The sound of metal against metal was all that filled the bright, white room, the fighters' shadows dancing with each other as the forms they belonged to battled each other for victory. And watching it all, as if an emperor at a gladiator match, Ichimaru stood by silently. His attention, though originally focused on Ichigo, was caught by the movement of Kira and Hinamori from the corner of his eye.
Neither of the two were excellent fighters, and while Kira had the edge of greater physical strength, Hinamori had her experiences in battle. Unfortunately, her wounds from the earlier encounter with Ichigo were still tender and held her back. That, coupled with Kira's focused rage at her attacking Ichimaru in the first place, spelt disaster for the young girl. It wasn't long before an opening was spotted and, perhaps before Kira even knew what he was doing, dealt the fatal blow through her chest.
For a brief moment, the clash of swords ceased in the wake of Hinamori's cry to Aizen. The man in question spared a glance to his fallen subordinate and then, without even a hint of a smile or pitying look toward the girl, turned his attention back to Zaraki and Ichigo, as calm and collected as he had been when the group first arrived.
Seeing his lack of compassion for someone who very obviously threw her life away for him, Ichigo growled and attacked the enemy king with greater ferocity. "You really are heartless, aren't you?" he demanded, the strikes of his sword becoming faster and more volatile.
Aizen greeted the new attitude with a smile, defending the rage-induced attacks almost more easily than the calculated ones. "I knew from the moment she followed me, the type of person she was, that she would give her life for me, one day."
This, of course, did nothing to quell Ichigo's rage and he let out a frustrated shout as his sword met with Aizen's once more and he pushed into the attack. "Then you should have told her to stay behind! This fate was just cruel!"
"Do you not see it?" Aizen wondered, forced to take a defensive position and counter Ichigo's strength. "Denying her her last moments with me would have been more cruel than letting her die by my side."
Just as Ichigo was about to come back with yet another comment, most likely about how despicable a person Aizen was, Zaraki appeared behind his opponent, looking rather bored of the exchange. "Enough talk," he ordered and brought his sword down toward Aizen's back.
The Shokkaku king immediately deemed Ichigo the lesser of two evils and bared his back toward the carrot top in order to defend against Zaraki's more brutal assault. The choice was, as he soon found out, barely the wiser one. Ichigo, seemingly more focused but with an extra layer of underlying hatred toward Aizen, drove the point of his blade through the back of Aizen's shoulder, attempting to pierce the man's body completely through. He never had the chance, however, as the ground beneath their feet gave an unsteady shake and the dark skies outside melted away into a brilliant, golden light.
Almost as if it had a physical force behind itself, the light crashed into the castle and the structure gave another, firm rumble. The ceiling cracked and crumbled above their heads as chunks of marble came crashing down to the floor. One chunk in particular hurdled its way down to nearly crush the watching Ichimaru, though the lazy man was quicker on his feet that he'd led most to believe.
"Ichimaru!" It was enough, though, to distract Ichigo, who temporarily forgot about the enemy in front of him and focused only on his king's well-being.
Never one to miss an opportunity so glaringly bright in his face, Aizen took advantage of Ichigo's low defenses. What happened then seemed, to each and every one of the room's occupants, as if time itself had slowed down just to honor the moment.
Aizen's blade, just as Ichigo's had done moments before, pierced cleanly through cloth and skin, though in a much more fatal place. And though it took less than a second, hours could have passed as Zaraki, Kira, and Ichimaru watched their enemy take their friend's life. For the second time in recent history, ice blue greeted the world around him as Ichimaru's eyes peeled open to fully take in the sight. And all he knew was that Aizen would die.
It took Kira's shout of Ichigo's name to hurtle time back forward and put Ichimaru into action. With speed and aggression rivaling even Yoruichi's fast-footed movements, the Kan lord raced toward Aizen, his sword drawn and bearing down on his sibling within seconds. He attacked Aizen with quick, silent, purposeful movements. Ichimaru preferred not to battle; he preferred to watch. But at this point in time, all he preferred was to make Aizen suffer. He didn't have quite enough time for that to take effect, so he would have to settle for death.
All but shoved out of the way in his fellow king's fury, Zaraki grumbled something about everyone stealing the good opponents. Something in him seemed to have, momentarily, lost the fighting will, however. Zaraki did not operate like normal people. He fought for the fun of it whereas others fought for the necessity. When they were sparked by a large emotional outburst- usually hatred or jealousy or something else ridiculous like that- they fought like he did: Savagely and wild. Ichigo's death had sparked that in Ichimaru. However, all it did for Zaraki was make the fight no longer fun.
However, he was not numbed by shock or pain or sorrow. He was of just as sound (or unsound, depending on who was asked) mind as always, and so he retrieved Ichigo's limp body and carried it to the doorway, which housed Yumichika and Kira and the safest place in the room. He was greeted by, predictably, a rather defeated blonde boy and a depressed subordinate. God, he hated when people died; it took the fight out of everyone.
Everyone, it seemed, except Ichimaru. The Kan lord continued his assault, giving Aizen no opportunities for a retaliation. All around the pair, the ceiling finished its deadly game of crush-the-humans all at once, large chunks striking the ground and raising up a cloud of dust around them, obscuring them from the viewers' eyes.
"Lord Ichimaru! Lord Ichimaru!" Kira called out worriedly. The pain from seeing Ichigo's defeat had sent his mind reeling. Once it settled down enough to form simple thoughts, though, the only thing that was left was an increased concern for his newest king. Now, he could no longer see the two fighting and the only thing he could hear was the groaning protest of the castle as it seemed to give in to the strange, piercing light that had filled the sky above.
Finally, just as Kira had begun to consider racing into the rubble in search of Ichimaru, the two kings emerged, still locked in their deadly onslaught toward each other. He was about to call out Ichimaru's name again- he wasn't sure at this point why, but he couldn't just keep quiet or still- when the light above them turned from golden to pristine white and seemed to shine in on the two kings amongst the rubble.
"Well, would you look at that," Aizen remarked, grinning down at his brother. "It seems neither of us will have the edge, after all."
Without missing a beat, and taking advantage of Aizen's arrogance that everyone would accept that he was still in the game, Ichimaru thrust his sword upward into the taller man's stomach, sneering in his face. "Ya can go right on back t' Hell, where ya came from, Aizen."
Letting his sword drop with Aizen's limp form, Ichimaru half-stumbled fully into the brilliant white light, closing his eyes to the warmth it passed over him, engulfing him almost completely. Beams of pure white shot out in all directions before seizing back around him. Then, slowly creeping around the pure light, dark, black-purple sparks zapped around the room, slowly growing in number and size until the once-heavenly scene turned demonic and dangerous. The sky above crackled with darker energy and the rumbling of thunder once again reached Kira's ears.
"This isn't right," the blonde whispered, eyes trained on his lord, basked in the unearthly energy. "Something's wrong."
"Stay back," Yumichika warned and widened his eyes as Kira's wrist broke from his grip. "Kira!"
"Don't even think about it," Zaraki grunted, clamping a hand on Yumichika's shoulder as the soldier went to chase after his friend. "Just watch."
Kira approached Ichimaru slowly, the zaps of energy sending shocks through his entire body. He hesitated, just for a moment, thinking how calm Ichimaru looked, seemingly in another world inside of that light. Shaking his head resolutely, he pushed through the forcefield of magic, gritting his teeth against the stinging pain. He could feel his energy sapping and realized this foolish act could easily kill him.
Throwing all caution to the wind, he gave one last burst of movement forward and collided with another body. Wrapping his arms tightly around Ichimaru's neck, Kira buried his face into the older male's chest. "Lord Ichimaru," he whispered softly, the buzzing around them making it difficult for even himself to hear his own voice. He tilted his head slowly upward to Ichimaru's, teeth gritted against tears that threatened to spill and body shaking with his reserves of energy quickly being forced out.
Ichimaru's eyes opened, lazily, as he glowered down at the boy. Upon seeing Kira's frightened expression, though, his face softened and he raised a hand to place on top of the boy's head. "You're shakin', Izuru," he murmured, "that's no good."
"Please don't leave," Kira begged. He could feel his lord's heart beat slowly, calmly, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"It's alright," Ichimaru assured him, his voice as smooth as the hand that combed through Kira's hair. His eyes closed again and a soft smile, one like he had worn when he spoke of Yoruichi and Ichigo, replaced the concerned frown. He had everything under control, that much he was certain of. As he felt a certain peaceful aura (was it Kira's?) calling to him, the light around him vanished in an explosion of energy. He let out a soft sigh and locked his arms firmly around the smaller form. "Thanks, Izuru," he murmured lowly.
Kira snapped his head back up, his lashed moist with tears. "Why... why are you thanking me?"
"It'd been my intention all along t' destroy this world," Ichimaru confessed, "but I led everyone t' believe Aizen was the bad guy. Ain't nothin' good comin' of this place and we're all doomed t' lead miserable existences." The stunned silence was expected, and he took advantage of it to continue. "That's what I thought, anyway, but then I met you, Izuru, and ya were just so sweet an' kind an' caring. I thought ya were playin' around at first, but ya ain't got another side, this is how ya are all the time. Ya brought me hope back, even now, an' I decided I didn't want this world destroyed, if yer gonna be in it."
"Lord...Ichimaru..." He had been fooled? Ichimaru, all that time, was just using him? Using Ichigo? Even Yoruichi, in the end? Had he killed Hinamori for protecting the one that wanted to keep this world safe? Had Ichigo died for this? His mind reeled from a mixture of betrayal, despair, and utter confusion. Amongst all that, somewhere deep down that he couldn't quite place right now, was also comfort and perhaps just a little happiness. Not that he'd stopped what seemed to be the destruction of the world, but that Ichimaru had cared about him, felt enough for him, that he could change the king's mind. Was this the sort of thing Ichigo had talked about? How Ichimaru wasn't one to be trusted, yet he couldn't help but trust him? The strain on his body and mind was too much and the next thing he knew, his world was black.
"Kira!" Yumichika rushed over to the two and knelt down at his side in an instant. He instinctively checked the blonde's pulse, and relaxed slightly as he realized Kira was only unconscious, not dead. "What happened...?"
"Maybe he wore himself out," Ichimaru suggested, kneeling down as well.
"I tried to stop him," Yumichika said, running a hand through the mess of blonde hair. "Yoruichi warned us not to go near that light..."
"He'll be fine," Ichimaru assured him. Frowning slightly, he raised his head to catch sight of Zaraki, who still held Ichigo's limp body. Leaving Yumichika to tend to Kira, he stood and slowly made his way over to the Kyuukaku lord.
" You're lucky he didn't hear that," Zaraki said gruffly, frowning down at Ichimaru. "He'd have kicked your ass. I might still." Ichigo dying was bad enough. Ichigo dying for someone that had done nothing but lie to and use him? That was unforgiveable. Not to mention Zaraki himself had been fooled. But hadn't he expected as much? It seemed there was no one he could put his complete faith in. Well, perhaps Ikkaku. Or that strange little blonde.
"I'd deserve it," Ichimaru agreed, and though he didn't look as if he were struggling for something else to say, he was searching desperately for the words to make right what he'd done. Not to Zaraki- he couldn't really care less about that monster of a man- but to Ichigo. He had really cared for the boy, but he had thought perhaps they'd all be happier if they weren't in such a terrible world. It only turned out that Ichigo had seen what Ichimaru couldn't; what Kira and Ichigo had both somehow shown him: The world wasn't so terrible, after all. No, he would never be able to find the words for all of that.
The moment was interrupted by a rumbling under their feet; the castle was collapsing. "Let's go," the Kan lord said quickly, moving past Zaraki to lead the way out.
"Wait!" Yumichika called, and sighed as Zaraki gave him a shrug and followed Ichimaru out. Grumbling about Ichimaru being lazy, he scooped Kira into his arms and quickly trailed after the others.
The group emerged from the castle after a brief run down the massive flights of stairs, forced to dodge crumbling pieces of ceiling and wall. They were expelled out into the returned nightfall, the sky black and calm as if nothing had ever happened, and greeted by Yoruichi, Renji, Hisagi, and Urahara. Naturally the quickest of the group, Yoruichi reached them first, looking worriedly toward Ichigo's still body.
When no one spoke immediately, Zaraki gave a displeased grunt. "Aizen got 'im."
As if awaiting an order, Yoruichi immediately went to work, placing her hands over the obvious wound in Ichigo's chest. Everyone watched on as the space between her hands and Ichigo's skin buzzed with light and radiated warmth, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"Yoruichi." It was Ichimaru's voice, albeit lower and less cheerful than his usual tone. When she didn't look up, he reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly, frowning at her severely. "Stop it. It ain't gonna work an' ya know it. Ichigo's gone, so don't go wastin' energy ya could be usin' on the rest of us."
Yoruichi froze in her spot, eyes slowly moving to Ichimaru's face. She had never quite seen him act this way, and could only guess that it was some odd way of grieving. After all, hadn't she done the same thing to Renji, lashing out at him to leave Ukitake be when she only wanted to yell at herself for putting him in the position in the first place? She began to silently contemplate what could have happened in that tower.
"Where's Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked quietly, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. However, he was sure he already knew the answer, and wasn't positive that he could stomach hearing it.
Of course, no one else could really come forward with the whole truth, and so Renji stepped up. "He's gone."
In the wake of Yumichika's pained silence, Zaraki asked, 'How'd he die?"
"In battle," Renji told him, nodding as if it would validate his story.
Managing a chuckle, Zaraki turned his single good eye up to the sky. "Lucky."
Growing increasingly anxious with all the news of death, Hisagi turned to Urahara. "We have to find Lord Ukitake. Now."
Urahara nodded a confirmation, but made no movement other than to turn his attention to Byakuya, who had been the last to see him. At the slight shake of the noble's head, the sandy-haired man bowed his head and shoved his hat down a bit further. Next to him, Hisagi's energy gave out and forced the battle-worn man to his knees.
What could have been days seemed to pass as none of the group seemed to manage the energy to speak or move much at all. It was only when the slow clicking of wooden wheels reached their ears that heads raised and hopeful eyes searched the road ahead. Casually rolling toward them was a carriage with none other than Ukitake at the reins, looking even paler than usual, but very much alive.
A small ray of light shined across the entire group and it wasn't until the sickly king stopped the vehicle in front of them that anyone spoke. "Why does everyone look so down?" he wondered. "Lord Ichimaru is still alive and so the worst must have been stopped." Before a real answer could be given, Ukitake was assaulted by his two subordinates, nearly knocking him onto the ground with affection and jumbled words vaguely describing the belief that he had passed on. "Now, what have I told you two before? You should have a little more faith in me than that."
"Sorry," Hisagi said sheepishly, unable to hide a grin peeking out from under the stress of the day.
"Well, you see," Urahara said in a much more cheery tone, "it was all Lord Kuchiki's fault. He practically told us you'd passed!"
A bit shocked, Ukitake looked to his childhood friend, feigning hurt. "Byakuya, you, too?"
A bit flustered at being put on the spot, and ashamed that the answer was obvious, Byakuya turned his attention to Renji. "We must leave immediately."
"Oh...right! Rukia's probably worried sick about us!" Renji exclaimed.
"I don't think that's why he wants to leave~" Yoruichi whispered to Ichimaru, a hint of her sly nature seeping into her tone. She then blinked and turned her attention to the crumbling castle. "Speaking of leaving, what are you going to do with this place, now?"
Ichimaru tilted his head back to give the heap of marble one, last glance before looking at her. "How 'bout I leave it t' you? I ain't got a real use for it an' I already know ya can handle it."
With seemingly no more matters to settle, the group slowly made their way from Shokkaku back across the rift to the Inner Kingdoms, each lost in his or her thoughts of the day's events.
"Home, sweet home," Zaraki muttered as they approached his castle. "Listen up! Just 'cause my place was the closest an' you're all banged up don't mean I'm offerin' rooms out. Ya made it this far, ya can make it back to your own homes."
"It's good to see that the world nearly ending hasn't softened your rock-hard exterior any~" Urahara said, teasingly, merely grinning at the look he was given, which plainly told him to fuck off.
"Speaking of generosity," Yoruichi said, leaning heavily on her sandy-haired friend, "you wouldn't make a poor, defenseless girl walk all the way home, would you? Surely you'll give up your carriage!"
Hisagi immediately jumped to the defensive, motioning to Ukitake. "Our king is injured! There's no way you're getting it. Besides, when's the last time anyone could call you defenseless?"
"Ah, don't put me in the middle of this," Ukitake protested, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I feel much better, actually, and I wouldn't mind a little walk-"
"I'm sure Yoruichi would never take transportation away from her elder," Urahara chimed in, waving a hand.
"Just because you're an old man doesn't mean you can take it easy!" she shot back to a grinning Kisuke.
"Enough!" Zaraki shouted, doubly annoyed with all the bickering. "If it'll shut you all up, take whatever transportation you need. Just leave!"
"What's his problem?" Yoruichi asked, furrowing her brows.
"Somethin' tells me Lord Zaraki ain't gonna play nice with us anymore," Ichimaru whispered to her. "I kinda lied to him."
"Gin..." Stopping herself from lecturing the younger man, Yoruichi followed Zaraki's lead and went with Renji to fetch transportation home.
Watching them leave, Byakuya looked to Ukitake and, for a moment, couldn't find the words to formulate his thoughts. Seeing his friend struggling, Ukitake offered some of his own words. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt. Renji, too."
At the mention of the redhead, the king cleared his throat and chanced a glance away. "Renji is a capable soldier."
The corners of Ukitake's lips turned up. "Extremely capable."
Noticing the strange looks their conversation was drawing, Byakuya turned his back to his old friend, eyes closed in irritation. "Well, he should be good for something."
"At least I'm good for that," a voice spoke up and as Byakuya opened his eyes, they were met with annoyed green ones.
Having far too much pride to say anything in return in public- and perhaps even in private- the Mikaku king wordlessly climbed into the cab of the carriage Renji had gotten from Zaraki, shutting the door firmly behind him.
"Give him some time," Ukitake offered an exasperated Renji.
"At least we've got some, now," Renji agreed and waved a farewell to the rest of the group before climbing behind the horse's reins and heading east toward his home.
"We should get going, as well," Hisagi spoke up, sending a concerned look toward Ukitake.
"Travel safe," Yoruichi said, offering the three a smile.
"Well, if we're going to do that, maybe we should see if Lord Zaraki will feed and water the cart before we go," Hisagi remarked, sending a playful grin toward his king, once again recalling the time that Ukitake had credited Byakuya's treatment of their horses with their safe journey home.
"You'll never let that go, will you?" Ukitake asked, defeated.
Waving the three off, Yoruichi turned to Ichimaru, a frown once again creasing her face. "Gin, what will you do? About..." It seemed, to her, that there was a debate on where Ichigo's body should be laid to rest. Ichimaru had been his last king, but Zaraki his first and the one he did fighting beside. She hoped the two could resolve it peacefully.
"Take it," Zaraki said rather promptly. "I don't need a dead body to remind me of him."
Ichimaru considered this for a moment before shaking his head. "It wouldn't be right an' ya know it. 'Sides, he mighta been with me for a while, but there ain't no other place he belongs than here with you."
For a second, the two locked gazes, but that second was up quickly and ended with Zaraki shrugging and turning his back to the group. "Whatever. Just get off my land."
"Man, it's good to be home!" Renji said, taking in a huge breath and stretching. The ride wasn't particularly long, but it was awkward and he still wasn't sure what to make of what he'd overheard Byakuya saying to the others. He definitely wasn't the type to be sarcastic or joke around, so he must have been serious, right? Not that Renji would really blame him, if he was; what else could he be good for? He was a fighter and, it seemed, nothing more. He glanced over his shoulder as his king emerged from the cab of the carriage. "I'm gonna go tell Rukia we're back."
Just as Renji was almost out of his reach, Byakuya's hand reached out and caught the redhead's wrist in a firm grasp, holding him up. At the questioning look he received, he retreated a bit and relinquished his grip. He wasn't sure what to say and wished more than anything that Ukitake was here to translate all of his subtle gestures into something this slow-witted fool could understand.
"Ya didn't mean what you said," Renji ventured a guess. Or was it just blind hope? "Right?"
Byakuya surveyed the other for a moment, silently debating on if he could put into words what was running through his mind at the moment. "Renji, I..." More struggling. All he knew was how to be condescending and shut off. That's how he had been raised, after all, so he could be a level-headed and effective ruler. Even with Rukia he couldn't be fully compassionate or open and Ukitake never forced him to be such. "You have incredible value to me."
If Renji hadn't thought that words could be more confusing or frustrating than silence, he was wrong. "I, uh... thanks." He had value? What sort of value? Just as a fighter, like Byakuya had said before? But then he would have just brushed Renji's question off in that aloof way he always does, right? "Hey, listen, Lord-"
"Don't call me that," Byakuya said suddenly, a bit surprised himself at his words. But he couldn't take them back, and he was sure he had wanted to say them. "When we're alone," he quickly corrected himself. "When we're alone, just... Byakuya is fine."
Renji couldn't stop his jaw from dropping a bit, but when it finally closed, it was to form a big smile. "Right, then. Byakuya." He did it just to test it out. It felt strange, and he was half-expecting still to be yelled at, and he could see in the other man's eyes that he was trying to adjust to the sound himself and refrain from reprimanding the informality. " I'll just... go check on Rukia, now."
And once again, Renji was stopped from retreating. But this time it was by a pair of delicate arms looping around his waist from behind. His entire body froze rigid at the embrace and he wasn't sure what to do, so he simply stayed still, hoping for some hint as to what was going on with his king. It was like he was an entirely different person.
"I'm glad you weren't killed," Byakuya murmured, leaning wholly against the sturdier form of his subordinate. He knew these actions weren't appropriate, and likely he was confusing Renji beyond all reason, but he was confused himself. He knew he wasn't nearly ready to dissect his feelings for this loud-mouthed, vulgar, rude boy, but he did know that when he did, regardless of what he found, the root of all of it would be that he felt secure with Renji around. As if he had someone he could fully depend on; someone that wouldn't disappoint him, no matter how rough around the edges he may be. If undignified was the price he had to pay for assurance, then he may just be willing to penny up.
"Uh-" Renji had no real response to any of this. Not the affection, not the words, not even what was going on inside his head. It was too much to think about on such a tired mind, but he was positive that Byakuya's words carried more weight than if he or someone like Ukitake had said them. And just as the noble was detaching himself from the other and briskly walking away without another word, Renji realized that he may be on the right path to actually understanding that guy.
During the ride home, though very near the end of it, Kira regained consciousness. Stuck back in the cab with Ichimaru, Yoruichi at the front, he kept very quiet and very to himself for the rest of the ride home. Ichimaru had tried to talk to him a couple of times- about Ichigo, about Zaraki, about how they'd be able to enjoy a bit more peace now that everything was settled- but Kira couldn't formulate much of a response. Not until he figured out if he was more upset that he'd been lied to so thoroughly or more relieved that everything had worked out well, in the end. Well, for the most part. Despite how close he'd felt to Ichimaru the past few days, Kira wasn't sure he could ever forgive the man for what he did to Ichigo. Nor quell his fears about turning into another Ichigo. How was he so sure that there wasn't someone before Ichigo that had been replaced by Ichigo? What if that's just how Ichimaru operated? But Yoruichi... Kira looked up to glance at the woman's back. She seemed so smart and level-headed. Surely she wouldn't be close to someone who was fully evil, right? Besides, what Ichimaru had said back in the castle was that Kira had changed his way of thinking. Didn't that mean things would be okay from now on and he could forgive the other's past crimes?
When they finally arrived home, Hanatarou greeted them at the door with a big smile. "Lady Yoruichi! Lord Ichimaru! Kira! Welcome home! I'm so glad you're back! I'll make up a big dinner to celebrate your return and-" the energetic boy stopped in his speech to look over the small group once more. "Wait... where's Ichigo?"
Ichimaru was the one to finally walk inside, past Hanatarou, and pat the young boy on the head. "I don't think we're too hungry right now, Hana. Maybe later."
Yoruichi gave the youngest a smile and took him by the hand. "I don't know about those two, but I'd love some food."
Kira watched Hanatarou and Yoruichi disappear into the kitchen while Ichimaru ascended the stairs to disappear behind a door Kira knew too well. Ichigo's room. With a light sigh, he waited a few minutes to contemplate and finally followed his king up the stairs and into his fallen friend's room.
Inside, he found the silver-haired man perched on the edge of Ichigo's bed, doing nothing much but losing himself in thought. Silently, Kira sat himself next to the king, hands folded neatly in his lap. He was questioning so much right now, from his faith in Ichimaru to Ichimaru's faith in him and even if he would have been better off never coming to Kan. Not that he'd had much choice in the matter, but he was nearly positive that if he wanted, Zaraki would have him back. Possibly, Ichimaru might even agree to the transition, if he really felt guilty enough about everything. Somehow, guilt wasn't something Kira associated easily with Ichimaru.
"Do ya want t' leave?" Not 'please, don't leave' or 'I won't let you leave' or even 'I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave'. It was an option, one that Ichimaru couldn't have known Kira was contemplating, however frivolously. Still, wasn't it the obvious response to everything that had happened? Ichimaru was sure that if their positions were reversed that he would realize the back-stabbing king he was serving was no good for him. Then again, if it were really Ichimaru, he'd probably stay, anyway.
Kira could feel the anticipation of his answer weighing heavily in the air. The truth was, he did want to leave. But not his current place, just his current time. He wanted to go back and keep Ichigo from dying and keep Ichimaru from isolating himself from the rest of the world. He was sure that running away from Ichimaru wouldn't erase the marks the man had already left and so, no, he really didn't want to leave.
Slowly, the blonde extended one hand and moved it to wrap tightly around one of Ichimaru's. "As long as what you said back there was true, then no. I don't want to leave."
Back there. In Kan's castle. Ichimaru realized as soon as he saw Kira through the haze of energy that he could have easily lied about everything; acted as if he had no idea what the strange, dark electrical zaps meant or why they had ever occurred; acted as if it wasn't a manifestation of the darkness in his heart and that his spite toward the world would have been the thing to end it. But just as his hatred had caused the abnormalities, his fondness for Kira and memories of Ichigo had vanquished them. Perhaps, had Kira not been there to pull him back, he would have carried on with his original plan.
Reaching out to show an unusual bout of affection, Ichimaru wrapped his arms around the smaller man at his side, leaning his head on the bony shoulder like a child to its parent. "I meant every word," he assured the other, resting heavily against him. "Ya got such a way 'bout ya."
"I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm glad you like it." Honestly, Kira never saw anything particularly special in himself. He was average in every aspect of the word and had no strong, redeeming qualities. He had his strengths, of course, but even those were basic things like punctuality and obedience.
"But ya know," Ichimaru said lightly, tilting his head to look up at Kira with a mischievous smile, "we're stuck together forever, now."
"That's kind of foreboding," Kira told him, adopting a slightly concerned expression. "Is it because I interrupted that strange ritual before?"
Ichimaru thought to lie to the boy and tell him it was indeed because Gensaiban had been intruded upon, and such a thing bore grave consequences, but his tongue wrapped itself in a knot the moment the idea struck him. After all, lying had gotten him in such a bad position in the first place, though telling the truth beforehand may have had him in worse shape.
"Nah," he finally conceded, returning to his resting position, "I just ain't ever gonna let ya go."
Glad that Ichimaru had his eyes averted, Kira felt his face tinge with heat and a faint smile tug at his lips. "Yes, sir."
...Worst ending ever or something. Aha, but I began to enjoy Byakuya and Renji's exchanges/relationship more than Kira and Ichimaru's. I might have even ended with them, but Kira and Ichimaru were sort of the focus of the whole thing, so it would have been especially dumb not to end with them. So there it is~ I'm pretty satisfied with it, though I'll have to go back and edit some earlier chapters to let everything flow better, especially the part where I purged my inner weeaboo and realized it wasn't cute to end things with Japanese honorifics, even in a fanfiction. Oh, to be young again~
So, I probably left some explanations out, and I know I didn't really touch back on Hitsugaya or involve Matsumoto anymore. Nor did I follow up with Ulquiorra, Szayel, and Stark to see how they handled everything afterward. Maybe some day I'll dedicate some time to giving them all their closure. For now, though, this thing is FINALLY finished. Let me know what you thought!