Welcome to my next fic. Don't worry, I will be updating my other ones.
This story was inspired by a book I once read a while ago, although this one is obviously about Bleach and not a woman who likes army men. Now that was a strange book.
DISCLAIMER: The author does not own BLEACH or any of the characters involved. All characters depicted in this fanfiction are of legal age. No money is made from this story.
WARNINGS: Yaoi (man on man relations) swearing, molestation, etc.
The Berry and the Yakuza.
Prologue.
Kon to Ichigo: You wouldn't recognize a good time if it were to land in your lap and wriggle.
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at the instant message from his twin brother- his fraternal, meaner twin, who had nothing in common with him besides a last name and slightly similar appearance-and felt his blood boil.
It was long past midnight. His last artwork he'd worked so hard on to complete only received a hundred dollars. His career as artist was in the crapper and had been heading there for months. Ichigo wasn't looking at making it a full time career, but it was the only way he could get money to pay his rent. He was unable to get a job because his studies at university took up too much time and always wore him out. Once, twice, again he thunked his head against his kitchen table that doubled as a work station. His research material and computer printouts of reference material were piled under his chair, all over his countertops and stuffed in the nearby plate rack that made a really creative filing system. And now his ever- helpful twin who thought he knew everything because he had pushed himself out of the womb two minutes before Ichigo wanted to tell him how to have a good time?
Rubbing his now sore head, he wondered if anyone had popularized GTH as an email acronym. Go to... Hell fit Ichigo's response quite aptly.
Ichigo to Kon: I don't need a vacation!
Ichigo typed back, picturing his twin on the other side of the country.
Kon lived in Tokyo, a good six hundred kilometers from Ichigo's plot of dirt in Karakura Town. Ichigo had come by his small apartment near the University thanks to a brilliant real- estate agent and a small inheritance from his goofy father that he didn't like to remember. He was very content to stay where his roots are, but his father whined about his little boy never growing up and decided that living by himself would be better for his sanity. The brother who thought he knew everything from which wine to pour with a cheeseburger to what men Ichigo should date.
Like now. Ichigo's eyes went straight to the vacation brochure glaring at him from beside his computer. Kon had been given a pass for a two week trip to a place in Japan that Ichigo had never heard of before, and was convinced that Ichigo had to have it. He had been on his high horse about how Ichigo had been working too hard, and had to take a break. The reason why he had been so busy lately was because of his stupid brother, Kon. Kon had recently been promoted to the leading District Doctor at the hospital he worked at- and took every opportunity to rub it in Ichigo's face since he was still learning to be an architect. It wasn't his fault that it was taking him so long! It was that perverted teacher, Grimmjow- Sensei who decided to take the mentality of 'hands on learning' too seriously.
Kon to Ichigo: You haven't been out of that shitty piece of dirt you call a town in months. His twin typed back, the instant message tone chiming.
Kon to Ichigo: It's bad enough you don't get nearly enough fresh food out there, but you're turning into a hermit. Social skills disappear if you don't use them, Ichi.
Ichigo rolled his eyes at the use of the endearment and the chain of smiley- faced emoticons that followed. Too bad there wasn't an emoticon for smugness.
Kon did strike a sore spot with the bit about his social skills, though. Ichigo had a reason to be antisocial after a traumatic incident where he had been present when his mother was killed by an unknown person in an attempt to save his own life. That made him cautious. Appreciative of his privacy. And pretty damn picky when it came to who he let into his life.
That is why he decided to go into architecture. Ichigo figured that he could just isolate himself from everyone if everything became too stressful to work on his projects. From what Ichigo knew, the business could be quite quiet. Exactly what Ichigo wanted in a job.
Kon to Ichigo:You're far more worried about looking good in front of Dad than me.
Came the quick message from Kon, the crisp, typed letters blinking back at Ichigo.
Damn straight.
Ichigo to Kon: Cut the crap, Kon.
One in the morning was too late for diplomacy, Ichigo decided, typing away with tired fingers. He was about to close the instant messenger window to end the conversation and plot his next big splash in the world of art, but his big brothers newest note was already popping open.
Kon to Ichigo:The e- ticket is already in your inbox. I can't take it right now because work is getting stressful with the new promotion and all.
The note was followed by the tone that indicated that Kon had signed off, ensuring his twin had the last word. As per usual.
An wasn't it amusing that Kon though that Ichigo was a hermit with no social skills, yet all Kon does is work. Dear god, what if he was more like his brother in more ways than he realized?
Suddenly tempted by that ticket, if only to prove that he hadn't turned antisocial in the years since high-school, Ichigo allowed his mouse to to hover over the icon for his email inbox and yanked it away. He refused to get sucked into hid brother's Dr. Phill act. Kon loved to prescribe other people's life paths. Just because he was a doctor. That's probably what made him so popular. Some people needed direction in life.
Ichigo was not one of them.
Instead he clicked on the file containing his latest secret weapon. He had hoped to get it done by the end of the month in time to pay his rent. But that looked to be an unrealistic dream.
Before Ichigo would be forced to either back in with the crazy lunatic that he called a father or the annoying narcissistic bastard of a brother who also goes by the name of Kon.
Both meant admitting weakness, something that Ichigo was not going to do so easily.
Ichigo looked back at his files and sighed. Moving his mouse over to the Internet icon he opened the Webpage for the retreat and scanned the photos. He had to admit that the place did look beautiful, not to mention relaxing. Tapping the keys gave him more information about the place as well as some of the locations nearby. Ichigo felt his eyes widen. Some if the places nearby were just screaming to be painted, to be put down on canvas and sold for major yen.
The retreat suddenly didn't look so bad now. Maybe Ichigo would go, even if it would mean that his pride would have to give a bit.
A/N: So what do you think? Have potential to be a story?
I hope so.
Anyway, look out for the next chapter, I shall be posting it soon!
Please review.