Awakening
By Spunky0ne
(For NamineLily, to chase away the dreariness of the moment with some much-needed fluff!)
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It's been dark for a while.
I remember falling from a high place.
Maybe I should have been scared to fall from a place that high, but I wasn't scared at all. I was relieved.
He's gone.
Ywach is gone.
The guy who destroyed Soul Society and was responsible for so many deaths has now died, himself. Everything's a mess in Soul Society, but with Ywach gone, they can rebuild things. That's good. I can imagine what it will be like. It'll be springtime soon and the plum and cherry blossoms will be in full bloom. That oughta make even ol' Byakuya smile to see it.
I'm glad he lived...and Rukia, Renji, Tetsuya, Kenpachi, Yachiru...all of my friends, my sisters, my dad.
I wonder if Kisuke's alive.
He must me.
He has to be.
Do I hear his footsteps for real, or is it just because he always seems to be there at the end of everything?
I used to call him Hat and Clogs.
Ichigo's mind faded mercifully into numbness with him still wondering if he was really hearing the sound of Kisuke's clogs on the broken stone around him. The tapping continued, even when he wasn't aware of it anymore, and as Urahara Kisuke approached the fallen savior of Soul Society, he smiled at sensing the young man was still alive...at least for the moment.
"W-well Ichigo," he drawled, smirking, "looks like you found your way back home in one piece, didn't you?"
He moved forward and knelt at Ichigo's side, then carefully turned him onto his back. Gentle hands opened the young man's top, baring his cut and slightly burned chest. Kisuke laid a palm over Ichigo's steadily beating heart, feeling a catch in his belly as he made initial physical contact, then swiftly controlling the impulse.
It's always been like that, hasn't it? he mused inwardly, There's just something about this guy that gets to me.
I've never gotten that feeling from anyone else.
Not ever.
So, I wonder why I get it from him.
He shook his head to refocus, but was only touched again as Ichigo's warm, youthful and masculine scent drifted on the breeze and across his senses, coaxing a soft, longing sigh of regret from deep in his chest. He made his other hand lay down over Ichigo's core spirit center and breathed a longer sigh of relief at finding it completely functional, if a little singed from overuse.
Why did I feel afraid to even look? the shopkeeper wondered.
He'd been wondering about a lot of unusual things lately, it seemed.
But with a war going on and our worlds going to hell, I don't know...I just didn't have the time or the attention to focus on it. I've actually been feeling pretty strangely about Ichigo for a long time.
Have to do something about that, at some point.
He was distracted out of his thoughts as thunder rumbled in the sky above them and Ichigo groaned and stirred in reaction.
"Huh, better get us into some kind of shelter before this gets nasty. There's a storm coming."
He looked around and his eyes found a small cave that he had noticed earlier, when he had entered the little valley. He bent over the unconscious Shiba heir and lifted him cautiously, then carried him inside as the first raindrops started to drip down from the sky. The rain thickened swiftly, pouring down from above, running into the nearby stream and, after a time, flooding it.
"Well, that's not so good," Kisuke sighed, half to himself, half to his senseless companion, "That waterway's going to block our way out, and I don't think you're in any shape to be dragged up out of here right now anyway. But it's okay. We're a little above where the water will rise to, so we won't get drowned...I don't think."
He laid Ichigo's unresponsive form down and quickly prepared a place in the back of the cave, hollowing out a place in the soft dirt, laying down a little tarp that had been folded up in his pack. He took a blanket out of the pack and laid it on top of the tarp, then placed Ichigo on top of the blanket. Another blanket went over the unconscious man and Kisuke's folded black coat made a soft pillow. Kisuke rested for a moment, smiling approvingly.
"You comfy now?" he inquired, smirking, "You look like you are. I'd get some wood for a fire, but everything out there's gonna be soaked before I could get it inside. Lucky for you, I'm a pretty resourceful guy. I wouldn't tell you to try this," he chuckled, picking up several small rocks and placing them in a little circle near the makeshift bed, "because if you have no control over your reiatsu output...like you and Renji do, it could present a problem. The rocks can blow apart, and that can result in some nasty cuts so..."
He leaned forward and patted Ichigo's face.
"Don't try this at home!"
He aimed a stream of reiatsu into the rocks, watching as they quickly heated. After a few moments, he withdrew his power and carefully covered the heated rocks with a layer of the soft dirt. He returned to Ichigo's side and examined him more closely, using several implements from his pack to measure the younger man's vital signs and healing his wounds. When he was finished, he moved back to the cave entrance and set a powerful barrier in place, setting a reiatsu sensor to inform him of any intruder that tried to tamper with the barrier.
"Okay, I think we're safe until the storm lets up," he sighed, moving back to Ichigo and, after a moment of consideration, slid under the blanket.
He laid down beside Ichigo, placing his striped hat tilted over his face.
"I'm not getting fresh or anything," he assured his resting friend, "but I'm tired from looking everywhere for you and we're going to probably be here all night."
"It's fine," Ichigo said drowsily, startling the shopkeeper.
Kisuke moved his hat to look more closely and found a pair of golden-brown eyes gazing up at him.
"Go ahead," Ichigo urged him, "It's okay with me."
Kisuke couldn't remember the last time he had really blushed.
"Eh, thanks," he said, "Didn't know you were awake already."
"I couldn't move or talk for a while," Ichigo explained, "but I could hear you okay. I'm glad you found me."
"Me too," Kisuke said affectionately, "otherwise you would have been a drowned rat out there in the storm. I don't know about you, but I think this is better."
"I think so too," Ichigo chuckled, "Thanks for fixing me up."
"Hey, it wasn't close to as bad as when ol' Byakuya nearly cut you in half, way back when."
"I thought Tessai healed me," Ichigo objected, "He was on top of me when I woke up. At least you have better manners than that."
The two men laughed.
"Well, although Tessai watched over you that time, I was the one who scooped you up off the ground and kept you from dying."
"Thanks for that."
"Don't mention it," Kisuke said good-naturedly, "It's becoming a habit of mine because you just seem to get into so much trouble."
"Yeah, I do, don't I?" Ichigo mused, flinching as a shaft of pain broke through and Kisuke quickly turned and leaned over him to set another pain block in place, "Ugh, thanks."
"No problem. You hurt. I mend. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good," Ichigo groaned, smiling through the residual pain, "I feel better already."
Kisuke nodded approvingly.
"Good."
The two went quiet for several minutes while Kisuke exited the bed and made tea, using kido to warm the water.
"Damn, I wish I could do that," Ichigo complained, "but I'd probably break the cups."
"Probably," Kisuke agreed, "but then, you not being able to control your reiatsu expulsion rate is part of why you've won such big battles against guys like Aizen and Ywach."
He spotted the sad look that touched Ichigo's youthful features, then was quickly submerged.
"Tough fight out there, huh?" Kisuke inquired, his expression telling Ichigo just how well he understood.
Reassured, he nodded.
"I didn't really want to kill him."
"I know," Kisuke said bracingly, "but there was no avoiding it."
"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, more softly, "He wasn't going to quit. He was going to go on until everyone was dead but him. Then, he'd start everything over again. Kisuke..."
"The guy was real twisted," Kisuke observed, "but being born as he was...with nothing, and having to take in the guise of giving something to others...yeah, he was really messed up. Unfortunately, he was also too damned powerful. He hurt and was responsible for the deaths of thousands."
"And he was ready to kill thousands more," Ichigo added.
"Yeah."
"Kisuke?"
"Huh?"
"I'm really glad it's over."
"Me too," the shopkeeper said, sliding a hand into the younger man's and squeezing affectionately.
He started to retrieve the hand, but felt a flicker of intense warmth inside as Ichigo continued to hold his hand.
"And I'm...glad you're the one who found me."
Kisuke froze for a moment, unsure exactly what the words meant. A moment later, his heart throbbed in his chest and began to race as Ichigo's fingers moved and stroked his palm gently.
"Wh-why is that?" the shopkeeper asked, blinking in surprise at the more intimate contact.
"Well, I guess we have some things to say to each other, now that the whole truth came out."
"You mean, about your father being a Shiba and your mom a quincy?" Kisuke surmised.
"Yeah."
"Are you angry at me for not telling you anything before?"
Ichigo let out a long sigh.
"Why would I be angry at you?" he asked softly, "It was my dad's story to tell. It seems like you were kinda caught up in the middle of things."
"You could say that," Kisuke agreed, his grey eyes reflecting a healthy measure of guilt, "But it's kind of a cop out. I acted the part of a friend all of that time...watching over you and helping you, but never telling you the truth."
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said, shaking his head, "That's not important now."
"And...what is important?" the shopkeeper asked, "Why are you so glad it's me who found you, and who's lying here next to you?"
Ichigo's eyes closed for a few long moments, then opened and fixed on him again.
"Because...just like you had something you weren't telling me? I've had something I've not been telling you."
Kisuke stared back at him wordlessly, unsure whether or not to believe his ears. But as he sat, staring at Ichigo, the younger man's face came closer to his, and very slowly, Ichigo's warm lips touched his. He was careful not to move or make a sound as a storm of emotions roared to life inside him. He couldn't have thought of a single word to say, even if Ichigo hadn't started speaking again, and as it was, the younger man's voice echoed oddly in his shocked mind as Ichigo continued.
"I'm not sure when exactly I started to feel like this," the Shiba heir confessed, his golden brown eyes fixing on Kisuke's grey ones, "I think my feelings about you have always been complicated."
"Yeah, complicated by you not knowing much about me and me lying to you about a lot of things," Kisuke said, frowning.
"I told you that stuff doesn't matter," Ichigo persisted, "My dad was the one who needed to share that stuff with me. You were under obligation not to say anything. I get that. What I'm saying is that I've always felt like you were someone significant in my life. At first, it was because you showed up and saved me when Byakuya almost killed me."
"Yeah, well, I was only standing in for your dad until he was back up to speed, you know. Because his powers didn't come back until after Masaki died, and even then, it was a slow recovery. Because I put him in that state, I felt like it was up to me to watch out for you."
"But you did more than save me, Kisuke. You picked up the pieces of me, and when I wanted to regain my powers, it was you who helped me to do that. You put me on the path to save Rukia, and I couldn't be more thankful."
"You forget for a moment that I was the reason for Rukia's life being in danger. After all, I was the one who put the hougyoku inside her to hide it."
"Yeah, I already yelled at you for that," Ichigo chuckled, "I've gotten over it. I couldn't help but get over it as the bounts came along and caused their trouble. You helped me through that too. And when Orihime was taken, you helped me save her too. You've been there all along, guiding me and helping me get stronger. I've always been grateful for that...but now, I'm feeling more than grateful. I've fallen in love with you."
Kisuke stared back at him incredulously.
"Ichigo...you can't mean that. Not me. I mean..."
"Why not?" Ichigo asked, smiling and sliding his fingers down the elder man's flushed cheek, "You're amazing. You think circles around everyone I know. Even Aizen said that he respected your mind. I wouldn't still be alive, if not for you. Our worlds would still be falling apart under Ywach's hand, if you hadn't helped me to reach him and defeat him."
"All I did was open the doorway," Kisuke said, more softly, "No one won that battle but you, Ichigo. I couldn't have beaten him...not with any strategy I could come up with."
"But you did," Ichigo said, leaning forward and kissing his surprised lips again, "I may have been the body that went into battle, but you were the mind behind it. I couldn't have done it without you...and now, I never want to be without you anymore."
"Ichigo..."
"Don't try to talk me out of this," the ginger-haired man said, smiling and pulling the stunned shopkeeper down on top of him, "You may be smarter than me about most things, but no matter what you say, I'm going to love you, Kisuke!"
Ichigo stopped the elder man's protests with a long, open-mouthed kiss. His tongue slipped between Kisuke's still objecting lips and plunged into his mouth to tease and taste and explore every inch. The shopkeeper suffered sharp, lusty twinges inside at being so thoroughly searched and his resistance quickly crumbled as Ichigo's hands tore their clothing away, leaving them naked and pressed together beneath the thin blanket. Ichigo's hips moved and a soft gasp of arousal escaped Kisuke's lips at the lovely friction he created between them. He fastened his mouth on the younger man's returning Ichigo's kisses fiercely and rubbing against him amorously. Wetted fingers trailed down Ichigo's sweating body and began to prepare the younger man for their imminent joining.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kisuke asked, between harder, biting kisses, "You sure you...know what you're getting into?"
Ichigo laughed and spread his thighs, causing a deeper throb of arousal to move through Kisuke's already hungry loins. He took the unspoken invitation, positioning himself and entering in slow, measured movements that left Ichigo hazy-eyed and panting heavily. He paused to let the younger man adjust and gazed deeply into Ichigo's affectionate eyes.
"I didn't mean for this to happen," he confessed, "I wouldn't have wanted you to fall in love with me, because I'm trouble, Ichigo. Ask the vizards. Central 46. Hell, ask anyone!"
"Then, we're perfect for each other," Ichigo chuckled, "Ask anyone, Kisuke...and they'll tell you that I'm trouble too. We're the trouble that Soul Society needed to survive. We've been there every time, and we'll be there the next time too...together."
His heart aching beautifully, the shopkeeper couldn't answer in words, but gave his answer instead in hard, penetrating kisses and deep, heavy thrusts. Their reiatsu flickered, then blazed around them as their pleasure mounted and they neared completion. Ichigo loosed a blissful howl of ecstasy as they climaxed together and Kisuke's heat filled him, chasing away the chill of the battle, and leaving him calm and relaxed in the shopkeeper's strong arms. Soft tickles of hair and still panting breaths teased his cheek and he turned his head to meet Kisuke's lips for a thrill of finishing kisses as they drifted off to sleep, their bodies still pleasantly entangled.
Outside the cave, the rain fell steadily, slowly washing away the quincy king's evil, and by morning when the sun rose, the air was fresh and clean again, and the last of the shadows was gone.