Tangled Web - chapter 1
Notes: The Bleach timeline is set two days after Rukia was arrested by her brother and taken back to Soul Society - right now Rukia is still awaiting judgement and Ichigo is off training with Urahara and has just entered the second stage.
Skip Beat is set a little in the future. Dark Moon is finishing its run and Reino - loveable fellow that he is - has once again set his sights on Sho.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, nor Skip Beat. If I did own them then this is the sort of thing that you could have expected.
Warning: I haven't decided on pairings but there is the distinct possibility that the future could contain slash. Or at least mentions of slash. Also language (but that's a given when you have Reino, Sho and the entire eleventh division in a fic). People may seem OOC as well - but I do have reasons for portraying them like that.
Anyway - enjoy!
23rd July
He was awake in a moment.
Reino held still in the darkness, keeping his breathing slow to feign sleep - unsure, as of yet, as to what had woken him. He hoped to God it wasn't fans again. He wouldn't have accepted this job if he had previous to what the fans would be like.
He wouldn't have accepted either of the jobs. But this wasn't the time to reminisce about his earlier life. Right now he had to figure out just what had woken him.
Still feigning sleep he surreptitiously rolled over and slipped his hand underneath his pillow, feeling just that little bit safer as the warm hilt of his zanpakuto burned into his palm.
Of course, it would only help against those that were decidedly non-living, but the fact that he was now armed made him confident in a way that waking up with a threat in the middle of the night just didn't.
He prepared one of the basic Kido's just in case he had to do a quick binding - sometimes you just never can be too careful - and slowly spread his senses outwards.
He was fairly certain that whatever was in his rooms wasn't that much of a threat on his life or they would have attacked him by now.
But he had been caught unawares by a tactic like that before.
True, that had been when he had been younger and cockier than he was now - but the three thick claw marks that ran down the entire left side of his torso from shoulder to hip were stark reminders of just how close he had come to dying.
Again.
He mentally shook himself. Getting lost in his own thoughts was exactly his problem.
His senses slipped out across the room slowly. If there was a hollow in the vicinity that wanted to surprise him he didn't want to let the monster know that he had it in his sights.
His mind brushed up against something that was definitely not human and Reino tensed slightly, his hand gripping his sword more tightly, before he launched himself out of his gigai and across the room.
For a moment Reino revelled in the feeling of being free of the tacky restraints of the gigai and the silky feel of his personalised shinigami uniform.
His zanpakuto arched down in a vicious slash that would cleave the mask of any monster in two at the same time as his prepared kido left his lips.
What he wasn't prepared for was his binding kido to be brushed aside as if it was nothing and a singularly delighted chuckle to echo around him before the ringing clash of steel on steel drowned it out.
What?
There was a moment of confusion before Reino focused once again on the battle.
Silver flashed in the moonlight as the two figures danced around each other in a deadly dance, feinting and weaving - the sound of the two swords clashing the only indication that each thrust was parried.
And under it all was the disturbing laughter.
Reino was panting hard. It had been decades since he had fought someone that was competent enough to be on his level. He wondered who it was and if he knew them.
Distracted for that small moment he didn't see the blade until it was too late. Swinging across on a path to cut his head from his shoulders, he just didn't have the time to bring his own sword up in defence.
Without any real form of cover he ducked and the sword passed harmlessly over his head.
Well...almost harmlessly. His curtains, that were blocking the large windows, caught the brunt of the attack and fell to the floor behind him.
Reino spared one mournful glance towards them - they had been expensive damnit! - and launched back into his attack, using his crouching position to his advantage.
Or at least that was the plan, until the full light of the moon that fell through the now uncovered windows, highlighted upon a mass of silver hair. Reino managed to pull his attack just in time.
"Ichimaru? What the hell!"
Gin just laughed at Reino's expression as he slid Shinso back into it sheath.
Reino rolled his eyes at his long time friend and huffed in annoyance. "You know," he started conversationally "you could have said something. Instead of fighting back and ruining my curtains."
Gin shrugged and sat gracefully on the edge of Reino's bed, avoiding the gigai that still occupied it and smoothing the covers beside him. "I was enjoying myself."
Reino bent down and picked at the fallen pieces of fabric. "They were expensive." He butted in, mournfully.
"Though," Gin continued, ignoring Reino's pouting "I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more if you were bleeding."
Reino shot him a look from the corner of his eye. "I see your sadistic tendencies haven't been dampened."
Gin smiled at him. "Only around you." His gaze dropped to the outfit Reino was wearing.
The loose black silk hakama flared around his legs but skin tight around the waist. The silk kosode, again the traditional black, was unfastened and fell open to reveal the scars that Reino's gigai didn't have.
Gin let his eyes wander over the sharply defined muscles.
"Like what you see?"
Gin took a moment more to gaze before looking back at Reino's face. "I see that the time in this realm has not made you change your mind about the uniform."
Reino made a face. "Just because there's a uniform, doesn't mean that it can't be fashionable."
"Uh huh. Though, if you wore the correct uniform you might not have those ugly scars."
Reino scowled. "I would have gotten them anyway. Two layers of material wouldn't have stopped the claws."
Gin shrugged and turned to look out of the window. "I guess."
There was a moment of silence before Reino got impatient. "As much as I love seeing you again Gin. Is there a reason why you're here?"
Gin turned back to him with a grin. "I like watching you sleep."
Reino looked at him blankly. "And you wonder why people get creeped out by you."
Gin pouted playfully. "You didn't have to attack me though."
"I think," Reino started "that if you were watching me sleep then I have every right to attack. I don't think I'm even going to apologise. What the hell were you doing? And why didn't you say something when I woke up instead of perfecting your stalker skills?"
"I wanted to see you."
Reino sighed but couldn't resist the small smile that played across his lips.
"Ok, you've seen me. Now what?"
Gin smirked and leaned back on the bed. "Well..."
"No."
Gin rolled his eyes. "You don't even know what I was about to say."
"I don't want to know."
Gin sighed. "Fine."
Reino smirked in victory. "Now. What was the real reason you disturbed my beauty sleep?"
Gin sat up, suddenly all business. "Aizen-taicho wants to know if you've found it."
"Aizen...?"
Gin waved a hand impatiently. "Yamamoto-Genryusai passed along the duty to Sosuke a while ago."
Reino quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh really? And why is that?"
Gin grinned. "There has been much you have missed stuck here. The biggest scandal at the moment is that Kuchiki has been arrested and Yamamoto-Genryusai is dealing with it and is unable to fully take an interest in his other side projects."
Reino was stunned. "Kuchiki? Kuchiki-taicho?"
"What? No. The girl."
Reino was confused. "Girl? What girl?"
"The sister?"
"Kuchiki-taicho has a sister? When did that happen?"
Gin blinked in surprise before understanding dawned. "Oh, that's right. You left before she was adopted. I guess a lot can happen in fifty years." He paused and frowned in thought. "I may owe someone money."
Reino brushed away the mention of Gin's gambling habits. "You have to tell me what's been happening."
"Gin leant back on his elbows again, looking bored. "Well, to cut a long story short. A year after you left on your mission Kuchiki found that sister of his wife and adopted her into his family."
Reino snorted with laughter. "I bet the elders weren't pleased with that."
Gin smirked as he remembered the blowout that that action had caused. Practically every shinigami heard that argument. "No. It was...impressive."
"Go on." Reino urged and Gin rolled his eyes.
"Two days ago she was arrested by her brother..."
"Ooh! Tension!"
"And sentenced to death."
"...or not."
Gin grinned. "So that's the reason why Yamamoto-Genryusai is busy at the moment."
Reino huffed. You go on a mission for fifty years and you miss all the good stuff. Seeing Gin quirk and eyebrow in question at him he sighed. "Fine. Yes, I've finally found it."
Gin looked decidedly more interested. "You have? That's wonderful! Where is it?"
Reino shifted nervously. "Um...well - there's a slight problem with that."
"Problem?"
"It...seems to have melded itself to a person."
There was a pause before Gin started to cackle.
"What's so funny?" Reino asked, feeling a little non-plussed at the reaction he had caused. He had been expecting anger, not this.
It took Gin a few minutes to calm down enough to speak again. "Irony, my friend. Irony."
Reino didn't get it but just put it down to something that he had missed in the last fifty years.
"So," Gin started again. "are you close to capturing it?"
Reino nodded. "Yes. I've been following it and when I realised that it had bound itself I had to don a gigai so that I could get closer to it."
"Ah. I had wondered why you were wearing one of those disgusting things."
Reino rolled his eyes at his friend's attitude. "You know, it's not all bad. There are a few quirks."
Gin smirked. "Ah yes. Vie Ghoul. You have quite a following in Gotei 13. Especially among the academy students."
Reino flushed slightly. "It was necessary."
Gin's smirk increased as Reino became more uncomfortable. "I have no doubt." He said with a laugh. "Is it all in the name of duty?"
"Yes. Actually. I needed a cover to get closer to the target."
"And has it worked?"
Reino paused and thought about it for a moment. "Yes. I have gotten close to the target and may even be able to snatch them and bring them to Soul Society soon."
"Wonderful!" Gin bounced up from the bed before making a show of looking at his bare wrist. "Ah! Would you look at that? I seemed to have overstayed. Well, I'll be back in a few weeks to collect the next report."
"Sure. Though, next time maybe you'll want to actually let me know in advance? Before any more innocent pieces of furniture and curtains fall victim."
"But where's the fun in that?" He turned to go. "Oh! Wait! Here." He passed Reino a piece of paper. Reino just looked at it.
"What do you want me to do with that?"
Gin sighed in annoyance. "Autograph it."
Reino's lips twitched. "You want my autograph? Why Gin-kun, I didn't know you were such a fan."
"It's not for me!" Gin blustered at the look Reino was giving him. "It's for Sosuke."
This time Reino couldn't stop the grin. "Aizen wants my autograph? Well, he's not the fans that we usually target but I guess to each his own."
"For Hinamori-chan! Hinamori Momo! His fukutaicho!"
Reino nodded, placating him. "Sure, sure." He quickly autographed the paper and handed it back to a distinctly flustered Gin with a grin.
Gin snatched the sheet back and quickly departed. Reino watched him phase through the wall.
"That," he said to the empty room, "was almost worth ruining my curtains for."
His grin faded as he looked back to the gigai spread across his bed. Such a disgusting feeling - being bound in a costume. Being restricted.
Unable to face spending the rest of the night trapped he sat down on the sofa facing the windows and watched another day dawn.