Hi guys! As the finale is coming as I update this (7/20/20), I am now revising chapters 1 - 5 to my current style! So, if you're a new read and the other chapters aren't updated then I apologize. I would get it done as soon as I can. I hope you guys enjoy this!
Ichigo hasn't slept that well in years and because of that, he was pissed when someone knocked on the shoji door to his room that slightly woke him up. He put up his covers over his head to ignore the person who opened the door.
"Good morning, Ichigo-sama." Yusuke's soft voice echoed in the room, "I was told to wake you up for breakfast."
The sleepy orange head groaned, too lazy to get up but sit up regardless. He rubbed his eyes to remove his sleepiness away but to no avail.
Ichigo yawned, "What time is it, Yusuke-san?"
"7:30 in the morning, Ichigo-sama. I will lead you to the dining room right now."
The orange haired man nodded lazily and slowly got up. He adjusted his green yukata to make him look more like a person and stretched. He followed Yusuke, who started walking in the direction back to the living room where he met him last night.
The dining room was beside the living room and unsurprisingly, it was large like almost all other parts of the mansion. Ichigo was greeted with the sight of Byakuya eating, already wearing his uniform except for his haori. Yusuke bid them good morning and left. Ichigo lazily sat across from Byakuya and grabbed his chopsticks.
"Good morning, Byakuya," Ichigo muttered. Byakuya nodded in response as he ate.
"Are you usually this early?" the orange head inquired as he took a bite of his rice.
"Yes," was Byakuya's curt reply.
Ichigo shrugged, dismissing the short reply and digged in his food. Renji rarely has proper food whenever he gets to eat there. It was always junk food and he always had sake in his place.
'No wonder his place is as bad as his office,' He thought with a scowl.
"Is the food not to your liking?" the noble asked with an eyebrow raised.
Ichigo got startled and laughed nervously, "What do you mean? It tastes great."
"You had a scowl on your face."
The orange head's eyes then widened in realization, "Ah, yeah. Sorry. I just suddenly thought about Renji's place." He shook his head in fondness, "He never had decent food every time I crashed there and he always had booze lying around."
The noble quietly scoffed, "What about Rukia's?"
"It's fine," Ichigo took a sip of his tea, "She can only cook one thing so that's the only thing I eat when I'm there." he then set the cup down,"Why did Rukia even move out? This place is great!"
Byakuya's lips twitched slightly upwards, "I do appreciate your enthusiasm, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo looked away, face flushed. 'Curse your handsome smirk.'
"To answer your question, she said that she wanted to try to be independent and live her life that way."
The orange head nodded in understanding, "Well, she'll definitely survive longer than Renji."
Byakuya then nodded in agreement. He finished his tea and slowly stood up from his position, "I will leave you now, Kurosaki Ichigo. You may do as you like."
Ichigo grinned at the older, "Alright. Take care, Byakuya."
The raven haired man nodded and swiftly left the room. Ichigo quickly finished up his breakfast and left the room as well. He looked up at the blue sky and grinned, "I think I'll catch up with my sleep for now."
A week later, Ichigo visited Rukia's office in the 13th Division with a huge smile, "Oi, shorty!"
Rukia threw a crumpled paper at the latter which earned a groan from Ichigo, "Good morning to you too, fruits for brain."
Ichigo rubbed his forehead as he grumbled, "Jeez, Rukia. Don't attack me so early in the morning."
The captain huffed, "You haven't visited me for a week! A week, Ichigo! How could you survive that long?"
The taller laughed, "Thanks for worrying, Rukia but I'm fine. Look at me."
Rukia then eyed him from head to toe, "You look oddly refreshed. Who are you and what have you done to my freeloader friend?"
Ichigo feigned hurt as he put a hand over his chest, "Ouch, Rukia."
The raven haired woman rolled her eyes, "Seriously, where have you been? I asked Renji if you were staying at his place but he said no."
"I've been here and there. Over and under."
After a few moments, Renji suddenly opened the door, "Yo, Rukia. H-What the fuck, Ichigo? You're alive?" Renji stared at the latter from head to toe with an incredulous look.
Ichigo crossed his arms, "Good morning, pineapple. Of course I'm alive. When do I die?"
Renji muttered bitterly, "Plot armor."
"What?"
"What?"
The two redheads looked at each other with a confused look. What was that about, anyways? It seemed like a weird thing to say.
Rukia cleared her throat to grab their attention, "What brings you here, Renji?"
He looked over his fellow captain, "I was literally about to ask if you heard something from this asshole here but here he is."
Ichigo sighed, avoiding to rub his forehead in annoyance, "Okay, sorry for making you two worry. I promise I'll tell you next time."
The raven captain huffed, "Then, where have you been?"
"A place."
The small captain groaned at the very vague answer from the taller shinigami, "Whatever."
The redhead eyed him again, "Huh, you don't look like you've been sleeping on the roof," He stepped closer and sniffed, "You also smell familiar."
Ichigo pushed the latter away, "What the fuck, Renji? That's weird."
Renji laughed, "I was curious is all."
The redhead then sat on the chair near Rukia who was focused on her paperwork like her brother. Ichigo chuckled at the thought. His eyes looked at the pair's pinky fingers.
He grinned, 'Ah, it's gotten much shorter. I hope I'll be there when it happens.'
The pair looked at him with confused looks. What was in the orange head's mind? They couldn't pinpoint it even if it was easy to read Ichigo by now.
"Why are you looking at us with that funny look on your face?" Renji raised his eyebrow in confusion.
Ichigo laughed and waved it off, "It's nothing. You know what? I'll go ahead. Let's hang out next time."
Renji and Rukia looked at each other then back at the orange head. Rukia simply nodded, "Uh, okay. Bye Ichigo. See you when we see you."
Ichigo nodded and climbed out of the window and left. Renji looked at the window with an amused grin, "He really likes entering through windows."
Rukia's eyes widened in sudden realization, "I think I know why you find the scent familiar."
The redhead looked at her with an odd look, "Yeah?"
The latter pulled him closer and whispered which made Renji's eyes widened in shock, "Wait, what?!"
Ichigo entered Byakuya's office through the window which earned a sigh from the Kuchiki heir, "Do you not know how to go through the door?"
The orange head chuckled as he climbed in, "Isn't it more fun this way? Though, they might think I'm an intruder."
"Why are you here this time?" Byakuya inquired as he worked on his daily paperwork
"I wanted to see you."
Byakuya raised a questioning eyebrow, "We just met this morning."
Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Don't sweat the details, Byakuya."
The latter just grunted and resumed writing.
"I visited Rukia and Renji earlier. They asked where the hell I've been staying for the past week since I didn't mess with 'em lately."
"And?"
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I didn't tell them that I was staying at your place."
"Why is that?" Byakuya asked. Why would the younger be cautious about something as trivial as that?
The orange head shrugged casually, "First, they wouldn't believe me. Next, I don't think you're comfortable in me saying that you're letting me stay."
The noble's piercing gray eyes stared at the younger's warm amber eyes, "And why is that?"
"You might be ashamed for letting someone like me stay," Ichigo reasoned. He also didn't know the reason why he didn't tell the pair but he can't say that. But, he wasn't sure if the captain was actually uncomfortable with Ichigo telling others that he was staying or not.
Byakuya sighed, "And why would I? After all, you are an ally and..."he then slightly pursed his lips, thinking of a term, "...an acquaintance."
Ichigo raised his eyebrow in amusement, "Seriously, Byakuya? Acquaintance? You shouldn't be scared to call me a friend after that trouble."
"Do not push your luck, Kurosaki Ichigo.
The way Byakuya said it with a low tone and with that smirk sent slight shivers down Ichigo's spine. The younger doesn't know if that is a good thing or not. Probably not.
Just then, a Jigokucho flew inside the heir's office. Ichigo simply ignored it, thinking that it was for Byakuya. To their surprise, it flew over to Ichigo instead. The orange haired man put up a finger for the butterfly to land on to relay its message.
Once it's done, it flew out of the office and left the two men. Ichigo looked at Byakuya with a confused look, "Huh, Kyouraku-san asked if I want to go to his office for tea with Juushiro-san."
Byakuya said, "You should go. It benefits me to have less pests in my office."
The orange head grinned as he saw a playful glint in the latter's eyes. It was faint but Ichigo caught it. He then stood up and laughed, "Wow, Byakuya. You really want me to leave, huh?"
"Perhaps I do," Byakuya said with amusement in his tone.
"Fine. I wanna see how Juushiro-san is doing anyways."
The noble nodded in acknowledgement, "Please send them my regards."
The latter walked to the window, preparing to leave but before he took a step, Byakuya asked, "Will you be home by dinner?"
Ichigo looked up, thinking, "I think I will."
Byakuya simply nodded in response.
"Fine. I'll go now. Don't miss me too much, Byakuya," Ichigo winked at the older and used shunpo to leave.
Unfortunately for him and luckily for the noble, he wasn't able to catch Byakuya's slightly flustered cheeks.
"I think I'm going crazy for being embarrassed," Byakuya mumbled silently while still having his flustered face.
Ichigo quickly arrived in the 1st Division office and was greeted by the 5th seat. He led Ichigo down the office to where Kyouraku and Juushiro were having their tea breaks. They arrived by a small room with the two men already inside, seating on the floor. The officer bowed at the three and left as soon as Ichigo entered the room. He was greeted by the older men's smiles.
"Ah, Ichigo-kun. Glad you could make it," Kyouraku Shunsui, the captain commander, greeted.
Ichigo grinned in response, "Nice to see you too."
Juushiro lightly patted the empty space between them, "Hello, Ichigo-kun. Please sit down here." Ichigo followed suit and plopped down ungracefully.
Kyouraku then offered him a cup of tea, "Here 'ya go. Tea with a twist." He winked at the younger.
Ichigo looked down at the cup and sniffed. He drank it slowly and was hit with a slight burning sensation, not from the heat but from- "Kyouraku, did you just put sake in Ichigo-kun's drink?" Juushiro glared at the gruff man, who was laughing.
The orange head cleared his throat as he could still feel the burning sensation of the alcohol, "It's fine, Juushiro-san. I was surprised though. Good thing I'm technically legal now."
The captain commander laughed once more as he pats Ichigo's back, "Now that's the spirit! Don't hesitate to ask for more." Ichigo just chuckled and nodded.
Juushiro sighed, "Please, Kyouraku. It's in the middle of the day."
"Which is the best time to drink, right Ichigo-kun?"
"Maybe so, Kyouraku-san."
Ichigo looked over at the older white haired man, "Ah, Juushiro-san. How have you been?"
Juushiro gave a warm smile, "I'm still quite weak but I'm doing good these days. What about you? How's your stay at Soul Society?"
The orange head hummed in response, "I'm living somehow. Living here is very new but at the same it's familiar. I can't say I'm fully happy but I'll survive somehow."
Juushiro nodded in understanding, "You have many friends here who will be with you everyday so do not hesitate to go to them. You may also visit us for tea if you want to talk."
Hearing Juushiro's words warmed Ichigo's heart that made him smile widely, "Will do, Juushiro-san. Thank you for your offer."
Kyouraku hummed a tune as he filled his and Ichigo's cup with tea and sake, "You are always welcome in the Gotei 13, Ichigo-kun. Maybe consider joining a squad?"
"I don't really know about that but I'm thinking about it."
The brunet captain took a sip of his tea and nodded, "No need to rush, Ichigo-kun. We have a lot of time in this world again. I think it's safe to say that we'll be in peace for a long time."
Juushiro sighed, "I hope so. I don't mind drinking tea all day rather than fighting for your life and the whole world's life everyday."
Ichigo nodded in agreement. As much as he finds this peace quite boring, it is better than having another war. He was tired of losing people he failed to protect.
The orange haired man then spoke as he remembered something, "Ah, by the way Kyouraku-san. Juushiro-san. Byakuya sends his regards."
Both the older men looked at each other with a knowing look. "Huh, you were with him?" Juushiro inquired.
Ichigo nodded, "I was in his office when I received your message. I was there to annoy him as usual."
Kyouraku chuckled, "Ah, Byakuya-kun still likes to play rough, huh?" Ichigo choked on his tea on how Kyouraku makes it sound suggestive.
Juushiro chuckled and gently shook his head, "Kyouraku, please calm down with your jokes."
The latter laughed, "Hey, just saying. Besides," His eyes looked over at Ichigo from head to toe, "Ichigo-kun has Byakuya-kun's scent all over him."
The orange haired almost choked on his tea again, "What are you talking about, Kyouraku-san? How do you even know his scent?"
Kyouraku waved his hand dismissively, "You've been staying at his place, huh?" The younger looked at him incredulously. Kyouraku grinned, "I noticed your huge reiatsu staying still by the Kuchiki mansion for a week."
Ichigo's face flushed, "I-It's not like I'm there for a different reason. He offered me to stay at his guest room and since I'm either crashing at Renji's or Rukia's place."
The captain commander patted the younger's back, "You don't have to explain yourself, Ichigo-kun. It's fine that you fancy our Byakuya-kun."
Ichigo groaned in embarrassment as he could feel his face burning even more, "Why do everyone think of something else when it comes to Byakuya?"
Kyouraku just smiled at his pain. It thoroughly amused the older man greatly.
Juushiro rubbed his chin in thought, "I'm surprised that Byakuya-kun is letting anyone stay in his place."
"He said it's because we're 'acquaintances'."
Kyouraku snorted in amusement, "He couldn't say 'friend' properly."
Jushiro smiled, "Well, it's Byakuya-kun after all. He'll come around soon enough."
Ichigo shrugged, "I have a long life. Maybe one day he'll call me by my first name."
Kyouraku smirked with a suggestive look in his eyes, "I see."
The younger man groaned, knowing the older's tone, "Kyouraku-san, please. You're too drunk already."
The gruff man chuckled, "I am drunk only during parties, Ichigo-kun. This isn't my peak at all." He gestured to give the younger another serving of tea to which Ichigo reluctantly gave his cup.
Ichigo mumbled a 'thanks' and drank the tea slowly. He was starting to get hungry from all the chat and tea.
"Do you want to stay for dinner, Ichigo-kun?" Juushiro offered kindly.
The younger shook his head, "I don't want to bother you guys, Juushiro-san. It's fine."
he white haired male patted the former's shoulder, "Nonsense! We don't mind having you with us for dinner. It's the least we could do."
Ichigo lightly scratched his head, "Ah, well. I promised Byakuya that I'll be back by dinner."
Kyouraku took a quick sip of his tea, hiding that silly grin on his face, "Well, doesn't that sound like a newlywed couple to you, Juushiro?"
Jushiro chuckled in amusement, "It seems so."
"Kami, it does not!" The orange head replied hotly.
"It definitely does, Ichigo-kun."
The orange haired boy groaned and hid his face in his large calloused hands. He is practically dying in embarrassment, "I shouldn't have said anything."
Kyouraku then rested his left hand on the table and Juushiro rested his right. Something red caught the younger's gaze.
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise as he thought, 'Their strings! It's so close. Closer than Rukia and Renji's.'
Juushiro looked at Ichigo with worry, "Is something wrong?"
The orange head shook his head and slowly stood up, "I-It's nothing, Juushiro-san. I think I better head out now before Kyouraku-san makes me drunk."
The older men looked at each other with an eyebrow but said nothing further. They'd rather not make the orange head uncomfortable in their presence.
The white haired man then nodded, "I see. Do take care, Ichigo-kun. Please tell Byakuya our regards."
Kyouraku nodded as well, "Go before your husband kills me in getting you drunk, Ichigo-kun."
The younger rolled his eyes, cheeks tinting slightly as he tried to ignore what the brunet said, "Thank you for the chat, Kyouraku-san. Jushiro-san."
Before Kyouraku could say anything more, Ichigo used shunpo and left the premises.
"Seriously, what's with people today? It's impossible for him and I to be together even if I ever did like him," Ichigo scowled as he muttered to himself, "I don't like him, right?"
"Makin' a fool out of yourself, huh King?"
Ichigo could only ignore his hollow.
Thank you for reading! Check out my other works if you're interested in more ByaIchi!
