Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

The Heart in My Hand	By : chayron Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 10028 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.

Chapter List
- 1-Part 1
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15
- 16-Part 16
- 17-Part 17
- 18-Part 18
- 19-Part 19
- 20-Part 20
- 21-Part 21
- 22-Part 22
- 23-Part 23
- 24-Part 24
- 25-Part 25
- 26-Part 26
- 27-Part 27
- 24
- 25
- 26
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach – it belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I am not making any money from writing it.
Warnings:
1. Yaoi (male x male). Ulquiorra x Ichigo and vice versa. Other pairings?
2. Ichigo – 20 years old; Ulquiorra – probably a few hundred as a Hollow and about a decade or so as an Arrancar?
3. Post anime (haven’t read the manga).
4. Alternate Universe.
5. I’m not a native speaker, thus expect various language oddities.
6. I’m not very familiar with all the details in the anime, and I am also new to Bleach fandom, so I will be straying away from the canon quite frequently. I do my research but Bleach is a vast universe that is not so easy to grasp. I must admit, though, that there are also things in the anime that don’t make sense to me and I take the liberty of recreating certain parts of this universe as I see fit.
The Heart in My Hand
by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by Ash
Part 25
Ichigo had only taken his Shinigami badge with him to university. He had left Kon at home, assuming the Modified Soul had many things to think about and come to terms with. Perhaps Kon would decide to visit Orihime as well and have a talk with her.
“Oh, look who’s here,” Akio said when Ichigo sat down at the desk next to him. “Where have you been these past few days?”
Thinking what kind of a crappy lie he should come up with this time, Ichigo took his time pulling out his notebook and pen from his bag.
“Oooh,” Akio said without waiting for an explanation as he thought he was able to read Ichigo’s face pretty well. “You’ve gotten yourself a girlfriend!”
Ichigo considered very carefully whether he should correct that into a “boyfriend” then decided not to. First of all, he wasn’t certain how to define his and Cifer’s relationship. Were they really going out as his common sense suggested? Ulquiorra had also mentioned something about the rings and that showed that Cifer seemingly did have at least some understanding of what they signified. And yet, he didn’t know what Ulquiorra’s thoughts on their relationship were. Secondly, he wasn’t certain how his friends would accept his versatile sexuality and there was no real need to reveal his vague relationship with what his friends would consider a ghost of his imagination.
“I’m afraid the only thing I got was a horrible cold,” Ichigo said instead.
Akio was disappointed but still suspicious. “You kinda feel different, though. More relaxed?”
“Must be the cold medicine,” Ichigo said with a chuckle.
“Oh, right,” Akio said in a moment, “we’ve got a group project in literature. I’ve put down your name next to mine and Timothy’s.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, you owe me one. We’re meeting today after the lectures to see what needs to be done.”
Ichigo wanted to tell him that he had plans, but thought better of it. He’d rather make Renji and Byakuya wait than appear ungrateful to Akio and Timothy.
From their message exchanges, Ichigo knew that Timothy and Fumiko were going out. He had his doubts about it lasting as he had always deemed Timothy too rash and not serious enough while Fumiko seemed to be much more mature. Well, for now it worked and the two had fun.
On the other hand, he didn’t know much about Akio’s current affairs. Apparently, Akio hadn’t gotten together with Hisako as he had presumed or, perhaps, had gotten and already split up. Akio was a bit more secretive than Timothy and didn’t share his emotions and experiences easily. They did exchange messages from time to time yet they were usually about what games to play and when to log in. Since Ichigo wasn’t very big on games and often didn’t even have time for them, the messages were becoming rarer.
Lectures ended at three. Ichigo still had an hour until the appointed meeting with his friends. They were to meet at a nearby café, but Ichigo didn’t want to wait there for an hour and, instead, bought a few snacks from one of the vending machines at university and went to the library to make himself familiar with the topic his group had to work on.
He spent a good forty minutes on the Internet. He jotted down a few points and ideas in his notebook, saved a few links and left for the café. On his way, he received a message from Timothy telling him that his friends were already there, waiting for him.
Ichigo was surprised to see a girl he barely knew from the course sitting at the same table as his friends. He couldn’t remember her name. When Akio had told him that they were going to work in a group of four, he had readily presumed that he had meant Fumiko.
“Oh, Ichi!” Akio said cheerfully. “Sorry, apparently I forgot to mention that Kyoko Machi is on our team as well.”
“Forgot my ass,” Ichigo muttered inaudibly.
After the very quick introduction, they sat down and ordered some food.
“We need to decide how to split the project,” Timothy said, finishing his juice. “How about we go to Ichigo’s house and take a look at what we have and need?”
The redhead wondered why none of his friends ever felt the need to ask him for permission first. “Going to my house isn’t the best idea. My dad is having some friends over for dinner,” he half-lied. “Wouldn’t want to disturb their nostalgic reminiscing and all.” His father was indeed meeting a friend this evening, but the location was a bar, not home.
“Hmm… How about my place, then?” Akio suggested. “My mom is working late today. But it’s an hour by train from here.”
“Sounds great,” Ichigo said at once. He looked at the other two, and they shrugged, agreeing.
They finished their meals, paid and left. They took the needed train and settled on the seats next to each other. It had been a long time since Ichigo visited Akio’s house. He was curious if Akio still had his Dragon Ball collection on display. Tons of manga and figurines lined the shelves in his room. Ichigo glanced at Kyoko, but Akio hadn’t interacted with her much at the café and, in general, didn’t seem very interested in her, so it was, very likely, that she was here to spark his interest. Or, perhaps, Akio was just shy.
They got off the train thirty-six minutes later. Akio lived a ten-minute walk away from the train stop. They were nearly halfway there when Ichigo sensed a Hollow’s presence. It was still quite far away but was approaching rather quickly. Kurosaki was more than certain that he had attracted the Hollow. He hardly ever visited this part of town, and the Hollow must have thought that he was an easy prey. Or perhaps this was a newly formed Hollow.
Ichigo looked around, but there was nowhere he could use his Shinigami badge without resulting in his friends calling for an ambulance for his unconscious body. Now he was regretting not having taken Kon with him.
“What’s wrong with you?” Timothy wondered when Ichigo kept turning around and checking the street behind them. “Is there someone following us?”
“Ugh. No,” Ichigo said, reaching out into his bag for the badge. “I just don’t feel very…”
The Hollow wasn’t big but that didn’t make it any less dangerous. It was clearly male, skin mostly red and black, with short red hair and two large and dark eyes. The Hollow was nearly right behind their group now but was cautious as he was aware that one of the Humans was, for some reason, able to see him.
Ichigo considered leaving his body to take the Hollow’s head off with his Zanpakuto and then returning back into his body at once. Perhaps he could blame indigestion or his conjured cold for his body suddenly folding onto the asphalt. Then he suddenly felt a spark of familiar energy and let go of his badge. The Hollow had recognized the reiatsu as well and disappeared in a blink. Yet, it was too late.
“Have your plans changed?” Cifer asked, his hand wrapped around the red Hollow’s neck, squeezing. For some time only the Hollow’s croaking agony was heard.
Ichigo had turned around and caught up with his friends. Ulquiorra thought about tossing the Hollow, but the current catch was actually much better than his last prey and it would be a waste. He watched the redhead’s receding back.
“Text me,” he said.
Ichigo pulled out his phone out and typed in a sentence. There was a soft ping, and Cifer reached into his pocket.
“I see,” he said after having read the message. “Want me to see you to your friend’s house?”
Another message came, and Ulquiorra shrugged. He pocketed his phone, threw the Hollow over his shoulder and flash-stepped away. On his way, he flaunted his reiatsu in hopes of it, at least for some time, keeping other Hollows in hiding. Ichigo thought that he looked rather funny while carrying that red and black Hollow that was about the same size as him.
The Dragon Ball merchandise was still taking up a big part of Akio’s room. The three of them kept looking around while Akio was in the kitchen, preparing tea and searching for snacks. Ichigo glanced at Kyoko but she didn’t seem to be put off. She appeared to be rather curious. They sat down in the middle of the room, Timothy and Ichigo leaning their backs against Akio’s bed while Kyoko borrowed a decorative pillow from the bed and sat down on it, facing them. At first they thought about waiting for Akio, but then the silence started grating on Timothy’s nerves and he started pulling notebooks out of his bag.
“So basically, there are six sections to cover,” Timothy was saying when Akio finally appeared back in the room with a tray of goods.
“Started without me?” he asked, lowering the tray onto his desk. “I found some soda if anyone doesn’t want tea.”
It took them over an hour to divide the project and then discuss what exactly each part entailed and how they were going to present the whole thing once it was done. After they had exchanged phone numbers with Kyoko, Akio saw his guests to the train stop.
_ _ _
Ichigo left the bathroom and walked into the living room-kitchen, where Ulquiorra was lying on the sofa. Ichigo had taken a shower and was drying his hair with a towel. He looked at the phone in Cifer’s hands.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Looking at Karakura and the neighboring town maps. Making sure I have not missed anything.”
“Hm? Are you looking for something in particular?”
“No, not really. Just looking around.”
Ichigo stopped rubbing his hair with the towel and walked to hang it on one of the chairs at the dining table. “Thanks for today,” he said, returning to the sofa. He reached for the remote on the coffee table.
“You’re welcome.”
“Yeah, I’ve found it’s hard to explain why I fell onto the sidewalk unconscious.”
“Yes, that and possible bruises or a concussion. This body of yours is a nightmare.”
Chuckling, Ichigo tried to squeeze in next to Ulquiorra onto the sofa. “It’s not that bad. Hey, move a bit.”
Cifer shifted a little, and the sofa creaked dangerously. He froze and met the redhead’s eyes. Ichigo chuckled.
“Your stay here will end in everyone sitting on the floor on their asses,” he said, wriggling into the tiny space next to Ulquiorra.
Cifer’s eyebrows rose a little. “It seems to me that now you’re doing your best to contribute to it.”
“Just don’t move too much. And pass me that red cushion.”
Ulquiorra did, and Ichigo set it under the back of his head and shoulders. He shifted some more and finally settled, now comfortable alongside Cifer, mostly on him actually, the cushion pressed against his right side. He turned the TV on. Ichigo’s head was nearly in Ulquiorra’s face and now, besides his distinctive scent, he could also smell shampoo. He suddenly had the urge to touch the red hair.
“You know, I actually found it.”
“Mm? Found what?” Ichigo wondered, keeping an eye on the TV.
“My sash in your drawers.”
Ichigo nearly choked on his own spit. “You went through my things?” he coughed out, incredulous, his face burning.
“Yes, and quite thoroughly too.”
“Why?!”
“I was bored, and it was a good opportunity to get to know you better.”
“The color of my underwear won’t make you know me better!”
“You might be wrong there. I also found out that you did keep the sash,” Cifer pointed out.
“That’s just because there was nowhere else I could put it!” Ichigo grunted, his eyes conveniently fixed on the TV. “I can’t just throw something spiritual like that away! Don’t go digging around in my stuff again!”
“Why? You can go dig in mine as much as you want.”
“You don’t have any stuff!”
“If I did, you could dig in it all day long.”
Ichigo huffed, speechless. He had finally managed to take control of his furious blush and could feel it receding from his face.
“Are you keeping it as a trophy?”
“Of course not!” Ichigo denied vehemently, his face red all over again.
“Then as a memento?”
“You know, just take it back with you once you’re going back to Hueco Mundo!”
Ulquiorra chuckled. “No, no, I wouldn’t ever want to take it away from you.”
Ichigo kept his eyes on the TV and swallowed an embarrassed curse. He didn’t know why exactly he had kept the sash. Perhaps because of the reasons he told Ulquiorra or perhaps due to the reasons Ulquiorra told him. Silently, he stared at the screen for some time then felt Ulquiorra shift slightly, and the other man’s hand pressed to the back of his head. Apparently, Ulquiorra didn’t exactly know what he wanted to do and the hand stayed there, touching the tips of his hair. It was, perhaps, the offer of truce. Then one of the fingers poked him in the pouting cheek, and Ichigo grunted, not sure whether he was more annoyed or amused to be treated this way.
Ulquiorra brushed over the back of Ichigo’s neck then ruffled through the hair a little higher. He felt Ichigo lean into his palm. The redhead’s reaction made him continue to play with his hair.
“You like that?”
“Yeah, feels nice.”
He gently touched the redhead’s neck again and felt him completely relax against him. He shifted a little, carefully, so that their bodies could fit more comfortably. It was probably the first time that he had initiated this type of contact without expecting it to lead to sex. Ichigo obviously liked it too – he could sense the feelings of comfort, trust and something else, which felt very warm and somehow reminded him of a feeling of security wafting from the other man. He couldn’t identify them all but the combination of these feelings was incredibly pleasant and satisfying.
A chuckle shook Cifer’s chest and Ichigo raised his head to look at him.
“What are you laughing about?”
“You feel like a ball of warm…hmm…something?”
“Do I?” Ichigo wondered.
“Yes,” Ulquiorra confirmed threading his fingers over the redhead’s scalp, continuing to massage.
When Isshin had returned from a bar, where he had spent the evening with an old friend, and entered the living-room, he was greeted by the sight of Ichigo and Ulquiorra napping on the sofa. The TV was still on but neither of the two were watching it. Cifer was fully stretched out on his back, a phone in his left hand while the other was on top of Ichigo’s head. His son was basically nesting on Cifer, his upper body on top of him, his head resting against the other man’s shoulder and armpit. Apparently, it hadn’t been very comfortable, so Ichigo had propped up a cushion against Cifer’s body.
Isshin wondered how his son could be so careless. One thoughtless movement in Cifer’s sleep would be enough to crush his arm or leg or a couple of ribs.
The eldest Kurosaki suddenly felt that he was being watched and his eyes left his son to meet Cifer’s incredibly green ones. The man was watching him curiously. There was still a certain caution in those eyes, bordering on aggression or threat. Isshin grunted. It was clear how this peculiar relationship between his son and Cifer came to be, yet he was glad to see Ichigo so relaxed and content. It was probably the first time in his life that his son finally felt that way, yet he couldn’t trust Cifer. The man was new to this kind of life and had a very vague understanding of how things here worked. He was stubborn and insistent about Ichigo and very possessive too. He was tuning it down a lot, but Isshin was afraid that his real nature was going to cause nothing but problems in the long run.
_ _ _

It was one of those rare times when he didn’t need to risk his life in Dangai. It felt undoubtedly pleasant. Yet Ichigo had already accepted the fact that he was never going to have his own butterfly. No one would ever entrust him with one since he just kept breaking the rules. Even if he ever became a captain, the position entailed too many responsibilities. He was more of an action man than a scheming one. He would certainly think long and hard if he were offered the position and perhaps would accept since it would stroke his ego. A captain’s position would certainly stroke anyone’s ego.
One could dream. It didn’t hurt anyone. It was his constitutional right. Just like sleeping with whomever he fancied.
Greeting and answering greetings on his way, Ichigo reached the Sixth Division. Surprisingly enough, he found Renji in his office doing paperwork. At the sight of him, Abarai dropped his pen and stood up to greet him.
“You sure took your time!” he said reproachfully.
Ichigo gave him a sheepish grin. “Yeah… Sorry about that.”
“So how are you doing?” he asked while Ichigo seated himself opposite his desk. “Did you bring the insect?”
“Yes, it’s here,” Ichigo said, lowering the small, black box in front of him on the desk. “Thanks.”
Renji took the box, opened it to check on the insect and closed it again. He left the office to find someone from the Fourth Division and leave the insect in their care.
“Here, write your report,” he said as soon as he returned. He lowered a sheet of paper in front of Ichigo. “I didn’t mention Grimmjow in mine, though,” he warned the other redhead.
“Huh? Why?” Ichigo wondered. He wasn’t overly concerned about Grimmjow. Neither did he believe that Byakuya Kuchiki would find much interest in him. Grimmjow struck him as an opportunistic asshole concerned only with himself and, perhaps, Ulquiorra. And even then Ichigo wasn’t certain if the Arrancar wasn’t just waiting for an opening to drive his Zanpakuto into Cifer’s back.
“I think Ulquiorra has him on a leash,” Renji said. “For now at least.”
Ichigo hummed doubtfully. “Alright,” he said, as there was nothing else to say – he couldn’t include Grimmjow in his report now or he’d get Abarai in trouble.
It took him about an hour to write his report. All the while Renji had been tackling the paperwork. He read through Ichigo’s report quickly, approved and signed it.
“Now with this out of the way…” he said, putting the report onto the pile of other documents that required the captain’s attention. “How is it going? Are you still meeting him?”
Ichigo gave him an awkward look. “Yes. He’s staying with me in the Living World.”
“Hoo… And how is it?” Renji asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“How is what?” Ichigo mumbled, annoyed with the questioning.
“The sex of course, what else?”
“Ugh. I don’t see how that’s any business of yours.”
“Oh, c’mon, indulge me. I mean it’s not every day that someone like you and Cifer shack up.”
Ichigo’s face turned red. “What the hell do you mean ‘like you’? Is this some kind of research?” he muttered in a protest. “And I don’t have much experience to compare.” Abarai kept staring at him, and Ichigo grunted out reluctantly, “I think it’s good, actually – great.”
Abarai grinned. “Well, you sure look like you’re having the time of your life.” Ichigo gave him a look, and he shrugged. “I’m actually envious. I don’t get as much action as I’d like. He’s kinda… How do I say it…? Not very interested in sex in general? Well, he never has been, but it can be a pain to deal with.”
Ichigo was astonished. “You’ve got a lover? I never knew! And it’s a ‘he’? Who is it?”
Renji stared at him for a few moments. “Really? How dense can you be? Why are you so freaking slow?”
“Will you stop that? I’ve never seen you with anyone!”
“Ugh.” Renji grabbed his Zanpakuto that had been resting against the side of his desk. “Let’s go somewhere else. This is not the right atmosphere for this type of conversation.”
_ _ _
“Byakuya? Really?” Ichigo repeated, astonished. He poured the contents of the glass shot into his mouth. He was having a hard time processing the information. “I’ve never noticed.”
Renji dragged the bowl of snacks closer to himself then refiled Ichigo’s shot. “Yeah, you’re kinda slow with these things.” He looked around the inn. It wasn’t even midday and there weren’t many other customers besides them. “We’ve been together for about thirty years now.”
Ichigo shook his head in disbelief. “Thirty years?!”
“Well, not all of them. We sometimes kinda drift apart and then end up together again. I don’t know, it just happens. I think if we deduced all the time we spent apart, it would only be half of that.”
“Well, it’s still a lot,” Ichigo said, chugging down more sake. “Really, I never noticed. Say, is it a common thing here, homosexuality? And didn’t Byakuya have a wife at some point in the past? How did it even turn out like that?”
“Huh? What do you…? Oh, you mean… No, it’s different than in the Living World. Here, it’s all about attraction and most of the time it’s about reiatsu levels.”
Ichigo blinked at him. “What?”
The other redhead’s confused face was kind of cute and Renji chuckled. “There’s a better chance that people with similar energy levels would be attracted to each other. It’s not always what happens, but it’s quite a frequent occurrence. A person’s sex doesn’t play much of a role in that.”
“Ooh… I get it now…” Ichigo emptied another glass shot. “I totally get it.”
“Didn’t Ulquiorra say anything to you?”
“I never asked. I didn’t know what to ask either.”
Renji shrugged. He thought that it had to be confusing for Ichigo not knowing why he reacted to certain people. He grinned. “I’m sure that you feel attracted to me as well.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Renji’s grin widened. “Oh, c’mon! Remember that time you kissed me?”
“Stop making things up!”
“I’m not. You were drunk.”
The look on Renji’s face was making Ichigo uncomfortable. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Perhaps. Just a little bit.”
“In that case, I must inform you that this feels like sexual harassment!” Ichigo stood up. “Goodbye!”
It occurred then to Ichigo that he couldn’t keep his balance at all: neither his legs nor the rest of the body could stay upright.
_ _ _
Ichigo woke up with a splitting headache. Grunting in pain, he sat up. He didn’t know where he was. Holding his bursting head in his hands, he stared around him. He was in a nicely decorated, traditional Japanese room. It was big and empty while he was smack in the middle of it, on a futon. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. The redhead tried to remember how he had appeared here but his bursting brain felt tender and mushy and offered no help in solving the mystery.
One of the doors suddenly slid open to admit Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai into the room.
“Oh, you’re up,” Renji said.
Kuchiki shot Ichigo a scalding look, turned the other way and walked to the other side of the room, where he sat down at a desk without uttering a word.
“Did I do something yesterday?” Ichigo asked softly. Renji gave him an incredulous look, and Ichigo got a very bad feeling. “What did I do?” he whispered.
Renji sighed. “It would be easier to tell you what you didn’t do. And that is – you never shut up. Don’t you remember anything?”
“I wouldn’t ask you if I did!”
“Well, first, you kept thanking Byakuya for letting Cifer go and then sending you to Hueco Mundo after him, where you very nearly married him.”
Ichigo hiccupped. “What? Did I really say that? Wait, wait! And how did Kuchiki appear at the inn? You’re lying!”
“I’m not. You got so drunk that I didn’t know what to do with you so I brought you home.”
“Whose home?” Ichigo asked, looking around.
“Our home. Mine and Byakuya’s.”
“Oh. Right. Now I remember. You told me that you two…”
“Yep. I regret it now. You kept telling him to stop being prudish and try out some new poses and toys. Basically, you kept trying to give advice on sex while I was trying to get you to sleep.”
Ichigo was absolutely confused. “Huh? I did? Why?”
“Because I was an idiot and told you that he doesn’t have a very high sex drive. I hope that you can imagine how pissed off he is now.”
“Oh. I see… I’m very sorry.”
“Will you stop whispering there?!” Kuchiki demanded from the other side of the room. “Kurosaki, I see you are well enough to return to the Living World. I have read your report and it is full of lies just like Abarai’s!”
“Umm…” Ichigo knew better than to argue with the captain. “Shall I rewrite it?”
Kuchiki exhaled sharply, his annoyance level rising even higher. “We both know that this would only result in even more lies!”
Ichigo stood up. His world suddenly somersaulted. His face became ashen, his hands clammy, and his mouth was suddenly full of saliva.
“I’m gonna barf,” Ichigo squeaked urgently. “Where’s the toilet?”
“Oh great,” Renji grunted in disbelief. He grabbed Ichigo by his upper arm and dragged him out of the room, but not before they could miss Byakuya saying something about one more alcoholic in the house.
TBC
- 24
- 25
- 26
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Heart in My Hand