"Ichigo-taichou! What are you doing here?"

He looked up at the other, who was leaning out a window. "I need to borrow you," he said.

Tsuzuki blinked. "Me? Why?"

"Your kido skills, specifically."

The girl jumped down to join him on the ground. "What for?"

Ichigo reached into his shihakusho. "Rukia was forcing me to read some kido shit a while ago," he said, deciding to leave out that the woman had grown sick of him moping around her office. "I came across this incantation, though," he told her, handing her the torn textbook page.

"Yeah, I've seen this before," she replied, scanning the highlighted portion of the paper. "A sealing kido for reiatsu. I'm pretty good with sealings, as long as I use the incan- did you want to try this on... him?"

"That is where you come in."

"Ichigo-taichou, this requires outside reiatsu to bind the target reiatsu. Quite a bit of it."

"That's where I come in."

"But what if it's too much?"

"That's where Orihime comes in."

"And it could stunt his growth."

"You see that as a problem?"

Tsuzuki was about to protest once more, but then fell victim to determined brown eyes. She was not the first, nor would be the last. He just wanted to protect his love any way he could, and this was what he had. She couldn't deny him that.

"All right. Let me tell Orihime."

Almost a half hour later, the two girls stood around the white-haired baby's crib.

"Aw, Shiro-chan's even cuter!" the healer cooed.

"He'll get you for that when he's older," her girlfriend warned her. The other only giggled. Ichigo stood off to the side. Basking in the familiar reiatsu was one thing, but seeing his lover as a small child was a bit much. He didn't have a choice though. Tsuzuki beckoned him over to preform the kido.

"This'll make things easier on us, too," the female shinigami was saying. "Less Hollows. It's quiet now, but there were 4 or 5 when he got home."

"That's the idea," the taichou told her, eyes suddenly fixed on the sleeping baby before him. He had to admit, at least to himself, Toushiro was frickin' adorable.

"Ready, Ichigo-taichou?"

"Yeah. Where'd...?"

"Orihime has the paper," she replied, nodding to her girlfriend, now in a corner of the room. "I don't need it."

"You have it memorized already?"

"I told you I'd seen it before. I only need to see the incantations once."

"Damn. "

The female shinigami's cheeks suddenly felt quite warm.

"Kay, whenever you're ready."

Tsuzuki focused her own gray eyes on the baby boy. She took one of the his tiny hands in her own, then Ichigo's in the other. Eyes now closed, she muttered the incantation.

"Follow the night from the darkness, Keep the banner from all sight, Now is not the time for flight; The wings of the swan fold closed. Sealing Art 34: Close!"

As soon as she finished, Ichigo felt much of his reiatsu leave him, then could barely sense the child's. The girls caught him as he lost his balance.

"Ichigo-taichou?"

"Kurosaki-kun! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he told then, now steadying himself against a wall. "I'll just hang around here for a few minutes. You two can go."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Inoue, I just need to stay in one place awhile."

"Yeah, cus you're so good at that," the fifth seat remarked.

"Can it. You guys can go back to... whatever it was you were doing."

"Oh! Tsu-chan! Your sundaes!"

"They're still out? I thought you-"

"But you said you-"

Tsuzuki took Orihime around the waist and flash-stepped out.

Ichigo allowed himself a small smile before his gaze returned to the crib. It could have been a few minutes or much longer, but he finally found the strength to close the distance between the two of them once more. He leaned against the bars of the crib, a part of him envying the sweet oblivion the other was enjoying.

"You got it made right now, you know that, Toushiro?"

"Get. Away. From. My. Son."

Ichigo snapped to attention at the sound of the woman's voice. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him, but that wasn't her only weapon: a katana was drawn in her hand, aimed for him. 'Just my luck. She can see me. She was carrying Toushiro..'

Instinctively, he held his hands up in surrender as the baby began to cry. "Hey, hey! I'm not gonna hurt him! Believe me!"

In his head, Shiro laughed heartily. 'Said the man with the 6 foot sword!'

The woman's expression did not change; she drew closer to the crib as he backed away. "What are you doing here then? Who are you?"

After mentally telling his hollow to shut the fuck up, he replied, "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. It may be hard to believe, but I'm... I'm a friend of your son's." Close enough.

"That's impossible. Why should I believe that?"

"I guess you could think of me as a guardian. I knew him before he was born."

She still eyed him warily, but let the katana fall to her side.'Daisuke's' crying stopped almost instantly. "Like an angel? What did you say your name was?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied, letting his hands drop as well.

"It sounds familiar."

"I used to live in this town. You can check the records. I died almost two years ago."

"Why are you here?"

Rather than give a lesson on shinigami and hollows, Ichigo decided to go for the abridged version. "I told you, I'm a friend of his. I wanted to check up on him."

"That name you called Daisuke..."

"Er, sorry. That's the name I know him by. It'll take a bit for the new one to sink in."

"No, what was it?"

Ichigo blinked. "Toushiro."

"That was his name?"

"Yeah. Toushiro Hitsugaya," he told her, narrowly stopping himself from adding 'taichou.' That was an explanation he did not want to get into.

The woman gazed softly at her son, who had woken and was quietly surveying his surroundings with wide, teal eyes. "Toushiro Hitsugaya," she repeated, voice quiet. "It suits him."

"Ah, 'Daisuke Saionji' ain't so bad."

"I'm going to ask you to leave."

Ichigo knew better than to ask questions; he was the intruder here, and he wanted to be on this woman's good side. He bowed slightly, then shunpo'd out the window. 'Note to self: Do not fuck with Toushiro's mother.'

He stood on the roof, near Haruko, until more of his strength returned to him. "I'm a little surprised you didn't try to stop me," he told the pink-haired woman.

"Kuchiki-taichou informed me and efforts on my part to stop you would be pointless, and it would be foolish to waste my energy," she stated.

"Sounds like her."

"Kurosaki-taichou? May I say something... personal?"

"Say whatever you want, Haruko. If you get in trouble, it wouldn't be because of me."

"I... I do not know what it is to hold someone so dear to oneself. But I do know it is a gift to be cherished to it's full extent. The lengths you go to for Hitsugaya-taichou... Well... I believe I'm trying to say I find your behavior admirable." She paused a moment before adding, "Even if I do not understand it."

After rolling his brown eyes at the chorus of giggles heard below them, Ichigo asked, "What's to understand?"

The girl's brow furrowed. "Why you would favor the life of another so highly above your own is a mystery to me. I do think I would be able to care so much for someone unable to care for themselves." Her eyes widen at the words she'd just spoken. She'd just insulted Hitsugaya-taichou, still technically a taichou of the Gotei 13, a crime not normally taken lightly. "Kurosaki-taichou, please, forgive my insolence," she said quickly with a bow. "I was thoughtless with my words."

Ichigo, who'd had his back to her, turned to face the first seat. "We cannot help who we care for, Haruko," he said softly. "And Toushiro, once grown up again, will be a force not to be reckoned with. Just as he used to be."

Now back in his own quarters, the ninth squad taichou stripped, carelessly throwing the clothing to the floor, then pulled the blankets over him as his head hit the pillow.

'Hey Kiiiinnngggggg...,' a suggestive tone muttered in his mind.

'Go. Away.'

"Aw, but you've had such a stressful day, King. Don't you want to relax?"

'Piss. Off.'

"I believe the phrase is 'get off.''

Ichigo, now easily worked into a rage, popped up in front of the Hollow- ie, inches from the other's face. "You're right! I have had a stressful day! And now I'd like to sleep!"

"Sleeping's no fun. That's all Zangetsu does, you know."

"So you have to counter him by being awake all the time?"

"He does that cus he wants Ryo-Rin here. I don't have that problem."

Ichigo decided to ignore the childish nickname for Hitsugaya's zanpakuto, saying, "What? All pissy Toushiro doesn't have a Hollow for you to miss?"

"No. I can just take you. Or him, actually."

The taichou's eyebrow arched, looking very unimpressed. "I'm going to bed. Fuck Zangetsu if you're so horny," the shinigami said, leaving his inner world.

A rather ill-looking expression crossed Shiro's face. "Now that was uncalled for," he stated. He'd been hoping for an anger that would work itself into kinky sex, but no such luck.

Maybe... Did his king actually need to talk?

Ew. If his king needed to verbally vent, that was Zangetsu's lot in life, not his. Shiro flash-stepped through the sideways world, looking for the zanpakuto.

Zangetsu wasn't a hard find. Then again, there wasn't many places the other went.

"Oi!" Shiro called up to him.

The zanpakuto's head remained lowered, eyes closed.

"Hey! Pull your head out of your ass and listen!"

"And why, pray tell, should I listen to you?"

The hollow's arms crossed. "Haven't you noticed these clouds, Old Man?"

Zangetsu opened his eyes and lifted his head. Indeed, the skies looming overhead seemed ready to burst with tears- er, rain, at any moment.

"You've been so lost in your shit you forgot about the king's. Go say something cool and get me my fucking partner back."

The other looked humored. "And why does it need to be me? You are more than capable of speech."

"I fight. I fuck. I don't do pep talks. Especially ones that could turn weepy. That's your job." Before the zanpakuto could reply, the Hollow was shunpo'ing away.

Zangetsu looked up at the dark clouds once more. "Well, Ichigo, it does seem we need to talk. But you need your rest. You will get your 'pep talk' tomorrow."

"Tsu-chan. Do you really think Kurosaki-kun is ok?" Orihime asked as the two girls finished drying and putting away their dishes for the night.

"Right now? I doubt it," the shinigami replied. "But you know what they say, 'Time heals all wounds' and all that."

"Yes," the other smiled, hanging up the dish towel by the sink.. "That's true."

Tsuzuki snuck up behind the other, wrapping her waist in a hug. "And how's Hime doing?"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me. You're been more distractable than usual lately; it took you twice as long to get your homework done. Is it because I'm always around now?"

"Um... well, that is..."

The shinigami squeezed tighter. "I'm a big girl, Hime."

"It's not that I mind you here, Tsu-chan, not at all!" the healer replied, turning to face the other. "I... just like being alone sometimes."

Tsuzuki smiled. "Is that all?"

"Of course it hurts to see Kurosaki-kun so sad."

"Yeah, I know. Him and Hitsugaya-taichou were always so happy together, even if they were fighting, they were still happy. Oh! That reminds me! I was going to give Ichigo-taichou my report for today while he was here, but I got so caught up..."

"Go ahead, Tsu-chan. I'll still be here when you get back."

"Thanks. I'll be back soon."

Looking around the empty office, Tsuzuki decided to just leave the report on the ninth taichou's desk to find in the morning. Even if it was about Hitsugaya-taichou, she doubted very much he would appreciate her showing up this late at his quarters.

Hitsugaya didn't look up when the door closed, or when the lock clicked. It appeared he was deeply immersed the documents that needed his attention. His lover smirked, making his way to the couch. The first seat looked out the window behind the taichou, seeing the sun beginning to set. After a few minutes, the shorter rose from his desk, cracking his knuckles.

"I've heard that's bad for ya," Ichigo informed him.

Toushiro said nothing in reply, as if he were ignoring the other's presence entirely. The orange-haired shinigami was not fooled. Not that the other was trying to. Shiro-chan was just being Shiro-chan.

The shorter rubbed the back of his neck, cringing slightly when he hit a knot. He removed his outer white garment, yawning, then draping it over the chair he'd been sitting in. Then, and only then, did he look at Ichigo, and with lust-glazed eyes.

'How could anyone mistake him for a child?' the other wondered briefly, then all thoughts became hazy as the taichou's lips claimed him.

Zangetsu and Hyorinmaru were leaned against a wall, out of way and reach of their wielders. Not breaking the kiss, Hitsuagaya straddled his lover's lap, his pale hands sliding underneath the other's shihakusho.

Ichigo's memory, even in dreaming, on exact events after that became hazy, seeing only a calloused hand feather it's way up a slender thigh as if it were happening before him, hearing a sharp, pleasured cry as the shorter was entered as if he'd elicited it only moments ago, so many sights, sounds, and Toushiro's own scent filling his senses so vividly it was just as if-

Dilated brown eyes snapped open wide, and was panting heavily, as if waking from a nightmare. Except that he wasn't. No matter how much he missed his lover, Ichigo would never categorize any dream about the other as such.

No matter how much he cried after the dream was over.

A/N: Angst, Ichi, angst!

There was going to be a bit more porn at the end of this one, but I have, as many do this time of year, attracted a headcold. Not exactly in a porn-writing mode, but hopefully everyone still enjoyed it.

I apologise ahead of time if the next chapter is late (again), but as said, sick. I try not to let it affect me, but don't always succeed.