Hi! I said this on the front page of the story already but if you haven't read that, I think it bears repeating here. Drum roll please *no drumroll* Fine, I'll say it without dramatic accompaniment: I'm back! Let the celebrations ensue! *no celebrations* Should have expected that. Anyways, I went through some real life things about a year ago and real life did what it does best, mess up the important things. That should be over now. I'm going to admit that I'm a world-class flake so no promises as to the rest of this story but… you know… here's hoping.

Boring stuff is over with. I've actually been wanting to write this chapter for months. It's one of the ones that made me want to start this project. Not only do I intend it to be the first to cover more than one of the manga's chapters* but it'll also be where Ichiko starts to display the mechanical differences between her and Ichigo! Exciting shit, right! Also, I get another shot at getting Kengyuu right and relationship stuff is always fun to play with!

Look at me, going on like a spider-goose. Stop me before I hurt myself.

* Yeah, so that didn't really happen. I intended for this chapter to be chapters 3-6 in the manga, covering the entire ordeal that Orihime goes through with Acidwire. But about 2,000 words into this chapter I realized that I had covered less than 1/20 of what I needed to write. At that point, I had two option. One, I could cut down on my descriptions of things and make my writing much more brief. Or two, I could do the opposite and make each Manga chapter, no matter how unimportant, its own chapter in my story. If y'all can't guess which one I went with then you haven't been paying close enough attention. EVERYTHING MATTERS KIDLETS! EVERYTHING! ... I think I need a therapist.

P.S. I don't own Bleach or Call Me Maybe. I don't even own them a little bit. Hmmm… Rae is my middle name too though… Could it be more than coincidence?

Most nights in Karakura Town are quiet especially in the residential district. Past a certain hour, windows are darkened, conversations grow hushed and the busy world of wakefulness spirals down into the languor of sleep. That hour had long passed by the time Kengyuu stumbled out of work. The boss had kept him late again. The lanky, handsome boy mourned him clumsiness for the hundredth time that night. The manager had decided to send the rest of the cleaning staff home early after Kengyuu had ran into a waiter who had been carrying the orders for a party of six. The daunting task had taken him until the wee hours of the morning. Having already taken an eight hour shift before his impromptu overtime, Kengyuu was beginning to think that sidewalk was looking pretty comfortable.

The boy considered it for a few seconds before he decided against it. If I don't come home tonight, Kengyuu deduced using his own brand of reality, Chad will get really worried and go looking for me. He'll probably get lost too. Then he'll wander outside of the city and into the woods and get ambushed by wolves! Motivated by his quickly escalating fantasy, Kengyuu locked the restaurant up and began to jog down the sidewalk.

Chad's big and strong, so he'll fight off all the wolves but he'll get injured because there'll be like two hundred of them and that's too many for even Ichiko to handle! Kengyuu gasped out loud even though the streets were deserted besides the occasional car which roared down the street, One of the wolves is a werewolf and Chad will get infected! Of course, he'll fight the curse but muscles can't beat magic and he'll turn too! Then Chad will come back as the most terrible Werewolf ever and kill the Mayor! When the Mayor Is dead, all the police will quit then me and Ichiko will have to form a crime fighting duo to protect the innocent of Karakura town! Go Team Inosaki, Go! But if we do that, we might have to fight WereChad and that'd be really bad! I can't let Ichiko and WereChad kill each other!

Kengyuu gasped again as another realization struck him, What if Chad already left to look for me?! I've got to make sure he can find me! A look of steely squint replaced Kengyuu's usual puppy-dog expression. There was only one thing to do. It wasn't going to be pretty…

"I THREW A WISH IN THE WELL! DON'T ASK ME I'LL NEVER TELL!" Kengyuu dropped into a dead sprint as she belted out the lyrics of his favorite song. The tune had come over from America a year ago and, though Kengyuu didn't really know what it meant, he loved the sound of it. Vaguely, Kengyuu remembered Chad telling him that it was dating advice for gay men and maybe not the best song for him to sing in public but Ken wasn't quite sure. Still, if Chad was out here, he would know who was singing and follow Kengyuu's voice.

Lights came on in houses along the street. Furious cries of "Who is making that damn racket!" "Shut the hell up, kid!" and "Stay there, asshole, I'm getting my hatchet!" rent the previously still air. Kengyuu didn't notice them. All of his attention was focused on the partially awesome but mostly horrible future that would unfold if he didn't make it home in time. The world was nothing more than an indistinct dark blur whipping past the sprinting boy's peripheral vision. Kengyuu didn't notice the crosswalk, didn't notice the headlights.

"I LOOKED TO YOU AS IT FELL!" Kengyuu belted out at the top of his lungs before sucking in a deep breath. As Freshman Captain of the track team, Kengyuu had plenty of experience running but even for the most sprinters, singing at the same time presents something of a challenge. Kengyuu exhaled and gulped down air again, preparing for another verse. He also stepped out onto the crosswalk. "AND NOW YOU'RE IN MY WAY!"

Brakes squealed.

Jason Maurey was exactly the kind of man Claire Collins's daddy had told her to avoid. John Collins liked meek, spineless men whose favorite taste was his shoe shine. Simpering toadies who couldn't look at Claire the way that Jason was looking at her now, despite the fact that they still had both their eyes. The eyepatch… oh god, the eyepatch!

It was mysterious, alluring. Claire could not resist his charms any longer. Moving with mature, seductive grace Claire sashayed next to the man who so entranced her. "Excuse me, sir-" she began but Jason's molten steel voice overpowered hers.

"It's not 'sir,' ma'am. It's 'Captain. 'Captain SAI #1BAKUDO!" Ichiko roared. Rukio slammed the book she had been reading shut and resisted the urge to throw it at Ichiko's head. Her training was going exactly as Rukio had expected: not well. The times that Rukio had seen the human in battle, her skills were impressive but relying on skill alone got you killed in the end. Besides, Rukio had been given a close-up glimpse, albeit a brief one, of every nook and cranny within Ichiko's soul when he transferred his powers into her. The ocean of Reiryoku he'd seen within Ichiko frightened him. But why is her sword that size? Rukio couldn't help but wonder. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. There were more important matters to deal with at the moment.

"Bakudo #1, Sai. The order is as important as the incantation, Ichiko, which you neglected to say completely." Rukio was trying his hardest to be patient with the orange-haired girl but she was making it very difficult. The simplest spell there is and she refuses to get it right… "Again," Rukio ordered, "and incant first this time."

"Come on," Ichiko moaned, "this is stupid! You didn't have to spout some bullshit magic spell when you tied me up in my bed room. You just pointed at me and wham! Instant bondage. Speaking of which, why am I learning weird crap like this anyways?" It had already been a long, tortuous Monday before Rukio had dragged her to the park and started trying to get Ichiko to memorize some crazy sounding gibberish. After a full day of classes, Ichiko didn't have the slightest interest in memorizing anything. But Rukio was being problematic.

"I have more practice using the Demon Arts than you have practice breathing, Kurosaki" Rukio said, his voice icy and commanding. "For novices like you, the incantation is vital to the spell. Again." Rukio's voice was considerably more strained.

Ichiko seemed determined to test the limits of the boy's patience. Instead of beginning the incantation for Sai, a devious look crossed Ichiko's face. Rukio was not a fan of that look. Not only did it mean Ichiko was about to be difficult, it also did someone strange to his stomach that Rukio was not entirely comfortable with. "Gimme the manual," the orange-haired girl demanded. Not waiting for Rukio's response, she lunged forward and tried to snag it from his hand.

At the last moment, Rukio pulled the book away. "Why?" He asked indignantly, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up his cheeks. Nothing to hide here, nothing at all…

Ichiko snorted in a distinctly unladylike fashion. "Cause I bet your 'manual' doesn't say anything about incantations."

"Of course it does!" Rukio protested but Ichiko was making another grab for the book anyways. Evading her dexterous fingers again, Rukio did some quick thinking. "This manual contains secrets that you aren't ready for. They would shatter your human mind. There are things within this tome that could undo the very fabric of space and time. "

A mocking grin spread over Ichiko's face. "Really?" She snickered and folded her arms across her chest, "Ya know that looks an awful lot like one of those trashy romance novels Yuzu thinks nobody knows about! You didn't take that from under his bed did you?"

Rukio's blush intensified. "No! Foolish girl, it says 'Kido Instruction Manual' right here on the cover!" Rukio pointed to the sheet of paper he'd taped over Ships of Seduction's tell-tale illustrations and hastily doodled on. In retrospect, Rukio probably should have predicted this outcome but that didn't make getting caught any less embarrassing.

Ichiko smirked some more as the tall raven-haired boy squirmed under her scrutiny. Seeing Rukio sweat was something she found strangely gratifying. "Riiiiiiiiiiiight..." Ichiko drawled. "You have fun with your instruction manual, Kuchiki, I'm going to karate." Ichiko said brusquely after giving appropriate time for the magnitude of her sarcasm to sink in.

Kengyuu's favorite walk home from school took him past the park, especially in springtime. Birds chirped happily, flowers bloomed brightly and the sun shone merrily. Everything seemed right in the world on days like these. The auburn haired boy tried to resist the urge to skip down the road and barely succeeded. He settled for singing instead.

"I'd trade my soul for a wish! Pennies and dimes for a wish!"

When he was using it for its intended purpose, Kengyuu actually had a very good singing voice. If he had had the time for it, Kengyuu would have joined the school choir but his schedule was more than busy enough already. As it was, the auburn-hair settled for singing whenever the opportunity presented itself. Which added another item to the list of reasons why no one but Sado Yasutora was the only person who could live with him.

"I wasn't looking for this, but now you're in my way!"

All the cares of the day and last night simply seemed to melt away. Happy daydreams frolicked through his head. A wide, innocent smile spread from one corner of his mouth to the other. Then Kengyuu saw one of the very few things that could have made him happier at that moment: a bright orange shock of hair next to a bench in the park.

"It's Kurosaki-chan!" He exclaimed and immediately changed course, making a beeline towards his crush.

"Listen up, Kurosaki," Rukio said as he tossed the book over one shoulder. It wasn't going to help him anymore. "That may or may not have been a book I stole from your brother but whatever the case it doesn't diminish the value of what I'm trying to teach you. You told me to make you strong, remember? Well, this is how you do it."

Ichiko made an exasperated noise but she turned back towards her tall companion anyways and didn't make any further attempts to leave. "I still don't see how making me memorize some weird-ass nursery rhyme is gonna make me stronger," Ichiko complained but her heart wasn't really in it. Rukio was right, she had asked for this.

Rukio breathed an internal sigh of relief. This would be a lot easier with Ichiko's cooperation. "Let me start from the beginning. When we go through training, Shinigami are taught three disciplines: hakuda, zanjutsu and kidō. Hakuda encompasses hand-to-hand combat and body-based techniques. Zanjutsu is bladework. You seem to already know at least the basics of both these fields so we'll save those for later. Kidō is something you know nothing about. It is the art which Shinigami use to manipulate Reiryoku or Spiritual Energy."

Ichiko just stared at Rukio, the look on her face growing steadily more and more confused. A slightly glazed look descended over Rukio's eyes as he plowed on headless of Ichiko's expression. "Kidō spells come in three types but at their core they are basically the same. The first step is to gather your Reiryoku, the second is shaping it and the third is directing it. For most beings gathering and directing Reiryoku is instinctual, it's the middle step, shaping, which is difficult. There are just over two hundred specific 'shapes' of Reiryoku which have been discovered to produce useful effects. These shapes have been categorized by type and sorted in order of complexity and power. Each distinct form is a different kidō spell. Are you still following me?"

Ichiko looked like she was ready to fall asleep at Rukio's lecture but she nodded anyways. "When do you get to the part where I use spoken word poetry to kill hollows?" Ichiko's snarky tone didn't seem to have any effect on Rukio.

"Later," he replied helpfully. "As I was saying, the shaping is difficult. Reiryoku is not a substance whose nature is easy to grasp with the conscious mind. Shaping it intentionally is extremely difficult and requires substantial practice and power. This is where the incantation comes in. Think of the incantation as a set of instructions for the subconscious. When spoken aloud while channeling Reiryoku, it causes you to unintentionally form the intended shape. Of course, there's more to it than just that but those are the basics. Understand, Kurosaki?"

Ichiko didn't respond immediately. "Ummm… you're aware that makes no goddamn sense, right. Seriously, you sound frickin' crazy. Do they give Shinigami psych evals or just toss you out into battle and hope for the best?"

Rukio sighed and ran a hand through his shoulder-length black hair. He'd really hoped that Ichiko had decided to listen to him for once. No such luck, the tall redhead was being her usual uncooperative self. Seven billions of them and I get this one, Rukio lamented silently. Out loud he said, "Reiryoku manipulation is the most important skill a shinigami can possess and it encompasses more than just kidō. The Demon Arts are, however, a fundamental building block which leads to every other high-level skill. It's a miracle you've survived so far with the way you've been fighting."

Ichiko ground her teeth. What irked her wasn't that the idea of kidō or Reiryoku really seemed all that far-fetched. With what the past few days had held for her, not much was completely unbelievable anymore. What really upset her was that it seemed like a bunch of dirty tricks. For eleven years, Ichiko had honed her body into a deadly weapon through blood, sweat and tears. She'd learned to fight not only in the dojo or at home but in the schoolyard and later, when no one who knew her was brave enough to fight her, in back alleys and bad neighborhoods. If Ichiko knew one thing, it was how to defend herself.

And now this kid she barely knew was coming along and telling her it wasn't enough, that the skills she'd sacrificed so much to master weren't going to cut it anymore. So what if there really was some form magic that she could theoretically use? That didn't mean she had to. Who the hell does he think he is? Ichiko seethed. I never needed this crap before.

Rukio watched Ichiko's face intently. Even though she was avoiding his eyes, he noted the shifting interplay of emotions that skimmed over her features. Perhaps I'm pushing her too hard, Rukio realized. We should have started with something she's a little more familiar with. Rukio sighed and closed his violet eyes. "You're going to need to learn it eventually Ichiko," he told her gently. "But for now, let's just discuss hollow weak-points, alright"

The complete change in Rukio's tone was disarming. Ichiko's anger suddenly seemed petty and pointless. Without meaning to, Ichiko found herself staring at her companion, studying him. He was leaning against a tree, the shadows dappling his pale skin. His normally piercing eyes were shuttered and his sharp, regal features were almost slack, lacking the easy alertness that Ichiko had come to associate with them. He looks so tired…

Ichiko opened her mouth, not really sure what she was going to say. It could have been anything from an apology to a declaration of undying love but no one ever found out because Kengyuu Inoue chose that moment to bounce into view from behind the tree Rukio was leaning against and shout "Hi, Kurosaki-chan!" at the top of his lungs.

Ichiko nearly jumped out of her skin. "I-Inoue? W-w-w-w-what are you doing here?!" she stammered, trying desperately to stall as she gathered the shattered pieces of her composure back together. From the other boy's blind spot, Rukio cracked one eye open and directed his dirtiest look at the back of Kengyuu's auburn head.

Unaware that he was interrupting anything, Kengyuu beamed at Ichiko. "I'm doing a little dinner shopping! See, I bought onions and butter, and bananas and gelatin," he told her happily, holding up the shopping bag wrapped around his wrist for Ichiko to inspect the contents. "What are you doing here, Kurosaki-chan?"

Still reeling from Kengyuu unexpected appearance and general destabilizing presence, Ichiko was having trouble coming up with a plausible explanation. Saying that she was trying to learn magic to kill invisible monster wasn't an option despite the fact that Kengyuu probably would have believed it. "Me? I'm uh…" Ichiko stalled, hoping for Kengyuu to change the subject or get distracted by something.

True to form, it was at that moment that Kengyuu felt eyes drilling into the back of his head. He spun around to face Rukio who was still glaring at him from against the tree. "Kuchiki-san?" Kengyuu exclaimed, surprise at seeing the new student evident in his voice. What's he doing with Kurosaki-chan, Kengyuu's suspicious were suddenly aroused. He must be stalking her! Wait… only mad scientist have purple eyes! He's planning to harvest her organs to make an army of super soldiers! Kengyuu realized. I have to act natural so he doesn't know I've figured out his evil plan… Kengyuu plastered on his best fake smile. It made his mouth hurt but to protect Ichiko, Kengyuu would endure anything.

"Who the hell are you and what's wrong with your face?"

Ichiko rolled her eyes. Kengyuu was being weird and Rukio was being a prick. What was new? "This is Inoue," Ichiko explained, interjecting before Kengyuu's face split in half or Rukio punched him. "He's in our class, remember."

"It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance, Rukio Kuchiki," Kengyuu enunciated every word unnecessarily, pausing between each one for added emphasis. Perfect! He has no idea I'm on to him! Kengyuu congratulated himself smugly.

"Yeah…" Rukio drawled. He shot Ichiko an exasperated look, silently pleading for help dealing with Kengyuu particular brand of insanity. Ichiko just shrugged obviously just as confused by the signals the auburn-haired boy was sending out as he was. Human… Rukio thought despairingly. "It is a pleasure to make yours… too?" Rukio mimicked Kengyuu's cadence and emphasis exactly, unable to think of any other way to respond. It seemed to be the proper thing to do because the other boy's lunatic imitation of a smile dissolved into a look of surprise then reformed into a genuinely friendly grin.

Mad scientists can't be this friendly, Kengyuu reasoned. Maybe I was wrong about him and Ichiko is just showing him around the town or something. She's nice that way. Thinking about Ichiko made him grin. Any friend of hers can't be that bad, I suppose.

Great now they're both acting weird… better change the subject before they get to me too. Ichiko glanced around, looking for something to distract them with. Her chocolate gaze settled on the bandage wrapped around Kengyuu's toned forearm. The gauze started at his elbow, extended all the way up to his shoulder and disappeared inside his pale red tank-top. "What happened to your arm, Inoue? Did you fall down or something?" Ichiko asked with genuine concern.

Kengyuu made a quick circle with his injured shoulder as if testing that it still worked and gave Ichiko a rueful smile. "I got hit!" he stated proudly.

"Hit?! Like, by a car?!" Ichiko exclaimed. Only Kengyuu would ever be proud of that…

"Yup!" Kengyuu's grin spread wider. All of Ichiko's attention was making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Affected by his crush's concern, Kengyuu began to babble, "I was running home from work last night and it was really late and I was singing and looking for Chad 'cause I was scared that he'd get bitten by a werewolf! And then I ran into the street and there was a car coming and BAM!" Kengyuu paused as if considering something then chuckled a little bit. "I've been getting hit a lot lately!" he informed Ichiko in a tone that made the girl want to press her face firmly into her palm.

"And… you're laughing about this?" Ichiko asked, trying to keep the concern for Kengyuu's sanity out of her voice. "Have been to see a doctor or anything? My family runs a clinic just up the street, I could take you there. Although I'm not sure if Goat-Chin actually has a medical license…"

Kengyuu waived off Ichiko's offer of assistance, "I'm fine, Kurosaki-chan!" he insisted and flexed to demonstrate exactly how hale and healthy he was. Ichiko rolled her eyes; trying to ignore the part of her brain which was completed fixated by the way Kengyuu's arm bulged under the bandage. "It's not like they meant to hit me!" Kengyuu continued happily, "I did kinda run out into the middle of street. Besides, Chad has a lot of experience patching me up! This kinda happens a lot…" he admitted, ducking his head but still smiling.

Rukio had been silent up to this point, studying the other boy closely and putting the puzzle pieces together. Something isn't quite right here… "How often is a lot, Inoue-san?" he asked, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible.

"Almost every day! I kinda zone out sometimes…"

"Seriously Ken, you might want to do something about that," Ichiko suggested but Kengyuu only chuckled.

"Chad want to be a doctor and I'm helping him practice!"

Huh… Maybe he's really is just an airhead. But still, something doesn't quite add up. Rukio narrowed his eyes and examined Kengyuu again. This time, he found what he was looking for. A light colored bruise wrapped around the other boy's left leg in a strange, ragged pattern. That can't be… "What's that mark on your leg, Inoue-san?" Rukio asked casually. "Did you get it last night, too?"

As if uncertain, Kengyuu paused before answering, his brow wrinkling slightly, "Yeah, I think so. It was there when I woke up."

"Mind if I take a closer look?" Rukio asked. When Kengyuu nodded his auburn head, Rukio knelt down to examine. Exactly as I suspected… To confirm his suspicions, Rukio probed outward for spiritual pressure, thankfully something he could still do without his Shinigami powers albeit weakly. Sure enough, Kengyuu's soul was redolent with Reiryoku. That makes sense, Rukio mused grimly, but what to do about it?

Some of what Rukio was thinking must have broken through his mask of friendly concern. "What's up with that scary face, Kuchiki-san?" Kengyuu asked sounding as if something about his injuries was finally worrying him.

Quickly recovering his composure, Rukio flashed a smile. "Nothing really. I was just thinking that it looks really painful!" He poked the bruise for good measure. Kengyuu winced and bit back a yelp.

"Nope!" Kengyuu shouted, hoping Ichiko wouldn't notice the bead of sweat that was rolling down his forehead. He hadn't noticed it before for some reason, but his leg hurt like hell! Don't let Ichiko see you in pain, Kengyuu! Real men do not know the meaning of that word! Chin up, soldier, there's no way you're getting through boot camp like that! Now drop down and give me twenty and if I don't like what I see it's the stockades for you! Kengyuu shook his head to clear it of the rogue drill sergeant fantasy. "Seriously," he insisted, "it doesn't hurt one bit."

Ichiko, who had watched Rukio's strange behavior closely, was beginning to get worried for the auburn airhead's safety. Whatever he's planning, Kengyuu's too innocent to get mixed up get in it. "You're in shock from the pain!" Ichiko gasped, forcing as much concern into her voice as she could muster. "We've got to get you to a doctor immediately! You'd better come home with me right now!"

K-K-Kurosaki –kun is asking me to come home with her?! Confusion, joy and panic vied for dominance over Kengyuu's emotions, paralyzing him. Am I dreaming? One part of him asked. This is better than you ever imagined! Another part insisted. I'm not ready! I'm not ready! I'm not ready! The third part of him jibbered. In the end, panic won out. "I HAVE TO GO WATCH TELEVISION WITH CHAD NOW BYE!" Kengyuu shouted at the top of his lungs and dashed off, narrowly avoiding running into the Rukio and the tree.

Ichiko and Rukio both stared after the fleeing boy. After long seconds of silence, Ichiko sighed. She turned to the tall boy and locked his eyes with her steeliest glare. "Whatever you're planning for Inoue, don't. He's got enough on his plate as it is. If you foist this Hollow-Shinigami crap on him or anyone else, you're gonna have to answer to me, you got that?"

With her feet planted firmly and arms crossed defiantly over her chest, Ichiko looked positively fierce. If it wasn't for the fact that she barely came up to his chin, Rukio might have been seriously intimidated by her. Instead, he had to stop himself thinking about how cute Ichiko's scowl made her look. Okay, so maybe he was still a little intimidated, he'd seen what she could do to Hollows after all. "Relax, twerp," Rukio drawled, expertly hiding his thoughts behind a veneer of bored irritation, "I'm not the one who's mixing her up in this 'crap.'"

"Good-" Ichiko began before she realized the implications of Rukio's phrasing. "No! No way does Inoue know anything about spirits or the Soul Society!"

Rukio gave Ichiko a disapproving look. "I'm not saying that he knows he's involved. How close are the two of you?"

"Not very, I guess." Ichiko had responded to the question instinctually, she wasn't used to thinking of herself as close to anyone except Tatsuki. But when she actually took a moment to think about it, she realized that Kengyuu was around a lot of the time. He seemed to show up at a lot of her Karate tournaments and he was with Chad whenever she and Tats spent time with the big man. Come to think of it, we've even eaten lunch together… Ichiko scratched the back of her head. "Okay, I guess we're kinda close," she admitted. Is he jealous or something? Ichiko wondered but quickly dismissed the thought as ridiculous.

"Any family?" Rukio asked pointedly.

The directness of the question dispelled any lingering ideas about Rukio's jealously from Ichiko's head. Weird, why is that kinda disappointing? Ichiko decided not to think about it and answer Rukio's question instead. "He had an older sister."

"Had?" Rukio pressed, the expression on his face growing steadily more intense.

Ichiko didn't like where this was going. It wasn't particularly that Ichiko had anything against the tall boy or even that she didn't trust him, just the opposite. However she couldn't deny that since he had appeared in her life, things had gotten significantly more dangerous. Ichiko didn't mind a little danger herself but it was a completely different story when people she cared about came under the line of fire. Ichiko hadn't realized it before but some part of her cared about the flighty auburn-haired boy. It was that part of her that put the scowl back on her face and put the venom in her voice when Ichiko answered Rukio's question. "Yeah, had. She died three years ago."

"How?"

"Don't you think that's a little personal?"

"It's important. Tell me."

It went against her gut but logic told Ichiko that Rukio had proved to be mostly reliable so far. Except maybe about the romance novel thing. ""You didn't hear this from me alright," Ichiko started grumpily. Rukio nodded solemnly, his attention completely focused on her, and Ichiko continued. "I only know what happened 'cause I was the one who opened the door. It happened as I was about to leave for school. The clinic wasn't open yet but someone was pounding on the door. I opened it and Kengyuu was there with his sister on his back. He was a pretty big kid, even back then. He was pretty hysterical but he told dad that it was a car accident. God, there was blood everywhere." Ichiko paused and shuddered, the memory obviously still disturbing after all the years. "There wasn't anything we could do with our equipment… sh-she died before the ambulance could come and take him to a big hospital." When Ichiko finished the story, she was staring at her feet with her eyes squeezed shut.

"…That's it?" Rukio asked, seeming bored by the story.

"THAT'S IT?! I tell you he dragged his big sister out of a car wreck and carried her to our clinic and all you say is 'that's it?!' What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you ask in the first place if you care so little, you heartless bastard?"

"I had a suspicion but your story proved it wrong," Rukio responded, his expression as blank as his voice. However Ichiko's tirade must have had some effect on him because he continued, "Mortals have a different view of death than Shinigami. It may seem heartless to you but you're going to have to learn to deal with it. After all, you're one of us now. Anyways, training is over for today. Let's go home."

Ichiko snorted, still annoyed with the tall boy but no longer furious. "You may be done with training for today but I'm sure as hell not. I've still got Karate. Which I'm gonna be late for because of you. Prick."

Not deigning to respond, Rukio strode away his long legs quickly putting distance between them. As Ichiko watched him leave, she couldn't help but wonder where he was going. What idiot is he freeloading off of?

Tatsuki was lounging on the bench in front of their dojo already dressed in sparring gear when Ichiko jogged up. Tatsuki was a head shorter than Ichiko but just as wiry, if not more so. There was something about her best friend that reminded Ichiko of an alley cat. Maybe it was the feline cast to her face and the predatory way she held herself, as if always ready to pounce. Maybe it was the savage, unpredictable glint in her eyes which made it nearly impossible to guess what Tatsuki would do next. Whatever it was, Ichiko loved it. There was nothing about her best friend that Ichiko would have changed.

A wicked grin spread over Ichiko's face, the kind that made sensible people want to run for cover, "Aww, You waited for me, Tats. That's so cute."

A matching leer crept over Tatsuki as she uncoiled from the bench and rolled sinuously to her feet. "You know me, babe, I get lonely when you aren't around to beat up"

"That's so sweet. I'm touched."

"Bitch, I'm gonna do more than touch you…" Tatsuki threatened huskily.

"Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty ," Ichiko rumbled back. The tension between the two of them was skyrocketing. Pedestrians on their side of the street ran through traffic to get away. Simultaneously, as if guided by a signal that was undetectable to everyone else, Ichiko and Tatsuki took a step towards each other and…

A male student stuck his head out of the door of the dojo and shouted, "You two are disgusting, you know that! Anyways, sensei is pissed so you'd better get in here right now!" Just as quickly as the head had appeared it was gone, sucked back inside the low, traditional style building that was completely anachronistic with the modern shops and apartment buildings that dominated this section of town.

Ichiko and Tatsuki exchanged one more heated looked before neither of them could take it anymore. They burst out laughing. Tatsuki grabbed Ichiko shoulder but it was no use, they were both laughing too hard to remain stable. As one, they collapsed onto the bench next to each other and let convulsions pass.

When they were able to form cohesive sentences again, Tatsuki turned to her friend and asked in a normal voice, "Seriously, what gives? You're never late."

Ichiko sighed heavily. "I'll tell ya inside alright? I've been wanting to hit something all day."

Tatsuki grinned wickedly and sprung to her feet. "Trust me, babe, the feeling's mutual." Tatsuki offered her hand to Ichiko and the orange-haired girl used it to pull herself up. Together, they double-timed it into the dojo.

Ichiko blocked a vicious kick to her head and retaliated with a flurry of straight punches aimed at her dark-haired friend's torso. Tatsuki parried or blocked each one with lightning speed and pinpoint precision. Back and forth, they traded a series of deadly blows, each one failing to strike anything vital by a hair's breadth. A thin sheen of sweat covered each girl. Most of the students who weren't sparring themselves watched the dojo's two prodigies' bout in awe, barely able to follow the movements that were being made before them. Even the sensei was having trouble making out exactly who was doing what.

Ichiko and Tatsuki were going at about half speed, perfect tempo for a conversation. "Time to spill it, Kurosaki. Why were you late?" Tatsuki asked, slightly out of breath.

"You're not gonna believe me," Ichiko grinned as she evaded her friend's low sweep with ease.

"Try me," Tatsuki continued the motion of her sweep, shifting with murderous grace to turn it into a roundhouse kick aimed at Ichiko's side.

"I was with a man," Ichiko blocked the kick with her elbow and jabbed with the other arm.

Tatsuki snorted with laughter and parried the blow. "You're right, I don't believe it."

Pressing the offensive, Ichiko surged forward. She drove her knee up towards her friend's stomach. "He's new. You might have noticed him. He's really damn tall."

"Rukio?" Tatsuki asked incredulously as she back away from Ichiko attack and brought her arms up in a defensive posture. "You've gotta be kidding me. Honshō wouldn't shut up about him in Math class." Tatsuki blocked Ichiko's flurry of blows before finding an opening and taking the offensive again. "Tall boys, huh? I always wondered what you were into."

Ichiko blocked her friend's attacks with the same effortless fluidity that hers had been dealt with a moment before. "Sorry to disappoint, but it wasn't like that. We were just talking." Ichiko grinned mischievously, "You know I've only got eyes for you, Tats." It was always like this between the two of them. Being around Tatsuki brought out a different side of Ichiko, a side that she liked. With most people, at least living ones, Ichiko didn't like opening herself up. But she had known Tatsuki since before… well, since before things had changed. Ichiko couldn't keep anything from the other girl even if she wanted to.

Tatsuki wasn't like a sister to Ichiko. They were closer than that. When they were together, Ichiko couldn't help but let her friend's reckless energy suffuse her. Around Tatsuki, Ichiko could laugh. That bond was theirs and theirs alone. If things had turned out a little bit differently, they might have been more than friends. But, in this lifetime, that possibility was their private joke instead. Anyone who implied it was more than that got their face broken. Twice.

"Please," Tatsuki snickered, "'just talking' couldn't have kept us apart. I want all the details. Even the nasty ones." Suddenly, Tatsuki whipped her elbow at Ichiko's chin. The taller girl jerked back her head, barely avoiding a dislocated jaw. Tatsuki's vicious grin widened, "Especially the nasty ones."

"Nasty, huh?" Ichiko purred, going back to exchanging with Tatsuki. "Well, at the end, Kengyuu showed up and the three of us… talked… together."

Tatsuki's eyes widened and her form hitched slightly. Ichiko seized the opportunity like a hawk swooping on a mouse. Her arm snaked arm Tatsuki's and she drove a kick into the back of Tatsuki's knee. As Tatsuki began to toppled, Ichiko ducked and spun, using leverage and her friend's momentum to fling Tatsuki over her shoulder and into the mat.

Unfazed by the throw, Tatsuki sprung back to her feet almost instantly. "Inoue was there? What exactly happened?" Tatsuki demanded in rapid succession, the joking tone completely gone.

Ichiko raised an eyebrow at her friend. "I told you. Kuchiki and were talking. Inoue showed up and we talked for a bit. Apparently, Inoue got hit by a car last night and Kuchiki was really interested in his bruises. It was kinda strange." Of course, Ichiko wasn't telling her friend the whole truth but she wasn't lying to her either. Outright lies to Tatsuki were completely out of the question. To distract attention from her half-truths Ichiko asked, "Why do you care?"

Her eyes must have been deceiving her because Ichiko thought she saw Tatsuki blush. That never happened. The distraction seemed to have worked because Tatsuki snapped, "No reason. Anyways, lets go again. For real this time."

Ichiko grinned and nodded. The two sprung at each other. There would be no room for conversation.

Yuzu flung at Ichiko's door in a state of flustered panic. "Have you seen my um… diary?!" He called plaintively into the empty room.

Ichiko walked quietly up the stairs behind him, one towel wrapped around her damp body and the other around her equally damp hair. "Hey!" she shouted without really summoning up enough energy to sound angry, "don't go in my room without knocking!"

Yuzu glanced over his shoulder at his sister as she climbed the stairs, leaving little wet footprints in her wake. "But I thought you were in there…" Ichiko blonde little brother protested as if that somehow made his intended intrusion on her privacy better somehow.

Turning around fully, Yuzu processed Ichiko's towels and general state of dampness. "You took a bath" he huffed as angrily as the little boy could manage. "I wanted to go in too!"

Ichiko sighed. As cute as her little brother was, he was going to need to learn to do things by himself one of these days. "You're in 5th grade now, kid," she told him without a trace of sympathy for his plight, "You can't be taking baths with your big sister anymore. In fact, you should probably start instead showering soon. More manly."

Yuzu scowled and stomped his foot. Okay, now that's a little bit less cute, Ichiko thought. "Sis," he whined, "you've been so cold ever since you got to high school!"

"Have not." Ichiko swept past her brother and into the open doorway to her room. "I don't know who took your trashy romance novel either, kid. Sorry, I meant diary." With that, she slammed the door in his face.

"They're not trashy!" Yuzu protested loudly from the side of the door.

For Rukio Kuchiki, places that were comfortable for normal people were cramped and claustrophobic. Being built like an NBA player had many advantages. He had longer reach than most humanoid opponents, his long stride meant he cover the same distance as others with less energy, he could reach high shelves that others found inaccessible. But there were drawbacks as well. The most significant of which was the fact that most building simply weren't built for people his height.

Early in his life, Rukio had had a crushing fear of tight spaces but, when simply living became exposure therapy, his fear quickly disappeared. Nowadays, Rukio did not relish being cooped up but he could do so without breaking out in terror sweat and crying.

This was extremely fortunate because Rukio Kuchiki's makeshift bed of folded hospital sheets was located in closet and not a very big one at that. If the tall boy leaned forward a little bit, his knees nearly touched his chin. Still, it was better than sleeping on the street. Rukio had considered other locations for his headquarters but, in the end, this one was the obvious choice. Given his unique situation, there could have been no safer or more convenient place in all of the Living World.

Well, except maybe one, Rukio mused, but then I'd have to deal with… her… all the time. The mere thought of her unkempt blonde hair and outdated fashion sense made Rukio cringe. No, that wasn't an option. Not even a little bit.

A beeping from the front pocket of checkered pajamas, discretely nicked from a Big and Tall clothing store that morning, drew Rukio out of his reverie. An order? It took a bit of maneuvering but he eventually managed to reach the locator and flip it open. Sure enough the familiar symbols were cascading down the screen, completely unintelligible to the untrained eye. As the details of the order began to make themselves clear from the stream of information, Rukio's eyes widened in surprise. That can't be right! The location of this order is…

Ichiko finished pulling on her pajamas and yawned widely. She felt good. Sparring with Tatsuki was always exhausting and made her sore but, over the years, the ache had been comforting. And there was absolutely nothing like a long hot soak in the tub to swash off the sweat of hard practice before bed. Sure, Ichiko may have dozed off for half an hour during her bath but she'd earned it, damn it. Anyways, she was up now and the strawberry print sheet of her intended sleeping area were calling to her seductively.

Ichiko was halfway under the covers when she heard it: a frantic beeping from everywhere at once. "What the hell," Ichiko muttered, her mind already half asleep and having trouble making logical inferences. "Are Karin and Goat-Chin playin' video games again? At this hour?" Drowsiness made her words slow and slurred. Ichiko was on the verge of getting up and shouting at her idiot family when the source of the noise swam up through the murky swamp that blanketed her thoughts and into her consciousness. It's coming from inside the walls…

Even if Ichiko had been about to act on the revelation, which was doubtful at best, the beeping stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Satisfied that someone else had resolved the problem, Ichiko started back towards her bed groggily.

With a bang Ichiko's closet door smashed open. Like a clown emerging from a comically small car in a particularly violent and energetic manner, Rukio Kuchiki unfolded himself the wall space, shouting her name at the top of his lungs. The tall boy's sudden and improbably appearance was way too much for her overtaxed brain to process. Ichiko just shouted incoherently.

"Gather your senses, Kurosaki," Rukio commanded, "We've got an order!"

"Y-y-y-y-you!" Ichiko stammered trying to obey his first instruction but still unable to deal with the second piece of information, "H-h-how long have you been in there?!" Ichiko looked down at herself and realized what she was wearing. More specifically, Ichiko became acutely aware of how she had come to be wearing it. "I WAS JUST NAKED!"

"No time to discuss that now! We've got an order!"

"Order?!" Ichiko was confused for a moment but the fog of sleep was steadily being burned from her mind. "Wait! You mean a hollow is about to appear?! When?! Where?!"

Seemingly from nowhere, Rukio produced the red and black glove Ichiko vaguely remembered from under the bleacher and yanked it over his right hand. As Rukio rushed forward, he shouted the answers to Ichiko's questions. "Here! Now!" Before Ichiko could react, his gloved hand was against her face then pushing through it. The feeling of ripping shuddered through her body and she watched as her corporeal form fell bonelessly to the floor of her bedroom.

Just above Ichiko's bed, the air pinched strangely. Space distorted itself, weirdly twisting Ichiko's view of the shapes behind it. Then the contortion tore open, briefly revealing yawning blackness lurking beneath the thin veil of reality. A claw exploded from the ragged hole. It was massive and sickly green in color, great bird-like talons tipped each of the five enormous digits.

The rest of the thing followed the hand. It surged into reality like a criminal breaking down their victim's door in the night. The rest of its body was as proportional to the gigantic hand and the hole in thin air cracked and expanded to allow the hollow through. Its basic shape was human but stretched and distended. Like all hollows, a sickeningly white mask covered its face. This one's was like a human skull that had been bleached and somehow ground into a series of flat planes.

Ichiko was momentarily stunned. The thing was only halfway out of the rabbit-hole and already it took up most of the space in her room. Rukio, on the other hand, was perfectly conscious. "Aim for the head!" he shouted.

His words jarred Ichiko loose. The last dregs of exhaustion had drained from her, leaving only adrenaline. Ichiko's wakizashi was in her hand quicker than thought. With inhuman speed, the orange haired girl, now dressed in her jet-black shinigami regalia, struck. Her blade lashed through the air. The hollow must have been expecting it though because the creature whipped its head back with speed that seemed impossible for its size. Still it wasn't fast enough and the last third of Ichiko blade sliced through the bone-like mask but failed to connect with the flesh beneath.

The hollow reared back and roared in pain. As quickly as it had emerged from the hole, the thing surged back into it. It happened fast but not fast enough for Ichiko to catch a glimpse of what lay beneath the mask. What she saw there was the last thing she had expected to see. It paralyzed her.

The hole sealed itself fully, leaving Ichiko's spirit alone in the room with Rukio. The tall boy still looked tensed for a fight. "He got away," Rukio murmured, although his posture indicated he didn't quite trust his own words. As second ticked on and no attack came, Rukio's wariness dissipated and turned into urgency. After ten seconds had passed Rukio was sure that the hollow had gone. That was definitely not a good thing. "Come on!" he shouted to Ichiko, "We're going after it!"

"Wait…" Ichiko's voice was uncharacteristically small and hesitant. "What's going on Rukio? That-that thing had- it had Inoue big sister's face."

End of Chapter 3

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo! What do you think?! Its 4:00 AM here and I can't write anymore! My flight back home leaves at 11:30 and I vowed to get something done before I have to leave. I really sympathized with Ichiko during the scene where she trying to get to bed because that's how I'm feeling right now :D Well, except for the part where I'm not sleeping tonight because I still have to finish packing and look up the bus route to the airport, lol. Anywho! I always talk a little about my personal life in these segments… what do you all think about that? Necessary? Unnecessary? Interesting? Uninteresting? I'd really like to know! Maybe I should start a blog but I don't think I'd know what to write about most of the time!

So! Big things this chapter! I want all your opinions on them! Ichiko and Tatsuki have a VERY different relationship than they do in the canon story. Personally, I like them this way. There are a couple of reasons why I had their friendship be the way it is but I'd prefer to explain them through the story rather than here or in a shout-out. The other big thing is my explanation of Kido. We haven't really been given any hint as to how it works yet from the manga so I just made something up. I drew a little bit of inspiration from the Dresden Files' view of magic but I tried to make it as Bleachy as possible. Kido is gonna end up being a big part of Ichiko's skill set later on so I want to set up how it's used now to be able to explore it later. If you hadn't noticed, I really like description.

More things! This chapter is the first one that has been written this year! Exciting stuff. As the author, I'm too close to really be able to tell the differences between my new and old style. Tell me, plz! Better? Worse? About the same?

One more thing before I go. I want to include a short list of things I'm looking forward to in the future of this FanFiction. Partially this is to tantalize anyone who is reading and partially it's to motivate me to write in a timely manner! Here goes!

#1: F!Shirosaki: OMG guys and gals, this is a big one for me. I have some scenes in my head already and trust me when I say that Byakuya is NOT going to know what hit him. Also, she'd going to be an absolute psycho! I love her so much!

#2: Kengyuu's and Tatsuki's Fullbrings: I'm not going to reveal anything specific here but let me just say that I plan for Ichiko's friends to be WAY more badass in my story than they were in the manga. If your curious, I do name Kengyuu's in one of my shout-outs.

#3: The Urahara Shoten Gang: Who is GB and who isn't? We'll just have to find out, won't we! M!Yoruichi? Yum! F!Tessai? OHGODKEEPITAWAY!

That's all for now, special frienships! Please show me your love and comment! I may not deserve it but it keeps me going!

Long Overdue Call-outs

Curttsies: What's the fun in writing a carbon copy? I like this way much better: D I'm not sure if I'd call my IchiRuki moments exactly subtle, lol! Ichiko would absolutely have to be a tsunadere! We can't give Rukio the wrong idea, now can we?

the romantic insanity: The first was meant to stand completely alone and I think that helped it be what it was. Maybe if I write every chapter like that I can keep the standard up… something to think about I suppose. Inoue is killing me! But I'm glad someone likes him! F!Mizirue was really fun to write. She's going to be a ball of fun (and MUCH more evil than the original mwahahaha!).

Selyra: While Nejibana is undoubtedly an awesome and mostly unexplored weapon, my plans for Ichiko or different. As are my plans or Kengyuu. I agree that Orihime got a little snubbed in the usefulness department so Kengyuu's Nana Yosei Yari will hopefully be awesome! In the rewrite, I've given hints as to what Ichiko's powers are but you'll see the full extent soon enough (hopefully)…

Grammar: the bane of all writers, lol. Or maybe that's just me. Anyways, I tried to clean it up a little. Perfect! Don't say that! It'll get to my head! I'll try my hardest to keep the quirkiness going!

SrgntDrew: Have more you shall!

EmpressMina: Sadly, there may not be any. Call me a prude but lemons just aren't my thing. In my opinion, I can't do justice to sex in writing. Well, casual sex would be fairly easy to write but when/if Ichiko and Rukio decide to get down to business, it's going to be anything but casual and explicitly describing that almost seems like an intrusion of privacy to me. No disrespect to anyone who writes lemons, I just choose not to.

Baylee1100: Hopefully!

Kagehime-sama53: I'm getting the impression that a lot of people have been looking for an AU GB that isn't harem or god-like. Something that keeps the core essence of Bleach but changes the details. I know I was when I started writing this and still am now.

deepstairs: Aaah! Update now! (At the time of writing this call-out I have not finished writing the chapter. However, because of how time and limited perception works, this does not matter)

That Punk Rock Chick: Thanks!

FraulineTraumer: I could not agree more! Also, glad that you like it!

NamikazeMia: I just finished my updates for chapter 1 & 2 today actually and I'm seriously considering spending all night writing chapter 3! 24oz Monster here I come! In short, yes. Update soon.

Turney out!