Beyond the Hourglass

A/N: I was supposed to mention this in the last chapter, but I kinda forgot. Anyway, my beta says that I can get a little confusing in the middle of my paragraphs sometimes. When I use the word "he" a lot to describe thoughts/feelings/emotions the he is most likely referng to Ichigo (this story is from his point of view after all). Just thought I'd clear that up. Enjoy.



This is Home



He felt something nudging him, and he thought that if he turned away maybe it would leave him alone but it persisted and then it called his name and he opened his groggy eyes and he saw his boyfriend and then he was awake.



“What’s going on?”



“Hollow.”



Within moments they were off towards the newest hollow which again proved to be no match for them and took no time at all to take care of. There they were, a dark alley in the middle of the night, vanishing corpse behind them as they made out against the wall when they started to feel a rumble and then they were flying and they hit the ground with a thud. They heard a deep, thunderous laughter coming from deeper in the alley and they saw two forms coming towards them, one decidedly larger than the other and they readied themselves for a fight. They could see them, a man and a woman.



“Is that him?” Renji asked, a hint of passionate fury to his voice.



“No.”



Then the woman was coming after him and he was fighting her and he was separated from Renji because he was fighting the man and suddenly he was not sure that he could win. He kept swinging his sword at her, trying to hit her, but she kept getting out of the way. And then he felt something hit him in the gut and he felt something warm in his mouth and it tasted like blood but he kept swinging his sword and then he hit her and her arm was bleeding and they were in the air, bleeding together. Only, he was exhausted, and she still seemed fine.



“Bankai!” he heard from below.



And that seemed like a good idea, given the circumstances and he followed suit. And then she pulled a sword out of thin air and he heard the clang of metal and he could feel her pushing against him but then she disappeared and then she was behind him and he was falling and he saw the ground rushing towards him but he missed. He could smell that scent again, invading his nostrils and he felt safe for some reason and he opened his eyes and he saw red hair trailing in the wind. But then they stopped moving and they were backed into a corner and Renji was yelling but he could not make out the words.



“Bankai,” he heard from the distance.



Swirling flowers filled his vision and then the man and the woman disappeared and they were safe and Renji was putting him down but he noticed that they were both bleeding and he was worried. He heard footsteps running towards them and he saw three figures standing over them but then everything went black. But he could still smell Renji.



He was at Urahara’s again. He moved his head and saw Renji lying next to him and he was breathing and they were alive and he felt better knowing that. His movement had not gone undetected and within moments he heard the familiar patter of footsteps rushing to him, only this time there were four people entering the room. The room was dark, and he had difficulty making out who they were.



“Retsu, what is his condition?”



“He seems to be better at the moment. He has regained consciousness and probably has several questions. Shunsui, would you please get the light?”



“Anything for you, Retsu.”



And then there was light and he could see them. There was Urahara, of course, and he saw Retsu Unohana kneeling by him and there was Shunsui Kyoraku standing by the lamp and then Byakuya by the door, looking distant as ever.



“What are you guys doing here?” Ichigo asked.



“They were sent by Yamamoto-Genryusai to assist in the investigation,” Urahara answered.



“And it would seem we have impeccable timing,” Byakuya added.



“Th-thank you for saving us,” Ichigo admitted hesitantly.



“Oh, it was nothing. It seems even the mighty Ichigo Kurosaki needs saving every now and then. Of course, it is to be expected; you are merely a human, after all.”



“What was that?”



“I was stating my observation that, as a human, you have your limits.”



“Why don’t you come over here and say that?”



“Actually, I think I’d rather have my tea than continue this conversation.”



“What? You scared?”



“Nothing of the sort. Saving you just makes me thirsty.”



And with that he left and Shunsui and Urahara exchanged a glance but Unohana just sat there and smiled knowingly and continued her work.



“Are you three all he sent?” Ichigo inquired.



“No. There is also Shuuhei Hisagi and Kira Izuru,” Retsu stated calmly.



“Wait. You’re telling me he sent three captains and two lieutenants, all of whom are the head of their divisions?”



“Yes. The Commander-General believes this to be a very urgent matter, and so sent us. This is first and foremost an investigative mission, but since they were able to so easily take you out—”



“I put up a fight,” Ichigo interrupted pathetically.



“That you did, but you were still defeated, so Captain-class representatives were called for.”



“What about Shuuhei and Kira? They’re not Captains.”



“That is true, but they are very talented officers nonetheless.”



“Speaking of, where are they?”



“They are currently patrolling for hollows,” Shunsui answered.



“Yes. We think it best if you refrain from your normal duties for a while. The enemy seems to be targeting you.”



“But you will still have your security,” Shunsui added.



“Of course,” Ichigo sighed in defeat. As much as he liked having Renji with him, giving Renji that sort of power was just a bad idea.



He heard a groan coming from beside him and then he knew that Renji was awake too and he was glad and Unohana was hurrying to Renji’s side doing whatever it was she did. He looked over at Ichigo.



“You okay?” Renji asked.



“Peachy.”



“Good.”



“What about you?”



“My side hurts, but other than that. . .”



“Your side sustained the most serious injuries. You have a broken rib and rather extensive bruising, but that’s it,” she said with her sweet and gentle smile.



“Sounds easy enough to fix.”



“Normally, yes. But something seems to be preventing me from healing the injuries completely. I shall need to look into this further.”



“What could cause that?” Ichigo inquired.



“I’m not sure. There is a strange reiatsu. It is similar to a shinigami, but different somehow. I cannot seem to get past it.”



“So we’ll have to heal up the old fashioned way?” Renji asked.



“I’m afraid so.”



“Just great,” Ichigo let out.



“For the duration of your recovery, I recommend you stay here. We can’t be sure they would not try to attack you at your home and I would hate to put your family in harm’s way.”



“We’ll be continuing the investigation of course,” Shunsui began, “and you can count on us to keep you filled in. Except maybe mister sourpuss over there.”



“You two need more rest. Get back to sleep.”



“But we’re not tired,” they complained in unison.



And then Unohana said something and there was a flash and they were both sleeping like babies.