Longing for Release

"You look exhausted," said Rukia, referring to the slight puffiness and discoloration beneath Ohta's eyes.

"Cats are vindictive creatures," mused Ohta, shifting the ball to Rukia's court by asking, "What about you? Did you manage to get any sleep last night?"

"I did," replied Rukia, adopting a faint smile. "I also got your letter. Thanks for apprising me of the situation. I greatly appreciate the courtesy."

"It's no big deal," responded Ohta, punctuating his statement with a yawn.

"It is to me," asserted Rukia. "After spending the day with that frustrating boy, I wanted to pull my hair out."

"Ichigo...?" asked Ohta.

"The same," affirmed Rukia. "He has a remarkable aptitude as a Shinigami but is stubborn, short-tempered, and impulsive. If this were the Academy, he'd surely be separated into the class for problem children."

"Sounds about right..." muttered Ohta. "I heard from Tatsuki that his mom died in a brutal accident six years ago. Before that, Ichigo was a massive momma's boy, so it's not surprising he became jaded after seeing her die in person. If that isn't tragic enough, he was found being shielded by her, covered face to toe in her blood..."

Staring at Ohta with an aghast look on her face, Rukia found herself at a complete loss for words. She knew Ichigo didn't have a mother, but she never imagined he had experienced such a horrendous tragedy. She had experienced more than her fair share of tragic experiences, but she was much, much older than the moody teen...

Taking advantage of Rukia's silence, Ohta adopted a faint smile as he reiterated, "So, yeah, don't be too hard on him. No matter how much he complains, I'm sure he's doing his best. I mean, he is putting his life on the line to slay Hollows, right? Most people run from danger, not toward it."

Nodding her head, Rukia faced forward and assured, "I've taken your words to heart. Rest assured, Ohta-kun. I won't push him too hard. And if it looks like he's having a particularly difficult time, I'll be sure to give him some time off."

Adopting a marginally more prominent smile, Ohta asked, "Then it falls to me to pick up the slack, right?"

After covering her mouth to stifle a girlish chuckle, Rukia looked up at Ohta, smiling brightly as she asserted, "You would be a great help. And that's putting it lightly."

"Careful not to inflate my ego too much," countered Ohta, joking, "I may start to think you have ulterior motives..."

Exhaling a scoffing laugh, Rukia gave Ohta a light shrug as she said, "You rogue. If anyone has ulterior motives, it's you."

Blinking in surprise, Ohta left Rukia at a momentary loss for words as he replied, "How did you know...?" with a pretend look of stupefaction.

Realizing that Ohta was messing with her, Rukia made a show of rolling her eyes as she softly remarked, "Humans sure are brazen these days..."

"We're not so bad..." responded Ohta, covering his mouth to stifle another yawn. After successfully giving Yoruichi the slip a second time, earning himself a cuddle session with her human form, the vindictive cat woman started taking things seriously. By the end of the third round, he suffered two black eyes, a fractured nose, and a few broken ribs, but Ohta viewed the exchange as his victory since he had forced someone much older and far more experienced to get serious while he was still holding back...

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After another half day of tedium, Ohta dragged his feet up to the roof, unsurprised to find Yoruichi waiting for him in her cat form.

Before Ohta could tease her by asking if she intended to sleep with him every time he took a nap, Yoruichi revealed, "I discussed it with Kisuke. If you're willing, we can expedite the process of you becoming a Shinigami. I will then spend the next 2-3 months training you."

Maintaining his teasing smile, Ohta asked, "Did I really leave such a deep impression on you after a single night of training?"

Catching Ohta a little off guard, though it didn't show on his face, Yoruichi flatly asserted, "You, Yamada Ohta, are an aberration, a genuine monster with limitless potential. If you're not eradicated within the next few years, you could reach this world's zenith, second only to the Soul King, the ruler of Soul Society himself..."

Understanding what Yoruichi was getting at, Ohta's smile waned a bit as he mused, "Meaning that if my allegiances and motives aren't clear, I'll be eliminated before I can become a threat..."

Nodding her head, Yoruichi stated, "People, including native souls, fear the unknown. In the wake of our training last night, when I was treating your injuries, I could sense your Hakusui(Soul Sleep), the container that holds your spirit energy, continuously expanding as it fed off the energy I was using to heal you. We think it has something to do with your extreme focus on mental energy. Now that you're starting to become more familiar with other forms of energy, your soul is changing and adapting rapidly..."

"I don't need a detailed explanation," replied Ohta. "What assurance do I have that you and that shady shopkeep won't simply kill or try to seal me away?"

"We wouldn't," responded Yoruichi, clarifying, "Because, even with your tremendous potential, you're far from the greatest threat to the existing balance. If we don't prevent those, there won't be a world left for you to ruin..."

"That's a fairly compelling argument," conceded Ohta. "But it's also extremely roundabout and vague. If I'm going to trust you, I require something more substantial..."

"I could sit on your face," offered Yoruichi, mostly as a joke but with a serious glint in her eyes.

"That's definitely a lot more substantial..." replied Ohta, earning a catty deadpan from Yoruichi as he made a show of furrowing his brows in deep contemplation. It helped that he was actually considering it...

"You must expect me to fight against these other threats if you're willing to train me, right?" asked Ohta.

Nodding in affirmation, Yoruichi was about to explain further but was preempted by Ohta saying, "Sounds like fun. In exchange, until those threats have been dealt with, you'll keep me company every night. Well, not every night, but you get what I'm trying to say."

Though she furrowed her feline brows, Yoruichi only hesitated for a few seconds before responding with a contemptuous-sounding, "Fine...". She was intending to entrap Ohta from the very beginning, but it made things easier for her if he believed she was against it.

"Well, guess I'll die now," said Ohta, leaving Yoruichi a little speechless as he made his way over to the roof's edge and began climbing the chainlink fence.

Instead of stopping Ohta outright, Yoruichi asked, "Do you not intend to have an artificial soul inhabit your body? I understand you might not feel any attachment to them, but you'll sadden those who view you in a kinder light if you simply kill yourself..."

"Hmmm...you make a good point..." conceded Ohta. He had also 'skipped' the first fifteen years of his life, so he felt it might be jumping the gun a bit to end things on only his seventh day at the helm. His past self 'had' put a fair amount of effort into crafting his public image and persona...

Releasing the chainlink fence and dropping back to the roof, Ohta turned to Yoruichi and asked, "Since you suggested it, I'm assuming that you, or, more accurately, Urahara-san, has everything prepared...?'

Nodding in affirmation, Yoruichi explained, "He also said he was willing to put your body in stasis and have a Gigai replace the version of you going to school. That way, if ever a time comes when you regret your decision to become a Shinigami, you can always return to live out the remainder of your days as a 'fairly' ordinary human..."

"How thoughtful," mused Ohta. He suspected that his original body could be used to seal him away if he ever became unruly, but he honestly didn't care. He had already lived and died once, so as long as he could have a bit of fun on his way out, he didn't mind kicking the bucket a second time.

Deciding that their conversation was finished, Ohta sat down before lying in the shade of the wall. Yoruichi would have joined him before their little arrangement, but as she was only requested to accompany him at 'night,' she wasted no time departing...

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Waiting until they were halfway to their apartments, Ohta nearly caused Rukia to faceplant by revealing, "I'm going to become a Shinigami. Maybe not tonight, but sometime in the near future."

"W-What are you saying!?" exclaimed Rukia, convincing herself she had heard wrong.

"I'll be able to hunt Hollows far more efficiently if I'm a Shinigami," stated Ohta, his voice calm and casual as he added, "Then you and Ichigo won't have to run out of class in the middle of the day only to come back for the last twenty minutes. He can focus on his education, and you can focus on regaining your power. It's a win-win-win for all parties."

"..."

Believing that Ohta had made his decision out of consideration for her and Ichigo, Rukia found herself at a loss for words until they were just outside their apartments. And she might have remained silent even longer if Ohta didn't turn to her, asking, "You good...?" with raised brows.

Staring up at Ohta, Rukia wore a conflicted look as she said, "You only recently learned about Shinigami and the Soul Society. It would be best-"

Interrupting Rukia's words, Ohta plopped his hand on her head, stating, "We're all entitled to make stupid decisions. You gave up your power to a temperamental teen with PTSD. I'm giving up a life of make-believe to be a part of a world where I can express myself freely. Comparing the two of us, I think my decision is better thought-out."

"You idiot..." replied Rukia, wiping away tears and laughing simultaneously. Just as she had learned more about Ichigo from Ohta and her classmates, she had made a concerted effort to learn more about her newly acquired friend and neighbor. She knew he was orphaned and that he usually kept to himself. However, much like Ichigo, he had a penchant for sticking his nose into other peoples' businesses, often playing the part of a villain to scare Delinquents straight and deter bullies from picking on the weak...

Retracting his hand, Ohta revealed, "I just lent you some of my power. I'm tired as hell after last night, so unless there's an emergency, I'm gonna hit the hay. See you around, pintsized."

Though she didn't appreciate being called pintsized, Rukia gave several nods, quickly wiped away her tears, and looked up at him with a smile as she said, "Sleep well, Ohta-kun..."

"And you try not to overwork yourself," countered Ohta, returning a smile of his own before opening his door and stepping inside. Rukie felt a pang of loneliness as he did so, but, not wanting to disturb his rest, she shook her head, slapped her cheeks, and retreated into her apartment...

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"Are you sure it's me you want to sit on your face?" asked Yoruichi, smiling mischievously at Ohta while lying sideways on his bed.

"She seems like a good, honest girl, but you're unquestionably more my type," replied Ohta, removing his blazer and proceeding to unbutton his shirt, this time while staring directly at Yoruichi.

"It's too bad that you're not mine," replied Yoruichi, lying as easily as she breathed. In actuality, as much as they annoyed her, she had a thing for clever and manipulative bastards. She and Kisuke were even a couple in the past, but after bickering for the better part of sixty years, they came to the conclusion things would never work between them. Not when she had her duties as the former and future leader of the Shihouin family, and he was incapable of love...

"It really is..." agreed Ohta, removing his pants but not approaching the bed. Instead, he donned some long-john gym pants, sweats, and a plain black t-shirt before looking back at Yoruichi and pointing out, "The Sun is still up. Either move over or get out of the way. I'm going to sleep."

"Seriously...?" asked Yoruichi, raising her brows in genuine surprise. She originally planned to wait a few weeks before pretending to give in, but Ohta's reaction both annoyed and provoked her. Even more so when his initial response to her question was to yawn...

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(A/N: Ohta be like, "All I do is win, win, win no matter what. Got sleepin' on my mind, I can't ever get enough. And every time I step into my bedroom, Yoruichi's little brows go down...and they stay there.")