Title: No Smoking Please
Author: StarbearerTM
Beta: Nerdowl
Chapters: 1/1
Genre: Romance, Humor
Warning: Implied het relationship, mild language
Word Count: approx 2420
Pairing: Ryuuken/Tatsuki
Spoilers: Karakura Invasion Arc, Lost Shinigami Arc
Summary: Ryuuken doesn’t let anything get between him and a smoke, not even Tatsuki, though she can make it tricky for him can’t she?
Disclaimer: Tite Kubo created Bleach and owns it, not me. It is licensed by Shonen Jump. All characters in this fanfiction are of the age of consent in California for the purposes of this story.
During the evenings, Ryuuken liked to walk out onto his apartment balcony and glance over the lights of the city. Just for a moment to feel the wind whipping through his silvery white hair. He turned away from the lights of Karakura Hospital not far away and stepped back into the apartment behind him. Already the sun sank below the horizon leaving gold and blue bands stretching across the western sky. A few stars peeked out through the haze.
Tapping the end of one cigarette on the package he put it between his lips. A hand flashed out and grabbed at his jacket, slipping inside. In an instant he’d seized the wrist and pulled the offender close to him glaring down at her dark brown eyes.
“If you’re going to open the sliding door, smoke outside on the balcony,” muttered Tatsuki, blinking up at him with the indignance of a 19 year old. Eyes deviating just for a moment over the blouse she wore with the dress pants buttoned in front, Ryuuken then sniffed.
“Do you recall what happened the last time you attempted to steal my cigarettes?” he asked.
A blush broke out over her face. Light glittered off the diamond ring hanging around her neck on a gold chain as Tatsuki bit her lip. She grumbled, “You just HAD to bring that up?”
Amused that her hand was still fishing around in his inner jacket pocket, Ryuuken murmured, “My my, and you insist on molesting me to find them.”
“Who’s molesting you, you dirty old man,” she muttered under her breath as she pulled her hand out of his pocket and clutched something. Opening her hand she saw a small metal tube the size and dimension of a lighter but etched on its surface was a five pointed Quincy cross.
“Always prepared, aren’t you,” she observed as she held it for a moment.
Her answer was an abrupt ‘humph’ followed by the arms sliding around her waist the same time her hands smoothed down his grey jacket front and enclosed on his torso. Still he hadn’t bothered to try lighting a cigarette, rather deciding to bend down and press his lips to hers rising up to meet his. Tatsuki heard a distinctive howling prickling her skin and stared around his shoulder towards its source.
As always she stood close to the Last Quincy and remembered the days where she’d first learned to defend against such things when the shinigami were suddenly scarce.
**
A few years ago, two people trained in a soul synthesized silver plated training area under Karakura General Hospital, the same place where Ryuuken had restored his son’s Quincy powers. Now that he’d broken his promise and gone to Hueco Mundo, Ryuuken was hard at work training someone else.
Tatsuki glanced down at the strange vials he’d pulled out of his pocket. She narrowed her eyes holding one between thumb and forefinger. “So what are these, Doc?”
“Either call me Ryuuken sensei, or something else, young lady,” murmured the last Quincy, pushing up his glasses.
“You’re picky about every damn thing aren’t you?” Tatsuki asked as she shot him a glare. The director of Karakura Hospital retaliated with a sharp glance of his own.
“Someone must be if you are to have a chance in hell of fighting hollow. Do not make me think I made a mistake in showing you these skills. You are no Quincy, but you have a moderate amount of spirit pressure. It simply lacks control.”
“Would I still be here listening to you bitching at me if I wasn’t serious?” Tatsuki snapped at Ryuuken.
“If you would put the effort that went into your mouth into…” he began, moving back as Tatsuki suddenly shot forwards and slammed a punch at his face.
“You’re really pissing me off!” she snapped. Ryuuken dodged out of the way of a hail of fire around her fist.
“Emotional outbursts make you sloppy, young lady,” he said disapprovingly. His hand shot out and suddenly she felt his leg sweeping under. Tatsuki pivoted with him and twisted quickly, sending them both flying.
“A moderate improvement,” Ryuuken commented, as they flew apart and she landed on one knee with both hands before her. In a matter of a minute she had rolled to her feet in a stance.
Tatsuki narrowed her eyes, focusing right into his with defiance. “Okay, you’re right. I wasn’t focusing, Sensei. That was a rookie mistake.”
“That is precisely my point. Reacting in anger to any situation is a surefire recipe for getting yourself killed, Tatsuki san,” said Ryuuken, holding out his hand. She saw the blur of his bow solidifying this time, and barely ducked out of the way of a single arrow that grazed her cheek.
Not fazed Tatsuki charged towards him, dodging in a zigzag pattern to Ryuuken’s spray of firing arrows. Dozens, no hundreds of them shot towards her. She flipped and twisted in midair arching her back and landing on her two hands. Those that hit felt like bee stings and sharp razor blades. The cold logic in those blue eyes did not relent, yet Tatsuki did not wish him to.
One slammed into her arm. Tatsuki hissed in pain but staggered to her feet, still coming at him. Ryuuken’s eyes widened just a slight bit, showing the smallest surprise for an instant of a second. He ducked her punches and kicks even with one hurt arm, seeing the stain of blood spread over her tight workout top.
For a split second Ryuuken saw the fire spread along her punch that sailed close to him. He leapt up and shot down towards her with a hail of arrows. Tatsuki only had two slam into one leg while she still limped after him. Standing up on another level Ryuuken glanced down at her bleeding with a few glowing arrows stuck inside her.
“Your friends are dying in front of you. Is that the limit of your powers?” Ryuuken coldly taunted.
Tatsuki bit her tongue. She had endurance and guts, he’d give her that. For the past two weeks he saw hints of the aura she focused, but he had a good ways to go with her. Images of Orihime and Chad flashed through Tatsuki’s mind.
“You have not even landed a blow on me girl. What business do you have thinking you can dare to fight even the weakest hollow?"
She growled and mumbled, “NEVER AGAIN…”
Ryuuken felt the strange presence of a hollow energy surging and the hale of fire that surrounded Tatsuki at that second. From inside of the girl the spirit pressure flowed haloing her. She’d gathered the anger into a tight ball and now blurred out in a flash step towards him. The good fist slammed right where he leapt off a second before.
“Finally,” he muttered. “Took you long enough girl.”
“Shut up you pain in the butt... man!” Tatsuki gritted, swinging another punch that grazed Ryuuken’s shoe. Her next actually connected briefly with his leg, burning in its intensity. A searing singed rip spread up the doctor’s suit pants.
“A slight improvement, humph,” he observed as she staggered towards him.
Tatsuki gave him a grim smile. “See. What are you stopping for?”
“Despite your will to fight you’re at your limit. Bravado is folly. Though I suppose the fact you did not surrender shows minor progress,” he murmured, dispelling his bow.
“Then tell me what this is?” she asked holding up the silver tube.
“Sit down before you pass out,” Ryuuken sharply ordered.
“So damn cranky,” Tatsuki muttered, lowering herself to sit on the floor. Ryuuken sat on one of the multiple ledges scarred with what she figured were arrow marks.
“This is a ginto, young lady. A tube filled with spirit energy that can be used to cast spells,” said Ryuuken, leaping down with a first aid kit in hand. “The method for many things you have seen.”
“I don’t need gadgets. Just my fists,’ said Tatsuki quietly as he opened the kit and crouched by her. “Why should I care about them now?”
“They serve as a reminder for what you may encounter Shinigami doing should you run across them,” he said, swabbing her wounds with a firm touch that didn’t care if it stung her from the tingling bite of alcohol.
“Since I’m not a Quincy I can’t use them anyway, so why bother to tell me?” she asked, glaring at him winding the bandage around her upper arm now it was clean.
“A point of information,” Ryuuken murmured, caught a bit off guard. He mentally stopped himself with the question of why, focusing instead on pulling out some neat thread which he used to stitch up the cuts on her leg.
“For someone who hates being a Quincy, you sure like to hear yourself talk,” said Tatsuki with a smirk, folding her arms across her chest.
“And you have a penchant for making useless comments when I am attempting to educate you!” Ryuuken scolded, finishing his stitches. Tatsuki glanced down at his handwork with great admiration, wondering how quickly a regular doctor could have patched those wounds up.
For a moment Ryuuken stopped in mid explanation shoving the items back into the first aid kit. Snapping it closed he then reached into his pocket, extracted a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes. Tatsuki frowned at the burst of cigarette smoke that drifted past her nose that wafted from his nostrils. Irritated Tatsuki leapt up and moved over, reaching for the cigarette as she snapped, “You know you shouldn’t smoke!”
“That is hardly your business, young lady,” he reprimanded her as he held it out of her reach.
“It is if I don’t want you to freaking DIE on me!” Tatsuki snapped at him.
Ryuuken’s eyes widened only a fraction of an instant at her words. He took a few more puffs and muttered, “Mind your own affairs.”
“Cranky jerk,” Tatsuki huffed. “See if I care if you keel over with emphysema.”
“If you want to stop me from smoking so badly why not try and take it from me by force?” Ryuuken asked as he lit another cigarette. Energy swirled around his outstretched hand forming into the smaller of the two bows.
She caught the motion of several silver tubes clinking towards her. Ryuuken’s arms crossed as he chanted something in German. Out of nowhere a rod of translucent silver shot right towards her arm. Tatsuki hauled back her fist and punched it hard back towards him.
Ryuuken dodged, his bow disappearing. He then leapt up to one of the higher platforms and hurled something else towards her, chanting “Volke!”
Tatsuki crossed her arms in front of her face as an explosion of reishi blew up the air before her. She charged on through, leaping up towards him as she smelled the cigarette smoke. A surge of reishi caught her attention and she saw the blur of a bow forming just in front of her. Grabbing Ryuuken’s wrist she twisted it up and around, just as he flipped her over his head and send her flying at the far wall. Arrows slammed into the place where Tatsuki dodged away from.
“You missed,” taunted the Quincy.
“Did I?” Tatsuki asked brandishing his pack of cigarettes in her hand with a grin.
“Come BACK HERE!” Ryuuken snapped as he suddenly chased after her. Laughing Tatsuki ran along the side of the wall with a hail of arrows after her. One of them flew towards the hand with the pack in it. Tatsuki grabbed the arrow out of midair in her gloved hand and turned hurling it back at him.
“This is yours!” she called, shoving the cigarettes down her shirt with her other.
“Do not come between a man and his cigarettes again!” shouted Ryuuken, firing. Tatsuki’s eyes widened in horror as the arrow skimmed and slashed across her chest, neatly slicing the cloth as the cigarette pack dropped.
“You pervert!” shrieked Tatsuki, seeing red.
“Who says I am looking?” muttered his voice near her, grabbing the package before she could punch him. Tatsuki however grabbed him by the arm and held him tightly only to notice that Ryuuken’s eyes were shut behind his glasses, face turned away from hers.
“You sneaky bastard,” she whispered, realizing that he’d known where she was without even looking.
“Come with me and I will repair your training clothes,” he murmured, instead taking her by the hand and tugging her behind him towards the training area’s locker room. Too shocked and flustered to argue Tatsuki allowed him.
A half hour later, Tatsuki heard a humming whirr of some sort of machinery in a corner of the changing area after dressing in clean clothes and emerging from the shower. To see Ryuuken sitting in front of a sewing machine with her gi was a strange sight. He muttered, “This should be good as new…”
“Thanks,” she muttered as he snipped off the threads and handed it to her. Her fingers ran over the neatly stitched rips. “I thought Uryuu was the only tailor in the family.”
Ryuuken merely shrugged to this saying, “Saves you the trouble of buying a new one.”
***
Lost for a moment in recollection, Tatsuki snapped back to the present moment at the sound of another distant hollow. Orange hued light from the streetlamps mingled with the silver from the crescent moon gleaming overhead slightly hidden behind one of the skyscrapers. It haloed Ryuuken’s silver hair in a strange mixture of weak orange and soft white glow. For someone holding such a cold and frosty gaze, Tatsuki felt the body warmth radiating through his suit to her in their embrace.
“Hey, tell me something,” she requested as she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Ryuuken and she had moved out to the balcony and were sitting together on the bench he had there. She could peer at the rectangles of light illuminating the boxy shadows of the skyline.
“What is it?” Ryuuken murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into his chest.
“The reason you showed me what a silver tube was,” she mumbled.
Cocking a white eyebrow Ryuuken mumbled, “Do tell?”
“Well,” she added as she threw her knees over his and climbed onto his lap. “You were already wanting to pass on your heritage like it or not.”
“Ridiculous,” Ryuuken denied, huffing a bit though the faint pink blush creeping on his cheeks said otherwise.
Tatsuki however pressed his lips in a kiss under the moonlight, then leaned her head against his to look out over the city. “Is it now?” she chuckled.
This entry was originally posted at
http://starbearertm.dreamwidth.org/66789.html . This entry has
comments.