Insects
Sometimes a girl just gets tired of waiting and uses the...insects?... No, that's not right... the opportunities that life presents to move things along.
A huge thank-you goes out to my beta, ladynightspike, for her valuable input and advice.
***Insects***
Kon was having a bad day. Already today he’d been used for batting practice (Violent Kid) and target practice (Forgetful Girl), and narrowly missed sewing practice (Quincy). Perhaps worse, he’d also narrowly missed his goddess, Inoue-san. He’d been so close! A few more seconds and he would have been gently nestled in her valley of the gods and then…Ooh la la…
But no such luck. He was snatched right out of the air by the ever violent Jinta-kun and unceremoniously stuffed in a tiny backpack. Once inside, he was forced to listen to the boy mumble. He felt a brief surge of hope when his ears caught the words ‘my goddess’, but once he was sure they had left Inoue-san behind, he resigned himself to a long, uncomfortable trip. Then he discovered that the rough treatment had caused one of his seams to rip. He bore this further insult with his usual decorum and dignity; that is to say he struggled and yelled abuse until he ran out of energy. And then he sulked. On the bright side, at least this day can’t get any worse!
The jostling stopped and he heard knocking, followed shortly by a familiar voice. The purple cloud of dread began to rise in his body as the backpack opened and he was dragged out. He hung upside-down in the air by one foot, staring at the adoring face and reaching hands of his natural enemy.
“Bostafu!”
His day… was now worse.
***
Jinta was in his own personal heaven, lost in blissful contemplation of his goddess as she glided gracefully through the kitchen. Her hands flew nimbly across chopping boards and over bubbling water; her cheeks flushed rosily in the heat. Tonight he would finally eat Yuzu-chan’s home-cooked food. Of course, when he’d imagined it, she was cooking for him only, and Ururu and Karin definitely didn’t feature. And the occasion was much more …romantic…than a sleepover due to the shop being fumigated, again. On the other hand, he’d take what he could get. Jinta’s stomach took that moment to loudly announce its approval of the scents rising from the pot.
“Are you hungry, Jinta-kun? I’m sorry it’s taking so long but it shouldn’t be very much longer.”
He blushed furiously, inwardly cursing his stomach. “I’m fine! Ha-ha ha…” His stomach gave another growl and he looked away. “It just smells really good, I guess,” he mumbled.
“Thank-you, Jinta-kun.” And now she was smiling, and blushing, and tilting her head just so; and the world froze around Jinta. Wow, she looks really happy. Jinta pictured her smiling for him in a different situation; he would give her a proper compliment, and maybe there would be flowers. Yes, there would definitely be flowers.
“…nta-kun? Jinta-kun? Are you okay?”
Jinta realized that while he’d been staring and smiling like a love-struck idiot, Yuzu had asked him a question.
“I’m sorry. I…uh…got distracted. What was that?”
“Oh, dinner’s nearly ready. Father called, he’s going to be late so we’re going to start without him. Will you get Karin and Ururu-chan in? I think they’re still playing soccer.”
“I’ll get them.”
As he went to fetch his rival and almost-sister, Jinta experienced surprisingly strong feelings of envy towards Ichigo and his family. They had Yuzu every day: cooking, cleaning, washing, making lunch boxes, smiling! He even felt a twinge of jealousy towards Kon, but it was short-lived considering the butterfly outfit the lion was currently wearing.
Actually, Jinta saw that the lovely costume was stuck in a bush, neatly hindering the stuffed animal’s latest escape attempt. Jinta snickered and helpfully detached him from the bush, and then threw him back through the window and slammed it shut while smirking at the lion’s outraged ranting. Kon was not going to ruin the outfit Yuzu-chan had spent hours painstakingly creating for him. He left the stuffed animal slumped dejectedly against the glass and went to fetch the girls.
***
Never one to be idle, after dinner Yuzu washed the dishes. Feeling a bit guilty, Jinta tried again, “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”
“It’s quite alright. I’m just happy to have company.” She smiled at him again. Did she have any idea of how devastating it was; of how it affected him? Somehow he doubted it.
Jinta went back to Yuzu-watching. It was so much better from here. He was so close! And hiding in trees really was inconvenient, especially when Urahara caught you at it and teased you mercilessly for weeks on end. At least it wasn’t Tessai. In that case, teasing would have been the least of his worries. Or Ichigo. If it had been Ichigo he would have no worries… the dead don’t worry.
He was so absorbed in watching the seemingly oblivious girl that he didn’t notice it at first. It took Karin’s shriek to pull his attention away from his goddess to the familiar but oppressive reiatsu permeating the room. The dread rising from the pit of his stomach, he tumbled from his chair and bolted to the upstairs bedroom. He burst through the door in time to see Karin standing on the bed, shrieking incomprehensibly and pointing her finger at a seemingly blank stretch of wall; and his sort-of-sister shouldering her multi-barreled cannon, her spirit power radiating from her in dizzying waves of killing-intent.
This is bad! Everyone else is out of reach. Jinta searched the room frantically for signs of an enemy. Where is it? His searching yielded nothing. To send Ururu into this state, it would have to be a really powerful hollow at the least, maybe even an arrancar. Maybe it’s invisible? It must be hiding its reiatsu too…
A tiny spot of movement on the wall tweaked a fragment of memory, and Jinta realized all at once where and what the dreadful enemy was. He relaxed and a smirk quirked his lips briefly. They’re never going to live this down! Then the rest of the memory surfaced. He leapt back into action, diving towards his sort-of-sister.
Ururu’s face was blank and her voice robotic as she stated, “Threat detected.”
“Ururu, no! You can’t fire that in here!” As her flew across the room to tackle her, he abstractedly wondered how she had found room to bring the cannon anyway. Didn’t she bring any clothes? Sure, he brought his bat, but that was beside the point!
Jinta realized it would be a bad idea to hurt her in the state she was in so he concentrated only on preventing her from firing her weapon in the confines of the bedroom and reducing a large part of the building to rubble.
Karin wasn’t being very helpful. “Get it! Get it! Ghaaah, it’s moving, get it quick before it gets under something and we never find it and it makes noises and crawls on our faces in the dark!” The usually tough girl was backed up against the wall now. Every girl has her weakness, and Jinta found it ironic that Karin and Ururu would share this one.
“Noooo! It’s coming this way! Jinta-kun, get it! Get the c-c-c-cockroach!”
There was a reason, after all, that the shop was fumigated so often.
“The cockroach! Yuzu!” Karin wailed.
Wham!
The sweet and gentle Kurosaki had inherited the family accuracy and speed. Jinta had never seen a bug dispatched with such detached precision. His heart swelled as she stood there, slipper in hand, like an innocent avenging angel.
“It’s okay Karin, I got it.” Yuzu’s sister shot Jinta a mortified look, climbed off the bed and left the room, giving the twitching bug a wide berth. “Jinta-kun, Ururu-chan, what are you doing?”
Jinta froze. She didn’t know about all the spirit stuff. Damage control time! “Ha-ha ha…um this… I didn’t want Ururu to fire her gun…um…toy gun in…um…at the cockroach!” Yeah, real smooth, well done Jinta. Now she thinks you’re an idiot. An idiot who likes cockroaches. Oh well, work with it. “All life is sacred and cockroaches have life too and…” he trailed off, realizing his crush had just ruthlessly squashed the bug.
“That’s very sweet of you Jinta-kun,” Oh, she was smiling again and his brain turned into goo. “But I won’t have vermin in my house.” She looked at the roach, hesitated a moment and said, “I…I don’t want to touch it. Will you bring it outside for me?”
He was on the verge on telling her to get a dustpan when his brain kicked back into gear. Alone outside with Yuzu. He would savor every chance he could get. He used his manly skills to pick up the bug and followed his crush outside.
***
“I know about the candy.” Yuzu murmured eventually.
After they had disposed of the cockroach, they both seemed reluctant to head back inside. They stood side-by-side in the garden, watching a rare display of fireflies in the warm evening air.
“Huh?”
“I thought about it when I got home. A bag that big for 500 yen? Shops can’t have those kinds of specials and stay in business.”
Jinta thought back to the incident and to him trying to explain to Tessai where all that candy went to. He shuddered involuntarily. It was not an experience he would care to repeat.
“Thank-you, Jinta-kun.” Then he thought back to the sweet smile on her face and the excitement in her eyes over her surprise for her family. It was worth every second. And he was convinced, looking down into her wide amber eyes and gently curving lips, that he would repeat it again and again in an instant.
Jinta’s heart beat a frantic tattoo against his ribs. Why did she smell so good? How did she reduce him to a stuttering, blushing retard with just a look? And when had she gotten so close!? He swallowed, staring at her upturned face. She looked almost…expectant? This is it right? This is a good time? I mean, I’ve wanted to for so long! But what if she doesn’t want it? What if she does? What if I do it wrong? Maybe I should just…
Swallowing his fears and holding his breath, he leaned in and placed a tentative kiss on her lips. So warm...
He looked at her apprehensively. She didn’t push me away. That’s good, right? She stared up at him, eyes wide. Oh no. Did I read it wrong? Is she… Am I… She smiled. It was the smile from earlier, and so much more. In that moment, looking at her in her sweetness and vulnerability, Jinta realized why Ichigo would do anything to protect his family. In that moment, he made his own promise to shield her from harm, come what may. He reached for her hand, smiled down at her and leaned in for another kiss. It was exploring, this time, both of them unsure and learning. Jinta wanted so badly to hold her. He wanted to put his hands around her waist. Hell, he wanted to crush her against him and never let go!
There would be time for that later, he realized with uncharacteristic patience. For now, they stood leaning towards each other, connected only by their linked hands. When they parted Yuzu let out a contented sigh and smiled that devastating smile again. He was slowly getting the feeling she knew its effect. He grinned at her. Yuzu’s smile: bankai.
Jinta brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He’d always wanted to do that. Then, suddenly overwhelmed by his actions, he turned back to the fireflies. They stood watching the twinkling insects, their hands a living, tingling connection between them.
“YUZU-CHAN!!! KARIN-CHAN!!! PAPA’S HOME TO SAVE HIS PRECIOUS ANGELS FROM THE LECHEROUS MOLESTING BOY! COME GREE…URGH”
Jinta dropped Yuzu’s hand instantly. Dread filled him as he slowly realized what he had gotten himself into…Yuzu’s father…Urahara…Tessai…Ichigo!
His horror must have shown on his face because Yuzu said quietly, “It’ll be fine. We should go inside though.”
She smiled serenely and reached for his hand to lead him inside to face his fate.
***
Author’s notes:
I have a hard time believing that any girl is quite as clueless as Yuzu seems. I’ve certainly never met one. Innocent, yes, but not completely oblivious. So she may seem be a bit OOC, but have you ever had to wait… and wait… and wait… for the guy you like (and you know likes you!) to act on it? Sometimes a girl just gets tired of waiting…
For those of you who don’t watch the anime fillers and omakes: Jinta has a crush on Yuzu, he refers to her as ‘The Goddess’ and treasures everything she gives him (??although I think she gave him Kon once??). He once gave her a huge bag full of candy for only 500 Yen.
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