"And so there we were, no shit…" Ichigo muttered as he took a tiny sip of something warm and alcoholic. It was his first alcoholic drink, in fact, not counting the little chocolate liqueurs he'd sometimes had at Christmas. He was finding he didn't much like it. It tasted nasty and made his ears feel hot, and besides, he had the feeling he might get drunk really fast. It was better to not even go there.
He was surrounded by Byakuya's men. Saving Renji had clearly gotten him some regard, but his eyes freaked them out. He couldn't help it though. With this many Hollows around, in the dark of the night, his eyes were not changing back. So no one was talking to him at all, except to give him a bit of food and alcohol.
They were up in the mountain pass and from what Ichigo could hear, sealing the rip was going poorly. Renji's curses could be heard in the camp. Finally getting tired of it, he set down his cup and stood up.
"Where do you think you're going?" A strong young man materialized beside him and Ichigo glanced at him, unimpressed. He'd been able to see the entire flash step, so he wasn't very good.
"To go see if they need some help. Why don't you escort me?" He said and the man hesitated, glancing over at another burst of cursing. "Clearly it's not going too well." That was probably an understatement.
"Very well." The man clearly decided the decision was above his pay grade. "I will walk behind you." He added and Ichigo grinned. That was amusing.
"Worried about me running away? Alright. Just don't stab me in the back." He said playfully before walking towards the trouble. He arrived and watched the shinigami for a moment. Byakuya was as calm and collected as always, but Renji was sweating and flushed. There were two more shinigami with them, and both of them looked like they could hardly stay on their feet. The rift was still there and malignant as always. "Well, this looks like it's going great. You guys need some help?" He offered, strolling down into the middle of things. Renji looked like he couldn't believe it while Byakuya gave him an inscrutable look.
"And what do you think you can do to contribute? This requires kido, and Renji says you have no skill with it." He said and Ichigo shrugged, looking at the rift. It was kind of pretty, in a dark way. He could see the sands of Hueco Mundo beyond it.
"I can see better than you in the dark." Ichigo said mildly and put his hand over his eyes for a moment, concentrating. Then he lowered it and squinted, trying to bring things into focus. "Oooooo." He whistled softly as the flows of power became visible. Renji, Byakuya and the others seemed to change, their bodies merging with their power. Renji was an adorable smudge of power, only lightly touched with the darkness of the lake. But Ichigo stopped dead on Byakuya. "You are really powerful but why are you so disturbingly pink?" It reminded him of cotton candy. Pretty, but really strange.
"He can see power flows and reiatsu when his eyes are like that." Renji said. Ichigo had trouble making out their expressions when his vision was like this, so he was guessing Byakuya had been looking pissed.
"I see. What do you see from the rip?" Byakuya was all business and Ichigo turned his attention to the rip in reality. It was disturbingly powerful.
"Well, it's scary." He carefully paced around it, trying to get a feel for it. "Oh yeah. Yeah, this is what I figured." He could see it now, see the glow of dark reishi. "I bet it closes in the day and opens every evening. It's being fed by the lake, there's a river of dark reishi flowing here. But why?" He mused, still walking around the rift. "It's not like real rivers, not at all, but the lake and the reishi have their own rules. So why?"
"You will have to tell us. I cannot see this river you are talking about." Byakuya said, and Ichigo wondered how much that bothered him, that a mere three year old plus soul could do what a shinigami couldn't. But then, it was the dark side of his nature that let him do this.
"It doesn't obey physical laws." Ichigo said, looking back towards the lake. The trail dipped and meandered much like a normal river, although he could only follow it so far. "It's like something is calling it here." He tried to examine the clearing again. "There must be something here." Then his breath caught as he understood what the swirling power was telling him. "The rocks! It's the rocks, something about the way they're arranged and what they're made of. They've created a perfect junction." He could see it, see that the rocks were pulling the power in even if he didn't entirely understand why. "Destroy the rocks and break the connection." It was all so simple. But he wasn't going to do it. They'd taken his sword away from him, not that it made a lot of difference. He was deadly with nothing but hands and feet. But he didn't want to start smashing boulders with his bare hands. Blinking back the vision of power flows, he looked at the others.
"Very well." Byakuya said, drawing his sword. Ichigo hesitated before deciding to leave it to him. He didn't have his sword and Byakuya was probably the most powerful person here anyway. He was also the one Ichigo liked the least, so he could take whatever backlash came from breaking the stones. Although he did deserve a warning.
"There might be a backlash. I don't know what form it will take." He warned and Byakuya nodded, unconcerned.
"A common issue." He said and Ichigo shook his head but held his peace. He didn't think there would be anything common about this. He could be wrong though.
Unfortunately, he wasn't. Ichigo could see the power fluctuating madly as Byakuya's sword easily shattered rock after rock. There wasn't a single thing he could do about it, though. Trying to handle that much reishi would burn him out. So he held his breath as the final rock was smashed and the power went mad. It spiked and coiled, twirling like a hurricane and Byakuya seemed frozen in place, his sword on the ground and grey eyes wide. Even through the cloud of power, Ichigo could see the will and frustration in those eyes.
"He can't move! RUN!" Ichigo shouted at the others and prayed they would obey as he ran towards Byakuya. As soon as he got close he discovered why the shinigami was frozen. The swirling of the reishi was like walking through glue. Ichigo widened his eyes and tried to find some kind of solution. He begrudged every second, but he did manage to slip between the currents long enough to grab hold of Byakuya's shoulder. And then the currents changed.
The gate abruptly became a vortex and it was Byakuya's sword that saved them both. Still buried in the stone, it held them in place for just long enough and even as it came free, Ichigo dug deep into his hollow nature and slammed a clawed hand into the stone. That held them in place long enough for Byakuya to drive his sword back into the ground, his other hand on Ichigo's arm in a death grip. Ichigo was vaguely aware that both his hands were clawed now and he was raising blood on the shinigami's shoulder, but he couldn't spare any time for it. Glancing at the gate he saw, to his horror, something that was not Hueco Mundo. His vision was refusing to report anything coherent, but something in the back of his mind was gibbering in terror at the sight.
It is Hell. Zangetsu supplied calmly and Ichigo gasped. He hadn't even been aware Hell was a real place!
"Hell?! ZANGETSU!" He screamed, trying desperately to pull them forwards as something reached out of the gate for them. But then the vortex began to wind down, and the gate began to close. Sensing imminent danger the arm retracted back into the gate. He and Byakuya looked back to watch as the darkness fade into a pinpoint and vanish. "I didn't think I was that bad when I was alive." He said in shock as Renji ran up. Ichigo was relieved to see he was alive and well. Apparently, he'd heeded the call to run, or at least found something to hold onto.
"Captain, are you alright? Ichigo, let go of him!" Ichigo blinked and hissed as he saw what he'd done. Byakuya blinked and winced as if he'd just noticed the pain. Biting his lip, Ichigo very carefully withdrew his claws from the lacerated flesh. Then he made the claws vanish and joined his power with Renji's, imparting a healing infusion.
"Sorry sorry sorry." He muttered, feeling horrible about it. He'd needed the claws to grip the stone, and he couldn't do just one hand, but it was still awful. Byakuya blinked at him slowly and Ichigo hoped he wasn't going into shock.
"There is no need to apologize. You saved my life." There was something oddly formal about his words, almost ceremonial. Ichigo scowled and tried to wave it away.
"You saved my life, too." He pointed out but Byakuya gave a slight shake of his head. "You did! If it had been just me I'd have been sucked in for certain."
"But you could have heeded your own advice and run." The shinigami pointed out calmly and Ichigo paused, stymied. He was right.
"That's not what I do." He finally said, meeting Byakuya's eyes. "You should know that. Why else would I protect a hollow from you?" It was just not his nature to turn aside. It was his nature to protect, to defend, just like his name. The shinigami nodded before standing and Ichigo winced to himself. There was no sign of it on his face but the hollow side of him could smell the pain and blood.
"Let us get some rest. We will go speak to your friends in the morning." He said and Ichigo could only nod. He was completely done in. He wouldn't be surprised if his eyes were going back to normal despite the nighttime reiatsu.
Maybe things would be better in the morning.
Not all the shinigami went down to the lake the next day. There was no need, and the crags and hollows of the pass had plenty of Hollows that needed to be cleaned out. Ichigo didn't particularly care one way or the other about that, but if people were going to go through that pass even semi-regularly it would be better if the Hollows were gone. After last night's episode only the stupid would be hanging around anyway. So he confidently led Renji, Byakuya and two other young shinigami to the lake.
"Hey Ichigo! Way of Destruction One: Stinging Bee!" Ichigo heard a loud, high pitched voice yell and his eyes widened just as the power hit him directly between the eyes. It knocked him flat on his ass and he yelped, slapping a hand over his forehead.
"Danica!" Renji roared and the little girl squealed as he picked her up by her smock. "How many times do I have to tell you, that is not a fucking toy and you do not shoot people in the face with it! Now apologize to Ichigo!" Suddenly something small and obnoxious was shoved in his face.
"Sorry!" She said with a grin, like it had all been a lovely prank. And something inside Ichigo snapped.
"Apology not accepted." He snarled and she looked bewildered, then yelped as he grabbed her. "You're going for a swim brat!"
"Noooooo!" She yowled as he carried her down to the lake, winded up and gave her a good throw right in. She went in deep and came up spluttering. Like all the children, she knew how to swim. "MAMA!" She got out of the lake and ran off sobbing. Ichigo watched her go with a grim satisfaction. Then he looked up as Byakuya cleared his throat.
"Are you going to be dealing with an upset mother?" The shinigami asked and Ichigo almost thought there was something like humor in his eyes.
"No. She's actually a plus soul, can't even remember her real family. And if she's been zapping as many people with that as I bet she has, she's not going to get even a whiff of sympathy." Ichigo rubbed his forehead. "I'm going to get a blister. Brat."
"Hm." Byakuya turned slightly and Ichigo followed his gaze. Richard and Matty were both heading towards them. "So these would be the leaders of your group?"
"Actually, Ichigo is more or less our leader." Richard had been close enough to hear the question, and gave the answer. Byakuya's expression didn't change but Ichigo had a distinct feeling he was less than impressed with the thought. "However, we do tend to make large decisions together. I'm Richard Dupres and this is Matty Gerwald." They both attempted to bow, Richard's being the more successful of the two.
"I am Byakuya Kuchiki. Is there a private place we can speak?" He glanced over the group, who were clearly doing their level best to eavesdrop. And the children were just a nuisance, even if Danica was temporarily cowed.
"Certainly. We have a meeting place." That was the clearing in the woods. It wasn't meant for that many people, of course. But Renji and the two extra shinigami stayed standing. Ichigo accepted a flask of water from Richard, which did wonders for his budding headache. He let Richard handle most of the negotiations. Diplomacy wasn't his strong point anyway.
"When you said that Ichigo is more or less your leader, what precisely do you mean?" Ichigo sighed to himself as Byakuya asked that question. He was clearly trying to figure out how their internal dynamics worked, but it was a bit embarrassing.
"I'm the kick ass, take no prisoners kind of leader." Ichigo answered before Richard or Matty could. "I'm also the last word on anything medical. Richard and Matty handle all the stuff that makes me want to hit someone with a rock, repeatedly." He simply had no patience with petty crap, and knew it. Richard and Matty were a thousand times better at dealing with that kind of thing.
"That's essentially it." Richard said, amused. "A group this size doesn't require much, but there are sometimes social issues that need addressing. Because Ichigo's duties include most of the things that could kill us, we do tend to defer to his judgment on many things."
"I see." Byakuya said. Ichigo wasn't sure he really did, but he didn't much care. His mind was wandering to how nice Renji looked and the desire to pull the bandanna out of his hair and run his fingers through the soft strands. Renji noticed him looking and gave him a quick grin. The young man regretfully pulled his attention away as the negotiations began.
It didn't go badly. It was finally decided that an observation post would be placed in the mountains, and a research post on the other side of the lake. The shinigami agreed not to attack the Hollows unless they were attacked first, and Ichigo hoped the Adjuchas would have the sense to cut her losses. But if she didn't, well, life was hard sometimes. Some of the gold would be gathered and sold and in return, the group would get things they desperately needed like new clothing and metal knives. They would also be made wards of the Kuchiki clan, which meant Byakuya and his family would be personally responsible for their welfare. Unfortunately, that was where things hit a snag.
"There is one thing I must ask for in return. Ichigo." Byakuya waited until he was certain he'd recaptured the boy's wandering attention. Ichigo blinked at him, confused. "You will come with me to the Kuchiki manor."
"Eh what now?" Ichigo sat bolt upright, shocked to attention. "But who will handle the medical stuff and protecting the group?"
"We can handle all that, Ichigo." Byakuya said as Richard and Matty both looked less than thrilled with the idea. They bent their heads together, whispering. "I must insist on this. You are too strong and dangerous to be running around completely untrained. You will need personal attention from a strong mentor."
He is right. Right now, you are a menace. Zangetsu chimed in and Ichigo hissed at him.
"I've managed just fine for years before you even showed up! Stuff it!" He said in an undertone before looking at Byakuya. "I'm personally involved so I don't get a vote. What do you guys say?" He turned to Richard and Matty.
"We're not very happy about this." Richard said slowly. "Ichigo is our strongest member. But you do have a point about his lack of training. Perhaps you can get him some psychiatric help as well." Ichigo couldn't help but flush as Renji burst into guffaws.
"Thanks old man!" He snarled then yelped as something attached itself to his back.
"I'm coming too! I want to go!" An all too familiar voice announced as Ichigo tried to pry Danica away. Not even being tossed into a glacial lake could keep her down for long and she started to climb up his back as he attempted to grab her.
"No fucking way! The best thing about leaving this place would be getting away from YOU!" Ichigo snarled, then yelped. "Stop that!" She had an elbow planted in his head and was giggling as she jammed it in. "You want another swim brat?"
"Nooo!" She popped off his back and ran behind Byakuya, who grabbed her with one hand.
"Hm. Perhaps… show me your kido again, child." He ordered and Danica was more than happy to oblige.
"Not at his FACE – oh." Ichigo stopped as Byakuya caught the little spark in one hand, studying it for a moment. "How did you do that?" If he'd known how to do that, he wouldn't have a burn and a bit of a headache right now. Byakuya gave him a glance.
"That is why you need training. And I think this one does, as well. Very well, she will come with you." He said with the faintest of smiles and Ichigo made a small choking sound before dropping his head into his hands.
"I must have been really bad in a past life – AWK!" Danica rammed into his chest, feet first, knocking him off the seat. "Get off me brat!"
"We're going away! We're going to have so much fun!" She caroled and Ichigo could only groan.
What had he done to deserve this?
Two days later.
Ichigo sat by the fire, feeling great but desperately in need of something. It wasn't hard to figure out what he needed, either. Not with Renji sitting beside him and looking really toothsome in the firelight. The problem, of course, was the lack of privacy.
"Hey Renji, I was wondering. Want to go scout for squirrels?" He asked in as insinuating a voice as he could muster. Apparently it wasn't good enough because Renji gave him a confused look.
"Squirrels? Why would we scout for squirrels?" He asked, taking a drink of his sake. Ichigo sighed to himself. Anyone back home would have understood what he was on about.
"Oh, you know, they can be pretty vicious, cracking nuts like that." He said vaguely. "Imagine if they happened into camp and helped themselves?"
"But we don't have any nuts." Renji pointed out and Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He'd caught just a hint of a grin this time. Renji was playing with him!
"Well, if you're going to be so fucking thick – hey Byakuya!" The captain looked up, slightly offended by the yell. "Would you like to go scout for squirrels?"
"Hey! You can't do that!" Renji's hands were suddenly in his shirt, lifting him off the ground as the redhead yelled in his face. "That's just wrong, and he's Captain Byakuya to you!" Ichigo lifted his eyebrows and gave Renji a deliberately insolent look.
"Oh? Why can't I if you're going to be thick as a plank – mph!" A kiss silenced him and Ichigo was vaguely aware that they had the attention of everyone, but he didn't much care as he gripped Renji's shirt and yanked it down, exposing one pale shoulder. Then he hooked a leg over the other man's waist, pulling himself up and as the kiss ended, he transferred his attention to that warm skin. "Oh yeah." He muttered as Renji growled. "Squirrels?" He tried to remind the shinigami. He had no shame, really, but they'd probably get interrupted if they stayed.
"I'll find some squirrels for you, you freak!" Renji was dragging him away then and Ichigo grinned as he got his feet under him and followed. He liked it when Renji was all fired up. It would be hot and heavy tonight, but he was determined to get the better of the shinigami for once.
"Captain, what… was that?" One of the other shinigami asked hesitantly as Byakuya sipped his tea.
"I think we would all rather not know." He said quietly as he felt a flare of reiatsu. The boy had no control whatsoever. A moment later there was a matching flare from Renji, but he had no doubt whatsoever that they were not fighting. Or at least, not using their swords.
He was quite correct in that. It had happened very quickly this time, and Ichigo had Renji pinned to a tree, face first.
"Dammit Ichigo, I want to top you!" Renji complained as he squirmed but then groaned as a hot tongue explored his throat.
"You did that the last three times. It's my turn now, and I'm not letting you have it." Ichigo deliberately increased his spiritual pressure, holding the other man in place. Renji's reiatsu flared as he tried to overcome it, but no one could hold out against the full force of Ichigo's dreadful personality. "Take it like a man." He teased, undoing Renji's pants. These shinigami clothes were really much easier to handle than jeans, although they were less comfortable.
"Fuck you – oh…" Renji groaned as warm fingers fondled him and Ichigo breathed in his ear. The kid had learned most of his pleasure points, and he was using them all now. "Dammit, that's good." He gasped as warm fingers wrapped around his length. Renji turned his head and Ichigo caught him in a kiss, their tongues dancing together for a moment.
"It gets better, take it from me." Ichigo said with a grin before gently exploring his opening. Renji winced at the feeling and tried to relax. It wasn't the first time he'd done it like this, but it wasn't what he generally preferred. And it always felt strange as hell right at first. But Ichigo knew what he was doing, and Renji was reminded that his father was a doctor as the boy found his prostate and gave him a gentle stroke. It sent a jolt of pleasure to his groin and he jerked, moaning softly as the harsh bark of the tree bit into his hands. Then another followed the first, and another, until he was sweating and flushed with the pleasure of it.
"Dammit Ichigo, stop teasing me!" He panted as the kid chuckled, pulling away his hand. Then something much larger began forcing him open and he shuddered as he gripped the tree. "Ah!"
"Yeah…" Ichigo groaned, quickly losing himself to the feeling of taunt, strong muscles around him. It felt glorious but he took it slow, making sure Renji was feeling nothing but pleasure before he speeded his pace. "Renji, you are so fucking wonderful." He muttered in the other man's ear, and was answered by nothing but an incoherent moan. It wasn't quite as intense as his dreams, maybe, but it was infinitely more real and Ichigo let himself lose control, let his reiatsu flare with abandon as he pounded into Renji like the animal he secretly was.
"Oh!" Renji gasped, arching in pleasure as Ichigo kept finding that spot inside him. A war hand was around his length, too, pumping him in time with every stroke. It felt like heaven, and the feel of Ichigo's reiatsu was dark and full of passion. It was as inflaming as the hot flesh inside him. "Dammit Ichigo – ah!" He gasped as Ichigo assaulted his throat again. The kid seemed to have a fixation on that spot…
"You want more?" Ichigo said, his echoing voice sending a thrill up Renji's spine. Just to tease him, the thrusts slowed and Renji whimpered at the loss of feeling.
"Yes, dammit, yes!" There was a dark chuckle and the pace increased again, coming faster and harder. Renji felt it when Ichigo completely lost control, his reiatsu exploding around them like it had the first time in the lake. The trees stayed upright but the leaves and branches blew away as if there was a great wind and Renji howled like a wolf as his own release hit. Ichigo's hand milked him for every drop, and Renji gasped as he felt the boy fill him with his seed. They stayed that way for a moment, exhausted, and Ichigo finally pulled away.
"Mmm. Think they felt us find the squirrel?" He murmured into Renji's ear, making the shinigami chuckle weakly.
"If they didn't, they've all been struck blind. C'mon, let's get back." Normally he would have been ashamed to show his face to the Division after something that powerful and public. Right now, he didn't give a damn.
It seemed Ichigo's attitude was rubbing off.
"What did we do to deserve this, nii-san?" To say that Rukia was unimpressed by her new brother was an understatement. Byakuya regarded her a moment, then looked out at the training. One of his guardsmen was trying to get Ichigo to perform a slightly more advanced kido. So far, it had exploded three times and the boy was starting to smell like sulpher.
'Brother' was not quite the right word for Ichigo, but Byakuya thought it eventually would be. Making Ichigo a ward of the clan and bringing him to the manor was an obvious prelude to adoption. They might never take that final step, but if Ichigo proved to be as powerful as Byakuya suspected, they might. And his words aside, Byakuya knew he owed the man a life debt. If he had run, Renji might have tried to save him but he'd seen how Ichigo had suddenly speeded up to reach him in time. He didn't know how the man had done it, but he doubted Renji would have had the same success.
"Are you referring to Ichigo or the child?" He asked, glancing around to see if Danica was anywhere nearby. The child had a positive genius for causing trouble but lately, she had been missing half the time. At first he'd been concerned but then, to his amusement, Byakuya had run into Kenpachi with a child on either shoulder. Apparently, Danica had befriended Yachiru and they were having a great time causing trouble together.
"I was talking about Ichigo." She said and he frowned, looking at her. For some reason Rukia did not like Ichigo. As far as he could tell, the boy had been no more impolite to her than anyone else. Perhaps it had been a mistake to ask Rukia to teach him etiquette. That had probably been a frustrating experience for them both. "Why does he have to stay here, nii-san? He has no appreciation for what he has here."
"He came from a beautiful place, Rukia." He answered, remembering the caldera. The scientists of the 12th were in rhapsodies over the place. Until now, there had never been any sign of a volcano in Soul Society. They thought that was the reason the lake teemed with reishi. What would a volcano spew forth, in a land that was made of reishi? More reishi, of course. "Eventually it may become a vacation spot." He could very well see that happening. Of course, they would have to safeguard the group already living there. Perhaps the land could be deeded to them and the children formed into a minor noble house. But that was a plan far for the future. "Why should he appreciate leaving such a home? But it is for the best. His powers must be tamed." As if to punctuate his point, Ichigo succeeded in the kido. What should have been a level 3 way of destruction erupted in glorious sparks, feeling more like a level fifty kido before it impacted the target. Byakuya pursed his lips. Taking a simple kido and infusing it with more power was something a skilled practitioner could do, but it should have been impossible for someone as inept as Ichigo. But then, Ichigo wasn't doing it on purpose. Once he could reliably use the kidos, they would have to teach him how to tone it down.
"I suppose." Rukia sighed then straightened her shoulders. "Well, it's almost time for his lesson with me. I will not fail you, nii-san." She sounded resolute and determined. Byakuya approved, and decided against finding a new etiquette teacher for Ichigo. Rukia would not let her personal feelings get in the way of her duty.
"I'm sure he will learn in no time." He said encouragingly before looking back into the garden. Ichigo was doing a victory dance, complete with obscene gestures. "Or perhaps not." He added under his breath as he left.
Rukia had her work cut out for her.
