Latest Posts by rlacodus - Page 4
IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND HE'S ALL I DRAW GOD I HAVE BECOME SO CRINGE!! Anyway, Kittji~! (my brain is rotting-) ALSO THE LAST DRAWING IS ONE I MADE IN THE MDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH MY MOUSE ON PAINT THIS DRAWING HAUNTS ME-
ichigo grows up beautiful. of course, kisuke doesn't see it for himself, careful to stay away after aizen. after isshin's request that his son be allowed to finish growing up in peace. but chad and orihime still drop by, and while they're only in the periphery of ichigo's life, they have the added advantage of having contacts who've remained close with the ex-substitute soul reaper.
so they've seen photographs - arisawa tatsuki and ichigo smiling towards the camera. a red-haired girl wearing glasses with her arm linked with ichigo's, sticking her tongue out at someone off frame. a group photo that includes ichigo, arisawa and the red head alongside a mousy brunette and a leggy, dark haired girl, as well as the two boys ichigo had always hung out with, standing in front of a giant waterfall.
in all of them ichigo shines like a tiny sun, blinding and beautiful.
so maybe it shouldn't have come as a shock when orihime comes by one day, worried about a man she sees following ichigo. soul society never did send anyone more competent to karakura after ichigo was... unable to continue with his duties. kisuke has had to konso a lot of spirits since then.
what does come as a shock is realising that the man following ichigo isn't a spirit, attracted by the gentle light of ichigo's soul. it's a man, attracted by something more physical, and with much darker intentions.
and ichigo is strong - if the man ever tried anything, kisuke is sure ichigo could send this man to the hospital with no problem -
but something protective and urgent burns inside the body kisuke had painstakingly built himself, seeing the vile things the man wants to do to ichigo. the man's soul is dark and festering, and kisuke doesn't want it near ichigo, even if it's just to kick the living daylights out of him.
and it's different to kill a living being. messier. heavier. the blood and viscera more than just a symbol of spiritual destruction.
but the way kisuke shrugs it off feels the same.
he breathes out, is almost done arranging himself back into friendly shop keeper when a voice calls out -
"i could've handled him, you know."
he smiles. "you would deny me the chance to save a damsel in distress? how cruel of you, kurosaki-kun."
then kisuke turns around to bask in the sun.
Random Incorrect Quotes and Vibes from the Bleach AU I will probably never write (Rukia is killed by Aizen and them in the SS arc)
—-
Ichigo: *feral teenager with slightly cat-like tendencies because of his hollow*
Shinji:
Sakanade in his head: M I N E
…
Shinji: *explaining the inner hollow and everything that happened with Aizen and how they trained their hollows*
Ichigo: *a nerd who likes literarture and knows exactly what werewolves are*
Ichigo: Can I say something–
Shinji: *has questioned his reality more than once because of this kid’s weird questions* NO–
…
Ichigo: *goes to his inner world to see why the fuck Shiro is constantly screaming in his ear*
Shiro: *leaning over his body omniously with his big smile because he has been seperated from Ichigo for so long and this is the first time they’ve interacted without Old Man Zangetsu getting in the way so he’s happy*
Ichigo: wtfwtfwtf–
…
Shiro: *a feral tiny cat that likes to fight too much*
Sakanade: *a feral big cat the puts him in air jail*
Benihime: *the sadistic instigator*
….
Karin: *snooping through Ichigo’s room because she’s worried and finds Rukia’s asauchi*
Karin: *touching Rukia’s sword after Ichigo told her what happened and feeling a weird jolt or reiatsuand urge to keep it*
Ichigo: *who felt the reiatsu* …
Karin:…
Karin: I have been CHOSEN–
Ichigo: NO–
…
Ichigo: What do you have there?
Karin: A Zanpakuto!
Ichigo: NO!
…
Karin: *facing a hollow while Ichigo was at the SS and losing*
Kangetsu (her Zanpakuto): cAN YoU hEAr mE?
…
Hitsugaya: *looks vaguely like her Zanpakuto spirit*
Karin: *softly* Holy shit
…
Ichigo: Goodnight moon.
Ichigo: Goodnight tree. Ichigo: Goodnight ghosts that only I can see.
…
Karin: Is stabbing someone immoral?
Isshin: *Joking* Not if they consent to it
Ichigo: *Serious* Depends on who you’re stabbing
Yuzu: *the one sane non-soul reaper in the family* YES?!
…
Ichigo: *walking into his room* Hello people who do not live here
Renji: Hey
Ikkaku: Hi
Yumichika: Hello
Rangiku: Hey!
Ichigo: You’re only supposed to come here for emergencies!
Renji: We were out of Doritos *they’re on a mission, he’s just fucking with him*
…
Orihime: I impulsively bought a snake, what do I name hime?
Ishida: *scared of snakes* You did WHAT–
Ichigo: William Snakespeare
…
Renji: *while they were going to save Rukia* This is such a bad idea
Ichigo: Then why are you coming along?
Renji: One of us needs to be able to talk the Gotei out of arresting us when this goes wrong
…
Ichigo: Do you think I can fit fifteen marshmallows in my mouth?
Ishida: You’re a hazard to society
Renji: And a coward. Do twenty
…
Orihime: If I were a drink, I’d be a strawberry vanilla coke. If you were a drink, what would you be?
Ichigo: Bleach (PUN FULLY INTENDED XD)
Keigo: *he found out ichigo and Chad didn’t fail like him* Sewage
Orihime: *concern*
Tatsuki: Calm down edgelords
…
Okay, that’s it
Some of these were canon, some of these were just random shit from my fic that i might never write
Have a Bleach extended-winter-war time-travel-fix-it idea. In this AU Kaien's death happened before the whole turn-back-the-pendulum arc. (Yes, another Bleach time-travel AU, I know, shut up.)
As Ichigo and Kisuke are planning to go back to the past, Kisuke makes sure to emphasize to Ichigo that they have to protect Shiba Kaien. Apparently, it's of the utmost importance.
Ichigo doesn't know exactly how Kaien's continued well-being plays into saving the future. Kisuke never really explains it, or gives him a straight answer when he asks. But Ichigo knows that the Shiba Clan-Head carried a great deal of political power, and Ichigo also knows that Kaien -- according to Kukaku and Rukia -- was highly competent, incredibly noble, and fundamentally kind. It's not exactly unintuitive that a person like that could be important to bringing down Aizen.
So Ichigo listens, when Kisuke tells him to protect Shiba Kaien. He memorizes how Kaien died in the original timeline. He's attentive as Kisuke reiterates for the thousandth time that Aizen will keep trying to assassinate Kaien until he succeeds. He takes notes when Kisuke hypothesizes about what Aizen's various assassination attempts might look like -- poison during a meal, hired assassins at night, an ambush during a mission.
Ichigo ingrains the assignment into his core: protect Shiba Kaien, because if Kaien falls, the mission fails.
So when Kisuke slips a paralytic into Ichigo's tea and places Ichigo in the middle of the time-travel kido array and drains the entirety of his own spiritual energy to activate the array, a sacrifice that Ichigo never would have agreed to--
Well. The first thing Ichigo does when he arrives back in the past, numb and alone and only able to function by focusing on the duty that is his purpose -- is track down Shiba Kaien.
After all, if Ichigo is going to kill Aizen -- and he is, no matter what it takes -- he needs to keep Kaien alive.
Ichigo goes straight to the Shiba family grounds. In true Shiba fashion, they accept him immediately as family. They tend to his wounds and give him a meal and welcome him home. They let him get away with his weak excuses and explanations, and they defend his presence to the rest of Soul Society.
Kaien, in accordance with everything Ichigo has heard about the man, personally takes the newest addition to the family under his wing.
Ichigo's plans to deal with Aizen take shape around his need to keep an eye on Kaien.
Ichigo, instead of running as far and fast as he can from the Shiba clan, accepts the offer to live in the Shiba compound. He gets to know every clan member and retainer, subtly vetting for traitors. He sleeps in a room near Kaien's, allowing him to both guard against assassins at night and place warding runes around Kaien's door without having to worry about being caught somewhere he has no business being.
He joins the Court Guard in the 13th division instead of the 5th, because the only real way to protect Kaien on a mission is to be there with him. Ichigo knows that if there's an ambush, or if the mission details have been tampered with, he'll be more than enough fire power to get Kaien out of it. And it's easy to always get paired with Kaien; Kaien -- reliably taking every opportunity to hover around Ichigo that he's offered -- does most of the work, leveraging his status as lieutenant and Ichigo's combat ability to keep them together.
Ichigo finds himself frequently taking meals with Kaien and Kaien's friends. Kaien always invites Ichigo, and Ichigo accepts so he can subtly check the food for poison.
(Ichigo does not tell Kaien about Aizen. Ichigo is still unsure what Kaien's role is in the whole fight, and in the meantime, telling him about Aizen is a sure way to get him killed.)
Things heat up. Ichigo prevents both Miyako and Kaien's death, killing Metastacia before it can hurt anyone. Ichigo's shadow war against Aizen gets more intense. Ichigo sneaks out regularly to dismantle Aizen's illusions, destroy his labs, and attack his network of power, slowly weakening him.
Ichigo waits for the assassination attempts against Kaien, but they don't come, even several weeks after Metastacia fails. Ichigo takes it as a sign that he's got Aizen distracted.
Things continue for a while. Ichigo falls into a strange routine.
(And Ichigo tries not to break, seeing so many of his loved ones alive and unknowing of him. It is agony, to be around Shunsui, who is not his mentor, and the Visored, who are neither visored nor pack.
But the worst is when Captains Urahara and Shihouin catch on to his war against Aizen. He finds himself working with them as allies.
Allies. Mere allies, instead of --
Well. Not that it matters anymore.
All that matters is his duty.)
Time passes. Aizen weakens. There are no attempts on Kaien's life yet.
And then Aizen's web has unraveled enough for Ichigo to attack.
It's a long battle. It's a bloody battle. It's a very public battle.
Ichigo wins.
And it's only after it's all over -- after Aizen's crimes are revealed and Soul Society is at peace and the future is saved; after Ichigo finds himself still alive and adrift, with nothing left obligating him to keep going and everything telling him to give up; as Kaien refuses to leave Ichigo alone and escorts him to regular appointments with Unohana and forces him to talk about the truth of his past --
It's only then that it clicks.
Ichigo is whispering secrets about the future into Kaien's chest, Kaien's arms wrapped tight around him, when Ichigo confesses that he messed up, that he put the Shiba clan in unnecessary danger. Ichigo tells Kaien about his death in the original timeline. He talks about how Kisuke told him that in this timeline, Aizen would try and kill Kaien again if the first attempt failed. Ichigo promises desperately that he never would have sought out the family -- would have kept the danger far, far away from them -- if he hadn't thought he had to watch Kaien's movements so closely.
And Ichigo admits that Aizen never actually tried again. Ichigo admits that he and Kisuke miscalculated, that Ichigo brought danger to the Shiba's doorstep for nothing.
It happens like this:
First, the words leave his lips, "Kisuke" and "miscalculated" in the same sentence. Hearing himself say it lays bare the absurdity of its premise.
Then, Kaien draws away slightly, to look Ichigo in the eyes. Ichigo sees, plain on Kaien's face, a terrible, damning gratefulness.
Then, Kaien says -- fierce and defiant in the face of what could have been -- "I am so glad you came home."
And it clicks. At last, Kisuke's final manipulation reveals itself to Ichigo's eyes.
The emotions flash through him: the sting of betrayal; a flavor of love that bursts across his tastebuds as hurt; a familiar brand of exasperation that, a split second later, has his knees giving out under the weight of old pain made fresh.
Kaien catches Ichigo before he hits the ground and holds him as he shatters. And Ichigo can barely breathe through the knowledge that Kisuke would have been so smug to see them.
A sob rips itself from Ichigo's chest, and it's followed by another, and another.
Ichigo's older cousin holds him, in the home of their family, through it all.
_________
THE END except not really.
This must immediately be followed by a whole arc where Kaien, much to his own dismay, finds himself trying to hook Urahara up with his little cousin.
After all, Future-Urahara sent Ichigo to the Shiba clan. Future-Urahara tricked his little cousin into bypassing his own self-destructive tendencies to seek out family and love and support. Clearly, Urahara would actually be good for Ichigo.
And, you know, Ichigo clearly loves Younger-Urahara, judging by Ichigo's whole... well, everything, whenever the two interact.
(This whole matchmaking endeavor is made easier by the fact that 1) Kisuke is already infatuated, fascinated, and not a tiny-bit madly in love, and 2) Yoruichi is also, from the other end, trying to set Kisuke up with Ichigo.
This whole endeavor is made more difficult by the fact that 1) Ichigo is in denial that he loves this younger Kisuke since he never thought this younger Kisuke could also fall in love with him, 2) Kisuke is in denial that he loves Ichigo because that is a Shiba and he himself is a creepy low-born ex-assassin mad-scientist, and 3) neither Ichigo nor Kisuke know what it looks like when someone is interested in them.)
Poor Kaien. He succeeds eventually, but not before witnessing truly legendary social ineptitude.
random bleach time travel inccorect quotes from an AU I will probably never write (Ichigo becomes soul king post tybw cause yhwach body doesn’t hold up and then time travels to the Turn back the pendulm era for reasons I’m too lazy to explain)
Ichigo joined Squad 6 under Ginrei Kuchiki in this AU
…
Ichigo: *likes sitting in the sun, hates the rain, touch starved but still prickly enough to pretend he doesn’t like it ‘cause he was soul king for three years and barely had any proper human contact for all that time, has weird eyes and other weird traits from his hollow*
Hiyori + Kaien: *spying on him*
Ichigo: *straight hissed at someone who got to close when he was injured*
Hiyori: *ticks something else off on the list of reasons why Ichigo might be a cat in human form*
Yoruichi, the real cat shapeshifter:
…
Love: Isn’t it weird that we pay money to see other people?
Ichigo: Plane tickets?
Shinji: Concert tickets?
Lisa: Prostitution?
Love, holding holding his broken sunglasses: Glasses.
…
Hollowified!Shinji: *Screams*
Hollowified!Hiyori: *Screams louder to assert dominance*
Kisuke, concerned: Should we do something?!
Ichigo, observing: *thinking back to his hollow training and how much the Visored fucked with him for fun*
Ichigo: Nah, I want to see who wins this.
…
Kensei: Dammit, Mashiro!
Mashiro: What?! It wasn’t me!
Kensei: Sorry, force of habit. Dammit, Shinji!
Shinji: Not me either.
Kensei: Oh…Then who destroyed the entire training ground?
Ichigo + Kaien who thought it would be fun to spar but went a little too far:
…
Ichigo: *Gently taps table*
Kaien: *Taps back*
Hiyori: What are they doing?
Kisuke: Morse code.
Ichigo: *Aggressively taps table*
Kaien: *Slams hands down* YOU TAKE THAT BACK-
…
*Lieutenants on a mission*
Kaien: I think we’re missing something.
Lisa: Teamwork?
Hiyori: Cohesion?
Ichigo: A general sense of what the fuck we’re doing?
Kaien: … Where’s Mashiro?
Mashiro: *fighting a bear in a forest three districts away*
Lisa:
Hiyori:
Ichigo: … Fuck
Kensei: *in Squad 9 barracks* I S E N S E A D I S T U R B A N C E
…
Shinji: Tonight, one of you has betrayed us.
Kisuke: Is it me?
Shinji: No, it’s not you.
Tessai: Is it me?
Shinji: It’s not you either.
Aizen: Is it me, Captain?
Shinji, dying because of Hollowification:
Shinji, mockingly: Is IT mE CaPTaIN?
…
Kyouraku: How did none of you hear what I just said?
Kisuke: I’ve been dissociating for the past two and a half hours.
Ukitake: I got distracted about halfway through.
Lisa: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.
…
Ichigo: Can I be frank with you guys?
Kaien: *confused* Sure, but I don’t see how changing your name is gonna help.
Mashiro: Can I still be Mashiro?
Shinji: Shh, let Frank speak.
Ichigo:
Ichigo: *lunges at Shinji*
…
Ichigo: *trying not to laugh* Tell Kensei about the birds and the bees.
Mashiro: *serious* They’re disappearing at an alarming rate
…
Yoruichi: Soifon, keep an eye on Kisuke today. He’s going to say something to the wrong person and get punched.
Soifon: Sure, I’d love to see Urahara get punched.
Yoruichi: Try again.
Soifon, sighing: I will stop Urahara from getting punched
…
*The Visored+ Hollowified!Kaien is getting into a car*
Ichigo: *the only one who know how to drive* I’m driving
Mashiro, out of view: Shotgun!
Kaien, turning to face Mashiro: Aww! But you had it on the way here-
Everyone except Mashiro: WOAH-
Mashiro, holding a shotgun: No! I found a shotgun! And I want the front seat! *Pumps gun*
…
Lisa: In your opinion, what’s the height of stupidity?
Hiyori: *turning to Shinji* How tall are you?
…
Kaien:
Ichigo:
Kaien: In my defense–
Ichigo: You have no defense you let Byakuya meet Gin
Kaien: but–
Ichigo: Byakuya. The same cocky shit that tries to fight anything that moves fast enough. And Gin. The creepy shit that thought it was a good idea to work with megalomaniac rather than talk to people
Kaien: You don’t have any room to talk about bad communication but in hindsight it wasn’t my greatest idea–
Ichigo: understatement of the century
Kaien: But I was bored and you have to admit it was a little funny
Ichigo:
Ichigo: *covering his face because the sight of baby Byakuya getting punted into the Kuchiki Koi pond by baby Gin was actually hilarious but he refuses to admit it* I hate you
…
Kensei: I sometimes drink milk straight out of the container
Mashiro: the COW?
Kensei:
…
Kisuke: You have to apologize to Shinji
Hiyori: Fine.
Hiyori: ‘Unfuck you’ or whatever.
…
Kaien: I told Ichigo his ears turn red when he lies
Mashiro: Why?
Kaien: So I can do this
Kaien: Hey, Ichigo! Do you love us?
Ichigo, covering his ears: No.
Mashiro: Aw, Berry-tan
Ichigo: Shut up, seaweed brain!
…
*Shinji and Kisuke sitting in jail together*
Shinji: So who should we call?
Kisuke: I’d call Hiyori, but I feel safer in jail
…
Shinji: Hey, how old are you?
Ichigo: Twenty-four–
Ichigo *remembers that the soul society doesn’t have the same age system*
Ichigo: two hundered
Shinji:
Shinji, concerned: did you just say–
Ichigo, nervously: TWO HUNDRED
…
Shinji: What do you think Ichigo will do for a distraction?
Kaien: He’ll probably, like, make a noise or throw a rock. That’s what I would do.
*several building explode due to Getsuga Tensho*
Kaien: … or he could do that.
…
Kisuke: I know you’re a time traveler, Kurosaki-san
Ichigo: (Play dumb!)
Ichigo: Who’s Kurosaki?
Ichigo: (NOT THAT DUMB!!!)
…
Love: What’s a word thats a mix between 'sad’ and 'mad’?
Kensei: Disgruntled, miserable, desolated-
Mashiro: Smad
Kaien: Ichigo
Ichigo:…
…
Shinji: Who thinks I can fit 15 marshmallows in my mouth?
Kensei: You’re a hazard to society
Hiyori: And a coward. DO TWENTY.
…
Ichigo, babysitting: Violence isn’t the answer.
Byakuya: You’re right.
Ichigo: *sighs in relief*
Byakuya, reaching for a brick: Violence is the question.
Ichigo: What?
Byakuya, running to hit Gin on the head with a brick: And the answer is yes.
Ichigo, running after him: NO-
Ginrei, watching the chaos while drinking tea: … Today’s a beautiful day
…
Kisuke: *Accidentally hits Hiyori in the face*
Kisuke: *Trying to decide between saying 'I’m fucking sorry’ and 'Are you okay’*
Kisuke: ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY?!
Hiyori, confused: What’s wrong with you?!
Shinji: *wheezing in the background*
…
Ichigo: Can you please be serious for five minutes?
Mashiro: My record is four, but I think I can do it.
…
Kaien: Do you think different paints have different tastes?
Mashiro: They do.
Ichigo: … Why did you say that with such certainty?
…
Shinji: I was born for politics. I have great hair and I love lying.
…
Kisuke: I’d like to offer you moral support, but I have questionable morals.
…
Kaien: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated.
Ichigo: Killed without hesitation.
Kaien: No.
…
Kisuke: *Kicks the door down looking panicked*
Ichigo: What did you do?
Kisuke: Nobody died.
Ichigo: WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT?!
…
Kaien, euphoric from his date with Miyako: Date someone who will drag you outside at 3am to look at the stars.
Kukaku: If anyone, and I mean anyone, wakes me up at 3am to go look at the damn sky they will be removed indefinitely from my life.
…
Aizen, trying to be friends with Ichigo b4 he died: I made tea.
Ichigo: I don’t want tea.
Aizen: I did not make tea for you. This is my tea.
Ichigo: Then why are you telling me?
Aizen: It is a conversation starter.
Ichigo: That’s a lousy conversation starter.
Aizen: Oh, is it? We are conversing. Checkmate.
Ichigo:
Ichigo: *two seconds away from a homicide
…
Mashiro: what is it called when you kill your friend
Ichigo: Amicicide
Kensei: Murder
Mashiro: Homiecide
…
Ichigo: *looks like Kaien and Isshin*
Kaien: *suspicious but has no proof*
Ichigo, lying becuase he doesn’t want to deal with the emotions that come with seeing Isshin again: I’m not a Shiba
Ichigo: *uses Getsuga Tensho*
Kaien, throwing a table: oKAY, I CALL BULLSHIT
…
Ichigo: *having a chill day in Rukongai by himslef
baby Rukia, Renji, and their gang: *chased by a merchant they stole from*
Ichigo:
Ichigo: *adopts them*
…
Okay, that’s more than enough for one post
Yes, Kaien is hollowfied here because I want him to be, yes, I really like adding animalistic traits to characters I love don’t ask me why
This is so much longer than I planned but it was too fun to stop
I continue to look for an AU fic where Ichigo dies and no one can find him anywhere in soul society for years. To the point that they start to think maybe he just went into the reincarnation cycle already.
Eventually the Rukongai has some type of issue and a few of the shinigami are sent out to follow up on it. While responding to it they happen upon a small, nervous child.
One of the younger and newer shinigami tries to get some information out of her or what she may have seen, they wouldn't have hurt her, but they move too quick and she jerks back. They don't even have time to apologize before a boy is standing in front of her and scowling.
He's so small. All protective fury and barely contained fear tucked into too thin limbs and dusty, bruised skin. His hair is bright, even under all the dirt.
His little chin wobbles but he still holds it up to look them in the eyes, and there are tears welling up but he blinks them away. His legs don't shake the whole time though.
There's no memory or recognition in his eyes when he looks at those who knew him.
Because everyone would spoil the hell out of him, I need the Visored and Kisuke spoiling the hell out of him.
This time he can grow up slower and with more love and support than he knows what to do with.
This time when he learns to raise a blade it won't be because he has too. Maybe this time he decides to use his hands for healing or focus on strategy.
And any blood shed will be under their watchful eyes, in training or the small accidents children always get into, instead of life or death battles.
Ichigo is always going to be a protector at his core and he'll always be the first one in and the last one out.
They can make sure he's not alone though, that the burden isn't solely on him and that he's not just a power piece in everyone's plans.
This time the protector gets to be protected.
And maybe some day they'll tell him that the hero in the stories they tell him are actually him.
*******
Ichigo asking to hold hands with Kensei and okay, how is Kensei suppose to say no to those big eyes? He can't. Ichigo holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers until Kensei takes it. Shūhei letting Ichigo cling to his leg and sit with him while doing paperwork, and Mashiro carriing him on her back and zooming around.
The 11th division making off with him and everyone's low key concerned at first because it's the 11th but they shouldn't have worried. They all spar with Ichigo and it's easy to see how happy he is when they carefully knock him over and then help him up before going over how to better his stance or block a hit. They howl and yell in support when he gets a hit in and he proudly shows off the hard earned scrapes and bruises.
Renji carrying him around on his shoulder and grinning at small fingers that tangle in his hair and pull a little too hard when excited. Rukia spending hours drawing with him and they stick their art up everywhere they can get away with it. They put up multiple in Byakuya's office and he doesn't acknowledge anyone who dares asks about taking them down.
Yoruichi napping with Ichigo and purring when he uses her a pillow or even letting him wrap his arms around her like a stuffed animal. She's known to smack out a paw at anyone who tries waking him up or moving him.
Kisuke and Ichigo staring at each other for 10 minutes when they first meet again, before Ichigo seems to find whatever he was looking for and gives a shy smile. Kisuke is absolutely gone, surprisedrelievedhappysohappy and protectprotectprotect burning in his chest.
Shunsui and Ichigo sitting together and enjoying nice afternoons. Both have little ceramic cups, Ichigo's has little berries painted on it that he had proudly done himself. No one mentions it was because of Lisa's wrath when she saw Shunsui giving Ichigo a sake cup of water. Now it's clearly marked and usually contains a bright, clearly not sake, colored juice.
Hiyori teasing him like a big sister and smacking him with her sandal when he does something reckless. They play pranks on Kisuke and Shinji frequently.
Kūkaku and Ganju occasionally stealing Ichigo and smothering him with the affection they were never able to give him before. They tell him about their clan without mentioning or hinting at the relation. Ichigo listening in excitement and saying he wished he had a family like that, not knowing why that makes them both look so happy but also so sad.
Shinji being one of Ichigo's favorites because he speaks to Ichigo like an adult. He tells him the truth when he asks questions and always helps him get back on his feet when he's been knocked off them. He lets Ichigo play with his hair and he always scares away any monsters that might be hiding behind shady corners and under dark steps. Sometimes he watches Ichigo with a weird look on his face, something between the way Kūkaku looks at him and Kisuke looks at him. Almost guilty... sorrowful. Grief is so heavy. When Ichigo asks about it, Shinji doesn't give an answer. It's one of the only times he feels like Shinji is hiding something from him.
More Visored/Ichigo ramblings because I just love them so much.
Is it trauma, power dynamics, or hollow instincts? The world may never know.
Jk ~ If I'm writing it then it's all three.
⚠️ Visored/Ichigo because that's my jam and I'm partying alone ⚠️
💀💀💀💀
It starts as a joke, mixed in with the stupid shit they send each other. Sending Ichigo messages like remember to eat, moron. Or stg you better get a full 8 hours of sleep tonight or I'll kick your ass.
But Ichigo does a lot better when they remind him to actually take care of himself. As much as he takes care of others, he's terrible at taking care of himself.
They make him eat when he's with them. He'll eat about half before being distracted or say he's full and try to pass it to one of them. They shove it back at him and tell him to eat, not taking their eyes completely off him until he finishes everything. He never gets sick or uncomfortable, so they're not forcing him to overeat. They think he doesn't remember what it's like to feel comfortably full, usually eating just enough that the hunger doesn't hurt.
There's a gnawing hunger that comes with their hollows sometimes, a hunger for things that Ichigo isn't ready for yet. It's not real hunger in the way humans get hungry, but it does make eating hard sometimes.
Ichigo sends them pictures of what he's eating when he's not with them, sometimes making sure to include his unimpressed face, and something about not needing to be reminded about eating like a child.
They disagree.
They also text him to remind him to actually sleep, frowning when they get responses about hollows or doing homework. The low smoldering anger for Shinigami that constantly lives in them now burns a little hotter each time Ichigo shows up with new injuries and bruises under his eyes or when their texts show read at 3am. Especially when they know that there's shinigami assigned to the town who don't seem to do anything.
They get creative. They train him until he's so exhausted he falls asleep after cleaning up, slumped against their shoulders or curled up in their bed. Convincing him to use their bed took awhile, but his hollow desperately wanted a pack and Ichigo didn't fight it too hard. They like that he'll smell like them, even though it's a warning that no one but hollows will be able to sense.
Bed may not be the word to use when it's big enough to fit all of them comfortably and has more pillow and blankets than they can even count anymore.
They all sleep together, something that started from a combination of their hollows prefering it and safety in numbers. Ichigo naps in sheets that smell like them and leaves his own scent behind every time he drags his skin across the sheets. It should be upsetting, the scent of someone who isn't them in their space but it isn't, in fact it's comforting. Especially when he doesn't stay with them. They know Ichigo isn't there with them, which their hollows huff unhappily about, but it smells like he is and it's just enough to settle their instincts.
Ichigo always ends up finding the nearest person when he's asleep. If anyone gets in the bed to rest while he's in there, he always finds his way to their side and presses in as close as he can. It's a big bed, it has to be to comfortably fit all of them even though they usually end up piled on top of each other and tangled up.
If he falls asleep sitting next to someone, his head will find their shoulder or he'll slump down until his head is on their lap. He sleeps better with skin contact, the ever present frown on his face fading when he's made skin contact.
He's bad about letting them know if he's hurt, his mindset seems to be if he can still move, or as long as he's not actively bleeding, then he's fine. Bruises are the worst, big ugly ones that they won't know about unless Ichigo wears something that shows it, it gets exposed during a spar, or he moves stiffly and can't hold back a wince.
That also means he has the bruises they give him from sparring longer, and they never claimed to be good and proper okay? Ichigo wearing marks they gave him is appealing. They'd rather give him other marks to warn people off, and they want to say that they didn't know they'd end up wanting this but Ichigo was always going to be theirs.
Someday they'll be able to make sure he's constantly covered in their scent and they can bite and suck all the marks they want onto his skin. They'll be able to keep him in their bed every night and smell him when they first wake up. They'll be able to check him for wounds or bruises he thinks aren't bad enough to mention and remind him that just because he can tolerate the pain doesn't mean he should have to.
He starts to keep some spare clothes with them but they take every excuse they can to have him wear something of theirs. On one memorable occasion he even wore a pair of Lisa's leggings, blushing and mumbling that he was cold and they felt soft. Lisa rushed to tell him he could wear them whenever he wanted, eyes flicking down to where the dark material clung to his legs. It's a soft, thin material and borderline see through in some spots where the material stretched over muscle, like his hips and thighs.
At some point Ichigo seems to catch on, and they're all able to stop pretending they're just interested in friendship.
Ichigo does his own clumsy scenting, not quite right but it's clear what he's trying to do and they don't correct him. The furrow of his brow says he's going to figure it out eventually.
He rubs their cheeks together when he's tired or hurt, or when he knows they're upset or hurt, not quite scenting but it's adorable, and his hollow is trying very hard to figure out what feels right.
He doesn't hesitate to nudge food over to them if he thinks they aren't eating enough. If they get distracted training or doing something else, he brings them food and hovers until he's able to make them sit down and eat.
They can't resist holding out bites to him occasionally and grinning at the faint blush before he takes it.
He spends a lot more time in their bed. And the kid is a fucking tease once he gets going because the amount of reasons he find to strip before rubbing his scent all over their bed is unreal. So much bare skin means his scent sinks into everything and stays, everytime they roll over or land on the mattress a burst of Ichgo greets them.
Knowing he's barely clothed, or wearing theirs, and vulnerable in their bed is incredibly distracting. He's sleep warm skin and pliant limbs, little protesting noises leaving him when they pile around or on him.
Hiyori is the first one to leave a mark, the urge to bitebitebite becoming overwhelming and she's behind Ichigo, wrapping her arms around him to keep him still and biting down on the curve of his shoulder and neck. He doesn't react, just keeps talking like he doesn't have someone clinging to his back and chewing a dark bruise onto his shoulder.
It's fair game after that and he's always got marks on his throat and shoulders, the delicate inside of his wrists and inner thighs, and the soft skin of hips and lower belly.
He leaves his own marks on them, not near as dark or deep as theirs, and it fades quicker. He bites at them with dull human teeth instead of the sharp hollow teeth he needs to make a lasting mark, another thing he's still getting the hang of.
💀💀💀💀
Do I like to think that they would all text each memes and stupid shit? Yes.
Didn't get Kisuke added in this one but I like to think he's always involved too ~
I really like the idea that Ichigo has always done some strange stuff, even before any of them had any idea about soul society.
Chad, Orihime, and Uryu (as well as Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro) very much take the approach of don't say a fucking thing, leave him alone to anyone who looks like they may say something about it.
Ichigo makes a strange noise? They've figured out which noises are good ones and which ones are bad ones.
He's a little colder, distant, and sometimes a little cruel? Give him a little bit and he'll be fine again.
He gets a little too bright eyed during fights? Licks blood off his lips and sometimes off a wound? His nails look a little sharp and his teeth a little meaner? All good. He'll beat the shit out of someone, pace around a bit and be fine again.
Eats an unbelievable amount of food and still stays on the lean side of skinny? It's a metabolism thing.
Runs a little colder? He's great to sit by in the hot summer!
Gets a little distracted, looks at things and listen to noises that aren't there? That's normal, he's been able to see weird stuff his whole life!
Even after they all gain the ability see ghosts and that's obviously not what Ichigo is doing, they just tell people he's listening to and seeing ghosts.
Everyone else is a little confused by that but it's clear they're not going to get a real answer and tbh they're not sure they want one.
It's also important that they don't call too much attention to it. Ichigo doesn't seem to realize he does some of those things.
Like when someone pointed out the blood thing and he spent 20 minutes gagging and throwing up, tongue still stained rusty from the blood.
Or when someone mentioned the noises and he doesn't speak for days, quiet and withdrawn. And even now he cuts the noises off, biting them back and swallowing them down.
Or when people called him cruel, a thug, someone who wants to see others hurt, because he got into fight. He didn't fight back the next few times he got jumped, letting the hits land and taking it because the fear that he was all those things people said was stronger than any pain.
All the times he kept his mouth shut because someone joked about wolf teeth.
Or when he ripped his nails down until they bled so they weren't sharp enough to hurt anyone on accident.
Or when he kept his eyes down so no one could say he wore colored contacts to go with his "dyed" hair.
Orihime being so upset after the cookies she had given to someone, who made fun of a noise Ichigo made, had ended up bad! Oh no, oh gosh, how terrible that they got food poisoning! She's so sorry about that but there's a gleam to her eyes that has everyone backing off.
Chad disappearing and coming back with busted knuckles that go unnoticed, Ichigo focused on keeping his fingers curled into his palms and his mouth firmly shut.
Uryu ripping into some of the people who started rumors about Ichigo, channeling every cold and cruel part of him until several people are crying and no one dares say Ichigo's name for awhile.
Tatsuki throwing punches and Keigo attempting too, Mizuiro making things happen that no one can directly link back to him but everyone knows it's him.
Ichigo doesn't ask for a lot, but he gives a lot. Too much.
So, they can give him this. They will give him this. Let him do his odd, little quirks and they'll deal with anyone who tries to say anything.
💀
Shinigami are strange, strange enough that Ichigo blends in with them well, even though he's still sometimes a little strange for a shinigami.
Chad, Orihime, and Uryu are pleased that Ichigo fits in so well with all these new people, especially as they get to know them more.
Renji and Ikkaku are animalistic with too sharp teeth and a wild air to them.
Kenpachi is a monster wearing human skin.
Rukia, and her brother, have moments of cruelty and distance.
Unohana is something old and dangerous.
Kisuke is... unsettling, raises the hair on the back of their necks a little bit but Ichigo likes him. And as unnerving as he is, he's been very helpful.
Yoruichi has a mean streak in her that is very much like a cat batting around a dying mouse.
The visored are even worse.
The humans don't meet them until Ichigo after has already firmly included them in his ever growing group of important people.
The visored are unsettling in a way similar to Kisuke, but heavier. Something about them makes the little animal part of their brains sit up and take notice, the hairs on the backs of their necks standing up and they have to fight the urge to run.
But the visored are strange in the same way Ichigo is strange.
And they'll gives some bonus points to Kisuke and his, because they've never so much as batted an eyelash at Ichigo's more bizarre quirks.
The visored show off too sharp teeth in proud smiles and angry snarls.
They make odd noises between themselves and understand them.
They force people to look them in the eyes, black and gold occasionally making an appearance.
They lick at their wounds absent-mindedly and on purpose.
They make no apologies for who they are or how uncomfortable they make anyone.
More than anything though, they let Ichigo do those things. There a fondness to all of them when Ichigo does something strange front of them. Something that's normal to them.
💀
Ichigo doesn't seem to realize that everyone is actually charmed by his little quirks.
He's saved most of them enough times that there isn't much he could do that would make them anything less then incredibly fond.
It's fun and interesting to see all the things Ichigo does when he's happy and comfortable.
He does a little head tilt, exposed throat move to certain people. The humans don't even think he notices it, it took them awhile to notice it.
He does it to most of the captains, excluding a few like Mayuri and Soi Fon. Particularly to Unohana, Kenpachi, Byakuya and Toshiro for the captains. He does it to Kisuke and the visored.
They notice it and they just roll with it. Kisuke and Shinji (and most of the visored to be completely honest) touch his neck and shoulders a lot.
Unohana makes the smallest nod to him and never acknowledges it again.
It took Ichigo a long time to be comfortable enough with them to touch as much as he wants to. After they saved Rukia and returned home, he was constantly touching them. Grabbing at hands, throwing arms around them, sitting close enough to touch, etc. He even includes Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro in the new, open affection.
He's comfortable enough to be that way with a lot of people now.
Shinigami, and the visored, are actually a pretty tactile and intimate bunch. Living as long as they do and having such dangerous and traumatic lives, makes touch and comfort very important.
So it's not uncommon for Ichigo to disappear, finding someone to nap with or someone finding him. People are already drawn to Ichigo, getting to know him and all his quirks just makes them love him more.
---------💀--------------💀‐----------------
*holds up photo of Ichigo*
Karin, Yuzu, Chad, Orihime, Uryu, Tasuki, Keigo, Mazuri: he is baby
*hold up photo of Ichigo after fighting Aizen*
His sisters, the humans, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Kukaku, Ganju, most of soul society, all the visored, Nel: baby
*holds up photo of Ichigo fighting yhwach*
His sisters, the humans, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Kukaku, Ganju, all of soul society, all the visored, Nel, Grimmjow, Dondochakka, Pesche, Bawabawa : ba~by
I headcanon that Ichigo can smile like Unohana, but he just doesn't do that, because he's scowling and irritated often, but not cold-like angered or raged.
Trully angered Ichigo is cooooold and quiet, but the most terrifiyng part begins when he *smiles*
And when Urahara aka mad-scientist-extraordinaire decided to see how far he can make Ichigo angry-
He saw in every detail how the scowl slowly faded and watched in crippling horror how the edges smoothed and the softest, sweetest smile he's ever seen appeared on Ichigo's face.
The shudder ran down his spine when Ichigo proceeded to say in the gentlest way possible:
"I'll plug out your spine and hang you on it in three, two-"
And then no one saw Urahara for the whole week.
I'm always on a Visored/Ichigo kick but it's been especially bad lately. Sooo have some little hollow instinct AU?? plot bunnies that won't get bigger than this but still wanted to hop around.
Is it trauma, power dynamics, or hollow instincts? The world may never know.
The world does actually know and it's all three.
⚠️ Some strange relationship and/or combination of Visored/Ichigo/Kisuke because that's my jam and I'm partying alone. ⚠️
💀💀💀💀
Ichigo doesn't know what he looks like when he's like this. No one else knows either, which is a good thing because people have destroyed and conquered worlds for less.
Long limbs sprawled, belly down and back exposed. There's a blanket drapped over his hips more for the comforting weight than any warmth. His tan skin glows in the low lighting and his hair looks like soft embers.
He smells like them. He looks like theirs. He's sleeping in their space. It hits a lot of things they knew would appeal to them but not to this extent.
He's taken their advice to heart, about getting familiar with the new hollow instincts and just do what feels right. At least until he's able to separate the things that are more him and more hollow.
It's driving them nuts. He's shameless and he doesn't even know it.
He presses his face against their faces and throats, the bridge of his nose pressing against the underside of their jaws and nuzzling real quick before darting off. The scent of him clinging to them and the submissive gesture, ducking to press under their jaw, is addicting.
It's a intimate greeting, one they don't even really give to each other but Ichigo uses it multiple times a day. A happy, warm and loving gesture that says hihelloimhereandyourehereandimveryhappy each time he does it. They kind of dread him figuring out how personal it is because he'll stop.
He makes himself small when he's anxious or scared, when he lets himself act his age for once. He holds himself well, they'll give him that. It's hard to tell unless he wants you to know but there are signs they pick up on, along with Kisuke's hints.
It's easier to be vulnerable at night, when it's dark and it doesn't seem so bad to seek out warmth and comfort.
They're particular about sleeping arrangements. They don't like others in the same area as them while they sleep. They puppy pile, as Mashiro happily calls it, not able to fully relax unless they're tangled up with at least 3 other people. The only people in the world they trust completely, with every part of their souls, and Kisuke.
And apparently Ichigo because he slips right in, and not only does he sneak in without kicking off their instincts but gets up against their throats without so much as a twitch from them. He stays above the blankets and avoids the mess of limbs, which is both smart and makes them frown. Desperate for comfort but still holding himself back, he probably would have tried to leave without them noticing if they hadn't woken up
The jackrabbit heartbeat and shaky breathing is what actually wakes them up.
There's a brief moment where everyone kind of freezes as they process what's happening, and then wait to see which one of them will kick him out, which of them will crack first at having a stranger in their space.
But it doesn't happen.
Everything stays silent and still except for the shaky breathing still coming from Ichigo, they swear they can hear feel his heart pounding, and a little keening noise that's so faint they miss it at first. It zips up their spines as soon as they notice, it's like a straight shot of adrenaline and a protective awareness surges in their chests.
They know there's no actual threat, they would have felt it, and they know that the kid just had a nightmare or was thinking too hard and worked himself up. But it doesn't seem like their instincts understand that.
They've never made that sound, not a single one of them ever, and they've made some weird noises. It's a terrible sad, lonely, scared noise and they don't ever want to hear it again.
This all happens in the span of a few minutes, enough for Ichigo to start calming down a little. He's not as tense and his breathing has gotten slower. Not enough to indicate he's asleep yet but he's on his way.
They all squish in closer and Ichigo falls right asleep, his cold nose and wet cheeks pressed into warm skin.
Hollows do not purr like cats, at least in their experience, but they swear to god they all woke up to purring at different times during the night.
💀💀💀💀
Ichigo starts sitting between their legs, most often when he's injured. Not kneeling, although that's a pretty picture, just sitting down so he's bracketed on both sides by their legs, back to them. Safe.
Lisa and Mashiro play with his hair, Lisa mindlessly as she flips through her magazine and Mashiro makes tiny braids before taking them out and starting over.
Kensei doesn't do much, usually puts his elbows on his knees so he's curved protectively over Ichigo. Occasionally rubbing his knuckles on Ichigo's jaw and petting at his throat.
Shinji tries to always keep a hand on him, tangled in his hair, resting on the side of his throat, or brushing against his cheek.
Ichigo doesn't do it often or around other people and they all try to respect that. He has to be Ichigo, strong, stubborn, impossible, and the one people look to.
💀💀💀💀
The thing people forget is that while wounds heal, the body and soul remember.
It can be a lot of strain, going in and out of his human body so frequently, especially when both soul and body are so familiar with stress, bruises and breaks.
Ichigo may heal quicker than most with his hollow and access to good healers but the echoes linger longer than most others. Especially when injuries are made with intention. Wounds from hollows hurt of course, but there's usually not a lot of thought behind it. So the wounds are more random, varying depths and severity.
Wounds by people shinigami, bounts, quincy, etc are more precise. They know where to aim to make it devastating, agonizing, and life changing.
Ichigo has fought a lot of people and it shows.
He bares his burdens and more in front of people like he's fine. He smiles and laughs, meets all the demands for fights with his own wild grin, moves like he's never had a injury in his life and people don't question it.
There's an area of his chest, and his back, that burn. A few spots of a constant and deep heat that make breathing feel hard.
His shoulders itch and ache, the kind that feels like it's down under the muscle. Nothing helps and lifting his arms is difficult.
A long, dragging catch following the lines of his lower ribcage. Breathing too deeply makes it burn and crackle in sharp pain, short and shallow breaths aren't satisfying but it keeps the pain manageable.
Headaches from countless concussions, a sore jaw from all the times it's been broke, fingers and toes that don't feel right anymore and ache terribly in the cold.
It's not all the time, just occasionally. Things like going back and forth too many times from his body, extreme temperatures, new wounds over the old, etc all cause flare ups.
He's too young to have so many aches.
They're protective over those spots. They can't and won't interfere with his fights unless it's critical but they keep an eye on wounds in those areas. They frown and scare off people when Ichigo starts to flinch from heavy arms being thrown around his shoulders or careless jabs in his side.
Sometimes their old wounds flare up and Ichigo scowls and bares teeth at everyone until the aches goes away.
Short snippet from the Bleach I Knew You AU.
But before I begin. *Insert deep sigh here.*
Secretlypansexualmango, if you see this, it was supposed to be a response to your ask. Unfortunately, it took a hard left-turn and ended up in. Uraichi shipping territory? Look, IDK, I'm asexual, I don't get it either. Anyway, since I don't know your shipping preferences and don't want to accidentally respond to your ask with something that squiks you, I will be officially responding to your ask in another post that is less likely to be unexpectedly unpalatable. Thank you for your patience, and, uh, I hope this doesn't turn you off the au! (*laughs nervously*)
Without further ado, the snippet:
Breaking into the Shiba family grounds is easy. By sheer comparison, breaking into Shiba Ichigo’s room specifically is almost a challenge, but it’s not anything that Kisuke hasn’t planned for.
The strange, modified kido, and the odd wards Ichigo has placed, are simple to bypass with a bit of fancy footwork and precisely-timed counter-kido. It’s practically child’s play to get past them, now that he's roughly figured out how they work and where they all are.
His job is made even easier by the fact that, for some reason, Kisuke’s spiritual pressure doesn’t wake Ichigo up. Quite the opposite, in fact. He seems to sleep deeper when Kisuke is nearby and has let Benihime out a little.
He has theories about that.
He’s tired of them being theories.
He’s here to get evidence.
Kisuke bypasses the final seal and slides Ichigo’s window open, slipping into his room. He lets his spiritual pressure permeate the air a little thicker than he would in normal company, and as expected, Ichigo’s spiritual pressure slows down as he falls further into slumber.
… And Kisuke is supposed to believe that the first time they met was two months ago? When this is Ichigo’s reaction to his presence? When Ichigo is one of the most paranoid people Kisuke, an ex-onmi agent, has ever encountered?
Kisuke is a genius. He doesn’t need to be in order to see the flaw in that logic.
Kisuke steps further into the room, gliding softly over the old wood floorboards. He pauses in the middle, taking a moment to debate where to start.
Well. Why not with the simplest?
He’s caught it a few times, the barest trace of his own power lingering around Ichigo. A fascinating phenomenon, when he can’t recall a single time he’s drawn shikai around him, let alone used enough power to leave a long-lasting trace.
He draws closer to Ichigo’s bed, until he could reach out and touch him if he wished.
Ichigo breathes deeply, evenly, no sign of waking up. At some point, his covers ended up half kicked-off. Possibly from the heat, probably from nightmares. Regardless of the reason, Kisuke can’t help but think that he looks strangely fragile this way, surrounded by the evidence of his restlessness.
He puts a hand on the the hilt of his soul-partner. “Awaken, Benihime,” he murmurs.
She stirs within him, gently, in a way that is oh so rare. Like the softest, most gradual of ocean tides, she rises, her fragrance of wet iron washing through the air around them.
And together, channeling her power through his eyes, they see.
Glowing crimson threads that they have no recollection of weaving wrap protectively, lovingly, around Ichigo. A thin but strong filament, sewn through the skin from just below Ichigo’s ear all the way to his opposite shoulder, sutures closed what must have once been a deadly throat wound. Another one, obviously originally meant to keep shut a gash down the length of Ichigo’s forearm, keeps it companion.
And beyond the battlefield sutures there are more threads. Hundreds of intangible and deceptively thin and absolutely unbreakable strands of Benihime’s power wrap around Ichigo, crisscrossing over themselves — around his throat and across his face and down his torso and up his arms, visible wherever his bare flesh is exposed — seemingly serving no purpose.
Benihime’s power surges at the sight, a hot delight running through her as she sees Ichigo so thoroughly caught in her webs. Kisuke’s fingers suddenly, urgently ache with the urge to touch, to tighten, to add more.
Soul King.
No purpose other than, it seems, to satiate their own possessiveness.
Kisuke exhales a shaking breath. Closes his eyes for a brief moment. Gets the heat in his blood under control.
No purpose other than to alert themselves, perhaps? Did they know that one day they wouldn't recognize Ichigo anymore, and left this as a clue?
(And oh, what a clue. What a clue it is.)
He lets Benihime’s power fade, taking his hand away from her hilt. He’s self-aware enough to know when he needs to stop tempting himself, and he’s gotten the evidence he came for — far better proof than he could have ever anticipated.
He takes a step back, and the motion is the most unnatural thing he’s done in a long, long time.
He has questions. He has a few theories, too. Amnesia, caused by a very specific type of parasitic hollow. Dimension travel. Time travel. He doesn’t have enough information yet to figure out which is most likely, but he has finally confirmed beyond doubt that Ichigo is his, has been his, and something tried to steal that from him.
Fury flares within him, burning through his veins, and he can’t do this right here.
He takes another step back, this one just as unnatural as the last.
He can’t ask, yet. He can’t get closer, can’t wake Ichigo up with a soft hand on his cheek, can’t tell him that he’s there now, can’t promise him to take care of it all if he would just let him in again.
No.
Shiba Ichigo is in the middle of a chess game — a dangerous one, a complicated one — and Kisuke can’t see the whole board yet. Tipping his own hand might trigger a whole plethora of traps, including another round of amnesia, and he refuses to risk the knowledge he’s regained.
He will have to be careful. He will have to move cautiously.
He casts one last look at Ichigo, lets his eyes trace over that delicate throat that he now knows almost bled out. That delicate throat that had to be held together with Benihime’s webs. That delicate throat that he doesn’t remember stitching back together, despite the fact that he used his bankai to do it.
He was made to unknow a person he loves. He was made to unknow a war. He was made to unknow the fact that danger lurks still in the shadows of Soul Society.
He will know the end of this game. And Ichigo will learn that there is no universe in which Kisuke does not protect what’s his.
Kisuke turns. Takes another unnatural step away from his favorite, infuriating puzzle. And then he wrenches himself out of the room, out into the night, closing the window behind him and leaving as unnoticed as he had come.
Ugh the fics with the Visored/Ichigo having strong hollow instincts are fabulous. Also Kisuke having some type of instincts or predator type vibe to him.
Personally I love the idea that most Shinigami are a little instinctive at times, especially the wilder ones. The 11th for example, or maybe some of the captains.
I also love the idea that Ichigo can really relax around Kisuke and the Visored, in a way he can't quite do with others.
Like Ichigo's instincts would be thrilled to be under Kisuke, recognizing a fellow predator and practically purring at the smell of iron that lingers on a soul like Kisuke's.
It's the same instincts that sometimes make him sleepy around the Visored, something deep in his belly insisting he's safesafesafe under their watchful eyes and he rarely gets to feel truly safe. It probably says something that he feels that way around people who most find creepy or terrifying.
So no one can blame him if he occasionally takes advantage of that feeling, after training and cleaning up he often goes to find one or more of them to curl up next to. And they always allow it.
He's managed to control the urge to build a cozy nest and coax them into it with tempting purrs and lazy sprawls, somewhere dark and small because he wants them close but big enough for all of them. At least so far.
They all must have discussed it though, he blames Kisuke and Shinji, because one day it starts getting much harder to ignore those instincts. It's like they're all purposely putting him in situations that make his skin crawl like he's trying to shed it.
They use firm and purposeful touches, usually focused on his neck or back but they take full advantage of situations where they can pet at Ichigo's belly. He's not stupid, he knows those are vulnerable spots and they're making their touches familiar and comfortable. But it feels good and it's just them, the thought of anyone else touching him so freely or intimately makes his teeth hurt.
They grab the back on his neck when he's a little too wild or upset. Fingers pressing into spots on his neck that make his knees go weak and his mind go fuzzy. He doesn't know how they do it, he's tried to find the spots on himself and he can't recreate it.
There's something deeper at play here too. Everything feeds on itself. The healthier and happier Ichigo is, the healthier and happier the Visored are. Kisuke says it's something about pack dynamics and hollow instincts.
They're confident in everything they do and Ichigo's instincts are thrilled because it's obvious they're strong enough to handle him. It settles something in him that they're able to defend and protect themselves and him. It allows him to relax in a way that he hasn't since his mom died, not since grief renamed him protector.
Some days he gets both Kisuke and Shinji, and he spends the day feeling like a pampered pet. He drapes himself over their legs or curls up in their laps and melts into the touches. His toes curl and uncurl happily, hands kneading at whatever he can get his hands on.
Sometimes they get too invested in something or their attention gets taken by other things and Ichigo is left to entertain himself.
If he doesn't have anything to do then sometimes he'll go find a spot where the sun comes though the window and lay in it like a lizard sunning itself.
He doesn't realize that they've been slowly accumulating things for him until it's too late. He has a collection of pillows, blanket and cushions at the Visored warehouse and at Kisuke's. He tends to find himself in them after training and spars, skin clean from a quick wash and happily disappearing into the scents caught in the fabric.
Kisuke makes something for him, small pills of black and white that he claims are just a type of vitamin pill. Ichigo doesn't believe that for a second. For one thing, he only gets them when he's with Kisuke and Kisuke always gives it to him when he's in the fuzzy, instinctive headspace. It's easier for him to coax Ichigo into taking it from between his fingers with too sharp teeth and a quick curl of his tongue or to open his mouth and let Kisuke place it on his tongue.
After a few weeks of getting it from Kisuke, the Visored also have it. They take one occasionally, which also makes him think it's something for his hollow, but never as many as Ichigo. They take up the same way of giving it to him as Kisuke.
He nips sharply at Kensei's fingers when he lingers too long placing one of the pills on his tongue. The brief burning look in Kensei's eyes and the big hand that grabs his jaw in warning makes all the teasing he gets later worth it.
He knows this is weird. It's even strange from what shinigami would want or understand. He knows that trying to explain this to his sisters or friends would be very hard to do without making it sound unhealthy and wrong but it's not. Maybe if they were all normal humans then it would be different.
The things that he needs now are so very different.
💀 💀
Is it power dynamics, hollow instincts, or trauma? The world may never know.
Tbh I set out to write something about Ichigo being spoiled by Kisuke and Shinji but then my love for the Visored all adoring Ichigo got involved. So here we are.
I just think slightly feral characters are neat.
Pt1. // Pt.2 // next
Hood would never want to be verified and would actively hate being verified argue with the wall
Yet Another Time Travel AU ft. Ichigo With Fractured Memories + TBTP!Kisuke Falling In Love One Cryptic Hint At A Time [Headcanons 2]
[Headcanons 1]
By the time Kisuke makes it back to his division compound and has dismissed his Shinigami, another day and night has passed, it is way too early in the morning to be up, and Kisuke is in no mood to do anything except maybe get some answers and then hopefully get some sleep.
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In Guard, how does the whole . . . *waves hand vaguely* THING with Sui-Feng and Ichigo and Kisuke and Yourichi go?
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Well we had a whole discussion over on discord about Ichigo reaching the legal drinking age (whatever the heck that is for Shinigami) and Yoruichi getting him drunk to pry some embarrassing secrets out of him, except instead Ichigo spills about Sui-Feng to her instead and later wakes up remembering nothing but half the compound has been reduced to smoking ruin after Yoru went on a rampage while Kisuke totally egged her on.
…It was very cracky. Here’s something a little more serious.
(*Note: My original idea had Aizen + extended war as the reason Ichigo and Kisuke had to leave their original universe but it could just as easily have been the Quincy War gone wrong, so I think I’ll go with that instead.)
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For the 5+ headcanons post, I was interested in seeing if you had anything for UraIchi. I didn't have a specific au in mind although I really enjoyed "Hope Springs Eternal" and would be interested in any epilogue thoughts, or something Seireitei University perhaps.
Utter crack, thy name is Seireitei University ^_^||| I’ll give you something from HSE instead lol~
1. They never do get around to having a awkward dancing around each other/pining/dramatic confession moment. They have an apocalypse to reverse and no time for lovesickness, but also Ichigo’s spent too long on his own to realize those are things a lot of people go through, especially at his age. They already spend most of their time together, Ichigo knows more about Kisuke than he does any of the others, and they practically sleep in the same bed, with how close their futons have gotten (because sometimes they stay up at night lobbing new ideas about the Hogyoku back and forth and planning for the past-future or just talking about nothing until they fall asleep). Kisuke’s always been a category of his own in Ichigo’s mind, and if he starts thinking he wouldn’t mind waking up more often with his head pillowed on Kisuke’s thigh while Kisuke scribbles new theories in his notebook, it’s not as if it’s anything that different from what they’ve already been doing anyway. On Kisuke’s part, he probably notices before Ichigo, and he thinks for a hot second that he should probably feel guilty– but a fierce sort of possessiveness overshadows it more and more with every time Ichigo turns to look at him first, with every smile shared over tea at midnight, with every lethally beautiful dance together in the training grounds, and Kisuke can’t bring himself to object in the end. He figures he’ll go at Ichigo’s pace, and that will have to be good enough.
2. The world is very different once they’re back in the past. Aizen is handily taken care of with a bit of custom-made poison and an assassin of Yoruichi’s caliber, staged as an accident and all his research quietly destroyed. The problems come after that. Half of them don’t even remember what it’s like anymore, to live in a world where stepping outside doesn’t mean potential instant death, where they don’t have to hoard food and carry weapons and mark every hiding place and exit in any given vicinity. Even for the adults and Shinigami amongst them, it’s difficult not to flinch under the natural sunlight or go their separate ways and put down roots in buildings no longer half as warded as the warehouse they’ve lived in for the past decade and a half.
Some adjust more quickly. Ichigo does not. He stares at the crowds and unbroken streets and bustling shops like they’re completely foreign. He jumps at music blasting from a loudspeaker and is constantly tamping down the reiatsu that sparks at his fingertips every time a group of people walks by chattering freely. He walks into restaurants like he half-thinks they’re one of Aizen’s illusions. Kisuke… hopes he helps. They go on walks and he shows Ichigo more open, quieter areas like the parks and the riverbank and the hiking trails. He shows him hand-drawn maps of Karakura, points out all the entrances and exits of everything from the mall to the high school to the hospital. They take it slow, and whenever Ichigo starts looking overwhelmed, a couple Kidou spells from Kisuke is enough to redirect the crowds somewhere else.
3. Another perk of travelling back to the past is that it fixes Ichigo’s body. His power levels stay the same, his control and strength and speed all remain, and they even made it so that he keeps his eighteen years instead of being stuffed back into his ten-year-old body (there’s a moment where they have to scramble for paperwork and possibly amnesia-fy an entire town), but for the longest time after they return, Ichigo takes to staring into the bathroom mirror with something as desperate as it is disbelieving. He never does break the habit of wearing clothes that cover up most of his skin, but he also bares himself for Kisuke more easily, and Kisuke loves the way he shudders when they’re in bed and he’s running slow reverent hands over miles of tanned flesh, taking just as much comfort in the smooth warmth of a body unmarred by his mistakes.
4. Isshin is a Problem for all of two minutes when he catches Ichigo pinning Kisuke to a wall in the Shouten, kissing the breath out of him, thoroughly enough that it takes several dazed seconds for Kisuke to pull his brain cells back together when Isshin shrieks something unintelligible from the doorway. Technically, Isshin knows about the Other Future, but he has no memory of it, not like the rest of them do, and they certainly didn’t tell him about Ichigo and Kisuke - Ichigo because he couldn’t be bothered with someone who might as well be a stranger, Kisuke because he’s never been in the business of airing his personal laundry. So Isshin shouts and accuses Kisuke of being a pervert and preying on his innocent son and demanding he keep away from Ichigo from now on, and Kisuke only has time to feel Benihime seethe at the back of his mind before Masaki appears, casually kicks Isshin back out into the courtyard, waves at them with a cheerful reminder to “practice safe sex!”, and then she’s gone, dragging Isshin away with her. The next time they see Isshin, he still glares daggers at Kisuke but he keeps his opinions to himself, especially since every time he opens his mouth, Masaki’s smile would brighten like demonic sunshine, and Isshin would snap his mouth shut again with a wince, face bleaching white as he adopts a mien more suitable for a funeral. Ichigo’s mother is terrifying, and Kisuke prays he never gets on the wrong side of her.
5. Ichigo’s favourite thing about being back in the past is how much more freedom he has. He doesn’t know any other way to put it– it isn’t as if he was locked up in that Other Future, and it’s been years since anything could really pose a danger to him - Aizen aside - so it wasn’t like he hadn’t been able to wander wherever he pleased even back then. But here, where people don’t scuttle around like they’re constantly expecting death, where there’s no bodies littering the ground, and the air doesn’t smell like blood and rot, Ichigo in turn has no reason to constantly keep his guard up, to patrol and scavenge for supplies and be ready for battle at any moment. Sure, it’s a little boring with only a few Hollows to kill every other month, but it also means his family is a lot safer, and he’s free to do things like tangle his fingers with Kisuke’s when they take a peaceful walk in the evening, or go out for dinner and come back late without anyone panicking about something happening to either of them, or just stay in bed all day with Kisuke, knowing the cupboards and fridge are full and they don’t have to get up to tend to the farm or hunt for more essentials or search for another way to end Aizen once and for all. It admittedly takes some getting used to, but this world is definitely preferable to the apocalyptic one, and Ichigo doesn’t plan on wasting a single day of it.
For Guard: Are you planning on doing anything from Ichigo's POV, a scene or anything? Yoru-nee's reaction to what Kisuke did to Aizen? Does Kisuke get a medal or reward for LITERALLY tearing Aizen apart?
Hmm, well I did a bit of Ichi POV in the snippet before this one (an age and a half ago) even tho it was mostly Yoru talking. Yoru really just takes the whole Kisuke with bankai in stride, she knows Ichigo won’t stand for it if she tries to shanghai him into anything he doesn’t want, and she’s clan head enough to want to keep a Shihouin resource within the clan. And Kisuke’s not really one for medals/rewards (and honestly when is the Gotei/government ever prone to giving out rewards for services rendered), he’d much rather keep his abilities under wraps. But here’s a little something of Ichi and Kisuke discussing some of the fallout.
Edit: Uhhh the discussion devolved into really pointless UraIchi fluff sorry?
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for your SP au if u have time, how about a scene with injured/close to death!ichigo and kisuke losing it big time? idk i just feel like in this universe where even tho they're surrounded by people they know, theres also a sense of them only having each other, and after everything theyve been thru, one of them facing the possibility of losing the other could be rly trauamtizing.
Uhhhh… okay. Wow, alright, let’s see…
This takes place sometime far into the future. Well, not that far but like at least a couple years after the convo with Kaien and Shinji I guess?
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so i was going through your uraichi tag and i came across that picture of ichigo crouched between urahara and yoruichi, and it got me thinking. what's she think of all of this?
I assume you mean in the SP!AU? Well, um.
Have I mentioned how much I hate writing Yoruichi pov
This takes place sometime after Ichigo graduates but before the convo with Kaien and Shinji.
Okay, here we go:
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I just found the alt!swinging pendulum bits you've done and I am blown away. The really funny thing? I actually remember wondering how things would be going if Ichigo wasn't alone in that verse the first time I read it years ago. Having you explore that and having those bits be UraIchi is beyond my own imaginings! How did Kisuke take waking up in the past? Did he know Ichigo was thrown back too, or did he think he was alone for a while? Any chance you'll ever consider a bit from his POV?
I imagine the Soul King (following SP canon) offered them the same deal when they were both locked up in Muken. They wake up in different places in the past though so that might’ve caused a bit of panic, especially since Kisuke would’ve known Ichigo was in bad condition before coming back, and the Soul King didn’t exactly give them details about where they would end up.
My muse does not want to write anything above in Kisuke’s pov (or anyone’s pov) though so Imma just give you something else in Kisuke’s pov. Takes place sometime in the future after the other two bits I wrote.
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