With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
He was enjoying this, that was evident. So, what would Mizuki say in response to this? She would have to continue on, she wanted Toshioni to be happy right now.
"If you weren't there in that place with me, I probably wouldn't be here... And if I would still be here, I would still be in the hospital if it weren't for my hero." Mizuki began to blush as she talked highly of Toshioni.
"Well, I'm apologizing because my not-knowing could've caused you sever discomfort and pain. I mean, my inadequacy could've led to bad things."
Mizuki giggled and looked up at him again. She didn't know why he was acting like that, he needed to just stop, she would have to tell him.
"Toshi-kun, that's why I told you, you didn't know. Now stop worrying about it, you're gonna make yourself look weak... I need someone like my hero from Hueco Mundo... Strong and dominant..." Mizuki sighed as she put her head against Toshioni's chest.
"Am I close to your house Mizu-chan? I don't know what it looks like and kind of need you to tell me when I've gone too far. Any of this look familiar."
Mizuki looked around. It was a good thing she had known her neighborhood, otherwise, she probably wouldn't know where the hell they were. She pointed in another direction, they were getting closer to her house, slowly. She would make him go around a little before they would get there.
"About a fifteen minute walk from her in that direction... I don't know how else to put it"
"If you weren't there in that place with me, I probably wouldn't be here... And if I would still be here, I would still be in the hospital if it weren't for my hero."
Continuing to blush, Toshioni thought about it for a second. Yeah, he had done all of that stuff. But it wasn't really that impressive. And he really didn't want to get her expectations up too high...he might not be able to live up to all of them. After all, he was just some guy and he couldn't do everything that she might need him too. He needed her to understand that before anything got out of hand.
"Really Mizu-chan, it was nothing. I'm not a hero, just a guy who can kill hollows and lie about his relation to patients." He ended that last bit with a small grin to show her his light nature and that fact that he was joking. However, he really did want her to lay off the compliments and brown-nosing.
"Toshi-kun, that's why I told you, you didn't know. Now stop worrying about it, you're gonna make yourself look weak... I need someone like my hero from Hueco Mundo... Strong and dominant..."
As she spoke, she laid her head against his chest in his arms. She looked kinda cute there in his arms and wearing his shirt. He leaned down and kissed her forehead once again with a small smile. He really enjoyed being around her and certainly didn't mind carrying her. She was so light in his arms and fit there very well. He smiled down at her as he stood there for a moment.
"Mizu-chan, I'll shape up. Just stay so perfect in my arms like that."
"About a fifteen minute walk from here in that direction... I don't know how else to put it"
With a small smirk Toshioni thought about how he could speed that up. He used a flash of small Hirenkyaku to place himself about three-fourths of a kilometer ahead. That was about a fifteen minute walk, right? He then looked down at Mizuki again. "Is it around here? I figure the quicker I get you home the better. Let you get out of that hospital gown and into the flamboyant clothes I know you to wear," he said with a small grin.
"Really Mizu-chan, it was nothing. I'm not a hero, just a guy who can kill hollows and lie about his relation to patients."
Mizuki giggled. He was trying to play it off, but Mizuki knew he was loving it, even if he didn't want to admit it. She would have to keep on the matter, just to further embarrass him. She liked making him feel awkward, it was pretty funny.
"I think it was more than nothing... I don't think anyone else would of helped me right at that moment. As for the whole patient thing, you did lie, but you did it for me, which makes it special."
Mizuki smiled as she waited for Toshioni's response. It would probably be pretty funny, and cute, at least Mizuki thought... Wait, when did she start thinking he was cute? When the hell did this happen? It must of happened just recently, cuz before she wasn't to keen on which she wanted to choose. Maybe it was cuz she was forced to choose, but either way, it was a fact that she thought he was cute.
"Mizu-chan, I'll shape up. Just stay so perfect in my arms like that."
"Shape up? You don't need to change Toshi-kun." Mizuki smiled.
They were closer now, but Mizuki wasn't quite sure if she wanted to tell him just yet. She was enjoying being in his arms for the time being. Then again, she wanted to be home, and change, of course. She would have to tell him.
"Is it around here? I figure the quicker I get you home the better. Let you get out of that hospital gown and into the flamboyant clothes I know you to wear,"
"It's right down there..." Mizuki pointed at the house with the red roof.
"I think it was more than nothing... I don't think anyone else would of helped me right at that moment. As for the whole patient thing, you did lie, but you did it for me, which makes it special."
He really didn't know what to say about all this. She was going out of her way to flatter him and he really didn't want to encourage this, but him dissuading it did him no good either. She thought he was still enjoying this but he really wasn't anymore. It was just kind of uncomfortable at this point. He had a hard time believing all of it was true and that sort of made him feel bad about everything. He just needed a good way to stop this conversation without being an asshole. He supposed he could just try to dissuade her again. Maybe twice would give her the hint.
"Mizu-chan, seriously, it was nothing. I mean, it's what anybody would do in that situation, right?"
"Shape up? You don't need to change Toshi-kun."
He didn't find that true by any means. He needed to be stronger and smarter if he wanted to continue to be what he needed to be. He still couldn't beat Xuan if they fought again. And that wore on him everyday that he trained. He also knew that he would have to get stronger in case Mizuki needed him again. That was an unfortunate truth that he had just accepted at this point. Having things meant protecting them or vice-versa.
"Well Mizu-chan, there's always room for improvement, right? I mean, I can always get stronger and smarter. Doesn't mean I've changed right?" he asked with a small grin.
"It's right down there..."
Toshioni acknowledged this by hopping down to the front door of the building and setting Mizuki on her feet before opening the door and watching it swing in. He looked back down at Mizuki before offering her a reassuring smile. "If you want, I can carry you to your room if you'll tell me which one it is."
"Mizu-chan, seriously, it was nothing. I mean, it's what anybody would do in that situation, right?"
Mizuki was taken back by this. It was almost like he was getting mad, she didn't like it, one bit! Why would he, especially when she was just joking! Oh well, it wasn't like he was yelling at her, not like she had felt before.
"Yeah... I guess." Mizuki was a little upset. She had every right to be, but would Toshioni know that? Probably not, he was very naive.
"Well Mizu-chan, there's always room for improvement, right? I mean, I can always get stronger and smarter. Doesn't mean I've changed right?"
"Well... Yeah... I mean, I'd like to get stronger anyway, so yeah..." He was dragging down her mood, but it was a good thing they were there. It could of ended a lot worse if they stayed close for very much longer.
"If you want, I can carry you to your room if you'll tell me which one it is."
"I can walk, but you can come in if you'd like." Mizuki smiled and walked in.
It was the late afternoon by the time they actually made it back there, and Mizuki was ready to get out of her gown. Before she went to her room, she took off Toshioni's shirt and laid it on the couch. She then proceeded to her room to change. It was still a wreck from Neko a few weeks ago. She had went to the mall that fateful day in order to get things for her room, to find Toshioni instead. Then everything else fell into place.
Mizuki sat on her bed after pushing her door almost all the way, leaving a crack in the door. She sat on her bed momentarily. She gazed around the room for a minute or two, and as she did, she remembered that night with Neko. It wasn't very good that she was thinking about him with Toshioni right in the living room, but she couldn't help it at this point.
With a sigh, Mizuki stood up and dropped the gown off. She walked over to her nightstand and grabbed a pair of underwear to put on, then to her dresser where she pulled out a pair of jeans and a spaghetti strap shirt. She began to slip her clothes on when she heard a car pull into the driveway.
Mizuki was in such a surprise, she ran out in the living room with her underwear only on. She peaked out the front window to see her dad getting out of the car. She looked over and saw Toshioni standing there. Crap. She had to do something, and quick. Otherwise, her dad would see her standing there in her underwear and a strange boy with no shirt on... That would be bad. She had to act now.
"Toshioni! Go into my room! Now!!" Mizuki pointed at her open door. If he went in there, she would follow, and put on a robe. If he moved at all... He might end up being to shocked to move. She just hoped that he wouldn't.
With a smile, Toshioni entered her house and closed the door behind him. He looked around the house and saw how nice it looked. Damn, was this how normal houses looked? His house wasn't as nice furnished as Mizuki's by any standards. His couch was kind of ragged and so was really every piece of furniture he had. It made him feel kind of self-conscious about what he had. He didn't want Mizuki to see his ragged house or his run-down room. It would be a while, he decided, before he brought Mizu to his house.
"I'll be right here when you get back Mizu-chan."
With that, he grabbed his shirt and stood there kind of awkwardly in her living room. He didn't know if it would be appropriate to sit down or what. Looking down, Toshioni also thought he should probably go ahead and put his shirt on. Yeah, that was safe. He slid it on and stretched out in it. It felt a little different. He grabbed its collar and sniffed it; it smelt like Mizuki and that made him smile just a little. Now he had a little piece of her with him. That felt reassuring if nothing else, because Mizuki cared about him. He heard a car pull up but didn't necessarily run to hide. After all, Mizuki had to tell her parents that he had checked her out right? Wrong.
Mizuki then ran out of her room wearing a skimpy set of red underwear and nothing else. Toshioni quickly averted his eyes as his face reached the same shade of red as Mizuki's bra. He didn't know if she had meant for this to happen or not, but she was standing in front of him half naked. He didn't exactly mind, but he didn't really know what to do in this situation. She, apparently, knew exactly what to do.
"Toshioni! Go into my room! Now!!"
Complying readily, Toshioni used Hirenkyaku to place himself in her room before turning around to face Mizuki. He didn't know why she wanted him here exactly, but he really didn't care. He had a lot of questions to ask her. For one thing, why was her entire room scratched up and torn all to shit. For two, was she ever going to tell her parents about what he had done and about their new-found relationship. The first question could wait; the second one was a bit more urgent right now.
"Mizu-chan, are you going to tell your father that I got you out of the hospital? Are you going to tell your parents about us?"
As Mizuki walked into her room and looked at Toshioni, she realized quickly that she was in her underwear. She was standing right in front of Toshioni, half naked. She put her hands over her bosom and panties in a comical fashion. Her face got even more red than her hair. She quickly grabbed her robe and put it on. She turned to Toshioni, face as red as could be, and took a deep breath.
"Why didn't you tell me I wasn't wearing anything decent?!" Mizuki exclaimed with a pouty face. She felt kinda... violated. Though this was not the case.
"Mizu-chan, are you going to tell your father that I got you out of the hospital? Are you going to tell your parents about us?"
Mizuki put her finger up to Toshioni's lips and pushed him into the closet with her following him in. She smiled calmly and began whispering to him.
"I can't tell him when I'm half naked... That'd look bad... I was gonna lie to him, for now... Till a better time... Is-is that ok Toshi-kun?"
Mizuki asked her question and got a bit closer to Toshioni. Her face was still extremely red. She was breathing kinda heavy too. She'd have to talk to her dad... In a minute, after she caught her breath.
"Mizuki! Are you home?" Her dad called out.
Mizuki gasped and thought about hiding in her closet with Toshioni. This was not a good idea... Her father would get worried. She would have to go out there and talk to him.
Mizuki took her finger off of Toshioni's lips and walked into her room. She slowly closed the closet door and put her finger up to her lips, as if asking him to be quiet. She was more than sure that he would, or at least she hoped he did.
Mizuki walked out into the living room where her dad was. "Hey daddy!" She exclaimed and ran over to hug him. Of course he hugged her back for a moment before pushing her back lightly so he could look at her face.
"Mizu, who picked you up? The hospital said it was your cousin, but we both know all of your cousins don't live around here. So, who was it?"
"It was my friend from school... I asked him-" Before she could continue, her father interrupted.
"Him? He isn't here now is he?!" Her father began to get a little annoy. He wanted to protect her, this was obvious.
"No, daddy! He dropped me off and left! Besides, he is only a friend! I don't know why you are getting worried!" Mizuki scowled at her father.
He stopped for a moment and took a breath. He turned and walked to his bedroom door. He gave her a slight smile. "I'm sorry hunny, go ahead and get some rest, I am going to also. I have to be up and gone at five in the morning."
With that, her dad disappeared into her parents room. After which, Mizuki returned to her room and closed the door softly. She walked over to the closet door and opened it slowly to see if Toshioni was still in there, he could of left if he really wanted to.
As soon as he started talking Mizuki pushed her finger to his lips to silence him. This was a little provocative as she wasn't wearing much of anything right now. She then started pushing him back into her room and eventually her closet when she followed him in his face got incredibly red in the darkness of her closet. He didn't know what to do here or what he was expected to do here. The lustful side of Toshioni wanted to kiss her right now but he did his best to ignore that side right now. There was important shit going on and he didn't want to distract Mizuki with his teenage yearnings.
"I can't tell him when I'm half naked... That'd look bad... I was gonna lie to him, for now... Till a better time... Is-is that ok Toshi-kun?"
"Yeah Mizu-chan, that's okay." He looked at her and how close she was to him right now. Shit...he really wanted to just hold her right now and kiss her again and again. Bad brain. No! He held himself back and just smiled a bit at her. They both heard her dad call for her but she didn't budge for a second. That lustful part of him just wanted to grab her by the shoulders and tell her to stay there with him, but he wouldn't do that. He reached up and touched her cheek and offered the best reassuring smile that he possibly could at that moment. "Mizu-chan, you have to go. I'll be back when you get back. Okay? Go."
She seemed to comply and warned him to be quiet again with that motion of hers. He smiled and nodded to her before making a "shoo" motion with his hands. He hoped she would see that, but she might not have...oh well. Either way, now she was gone and all he could really do was sit on her closet floor quietly. He thought about her talking to her dad downstairs and it occurred to him that he would never have to run downstairs and explain anything to his father that might look suspicious again. For one thing, he lived in the basement of his house. For another, he didn't get to see his dad anymore. He was going to visit his father's grave soon. He just had to. It just bothered him so much to have to live without his dad sometimes. Shit.
He sat there and tried to think about stuff other than his dad for a change. He thought about Mizuki. Mizuki was wonderful to him and great for him. If nothing else, she tried to boost his confidence when he needed it the most. He loved that about her and he just enjoyed being around her. It was...obscene. He shouldn't enjoy one person so much. But, he did. And Toshioni made a quick resolution to himself: he would kiss her as soon as she came back. He stood up silently in order to do so quickly. Resolving to do it first thing, he didn't want to waste any real time as soon as she got back.
He wouldn't have to wait long only a fear seconds later Mizuki slowly opened her closet door to tell him it was okay to come out. Stepping quickly, he closed the short gap between them and was inches from Mizuki. He placed one hand on her neck before staring into her eyes for a moment. "Before you do anything else," he whispered. And like that, he descended in and planted his lips upon hers. He held them there for a good couple of seconds before pulling away with a small grin on his face. He let the euphoria wash over him for a couple moments before looking back down at Mizuki. "What now Mizu-chan?" he asked, still giddy. The details of the kiss, well those had been left up to Mizuki and he wasn't going to dwell upon them at the moment. That was for later.
At first Mizuki wanted to punch him for popping out of the closet like that, but that dissolved quickly as he embraced her. Not only that, but he laid his lips upon hers. Nothing else even seemed like it existed! She faded into this kiss and couldn't even move for a very short moment.
As Toshioni pulled back a bit, Mizuki almost followed, she couldn't help but want to kiss him more, hell, she almost did! This might not be good though, her father was in the other room... Wait, why had Toshioni suddenly kissed her like that? What came over him?
Mizuki wiped her lips gently as she stared down Toshioni. Her face was a bright red, matching her hair. She wasn't really embarrassed, and she knew why her face was red. She hoped Toshioni felt the same... But she didn't know, nor would she ask.
"What now Mizu-chan?"
"Well..." Before she could fully respond, she had a flash forward, what would happen if she made certain moves. She had two options... Her first was to kiss Toshioni and push him onto her bed, now that sounded good, but the whole problem would be her dad. Option two would be that they sat there and talked for a little bit, then Toshioni would just leave... Mizuki hated trying to make these decisions.
"Toshioni-kun..." Mizuki said this a bit seductively as she approached him. She pressed her body up against his and looked up at him. Her grin had yet to fade from the first kiss, and, before Toshioni could make any objections, she kissed him just like he had kissed her earlier.
Toshioni went to make a move but he couldn't. He wanted to respond to her and tell her how amazing she was. But, she seemed to only want to prove his point by her next action. She kissed him back with the same ferocity that he had used to kiss her. Responding to this, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kind of leaned back. With a couple of back steps he had actually pulled her back into the closet with him.
"What...did...you want...to say...Mizu-chan?" he asked in between kisses. He was lost in this moment with her. Nothing outside this seemed to matter to him at all. Everything just faded from his mind except Mizuki and how amazing she was and how perfect she fit in his arms. That was all he held in his mind.
He became acutely aware of the clothes Mizuki was wearing, or the lack thereof. He decided he should probably bring that up, but he didn't want to stop kissing her. However, the nagging part of his brain eventually got the better of him as he pulled away for just a second to look at Mizuki for a moment. "Don't you think you should put some clothes on Mizu-chan?" However, at that he saw how beautiful Mizuki was and that didn't help things. He attacked her again with his kisses and enveloped her in his arms again.
Yes, this would be a relationship full of emotions and talking...not.