Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Bleach Ficlets: Dare To Live ❯ 37 Professional Assistance ( Chapter 37 )

Authors Note: I don't own Bleach and make no claims on it. If I did, there'd be a whole hell of a lot of kinky shit going down.

 

37 Professional Assistance

 

“I felt some strange reiatsu a while back and I can't figure it out. It's been bugging the shit outta me, but I can't ask Ishida about it. He rags on me enough about how crappy I am at sensing reiatsu. I figured you're really good at the whole reiatsu detection thing, so….”

 

We were in Ichigo's inner world. He looked slightly uncomfortable, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as his eyes flicked around, looking for Shirosaki most likely. I highly doubted he wanted Shirosaki in on this conversation regardless of the fact that if Shirosaki wanted to listen in, it would be as easy as breathing for him to do so. I still don't think Ichigo realized how closely entwined we were.

 

“I felt that weird reiatsu in a place there shouldn't be one. Actually, I think there was more than one. I don't know how many more exactly, but definitely more than one. They were kinda familiar but… not. Like I should know them but didn't. Fuck, I'm not explaining this very well but I don't know how else to say it,” Ichigo said as he ran a hand through his hair and scowled in frustration.

 

“Start at the beginning. When did you first notice this strange reiatsu and where? Maybe, more importantly, what was it that brought this reiatsu to your attention? You've said yourself that you almost never notice the reiatsu around you.”

 

“It wasn't me. I mean, I wasn't the one who noticed it first. Karin clued into it and then asked me about it. She thought I always felt that shit. She was shocked when I told her that I didn't.”

 

“Didn't what?”

 

Ichigo whirled and swore when he saw Shirosaki. “None of your fucking business. I was having a private conversation with Zangetsu. Go… be somewhere else.”

 

“Awww, now that just ain't nice. `Sides, whatever you say to him, I'll know about as soon as he does, so what's it matter if I'm standing here seeing you squirm and get all emo and shit or not?”

 

“What?” Ichigo asked in a low tone, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

 

“We're all connected. Whatever you know, we know. Zangetsu keeps telling you that. I get it, why don't you?” Shirosaki snorted and rolled his eyes. “And you call me a dumbass.”

 

Ichigo's reiatsu surged with irritation and Shirosaki smirked. I stifled a sigh and sent my reiatsu out over both of theirs, calming and muting the volatile waves. I knew Shirosaki was being deliberately provoking. He liked to rile Ichigo up and then attack. Whether the attack was physical or sexual didn't seem to matter. He liked both things with Ichigo. That Ichigo appeared to enjoy himself just as much during their dust-ups didn't help when I was trying to diffuse the situation.

 

“Is that true, Zangetsu? I have nothing private from you guys? There's tons of shit I don't know about you and Shirosaki, but you guys know everything about me? That's fucking unfair. I don't like it.”

 

“Sucks to be you,” Shirosaki smirked.

 

Ichigo swore again and would have leapt at Shirosaki if I hadn't caught the back of his shirt and held him in check. He turned a fierce look on me and I could plainly see he wanted to do some violence to Shirosaki and was simply waiting for me to let go of his shirt. I was seriously starting to consider beating the daylights out of Shirosaki myself for winding Ichigo up like he was. I was never going to be able to prod either of them into any kind of progress if I had to keep stopping fights between them. While I understood, in a sense, why Shirosaki was goading Ichigo, he was moving counter to what I was trying to accomplish as a whole between the three of us.

 

“You have things that you keep private from us just as there are things that we keep secret. We know more of each other than most people would learn of one another in a lifetime, but we have a special connection and are allowed personal parts of ourselves separate from each other. Knowing so much about one another can only benefit all of us and make us stronger.”

 

“You being stronger is cool, Zangetsu. Shirosaki doesn't need to be any stronger than he already is. Stupid prick already tries to take me over whenever he can,” Ichigo said with a scowl.

 

“Hey asshole, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't done that in a long time. I wouldn't do it at all if you'd let me play more often. You never let me out unless you're desperate and getting your ass seriously kicked. You'd be in deep shit if you called and I didn't come and save your bacon. `S not fair that Zangetsu gets to have all the fun all the fucking time and I never do,” Shirosaki sulked.

 

“Sucks to be you,” Ichigo said with a grin.

 

“So what is it you want me to help you with, Ichigo?” I asked quickly hoping to sidetrack the brewing argument.

 

“Just check out that reiatsu I felt and tell me whose it is. You can do that, right?”

 

“That's what this is about? Some mystery reiatsu you can't figure out got your panties in a twist? You've got to be kidding me. I have better skills than you and I almost never get out. A fucking dog has better skills sensing reiatsu than you.”

 

“Bite me, asshole.”

 

“Anytime, Ichigo, anytime. You know I get off on that,” Shirosaki leered and licked his lips.

 

Ichigo slanted a look at Shirosaki and a tiny smile quirked up the corners of his mouth. “Maybe later after we figure out this reiatsu thing.”

 

Shirosaki whooped and pumped his fist in the air. I rolled my eyes and wondered for the hundredth time if I was crazy for even thinking I could make my plan with these two work, regardless of the pay off I knew was possible. With the shift in mood between Ichigo and Shirosaki to something more sexual in nature, I let go of Ichigo's shirt, confident he wouldn't lunge at Shirosaki and try and beat the stuffing out of him.

 

“Hey, wait, does that mean I hafta wait until we solve this stupid problem before I get any?” Shirosaki asked suspiciously.

 

Ichigo laughed, and his hand shot out to grab a fistful of Shirosaki's coat. He yanked Shirosaki to him and planted a hard, fast kiss on the Hollow's lips before shoving him away. I raised an eyebrow at the lovely pink flush that tinged both their cheeks and wondered if the reiatsu check was going to be put on hold temporarily. I'd be willing to wait on it, as I'm sure Ichigo and Shirosaki would, going by the warm pulse of their reiatsu.

 

“Zangetsu's really good at the reiatsu thing and it felt really familiar. You both know what I know; so he'll be able to tell whose it is fast.”

 

“Yeah, but do I hafta wait until after we figure it out to get any action? That kiss, hot as it was, so didn't count,” Shirosaki persisted.

 

“God, you're a pain in the ass,” Ichigo said rolling his eyes just before he vanished back to the real world.

 

“Was that a yes or a no?” Shirosaki asked me frowning.

 

I shrugged my shoulders and hid my smile at Shirosaki's single-mindedness as I left the inner world to see if I could solve the reiatsu issue for Ichigo. Quite possibly, after I'd solved Ichigo's reiatsu problem, we could have a little fun with an idea that'd been brewing in the back of my mind for some time.