Rukia was fearful.

Using Ichigo to accomplish her duties while she recovered was working out. They'd purified quite a few Hollows and Konsoed quite a few pluses, and they'd had those unusual experiences with Orihime's Hollow brother and Chad's possessed parakeet. Overall, the job was getting done.

But Rukia couldn't take satisfaction in that. Her reiatsu wasn't recovering nearly as quickly as she'd thought it would. In point of fact, it felt as if it were decreasing, which was impossible, and so clearly just her imagination, but still. There couldn't be any doubt that the recovery was taking too long. If she didn't report back soon, the Onmitsukido would send someone to check on her.

She needed to do something. She needed to do whatever was necessary to get her powers back.

She sat cross-legged on Ichigo's bed and motioned for him to do the same.

"What the hell?" Ichigo said.

"I want my powers back. I'm tired of waiting. So we're gonna work on reiatsu control so maybe you can push my powers back into me."

Ichigo said, "If we can do that, why I don't I just stick my sword in you like you did me?"

"Hey, do you think that's easy? It takes a lot of skill." Having reached Shikai was a necessity. You had to be able to communicate with your zanpakutou. "And there were still even odds you would die. We only did it because we would've died for sure if we hadn't." And considering how greedily he'd gulped her powers up, trying to get them to re-enter her that way might be like getting water to flow up hill.

Ichigo sat cross-legged on the bed in front of her. "Instruct me, oh great mistress."

Rukia said, "First, close your eyes and slow your breathing. Direct your attention to your shoulders. You should be able to feel something like a very soft breeze along them."

#

#

When she'd mentioned wanting to leave her gigai for some exercises, Urahara had offered her a free Chappy as repayment for the Kon incident, saying the gigai would perform better if it had a soul in it constantly.

So Ichigo was in shinigami form, and was Rukia in soul form, still horribly weak and dressed in white robes rather than a shihakusho, Chappy taking care of her gigai. A chair had been leaned under the door knob to keep Karin from coming in and seeing four of them, and Rukia and Ichigo were sitting on his bed once more, holding hands as Ichigo tried to push her reiatsu into her.

"My reiatsu, you idiot."

"I'm trying, midget. This isn't easy. Yours is all mixed up with mine."

"Try again."

Ichigo closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, gathering reiatsu around him.

Ichigo said, "I keep hearing whispering when I'm really focused. What is that?"

"Whispering? What does it say?"

"Can't make it out. It's all garbled."

Garbled whispering when he was focused, when he was meditating. Was it possible he was hearing Sode no Shirayuki? Her zanpakutou. What if he heard her properly? What if he learned her name and said it, achieving shikai? What would that mean? When she recovered, would they both have a Sode no Shirayuki? Would they have to share the Sode no Shirayuki? Or would she never be able to regain Sode no Shirayuki at all?

Rukia said, "We need to try something else." They'd been working on it for days, and while Ichigo had improved greatly at controlling his reiatsu, she didn't think they'd made any progress at restoring hers. "There's something we could do that would lower the wall between us. Our reiatsu would mingle naturally, and I think I could pull mine back into myself, so long as you were pushing, and you would be pushing. Instinctively, even."

Ichigo said, "Let's try that then. Is it dangerous?"

Looking away, she said, "Not dangerous, exactly. Ichigo, when do the barriers between a man and a woman naturally reach their lowest?"

"What, no, you're not, you're joking!"

Looking at her feet, Rukia said, "I wish I were joking. But it's true. It's very spiritual."

"Just to be clear, we're talking about..."

"Sex, yes."

"Like hell I will."

Rukia said, "So now you want to keep fighting Hollows?"

Ichigo said, "Rather fight Hollows than have sex with you. Didn't you say you're like a hundred and fifty years old? That's statutory rape, is what that is."

"My body is at about the same stage as yours, and that matters just as much. It's not, it wouldn't be- hey, what's wrong with you, it's not like I want to do it! I saved your life."

"If you'd just killed that Hollow, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Rukia said, "If you hadn't kept distracting me, and hadn't run at the Hollow, I would've killed it. It was way below my level!"

"Fuck," said Ichigo. "Can't we just wait a little longer for you to get your powers back?"

Rukia said, "It's taking longer than I thought it would, and eventually someone will be by to investigate why I haven't checked in. I'm kind of surprised it hasn't happened already." Maybe they were willing to give Kuchiki Rukia a little longer rope.

"Yeah, so?"

Not wanting to admit it, but seeing no choice, Rukia said, "Giving my powers to a human isn't quite legal, actually."

"You'd get in trouble?" said Ichigo. "But if you hadn't done it, we all would've died."

"I know that, you know that, even they might know that, but a Substitute Shinigami can cause a lot of big problems. Just because everyone was making irresponsible decisions for nice reasons doesn't mean no one will die. Technically, I could be executed."

Ichigo blanched. "What the hell is wrong with those people?"

"They'd never actually do that!" Rukia assured him. "That's a really old law that's never been taken off the books. I'd probably just be imprisoned for a few decades. Maybe even just house-arrest." Since she was a Kuchiki. She hoped Central 46 was in the mode to go soft on Nobles rather than making examples of them. It seemed to go in cycles.

"That's still bullshit," said Ichigo.

"And it wouldn't be good for you either. If we were found out, Division 12 might want to experiment on you."

"Experiment on me? Just what kind of place is Soul Society really?"

"It's a good place!" she assured him. "It's just that the Captain of Division 12 is a total bastard, but he's the only one qualified to Head Research and Development, so he gets away with a lot. The Captain Commander makes sure he doesn't go too far overboard."

"Experimenting on people isn't going too far overboard?"

Rubbing her head, Rukia said, "Experimenting on criminals. Technically, you'd be a criminal."

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo said, "So you're saying if we don't have sex, you won't be able to hide that you gave me your powers, and if they find out, you'll be imprisoned and I'll be an experimental subject?"

"Um, maybe? And even if we did it, it might not work."

Ichigo screamed into his pillow, threw it across the room, and said, "I'm going for a walk." He leaped out his window, running on air with surprising ease, disappearing into the evening.

Rukia put the pillow back, adjusted it so it was perfectly square to the mattress, and wrapped her arms around her knees, wondering if she should get back into her gigai. She shouldn't have said all that. She couldn't believe she actually had. She should just wait, like a normal person.

Kon said, "Nee-san, you can have sex with m-"

She kicked him.

What the hell was wrong with Ichigo, saying he'd rather fight Hollows than have sex with her? Sure, she'd rather fight Hollows than have sex with him, but it wasn't like she was ugly. He should be happy to have do it with an older woman. She was the one getting the short end of the stick.

Rukia dropped her head on her knees and said, "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Rukia. Stupid."

She'd been sitting motionless for most an hour when a breeze blew through the window, and Rukia saw Ichigo's sandaled foot.

He hopped off the bed, awkwardly unstrapped his zanpakutou, leaned it against his desk, and said, "So, if we gotta, we oughta."

"You're agreeing?" She didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Avoiding her gaze, Ichigo said, "It's not that big a thing, right? If some asshole experimented on me until I glowed blue and grew horns and I could've avoided it by doing that with you, I'd feel like the stupidest idiot in the world."

"Exactly," said Rukia.

"So, how do we do this sex thing?"

"You've never done it before?"

"I'm 15!" he said, putting his thumb at his chest and turning red in a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. "You'll have to tell me what to do."

Turning even redder, Rukia said, "I am familiar with the theory."

Ichigo stared, then fell over laughing. "Familiar with the theory. Hundred and fifty year-old virgin!"

"Hey, it's not that funny. Our desires are not so insistent as humans'." Though not lesser in intensity once activated. "And I was a little kid for the first fifty years."

"So it's only been a hundred years for you as an adult, huh?"

Rukia said, "Women of the Kuchiki family do not casually sleep around." Of course, there were thirty or so years before that when she'd been old enough, or nearly old enough, and she hadn't ever, but that was none of his business. "Stop laughing at me."

"I'm not laughing," he claimed, laughing harder and burying his face in his pillow.

Arms crossed, she waited for his laughter to subside.

When it had finally stopped, he sat up, guffawed once more, wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, and said, "So. Now?"

She glanced at the chair leaned under doorknob. In spirit form, they shouldn't be seen or heard in the first place, and the day offered extra protections. Isshin was still at work, Karin should still be playing soccer at the park. Music was coming up through the floor, which meant Yuzu had the TV turned to the music video channel, had the music on loud, and was dancing. There wouldn't be a better time.

Rukia said, "Kon, Chappy, in the closet."

Kon said, "I want to-"

"In the closet," Rukia said, voice low and dangerous.

The two mod souls went into the closet and closed the door. Rukia put the second chair under the doorknob, shut the window blinds, dropping the room into gloom, and said, "Ichigo, take off your clothing."

"No reason to instruct me, bitch. I'm familiar with the theory too." But he didn't touch his clothing.

Feeling as embarrassed and exposed as she ever had, not quite able to believe this was actually happening, Rukia closed her eyes, put her hands to the collar of her robe, and said, "On the count of three. One, two three!"

Her 'three' was a squeak. A flutter of cloth, other sounds that were probably Ichigo getting his clothing off, which she ignored because she was getting her own clothing off.

When she was naked, sitting on Ichigo's bed next to a naked Ichigo, which was the worst thought that had ever gone through her head, she unclenched her eye lids, peeking out between her lashes.

Ichigo was naked, bright red and had a hand over his own eyes.

Rukia said, "You can look now."

Two fingers separated, and Ichigo peeked out between them, his eyes tracking down, looking much lower than her minimal breasts. Much lower. "So that's what it looks like," he said. "Not the prettiest thing ever."

"Yeah, well, yours isn't pretty either. And it's growing."

Ichigo slapped his other hand over his genitals.

"That's good," she said. "It means we can do this."

"Hey, what about pregnancy?"

Rukia said, "First, shinigami aren't very fertile. Second, I'm not in heat. And third, I know a Kido I can use after to make extra sure that doesn't happen."

Ichigo said, "Shinigami go through heat? Like dogs?"

"Be quiet and lay down."

He lay on his side, head on his pillow, and Rukia lay next to him, only a few inches of space separating them.

Ichigo said, "This is the most awkward moment of my life."

Looking down, Rukia said, "And apparently the most arousing. You'd better not go off before we even do anything."

He covered his genitals again.

Rukia said, "Maybe you don't realize this, but you can't have sex while covering your penis with your hands."

"Smartass. Fine. We'll get this over with." He moved closer, grabbed his, well, with one hand, maneuvered it into her, well, and jerked once.

Rukia pushed him away. "Hey, you're not understanding this. You can't just mechanically jack off into me. For our spiritual boundaries to lower, we have to actually both be into this. Intercourse isn't enough. We have to be intimate."

"What? I can't."

"Yes you can. You already have. You're a man. It's easier for you. You could be intimate with an appropriately lubed hole in a tree."

"Hey! Pervert!"

"As a woman, I need a little more work up." She had to be attracted to Ichigo. That sounded impossible, but he was a good looking, athletic young man at about the same point in physical, matural age as her. And he did look a lot like Kaien-dono. She could pretend he was Kaien-dono. She'd done that often enough with her fingers when she was younger. "This has a better chance of working if we climax together. If we don't, we might have to try again until we get it right."

"What?!"

"So do it right."

"So, uh, what should I-"

She pointed to a spot. "This is my clit. Rub it gently."

Blushing almost purple, he touched it, and Rukia gasped. There was apparently a very large difference between touching it herself and someone else touching it.

Ichigo said, "You don't pee out of this, do you?"

She hit him. "No. That's the little hole an inch down."

Ichigo squinted and grimaced, moving his fingers a little higher, away from her urethral opening.

Hesitantly, she stroked his chest, and he shivered.

She stroked more confidently, reaching around him and gently kneading the muscles in his back. "How's that?"

"Feels good," said Ichigo, voice husky, and one of his fingers went in.

Rukia gasped again, her conclusion that she ought to pretend he was Kaien-dono already forgotten.

Ichigo said, "It's getting all slimy."

"It's not slimy. Why would you say slimy? It's getting wet, like it's supposed to."

"Slimy in a good way, I mean."

"Idiot."

"Should we k-kiss?"

"Probably." That seemed like a bigger step. Sex was, at bottom, for procreation. Kissing was for romance and pleasure. To kiss would step up the intimacy. Which was exactly why they should do it. She wriggled her way up the bed a little, putting her head almost level with his.

She pulled him close, angled her head just in time to make it more a brushing of noses than a bumping of them. They kissed, kissed, and kissed again.

Ichigo whispered in her ear. "I've heard a lot of guys kiss too wet or whatever, so tell me if I do that."

She whispered back, "I think you're supposed to part your lips when we kiss."

"Oh," he said, and they tried again, opening their mouths more. Ichigo ran his tongue along her gums, which was an odd feeling, but a good one.

Her heart was thudding, her breathing speeding up. Her grasped her by the waist, moved in, and thrust hard.

"Ow!" yelped Ichigo.

"What?"

"I missed," he said, wincing in pain. "Your abs are rock hard. It bent. That really hurt."

"Then put it in more carefully, you big baby."

"Just give me a moment."

"You're such a pansy."

"I am not a pansy.

They resumed, Ichigo got a guide hand down there, and his, well, ended up in her, well. Instead of pushing him away, Rukia locked her legs tight around him, moving in rhythm and turning so that instead of lying next to each other, he was on top of her. Thankfully, the intense exercise routine of a shinigami meant that it had been a long time since she'd had a hymen to break, and there was no pain, only pleasure, the fingers of one of his hands still working on her, his mouth tracing kisses on her neck, her breathing increasingly unsteady.

Ichigo said, "I can't hold it anymore."

Rukia said, "You'd better hold it, or I'll break your ankles and shove a pocky stick up your pee-hole and see how you like it."

Fear touching his eyes, Ichigo rapidly withdrew, lying next to her and breathing hard. "Just give me a minute to calm down."

"Yeah, well, rub my clit while you're calming down. I don't need to calm down. The opposite, actually." She was quite wet, and her reiatsu was starting to reach out to him, but all that needed to keep rising in intensity.

And his reiatsu, currently so much larger, was reaching out to hers, clenching, holding, joining.

"Feel that?" she said.

"Yeah. That's what we want, right? And then I push it into you?"

"Yeah. Not until we're more open to each other, though."

"Right. I can hear the whispering now too. It's clearer."

It was? Sode no Shirayuki... She wasn't losing her zanpakutou. "We'd better hurry." She reached for him, intending to guide his, well, into her.

Ichigo jerked.

"You came all over me!" Rukia shrieked.

Sounding a little pleased, he said, "You grabbed me. It's not my fault."

"Oh, so you could handle being in my vagina, but you couldn't handle my touching you?"

Ichigo said, "I told you to give me a minute!"

"Ugh. It's sticky. And I'm not getting this ick on my handkerchief."

"Did you go blind, bitch? There's a tissue box right here."

Rukia made for it, grabbing wads of tissue and wiping off her hand, wrist and abdomen, tossing the tissues on the floor when she was done.

"What happens to it?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia said, "The ick will shortly degrade into its component spirit particles and float away. The tissues will be clean, and you can use them to blow your human nose."

"Hell no."

Rukia said, "What's your recharge time?"

"What?"

"You're in a shinigami body now, so your stamina is heightened. You should recharge much more quickly than normal."

"You really wanna try it again?"

Rukia said, "I think we'll get it the second time."

"Okay," said Ichigo, the beginnings of a smile laying siege to his scowl.

"But it's not like being aroused by you is easy. If I come all the way down, we'll have to start from the beginning and our odds of success drop." Mechanically, she started massaging boobs.

"Oh hell," said Ichigo. "I'll try something that pervert Keigo talked about. If it's too weird, tell me and I'll stop."

He dropped down, looked at genitals from close range, made a face, and touched the tip of his red tongue to her clit.

Rukia yelped.

Ichigo's head popped up. "Did that hurt?"

"It was just surprising. I think you're on to something there. Try again."

Ichigo licked. Felt around with his tongue. Explored. Rukia gasped. Obviously he wasn't worrying about her peel hole anymore.

Rukia said, "Doesn't that taste disgusting?"

"Yeah, but not as much as you'd think," Ichigo murmured.

The world contracted. She could hardly see and hardly hear. All her attention was on the explosion of sensation down low, and the hands running over her body. Gasping and moaning, she did not think of who or why or situation, only of what, of a pleasure just to the side of agony, and she didn't know if it had started a minute or an hour ago.

It ended. Halted. Ichigo was moving up, intending to resume proper intercourse. A disappointment, when she had been the right on the edge of orgasm.

She didn't wait for him to get situated. She flipped him with a martial arts move, rolled on top of him, straddled him, put his dick inside.

Looking down at his tousled form, he was an attractive, kind, intelligent, trustworthy, ridiculously talented young man, and he was doing this because she'd told him to, and it should give her her powers back.

An incredibly arousing thought. She was gushing, and the idea that she wouldn't be able to climax along with him seemed impossible.

They rocked together.

"Rukia," he was gasping. "Rukia, Rukia, Rukia" not attracting her attention, just calling her name as he squeezed her breasts, and she realized distantly that she was calling his name. Their reiatsu was bound, intermingled, and he was pushing it into her instinctively as she pulled it in instinctively.

She tightened, they both jerked harder than before, and as they came together, he shouted a name that wasn't hers.

"Zangetsu!" he yelled, and power flowed into her.

:::

I've been wanting to give writing a sex scene a try, so here it is. The first sex-scene I've ever written. I think it would work as a comic one-shot. But in fact, there's a lot more story coming. But very little in the way of sex. This ain't the kinda story, ya know? It just starts out that way.

Have you read many comic sex scenes? I feel like sex scenes should be comic at least half the time, but the only comic sex scene I can think of is inside In The Footsteps of the Silver King, by Paul Kareem Tayyar.

Listening to Terrence Blanchard.

I'll resume my Harry Potter fics when I'm back in a Harry Potter mood.