A Black Heart

Hey again guys and girls. I'm sorry that I kind of dropped off the face of the Earth, but I was in an accident back in Nov and I was only cleared to go back to work in early Jan, which meant dealing with an absolute tonne of work to sort out. The bright side though, I've healed mostly (stupid right hand for breaking) and I've caught up on most of my work. Now, here's the thing…I'm going to be deleting a few of my stories (mostly due to my hand killing me as I type this and some fans being right that I simply can't keep up with the workload).

These have made the shortlist (Meaning I will be keeping them) so far;
A Black Heart
The Depths of Our Hatred
The Protector's Temptation
The Red Sun Sets, The Black Sun Rises
When the Heavens Fail

The rest well…they are going into storage for lack of a better term. I will probably do this by the 14th of Feb (sadly that is Valentine's Day). I really don't want to put them up for adoption, but if you really are interested, let me know, but there are no guarantees.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal speech"

'Inner speech/thoughts'

"Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"

"Zanpakuto speech"

"Hollow speech"

XXX

Chapter 9:

'Life's great,' Ichigo Kurosaki thought with a smirk as he lay in his lover's bed, a thin sheet the only thing covering his nude form from the cool air. Ever since he'd killed the hollow Grand Fisher, it seemed that life just seemed to want to go his way. Rukia taught him even more powerful spells, Tatsuki was open-minded with his newfound powers and he was now ranked third in his year, just behind Ryo and some prick named Uryu Ishida. While part of him wanted to be increasing his powers even more, he had to admit that he was enjoying this weekend of R&R he was getting. Hearing the shower shut off, he turned towards the bathroom door, the smirk not leaving his face as Ryo walked out soon afterwards, towelling herself dry.

Ignoring his gaze, or secretly tormenting him, he couldn't decide which, she dropped her towel, allowing it to pool at her feet and bent over to rummage in her drawers, revealing her body fully to him. Giving in to his arousal, he slipped out from under the covers and stalked over to her, placing his hands on her waist as she continued to pick out her outfit.

"I'd prefer it if you stayed like this the entire day," he whispered into her ear, his erect member pressing her against her derriere as he ran his hands up her sides to cup her modest-sized breasts.

"I know you would," she replied, biting back a moan as he continued to tease her with his member, "but…you promised that we could spend this weekend the way I wanted to and I want you to take me out," she said with a soft moan, breaking out of his embrace, her outfit clutched in her hands.

Letting out an exasperated sigh as he was left unsatisfied, he turned towards her, his eyes half-lidded with restrained lust. "As my lady wishes, so shall I comply," he said with a chuckle, heading towards her bathroom. "After all…this is your reward for helping me succeed," he muttered, closing the door behind him.

Letting out an explosive breath as she was left alone, Ryo groaned and collapsed onto her bed, the effort it had taken to deny him overwhelming her. Even now her own lustful side berated her for not giving in. The more rational part of her was glad that she had resisted though, reminding her that she wasn't in this relationship purely for the sex. No, what she gave into was the idea of actual love…

To her friends and teachers, her life was perfectly normal. She loved and was loved by her parents, but since her entry into high school, she had been forced to become independent of them due to the fact that their work required them to travel all over Japan and even other parts of the world. Some would say it was inevitable that she would have to learn to take care of herself, but that did not diminish the fact that the love and affection she craved began to slowly diminish as time passed. Then one day Ichigo Kurosaki swept into her life.

She had been walking home when they'd first met and in a way, it was because of her now second favourite pastime that they'd met. "Another romance novel today Ryo-chan?" a suave voice asked, startling Ryo out of her trance and causing her to drop said book. Before she could reach down for it, another quicker hand had done so, scooping it up and offering it to her. As she was about to berate them for causing her to drop it in the first place, her voice died in her throat as she found herself face to face with the school heartthrob Ichigo Kurosaki, a warm smile on his face.

"T-Thanks," she mumbled, half-hiding her face behind the book as she continued to stare at him.

"You shouldn't hide such a pretty face like that Ryo-chan, you do yourself a disservice," he commented with a frown, pushing the book down until it was level with her chest. "There we go, now isn't that so much better?"

"W-What do you want?" she asked, part of her mind suspicious as to what he was doing here in the first place, after all it wasn't like they stayed in the same area after all.

"I want a great many things Ryo-chan," he said with a sigh, shaking his head for dramatic effect, "but right now I'd just like to escort a beautiful girl home."

Finding no reason not to give in to his wish, owing to the fact that he was probably the first guy to ever ask her, she nodded and they headed off. They had talked about a myriad amount of things on the way home, from what she thought of their chances at winning the next athletics meeting, to what she'd done last weekend. When they finally reached her home, she had allowed herself to relax slightly in his presence, her normally withdrawn self, giving way to a newer, more outgoing personality.

"It was nice talking with you Ryo-chan, I hope I'll see you again tomorrow," he said as they finally reached her gate, before he began to walk down the path towards Tatsuki's home. She still didn't know what had brought it on, but the next thing she knew was that she was calling out to him, causing him to stop mid step.

"W-Would you like something to drink before you leave?" she asked, half-hopeful that he would agree, half-dreading the same.

"No thanks, I've got a bit of a walk before I get home and god knows I'll need all the time I can get with all the homework they piled on us today," he said with a sigh, turning his back on her and beginning to walk away.

"I could help you with it," she shouted after him, feeling her hope rise once again as he stopped. If she had seen the almost predatory like smirk on his face though, she probably would have rescinded her offer immediately and bolted into her house and locked the door.

"Really? That'd be great Ryo-chan," he said with a smile as he joined her at the entrance to her home. "I don't know what I could ever do to thank you though."

But he had…in countless, somewhat sinful ways as she remembered the moments they stole away with one another, her parents completely ignorant of the acts that went on under their roof. At last she had found a source to feed her need for affection and in exchange all he wanted was her help not being a burden to Tatsuki's parents.

"You're still not dressed? Really Ryo can you blame me for thinking that you want to stay in bed the entire day when you're teasing me like this?" Ichigo said, startling her out of her trip down memory lane. Turning to face him, her face acquired a light blush as he stood there in a pair of denim shorts, towel drying his hair, while a few lone droplets slid down his muscled chest. In that single brief moment, she understood completely why the majority of her classmates saw him as their undisputed sex symbol. Feeling him sink down onto the bed next to her, she felt her breath hitch in her throat as she felt his fingers trail down her spine, while his lips ghosted over her neck.

"I…I just zoned out for a sec, I'll be done in a minute," she gasped out, as he pinned her wrists above her head with a single hand, her clothing lying discarded at the foot of her bed.

"It's too late for that Ryo," he murmured into her ear, the sound of his zip being undone echoing in her ears, while he situated himself between her legs. "I'm afraid that we're going to be late for our reservation…" he said, before thrusting into her and causing her to cry out in pleasure.

XXX

Several hours later and the pair of them were strolling down the central lane in the market district, Ichigo's arms laden with parcels, while Ryo had a slight limp in her step. In hindsight, Ichigo realised that he would have to spoil her in order for her to…'forgive' his behaviour, but considering how little it actually cost him, he smirked unrepentant at her, even as she half-heartedly glared at him. As they passed a sports store though, he found his progress halted by Ryo pulling his arm back, her gaze fixed on the display window.

"Tatsuki's birthday is coming up, have you thought about what you're getting for her?" she asked, causing him to chuckle softly.

"Of course I have, you don't think I'd miss my sister's birthday do you?" he asked incredulously. "As he started off again, he paused and turned back to her. "Did you remember a present for me?" he asked with a hint of mischievousness in his tone.

"I may or may not have gotten you one," she said casually, as she strode past him. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Aww and here I was hoping that you would give me a hint. You know how I love my sneak-peeks," he muttered as he moved to catch up. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck twitch, he paused and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. Seeing nothing but a black cat perched on a trash can near him, he scowled and watched as it cocked its head at him. Reaching out with his senses and finding nothing coming from it, he reluctantly tore his gaze away from it and hurried after Ryo, his eyes darting around him still.

When they were finally out of sight, a dark haired young man their age stepped out of the shadows of the alley he had dashed into when Ichigo had sensed something amiss. It was odd though since he could've sworn that he had hidden his presence from him. Staring at the same cat that had drawn Ichigo's attention, he dismissed it and headed in the opposite direction to Ichigo, considering his observations complete for now.

Unknown to both boys though, the cat continued to stare after the pair of them, before its eyes seemingly narrowed and it headed deeper into the alleyway. 'The Quincy boy continues to trail after him…Kisuke was right, something will happen soon,' it thought, before vanishing in a whisper of wind.

XXX

As the week passed by without incident, Rukia found herself grimacing as she found herself once again in a low lit club, with rock pounding out the speakers, while dozens of drunken patrons stumbled around. The only difference now though, was that neither she, nor Ichigo were drinking any alcohol this time, nor were they alone as he and Tatsuki were surrounded by their friends from school. It was to be expected she guessed, since it was their birthday party and Ichigo was certainly more than vain enough to turn it into a spectacle.

Hearing the sound of said orange haired teenager's raucous laughter, she turned her attention back to the game they called '9-Ball', where Tatsuki was blushing embarrassedly as she retrieved a ball from where it had gone flying across the room, even as her friends chuckled lightly. She had tried to listen when Ichigo had explained it to her, but other than the fact that the winner was the person who sunk the ball with the number 9 on it, she didn't understand it at all.

Seeing him smugly pick up the white ball, she watched as he placed it close to the ball numbered four and lined up a shot on the nine, much to Tatsuki's dismay. As he struck it, they all watched in rapture as the four-ball struck the nine, sending it slowly rolling towards the corner pocket. As it was about to sink into its depths though, a hand darted out and plucked it from the table.

Blinking in shock at the sheer audacity of someone interrupting their game, Ichigo glanced up at the offender and found himself faced with a lanky teenager with straight black hair and glasses, wearing a dark purple shirt and black pants. "Can I help you with something...?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I would speak with you…now and in private," the strange teen said, causing Ichigo's brow to furrow in response.

"Sorry bud not interested," he replied casually as he strode towards the teenager. "You see my sister and I are celebrating with our friends tonight and unfortunately you don't meet that classification." Snatching the ball out of his hand, Ichigo turned back to the table, frowning as he positioned the ball once again.

"I doubt you want everyone here to learn of your double life Kurosaki," the teen whispered to him, causing him to freeze in place, his eye twitching as he spun on his heel. "Do I have your attention now?"

"More than you know or want," he whispered back, before turning around to face his latest annoyance, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Well when you put it like that, lead the way buddy," he said, draping his arm around the teen's shoulder and dragging him towards the door.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, moving to follow them, but freezing as Ichigo rounded on her.

"This will only take a minute Tatsuki, just give me a sec," he replied, his tone and expression light hearted, even as he continued to drag another person around. When they were outside though, he wasted little time with pleasantries, shoving his quarry up against the cold brick wall and pinning him there with his elbow at his neck. "Now that we're alone, let's talk…" he said trailing off as he waited for the teen to introduce himself.

"Uryu Ishida, I would think that you would at least recognise me since we are in the same class," Uryu spat, craning his neck against Ichigo's pin.

"Yeah well you're not important enough to remember. Number one on the academic rankings, but a ghost in all other matters. Hell from what I've heard you're more interested in improving your knitting skills than anything else," Ichigo snapped back. "Now tell me what you know…"

"I know that you're more paranoid than I expected," Uryu ground out, still trying to get a bit more comfortable. "I know that you gained the powers of a soul reaper recently and that you seem to be growing more and more proficient with them."

Listening to the teen, Ichigo found himself caring little for the fact that he knew anything about soul reapers, or that he'd even become one and waited for the bombshell to drop. As the silence started to span minutes instead of seconds, Ichigo growled slightly under his breath. "And? Is that it?"

Glancing down at him in confusion, Uryu nodded his head. "What else is there? I've been noticing you when hollows have appeared over Karakura Town and I'm here to tell you that you're not needed." Of all the reactions Uryu expected from Ichigo when he dropped that piece of information, laughter was the last thing on his mind, yet here he was watching the human turned soul reaper gasping for breath as he was doubled over in laughter.

"That's it? Oh god then by all means you can have it. You have no idea how fucking annoying it's been, especially with Rukia constantly demanding I leave to dispose of them. Don't get me wrong, the money I got for killing them was okay, but so not worth the effort." Recovering slightly, he stood up and clasped Uryu on the shoulder. "Well good luck, you'd best get going if you want to be their protector after all."

For Uryu though, his emotions were in disarray, flitting from disbelief, to confusion and finally to anger on hearing that Ichigo had done it for the money. Seeing Ichigo turn to head back into the club, he summoned his bow and took aim at the unsuspecting teen's back. "I didn't come here so that you could simply forfeit Kurosaki!" he spat, firing a shot just wide of Ichigo's shoulder. Seeing that he had his attention, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white button shaped disc. "I came here to show you that you're not needed."

Watching as Uryu crushed it, Ichigo felt a sense of foreboding as the dust disappeared into thin air. "What did you just do?" he whispered, even as the hairs on the back of his neck began to stir.

"That…was hollow bait," Uryu said with a hint of smugness in his tone. "Soon, dozens of hollows will flock to us and we'll be able to see who the better protector is, Soul Reaper…or Quincy."

Incensed that the idiot in front of him would both attack him and start such an idiotic challenge, Ichigo was about to lash out at him, before his blood went cold at the sound of a hollow's roar above them.

XXX

So now I can finally get this part over with. I really want to get to the Soul Society Arc since I have so much stuff planned for it. Hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you all next time.