"ICHIG-!" the annoyance was quickly silenced with a sharp kick to the gut, and Ichigo rolled over, pulling the covers over his head. It was too early for this crap, and he had just fallen asleep less than two hours ago. His father needed to just shut the hell up, or die. Either option was equally appealing to his son right now.
The first thing he had done upon arriving back in his hometown was to pay a late-night visit to Urahara. Ignoring the amused man's teasing, Ichigo had demanded that he do something about his eyes. Urahara had eventually complied, providing what were, more or less, contact lenses. The lenses, however, didn't adjust his vision at all, but rather adjusted to the previous color of his eyes, so that they shone brown once more.
Not particularly happy with Urahara's "solution", Ichigo had nonetheless taken them as a temporary fix until Urahara could come up with something better. But he had made it rather explicitly clear that a permanent solution had better be found fast, because he could not risk exposing his demon eyes to the general public. They were creepy enough to the shinigami; Ichigo didn't want to see what his human friends would make of the dark eyes that glittered with banked embers.
Renji, in the meantime, had headed for his house to reassure Kon that Ichigo was alive and well, and to check for guards. Other than Rukia and Madarame, who were apparently back on watch after their own recoveries, there were no other shinigami in town, which was a relief.
Ichigo had returned from his somewhat successful visit, listened to Renji's brief report, and then collapsed into his bed, still fully dressed except for his trainers. That was two hours ago. And now, his father was trying to wake him up, and Ichigo was not in a very forgiving mood.
Having recovered from the initial strike as rapidly as ever, Isshin leapt at his son again. Ichigo didn't even bother to move, and listened with a satisfied thud as his father tripped over what appeared to be thin air and crashed to the ground with a groan. Way to go, Renji. Apparently, the redheaded shinigami didn't take kindly to being awoken by Isshin's uncalled-for exuberance either.
His father finally got the hint and left, bawling. No doubt he'd go to Yuzu, who was probably cooking breakfast, and lament on Ichigo's unfriendly personality, wondering what he did wrong when raising him. Ichigo could give him a list, but it would take him too long.
"How long you gonna lay there like a lump?" Renji's voice rumbled from beside the bed, and Ichigo made a rather inarticulate reply before burrowing back under the covers. It was the weekend, so he shouldn't need to get up, right? So what was up with people's obsession over making him get out of bed today?
"Rukia's already demanding that you get up, Ichigo," Renji spoke, and Ichigo groaned, vaguely recalling being informed that Rukia wanted to see him in the morning. Cracking his eyes open, Ichigo checked the clock. It was just past ten o'clock. The morning wasn't over yet. Satisfied with his logic, Ichigo burrowed back under the covers and closed his eyes again, determined to finish sleeping.
A sudden tug, and he curled into a ball, cursing. It wasn't particularly cold outside, but it was still cooler without the covers than he had been moments before. "Dammit, Renji!" he snapped, pissed. "How about you go see Rukia yourself and leave me alone?" He was met with silence, though he could still feel Renji's reiatsu at his back, so the other man hadn't left.
"Is that an order?" a voice growled from behind him, and Ichigo started, turning to stare at Renji wide-eyed. The other man was furious, his limbs locked tightly as he appeared to be fighting against something. Sitting up, Ichigo stared at him, worried.
Still confused, Ichigo replied, "Of course it's not an order. What's wrong, Renji?" he asked, his curiosity burning. Silently, Renji reached up and tugged down his right sleeve, allowing the material to slip down over his shoulder, revealing the healing bite mark that Ichigo had left behind…was it only yesterday? Noticing it, Ichigo asked, "It's not healed yet?"
Renji shook his head angrily, his limbs relaxing slowly now. "It's healed, it just won't go away," he corrected, his eyes flashing. "Whatever the hell you did to me when your eyes went all weird and you bit me, it's got me all screwed up. I can't stand being left alone for a long period of time anymore, and whenever you give an order, I feel like I have to obey. No," he hesitated, "more like I want to obey, because I can ignore it if I really want to." Like he just had. The words remained unspoken, but Ichigo heard them.
"Shit. The contract," he muttered, his mind flying back to yesterday. The demon lord had been so disappointed because he had already chosen a contractor, and so she couldn't take him for her own. The only person that he had even had any real contact with had been Renji. Once his instincts had settled, after he had bitten Renji, he had dismissed the incident as unimportant. He had just figured that it was a demon instinct to attack those around them, or that the demon in him had wanted blood, and he just hadn't expected it, rendering him unable to stop it until after it had happened.
Renji flexed his hands at his side and stared at him expectantly. "Contract? Is that why you were in such a hurry to get out of there yesterday? Because of the contract? And what is this contract, exactly? I assume it has something to do with you taking a chunk outta me yesterday," he drawled, obviously unhappy.
"I was in a hurry to get out of there because I was tired of dealing with that demonic bitch, and I didn't feel like sticking around while the shinigami decided what the hell they wanted to do with me. I'll probably end up with round-the-clock babysitters, or in prison," he muttered. "As for the contract, I have no idea. I just…felt a need to do what I did, but I thought I had it under control. Apparently not," he continued bitterly.
A foot swung up and nearly nailed Ichigo, who rolled over and onto the floor instinctively before standing up and glaring at the redhead who had attacked him. Renji glared right back him, pissed off. "Don't even feed me that crap, Ichigo!" he snapped.
Ichigo blinked, and then sighed, the fight going out of him. "Alright, alright already," he muttered. "I got it. I'm up. Let's get going, shall we?" Moving over to his closet, he opened the door and grabbed jeans and a t-shirt. Renji was right; they couldn't change what had happened, and brooding over it wasn't going to help anyone. They had a job to do as shinigami, and they were going to make sure it got done. What happened in their private lives was an entirely separate matter.
Leaving the room, Ichigo headed for a shower. Not even Renji could deny him that; Rukia could just wait until he was ready, and then they'd talk. Ichigo shook his head, disgusted with himself. What was wrong with him? Rukia was a close friend, and somebody he cared for a lot. Or, at least, somebody he had cared for a lot. But lately, Renji had become the person most important to him.
Stripping and climbing into the hot shower, Ichigo thought about the past couple of weeks. If he was honest with himself, the contract really had nothing to do with the way he now regarded Renji. His admiration for the other man went a long ways back. Renji was somebody who had a goal and strived towards it. He never gave up, and he never gave in. If it was a challenge, he was up for it. He was brash, and bold, and completely reckless, but he was also determined and loyal almost to a fault.
But ever since that demon had possessed the other shinigami and kidnapped Ichigo right out from under the watchful eyes of Sereitei and his friends, Ichigo's respect for Renji had grown. Even though it was only a few weeks ago that they had both suffered so horribly, still Renji had fought with everything he had. Ichigo had learned from his Hollow that Renji had been fighting the demon with everything he had before Hichigo had even arrived, weakening the demon and making it possible for the two of them to destroy him completely.
And now, it was up to him to decide what to do about it, Ichigo supposed. Especially if this contract made his orders that powerful on his friend, he winced. He had never meant for that to happen. Perhaps Urahara would have a suggestion on how to eliminate, or even weaken, the bond.
Ichigo reached for the tap, but froze, his head snapping towards the door as he felt it; the reiatsu of several Hollow nearby. Not particularly powerful Hollow, but Ichigo didn't like the idea of so many being altogether, and in his town. After all, the last time there had been such a large number of Hollow was a few days ago, when he and Renji had been kidnapped by the demons…again.
With a groan, Ichigo flipped off the water and hopped out of the shower, scurrying to get dressed. It wouldn't do for his dad or sisters to find his naked body lifeless in the bathroom while he was out chasing Hollow. A flicker of reiatsu, and Ichigo smiled; Renji was already heading for them.
Dressed now, Ichigo ran back to his bedroom, ordered Kon to watch his body, and used the pendant to shift, flying out the window as a shinigami, his body dropping onto the bed behind him. He really had to find a better way to do this, he thought vaguely as he ran down the street.
The Hollow were easy to find, and Ichigo joined Renji in the fight, although it was nearly finished by the time he arrived. All of the Hollow were weaker than even the Menos were, but Ichigo figured they'd still better let Urahara know. Perhaps there was a tear into this world that was allowing so many Hollow to show up in one place like this.
Not even ten minutes later, all Hollow had been taken care of, and the two shinigami headed back for Ichigo's house, where his body and Renji's gigai lay. Rukia was probably going to pissed that they were so late, but it couldn't be helped.
Stepping into his room, Ichigo was just in time to hear Karin knocking on the door. "Ichi-ni, you've got a phone call!" she informed him, and Ichigo thanked her, sliding back into his body while Renji did the same with his gigai.
Picking up the phone, Ichigo said, "This is Ichigo." It was Rukia on the other end, informing him that several Hollow had appeared near Urahara's shop, and checking to see if he was okay. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her. "And so is Renji," he added, grinning when he heard Rukia's response that of course Renji was okay, because he was too stubborn to lose to a bunch of weak Hollow.
Hanging up the phone after assuring Rukia that they were on their way, Ichigo just shook his head, heading back upstairs. On his way up, he saw Karin standing at the top of the steps, watching him. He smiled gently; his little sister had always been able to see more than the others, and a part of her knew that Ichigo wasn't completely human anymore. It made her wary, but not afraid, and Ichigo appreciated her honesty.
"I have to go meet with some friends today," he told her, answering her unspoken question. "I don't know when I'll be home, so tell Yuzu not to worry about saving me some dinner, okay?"
Karin nodded. "And dad?" she asked, although they both knew the answer. Isshin was clueless about a lot of things, and they'd much rather it stay that way. There was no need to get him involved in something dangerous that he had no power against.
Ichigo flashed her a quick grin. "Nah, no need to tell the old man anything," he replied. Another nod from Karin, and he was in the hallway, heading for his room. They'd leave through his window again, rather than dragging Renji out the front door in front of his father and sisters.
Running down the street towards Urahara's shop, Ichigo found the exertion soothing. Renji easily kept pace with him, and Ichigo found that he felt better whenever Renji was near. He didn't know if that was part of the contract, or if it was just a measure of safety for him now. It didn't really matter, except that he was uncertain as to how much of his current feelings towards the vice captain was the contract, and how much was him. Hopefully, Urahara could clear some of that up.
Slowing down as they neared the shop, the two men fell side by side as they walked. Unexpectedly, Ichigo winced as a sudden thought flew through his head, and he stopped dead, his eyes already changing, the embers stirring into flames. Renji had stopped as well, puzzled, but when he saw Ichigo's eyes, no longer hidden by the special lenses Urahara had given him, he froze, his eyes wide.
Staring straight at Renji, Ichigo felt a possessiveness unlike anything he had felt before. No, he corrected himself, he had felt this same feeling once before, and only once – when he had bitten Renji, sealing a contract between them.
Even understanding what was happening, Ichigo found that he was powerless to stop the demonic instinct from taking over. Darting forward, he growled when Renji jumped back, out of reach. His eyes flashed, and he growled, "Don't run, or this might hurt." The part of him that was still human realized that if Renji persisted in fleeing, he'd chase him, and Renji might get hurt.
Renji must have realized that it was Ichigo talking as well, because he paused, setting his body into a low crouch and watching the teenager warily. Again, Ichigo darted forward, reaching out and slamming Renji into the wall of a house behind him. Grunting with the impact, Renji glared down at him. "Might hurt?" he demanded, seething. Ichigo ignored him, reaching up instead and fisting a hand in his hair, forcing his head back.
Once Renji's throat was exposed, Ichigo attacked it, leaning forward and biting down on the slender column. A part of him shuddered and felt guilty for hurting his friend, even a little bit, but the greater part of him simply didn't care. They were going to meet other shinigami, one of which was Renji's childhood friend, and Ichigo couldn't stop the surge of jealousy that had overtaken him. Perhaps that's why he had been reluctant to head for Urahara's this morning.
Renji growled above him, but Ichigo didn't let up, his free hand reaching up and fisting itself in Renji's hair as well, forcing his head back even further, his body pinning him to the house. His senses told him that nobody was nearby to see them, but he remained alert while he bit down on Renji's throat.
A few more bites, followed by a rasping tongue, and Renji wasn't growling in anger anymore. Instead, the body pinned against the wall had relaxed, becoming more malleable, and Ichigo showed his appreciation by changing the angle, working his way up the column of Renji's throat to his chin, nipping lightly now instead of biting. The contracted had submitted, for now, and that was enough.
Tugging on the hair still held in his hands, Ichigo turned Renji's head down and let their lips meet, kissing the other man, the fire still raging in his eyes. Renji allowed this as well, not protesting when Ichigo slipped his tongue inside the shinigami's mouth…until he bit down.
With a yelp, Ichigo pulled away, glaring at Renji and fighting twin instincts. His demonic side wanted to punish the impudent redhead for fighting him, but his human self rather admired the audacity. After several tense moments, Ichigo won out over the demon's instincts and he straightened, making a face. "Sorry 'bout that," he mumbled. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Expecting what?" Renji retorted, turning and continuing the walk to Urahara's shop, but keeping it at a decent pace so that Ichigo could fall into step beside him. Ichigo debated for a moment, and then decided to be honest. After all, it was Renji that was going to suffer when he had these sudden flashes, and he'd rather spare them both the embarrassment of having their friends see something like what just happened.
With a quiet sigh, he spoke. "When I thought of going to see Rukia, I felt uneasy, but ignored it. But as we drew closer, I got a sudden surge of…jealousy, I suppose. Or possessiveness. All I knew was that I wanted to make sure that everybody at this meeting knows that you're mine."
Renji mulled this over for a moment, and then nodded. "The demon," he spoke softly, almost to himself. Ichigo nodded his agreement. Those bold eyes turned to stare at him as Renji continued, "And the kiss?"
Ichigo stumbled, caught off guard. Blushing, he replied, "Umm…that was sort of a reward…for not fighting me," he mumbled. "Until you bit me, of course. I almost hit you for that one," he admitted, not looking at Renji.
The other shinigami chuckled. "A reward, hm? " Ichigo's blush deepened, but he didn't respond. He couldn't bring himself to admit that the kiss had been more his own idea rather than the new instincts inside of him. It seemed like he had to worry about controlling more than the demon inside of him. And he had thought the Hollow's battle lust was bad.
"Oh? I'm easier to control than that weak demon? Are you sure about that?" Hichigo's voice chuckled inside him, and Ichigo growled silently at the Hollow to shut up. He wasn't easier to control, because he was stronger, but they had an agreement of sorts, as long as Ichigo remained strong enough to be king. Besides that, Hichigo was interested in fighting, in conquering his enemy. Demons, apparently, pursued more…subtle interests, like contracts and subjugation, apparently.
Ignoring Hichigo's sarcastic reply to his comments, Ichigo continued walking. They had a meeting to get to, after all. Everything else could wait until afterwards. At least, Ichigo thought, glancing up at Renji, he hoped it could wait. Because if it couldn't, then he would be lost.