival of a shop assistant with a dozen pairs of bras, Ichigo managed to take his mind out of the gutter. Just barely…
"The dressing rooms are over there." She pointed in the direction of to back of the shop. "If you need anything just call me." She smiled and went back to her duties.
"Ok let's go," Ichigo said and went with Tia to the dressing rooms. Tia went inside with the bras, and Ichigo pulled the curtain. Ichigo heard the sound of her sweater when she pulled it off, and despite his best efforts some 'thoughts' entered his mind that usually weren't there.
He recalled his little talk with his bastard of a father about her and blushed some more. He was taken out of his 'thoughts' when Tia asked a question, that gave him a heart attack… another one…he lost count after fifth.
"Ichigo-san…how do I keep it on, it keeps falling." Tia's voice sounded from behind the curtain.
He gulped hard feeling his throat was as dry as dessert.
"You just hook it." He mumbled sweating a river.
"Can you help me with it?" She asked, getting a little annoyed because she just couldn't do it properly.
Meanwhile, Ichigo had to control his breathing, after her request he started hyperventilating. Slowly he moved the curtain and walked into the dressing room. He saw Tia topless, except for the bra she was fighting with. She had her back to him, but thanks to the mirror, Ichigo could clearly see the concentration and frustration that was on her face. Also thanks to the mirror, he could clearly see her breasts' movements when she struggled with hooking her bra. He felt cold sweat on his back. He managed to regain his composure and steeled his resolve.
"Let me." He chocked. Tia stopped fighting with the hook and rested her hand along her body. Thanks to the mirror she could see the….unique face Ichigo was making as he hesitantly moved his hand to her back. She found it pretty entertaining watching his face like that. His lips were pulled into thin lines, his eyes narrowed and were bloodshot, and his brows were furrowed as if he was trying to solve some complicated problem. In addition to that, he was sweating heavily and was as red as a fully ripened strawberry.
'Way to go Ti-chan!" Tiburon cheered." I knew you had it in you!.'
"What do you mean?" Tia actually dreaded the answer.
"I mean that you are now alone here half naked with a young handsome teenager that tries to dress you…hmmm that usually works the other way.' Tiburon mussed.
Her comment made Tia realize her blunder. She felt her face went hot. She allowed a male to see her in such an indecent state. She should have asked him to show her how to do it outside, not on her boy.
A jolt of electricity ran down her back as she felt his finger brush against her skin.
But she kept her composure, not wanting to interrupt him.
Ichigo on the other hand was near popping a vein, as his hands slowly shortened the distance between them and Tia. He felt his blood pressure actually skyrocketing through the roof. He was certain that the human body wouldn't be able to handle it for much longer. When he finally grabbed the hook, he accidentally stroked her skin with his hand. He immediately noticed how smooth it was, blushing even more if it was possible.
He banished away any indecent thoughts that came to him and finally hooked her bra. When he let it go he felt his ankles going soft and leaned heavily against the wall. After he calmed down he asked.
"So how does it fit?" Yep, he just aged a decade if the strain in his voice was any indication.
"It's….acceptable," Tia answered trying to get used to the feeling of this new cloth.
"Good…try the other ones out." He said and quickly left the changing room to cool down.
'That was intense.' He thought. Ichigo, despite the fact he wouldn't admit it, could still feel the sensation of her skin. It didn't matter that it was mere seconds, her smoothness and warmth wouldn't leave his thoughts. He never really had this kind of feeling before. When he touched other girls (of course in a friendly matter) he didn't have these sorts of thoughts. But when he was near Tia, he just couldn't stop it.
'Just cut it out!' He reprimanded himself. 'You barely know her and you're acting like some sort of perverted monkey.' Ichigo was getting a little annoyed with himself. He was acting like some sort of over-hormonal teenager…ok, he was still a teenager, but he centrally wasn't sex-crazed. Suddenly, his self-calming thoughts were interrupted by the voice he wished he would have liked to never hear again.
'Ya really just suck, Ichigo' His inner hollow stated
'Buzz off freak, I don't want to speak to you.' He shot back, not wanting to hear the crap from his hollow.
'Don't care. Mind telling me what that was in the dressing room, hmm?' Hichigo asked, with obvious disappointment in his voice.
'What was what?' He asked back.
'The fact that you were alone with a half-naked hot chick, and you helped her dress up, you moron! You know Kingy usually it works the other way...' He stressed the last part, mocking Ichigo.
'I'm not a perverted pig like you. I have morals and rules.' He told him with pride.
'More like gay rules!' Hichigo almost yelled. 'Rule no 1. Dump every hot chick in a five-mile radius.Rule no 2. If a chick makes moves on you look at rule nr 1! Just tell me how many times you had the occasion to do the chick, but declined no matter how hot she was. Wait let's count, Rukia at least a few times, Orihime lost count, you could have her every day if you wanted. Yoruichi at least a few times, as well as that Matsumoto chick. Nel, of course in adult form, I'm not into brats. Not counting countless female Shinigami that literally glued themselves to their hero. Do I need to name more?'Hichigo taunted.
'...'
'Struck a nerve I see, and once again you let the perfect chance slip.'He said with actual sadness. 'If I only was in control...'
'You would kill her you psycho!' Ichigo snapped.
'Psss, please as if I would waste such a fine piece of meat.' He chuckled darkly
'I don't believe what I just heard.' Ichigo said with fake tears. 'Zangetsu did you just hear that?' He asked his Zanpaktou.
'I did. Zangetsu replied.
'What? What did I say?' Hichigo asked puzzled about their reaction.
'You just evolved from psychotic killer to psychotic rapist, I'm so proud of you.' Ichigo finished, his voice dripping with venom and sarcasm.
'First: Fuck you. Second: Mark my words, she's now totally dependent on you, she owes you. Don't waste it, if you do I will take the chance .'With that, Hichigo fell silent
'Looks like he will cause problems in the future over that matter ' Zangetsu noticed.
'I know, hopefully not big ones.' Replied Ichigo. He was about to say some more, but he noticed that Tia left the dressing room and was looking around for him. He stood and went to her.
"So how does everything fit?" He asked, looking at her.
"They are good." She replied calmly.
"Ok so let's continue…" Ichigo started, and then he noticed Inoue walking towards him.
"Oh Kurosaki-kun, Halibel-san nice to see you," Inoue said, followed by Ishida, or what was supposed to be Ishida. Ichigo couldn't tell, because he was literally buried under shopping bags.
"Yo, Inoue, Ishida" Ichigo replied.
"So what are you doing here?" Inoue asked.
"I'm buying some stuff for Tia, so she won't have to walk around in the same clothes every day." He told her.
"Oh, I see. Hey Tia I see you chose some bras, how are they?" Inoue asked her with a smile.
"They are plausible, Ichigo-san helped me with them." She replied politely, not knowing what her words would cause.
"Ara, how did he help you?" Inoue asked, making her smile a little forced, as her sight traveled to Ichigo who was giving signs to Tia to not say anything more about what happened…vainly.
"I wasn't able to hook it and asked him for her, he showed me how to do it." She explained.
'Jesus.' Ichigo thought, seeing the complications that this would cause in the near future
"…." Inoue kept her 'friendly smile', but the veins on her forehead were clearly visible.
"Kurosaki….kun, mind telling me how you know so much about bras?" Inoue asked in a sweet voice, but Ichigo felt like Captain Unohana was standing in front of him.
'Women are sooo scary .'He thought and started to tremble. 'Dammit, what to do? Tell her that's a healthy interest at my age. Nope, she will call me a pervert, say that I couldn't say no to a lady? Wrong, too many problems will arise…I know!'
"Well, I learned when my sisters asked me to help them with theirs. Since I was older, and you know they won't ask my father to do it even in a 1000 years." He replied trying, to hide the obvious lie. He glanced at Ishida and saw that he was not buying it, but thanks to the God Inoue was naïve.
"Oh, that's great Kurosaki-kun that you help your sisters so much." He could literally see the steam coming out of her.
'Uffff close one.' He thought, and he was struck by an idea.
"Hey, Inoue since you and Tia are both girls..." He started.
"My Kurosaki, your perception skill has greatly improved." Ishida taunted him, making Ichigo scowl back.
"Erm… so I thought…" He started again.
"No way…You did?" He mocked him, causing Ichigo to clench his fist, and give him a death glare.
"That maybe you can help Tia choose the rest of her clothes, while I and that four-eyed bastard have a little talk." Twisting his lips in a cruel smile.
"Ok, no problem," Inoue replied, happy that she could help her friend. Ichigo left the shop, went towards the cash machine, and disbursed some money. He noticed that the amount of money in his account almost hadn't changed.
'It's good to be rich.' He thought.
When he went back to the shop he handed Inoue the clip of money, and watched in amusement at her reaction. She had asked from where he got that amount and raised her eyebrows when he summarized the whole story. Ichigo also told Inoue that she can buy all she wants for herself. Minutes later he and Ishida went to the nearest café and ordered some coffee.
"So you accepted the promotion after all I see." Uryu started sipping his coffee.
"It's not that simple Ishida." Ichigo quickly summarized his meeting with the captains.
"Damn, one would think that they would be more grateful." Young Quincy replied.
"From what they told me it's mostly Central 46 doing not theirs, I have a feeling that it's not the whole truth but they went out of their way to sweeten the deal," Ichigo stated.
"Still it's not fair after all you've done for them, to label you as loose cannon…" He paused." Speaking of loose cannons I see you decided to keep it."
"Her." Ichigo glared and his friend." And yes she stays with me."
"Does that have anything to do with you, helping" her to hook her bra?" Ishida asked.
"W-What?! Don't be ridiculous!" Ichigo replied quickly with his cheeks coloring I'm not like that !"
"You mean you're not into women?" he asked abashed.
"No, you moron I am, I didn't take her in for that!" He stated firmly. Albeit some traitorous part of his mind felt regret at that.
"Then why you did do it?" Ishida really wanted to hear a good reason for this insanity." I want the true reason Kurosaki."
"Like I said it was the right thing to do…and I had a hunch," Ichigo admitted.
"A hunch? You brought a potential danger to your house based on a hunch?" Ishida asked in disbelief.
"Trust me, I am right…she's like Nel Ishida. She's a good person who just had a shitty life." Ichigo said with sadness.
"I just hope you know what you're doing Ichigo." He said sighing." It can backfire quite badly."
"I know but just can't let them kill her." He said with fire in his eyes.
"Why? What's so important about her?"
Ichigo was saved from answering by the arrival of both females. The moment Tia came into Ichigo's vision his jaw hit the floor.
She wore a white scarf, a tight black T-shirt with a red jacket on top of it, that ended halfway through her abdomen, black leggings that matched her T-shirt, and white high-heeled boots. Also, she bought herself a black coat with a heavy hood, and white fur on the ends(very much like Ichigo's, but a more feminine version. Tia noticed his gaze and felt a little uncomfortable. He was looking at her like some sort of prey. She didn't know what that kind of gaze meant in the human world.
Ichigo had noticed his mistake and quickly stopped staring. After that, they separated Tia's bags from Inoue's, and everyone went home.
When Ichigo and Tia arrived at his house, Ichigo had to repel his father's attack, only then they could to their room and unpack all the bags.
Ichigo was impressed by Inoue's resourcefulness. Now Tia had everything she needed from a toothbrush, to perfumes, and from boots to winter hats. After they finished unpacking and putting the clothes in the wardrobe. Since it was getting late Ichigo proposed that they would watch some movie.
He chose the comedy movie that failed to draw even a slight smirk from her. Tia's only comment was that this thing was mildly entertaining.
While Tia was taking a shower Ichigo pulled out his spare futon and changed to his pajamas.
'What a day.' He thought sitting on his bed.' Guess there's never rest for the wicked.' He chuckled to himself.
After a few minutes, the doors to this room opened revealing Tia dressed in simple yellow pajamas….that had very thin material.
"Ok, it's time to sleep," Ichigo said quickly trying desperately not to stare. Tia passed him and his eyes traveled down to look at her shapely rear. 'Kami kill me now.'
Ichigo turned down the light and lay down on his futon while Tia took the bed.
"Good night Tia." Silence answered him but by now he was used to her minimalistic way of speaking. But just before the sleep took him, he heard a silent whisper.
"Good night Ichigo."
Content he fell asleep.