Title: Multitudinous Seas Incarnadine
Rating: T+
Pairings: IchiHichi (Possible side pairings later)
Disclaimer: KivaEmber doesn't own BLEACH™ nor is she making any profit off this.
Summary: IchiHichi. It all started out as a deal, it soon turned into a friendship and something more.
A/N: I'M SOOOOO SORRY!!! The delay was longer than usual because my shitty computer threw another hissy fit (which are quite infamous and frequent) so I had to wait for it to cool down. I had to camp out in my brother's smelly bedroom and write this on his computer – that doesn't have internet access – and is older than the Macintosh. Oh, I also had an epic fight with spellcheck – and lost TTTT – so ignore any misspellings or typos I've done.
But enough of the excuses…time to give you a summary of the chapter!
Chapter Summary: Problems and theories ensue.
I like to thank:
YaoiHeartless123
Afrieal
SoraXNamine
Eos-hime
xxkiokoxx
FieryFreedom
phantomschmerz
Kougyoku
MissFlesh
narakunohime
Shandul-kun
Invader-Nehima
Barranca
PFT
Glue Project
bleachrules1314
Thanks a lot for reviewing guys! You made my day:D
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There are two things that are infinite; the Universe and human stupidity…though I'm not too sure about the Universe."
--- Anon.
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Memories, Shiro learnt, were fickle things.
He didn't have any real memories of his own, other than the ones where he could snatch fleeting moments of freedom from King's inner world and the boring ones in King's inner world. So the Hollow passed the time by examining King's memories, trying to understand if the Nature Vs Nurture Theory made his King strong (though in his opinion, the redhead still sucked).
The emotions clung to the memories, something that choked him occasionally when stumbling across the more potent ones. He stayed away from the ones that the King had of his mother (she was the epitome of motherhood, Shiro mused, ignoring the strange clutching in his chest from the thought), happiness wasn't something he enjoyed from his King, and the bittersweet sorrow made his long forgotten heart stir enough that he feared it would start beating again.
He dwelled on the ones that contained the fast paced frenzy of fighting, bloodshed and desperation, since he was born from such things it would be simple that he should wallow in the heated drunkenness of endorphins from battle. But eventually, under the blue skies and steel grey rain in his King's inner world…
He started visiting that memory.
The one where King's mother died. Why? He doesn't know, maybe to laugh at his King's earlier weakness or something, but he didn't laugh, not so much as a loose snicker or psychotic grin. The memory was potent – too potent – the emotions wrapping a noose round his neck every time he visited it.
It made his heart beat.
EPISODE #2: SUBTERFUGE
Shiro was sure that at this point in time, the Universe was rolling about laughing, though rolling on what was uncertain but it was probably the cause of all this mess.
He had to ditch the female Shinigami since he wasn't too sure on his acting skills – knowing how one acted and actually acting as them were both similar but different things. This was easy as the orange haired female – Orihime…? Damn, he needed to learn King's friends' names – had ambushed them by the canal and simply mumbling some excuse not even he knew, slipped away leaving Rukia to drown under the well endowed teen's breasts.
Only to run into a Hollow.
And King's corporal body sucked.
Big time.
Unable to call forth Zangetsu – the bastard was most likely laughing at him along with the Universe at this point – and unable to simply Shunpo away to buy enough time for him to exit King's body to slice the Hollow to bits, Hichigo was left with nimbly evading the slow lumbering beast's sluggish swipes.
"Tch. This ain't my day."
When the Hollow – a giant Pig…Monkey? – overstretched itself and tripped over its own…trotters, Hichigo immediately took his chance and danced a good 20ft away, slamming the Spirit Medallion into his chest and allowing King's body to drop soullessly to the ground.
As it were, he came out in his usual washed-out fashion, though a new addition of having half a mask on the left side of his face in this form. "Ahh, that's new. Whatever, now we're talkin'!" Drawing Zangetsu from his back and the black bandages unwrapping themselves from the Zanpaktou's blade, the albino Shunpo towards the gaping Hollow.
Two minutes later, the Hollow possessed teen was stretching his limbs, trying to get used to having a corporal body again. Always in his Soul form, it felt strange to actually move around in a living and breathing body, weighed down by organs and unable to access one's reiatsu to its full potential, it made him feel a little…vulnerable.
"Nnnggh! Why'd I want this crappy body again?" Hichigo asked the sky imploringly, receiving no answer as usual, the Hollow possessed teen swiped a hand dismissively and continued on his way. "Ah, the Hell do y'know?"
Though he had to admit, weak body aside, it felt nice to be alive and walking about outside.
Hichigo immediately snarled and shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. Why'd he want to be weak? Living was overrated anyway; it wasn't much different from being dead! He wanted King's Soul body, brimming with reiatsu that tasted so sweet, not this stupid meatbag!
As he watched the humans scurry past, oblivious to the predator that was preying on them a scant few minutes ago; the resentment grew in his chest. They all still had their souls complete, not cracked and divided like his and King's, they were Whole. Why did they get to have their souls unbroken? Still have hearts?
Hichigo shook his head again, the corners of his lips twitching upwards into a toned down crazy grin. Did it matter really? They probably took it for granted and didn't know how powerful a whole soul is against a broken soul like theirs. And King wonders why he's so obsessed with snatching his body from him.
He's only trying to fix it. With him in control of course.
School was as boring as King's memories painted it.
As soon as he even set a toe onto the premises, his gut told him that today was going to suck horribly and Hichigo was not going to be held accountable for any missing limbs or corpses. The fact that Renji – in all his hippy fashion glory – was storming towards him, (looking vaguely constipated too, Hichigo thought absently) his fingers clenching where the hilt of his Zanpaktou should be, proved this.
He kept his face completely set in King's customary scowl – and his facial muscles beginning to hurt in the process, how does he do it? – as the irate redhead marched right into his face, seemingly…pouting? Creepy.
"Where were you last night? I like fighting as much as you do, Ichigo, but c'mon, I was almost outnumbered!" The redhead took a step back to jab at his chest. "You're getting lazy, berry-chan! Soon I'll be able to beat you because you got rusty!"
Hichigo twitched. He despised having his strength questioned – especially by a constipated Pineapple – so it took every single scrap of willpower not to slug the tattooed Shinigami in the face and stab Zangetsu repeatedly into sensitive areas. "Tch. In ya dreams, Pineapple! A lieutenant shouldn't be whinin' jus' cause ya had to do more work than usual, anyway! Yer tha one gettin' lazy!"
Renji was highly insulted by this – which was good news for Hichigo as the redhead seemingly didn't notice 'Ichigo's new accent – and once more got into the Hollow possessed teen's face. "Say what? How about we have a fight right here and now?"
Common sense swiftly kicked Hichigo in the metaphorical ass – a rarity in itself – hissing that there was sure to be negative reactions to seeing an albino Hollow masked Ichigo slipping out of King's corporal body so, no matter how much it grated on his nerves, he had to back down. "And panic tha surroundin' students coz two guys passed out fer no reason?"
"Ichigo's right, Renji." A female voice reprimanded the redhead coolly. Rukia eased into the macho standoff smoothly – probably taking lessons from Byakuya – and sent a stern glare in the scowling tattooed Shinigami's direction. "I can't drag both of you away without suspicion."
Renji scoffed and eyed the Hollow possessed teen. "…Alright. How about later, then?"
How 'bout no? "Maybe." Hichigo drawled lazily, gliding past the seething redhead at a laid back pace and away from the two Shinigami. He stifled the urge to twitch when he felt two pairs of eyes scorch his back, one furious and the other suspicious.
Renji groused under his breath and flipped the retreating back of Ichigo off. "Damn him! I know he's stressed but jeez, doesn't have to act anal about it!"
"I don't think that's Ichigo."
Renji screeched to a halt. "Huh?"
Rukia sighed heavily. "Did you notice that he had an accent…one similar to a certain Hollow's? And his eyes are more golden then brown? And his reiatsu has been messed up a little?" The female Shinigami of Squad 13 shook her head. "I think you were just talking to his inner Hollow."
Renji's eyes narrowed and he turned back to where the Hollow possessed teen had vanished. "Damn! We've got to stop him before someone gets hurt!"
"No."
Renji turned to Rukia in mild horror, staring as if the woman suddenly had a marine animal attached to her face. "What d'ya mean, 'no'?! We've got a Hollow possessing Ichigo here surrounded by vulnerable humans! They'd be slaughtered!"
Rukia sighed and ruffled her dark hair. "I know but…he hasn't done anything yet. If you've noticed, the Hollow's reiatsu is feeding Ichigo's – which has been lower then usual – so it probably isn't possessing Ichigo so much as influencing him as the Hollow reiatsu is purified and melding into Ichigo's." He waved a hand. "But that's one of my theories. Either way, provoking him when he's doing nothing wrong is disastrous at the moment until we know exactly what's up."
Renji blinked, silent for a couple of seconds as his mind wrapped round the lengthy explanation Rukia said. "…Right. So do nothing yet until he does something suspicious…should we tell the others?"
"Ishida probably knew as soon as…'Ichigo' came within ten feet of the school, but telling the other Shinigami could cause them to attack first and ask questions later." She shot the squad 6 lieutenant a frigid glare. "So keep you mouth shut and eyes open!"
Renji hastily backed up, waving his hands before him protectively. "Okay! Okay! So…shouldn't we be keeping an eye on him now?"
Rukia rolled her eyes and marched towards the school with the redhead in tow.
'What a bunch of morons.'
It was surprisingly easier then he expected to fool the Shinigami (though Rukia suspected something he could easily handle her) and King's equally stupid friends would be fooled too! A satisfied smirk briefly flittered over his face, but he quickly smoothed it into a scowl. Damn! His facial muscles are really beginning to hurt!
"If you want to fool everyone that you're Kurosaki, you'll have to try better then that."
Hichigo froze in the middle of the – thankfully – empty hallway at the snide voice. The Hollow possessed teen pivoted on his heel and scrutinised the stoic Quincy nonchalantly. "Eh? Oh…it's tha fairy Quincy." He stated more to himself then his singular audience. "Seems like someone's brain ain't kept in a jar."
Ishida adjusted his glasses, blue eyes void of any emotion. "I would have thought you'd have gone on a rampage throughout the city, Hollow." His fingers reflexively twitched. "Not play acting."
Hichigo grinned, noticing how the Quincy's fingers twitched a second time. "Eheh, well ya see fairy-boy, me an' King had a deal…though King only knows half of it." A tinge of smugness in his voice for this obvious deception. "The Old Man, Zangetsu, can be clever when he wants to." This was the perfect place to slip in some snickering, so the Hollow did so.
Ishida, however, was not amused in the slightest. "Oh? Why would Kurosaki make a deal with you?" The unspoken 'what' hovered between the two.
Hichigo frowned lightly, inwardly cackling when the Quincy seemed to tense at the Hollow's displeasure. "Eh? Why? Well, that's private, fairy-boy." His grin slid back into place, more of a show of teeth then anything. "But don't ya worry, fairy-boy! I ain't gonna kill anyone today…jus' some Hollows."
"…I should think so." The Quincy said slowly, almost as if testing the waters. Hichigo was amused by this. "But if you try anything-"
"King'll be displeased." Hichigo finished, a brief flash of thought and the Hollow possessed teen's face slipped into a stony mask, bronze eyes hardening; the Hollow was mentally pleased at the spike of nervousness in the Quincy's reiatsu, though the dark haired boy's features showed nothing of it.
The two stared each other down, but before anything could be said which would cause dismemberment on both parties' account, a cheerful shout of, "Uryuu-kun! Kurosaki-kun! Good morning!"
Hichigo's first thought was: 'Breasts have arrived…with a girl attached.'
Ishida obviously didn't want to move his eyes from the Hollow possessed teen lest aforementioned Hollow possessed teen snatched a cheap shot by 'accident' so Hichigo, after sending a look of bemusement towards the Quincy, turned to Orihime with Ichigo's customary scowl set, though softer then usual. "Hey, Inoue."
As the three trailed towards their classroom, Rukia and Renji caught up halfway there. Ishida sent a concealed meaningful look at the two Shinigami, catching Rukia's eye; he tilted his head towards the Hollow possessed teen's back questionably. The female Shinigami nodded solemnly.
With three people keeping an eye on the redhead, he wouldn't be able to harm anyone without an arrow up the ass, Ichigo's body or not.
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A/N: Phew, now that's out of the way, I can start on my History coursework and Music piece (I'm such a procrastinator). No Ichigo this chapter, but he'll be in the next so don't worry! Rukia, Renji and Ishida are onto Hichigo already? Wow, he's not very good at acting, ne? Don't worry, things get…more chaotic next chapter! ;)
PREVIEW: HAZARD
Ishida: We must keep an eye on Ichigo's Hollow.
Rukia: Agreed, so no provoking him Renji!
Renji: I know, I know! Jeez…
beepbeep
Rukia&Renji: Huh?
Renji: SHIT! A Vasto Lorde!
Rukia: And it's not even 9:00am.
'TILL NEXT TIME FOLKS!
KE