[Dicontinued] Fire and Ice

Title: Fire and Ice

Author: BrucesGirl and R. Brightside

(Please look up Brightside-chan and rate and review her stories. It is because of her kindness that we were able to publish this story for you!)

Pairings: Kurosaki Ichigo/Kuchiki Byakuya (Hints of Other Pairings)

Summary: Ichigo is called to replace Renji as Vice Captain temporarily. Sparks fly between Byakuya and Kurosaki, and they aren’t necessarily the nice sparks.

Warnings: Yaoi, Anal, UST, Angst, Hot Man Sex

Disclaimer: We don’t own Bleach or Ichigo or Byakuya because we are not Kubo Tite. If we had a change to, however, we would steal Kubo-san and hide him in our basement.

Chapter 2: The Difference Between Dominance and Authority

Byakuya’s dreams woke the entire house that night. The Riatsu from him pounded the walls and broke windows and trinkets, scaring the children servants and worrying the women. His screams of Hisana’s name brought the servants flying to his room, and one of his flailing arms sent the blonde boy into the wall. He’d never had dreams this bad before, and he cried out in anguish, his arms reaching out for his dying wife before screaming Rukia’s name as well.

The servants attempted to wipe the sweat from him and to calm him, and one even attempted to shake him away before getting tossed against the wall like a rag doll. They discussed frantically about calling one of the other captains to wake him up since they would have the strength to subdue him, but then it was also discussed that they didn’t have the time.

Half naked and only garbed in a simple, white silk hakama, he writhed on the sheets, a soft sheen of sweat breaking out over his body. “Go get Kurosaki-san!” One servant screamed. A servant burst down the hall and into Ichigo’s room, his dark eyes wide. “Kurosaki-dono! Kuchiki-sama is having a nightmare and we can’t wake him up!”

Ichigo sat straight up, and swore, running down into the hallway and into Byakuya's room, launching towards to bed and holding the writhing Shinigami down with some difficulty.

He tried simply holding Byakuya down, and then gave up with his method. It seemed he'd have to take care of this another way. He wrapped his arms around the dark-haired Shinigami, holding him close to his body and whispering soft, comforting words into his ear. "Byakuya, calm down..."

He held his captain there, making sure that he didn't writhe out of his grip or arch in a way that would make him fall back onto the bed. "Byakuya... I'm here." He murmured softly. He wouldn't be surprised if Byakuya had another fit at that, but he continued to hold him, just hoping that it would work.

His confusion lasted for the first few minutes of wakefulness, his eyes ghosting up the strong jaw line and profile, causing his blue eyes to haze over. “K-Kaien-kun…” Then when the light flashed on the orange hair, the captain went stock still, and his voice escaped his lips, a mere growl, filled with his powerful Riatsu and rage.

“Let. Me. Go.” It was dangerously quiet, and even though he could have wrestled the young Shinigami off of him, he chose not to. He would exert himself in more useful ways later. The servants immediately left the room as soon as Ichigo had wrapped his arms around Byakuya, and they ran from the door when they heard their master’s tone. They knew that voice. He’d used it on Renji a few times before solidly kicking his ass.

Ichigo did as was asked of him, running a hand through his hair, the short orange spikes knotted and tangled. He would have commented on Byakuya's rudeness, but the tone of voice he was using promised painful death to him anyway.

His eyes showed his worry, without him meaning to, and he couldn't help the words that spilled from his lips. "Taicho, are you alright?" The teen murmured, a frown creasing his face. "You were screaming."

He ignored Byakuya's anger, now, deciding that it wasn't a factor in what had just happened. Who was Hisana? And why was that name accompanied by Rukia's? He left that for a later time, deciding to stand up.

Screaming? Was the dream that bad this time? The beautiful nobleman ran a finger through his unrestricted hair, the raven silk locks falling down around his pale, sculpted shoulders before he looked up at Ichigo. He internally winced as he recognized the myriad of scars caused by his own Bankai, and he turned his head away.

Oddly enough, Ichigo carried his own type of lithe beauty, completely different from Renji’s wild, exotic demeanor. It was unsettling. Byakuya scooted back on his futon gracefully before murmuring angrily at Ichigo. “Don’t ever come into my room uninvited again.”

"Fine. I'll leave you to rot in your nightmares, then, Taicho." Ichigo growled, stalking back off into his own room. Byakuya needed to be taught respect, the cold bastard. Ichigo growled softly, curling into the sheets.

He couldn't sleep, that night, and it was worry, rather than rage, that kept him up. He didn't understand why... but it seemed to be his job to be not only substitute vice captain, but substitute Renji, as well.

He needed to protect Byakuya as his Vice Captain, no matter how much of an asshole he was. Ichigo frowned, and put his head underneath the pillow, cutting off the noise of the silent house with the soft rustling of fabric against his ear. Comforting... the only sound of Earth he had left.

Byakuya had almost flinched at the tone in Ichigo’s voice, but as always, he remained composed until he could hear the boy in his room. He slowly stood, his body shaking still from the nightmare, and he shook out his hair and straightened his hakama before stepping out into the terrace and heading to the hot springs on the side of the garden closest to his door.

After stopping at them and stepping onto the board walk around the first pool, he shed the silk and stepped in, completely naked under the moon. He sighed in pleasure and listened as another attentive servant left him a towel and a bottle of sake within reach.

The issue of Kurosaki would be bothersome. Renji had hated paperwork, but Byakuya didn’t have time to do it all. He would have to train Kurosaki a few things, it seemed.

Ichigo sat up near dawn, and having only gotten the small section of sleep before Byakuya's nightmare, he was tired. He picked up his robes and slipped into them, deciding to leave before his captain woke up.

He'd rather have a dingy apartment than sleep here, but voicing that to Byakuya would get him further up his hate list, and likely move 'Kill Ichigo' to the top of the 6th Squad captain's nearly endless to-do list.

He picked up Zangetsu (who must have been placed there during the small interval of sleep he had), and attached him to his back, moving out into the Kuchiki courtyard, and then to a piece of land just after it. He supposed that he could probably get away with training here and not blow anything up in the process. He swung Zangetsu, the feel of The Old Man in his hands once again exhilarating.

Byakuya, who had slept for only an hour or so, emerged from his room, surprised to find Ichigo’s Riatsu flying around him as he trained, making the sakura blossoms in the cherry trees whisper to the ground.

Byakuya issued a reprimand. “It’s time to go.” He knew Ichigo heard him, and he turned, heading out of the courtyard towards the inner city, his steps slow and sure as always.

It was then that Yachiru leaped down from a tree to stand in front of Byakuya, her large, innocent eyes appraising Ichigo. “Is IchiIchi your fukutaicho, Byakuya-kun?” She asked sweetly.

“Don’t call me that.” He looked down at her with no malice. She grinned up at him and then looked to Ichigo.

“Ken-chan says he wants to play in the courtyards of the Academy today so all the newbies can see you fight.” She grinned. “It makes Ken-chan happy.”

Byakuya scoffed in annoyance and passed the little girl, his long scarf trailing along behind him. “Mongrels fighting mongrels in a school yard. How appropriate.” He insulted both Ichigo and Kenpachi in the same breath. “Let’s go.”

Ichigo hitched Zangetsu to his back once again, the buzz of Riatsu not yet leaving his nerves. He grinned at Yachiru, waving a hello to the young-looking vice Captain. He decided to ignore Byakuya's comment - he'd get him back for it in front of the whole squad.

The bastard didn't know a life of being a 'mongrel' - he didn't understand the true meaning of being lower class. Ichigo tucked his hands behind his head, a sigh leaving his lips.

"Ne, Yachiru, I can fight with Kenpachi-taicho, if he wants. It'd be nice to fight with him again." He refrained from speaking of Kenpachi as a crazy warmonger, for that was something he only thought to himself. "'N don't you worry about Kuchiki-taicho. He didn't get much sleep last night."

Yachiru seemed happy with the results and she giggled in a high pitch and shook her head. “He’s nicer today. I think you made him that way.” With a tiny hand waving, she flash stepped away, heading to find her captain.

Byakuya wasn’t having any amusement come to him out of the entire ordeal, so he continued walking, his long legs carrying him silently into the captains’ terrace, and he stepped onto the boards, headed to his own office to peruse the paperwork that had been piling up in Renji’s absence. He opened the door, and sighed.

His desk was covered in paperwork. “Stop fooling around.” He growled at Ichigo. “If I’m going to be dishonored by your presence, the least you can do is be useful.” They stepped inside the office, and Ichigo glanced around, amused that even here in his work place, Byakuya decorated as if though he were a prince.

"For as long as you call me a mongrel, Taicho, I'm not doing any work. You can do it yourself." Ichigo snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "You're ungrateful, stuck-up, and have your head so far up your ass, you should be a fucking contortionist, not a Shinigami."

The teen growled, eyes showing his anger. "You need to learn to respect those of a lower class. And until you do, I'm not putting pen to paper. You can shove it up your ass along with your head, if you still have space."

Byakuya’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, his voice still calm like the beginning of a storm, and he approached Ichigo until they were nearly nose to nose. “Your stench disgusts me. Your attitude offends me. Your laziness is unprecedented, even by Abarai-fukutaicho. You WILL work.”

"I'm not fucking surprised that I offend you. Because you piss me off to no fucking end, you PMS’ing fucker." Ichigo snarled, leaking Riatsu. Zangetsu was telling him not to in the far recesses of his mind, so he didn't pull him from his back.

Byakuya laid his hand on Senbonzakura. “If you would like to test my resolve, you may.” There was the unspoken threat that Byakuya could beat him now, knowing his Bankai and his moves, and the slight desire to put his rival down into the dirt shone in his silver blue eyes. “Well? Your choice.”

"You know nothing of what it's like to be teased, do you? Getting in endless fucking fights, for a feature that you didn't even want to have?" The teen pushed Byakuya up against the desk.

"I oughtta beat the fuck out of you, just to show you. But you know, I'm not low, like you noble-bloods. I'm a 'mongrel', a changed Shinigami. So I'm lower than you, suddenly? Last time I checked, physical strength had nothing to do with status."

Ichigo grasped both of his captain's wrists, forcing them behind him on the desk, so that his back arched painfully against the wood of the desk his breath ghosting over Byakuya’s lips. "So I give you something to think about before I leave, Taicho."

And with that, Ichigo reared his arm back and punched Byakuya square in the jaw before storming out, heading towards the academy, where he could most likely get a good spar to release this anger he had pent up within him.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3: The Battle of Hearts

Byakuya flash stepped away from the center of the city into the forests, the wind carrying around him. Ichigo was too powerful to stop as he was with just scattering his sakura blossoms. He only had one choice left. As he landed on the forest floor, he rose Senbonzakura and dropped her as water into the earth, and he closed his eyes. “Bankai.”

Thank you to the following reviewers! You guys are the reason we like to write!

Hanyou_Elf (BrucesGirl’s Keeper), Akume, and Ashke! Arigato!