Well, I finally finished chapter 15! Woot! This was kind of crackish, sorry. But I can't write the Vizards without some humor- they're just so fucking funny! Also, as I told you guys at the beginning of the first chapter, I wrote a lot of this before certain events unfolded in H.M., so the whole nobody knows who the Vizard are isn't true, obviously. Just go with it, and sorry for the inconsistency. Such is the penalty for writing fic before the manga is finished. (I did manage to catch that Urahara and Shinji had some backstory though. Go me.)
Thank you to those of you who reviewed!! Love you! ;D
Note: There's a one-shot written by GooglyMooglies on LJ, that tells a part of this from Kensei's POV. Again, like this chapter, it was written before all the Vizard vs Aizen stuff in the manga, so it's inconsistent, but at least it shows he remembers Shuuhei. xD
You can find it here: http://community(dot)livejournal(dot)com/bleach_ yaoi /737573(dot)html (Remember to replace the (dot)s with actual periods, and take out all the spaces :D)
Chapter 15
Since becoming a shinigami, Hisagi Shuuhei had received his share of injuries. Scars decorated his body from ankles to face. He was proud to say that every one of those wounds had mended naturally and he had never been on the receiving end of a healing kido - that he could recall anyway. He had always felt a slight aversion to the spells because of a ridiculous fear that the flesh, bone and blood conjured beneath the medic's hand would not serve him as well as his own. He knew the fear was unwarranted, but couldn't help himself from slipping around a corner or trying to appear extremely busy when Fourth Division Relieve Team was near. He also had a phobia of those little knives with the long handles…
But here he sat, listening to his tendons pull themselves back together underneath the strange orange light. He turned his head as far away as he could to get the sound out of his ears, but simple physics made it impossible – you can only get your ears so far away from your chest.
It also hurt. Why did healing hurt more than the actual injury?
The only reason Shuuhei was enduring this torture was the young man tending to his wound. The small shinigami looked like he would cry if Shuuhei refused his help. His dark hair was shaggy and his features were unremarkable, save his eyes. Every time the poor medic looked up to profusely apologize for the pain, the older man was stunned at the kindness that shone in those big grey orbs.
Shuuhei winced and tried to distract himself.
"Urahara-san said you were Fourth Squad's seventh seat, but he didn't tell me your name."
The shaggy – haired shinigami looked up in surprise. After several seconds of being blinked at, Shuuhei wasn't sure he was going to get an answer.
"Uh…" the younger man finally stammered. "H-Hanataro… Hanataro Yamada, Hisagi Fukutaichou."
Shuuhei tried not to laugh at the pun. Was that really his name? Or was that someone's idea of a joke? "When did you get here?"
"Urahara-san called for Fourth Division relief last night because your healers were drained," Hanataro murmured. "I volunteered, and came through the gate early this morning."
Shuuhei felt a stab of pain rocket down his side, but stayed still. Goddamnit! What the hell?
"That was good of you, Hanataro-kun," Shuuhei nodded.
The boy blushed, and returned his focus to Shuuhei's shoulder.
After a few minutes, Shuuhei noticed Hanataro had opened his mouth to say something three times but never made a sound. He smiled at the younger shinigami's unnecessary nervousness.
"Did you want to ask me something, Hanataro-kun?" Shuuhei said softly.
The boy's eyes widened in surprise but he managed to keep the kido strong. "I… not a question, Hisagi Fukutaichou, just an observation…"
"You don't have to be so formal with me, Hanataro-kun. We're not in Sereniti."
"Yes, Hisagi-san," Hanataro smiled. "Thank you."
Shuuhei turned his head to look at the boy. "What's your observation?"
"I just…" Hanataro stammered. "When Urahara-san told me that I would be tending to you this morning, I was really scared."
"Scared? Why?"
"Well, Hisagi-san, some Fourth Division members were telling me about you when I was getting ready to leave last night… They said you were really scary…"
Shuuhei bit his lip to keep from grinning.
"They said you were mean and growled at people and had really sharp teeth, and sometimes when you look at people, their hearts stop…" Shuuhei almost laughed as he saw the shinigami was serious. Gullible much? "But I don't think you're mean at all, I think you're very nice. Scary yes, but I guess you can be scary and nice at the same time… Does that make sense, Hisagi-san?"
Shuuhei looked away grinning. "Yes, Hanataro-kun, it kind of does," then he added as an afterthought. "Just don't tell anyone I'm nice, okay?"
Hanataro nodded smiling.
Fifteen minutes later, when the wound was closed and Shuuhei was pulling a white t-shirt over his head, Urahara emerged from the kitchen.
"Hisagi-san!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Hanataro-kun has fixed you up I take it? Everything's back the way it should be?"
Shuuhei nodded as he ran his hands through his hair. "Can I see Kira now?"
"Soon," the enigmatic shopkeeper said as he motioned to Hanataro. "Could you please have a look at Madarame for me, Hanataro-kun? He has a few wounds on his arms and I believe he cracked a few of his ribs."
Shuuhei tried not to let his shock show too much on his face. Ikkaku had cracked ribs? How did he… How could he… Last night…
"Y-Yes, Urahara-san," Hanataro jumped to his feet and scrambled down the hall in the direction Urahara was pointing.
Urahara sat across from Shuuhei and leaned his elbows on his knees. The two stared at each other for a while, the Ninth Division Vice Captain scowling and the shopkeeper trying to hide his grin.
Finally, when Shuuhei could stand it no more, he brought his fists down on the table.
"What do you want, Urahara-san?" he asked exasperated.
Urahara placed his chin in a palm and raised eyebrows. "I want nothing, Hisagi-san. I am merely making myself available for you to talk to."
Shuuhei closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Urahara-san," he said softly. "I don't have the willpower to play your games today. What the fuck are you talking about?"
Urahara switched hands. "I said I'm here to listen to anything you have to talk about… like what happened yesterday… when you went off to fight Kurosaki-kun…"
Shuuhei's shoulders tensed. How did Urahara always know everything?
"I don't know what you're talking about… I freaked out a little because I was worried about Kira… but that's it."
Urahara regarded him for a few more seconds before he shrugged. "Well," he moved to stand. "I'm here if you have any questions, Hisagi-san. Or maybe you would like to bring it up with Abarai?"
"Bring what up with me?" Renji stood in the doorway.
Shuuhei didn't look up; his eyes bore into Urahara's daring him to say anything. Urahara got the message and stood.
"It's nothing that important, Abarai-kun," he moved toward the door and put a hand on Renji's shoulder. "He'll talk about it sooner or later, don't worry about it." After he had stepped through the doorway, he stopped in the hallway and said over his shoulder. "You can go see Kira-kun now if you want, Hisagi…"
Shuuhei looked away and fixed his gaze on the floor as Urahara left. How was he supposed to talk about this? What if he was wrong? This was potentially bankai for Kami's sake! He was going to look so beyond foolish if he had misinterpreted!
He felt Renji move and sit beside him. The redhead's jeans rubbed against his own and Shuuhei relaxed as a strong arm came around his waist. Suddenly, Shuuhei felt desperate for Renji's warmth and leaned into his friend's muscular shoulder.
"You gonna be okay?" Renji asked.
Shuuhei nodded and turned his head to bury his face in Renji's neck. "I'm just… I don't know what to say to him. What if he's regressed again?"
"Regressed?" Renji asked.
"A couple times when we were together," Shuuhei murmured. "I thought we were doing well – making progress – and then something would trigger his memory. Someone would say something to him, or I would do something on accident… and he would go back to that Kira… The one that stares off into nothing for hours and can't find pleasure in anything but pain…"
As Shuuhei's voice trailed off, Renji lowered his head and placed soft kisses on the older man's forehead. He moved down his cheek and pressed his lips to the skin below Shuuhei's ear.
"You can't bare this responsibility by yourself," Renji whispered.
"He's my best friend, Re-"
"And that's just what you'll be," Renji cut him off. "You can't fix everyone, Shuuhei."
Shuuhei knew Renji was right, he couldn't fix everyone. The words being said out loud didn't make his heart hurt any less, but it did strengthen his resolve. He breathed in Renji's scent and felt the tension in his shoulders lessen.
"You'll come with me?" he asked.
"If you want me to," Renji replied.
Shuuhei nodded and took the hand that was resting on his thigh. He brought it to his lips, remembering the things this hand had done the night before. He remembered watching Renji writhe as he got himself off listening to Shuuhei whisper filthy things in his ear. The way the redhead's back had arched as he came, the look on his face, the moan from his throat, the way his hair spilled across the pillow...
Renji… his Renji… so strong, so passionate... Renji, who was here holding him, was comforting him when he needed it the most. Renji, who had saved his life twice. Renji, who had no idea how beautiful he really was… How much Shuuhei really loved him…
"Yes," Shuuhei whispered. "I want you to."
Renji stood and helped Shuuhei to his feet. Together they made their way down the hall to where Kira was recovering. Shuuhei hesitated at the door, but with a gentle push from Renji, he slid the shoji open and stepped into the dark room.
Someone had covered the window with a thick blanket, and the only light was a small paper lantern by Kira's futon. The small flicker sent shadows dancing across the wooden walls as Shuuhei slowly crossed the room to sit beside his sleeping friend. Renji sat down by the door and leaned his back against the wall. He was giving Shuuhei space, but keeping himself relatively close if his friend needed him.
Shuuhei reached out his hand to brush strands of blond hair from Kira's face. The shinigami was ashen, deep lines ran underneath his eyes, and his skin was like ice. Shuuhei took one of those frail hands in both of his and brought it to his lips.
"Kira…" Shuuhei whispered between kisses. "Kira, love…"
Kira's brow furrowed and he inhaled sharply. The blondes eyes opened and he glanced around groggily. When his gaze fell on Shuuhei, his eyes opened wide and he tried to sit up.
"Shuuhei!" he gasped.
Shuuhei gently pushed him back onto the futon. "Shhh, it's alright, Kira. It's okay, I'm here." He laced their fingers together and stroked Kira's hair with his other hand. "Everything is fine now."
Tears leaked from Kira's eyes and he turned his face into Shuuhei's palm.
"I'm sorry, Shuuhei," he cried. "I'm so sorry."
Shuuhei's breath caught and he felt his chest tighten.
"Don't apologize, Kira. You didn't do anything wrong."
Kira's eyes squeezed shut, almost like if he closed them tight enough he could hold the tears in. The blond turned to his side pressing up against Shuuhei's folded legs. Shuuhei slid his arm underneath Kira's thin body and pulled his best friend into his lap. Shuuhei held him tight, rocked him, and caress his hair and face. He whispered in Kira's ear, words of comfort and assurance. Eventually the smaller man's whimpers ceased and his voice came out strained and muffled against Shuuhei's neck.
"I broke so easily, Shuuhei," Kira cried. "I'm so weak... so pathetic …"
Shuuhei's voice was strained as well. "You're not weak, Kira. You're one of the strongest people I know. You've gone through so much shit, and you're still here."
Renji watched Shuuhei as he comforted Kira. He watched the way the older man caressed the blonde's face, the way he held the smaller man against him and tenderly rubbed his back and rocked him like a child. He had seen the way Shuuhei looked at the other man as he brushed the hair from his face. Even if he hadn't asked Shuuhei if he still loved Kira he would know now, it was obvious.
Renji was startled at how much that hurt. As he sat there, leaning against the wall with a thick lump in his throat, he realized he wanted to be held like that. He wanted Shuuhei to look at him like he was looking at Kira. He wanted to be rocked and whispered to and kissed and loved like that.
Renji knew Shuuhei cared for him, but did Shuuhei love him? Oh gods how he wanted Shuuhei to love him! He wanted Shuuhei to love him more than anything in the whole world!
But as he watched Shuuhei with Kira, as he watched the dark – haired man gaze intently into Kira's eyes, listened to Kira's words… he knew it would never be. He could never mean as much to Shuuhei as Kira did. No one could ever love him that much. But it was alright, Shuuhei cared about him, and that was all that mattered. He didn't need to be loved, didn't really deserve it. He would be happy just being with Shuuhei at all.
Renji sat and listened to Kira tell Shuuhei what the hollow had said. He listened to Shuuhei talk Kira through the pain like an experienced grief counselor. The two had no doubt done this many times before. Then when Renji felt his heart couldn't get any heavier, the door slid open and Hanataro leaned his head into the room.
"Um…" he stammered. "I need to check Kira Fukutaichou if I may, Hisagi-san."
Shuuhei nodded to the small seventh seat, and turned to whisper to Kira.
"We'll be back later I promise, okay? Will you be alright?"
Kira nodded and let himself be placed back on the futon. Hanataro stepped into the room with a quick bow to Renji and stumbled over to Kira.
Shuuhei stood and headed for the door, reaching his hand out to Renji to help him up.
"Um, A-Abarai Fukutaichou…" Hanataro stuttered as Renji was about to close the shoji. The redhead leaned back into the room and the small shinigami frantically waved his hands. "I-I'm very sorry sir, but I almost forgot to tell you! Urahara told me to tell you to come to the underground training grounds! They're having some kind of meeting!"
Renji smiled at the flustered boy. "Thank you, Hanataro-kun. Take good care of Kira."
Without waiting for a reply he slid the door shut and, with Shuuhei in tow, headed for the training grounds.
X x X x X
Down in the underground, everyone save Ishida and Urahara was staring at Orihime like she had just sprouted wings. The girl was clutching her cell phone in one hand and scratching the back of her head with the other.
"I know he can help us guys," Shuuhei heard her say, as he and Renji joined the other shinigami. "Ichigo and him are… kinda friends and they spar together once in a while… He'll know what to do, he helped before…"
"Why have I never heard of this person before?" Hitsugaya asked suspiciously.
Orihime turned to the small captain. "Um well, Hitsugaya-san… Ichigo didn't really want anyone to know about them."
"Them?" Ikkaku and Yumichika asked in unison.
Orihime clasped her hands tightly in front of her. "Yes, there's a few of them."
Shuuhei spoke up, not liking being left in the dark. "What's going on, Orihime-san? What's the plan?"
Urahara moved to stand beside the orange – haired girl. "Orihime-san seems to believe that Kurosaki-kun has friends who can help him. She has already called them, and planned to meet them later this afternoon."
Shuuhei felt Renji tense beside him.
"Oh… you don't mean…" Renji glared at Orihime, "You are not talking about who I think you are, are you Inoue-san?"
Orihime suddenly smiled and turned to Urahara. "Renji-kun can go with me Urahara-san! He knows them!"
"I think that is a great idea, Orihime-san!" Urahara clapped. "Abarai-kun and Hisagi-san can go with you."
"Hey," Renji interrupted. "Don't fucking talk about me like I'm not here!"
"I think I'll also take Ishida-kun as well," Orihime ignored Renji and continued to plan with Urahara. "It might be a good idea to bring another person who's not a shinigami."
"Hey! Hello!" Renji growled. "I am not going!"
"When did you say you were expected, Orihime-san?" Urahara smiled behind his fan.
Shuuhei pulled Renji away from the group and knocked him around until he was paying attention. "What the hell are they talking about, Renji?" he whispered. "Who are we meeting?"
Renji crossed his arms and whispered between his clenched jaw.
"Fucking crazies."
X x X x X
Two hours later, the group of four stood in front of a large warehouse. It was rundown and the only entrance Shuuhei could see was a huge roll up door taking up most of the front of the building.
Shuuhei wondered again who it was they were meeting. He couldn't feel any reiatsu in the surrounding area, but that didn't mean anything. He figured they weren't shinigami, and if they were humans, how did they know how to help Ichigo? Should he worry? Orihime seemed exited, but Renji sure seemed opposed to the idea; he had been sulking since the meeting in the underground.
Ishida, his hands folded over his perfectly pressed shirt, stepped forward to stand beside Orihime.
"So how do we get in?" the Quincy asked.
"Oh," Orihime said and moved towards the doors. "That's easy." She stepped forward and banged on the door with her fists three times.
There was a loud click, and the door began to lift. Orihime ducked inside and motioned for the others to follow her.
"Come on!" she said excitedly.
Shuuhei wasn't sure what to think. This was definitely not a good idea, but Orihime seemed determined to speak to these people. Her confidence assured him, and he followed Ishida into the dark building. He glanced over his shoulder at Renji who was pouting, but following him nevertheless.
Once inside, the girl, the Quincy, and the two shinigami stood in the middle of what looked like an old office building. The floors above them had fallen through leaving what almost looked like backwards stadium seating. What had done that? Some kind of explosion? Shuuhei didn't want to think about it.
Shuuhei turned to ask Renji why there was no one there to meet them, but the look on the redhead's face stopped him. Renji was scowling deeply, his eyebrows curved sharply down towards his eyes. Shuuhei leaned towards him, but a loud voice echoed in the large space from above.
"ORIHIME-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!"
All eyes turned towards the top floor and saw a man about Ichigo's age and build, standing on a broken piece of concrete. His blond hair was cut at his chin, and he had strikingly white teeth. He wore a flashy orange shirt and yellow tie, checkered pants and pair of horrid green shoes.
Orihime waved up at him.
As Shuuhei watched, several others appeared scattered across the layers of broken building. There were eight including the blond, and to Shuuhei's surprise, they were all carrying Zanpakutos. Who the hell were these people?
The blond jumped from the top level and landed gracefully a few feet from Orihime. He held out his hand and the orange – haired girl rolled her eyes and took it smiling. The blond brought it to his lips and grinned around a kiss.
"It's been a while Orihime-chan," he said in a sing-song voice. "I missed you so!"
"It's nice to see you again, Hirako-kun," Orihime almost giggled. "Thank you for seeing us."
Ishida made a noise from beside Orihime and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"This is the guy you were talking about, Inoue-san?" Ishida said, unimpressed.
Hirako turned to the dark – haired man and his grin shifted from goofy to slightly menacing.
"I see you brought the Quincy," he said quietly, and he moved to step in between the two humans.
His voice had changed, no longer silly or playful. It had taken on a dangerous edge. Shuuhei felt a powerful reiatsu flare out from the blond as Hirako's gaze moved to Renji and himself. It was crushing, suffocating. Very much like the feeling when Kuchiki Byakuya entered the room. It pulsed and waned, crawling into every pore of Shuuhei's skin; beneath his fingernails, fighting to crawl into his eyes.
"And I see you brought… shinigami…" the reiatsu throbbed and Shuuhei felt a heavy weight settle on his chest and shoulders. Who was this guy? He was powerful… almost like a Captain… maybe even more so… He felt like a shinigami… but not… He had felt this before… why was it familiar?
Hirako moved closer to Renji, sizing him up. The redhead glared down at him, but somehow the size difference didn't matter. It was obvious to Shuuhei that Renji was terrified.
Why did this reiatsu feel familiar? Where had he felt it before?
"I've seen you before…" Hirako grinned. "You're Kurosaki-kun's friend. The obnoxious one with that bamboo, snake Zanpakuto."
Renji's eyes narrowed. "Fuck you, Shinji. I'm not half as obnoxious or perverted as you."
Hirako's eyes widened and he pretended to pout. "Oh sad," he said with a flash of teeth. "I thought we might be friends."
His gaze flickered to Shuuhei, and he side stepped to stand in front of the dark – haired shinigami. Shuuhei almost laughed. This man was a comical character, giving off the impression he was juvenile, but the man's dress and attitude contrasted drastically to the dark reiatsu scratching at his skin.
"Now you… You look like more of a punk than-" Hirako's words stopped and his eyes widened in genuine surprise. The heavy weight of the strange reiatsu lifted off his shoulders as the blond studied Shuuhei's face and his jaw slowly dropped.
Shuuhei wanted to back up, cover his eyes, push the man away, but he knew that might be suicide. What the hell was he looking at? Should he be ready for an attack? What the hell was going on?
"KENSEI!" Hirako suddenly yelled. "COME LOOK AT THIS!" Shuuhei flinched and closed his eyes. Oh fuck, he was dead.
A tall man with short grey-white hair and multiple piercings landed beside the blond. This one's reiatsu was even more familiar. Did he know this person? Had he seen him somewhere before?
The pierced man came close and muttered in a deep voice, "What?"
Hirako pointed at Shuuhei's face and grinned madly.
"This guy has a fucking sixty-nine, tattooed on his face, man!" the blond was almost bouncing. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
Kensei moved closer to Shuuhei and grinned when he got a good look.
"That's pretty ballsy, dude," he chuckled. "When did you get that done?"
Shuuhei's head was spinning. First he was going to die, and now they were talking about his tattoos.
"Um…" he tried not to stutter. "A long time ago. I was drunk," he lied.
Shuuhei flinched again as the two in front of him started to laugh. Hirako throwing his head back and almost shrieking up at the broken building.
The laughing was cut short when a small girl with spiky blond pigtails assaulted Hirako with her sandal. The blond man flew across the room, crashing into a pile of broken furniture. Shuuhei stared as the girl wordlessly put her shoe back on, and moved to stand next to Orihime.
"We were about to eat," she said with a scowl. "You guys like barbeque?"
Shuuhei was still standing there confused, several minutes after Orihime and Ishida had followed the girl through a pair of double doors. The others had disappeared as well, save Hirako who was still lying sprawled in the pile of broken wood and plastic.
Renji's hand came down on his shoulder, and Shuuhei turned to look at him. He was still scowling, but he didn't look as angry as he had before.
"See?" he said. "They're all fucking crazies."
X x X x X
Renji sat in the underground chamber, which looked disturbingly similar to Urahara's underground training room, chewing his food, and trying not to laugh at the baffled expression on Shuuhei's face. The dark – haired man had listened intently to the colorful explanations the x-shinigami had given him, and now he sat, eyes wide and chopsticks frozen halfway to his mouth.
"So, wait," he head darted between Kensei and the scowling dark – haired girl who had introduced herself as 'Lisa'. "So you used to be shinigami… and you all have masks like Kurosaki?"
"Yes," Lisa nudged closer to Shuuhei. "Only ours are a lot cooler."
Renji felt a small spark of jealousy at the look Lisa was giving Shuuhei. The older man seemed oblivious to the obvious fact that she was trying to get into his pants. Couldn't blame the woman- after all, Shuuhei was sex on two very lovely legs. And that tattoo… Renji wondered if he was going to have to start making Shuuhei wear a bandage on his face.
Shuuhei was digging in his food again. "So, a Vizard is a shinigami turned hollow… just like an Arrancar is a hollow… turned shinigami…"
"Kind of," Kensei shrugged. "Did you think Ichigo was the only one or something?"
Shuuhei stared at the ground and shoved rice in his mouth absently.
"Tell you the truth, I never really thought about it…"
Renji turned away to listen to Orihime and Shinji's conversation. The orange – haired girl was trying to explain what happened, but was failing miserably. Renji had offered to tell the Vizard what he knew, but Shinji didn't want to listen to him. The whole situation was getting slightly frustrating.
"But he looked all funny! He had white hair, and his eyes were kind of… well actually, I didn't see his eyes cause when I saw him he was unconscious… but Renji said…"
Renji tuned her voice out and went back to his food. He felt like they were wasting time talking to these people. They should just drag them back to the shop and have them fix Ichigo so they could be done with the whole thing… But who was he kidding? It would take every Captain in Soul Society plus Ichigo to get this group to do anything against their will... Orihime was actually being very smart by eating with Shinji and letting him brazenly flirt with her. In about twenty more minutes, the guy would probably walk off the side of a cliff if she asked.
He felt a presence behind him and turned in time to see Ishida sit gracefully down on the rock beside him. He had finished his food, and was cleaning his hands on one of those disposable wet napkins. He smelled of lemon and something like a hospital.
"Having fun, Abarai?" he smirked.
Renji glanced at Lisa, who was practically in Shuuhei's lap.
"No."
"Why don't you go tell her to shove off?" Ishida folded the napkin and slipped it out of sight. No doubt into some compacted trashcan somewhere in the folds of his clothes.
Renji chuckled. Leave it to Ishida Uryuu to cut past all pleasantries and bull shit to start right in on the stuff that mattered.
"'Hi Abarai," Renji joked. "How've you been? Haven't seen you in a while'! 'Oh, I'm doing pretty good, Ishida, how're you doing'?"
Ishida gave him one of those looks, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "You're such a girl, Abarai."
Renji's mouth flopped open and he turned to give the Quincy an incredulous look. No one else could make Renji want to laugh hysterically and pull his hair out at the same time. But that's what he liked about the kid; he never knew what he would be feeling when Ishida was around.
Ishida caught a glance of Renji's look and rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Abarai. Just go over there and politely tell her to distance herself from your boyfriend. It's not that hard… And I'm sure Hisagi-san would like it."
"He's not my boyfriend…" Renji muttered.
"Oh?" Ishida's eyebrow quirked. "Then what the hell was happening last night?"
Renji felt his cheeks burn and he dipped his head down onto his chest. "You were… you could…"
Ishida sighed. "Abarai, I'm a master at detecting reiatsu, of course I felt it! I also see the way you react to each other on a daily basis! Why are you being so thickheaded?"
"I don't know!" Renji almost whined. "We've never really… discussed the whole… boyfriend thing…"
Ishida stood and pulled Renji to his feet. "Come on, go. Trust me… you'll be glad you did it."
Renji shuffled his feet and almost tripped when Ishida gave him a gentle shove. Shuuhei had finished his food and was now unconsciously, or maybe it was consciously, leaning away from the aggressive girl. She had her hand braced on the rock behind Shuuhei and Renji's jaw clenched at how close that hand was to his ass. Shuuhei was saying something to Kensei and still looked slightly taken aback when Renji stepped up beside the white – haired Vizard.
Renji cleared his throat and the three turned their gaze to him; Lisa, with a scowl, Kensei with a cocked eyebrow and a superior look, and Shuuhei with a small smile.
The redhead turned to Lisa, tossed his hair back, and crossed his arms over his chest. If he was going to say something that might potentially make him look like a retard, he was gonna do it all the way, as flamboyantly as possible. Renji knew when you did something stupid, it always looked less stupid when you did it with arrogance.
"Excuse me, Lisa," Renji sneered around her name.
"What do you want?" the girl answered with a growl.
Renji cocked his head to the side and put on the most menacing look he could muster.
"Would you mind getting your hentai paws off my boyfriend?" There. He said it.
Renji expected her to argue. He expected Shuuhei to be embarrassed. He expected a lot of things, and was ready to back away and go bury his head in the ground for the next century. He felt intense heat rise up his neck and cover is face like a bad sunburn. But then, he caught Shuuhei's expression out the corner of his eye.
Shuuhei was grinning like an idiot.
The dark – haired Vice Captain looked away to grin at Lisa who quickly scooted away from him, raising her hands in defeat, and muttering something about how she liked girls more anyway. Renji quickly glanced at Kensei who was grinning behind his palm and felt himself flush harder, if it was possible.
Shuuhei stood and moved to wrap his arms around Renji's neck. He pressed his lips against the redhead's and dove into his mouth. Renji blinked in surprise, almost shocked into immobility, but he managed to get his hands to Shuuhei's hips. Shuuhei urged and pushed and teased and licked and oh gods bit, and just when Renji was about to insist they go behind a rock or something, the older man pulled away.
Renji felt a little dizzy. He could safely say that Shuuhei had just kissed him senseless, and that was why he stood there swaying long after Shuuhei had made his way over to Orihime. He turned to watch the older man practically bounce up to the orange – haired girl and, not so discretely, steal a piece of meat from her bowl. Ishida was giving him a grin big enough to show his teeth- the equivalent to a Quincy thumbs up.
'Alright, alright,' he motioned to Ishida. 'You were right.'
Damn Quincy know-it-all…
Renji shook his head and glanced at Lisa again preparing for a brawl. But Lisa just sat on the rock nursing a nosebleed.
Kensei clapped a hand down on his shoulder; the pierced Vizard was still chuckling.
"You guys are kinda crazy."
X x X x X
Orihime somehow managed to get Shinji to promise not to try and kill anyone at Urahara's shop before they left the Vizard's hideout. He moaned and complained about 'damned shinigami' and 'crazy old perverted bastards that wear stupid hats', but he came without much of a struggle.
"I hate shinigami," he whined as they made their way towards the shop. "You know I hate them, Orihime-chan."
"Ichigo is a shinigami, Hirako," Orihime said defensively. "You like Ichigo!"
"Kurosaki is a Vizard," the blond replied.
"Ichigo is not a Vizard!" Renji growled behind them. His fists clenched and unclenched in a mechanical manor as Shuuhei grabbed his arm gently. The older man gave him a warning glance and the redhead backed off.
"Ichigo is a substitute shinigami who should be a Vizard," Shinji made a face. "But nooooo!"
""You like Hisagi-san," Orihime pouted. "He's a shinigami."
Shinji placed his thumbs lazily in his pockets and looked back at Shuuhei grinning.
"That's cause he has a sweet tattoo on his face," the skinny man turned suddenly and walked backwards, leering at Shuuhei. "So did you get that tat cause you really like it? Or cause you're really good?"
Renji watched as Shuuhei stretched arrogantly and folded his hands behind his head.
"I'm really fucking good."
Renji and Ishida almost face planted, and Shinji's laughter could probably be heard in the next town.
X x X x X
The Vizard's reiatsu surged as the group ascended the step's to the shop. Urahara was standing in the doorway, his hat casting dark shadows over his face and his cane was slung carefully over his shoulder. Shuuhei saw the tension carefully masked in Urahara's stance and briefly wondered if there was history between the two blonds.
"Hirako-san," Urahara said, his voice devoid of its usual humor.
Hirako's reiatsu flared for a split second, but he reined it in and nodded to the older man. "Kisuke…"
Yeah. Definitely history.
Urahara stepped out of the way and ushered the group into the shop. Ishida lead the way down the hall and opened the double doors to, what seemed to be, the master bedroom. Inside, the room had been stripped bare, and Ichigo lay unconscious in the center bound with dozens of high level kido spells. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Matsumoto, Rukia, and Hanataro sat along the wall. Shuuhei saw Kira leaning against the window and Hitsugaya stood protectively beside him.
Ururu and Jinta sat on her multi-barreled shoulder cannon at Ichigo's head. Jinta's hair spiked crazily from where he had tied it, giving his head a funny red pineapple appearance. Shuuhei had given Renji hell when he saw how the kid emulated him. The boy tried desperately to hide his obvious adoration of the shinigami, but it wasn't really working. The kid even had a tattoo on his neck.
Urahara turned to Shuuhei and Renji.
"You two please strip out of your gigai and join the rest of your comrades along the wall."
They did, quickly, and moved to stand beside Kira by the window. Shuuhei lifted a comforting hand to Kira's back and noticed how Renji's gaze followed his caress.
"Orihime-san and Ishida-kun," Urahara continued. "Please stand by the door. Be ready if he should break his bonds, though I doubt this time there will be a problem."
Urahara moved aside to let Hirako into the room. Tension and defensive reiatsu exploded in the small space, and Urahara put his hands up.
"Stop!" he commanded. "This will not help! Calm yourselves immediately!"
Slowly the pulse lessened, but hands on Zanpakutos tightened. Ikkaku and Yumichika were no longer sitting. Hitsugaya had stepped forward, and Jinta had pulled his kanabo from behind him and now held it tightly in his hands.
Hirako did a fairly good job of ignoring everyone and put a hand to his hips. He sighed and took his grey driver's cap off, handing it to Orihime.
"What the hell have you gotten yourself into now, Kurosaki-kun?" he muttered.
He moved forward to stand almost directly over Ichigo's body and said to no one in particular.
"Any of you interfere and I'll probably kill you, so just… don't."
Ikkaku looked like he wanted to say something, but Yumichika stopped him before he opened his mouth.
The blond Vizard stood before Ichigo with his arms crossed, glaring… contemplating. Shuuhei braced himself for a jolt of reiatsu, a blinding light, something that was probably going to hurt.
But what the Vizard actually did was much more surprising than anything he had thought up. The blond suddenly moved to sit on Ichigo's chest, lifted his arm, and slapped Ichigo hard across the face.
"OI! KUROSAKI-KUUUUN!" he yelled in Ichigo's face.
The shinigami stared dumfounded. Was he serious? Everyone flinched as Hirako did it again, all the while his face deadpan.
"KUROSAKI-KUN! COME OUT AND PLAY!"
Slap.
"HEY, KUROSAKI! I DRAGGED MY ASS DOWN HERE TO A SHOP FILLED WITH SHINIGAMI! FUCKING WAKE UP!"
Slap.
"ZANGETSU! PUSH HIM OFF A BUILDING WOULD YA?"
Slap.
"ICHIGO! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP SOON, I'M GOING TO START FONDLING ORIHIME-CHAN'S BOOBIES!"
SLAP.
Ichigo stirred. Everyone stopped breathing. The substitute shinigami groaned and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Ah…" Ichigo mumbled. "Fuck, Hirako… my face."
Ikkaku growled. "If I'd have known it was that easy, I would have gladly done it myself…"
But Hirako shook his head and folded his arms. "You're not fooling anyone, Ichigo."
Ichigo's eyes opened and Shuuhei's blood turned to ice. Beneath the white hair, black and gold stared up at the Vizard. Ichigo's reiatsu changed and manifested into an angry black and red haze. Shuuhei took a step forward, as did Ikkaku and Hitsugaya. But Urahara blocked them and shook his head.
"Don't interfere."
Shuuhei backed down and backed into Renji. The redhead put his hand on Shuuhei's hip and pulled him close.
"Just wait," Renji whispered. "They've kind of done this part before."
Shuuhei watched Hirako put his chin in his hands with a bored expression painted on his face.
"You again," Hirako muttered.
"How 'bout you get the fuck off me, Shinji," the hollow hissed.
"Um," Hirako sighed. "How about… no."
Ichigo twisted beneath the chains of reiatsu and other binding ties. Shuuhei watched Matsumoto grimace as she tried to hold her spell.
"You can't beat me asshole," Ichigo bared his teeth at the man on top of him.
Hirako 'hmmed'. "Maybe… but I know you can't beat me and nine Captain – class shinigami."
Shuuhei heard Kira's sharp intake of breath at Hirako's statement.
"Yeah well," Ichigo's thrashing was getting stronger. "I can always try."
The energy in the air took a disturbing turn as Hirako leaned forward and gripped Ichigo's neck. The blond Vizard's reiatsu had taken on the same terrifying black and red miasma. His voice came out in a guttural rasp, almost identical to Ichigo's underwater hollow sound.
"Don't make me kill you, Ichigo…"
For a moment, just a split second, Shuuhei thought he saw something in Ichigo's eyes. A quick flash of feeling that was very chaste and human. The arrogant hollow fell away and the real Ichigo was revealed, small and scared, fighting to regain control. Bits of blue reiatsu wormed their way through the black, weaved through the red and pushed at the corners of Ichigo's aura.
"Hirako-san!" Shuuhei cried.
"I know…" the Vizard replied. "Urahara-san!" he called over his shoulder. "Can you see this?"
"Of course," the shopkeeper said. He moved to stand beside Ichigo.
A soft hum had been resonating throughout the room ever since Ichigo had opened his eyes. Now, as the blue tendrils of reiatsu began to fight the black, the hum increased to a defeating roar. Shuuhei felt his ears were going to bleed, but steadied his hand on his sword.
Urahara and Hirako stood over Ichigo as the boy started to thrash and wail. Their hair whipped around their faces as power licked at their bodies. Hirako turned to Urahara and shouted something to him over the din. Urahara nodded and motioned for Shuuhei, Renji and Kira to move forward.
"You have to help!" Urahara shouted. "Everyone else is holding him down!"
Shuuhei nodded. "What do we do?"
Urahara held his hat with one hand and gestured with the other.
"You see the blue amongst the red do you not?"
"Yes!" Renji called.
"The blue is Kurosaki's reiatsu and the red is the hollow's!" Hirako barked. "We have to isolate it until Kurosaki can regain control!"
They spaced themselves and followed the instructions Urahara gave. Shuuhei had never done a binding spell of this level, or this type before. He wondered somewhere in the back of his mind if this was a spell only Urahara knew… and if it was even legal.
The four shinigami and the Vizard compiled their power and pressed into the squall of black and red, searching for the tiny wisps of blue. Shuuhei dug through layers of reiatsu so powerful he became light headed. The pushing, waxing, waning, electric pulsing of the hollow's aura made the dark-haired man nauseous. He chanted and weaved and pressed as best he could, but felt himself slipping. Kira moved to his side and held him upright with an arm around his waist. Shuuhei was shocked at the smaller man's reiatsu control. He wove the spell like he had done it a hundred times, filling in the pieces where Shuuhei's power failed.
Renji seemed to be having trouble also. The redhead was kneeling on the ground, face tense and shoulders hunched forward. Kira picked up his slack as well, and met Urahara's power in the center. Hirako completed the incantation and shouted to the other shinigami.
"LET HIM GO!"
An explosion hit Shuuhei square in the chest. He flew backwards and had just enough time and piece of mind to whirl his body around to catch Kira's. He shielded the smaller man from their impact against the hard cement of the shops outer wall, earning him a dislocated shoulder and probably a broken arm.
Renji landed close by, his back hitting the wall and forcing a cry from his lungs. Shuuhei sat himself up and called to the redhead.
"Renji! Are you okay?"
Renji groaned and leaned forward. "I'm okay, it's just my head… Fuck, Kira… that was amazing!"
"Holy shit!" Kira ignored Renji's compliment. "Look!"
Back in Urahara's room, the hum had died down and Ichigo was thrashing on the floor. His hands pulled at his hair and he screamed as if his insides were being ripped apart. He back bowed and he threw himself over on his hands and knees.
Oh… but his hair was turning orange.
Urahara knelt beside the substitute shinigami and grabbed his shoulders. When Ichigo's screams turned to wrenching, the older man whispered to him softly.
"Kurosaki… Ichigo, you did well… Look up… come on look up. I need to see your eyes."
Slowly, Ichigo raised his head. Blood ran from the side of his mouth, probably from biting his tongue. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he gasped for breath, hard lines bit through the sunken dips under his eyes. Brown eyes. Brown irises surrounded by white… human eyes. Very, very pained human eyes.
"Ura… Urahara-san…" he choked out.
The shopkeeper caught him as he collapsed. He held the young shinigami and called for Orihime, who rushed to his side. The older man transferred Ichigo to the girl's arms, and the boy clung to her like a child after a nightmare.
"Ichigo?" Orihime whispered.
Orange light enveloped the two as Orihime checked Ichigo for injuries beyond what the naked eye could see. She cradled her lover as he wept into her neck, chanting 'I'm sorry' like it was a mantra.
Shuuhei turned to Renji. He had his eyes closed, but must have felt the older man's movement. The redhead reached out his hand and Shuuhei took it. It was the only comfort he could give at the moment as his body was broken and he was half under an exhausted Kira. The three sat in silence, listening to Ichigo's broken sobs, and Urahara giving instructions to the other shinigami.
Hirako appeared in the hallway and snickered at the rumpled threesome. Shuuhei turned to him and couldn't do anything but smile.
"Thank you, Hirako-san…"
Hirako gave a salute and placed his hat back on his head.
"No problem," he grinned. "See you around, Sixty-Nine…"
And he was gone.
TBC
A/N: For those of you that don't know, Hanataro's name is actually a play on the names Yamada Taro, and Yamada Hanako- the Japanese equivalents of John Doe and Jane Doe. By combining elements from both names, Kubo Tite is probably saying Hanataro is literally a complete nobody. Lol.
And, okay, so what Jinta uses, isn't really a kanabo, it's more like a tetsubo hammer- whatever. A kanabo is an iron or steel staff that was used in feudal Japan. It was constructed out of heavy oak wood, and covered with some kind of metal from the end to the middle with metal studs along the metal-shod end. Jinta's weapon is basically that but given his love of baseball, (watch the episodes where he's Karakura Red in Don Kanonji's little band of super heroes) he's made it more of a metal covered baseball bat. But whatever, it's still a kanabo/tetsubo… thing…