Beyond the Hourglass

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they really make me happy. In response to remyjames, yes it does seem like he's getting over it rather quickly, but not all is as it seems. There is still emotional trauma, it's just buried a bit. The way I see it, ichigo is really a very strong person, and making him all "OMG I was raped" just made him seem too whiney and pathetic. I know he did his fair share of moping in the series, but there he is alone. He has Renji here to help him, so he seems better on the surface. But there WILL be issues and they will have to work through it. And I should probably warn you, William Faulkner is one of my favorite authors. I think he is amazing, and I try to emulate his writing philosophy. You have been warned.

White Pearl, Black Oceans

He awoke with the familiar feeling of being at Urahara’s and he wondered if he would ever get a whole night’s sleep in his own bed again but then he saw Renji still asleep and he figured that if he got to see that every morning that maybe it was worth it. He got up and headed over to Renji and he bent over and put a hand on his face and Renji made a noise and shifted but was still asleep so Ichigo shook him a bit and that seemed to do the trick because he was awake and asking who was there and Ichigo said it was just him and then Renji smiled and reached up and pulled Ichigo down even more and they were kissing and it felt good and he could smell Renji again, only the cinnamon made him remember that he had not eaten yet and his stomach made itself known and they laughed and got up and went to breakfast.

Byakuya was not there, and Ichigo did a dance in his head. Retsu was sipping slowly from her tea and Shunsui was drinking his sake and what time was it anyway? It was not even noon yet, why was he drinking sake?

“Why are you drinking? It’s not even noon.”

“But that’s when it’s best.”

“But. . .”

“It is pointless to argue with him. He is impervious to reason when it comes to his sake,” Unohana explained.

Ichigo then noticed the other two, Shuuhei and Kira.

“You feeling better?” Shuuhei asked.

“Yeah, much.”

“Well then,” Unohana began, “since you two are feeling better, perhaps you could fill us in on the details from last night.”

“Well. . . there was a hollow, and we took care of it. But then it felt like there was an earthquake and we were flying. I could see these two guys standing in the shadows. There was a man and a woman. I didn’t get a good look at the man, only that he was much larger. The next thing I knew the woman was attacking me. I managed to avoid most of her blows, but I couldn’t hit her. She hit me in the stomach and I managed to cut her arm. I heard Renji release his Bankai and I thought it would be a good idea for me to as well. But then she pulled a sword out of nowhere and I kind of lost track of her and then she was behind me and I was falling, but then I stopped falling and we were backed into a corner and then Byakuya came in.”

“And what about you, Renji?”

“After that lady went after Ichigo, the man came barreling at me. I managed to get out of the way, and I hit him square in the chest, but it didn’t even phase him. Nothing, not even a scratch. And it kept on like that, he kept trying to hit me, missed and when I retaliated I couldn’t even hurt him. But then I saw Ichigo falling and I had to save him. But now that chick was following me and we were backed into a corner and then Captain Kuchiki saved us.”

“You said you managed to dodge his blows, where did your injury come from?”

“Oh, that. Well, he might’ve gotten in a hit or two.”

“I see. Can you give a physical description of the two?”

“The woman had long, blond hair, and she was pretty tall. And she had a very piercing gaze.”

“And the man was very large, bald, and he seemed very focused. Like nothing else existed but me.”

“Thank you. I hope this didn’t feel like an interrogation, it’s just that it will help if we know who we’re dealing with.”

“We’re up to three villains already, I wonder how many there’ll be,” Shunsui wondered aloud.

“Well, if you would stop drinking so much sake perhaps we would be able to find out,” Unohana chided in her usual, kind voice.

“If you insist.”

Unohana and Shunsui left their younger companions. Ichigo heard his stomach again and he implored Renji with his eyes to get him some food and Renji consented despite his better judgment and that made Ichigo happy but what made him really happy was when Renji actually came back with food and he hugged him and took the food and started eating. And they were sitting and eating and Ichigo thought this was nice and then he felt Renji’s hand on his leg and he looked him in the eyes and he had this grin on his face and Ichigo blushed. He did not know why, but he did. Then he thought it was probably the hand on his thigh making him blush and he swatted it away and Renji laughed and Ichigo laughed with him and he did not know why, he just did. And then he noticed his back and it was hurting and he thought he should really stop laughing because that only made it hurt worse and he saw Renji clutching his side and they were both laughing and hurting but then they stopped.

“I guess we shouldn’t laugh like that,” Ichigo said.

“Yeah. ‘Cause now my side hurts.”

“Want me to kiss it better?” Ichigo asked with a grin.

“Maybe later,” Renji replied with a wink and that same grin that seemed to make Ichigo weak in the knees.

“So. . . when did this happen?” Kira said slightly confused.

“Umm, yesterday,” Ichigo replied, somewhat embarrassed.

“Oh. . .good for you.”

“What? Jealous?” Renji teased his friend.

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?” Kira responded defensively.

“You know you want me,” Renji continued tauntingly.

“You’re crazy.”

“What? You’re breaking my heart.”

“What heart? Hey, Ichigo, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from him. He’s nothing but trouble,” Kira added sardonically.

“I think I’ll take my chances,” Ichigo replied.

“So, is there any reason you’re still here and not out investigating?” Renji asked them.

“Well, right now we’re supposed to be looking after you guys,” Kira began.

“But, come nightfall, its our turn to investigate and take care of hollows,” Shuuhei finished.

“We figure they’re less likely to attack during the day, so us plus Urahara should be enough,” Kira continued.

“And we figured we’d be better company, ‘cause we know how much you just love Captain Kuchiki,” Shuuhei added, with extra emphasis on the ‘love.’

And they were laughing again and they tried to stop and after a minute they managed to succeed. And Ichigo looked at Renji and then they were kissing and Kira was telling them to get a room and he and Shuuhei laughed but Ichigo and Renji could not join in because they were still kissing and that made Ichigo happy but then Ichigo wondered how long this would go on and how long he would have to stay here and if he would ever get to see his family but then he decided to stop caring and just enjoy the kiss and then he thought only happy thoughts.