A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to final instalment of Almost Perfect. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it and, trust me, though it has taken a long long time, I've enjoyed it a lot.
Thank you for all the amazing reviews you have all given me and that you for all of the alerts and favourites! I know that the last quarter of this story came out very slowly, but I have had a lot on my plate for a long time and it was beginning to have an effect on me. I just hope you didn't all get too annoyed at me for it!
That being said, please, enjoy!
"No. I'm not doing this anymore." Ichigo said, shaking his head and going back the way he came.
"Come on! I've got to meet them sometime."
"I'm sure you've met them before. And there's plenty of time."
"No, we're doing this."
It was the first day off Ichigo had been given since he became a Captain. It had been three months since the end of the whole Akane Katenashi ordeal and things had been on the road to repair so quickly that now, you wouldn't even know it had happened if you looked around.
A couple of weeks before hand, Ichigo had suggested that Toushiro should come and visit his family with him and Toushiro had held him too it. Hence their little arguement in the street. Ichigo hadn't felt any nerves going through the Senkaimon. Nor had he felt any when they sat at Urahara's with all of his friends from the World of the Living, drinking tea for an hour. Now, literally around the corner from the Kurosaki clinic, Ichigo back in his normal body and Toushiro in his gigai, Ichigo was getting cold feet.
"It's going to be so embarrassing though! They don't even know that I'm gay for godsake!"
"It'll be fine," Toushiro comforted, taking Ichigo's hand. "Come on."
Ichigo groaned but allowed himself to be pulled along anyway, making noises of disdain for the last twenty feet.
They reached the front door and Ichigo took a deep breathe, unhooking his hand from Toushiro's, before he opened it.
The first thing he noticed was the smell of his favourite food, karashi mentaiko, filling the house. The second was Yuzu running from the kitchen and throwing herself at him.
"Ichi-niiiiiii! I'm so happy to see you!" She buried her head in his chest and hugged him tight.
"Hey," Ichigo laughed, pulling one of her pig tails. "You've grown since I saw you last."
She beamed up at him then turned to Toushiro. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."
"I'm Toushiro Hitsugaya," he smiled, holding out his hand for her to shake.
She took it and smiled. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Karin and Dad are in the living room."
Ichigo led Toushiro through to the living room and was greeted by a cry of happiness. "My darling son Ichigo!"
The strawberry took in his fathers oncoming form and redirected him, so that he ran straight into the wall. "Hey old man."
"Ichigo! Toushiro!" Karin leant over the back of the sofa, smiling and waving at the pair.
After a song and dance about his son being home, Isshin calmed down somewhat and started going on like his usual self, trying to make Toushiro feel welcome by claiming that they should have 'Super Special Kurosaki Family Domino Tournament'. That idea was quickly shot down by all three of his children, Toushiro just smiling and laughing nervously. The tenth division Captain found it hard to believe that this man had once been a very powerful Soul Reaper. He still was, technically.
Every so often, Toushiro would send Ichigo expectant glances, trying to get him to tell his family about them, but the strawberry chose to ignore him, drawing out his own agony.
It was only when they sat down for dinner that he decided it had to be done. Yuzu brought over the dishes, placing them in the middle of the table for people to help themselves. She offered Toushiro the serving ladle first, saying that guests should have the first serving. Ichigo watched and, after serving himself last, he cleared his throat.
"Before we eat, there's something I need to tell you."
Everyone went into a rare and golden moment of silence and stared at him, Isshin freezing with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
He glanced at Toushiro and took a deep breathe.
"While I was up in the Soul Society, I realised something that I feel you should all know." He took a drink of water, his throat dry from nervousness.
"Well, what is it?" Karin asked.
"I-I'm..." His voice cracked. He had no idea how to say it. He glanced at Toushiro again and, with an encouraging nod from him, he tried again. "I'm gay."
The silence that followed his statement was even thicker than before. Yuzu and Karin just looked at him, eyes unblinking, and the food Isshin held in his chopsticks slipped out of them and fell with a splat on to the table.
"Son..." His father looked sombre, making Ichigo avoid his eyes. "That's great!"
Ichigo's eyes snapped back up just in time to see his father jump up and dive at the wall-covering picture of his mother.
"Oh Masaki! Our son will bring me another son one day. Fair enough there will be no grandchildren, but Yuzu and Karin can do that!"
"Dad!" Karin and Yuzu screamed, looking shocked and disgusted.
"Another son! Oh, this is a joyous day!"
Ichigo flushed a bright red and buried his head in his arms. Toushiro felt sorry for him, seeing why Ichigo would feel some embarrassment. He glanced sideways when he felt someone looking at him and saw Karin staring, giving him a questioning look. He too flushed and looked away, sensing that Karin had put the simple equation together much quicker than the other two. Ichigo comes home, brings another man with him, and tells his family he is gay. It's not hard to guess who this other man would be to him.
Yuzu, now over the initial shock of Ichigo's announcement and her fathers perverse comment, squealed with happiness. She jumped up and ran round the table, throwing her arms around Ichigo's neck. "Ichi-nii! Is there a lucky man?"
Ichigo, smirked, looking straight at Toushiro with a very evil glint in his eye. "Yes."
Yuzu followed his gaze, her own eyes settling on Toushiro. Isshin turned his head too, staring at Toushiro while still insanely gripping Masaki's wall shrine.
The two blinked stupidly at the white haired man for a few seconds before things clicked into place.
Toushiro flushed a deep red under everyone's gaze and, before he even had a moment to register it, he was ambushed at both sides. Yuzu and Isshin had dived on him and, under their crushing grip around his neck and chest which had knocked the wind out of him, he was already beginning to suffocate.
Ichigo laughed, he couldn't be anything but thankful for this reaction, it was normal and therefore better than anger or denial.
Toushiro, however, could have hoped for a less extravagant one. He was beginning to think he may actually die, because the two didn't seem to want to let go anytime soon. He tried to speak as Isshin and Yuzu screamed and squealed.
"My new son!"
"I'm so happy for Ichi-nii and Shiro-nii!"
However, no words escaped his oxygen starved mouth.
"Yuzu. Dad. His lips are turning blue." Karin said eventually, coming to his rescue.
The father and daughter gasped and let go, apologising profusely as Toushiro gasped for breathe, clutching at his chest.
Ichigo laughed even harder at this, earning a glare from Toushiro for not even attempting to help.
Dinner was a loud affair, as Toushiro recovered from his near-suffocation experiance and Ichigo enjoyed time with his family.
Toushiro watched as Ichigo laughed freely and happily, seeing a whole different side of him. He was so gentle with his sisters, even with Karin, who seemed more hard faced than some of the most battle worn female Soul Reaper's he knew. And the way he and his father interacted was both shocking and heart-warming. Isshin clearly had too much love to give and Ichigo clearly had too little patience to take it, but he could see a bond there.
One by one, Ichigo's family made there way to bed until it was just the two of them left, watching late night comedy shows on what Toushiro had been informed was a television.
Toushiro was dozing off against Ichigo's chest, his head resting perfectly on Ichigo's shoulder while they were wrapped in a huge blanket. Ichigo smiled to himself as he looked down at the white mane of hair tickling his chin, lightly kissing it and tightening his arms around Toushiro. The smaller man stirred a little and mumbled what sounded like Ichigo's name.
Smiling even wider, he slid from underneath his lover and turned off the TV before looking down at Toushiro lying on the sofa, looking innocent in his slumber.
Careful not to wake him up, Ichigo slid his arms underneath him and picked him up, carrying him bridal style up the stairs to his room.
Awkwardly, he managed to open his bedroom door, but in the process, he woke the sleeping man in his arms.
Toushiro blinked his tired eyes up at Ichigo and smiled.
Ichigo smiled back and placed him on the bed. "What?"
"I just love you." As he spoke, Toushiro seemed to fall back to sleep almost instantly, making Ichigo chuckle at the cuteness of his lover.
Not bothering to change, Ichigo climbed into his bed and wrapped his arms around Toushiro, instantly feeling the young capatin snuggle into him.
Ichigo lay there for a while, just staring at Toushiro's face. He could remember lying in this very bed, at numerous points over the last few years, thinking about how his life was almost perfect.
But now, as his thoughts followed the same path, thinking of his friends; both living and dead, and his family, he now had something else to think about.
That piece of his heart that he felt was missing was here, right now, but it wasn't with him. It was held tightly in Toushiro's hand and would continue to be so until he died. The hole in his soul had been filled.
His life wasn't almost perfect now. It was completely perfect.
MisaxMisa: OMG I can't believe another one is over D:
Ichigo: Don't worry Misa, there'll always be others...
MisaxMisa: You're right Ichi! Hmm... Maybe I'll pair you with Shirosaki next.
Shirosaki: Say whut?
Ichigo: You wouldn't dare? :O
MisaxMisa: Is that a challenge? ;)
Ichigo & Shiro: We're doomed...