7 Friends With Benefits

Though she was a little dazed after being manhandled, that didn't stop Rukia from staring in awe as Ohta crushed a fairly powerful Hollow into nothingness. She could sense its Reishi dispersing normally, meaning he hadn't 'completely' destroyed it, but there were no traces of its body by the time Ohta lowered his hand.

"Pretty neat, huh?" asked Ohta, turning to look down at the awe-stricken Rukia. She looked up as he did so, but because of their proximity, she felt compelled to take a step back, turning away from him as she replied, "It's a powerful ability..."

"And that's just the tip," mused Ohta. "If you're lucky or ask nicely, I might give you a little more."

Failing to understand Ohta's innuendo, Rukia turned to meet Ohta's gaze, asking, "How did you come to possess these powers? Were you born with them?"

"Were you born with yours?" countered Ohta, sticking together the pieces of his splintered chair before sitting back down.

Realizing that Ohta wasn't going to reveal information about himself or his abilities willfully, Rukia exhaled a sigh before returning to his bed, taking a seat before replying, "Not exactly. Many years ago, I was just an ordinary human. It was many years after my death that I attained Spirit Energy and cultivated my abilities to their current, well, previous level..."

"Many years ago?" parroted Ohta, raising his brows before adopting a teasing smile and asking, "Just how old are you?"

Snorting through her nose, Rukia retorted, "Have you never heard the expression that it's not polite to ask a woman her age? All you need to know is that I'm much older than you."

"You certainly don't look it," countered Ohta. "And that isn't a dig at your height or anything. I'm mainly talking about your clothes. You mentioned that you didn't have any money earlier, so I'm curious to know where you got them from."

"..."

As she couldn't admit that she had stolen her outfit from Ichigo's eleven-year-old sister, Rukia deflected by asking, "Is that really important right now? Weren't you curious about Shinigami, Hollows, and the organization I'm a part of?"

"I am," admitted Ohta. "But if we're going to be working together for the next month, I need to understand your situation. Like, how did you end up transferring your powers to Ichigo? You mentioned a supplier, but how do you pay for things if you're broke?"

Closing her eyes, Rukia exhaled a profoundly exasperated sigh before opening them and revealing, "That boy, Kurosaki Ichigo, possesses Spirit Energy far beyond the capacity of a typical human. Hollows are typically attracted to such individuals, so I was observing him and his family when they came under siege by an entire group. I ended up sustaining a serious injury as a result of my carelessness and transferred my powers to Ichigo as a last resort. I originally only intended to give him half, but, for reasons I've yet to understand fully, he was able to absorb nearly all of my power."

"Wow, that sucks," remarked Ohta, feeling just a smidge of empathy for the petite Shinigami. At the same time, however, he couldn't help feeling confused, compelling him to ask, "But if the Hollows were too much for you, someone with experience, how was Ichigo able to defeat them? He isn't bad when it comes to streetfighting, but his movements at the park were nothing to write home about."

Furrowing her brows, Rukia hung her head and seriously pondered over Ohta's words. The latter might not know it, but the position of Lieutenant was fairly high within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was a position second only to a Division Captain, so she shouldn't have had any difficulty dispatching a group of Hollows, even with a Limiter restricting her to 20% of her total Spirit Energy. In fact, it was because she was strong that such a limiter was required...

"Did I hurt your feelings?" asked Ohta.

Shaking her head, Rukia replied, "That isn't it...I just don't know how to answer your question without making it sound like I'm making excuses. By all accounts, I should have been able to handle the Hollows that attacked the Kurosaki household with ease. Maybe..."

Not wanting to reveal the true reason she was keeping an eye on Ichigo and his family, being that he looked a lot like someone she deeply cared about, Rukia abruptly shook her head, saying, "Forget it. Next question."

"Sure," replied Ohta, repeating, "You mentioned a Supplier. How are you able to pay for things?"

"There is a currency in the world I come from, Soul Society, known as Kan," explained Rukia. "Members of the Thirteen Court Guardian Squads receive a salary, but it can only be used to purchase goods and services back in Soul Society. My Supplier serves as an intermediary between the Soul Society and Human World, so he's able to provide goods that would otherwise be unavailable to both..."

"And he can't set you up with some clothing?" asked Ohta. "I would understand if you're 'trying' to look like a kid, but your eyes are a dead giveaway..."

Similar to when Ohta had commented on her appearance at the door, Rukia's left eye twitched as she crossed her arms and replied, "It's not that simple...because of my circumstances, I had to use up most of my finances to secure a replacement body known as a Gigai. Without it, my Soul would become polluted by the natural energies of the Human World, putting me at risk of becoming a Hollow..."

"Ah, so you 'are' broke," noted Ohta. "Then, I'm guessing you stole those clothes from one of Ichigo's sisters?"

As he had hit the proverbial nail on the head, Rukia sweatdropped in response to Ohta's words. It didn't help that he immediately followed up by asking, "If you're broke, where are you staying right now? Ichigo's dad is pretty understanding, but I can't imagine him being okay with a random girl showing up out of nowhere and living with his family, especially when they're in the process of rebuilding."

"..."

Seeing Rukia avert her eyes, seemingly unwilling to answer, Ohta's brows perked up as he asked, "Are you homeless...?"

"Not...exactly..." replied Rukia. However, much like she was unwilling to admit she had stolen Yuzu's clothing, she couldn't just come out and say she was secretly living in Ichigo's closet. Even Ichigo wasn't aware of it, at least not yet...

"Not exactly...implying you're staying somewhere you shouldn't?" asked Ohta, subsequently guessing, "A local shrine, perhaps...?"

"Does it matter?" asked Rukia.

"It does," replied Ohta. "As you've no doubt realized by now, I treat most interactions as transactions. You know where I live, so it's only fair that I know where you stay. How else will I locate you if there's an emergency?"

"I'm staying with Ichigo..." replied Rukia, earning herself a skeptical and slightly amused look.

"I highly doubt that," replied Ohta. "Ichigo is a notorious busybody, but he wouldn't arrange to have you stay with him. He's much too overprotective of his family to allow that."

"..."

As it was Ichigo's desire to protect his family that allowed her to convince him to accept her power and take on her duties as a Shinigami, Rukia was unable to refute Ohta's words. She also didn't think he would be okay with letting her stay with him, or else she wouldn't have kept it a secret.

"Yeah, I thought so," appended Ohta. "That means you're either living in a storage closet or holing yourself up in their attic. In other words, you 'are' homeless."

"Yeah, and?" replied Rukia, getting a little defensive as she asked, "Are you saying all this to convince me to stay here?"

"You wish," replied Ohta. "I might consider it if you were ten centimeters taller and cast a shadow with your shirt off, but I'm not looking to get put on any lists."

Shaking his head, Ohta preempted Rukia's incensed response by stating, "You mentioned trust earlier, so how about this? I'll buy you clothes, food, and pay for you to have a place to stay. In exchange, once I die and go to this Soul Society you keep mentioning, you can return the favor. Now that I know there's a concrete afterlife, I might as well start investing."

Though she initially stared at Ohta as if he had completely lost his mind, Rukia eventually recovered her senses and replied, "Very well. However, I'll only be able to repay that debt if you enter the Shin'o Academy and become a Shinigami. Ordinary human souls are unable to enter the region of Soul Society where Shinigami and native-born Souls dwell."

"Sounds reasonable," replied Ohta. "Though, I'll have to see what Soul Society is like before making my final decision. If becoming a Shinigami means running around slaying Hollows, it sounds more like a punishment than a reward."

"There's a lot more to it than that," asserted Rukia. "Shinigami are charged with preserving the balance between the Human World, Soul Society, and the home of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo. Without our careful ministrations, all three realms would invariably collapse, resulting in unmitigable chaos."

"Sounds like the plot of a bad movie," replied Ohta, earning an accusatory glower for his troubles.

"What?" asked Ohta. "I didn't say your job wasn't important. In fact, it sounds like the 'most important' job in the entire world. I just can't know for certain if you're telling the truth, so I'll have to wait until I die before I make a decision."

Maintaining a pouty expression, Rukia asserted, "I have no reason to lie to you..."

"Maybe," admitted Ohta. "But I'd have to be incredibly naive to believe the words of someone I just met. Until I confirm things for myself, everything you've told me is little more than hearsay."

Rising to his feet, Ohta made his way over to his closet, pulling out a thick winter coat as he added, "Anyways, unless you intend to spend the night in an attic or closet, you should return to the Kurosaki household and get your things. The landlady here is pretty reasonable, so I'll talk to her and see if I can't arrange a place for you by the time you return. If not, I'll put you up at a nearby hotel."

Accepting the fur-lined jacket presented by Ohta, Rukia adopted a teasing smile and asserted, "Your personality is a bit rough around the edges, but you're truthfully a very kind person, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Ohta, raising his brows out of genuine curiosity.

"We barely touched on the three subjects you initially wanted to discuss," replied Rukia. "Instead, you've pressed me for information about my living conditions and the circumstances surrounding my present predicament. I can't say I'm fond of your penchant for teasing, but I sincerely appreciate your willingness to lend me a hand in my time of need."

Adopting a deadpan expression, Ohta insisted, "You're reading too much into things. This is just a business transaction. Nothing more, nothing less. The moment you betray me or undermine my 'trust,' you'll never be able to regain it. Remember that."

"Of course," replied Rukia, maintaining a smile as she was unconvinced by Ohta's assertions. This wasn't her first time dealing with someone whose actions contradicted their words. Ohta may have a sharp tongue, but she was convinced he was a good person at heart.

Shaking his head, Ohta pretended to be more annoyed than he actually was, muttering, "Whatever..." in a muted tone. Rukia's misunderstanding was beneficial for him in the long run, so if she insisted on interpreting his actions as genuine kindness, he was willing to allow her delusions. After all, if she truly were a Shinigami, it would benefit him immensely to have a friend on the other side...

Donning Ohta's oversized coat, Rukia turned her eyes up at him and said, "I should return within the hour. If you fail to convince the landlady before then, prepare to sleep on the floor."

("The fuck...?") asked Ohta, albeit within his mind. Outwardly, he raised his brows, waiting until Rukia was about to step outside before warning, "You shouldn't take my previous remarks to heart. You may not be my type, but if you insist on sleeping in my bed, we'll be sharing it."

"Bold words," replied Rukia, slipping on her bunny-eared slippers as she added, "With a room such as this, it's fairly obvious you've never enjoyed the company of a woman. Don't force yourself to sound more mature than you actually are."

Turning back, Rukia expected to find Ohta with an offended look on his face. Instead, she found him staring at her with crossed arms and what could best be described as a wolfish, ostensibly amused smile...

...

..

.

(A/N: If Rukia keeps this up, she's going to learn the meaning of the phrase: fuck around and find out...)