Chapter 04
Thrive to Live
Now—
Toushirou was furious that he touched Ichigo and vice versa, however, being trapped in a corner had given him no choice in the matter. To think that this bastard would have that annoying midget come to the apartment just to harass him and give him a bad time, it was unforgivable! The one pose that the captain hated the most was when Ichigo sat lazily on the couch, reading with a book in his left hand and his right arm resting on top of the couch. Then there was his own pose, Toushirou lying down on the couch with a book in both hands, half of his body leaning against the other man as a pillow. Thankfully after that was a little simpler as they went into their Shinigami forms and went out into the snow to take the next pose. It was an almost back to back with Ichigo and Toushirou, both having their farthest hand from the camera touch the hilt of their Zanpakutou. However, they never had the chance to get to the third pose as Ichigo demanded that they needed to go to Soul Society since something caught his attention.
When they had arrived, Rangiku did not even have a chance to say anything before the two males left her sight to go to Momo to make sure she was fine. The frail female was startled by their sudden appearance in front of her, but she easily recovered and embraced the carrot top in a blink of an eye. Toushirou would not admit slight pain of jealousy to see his childhood friend go to a man she knew for a less amount of time. She began explaining herself that there was a party last night—one she did not attend to, and one man bumped into her. Though she claimed to apologize, the Shinigami officer became aggressive and shoved her aside with attitude, which summoned his pet to protect her. Ichigo somehow sniffed her shoulder and claimed that there was an acrid scent to it that he was aware of in the Tenth Squad. That being the case, Ichigo stated he would leave it to Toushirou to deal with or else he would do something he would regret. With that, he had left the scene to return to Rangiku who was probably looking for him, and this left Toushirou time to talk with Momo.
He asked about the pet, however, she did not answer him.
"What are you doing here?" Toushirou glared at the carrot top that lied lazily on one of the couches in the administrative office as if trying his best to get some sleep. "My office is not your quarters to sleep in."
"You're tired too, right?" He saw the captain taken back by this. "Getting touched by women for hours and having light flash before your eyes can be exhausting." His body shifted to lie on his back as the other went to his desk. "You didn't find the punk who touched her?" Toushirou froze just before almost seated.
"I questioned them, however, no one shows signs of lying when they said did not encounter Hinamori last night." His ears picked up Ichigo's chuckling, making him a little annoyed. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I'm just waiting to be sent on the hunt." The Strawberry stretched. "Just need the permission."
Now amused by this, he decided to humor himself. "So then, if I claim to give you permission to hunt down whoever touched Hinamori, you would?" There was a sudden knock on the door, it was a man.
Ichigo stood up as the man entered after apologizing for the intrusion, "would you look at that, got him."
"H-Hitsugaya-taichou?" The man looked at the captain pleadingly, hoping to receive help.
"Scared, aren't you." His brown hues tinted gold now. "Shoving Hinamori last night is unforgivable."
"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He looked to the captain, begging. "Help me taichou!"
Toushirou had no choice. "Kurosaki, on what grounds do you believe this man is guilty?"
"I can smell sake all over him, and a trace my pet left on him." Ichigo threw the man down and removed his Zanpakutou to point at the fallen man. "Show him your markings, that way you're his responsibility."
In seconds, the man tore off the upper clothing of his shihakusho to them, revealing claw marks on his chest in which was proof. Toushirou knew that the claw marks were from that creature last night that entered the apartment, but Rangiku said that creature appeared to protect Momo. It had to be true that a member of his squad had shoved her around, and so he had to take actions accordingly, sending him out. Turquoise hues watched as the man did not budge when staring at the carrot top in the eyes, shaking in horror of being attacked by him. Hearing him clear his throat, Ichigo closed his eyes and looked away when knowing the little captain wanted him to stop intimidating the poor man.
"Get out of my sight." Ichigo demanded, and that man ran out while urinating on himself. "No fun…"
"And what would you have done if I had not called you off?" The captain returned to his work.
"I wouldn't kill him if that's what you're asking." He paused. "Just wanted to warn him is all."
His head shook at the statement, replying. "He just wet himself from your warning, Kurosaki."
"Then he'll remember not to touch Momo, unless, you want something worse to happen next time?"
"I suppose not…" Toushirou looked at him curiously, despite scowling.
"ICHIGO-KUN!" Ukitake Juushirou's yelled, throwing himself in the office. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"I was just trying to take a quick nap." His sigh was tired sounding. "Alright then, let's get going then—"
"Not a problem!" He waved to others out in the hallway. "I found Ichigo-kun! Bring in the camera now!"
Ichigo was surprised by the men coming inside. "H-Hey, wait, we're not going to do it in here are we?"
"W-What the Hell is going on?" Toushirou was also taken back at the flooding men. "This is an office!"
"Our apologies Hitsugaya-taichou, but we can't let Kurosaki Ichigo get away!" Tetsuzaemon Iba stated, camera in hand. "Someone, get the water!" As demanded, Oumaeda Marechiyo had a bucket of water.
"I got it, I got it!" He ran over and threw the water all over Ichigo, who was now drenched, and angry.
"Nice expression Kurosaki!" Hisagi Shuuhei cheered, pumped by the situation. "Do that pose for us!"
"Yes Kurosaki-san!" Kira Izuru cheered at the man. "Do that famous pose from your article please!"
"H-Hey, don't bring that up!" Ichigo's cheeks reddened, but the men stared at him relentlessly. "Fine, I get it!" He un-tucked his robes while grumbling about this. "Could have given me some warning though…"
Toushirou stood from his seat at the desk, completely appalled at the scene. "Kurosaki! Don't undress in my office, are you insane?" His outburst went unheard as Ichigo shifted the robes just off his shoulders.
The carrot top raised his right hand to grasp his robes, placing it up to his lips as if he were going to kiss his clothing, of possibly hiding a secretive smile. His left hand came to a more tempting place as it rested against the white sash—lowering it just enough to reveal a fair share of his pubic hair. Chocolate brown hues focused away towards the bookshelves that were behind the small captain against the wall, trying to maintain his annoyance. He waited for them to take the photograph of him, but he could hear them fascinated by the scene in front of them; already entranced by the pose. Ichigo put up with it while he could due to wanting this over with, and all hopes were lost when he stared into staring turquoise hues.
Seeing the intense focus of the man turn his attention towards him had made the captain falter for being caught off guard. Toushirou did not even know how he had found himself staring at the scene as exceptionally good as it was. He sat down almost too quickly to get back to work so that he would not become sucked in as the other males would. Honestly, how were five men engulfed in the sight of a man soaked in water; dripping down from his face to his chest and—. His eyelids shut to get the image out of his mind as he felt his insides twist and turn… almost feeling a little warm somehow. The captain mentally growled at the immediately symptoms he received, causing him to look up to silently blame that man. A firm gaze was still fixated on him though as he was caught looking at him once more in which made it harder for him to breathe at that moment. No one was raising their reiatsu right now, so why was his chest tightening—making it harder and more difficult to breathe. Ichigo was most likely, somehow probably, manipulating him in some manner that he was not aware of right now…
"Can we hurry this up?" Ichigo finally spoke.
"O-Oh, right!" Iba took the picture, and the light flashed.
"Don't move Ichigo-kun!" Juushirou panicked in fear.
"That's right! We need several views of this pose!"
The carrot top sighed. "Make it quick then."
Knowing that they were beginning to get on his nerves, they hurriedly took all the shots that they could think of in different spots as Ichigo still stood there. Toushirou could feel the irritation slowly emitting into the air from the posing carrot top, and the men were suddenly finished by thanking him as they ran away. His attention went to the man who grunted in relief as they left so he could fix his shihakusho while he casually came over to his desk. It was hard to make it look like he did not care whatsoever that the man was standing right there in front of him, did he know?
"Don't think I didn't catch that second glance you took in my direction after looking my body up and down." Ichigo spoke with amusement before squatting down in front of the desk to be at eye-level with the little captain, but when he did not receive any reply, he pestered him. "So then, did you like the show?"
He bristled at the questions and changed the subject. "You're cleaning the mess that they made."
This only made the carrot top smirk, "you're not answering me." It was undeniably a teasing method.
His attention went to the report in front of him. "I wasn't aware that I was under your orders right now."
"You can't admit that you liked it a little?" The man huffed. "Your stomach didn't flutter a little at all?"
"Look Kurosaki, I am a man!" He pointed his utensil at him. "Why would I enjoy looking at your body?"
Ichigo then smirked as if he claimed victory. "I said liked, not enjoyed." He stood up and straightened his clothes a little more as he kept watch on the now frozen captain who seemed like he was caught in a lie.
"Could it be that you are like my fans on Earth whose stomachs did twists and little flips? That your chest had even tightened as if you could not breathe while you felt tingly sensations inside or something?" This earned him a hard glare from the captain who did not seem to like everything that he was saying. "Don't ask, it's just what Rukia and Renji say when they see me do that pose when I did this as a job."
Hearing that he had a job took Toushirou by surprise. "Since when have you had the capability to work?"
"Ah… I wanted to be dependent and not ask help for the apartment or college and university finances. So I found an idiot photographer who wanted to use me as a model, and I took the job." Ichigo leaned on the back of the couch closest to the desk, crossing his arms as he continued. "For a year I dealt with being a model as a part-time job, then Jii-san heard that I took a job that could interfere with my duties as a great and awesome Shinigami Substitute." He grinned. "It's a pain for him, but he's paying me in kan, and has Urahara-san convert it to yen so I can use the money on Earth. That's pretty much the story of it really."
"Soul Society spoils you," the captain sighed tiredly, going back to work.
"You still haven't answered my question." Ichigo stated quietly.
He looked at him. "Did you ask a question in your history review?"
"Did you, or did you not, like when I posed. Or, enjoyed, rather?"
"You're still ranting about that?" His hand swayed. "Get out."
"There's nothing you can do if I stayed." The man grinned.
"Will you leave if I give you an answer then?" Toushirou received a nod, causing him to think of his words wisely. He did not like it because it made his body feel foreign, but he did not, dislike, it either for some strange reason. His mind tried to determine what to say, and chose the latter. "I didn't, dislike it, that's all."
Ichigo smiled a little warmly. "The deals that I made were simple, Rangiku-san and the other women in their club were to watch over Momo while I'm stuck on Earth with school. Ukitake-san and the other men in their club were to watch over her too, but he has to take care of the paperwork for the Fifth Squad since you're in my world working." He crossed his arms again. "I figured that it would be a good deal for us."
"Yes…" Toushirou did not realize how clever this man had become. "…it is."
"Finally, home sweet home!" Ichigo stretched tiredly. "Guess I have to make dinner though."
The two had just returned after having the day off in Soul Society—well, sort of; Toushirou used his free time to catch up on his squad, and Ichigo had to model. Both of them were tired even though only one of them visibly admitted to the defeat of needing rest since they were awakened after four hours of sleep. It surprised the captain to hear that the host was actually going to make dinner when he obviously just had the desire of going to bed. There was no doubt in his mind that the only reason he was going to fix some dinner was that he was a guest in his apartment.
"Kurosaki," he called out as the man walked towards the kitchen. "You don't have to cook."
A slight worried expression hit his face because of this. "You don't want anything to eat?"
"Not really, and your exhausted." Toushirou quickly added. "There's watermelon, right?"
"Are you sure? I can fix something like ramen or—" his offers were interrupted now.
"Kurosaki," he spoke firmly. "Go to bed, I will be doing the same shortly after."
"Well, if you're sure." Ichigo saw him nod. "Alright, thanks, night Toushirou."
He growled lowly as the host walked down the hall. "It's Hitsugaya-taichou to you."
All of a sudden, the one who was walking down the hall had turned around and walked straight towards the one who had the last say. This made Toushirou take a few steps back and bump against a wall behind him as the other placed his hands against the wall above the other's head. Aware that this was an attempt to show a sign of dominance and power over the smaller one, both kept themselves firm. There was one thing that did not make sense; Ichigo's eyes showed no sign or trying to be assertive over him.
"Do you really hate it when I call you like this, Toushirou?" The Strawberry asked softly in a caring voice.
Hearing the foreign tone almost made him shutter, but remained strong. "It's my title, Kurosaki, that's all."
There was a long silence before he spoke. "Is that really the only reason?" His voice… he sounded hurt.
"What good is my title if subordinates don't use it?" He had to slip away somehow. "I'm going to bed—"
"I'm not your subordinate though." Toushirou froze. "Does it bother you that I want to be your friend?"
"It's not like that Kurosaki, if anything, you have everyone's trust…" he then sorely added, "including my own." The hands from above his head slid down. "A taichou should not trust someone like you who is an outsider of Soul Society. However," Toushirou spoke quickly, watching the man flicker at the statement. "I know you will become a taichou in the future, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a title, Kurosaki."
"What good is a title, if you don't have one person to call your friend?" His voice was now a little stern, as if harmed by the words. "Would you admit you're friends with Momo? With Rangiku-san even?" He asked.
"Why are you suddenly trying to get involved into my business?" It was annoying being asked all of this.
"Because you make it sound like you would have nothing without your title." Ichigo watched him gasp sharply as turquoise hues widened in shock—in fear. "But you know that it isn't true, right, Toushirou?"
"I…" he paused, trying to regain his composure. "I don't know what you're talking about." He tried to flee.
Ichigo grabbed his wrist as he tried to slip away from him. "What's this, a taichou running away from being confronted?" The captain then looked at him, mentally begging to be released. "You're never alone, there are those who will try to stay at your side, even if the rules fight their desires, but remember this." He saw the small one staring at him, waiting on edge. "I'm not a full-fledged Shinigami, I can go through Hell and back again, just to remind you that you're not alone." His hand released his wrist. "I don't care how strong you are, if you fall, I will help you up. If you laugh, I'll join you. But if you become perverted… good luck!"
"Kurosaki!" Toushirou's cheeks became a deep shade of red. "You're such a bastard! Who would want a friend like you anyhow? You always say the right things, but in the end, you pull off something stupid!"
"That's because," his hand rustled through the little one's hair, "that's what friends are for."
Toushirou was about to smack his hand away, but it was as if he read his mind by removing his hand to walk down the hall and into his bedroom to sleep. If that man were not so important to Soul Society, he would have probably killed him over fifteen years ago; it was a lie, just a dream on his end. There was not one person in Soul Society that Toushirou knew whom hated Ichigo so much to try and kill him; however, there was a psychotic scientist that wanted a piece of him. His hand came up to fix his now messy hair due the tired man's attention to it, and grumbled about how irritating he was most of the time.
Despite how annoying this man could be, how completely absurd and ridiculously obnoxious he was, it was obvious that he had changed a little over the years. Ichigo was still probably the most reliable man to call a friend—the thought alone made the captain growl and head to the kitchen for a slice of delicious watermelon. The unnerving sensation of that Adjuchas leveled Menos appeared behind him through a garganta that opened in the kitchen. It looked at the captain with a cold glare, testing him to attack him in order to get into trouble; this was one of Kurosaki's… pets, right?
'Might as well try,' Toushirou thought bitterly. "He's in his bedroom." The creature then walked off.
After quickly eating the watermelon, not receiving the chance to enjoy or savor the flavor of it as he usually would, and heading down the hall. He could hear them talking to one another about the situation from last night when that drunken officer touched Momo last night. There was plenty of praise in the air for protecting the delicate female, and for it obeying her to not devouring the officer who did the crime. It growled with please, and annoyance, then requested if it could eats souls or something as a reward for its restraints the other night. As Toushirou was about to walk away before being caught, he heard Ichigo grunt as if now standing up, and his reiatsu seemed a little firmer in the air.
"You remember those damn beasts that have an eye on Momo?" Ichigo's voice was fearless.
The Menos growled lightly. "Do you want them to keep an eye on them again though she isn't here?"
"No… I need them on standby," he paused, thinking on something. "Send her on the job to watch them."
"She won't be pleased to know she's on a petty mission, are you sure you want to risk her fury, Ichigo?"
"Their interest is Toushirou, if they touch him, I give her permission to kill them." His answer was startling.
The Menos laughed. "So you don't trust the boy to cover his ass? Or don't trust him to obey you?"
"I trust him," he stated instantly. "Her, no. Those men, no. This would be a good test on her."
The captain made himself appear. "I want an explanation from you and your pet, Kurosaki."
"Now Toushirou, do you really want to go against orders by telling you?" Ichigo mused, walking over to pet the creatures head. "I'm a little surprised though that you were eavesdropping." He looked at the Adjuchas leveled Menos as it looked at him in turn. "Inform her that I will kill her if she does not listen."
With that stated, it left the apartment.
Ichigo was not off the hook. "Kurosaki, I—"
"Go to bed." He frowned at him. "Please…"
The captain was taken aback. "What do—"
"Trust me, and just go to bed now, please."
It has been two days since Toushirou had seen that creature, making him think that Ichigo must have said something to keep its distance. Right now, the small captain leaned against a tree with a bag of two small lunches for him and his host; it was something to keep him occupied. About twelve Hollow appeared all day yesterday, and it was because Ichigo was stressed out about his paperwork that he had to correct. He was unfortunately taking the advice of Momo who told him to bring Ichigo his meal because that would surely make him happy. That was why he was here doing such a nice deed for the man; so that he would possibly be happy and not think of anything stressful.
"Ah, there you are!" A voice called, earning Toushirou's attention, seeing the boy. "He said you would be here…" The boy, the one that belonged to those thugs, panted. "K-Kurosaki-san… said to get you…" He placed his hands on his knees, trying to get himself to breathe. "We were talking and the man attacked."
'Kurosaki can handle them all on his own, but…' Toushirou did not need Gillian running around the town. "Where is he?" The boy pointed and said the parking lot, and he dropped the lunches. "Thank you."
He ran off to the area that he was pointed to, but for some reason his reiatsu was only becoming farther away—maybe Kon was in his human body and Ichigo was out somewhere. After arriving to the parking lot, there were no signs of people, or a fight for that matter, perhaps he just went to the wrong spot? A chuckle came from in front of him that directed his full attention… it was a man with four claw marks on his face as if attacked by an animal. There was something that did not feel right about this situation, so he heeded Ichigo's order's to turn to run away from the scene while he could—but his arms were grabbed. It was a set up; that boy knew he would come to Kurosaki's aid, and now he was grabbed by two men, only to see a third place a cloth over his nose and mouth. This would have been so much easier if he was not in the gigai, but he could not get out it with his arms being held so he cannot escape.
Turquoise hues rolled to the back of his head as he fell unconscious.
"We're going to get rich off this guy while Kurosaki Ichigo hunts us down for him." The leader chuckled.
One spoke confusedly. "What if he doesn't come and thinks that the kid just left him without permission?"
"Good idea, empty his pockets." A fifth man did as told, who seemed surprised. "What's the matter?"
"He only has a brand new cell phone and some weird candy." The man answered, setting them down.
"Whatever, the phone will give him the idea." The leader announced. "Let's get outta here while we can!"
As the group fled the scene with Toushirou in hand, two creatures watched from above them in the sky.
"Kurosaki-sama will kill you for disobeying." A male voice called to the female that was his height.
She looked over at the one questioning. "That brat deserves it, for disobeying Kurosaki-sama."
"That isn't your choice to make." He sighed and ignored the situation. "Good luck explaining this."
Once he disappeared, she watched the scene a little longer. "No one disobeys Kurosaki-sama…"
Finished watching the humans carry the captain she despised so much, she turned to leave this world.
