Bleach: Goldilocks Ch. 11

Chapter 11: Don't Tell Anyone

Recommended Song: "Dirty Little Secret" by The All-American Rejects

Saturday

Kurosaki Household

An indifferent Kurosaki Karin lay across her bed with her head resting on her elbow, watching her twin sister ready herself for her "date" with a boy from their school, Ryunosuke. Karin didn't dare say the word "date" out loud; otherwise her annoying father would have a hissy fit and blow his top. She would just kick him in the head and roll her eyes; honestly, he needed to let them grow up.

Karin wasn't surprised in the least when Yuzu had told her about the date; in fact, she had been expecting it. It was natural for boys to already be fawning over her; she was kind, sweet, not to mention beautiful. It was Karin who was for the most part ignored by the boys in her class, except when they were playing sports; then she was treated like one of the guys. Not to say that she didn't mind; she could care less if they found her attractive or not, but sometimes…she wanted to be seen as a girl. She had a girly side as well, even if she didn't show it much…or at all.

But she would never take it out on her sister, even if she was jealous at times. Yuzu always encouraged Karin, coming to all of her soccer games, and told her she was pretty on multiple occasions. Karin loved her sister more than anyone in the world.

"Do you think I should leave my clips on, Karin-chan? Or do they not go with this dress?" asked Yuzu, holding up her strawberry hair clips against her brown hair. She took forever in just deciding what she wanted to wear, though finally settled on a light blue sundress that went to her knees. She looked adorable.

Karin shrugged. Yuzu thought for a moment and also shrugged, placing the clips inside her drawer. "I think I will just wear my hair down…" She smiled and hummed a tune as she ran a brush through her hair, looking at herself in the mirror.

She was really excited to spend this time with Ryunosuke, not nervous as most girls would be about their first date, but that's because she was more curious than nervous. Ryu was such a quiet boy and she had always found him so nice, but knew so little about him, which naturally peaked her interest. He would always answer questions in a few short, clipped words, and didn't smile very often…she wanted to see him smile. Just once!

But her smile faltered…there was pain in her heart.

"Are you okay?"

Yuzu turned around, the tired expression immediately replaced with a cheerful smile as she turned to her sister. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Karin paused before answering. "You're worried about Ichigo, aren't you?"

Yuzu's face turned bright red and she looked away, to avoid Karin's penetrating gaze. They were twin sisters for a reason…Karin could always see right through her, it was near impossible for Yuzu to hide what she was feeling…

What was wrong with being worried about her brother? She was supposed to! Yuzu sighed, remembering the time when she had to put on a happy smile…

A few weeks after their mother had died, Yuzu had sobbed every day, Ichigo hadn't said a word, and Karin was just angry with everybody. Isshin tried his best to return the family back to normal, but how was that possible now that their family was without a mother, the caretaker, the protector?

Something had snapped in Yuzu, and she realized that crying wasn't going to make anything better…in fact, it made everything ten times worse. With her tears she reminded everyone of Masaki's death, and she was hurting her siblings and father, distressing them.

It was after this that the tears stopped falling, and Kurosaki Yuzu took the responsibility of taking Masaki's place…or at least a part of it. She did all of the motherly things that their mother had done, cleaning all of the rooms, cooking their meals, making sure Ichigo and her sister did their homework and reminding her father to pay the bills. She did all of these things with the cheerful smile gracing her face once more, and her family was relieved.

But Yuzu wept bitterly on the inside, despite what her exterior showed to everyone. It was at night that she could freely sob, leaving her room to go outside and weep. Why couldn't she be as strong as her siblings? Why couldn't she smile freely like Isshin? Why did she have to be the crybaby of the family, the one who everyone had to pat on the head and say, "Oh, it's okay, Yuzu-chan!"

When Yuzu hadn't answered after such a long silence, Karin changed the subject. She regretted asking the question after bringing it up; she knew how much it upset Yuzu. "So tell me more about Ryunosuke, do you even know him very well?" asked Karin, skeptical. "We're in the same class as him and you barely talk him, heck, he barely talks to anyone!"

"Well, I think Ryunosuke-kun is really nice, even if he doesn't talk a lot!" protested Yuzu, her cheerfulness brought back now that she didn't have to think of sad memories. "I think we'll have a lot of fun, it'll be interesting to find out more about him."

"You two are complete opposites," Karin snorted. It was strange to imagine someone as bright and cheery as her sister with someone as dreary and dull as him…

Yuzu smiled at her sister.

"I think…we'll bring out something different in each other."

---

Asahina Household

A nosy and bossy Asahina Marise stood in Ryunosuke's room, tapping her foot against the ground with her hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed together.

"No. No, no, no, no, no…ew, are you kidding me? Throw that thing in the trash!"

She was "helping" Ryu get ready for his date with Yuzu by deciding what he should wear, but really wasn't being helpful at all. She rejected almost everything in his entire closet, using words like "gross," "icky," "lame," "loser-ish," "emo," and "Yanki-like" to describe them.

Ryu gritted his teeth in frustration…at this rate he'd never get to see Yuzu. He muttered something about having an annoying sister under his breath, and Mari snapped at him.

"What did you say about me, you little booger?"

Ryu stood up and threw his hands in the air. "What do you want me to do? Go to the mall right now and buy some new clothes that will have the 'Mari stamp of approval', onee-san? I have to meet Yuzu-san in fifteen minutes!"

"Well, excuuuuse me!" huffed Mari. "It's not my fault you have a tacky wardrobe, and don't you think I'm suffering too? You're going to make me late for work, and then my manager will have me scrubbing the floors again!" Marise was dressed in her maid uniform, ready to go to work, but blamed Ryu for taking so long.

She went over to his closet and squatted down, pulling out a plain white t-shirt and ripped jeans. "Here," she said, throwing them at him. "Just put these on. It neither says you're a dork nor desperate, so you won't look like a complete loser to Yuzu-chan."

Ryu grumbled to himself, taking the clothes and going to the bathroom to change.

As Mari waited for him, she tapped a finger against her chin, thinking she was forgetting something. "Oh yeah!" She ran to her room and grabbed a magazine from the dresser, tucking it into her wide pocket at the front of her dress.

"Onee-san, I'm ready."

She looked up at her brother, who didn't look half-bad…except for his emo hair. "Well, I guess you can't be perfect…like me!" Ryu rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, let's go for Ryu-chan's first date!" Mari giggled.

"Don't call me that," he muttered.

Mari pinched his cheek. "My wittle brother is all gwon up!" she cooed.

"Yeah, and my older sister has not had a date in about a year."

Marise glared at him and smacked him upside the head. "Don't talk to your onee-san like that, jerk-face!"

---

Renata's Boutique

Shinji was folding pressed shirts neatly onto the display, at least, that's what he was supposed to be doing, only he was too distracted to even do it right.

He wanted to say he had a disturbing dream last night, but it was anything but disturbing…in fact, he loved it. In fact, he had dreams like that at least twice before.

Yes, it was about Marise. A very perverted dream about her. Last night was of her in her cheerleading uniform, straddling Shinji as she panted his name in ecstasy. The dreams before were of her in her school uniform and maid costume…

…good grief, he was a pervert.

But could he help but have such fantasies about the girl he wanted? Especially when he hasn't had sex in about…twenty years? It's embarrassing and a blow to a man's pride.

His thoughts drifted back to the lovely dream, of Mari doing cheers just for him in his room, chanting his name…

Damn it, he had to stop! He let out a frustrated sigh, dropping the shirts in a pile. He leaned over and gripped the table with his hands, deep in thought. What was he supposed to do? Run to Mari and confess his love, humiliating himself if she looked at him like he was a complete idiot (which she would most likely do)?

Renata looked over her reading glasses at her single employee, clucking her tongue behind her teeth in disapproval. What is that moron doing? She was tempted to ask this out loud, the only thing stopping her was the customer who was browsing polished shoes…a fat, stubby man, who always came not to buy things, but to flirt with Renata, which annoyed her greatly.

"Shinji, I hope you're not distracted," said Renata in a warning voice.

"I wouldn't be if yer damn niece wasn't so temptin'. Tell her to stop it."

"Mari? Tempting?" Renata almost laughed, but the act of laughter in itself was absurd to her, so she rarely did it. A smile curled at the end of her lips in a smirk. "The only thing she tempts me to do is grab some duct tape and place it over her mouth. But even that wouldn't get her to stop her incessant chatting, whining and sobbing."

"Yeah, well…I guess we just see her differently."

I guess so. Renata sighed, "Hirako, if you're going to be out of it like that all day, then you might as well take off right now. It's not like you're much help like that anyway."

Shinji looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yer lettin' me off?"

"Yes, and when I see my beloved niece, I'm going to thank her for being a distraction to my employee without even being here. Now get out."

Shinji grinned. "I think I'll just visit that beloved 'ol niece of yers then."

Renata rolled her blue eyes. "Okay, but I expect you to be completely focused next time you come in."

Shinji grabbed his newsboy cap, placing it on his head and waved to Renata, going out the door and down to the café where his sweet maid (damn, that dream was a good one) was.

---

Maid Café

Shinji walked into the maid café and almost stopped when he saw Mari with her face pressed against the glass of the window, hands on either side of her, squinting.

He went up to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Err…what are ya doin'?"

Marise let out a blood-curdling shriek, causing everyone in the café to turn and stare at her. She turned around, bright red, at first from embarrassment, but then to anger as she glared at Shinji, who was grinning at her wildly and was trying hard not to laugh.

"You stupidhead, you scared me!" she cried, indignant.

Shinji laughed, "Geez, I didn't mean ta, but I'm glad I did 'cause that was hella funny."

"You're so mean to me, Shinji! You wanted to embarrass me because you hate me, don't you?"

Shinji rolled his eyes, which went to the walkie-talkie in her hand. "What's that for? Ya on some kind of mission?"

"That's exactly right! A mission of love! I call it, 'Operation Get Loser Emo Boy's Date to be a Success!' Also known as, 'Operation Impossible!'"

Oh dear god. Someone help tha kid. "I take it yer talkin' 'bout yer brother?"

"Look," Mari pointed outside, where her brother and Yuzu were sitting at a table under an umbrella.

Shinji squinted. "Ain't that Ichigo's little sister? Hell, she's on a date with yer brother? And he ain't dead yet?"

"Of course not, you dunderhead!"

"So…what's that thing for?"

Mari rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. "I've attached an earpiece to Ryu so that I can give him advice through this! Because he'll obviously mess things up unless I'm there to guide him!"

Shinji raised an eyebrow at her, skeptic. "And how much do you know about love, Goldie?"

"I know lots!" she huffed, angry that Shinji doubted her skills. "One of the first things is to always act cool in front of a girl, because she doesn't want a loser! Girls also want men who are hot and who have tons of money! Also, girls hate it when a guy never talks, because he should be telling her how pretty she is!"

"Th-that's all a bunch of bullshit! Where tha hell are ya getting' this 'advice' from?" A magazine was thrown at his face, and he pulled it off, it was pink and girly, one of those teen magazines with dating advice. "Yer gettin' all of that from this thing?"

"Of course!"

"And yer tellin' this to Ryu?"

"Yes!"

"What tha hell!"

"Shinji! Watch your language!"

Shinji grabbed the walkie-talkie from her. "Yer gonna ruin everythin'," he told her. "Just let the boy be himself, and if Yuzu doesn't like him for that, then that's that. There ain't no need to cry over spilled milk."

"Hey!" Mari cried. "Like you know anything about love Mr. I'm-Going-To-Be-Single-For-The-Rest-Of-My-Life-Living-With-A-Hundred-Cats! Give that back to me! I can't let him be himself! He's a total loser as himself!"

Shinji rolled his eyes and Mari puffed out her cheeks, stomping on his foot. He yelped in pain, dropping the walkie-talkie, which Mari swiftly caught. She looked outside but after a few moments scowled. "I can't hear anything!" she whined. "I need to go outside."

She grabbed Shinji by the arm and pulled him outside and into the bushes with her, even though he wanted no part in it. They squatted down and Mari pulled a few branches aside, seeing her brother and Yuzu directly in front of her.

As Mari's attention was focused solely on making sure her brother didn't ruin his love life, Shinji sat behind Mari, staring at the way her maid uniform hugged her curves, how her skirt rid up and the way her golden tresses fell across her back. He leaned forward and smelled cotton candy and something fruity, the shampoo of her hair. He felt like a complete creep…but he didn't really care.

He wanted her…he couldn't deny it anymore, and he had a very hard time hiding it…shit, if he had to be around Marise so much he needed to wear sweat pants or something, because she managed to turn him on without even trying… Marise turned around and glared at Shinji, placing a finger over her lips. "Be quiet!" she hissed.

"I didn't say anythin'."

"Shh! I can't hear!" She brought the walkie-talkie to her mouth. "Okay Ryu, now tell her that her eyes sparkle like the ocean!" A pause. "It doesn't matter if they're brown, just do it!"

She watched as Ryu opened his mouth to say something to Yuzu, but Mari didn't catch it. Frustrated, she leaned forward, then further forward again until she fell through the bushes and onto the ground, in front of a shocked Yuzu and embarrassed Ryu.

"Oh, Marise-chan!" exclaimed Yuzu, a hand over her mouth. Ryu stood up abruptly, mortified, and pulled the earpiece out.

"I-I'm really sorry…" he stammered, his face bright red.

Shinji felt like palming his face with his hand, he knew Mari would mess everything up…

But Yuzu turned back to Mari with a small smile on her face. "What a nice sister you have, Ryu-kun, so concerned!" she commented.

Ryu, Shinji, and Mari all looked shocked, though Mari quickly recovered, clearing her throat. "Well, of course I am!" she agreed, nodding her head. Yuzu turned back to smile at Ryu and Mari stuck her tongue out at her brother, who would have glared at her had Yuzu not been looking at him.

Shinji shook his head in astonishment. Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle…

"Mari-chan, please join us! And you're boyfriend too!"

Mari turned to Shinji, scrunching her nose. "He's not my—!"

"C'mon Mari-chan," said Shinji, grabbing her hand. "Don't be rude."

"Let go of me, you jerk-wad! You were just being so awful to me!" But Shinji wouldn't let go of her hand, even as they sat down, holding onto it under the table. Mari fought a blush, his hand was so warm and engulfed her small hand, and she became self-conscious. Her hand felt sweaty and clammy to her, what if Shinji thinks it's gross, that she's gross? She tugged away to try and free her hand again, though Shinji's grip remained firm.

Ryu was still incredibly nervous and felt uncomfortable from his sister's interruption, but Yuzu treated the whole situation as if it were a normal everyday occurrence, and he found himself relaxing a bit more. Her interests intrigued him and Mari had somehow managed not to completely embarrass him or make a fool out of herself (though she still said many stupid things, but that part of her could never be fixed).

"I still think it's very cool that you know English and French," said Yuzu, her hands clasped together on her lap. "You know, one of the reasons I want to learn English is so that I can listen to The Beatles and understand them without a translation, they're one of my favorite bands!"

"M-mine too," murmured Ryu, with a blush.

"Oh, yeah, they're okay," Mari muttered, who didn't find them all that amazing since they were "old news." With her free hand she took a strand of Shinji's hair. "Shinji, if your hair was a few inches shorter, you would look just like that one with the weird haircut."

Shinji grinned at her. "My hair was that short 'bout a year ago. I grew it out."

"Mistake number one."

He rolled his eyes at her. Actually, when he had come to the World of the Living after escaping Soul Society, he left his hair its normal length. He then cut it to its bowl cut fifty years ago when The Beatles gained popularity, inspiring the cut. He loved their music, it wasn't jazz, but they definitely had a rhythm he could kick back to.

…but he couldn't tell them he cut his hair fifty years ago…that would freak them all out. Especially Mari. She would go ballistic, call him a dirty old man and throw her pastries at him and pour tea over his head.

And then he wouldn't be able to hold her hand.

Yuzu laughed at a joke Shinji told and listened intently to a story Ryu told of the time their family had went to the zoo and the alligators had almost eaten Mari.

"Well, why wouldn't they want me? I look good enough to eat!"

Yuzu laughed again, and stopped, looking around the table. She realized that she hadn't felt this happy and relaxed in a long time…genuinely happy, not being forced to put on a fake smile and a strained laugh.

It was with a little regret that she got up to go back home; she…didn't really want to. She wanted to stay and listen more about Ryu's vegan lifestyle and Mari's trip to America, about Shinji's sudden infatuation with macaroni and cheese.

"Shinji, look at all the crumbs you left, don't you know how to eat? Now I have to clean this all up!" Mari complained, getting up and grabbing the silver tray she had placed on the empty table beside them.

Shinji stood up to go, and looked at Mari. "Aren't ya comin'?"

Mari shook her head. "No, I still have to work."

"Oh," answered Shinji, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Marise yanked on his tie with a sly smile. "But afterward, I'm going to drag you to the ice cream shop and we'll try every flavor they have to offer!"

Shinji grinned at her, yanking on her bow in retaliation. "'Course we will, muffin."

Yuzu and Ryu had already left for her house and she looked behind, gazing at Marise and Shinji. She turned and smiled at Ryu. "Your sister and Shinji make a really sweet couple."

Ryu looked back at them with a bit of taste. "They're…not really together."

Yuzu looked shocked. "Oh, really? Wow, they sure look like they are! They were holding hands…"

"Mari likes the dumb type," muttered Ryu, his hands in his pockets.

Yuzu laughed softly, "I think you're too critical of your sister, Ryu."

Ryu noticed her addressing him by first name. The end of his lip curled up in the tiniest smile. "I don't think there's such thing as being too critical of someone like onee-san…Yuzu."

Yuzu's eyes widened and she looked away with a small blush. Heart skipped a beat at that moment.

She'd…seen him smile. She wanted to see it again.

---

Xcution HQ

Ginjo breathed slowly in and out of his nose, watching Riurka and Yukio argue with contempt.

"You know," he began, in that smooth, deep voice he had, "Maybe if you two would spend less time arguing Asahina Marise would already be here. I should have never sent you two together, but damn it, you guys are the youngest and would fit in…otherwise I would have just gone myself."

Riruka frowned at Ginjo, flipping a long ponytail across her shoulder. "What do we need that girl for anyway? She's an idiot! She thinks that rocks have feelings and that unicorns are real…"

Yukio, who was slumped on the couch playing his video game, smirked, "You're also an idiot, Riruka, though you're apart of Xcution."

Riruka became livid, her face bright red. "Wh-what did you say to me? Try saying that again and see what happens!"

"I don't think I stuttered," Yukio replied, not even looking up from his battle. "I hate repeating myself."

"Why you little—!"

"Now, now, why must we always argue?" sighed Kutsuzawa Giriko, cleaning a glass with a cloth behind the bar. Behind him were all the wineglasses lined neatly in rows, each an exact distance apart from one another, gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

Jackie Tristan leaned against the bar table, a shot glass in her hand, taking small sips from it. "At this rate," she murmured to Ginjo, "It will take years to bring that girl here."

Ginjo sighed in frustration, realizing his colleague was right. He grabbed his jacked, throwing it over his shoulder, and went out the door.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to do everything myself," he mumbled.

---

Visored Warehouse

Lisa looked up from her swimsuit magazine, over her red oval glasses at an occupied Shinji, who was doing some homework on the couch. Wait…homework? Since when did Shinji ever willingly do something like work? When he was a Captain he always had his paperwork done, but that's because he had to in knowing his responsibilities as a Captain…but this was schoolwork, and he didn't have to go to school…

"Shinji," she asked, "Why aren't you sick of school yet?"

Kensei smirked over his noodle bowl, "It must be 'cause of Blondie."

"Shut up," Shinji snapped, though didn't deny it.

"Tch," Hiyori snorted, her arms crossed over her chest. "That girl's a complete dumbass, she's even dumber than you, Baldy."

"Well, I don't like that girl!" Mashiro chirped over Hachi's shoulder, today dressed as Cat Woman. She still fumed over the first time the girl was here; Kensei was only allowed to be annoyed with one girl, and that was Mashiro! Any others had to die!

"Leave me alone!" Shinji snapped again, hunching over his schoolwork. It was math, and while working out the equation he couldn't help but think about Mari, and secretly wished she would fail her next math quiz so that he could tutor her again. He could have fun playing "teacher"…shit, shit, shit. He had to stop.

"You know, Love," said Rose, sitting next to his colleague who was reading Shonen manga, "I actually wouldn't mind if that girl came over again, what was her name? Marise? She was very entertaining." His friend nodded in agreement, without looking up from his manga.

Shinji turned to them, his lips pursed into a frown. "And why would ya wanna see her again? And what does she like about you two so much anyway? I've got ten times tha swagger than ya both combined."

"Tch, swagger," Love chuckled. He then shrugged. "I dunno, I think it might be my hair."

"Hmm, and I think it's my eyes," murmured Rose, tapping his finger wistfully against his chin.

"She can't even see yer fuckin' eyes with those tinted glasses ya have on!"

Hachigen blew out some smoke from his long peace pipe. "Love is the master key that opens the gate of happiness," he breathed out, eyes solemn.

"What the fuck?" snorted Kensei. "Stop spewing out random quotes of love and shit, it's fucking annoying."

Shinji rolled his eyes, of course went Hachi went hippie the biggest one who had a problem with it was Kensei, being the exact opposite, violent, brash, and blunt. He took a bite out of his ramen noodles and his frown deepened. Damn… He thought…he really wanted some of that mac and cheese again, that stuff was good. Shinji stood up and left the warehouse, telling his comrades that he was going out for food, which he was…

But really it was just an excuse to visit Marise.

---

Asahina Household

Lucy was curled on the couch, her legs folded underneath her, her fingers running through her husband's dark brown hair, while she held a book in the other, reading it with great interest. Taro was taking a nap and Ryu was extremely happy when he had come home a few hours ago, apparently his time with Yuzu had been well spent. This made Lucille incredibly happy; finally, her son was making friends! Though…it was the teensiest bit unsettling to see him take the big jump to already having a girlfriend…and especially with the daughter of that bastard Isshin… Lucille looked at her husband's sleeping face with her sharp blue eyes, then leaned in and brushed her lips against his temple.

My stupid husband.

There was a knock at the door and Lucille got up, gently laying her husband's head on one of the throw pillows before going to answer the door. She opened it and was surprised to see Shinji.

"Yo, Asahina-san," he greeted, grinning under his newsboy cap.

"Oh…" Lucille blinked. "Hi."

"Is Mari here? We're 'spose ta go ta that new ice cream shop and stuff our faces with frozen goodness."

"Ah…I'm sorry, Shinji, but Mari isn't here…"

His brown eyes darkened. "Where is she?"

"Well, she's still at work. One of the maids didn't show up and so Marise is now working a full-shift, she won't be back until late." Lucille looked at the grandfather clock, it was four-thirty, Mari wouldn't be home for a few hours…

"…oh."

Lucille's lips curled into a smile, he sure sounded disappointed.

Shinji shrugged. "Damn. Well, I guess I'll—"

"Now wait a minute," Lucy interjected, feeling insulted. "Are we not good enough for you? Why is it that my daughter gets all of your attention, hmm?"

Shinji sheepishly asked, "Well, actually…I was hopin' I could maybe have some of that mac and cheese…I think I'm addicted to that stuff."

Lucy's eyebrows went up. "Oh? You like it? Well, sure! Come on in, just make yourself at home and I'll whip some up for you!"

Shinji nodded, slipping off his shoes and following Mari's mother into the kitchen, where she washed her hands before taking out a pot and a box of pasta. She poured some water into the pot and placed it on the stove, waiting for it to come to a boil. She leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, looking at the pot. "Yeah, I suppose you tried this when I made it for her lunch? That little troublemaker had failed her math test and I was steaming mad, but then she pulled that tear-jerking, puppy-eyed method of hers, and…argh, she's so annoying like that. But then she told me that you had given lessons to her a couple of days ago, is that right?" Shinji nodded. "Do I need to give you money?" Shinji shook his head. "Did Mari give herself for your services?"

"J-jesus!" he huffed, turning red. "Why are ya always makin' comments like that?"

She shrugged. "I think it's a legitimate question."

"Well, I'll give ya a legitimate answer. I don't need her to give me anythin' for me ta help her."

"Oh, you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart? How selfless of you, Shinji."

Shinji rolled his eyes. More like selfish. If it were anyone else who asked him for help in math, he'd decline, but it was Mari, and anything that would give him an excuse to spend more time with her he'd take without any hesitation, even if it was staring at geometric shapes and the slopes of lines for an hour.

Lucille put oven mittens on and pulled the pot off the stove, pouring the water into a strainer, leaving only the pasta, She placed it back in the pot and onto the stove again, where she walked past Shinji, pulling some cheddar cheese out of the fridge. She cut the wedge into big chunks, and then placed them in the pot with some butter and milk, mixing it all together until it was uniform and creamy. Shinji's mouth was watering at the sight.

"Where did ya learn to cook?" he asked.

She shrugged. "From experience, I guess. My mom would take me over to Italy during the summer when I was younger, and there's no better place to learn how to make pasta than there, and I'm a fast learner. Next to designing clothes, cooking is what I like best."

"Oh, that's what ya do? No wonder ya have so much damn money." Shinji had wondered where they got their income from, seeing that Soichiro usually lounged around the house all day, it didn't seem like he was bringing in the money. "But ya stay at home all the time."

"Yeah, I work at home for private clients. I used to travel all over the place, but when you become old like me, it gets to be a hassle. And the kids didn't like it as much, changing schools so often…it was hard for them to make friends. I'm happy we came to a small town like Karakura, even though every little thing that goes on under your roof becomes everyone's business." She rolled her eyes. Stupid gossip.

"Ah…" he said in understanding. "So that's how Mari knows so much 'bout America."

Lucille snorted, "God, she's obsessed with it, isn't she? We've been there a few times, but she was also a foreign exchange student over there, so she lived there for a year."

"That's pretty cool."

Lucy nodded. "Oh, definitely, and that's where she became friends with Honovi."

Honovi? The name sounded familiar…

Oh yeah. She was that girl with the dark skin and weird clothes, the person the Hollow shape shifted into the day he and Marise met.

"They don't talk anymore?"

"Well, I guess they're still friends, but they're oceans apart, you know? So it's hard to keep connections like that." Lucy chopped up some fresh basil and sprinkled it over the finished dish, putting some into a bowl. The delicious fumes wafted through the kitchen and Shinji inhaled it deeply…it smelled heavenly.

"Okay, go and wash your hands."

Shinji turned to go, but he looked back with narrowed eyes. "Are ya sure Mari ain't in there naked?" he asked, remembering the first time.

Lucy grinned at him. "Oh, god, that was hilarious, I hope she is."

He rolled his eyes, and went up the stairs. Luckily, Lucy had been telling the truth and Mari wasn't in there, so she was still at work. He washed his hands and went back down, taking the bowl of pasta.

He took the bowl to the dining table and sat, and Lucille joined him with her own bowl. She reached for a croissant and ripped off a piece, dipping it into the creamy pasta, and handed the rest of the bread to Shinji, who took it gratefully.

"So," she began, taking a big bite of the bread, "I don't know much about you, Shinji."

"What would ya like ta know?" he asked, blowing on a spoonful of macaroni.

"I don't know, anything I guess. You were born here?"

He swallowed, licking his lips nervously. "Yeah…lived here all my life."

"Do you like it here?"

He shrugged. "Can't complain."

"What do your parents do?"

"Ah…I live alone."

At this Lucille looked up, suspicion in her eyes. "Both of your parents are…?"

"No," he replied quickly. "I moved out, live on my own. Well, with a few friends, actually."

"I hope you're not a crazy party animal, that's the last sort of influence Marise needs," sighed Lucy with a roll of her eyes.

Shinji grinned. "Nah, we're all pretty borin'."

"You're good at math?"

"I guess so."

"What kind of music do you like?"

"Jazz."

"What's your favorite color?"

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Chartreuse."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A prostitute."

"Ha ha," said Lucille wryly. "You've got jokes, do you?"

Shinji grinned at her. "Yer daughter thinks she's pretty damn funny."

"Ugh, I know, and her laugh is so annoying."

"Sounds like the honkin' of a goose."

Lucille laughed at the comparison.

"Yeah…" said Shinji, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "But I like my silly goose tha way she is."

"Oh? And what is it you like about her?"

He shrugged. "Everythin'. I'm sure ya don't want me to go into all tha details."

Lucy looked at him curiously. "So then why don't you just ask her out for crying out loud? You've known each other for like two months, yeah? And it's taking you this long to gather the courage to ask her out?"

"It ain't as easy as ya make it out ta be."

"Pray tell me why, Shinji."

"It's 'cause yer daughter's so damn dense! I…don't think she feels the same about me."

"Ah, I see. It's kind of hard to see a more serious side to Marise, isn't it? But by god, I'd rather have you as her lover any day then the guys she used to bring home."

"What were they like?"

"Big, dumb jocks who couldn't tell a fork from a spoon. They try to kiss up to the parents when all they want to do is sleep with the daughter…the most annoying kind of guys on this planet… And it would always shock me when Mari would become all heartbroken when the relationship ended, I mean, really, she could have done better with each of those guys, with any other guy."

Shinji stared at his empty bowl, running his tongue over his teeth, remembering what her brother had told him weeks before.

"It's just as I say. Each one is just a short fling for the fun of it, but they either eventually get tired or move onto someone they're more serious about. More often than not, they already begin a new relationship before ending it with her."

"So why was she so sad?" he asked.

Lucy shrugged. "I guess because she always tried to hard to make things work, but how can a relationship work when you get all your advice from a teen magazine?" she scoffed.

Shinji rolled his eyes. Apparently, Mari thinks that's where the truth to love was.

Mari's mother chuckled softly in remembrance. "There was this one time a while ago, I think it was on White Day or something, she spent hours in the kitchen trying to make home-made chocolate, only to come home crying, because she saw that the boy had accepted chocolate from another girl!"

"Damn, that's harsh."

Lucille nodded, taking a sip of water. "I told her she should have given him the chocolates anyway, it would have killed him and then she would have been happy," she laughed. "But alas, Mari doesn't have too much luck with love."

"That makes two of us."

She raised a slender brow. "Oh? Do tell, Hirako Shinji-san."

"Well, I never really had a steady girlfriend, I don't really consider myself 'boyfriend material.' And I never really came across a girl I was actually serious about."

"…until Mari," Lucille finished slowly.

"Right," Shinji said solemnly. "Until Mari." Lucille was about to fire another question, but Shinji didn't have the enthusiasm to answer, so he stood up, and picked up his and Lucille's bowl. "Lemme wash these as a thank you," he said, going into the kitchen. He placed the bowls into the sink and put on gloves, and then turned on the faucet to warm water, and began to scrub the dishes.

Lucille leaned back in her chair with her glass of water, thoughtfully taking another sip. What a strange kid… She turned when Shinji popped his head around the corner.

"Do ya mind if I hang out in Mari's room?"

Lucille chuckled, "I don't, but Mari might."

"Ah, she'll get over it," he muttered. He trotted up the stairs and went into Mari's room, which was neat and orderly after Lucille had cleaned it.

Was it a little weird that he was in the room of the girl he liked with her not being there? Hell yes. Did he give a damn? Hell no.

Shinji was very tempted to destroy every trace of Lupin III memorabilia that was all over the room, out of pure jealousy. He sat on her bed for a few moments, taking one of her pillows and breathing in her cotton candy scent. He put it down and looked through her enormous closet, but then went on to her dresser, rifling through the drawers. The top one held all of the erasers that she collected (which was a weird hobby), and some other pencils and notes, drawings of the people in her class she hated (which there were many), and…many of her and Uryu (which pissed Shinji off), and then there was a note which held a conversation between her in Keigo, with biting replies from Mari (which made Shinji happy).

He went to the next drawer and his breath caught in his throat. Oh shit… Inside the drawer were all her bras and panties, though they weren't plain as Shinji had always thought them to be…they were lacy, frilly, soft pastel colors that had Shinji turning red in which he imagined what Mari would look like with these on… Shit, shit, shit… he chanted in his head, knowing that he should probably close the drawer right now before he was officially labeled the biggest pervert on the face of the earth. But he couldn't bring himself to do it…not without…

Quickly, and without even thinking, Shinji reached into the drawer and grabbed a pair of panties, sneaking it into his back pocket. His face bright red, he slammed the door shut and fell back onto the bed, his heart being a mile a minute. God…did he really just do that? He did. It was a souvenir! Damn…shit…would Mari notice?

Nah, she wouldn't. She never wore any of that, probably.

But if she did? And for who?

Well hell, if it were for someone else, then Shinji would just go ahead and take all of it.

Wait, what was he thinking? He was stealing a girl's panties for crying out loud!

It wasn't just any girls. It's Marise's. A huge difference.

No, stealing is stealing, douchebag.

God damn it, he was going mad! Shinji flinched in his spot when he heard the door creak and saw wide, innocent brown eyes peering at him through the crack. Taro hesitantly pushed the door open a little wider, poking his head in the room.

Shinji felt more relaxed; he needed a distraction. "Hey squirt!" he greeted with that Cheshire grin of his. "How come ya never talk ta me, eh? Don't tell me yer scared of lil' ol' me."

Taro shook his head, taking a few hesitant steps inside. "Onee-chan told me not to get too close to you, she said she didn't want any of your Yanki-ness to rub off on me, onii-san."

"She did, huh? Well, don't worry; I'm pretty sure my 'Yanki-ness' isn't contagious. Come 'ere, lil' man."

Taro smiled and happily jumped up and onto Shinji's lap. Shinji laughed, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Do you like nee-chan? Why are you in her room? Why are you going through her stuff? Do you like her? Do you want to kiss her? Do you love her?"

"Whoa, one question at a time now, squirt!" said Shinji, his hands held up in defense, exasperated. Shit…never knew this little guy could be so damn bold. He opened his mouth to answer, but froze, stiffening.

What the hell…? That was Mari's spiritual pressure? Why did it spike then suddenly drop? Shinji looked to the door to see Ryunosuke standing at the entrance, his face calm as it always was, but his eyes were frazzled. He felt the same thing from Mari that Shinji had.

Something was wrong.

Shinji put Taro down and quickly ran past Ryu and out of the house, down to the café, to find Marise.

Dear gods he hoped she was okay.

---

Marise looked outside the small window in the backroom as she was washing the dishes; the sun was getting ready to set. Good, she thought, scrubbing angrily, that means I can get out of here sooner!

"Asahina!" her manager barked. "Throw this out and then you can go home."

"Oh, finally!" she sighed, drying her hands with the apron on her skirt. She picked up the bag and went outside, heading to the trash bin. She threw the bag over, struggling for a little bit, due to the weight over her small frame, but managed to get it inside. She clapped her hands as though she were wiping dust away, happy she completed her task.

Yay! I'm done! Marise turned and was about to head back inside when she heard a rattle nearby. She gasped and turned around, but it was only a cat that was running across the fences, and had knocked into a box. She bit the bottom of her lip worriedly, and turned back toward the door, but gasped again.

Only this time she turned to find Kugo Ginjo.

"Good evening, maid-sama," he greeted with a sadistic smile, his presence ominous. Mari, scared stiff, took a few steps back with each step he took forward, until he cornered her, her back hitting the fence.

"G-Ginjo!" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Under the moonlight his eyes gleamed and his slicked back hair shined, and though his face depicted little emotion, his eyes were smoldering with anger. "I'm tired," he sighed, coming closer. "Do you want to know why, Marise?"

"U-umm…" Mari stammered. "Is it because you went back home only to find out you didn't get the right change back so you came all the way back over here to get it?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Uh…no, that's not it…" Gods, she really is an idiot. "I'm tired," he started again, "of playing games with you."

"Games?" Mari repeated, confused.

"When are you going to face the truth?" he demanded, his spiritual pressure rising along with his voice and anger, forcing the breath out of Marise. "When are you going to stop living a lie?"

Mari shook her head; her blonde curls wisped around her face. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," he muttered wryly. "You don't understand anything. Do you know what Hollows are? Have you ever seen a Shinigami before? Do you notice the pressure exerted on you from me? Do you feel it from others? Do you see spirits wandering the streets from dusk until dawn? You know what I'm talking about, you just never knew there was a name for any of these things, and you never wanted to admit it to yourself."

Mari felt her own anger rising, and cried, "Why should I? Why do you want me to throw myself in a situation I don't want to be in, to force me to accept a reality I don't want to accept? What do you want from me?"

He leaned in, so close that Mari could feel the heat from his body. He raised a slender finger in front of her face. "One," he murmured. "Just one session. That's all I want."

Marise became bold, narrowing her eyes. "And if I refuse?" Why did she have to listen to this jerk-wad anyway?

Faster than lightning, Mari found herself pinned to the fence, Ginjo's grip on her vice-like. "Then I won't be Mr. Nice Guy anymore. I will break you. This pretty little neck of yours? One flick of my wrist, and crack, you're dead."

Mari gasped a breath, his fingers were curled around her neck, thumb underneath her chin pushing her face upward. She was terrified, and she didn't know what to do…

"MARI!"

Marise heard Shinji's voice, as did Ginjo, and he let go of her, walking away, jumping over the fence and disappearing into the darkness.

Shinji immediately ran to her side, and seeing the terrified expression on her face, noticed the trace of unknown spiritual pressure and the shadow of a figure in the distance.

"Mari, who was that?" he asked, his voice gentle, running a hand through her blonde curls. "Are ya hurt?"

Marise turned her frightened blue eyes to him, her pink lips shaped into an 'O.' She licked her dry lips. "That was…an angry customer," she explained. "I snapped at him for not giving me a bigger tip and so spit in his tea."

While Shinji found the excuse believable because Mari would definitely do something like that, he didn't believe it, because he was Hirako Shinji, former taicho of the Fifth Division and one of the few people who saw through Aizen Sosuke's lies.

And the spiritual pressure the person left behind wasn't that of any ordinary human…and the fear in Mari's eyes told him what happened was much more serious than a customer becoming angry over bad service.

But he didn't press on, didn't question further. Shinji ran his thumb softly over Mari's chin and lifted it up for her to look at him. "Mari," he began softly, his eyes searching hers, "Ya know ya can tell me anythin', love."

Mari felt her throat clog, and her bottom lip quivered. "I-I know."

He waited and knowing that she wouldn't continue, grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the café, not letting go as he had done earlier that day.

Mari disliked the awkward silence between them, and chirped, "Let's go to that ice cream shop, Shinji!"

He grinned at her. "Sure, muffin."

Mari slowed her pace, trailing a little behind, though their hands were still connected. She needed a moment to think without being under his watchful gaze… Mari bit her lip, finally realizing she couldn't keep avoiding reality by replacing it with what she wanted to see, with a crazy fantasy…

She looked up at Shinji, his shoulder-length blonde hair swaying in the breeze underneath his cap. She knew so little about him, where he came from, what he thought about the world…she did know that there was something different about him…he was so much wiser than the typical teenager, so much more perceptive…but she was too afraid to ask. What if she opened a door he wanted to keep close? What if her questions ruined the connection they had, the crazy, fun, messed up bond they shared? She looked and noticed that he still had the red string tied around his pinky, as she did…neither of them had taken it off since the day she put it on them…they were always connected by this red string of fate.

I don't always want to run away… Mari thought forlornly. vI don't want to be a coward…</i>

Her mind was settled. She would go to the abandoned bar, give in to Ginjo's wishes…she couldn't run away forever, and she knew he wouldn't let her. But she didn't want to just jump in unprepared, she didn't know anything about him or Riruka or Yukio, who they really were and what they had planned for her. She remembered all the new words he threw at her, Hollows, and Shinigami, spirits…things she had seen before, but never put a name to…where could she find out more?

Ah! She thought suddenly, her eyes widening in sudden realization. That pervert from the candy shop! She knew there was more to him from the vibe he gave, the things he sold, and how he acted toward them…not wanting to sell the candy, how he acted so normally after Ryu's outburst…

She was deep in thought when her eyes drifted upward, and they suddenly widened, her mouth twisted in horror…

"ARE THOSE MY PANTIES?"

To Be Continued