After the awful chick flick moment with Rukia, them and Inoue go out to eat. Seems pretty comical, but it's actually happening. Rangiku manages to catch them in her clutches, and drags them into a bar and grill place. Ikkaku and Yumichikia are in a booth, waving them over.
"I thought you said we're meeting up with your girl friends," Ichigo mutters.
"We are. Those two idiots just so happen to be here," Rukia shrugs.
"So happen," he echoes in disbelief.
"What are you losers doing here? Aren't you supposed to be human or something?" Ikkaku jokes to Inoue and Ichigo.
"Supposed to be," he repeats. Wow, he sounds like a broken record.
"Then what are you doing here?" Yumichikia asks.
"Running away from my problems like a typical living being," Ichigo shrugs.
"Not me. I'm training!" Inoue flexes in a joking manner.
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
Rangiku smacks Ikkaku harshly upside the head. He wails at the abuse, and she shakes her head in disapproval. "How rude!"
"What was that for!"
"You should never talk to a lady that way!"
"That's not a lady - it's Inoue!"
A second smack is followed by a longer argument. Rukia pulls her gingers away, and leads them further into the restaurant. In a more secluded part is a table consisting of Shinigami women. They gaze at the two extras in mild surprise.
"I brought the gingers!" Rukia exclaims, raising the said gingers' arms in the air like champions ripe in the win.
The women cheer, and some part of Ichigo is actually regretting this. They weren't expecting strippers, were they? Because he's not a stripper. He refuses to so much as take his shirt off here.
"This is Inoue Orihime," Rukia gestures to the respective. "And the infamous Kurosaki."
"Yo."
"Uh, hi," Inoue waves nervously.
"Join us, please!" One girl says.
"The food is free for famous Shinigami, so we don't mind," reassures another.
Famous? Does he mean Rangiku and Rukia? One is a lieutenant and the other is a noble. Maybe that's it.
Some of the girls look familiar, but he couldn't place the names even if he wanted to. There is one girl he knows the name to: Momo. She's the Fifth Division lieutenant - Aizen's lieutenant. He thought Aizen killed his lieutenant. Guess she survived.
Ouch.
Rukia has Ichigo sit on her right, and Inoue across from him. There is one more empty seat that was there before they arrived, yet he assumes it's Rangiku's. Well what do you know? Call him psychic. She walks in not a moment later, acting all hot shit and pretending she wasn't in a petty argument. He can't help rolling his eyes. Actually, he didn't even know he rolled his eyes until Rukia nudged him in the ribs. He mutters a quick apology that didn't mean to sound so half hearted, but she accepted it nonetheless.
Food is served without them ordering. Odd. Did they already order? No, when he sees the endless platters of random and filling foods, he knows the restaurant is giving them all they have to offer. He feels guilty for being here now. Didn't they say the food is free for famous Shinigami? And Ikkaku and Yumichikia are here, too. Are they getting a similar type of service?
The servers bow to every individual seated. None look particularly pleased to be here, and their eyes stay to the floor. Ichigo can't help but frown at them, the guilt eating him up. And they aren't going to be paid either. He bites his lip to keep him from saying something stupid.
"Dig in!" Someone cheers at the table. Ichigo isn't the only one to acknowledge the servers' attitudes. Inoue and him share a look.
"What's wrong?" Rukia nudges him. "I thought you'd be hungry after all that training."
"I am," he nods slowly.
"Then what's wrong?"
"Little things, I guess."
Inoue and Ichigo do eat, but that doesn't stop them from glancing at each other in discomfort. Rukia is okay with this? Then again, she is a noble, and before Byakuya adopted her, she'd kill for food if that's what it took to eat. Thinking that way made the guilt go down - even if only a little.
"I need a drink!" Rangiku proclaims after belching.
"Rangiku-chan!" A Shinigami gapes.
"What? I just burped."
"I would've expected it more from the only boy here than you."
Ichigo gets a terrible idea. He takes a gulp of his drink, and then proceeds to belch louder than Rangiku. The girls gawk in disgust.
"What? I'd hate not to meet your expectations," Ichigo shrugs.
And that's how Rangiku and him get into a belching contest. No, he is not joking. The girls at the table cringe at every one, and it brings happiness to him. What's even better? Rukia joins in, and that's the only encouragement Inoue needs.
"Spending time with humans has corrupted you," Momo jokes to Rukia and Rangiku.
"What are you blaming humans for? Rangiku was always this gross," Ichigo states, sticking his tongue out at the blonde.
Her response is to peg a fork at him, to which he dodges. Rukia seems to be the only one that caught his phrasing. He didn't include himself with humans.
"But Rukia lives with you, Ichigo. I'd be surprised if you haven't done the deed yet," Rangiku teases.
"The deed?" The two echo.
"Yah know - do the do."
"Oh," Ichigo realizes. "You think we slept together."
"What?" Rukia flushes.
"Did you?"
"No. I'm not an animal, and she's not a toy," he scoffs.
"Your mother raised you right," someone laughs.
Rukia and Inoue grimace. He would, too, to be fair.
"I raised me," he corrects. "Because it's common sense and being a decent person."
The meal was free, so they left without paying. Everyone goes their separate ways, and the three friends slowly wonder around the Seireitei. The sun is just about to set, and the air is cooling the land quickly.
"So what now?" Ichigo asks as they walk the winding roads.
"I have arranged for your stay at the Thirteenth Division's barracks. The rooms are private, and Captain Ukitake decided they're your's for whenever you come to the Soul Society," Rukia states.
"Really!" Inoue exclaims like a giddy child. Bystanders stare for a short while at the noise. "That's so nice of him!"
"I guess," Rukia smiles at her.
"I'm guessing you're showing us where they are - it being your division, I mean."
Rukia nudges Ichigo. "Obviously. Since I brought you two idiots here, I'm in charge of you."
"Cool."
The division barracks are huge. Ichigo guesses that makes sense. There has to be a minimum of a few hundred Shinigami in each division. Luckily, because the rooms are private, they're easy to find. The hallway to their rooms is missing a wall, a quaint and soothing garden sitting right there in its place. The rooms are about the same size, and maybe twice the width of his bedroom at home.
His mind stops in its tracks. Is that clinic really his home? It was in the past, that he can't deny. But now? It's nothing more than the ceiling he glares at when he can't sleep. It should be more - Rukia and him had good memories - but it's not. It can't be more because it lost the potential like how Ichigo lost the little patience he had.
"How is it?" Rukia asks, bringing him out of his sulk.
"It's good. Thanks."
"Will you be able to find your way back here without getting lost?" She teases.
"No," he admits sheepishly. "This place is a maze. I'll never make it through there."
"But if you shunpo'd over the barracks, and straight into the garden, would you make it?"
"Oh yeah. Definitely."
"Hey, guys," Inoue pops her head in from the door. "I'm heading to bed. Good night."
"Good night."
"Night."
Inoue slides the door closed for whatever reason. A silence passes between the last two as they listen to the ginger girl retreat to her room. For whatever reason, it grows awkward. They haven't been alone with this kind of subtext in a while; it almost feels scandalous to do so now. He throws himself onto his bed, not knowing what else to do. Standing there felt too awkward.
"So, call it a night?" Ichigo cringes at his voice crack.
"Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about," Rukia starts, rubbing her arm from the chill of the awkward air.
"Oh... what is it?"
She sighs. "The Shiba Clan knows you're one of them. It won't be for long until they realize you're here, and they'll have a meeting with the head captain - at least - to be able to come visit you on Seireitei grounds."
"Wait, wait, wait. Start over. Kukaku is going to have a meeting with Yamamoto so she can have a meeting with me?"
"Idiot, listen!" Rukia smacks him upside the head. He glares at her as she takes up the spot on his bed beside him. "You are a Shinigami - alive or not. You have a combat pass, allowing you to continue being a Shinigami under the Gotei 13's permission and occasional supervision. You are also on Seireitei grounds. For a civilian to visit someone within the Seireitei, they have to go through proper channels, and because you are considered a high asset, that channel is Head Captain Yamamoto. Because you are staying within the Thirteenth Division's barracks, Captain Ukitake might have to be present during the meeting. And let's not forget about nii-sama because it was a member of his clan that got you permission to stay in the first place. You follow me?"
"Yes, surprisingly."
She snorts. "What I'm trying to say is: word will get out eventually about your heritage."
Now he gets it. "Yamamoto doesn't seem like the kind to gossip."
"Neither is Captain Ukitake, but his oldest friend is Captain Kyoraku."
"Oh, yeah, then I'm screwed."
"How do you want to play this?" She shifts to face him fully, sitting cross legged.
He doesn't know where this comes from, but he goes through with the thought nonetheless. He turns and lays down, his head resting on her lower thighs. Her cute face flushes brightly as she glances away in embarrassment. For whatever reason, he likes this.
"Play it by ear, I guess. There's not much we can do without causing an unnecessary uproar."
Rukia hums in acknowledgement, her red face still not looking at him. Ichigo then sets his hands on both her thighs. "Are you okay?"
She squeaks at his touch. "I'm fine!"
He likes it when she squeaks. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Well, okay. Anyway, I don't want you to tell anyone about my heritage unless Kukaku and me are in the room. Don't tell anyone about my mom, either. I'm going to be in enough shit as it is with the Shiba Clan."
Rukia gives a cough. "But," she mutters. "Wouldn't that be hypocritical of you? To not be open around what you are?"
He doesn't need the lecture, yet welcomes the point anyway. "I will tell everyone. Just - not yet. If an enemy gets ahold of my information, and I don't have the power to back it up, it'll do more harm than good."
"I guess that makes sense."
Christ, she's cute. He cups the side of her face, and directs it to look at him. "Now who's being a hypocrite?"
"What?"
"You won't look at me."
Her face darkens more. "I've no clue what you're talking about."
He laughs a good natured laugh. "Whatever you say, shorty."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"You call me shorty, and I'll call you big boy again."
"Again?" He giggles. "When have you even called me that?"
"Remember the morning after we met? You dragged me out of the class room outside, and I said, what a secluded place. What's on your mind, big boy?"
Ichigo chokes. "You did?"
"I mean, I don't think those were my exact words," she squints in remembrance.
"I do not remember that."
"Well, not everyone is ADHD."
"This is true."