Chapter: Capture the Flag

Renji grinned as Rukia jumped into his arms. She laughed as he spun her around, setting her back down on the ground. "Like I said… I think I know how to keep Momaru away from her." The red head wore a black and grey blazer with a red and black t-shirt underneath it that read "red pineapple". His jeans were dark blue completed with a pair of shiny black dress shoes.

"What's your brilliant idea Abarai?" Uryu stood up and looked over at him.

"Are you willing to do anything to talk to her?" The lieutenant stepped forward, his signature grin painted across his face. The slightly evil smile, complete with his pointy eye teeth made Rukia smile too; she suddenly knew what he was thinking.

"Just about… why Abarai? You got something in mind?" Uryu leaned forward.

"Maybe… you wanna know what it is?" Renji leaned towards the Quincy, jutting his jaw forward.

"Perhaps but I get the feeling that the information comes at a price." Ichigo watched him talk to Renji and realized how much he had changed from when they had met. Now he was much more out going and his dealings with people were much more punctured and rough than they were before. He was tougher than he had been. Of course they all were… if it weren't for Orihime Rukia would be dead… he looked over at the other two again, lifting an eyebrow as they nearly fought.

"Yeah it comes at a price Ishida. Doesn't everything?" Then a voice spoke out from behind him.

"So what are we doing here Renji?" A woman's voice questioned almost sarcastically. Renji stood up and motioned to the girl behind him.

"This is the plan." He pointed at her. She was a pretty girl with medium length blonde hair that reached just above her shoulder and then stuck out to the sides from there. Her grey blue eyes were pretty, not as iridescent as Kazumi's but pretty. Her tanned skin was obvious and it seemed that she had just returned from a South American country. Her jeans were tight and ripped in the front. Her shirt was a steel blue cowl neck sweater that folded down loosely over her shoulder, exposing a delicate collar bone and clinging to her breasts, which, like a lot of the shinigami women he had seen, were by no means small.

"That's right. My name's Megumi Narita. Captain of the fifth division." She grinned and held out her hand to Uryu. He shook it and was almost shocked by the strength of her hand. "I've been out of the Soul Society and off the maps for a while down in Brazil. It was only when Renji got a hold of me that I found out about all this treasonous activity." Her smile was devilish and extremely similar to Kazumi's.

"Meg!" Rukia jumped on her as well, giving her a bear hug that would rival any other. "How have you been?"

"Me? I've been doing alright… but I hear that you've been making off alright on your own." Her eyes flitted over to Ichigo. Ikakku nodded to her.

"Yep… she's sure made off with a bundle." Renji nodded towards Ichigo. She let a smile cross her lips.

"To be perfectly honest I'm the pink baka ranger." She sighed and as Uryu looked confused she explained. "The Baka Rangers are a made up group that the captains gave my group of friends when we were kids because we were all a bunch of idiots. To be honest… three of the four are captains now and one is a lieutenant so that shows them what they know." Uryu nodded then looked over at Uryu.

"How is she supposed to help?" Renji looked back at him blankly. "Do you even know?"

"She's one of their best friends. She knows everything about them. She will be the biggest help we can get." The red head looked proud of himself.

"All you have to do is give Momaru the bait and he'll do the rest." She grinned. Her hand pulled out a Blackberri Pearl and dialed a number. "Arisu… I have a mission for you." Her devil's smile spread wider.

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Momaru sat at a back table with Kazumi, he held her there almost by force. "Momaru can't I go dance. I don't want to spend my New Years Eve sitting in a corner sulking!" She tried to yank her arm out of his grasp but it simply got tighter. "Now you're being abusive and ridiculous, let me go. I want to go DANCE!" She pulled out of his grasp.

"Fine. Dance. But if I see him anywhere near you I'm going to kill him." She stared at him then spun on her heel and made her way to the dance floor. Uryu was standing back behind the bar now, talking rather heatedly with Renji. The redheaded lieutenant was tapping his index finger on the bar to make his point. She smiled a little and suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Rukia!" She laughed as the shorter woman pulled her into the grind line. Isane jumped in front of her and she laughed harder. The usually reserved Kotetsu was letting loose. Obviously she had downed several drinks during the course of the night. Kazumi lifted her hands above her head, letting her body swing with the music. Rukia smiled as she felt her loosen up. She and Ichigo were going to work on the two of them until they admitted that they were in love.

At the bar Renji was still arguing with Uryu about something that Ichigo simply rolled his eyes about. "I'm not asking you I'm telling you!"

"What do you want me to get my head ripped off?" Uryu hissed back at the suggestion. He was wiping out glasses and putting them away under the bar in the dishwasher.

"No! I just want you to go dance with her… if we can get him distracted by the time you get to her he's gonna be distracted all night." Renji grinned, tapping his finger on the counter.

"Yeah but what if he doesn't take the bait?" Ichigo leaned forward, leaning his elbows on the counter.

"There's no way that he would refuse to take our bait." The British shinigami told them.

"But let's say hypothetically speaking that he didn't… how much of a danger am I in?" Uryu leaned in as well. The blonde looked off to the side for a second.

"On a scale from one to ten… ten being the worst… probably a nine point five." Megumi shrugged. Uryu nearly fell over at that.

"Then I'm not going to do it." He looked over at the grind line where all the girls were and saw them dip, her body stretching back up again and he suddenly wanted his hands on her skin, he wanted to see her stretch like that beneath him. He dropped his head against the counter to clear his thoughts and Renji grabbed him and pulled him back up.

"Don't kill yourself before you get the chance." Ichigo blinked. "You alright?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." The bar tender frowned. Why did she have to be so tempting? He watched her for a little longer and felt his blood rise. There was no way around this.

"So… you gonna do it?" Renji picked at his teeth with a tooth pick. He looked around only to see Ichigo walking behind the bar from the back room, pulling on his black short sleeved Otaku shirt on over his long sleeved white shirt. He tied the string to his apron twice so that the bow was in the front to the left. Uryu grinned.

"I'll cover for you while you're dancing." Ichigo pulled the Quincy's apron string, letting it fall into his hand.

"You guys are gonna get me killed… I just thought I should tell you that." He frowned at them. Renji shrugged.

"Go!" Ichigo shoved him. Uryu stumbled a little but walked out the back and onto the dance floor.

"Kazi." Rukia pinched the redhead's side and she looked over. Isane smiled and stepped away as did Rukia and Rangiku. "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne began to play.

"Dance with me?" He smiled down at her and held out his hand. She stared at him for a second then reached over and he spun her over to him, pulling her back against him. His hand dipped down to her navel again and the other slid around to the front of her thigh, holding her in place as they dipped low, her hands reaching back to hook her thumbs into the back pockets of his jeans.

"They were made for each other." Renji grinned, leaning on the bar. Isane sat down next to Ikakku.

"Yeah right… I would have my tenth kid before they even considered dating." Ikakku quipped after which he received a slap on the chest by the shy Isane. He grinned over at her.

"Why do you say that?" Ichigo looked over with Renji.

"Because… she knows the rules. He amuses her and she likes to be amused. Simply put they're both just playing with each other." The opening bars of "Me and My Gang" by Rascall Flatts played over the speakers.

"Speaking of amusing." Renji grabbed Ikakku's head and directed it towards Momaru and Arisu.

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Momaru stared at her. The pretty doe-eyed girl stood before him in a pair of ripped blue jeans and a belly baring long sleeved cowl neck sweater, the soft gold set off the gold flecks in her eyes. Her brown hair was messy as usual but pretty and as she stood there before him she reached out to him.

"You wanna dance?" He stared at her hand for a second then blinked again.

"You sure you're real?" He smiled as he took her hand. Megumi across the dance floor smiled from her table. Her plan had worked. Arisu pulled him up to her, his arms wrapping around her waist. She pulled him into the middle of the crowd of people as a slower song began to play. "Escape…" He smiled at the speakers. "How appropriate." He looked at the girl in his arms. They had been best friends for years. And they did have a history together but he hadn't known that she still felt something for him.

"So what's the story with the two of them?" Ikakku asked Megumi. She looked over at the bald man and gave him a bright smile.

"They dated when we were younger… but then he left after he got his captain's position and she was broken hearted. They had fought the night before about some stupid thing and she always felt bad about not apologizing to him about it." Meg smiled over at him. "I figured giving them a little time to forgive and forget would be perfect."

Momaru sighed as he leaned his head against hers, taking in a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She whispered into his ear. He looked down and stared at her. What in the world was she apologizing for?

"For what? You haven't done anything." He smiled softly.

"For starting that argument… you wouldn't have left if I wouldn't have…" She looked away from him and he gripped her chin.

"That fight was my fault… and what happened afterwards was my fault and you shouldn't ever blame yourself for it." He pressed his forehead to hers. He had missed her, and it was just now that he realized it.

"Maybe we could start over?" She looked up at him. This wasn't what she was supposed to do… she was supposed to just distract him but she had to clear all of this up. He blinked again and she smiled hopefully.

"Alright… I can agree to that." He smiled back, pulling her in closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she smiled as he kissed her.

&&&

Ichigo sighed as he poured another draught beer. "Let Me Entertain You" but Robbie Williams thumped through the speakers as he wiped down part of the bar. Then he saw a familiar indigo halter sit at the bar.

"Whoa! Where the hell did you come from?" She grinned. His bright amber eyes were set beneath furrowed brows as he teasingly turned away from her. "Sorry I don't give out free drinks." Then he felt her hand on the back of his pants. He turned around to face her.

"How about a Sex on the Beach?" She pulled him down her to her and kissed him gently. He smiled.

"I could arrange that." He grinned back. She wiggled a petite finger at him which he caught and kissed.

"I mean the drink Kurosaki." She let go of him.

"I know I know… but the other wouldn't be so bad…" He grinned and backed away from her as she swatted at him.

"You two keeping it in your pants over here?" Kazumi laughed as she dragged the other bartender over to the bar. He kept his arms fastened around her waist at all times.

"He won't give me my drink." Rukia motioned at the carrot-top. Kazumi tugged on the Quincy's hands.

"Off me." She commanded and he frowned. "Off…" She swatted at him again. He let go of her with a whine and sat down on the next bar stool.

"So have you two made up?" Rukia raised an eyebrow. Ichigo coughed into her glass and then handed her the drink. She stared at him, jutting her jaw forward. "Did you seriously just do that? Did you seriously just do that?" She stared at him.

"It's free if the tender does anything wrong to your glass." Uryu laughed at her.

"Oh… wait now you're just trying to get out of paying for my drinks!" Kazumi and Uryu laughed with Ichigo as the black haired woman fussed at them all.

"Uh oh." Kazumi leaned back from the bar and Uryu followed her movements. "Look who's coming."

A hand grabbed onto her wrist and swung her behind him. "What did I tell you Quincy?" He spat. Arisu bowed slightly to Uryu in an apology. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

"Let her go." Uryu said calmly. This time he wasn't going to let himself get upset.

"Momaru don't. He's not hurting me." The shinigami captain froze.

"He's… not?" He turned to look at her and she nodded.

"I'm the one that was hurting him… so just leave him alone." She pulled out of his grasp again. "Please stop trying to protect me all the time… I want to try and remake the pact." Momaru stared at her as she walked over the Uryu.

"I'm sorry?" Momaru looked down, his face etched with confusion. "You don't want me to protect you?"

"Momaru… I do but not from him. He's not going to hurt me." She put a hand on her best friend's face. "Not from him." She whispered. The green eyed shinigami stared into her eyes.

"Leave him alone?"

"Leave him alone." She nodded. He looked sad for a second.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do anyone any harm…" He whispered to her, his eyes filling with tears.

"You didn't Momaru. Now just calm down… you can be friends with him can't you?" She smiled at him.

"I guess." He pulled away from her. "I gotta think about this." He walked out of the bar. Kazumi looked over at Uryu.

"He didn't take well to that…" She pulled on her jacket. "I'll see you guys later." She turned to walk out at the five second countdown began for New Years. A hand grabbed hers and pulled her over, pulling her up to his lips as the bar exploded into cheers as the clock rang up midnight.

"Happy New Years." Uryu whispered and let her go. She smiled at him then turned and ran out the front door.