Chapter 10

Winters Warm Breath

- Previously -

"I can't protect you if you can't protect yourself!" Ichigo yelled. "Look at me!"


Toushirou saw that he was sitting on the ground, looking at the man standing in front of him with a zanpakuto at his face. If he was going to die right here by the hands and zanpakuto of Kurosaki Ichigo, then that would be find. Hyorinmaru then roared at him, wanting him to fight, causing him to remember that this couldn't be him, he would never say such cruel things. This angered the small one as Ichigo rose the blade in the air, no, this wasn't Kurosaki Ichigo, this was Kasumiouji Ichigo…

"Sit upon frozen heavens," Toushirou pulled out his zanpakuto, "Hyorinmaru!"

He immediately stabbed Ichigo in the chest as Hyorinmaru froze Ichigo over at the same time, glaring at the impostor. Ichigo spat out blood and his eyes began to haze over slowly, but smiled when seeing the boy glare. The small captain was waiting for another attack from him, but the tall captain dropped the zanpakuto.

"Good-" he coughed some more blood, "you… caught me off guard… I'm… proud."

Hearing this cause him to dread in fear, the ice that had froze around the orange-haired captain had disappeared, and watched him fall limp to the ground. Toushirou pulled out the zanpakuto and placed in into the scabbard before shaking the fallen shinigami. This wasn't funny, Ichigo's eyes were closed and he looked as if he was only asleep; no, he couldn't be dead—it wasn't possible.

"Someone take Kurosaki Ichigo to the fourth division, the mission is completed." Yamamoto stated sternly, already leaving the scene now to go to sleep.

'Kurosaki?' Toushirou heard him, and looked to the fallen man, 'so this… this was…'

"A shame it ended like that," Shunsui spoke, walking away. "He sacrificed himself."
Jyuushirou also began to walk away, "Ichigo-kun was only following orders."
"It's his own fault for using a technique that drains him." Mayuri snorted and left.
"Tch, so in the end he valued someone else's life instead his own?" Kenpachi asked.
"That is Kurosaki for you." Byakuya stated as they both left.

Soi Fon and Retsu came forth to Ichigo and Toushirou, watching the small captain trying to wake up the fallen captain. He continued to call out his name but it wasn't helping him at all, so he was beginning to cry in the rain. Why was it he who had struck him, why was it him to begin with, …why was it by his own hands? Toushirou then leaned over to cry against the back of Ichigo's bloody haori, telling him how much he hated him for not telling him the truth.

"I need to have him carried to the fourth division unit into a healing room." Retsu spoke softly. "Soi Fon will take him, but you have to let him go so that she can carry him there." She frowned, "the stab was far too close to his heart to be safe."

Toushirou lifted himself off and he looked at them, "why did no one tell me?"
Retsu and Soi Fon exchanged glanced, and the latter stated, "he might die anyway."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?!" The small captain yelled. Retsu nodded to Soi Fon.

"He wanted to protect you."

- Now -

Confused and upset was what he was, the small captain was more visible in his emotions now more than he ever had. The head captain would not see him or speak to him, fourth division captain told him that he had to let go of orange-haired one. It was not that simple though, he could not just let this man sacrifice himself, just to have the small captain return to full strength. Though he knew it was selfish, he was not going to leave the fallen captain's side of the bed until he saw him wake up.

It's been a week though.

Ichigo's breathing was too slow for the small ones comfort; the wound that was given to him was fatal so to speak. If the blade was only a little more to his right, he would have stabbed his heart, and it would have been hell. Many of the captains came to see how the captain was doing, even Kenpachi and Byakuya though just once. It was during that time though that Toushirou had to back away and practically sit in a little corner. Many of the lieutenants had even come in to see the condition of the fifth division captain, though only a handful came more frequently. Then there was the endless amount of office ranked shinigami, and the lower ranks of the unit came too.

'Wake up,' Toushirou inwardly spoke to Ichigo, grasping his knees, 'why won't you?'

Everyone knew that the tall fallen captain was strong, but the cut pierced through his body, and out the other side. If he could recover from his moment near death, the small captain didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to do if Ichigo died either.

He looked to Zangetsu that was at his side.

Shiroi getsuga…

A technique that could allow the wielder to enter the inner world of the opponent to destroy them from the inside out. Why did he learn such a ruthless ability with his zanpakuto though, was it just to let him slip into Toushirou's subconscious? No, never mind that, it didn't matter to the small one—nothing will matter, if he doesn't wake up soon. His hands reached out to hold one of his, asking in his mind again for him to wake up, but it didn't work, again.

Nothing was working. Nothing will work. Nothing. Just nothing.

His eyes were so heavy though that he could hardly stay awake, he could hardly see anything but the fallen one's hand that he held. Toushirou rested his head on that hand, telling himself to try to stay awake a little longer, just a little longer. He had to keep an eye on the orange-haired captain no matter what the cost of the small one's health it would take. The small one was responsible for this no matter how much he was confused and upset, and the opinion of the others didn't phase him.

His eyes closed for a second, a minute, an hour… he fell asleep.

Hours among hours later, he started to wake up tiredly to find out that he was laying his head on Ichigo's stomach, so he sat up. Of course he looked at his face to see that his eyes were glued to the ceiling, so he sighed exhaustedly. Wait a moment… his eyes, …were open; Toushirou turned to look at him again, and indeed they were. It meant that Ichigo was finally awake and this managed to excite him inside, he was so happy that the fallen captain had awoken from his long slumber—

"Why are you here?" Ichigo asked.

What kind of question was that! "I was worried I killed you."

"You insult me by weeping." His eyes closed.

"What do you mean?" He shook him. "Open your eyes."

"I'm tired." The fallen captain stated.

Toushirou frowned and shook him just a little more, "you remember everything?"

"Fool," he inhaled a long ragged breath and sighed before replying, "I never died."

"Then, you lied to me… you said you didn't remember." The small one saddened.

"I don't remember you," his eyes open slowly, "because I never forgot you."

Now the white-haired captain understood, but was still sad, "how is this possible."

"If I tell you, then you will have to do something for me." Ichigo announced.

He nodded in agreement, "I'll do anything, just… I need to know."

Ichigo nodded and replied that day long ago. "After we escaped that world, I had attacked Aizen, only to be stabbed in the torso and fell to the grounds, but I was still awake long enough to see you go insane with rage." He sighed, "I couldn't move all that much, but I had enough energy to disappear for a while. Then after a month, I noticed how Soul Society was looking for me." There was a pause. "I grabbed a low rank shinigami and asked him what was going on, and I find out that everyone had thought I was dead… and so I could only imagine how much pain you were in."

"…" Toushirou remembered that pain.

"Returning to school after everyone thought I was dead sounded fun, but I could imagine how upset they would be, how you would be…" Ichigo closed his eyes. "I had to find a way, and so I went to Soul Society and went to the Kasumiouji clan, and it was their idea to make me a noble. The council saw how protective I was of Lurichiyo and the clan, so they decided I was great enough to be the leader till she was ready." He thought about it just a little more, "Byakuya found out, and told sotaichou."

"He begged you to become a captain until you accepted…" Toushirou whispered.

He nodded, "I declined, telling him that it would hurt you if I reappeared like nothing happened, and so he said to keep it between the other taichou." Ichigo then stated. "Everyday he asked, I was training to learn this new ability that enters the mind forcefully, but it drains me." The fallen captain opened his eyes, "Lurichiyo saw that I was repressing myself, and she knew I was becoming torn between two worlds, hers and yours, so she told me to become a taichou for her, so I did." His eyes tried to stay open a little more, "the other captains agreed to call me by my noble name that was given to me, and so I pushed you to see if you could use Hyorinmaru on me."

"That was staged?" Toushirou asked in disbelief.

"Because you couldn't use it against me, this worried the captains; fearing that I can be turned against them, and you would be defenseless against me. So sotaichou had demanded afterwards that I would get you to hate me, to get you to use Hyorinmaru against me with all you have." Ichigo's eyes finally fell again. "He grew tired of me trying to do it alone, so he had me bond closely with Soi Fon, I hated it, but accepted it after there was no other way. But that look of upset fear in your eyes made me so furious that I couldn't go with the plan, so I had to end it there." His mind was slowly getting heavy. "Our argument was more real than anything, and I didn't expect her to actually cling to me as an attachment, so I had to end it there immediately. So I had to talk to sotaichou, and he made it certain, that no matter what would happen to the bond we had, I would have you use Hyorinmaru against me." He sighed in a quiet manner, "I wasn't going to kill you at that moment, but it was enough…"

"We had…" Toushirou spoke his words, "what about now then?"

"Look at you, the fact that you're by my side means that I am still your attachment in the closest of ways." Ichigo stated. "If I were to die with you here watching me, it would insult me to know that I had you use Hyorinmaru against me and regret it."

That wasn't fair though so he objected. "But I—!"

"Toushirou!" Ichigo yelled, cringing in pain afterwards.

"I-Ichigo," he wanted to aid him, but didn't know how.

"You don't get it." The fallen captain growled lowly.

"I don't care, if I think that you're somebody else, then I can attack you." Toushirou stated sternly, grasping his hand a little tightly and buried his face into the tall one's stomach to muffle his voice. "You can't have me fall for you and just die, and then just reappear twenty years later like nothing happened! You've toyed with my mind!"

Ichigo retrieved his hand away from the boy's grasp, and rustled his white hair softly without a chuckle, and whispered, "you're such a spoiled child, Toushirou."

"You always spoiled me since…" since so long ago when he was wounded.

"I reached out to you one night," Ichigo stated, "I wondered if you could handle it."

He turned his head to look at the orange-haired captain, "handle what?"

"I was training early morning, and you came in. I decided that I should hint to you that I hadn't changed, but you cried so badly." Ichigo remembered it like yesterday, "you couldn't handle the memory, so I had to keep it away from you a little longer."

"You bastard." Toushirou buried into Ichigo's stomach. "Stop being selfless."

"I was being selfish." He corrected. "I did everything to protect you from knowing the truth that I had you believe that I didn't know the past."

"That isn't selfish! You were trying to protect me!" The small one yelled.

"For a boy genius, you're slow." Ichigo stated. "It's because I decided it on my own."

"I don't care—if it was to protect me, then I don't care if it was selfish."

"What happened to you," asked the fallen captain, "you used to be so cold and such a pain in the ass. Now look at you," he caressed those white strands, "you're such a child, you make it to where I can pass as your older brother or father even."

"Brothers and fathers don't do what we did." Toushirou retorted.

"That's true, isn't it…?" his reply was soft, eyes closed lightly.

He looked at him, staring at him quietly, "I don't know what to do."

"It's like I told you Toushirou," the fallen one stated. "Let go of me."

Hands grasped onto the others' robes, "why should I let you suffer the pain."

"Because I had you suffer a lost that didn't exist."

"That is far enough," an older voice called out.

Ichigo opened his eyes, "Yamamoto sotaichou."

Toushirou didn't look at him, nor speak to him, "…"

"Your bond is strong, if not too strong." Yamamoto stated.

Painfully, the orange-haired captain sat up, "meaning?"

"Don't get up, you'll worsen the wound." The small one stated.

It went ignored though.

"Meaning?" Ichigo repeated himself more sternly.

Yamamoto shook his head at the misjudged situation, "so long as he may use his zanpakuto against you, then there is no need for a meaning."

"I'm not sure I understand." The wounded one spoke cautiously.

"It is obvious that you were to live, and that Hitsugaya Toushirou would stand by you the entire time loyally no matter what." Yamamoto stated. "If harm were to come to him, it was equally obvious that you would have awakened to rid the problem that would disrupt this." He watched as the orange-haired captain tensed lightly, thinking that it was a threat. "Neither of you will tend to letting this bond leave you, and so I had decided that, so long as you both are willing to fight one another, I will ignore."

Ichigo looked to Toushirou, "can you do that though?"

"All I have to do is pretend your Aizen and I'll defeat you." Toushirou glared.

His eyebrow raised with interest, "maybe you aren't so childish after all."

He punched his shoulder as a reflex, causing the already wounded captain to cringe in pain, "I-I'm sorry, I completely forgot!"

"You brat, you did it on purpose!" Growled the other captain.

"No I didn't you bastard! But now I just might!"

"Then it is settled." Yamamoto stated, and looked to Ichigo, "when will you recover?"

Ichigo knew what he meant, so he replied, "I need three more resting days."

He nodded, "very well, I expect to see you then, alone." He hinted, and left.

"Don't tell me he likes you too…" Toushirou was smacked on the head, "ow!"

"I've been learning all I can in case I'm sotaichou someday." Ichigo stated.

He rubbed his head, "bastard."

"Did you notice?" Ichigo asked.

"Notice that you hit me? Yeah."

"You expressed yourself in front of another, instead of just me." The tall captain had once again caressed the small one's head, "I'm proud that your expressing yourself, not just to me, but to the others around us as well." He stood up and his stomach growled, "I guess I should eat, huh?" Then he looked around. "Wait, where am I?"

Toushirou finally smiled, thinking…

'This is Kurosaki Ichigo.'

X-

Toushirou made sure that Ichigo had a good dinner before helping him all the way to the lodge in the fifth division unit. He didn't plan on leaving him anytime soon seeing how he placed the wounded captain into futon and sat at his side. His eyes watched over the exhausted captain closely, making sure he breathed evenly and was in no severe pain. The small one noticed that this was just like long ago, how when he was wound and Ichigo was the one who had watched over him. A thought came into his mind, thinking about how he was so conflicted at one time, and then Ichigo accepted his feelings so easily and gave him everything he wanted.

Did he ever do that in return?

"What's wrong." Ichigo asked out with his eyes closed, startling the small one.

He sighed before speaking, "I was thinking about before, I never gave you anything."

Before the small one could blink, Ichigo had him laying on the futon beneath him as he was crouched over him. "Don't think that." Ichigo demanded sternly, looking into the surprised turquoise eyes. "You gave me your loyalty and faith, and you always kept it, even after I was dead, you wanted to refuse that I was gone."

Toushirou blushed softly and looked away, "I never gave you anything physical."

He looked at him, knowing what he meant, "you bit me a while back-"

"You told me to quiet down!" The small one fumed, only to receive chuckles.

"It doesn't matter," his lips pressed against his forehead, "you're very demanding."

This made him blush even more, "no I'm not, I didn't demand anything."

"You didn't, huh?" Ichigo brought his lips to his ear. "You always wanted something."

He knew this even though he wouldn't admit it.

His entire face turned into a deep shade of red when one of Ichigo's legs went gently between his own. He hated it when Ichigo would do this to him, it made him even more aroused than he already was. Toushirou looked up at him, hoping that they wouldn't go so far as to do their mischief in the room. The small one heard him snort before he stood up on his knees and laid down on the futon next to him. An upsetting feeling then entered him, wondering if he just disagreed to being with the tall one.

"It's just… you're wounded." Toushirou unwillingly lied.

"I know." He replied, knowing that he was lying, but accepted it.

The small one saw that he knew though, "I apologize…"

"Don't use the taichou crap on me Toushirou, you know better."

His body sat up, "I just don't want the others to think that-"

"No, you're absolutely right Toushirou," Ichigo stated as if he didn't care about it, practically stabbing the small one in the heart, "after all, I have a girl at home that wants me to be her husband as soon as she's old enough." He looked at him, "so I should just make it easier, right? Just have everyone come crawling-"

"Stop it," Toushirou whispered before turning to him, "please just stop it."

He softened to him and sat up against the wall that led to the other room, "come."

There was no hesitation for the small captain, and he sat in his lap, "I'm sorry."

"Shut up and relax," his hands moved against his body to feel him shiver. "You—"

"I know," already his hands were grasping his legs, "I haven't done this in a while."

"Oh, and I have?" Ichigo removed the small one's upper clothing easily.

It wasn't long before Ichigo had the small captains clothing away and teased his body while having him sit in his lap. The pleasure seemed to be too much for the little one after so many years that he was already breathing raggedly. Still, Ichigo was going to take his time until Toushirou changed his mind, until he decided to ask for him. Tables turned on him however—the little one asked if he could do things for him despite how shy he was about touching the other. His time for pleasing lasted only three minutes because he was too nervous, and he asked to be taken by him.

"Do you want it as rough as last time?" Ichigo questioned.

He looked away, "no… I want you to go, …softer… this time…"

"You're so sensitive." His fingers were inserted. "Just don't scream."

"Shut up Ichigo," Toushirou hissed at the contact.

"Oh?" The wounded captain smirked. "You didn't stutter."

X-

The doors were knocked on from outside, but with no answer, they crept into the room and closed the door behind them. They quietly tiptoed to the captain's room, sliding open the door to take a little peak to see the two. Both of the captains were in the same bed; the small one laying on the bigger one's chest beneath the covers. It looked rather cute seeing two captains together, naked under some covers, it would be worth so much in the shinigami women's association. One of the intruders raised a camera and slowly came over to take a good picture of the surprisingly cute couple.

"I'll make your death quick and painless Rangiku-san." Ichigo stated sternly with his eyes closed. "I'm surprised you're sneaking in here too Hinamori."

"I-I-," Momo was sputtering with nervousness.

"Shh, go wait in the other room, I'll be out in a minute."

"O-Oh," she scurried out. "O-Okay."

"You too Rangiku-san." Ichigo growled.

"Aww, okay." Rangiku scurried out of the room.

After the door was slid closed, he reluctant shifted off the futon away from the small sleeper and got dressed in a white robe. He did the same for Toushirou knowing that he might worry a bit when he wakes up, and forgets he's naked. Once that was all finished up, he came out of the room tiredly and looked at the two girls waiting.

"If I was how I used to be as I was younger, I might've accidentally killed you two."

"You look a little stiff taichou," Momo watched him stretch a bit.

He looked at her tiredly, "he rolls in his sleep sometimes."

"Can't we just take a little peak?" Rangiku frowned innocently.

"Why?" Ichigo covered his mouth out of habit to yawn.

"I never seen taichou sleep so peacefully." She stated.

"He'll be waking up soon anyway," his attention went to the door.

Forty seconds later the door slid open and Toushirou was rubbing his eyes while he grumbled softly, "you're supposed to be bedridden for three more days you bastard." His attention went to the girls and glared, "what are you two doing in here?"

"They were trying to spy on us and take pictures," Ichigo stated, "go back to bed."

He only nodded his head slowly and began to slide the door closed but asked, "you?"

"I'll talk to them a little more, go ahead, I'll be in there soon." The tall one assured.

His head nodded once more, "okay," he then closed the door to the room.

The captain scratched the back of his head tiredly, "so what do you two really want?"

Rangiku decided to be honest. "I was worried about taichou, so I went to the fourth division but you two weren't there." She pointed to Momo, "then she said that you were released and in your lodge with taichou, so we wanted to investigate. We were hoping to find out what sotaichou had decided, we wanted to know what happened."

"He used Hyorinmaru on me, nearly killing me if it was a little more to his right side of my chest, he would've pierced my heart." Ichigo then added. "But Toushirou isn't holding a grudge against me for what all had happened, sotaichou will allow it, so long as we will be willing to fight one another if we have to."

Momo and Rangiku looked at each other, and the first spoke, "do you think…"

"Do you think you'll have to fight each other?" Rangiku said for her.

Ichigo stared at the ground, "yes, I believe that, in time, we will."

"What if you have to kill each other?" Momo frowned softly.

"Then I don't mind dying by his hands." He replied.

Rangiku looked surprised, "you can't mean that."

"I'm still alive, I'm still apart of the human world." Ichigo paused quietly. "So maybe I'll be lucky and come back somehow, but, I doubt it will be with memories." He stood up and cracked his back, "if that's all you wanted to know, go to sleep."

"Can we sleep in here?" Rangiku tried to be sly.

"No, both of you go to the tenth division." The captain stated.

"Why?" Momo asked curiously, wondering why she had to do such.

"With two taichou here and none in the tenth division?" His eyes rolled.

"So, because Shiro-chan knows you're you, you won't put on the noble act?"

"Not in private at least." Ichigo scratched his head. "I have to for others though."

Momo smiled after giggling at his attitude. "Taichou doesn't like being a noble."

"Everything becomes a habit." He retorted as he showed the two the way out. "Go on and go to sleep, it isn't all that grand to rile up a tired dragon I'll have you know." Ichigo sighed when the two took their time leaving, but soon they did. "Women."

When he went into the other room, he saw Toushirou staring at the covers and asked out, "do you really think that we'll have to fight each other?"

Ichigo frowned when seeing him confused and upset all over again, "time will tell."

His attention went to him, like he was about to cry, "I almost killed you last time!"

"You're such a crybaby now." He closed the door and laid next to the sitting captain.

"I refuse to fight you again if I can avoid it." Toushirou stated sternly, voice breaking.

"Don't say that," the captain sighed, "you'll get us into trouble, and be separated."

"How can you not be upset about that?" He shook him. "How can you be so calm?"

"I was separated from you with full knowledge of where you were, and what you were doing… it hurt knowing that I couldn't come to comfort you." Ichigo stated. "If you get carried away and say things like that, then we'll be separated again, and this time you'll know that I'm alive, but you can't look for me." He watched the little one lay down and cling to him, so he sighed and wrapped an arm around him, "sleep."

He nodded slowly, "next time someone's here, wake me."

"Why?" Ichigo replied. "I expected your butt to be sore."

His cheeks reddened, "don't say it like that you pervert."

"I swear, I had no idea you could be this embarrassed…"

"I'm not embarrassed!" Toushirou roared in his chest.

"Oh yeah? Then why are your cheeks red? You crying?"

"Just shut up…" he demanded, nuzzling into him.

"Go to sleep Toushirou." Ichigo said softly.

That's all he had to say to the small captain, and he fell fast asleep in his arm that he had missed for quite some time. Causing the tall captain to frown softly, 'I don't know when we'll fight each other, but I know we will someday, I'm sorry.'

X-

Toushirou woke up to the loss of warmth that he had throughout the night, so he leaned up against his elbows and looked around. "Kurosaki?" He frowned in a little annoyance before getting up and peeking into the other room. "Kurosaki?" The captain was all alone in the lodge and saw that it was morning, "that jerk…"

It was obvious that the orange-haired man had left him in order to do his duties as a captain, so he should probably do the same. When he bent down to grab his robe, he winced and the pain that was summoned from behind, having him cringe. Why did it hurt hours after their so-called 'play time,' or at least more than it was earlier?

"He could've waken me up." He dressed and took his zanpakuto before heading out to find him. The orange-haired captain at least deserved a punch in the face.

"Ah! Hitsugaya-kun!" Momo called out and scurried to him.

"Where is Kurosaki?" Toushirou demanded immediately.

She frowned. "He wanted you to rest today, he said you were sore."

He refused to blush though, "where is Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Not here." A colder voice called out, and they turned to look.

"Kuchiki?" Toushirou was surprised at him. "But he's bedridden—"

"An issue in the noble family occurred though it is none of your concern." Byakuya stated and continued walking past them. "You do best to stay out of it."

"Why didn't he tell me?" He asked himself quietly.

"Ah… well… several members came to see him." Momo panicked.

"Tch. Tell Matsumoto to watch my division." The captain demanded.

"Where are you going?!" She asked worriedly. "You'll get him in trouble."

Toushirou paused, remembering last night—how Ichigo spoke to him, "…"

This really wasn't fair, how can he stay with Ichigo if he's always going to that stupid little noble girl? Then again, Byakuya said that some sort of issue occurred, so maybe Ichigo wasn't going to the girl; Momo even said some council members or whatever came to get him. That was a little irritating too—Ichigo was a captain and shouldn't really be placed into issues like this, but then he remembered that he wasn't a noble.

He was just Kurosaki Ichigo.