Here it is! The seventh chapter. Thank you Plain Jane is a Vampire for beta-ing this for me! And to my reviewers of course. Warnings-Yaoi, swearing, over all insaneness. I do not own Bleach.
It was weird for Ichigo to wake up with his arms wrapped tenderly around someone else. He nuzzled Shinji's blond hair once before unraveling himself. Shinji groaned when he pulled away.
"Come back warmth!" he muttered, tugging Ichigo back down.
Ichigo laughed, pulling away and standing up. "I've got to go to work, Shinji. I'll call you later tonight. You can crash here for however long."
Shinji just gave him a thumbs up and put his face back into the pillow. Within fifteen minutes, Ichigo was ready to go and out the door, pausing only to give Shinji a quick kiss.
Gin wasn't there to greet him that morning so he just slipped into the elevator, surprised to see the key already in the correct slot and the hidden button revealed. With a shrug, he pressed it and took the key out, slipping it into his pocket as the elevator took him deep beneath the building. When he arrived he saw only Urahara there, Yoruichi sleeping on his lap.
"Greetings, Kurosaki-kun. May I have my key back, please?" he asked, holding out his hand.
"That was yours?" Ichigo asked, fishing the key out and placing it in Urahara's hand.
"Yes. I knew you would be coming so I left it for you," Urahara told him, smiling.
"Um…thanks," Ichigo muttered, sitting down in the same seat as yesterday.
"No problem. Gin will be arriving in about two minutes," Urahara told him.
"How would you know that?" Ichigo asked, expecting some crazy and outlandish answer from the man.
"Yoruichi told me," Urahara said, beaming.
Yep, that was crazy.
"Right then," Ichigo sighed, shifting uneasily in his chair.
"Tell me Kurosaki-kun. Are you familiar with Japanese weapons?" Urahara asked suddenly.
"Um…a little bit. And I know karate, if that counts," Ichigo said with a shrug.
"Oh, I see. Are you familiar with the term, zanpaktou?" Urahara asked, reaching under the table.
"No," Ichigo answered, eyeing him carefully.
"Well, it refers to a sword that is imbued with a spirit and one is able to channel spirit energy through it. Similar to this," Urahara told him, pulling out a sheathed katana.
"What are you doing with that?" Ichigo cried, jolting back in his seat.
"Are you deaf, Kurosaki-kun? I already told you. It is a zanpaktou," Urahara told him.
Yoruichi suddenly looked up, meowing loudly.
Urahara smirked, hiding the sword beneath the table just as the elevator doors opened. Gin strode through, familiar smile in place. He reminds of a fox with that smile, Ichigo thought as Gin sat down his chair.
"Urahara, Kurosaki-kun. Glad you are so early," Gin said.
"Soi Fon and Hitsugaya will be arriving in thirty seconds," Urahara announced.
Ichigo silently began counting down in his head, determined to figure out if Urahara was telling the truth. It wasn't like he believed the cat knew the time but he wanted to know if somehow Urahara himself knew. That was likely…but the cat? Absolutely not.
"Shut up Shorty," Soi Fon growled as they exited the elevator. Exactly when Ichigo reached zero in his countdown. Holy crap…
"I'm just saying that it makes more sense if the egg came before the chicken!" Hitsugaya protested, glaring at her with his arms folded.
"You are so stupid! The egg had to come from the chicken!" Soi Fon argued.
"Stop being ridiculous! Where did the chicken come from, hm?"
"Are you seriously fighting over that?" Ichigo asked, raising a fine eyebrow.
Soi Fon turned her gaze on him, eyes narrowed. "Shut up! Go sit down Shorty."
"Ten seconds until the arrival of Byakuya and Ukitake," Urahara called out.
Again, just like before, he was right. The two entered the room and Ukitake motioned for Hitsugaya to pull out his laptop and set it up.
"Well team. It's sad to say we have gotten absolutely nowhere in the past month," Gin said. "In all honesty, I am deeply disappointed."
"You're wrong Gin-sama!" Urahara cried excitedly. "The seventh equation was the closest to working. There was an intense gathering of quantum particles during the process there was just the matter of their being too much power. I believe we could easily figure it out now."
Gin turned to Hitsugaya. "Toshiro-kun. Get that formula up. Urahara, get to the booth and be ready to input the formula that I email you."
As he spoke he pulled out his own laptop, quickly loading it up. Gleefully, Urahara exited the room, Yoruichi balancing on the top of his hat. Soi Fon stared intently as the screen dropped down and the seventh formula appeared.
"We've been trying to access the past, am I correct?" she asked.
"Well, we can't know for sure where we'll turn up. But it is exciting to know that in another dimension, we have most likely already found the formula and used it. Personally, I would find it better if we traveled forward to know what happened. But I can't be picky," Gin said, his smile still in place.
"Well if Urahara said the strength was too much we need to knock down those four numbers," Byakuya broke in, indicating which ones he was talking about.
"Not just those," Ichijo broke in. "The last number needs to be raised if you lower those."
"He's right," Soi Fon agreed.
They debated back and forth over the numbers before finally, Gin sent the formula to Urahara.
"Come on everyone. Let's see if it works," Gin ordered, opening the door and stepping into the room from yesterday.
Already, the arch way was sparking and glowing as the familiar hum filled the room. The center of the arch began glowing with pale blue light and Ichigo felt excitement race through him. How could he have not wanted to sign up for this?
Urahara raced through the door, quickly striding over to Gin. "The portal is stable. It works."
"Yes!" Hitsugaya shouted, giving Ukitake a high five.
"Good job, brat," Soi Fon muttered, directing the comment at Ichigo.
"Well, unfortunately, we cannot embark on this journey now," Gin informed them. "Urahara, go turn it off. Now that we know it works, let's not waste anymore energy."
"Of course."
Urahara vanished out the door again and seconds later the portal was cut off, the humming sound dying.
"I think that was the most exciting moment of my life," Ichigo informed them.
"I have to agree," Ukitake said, shooting him a small smile.
"So now what do we do?" Hitsugaya asked.
"We go home. I'll be informing the government about this and I'll call you all back when a verdict has been reached," Gin told them.
()()()
When Shinji knocked on Ichigo's dorm door later that evening he had not been expecting for Ichigo to be there. He also had not been expecting the door to be thrown open and be pinned to a wall, a warm mouth covering his in a kiss. When Ichigo drew back, he was grinning from ear to ear, obviously pleased.
"I love getting greeted that way," Shinji said. "But…why are you so happy?"
"We did it! We made a portal! And it works! God! I'm so happy!" Ichigo all but squealed in excitement.
"I can tell. Wait…so you can travel to-"
"Other dimensions. Yes! It's brilliant, isn't it?" Ichigo sighed, eyes still brimming with excitement.
"So…what does this all mean now?" Shinji asked.
"Um…I don't really know actually. Gin said he has to report it to the government and we'll know then," Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head. He suddenly blushed. "I…missed you."
Shinji couldn't help but smile at the vulnerable sound in Ichigo's voice. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them again and gently kissing him. It was like a spark had ignited deep within Ichigo as his hands twisted in Shinji's hair, bringing them closer together as he deepened the kiss, nipping at Shinji's lower lip.
"Too fast, Ichigo," Shinji murmured quietly, pulling away.
"Sorry. I'm just…really happy right now," Ichigo said, blushing more.
"I never really took you as the blushing type, Ichigo. I-"
"Ichigo! Open this door right now!" Renji shouted, fist pounding on the door.
Ichigo groaned, pulling away from Shinji and opening the door. Renji strode in, face almost as red as his hair from anger.
"You quit the soccer team! Are you insane?" Renji shouted, not noticing Shinji at all.
"Um no. I just have another way of paying now and something important for my classes came up," Ichigo answered, shuffling his feet awkwardly.
"Oh! I'm sure! How could you leave us like this? We're your friends," Renji huffed. It was then that his eyes caught Shinji. "Oh I see. You're off with your little band geek, huh?"
"Don't call him that," Ichigo hissed.
Shinji was surprised at how protective and defending Ichigo was being, thankful that he was being stood up for, for once.
"I still can't believe you ditched us," Renji fumed. "For him, no less!"
"Are you so blinded by stereotypes Renji? I thought that maybe you'd be above that but it seems you've proved me wrong," Ichigo growled, eyes sparking with anger.
Renji's eyes narrowed. "You've changed Ichigo."
"No. I haven't. I'm just done acting like all the other airheads," Ichigo snapped.
"Acting?" Renji asked, bewildered.
"Yes. Acting. Acting like I thought I was better than everyone else. Acting like I thought making fun of people was funny. Acting like I actually cared about soccer. Acting like I actually liked girls for God's sake!"
Shinji flinched. Now he's done it.
"You…don't like girls?" Renji asked slowly.
"So what? You gonna stereotype me on that too Renji?" Ichigo hissed, almost as though he were challenging Renji to do so.
"So you're telling me you are some pretty little gay fag who likes other guys?"
What happened next took everyone in the room by surprise. Ichigo's fist met Renji's face, easily propelling him into the half open door, closing it as he hit and slumped to the ground, cradling his now bleeding nose.
"Shut up Renji. And get out of my dorm," Ichigo ordered, surprisingly calm for what had just transpired.
"I don't even know you anymore," Renji said quietly, before vanishing out the door.