STOP ME WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH

Hm, Well Then

"K-Kurosaki!" Uryū splutters. "You should not be staring at Arisawa like that!"

"Oh, calm down. I've seen her naked before."

"YOU WHAT!" Rukia snarls.

"It wasn't on purpose!" He yelps under the small Shinigami's rage.

"Will you shut up and help me!" Tatsuki yells.

"R-right."

Ichigo scoops up a bath robe that was laying on the back of a chair. He steps over what's left of Tatsuki's clothes, and studies her hands an arm's distance away. She's emitting an intense heat - that's probably why her clothes aren't on her anymore. He needs something that'll withstand the heat. Guess that means the robe won't work. He sets it down by his feet.

The ginger gestures for his oldest friend to sit on the floor. She does so with her legs hiding what she can of herself. She dead stares her metallic hands with horror and confusion. Ichigo can only guess what's going through her head, but he'd say she's trying to understand her new power. He did the same himself. After killing his first Hollow, he laid awake at night. He was at a complete loss of how to comprehend what he did and can do. He'd imagine that's what is going on with Tatsuki right now. Her head must be running a million miles an hour.

"Orihime, what happened?" Rukia asks.

"Tatsuki got a little angry from something Mizuiro said, and then she just bursted in metal and fire!" Inoue explains animatedly.

"Do you think you could help reduce her temperature?" Ichigo asks.

"Um, I'm not sure. I can try."

"Do it," Tatsuki says through grinding teeth.

Inoue releases her healing fairies and follows their invisible instruction on how to cool Tatsuki. The orange beam surrounds the teenage girl like a cacoon, and it leaves her breathless. This must be the first time she's seen Inoue's powers at work.

It doesn't take long for Tatsuki to start shivering. It's understandable. She's naked and inside a supernatural AC unit. The clothes around Tatsuki also start to piece together, immediately catching Ichigo off guard. How can a healing ability mend clothes? He sits on this question as the rest of the process is carried out. Finally, Inoue removes the healing barrier, and Tatsuki is no longer smoking hot.

Literally.

Ichigo sets the robe on Tatsuki's shoulders before the girl could get up. Her hands are still made of metal, but her skin isn't somewhere over ninety five degrees celsius anymore. Tatsuki slips into the robe and stands to tie it. Her red face is lowered in embarrassment since the ordeal seems to have gotten immensely better.

"Sorry," she mutters.

"Don't worry about it. How about you go sleep in my bed while I talk to Uryū about what to do?" Ichigo offers, practically ushering her out the room.

"But what if your bed catches fire?"

"Then tell me. Now go. Along with the rest of you."

Everyone sighs and leaves the room. Everyone but Rukia and Uryū. The door shuts and the small Shinigami quirks an eyebrow at him.

"What was that about?" She questions.

"Did you guys notice what Inoue did?" Ichigo ignores Rukia's question.

"She cooled Arisawa down. Are you that stupid?" Uryū crosses his arms.

"Did you not see what happened to Tatsuki's clothes?"

The two gaze at each other. Uryū responses first.

"I saw them move, but that was about it," he shrugs.