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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Author's Note: Bloody useless footnotes. *sigh* Story of my life this week. PMS and RL people who will not shut up are not a good combo, especially when I cannot write, since writing is my response to stress. Oddly, it is also my response to happiness, sadness, anger, and boredom. Go figure.

Footnote links, take two: Shoji. Fusuma.

Irana, glad to make someone's day. And I'm really glad people liked Ulquiorra and Byakuya since getting the tone right with them is really hard sometimes.

AJS, Shirosaki/Benihime/Zangetsu is on the menu but the timing on it is important - plot has conspired with porn. You can expect it within the next few chapters though.

Once again, reviews are much appreciated. I get a kick out of knowing people are enjoying this story. Especially when it is driving me loopy.

* * *

It was late. Well into the third shift and after three in the morning. Concentrations were lagging and no one was apt to pay too much attention to an angry, restless captain stalking the halls. Well, almost no one.

�Renji,� Ichigo growled softly, as the redhead attached himself to his side.

�Ichigo,� greeted the other man warmly, earning another growl. He was not in the mood for company. �Going to pay a visit to a certain mutual acquaintance?�

Ichigo managed to suppress a snarl, tamping down hard on his rage. Twenty years as a captain had taught him patience. And he had employed every trick at his disposal to keep from murdering Kurotshuchi. Only two things had stilled his hand back in that hallway all those hours before. The first had been Kisuke - not wanting to frighten or upset him; but also wanting to calm his anger and fear.

The second had been the presence of all the other people. He likely could have killed Kurotshuchi, despite the five captains and Ishida standing by - especially since Ishida probably would have helped him. But five captains and a hallway full of his own people, people he had served with and trained, had stayed his hand.

For a few hours at least. It didn't mean he was just going to forget that the captain of the 12th had stolen his lover and treated him like some lab rat.

�He hurt Kisuke,� he ground out.

�Ya can�t kill him,� Renji reminded him jovially, making him snarl. He wanted to kill the man. Wanted to rend him limb from limb. Kurotshuchi had hurt Kisuke! He turned golden eyes on Renji, his reiatsu fluttering with Shirosaki�s dark power and hints of Benihime�s bloodlust.

�Hey! Calm down. I just said ya couldn�t kill him. Didn�t say nothin� �bout beating the shit outta him,� grinned Renji, his eyes sparkling with their own malevolent fire. �Gotta few things to say to the captain of the 12^th myself as it happens.�

Ichigo felt a dark, feral smile pull at his lips. �You hold, I�ll punch,� he told the redhead.

�For the first hour anyway,� countered Renji.

* * *

Uryuu was waiting for them in the hall when they were done, wrapped in a beautifully patterned blue and white robe. The colors suited the Quincy perfectly, but Ichigo could tell that Renji had picked out the robe for his lover. The colors were Uryuu�s, but the pattern was all Renji, bold slashes and sweeps of color. It was one of those small things that spoke to the depth of their feelings for each other and made Ichigo smile.

The Quincy frowned as he took them in, then sighed. "You are aware that fighting within the base is forbidden? And that fighting between captains is severely frowned upon under any circumstances?" he announced quietly.

Renji looked between Ichigo and his lover, a huge grin splitting his face. "I don't remember fighting, do you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo felt a smirk tugging at his lips. "Nope. No fighting that I recall."

"Torture is not allowed under the Geneva Convention," retorted the Quincy.

The two Shinigami shared another grin and then shrugged at the Quincy, earning an exasperated sigh. "At least tell me you have an alibi for this insanity?"

Renji grinned, wrapping the dark haired man in his arms. "Why would we need an alibi? We were here drinking all night with you, weren't we, Ichigo?"

"That's what I recalling doing. Don't you remember that, Uryuu?"

"I hate you both," Ishida muttered into Renji's shoulder. Renji's hands swept up and down the Quincy's spine, the dark haired man all but melting under the touches. His blue eyes were warm as they met his lover's and Ichigo knew the other man would cover for them. "At least tell me you beat the shit out of that asshole," sighed Ishida.

Ichigo smiled as Renji kissed the Quincy. While both of them were distracted, he stole a tiny look at the door across the hall. Kisuke. The blonde was so close. For a moment all he wanted was to open that door and just look at the other man, just reassure himself that Kisuke was there and safe.

"He's fine. There have been people stationed at both intersections and they've been told to alert me if Mizuno leaves or anyone visits," Ishida told him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Ichigo gave the Quincy a grateful nod, knowing the other man could be counted on to think of everything.

"Come on, if we're gonna say we were drinking all night, we might as well have a little proof and we could all use it after the last few days," said Renji, tossing an arm over each of their shoulders and steering them into the quarters he shared with Ishida. Ichigo sighed and shook his head, but went along with the other two. He had nothing but an empty bed and his memories to keep him company and seeing his friends - their happiness and love for each other - was more often a boon than not.

Ichigo settled into his favorite chair as Ishida settled onto the couch, retrieving his latest sewing project. "You'll be pleased to know that while you might have an in-law you can't stand, it doesn't look like Jeagerjaques has any romantic interest in Mizuno and the feeling appears more than mutual," murmured Uryuu, beginning to do some very delicate needlework along the collar of his latest creation.

"He's settled in okay then?"

"He's resting comfortably last I saw. Did we ever determine what your father wanted?"

Ichigo sighed, "No, I foisted him off on Karen and Hitsugaya with the excuse of searching the Fifth."

"So we can expect you to return from the next Kurosaki dinner in a body bag?" asked Renji, tossing him a beer before snuggling onto the couch next to his lover. Uryuu glared at him a for a moment for laying on his project, but then set aside the sewing with a sigh as he was handed a beer. It still amazed Ichigo the way they managed each other, it was both startling and cute in a way - although Renji and Uryuu would likely kill the first person to call them cute.

Ichigo took a swallow of his beer and nodded. "Hitsugaya's injured and you know what Karin gets like when that happens. But it was either give Dad to her or deal with him myself." He took another swig, he could handle his father and he had survived Kisuke missing - again - but he didn't think his brain was up to dealing with both.

"What did the supreme bastard want?" he asked the other two, trying not to notice as Renji's hand tried to slip into Ishida's robe. Although he did chuckle faintly as the Quincy slapped the roving hand away and rearranged his robe.

"Whadda ya mean?" demanded Renji, frowning slightly.

"I thought one of the kids said Ryuuken was with my dad," murmured Ichigo, assuming the elder Quincy had come by to pester Renji or Uryuu. It would have been the first time, but stranger things had happened.

"Never saw him," murmured Renji, which was probably a good thing from the annoyed scowl Ishida was wearing. "Come on, baby, don't get like that," he murmured to Uryuu, pulling him close. "We don't even know he was here. The kids are all idiots, you know that."

Uryuu growled and took a sip of his beer. "I don't like it. Two visits from Ryuuken is strange."

"Can we not borrow trouble just for one night?" asked Ichigo wearily.

"I'm with Ichigo. God, isn't Urahara enough?" demanded Renji.

"Hey!" snapped Ichigo, tossing a throw pillow at the redhead. The pillow clipped him and from the wicked grin Renji shot him, Ichigo knew he would return fire - had Uryuu not intervened and grabbed the pillow.

"Must you two always abuse my throw pillows?" he asked with a long put upon sigh, fluffing the pillow before setting it aside. Renji and Ichigo shared a small smile over the Quincy, and Renji planted a messy kiss on his cheek.

They all drank in happy silence for a few minutes and Ichigo felt the tension seeping from him. If not for the subtle traces of Kisuke's reiatsu he could almost imagine it was one of a hundred nights he had spent drinking with the other two men. Uryuu rose to get them all another round and Renji tossed a pillow at him, making Ichigo laugh.

"You know, I don't know how you two managed to hide your relationship for nearly as long as you did," muttered the archer as he handed Ichigo another beer.

"Hm?" murmured Ichigo, looking up from his bottle to find Uryuu smirking at him faintly.

"Your reiatsu are constantly reaching out for each other's and then merging," explained the Quincy, gesturing to the air around him. "It's very subtle now, not like this oaf," he teased, elbowing Renji as the redhead's power curled around him in a heavy wave.

Ichigo stared at the other man for a moment before closing his eyes and concentrating on his reiatsu. Twenty years had given him a better feel for reiatsu work, but he would never have the skill Ishida, or Rukia, or Karin had. Sure enough, at the outer edges of his reiatsu, mingling with his own silvery energy, was a tiny bit of red. He smiled faintly. "We were more careful then," Ichigo told him with gentle mirth.

"Ya could stay on the couch tonight if ya want, be closer to him. As long you didn't go sneaking over I doubt the kid would notice," Renji offered, his face a mixture of speculation and understanding.

Ichigo nodded gratefully.
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A Shadow of What Was