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[The following letter arrives early in the afternoon. The penmanship is neat and elegant, and it's clear that the writer took her time to appear as formal and professional as possible. And for the most part it does seem professional...save for the little cartoonish bunny face she drew in the bottom right corner that's smiling happily up at you.]

To Those Who Reside in Aqures Ixen,

Greetings. I hope the day finds you well. I find myself in need of an instructor in the way of cooking and preparing meals, as my skills are relatively undeveloped. In return for your time and patience, I will purchase the ingredients, and I will also be willing to teach you a skill of my own if I am able. I reside in the house marked as B-03, but if you prefer, I will go to you for lessons as I am unsure what utensils we currently possess for culinary purposes. Please respond at your earliest convenience. I would be most grateful.

Regards,
Rukia Kuchiki

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[Tch... Liar. It was clear to her that he was shaken. But instead of pressing the issue to force him to admit it, Rukia took a mental step back. A man's pride could be just as valuable as his life. Sometimes more. Was she to rob him of the first when he'd already lost the second?]

[Rukia looks away for a moment, uncertain as to what she could say to ease his discomfort.]

I believe there is. A reason for all of us. ...Maybe multiple reasons.

[For a moment she remains silent. Then her dark-eyed gaze returns to Angeal's face.]

Whatever that reason may be, I am glad that you are here now.

[Their friendship is a new, budding thing, but she still treasures it.]

[Not shaken so much as didn't want to admit it. But he looked over at her when she concurred with his theory. It gave him hope and that was what he needed.

And she floored him with what she said next, because it wasn't something that he was looking to hear. But that too was something that he needed to hear though he didn't realize it until he actually heard it. And it meant the world to him honestly. But all he could do was acknowledge.]

Thank you,

[Rukia smiles. Really, thanking her for that... Doesn't he know it isn't necessary? Rather than respond aloud, she reaches up and presses her thumb to his chin, returning the gesture he gave to her when she was confessing her frustrations.]

[With that, she feels that they are truly friends.]

[Then she turns away with one last grin over her shoulder before she dutifully starts to clean up, carrying the utensils to the sink for a good washing.]

[Angeal is confused by the gesture at first but then realizes what she did and why by that grin on her face. He can't help but laugh and help get everything ready for making dessert once the table has been wiped down.]

I can wash those in a few minutes.

[Really he doesn't expect her to do anything.]

Allow me to do my part.

[Which means she isn't stopping, nor is she slowing down. She intends to leave his kitchen just as clean as she found it, if not better.]

You bought the groceries with your own stipend, didn't you? Then you've already done more than enough. You're my teacher, not my servant. And I know how to do this.

[She smiles as she says it, but she's not backing down on this.]

[He held up his hands in mock surrender and there was a tone of mirth underlying his words.]

Far be it from me to get in your way. But you're right I did get them..

[Angeal's voice trailed off as Rukia insisted on doing the dishes. So he shook his head with a smile and continued working.]

Heh!

[They're in agreement. Good. If ever she does get orders to act as a Hero of Light, she'd certainly consider Angeal as an acceptable partner for a tough job. It feels like they work well together, and she appreciates that.]

[It doesn't take her long to rinse off the cutting board, knife, and meat mallet. The bowl used for the stuffing is turned upside down to dry as well. Rukia runs her damp hands over a hand towel, prepared for the next step. She knows there's more; she can see the groceries they haven't yet used set out on the counter.]

So! What else are we preparing?

[He chuckled silently and continued working until he heard Rukia's question. Lifting his head, he searched for his paring knife.]

An apple pie. They're not the apples I'm used to but they'll work.

[He's referring to the dumb apples of course but these will do for what he intends them for.]

If I can somehow find strawberries and cheesecake ingredients, that's my favourite.

So that's what they were for.

[She looks at the remaining ingredients as she says it. Rukia hasn't eaten apple pie before, but she's curious. And yet his favorite dessert...it's...a cake made of cheese. She can't say that it sounds appetizing. With strawberries, no less. She shouldn't judge it until she tries it for herself, but...]

It sounds...unique.

[Why would that be his favorite? Does he have strange tastes?]

That's a kind way to put it.

[Angeal smirked and continued working, starting to get the crust together. He's going to make one for now and make a few others later. One will be for Sephiroth though, because Angeal isn't sure how well that man eats.]

So what kinds of things do you eat for dessert?

[She watches him for a moment to see how it's done before finding a small knife of her own. Then she hoists herself up onto the countertop to peel apples as well.]

Dessert is fairly rare. We don't need to eat as much in Soul Society. Those without spiritual powers never feel hunger at all.

[It happens on occasion, though.]

A piece of fruit, or maybe a sack of candies, I suppose?

[He doesn't outwardly smile, but when she gets to peeling and coring the apples, there's a smile inside.]

But that's changed now that you're here?

[Really food is a great conversation starter with this one, or plants, but right now he's cooking so food it is.]

What kind of fruit?

It seems so, yes.

[She places a long section of peel to the side, comfortable with their conversation.]

Most anything you might see in the Living World. My brother has a fondness for bananas in particular.

[Mentioning Byakuya brings a calm smile to her face.]

How long have you known how to cook anyway? You seem to be rather knowledgable.

Living has a way of shifting priorities around.

[He listens to what she says about the bananas and nods.]

Those weren't all that hard to come by, it depends on how they're made.

[And at her question he shrugged.]

It's been awhile..I used to cook for some of the other members of the military that were my friends. We all had huge appetites, so there was plenty of food to go around.

You must have been close.

[The apple she had is peeled, so she sets it aside and picks up another.]

I've found that most squads where I'm from become fairly tight knit as well. Are any of your squad mates present in this place?

We were..at one point.

[Angeal wondered if they would ever get back to the way that they were. But Sephiroth was here, so maybe there would be second chances. He wasn't exactly sure, but he really wanted it to be so again.

Nodding at her question was easy.]

Yes, one is here.

[At one point? ...Should she...ask about it? She's curious, but it sounds like she's getting close to something personal. Maybe she should refrain for now, they still don't know each other that well just yet. She looks back at her apple and resumes peeling.]

Have you resumed training together?

Not yet, but I'm hoping to.

[Angeal had glanced at Rukia because his eyes matched his tone. Both were sincere and full of wanting things to work out. But Angeal knew far too well what the issues were and wasn't sure how to gauge anything yet.]

Then I shall add my hopes to yours.

[There's not much more she can say without asking probing questions, so she turns the topic to lighter things. She'll talk of her training with other Heroes, of the things she's learned while studying with her new friend Robin, and asking plenty of questions when she's allowed a chance to do so. Those apples wind up getting peeled pretty fast. After quartering each apple, Rukia uses a paring knife to slip out the core and shuck off thin slices into a bowl. She's amazed to learn that lemon juice prevents an apple from browning, and becomes an attentive student once more.]

[When she folds the final crust over the bed of apples, she looks immensely satisfied.]

That didn't take much effort, but it certainly appears as if it did. I'll be glad to see what it looks like once it has been baked.

[Silently Angeal wondered if that would be a futile hope or not but he still didn't want to ruin anything by saying a word. He did miss Sephiroth, missed Genesis and his pup, but only one of them was in this world, and that's who he had to focus on. Privately he wondered and hoped things could be reconciled, but he had no real idea.

Once he put the pies in the oven he nodded at Rukia.]

I'm sure they're fine, but we'll certainly find out.

[She likes this meal idea. Minimal preparation, long baking time. The house is going to smell wonderful. In the meantime, they'll have a long wait, so she figures that's a good opportunity to get to know one another better.]

[Once Rukia has finished cleaning up the flour, scraps, and dishes, she can at last relax and enjoy the tea he made.]

Tell me of yourself and your world. What made you decide to pursue a military career?

[Knowing to stay out of Rukia's way, Angeal helped clean up and swept the floor. He was just finishing that task up when he heard the question.]

It was really something to do. Where I'm from there's not much to do unless you're a farmer. So a friend of mine wanted to join the military and again being nothing much else to do I went with him.

[It was nice to think of Genesis and a small smile tugged at his lips for a moment.]

He wanted to be a hero and we both became First Class along with our other friend.

[Here Angeal paused and started on something else.]

What's your story?

[He joined out of boredom? ...Ah, friendship. That seems far more like the Angeal she's coming to know. She smiles, and now that things are clean, she'll find a barstool to perch on. If there aren't any of those, then she's on the countertop once more, ankles crossed, relaxed and comfortable.]

I have no memory of my human existence. From what I understand, I likely died as an infant along with my sister. She could not care for the both of us and hope to survive, so she left me to be raised by another.

[There's no resentment or wistfulness in her voice. That's just how it was for them.]

I grew up in the slums of the Rukongai, and became friends with a small group of boys. When Renji and I were of age, we decided we would become soul reapers, and find a better way of life for ourselves.

[Even if Rukia didn't feel bad being left as an infant, Angeal felt bad for her though he didn't voice the sentiment. He couldn't imagine leaving even one of his troops behind if he was in charge of them and they were grown. It sickened his heart a little at the thought of leaving a baby.]

So you decided to be soul reapers?

[This surprised him a little but really it was more curiousity.]

Why would you choose to do that?

As I said, we wanted a better life for ourselves.

[She smiles serenely, sipping from her tea.]

One by one, Renji and I watched our childhood friends pass away. Hunger, sickness, violence... It was a harsh place, unsuitable for children. We were the only ones with a degree of spiritual power, so we took the opportunity. It was difficult; most students are enrolled through family connections, and did not come from the Rukongai as we did.

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