Won't Be The Last

: Ichigo x Grimmjow

rated : M

A/N : I've been meaning to write something about a heroic and non-OOC Grimmjow for once [additional slight humour in his persona], with an element and a story of his own - so, how about something naturalistic? Hmm, everything about him is blue, so... aqua?

I have sooooo much ideas to pour into this story, and i'm waiting for what you guys think before i continue, is that okay?

My apologies for the errors unintentionally made in this chapter, will be corrected soon. I don't and will never own Bleach.

Nonetheless, enjoy!

Chapter One : Mystifying Sea

Listening to the soothing lullaby of the splashing and drifting seas, they had always calmed his troubled soul. Sometimes he would let himself be swallowed into the suffocating, welcoming water and yearned to be taken to the 'end'. But no matter how much he relentlessly tried, he would always end up drifted back to where he was on land. As if the sea was telling him that it was not yet his 'time'.

The sunset breeze woke him up from his unconsciousness, slapping him with brutal reality that he will never, ever see his family again.

His clothes were soaking wet. His short orange hair was damp and messy as nearly every inch of him was coated with sticking sand. Squinting his brown eyes open, he frowned in disgust. He never liked coming back.

"Captain!" a scruffy voice shouted, with the sound of crunching footsteps running towards him.

Ichigo's pair of heedless eyes remained fixed at the blank, darkening sky. There were stars popping out from the light of the sun - shades of sorrowful dark orange and red coloured the emptiness of the early evening. The night was brewing closer, no wonder it was so cold today.

Until a red-haired man came to his view, the latter's astonishing paint of tattoos on his forehead was the first sight that he shifted to. Spotting Ichigo's chest heaving normally, the man sighed in relief - squatting near the orange-haired as he slapped his forehead.

"You have to stop hurting yourself, Captain... It's not your fault," the red-haired politely expressed, helping his leader, his friend to sit up on the damp sand.

Ichigo raised his head up to stare at the setting sun. Catching a glimpse of the glittering reflection of the sol on the surface of sea, as it disappeared off the horizon. Sitting on the shallow part of the beach, he wondered as it took him a few moments to sentence his words - and wondered how many times he had reminded himself that he never should have been a Captain.

Taking off his steamchain vest, Ichigo flung them towards the red-haired and muttered as he stood, "I've lost count to how many times i've heard the exact same thing..."

Stripping the soaked vest out from sticking onto his face, the red-haired rise up on his two feet - towering his friend, the Captain, "But hurting yourself won't bring them back!"

"Renji..." Ichigo spoke, the tone of his voice sharpened in warning. His eyes bolted up to glare at the red-haired named Renji as he continued, "...Just leave me alone for awhile. I need some time to clear my head."

Renji remained still and stunned on his ground, watching his captain sauntering away from him, farther along the coast of the vast beach of their home town. He clutched onto Ichigo's vest, beach water dripping from the pressure of his grip as he grind his words quietly, "...Your men are worried about you, Captain."

Ambling along the beach, Ichigo stared off at the sand. Feeling his boots being partially swallowed by the dry, eating beige - the now, night's breeze felt tremendously cold to his skin. As it was mostly due to his still soggy clothes. He liked the sound of the beach, loved the melody of the water - smelling and tasting the saltiness of beach-water, he heard the wind whistling at him. It's going to rain soon. Possibly a storm.

It was said that the sea guided the fortunates to land, some say that these survivors had one weighty 'mission' in their life that they have to accomplish. But to those who didn't survive and died at sea, were ferried to the other side by the sea itself - their corpses should never be seek by the means that their souls should never wander aimlessly.

Then, he felt a nudge on his shin - realising that he had halted from his walk. A black cat came to his view, staring up at him in wonder with its majestic pair of golden eyes. The cat stripped him out from his thoughts, it might seem a bit crazy thinking that a cat understood a human's uneasiness.

Though Ichigo just curved a small smile, squatting down and petted the cat's head, "Are you wondering why i'm sad, dear cat?"

It was astonishing to witness that this strange golden-eyed cat sat on the ground and flickered its ear - as its eyes seemed to tell that it was, indeed listening. Ichigo stopped from petting such unusual cat, and sighed.

"I've lost my family at sea, that's why i'm sad..." he lamented, trying his best to read the heedless look on the cat's demeanour. Though he did spotted the cat's slight nod.

Its right paw then jabbed onto the dry sand, dragging and drawing its front leg as if to form a sentence for Ichigo to read what it was thinking. The orange-haired frowned, although this seemed absurd to him - he waited until the cat finished forming its sentence with correct use of letters and grammar.

He read them out loud, "...'Do you want to experience a change of life?'..."

"...What are you?" Ichigo added, his expression turned sour. But then, the cat titled its head to the side, wondering if Ichigo accepts its offer or not.

Pursing his lips closed, he was reluctant to welcome such a deceiving offer. If this change of life have the means for him to see his family for one last time, he'll take whatever chances he'll get. He nodded his head hesitantly, as he spoke, "...Yes, i do."

Then, the cat formed another word on the sand, 'Follow' - as it bolted towards the path where Ichigo was mindlessly walking towards to. He grunted, rushing to catch up with the agile black feline. He huffed and puffed a few breaths as he had spent a few minutes on running at a distance away from the port - the cat was taking and leading him to the other side of his home island. Until it ran to a halt, turning its head to the side and waited for the following orange-haired.

Ichigo ceased to a few steps, panting heavily as his chest dire for air. He noted on the cat's look and trailed his eyes once again to another form of sentence on the damp sand.

He mumbled them when the cat had finished drawing, "...'Right ahead, there's a change that required a need of hand'..."

When he finished reading them, Ichigo noticed that the strange feline had disappeared. Scanning sideways, he couldn't spot on anything - exhaling, his shoulders slumped. The cat had told him that his 'change' was 'right ahead'. He wondered why he forced himself to do this, maybe he was desperate. Trudging onto the dark beige coloured sand, he caught a sight of a figure washed by the sea and laid motionless with his face kissed on the dirt.

Hurriedly, Ichigo ran towards him - shaking the man's shoulder as he called out, "Hey! You okay?!"

"Ugh..." the blue-haired man groaned, his shoulder twitched awake as his hand slapped Ichigo's arm away. The stranger then wheezed, raising his head from the swallowing soil, "...Run along if you don't want to get hurt, boy!"

"What...?"

The blue then angrily shot up to stand after he'd slammed his fists onto the wet sand. Stomped his boots on the shallow water, he trudged towards the sea - his face was stricken in rage and perhaps, fear. The orange-haired panicked, this man's suicidal!

"Whoa! Get back here!" Ichigo shouted, chasing the suspicious blue-haired man and pulled him back by the collar of his black topcoat.

The man was startled as he stumbled back and splashed onto the shallow water, he grunted and struggled away from Ichigo's strong grip on his clothes, "Let go of me!"

Ichigo shouted back at him, hooking the man by his neck, "You crazy?! There's a storm coming and you'll drown if you go swimming at this hour!"

"I control the storm, idiot! Now let go of me!" the man barked, kicking his feet off and on the ground - relentlessly trying to escape.

"Yeah, right..." the orange-haired hissed as he threw the blue-haired man on the dry part of the beach, quite a few meters away from the water. He breathed, frowning at the scowling stranger - topcoat, bare-chested with roman-like numbers painted on the mid-section of his stomach and down to his navel, leathered pants and those buccaneer boots - is he a pirate?

Before he could assume such things, he gave the man an exceptional understanding that Ichigo too even thought of a suicide. Sighing, he rolled up his tux sleeves, "...What's your story?"

Though the man snorted, wiping the bits of sand off of his face, "If i tell you, would you let me go?"

"It depends," Ichigo shrugged, crossing his arms across his chest as he glared down at the pair of cyan eyes.

The man's eyes shifted to the menacing aura of the night's sea, no moon but stars twinkled lightly high above. And that the clouds already hovered over them, threatening to shed a good, heavy rain and strong, cold winds.

"There was a carnage at where i'm having my war at..." the blue snarled, brushing away the sands on his clothes as he stood up. His height was near to Renji's, though shorter. But Ichigo didn't waver afraid of how dangerous this man looked.

"Who are you fighting with?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, being a Captain with his own crew and army - such problems that happened at sea must be dealt as quickly as possible. Just so, to protect the balance of sheer peace.

The blue-haired man smirked, closing his eyes as he felt a slight pride in his current situation, "...Darkness. Below the sea and into the abyss, darkness went rampage. I'm going to lose my home if i don't return... So, if you'll excuse me, i'll be on my way."

It sounded apparent to Ichigo's ears, halting the man by grabbing the latter's arm when he shuffled away, "Stay where you are."

The blue breathed out a loud sigh, "I'd love to stay for a chat with you, but i really have to go!"

Pulling his arm away, the orange-haired only tightened his grip, "It seems to me that you're a pirate. And a crazy one, top that!"

"Boy, i'll make you wish you never said that..." the man threatened as he scowled, clenching his fists in a mark of a readied assault.

Brown eyes stared fixated to the blue-haired pirate in front of him, the tone of his voice running low as he spoke, "I'd like to see you try."

With the man's free arm, it was as if his hand had mimicked the gentleness of the water and it was just in a split second that it seemed like he was about to slap Ichigo across his face. But nothing happens as he stopped halfway, his 'summoning' trick had failed him. The orange-haired stayed stupefied as the man brought his hand close to his face in disbelief.

"W-Wha?! Where'd my water go?!"

Ichigo burst out a sinister chuckle, pulling the blue-haired's arm down to stare closely at the latter's face, "I'll have you admitted to the asylum soon."

"Are you kidding me?! Release me at once! You're making a big mistake here!" the blue desperately cried, it seemed that he was powerless - perhaps weak - without the use of his 'summoning' tricks.

Skilfully seizing and latching on the blue-haired's arms, Ichigo pushed the man by his shoulder to the path towards the port.

"I hereby declare you, a pirate, to be locked up in prison for the rest of your life," the Captain spewed, practically shoving the stranger towards the port.

Read & Review!