Chapter Text
It was on days like these that Ichigo Kurosaki had to sigh. A beautiful sunny day without clouds and a pleasant twenty degrees was spoiled by the fact he was on a tour of the city of Karakura. There was really no reliance on others. Unfortunately, he had to start thinking ahead. He hadn't felt or seen any hollow anywhere yet, so he could let his thoughts run wild. There were a few things that were bothering him and he needed to deal with them.
First of all, he figured, he would have to talk to the head Captain about someone more suitable who would actually be able to take care of the city. In a few months he will have his final exams and then his further studies will take him to a university in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was pretty out of hand and Ichigo couldn't afford to come back every night to take care of the town. His mental health would soon fail from exhaustion. He will request a meeting next month and will try to negotiate with Kyoraku. He wondered to himself if it would be a good idea. But after browsing a few job websites, he found that translators were on the rise. Ichigo excelled in English and at the same time it would be a job he could manage his time if he could meet the deadlines. Perfect for him and his double life. Unfortunately, he was only able to study in Tokyo. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a skater on the new bike path and stopped for a moment. That might work. It will give enough time to select a suitable representative.
With a satisfied smile, he started moving again. That solved one problem for him. The second is his relationship with Orihime Inoue. He was surprised to find that he did not know how to deal with the problem. Despite the fact that Rukia was forever calling him an idiot, Ichigo was not blind. He knew about his beautiful friend's feelings for a long time. Unfortunately, there was no time to pursue this topic with everything that was going on around them. And when he lost his power and was left helpless, he focused on his negative feelings and romance fell to the side again. During the war with quincy he decided he couldn't put it off any longer and after the war they became a couple. They went on dates, were lovey dovey like lovebirds, and yet his heart wasn't complete.
He frowned again as he had to avoid the tall chimney. He stopped for a moment and sat down with his back against the solid bricks. To make it not so simple, he liked the girl. And he himself felt a spark of warm feelings for her. Still, he couldn't fully immerse himself in the relationship. For God's sake, they've moved on to kissing goodbye! And some part of his heart still refused to accept this situation. He felt a strong wave of irritation. Zangetsu responded to his mood. Sighing, he placed the long blade in his lap and soothed his partner with a few gentle caresses. Having discovered the complete truth about himself and gained the blade's true form, he was mentally closer to the white hollow and its black counterpart than ever before. However, this meant that his emotions were seeping through heavily and both spirit partners were responding. He had to calm down. He took a few deep breaths, feeling more relaxed with each exhalation. He needed that. He leaned against the chimney again and stared at the sun, which was slowly setting and turning the sky from blue to blood red.
Okay, back to the problem. He was beginning to doubt that he had done well to manage the relationship. He didn't want to hurt the girl and he tried his best. Maybe he's doing something wrong? Could it be hormones? Inoue didn't seem like she was missing anything in the relationship. But she probably wouldn't tell him herself. She was too nice for that. The unpleasant thought made his eyes widen in horror. Wait, does she want to sleep with him? He immediately shook his head. Stupid! That can't be it. They weren't crazy fifteen teens anymore, but they were already at an age where they could control themselves. Ichigo himself was satisfied with the kisses, he didn't feel the passion and he didn't feel the urge to tear off his clothes either. Plus there's the matter of next studies. The girl was accepted to a university far from Tokyo, far from him. Long distance relationships didn't work very well from what he had read and heard. Was the relationship worth keeping if he didn't feel comfortable in it for god knows what reason?
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his longer orange hair. He had grown them out a bit and now they covered his neck. With the sharper features of adulthood, he looked like a snack as was told by the new first-years. Not that he cares. But the yearning sighs in the school corridors really couldn't be overheard. He wasn't alone. Somehow he got into the elite of sexy hotties, which included Uryu Ishida and a few others. His mind remained standing over the absurdity.
And yes, his mind didn't serve him well, because the last problem was a white-haired creature named Toushirou Hitsugaya. This problem was actually closely related to the previous problem. Under the warmth of the setting sun, he closed his eyes and sank into his memories. The last few months have been...beautiful. He spent as much time at home as he did at Soul Society. The home of the death gods was also becoming his second home. Finding out where his father came from, Ichigo became interested in the Shiba family. He was warmly welcomed and gradually learned new information. He spent so much time getting to know each other and running from uninvited guests asking for friendly matches that he found peace in the tenth unit building. The first time the white haired captain almost froze him, but gradually Ichigo's presence stopped bothering him. After all, he didn't go there to cause mischief. He just sat on the carpet and meditated. He stored the information in his memory and enjoyed the cool calm. He didn't know why, but Toushirou had an aura around him that he was strongly attracted to. He spent time near him whenever he could. Each time he found inner peace.
And here was the problem. His own feelings confused him. He was in a relationship with a beautiful girl and it was going great. Why did his heart skip a beat whenever he looked into those turquoise eyes? And when did that change happen? He couldn't tell. It will probably be the part of his heart that refuses to adapt to the current relationship. A pleasant warmth filled his chest with every thought devoted to the white-haired captain. And he would put his hand in the fire for the young man's harsh reactions to have calmed down and Ichigo's presence was more than tolerated.
"Shit! This is so complicated! What idiot invented feelings!?" he yelled into the silence of the cooling night. It looked like he was going to have to use a great deal of strength to look into himself and solve the problem with his feelings. More confused than he had ever been before he stood up, settled the long blade on his back and when he still didn't feel any monster, he had enough for today. As he was about to turn home he felt a familiar energy, and he turned to his right to see a door, which opened to reveal the curves of a familiar woman.
"Rangiku?" his eyebrows shot up high on his forehead. The deputy never showed herself alone in Karakura. He immediately realized that something was wrong. The long hair was not combed smoothly, the face was white and the eyes were full of worry. A little hope appeared in them. looking at him.
“Ichigo!” she yelled, jumping up to him.
“You have to come with me right now.” She insisted with panic in her voice. Ichigo switched to a serious mood.
"What happened?" the long haired deputy shook to his shock as she tried to hold back the tears.
“The captain has disappeared.” This information made the substitute shinigami's insides freeze.
"What?" he managed quietly.
"He was sent on a mission and disappeared. They request your presence.” Ichigo shook himself enough to nod.
"Then there's nothing to wait for." It looked like his inner conflicts would have to wait again. But as he followed Rangiku into the familiar tunnel, he thought that his two problems might be solved after all. Zangetsu purred strangely inside of him.