Part 2 Rehabilitation

A Bleach Story

An IchiHitsu Story

Talking thinking Zanpakutou Narration

The orange-haired teen groaned as he moved to sit up. Where was he? What happened to him? And why did he hurt so much? The substitute soul reaper yelped out, lurching up in his bed. Wait… his bed? Since when was he back in-…another scream echoed around the room as a burst of pain racked his body. …Shuffling, he heard shuffling… someone was in his kitchen. The carrot top struggled to get out of bed, only to fall to the floor seconds later. He pulled himself forward, managing to grab his sword, which lay on against the wall only a few feet away.

"W-who's there!" Ichigo shouted, struggling to point his rather large sword up at the entrance to his bedroom.

"And what the hell could you possibly accomplish with that right now? You can barely lift it," A familiar voice answered.

The redhead lifted his head off of the floor in shock. No way… that couldn't be… no…

"Baka… now I'll have to help you back up," The voice continued.

Yeah, it was.

"T-toshiro?" Ichigo murmured lazily.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou to you," The Frosty captain replied, as two arms hooked under the teen's arms, lifting him up.

"Y-yeah… it's definitely you. D-didn't know you were so strong, Toshi…" Ichigo muttered, sighing as his back hit the pillow. "S-so… what are you… doing here?"

The brown eyes cracked open, meeting the turquoise ones above him that scanned back and forth, looking for any sign of weakness.

"…I'm here to care for you while Kurotsuchi develops a cure for the disease you had been infected with," Toshiro replied, wringing out a wet towel before placing it over his patient's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit with a ton of bricks… really hot, steaming bricks," The teen replied, his eyes struggling to stay open. "Did you can Orihime? Maybe she can-"

But the youngest taichou stopped him before he could finish the thought. "Yes, Inoue was here earlier. I'm afraid that her healing was ineffective. I believe because she does not know exactly what it is that is making you sick, she cannot "reject" it, so to speak."

Ichigo hummed in reply. Truthfully he'd only really heard half of anything his so-called caregiver had said. His head was pounding and his body felt like it on fire. And the only thing he could ask himself was why was it Toshiro that had come to care for him?

"I'm going to give you another dose of the medication, though it will put you to sleep," The white-haired boy said suddenly. "Kurosaki?"

"Huh?" Ichigo murmured, his brown eyes hazy with sickness.

"…Never mind; goodnight Kurosaki… sleep well."

And with that the orange-haired teen was out again; surrounded by the peaceful darkness of sleep and the familiar cooling of Toshiro Hitsugaya's reiatsu.

"What is wrong with me?" Hitsugaya muttered to himself as he stared at his now sleeping patient.

The drugs had worked as they were meant to, the teen now passed out peacefully on his bed; his breathing slow, but steady, the even release of Toshiro's reiatsu helping to reverse the effects of the virus. The prodigy captain continued to stare, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he watched. But the grin was short-lived, replaced quickly with an all too familiar scowl. To put is simply, Toshiro was confused. He was unsure of what he was truly doing here – because it seemed like the Head Captain had an alternate motive for giving him this assignment; he was unclear as to his feelings towards the substitute shinigami he was now caring for and most of all he was completely without any ideas about what to do in this instance.

"Do not be so hard on yourself young one," Hyorinmaru's voice called out to him, shocking the tendo from his thoughts. "Many a man has been confused by his feelings, especially feelings as strong as these."

"Strong?" Toshiro mumbled in reply. "What do you mean?"

"I am one with you young one; I know only what you do. However, my experience has given me some insight," The frozen dragon replied.

"If you have so much insight into my feelings, please Hyorinmaru, enlighten me," Hitsugaya continued, his tone sarcastic, yet pleading as well.

"I am sorry… but this is something that you must learn for yourself. Know only this, I am believe in your judgment, whatever you decide."

With that the icy beast was gone, receded back into the blade that sat on the table, lying beside the unconscious teen's much larger sword.

"Well that helped…" Toshiro breathed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Screams and moans shook the room, taking the young captain's mind off his worries. Teal eyes shot open, flashing over to the redheaded teen, who was writhing in pain, screams and moans escaping his mouth as he lurched about. The captain ran to his side, pushing the larger figure down with one arm and reaching up to get a feel of his temperature with the other. But one touch and there was no need.

"His muscles are all seizing…" Toshiro muttered, instantly remembering Unohana's words on the virus.

The snowy-haired soul reaper rushed to the kitchen to find the proper medication. He ran back a few moments later, a cold glass of water clutched tightly in one hand, the pills held close in the other.

"Kurosaki… Kurosaki take these," Toshiro murmured, helping the teen to sit up and down the pills.

Ichigo sighed as the medicine worked it's magic, relaxing his muscles and freeing his body of the intense pain that had held it only moments before.

"Thanks Toshiro," Ichigo said, leaning back against his headboard. "These pills really work! Can I have that water?"

The teal eyes shinigami smirked, nodding as he handed the teen the glass. He remembered briefly a time when his headaches had gotten so bad they'd required these pills. Well… maybe remembered was too strong a word; vaguely recalled and heard about was a little more appropriate. All that he knew was that they may have worked wonders, but the drawbacks were a little to severe for the young taichou and he'd stopped taking them almost as quickly as he'd started.

"Hey… Toshi?" Ichigo asked, his head cocked curiously to one side.

The young genius swallowed, struggling not to make a comment about the "Toshi." Why? Well, for one reason and one reason alone. The drawback to the pills was a certain loopy factor. Said factor being that they knocked you so out of it you were almost like a five year old the entire time they were in affect.

"Yes?" Hitsugaya finally replied.

The teen reached out, poking one of the tendo's snowy locks. "How does your hair stay so… bouncy? Bouncy! Bouncy! Bouncy!"

The vein on the captain's forehead bulged, doubling in size each time the redhead poked a spike, shouting that aggravating word each time. Unfortunately, even a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads has a breaking point and with that tenth "Bouncy!" Ichigo had found Toshiro's.

"ENOUGH!" The tenth-division captain shouted, grabbing the teen's hand as it came in for another poke.

The captain gave his all to familiar death glare, but it melted into a sympathetic and… possibly stern stare only seconds later as his patient's eyes watered, his entire demeanor shouting pitiful.

"Kurosaki, please… I didn't mean to…" Hitsugaya tried. "I'm sorry."

And with that he averted the major disaster that would've befallen him had he not stopped it.

"'S okay," The teen said, grinning.

Toshiro sighed, his frown growing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"What's a matter Toshi?" Ichigo asked, leaning in for a better look.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" The captain replied, pushing the teen away.

The large eyes were back as Ichigo sunk down, obviously hurt by the tendo's steely words. But a second later, and the seriously loopy teen was smiling again, though someone what more mischievously. "Ya know what you need, Toshi? A good laugh!"

Before the smaller soul reaper could react, his arms had been grabbed and he'd been pulled into the bed, with the much larger teen straddling his waist as one hand held up his two.

"Kurosaki! Let… me up! Get off!" Toshiro growled, his squirms making the t-shirt that he'd borrowed from Urahara ride up.

"No! You need to laugh more! And I'm gonna help you!" The teen said, grinning evilly.

"No, really… I'm fine. I laugh, haha, see?" The usually collected captain said, still struggling to break free from his "patient's" hold.

But the drugged soul reaper paid no mind, digging his free hand into his captive's sides and armpits. The boy under him sputtered, squirming away from the ticklish feeling, only giving into laughter as the large hand skittered over his now bare middle.

"See! Much better!" Ichigo announced happily.

But he was far from done, his hand still tickling the boy's stomach, and teasing the apparently sensitive bellybutton.

"Aaaah-haa-ha-haa-haa! Kurooo-hoo-hoo-hooo-sa-ha-ki staaa-haa-ha-haa-haap! It haa-haaa-ha-haa-ha ti-hi-hi-hii-hi-ckles!" Toshiro giggled helplessly.

"I know silly! That's the point!" Ichigo said back, stopping his attack for a moment. "How about some more tickles!"

Toshiro shuttered slightly at the thought, but could do little but pant as he recovered from the last attack. He sighed with relief as he felt the weight leave his body, only to freeze second later as it appeared again, only lower.

"Kurosaki! …Stop it! Let… me… go!" The captain panted, looking down at Ichigo's back, his weight pressing down on his captive's ankles.

A single finger was drawn up his bare soles as his white socks flew across the room, hitting the wall beside him and falling to the ground. The shinigami giggled, cursing himself for having not worn shoes into the room. A second later and his pale feet were assaulted with the electrical feelings as the teen raked his fingers up and down the their bottoms.

"AAAAAH-HAAA-HAA-HAA-HAAA-HAAA-HAA-HAAA! NOOO-HOOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOO-HO-HOOO! PLEEE-HEE-HEEE-HE-HEE-HEEE-HEE-HE-HEE-HEEE-EASE! ICHIGOOO-HOO-HOO-HO-HOOO-HOO! NOO-HO-HOO-HO-HOO-HOO MOOO-HOO-HOO-HO-HOOO-HO-HOO-ORE!" Toshiro cried, his arms flailing wildly until the teen finally relented his attack.

The substitute soul reaper rolled off of him, sitting still as the white-haired captain sucked in air. Hearing nothing, the panting boy leaned up, cracking a blue eye open to scan the bigger teen's behavior. Had the effects of the pill really faded that quickly?

"You called me Ichigo," The redhead said, his voice incredulous.

"What?" Hitsugaya muttered looking back at the teen with a confused look.

"That's the first time you've ever called me Ichigo," His patient replied, a shocked look still on his face.

"…Really? Was it?" The frosty captain said, thinking back carefully, his cheeks heating the instant he realized the answer. "Well… I suppose it was."

"Yeah… it… umm, it… what was I talking… about…" Ichigo muttered, his eyelid's drooping as his entire body swayed back and forth.

Ah, so now the pill's other side effect finally began to set in. The newly recovered shinigami hoisted himself to his knees, catching his patient as the body slumped over. He scooted backwards, laying the orange-colored head down onto the pillow before getting off the bed. The snowy prodigy sighed peacefully, biting his lips as he ran a hand through the brightly colored mop.

"Sleep well Ichigo…" Hitsugaya thought before looking down at his newly bared feet. "Because I am going to kill you when you wake up."