Infractus Somnium 2

***So Shirosaki's POV is always way too tempting for me to pass up, and of course, this little story is no exception. To those of you who read Ladies and Gentlemen and are on my spoilers list- I am working on Chapter 24. I want to have a little more of it finished before I send out the spoiler (I am at a fork in the story, so the spoiler will come when I decide which route to take).

**Thank you for the reviews on part one of Infractus Somnium- After part two, if I find that enough people wish to see this idea expanded, I will consider extending the 'story.' Though if I do, the rating will be upped to M (if you've read my other stuff you know I can't pass up the smut).

*Lastly, Bleach belongs to Kubo, Whispers in the Dark to Skillet, and I do not profit from either.

Infractus Somnium 2

Alone on a shadowed bench, in the middle of a small deserted city, a pale teen rests. The lights in this area having long since given up, the only visual indication that he is even there is courtesy of the bright, full moon reflecting off of ghostly white skin, and untamed silvery spikes. A car alarm sounds off in the distance and one golden eye cracks open at the obnoxious interruption of his thoughts. 'Probably from Hueco Mundo.' He turns up the volume on his MP3 player, drowning out the noise and returns his thoughts to his orange headed 'ward.'

"Despite the lies that you're making,

Your love is mine for the taking,

My love is, just waiting

To turn your tears to roses..."

He remembers watching him from afar when they were younger, even before taking responsibility for him. Back then, Ichigo had been the only child who hadn't either cowered in fear, or tried to bully him for his appearance. He was a happy kid, even if a bit of a crybaby at times, and he treated everyone like a friend. Shiro remembered being jealous of the other kids when Ichigo paid attention to them, and even Ichigo's mother, who brought the brightest smile to her son's face whenever she was near. Shiro hadn't seen that smile in over eleven years, not since the last time Ichigo's mother picked him up from school.

"...Despite the lies that you're making,

Your love is mine for the taking,

My love is, just waiting

To turn your tears to roses..."

He'd left his house that night, his parents screaming and throwing things at each other enough to drive him mad. He needed to get out before they got really violent and turned their abusive attention on him. Luckily, they had been so self involved that they never missed their 7 year old son, or the gun he slipped out of his dad's dresser.

"...I will be the one that's gonna hold you,

I will be the one that you run to,

My love is a burning, consuming fire..."

He was walking in the moonlit night, no particular destination in mind when he came to the bridge that would be forever etched into his mind. The feeling of Ichigo running to him, tear stained face seeking salvation in Shiro's shirt collar, was bittersweet. He was torn from feeling ecstatic that Ichigo needed him and anger that someone actually put the orange head in that state. However when Ichigo revealed in pure terror that he had just seen his parents murdered, and that the man was after him too, his anger turned to rage, overriding all other emotion. 'No one would touch him, ever!'

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

I'll light the night with stars,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

He remembers the last words spoken between them before Ichigo slipped into unconsciousness, an oath that would never be broken,"I won' let 'im have ya. Don't worry Ichi I'll protect you, yer safe now."

"Safe?" He sounded so lost, broken. Shiro had for the moment, pushed the rage aside so his Strawberry would know that he would never be alone.

"Forever."

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

You know I'm never far,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

As Ichigo went limp in his arms, he looked up to see a man standing on the other side of the bridge, heavy breathing suggesting that this was the man who'd been chasing the orange head. His chestnut hair was plastered to his face with sweat, dark eyes alight with fake amusement. He composed himself quickly, brushing his hands down his long trench coat and turning a sickeningly fake smile in Shiro's direction. "Ah, I see you found my son. Sorry about the confusion, he gets scared easily."

The man took a step forward and Shiro snorted in disgust, carrying Ichigo back with him a step. "He's not yours."

"...Whispers in the dark..."

His lowly spoken words must of hit some nerve, because the man snapped, reaching for his gun and yelling his fury, "None of you understand! I loved her and that boy should have been mine!"

Shiro spoke again, voice just above a whisper and looking down at the boy in his arms, almost as if he was afraid of waking him, "None of that matters anymore."

Confused by the words and the eerie tone of the voice, the man froze, words coming out quietly, "And why wouldn't that matter?"

Shiro gently set Ichigo down, closing the boy's coat, before stepping over him and locking a deadly glare on the man threatening to take his Strawberry away, "Because he's mine now."

"...You feel so lonely and ragged,

You lay here broken and naked,

My love is just waiting,

To clothe you in crimson roses..."

Shiro barely remembers raising his own weapon or pulling the trigger, but the satisfaction he felt when the man went down and knowing that he had protected Ichigo, is something that time will never erase.

"...I will be the one that's gonna find you,

I will be the one that's gonna guide you,

My love is a burning, consuming fire..."

After checking the body to ensure the man's death, he piggybacked Ichigo to the clinic down the street. Setting the orange head down, he rang the bell and ran, hiding in the neighbors bushes to make sure Mr. Urahara was in. When the door was answered and Ichigo taken inside by the confused doctor, Shiro darted home, wiped off the gun, put it back where he found it, and crawled into bed, completely unnoticed by his still fuming parents.

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

I'll light the night with stars,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

Who'd have thought that the dead man would have been robbed and tossed under the bridge? Or that some of the DNA left on the body would be his and mistaken for his thieving, abusive, bastard of a father? The murder weapon being found in his dresser with a bullet missing didn't help his old man out much either. When his mother got violent in defense of her husband, threatening the officers and throwing random objects at them, she was taken in too, and Shiro, moved to foster care, placed under the supervision of a one, Urahara Kisuke.

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

You know I'm never far,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

When Ichigo finally woke up a couple days later, Shiro didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he found out the boy didn't remember anything. He knew better than to pester Ichigo with the facts of his life though. He was frustrated enough without having someone he didn't know tell him about himself. Too bad the kids at school didn't think the same. They would ask him daily if he remembered any of them, telling him about the things they did together in the past, always expecting something from him. Eventually he started ignoring them, scowling anytime someone tried to speak to him. This led to the teasing, which led to the fighting, and anytime Shiro tried to come to his defense, Ichigo would push the pale boy away, saying to mind his own business. 'Damn it! YOU are MY business!'

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

I'll light the night with stars,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

Too bad for Ichigo, Shiro had no intention of letting him be. He'd protect him from anything and anyone, even Ichigo himself. The method just had to change, that's all. So, he became the main antagonist, drawing everyone's attention to himself. He also, often picked fights with Ichigo, and the two quickly became known as mortal enemies. But anytime someone other than himself fought Ichigo, he'd take them on shortly after or even sometimes during the fight, saying that Ichigo was only his to beat the shit out of, and that everyone else can take a fuckin' hike. One doesn't need an excuse to stay close to their 'enemies.'

"...No! You'll never be alone,

When darkness comes

You know I'm never far,

Hear the whispers in the dark..."

'You can lie to yourself all you want Ichigo, but that won't change the fact that you ran to me that dark night, or that I promised to protect you forever.'

"...Whispers in the dark,

Whispers in the dark,

Whispers in the dark."

As the song died down, the benched figure was pulled out of memory lane by the sound of someone running, the feet hitting pavement, echoing off the old buildings. Curiosity getting the better of him, he opens his eyes, sitting up and glancing in the direction of the sound, pulling out the ear-buds of his MP3. His eye twitches when he spots the orange head of his inner musings across the street, sprinting like the devil himself were after him, 'What in God's name is he doing way the fuck out here?'

Shiro jumped up from the bench, ready to chase Ichigo into Hueco Mundo, when thankfully, the carrot top slowed to a stop at the next intersection, looking around like a lost kid. Throwing the hood to his sweater up, Shiro walked across the street approaching the other teen in the dark. 'Perhaps scaring him a little will make him pay attention to where the fuck he's going.'

Shiro stepped under a flickering streetlight a couple meters behind Ichigo just as the other turned around, leveling shocked brown eyes on him. The orange headed male's eyes shift around quickly, probably determining that the 'stranger' in front of him is alone, 'At least he got that right.'

"What's a little Strawberry like yerself doin' in this part'a town?" Said Strawberry falls into a fighting stance but the tension in his body leaks out as the recognizes the other's voice.

"I could ask you the same thing Snowflake. It's pretty late, did you conveniently forget again that we have school tomorrow?" The albino laughed at the nickname, it really never failed to amuse him. Although admittedly, if it ever came from anyone other than Ichigo, he wouldn't hesitate to beat the shit out of them.

Taking a step forward, Shiro removes the hood of his sweater, intent on riling Ichigo up so they'd fight and he'd hopefully stay out of this area from now on. "Why Kurosaki, I never woulda thought such a stuck up pretty boy would be worried 'bout the attendance record of a good fer nothin' delinquent. Ya miss me that much?"

Surprisingly indifferent to my taunt, he answers with a shrug "Well, class is pretty quiet without you there, teacher not yelling and all."

The white male smirks, incredibly pleased that the other missed his presence, but not allowing the change in subject. "Now that we've established how hopelessly bored ya are without me, answer my question, what are ya doin' out here?"

"Out for a run, ended up out here. That a problem?" 'Yes, it is.'

Shiro's smirk grows impossibly larger, "Only if I gotta beat yer ass to get ya ta stay out. Then I imagine it'd be somethin' of a problem for ya."

"That all you want? No problem, I was on my way outta this shit-hole before you stopped me anyway."

Pleased, despite being somewhat confused at Ichigo's cooperativeness, Shiro backed up and allowed the other to jog by, slightly disappointed that he wouldn't get the chance to touch his charge, "See ya at school tomorrow Strawberry." 'You won't have to miss me anymore...'

Walking at a leisurely pace, Shiro hits play on his MP3 again and follows Ichigo's path. At least with Kisuke out of town, he doesn't have to worry about them getting into trouble for being out this late.