Skating on Thin Ice - Go (Falling)
A Wednesday, the Wednesday immediately after both their final exams were over, found Ichigo at the rink since morning, watching Toushirou practice yet again. “Er… Toushirou, do you have anything planned for tomorrow night?” The orange haired goalkeeper asked, their lunch just over.
“No. Was there supposed to be anything?” In his usual cool tones, the skater replied.
“Okay. I’ll meet you for dinner then.” Ichigo said, smiling.
“…Hn.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’m off to the hospital for an interview kinda. Damn, I’m going to be late, seeya.” With that, Ichigo dashed off, heading home to change before driving down to the hospital.
The next day, Ichigo rose early and headed out with Rukia to Boston on a grocery shopping mission, stopping for breakfast on their way. They had already decided what they would be getting for the white haired skater - Ichigo would be cooking, Rukia baking the cake, while Rangiku was in charge of planning, dessert and the special present.
After hearing from Rangiku that Toushirou’s birthday was after their finals, he had planned for a small dinner with people he knew the skater was relatively familiar with, knowing that Toushirou was a private person. Deciding on Rukia and Rangiku, which made for a dinner for four, he had shared his plans with them and was not surprised when both girls readily agreed.
The ingredients for the cake Rukia planned to make made the trip a necessity. The small town they lived in did not have a speciality shop that sold the azuki beans she planned to mix into the cream. Ichigo had tagged along at the skater’s insistence and was not surprised when he was made to carry all the ingredients she bought.
After lunch and a stop at the supermarket on their way back, where Ichigo bought the rest of the items he needed to prepare the dinner, they headed back to Rukia’s apartment to begin their preparations.
A few hours later, the cake was done and so were the curry, rice and side dishes that Ichigo had prepared. There only remained one last step - deep frying the tonkatsu and he had already asked for permission to cook that at Toushirou’s place. With that, they loaded up Rukia’s Beetle and headed to the house the white haired skater shared with Coach Ukitake - Toushirou had only moved in a few months ago - to meet Rangiku.
Grinning, the strawberry blonde greeted them as Rukia pulled into the garage. “I’ve got the ice cream in the freezer and we’re just waiting for the both of you to turn up.”
As they made their way into the house, Ichigo greeted the white haired coach. “Hi Coach, sorry for all the trouble. Thanks for helping us with this and for letting us have dinner here.”
“Hi Ichigo, Rukia. Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I was planning for a dinner with Coach Kyouraku anyway and I trust you’ll keep the place neat.” Ukitake smiled as he replied. “When should I be calling Toushirou though?”
“Hmm, I think he should be done with his practice by now.” Rangiku replied, looking at Ichigo for confirmation. As he nodded in reply, she continued, “You can call him now. Remember not to tell him anything else.”
A minute later, the coach put down his phone. “It’s done. I should be off any moment now. Ah, there he is,” Ukitake said as he heard the beep of a familiar horn.
“Thanks coach.” Ichigo called out, turning his head from the stove where there sat a deep pan of boiling oil. Hearing the ‘incoming message’ tone from his phone a moment later, he called out again, “Sorry Rukia, could you help me check my phone?”
“Got it,” the black haired skater replied, before continuing, “Hitsugaya-sempai said he’s going to be late to meet you. I guess that means everything’s in place.”
“Give me a few minutes. I’m almost done.” The orange haired goalkeeper replied, fishing out the last tonkatsu from the oil with a pair of chopsticks and placing it on a piece of tissue with the other pieces of tonkatsu that were done. Picking up the knife, he sliced each piece breadth-wise before placing it on a plate and putting a handful of sliced cabbage and some pickles next to it.
“The rice is scooped, the table’s laid and the rice and curry are there too. It’s just sempai left before we can start. The food smells awesome.” Rangiku said as she helped Ichigo carry the plates of tonkatsu out.
A moment later, Rukia called out, “He’s coming.” From the window in the living room, she had a good view of the street and had no trouble spotting the skater’s distinctive white hair.
“Quick, get into place,” went Rangiku as the trio stood at the doorway, waiting for the skater to open the door.
~~~
Coach Soi Fon had supervised his practice that afternoon and seemed satisfied with his routine. He had finally managed to land the quad toe loop consistently and had incorporated it into his free skate, leading up to the Nationals. It thus came as a surprise to the skater when Coach Ukitake called him to tell him that there was something urgent he needed to speak to him about just as he was packing up and about to meet Ichigo for dinner.
After the call, Toushirou finished packing then messaged the orange haired goalkeeper about being late and made his way back to the house he shared with his coach. It was a relatively new arrangement; his lease to his apartment had expired a few months ago and after Coach Ukitake had heard of it, he had offered to let the skater move in, saying that the rent was after all paid for by their sponsor, Kuchiki Byakuya.
Dusting off his shoes at the door, the skater reached for the door and was surprised to find it locked. ‘That’s weird. Shouldn’t coach be around?’ Pulling out his keys, he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, sempai!” Rangiku shouted as she grabbed him in yet another of her crushing embraces.
“Matsumoto, let go. Where’s Coach Ukitake?” Toushirou asked, cool as usual, despite feeling surprised.
As the blonde let him go, she replied, “We convinced him to help us with your surprise birthday dinner. It’s your eighteenth anyway, so it should be a memorable one.”
“Happy birthday, Hitsugaya-sempai.” Rukia congratulated once Rangiku was done with her explanation.
Nodding in response to Rukia’s greeting, he turned to Ichigo, who was grinning. “Happy eighteenth, Tosh’! You aren’t late for dinner anyway.”
“Hn.” Responding in his typical manner, Toushirou put down his backpack and made his way to the dining room, following behind the orange haired sophomore.
Dinner passed with Rangiku participating in most of the conversation. From asking about how his practice was going, to asking Ichigo how he learnt to cook their dinner, to discussing about shopping with Rukia, and their plans for their winter holidays, the blonde’s cheerfulness kept the conversation flowing. Listening was sufficient for the white haired skater, who learnt amongst other things that Ichigo had learnt how to cook the delicious tonkatsu and curry from his younger sister, Yuzu, and that he had gotten his hospital attachment.
After the dishes were put away, Rangiku demanded in her friendly manner yet again, “Sempai, please close your eyes. We have another surprise. I can cover them for you if you want.”
“No, it’s fine.” Toushirou replied and closed his eyes.
Several moments later, he heard the blonde call out again, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” When he did, he was greeted by the sight of a green cake with one large candle and eight small candles placed on it.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to sempai, happy birthday to you.” Leading the birthday song, Rangiku’s voice was the loudest amongst the three as they clapped in time with the song. “Now, close your eyes and make a wish, then blow out the candles”
Silently, Toushirou followed Rangiku’s instructions. It had been years since he last celebrated his birthday; the last time had been with his grandmother and his sister. Keeping his mind on the small party instead of recalling old memories, the skater made two wishes in quick succession before blowing out all the candles with a single ‘huff’.
After he had made the initial cut of the cake, Rukia took over and divided the cake into half before quartering one half. “Toushirou, what ice cream do you want with this? Rangiku bought er…” Ichigo called out as he took out the Styrofoam box with the ‘Itegumo’ logo out of the freezer and placed it on the table.
“I bought erm… yuzu, vanilla and kokuto,” the blonde continued as she lifted the piece of plastic that covered the ice cream.
“I’ll help myself.”
“Okay then, your turn first sempai, since it’s your birthday.” The blonde replied.
Deciding quickly, the white haired skater took a scoop of the brown sugar ice cream and placed it next to the slice of cake. Bright turquoise eyes sparkled as Toushirou tucked into the ice cream and the macha azuki cake.
“Sempai, how’s the cake? Rukia baked it.” came yet another question from the blonde.
“…Hn. It’s okay.”
“Thank you Hitsugaya-sempai. I’ll leave the other half of the cake in the fridge. You can have it later.” Rukia replied as she picked up the cake and headed for the kitchen.
They took their turns to take some of the ice cream and it was not long before they finished their cake and the ‘take-home-pack’ of ice cream. “It’s time for the final present! It wasn’t easy getting this, sempai.” Rangiku announced gladly as she took out a small Tupperware and a letter.
As the blonde placed both items in front of the skater, Toushirou looked first at the handwriting on the letter and recognised it immediately. ‘It’s granny’s… So does that mean this is…?’
Opening it immediately, Toushirou recognised the confectionary at once. “It’s amanattou!” Popping one into his mouth immediately, he grinned in delight before opening the letter.
“Dear Toushirou, it was a surprise to hear about you from your friends. They hoped that I would make some of your favourite amanattou for you for your birthday and it was a delight to make it again. Happy birthday and good luck for your competition! I’ll try to catch it on television and I hope to hear from you soon. Grandma.”
Unable to contain his happiness, Toushirou turned to thank Rangiku. “Matsumoto… thank you.”
“Nope, don’t just thank me alone. Ichigo planned everything and was the one who told me to try writing to your grandmother to see if she could send over some amanattou.” Rangiku replied with her usual smile.
“… Kurosaki, thank you.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’m glad you liked everything.” Ichigo replied, grinning as well.
Savouring another piece of the amanattou before shutting the box and deciding to keep it in the fridge so that he could have them whenever he wanted, Toushirou felt glad that he had decided to take Rangiku’s advice to be open to making some friends. Since Momo had died, he had never felt this happy. ‘Rest assured Momo, I’ll definitely bring him to justice for you,’ he vowed silently.
Little did he know, things would soon take an unexpected turn for the worse.
~~~
Two days later, Ichigo headed for the rink. He had received a mysterious letter, surprisingly addressed to ‘Toushirou Hitsugaya’ without any address in his letterbox. “Morning, Tosh’, Coach.” Calling out to the white haired duo who were discussing something, Ichigo walked over, letter in hand.
“Kurosaki,” Ukitake smiled, greeting the hockey goalkeeper. “What’s that?” He asked, looking at the pristine white envelope.
“This? I’m not really sure. I got this yesterday but it’s for Toushirou.” Ichigo replied, handing the letter over.
The white haired duo exchanged looks of surprise before the skater took the letter and opened it. Glancing over, Ichigo read its contents aloud. “Stop investigating or bear the consequences.” It was composed of letters torn haphazardly from newspapers then stuck together, arranged to form the crude words.
‘What’s going on?’ Watching as Toushirou and Coach Ukitake exchanged looks that suggested they knew what actually was going on, Ichigo voiced his thoughts. “What’s going on? Can I help? Does Byakuya know?”
“I think you should go. You can practice later.” Ignoring him, the white haired coach told the skater, who nodded in response. He then turned to the goalkeeper, “Kurosaki-kun, don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
Seeing the skater pick up his backpack, still clutching the note, Ichigo hurried after him. “Toushirou, let me come along.”
“It is not necessary.” The skater replied, sounding colder than usual. “Don’t bother following me,” and continued walking, without the slightest pause.
Stunned, the orange haired sophomore stopped for a brief moment. ‘Why? Don’t you trust me just a bit to let me help you? Could this have anything to do with what Rangiku said? Aizen…?’ With that, Ichigo decided immediately that he would follow Toushirou to see what exactly was happening. He wanted to help in whatever way he could. ‘Whoever you are, you’re not going to hurt Toushirou, damn it.’
It was not hard to follow the skater’s tracks in the snow. ‘That idiot, he’s not even paying attention to anyone following him.’ When Toushirou finally stopped and entered a shop, Ichigo was watching behind a building. After the skater had entered the shop, the orange haired goalkeeper approached the shop cautiously. ‘Urahara and associates eh… I’ll be back.’
~~~
A few days later, the only thing Ichigo had managed to find out about Urahara and associates was that the lawyer who had acted against Sousuke Aizen on charges of aggravated manslaughter of Momo Hinamori was Kisuke Urahara, proprietor of the said shop. There was little other information that could be gleamed from the Internet.
‘Rangiku said that Toushirou was spending time investigating Aizen… Where does he get the time apart from college and practice? That shop… doesn’t look like a law firm; is there something else about it?’
The next day, the white haired skater left early from practice again, and Ichigo decided to tail him to see if he was indeed headed for the same shop. Losing concentration for a moment as his cell phone vibrated and he checked the incoming message, he realised that Toushirou had disappeared when he looked up again.
“Shit!” Cursing, the orange haired sophomore walked out from behind the block and walked forward, hoping to catch a sight of the distinctive white hair. Walking a block down, he did not see any traces of the skater and was making his way back to the previous junction when Toushirou stepped out from a building. ‘Fuck. He knows.’
“Why were you following me?” The skater’s voice sounded colder than usual.
“I wasn’t following you. I was er…”
“Stop coming up with excuses. There’s no reason why you’d be here,” the skater’s cool tone cutting through his reply, as he gestured to the residential area surrounding them. “Didn’t I say not to follow me?”
“I just wanted to know where you were going. You know I want to help with whatever’s bothering you.” His earnest reply however, failed to convince the skater.
“I told you before. That is not necessary. This is your last warning - don’t follow me.” The skater replied, as he turned and began to walk away.
“Toushirou, look, I’m your friend, I’m concerned for you. So are Rukia and Rangiku; we’re all concerned. Isn’t there anything we can help with?”
“No.”
“At least let me go along with you to wherever you’re headed. At least if anything happens, there’ll be someone else to help you.” Ichigo knew he was pleading, yet at that moment, it did not matter to him already. He wanted to protect Toushirou.
“Kurosaki, I do not need your protection. I am neither a girl nor a child who needs to be protected.” Blazing turquoise eyes met brown ones as the skater spoke.
“But, the note…?”
“The note is a game that he plays.” The cold voice now carried an edge of taunting sarcasm. “Everyone’s his toy, only fit to be played with then discarded. This time, though, he will find himself ensnared.”
“So, you really are investigating.” Ichigo mused aloud. “In that case, why won’t you let me help you? Surely, having another person will help?”
“Kurosaki, I have no idea how you concluded you’d be any help. Once and for all, let me tell you this: I don’t need your protection or your help. While I appreciate your concern, I think it might be misplaced. You see, Kurosaki, I am not gay.”
The cold words stung like a slap in his face as the icy blue-green gaze met faltering brown eyes. ‘He knows… He knows.’ “…okay. I understand.” Ichigo turned away from the white haired skater, his mind a blur of thoughts.
“Seeya.” Even his usual goodbye sounded devoid of emotion; drained, empty, it seemed fitting for what seemed a final parting.
“No. Was there supposed to be anything?” In his usual cool tones, the skater replied.
“Okay. I’ll meet you for dinner then.” Ichigo said, smiling.
“…Hn.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’m off to the hospital for an interview kinda. Damn, I’m going to be late, seeya.” With that, Ichigo dashed off, heading home to change before driving down to the hospital.
The next day, Ichigo rose early and headed out with Rukia to Boston on a grocery shopping mission, stopping for breakfast on their way. They had already decided what they would be getting for the white haired skater - Ichigo would be cooking, Rukia baking the cake, while Rangiku was in charge of planning, dessert and the special present.
After hearing from Rangiku that Toushirou’s birthday was after their finals, he had planned for a small dinner with people he knew the skater was relatively familiar with, knowing that Toushirou was a private person. Deciding on Rukia and Rangiku, which made for a dinner for four, he had shared his plans with them and was not surprised when both girls readily agreed.
The ingredients for the cake Rukia planned to make made the trip a necessity. The small town they lived in did not have a speciality shop that sold the azuki beans she planned to mix into the cream. Ichigo had tagged along at the skater’s insistence and was not surprised when he was made to carry all the ingredients she bought.
After lunch and a stop at the supermarket on their way back, where Ichigo bought the rest of the items he needed to prepare the dinner, they headed back to Rukia’s apartment to begin their preparations.
A few hours later, the cake was done and so were the curry, rice and side dishes that Ichigo had prepared. There only remained one last step - deep frying the tonkatsu and he had already asked for permission to cook that at Toushirou’s place. With that, they loaded up Rukia’s Beetle and headed to the house the white haired skater shared with Coach Ukitake - Toushirou had only moved in a few months ago - to meet Rangiku.
Grinning, the strawberry blonde greeted them as Rukia pulled into the garage. “I’ve got the ice cream in the freezer and we’re just waiting for the both of you to turn up.”
As they made their way into the house, Ichigo greeted the white haired coach. “Hi Coach, sorry for all the trouble. Thanks for helping us with this and for letting us have dinner here.”
“Hi Ichigo, Rukia. Don’t worry, it’s not a problem. I was planning for a dinner with Coach Kyouraku anyway and I trust you’ll keep the place neat.” Ukitake smiled as he replied. “When should I be calling Toushirou though?”
“Hmm, I think he should be done with his practice by now.” Rangiku replied, looking at Ichigo for confirmation. As he nodded in reply, she continued, “You can call him now. Remember not to tell him anything else.”
A minute later, the coach put down his phone. “It’s done. I should be off any moment now. Ah, there he is,” Ukitake said as he heard the beep of a familiar horn.
“Thanks coach.” Ichigo called out, turning his head from the stove where there sat a deep pan of boiling oil. Hearing the ‘incoming message’ tone from his phone a moment later, he called out again, “Sorry Rukia, could you help me check my phone?”
“Got it,” the black haired skater replied, before continuing, “Hitsugaya-sempai said he’s going to be late to meet you. I guess that means everything’s in place.”
“Give me a few minutes. I’m almost done.” The orange haired goalkeeper replied, fishing out the last tonkatsu from the oil with a pair of chopsticks and placing it on a piece of tissue with the other pieces of tonkatsu that were done. Picking up the knife, he sliced each piece breadth-wise before placing it on a plate and putting a handful of sliced cabbage and some pickles next to it.
“The rice is scooped, the table’s laid and the rice and curry are there too. It’s just sempai left before we can start. The food smells awesome.” Rangiku said as she helped Ichigo carry the plates of tonkatsu out.
A moment later, Rukia called out, “He’s coming.” From the window in the living room, she had a good view of the street and had no trouble spotting the skater’s distinctive white hair.
“Quick, get into place,” went Rangiku as the trio stood at the doorway, waiting for the skater to open the door.
~~~
Coach Soi Fon had supervised his practice that afternoon and seemed satisfied with his routine. He had finally managed to land the quad toe loop consistently and had incorporated it into his free skate, leading up to the Nationals. It thus came as a surprise to the skater when Coach Ukitake called him to tell him that there was something urgent he needed to speak to him about just as he was packing up and about to meet Ichigo for dinner.
After the call, Toushirou finished packing then messaged the orange haired goalkeeper about being late and made his way back to the house he shared with his coach. It was a relatively new arrangement; his lease to his apartment had expired a few months ago and after Coach Ukitake had heard of it, he had offered to let the skater move in, saying that the rent was after all paid for by their sponsor, Kuchiki Byakuya.
Dusting off his shoes at the door, the skater reached for the door and was surprised to find it locked. ‘That’s weird. Shouldn’t coach be around?’ Pulling out his keys, he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, sempai!” Rangiku shouted as she grabbed him in yet another of her crushing embraces.
“Matsumoto, let go. Where’s Coach Ukitake?” Toushirou asked, cool as usual, despite feeling surprised.
As the blonde let him go, she replied, “We convinced him to help us with your surprise birthday dinner. It’s your eighteenth anyway, so it should be a memorable one.”
“Happy birthday, Hitsugaya-sempai.” Rukia congratulated once Rangiku was done with her explanation.
Nodding in response to Rukia’s greeting, he turned to Ichigo, who was grinning. “Happy eighteenth, Tosh’! You aren’t late for dinner anyway.”
“Hn.” Responding in his typical manner, Toushirou put down his backpack and made his way to the dining room, following behind the orange haired sophomore.
Dinner passed with Rangiku participating in most of the conversation. From asking about how his practice was going, to asking Ichigo how he learnt to cook their dinner, to discussing about shopping with Rukia, and their plans for their winter holidays, the blonde’s cheerfulness kept the conversation flowing. Listening was sufficient for the white haired skater, who learnt amongst other things that Ichigo had learnt how to cook the delicious tonkatsu and curry from his younger sister, Yuzu, and that he had gotten his hospital attachment.
After the dishes were put away, Rangiku demanded in her friendly manner yet again, “Sempai, please close your eyes. We have another surprise. I can cover them for you if you want.”
“No, it’s fine.” Toushirou replied and closed his eyes.
Several moments later, he heard the blonde call out again, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” When he did, he was greeted by the sight of a green cake with one large candle and eight small candles placed on it.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to sempai, happy birthday to you.” Leading the birthday song, Rangiku’s voice was the loudest amongst the three as they clapped in time with the song. “Now, close your eyes and make a wish, then blow out the candles”
Silently, Toushirou followed Rangiku’s instructions. It had been years since he last celebrated his birthday; the last time had been with his grandmother and his sister. Keeping his mind on the small party instead of recalling old memories, the skater made two wishes in quick succession before blowing out all the candles with a single ‘huff’.
After he had made the initial cut of the cake, Rukia took over and divided the cake into half before quartering one half. “Toushirou, what ice cream do you want with this? Rangiku bought er…” Ichigo called out as he took out the Styrofoam box with the ‘Itegumo’ logo out of the freezer and placed it on the table.
“I bought erm… yuzu, vanilla and kokuto,” the blonde continued as she lifted the piece of plastic that covered the ice cream.
“I’ll help myself.”
“Okay then, your turn first sempai, since it’s your birthday.” The blonde replied.
Deciding quickly, the white haired skater took a scoop of the brown sugar ice cream and placed it next to the slice of cake. Bright turquoise eyes sparkled as Toushirou tucked into the ice cream and the macha azuki cake.
“Sempai, how’s the cake? Rukia baked it.” came yet another question from the blonde.
“…Hn. It’s okay.”
“Thank you Hitsugaya-sempai. I’ll leave the other half of the cake in the fridge. You can have it later.” Rukia replied as she picked up the cake and headed for the kitchen.
They took their turns to take some of the ice cream and it was not long before they finished their cake and the ‘take-home-pack’ of ice cream. “It’s time for the final present! It wasn’t easy getting this, sempai.” Rangiku announced gladly as she took out a small Tupperware and a letter.
As the blonde placed both items in front of the skater, Toushirou looked first at the handwriting on the letter and recognised it immediately. ‘It’s granny’s… So does that mean this is…?’
Opening it immediately, Toushirou recognised the confectionary at once. “It’s amanattou!” Popping one into his mouth immediately, he grinned in delight before opening the letter.
“Dear Toushirou, it was a surprise to hear about you from your friends. They hoped that I would make some of your favourite amanattou for you for your birthday and it was a delight to make it again. Happy birthday and good luck for your competition! I’ll try to catch it on television and I hope to hear from you soon. Grandma.”
Unable to contain his happiness, Toushirou turned to thank Rangiku. “Matsumoto… thank you.”
“Nope, don’t just thank me alone. Ichigo planned everything and was the one who told me to try writing to your grandmother to see if she could send over some amanattou.” Rangiku replied with her usual smile.
“… Kurosaki, thank you.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’m glad you liked everything.” Ichigo replied, grinning as well.
Savouring another piece of the amanattou before shutting the box and deciding to keep it in the fridge so that he could have them whenever he wanted, Toushirou felt glad that he had decided to take Rangiku’s advice to be open to making some friends. Since Momo had died, he had never felt this happy. ‘Rest assured Momo, I’ll definitely bring him to justice for you,’ he vowed silently.
Little did he know, things would soon take an unexpected turn for the worse.
~~~
Two days later, Ichigo headed for the rink. He had received a mysterious letter, surprisingly addressed to ‘Toushirou Hitsugaya’ without any address in his letterbox. “Morning, Tosh’, Coach.” Calling out to the white haired duo who were discussing something, Ichigo walked over, letter in hand.
“Kurosaki,” Ukitake smiled, greeting the hockey goalkeeper. “What’s that?” He asked, looking at the pristine white envelope.
“This? I’m not really sure. I got this yesterday but it’s for Toushirou.” Ichigo replied, handing the letter over.
The white haired duo exchanged looks of surprise before the skater took the letter and opened it. Glancing over, Ichigo read its contents aloud. “Stop investigating or bear the consequences.” It was composed of letters torn haphazardly from newspapers then stuck together, arranged to form the crude words.
‘What’s going on?’ Watching as Toushirou and Coach Ukitake exchanged looks that suggested they knew what actually was going on, Ichigo voiced his thoughts. “What’s going on? Can I help? Does Byakuya know?”
“I think you should go. You can practice later.” Ignoring him, the white haired coach told the skater, who nodded in response. He then turned to the goalkeeper, “Kurosaki-kun, don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
Seeing the skater pick up his backpack, still clutching the note, Ichigo hurried after him. “Toushirou, let me come along.”
“It is not necessary.” The skater replied, sounding colder than usual. “Don’t bother following me,” and continued walking, without the slightest pause.
Stunned, the orange haired sophomore stopped for a brief moment. ‘Why? Don’t you trust me just a bit to let me help you? Could this have anything to do with what Rangiku said? Aizen…?’ With that, Ichigo decided immediately that he would follow Toushirou to see what exactly was happening. He wanted to help in whatever way he could. ‘Whoever you are, you’re not going to hurt Toushirou, damn it.’
It was not hard to follow the skater’s tracks in the snow. ‘That idiot, he’s not even paying attention to anyone following him.’ When Toushirou finally stopped and entered a shop, Ichigo was watching behind a building. After the skater had entered the shop, the orange haired goalkeeper approached the shop cautiously. ‘Urahara and associates eh… I’ll be back.’
~~~
A few days later, the only thing Ichigo had managed to find out about Urahara and associates was that the lawyer who had acted against Sousuke Aizen on charges of aggravated manslaughter of Momo Hinamori was Kisuke Urahara, proprietor of the said shop. There was little other information that could be gleamed from the Internet.
‘Rangiku said that Toushirou was spending time investigating Aizen… Where does he get the time apart from college and practice? That shop… doesn’t look like a law firm; is there something else about it?’
The next day, the white haired skater left early from practice again, and Ichigo decided to tail him to see if he was indeed headed for the same shop. Losing concentration for a moment as his cell phone vibrated and he checked the incoming message, he realised that Toushirou had disappeared when he looked up again.
“Shit!” Cursing, the orange haired sophomore walked out from behind the block and walked forward, hoping to catch a sight of the distinctive white hair. Walking a block down, he did not see any traces of the skater and was making his way back to the previous junction when Toushirou stepped out from a building. ‘Fuck. He knows.’
“Why were you following me?” The skater’s voice sounded colder than usual.
“I wasn’t following you. I was er…”
“Stop coming up with excuses. There’s no reason why you’d be here,” the skater’s cool tone cutting through his reply, as he gestured to the residential area surrounding them. “Didn’t I say not to follow me?”
“I just wanted to know where you were going. You know I want to help with whatever’s bothering you.” His earnest reply however, failed to convince the skater.
“I told you before. That is not necessary. This is your last warning - don’t follow me.” The skater replied, as he turned and began to walk away.
“Toushirou, look, I’m your friend, I’m concerned for you. So are Rukia and Rangiku; we’re all concerned. Isn’t there anything we can help with?”
“No.”
“At least let me go along with you to wherever you’re headed. At least if anything happens, there’ll be someone else to help you.” Ichigo knew he was pleading, yet at that moment, it did not matter to him already. He wanted to protect Toushirou.
“Kurosaki, I do not need your protection. I am neither a girl nor a child who needs to be protected.” Blazing turquoise eyes met brown ones as the skater spoke.
“But, the note…?”
“The note is a game that he plays.” The cold voice now carried an edge of taunting sarcasm. “Everyone’s his toy, only fit to be played with then discarded. This time, though, he will find himself ensnared.”
“So, you really are investigating.” Ichigo mused aloud. “In that case, why won’t you let me help you? Surely, having another person will help?”
“Kurosaki, I have no idea how you concluded you’d be any help. Once and for all, let me tell you this: I don’t need your protection or your help. While I appreciate your concern, I think it might be misplaced. You see, Kurosaki, I am not gay.”
The cold words stung like a slap in his face as the icy blue-green gaze met faltering brown eyes. ‘He knows… He knows.’ “…okay. I understand.” Ichigo turned away from the white haired skater, his mind a blur of thoughts.
“Seeya.” Even his usual goodbye sounded devoid of emotion; drained, empty, it seemed fitting for what seemed a final parting.