Two of a Kind

Review Replies- BolognaAnChi: I love it when people find it funny =D
kunitsu: That's what I like about Shiro...both protective *and* an asshole.
Lynzee: Happy Holidays!
Aralaiqualasse: I ended it there because I am evil. Very evil.
VioletEyes: I hope I'm not getting too script-y with it =S
MasterAkira: More like he wants to use toys on Ichigo! Psst! That's what he got for a present this year!
Tiramisu: That depends, are the cookies shaped like rocket-ships or cocks? (Death to Smoochy)
AnimeAngelSisters: Oh I can imagine it, trust me =3


I hope that everyone is noticing (those who read my stuff before, at least) that I’m keeping my chapters at a descent length (2500 or greater) versus the thousand or so average. I plan for this to be a long story too, at the very least ten or fifteen chapters. But we’ll see how that goes.

Also, this isn’t following the manga or anime exactly. For instance, Ichigo never fought Ulquiorra, and therefore never died meaning Orihime was never brought to Ichigo in order to heal him. She is still being watched by Ulquiorra in her room. Nel also never went with Ichigo, so she’s wandering Las Noches, looking for them.

Beta’d by the one and only Warrior Nun- as always, you have my thanks.

Two of a Kind: Chapter 4

Ichigo cried out in pain as Nnoitra pressed painfully on his arm, making it crunch under the pressure. Nnoitra had been thrashing him good and Ichigo couldn’t find the strength to fight back after his battle with Grimmjow.

“Tch, yah aren’t very strong at all.” Nnoitra said gleefully and tossed Ichigo hard away from him, making him skid across the white sands. He gestured at Tesla and leaned back against a broken pillar while crossing his arms over his chest. “Go ahead and finish him off.” Tesla hesitated as he remembered how much the zero espada, and therefore his superior, wanted to keep the shinigami safe.

“What are yah waiting for? Finish him!” Nnoitra narrowed his eye and snapped in irritation when he saw that Tesla wasn’t complying with his command.

“B-but Nnoitra-sama!” Tesla said with his single eye wide open and his brow wrinkled. “Jirotoshi-sama said-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because Nnoitra calmly and easily threw his weapon at Tesla. Tesla only had the chance to be surprised before it cut into him, nearly severing his torso from his legs. He went flying back and slammed into one of the large pillars before he slid down, smearing blood from his horrendous move along the stone.

“The only one yah are supposed to listen to is me.” Nnoitra growled and yanked his weapon back, looking over Tesla’s bloody and dying form indifferently. He turned back to Ichigo who looked shocked at his actions at killing his own subordinate. The fifth espada really was heartless.

He tried to move away when Nnoitra strolled over him, but his zanpakuto was too far away and Nnoitra easily snatched him up again. Ichigo squirmed in his grasp and gasped for breath as Nnoitra closed his fingers over Ichigo’s throat. Nnoitra smirked and studied his flushed face with an obvious leer.

“Maybe I would even keep yah as a pet if that damn Jirotoshi wasn’t so set on keeping yah.” He slid his hand in between the part of Ichigo’s shirt and then underneath the top of his hakama.

“Fuck you.” Ichigo managed to gasp out and Nnoitra’s narrowed his eyes. He drew back his hand like a spear and smirked.

“Too bad for yah…” He thrust his hand forward to punch through Ichigo’s chest, but it never met the intended target because a sword slashed between them, forcing Nnoitra to drop Ichigo. Ichigo scrambled backward and stared up at his savior who grinned down at him.

“K-Kenpachi!”

“What do you think you’re doing dying here, Ichigo!?” Kenpachi asked and completely ignored Nnoitra whose eye widened at the spiritual power emitting from the captain.

Ichigo grunted as Kenpachi kicked him hard in the stomach, making him land next to his sword which Nnoitra had tossed aside earlier. Yachiru popped out of nowhere and glomped Ichigo, squeezing his head tightly in a hug. Ichigo hoped she never met Nel.

…

Jirotoshi relaxed as he felt the captain interfere with Nnoitra and Ichigo’s fight and Ichigo separated from them. Starrk sat beside him with his head slumped over his arms and snoring. Jirotoshi ignored him.

“See, you need not worry about your pet.” Aizen said and smiled softly at Jirotoshi.

“He’s not a pet.” Jirotoshi growled back but Aizen didn’t say anything back, just smiled which made Jirotoshi even angrier. Jirotoshi had to bite his tongue in order to not say anything in case Aizen decided that Ichigo wasn’t necessary to keep Jirotoshi loyal.

“Kenpachi really seems to be infatuated with that boy.” Aizen mused to himself. Jirotoshi narrowed his eyes at the implication and turned on his heel to leave but Aizen called after him. “Kurosaki can take care of himself; however I have other matters I need you to attend to.”

Jirotoshi scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t protest.

“Seal the gateways of Hueco Mundo so no one can enter or leave while the others and I go to Karakura. After that you can retrieve your pet.” Aizen smirked when he said it and Jirotoshi had to refrain from cursing at the so-called shinigami king of Hueco Mundo. Instead he gave a tight nod which Aizen seemed satisfied with.

Jirotoshi sonido’d above the dome surrounding Las Noches where he could fully expand his powers. He stood easily on the air where he collected his spiritual energy around his feet in order to hover there. He threw out his power over the entirety of Hueco Mundo and grimaced at the slight strain. He was almost done though; he just had to reconfigure the boundary of this world to not allow the gates to re-open and to close the garganta.

He let out a heavy sigh as he went about his task and hoped that Ichigo wasn’t getting into trouble without Jirotoshi to watch him. Ichigo drew trouble and chaos to him like a magnet. It didn’t occur to Jirotoshi that he shouldn’t have remembered that tad bit out about his brother who he claimed not to know other than from their brief interaction.

…

Ichigo panted underneath Kenpachi’s overpowering reiatsu and made a face. He was healing quickly from the earlier damage, but he was still too weak to handle the monstrosity that was Kenpachi. He was glad that the brutish captain was on his side and he didn’t have to fight him once again.

He flinched when a chunk of wall crashed into the ground right beside him, making Yachiru laugh and clap in excitement. Ichigo was still stumped with Nnoitra’s apparent ability to grow six arms, as well as regenerate them. It might not have been the strangest thing Ichigo had seen since he had become a substitute shinigami and vizard, but it was still damned odd.

Kenpachi was still getting slashed apart by Nnoitra’s six weapons though; something that Ichigo never thought was possible. This was Kenpachi! He should be able to handle this easily, or so Ichigo assumed before. He thought that Kenpachi was probably still holding back, and it turned out he was correct.

In a simple kendo move that Kenpachi clearly despised, he grasped his long, jagged sword in both hands and brought it down along Nnoitra’s chest. Ichigo gaped at the sheer mass of power that erupted from the act and took a deep shuddering breath.

But just as soon as it began, it was over. Nnoitra collapsed down onto his knees and blood gushed from the horrendous wound that gaped on his chest. Kenpachi turned to leave in a clear dismissal, but Nnoitra protested, which Ichigo thought he was clearly mad for (if he hadn’t before).

Nnoitra fell once more underneath Kenpachi’s sword, and this time it was for good. “Man, what a rush!” He ripped off what remained of his shirt and his captain’s haori. Kenpachi grunted in neither satisfaction nor irritation and flicked the blood off of his sword before sheathing it again.

“Yay, Ken-chan!” Yachiru chirped happily and jumped up and down. Ichigo got to his feet somewhat painfully and swayed somewhat unsteadily before he regained some of his energy.

“Are you okay, Kenpachi?” Ichigo asked in concern and his eyes strayed over Kenpachi’s now bare torso which was littered with deep gashes and bruises, all which looked very painful.

“Tch, you should be worrying about yourself.” Kenpachi grunted and looked over Ichigo’s body critically, lingering on his slim hips. Ichigo scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, making Kenpachi smirk.

“Your shift is over, so let us handle the over time already. You hog all the good battles…”

Ichigo was about to open his mouth to protest just when Aizen’s voice echoed over the battle field. “Can you hear me? My dear invaders… For your continued success against my espada, allow me to express my deepest respect. As of now, we are commencing our invasion of the human world.”

Ichigo twitched and he sucked in a deep breath as what Aizen was saying hit him hard.

“I have no use for Inoue Orihime, who is her room in the fourth corridor. Her ability is truly unique; however I kidnapped her with the purpose of unsettling soul society, and lead them to turn their attention to reinforcing soul society’s own defenses rather than those of the human world. Four of soul society’s captains were also sent to Hueco Mundo as reinforcements for the ryoka, and were imprisoned as well.”

Ichigo glanced up to the sky which radiated the sharp black lines signaling that the garganta they used to enter Hueco Mundo were being closed.

“Easy pickings…” Aizen’s smug voice echoed around them and Ichigo’s face twisted in a snarl at the thought of not being able to fight to save his town. “We shall now proceed to erase Karakura town, generate the ouken, and finally defeat soul society. As for you, once this is all over we will deal with you at our leisure.”

Ichigo’s heart began to beat so fast it felt like it was going to come right out of his chest. “Fuck!” Ichigo began to take off, but Kenpachi stopped him.

“Wait, Ichigo, where do you think you’re going!?”

“To save Karakura!” Ichigo spat back, making Kenpachi frown.

“You’re such an idiot. You think the old man would leave Karakura defenseless? He asked Urahara to ensure that every captain in the gotei 13 could do battle in Karakura.”

Ichigo’s eyes widened at the implication and he was filled with relief, although worry still plagued him.

…

Jirotoshi let out a sharp exhale of air and coiled his power back to him. His task was completed and so he wanted to go to Ichigo. He felt Aizen’s reiatsu disappear into the human world so now nothing would stop him from snatching Ichigo up and taking him back to his room. For some brotherly bonding, of course.

He easily located Ichigo who was still close to one of the four shinigami captains that came through the gates. Irritation welled within him and an angry tic appeared on his forehead as he landed on the white sand and walked in Ichigo’s direction.

He frowned as he came upon the sight of Ichigo standing close to a tall, muscular man that didn’t have his shirt on. His anger increased and his spiritual energy lashed out, making Ichigo and the other man turn to look at him.

Ichigo blinked when he saw his espada brother, glowering at the two of them with his reiatsu licking at the air in rage.

“Shiro?” He asked in confusion and Kenpachi’s eyes flicked in between them before he cocked his head to the side.

“Looks like a strong opponent.” Kenpachi said and grinned widely while he unsheathed his sword.

Jirotoshi narrowed his eyes and braced his hands on his hips while looking down his nose at the shinigami captain with contempt. “Fuck off, maggot. I don’t have time to mess around with ya.”

Kenpachi’s grin widened, but Ichigo frowned at Jirotoshi.

“Shiro, they’re going to destroy Karakura.” He said anxiously. “Open up a gate so I can go to help them!”

Jirotoshi felt the spot in his chest where his heart should be clench, but he couldn’t figure out why. “No can do, Ichigo.” He drawled and sonido’d behind Ichigo so quickly that neither Kenpachi nor Ichigo could follow him. “I can’t let ya do that.” He wrapped an arm around Ichigo’s waist and then disappeared in a flash before they could react.

Kenpachi was left staring at the spot where the two used to be while Ichigo and Jirotoshi sonido’d back to Jirotoshi’s room. Ichigo struggled wildly in his arms, but Jirotoshi easily ignored him and dropped him on the bed.

“Shiro, what are you doing!?” Ichigo screamed and moved to get up when Jirotoshi hit him with a high-powered burst of energy that pushed him flat on his back. Ichigo let out a strangled gasp as he felt like something was pushing down in his diaphragm and making it hard to breath. Shiro ignored this and undid Ichigo’s sword and sheath from his belt.

He noted with some interest that Ichigo was still in his bankai form, but decided that wasn’t important.

“Shiro…” Ichigo managed to gasp out from the bed and Jirotoshi turned his black and yellow eyes to him. He braced one hand on the bed and slid a hand over Ichigo’s eyes to cover them completely. “We have to save Kara…kura…” He fell asleep under the spell Shiro cast and soon only the sound of his breathing broke the still of the room.

Satisfied, Jirotoshi removed his hand and gazed at Ichigo’s sleeping face. “I’m not gonna let ya get in Aizen’s way just for him to kill ya.” He murmured and then leaned down to brush his lips over Ichigo’s. “Even if it means the death of your town, I’ll keep ya safe.”

Ichigo let out a soft sigh in his sleep and Jirotoshi wondered what he was dreaming about, if anything. Maybe a time before he had his shinigami powers and he had a happy life with his family. Jirotoshi’s mind helpfully noted that Ichigo’s mom and his brother, who was apparently him, were also dead in that time though, so maybe not so happily.

Jirotoshi couldn’t help but arrogantly think that Ichigo would be happier here with him, if that was the case. Even if he was sad about the destruction of Karakura, they would be together and that was all the mattered to Jirotoshi.

With that thought firmly in his mind, Jirotoshi stood to go find the materials necessary to keep Ichigo with him and compliant. He didn’t want his new pet escaping, or his idiotic friends and allies coming to rescue him. Anybody that tried to take Ichigo away from him would meet certain death, but Jirotoshi wanted to make sure that nobody would interrupt him either. Ichigo would come to depend and want Jirotoshi, whether he thought he did or not.

LINE

In case you haven’t already guessed, there is going to be some heavy angst and drama between Jirotoshi and Ichigo before there is even a remote possibility of a happy ending. I wanted to do it this way because I think it’s a lot more realistic, and I didn’t want to rest on the cliché ‘everything is going to be okay as long as there is smex.’