One Step Inside
By Spunky0ne
XXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 1: Thinking Back
"Would you turn that crap off?" Ichigo grumbled, making a disgusted huffing sound as his eyes were assaulted with the images of buxom, naked women that paraded around on the TV screen, "It's freaking annoying!"
"Aww, you wouldn't know a good thing if it bit you!" exclaimed Kon, dodging the shinigami substitute's hand as he tried to grab the remote from the piqued stuffed toy, "You should watch this stuff, you know. You never know when that special girl is going to walk into your life and..."
"Huh," Ichigo grunted, scratching the back of his neck and scowling, "And what?"
"It figures you wouldn't know!" Kon answered haughtily, "You don't know the first thing about romancing a lady! Unlike me, you are completely stupid when it comes to knowing what to do with a pretty girl! Like Rukia...or Orihime...or..."
"I told you to shut the hell up, okay?" Ichigo snapped, "I just don't wanna hear about that."
"What? You don't want to hear about girls? What kind of guy are you? Are you gay or something?"
"What the hell kind of question is that, you little pervert!" the shinigami substitute objected, snatching up the remote and throwing it at the mod soul as Kon danced away, watching the remote crash into the wall, the battery cover flying off and the batteries coming out and scattering on the carpet.
"Good job, baka!"
"Get over there and pick that up and fix it," Ichigo demanded.
"You're the one who threw it. You fix it!" Kon fired back.
The two froze at the sound of the doorbell.
"Huh," mused Ichigo, "I wonder who that could be. I wasn't expecting anyone right now, and if it was someone from Soul Society, they usually don't bother with knocking. The only one with manners enough to do that is..."
He shook his head and glared at Kon.
"Find the batteries and fix that thing," he ordered the mod soul, "And don't do anything more to cause trouble, or else!"
Kon answered with a loud raspberry, but proceeded to start picking up the fallen batteries as Ichigo turned off the TV and walked to the front door. He peeked out the peephole and spotted Byakuya Kuchiki standing quietly on the doorstep.
"Like I said, the only one with any manners," the ginger-haired youth concluded dryly, "Wonder what he wants."
He opened the door and met the noble's calm, gray eyes curiously.
"Byakuya," he greeted the Kuchiki clan leader, "What's going on? What brings you?"
"Orders from Head Captain Yamamoto," Byakuya explained, glancing at his opened cell phone, "May I come in?"
I wonder what he'd do if I said no?
Ah well, at least he's courteous enough to ask...
"Yeah, sure," Ichigo said, stepping back to permit the noble entry into the house.
They turned into the living room, where Kon was just finishing his work on the remote. He peeked out from where he had secreted himself behind a chair, grinning slyly as he caught sight of Rukia's straight-laced brother accepting Ichigo's offer of a place to sit down on the sofa. As the two sat down on the couch together, he pushed the power button, turning on the TV and covering his mouth, snickering while erotic images of naked women pranced about the TV screen, engaging in lurid sexual displays, some with each other, and some with a group of equally naked men.
Ichigo blinked, staring at the TV, then a mad blush roared over his entire body. Byakuya watched the shinigami substitute with perfectly calm eyes as he hastily rose and switched the TV off, then watched in dismay as it turned on again. He spotted Kon behind the chair and gave the mod soul a deadly look.
"S-sorry Byakuya," the ginger-haired youth said, grabbing Kon and taking the remote away forcibly, "We were just...I mean, he w-was...well..."
"You needn't explain," the noble said, looking completely unruffled.
"Get out of here!" Ichigo raged at Kon, picking him up and throwing him out of the room.
He could have sworn he saw a flash of amusement in the noble's dark eyes. But a moment later, it disappeared.
"Sorry," Ichigo apologized again, still blushing brightly, "That little freak just loves to cause trouble, you know. He's kinda like a little kid sometimes."
"I understand," Byakuya said quietly, "Now, to the matter at hand. Head Captain Yamamoto relayed to me that there was some kind of disturbance down near the river near here last night. Were you aware?"
"Huh? Me? Naw, I was sleeping like a log last night. I didn't see or hear anything."
"Well, be that as it may, there was a disturbance of some kind that seemed to involve flashes of kido or just reiatsu. The captain commander wants the area searched, and a report made back to him."
"Hmmm," Ichigo mused, frowning, "Is there some reason you felt like you had to come do this yourself? Wouldn't you usually send Renji?"
"Yes," Byakuya confirmed, "But Renji is in the healing center for the next few days."
"Shit," Ichigo breathed, looking worried, "What happened?"
"Just the usual clumsiness," the noble sighed, "Nothing deadly. And nothing the fool didn't ask for by not thinking ahead."
"That's kinda harsh, isn't it?" Ichigo asked, smirking, "Renji can't help it, right?"
"Perhaps," Byakuya replied, "In any case, it falls to me to investigate and take word back the head captain about what we find."
"We? You want me to go too? Why?" the younger man queried, "I mean, you could have just brought someone with you, right?"
"But you are Karakura Town's shinigami substitute," the noble stated matter-of-factly, "It is your duty to investigate anything that might threaten this town. I was merely respecting that it is your territory and assuming you would want to see to the matter personally."
"Ah, yeah, right. Okay," Ichigo sighed, "It's not like I was busy or anything."
"No," the noble said, smirking very slightly, "Just watching educational TV."
"Shut up..." muttered the younger man, scowling as he grabbed Kon, making the mod soul squeak in surprise as the ginger-haired youth shifted to shinigami form, "Kon, you stay here and stay the hell out of trouble. And don't watch that crap where Karin or Yuzu might walk in! In fact, don't watch it at all! Just...just go upstairs and stay out of the way."
"Man, you are in a pissy mood today!" Kon huffed, standing up in Ichigo's abandoned body and running his fingers through the ginger strands to muss them.
Ichigo and Byakuya watched in silence as the mod soul stalked away, then the two left the house and started down towards the river. Ichigo walked silently at the noble's side, not knowing if he should try to engage the noble in conversation, but feeling that it was too quiet and awkward, just saying nothing.
"Erm, so how is Rukia?" he asked finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"She is fine," Byakuya answered solemnly, "She is on an assignment for Captain Ukitake, but should return by the end of the week."
"Oh," Ichigo replied, unsure what to say next.
This guy's not a big conversationalist, but there must be something that he might want to talk about, right?
Then, he remembered.
He likes to stare at the moon.
"Hey, uh, I don't know if you are aware, but there is a lunar eclipse happening in a little while. I've noticed that you like to look up at the moon."
"I do," Byakuya admitted, "Thank you for making me aware of that. Perhaps we can watch it after we complete our investigation. It shouldn't take long."
"Eh, that would be great," Ichigo said, still feeling a little uncomfortable being alone with the shinigami who had, more than once in the past, tried to kill him, and still often seemed less than thrilled to be in his presence.
Not like we're enemies now. I mean, he did show confidence in me when he and the other captains sent me back to fight Aizen. And he was on of the ones who came to watch over me when I had lost my powers and they helped me to get them back. Yeah, he really has been great lately. He's not much for words, but what he does...says things.
He studied Byakuya's handsome profile from out of the corner of one brown eye and made a sound of surprise as Byakuya glanced over at him. He tried not to blush at the catching of their eyes, but felt his skin flushing anyway.
"Are you feeling all right, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked, looking away again, "You look as though you might be slightly feverish."
"Oh, I'm fine. It's nothing."
The noble regarded him curiously for a moment, but said nothing more.
Ichigo gave an inward sigh of relief as the two reached the river and looked around for the site of the disturbance.
"These were the coordinates," Byakuya said, looking around, "But I do not sense any disturbance now."
"Neither do I," Ichigo agreed, "So, I guess that whatever it was decided to move on."
"Perhaps," Byakuya said, studying several barely noticeable reiatsu traces on a tree at the water's edge.
Then, he stiffened.
"What is it?" Ichigo asked.
"Someone has opened a garganta here recently," he surmised, extending a hand, "Whoever it was, was somewhat careless and didn't close it properly."
He focused on the area, and Ichigo made a sound of surprise as the garganta opened in front of them. Byakuya remained perfectly calm, looking into the dark recess and taking several readings before moving forward.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ichigo asked, looking agitated, "You don't wanna go in there, do you? I mean, since Aizen's been gone, Kisuke said that Hueco Mundo's gotten pretty chaotic. And what if the damned thing closes and you can't get back?"
"I would use my reiatsu to force an opening," Byakuya said, off-handedly, "Stand clear if you don't want to go in. You can guard my pathway back."
"Okay, but be careful, all right? I don't want you to go getting yourself lost in there and me having to explain to your sister."
"Stop speaking to me as though I was a child," the noble said, glaring softly, "Now, stand back if you are not coming in with me. Make sure the doorway does not close."
"Sure, fine," Ichigo sighed unhappily.
He watched closely as Byakuya entered the underground cavern and began to look around and take readings. The noble worked at his task for several minutes, before pausing and looking around.
"Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked.
The noble opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again as a huge, shrieking hollow exploded out of a rock wall in between them, slashing at the sixth division captain. And although his sword was out in an instant, the beast's claws raked the noble's shoulder, sending blood spatter over the two and the captain's sword exacted swift revenge and then the cavern suddenly lit with a hard swell of swirling pink petal blades.
"Get out of here! Close the gate!" Byakuya warned him, "Do not let this thing through. There is something very odd about him."
"I'm not abandoning you!" Ichigo said, flash stepping forward and raising his own weapon.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo cried.
A heavy blast shook the strange hollow, which shrieked even louder. Its body swelled ominously and Byakuya's eyes widened.
"Watch out!" he called out to Ichigo, "It's going to...!"
The rest of his words were drowned out by a huge explosion that ripped through the cavern. Ichigo flash stepped forward, but was swept up in the explosion and thrown forward. He caught up the surprised noble in his arms as the force of the blast sent them crashing through a rock wall and slammed them down into a wide expanse of sand. Then, as the two recovered themselves, the garganta closed, leaving the two men staring at each other in the darkness.
"Shit," Ichigo breathed, "We're in Hueco Mundo..."
At that moment, Byakuya gave a pained groan and collapsed in a pretty heap at the shinigami substitute's feet.
"What? No! This is fucking not happening!" he complained, dropping to his knees at the noble's side, "Byakuya, for the love of kami, don't freaking do this to me! C'mon, wake up! I need you to help get us the hell out of here!"
He leaned over the fallen captain, quickly assessing, and found that he was unconscious and had several deep cuts on his chest and shoulder, but nothing that looked life threatening.
Probably has a concussion too, from being slammed through that damned rock wall!
He bit at his lips, berating himself inwardly for not having paid better attention to how Hanatarou used his healing power.
I'm not going to be able to do much, but I think I can stop the bleeding. Then, I have to find us a place where he can rest for a while. I wonder how long it will take for anyone to realize we're in trouble here...although, how the heck they're going to know where we are is another huge problem.
"Shoot, wake up, Byakuya, okay?" he urged the noble, "I'm doing my best here, but we both know I suck at this."
But even not being the best at the healing arts, he managed, after a fashion, to stop the bleeding and bring some pain relief to the still unconscious man. He looked around and spotted a small cave that didn't appear to have anything in it. Lifting the injured noble carefully, he carried Byakuya into the cave, then laid him on the sandy floor and gathered a few rocks together. He focused his reiatsu on the rocks, accidentally causing a couple of them to explode, showering the two men with small bit s of stone, before managing to warm a few.
"There," he said, nodding wearily, "Now, at least we won't freeze to death in here."
He was concerned, however, about hollows breaking in while they rested, so, not wanting to spend the whole night without sleep, he attempted placing a barrier of a kind Urahara had been teaching him, on the cave entrance, then returned to Byakuya's side.
"It's still kinda cold," he mused, lying down alongside his senseless companion, "So, I hope you don't mind me using you for some warmth. It'll be an even exchange, okay?"
He sighed, glancing out through the barrier and wondering how long they would be there before some kind of rescue came, or until Byakuya woke up. He was still in the midst of that thought when he dropped off to sleep.
Ichigo's dreams were filled with strange people, odd lights and frightening sounds. He dreamed that Byakuya had been turned into a hollow, and woke in a cold sweat, spending several anxious minutes verifying that it had only been a dream. But the noble looked to be resting comfortably and still a shinigami, so the younger man curled up at his side and dropped off to sleep again.
He woke again, some time later, feeling Byakuya stir against his side. Yawning sleepily, he sat up and watched as the noble raised himself. Their eyes met and Ichigo sucked in a surprised breath.
"Wh-what the hell?" he queried, staring.
Byakuya looked back at him through the same wide, gray eyes, but from a slender, wiry and much younger, teenaged body. His long, black hair tumbled misbehavingly around his shoulders and he first wore a confused expression that quickly morphed into seething anger.
"What is this?" he demanded, his reiatsu sparking viciously, "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"
"What? What are you talking about?" Ichigo stammered, "Byakuya..."
"How do you know me? Tell me!" the teen version of the clan leader roared, "Did you think I would be so easy to capture?"
"Whoa, wait! I didn't...Byakuya!" Ichigo cried, evading the noble's swinging fists.
"What have you done to my powers, you fool!" snarled Byakuya, rounding on him and forcing him into a corner, "Do you think that is enough to make me unable to fight?"
"Hey, stop it, okay? We're friends! Quit trying to hit me!"
"I don't remember you, so how could you be a friend?" Byakuya roared, striking at him again.
"What? It's me! It's Ichigo! Remember, Ichigo Kurosaki?" the ginger-haired youth prompted him.
"I don't remember that name!"
"Shit, I'm in trouble," the shinigami substitute said, blocking several nasty punches and kicks, then suddenly surprising himself by capturing Byakuya's slender wrists.
He forced the other teen back against the cave wall, glaring into his eyes.
"Stop it, okay, I'm not your enemy!" he insisted, "Now, stop making all of that racket or you'll attract every goddamned hollow in Hueco Mundo!"
Ichigo froze as Byakuya's eyes rounded and his expression grew tormented.
"We are in Hueco Mundo?" he asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, not the greatest place," Ichigo acknowledged, "but as soon as you're recovered enough, we can start working on finding a way back."
"I don't remember coming here," Byakuya said, blinking several times to clear his blurred vision, "What happened to me?"
"You were hurt by a hollow in the garganta, and it exploded and we landed here. And the truth is, I have no idea how to get back. But you..."
He stiffened as the noble teen shook his head firmly.
"I don't know how to get back either," he confessed, "Perhaps something will come to me in time."
"I'm sure something will," Ichigo said bracingly, "Now, why don't you rest a little more. You were pretty shaken up."
Byakuya started to argue, then seemed to second guess himself. He studied Ichigo closely, then nodded.
"I will try to rest," he said, lying back down.
"Me too," Ichigo said, joining him, "I guess we can figure better strategy when we're fresh."
"That sounds wise."
The two moved closer together again, sharing each other's warmth as they settled down and closed their eyes.
I don't know why the hell that happened to him, but Kisuke will be able to sort him out.
Yeah, Kisuke will fix him up...I hope.
"Ichigo, will you tell me something?" Byakuya asked, "You are acting like something is terribly wrong with me. Why is that?"
"Well," the shinigami substitute explained, "It's probably because when we left on this mission, you were a lot older than you are now, and now you are a kid like me and you don't even remember me! This is all kinds of not good!"
"I agree," Byakuya said, studying him more closely, "This is really not good. I don't remember being grown up. I don't remember that, or you, at all!"
