One is Too Many

Wow, enthusiasm! Thanks guys, I'm glad you liked it so much. We're wandering off a bit here, setting up for later. Please enjoy. I'll post again on Sunday afternoon.



~god's view~


One week later

Kira walked the halls, checking everyone was tucked away, the lamps were all out, that the dorm was secure. A brief word with the night guards and he started inside to get ready for the evening. The Captain enjoyed when he visited to read and talk and he always ended up staying the night, curled on the big bed, wrapped in strong arms. It wasn't uncomfortable, as such, unnerving was a better word for it. Waking to someone wrapped around you was a bit disconcerting, particularly for someone who had never shared a bed before.

A flicker of a smile as he tried to decide what he should take. There was a new book he'd just started or a game, perhaps. He was mostly allowed to amuse himself, sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting quietly while the Captain had a few drinks. Sometimes they had sex but not every time; sometimes they just kissed and petted, exploring. The blond was still shy but it was surprisingly interesting to examine a body other than his, discover new scars and hear the stories behind each; some were depressing, some were funny, but they all made him just a bit sad. He didn't have any stories about his own scars, at least none he could ever share.

Quiet, sneaky steps and he muffled his smile, replacing it with a stern look. “Gentlemen.” Both sets of steps went silent. A slender finger waved for them to come out and watched two dark heads stare at the floor. “What are you doing out? Curfew is in effect.”

“Yes, sir.” They peeked up and he recognized them; the boys from two weeks ago, the ones Tetsummi dragged away. “I'm sorry, sir. We just got back a little late. It won't happen again.”

“No, sir. I promise we won't be late again.” They both bowed and a tiny smile tilted the blond's lips.

He reached out and patted both boys on the shoulder. “All right. Go to your rooms now. Morning practice will come too early.” A slightly wider smile and they smiled back hesitantly. “Go on, before the Captain comes along and catches you.”

“Yes sir!” They turned to run off and he passed them, heading for his own room. “Sir?”

“Yes?” His head turned to see them stopped and staring at him.

“I, ah.” An embarrassed blush worked its way over the taller boy's cheeks before he bowed low, shaggy hair falling in his face. “Thank you.” His shorter friend bowed as well, echoing him.

Kira's smile disappeared, fading under their serious tone; this wasn't about their being late. No one moved for a minute, then the blond tilted his head gently and turned away, slow steps taking him down the hall. The vision the two made was etched in his mind and he knew if he ever doubted, they would remind him of his place and duty.

*********************

“Ikkaku!” Kira bolted up and rolled off the bed, reaching for his sword in alarm at the door slamming open. “Ikka, Ikka!”

By the time the blond got his weapon in hand and was in any condition to fight, a slender blur had already passed him by and leapt on the sleeping captain. Who grunted. Kira stared; no sign of alarm, no reaction to being pounced on in the middle of the night, nothing. Except a grunt. “Ikka! Ikka!”

The slim form was sitting on the broad chest, energetically slamming wide shoulders up and down against the bed. It finally registered who it was; the bright feathers were a pretty good clue. “Yumichika?” At his voice, the dark head turned to stare.

“What are you doing here? Can't you see we're busy?” As if the blond hadn't been there first. “Shoo, shoo, I need Ikka right now. You can borrow him later.”

Before the younger man could react, a low groan and thick arms wrapped around the slight body, pulling it down to lay across the muscular chest. “Yume, go to sleep. You can tell me all about it in the morning.” One arm patted around beside him. “Kira? Come here.” A sleepy smile, eyes still closed and the blond edged closer, setting his sword down again.

He didn't climb back into bed, just grabbed his over-shirt and backed away slowly. 'No way am I going near them.' While Captain Ikkaku had been easy enough to get along with, and sleeping beside him wasn't so bad, was nice really, sleeping with him and his lover was another thing entirely. “I'll, ah, just go back to my room. Good night, Captain, Yumichika.”

“Kira, get your ass back in here. Yume, get over, give the guy some room.” An indignant squawk from the fussy brunet as he was rolled over and shoved against the wall.

The pretty shinigami bounced right back, curling around his friend's waist and clinging. “Ikkaaaaaaa! You have to listen to what he said! He was so mean, I hate him, hate him, hate him!” A delicate little sniff but Kira could see the gleam of triumph in bright eyes, as if to say 'Look, I have him now!'

'Fine, keep him.' Long bangs shook a bit to straighten out and the blond turned away, collecting his book and tray. “Captain, sir, Yumichika obviously needs your attention now. I'll see you in the morning.” Soft steps had him nearly to the door before a thick arm wrapped around his stomach, lifted him up and tossed him on the bed. “Ahh!”

A disgusted noise from under him and he realized he'd landed on Yumichika, who shoved him off and crawled away, leaving a space in the center of the bed for Madarame, who flopped on his back, arms spread. The brunet immediately snuggled in, head on a heavy shoulder, babbling away at his friend while Kira tried to sink into the wall, pressing as flat as possible. He was hauled in and forced against a hard side.

He glared across the wide chest at his new bedmate, who ignored him completely in favor of sharing his latest drama. “Do you know what he did? You won't believe him, it's outrageous. How dare he?” The bald man's hand patted absently as he shifted around, getting comfortable again.

“Don't know. He's an ass. I'll beat him up tomorrow.” Long legs moved in an effort to push the blanket up further. “Kira, get that for me.” The blond reached and dragged the blanket up as the brunet jerked and protested.

“What?” Feathers bobbed as their owner pushed up to stare down in alarm. “No, no, you might hurt him!”

A loud snort from his friend and he lay back down, running long, delicate fingers over the stomach ridges absently. “I just can't believe he would be so cruel.” Thick fingers petted the fringe of his hair. “He said,” A delicate sniff. “He said, I looked cute with my hair mussed!”

“Ugh. What a prick.”

“Exactly! How dare he infer my hair is less than perfect?” Kira watched in fascination as a full bottom lip edged out in a beautiful pout. “I hate him.”

'This is what brought him here in the middle of the night?' Izuru stared but closed his eyes quickly when dark eyes turned to him; he really had no desire to get in the middle of this, whatever it was. There was silence for long minutes until Ikkaku's breathing slowed and turned to soft snores.

“You. Since when do you stay here?” Delicate shoulders jerked and hunched a bit; such a cold, scary voice, as if he were in the wrong somehow.

Red brushed the pale cheeks and Kira tried not to choke on his fear; anyone who ever said Yumichika was soft was an idiot. “Ah, for a while. Since, since the Captain came to take over.” Damn, damn, his voice was shaking.

Pale eyes opened to meet the dark ones watching him. “Good. Be good to him and kick his ass sometimes.” It sounded so simple and the brunet's eyes closed as he relaxed into the warmth radiating from the large body.

“But, but aren't you...”

“What? Ikka's lover? Hardly.” The bright eyes opened again and laughed across the expanse of flesh. “He's not really my type. Not that anyone could be as beautiful as me, but I do try to at least not be embarrassed by my choices.” The laughter turned to a considering look. “Though, I didn't think he would be your type either.”

Kira blushed but kept looking, curious through his embarrassment “Wha, what do you mean?”

“You never complained or asked for help those nights we picked you up, after he was done with you. I always thought you liked it.” A barely muffled gasp and a feather rose with the slim brow. “Not a big deal. There are lots who do. Personally, I thought maybe you were a bit extreme but you never said anything so...” The soft voice faded away. “You didn't, did you?”

Breathing became so hard, he felt like his head would explode. Soft gasps preceded hyperventilating and Kira clenched his hand in a fist steadily to try and calm down. The slim hand was covered and pulled over to press to a thin chest where steady, even breathing helped his own slow. He was released and the helping hand brushed his bangs aside to flutter over his eyes, easing them closed. “No. No, I had to, I, I had to and, and” He couldn't believe he was talking about this, and with someone he barely knew. Maybe that made it a bit easier, possible to speak, that this beautiful creature didn't know him any other way than what he was.

“Shh. You don't have to do anything now.” A gentle finger tip traced the scars on his eyelid. “We really thought you would lose that eye.” Thin eyelids fluttered. “We put in a request for your transfer. Ikka wrote it all up and nagged the Captain into signing it. Most work I saw him do for decades.” There was a gentle smile, a familiarity the blond would envy any other time.

Pale skin heated in humiliation. “You, saw me?” He remembered that night; he'd been bleeding everywhere, not even able to cry he was so hurt. He also remembered waking up in the Fourth squad's holding room, Tetsummi by his side. But he'd never heard of a transfer request.

Full lips tucked up in a sad smile “Yes, we did. We've watched since we met you crawling to your room. We tried to help but... You just smiled so beautifully and said thank you before closing the door on us.” Another brush of gentle fingers through the pale hair, combing it lightly. “Ikka used to wait for you and follow you back to your room. For months he harassed you, trying to make you ask for help but you always just smiled and shut the door. This kid from the Fourth, Hana something or other, mousy little thing, used to look after you; he was just a kid then, in his first years of service, shy, and he always came, no matter when he was called.”

Kira shuddered; he didn't remember much once he left his former Captain's rooms. As soon as the door closed he shut down. A way to cope, even if it cost him years of night memories. Early on, he'd been carried back and cleaned up, and in later years he knew he had been carried back a few times by Tetsummi but mostly he just crawled back on his own; at least he'd thought he had. Sometimes he remembered Hana arriving, quietly patching him up and gliding out on the silent feet he'd arrived on, no matter how many times Kira had told him not to come, that it was too dangerous. Years had blended together, scars crossing his skin indistinguishable from one another and even he was unable to name where any had come from. Except the ones he was meant to remember.

“I, I” He was ashamed to feel tears in his eyes and was flicked on the nose.

“No crying, crying is so ugly! Your eyes will get all puffy and your nose might run!” And the appalled words were just so funny, the entire situation was hilarious suddenly; the blond couldn't stop laughing, muffling the shrieks against warm tanned skin. And the shame, that he had been so weak, that he had snipped at Ikkaku about not caring had tears running down his face in heavy sobs. Contrary to his claims of ugliness, Yumichika continued petting him, whispering nonsense in a soft voice.

“Why? Why are you so nice to me?” It was so confusing; the brunet obviously had a claim on his Captain, one he would never have, even if he wanted it. And that was the question; did he want it? Would he fight for it? Demand it? While he was sure if he said no and asked to be excused, he would be allowed to leave, he knew no other way to protect the others, no other way to belong. A thick arm squeezed him lightly and his name was murmured before the largest man quieted again, fingers trailing over the soft side before stilling.

“Well, it's so ugly to be jealous. There's plenty of Ikka to go around, really. He's so big. And you're quite lovely; you might even come close to thinking of comparing with me if you'd stand straight and smile.” Kira just watched with wet eyes, the teasing tone and nonsense rolling over his head. The beautiful face turned serious and purple eyes turned nearly black in the dim moonlight. “Because he's so in love with you it's disgusting. ” A final pat and Yumi pulled his hand back, tucking his head into the curve of Ikkaku's shoulder; he was obviously done talking. “Go to sleep. Ikka likes to run morning workout you know.”

Pale hair nodded slowly and he laid it down slowly, thoughts whirling. Ikkaku loved him? That couldn't be, he wasn't worth loving, just a pretty little coward; someone as strong as the Captain wouldn't even think of him as anything other than a convenient sex toy. Even though they didn't have sex all the time, and it was fun when they did, the blond was certain there were no hidden feelings, nothing more than release. Sleep didn't come and he was still thinking when dawn broke, pink light squeezing in through thin slates and under the door.

The instant light hit the bald head, his Captain was rolling over and out of bed, Yumichika in his arms. The brunet was set on his feet and fussed with his clothes until they lay properly, hair fluffed and feathers in perfect order. Kira felt positively frumpy in his sleep wrinkled clothes and wild morning hair; a brief attempt was made to fix it but he gave up almost immediately. There was no way he would be even semi decent without a long shower and fresh change of clothes.

Ikkaku was pulling on his clothes quickly and wandered out into the hall to bang on doors, forcing the entire squad up and out of bed. “Move it, you lazy assholes! The sun's up, what the fuck are you doing?” The entire team scrambled into formation, messily dressed but reasonably alert; weeks of routine were taking their toll. “Line up, you losers! Who the fuck taught you formations?”

Rows of perfect salutes were snapped off and held, eyes forward as their Captain stalked along, cracking his knuckles and the unwary few over the head. Kira slid into place in front of the crew, Yumi beside him. 'Bad enough he appears in the night and takes half the bed but now he's showing me up in practice too?' He tried not to be upset, he was used to being humiliated before the squad but at least it had always been the Captain and not some third seat of another division.

Madarame finished his examination and shook his head in disgust. “We're gonna play a game.” His arm suddenly slashed down, wacking a young brunet on the head. “Everyone in this line, stand there until I say move.” He pointed to the right side. “Ok, you bunch of putzes. All weapons in the pile.” Swords were set down tentatively and the men returned to their places in line. “You, on the left, go pick a sword. Any sword.” The men stared. “Move you sons a bitches!”

A wild, disorganized scramble and everyone grabbed a weapon and returned to their positions. “Find the owner. That's your partner. We're going hunting. Yumichika here is gonna to lead the bait team.” He pointed down the row in front of him. “That's you. Kira's leading one team and I'm leading the other. One hour to capture as many as possible. You can steal bait, fight the other team for theirs, chase them down, trade, whatever you want. Losing team is helping Fourth clean sewers tonight.” A nasty grin. “Any bait captured by the losing team joins 'em. Free bait gets a pass and goes to the winning team.”

The big man motioned pairs to join his team and Kira imitated him immediately. Yumi moved between them to collect his team, grinning like an idiot. Even then he was gorgeous and Izuru hated him, just a little. Terrified team members lined up behind the brunet and he waved as he darted off, followed closely. “Ok guys, they get a five minute lead and we're off. Try not to kill each other, I'm not writing the paperwork.”

“Sir, ah, are you sure this is safe?” Izuru sidled up to the larger man and spoke quietly. “The men aren't really used to”

“Aw, shut it. They'll be fine. I said not to kill each other, didn't I? Now get over there and lead your team or you'll be cleaning crap all night.” The grin and wink weren't very reassuring as the smaller man was nudged back towards his team. He went reluctantly to work out a plan, dividing his team into parts to cover the most ground possible.

Five minutes passed in a flash and Madarame whistled loudly, swinging his arm in the air. “GO!” Both teams bolted, scattering in organized sets.

Kira kept a tight hand on his small group, leading them through the streets quickly. A flicker of cloth drew them down an alley where they were ambushed by half of Yumi's team. Swords flew and yells crashed in the formerly still air; shinigami came running from all directions but were ignored in the rush of battle, the need to capture or be safe. The blond leader fought his way to kneel over a bait man, hand on his neck. “Give!” The sword fell to the ground and he turned nearly all the way around to defend against another, still holding his captive. “Get them, damn it!” He didn't notice he was yelling or swearing.

His team finally fought their way free, ending up with two captives and a dozen minor wounds. “Good job, guys. Next, we're going”

“What are you doing?” All heads turned to the mouth of the alley to see a pink mop of hair. “Are you playing Bait? I wanna play, I wanna play!”

“Ah, Lieutenant, I don't” His voice trailed off and he changed his mind in a second. “Why of course you can play! You remember, I'm Lieutenant Kira, of the Third Division, and this is my team. Third seat Yumichika and Captain Ikkaku are competing with us.” He snickered to himself; this was perfect! With her on their team, they couldn't lose!

Bright eyes looked them over, taking in the mussed uniforms and small wounds. “I dunno, you guys look pretty weak. Maybe I should play on Baldy's team.”

“No, no, you should see the guys he's got! They're awful, we're much better.” A niggle of guilt threatened but he stomped it ruthlessly; there was no way he was cleaning sewers. “And, if you play on our team, I'll give you...” He dug frantically in his pockets for a bribe, anything. A nudge to his back produced a handful of mints, toffees, and small candies collected from pockets and handed over for the chance to win. “I'll give you this! Candy!”

Glee lit the small face and she raced forward to grab the treats, cramming them in her pockets. “Oookay! I'm on your team. Let's get those losers!”

Izuru's face nearly split in victory. “Let's go men! No sewers for us!” His men cheered and they took off, breaking into splinter groups as they fought their way through the streets.

By the end of the first half hour, they had captured half the bait. Yachiru raced around, attacking random people, regardless of whether they were playing, but Kira discovered if he pointed and informed her someone was strong, she was easy to direct. They even managed to steal a man from Ikkaku's team, sliding in and grabbing him while Kira mock fought his own teammate on the rooftop, Madarame watching him bounce around; the blond laughed and ran when the bald Captain realized his Lieutenant was faking and began swearing.

When the hour was up, both teams were tied and the only free bait came wandering down the street, feathers moving in the breeze. “Yumi, get your ass over here!”

“What? No, Yumichika, you're much too beautiful to go near them! We're the best looking team!” The blond stood as straight as he could and smiled brightly, the brunet turning immediately and heading towards them. 'Come on, come on, we can win this.'

“Peacock!” Yumichika halted and glared at the pink haired girl before turning and stalking off in a huff, back trembling in annoyance.

“Ah! No, no, she didn't mean it! Yumichika!” Kira swooped down and grabbed the little Lieutenant, lifting her to swing from his arm, hand over her mouth. “Yumi” He didn't get to finish the word, air slamming out of his lungs as a tiny elbow tried to force its way through his stomach and out his back. Shock didn't even get to set in before he was flying; the packed ground gave under his body and he bounced once before staring with blank eyes at the sky.

Dark pants came into view but he couldn't move anything to see who it was. Perfect hair shifted over him and he stared into deep violet eyes, slightly confused as to what had happened. “That was pretty pathetic. Not very intelligent either.”

Air suddenly seemed like a secondary need. “Fuck.” He gasped again. “You.”

His body was suddenly floating and his feet hit the ground, an arm around his waist. “That's a boy! Looks like you losers are cleaning up tonight.” His vision cleared enough for him to make out Ikkaku's face beaming at him.

Harsh coughing and the blond nearly bent in half. “No. We didn't lose, you didn't catch him either. Not fair if he goes over to you by himself.”

“What? You recruited the Lieutenant! And tried to flatter his highness over to you too!”

“So? You said don't kill each other, not don't bring in others. And you imitated me, so I win 'cause I thought of it first.” His coughing slowed when he stopped talking and he tried to stand on his own, wavering briefly but balancing on shaky legs. Yachiru came around him and glared, hands on her little hips. “My deepest apologies, Lieutenant, I don't know what came over me.”

“Okay. But you have to give me another candy. You owe me!” Blond bangs inclined deeply and he smiled at her; she grinned back. “I'm going home now, Ken-chan will be mad if I stay away too long.”

Yumichika stepped forward and bowed. “May I escort you home, Lieutenant?” The girl shrugged and ran off, her third officer close behind, waving briefly over his shoulder. “It was a good game, Lieutenant Kira. You fought well.”

A tentative wave back and Kira looked around. The entire squad was laid out on the ground, some sitting and laughing, others just laying back; a few members of the Fourth squad were wandering from man to man, fixing bandages and applying lotions. He even recognized Hanatarou who wandered from person to person, smiling quietly as he chatted and did quick fixes.

“Lieutenant, are you injured?” He was startled by the soft voice beside him and turned to see Captain Unohana standing, smiling patiently.

His cheeks reddened and he realized he must be a mess, covered in dirt, blood spots spattered over his robes. “Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you Captain.”

The pretty woman smiled and patted him on the arm. “You all fought very well.” His cheeks reddened further at the praise as she glided off, offering assistance and directing her team.

“You did. Did real good. Figured you guys'd get your asses kicked.” A large hand ruffled his hair gently, messing up the few strands that had remained in place. “Guess I can call it a tie and let you guys out of cleaning.”

“Let US out of cleaning? Your team lost.” The blond was feeling particularly bold and teased a bit, a shy smile peeking up at the tall Captain. “I think we should get a prize for winning.”

A slow grin and a thick arm snaked around his waist, pulling him close. “Yeah? And what kind of prize did you have in mind?” Pale cheeks pinked again, the blush having just faded and pale eyes stared at the ground.

“I, um, I” Boldness fled, leaving him blushing and nervous. “Maybe, a meal?” That seemed like an innocent enough request and simple to get. After all, carrying a tray up from the kitchen wasn't that hard.

The grin widened. “You want me to take you out? Not a problem.” Thin shoulders jerked and he looked up to protest; that wasn't what he meant! “Tomorrow. Yume knows the best places, I'll have him recommend one or two.” A final pat and the older man walked away, not even looking back.

“But, but, wait!” A casual wave left the blond staring after his leader, aware of the covert stares of his division. 'Damn him!' He turned back to make sure everyone was taken care of and made it back to barracks for lunch.

Afternoon was spent relaxing, nursing little wounds and filling out paperwork. Ikkaku lolled around the office, watching but didn't bother signing his name to anything until Kira presented him with a pile of papers and insisted. He was promptly dragged down to sit in the bald man's lap and no amount of kicking could get him free; when he stilled, the Captain began signing around him. When everything was done, the blond was as red as his pale skin would allow him to be and the older man grinned at him before releasing him.

“Hey, you lead morning rounds tomorrow. I'm going out until mid-afternoon.” Kira retreated to the far side of the room and watched warily as his leader stood, stretched, and collected his coat.

“Where are you going?” The signed files were clutched to his chest as a shield when the larger man approached but he just nudged the blond away and opened the door.

“Out. And don't worry about coming by tonight either, I won't be there.” The door closed on his “See ya.” Pale eyes blinked after him; where could he be going? And tonight too?






As I reread this chapter, it seems as if Kira has moved back a bit, separating himself from Ikkaku and any feelings he's trying to deal with. I hope I've brought that through and that you enjoy this chapter as much as the others. Thank you so much for reading and especially for reviewing!