Disclaimer: Redundant or not, Kubo Tite owns Bleach and everything related to it and he can own this story too, if he makes this pair canon. Thank you so much, Rayniekinnz, for the beta work and for saving this chapter in more ways than one. I really appreciate your work and I'm grateful. XD

Chapter Three

Meeting the Mob

Ichigo woke up in so many weird places in the last three years of his life that waking up in a library in the mansion of a master drug lord was hardly going to make it to top three. However, because said drug lord was Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo couldn't help but tense. All the lamps had been switched off and he was covered with a fluffy blanket that cost probably more than his salary in a month.

He stared at the white-painted ceiling where some playful rays of sun were dancing, chasing each other and he forced himself to breathe.

How he managed to sleep in the Ice Lord's house he didn't know, but it was a loud and clear statement about his self-preservation. He inhaled deeply and forced each of his muscles to relax again. He had done nothing wrong, they weren't going to find this suspicious and he wasn't in trouble. Had he been in trouble, someone might have woken him up, not put a blanket over him.

Ichigo groaned suddenly and pulled the blanket over his head. There was a fuzzy image of someone trying to wake him up. His eyes widened comically abruptly when he realized that not only did that someone try to wake him up, but that he, as the idiot that he was, thought it to be someone else completely. His mind muddled with sleep had made no sense but…Horror washed over him like a punch in the gut, its tentacles spreading throughout his body with renewed vigour. Jesus, did he comb his fingers through the Ice Lord's hair? He prayed for a second to any deity that might hear him to make the scene playing behind his closed eyelids a nightmarish illusion. But his mind wasn't contributing to this obstinate denial – he had indeed done that.

Wow, the fact that he didn't die so far was a miracle in itself and spoke volumes about how he really wasn't going to make it alive from this mission.

He pushed the blanket away and sat up, trying to make his limbs wake up as well; which was a rather easy thing to do since the couch had been really comfortable, better than anything he had slept in for the past couple of years. His things were still where he left them and there were no signs of someone tampering with them. Not that he hid anything incriminatory in them, because even he wasn't that insane but apparently he became rather sloppy if the sleeping on the couch of a murderer said anything about it. Man, he needed a hot coffee and a shower, although it might have been recommended to take them in a different order. He still wore yesterday's clothes and he'd been in them for more than twenty-four hours. His hair was sticking in all directions and he pretty much wreaked.

And then he looked at his phone.

"Fuck!" He yelled. Almost noon. Almost noon, he thought hysterically. Did mobsters not have any sense of time? Didn't they think that he needed to go to work? Didn't they have any work ethic? Ichigo grabbed his stuff while trying to speak on the phone at the same time to Doctor Muguruma.

He got out of the room just in time to see a security detail standing at his door. Of course the mobster would put some people to guard him, he would have been mad not to do it.

"Can you show me the exit?" Ichigo said while trying to remember which direction he was coming from last night. The bodyguard looked at him like he might have grown a second head. "Damn it man, do you speak Japanese? Exit! Now! I'm late for work." The doc didn't answer so he started ringing again. Maybe the guy hated him already, maybe he didn't want to employ Ichigo's sloppy ass. As the phone kept ringing in his ear, he scowled at the security guy who finally seemed to make some sense of his words and guided him through the labyrinth that the mansion was. "Seriously, do you guys have no work ethic? Couldn't one of you wake me up? I was tired, man! So I fell asleep, sue me. Where did that stupid asshole Abarai go? I will end him. Five minutes, he said." Ichigo mocked him as he finally realized that the doc wasn't going to answer. "Five minutes and I promise I will take you home. Five minutes, my ass." He continued to rant even as the security guy seemed completely indifferent to his words.

"Did I say five minutes to him and then never came back? No, I didn't, and do you know why? Because I am a damn man of my word!" Ichigo stopped in mid rant as he finally take a look at his surroundings. He was now in a massive kitchen, probably the size of his whole studio flat. "Seriously," he sighed completely dejected, "I've had it up to here with you guys. You ask one guy to let you go, he lures you to a room with comfortable couches and soft blankets. You tell a man to point you the exit, he brings you to the kitchen. You ask a guy not to take you to the Kuchiki mansion because you will suffer a horrible painful death, that's exactly where he takes you to."

"Are you having a mental breakdown?" The voice was so completely out of the blue that Ichigo actually flinched and turned around just in time to see Kuchiki Byakuya peacefully drinking a cup of coffee and having what could have been an untroubled lunch with his sister, had it not been for Ichigo's complete meltdown.

To say that Ichigo was mortified was the understatement of the century. He blushed so heavily that even Rukia had to smile gently at him and he probably would have noticed that, if he wasn't trying to stop himself from hyperventilating, still not over the fact that he was there, speaking with probably the worst criminal in modern Japan. Which of course didn't matter at all when he blurted in typical Ichigo fashion:

"Yes, and it's all because of your men!" He snapped because he was tired, cranky as hell, a little bit grumpy when he didn't have any coffee in his system and just a little bit scared, because those beautiful grey eyes narrowed at him and Rukia's turned wide. "Listen, while I do appreciate that you guys let me sleep on your couch, which was really comfortable I admit to that, I have a job or had because my boss didn't answer any of my phone calls. Couldn't one of you guys helped me get up? You know, punch me in the face or something. Because your men seem really keen in fighting any ways."

"We tried," the same gravelly voice answered, "but you wouldn't budge." And that's Ichigo's queue to pretend that he didn't remember anything. At all. Nada.

"I see, well, you guys didn't do a very good job if I am still here now, did you?" Ichigo smiled at Rukia. "Good morning, by the way. How are you feeling? I thought I told you not to strain your leg."

"Good morning, Ichigo." This time Rukia's smile was ten times lighter. "I'm fine, thank you. The stitches itch a bit, but I'm okay and just so you know, my brother carried me."

"I am glad to hear that. Now if you'll excuse me, I am so late for work, it's not even funny. How do I exit this labyrinth?"

"I will admit that they were right about you. You are completely oblivious." Byakuya Kuchiki finally spoke and stood up. Ichigo visibly took a step back because honestly, even in his obliviousness, he could still sense the sheer power and utter control that this man ostensibly exerted over everybody in this house. And although he had to pretend that he didn't know whom he was talking to, he could still sense that it was good to show a little bit of respect.

The other thing was Byakuya Kuchiki was so up his alley, it wasn't even funny. Those broad shoulders were covered by a white shirt, a black tie with a golden pin attached to it. His slacks were pressed perfectly, no wrinkle. Generally the man looked like he just got out of a box. His hair was exquisitely cut to fall on his shoulders, framing that aristocratic face with his Roman nose and strong jaw, the lines of which Ichigo would have gladly bitten in another life. Without a shadow of a doubt, the man was incredibly attractive – if one could ignore that he was evil incarnated.

"Do you truly believe that I would let that man fire you after what you have done for my sister?"

"Your sister?" Ichigo pretended to be confused. Acting was becoming a second nature for him. And then the puzzle pieces seem to fall flawlessly.

"Ichigo, allow me to introduce nii-sama, Byakuya Kuchiki." The raven haired man appeared to completely ignore his sister as he kept staring at Ichigo.

"Ichigo Shinamori," he said automatically.

"I already spoke with Doctor Muguruma and he saw fit to give you a day off after the work you carried out here. You will return to your normal schedule tomorrow morning."

"Well, that is a relief. Thank you, I guess," he smiled.

"Would you please join us?" The mobster said, surprising Ichigo again. "I am afraid that my men have not been to their best behaviour, and I would like to make up to you for what you did for my sister."

"Look, it's really not necessary." Ichigo grimaced when the man frowned. "I am pretty rank and I am in serious need for a change of clothes so if you don't mind to just ask one of the guys to drop me home that would be great." The frown deepened.

"Ichigo, don't be silly." Rukia intervened. "You can take a shower in one of our guest rooms and nii-sama can lend you some fresh clothes." She smirked when she saw her brother tensing. "I would really love to have lunch with you. Please, accept our invitation."

"I really-"

"Rukia's idea is perfect." Byakuya interrupted him and there was no point to argue with the guy. "Iba here will take you to your room, and I'll make sure you have a set of fresh clothes."

Ichigo couldn't debate with that, so he just nodded and followed Iba, who silently led him to a flight of stairs before opening the door to a rather lovely bedroom, which he probably would have admired at another time, had it not been for the fact that he just met officially the notorious and mysterious Byakuya Kuchiki. If he had a diary of an undercover agent, then this moment would have been coloured with hearts and flowers as a major step. One that he hadn't expected at all in such a short time.

The shower was amazing, but Ichigo used his time in it to think of his next step. Byakuya Kuchiki didn't seem impressed at all by his behaviour but truth be told, Ichigo never thought that he might end up so close to the head of the clan. What their best hope for this mission had been was to take down Abarai and perhaps cripple the organization at least for a while.

Perhaps, in the meantime, with Abarai out of the picture they could attack the clan on different levels. This new development was changing the stakes of the game completely and bringing them to a whole new level. If by any chance he could get close to these two, then he could probably take the whole clan down. Or most likely die trying.

When he stepped out of the shower, he took one of the white towels on the rack and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist and exiting the bathroom. On the bed lay his new clothes and some fresh underwear. Ichigo dressed quickly and although they were a little bit too large for his lithe body, he accepted them gladly for he felt better. More human. With his head back in the game, Ichigo took his things and was just about to exit the room when the door opened to reveal Kuchiki leaning against the opposite wall and staring at him like he was something out of this world. Surprisingly Iba was nowhere to be seen.

"Thanks for waiting for me." Ichigo murmured just so that he can break the sudden tension, but the other man appeared less than inclined to do that. Instead his eyes seemed to devour every inch of Ichigo's soul, reading into its deepest corners and finding it wanting. It was jarring to say the least.

"When I came to see you and thank you for the care you showed to my sister, you woke up."

"I don't remember." Ichigo swallowed but the man didn't seem to hear him. He stepped away from the wall and into Ichigo's breathing space, making the cop backing up a little. The eyes had darkened and Ichigo could barely breathe under their scrutiny.

"You said," the older man continued as if he didn't even hear him, "'you came'." Ichigo tightened his hands into fists, the ghost of those silky strands still haunting him.

"Like I said," he said a little more harshly, "I don't remember."

They both stared at each other for a little bit longer, those grey eyes seemingly searching for something, but Ichigo stared straight back at him, showing that he wasn't afraid of anything. And maybe Kuchiki was a tough son of a bitch, but Ichigo was tougher and he was going to get this guy, one way or another.

"My sister waits for us." And just like that, the spell was broken and he turned around and started to walk in the vague direction of the kitchen, expecting Ichigo to follow him, which of course he did.

Ichigo gritted his teeth and walked next to the man without exchanging another word. He really couldn't believe he had made such an obvious mistake. Leaving himself so vulnerable inside of this man's house where anyone could put an end to his life in a blink of an eye was truly a remarkable lack of professionalism. While he was in Kenpachi's squad, he slept with one eye open and here not only did he sleep comfortably in a house where everything could happen to him, but he also… he also...Ichigo faltered. He also caressed that man. He remembered so vividly the moment when he smiled at him, when those grey eyes widened in surprise but he still let him do it. For a second there he truly thought that the man was an Angel of Death. It was a little heart-breaking that Kuchiki indeed was an Angel of Death but only in a different way. Perhaps by the end of this mission one of them was going to be the reaper for the other.

They both sat at the table and Rukia smiled at him again as the cook arranged the plates in front of them. They ate in silence with a sporadic question from Rukia here and there and the amount of awkwardness in room was heightened for Ichigo even more than he expected. After they finished their meals, they received their coffees and Ichigo gaped like a fish a couple of times before finally being able to say:

"Look, I'm really sorry for falling asleep on the couch." He mumbled and took a sip of coffee not daring to look at the two people in front of him. "I was really tired and the amount of hours I put at the clinic are sometimes inhuman, but it still shouldn't have happened."

"Nonsense, Ichigo." Rukia smiled reassuringly. "I can only imagine how tired you must have been and on top of that, I asked for you."

"Since I am here, I think I should check your wound just to make sure everything is fine."

"Of course, we can do that after we finish lunch. You might-"

"Excuse me, sir." Oh, so that damn Iba could talk after all, Ichigo thought chagrined. Kuchiki, who so far had just listened to their conversation, looked up at that, his stony features betraying nothing. "You are needed. It's urgent." Ichigo didn't miss Rukia's fleeting look of worry before wearing her happy mask again.

"I'll be right there." Iba just bowed respectfully and went out. Byakuya finished his cup of coffee and the suddenly focused on Ichigo. His dark eyes studied him for a while until Ichigo felt like a student in the principal's office. When he spoke at last, it was not what the cop was expecting. "Shinamori, enjoy your day off today. I will ask Madarame to drop you off home if that is all right with you"

"Thank you," he mumbled and the powerful man left the kitchen and Ichigo felt like he could finally breathe again. It was as if an invisible collar had been taken off and the air could invade his oxygen-deprived lungs again. Rukia looked at him knowingly but she didn't say anything even as he checked her wound. She was less chatty than she had been the night before and by the time Ikkaku came to drop him off home, she was already on her way to her office to check some paperwork.

"Listen, Ichigo, what happened last night-" Ikkaku started after he drove a while in silence.

"-should stay deeply buried." Ichigo interrupted him as he calmly watched the bald headed man. "I don't know how you or Abarai or Yumichika got involved with this man and what you do for him, but I know it can't be good. I had my own police problems and the less involved I am with you guys, the better."

"I thought we were friends."

"I thought so too, until you dragged me into this shit." Ichigo replied harshly and Ikkaku winced. "Apparently, lately everyone appears to be stabbed. You, Yumichika, some of Abarai's people, and now Rukia. It can't be good and I don't want to be involved in a story like this. I was once, and it got me shot. No more of this, thank you very much."

"For just a nurse, you are awfully observant." Ikkaku replied, his snark hiding something.

"In my line of work, you have to be," Ichigo pinched the bridge his nose. "And with the frequency that you people turn up, one doesn't have to be awfully observant, you know. He just needs to have two eyes. A lot of blood had been split only since I came here. I can only imagine what is going to happen next."

Another moment of silence.

"So that means that we aren't going to see each other again? No more breakfast at our home?"

"Man, I wouldn't give up Yumichika's cooking for anything in the world," Ichigo frowned. "But I am serious, Ikkaku, after I sort out Rukia's stitches, I really don't want to be involved in this shit any more. I know who the Kuchikis are and I don't want anything to do with them."

"Understood."

For the rest of the drive, they didn't speak and the sound of the radio drowned their thoughts, the cop's mind filled up with images of his number one enemy. He couldn't forget the dark calculated look he received in the hallway and he couldn't understand what was going on in that man's mind but he was ready to find out.

After he arrived home, he managed to finally speak with the Doc and he was able to apologize, although by the looks of things, Kuchiki hadn't lied and indeed he had spoken with the man. Then he cleaned his apartment a little.

The evening fell quicker than usual and found him on the other side of the town again buying a cell phone.

"Hat and Clog Gym! How may I help?" His captain's annoying voice answered, way too happy.

"I want to renew my membership."

"Ichigo, how are things?"

"Good, good." He suddenly felt out of words. The moment of silence spread its wings over him and for a moment he just looked at the stars above him and tried to forget the time when he would watch them with his mother and she would be able to name them all.

"Ichigo?" His captain must have frowned at the other end because there was a new tension in the conversation.

"Captain, this is a suicide mission, isn't it?" He murmured not taking his eyes away from the multitude of stars above him Sometimes it was good to remind himself how insignificant he was in the scheme of things.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I want to know if you thought even for a minute when you sent me to this mission, if you thought that I had a chance of surviving."

"Ichigo, what happened?"

"Just answer me," he said tiredly.

"Yes, I thought that it was a slim chance that you could make it," Shinji sighed. "Look, I know that you have some suicidal tendencies and it is understandable giving your circumstances, however, I think you would do your best to catch the bad guy and complete the mission that you received."

"Then you will be happy to find out that I spent my night in the Kuchiki's manor."

"What the hell? What happened?"

"Rukia was hurt. A clean cut at her calf but apparently I did such a good job with Yumichika that he recommended me to her. I even met Byakuya Kuchiki. I am still wearing his clothes."

"What?" This time his captain screeched. "You slept with Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"Don't be a fucking moron!" Ichigo hissed. "Of course I didn't. And how could I anyway? The guy is straight."

"Actually-" The sudden silence at the other end made Ichigo's hair standing up.

"You son of a bitch!" He sneered. "You never told me that Byakuya fucking Kuchiki was gay. It never showed on any report."

"Byakuya Kuchiki was never your fully complete mission." Shinji's calculated tone angered him even more. "You know that and I thought that it didn't bear any importance because you weren't going to get that close to him."

"I don't understand captain, what the hell is your problem? How can you not tell me about it? No wonder I am going to die in this mission with the amount of information that it is hidden from me."

"Ichigo, it was just one thing."

"I need to know every fucking little thing about this guy, captain. You haven't seen him. This guy-" Ichigo swallowed hard, "-this guy is huge, he has such a presence that everyone pales only at his name. I'm not saying I would use this information to try and get into his bed, even I am not that crazy, but this is something really important."

"It is not a very known fact. There were very few men that were in his life and most of them are outside the circle."

"Outside the circle?"

"Outside the mob. Normal men with legal jobs and everything," Shinji mumbled. "You can only imagine why everything is such a secrecy. If anyone would find out that Byakuya Kuchiki is gay, the clan would be constantly hit with attempts to overthrow him or just take that empire of his piece by piece."

Ichigo wondered if anyone could take down Byakuya Kuchiki. The man seemed larger than life. And those eyes...Ichigo shuddered. Those eyes could see deep into his heart, like reading the lines of a forgotten letter, but catching the hidden meaning of each line.

"Don't go there, it's not worth it," Shinji said decisively when Ichigo didn't answer.

"I wasn't thinking of approaching the entire problem like that. It would be absolute madness." He admitted. He didn't have the guts. He would have to pretend that he was interested in a man that killed people on a daily basis and even he didn't have the stomach for that. But there was a voice inside of him, buried deeply within the limits of his soul that reminded him of the slow burning tension back in the hallway when it seemed like the world would stop if Kuchiki would take another step and if they would have to breathe the same air.

"Good."

"But someone is definitely trying to hit them and hit them hard. I need to find out who the hell is after them and whether we should help them or make them disappear as not to endanger the mission even more."

"Got it. I will ask Keygo to do some investigations but you do realize that there are a lot of people pissed off and some of them might have personal reasons to go against the Kuchikis, right?"

"It was definitely personal if they went after Rukia. Just get me the info. I will ring in the next couple of days to see what you find out."

"Okay. Until then take care and try to stay away from that guy."

"Definitely."

Ichigo ended the conversation and then gripped the phone tight. Byakuya Kuchiki was gay. Well, that put the whole matter into perspective, but the cap was right. It wasn't worth it. He wouldn't choose that road because nothing good was going to come out of it.

That night his dreams were plagued with the image of a pair of grey eyes and silky strands of hair, manly arms wrapping around him and never letting him go, making him feel safe. Waking up was not as pleasurable as it had been the day before and he swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat when he realized that he had fallen asleep in the clothes that Kuchiki had lent him. His morning routine brought him no joy either.

The day was uneventful and he didn't really much care about what was going on around him, too preoccupied by what had happened the day before. But he should have known not to trust the radio silence – it was as if it had been the calm before the storm.

That evening, while he was walking home, he noticed Abarai's car following him and when he stopped at a light, Abarai let the window down and nodded at Ichigo.

"Yo," Ichigo nodded back.

"Come with me." The hardness in his eyes made Ichigo tense and scowl at the red haired.

"No, thanks."

The barrel of a gun appeared in the hand of the man, casually leaning on the window, enough to be seen by the undercover cop, but not enough to be seen by the other passers-by.

"It wasn't an invitation," Abarai said casually, but his tone bore no doubt that it was a serious matter and Ichigo swallowed hard before he got into the car. As soon as he sat next to Abarai, Yumichika turned towards him from the passenger's seat and looked at him just as cold. Ichigo cursed. This wasn't good at all.

"May I know why both of you are pointing guns at me?"

"You'll find out in due time. Just shut up." Abarai sneered and Ichigo kept his mouth shut for the duration of the drive, his eyes constantly on the window because he wasn't going to show any fear to these bastards. He was going to die with dignity and he was going to take them with him no matter what.

But Ichigo hadn't survived so long in this field without being patient and the most important thing was not to jump to conclusions, especially to the wrong conclusions. This smelt like a set up but most importantly at this moment he had to keep his cool. Thanks to his stint into Kenpachi's crew, he had a high tolerance for pain because the training and the fights had been excruciating. For a moment, he thought about jumping out of the car, but he knew that it wouldn't help. He was just going to find out a way to get out of this situation. He just needed to keep calm.

To say that Ichigo was surprised to see the Kuchiki mansion so quickly was an understatement. He thought that they were going to bring them to an abandoned factory or something, but not to that monster's house. Therefore, the things were much more serious than he thought. This time, security didn't stop them at the gate – they just opened it and Ichigo heard its closing like final sound of his life. He tightened his fists – he was going to take them with him. He was going to take them with him. He would murder all of them if he had to, but he wasn't going to go down lightly.

Once they arrived, Abarai and Yumichika pushed him in an adjacent house, quite small and more towards the woods that surrounded the mansion. And the room where he was taken was bare of all the furniture except for a chair, on which he was forced to sit and have his hands cuffed behind his back.

"I knew that you people were up to no good," he sneered as soon as he felt the uncomfortable metal closing on his flesh.

"And how is that again, Ichigo-kun?"

"Excuse me?" Ichigo noticed that Abarai pointed the gun at him point blank. "Take that fucking gun away from my face or I'll make sure to shove it up your ass even if it the last thing I do in my life."

"Ever since you came to the Karakura town, there are have been various attempts to our clan," Abarai seethed with barely concealed anger. "Now upon further investigation, it came to our attention that you have a rather black hole in your history, more precisely what happened before you came here. There are no records whatsoever about you anywhere. Now since those attempts, we thought firstly that you were a member of a rival family. But it didn't add up because nobody would willingly send someone against the Kuchikis and not so soon after Mayuri, unless they seek complete annihilation of their clan," Abarai hissed. "So the natural conclusion that we came to is that you're a fucking cop."

Probably if someone would have dropped something on the wooden floor, its echo would have gone towards the end of the world, that deep was the silence in the room.

"I'm not a cop," Ichigo seethed. "Now fucking free me."

"I won't, because nothing adds up, Ichigo Shinamori, if that's your fucking real name." It was Yumichika's turn to have a go at him.

"Look, I really think you have the wrong guy-"

"I believe they have the right guy." The new arrival startled everyone in the room, but made Ichigo's blood freeze. Byakuya Kuchiki entered the room, dressed in the same fashion as the day before. "So what I would suggest, Ichigo Shinamori, is to speak quickly so that your death could be smooth. However, dare to lie to me and I will make your death as painful as possible."

"And if you are wrong?" Ichigo bluffed.

"We are not wrong!" Abarai roared and next thing he knew, he hit Ichigo with the butt of the gun making him see stars, blood gushing out from his wound. His head ricocheted so hard, that he could almost feel his neck snap. His head seemed splintered in two and it took a few moments to get a grip back on his breathing, trying to make the pain go away. Blood ran freely on his temple, clouding his vision on his left eye. But he still managed to glare at Abarai.

Sucking in a deep breath, he said the first thing that came to his mind and that would probably save his life. "You are wrong, you fucking prick! I used to work for you, you fucking morons!" Ichigo roared leaving everyone completely stunned.