Title: Falling up

Pairing: IchiHichi

Rating: M

Authors: Riri Lee and KivaEmber

Disclaimer: We don't own but that doesn't stop us from writing IchiHichi!

Summary: AU. Falling in love is like falling the wrong way. It's like falling up. Ichihichi collab between Riri Lee and KivaEmber.

A/N:

Riri Lee: Alright! First collab that's actually gotten up! Anyone proud?

KivaEmber: Yosh! Sure am!

Riri Lee: So anyway. Best Hichi x Ichi authors on the site (sorry for tooting my horn, but y'all know it's true) are finally doing a collab. Hee hee. This is gonna be freaking awesome!

KivaEmber: Definitely! With our perverted minds combined together with my Pukka Project Pad...NO ONE WILL BE SPARED!!!! BWAHAHAHAHA-Gck! (Chokes on flying insect) Dying!

Riri Lee: Performs Heimlich maneuver) Yeah...no you'll all die from the smuffiness of this one.

KivaEmber: Thanks, Riri-sama. Yosh! Smuffiness and drama and...uh...plot! Yes. Plot!

Riri Lee: Che, screw plot, I want smex!

KivaEmber: Patience my fellow writer! The plot can be just as enjoyable as the smex...though not always .Emoticons are cool :D

Riri Lee: Whatever you say babe, I'm leaving the insanity up to you.

KivaEmber: Heheh. Well, that aside, I guess it's time to show our readers the first chappie of Falling Up!! Any words of advice for them Riri-sama?

Riri Lee: Take your medication just trust me on that one it's not nice when the voices are yelling at you.

KivaEmber: Yosh! It's true y'know! Anywho! ON WITH LE FICCIE!!!!

66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

"What? You think I'm going to escape by flushing myself down the toilet?"

--- Me when under house arrest

6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

KIVAEMBER - FALLING UP 001: DE NILE

It was an odd sense of warmth. Not like when you lean up against the radiator to banish the cold or the drowsy warmth from curling up with your favorite comforter. No. This warmth was something a little wilder, more of a passionate heat then warmth.

The aroma was familiar, the faintest scent of the fresh wind by the sea he vaguely recognized it as Ichigo's.

Ochre eyes with flecks of russet and gold stared at him half lidded, slim, tanned fingers trailing up his arms. The disheveled strands of vibrant orange hair obscured those beautiful eyes from view. He wanted to brush them away.

Kissable lips parted. "Shiro"

Shiro snorted, flailing a little wildly as something cold and slimy slid down the back of his school uniform and then proceeded to squirm uncomfortably against his pale skin. Miffed that his nap was interrupted (and a little disorientated by the odd dream), Shiro ripped off the piece of paper stuck to his cheek and twisted in his seat to see a smirking pineapple headed teen.

"Knew that would wake you up, Whitey." Renji snickered.

Shiro's lips twisted downwards ominously, arching his back a little and sneaking a hand up his school shirt to snatch up the wriggling, slimy thing. "Ya interrupted my nap, Pineapple." Golden irises smouldered as he flung the worm at Renji's smug face. "An' where th' Hell did'ja get a fuckin' worm?"

"The ground?" The tattooed redhead retorted. The invertebrate was merciless dropped on the floor then stepped upon by Renji's trainer. "Hey? Have you seen Strawberry around?"

"He's still with his girlfriend." Something undecipherable flashed in the albino's eyes but vanished before Renji could catch it. "Why? Wanna show him yer new friend?"

Renji lifted his shoe to see the smeared remains of the worm staining the classroom floor. "I don't think Fred is among the living anymore." The redhead grinned cheekily. "Nope. I just wanna congratulate him on a job well done in landing with Rukia!"

Shiro scowled, twisting round in his seat to glare venomously at his biology textbook that was previously used as a pillow mere moments ago. "I don' see what's so great 'bout her. I've seen better." He randomly flicked through different pages, golden eyes not taking in the illustrations of the circulatory system or the text.

"Oooooh!" Renji slid in the seat next to him, russet eyes glinting with mirth. "I think someone's jealous!"

The glare Shiro sent Renji's way could've frozen blood. "I'm not jealous."

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, Whitey." Renji snickered. He immediately bounded away when the biology textbook was lobbed at his head. "You're jealous!" The redhead crowed before vanishing through the door.

Shiro scowled. "I'm not jealous." He frowned at the disorganized pile of smudged notes that was evidence of his frantic cramming for the important science examination next lesson. Anger flared up in his chest and the albino reigned in the urge to punch the desk.

"He was supposed t' help me with this but decided his girlfriend was more important then me."

X.x.X

"You failed again!?"

Shiro scowled at the hallway's wall as he growled out into the receiver. "Yeah, 'cause someone was supposed t' help me study but decided his girlfriend was more important!" The albino twisted round, marching off towards the kitchen.

Zangetsu looked up from where he was making dinner, those damnable shades still perched on his nose (Shiro swore that his guardian showered with them on). "Oh, the joys of being a high school student." The dark haired man mused aloud, smothering a smirk at the poisonous glare his ward sent him.

"Ah shit. I totally forgot."

"Damn straight you forgot!" Shiro snarled into the phone, wrenching the fridge open and scouring the inside of the cooling unit for his 'comfort food'. "Jus' 'cause ya got a girlfriend don' mean you can break promises. I'm sure Nukio.."

"Rukia."

"Whatever! I'm sure Rukia can live two fuckin' minutes without ya!" Shiro released a slew of violent curses. "Old man! Where are my fuckin' strawberries!?"

"You're having dinner soon, Shiro." Zangetsu pointed out amicably. "You can have your strawberries after. And don't bother throwing a tantrum either because you won't get them back if you do."

"Don't tell me you're that upset, Shiro? Look, I'm sorry, 'kay? You're retaking it, right? I promise on my mother's grave that I'll help you."

Shiro's anger melted away and his pale shoulders sagged. "You better or I'll mess up yer mother's grave." He growled with no real bite. He heard a disbelieving snort at the other end of the connection and his pale lips twitched upwards of their own violation. "Oi. Ichi. Will ya be able t' come tomorrow? I hafta retake it on Monday."

Ichigo sucked in a breath. "Oh. Sorry, but I've got plans with Rukia then."

Shiro's small smile faltered as he felt like someone punched him in the stomach. "O-Oh. That's okay, Ichi. There are five more days after that t' revise." The albino glared at his guardian when the elder male glanced at him with an inquiring look. "Th' day after, then?"

"I'm not sure. look, I'll talk to Rukia about how I need to help you, 'kay?" There was a brief pause and Shiro's expression soured when he heard her voice in the background. The receiver groaned dangerously when his grip tightened.

"How about Friday? Will that do?"

Shiro shook himself out of his dark thoughts. "Huh? Uh, I mean, yep! That'll do fine, Ichi!" He gave his characteristic giggle, golden eyes narrowing at Zangetsu when the man refused to stop staring at him. "I'll see ya at school tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sure. See you around, Shiro." Click

Shiro lowered the receiver from his ear and snarled at his guardian. "What, for fuck's sake!?"

Zangetsu's face was serious. "Are you jealous?"

It took a few seconds for the sentence to fully register. "Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?" The albino growled, throwing his hands up in the air and brandishing the receiver in his pale hand wildly. "Why does everyone ask me that!? Fer fuck sake, ya make it sound like I have a fuckin' crush on th' guy!" He lobbed the phone at his guardian's head when the elder man chuckled. "Don' laugh!"

Zangetsu smoothly ducked out of the way with the experience of someone who invested much time in 'Shiro-baiting'. "What have I told you about throwing the phone at people, Shiro?" The elder man reprimanded.

Shiro scoffed. "I don' hafta listen t' ya, old man!" He whirled away and stormed off to his room. "An' I'm not hungry so ya can stick my food in th' fuckin' fridge!" The thunderous bang of the door slamming seemed too melodramatic in Zangetsu's opinion. In fact

"He acts like a high school girl who lost her crush to a rival."

X.x.X

Shiro grumbled into his pillow, half garbled words and sentences mostly revolving around how to kill his guardian and The Girl.

The Girl who stole his Ichigo. Before she showed up it was just him and Ichigo with acquaintances doing cameo appearances. Hell, it was like that since they were four. Then The Girl sashays in and almost immediately Ichigo forgets about him. He wasn't jealous. He was beyond jealousy. He was envious.

"He'll probably forget." Shiro mumbled. His pillow didn't reply and the albino released a pent up groan of misery and frustration. "Guh. I can't even survive a week without Ichi. How am I gonna go through life without Ichi if I can't even go a week? Yer a pathetic lil' bastard, Shiro."

His stomach acids churned nauseously at the mere thought of having to go through his whole life without Ichigo. Shiro jotted it up to hunger and indigestion. It wasn't like he was planning on going through his whole life without the redhead anyway. He was even striving towards the same professionalism as Ichigo. Medical.

But that was only because Ichigo wanted to become a doctor.

Shiro groaned again, deciding that angsting on this matter further would be detrimental to his mentality. Ichigo would dump the girl within a week and then it would just be them two again.

Cheered by this thought slightly, Shiro couldn't muster enough energy to go down stairs and snatch some food (plus that would ruin a totally dramatic exit beyond words) so he remained where he was, opting to go to sleep.

Where his dreams were full of ochre eyes and the scent of seawater.

6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

KivaEmber: That was my chappie folks! It;s Riri-sama up next! Hope y'all enjoyed!

The ending was so corny. Heh.