The Space Between (Bleach, Ichimaru/Hitsugaya, #15 - Perfect Blue)
Title: Prodigal Son
Chapter: The Space Between
Author/Artist: azardarkstar
Pairing: Ichimaru Gin/Hitsugaya Toushirou
Fandom: Bleach
Theme: #15 (Perfect Blue)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. All characters are depicted as legal age.
Spoilers: Soul Society Arc and Beyond
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
His eyes were the perfect shade between blue and green, the color of glacial ice. They gleamed with far more knowledge and sorrow than should be possible, gazed back at the man in front of him with a nameless shadow in their frosty depths.
Ukitake Jyuushiro had always been fond of those eyes. And the boy who went with him. The young captain who he smiled at and doted on. The boy who he considered a beloved colleague, protégé even. The captain who had been missing for over a month, only to be found relatively whole and hearty at the Urahara Shouten.
The boy who was even now steadily avoiding his gaze, studying his tea cup with an intensity that was worrisome. The fact that the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees in the last few heartbeats heightened that feeling. Frost rimmed the pot between them. Neither had to even look at his own cup to know that both were a solid block of ice by this point.
But despite all that, Toushirou’s voice was steady and even.
“No.”
Ukitake blinked. “Come again?” He stared at the captain sitting across from him, certain that he had heard incorrectly.
Toushirou finally looked up. “I said no,” he repeated in a very calm tone. The boy lifted his chin, face set with determination. “I’m not returning to Soul Society at this time.”
“What? Why?” Ukitake corrected himself. “I don’t understand.”
Toushirou shifted. “It doesn’t matter. It’s immaterial.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But I’m staying here.”
Truthfully, he had been expecting this moment for over a week now. Ever since Kuchiki had appeared, asking Urahara if he knew anything about their missing captain’s whereabouts. The man had somehow managed to deflect her inquiries, both of his guests safely hidden in a shielded room of the shop. But she hadn’t seemed entirely convinced, especially with the recent upsurge in Arrancar activity in Karakura.
And of course, the old man would send Ukitake Jyuushiro to fetch his wayward captain from what everyone assumed was his recovery bed. But at least, they knew that he had been kidnapped and wasn’t a deserter. Well, not originally at any rate. Still, Toushirou didn’t know if he should feel relief or anxiety at his predicament. It might have been better if the Shinigami thought he had simply abandoned his post. That way, he wouldn’t be in this current mess, trying to convince Ukitake that he really wasn’t ready to return to Seireitei.
“What is this really about, Toushirou?” the older man suddenly questioned.
And at the use of his given name, Toushirou glanced up again. He hadn’t even realized his eyes had fallen
“There’s something I have to do,” he evaded. “Something important. I can’t come back yet.”
‘Or ever,’ Toushirou added silently.
Fortunately, his companion was not privy to that addendum.
Ukitake seemed almost unhappy with the answer given. His mouth was set in a line. His own eyes were dark and unreadable. And the boy was on the verge of adding something else, of trying to explain without really explaining, but Ukitake beat him to it.
“I’ll tell them that you’re still recovering.”
Toushirou closed his mouth with an audible snap. The man merely gave him a soft and barely there smile.
“Retsu will probably show up within a few days, but it’s the best that I can do for you,” Ukitake said slowly. “Just… whatever it is, do it quickly.”
He hesitated for a moment, obviously debating with himself over something. The man rose to his feet and stepped for the door, pausing by Toushirou.
Ukitake put a hand on his shoulder. “Please just be safe.”
And with that, he was gone. Toushirou heard him pause in the hallway to speak with Kurosaki and Urahara-san, but the boy was too distracted to make out what they were saying. He just listened as Ukitake exchanged pleasantries and then finally departed. And his ears didn’t fail to miss the sound of Ichimaru leaving his hiding place sometime later or his footfalls as he entered the room.
“Yer still here, so I take it things went well,” he commented by way of greeting.
The man slid into the place just vacated, taking an unused cup from the tray. But he hesitated on pouring tea as he noticed the ice lining everything in his immediate area. A quick kidoh to the pot solved that problem.
Toushirou’s eyes locked on him. “Well enough,” he replied gruffly.
Ichimaru tilted his head. “Meanin’ that they’re gonna send somebody else in a few days. That’s as long as Jyuu-chan can get fer ya.”
The boy nodded but remained silent. Ichimaru tapped his empty cup with his fingertip. Hitsugaya just studied the tabletop lost in thought.
“What’re ya gonna tell them?” Ichimaru asked after several moments, a faint hitch to his voice. His grin was fixed on his face, completely forced.
“I don’t know.” Toushirou sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe that I’m staying to help Kurosaki. Or something like that.” He made a vague gesture.
“They migh’ buy it,” the man allowed, though there was a hint of doubt in his tone.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” he bit out.
The temperature again dropped, a definite sign of his frustration. Ichimaru even saw his breath as he exhaled.
“Hey.” He reached across the table and snagged Toushirou’s hand. “We’ll think of somethin’. It’ll be alright. No need ta scowl. What’d ya do if it got stuck that way?”
The boy snorted. “That’s only a myth. Besides, I never took you for an optimist, Ichimaru.”
“One’a us has ta be.” The man pulled their hands toward him and squeezed tightly. “With ya so frowny all the time, it falls ta me ta smile.” His grin widened to something wicked, and he impulsively pressed his lips to the boy’s knuckles.
Toushirou tried and failed not to flush pink. He awkwardly pulled away, skin tingling as he clenched his hand into a fist. He fought down the sudden heat that raced through his nerve endings.
Gin just smirked and moved to pour them tea.
Chapter: The Space Between
Author/Artist: azardarkstar
Pairing: Ichimaru Gin/Hitsugaya Toushirou
Fandom: Bleach
Theme: #15 (Perfect Blue)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. All characters are depicted as legal age.
Spoilers: Soul Society Arc and Beyond
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
His eyes were the perfect shade between blue and green, the color of glacial ice. They gleamed with far more knowledge and sorrow than should be possible, gazed back at the man in front of him with a nameless shadow in their frosty depths.
Ukitake Jyuushiro had always been fond of those eyes. And the boy who went with him. The young captain who he smiled at and doted on. The boy who he considered a beloved colleague, protégé even. The captain who had been missing for over a month, only to be found relatively whole and hearty at the Urahara Shouten.
The boy who was even now steadily avoiding his gaze, studying his tea cup with an intensity that was worrisome. The fact that the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees in the last few heartbeats heightened that feeling. Frost rimmed the pot between them. Neither had to even look at his own cup to know that both were a solid block of ice by this point.
But despite all that, Toushirou’s voice was steady and even.
“No.”
Ukitake blinked. “Come again?” He stared at the captain sitting across from him, certain that he had heard incorrectly.
Toushirou finally looked up. “I said no,” he repeated in a very calm tone. The boy lifted his chin, face set with determination. “I’m not returning to Soul Society at this time.”
“What? Why?” Ukitake corrected himself. “I don’t understand.”
Toushirou shifted. “It doesn’t matter. It’s immaterial.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “But I’m staying here.”
Truthfully, he had been expecting this moment for over a week now. Ever since Kuchiki had appeared, asking Urahara if he knew anything about their missing captain’s whereabouts. The man had somehow managed to deflect her inquiries, both of his guests safely hidden in a shielded room of the shop. But she hadn’t seemed entirely convinced, especially with the recent upsurge in Arrancar activity in Karakura.
And of course, the old man would send Ukitake Jyuushiro to fetch his wayward captain from what everyone assumed was his recovery bed. But at least, they knew that he had been kidnapped and wasn’t a deserter. Well, not originally at any rate. Still, Toushirou didn’t know if he should feel relief or anxiety at his predicament. It might have been better if the Shinigami thought he had simply abandoned his post. That way, he wouldn’t be in this current mess, trying to convince Ukitake that he really wasn’t ready to return to Seireitei.
“What is this really about, Toushirou?” the older man suddenly questioned.
And at the use of his given name, Toushirou glanced up again. He hadn’t even realized his eyes had fallen
“There’s something I have to do,” he evaded. “Something important. I can’t come back yet.”
‘Or ever,’ Toushirou added silently.
Fortunately, his companion was not privy to that addendum.
Ukitake seemed almost unhappy with the answer given. His mouth was set in a line. His own eyes were dark and unreadable. And the boy was on the verge of adding something else, of trying to explain without really explaining, but Ukitake beat him to it.
“I’ll tell them that you’re still recovering.”
Toushirou closed his mouth with an audible snap. The man merely gave him a soft and barely there smile.
“Retsu will probably show up within a few days, but it’s the best that I can do for you,” Ukitake said slowly. “Just… whatever it is, do it quickly.”
He hesitated for a moment, obviously debating with himself over something. The man rose to his feet and stepped for the door, pausing by Toushirou.
Ukitake put a hand on his shoulder. “Please just be safe.”
And with that, he was gone. Toushirou heard him pause in the hallway to speak with Kurosaki and Urahara-san, but the boy was too distracted to make out what they were saying. He just listened as Ukitake exchanged pleasantries and then finally departed. And his ears didn’t fail to miss the sound of Ichimaru leaving his hiding place sometime later or his footfalls as he entered the room.
“Yer still here, so I take it things went well,” he commented by way of greeting.
The man slid into the place just vacated, taking an unused cup from the tray. But he hesitated on pouring tea as he noticed the ice lining everything in his immediate area. A quick kidoh to the pot solved that problem.
Toushirou’s eyes locked on him. “Well enough,” he replied gruffly.
Ichimaru tilted his head. “Meanin’ that they’re gonna send somebody else in a few days. That’s as long as Jyuu-chan can get fer ya.”
The boy nodded but remained silent. Ichimaru tapped his empty cup with his fingertip. Hitsugaya just studied the tabletop lost in thought.
“What’re ya gonna tell them?” Ichimaru asked after several moments, a faint hitch to his voice. His grin was fixed on his face, completely forced.
“I don’t know.” Toushirou sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe that I’m staying to help Kurosaki. Or something like that.” He made a vague gesture.
“They migh’ buy it,” the man allowed, though there was a hint of doubt in his tone.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” he bit out.
The temperature again dropped, a definite sign of his frustration. Ichimaru even saw his breath as he exhaled.
“Hey.” He reached across the table and snagged Toushirou’s hand. “We’ll think of somethin’. It’ll be alright. No need ta scowl. What’d ya do if it got stuck that way?”
The boy snorted. “That’s only a myth. Besides, I never took you for an optimist, Ichimaru.”
“One’a us has ta be.” The man pulled their hands toward him and squeezed tightly. “With ya so frowny all the time, it falls ta me ta smile.” His grin widened to something wicked, and he impulsively pressed his lips to the boy’s knuckles.
Toushirou tried and failed not to flush pink. He awkwardly pulled away, skin tingling as he clenched his hand into a fist. He fought down the sudden heat that raced through his nerve endings.
Gin just smirked and moved to pour them tea.