Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

WARNINGS: YAOI (duh).

Once Upon a Storybook

#1: Angel

When the entire world was drenched in red and black, he was there: a white angel amidst the background of battles and warfare.

#2: Cinderella

The clock struck midnight, and a bleary-eyed Ichigo watched from his bed as Toushirou cursed and apologized, saying he had a Captains' meeting in fifteen minutes – why Yamamoto would call a Captains' meeting at this hour was beyond him.

#3: Rapunzel

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair," Ichigo implored; Toushirou responded with a lamp to the head and a, "My name's Hitsugaya, dumbass – and in what universe is my hair golden?"

#4: Hat

Toushirou gazed at the familiar straw hat in Ichigo's hand, "You stole Kyouraku's hat . . . why . . . and how?"

#5: Witch

"Rukia's a witch," he grumbled as he shoved the Chappy plush into a startled Toushirou arms, "she blackmailed me into buying this for you . . ."

#6: White Rabbit

He's like that white rabbit, Ichigo reflected as he watched Toushirou speed through the hallways of the Tenth, panicking when he's late for the Captains' meeting – wait, so did that mean Yamamoto was the Queen of Hearts?

#7: Beast

He snarled at the Hollow crouched over the body of his lover; a crimson haze blocked his vision as he ruthlessly slaughtered the corrupt soul into tiny little pieces, furious at the fact that this beast dared lay one finger on his mate.

#8: Flowers

A bouquet of purple hyacinths rested on his porch, along with an apology for his utter stupidity the other night; the next day, a dozen white tulips rested on the other's porch, along with a note of forgiveness.

#9: Needle

Toushirou hissed as he pricked himself with the needle; he recalled that fairytale Ichigo once told him about, and wondered if someone would try to assassinate him this way – but then, not many know about his hobby of needlework . . .

#10: Heart

"No one messes with my loved ones," he hissed as he stabbed the bastard through the heart.

#11: Sleeping Beauty

He watched the half-dressed kid spread out on the bed, snoring and muttering phrases that could not have been Japanese – it was beautiful.

#12: Devil

"You're evil," Ichigo deadpanned as he plucked tarred feathers from his hair, "you tarred and feathered me just because I ate your watermelons?"

#13: Dwarf

"Don't kill the guy," Ichigo said absently as he watched the diminutive Captain glare at the officer, "you really are short – hey now, put down the sword . . ."

#14: Apple

"I don't understand why you hate apples so much," Toushirou commented, "sure, they're not as soft as oranges, but apples are, like, eighty to eighty-five percent water . . ."

#15: Mirror

Toushirou stared at the white hair and teal eyes on the reflective surface, wondering what possessed Ichigo to actually enter a relationship with him, all the while very aware of his reputation of having an icy heart – surely he could do better?

#16: Poem

"It might sound weird because of the language, but it's really meaningful and romantic," Ichigo protested as Toushirou snickered over his collection of Shakspeare's works.

#17: King

Hichigo taunted his spineless King, "After all this time, you still don't have the balls to tell him?"

#18: Ruby

Toushirou scowled at the ruby slippers Ichigo had given him, "Red is not my colour – you know that."

#19: Teacup

"It was an accident – I swear," Ichigo stuttered, backing away from the volatile Shinigami staring at his china tea set – his broken china tea set.

#20: Eternity

Ichigo had promised himself long ago that he will win the heart of the icy Captain – even if it took him all of eternity to do so.

#21: Castle

Ichigo admired the vast ruins of a Scottish castle before them, "So, Toushirou, the Adjuchas is in there?"

#22: Knight

Toushirou smirked, moved his knight across the board, and announced, "Checkmate, I get to be on top."

#23: Holy Grail

Ichigo waded through the sea of Hollows, slicing a path through the white hallway dotted with spiraling columns; it was all worth it, for at the end of the corridor was his prize, his lover, his very own Holy Grail.

#24: Jack

"You're cheating," Ichigo accused as he laid a jack of hearts on top of an identical card; Toushirou merely shrugged and gave him an innocent smile.

#25: Wish

If only I could sleep beside you, he thought longingly as he watched the other sleep fitfully underneath the cover.

#26: Pinocchio

"I heard that your nose is supposed to get longer when you lie," Toushirou commented as he presented the book he found under Ichigo's bed to a sheepish, guilty teen.

#27: Fairy

"And sprinkle some fairy dust – no, it's not actually fairy dust, Toushirou, it's cinnamon . . ."

#28: Queen of Hearts

"You're the queen of my heart," he murmured, nuzzling his white hair; he wasn't quite prepared for the slap that occurred after, "C'mon, Shirou, we both know I'm the male in this relation – ow, ow, OW!"

#29: Beauty

Simply beautiful, Ichigo thought as Toushirou stargazed at the night sky, his breathtaking face tenderly illuminated by the silver moon.

#30: Lamp

He turned off the lamp, grabbed his lover by the arms, and started ripping apart his clothes,"C'mon, I've been waiting for this all week!"

#31: Crumbs

"I ate it," he said curtly, ignoring Ichigo's baffled look at the remains of what used to be a fresh batch of watermelon muffins.

#32: Thorn

"Don't be such a baby," Toushirou snapped, plucking out another thorn from Ichigo's arm, "it's your own fault for falling into that rosebush."

#33: Hook

The Captain of the Tenth Division had ensnared Ichigo's heart the first time they met; he was running away from Kenpachi when the little white-haired Shinigami pulled him into his office and rescued him from being slaughtered into tiny little bits – and just then, when Ichigo's amber eyes found its teal counterparts, he knew that Toushirou had him – hook, line and sinker.

#34: Thumbelina

If Toushirou was Thumbelina, then surely Ichigo was his flower-fairy prince – size be damned.

#35: Godmother

When they adopted their first child, they named Unohana the godmother – neither of them wanted to be subjected to her "gentle persuasions."

#36: Horse

Ichigo wrestled with his Hollow for control over his mind; dammit, Toushirou's in the room next door, can't let him get hurt . . .

#37: Dragon

A dragon protects those he loves with a ferocity like no other – as shown when Ichigo fell in battle and Toushirou slew his way through countless enemies to defend his wounded lover.

#38: Cloak

"You need a cloak, Ichigo," Toushirou explained, "because that new dimension Urahara discovered has cold arctic temperatures – and I am not going to be the one to explain to Yamamoto how the Substitute Shinigami was stupid enough to die of hypothermia because you're too stubborn to wear a thermal cloak – oh god, Ichigo, for the last time, the cold doesn't bother me . . ."

#39: Magic

Ichigo plucked the three of hearts from the deck of cards, asking if it was his card; Toushirou snorted, rolled his eyes, and told him that he missed the second step, "It's hopeless teaching you magic . . . and it was the king of spades."

#40: Mouse

"Don't kill it," Ichigo cried as he chased Toushirou, who was chasing the rodent, holding a broom, "it's my sister's mouse!"

#41: Wolf

Their child's first word – to their amusement – was uttered during a brief visit to Komamura's private quarters; the sweet voice broke through the quiet discussion and rang out, "Wolfie!"

#42: Candy

Toushirou scowled at the mountain of candies on top of his desk as Ichigo grinned at him from the doorway, "First Ukitake, now you!"

#43: Dress

"I don't fucking care about the dress code," he hissed, glaring at the sheepishly smiling carrot-top, "I am not wearing a dress to that party."

#44: Tower

"Damn," Ichigo examined the tourists taking pictures of the Tower of London and asked his white-haired companion, "there are so many people . . . how are we going to fight the Menos without hurting anyone?"

#45: Forest

"Ichigo," Toushirou whined, "let me lead; I'm telling you it's this way – I know how to navigate by stars, dammit . . ."

#46: Woodland Animals

Toushirou smirked as he watched Ichigo try and fail to feed the herd of deer with leftover beef jerky – he should probably tell him that they were herbivores . . .

#47: Sword

"Come at me," Toushirou ordered, holding his own blade out in a defensive position, "Urahara only taught you the very basics, and what you fight with is crude and unsophisticated; you need to learn how to weird your Zanpakutou properly . . ."

#48: Star

"There are a lot more stars in Rukongai," he muttered to the orange-head beside him, "we should go stargazing there sometime . . ."

#49: Shoes

Toushirou applied glue to the soles of Ichigo's shoes with a mischievous smirk, "No sense of humour, my ass . . ."

#50: Love

Screw those homophobes – love between two men doesn't make its power any less potent, if the field of massacred Hollows that dared try to hurt mate is anything to go by.

END

This is my first try writing romance (and, in turn, YAOI). I don't think I'm going to be writing another one in the near future. I'm over IchiHitsu now. It took me one month to finish this. ONE MONTH. This is definitely not my best work . . .
Some of the sentences are intentionally vague; I left it like that so you can decide for yourself whose point of view it was.

Anyways, review please . . .