916Shinji had no idea why he thought today would be an uneventful day. Maybe it was some vain hope that believing in peace hard enough would manifest it. Either he hadn't believed hard enough or it was a useless prayer to begin with. Hinamori had left with the excuse of needing to do something for the SWA about an hour ago, and he stupidly thought nothing of it. The end result was him jumping in his seat when an explosion sounded somewhere within his division. The Vizard cussed as he stepped out from his desk, turning to the window behind him to see if he could spot the smoke. Just as he did, a single shout filled the air. The blonde caught himself on the windowsill and blinked as the voice filtered through his head.
"Was that Shiro?" He muttered. Right after he had that thought, a figure shot out into the air from the training grounds, moving at high speeds as it darted along the rooftops. Focusing on it, he saw it was his lieutenant, and her laughter soon reached his ears. A second later, two more forms flew out from the same location, one he recognized as the Rangiku Matsumoto and the other one being Yachiru Kusajishi. They each zipped away in different directions to Hinamori. "What the hell is-" Shinij was cut off by the fourth figure shooting into the air straight up from the training rounds.
It took a moment for him to realize it was Shiro, because the hellspawn looked like someone dunked him by the ankles into a bucket of violet paint.
"TRAITOR!" The Hollow cried. All three of the retreating women giggled louder. "THAT'S IT, I'M BREAKIN' OUT THE BUBBLE WRAP!" The utterly odd statement seemed to have meaning to Momo, who shrieked.
"Why are you targeting me?!" She complained as she ran harder. Shiro ducked down somewhere in the division and came up seconds later holding a massive roll of bubble wrap that he had to carry with both hands. The Vizard blinked as he watched the doppelganger chase down his lieutenant.
"It's tha first rule o' prank buddies! Ya don't prank yer buddy!" Shiro argued valiantly, and Shinji found himself nodding uneasily in agreement. That was kind of one of the points of partnering up, you secured immunity from each other.
"It was Matsumoto-chan's idea!" A snort left the watching Captain. He didn't think she would be the type to throw someone under the bus, but it seemed he was wrong. "Mercy!"
"Where's your loyalty?!" Matsumoto rightfully shouted at her, cautiously following after Shiro to enjoy the show. Yachiru had climbed onto the busty blonde's shoulder with a wide smile on her face.
"You have no right to talk, you're watching this!" Momo countered as she hastily dodged out of the way of Shiro's plastic embrace.
"She's getting 'er comeuppance when I prank 'er back, that's how it works!" The Hollow announced. "But I trusted you!" He held the wrap out to circle around her were she to make a single mistake in evading.
"It was Matsumoto-chan's idea!" She repeated herself as she lunged away once more. The Vizard left the window to return to his desk, picking up the can of cola he had sitting on the side and coming back. Leaning his arms atop the windowsill, he took a sip and got as comfortable as could be, hanging one ankle back to cross over the other.
"Which meant it was 'er prank ta pull off! Ya shouldn't've went wit' it!"
"What was I supposed to do when she told me what she was gonna do?!"
"Either sit and watch 'r warn me 'bout it!" Once again, Shinji hated that he agreed with the hellspawn. The color-inverted spirit wasn't supposed to be likable. He was supposed to stay as an insult to all of the Vizards' struggles. How was the Captain supposed to stay mad at him when he respected the rules of a prank war so well? "Yer my partner! Ya either see if I can figure it out on my own 'r work wit' me ta counter-prank, not join the enemy team!"
"B-but, I wanted to see what you would look like with some color!" Even Shinji's jaw dropped at her words. Shiro paused in place, arms held out with the bubble wrap in hand. Rangiku held a hand over her mouth in shock, while Yachiru began giggling uncontrollably.
"Witch, WE CAN GO SHOPPIN' WHE'NEV'R YA FUCKIN' WANT!" The zanpakuto very reasonably pointed out. "YA CAN DRESS ME UP IN GODDAMN PINK 'N GREEN IF YA FEEL LIKE IT!"
"I…I didn't realize you could change your clothes…" Momo ashamedly bounced her fingertips against each other. Shiro lifted the roll once more, a ferocious look on his face.
"That's it, ya aint runnin' this time." He stated threateningly. Shinji took another placid sip of his cola while Momo's terrified squeals filled the air.
As the Vizard did so, he considered whether the idea forming in his head would be worth it in the long run. Currently, he was an outsider, and probably was safe from any pranks. The war was between Shiro and Rangiku, as well as anyone who let themselves get dragged in. Yachiru obviously sided with her partner in avoiding paperwork, and though she did not realize it, Momo had secured her place against the Hollow. Since she famously had always been on his side, that left him alone against the three of them. Yoruichi would be more than likely to team up with the zanpakuto of her boyfriend, but that still left them outnumbered three-to-two. Such was made worse by the fact that Yachiru was a sugar-powered chaos engine who knew far too many secrets about the Seireitei. The backward man grumbled around his can as he realized the direction his thoughts were going in. He really needed to cull his habit of rooting for the little guy. It lost him so much money when he gambled.
To hell with it, the Vizard had gotten tired of entertaining his prank wars and he really wanted to strut his stuff. Sakanade was the perfect zanpakuto for pranks! And he was about to let the SWA know it!
"Ah, dammit." He complained for the sake of it. "This is gonna create such a mess." But it was damn well gonna be amusing enough to make the clean-up worth it.
With a thermos of tea in hand, I meandered my way through the forest to the location Renji and Rukia were doing squad drills at. The two of them had submitted a request for joint training between Squads 6 and 13, which had been received and approved by Nozomi. It would've been a standard training request where my only interaction with it would be seeing the after-action report, had they both not specifically asked for me to oversee the drills. They had timed it for a Saturday, so I had no real reason to say no.
The training was simple and straightforward, Rukia and Renji having their unseated play out skirmishes against each other with bokken to get more practice in battlefield settings against mass enemies. While it would have been nice to give them bows with mock arrows, it wasn't realistic. If the Wandenreich spotted such training, they would wonder why we decided to start training against their designated weapons. Further, while archery was an elective that could have been taken at the academy, a few of my friends informed me it was treated as more like a free period that they got combat credits for. So smacking each other with bokken it was.
I entered the clearing they noted in the request that they were going to use, and was pleased to see that I was in the right place. About two hundred Shinigami occupied the clearing, with only about a quarter of that currently standing. The majority were sitting off to the side, completely interspersed with each other and making it so that the only way to tell who was from what division was to get in close and check their robes. There were about twenty-five from each Squad currently standing at opposite sides of the clearing, huddled together and hopefully talking strategies. Looking around, I spotted Renji and Rukia standing next to each other overlooking the clearing and started on my way over.
"Yo! Renji, Rukia!" I called. They both snapped to me, suppressed excitement on their faces.
"Ichigo!" Rukia greeted in turn, them both waving. "I'm so happy you're here!"
"You requested it, and it was on a day I didn't have school." I shrugged. "Didn't have much reason to refuse."
"Rukia's all jittery because it was her first training request that she's submitted." Renji smirked. She immediately kicked his shin. He yelped in pain and hopped around on his good foot, cradling the injury to his chest.
"I'm not jittery!" She shouted at him while blushing. "I was absolutely confident in my request!"
"You sure?" I had to tease. "Nozomi pointed out over half a dozen mistakes. You even mislabeled yourself as Third-Seat." The short woman's head turned to me, her face turning a deeper crimson out of embarrassment. Off to the side, the redhead burst out laughing.
"I-I'm s-still getting used to being a Lieutenant…" Rukia's voice shook as she tried to excuse it. Unable to stand seeing her so broken up, I waved it away.
"I was just messing with you, but it's nice to know you were that ready to accept it." At my words, she immediately switched to rage and slipped her sheathed zanpakuto from her hip. Rather than kicking me like she had Renji, she smacked my shin with her sword. I let her do so, and took delight in seeing her rage build when she saw no reaction from me.
"Stupid, indestructible Strawberry!" The violet-eyed woman hissed.
"So, how are the drills going?" I pushed, since it was still about ten in the morning and I wanted to get as much time in the afternoon with my family as possible. Movie night tonight was some adventure movie about a girl who wanted to explore the ocean meeting an arrogant demigod while on her travels. The two lieutenants exchanged a smirk, which threw me off, but I ignored with a sip of my tea.
"They've been going well the past two hours." Renji explained. "We've decided to keep to rotations. One hundred unseated from each division at a time, with twenty-five from each engaging in the skirmishes at a time. The drills end when all of one side is marked as defeated, and then they move to the next group of twenty-five. Each group goes twice, then we move to the next set of one hundred. If it works, we'll be doing this once a month every month from now on."
"If this first session goes well, we were thinking of expanding this to the other Squads as well, so that a pair of Squads are doing these drills every Saturday." Rukia expanded. "To keep from getting over familiar, maybe we could have a rotating system where, once each Squad has gone once, they switch the match-ups."
"What's your plan for the uneven number of Squads?" I challenged.
"We don't involve Squad Twelve, while Squads Two and Four act as random additional factors." The redhead was ready for it. "Without notifying any of the other Squads, the Onmitsukido are to randomly join in drills so that the others get more accustomed to their sneak attacks and train themselves to not accidentally engage in friendly fire. Meanwhile, Squad Four would do the same but as protected targets, for one side to keep safe while the other side seeks out the weak links." A wide smile spreading across my face, I nodded.
"Great job." I praised. "Make sure to include all that in your after-action report for today. Nozomi and I will figure out a good rotation. We'll keep the lieutenants as the supervising officers, but the rest of the seated officers should join in on the skirmishes to get better with coordination." They nodded professionally. "I want to see whatever rotations are left in this group of one hundred. If I approve, I'll leave you two to it for the rest of the day." Excited grins curled across their faces, I assumed it was out of pride for doing a good job. In unison, they both turned to the waiting groups of twenty-five.
"Okay!" Renji collected the attention of those ready for the next skirmish with his shout. "It's time to show what we've practiced! Squad Six!"
"Squad Thirteen!" Rukia called once it was her turn. "Ready! And!" Exactly like I was used to from witnessing drills before, it was not the supervising officers who called the start, but the Shinigami taking part. What I wasn't used to was the word they used to announce it.
"OMELETS!" Fifty Shinigami all howled in unison before charging at each other.
"YOU PIECES OF SHIT!" I immediately turned to the two lieutenants, who had already started running, their cackling laughter following after them. "GET BACK HERE!"
Chojiro stood to turn the lights on when the credits began to roll, and Ossan in turn went to grab the tea kettle that had been staying warm on the stove. It was routine for the both of them by now, the lieutenant cleaning up the popcorn that had slipped between the cushions of the recliners they sat at. The zanpakuto at the same time set the tea kettle on the plate in the center of the coffee table and fetched a pair of fresh mugs. While they did this, the credits of the movie they just finished continued to roll out, acoustic guitar ringing out from the speakers as an American country song played over the credits.
Once everything had been cleaned up and the tea poured into their mugs, the two men silently returned to their seats. Ossan grabbed the remote from the table and muted the television, cutting off the song playing. Chojiro leaned over to the small table sitting between their two recliners and picked up the pocket-watch atop it, clicking it open to check the time. After nodding to himself, he closed the watch before setting it back down,. In unison, the two then picked up their mugs and took a sip of their tea. Silence rang nearly completely undisturbed for a time, only interrupted by the gentle taps of their mugs being placed down onto the coffee table. Once the credits completed and the screen shifted to a main menu, the men turned to each other.
"I'd say this was an 8/10." Chojiro initiated. Ossan shook his head.
"You let your bias control you, Sasakibe-san. I would not give this any more than a 6/10."
"I disagree. The plotline was subpar for its genre, but the character interactions were more natural and the focus on practical effects over CGI improved its rating."
"I will agree that the lack of CGI helped, both in its quality and providing a more authentic feel for the film. However, I do not believe it was the character interactions that were more natural so much as the actors who were more comfortable with each other. Several of their line deliveries did not match the tone of what was happening in the scenes."
"Name an example." The white-haired lieutenant requested.
"In the Saloon when Billy first met Hutcherson. The musical score indicated it was intended to be a tense moment, and the dialogue implied Billy was slowly realizing the threat Hutcherson possessed. However, the actor playing Billy seemed far too comfortable with the actor playing Hutcherson and he never appeared nervous or uncertain."
"I must protest. I interpreted that scene as Hutcherson attempting to threaten Billy, only for Billy to display that he was undaunted, and did not perceive the bounty hunter as a threat. By this point in his life, Billy had already earned his 'The Kid' moniker, he had faced bounty hunters before. I saw it as a display of arrogance on Billy's part, to not realize how truly dangerous Hutcherson was."
"If that was intended to portray Billy as arrogant, why was it the only instance of such overconfidence?" The Quincy countered. "He otherwise was quite humble throughout, acknowledging that he was a mere human who could be brought down with a single bullet."
"I believe another such instance was what you just spoke of, my friend. I felt it was not a statement spoken out of humility, but as a mockery to others that it is so simple to kill him, yet no one has succeeded."
"I can understand how you would come to such a conclusion, but I believe the fault lies in the actor's abilities. The way I heard him read out the line, it sounded self-deprecating."
"I likewise heard the dour tone in the line, but I felt it more as a false sadness, as though playing up the depressive nature to make it sound as though the others were more pathetic for failing to do something so easy."
"If he meant it as a mocking statement, why did he say it to his friends who were comforting him after he lost the first battle to Hutcherson? Why did it precede his temporary depression while he was confined to a bed in recovery?"
"Hmm, when you point it out like that, it does start to put it into question."
"It might be more entertaining to watch casually, without consideration for its quality and as something to just pass the time. But when watching with the intent for critique like we are, the flaws are easier to find."
"It would seem that this film being centered around the infamous Billy the Kid has brought my bias for Western culture to the forefront." Chojiro accepted. "What shall we put on next?" The Quincy hummed.
"Do you have Rush Hour?"
"Of course! On this so-called 'Blu-Ray', as well."
It was a warm summer day, practically perfect, in fact. The sun wasn't too hot and the park they were all in had a lot of nice spots for shade. They were all close to a tree at the moment, just the right size for them to comfortably choose whether they wanted to be in the shade or not. Unohana was serenely sitting with her back to the tree, her eyes closed and a soft smile on her face. Her fingers idly wove through Ichigo's hair, who was lying on his back with his head in her lap. He shared her content visage, his body spread out save for his right hand. Instead, his right hand was atop Yoruichi, who was curled up on his chest in her cat form. Mixed in with Chad sitting to Unohana's left, softly playing his guitar for them all, and Uryu sitting to her right, stitching something into his Quincy coat, it made for an utterly beautiful sight.
And it made Orihime want to cry.
She knew it was wrong of her, to still have these feelings for a man who was clearly in such a happy and healthy relationship. She wouldn't act on them, not that she had before he time-traveled. Before he…changed. The healer wouldn't do that to anyone, let alone someone so obviously happy. But it didn't change the fact that it hurt to see him in such contentment with someone else. That he shared two partners, with no room or interest in a third, only twisted the knife. Orihime couldn't not be happy to see Ichigo happy, but she also couldn't help but wish she could be the reason why.
The part that hurt the most was the fact that, seeing him now, she knew a relationship between the two of them would never work. Perhaps the version of him before he time-traveled, but certainly not the version of him in front of her now. And that was because of her. Thanks to her training with both Shiro and the Fullbringers, she had turned more introspective as of late. Her powers stemmed from rejection and denial. Healing, better described as rejection of injuries, and supposedly, of even death. Shields, better described as denial of being hurt, to simply reject the notion of being hurt in the first place. And, the weakest aspect of her powers, her lone means of attack being the theoretical rejection of her enemies themselves. She wanted people to be happy, and so she leaned into wiping away the pain her friends went through.
But the pain Ichigo had gone through, which he still suffered even now, was not a pain she could remove from him. Knowing that she could do nothing about it hurt her, and that was why a relationship could not work, even if she were to seek it out. She wouldn't be able to stand seeing him in pain, not from so close. She was barely able to tolerate it as it was, sharing classes with him and hanging out after school with him around half the time. His smiles were far more frequent than ever before, coming close to a default expression, but there was so much more nuance to them now. Not once had this version of Ichigo simply smiled, there was always depth to it. Relief, nostalgia, contentment, satisfied indulgent tones. He didn't just enjoy the moment, he embraced it and held it close as though it would slip through his fingers. And that passive act of appreciating it all the more because he knew what it was like when it was gone made her bite back sobs. He had lost the ability to just be happy, and she didn't know how to deal with it.
There were more layers to it, though. One more crucial aspect that her foolish, naïve self had never thought of, perhaps because the thought hurt too much. She carried the confidence that, were she to live out five different lives, she'd fall in love with the same man five times. If only she had considered that, in one of those lives, he wouldn't feel the same. If only that life wasn't the one they lived now. If only the fantasy of them getting married, having a child, and growing old and happy together wouldn't remain exactly that. She had pictured it so much, so often. She would work at her favorite bakery, baking wonderful loaves of bread she could use in her sandwiches, and he would work as a translator, having learned much of English because of his love for Shakespeare. Their child could become friends with Yachiru, and Kenpachi, and Ururu, and Jinta! The thought, now a forbidden one, brought her so much joy, thinking of them all so happy together. But, she'd rather his happiness that she could only share from afar over none at all.
Orihime wanted to cry because she couldn't reject his pain for him, make him better, but she also wanted to cry because he at least had someone who could soothe it as much as possible. Unohana and Yoruichi were able to care for him much better than Orihime was able to, with endless patience for his struggles where the healer knew she would be desperate for something to fix it. They were a much better match for this weathered and worn Ichigo than she, and there was no argument she could make against that. She did not share his love for battle that Unohana did. She could not banter with him like Yoruichi often did. She was afraid to point out and confront his mistakes, while Unohana clearly wasn't. She could not share his distaste for Central 46 and Soul Society's nobility from the point of view Yoruichi possessed. She couldn't provide a means for him to vent his frustration in combat like Unohana. She didn't know how to seamlessly distract him from his nightmares like Yoruichi.
Orihime Inoue, the polite Fullbringer, was not an appropriate partner for Ichigo Kurosaki, War Preparation Leader. It hurt to acknowledge, but him finding a pair suited for him was balm upon the wound. However, while there was no hope for her to live the rest of her life as his partner, it was more than achievable for her to live out her life as his friend.
"Okay, everyone!" She smiled widely as she came closer. "I brought some bread from my favorite bakery!" Uryu and Chad both perked up, pleasant smiles taking up their faces. Unohana opened her eyes and peered at the box in her hands, while Yoruichi cracked an eye open without shifting her position. Amongst the many other emotions found in Ichigo's smile, the healer spotted reminiscence manifest.
"They're not the discounted ones, are they?" He teased. Playfully, she pouted back and huffed.
"No, these are the ones my boss let me take home after work!" At her words, a joyful laughter left him, causing Yoruichi's form to bounce with his shaking chest. The sound warmed her heart.
"Yuzu, Karin, Dad! I'm home!" I called out as I opened the front door. "And I've brought company!"
"You did?" Yuzu asked, leaning out from the kitchen. Karin lazily glanced over from her position on the couch with the TV on. "Who is it?"
"Your cousins!" Kukaku pushed me out from the doorway, stepping inside and taking a moment to admire the layout of the house. Ganju stomped in after her, quiet out of nervousness over meeting new family. "So get your asses over here and give us a proper welcome!"
"We have cousins?" Karin blinked.
"IS THAT KUKAKU-CHAN I HEAR?!" Dad's voice bellowed throughout the house. He barreled through the clinic and came out from the hallway, immediately being dropped onto his back by his soccer player daughter. She had jumped off the couch and kicked him across the face as soon as he was within sight.
"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL US WE HAD COUSINS, GOATCHIN?!" She screamed down at him while stomping his chest. Yuzu, in contrast, darted out from the kitchen with her apron and oven mitts still on toward the new family members.
"Hi!" The girl beamed like the sun. "So happy to meet you, I'm Kurosaki Yuzu! I'm so sorry, we didn't know that you were coming over to visit! I would have prepared food! But I was about to start on lunch, please, tell me what your favorite foods are! I'm sure Oneechan wouldn't mind going to the market for anything we don't have!" Kukaku and Ganju stared down at Yuzu in open disbelief. As soon as she gathered herself, the one-armed woman pointed at the girl in front of her while turning to the still-being-beaten form of Isshin.
"How the hell did something this adorable come out of your ballsack, Uncle?" She bluntly questioned. Sitting up while still tanking Karin's shoe bashing against his ribs, Dad grinned proudly.
"She takes after her mother! Practically the splitting image, if I do say so myself!"
"Hey, don't ignore me!" The tomboy shouted before adjusting her aim to slam her foot into his face.
"And I see your other one got all of the Shiba genes!" The fireworks master's grin was all fangs. "Ichigo, why didn't you bring us over sooner?!"
"It aint a proper Shiba Reunion unless there's something bombastic, so I had to get it arranged with Kisuke to have a fireworks display." The Shiba Clan Head's grin turned even more feral.
"Attaboy, Ichigo!" She applauded while swinging her arm over Yuzu's shoulders and walking them toward the kitchen. "You haven't seen a fireworks display until you've seen one made by me! Once it gets dark out, I'll give you a show that'll knock your socks off!"
"Even better, Kisuke and I got it arranged for inside the Seireitei." I added. "We'll be spending the day in the World of the Living, and the night in the Soul Society." Kukaku snapped around, carrying Yuzu with her.
"HUH?!" The one-armed woman gaped. "We haven't been allowed to do a show inside the Seireitei since the Shiba got removed from their nobility status!" Smirking, I held up a fist and lifted fingers as I began listing.
"My girlfriend is a Shihouin, I'm coworkers with the Clan Head of the Kuchiki, and I've been in talks with the Tsunayashiro for a while. Add in the fact that I'm in an equal position to as well as friends with Yamamoto, and it means that anything I want to happen is practically an inevitability." Kukaku shined.
"Hey, blonde brat, you know how to barbeque?!" She asked to Yuzu. The girl blinked in response.
"Well, we don't use the grill often, but I've done it a few times."
"Ya hear that, Ganju?!" The fireworks master called out. "You're gonna have a grilling partner!" Having already been sharing her glee for a while, Ganju rushed forward with his arms open wide. Yuzu was pushed into him, and he locked her in a bear hug before lifting her up and swinging her around.
"I can't wait to compare grilling techniques! Oh! Or even teach you new ones!" He cheered. Once his words processed through her dizzy head, the chef of the Kurosaki's squealed in delight and hugged him back.
"Yay! I love to learn more about cooking! Do you have any tips for cooking with a charcoal grill?" The two Shiba blinked before exchanging a look. Maintaining eye contact, the two siblings had terrible smiles curl across their faces.
"Screw that!" Ganju bellowed. "You're gonna learn how to grill like a Shiba! USING KIDO AND FIREWORKS TECHNIQUES!" Yuzu's eyes gleamed.
"FAMILY COOKING TECHNIQUES!" She almost drooled. He put her down and they eagerly rushed into the kitchen, chattering about cooking styles and how to incorporate the Shiba's specialties into it. Kukaku and I smiled at the sight, the bickering between Karin and Isshin still ringing in the background.
"Hey, Kukaku, I have a small favor to ask of you, if you don't mind." I kept my voice low as I shuffled over and put my arm over her shoulders. She crossed her arm under her bust and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow.
"I would say anything for family, especially after you got us doing displays inside the Seireitei again, but I feel you wouldn't be asking like this if it really was something small." She pointed out. A wince left me.
"You're not wrong. I say it's small because you wouldn't be involved that much, but it's technically a big thing." I amended. She hummed, before letting out a defeated sigh.
"Well, you've been nothing but a boon to the Soul Society since you came around, so I seriously doubt you're gonna ask me for something I'm gonna disagree with. What is it?" Sheepishly, I rubbed the back of my head with my other hand.
"I need to take a trip. One that's gonna need your cannon." Her eyes snapped wide.
"What the hell for?!" Moving us over to sit on the couch, I explained. By the time I was done, Kukaku was staring at me with her jaw hanging open. "Well, damn. It's hard to say no to that. You've got your bases covered otherwise, anyway." She gave me a shrug. "Tell me a day, and I'll make sure it's ready by then. It's honestly the least I could do."
"Thanks."
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, No!" The angry shout filled the air, immediately followed by an excited chorus of cheers and shouts. I smirked at the small crowd of bodies surrounding a massive couch, suitable to hold six. In front of said couch, there was a reinforced wooden coffee table, and past that, there was a giant 100-inch TV sitting on top of an equally massive entertainment center.
"Yeah!" Shiro cheered along with the crowd, throwing his hands up into the air with a wide smile on his face while still sitting on the far left side of the couch. "Eat it, Antlers!"
"You lost too, you copycat!" Apache snarled in response, sitting in the center.
"So? I've gotta swap out anyway, whether I win or not. I'm just playing with random characters."
"He makes a good point." Tatsuki shrugged, sitting to Shiro's right. "He's gotta figure out the moves of each character he plays since he always picks random. You keep losing and you've played with the same character three times now."
"He gets more practice, though! There's like four games in between each time I play! He only has to wait through two matches!"
"Just take your loss with your chin up and trade the controller." Lisa monotoned while dropping onto the couch, between Tatsuki and Apache. "You're making us wait." The deer arrancar growled lowly, but threw herself into a stand and stomped over to the waiting Lilynette. She thrust the controller out for the smaller girl to take, who happily relieved her of it before taking the deer arrancar's spot.
"Now that that's settled, Ossan! It's yer turn!" The crowd parted so that the cloaked spirit could step forward and hold out his hand. His counterpart stood and passed the controller, the Quincy replacing the Hollow's seat. To the right of Lilynette, Hanataro meekly held his controller in a tight, nervous grip. Taking up the other corner, Ulquiorra was focused on the character select screen, inspecting the designs of each character as though that alone would tell him which he would prefer to play.
Realizing that Las Noches had no form of entertainment beyond a library only maybe three arrancar actually used, Halibel and I had worked to come up with a solution. Thanks to a grant I received from Byakuya, we put together a game room. There was also a small theater that was in the works, but the logistics of that the Queen of Hueco Mundo and I were still figuring out. With the first project complete, we had decided to make an event of it, inviting the Gotei and my friends to join in.
Inside the game room, there were a grand total of ten TV's, all mounted to the walls and each with consoles connected to them. All had furniture dedicated to them, mostly couches and recliners but the occasional bean bag chair. To the great joy of the game shop we used, we bought two copies of every game we thought the arrancar might enjoy, as well as a copy of every board game we found. The board and card games were placed into shelves positioned close to several tables that could each sit twelve, so that no one would have to walk far to start setting up a game. There was also an industrial fridge we filled with drinks (none alcoholic, because that was asking for violence) and a standing cupboard we filled with snacks. Since Aizen had not provided anything other than tea, Halibel had all but demanded greater food options. We already have a tentative shipment schedule for twice a month to refill the snacks and drinks.
Once everyone was present, there was a bit of confusion about what game to actually play to start getting the arrancar interested, so Tatsuki and I debated until we agreed on Super Smash Bros. With the screen being the ridiculous size it was, we settled on six-player, and then came up with a system for fairness. Every game, there would be a Human, a Shinigami, a Vizard, an Arrancar, an Espada, and what we simply dubbed an 'Ichigo'. The 'Ichigo' category was made up of Zangetsu and myself. Every game, everyone but the winner would swap out, unless the winner was an 'Ichigo', in which case we swapped anyway.
So far, it was going fantastically. Each game was so exciting that it had generated a small crowd, both of those wanting to play next and those who just wanted to join in on the excitement. Shinigami and Arrancar all huddled together, not a thought toward the fact that they were supposed to be enemies. My Human friends were also part of the crowd, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro having all agreed to go through Kisuke's matter-to-reishi converter. Better yet, the arrancar had gotten so caught up in the excitement, several had split off to play other games. A few of the more well-informed Shinigami had joined them to teach them how to play, and now half of the board game tables were taken up.
Another chorus of cheers announced the start of the next game of Smash Bros, everyone apparently having selected their characters. There was a startled squawk, and I checked out the screen to see that the Pit labeled as 'Ichigo' was hunting down the Ryu labeled as 'Human' with a vengeance. So Ossan was taking out Tatsuki to keep any arrancar from complaining about her superior knowledge on the game. It made me laugh. Peering around, I smiled at seeing Rangiku play Candyland with Mila Rose, Mashiro, and an arrancar I had never met before. At another table, there was a tense game of Settlers of Catan between Kisuke, Kyoraku, Uryu, and Halibel. On a different TV, Rose, Shuhei, Chad, and one of Grimmjow's fraccion were going nuts on Guitar Hero. To my surprise, Kensei and Grimmjow were lounging back on a loveseat, the boxer seemingly explaining God of War as the panther played the game. On one more TV, Orihime played DOOM masterfully to an audience of awed Shinigami and Arrancar. Next to her, a similarly sized crowd looked on inquisitively as an arrancar who I vaguely remembered seeing dead in the Blood War played Animal Crossing.
"Ichigo! You're up!" Tatsuki called out. I quickly finished off the soda in my hand and tossed it into a bin.
"Be right there!"
Most of the roofs in the Seireitei were occupied by Shinigami. Word had gotten around fast that the Shiba Clan was finally doing another fireworks show for the Gotei, and everyone had quickly made sure they were available for it. Thankfully, Kisuke and I had prepared in advance and there already was a spot ready on Sokyoku Hill for my family and friends. A few blankets had all been set out for us to sit on, with a grill off to one side that Ganju and Yuzu were cooking at. Isshin was catching up with Kukaku while she set up the fireworks, and Karin currently was running around the Hill, playing soccer with a few Shinigami. It was a cute sight, Karin being at a disadvantage because of her lesser physical ability, but being able to beat out the Shinigami playing with her due to her superior skill. Shiro was lying flat on his back on a different blanket, Momo lying back on his stomach while she held a conversation with Toshiro. Unohana was currently on Isane's blanket with both Kotetsu sisters, the three of them sharing a bento Isane made. I couldn't see Yoruichi from where I was, but I knew she was with Soi Fon somewhere. Also on the Hill was Kisuke, who had brought Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta with him.
Orihime, Chad, and Uryu all shared their own blanket, just a few feet away from where my family had made our setup. From the uncertainty on Chad and Uryu's faces as they stared at the sandwiches in their hands, they were for some reason being forced to eat her cooking. Chojiro had set up a blanket for himself and Yamamoto close to where Ganju and Yuzu were grilling, but the ancient captain was not waiting there with him. No, to the great shock of nearly everybody, the Head Captain was indulgently playing with Karin. His haori was folded next to Chojiro, his staff lying there as well, and the bearded man kept his arms folded behind his back as he passed the ball back between my sister and himself.
Byakuya, Rukia, and surprisingly Renji all sat on a sheet set out by the Kuchiki servants, who all kneeled just off the edge of the sheet waiting to be put to use. Renji looked incredibly stiff and slightly awkward as he looked over all of the expensively high-quality items he knew would give him a heart attack to know the price of. However, at the same time, Byakuya seemed perfectly content to sit to Rukia's right and letting Renji have her left, the Clan Head calmly sipping tea.
Kyoraku and Ukitake shared a blanket, Nanao having her own personal space edge-to-edge with theirs. The Vizard had a giant, sewn-together nightmare of fabric that had a little bit of everyone's flair to it, which they all shared. Kensei had gotten up and was on his way to Ganju and Yuzu with a single open beer in his hand, obviously interested to start up a conversation with others who liked grilling. Rangiku and Gin leaned against each other while on their blanket, off in their own little world. Shuhei and the rest of the Seireitei Bulletin were bunched together, trying to figure out how to set up a camera to record the fireworks. Halibel even had her own space, her face overly calm as her fracciones attempted to attend to every possible desire they thought she might have. Hanataro was utterly confused as he sat on Kenpachi's blanket with him and Yachiru, made worse by Ikkaku and Yumichika's shared blanket being right next to them.
"Yo, Pineapple! I got cards!" Shiro called out, holding up a deck. With mild relief dusting his face, Renji turned to Rukia in askance, received permission, and went over to start up a game with my Hollow. "Anybody else want in?" Shinji of all people got up and meandered over, as well as the even more surprising Izuru. Momo and Shiro shifted so that they leaned back to back against each other as the four men got into a game. Yoruichi and Soi Fon then flashed onto the Hill, with the werecat looking mischievous and the assassin horrifically red-faced and embarrassed. Possessing a far too eager look on her face, the goddess nudged her disciple, who crossed her arms over her chest before slinking forth as though the slightest interference would send her running. The Captain of the 2nd walked over to Kisuke's blanket, stood on the furthest corner from the blonde, and sat down cross-legged with her back to him. Cackling, Yoruichi pranced over to where I lounged and happily dropped to slot herself into my right side.
"What bet did she lose?" I asked knowingly.
"She thought her Shikai being poison-based meant she had higher alcohol tolerance than me." The woman purred. "She had seemed so confident that she even bet that I would've had to spend a night in her bed 'when' she won." I snorted.
"At least she's getting more open and ballsy around you."
"Well, it's a little hard for her to be ballsy. You, on the other hand…" She trailed off as she trailed a hand sensually down my chest. My face burning, I snapped my hand around her wrist. Her laughter filled the air once again.
"My, how disappointing." Unohana smiled as she came over. "And here I thought you were supposed to be giving us a show tonight." My eyes rolled at the light prod.
"Wrong Shiba." I hummed.
"Kukaku-chan's gonna be the one to play with me, then?" Yoruichi teased. "You better hope she doesn't put on a better performance.~" My arm instantly shifted to circling around her waist and keeping her held tight.
"I'll show you a goddamn performance once we're back home." Growled from my throat. A pleased giggle leapt from the goddess's mouth as her arms wove around the back of my neck.
"Oh, I love it when you get all dominating.~" She sighed before leaning in for a kiss. Unohana knelt down at my left and similarly leaned against me, her right arm sliding along my back.
"Ichigo! Don't you dare use protection!" Dad shouted.
"Dad!" Yuzu admonished. "Stop saying that every time they show affection in public!" Our kiss was interrupted by the two of us laughing too hard to continue it.
"Yeah!" Kukaku joined in. "How are they supposed to get it on if you ruin the mood?"
"Kukaku-chan! Not you too!" Yuzu whined.
"What?" The fireworks master argued in turn. "We may be related, but I can still acknowledge that Ichigo is hot! Let the three of them break a bed or two!"
"Can we stop discussing my brother's sex life?!" Karin burst out. "We're here for fireworks, ain't we? You supposedly put on the best displays out of the entire Soul Society, so prove it!"
"Oh, I will, ya brat!" The one-armed woman shouted back. "I just finished setting it up, the Shiba's are putting on the best show of your lives!" Due in no small part to the fact that the Shiba were the furthest thing from quiet, everyone quickly went over to their blankets to sit in wait. Yuzu, Ganju, and Kensei all handed out food to those who had not brought their own, and took their seats once it all had been passed out. On the Kurosaki/Shiba blanket, Isshin sat with the twins in front of him, while Ganju took his left and Kukaku took his right once she lit the first wick. Myself, Unohana, and Yoruichi sat behind them, my girlfriends curled into my sides as I wrapped an arm around each of them.
The eager anticipation did not last long, as the first firework went off and screamed into the air, starting off the show with a shower of prismatic sparks that spread across half the sky. Everyone remained silent as we all looked up at the sky, watching the majestic display as the Shiba specialty kido-enhanced fireworks made a work of art. A content sigh left me as I held my loves close. This is why I came back. This is what I fought for. And I wouldn't let it be taken from me this time.
Man, y'all ain't ready for the next chapter. I mean it. Y'all really ain't ready for the next chapter. I've been building up to the next chapter since the start of this story, and I'm not talking about the Blood War. Y'all sincerely don't realize to what extent I've been prepping the story for the next chapter. It's gonna blow your guys' socks off.
Once again, I post updates on the progress of all my stories on twitter! I have the same name there as I do here.
Next Chapter: Kintsugi