Chapter 2: The Protector
(Thanks a million to everyone reading and reviewing! Your enthusiasm really keeps me going. My gratitude to Kyuumihaira (Poor Byakuya! But I'm sure Kisuke will be able to help...if they can get back to him!), BlackButlerQueen666 (Aww, thanks so much! And here's more...), Venipa (Here you go dear!), LittleMissy (Oh yes, Yoruichi is going to have a great time! I don't know so much about young Byakuya...), Nyma (I think it's going to take a while, but that will be fun...for us, anyway!), Mrs Passionate (I think Ichigo's in for a shock!), Purple Light Snow (Ichigo has no idea of the person Byakuya was as a teen, but he is about to get a close up look!), Nyu (Oh yes, this will be fluffy! It will have it's serious moments, but romance is going to be on tap!), Random People (Yeah, can't seem to help myself! I tried mpreg in Mask of Illusion and never looked back. It's just too fun to see the Bleach boys have to deal with that!), Guest (Aww, thanks!), KarenaAngel11986 (I'm so glad you love it!), LeAwesomeOne IX (Aww, your enthusiasm really inspires me to keep the chapters in good supply. And don't worry, I'll be on the others you requested too! Just working today and half of tomorrow. But then, another weekend is coming up, so more time to write!), Clobojojo (Oh, just wait until Kon finds out Ichigo is attracted to Byakuya! lol), Hieizzz (Aww, so glad to induce squeals! That such a good thing. We all need to squeal happily sometimes.), SunlessNights (Oh, the blushes will be fierce in this!), and Blood87 (More is on the way!) Enjoy the chapter, everyone! Love you, Spunky)
Ichigo heard a soft sighing sound and opened his eyes to find himself looking down at where Byakuya had curled up against his side and laid, comfortably sleeping. He caught his breath in surprise and blushed brightly, realizing that the other teen was completely naked.
"What the hell? When did...?"
He carefully extracted himself and hastily removed the soft, inner lining of his shihakushou, then moved to lay it over the naked youth.
Still flushed with embarrassment, he took a moment to examine Byakuya briefly, to be sure that the noble's condition had not worsened. Seeing and sensing no noticeable changes, he looked down at the other teen's sleeping face, feeling something odd inside at the sight of him.
What's going on here? What the heck happened to his clothes? If he took them off, then they would at least still be here. And that means that they disappeared. But why?
Further thought was derailed as Byakuya shifted and a pretty, pale thigh peeked out from under the clothing Ichigo had laid on top of him. His blush deepening, he worked the material more firmly into place and managed to fasten the tie at his waist. He sighed in relief, feeling strangely distracted by the sight of the other boy curled close to him and sleeping contentedly.
I have to admit I've always been aware that Byakuya is a beautiful shinigami. But like this, he's not just beautiful, he's damned cute! He's going to be pissed all over again, though, if he doesn't regain some power soon. I thought that maybe the reason he had no power was because of the shock of the damage that he took. But I still don't sense any reiatsu in him. And as much as I suck at reiatsu sensing in general, I would know if he had his powers back. He doesn't. And that means that the hollow or the explosion did something that had that effect.
I wonder how long he'll have to endure that...
He felt a sad, sympathetic jolt as he remembered his own experience being without his powers.
Well, at least Byakuya seems to not have any memory of being powerful, but even so, he's going to be affected badly if he realizes what he's lost. But I'll protect him. He would do the same for me, so...
The deep, low growl of a hollow sounded suddenly, bringing Byakuya awake as well. The noble's wide, gray eyes fixed on the barrier that protected them as something huge and foul smelling slammed itself against it. Instantly, both teens were on their feet and backing deeper into the cave.
"I was afraid of this," Ichigo said softly, "I was hoping it wouldn't be long before we thought of a way to get out of here, because I knew that once we were discovered, we would be pursued constantly from then on."
"So, what do we do?" Byakuya asked, taking up a position at his side.
"You remember how to use that sword? Senbonzakura?"
"Erm...s-sword?" Byakuya repeated, looking around.
Not happening! Ichigo exclaimed inwardly, his eyes sweeping the area around them, only to find that, like the clothing, Byakuya's zanpakutou had disappeared.
His eyes widened as a disturbing possibility occurred to him.
Oh my god! What if Byakuya begins to disappear too?
Panic flooded his body for a moment, but he felt Byakuya's hand grip his arm and found himself suddenly looking into the noble's deep, beautiful and now determined eyes.
"There were some buildings in the distance," he said softly, "I noticed them while we were looking for a place to rest before."
"But that's probably Las Noches!" Ichigo objected, "We can't go there. Every freaking hollow around for miles traipses in and out of there."
"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "And unlike us, those hollows can open a garganta. If we want to have a chance to sneak into an open gateway, then we are going to have to get closer to them."
"That's fine for you," Ichigo mused, "Your reiatsu is so low, they can't sense you, but I'm going to attract every damned hollow within a hundred mile radius! And that's if we don't end up fighting! Not that you can fight in your condition."
He flinched at the deadly look that entered the noble's eyes.
"All right, sheesh, sorry," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head and staring as a second hollow joined the first, outside the cave, "I suppose you're right about needing to get closer to them. But we may not want to go all of the way to the fortress. There are going to be more powerful hollows there. And it's not like we can just walk up to them and ask them to open a gateway for us..."
"No."
The two watched in dismay as two more dark forms gathered outside the cave. They exchanged worried glances and Ichigo looked down at the sword in his hand for a moment.
"Well, we have to do something," he said softly, "Because, sooner or later, the number of hollows outside the cave will grow to the point where they can break through, then we're done for!"
"The only choice we have is to break through now, while there are less of them," Byakuya concluded, looking from Ichigo's sword to his own empty hand. He blinked in surprise as he observed his body and realized that the yukata he was wearing wasn't his.
"What happened to my clothes?" he asked, blushing, "And why...?"
"Later," Ichigo said brusquely, taking his hand, "We have to break out of here. I am going to destroy the barrier and strike at them to give us an opening. Stay close to my side. As soon as the shield drops, grab onto me and don't let go. I'll get you through with me, okay?"
"Okay," the noble agreed, paling slightly at the thought of what they were about to do.
"Step back for a sec," Ichigo warned him, "I'm going to have to use my bankai for some extra speed."
Byakuya nodded and stepped back, watching closely as Ichigo raised his power.
"Bankai!" the ginger-haired youth cried, the power exploding around him, "Tensa Zangetsu."
Byakuya's heart pounded wildly at the swell of reiatsu that rose around them. And suddenly, he felt it close in around him, seeming to enclose him in a suffocating cloud.
"Ichigo!" he gasped, dropping to his knees.
"Damn it!" the other boy hissed, firing a blast at the barrier ahead of them and shattering it as Byakuya sank to the floor of the cave, at his feet, "My reiatsu is too much for you. Well, hang on. I'll lower my power as soon as we're free."
He picked up the noble's limp body and fired himself through the cave entrance, handily destroying two large hollows that stepped into his path. Realizing that the enemy they faced was a powerful one, the remaining hollows scattered, snarling at the dark form that shot out of the cave and disappeared into the blackness.
Ichigo made sure they had eluded pursuit, then quickly shed his bankai. He laid Byakuya in a protected area and knelt beside him, patting him gently on the face to wake him.
"Hey, Byakuya, c'mon. You've gotta wake up, okay? I need you to be able to walk. Wake up, buddy."
"I barely know you," Byakuya said suddenly, startling the ginger-haired youth, "I am not your 'buddy,' Ichigo."
"Sure you are," Ichigo said, smiling as he recovered himself, "You just don't remember. But you will get your memory back. I promise. I'll take you to Kisuke. If anyone can get you back to the way you were, he can. Just hang in there, all right? Stay close to me and I'll get you back to Karakura Town. I promise."
The screech of a hollow ended their conversation suddenly, and Ichigo grabbed Byakuya and launched himself into the air.
"Damn it! They found us!" Ichigo complained.
"Well, you can hardly expect not to be noticed with all of your reiatsu lighting up the area around you. It's like a beacon to attract every hollow around!" Byakuya exclaimed.
"Well, at least I have some reiatsu!" Ichigo fired back, "Right now, you're pretty helpless. You should be quiet and just stay close to me. At least I can fight."
Ichigo made an exclamation of dismay as he touched down on the sand and two more hollows attacked, one of them ramming into him and sending him tumbling away. He made a sound of distress as Byakuya tore away from him and came to his feet, then instantly started grabbing rocks and hurling them at the hollows.
"Like that's going to fucking work!" Ichigo seethed, "Get back here and stay outta this, will you? You're gonna get hurt!"
Byakuya ignored him completely, leaping onto the back of one of the hollows and clobbering him repeatedly with a sharp rock he had found. The hollow howled and turned in circles, reaching in vain to try to grab the lithe body of the youth as he continued to pound the beast into senslessness. Distracted by the surprising display, Ichigo was almost taken off his feet by one of the other hollows.
"Do you want to, perhaps use some of that fighting skill you claimed to have?" Byakuya snapped sarcastically, leaping down off of the back of the hollow he had just beaten to death, "I doubt I can fight all of them, myself!"
"Shut up, you cocky little bastard!" Ichigo fumed, "Or I may just let them eat you!"
"Oh, you mean that wasn't your plan in the first place?" the noble fired back, "I couldn't tell. You should make up your mind."
"Argh, shut up, dammit!" Ichigo yelled, slicing through several hollows with his sword, then flash stepping to Byakuya's side and scooping him up again, "Just let's focus on getting outta here and then you can insult me all you want!"
He went silent suddenly, making a grunt of pain as something struck him from behind, sending the two youths crashing to the ground again. Byakuya rolled clear and dove for cover, watching in dismay as the flying hollow that had hit them, circled around and opened it's huge mouth to fire a cero.
"Kami!" he gasped, throwing himself over a small hill and going into a mad, uncontrolled tumble down the other side, crashing into scattered rocks and bumps in the sand, then finally striking his head on something and crashing down into darkness.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Byakuya," said a worried, male voice, breaking into the fog that seemed to hang all about his mind, "C'mon, wake up okay? Byakuya!"
Ichigo, he mouthed silently, looking up into the other youth's anxious brown eyes.
"Thank kami you're awake!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"M-my head hurts," the noble groaned, hissing softly as Ichigo helped him sit up.
He looked around briefly, noting that they were secluded in some kind of building that housed crates and boxes.
"Where are we?" Byakuya asked, blinking slowly and trying to make the two images of Ichigo he saw merge back into one, "Was I unconscious for a long time?"
"Yeah, for a few hours," Ichigo said, pressing a cold pack up against a sore spot on the noble's head and earning a discomfited groan in reply, "Sorry, I know that's gotta hurt. You hit your head pretty bad. You got kinda jostled around too. I kept getting sensed and had to fight a couple of times. Then, I found this place and it's been quiet since. I found a field kit with some healing supplies and some food. You should eat something."
"Why?" Byakuya asked, arching an eyebrow, "I seem to have no reiatsu to sustain. I have no need to eat anything. You should save the food for yourself. And you are injured."
"It's nothing," Ichigo said dismissively.
He sucked in a surprised breath as Byakuya leaned forward and located a sterile cleansing cloth, then addressed an angry gash on the shinigami substitute's forearm.
"It's not nothing," Byakuya commented, remaining calm, even as more blood oozed out and he had to place greater pressure on the wound.
"Ow, dammit, that hurts!"
"My apologies," Byakuya said, keeping his grip on Ichigo's arm, "I must press hard so that the bleeding will stop."
"Yeah, I know, but it fucking hurts!"
He paused, staring at the sudden look of guilt in the other teen's dark eyes.
"I am sorry," Byakuya said, more softly, "You wouldn't have been hurt like that if you hadn't had to protect me and yourself while I was unconscious. It's my fault you were hurt."
"It was not," Ichigo objected, "There were just a lot of them and you were out cold from hitting your head."
"No. You do not need to make excuses for me, Ichigo," the noble said, deflating even more, "The truth is, I am useless to you right now."
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo said, shaking his head, "Because I don't call trashing a hollow with a rock being useless. It's called using what you've got. And it did help."
"Now you're just trying to ease my feelings by being nice to me," Byakuya said dryly, "You don't have to do that. We can just be honest and admit I'm a weakling. It's the truth."
"Hey," Ichigo said sternly, taking hold of the noble's arm and glaring into his surprised eyes, "Stop talking like that. An attitude like that will get us killed. I was wrong before when I told you to stay out of the way. What I should have done was to have you be more stealthy, sneaking up behind them and clobbering them with rocks while I took out some with my sword. It's called working together and using our individual strengths, and it's going to be important if we want to survive. So, you're going to be stealthy and I'll blast anything powerful that gets in our way, okay?"
"Eh...okay," Byakuya agreed, taking up another sterile cleaning pad and touching it to a cut on Ichigo's forehead.
The shinigami substitute froze as a breath of sakura reached his senses and the soft brush of the noble's fingertips caused a heady jolt in his belly.
"Sorry, did that hurt?" Byakuya asked, sounding apologetic.
"It's fine," Ichigo said, biting at his lips as he felt himself begin to harden.
He caught hold of Byakuya's hand, stopping him.
"It's okay now," he said, pulling away, "Come on. I made a place for us to rest up there on the top of that stack of crates. There's a shield around it so we can sleep for a bit."
"As long as no one decides to come in and get some supplies," Byakuya said, looking around.
"There's a thick layer of dust all over everything in here," Ichigo explained, "They don't seem to come in here so much. I think it's because the things in here look like they were more for the shinigamis who were here with Aizen. Now that they're gone, no one really needs this stuff. Anyway, let me take you up to..."
He paused, realizing that Byakuya was no longer in front of him, but already climbing up the side of the stack of crates. Ichigo chuckled softly and caught him halfway to the top.
"What are you doing? I can do it myself!" the noble snapped.
"I know. I'm just saving you the trouble. Calm down and let me help you."
"I don't need your help for that! I know I can't do much of anything, but you could at least respect my pride by letting me do what I can!" Byakuya replied hotly, "I may be weaker than you, but I am not helpless!"
"I know that!" Ichigo yelled back, "I was just trying to be nice to you. Sheesh! Fine then, next time I'll just let you do it yourself. Whatever. Just lie down, all right? I'll...I'll keep watch and you can sleep."
"What about you? You need rest more than I do because you are using your powers. And besides, you did put a shield over the area, ne? You don't really need to stand watch."
"But you were talking like you really don't want to be..."
"I'm sorry," Byakuya said, his head bowing slightly, "I didn't mean to be rude to you. I just...don't like to feel weak. Doing what I can eases the feeling of being a burden to you."
All of the fight suddenly went out of Ichigo's body and he stared back at the noble in surprise.
"H-hey, it's all right," he managed, following Byakuya up into the bed he had made for them, "I get a little carried away, trying to protect everyone sometimes. I didn't mean to act like you were a burden. You're not."
"You're kind to say so," the other teen sighed, lying down and curling his body, "But we both know you are lying."
Ichigo watched him in silence for a moment, feeling a stab of guilt as Byakuya shivered and curled his body more tightly. He moved closer, wrapping himself around the other teen and moving the thin pieces of cloth he had found to somewhat cover them, then made a pillow with his pack and coaxed the other youth into resting his head on an offered shoulder.
"We'll both stay warmer this way," he explained, trying not to react to the warm scent of sakura that radiated around them, scattering his thoughts.
Byakuya didn't answer, but laid quietly against him, blinking and gazing into the darkness.
"Thank you, Ichigo," he said finally, startling the other teen into full wakefulness again.
"For what?"
"For protecting me when I was unconscious...both times. I am sorry that you were injured doing that for me. I will find a way to repay you."
"Forget it," Ichigo yawned sleepily, "It's no big deal. I wanted to."
He studied Byakuya's solemn face in the darkness for a time.
"Look, Byakuya, I know that being without your powers is hard. I remember what that's like, because...I don't know if you remember...but I lost my powers for a while."
"You did?" Byakuya queried, looking surprised.
"Yeah. I did. And when I lost my powers, you were one of the shinigamis who watched over me and sacrificed some of your own power to give me my powers back."
"I...did?"
"Uh-huh," Ichigo said, nodding, "So, I'm going to make you a promise. I'm going to promise you that I'll find a way to help you get your powers back."
"But how?"
"I don't know that yet. I only know I will, because you and I are friends."
"We are?"
"Yeah."
"Oh."
The two were silent for several long minutes, until Ichigo was convinced that Byakuya must have fallen asleep. When he spoke again, it made him jump awake, himself.
"Ichigo?"
"Huh?"
"You don't look at me the way a friend looks at another friend."
An odd feeling passed through Ichigo's chest and stomach as Byakuya's eyes met his in the darkness again.
"I don't?"
"No."
"Then, how do I look at you?"
Ichigo went rigid and still as Byakuya's velvet-soft lips suddenly touched his, and he felt a thousand bright fireworks go off in his head.
Holy hell!
Did Byakuya Kuchiki just...kiss me?