DISCLAIMER: Tite Kubo owns all things Bleach.

WARNINGS: set after the winter war. It's the second story of my IchiHitsu "Habit" Series, following Breaking The Habit. You don't really need to read that first, but I guess this one makes a whole lot more sense if you do. '^^

Here we go again! *w* This is dedicated to my awesome reviewers from BTH. Your feedback made me decide to keep this up!

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Blood. Staining his face. Pale face. Pale eyes. Teal eyes. So white. So stained. Beautifully broken.

"Toshiro! Fuck!"

No time, no time now. No fed up grunt it's Hitsugaya-taichou for you, none of that. Sparkles. Frost. Chilled blood, chilled bloody tears. Perhaps. Fear, and, oh Gods, if he's afraid what the hell are weall going to…, shit, he's just a kid, a who knows how many centuries old kid, a murderer, a captain, but still. Still a kid. A kid no longer. Too pale for all the blood, too pale.

"Taichou!"

Ichigo's eyes opened slowly.

"Why the hell are they still here, ne, Ichigo? It's been bloody months! You, you say, "it's just for the time being Kon, 's jus' the war Kon, bear with 'em Kon", and I wait and wait AND wait, but they're still here! How come nee-san had to leave instead? 'course, she's my adorable nee-san and everyone loves her, so I guess they just missed her, but it's so not FAIR! Not fair, not fair, not fair! I want my nee-san back and I want THEM gone! Nee-san! Neeeeeee-saaaaaaaan! Neeeeeee – "

A heavy hand clasped the plush head. "Shudda fuck up, ero-lion." Ichigo groaned, voice husky due to prolonged silence. "Rukia's got her shitty posh noble duties, Byakuya said she was needed in Seireitei asap." The redhead Shinigami rose on an elbow, frowning. "I'm positive I never said that by the way. Like I care to justify myself to ya."

Kon tried to reply around the large palm pressing against his face. "Unnnghfstugeezfuuuurerrmmphf!"

"Why're you complainin' so much anyway?" Ichigo straightened his back to a sitting position, crossed-legs on the bed. "Thought you liked girls with big breasts, and Matsumoto's can't possibly get any bigger." He ended in a grunt. Honestly, the woman's size was somewhat disturbing in a way. If you didn't learn to avert your gaze soon enough you were bound to die on a nosebleed, assuming her fiery temper didn't kill you first. However, since the gorgeous fuktaichou was also kind of the attention whore, hoping to get away with just overlooking her wasn't an option either. Seriously, women? Fucking messed up.

Kon managed to bite hard on his tormentor's knuckle. "Nnngh. Puah!" Small stuffy hands wiped away all imaginary traces of Ichigo-taste from the corner of the doll mouth. "So you did notice after all."

Most of the time, Ichigo could really care less what kind of devious thoughts ran about the hentai animal's head. Those words, though, held some sort of hinting he didn't like in the slightest. "Wha?"

"Her boobs. I'm impressed."

"Tch. What's there not to notice?"

"Well, since you obviously don't care for girls, I'd…"

Screech. Hold on. What the fuck? "Who said I don't care for girls?" Ichigo grasped the kaizō konpaku by the neck and gave a nice hard shake. He unconsciously hoped the thick fabric made it impossible for Kon to tell his hands were slightly trembling. "I let Rukia live in my damn closet, didn't I?"

Apparently, modified souls lacked self-preservation instinct – if Kon daring choke to death was any indication. "Yeah, well, maybe she's not the only one in the closet."

Ha!

A soft gasp managed to escape past the redhead's lips. Inside, Hichigo's barking laughter started ringing. "What the hell is this s'posed to… hey!" Ichigo shook his head and gave the lion's neck a fiercer squeeze. No way he was going to get all defensive with Kon for crying out loud. "Shut up, you asshole. 'm not a fairy."

"Huh huh. Touchy much?"

"Shut your trap!" Will the damned animal close his mouth if Ichigo squeezed all the air outta whatever it was that stuffed animals had in place of their lungs? Dunno, but I might as well try. "Do I look like a ponce to you? Do I look – do I look like Yumichika, for fuck's sake? !"

Kon seemed to actually consider the matter for a moment. "Of course you don't." He eventually huffed, voice strained due to the substitute Shinigami's grasp of his throat. "You're an ugly piece of sh – WAH!" The screaming got carried away by the wind as the small lion-shaped toy was sent flying over the window with a vicious blow.

Ha, the stinging of truth! Can't even fool a doll, now can you king?

Ichigo clutched his knees to his chest, burying the head in the space between.

Seriously though, this is just sad. Yer pathetic.

"I know. Leave me alone." Kurosaki breathed out, not rising from his nestling position.

Don't care if war's over, you go on like this and I'll…

"… what on earth…?"

Ichigo's head shot up. That voice just now…! Fumbling to disentangle his legs from the sheets, the carrot-haired boy hurried toward the window, back stretching for a better view. He looked downwards in the small yard and instantly regretted it.

None other than 10th division Captain Hitsugaya stood few steps away from the porch, an infamous feline-shaped plush in his left hand. The right one, as Ichigo noticed straight away, was clutching a half smoked cigarette. Toshiro gave Kon a puzzled look, then turned his head upward to search for answers.

Ichigo couldn't duck quick enough and their eyes met. The kid Shinigami raised the doll in his hand, eyebrows arched quizzically. Think. For the love of gods, think. "… thought you'd quit. It's a foul idiot habit."

It took Hitsugaya merely a moment to get what the redhead was talking about. He wasn't called a genius for nothing, after all. "How's that?"

"It's bad for your health, you moron." Ichigo had to lean over the windowsill for a distinct view, which was gradually easing his tension. Keeping his coolness from a distance was feasible, while close proximity still a big no-no. "Besides, it smells horribly. Don't come anywhere near my bedroom with that thing."

Toshiro shrugged the words off. "What do I care? It's just a gigai anyway." A clever smile curved the corners of his mouth ever so slightly (Ichigo's stomach did a bit of a flip-flop). "My health, as you call it, is not on the line."

Mine might just be. Gods, did he have to…

"You coming down?"

Ichigo stilled, then throatily swallowed. "Pardon?"

"Smoke ban." Toshiro waved his right hand meaningfully. "If I can't come in…" He trailed off mid-sentence and averted his gaze, seemingly focused on the unconscious Kon. "Is your pet alright?"

Normally, Ichigo would have rolled his eyes at the sole mentioning of Kon as 'his pet'. The state he was currently in though was way far from normalcy. "Unfortunately, yeah." He grunted, then licked his suddenly dry lips. Toshiro was wearing a sweatshirt that matched his eyes ridiculously well. Fuck it all. Ichigo had to clear his throat. " 'm coming."

Cuming 'lready? Wasn't that a li'l fast, king? !

I hate my life, Ichigo mentally groaned, then set off to head downstairs.

Powder blue puffs of smoke whirled above two spiky heads – Toshiro had somehow managed to light up another cigarette whilst Ichigo hurried out of the house. The sour smell was making air harder to breathe, or so the redhead kept telling himself to justify the heavy weight at the pit of his stomach.

"Isn't it a bit strange that your kaizō konpaku hasn't woken up yet?"

Ichigo snorted at the lifeless doll at his feet. "Hardly. Bet he's just playing dead to eavesdrop."

"Or maybe the gikongan was knocked out of his body when you threw him off the window." Hitsugaya sensibly suggested, then cast the other boy a sidelong glance. "Whatever did he do to deserve such a harsh treatment anyway?"

Ichigo felt his ears grow inexplicably hot. He was so not answering that. "Huh, y'know pets." The substitute Shinigami hastily dismissed the question, gesturing for Toshiro to drop the matter. That reminds me I'll have to kill Kon later. Just how do you kill a mod-soul?

"Right." Albeit sceptically, the captain let go. "Listen, I…"

Ichigo dragged his heels on the ground, tracing geometric patterns in the dust to quell the rising tension. Some nail in the fence they were leaning against was poking him hard in the back, but he didn't have the heart to move lest the tiniest shifting spoiled the moment. He knew that tone. It was the kind Toshiro used when something was plaguing his thoughts, and it never held good news.

"I've come to say goodbye. We're heading back to Soul Society."

Indeed. Ichigo pressed his lips tightly together.

Here goes the chance of a lifetime, ne king? What you gonna do about it?

The demi-hollow let out a feeble sigh. He'd always known that would happen eventually. 's just that eventually always seemed bloody far away. "So your mission was declared accomplished then." He stated, surprised at the steadiness in his own voice.

Hitsugaya gave a curt nod. "Matsumoto and the others are telling Orihime as we speak."

"I see." Ichigo replied out of instinct. Then it hit him, way below the belt. "And you've come to see me instead, why?"

Toshiro started, and the substitute Shinigami felt the sudden urge to kick himself in the balls. Gods, I didn't mean to say it out loud! Fuck it. The white-haired boy wouldn't look him in the eye. Ichigo pushed back hard against the goddamn nail, seeking for penance. If he hadn't completely blown it before, he sure as hell had now.

"Does it bother you?"

What? Ichigo was so stunned he threw caution to the wind and actually turned to make eye contact. Sure he must have misheard? "Never said that. I'm just surprised."

They were silent for a long moment. Toshiro seemed to consider fleeing the piercing stare he was being subjected to, but eventually thought against it and drew in a deep drag – careful not to blow out the smoke anywhere near Ichigo's face. "Do you mind it? Being surprised, I mean." He breathed quietly at last.

Never by you, instantly came to the redhead's lips. It took him all his willpower to settle for a more neutral comeback. "Nah. Unless it's Aizen rising again, or, y'know, stuff like that."

Then Ichigo thought there was a fair chance he'd melt into a puddle of sickening teenage crush, because Toshiro actually had a small smile stirring his lips around the cig, and it was so embarrassingly nice to watch he just had to look away. "I don't see that happening anytime soon. You taught Aizen and his crew a lesson they're not likely to forget."

"We all did. Together."

That seemed to strike a nerve, much to Ichigo's bewilderment. The ice captain let his cig drop to the ground and put it out with a heel, the soft smile changing into a bitter scowl. "Yeah. Together."

Ichigo worried his lower lip between his teeth, waiting. For what, he wasn't exactly sure, but somehow it didn't feel like his place to press matters further.

"Listen, Kurosaki." Toshiro's voice sounded impossibly far off, like he was speaking from Seireitei. "I… actually had a reason to come see you."

Ichigo's heart clenched in his chest.

All tension was wiped away though as the taichou's face lit up with something suspiciously close to a smirk. The boy pulled out a crinkled pack from his pocket and removed the lid to expose the content – one cigarette remained. "As you've been told," Toshiro began, handing the packet over, "we've got nothing like this in Soul Society. That means I will need someone to provide me with cigs every time I run out, since being a captain I can hardly come down whenever I please."

Ichigo eyed the wrinkled box in disbelief. "Yeah. You know some would take this as a good chance to quit, right?" No sooner had the words left his mouth, though, than he was already going over them in his head. "Hold on. Where do I fit in the picture?"

The genius Shinigami bit his inner cheek, thus taking his time to answer. He then stretched his arm forward and motioned more deliberately for the carrot-haired teen to grab the packet. "You get to be the one in charge of meeting my need."

Ha! Talking 'bout needs we'd love to…

Ichigo hastily silenced his counterpart's voice. God knows I don't need to deal with him now. "Why me?" He asked bluntly, doubt creasing his brow. "It'd be much simpler to send someone yourself, or better yet have Rukia doin' it, since she's been assigned to patrol Karakura anyway."

His taichou-composure back on, Hitsugaya huffed loudly. "Save the humble crap, Kurosaki. You know very well you're everyone's favourite ryōka." As Ichigo ventured no move to take the packet himself, Toshiro grabbed the youth's hand in his own and made sure all fingers closed around the small object. "Besides," he added, a slight hint of satisfaction in his voice, "Shinigamis are needed in Soul Society, that's why they belong there. And the Kuchikis are nobody's carrier pigeons."

Ichigo – whose brain process had shut down completely the moment Toshiro's cool skin had brushed against his hot one – was brought back to reality with a snap. "So that's what I would be, right? A fuckin' bird!"

So much for glorious dreams of queer romance!

Htisugaya's reaction was nothing like Ichigo had imagined it. The prodigy frowned, back visibly stiffening as though fighting the urge to lean closer. Ichigo never got the chance to question why would Toshiro want to shorten the distance in the first place, though, since whatever the captain had been intending to say was disrupted by a distant calling. "It's not like that. You wouldn't…"

"Oi, taichou!"

Both teens turned abruptly, only to be faced with a waving Ikkaku. Standing right next to him with an armful of bawling Matsumoto was a merciful-looking Yumichika.

Ichigo caught the drift immediately. As Renji had departed earlier with Rukia, the whole real-world party was now setting about leaving. The trio had stopped by to pick the 10th division captain up.

Toshiro obviously realized it as well. His glance drifted to the three officers and back to the substitute Shinigami at his side. "I have to go." He stated in a monotone, then stepped ahead to join the others on the opposite sidewalk.

Ichigo felt like earth was crumbling down beneath his very feet. That is, till he took notice of the packet in his hand. "Oi, wait up!" His voice cracked on the last syllable as Toshiro gazed at him. Shit, am I whipped. "Don't forget your last cig."

For an excruciatingly long moment, all the captain did was stare back like in some kind of daze.

What now? Brain freeze? Bet his reiatsu could do that!

When he finally spoke up, Hitsugaya's words left the redhead agape. "You keep it. I'll be waiting for the delivery at my division headquarters."

How? What? Why? "Are you out of your mind, Toshiro? Just take the goddamn – "

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou. And you really don't want to disobey a direct order of mine, Kurosaki." The smirk on the genius's face was so openly challenging it sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. "I'm off now. Make sure to comply as soon as possible. I can only go about five hours in a row before withdrawal symptoms kick in."

Ichigo was left staring at Toshiro's retreating back, feeling like a complete idiot (Ya mean, the king of idiots, ne? –Hichigo snickered loudly in his head). He barely saw through foggy eyes the 10th and 11th divisions seats waving him goodbye, as the taichou led way without casting him so much as a last glance. Of course there was no need to.

The demi-hollow gazed down at the crinkled packet in his right hand like it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

"HA-HA! I knew it! I KNEW I'd hear some pretty damn interesting things if I acted out cold while you and your boyfriend were chatting! Cat's outta the bag now, Ichigo! No fucking way you'll ever be able to lie again 'bout your fruity love life! And – get that outraged pansy look off your face, it's your own damn fault for always keeping things from me! It's such a waste it makes me wanna cry though – I mean, you've got a friggin' body and all, even if it's not much to look at, and you'd rather take a stick up your ass than go chase some hot chi – IIIIEEEEK! GAAAAAH, ICHIGO, YOU FRUITY BASTARD, DON'T YOU DARE, don't, don't, DON'T COME ANY CLOSER TO ME WITH THAT – WRAAAAAARGH! FIRE! FIIIIIIIIIREEE! Ichigo, you sonuvabitch, blow out that goddamn LIGHTER this instant! I'm made of FLAMMABLE FAAAAAABRIIIIIIIIC!"

.

Poor Kon xD.

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it! Part 3 is already taking shape in my mind, so it shouldn't be long. Please, leave me a comment on your way out if you liked it even a wee bit! *w*

Thanks for visiting this page. ^_^/