The Dark Side of Life: A Bond of Hostility

Nice To See You
It was night time in the Human World.

The city, as always, was busy with the never-ending flow of it's inhabitants, who hastily walked by eachother on the sidewalk. There would be stars, but the glare from the skyscrapers and street lamps blotted them out, leaving the sky empty and dark. Even the moon, which usually shown with enough beauty to make everything as visible as it needed to be, hung in the void useless and uneeded.

It was truly a depressing scene.

Made even more so by a man leaning against a street lamp. He stood there in silence for a moment, watching the scene around him. His suit, which looked out of place when compared to the attire of those around him, wrinkled slightly only for him to groan and straighten it out again. The citizens occupying the sidewalk seemed to avoid him, as if he gave off some hostile aura of depression or dread.

"I'm going to get stood up, aren't I..?" he thought to himself silently, lowering his head and staring at the ground.

In such a rather gloomy mood, he failed to notice the figure mirroring his position on the other side of the pole. The arms were crossed across the chest, and a head turned to look in his direction. Long, black hair was around the shoulders, and a suit of its own gender-suited nature was worn. A calm, feminine voice spoke out to him.

"Keep looking like that and I might already know you by now, Romeo." There was nothing but a calm, dry tone in the words, and yet a hint of teasing as well.

His head snapped up immediately and directed itself towards the voice, though he kept his facial expression bored and apathetic. He didn't need her walking all over him when she found out how eager he was to find out that she was here.

Not that she wouldn't anyway.

"You shouldn't keep me waiting Tereya... I get impatient." he grunted, mimicking the woman and crossing his own arms and tilting his head slightly to the side.

Her trademark scowl was on her face, but her eyebrows were raised. She turned away, huffing. "Well, sorry. Let me just teleport my clothing next time, 'k?" She asked in sarcasm, allowing herself to lean off of the pole. She turned on her heel, walking only a few steps in order to stand beside him. Her expression matched his own, bored, but slightly amused by her companion's mimick.

Anyone could joke that they looked perfect together.

"I got you something." he stated dully, not hesitating to show that he didn't want to give it to her. It was embarrassing. Especially considering that she was married. Why did he even go through the trouble of getting it?

But she would not be discouraged by attitude so easily. "Oh, really?" She drawled, half-lidded eyes perking up slightly in interest.

"Yes, really." he replied slowly, buying his time.

"Well, quit beating around the bush and show me! I'm not very patient, either..." To tell the truth, she too was getting a little impatient. But, then again, it's not like as if he knew what to do from experience. She herself knew what to do in situations, having her association with Ahatake to thank for that. But, at least for now, she could let Nori be "the man" and let him do his best to put on a professional air. Although it was funny to her, she didn't feel like showing him up again.

"Alright..." Nori mumbled, pulling a slim, rectangular black case out of his pocket. He handed it to her briskly. There was no chance, at all, that she'd accept it, considering that she had a husband. It wasn't a ring! But it was a nice silver necklace he picked out from a Jewlery Store. "I hope you like it." he added blatantly, afraid to watch as she opened it.

She lifted her fingers calmly, letting the tips slide up in order to push the top of the case open. She eyed it first with curiosity, studying the detail of it quite carefully. Then, with as much care as she could give a newborn, she picked up the necklace and held it between two fingers. A look of skepticism came over her face and obvious to Nori.

One: it was the typical necklace a boyfriend would give his girlfriend.

Two: it was the necklace that she needed a microscope to put together, damn it!

"You suck, Haruo. Really, you do." She muttered dryly, holding the necklace in a handing gesture. "You mind putting it on for me?"

"If you don't like it, you could just give it back." he retorted hastily. He didn't suck..! Still, he couldn't help himself from taking out of her hands and moving behind her. He would enjoy putting it on. Easily utilizing the locking mechanism with quick, precise movements. Part of the lock caught on to the skin on the back of her neck. Nori whimpered.

"...ow?" Was the only thing that came from Tereya's mouth. "Careful back there, origami boy!"

"Origami..?" he muttered, fumbling with the lock before finally unhooking it from her skin and putting it in the correct place. It was on. Now what?

She reached behind her to rub her neck gently where the hook had pierced her skin, before turning around. "How do I look?" She asked, grinning as she did a random pose that showed off the necklace.

Heat rose to Nori's face. He hated himself. It always happened so easily. "You look great..." he muttered, looking away. If she pursued this any longer he would scream.

"Good to hear..." Tereya climbed out of her pose and stood with her arms folded her chest, the grin shrinking to a normal smile once more. "Now, where will we be going to, Romeo?"

"You can stop calling me Romeo now." he growled. His name wasn't Romeo. It was Nori. "We're going to... The Red Garden."

The growl shifted her smile into a smirk. Oh, how she loved pushing his buttons... "A restaurant?" She repeated casually. "All right, then."

Nori frowned. She was smirking. "Yeah... So... Let's go." he mumbled, walking past her briskly, through the stream of impatient pedestrians and around the corner. Tereya could catch up whenever. It wasn't as if she was going to get lost.

"Hey, wait a minute--"

Abruptly, once she caught up to him (which didn't take much to do so), she wrapped an arm around his. "You're gonna leave a girl all to herself in this thick crowd..." She purred, feigning disappointment. "On a date? Escort me there, Nori."

"A-alright..." Nori stuttered. Why was she doing this to him? It wasn't a very nice feeling to be wrapped around someone's finger. "Just... come this way..." he grumbled, pulling Tereya with him as he pushed through the crowd. She was doing this on purpose, she wanted to see him flustered; it wasn't because she was attracted to him.

And yet, she looked so innocent about it, almost as if she didn't know what she was truly doing. But, clearly, it was nothing but a deceptive nature, one that hid her true persona. The likes of a certain traitor would be proud. Now, if only she had fox ears...

Nori stopped abruptly, seemingly randomly, as they neared the restaurant. "W-we're here..." he announced nervously. He didn't want to go inside anymore. There was a small possibility that the waiters would call them a couple, or make a random joke about them getting married. Which, in turn, could only serve to worsen Nori's own mood and earn a smirk and teasing remark from Tereya.

"Well, c'mon." Tereya egged on gently, releasing the hold she had on her arm and staring to walk forward. "I don't want to be standing out here all day aweing at its beauty from the outside alone, do you?"

The Scent of Red
Shaking his head, Nori followed her inside. They reached the lobby, and Nori approached the desk where the... lobby person was, ignoring the scenery of the rest of the room, which was finely carpeted in red; with red walls and flowers. The name seemed to make sense now. This was too fancy for him. The smell made him want to gag. How could someone work here, full time? Waiting quietly as the man at the desk opened the large book, he sighed. Tereya better not embarass him.

"May I help you?"

"Party of two for Haruo."

"... Ah, right this way, please."

As the man stood, grabbing two menus from a slot neatly located on the side of his desk, Nori glanced briefly at Tereya. He really had no idea what he was doing.

"...no wonder it's called the red garden." The woman, in question, was eyeing the red plants with a rather disdainful expression. "Can't you just smell the wonder?"

"Shut up, I paid money for this..." he grumbled. Money that he stole. But that wasn't important!... Right? "If I'd known you didn't want to come, I would have brought you to McDonalds or something..." In truth, Nori would have loved to go to McDonalds! But that wouldn't have been romantic, apparently.

Shrugging as the waiter directed them out of the lobby and to their seat, the boy in the suit pulled his date's chair out for her. "Sit down." he directed smoothly.

She obliged, sitting down and crossing her legs in a lady-like manner. "Thank you." She replied, with a smoothness of her own as well as a seemingly genuine politeness. "But I didn't say I didn't like this place, now did I?"

Nori sat across from her, perfectly so. Now she wouldn't be able to tease him! It was wonderful! "Your sarcastic tone would leave me to believe so." he stated borishly.

"Take a joke, Romeo." Tereya replied, folding her arms across her chest and smirking. "I really don't mind being here. Though, I still say they could use a new brand of flower to scent up the place."

"...." Nori had to restrain himself from picking up the fork in front of him and stabbing it into her leg. "I told you already, stop calling me Romeo." he commanded, leveling a semi-threatening glare in the woman's direction. "And I'm sure that the manager would love to hear you complaints about the decor. Why don't you go and complain to him?"

The smirk immediately faded to a half-annoyed, but small frown. She huffed, blowing a strand of her long hair out from her face. "Like I'd waste my breath, when I can do it speaking with my lover..." She retorted.

Immediately changing the subject, he supressed a whine. "What do you like to do for fun?... Besides speaking with your lover." he asked carefully. This wasn't going very well.

"Well..." She looked thoughtful, pursing her lips. "I usually take walks, kill a few Hollows on the way, and then come back home just in time to cook dinner." She explained, using a hand gesture for emphasis. "How 'bout you?"

"I enjoy competition," he stated simply, then decided to add to it before she managed to ask. "Whether it's physical, mental, or passive, I enjoy it all the same. I like winning. Like when I beat you in the Yuurei! Yeah. That was fun..." Nori shifted uncomfortably. "I also like sleeping and eating."

The woman allowed a devilish smirk to come across her face at the mention of their fight, as well as some chuckling out of humor. "Heh... I seem to remember that you were the one who was begging me to stop before I could incinerate you."

"I seem to remember saying something about crushing your skull with my foot." he retorted hastily. The only reason he hadn't won was because he didn't want to kill her. "Isn't there anything else to do?"

"Hell no. Life is too boring for that shit."

"So all you do is take walks, cook dinner, and kill hollows?"

"Pretty much..." Tereya shrugged non-chalantly. "I'd add Shinigami on the list to kill, but I have a family to take care of."

"There has to be something else." Nori prodded. "You don't like any sports, any T.V. shows, video games, books, board games, anything?"

This time, Tereya turned away, a rather bitter expression coming over her. "Material things like that don't mean shit to me." She replied. "You'd have to have the naiveté of a kid, the innocence that was never lost, in order to be interested in what you just said."

"We've both got a long time until we die. There's no reason not to enjoy ourselves." he replied readily. Was there something wrong? Was he hitting a soft spot?

Tereya directed her gaze back towards him, eyes narrowed and half-lidded in seriousness. But she attempted to put on that confident smirk of hers. "Are you taking my words out of my mouth, Nori?" She questioned. "I don't enjoy myself with shit like that."

"Define 'Taking words out of my mouth', please." Nori pushed. If he could get her angry then he would win! She did it to him all the time. And if she was one of those people who could dish it out but couldn't take it, he wouldn't be interested in her any longer.

"I told you the same thing before, didn't I? Or at least something similar before we even did this."

"Yeah. So don't be a hypocrite."

Tereya scoffed. "Hypocrite? I've actually solved my problem, thank you very much... Romeo." She replied bluntly.

A frown graced his lips once again.The cause of it was obvious. "Then why are you still so bitter?"

"There are things in life other than current, personal problems that can make someone feel shitty." Tereya said cryptically, not bothering to hide the scowl across her face.

"Personal problems..?" Nori repeated. He was prying, he knew. But if she didn't talk about it she wouldn't feel better. And then this all led back to the questiong, if she was bitter, then why was she going on a date with Nori...

"You're a really persistent bastard." Tereya finally allowed herself to sigh, closing her eyes and raising her head slightly. "Tell me, what was your childhood like? How did you grow up?"

"I don't want to talk about it." he replied immediately, with an unusual amount of politeness and calm. He dismissed the question immediately, once again. "It's boring and uninteresting anyway. What was yours like?"

"And yet you want to pry into my problems. How about you man up and tell me your story first?"

"It's not a problem; I just told you, it's boring and uninteresting and I don't want to bore you with it's uninteresting contents." he snapped. She was aggrivating him now. If he didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to.

"That's a lie--" Immediately, Tereya lifted her arm to point at Nori with a disapproving look on her face. "You're lying, Nori." Yeah... she knew that she was getting on his nerves. But it was retaliation for attempting to get her to talk of her own back story. But, she had told it once before, and she really had no problem telling it again. She just wanted to be sure that this man would be trustworthy enough not to use it against her.

".... Okay, in a nutshell, I lived a life of abuse here in the human world with my Mother, Father, and little Sister, and one day I couldn't take it anymore so I got a gun, killed them all, and then myself. After that I made a deal with Bael and he made me a Hell-Hunter. Anymore questions, since I can see that it's so important for you to know, even though I don't want to tell you, you fucking bitch!?" Nori's voice rose towards the end, causing the rest of the restaurant to look towards them cautiously.

Tereya didn't even pay attention towards the on-lookers, almost tempted to flip off a finger at them. She only narrowed her eyes in a cold stare in Nori's direction, yet at the same time, she looked rather thoughtful. "Then you're not the only one with abuse in their life..." She finally said, after a moment of tense silence. "And... keep your voice down."

"May I take your order?"

The sudden intrusion into the conversation earned a hostile reaction from Nori, who was only kept in his seat by his desire not to make a scene. "I'll have what she's having." he growled, matching Tereya's stare with one of equal intensity.

The stare was averted, for when she turned towards the waiter, a cheery expression was on her face. She handed him the menu from which she had been looking from. "I'll take the best you have, along with a glass of red wine, please!" She said, her polite voice definitely contrasting from what she had been speaking with before.

"Make it a bottle." Nori grumbled, handing the waiter his menu as well. The waiter walked off quickly, eager to get away from the table. Nori hadn't taken his eyes off of Tereya.

A Rather Comforting Presence
Once the waiter had vanished, Tereya's expression reverted to that of her intensely serious self. "Now, then..." She said darkly, turning once again to face Nori. She raised a finger to her head. "I always didn't have this mentality, especially not when I was a kid. Back then, I was a naive and innocent brat, believing the best in people, all that shit. I lived in a remote part of the Soul Society, somewhat similar to a village. I had plenty of friends, even one who's still alive right now. Hell, I even had a different name."

"That's great." Nori hissed, the sarcasm dripping off of his voice. He would be getting drunk tonight. Why did she have to remind him of that?... After considering things carefully, he spoke. "If this bothers you, or if you don't want to tell me, don't. I'm sorry for prying and ruining the date."

"Hey, shut the hell up." Tereya snapped in annoyance. "I'm telling you, so don't bother interrupting me."

He was humbled easily. Folding his hands on his lap neatly, he waited for Tereya to continue.

"Of course... all of that childhood living was going to end sooner or later. Back then, I never knew that I had a Hollow inside of me. I had been told before that it was part of an abandoned experiment, but I never could remember it completely. But, I did know that some of my friends were also part of that experiment... and that's why the village was eventually hunted down by a group of radical Shinigami, as well as annihilated with their God's hammer." She folded her hands on her knees, looking even more lady-like even as she told the gruesome story.

"Nothing remained. Nearly every villager was slaughtered and left to burn in that blazing inferno that was once my home. Along with supposed other experiments, I was huddled into a group. My name was no longer Nami.... it was bitch." She took in a deep breath, already seeing the memories play in her head.

Nori sighed. She told him not to interrupt. But he wanted to give her a hug! She needed it, too! He could see! This was worse than his childhood... He had no right to be angry with her...

"Beaten, raped, tortured, put nearly to our deaths..." She continued on, closing her eyes and lifting up her head. "Whatever sick thing you can name, we had it taken to us by those discriminating fucks. Everyday life was spent in fear, pain, anguish, and helplessness, and one could even wonder why we didn't just lose our sanity. There was no one there that could help us, no one there that would relieve the agony of our bodies. We had to rely on each other for comfort, with what little morality we could spare between us. Every day... for several months."

"Then... it stopped. One day, the Shinigami rounded us all up again, but this time they tied us to the ground and abandoned us, just as the vultures were coming in. We had been bound so fucking tightly, our still bodies made those dumb birds think that we were already dead, so they jumped right in. I can't help but wonder if they were deaf... I nearly went deaf, hearing the screams of my comrades as they died a slow, painful death right beside me."

Nori's face paled. "Uhm, uhm... I... I have to go to the bathroom..." he mumbled, waiting to be dismissed. True, it was an inappropriate time to interrupt (like she had told him not to), and he hadn't drunken anything in the last half hour, but he had to go! Unless she wanted him to piss his pants while listening to her? It would smell! Did she want to be foot-deep in a puddle of smelly piss?

Surprisingly, Tereya chuckled. "Go right ahead. I got a bit more to tell when you come back."

"Okay!" Nori shouted, surprisingly cheerful as well. "I'll be right back." Nori ran off to the bathroom, eager to empty his bladder, leaving Tereya to dwell alone for a moment in her own memories and thoughts. Would she leave while he was in the bathroom? He doubted it... he was too handsome! And smart! And charming~! Exhaling a sigh of relief after zipping up his pants, he began to wash his hands. True, he didn't pee on his hands, but he didn't want to be tasting his dick either when he was eating his food.

When he was gone, Tereya relaxed from her position. She put her hands on her arms, and her arms on the table, looking like a depressed drunk who had just stepped into the bar. Remembering her past again, no matter how many times she did it, brought on a great pain to her heart. It was far too late for her to change back into what she was, it would be like attempting to get people to call her Nami again. It would be far too late.

Why did destiny have to shove its reaping stick right up her ass, of all people? It had left her nothing but a husband who hadn't really understood her in the first place, as well as a family she should've never been a part of. It had weakened her, making her into this sentimental fool. Why did she have to change so much?

Arms wrapped themselves around Tereya's body from behind; obviously not in a hostile manner, but an affectionate one. The pressed against her body, squeezing her tight, while simultaneously wiping some left over moisture from the bathroom sink on her clothing. It was supposed to be a joke; a way to comfort her and make her laugh at the same time. Hugs were nice! She could beat the shit out of him all she wanted later!

Finally relinquishing his grip, Nori returned to his seat across the table and made a small handmotion. "Continue, please." he chirped, still smiling. It had made him. Feel better.

Obviously, Tereya had not seen that coming, for her expression was blank as she stared at him. A faint blush had spread across her cheeks when she felt the contact of him hugging her. Strangely, in her rather depressed mood, the feeling felt... nice. The ache within her heart had eased upon his touch, as if he had somehow healed her from her pain. Yet, all she could manage was a "W...what was that....?" as an intelligent response.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please continue." he insisted, waving his hand yet again. Was the food going to get here any time soon? He didn't need her going soft on him.

"...Tch!" She allowed a scoff to escape her lips, expression returning to a rather amused one. "Fuck that..." She snorted, turning away from him and propping an elbow on the table. Then, she placed her jaw in her hands. "You just screwed up the moment. Now I can't get into it!"

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it. I just don't need you being emo and fucking up the rest of the date. Continue." he ordered for the third time, this time a hint of a threat in his voice. He had to know the ending! Why was she still alive! Vultures usually ate the eyes first, when eating a corpse, 'cause they don't like people lookin' at them while they ate, so it was weird that she wasn't missing any eyes! Unless she had a glass eye? "Do you have glass eyes?"

She lowered her head, lifted her head back and let out a hearty, yet evil sounding laugh. "All right, Tiger. No need to get edgy." She leaned forward, placing her arms on the table once more. "No, I don't have glass eyes. When they got done with my friends... they moved onto me. But, by then, I heard its voice speak to me, urging me to break from my bonds, urging me to kill. Now that my friends had been gone, and I had saw no other purpose, I accepted its embrace. I tore out of the bonds and slaughtered those birds."

She closed her eyes, once again in thought. "As my wounds healed, I raced towards where I felt the Shinigami bastards. They happened to be setting up camp in a far off direction, their resources having been wasted for the time being. They were unaware of my presence, and thus, they didn't know what in the hell hit 'em until it was too late." Once she opened her eyes again, they were narrowed, and a grim smile was now decked on her countenance. "With my bare hands, as well as my teeth, I tore each and every one of those fuckers apart. I reveled in their screams, just like they had reveled in mine. The blood was delicious tonight..."

She allowed her tongue to trace her upper lip in a seductive, but rather threatening and clearly sadistic manner, chuckling once she did so.

Nori was obviously intimidated. He seemed to shrink back into his seat, eyes trained on her tounge. "Do you have interest in anything..?' he asked feebly, in an--needless to say--feeble attempt to change the conversation.

"Other than watching you squirm?" Tereya asked, smirking in amusement at his frightful actions. "Not much."

Nori's eyes widened again; he was back on the offensive. "Really? Because I love that blush that magically showed up on your face a few minutes ago. I never would have expected someone like you to blush..." he giggled, carefully glancing at the kitchen door. It was like they were taking long on purpose! Making they were taking enough time to defile their food with their feces... It would be expected.

Bemusement came across Tereya's face once more. "Th...that was...." She stuttered, before sighing out of annoyance. She threw her hands in the air moderately. "Fine, you got me. But it was only because I wasn't expecting it, Cuddles."

"Do you want another one~?" he taunted, smiling warmly at her. He'd give her one! If she wanted it.

Tereya's eye started to twitch, and she folded her arms across her chest. "You wouldn't dare, if you don't want me to start something right here in the marketplace." She threatened, putting on narrowed eyes and a disdainful scowl.

"I won the last fight, I'll win this one!" Nori replied excitedly. This was fun.... But he didn't have his Zanpakuto... Did she..?

Tereya allowed an arrogant grin to come across her face. "You will try, Romeo." She retorted, aiming to once again grind his nerves. "And I promise, I'll have you begging just like before."

Nori wasted no time; picking up his fork and flinging at her, aiming to impale her in the head. This would be fun~! And he'd win. Just like he did before~. Even before Tereya had a chance to react to the fork, Nori's feet were pressed against the edge of the edge of the table, and he shoved it towards her, pinning her in her seat and preventing her from actually leaving it and dodging.

He knew it would end like this.

Good thing she had her arms folded across her chest.

With a reaching hand, she caught the fork before it could impale her in the skull, saving herself from an early death. "Nice try, Cuddles..." She taunted, gripping the table with her free hand. Promptly, with her arm, she shoved the table into him, pinning him to his own seat. "But that doesn't work on professionals." Promptly, she threw it back, though she knew he already had some possible way of countering.

Using his knee, Nori simply deflected the table upwards, the fork impaling itself in that, instead. He easily kicked up in the air, and then, by extension, at her. He would win~! Rolling backwards off his own chair, he lifted that up, too.

The people around them had already begun to evacuate, as well as the staff. It was okay! He didn't like this place, anyway.

Smiling, Tereya tilted her head back to avoid his flying foot before side-leaping out of her seat. She caught herself on her hands before she ducked into a roll, landing in a crouch position onto the floor. Even though this wasn't exactly an "official" fight, it still got her a bit excited to engage in some sort of combat. It was only a shame that she didn't get a chance to utilize it often.

Nori quickly brought the chair that he was holding down over Tereya's head.

She lifted her hands up to catch the chair, gripping it tightly. With a twisting force, she swung back around and threw him away. Then, she opted to tossing the chair at him, as well - what use did she have for it?

Nori crashed against the wall, the force of his impact making a portrait hung above him to drop on his head. Ignoring it as the chair came at him, he shattered it with a simple kick, then picked up one of the shattered legs. A makeshift sword! Awesome! Standing up huskily, he slowly and cautiously approached her, ready to kill her again. Really, it was too much fun.

Tereya lowered her eyes dangerously at him, her smile gaining a bit of the maniacal nature. She raised her hands up in a defensive stance, feet spread apart. "You wouldn't fight an unarmed opponent, would you?" She asked mockingly, waiting for him to come closer.

"You know I would."

Unable to use Kogeru or Shunpo, Nori resorted to merely dashing at her, he poised his stick (which was what it was, really) in a typical stabbing position and lunged at her chest with his right, dominant hand.

Like with the fork, Tereya was able to catch the stick far too easily. She raised both of their arms up and twisted the stick, in an attempt to break the bones of the arm holding it.

Nori released the stick immediately, before that was possible. Pivoting on his right foot, he whipped himself around and launched a kick at her midsection.

A surprised yelp came from her lips as the boot connected. She staggered off to the side in order to keep her balance. Once she recovered quite quickly, she raised her hands defensively again, flexing her fingers in apprehension.

With a simple, straight-foward move, Nori reeled his arm back as far as possible and launched a punch at Tereya's face.

Reflexively, Tereya raised one arm in order to intercept and knock his arm away, countering with a right to his own face.

The fist collided with his face and Nori was knocked to the ground instantly; thrown several feet away from Tereya by just the force of the blow. Everything was fuzzy again, like it always was! Nori wanted to sleep...

Perfect.

Tereya lowered her stance, walking over to the man with the sense of triumph. "You gonna give out on me, Cuddles?" She asked smugly, folding her arms across her chest. Oh, well... it was fun while it lasted... now she'd have to pick the bastard up and go wherever...

Immediately, Nori's foot struck out and hit Tereya in the ovary. If his research was correct, this would cause cramps as if she was having her period. Nori giggled. Everything was still fuzzy...

Immediately, the proud figure of Tereya collapsed onto the ground beside him on her side. Her eyes were clenched shut, and a rather "purple blush" spread on her face. She took in rapid breaths, attempting to soothe the aggravated pain. "Y-y-you... bastard..." She managed to breathe out.

"Heh..." Nori replied dreamily. "Don't worry... it'll wear off it a couple of minutes..." he mumbled, sitting up a few tries of fumbling his hands on the floor. "I win~."

Despite the torture, Tereya put on a weak smile and chuckle. "Well... how lucky for you..." She drawled sarcastically. She too managed, after a struggle, fix herself into a sitting position on the floor. It was almost as if she was sitting on a towel at the beach; her position was perfectly identical.

"Oh, come now..." Nori chuckled, wrapping his arms around the woman once more. "See? When I'm hugging you, how could you possibly be sad?"

"...you are so lucky I can't stand right now."

Nori squeezed her tighter, actually leaning on her for support. "Well if you're going to call me cuddles I might as well fit the name..." he giggled, nuzzling her arm with his head. Sirens blared outside. "Aww... We have to go..."

Tereya couldn't help but roll her eyes in exasperation. "I think I liked it better calling you Romeo..." The woman muttered. "Now, do you mind...?" She gestured towards the embrace he had on her.

Nori let her go immediately. "Don't call me Romeo." he growled for the umpteenth time, glaring at her. "Do you know anywhere we could go? I'm unfamiliar with the area..."

Tereya shrugged. "Nope. I'd say my old house, but... I forgot where it was, having lived in Yuurei for so long."

Nori stood immediately and burst into the kitchen, grabbing Tereya by the wrist as well and pulling her with him. He would carry her if he had to. "Well, let's go to a bar! I'm tired, but I don't want to go bed, and I was planning on getting drunk!..." he said, then reconsidered. Letting Tereya go, he made his way over to the fridge of the restaurant, and fetched four large bottles of Red Wine. "Here." he stated simply, shoving two into her hands.

Finally, he led her out of the emergency exit as the police poured through the front door.

Tereya was thankful that she could walk on her own more freely. In fact, a shit-faced grin was plastered on her face as they ran out. "Hehehe, nice!" She complimented him between her laughter. "I didn't know you how to make a good exit stage left!"

You're A Good Partner
"Yeah... Whatever... We still need somewhere to go..." he mumbled, walking towards the end of the alley opposite from the entrence to the restaurant. "Do you want to go to a hotel..? Or something..."

Tereya followed him, carelessly holding the bottles with her eyes squinted shut. She looked quite cheery, though her words were rather disrespectful; another example of the mask she wore. "What the fuck're you trying to say, hm?" She asked. "I didn't know you were so eager to get me into bed..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you had somewhere else we could to drink the wine in piece. Please Tereya, lead the way." He snapped in response, as he stopped moving altogether. It was true! He would love to get her into bed. But he wouldn't be raping her or anything. She'd have to give consent, which would mean she wants to do it. So... If she got into the bed, it would be because she wanted to!

In accordance to his own movements, Tereya stopped as well. "Actually..." She raised her head for a moment, thinking hard about it. But, not soon after, she gave a light-hearted shrug, though he couldn't see it. "I don't have a problem taking these things to the hotel, but they might not be so accepting of...well... alcohol." She pointed out, expression annoyed at the thought. "And I'm not in the mood to hear an employee bitch about what I should and should not drink."

Nori paused for a moment. "Well, who says the lady at the front desk has to see the alcohal? I could just rent out a room, leave the lobby, and then you could be waiting outside with it. It's as simple as that. If anything, we could just leave these Gigai and go get the key to the room in our Spirit forms. There's really very little chance for us to get caught..." he said, turning to her.

"Oh. Right..."

"Don't feel stupid. I mean, you are stupid, but that's no reason to feel stupid!" Nori taunted. He won, so he had bragging rights now. Or, at least, he should. "... Do you know any hotels..?"

"Yeah..." Tilting one of the bottles horizontally, Tereya pointed to her left just for emphasis. "There's an inn the fam' and I used to go by occasionally. It's called the Six-Guns' Haunt, and from what I heard about it, it's a pretty good place to stay. They're so lenient, I bet you could come up with a pistol out and they wouldn't give a shit."

"Then," Nori yawned. Getting punched in the face like that had made him want to pass out. "Please lead the way, miss."

"Sure thing... just... don't pass out before we get there."

With the go-ahead, and a rather dominant smirk at the fact that he seemed more exhausted than she was, Tereya allowed herself to walk past him and lead the way, keeping a steady pace for him to follow.

Nori followed silently. She could be dominant all she wanted, but until she had a penis, he was still the man.

"So..." Tereya mused, deciding to stir up a conversation from the awful silence that she was hearing. "Did you actually want to..." She trailed off, letting her single sentence sink in for a moment.

"No." Nori lied.

"I can tell you're lyyyyyiiiiiiing...." Though her tone was conversational, it also held that annoying, sing-song voice just to toy with him a little more. She didn't even turn her eyes towards him just yet, continuing to walk forward innocently.

Nori's eye twitched. She was intolerable. Maybe she wanted him to kill her? Assisted suicide? "I'm not lying." he lied again.

"Oh, really? First you get these..." She held up the drinks for him to see briefly before returning them to their original position in front of her. "And now you're speaking of a hotel? Lyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyying....." Ah, what a wonderful way to amuse herself in such a time of boredom. Sure, it might result in him attacking her any time soon, but hell, it beat walking around in silence!

"... And if I'm not lying..?" Nori mumbled. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he used his teeth to pop open one of the bottles he was holding and took a swig. He didn't deserve to be sober anymore.

"I donno." Tereya shrugged in a nonchalant manner. She looked to the two bottles in her own hand, as if wanting to follow his notion and just dirnk right there... "Just wanted to see--" She turned around immediately, quirking an eyebrow at the blatant drinking he was performing.

Nori had to keep himself from bursting out laughing and spilling the wine all over the floor. After a few moments of giggles, he regained his breath, and look at her incrediously. "What..?" he asked, already slurring in his speech. "What did you expect me to do with the wine?"

"...wait 'till we actually got to the hotel...?" Oh, shit. The bastard was already drunk!

Nori giggled some more. "Fine, alright." he agreed, strangely walking steadily even though he was already drunk. "When are we going to get there? How far away is it? Are we there yet?" He asked insistantly. If he couldn't drink, he would annoy the shit out of her until he could.

Tereya felt a tick on her forehead, turning her head to glare in his direction. "Tell me why I shouldn't just smash these bottles over your head right now--" However, she stopped mid-sentence, right in front of what looked like a cozy hotel building. "Oh... never mind. We're here, already...."

"But if you break it over my head, how are you supposed to drink it?" He taunted carefully. Oh? They were here? Nori immediately began drinking more and more out of his first bottle, until it was completely empty. One left~! If he passed out, she could just carry him inside, and do whatever she wanted while he was unconcious... Nori giggled for a third time.

Oh, God, he was going to be the bane of her.

She blew out a breath in an attempt to steady herself, Tereya walked in, looking over her shoulder. "Just try to keep your cool..." She mumbled in warning, heading straight for the front desk.

Nori stood behind her, trembling. His knees were beginning to give out. And he wanted her to carry him! Maybe he should just... No, wait. There was a chance that she was a such a bitch that she'd leave him down on the floor. Shaking his head, he held his breath, and waiting for Tereya to finish with the clerk.

As Tereya spoke with the clerk, using her polite voice, she couldn't help but get the feeling that she was in a restaurant. Next the main lobby was a mini-kitchen, in the times for breakfast and such. Tables and chairs, made out of furnished wood, was sitting in the similar pattern of the restaurant they had once been in. Already, it was seeming like a comfy place to stay for the night...

"Hurry up..." Nori commanded, barely loud enough for Tereya to hear. How long could it fucking take? All she had to do was say she wanted a fucking room, and get the key!

She didn't seem to hear him. A butler came up, and the woman promptly handed her the two drinks before she grabbed the key from the clerk. She turned towards Nori, giving him a "come on" motion in a blatant show of annoyance before she started to walk away again, the butler following. "Our room's 221, drunkie."

Nori placed a confident hand on Tereya's shoulder, if only to steady himself as he took another swig out of his already open second bottle. After about twelve seconds, he lowered it again, and took a deep breath. "Carry me."

"I'm not carrying you, you sack of shit." Tereya stated frankly, scowling. She promptly pushed open the door, the butler not saying anything as he followed her up the stairs.

As if to emphasize, Nori took a seat on the stairs and grabbed Tereya's ankle. "Carry me."

"...." This time, a tick appeared on her cheek, and she flexed her fingers slowly, the desire to beat the shit out of the childish drunk. "Get off of me, or I swear I'm going to slug you into one thousand years from today." She threatened, twitching eyes narrowing as she glared down the man clinging on her foot.

Nori was too drunk to be intimidated, but he turned to the butler instead. "You carry me." he ordered, releasing Tereya's ankle.

"....Uhm...." The poor butler lowered his head a little, a bead of sweat running down his face. "Ma'dam?"

Promptly, Tereya threw her hands up in the hair in frustration. "Agh!" She snapped, "Fine! I'll carry you!" Anything that would shut him up was fine with her by this point. She leaned over to Nori's level. "....Piggy-back or bridal style?"

"Bridal~." Nori swooned, standing. He placed his open bottle on the butler's platter.

She cast her eyes to the ceiling, almost as if praying to God for a moment before looking down on him. "Fine..." She muttered reluctantly. She reached one arm to wrap around his back, while the other slid itself under his kneecaps. She lifted him with minimal effort, nodding to a rather "sweatdropping" butler before they continued on. A scowl was once again etched on her face, and her narrowed eyes were twitching.

Oh, he so owed her.

Nori's eyes shut slowly. Without the responsibility of having to carry his own weight, there was really nothing keeping him awake. His head tilted to the side and nuzzled her arm as the tension present in the rest of his body eased out.

....and the fucker was asleep.

Strike what she said. He owed her big time..."

She didn't say anything, even as the two reached their room. The butler, after managing to open the door, shoved open the door and placed the key on one of the drawers. Then, after a curt nod, he left out of the room, leaving her with her "sleeping beauty". She took a look around the room, finding it to look at least five-stars in terms of rating. She breathed out a sigh, walking over towards one of the king-sized beds... and promptly undertossed him on it.

Nori wasn't disturbed in the least. This bed was comfortable! His hands reached out on their own and pulled all the covers to his person, rolling his body in a small cocoon. The bed smelled nice too! Nori mumbled something in his sleep.

This caused Tereya to raise an eyebrow. She remained silent, and out of the slightest bit of curiosity, leaned over in order to listen. Would he speak again...?

Fingers wrapped themselves around Tereya's neck. Opening one eye slyly, he flipped Tereya onto the bed and climbed on top of her. "Hello..." he muttered, bringing his face so close to her's that she could practically taste the wine on his breath.

To her own surprise, Tereya wasn't.... surprised. In fact, she looked rather annoyed, though it was more at the fact that she joked about it just a few minutes before. "Oh, no you don't..." She promptly said, sliding her hands under him to grip the collar of his shirt. "Get the hell off of me."

"Make me..." he giggled, moving his head to the side of her own and kissing her neck.

....Shit.

He was actually going for it!

She could feel a chill going down her spine due to the warm sensation of his lips against the skin of her neck, but her pride and intelligence proved too much. Her hands, closed to his face, grabbed his cheeks and pushed him back up. "Maybe I will..." She said lowly, making a move to push him off of her. He hadn't really bothered to put much strength in restraining her, anyway...

Nori plopped down in the space next to her. Wrapping his arm around her midsection, he pulled her close. "So... You don't want to..?" he asked, still slurring. Maybe he should get her drunk! Where was the wine!?

"I'm married, you moron..." Tereya muttered, glaring at him indignantly. "And I'm not goin' home smelling like you!"

"I don't smell!" Nori cried. He didn't! Or did he? Maybe he smelled good! She didn't want to smell good? She enjoyed smelling like shit? Maybe her husband smelt like shit, too! "But if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you..." he muttered, pulling her closer and snuggling into the nook between her neck and shoulder.

This time, she almost completely lost herself to his grasp. A small gasp came from her mouth, and she immediately cursed herself for it. But, at the moment, her arms were pinned on his chest, so she could do nothing but allow him to snuggle against her. "You're starting to tempt me, you motherfucker..." She bit out, her heartbeat rate starting to pick up the pace.

"Sorry, I'm drunk, so I can't be held accountable for my actions..." he mumbled. It was fun pushing her buttons too. "Besides, how could I be tempting you~? Since I'm so innocent and all..." Nori allowed his breath to tickle her neck more. This was fun! He didn't think she could actually be submissive.

"Well, then..." Taking in a deep breath, Tereya allowed a rather arrogant smirk to cross her lips, despite her position. "If you want it... come 'n take it." She challenged, raising one hand to grip the back of his neck. For emphasis, she dug her nails into his skin just enough to make it pinch.

Nori winced as her nails dug into the back of his neck. Whimpering slightly, he moved in, kissing her as passionately as he could while entoxicated. His arms slid under her body and began undoing the lacing for her dress. "Are.. are you sure?" he stuttered, drawing his mouth away for a brief moment.

"Come on, bastard. I don't have all day..." Tereya pressured.

"Mmmm... Alright..." Nori grumbled... This was going to be nice...

It was morning.

Through the blinds, the sun shone down in the inn room, brightening up the already spruced-up area even more with its illuminating light. More particularly, it now shown down on a certain bed, with two sleepers in it...

The male figure was covered in a blanket, resting comfortably on top of the female figure, his head laying easily on her shoulder. When he did awake, he would be having a hangover. This morning wouldn't be pleasant. Well, that is, if he ever did wake up. Last night's antics had tired him out considerably.

The female's arms had wrapped around the man in a rather possessive manner, obviously having never wanted to let him go. She too was unaware of her position, for the moment, eyes closed, and expression peaceful. It was funny, really; shouldn't their positions have been reversed? It looked as if the man had lost his own... dominance... to her. Yet, it would remain unknown how'd she react when she woke up.

Nori's eye's fluttered open. He needed to pee again. Why couldn't he move..? Struggling against Tereya's grip, he was unable to get anything free... And then the reality of what he had just done hit him. She was married! She had a family! How could he do this to her..? He was a monster... Oh, but he already knew this. That boy had told him. But now he could act like one, too.

Still, he was stuck here until she woke up. And she was warm...

Giving in, Nori snuggled back into where his head had been before. He would sit there and wait until she woke up...

Unfortunately, that feeling lasted a few milli-seconds.

At first, her eyes seemed to open slowly to the binds, first at the ceiling with a weak expression on her face. Then, her eyes cast itself down to the male figure she was clutching so tightly. Her vision blurring, she didn't see who it really was, and she put on a weak smile. Ahatake must've been taking something. That had been one of the best nights she had been through--

Wait.

He was never that good.

Tereya's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking in horror as she realized the horrible act she had just commited onto herself. Her next action was instinctive; with a forceful motion, she threw Nori off of her and onto the floor without concern of anything.

Thud.

Nori hit the ground hard. Thankfully, when she threw him, she didn't remove the blanket first, allowing him to pull it off the bed and cover himself as she threw him onto the floor... Unfortunately, that also left the woman exposed and vulnerable. Regardless, the point was that she had thrown him off of her suddenly, without any warning, even though she had just been holding him so tight that he couldn't move.

"T-Tereya..."

Quickly, she turned away from him, snatching the sheet from the second bed and wrapping it around herself in order for temporary cover. She had her back turned to him, her expression invisible to his eyes. But, it was more fortunate that he didn't - her mouth was curled in a wolf-like snarl, her eyes wavering viciously. Rage was building up inside of her; at him, at her, even at her own husband.

She had been called many things. Killer... monster... butcher... thug... bitch. Nearly every word in the book of insults had been directed towards her throughout her life. But now, there was only one word she could describe herself, something that would cut through the cold, metal steel that was her soul.

Whore.

She had let herself fall into the trap again. First, with those bastard Shinigami... Second, Ahatake... Third, Keiji... and now, Nori. Four times she had fell into that trap, and three of them were on her own will. She had taken the step that would taint her wounded body even more, and send her on a one-course path to Hell.

Trash...

Bitch...

WHORE!!!

"Tereya.... Are you okay..?" Nori asked cautiously, standing and putting a shaky comforting hand on her arm. She didn't have to be sad! It was his fault! Could he comfort her? She could kill him if she wanted to! He would let her! He deserved it. "If... I... I'm sorry, Tereya..." he choked.

The next moves that she made were not sympathetic.

With a swift turn-around, she whipped her hand, the back of it slapping the man across the face like a whip. Then, with her opposite hand, she thrust and grasped him by the throat, fingers constricting around his wind-pipe like a boa. With merciless strength, she slammed him into the nearest wall, using both of her forearms to prop him up by the neck just so that they could stare eye-to-eye, their faces inches from each other. The Hollow's eyes were coming to her, the black overcoming the white, and the yellow overcoming the red. This, along with the wolf snarl that was still on her face, made her look maniacal in nature.

But her voice was venemously calm. "This... never happened." She hissed, her voice mixing in with the demonic voice of her Hollow's. "No one is to know this ever happened, and neither of us will tell a soul, or so help me, you will wish you never possessed that regeneration ability again. GOT IT?!"

Retaliation was necessary.

Pinned to the wall, and barely conscious, it wasn't very hard for Nori to do something that was against the logic of the situation. Normally, he would have accepted without hesiation, and when she released him, crawled into a ball on the floor, crying himself to sleep; possibly passing out from pure hysteria. But now wasn't exactly the most normal of times. He would not be intimidated again. She could no longer threaten him. He couldn't lose!

Cowardice was also necessary.

Using a move that, normally, would only work on a man, he brought his leg hard in between Tereya's, hitting the pubic bone perfectly. This should hurt worse than getting hit in the balls. He was glad he didn't break it; she'd be vomiting blood if he had. Taking advantage of the momentary stunning, he headbutted her, then kicked her in the stomach, away from his person.

"Tereya..." he began, clearing his throat. He could hardly breathe. "You can't... Just ignore this and wish it would go away... I don't want you to leave..."

She fell to her hands and knees, pain shooting through her body once more. But the inferno that was her rage was consuming it. She fell to a kneeling position, narrowed eyes as if that simple, intensified glare could kill him where he stood. "I could care less what you want!" She snarled. "Do you have any idea what you just let me do?! Let both of us do?!"

Nori was trembling. "Sex?" He guessed. He knew it wasn't happening, but either way he was dead for hitting her. She would kill him. "It isn't like I've ever met your husband... He's not going to know unless I tell him..."

Tereya finally attempted to stand on her feet. But pain shot through her pubic bone once more, and she fell to the ground, shutting her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to force out the agony from her mind. She must've looked so vulnerable at the moment, body shaking, and a pained expression on her face. "He's going to know..." She spat. "Even if I do walk out of this room and into my home like I didn't do shit wrong, he's going to KNOW! He knows me too much to not notice what had went on--"

She couldn't continue, letting out another moan of pain. This was so fucking humiliating... naked, and writing pitifully on the floor. A pitiful looking whore, that's all she was...

"Then maybe it's better he knows?"

Nori immediately regretted what he had just said. He was nothing. She was too good for him. She already had a husband, and kids, and she didn't need him... Well, she might right now. He left the room for a moment then came back carrying her clothes. They were set down beside her, and he sat only a few inches away, in case she needed help. In the meantime, he put on his own clothes. There was no reason for him to be naked anymore, either.

She couldn't do so yet, and could only allow herself to sit up straight against the bed, panting like someone who had just gone through labor. Sweat ran down her face in rivers, and she lifted a hand to run her fingers through her hair. "None of them can know about this... only I can." She managed to say, having calmed down. "I refuse them to add another word to that stereotypical list of everything that applies to me."

"Awesome... Beautful... Amazing... Funny... Charming... Devious..." Nori counted off immediately. If he could get her to cheer up, it'd be great. Maybe she wouldn't kill him for kicking her in the vagina. He lifted her leg and place it in the pants, then did the same with the adjacent limb. Lifting them up to her waist, he even did the buttoning for her. "... Better?"

"No." She replied bluntly, gripping the hem of the clothing he had forced her in. "First off, genius, I wasn't exactly wearing anything underneath when you just did that." With a bit of the pain relieved, she, without any concern for her own womanly dignity, slipped back off the pants and threw them on the opposite bed.... and now....

Well, let's just say Nori once again got a view of too much skin.

Nori turned entirely red. He could feel lust building up again. Suddenly, he hugged her again. "Everything will be okay, alright? Just as long as you don't call my name when you're in bed with your husband, he's not going to know..." He hummed, squeezing her tighter. She had been about to kill him a few seconds ago. Maybe this wasn't the right thing to do.

"Not funny." Tereya snapped, closing her eyes in annoyance at the embrace. However, she did allow herself to lift her legs and straddle his lap. It wasn't out of lust, but rather, to snap him out of the embrace. "Besides, you forget about how I look right now? Little fuckin' perv..."

Nori was helplessly subdued. She shouldn't have sat on him like this. "You're the one--" he snapped, then caught himself immediately. He didn't need to make things worse.

"--who's sitting on you like I am?" She said tauntingly, smirking. "Well, that should remind you not to hug me when I'm like this, won't it?" Promptly, she slipped off of him, rolling off on the other side of the bed and purposefully falling to the floor. "I'll be going to take a shower. I still don't want to go home smelling like you." With that, she crept inside quickly, shutting the door behind her before he could add in another word.

... Which didn't stop Nori from walking up to the bathroom door and knocking on it. "I don't want to smell like you, either! Can I shower too?" He taunted, knocking on the door feverishly. If he hit any harder he was going to break it down. But, at least she was back to her old self!... Even if it annoyed him to no end.

"Wait your turn, motherfucker!" Was the loud reply that came back.

"But it'll save time and water if we showered together!" He responded easily.

"Try it, and you'll be finding a new meaning to castration!"

"Then let me use the toilet! I need to pee!"

That's when the door promptly opened. This time, Tereya was wrapped up in a bath towel, stepping out in order to let him pass. "Make it fast." She told him bluntly, before walking past him and making a seat for herself on the bed.

Nori entered the bathroom, and after barely a minute had passed, turned on the water to the shower. Oh, how he so loved pissing her off. This was going to be funny.

A few seconds later...

WHAM!

Unfortunately, Tereya had not the manners and patience that Nori did. With a raise of her foot, she kicked the door open, nearly tearing the doorknob right off of its hinges. "Think you're funny, hm?" She growled, narrowing her eyes at him dangerously.

"Yes." He replied cheekily. All of her looks were starting to lose effect. He could stop her with a simple kick inbetween the legs, or punch in the stomach, who was she to threaten him. "Do you mind? I was about to take a shower."

Her response to that was non-verbal. Raising her foot back, she pushed the door shut behind her. She walked briskly over towards Nori, hand grasped onto her bathtowel and ready to tug it off.

"Move over."

Nori sat on the bed, breathless. He was trembling. How could she just... take control like that? It made him feel weird... He was almost happy that he left the shower before her! "Ow..." He mumbled, running his hands over the imprint he had of Tereya's nails on the back of his head. Maybe he should leave before she made it out of the bathroom...