Unnecessary Risks

Fandom: Bleach

Author: Max

Rating: PG-14

“Ichigo!”

“Look at you! You’re a bloody mess! You said that you wouldn’t take unnecessary risks!”

“oh, shut up! I had to say that! Anyways, they weren’t unnecessary !”

“Heh…”

~*~*~

When he merged with his body, the first thing that Ichigo Kurosaki did was haul the rather bloody- very much indignant Rukia Kuchiki over his shoulder and set off on the way home. Sure, she could probably walk, he heard that steady chant for the past seven feet, but she was probably dripping blood all over his uniform.

Somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to care about the state of his uniform, as he did for the fragile gigai of his trainer.

However, Rukia didn’t care for his concern nearly as much as she did for her now currently-shredded dignity. “Will you put me down?”

“No,” he answered quickly, flinching as she ground her elbows into his back.

That hurt.

Retaliation came in the form of his adding some bounce to his step, thus her head slamming into a shoulder blade that she should have been staring at. “Now, bitch,” he added affectionately, of course his response turning more then a few heads. “Stop that.”

“I’m not a dog, Monsieur General, but I can walk, you know.”

“No,” he tossed back, scowling at the ghost he could see over her legs to his left.

Focusing back on those blood-splattered legs, his scowl deepened.

Scrawny little thing, really.

But since he wanted his life rather trouble-free on the Rukia/Soul Reaper end, he’d keep that thought to himself. “Does the gigai have regenerative powers?”

“No,” the weight on his back went limp before she lifted her torso once more to prop her arm against a shoulder blade. “Those idiots in Research and Development will so hear form me when I return to the Soul Society.” Her anger was apparent as he smiled at a passerby.

He could only guess what was running through that guy’s head as he took a good ten seconds to think about it. Two high schoolers walking down the road in the middle of day, okay, out of place, sure, but not uncommon.

One high school slung over the other’s shoulder…

…Looked more then a bit wrong, but like he told Mizero earlier, if he had cared what people thought, he would have died his hair black a long time ago.

“People will talk, Kurosaki-san. Just put me down,” she demanded again, this time starting to flail under his strangely tight grip.

“Careful,” he warned as they approached the clinic. Tightening his hold on her waist, he turned his head, feeling her shudder as his hair brushed against the exposed skin that her jacket uncovered. “If I end up dropping you, we’ll both get cranky. Besides, threatening me from your position will only result in humiliating panty-shots.”

“Ichigo,” she whined, attempting to play the innocent youth and failing miserably.

Because the strawberry knew better. “We’re here,” he announced, setting her down with a slight bit of attention regarding the rent shoulders. “Must hurt.”

Indigo-blue eyes stared blankly at him.