Bits and Pieces of Various Wrolds: Garden Chats (Bleach)

Title: Garden Chats

Fandom: Bleach

Pairings: Friendship Jyuu/Ichi

Word count:852

AN: So this was supposed to be posted yesterday but my mother ended up in the hospital early Thursday so I wasn't really getting on any time soon. But since I have to check my accounts I decided to post today. For now, enjoy you guys.

 

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Sipping his tea, Jyuushiro hummed to himself as he watched Ichigo stare at his paperwork with a pout on his face. The young man was wondering just why he had been chosen to help Jyuushiro while he was desk bound, but he was quickly finding that paperwork sucked. Sighing quietly, Ichigo turned to the silver haired man and pouted some more at him.

 

“Come along, Ichigo, we should take your walk,” the taicho chirped, getting a grateful look from the smaller male. “I believe we'll walk around the garden if you're interested,” Jyuushiro mused, standing up with a slight rustle of his clothing.

 

“That sounds nice,” Ichigo said, sticking his brush away and slowly standing, making sure that he didn't jar his ribs. The only bad thing about cracked ribs were that they ahd to heal on their own. “When is the next meeting?” he asked, getting a curious look. “I just want to make sure that we have time to get there, especially with my ribs the way they are.”

 

“We'll have plenty of time, no worries, Ichigo-san,” Jyuushiro promised, getting a nod and a smile from the younger man. The two left the office and headed for the garden at a rather sedate pace, the younger of the two looking out over the division, watching the members go about their business.

 

“You're deep in thought today,” Jyuushiro said as they headed into the garden. Ichigo blinked a few times and looked up at him, blushing a bit, the light pink spreading over his nose.

 

“I'm sorry, just in a bit of a musing mood,” He hummed in return, smiling a bit at the older male. Jyuushiro lead Ichigo over to a bench, getting the smaller man to sit down with him.

 

“Tell me what's on your mind, Ichigo-san,” the taicho prompted. Ichigo shifted a bit, leaning forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he watched the breeze dance amongst the flowers and bushes. Finally he spoke.

 

“It's amazing how not a whole lot has changed even though we're in the middle of a war.” The wards carried a tone of awe at how things were but also a hidden knowledge of the darkness that was spreading over them and their hearts.

 

Jyuushiro sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he thought of what to say before stating, “Sometimes you just can't see the darkness until it's all said and done. And sometimes, we see it coming but still nothing changes on the surface of what we see. Unfortunately, we were blindsided by the betrayal of three of our own, but now we know that the darkness is there.

 

“It's just…amazing to me that people can just…seemingly ignore everything, put on their masks and hide in the comforts that kill them just as surely as a zanpactou to the gut,” Ichigo blurted, eyes fogging with tears. Quickly rubbing at his eyes, the red head sighed lowly as Jyuushiro pulled him close and stroked a hand over his back and shoulders.

 

“You're still so young,” The silver haired man sighed, eyes dark as Ichigo looked up at him with a curious look on his face. “I think we tend to forget that you're young, still barely a teenager. Hell even your 16th birthday was spent training, perfecting your kido.

 

“Yeah. Surprising I that I haven't run away. But then again, I've never been one to run, have I?” Ichigo asked, smiling sadly to himself. “I can't let these people hurt my family or my friends, new or old. They all matter so much to me.”

 

“And when a person gains your loyalty, it takes a lot to lose it,” Jyuushiro continued for him.

 

“Yeah. I think though, after my ribs heal, I want to go see Keigo and Mizuiro. I haven't seen them in along time, at least not longer then a few minutes at a time,” Ichigo mused, getting an understanding smile from the older man. “I miss them, but mostly Keigo. Granted, his sister is nuts and he can be a little bit on the outrageous side, but he's smart. Not so much book smart, but his scary good with people and reading them. He has other talents but he tends to hide them. Don't really know why,” He told Jyuushiro who looked interested in what he was saying.

 

“He sounds like an interesting person and one that helps to keep you grounded through everything that's happened,” Jyuushiro hummed, basking in the sweet smile on Ichigos face. Smiles from the young man were rare, smiles that made him glow even more so.

 

“Yeah, he's a great friend and I hate having to ignore him so much, even though I've only been doing so because I've been so busy,” Ichigo sighed, running a hand through his hair.

 

“I'm sure that he understands,” Jyuushiro soothed before standing up. Offering his hand to the younger man, the silver haired man drew Ichigo from the bench and lead him towards the meeting hall, the two still talking and not really noticing when they didn't let go of the others hand.