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Stand in the Rain	By : ShadowedEcho Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2047 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, no money is being made by me, this was written purely for entertainment purposes

Chapter List
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Ichigo wasn't used to people actually doing what they promised they would, six months as the Pet of the Godfather of mind games will do that to you, so when a firm knock came to his door and he allowed them entrance he was a bit shocked to see blonde hair and blue eyes, "Captain Unohana said you wanted to talk to me?" Izuru Kira asked cautiously. He and Ichigo had never spoken much, yet he was the first person Ichigo wanted to speak to since his awakening, he was a bit off balance with the oddity.
Ichigo sat up in bed to talk to him, momentarily distracting Izuru as he noticed how pale the usually tan Ichigo had become, "Yeah I did want to talk to you. My activity is being restricted until I recover, she said if I wanted something to do I should work on controlling my Spirit Pressure. Captain Kyouraku advised I try Kido as a way of doing that, and he gave me your name as the best person to talk to about teaching me Kido."
Well that cleared up a few questions, but Izuru stumbled upon another one, "Why me? Aren't you close with Rukia Kuchiki? She is good at Kido, and you don't know me as well as you do her."
Ichigo looked a bit sheepish at his question, "I thought about that after he mentioned Kido, but I don't think that would be a good idea. We don't have a very good track record with me understanding what she is trying to teach. He suggested you, and I do know you at least a little better than most Soul Reapers, so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask."
Izuru took a moment to consider what Ichigo was saying before replying, "I don't have a lot of time, I am doing both mine and the Captain's duties for my squad, but if you really want my help I guess I can show you a few things. You are probably going to need time to practice what I show you, so we wouldn't be meeting up more than two or three times a week if that's alright with you?" He offered, figuring he could use the break from all the pressure of running the squad teaching Ichigo Kido would give him, it was something he did truly enjoy after all.
"Hey I understand you're busy, I appreciate whatever time you can spend on this with me. I have never tried anything like this before, wait that's wrong I did help power the cannonball thing Kukaku Shiba gave us to break into Soul Society but I wasn't very good at it, but other than that nothing so it will probably take me some time between lessons for me to catch on." Ichigo accepted the time constraints, he didn't think they would need to meet every day, two or three times a week would be enough as long as he kept practicing on the off days. He needed to get stronger, if this was all he was allowed to do until Retsu cleared him for physical training, he would do his best at it.
"You haven't been shown any traditional Kido at all?" Izuru asked incredulously, it was one of the first things gone over at the academy, most students knew the first twenty incantations for both offensive and defensive Kido before they knew their Zanpakuto's name.
"I have seen it used, but teaching me never really came up. I learned Flash Step because I had to, but that is about it. I was too busy keeping myself alive in fights against Captains to learn Kido." Ichigo explained.
Izuru shook himself out of his shook, launching into the first lesson while they were both ready to listen, "No wonder your Spirit Pressure is always spilling everywhere. Kido helps in a lot of different ways in controlling your Spirit Pressure in a fight, and not just for the obvious incantations. You must have noticed the more power you feed your sword the stronger your attacks are, Kido will improve your ability to focus spirit power, in turn strengthening your Zanpakuto." The blonde haired Lieutenant slid into the chair by Ichigo's bed, making himself comfortable for their conversation.
Ichigo hummed in agreement, "Never thought of that but it makes sense. I only have one concern with learning Kido, but I'm not sure if you can answer."
"What's bothering you?" Izuru knew Ichigo was friends with Renji, had the red head scared him away from Kido with his stories of blowing himself up?
Ichigo put a hand to his chest softly, "Do you think my Hollow could interfere? I know a Visored that specializes in Kido, but I never asked if it was the same." Ichigo admitted, Hacchi was excellent at Kido, but Ichigo had no way of knowing if his incantations were the same as the others or not.
Izuru blinked slowly a few times, "I have no idea, you are the only one I know, the others were exiled before I entered the academy."
Ichigo nodded, "It's alright I didn't think you would know, but thought I would ask anyway."
"Captain Unohana probably has the answer, or any of the older Officers," Izuru suggested helpfully.
"They might, or Mr. Hat'n'Clogs." Ichigo mentioned, confusing Izuru.
"Who?" He asked curiously.
"Oh sorry, Kisuke Urahara, I didn't know his name when I first met him so the nickname stuck." Ichigo confessed with a shrug.
"How do you know him?" Izuru asked curiously, that was an incredibly infamous name around Soul Society even long after his banishment.
Ichigo got a small smile on his face at remembering him, "He trained me, well him and my father, but he did the most good for my Shinigami training." Isshin had taught him how to fight with his body, Kisuke had shown him how to use Zangetsu.
"Well that explains how good you were that first trip here, when he was a Captain here I heard he was nearly impossible to beat in a fight." Izuru felt a few more pieces of the puzzle that was Ichigo Kurosaki fall into place.
Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in nervous embarrassment at the easily given compliment, "Yeah I figured that out, he nearly killed me trying to get me trained."
Izuru offered him a grin, "Well I can't promise I won't hurt you, if you're anything like Renji the first few attempts could be rather, destructive, to put it politely, but I will show you the Kido I know and hopefully it will work."
"Thank you," Ichigo replied honestly, "Is there anything I can work on now? I'm going to be stuck here for a few days, I will be bored out of my mind with nothing to do."
Izuru thought about it, "Well it wouldn't be a good idea to try any incantations while here, Captain Unohana would skin us alive then make us heal ourselves afterwards if we destroy her barracks or disturb her patients. You can work on gathering your Spirit Pressure together. This is what most of us learn along with Shikai, but with your Zanpakuto as continuous release type, I doubt you have ever had to go through the process am I right?" He paused to get Ichigo's answer.
"No, I haven't, but why would gathering it help me to suppress it? Wouldn't that just make it stronger?" Ichigo was confused, but hoped he wouldn't stay that way for long.
That question right there let Izuru truly understand Ichigo was a complete greenhorn, this would be interesting to see how quickly he picked up on it, "Well for starters, you are not trying to suppress your power, you are trying to control it. The way you are now it is spilling out at all times, in all directions, without any thought on your part. You want to gather it together so it becomes something you command, whether that command is to attack or hide, you still have to gather it first. After all it doesn't do you any good to hide only part of your power while the rest of it keeps flowing unchecked."
"Makes sense, now how do I do it?" Ichigo was ready to move forward, he hadn't done nay true practice during his confinement, it was time to learn something new again.
"I know you have a Bankai, how do you call it?" Izuru asked, not having one himself he wasn't sure if it was the same process as Shikai or not.
"I concentrate on Zangetsu and call his full name," Ichigo responded, hand going to the hilt of the sword resting next to his bed, the 4th squad knew better than to separate the two after being apart for so long in Aizen's clutches.
"Do you realize that by concentrating on your sword that you are already doing some of what I am asking? By doing that, you are directing your energy into the blade to wake it up to its next level of power. You need to do that, but more thoroughly, try to gather all of your Spiritual Pressure and direct it to your hand not your sword. Hold it for a few seconds, then let the power recede, keep doing that until you can hold it for a full minute. I won't teach you an incantation until you can do at least that much, if you can go for longer, even better." Izuru was glad he already had the basics, even if Ichigo hadn't realized that was what he was doing.
Ichigo's brows drew together as he absorbed the method, "I think I can manage that, but can you tell me one more thing before I try?" He asked.
"Go ahead," Izuru allowed.
Ichigo got a slightly humorous look in his eyes despite the half-scowl on his face, "Why does Renji blow himself up?"
"Because he never had the patience to do the exercise I just told you about. He likes to rush into things, fighting instinctually rather than with a plan, not too different from you really. He hides it well, but hiding his Spirit Pressure is about the highest form of control he has, and he isn't that great at sensing others. He has more practice than you, but in raw talent you two are probably dead even. You have the advantage now of having nothing but time to practice this simple skill. Trust me it's worth the boredom." Izuru explained, not bothering to hide his grin at Renji's expense. That first lessen with red flame canon came up in his mind, Renji trying so hard to prove himself that he went too far, lost control, and ended up roasting himself. Izuru did feel a bit bad for the guy after his sides stopped hurting from laughing so much of course.
Ichigo liked Izuru's smile, though he had a feeling the reserved Lieutenant probably didn't indulge in the act very often, "So, why a minute? Is the length of time important?"
The smile faded, but there was still a relaxed look on his face as they got back to the main topic, "Yes and no, there is no magic number or anything like that, but most incantations take some time to say and then you actually have to release it. The more complicated ones can take about a minute to say. Most are less, but if you can do it for a full minute you will be safer and more stable, with predictable results with each incantation."
"Thank you," Ichigo responded, as another knock came to his door.
"Ichigo, you have visitors, can they come in?" Hanataro called inside, the seventh seat didn't sound intimidated, must be someone he knew.
"I need to be heading back to my squad, if you get stuck, feel free to ask more questions," Izuru excused himself as Ichigo called to Hanataro to let the visitors inside.
It was Renji and Rukia, the male lieutenant catching sight of his friend, "Hey Izuru, what are you doing here?" He asked, as Rukia only had eyes for Ichigo's seated form, going over to the teen and hugging him tightly.
"Ichigo wanted help with learning Kido, I had a free moment so I came to see him, but I need to get back now." Izuru replied, as Rukia began berating Ichigo for not letting her know he was okay the moment he woke up.
"See you later then, I had better go pry Rukia off Ichigo's windpipe," Renji answered, letting Izuru leave and heading over to wear the tiny woman was attempting to throttle their friend.
He pulled her away from Ichigo, "You know it's not nice to make your friends need a healer while still recovering from their latest injuries."
"Thank you Renji," Ichigo replied gratefully.
"You wait until they are fully recovered before you do that," He teased, the grin on his face stretching the tattoos around his eyebrows.
Ichigo scowled at him, "Sure, I disappear for months and all you can think about is how quickly you can put me back in here!" He protested, snapping Rukia out of her glaring contest with Renji.
"I'm sorry Ichigo, but you really scared us, we weren't sure if you were coming back. When you were taken all we could think about was whether or not you were alive. Yamamoto had all of us known to be friends with you under watch, or we would have been combing the desert looking for you." She explained, unshed tears in her eyes, making Ichigo pull up short in his irritation. He had never seen that look on her face.
He stood up and pulled her much smaller body into a hug, wrapping his strong arms around her gently, "I'm alive Rukia. I'm not okay yet, but I will be. You know me; it will take more than Aizen to get rid of me." He reassured, noticing the quick flash of jealousy that was quickly quashed in Renji's eyes as he held Rukia. He nodded slightly at the taller Shinigami, he acknowledged the feelings Renji had, but this was about comfort not love.
He pulled out of the hug a little, and wiped the start of tears out from under her eyes, "There is one good thing in all this." He goaded her into curiosity hoping to cheer her up.
"What is it?" She knew he was baiting her, but she took it anyway.
His face softened out of the scowl, "I came to an agreement with my Hollow, so he isn't going to be a problem anymore. Junichi and I are getting along now."
Rukia felt her heart clench at him mentioning his Hollow, it was one of her biggest fears, she had seen Kaien be consumed by a Hollow and now she had to watch as Ichigo fought against the same fate. "Ichigo, are you sure you know what you are doing? He is dangerous."
Ichigo nodded quickly, "Yes to both, I do know what I am doing, and he is incredibly dangerous just not to me. He never was a threat, I simply never saw his actions for what they were."
"And what were they?" Renji asked this, he was concerned for Ichigo too, but didn't have the overwhelming fear that Rukia did, he only knew Kaien in passing.
"He was training me," Ichigo explained, "He knew I would learn quicker if he threatened the one thing I will go to any lengths to protect, my friends. He was right. I learned more from him in a few minutes of fighting than I could have with hours of lessons."
Renji tilted his head in confusion, "If it worked so well, why did he change tactics now?"
Ichigo slumped a bit where he stood, and Renji almost regretted the question until Ichigo started answering, "He had to break through to me. I was ready to give up. I actually told him if he wanted my soul he could take it, maybe without me to hinder him he could break free and live, or at least take out as many captors as he could in the battle that would follow. He didn't take the offer, he told me he didn't need to take what he already had."
Rukia found her voice, a bit shaky, but she was regaining her composure, "What do you mean he already had?"
"Rukia, my Hollow isn't separate, he is me." Ichigo told her, and Renji, quietly.
"Like Zangetsu is?" She paled drastically, but kept soldiering on, hoping the nightmare would end soon.
Ichigo shook his head sadly, "No, deeper than that. Zangetsu is my sword, connected to me and I him, but my Hollow is literally half of me. I know you are thinking of Kaien. Don't, this isn't the same at all. Junichi didn't consume or harm me, instead he joined me. I am still the same as I was the moment I awakened my own power."
"I think maybe we should talk about something else, you are still recovering Ichigo, and we need some time to take it all in." Renji broke in, not wanting this to go any further, both of them were strung out from what little had been said anyway.
"I agree," Ichigo immediately latched onto Renji's suggestion. "I made my choice of where to stay once they let me out of here, I'm going to the thirteenth so I will be near you Rukia and you won't have to worry so much."
"That's good," Rukia replied, still a little stunned from learning the truth about Ichigo and his Hollow.
Renji swooped in to cover up for her awkwardness, "The sixth too hard for ya Ichigo?" He taunted.
Ichigo's scowl returned, "Hey, I'm making your life easier. I respect Byakuya and all, but can you imagine him and I in close quarters for Kami knows how long? I'm probably going to travel around a little during the days any way, all the squads have something different to teach."
"That's a good idea," A new voice interrupted from the doorway, "It doesn't hurt to get a different perspective."
"Captain Kyouraku!" Three shocked voices called at the same time.
Shunsui's eyes widened slightly at the reaction, he must have walked into something intense for all three to startle that badly, "It's so good to know the young Soul Reapers still remember us old timers," He teased to break the tension. "I thought Ichigo might like to know Jyuushiro has woken up and will be better a little sooner than anticipated. You two should be able to leave around the same time."
"My Captain is here?" Rukia asked quickly, "Wait, why does Ichigo know when I didn't, no one told the squad?"
The Captain of the Eighth looked down at the worried Kuchiki, "Yes he is here, he was brought in early this morning. Your hot-headed friend here was pushing himself too far, so Retsu decided an object lesson was needed. As for why your squad wasn't told, you know him well by know, he wouldn't want all of you to fuss over him."
Rukia wrinkled her brow in thought, "Still Sentaro and Kiyone usually say something when he gets sick enough to be brought here."
"They didn't bring him, I did. He was with me when he collapsed." Shunsui explained. "If you want to go see him, do it soon, he will probably be going back to sleep before too much longer."
"Ichigo do you mind?" Rukia was torn, here Ichigo was after missing for so long, but her beloved Captain was recovering too.
"Go see him Rukia, I will still be here when he is asleep," Ichigo shooed her out of the room, making the choice for her. Renji only hesitated for a moment before following her, a quick goodbye thrown over his shoulder.
"How long has Renji been following her around like a puppy?" Ichigo asked the elder Captain curiously.
Kyouraku's rumbling chuckle was unexpected but pleasant, "For as long as I have known the two of them. According to gossip they grew up in the Rukon districts together."
"I wish him luck," Ichigo muttered lowly, before returning to sit on his bed, a wave towards the chair inviting the brunette captain to stay if he wanted to.
Shunsui raised an eyebrow, "Do you really? It looked like you may have harbored feelings for her yourself. Most people would not have done what you did to save a mere acquaintance." Yes he was fishing, but he wouldn't learn anything if he didn't try. Maybe Ichigo would open up to him a little bit, it wasn't like they had a bad history to get over or anything like some of the other Captains.
Ichigo's scowl deepened, "I wish people would stop thinking like that. I saved her because it was the right thing to do, and I never turn my back on someone who has helped me. I like her well enough, but I don't love her or anything like that."
Kyouraku suppressed a smile, so it was like he thought, "I met your large friend on your first visit here, he spoke of you the same way. You invoke great loyalty. I noticed your companion Ryoka were here following you, not Rukia Kuchiki."
"That was Chad, he and I have watched each other's backs for so long we don't know how to stop. I would have followed him just as easily if the situation were reversed. As for Orihime and Uryu, I agree Orihime was here mostly because of me, but she is also kindhearted and a great healer, she wanted to help. Uryu didn't like me much at all back then, he was the Quincy and I was the Shinigami, I think he did it to prove something to himself as much as to help Rukia." Ichigo felt the topic was safe enough, those friends meant more to him than anything short of family.
"The young Quincy, he fought Mayuri didn't he?" Shunsui knew full well he had, but wanted to keep Ichigo talking, so it was safe subjects he picked.
"Yes, and he almost beat him too, Mayrui pulled one of his cheats at the last minute. He dissolved into some kid of green goop before the wound Uryu gave him killed him." Uryu was still bitter about that, and Ichigo thought he had good reason to be.
"To land a blow on him is difficult enough, your friend should take pride in that alone." Shunsui insisted.
That got Ichigo to wondering, "Do the Captains have ranks like the Espada, from strongest to weakest, or are all of you on about the same level?" He asked curiously.
That question surprised Shunsui a little, but he answered that anyway, "Not really, as you said earlier we all have different strengths, so to say who is stronger is difficult. There is a rough order going on age and experience, but with the loss of so many high ranking Officers recently even that loose order has been disrupted."
Ichigo chewed on his lip, knowing he would have to work on breaking the habit again, "Do you mind telling me the order?"
"I don't mind, but why is it important?" Shunsui wanted to know what was going on in that brightly colored head of his.
Ichigo seemed to waver a bit before answering honestly, "I have fought a few of you, and I have fought a few of them. War is coming back and I need to get stronger. If I am going to pick opponents to spar against I need to know who to challenge."
Shunsui relaxed, he could understand that motivation, "If that's what you're after you asked the wrong question."
"Okay, than what's the right one?" Ichigo hoped the eccentric Captain wasn't just teasing him and would eventually give him the answers he wanted.
"Strength isn't as important as skill, you should ask me what the current Captains are good at. Wearing this Haori is more than just a symbol, it means we are the strongest in our Squad, that we have proven this in front of witnesses. You are guaranteed a difficult fight no matter which of us you challenge. If you are looking for a challenging person to spar with, that would push you into learning something new, you need to find the Captain that specializes in the skill you want to practice." Kyouraku explained, not minding teaching when he could see the dawning awareness cross the students face.
Ichigo picked up on lessons quickly, "Oaky, then who is good at what?"
"Where should I start?" Shunsui asked, leaning back and making himself comfortable in the bedside chair, used to spending time in them while watching over Jyuushiro.
"I need to work on control, so start with the Kido based ones and go from there," Ichigo requested, trying not to sound demanding.
Shunsui chuckled again at his eagerness. "Alright, there are four Captains who have Kido specialties, one of which you already fought, Byakuya Kuchiki. After him is Captain Soi Fon, she is the current leader of the black ops, and it is her policy to use her sword as little as possible. Her hand-to-hand and Kido techniques are very good. The third is Retsu, though she doesn't fight often you can not discount her. If she does decide to fight, I doubt if any of the current Captains could beat her one on one. The fourth is Jyuushiro, like you he had long periods of time where physical activity was restricted, his Kido is better than mine, but not quite as good as Retsu."
"Okay, who are the best hand-to-hand?" Ichigo asked that was his fall back, it would be good to see the technique used by the much older and probably more practiced Shinigami.
Shunsui answered patiently, "I already mentioned Soi Fon, but Komamura is also very good at that style. Most of us are at least competent hand-to-hand fighters though."
"I figure all of you are masters with a sword, but who are the best?" He didn't want Zangetsu and Junichi getting bored.
This would be the entertaining one. "That would be Jyuushiro, Retsu, Zaraki, and myself. Though like you said, all of us are above average swordsman. Even Byakuya whose Shikai and Bankai involve little to no actual swordsmanship knows what he is doing if he has to."
"That sounds right, all except for Captain Unohana, is she really that good? I have never seen her fight." He was a bit confused on that.
"It's a good thing you haven't. I mentioned before if she does decide to fight, I'm not sure there is a current Captain who could beat her, and I include myself and Jyuushiro in that." Shunsui admitted.
Ichigo picked up on another oddity, "Why wasn't Toshiro on any of the lists?"
"He is a good fighter, and his Zanpakuto is amazing, but he is still very young. He hasn't specialized yet, so I couldn't tell you what it was if he doesn't have one." He explained, liking the serious young captain, but he wished so many burdens weren't placed on someone so young.
"Sounds like a Challenge for me," Junichi spoke up, managing to startle his King.
Ichigo grumbled internally to him, "Why because he is generalized, and you are mayhem wrapped in a Hollow package?"
"Yes, and because I want to fight too! You and the Old Man can't have all the fun," Junichi protested and Ichigo could feel the Zanpakuto's glare at the comment.
Ichigo replied quickly, seeing as Shunsui was looking at him oddly for spacing out, "You'll get your turn."
He turned to the Captain, "Sorry about that, internal debate."
"It's alright, I often get in arguments with my Zanpakuto, they are quite stubborn sometimes," Shunsui spoke with affection, almost caressing the hilt of the larger blade he carried.
"They?" Ichigo asked curiously, only now getting a good enough look to see that Shunsui carried two blades, not just one.
Shunsui smiled slowly, "You didn't know? I guess that's not really a surprise you haven't been around us much, but Jyuushiro and I both have duel Zanpakuto, though Jyuushiro's only shows up when he goes into Shikai."
"You both have two swords?" Ichigo asked curiously.
"Yes, we are the only two, we thought someone else would eventually have a pair but it hasn't happened yet." Shunsui shrugged, it wasn't something to get too worked up about.
"Is it more difficult fighting against a person who wields two blades?" Ichigo figured the obvious answer might not be the right one, better to ask.
"Depends. If the person with the double blades knows what they are doing they are more deadly with two than one, but if they are still learning they can be just as likely to hurt themselves as much as their opponents. Jyuushiro and I are at the level now we are far better with two than one, but that doesn't mean a single blade can't beat us, just means they have to know how to fight us." Shunsui decided to explain fully, Ichigo was eager to learn, and if they kept the oral lessons coming maybe they could keep his restlessness in check long enough for him to heal.
"Could you teach me how to fight against that?" Ichigo asked slowly, he didn't think any of the Espada had double Zanpakuto, but it wouldn't be good to get caught off guard.
Shunsui nodded slowly, "I can, but only if Retsu says you are ready for it. I watched Jyuushiro hurt himself, I won't let you do the same."
"You really care for him don't you?" Ichigo asked softly, he had seen how worried the other Captain had been while Jyuushiro was so sick.
Shunsui took a careful look at Ichigo, looking past the loud hair and heavy muscles, to the hesitant man that had just been put through Hell, and took a chance. "I love him, and he returns the favor. We have to be careful, but that is the truth."
Ichigo felt his heart leap into his throat, the first thing that came spilling out of his mouth wasn't what he thought it would be, "I'm not alone."
"No, you aren't. There are more around than you see, we just have to keep it private. Some things are not for prying eyes to know. It is a dangerous life, but a lot of us feel it is worth the risk."
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck where Grimmjow had left his mark on him, "I think I get it." An he did, he found he really did.
"Keep your secrets well Ichigo, but don't hide yourself away either. Its okay to just be you." Shunsui spoke seriously, but if he had anything further to say Ichigo wouldn't hear it until later, because Renji nad Rukia were back.
"He fell back asleep, but he is breathing much better," Rukia reported.
"Well I think I will go back and sit with him a little longer, and leave you three to catch up," And with that Shunsui was gone in a swirl of pink, leaving behind a confused Ichigo to get reacquainted with his friends.
Well that went better than he thought it would. Ichigo hadn't flipped out. Shunsui thought about it as he slid into the chair by Jyuushiro's bed, it really had gone well. Ichigo had opened up a little, the conversation had flowed without awkward pauses, and he had even asked for more training. The boy was still hurting, it didn't take a genius to figure out he would be hurting for awhile to come, but he was strong and he would heal.
Shunsui wanted to see what the boy would be like when he pulled himself out of the ashes this time.
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Stand in the Rain