Ch 10: Discovery

Ichigo opened his eyes to the petite raven's face and widened his eyes. Streams of blood were running down her face, and she seemed to have a severe injury to her left thigh. "Rukia?" Ichigo said. "Ichigo can you stand? I have to get you out of here while captain Zaraki holds off the hollow," Rukia said panting.

"Rukia, are you ok?" Ichigo asked, "Yes I'm fine, but more importantly, can you stand Ichigo?" Rukia asked once more. "Not without support, my leg is broken." Rukia nodded and proceeded to drag Ichigo up to his feet supporting him on her shoulders. Ichigo looked around himself, he was still at the battlefield. Seeing the hydra in the same state it had been when he became unconscious he knew he couldn't have been gone for long.

But when had Rukia entered the field? The 13th squad hadn't been assigned to help in this mission. Ichigo huffed as he began limping away from the battles with Rukia's help. Ichigo's reaitsu was still pouring out of the more severe wounds on his body, especially from his left arm and he was completely drained. Ichigo could feel the ash flowing into his lungs as he hit the ground, he had stumbled and had dragged Rukia down with him.

She groaned at the pain it caused her injured leg to feel, but she was quick to her feet and reached out for Ichigo's hand. Just as Ichigo was about to reach out for the hand, he could see a huge body being tossed to the side by one of the hydra's heads. Ichigo knew instantly whom the body belonged to and it filled him with rage. Just then one of the heads reached out to pick up the body of the captain whom struggled to get up.

Ichigo could see his captain was severely wounded and barely able to fight. The first thing that hit Ichigo wasn't concern but curiosity. This hollow should have been no match for the brute, he should have been able to finish it off with a blow or two, and instead it seemed as if he was having a hard time defeating it. Just as the head pierced the brutes body Ichigo could hear the sickening sound of bones cracking, and something in him just snapped.

Rukia watched in awe as Ichigo's hand pointed out behind her at the hydra. She turned her head to see where Ichigo was pointing, and watched as Ichigo's hand turned white. Just a few seconds after a red cero began forming at his fingertip and Ichigo roared as he sent the powerful cero blasting through the air totally demolishing three of the hydra's heads forcing it to let go of his captain. Rukia looked back at Ichigo meeting inverted eyes. Gold on black eyes stared back at her, and Rukia took in the sight in front of her.

On the ground sat a complete copy of Ichigo, its body being white, its hair being white and its fingernails being black. On its back sat a white zangetsu and it was soon unsheathed. The only visible colors except from the golden eyes were two slim red stripes under its left eye. "Ichigo?" Rukia asked in a puzzled voice. The figure in front of her didn't answer, but took to its shoulder rotating it around testing it.

It then stood up as if there was no broken leg. "Don't worry Rukia, it's me," a watery voice assured the raven, before disappearing and reappearing at Zaraki's side. His captain was unconscious and it made Ichigo's fury grow.

He looked at the hydra whom readied it's heads for a new combined attack and he growled. As the heads shot forward towards him Ichigo raised the white zangetsu firing off a completely black Getsuga that swiftly cracked all the skulls of the hydra leaving it to disappear as ash into the air.

"Go back to where you came from hollows," the watery voice shouted through the air, and all around them battles between shinigami and hollows came to a halt. The hollows seemed to tremble under the force that the voice carried, and they all soon faded back into Hueco Mundo. As soon as Ichigo had made the hollows return to their home, the pale figure faded away to Ichigo's original orange haired and brown eyed look. Rukia watched as the white colors disappeared from Ichigo's figure and she watched as Ichigo's body lifelessly fell to the ground with a dump sound.

Turquoise eyes stared at the body lying on the futon in front of him. Ichigo's chest moved up and down in a steady pace as Ichigo breathed in his sleep. The silver haired man sat beside the young shinigami and his hand subconsciously ran through the spiky orange hair.

On the other side of the room a large figure sat, resting against the wooden wall. A green eye scanned the young shinigami's body with worry. Zaraki and Hitsugaya had been told the whole story, about how Ichigo in a desperate action to save his friends had resorted to hollow powers in order to save the surviving people of the rukongai district and the people of his squad.

Both Zaraki and Hitsugaya had been struck with awe when Rukia had told them Ichigo hadn't turned into the mindless monster he usually resorted to if there was no other option. Rukia had told them how Ichigo had taken on an arrancar resembling appearance, and how he had ordered the hollows to return to Hueco Mundo. Hitsugaya knew that Ichigo somehow had been able to gain control of his hollow powers for a short moment, and that convinced him to believe he had probably regained some control of his zanpakuto as well.

Hitsugaya turned his head to meet the eyes of the brute captain, and was struck with awe at the amount of concern he found in the vivid green gaze. Hitsugaya was led to understand that the brute really cared for the only shinigami that had ever been able to defeat him, and on instinct Hitsugaya could tell he was the source for many of the things that bothered Ichigo.

On a whim the silver haired shinigami decided to leave the room, to give the brute some time with his lieutenant. Zaraki's eye followed the silver hair as he left the room, and he quickly stood up once the 10th squad captain was gone. Zaraki had watched Hitsugaya sit beside Ichigo for little more than an hour, and during that time he had seen how Hitsugayas caring hand went through Ichigo's hair over and over again. It was a type of love Zaraki had never experienced before, but even he would call it brotherly love and he knew now that Ichigo and Hitsugaya both considered themselves to be brothers, if not biologically then by heart. He smiled slightly as he kneeled beside the smaller man.

"To think that you ended up saving me in the end, even in the condition you were in. Tch, it really is shameful," Zaraki said.

In his unconsciousness Ichigo could hear the familiar tune of his captains voice, the voice of the man that Ichigo deep down inside knew he had fallen for. It woke Ichigo from his rest, but something made Ichigo pretend he was still asleep.

"At that time you were probably wondering why I just didn't slay the hollow like I usually did. You probably thought that it should have been no match for me. Come to think of it, it really shouldn't have taken me more than 5 minutes to finish of that bastard. Truth is my head was too filled with thoughts of you and your survival that it hindered me from fighting like I use to. I couldn't stop worrying about you," Zaraki continued.

Ichigo's heart began throbbing, he wanted to comfort the big brute whom so carelessly emptied his heart to Ichigo even though he thought Ichigo didn't hear him.

"Ever since the first time I fought you and you tied with me, and ever since there has been something about you dragging me in. The way you fight on even though the odds are as dark as they can be, the way you carelessly put your life on line for another living being. At first I thought it was ridiculously stupid, for a warrior of your caliber being ready to throw away his life for someone other than himself. It angered me in the beginning, but then it became clear to me that maybe it wasn't so bad fighting for other people than yourself.

I realized that ever since I met Yachiru I have been fighting to protect her, and now that she transferred to another squad I had no one to fight for any more. But then you died and came to soul society, and I knew that you were the one I had to protect. I knew because I love you," Zaraki said. Ichigo's eyes opened just enough for him to see a tear rolling down tracing Zaraki's scar, and that was it for Ichigo.

Without opening his eyes Ichigo reached his hands out for Zaraki's face, dragging him down into a deep kiss. Zaraki nearly fell upon Ichigo in surprise but he managed to throw his hands beneath him keeping him crouched above Ichigo as he was being kissed. Zaraki didn't resist, he concentrated on enjoying the first kiss Ichigo gave him of his own free will.

As Ichigo's eyes opened to meet Zaraki's vivid green he said "Thank you," before hugging the brute tightly. Zaraki couldn't help himself and hugged Ichigo back tightly, letting more salt water drip down his face and onto Ichigo's shoulders.

In a whisper Ichigo said "I love you too." That was it, the brute couldn't help himself any longer and picked the smaller more fragile shinigami up into his hands. He quickly left the Hitsugaya residence, and headed for his own. Ichigo didn't resist, he just leaned his body into the warm broad chest and hugged the brute tightly as they soared through the air.

From a window in his house Hitsugaya smiled as he saw the brute shunpo through the air with his little brother in his arms. Hitsugaya hadn't been able to help himself, and so he had hid behind the door he had left through overhearing Zaraki as he spilt his heart for Ichigo. He had even seen Zaraki shed his tears, and that had been enough to convince him that their love for each other was genuine. Them being male didn't bother him at all, love was love no matter how you looked at it. He smiled as he retreated for the evening.

Ichigo's power evolves, and he manages to save his friends. Zaraki the emotionless brute spills his heart and sheds tears, and Hitsugaya realizes his little brother has fallen in love.

Sort of a cliffhanger maybe? What will Zaraki do to Ichigo at his house *smirks* XD

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are appreciated, Thank You!