Chapter Four:
All written works displayed are (C) K.E. Wright.
Ichigo:
Keena straddled my hips, laughing melodically as she came up to kiss my lips. I groaned, loving the feel of her skin against mine. Her lips descended on mine lightly, teasingly, then she deepened the connection, adding pressure invitingly. I tongued the seam of her lips, begging without words for a chance to taste her.
She murmured something against my lips, then opened at my request, flicking her tongue against mine before quickly retreating. My tongue chased hers into her mouth and she made a sweet sound as I traced her teeth with my tongue, then swirled my tongue across the roof of her mouth.
Fingers tangled deep in my hair while her other hand slid down to cup my neck. I caressed her cheek with one hand, sliding back to touch a few wild strands of hair, brushing against her ear.
She released a sweet moan and slanted her mouth against mine, the hand she'd used to cup my neck sliding down and then across my shoulders before heading down my chest, between us. I drew off her lips only to bring my lips against her ear, first gently brushing the skin, then tonguing the lobe of her ear. She released an eager sound, her head lolling back a bit as her hand increased trailed lower and lower.
I nipped gently at her ear lobe of her ear and she moaned again, lower and deeper. Then she wrapped her hand around my cock and began to tease me to the breaking point and beyond. I felt the pleasure coil tightly in my belly. Then I was seeing stars, coming hard, moaning her name like a prayer.
She smiled over me and kissed my lips softly. Leaning in to whisper in my ear, she said, "Now wake up, Ichigo."
I sat straight up in bed, my eyes wide open as they struggled to focus in the darkness. Once I was wide awake, my mind quickly tried to reconcile what I saw with my room. I let myself fall backwards gently against the pillows as I began to remember exactly where I was. Then I realized what the sticky feeling was and felt my cheeks get warm, even though there was no one there to see me.
Great. My first wet dream since I was 17, and I had it in the guest room of a girl who probably didn't even perceive me in such a manner.
I switched on the lamp on the bed-side table to check the damage. The good news was that I had come in my boxers. The bad news was that they were the only pair I had at the moment. Looking at the clock on my cell-phone, I sighed. Seven-twenty. Keena was probably already up and moving. So much for avoiding embarrassment this morning.
I crawled out of the bed slowly, not willing to tempt my half-asleep brain to start in with the whole lack-of-coordination-in-the-morning thing. Wincing and wrinkling my nose a bit, I pulled my discarded jeans back on before pattering into the living room.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed that the furniture all seemed to be back where it had started last night. It seemed she'd reorganized her furniture while I'd slept this morning. This things I noticed from the corner of my eye and the back of my mind, because the rest of me was all too focused on her.
Keena sat crookedly in an arm-chair, her legs draped over one arm and her back against the other. Pale denim-encased her mile-long legs and the soft black tank top stretched over her high breasts as she looked down at the textbook in her lap, rectangular-framed glasses perched on her nose, sipping her coffee.
She looked refreshed, adorable, and all together wonderful. It was no wonder that my eyes couldn't escape her gravity to look anywhere else.
My mouth went dry as a bone when she looked up at me. "Good morning, Ichi-kun. Did you sleep well?"
I nodded dumbly, not willing to embarrass myself with words because I knew they would be jumbled. She was too distracting for it to be otherwise.
A smile inched slowly across her lips and I found myself desperately wanting to trace them. "Make use of the shower if you like. There should be some of Ren's clothes in the dresser in the room you slept in, so go ahead and help yourself."
"What are you, a mind reader?" I asked, bewildered.
"Nope. Ren is always bitching about how neat you are around the apartment, how you won't even wear day-old clothes like he is perfectly content to do, and that you're the same size and yet you won't let him barrow your clothes," she told me, laughing at the last part. "You're my ototō-san's best friend and roommate, so I get to hear all of his little rants and anecdotes about you. 'Sides, who else do you think has the patience to go gift-shopping with him for your birthday?" Her smile was sweet and tempting all at once. "Anyway. Go ahead and shower. You'll feel better and it will help wake you up some." She smiled at me again, this time a bit distracted, then returned to perusing the textbook.
Smiling and shaking my head, I pattered back into the bedroom. From there, I left a trail of clothes that led to the bathroom and hopped into the shower, praying that the hot water would wake me up and the cold water might cool my libido.
Keena straddled my hips, laughing melodically as she came up to kiss my lips. I groaned, loving the feel of her skin against mine. Her lips descended on mine lightly, teasingly, then she deepened the connection, adding pressure invitingly. I tongued the seam of her lips, begging without words for a chance to taste her.
She murmured something against my lips, then opened at my request, flicking her tongue against mine before quickly retreating. My tongue chased hers into her mouth and she made a sweet sound as I traced her teeth with my tongue, then swirled my tongue across the roof of her mouth.
Fingers tangled deep in my hair while her other hand slid down to cup my neck. I caressed her cheek with one hand, sliding back to touch a few wild strands of hair, brushing against her ear.
She released a sweet moan and slanted her mouth against mine, the hand she'd used to cup my neck sliding down and then across my shoulders before heading down my chest, between us. I drew off her lips only to bring my lips against her ear, first gently brushing the skin, then tonguing the lobe of her ear. She released an eager sound, her head lolling back a bit as her hand increased trailed lower and lower.
I nipped gently at her ear lobe of her ear and she moaned again, lower and deeper. Then she wrapped her hand around my cock and began to tease me to the breaking point and beyond. I felt the pleasure coil tightly in my belly. Then I was seeing stars, coming hard, moaning her name like a prayer.
She smiled over me and kissed my lips softly. Leaning in to whisper in my ear, she said, "Now wake up, Ichigo."
I sat straight up in bed, my eyes wide open as they struggled to focus in the darkness. Once I was wide awake, my mind quickly tried to reconcile what I saw with my room. I let myself fall backwards gently against the pillows as I began to remember exactly where I was. Then I realized what the sticky feeling was and felt my cheeks get warm, even though there was no one there to see me.
Great. My first wet dream since I was 17, and I had it in the guest room of a girl who probably didn't even perceive me in such a manner.
I switched on the lamp on the bed-side table to check the damage. The good news was that I had come in my boxers. The bad news was that they were the only pair I had at the moment. Looking at the clock on my cell-phone, I sighed. Seven-twenty. Keena was probably already up and moving. So much for avoiding embarrassment this morning.
I crawled out of the bed slowly, not willing to tempt my half-asleep brain to start in with the whole lack-of-coordination-in-the-morning thing. Wincing and wrinkling my nose a bit, I pulled my discarded jeans back on before pattering into the living room.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed that the furniture all seemed to be back where it had started last night. It seemed she'd reorganized her furniture while I'd slept this morning. This things I noticed from the corner of my eye and the back of my mind, because the rest of me was all too focused on her.
Keena sat crookedly in an arm-chair, her legs draped over one arm and her back against the other. Pale denim-encased her mile-long legs and the soft black tank top stretched over her high breasts as she looked down at the textbook in her lap, rectangular-framed glasses perched on her nose, sipping her coffee.
She looked refreshed, adorable, and all together wonderful. It was no wonder that my eyes couldn't escape her gravity to look anywhere else.
My mouth went dry as a bone when she looked up at me. "Good morning, Ichi-kun. Did you sleep well?"
I nodded dumbly, not willing to embarrass myself with words because I knew they would be jumbled. She was too distracting for it to be otherwise.
A smile inched slowly across her lips and I found myself desperately wanting to trace them. "Make use of the shower if you like. There should be some of Ren's clothes in the dresser in the room you slept in, so go ahead and help yourself."
"What are you, a mind reader?" I asked, bewildered.
"Nope. Ren is always bitching about how neat you are around the apartment, how you won't even wear day-old clothes like he is perfectly content to do, and that you're the same size and yet you won't let him barrow your clothes," she told me, laughing at the last part. "You're my ototō-san's best friend and roommate, so I get to hear all of his little rants and anecdotes about you. 'Sides, who else do you think has the patience to go gift-shopping with him for your birthday?" Her smile was sweet and tempting all at once. "Anyway. Go ahead and shower. You'll feel better and it will help wake you up some." She smiled at me again, this time a bit distracted, then returned to perusing the textbook.
Smiling and shaking my head, I pattered back into the bedroom. From there, I left a trail of clothes that led to the bathroom and hopped into the shower, praying that the hot water would wake me up and the cold water might cool my libido.
Keena:
The walls of my apartment were thin enough that I could tell he had headed straight for the bathroom, apparently forgetting that he had to grab clothing.
I smiled. Ren never told me just how cute his roommate was in the morning, when he was still so sleepy and forgetful. Not to mention, he looked delicious fresh out of bed in nothing but yesterday's pants, which really shouldn't have been possible but was, nonetheless.
I slid out of my chair, setting the textbook on the coffee table and went into my room, knowing I'd stashed some of Ren's better clothes there.
I opened a drawer and drug through until I came up, triumphantly, with skin-tight black jeans similar to the ones Ichi had worn the night before and a looser black top I knew would fall beautifully off his shoulders. It would allow me a tantalizing peek at that tan skin and toned muscle, not to mention the fact it would look sexier than all hell on him. Thinking that I would just leave the clothes and head back for the living room, I slipped into the room unannounced. Folding the clothes into a neat stack, I left them on the corner of the bed before turning to the dresser and digging out a pair of black silky boxers out of Ren's underwear stash. Smiling slightly, I set them on top of the stack of clothes.
I didn't hear the water running, but it didn't strike me as odd or as a possible interruption to my clothing mission until he opened the bathroom door with a burst of steam, a dark green towel draped neatly around his waist. Water clung to his hair and ran in rivulets down his muscular chest. He looked startled to see me, then noticed the clothes.
Color rose to crest his cheekbones. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Laughter bubbled past my lips and I stepped forward. After wrapping my arms around him, I tugged his head down so that I could press a kiss to his warm, damp cheek. As unfortunate –or perhaps very fortunate– aftereffect, my breast brushed against his damp chest just enough to tease the nipples to hard peaks even as my crotch bumped against his groin. "Anytime, Ichi-kun," I told him warmly. "You are just too adorable in the morning."
Untangling myself didn't take long or much effort. I was almost out the door when I looked back to toss a few parting words over my shoulder to the mostly naked male. "By the way, you look sexy as all hell in nothing but a towel, Ichi-kun."
I winked at him, then headed back into the living room. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my class work, but that was neither here nor there.
The walls of my apartment were thin enough that I could tell he had headed straight for the bathroom, apparently forgetting that he had to grab clothing.
I smiled. Ren never told me just how cute his roommate was in the morning, when he was still so sleepy and forgetful. Not to mention, he looked delicious fresh out of bed in nothing but yesterday's pants, which really shouldn't have been possible but was, nonetheless.
I slid out of my chair, setting the textbook on the coffee table and went into my room, knowing I'd stashed some of Ren's better clothes there.
I opened a drawer and drug through until I came up, triumphantly, with skin-tight black jeans similar to the ones Ichi had worn the night before and a looser black top I knew would fall beautifully off his shoulders. It would allow me a tantalizing peek at that tan skin and toned muscle, not to mention the fact it would look sexier than all hell on him. Thinking that I would just leave the clothes and head back for the living room, I slipped into the room unannounced. Folding the clothes into a neat stack, I left them on the corner of the bed before turning to the dresser and digging out a pair of black silky boxers out of Ren's underwear stash. Smiling slightly, I set them on top of the stack of clothes.
I didn't hear the water running, but it didn't strike me as odd or as a possible interruption to my clothing mission until he opened the bathroom door with a burst of steam, a dark green towel draped neatly around his waist. Water clung to his hair and ran in rivulets down his muscular chest. He looked startled to see me, then noticed the clothes.
Color rose to crest his cheekbones. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Laughter bubbled past my lips and I stepped forward. After wrapping my arms around him, I tugged his head down so that I could press a kiss to his warm, damp cheek. As unfortunate –or perhaps very fortunate– aftereffect, my breast brushed against his damp chest just enough to tease the nipples to hard peaks even as my crotch bumped against his groin. "Anytime, Ichi-kun," I told him warmly. "You are just too adorable in the morning."
Untangling myself didn't take long or much effort. I was almost out the door when I looked back to toss a few parting words over my shoulder to the mostly naked male. "By the way, you look sexy as all hell in nothing but a towel, Ichi-kun."
I winked at him, then headed back into the living room. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my class work, but that was neither here nor there.
Ichigo:
I was pretty sure that my jaw had hit the floor, and I couldn't help but stare after her. There was no way in hell she couldn't know how she affected me after that encounter. Yet, she seemed oblivious, even as she tossed flirty, provocative comments over her shoulder at me.
Even if she wanted me, too, she was totally off limits to me. She was my best friend's sister. Call me old-school, but dating your friend's sister is just… weird. The same with dating your sister's friend. If and when such a relationship goes south, well, then someone is faced with a really tough choice and it's likely they'll choose their family. So yeah, I really liked Keena, but I wasn't willing to lose my best friend if things didn't work out as we wanted.
There was no long any denial of the fact I wanted her. If I'd still been on vacation from reality, my wet dream and the "incident" in the shower proved that. Yet one hug, having that muscular body that was still soft in all of the right places pressed against me, and I found myself in the same circumstance I'd been in earlier.
I was suddenly struck by a strange thought: I knew next to nothing about Keena. It was absolutely astounding. I'd worked with her for around three years now. She was my best friend's older sister. Yet I couldn't really say that I knew much more than how she looked, how she danced, where she lived, and what her cell phone number was. I considered the woman my friend, if nothing else.
How could I know so little about her after all this time?
I was pretty sure that my jaw had hit the floor, and I couldn't help but stare after her. There was no way in hell she couldn't know how she affected me after that encounter. Yet, she seemed oblivious, even as she tossed flirty, provocative comments over her shoulder at me.
Even if she wanted me, too, she was totally off limits to me. She was my best friend's sister. Call me old-school, but dating your friend's sister is just… weird. The same with dating your sister's friend. If and when such a relationship goes south, well, then someone is faced with a really tough choice and it's likely they'll choose their family. So yeah, I really liked Keena, but I wasn't willing to lose my best friend if things didn't work out as we wanted.
There was no long any denial of the fact I wanted her. If I'd still been on vacation from reality, my wet dream and the "incident" in the shower proved that. Yet one hug, having that muscular body that was still soft in all of the right places pressed against me, and I found myself in the same circumstance I'd been in earlier.
I was suddenly struck by a strange thought: I knew next to nothing about Keena. It was absolutely astounding. I'd worked with her for around three years now. She was my best friend's older sister. Yet I couldn't really say that I knew much more than how she looked, how she danced, where she lived, and what her cell phone number was. I considered the woman my friend, if nothing else.
How could I know so little about her after all this time?
Keena:
When he walked back into the living room, I had the textbook back in my lap and I was staring at the dang thing, wanting it to tell me what Doctor Hitsugaya wanted us to learn. Doctor Toshiro Hitsugaya was a genius, so his mind functioned in a completely different way than mine. I never understood the assignments quite as well as he wished, but I was doing better than nearly everyone else in the course. Biology could be annoying as hell, anyway, but having a renowned genius teach it was like asking students to pay to have the privilege to be driven to suicide. It was somewhere closely related to 'shooting yourself in the foot'.
Besides the fact it was extremely difficult, you couldn't go to him for help. Well, I mean, you could show up at his office hours, but odds were he either wasn't there or he'd completely ignore you. Doctor Hitsugaya has a tendency toward being very surly to anyone he didn't know very well. I fell somewhere in the circle of people he knew well, but only because my father had arranged play-dates –of all things– for me and the quiet genius when we were both very young. Toshi could be very sweet at times, but his mind ran circles around mine and he would die of shock if I ever told him what I did to support myself.
Warm arms slid around me, startling me a bit and interrupting my thoughts. I tilted my head back to look at the only man, aside from my family, that had ever seen the inside of my apartment.
He gave me a crooked smile. "Thanks, Kee-chan."
I knew what he meant. Saying 'Thanks for everything' was so cheesy, after all. I smiled at him. "The black suits you," I commented because it was true. It had been why I'd chosen that outfit for him.
He was silent for a moment. "So you're Renji's sister."
I watched him come around to sit next to me. "Do you want the whole story?"
He shrugged. "I have time if you have time."
I took a deep breath. "Leena Abarai was our mother. She was a sweet, sweet woman. She'd fallen in love with my father and when he left when I was barely conceived, she was heartbroken. She kept me a secret, in a way. She didn't tell Daddy about me, but my birth certificate plainly states my father's name. I was about two when my mother took a new lover. She kept me far from him, mostly because I think she knew what he was: nothing more than a common criminal who tried to steal what little we had. She testified against him and he was sent to prison, but my mother was pregnant.
"When I was three, Renji was born. His father's name was curiously left off the birth certificate. I think she didn't want Ren to think he was cursed to become what his father had been." I drew in another deep breath, knowing this part hurt the most to share. "We were a family. We didn't have much, aside from each other, but we were happy. Then Mama got sick. I was eight and Renji was five, always toddling hurriedly after me. Mama's cough wouldn't go away. And then I saw she was coughing up blood." I squeezed my eyes shut. "It horrified me. I knew exactly what she had, but we didn't have the money to treat it. I knew it could kill her; so did she.
"One morning, when I was nine, Mama wouldn't wake up. Ren had tried as best as a six year old can. I walked into the room and touched her hand. It was stiff and cold as ice. I remember weeping as I called the hospital. My mama was dead and I knew they couldn't save her. We stood in the hospital room as they declared our mother dead." I wiped at the tears on my cheeks. "But there were worse things to come. Mama had made very little, and we'd spent every penny on taking care of ourselves and keeping the water on in our tiny apartment. So Ren and I had nothing but each other. We slept in parks until we were brought into the police station. They fingerprinted us and ran them. Mama had been so scared we'd get lost that she had made sure that our prints were on file.
"My father was listed in the file they pulled up, so they called him. I'm sure he about died when he found out. Daddy's not much for surprises. But he was at the police station faster than legally allowable. We approached each other slowly, like strangers. Hell, we were strangers." I paused, remembering the moments that followed it with startling clarity.
" Hi, sweetie," Daddy greeted me. "What's your name?"
"Keena Abari," I replied promptly, looking up at his face.
His face turned ashen and he knelt before me. "Where's your mother, Keena?" he asked me softly, as though he knew the answer.
"She died," I returned coolly. Renji began to cry so I wrapped my arms around him and stroked his back soothingly.
He nodded sadly. "How old are you?"
"I'm nine," I told him.
He nodded again, then stood and turned to the officer. "What about the boy? Does he have family?"
The officer checked but found nothing. Renji cried louder and I tried to sooth him, cooing words of comfort in his ear and holding him tightly to me.
"That night was the first time I saw influence in action. Daddy has quite a bit of pull, so he managed to bring me –and Ren– home with him that night. I'm pretty sure it scared the crap out of his lover, who had no clue what to do with a pair of kids. I remember Daddy rolling his eyes and telling him, 'I don't know what I'm doing, either, so shut up and help or leave.' Wisely, his lover chose to talk to Renji, trying to make him smile. When Daddy got custody of the pair of us, we moved from the posh apartment to a large townhouse. I got to have my own room, which was an insane luxury for a little girl who grew up sharing the same room as he mother and little brother. Daddy did his best to spoil us both rotten, but he tempered it with discipline. What he said was law, which was how I ended up on play-dates, of all things, with a wonderful guy named Toshiro Hitsugaya. Toshi's the closest thing I have to a real friend outside of the club."
Ichi blinked. "The Toshiro Hitsugaya? The genius?"
I eyed him warily. "You're not a fan-boy, are you?"
He gave me a look. "I met him once. It was like being in an icebox."
I laughed. "Toshi has to warm up to people. It's been only since we both became adults that I finally got him to call me by my nickname."
He smiled. "So what's your legal name?"
"Keena Miki Abari Shiro," I told him. "I chose the other last name myself because I didn't want people to like me or hate me based on my father."
He nodded. "What's your major?"
"Business Management with a minor in Accounting. I'm good at it." I smiled, glancing at the clock. "We'd better get going if I don't want to be late to my classes." I place my laptop in its bag and threw my textbooks into my messenger bag before sliding both on.
He smiled at that. "You look like you're ready for the zombie apocalypse."
I grinned. "Hells yeah!" I headed for the door. "You coming, Ichi-kun?"
He murmured something low enough I couldn't hear it, but nodded and followed.
Kami, innuendo drips from my every word and he still isn't making any moves. I'm going to have to get more physical.
When he walked back into the living room, I had the textbook back in my lap and I was staring at the dang thing, wanting it to tell me what Doctor Hitsugaya wanted us to learn. Doctor Toshiro Hitsugaya was a genius, so his mind functioned in a completely different way than mine. I never understood the assignments quite as well as he wished, but I was doing better than nearly everyone else in the course. Biology could be annoying as hell, anyway, but having a renowned genius teach it was like asking students to pay to have the privilege to be driven to suicide. It was somewhere closely related to 'shooting yourself in the foot'.
Besides the fact it was extremely difficult, you couldn't go to him for help. Well, I mean, you could show up at his office hours, but odds were he either wasn't there or he'd completely ignore you. Doctor Hitsugaya has a tendency toward being very surly to anyone he didn't know very well. I fell somewhere in the circle of people he knew well, but only because my father had arranged play-dates –of all things– for me and the quiet genius when we were both very young. Toshi could be very sweet at times, but his mind ran circles around mine and he would die of shock if I ever told him what I did to support myself.
Warm arms slid around me, startling me a bit and interrupting my thoughts. I tilted my head back to look at the only man, aside from my family, that had ever seen the inside of my apartment.
He gave me a crooked smile. "Thanks, Kee-chan."
I knew what he meant. Saying 'Thanks for everything' was so cheesy, after all. I smiled at him. "The black suits you," I commented because it was true. It had been why I'd chosen that outfit for him.
He was silent for a moment. "So you're Renji's sister."
I watched him come around to sit next to me. "Do you want the whole story?"
He shrugged. "I have time if you have time."
I took a deep breath. "Leena Abarai was our mother. She was a sweet, sweet woman. She'd fallen in love with my father and when he left when I was barely conceived, she was heartbroken. She kept me a secret, in a way. She didn't tell Daddy about me, but my birth certificate plainly states my father's name. I was about two when my mother took a new lover. She kept me far from him, mostly because I think she knew what he was: nothing more than a common criminal who tried to steal what little we had. She testified against him and he was sent to prison, but my mother was pregnant.
"When I was three, Renji was born. His father's name was curiously left off the birth certificate. I think she didn't want Ren to think he was cursed to become what his father had been." I drew in another deep breath, knowing this part hurt the most to share. "We were a family. We didn't have much, aside from each other, but we were happy. Then Mama got sick. I was eight and Renji was five, always toddling hurriedly after me. Mama's cough wouldn't go away. And then I saw she was coughing up blood." I squeezed my eyes shut. "It horrified me. I knew exactly what she had, but we didn't have the money to treat it. I knew it could kill her; so did she.
"One morning, when I was nine, Mama wouldn't wake up. Ren had tried as best as a six year old can. I walked into the room and touched her hand. It was stiff and cold as ice. I remember weeping as I called the hospital. My mama was dead and I knew they couldn't save her. We stood in the hospital room as they declared our mother dead." I wiped at the tears on my cheeks. "But there were worse things to come. Mama had made very little, and we'd spent every penny on taking care of ourselves and keeping the water on in our tiny apartment. So Ren and I had nothing but each other. We slept in parks until we were brought into the police station. They fingerprinted us and ran them. Mama had been so scared we'd get lost that she had made sure that our prints were on file.
"My father was listed in the file they pulled up, so they called him. I'm sure he about died when he found out. Daddy's not much for surprises. But he was at the police station faster than legally allowable. We approached each other slowly, like strangers. Hell, we were strangers." I paused, remembering the moments that followed it with startling clarity.
" Hi, sweetie," Daddy greeted me. "What's your name?"
"Keena Abari," I replied promptly, looking up at his face.
His face turned ashen and he knelt before me. "Where's your mother, Keena?" he asked me softly, as though he knew the answer.
"She died," I returned coolly. Renji began to cry so I wrapped my arms around him and stroked his back soothingly.
He nodded sadly. "How old are you?"
"I'm nine," I told him.
He nodded again, then stood and turned to the officer. "What about the boy? Does he have family?"
The officer checked but found nothing. Renji cried louder and I tried to sooth him, cooing words of comfort in his ear and holding him tightly to me.
"That night was the first time I saw influence in action. Daddy has quite a bit of pull, so he managed to bring me –and Ren– home with him that night. I'm pretty sure it scared the crap out of his lover, who had no clue what to do with a pair of kids. I remember Daddy rolling his eyes and telling him, 'I don't know what I'm doing, either, so shut up and help or leave.' Wisely, his lover chose to talk to Renji, trying to make him smile. When Daddy got custody of the pair of us, we moved from the posh apartment to a large townhouse. I got to have my own room, which was an insane luxury for a little girl who grew up sharing the same room as he mother and little brother. Daddy did his best to spoil us both rotten, but he tempered it with discipline. What he said was law, which was how I ended up on play-dates, of all things, with a wonderful guy named Toshiro Hitsugaya. Toshi's the closest thing I have to a real friend outside of the club."
Ichi blinked. "The Toshiro Hitsugaya? The genius?"
I eyed him warily. "You're not a fan-boy, are you?"
He gave me a look. "I met him once. It was like being in an icebox."
I laughed. "Toshi has to warm up to people. It's been only since we both became adults that I finally got him to call me by my nickname."
He smiled. "So what's your legal name?"
"Keena Miki Abari Shiro," I told him. "I chose the other last name myself because I didn't want people to like me or hate me based on my father."
He nodded. "What's your major?"
"Business Management with a minor in Accounting. I'm good at it." I smiled, glancing at the clock. "We'd better get going if I don't want to be late to my classes." I place my laptop in its bag and threw my textbooks into my messenger bag before sliding both on.
He smiled at that. "You look like you're ready for the zombie apocalypse."
I grinned. "Hells yeah!" I headed for the door. "You coming, Ichi-kun?"
He murmured something low enough I couldn't hear it, but nodded and followed.
Kami, innuendo drips from my every word and he still isn't making any moves. I'm going to have to get more physical.