Because I Wasn't Insane Enough Already

Chapter 31

So...this upload is not THAT overdue, for a change. Round of applause? No? 

Tsukiko: Get to the point.

Fine, fine, fine. First off, KuroTsukiKun deleted one of my favorite stories of hers. So go forth and spam her with comments until she puts it back (which she says she never will). 

Also, thank you kindly for going and getting me 3,500 reads as of the 23rd of November. I love you all. And now, to the story. Enjoy! 

~Emo-san

She ripped the high collar back from her face. I’d recognize her anywhere. Storme. I had been fighting Storme, and I hadn’t even realized it! God, I was an idiot! But what if I had hurt her? I’d have come all this way only to kill her before I could save her!

“Well shit,” I muttered, throwing back my hood.

“Tsuki?” She asked, her voice devoid of its usual sarcasm.

“Yeah. It’s me.” I flopped down on the stone floor, letting Namida out of her shikai and sheathing her once again. I looked at Storme’s red-hilted katana. “What’s her name?” I asked, gesturing.

“This’s Moeru Hana – she’s a bit of a bitch. Yours?”

“Namida Getsumen. She thinks she’s so wise….”

“Looks like neither of us got too lucky then!” Storme laughed dryly and I managed a weak smile. I had found her at last, so why did these awkward silences exist? Wasn’t there anything I could say that might end the quiet? I shifted uncomfortably.

“So….” Storm’s eyes lit up evilly. “Did you find your fruit?”

“My what?” I was honestly confused.

“Your pineapple…”she drew the word out and waggled an eyebrow suggestively.

“Ehhh? Renji!” I turned bright red as Stome laughed. “Yeah I …met him. He’s why I’m here, you know. He let me come along to find you…”

“Really, Tsuki,” Stome chided jokingly, “fruit just doesn’t make for a great mate…and pineapples are so prickly! I can’t imagine they’d be much fun...”

“Shut up!” I told her, but my heart wasn’t in it. She sat down next to me, leaning on the wall as she trailed her blade in the stone, carving patterns.

“Any luck with your emo bat-boy?” It was our thing - bashing on each other’s fangirl obsessions. It was familiar ground and well-worn arguments,  and it allowed us to avoid other questions.

“’Yup!” she glowed. “And not only him! I pissed of Grimmeh-kitty and dumped chemicals on Szayel apporo and bribed Apache into stealing Halibel’s shirts because Aizen blew up mine.”

 “What’s he like? Ulquiorra, I mean.”

“Um…emo? And Renji?”

“He’s brave and strong, and – “ I realized I was gushing and stopped midsentence. Storme chuckled to herself but then her smile melted away to be replaced with a frown,

“Hey, Tsuki…”

“Yeah?” It was rare I heard Storme sound serious, much less worried.

“What’ll we do once things pick up? Stark already came for Lily, so the Winter War has started.”

“I know. It’s one thing to watch them die from the couch, and even though you cry, it’s completely different to have them die before your eyes. Especially because now we got to know them.”

“D’ya think we could stop it? Kick all their asses?” I knew what she was asking. To give up on keeping thigns as much to the original plot as possible, and make the story go in our own direction. I had tried so hard to keep things to canon because then I knew I was safe. But Storme was right – we couldn’t sit back and wait for their deaths.

I gripped Namida and stood up. “Let’s go.”

“All right, but first, there’s someone I want you to meet….”

Uh oh. That never boded well. “Who?”

“Emo boy! He’ll be here in a moment!”