New story time! This turned out way different than I had originally planned. I wanted to do an ' Ichigo meet's Shiro's Granny' fic 'cause there's not nearly enough of that going around and then it turned into an 'Ichigo learning about Shiro's past' fic.

"I think we need a vacation," Ichigo said from his position on the office couch. He had been staring out the window; the garden outside was in full bloom and a torrid breeze blew in, rustling the drapes that Rangiku had put up yesterday. The season had him feeling especially slothful; it was humid and nothing seemed to be moving. Apart from the occasional, warm wind, insects flitted and bumbled lazily around, and a bird or two soared in slow motion across the sky. Ichigo didn't want to do anything; it was summer and he should not have been cooped up in an office, watching his workaholic boyfriend scribble away at a stack of papers.

"You need to do some work before you can take a vacation," Toushiro snipped as he turned the page of the report he was editing; a bush tipped with ink in one hand and a slight scowl on his face. "You've been on that couch for three days now."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I do work, but I'm on holiday now, and there's nothing for me to do."

"You're already on vacation yet you want another one?" A white eyebrow was raised sharply and Toushiro stared at him for a second before rolling his eyes and going back to his work.

"I meant we need to go on a vacation together. I'm bored out of my mind and you're just sitting there reading who knows what."

"I am not just reading. You have no idea what it takes to make sure a division is running smoothly. Do you even know what a budget report is?"

"The point is I don't want to spend three weeks watching you slave over your desk. Come on, when was the last time you took time off?"

Toushiro sighed heavily. "This is what I get for dating a puppy. Can't you just rest for once?" he muttered more to himself than Ichigo.

"Resting is boring, and you're no fun."

"I'll have you know that I'm taking the next week off. I was planning to see my grandmother and I was going to ask you if you'd like to join me."

Ichigo's eyes lit up and he shot up from the couch. "Meet your grandmother? Of course! I've only been waiting for this moment forever."

"You've been waiting to meet my grandmother?"

"Well yeah; it's a milestone – meeting the family. We'll be so much more official now. Does she even know about me?"

"Yes. I've mentioned you a few times in my letters."

"Does she know we're dating?"

"Why would I keep that a secret?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Old people can be judge-y sometimes."

"Not Granny, she's been bugging me to meet you, actually."

"Really? What did you tell her about me?"

"That you're an annoying idiot who I can't get rid of."

"But I'm an annoying idiot whom you love."

"Keep telling yourself that, Kurosaki."

The next couple of days Ichigo bustled excitedly around the Tenth Division. Toushiro couldn't find it in himself to tell his boyfriend to calm down, so he watched in amusement as Ichigo turned into a whirlwind of elation, theorising what his grandmother would be like. Toushiro still had to tie up some final paperwork, delegate work among his seated members, and assign a babysitter to his lieutenant. But, once everything was in order he helped Ichigo to pack a few things into a rather large rucksack. He wordlessly handed Ichigo a light yukata and began to change his uniform. When Ichigo gave him a puzzled look he explained that since they were on vacation they didn't need to wear the shihakushō. Ichigo was almost beaming as they approached the west gate. He slipped his hand into Toushiro's and squeezed it gently.

"I really don't see why you're so excited to see my grandmother," Toushiro said as he smoothed his thumb over Ichigo's knuckles.

Ichigo tilted his head and hoisted their pack a bit higher on his shoulder. "I want to see you family."

"You've already met Hinamori."

"Yes, but you're grandmother is different; she raised you, right? You've seen my naked baby pictures, and I barely know anything about your childhood."

"That's not true."

Ichigo chuckled, "I was there when my dad pulled out the photo album. You saw my butt on like the second page."

Toushiro blushed lightly and rolled his eyes. "I meant you not knowing anything about my childhood."

"Well you never talk about it. The only things I know are that you grew up with Momo and your grandmother, you lived in Junrinan, and that's about it." He finished with a shrug.

Toushiro was silent for a while. "In that case, you'll find out a lot this week."

Ichigo grinned and squeezed his hand again.

They paused for a while to speak to the gate keeper, Jidanbō.Ichigo was surprised to learn that Toushiro was quite friendly with him; he gave him one of the two wrapped boxes that Ichigo was carrying in the pack. It was ridiculously small in the giant's hands, but he was overjoyed all the same. And even though Ichigo was eager to meet Toushiro's grandmother, he didn't complain when Jidanbō sat down and began inquiring about how his and Toushiro's lives were going. Ichigo had to admit that this was the first time he had ever heard Toushiro talk so much. He told Jidanbō about a few of the mishaps that went about in the Tenth and, with a ghost of a smile on his face, told him that he and Ichigo were now dating. Jidanbō had clapped his hands together and wished them well.

The sun was beginning to set and the sky had gone from blue to a dusky orange and purple-grey, and the first stars had already started to twinkle when they bid Jidanbō goodbye. It was a short walk to the village and as they drew neared enough to see a few thatched huts Toushiro dropped Ichigo's hand and straightened his back slightly. Ichigo chose not to comment, but he felt like he was missing something. He knew that he was, in fact, missing a lot of things, but he also knew that Toushiro would explain when he was ready. They had been together long enough for Ichigo know not to push.

Not many villagers were outside; he could see a few lamps flicker on through open windows. But the few people that were still wandering about the darkening streets paused to stare at them. They zoned in on Toushiro before quickly averting their eyes and hurrying away. Ichigo saw Toushiro tense and clench his jaw somewhat. Again, he chose not to ask. They silently made their way to a noticeably small hut on the edge of the village. The huts were a bit further from one another than the ones closer to the centre of the village and small gardens began to appear between them. Toushiro lead him up a small hill, along a narrow dirt path with little stones worn down into the earth and a few weeds poking out here and there.

The hut that they ended up in front of was not particularly shabby. Poverty was prevalent in the Rukongai, and while Junrinan was one of the better-off districts it was still noticeably poor. Ichigo briefly wondered if the reason why Toushiro barely talked about his past was that he was ashamed. Looking back at his own life, he could see why Toushiro would have been apprehensive to share. Ichigo's family hadn't been rich, but middle-class was a clear step up from living in a one room hut. But then, the Soul Society and the World of the Living were so different that it was unthinkable to compare the two. Besides, Toushiro wasn't really one to care about things like that; he was frugal at best and material possessions always sat in the furthest corner of his mind. Ichigo chuckled at the memory of Rangiku describing Toushiro's style as 'minimalistic'.

Toushiro turned to him upon hearing him laugh and cocked his head. "What's funny?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Nothing, just remembered something Rangiku said once."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow before turning back to the hut. "Anyway, we're here. Granny's probably going to ask you a thousand questions, so – what are you laughing at now?"

Ichigo cover his smile with his hand. "It's cute that you call her Granny."

"Shut up," Toushiro muttered with an exasperated look. He then turned around and knocked on the doorframe.

They both heard shuffling from inside and a moment later the door slid open. A thin, old woman greeted them with a smile. She immediately threw her arms around Toushiro so tightly that had Ichigo believed that her age did not match her strength.

"Hi, Granny," Toushiro mumbled into her shoulder as he hugged her back.

She released him after a final squeeze and took a small step back. "Oh, Toushiro, it's so good to see you." Her voice did not have any of the gravel that old people tended to have and her dark eyes shone brightly.

Toushiro answered with a wide smile on his face. "Likewise; you look well."

"And you look like you've lost weight. Haven't you been taking care of yourself? It's a good thing I made extra food tonight. You're not leaving the table until you've put on at least five pounds."

Ichigo snickered as Toushiro sighed. "Granny..." he then turned to Ichigo and stepped aside. "This is Ichigo-"

Ichigo didn't think that the old woman could have looked any happier, but somehow she did. "Ichigo! Finally, I can put a face to the person. I hope my grandson has been treating you well."

"Yes, yes, of course," Ichigo said, grinning, "he's an absolute angel."

Toushiro rolled his eyes and looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh my," she said, "he must be completely different, now"

"Granny..." Toushiro muttered, embarrassed.

The old woman chuckled softly and stepped back to invite them in. "Come in, you two, sit down, put your things away; I'll get dinner ready."

The inside of the house was as equally unimpressive as the outside. It consisted of one room with almost no furniture, save a small, banged-up, wooden table and a few bamboo chests that were pushed against the far wall, but was still very inviting, especially since a large, iron pot hung over a dying fire pit, spewing an alluring aroma which had Ichigo's stomach growling in anticipation. Upon Toushiro's instruction he set down the pack and took a seat near the fire place. He watched silently as the old woman checked the food in the pot and Toushiro produced a set of bowls and chopsticks and set the table.

"So, Ichigo, how did you and Toushiro meet?"

"I already told you that," Toushiro huffed.

"I know, but I want to hear his version."

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "Well, um, I'm not sure where to start..."

"Just tell me how you two fell in love."

Ichigo blushed and turned to Toushiro who was now holding his head in embarrassment.

"Humour an old lady with your story; so little happens around these parts."

Toushiro sighed and nodded before going to help his grandmother lift the heavy pot from the fire. She stepped back with a smile and he carried it over to the table. Ichigo waited until they were all sitting and had taken a serving from the pot. The old woman looked at him expectantly and he had no other choice but to start talking.

"Um... well... I guess we met briefly during that whole Aizen situation, but we didn't really get to know each other until after we dealt with the Quincies. I mean, we had talked before and I thought he was really cool and would be a good friend... um... honestly romance was the furthest thing from my mind during all that fighting, so I don't exactly remember when we, uh, yeah..." He poked a carrot with his chopsticks and watched it bob up and down in the broth and bump into a lump of beep before disappearing into the dark brown liquid. "I didn't spend much time in the Soul Society after that and I can't even remember why I was there that day – maybe Rukia wanted something – anyway, when I came back after like three years he was the first familiar person I saw. We ended up having lunch together-"

"Only because you couldn't find, Rukia-"

"Hush, Toushiro, it's rude to interrupt. Go on, dear."

"We had lunch together and, I don't know, something just, uh, something just clicked and I realised that I really liked him-"

"Are you serious? It happened just like that? How, what did I do? We were just sitting and talking."

Ichigo blushed again. "I don't know what happened. Maybe you did something cute."

"I'm not cute-"

"Toushiro, let him finish his story."

"Oh, um, I guess I made up excuses to see him afterwards and I asked him out after a while."

"I'm surprised; he's slow to open up to people. How did you get him to say yes?"

Toushiro rolled his eyes and spared a piece of meat with his chopstick.

"It wasn't easy, trust me. It took almost a year to wear him down. At first he didn't even notice that I liked him-"

"That's not-"

"Rangiku told how oblivious you were. She said I had to be insanely obvious or come right out and tell you how I felt."

"Well how was I supposed to know that you hanging around my office meant you liked me?"

"What did you think it meant?"

"I don't know..."

"We had lunch together every day for almost a year. Did you really think I would come all the way to the Soul Society for ramen?"

"Well, now that you say it like that..."

The old woman was chuckling silently into her bowl. "Oh, Toushiro..." she sighed, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble he caused you, Ichigo dear."

Ichigo grinned as Toushiro grumbled. He reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; he's worth every bit of it."

"Oh please." Toushiro rolled his eyes. "I'm not any trouble. You're the trouble."

"What was that you said about him being an angel?"

The laugh bubbled unexpectedly in Ichigo's chest and escaped with a loud bark. "It might have been a slight exaggeration. But really, he's very sweet when he wants to be."

She smiled leaned over to smooth Toushiro's hair from his forehead. "You don't need to tell me how sweet he is. Still, I had my work cut out for me while raising him."

Ichigo's eyes lit up. "Tell me everything."

"Hmmm, well I'm sure you've noticed his tongue. It took me almost three bars of soap and a pot spoon to get him to speak like a proper gentleman."

Ichigo had to set down his chopsticks as he laughed.

Toushiro's blush spread from his cheeks to his ears and neck. "Gods, you two, at least wait until I'm not in the room to talk like I'm not here."

...

Ichigo woke up the next morning to an empty house. Both Granny's and Toushiro's futons were rolled up and put away and there was a covered bowl set out on the table. Ichigo sat up and stretched, Momo's old futon was a bit hard and flat, but he couldn't deny that he felt well rested. It had felt a little strange sleeping in the same room as Toushiro's grandmother; a one room house meant no privacy, but he had still fallen asleep holding Toushiro's hand in the space between their mattresses. They had ended up talking late into the night sharing stories at Toushiro's expense. Ichigo had always suspected that Toushiro had been a precocious child, but he had not pinned him to be especially mischievous. He had terrorised Momo while they were very young and it often took more than a sharp word to make him repent. Sometimes Ichigo caught a glimpse of his devious nature when he was in an especially playful mood.

Just as he was about to take a spoonful of the rice porridge that was left out for him the front door slid open and Toushiro padded in with a basket of fresh vegetables in his arms.

"Ah, it lives," he teased as he placed the basket on the table and leaned down to press his lips against Ichigo's temple.

"Very funny," Ichigo sniffed, "I was tired. What time is it anyway?"

"Around eleven. Granny was beginning to get worried about you, she sent me back in to check if you were dead."

Ichigo chuckled. "I like your granny; she's funny."

Toushiro smiled. "She likes you too. She would like you even more if you came out to help us in the garden."

Ichigo scrunched his nose.

"Come on, lazy. You'll get a treat if you help."

"Is that what she promised?"

"That's what I'm promising."

The garden in question was a small patch of turned earth that held, what Ichigo thought, were various herbs and a few vegetables. Granny was on her knees with a large straw hat on her head and her sleeves pulled back. She smiled when she saw Ichigo.

"Good morning, dear, did you sleep well?"

Toushiro scoffed softly.

"Yes, I did, thank you." He looked around at the garden. "What can I do to help?"

"Help? Oh no, you're a guest here; I won't have you working."

Toushiro scoffed louder, "He's not a guest-"

"Toushiro, behave," she warned, "Now go get me that bucket of manure."

Ichigo had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing at the dark look Toushiro sent his way.

Ichigo still ended up helping to tend the garden while Toushiro ran a few errands for the old woman in the village.

"I should thank you, Ichigo dear," she said while she yanked on a few weeds.

"It's just weeding; nothing to thank me for."

She smiled gently, her eyes twinkled. "For making Toushiro so happy. I've never seen him look so relaxed or contented before. He's never been one for making friends and I know he can be very difficult and stubborn at times, so thank you for taking the time getting to know him. I can't tell you how much it means to me to finally see him happy."

Ichigo was sure that his cheeks were on fire from the heated blush that took over his face and not the hot sun he had been working under. "It's noting-"

"It's not nothing."

"No, I mean he makes me happy too. I'm not doing any favours because I really, really like Toushiro. I like being with him. And I'll stay with him for as long as he'll have me."

Granny stared at him for a long while and Ichigo learnt where Toushiro had gotten his unnerving gaze from. "I'm glad to hear that," she said at length and Ichigo released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Toushiro took longer than anticipated, so Ichigo helped Granny, despite her protests, to make lunch. They were so engrossed in their conversation – Ichigo was telling her about his family – that they almost didn't hear the door slide open. Toushiro stepped in with a jumble of parcels in his arms and an expression to kill on his face. He stomped over to the table and dumped the parcels on the surface.

"Here's your stuff," he snarled and left the hut as suddenly as he had came.

Ichigo turned to Granny in hope that she would help him understand what was going on. The old woman just sighed and shook her head.

"He needs some time alone; he always does when he comes back from the village."

She wouldn't tell him why, however.

...

"Are you two going to the summer festival tonight?" Granny asked.

Toushiro pretended not to hear and busied himself with folding a stack of laundry which he had just brought in. Ichigo perked up, on the other hand, and tilted his head.

"What's that?"

"It's a celebration for the village. People put out food, games, music, and I think there's going to be fireworks this year. You two should go; you've been working hard all day."

Ichigo turned to Toushiro. "Do you want to go?"

Toushiro set down a folded sheet on his lap and smoothed the corners.

Granny huffed. "Are you going to let a bunch of bullies stop you from having fun with Ichigo tonight? What have I always told you?"

Toushiro blushed faintly and looked off to the side. Ichigo fell silent; it was amusing to no end to see the proud captain be rebuked like a small child. Still, what was that about bullies? Toushiro was no-nonsense at the best of times; surely he wouldn't stand for any bullying.

"Toushiro, what did I tell you?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Granny," he mumbled.

"That's not what I told you."

He sighed, "It doesn't matter what they do because I have people who love and care about me."

"Exactly, and don't you forget it." She wagged a ladle at him. "Before you had me and Momo, now you have a dashing boyfriend and I'm sure much more people in the Seireitei. Don't let them get to you."

"Yes, Granny."

Ichigo beamed at the word 'dashing'.

...

"Granny puts meaning to the phrase 'tough love', huh?" Ichigo and Toushiro sat on the front porch watching as the sun set. They had stepped out to give Granny some privacy as she prepared for the festival. Toushiro had gotten her a new kimono – he had said it was from both of them, but Ichigo had no knowledge of the gift, so he had felt a little guilty when she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Toushiro rested his head against Ichigo's shoulder. "And you thought that your father was difficult?"

Ichigo smiled slipped his arm around Toushiro's waist. "He is, but in a different way. I'm sure Granny doesn't attack you to wake you up every morning."

"He still does that?"

They watched at the last bit of sunlight slipped over the horizon. Toushiro reached over and threaded his fingers with Ichigo's.

"Do you really not want to go to the festival tonight?" Ichigo asked softly.

"I'll go if you want to."

"That's not what I asked."

Toushiro was silent for so long that Ichigo was about to ask if he had heard him.

"I don't want to start anything with the villagers."

Ichigo tilted his head. "Explain."

"They hate shinigami. I don't want to ruin tonight for you and Granny."

"I'm a shinigami too,"

"They don't know you."

"So what? I'll make sure you have a good time, how's that?" Ichigo offered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Toushiro shook his head. "I said I'll go if you want to."

Toushiro was still very apprehensive about going to the festival. He tried to hide it but both Ichigo and Granny knew. Granny gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and Ichigo held his hand tightly. The village was bustling with activity. The market place had been turned into a menagerie of colourful stalls, glowing lanterns, and street performers. Ichigo looked around in wonderment. He had been to festivals like this before, but something about this one seemed more genuine. Children dressed in their best kimonos ran past, not caring if they got dirty while mothers shouted after them. Couples, both young and old wandered arm in arm from stall to stall. Ichigo glanced down to Toushiro, and seeing him nervously look around he pulled him tightly into his side and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist.

The night went smoothly; everyone was engrossed in having a good time and Ichigo forgot that Toushiro had been nervous about coming. He let himself get swept up in Ichigo's wide smile and started to grin back. They had watched a few street performers dance, a group of children sing, a couple put on a short play, and had walked aimlessly up and down the rows of stalls. Granny had stayed with them for a while, narrating the types of dances they saw and told them the story behind the children's song, but she excused herself saying that she was tired and was going to head home early. Ichigo had offered to walk her back, but she had refused with a wink and told him to enjoy his time with Toushiro.

They passed by a stall selling dango and Ichigo turned towards it hungrily. Toushiro smiled and shook his head before leading Ichigo over to the stall. There was a small crowd in front of the stall, so they expected to have to wait a bit, but when Toushiro finally got to the front the stall owner glanced at him for a second then took the order of the person next to him. Ichigo felt him deflate. He narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on the counter.

"Hey," he called to the stall owner, "what was that?"

The man looked at him questioningly.

"You stared right at us. We'd like to order some food, you know."

Toushiro pulled on his sleeve, trying to get him to leave the man alone. Ichigo ignored him, if Toushiro wasn't going to stand up for himself then he would.

"You with him?" the stall owner asked, jerking his head towards Toushiro.

Ichigo squared his shoulders. "Yeah, and what of it? We're paying customers-"

"I don't care what money you have; get him out of here."

"Not until you give us some dango."

The man narrowed his eyes at Ichigo then turned around to take someone else's order.

"Hey, I'm talking to you-"

Toushiro yanked Ichigo's sleeve again. "Ichigo, leave it," he muttered, "We can get food somewhere else."

"He has no right to treat you like that-"

"You're making a scene."

Sure enough the other customers and a few people passing by were staring at them.

Ichigo clenched his jaw. "What are you people looking at; this isn't a show damnit."

"Ichigo."

Toushiro yanked him by the sleeve and pulled him away from the stall. "I think we should go home now," he muttered.

They found themselves back on the front porch of Granny's hut. She had already gone to bed, so they stayed outside not to disturb her.

"Are you gonna tell me what that was about?" Ichigo asked.

Toushiro exhaled forcefully. ""It's not a big deal; I'm used to it. The villagers don't like me. They never have and I'm sure they never will. You would think that this wouldn't bother me anymore; I'm a captain for gods' sake."

"How can a whole village not like you?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"When I was younger I couldn't control my reiatsu very well and I scared them. The fact that I came back, and as a shinigami no less, just makes it worse." Toushiro looked at his hands.

"Everyone... everyone treats you like this?"

"For the most part."

Ichigo turned slightly then picked Toushiro up and set him in his lap. Toushiro squawked indignantly, but Ichigo hugged him tightly.

"If I had known it was like this I wouldn't have asked you to come to the festival."

Toushiro shook his head. "It's not a big deal. I'm used to it by now."

"Well, you shouldn't be."

"Well, I am."

Ichigo frowned. "I wish I had been there when you were growing up. I would have kicked some serious ass."

Toushiro snorted. "It's comforting to know how much you care. But, as I've said before, I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

"But everyone's so mean to you."

"I don't come here often, only to visit Granny. You don't have to feel bad for me."

"But, Shiro-"

He held up a hand to stop him. "Please, don't Ichigo. I think we've talked about this enough for tonight."

"Is this why you never talked about your childhood?"

Toushiro tilted his head. "Isn't that part obvious? I don't like talking about it."

Ichigo hugged him again. "Gods, I'm so sorry-"

"I said stop it. You being sorry doesn't change what happened, and I don't want you to pity me."

"But-"

"Ichigo, that's enough."

Ichigo huffed. "Okay, okay. Conversation over."

"Thank you."

"All I needed to know is that you care."

"I do."

"I know."

Toushiro rested his head against Ichigo's chest. "No one, besides Rangiku and Momo, knows about this."

"I'm honoured."

"Shut up."

"Seriously though." Ichigo leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'm glad to have learnt this much more about you."

Toushiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I was bullied as a kid. What a landmine you've stumbled on."

"Now I know why you act the way you do."

"Right."

"And why you can be so cold."

"Hyourinmaru ring any bells?"

"And have a hard time trusting people."

"Might I remind you about Aizen?"

"And why you're such an amazingly strong person."

"You're an idiot."

"And a complete asshole sometimes."

Toushiro slapped his shoulder lightly and Ichigo chuckled in response. A loud, crackling bang sounded in the distance.

"Look, they started the fireworks." Ichigo said, not looking at the fireworks. Toushiro was disinterested as well.

Then they moved together, as if they had an unspoken connection. Toushiro wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck and Ichigo placed his hands on Toushiro's hips. They stared into each others' eyes for a moment before joining in a slow, sweet kiss.

Gahh these two...

So, I really should be asleep right now... I start my new job tomorrow (yay) but who needs sleep anyway?

All reviews are welcome, constrictive criticism is encouraged. But just please, please, please tell me what you thought.

-Mymomomo