Fic: Zanpaku (Bleach/Firefly, Rukia/Renji/Ichigo)
Title: Zanpaku Author: GW Katrina aka icedark_elf Prompt bits: - Bleach - Firefly: Crewmembers on a space ship in a universe with an old-west feel Rating: PG-13 Wordcount: 1,107 Pairing: Rukia/Renji/Ichigo Summary: Some days, it's like the world is laughing at you.
That's what Ichigo got out before he was forced to duck the chair that got flying at his head. Rukia was going to kill him. There was no way she wouldn't believe that he had gotten into a bar fight on purpose. Should have known better than to go to a bar on this day or all days, not that he'd ever admit it to her, though. Should have -known- there was going to be a fight between Federation idiots and Brown Coat sympathizers. Just like every year.
Think about it later. Right now, he had to get out of here without getting arrested. He would really never live it down, then.
The gunshot dashed those hopes.
Looking up, he saw people who looked very, very official. Wonderful.
Muttering slightly, he wondered how loud Rukia was going to yell at him.
///
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Ichigo glared at Rukia, who was glaring right back. Several of the people watching wondered if it was just the bars of the jail cell that kept the woman from using the blade she carried on the man. The fact she carried a blade was enough to ward off some of the less...polite of company. Anyone who used a blade instead of a gun, especially a woman as attractive as that one, well...didn't want to get on her bad side. As the poor man in the cell obviously had.
"Yes, I always want to be arrested. Especially before the big meet. Nothing like being taunted for a week straight to encourage me, you know?"
His sarcasm was not appreciated, it seemed. Not that he cared. They were coming with the keys to let him out, so obviously Rukia had gotten him out.
The woman shook her head, waiting to say more until they were heading out the door. "You know my brother is going to enjoy hearing about this far too much." Not that her brother would stop her from flying with Ichigo, but the blond was aware of how much she valued the man's opinion. And he never seemed sure of what to make of Ichigo. Probably because of the way he had stumbled into flying one of the Zanpaku class ships that all Shinigami flew.
"You sure we just can't grab Renji and hide in our quarters for a the week before the clan meet? It's going to be bad enough listening to Kenpachi ranting about me getting arresting for a bar fight that I was trying to get away from." He scowled. And the man would end up dragging him out to try to get into another fight, too.
Kenpachi was always looking for one of those, and anytime he could get into it with another of the Shinigami just seemed to make him happier. That one was completely insane. Still, Ichigo felt far more at home with people like him and the others who flew on the Nameless than most of the one who flew ships like Senbon Zakura or Ryujin Jakka. Which would be why his ship dealt more with the outer worlds, while they had their dealings with the Federation.
Course, that really cut into the time he and Rukia got to see Renji, who was Byakuya's second on the Senbon Zakura. Which meant that anytime they wanted to see him, they had to deal with Rukia's brother.
Though Ichigo and Byakuya were getting along better since their big fight. Nothing like kicking each other to the ground and still going at each other's throat to make a pair of guys friends.
Ichigo was grinning at Rukia's speculative face when he spotted the Zangetsu waiting for them. That was his pride and joy, a sleek, black ship, white marks all over it. Faster than just about anything else he'd ever seen, even at the clan meets, he could see why the Shinigami were also known as Ghost Runners.
"How the others do on their supply runs?"
"Orihime got the med area stocked up. She and Ishida were discussing dinner last I saw, though Chad was going to help steer her away from the kitchen. Ishida got some decent food this time, and he looked as if he was about to resort to physical violence to keep her away from it."
He almost rolled his eyes. Almost. Orihime was a friend, one of his oldest friends. Still didn't mean he'd eat her food. So he could understand why Ishida reacted that way. The man was a jackass at times, but he was good at keeping the ship going. For someone who seemed to dislike Shinigami, he was good with the Zanpaku ship mechanics. Strange, but Ichigo wasn't going to argue it.
As they got closer, though, he did stare at the sudden shock of bright red hair he saw. Spiky red hair. What the hell? The only person he knew like that was....
"Bout time you got here. Heard you got your ass thrown in jail. Can't do anything without me around, can you?"
"Renji?" Rukia moved forward first, not quite a run, but definitely a fast walk, and snagged a hug from the man as Ichigo followed her. "What are you doing here? Is my brother with you?"
One arm looped around her, the other lifting to deflect the friendly punch to the shoulder Ichigo tossed at him, he shook his head. "Nah. He got a last minute job, and you know how the Federation is. They're willing to pay and pay high when they think there's a desperate need for it. And they wanted to make sure that their newest station got it's good luck charm before any high levels get there. So he dropped me here to let you know. He'll be at the meet, but let me off the hook." A grimace. "Probably cause I punched the man who hired us last time we talked."
Ichigo snorted. "Lets get off the dirt. If we don't have to make a swing around to meet you guys, we can take a bit more time getting to the meet."
"You just don't want to hear it from the crew of the Nameless," Rukia teased, heading onboard, Renji right with her. Ichigo grinned.
"Maybe. Or maybe I have a few things of my own I managed to get that I wouldn't mind testing out. Went shopping without you for a reason."
The speculative looks he got from the pair made him smirk, and he moved past to go find Chad. Time to get flying. After all, they had plenty of time to find out what he meant later.