Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Practical Joke ❯ Chapter 1

Practical Joke

By: eternalsailorsolarwind AKA youkai_girl

 

Disclaimer: Bleach and all of its characters are owned by Tite Kubo, his Japanese publishers, and Viz. I only play with them for grins and giggles.

 

A/N: Recently-named captain of the Fifth Division, Kurosaki Ichigo has to take a few remedial classes at the Academy. His lover plays a joke on him. Ichigo/Byakuya.

 

0o0o0o0o0o

 

“You are one sneaky bastard,” growled Ichigo as he entered his lover's office. Shirosaki's snickers resounded in his head. “You set me up, didn't you?”

 

“Would I do such a thing,” asked Byakuya, his face its usual serene mask. Only practice allowed the newest captain of the Gotei 13 to see the mischief sparkling behind grey eyes.

 

“In a friggin' heartbeat,” replied Ichigo, glaring at the other man. “You knew it would come up eventually. It's a damn history class.”

 

“History of Gotei 13 is required to pass the Academy, Ichigo. You agreed to take the classes when Yamato-soutaichou waived the normal service requirements for you to be named a captain,” the noble reminded him. “What are you complaining about?”

 

“A history class was required. If I remember right, you chose this one.” Ichigo crossed his arms, implacable. “Told me I `wouldn't be bored' in it.”

 

“Have you been bored?”

 

The simple question only made Ichigo's ever-present scowl deepen. The worst part of this whole mess was that he'd enjoyed the class - before today. It was far from dry, as it dealt with every major military operation the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had ever carried out. Since the beginning of time, it seemed. Until today, it was the only class he never complained about having to attend (who needed trigonometry after death, anyway?). At least until he'd walked in this morning and been blindsided by the topic, that is.

 

Thanks to a scheduling conflict during the previous class - a Captain's Meeting - Ichigo had been unaware that today's entire class period would be on the ryoka invasion, Aizen's traitorous defection, and the subsequent Winter War. Something Ichigo had not only lived through, but participated heavily in.

 

His skin crawled at the memory of his classmates staring at him; their shocked, combined gaze heavy on him as they realized that he was that Kurosaki Ichigo.

 

They hadn't known because he'd been adamant that he would not wear his shihakusho and captain's haori to the Academy. Ichigo valued his anonymity with the other cadets, something he didn't have as the Captain of the Fifth Division and the lover of Kuchiki Byakuya, fellow captain and head of the very noble house of Kuchiki. It wouldn't be facetious to say that literally everyone knew who he was.

 

The orange hair was just as much an attention-getter now that he was a “hero” as it ever was back when he was just a punk kid.

 

“That's not the point,” snarled Ichigo, uncrossing his arms and leaning over Byakuya's desk, palms flat on the paperwork his lover had been fussing with when he'd walked in. “You made sure I'd be surprised today.”

 

Byakuya raised an elegant eyebrow, and Ichigo plowed on. “Rukia told me you arranged the time of last week's meeting. You, not Yama-jiji.”

 

Noting the flicker in the noble's eyes, Ichigo waited, holding firm.

 

“Very well,” agreed Byakuya, giving in graciously. “What are your terms?”

 

Satisfied that he'd won this round of their on-going practical joke war, Ichigo flopped into one of the chairs in front of his lover's desk. “You owe me big this time, Byakuya. You got my whole class involved. Blew my secret identity right out of the water.”

 

“Your identity was hardly a secret,” pointed out his lover. “You used your own name, Ichigo.”

 

“So what? They never thought I was that Kurosaki Ichigo. Now all of `em are crosses between Rikichi and Zaraki - they either want to be my kohai or challenge me.

 

“The price is gonna be high.”

 

Grinning at the wary look that entered Byakuya's eyes, Ichigo continued. “You guessed it. You're goin' home with me to dinner next week. Dad will be thrilled.”

He watched the noble struggle to maintain his usual sang-froid. Not bothering to hide his amusement, Ichigo grinned openly. “Well?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“I didn't think so.” Ichigo stood up. “I'll tell Goat-Face you're coming.”

 

Leaving the office with a satisfied smirk, Ichigo relished the crack in his stoic lover's usually impenetrable façade; revealing the noble's dismay at having to spend an evening with Kurosaki Isshin (something he usually agreed with Byakuya on). Making his way to his own office in the Fifth Division, Ichigo turned his mind to other things.

 

Namely, how to get Byakuya back now that it was his turn.