Chapter Two - Curry Rice
Fourth Division, General Medical Station, Second Floor Corridor
"...Sewing materials?" said Lieutenant of the Fourth Division Kotetsu Isane.
"Do you know where I could find them?" asked Ishida Uryu, who had stopped her in the hallway.
"On the first floor." Isane pointed down. The station not only treated wounded shinigami, it was also responsible for mending and repairing shinigami uniforms.
"Could I borrow them?"
"Of course... are you the one using them?"
"Yes. I wanted to make some clothes for when we return to the living world."
"You know how to make clothes?" Isane leaned over and asked.
"Yes, I can..." Uryu was somewhat cowed by Isane's tall and commanding presence.
"Then, then... I have a request...!" She crouched down and started whispering in his ear.
Part One
General Medical Station, Kitchen
After Yachiru left with the pot of shiratama zenzai, Rukia took a deep breath to regain her composure before putting a new pot on the stove. She moved Renji's chair back to the corner, and sat there with her arms crossed.
"Spicy food..." She ran through a mental checklist of all the things that she had ever eaten. She had never come across any sort of proper food when she lived in Rukongai, and she had only ever eaten sweet things after being adopted by the Kuchiki family. Rukia thus didn't really know much about spicy food.
"Now that I think about it... there was that food called 'curry rice' from when I was in the living world. That was pretty spicy..." The only thing that she could think of was the dinner that Ichigo had brought her, when she was living in a closet at the Kurosaki house.
"I brought dinner!" Ichigo knocked on the door. It creaked open and Rukia poked her head out.
"You're late!" She closed the book that she was reading and jumped down to the floor.
"What else could I do! I couldn't ask for a late-night snack right after I finished my dinner. Those who live under others' roofs shouldn't complain!" He handed her the tray, sat down at his desk, and pulled out his English textbook to prepare for tomorrow's lecture.
The tray contained a glass full of water, and an oval plate filled with curry rice.
"...What is this?" Rukia poked gingerly at the curry with her spoon, mumbling to herself. "There's mud on it..."
"Why would I go through so much effort to play a sick joke like that? This is curry, curry!" Ichigo turned and said to her.
"Curry...?"
"You don't have it in Soul Society?"
"No, this is my first time seeing it." Rukia carefully scooped a tiny bit of curry with the spoon and smelled it. "Cough cough...! Hey, Ichigo! It stings! Can I really eat it?!" She had been completely unprepared for the fact that the spices might cause her to start coughing or bring tears to her eyes.
"You're so noisy! Just settle down and eat! I'm trying to study English here!" Ichigo turned away and faced his desk again.
Rukia thought (what a grouch!) and picked up the spoon again. She took a sip of water and renewed her determination to send the curry into her mouth.
