A new story! Inspired by my recent obsession with Ichigo x Toshiro, can't get enough! Anyway, this story is set after the movie Bleach 2: Diamond Dust Rebellion. You don't have to watch the movie to read this story, though there will be a couple of spoilers in here. Just know that Kusaka is an old dead friend of Toshiro's who came back from the dead to take over the Seireitei with the help of a Royal powerful thingy known as the Ouin.

If you haven't seen the movie then I say that you should, it's one hell of a good movie! Especially if you love Toshiro like me, and it's a good movie to watch if you love Ichigo too! But, I digress.

Category: Bleach.

Rating: T

Pairings: Ichigo x Toshiro.

Genre: Drama/Romance.

Summary: In some ways they were so similar, so the same. But then again they couldn't have been more different. Sometimes, he just wished reality would drown itself.

WARNINGS: Foul language. Yaoi. Set after Diamond Dust Rebellion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Nor any of its characters.

No more to say except - enjoy!

If Reality Could Drown

Chapter One: Home Is That Way Yonder

Toshiro gently drew his fingers over his bared stomach, across the flesh wound that had caused him so much pain; Kusaka had driven the blade straight in to him, and even now the wound still wept badly. To make matters worse he'd caught some infection and it had slowed down all healing processes, despite Captain Unohana's best efforts. His brow furrowed and he walked to the edge of the bed to claim his clothes; the past may have been laid to rest but it still tugged at him, taking his mind in its hands and sweeping everything away. Three days he'd been stuck in the Squad Four Barracks and Kusaka was all he'd been thinking about, it had begun to make his head ache.

"Hey, Toshiro"

Toshiro whipped round "Ichigo Kurosaki, have you never heard the concept of privacy!" he snapped.

"What? It's not like I'm seeing something new" Ichigo wafted a hand at Toshiro's half bared form "but don't worry, if I see something I've never seen before, I'll giggle at it"

Toshiro's eyes narrowed and he turned from the substitute slipping in to his kimono and haori, he winced as the stretching of his arms caused a flare of pain through his abdomen; turning back to the bed he took up his green sash and slipped it over his shoulder before fastening the buckle.

"Are you sure you're alright to leave?" asked Ichigo "because I've just been talking with Captain Unohana and she's not happy about you leaving so soon"

"I'm perfectly well" Toshiro replied shortly "I don't need you keeping tabs on me"

"Hey, I'm just trying to look out for you, Toshiro"

"I don't need your concern" Toshiro said again "and call me Captain Hitsugaya"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and watched the young Captain; Toshiro gathered the papers he'd been working on only moments before the redhead had entered the room, mainly they were forms that he'd been filling in - something Rangiku should have been doing - and, having found himself lounging on a bed all day, he'd set about completing them. Now he slipped them in to the folds of his haori before turning to the door, which he found blocked by Ichigo; his brow furrowed for a fleeting second before his invisible mask adorned itself on to his features and he asked with a sigh "was there something you wanted, Kurosaki?"

"Uh, actually I came to say goodbye" Ichigo answered.

"You're returning to the World Of The Living"

"Yeah, seeing as the Soul Society seems to be back to its normal self I can go home"

"You make it sound like we can't manage without you" Toshiro commented his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ichigo gave a goofy grin "well, it's starting to seem that way. Face it, Toshiro, if it wasn't for me you'd probably be dead"

"I don't see it quite like that"

"Oh come on, you were half dead when I found you"

"I wasn't"

"You'd lost control of your powers, it was snowing"

"Sometimes the world does snow without my help"

"It's July, Toshiro, it doesn't snow in July" Ichigo raised his eyebrows at the white haired Captain who sighed and relented somewhat.

"You helped me, I thanked you already" Toshiro muttered "now, if you would excuse me, I have work to catch up on" he walked passed the redhead twisting his body so he could slip through the doorway without touching Ichigo "goodbye"

Ichigo watched the Captain walk away down the corridor with a sigh "still don't get that guy" he shook his head and pulled at the red strap that was cutting in to his skin, he turned from the room and followed the same walkway Toshiro had seconds before, it led to the main entrance of the Squad Four Barracks and as Ichigo neared the main door a couple of soul reapers dashed passed him on some errand or other.

Already Toshiro Hitsugaya was out of sight, but Ichigo had found himself used to that now; one moment Toshiro would be there, and then in the blink of an eye he would be gone leaving behind only a few traces of spiritual pressure. He was like that, Ichigo had come to learn, and though the pair of them had settled on some form of friendship it didn't mean Toshiro let anyone closer than an arm's length. Seemingly it was only Momo, and to a lesser extent Rangiku, who he would let read him in any way.

Even Momo seemed to have faded out of his life; she was still in intensive care but as far Ichigo had made out Toshiro hadn't gone to visit her, the captain didn't mention her and whenever she came up in conversation he fell silent. Ichigo supposed it was Hitsugaya's way of protecting himself from further pain.

"Hey, Ichigo"

The soul reaper looked round as Hanataro appeared beside him looking slightly breathless "hey, Hanataro, you going somewhere?"

"I heard from Captain Unohana that Captain Hitsugaya intended to leave, I'm supposed to try and persuade him out of it. But I looked in his room and he was already gone"

"Yeah, you just missed him"

"Oh no!" Hanataro clasped his hands together "oh Captain Unohana's going to be so mad! I can't believe I missed him, I was supposed to make him stay"

"Don't worry about it" Ichigo assured him "short of tying Toshiro down there was no way anyone was keeping him here, the guy's made a beeline for his office"

"But I didn't even get a chance!" Hanataro wailed, "oh I knew I should have come earlier but Renji's been keeping me running about demanding all sorts of pain relief and healing herbs!"

Ichigo snorted, "that Renji, you'd think he could handle a little war wound. He only broke his arm after all, and that wasn't even fighting Kusaka"

"It wasn't? He said that he'd got it in the middle of battle" Hanataro said as he and Ichigo paused at the entrance to the Squad Four Barracks.

"Is that what he said?" Ichigo laughed, "he may have been in the middle of battle but that's not how he broke his arm"

"Then how did he break his arm?"

"He tried to grab Rukia in an arm lock but she dodged him and he fell down a flight of stairs" Ichigo snickered "he dislodged his shoulder and broke his arm trying to pop it back in by himself"

Hanataro blinked "really? He told me that he'd broken his arm protecting the Seireitei"

"He's a Lieutenant, Hanataro, protecting the Seireitei sounds better than getting outmanoeuvred by an unranked officer"

Hanataro smiled "yeah, I guess it does" he looked sideways at Ichigo "so I hear you're leaving today"

"Yup, I'm going back home" Ichigo sighed happily "back to normality once again"

"Have you contacted Uryu and the others?"

"No, the Soul Society haven't been able to make contact with the World Of The Living recently, they say it's due to the Ouin. Apparently residue from the Ouin's power has messed up the signal" Ichigo replied "still, I doubt the guys will be that worried about me, they know I can handle myself and I'm seeing them soon anyway so it's no big deal"

"Please tell them hello from me" Hanataro smiled.

"Will do, Hanataro" Ichigo turned to leave the Squad Four Barracks "you take care of yourself now, and don't let Renji get the better of you either"

"Haha! Right!" Hanataro waved as Ichigo travelled down the walkway "see you soon, Ichigo!"

"Hey, Ichigo, you weren't planning on leaving without saying goodbye?" Renji's head appeared over Ichigo's left shoulder "that would just be unkind"

"I was hoping to avoid you all together" the redhead muttered under his breath.

Renji scowled and gave the substitute a good thwack about the ears "that is no way to talk to an injured man! Have a little respect for those of us who have suffered-"

"You haven't suffered!" Ichigo snorted "you broke your arm when you were squabbling with Rukia, it's your own fault"

"No, it's Rukia's fault" Renji disagreed.

"You're the one that pissed her off!"

"She made a cocky smart-ass remark about my hair!"

"Can you blame her? You look like you've got a shrivelled up pineapple on your head!"

"Why you little- I'm gonna strangle you!" Renji got his free arm round Ichigo's head "ha! Who's the shrivelled pineapple now!"

"Gah- Renji, get off!" Ichigo wiggled ineffectually.

"Ha! Nothing's going to release my grip!" Renji guffawed "you're doomed now!"

"Lieutenant, remove your arm from around that Ryoka's neck"

Renji leapt of his skin and whirled around, Ichigo still in his lock, to see his Captain standing there "Captain!" he dropped Ichigo "I was…uh…"

"Seeing as you seemed to have recovered, Renji, it would be advisable for you to escort myself and the Ryoka to the gate before returning to your daily duties" Byakuya ordered in his emotionless and, it had to be said, condescending tones.

"Y-Yes, Captain, right away!"

Meanwhile, Ichigo had managed to pick himself up from the ground. He glared at Renji "you're just lucky I'm going home, otherwise this could have got messy!"

"I'm lucky?" Renji hooted "you're the one that's lucky, pal! If you weren't going home then things would get more than a little messy!"

"What do you mean, there's a problem?" Ichigo repeated numbly.

He was standing before the great gates that would open up and allow him home; however, Ukitake was standing tall in front of these very same gates with a very dubious expression on his face. Rukia, also present, had the same look as she looked between Ichigo and the gates.

"The gates won't open" she explained, "it must be more residue from the Ouin, it's sealed the gates shut"

"But you can open them, right?" Ichigo asked, "they can be opened?"

"Seemingly not" Ukitake replied, "I've tried various incantations and methods of opening, but none of them are working. The gates won't open"

"Seriously! B-But this is a big crisis!" Renji spluttered as his Captain stood two feet behind him giving the scene a melancholy look.

"Too right this is a big crisis!" Ichigo agreed, "how am I meant to get home?"

"More to the point, how are soul reapers in The Land Of The Living going to get home?" Renji pointed out "there has to be a way"

"We've tried opening the gates" Ukitake replied "even as a group, when we attack, the gates remain shut" he gestured the few members of Squad Thirteen who had accompanied him "nothing is working"

"But there must be another way" Ichigo now looked from Rukia to Ukitake and back again "some other way of getting to The World Of The Living"

"I'm sorry, Ichigo, there is no other way" Ukitake sighed heavily "the Ouin has really messed up all our entrances and exits, the pressure of the power has sealed them and until that seal has been broken the doors are locked"

"So you have to break the seal, that doesn't sound too hard" Ichigo reasoned, as he pulled his Zanpakuto forth "let me have a go at it, I'll have that seal broken in no time"

"Ichigo! That's a bad idea-" Ukitake began but he was cut off by a long drawl that sliced through them all.

"If you attack the door with your Zanpakuto then you could very well break the door itself" Captain Kuchiki said in his slow silent voice "I would refrain from doing so as it would be your entrapment here forever"

Ichigo lowered his sword and glared at Byakuya "so what, you just expect me to wait here patiently while the seal decides to break itself? Does anyone even know how long that'll be?"

Renji looked from the redhead to his captain and then replied with a shrug "for a seal to break the power within it must die and whither out, that could take days, years even"

"How many years!" Ichigo demanded, though he wasn't really convinced he wanted the answer.

Renji looked uncomfortable and gave Rukia a sidelong look before answering, "I'm sorry, Ichigo, I don't know. It could be anything from a week to a hundred years-"

"A HUNDRED YEARS!" roared the substitute "ARE YOU EVEN SERIOUS! I can't stay here for a hundred years! My body would decay; I'd be a rotten corpse, that's if I survived a hundred years in this dammed Soul Society! I have a life to live, things I want to do with my life that don't include sending ghosts-"

"Then I suggest you should refrain from attacking the door" Byakuya turned from the small group and gestured his lieutenant to follow him "if you attack the door with all your power it could reflect off the seal and kill you"

Ichigo gaped in amazement and aggravation as the stoic captain walked silently away, his lieutenant making frantic apologetic gestures as he followed "hey, Byakuya, get back here! You can't just leave me here! What am I going to do?"

"It doesn't look like you have much choice," Rukia pointed out with a sigh "it looks like you're stuck here"

Ichigo scowled and angrily stuffed his Zanpakuto back over his shoulder "great" he said savagely "that's just great that is"

And so Ichigo is stuck in the Soul Society, and it marks the beginning of a story.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading!

Please leave a review.

Kiki