Author's note: The timeline I'm using for the temples doesn't really work too well with Indian history, but I'm dealing with the fact that shinigami can live for two thousand years. We just have to roll with it, heh!

"Hey, Ichigo." Hajime snuck into the boy's room, sitting beside him on the bed. It was early morning. After Urahara had finished testing Hajime the previous day, he'd given Ichigo one more run around the training facility. When they'd gotten home, the teen had been too exhausted to be interested in anything more than a blowjob. With a spirit of absolute devilry, Hajime had given him that blowjob and tucked him into bed. But they hadn't talked about Karin and Yuzu yet. "C'mon, wake up. We need to talk about something."

"Nngh. Hajime?" Came the sleepy voice, along with a bit of shifting from the lump beneath the covers. Hajime smiled and found a loose corner, slipping a hand beneath those blankets and finding a bare patch of skin to tickle. "Agh!" Ichigo sat bolt upright and favored his white double with a scowl that Hajime met with a grin. "You're horrible." He muttered, stretching for a moment. "What is it? I wanted to sleep in." He said, a touch annoyed.

"You already have, it's eight and we're due at Urahara's at ten." Hajime informed him. It wasn't exactly a hard and fast time, but they still didn't want to be late. "But we need to talk. It's about your sisters."

"Hmm? What about them?" Ichigo cracked his neck, clearly not expecting anything interesting. Hajime couldn't help but grin as he dropped the bomb.

"Well, you were too into me to notice, but Karin walked in on us the night before last." Hajime had the pleasure of seeing Ichigo doing a rather good fish impression. "And Yuzu came in to see for herself not long after. So yeah, we're pretty much busted." Ichigo went pale as a ghost and put a hand to his stomach, looking like he might be sick.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" He demanded and Hajime shrugged.

"Well, I didn't want to disturb your sleep that night." Hajime said and from the look on Ichigo's face, he thought that was the dumbest reason ever. "Then I didn't want to mess you up right before Hat 'n Clogs tried to kill you. Then you were so tired I didn't want to mess up your sleep again. So here we are, this just seemed like a good time." It all made sense to Hajime. Ichigo whimpered in mental pain, putting his head in his hands.

"So you're telling me both my sisters know I'm gay and having sex with you?" He demanded, reaching behind him, without looking, to shove open the curtains. Hajime stared, eyed going wide as he saw what was behind those curtains.

"Uh… yeah… and… it looks like… your dad, too…" Hajime said very slowly, staring at Isshin. Ichigo's father was pressed against the glass. Clearly he'd been about to ambush his son, then got distracted listening to an absolutely fascinating conversation. Right now the elder Kurosaki was doing a great fish impression, too. Ichigo went paler, if it was possible, and carefully glanced over his shoulder before letting out a heartfelt scream.

"Ahhh!" There was nothing else coherent as Ichigo latched onto his demon lover, and sobbed into his chest. As Hajime watched, Isshin's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell off the roof with a thud. The albino would have been worried, but his mark hadn't even twinged. Ichigo's dad was going to be fine.

"It's okay Ichigo." Hajime comforted his friend and lover. "Maybe we should call Urahara and let him know we're having a family crisis." Ichigo had at least an hour to recover, though. Maybe they could get this all sorted out. "C'mon, your sisters are probably downstairs doing stuff." Hajime knew that Yuzu was planning to do some serious cleaning, and Karin would probably be helping.

"How can I face them?" Ichigo said, his voice muffled in Hajime's shirt. The albino demon was experimenting with his clothing lately, so the shirt in question mimicked his armor, a black t-shirt with a white circle in the centre and two red lines on either side.

"Well, see, you lift your chin. Then you ask them to pass the bacon." Hajime said, planting a small kiss on Ichigo's forehead. He smiled as he got a small, muffled laugh from the teen. "We had to tell them sometime anyway, if you're serious about me. And you are serious, right?" Hajime said softly, feeling a deep pain in his heart. If Ichigo said no…

"Of course I am." Ichigo lifted his head, sitting back and scrubbing his cheeks for a moment. Hajime was relieved to see he was getting a grip on himself. "Sorry about that, Hajime. I just didn't anticipate it all coming out like this."

"I don't think anyone could have anticipated that last part." Hajime said fervently. Ichigo's dad had taken him completely by surprise. "But seriously, we should go downstairs before he comes to his senses and runs in freaking out." Hajime thought it might be a good thing to get Karin and Yuzu on their side before Isshin got back up.

"You're probably right." Ichigo said with a sigh, quickly getting out of his nightclothes and pulling on a t-shirt and jeans. He didn't bother with a shower, but he had showered the previous night, so that wasn't much of a problem. Hajime went downstairs first and saw Karin doing the dishes as Yuzu tried to clean up the living room. It was hard, because Hajime was still keeping the house spotless, but she clearly wanted to do something.

"Hey girls, we gotta problem." Hajime said, his rasping voice rather amused. "Your dad decided to listen at the window at a really bad time, so he knows about us." Yuzu looked petrified as Karin looked up from the dishes, grimacing. Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, looking shamefaced and avoiding looking at either of his sisters. Knowing they had seen him having sex, well, that was the sort of thing guaranteed to haunt him forever. "So, is there any bacon?"

"Bacon?" Karin sounded confused. "How do you go from that to bacon, Hajime?" The jump was definitely hard to follow. Hajime shrugged.

"We need some brekky and we probably won't be able to eat once he gets his act together and comes barging in." He pointed out and Ichigo grimaced.

"I don't think I can eat anyway." But he took a seat at the kitchen table and sipped on some tea as Hajime began preparing bacon and eggs. The albino was just putting them on plates as a rather dazed Isshin stumbled into the house.

"My daughters, I just had a terrible dream. I dreamed that my son was gay and having sex with his cousin!" Big tears filled Isshin's eyes as Hajime sniggered and Ichigo covered his face, looking like he was trying to hide in his teacup. "Tell me it was just a dream!"

"It wasn't, and I'm not actually his cousin, you daft bastard." Hajime said in a bored tone, eating a strip of bacon. "Demon, remember?" Although even if he had been Ichigo's cousin, their story was that he was actually his cousin's child. That would make him a second cousin, which was a distant relationship at best.

"But Hajime! I love you like a son! We were going to adopt you!" Isshin wailed and the startled demon got hugged so hard, he nearly dropped his bacon in his tea. "Now my son has corrupted you!"

"Wh-what?" Hajime stammered as Ichigo sat bolt upright in outrage. "Corrupted? Me?" Trying to corrupt a demon struck Hajime as a bit like trying to kill a fish by immersing it in water. Completely futile and helpful for the fish. "Uh…" He had absolutely no idea what to say to that. Fortunately, Ichigo was there to fill in the gap.

"Dad! What the hell!" Ichigo yelled, surging to his feet. "First off, we can't adopt him, he doesn't have any parents to sign away the rights to him! Second, corrupting a demon is just ridiculous!" Hajime might have been offended if he didn't completely agree with that sentiment, trying to get out of Isshin's grip without hurting the man.

"Ichigo, Hajime is a wonderful son!" Hajime started trying to get away rather urgently as Isshin sang his praises. This was getting creepy as hell. "He makes magnificent food, keeps the house as clean as Masaki, and placed fourth in the school! You must have corrupted him, my son is a delinquent!" Isshin said with a great sob. Hajime finally managed to make a break for it and used his favorite tactic, getting past Yuzu and trying to hide under the sofa. It was a bit difficult, there wasn't as much room under the couch as there was under the bed, but he made it work. He'd even cleaned under it recently, so there weren't any dust bunnies to tickle his nose.

"Dad, you're creeping him out again!" Ichigo snarled. He might have been annoyed that Isshin was acting like he loved Hajime more than him, but he was at the age where he'd prefer not to have to deal with his dad's lunacy anyway. Of course, that insanity being transferred onto Hajime wasn't much better. Particularly when it made the demon hide under the sofa. "Yes, I'm gay and Hajime is bi!" Ichigo was absolutely certain of that. Hajime still liked to flirt with Orihime, although it was clearly joking now. "Yes, we're having sex! And yes, we're in love!" There was a faint squeak from under the couch, but Ichigo ignored it, giving his father a challenging stare. "Do you have a problem with that, old man?" He snarled and wasn't too surprised as his father ran to Masaki's poster to sob about his delinquent son and his crushed hopes for grandchildren. Shaking his head, Ichigo looked over to where Yuzu was trying to coax Hajime out from under the chesterfield.

"I think I'll just stay under here, thanks. Can you pass me some bacon?" Hajime's raspy voice came from under the sofa and Ichigo had to grin. That was so… Hajime.

"You have to come out for more bacon." Ichigo said firmly and Hajime whined before crawling out from under the couch. He needed to come out anyway, if they were going to Urahara's.

"Screw the bacon, let's just get out of here before he gets a grip on himself." Hajime said, running to the fridge to fetch out the two bento boxes he'd packed up earlier. They would need them at Urahara's. Ichigo took one look at his father and nodded, waiting for Hajime to dash out the door before following as Yuzu called goodbye and Karin yelled at his father for being a complete weirdo. "Just another day in this crazy house." Hajime muttered to himself, trying not to think about the little flutter his heart had done when Ichigo had said the word love. And how his bonds had trembled again. They were starting to break, he was sure of it.

But what did it take for them to finally come apart?

"Ugh." Ichigo lay back in the hot spring, letting the water sooth his injuries. It seemed to have a remarkable ability to take away his pain. "Huh?" He lifted his hand, blinking as he realized a cut there had closed over. "Hey, Hajime?" The albino was relaxing beside him, looking almost asleep, his eyes closed and expression peaceful. "Could this water have healing properties?"

"Sure could. Try it on your cheek." Hajime said and Ichigo splashed the water on his face. The small cut there instantly sealed over. "Definitely does. Mmm." Hajime slid under the water, although he didn't have any wounds to heal. He just liked the heat of it. And without needing to breath, he could enjoy it as long as he liked. Then Ichigo nudged him in the side and Hajime came to the surface.

"That's kind of unnerving." Ichigo said and Hajime shrugged. "And look, a cat." Hajime turned to look, seeing a black cat regarding them.

"Yep, it's a cat." He agreed, swimming over to that side of the pool and resting his elbows on the edge of the hot spring. "Hey kitty, want an ear rub?" Hajime held out a hand. He knew what cats liked, and it was getting an ear scratch. Then he blinked at the sound of a very masculine chuckle.

"I believe I can pass." They both gaped as mist surrounded the cat, and its form changed. Hajime internally cursed himself for not reading the cats' aura. Belatedly, he sensed that this was not a cat at all, but something far more powerful. Then his mind was completely sidetracked by what was standing in front of him.

"Nice tits." He murmured, looking up. His vantage point was excellent. Behind him, Ichigo screamed.

"Oh my god what the hell?! Put some pants on! And who are you anyway?" It was the first time either of them had seen a talking cat, let alone one that had a masculine voice then turned into a woman. Hajime tilted his head to get a better view, utterly shameless as the cat woman entered the hot spring and settled in.

"I'm Yoruichi Shihoin. But please, call me Yoruichi. You are quite an innocent, aren't you?" She directed that at Ichigo, who was trying desperately not to see anything. "And you're not innocent at all." She said to Hajime, who gave her his best pervert impression as he swam backwards, going back to Ichigo.

"Nah. Hey pretty lady, want some candy – ow!" Hajime winced as he got slapped upside his head by his lover. "I'm just kidding, you know I only love you." Hajime put an arm around Ichigo's waist, cuddling him close and giving the teen a kiss. That distracted him admirably from the woman in the pool. Neither of them cared as they heard a soft laugh. But then there was an odd popping sound and they both looked back.

"Oh, it's like that is it?" The cat swam closer to them and Ichigo stared as Hajime looked disappointed. While he was coming to admit he loved Ichigo, those had still been some nice breasts, especially without a stitch of clothing to hide them. "Well, Urahara is wondering if you plan to stay in the hot pool all day or if you'll be coming out eventually." Ichigo groaned and Hajime grinned, poking him in the side. "Oh, don't groan too much Ichigo. I believe he actually wants to practice with Hajime."

"Oh yeah?" That pleased the demon. He'd fought more opponents than he could conveniently count, and he'd defeated them all, killing most of them. He was incapable of forgetting his skills, and those skills had been honed over thousands of years of murder and mayhem. But he still liked to spar with Kisuke. Things had changed, and it was always good to learn new things. Not to mention, he simply enjoyed fighting. Sparring against a really capable opponent hit his pleasure centres, hard. "I'd love that. C'mon Ichigo, let's go see Hat 'n Clogs." That was their pet name for Urahara now. Hajime honestly couldn't imagine why he wore that strange footwear. It looked rather uncomfortable. But then, Hajime's shoes were technically part of his body, so he might as well be running around barefoot.

"I can't wait to see him run you around." Ichigo mumbled, not quite under his breath and Hajime grinned.

"You'll be waiting a long time for that, Ichigo. I'm a lot older'n you." Hajime didn't think he'd win easily, but he didn't think Urahara would herd him around the way he did Ichigo either. "Let me show you how it's done." Hajime was more than ready to show off a bit.

Just watching could get rather boring, at times.

A few days later.

It was a quiet night in Karakura town. Insects chirped softly in the summer air, and a small wind stirred the flowers in the lawns and boxes. All was quiet, all was well.

Well, except for the three boys walking home from practice.

"I'm glad you came Ishida, that was something else!" Hajime grinned, throwing an arm over the other boy's shoulders. Ishida shrugged him off, but not as though he really minded. "I liked getting to see those Quincy powers." That had been fun. And the whole thing had been quite amusing, because they hadn't invited Ishida to come. He'd just shown up at Urahara's, fully expecting to be included. The shopkeeper hadn't minded, so Ichigo and Hajime had just taken it in stride.

"It was nothing." The other kid said. Hajime gave him a curious look. He sounded quite unhappy, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "I'm just trying to stay away from my father for a while. He's unhappy about how low I placed in the rankings." That made Ichigo's eyes widen and Hajime's jaw drop.

"Three? He's unhappy about you placing third?" Ichigo sounded confused. "Ishida, that's an excellent ranking!" Ishida scowled, then sighed.

"He thinks I should be first." Ishida said briefly and Hajime sneered. He'd seen that kind of attitude before, and never liked it.

"Tell him it's not the goddamn Olympics." That brought out a laugh from his friends. "There ain't no difference on the uni applications between one and three. Or four, for that matter." Hajime was dead certain of that. Several of his teachers were encouraging him to go on for more education, but Hajime wasn't sure he wanted to bother. He was getting some ideas beyond opening a food truck. He could take dancing lessons and become a ballerina, for example. Not tiring or getting strained muscles would help, although his dead white skin might be a problem. "And… uh." Hajime stopped dead as he felt a familiar and completely unwelcome power. "Shit." Ichigo and Ishida both sensed it just a moment after him, and the three of them stopped as three strangers appeared in front of them.

At least, two of them were strangers. The third was the woman, and she was entirely too familiar. She was standing behind a man with very long, flowing black hair. Hajime blinked at the silver clips in his hair. His face was almost pretty, and what Hajime could sense of his power put him on guard. This was a leader among the shinigami. The third was a man with spiky red hair and tattoos that normally would have caught and held Hajime's attention. They were pretty damned sexy. Right now, though, he had other things on his mind and he could tell that guy was not remotely as powerful as the guy with the hair clips.

"If this comes down to a fight, Ishida gets the girl, Ichigo you take the guy with the red hair. The guy with the clips is mine and do NOT try to help me, he'll fuck you up." Hajime instructed them quickly and both his friends nodded, Ichigo yanking out the chain with his focus stone. Then he raised his voice. "And what can we do for you fine gentlemen and lady this evening?" His voice was mocking as he shoved his hands in his pockets. The woman looked at him like he was some ugly species of bug, but the man in the centre just looked very serious. No doubt he had more experience with demons, and Hajime met his grey eyes, feigning indifference.

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki. Who precisely are you?" The man asked quietly. Hajime shrugged.

"Hajime Kurosaki. This is Ichigo Kurosaki, and this is Ishida Uryuu." He quickly introduced everyone, although this was not a friendly meeting. Byakuya frowned.

"That was not what I was asking. Who are you?" He repeated the question and Hajime made an annoyed hiss. He knew what the shinigami was asking for, and he couldn't give it.

"I don't have a name." He snarled. Byakuya wanted his true name, the name every demon had, but Hajime no longer had one. That curious condition had come about because of his soul. Humans and shinigami didn't have true names like demons, names that really meant something to their bodies. So now Hajime didn't, either. Although… "Back when my body had a name, it was Ka'Shikura." Not that it mattered. Of course… Hajime smirked as the shinigami immediately tried to bind him with his true name. "Oh come on. How dumb do you think I am, exactly?"

"Some demons are very stupid. You would be shocked how often that works." Byakuya said calmly and Hajime let out a cackle. He knew the shinigami was right about that. "I am told you say you were bound by the temples. But my family keeps the records of the shinigami, and the spiritual powers your friend uses came to an end over five thousand years ago." Byakuya's gaze flicked to Ichigo, who was holding his focus stone and scowling. Hajime swallowed at that. He'd been on ice for five thousand years?

"Uh… okay. Awesome, I get to start a religious revival." Hajime said flippantly, to hide the fact that he was feeling faint. The temples were really gone? He did NOT think that was a good thing. The shinigami really could be arrogant as fuck. And as little as he'd liked some of those people, as dark as their powers had been, he thought they should still have a place in the world. Maybe as a head on a pike, but still. "If that's so, why the hell haven't you been training 'em? Ichigo damned well needed it, he woke me up with nothing but raw power!" That bothered Hajime, a lot. The priests would have considered it irresponsible. When a child like Ichigo was found, they were immediately inducted into the temples.

"I do not need to explain anything to you." Byakuya said, making Hajime fume. "You are too dangerous to remain here. You will come with me to Soul Society to be evaluated." Hajime's mouth dropped open. Just like that?

"Yeah, how about NO. You don't order me around!" Hajime snarled, summoning his scythe. The darkness filled his hand as all three of the shinigami drew their swords. "And I know you fuckers. You'd never let me come back." He added. He actually wasn't totally certain about that, but it was a good bet. The priests never trusted the demon slayers, and Hajime was sure the shinigami felt the same way. "So are we gonna dance?" Hajime let his power flare, an aura of inky darkness that made Rukia and Renji step back. Byakuya just met his eyes, then summoned his own spiritual power.

Hajime didn't react at all to the breath of immense, white reiatsu. It was impressive, but priests just as strong had tried to crush him into submission with spiritual pressure before. Not a single one had succeeded. It did succeed in making Ishida and Ichigo both take a step back, though, and Hajime could smell their fear. But he could smell Rukia's and Renji's fear, too. The lesser combatants were all afraid of the greater.

Hajime's eyes narrowed as he still met Byakuya's, and he gripped the power of his scythe, forcing it to merge with his zanpakuto. He was certain he would need Dulce, now, but he was not willing to call for bankai yet. He was saving that for later.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." Hajime could hear Ishida saying something to the woman, and Ichigo had left his body, his sword clashing with Renji's. But he had no time for any of that as he rested a hand against his sword.

"Dulce Muerte." He called on the power of his shikai. His zanpakuto had two shikai powers, Muerte and Trappa. The little globes flew out, exploding and obliterating sakura petals. But neither combatant was damaged. "Hah!"

The battle began in earnest then, and Hajime soon found himself pressed to the limits of his skill. This shinigami was fast, extremely fast and capable. But from the intense, utterly focused look on Byakuya's face, Hajime thought that he was at his limit as well. Their blades and kido clashed time and time again, and Hajime met every single kido the noble could summon with his own. They weren't the same spells, not entirely, but that didn't matter at all.

Ichigo and Renji nearly met with disaster as they accidentally got in the way of the demon and the taichou. Hajime solved that problem by taking to the air, and Byakuya followed, chasing him swiftly. When they were well over Karakura town, Hajime stopped. Here, he could release his true power. Some windows might be blown out, but the buildings would be left intact. He wasn't going to do it, though. No, he wanted to wait for Byakuya to use his bankai before he revealed the depth of his abilities.

And that time was swiftly coming upon them. Dulce Muerte was a good match for Senbonzakura, and Hajime used Dulce Trappa to harass his opponent, almost catching him several times. And as he fought, the demon felt a curious reluctance to kill. Byakuya wasn't some worthless trash that no one would even notice was gone. He was someone worthy of respect, a powerful opponent fighting with a pure heart. Yet, he couldn't afford to be merciful, not if he wanted to survive himself. Almost entranced by that thought, Hajime began to sing to himself as he fought.

I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die,
No I don't wanna die, so you're gonna have to
Blood is getting hotter, bodies getting colder,
I told you once I'm the only one who holds her,
I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die,
No I don't wanna die, so you're gonna have to.

Byakuya didn't seem amused at all by the song, and to Hajime's surprise, he dropped his sword.

"Bankai." He intoned and the demon's lips lifted in a smirk. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Swords began to extend from the air, forming a ring around him. But Hajime had his own ace up his sleeve.

"Bankai." He said, resting a hand on his sword. He saw Byakuya's eyes widen for a moment before black and red fire flared around him and he took his released form. But that was not his bankai. Pure white power followed the black. "Dulce Ruina." Sweet Ruin. The globes from Dulce Muerte reappeared, but there were only three of them now, and they were all pure white. As white as his soul.

"That is impossible. A demon cannot have a bankai." Byakuya said, still staring. Hajime tossed his head back and laughed, the three white orbs slowly drifting and interfering with sakura petals.

"I'm a demon with a soul, dipshit!" Hajime launched his attack then. Petals exploded around him, slashing his armor, but Hajime's demonic power and speed protected him just enough. And three white globes slid into place around Byakuya as Hajime's hand hit him on the shoulder before he would have flash stepped away.

The detonation was impressive. Yet even as Dulce Ruina took her course, Byakuya lashed out with every power at his disposal. Hajime screamed as the petals found him, an easy target as he held Byakuya in place. They lashed him to the ground and demonic blood went flying, and Hajime felt his armor begin to break. But then he snarled and used his holy bonds. Twirling the chains around him, he was able to deflect enough of the petals to make a difference. The holy bonds were impenetrable, and over the years he'd learned to use them as a shield.

When the dust cleared, Byakuya was barely standing. Blood was sliding down his pretty face, and hair clips had been ripped away in the explosion. Hajime was in better shape, but only a bit. His mask was partially broken, missing a horn and showing white skin around one of his eyes. The rest of his armor was slashed, white skin hidden by blood, dripping down the black and dropping heavily onto the ground beneath him. But he could still stand without any trouble.

"If I were nothing but a demon, I would kill you now." Hajime said, levelling his sword at the shinigami. Moonstone beads and silver chains clinked softly against each other as a soft wind stirred white and black hair. Byakuya's bankai vanished, as he was no longer able to sustain it.

"You are very confident." Despite the fact that he couldn't quite catch his breath, despite the blood staining his face and robes, Byakuya was still calm in the face of death. Hajime couldn't help but admire it. "You are so certain you could kill me? You are badly injured as well." He said and Hajime laughed, jerking his sword upwards.

"If I were still a demon, I would let that open." Byakuya's gaze followed his gesture and his eyes widened as he saw the red sparkle in the sky. It was large, and getting larger. There was only so much Hajime could do to repress it and in the middle of a battle, it just wasn't a priority. "And my princes would feast on your bones. So, shinigami, it's up to you. Will you walk away? Or will you make me kill you?" Although Hajime would still not let that portal open. No, he would kill Byakuya with his own hands. Byakuya looked down and Hajime followed his gaze.

Below them, the battle between the lesser powers had gone well for the demon's side. Rukia was pinned to a wall by dozens of blue arrows, and Renji was on the ground, unconscious. It hadn't gone perfectly though. Ishida was badly injured and Ichigo was trying to use a healing kido on him, hampered by his own wounds. Blood was splashed across half his face, and Hajime didn't think it was Renji's blood. But his side had still triumphed, and he looked back at Byakuya. The taichou's lips were compressed into a thin line.

"I will walk away, for now. But do not think this is over, demon. We will meet again." Byakuya said before he drifted down. Ichigo looked up sharply and readied his sword, but Byakuya ignored him in favor of breaking the arrows holding Rukia. She fell to her knees, but was conscious enough to stand as Byakuya gripped Renji's clothes, lifting him up and over one shoulder. Hajime landed on the ground in front of Ichigo, letting his armor fall away as he watched the shinigami go.

"I'm looking forward to it." He said to Byakuya's back with a wicked smile. It had been a very good battle.

He would enjoy doing it again.