Author's Notes: Okay, this'll take a bit of explaining, so PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!
I love Yumichika, and I love IkkaYumi. They just seem so right together. This fanfiction contains IkkaYumi with a huge twist. Yumichika is a woman in this story. Yes, you read that right: Yumichika is female in this fanfic. The reason is simple. When I first saw Yumichika while reading the manga, I thought he was a woman. Everyone knows how effeminate Kubo-sensei designed him to be, and while reading manga, you can't hear their voices. I therefore thought he was a tallish, small-chested woman. I was a bit disappointed to find out he was indeed a man, as I thought I had found a kickass woman warrior. I eventually realized how lovely IkkaYumi is, so my disappointment wore off. But, I still think it would have been great if Yumichika had really been female, as truly awesome female characters are few and far-between, no matter what genre of entertainment you're talking about. That is my reason for making Yumichika a woman in this story. In no way am I changing his gender because I'm a "yaoi-phobe," or something dumb like that. Read my other IkkaYumi fics—and a large number of my non-Bleach fics—and you'll realize that I do indeed love yaoi and shounen ai. Therefore, I would appreciate not getting accusations of homophobia leveled at me. That happened several years back with another fiction I wrote in which a male character was changed to a female (due to my hearing the rumor that that character had originally been female in early development, but was changed to a male for various reasons). If you look at even the summaries of my long list of fictions, you'll realize that such accusations are unfounded and therefore patently absurd.
With that said, I should issue a warning. This story contains graphic content, including sex of both consensual and nonconsensual nature. If you'd rather not read something like that, please go elsewhere. I've read worse, as well as written my fair share of it, but I'm putting out a warning just the same. Better safe than sorry.
Bleach and all characters therein belong to Kubo Tite. No financial gain is incurred by the writing of this story. That should go without saying.
The Price of Freedom
By Annie-chan
Chapter One: Disturbance
THWACK
Yumichika skidded backward from her opponent, her tabi socks sliding over the smooth wooden floor. Quickly regaining her footing, she again brought the bokken in her hands up in front of her, stance wary. The impact had reverberated up to her shoulders, so she tightened her grip on the wooden practice sword, resolving not to be taken off guard again.
"Nice block," Ikkaku grinned, holding an identical practice sword in his right hand. "I almost got a hit in this time."
"But you didn't," Yumichika countered, a hint of a smile gracing her lips as well. "And I won't let you get so close next time."
"We'll see," Ikkaku said, switching the bokken back to his left hand. "Why don't you come at me now? You've been on the defensive this whole time."
"Hmph. Gladly." Without hesitation, Yumichika lunged forward, swinging her bokken in a wide arc.
The two of them were sparring in the Eleventh Division's main training room. It was late afternoon, so most of the division members, including the captain and vice-captain, had disbanded for the evening. Yumichika and Ikkaku were the only ones who hadn't left yet. As such, the third and fifth seats had the large room to themselves, meaning they didn't have to hold back in their maneuvers. One of them had made the remark that they hadn't had a good match in a while, which soon led to them facing off against each other, each determined to show the other what they were made of.
Ikkaku watched his longtime companion as she moved fluidly in front of and around him. He didn't just watch her actions, trying to determine where she'd strike next; he watched her. Besides Yachiru, she was the only female in the Eleventh Division. Not only that, but she was a deadlier warrior than all but only two of the men, those being Zaraki and Ikkaku himself. Everyone knew the fourth seat wasn't her superior in any way, shape, or form, and only had a higher rank than her because of her refusal to accept the fourth seat, settling instead for the fifth.
This woman fascinated him. They had met each other in Rukongai, long before either had become a shinigami, and had been lovers since shortly after they met. They had had a rocky start, she taking issue with his appetite for violence and he labeling her a high-maintenance drama queen. Time and experience had played their role, however, and over the years they had formed a bond with each other that only seemed to grow stronger with each passing season. They truly were each other's counterparts, and neither could imagine life without the other. That's just how things were for them.
The strong, lithe body of the fifth seat moved in perfect harmony with the weapon in her hands, and Ikkaku felt a grin splitting his lips again. He knew every intimate detail of that body, and she was just as thoroughly acquainted with his. Fighting against her was entirely different than watching her fight someone else, and Ikkaku was not exactly surprised to find that it was turning him on. They hadn't done this in a long time, not with such abandon as now, and he was beginning to feel aroused by the sound of her panting, the impact of their weapons against each other, the intense look in her violet eyes.
Finally, on a split-second decision, his sword switched hands again, his left hand snapping out to grasp her right wrist, her sword hand. This was not a move she was expecting, and she was unable to react before he pulled her against his body, smashing their lips together.
Yumichika squeaked in surprise, her breath stolen by the unexpected kiss. His tongue was in her mouth, his right arm wrapped securely around her waist, his left hand still grasping her wrist. Her eyes fluttered closed, the sensations overtaking her, a soft moan coming from her throat. Ikkaku was far from predictable, but he was rarely this spontaneous. Her free arm wound itself loosely around his neck, the fingers of her captive hand relaxing. The practice sword fell to the floor with a clatter, forgotten.
Ikkaku pulled away when the weapon hit the floor, a mischievous spark in his black eyes. "Disarmed you. I win."
"Wha…?" Yumichika asked dumbly, momentarily confused by the statement, her brain still immersed in the kiss. When she realized a second later what he was saying, her eyes widened in shock. "THAT WAS A DIRTY, ROTTEN TRICK, YOU CHEATING ASSHOLE!" she shrieked, pushing him violently away.
Ikkaku laughed, letting her shove him. His feisty lover had a temper that was well-nigh legendary, and he knew he'd get this sort of reaction. He managed, though just barely, to block a punch aimed for his face, sparing his jaw a painful impact. His eyes met Yumichika's furious ones, feeling another surge of arousal at what he saw.
"If you'd done that in front of the division, I'd never live it down!" Yumichika raged on, her fist shaking in Ikkaku's grip.
"Oh, come on," Ikkaku teased. "I know you like it when I kiss you unexpectedly."
"Not like that!" Yumichika snarled. "You would have humiliated me!"
"Really, Yumi," Ikkaku chided, pulling her closer again. "I'd never humiliate you in front of the guys. I love you too much for that."
"I know," Yumichika muttered petulantly. She brought her hand up and deftly clapped it over his mouth as he leaned forward, forestalling another kiss. "You're lucky I love you, too, or I'd have killed you a thousand times over by now."
"I give thanks every day for it," he said against her palm, his voice muffled. His tongue darted out, tasting the salt on her skin. He smiled when her hand jerked back reflexively. His path cleared, he leaned forward again, pressing their lips together in a wet, open-mouthed kiss. He felt more than heard her groan, the tenseness in her body draining away as she gave in to his advances.
Yumichika mentally rolled her eyes. If anyone got horny from fighting, it was Ikkaku. She wasn't exactly complaining, though. He knew how to play her body like a fiddle, and though he infuriated her on occasion, she really did love him. This wild, passionate man desired only her, and she'd be insane not to take every bit of pleasure and devotion he had to offer. She affected him just as deeply, and he had admitted to her and only her just how safe and sheltered he felt while in her arms. They made each other whole.
"If you ever pull that stunt again," she murmured into his mouth, "especially in front of the division, I will castrate you with your own zanpakutou."
"Nah, you wouldn't castrate me," Ikkaku chuckled. "You like this—" he ground their bodies together "—too much."
Yumichika whimpered. "You got me there…ahhh…" She sighed as his hands slid up her sides, his thumbs brushing over her small breasts. She felt her nipples tingle, starting to tighten.
"Mmm…"
The Tenth Division shinigami sighed loudly. Guard duty was always so boring. Almost nothing of note ever happened along the barrier between Rukongai and Seireitei, and most of what did happen wasn't anything shinigami were needed for. He was thankful the responsibility was rotated among shinigami of all the thirteen divisions, as he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it if this was all he did every day.
"I feel your pain, man," a female voice said nearby. He was currently partnered with a shinigami from the Eighth Division, as each post along Seireitei's walls was manned by two guards at all times. The post they had been assigned to was close to the boundary between the Eleventh Division's territory and that of the Twelfth. "Just be glad this is your last day for a while. I still have a few days to go."
"I am glad," the male shinigami replied. "It seems almost pointless, just sitting around waiting for nothing to happen."
"True," the woman shrugged. "You have to understand the higher-ups' position, though. If we become lax, things will happen that could otherwise have been prevented."
"Yeah, I know," the man said with another sigh. "Doesn't make it any less boring, though." Security throughout Seireitei had been significantly tightened since the murder of the Central 46 and the defection of three captains. No longer were mere hollows the biggest threat to the peace; now the very real possibility, an almost certainty, of attack by the insanely powerful Aizen Sousuke and his arrancar hung heavily upon everyone's consciousness. The Tenth Division shinigami understood the need for watchfulness, but when you were the one saddled with watching, things could get incredibly tedious.
High above them, for now escaping their notice, a crack appeared in the sky.
"The training room floor?" Yumichika panted, raising an eyebrow in question. She was currently on said floor, her arms around Ikkaku's neck and shoulders, legs spread. Ikkaku knelt between her legs, working the folds of her kosode open and loosening the tie of her hakama.
"Not like this is the first time we've done this in here," Ikkaku muttered against her neck, mouthing the delicate skin there. "Since when do you care where we have sex?"
"I don't," she admitted, tugging at his collar. She lifted her hips once he finished with her sash, letting him pull her hakama from her legs. Her kosode, now no longer fastened either, fell open, revealing her glorious body to him.
"So beautiful…" Ikkaku breathed, kissing down her neck to her chest. "So fucking perfect." He never got tired of seeing her like this, naked and aroused and needing his attentions. Even after so many years, Yumichika took his breath away.
She gave a keening whine as his wet mouth closed over a nipple, nibbling and sucking at the highly sensitive flesh. He coaxed it into a hard peak, then without pause switched to the other one, giving it the same treatment. One hand had slipped into her underwear, probing fingers massaging her feminine folds, then sliding into her passage and thrusting shallowly. She cried out loudly as he simultaneously brushed her sweet spot and pressed his thumb firmly against her engorged clit. Wetness surged from her core, her body begging to be penetrated with more than just fingers.
Yes. She was ready.
Pulling his hand from her, receiving a growl of protest as he did so, Ikkaku made quick work of his own clothes. Yanking the skirt of his kosode from the confines of his hakama, he practically ripped the knot from his sash and pushed the lower garment halfway down his thighs. He didn't have the patience at the moment to get fully undressed. Yumichika's kosode was still hanging from her arms after all, and she wasn't complaining.
He pulled her underwear, the last bit of clothing standing between them, from her hips with enough force to snap the flimsy fabric. Yumichika, normally so particular about her clothes, said nothing. She wasn't in any position to care right now.
Ikkaku pulled them together and buried his length in her with a snarl, biting down on her shoulder. He was so hard he hurt. Her tight, inner walls clenching around him was both an incredible relief and an intolerable torture, and he immediately took up a frantic pace, slamming into her with abandon.
Yumichika cried out shrilly as he penetrated her fully with one solid thrust. She clenched hard around him, so hard she almost mistook it for an orgasm. Her hands clawed at his still-clothed shoulders, seeking something to grasp, something to anchor herself to. She gripped the back of his neck, her nails digging into his skin as he lapped at her shoulder, soothing the bite with his tongue.
He rode her hard and fast, gripping her hips with both hands. His hot breath rushed over her neck and shoulder, his mouth wide and panting against her skin as he succumbed to pure instinct. Sounds and scents filled the air, driving them both toward blissful completion.
This was not soft, gentle lovemaking. This was not what they indulged in for what could stretch into hours, focused on wringing as much pleasure from each other as possible. This was primal, ravaging need…and Yumichika loved it. She reveled in the animalistic passion just as much as she did the slower, sweeter stuff. She welcomed this manifestation of their desire with open arms and open legs, and she clung to him as he utterly ravished her, screaming and moaning her pleasure to the ceiling.
"K…Kaku…!" she whimpered, the tension building within her approaching unbearable. He was striking her sweet spot with every thrust, sending bolts of pleasure sizzling through her relentlessly. "Ikkaku…! Ikkaku!"
One of his hands left her hips and slid between them. A sudden touch upon the center of her ecstasy, little more than a light brush of fingers, and she tumbled over the precipice she had been perched upon. The tension released, unfurling into every corner of her being, wave after wave of bliss rolling through her, her vision going white. She managed only a breathy sob, her voice cut off by the sheer amount of sensation surging through her.
Ikkaku almost lost it when she did, her writhing and clenching and near-violent trembling nearly undoing him. He managed to keep control, however, drinking in his lover's rapture. Only when she began to relax, only when he knew she was coming down from her high, did he let himself go, giving her one last powerful thrust before emptying himself into her depths with a harsh cry.
"Wh-what the hell is that?" the shinigami from the Tenth Division cried out in shock. He drew his sword, holding it in a defensive stance, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.
High above Seireitei, almost directly over the boundary wall, the sky had split open. A gaping rent now hung ominously over the city, a spider web of cracks radiating out from the jagged edges. Icy reiatsu poured from the hole, demonic and ravenous, and an observer would just be able to make out a few silhouettes standing against the even deeper darkness behind.
"It's like the thing that appeared in the sky when Aizen betrayed us," the shinigami from the Eighth Division said, her voice low in both awe and horror. She stared at the apparition for a moment, frozen, before her hand flew to her throat, activating the emergency communication device all guards were required to wear while on duty. "Mayday, mayday, mayday! A dimensional portal has opened over the Eleventh and Twelfth Divisions! Enemy combatants are visible on the other side! It's an invasion!"
Four figures, all resembling shinigami much too closely for anyone's comfort, descended rapidly toward the ground, swords in hand.
"Love you, Yumi," Ikkaku murmured between kisses, his fingers stroking through her hair affectionately. "Love you."
"Mmm…love you, too," Yumichika sighed, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm. "That was so good…"
"You okay?" Ikkaku checked, meeting her eyes. "It got pretty intense there. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Of course not," Yumichika giggled, amusement in her gaze. She leaned up and kissed him, her hand caressing his cheek. "I know you'll never hurt me. I trust you."
He smiled softly, returning the kiss. No one brought his tender side out like Yumichika did. She had been the first to see that side of him, in fact she had made him realize he even had a tender side, and she would be the last. She was the only one precious enough to him to warrant revealing that side of himself. He had no doubt about this.
Yumichika put her arms around Ikkaku, holding him tightly. Fast or slow, rough or gentle, she never felt more complete than when they made love. She hadn't had any other partners since the two of them realized they loved each other, nor had she ever desired any. No one else could satisfy her like he could, and no one else instilled such powerful emotions in her like he did. She hadn't believed in perfect matches or "soulmates" before meeting him, but now there was no doubt in her mind that he was indeed the perfect match for her.
"We should get home," Ikkaku said, extracting himself from her embrace. He grinned mischievously. "There're still plenty of things I want to do to you tonight, my dear."
"You horny ape," she chided, though she was smiling as well. It sounded like they were in for a long night.
The third seat laughed, retrieving her discarded hakama and handing it to her. He then went about fixing his own clothes. It wouldn't be wise to return home half-naked, even by shunpou.
Yumichika pulled the loose garment back over her legs, tucking the skirt of her kosode into it and then retying the sash. She made a sound of annoyance. "I'm going to be sticky until I can get to a bath," she huffed.
"I don't recall you complaining too much while we were actually doing it," Ikkaku reminded her, grinning widely. He knew it was a spurious complaint. One thing that turned him on the most about his lover, and also garnered a great amount of respect from him, was that she wasn't shy about her sexuality at all. Too many of the women he had been with before her had been timid, almost scared of sex and the way their bodies reacted to it. Yumichika, on the other hand, embraced her carnal urges fully, was not ashamed of her body, and was anything but a passive participant between the sheets. "Proper" people viewed women like Yumichika as "sluts," and she had indeed endured the insult on more than one occasion, but there was nothing slutty about her that Ikkaku could see. She had never been one to sleep around indiscriminately, chasing only brief, meaningless pleasure. She valued emotional connections very highly; she just wasn't afraid to indulge her physical desires at the same time.
"Oh, I'm not complaining," she countered. Her voice lowered, sultry being the only appropriate word to describe it. "I like feeling you on my skin, dripping down my legs. No, I love it."
"You little minx," he breathed, her voice, soft as it was, hitting him like a hammer. If she wasn't careful, he was going to take her right there on the floor again, and he told her so in no uncertain terms.
Yumichika laughed, standing. She then spotted her underwear on the floor, one of the side seams popped. She picked it up, clucking her tongue. "Look what you did, Ikkaku," she sighed. "This was such a cute pair, too."
"It's not my fault they make those things so flimsy," Ikkaku snorted. "Maybe you should just go without them altogether."
The wisteria-eyed woman was just about to bite out a retort when they heard it.
An alarm was going off. A very loud, almost earsplitting alarm. Neither one of them had ever heard it outside of drills, and it took them both a moment to recognize what it meant.
"That's…" Yumichika began.
"Enemy combatants," Ikkaku nodded, his face and voice suddenly grim. "We're being invaded."
"Arrancar…?"
"Maybe. C'mon."
Moving quickly, they retrieved their zanpakutou from the arms racks and their waraji from by the door. Donning the straw footwear and gripping their weapons tightly, they rushed from the room, navigating the halls to the nearest exit to the outside.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: I should probably let you guys know that this fanfic's storyline won't entirely jive with canon. It's AU in more ways than Yumichika being a woman. It's probably more accurate to call it an alternate timeline/reality than an alternate universe, as the setting and characters are the same as in canon, it's just that not everything will happen as Kubo-sensei intended it. That's kinda the point of fanfiction, though. If I'm going to expect you guys to accept something as significant as a character swapping genders, then I don't think playing around with the story will be that big of a deal.
I'm hoping Ikkaku and Yumichika's emotions regarding each other aren't too sappy. I want them to be passionate but believable. I'll be severely disappointed, though, if people think I'm writing Yumichika as a slut. I know there are plenty of people out there who equate robust sexual appetite in a female with sluttishness, and I really hope none of you guys do. I explained in the story itself why she shouldn't be viewed that way. If you think she's a whore for accepting her sexuality, then you have issues that I can't help you with.
Please, please, please leave a review. I want to know if you guys are interested in continuing to read a story where Yumichika is female. I can't be the only person who thinks it would have been neat if he really had been a woman. If you're just going to tell me that I'm an idiot or a homophobe for turning "he" into "she," though, don't bother. I don't need that kind of knee-jerk jackassery, thank you very much.
One last thing: The title of this story is taken from the Crisis Core soundtrack. Those of you familiar with Crisis Core may recognize a parallel or two between that story and this one. If you don't, though, it's not that important. If you're not familiar with Crisis Core, well…at least you know where I got my title from.
