Sorry for the month long delay in updating…but school just started and well…I'm swamped. But, you can tell I'm pretty devoted to my story…right? (I chose to work on this chapter instead of studying for a physics test…which I got 22/40 on…) Anyways, there's lemon in this chapter. (Note that the lemon is set off from the rest of the chapter as per my new practice). Enjoy.

CH9: Way Leads onto Way

Ichigo did not want to get up that morning. In fact, he refused to get up that morning. Why? Two reasons: 1) it was pretty damn warm lying in Shuuhei's arms, considering that they were both stark nude and the room was chilly and 2) he was hard. Yes, even after the most amazing, most satisfying, most intense experience that completely wasted him last night, he still had the resilience to yearn for more of that very experience. Of course, he didn't mind the idea of reliving the whole thing through once more, but hell, he didn't want to seem to like a man-whore now did he? So, he settled with burying his backside further into Shuuhei's embrace from behind, tiding himself over with the knowledge that he would have to settle with spooning for the time being.

But that was until he chanced a stray glance at the alarm clock. 6 fucking 59 AM. Holy fucking shit.
"Shuuhei!" hissed Ichigo in a frantic and panicked voice as he turned around to shake the other man awake. But Shuuhei, in his slumbering stupor, refused to release his grip on Ichigo, holding him fast in spot.
"Shuuhei, get the fuck up!" cursed Ichigo as he struggled. Shuuhei refused to budge. "I swear Shuuhei, if you don't fucking get up now, my old man is gonna jump in here and―" swore Ichigo in rapid-fire succession. Before he could even finish though, Shuuhei had sat upright abruptly, and threw Ichigo over the side of the bed.
"Stay down" commanded Shuuhei in a near whisper. He rummaged around in the bed sheets until he found Ichigo's clothes and threw them over the side as well. "Dress up quick before―" continued Shuuhei, but was interrupted by a slamming of the door. Shuuhei threw all the bed sheets over his bare-naked body while Ichigo rolled underneath the bed. The two braced themselves for the hell that was about to break loose.

"MY LOVELY SONS! Otou-san is here to welcome you to the wonderful world that is…today!" cried Isshin as he made his regular pirouette and prance before barging into the room. Shuuhei covered himself completely now and lay deathly still, hoping that Isshin would fail to see him…and thankfully, he did fail to see him.
"Hm…those two must've left early…" muttered Isshin under his breath as he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. He then crinkled his face in disgust. "It smells like shit in here…" shouted Isshin. Ichigo winced from underneath the bed. He knew exactly why it smelled…and what it smelled of as well. The entire room was still plagued with the smell of sweat and sex from the night before, and Ichigo could only hope that they hadn't left behind any visible evidence…thankfully, Isshin wasn't the type to inspect the finer details of things, so even if there were a few…spots here and there, they'd pass by unnoticed. Looking out from underneath the bed, Ichigo suddenly realized that Isshin's feet weren't visible anymore. But hearing the bed creak loudly revealed that Isshin was atop of the bed…dangerously close to the naked Shuuhei.
"I'll just open this here window to air out the room…" sighed Isshin aloud as he walked across the bed. From underneath, Ichigo could see the bulge in the bed that belonged to Shuuhei's hiding figure, as well as the bulge in the bed from Isshin's feet. Ichigo watched with terror as the bulges started to move slowly towards Shuuhei's figure until they finally disappeared altogether.
"This is a weird pillow…" thought Isshin aloud as he slammed the window open. Ichigo could hear Shuuhei take a sharp breath. Isshin was standing on top of Shuuhei's stomach. "That's better…nice, fresh air!" shouted Isshin. He let out a loud sigh as he proceeded to stretch his arms and legs out…on top of Shuuhei's stomach. Ichigo could hear several more sharp breaths along with very faint and subtle curses.
"Wake up Yuzu! Karin!" shouted Isshin loudly, as he proceeded to jump up and down…on Shuuhei's stomach. Ichigo could hear louder groans of pain now.
"It's such a beautiful day…makes me kinda wanna dance…"
"OH, HELL NO!" shouted Shuuhei at the top of his lungs as he pushed Isshin off.
"Oh ho ho! A surprise attack from below! How very crafty of you my dear s―" Isshin was thrown out the window before he could finish.

Ichigo and Shuuhei rushed through breakfast as quickly as possible and left the house before Isshin could get back…or at least that was their intention. However, Isshin got back just in time to make the two clean up their room…along with the rest of the house and the clinic as well.
"Me and the girls are going to the beach, so clean up the entire place while we're gone."
"The hell? How come we don't get to go?"
"…Cause I said so. So don't talk back."
"Oh yeah?" growled Ichigo as he stomped his foot forward.
"Is that a challenge?" asked Isshin, now thoroughly absorbed by the idea of a prospective fight.
"We should stay home Ichigo…" muttered Shuuhei under his breath. Ichigo turned his head to look at Shuuhei questioningly.
"You're gonna give up that easily?" asked Ichigo in disbelief.
"We have stuff to do…remember?" Ichigo stared at him dubiously. "Planning…for the upcoming week…you know…" Ichigo continued to stare at him stupidly. "Baka…let's just stay home alright?" growled Shuuhei as he slid up next to Ichigo. Craning his neck slightly, he whispered furiously into Ichigo's ear. "Stay home and we can do whatever we want!" Ichigo smirked at the idea.
"On second thought, I guess we should stay behind…" said Ichigo slowly. Isshin just stared at the two suspiciously, but finally shrugged his shoulders and left with Yuzu and Karin.

"So…what're we gonna do?" asked Ichigo as he sat down on his bed, arms crossed. Shuuhei smirked and leaned in dangerously close to Ichigo's face.
"We're…gonna…f…" said Shuuhei slowly and deliberately. Ichigo's eyes widened as he gulped nervously. He knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but he didn't think it'd be happening this soon.
"W―Wait a sec…shouldn't we take our time before we…you know…" stuttered Ichigo.
"No…we need to do it now, and we need to do it fast," answered Shuuhei resolutely. Ichigo gulped once more as he felt his entire body rise a few degrees.
"Geez Shuuhei, you make it sound easy…"
"Well it is…although it might take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour for me to finish."
"Shit…" whispered Ichigo in awe. He should've known that a guy like Shuuhei would have an amazing sex drive. "W―What about me?" asked Ichigo as he slowly got over the idea of an hour in bed with Shuuhei.
"What about you?" asked Shuuhei emotionlessly.
"You know…I mean…I wanna have an orgasm too…" stammered Ichigo as he bowed his head in embarrassment. Silence. Ichigo looked up to see what Shuuhei's reaction was…only to find that Shuuhei was staring at him weirdly.
"…The fuck are you talking about?" asked Shuuhei quizzically. Ichigo stared at him in disbelief, temporarily at a lost for words. Shuuhei sighed as he continued speaking. "I have no idea what you're thinking about, but I'm talking about finding some sort of alibi for the week you're in Soul Society." Ichigo's mouth dropped open as he continued to look at Shuuhei skeptically. "Ok then…moving on…"

"A school trip…" asked Ichigo with a hint of sarcasm.
"Yup," said Shuuhei as he nodded his head gravely.
"…That's the fucking lamest idea I've ever heard."
"How so?"
"Cause school trips take place at the end of the term…not in the middle."
"…We'll say it's a school trip for special students."
"Like he's gonna really take that bullshit."
"Well he's not gonna have a say in it," said Shuuhei as he stood up. Ichigo cocked his eyebrow in suspicion.
"What do you mean…" asked Ichigo. Shuuhei smirked as he saw Ichigo's face contort as if in pain.
"We're leaving…now" answered Shuuhei. As if timed, a bright flash of light appeared upstairs as soon as Shuuhei spoke those words. "They've opened the portal already…" Without another word, Shuuhei walked up the stairs, leaving Ichigo and his jaw hanging agape. True enough, the customary portal to Soul Society stood before them as they entered Ichigo's room. The doors remained closed, however, as if signaling that there was no rush for the two to get through to the other side. But Shuuhei seemed more than ready to leave this world.
"Oye Ichigo, where's that badge of yours? I wanna get out of this gigai as soon as possible…" asked Shuuhei as he rummaged through various items on Ichigo's desk. Ichigo sighed as he reached into his pockets to grab the badge, but suddenly hesitated as a…mischievous thought struck him.
"Hey Shuuhei…"
"Hm?" grunted the other in response as he started digging through papers.
"Do we have to go right away?" asked Ichigo as he diverted his gaze elsewhere and pretended to look uninterested.
"Well…better than staying here and having to give an excuse to your father in person."
"True but…we still have a lot of time until he gets back…" continued Ichigo innocently.
"…What're you getting at?"
"I'm just saying…we have a lotta time…that's all." Shuuhei cocked his eyebrow in suspicion.
"…And?"
"And well, we could do something before we leave…since we have the time and all…" muttered Ichigo quickly. Shuuhei stared at him in disbelief.
"You wanna…" asked Shuuhei as he slowly lowered his voice, a smirk appearing on his face. Ichigo felt his face turn slightly red as he lazily brought an arm up to scratch the back of his head.
"Well yeah…I mean, only if you wanna…" stammered Ichigo, trying hard to not seem insistent. There was a long silence.

"I don't wanna," answered Shuuhei coolly. Ichigo's jaws dropped open as he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Rejection hurts.
"Well…it's not like I wanted to in the first place…" continued Ichigo, with a noticeably disappointed air in his voice.
"Well I mean, I just don't see the point in eating right now…once we're in our soul forms, we won't feel hunger," continued Shuuhei as he rummaged through the drawers of Ichigo's desk. Ichigo's jaws dropped another notch. It was like they were on completely different worlds, speaking completely different languages, while throwing balls of crap at each other.
"How fucking dense can you be?" muttered Ichigo angrily underneath his breath.
"What was that?" asked Shuuhei.
"Nothing!" growled Ichigo in spite.
"Then, help me find that badge of yours," sighed Shuuhei. Ichigo grumbled as he walked up next to Shuuhei and help him "look for" the badge.

The two "looked" for the badge for nearly an hour when Shuuhei finally decided to give up.
"Guess I'll just have to manually split from my gigai…" sighed Shuuhei, grimacing at the idea of how difficult a feat that was. Ichigo snickered in response. "What's so funny?" asked Shuuhei.
"Nothing…nothing at all…" said Ichigo as he continued to snicker, then stuff his hands into his pockets. Shuuhei looked at him strangely.
"You hiding something?" asked Shuuhei suspiciously.
"Nothing…nothing at all…" repeated Ichigo. He continued to smirk as he stood up to get out of the room. "Want anything to drink?" asked Ichigo coolly.
"I don't s'pose there's any sake left, eh?" asked Shuuhei hopefully. Ichigo shook his head.
"Drank it all…last night…remember?" said Ichigo slowly as he turned the other way and left through the door. It really was quite funny how dense Shuuhei was…but only to a certain point. After that certain point, it was a bit pitiful…and disheartening. Ichigo sighed as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of juice and downed it in one gulp. He stared blankly out the window as he leaned over the sink, mulling over lost thoughts from the night before. Shuuhei had said he loved him…but of course, Ichigo didn't take him seriously, seeing as how alcohol and lust usually impairs the mind. But in retrospect, words like those weren't something you could throw around casually. There had to be some sort of truth to them, if not literal but implied. Just how much was implied though, was what bothered Ichigo at the moment. Was it implied that Shuuhei was only saying that as a "for the moment" thing? Or was it implied that Shuuhei was saying it to cover up the "awkward moment after sex" effect? Hopefully, the words weren't for the "I wanna get in your pants" approach. Ichigo sighed as he furrowed his brows further and buried his face in his hand. He sighed aloud once more as his thoughts moved onto the prospect of spending a whole week with Shuuhei. Of course, he had spent about a week with Shuuhei already, but now, after what they had just done (and said), Ichigo doubted the week would go by without incident.
"Whatcha thinking about?" asked a husky voice from behind. Shuuhei had somehow slipped into the kitchen and directly behind Ichigo, unnoticed.
"Nothing…" denied Ichigo once more. He sighed slightly as Shuuhei slipped his arms around his waist and drew their bodies together.
"You sure?" asked Shuuhei as he rested his chin on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo sighed and nodded in response. Part of him told him he should be angry with Shuuhei, for acting so casually after what had happened last night. Part of him told him that Shuuhei really hadn't meant those words last night, and they were just sweet words to butter him up for the next time his carnal desires got the best of him. Part of him told him to turn around, push Shuuhei away and stick his foot up his ass for being a damn, lying (yet sexy) bastard. Yet…the other part of him told him to turn around and to embrace Shuuhei as he was being embraced now. Part of him told him that those words could possibly be true, and that he felt more than just lust towards Shuuhei. Part of him told him that he should be happy with a man like Shuuhei, and that the way Shuuhei was acting was only natural for a couple.

But they weren't a couple. So the part of him that told him to be angry won out.
"Leggo of me…" growled Ichigo.
"…Why?" asked Shuuhei innocently as he tightened his grip around Ichigo's waist.
"Just because," answered Ichigo.
"Hm…maybe later. We still have some time 'fore we head over to Soul Society…and I think I wanna stay like this till we go." Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh.
"Let me go," said Ichigo in a voice lower than his growl, yet somehow more demanding. Shuuhei relented, and loosened his grip…only momentarily however, as he turned Ichigo around to face him, arms placed firmly on Ichigo's frame.
"What's wrong?" asked Shuuhei seriously. Ichigo willed his face to go blank, hoping to not give Shuuhei a chance to get stray hints from his expressions…not like Shuuhei would've been able to interpret them anyways, being as dense as he was.
"Asking me the same thing over and over and getting the same answer over and over…do you really think I'm gonna say something different this time around?" answered Ichigo in a bored tone as he turned his gaze away. Shuuhei's face turned into a slight frown as he tried to read the inscrutable appearance on Ichigo's face, and finally sighed. If Ichigo wouldn't tell him what was wrong, blindly guessing what was wrong was the next best thing.
"I changed the sheets already…" started Shuuhei. Ichigo snorted as he poured himself another cup of juice.
"I cleaned up the mess I made on your desk…" continued Shuuhei. Ichigo snorted again as he drank his cup of juice.
"I put all your clothes in the laundry basket…" tried Shuuhei again. Ichigo snorted once more as he washed his cup of juice.
"What're you trying to say?" asked Ichigo in the same flat voice he had used earlier.
'Sorry' answered Shuuhei mentally, but decided that he had better not say something like that. 1) It suggested that he had done something wrong (although he was pretty sure he hadn't) and 2) It suggested that Shuuhei felt guilty (which he obviously didn't…how can one feel guilt for something one didn't do? Besides…guilt was for the weak). So Shuuhei decided on the next best thing to do. Strong arms slipped around Ichigo's waist once more.
"What now?" asked Ichigo in a slightly annoyed tone. Shuuhei craned his neck around and placed his lip right next to Ichigo's ear as he tightened his hug. He stood silently for a moment before he spoke the next three words.

"I love you."

As soon as those words were uttered, Ichigo's entire body went limp. It was as if a strong strain in his back had been miraculously fixed. But before answering, Ichigo leaned back into Shuuhei's warm embrace in silence, as if to think the next few words out thoroughly. He answered concisely, in exactly three words as well.

"You mean it?" asked Ichigo as he slumped slightly, the back of his head sliding down Shuuhei's chest and feet sliding across the floor. Staring intently up, Ichigo focused his gaze entirely on Shuuhei, who in turn looked down lovingly at him. Shuuhei smirked slightly as he hoisted Ichigo back up to a standing position by the armpits. He answered Ichigo calmly.

"I do."

It was pretty funny, thought Ichigo, how dense Shuuhei was. In just two days, Shuuhei had converted the two of them into…a couple, he supposed. There was the confession of love, the sex (well, oral at least), and now, Shuuhei, in the exact two words usually reserved for marriage, had just managed to invoke all desire in Ichigo for him. How very dense Shuuhei was, to treat Ichigo like his lover, despite the gender barrier. How very dense Shuuhei was, to treat Ichigo like his lover, despite the world barrier. How very, very, dense Shuuhei was…but for that, Ichigo was glad. He would've had it no other way. He would've had Shuuhei's kiss, the deep and all-enveloping kiss, this one and only way. It was just the way he liked…no, loved it.

---

Shuuhei pulled his lips away from Ichigo hesitantly, yet surely at the same time. Ichigo murmured a sigh of objection, but stopped when he realized that Shuuhei was leading them to the couch. He knew (or at least hoped he knew) what was to come next. Pushing him down firmly onto the couch, Shuuhei kneeled down before Ichigo as he spoke briefly and quickly.
"I don't think we have a lotta time…" said Shuuhei as he unbuckled Ichigo's belt and tugged at the jeans and boxers Ichigo was wearing.
"Yeah…" agreed Ichigo as he helped to pull his boxer off (it had gotten snagged by Ichigo's growing erection). Without another word, Shuuhei grabbed Ichigo's length firmly and started to pull roughly yet fluidly, eliciting a long, loud moan from Ichigo. Shuuhei chuckled as he continued to jerk Ichigo's length.
"I haven't even gotten to the good part, and you're enjoying it so much already…"mocked Shuuhei. Ichigo nodded his head weakly, but was forced to throw his head back in pleasure as Shuuhei used his thumb to rub the head of Ichigo's erection roughly, encouraging the flow of precum from Ichigo's tip. Shuuhei smirked brightly when he saw a large glob of precum emerge from the tip, and licked it up eagerly.
"You taste lighter than last night…" said Shuuhei as he continued to fondle the tip.
"No…no really…" gasped Ichigo, trying to be sarcastic despite Shuuhei's attempts to shut down Ichigo's mind and force him to succumb to his bodily pleasures. "H―Hurry Shuuhei," urged Ichigo. Shuuhei was only happy to comply.

Ichigo cried out loudly as Shuuhei planted his mouth firmly on the head of Ichigo's erection, licking and suckling the little drops of precum that he so loved.
"G―Geezus Shuuhei…" groaned Ichigo as he fought every muscle in his body to keep from slamming Shuuhei's head down onto his crotch. Shuuhei curved his lips in a small smile, and continued to suck.
"Watch me Ichigo…y'know you wanna," said Shuuhei. True enough, Ichigo wanted to, and so forced his eyes open to watch the provocative and sensual scene before him. But soon after, he was forced to shut his eyes once more as Shuuhei bit down tenderly, sending jolts of pleasure all the way up Ichigo's body. Ichigo opened his mouth to utter words, but was stopped by Shuuhei who let his mouth slide down Ichigo's length leisurely. Now at a loss for coherent thoughts, Ichigo decided that only groaning aloud could get his message of pleasure across. Sure enough, it did, and Shuuhei all but willingly swallowed the rest of Ichigo's length in a swift bobbing motion.
"Shuuuhei…" whispered Ichigo pathetically as his hands rummaged around to hold onto something tangible, finally settling on Shuuhei's head. "It's…it's so damn good…" gasped Ichigo as Shuuhei popped Ichigo's length out of his mouth.
"I'd be damned if it wasn't…" said Shuuhei as he pulled urgently at Ichigo's slick, coated member, drawing out another glorious groan-gasp from Ichigo once more. "Y'know…I wouldn't mind just listening to you moan like that all night long…" muttered Shuuhei as he continued to jerk Ichigo's tender member. Ichigo could only grunt in protest, as if to say 'Focus on my dick, dammit'. Shuuhei chuckled as he lowered his mouth back onto Ichigo's erection.

Oh the glorious pleasure that Ichigo was pushing his length into. Blind and crazed by lust, Ichigo could do nothing but continually moan throatily whilst randomly bucking his hips. But Ichigo knew he wasn't going to last much longer, as he felt his muscles spasm and tighten one after the other. He let out a ragged moan to warn Shuuhei of the oncoming surge, but was promptly ignored by the other man, who continued to suck and fondle his erection with constant intensity.
"Shuuhei…I'm gonna―" started Ichigo, but was cut off by Shuuhei clamping his mouth down firmly on Ichigo's length. What escaped from Ichigo's mouth next was a long guttural groan of ecstasy that sent shivers down his own back. As if in anticipation for what was to come, Shuuhei smiled devilishly, mouth still planted firmly on Ichigo's length, and slid his lips back to the tip of the erection, leaving enough of Ichigo's member to be held in Shuuhei's hand. Starting on the last stretch of Ichigo's endurance, Shuuhei began to pump Ichigo's length in unison with his sucking, creating a synchronized euphoria that could only numb every part of Ichigo's body with intense pleasure.
"This…is it…" practically whispered Ichigo inbetween throaty shouts of pleasure. He felt his hips begin to jump as his grip on Shuuhei's head intensified, persistently pushing Shuuhei's head even further down on his length. Shuuhei, on the other hand, let Ichigo take control completely, not even attempting to resist the violent bucking. Rather, he continued to suck furiously, enjoying how Ichigo frantically thrusted into his mouth, desperate for his long-sought release. And sure enough, Ichigo found that sweet bliss soon after, moaning Shuuhei's name aloud while clutching the back of Shuuhei's head recklessly and thrusting several more times.
"Sh―Shit, Shuuhei!" he cried in blind rapture, hips clear off the couch and member forced deep into Shuuhei's mouth, shooting off round after round of milky cum. Shuuhei suckled Ichigo's erection greedily, slurping loudly and drinking the tangy essence that erupted so forcefully from Ichigo's tip. Still riding the mind-numbing high from his orgasm, Ichigo managed to open his eyes momentarily and gaze lustfully at the other man, still on his knees, hands cupped around his length. Shuuhei gazed back at him as well, making direct eye-contact, right before engulfing Ichigo's entire length once more into his mouth, letting it slide all the way to the back of his throat. Body racked with pleasure again, Ichigo clenched tight every muscle in his body as he thrust one last time, spilling the last of his seed and collapsing back onto the couch. Shuuhei smirked as he swallowed every last drop, and wiped away the little dribble that escaped from the corner of his mouth.

---

Ichigo's mind was still groggy after such a blissful experience, but he was still conscious enough to realize that Shuuhei was watching him while he sat there in the haze of his post-orgasm.
"Wh―What…about you?" asked Ichigo as soon as he could breathe correctly.
"…Not now," answered Shuuhei flatly as he stood up.
"Wh―Why not?" persisted Ichigo as he grabbed Shuuhei by the hand. Shuuhei stopped walking for a moment, then finally turned around, smirk splayed across his face.
"Cause…" started Shuuhei, as he leaned forward to whisper into Ichigo's ear. "I want more than just a blowjob…" Ichigo's eyes widened. "I want your entire body…" cooed Shuuhei lustfully, yet playfully at the same time.
"W―Wait a sec…" stammered Ichigo. "Y―You said…when I'm ready…"
"Well, yeah…seeing as how we don't have time to do it now…" continued Shuuhei. "We'll just do it when we get to Soul Society." Shuuhei's smirk widened several inches before he turned around to walk up the stairs, leaving a dumbfounded Ichigo to stare at the wall."What if I said I don't want to…" said Ichigo hypothetically. Shuuhei didn't even bother to stop while he answered.
"Well…doesn't change the fact that I would still want to have sex…" answered Shuuhei with his back to Ichigo, waving it off casually with his hand. "Besides…" continued Shuuhei as he ascended the stairs.
"I know you're just dying to have me in ya, eh?" chuckled Shuuhei. He ducked his head nimbly as he dodged a pillow thrown by Ichigo.

After writing a short note explaining to Isshin where they were going (school trip to insert random place in Japan here) and cleaning up the mess upstairs as well as downstairs, the two were ready to leave. Pressing the badge firmly against their bodies, energy flashed brightly as their souls separated neatly from their bodies.
"Feels good, don't it?" asked Shuuhei as he stretched his arms. Ichigo nodded, but instead of paying attention to Shuuhei's arms, his eyes drifted up Shuuhei's slender neck, over Shuuhei's smooth face, and settled on the tattoo on Shuuhei's left cheekbone. He had seen it several times before, but now, knowing what it meant (and experiencing it for himself), he found the tattoo vaguely appealing…in other words, just downright sexy. But he was forced to avert his gaze as soon as Shuuhei noticed that Ichigo was staring at him.
"Something on my face?" asked Shuuhei as he furrowed his eyebrows. Ichigo shook his head quickly
"Just…just wanted to look at your face…that's all…" explained Ichigo lamely. Shuuhei cocked his eyebrow, but decided that he should take it as a compliment if anything.
"Anyways…ready to go?" asked Shuuhei. Ichigo nodded again.
"Let's go."

They forced the portal doors open with some trouble, as if something was holding the two doors together. But after struggling momentarily, the doors eventually did open to reveal the white portal to the passage to inbetween the human world and Soul Society. Literally jumping in, Ichigo took off at a running start in anticipation of the large, hulking black thing that could flatten him in mere seconds, only to be stopped by Shuuhei's grasp on his shoulder.
"You don't have to run…" muttered Shuuhei in a slightly amused tone.
"But the fucking black thing is gonna run us over!" shouted Ichigo as he knocked Shuuhei's hand off.
"…But we have hell butterflies…" said Shuuhei as he pointed up. True enough, fluttering above the two men, were two black butterflies, circling around their heads. "These'll let us through this passage safely…" explained Shuuhei. Ichigo looked at him quizzically, but decided to trust the other man. After all, if Ichigo couldn't trust Shuuhei, he couldn't very well say that he…loved him…could he?

Approaching the door on the other side of the passage in a relatively short amount of time, the two men decided to stop and plan out what they were going to do once they were on the other side of the door.
"Gotta take you to get your captain's robe custom made…then I gotta give you a tour of the division…then I gotta introduce you to everyone you haven't met yet…then―" said Shuuhei as he counted off the tasks one by one.
"Geezus…all that in one day?" asked Ichigo as he whistled in awe.
"One day? No…we gotta do that all in one hour…" said Shuuhei as he held up one finger.
"The hell? What's the rush for?" asked Ichigo indignantly. Shuuhei smiled as he flash stepped behind Ichigo and caught Ichigo's waist in yet another hug.
"…So we can have the rest of the day for some sexing…" muttered Shuuhei as he slid his hand into Ichigo's uniform.
"Dammit…" cursed Ichigo as he pulled away roughly from Shuuhei. Shuuhei looked at him, a hint of disappointment creeping up his face.
"What…do you really not wanna do it?" asked Shuuhei, sulkily.
"…I didn't say that…" grunted Ichigo. Shuuhei smiled once more as he caught the little glint in Ichigo's eye. "Let's hurry the fuck up and get those other things outta the way," said Ichigo as he walked towards the double doors.
"Roger that…captain," said Shuuhei, sarcastically emphasizing the last word.

As with the other door before, this door refused to budge.
"There's…something holding it together," observed Ichigo morosely.
"No kidding…" answered Shuuhei. The two struggled to pull the doors apart, but try as they might, the doors refused to slide apart.
"Dammit…Soul Society is pretty dysfunctional if you ask me…" muttered Ichigo as he shivered slightly.
"Eh…no problem," said Shuuhei coolly, as he drew his zanpakutou swiftly. He readied his blade in fighting stance, but paused before slashing to let the goose bumps on his arms settle down. With a swift, yet powerful slash, the two doors were sliced cleanly in half and opened the way to Soul Society.
"It's a bit cold…" whispered Ichigo as he stepped forward through the door.
"What…is that an excuse to get me to hug you?" asked Shuuhei jokingly. But true enough, he was getting cold himself. Suddenly, words as cold as ice rang through the air, freezing the two men to their spot.
"Don't move," commanded a frigid voice. Uncannily, the two men stopped in place. Stepping out of the portal, Ichigo had expected to find the usual walls of Soul Society, reminiscent of feudal Japan. Instead, he found a frozen winter land, ice covering the ground and snow piled up on the roofs. Turning around to look at the doors, he found them covered in a thick layer of frost as well. Yet, despite the change in scenery, Ichigo could clearly see the Tower of Penitence in the background. His focus finally shifted to the person who commanded such a chilly voice.
"Ichigo…" continued the person. "…step back through that door and head back to the human world…You don't belong here."
"Rukia!" shouted Shuuhei indignantly. She ignored the other man completely as she let out a long breath that seemed to drop the temperature of the surrounding area several degrees. After waiting several moments for a response, she spoke once more.

"Step back through that door by your own will…or by my will, I will force you to go back."

TBC

So…hope the long wait was worth it. I certainly hope it was (I put a lotta…time management into this chapter, juggling physics and brit lit while writing this).

Anyways, as per usual, please R&R. Was it too corny? Or was it lacking? Or was it, god forbid, too short? Perhaps it just plain sucked. Review, review, review por favor!

Oh, and the question still stands…would Ichigo make a lovely uke/bottom?

Enjoy this chapter and hopefully you can endure the long wait until the next update (you can check out my other fics, esp. my newest OHSHC sequel, while you're waiting!)