Disclaimer: Woo hoo! Guess who's back and ready to roll? That's right, me, and it's finally time to get back to this story. But before that I believe I must take this time to say that no, I do not own Bleach, but I use the power invested in me as authoress to twist everything around to suit my needs.

Chapter Warnings: Just some swearing, and maybe hints at shounen-ai. ;3 Ichigo is quite a harem-leader, it seems.

The Familiar Stranger

Chapter 3

Ichigo couldn't resist the little diddy that worked its way through is brain and out of his mouth, a little off-key and full of humour. It was finally time for him to relax! A day of training, of listening to the complaints of his men as they followed his rigourous training and were forced to put up with his spiritual pressure, and he could drink his troubles away. He threw open the door to the large home he owned in the First District, calling out jokingly, "Honey, I'm home!"

However, he wasn't expecting to be glomped from behind. "Ichi-kun! I can smell it; you brought me a present, didn't you?"

He tried to shrug off the ever overly-exhuberant Urahara Kisuke but failed and groaned, deciding he'd just wait for him to jump back down. "Yeah, yeah; I got your freakin' berry juice. Happy? Now would you get off?" He wasn't angry but he did have an averseness to being suddenly tackled by random people. "And how did you even get in my house?!"

Kisuke clicked his tongue at Ichigo before dropping to the floor, waving his new fan in the other's face. "Shame on you, Ichi-kun; you would ask such a thing? Surely you don't doubt the skills of moi, the great Urahara Kisuke, inventor extraordinaire?" The orange-head slumped his shoulders and Urahara chortled, flapping the fan. "Come on, come on; where's my juice? You admitted yourself you got so hand it over and I'll give you my special sake. You know you want it and I heard you plan on drinking tonight so..." He left the sentence hanging.

With another heavy groan Ichigo took out the canister, tossing it carelessly in front of him, much to the other's displeasure. "Alright already; just knock off the fruity crap. I swear, you're worse than that Orochimaru guy from that ninja manga in the human world." He rubbed his neck, trying to crack it to release some of his tension. "While you're getting the sake, grab me some of that muscle tension relief cream you make; I'll need it before tonight."

Pocketing his cannister with a gleam Urahara pushed Ichigo into one of the chairs placed artfully near the door, swatting his hands away and taking over the job for himself, expertly rubbing and kneading the tense neck and shoulder muscles beneath his nimble fingers before applying the burning gel. "Rough day with the boys, dear?" He only half-joked, quite intent on this job.

"God, you wouldn't believe." Ichigo muttered, turning his head to the side to tempt the fingers there. "All they do is bitch and moan, and then bitch some more. I can't get three seconds to myself without someone clamouring for my attention. Why did I ever agree to become a captain?" He closed his eyes, twitching slightly as the hands turned rougher to dig out knots but it felt great.

"I believe you were coerced into it, Ichi-kun. By Yamamoto-sama, if I'm not mistaken. We're all fools though in that sense." The knots were deep; he really had to dig hard to get them and hoped he wasn't really hurting the young noble with the rough treatment.

The captain groaned and let his head fall foreword to his chest; all he really wanted to do was sleep now.

"Ichigo?" Urahara sounded uncharacteristically serious as he leaned down, nuzzling into the scent of his own concoction. "Want to try some of my berry juice?"

That snapped Ichigo out of his stupor. "No way! Mayuri hinted that that stuff can blow things up; I am not ingesting it." He paused. "But you can make me some Red Marsh tea (1) cause I could use it right now." Urahara's tea was the only kind he drank; he refused any and all other kinds for reasons he refused to divulge.

With a nod and a flick of his wrists to remove the substance he'd been rubbing into those tan shoulders Urahara skipped off, fingering the outline the cannister made in his robes. He would indeed have some fun with that at a later date but first, the tea and some drinking!

x-a few hours later-x

Yoruichi arrived before Gin, unsurprisingly carrying her own jug-like container of specially brewed alcohol. She had an arm wrapped around a young Kukaku Shiba, one of her old friends and favorite drinking buddy. Ichigo led her in, noticed they both already stank of sake, and sighed. Why couldn't they ever wait until after they'd come to his house before beginning to drink?

Not twenty minutes after them and after he'd taken his first drink of sake-and finished his second cup of tea-there was another knock at his door, slight and hesitant. With a grin he tossed open the door, startling Gin who was standing there looking guilty. "Gin, my good friend, so glad you could join us! If you'd just step out of your shoes-you're not wearing shoes-" It was all said in a rather jovial tune that never raised pitch as he dragged the boy inside via his wrist and picked him up like a sack of potatoes under one arm. He carried him into the parlor, raising him up like a trophy for the other three there. "Look what I found on my doorstep, guys! He's cute; can I keep him?" He wasn't the littlest bit tipsy from the potent sake. Not at all.

While Gin struggled Kukaku raised herself up to stare at him, grinning widely. "Aww, what an adorable puppy, Ichi! Let's all keep him! Do you want some sake, puppy? Kisuke, pour the boy some sake!" She waved around her jug, sloshing its contents but ignoring the spill.

With a happy, slightly wild laugh Urahara did as bid, but somehow managed to pour the regular, less potent sake rather than his own mix for the kid. He handed him the cup after Ichigo had sort of gently tossed him to the floor, resuming their places for their own drinks.

"Yum, yum, I enjoy my rum! Sittin' on me bum, eating a plum." Yoruichi sang in an off-key voice, dragging on Urahara's and Ichigo's shoulders and forcing them to tilt sideways and backways with her as she sang that little made up tune...over and over and over again.

At first Gin watched them all with a slightly tolerant smile and confused eyes, wondering what caused them to act that way. He shrugged and lifted his own saucer, staring at it before tossing it back like a pro, like he'd seen the girls do quite often in his short time being there. It burned his throat, cleared his sinuses, and then made everything else blur. Before he knew it he was the one acting the fool, snuggling up to anyone within his reach and poorly begging for more drink as everyone got louder and more wild the more they consumed. He was sure that people should be pounding on their door, shouting for them to shut up, but he just didn't care anymore!

Ichigo smiled, relaxed, as he studied the scene. Gin was acting like the little boy he should be-alright, a really tipsy little boy but a boy none the less-and Urahara was having the time of his life rather than filling his head with nonsense symbols and tiring himself, and Yoruichi and Kukaku managed to forget their troubles as they just had fun. This right here was why he wasted his nights drinking. Grinning, he stood and presented himself in what could only be called the "good guy pose." He made sure everyone was watching before he spoke. "Yes! I...am going...to find myself...." He paused every so often, trying to hold their attention with the drama. But he couldn't quite find the word he wanted, his mind clouded, and scowled before shun-poing through the doorway, leaving them wondering what the hell he'd been talking about.

The four stared at each other before suddenly cracking up, finding the whole situation rather amusing. "More!" Gin demanded and Kukaku gladly oblidged him while Yoruichi began singing a song. A really weird song about coconuts.

xx

Ichigo let his feet direct him to wherever they were taking him, his mind drifting away. He didn't particularly want to leave his friends but Ogichi had been pestering him and pestering him until he finally stood up. Now, he just went where he willed. A few minutes later he found himself at the infirmary, staring up at its windows...searching, seeing....

Go up. Ogichi whispered to him, wanting, waiting. Find him.

He knew now what that side of him wanted, what secretly he wanted as well. Without another thought he stepped inside, stuffing his reiatsu so tightly barely a hint of it escaped to tease the patients. He weaved among them, back and forth, hunting out the one he wanted. At long last, a few floors and scores of rooms later, he found him.

Asleep with his head tilted toward the never-waning moon, the covers pulled to his shoulders so that his neck was bare, pale and just begging for a touch. Ichigo creeped foreword, his feet not making a sound, until he stood beside that silent figure. The stranger. This newcomer who brought change. Unwilling, his hand stretched out until there was only centimeters between his fingers and the skin of his cheek, but he didn't move it closer. He held it there, steady, watching for signs of life.

When nothing happened he moved his body closer, keeping his hand in place as he bent his head. Now, there was just a whisper of space between his lips and those pale ones, a sliver between their noses; his lips parted and his breath ghosted over them, warming them. They twitched and he was gone, out the window in a flash with nary a sound. Unbidden his hand rose to his own lips, wondering about what had just transpired. What was I about to do? Did I just almost-

He cut himself off, not wanting to finish the thougth. He ignored Ogichi's barely there whine to go back, instead jumping to the inside of Keir's room via the open window, landing with a thump and delighting at the way his fukutaichou jumped and rolled out of his bed, crashing to the floor before jumping up with his Zanpaku-to at the ready. He grinned when Keir glared at him after noticing who it was.

"Kurosaki-taichou! It's in the middle of the night; what are you doing here?"

He smiled and stood, pointing at Keir. "Fukutaichou Keir! Summon the rest of our squad; we commence our training early today!" His voice was only the slightest bit slurred.

Keir stepped closer, recoiling when he caught a whiff of Ichigo's breath. "Taichou! Are you-are you drunk?" He gasped, unbelieving.

"Only slightly!" Ichigo replied loudly, still pointing. Yes, that was it; that was the reason he'd almost done that. It was because of Urahara's sake! "Now let's go! We've got a full day of training and I want my men down in the training grounds now!"

BLEH. That's what I say to you! I think it started off strong but then...went downhill. Of course, it is...uh, 6:18 am and I did start this around...4:30 5:00 am cause I didn't want to sleep, so maybe that's it. Anyway, aren't ya'll glad I got out a new chapter for ya? Even if it is a bit odd. Me, I've never touched a drop of liquour in my life so I don't really know how drunk people act. Yeah, and you're also not gonna find out what that berry juice is just yet cause I still don't know. Soooo, PLEASE

R
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and I'll love ya'll forever!!!! Caio!

(1) Red Marsh tea: I have no idea if this is really a tea; I just made up the name. I figured, you know, what with Tessai being so great at food and healing and tea and stuff that he'd had to have learned from someone, hench Urahara being able to make teas from unusual substances with great restoring properties. So, please don't search out a red marsh and make tea from some of the plants in it. O.o Really.