Dancing with the Rabbit God

Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo – once known as I-jun Kameda meets his lover once again. 1000 years of friendship and love bind him to a man he has never seen…in this life.

Explanation: Ichigo is the reincarnated soul of I-jun. A guard to the heir of the Ryodoji Clan and also his secret lover. An successful assassination and many centuries apart - their love for one another is still strong. Tianbao bound his soul to Ichigo's and put himself under a stasis Kido, making him wake if his lover is once again reincarnated into the Seireitei.

A/N: Sooo yeah...you're here...that's a surprise. You got balls dear Reader. I mean OC's are a gamble. And I mean a really freaking big gamble. I still hope you will enjoy this as this is the first Ichigo x OC fanfic I have written. Any reviews/ questions/ remarks are very welcome. Thank youu!

Disclaimer: Tianbao is the only one who belongs to me. Hail our King Tite Kubo!

It had been just another day for Kurosaki Ichigo. The sun shone brightly upon Karakura City, mid-summer air drifted through his open windows. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in the slight breeze the homework in front of him momentarily forgotten.

He'd have to go to one of the Captain's meetings again this evening. After the winter war and Ichigos subsequent involvement in the Gotei Thirteen, the old man had become insistent on his – albeit irregular – presence in these meetings. Ichigo didn't particularly care – he'd gotten them to agree to only schedule him on Fridays. This way he could stay overnight in the Seireitei and get in some sparring sessions with the 11th the next day.

He sighed and stretched. He'd have to get his homework done before he could leave for the meeting – it wouldn't do to get caught up in some Seireitei shenanigans (again) and not be able to hand in his homework on time (again).

With a muttered curse he went back to his work letting himself get lulled into the world of numbers and numeric formulas as he went over his equations.

Another 40 minutes later he laid down his pencil, casting one last look over the questions. It'd have to do. No use crying over spilt milk and it wasn't like math was his best subject anyway so no need to go above and beyond to prove something to a teacher that had long since given up on him.

Ichigo got up and quickly swiped the Badge from his nightstand pressing it to his chest, with utter carelessness he grabbed Kon – ignoring any mutters and screams coming from the plush toy and popped the mod soul into his body.

"No need to be so rough!" Came the immediate protest from him. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"You know the rules: no idiotic behavior, go to Kisuke if there's a problem and most imp-"

Ichigo was interrupted before he could finish.

"-and take care of Yuzu and Karin. I got it. I got it. Do we have to go over this every single time?" Kon asked the whine obvious in his voice. Ichigo sincerely hoped that he never heard his own voice in such a tone again – given the mod soul's tendencies for dramatics it was a futile wish.

"Remember the rules!" Ichigo just called over his shoulder before jumping out of the window and making his way to Kisuke's shop.

"Hey!" Ichigo called in way of greeting as he slid open the door to the Shouten – nodding into Tessai's direction and smiling at Ururu.

"What a pleasure, Ichigo-kun. On your way to the Captain's meeting once again?" Kisuke asked, stepping out of the backroom.

"Yeah. It's gonna be as boring as the rest of them…really don't know why the Soutaichou wants me there in the first place." Ichigo answered with a shrug.

"At least it gives you an excuse to visit your friends, no?" Kisuke said, waving his fan and smiling.

Ichigo huffed a laugh. "Guess I should write him a Thank-You Card after all."

"The Gate is already open, arriving a few minutes early certainly won't hurt." Kisuke said in lieu of anything else and retreated back into his room.

Ichigo shrugged, threw open the trap door and descended into the training grounds.

Without preamble he made his way to the gate and walked right through – his Shunpo more leisured than hurried. The Cleaner wasn't due for another hour or so (he'd finally managed to get it's schedule from one of the Members of the 12th – it might have taken a few threats and a slight spike in his Reiatsu output but the result had been worth it).

He could faintly see the end of the Dangai and quickened his pace – eager to escape the pulsing walls and stuffiness of the hallway. With one last step he burst out of the Gate on the other side and was greeted by the sun blaring down on him just as hard as it had in Karakura – momentarily blinded Ichigo blinked a few times before making his way to the 1st Division barracks.

"Ichigo!" He turned his head to see Shinji, Rose and Kensei approaching the double doors he had just come to a halt in front of.

"Yo!" Ichigo called.

"How're ya?" Shinji asked as he reached the organette.

Ichigo gave a half shrug. "Okay I guess. How're all of you?"

"Fine, fine. Rose here keeps babbling about his new guitar – it's a right pain I tell ya." The last part was told to him in a stage whisper which made Rose huff and take his usual place in the row of Captains.

"Ichigo!" He was once again greeted, turning to see Rukia and Renji accompanying Byakuya to the meeting. He grinned at them.

"Yo, been a while. How're you, midget?"

"Who's a midget?!" Rukia screeched, aiming to land a hit on his face. Ichigo dodged her easily and turned towards Renji.

"Spar after this is over?" He questioned, trying and failing to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice.

"You bet. I'm gonna kick your ass, orange-head."

"Hah! I'd like to see you try, Pineapple!" Ichigo bit back playfully.

Byakuya had long since breezed past them into the Meeting Hall, not bothering to greet Ichigo in any way.

With a wave and an apologetic smile Ichigo also stepped inside – taking his place next to the empty spot held open for the Captain of the 12th. He didn't particularly like standing next to the creep – especially seeing as the clown had tried to take a sample of his blood and hair on multiple occasions - but the order in which the Captains stood showed their number and Divisions. Ichigo subsequently stood in the place of a 14th Captain (if such a thing existed).

One after the other the ranks were filled and the Soutaichou stepped inside – greeting them with a nod. Ichigo prepared himself for another hour of dreadful boredom.

"Let us being. Soifon-Taichou if you will."

"Yessir." Came the clipped answer before she started giving her report.

Ichigo drowned them out after about ten seconds – there really was no point to him even being here. Aside from getting to go to the Seireitei and having a chance to see his friends…Central 46 probably had a fit about him coming and going as he wished. Maybe a Thank-You Card directed at the old man wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"-higo."

Ichigo snapped his head up, looking around to see if someone had addressed him. Soifon was still giving her report and the room was perfectly silent expect for her monotone voice. Ichigo shot a suspicious look at Shinji – the other had a preference for screwing with him from time to time.

"Ichigo."

There again. Shinji hadn't so much as give an twitch, the other Captains also seemed to be unaffected. Ichigo slowly let his eyes roam across the room one hand raising to the hilt of his sword.

"Ichigo!"

The voice was unmistakably loud now, there was no way the others hadn't heard it. It sounded like someone was shouting at him from a mere meter away. He became aware that the room around him had become silent.

"Kurosaki?" Kyoraku asked taking in his stiff posture and the hand resting on Zangetsu's hilt. "Something the matter?"

"…You didn't hear it?" Ichigo asked instead.

"Hear what?" Hitsugaya questioned.

"ICHIGO!"

Loud. Really fucking loud. It wouldn't have surprised him if the walls of the barrack didn't shake with the pure baritone the voice was screaming his name.

"I swear if this is one of you fucking with me I'm gonna kick your ass." Ichigo snapped.

"The hell are you going on about kid?" Kensei growled at him, arms crossed over his chest but shoulders also tensing.

"The fucking screaming!" Ichigo answered.

"Screaming?" Shinji piped up.

"There's no one screaming." Byakuya informed him coldly.

"Sure as hell there is! It's been going on fo-"

"ICHIGO!" The voice came back once again cutting Ichigo off. He turned his head, trying to locate where it was coming from.

There seemed to be no direction, almost as if it was yelling at him from inside his head. It felt like the days when he couldn't hear his Zanpakuto, or when his Hollow would speak to him out of nowhere.

In one swift move Ichigo pulled out his sword. Wrong move.

The world exploded in white. He could feel himself floating. Couldn't move a single muscle as he slowly drifted. He tried to remember what had happened. But all he knew was this whiteness around him.

It was warm.

He felt something to his left, like a brush of fingertips across his cheek and then warmth enveloping his entire body. As if someone had pulled him into a hug. He was thrown back into his childhood when his mother would lie next to him in bed, his head resting in the crook of her arms as she wrapped him in a hug and told him stories in a hushed voice.

It felt…like love. A warmth bubbling in the depth of his chest, choking him as it made his way to his throat, eyes stinging with too much emotion.

And then – it ended.

With a gasp Ichigo shot up.

He was sitting in a forest.

The sun was slowly setting behind him and tinging the world in a warm orange glow. His gaze however was quickly redirected to something right in front of him.

A shrine. Old stones shaping the outlines of a small shrine.

The writings and statues barely recognizable and moss growing on it's surface. A red circle had been drawn in the middle of the shrine, the paint still glistening and drying. Ichigo reached out with his hand only to stop and stare at his bleeding palm.

His blood. It wasn't paint but his blood coating the stone. And before he could question anything else a deep rumble shook the earth beneath his feet.

He jumped up, hand automatically reaching for Zangetsu once again and faltering as he remembered what that move had done to him last time.

The rumbled grew, shaking his legs with the force with which the earth moved – and then. It stopped.

Cracks appeared on the stones in front of him, each one longer than the last as the shrine seemed to crack and crumple right in front of his eyes – light shining through the thin lines as it quickly fell apart.

And as the last stone crumbled and the light within grew to the power of a thousand suns. Ichigo remembered.

The light ended as quickly as it had come and in the middle of the rubble left behind by the shrine stood a man. His hair was long, reaching the middle of his back and looking like molten silver, his eyes framed by long lashes were a light purple and sitting in a face that screamed aristocracy. A sharp chin, high cheekbones and thin yet plush looking lips. The gown he wore was another indicator to his standing. A hakama of pure white, black and purple, interlaced with golden string.

.

.

.

That was the scene some of the seated Officers of the Seireitei stumbled upon. Shinji, Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Hinamori, Renji and Rukia had not hesitated a second upon the sudden vanishing of their Substitute Shinigami and followed his massive Reiatsu. It had taken them a while to arrive on the scene – seeing as they were currently no longer inside the walls of the Seireitei but a good way into the Rukongai.

The man standing in the rubble was staring at Ichigo. Mouth slightly opened as if he did not know what to say. Before he had a chance to however Ichigo had apparently gotten his bearing back for he drew himself up. What none of the present Shinigami expected however was for him to rush towards the figure and throw himself into his arms.

The cry of "Master" reaching their ears was the second shock.

The mysterious man let himself be held, a series of emotions flashing over his face – too fast to decipher - before he wrapped his arms around Ichigo and positively clutched him to his chest.

And the first sound left the strangers lips. A whisper. A name.

"I-jun."