prompt: yoruichi's secret spy network.... of cats.
((A year later and this doesn’t entirely fit the bill but you know what, it’s close.))
Yoruichi perched atop the low wall, ears twitching and head cocked to one side as she listened to the chatter of the cats. There wasn’t all that much of interest happening around Karakura, just the usual trouble with Hollows, Kurosaki getting into scuffles with delinquents, and various other small things that caught the attention of the local strays and outdoor cats.
It didn’t look like she was going to get anything of interest out of them tonight, unfortunately.
Just as she was about to leave, however, a young tabby leapt onto the wall and crept closer to her. ::You wanted to know about the stray human you adopted when he’s out?:: At Yoruichi’s nod, the tabby’s whiskers twitched forward and she continued, ::I see why you like him! He’s very generous with attention!::
Yoruichi flicked an ear and crooked the tip of her tail in question. ::He is,:: she agreed. ::Did you meet him?::
The young tabby chirped excitedly. ::Yes! He’s even brought me treats! He has good tastes, I like him!::
Yoruichi wondered at that. She’d not seen Kaito interact with any of the strays around town, but she also didn’t make a habit of stalking him. ::Has he said anything interesting?:: she asked the tabby.
That gave the tabby pause, the young feline’s tail swaying slowly as she thought. ::He’s said that he wished he could bring me home?::
That took her aback; Kaito had shown no interest that /she/ knew of in getting a pet. The other teens had gently teased him a couple times about his interactions with Komamura-taicho’s pet dog, but Yoruichi hadn’t taken that as ‘Kaito wants a pet’.
Maybe she should have though. She knew how much he enjoyed it when she indulged him and let him treat her as a regular cat. ::Would you want to?:: she asked the tabby. ::I doubt he’d restrict you to being an indoor cat.:: Kisuke wouldn’t even complain; Kaito had the man wrapped around his little finger without even realizing it. Adding a pet or two to the shoten wouldn’t be much of a hardship.
(And maybe it would help pull him from his depression. She could only hope.)
::You wouldn’t mind? I know that’s your territory,:: the tabby demurred, unable to fully hide her interest in the offer.
::He’s a foolish human who needs more attention than I can give him,:: Yoruichi said with a haughty sniff. ::Though he /might/ end up with a young dog as well.::
::So long as the dog isn’t mean,:: the tabby said. ::There’s one dog that’s always so nasty! I don’t like her. But I’ve met some that are nice.::
::My other human can help with finding a nice dog when it comes to that. And you can help too,:: Yoruichi offered. A young cat to provide the peaceful sort of companionship and attention that Kaito seemed to crave, and a puppy for the unconditional love and affection that Kaito /needed/. That sounded about right to her, now that she was considering it.
But. Cat first. Let him get used to having a pet around that Yoruichi could understand, so that she could make /sure/ nothing went wrong.
::If you come home with me, no running away on him, do you understand?:: Yoruichi asked the tabby sternly.
::Of course not!::
::Good. If we’re in agreement then, come on. I’ll bring you home and let them know you’re there to stay.:: Yoruichi stood up and turned to leave, pleased when the young tabby cheerfully bounced after her.
She didn’t know how Kaito would take the sudden arrival of a new member of the shoten, but Yoruichi was certain she could convince him of the benefits.
Besides, all the blackmail photos would stop having /her/ in them as well. That was more than worth the potential hassle of having a true feline around.
((Okay, so actually the last piece of this that I have actively written, so don’t expect any more of this for... probably a while, honestly.
Warnings: not much? Beyond Uryuu being very negligent of his health. AGAIN. At least he realizes it this time?))
The moment Uryuu was left alone for more than five minutes, he crawled out of the hospital bed and stood beside it, pulling the hospital yukata more firmly closed as he did. He breathed through the moment of dizziness, until his head was once more clear and his legs stable.
This was… probably a bad idea, Uryuu acknowledged, as he made his slow way to the window and peered out of it. It seemed to be early in the day, judging by the angle of the sunlight across the walls and roofs of Seireitei, but not too early. The view also served to reinforce what a terrible idea this was; he was on at least the third story, if not the fourth, and, even if he had been on the first floor, escaping out the window was… very anime-cliche of him. Wasn’t it?
Uryuu glanced over his shoulder at the partially open door to his room. Back to the view out the window.
They would hunt him down if he escaped. Hunt him down and likely tie him to that bed. He had just enough medical knowledge to know that he was in no way recovered. But… Uryuu was tired of the stares, and the constant presence of at least one of Ichigo’s friends, all cloying-sweet and worried.
(Why were they worried about him? They were Ichigo’s friends, not his! Especially the Shinigami amongst them!)
(A bitter, furious part of his soul was certain they only pretended to care, in order to have a chance to reach Ichigo within him.)
Resolute, Uryuu slid open the window and hopped up onto the sill, one hand clutching at the frame as his body protested the action.
(*I’m going to kill myself with this shit,*) Uryuu thought blankly, as he stared down at the ground so far below him. (*I’m going to trip, and fall, and crack my idiot head open. I should go back to bed and lay back down.*)
But no voices replied to him, and while he knew this was a horrible idea, he also knew he needed to escape, even if only for a few minutes.
Uryuu reinforced himself as much as his pitifully depleted reserves would allow and gave a leap of faith, aiming for a roof a bit below and to one side. He went sprawling across the red tiles, the breath driven from his body and his limbs as shaky as a newborn foal’s, but he had made it.
It felt like an eternity before he could gather the strength to rise back to his feet and begin his shambling process across the tightly packed roofs of Seireitei. He didn’t know where he was going, didn’t have even the vaguest idea of a goal, he just… knew he needed to move. Needed to be out of that white-white room and away from the constant watch of others.
(White walls and white ceilings and a blue, blue sky with a bright-bright sun that was fake-fake-/fake/.)
(Sometimes he wondered if he could only trust the night sky to be real.)
Eventually, though, he had to stop. His limbs wouldn’t stop trembling, his bare feet protested every step he took, and his breathing was ragged. He’d long since lost the ability to reinforce his body, and all that was driving him onwards was his will and his inability to admit defeat. So when he found a small, sun-drenched nook made by the meeting of two buildings, Uryuu was quite content to curl himself into the spot and rest, tucked away and hopefully hidden.
He remained there, half-dozing and half awake, as the sun traveled across the sky. It was so peaceful in his little nook, even with the various Shinigami that he could sense wandering by. Uryuu wondered if they were ignoring him, or if his reiryoku was so depleted that he wasn’t even producing any reiatsu to be sensed.
“Ishida Uryuu.”
Uryuu started, head jerking up from where it had been resting against the wall, and he stared in mute shock at Kuchiki Byakuya. The Captain was as put together as usual, looking like the injuries he had gained in Hueco Mundo had never happened. A tiny frown crossed the man’s expression when Uryuu didn’t respond to him, and he took a small step closer.
“I do not believe you were released from the Fourth yet,” Kuchiki prompted.
Uryuu gave an awkward shrug and looked away. What was he supposed to say? He hadn’t been released, and was probably doing himself more harm by being out here instead of resting in a bed.
A tiny breath of air escaped the stoic Captain, and Uryuu turned his gaze back on Kuchiki in confusion. Had that… had that been a sigh?
“Come along then,” Kuchiki told him imperiously, turning away from Uryuu and moving towards the edge of the roof. “It will soon be afternoon, and this is no place for someone to convalesce.”
Uryuu sighed and slowly unfolded his body. Well, at least he’d managed a few hours outside of the hospital. That was something, right? He reluctantly moved to follow the other man, and grimaced down at the street the moment he came to the edge of the roof. Getting down was… going to be exciting. He could already feel that in his bones.
But before he could do more than try to gather himself to jump down, a powerful arm was around his waist and the world /blurred/. Suddenly he was on the ground, one hand gripping Kuchiki’s arm as tightly as he could (which wasn’t very), and biting back a startled sound that he /refused/ to acknowledge possibly giving voice to.
Kuchiki released him the moment Uryuu was steady once more, and began to walk away with another imperious gesture to follow.
Uryuu paused, staring at Kuchiki in confusion, then over his shoulder at what he was /sure/ was the actual direction of the hospital. Was… was the Captain not going to bring him back? Wasn’t Kuchiki /all about/ following the law to the letter? That was the impression Uryuu had gained through his short exposure to the man, but… well, maybe this was just another path through the maze that was Seireitei’s streets.
So Uryuu followed, not seeing a point in protesting. He had been caught, after all, and he really didn’t have the energy to be more rebellious than he already had been this morning. Kuchiki was even polite enough to temper his pace to one that Uryuu’s tired limbs could keep up with. Uryuu fell into a trance of simply placing one foot in front of the other, trailing along after Kuchiki like some stray animal, even if the comparison would have normally sent him into a fury.
That trance shattered the moment they came to a gate that was /definitely/ not the entrance to the Fourth Division, and Uryuu shot Kuchiki a confused look as a servant opened the door and bowed deeply to the Captain.
“See him to the gardens,” Kuchiki ordered the servant with an absent tone, as he swapped his outside shoes for softer indoor versions. He looked at Uryuu for a moment, then said, “You may rest here for the afternoon. My servants will provide you with a meal, as well.”
Uncertain of what to do with this unlooked for kindness, Uryuu just nodded and watched the man walk off down a hallway and deeper into the mansion.
“This way, please, sir,” the servant told him, gesturing for Uryuu to follow.
Feeling entirely out of his depth, Uryuu followed along, through the mansion and out another set of doors into the elaborate garden at the heart of the residence. It was surreal to take the three steps down to the smooth stone path. Surreal to think that he was here, staring at a garden straight out of the history books. A noble’s garden, full of delicate trees and even more delicate plants, all in carefully maintained beds. Even the grass looked perfectly maintained, with no blade reaching beyond a certain length.
When Uryuu glanced behind him he noticed that the servant had vanished once more, leaving him alone with a garden that made Uryuu feel like tiptoeing.
He took a breath, held it for a moment, then shook his head and made his unsteady way down the path. He needed to lay down soon, based on the way his limbs were starting to tremble again, and he just hoped there was a good place to do so. The porch was a possibility, but it was entirely shadowed and right now Uryuu wanted to be out in the sunlight.
He gave up searching for a good spot, and simply settled down on the grass next to the koi pond before his limbs gave out on him. The hospital yukata kept the grass from being prickly, the sun was pleasingly warm, and the only thing he could hear was the gentle rustle of tree leaves and the sound of moving water.
((Finished a thing, yay! No more of this specific scene, though I might revisit more of the invasion from various Captains’ POVs at later date, idk.))
Jyuushiro wished there was something he could do, some comfort he could provide the boy in front of him. But he’d already seen how Urahara-kun reacted to him — and to being touched! — and didn’t dare attempt to approach.
He had a bad feeling about Urahara-kun’s past. About the way he flinched and went into a panic at being restrained. About the way he said ‘Shinigami’. About they way he reacted to the names of the Captains guarding his friends.
Urahara Kaito had already faced Kuchiki Byakuya head on without any sign of concern. From Kuchiki-san’s report, the boy had been surprised but not unduly bothered by their brief combat; the likelihood that Urahara-kun was reacting to Kuchiki’s name was… small.
But that wasn’t the reaction of someone who’d only /heard/ things, that was the reaction of someone who /knew/ something. Suspicion of Aizen-san he could understand, after the way the man was instrumental in getting Urahara-kun’s father exiled, but this wasn’t /suspicion/, this was terror.
A faint, broken laugh snapped Jyuushiro’s attention to Urahara-kun, and he leaned forward, unable to stifle a noise of distress at the sight. Urahara-kun looked so /shattered/, like he’d realized something terrible and lost hope because of it.
Urahara-kun tensed. Scrambled into a crouch. Snapped his head up, lips pulling back—
Jyuushiro froze. Took in streaked grey-and-gold eyes and smoky grey sclera. Took in the sudden terror that flashed over Urahara-kun’s expression.
Set his hands flat on his desk and carefully sat back, watching the boy’s reactions. “I’ve frightened you. I apologize.”
“That’s— you—” Urahara-kun eyed Jyuushiro’s hands, then swept his gaze over him as a whole. There was caution in his eyes, caution and suspicion and enough disbelief to make Jyuushiro’s heart ache. “/That’s/ all you have to say about… about /this/?” he asked in disbelief, gesturing towards his eyes, then dropped his hand and shook his head, voicing another broken laugh as he did. His lips moved as he whispered something about Shinigami, but Jyuushiro couldn’t hear the whole sentence.
(He suspected he knew what the boy had said, though, and that suspicion hurt.)
“You’ve had more than one Shinigami at your mercy in your time here. Including myself,” he said, trying to reassure and set Urahara-kun at ease. “And yet there’s been no sign of a Hollow this entire time.”
Urahara-kun scoffed. “Hollows aren’t just murderous monsters,” he said with a dark scowl.
(Clearly a battle he’d fought before.)
(Did his own father aim suspicion at the Hollow in his soul?)
“All the more reason to judge you by your actions, then,” Jyuushiro said with a calm smile. He wasn’t entirely certain /how/ Urahara-kun was so confident in his opinion, but what he’d seen so far of the boy’s Hollow lent credence to his words. “And your actions paint a very different picture than one would expect out of an enemy of Seireitei.” He inclined his head a bit, and said, “Please, Kaito-kun. Let me help you.”
Urahara-kun shifted position, settling into something that looked a bit more comfortable. “I don’t understand you,” he admitted. “Just because I’ve followed the others here to help them rescue Kuchiki Rukia doesn’t make me any less of an enemy, and we both know it. Just staying silent about my presence puts /you/ in danger—”
“Let me worry about myself,” Jyuushiro interrupted, before Urahara-kun could take on more guilt or responsibility than he should. Not that he thought his efforts would bear fruit, not with what he’d seen so far. In one breath, Urahara-kun damned Jyuushiro for a Shinigami who would never help, and in the next he expressed worry for Jyuushiro’s own well-being. “I know very well what I’m doing, and the line I’m treading. I want to help you, Kaito-kun. We /both/ wish for Kuchiki-san’s safety, so please…”
The boy rocked back on his heels, attention drifting to the side even as /something/ sharpened in his gaze.
It was… disconcerting to realize that the Hollow and the boy were /separate entities/, but that was the only thing he could think of to explain the odd sensation of attention-inattention combined with the way Urahara-kun’s faint reiatsu swayed and flickered.
(Separate entities clearly at ease with one another.)
(’Hollows aren’t just murderous monsters’ indeed…)
Urahara-kun sighed and tipped his head further to the side, shoulders slumping in defeat. “Doesn’t matter anyway. You can’t really help. /You’re/ just as caught in his web as everyone else is.”
“In /whose/ web?” Jyuushiro asked, tension making his words sharper than he wanted. A nagging suspicion was beginning to form in his mind, and he desperately hoped it wasn’t true. “If you know something—”
“/It doesn’t matter!/” Urahara-kun spat, rage gleaming in his eyes and washing away the sense of /terror-panic-dismay/ from his reiatsu.
“Give me a chance to prove myself to you, Kaito-kun,” Jyuushiro tried, hoping his words would reach him. “Let me help, even if only from the sidelines if you can’t trust me elsewhere.”
Urahara-kun grimaced and looked away, the rage draining from him as quickly as it had come. He carefully pushed himself to his feet and braced himself against the wall behind him, body swaying enough that Jyuushiro feared the boy would fall once more.
“Will the teens be moved?” Urahara-kun asked, gaze focused on the window. “If I don’t fall into their trap. Will they be moved?”
Jyuushiro hesitated, considering what he knew of the situation, then nodded. The other ryoka weren’t classified as ‘dangerous’ the way Urahara-kun was, and their use as bait would almost certainly see them moved to where Urahara-kun could sense their presence. “Towards nightfall, probably. They’ll be moved to either the Fifth or Sixth division barracks for holding.”
“The Fifth, then—” Urahara-kun murmured with confidence, the rest of his words dipping into inaudibility. He drummed his fingers against his thigh, resignation and exhaustion in his body language.
But even that fragment of speech was enough to make Jyuushiro’s back stiffen.
Again. Again the fixation on Aizen. How much revolved around the man in Urahara-kun’s mind, and how much of that was justified? What was it about Aizen. Where was the /link/?
The man Jyuushiro knew did not deserve such fear, such terror.
(Did he know a lie?)
Jyuushiro watched as Urahara-kun gathered himself and took a cautious step away from the wall. The boy ran his hand through his hair a couple times in a vain attempt at neatening the mess it had fall into during his panic attacks. It /ached/ that he could do nothing for the boy, but every attempt he’d made so far had only led to more pain and fear on Urahara-kun’s part. He desperately wished that any of Urahara-kun’s companions had escaped, if only so that he could direct the boy towards them for comfort.
But he couldn’t. They’d all stubbornly remained in place, even when he’d attempted to subtly allow an escape.
(More heart than sense, but what did he expect out of such young people?)
Urahara-kun scoffed at /something/ and turned away, adjusting the way the strange blade at his side hung and attempting to make himself look presentable.
(And /where/ had the boy acquired what looked to be a sealed Zanpakutou?)
(Not that it really /felt/ right… there was something off about it that Jyuushiro couldn’t put his finger on.)
Once he had collected himself, Urahara-kun stepped closer to the door of the office and reached out to slide open the door. But he hesitated before opening it. “Try not to hate me too much, no matter what happens next. I… appreciated the help you gave.”
“What—”
Jyuushiro scrambled to his feet as Urahara-kun opened the door and darted through. He hurried out of his office and stopped, lips compressed into a thin line as he watched Urahara-kun stride through the courtyard like a man given orders. To call him back would be to dangerous, too potentially revealing of /both/ of them.
Dread pooling in his stomach, Jyuushiro reluctantly returned to his office.
((So from this post I was challenged by Ven to do a series of drabbles out of the tags. This does go above 500 words, but you know what, I’ll take it. Thought y’all could use a bit more fluff before I go incommunicado for a day. Enjoy!))
(TAGS: Ichigo gives and receives hugs freely once he realizes people want em
legacy of basically raising his sisters)
In the aftermath of the invasion, it’s almost instinct to drape an arm over Ishida’s shoulders and pull the other into a hug. It’s /relief/ and /comfort/ and /reassurance/, something that he needs just as much as he’s certain everyone /else/ does.
Ishida tenses in his hold, gaze wary and uncertain, but Ichigo pulls him a bit closer and meets Ishida’s gaze as calmly as he can. It takes a moment, but Ishida breathes a silent sigh and relaxes, leaning into Ichigo’s side and wrapping one arm around his waist.
Ichigo can almost feel the way Ishida is soaking up the contact, and resolves to do it more often; clearly Ishida is similar to Karin, wanting hugs but never wanting to /ask/ for one. It’ll take a while to learn Ishida’s tells, but Ichigo’s confident in his ability.
(Especially with the way Ishida is subtly clinging to him. Like he never expects to get another.)
(He’d been too distracted by training to notice until now. Damn.)
Then Ishida tenses again, breath hissing between his teeth. “Where is senpai going?”
Ichigo looks over, just in time to see Kaito making his way to the door, and has to wonder that himself. Did Kaito have somewhere else to be, or… was he running from them?
Orihime darts after Kaito, catching him right before he can open the door, and hugs him from behind. The way Kaito tenses, the way he twists around to stare blankly at Orihime, confirms Ichigo’s fears; Kaito had been running. Had not expected to be stopped.
(Didn’t intend to ‘inflict his presence’ on them any more than he deemed necessary.)
“Go on,” Ishida murmurs, pulling away and nudging at Ichigo’s side. “You’re better at this than the rest of us.”
Ichigo rolls his eyes but he goes, striding to Kaito’s side and resting a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Maa, I’m not precisely needed here—”
Ichigo scoffs and tugs lightly at Kaito, trying to draw him away from the door and back to the others. Kaito’s shoulder is rigid, muscles tensed to the limit, and there’s something /wild/ and fearful about his gaze. “You’re ridiculous,” Ichigo says firmly. “You’re our friend, of course you’re needed here.”
Instead of being a comfort, though, his words only seem to make things worse. Disbelief flickers through Kaito’s expression, before it all smooths out once more and Ichigo is left guessing all over again.
(He hates Kaito’s masks. Hates them and whatever need gave birth to them with all his soul.)
Orihime lets go and steps back, and Ichigo steps in, unwilling to give Kaito an opportunity to escape before he can press his argument. But words so rarely seem to sway Kaito, only /actions/ do—
(He remembers Orihime’s words, and the similarities between Kaito and Ishida. And he wonders—)
—so instead of speaking, Ichigo wraps his arms around Kaito and pulls the man into a hug. Tries to /prove/ to the other that he matters. That they care. That they /love/ him.
Kaito is stiff in his hold, as if Ichigo is trying to hug a statue, and for a moment Ichigo wonders if he’s gone too far. Pushed the boundaries beyond acceptable.
(Kaito’s never reached out to them before, not even for casual touch. Perhaps he simply… doesn’t like it?)
Except suddenly he slumps against Ichigo like a statue coming to life, his arms moving to tentatively wrap around Ichigo in turn. It’s like Ichigo’s actions shocked him into stillness, and only now is Kaito able to process.
Ichigo can’t help the pleased noise that slips free, even as he tightens his grip and just /holds/ his friend. Tries to convey everything that he cannot say aloud. He catches Chad’s gaze and tilts his head, wondering if Chad would be willing to try as well.
(Kaito’s body is trembling faintly in his grip. Tiny, minute shivers that Ichigo doubts Kaito is aware of.)
Chad nods and steps closer, and Ichigo gently frees himself and lets Chad take his place. This time, Ichigo is relieved to see, Kaito goes willingly into the hug, letting Chad hold him close and pressing his forehead against Chad’s chest.
(After everything Kaito went through for this invasion, how much of a relief must this be? To be held. Reassured. /Cared about./)
Right. Ichigo’s not going to let it get this far again. Not with Kaito or Ishida, not with Orihime or Tatsuki, or even Chad.
(If there’s anything he’s learned while raising Yuzu and Karin, it’s that hugs are a necessary part of life.)
Happy October! Here’s Kaito (or it can be Kisuke, if you want) as a Rukongai orphan.
(art by @ean-sovukau)
This is so adorable and I love it! Thank you, Ean!
Kaito the Rukongai orphan is canon in several universes for sure XD Not the best of lives, but he does survive in a significant portion of the universes that he exists in. And a lot of the time, things work out very well for him in the end, so... good things!
rereading the start of DE and got a question about Unohana- when she examines Uryuu after the incident and he mentions Zangetsu (aka "third voice that I can't place") does she think that's the formation of a new zanpakutou for him? Because it's pretty much exactly what a baby Shinigami would say the first time they hear their sword, and "insane ichigo" could easily be slotted in as "yeah thats Ichigo's zanpakutou that got hollowfied" since she wouldn't know how that works.
Yep! Unohana was relatively certain that, whatever had ended up happening because of the merging, that it had basically tilted Uryuu’s existence close enough to a Shinigami that his soul had begun to form its own, proper Zanpakutou.
So that, basically, Uryuu had done very similar to what ICHIGO had done in the beginning -- “borrowing” a Shinigami’s powers in order to become a substitute Shinigami himself. So hearing Ichigo’s zanpakutou is only a surprise in that he can HEAR it, because that’s a bit unusual, but hey they were friends so maybe that answers that question. Hearing ICHIGO is more of a surprise, but she supposes that might just be caused by the twisted way the merging happened.
So... in Shattered Eclipse, it is ABSOLUTELY not going to surprise Unohana that Uryuu gains two blades. (Unless and until Uryuu explains that one is Ichigo and one is Shiro, THEN she’ll be surprised.)
To her, it’ll be very similar to what happened to Kyoraku, where he gained his second blade because of the Ise family. Ichigo gifting Uryuu his blade, and Uryuu’s soul generating his OWN Zanpakutou at the same time, in a mirrored form to what Ichigo gave him.
alpharaposa replied to your post: alpharaposa replied to your post: ...
That does seem like it’d be awkward for Ichigo at times, inside Kaito’s head. He has to have a BIT more of a clue than the Kurosaki they’re both trying to keep alive now. Just how much blushing does he go through when moments like this come up? With only Shiro or Zangetsu to see (if they’re even paying attention).
So, Kaito’s Ichigo does know the level of focus that Kaito HAS on his alternate self -- he actually does call Kaito out on a small result of that, at one point, saying that it’s kinda creepy how well Kaito can read Kurosaki’s expressions. But at the same time he doesn’t really know the depths of it?
Like, if we’re going to be metaphorical about it, it’s like a lake. Ichigo can see how big and expansive it is, but he doesn’t know how DEEP it goes until things start to happen and Kaito starts to react. Honestly, Kaito isn’t even entirely conscious of what he’s doing? He’s just... all wound up in Saving Kurosaki and making sure what he went through doesn’t get repeated. And in the process he just... gets fixated on Kurosaki because the teen IS kind and Kaito doesn’t think he really deserves it anymore, but at the same time he /wants/ that attention, so....
It’s why Ichigo says:
(*I suppose I could see why he’d think it, too. Without knowing the full reason you’re here, it does look a bit like devotion.*)
in chapter 22. It “looks a bit like devotion”, because Ichigo is still mostly under the assumption that their focus is on the teens and making sure they survive so that the past isn’t repeated. Not “making sure Kurosaki is fine, which means the past CAN’T be repeated”.
It’s a tiny difference in focus (”prevent our outcome so they’ll be fine” vs “make sure they are (Kurosaki is) fine so our outcome never happens”), and I don’t think either of them are entirely aware of the shift, or when it happened.
As for blushing... hm.
I mean... when it finally becomes clear that Kaito IS devoted to Kurosaki, there’s probably some flailing and embarrassment and “W H A T” being thrown around, along with Ichigo trying to steer Kaito AWAY from that sort of thinking. So... a little bit here and there? Especially whenever Kaito accidentally slips into a “Kurosaki hung the stars and moon and I will murder anyone who says otherwise” mindset, which would usually occur at times when Kurosaki like... praises/congratulates/etc Kaito.
(It’s completely non-sexual, for the record. Just... a result of how Kaito grew up, and the trauma he went through. Uryuu has a much less extreme version, but it’s still there as well.)
(Ichigo, to his embarrassment and minor horror, realizes that he can put Kaito into the same mindset even /faster/ than Kurosaki can. He’s not sure he wants to acknowledge this, ever.)
(Again, it’s pretty damn lucky that Ichigo, no matter his reality, is a kind teenager who doesn’t like to take advantage of others.)
alpharaposa replied to your post: DE, CH22: Ukitake’s POV pt1
Yeah, I love the denial from Kaito’s point of view. “Devoted? Who said anything about devoted?”
Kaito has absolutely wrapped part of his identity up in BOTH Ichigos, and at the same time he’s trying to deny that he’s DONE THAT. It leaves him in a really awkward, unbalanced position, wavering between trying to be ‘hands off’ and being so purely, wholly devoted to a person that he’ll literally do almost anything they ask without regard for himself.
(It’s a damn good thing Ichigo in all his incarnations is a kind, loyal teen, because honestly...)
And Kurosaki really doesn’t understand the full extent of how Kaito views him.
I mean, he sort of gets it? Especially after that talk he had with the other teens before the invasion, about loyalty and how Kaito views them, but... he thinks it’s more spread out amongst the teens. That they’re all about equal in Kaito’s eyes. Not that he’s the focus. And he doesn’t know the LENGTHS that Kaito will willingly and unhesitatingly go to for him.
(If he ever realizes it, Kurosaki will be APPALLED. He doesn’t want that sort of devotion or loyalty aimed at him. He wants friends, not... whatever Kaito is relegating himself to.)
