"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Urahara Shoten"

Truck Trouble

To say that Ichigo Kurosaki was having a bad day was an understatement, but there was no other way to put it. To start things off, his dad, Isshin just bought a used '04 Nissan Frontier pickup truck a couple of months ago in order to haul items that would be too big to fit in the car and it started having problems recently. To add insult to injury, Isshin didn't know the first damned thing about repairing a vehicle and he refuses to take it to a mechanic who knows what in the world they're doing. So he decides to get poor Ichigo to do it since he knows more about it than his old man. The one thing Isshin didn't take into account: how much more.

Ichigo got his knowledge of trucks and cars from helping Keigo work on his new car and also from the internet. With Keigo, there isn't much help there, and the internet isn't exactly fully reliable. He knows this now and he even tried to talk his dad to take it to a mechanic, but he was too stubborn. 'Man can dad be any more of a pain in the ass?' thought Ichigo as he tries to study the engine. After five minutes of studying the engine he discovers one of the issues with the truck was the radiator that needed to be replaced. After taking out the radiator, he drained the oil out of the engine (A/N: because anyone knows that after the repair, the oil will have to be replaced anyways.) and got to work on disconnecting the intake valve, knowing he would have to get to the exhaust.

By the time he got halfway through disconnecting the valves, Captains Soifon of Squad 2 and Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad 10 arrive with their Lieutenants. Ichigo knew they were there, but was too busy at the moment to look up from his work, so he just spoke to them. "Soifon. Toshiro. Anything new?"

"HEY! You didn't acknowledge ME!" Omaeda complained.

"Sorry, fatso."

"WATCH IT, DANDELION HEAD!"

"QUIET, OMAEDA!"

"Yes, Captain Soifon."

"We're looking for a Menos class hollow that could be in the area and we were wondering if you would be able to help us. AND IT'S CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA!"

"Yeah, whatever. As for the request, no can do. My dad has prevented me from doing any Soul Reaper activities until I get this damned truck of his fixed. Sorry," explained Ichigo. The more he focused on the truck, the more he wished he could kick Isshin's butt to New York City and back again. This very thought was what was keeping him from going insane.

"HA! Sucks to be you, Kurosaki! Too bad you're not a noble like me!" mocked Omaeda.

'If only he knew the truth about Ichigo Kurosaki,' Toshiro and Soifon thought simultaneously. Rangiku decided to speak up.

"Let us know if you need anything, Ichigo"

"Thanks, Rangiku. Oh, and Toshiro, before I forget: If you're looking for Karin, she's at the soccer fields."

"Thanks, Ichigo. AND IT'S—"

"Yeah, yeah, 'it's Captain Hitsugaya'. If you want to take my sister on a date then you'll have to talk to me and my dad first."

"Gotcha," after that the Soul Reapers left… except for one.

"Don't you have a Menos Grande to take down, Soifon?"

"Lady Yoruichi knew about the predicament you're in right now, so she personally asked for me to come along. She would help you, given that she has knowledge on these machines and the tools used to repair them. She even taught me how to fix a truck engine like this. Unfortunately, she's a little busy at the moment, so she asked me to come along just for this. And don't worry, Ichigo. After we're done with this and the Hollow, I'll help you kick Isshin's ass all the way to Beijing if you want. We'll even do Omaeda," Soifon said with a smirk. Ichigo responded in kind.

"Thank god for someone with some common sense. I really appreciate the help. And I like the idea of kicking our idiots' asses, except I had somewhere else in mind."

Soifon grinned at this. "Oh, yeah? Where?"

"New York City," This caused Soifon's grin to grow as wide as a Cheshire cat. She couldn't wait to finish the truck.

Speaking of which, they turned their attention back to the said machinery. During the chat with Toshiro and the others, Ichigo managed to get the intake valve detached from the engine with quite a bit of difficulty. He and Soifon managed to take out some of the screws holding the engine itself together, and then the engine itself. Ichigo then got to work on fixing up the exhaust valve. Once he got finished with that, they reattached the engine itself, managing, to both of their surprises, to keep it in one piece. They reattached the intake valve, wires and all. Now all that was left to do was get a new radiator.

They completed the whole process (including what Ichigo has done by himself) in a matter of hours. Come sunset, Isshin checked on the progress. He knew the Soul Reapers paid Ichigo a visit, but he didn't know that Soifon stayed with him to help out. Liking what he saw, he was happy with the progress the two made until he saw the radiator.

"Ichigo, can either of you tell me why that isn't back in the truck yet? I told you that I needed the truck to be fixed all the way BEFORE I came out here," he asked, obviously dense on the condition of the radiator.

"If you must know, Dad, I have to get a new radiator from NAPA and that is going to take a bit of time. There's also a Menos Grande that Toshiro and two others are trying to take down at the moment. We have the truck done, besides that," replied Ichigo.

"Don't worry, Isshin. We'll have it fixed up by tomorrow evening. And we have a surprise for you and my Lieutenant once we're done with the Hollow," said Soifon with a smirk.

"Just make sure you do," said Isshin. With that, he went back in the house with only one thought: 'Since when does Soifon like being around Ichigo?'

"Alright, let's kill this Hollow, get some sleep, get the radiator, finish the truck, and kick our idiot's asses to NYC," said Ichigo.

"Deal"

It didn't take them long to find the Menos Grande, given its size and Spiritual Pressure. They took the time to look around and saw only Toshiro unconscious. Rangiku was beaten up a bit, and Omaeda was cowering behind a bush. Then they heard a familiar yell.

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

As soon as Ichigo's Getsuga made contact with the Menos' mask, it disintegrated. Rangiku was the first to speak.

"It's about time, Ichigo," she said before fainting.

"Sorry we're late," replied Ichigo before picking her up.

"You know that Yoruichi and Rukia would get jealous of Rangiku at this moment," said Soifon as she picked up Toshiro. 'And so would I.'

They dropped them off at the "Urahara Shoten" (Omaeda included) before heading over to NAPA. After they picked up the radiator, they walked backed to the house. Soifon decided immediately that she would stay with Ichigo for the night as they were having more fun together than they thought (for once, he agreed), and her hero worship for Yoruichi Shihoin could not overcome her obvious dislike for Kisuke Urahara.

During their walk home, Ichigo decided to ask the question that was burning in the back of his mind: "Hey, Soifon. You said earlier that Rukia and Yoruichi would get jealous if they saw me carrying Rangiku bridal-style. What did you mean by that?"

"I guess you didn't pick up on that. Recently, I've picked up signs of romantic affection coming from all three of them, Rangiku included. If she found out that you were the one who brought her to Urahara's shop, then she'll be out to smother you in you-know-what." This statement caused Ichigo's face to go beet-red. "Thanks for asking, Ichigo, because I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've sort have developed a crush on you myself. Since you pulled of the Final Getsuga Tensho and lost your powers, I've found myself missing you as much as Rukia has. When you got them back and killed Ginjo, I was overjoyed," Ichigo was listening intently, knowing where this was going. "I guess it's more than a crush. I might be in love with you."

Even if he knew it from what he just heard, it still shocked him to hear it from Soifon of all people. "Well then, I guess it's time to tell you something. This isn't even a 'might be.' It's a true confession. When I first saw you, I thought of you the same way you thought of me," he stated, causing Soifon to blush in embarrassment, knowing full well what she thought of him at first. "But as time went on and I discovered that you were Yoruichi's student, there was no way I could avoid you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm in love with you as well." After that they kissed in the crescent moon for a while.

"What about the others?" asked Soifon after they broke the kiss.

"So long as Rangiku and Omaeda don't find out, we'll be able to keep it a secret from the Soul Society. Speaking of which, what about Rukia, Rangiku, and Yoruichi?"

"I don't mind sharing you to them. Anyone else is out of the question. And I'll tell Rukia that she can keep the closet."

"Thanks, Soifon."

The next day, Ichigo and Soifon woke up bright and early for two reasons: 1) they wanted to get the new radiator put in; and 2) Ichigo wanted to avoid Isshin's traditional wake-up call. Once they got the radiator installed, they called over Isshin and Omaeda, dubbed 'The Idiots', and proceeded to kick their asses to New York City and back to Karakura Town.

The End

Hope you guys like it. It's my first fanfic. For anyone who wants to know, I'm postponing the 'Whose Line" parody as I did not get any ideas for a fourth 'performer', nor did I get any ideas for 'Scenes From a Hat'.