Heroes

By Spunky0ne

(A gift fic for GanymeadeLullaby – Happy belated birthday, Lull!)

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One is a hero that everyone sees and everyone knows his name, but his counterpart is the reason that hero wins…a banished genius whose quiet mind has outthought every wicked enemy, yet he remains shadowy, while the other basks in the sunlight. What happens when one reaches across the distance?

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What happened?

It was so loud before, but then it got really quiet. And all of the pain in my trashed body faded away. The sounds around me seem garbled and far away.

Is someone saying my name?

Ichigo groaned and his eyes cracked open a little. In the fog in front of him, he picked out a pair of gentle grey eyes, a mess of blonde hair that was usually tucked under a green and white striped hat, a little smirk, olive green clothing with a coat that looked the opposite of the captain's haori worn by the shinigamis. Though the man's feet were currently bare, Ichigo knew he often wore clogs. He carried a cane that was really his hidden zanpakuto. He used to be a captain, but Aizen's lies led to him being cast out of Soul Society and forced to reside in the living world.

Yet, even disgrace didn't seem so bad. After all, who wouldn't like running a candy store (at least, on the surface) and a supply shop for Karakura Town's shinigami defenders? It did save him the distraction of running a division, and it relieved him from having to put up with Central 46's sometimes asinine decisions. So, even being banished didn't have to be all bad. Yes, Kisuke Urahara made being banished look pretty damned good…at least to the mentally muddled and heavily battle damaged Ichigo as he laid on his back, watching the shopkeeper slowly heal him.

"That's better," Kisuke chuckled, smirking at him, "I think a little more of this and you'll decide not to leave us."

"Heh," Ichigo chuckled, "Don't know why it matters so much. If I died, I would just go to Soul Society, and that's not so bad, right?"

Kisuke arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? You want to die and leave all of us behind, do you?" he chided the younger man, "That's not very nice."

He left unspoken, the fact that if Ichigo did die and go to Soul Society, Kisuke could not follow him there.

Yup, banished.

Thanks, Aizen, you bastard…

Kisuke was careful not to delve too deeply into that thinking. Torturing himself over the past was hardly going to accomplish anything, and besides, being in Karakura Town meant that Central 46 couldn't interfere with him very much at all. He was free to tinker and to explore. And a great perk of being the Karakura Town candy and shinigami supply shop keeper, was also getting to spend a lot of time with Karakura's and Soul Society's celebrated hero, Ichigo Kurosaki.

A lot of that time is spent patching him up after he nearly kills himself, saving everyone…first, Rukia from execution, then Orihime and all of the rest of us too, from Aizen. And today, he fended off a contingent of Arracncars that could have taken down a couple of Gotei captains. He really makes a mess of himself, but that's where my methods really come in handy. Between the healing spring and my salves and knowledge of his hybrid body, I'm the only one who can cure him so effectively.

"That feels so much better," Ichigo sighed.

Kisuke laughed softly.

"There's nothing that feels better than living to fight another day, eh Ichigo?"

"Ugh, I need a day off," the shinigami substitute complained, "You know, some time where I can just kick back, relax and not have to wreck myself, saving everyone?"

"I understand," Kisuke assured him, leaning over the younger man again to run a check of his vital signs and reiatsu strength, "but it's quiet now. As soon as I'm done, you can do whatever you want, as long as it's not strenuous. Save the mountain climbing and footraces for another time, okay?"

"You've got it," Ichigo chuckled, wincing at the pain it caused.

"Take it easy," Kisuke's soothing voice lulled him as the shopkeeper's fingers traced the side of his face and he let a gentle stream of reiatsu flow into the injured man's body.

Ichigo blinked sleepily, but his mind felt confusion at how the shopkeeper's healing touches were making him feel.

I always feel safe with Kisuke, but what I feel in his hands is different. Come to think of it, as time has been passing, it's been changing slowly.

I wonder what that means.

He tried to think more on that, but Kisuke's calm, luring reiatsu pulled him down into a deep sleep. He dropped off and started snoring, missing entirely when Kisuke's fingertip ran along his almost smiling lips, then the smitten shopkeeper leaned forward and stopped just short of him, pondering whether he dared to give Ichigo a real kiss…even when he was asleep.

Who wouldn't be attracted to this? Wild spikes of ginger strands that are under about as much control as his insane reiatsu, intense golden brown eyes that can jump from friendly to fierce in a second, a strong, muscular body that takes punishment no human ever should and bounces back, a wild hollow spirit inside, alongside a heart that wants to be strong enough to protect everyone.

From head to toe, Ichigo Kurosaki was an anomaly, and there was nothing that Kisuke's genius mind loved more than anomalies. Things that defied the rules and forced him to think out of the box. As a lover of science, and just as a man, he found Ichigo to be completely enthralling.

He looked down at his sleeping crush, trying to imagine Ichigo looking at him as anything other than the Karakura shopkeeper, and the man with all of the answers...the one even Central 46 would turn to, despite having banished him. He wished just for once Ichigo would look at him the way a man looks at his lover.

Right.

I thought that after being screwed over, first by Aizen, who was supposed to be a comrade and friend, then by Central 46, I came up with a million reasons why falling in love would be a bad idea. If being a leader and being a comrade and friend require trust, being a lover requires even more trust. Trusting people is the one place I've been tripped up. I don't need to suffer like that again.

That's what I've thought, anyway.

But I look at Ichigo, and it doesn't matter how much of a damned genius I am or how wise my pain made me…I just want him.

"That's not a happy expression," Ichigo said suddenly, taking the shopkeeper completely by surprise and scattering his thoughts, "What's on your mind, Kisuke?"

I love you?

I wanna kiss you?

Something?

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Eh, you're not supposed to be awake," he said finally, "Of course, you have a knack for not following the rules, don't you?"

Ichigo's head tilted slightly and he frowned.

"You didn't answer my question," he complained, "You looked like something was wrong. What's up?"

"Not sure I follow you," Kisuke chuckled good-naturedly, "I might have just been puzzling over something while you were occupied with sleeping."

"Oh," Ichigo said, scratching his head, then starting to sit up.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kisuke objected, "I'm not done with you yet. Lie down. You're barely held together. At least get a good night's rest before you go running off to save the world again."

"I'm not going anywhere," the younger man chuckled, "I was just thinking it would be nice to take a little break from everything."

Kisuke smiled.

"Well, it'd be good for you," he said approvingly.

Ichigo sighed.

"But I don't know where I'd like to go."

The shopkeeper laughed softly.

"You're a shinigami. You can go pretty much anywhere in the world. So, knowing that, what sounds good to you? A mountain hideaway? A tropical island? Disneyland?"

"Huh," Ichigo said, considering, "where do you like to go for relaxation? Is there a special place in the world you like?"

The shopkeeper gave him a little smirk.

"Well, it's not in the world, or I should say, it's not in the living world exactly."

"Uh, then where is it?"

"Why? You wanna see it?"

"Well, yeah," Ichigo laughed, "Now that you mention it. You make it sound kinda mysterious."

The shopkeeper shrugged.

"It's a work in progress. I work on it a little whenever I have some time. It's a good place to relax and think."

"Like Byakuya's gardens?"

"Kind of. But not exactly."

Kisuke was touched by the look of intense curiosity that flooded his younger companion's twinkling eyes and handsome face.

"Now you've got me really curious. Let's go there!" Ichigo said excitedly.

"Hold on. Wait a minute," Kisuke objected, "You shouldn't be running around."

"Why? How far is it? What kind of place is it?"

"Eh, well, it's a good place to eat, sleep and think…and to train. I guess you could say it's a place I'd like to retire to someday."

"Can we go there now?"

"What's all of the interest?" Kisuke laughed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

"I just wanna see it. Do you go there often? Does Tessai go there with you? And the kids?"

"Nope," Kisuke answered, "No one goes there with me."

Ichigo paused and studied him quietly for a moment.

"Oh," he said more solemnly, "so it's a private place. Okay, then. We don't have to go there. I was just curious what kind of place you would like so much."

The shopkeeper shrugged.

"We can go there."

"But, I thought you said…"

"Just because I haven't taken anyone there yet, doesn't mean I don't want to," he assured Ichigo.

"I don't want to intrude or anything."

"You're not intruding," Kisuke laughed, "It's actually a good place for you to rest and restore your reiatsu. So, you wanna go now?"

Ichigo looked down at the simple white yukata he wore.

"Maybe I should get dressed first," he suggested.

"Nah, come as you are. No one's there to notice but you and me."

"Okay."

Kisuke helped Ichigo to his feet.

"Take it easy, now. Don't push yourself."

"Yeah," the ginger-haired man said, placing a hand on his side, where a wound was healing, "I get it. I'll take it easy."

They headed down the shop's hallway and down, into the underground training room. Kisuke started to open a senkaimon, then he paused, blinking in surprise as the younger man leaned on him a little.

"Sorry, I'm just kinda beat," Ichigo confessed, "but I really wanna see this."

"Okay, it's not far," Kisuke said, leading him into the precipice world.

"It's in here?" Ichigo asked, looking around at the odd, sticky looking walls of the corridor, "I mean, I know there are doorways to other places, but…"

"You're right about that," Kisuke affirmed, helping him along, "A lot of them are uninhabitable and some have been used by Central 46 and other folks to trap dangerous people or creatures, so we don't have to deal with them. This one is one I discovered, and I kinda liked it, so I made it into a little thinking spot…then it sorta grew into a little hideaway."

He stopped in front of a place where Ichigo sensed a little touch of the shopkeeper's reiatsu had been implanted to mark the spot.

"Huh," Ichigo mused, "Isn't that also a marker that means Dangerous: Do Not Enter?"

"Very astute," Kisuke chuckled, "Don't want people sneaking in there, so I keep it locked and labeled dangerous. The only danger in there is the danger you'll never wanna leave."

"Oh," Ichigo said, standing back as Kisuke traced an intricate shape on the exit door, and the doorway slowly opened.

"After you."

Ichigo stepped through the doorway and froze, staring at the beautiful world in front of him. Green grass, lovely, colorful flowers and blossoming trees grew everywhere. A lovely little cottage stood on the shore of a tranquil lake that had a small dock and a little boat with oars for rowing. Trails wandered lazily about and the calls of birds, cheeky chittering of squirrels and the soft buzz of insects filled the air. The sky was intense blue and the air pure and fresh.

"Wow!" Ichigo breathed, "You weren't kidding that I wouldn't wanna leave. This place is…amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it," Kisuke said, feeling a warm twinge inside, "Come on into the cottage and we'll eat."

"Okay."

"Although," he laughed softly, "our reiatsu would restore at a higher rate, even if we didn't eat, because of a reiatsu booster I added to the atmosphere here. This is actually a great place for you to recover."

"Man! You think of everything," Ichigo said appreciatively.

"Eh, somebody's got to stay ahead of the maniacs and monsters that threaten us, right?"

Ichigo gave him a surprisingly weighted look as the two entered the little cottage together.

"Yeah," he agreed more softly, looking around at the cozy furniture and simple décor, "that's right."

"You okay?" the shopkeeper asked.

Ichigo sighed.

"I guess," he sighed, "It's just that, when you said that…I kinda felt like, I don't know. It's stupid, maybe, but it's this feeling I sometimes get…that I wish…"

Ichigo made a sound of surprise as Kisuke turned to face him, and the shopkeeper's grey eyes captured his.

"Responsibility like what we have is heavy," Kisuke acknowledged, "It's natural to wish sometimes that there was someone else, but it doesn't mean that you don't want to be a hero. You still want to protect everyone."

Ichigo gazed at him silently for a moment.

"What?" Kisuke mused aloud, shaking his head.

"I was just wondering if you were talking about you, about me…or about us."

"I'm no hero," Kisuke chuckled, "I just make the plans, send the heroes and pick up the pieces."

He wasn't sure when Ichigo has stepped closer or how he had become frozen in place, looking into those golden brown orbs as they came closer and Ichigo's strong arms curled around him. It was easy to give in to the warm, rosy lips that sought his and caressed them tenderly.

"You're my hero," Ichigo whispered, meeting him for a longer, open-mouthed kiss, "Don't ever forget that."