A/N: Some of you are waking up to an Independence hangover (and have probably suffered some hearing loss). But surprise, surprise! I come bearing a gift to ease the stress. Granted, it should have been up by Wednesday, but I'm one of those people that can always find a way to put off things.
Warning: This contains yaoi, aka boy x boy, aka smexi forbidden love. PG-13
Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this fanfic is the plot idea /mumbles/ and Toshiro /Tite Kubo pries Toshiro out of my arms with crowbar (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!)/
Missionary Note: I pledge to all of bleach yaoi goodness that I will try to make my fanfiction capture the characters' image, compose it entertainingly, and let it live up to the full extent of its cuteness to all of my ability, so help me yaoi faeries.
Next October by Mythikal
...
"Eurgh! I don't get this at all!" Ichigo threw his pencil against the wall. It came with a vengeance and stabbed him in head.
"What the hell?!" he bellowed. He rubbed his head tenderly, cursing loudly. Wow, this sucked. Ichigo only missed a couple of months of school, and it was already like his class was doing math from another dimension. At the rate he was at, he wasn't going to catch up on his grades. That prick of a Quincy loved rubbing it in his face with his perfect scores...
His attention suddenly went to the blinking Soul Reaper badge set aside on his desk. He grabbed it with a sigh of relief. Finally, a distraction. Some hollow slashing always helps to clear the mind.
A drooling Kon was sprawled upon the teenager's bed like a lazy bum. Ichigo didn't think of waking up the mod soul - it'd be more trouble than it'd be worth. Instead he left his body in his desk chair, and headed towards the thickening crack in the sky.
(: .F. :)
He felt the disturbing presence before his cell phone starting ringing. He flipped it open and checked out the status. "Matsumoto."
"Hmm?" purred Rangiku. The two were sitting cross-legged in one of the woodland areas, communicating with their inner zanpaktou. Well, it's better said, Toshiro was. Haineko as usual, was uninterested; either that, or dead asleep.
"A Hollow?"
"Menos. Around Kurosaki's area." Rangiku peeked open an eye, still in zen-position.
"Well, Ichigo-kun can handle it, right?"
Toshiro snorted and snap shut the cell phone. "We're close. Stand by, Matsumoto."
Rangiku agreed cheerfully. "Hai Hai!"Her eyes were already closed by the time her taicho propelled out of his gigai.
(/ / I / /)
"Hey! Over here, ya dumb ape!" The low-class menos roared, and went full charged towards the orange-hared shinigami. He groaned at memory of his first encounter with the 'foot soldiers'. Just pressuring it back to Hueco Mundo took too much spiritual energy than he could handle. Ichigo tightened his grip on Zangetsu.
The hollow billowed dangerously close, heaving a large claw to a powering shinigami. "Ban- !"
He froze perplexed as the oversized hollow stopped in its tracks and disintegrated before him. Ichigo could see over Toshiro toying around with a cell phone.
Ichigo lowered his sword. "Oi, Toshiro!" Toshiro didn't bother to look up from the cell phone screen as the other boy flew over. "That's Hitsugaya - taicho to you."
"Yeah, whatever. It's all your name, right?"
Continuing to punch in codes, Toshiro growled. "Have you noticed the jump increase of hollows recently, Kurosaki?"
The orange-haired shinigami shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." In truth, it seemed like his shinigami badge was setting off every two hours or so.
"And," the taicho continued, "This is the third menos attack, all towards your area." Ichigo raised an eyebrow in thought. "Ya think it means something?"
"That's for the technical department to decide. I'm sending in a report on the menos. Gillians rarely come out of Hueco Mundo without being provoked." He finally stopped typing, shutting the phone. "Even if they're low-class, they could still pose a threat."
"Well, anyway, thanks."
"It's what I'm supposed to do." Toshiro started to leave, but called him back. "Uh, Wait!" He quizzically looked back.
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. He was not too sure why or how he agreed to this. Crap - how did Rangiku-kun expect him to do this? She was really going to owe him.
"Umm, hey Toshiro...Some of the others are trying to figure out where they'll be staying in the meantime," Rangiku had pulled him into a corner the other day to talk to him for a minute. She alerted Ichigo about her stubborn taicho's behavior, despite the situation.
"...Taicho has been staying up on Inoue-kun's roof for most of the time we've been positioned in the real world." Rangiku pouted "I've even tempted him with her delicious cooking, and he still refuses! It's tragic!"
Ichigo snickered, but she ignored it. "But maybe he'd be better suited staying with a guy than two squealing girls, ne, Ichigo-kun?" the lieutenant asked suggestively.
"Eh?" Ichigo could see Rangiku's puppy eyes widen. Her mouth was in an innocent pout, but the boy could see her true intentions.
Jumping from her, he yelled "Are you crazy? No offense, Rangiku, but I can't stand the little brat."
"Aww, don't be like that." Her chest was critically close to his, and he started to blush. "All I'm asking for is that you try..." All of Ichigo's resistance was futile. She pouted some more "Please?"
"He's going to refuse anyway."
"Thank you Ichigo! Consider it a favor!" Ichigo sighed in defeat as Rangiku started shrieking for joy.
'Ugh, this is painful.' Ichigo agreed with himself, biting his lip.
"And I was wondering if you figured out anything -"
"That's none of your business."
Again, Ichigo called for the taicho before he could leave. "- Because I might...I might be able to have you stay... at my place."
The white-haired shinigami tried to hide his split-second look of horror. "You shouldn't be calling your banki for something like this. Don't draw anymore attention to yourself than you need to." Without looking back, he left hurriedly. Ichigo felt thankful because a blush creeping in.
Ichigo let go an anxious breath. "Okay," He spoke to the spot Toshiro stood, "I'll take that as a...no?"
Rangiku was really really going to owe him.
Towards coming home, Ichigo heard shouts coming from inside the house/clinic. The closer he went, the clearer he could hear his youngest sister calling for him. He slapped his forehead at his own stupidity.
"Onii-chan?" Panic rose in Yuzu's voice, frantically shaking her brother's stiff body. "Onii-chan?" Karin, with her father traveling haphazardly behind, barged into the room. "See dad! Ichi-nii won't respond to anything. I can't even feel his pulse!"
Isshin surprised his daughters with his husky laughter. "Oh, what is my idiot son getting my daughters all worked up for?" Yuzu was still calling for Ichigo when her father gently stopped her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "School work proved to be too much for him, and that idiot passed out!"
"Eh? What are you saying old man?" Karin could feel the veins popping out of her head.
"The boy just needs a good," he raised a fist "wake of encouragement."
Ichigo suddenly had his hair on fire, racing to his body - just in time to get flung into a wall.
"Ow! What are you trying to do, cave my face in?"
"Onii-chan!"
"Ichii-nii!"
Ichigo deflected the flying foot came shooting for his chest, and knocked his attacker to the ground.
"So, you've finally woke up, Ichigo, lazy son of mine!"
"Hey, what kind of bastard father wakes up their kid like that?"
"You made my daughters worried, so you had to take punishment!" Isshin retorted. The two were getting into each faces.
"Stupid old man! Ya could of made it worse!"
"I knew what I was doing! I'm a doctor, after an all!"
"You're an idiot!"
"Okay, that's enough, dad." Karin intervened. She looked annoyed at her father baring a scowl at her mimicking brother. Quickly, she dragged her father growling father away by an ear. "Come on."
Ichigo tenderly cared for his new purpling bruise on his cheek and noticed Yuzu still looking awe-struck. It looks like she found Kon, the miserable looking thing held captive by his long tormentor.
"Thank goodness you're okay, Onii-chan!" She unconsciously squeezed the stuff animal to the point of suffocating. The orange-haired shinigami chuckled humorlessly; he ended up causing more trouble for both of them then he bargained for.
"I'm not sure I'm okay now that jerk realigned my jaw."
Yuzu told him with a smile "That's just how Daddy shows us he cares."
"By knocking the snot out of me?" Skipping out of the room, she remembered why she came and stopped at the doorway. "Lunch is ready, Onii-chan! Come down, I made your favorite!"
"Oh, I'm not really -." The thought of contorted math problems waiting for him snuck into his mind.
"-Yeah, I'll be right down."
: . . / / (F & I) / /. . :
"Hai...Hai...understood."
Toshiro looked up at a thin-lipped moon being slowly swallowed by the overpowering darkness. He sighed and clamp shut his phone. Orihime's roof plagued him with an eerie calmness that allowed him to take his new assignment better.
The taicho title, as prestigious as it was, had its share of dirty work.
He found the window irritatingly easy to slide open and enter through. Honestly, didn't the shinigami rep think anything about safety?
Ichigo laid in such a tranquil manner that conflicted too much with his personality. Toshiro shook his arm less-than-gently. "Oi, Kurosaki."
The boy decided he couldn't be bothered, but Toshiro spoke stricter. With reluctance, he groaned softly, and opened his eyes to the 10th squad taicho.
"...Toshiro?" Then, sourly grinning, "...So I guess you changed your mind."
"Idiot. I'll give you this day of grace because you're more brain-dead now than fully awake." Crossing his arms, his face expression made Ichigo throw that 'changing his mind' idea away. "I've just heard back from Soul Society, and they're a bit concerned for the constant attacks. To be on the safe side, I've been given orders...Eh? Kurosaki?!"
Ichigo was rolled over, quick to fall back asleep. Rude idiot!
WHACK!
"Dammit! What's you people punching me?!"
Toshiro clamped on down on teeth so hard, veins started to pop out. "Keep quiet Kurosaki or you'll wake up your family."
Ugh - this was easily a lower rank's job, but Soul Society had their reasons for giving him the orders. He sighed, and pulled his arms closer to his chest.
"Anyway, I've been given directions to keep post at your residence."
Ichigo rubbed his new sore spot, mumbling furiously he didn't need a baby-sitter.
'I agree; a muzzle and leash would be more appropriate.' The dog in question shifted hastily to the far side of his bed. "So where exactly were you planning for me to sleep?" Toshiro asked huffily.
Pointing to the empty space on the bed, Ichigo explained. "We can share until I can think of -."
WHACK!
He came stumbling to the floor, the bed covers entangling his legs.
"Don't even think of it." dared Toshiro darkly. The idea of getting so worked up wasn't very becoming of the taicho. Kurosaki, no question, is annoying, but should normally be easy to ignore.
"Jeez! What's your problem?!" The orange-haired shinigami whipped the covers back on the bed and didn't seem to care if he woke the entire neighborhood.
"You a prude or something?"
Toshiro turned and tsked.
"Ugh - Fine, whatever." Ichigo didn't even bother with pulling out a futon and grabbed one of the bed's pillows.
"Kurosaki?"
"You can sleep there for tonight." His host was dead to the world before Toshiro could protest, leaving him to fend himself. Not feeling up to it, he didn't wake up Ichigo again.
'I'll deal with him later.' He sighed.
...
End note: Aww, isn't my prude taicho cute! /whispers/ But he'd kill me for saying that. Let's hope he doesn't find out. Anyway, tell me what you think. Next Chapter: Family Meetings